Chiara was taken to an airship in a clearing not far from the ambush. As they approached the large warship, she looked up it. It was enormous, far larger than Zuko's small war balloon, and she was reminded of being led to the large cruiser that took her back to the Fire Nation to be imprisoned. As they led her inside and through the dark hallways towards the center of the ship, she began feeling more apprehensive.

Once in the brig, a guard approached her, one she recognized from the Capital City Prison.

"The little waif who's the traitor's spy," he said.

"For a little waif, she caused enough trouble down there," said the soldier holding her.

"Did you get the other traitor too?" the guard asked.

"No. He wasn't with her."

"Well if he wants his concubine back, he'll have to come get her." He removed her knife before opening a cell door. "Welcome to your palace suite, your Highness."

The soldier that had hold of her pulled her by her arm into the cell where he shoved her into a corner and attached her shackles to a ring on the floor.

"You're not going to escape out of this, Spy," he added with disgust in his voice.

"She didn't escape the last time," said the guard holding the door open. "The traitor broke her out."

"He won't be breaking her out now," he laughed as he exited the cell.

She sat quietly on the floor wondering how long it would take to fly to the Fire Nation in the airship. She was not anxious to see Azula again so soon. Though it had been weeks, she felt like she just recovered from their last reunion. Her wounds were healed and her nightmares were not so vivid now. She had not been so afraid to go to sleep as the worry that she would not find Zuko nearby when she woke up subsided. Her heart was aching for her husband. She knew he was going to be angry at her abduction, and for as much as she dreaded her next encounter with Azula, she hoped he would continue training Aang and not attempt a rescue. She was sure it was a trap for her prince, so she suspected Azula would keep her alive for a while. There was still time before Sozin's Comet was to arrive; all she had to do was hang on until the Avatar took down Ozai and then Zuko could get her out of prison. But then it crossed her mind that the trap could work even if she was executed immediately because as long as Zuko believed she was in his sister's hands, he would search for her, and she was sure Azula would count on that.

After getting over the shock of the sudden change in her situation, she attempted to mentally prepare herself for what lay in the future. Forcing the worries from her mind, she shifted herself into a more comfortable position and began meditating as if she was sitting with Zuko or Iroh.

Sokka was rubbing the back of his aching head as he slowly sat up, but his pain was quickly forgotten when he saw his sister lying on the ground some distance away, and he quickly jumped up and fell on his knees by her side.

"Katara," he said checking over her for injuries relieved there was no blood.

Her eyes slowly opened. "Sokka?" He put his arm around her as she sat up. "Where's Chiara?" she asked.

They looked around spotting only a sword lying on the otherwise empty forest floor.

"They must've taken her," he said.

She grew nervous. "We need to tell Zuko."

He slowly shook his head as they stood up. "I'm not looking forward to that."

They quickly ran back to the temple heading to the balcony where Aang was training with Zuko and Toph, and as they approached them, they were breathless.

"Zuko, they took Chiara!" blurted Katara.

As her words sank in, and seeing Chiara's sword in Sokka's hand, Zuko looked like he was on fire. "Who?" he asked deeply.

"Fire Nation soldiers," said Sokka still breathing heavy.

"They were after her," said Katara.

"Chiara's gone?" said Aang softly and sadly trying to take it in.

Zuko took off and disappeared inside the temple. It was only a few minutes later when he came running out with his swords and a bag, and he ran to his war balloon while Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Aang followed him.

He threw his bag and swords inside the balloon. "What happened?" he asked taking Chiara's sword from Sokka's hands before putting it with his own.

"They ambushed us in the forest," he said.

"What did the soldiers look like?"

"Like Fire Nation soldiers," said Sokka. "Some were firebenders."

"Did they say anything?"

"They said they were looking for the wife of Prince Zuko," said Katara.

Zuko was inflamed that they targeted her.

"They were going to take me because I was waterbending, but Chiara said I wasn't married," she continued. "Sokka tried to say she was his wife, but it didn't work. They still took her."

"Zuko, wait...," said Aang watching him busily working now setting up the balloon.

"Aang, keep practicing what I taught you," he said without stopping.

He started blasting fire into the engine of the balloon.

Aang was worried about him. "It's probably a trap for you."

"I'm sure it is."

"If they ambushed you in the forest, how did they know where to find her?" asked Toph thoughtfully.

They all quietly pondered her question while Zuko was still working to fill the balloon.

"Did they say anything else?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Zuko," said Sokka shaking his head. "They just said they had a cell waiting for her."

Zuko's blast of fire faltered as images of her lying in the cell flashed through his mind. The thought of her suffering created a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach which was immediately followed by anger and a determination to find her, and his fire grew stronger in response.

"She said to remember her words...," started Katara.

He stopped and looked at her. "What words?"

"True destiny and I love you," she repeated.

He stood in silent thought contemplating her words.

"What did she mean?" asked Aang.

"She doesn't want me to go after her," said Zuko sadly. "She wants me to stay with you and keep training."

He had no intention of not going after her, and he turned back to the engine and continued firing it up.

"She believes helping the Avatar and ruling the Fire Nation is my true destiny," he said. "But I chose my own destiny: being her husband."

As much as Katara wanted to be angry at Zuko, she could not help feeling touched as she realized just how much he loved Chiara. She also knew Aang needed Zuko as a teacher, but she believed it would be wrong to leave Chiara in the hands of the Fire Nation. She was reminded of Chiara worrying that she was still back in the cell and that reality was just a dream.

"Zuko, wait...," she said.

"I can't wait." He continued working. "I have to get to her."

"But you can't just go blind into the Fire Nation trying to guess where she might be. First, you need to find out where they're taking her."

"If they were after her, then they were sent by my sister, which means she'll probably be taken back to the Prison Tower."

"And they'll be expecting you," she said. "They'll never let you get near her."

"We need to go to nearby towns and see if we can find some information," said Sokka.

"There's no time for that," said Zuko. "If my sister gets her, she'll put her to death this time."

"You don't know that," said Katara. "They may keep her alive until you get there."

Zuko, frustrated, hit the side of the engine. "Ughh! I knew I shouldn't have let her out of my sight!"

Katara felt guilty as she had been so insistent that Zuko give Chiara more space, but now she understood why he was so protective of her.

"Give us a chance to find out exactly where they're taking her," she said hoping to keep him calm.

He desperately wanted to rescue her as soon as possible, but he also knew the others were right.

"Do you really think we can just walk into Capital City asking questions?"

"We can go disguised as tourists," said Sokka. "From...from the outer colonies."

Zuko stopped what he was doing and sighed. His uncle told him he never thought things through, and he knew if he attempted to find her on his own and got caught he would never get the chance to rescue his wife.

"We've done it before," said Toph. "And you're part of the Gaang now, Sparky. We can't let you do this alone."

Zuko was reluctant, but he nodded.

"We'll take Appa," said Aang. "It'll be faster."

Expecting to be taken to Azula and tortured, or even executed, Chiara was surprised to find herself in the middle of a volcano. After being yanked off the gondola by the former Prison Tower guard, she was taken to a yard where a familiar man approached her.

"So the traitor Iroh's Water Tribe spy escaped from prison again," said Warden Idem as he stood before her. "Well, welcome to Boiling Rock Prison. You'll find escape from here impossible."

She remained silent.

"Word came to me that you were near the Western Air Temple. You may be wondering why you aren't standing before the Fire Lord," he said conversationally. "Before you're executed, and you will be executed, I want to have the privilege of humiliating you."

She felt the sting of his hand as he slapped her face.

"You should've died in that village with your barbaric parents instead of tainting my great Nation with your filthy presence," he said. "Even infecting the royal household. But that traitor general isn't here to defend you now. And neither is that traitor prince." He glared at her, his anger rising at the thought that such a lowly foreign urchin had been treated as royalty in his own superior Nation. "Did you think that by marrying that traitor you'd become the princess of the Fire Nation? You, a filthy whore from a race of savages?"

She refused to speak which resulted in another slap across her face.

"I am speaking to you, Water scum!"

"You do realize it was because of your decision to attack my village and murder my family that I was raised in the Fire Nation?" she said unable to resist snapping back at him.

She nearly lost her balance as he backhanded her. He was seething.

"It was the decision of a foolish general!" he yelled. "If he had not been such a coward, he would have disposed of you immediately!" He leaned closer to her. "If I had found you first you wouldn't be here. You're not worthy to be part of this Nation," he hissed at her. "And you're going to learn just what everyone else, including the prisoners here, thinks of you trying to infiltrate the royal family." He stood up straight. "And then after a prolonged humiliation, provided you survive, your execution will send a message to the traitor prince. Now kneel," he demanded.

In defiance of his irrational and dishonorable behavior, she refused to yield to him.

"I said kneel!"

She would not submit, so two guards forced her to her knees.

"You will never be the Fire Lady of the great Fire Nation, and I will never kneel before such lowly filth." He looked at the guards. "Take this Water whore to an isolation cell. When I decide to let her out she'll be placed in the labor sector where she'll be given a job worthy of her status."

Chiara soon sat alone in a dark cell which she found preferable to standing, or being forced to kneel, before Idem. She also considered it a tremendous improvement over her imprisonment by Azula. She could not see in the darkness, but she felt her finger where her wedding ring had been before they stripped her of her jewelry. She sighed heavily, and taking advantage of the solitude and silence, she decided to meditate.

Zuko, Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph left the air temple after informing Haru, Teo, and The Duke who stayed behind.

It was late at night when they drew near the Fire Nation, and Aang gave the reins to Zuko who guided Appa to an isolated and uninhabited area of the mountains.

"We're here," he said picking up his bag and swords before jumping out of the saddle.

Sokka, Katara, and Toph who had fallen asleep during the flight slowly got up.

"Where do we go now?" asked Aang landing lightly on his feet near Zuko.

"I know a spot just outside the Capital where I can get into the underground tunnels. There's a group who can help."

"You mean there are...insurgents in the Fire Nation?" asked Sokka.

Zuko hesitated as he thought about the Order. "I...I guess you could call them that."

"Well it would've been nice if they helped us during the invasion!" he exclaimed.

"There aren't enough of them to overthrow the Fire Lord."

"Even a few extra men might've been helpful...," Sokka continued arguing softly until he caught Zuko glaring at him.

Zuko picked up his swords and strapped them to his back, and then he picked up his bag. "I don't know how long I'll be..."

"We're going with you," said Aang.

Zuko paused and looked at him. "I'm not sure what I'll be walking into. If the group I'm looking for has been compromised, we can't risk anything happening to you."

"We care about Chiara too," he said. "And we're going to do whatever we can to save her."

"We're going with you, Sparky," said Toph. "You might as well just accept it."

He let out a soft sigh. "Fine."

The trek to the Capital was long on foot, and Zuko's worry for Chiara's life seemed to grow exponentially every moment they were apart. Zuko and Aang had been up most of the night, and despite the few hours of sleep the others got, they were all exhausted, but Zuko did not want to stop until they were somewhere hidden and safe.

It was hours later when they entered the tunnels. With a flame in his hand, he led them through twists and turns until they arrived at a hidden passage. Since it was still several hours before sunlight and Zuko knew there would be no one at the hideout, they decided to rest for a while. Toph created an opening in the wall and enclosed them in a room big enough for the five of them to sleep without the worry of being discovered. While the others quickly fell asleep, Zuko could only lay there half-asleep, his body desiring to shut down but his mind unable to completely relax, still aware of every sound and vibration.

Even his location underground could not break Zuko's connection to the sun, and a clearer consciousness washed over his exhausted mind just as the first rays of sunlight were pouring over the horizon. They resumed their walk following the passageway until they came to the secret Fire Nation headquarters of the Order of the White Lotus. Zuko had the others remain outside the door until he was sure it was safe.

Entering the hideout, he found Yuzo whose eyes grew wide when he saw him. "Prince Zuko...what...what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Chiara," he answered anxiously.

Yuzo was stunned and he was wondering if the young prince had gone crazy with grief wandering through the Fire Nation searching for his deceased wife like an old ghost story.

"I...I'm sorry, Prince Zuko...I don't understand...," he started, not knowing what to say to him. "I thought you escaped on the day of the eclipse."

"I did. I found Chiara and took her with me, but they took her again. I need to know if they brought her here."

Yuzo was still puzzled as he was sure that she had been executed.

"If what you say is true, I haven't heard anything about her."

Zuko was feeling frustrated that Yuzo did not seem to believe him. "Look, there's a hidden hallway behind the wall of the West Corridor on the first floor of the prison. Azula kept her there in the last cell." Yuzo was clearly surprised to learn something about the prison that neither he nor any of his operatives had known. "If you could have someone check it out for me, find out if she's been imprisoned there..."

Yuzo was nodding his head. "I'll get someone on it."

The door suddenly creaked, and they turned towards the young airbender, Water Tribe siblings, and earthbender who had been piled at the doorway peeking inside.

"Um...you're going to help find Chiara?" Aang asked Yuzo.

"You're not alone, Prince Zuko," he said not taking his eyes off the group.

"Yeah," said Zuko rubbing the back of his neck feeling somewhat ashamed for allowing them to follow him into a dangerous situation. "They insisted on helping."

"Then you must be the Avatar," said Yuzo bowing formally to Aang. "I'm honored to meet you."

Aang entered the room and returned the bow.

"We will do what we can to find her," he answered Aang's question.

Zuko wanted to snap that that was not enough the last time as they insisted she had been executed and they never knew of the hidden prison cells, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Two days after arriving at the prison, the door of Chiara's cell opened and light in the hand of a firebender broke through the darkness. She was patiently meditating and she did not acknowledge the guard who stepped inside.

"Wake up, filth."

She refused to respond to the insult.

"Get up!" he yelled as he kicked her leg.

"Zedak," called the female guard, "that's not necessary."

"It is when the traitor refuses to do as it's told."

Despite the lack of food Chiara preferred the isolation over dealing with rude, abusive guards. She stood up.

"Go," he said as he glared at her.

She walked out of the cell where the female guard was standing.

"This way," said Nai.

Chiara followed her down the dark hall and then out into the brilliant morning sunlight. She squinted and covered her eyes having been temporarily blinded by the bright light which was too much for her, and it took a few minutes to adjust to it. They crossed the courtyard and entered the chow hall which was a large room devoid of tables where the prisoners were sitting around on the floor eating. On the other side of the hall, in front of the kitchen food was being served by another prisoner of war, a former Earth Kingdom officer.

"Make way for traitor filth," announced Zedak as he pushed her forward. "If it was up to me, you would be given nothing," he growled to her as he shoved towards the food server. "Make sure you give the Water Nation wife of Prince Zuko the royal treatment, Gui." Zedak walked off.

Picking up a bowl, Chiara moved in front of the server who gave her a small amount of porridge.

"Enemy sympathizer," he spoke under his breath.

She said nothing, but she took her bowl and found an empty corner where she sat. While she was eating, she noticed an elderly Fire Nation prisoner in line for food. He was struggling to walk as he carried his bowl. Chiara immediately got up and walked over to him.

"Take my arm for support," she said softly as she offered her arm to him.

He hesitated as he wondered if it was some trick, but then he took it. As he stood before Gui, he held out his bowl. Gui glared at him and Chiara before pouring half a portion into his bowl.

"Where's the rest?" asked the old man after realizing he was not getting anymore.

"That's the new portion by order of the Fire Princess," he said looking at Chiara.

"This is ridiculous. We can't live off half rations. Do your job."

"What's going on, Sota?" asked the guard who saw them arguing.

"He won't give me my full ration," he said.

The guard looked at Gui.

"Hey, I'm just giving the new Fire Princess and her friends what they deserve."

"I'm not her friend," said Sota as he pulled away from her. "Now give me my food."

"You heard him," said the guard to Sota. "You've got your new portion. Now go before you lose what you have."

He limped off complaining.

"You're already causing trouble," said the guard to Chiara. "Go!"

She turned and followed Sota, and as he sat down to eat she poured the content of her bowl into his.

"I'm sorry," she said softly before quickly walking off.

She walked to the exit where one of the guards took her outside.

"Zedak!" he called. "This one yours?"

He walked up to them and frowned at Chiara. "Done already?"

"She's causing trouble."

Zedak glared at her. "Then I've got the perfect job for this Water filth."

He grabbed her by her upper arm pulling her towards a bucket of water where he forced her to her knees. He dropped a scrub brush and cloths next to her.

"This floor better shine when you're done," he said. "And if you even think of waterbending a drop, you'll find yourself in solitary with no food."

He walked off.

Better than Azula, she thought to herself, and then she began scrubbing the floor.

Since their arrival in the secret tunnels, the Gaang had been staying in an underground bunker while Yuzo arranged for guards to search the hidden cells in the Prison Tower. Meanwhile, Sokka and Katara went out into the streets to see if they could learn any information. Zuko had been on edge as time went on and spent most of his time pacing in the bunker.

"If you don't stop pacing, you're going to wear a hole through the floor," said Toph.

"What else am I supposed to do?" he said. "I feel useless sitting here doing nothing."

"You know, a wise uncle once told me 'there's nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you,'" she said. "You have people who love you that are out there trying to help you...well, maybe not Katara...she really doesn't like you. But Sokka loves you. He won't admit it, but...yeah, he loves you."

Zuko was wishing Toph would stop talking.

"And both of them love Chiara," she continued. "They'll do what they can to help find her."

"You just have to be patient," said Aang.

"I don't want to be patient," he said. "I want to find my wife. It's been days; she could be dead by now."

"Don't kill her off yet, Sparky. They targeted her for a reason, and if they didn't kill her a few days ago, they're not going to do it now."

"My sister could be torturing her."

"And you think she would do that without finding a way to let you know? I'm sure if evil princess has the good princess, she'll want you to know it just for the pleasure of tormenting you."

Zuko did not have a response as he remembered his last encounter with his sister and he realized Toph had a point, but it did not relieve his anxiety.

"Sokka and Katara are back," she said.

"Did you learn anything?" Zuko immediately asked before they even stepped foot through the door.

"No," said Sokka. "Everyone who spoke about it said she was executed before the eclipse."

Zuko was confused. "If she was brought here, there would've been some information about it," he said. "Even rumors, especially if it was a trap to get me here." He was holding Chiara's sword and staring at it as he worried about her. "And you're sure they were Fire Nation soldiers at the air temple?" he asked for what seemed like the millionth time to Sokka.

"Yes. Believe me, I know what Fire Nation soldiers look like. I told you before, at first I thought it was you jerkbending at Chiara, but it turned out to be real jerks. They were going to take Katara because she was a waterbender, so they assumed she was your wife."

"Did they say why?" asked Zuko hoping he would discover new information he might have missed the last several times he had them recount their story.

"They said they were looking for 'the wife of the traitor Prince Zuko' and they knew she was a waterbender."

It hurt Zuko to hear what they called her.

Towards late afternoon, Chiara had completed scrubbing most of the large area she had been assigned. She was feeling exhausted and famished, especially since Gui dropped her midday ration of bread into the bucket of dirty water when he walked by. While she was busy scrubbing up the last few tiles, the bucket had been forced on its side and dirty water splashed everywhere.

"You missed a spot!" yelled Zedak having kicked the bucket over. "This isn't the royal palace, filth! We don't have servants to clean up after you. That's your job now."

Without a word, she began sopping up the water ringing it back into the bucket.

Zuko looked up as Yuzo walked in, the look on the prince's face asking the question before he spoke. "Anything?"

The look on Yuzo's face answered the question before he spoke. "I'm sorry, Prince Zuko. She isn't being held anywhere in the Tower. The hidden cells were checked but there was no one in them. They even checked the other floors to see if there might be other passages, but there were none. And none of our guards have heard any news on her being captured."

Zuko did not know what to do.

"I don't think we're going to find out anymore information here," said Toph. "We need to start searching somewhere else."

"But where can we search next?" asked Katara.

"Maybe...maybe we should check the colonies near the air temple," said Zuko. "They may be detaining her somewhere else hoping I'd come back to the Capital."

"You should wait until evening before leaving," said Yuzo. "I'll arrange transport for you back over the mountains."

"Thank you, Yuzo," said Zuko softly.

Chiara was still cleaning up the mess Zedak had made for her while the other prisoners were eating dinner.

"Zedak," called Nai as she walked over to him. "She needs to go to the chow hall before they clean up."

"The traitor'll go when it's finished with the floor."

"She's barely eaten anything in days," argued Nai. "The warden doesn't want her dead."

"I don't think he'll care if something happens to it."

"Look, I don't want her dead on our watch. Just take her to the chow hall."

Zedak growled before looking at Chiara. "Get up, Water filth."

She slowly stood up, her back sore and her stomach empty. When she was on her feet, Zedak took her to the dining hall where Gui only filled her bowl halfway with stew, but she was relieved to have it.

That evening she was locked in a small, dark cell for the night where she lay down on the mat exhausted. As she touched her empty ring finger, her last thoughts were of Zuko wondering what he was going through and worrying that he was, in his impulsiveness, looking for her, and she hoped he would not go back to the capital. Though she wanted to see him again, she knew it was more important that he continue training Aang. Curling up on the mat, she imagined sitting in the river beneath the moonlight wrapped in her prince's warm embrace.

It was late at night when the Gaang left the Fire Nation to fly back towards the Earth Kingdom. Sokka looked at Zuko who had been sitting listlessly in Appa's saddle staring at Chiara's sword.

"She went easy on you, you know," Sokka said to him.

Zuko lifted his eyes from her sword and looked at him wondering what he was talking about. Then he realized he was referring to him and Chiara sparring. It was the first time he smiled since she was gone. It was a small grin, and it was involuntary, but the memory of their fight brought it to his face.

His eyes moved back to her sword.

"She was incredible when we were fighting the soldiers," said Sokka. "She was really good going up against those jerkbenders, pinning some of them to the trees with her arrows. I've never seen anyone move so quickly."

"She was trained to fight them," said Zuko still staring at her sword.

"I think she let you win."

"She probably did," he said in a soft voice, nearly a whisper.

"If only we had been near the river, we could've stopped them," said Katara breaking into their conversation. "All I had was my skin of water. They wouldn't have been able to beat us if we both had the river to fight with."

Zuko reminisced her fighting with the river in the Earth Kingdom when they were trying to escape the army sent after them.

Early in the morning, hours before sunrise, Appa landed in the Earth Kingdom not far from the Fire Nation colony where they last re-supplied. The Gaang slept until the sun came up, and then they resumed their search for information on Chiara.

In the prison word had spread quickly that Chiara was Prince Zuko's wife and the adopted daughter of General Iroh, and many of the Fire Nation guards and prisoners regarded her as a usurper and spy, while the few Earth Kingdom prisoners saw her as an enemy sympathizer and betrayer.

After her small breakfast, Zedak took her to a construction site where several of the prisoners were being forced to excavate rocks and move large stones for an addition to the prison.

"This is where you'll be working today, filth," he said to her. "You think you're royalty; now you'll be working for the good of the Fire Nation." He shoved her forward. "And I better see you working."

She started moving stones with the other prisoners.

"Seems like a waste of time," said one of the guards to Zedak as they stood watching her. "The load she can carry seems negligible."

"Yeah, but it makes for good entertainment," he replied.

"I'll give her an hour before she collapses."

Zedak laughed.

"I don't know," said another guard. "She finished the floor Zedak set her to yesterday, and I didn't think she'd get half of it done."

"Yeah, but scrubbing floors is one thing," the first guard argued. "The little princess probably hasn't done anything this hard in her life."

"I'll bet tonight's dessert that she goes at least 'til midday rations," said the other guard.

"You're on," said the first. "I'll stick with one hour."

"And no interfering, Zedak."

He just laughed at the two of them.

"You guys are betting on her work?" asked Nai having heard the three guards.

"No," said Zedak. "They're betting on the filth's survival."

Nai rolled her eyes. "Why do you have her doing this anyways?" she asked him. "Female prisoners aren't supposed to do this kind of labor."

"That filth isn't just any female prisoner, Nai. She's a spy in the Fire Nation. She's a foreigner who married the traitor Prince in an attempt to get her Water Tribe claws into the Fire Nation throne. Do you really want to be ruled by some filthy savage?"

"I'm not sure I believe all those rumors."

"They aren't rumors," he said.

"Really?" she asked. "Then explain how she's still alive when the last rumors circulating said she had been executed in Capital City Prison."

"So you're taking the side of traitor filth?" he asked.

"I'm not taking anyone's side. But you've been intent on mistreating her since she arrived."

"I'm only doing what Warden Idem said. I'm making sure I give her a job worthy of her traitor Water filth status."

Nai was frustrated with Zedak's obstinance so she walked off.

Late in the afternoon, Chiara was still moving stones after a short break when all the prisoners were given bread at midday. While they were all working, there was a loud crash followed by someone screaming. Near the larger boulders, Chiara saw a prisoner lying on the ground beneath a stone that had rolled over on him, and his leg was pinned beneath it. While several guards and prisoners were pushing the stone off its victim, Chiara took water from a bucket and ran over to the injured prisoner. Once the stone was removed, she knelt down by the man's leg.

"What are you doing?" demanded one of the guards over the agonizing wailing of the wounded prisoner. "Get away from him; he's injured."

"Please, I can help him," she said softly, not taking her eyes off the injury as she lifted his pant leg.

The guard scowled at her, but more so that he had earlier lost the bet, and therefore his dessert that night.

"Wow, the traitor princess can speak," said the guard who was going to enjoy two desserts with dinner.

She quickly began healing the injury fearing that the guards might pull her away, but seeing the water glowing over the man's leg, everyone stopped moving and stared at her. The injured prisoner was no longer yelling as he felt the pain subside, and everyone stood gaping in awe at her ability.

"Give him time to recover," she said to the guard as she washed the blood from the victim's leg. "He should be fine by tomorrow."

She moved to help the prisoner to his feet.

"What's going on over here?" yelled Zedak as he walked up to the scene. Seeing Chiara helping the prisoner stand, he became enraged, and he pulled her by her arm away from him. "Who said you could stop working?!" he yelled. "Get back to work...all of you!"

They took the prisoner who had been injured to the infirmary to have him checked by the medic while everyone else returned to work.