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My eyes met with my brother's, and then with Etka's and Kateri's. "We don't want your help," I spoke up, glaring at their leader. The young man looked at me pleadingly, as if he were trying to make me understand. I gripped the dagger tighter. He didn't look to be that much older than Etka, and in fact, almost all of the people in his group seemed to be around our age. The leader's head was completely shaven bald, which only made his eyes more prominent.
"We know what happened in the Capitol," He explained, his grey eyes going to Etka. "We have informants in the Palace. We know what they did to you."
Etka stiffened, and I heard him inhale sharply. I looked over to him in worry. "We promise that we're on your side, and we can prove it," The man continued. "I know this is hard to believe, and I know that you don't want to trust us - "
"We don't," Kateri icily cut in.
"If you stay out here, the soldiers in the village will find you soon and put you to death," A woman spoke up, her voice earnest. "Or worse, you'll be brought back to the Capitol. You can't stay here. None of us can stay here much longer."
"Then leave," Etka said rigidly.
"We have informants who were there when you were imprisoned," The leader said, looking directly at Etka now. I saw beads of sweat forming at his temples, and I had a bad feeling about what he was going to say next. "I can prove it to you, Captain Song. I know what the officer in charge of your custody said to you. All of us know what happened."
Etka's breathing quickened, and he drew back. I drew back with him, laying a hand on his arm. It was as if he didn't even know I was there.
"Howwereyouthereandyoudidnttrytostopit, youdidntdoanythingtostopit - " Etka blurted out, his words running together in a panicked rush. The leader moved closer to him, his eyes full of sympathy. His voice was gentle and soft when he spoke.
"He said that Anahi could never love you, after what you did," He said, his eyes sliding over to me for a second. My mouth fell open in shock, and I felt like someone had kicked me in the chest. It was a horrible thing that Etka's torturers had said, and what was even worse was that Etka seemed to believe it. "He said that someone like you doesn't deserve to be loved. And when you didn't break then, he told you that he was going to break you, in front of the whole city, before...before he touched her - "
"Enough," Kateri cut him off harshly. "We get it."
I grabbed Etka by the arms, but he was looking beyond me, his body shaking. "It's over now," I said, keeping my voice low. "It's not real." Etka looked like he was about to break down, and I was frightened to see him like this. What had they done to him in prison? What part of them had they broken?
"What do you want?" Naheel demanded angrily.
"You aren't safe here," One of the women said pleadingly. "Please, just come with us. You'll be protected in our stronghold and be away from the village. We can explain everything there but now you aren't safe."
I looked over at Kateri and Naheel, and then at Etka. "He's telling the truth," Etka said, his voice hollow. "Go with them." Kateri grabbed my wrist, turning her face away from the group before us.
"I don't like this," She said, her voice barely audible. "But they're right. We can't stay here."
"The minute something doesn't feel right," Naheel said in a low undertone, stepping up behind Kateri. "We leave right away."
I sighed, looking up at Etka again. He looked shaken to the bone, and I was scared that he might shut down. The leader here evidently knew exactly what horrors he had been subjected to, whereas I could only guess. I took him by the arm, holding onto him tightly.
"We'll go with you," I turned to the leader of the group and walking out to where Etka's and my clothes were spread out. I scooped them up into my arms with my free hand. "Where is this stronghold of yours?"
The leader's face visibly relaxed, and he reached out to shake my hand. I didn't take it, holding tightly onto Etka's arm instead. "My name is Au Ro," He said, withdrawing his hand, unfazed, and began to gesture to the others around him. "And this is Nori, Oharu, Saeron, Anzai and Songen. There's more of us obviously, and you'll meet them all soon."
"We'll wait on that," Naheel spoke up, appearing on Etka's opposite side. Au Ro cast a glance at Etka's face, and nodded in understanding. We continued to walk through the forest, and I tried my best to mentally map our path from here back to the sea. Just in case...
Eventually, we stopped before an indiscriminable group of trees, and Songen took off his shoes, handing them to Anzai. "What's going on?" Kateri asked, looking around skeptically.
"We're going to get into the stronghold now," Nori stepped up beside her. "Songen is an earth bender."
Songen swept over the ground with his foot, and then with a mighty stomp, the ground shot upwards, caving over and revealing a trapdoor leading downwards into the ground. It was a brilliant hiding spot, and one that no Firebender could get to.
"Come on," Au Ro popped open the trap door and began to climb down the ladder.
"Wait," Naheel stepped up, looking around the empty forest. "If that is the only entrance, how are we supposed to get out? None of us can earth bend."
"There are more than one entrance and exit," Aizan explained, following Au Ro down the ladder. "We'll show them all to you when we get down there."
I glanced at Kateri and Naheel, and slowly, they nodded. "Let's go," I told him gently, releasing his arm to head first down the stairs. He hadn't spoken at all since telling us that Au Ro was being honest. "I'll be right in front of you, and Kateri and Naheel are right behind you. You're safe."
My heart was hammering in my chest as I crawled down the lightless shaft. Ozai's dagger weighed heavily against my chest, and I reached for it immediately as my feet hit the floor and I looked around the massive room before me.
I was standing in what looked like an underground cave, except it was well illuminated with flaming torches spaced evenly throughout the walls. People dressed in the same red robes and tunics that Au Ro and his gang wore were staring at us in shock and disbelief, and I drew back, standing closer to Etka once he reached the ground.
"The exits, like we promised," Au Ro grabbed my attention once Naheel and Kateri made it down into the cavern too. "There are six in all. The one we went down is only accessible with an earth bender, but the other five are not." He began to give us a tour of the stronghold, showing us the living quarters, weapons rooms, planning rooms, and every way out that we came across.
I knew that he was doing this deliberately, and it made me feel more at ease. Naheel was certain to try every exit, to make sure it worked and went past his approval, and I felt a little safer, making emergency exit plans in my mind.
"I know that this might seem like a lot for you," Au Ro said, once the tour was finished. We sat down together in the dining hall, and food was brought forth. It was just then that I realized how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten a full, hot meal in ages, and it took everything that I had not to scarf down my meal in one bite. Kateri took up a swath of noodles in her chopsticks and took a sniff before tentatively placing them in her mouth, while Naheel began to hungrily eat. Etka did not touch his food.
"Our organization is part of an underground resistance movement," Au Ro explained. "Our goal is to overthrow the Firelord's reign and establish a democracy in the Fire Nation, as well as to liberate the Nation's colonies. We have informants everywhere, and this is not our only stronghold. We have a number of members in the Earth Kingdom as well. We can get you safely there, and on your way to freedom."
"That would be greatly appreciated," Kateri spoke up. "None of us can be seen in the Fire Nation until this war is over."
"You're right," Au Ro said. "And when you move locations, it has to be at night, and in disguise. I suggest picking out false names for yourselves as well. We were lucky to stumble across you today on a patrol." He paused, a smile seeping slowly across his face as he cast his hazel eyes at the small group of people that had been curiously following us during our tour. "Although, I must say, your story has spread like wildfire throughout our ranks. You, all of you, have become something like heroes to all of us."
"I'm not a hero," I said immediately. "I only tried to find Ozai because I wanted to know where my mother was. And even that...that failed." Kita...she seemed lost to me now. My last hope of finding her had been exhausted.
"But you stood down the Firelord!" Saeron, who had been tailing our group, sat down next to Au Ro. Nori and Aizan sat down beside her. "You battled him in front of thousands of people."
"I did that to save Etka," I said quietly. "And to protect Kateri and Naheel when they took him back to the Temple. If anything, they are the heroes, not me. Etka sacrificed himself so that I could live, and didn't betray me, even though it meant that he would have to die. Naheel saved Etka's life, both in getting him out of the Firelord's grasp, and by healing him. And I owe my life to Kateri." I looked over to her, and saw her staring hard at her food. "She came back to help me after Etka was safe, and prevented Ozai from killing me. I owe everything to them."
"That's true," Nori said. "But you're being too humble. You're a very powerful bender, Anahi. You risked yourself to save Etka, and fought off one of, if not the most powerful fire bender."
"I had a great teacher," I said softly, looking over at Etka. He had not spoken, staying silent and expressionless by my side. His food remained untouched before him. Part of me wondered if what Au Ro was telling us was registering to him at all.
"Thank you for the food," I said, changing the subject quickly, placing my chopsticks down. Nori took my hint, and dropped the conversation, and Au Ro stood up.
"I'll have someone show you to your quarters," He said, nodding with Saeron. "Tomorrow, we can plan your move to the Earth Kingdom, but I imagine that you would like your rest."
"Thank you," I said, taking Etka by the hand.
"We'll meet you there," Naheel promised and Etka and I followed the young woman down the series of tunnel walls. Saeron's inky black hair was braided into two plaits that hung down her back and swung slightly when she walked, and I felt slightly mesmerized watching her hair as she led us to our rooms. I realized how exhausted I was, even though it was still morning.
"Here you are," Saeron said, extending her arm towards four rooms, right next to each other along the hall. "You can find any one of us in either the dining hall or the common area."
"Thank you," I bowed to her, and she did the same, before walking down the hallway again, her braids swaying across her back.
"Etka," I said softly, taking him into the closest room and shutting the door. He immediately went to sit down on the bed, and I sat beside him, reaching out and touching his cheek with hesitant fingers. "Can you hear me?"
He said nothing, his golden eyes staring deep into mine. My thumb traced the underside of his eye, softly trailing down his cheek. "Etka, what he said wasn't true," I said earnestly. "Whatever they told you in that cell, it was a lie. I love you. They cannot take that away from you, ever."
A tear spilled over from his eye and began a slow descent down his cheek. He bowed his head, casting his eyes down, and another tear fell, striking my leg. "Un...forgivable," He said slowly, his voice shaking. "What I did to you...I'm unlovable - "
"Unlovable?" I cut him off, hurting now as well. What Au Ro said had undoubtedly triggered something that the prison guards had instilled inside him. What had they done to crush Etka this way?
"Etka," I said, my voice hardening up with emotion. "I love the man who spared the life of a sick, starving girl who had no place to go. I love the man who opened his home to me and patiently taught me fire bending. I love the man who saved my life in an Agni Kai, and I love the man who nursed me back to health again." I leaned in closer to him, drawing him gently into my arms. Etka was shaking against me.
"I love the man who took me to a ball, and who told me that he loved me under the light of the moon," I whispered, tears of my own beginning to form. "And I love the man that protected me, even when they hurt him because of my name. I love the man that took a flogging for me, and helped rescue me when the army attacked us at the Temple." I paused then, tears running down my face. "You deserve the world," I murmured. "But I can only give you my heart."
Etka was weeping softly, trembling, and I kissed him, my lips tasting the wetness of his tears. "Anahi..." He murmured, in between kisses. "I love you."
"It's over now," I assured him, stroking his cheek. "They can't hurt you anymore."
I held Etka in my arms and let him silently cry, until he fell asleep against my chest. I felt so sorry for him, but at the same time, a great sense of relief. He had come out of his self-isolation, and that, in the least, was a good thing. It would take a long time for his deep emotional wounds to heal.
Gently, I laid him down on the bed and placed a blanket over top of him. He needed his rest, perhaps, more than any one of us. I was tired too, but I needed answers.
I got up and left the room, searching out Au Ro. When I found him in one of the planning rooms, he looked up at me in a bit of surprise. "Do you have a minute?" I asked, and he nodded, motioning for me to join him.
"I need you to tell me what they did to Etka. All of it. I need to know how they hurt him."
