Sokka looked around proudly at the sheltered bay, "This is it, the official rendezvous point for the invasion force."

Toph glanced at the tribesman, "How did you pick this place?"

"Before we split up, my dad and I found this island on a map," Sokka explained. "It's uninhabited, and the harbor surrounded by cliffs seemed like the perfect secluded place."

Katara looked around appreciatively, "Nice choice Sokka. And we're here three days ahead of schedule."

Aang shoots up from his seat shocked, "Wait, three days! The invasion's in three days?!"

"Whatever," Sokka answered nonchalantly after a yawn. "That's like…three days from now. Let's just calm down, and…."

Katara turns to look at her brother who had fallen asleep during the middle of his sentence before turning to the startled airbender, "Sokka's got the right idea Aang. We're here, we're ready…the best thing we can do now is get plenty of rest."

The waterbender lies down on her sleeping bag, but the airbender looked around skittishly, "Uh…I guess."

Azula walked steadily down the long corridor glancing uncertainly at her father beside her, "Father I fully know the plan for the invasion. Why are you taking me to the underground bunker?"

The Fire Lord continued to walk head forward, but deigned to answer his daughter, "I'm completely confident in your abilities Azula. I've been told lately that the present you brought me from the Earth Kingdom has been quite…uncooperative."

"Present father?"

Ozai smiled wickedly at her as he stopped at a door and pushed it open, "Why you brought me the half breed my young prodigy. She has been a thorn in my side for some time, since that fool brother of mine spared her life."

Azula looked into the room and blanched at what she saw, but showed no emotion on her face. Mostly metal covered the surfaces of the underground bunker, and the only light was from torches that lined the walls. Small in comparison to other rooms, this particular chamber was used for a specific purpose; torture. Starting at the high ceiling the princess followed the suspended chains all the way to the person trapped there. The archer's hands were chained above her head so that her heels barely touched the ground. Her clothes were torn in shreds, the top barely there, but the pants were mostly intact. Blood covered the floor beneath the prisoner, but the girl herself was mostly just bruised.

Kiren's chains rustled as she looked up at the doorway and smiled, "I've been here for months fire lord, and only now you grace me with your presence?"

Ozai walked up to the chained girl and sneered, "I wouldn't have to be here at all girl, if you would just give in and stop harassing my men."

The archer glanced once at the princess before returning the man's glare, "Give in how fire lord? I know nothing of which you would like to know."

Walking over to a long table near the edge of the room Ozai chuckled darkly, "My advisors tell me that they left you alone for weeks at a time, and when I asked why they said that had they tortured you as they had every day with no rest. Then you would have died long ago." The tall man grabs a long metal instrument off the table and walked back to the center of the room.

"You dishonor me fire lord," Kiren smirked. "Do you honestly think I cannot withstand torture? But I am truly surprised that you yourself would come to converse with me."

"Converse, no. You will answer my questions young one, and when I am done you will be weak; weak enough that when the eclipse comes, the strength that it draws from you will be your last."

Azula stepped forward behind her father looking anxiously at the beaten girl, "Father why did you bring me to see this?"

Ozai eyes narrowed at the interruption, but did not turn to the royal, "Why Azula, all great rulers have many skills. I have come to know that torture is one skill that every ruler needs to know, so you are here to learn."

Kiren smiled wickedly, "But Azula will not rule Fire Lord Ozai, so why not bring dear Zuko to witness your cruelty."

A thud echoed around the chamber as Ozai struck the girl across the face, "You will show my children the proper respect half breed. The prince and princess will forever be above you, and I always intended for Azula to rule. Zuko is too much of a weakling to sit on my throne. But enough of this banter is there any possible way for the Avatar to have survived?"

The archer grinned as the Fire Lord held the long instrument over his palm, heating it with a strong flame, "No."

Looking up Ozai stared into the girl's eyes for a long moment before pressing the heated metal against the girls left hip harshly, "Try again girl."

Kiren threw her head back in a silent scream as the hot metal burnt and curled her skin. As the metal was drawn away several more layers of skin went with it. Panting slightly the archer looked back at the man in front of her, "I saw the airbender fall myself, there is no way he survived even if the girl was able to heal him."

Ozai once again walked over to the table and replaced his rod with a pair of blunt brass knuckles. Placing them around each hand the Fire Lord placed his cloak on the surface, leaving him only in a sleeveless shirt. "The Avatar is one of the most powerful beings on the planet. Now please explain to me how my son, as weak as he is was able to kill the monk?"

Kiren quickly looked at the younger royal and narrowed her eyes before looking back to Ozai, "Zuko may not be as powerful as the princess Fire Lord, but the prince is completely capable of killing a mere boy."

Taking swift steps forward Ozai swung twice, each fist connecting with the girl's ribs. Hearing a sharp cracking sound at the second swing and the firebender's answering whimper he smiled, "I know that the water savages that befriended the Avatar have a father. A father that is commanding several Water Tribe ships that work to hamper the Fire Nation's glorious empire. Where are they hiding?"

"I don't know."

Azula flinched and looked away as her father swung again. Schooling her expression she continued to watch. Kiren's head now sunk low on her chest with bruises blossoming on her jaw line and temple.

"The water tribe family, girl...where are they hiding?"

Kiren looked up at the Fire Lord, spots dancing in her vision, "Do you truly expect me to know right now where they are hidden? I've been here for months Fire Lord, use your head. How could I know where they are, or where they have moved since then?"

Throwing away the brass knuckles Ozai picked up a curved knife, "The invasion plan for the eclipse could not have been the only plan. General Zhan Lee must have taught you something of strategies before he died a weakling in Ba Sing Se. Surely you would have created a backup plan?"

Fire blazed brightly in Kiren's eyes as she snarled, "My father, was a greater man then you could ever wish to be. The only weakling to be spoken of is you, Ozai. The other generals, even your brother were at Ba Sing Se fighting honorably in that battle, while you stayed at home hiding like a coward behind your father's skirts. Even if there was another plan to invade the capital, I would never tell you."

Enraged Ozai plunged the knife deep into Kiren's thigh and laughed as the girl screamed in agony, "Ah so the savage can feel pain? Let's just see how much we can cause hmm?"

"You truly are Zhan Lee's daughter young one," Ozai said as he threw yet another knife away. "Never have I seen a warrior of such resiliency. It's too bad you were born of that whore, you could have been a great general."

Kiren slumped against the chains that held her arms above her head, "I'm glad you approve. Now as much as I loved talking to you these last few hours, are we done? Surely you have some village to burn or servants to terrify?"

Ozai struck her hard across the jaw again, "So the stories are true then, you'll anger your captors until they leave you be. Your snipes are infuriating, but they don't work for me."

"Sure did work on your little henchman in the Earth Kingdom," Kiren said wistfully. "He'd get so flustered his little head would turn maroon, although I was quite surprised when he vented about you sir; something along the lines of how he shouldn't have to take orders from such a failed general. Mentioned a failed excursion, where a certain Prince Ozai forgot to map the tides, and lost half his fleet to the waves."

Ozai's face turned a darker shade of red as he grabbed another knife. Kiren smiled fiercely at the Fire Lord as he carved a line from her ear, down her neck, and across her collarbones. Taking a deep breath she swallowed her pained scream as he pulled the knife away.

"Fire Lord!" a soldier called from the doorway and Kiren sighed in relief. "The Fire Sages urgently need your attention sir."

Ozai clicked his tongue as he replaced the knife on the table, "Too bad. Well perhaps we'll continue our discussion some other time."

"You do that," Kiren grunted past her clenched teeth.

"Come Azula, you no longer need to observe."

The princess stayed where she was, her face stone like, "If it would please you father, I wish to stay. Perhaps she'll talk with me."

Ozai smiled sadistically at his daughter, "Excellent, but don't kill her."

Azula nodded as the older firebender vacated the chamber. Slowly the royal crossed to the door and bolted it.

"Did you stay to gloat princess?"

Turning Azula glared at the older girl, "Never to you Kiren."

"I must be delirious from pain princess, because I can swear those are tears in your eyes."

Azula silently walked to the side of the room, and triggered the pulleys holding the archer to the ceiling. Kiren staggered as she was dropped to the ground but managed to stay upright for a few second before falling to the ground.

"You're half tortured to death, and you plan to joke with me?"

Kiren sighed, "Why are you here Azula? I'm too tired to deal with our usual test of wills."

Walking up to the fallen archer Azula placed a palm on the girl's cheek, "You need to listen carefully Kiren, because I will only say this once. Do you remember when you told me I was on the wrong side of the war?" at the older girl's nod Azula continued, "I'm sorry it's taken me this long to realize you were telling me the truth."

Kiren smiled and tilted her head towards the comforting touch, "It doesn't matter princess, as long as you realized it."

"The invasion that the Avatar has planned is in three days Kiren."

The archer stiffened, "The Avatar is dead princess, and there will be no invasion."

Leaning in the princess whispered into the girl's ear, "But the Avatar isn't dead, I made sure of that." Azula stepped back from the girl and began to pace, "Zhan Lee taught us that we always have to have several steps planned ahead."

Kiren stared at the younger girl in front of her, "Azula you're making no sense. I saw it, you killed Aang in Ba Sing Se, and what does my father have to do with anything?"

The royal held up her hand, and Kiren looked at it closely. White scars wrapped around the girl's entire hand and ran up her forearm, "I realized what you said was truth when I tried to absorb that lightning instead of kill you. Once I thought about what you said it all made sense. You said to kill you because there was no difference between the water peasant and you, that an enemy was an enemy. You were half right Kiren; there is no difference between us. The enemy is us; they are no different. My plan was to capture Ba Sing Se; all I had to do was tweak it a bit."

"Why capture the city at all princess" Kiren asked. "You could have just left with us and not captured the city at all."

Azula sighed sadly, "I was selfish. Capturing the city was the only way to bring Zuko home, and the only way to assure that father didn't kill him was to kill the Avatar."

"So then how did you plan to stop your father princess?"

"No Kiren you aren't seeing it, I did not kill the Avatar." Azula argued slightly irritated. "When we captured both you and that waterbender I saw the flask around her neck. I'd read scrolls of the water of the North, it has strange properties. If I had wanted the Avatar dead then I would have taken the flask, but I would also have used my entire power in that lightning strike. But it was not my intention to capture you."

Kiren smiled warmly at her friend, "I was not completely sure you were still in there princess. You seem so cold and merciless."

Azula smiled sadly, "When father banished you he sent me away for two years. I traveled around from master to master learning anything to do with war. You were correct when you called me a tool Kiren. He made me into an emotionless weapon, and if I show emotion now I don't want to know what Ozai will do."

"What changed you Azula, what is causing you to act this way?"

The royal looked hurt and kneeled before the other girl, "You don't believe what I'm saying, do you?"

Moving slowly Kiren moved from a half lotus position on the ground to kneeling on her shins. She took the younger firebender's face in both hands, and with her thumbs wiped at the tears on the girl's cheeks, "This is all the proof I need Azula. I can see in your eyes the pain and regret you feel."

Azula began to speak but started to feel the sun sink past the horizon. She smiled sadly, "The sun is going down, and I cannot stay long. If we both survive perhaps I will tell you the whole story someday. Now listen carefully, Father moved you from the palace to this bunker because he didn't want your friends to find you, I will make sure they will. The Fire Lord will be fully protected by Dai Li during the eclipse and I am to serve as the distraction for your friends. If all goes as I have planned I will lead them here to you."

"Azula no," Kiren murmured. "If Ozai even suspects your plan he'll kill you for your treason." Grabbing the royal's arm the archer pulled Azula to her, "Please no."

Returning the hug Azula smiled up at her friend, "Zuzu has been going to see uncle. I'm not stupid Kiren, he's planning to leave. I'm almost positive he plans to join you if uncle's logic has gotten through his thick skull. After the invasion I will leave with him, Ozai won't catch us."

"Az, please be careful; you don't know that…"

The princess interrupted the other girl quickly. Grabbing the archer's hands she looked directly into her bizarre eyes, "Do you remember when we were children, my teacher's spoke of the princess's champion?"

Kiren looked puzzled, "Li and Lo? Yes I do remember something of a warrior chosen by the princess. He protects her, advises her, and is able to accept any challenges made against her."

Azula chuckled as she nodded, "And do you remember getting angry about this person that I would choose? You said that I wasn't allowed to make the choice, and that you would be my champion?"

"Azula," Kiren sighed. "Why are you mentioning this?"

"Kiren, I don't want to choose anyone but you." The princess pulled a small package from her armor and placed it into Kiren's pocket. "I choose you as my champion Kiren."

"No Azula," Kiren's voice broke slightly. "There are others far worthier than I. Do not choose simply because of an adamant child that wanted the honor."

Princess Azula left the older girl's arms and stood to her full height before walking over to the lever that controlled the archer's chains. "But that's the problem isn't it Kiren. I'm not choosing you because of an angry child mad at her best friend." After pulling the mechanism Azula walked back up to the girl, now suspended again. "I'm choosing you because I want to, and because I can't imagine anyone else that I trust to protect me." With that said the royal kissed Kiren's cheek and promptly exited the room.