"I love you, my Prince," Chiara continued whispering her mantra.

"Stop!" yelled Zuko.

As Idem was giving the order to execute her, an enormous ring of fire shot out. Hearing painful cries, Chiara opened her eyes and looked in time to see Zuko's mangled shackles fall to the ground as the flame that encircled him knocked down everyone around him, including the warden and the executioner. The blast he created was similar to the one he created when she had been wounded by a sword, but this flame was so strong and hot, it melted the shackles from his wrists yet left no burns on him. Everyone else was stunned that Zuko could still firebend after having been in the cooler all night, and even more so by the ferocity of his firebending which was terrifying, yet impressive. Sokka, Dako, and Zomi, who had been in the quarters with the night guards, as well as Nai who had gone for them, had just come running out to see everyone around Zuko lying on the ground struggling to crawl away under the pain of their injuries, while the prince himself was attacking any other guards who had the nerve to try and stop him.

Backup arrived after Jiro released all the prisoners in lockdown, and now a full blown riot had started among the prisoners and guards. The allied guards involved in the plan did not fight as hard as they could have allowing the prisoners to gain the upper hand. Sokka discarded his Fire Nation helmet, and after freeing Hakoda from his chains, they started fighting alongside the prisoners. The specialized teams went to work breaking through to the first sector, who, once involved, set about their tasks of breaking through to the entrance yard and taking control of the gondolas.

Idem with the help of his personal guards was able to get out of the sector, and they quickly made for the entrance yard. Spotting the warden, Suki immediately ran towards him. Fire came towards her from one of his guards, and she moved to the side punching him in the chest. Another guard kicked fire at her, but not before she slid underneath his leg and threw him over her. Dodging the fire blasts of another, she kicked him away from her and grabbed Idem's hand threatening to punch him in the face.

"You wouldn't dare," he hissed.

She did not hold back and broke his nose before pulling his hands behind his back and tying them. "Sorry, Warden, you're my prisoner now." She pulled him along to the entrance yard where the members of her team stood amazed that she accomplished their task without their help.

Back in the labor sector, Zuko was aggressively fighting several guards at the same time. In one direction he threw up a wall of fire that blocked an attack from one guard, while smoothly moving to create a blast of fire that dissipated a fire missile from another, and he continued moving to send out a bright flame of his own with enough power to break through incoming fire and throw another opponent on his back. None of the allied guards would even dare to pretend to fight him as some watched in awe and fear. Zuko's mind was completely absorbed with defeating the enemy and freeing Chiara. He could feel the intensity of his inner flame, and he was sure that he had the power to easily take their lives with minimal effort to accomplish his goal. But there was a part of him that remembered that these guards were still Fire Nation citizens who were raised on the lies and only needed to understand the truth. He was in control, and he would defeat them without shedding their blood unless absolutely necessary. In his mind there were only two exceptions to his mercy in the prison.

Chiara, still chained to the post, desperately wanted to fight with Zuko and protect him as was always her desire, but she could not break free of her chains. It was clear, though, he had no need of anyone's help or protection, so she watched with complete admiration his fantastic display of firebending. His movements were smooth and flowing, almost like a waterbender, yet powerful and strong, and she could tell as she observed him that each move could have been potentially lethal if he had willed it to be. Suddenly drawing her attention from his fight, she saw Zedak angrily walking towards her while moving to throw a stream of fire in her direction. She turned her head away unable to move from its path or shield her face otherwise, and she tensed up waiting for the pain of the fire to strike her. Tears filled her eyes as she clenched them shut, but there was no pain. When she ventured to open them she saw a wall of fire between her and Zedak, and a well-aimed missile knocked him off his feet before he could move another step. She had never been out of Zuko's watchful eye even in the middle of his battle. Before Zedak had even hit the ground, Zuko turned back sending out a blast behind him that blocked a stream of fire heading towards him from another guard and then he kicked up a burst of flame that sent his opponent to the ground. He immediately turned back to Zedak who was struggling to get up. When he looked up and saw fire in the prince's eyes as he approached him, he was immediately filled with terror, and he forced himself to his feet and hobbled off through the crowd. Unwilling to leave Chiara chained and unprotected, Zuko refused to pursue him, but before he could assist her, several guards attempted to overtake him. During his battle, he nearly threw a fire blast at someone heading towards Chiara until he realized it was Izin who had been released from his cell with the other prisoners.

"Thank you, Izin," she said when he unlocked her chains.

She quickly pulled water from buckets around the yard to defend Zuko who smiled when he saw the water shield. More firebenders joined the guards attacking him, and as several streams of fire came at him, he punched out his own flames that dispelled some while Chiara sent out streams of water to dissolve the others. To incapacitate the firebenders, she began binding their hands and feet with ice.

"Someone get them shackled!" yelled Zuko when he saw the guards unable to fight.

One of the teams responsible for securing the guards ran up with shackles and started cuffing the wrists of any that Chiara had frozen.

Izin insisted on remaining near her assigning himself as her bodyguard despite Zuko constantly watching over her even while fighting his own battles. As the number of guards that were restrained increased, and seeing the power of Zuko's firebending, there were no more left who were willing to continue fighting him. Chiara, followed by Izin, walked towards the captured guards, a mix of enemies and secret allies, sitting in an area where they were being guarded by the prisoners assigned to that task. She began healing any injuries they sustained, mostly burns, some of the worst caused by Zuko's initial fire blast that broke him free. Not one among them complained, argued, or threatened her for her healing touch, and the guards who had been part of the plan had secretly welcomed it. Zuko joined her while she was working, and when she finished with the group, she stood next to him as he addressed them.

"I hope that one day you will all join me in welcoming a change in leadership that we might lead the Fire Nation away from self-destruction and onto a path of peace."

Both he and Chiara bowed respectfully. It was their covert way of thanking those who had helped them without betraying their alliance. Chiara made eye contact with Nai giving her a small smile. Then Zuko took Chiara's hand and they left the labor sector to head towards the entrance, Izin staying with them. She stopped to heal anyone who had been wounded, especially the ones who were seriously injured, though she was thankful there were none that were life-threatening. While they were in the first sector, three prisoners from that sector, as soon as they saw Zuko and Chiara, protectively surrounded them as she was healing the wounded.

Moving towards the entrance yard, Zuko was nearly hit by a stream of fire. The three prisoners and Izin stood in front of him and Chiara.

"Traitor prince," growled Zedak.

Zuko's eyes narrowed in anger, and forcing himself between his own guards, he ran after him.

"Prince Zuko...," said one of the men as they followed.

Zedak threw fire at him, but the prince smoothly punched out a fire blast that quickly dissolved the attack.

"I told you you won't touch her again," said Zuko angrily.

Zedak turned to run, but the prince was out for blood, and the fire he sent at him struck him in the back forcing him face-forward onto the ground. Zuko walked towards him with a fire dagger in his hand. Zedak struggled to get up, but he could only watch the prince approach him. Chiara immediately ran towards them.

"Princess...," called Izin as he followed her.

Pulling water from a nearby barrel, she threw up an ice wall between the Zuko and Zedak, and then she quickly wrapped Zedak in water freezing him in place.

"You filthy Water whore! Let me go!" he yelled as he struggled to break free.

Zuko had run around the wall and knelt next to him, right fist back ready to strike him. "I'm going to make you pay for how you treated her," he threatened.

"No," said Chiara as she walked up and knelt down. He stopped and looked at her. "Please don't."

"He abused you for a month," he said deeply.

She took his left hand holding it in her own. "But he couldn't break me," she said to his surprise.

He was still angry at Zedak. "He should be executed for the way he treated you."

"His family lost enough from this war."

He could not resist her, and he relaxed his fist. Chiara turned towards Zedak and began healing his wounds starting with his chest.

He tried to recoil at her touch but was still unable to move in his ice restraints. "Get off me, Water filth," was all he could spit out.

Zuko was incensed, and she placed a hand on his wrist to calm him down before covering Zedak's mouth with ice. When she finished with his other wounds, she stood up and pulled Zuko towards the entrance yard. "Let's go; we're almost free."

Izin pulled Zedak's wrists together and bound them with shackles. "The Fire Princess just saved you from a well-deserved punishment, Zedak. Now you owe her."

He was trying to yell at Izin, but the ice muffled his voice. He continued struggling, but the prisoners were gone.

In the entrance yard Suki still had the warden restrained and on his knees while Sokka and Hakoda were directing other prisoners onto the gondolas and sending them to the other side. Zuko and Chiara walked up to Warden Idem who had a stream of blood coming from his nose.

"Fire Lord Ozai will have you both executed for this!" he said angrily.

Suki smacked him in the back of the head, but Zuko, taking a more threatening approach, produced a fire blade which he held to Idem's throat.

"I'm going to execute you for what you did to my wife..." His voice was so deep and dangerous, Izin and the three firebenders surrounding them all felt nervous hearing his threat.

"Prince Zuko," said Chiara in a most tender voice that touched his heart, and he knew what was coming. He stopped and looked at her. "Please spare his life."

"But he wouldn't have spared yours," he said, his voice still deep.

"I don't believe in vendetta," she said. She placed her hand on his wrist. "I beg you to have mercy, my Prince."

He felt a sense of calm in her touch, like the moon tempering the blinding light of the sun. For years he had been a slave to Ozai carrying a heavy burden of a seemingly futile quest just to earn the approval of his heartless father. It was then that there were times he had looked into Chiara's enchanting eyes, and forced himself to resist his desire to obey her request, whether it was regarding the safety of his crew or mercy towards the Avatar or his companions. He was no longer a slave to Ozai; he now found himself a slave to Chiara, but there was no burden in his servitude to her. It was desire—a sweet, pleasant longing to do whatever she asked of him knowing that it would never be impossible or unreasonable. She only had to flash her beautiful eyes at him, and he could not refuse her.

"Only for you then." He pulled back from Idem restraining his urge to avenge her.

Chiara looked at the warden. "Prince Zuko's mercy is the only grace you'll see, Warden. My father-in-law won't be so merciful."

Zuko could not help a slight smirk at her words, and he turned to Idem. "When Ozai discovers that you let all these prisoners escape, including me, you'll be the one he has executed."

Chiara drew up a small orb of water before kneeling in front of Idem.

"My mercy isn't shallow," she said. "A gift from the Tribe you slaughtered." She held the water over the severe burns on his arms and chest that he had sustained when Zuko broke free of his bonds.

"Get away from me, you savage," he growled at her while futilely struggling to break free.

Suki wrapped his headband over his mouth to silence him.

When Chiara finished with his burns, she healed his broken nose. "Warden Idem, I thank you for your hospitality."

Zuko, Izin, Suki, and the other prisoners nearby were confused by her words, and Zuko reached down to take her arm.

"Chiara, don't..."

"If you had not invited me into your prison," she continued still kneeling before Idem, "I never would've met so many honorable people."

The warden looked even angrier, and everyone listening was now stunned.

"And inviting Prince Zuko to remain here," she continued, "it gave him the chance to pardon many Fire Nation prisoners. You've made such a difference to so many people."

Zuko and the other prisoners were laughing to themselves, and they did not think it was possible for Idem to look even more irate, but he proved them wrong. Zuko helped her as she stood up.

"You told me when I arrived that escape was impossible," she said. "Thank you for allowing my amazing husband and our friends the opportunity to accomplish the impossible."

They all turned away to head towards the gondolas. If they had not been so anxious to escape, Zuko would have kissed her for her words before she could take another step.

Hakoda and Sokka were still sending groups across the lake when they arrived. While they were waiting, the three firebenders that had remained with them knelt before Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, you may not remember me. I am Kaito..."

Chiara's eyes grew wide. "Kaito and Ezo." She looked at Zuko whose eyes also widened in recognition.

"Shu Jing," he said. "Of course I remember you." He motioned them to stand.

"Shu Jing," said Sokka. "Isn't that where Master Piandao lives?"

Zuko nodded. "They were our escorts," he said. "You're Imperial Firebenders."

"Kaito also escorted me to Ba Sing Se," said Chiara, her tone one of sadness as she recalled Lu Ten.

Kaito nodded, and the two guards were impressed that they remembered them.

"I'm sorry I don't recognize you," said Zuko to the third.

"I am Shin, Prince Zuko. I was also an Imperial Firebender. I was often assigned to escort Princess Azula to the Royal Fire Academy."

"I'm sorry," said Zuko sincerely. "How did you all end up in Boiling Rock?"

"We know that Prince Iroh should have been Fire Lord," said Kaito. "When Ozai declared him a traitor after the Siege of the North, we offered our resignations, and for that we were branded traitors and imprisoned. We are loyal to Prince Iroh, and as you have fought for him, we pledge our allegiance to you and his daughter, Princess Chiara."

Zuko nodded. "My uncle would be proud to have you join us."

"Have you heard from him, your Highness?" asked Ezo.

"No," said Zuko. "I last saw him in prison before the eclipse. I was told he broke out, and I can only hope he's safe."

"There are others within the palace that are loyal to Prince Iroh," said Kaito. "It's only out of fear that they submit to Ozai."

"That's the only way he knows how to rule," said Zuko bitterly.

"And he's about to go down," said Sokka.

After sending the remaining prisoners to the other side, Zuko, Chiara, Sokka, Hakoda, Suki, Izin, and the three Imperial Firebenders went last.

Across the lake the warden's airship was docked. It had been Sozoh and Zaro's job to load everyone onto the airship and be ready to leave once everyone was aboard.

When Zuko and Chiara arrived on the ship, they stopped and looked around.

"Everyone's on board?" Zuko asked Sozoh.

"Yes, Prince Zuko."

"Then it's time to go."

Zuko and Chiara looked at each other, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly, lifting her off her feet.