Chapter Three - Found Out

Camil stood at one wall, Iroh at another, Zuko at another, the other fire bender at the final wall, and Ozai stood in the center of the crate. "One...Two...Three..." Zuko said. "Now!" In their shackles the force of their flames knocked down the walls and pushed the top off. It landed on their surrounding earth benders. They started to burn random earth benders until they found the one with the keys. "Got the keys." Zuko said kicking the earth bender hard in the head. She bent down and grabbed the keys with her mouth and ran along the edge of the cliff, with the others closely behind her. They ran until they found a forest. When they reached the forest they were all tired, but Zuko forced them on until they found a waterfall in the forest. She spat the keys out on the ground and dipped her face into the pond under the waterfall.

"How did you know this was here...?" Iroh asked.

"I didn't." Zuko panted as she pulled her head out of the water.

Camil picked the keys up with his teeth and began to undo Ozai's shackles. When he was free Ozai began to walk off.

"Where do you think you're going?" Camil asked.

"Away from here."

"Why!" Zuko said. "It's your obligation to as commanding officer to stay with your troops! Now get back here and help us!" Ozai reluctantly walked back mumbling something along the lines of 'when I'm fire lord i'll change that...' After they were all free they stretched their arms. That night they slept at the edge of the pond in the moonlight. Zuko sat up and looked at the moon again.

"You...soldier..."Ozai said coming to sit next to Zuko.

"Yes captain..."

"You saved my life back there...the earth lord would have killed me...but you saved me...us...you saved us all...now...being the fire nation rule...I owe you a life...a life for a life as they say..."

"Ya..." Zuko looked down. "A life for a life..." she remembered when Ozai killed her father. She remembered when the fire lord killed the rest of her family. "An eye for an eye..." She lay down and hid her face from him.

She woke up the next morning. She was the only one awake. The sun had just barely risen. She rolled up the edges of her pants, since they weren't coated in armor, and dipped her feet in the pond. She walked in the shallows so that the water was knee deep. She got behind the waterfall and did a little dance to just be herself. She missed being a girl this weekend. She heard footsteps and turned around, no one was there. She looked through the waterfall at the others. Iroh was up looking around.

"Iroh..." she whispered closing her eyes and putting her hands over her heart. She saw him look at her. Then she quickly put her hands down. A look of anger appeared on her face. She had been forced to love him...after all. But she preferred him to Ozai.

"Question?" Zuko asked.

"What?" Ozai was irritated his story kept getting interrupted.

"How do you know what goes on in her life...it's like you're an omniscient narrator...?"

"She told me all of this at a later time." Ozai said quickly. "Anyways..."

When she looked up again she saw Ozai talking to Iroh. Then Ozai came walking towards her. "What are you doing back here?"

"Enjoying the view..." Zuko said. "Why do you feel the need to ask me what I'm doing every time I'm away...?"

"Because-"

"You think I'm plotting against you...I saved your life I'm not about to turn on you...or are you homosexual..."

"What! You know you are one of the most unloyal soldiers I have ever met..."

"ONE of the most...well...if it helps I LOATHE you entirely..."As Zuko said this Ozai walked away. As the other two woke up Zuko dove off the edge, from behind the waterfall.

"What is he doing?" Camil asked.

"Hmm...fishing I think..." Iroh said.

"FISHING!" Ozai shouted. "NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO FISH!" and sure enough Zuko came back up with a fish in her mouth.

"Ok that's it!" Ozai said as she spat the fish out on the ground. "Take off your armor..."

"Why." Zuko said quickly.

"Because it'll get all rusty if you jump into the water with it on...now take it off!"

"No!"

"Take it off! Every man takes off his armor once in a while...now take it off..."

"NO!"

"Take it off..."

"Make me!"

"You're trying my patience boy..."

"I'm not taking it off." As Zuko said this Ozai charged at her and started to fight her. Camil, Iroh and the other fire bender watched as they fought without flames.

"I'm taking it off!"

"Get offa me you faggot!"

"Take it off!"

"No! I'm not going to satisfy your need to see the naked flesh!"

"Just take of the armor."

"No!" As she shouted that Ozai ripped off the top metal portion of it. The cloth underneath revealed her as a girl. Ozai grabbed her wrists with one hand and held them up to her head.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ozai shouted trying to conceal laughter. "You're a girl!"

"What the?" everyone else said in unison.

"Look see for yourself!" Ozai stood her up and showed her to them.

"Get your hands off of me you filthy little creep!" Tala shouted.

"Tala?" Camil said. "Is that you...?"

"Tala!" Ozai and Iroh shouted.

"That stupid bitch from the village..." Ozai threw her on the ground.

"Tala?" Iroh was still in shock.

"Yes! I am Tala..."

"YOU snuck into MY army!" Ozai was furious. "YOU made ME believe you were a damn good fighter! Who knows they probably knew you were a girl so they let you think you were winning!"

"Hey look, I saved your life!"

"As if!"

"You said so yourself!"

"Egni-kai..." Ozai said.

"NO!" Tala shouted standing up. "I will not fight you."

"Yes, you will."

"No, I won't..."

"YES, YOU WILL YOU ARROGANT BITCH!"

"It's already been proven that I'm a better fighter than you! Egni-kai will do you NO good!"

"Stand up and fight against me! I am YOUR commanding officer! You WILL fight me."

"A fight against a girl, Ozai." Iroh spoke gently and closed his eyes. "That seems highly unjust." Ozai looked at Iroh.

"You're right it would be unjust." Ozai looked at Tala. "I only ask that you bow in apology."

"Ok..." Tala didn't know where this was going so she got down on her knees and bowed. When she looked up at Ozai she saw only flames. It burned her so intensely she let out a scream in pain. She heard the men gasp. When the flames died down, they looked at her with their mouths open.

"You're banished from the fire nation!" Ozai started to walk. "And there is no return."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Iroh shouted.

"I can do whatever I want."

"YOU'RE NOT FIRELORD YET OZAI!"

"I might as well be." Ozai said.

"Father won't let you banish her. Not after what you've done."

"I'll deal with him." Ozai said. "Move out." The men started to leave. Ozai was the last one to leave. "A life for a life, my debt is repaid."

For awhile Tala sat there letting her face burn. She crawled towards the water's edge and saw a scar over her left eye. She took her hair out of the ponytail and fell into the water rippling the image. "I'm sorry father...I should be with you." She began to cry as it started to rain.

"There's one..." said a voice. Tala didn't dare look up.

"You let her live! And you banished her!" Zuko was in shock. "I wonder what that must feel like."

"Would you quit interrupting or you'll know what it feels like." Ozai threatened. "Now no more interruptions! Well a few years later..."

"Well Ozai." said the fire lord. "Now is the time. You are 20 and it is time to assume the throne."

"Ready as I'll ever be." Ozai said in ceremonial fire lord armor. He was getting married in a few days and today he was showing his fiancé to the world. He hadn't even met her yet. As punishment for banishing his brother's fiancé he must have an arranged marriage and Iroh would have a free marriage. It was some Earth Princess. It was a con on the earth nation. The fire nation was marrying because they wanted to take over the earth nation borders and the earth nation was forced into the marriage.

"It is the time." The fire lord led him to the entrance hall where a girl dressed in elegant green stood with her back towards them. There were two ladies-in-waiting at either side, making a total of four. They all had short black hair and a hairpiece that covered the left side. When the princess spun around she wore a green hairpiece like the ladies-in-waiting. She opened a fan to cover her mouth. Her visible eye shone with the radiance of the earth. Ozai couldn't help but blush.

"Her highness, the earth Princess of eighteen years Ms Milieu." Said a lady-in-waiting as Milieu stretched out her green nail polished nails. Green glitter came from the fingertips and towards her mid hand. She looked like a shimmering green emerald. Ozai reluctantly took it and kissed it gently. He then took it and started to lead her towards a balcony where she would be presented to the fire nation. The ladies-in-waiting filed in two lines. Behind Milieu. Before they got to the balcony the ladies-in-waiting attacked the fire lord. Milieu twisted Ozai's hand behind his back.

"What the hell?" Ozai said as his arm was twisted behind him painfully. He flipped the Princess over his head and she fell to the ground. The headpiece fell off. A hideous scar stood on the left side of her face. Her black hair fell down into her face. It took Ozai a minute to find out who she was.

"Tala?" He raised an eyebrow then he got mad. "You're supposed to be banished!"

"As if the great Prince could keep me from my country!"

"And how the hell are you the earth princess!"

"Well I'm not you dipshit!"

"Huh?" Ozai was confused. The ladies-in-waiting got burned. Only one of them wasn't fighting.

"I'm her body guard." Tala stood up and removed the green robe. She wore an earthbender outfit. It was in Chinese style. It was green with a white floral design. She wore a pair of white pants beneath it. It match perfectly with her glitter hands. "And if you want the princess...you're going to have to finish me off."

The girl who wasn't fighting stood forward. "She's right...I'm Milieu. It was her idea. She said it would protect me..." The princess twiddled her fingers.

"Stay quiet princess." Tala commanded. "This is personal." Tala crouched into a fighting pose. "You want your Egni-kai...well here it is." Ozai looked at her for a minute. "I'll make you a deal. I'll fight. But if I win...you do as I say...and if you win...you're punishment is lifted."

"No." Tala said. "You originally wanted this battle to show off your arrogance. Changing the rules won't matter."

"There are no rules." Ozai said as the fire lord came up behind Tala and threw her into the wall. The three ladies-in-waiting were unconscious on the floor. As Tala hit the wall everything went black again.