Fire and Wind: Captivity

I've got a new story in the works that should appeal to those of you who prefer my more smut-oriented stories. It's set in Highschool DxD and, as usual, will feature an OC! Depending on how it is received, it might replace Quirks of Change as I've noticed a lack of interest in the latter.

Anyway, that's it for my little announcement. Please enjoy the newest chapter of Fire and Wind!

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Seng sat cross-legged against the wall of her cell, staring at the opposite wall simply because there was nothing else to do. The brig in a ship as large as this one was nicer than most prisons that Seng had the misfortune of finding herself in, but it was a prison all the same. Not to mention, the food was just as crappy.

The ship rocked underneath her as Seng bit into a piece of stale bread. She was more than used to dry texture at this point which was the only reason she could even get it down her incredibly parched throat. It was like sand in her mouth, coarse and tasteless, but it was the only sustenance that she had been given thus far. 

As she swallowed what was in her mouth and bit off another chunk, Seng glanced towards the nearby door, taking in its smooth iron surface with a tense expression.

Despite the noble’s words when she had been caught, it had been three days since Seng had been captured and stuck down here and she hadn't yet seen the princess. It was a little rude in her opinion. What kind of captor didn't even visit their captive to gloat or let them know what sort of fate awaited them?

Though it wasn't like Seng didn't already know. Since she had been captured, the ship hadn't stopped moving even for a moment. The ocean splashed the outside of her cell constantly, making it even harder to sleep than it already was. They were doubtlessly far away from Guan Ju at this point and were probably even halfway into the Fire Nation by now. And once they finally got there, Seng knew exactly what fate awaited her.

Swallowing the last of her disgusting meal with a pained grimace, Seng leaned back against the cold metal cell wall, closing her eyes. Maybe this was for the best. She was getting tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of everything. Her escape to the North Pole was her last attempt at true freedom. A freedom that only death could provide her now. Hopefully they would make it quick.

The creaking of a heavy iron door being opened made Seng open her eyes. She expected to see one of the guards, come to taunt her or ridicule her as they occasionally had the past few days, and thus was extremely surprised when none other than the princess herself stepped through the doorway, finally gracing the airbender with her presence.

The girl, who's name she had since come to discover was Azula, stopped in front of her cell and stared down at her with keen golden eyes. Now that she was properly dressed instead of in her nightwear, the girl loved up to her regal name and title in appearance as well. With her dark armor and swollen underclothes, as well as the pin in her hair – the very pin that Seng had attempted to abscond with – she looked every bit the princess she was supposed to be.

And when she spoke, it was with a calm confidence that came naturally to few.

“You seem comfortable, Thief.” Azula's smooth voice pierced the silence between them, “I assume the accommodations are a vast improvement from sleeping in the muddy streets or filthy alleys of whatever city you come from.”

They were, actually. Though Seng rarely had to resort to sleeping in places like that when there were ten times as many trees in the Earth Kingdom than there were people. Not letting her thoughts be known, she stubbornly kept her mouth shut, meeting the princess's cool stare with one of her own.

Azula wasn't deterred, “I apologize for taking so long to visit. I have been dealing with the rather annoying task of relocating my bedchambers. It would seem that the previous location wasn't quite as secure as I would have liked.”

Again, Seng said nothing, and Azula turned away from her as she began to pace the length of the cell, “We found the grappling hook among your belongings. I'll admit, it's a rather ingenious bit of technology. After all, who would expect someone to simply forgo the main deck altogether and scale the ship itself. I certainly didn't.”

She shook her head, practically speaking to herself at this point, “Though, I suppose it wouldn't be possible without airbending, would it? To scale over a dozen meters at a full ninety-degree angle, on smooth and likely wet iron no less, is a feat that few could accomplish, much less in a timely fashion.”

“So that begs the question.” Azula stopped pacing, turning towards Seng and narrowing her eyes in questioning, “Do I have to worry about it happening again?”

Seng understood what she was implying and glared silently. Azula smiled, “You told me when we fought that you were an orphan, and yet I couldn’t help but notice that the spear you wielded against me is much more than a simple piece of wood and iron. I had heard legends of the Air Nomads’ fantastical abilities to soar through the air on man-made wings, but I had believed them to be just that, fantasy. It seems I was once again mistaken.”

She made an exaggerated thinking face, clearly just playing the part, “Now where exactly could you have acquired such an item? Was it an heirloom, perhaps? You very clearly did not craft such a device yourself. If you were that skilled with your hands, then you would not need to resort to common thievery to make ends meet. That means it was given to you,” Azula’s gaze sharpened and any humor fled from her body, “And that means you lied to me.”

Seng’s hands twitched as she was unable to contain her surprise. This girl was much more observant than she had imagined. To be able to not only recognize her glider for what it was, but also connect the dots to what it meant… Azula was not just a spoiled noble with some fighting capability. She was more intelligent than Seng had given her credit for.

Azula noticed the twitch and smiled victoriously, “I'll ask once more, and this time I expect you to be more truthful with me.” She spoke slowly, gazing deeply into Seng’s eyes as if the answer would be revealed there, “Are there any more Air Nomads hiding within the Earth Kingdom?”

Seng’s gaze remained resolutely on the princess, gold meeting grey as they stared at each other with an almost toxic intensity. “I wouldn’t know. I’m not an Air Nomad. I was born and raised in the Earth Kingdom by an earthbending mother and a non-bending father. My grandfather gave me that staff before he passed on. I don’t have any living siblings, and the only other airbender I’ve heard of recently is the Avatar.”

She said the name with derision, and Azula immediately picked up on this. She weighed Seng’s words, staring at the girl with an unreadable gaze, before she nodded slowly, “Very well, Thief. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and believe you for now.”

“How gracious of you, princess.” Seng sneered, “You have my utmost thanks for believing me when I’m telling the truth.”

“We shall see.” Azula began to slowly pace the length of the cell once more, a curious expression on her face, “I couldn’t help but notice the venom in your voice when you mentioned the Avatar. Why is that? I would have imagined an airbender would sympathize with the so-called savior of the world.”

Seng’s face twisted at her words, “Savior?” The word was like acid on her tongue, burning with every syllable, and Azula turned to face her fully as she began to rant, “A savior wouldn't abandon the four nations in their greatest time of need. Someone meant to keep the balance wouldn't have allowed the Air Nomads to be reduced to cinders floating from their mountaintops. They would have stopped the Fire Nation as they slaughtered every man, woman, and helpless child on that day one hundred years ago.”

Seng spat, “But they didn't. Instead, they ran and hid like a coward, allowing an entire civilization to be wiped from the face of the earth. For thousands of years the world relied on them for safety against those who would seek to upset the balance, and when the world needed them most, they vanished, leaving us treading water in an open ocean. The suffering that I endured, that the world has endured for the last one hundred years, lies squarely on their shoulders. They are no savior.”

Seng's chest was heaving with her rampant emotions by the time her rant finished. She had let her anger get the best of her and even now it burned hot in her chest as she thought about the person who was truly to blame for the state of the world. For her getting separated from her family.

Azula was silent after her speech had ended, staring at her with an unrecognizable look in her eye, before, “I agree.”

Seng’s thoughts, angry and borderline rampant with the topic of the Avatar, were brought to a screeching halt by her words, “What?”

“I agree.” Azula repeated, folding her hands behind her in a regal pose, “A leader who abandons their people in their greatest hour of need is no leader at all. You are correct, the Avatar is a coward, nothing more, nothing less. Even the most detested Fire Lords in history were not without honor. Even Han the Defiler, though his sins were numerous and so terrible that they were stricken from even our extensive records, never once abandoned the Fire Nation in its time of need. Taking up the mantle of a protector or ruler requires responsibility and accountability. Neither of which it seems the Avatar was very interested in.”

Despite her even tone, it was clear that Azula felt very strongly about what she was saying. Just like Seng, she truly believed that the Avatar was no savior. Seng never thought she'd ever find herself in agreement with anyone from the Fire Nation, much less their crown princess, and it was an odd feeling that filled her as Azula's words registered. She hadn't expected something like this from someone like her.

Getting over her surprise, Seng chuckled bitterly, “I guess when you can reincarnate, little things like responsibility stop mattering as much. Why care when you can just pass it on to the next person?”

“Ah, but shouldn't they matter more? A legacy left behind is a legacy inherited, and it would seem this Avatar has inherited a rather unfortunate legacy indeed. I don't doubt many have the same opinions as the two of us when it comes to the so-called savior of the world.”

Seng eyed the princess, suspicious at the turn the conversation had taken, “...What do you want from me? You didn't come down here to talk about my opinions on the Avatar.”

Azula smiled as she was caught, “No, I did not. Nevertheless, this conversation has been very illuminating. It is good to see that there are still some people who aren't foolishly blinded by legends and the cultish dogma that surrounds them.” 

Seng scowled, realizing what was going on, “Don't try to commiserate with me. I have no interest in being friendly with my captor. Just tell me how long we have before we reach the Fire Nation so I can know how long I have left to live.”

Azula’s pretty features turned downwards into a frown at her words and tone, “How rude. Here I am simply trying to make conversation, and you throw it in my face like some Earth Kingdom brute. I had imagined that someone of your ancestry would be more polite, but I suppose I can’t expect much from an honorless thief.”

“Honor doesn’t keep your body warm and food in your stomach. I do what I have to to survive.”

“I’m sure you believe that.” Azula gave her a cruel grin, “To answer your question, I am here to inform you that we will not be returning to the Fire Nation just yet. My royal duties are keeping me in the Earth Kingdom for a time and I do not trust any jailer in Caldera to properly contain a prisoner such as yourself. You will be sticking around for the foreseeable future so I’d advise you to make yourself comfortable.”

Seng absorbed her statement. The news that she was not going to die should have lifted her spirits monumentally, but a creeping suspicion in the back of her mind told her that her new fate would be no better than a headsman’s axe. Being stuck as the prisoner of royalty wasn’t a position many would like to be in, much less a prisoner to the royal before her.

“Great.” She muttered lowly, and Azula smiled once more as she heard her.

“You should be thankful.” The princess said smugly, inspecting her fingernails, “Your accommodations here are much more cozy than what you would receive at the Boiling Rock or even in the dungeons of the royal palace. And I’m certain you will enjoy your extended stay much more than the public execution that awaits you upon our return.”

She turned away, “Now I'm afraid I must cut our chat short. I have another letter to write. Someone will be by to feed and water you again in a few hours.” She glanced back at Seng, her eyes sparkling cruelly, “Don't go anywhere.”