Takes place after The Crossroads of Destiny. Iroh is locked up, Azula and Zuko control Ba Sing Se, Aang's down for the count, ect. By the way, I know the title isn't the greatest, but I couldn't think of a better one. Leave a review with a better title and you win a fabulous prize (not really, but feel free to leave a suggestion anyway).

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, the quote or anything else related.

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all." –Emily Dickinson

The secret underground prison of Ba Sing Se, located directly under the palace, was never a pleasant place, though few people could claim to be counted among the prisoners. Long Feng preferred brain-wiping or killing any opposition, so the prison remained relatively empty. Azula, after seizing power from Long Feng, saw no reason to change that, though she did have a distinct preference for killing over brain-wiping. As such, the prison only held political prisoners, hostages, and people who had valuable information that required them to retain their sanity and their lives.

Though prisoners were sparse, Di Lee guards were plentiful. The prison had never had a prisoner escape in its long history. Azula had increased the guard as more political prisoners and dethroned generals were incarcerated. The coop had produced a surge of prisoners, and quite a few of the recent prisoners were famous or once possessed esteemed positions.

The greatest of these prisoners was the famed Dragon of the West. Unlike the other prisoners, who were usually bound with iron chains in small crowded cells, the old general had a large room all to himself and his entire body was bound in solid crystal. The Di Lee avoided him as much as possible, knowing all too well that Iroh had more than earned his reputation. As such, Iroh lay in a large room, alone, with four Di Lee agents standing a safe distance outside.

Iroh was reminiscing about how current events had played out. Zuko's betrayal still pained and saddened the old man, more so than any physical wound he had endured over his many years. Iroh knew that a man had to always retain hope, but things had never seemed so desperate. Just a few days ago, Zuko had seemed so happy with the troubles of his sister and the Avatar seemingly miles away. But then life had turned from peaceful to miserable in a matter of days. Zuko had chosen his sister's lies, Azula had gained control over Ba Sing Se, and the young Avatar had been gravely wounded. It was difficult to keep hope when everything seemed so hopeless. Iroh closed his eyes for a moment and began to pray softly to himself. "Oh great spirits, please hear the prayer of an old man. Please protect my nephew, who has fallen into the darkness. Please protect the Avatar, on his quest to restore peace to the world. Please protect the innocent people of Ba Sing Se, who know nothing about the evils around them. Amen."

Concluding his prayer, Iron opened his eyes. But instead of opening his eyes to a damp prison cell, Iroh opened his eyes to a vast forest. Looking around in wonder, took in his surroundings. Surrounding Iroh was a forest, sparse and seemingly endless. A few feet away from Iroh was a small pond, just big enough for a water-bison to sleep in. A few broken tree trunks were situated next to the pond. "The spirit world," Iroh muttered to himself. No animals, or any other living beings, were in sight. Walking up to the pond, Iroh looked into the water. In addition to his reflection, Iroh saw the reflection of Avatar Roku.

"Welcome back Iroh," the reflection said. Looking backwards, Iroh saw that the former Avatar had materialized behind him.

Iroh turned to face the old Avatar and bowed. "Avatar Roku, we meet again. As much as I do enjoy a change of scenery, may I ask why I suddenly find myself in the spirit world?"

Roku sat down on a nearby stump, and motioned for Iroh to do the same. After Iroh did so, Roku began to speak. "I wanted to thank you, personally, for saving the young Avatar and his waterbending companion."

Iroh let out a small shrug. "Consider it repayment of an old debt."

Roku continued, with a hint of pride creeping into his voice. "The Avatar has unblocked all seven chakras. He has mastered three of the elements, and can now enter the Avatar state at will. The war may soon come to an end."

Iroh let out a long sigh. "Not if my nephew and niece have their way."

The two old men sat in silence for a while. After a few minutes of silence, a bird flew down and landed next to the pond. Cocking its head, the bird looked quizzically at the two old men. The bird let out a small quiet tweet. The bird continued tweeting, and after a few moments was answered by a small symphony of bird calls. Neither man said anything, as a hundred birds called out in unison. Though it lacked words or order, the song had a strange beauty that made Iroh feel at peace. After a few minutes of music, the bird calls stopped and the forest became completely silent. The single bird flew away, leaving behind a small white feather.

"Could I ask you for a favor?" Iroh asked suddenly.

"Of course."

"Look after my nephew. He has lost sight of the important things in life, and I fear he may soon make a mistake that will crush what remains of his noble spirit. Please, help him see the error of his ways before it's too late. Before he ends up like his father."

Roku considered the request for a moment. "I will look after your nephew as best I can. But if I am forced to choose between him and Aang, I will choose Aang."

"Thank you."

Roku got up from the stump and picked up the bird's feather, which had remained unmoved since the bird left. "Hope is like this bird. All a man needs to do is call out, and no matter how weak his voice, he will always be answered." Walking back to Iroh, he offered up the feather.

Iroh reached out to take the feather. The moment his hands touched it, we instantly found himself back in his cell, bound in solid crystal. Nothing had changed, the room remained empty and Iroh remained imprisoned. But for a single second, Iroh could have sworn that he heard a bird tweet in the distance. And he found it a little easier to keep hoping for a better tomorrow.

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