NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38: Chapter 38
In a few days, Aang had tasted the glory of being an Avatar. He'd had a lot of food, a lot of attention, a lot of interest, a lot of love. Of course, he was flattered and in no hurry to leave. I'd finished the magic scrolls and was looking for an excuse to give them to the Avatar's team. That came quickly enough.
A Fire Nation ship had arrived on the island. I was lucky enough to be in the harbor when it arrived. I called one of the warriors, gave her the scrolls, told her to hide them in the Avatar's belongings, and headed for the ship.
The thing is, Kyoshi Island has a policy of neutrality. Everyone agrees, and no one touches us. But the fire warriors that showed up on the island caused quite a stir, because they were all in combat uniforms. But I was close by.
«What's going on here?» I asked calmly, watching a child yell at Ochji, our chief.
«I've come for the Avatar!» he shouted at me with anger on his face. And was it just me, or did our headman sigh with doom? It must have been.
«And what?» I asked calmly again, causing the boy to stumble.
«Give it to me and I'll leave», he said angrily again, but somehow without any more fire.
«As you wish. Just show me the permit», I said, holding out his hand. The guy stood for a moment and handed me a bag of money. I, not being a fool, hid it, «Thank you for the money, of course, but I need a paper that both the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth agree to give you a man who is on the island. And after that, the chief and I will decide whether to give him to you or not», I tried not to laugh while saying this nonsense.
«Are you kidding me?!» the guy asked. And there was a growing anger in his eyes. Eh.
«You're not going to change your mind, are you?» I asked the overweight man standing next to the kid.
«Youth», he shrugged with a guilty smile.
«I see, what's your name?» I asked.
«I'm the crown prince, Zuko!» the boy said, barely containing himself.
«If you don't stop yelling, you'll lose your voice», the kid couldn't take it anymore and threw himself at me with fists of fire.
I stepped aside, grabbed his arm, took it behind his back, padded his legs, grabbed his other arm, and tied his hands to his legs with a metal plate while covering his mouth with the same. Just a moment, and this prince is on his knees, unable to speak.
«Any movement and I'll slit his throat», I said, not turning to show the sharp metal plate. I held the same in my other hand. Turning, I looked around at everyone, «So, shall we begin a constructive dialogue?»
There wasn't much of a choice, so they had to make concessions. I called one of the warriors and gave her the prince with the order to hide him in the dojo and cut off his limbs if he tried to escape. The prince understood and stopped twitching, and the overweight man turned pale. I see.
Actually, the man's name was Airo, and he was the uncle of the boy named Zuko. Their story was trivial. The boy wanted his father's approval, but he showed off at a bad time, so his father had to punish the insolent offspring. A scar and exile wasn't much of a price to pay.
And if he returned in the team of an Avatar, he'd be pardoned and glorified. Now he chases after Aang paying no attention to anything. Airo turned out to be an interesting man, so when I went to meet him, I ordered subordinates to drag his nephew back.
«Put him over there», I said, pointing to a small sofa in the corner of the room «Should I untie him or leave him like that?» A moment later, two strips of metal flew towards me and hid themselves under my clothes.
«What was that?» the prince asked hoarsely.
«That is not for you to know, Prince», I said calmly, tasting the well-brewed tea, «Join us.»
«I will», the boy said and was about to leave when I answered him.
«It is only because of your uncle that you are here now, free. If it weren't for him, you prince would still be in the same position», he paused and after thinking for a moment, sat down at our table, «I've heard your story and I understand you a little. But let me tell you one thing for sure. As long as I live on this island, neither the Earth Army nor the Fire Army will invade the island's territory, and therefore you will not get an Avatar, no matter how much you want one. Is that understood?»
«Isn't that a bit presumptuous?» the prince asked defiantly.
«You've already tried, and it wasn't enough for you?» the man asked with interest, «You can certainly try again, but your uncle is unlikely to save you, even if he is three times the Dragon of the West. Do I make myself clear?»
«Yes», he replied after a pause.
«Well, I have made my main point, and that is the end of my farewell.»
I stood up and left their ship. The atmosphere was a little strange. Everything seemed to be fine, but something was gnawing at me from within, and that something wouldn't let me rest.
After walking around the village for a while, I found out that the Avatar had flown off to parts unknown. What's important is that the scrolls I wrote were hidden in the belongings of the Avatar's companion, and they flew away with him. The main thing is that they were not lost, for that would be a shame.