Categories > Cartoons > Avatar: The Last Airbender > Breath Life Into Flame
Within his own bed chambers Zuko lay awake staring at the ceiling, reflecting on this very twisted day that has unfolded before him. Things were starting to make sense, to an extent. Jaherah was the one from his dreams and he was beginning to assume that the dreams were a product of lust. He shook his head. This was not adding up. Why not dreams of her naked body lying before him? Why just a face and that haunting tune? He shut his eyes, trying to put his mind at ease.
As he drifted off to sleep, that song slipped into his mind and into his dreams. A vision of black butterflies dancing in the twilight played out before him. The first pleasant dream he had in a long time and it would go uninterrupted. In the morning, he woke well rested and calm. He slowly sat up yawning then realized something. “Why is this a good thing?” he asked aloud. A servant opening the curtains to one of the windows stopped, looked to him and shrugged.
The heavy door to Jaherah’s “holding cell” was unlocked, welded free from the wall then slid aside. The light from the hall shot in and reached to just her nose. She had waited for almost an hour for someone to come for her but she had run out of patience by the time someone did. A guard stepped in with a hand full of chains. “Let’s go,” he said.
Jaherah eyed him for a moment then lay back down. “Five more minuets,” she said, getting comfortable.
“You little bitch!” he snapped. He reeled back to strike her with one of the chains. “I said let’s go!” Jaherah’s eyes snapped open.
Servants clambered into the hall of their living quarters to see what had happened. All any one could say was there was a sudden gust of wind rushing through the entire bottom floor. Jaherah leaned against her doorway with her arms crossed. Seven guards lay across the floor, the man with the chains, unconscious. “You should know by now that none are allowed to touch me,” she said with a smile. “Now, if the prince wishes for my presence, he should have sense enough to fetch me himself.” She waved them off then stepped back into her room.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Zuko asked as he stepped over a guard. There where whispers now amongst the servants. No one of the royal family had been down here since General Iroh.
“I’m going back to bed,” she said simply.
“I ordered to have you upstairs ten minuets ago.”
“Just because I’m a prisoner here doesn’t mean I have to listen to you or anyone else.”
Zuko smirked and followed her into the dark room. A moment later, he dragged her out by her hair. She kicked and screamed, trying to break free. “Lesson one girl,” he barked. “I own you so you obey me!” He led her up a few flight of stairs, until they were well out of earshot of the onlookers, then threw her against a wall face first and pinned her there, arms twisted behind her back. “Now, are we done making a scene, or do I have to punish you?”
She struggled against him. Had all her training been for nothing? “You’d enjoy that wouldn’t you?” she hissed.
He smiled and whispered into her ear, “More than you think.” He heated his hands as they gripped her wrists tighter. She gasped, and then quickly submitted. “That’s better.” He let her go and stepped back to lead the way. “Let’s go.”
Jaherah sat staring at a dish of charbroiled meat, her hands neatly folded in her lap as she restrained from chucking it at Zuko. It would have to travel quite a distance to reach him too as she was sitting in a corner on the floor and he sat at a long table, enjoying his breakfast. He leaned one arm on the table as he waved a knife around. “You should eat if you plan on putting up a fight later,” he said with a smirk remembering bits a similar situation. She already picked and ate every bit of vegetation on her plate and was now glaring at him.
“You know I’m a vegetarian, or did you forget that too?” she asked with poison on her tongue.
“Like I would put your trivial life choices to memory.” He rose from his chair, picking up an orange as he approached her. “I find it hard to believe that you can maintain that figure on a diet of cabbages and berries.” He held the hunk of fruit just below his shoulders and watched as her eyes followed it around.
“Running from fire-nation soldiers does a body good.” She said regaining a bit of self-control.
He was curious now. Why would she have to run if no one in the fire-nation but him, his uncle and his scattered crew knew what she was? He crouched down to look her in the eye. “What have you been up to since Omashu?” he asked, holding out the orange to her.
Her eyes dropped to it then shot up to him. She smiled deviously. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you and you’re of more use to me alive.” She snatched up the orange then sank her nails into the skin peeling it back in ten different places.
“You fail to understand who holds the chains in this twisted relationship,” he said as he stood at his full height. “I determine whether or not you make it to see you next birthday, or even the next sunrise.”
“Do you really think I’d care if I died tomorrow?” She concentrated on stripping the orange of its flesh, something similar to a hunter skinning his prey. “Besides.” She paused to take a solid bite from the juicy fruit, a small trickle rolling down her chin. “You don’t have what it takes to kill me.”
“I don’t have to soil my hands with your worthless blood,” he said as he walked away from her.
“You don’t have to or you don’t want to? You killed the Avatar, why should my life be such a problem for you?”
There was that lie again, the smartest of all his sister’s lies. “I never”
The dining room doors flew open and Azula stood in the threshold with her arms still apart. As her arms dropped, a smile formed on her thin lips. In the back of Zuko’s mind there was a voice screaming. The same voice that acted as a siren when Azula was around. A warning that something was about to happen and it was never good for Zuko. He lived around this girl so long he grew to ignore it, but the siren seemed particularly piercing now.
“So the rumors are true,” she said as she crossed the room to Zuko, who tried not to glare at her. He really could not help himself; it was a reflex. “The castle is absolutely buzzing about your little pet dear brother.”
“That’s strange, I don’t hear anyone talking about me, unless you slum around the servants’ quarters,” Jaherah said as she continued to devour the orange.
Azula’s eyes shot to Jaherah in her little corner then back to Zuko. She smirked. “She has quite a mouth on her. I do hope you fix that.”
“Or what princess?” Jaherah asked as she stood up, brushing back her hair. “You’ll get your feelings hurt?”
This little spat was starting to become amusing to Zuko. There was a good chance that if Jaherah kept talking she would irritate his sister enough to ignite a bit of her rage. However, chances were slim that Jaherah would win in a fight against her. He felt it best to save that show for another time. “Jaherah, come here,” he said in a calm tone. To his surprise, she obeyed without arguing and moved to stand beside him.
“What a cute little trick,” Azula said as she walked forward. “Does she roll over too?”
“No but I can kill you in your sleep.”
Zuko grabbed a mass of her hair and yanked her head back. “Hold your tongue or I’ll cut it out,” he said in a low tone.
“Such ferocity! Where has that been all theses years?” Azula grinned, clasping her hands together. Jaherah’s sharp eyes followed her carefully. Zuko released her hair but resigned to holding onto the collar around her neck. “You better start training her soon unless you want to be exposed.” Zuko cocked a brow, confused as to whatever she may be referring. Azula swiftly left, slamming the doors behind her.
Jaherah smirked and pulled away from Zuko’s grip. “I think she’s afraid of me,” she laughed. “I wonder what she meant by expose you. As what? A liar and a traitor to” She turned to see Zuko staring out a window. He was raking his brain for an answer. Expose him as what? If she were to tell that he did not kill the avatar that would only mean bad news for the both of them. Would she lie to Mai about him having feelings for Jaherah? He would not put it past his sister. “What’s wrong your highness?” Jaherah asked with the no concern for him at all. “You look like you got hit by a rock.”
He narrowed his eyes on her then went back to his chair. “Hurry and finish eating, we’ve got things to do today,” he said in a low voice. Jaherah could sense something in his tone that told her he was worried. She simply sighed and looked towards the floor.
A growl resonated from Jaherah’s throat as she glowered at a house she wished would burn to the ground, Mai’s. “Must you see this girl every day?” she asked as she stood beside Zuko at the bottom of the entrance steps.
“Only as often as I feel the need to,” he said then tugged at the chain around her neck to get her to follow him towards the front door. The heavy chains around her ankles clinked and scraped on the stones as she moved.
“Then why must I be here?” she groaned.
“It’s part of your training.” He stopped to knock on the door a few times then waited. “You need to learn to respect the love of my life. I won’t have you mouthing off to her like you did with Azula.”
“So I can have at it with your sister but not your girlfriend?” She smirked, crossing her arms, another chain rustling between them. “I can see where your loyalties lie.”
Zuko narrowed his eyes on her as the door opened and a butler bowed to him. “Welcome Prince Zuko,” he said in a drawl. The servant stood straight then looked at Jaherah, puzzled. “And who is this?”
Jaherah was about to speak but Zuko quickly yanked on her chain and moved forward. “No one of importance. Is Mai home?”
The butler stepped aside to let them in, scrutinizing Jaherah. “Miss Mai is indeed in. If you and your…girl will wait in the parlor, I will retrieve her for you.” He shut the door then led them to Zuko’s usual waiting spot before disappearing.
“Well, he certainly is charming,” Jaherah scoffed as she paced around the spacious room. She turned to find Zuko staring into her eyes with a serious look about him. “What?”
He pointed towards the window then said, “Sit, now.” Jaherah rolled her eyes and went to sit beneath the window with her legs folded butterfly style. Zuko watched her closely. He was careful about making sure she could not run away and knew very well that bringing her outside the castle increased the chances of running into that miscreant who was with her the other day, but he had to risk it. She needed to be disciplined and fast. With the way she ran with her mouth, she would be dead within the week and she was worthless as a corpse.
Zuko dropped onto the small couch, pinching the bridge of his nose. This girl was a headache on so many levels. He sat back, finding her staring at him, poised, and still like a doll. “What?” he sighed.
She kept her gaze steady, silver connecting with gold then blinked slowly. “Do you remember the day you found me?” she asked in a reminiscent tone.
“How could I forget the image of you chained to a wall,” he said with a smirk.
Jaherah rolled her eyes. “Twisted freak,” she said under her breath. “Do you remember why you picked me?”
“Why the sudden interest?” He did remember why he picked her. She was the only one with a bit of fight in her. She refused to give in even if she was shackled to a wall. And even now she was fighting him with her little mind games.
“I just want to know if you remembered that’s all.” She finally averted her gaze to Zuko’s relief. “You seem to be so forgetful lately, so much so that you forgot what you swore to me.”
“Anything I swore to you was either a way to shut you up or a result of stupidity.”
“Possibly the latter.” In seconds she was pinned to the wall she leaned against, Zuko’s hand gripping around her neck, constricting ever so slightly.
He narrowed his eyes, a fire burning within them. “You will learn to hold your tongue,” he growled.
Jaherah smirked then shifted slightly. He responded by choking her a little more. She gasped then raised her chin. “I hold no fear of you, just pity.” She relaxed to ease her breathing then looked dully into his eyes once more. “You’ve lied and betrayed those who understood you most to get here, but tell me one thing, are you truly happy?” Zuko’s eyes widened but before he could do anything to punish her for those absurd words the door opened and Mai entered. Jaherah shoved his hand away then smiled to her rival so to speak. “Well if it isn’t the lady of the house. And you came in on your own two feet!” she said in awe. “What, no servants to carry you around?”
Zuko had had enough and simply lost control as he struck her across the face with the back of his hand. There was an awkward moment of silence as Jaherah stared in the direction her head was forced, wide-eyed and horrified. Zuko seemed shaken by this. He actually struck a woman. No. This was just a slave. He had to remember that.
Mai seemed un-phased by this violent moment as she crossed her arms and glared at Jaherah. “What is she doing here?”
Zuko looked to his beloved then rose with a smile on his face. “She’s here to learn self-control,” he said coolly. He slipped her arms around her waist and he could hear Jaherah’s revulsion. “She seems to dislike the thought and image of you and me together. So what better way to train her than by placing her in a situation that makes her irritable then forcing her to remain docile?”
Mai sighed, crossing her arms as she shut her eyes. “How long is this going to take?” she asked, a little peeved at his plan. “I don’t want her tagging along with us forever you know.”
He hocked a finger under her chin, causing her to look into his eyes. “It won’t take long, I promise.” He then kissed her lovingly and Jaherah felt her blood start to boil. In that moment, she felt she could kill without remorse or with little thought to it at all. However, things were not in her favor. With her hands bound, she could barely bend a breeze, much less anything life threatening.
And so it was to be. At every instance that Jaherah stepped out of line, she was to be punished especially when she acted up towards his sister. With how stubborn she was, this happened often, but, after the first time, Zuko could not bring himself to strike her without hesitating. The defiant look in her eyes shook him, rattling something deep within his mind. When it could be avoided, he had a guard do the job for him but he never watched. Hearing the sound of such an act was enough to make him uneasy. Jaherah was aware of this and so was Azula as she watched from the sidelines, keeping silent watch of her brother and his pet. There was something about this girl that was not adding up in her mind. She was hiding something and she wanted to find out what, but for now, she had to lay in wait, day in and day out. Watching her brother’s power struggle, as amusing as it was, her patience would start to wear thin.
As he drifted off to sleep, that song slipped into his mind and into his dreams. A vision of black butterflies dancing in the twilight played out before him. The first pleasant dream he had in a long time and it would go uninterrupted. In the morning, he woke well rested and calm. He slowly sat up yawning then realized something. “Why is this a good thing?” he asked aloud. A servant opening the curtains to one of the windows stopped, looked to him and shrugged.
The heavy door to Jaherah’s “holding cell” was unlocked, welded free from the wall then slid aside. The light from the hall shot in and reached to just her nose. She had waited for almost an hour for someone to come for her but she had run out of patience by the time someone did. A guard stepped in with a hand full of chains. “Let’s go,” he said.
Jaherah eyed him for a moment then lay back down. “Five more minuets,” she said, getting comfortable.
“You little bitch!” he snapped. He reeled back to strike her with one of the chains. “I said let’s go!” Jaherah’s eyes snapped open.
Servants clambered into the hall of their living quarters to see what had happened. All any one could say was there was a sudden gust of wind rushing through the entire bottom floor. Jaherah leaned against her doorway with her arms crossed. Seven guards lay across the floor, the man with the chains, unconscious. “You should know by now that none are allowed to touch me,” she said with a smile. “Now, if the prince wishes for my presence, he should have sense enough to fetch me himself.” She waved them off then stepped back into her room.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Zuko asked as he stepped over a guard. There where whispers now amongst the servants. No one of the royal family had been down here since General Iroh.
“I’m going back to bed,” she said simply.
“I ordered to have you upstairs ten minuets ago.”
“Just because I’m a prisoner here doesn’t mean I have to listen to you or anyone else.”
Zuko smirked and followed her into the dark room. A moment later, he dragged her out by her hair. She kicked and screamed, trying to break free. “Lesson one girl,” he barked. “I own you so you obey me!” He led her up a few flight of stairs, until they were well out of earshot of the onlookers, then threw her against a wall face first and pinned her there, arms twisted behind her back. “Now, are we done making a scene, or do I have to punish you?”
She struggled against him. Had all her training been for nothing? “You’d enjoy that wouldn’t you?” she hissed.
He smiled and whispered into her ear, “More than you think.” He heated his hands as they gripped her wrists tighter. She gasped, and then quickly submitted. “That’s better.” He let her go and stepped back to lead the way. “Let’s go.”
Jaherah sat staring at a dish of charbroiled meat, her hands neatly folded in her lap as she restrained from chucking it at Zuko. It would have to travel quite a distance to reach him too as she was sitting in a corner on the floor and he sat at a long table, enjoying his breakfast. He leaned one arm on the table as he waved a knife around. “You should eat if you plan on putting up a fight later,” he said with a smirk remembering bits a similar situation. She already picked and ate every bit of vegetation on her plate and was now glaring at him.
“You know I’m a vegetarian, or did you forget that too?” she asked with poison on her tongue.
“Like I would put your trivial life choices to memory.” He rose from his chair, picking up an orange as he approached her. “I find it hard to believe that you can maintain that figure on a diet of cabbages and berries.” He held the hunk of fruit just below his shoulders and watched as her eyes followed it around.
“Running from fire-nation soldiers does a body good.” She said regaining a bit of self-control.
He was curious now. Why would she have to run if no one in the fire-nation but him, his uncle and his scattered crew knew what she was? He crouched down to look her in the eye. “What have you been up to since Omashu?” he asked, holding out the orange to her.
Her eyes dropped to it then shot up to him. She smiled deviously. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you and you’re of more use to me alive.” She snatched up the orange then sank her nails into the skin peeling it back in ten different places.
“You fail to understand who holds the chains in this twisted relationship,” he said as he stood at his full height. “I determine whether or not you make it to see you next birthday, or even the next sunrise.”
“Do you really think I’d care if I died tomorrow?” She concentrated on stripping the orange of its flesh, something similar to a hunter skinning his prey. “Besides.” She paused to take a solid bite from the juicy fruit, a small trickle rolling down her chin. “You don’t have what it takes to kill me.”
“I don’t have to soil my hands with your worthless blood,” he said as he walked away from her.
“You don’t have to or you don’t want to? You killed the Avatar, why should my life be such a problem for you?”
There was that lie again, the smartest of all his sister’s lies. “I never”
The dining room doors flew open and Azula stood in the threshold with her arms still apart. As her arms dropped, a smile formed on her thin lips. In the back of Zuko’s mind there was a voice screaming. The same voice that acted as a siren when Azula was around. A warning that something was about to happen and it was never good for Zuko. He lived around this girl so long he grew to ignore it, but the siren seemed particularly piercing now.
“So the rumors are true,” she said as she crossed the room to Zuko, who tried not to glare at her. He really could not help himself; it was a reflex. “The castle is absolutely buzzing about your little pet dear brother.”
“That’s strange, I don’t hear anyone talking about me, unless you slum around the servants’ quarters,” Jaherah said as she continued to devour the orange.
Azula’s eyes shot to Jaherah in her little corner then back to Zuko. She smirked. “She has quite a mouth on her. I do hope you fix that.”
“Or what princess?” Jaherah asked as she stood up, brushing back her hair. “You’ll get your feelings hurt?”
This little spat was starting to become amusing to Zuko. There was a good chance that if Jaherah kept talking she would irritate his sister enough to ignite a bit of her rage. However, chances were slim that Jaherah would win in a fight against her. He felt it best to save that show for another time. “Jaherah, come here,” he said in a calm tone. To his surprise, she obeyed without arguing and moved to stand beside him.
“What a cute little trick,” Azula said as she walked forward. “Does she roll over too?”
“No but I can kill you in your sleep.”
Zuko grabbed a mass of her hair and yanked her head back. “Hold your tongue or I’ll cut it out,” he said in a low tone.
“Such ferocity! Where has that been all theses years?” Azula grinned, clasping her hands together. Jaherah’s sharp eyes followed her carefully. Zuko released her hair but resigned to holding onto the collar around her neck. “You better start training her soon unless you want to be exposed.” Zuko cocked a brow, confused as to whatever she may be referring. Azula swiftly left, slamming the doors behind her.
Jaherah smirked and pulled away from Zuko’s grip. “I think she’s afraid of me,” she laughed. “I wonder what she meant by expose you. As what? A liar and a traitor to” She turned to see Zuko staring out a window. He was raking his brain for an answer. Expose him as what? If she were to tell that he did not kill the avatar that would only mean bad news for the both of them. Would she lie to Mai about him having feelings for Jaherah? He would not put it past his sister. “What’s wrong your highness?” Jaherah asked with the no concern for him at all. “You look like you got hit by a rock.”
He narrowed his eyes on her then went back to his chair. “Hurry and finish eating, we’ve got things to do today,” he said in a low voice. Jaherah could sense something in his tone that told her he was worried. She simply sighed and looked towards the floor.
A growl resonated from Jaherah’s throat as she glowered at a house she wished would burn to the ground, Mai’s. “Must you see this girl every day?” she asked as she stood beside Zuko at the bottom of the entrance steps.
“Only as often as I feel the need to,” he said then tugged at the chain around her neck to get her to follow him towards the front door. The heavy chains around her ankles clinked and scraped on the stones as she moved.
“Then why must I be here?” she groaned.
“It’s part of your training.” He stopped to knock on the door a few times then waited. “You need to learn to respect the love of my life. I won’t have you mouthing off to her like you did with Azula.”
“So I can have at it with your sister but not your girlfriend?” She smirked, crossing her arms, another chain rustling between them. “I can see where your loyalties lie.”
Zuko narrowed his eyes on her as the door opened and a butler bowed to him. “Welcome Prince Zuko,” he said in a drawl. The servant stood straight then looked at Jaherah, puzzled. “And who is this?”
Jaherah was about to speak but Zuko quickly yanked on her chain and moved forward. “No one of importance. Is Mai home?”
The butler stepped aside to let them in, scrutinizing Jaherah. “Miss Mai is indeed in. If you and your…girl will wait in the parlor, I will retrieve her for you.” He shut the door then led them to Zuko’s usual waiting spot before disappearing.
“Well, he certainly is charming,” Jaherah scoffed as she paced around the spacious room. She turned to find Zuko staring into her eyes with a serious look about him. “What?”
He pointed towards the window then said, “Sit, now.” Jaherah rolled her eyes and went to sit beneath the window with her legs folded butterfly style. Zuko watched her closely. He was careful about making sure she could not run away and knew very well that bringing her outside the castle increased the chances of running into that miscreant who was with her the other day, but he had to risk it. She needed to be disciplined and fast. With the way she ran with her mouth, she would be dead within the week and she was worthless as a corpse.
Zuko dropped onto the small couch, pinching the bridge of his nose. This girl was a headache on so many levels. He sat back, finding her staring at him, poised, and still like a doll. “What?” he sighed.
She kept her gaze steady, silver connecting with gold then blinked slowly. “Do you remember the day you found me?” she asked in a reminiscent tone.
“How could I forget the image of you chained to a wall,” he said with a smirk.
Jaherah rolled her eyes. “Twisted freak,” she said under her breath. “Do you remember why you picked me?”
“Why the sudden interest?” He did remember why he picked her. She was the only one with a bit of fight in her. She refused to give in even if she was shackled to a wall. And even now she was fighting him with her little mind games.
“I just want to know if you remembered that’s all.” She finally averted her gaze to Zuko’s relief. “You seem to be so forgetful lately, so much so that you forgot what you swore to me.”
“Anything I swore to you was either a way to shut you up or a result of stupidity.”
“Possibly the latter.” In seconds she was pinned to the wall she leaned against, Zuko’s hand gripping around her neck, constricting ever so slightly.
He narrowed his eyes, a fire burning within them. “You will learn to hold your tongue,” he growled.
Jaherah smirked then shifted slightly. He responded by choking her a little more. She gasped then raised her chin. “I hold no fear of you, just pity.” She relaxed to ease her breathing then looked dully into his eyes once more. “You’ve lied and betrayed those who understood you most to get here, but tell me one thing, are you truly happy?” Zuko’s eyes widened but before he could do anything to punish her for those absurd words the door opened and Mai entered. Jaherah shoved his hand away then smiled to her rival so to speak. “Well if it isn’t the lady of the house. And you came in on your own two feet!” she said in awe. “What, no servants to carry you around?”
Zuko had had enough and simply lost control as he struck her across the face with the back of his hand. There was an awkward moment of silence as Jaherah stared in the direction her head was forced, wide-eyed and horrified. Zuko seemed shaken by this. He actually struck a woman. No. This was just a slave. He had to remember that.
Mai seemed un-phased by this violent moment as she crossed her arms and glared at Jaherah. “What is she doing here?”
Zuko looked to his beloved then rose with a smile on his face. “She’s here to learn self-control,” he said coolly. He slipped her arms around her waist and he could hear Jaherah’s revulsion. “She seems to dislike the thought and image of you and me together. So what better way to train her than by placing her in a situation that makes her irritable then forcing her to remain docile?”
Mai sighed, crossing her arms as she shut her eyes. “How long is this going to take?” she asked, a little peeved at his plan. “I don’t want her tagging along with us forever you know.”
He hocked a finger under her chin, causing her to look into his eyes. “It won’t take long, I promise.” He then kissed her lovingly and Jaherah felt her blood start to boil. In that moment, she felt she could kill without remorse or with little thought to it at all. However, things were not in her favor. With her hands bound, she could barely bend a breeze, much less anything life threatening.
And so it was to be. At every instance that Jaherah stepped out of line, she was to be punished especially when she acted up towards his sister. With how stubborn she was, this happened often, but, after the first time, Zuko could not bring himself to strike her without hesitating. The defiant look in her eyes shook him, rattling something deep within his mind. When it could be avoided, he had a guard do the job for him but he never watched. Hearing the sound of such an act was enough to make him uneasy. Jaherah was aware of this and so was Azula as she watched from the sidelines, keeping silent watch of her brother and his pet. There was something about this girl that was not adding up in her mind. She was hiding something and she wanted to find out what, but for now, she had to lay in wait, day in and day out. Watching her brother’s power struggle, as amusing as it was, her patience would start to wear thin.
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