Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Was the roaring in the room or in her ears?
It's up to you now, Ceba, she thought as the two guards she had knocked down rushed at her. Would they kill her here to make sure the job was done?
Ceba, I'm so sorry.
She hoped he wouldn't wait that long for her. She prayed he would find some way to get away from this forsaken island.
She should have never brought them here.
One hundred years of hiding, of protecting their culture and she had failed.
But. . . .
A sense of peace came over her as the guards neared, one reaching for the hilt of his sword.
As long as Ceba was safe, maybe she hadn't failed after all.
Goodbye, Ceba.
"WAIT!"
The guards stuttered to a halt.
Opame let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
What . . . .
She slowly turned her head, looking to the Prince, who was back on his feet, arm outstretched in her direction. Everyone else was looking at him to, including his father, but Zuko kept his gaze on Opame. He was too far away for her to tell, but she thought there was an angry glint in his eye. She couldn't imagine how he felt in this moment and it terrified her to think about it. She knew enough about him to know his family's approval meant everything to him.
So what was he doing?
"Zuko," Fire Lord Ozai started. The flames in front of him were bright and Opame wondered how hot it was up there on that dais. "I am sure I don't have to remind you what happened last time you spoke out in a council meeting."
Zuko hesitated, but he nodded. "Yes, Father. However, I don't think she should be killed."
"And why is that?" the Fire Lord asked through clenched teeth. "Just her very existence is an insult to the Fire Nation!"
"I –" Zuko met Opame's eye again before he stilled himself, standing up straight and looking to his father. "She said it herself, Father. She is the last Airbender, her and the one who escaped. They're practically collectibles."
"I'm inclined to agree with Zuko, Father," Azula spoke up suddenly. Surprised, Opame looked to the princess, but the girl's smirk took away any thought of a possible kindness. Azula was up to something. "People may be able to claim that they own artifacts from the Air Nomads, but I'm sure no one can say they own an actual Air Nomad."
The Fire Lord turned his gaze back to Opame and she felt sick to her stomach as he appraised her. Was he – considering it? "She's wild."
"That just makes her that much more fun to break," Azula responded with a cruel smile. "Besides, if we kill her now, you may never find her brother."
Ozai stood, folding his hands into his sleeves. "I want scouts sent out searching for the other Airbender. Azula, you said that she was brought here by her cousin?"
"Yes, Father."
"Guards, have someone bring the woman here."
"No, please," Opame gasped out, taking a step forward. The two guards gripped her arms, holding her back. "Please, she didn't know, I swear she didn't!"
"Take her away and lock her in the black box. We'll figure out what to do with her after the invasion."
The two guards tightened their grip on her arms, picking her up and carrying her out of the council room. Zuko eyes met hers once more before he looked away.
Opame recognized the path the guards dragged her along, towards the prison where Zuko's Uncle was also held. She did not recognize the stairwell they went down, one of the guards holding a flame in his hand, as they descended further into darkness. Directly at the bottom of the stairs was a big, black metal door. The other guard let go of her to unlock the door and the two of them dragged her in, throwing her to the ground and locking a shackle around her ankle.
Without a word, the two guards left, closing the door behind her and plunging her into the dark.
Sitting up, she pressed herself back against the wall, wrapping her arms around her legs, thinking over her situation.
She was chained to a wall in a dark prison.
Her brother was out there, hiding. He would wait one more day for her, maybe two, before he (hopefully) tried to run. That was the plan. An invasion meant possible allies and she hoped he would find them.
She wasn't dead, but they planned to but her on exhibit like an antique. Honestly, she wasn't sure which was worse.
The strength that Opame had had in the Council Room was gone, though she wanted nothing more than to run while they brought her to prison. Though she had trained at school and had practiced Airbending forms with her mother, she had very little opportunity to actually spar. In the Council Room, her body had moved on its own, the words flowed by themselves. She had felt more supported than she had in over a month, though now she only felt exhaustion.
Time seemed nonexistent in the black box, which she supposed was the point. Opame thought she may have fallen asleep though sitting against the wall was extremely uncomfortable. She couldn't hear anything either and she wondered if the guards stayed in front of her cage or not; she supposed there wasn't any way for her to get out.
Getting up, Opame walked as far as her chain would allow her to go, the shackle rattling painfully on her ankle. The room wasn't too big, but the chain only stretched to the middle, far enough away to keep her from attacking someone should they open the door, probably. Reaching down, she grabbed the chain, jiggling it.
I wonder –
Metal scrapped against metal and Opame sat quickly as the rectangle window on the door of her cell was pulled open.
She supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised to see golden eyes glaring down at her, the flame he was holding in his palm making them flash. This was how Zuko coped, she realized after visiting his Uncle. She had wondered how often he had gone to visit Iroh, though she figured it was a lot.
"No," she said, placing her head on her knees and closing her eyes.
"What do you mean 'no'?" Zuko asked, his eyes narrowing even more.
"I don't have the energy to help you relieve your guilt," Opame answered, listlessly.
"My guilt? I have nothing to feel guilty over. You're the one who lied to me!"
"I never lied." Opame looked up, frowning at the boy. "I told you that I had a secret I was trying to protect."
"You should have told me!"
"And then what? Would you have hidden me and my brother?" A sad smile came to her face when Zuko hesitated. "I feel bad for you. You're struggling to be accepted by people who could care less about you."
"You don't know anything! My father sent for me today, for that meeting. He requested that I be sat at his right side!"
"You want their love so badly you can't even see them for who they are . . . or worse, you do, and you just don't care."
"You do not get to talk about my family like that!" Zuko yelled, hitting the door. "You have no idea what it means to love your family unconditionally!"
"You're right, because any family I may have known was killed by yours." She hadn't yelled but Zuko took a step back as if he had been slapped. "And yet, I accepted you anyway, because I thought you were different from them. I thought we were friends. . . ."
"What more do you want from me?" Zuko hissed, leaning against her door, a tinge of desperation in his voice. "I spoke up for you. I kept them from killing you!"
"I don't see this as better, sir," Opame responded, placing her head back on her knees. "If you were expecting a thank you, you've come to the wrong place."
There was a pause. Zuko sighed. "The invasion is happening soon. . . . At least you'll be safe here."
With that, the Prince slid the window closed. A sob rose in her throat and she threw her hands over her mouth to stop it. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she gripped the sides of her pants, trying to calm herself down. Her heart felt so heavy but something else was settling there as well – determination. She needed to find some way out of here, find Ceba and run. They would have to get used to running as they would no longer be safe, not now that the Fire Nation knew they existed. They would have to keep running.
She wrapped her fingers around the chain again. It didn't feel too thick. Standing, Opame walked forward, stretching the chain out once more.
Sprits, she hoped this didn't end badly.
Opame raised her right hand over her shoulder and slashed down. The gust of air hit the chain, making it rattled. She paused, waiting, but no one came running. Perhaps, the sound proofing went both ways.
Good for her.
Zuko sprinted down the stairs, taking them a few at a time, the keys jingling in his hand. The sound of fighting, explosions could be heard even that far down in the prison. The black door came into view and Zuko felt like his heart was in his throat.
She was going to hate him.
He had said such horrible things to her.
Or she probably thought he hated her, not that he had given her much reason to think otherwise.
While his uncle had somehow spirited himself away, Zuko knew that this was the next best decision he could make. He had so much to atone for and there was no better place to start than the girl he let get locked up. All he could really do was hope that she'd forgive him.
He inserted the key into the lock, turning it. "Opame, I'm –"
Zuko cried out as a force hit him hard in the chest, blowing backwards. His back slammed into the steps and he rolled over as something leaped over him, hurrying up the stairs. "Wait, wait – Opame!"
She spun, her long hair flying across her face. He hurried to his feet, looking her over. There were dark circles under her eyes, making the grey look even stormier. The shackle that had held her to the wall now dangled around her ankle, a bruise forming from where it probably kept banging. She glared, holding up her hands. "I won't let you stop me."
"I'm – I'm not here to stop you!" Zuko reassured her. "I wanted to help."
"I don't know if I can use your kind of help, Prince Zuko."
"I'm ready to do better." Opame's hands lowered slightly, watching him warily. "I think – I know it's my destiny to teach the Avatar Firebending."
"You're not making any sense," she said, turning and hurrying up the stairs. Zuko hurried after her, the two of them pausing at the top when they thought they heard footsteps. Opame glared at him when the sound passed. "The Avatar is dead."
"He's not," Zuko responded. "I didn't – Azula always lies," he added, as explanation, Opame's eyes wide. "We don't have time for me to tell you everything. The Eclipse is ending and, if we want to get out of here, we'll need to leave now."
Opame stared at him for a while, those grey eyes taking him in. She looked away, continuing down the hallway. "I can't leave without my brother."
"It's been a day," Zuko reasoned. "My – The Firelord was scouring the island for him. Isn't it possible they might have found him . . . or that he got away?"
"This is something we've planned for," Opame responded. "I know exactly where he'll be."
Opame climbed up and over the rocks of the volcano, Zuko moving quietly and gracefully behind her. They stayed low to the ground, the sound of explosions in the distance as the Fire Nation pushed back the attack.
Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she moved quickly, climbing over a ledge and approaching a small open cave. Ceba would be here, she told herself. This was what they practice.
Cupping her hands on either side of her mouth, she whistled twice, a low short sound. Behind her, she could feel Zuko waiting, a bit impatiently, but he was keeping watch as well. She put her hands to her mouth again and repeated the whistle.
Nothing.
Long fingers wrapped around her wrist and she looked back at Zuko. The look he was giving her was one of pity, but she also recognized this was his way of telling her that they needed to move.
"Opame –"
Two whistles echoed out of the cave, higher pitched, longer. Opame whistled back quickly, matching the tone and the relief that flooded her body as Ceba inched his way cautiously out of the cave was so crushing that she fell to her knees.
Ceba dashed forward, crashing into her arms, clinging to her. He was dirty and a bit scratched up, their grandmother's satchel cinched tight across his chest, but he seemed fine otherwise. She pushed back his wild hair and placed her hands on either side of his face. "Why didn't you answer the first time?"
"I heard the call, but I was nervous and I –" Ceba stopped, looking past Opame. Before she could respond, he moved quickly, standing in front of his sister, fists up, glaring at Zuko. "Stay back!"
"Ceba, Ceba! It's alright!" Opame stood, grabbing one of her brother's hands. "The Prince broke me out of prison. He's going to help us get out of here."
"How can you trust him!?" Ceba cried out, not taking his eyes off Zuko. "He killed the Avatar, he's one of them!"
"Apparently, that's not true. Ceba," Opame said, leaning down to meet her brother's eyes. "Trust me, okay? You just have to trust me. I've got you, little brother."
"We really have to go," Zuko chimed up.
Opame looked back at him, nodding before she looked to Ceba, holding out her hand. Without hesitation, he took it, though he continued to glare at Zuko, even as they ran to make their escape.
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post! Life has been incredibly busy and I have been incredibly tired. Hopefully I can give you a couple of chapters this week!