Preciously on The Earth on Fire...

I caught sight of Azula, smirking down at me, her eyes gleaming. I caught sight of Iroh as they dragged me away, trapped in crystals again. He met my gaze briefly, his eyes filled with sorrow, and I closed my own eyes in defeat.

"Prince Zuko will make a decision that could alter the course of the war entirely."

My grandfather was right. Zuko had made a decision, and it had altered the course of the war. Only, he'd made the wrong decision, because I hadn't been able to do it. I couldn't stop them, I couldn't stop him, and now... Azula had won. The Earth Kingdom had fallen.

"I've failed," I thought in despair as the Dai Li dragged me out of the catacombs and out of sight.

~*•°•*~

"I betrayed Uncle," Zuko said, unable to hold it in.

"No, he betrayed you." Zuko turned towards Azula in surprise. "Zuko, when you return home, Father will welcome you as a war hero."

"But I don't have the Avatar!" Zuko said, the fear creeping up inside him. "What if Father doesn't restore my honor?"

Then all of this - betraying Uncle and Kioni, leaving behind any chance you had of being together - will all have been for nothing.

~*•°•*~

Zuko sat down hard on the bed as he was flooded with memories of confessions screamed at him in a darkened cave by a face distraught with hurt and betrayal.

Had it really been true? Was it even possible that she was about to say what he had been thinking?

But no - it couldn't be, could it? She couldn't have actually loved him? Zuko hadn't felt what it was like to be loved since his mother disappeared. It was an emotion so distanced from him, he didn't even know what it meant anymore.

Clutching his hand, Zuko let out a growl of frustration. This was going to drive him crazy.

~*•°•*~

"The princess?" Ty Lee questioned, her eyes going wide, and Azula's hand clenched, her claw-like nails digging into the bedspread. "Why, were she and Zuko dating or something?"

"A princess of a conquered nation is no longer a princess," Azula hissed, and Ty Lee's eyes widened further. "And I have a feeling something happened between her and my brother... he's not going to tell me what though."

"I thought you already threw her in prison though," Ty Lee said.

"I did, but apparently, keeping her in Ba Sing Se is no longer an option..."

~*•°•*~

Kioni turned her head suddenly, as if she could sense him staring. She met his eye, causing Zuko to inhale quietly, and then her eyes flicked downwards and widened. She glanced up at him again, and Zuko's breath caught in his throat at the shock and hurt there; it took him a second to realize what she must have seen - the close proximity with which he and Mai were standing, not to mention their linked hands, pointed in a pretty obvious direction.

Something in Zuko clenched painfully at the look in Kioni's eyes - normally those green orbs were bright with emotion, whether it be happiness, amusement, or even anger, but now they just looked dulled with pain.

~*•°•*~

"Line 'em up for the warden!" I glanced up at the guard who had shouted out, only to see him standing behind another man with long, dark hair tied up in a half ponytail and a headband on his head. His face was weathered yet strong in a cruel way. The guards pushed me forward and I stumbled into the line, looking down at the ground.

I glanced quickly to either side of me to see all the big, muscled Fire Nation men standing stock still and straight backed, looking straight ahead with stoic faces. In front of us, a semi circle of guards blocked off the deck, separating it from the rest of the prison, which loomed tall and foreboding behind them. The Warden stood in the center, his beady eyes watching us closely.

The Warden stepped forward, his fish like lips pulling into an eerie smirk.

"Welcome," he said, in a voice that had me pushing down a shudder. "To the Boiling Rock."

"I'm sure you've all heard the horrible rumors about our little island," the warden continued, walking up and down in front of the line of prisoners. "And if you haven't, allow me to enlighten your uneducated minds."

He looked directly at me as he said that, his eyes narrowing, and I realized that he knew exactly who I was. I met his gaze stonily, refusing to give him the satisfaction of my anger - or fear.

"The Boiling Rock is the highest security prison in the entire Fire Nation." The warden stopped in front of me, his eyes boring into mine in a silent challenge. "It's bigger than the Dragon Catacombs prison, more heavily guarded than the Imperial Prison, and more remote than the furthest Fire Nation colony. No one has ever, ever escaped from here. I'd sooner jump in the lake myself than let that record fall."

He straightened, looking down the row of prisoners and then back at me with his eyes narrowed. "Don't forget it, and we should get along just fine," he said, turning directly to me one last time.

"As for those rumors," he continued, walking back down the row of prisoners. "They don't have to be true as long as you do everything I say. You will all do as I say, or pay the price. Are we clear on that?"

The prisoners mumbled the affirmative, but I remained silent, my gaze fixed steadily ahead. There was a hushed silence as the warden approached me again, and this time he got right up in my face. I could smell the disgusting odor of his breath, and it took all my willpower to not gag.

"I said," he glared at me, his voice dangerously low. "Are we clear?" I met his eye for a second, and if looks could kill he would definitely be writhing on the floor right now.

"Crystal," I replied, my voice hard.

"Crystal, sir."

"There's no need to call me sir, Warden," I answered cheekily. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some of the prisoners turn to me in surprise.

The warden opened his mouth in outrage before he raised his hand and struck me across the face. I jerked to the side, stumbling with the force of the blow. As I regained my balance, I stared at the ground for a few moments, pushing down the tears that sprung to my eyes as my cheek throbbed with pain. Finally, I raised my head and glared at him with all the venom I had.

"Get these prisoners out of my sight!" he roared to the guards, turning away and stalking back to the prison.

Two guards grabbed my arms and started leading me away, presumably to the women's cells, since they led all the other male prisoners to the other side of the prison. "This one's got a mouth on her, doesn't she?" one of my guards said in a slightly amused voice.

"Yeah, well, we'll get rid of that soon enough," the other guard answered, this one a girl judging by her voice. I gritted my teeth, seething about the fact that they were just talking about me as if I wasn't there. I longed to lash out and show them just what kind of mouth I had on me, but I realized that it really wasn't worth the consequences that were sure to follow.

I was starting to realize that I was really going to be stuck in this place for the rest of my life, and if I was going to survive, I would need to learn to pick my battles.

"Zuko, you've been staring at that wall for the past fifteen minutes. What's wrong with you?" Azula glanced back down to her fingernails and then up again at her brother, who had turned around and was now scowling at her.

"There's nothing wrong with me," he answered hotly. "Why is this taking so long?"

"Relax, Zuzu," Azula drawled, stretching her legs out on the luxurious couch inside the battle tower lounge. "Lo and Li will introduce us, and then we'll go out and be seen by our people, and then we'll get to go back. What's the big deal?"

"Why do we have to do this anyway?" Zuko grumbled. "I just want to go back to the palace." Azula rolled her eyes.

"I realize it's been three years since you've had to act like royalty, but come on. We just defeated the Earth Kingdom and practically won the war, thanks to the two of us. It's only proper that we get a hero's welcome."

Zuko turned away, frowning again. From outside, he could hear the two old twin advisors start to talk, proclaiming the Fire Nation's glorious victory over the Earth Kingdom. He could even hear the rumbling of the crowd outside - it sounded huge, like hundreds of people, all waiting to see him and Azula.

"Your Princess Azula, clever and beautiful, disguised herself as the enemy and entered the Earth Kingdom capital," one of them spoke. Zuko honestly couldn't tell who it was; he couldn't even tell the two apart when he was looking at them.

"In Ba Sing Se, she found her brother Zuko," the other one started, or maybe it was the same one continuing, Zuko couldn't tell. "And together they faced they Avatar."

"And the Avatar fell!" the two spoke in unison. "And the Earth Kingdom fell!"

"Azula's agents quickly overtook the entire city."

"They went to Ba Sing Se's great wall-"

"-and brought it down!"

"The armies of the Fire Nation surged the walls-"

"-and swarmed over Ba Sing Se, securing our victory!"

"That's my cue." Azula winked at her brother, swinging herself off the couch and walking purposefully over to the wall of fire, pushing it aside and disappearing to the other side.

"Now the heroes have returned home!" Lo and Li proclaimed together. "Your princess, Azula!"

Zuko could hear the roar of the crowd increase it's cheering, and could picture Azula gazing over her subjects with a cold amusement, both reveling in the applause and thinking it beneath her. He walked towards the giant flames, taking a deep breath in.

This was it. This was home.

"And after three long years, your prince has returned." Zuko walked through the flames and out onto the balcony. "Zuko!"

He strode to the edge of the balcony, past Lo and Li, to stand next to Azula, and glanced down at the Fire Nation citizens below. His eyes widened only the tiniest degree - there were thousands, much more than he could have ever pictured, and the swell of cheering grew as he approached. He could see people clapping their hands and jumping up and down in the streets.

That's for me, Zuko thought, slightly dazed. They're applauding... for me.

Suddenly, home seemed a lot more welcoming.

The Royal Gardens were exactly how Zuko remembered them - the tall, shady trees lining the cool, still water of the turtle duck pond, the pagoda in the center where he and his mother would sit when it got too hot, and the draping trees on the other side of the pond, which had offered a perfect place to hide from Azula when he was younger.

Zuko crouched down, tearing a piece off the loaf of bread he had stolen from the royal kitchens, and tossed it into the pond. The mother turtleduck squawked happily and led her chicks to it, the three of them crowding around the piece of bread and gobbling it up before it became too soggy. Zuko tossed the rest of the bread in, watching as the tiny chicks pecked eagerly at the crumbs.

Feeding the turtleducks with his mother had always been a happy memory, and once she disappeared, Zuko would come out here and just sit for hours, missing her and trying to remember her. It had always helped calm him in the past, but it didn't seem to be doing any good now.

A shadow fell over the pond and the turtleducks squawked with fear, quickly swimming away. Zuko glanced up to see his sister standing over him, her hands folded in the elegant robes she was wearing. Zuko himself was wearing the traditional Crown Prince robes, but they felt awkward and ungainly on his body.

"You seem so downcast," Azula said with false concern, although Zuko knew better. "Has Mai gotten to you already? Though actually, Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately."

That makes one of us, Zuko thought moodily, staring down at the water. He knew Mai and Ty Lee had chosen to stay in the Capital City instead of going back to Omashu and the circus, respectively, and he figured Azula had something to do with that. Besides, Mai staying was good. It gave them more time to spend together. That was a good thing, no matter how often Zuko's instincts felt opposite.

"I haven't seen Dad yet," Zuko burst out, glaring up at her. "I haven't seen him in three years - since I was banished."

"So what?"

"So, I didn't capture the Avatar," he continued irritably. If Zuko was being honest with himself, he was terrified of seeing his father again. He hadn't captured the Avatar, which had been his father's condition for returning home and regaining his honor. All Zuko had was Azula's reassurance, which unsurprisingly, wasn't all that reassuring.

"Who cares? The Avatar's dead," Azula said nonchalantly. Zuko turned away slightly. "Unless you think he somehow miraculously survived." She said the words with an air of jesting skepticism, but her eyes were narrowed, watching Zuko's face.

Zuko recalled the time he had spent with Katara in the catacombs, where for the briefest of moments, hope had flashed inside him that he would be free of his scar. He remembered the little blue, cone shaped bottle Katara had pulled out.

This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole, she had said. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important.

He knew what that water could do. He'd been there at the North Pole, and felt the mystical aura surrounding the entire Spirit Oasis. He knew that the herbs Kioni had had from the Spirit Oasis had saved him when he'd about to be consumed by his own internal struggles. And he'd seen the way Katara had hugged the Avatar when he'd arrived, the heartbroken look on her face when he'd fallen.

But the Avatar had to be dead, otherwise everything was lost.

"No." Zuko looked up, meeting Azula's searching gaze steadily. "There's no way he could have survived." Azula's eyes narrowed even further, but Zuko held her gaze.

"Well," she said finally. "Then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." Without another word, Azula turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Zuko staring into the depths of the turtleduck pond again, his mind whirling.

My room was tiny, smaller than half the size of the bedroom the three of us had shared in the Lower Ring, but it was relatively clean and didn't smell like rotten fish, so it was a step up from being thrown in a ship's brig. I stumbled and fell to my knees as the guard unlocked my handcuffs and shoved me into the room, slamming the door behind me.

"Meals will be delivered to your room through this slot," the guard said through the wall, pushing open a flap at the bottom of the door. "Prisoners get two bathroom breaks a day, plus bathing time, and are allowed in the yard for an hour break each day. Full prison cleaning by the inmates happens twice a week. If you cause any trouble, you'll be thrown in the cooler."

With that, he turned and walked away, metal books clanking on metal floors, leaving me with multiple questions, the first of which was, What on earth is a cooler? But nobody was going to answer my questions, so I dragged myself over to the bed and sat down, rubbing the raw, red circles that had formed around my wrists.

I had nothing to remind me of my previous life as an Earth Kingdom citizen. I had no hair chopsticks, those were lost somewhere in the catacombs of old Ba Sing Se. I had no butterfly swords, those were left back in the apartment in the Upper Ring. I had no green clothing, dressed in the same drab shades of red as any other prisoner.

With my ill fitting clothing and hair hanging loosely around my face, I doubted anyone would recognize me.

But I wouldn't let them change who I was inside. I may not have looked any different from the next Fire Nation prisoner, but I knew who I was deep down. I was the princess of a bold and beautiful city, I had my grandfather, I had friends out there.

I could never let myself forget who I truly was, even though I would be stuck in here for the rest of my life.

There was nothing to do in the room at all, so I lay on my bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to remember good memories, things to keep me going in this horrible place. I tried to avoid thinking about him, but it was difficult. Each memory that flashed into my head brought a new spike of pain. Instead, I tried to focus on my time with Katara, Sokka, and Aang, but thinking about the airbender proved to be too painful as well.

What had my life been before I'd met them? I honestly didn't know.

A few hours later, there was a banging noise on my door, and I sat up straight, backing myself up against the wall and staring at the door distrustfully. The metal slid open, screeching on the hinges, and I found myself staring into the smirking face of the warden.

My eyes widened slightly with surprise and apprehension. The Warden stepped into the room, looking down at me with disdain.

"I know exactly who you are, Princess Kioni," he said in an oily voice. "And I've heard all about your adventures. It seems Princess Azula has taken a special interest in you, so you can rest assured that I will be keeping a keen eye on you."

I narrowed my eyes slightly at the mention of Azula. "What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice hard. The Warden's eyes widened with mock surprise.

"Oh, I don't want anything from you," he said unctuously. "I just want to make sure we are both on the same page. I think we got off to a bit of a rough start earlier." His gaze lingered on my cheek, where the red mark of his hand still showed.

"Your stay at the Boiling Rock doesn't have to be unpleasant," he continued. "But that choice rests in your hands. And I would advise you to make wise choices while here, because well, you see... you are never leaving. No one is coming to rescue you. You will be here until the day you wither away and die. You may be strong and full of spirit now, but you'll see, that will change. That's something we pride ourselves on here."

With a final nasty smirk, the warden turned around and left, the door slamming shut behind him with a cold certainty.

Lying against the banyan tree in the courtyard, Zuko watched as the sun set slowly over the Fire Nation imperial palace. The turtleducks were still swimming lazily in the pond; after Azula had left, they'd cautiously swum back to the bread crumbs and gobbled them with gusto, clearly not minding that the bread had gotten soggy.

Zuko watched the turtleducks swim, not caring that his robes were probably getting all muddy or that he had promised Mai he would come visit her later that day. He was sulking under the tree, and nobody was going to disturb him.

"Prince Zuko, there you are!" Zuko turned his head to see one of his royal servants at the edge of the gardens, looking equal parts frazzled and relieved. "We have been looking everywhere for you sir!"

Confused, Zuko sat up straight. "What's the matter?"

The servant bowed low to him. "The Fire Lord requests your immediate presence, sir." Zuko's eyes widened hugely and he stood immediately, rushing over to the servant.

"Where is he? What does he want? He said he wanted to see me?"

"Yes sir, he is in the throne room," the servant answered quickly. Zuko started to walk over at a brisk pace, but then paused as he realized the back of his robes were covered in dirt.

"Get me some new robes, quick!" he snapped at the servant, who jumped slightly and then hurried away.

After he had changed, and put on his armor for good luck, Zuko made his way to the throne room. The dimly lit hallway seemed even more imposing than usual, and as he reached the red curtains with the Fire Nation insignia on them, Zuko paused, staring up at them with apprehension and fear.

This was it. This was the moment he would find out if he had regained his honor. Every moment in the past three years of his life, since the day his father had scarred him, had all been for this moment.

Zuko took a deep breath, closing his eyes, and then pushed the curtain aside and walked into the room.

He could only see his father's silhouette, barely illuminated by the wall of flames that rose between Zuko and the throne. Quickly, he walked forward and prostrated himself at the foot of the throne.

"You have been away for a long time," Ozai spoke, and Zuko's heart jolted in his chest. He hadn't heard his father speak for three years, and yet, he sounded exactly like Zuko remembered. "I can see the weight of your travels has changed you."

Zuko heard the rustle of robes as Ozai stood. "You have redeemed yourself, my son." Ozai walked through the flames and down the steps to stand in front of his son, who raised his head, golden eyes shimmering with disbelief. "Welcome home."

Zuko lowered his head again and didn't dare move. His father not only sounded the same, but looked the same. Zuko's mind was reeling. How could everything be so familiar when it also felt like everything had changed?

Ozai walked down the length of the room in front of Zuko. "I am proud of you, Prince Zuko. I am proud because you and your sister conquered Ba Sing Se. I am proud because when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing and captured the traitor."

Zuko's heart wrenched as he thought of Iroh, who had always supported him, trapped in the case of crystals and being led up the ship in chains. He hadn't seen his uncle since. And now, his head was spinning with confusion. Here were the words he had always longed to hear, coming straight from his father's mouth. Ozai accepted him. Ozai was proud of him.

He should have felt an enormous weight lifted off his shoulders, yet all Zuko felt was a strange sense of hollowness. And foreboding, because Ozai had yet to say anything about the task he had set Zuko three years ago, a task Zuko had not completed.

"And I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment," Ozai continued, starting to circle his son. "You slayed the Avatar."

What? Zuko's eyes widened the tiniest fraction, but he quickly composed himself, turning his head to the side slightly. "What did you hear?"

"Azula told me everything," Ozai said, and Zuko felt even more confused, if that was even possible. "She said she was amazed and impressed by your power and ferocity at the moment of truth."

The moment of truth. Regarding Azula. Zuko took a moment to appreciate the irony of that statement, before he nodded quickly, acknowledging Ozai's statement. Behind him, Ozai smiled.

"That is all, Prince Zuko," Ozai said, and the dismissal in his tone was clear. "I will see you and your sister for dinner shortly."

With that, Ozai turned and walked back through the flames, disappearing into a faceless silhouette once more.

Storming through the halls late at night, Zuko pushed open his sister's bedroom door. The room was already darkened, but Zuko knew better. For Azula to be asleep at this hour was ridiculous - they had just barely finished dinner.

What a strange experience that had been. Ozai had asked questions about Zuko's travels, very pointed ones, and Zuko made sure he was careful not to reveal anything about his uncle, or Agni forbid, Kioni. For some reason, Azula hadn't told Ozai anything about the girl, a fact that made Zuko incredibly suspicious. Coupled with the knowledge that she had given him credit for killing the Avatar, Zuko's warning senses were on full alert.

"Why'd you do it?" he demanded. In her bed, Azula's mouth curved into a smile, her eyes remaining closed.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific," she said softly after a moment.

"Why did you tell Father that I was the one who killed the Avatar?" Zuko elaborated, his eyes narrowed.

"Can't this wait until morning?"

"It. Can't." Zuko stated, glaring at her form under the blankets.

Azula let out a mock-weary sigh. "Fine." She opened her eyes and sat up, pushing the covers off of her. "You seemed so worried about how Father would treat you because you hadn't captured the Avatar. I figured if I gave you the credit, you'd have nothing to worry about."

"But why?"

"Call it a generous gesture," Azula smirked, getting out of bed. "I wanted to thank you for all your help, and I was happy to share the glory."

"You're lying," Zuko said immediately, his suspicions not wavering.

"If you say so." Azula yawned, walking past him and stretching her arms into the air, like a lioness just awoken from a nap.

"You have another motive for doing this. I just haven't figured out what it is."

"Please, Zuko." Azula turned towards him, her mouth curved in a sly smirk. "What ulterior motive could I have?" She tapped her chin theatrically. "What could I possibly gain from letting you have all the glory of defeating the Avatar?"

Azula moved towards the bed, closer to him, and put one hand on his shoulder. Zuko felt the familiar shudder of fear wriggle its way down his spine as Azula whispered in his ear, his entire body tensing with apprehension. "Unless, somehow the Avatar was actually alive. All that glory would suddenly turn to shame and foolishness."

His eyes widened as Azula walked back to her bed and sat down on it. "But you said yourself, that was impossible," she finished.

Zuko turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, the pit of dread already starting to form at the pit of his stomach. In her room, Azula lay back down and closed her eyes, the smirk still playing on her lips.

"Sleep well, Zuzu," she called after her brother, her voice quietly triumphant.

Kioni's little jab at the Warden was inspired by Harry Potter. ;) Kudos if you recognized that!

Thanks for those of you who gave me song suggestions. So far, in addition to Clarity, I've gotten Hate That I Love You by Rihanna and Neyo and Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol as their "rooftop song", which is perfect. If anyone else has any suggestions, let me know! I'll be making a playlist on my profile.

Also, 24 reviews for the last chapter! WOW! I am amazed, you guys, thank you all so much! Keep reviewing please because it really makes me so so happy. And a happy author is a busy author! ;)

Next up: The Headband.