Chapter 1-Bittersweet

Jet sighed in defeat. For three bitter-cold days, he had struggled, only to find now that his pathetic attempts to break free of his icy prison were pointless. The other Freedom Fighters should have come looking for him, and if they hadn't found him by now, they probably wouldn't.

Why did I think I could pull this off? Jet wondered. I should have known they'd figure it out…they were stupid enough to walk right into a Fire Nation camp—stupid enough to think they'd stand a chance against them, and yet they still figured out my plans, not to mention ruin them. I swear if it's the last thing I do, I'll…

An abrupt rustle of a nearby bush's crimson leaves interrupted his thoughts. Not a moment later, five figures wandered into the clearing. Four of the five were Fire Nation soldiers, all dressed in identical uniforms and wearing identical helmets and masks that hid their faces. And the other? Jet recognized him immediately by descriptions he had overheard from Fire Nation soldiers while he and the other Freedom Fighters were waiting to ambush the troop. It was none other than Prince Zukko, the Fire Lord's son himself.

A small wave of surprise crept over Zukko before he could react. After a moment of gawking at the teenager frozen to the tree, he approached him.

"Who are you?" he questioned. Jet didn't answer, but merely glared at him. At this, Zukko drew his sword and held it dangerously close to Jet's face.

"I believe I asked you a question. Answer me!" he demanded to no visible point; Jet simply stared at him as though he were a stubborn child staring at a demanding parent.

"Very well," Zukko looked over his shoulder to face the four soldiers, then spoke again. "Get back to the ship. I'll be there shortly—this won't take long." The soldiers nodded and left with no objection. Zukko then looked back at Jet.

"Wait a second—I know who you are. You're the ringleader of the Freedom Fighters, aren't you? Where are your friends? Haven't they come to rescue you—or have they rejected you and left you here for dead?" Zukko taunted, a hint of disgust lingering in his voice.

"Well, I guess you of all people would know about rejection, wouldn't you?" Jet replied coldly. With one swift move, Zukko twisted the sword so that the blade sliced long and deep across the right side of his face, from just above his brow to below the cheekbone. Jet yelped in pain as blood trickled in tiny rivers from the wound. With wide eyes, he stared up at Zukko, unable to speak and gasping with shock and the twinge of pain in the side of his face. The blood leaked onto the ice restraining him, its deadly warmth leaving intricate canyons as it oozed like lava from a volcano.

"I can do worse. I wouldn't recommend you pushing me any farther," Zukko warned, a hint of distance in his voice.

"Go ahead—kill me. But you'll never find what you're looking for."

"And how do you know what I'm looking for?" Zukko asked him, a note of curiosity hanging in his voice for a moment before vanishing within his sarcastic tone.

"The Avatar. He's the one you've been looking for—him and his friends from the Water Tribe," Jet replied matter-of-factly. Zukko stared in disbelief.

"What do you know about the Avatar?" he queried suspiciously.

"I know where they're going, and what route they're taking," Jet paused for a moment before adding, "I also know a quicker course you could take to cut them off—but not that I'd tell you anything that'd help you in your search for the Avatar."

"Tell me, or I'll kill you," Zukko said threateningly.

"Oh, I don't think you will."

"And why is that?"

"Because. Kill me, and you'll never know," Jet countered slyly. Zukko thought for a moment.

"What do you want?" he snarled at last.

"What do you mean?" Jet replied, a note of insidiousness haunting his voice.

"What do I have to do to get you to tell me what I need to know?"

"First, you can get your sword out of my face," he sneered. Zukko lowered his sword. "Thank you. Now then, get me out of here, and I'll take you to him."

"You're not setting foot on my ship," Zukko argued.

"And you won't find the Avatar."

"Why do you want to come with me anyhow? What's for you to gain?" Zukko asked, a bit annoyed.

"Because. I have some unfinished business to take care of. So do we have a deal, or don't we?" There was a long silence as Zukko thought.

"Fine. I'll get you out of there, and you take me to the Avatar. And if you happen to try and double-cross me, it'll be the last thing you'll ever do."

"Is that a threat?" Jet questioned hostilely.

"No. It's a promise." With this, Zukko conjured a large ball of fire and threw downward toward Jet. The flame hit the bottom of his icy dungeon and melted it into a pool of water that was tainted with the crimson blood that continued to trickle slowly but steadily from the wound across his face.

Upon breaking free, his hands impulsively clutched the side of his face that still throbbed with the pain that had come with the slash of the blade. The blood oozed between his fingers as he stooped, letting go of his face with his left hand so that he could retrieve his weapons that had fallen from his hands three days ago. After putting them safely away, he followed Prince Zukko to the shore and boarded the tiny boat that would take them down the river to the vessel that waited for them on the coast.

Author's Note: This should be an exciting story. I've got a lot of ideas for this story, and two people helping me out: my sister Becca (as always) and Kelly. I actually started this over at my friend Kelly's house—we were spending the night and couldn't sleep, so using a lamp as our campfire, we began the story orally. That morning I wrote it down, thus the story was born. The "Go ahead—kill me…" and the crew going back to the ship was Kelly's idea. She also helped me with the dialogue when we started the story orally, her being Jet while I was Zukko. Just a note: I know I spelled Zukko wrong. Get over it. That's just how I spell it. Oh, and about the sword: No, I don't have proof he has one. But it just fit soooooooo perfectly! Please Read and Review, and I'll try to update as soon as I get another chapter written! Enjoy!