Playing With Fire

When the guards retreated from the room, Aria sat on the bed with her legs crossed. She inhaled and exhaled deeply and calmly through her nose; her firebending master had taught her to let go of stress by practicing breathing techniques. She smiled faintly; this was a little bit more than a stressful situation. The darkness of the room seemed to press on her from all sides and she tried hard to control the panicked thoughts tearing through her mind. She knew Zhao was going to take her back to the Fire Nation Capital where she would be forced to marry him. Her mind flinched away from the thought of having to face her father again; his wrath would be terrible. There would be no pleading with him to protect her from Zhao; her father would be glad to give Admiral Zhao a chance to mold her into the perfect Fire Nation citizen, regardless of the methods used.
When her thoughts turned to Zhao himself, her stomach twisted in a knot and she shivered involuntarily. She was relying on the presence of the crew to keep her safe while on the ship (she doubted Zhao would be willing to tarnish his reputation), but her time was limited. When they reached the homeland it would be over. They would be married and he would be able to do anything to her without consequence. The life she had thought she would have with Zuko seemed to disappear in a cloud of smoke; she could now see nothing but her father’s retribution and Zhao’s brutish self. Tears pricked at Aria’s eyes and she wiped them away angrily. She wasn’t going to let herself wallow in self-pity. Hopefully, Zhao would be so engrossed with his prize he’d leave Aang alone long enough for him to get to the Northern Water Tribe and master water bending. A deep, overwhelming fear overcame Aria and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. I can do it Aria thought halfheartedly; I will do it to help Aang. She would sacrifice herself; she was expendable, Aang was not.
“Aang is safe.” She forced herself to say out loud, “Everything that happens will be worth helping to end the war.” Remembering Zhao’s hungry, merciless stare, she couldn’t make herself believe her own words.
The next day passed slowly for Aria. She was left well enough alone with only occasional visits from soldiers bearing trays of food which she ignored. Trying to keep herself busy, she searched the room, looking for anything that could be of use. Other than the furniture, the only thing in the room was a chamber pot and a metal pitcher for water. Disappointed, Aria cast herself down on the bed, once again dwelling on her future. Unable to rise out of the black mood she was in, Aria stayed curled on the bed for most of the day. She stared unseeingly at the ceiling above her, vaguely wondering how much time had passed; with no window it was impossible to tell. When Aria judged it was getting well into the evening, she jumped up and paced the floor. She couldn’t stand the thought of sitting still any longer. After several moments of her manic pacing, the door was opened, revealing a soldier standing outside.
“The Admiral requests your presence miss.”
Not bothering to answer with one of the many sarcastic remarks that were running through her head, Aria got to her feet and followed him down the corridor to another door. The soldier’s knock was answered with an order to come in and he swung the door open. Aria entered the room reluctantly, her eyes fixed on the man inside. Zhao was sitting in a low chair; his legs crossed and a glass of what looked like wine in his hand. With a metallic groan, the door swung shut again behind Aria, leaving her alone with him.
“Please, sit.” He said motioning to a chair across from his. Aria did as told and surveyed the room. The room was spacious, richly decorated in red and black. Behind the sitting area, which was comprised of three chairs and a low table, was a colossal bed, surmounted with the Fire Nation emblem. Only Zhao would have such luxurious quarters in a war ship Aria thought scathingly. Aware of Zhao watching her, Aria brought her attention back to him but said nothing.
“I apologize for not making a visit earlier,” Zhao said regretfully. He stood up and crossed the room to a cabinet. “As I’m sure you can understand I’ve been otherwise occupied.”
Aria continued her silence and watched him with expressionless eyes while Zhao pulled a bottle of wine out of the cabinet and refilled his glass. With his back to her, he produced another glass and filled it out of another bottle. Striding back across the room, he thrust the second glass into her hand and settled back into his chair.
“So what is to be my fate?” Aria asked scathingly.
Zhao chuckled, surveying her over his glass. “The same as it always has been. We’ve set a course for the Capital. Our hunt for the avatar has been put aside for the time being, General Jirou is quite eager to have you home. When we reach there you and I will be wed. You will remain in your father’s house until I return from my search for the avatar. Of course I won’t be leaving the Fire Nation for a couple of weeks after the wedding. And when I do get back, I’ll be keeping a tight hold on you; you will fulfill your purpose of giving me a child worthy of me and furthering my career. I’ll soon be in attendance at the Fire Lord’s war councils.”
“How is it that I can be welcomed back so easily when every gossip around the city must know by now that I’m a ‘traitor’ to the Fire Nation?” Aria asked, ignoring the disgust that welled up inside her.
“You think your father would let his name be disgraced so easily? No. The accepted story around the city is that you were visiting the Fire Nation colonies when you were abducted by the avatar. Not only does it save face for your father, it furthers our agenda against the avatar. Even my own crew believes it. Only your family and I know of your idiocy. I wouldn’t say you’ll be welcomed back either,” Zhao said thoughtfully, “I’m sure General Jirou will have a most fitting…greeting…waiting for you when we arrive. Privately of course.”
Aria sat silently for a moment, digesting the information he had provided before offering a rebuttal.
“As wonderful as it would be to see my father again, I don’t think I’ll be going along with your plan. You see, I’ve got plans of my own and unfortunately they don’t coincide. So sorry.” Aria said sarcastically.
Zhao raised his glass to her, smiling sardonically.
“To you, Aria.”
Aria paused before raising her glass.
“To victory over tyrants.”
She said staring at him hard. He grinned and they both drained their glasses. As the last of the wine cleared Aria’s lips, she felt something was horribly wrong. The glass slipped out of her fingers and shattered on the floor. Aria lurched to her feet but with the room spinning around her, she lost her balance and fell to the floor. The pain of her hands and knees landing on the broken glass barely registered in her bewildered mind. Her body was shaking violently and her breathing turned to ragged gasps. With wide, astonished eyes, Aria looked up at Zhao who was watching her coolly. Squeezing her eyes shut tight to stop the spinning; she fell to her side and curled up, still shaking horribly.
“I was told the drug was harder on the more powerful benders. I would assume from the way you’re reacting, they told me right. I’ve seen it used on war prisoners with barely any reaction at all. Although, you could hardly call those barbarians benders...We’ve got a rather clever Earth Kingdom scientist working for us who developed the compound.” Zhao stated.
Aria pushed herself to her feet again, swaying slightly. Her eyes widened when she realized she could no longer feel her bending burning beneath the surface. With a snarl, she tried to blast Zhao off his feet but nothing happened. Aria gasped; she had never been without her bending. With an extreme effort, she managed to block out the panicked thoughts and focused on what Zhao was saying.
“It blocks bending completely. Don’t worry, it isn’t permanent but believe me when I say it will stay in your system more than long enough for my purposes.” Zhao explained. Aria stared at him apprehensively; she didn’t like the sound of that.
Zhao surveyed Aria holding tightly to the back of the chair for a moment before acting. When Zhao moved toward her, Aria instinctively tried to send a stream of fire at him. Once again nothing happened and the truth seemed to hit Aria in the face. She really didn’t have her bending. Zhao’s long strides soon had him too close for comfort and Aria swung hard at him. He easily caught her inexperienced punch and used it to pull her closer. Her other wrist was soon in his grip when she once again tried to hit him.
“Good, I’d have been disappointed if you didn’t try to fight.” Zhao almost purred. He pushed her hard up against the wall and moved his mouth hungrily up her throat while, releasing her wrists, his hands moved over her waist, exploring. Aria pushed against him as hard as she could trying to back him up, but he acted as though he couldn’t feel it.
“When my father-” Aria began threateningly. She knew it was probably an empty threat.
“Ha! You’re deluded if you think he still has any interest in protecting you.” Zhao said, full of mirth.
Zhao pressed harder against her and his caressing lips moved up to her jawline. Aria cried out in pain as Zhao’s roving hands became hotter and hotter. Singed holes were appearing in the sides of her shirt where underneath angry red burns appeared on her skin. Zhao’s low chuckle told her it was no accident. The pain was intense and Aria gritted her teeth to stop from screaming. Anger boiled in the pit of her stomach; he had taken fire, the one thing she had complete control of, and turned it against her. He paused long enough to whisper in her ear,
“Oh Aria, you’ve been asking for this for a long time.”
“What?” She choked out, unable to comprehend what he meant.
“You’re quite the tease, you know that? Strutting around, acting disdainful of everyone, wanting them to look but never allowed to touch. You don’t think you could continue with the defiant, hot headed attitude as my wife did you?” Zhao answered in amusement, “No, you need broke and I’m holding the reins. Mmmm, I’m going to enjoy this.”
“You don’t dare try anything without blocking my bending.” Aria spit out, rallying her fighting spirit. “You think you can get in with my father by marrying me? You will never earn his favor! You haven’t got the brains or the cunning; you aren’t anything but a tool to him. You arrogant-”
Zhao grabbed her face and yanked her violently closer to him.
“You’re going to learn a hard, hard lesson” He snarled, only inches from her face.
Aria stared up at him, trying not to show the terror inside. His eyes were filled with the promise of pain and misery for her and she made a desperate bid for freedom, struggling with everything she had. He laughed throatily and easily subdued her with his enormous bulk. His lips crushed down on hers with such force it drove her head back into the wall, making her see stars, and with his hands on her waist, he lifted her up and threw her down on the enormous bed. In a flash, he was on top of her. Straddling her hips, his weight pushed her further down into the bed. He pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it aside; his muscled chest was already covered in a sheen of sweat. The room was quickly becoming stifling hot. She struggled and fought, trying to get out from under him but her small build was no match for his bulk.
Aria’s breath was coming in short, panicked gasps; she had never bothered to learn any defensive skills outside of her bending and now she was paying the price. There was nothing she could do against him; he would take her. Her fury was like a palpable thing, choking her and bringing stinging tears to her eyes. How dare he touch her, Aria, daughter of the highest ranking general in the Fire Nation and fire bending prodigy. That he had the gall to drug her and force himself on her lit a fire in her stomach and she knew with certainty that if she had had her bending then she would have killed him.
As a last ditch effort, Aria started to beg, deciding she’d rather swallow her pride than act as his evening entertainment. There was no stopping him. She could feel the built up tension in his body and a fire was burning in his eyes. He was hungry and only she would sate his appetite. When he pulled back slightly to untie his trousers, Aria managed to pull up her leg and knee him as hard as she could. Zhao only grunted and slapped her hard across the face. Aria’s mouth filled with the somewhat metallic taste of blood and she clenched her teeth and started pounding her fists against his chest and head. Swiftly he pinned both of her arms down with only one of his large hands.
Once again, he reached for the fastenings of his trousers and got them undone quickly and moved to hers. He untied them expertly; he was no boy to fumble around, wasting time. His breath was speeding up and his hands clutched at her everywhere; self-control was losing in the battle against lust. Aria’s mind was in full panic mode and she was struggling against him ineffectually when the heavy steel door flew open and banged against the wall. One of the soldiers stationed on the ship was standing in the doorway, looking embarrassed.
“Sir-”
“Get out; I’ll deal with it later.” Zhao interrupted roughly, panting slightly.
“But sir, the avatar’s bison has been spotted, landed on Juang Hui Island. It looks like they’ve made camp there.” The soldier said, glancing up timidly at the two on the bed. Aria only hoped he could see she wasn’t participating by choice. Zhao growled in frustration and rubbed his hand across his face. It was apparent he did not want to leave Aria as unfinished business. He bent down and kissed her roughly on the mouth before jumping from the bed. Aria sat up and pushed herself against the headboard of the bed; hardly daring to believe she had been spared, at least for now.
“Get the men ready to deploy.” Zhao commanded, fastening his trousers again, “Only a skeleton crew remains on the ship. He won’t get away this time.”
The man bowed and hurried off to carry out Zhao’s orders. Clattering footsteps were heard overhead as the men ran for the boats.
“I’ll be back soon enough.” Zhao said with a malicious smile while quickly dressing himself. He didn’t need to say anything more, his meaning was clear. With that he left, closing the door behind him. The audible click of the lock reverberated in Aria’s ears and any hope she might have had quickly fled, leaving her shaking and cold. She felt as if she was mentally paralyzed, incoherent, broken thoughts flew through her mind. He had completely dominated her. She couldn’t reconcile herself to the weak, helpless person she had just been. After a few minutes, Aria managed to pull herself together and scowled, disgusted with herself. Was she going to cower here and wait for Zhao to come back and finish what he had started? Closing her eyes, she concentrated on feeling her bending but she felt nothing and when trying to do even a simple fire blast, nothing happened. Sighing, she stood to search the room when the sound of footsteps and yelling came from outside.
“This door is locked! She must be in here, stand back and I’ll blast it open.” Aang’s voice shouted.
“Make it fast; I’m willing to bet they noticed Appa flew off.” Sokka’s voice followed grimly.
The door was blown off the hinges and slammed against the opposite wall by a violent gust of wind. Aria stood gaping at the youths framed in the doorway, stunned at their sudden appearance.
“You came back for me.” She stated in amazement, still unmoving.
“Yeah we did, now come on. We don’t have a lot of time.” Katara said impatiently.
Aria grabbed a cloak Zhao had discarded earlier and swung it over her shoulders, hastily hiding the burns and ragged shirt. She didn’t want to go through the embarrassment of explaining what had happened in that room. Soon they were running down the corridors and up stairways, racing to reach the deck. The lack of anyone from the crew left behind trying to stop them confused Aria; that is until they passed a group of unconscious men scattered in the corridor. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t heard the fight.
Aria emerged from below behind the others and spotted Appa waiting on the deck, illuminated in the light from the half-moon above. A burst of insane laughter escaped from Aria; Zhao had lost this battle! They stopped a moment to catch their breath but Katara’s shriek brought them all to the edge of the ship. Zhao’s boats were already almost back to the ship; they could see him standing at the forefront of the nearest boat, fury etched into every line of his face. Without a word, they all sprinted for Appa. The thud of the boats against the ship spurred them faster and within moments Aria was vaulting into Appa’s saddle. With Appa safely in the air, Aria looked back at the huge navy ship. Zhao was standing on the deck, fists clenched at his side. They stared at each other for a long moment, Aria’s hair whipped back and forth in the wind but it did not stop her from reading the grim promise of retribution on his face. Aria turned her back on him defiantly and they were shortly out of view.