Part III: Sixty-Seven


Zuko yawned over the steaming cup of jasmine tea the servant had placed in front of him, his ankle resting on his knee. He'd slept most of the night, but dawn had come far too early, as had the summons from the Earth King. He hadn't been able to refuse the summons, but getting out of his bed had been hard.

At least he was bathed, shaved, and he'd changed out of his dirty clothing. He felt a little closer to human, even if it did feel strange to be without his crown, which had been lost in the explosion in the cellar. At least he assumed it had been. He hadn't seen it since Nobu had ripped it out of his hair.

It was hard to dwell on something as insignificant as a lost crown, however, when he found himself seated in the Earth King's large council chambers, staring out a wide window at a city still in the grips of a devastating disaster.

Seeing the orange tint of the sky, even as the sun was breaking, made his stomach tighten with worry and guilt. The fire had been his fault and no matter what anyone said, he intended to take full responsibility this morning.

Already he was thinking over ways to bring in his builders to help with Ba Sing Se's infrastructure and the inevitable rebuilding that would have to happen. They had done the same in Republic City, with the Harmony Restoration Movement. He knew all about how quickly and efficiently they could build a city from nothing if you threw enough gold at the problem.

Exhaustion clung to him, but he knew that he would make it right in time. Ba Sing Se would rebuild, and perhaps that would strengthen their ties to the Earth Kingdom, rather than weaken them. He certainly hoped so. Though he privately didn't think much of Kuei, who seemed to not care much about his fractured Kingdom, their relationship, through Iroh, had always been on friendly terms. He hoped Kuei continued that.

He sipped his tea and waited, wondering if he was the only person the King had invited to the meeting. He stopped wondering that, however, when a young man stepped into the room, saw him, and froze like a wild animal caught out in the open by a hunter.

Zuko stared at Shirong, who stared at him right back from behind his wild shock of black hair. He had replaced his glasses, though not with new ones, from the look of the crack in one lens. His face was bruised, his nose swollen and tender looking, and his eyes ringed with black from Azula's devastating punch.

Zuko idly wondered if Shirong knew how lucky he'd gotten off with just that punch to the face. If Azula hadn't been so distraught from her captivity and the anxiety attack she had been staving off for hours, he had no doubt that his sister might have lit the college student's ass on fire just for the fun of it.

He had to admit, he too might have enjoyed seeing that, considering all of the damage Shirong's actions had wrought on his life, and on Ba Sing Se. He couldn't forget, as he stared at Shirong over the rim of his teacup, the shake in Rin's hands, and beautiful, fierce Xuiying, whose light was gone from the world before the world had been ready to let her go. He felt her loss in his chest, and knew that he always would.

Perhaps Shirong had thought he was protecting Azula, but Zuko couldn't forgive him for it. And neither could Azula, he knew.

Before he could think of something to say to the young man, the door behind Shirong opened, and Sokka walked in. He was wearing borrowed clothing in Earth Kingdom greens and browns, but he had shaved his face and his hair. He had bound his long hair back into a wolf's tail again, and despite the bruises, he looked like himself again.

Zuko had gotten a little of his story after the fall of Ning and the Master, but not all of it. He knew that Sokka had been undercover with the Master, as a fighter called Ran. It was Ran's identity that Sokka had discarded for his own again.

Sokka's blue eyes skated over Shirong without recognition, and then alighted on Zuko. A grin broke out over his face, as Zuko put his tea down and stood.

"Hey, man," Sokka said tentatively. They hadn't said much to each other since reuniting, and Zuko had been afraid, after everything that had happened, that things would be awkward. He was right to be afraid of that, as there was so much between them that they had to talk about, but just seeing his old friend again made all of that seem far away and as unimportant his lost crown.

Zuko smiled, and crossed the distance between them, pulling Sokka into a warm hug that seemed to surprise him. But Sokka thumped him on the back all the same, letting out a huffing laugh as he did.

"I missed you too," Sokka said as Zuko pulled back.

"You saved my ass out there."

"You saved mine too," Sokka said, hitching another grin onto his lips as he glanced behind him at Shirong, though Zuko was still sure that he didn't know who the young man was.

"Last night... I wanted to thank you then, but..."

"There was a lot going on," Sokka said, shaking his head. "I'm just glad you're alive. Suki would kill me if I let her fiance die before her wedding."

Zuko winced, but his smile was soft as he willingly thought of Suki again, feeling another pang of longing and homesickness in him that rocked him to his toes. He had dreamed about Suki, something vague and warm that had turned into worry and desperation. When the servant had awoken him an hour ago, he'd had the feeling Suki had been trying to warn him about something.

But that had only been a dream. A bad one, but just a dream.

"We invited you to the wedding, you know. Or at least we tried to."

"I know. I was... It wasn't personal. This year has just been a lot."

"Look," Zuko said, clapping a hand onto Sokka's shoulder. "I know it's weird. You and Suki were together for a long time, and I know that everything that went down between you two, and between us, wasn't..." he trailed off, wincing again.

"Ideal?" Sokka sighed, and then laughed a moment later. "It's not that, man. I'm actually pretty happy for you guys. All I ever wanted was for Suki to be happy, and if she's happy with a great big loser of a Fire Lord, I can't stop her. No accounting for taste."

Zuko laughed. "I can't argue with that."

"I noticed she wasn't with you. Where is she?"

"Probably on her way here in an airship as we speak, ready to crack skulls," Zuko said. He was pretty sure she was, and the thought of seeing her again filled him with another pang of longing. He knew Sokka could see his longing in his eyes, but he didn't try to hide it. He doubted he could, anyway.

"I do miss the skull-cracking," Sokka sighed, and then rubbed at the back of his neck, his eyes tracking Shirong, who had moved over to stand near the window. His voice dropped to a whisper and his thumb jammed in Shirong's direction. "Who is this little nerd? One of the Earth King's servants?"

"Uh..." Zuko started, just as the door opened and Azula walked in.

She had her hair pulled back, though it looked damp. She was wearing clean clothing and her face was scrubbed. She had dark bags under her eyes, and they looked bloodshot, however, as if she had been crying all night.

Zuko's stomach lurched, as Azula walked into the room, and then stopped dead in her tracks. She had spotted him and Sokka standing there, but her eyes had gone to Shirong over near the window. Her face bleached of color, and her lips tightened.

"What are you doing here?" Azula barked, making Sokka whip around to face her.

"The... The Earth King ask-asked me to come," Shirong said, starting toward her, but Azula held up her hand.

"Come any closer and I'm setting you on fire!"

Shirong's expression fell and his shoulders slumped. "Azula, if we could just talk..."

"I have nothing to say to you, Shirong!"

Zuko glanced at Sokka, who was looking between the two of them. And Zuko suddenly realized that maybe Sokka did know who Shirong was, as recognition came over Sokka's face.

"You're Shirong?" Sokka burst out, and then laughed.

"DON'T START!" Azula snapped, turning on Sokka, who held up his hands.

"Who are you?" Shirong asked, brow furrowing.

"Don't," Azula said to Sokka, force in her voice, but Sokka's expression was one of sheer malevolent glee. Zuko rubbed at his forehead, already feeling a headache coming on.

"I'm Sokka. Azula's..." But Sokka trailed off, as if not sure how to finish that sentence. Zuko did it for him in his head, with tired exasperation.

You're Azula's everything, Sokka. I just wish the two of you would realize that.

He didn't say it out loud, however. He did not think the tension in the room would withstand that, especially not when Shirong's eyes had widened with recognition behind his cracked glasses. Shirong had definitely heard Sokka's name before, and as the weedy college student took a look at Sokka, who towered over him and was as broad the side of a barn in comparison, the blood drained out of his face.

He glanced back at Azula and his face fell again. "That explains a lot," he mumbled, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

Zuko saw the pained look on Azula's face, and thought maybe he should step in and defuse the situation. Azula had been through a lot; she didn't need this on top what he knew she was already dealing with. He should do something.

At the same time, Zuko had never wanted to sit down and go back to his tea more in his life.

Spirits, I'm becoming uncle...he thought as Sokka cocked his head, appraising Shirong. He was obviously amused at what he saw, but his tone was scathing when he spoke, a simmering anger in his voice that made Zuko step forward, fire just beyond his fingertips if he needed it.

"You betrayed her, you little son of a bitch," Sokka said, his voice a growl, eyes narrowed on Shirong, who blanched and backed up a step. Zuko didn't blame him; there was something dangerous about Sokka that he had never noticed before and it came over him in an instant. The last two years had changed him, he thought. His old friend was not a man he would like angry with him. It was a sobering thought.

Before Zuko could step in, however, Azula flung out her hands, and blue flames lit up the room, and then dissipated, making all of them jump back a little, the heat of it sudden and violent.

"ENOUGH!" Azula shouted, stepping in front of Sokka and putting her hand on his chest. "Calm down!"

"You've been dating HIM!?" Sokka shot at her.

"Hey!" Shirong said, but no one listened to him.

"Sokka, I can't do this right now. Please," Azula said, closing her eyes and taking a breath. Sokka saw the expression on her face and immediately the air went out of him, and the larger-than-life, growling threat of him settled back down, leaving Sokka looked tired, sleepless, and with his heart completely in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Sokka said, as the door opened again, and a servant bowed at them. Then the Earth King walked in, and the situation was defused almost immediately. Kuei didn't seem to notice the tension in the room, grinning as he spotted them. He pushed past his entourage of advisers, who poured into the room and spread out respectfully at the table, clearly ready to get down to business.

"Fire Lord Zuko! I hope you slept you well!"

"I did, thank you, your Majesty," Zuko said, bowing at the man, who clapped him on the shoulder.

"Excellent," the King said, glancing at the others. "I see you all came. Excellent, excellent! Shirong, you as well! How are you?"

"Fine, your Majesty," Shirong said respectfully. "I don't know why you invited me, though."

"You had such good advice about the fire breaks. I thought you might think of something we haven't yet. Please, everyone have a seat. Sokka, how are you?"

Sokka mumbled something Zuko couldn't hear over the sounds of the others settling into chairs after the Earth King had sat down. He hadn't brought his bear to the meeting, and Zuko was grateful for that, at least. The room was large, but any room with a bear in it was not large enough for his tastes.

"I'm glad you're well. Well, you're probably all wondering why I called such an early meeting. I wanted to fill in some of the blanks. Sokka, I was told you were undercover with this Master fellow? I'd love to hear the story!"

But Sokka, who had sat down next to Azula, leaned forward at the table, his body suddenly very tense again. "That might have to wait, your Majesty. We have more important matters to discuss."

"Such as?"

"Your city is on fire, for one," Sokka said.

"My men are handling it. I just received a report. The fire breaks are working. We've stopped the spread of the fire so far, and if the wind holds, we should have it out soon. I sent for reinforcements from my army, and they're already in the city battling the flames. We have another battalion setting up camps for refugees, and getting them fed and clothed."

Zuko's brows raised. He hadn't expected Kuei to be so on top of things, but he noticed one of the King's advisers looking proud of himself and realized that this man was the real man in charge of the situation.

"That's excellent news, your Majesty," Zuko said. "I'd like formally offer my help in rebuilding the city. The infrastructure of the Harmony Restoration Movement is at your disposal. It is, after all, partially my fault."

"Your fault?" the King asked, peering at Zuko over his pince-nez glasses.

"If my enemies hadn't attacked me the city would never have burned."

"You'll forgive me, Fire Lord Zuko, but it seems that your enemies were also my enemies. My men have been attempting to take down Lord Kun's criminal empire for quite some time. He was a very nasty fellow."

"You have no idea," Sokka mumbled, and then stood. "And you have no idea what exactly caused that explosion, but I do."

The Earth King didn't say anything, watching Sokka, as he leaned forward at the table, his hands flat on the wood. Zuko, who knew only the barest of details listened raptly as Sokka launched in with his story, starting with the explosion in Rinchaka Falls, the Smoke Demons, and then his undercover work trying to find the culprits behind it, and finally, the tale of how he and Mai had come to be in the Master and Lord Kun's clutches in Ba Sing Se.

Zuko watched Azula as Sokka talked, and he saw her face contort with pain as Sokka told them about what had happened to him, and to Mai. No one else said anything, waiting for him to finish, though he knew everyone had questions.

When Sokka finally finished, the air in the room was tense, and it took a moment for the King to find his voice. "And this Phoenix Fire... There is more of it?"

"Yes," Sokka said grimly. "I told your men when we left Lord Kun's home that there were more barrels that needed to be found. They arrested the rest of Ning's men. If anyone knows where Ning put those barrels, they would. Ning is dead, or we could ask him ourselves."

"Have we heard back from my men at Lord Kun's yet?"

"Not yet. We were expecting a report soon, however. The clean up and arrest of the men was expected to take some time. I'll send messengers right away," one of the advisers said, bowing to the Earth King and then scurrying out of the room with his green robes flying. Zuko knew that pace and efficiency; it reminded him of Fen, his secretary, who was always rushing from one thing to the other. He was pretty sure the entire Fire Nation would screech to a halt without Fen's bureaucratic finesse and frightening competence.

He felt another pang of homesickness, but pushed it back. Soon. He'd be home soon, just as soon as this business was over and done with.

And it won't matter anyway, because I know Suki is probably on her way here...

Zuko stood as well, sighing. "I've seen what this Phoenix Fire can do, even just a small amount. We need to find the barrels before someone else does."

"What about Nobu?" Azula asked, looking around. "Your men took him, right?"

The Earth King looked at his advisers and one of them pulled out a piece of parchment and unrolled it. "The man in question is out of surgery. He's being held in a secure location, under arrest. His wounds were extensive, but nothing life-threatening."

"He's the man who kidnapped you, yes?" Kuei asked, brows rising.

"Yes, but he was working for the person behind this whole thing. He was doing it under orders," Azula said. "We need to question him."

"Agreed," one of the advisers said.

"There is more Phoenix Fire in Republic City. The Master had at least two or three barrels. He left his men guarding it back in the city. We need to send word to Chief Beifong as soon as we can," Sokka said heavily, rubbing at his forehead. "Spirits, she and my sister probably think I'm dead by now."

The meeting went on, discussing what to do with the Phoenix Fire if they found it. The adviser came back about twenty minutes later with a fresh message in his hands, still moving at that rushing pace.

"They have Ning's men in custody. They're interrogating them now. We've offered reduced sentences for anyone who can give us the location of the Phoenix Fire. That should get us some answers."

Zuko and Sokka shared a glance, and they both looked tired and unconvinced. These men, with the exception of Nobu, were not the Smoke Demons, but there was a deep fear that ran through them and kept mouths annoying shut, even when caught red-handed. Zuko had heard that fear in Nobu's voice, as he'd spoken about the man he worked for, Rian's father.

Whoever that was.

The meeting droned on through mid-morning, as the Earth King's advisers took charge and asked them a bunch of questions. Zuko was thoroughly over it by the time the Earth King, also growing more and more bored, ended the meeting, and swept out of the room with an invitation to dinner for all of them. He seemed in good spirits, at odds with the grim subjects they'd been discussing.

At least he took Shirong with him when he left, and for that Zuko was grateful. He didn't have it in him to get in between Sokka and Shirong.

Zuko felt like not much had been accomplished at the meeting, but at least they had something to work with now, a place to go. They'd interrogate Nobu about what he knew as soon as he was conscious. One of Ning's men would flip, he was sure of it, especially if given enough incentives.

All of that would have to wait. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment.

What he wanted most was another long nap, and something to eat.

No, what I want is Suki, he thought with another pang of longing, even as Azula stood with a scrape of her chair legs on the marble floor.

"Azula, can we talk?" Sokka asked, but Azula turned away from him and swept out of the room, before he could call her back. Sokka sighed and slumped at the table, rubbing at his bruised face. "I think your sister hates me."

"I think you're an idiot if you think that," Zuko said, sitting back in his chair. The room had emptied out, and it was just the two of them again. He found himself studying Sokka's profile. He had missed his friend more than he'd realized.

Not just missed him, he had been worried sick for him, and only now did he realize how much. Hearing his story and seeing the toll what he had been through had taken on him just brought it all home again.

"I'm definitely an idiot. We talked last night. Or I guess it was this morning. There was a lot of yelling. She saw me kissing Mai."

Sokka looked up at him, pain on his face. Zuko's brow went up.

"How is she? I sent a servant to ask after her before I came to the meeting. They said she was awake. I didn't have time to go see her, though."

"She's okay. Banged up, but okay."

"So how long were you two sleeping together?"

Sokka's head went back. "A while."

"Right. Are you in love with her?"

Sokka shook his head. "No. I care about her, Zuko, but..."

"You're still in love with my sister."

"Yeah. I really am. She drives me crazy, and I think she hates me, but yeah. I am."

Zuko laughed. "She doesn't hate you, Sokka. It's not my place to say it, but I got to know her pretty well in that cell. When you showed up at that door and kissed her, it was like something out of a fairy tale. She loves you."

Maybe he shouldn't have said it, but he knew it was the truth, and he wanted his sister to be happy. She deserved that.

"I love her too."

"So do something about it," Zuko said, gesturing to the door. "It's not like you have much competition."

Sokka's face went dark immediately, his ears going red. "She really dated that little geek?"

Zuko smothered a laugh behind his hand. "Feeling threatened?"

"Shut up, jerkbender," Sokka shot at him. "You're loving this, aren't you?"

"A little bit," Zuko admitted. "Although it is making me think about a few things..."

"Like what?"

"Well, I'm engaged to your ex-girlfriend. You are in love with and have slept with my sister. And you've been dating my ex-girlfriend."

"What's your point?"

"We need a bigger circle of friends, Sokka."

"I don't know, you could sleep with my sister and we can make it a complete circle."

Zuko burst out laughing, as Sokka did the same. "Oh noooo. That is a scary thought."

"Afraid of Aang?"

"No. No, your sister is the terrifying one in that relationship, not the Avatar."

"Not to mention what Suki might do to you. She has a jealous streak, you know. Don't know if you've noticed that," Sokka laughed.

Zuko grinned fondly, another pang of longing striking him right in the chest. "Yeah, she does. Is it weird that I find that cute?"

"Everything about you is weird," Sokka said, but then he saw the expression on his face and shook his head. "You really love her, don't you?"

"I do. More than anything. So much it scares me sometimes. I don't know what I would do without her."

"Your sister scares me too."

"I hear that," Zuko drawled and then smiled a little. "I'm not trying to get involved here, but... You still have a chance with her, Sokka. I know how she feels about you. I know she left you in the South Pole, but she didn't leave because she didn't love you. That's something. If you really love her, then... I just want her to be happy."

"I want that too," Sokka said softly. "I just... I want her. I just always want her."

Zuko started to say something else, when there was a knock on the door, brisk and efficient. He knew it was a servant before the door even opened.

"Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Yes?" he said, standing as the servant bowed to him. "What is it?"

"There's an airship landing in the courtyard. It has the Fire Nation insignia on it. We've given it permission to land, we thought you'd like to—Oh!"

"Where?" Zuko said, bolting up out of the chair, with Sokka on his heels.

"The main courtyard outside the palace. I'll take you!"

"No need!" Zuko said, feeling his heart lift up like a balloon as he rushed into the hallway, Sokka following him. Sokka didn't ask him who he thought it was; they both knew it was Suki, finally here! He couldn't help the way his heart soared as the two of them ran through the palace, sprinting for the main gates.

The air was still smoky, despite the Earth King's assurance the fires were under control in the city, but not so smoky that they couldn't immediately make out the airship slowly coming down for a landing into the square outside of the palace. He took the steps two at a time and by the time they arrived in the square, a host of servants had rushed out, grabbing the guide ropes danging from the bottom of the airship's gleaming carriage. He and Sokka wordlessly joined the servants, grabbing ropes and guiding the ship down to the stones with a gentle bump, the balloon buffeted by the smoky winds.

He left the servants to tie the balloon down, and together he and Sokka went around to the carriage door.

"SUKI! Suki!" Zuko called, as the door opened just as he reached for it. He expected Suki on the other side and blinked in surprise when he found himself face to face with Duke Ru's handsome, but totally unexpected, face. "Ru! What are you doing here?"

But Ru's eyes widened as he looked at Zuko, in shock and surprise, then pleasure, and he surged out of the carriage, grabbing Zuko up in a barrel-chested hug that lifted him off of his feet. The breath was squeezed out of him as Ru roared in delight.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Ru! Put me down!" Zuko bleated, and Ru set him back on his feet, still clutching his shoulders.

"The last I heard you were kidnapped, Fire Lord Zuko! Iroh sent us a letter! I came to rescue you! And you're okay!"

"Yeah," Zuko said with a tired sigh, realizing he'd have to explain things all over again. He resigned himself to it, even as he glanced over Ru's shoulder, trying to peer into the carriage. "It's a long story. Where's—?"

"We ran into a storm just off the coast of the Earth Kingdom, or we would have been here two days ago. We had to go around, and lost a lot of time. I'm so sorry, sire."

"That's okay," Zuko said, clapping him on the shoulder, then trying to push past him to go into the carriage. "No harm done. I'm sure Suki has been chewing your ear off the whole time though. Where is she? Firing down the furnace? Suki! Ru, you're in the way..." Zuko said, growing annoyed as Ru kept him from going into the carriage, his bearded face growing grave as he clapped his strong hands on Zuko's shoulders, keeping him in place.

"Zuko," Ru said grimly, stopping Zuko immediately. The boisterous Duke had never been so still in his life, and it turned Zuko's stomach immediately, fear tingling through him. He was aware of Sokka standing behind him, but ignored him. All of his attention was on Ru.

"Ru, what's wrong?" he asked, his breath tight in his chest.

"It's Suki."

But he already knew.


Suki pounded on the door again, her hand aching and numb, her knuckles skinning against the wood.

"OPEN UP! NAM-KYU! SOMEONE OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" she screamed in a voice that had grown hoarse hours ago. Still, she screamed. She couldn't stop, not after last night.

She had been awoken from restless dreams about Zuko to a fight in the hallway. The door had stayed locked the entire time, and no one had opened it either during the fight, or after, when things had gone eerily quiet again, save some distance yelling that had stopped abruptly.

And no matter how she pounded on the door, it still hadn't opened.

Fear had taken hold of her; she couldn't help it.

She had recognized at least three of those shouting voices. Guo's calm voice had been commanding soldiers. Piandao had screamed Tam's name at one point, and she had heard Tam screaming his name too.

It was Piandao who had been screaming in the distance before he had been silenced. She had no idea what had happened to him, or where Tam had gone. She was afraid that Tam was on the other side of the door, captured, or hurt, or even dead.

She banged on the door, refusing to stop, pacing and then coming back to pound some more. Her voice grew more and more hoarse. She knew it was well past dawn, but there were no windows in the room that had been her prison cell for days now.

Nam-Kyu didn't come to the door. No one did.

Not until noon, when she had worn herself out and sank down against the door, her head back against the wood, tears in her eyes. She had never felt so entirely useless in her life.

And she had never missed Zuko more. She wondered where he was, what he was doing, what he was thinking. Was he even alive? Or was she alone...terribly alone, against a world that hated her?

No, not alone. Not anymore, she thought with a fierce streak of protectiveness, her hand straying to her stomach. She took a breath and made herself stand, and just when she did, she heard the bolt on the door go.

Her heart leaped. She expected Nam-Kyu on the other side, but when the door opened, and two soldiers walked in, her hopes collapsed, then crashed when she saw the man standing behind them. The Grand Sage met her eyes, smirking as she glared at him.

"Did you have fun screaming all day?"

"Where is Nam-Kyu? What did you do to Tam and Piandao?" she said immediately, trying to look past them into the hallway.

"Nam-Kyu suffered a very unfortunate accident early this morning," Luzhuo said, hands clasped behind his back. He looked smug, like he was sitting on a secret he couldn't wait to reveal. Suki's heart seized as she thought of the irascible old woman who had protected her.

"Is she... Oh Spirits..."

"She's alive. Merely a broken hip. She's in surgery as we speak, but I'm afraid her injuries mean that she is no longer in charge of the healing ward."

"What about Piandao? Tam? I heard a fight! What did you do to them?"

"It seems you've corrupted more than just your whore sisters from Kyoshi, my dear Suki. You've also turned a Councilman against the Fire Nation. Granted, with Piandao, it was probably no challenge. He has always been a traitor."

"What are you talking about?"

"Piandao killed Captain Viz of the Caldera guard last night, on your orders!"

"What? That's a lie! I would never! Piandao would never! WHERE IS TAM!"

"Your whore sister will be found and brought to justice. As for Piandao...if he survives his wounds, he will burn as a traitor. I'll light the pyre myself and I don't mind saying that I will enjoy that immensely."

"Where's Guo? I heard him!"

"Guo is still recovering from your attempt on his life. Last night was a trial for him, but he's a loyal Councilor. Unlike your puppet, Piandao."

"Everything is a lie," Suki said, backing up another step. "I'm innocent and so is Piandao. You're framing him just like you framed me!"

"Oh, Suki, we don't need to pretend any longer. You know you've been caught. We have all of the evidence against you. They will convict you. Even with that bastard in your belly."

"Zuko won't believe it."

"He will. If he's alive."

"HE WON'T BELIEVE IT!" Suki screamed, rushing forward, wanting nothing more than to claw the Grand Sage's smug expression right off of his face. She didn't make it two steps before the soldiers grabbed her. She started to fight them, but more poured into the room, and she found herself staring down a spear, pointing right at her stomach. She didn't miss the threat, or the Grand Sage's knowing smile.

He knew she wouldn't fight him now. She didn't dare.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"I think your time in the healing ward is over, darling Suki. Clearly, your presence on the ward is too much of a security risk. Piandao clearly wanted to break you out, as did your Kyoshi fugitive sister. A nice secure cell in the dungeon awaits you. And I assure you, you won't find it at all comfortable down there. Take her."

She didn't fight them, though she wanted to. The threat was still there, still aimed at the most vulnerable part of her. When they put the irons on her, she held her head up high, refusing to break for them. At least she wouldn't be alone in the dungeons, she thought, as they marched her out of the room and then out of the healing ward. Ty Lee was in the dungeons too. At least she'd have Ty Lee...

She could feel eyes on her as she was marched through the halls; there were soldiers everywhere, some of them watching her with sad eyes, others jeering at her as she passed, calling her a traitor.

One man spat on her, and she heard the Grand Sage laugh somewhere behind her.

She didn't break, letting them march her to the dungeons. She went down the stairs without saying a word, the red-tinted darkness swallowing her with a gulp. She felt her stomach turn, but clamped down on the urge to throw up, walking sure-footed down the stairs, as the soldiers guided her, not letting her escape.

When they reached the bottom, she looked at the two cells, expecting to see Ty Lee in one of them, but they were both empty.

"Where is Ty Lee?"

"I had that one moved to the prison to await her trial as a co-conspirator. I know her kind. The temptation for...sin in such a place would be too much for someone like her."

"You're disgusting, hate-filled, small-minded little man," Suki spat. "I hope I'm the one who kills you."

"Did you hear that, men? She threatened the life of the Steward of the Fire Nation. That's another charge. My, my, my... Your mother must be so proud. You know, we'll be sending men to your little insignificant island soon. To arrest her too."

"You stay away from my mother!" Suki cried, her voice breaking again. "She didn't do anything! STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

"Put her in the cell," the Grand Sage said, and she was forcibly turned, the cuffs removed, and then they shoved her into the cell with a rough force. She came back to the bars, but the doors had already been locked and closed.

"Look at you in your cell. Finally, a place befitting a would-be peasant queen. Enjoy it. You'll be here for the next eight months. Unless something...untoward happens in the meantime. What a tragedy that would be," Luzhuo said, coming close to the bars, but not close enough to grab. He smiled at her, and she felt shivers creep up her arms.

"I'll fucking kill you, you bastard," Suki growled, her voice sizzling with anger. Luzhuo only seemed amused by it, smirking again.

"I'd be more worried about your own bastard, sweet Suki," Luzhuo said, stepping away from the bars again. "And don't even think of escaping. I have guards at the top with orders to kill on sight. And they, unlike you, are loyal. Enjoy your cell, Fire Lady."

And with that, he swept out of the dungeon, leaving her standing at the bars, a scream in her mouth that she refused to let loose.

She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.


END PART III