EMBERS.
iii. THE GREAT ESCAPE
❝GOOD NEWS FOR THE FIRE LORD...❞

A HISS ESCAPED JASMINE'S RED LIPS as the ship's healer spread a dark green foul-smelling paste made from medicinal herbs that had been found in the Earth Kingdom. Somehow, the healing paste was more painful than her actual wound was. To distract herself, Jasmine kept her eyes focused on the candles that burned on her bedside table while the healer continued to work on the gash. Suddenly, the healer pressed too hard which caused Jasmine to intake a deep breath as she squeezed her eyes shut — a few tears slipped down her cheeks as she continued to take in deep breaths. "Be careful," Jasmine snapped as she gave the healer a sharp glare. "Or, I'll have your hands cut off."

"Please, forgive me, Princess Jasmine," the healer whispered softly as he picked up the bandages and began to wrap Jasmine's arm. It seemed that Jasmine's threat had some effect on him since he began to work much slower than before — afraid to make another mistake. It was silent as the healer kept working while Jasmine focused on the candles again. She could feel her head pounding, but she tried her best to ignore it.

Jasmine didn't say a word as her door opened to reveal the smiling face of her father, Iroh — even the healer seemed relieved that another person had entered the room to assure that she wouldn't kill him. Iroh walked into the room with a tray that held his teapot, teacups, a small jug of water, and other spices that he liked to put in his teas. He placed the tray on top of Jasmine's dresser before he walked over and looked over the work of the healer. "You look pale, Inzi," Iroh commented as he looked at the healer. He chuckled as he looked at Jasmine's irritated expression. "Did my daughter threaten you? If so, I apologize on her behalf. She doesn't do well with pain."

"Oh, no, it was nothing like that, General Iroh," the healer reassured as he stole a glance in Jasmine's direction, but quickly went back to cleaning up his supplies when he noticed her angry expression. Inzi quickly placed everything into his bag and was about to leave when Iroh's voice stopped him.

"Will this wound affect her training sessions?" Iroh asked as he gently took hold of Jasmine's arm and looked over the bandages. He had seen the wound earlier when Jasmine had boarded the ship, but her handmaiden, Zari, had quickly whisked her away before he could get a closer look at it. He glanced at her armor that was laid out on the chair and noticed the blood stains — it pained him to see his child in any kind of pain, but he had to be strong for her.

"I wouldn't worry to much about that," the healer replied when he noticed the concern that masked Iroh's face. "It's only a flesh wound and it will easily heal over the next couple of days, but, uh, I recommend waiting a few days before returning to any training — opening the wound could lead to an infection that can be hard to treat and well, lead to death."

Iroh hummed as he considered the healer's words while Jasmine just rolled her eyes instead — the girl was sure that would be able to train without a problem regardless of her injury. "Ah, this would give little Jasmine time to focus on her studies instead," Iroh teased as he ruffled his daughter's long raven hair, much to her dismay. "I'll make sure that she does nothing to reopen the wound."

"I did give her medicine to help with the pain, but I must warn you that the medication tends to be very strong and makes the user experience heightened emotions. I recommend resting and trying to stay calm," Inzi informed as he talked to both Iroh and Jasmine. However, Jasmine rolled her eyes again at the healer's advice. She felt fine. "I will be back in a couple of hours to change her bandages."

Iroh nodded as he gave Inzi a quick bow out of respect while Jasmine continued to stare at the ground. He led Inzi towards the door and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you for your help, Inzi."

"Of course, sir," Inzi replied as he bowed to both Iroh and Jasmine before he left the room.

Iroh closed the door after Inzi and moved toward his tea supplies — antiques that were crafted for him by the father of his late wife, Zia. His and Zia's name were engraved in the side of teapot and was given to them as a wedding gift. It was one of Iroh's most prized possessions. While Iroh fixed them a pot of jasmine tea, Jasmine kept her attention on the candles across the room. Her pain was humming at that moment and easy to ignore, but the shame that she felt was eating her alive.

"How are you feeling, my little dragon?" Iroh asked as he held out the cup to Jasmine — the scent of jasmine and cinnamon filled the room. It was a comforting scent and it reminded Jasmine of better times when she was younger. While jasmine was her father's favorite flavor of tea, her mother swooned over a cup of tea infused with cinnamon. Ever since her mother died, her father always put a dash of cinnamon in every tea he drank.

"Annoyed," Jasmine confessed as she took the cup of tea from her father's hands. It was common for the two of them to share a cup of tea. Yes, Jasmine wasn't particularly fond of tea, but after a long day, a cup of tea and her father's company was all she wanted. Plus, it helped that her father was always able to create a perfect cup of tea. She expected nothing else from the world's number one tea enthusiast.

"Tell me, Jasmine, what happened?" Iroh asked softly as he sat down on the bed next to Jasmine. She felt the bed dip down due to Iroh's weight, but she would never comment about it. After his failure at Ba Sing Se and the death of Lu Ten, he never paid much attention to his weight and instead, focused on the smaller pleasures in life. Iroh watched his daughter carefully and waited patiently for her to respond. From the second that she had been born, Iroh could always tell what his daughter was feeling — perhaps it was a parent's intuition or it was the fact that Iroh had always been close to his children and able to connect with them on a personal level.

"Well, there was this idiot," Jasmine muttered as she tightened her grip on the cup of tea — the temperature of the tea rising more and more as each moment passed. "He's some stupid Water Tribe boy and it was easy to overtake him at first, but then at some point, he caught me off guard. He threw a spear at me. Granted, I caught the first one, but the second was a surprise."

Iroh paused. His eyes shined bright with an emotion that seemed to be a mixture of regret, concern, and sadness, but it was quickly replaced with calmness. "Is that so? What did my dragon do afterwards?"

"Well, in that moment, I truly wanted to turn him into ash," Jasmine spat out as her anger overtook her for a split second — the flames of the candles grew as did her anger. Iroh wore a calm expression as he waited patiently for his daughter's anger to die down. Thankfully, it did and the flames returned to their normal forms. Her brown eyes flickered up and met her father's understanding amber ones. She had to admit that she was jealous of the amber eyes that every firebender seemed to have around her. Unfortunately, she had been born with brown eyes — the color of ash. Most non-firebenders in the Fire Nation tended to have brown eyes and it was proof enough for Jasmine that she was not a worthy firebender. After all, her fire didn't even reach her eyes. She let out a small sigh as she shook her head. "I don't want to do that anymore. I guess he was just protecting his tribe and I would do the same for the Fire Nation in a heartbeat."

"You are loyal to your nation," Iroh commented before he took another sip of his tea — which was stronger than the one he had given Jasmine. During their talks, Iroh tended to listen most of the time while Jasmine rambled or ranted about whatever troubles were bothering her. Iroh tried his best to provide insight or possible solutions to any problems she may have, but sometimes, he had to get Zari to help him out.

"Yes, but a loyal soldier is worth nothing if they can not defend their nation, Father," Jasmine reminded as her expression darkened. If she was able to be injured by someone like Sokka, she would never be able to serve successfully in the Fire Nation and most likely suffer the same fate as her late brother. "I have been put through training since I was a little girl—"

"Ozai should have never put you through that training regime without my permission," Iroh added. He was angry—no, furious—when he had first found out that his brother, Ozai, had put his twelve-year-old daughter through a training program that was known for killing most adults. After Ozai had been declared Fire Lord, one of the first things he had done was ship Jasmine off and claimed that he wanted her to become a warrior. However, the training program was not meant for children and had a reputation of getting most of their students killed. Fortunately, Iroh had returned from Ba Sing Se in time to save his little girl. He still remembered when he had run into the training grounds and stopped a much older man from killing his daughter. It had to be one of the most terrifying experiences of his life to see lightning flash towards his only living child. Iroh was unsure exactly what was going through Ozai's mind when he decided that Jasmine should be trained to be a warrior, but Iroh knew that it wasn't with good intentions.

"It doesn't matter," Jasmine spat out as the tea in her cup began to boil. Iroh clicked his tongue as he looked at the spoiled tea in his daughter's hands. It would surely be too bitter now since Jasmine had burned all the leaves inside it. "I was injured by an untrained boy! After all my training and stupid lessons, I was brought down by him."

"He tackled you when you were distracted and injured," Iroh reminded — a full report had been given to him earlier and he knew all about what had happened with both Jasmine and Zuko. "It was hardly your fault. I think you're making a big deal out of this, Jasmine. In our lives, we will have many failures. It is important that we don't let them define us."

"I still feel embarrassed, Father!" Jasmine complained — completely ignoring her father's words. Her eyes welled with tears of frustration as she tightened her grip on her delicate teacup. "I don't understand what I am doing wrong! For the past few years, I have followed every single one of your orders! I practice the moves a thousand times every day! I even study all those stupid books every night, yet there is no progress!"

"I have to disagree with you there, Jasmine," Iroh replied in a calm and collected voice as he reached out and wiped the tears from Jasmine's cheeks. He knew that Jasmine's emotional outburst was mostly due to the medication that the healer had previously given her to dull the pain. Yet, Iroh knew that every word that escaped Jasmine's lips were her true feelings. He gave her a kind smile. "I heard from one of the soldiers that you perfected your breathing technique. He even said that your bending was able to affect your dagger — an ability even most Firebending Masters can not do."

"I was buried in snow for the first one," Jasmine added as she sniffled slightly. She could still feel the biting cold against her skin and the fear that ran through her blood underneath the pressure of the snow. It was an irrational fear, but Jasmine hated the cold — something about it terrified her to death. She couldn't wait till they were back in the Fire Nation and she would never have to deal with the cold weather again. "I just remembered your teaching and I was able to melt the snow away. I'm not sure what happened with the dagger though. I just..." Jasmine paused for a moment as she tried to find the right words to explain how she had felt in the moment. Finally, she said, "I was just angry, you know?"

"Our emotions play a big role in our bending. It can be our greatest strength and our greatest weakness," Iroh taught as he took a sip of his tea. He watched as Jasmine lifted her own cup and took a sip as well, but instantly had a look of disgust on her face. Iroh chuckled as he took the cup from Jasmine and looked inside — just as he predicted before, the tea was burnt. He placed the cup on the tray and picked up a fresh one before he fixed Jasmine another cup of calming jasmine tea. He handed her the cup and watched as she carefully took another sip — actually enjoying it this time. Iroh smiled. "I am proud of you, Jasmine."

Jasmine didn't say a single word. Her father was lying. He had to be. It had taken her almost three whole years to be able to do a simple move. Lu Ten, Azula, and Zuko had all learned to perfect the breathing technique before they could even walk — though, Zuko still had trouble with it due to his temper. Yet, he was able to do it without complication. Jasmine's first time of perfecting the move — without setting her clothes on fire — was when she was under a huge pile of snow. It wasn't something to be proud of. Embarrassing would be a much better word to use. She looked up and met her father's concerned amber eyes. Jasmine set the cup of unfinished tea onto the tray. "Father, I wish to be alone."

Iroh sighed, already knowing why his daughter's mood had shifted so fast. He knew that it took Jasmine longer to learn firebending than others, but there was a reason that even she didn't know. "Jasmine—"

"Please, just leave!" Jasmine shouted as she got up from the bed and walked to the other side of the bedroom where her vanity was. She kept her back turned to her father as she stared at her bloodied arm that was resting on the back of the chair. Though, Jasmine wasn't too concerned with it. She had quite a bit of clothing in her closet — even though she preferred to wear her nightgowns."I'm sure Zuko and the Avatar require your attention much more than I do."

"If being alone makes you happy, then I shall leave, but you know where to find me if you need to talk," Iroh mumbled softly as began to collect his things. Though, he left her cup of tea on the table along with a few pastries to cheer her up. His eyes flickered back to his daughter's withdrawn figure as she clutched onto her wounded arm. Iroh could feel his heart ache at the sadness that was radiating off his daughter, but he knew better than to push her. "Jasmine, please get some rest. It will take time for the medicine to take effect. Sleep will help with your pain."

After the door had shut and her father was long gone, Jasmine allowed herself to release the breath that she had been holding. A sob racked throughout her body as she collapsed in the chair beside the vanity. Deep down, Jasmine was aware that her emotional outburst was due to the medication she had taken and the fumes of the medicinal paste, but it didn't stop the tears that stained her cheeks. It didn't stop the feelings of embarrassment and failure from hitting her. It didn't stop her from feeling disappointed and worthless. In that moment, she wished that she was young again and playing in the fields with her mother, brother, and father. She remembered a time where a war did not exist in her mind — nothing but happiness and joyful days occupied her mind. Yet, those days were long gone. Now, she was doomed to be nothing but a mediocre bender who couldn't even protect herself. She would never be able to protect her country. She was worth nothing.

Still, something snapped in Jasmine. She abruptly stood from the chair and moved toward the bookshelf that was at the far end of her room. Her eyes drifted over the many titles until they landed on one about firebending. She plucked it out of its spot and opened it to the first page — a page about the most basic firebending move. She already knew how to create a flame so she flipped through until she came across a page about battle moves. A part of her begged her to follow her father's suggestion and get some rest, but a bigger part of her needed to train and become better. She laid out her book against the vanity and studied the move for a few moments. Finally, with a deep breath, Jasmine moved into position and began to practice.

— — —

RAPID KNOCKS WERE HEARD ON THE DOOR OF JASMINE'S BEDROOM and she groaned softly at the interruption of her meditation. She walked toward the door and opened it to reveal one of the crew members — a man that often played Pai Sho with her father. Jasmine leaned against the door as she stared at the man's panicked expression. "What is it?"

"Princess, it's the Avatar! He was able to overpower the guards and ran off! He's making his escape now!" the words escaped his mouth faster than Jasmine could comprehend. He pointed down the hallway and Jasmine jumped when a gust of wind — No, the Avatar — passed them by.

"Wake up the soldiers! I want everyone trying to capture the Avatar! Now!" Jasmine ordered as she wasted no time to run after the Avatar. Her bare feet pounded against the metal floor as she tried to catch up to the Airbender. She should have known that there was no way that the incompetent soldiers on their ship would be able to keep the Avatar hostage. Jasmine wondered where her father and her cousin were to allow the Avatar to even have the chance to escape.

Jasmine pushed open the heavy door and looked at the clear deck where not a single soul was in sight. Her eyes narrowed as she stared up at the calm skies — no Avatar in sight. The quiet was broken by the sound of a door being slammed open. Jasmine looked back and watched as the Avatar appeared on the upper deck. He wore a bright smile on his face as he threw his staff in the air which caused it to extend into a glider. He jumped off the deck and Jasmine was about to shoot him down when the familiar figure of Zuko jumped out after him.

"Zuko!" Jasmine screamed in horror as she watched Zuko fifty feet in the air above her. She was sure that he would surely plummet to his death but at the last second, he grabbed the Avatar's foot. She sighed a breath of relief as she watched Aang and Zuko struggle in the air before they began to lose altitude. They landed with a rough crash and Jasmine quickly rushed over to Zuko to help him up. She glared at him as she gave him a rough shove before she shouted, "Are out of your mind?"

"Lecture me later," Zuko gritted out as he got into a battle stance. Jasmine glanced at the Avatar who quickly jumped to his feet and she got into her own stance. A small smirk appeared on her lips as their soldiers came running onto the deck as well.

"You're surrounded!" Jasmine shouted as she watched the panic in Aang's wide gray eyes. She and Zuko began to slowly close in as did the firebenders behind the Avatar. "Surrender!"

However, before the fight could begin, a loud growl was heard in the distance that caught everyone's attention. Jasmine looked to the skies and noticed a huge beast flying their way. Her eyes widened as did Zuko's — no one had ever seen a beast like that. "What is that?"

"Appa!" the Avatar cheered as he jumped up and down in excitement. Jasmine frowned when she noticed that the boy and girl from before were seated in the saddle of the beast. They cheered happily at Aang and he waved back.

Jasmine and Zuko shared a look before the two blasted fire in Aang's direction — their blasts combining into one blast that was bigger and more powerful than their individual ones. Aang gasped as he tried to use his glider to deflect it, but it blew him back. He barely regained his balance before the two firebenders sent another blast in his direction. Aang struggled to keep their fire at bay as the two kept blasting at him. Finally, their last shot was enough to knock him out. Aang's eyes shut and he well into the icy cold water below.

"Well, are you going to go get him?" Jasmine asked Zuko, but he was frozen to the spot as he tried to think of the best course of action — either let the Avatar drown or jump in and try to rescue him. Yet, he struggled to find the drive to jump in the freezing waters below. If the Avatar died, he would be forced to look for the next Avatar all over again. Yet, it would be a victory for the Fire Nation if the Avatar was killed. It was hard to ignore the cries of the Water Tribe girl as she witnessed her friend plummet deeper and deeper in the water. She screamed for her friend and Jasmine looked down at the water below. What should they do? She glanced back at Zuko who seemed to be mulling over the same question.

"Aang!"

Jasmine watched with wide eyes as the water began to glow and a few moments later, a waterspout formed before Aang erupted from the water in a spinning water vortex that was taller than the ship itself. Her and Zuko's expressions twisted into ones of horror when they noticed the bright glow of the Avatar's arrow tattoos and eyes. He wore an angry expression as he landed on the deck before using the water from the vortex to spray them. Jasmine flew backward and felt her back hit the railing. She found it hard to breathe as gallons upon gallons of water hit her before it was gone. She glanced around and noticed her fellow firebenders in a similar state while Zuko had been thrown overboard.

"Now, that was some waterbending!" Sokka shouted, impressed at Aang's actions. Yet, the glow faded and Aang fell onto the deck as exhaustion hit him.

Jasmine quickly sprang to her feet as the beast landed on the deck and the two siblings jumped down to join the battle. However, they rushed over to an unconscious Aang first and Katara scooped him into her arms. "Aang! Are you okay?"

Jasmine watched from the background as Aang slowly opened his eyes before he weakly replied, "Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka. Thanks for coming."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your reunion," Jasmine caught their attention as she created two small fireballs in her hands. Their expressions twisted into one of fear as they watched the Fire Nation princess approach them. "But, you're not taking the Avatar anywhere."

Katara gently laid Aang on the floor before she stood to her feet. She took in a deep breath as she got into her battle stance. It was rare for someone to stand their ground against Jasmine since most ran at the first sight of fire. However, Katara narrowed her eyes in determination. "We're not leaving without our friend."

Jasmine's smirk faltered as narrowed her eyes at the Water Tribe girl. Her fireballs disappeared from her hands as she straightened her form. "This is a fight that you won't win. Stand down. I do not want to hurt you."

Yet, Katara stood her ground — even when a dozen firebenders readied themselves behind Jasmine. She had courage and that was something Jasmine could admire.

"Katara, don't!" Sokka shouted. "She'll kill you!"

Jasmine scoffed as she balled her hands into tight fists and sent a blast in Katara's direction. It wasn't anything big, but it was enough to cause Katara to stumble back. Jasmine had no desire to hurt the young girl, but she needed the Avatar. He was their ticket back home and to make history.

Katara steadied herself and lifted her hands slowly in a fluid movement which caused the water on the deck to move ever so slightly. Jasmine's eyes widened as she watched the water below her feet slowly move towards Katara. "You're a waterbender?"

While Katara struggled to control the water, Jasmine could see Sokka and Zuko struggle with the Avatar's staff before Sokka hit him hard and caused Zuko to fall again. Instead of a splash, Jasmine heard a familiar cling of the anchor and Jasmine assumed that Zuko had grabbed onto it instead of falling into the water.

"Ha, that's from the Water Tribe!" Sokka shouted as he rushed over to Katara. He quickly took over while Katara rushed to go help Aang. Sokka aimed his boomerang at Jasmine who just narrowed her eyes. He grinned. "How about a rematch?"

"It won't be much of a match," Jasmine replied as she glanced behind her to see the soldiers ready to help her if she needed it.

Sokka's confidence melted away when he noticed the fire benders behind Jasmine. Half of them had split off to help Zuko while six of them remained with Jasmine. "Um, Katara? I can use some of your magic water right now!"

Katara jumped off the beast and her feet splashed in the water beneath her. Jasmine and the soldiers began to approach the waterbender. Katara quickly lifted her hands and swung her arms which caused the water to freeze behind her. Jasmine frowned when she noticed Sokka's legs had become encased in ice.

"Katara!" Sokka shouted as he began to rapidly hit the ice with his boomerang. It was a bit amusing to see him trapped like that.

But, before Jasmine could throw a hit, Katara turned around and did the same move. Jasmine watched as the water began to quickly turn into ice but she jumped out of the way at the last second — the soldiers behind her weren't so lucky as they became encased in ice.

"Hurry up, Sokka!" Katara ordered as she wasted no time to rush onto the beast. Jasmine growled as she rushed toward them.

"I'm just a guy with a boomerang," Sokka muttered as he chipped the ice at a slow pace. He paused when he noticed Jasmine running towards him. He yelped as he began to rapidly hit the ice. Jasmine reached out to grab him, but Sokka grabbed the beast's fur and climbed up. "Yip-yip! Yip-yip!"

The beast began to slam its tail onto the deck and Jasmine tumbled to the floor due to the sudden winds around her. However, she was quickly joined by her father and Zuko. Iroh helped her up while Zuko stared at the beast. "Shoot them down!"

Together, the three stood in formation before they sent a powerful blast at the bison. However, the Avatar appeared in the saddle before he opened his glider and used it to redirect the fireball into a nearby glacier. The harsh impact shook the waters before an avalanche of snow and ice began to fall. Jasmine watched as the back of their ship became buried under the snow. She looked back at the Avatar, his friends, and the bison. Their laughter rang in the air as they flew away. She could see them waving and Jasmine rolled her eyes in annoyance.

She looked back at her father and Zuko. The rage was apparent on Zuko's face as he clenched the railing of the ship. His face contorted into an expression of anger and his skin appeared red — either from the cold or his temper.

"Good news for the Fire Lord," Iroh started calmly as he stared at the teenagers who wore sour expressions, "the Fire Nation's greatest threat is just a little kid."

Zuko glared at Iroh. "That kid, Uncle, just did this!"

Jasmine studied the ship again and could see the clear damage of the upper deck. It had been crushed underneath the weight of the ice and snow. Finally, her eyes flickered to the firebenders on the deck as they tried their best to melt their comrades out of their icy cage.

"I won't underestimate him again!" Zuko shouted as he stomped his foot against the floor, fire spreading in a small circle underneath him. "Dig the ship out and follow them!" Zuko finally looked back and noticed the benders stuck in ice and the other soldiers trying to free them. He cleared his throat. "As soon as you're done with that."

Jasmine sighed as she stared in the direction that the Avatar had gone in — not only did they lose him but their ticket back home as well. Granted, Jasmine could return at any time, but she had no desire to go back home without her father and Zuko.

"Well," Iroh stated as he stretched his limbs. It was obvious that he had been sleeping while the Avatar had escaped. "I'm going to go put on some tea. Join me if you want."

Jasmine watched as her father's form retreated into the building again — a bit of a struggle due to the heavy snow that covered the door, but he managed. She looked back at Zuko and his angry expression. "Don't worry, Zuko. We'll get him. He's riding a bison — hard to hide with that beast. Soon, he'll be back in our grasps."

Zuko's amber eyes flickered to Jasmine's expressionless face — her eyes slightly narrowed but nothing other than that. He could feel the heat that radiated off her and without her saying another word, he knew that she felt the same rage that he did. He looked back to the calm skies as felt the sun beat down on them. He finally nodded. "Soon."

♡

I HAVE HONESTLY ACCEPTED THE FACT THAT CHAPTERS FOR THIS STORY WILL BE EXTREMELY LONG, BUT I LOVE WRITING THEM. I think every chapter so far as been over 5000 words and I hope you guys don't mind too much! I am trying to keep them on the shorter side, but then again, I want there to be a lot of detail and development too ahh. Regardless, I hope you liked this chapter! ❤️

I know that some of you guys weren't happy that Jasmine attacked Sokka, but then again, she sees him as the enemy and vice versa! They don't look at each other and are like "the love of my life!!" (but they totally will in the future) so they're gonna be really hostile towards one another until they become friends and then lovers ah! I am so excited! I've been watching a lot of Avatar lately and I have so many ideas for this story!

ALSO ALSO ALSO — Jasmine broke down in the first half of this chapter. She has a lot of pride and when Sokka was able to take her down and injure her, Jasmine didn't take that so well. She has been trained ever since she was young, but the problem is that Jasmine struggles to learn. Her firebending, for example, is very very powerful (for reasons that will be explained later in the story!) but she doesn't know how to control. However, over the course of this book, Jasmine will learn and grow!

I hope to get season one of this story written by July or August (hopefully!) and then write all of season two by September or November. Hopefully, I will finish this book by March 2020! I hope I don't get writer's block because then my stories don't get updated for months on end. 😭

— AMARA
[ CHAPTER POSTED — 05.20.2019 ]