A/N: FINALLY! I FOUND THE FILE! No stupid, malfunctioning computer can keep me from writing! Muhahaha!...Um...Enjoy the chapter!
Prince Zuko leaned back against the cold, stone walls of an Earthbender jail cell. As if being an Earth Kingdom captive wasn't degrading enough, he had let himself be beaten by the guards for "breaking their rules" so many times, he lost count. He could feel the stinging of his injuries bask in the tiny relief the cool walls of cell gave him. The cold had set in when the sun had set from behind the bars of the miniature window high up along the far side of the cell. He used the view of the small window as a means of straying off as much boredom as he could. He shivered as the night covered the city in a dark blanket of quiet. He slowly, and painfully, drew his knees up to his chin, curling up against the wall to warm up.
Zuko had given up on meditating a while ago, and stuck with quietly sitting in the jail cell, thinking to himself. Anger was out of the question, he had long since thrown his daily tantrum, and was too tired to start up again. He almost laughed imagining how stupid he must have looked. The prince of Fire Nation curled up in an Earthbender prison wearing the thin grey shirt and pants that was normally worn under his armor, which was still stacked in the main room of the place. He shivered again, keeping his laughter to himself. He did not want that guard throwing and more punches, or rocks, at him again.
Prince Zuko glanced at the window now, bored again. He studied how the bars were bent in uneven lengths. It almost bugged him, in his boredom, to have to stare at such a pitiful piece f craftsmanship. He stared to study the newly shining stars that dotted the blackness between the steel bars. He jumped in surprise when he saw a black figure slip through the bars and into the room, disappearing onto the ceiling. He gazed up hoping it wasn't something come to make his predicament worse. He let his legs slide back down on the ground flat as he leaned forward and squinted. The black shape blended in with the dark networks of pipes and stone. His heart almost jumped into his mouth as he saw a figure swing in front of his face. He leapt back in shock and noticed Kaida hanging upside down from a low pipe with a faint grin. Her pale eyes quickly shifted to a vibrant orange, visible in the dim light. She fluidly slipped down from the pipe and onto the floor in front of him. Her smile quickly dissolved into a worried frown.
Could he be more embarrassed? A girl was rescuing HIM. He rolled his eyes, figuring it was his uncle's idea. He turned back to her with a glare, "What are you doing here," he hissed in a low whisper.
She gave him a confused stare, "Do you want to stay here? Your uncle sent me because I'm the only one who knew my way around here, and could fit through those bars. Now be quiet!" Her whisper was sharp and forceful, unlike her usual light tone. Her soft face was contorted in concentration and determination. He found himself staring…
So it was Uncle's idea, Zuko thought to himself.Prince Zuko didn't like being told what to do, especially by a girl, but knowing the guard, it was for the best. He kept his eye on the man in the green uniform, who was currently occupied by another prisoner, who kept whining about something Zuko couldn't make out. But it was obvious the man was annoyed by the prisoner and was trying his best to shut him up. The man had obviously been here a lot longer than Zuko had been.
"Let me see your hands," Kaida whispered to Zuko, which almost startled him. He had forgotten she was there for a moment.
"Why?" His hissed, he hated the idea she was helping. He didn't need any help.
"Do you want to get those chains off or what?" Her eyes were narrowed in annoyance, "I'm trying to help you!"
He sighed and lifted up his arms, those chains had long since broken the skin of his wrists, and therefore gone numb a while ago. She blew into the keyhole, her Airbending tweaked the little mechanisms to unlock it with ease. Earthbenders didn't forge metal as well as Fire Nation blacksmiths did, but their woodworking and mason work was astounding for sure. Zuko noticed her expression when he slid the shackles off revealing his cut up wrists and snorted in irritation. He could care less if they were bleeding or not, he just wanted to get out of this city and go to bed. He lifted himself to his feet unsteadily and glanced at the distressed guard again, making sure he was still distracted.
"Do you think you can fit through the bars?" Kaida asked quietly, her normal manner returning.
He sighed stiffly, she got the message he would at least try. She leapt up and pulled herself through again, turned, and waited for him to catch up. He walked over and jumped to reach the bars, as he pulled himself up he noticed how badly his arms were fatiguing. Zuko was about to slide down and give up when he felt two hands grab him around the wrists and hoist him up higher, so he could start to slide through the metal bars. He glared at Kaida for helping, but felt slightly grateful, but did not show a trace of it. She frowned meekly at his glare as he slipped through the wide bars, surprised how far apart they were. Was Earth Kingdom that dumb to put bars that far apart? He noticed they were slightly bent outwards, must've been another person who loosened them up before. The dark clouds that had gathered all day blocked out the faint spots of stars and night sky now. Rain was beginning to fall in a cold shower.
"C'mon, we have to hurry." Kaida said slightly louder since they were outside, and free from that guard. "Your uncle told me Commander Zhao has issued that all troops stationed here should be pulled from their position to regroup. He wants to attack at a different time." Earthbender soldiers were heard patrolling somewhere around them. Kaida and Zuko pressed up against the wall, imitating the long shadows cast by the building. They watched the patrol group pass and snuck to the gates on the opposite end of the puddle-ridden grounds. Zuko felt like a hogmonkey climbing over the fence, it was downright embarrassing when he slipped.
Wonder why he'd do that, he thought.Zuko started running alongside her, making their way to the trees covering the harbor and other towns. The nighttime air didn't help to warm him up, neither did the cold rain, but the running did. He could feel his head start to throb in a searing headache. He desperately wished for bed. he trees were harder to make out in the dark, so he narrowly missed running into a few along the way. Zuko could see the burning remnants of several towns and villages as they neared the harbor. The Fire Nation army had gone in quite as ways, but there was a huge amount of casualties nearer to Ba Sing Se. Perhaps Zhao had come to his senses and decided against attacking the city. At least for now.
Zuko was never so glad to see his ship waiting in the choppy water. The rest of the fleet had already cast off, leaving his vessel to catch up. The two rushed on board as the command to cast off was yelled out over the rain. Uncle Iroh made his way over, relieved to see his nephew alive. He decided to wait off on his scolding until tomorrow. Iroh turned to Kaida and thanked her quietly before instructing her and his nephew to get some rest.
Prince Zuko was glad to be back in his own room. He flopped onto his bed and laid there face down in the blanket and pillow. He didn't care how dirty, wet, or messed up he was, he just wanted to sleep. The pillow felt cool against his face, which was burning hot with a worsened fever. He rolled his head to the side and glared at the banner of Fire Nation hanging on his blank wall. He could only dread what was awaiting him at the next destination. Zhao definitely had something important going on to call his fleet out from storming Ba Sing Se. Zuko listened to the rain bang against the metal walls on the other side and let it lull him to sleep. His mind was still racing with thoughts, thoughts that kept him from a pleasant night's sleep and dreams. Zuko slept fitfully as the ship carried on its night routine, quietly following the noticeably smaller Fire Nation Army.