Katara and Aang made it back to the village where Gran Gran and Sokka stand with evil eyes while the other people of the village stood behind and watched.

"Traitor! I never trusted you and now the fire nation could be on our land in a matter of minutes. You set off that flare to lead them here." Sokka said to Aang.

"It wasn't his fault!" Katara yelled.

"I say he's banned from the village." Sokka said and Gran Gran agreed without hesitation.

"He put our entire village in danger. Both of you did. He must go now." Gran Gran said and Cadi walked up beside her.

"Then I'm going to!" Katara said.

"Katara, you should think about this. Would you really leave your family stranded here like that with no way to fight back? They need you." Cadi said.

"Katara, stay." Aang said.

"So this is goodbye?" She asked.

"For now." He replied. He got on Appa and left. Arcadia walked up to Katara.

"You did the right thing, you know? We are the only water benders here and I don't want Ari bending around your family, it might scare them."

"Why?"

"He's a fire bender, but we've fought against many of the Fire Nation before. He's good." Katara nodded at what Cadi was saying. "Besides, all that practice can do a girl good when it's her and another water bender fending of a ship of them from a village."

"We shouldn't bend."

"Why?"

"They invaded our village a couple years ago and took all of the water benders or killed them. They killed my mother. I know I just met you and everything but I don't want them taking you or killing you."

"I'll be fine. Aang's gonna come back and save the day. I saw that look he gave you. It's a guarantee he'll be back." Cadi said walking off to get ready for a fight.

It was only a few minutes before the fire navy was on the village banks, opening the doors to their ships and marching into Water Tribe territory.

"Where are you hiding him?" The Prince asked.

Arcadia stepped forward. "I don't know who you are but I know this isn't your land to barge in on and try and find someone that wasn't here before."

"I'm the Prince of the Fire Nation." He yelled.

"The 'Prince' that got banished for speaking out of turn. Yes, I remember old stories about you. Such a shame. Banished to find someone that's long lost." She smirked at the fumes coming from his nostrils.

"Cadi, maybe you shouldn't be doing that." Ariston said.

"He's right. I get mean when I'm mad." Zuko said.

"I thought that was the point of getting mad. Looks like I've been wrong." Arcadia looked bored with the small dispute as she started playing with her hair.

"Take out the girl. She's being annoying." Zuko yelled to his crew.

Arcadia bended water whips and hit 3 of them before dodging multiple blows from Zuko and a few others. The main goal was to keep the village safe long enough for the Avatar to come back, if he would. She knew they took water benders and she'd hope if they left without the Avatar, they would settle for her instead.

"Looks like the invasion force didn't get all of the water benders. Grab her." Zuko said.

A water whip went out of control and Sokka had to dodge it before it hit him. "Sorry Sokka." Cadi said, smirking at him. Zuko punched his flames into the air and knocked Cadi unconscious.

"We will get the Avatar next."

"Avatar? There is no Avatar here." Sokka said.

"Yes there is." Aang flew out of the sky. "If you promise to leave this village alone, I'll go with you."

"Aang, no!" Katara yelled.

"Katara, I'll be fine. Watch Appa for me until I get back." With that, Aang followed Zuko onto the ship while the fire bender holding Arcadia was already inside and out of everyone's sight.

Ari was shaking with hate as the ship closed up and began to sail off.

…

"Sokka, come on. We don't have time." Katara was hauling Sokka's bags into the boat as well as her own and Ariston's.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He put his boomerang in his bag and walked to the boat.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gran Gran asked.

They all looked up. "Uhm…" Katara hesitated.

Gran Gran smiled. "You'll need these." She handed them a blue bundle. "You have a long journey ahead of you. Be brave my little water bender. And be nice to your sister."

A low grumble from a short distance shocked them for a moment. "Appa!" Katara yelled.

"You just love taking me out of my comfort zone, don't you?" Sokka said.

"Get on Sokka." Katara yelled from Appa's head. Ari was riding Appa's head.

"Yip yip." Ari said as soon as they and all of their stuff were on. They flew through the sky.

…

Zuko is talking to pretty much anyone that will listen, including Aang. "This staff will make an excellent gift for my father. I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks." He turns to face the guards. "Take the Avatar to the prison hold. And take this to my quarters." He hands Iroh the staff.

Iroh turns to the door and speaks to the guard on the left. "Hey, you mind taking this to his quarters for me?" The guard takes the staff as Aang is escorted down some stairs into the ship.

…

"So... I guess you never fought an air bender before. I bet I can take you both with my hands tied behind my back." Aang smiled.

"Silence!"

They stop in front of a door. As one of the guards moves to open the door with a key, Aang draws a great breath and blows the guard with the key into the door, knocking him out. The breath also propels him backwards and into the guard behind him. They are blown all the way back down the hallway. They crash into the stairs they came down on. The guard is knocked out since Aang used him to cushion his own impact. Aang then air bends himself back up onto the deck and air bends the door at the end of the deck open. He enters the ship and runs down the hall.

"The Avatar has escaped!"

…

Zuko walks across the cell room where Cadi is being kept in her 'cage'. She stirs and his face contorts like she is a mere spider on the wall because he thinks she is a Water Tribe peasant.

"Wake up already. I can't wait around all day!" He yelled.

"Why would you wait anyways?" She said in a hushed voice.

"Because I want you to know how much pain you will be in when I take you and the Avatar to my father."

"Or how much pain you'll be in when you realize the Avatar can't be help by any amount of guards and you go home with only me and no Avatar." She smiled weakly. "Maybe, you should go check on him to make sure he's doing okay."

"You water tribe peasant. You think you know everything." He huffed and walked away.

"I'm obviously smarter than you because I'm not from the Water Tribe." She said as he shut the door. He walked away but she doesn't see him stop by the side of the door and think about what she just said to him. He runs to his room on the ship.

…

Aang runs down one of the ship's hallway, looking behind him for pursuers. His hands are still bound behind him. He turns and starts to run forward – right into three Fire Nation soldiers blocking his way, weapons drawn.

Aang pants. "You haven't seen my staff around, have you?" Aang runs forward and up and around the guards by running along the walls and ceiling in corkscrew circles. He gets by them with ease and look at his retreating form with surprise. "Thanks anyway!"

He runs into another hallway, this time blocked by a single guard. He blasts a fireball at him, but he avoids it by launching himself over the guards head. The bonds of the rope break and the guard is thrown off balance and onto the ground. Aang, his hands now free, runs opening random doors as he goes by. The last door he opens has a sleeping Iroh inside.

Aang whispers, "Sorry..." He runs by another open door, stops and turns back to it. "My staff!"

He enters and the door shuts behind him. Zuko was hiding in wait for the Avatar. "Looks like I underestimated you."

After a brief pause, Zuko begins blasting fire at Aang, who barely dodges. He is terrified and he gasps and pants to catch his breath. After dodging a few more shots, Aang rolls underneath Zuko to get behind him. By staying behind him, Zuko is unable to blast him with fire. He dissipates each fireball with a small air ball he forms with his hands.

Aang creates an air scooter and rides around the walls and ceiling of the room, all the time getting licked by the gouts of flame Zuko unleashes at him. Aang terminates the air ball and grabs a tapestry off the wall. He wraps Zuko up in it as he passes. While Zuko struggles against the tapestry, Aang is able to grab his staff. Zuko breaks his bonds and they once again square off against each other.

After a few seconds of maneuvering, Aang air bends a mattress up off the floor and slams it into Zuko. The mattress propels Zuko into the opposite wall. He is smashed into it and he falls to the ground, onto the mattress. Aang then air bends the mattress up to the ceiling, smashing Zuko into it. Both fall back down to the ground. Zuko looks up in anger to find Aang gone.

…

Appa comes to the rescue as Ariston, Katara and Sokka maneuver him to the fire nation ship. Ari stays on Appa =, ready to leave as soon as possible. After massive amounts of fighting, Katara freezes some of the crew and Aang is now on Appa and they fly away.

"What about my sister?" Ariston asked.

Aang eyes go wide. "I didn't know she was onboard. I'm so sorry." Aang's head falls in disappointment.

"Ehh… I don't really care. She's a pain. She'll drive them all crazy by the day's end. When we go back for her, they'll hand her over in no time." Ari smiled and everyone laughed.

…

"How did you know he would escape?" Zuko was in Cadi's cell again.

She was standing against the wall with her arms crossed over her. Somehow in the dark you could still see her emerald eyes and her hair was still perfect. "He's the Avatar. What else would you expect? The fact you even thought of underestimating a twelve year old Avatar is beyond me. Somehow, I see a young Avatar more dangerous than an old one." She said to him. "Do you mind moving my sleeping space? This isn't quite what I had in mind."

Zuko hesitated. "You have to answer all of my questions." She nodded. "How are you a water bender and not from the water tribe?"

"Finally, something to talk about, I really thought all you wanted to know was about the Avatar." She laughed. "I'm from the Earth Kingdom. Not all water benders are from the poles and not all of them have brown hair and blue eyes," She pointed to herself. "Obviously. Would you like to know more?" She smiled her devil smile that everyone seemed to think was innocent as she walked to the bars in her torn up red clothes.

"For now, no." He walked out of the room slamming the door shut behind him. A few guards walked in and unlocked the cell and walked her to her new room. Her smile never faltering.

…

Zuko walked back to the top of the ship. Iroh started speaking to him before he was even at his side. "Good news for the Fire Lord. The nation's greatest threat is just a little kid."

Zuko exclaimed, "That kid, Uncle, just did this. I won't underestimate him again. Dig this ship out and follow them!" He looks to his side where some soldiers are using fire bending to thaw out their compatriots frozen by Katara. "As soon as you're done with that."