This chapter was a mess grammatically… hopefully I was able to repair it some.
Chapter 64: Courage or insanity
Crystal POV
"Try again," Katara said. "Remember not to break concentration."
I stepped back getting into my stance. Lifting my hands, I worked on forming a ball of ice in front of me. As I slowed the molecules, I focused on each one shaping into a frozen element. The ball started to form, and then I molded it into the figure of a lemur head as I continued to hold it in the air. Katara nodded in approval when she saw I was finally successful. Dropping the lemur head ice figurine back to the grass, I watched as it rolled a bit. Hawky hopped over and gave it a peck.
"You did it, Crystal! See! I told you it is all about confidence. You believing in yourself is all it takes to become a master."
I smiled over at her. "Having a good teacher is also a benefit." I then looked over at the ice. "But so is finally getting some sleep."
"I'm just glad you're back at it again," Katara spoke softly. "I was worried you wouldn't ask me to continue your training after everything you've been through."
Katara was right to be concerned about that: After Hama and learning I could bloodbend, I was hesitant to really resume any training on my waterbending. But after waking from my much needed sleep by the stream, and talking to my sister some more, I felt reassured. When she told me that she too could bloodbend without the full moon, I felt a bit more comfortable with continuing to practice my element. If Katara wasn't worried about her bloodbending ability, I decided I shouldn't be either.
Katara also persuaded me to continue my training by agreeing to teach me more about healing. She told me that she had learned a little bit from one of the healers up at the North Pole and was happy to go over some things with me.
After collecting myself from my nap, I let her know I was ready to train again. She was thrilled to hear and started right away. Katara not only taught me the basics of healing, but she also taught me some new waterbending moves. It was nice to have the distraction. I was also relieved that the pain and weakness of my body from my recent trauma had greatly faded in the last few days. For the first time in days, I felt more like myself.
As I went to try the move Katara taught me again, I was stopped by a sudden rush of air.
"Hey! There you two are!" Aang exclaimed. "We were starting to worry!"
He dropped between us, shutting his glider. Momo landed beside him, and then stepped over to the lemur head ice figurine pawing at it. It moved from his touch, and Momo hissed. Hawky squawked as well and the two flew off together.
"Well… not Momo I guess," Aang muttered. He walked over to the ice and picked it up in his hands. He held it in front of his face so it looked like he was wearing an icy lemur mask. "You both should head back. It's getting close to dinner."
I was shocked. "It's really that late already?! How long was I asleep?"
Katara placed a hand on my shoulder. "Not long enough. I want you to sleep tonight too. If you start to have nightmares just remember what I told you: You are safe."
I met her watery blue eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Katara… I'm so lucky to have a little sister like you. Sometimes I forget I'm the older one. You are so mature for your age. And overprotective."
She hugged me. "Don't feel that way. You are always protecting me. Never think for a second I don't see you as my older sister."
Aang sniffled. "Aw! I love you guys and your sisterhood!" He dropped the lemur head and suddenly grabbed us both in a hug. We laughed, welcoming him into our embrace.
"We love you too Aang," I promised. "I definitely think of you as a little brother."
Eventually we got back to the temple and I helped Katara prepare some dinner. Toph and Ty Lee were glad to find I was feeling better. Toph punched me lightly on the arm, telling me to perk up before I drove her crazy with concern. I promised them all I was finally starting to heal from the nightmares I had faced.
They were all relieved to hear.
"Kind of wondering what kind of meat those two are going to bring back to us," Haru suddenly muttered as we ate our vegetable soup for the night. He was still feeling bitter that the two young men had left him with us. "They could've just caught us some fish or something."
Katara and I shared a glance. I spoke to keep up the charade, "I'm sure it's some high quality stuff. Boar meat or something."
Toph sat across from us and had noticed not only the exchange between Katara and I, but also my lie. She nudged Aang with her elbow and whispered something to him. He looked over at Katara and I with suspicion. I cringed. Toph was way too perceptive and could tell I was hiding something. She had spread the suspicion to Aang as well, and now they were both giving me more attention than I desired. Aang's mature wise gaze met my own as if he were trying to stare deep into my guarded mind.
"Did you talk to them before they left?"
Aang's question surprised me. I dropped my eyes, and twirled a strand of my hair to avoid his pondering gaze. "Yeah… They told me they would hopefully be back in a few days."
That wasn't a complete lie, but I could tell Toph was still eying me with suspicion. She asked, "Are they really on a hunt?"
I kept my gaze from her. I gave a nod.
She opened her mouth to call me a liar.
I quickly tried to change the subject, cutting her off. "So, I was in the library again early this morning. I ran across a scroll that surprised me." I met Aang's gaze again to show him I really was curious. "It said that most male airbenders are taken from their birth moms and raised by monks as soon as they show signs of airbending, while female airbenders usually stay with their mothers… Did you know your parents, Aang?"
The group was surprised by my question. No one had ever asked Aang this before. Aang was shocked as well by the sudden interest. He smiled though to let me know he was happy to explain.I was relieved the interrogation had come to an end.
"Wow! Great question, Crystal!" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "The answer is maybe. I know it's strange to your culture, but to my people family is not a central unit but a whole nation. Similar to the kinship of the water tribe, but much deeper. A man and woman were chosen based upon their age rather than companionship. Once a man and woman were chosen they would go through a ton of ceremonies together, and then nine months later pop out a kid. Once the kid is born, if it is a female the mother would usually take the child to where the other females at the Western Air Temple lived. If the child was male, like in my case, the father would take the baby to the Southern Air Temple to be raised by other monks. From what I understand, my birth father left the temple the day he brought me and was never seen again. I'm not sure about the woman who birthed me. She may have lived here the rest of her days or she may have not. Us air nation folks never cared who our birth parents were because we had all of the care and friendship we needed… Monk Gyatso became my father figure, and I never really desired to seek more."
His reveal surprised me. The others had gone quiet listening with bewilderment. "So what about you?" I rubbed my arm not sure if I was stepping over some boundaries. "Would you ever think about doing it a different way? Actually marrying someone and settling down?"
Katara coughed beside me as she swallowed her soup wrong, and Aang blushed deeply. Toph and Ty Lee noticed the exchange between the two and were amused. Ty Lee even gave a small giggle.
"Crys!" Katara snapped. "This isn't a topic for dinner."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on. You guys are always bringing up Zuko and I's relationship at the fire. Don't make that excuse."
Aang sighed, placing his bowl down. Katara had put her own bowl down as well, but more so to pout at me.
"Actually, I've thought a lot about that," Aang began. "As the Avatar, I've questioned if actually forming a family in the future is a good idea. I've pondered over the dangers I could put my family into." He smiled weakly. "I'm still a few years from even being old enough to marry. I mean, I'm only thirteen despite a hundred years being frozen."
He looked over at Katara, who was blushing with more intensity than I had ever seen her do. I couldn't help but smile at her moment of fluster.
"But when I do get old enough," he continued, keeping his eyes on my sister with a look of adoration. "I plan to break the tradition of my people and marry the woman I love despite the dangers. I mean, I haven't killed her yet after traveling with her these last few months. And she was the one who rescued me from my iceberg prison."
Ty Lee shrilled. "Oh my goodness! We just got a confession!" She started to sing a song, "Katara and Aang, sitting on a bison-"
Katara grabbed some water from a nearby pot and splashed the flexible teenager to cut her off. The group laughed.
Katara was not amused and crossed her arms with a huff. Then she snapped, "Fine! Aang and I like each other! We've even kissed! There, we admit it!" She was the shade of fire now. Aang was also turning red.
I spoke up again to try and calm them both down. Their embarrassment was amusing though. "I think that's really brave of you, Aang. To break centuries of tradition for the woman you love. In a way, it does resemble Zuko and I's own relationship. I know it can't be easy for you to make that decision after going through that choice myself. But the Southern Water Tribe will be thrilled to adopt you as family once you and Katara do get married."
"Hey," Toph began. "If you and Zuko are getting married though, and Aang's technically Zuko's great-grandfather reincarnated, then wouldn't he be considered an in-law at that-"
I shot my own water at Toph then, and she threw a stone pillar up to block my attack sensing it. "Really Toph… Don't get so technical about it."
Aang answered. "Avatar Roku was the past life before me technically, but we are two different people at the end of the day. When I go into the Avatar state, I am able to communicate with Roku and all of the past lives before me but I do not become them. I'm only Aang. We are all just part of the same cycle. Plus, if that were true about me being Roku, then I would be considered a girl for being Avatar Kyoshi too…"
Toph dropped her barrier from my recent attack and crossed her arms. "Well, you've always been girly to me."
Ty Lee was puzzled. "Really…? You can speak to the Avatar's before you?! I never knew that! That is so cool!"
We finally moved on from Aang and Katara's relationship, to which Katara was relieved. Aang explained to everyone about everything he could do being the Avatar, grabbing the group's attention. While he went over his abilities, I looked back over at Katara who was still blushing.
"Sorry if I embarrassed you too much," I whispered. "I was just trying to start a conversation and distract them from the Sokka and Zuko."
She gave a small smile and shrugged. "It's okay. I've embarrassed you tons when it comes to Zuko. It was only a matter of time."
I looked over at Aang who was beaming with delight as the others asked him more questions about his abilities. Toph left the crowd and sat beside Katara and I, not needing to hear what she already knew.
Toph said as she sat next to us, "I'm just messing with you about the Roku thing,Katara. You and twinkletoes make a great couple. I'm sure having a bunch of little Sugar-toes in the future will be very amusing."
Katara blushed again. "I'll never forget when I had Aunt Woo tell my future so long ago. While the woman turned out to possibly be a fraud, she said some things that sounded true. She told me I would marry a powerful bender one day, have three kids- two boys and a girl. She also told me that I would have four grandkids too before I die." She looked back over at Aang, who was holding up Momo to emphasize something. She smiled with love. "If I get to do all of that with Aang, I know I'll be happy through it all."
Toph grimaced. "Three kids is a lot. I don't know if I ever want to have kids."
I giggled. "You never know Toph. I could see some tiny metalbenders running around in the future."
Toph grimaced. "I don't know… What if I have kids and they turn out to be blind? I would hate to pass that trait to them."
I shook my head. "We've had a few blind men and women in our tribe who have had kids, Toph. Usually the gene doesn't pass on. Of course, I'm not an expert so I can't say for sure."
Toph gave a small smile. "That is a bit reassuring." She then rubbed the back of her neck. "But who would ever want to date me? I'm sure I'm not pretty or feminine like you guys."
Crossing my arms, I said, "Don't sell yourself short, Toph. Katara told me all about you guys going to the Earth King's party that day. I heard you both were stunning."
She scoffed. "I heard that too. How do I know though…"
I grabbed her hand to reassure her. "Toph… you don't need super long hair and a dress for people to see you as a girl. One day you'll find someone who loves you for who you are. I've come to learn after what I went through with Zuko that it's not about how you look. It's about how you connect to someone. If I never got through to Zuko, he would've never given me the time of day just because of how I look. He shoved me in a cell for three days, and when he actually worried about me I probably looked like a corpse…" I grimaced. "What I'm trying to say is it's your personality that's important, and you have a great one. But also, you shouldn't worry about if you're pretty enough. You are. Despite your constant tough demeanor, you are definitely a girl with a big heart. And I know you can't see yourself, but you are beautiful."
Toph was surprised. "Wow… you actually aren't lying." She blushed heavily when I complimented her. "Thanks, Princess… that makes me feel better."
I nodded. "Us sisters have to help each other out, you know."
She smiled wider at this. "Yo- you really see me as a sister?"
Katara moved to the other side of the Toph and hugged her, while I continued to squeeze her hand. "Yeah. Our annoying little sister," Katara promised.
Toph's eyes started to water. "I never thought I'd ever get to know what it's like to have a supportive family… my whole life growing up my parents constantly sheltered me and trapped me, suppressing my earthbending abilities. They always told me I would be weak and need help. But being with you all, I don't feel weak and helpless anymore. You both, Sokka, Aang, and even Zuko treat me like a normal person. You encourage me and depend on me. I love you guys so much… I'm so glad to have this family."
"Your parents were fools to do that," I commented. "They missed out on someone amazing."
Toph nodded. "Promise we'll be sisters forever?"
I squeezed her hand again and Katara hugged her tighter. "Always," Katara promised.
"You know you're stuck with us," I spoke with sincerity.
Aang and the others were still chatting about Avatar stuff, while Toph, Katara, and I embraced one another welcoming our sisterhood. The distraction from worrying about my brother and Zuko was so nice.
Zuko POV
"I knew this was a bad idea," I muttered.
About an hour ago Sokka and I had gone to Suki's cell. Sokka stepped in while I was look-out, and after a small scuffle to which I guessed Suki took a whack at him, I heard her shrill with delight. I was glad Sokka found the girl he liked, but I was also super anxious about the consequences. If a guard came by and saw me standing outside the cell, they would definitely be suspicious.
Only a moment after Sokka conversed with Suki, a female guard headed my way. She raised a brow at me and crossed her arms. I knocked on the door as subtle as I could. She didn't notice my action. Instead, she ordered, "Step aside. I need to get into that cell."
I panicked. "Uh. No. You can't!" She was astonished, and then her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Ur… the lights are out. The prisoner could attack you."
She scoffed. "Move aside." She tried to push past me, and I did the only thing I could think of at that moment: As she went to shove me with her arm, I grabbed and jerked her from the cell.
"HEY!" She shouted loudly as I turned us both and slammed her down onto the floor using my body to hold her down. I heard Sokka exit the cell quickly and try to sneak away.
"Guard! Help me! I think this guard's an imposter!"
Sokka had no choice at that moment but to grab me and pull me off of her. He restrained my hands behind my back and started to shove me along. "Don't worry," he whispered, so only I could hear. "I'll think of something."
A few moments later I was stripped of my armor by some other guards and thrown into a cell. Sokka gave me a thumbs up as he disappeared to let me know he was on it. In defeat, I fell back against my cell wall. "Crystal is going to freak when she hears about this," I muttered.
I could just picture her now. Once we got out of here and explained to the group everything that happened, Crystal would be horrified to hear I had been discovered. She'd probably say we were both rash for going to Suki's cell so soon without a plan.
As I contemplated how we could possibly get out of this one, I heard a voice snap, "Open the door."
I looked up as my cell door opened. A man with a long face and greasy hair stepped in. From his uniform I could immediately tell he was in charge of the prison.
The Warden stepped into my holding cell with a grin. "Well, well, well." He walked towards me from where I leaned against the wall. I was trying not to show I was anxious. "I never thought I'd find you in here, Prince Zuko."
My eyes widened. The angst returned. "How did you know who I am?"
He furrowed his brows. "How could I not? You broke my niece's heart."
His words confused me. "Your niece?"
He glowered. "The girl you ditched for the waterbender."
My eyes widened. "You're Mai's uncle?" I let out a deep sigh when he blinked to confirm. "I never meant to hurt her. She's the one who didn't understand my feelings. I only saw her as a friend."
The Warden sneered. "Quiet! I do not care! You're my special prisoner now. And you best behave. If these criminals found out who you are, the traitor prince who let his nation down…. Why, they'd tear you to shreds."
I raised a brow. "So what's in it for you? Why don't you just tell my father and collect the reward."
The Warden hissed, "Oh in due time believe me, I intend to collect." He turned around and made his way back to the cell door. He stopped though and looked back at the guards on both sides of me. "Put him on mop duty. He looks like he could use some work." He left me then with a chuckle.
The two guards grabbed my arms and forced me up. As I was shoved out of the cell, I was forced towards the large prison hall where other prisoners were doing their own chores. As I was forced down some stairs, I looked for any sign of Suki or Sokka. I did not see them, and hoped to find them soon.
The guard shoved me once we were on the main floor, and another guard walked up, shoving a bucket and mop in my hands.
"Get to work, prince," the guard spat. He walked off then. I dropped the bucket beside me and tightened my fist. Just wait until we won the war and I became Fire Lord. He'd regret that action.
As I started to mop, I kept my head down to avoid the gazes of the men and women around me. Most of these people were here because of my father. If they learned I was the Fire Lord's treacherous son I would be dead meat.
After mopping for a few minutes, I felt an arm brush against my own.
"Zuko?" A female voice whispered beside me.
I jumped and looked over, only to see it was the girl named Suki that we had gone to see an hour ago. I was relieved to see her. "Suki, right?"
She narrowed her eyes at me as she gripped the mop tight in her hand. I quickly became wary of her sudden expression.
"I would say I'm glad to see you, but then I'd be lying. I promised Sokka I'd be civil though." Her tone was heavy with spite. "Come on… I told Sokka I'd find you and get you to the meeting spot. Mop with me over by the stairs."
I looked around to see if any of the guards showed suspicion. They didn't, and I followed her to the spot where Sokka would find us. Only a moment later, a familiar guard walked over and stopped near us. He crossed his arms in relief.
"Oh, good. You guys have met," he said.
Suki tightened the hold of her mop beside me. She narrowed her eyes. "Actually, we met a long time ago."
Her statement surprised me. I looked at her with confusion. Had we spoken before?
I asked. "We did?"
Suki glared at me. "Yeah, you kind of burned down my village."
I grimaced. Oh. That's what she meant. "Oh. Yeah... I'm sorry about that… nice to meet you again," I muttered.
Suki looked over at me hearing the sincerity in my tone. She let out a deep sigh. "The only reason I won't tear you to shreds right now for hurting my people is because Sokka said you've become important to the Avatar and his family. Don't make me regret it." She placed her mop against the stairwell and walked to the shadowed part for our meeting space. I looked over at Sokka who shook his head in disbelief.
A moment later we crouched behind the stairwell with Sokka who had removed his helmet. Sokka looked around to make sure we were alone and spoke. "So listen, I think I have an escape plan. I checked out the Coolers again... the whole point of them is to keep firebenders contained, right?"
His question puzzled me. "Yeah…"
Sokka pointed a finger up to emphasize his plan. "So they're completely insulated and sealed to keep the cold in. Well to keep the cold in it also has to keep the heat out, right?"
Suki grew impatient. "Just get to the point, Sokka."
Sokka smiled widely. "It's a perfect boat for getting through the boiling water." He waved his hand to motion the cooler floating through the waves.
I was shocked, but then engaged. "The cooler as a boat? Are you sure?"
Sokka nodded. "I'm telling you, it'll work. I walked around the perimeter. There's a blind spot between two guard towers. It's the perfect launching point. I already tested it out. We'll roll the cooler into the water and just float with the current. It'll take us straight across. As long as we don't make a sound, no one will notice. And bing, bang, boom! We're home free."
Suki was surprised. "But how are you going to get the cooler out?"
A voice none of us expected echoed from nearby. "Yeah, how are you going to get the cooler out?" A very burly man spoke above us from the stairwell. We were horrified. He jumped over and landed in front of us. I immediately recognized him as the man named Chit Sang who was taken to the cooler upon our arrival at the prison.
Sokka gasped, "What?" He waved his arms frantically. "We didn't. We... We didn't say that."
I spoke a bit calmer to try and get him to leave. "Yeah, you heard wrong."
Chit Sang crouched while crossing his arms. "I heard you hatching an escape plan and I want in."
I grit my teeth. This guy was going to screw everything up. "There's nothing to get in on."
Sokka nodded. "Yeah, the only thing we're hatching is... an egg?" He held his arms up.
I slapped my forehead in disbelief while Suki sighed.
The man stood. "Ok, well, I come with you or the Warden hears about this egg too."
Suki frowned. She looked between Sokka and I with defeat. "I guess we have no choice."
Sokka sighed. "Okay, you're in." He reached in the pocket of his armor and pulled a wrench out. "Now, first we need someone to unbolt the Cooler. From the inside." He handed the wrench to me indicating that was my job. I nodded.
The man smirked. "Oh, I can get you inside."
He didn't have to though.
"Hey! Three eyes! Don't make me put you in the cooler a second time today. Get up and do your chores!"
The guard's shout was heard on the other side of the stairwell. We peeked around and were amazed to see a familiar giant. His third eye was covered by some strange metal contraption that sat on his forehead.
Sokka spoke before I did. "I don't believe it…" He grit his teeth. "That bastard…"
Suki was stunned and looked at him with question. "You know that guy?"
Sokka nodded. "He's the reason my sister almost died by the hands of the Fire Lord."
As I stared at the man who had attacked us in the night and taken Crystal from us, I suddenly felt my anger and spite towards him unfold. "I can get into the cooler a better way." I tightened my grip on the wrench.
Sokka also looked like he wanted to join in. "Give him a good beating before I do, Zuko."
I shoved the wrench between my pants and waistline to hide it, and then looked over at the group. "Get ready to go. As soon as I'm out of the cooler we'll leave. In the meantime, I'm going to really enjoy this."
I turned and stepped out into the opening. I was going to look forward to this... I wanted revenge. I was ready to punish the man for the nightmare he forced Crystal into. He was about to pay for hurting the woman I cherished.
Walking over to the tall giant, my fists tightened ready to fight. "What a coincidence," I began. He was about to walk off, but he stopped when he heard my familiar voice. "It's Lee right? Looks like you got what you deserve finally! Prison bars suit you!"
The three-eyed bender turned to me with shock, especially since I knew his name. Then his gaze filled with recognition. He backed a step, and it was then I noticed they had stripped his metal boot and gave him a wooden peg leg instead.
"You should have never touched my fiancée!"
He narrowed his eyes. His teeth grit. The other prisoners started to inch closer wanting to get a view of the show. He stepped towards me to show he wasn't afraid. "I didn't kill her. You're lucky this wasn't one of my usual jobs."
I growled. "Not much difference. She may as well have been dead. You sent her to the worst place imaginable." I inched towards him and he held his ground. "You sent her into the realm of a heartless beast. She looked dead by the time I saved her."
The prisoners had formed a circle and were waiting in anticipation. My opponent and I started to go in step with one another, ready to fight.
The man sneered. "It's over now, then. Leave me alone."
I growled. "It's not! It's only just starting!"
I jumped up and kicked a blast of fire at the man's peg leg. He stumbled back to avoid the attack, and then went to swing at me with his fist. I spun to dodge, and shot another volley of flames at him. He threw his hands in front of him to divert the attack, but it was too powerful and sent him flying back. He landed on his back hard, and groaned with pain. Sokka kept quiet behind me, not ready to call for back up yet. He was letting me take a few more swings.
The man growled and stumbled to his feet, then went to take a swing at me with his scarred hand. I dodged his attack with a duck, and then shot more fire at his stomach, sending him flying back once again. He hit the ground a second time and slid back. The other prisoners cheered with delight, while the assassin tried to stand again.
"Not so tough without your third eye, huh? Can you even firebend like the rest of us?"
He growled again. He went to take a swing again with his giant fist while shouting, and I stepped back swiftly managing to dodge his lunge. Jumping to the side, I swung my fist again and another volley of flames smashed into him sending him flying onto the ground once again on his side. He grit his teeth from the pain. "That one was for Toph," I snapped. "You almost killed the both of us with your blast that night."
He tried to stand again. "Go on and just kill me if you want revenge so terribly," he snapped.
I stepped closer to him. "I'm not like you. I'm not a killer."
Sokka saw I had gotten a few good shots, and finally shouted, "I need backup over here."
I lit another flame in my hand, and threw it at the man. He rolled out of the way and tried to get up again. He tried to take another lunge at me, and I easily dodged again. Then I jumped in the air shooting one last blast with my foot. My attack sent the assassin flying back farther than before. This time he landed hard, cracking the floor, and let out a groan.
Another guard finally arrived and shouted, "No Firebending! Into the cooler!" Two other guards tackled me and I was shoved hard to the steel floor as they restrained my arms. As they jerked me up though, I looked back at Sokka with satisfaction. He met my gaze with a nod and then stared at the assassin who was being pulled off the ground by two other guards.
We had gotten our revenge.
Once I was shoved into the cooler, and I made sure the coast was clear, I started to work on unbolting the screws holding the cooler to the main hall. It was hard to keep my hands moving with how cold it was, but I managed to use what strength I had to unbolt the screws I needed to. Once they were undone, I sat as still as I could to not make the whole cooler fall with me inside and hid the nuts and bolts in the fold of my shirt. I was satisfied with my fight though, and this kept me content in my cold cell.
A few hours passed. I could tell it was becoming morning because my strength had waned with the setting sun and started to return again as it rose. Sokka arrived an hour before dawn. We were hoping to escape before the sun rose and light gave away our position. He opened the cell in his disguise, and stepped in the doorway. "I can take you back to your cell if you've learned your lesson."
I smirked, lifting my head and letting out a breath of fire as warmth returned to me. "Yes. I have. Completely." I showed the bolts, and nuts that I was hiding in the fold of my shirt. They fell off and landed in front of me.
Sokka smiled, and then lifted his visor. "I got Suki and Chit Sang out of their cells a few minutes ago. They'll be waiting for us at the shore."
I suddenly heard footsteps and gasped. "Someone's coming." I jerked Sokka in and closed the door quickly. We listened as the guards walked by.
A male guard spoke. "Yeah, new arrivals are coming in at dawn."
A female guard asked, " Anybody interesting?"
The male guard answered. "Nah, just the usual. Some robbers, couple of traitors, some war prisoners..." Sokka and I looked at one another in shock. "...Though I did hear there might be a pirate."
The voices faded as the guards stepped further away, but I faintly heard the female guard chime, "No foolin'."
I looked at Sokka with uncertainty. "War prisoners... It could be your father."
Sokka hung his head. "I know." He shut his eyes unsure what to do.
I sighed heavily. "Well, what should we do? Are we going ahead with the plan or are we waiting another night? You know I'll do whatever you need me to."
Sokka shook his head. "I don't know." He met my gaze. "Is it right for me to risk Suki's freedom... All of our freedom, on the slim chance that my dad is gonna show up?"
I placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's your call Sokka. If it were me, I would stay. But I can't make that choice for you. You know I'll stick with you though, whatever you decide."
About an hour later, Sokka and I had clambered up the slope of the rocky prison wall and were rolling the cooler down the steep decline towards where a group of people were waiting by the boiling lake. We'd definitely needed the both of us since the cooler was so heavy. Once we approached, I was a little annoyed to see Chit Sang had brought more people with him to escape.
Chit Sang rushed up to help us bring the cooler down. "Took you guys long enough. This here's my girl and my best buddy. They're coming too." The man and woman standing beside Suki waved. Suki did not seem thrilled about aiding in the escape of more criminals as she glared at the two strangers.
Sokka must've decided not to argue. "Fine, everybody in the cooler. Let's go." We turned the cooler, positioning it towards the water. Sokka turned and headed over to a familiar stone where we had hid our stuff. I could see he was still conflicted as he stared at his sword.
"Are you sure you want to go, Sokka? You're the one who said you wanted to redeem yourself. Redeem your honor. Rescuing your Dad is your chance. And we told Crystal we were bringing him back…"
Suki walked over hearing what I had said. "Your Dad?"
Sokka looked at us with despair. "If I had just cut my losses at the invasion, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe sometimes it's just better to call it quits before you fail."
I frowned. "No, it's not. Look Sokka, you're going to fail a lot before things work out."
Sokka scowled and slung his bag over his shoulder. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"
I sighed. "I'm not done… Even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again..."
Sokka muttered in between, "Seriously, not helping."
I grabbed his shoulder. "You have to try every time. You can't quit because you're afraid you might fail."
Chit Sang snapped from behind us as he gripped the cooler with his friends already inside, "Hey, if you two are done cuddling, can we get a move on?"
Sokka looked at me, and then over at Suki. He finally let out a heavy breath and shook his head. "No, I'm staying." He dropped his bag. "You guys go." Sokka placed a hand on Suki's shoulder. "You've been here long enough." He glanced at me. "And it's too dangerous for you right now with the Warden knowing who you are."
Suki grabbed Sokka's hand. "I'm not leaving without you, Sokka."
I crossed my arms. "I'm staying too. I made a promise to Crystal that I would protect you. I'm not breaking any more promises to her."
Chit Sang scoffed. "Not me, I'm out. Let's roll baby." He pushed the cooler into the water and hopped in with his friends. As they drifted away, Sokka let out a deep breath. "We gave up our only chance of escaping. I hope we haven't just made a huge mistake."
I punched him lightly on the arm. "We've got this, Sokka. I don't think a prison can keep us down. After everything we've been through, this place is the least of our worries."
Suki was surprised by my encouragement. She looked at me with curiosity, but she didn't say anything else as we started to head to the sloped path that would lead us up to where the arrival platform was. As we made our way around the prison, and up the slope, Sokka took the lead with a new found determination.
Not even ten minutes passed as we made our way to the area where we had a full view of the gondola deck when a scream sounded from the middle of the boiling lake. We looked over in horror at the sound of Chit Sang's scream. He must've burned himself with the hot water. The alarm sounded a moment later and we knew that Chit Sang and his friends were about to be apprehended.
"The plan failed! They're caught," Sokka stated with horror.
"Guess it's good we stayed behind then," I muttered as we pressed closer to the wall to hide from the guards above. We moved slower up the path to try to keep our positions hidden. A crossbow shot through the air hitting the end of the cooler, and the chain attached started pulling them back towards the prison.
We tried not to worry about the other prisoners, and set our attention to the task at hand. Getting further up the path, we got a better view of the two separate lines that stretched across the water. A metal box moved along one of the lines towards the prison arrival platform with a screeching sound that echoed through the air.
Sokka stated with angst, "The gondola's moving."
We were finally close and concealed enough to see who got off the gondola onto the arrival platform. The gondola parked at the tower and the doors slid open. Men and women started to step off one by one.
"This is it." Sokka whispered. "If my Dad's not there, we risked everything for nothing."
Suki tried to reassure him. "We had to.
I nodded. "This was the right thing to do. We'll figure out another escape. Don't blame yourself if he's not here, Sokka."
He looked at me with gratitude. Then he looked back at the prisoners as they continued to exit the metal contraption.
"Come on, come on," Sokka whispered.
Sokka tightened his fists anxiously. I felt my heart pound as well. Our mission had to be a success. I didn't want to face Crystal empty handed.
Sokka leaned forward. "Where is he?"
A shirtless man with a topknot walked out of the gondola. No one followed behind him. Disappointment washed over each of us.
Sokka grew dismayed. "That's it? That can't be it."
Suki placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "I'm sorry Sokka."
I frowned. "This doesn't make sense. The only reason Chief Hakoda wouldn't be here is if they were keeping him at the Fire Nation Capital prison, but I don't see the Fire Lord wanting to imprison him there… I'm sorry, Sokka. I guess I was wrong about all of this."
Sokka lowered his head. "No. I'm the one who's sorry… I've ruined our chance to escape."
Suki shook her head. "No… it's not your fault Sokka. Don't blame yourself."
However, as our hearts began to shatter, a Guard suddenly shouted, "Hey, you, get off the gondola!"
We were stunned and looked up when the guard spoke this. To our amazement, a familiar man stepped out onto the platform. He was in prisoner clothes that did not suit his Water Tribe Chief image. He still held himself as a leader with pride though.
Sokka spoke with relief. "Dad."
I sighed and was relieved as well. "Thank goodness… I was so not ready to face Crystal without your father."
Suki smirked. "Can't believe I'd ever hear Prince Zuko sound so scared of someone. Guess Crystal is a good influence on you."
I rolled my eyes. "Come on. You and I need to get back before they know we're missing." I looked over at Sokka who was thrilled by what he was seeing. I smiled glad to see his hope was restored. "Go meet your father, Sokka. We'll reconvene and then figure out another means of escape… before Crystal sends in the reinforcements."
Sokka nodded. He looked back at me with determination. "I'll go talk to my dad and think of an escape today. I'll find you all in your cells once I formulate a plan."
Suki and I started to make our way back into the prison then to return to our cells, leaving Sokka to see his father. As we went, I let out a deep breath of relief. Hopefully, by the end of today we would find a way to escape. At least for now we could be at ease knowing our trip wasn't a total waste. We found Sokka's girlfriend and his dad. While Chit Sang and his crew were caught, and it would cause alarm amongst the guards about how they came up with their escape plan, we would hopefully be gone before Sokka was caught. As long as we were back to the temple by the day after tomorrow that was all that mattered. Last thing I needed was Crystal and the others coming here to rescue us.
"Hey, Zuko…" Suki suddenly spoke as we made our way up the rocky path to get back into the prison. I looked over at her to give her my attention. "As much as I despise you for what you did to my village, I can see after watching you these last few hours that there is good in you. You seem to care about Sokka a lot. And you definitely care about Crystal. They're lucky to have you."
I gave a small smile. "Thanks… and really, Suki… I am sorry for what I did to your village and people a few months ago. I was a very different man then."
Suki nodded and smiled at me. "I see that now. But next time you come to my village I would avoid the other warriors of the tribe. They will want to feed you to the unagi."
I stopped in my step as she continued walking. I watched her with horror. She was serious and this made me grimace. Kyoshi Island would definitely not be a place I visited soon.
Later that morning, a knock on my cell sounded. I was surprised when I heard Sokka whisper, "Zuko, are you there?"
I stepped to the small window on my cell door, surprised by his quick return. "I'm here."
Sokka whispered so I could hear, "I just got done talking to my Dad. We came up with an escape plan together."
As I went to respond, a male guard snapped, "What are you doing here?"
Sokka had lowered his visor and looked at the two guards who were approaching. "I was just telling this dirty lowlife what I think of him!"
The same guard snapped, 'Well, you'll have to do that later, he's coming with us."
This had both Sokka and I concerned. Sokka asked with honest curiosity, "Why?"
A female guard snapped, "Because we have orders straight from the Warden. That's why."
Sokka thought really quickly of a plan. "Could I just get ten more seconds to rough him up a bit?"
I knew Sokka's intention. I rushed over and grabbed my mattress as the female guard snapped, "Fine, ten seconds."
Sokka stepped in my cell and shut the door. He started punching the mattress I had in front of me, and I faked pained noises. "Take that," Sokka snapped to keep up the ruse. He punched the padding again. "And this."
Sokka continued to punch, but then said, "We have a new plan but it's gonna need a big distraction. Be in the yard in one hour."
We heard the door open then, and I dropped my mattress and was grabbed into a chokehold by Sokka who shouted like a wild hog-monkey.
The male guard walked over and yanked Sokka off. "Alright, that's enough."
He grabbed me then and jerked me out of the cell. I was forced down the hall, up some stairs, and into a room that looked to be used for interrogations. The male and female guard shoved me down into a chair hard, forcing me to sit. I watched as they left the room.
"What's going on?! I didn't do anything!"
"Come on Zuko, we both know that's not true," a voice muttered.
My eyes widened from the familiar female tone. I sat straight and moved my eyes to locate her. Mai inched out from behind the door slowly. She crossed her arms and glared at me once she was in the open. It took me a second to find my voice. "Mai… how did you know I was here?"
"My Uncle is the warden, idiot." She stepped over to where I sat on the chair. "I have some things I want to say to you. It's easier to do that when Azula isn't breathing down my neck." Her eyes burned with tears. "I remember when we were kids, and we would hang out in the palace garden together with the others. I remember watching you grow up from a little boy to a teenager… I know you, Zuko… you aren't peasant material. You've always wanted to please your father and be a great leader."
She stepped closer to me with hurt etched across her face.
"So why have you thrown all of that away for that waterbender? What is she to you?!" Mai ripped one of her knives out and held it to my throat. I involuntarily flinched from the steel brushing my skin. "And Ty Lee betrayed me for her too! Why?! What is so great about this Water Tribe freak?!"
I stared into Mai's eyes trying not to show I was afraid of her. I could escape her knife easily if I wanted to. But it was time for her to realize her feelings towards me were useless. If Crystal was able to get rid of Areto by knocking sense into him, I could do the same with Mai.
"Mai… I never meant to hurt you," I started, trying to keep a soft tone to keep her calm. "Once there was a time when we were kids that I liked you. But those feelings were never more than a friend… I never loved you… I didn't even know what being in love felt like until I met Crystal."
She looked at me with more fire in her eyes. The grip on her knife tightened, but I knew she wouldn't kill me. "And how is it you feel that way with the waterbender? What does she have that I don't? Stop being stupid! If you marry her, you will lose the favor you have with your people, Zuko! Marrying into the Water Tribe would be the ultimate betrayal to our nation!" She pulled her knife back and stepped away. "Is she really worth losing everything you've worked so hard to achieve?"
I let out a breath of relief, glad my neck was in one piece. Then I stood from my chair. Staring into her tawny eyes, I argued, "What have I achieved, Mai?" I crossed my arms to keep calm. "I could never earn favor in my father's eyes… I wasn't able to protect my mother when she was banished... My own grandfather saw me as a worthless child and wanted to kill me. My father burned me and kicked me out of my home to chase after a myth… Nothing in my past was an achievement. I was failing left and right trying to please my father." I shut my eyes. "Be honest Mai… Why do you want to be with me so terribly?"
Mai was thrown off by my question. "Why…? Because that's what's supposed to happen, Zuko! My father is an important man to the Fire Lord, and our union would do our people good. Or it would've done our people good if you didn't go crazy! We were destined from the beginning to be together. You know my parents sent me to the palace often not just to be with Azula and Ty Lee, but to also meet with you so our relationship could grow. You and I make sense! So knock off your mid-life crisis and come home! I already lost my best friend Ty Lee. I can't lose the guy I'm destined to marry too."
I breathed deeply. Opening my eyes, I said softly, "Do you even know anything about me, Mai? Apart from being a Prince, do you really know the real me?"
Her eyes widened. Then she dropped her gaze. "Of course I do. You're handsome, determined, and strong. You have the makings of a great leader."
"That's what you see on the outside. But do you really know me?"
She looked at me puzzled.
I let out a deep breath. "I'll answer your question to why I fell in love with Crystal." I dropped my arms to my side. "Because she didn't care about my background. She didn't care if I was a Prince. She was willing to learn about me, break down my walls, and accept my flaws. Even after all the hurt I put her through, she never gave up on me. She could've left me at the North Pole when I was almost captured, but she betrayed her own nation and family to be with me. She loves me Mai. And I love her too. You can't change my heart.."
"What about how I love you? Does that not matter?" Mai grit her teeth. "Why is her love better than mine?"
I frowned, my gaze burning into hers with resolve. "Because I know even if I was to lose everything, she would stick by my side. Would you do that? Would you give up your life to hide in the wilderness with me if things fail? Because if the Fire Nation wins, I'm not going back to my father. I never will let that man try to control me again." She was stunned. "I've changed, Mai. I don't care about being the Prince of the Fire Nation anymore. I am now just Zuko, the Avatar's firebending teacher and friend. I'm free now to be myself." I could see my words hit her heavily. "And Ty Lee saw that. She saw the change in me and that's why she chose to help me. And from the time she has been with us, Ty Lee has smiled and laughed more than she ever did when we were young. If you keep on the path my sister has for you, you will only lose yourself and your happiness."
Mai suddenly filled with guilt and turned away from me to hide her pain. She was quiet for a moment. Then she let out a heavy breath. "How is she…" She paused, and then looked back at me with question. "How is Ty Lee doing?"
Her question surprised me. I then realized Mai must feel lonely without her. I gave a small smile. "She's okay. She actually has adjusted really well to being with the group. She talks about you with me sometimes though… I can see she misses you a lot."
Mai shut her eyes, and I could see her regret. "I said so many horrible things to her that day. I was just so angry with you for hurting me… I took my anger out on her. I wish I could take it back…"
"You can… help me get out of here so I can return to the Avatar."
Mai shook her head. "What you speak is treason," she muttered. "If I did that, I would be a traitor to the Fire Nation."
I shook my head. "What I speak is the right path... This war is wrong, Mai. The Fire Lord doesn't care about anyone but himself. He just wants power. If we don't work together to stop him he will destroy everyone… I've seen it, Mai… he's already destroyed his own family to keep his power… He'll destroy you and your family in the end too."
Mai was stunned. She went to argue, but she stopped. Instead, she dropped her gaze and whispered. "Even so, I can't turn against my people. If I went against Azula, there's no telling what would happen to me and my family."
I sighed. "I can't change your views. All I ask is that you think about it… and think about Ty Lee… out of your friends, who is the one who would actually be there for you if you truly lost it all? I can promise you it would not be Azula..."
Mai and I stood in the room in silence for a good ten minutes. Mai was conflicted, while I was trying to figure out my next move. I knew I had to escape Mai and the guards to get to the prison yard so we could go forward with Sokka's plan.
Sirens suddenly started to blare, and Mai and I both jumped at the sudden interruption. A guard rushed in only a moment later and shouted, "Ma'am, there's a riot going on. I'm here to protect you."
Mai scowled, "I don't need any protection."
I chuckled knowing this was true. "Believe me. She doesn't."
The guard walked further into the room. "I'm sorry, but I'm under direct orders from your Uncle to make sure nothing happens."
I knew it was now or never. The riot was our ruse and the others were probably waiting for me. I shot fire at the guard's feet, and he jumped over to protect Mai by grabbing her. As this happened, I turned and rushed out the cell door, and then slammed it shut to lock Mai and the guard inside. Mai shouted at the guard to get off of her, and rushed to the doors window to look at me through the bars. She was hurt by my action, and I looked at her apologetically through the bars.
"I'm sorry, Mai. I have to go," I said. "But I promise I'll tell Ty Lee you're sorry for what you said." I turned and rushed away from the cell door. Mai called after me with frustration, but I didn't stop. I knew I had to keep moving.
After running through the prison, I finally managed to get outside and was relieved to find the group through the chaos and brawling crowd of prisoners. I rushed over to Sokka, Suki, Chief Hakoda, and Chit Sang. A guard came at me to stop me, but I rammed into his body, grabbed his arm, and threw him over my shoulder. When I got to Sokka, I was a bit out of breath and tried to compose myself.
Sokka was relieved. "Zuko, good. We're all here. Now all we need to do," he started and pointed up at the tower above where the Warden stood looking down below with horror at the scene before him, "is grab the Warden and get to the gondolas."
I looked at the distance between us and the Warden. "And how do we do that?"
Sokka grimaced. "I'm not sure."
I slapped my forehead. "Argh, I thought you thought this through."
Sokka held his hands up. "I thought you told me it's okay not to think everything through!"
I defended myself. "Maybe not everything. But this is kind of important!"
Chit Sang interrupted. "Hey, uhh, fellas. I think your girlfriend's taking care of it."
We looked at him with question. He pointed to the riot before us, and we looked over to see Suki literally jumping on the heads and shoulders of prisoners to get across the chaos. As she jumped at the metal rail and grabbed it climbing up, Chief Hakoda said, "Um… Probably should follow her."
We all agreed and took off through the chaos of brawling prisoners to head towards the steel stairs of the tower. We fought off guards as we went, a few of them getting thrown off the stairwell and walkway on the way. By the time we reached the metal walkway where the Warden had been, we were surprised to see he was already apprehended and tied up by Suki. She didn't even look to have broken a sweat. The rest of us breathed heavy with exhaustion. She looked over at us with determination, "We've got the Warden, now let's get out of here."
We all tried to catch our breath. Chief Hakoda muttered to Sokka, "That is some girl."
Sokka managed to breathe out with pride. "Tell me about it."
I spoke between breaths. "Guess I know why your girlfriend was brought here now. She would've escaped another prison in no time."
We started to make our way through the prisons tower then towards the gondola platform. Chit Sang carried the warden on his shoulder as we went, while the rest of us fought off guards. Once we got to the gondola, we saw a mass amount of guards race towards us to apprehend us from the platform.
I shouted quickly, "Back off, we've got the Warden!"
The guards came to a halt when they saw we were serious. They quickly lowered their weapons, not sure what to do. "Let's go," I said. We slowly and cautiously made our way through them, all of us keeping our eyes on the guards to make sure none of them attacked. Once we were through, I felt we could breathe for one single moment. Sokka kept his sword out while I kept my hands up ready to fire. The others headed over to the gondola doors.
"Everyone in," Suki said.
The others started to board the gondola. As they did, I looked at the lever which I knew would move it forward but also stop us from our retreat. Rushing over to it, I yanked at the metal lever pushing it down. The gondola started to move. As it did, I kicked hard at the lever, using what force I could muster through my exhaustion. With three firm kicks, I managed to finally break the metal so the guards wouldn't be able to stop us.
"ZUKO!" Sokka shouted at me.
I turned and raced towards the moving gondola. I leaped in the air over the large drop and reached out to grab the gondola. I had no thoughts about falling to my death until I was in midair and realized what I had just done was rash and stupid. Thankfully, Sokka caught my hand just as I missed the gondola edge and helped to pull me up with his strength. Once I was on, we both breathed heavily from the force.
Sokka found his breath before me, and then helped me up. "What are you doing?"
I answered, after finding my voice. "I'm making it so they can't stop us."
Sokka was bewildered. Then he seemed impressed. "Way to think ahead."
Suki sighed with relief once we were all safe in the transport. "We're on our way."
Chief Hakoda walked over to the gondola door though and looked back at the tower. "Wait. Who's that?"
Sokka and I walked over wondering what he was referring to. Looking out the window, I was horrified to see my sister standing on the platform we were retreating from. Her gold eyes were like fire in the sunlight.
My eyes widened. "That's a problem... It's my sister…"
Chief Hakoda looked over at me with horror. "The chick that burned my daughter back in Ba SIng Se and almost killed the Avatar?"
I nodded.
He sighed. "Great… knew this was too easy."
Azula suddenly charged forward and latched onto the gondola cord with a metal cuff she ripped from a guard. She shot fire behind her and started to slide towards us at insane speed.
Suki scowled. "This is a rematch I've been waiting for."
I narrowed my eyes, "Me too."
Suki, Sokka, and I quickly clambered out of the gondola's windows and onto the roof. Once we were on top, wind hit us and we quickly did our best to steady ourselves. Azula raced towards us with a grin, and once she arrived she released her metal cuff ride and swung her body up at us. As she landed on the gondola, she shot a blast of fire at me first and I blocked it quickly. Sokka jumped past me then, taking a swing at her with his sword. She jumped back, and Suki took her shot jumping in front of Sokka and kicking Azula in the stomach. Azula stumbled back to the edge of the gondola to catch herself.
She scowled. "Three against one. That's no fair."
Sokka gripped his sword tight. "What you did to my sister and Suki is 'no fair!' This is justice!" He took another swing at her, and she jumped over him to dodge. I shot fire at her as this happened, and she blocked my flames with a swing of her arms. She landed and shot a blast at me, but I jumped to the side. Suki took her distraction to try and punch her, but Azula jumped back to dodge.
She caught herself again from falling off the gondola and hissed, "Is this really worth it, Zuko? Working with these peasants is a whole new low for you!"
I sneered. "No. You trying to kill the girl I love is much worse!" I shot fire at her again, and she blocked by pushing my flames back at me. I blocked the reverted flames and they extinguished.
"CUT THE LINE!"
The call from the warden below made us stop fighting in shock. Azula looked worried as well when the gondola came to a sudden halt only a moment later. She looked at the three of us with rage, then snapped at me, "You've really lost yourself brother. I have to say, I won't miss you!" She turned and jumped then. I was shocked, but then realized why she had. Another gondola had been coming from the opposite direction. She hopped on it while our gondola remained still. As she started to drift away, she said to me, "Goodbye brother. I'll send my sympathies to your girlfriend and Ty Lee once I apprehend them both. I'll let them know you at least died from being boiled alive in a lake rather than by my own hand." She waved good-bye with a sinister grin, and I was horrified.
A moment later we got back into the gondola and we could see the others were worried as well. The Warden, who must've got loose from his gag, was muffled once more by his headband. I said with panic, "They're cutting the line. The gondola's about to go!"
Hakoda tried to stay strong, but I knew he was worried as well. "I hope this thing floats."
A shout rang from the platform then. Sokka looked out the window opening to see what was going on and asked, "Who is that?"
I looked out as well and was surprised to see a familiar thin girl fighting off guards. She turned and looked over at me after she knocked another guard down.
"It's Mai..." I was shocked as I saw my childhood friend was helping us escape.
She stepped to the ledge and shouted over the expanse, "Zuko! Tell Ty Lee I'm sorry!"
I was shocked. Her eyes stared directly at me with plea. I nodded to let her know I would. She turned then and yanked the spear out of the gear that the guard had originally shoved in to stop our movement. Once the spear was released, the trolly started to go again. We stumbled as we moved forward to freedom, while Azula looked at her friend with betrayal on the gondola she was standing on. Azula glared over at us knowing she had lost this round. I glared back at her but inside felt great satisfaction.
"Wow… was not expecting that," Sokka muttered.
His dad sighed. "Guess the spirits are on our side today."
I let out a breath of relief as well. "Yeah… Finally…"
A few moments later the gondola landed on the other platform, and we quickly departed. Chit Sang threw the Warden back into the gondola upon Chief Hakoda's orders and I slammed the door shut. Then we raced away from the gondola platform and out onto the path that led to the outside of the island's perimeter.
"Well, we made it out. Now what?" Sokka muttered. "We still need off this island."
The thought of my sister made me come to a halt.
Sokka noticed. "Zuko, what are you doing?"
I looked at him with relief. "My sister was on that island."
Sokka was confused. "Yeah and she's probably right behind us. So let's not stop."
I shook my head. "What I mean is she must have come here somehow." I raced past the group to the edge of a steep drop and grinned. There on the edge of a cliff down a windy path was my sister's airship. "That's our way out of here."
Sokka was thrilled. "Zuko! You're a genius!"
After racing down the path, fighting off my sister's crew, and commandeering the large metal aircraft by knocking the crew off onto the island, we were finally free. As we drifted away with Chief Hakoda driving the balloon, Sokka and I slumped against the wall in the control room with exhaustion. It had been an exhausting last two days.
"We did it!" Suki cried, tackling Sokka and giving him a kiss.
He kissed her back passionately.
I cleared my throat, but smirked knowing how excited the both of them were. They pulled away, embarrassed by their audience.
"Have to say though," I began, getting to my feet. "We couldn't have done this without the extra help." I looked at Chit Sang and Suki with gratitude. "Thanks everyone."
Chief Hakoda looked back at me with his own gratitude. "Hey. If it weren't for you and Sokka, we would've never got out of that prison. You two are courageous but also insane." He asked Chit Sang to steer for a moment, and the man nodded taking over the wheel. He then walked over to me and held his hand out. I took it with my own to return his gesture. He held it firm. "Sokka told me about you saving my daughter from the Fire Lord, Zuko. I'll never be able to repay you for that. I can't imagine what you went through having to go against your family to get her out of there."
I looked into his gaze with sincerity. "It's because I love her. As I have already told you before, Chief Hakoda, I will protect her until my last breath."
He released my grip and then placed his hand on my shoulder with a fatherly touch. "I can finally say at last, I believe your words. And I can also say you have my blessing son. Any man who can break my daughter out of the Fire Lord's lair is someone I definitely can accept as a son-in-law."
I was relieved to hear this. Sokka had stood and crossed his arms with thrill. "See Zuko. I told you my dad would warm up to you eventually."
Hakoda left me then to hug his son tight. "Sokka… Thank you both so much. What you did took a lot of courage. You will be a great chief in the future."
Sokka seemed embarrassed by his father's affection, especially since Suki stood behind him watching, but I knew he was secretly relieved to be in his father's embrace. "Thanks, dad… I'm so glad you're safe."
I sighed. "I'm just glad we beat Crystal's deadline… The last thing we needed was her and the others coming here."
Sokka nodded. "Yeah. Thank goodness for that."
Crystal POV
The first person to hear the machine approaching was Momo. Another day had passed and still there was no sign of Zuko or Sokka. I was getting more worried by the minute, and I was doing all I could to not panic and tell everyone right away what was really happening.
Momo chirped and sat up from where he was napping by the fire though, alerting me that someone was arriving. Aang had just been showing us a firebending move, but Momo's sudden startled expression turned him and the others anxious.
Toph stood. "Do you think it's Sparky and Bozo?"
I felt my heart suddenly pound. "I sure hope so." I heard the sound of an engine come closer, and this concerned me. The war balloon hardly ever made a sound from what I recalled, so hearing an engine from the distance told me it was definitely not the war balloon my brother and Zuko drifted away on.
Standing from the fire, I started to run towards the noise wondering what it could be. Were we discovered by the Fire Nation? Were Zuko and Sokka captured and forced to give away the Avatar's position?
Arriving at the edge of the temple, trying to catch my breath from my dash, I was terrified to see that there wasn't a small war balloon coming our way. The machine was a giant floating aircraft that looked fit for an army. I knew from war discussion it was an airship that the Fire Nation had crafted from the help of Teo's dad. We all prepared to fight, not sure what was coming. As we gathered near where the giant airship was landing, Aang, Katara, Ty Lee, Toph, and I stood at the front of the other kids ready to defend ourselves. However, when the doors swung open and the ramp extended out we saw to our relief Sokka and Zuko step out onto the ramp and head down.
As if the panic in me was released, I felt my heart pound with elation.
"I think they missed us," Sokka commented with a smirk.
Zuko ran a hand through his hair. "They probably thought we were the enemy."
"We did," Teo muttered.
I smiled and tears filled my eyes. "Sokka! Zuko! Thank the spirits!" I raced forward and threw my arms first around Sokka, who caught me quickly to hug me back.
He laughed as he embraced me. "I can tell someone's feeling better."
I pulled away with relief. "You have no clue how hard it's been trying not to tell the others where you went. It's impossible to lie with Toph around."
Sokka brushed a tear that fell down my cheek. "I'm just glad we got back before you sent reinforcements."
I hugged him again. "I'm so relieved you're safe. I've been so worried."
Zuko stepped over, saying, "Hey. I promised you I'd keep him safe."
Pulling from Sokka, I turned and threw my arms around Zuko next. He hugged me back with relief himself. He then kissed me as if we had been apart for weeks rather than days. When he pulled away, he said, "You look better."
I smiled and hugged him again, letting my head rest against his chest. "I'm even better now knowing you both are back."
Katara finally broke up the reunion. "What are you doing in this thing? What happened to the war balloon?"
Zuko and I pulled away, only for Zuko to put an arm around my waist and hold me to his side. He answered her, "It kind of got destroyed."
Aang was bewildered. "Sounds like a crazy fishing trip."
Toph raised her brow. "Did you at least get some good meat?"
Sokka nodded. "I did. The best meat of all. The meat of friendship and fatherhood."
My eyes widened. He did it? He really found dad?
As he said this, three people departed the airship. First Suki came off, then my father, and finally a new middle-aged guy I didn't know.
The stranger waved at us with a nervous smile, "Hi. My name's Chit Sang. I'm new. What's up everybody?"
I ignored him. Because all I could do was stare at my father with relief. They had done it… they had saved him…
Katara rushed past me up the ramp to throw her arms around him. "Dad!"
He hugged her with joy and pressed his face into her hair. "Hi, Katara."
She pulled away asking, "How are you here? What's going on?" She looked back at Sokka. "Where did you go?"
Sokka shrugged, then smiled sheepishly. "We kind of went to a Fire Nation prison."
Aang's jaw dropped.
Toph pouted. "Seriously! You guys didn't find any meat?"
Ty Lee laughed. "Never a dull moment with this group."
Haru seemed a little less sour now about being excluded from the male outing. "Oh. Well, glad you guys made it out. Prisons aren't a joke."
Katara pulled from father completely then, saying, "Crystal wouldn't tell me anything! I've been going crazy with worry!" She then smiled. "But I'm so relieved to see why you two disappeared." She then raced over to give Suki a hug, who hugged her back with equal joy.
As the others greeted Suki, and Aang questioned Sokka and Zuko for details, I saw my father come towards me. I turned just as he pulled me into his arms. I hugged him back so glad to feel his embrace again.
"Crystal… thank Tui and La you are alive. When I heard you were taken to the Fire Lord, I feared I would lose you." His tears soaked into my hair. "I'm so relieved you're okay."
I sniffled as my own tears fell. "You're the one who was taken war prisoner… I was so scared they were going to kill you."
He kissed me on the head, saying softly, "I'm okay…" he then breathed heavily and ran a hand through my hair. "But I have to tell you that I met the Fire Lord… when he told me all of what he had done to you I wanted to kill him… if I wasn't outnumbered and in shackles he would've died by my hand." He pulled away slightly and grabbed my wrist gently to see my scar from where the Fire Lord had branded me with my crystal necklace. His thumb brushed against it with agony. "I wish I could've been there to protect you… I'm never there when you need me..."
I put my other hand over the one he held to my wrist. I pulled it away but only so I could hold it tight. "We're both free from him now. That's all that matters."
He cupped my cheek with his fatherly touch. "I have your brother and Zuko to thank for that…" he smiled. "From my meeting with Ozai I can see Zuko really isn't anything like his father... and I can also see just how much you mean to him. A man doesn't betray his family like that for just anyone."
I nodded. Looking over, I saw Zuko was animatedly explaining to everyone what happened at the prison. Sokka jumped in to add details. The others were listening with intrigue.
"Yeah… he's definitely one of a kind," I whispered. I looked over at my father with sadness. "Whatever the Fire Lord told you, don't worry dad… Katara's healed me and I'm doing better than I was. It's taken some time, but I'm starting to feel myself again."
He brushed a strand of hair from my face. "You are truly one of the strongest women I know, Crystal. Your mother would be so proud of you."
I smiled. "She's proud of all of us… I know that for a fact."
Later that night Sokka and Zuko passed out from exhaustion in their private rooms. As they slept, the rest of us sat around the fire listening to Suki tell of her capture and imprisonment. Ty Lee apologized profusely to her for being part of her capture back near Ba Sing Se, and Suki seemed to be willing to forgive her. She told Ty Lee she admired her fighting skills and wished she would teach her some moves in the future.
After hearing Suki's story, our father discussed with us what our plans were next. We explained to him our biggest focus was to teach Aang firebending as fast as possible. As Aang demonstrated to the newcomers his freshly acquired knowledge of firebending, I saw Katara curl up against dad who hugged her close. As Aang showed the Dancing Dragon, I stood and left the circle to head towards Zuko's room.
Arriving, I found Zuko past out on his mat on the raised bed from his exhausting journey. He had fallen asleep with his boots on too tired to take them off. Walking over, I managed to slide his boots off without waking him. Then I leaned down and kissed him softly on the cheek.
Pulling away, I saw his face was peaceful as he slept. I smiled, glad to have him back from his dangerous journey. "Thank you, Zuko… for protecting my family… I love you," I whispered.
I went to leave, but before I made it a step Zuko grabbed my arm gently. I was surprised and looked back at him.
"If you want to thank me, stay… I've missed you," he whispered. I turned and saw his tired gold eyes in the moonlight. I blushed but nodded. He scooted over on his mat and I placed myself beside him. As he hugged me to his chest, I rested my head against him. He stroked my hair and we both drifted to sleep to the sound of our breaths.
