Princess Azula was not accustomed to darkness. Having the ability to conjure light at her whim helped in that regard quite well. The Fire Nation was a warm country where the sun shone often, and even the nights were brightened by the many stars in the sky.
It was dark now. And worse than that, pain shot through her skull with every breath. Tight bindings restricted her movement and her mind was clouded with fog.
Had she been hit by a Komodo Rhino? But then she wouldn't even be alive. Just what had happened? She could hardly remember a thing through the haze.
Cracks and thuds sounded behind her, followed shortly by the dim orange rays of a candle. Unable to turn her head, she was at the mercy of whoever held her captive.
"Oh, you're awake. And not therefore not dead, at least. Not sure if that's good or not. Guess it works slightly in my favour, maybe."
She struggled to recognise the voice through her agonising haze. It was a man, she could tell that at least. Probably not fully grown, perhaps no more than a few years older than her. This was probably good for her. He'd be unlikely to kill her in cold blood.
She opened her mouth, but the effort of speaking was almost too much. She soldiered on anyway. She was Princess Azula, the slayer of the Avatar. She had brought down the Impenetrable City single-handedly. She'd hardly be bested by her own treacherous tongue.
"Who… Who are you?" Perhaps not the most elegant of questions, but it would suffice.
"Me? Just an ordinary guy with a boomerang," the voice was tinged with smugness.
Boomerang. The word floated around her mind. That bent piece of metal the Water Tribe peasant toted as a weapon, wasn't that what it was called?
Then that meant she'd been captured by one of the Avatar's friends. Was this vengeance for his death?
"How did you - a worthless savage - capture me; one of the greatest firebenders to have ever existed?"
To have been brought down by such an unworthy opponent was a sickening blow. The shame would stay with her long after she'd incinerated him completely, she knew.
He laughed briefly, a dark sounding chuckle that chilled her slightly.
"You see, that's the problem with benders - you think power comes from strength."
He walked around her, squatting down and gazing at her. There was was no smile, but the dark blue eyes held a victorious glint. Azula wanted to snuff that light forever.
"But you of all people should know this - power comes from wisdom.
"Your uncle laid siege to Ba Sing Se for six hundred days, but all the strength of the Fire Nation army could not bring down the walls. You yourself captured that same city in one day - not through force, but through wisdom."
He stood up again, leaving the the candle on the floor in front of her. He half-turned away from her, gazing at something she couldn't see.
"All I needed was a little bit of bait; my sister. You jumped at the chance to kill the last Southern waterbender. After all, you'd killed the last airbender. Extinction is your thing it seems.
"Back in the South Pole, I hunted all sorts of creatures. Tiger seals, arctic wolves, even polar bear dogs. Big, strong and tough animals. But they weren't smart. Trapping them in holes was my preference, though it wasn't always easy getting them out.
"Toph drew out your lackeys, defeated them quite easily I hear. But for you, I needed a slightly more cunning plan. For all your many faults, you're quite clever, perhaps nearly as smart as me."
Azula snarled angrily, smoke curling from her nose. As if this brainless oaf could ever compare to her, an unmatched prodigy.
"So, with that in mind, I actually devised a few traps. A rockfall trap, Toph helped me put that one together. A snare trap - that one I wasn't sure about. Your fire could have cut through it quite easily.
"In the end I decided I didn't need a trap at all. I just needed the help of the best element of all - the element of surprise. And ol' Boomerang took care of the rest."
Azula glared at him, hatred coursing through every fiber of her being.
"But don't you worry, Princess. We're not like the Fire Nation, we won't hurt people for no reason. You'll be treated fairly. For now though, why don't you think on everything?" He stepped over her, leaving her sight.
"My father will come for me. The Fire Nation will destroy you all. There will be nowhere you can run, nowhere you can hide. Release me, or suffer the consequences," Azula rasped.
For a moment there was no reply, until the boy grunted.
"Perhaps. What I hear of the Fire Lord, he's not the most merciful of men to those who have failed him - no matter what relation they are to him. Even if he does manage to find you, who's to say you'll get a happy reunion? Your brother didn't."
The words lingered in the air long after he'd gone. Azula lay there and stewed, her mind wild with rage and confusion.
She gazed down at the metal chains that kept her in place. They were too thick to melt through without seriously damaging her as well, and too heavy to allow her any movement.
She lay there in solitude, plans to free herself and take her revenge forming and dissolving. She was trapped for now, but fire could never be contained.
These children had made a big mistake attempting to subdue her, and all would see the price they'd pay for their defiance.
She would take great pleasure in humbling the boy most of all. Perhaps she would even keep him alive, a living symbol of her supremacy.
In the darkness, the candle's flame flickered.
It was blue.