Jiang tightened her grip as Sokka struggled.

"Well?" She demanded. "We haven't got all day!"

Katara looked around desperately, and then pointed at her. "Why are you doing this? Why go to all this trouble? Can't you just leave us alone?"

Jiang thought for a moment.

"Nah," she replied. "And that's all the monologue you're getting. Now come with me back to the cells."

By now, more members of Jiang's group had come to stand beside her; their group was critically outnumbered. A lot of the newcomers carried weapons, and a lot of them were casting angry looks at Katara in particular.

"Look, don't make me give your friend back a finger at a time," Jiang told them, rolling her eyes. "Because that will hurt him a lot more than it will hurt me."

Aang held his arms up and slowly approached her.

"Just let him go," he tried. "We'll go somewhere and we'll talk. Maybe we can help you."

"You can, but you have misread the situation. You are in no position to be making threats, not without your bending or the Avatar State. You are really beginning to test my pat-Aaaagh!"

Before Jiang could finish her sentence, the hand holding the knife suddenly sprouted a wooden shaft with feathers sticking out of it. It took Sokka a moment to realize it was an arrow, and as Jiang dropped her knife in shock and clutched at it, he looked past his friends at his saviour.

A man in a red and black uniform and a mask covering his eyes stood at the end of the corridor, and reached over his shoulder to retrieve another arrow for his bow. More dressed like him appeared around the corner, and all stood with their bows ready.

"In the name of Firelord Zuko, drop your weapons and surrender peacefully!" The man who had shot Jiang called.

The only response he got was a yell, as Jiang's friends charged. Their leader was dropped by an arrow, before the man who fired it dropped his bow and pulled a knife from his belt. The others followed, and suddenly the corridor was in chaos as archers did battle with their enemies.

"Who are these guys?" Sokka gasped.

"They're-" Aang began.

"They're Yuyan Archers," a voice said right next to Sokka. He yelped and swivelled to find two figures standing right behind him, both wearing masks and black The taller of the two figures took off his mask, revealing a familiar, scarred, face.

"Zuko!" Sokka went to hug him, but thought better of it in the middle of a fight and settled for the broadest grin he could give.

"We came as quickly as we could," Zuko told him earnestly.

"How many did you bring?" Sokka asked urgently.

"Just us and a detachment of Yuyan archers."

"Couldn't let you have all the fun," Fire Lady Mai added, pulling off her mask.

"Iroh's in charge," she added.

"Should we help?" The Firelord asked. Sokka turned to find the battle in full swing, with Yuyan archers and the members of team avatar working together against what seemed like hordes of

"We probably should," Sokka found his sword, and charged in. The others followed him, and he heard shouts of greeting and happiness as the others recognised the Royal couple. Zuko drew his swords and set them ablaze, each sword burning intensely and making entrancing patterns of light in the air as he carved through foes. Daggers and arrows flew through the air, pinning men and women to walls, and the clash of metal rang through the corridor.

Sokka parried a blow from one man, ducked under his next swing, and retreated from his next blows- walking backwards, he crashed into something and jumped in surprise, only to turn and see it was Ty Lee.

"Hey Sokka!" She greeted him happily, before Sokka was forced to turn his attention back to his attacker, who charged at him with his sword above his head. Sokka blocked the blow as he brought the weapon crashing down, and Ty Lee was suddenly between them, directing a series of quick blows at the man's arms and chest. As he collapsed, the Kyoshi Warrior was gone again just as quickly, moving to the next target. He looked around and his eyes found his sister, engaged in a waterbending duel against a man with long hair. Sokka moved behind her opponent and bashed him over the head, causing him to collapse. He reached down, took the man's water skin off his belt and threw it to her, but before it reached her Katara's eyes widened.

"Sokka, duck!" She called. He did, and with a flick of Katara's wrist the water skin stopped in midair and changed direction, whizzing back over his head with incredible speed- and hitting someone in the face.

"Thanks," he said, as Katara brought the pouch back to attach it to her belt. She nodded, and turned back to the fighting. Sokka looked around, just in time to see a woman charging him with a short sword. He hefted Space Sword and parried her first thrust, before responding with one of his own that forced her backwards. Instead of attacking him again with the sword, she drew her fist back and punched a jet of flame at him. Sokka reeled backwards, but the flame dispersed before it could reach him. He saw Zuko turn back to his own fight out of the corner of his eye, and then the woman was charging him again, slashing at him repeatedly. Sokka was able to fend her off each time, using the extra length that Space Sword had over her blade, but he was forced to give ground while he looked for an opening. Suddenly, there was a flash of gold and the sword was held in place by a fan.

Suki grinned at him.

"Well, hello," she said, knocking the sword out of the other woman's hand. She knocked the woman over and went back to back with Sokka again.

"I had that," he complained.

"Can't you just say thank you?" Sokka could almost hear her eyes rolling, but she didn't sound truly annoyed.

"I thought that went without saying."

"Does it ever?"

Sokka knocked aside an enemy club.

"No," he conceded.

By now, a lot of their enemies lay groaning on the floor again, along with a couple of Yuyan archers- one of whom sat against a wall cradling his arm. Sokka watched as another archer shot an enemy in the foot, as Ty Lee chi-blocked one who was trying to sneak up on Mai, who pinned another to a wall; as Katara froze another's sword arm in place and Zuko cut through another pair of enemies. He then had a thought.

"Wait, where's Aang?"