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"Zuko!" Sokka yelled, looking horrified as he watched me fall to the ground in front of Mai.
"Go Sokka! I'll find a way!" I yelled, rolling away from the knives Mai was throwing at me. When Sokka hesitated, I narrowed my eyes. "GO!" I roared at my companion. As they retreated from my line of sight, I prayed that I would see them again. I looked back at the three dangerous girls standing over me, and really hoped that I was lucky for once in my life.
"Throw him back into the cell!" Azula screamed at the warden. I was pulled onto my feet and roughly pushed inside the prison. Just before I was out of earshot, my younger sister said more calmly, "I will see to his punishment later." The thought of Azula's idea of punishment sent chills up my spine.
Late that night, well after the guard had brought the measly supper of porridge, I was sitting silently in the center of the cell. I tried to just forget about what Azula had said, but the pangs of fear would not let go of my mind. I hated fear, but this was no childish fear. The promise of a visit from Azula could send a grown man into panic. The only reason I wasn't panicking was because I was so used to that threat that the only thing that was scaring me was her 'punishments'. I would probably end up dead.
I was shaken out of my frantic thoughts by the slamming of the stone door. I looked up sullenly to find Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee standing in the doorway. Ty Lee looked nervous, and Mai looked a little less bored that usual. Azula looked deadly.
"Well, Zuzu, it looks like you are worthless after all. You're worthless to the Fire Nation and your little pathetic friends. If they can even call you their friend. Didn't you chase them around for the longest time?" Azula snickered as she mocked me, and she seemed hopeful that she had hit a nerve. She had.
I refused to speak, turning my gaze towards the disgusting stone floor.
"Oh, you won't speak, huh? I can make you do that soon enough." Azula sneered, pulling me up from the wooden chair. She dragged me by the arm out the cell door. I snuck a glance back at Mai, whose eyes flashed dangerously as she pulled one of her knives out of her sleeve in warning. It was clear I was not going to escape. At least I could try, right?
I wrenched my arm from Azula's grasp, taking a hasty step towards the railing and the room below. I started to run, but my attempt was cut off by a jet of blue flames in my face. Wrong. There was no escaping from Azula.
Azula spun me around and pushed me against the wall. "Listen closely brother. We have decided that death isn't good enough for you. Maybe servitude will be. We were going to put makeup on that ugly scar of yours and sell you to one of the higher Fire Nation generals, but since you insist on not cooperating, I guess the three of us will have to be your masters." She growled.
"I'd rather die." I yelled in her face.
"I am shocked that you hate me so much Zuzu! Oh well, it's not your choice anyway." Azula sneered.
She stepped back, only for her spot to be replaced by Ty Lee. The acrobat jabbed at my neck with her right hand, but I ducked to the side away from her hand. I realized too late that in my haste to get away from her blow, she had slipped her other hand under my elbows so I couldn't move my arms.
I cursed softly, only to be reprimanded sharply by the girl in front of me. "No cursing!" Ty Lee scolded with a slap to the side of my head. She then pushed me in front of her as we continued walking. I grumbled under my breath as Azula lead the way into a room where the warden and his guards were. The guards bowed on the ground as Azula entered, and the warden bowed deeply at the waist.
"Do you wish to have guards accompany you, princess?" The warden asked hastily.
"No. I wish to leave as soon as I have proper restraints for the traitor." Azula said with a smirk in my direction.
The guards moved to put the iron chains they had been holding on me. I growled and kicked out at them, trying to scare them away. They were not putting chains on me! Just as I brought my leg back down so I could kick the other guard, Ty Lee jabbed at my chi points so that I couldn't move. As the guards began locking the chains onto my wrists and ankles, Azula broke the silence.
"Ty Lee, let him move again. I want him to see how useless struggling is." She ordered. The acrobat girl did as she was told, hitting me again in the chi points. I wasn't going to play into their game. So, I pretended that it didn't work. I stayed stock still as the guards finished locking the chains, gluing a horrified look onto my face. Mai didn't seem to fall for it, but Azula and Ty Lee did.
"It didn't work! What did you do!" Azula screamed. I had to resist the urge to grin at them.
"I um- It's never failed before!" Ty Lee stammered. I bit back a snicker and watched Ty Lee's fearful expression in silence. Movement caught my eye. Mai had moved into the corner of my vision, and I could see her small smile as she watched the scene in front of us. I couldn't help it after that.
I started laughing softly, drawing the attention of the warden and my sister.
"He's not frozen princess. Though I have to say, your brother is quite the actor." The warden said, turning to Azula and Ty Lee. Azula ignored his comment.
"You think you can get out of this, being tricky like that, brother? Well I can tell you right now, it's not going to work! If you try it again, you are in for a world of pain and humiliation, do you hear me?" She threatened, lighting a small flame in right front of my eyes. I felt a fresh wave of fear as her words sink into my mind, and when I tried to step back away from her flame, I found a blade pressing into my back.
I nodded hurriedly, dreading what these three could do to me while I was in this new position.
Azula stepped away from my face, extinguishing her flame. She composed herself, and she turned around and addressed the warden and his guards cheerfully. "That will be all! We will be leaving now."
Azula pushed me into the war balloon, smirking when I tripped on the chains and fell on my face. As I pulled myself off the floor, that constant feeling of dread filled me again. How was I going to get out of this?