Prologue

Children tend to play with anything, even when they are gifted with the essentials - or, more times than not, nothing. If a child is imaginative enough, simple basics can mutate into fascinating toys and props for scenery. Blankets transform into moats of swirling, rippling water, wrapped around cups that pierce through the sky like tall towers. Pillows morph into a variety of snow-capped mountains and hands become workable people - complete with movable legs, which always prompts giggles.

Aboard a Fire Nation ship, a little girl was sitting on a steel floor, playing with her own blanket, cup, pillow, and fingers. She wasn't very different from other children across the world. Yet, in more ways than one, she was.

This child dared to dream, dared to live outside of the room in which she was held captive. And as she played, noiseless because her Master preferred her to be quiet, she imagined herself in another life, a life where a young prince took her away from her fire-breathing captor.

Her small mouth opened, soundless words spreading across her small lips as she mouthed her dialogue.

"I'll come for you, Princess!"

"Oh, my sweet Prince, please rescue me! Please save me from this fate!"

"Hold on, Princess! I must slay the beast that guards your tower!"

"Oh, please! Hurry!"

Though it was trivial, it was one of her favorite scenarios to play through. Alone in her Master's room while he performed his duties, she continued her play, excitement pouring through her as she imagined the fire-breathing villain's death. Each demise grew more demure as the days passed and the bruises on her body darkened against her pale skin. Originally, the prince simply stole his princess, leaving the dragon unharmed as he left. But one day, when the little girl's fingers struggled to move because her Master had squeezed her hand too hard, the beast was slain, red innards spewing throughout the castle as the prince and princess ran away.

The prince was always successful; and from that day on, he always slayed his monster. And as the prince took his princess by her imaginary arms, the little girl was left wondering. Would her prince ever come? Would she ever get her happy ending?

A screeching hinge prompted the little girl to stop her childish play and collect her meager possessions. Though, she was never allowed to call them hers; no, everything that she touched was his - herself included. She turned, and as she turned, as she looked into those merciless hazel eyes, she knew that she never would be saved. Nobody was coming for her, nobody was aware that she was alive.

She would need to save herself...assuming he kept her alive long enough for that to be a possibility.

Thirteen Years Later

Black hair and white, milky skin bobbed through a charred forest bursting with new life. Green foliage covered her tracks as she ran from the man who had held her captive for more years than she dared to count. Weak, uneasy legs pushed faster and faster, trying to get away from the inevitable torture that would await her every night for the rest of her life. Deep breaths filled the silence as she slowed her pace. She had never ran this far while escaping before; usually, she never made it out of the compound before a guard would get wise, snatch her up, and return her for a small reward. The reward was always doubled if she was unharmed.

She stopped, hand outstretched to support her body against a tree. Her breaths came in sudden heaves and she locked her lips together to breathe through her nose. Her golden eyes closed and she focused on pulling deep pockets of air into her lungs. Her bare shoulders shook uncontrollably when she came to the realization that she didn't know where she was. She had studied the map in his room for weeks; the various topography confused her at first, but she knew her directions. If she kept running towards the sun, she would find a small, impoverished Earth Kingdom village. She could hide there until she stole enough provisions to survive the long walk to Ba Sing Se. Golden irises scanned the sky and she squinted. A mixture of green leaves, pine needles, and moss blocked her view of the sun. She started to panic; which direction was she going and how long could she have been going the wrong way?

"Arrp arrrrrrrrrp!"

The echoing howl sent shivers down the girl's spine. The sound, the harsh bark of an otter-dog, drifted through the trees, alerting her that somebody was finally beginning his search. He knew that she was missing...and he was coming for her. She needed to run, needed to get as far away as possible; because, unfortunately for her, the beast he was tracking her with was extremely adept at finding her with ease.

The otter-dog, his favorite tracking animal, was extraordinarily efficient and almost never caused harmful damage to their target unless otherwise instructed. He liked his property - her, of course - to be as undamaged as possible.

She could hear the beast looming closer, the sounds of its snarls radiating throughout the forest. As a response, the girl dove into a bush and rubbed dirt on her skin to mask her scent.

"Koori!" The scream was nearby. "Come back! You have nowhere to go!"

Distracted and slightly amused that it was just him chasing her, Koori stopped rubbing the soil on her forearm. She pressed her belly to the ground when she heard the otter-dog's sniffing nose. The animal was so close; if she reached out, she could slap it and last another two seconds before it bounced against her back, threw her to the earthen floor below, sat on her butt to pin her down, and started calling her Master with it's deafening bark.

"I won't hurt you!" His voice was closer. "This time I promise."

She could smell smoke. The greenery around her was starting to shift at the wind, bringing up the familiar scent of burnt wood. Her fists clenched at the thought of him burning the forest to the ground in order to find her. She needed to do anything, even if it was stupid, to escape.

Smack.

The sound was faint and the poor idea played out almost exactly as she had anticipated. The moment she turned to run, the beast head-butted her to the ground. Although she had expected the animal to get on top of her and hold her down, it did no such thing. Instead, it stood beside her, clapping its paws together and barking maniacally. She pulled her hands to her ears and curled up. Dirty knees touched her forehead and she closed her eyes.

Thoughts churned in her mind as she tried to block out the noise. The last few weeks had been particularly torturous. The promotion that he was expecting was delayed and the armada that he had been promised was taking longer to prepare than he had originally anticipated. For months, he had been purging thousands of resumes trying to find the most capable commanders. Hours of work after his shift caused headaches and ill tempers, which prompted unsettling evenings of cruel punishments and brutal sexual encounters.

She broke down the previous evening and attacked him. It was a small back-slap to his right cheek, but she had put all of her power into it. The small act of defiance didn't just irritate him as he attempted to pull off her underwear, it infuriated him to no end. He punched her in the stomach; and as she retched, he tossed her across the room and slammed her forehead against the wall. She hadn't woken up until this afternoon.

Once awake and alert, she had made her decision to bolt past the usual guard when he came in for the laundry basket.

Now, she regretted shooting a wall of fire at the clueless soldier to make her escape.

Her eyes opened hastily when she heard the whistle to her left. The animal beside her stopped its wailing and fell to the ground, submissive. "Koori," he whispered as his steel-booted feet came into her view, "where in Agni did you think you were going to go?"

From the forest floor, she stared at him. He was wearing a silky red cloak over military-grade red, gold, and black Fire Nation armor. His boots, once polished to a perfect gleam, were muddied. Her eyes followed his powerful, muscled legs up to his torso where she knew that under his armor and black underclothes, he had chiseled abs and defined pecs. His arms, massive and imposing, were strong enough to hoist her without effort over his shoulders as he had done many times in the past. Fingers, long and coarse from years of firebending and military training, elicited terror. Her eyes widened at his neck and jawline. When he was angry, which was often, a blood vessel could easily be seen pulsating across the side of his jaw and neck. She watched the blood pulse for a moment before averting her eyes to his cheekbones, which had always been covered in a thick layer of brown hair. His sideburns were his trademark; people recognized him instantly when they saw his facial hair. His mouth was hardened into a small smirk and he had a wide, upturned nose with hazel, dead eyes that bore into her soul. On the top of his brown-haired head, he sported a Fire Nation regulation topknot. He was a terrifying human to look at, especially if you were unaware of his selfish, twisted attitude.

Strong, warm fingertips pulled her off of the ground roughly. He smiled, it was sweet, mischievous, and horribly unbecoming as Koori's back slammed against the tree behind her; his armored forearm was pressed tightly against her clavicles which prevented her from taking deep breaths. Her dirty fingertips wound around his elbow and clenched fist to alleviate some of the pressure. Her golden eyes, open wide and pleading, searched his face for a glimmer of nonexistent forgiveness. "Please," the faint plead barely escaped her lips and his smile disappeared.

"Please what?" he snarled. Hazel and golden eyes met. Koori's bottom lip quivered; she knew the expressions that would elicit even the smallest amount of pity his emotions could endure.

"I'm sorry," she huffed. "I won't ever run away again. I promise! Please...please let me go."

Smirking, he stepped away from her and before she could take a breath, a thin line of fire crashed against her legs. She fell to the ground and covered her head as more lashes carved into her back. Every strike made her yelp and wince, but he only stopped briefly to adjust his footing. The otter-dog, momentarily stunned, sprinted off into the forest, toward the command tower, barking aggressively.

"Stop! Please!" she wailed after a few moments had passed. He complied.

"Get up," he commanded.

Hesitant and distrustful fingers broke free from protecting her skull. Whimpering, Koori pulled her body off of the forest floor. Hazel eyes glared at her legs and back as he watched her skin glow faintly. The burns that he had just unleashed were already healing. He scowled and grabbed the neck of her shirt, pulling his slave aggressively behind him, toward his command tower. Eyes to the ground and wincing at every step, Koori followed.

"It really is a waste to burn such pretty skin," he tatted at the forest edge. His command tower stood a few hundred feet in front of them. Koori shivered at the sight.

His tower, like the hundreds across the Earth Kingdom, was an imposing structure of Fire Nation brilliance. It was massive; and although Koori had never been to the top floor, she knew that it was tall enough to see a few miles in any direction. The monstrous building was also impervious. Few savages had ever successfully attempted to raid the modules for scraps of food or leftover materials. This particular fortress, located on the south-western seaside peninsula of the Earth Kingdom, served as their home and base from which to threaten the nation they were occupying.

As she looked up at the impressive structure, he grabbed his collar and pulled his cloak off his shoulders. He bundled it up and tossed it to her. Koori caught it and glanced at his polished red armor. The armor shown so brightly against the sunset because she spent most of her afternoons buffing the individual pieces with a rag and a foul-smelling paste.

"Put it on," he barked. Koori shifted her shoulders and wound her body snugly into the huge cloak. He held out his hand and she reached for it hastily. He pulled her close, let go of her hand, and wrapped his arm around her waist. His fingers dug deep into her side and she grimaced. They walked, side by side, through the main entrance of the command tower. He led her through a doorway and turned to his left. Koori's mind wandered.

Thirteen tumultuous years ago, this man had stolen her from an Earth Kingdom village. In her youth, she had often thought of her Master as a kind man; he often surprised her with gifts from his travels. Chocolates, peaches, and fire flakes from the coast of Ember Island were her favorite treats and he enjoyed watching her smiles and giggles as she consumed her candies and wore her cheap bangles. As she grew older, sweets and trinkets quickly turned into brief glances of sexual attraction. When she was thirteen and he was satisfied with her age, he gave into his sexual desires eagerly. During his first attempt, he was quickly disappointed when he realized that the attraction wasn't mutual and his sometimes soft, sweet demeanor changed instantly. He was angered easily and hit her often when she refused or ignored his advances. He raped her most evenings while she clutched his sheets, waiting for the torment to end.

Koori's thoughts dissipated when they neared the door to his quarters. Her feet purposely slowed down and he noticed. Irritated, his hand released her side and traveled up her back. His calloused fingers closed around the back of her neck and gripped the base of her hair; he pulled the black locks hard. She gasped at the pressure and reached around the back of her head to clasp his knuckles. He grinned and let go of her to grab his keys from a niche in his breastplate. He unlocked the door hastily and shoved her through the doorway.

She tripped and landed on her palms and knees. "Ah," she grunted. She heard the distinct click of the door locking and he walked around her crouched frame, eyeing her greedily. The slave knelt and used her legs to pull herself off of the floor. She could feel his breath on her face when she stood straight up. His fingers touched her face and he pulled unkempt strands of hair out of her line of vision. "Master-"

"How'd you get out?" He was angry, but calm; he must have received some sort of good news during the day.

Koori's pupils darted to the bottom left corner of her eyes. She bit her lip. "I attacked the soldier when he came in for the laundry."

He chuckled. "Weak. So weak." He turned on his heel and his fingers quickly untied the pieces of his armor. Metal shifted and screeched as he placed each piece gently on his desk. He always took off his armor from top to bottom. Decorative sash, Shoulder pads, breastplate, and forearm guards quickly came off first. He reached around his backside and untied his thigh guards. Metal clinked together when he lifted up his leg and put his foot on a chair to untie his boot. Pale feet emerged and slapped the ground when each boot was off. He placed the boots beside his desk and sat on his bed to take off his shirt. He put his arms behind his torso and leaned backwards. Hazel eyes glared at his slave; he was waiting and watching her with barbaric hunger.

Koori's fingers hesitantly found the clasp to his cloak and she unhooked it. She opened the closet door to her right and hung the garment carefully. Her feet, already bare because she wasn't allowed to own a pair of shoes, hit the ground delicately as she walked toward the bed. Silky red sheets shifted as she sat next to him but he didn't move.

"You infuriate me." He said it so calmly that she was almost disappointed. Then, she clenched her fists and tightened her jaw; she wanted to say something smart but he would only backhand her and her evening torture would begin.

Instead, she stared at the walls of his room. His quarters were small, but spacious enough for the two of them. There were three total doorways; one each to a bathroom, a closet, and the outside world. On the wall behind them was the only piece of decoration. It was a wall hanging of the Fire Nation emblem. The emblem, a black flame gleaming against a red background, either inspired courage or fear depending on who you asked. For the man beside her, it was a beacon of hope and his encouragement to spread terror across the world. For her, it was a brutal reminder of her captivity. To her left was his desk. It was a magnificent piece of stained mahogany, which was his favorite type of wood, and it housed his war plans. It was also the location where he thought of genius strategical maneuvers and methods of thwarting his personal enemies, which seemed to grow in number every day.

She leaned back, rested her head against the silk sheets, and balanced her hands in front of her face. She stared at the dirt on her forearms and in her fingernails.

"Was it worth it?" he asked as he rubbed his face.

"No."

"Will you do it again?"

The slave hesitated, pondering an appropriate reply. "Absolutely not. I have nowhere to go." Her hands flopped to her sides. "My place is with you," she muttered, defeated.

He smirked, lips pulling thin across his face as he climbed over her.

Koori woke up the next morning, shivering. She was in her Master's bed, draped with his thin sheets. Her hands searched for him in the darkness but she couldn't find him. Breath hitching with excitement that he had left for the day, she pulled herself out of bed. Naked and chilly, her nipples started to harden and she felt around for a candle on the bedside table; inexperienced fingers lit the blackened wick hastily. She looked at the blue bruises and dirt on her skin. Sighing, she tore the dirty sheets off the bed and threw them to the side of the room. Her eyes scanned the floor and she quickly collected the clothes that had been thrown hastily on the ground. She put them in the same pile as the sheets and she paused to examine her clothes, which were destroyed; fire had ripped through the fabric while he was punishing her in the forest. She folded the shirt and pants as best as she could and tucked them into the closet. When he returned, she would show him the damage. He would be angry, but he would get her a new outfit.

Still naked, she walked into the bathroom and turned the faucet to activate the tub. She pulled up the nozzle and the shower sprung to life. Baths weren't frequent, but every once and a while, she treated herself with a long soak. Today, however, she needed to get done quickly and she didn't know what time he left or what time he would return. She tossed a towel over the bar, pulled the curtain back, and started to wash her hair. She soaped up quickly, rinsed, and turned off the water. Dripping, she stood still as the cold air cooled her warm, after-shower skin. Shaking fingers grabbed the fluffy towel and she patted her hair. Her skin steamed as she firebended unconsciously. The curtain pulled back with a metallic screech and her feet stepped on the fuzzy mat outside the tub. She walked across the bathroom, pulled the door, and entered the bedroom. Digging through the closet, she pulled out a pair of underwear and one of his undershirts. One leg at a time, she put her lacy underwear on. The undershirt, although large on her petite figure, was the only other option for a top. Unfortunately for her, he loved the look of her in his shirt. The hem barely passed her underwear which granted him a lavish look at the curves of her buttocks.

The candle flickered at the bedside table and her small feet walked towards the only window in the room. He always covered it when the sun descended; odd as it was, he was paranoid and ever fearful of the moon watching him. It was an unusual fear, and something that she didn't quite understand, but in all honesty, most of the things he did didn't make sense to her. She unlatched the covering, shifted it up, and stared at the beams of sunlight. After taking a deep, warming breath, she paused and felt energized.

The door to the outside world opened and she glanced at the intruder. He walked in, scroll to his nose, reading the latest status report about the Earth Kingdom invasion in depth. His eyes glanced at her in between sentences and he grinned.

"Where are your clothes?"

"You destroyed them yesterday." She walked to the closet, pulled out the shirt, and showed him the tears and burns.

"Maybe if you didn't run away, you wouldn't need a new outfit."

Koori scrunched her face together and opened her mouth. She closed it quickly and nodded. "Yes, Master."

He stared at her for a moment. Moving to his desk, he shuffled some papers around, tossed his status report on top, and stepped back. His hand wound into his breastplate and he grabbed something small; he pulled it out and the slave's mouth watered at the sight of her favorite fruit. He put the peach on his desk, flipped his desk chair around, and sat on it backwards.

"I've been doing some thinking," he started. "Sit." He motioned for her to sit on the floor in front of him. She obeyed and knelt within his reach. His hands, large, strong, and terrifying, grasped the curve of his desk chair. "I haven't been the kindest to you in a while, which undoubtedly provoked you yesterday."

Koori watched him warily. He hadn't been so understanding in a while and it was confusing.

"Master, I-"

"Don't interrupt me." She flinched and he looked at her with exhausted eyes. "Koori," he huffed. Her eyes met his. "I've been transferred to a Naval Harbor closer to the south. I've been given command of a few hundred ships where we will be performing several defensive maneuvers including a blockade. We'll be off-and-on the sea for a little while, but it's a step-up from where we are now."

Softly, the slave smiled at him. "Congratulations, Master!"

He grinned and reached for the peach. He tossed it delicately to her and she placed the fruit on the ground by her knee for safekeeping. "We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning for the lead ship. For preparation, I've requested the evening off. We'll eat, pack, and be headed out."

Koori beamed at him. As much as she despised the man, she knew that if she pretended to be proud of his accomplishments, she would earn kindness. A combination of small smiles and proud looks had saved her life countless times, and she knew it.

"With this new power comes a new title," he mused. "Commander Zhao. How does that sound?"

"Amazing!" Her smile could stretch no further. Finally, she thought, the promotion he was expecting.

Zhao reached down and cupped her chin gently. Her expression changed momentarily to fear; an uneasy smile quickly replaced it. Zhao saw it though, she knew. And she knew he would be pleased by it; fear and power pumped his blood.

He tugged her upwards and she knelt forward, centimeters from his face. Zhao kissed her delicately and she responded as expected. She pulled her head back momentarily at the first connection, but ultimately leaned in. Zhao pulled his sash off and flung it across the room. The belt which kept it in place pinged against the wall but neither of them heard the sound thanks to Zhao hastily peeling off his armor. His armor clanked and groaned under his quick fingers and he tossed each piece on the ground. Devoid of armor and shirt, he scooped his slave off of the floor and tossed her on his unmade bed. Koori landed with a soft thump on the mattress and Zhao was quickly on top of her, lifting his old undershirt over her head.

He stopped for a brief moment to look at her; almost naked and vulnerable, she was perfect. Long, black-as-night hair wound loosely around her shoulders. The black locks stopped just below her pink nipples which were perky and waiting for his touch. Her stomach, toned and pale, quivered under his calloused fingertips. Her panties, black, lacy, and inviting, begged for his immediate attention. Zhao grasped her left leg and pulled it skyward. She resisted for a second, but ultimately wound her leg around his panted torso. Both hands cupped her face and he looked longingly at her. Her eyebrows were pulled tight together, hiding fear; eyes, golden and intoxicating, held back a powerful contempt for him. Her nose was small and it pulled in air greedily, unsure which breath would be her last. Lips, luscious and wet, parted slightly to reveal white, glistening teeth.

Zhao's calloused thumb ran over her bottom lip and down to her chin. He kissed her again; the kiss was deep and he allowed his tongue to venture inside of her mouth.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

It was slight, but Zhao heard the raps on his door. He grabbed his almost naked slave and tossed her to the corner of the room. He threw his shirt at her and she put it on hastily. Zhao put his hand on the doorknob and he screamed, "I said no disturbances!"

He opened the door quickly. The man on the other side mumbled and Zhao nodded. "Of course," he said at last. He shut the door firmly and turned to face his slave. "We need to pack now," he sighed.

A/N: Edited 10/8/2018...

Hello, potentially hooked readers! I just wanted to let you know that you and I are going to be on a rather eventful journey together. If you think that you've seen this story before, you probably have. Koori is old...I created her in 2007, actually...but this story is about to get a face-lift. I've deleted chapters, ripped through the original plot, and added a few necessary tidbits and characteristics that I hope will make this story more accurate. I have to admit, I woke up one day and thought, "huh, I never really did her justice...now did I?" and I started rewritting the moment I convinced myself to get out of bed.

Please understand that when I originally wrote this story, I didn't know a whole lot. But now, as an adult, I'm researching the living daylights out of this scenario, running through the different forms of abuse in order to solidify the background of my OC. Koori's life is rough; she's faced emotional, physical, and spiritual abuses throughout her childhood and teenage life, and I honestly hope that I am able to characterize her appropriately. We're going to see her journey through all three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender. And we're going to get to know her, love her, hate her, and cry with her. And when the story is done, we may even get to see if she gets her desired happy ending.

Please note that there is going to be a lot of uncomfortable scenes in this story. Rape is prevalent in most chapters (whether actually written out or implied) And if you're uncomfortable with that, please do not continue. The story only gets darker from this point on. Also, please understand that the relationship that I am going to describe between Zhao and Koori is extraordinarily unhealthy. In some chapters, the way Koori may describe her attachment to Zhao reeks of Stockholm Syndrome; this association is on purpose.

I don't own any of the characters in this series except for Koori (and Leo, but you haven't met him yet).

And I know that this will get old, but please take the time to review. I honestly stay awake most nights after I post a chapter to read your reviews (good or bad). Reviews are the best way to let me know that I'm doing a good job or if I've gone way, way off topic.

So please, review.