The Air of a Flame

*Trinity’s POV*

Being aboard Zuko’s ship was interesting. After many arguments with Iroh and the crew, I had finally managed to get them to not lock my door, so I was now free to roam around the ship. I wandered around the ship everyday, trying to find new places. My favorite part of the ship, however, was the deck. I loved watching the waves crash against the boat; it was calming. That was where I was currently headed. On my way up I began to here voices.

“Concentrate Zuko! Remember your form!” I heard General Iroh say to Zuko. They were training again. While being on this ship, I had learned that Zuko trained at least once a day on this ship. Iroh taught him.

I could hear the sound of the fire burning, and as I got closer to the deck, I could hear Zuko’s grunts from over exerting himself. As I opened the door when I was coming onto the deck, I saw Zuko, who was shirtless again, training, while Iroh was off to the side coaching him. I was slowly came onto the deck, so I wouldn’t disturb him, but the heavy metal door behind me slammed shut.

Everything was in slow motion after that. Zuko, who was surprised, shot a blast of fire at me, thinking I was an enemy. As the giant fireball headed towards me, I saw the shocked looks on Zuko and Iroh’s face as they rushed to help me. On instinct, I lifted my hands in front of my face in defense, and blasted the fireball with air, destroying it a few inches in front of me.

I could see the shocked faces of everyone who had witnessed my bending, and the slightly furious look that was also on Zuko’s face.

“YOU’RE AN AIRBENDER!” Zuko shouted accusingly at me. I cringed away from him in fear. Iroh, who had recovered from his shock had come over to me and asked if I was alright.

“I’m fine.” I said shyly to uncle. My secret had gotten out, and I was beyond scared of the reactions everyone held.

“HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?” Zuko screamed. He was furious. “THE AIRBENDERS WERE WIPED OUT 100 YEARS AGO, THE AVATAR BEING THE LAST ONE.”

My hesitant reply came out as a mumble. Even Iroh, who was sitting next to me, could not understand my words.

“Excuse me?!” Zuko said. He was no longer yelling, but his voice was deadly.

“I’m his sister.” I said quietly, but this time, everyone heard it. Zuko and Iroh gasped.

“But how is that possible?” Iroh whispered. Before I could reply, I was harshly grabbed and was being taken somewhere by Zuko. Apparently, he had recovered from his shock and was dragging me away for questioning. He led me to a room I had not been in before, the room that was next to mine: Zuko’s room.

“Explain.” He said, his voice firm, as he threw me on his bed.

“The Avatar is my brother.” I said to him, looking at my feet. I was too scared to look him in the eyes.

“How?” Was the only thing he said. I sighed before telling him my story. I knew I was in no position to disobey him.

“When the firebenders attacked the Air Nomads, I was hidden away in a secret room. It held statues of all the past Avatars, and only an airbender could have gotten into it. I was put in some sort of a sleep, where the past Avatars kept me safe. I woke up 100 years later by my brother and his friends. I had only been with them a few days before you took me away.” I said to him. He stayed quiet for a long time, thinking about what I had said. I decided to make a bold move. “Now that I have told you my story, it’s your turn. If you are a prince, then why are you out here in the middle of nowhere, searching for my brother, instead of being at the palace?”

I didn’t think he was going to answer me. He looked at me, with a glare in his eyes, while contemplating if he should answer me. Just when I thought he was going to yell at me or walk out, he sat down on the bed next to me, and put his face in his hands. He breathed deeply before answering me.

“I had been invited to a war meeting. It was the first one I had been invited to go to, and I was very eager to go. But it wasn’t at all like I had expected. They had said something that I had disagreed with; they wanted to see the new troops to the front lines” I gasped at that. It was murder! He gave a lifeless laugh before continuing. “Yeah I know. Anyways, I had spoken out of turn, and my father was furious. He demanded I be in an Agni Kai, to teach me a lesson. When the day came for me to do it, I was overconfident. I thought I was going to be facing the war general that I had insulted, but when I got there, I realized I was supposed to face my father. I refused to fight him, but he was having none of it. I begged for his forgiveness, but he showed no mercy. That’s how I got this scar. He said to me, ‘You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.’ before he burned me. The scar is the mark of the banished prince. Exiled from my homeland, only to return if I find and capture the Avatar.”

I was shocked at his story. How could someone be so mean! I instantly felt sympathetic towards Zuko; he only wanted to return home. I still thought it was wrong for him to be chasing after my brother, but I could understand his point of view. He was still just a kid, hoping and looking for his father’s approval. The next thing I did shocked us both.

As if acting on instinct, I hugged him. He froze up at first, but I would not let him go. After a while, he relaxed, before loosely wrapping his arms around me.

I don’t know how long we sat their hugging, but when we let go of each other, I could tell we had both been crying. He had been through so much, and he was finally letting everything out. We just looked at each other for a while, coming to a slow understanding of each other.

“I’m sorry.” I said softly. I didn’t want to ruin the moment we were having.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” He replied in a whisper. All traces of anger from him were gone.

“I wish I could’ve done something to help. No one deserves to be through that.” I said.

“Yeah, well, you can’t change the past. All I can do now is try to capture the Avatar, and regain my honor.” He said, his voice sad. I sighed.

“I can’t say that I’m going to let you hurt Aang. He’s my brother and I love him. But I will try to help you with other things.” I said to him. He just looked at me.

“I wish me and my sister were like that.” I was surprised at this. I didn’t know he had a sister. He didn’t seem to notice my questioning gaze though. “My sister, Azula, is a firebending prodigy. Father loves her.” He rolled his eyes, his voice full of malice. “She’s manipulative, cruel, and sadistic. I hate her.”

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t imagine Aang ever hating me. Sure, we had our fights, and we got on each other’s nerves sometimes, but he was still my brother, my twin. And I would be there for him, no matter what. And I knew he would do the same for me.

After that, we just talked. I told him more about the Air temple 100 years ago, he told me more about the Fire Nation. I learned that his mother went missing when he was little, and that he thought she was dead. I also learned that Iroh was what he considered a father figure, and that he had been with him through everything. Zuko learned more about what my life was like 100 years ago, and I also told him about Monk Gyatso. We strayed from the topic of my brother, neither of us wanting the break the bubble of serenity we had created.

By the end of the night, I was sad to leave him. We had become friends in that short period of time, and we understood each other. I just hoped things would stay that way.