Phoenix and the Dragon of the West
Author ladykempton
Disclaimer I don't own Avatar the Last Air Bender it is owned by the creators and Nickelodeon.
This is my second Avatar fic this one is not a sequel to Four Benders Sokka, Appa, and Momo. I am still new at this so please be patient I will try and put in paragraphs in I will also try and put in correct spellings any name miss spellings are my own.
Summary: this story is a very alternate Avatar world want if Zuko is punished by his father for being want he called weak and a failure every one other in Avatar with the exception of Aang, Iroh and Toph are the same age but every one else is two years older so Zuko is Eighteen Katara is Sixteen Sokka is Seventeen Azula is also Eighteen (she and Zuko are Twin's Zuko is the oldest by ten minutes) there is going to adult themes threw out mostly involving torture no non con there will be a romance later on with a new character friendship only with regular characters rated M to be safe.
Chapter two the pit.
The prisoner's arrived at Gaoling a few days later they were sorted in to two groups Bender's and non-Benders the Benders were put off to the side while the non-Benders were taken away to be sold in to slavery once the non Bender were taken away the Benders were sorted out by age the oldest to the youngest Zuko was put in the youngest group Zuko saw a tall long haired man come down in to the area were they were being held the man walked along the lined up Fire Benders "a good batch this time the old ones can fight in the ring the younger ones can work the mill until they are a little older the mill will make 'em stronger" he said said he rubbed his hand together at the thought at all the profit he would make he then turned to a over wight man who wore only a pair of a green trousers "put 'em to work we've got orders to fill" he said before he left.
The over wight man stepped forward "take the older one's down to the pit" he yelled to the guards the guards complied they dragged half the prisoner's away the over wight man then turned back to the remaining prisoner's he smirked at them "you heard Xi Fu we have orders to fill chain 'em to the wheel get 'em working" he said talking to the guards who pulled and dragged them to a huge metal wheel that would normal be pulled by Zebra Mules "move"shouted one of the guards the over wight man looked to see want was going on a tall man with a large scar over his lift eye refused to move he just glared at him "slavery was abolished over a hundred years you have no right to do this" he said the over wight man growled "we have every right the Fire Nation calls slaves it has Prisoner's of War we merely call you want you are now get on the wheel boy before you regret it" he said the man refused to move "fine" he smirked "teach him a lesson, you obey or you get a beating" he said to the other prisoner's the guards began to punish and kick the tall prisoner yet he didn't say a word as he was punched and kicked.
Wheel that was their life now every day they woke up at dawn they were shackled to the wheel and they walked around and around only stopping for a meager lunch then they were shackled again and they went around and around but one prisoner was stubborn he struggle with the guards which earned him a beating almost every day yet he said nothing as he was struck no one knew his name and no one asked him want did a beaten slave need with a name any way.
After awhile the over wight man decided that the scared prisoner was losing them money so he was thrown in the pit with the other older Fire Benders Zuko noticed that there were fewer prisoner's then when he last saw them he also noticed that many of them were bruised and cut "want happened" he asked the Captain of the ship looked at him he gave a smirk "they have a under ground contest it's called the Earth rumble Earth benders fight each other once a match we get put in to "fight" it's all rigged so that we don't win" he said he gave a laugh "they also have another underground contest fights to the death even that is rigged once we've out grown our value in the Earth Rumble we go to the Death match I' m going tonight it's not the dieing that bothers me it's the fact I'll die entertaining a load of Earth Benders" he said Zuko took "tell me who the fighter's are and want you have learned about them their weakness their strengths" he said the Captain just looked at him as though he was mad "why" he asked Zuko just looked at him "why not" he said the Captain gave a chuckled "why not indeed take a seat Prince Zuko there is much to tell you before the death match" he said Zuko 's head shot up "want did you call me" he said the Captain smiled "you heard me I though I recognized you when I first saw you I often wondered want happened to you there were many rumors some people think you died in a Fire Bending accident some said your sister had "accidentally" killed you in a prank some said you went in to exile with your Uncle even went with your Mother" said the Captain he looked towards the remaining prisoners who were scatted along the sides of the pit "I don't think the other's know who you are though I'm fairly certain you didn't have that scar in the last picture I saw of you" he said Zuko lowered his head "a parting gift from my father" he said the Captain shook his head "tell me about these Earth Rumble fighters" said Zuko the Captain nodded with a grin.
Right here we go first off there is The Boulder he always refers to him self in the third person" he chuckled "he's petty tough but he boasts a lot thats he's weakness really his ego next is the Rhino a very large man his weakness is he is not very smart next is Fire Nation guy" he said Zuko raised his eyebrow "Fire Nation guy they have a Fire Bender working for them is he a prisoner as well" he asked the Captain laughed "no he's no Fire Bender he is a Earth Bender a weak one too he wares red trousers and a Fire Nation cloak he fires fire from his mouth by blowing flammable liquid he is normally the bad guy if one of us is too beat up to fight next is the Mole he travails mostly underground his weakness is that he rarely Earth Bends above ground so getting him above ground is the best way next is the Gecko he walks up walls the best way to beat him is to keep him on the ground finale is is the Blind Bandit a eleven year old girl I don't know how she does it but she always seems to know want you are going to do she is the current champion and the only fighter who is not involved with the rigging she truly beats them the Boulder is the latest she hasn't fought him though they probably won't him against her until she beaten most of the fighters involved with rigging" he said Zuko crossed his arms deep in thought "how soon before I compete" he asked the Captain "a few days a week or two depends on the crowd and their mood" he said the pit suddenly opened and a few loafs of dry bread was thrown down then the pit resealed the loafs were broken out and handed out "you better eat it it's all your going to get until tomorrow" said the Captain as he saw Zuko frown at the dry bread that was almost hard he then began to eat the bread he swallowed hard he sighed.
That night the Captain was taken Zuko knew he would never see him again the next day more bread was thrown in to the pit Zuko ate it with out question once he finished his bread he began his stances he knew that he would have to develop a new kind of bending help escape the pit as well as the city he had plenty of time he survived Azula tortures he could survive this his six years of imprisonment had taught him patience.
The months went by Zuko trained him self he had still not been taken out of the pit to enter the Earth Rumble he half wondered why as the weeks turned to months the prisoner's slowly went to the Death matches now it was just him and two others he knew that one would soon be going to the Death match he knew that the other was not long for the Death match he continued to train him self the other two prisoner's ignored him as he shot flames at boulders that were in the pit want they didn't notice was the flames were almost white with heat nor did they seem to notice the few broken boulders that were shattered and burnt.
End of chapter two please review.
First two chapters are set the year before Aang was found in the Ice berg I don't know when Toph became the Blind Bandit so I have that she started when she was eleven Zuko is 17 he was punished when he eleven the next chapter is set the year that Aang was found Iroh has joined the Avatar Aang is looking for a Earth Bender to teach him Earth bending.