How did I end up here? This dark place, no light, little food, and only the rats for company. My legs are chained to the floor, why I don't know, like I could bend here anyway. The steel walls of my cell, my glider broken and turned into firewood, they don't give me water and when they do, my hands are chained; the last element to master and I am now its prisoner. I am Zia, a master bender in air, water, and earth, and the second female Air Avatar. I was captured by the Fire Nation, a few months ago. I can't tell you how long. I came here searching for a master to teach me and train me, but now… now I can't even raise my head.
I can hear the door to my cell opening, it's one of the guards has to be they are the only ones who are ever down here. I stare at the floor, watching the shadow move closer, but I notice something different, it is not the same as the shadows of the guards, and then it speaks.
"How can he treat you like this? What did you ever do wrong?"
The softness of the voice, the calm, it soothed me. It made me feel like I wasn't alone. Using what little energy I had left I raised my head, to see who it was that cared about me. I looked up and came face to face with the Fire Lord's daughter, her curly brown hair pinned back to show her smiling face, her brown eyes searching mine, searching my soul. I lowered my head, she wasn't going to help me, but then again she was the first smiling face I had seen in over a month. Well the only kind one anyway, the guards smiled but they were cruel, wicked smiles. I raised my head again, and she came a step closer, reaching out a hand toward me, I turned my head, but she didn't strike me she brushed my short brown hair out of my face.
"There that has to be better. I'm Saya, the Fire Lord's daughter. I'm so sorry for this. They shouldn't keep you like this, and why you it isn't like you are a threat. You're just an Air bender. Hold on."
She turned and walked out of my cell. I could hear her talking to the guards and telling them to release me. They told her they could not that I was a prisoner and they were said not to remove the chains. I watched her come back into the cell, and kneel down to my level.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Zia," my voice was raspy from it being used for so long.
"Why are you trapped down here like this? What could you have done?"
She didn't know. Her father hadn't boasted to the world that he had captured the Avatar, that he was planning another war. I looked at he in disbelief, and shock.
"I'm a prisoner of war, I was her looking for someone to help me, train me. I did nothing except what I am supposed to do master the elements."
Saya's expression changed, her brown eyes turned to knowing one and her hand covered her mouth. The Fire Lord had told the world something, he had lied to them.
"It isn't possible. He said you had died and it was broken. But you… you are the Avatar," her voiced lowered and she shook her head.
"Please help me Saya. Your father is planning a war, just like the one that Avatar Aang stopped. It can't happen again." I looked at her staring her in the face. She had to help me. Looking at her she nodded her head, before turning and walking out to the guards and demanding they release me. I watched and saw a burst of fire and then silence, but a guard rounded the corner with Saya not far behind. A ball of flames hovering above her hand, the guard scared of her. He knelt down and undid my chains. It felt good to have my ankles free. I stood and smiled at Saya, her face lighting up at mine. She led me out of the cell and into the light of a hallway. I followed her up the stairs and out. Out into the sun, and the warmth; I was tired and hungry, but Saya told me to wait until we got to the docks.
"Where are we going?" I hoped it was far from here but I wasn't sure.
"Ember Island, I have summer home on it. It has mostly been deserted, but I saw it a few months ago and wanted to live there. So father had the house that was built for Zuko and Azula refurbished and now I live there in the summer."
We climbed onto a small boat and sailed toward the island. I knew that Avatar Aang had lived there for awhile when he was learning fire bending. As we drew near to it I saw the house, it was huge and had steps that lead right down to the beach.
"How are you related to the Zuko and Azula? I know that they lived here, well Zuko did when he was training the Avatar."
"Zuko is my Great, Great Grandfather. Some of his things are still here, and I think some of it is from Aang."
The boat pulled up onto the beach, the water lapped at my legs and it felt really good. I never thought I could miss water, earth, and the sky so much. Saya walked toward the house and I slowly followed her. I hoped she could help me.