Content Warnings for mentions of sexual harassment and one instance of racist language. No sexual harassment is actually depicted, just mentioned as existing.
Also Merry Christmas to GeneralKenobi212 (boomerangguy on tumblr), who made the tumblr post that inspired this story!
Suki was led off the gondola, her hands chained behind her. She stood before the Warden as he made his little speech, and then was shuffled off to her cell.
She was now an inmate at the Boiling Rock Prison.
Her cell had an uncomfortable mattress and a thin blanket, which honestly was even more uncomfortable because of the heat. Her uniform was scratchy and bunched in all the wrong places, while somehow being too loose at the same time. The food barely had any nutritional value, and that wasn't saying anything about the taste.
The prisoners got a few hours of outside time each day. Suki found herself staying close to the wall, not wanting to give anyone the opportunity to sneak up on her. She was the youngest prisoner by far, and one of the smallest. She knew that she could handle herself in a fight, but she wasn't going to give any big, burly thugs an opening to try and attack her.
One such big, burly thug, a prisoner named Chit Sang, got in trouble for firebending and was dragged away to the "cooler." Suki didn't know what that was, or if it was a metaphor for anything, but it certainly sounded unpleasant.
She looked around the prison yard. The prison was unisex, so there was a mix of men and women. Some were wandering around in vague laps. Many were exercising. Suki's eyes landed on a group of three, with two large men and a woman in her late thirties or early forties, having a push-up competition.
The woman had beautiful brown skin that reminded Suki of Sokka, and absolutely gorgeous dark brown hair that made Suki think of Katara. The woman was clearly Water Tribe. And, she was winning her competition.
The Water Tribe woman was physically smaller then the men on either side of her, but Suki could see that she was quite muscular in her own right, and that those muscles obviously weren't just for show. As one man dropped from exhaustion, and then the other, the woman smirked.
"Life on the tundra isn't easy, boys," she said. "Don't feel bad, I've had practice ever since I was a little girl!"
"You win, Mom!" panted one of the defeated men. "You… hah, hah, you don't have to show off anymore!"
The woman, "Mom," stood up and rolled her shoulders. Suki could see her face better, and her breath hitched. Something about her seemed so familiar. She suddenly felt herself missing Sokka again.
Slowly, she began approaching "Mom." "Mom" turned at that moment, just in time to catch Suki's eye, and her face melted from teasing gloating to something much, much softer. Suki froze, and "Mom" made her way over to her.
"Hello, sweetie," said "Mom." "Are you alright?"
Suki blinked. She did not expect to be called "Sweetie" by a woman who just won a pushup contest.
"Um, yeah, I guess."
"Mom" nodded. She approached slowly, like she was worried she'd scare Suki. Suki immediately drew herself up. She hated when people looked down on her.
"My name's Kya. What's yours?"
"Suki," said Suki.
"If it's alright to ask, how old are you?" asked Kya. Suki looked her right in the eye.
"Fifteen."
Kya's face melted even more. "Oh, oh dear. Can I hug you?"
Suki took a step back. "Why?"
"You're so young… My oldest would be fifteen now. You shouldn't be here."
That sounded… quite nice, actually. Still, Suki had no idea who Kya was, and allowing a stranger to hug her could end badly. But Kya seemed genuine…
Suki nodded once, sharply. Kya slowly wrapped her in a warm embrace, lovingly rubbing Suki's back. Suki felt herself relaxing into the hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes.
"Hey, break it up you two!" shouted one of the guards. Kya stepped back from Suki and made a rude hand gesture at the man. Suki laughed.
It would probably be good to have someone like Kya in her corner, Suki felt.
0-0-0
"If it's alright to ask, what are you in for?" asked Kya at dinner that night. She had made sure to sit next to Suki.
"Oh, um… I saved the Avatar's bison from Princess Azula."
Kya's eyes widened. "The Avatar? He's back?"
"Yeah!" said Suki. "I helped him and his friends get to Ba Sing Se. Unfortunately, he lost his flying bison, Appa, but me and my girls found him. We cleaned him up, but the princess found us, and we had to protect him. He got away, but me and the other warriors were captured." Suki sighed. "I hope Appa made it back to him."
"Warriors?" said Suki, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. I'm the commander of the Kyoshi Warriors," Suki said proudly.
"From Kyoshi Island?" asked Kya.
Suki nodded.
Kya leaned back. "I've never been, but my mother-in-law has. She said it's a beautiful place."
"It is," said Suki. She frowned. She wondered if she'd ever see it again.
Kya seemed to sense Suki's thoughts and rubbed her shoulder. "I miss my home, too."
Suki looked up at her. "Where are you from?"
"The South Pole. It's a tough life, but a worthwhile one. I wouldn't trade it for anything."
"What are you in for?" Suki asked.
Kya's face turned steely. "I am the last waterbender of the Southern Water tribe. The Fire Nation stole all our waterbenders. Me included."
Suki wanted to tell her that she had met a waterbender from the South, Katara, but kept her lips shut. Hearing that would likely make Kya worried over the safety of her home, and she didn't want to worry the woman, no matter how capable Katara was in a fight.
So, she arched an eyebrow and stated the obvious.
"They put a waterbender in the middle of a lake?"
Kya smirked. "There was some kind of security breach at the prison we were being held at. I'm not sure what, no one told me. The few of us that were left were shipped off to other prisons. Since I'm the youngest and the most healthy, they sent me here." Kya gestured around the cafeteria. "The most secure prison in the Fire Nation. To be honest, it's actually better than my old one. At least I can move around here."
"They're not worried about you causing trouble with your bending?"
"I'm sure they are, but I can't really access the lake from inside the walls. Plus, they have firebending inmates roaming around. They're equipped to handle bending related incidents."
Suki wanted to ask more, like "have you tried escaping," but Kya seemed tired and they had only just met and the guard at the wall was looking at them funny, so she dropped it. She could always ask later.
"So, you mentioned your oldest would be my age?" Suki asked. Kya seemed to welcome the change of subject.
"Yep, he'd be about your age right now. Oh, it's been years since I've seen him or my daughter. I hope they're alright."
Suki nodded. She had only been separated from her warriors for less than a week, and she missed them too.
"My husband, too," said Kya. Her face got a dreamy look. "What I wouldn't do to hold him one more time, to kiss him, to caress him, to fu—"
"Spirits, Kya!" said the inmate on Kya's right. "She's a kid!"
Kya looked back at Suki and blushed. "Sorry, I got carried away. I forgot that you're so young…"
Suki shook her head, also blushing. "No, it's okay. I'm not that young. I know what you're talking about."
Kya giggled. "Still. It appears that my time in prison has altered my vocabulary a bit. I'm not usually so crude."
Suki shook her head again. "It's fine, Kya."
Kya nodded, clearly still embarrassed by her slip-up. "Do you have anyone waiting for you on the other side, Suki?"
Now Suki blushed even harder. "Um, well… we never actually… I mean… we kissed, but… I'm kinda involved with him…"
Kya leaned forward with a knowing grin, putting her head in her hands and listening intently to Suki stutter out an incoherent explanation. Suki cleared her throat.
"Actually, he's from the Southern Water Tribe, too."
Kya's eyes went wide. "Really? I'm gonna guess he's attractive, then?"
Suki nodded. Kya smiled wider.
"Well, there's no man like a Southern Water Tribe man. A Southern Water Tribe man will walk across the entire frozen wasteland if it means keeping you warm and happy."
"Well, he was actually kind of a sexist jerk when I met him…" Suki fiddled with her fingers. "But once I literally beat some sense into him, he certainly came around."
Kya stared at Suki for a moment, and then laughed a loud, guffawing laugh. Suki once again thought of Sokka, and how he laughed like that. Kya wiped a tear from her eye as her laughter subsided.
"You sound like a woman after my own heart, Suki."
Suki grinned.
0-0-0
Suki and Kya quickly fell into a routine. They would spend time together during outdoor time, and sit together at mealtimes. Kya was always quick with a hug and a "sweetie," as if she had a supernatural sense for when Suki needed it.
Suki wasn't the only one who noticed this. Many of the other prisoners called Kya "Mom." Kya even behaved that way to some of the younger prison guards.
Suki felt in awe of the woman. She had no idea how someone could be so strong, to withstand years in Fire Nation prisons with empathy and compassion intact. Kya quickly became number three on Suki's list of Badass Women to Look Up To. The number one and two spots were Avatar Kyoshi and Captain Rangi, of course.
Kya was a wonderful storyteller. She had learned the art of storytelling from her father, and loved to entertain the inmates with traditional tales from the Southern Water Tribe. Sometimes, if she were in a particularly good mood, she'd share stories of her husband and family. She never used their names, only ever saying "my husband" and "my son" and "my daughter." Suki wasn't sure if it was to protect their identities from the Fire Nation or not, as Kya mentioned she was a waterbender. Though she claimed to be the last waterbender, Suki knew that was wrong. Could one of Kya's children also be a waterbender, like Katara?
Regardless, her family stories were some of the most fun to listen to. Even after years of separation, the love Kya held for her family was evident in her voice. Her story about how she fell in love with her husband was so tender that Suki went to bed that night hoping she could have such a love one day. And Kya's children certainly seemed like quite the handful, always causing trouble but being too cute for Kya to ever truly stay mad at.
The inmates all loved Kya's storytime.
And if a few curious guards stood a little closer, positioning themselves with one ear facing Kya, smiling and closing their eyes and relaxing their posture as Kya fell into the rhythm of the stories, no one said anything.
Water may be the element of change, but Kya was like a rock to Suki. Something sturdy in a time of tumult. Suki didn't want to imagine what would happen if she didn't have Kya. Maybe she would have tried to befriend someone like Biyu, who, a few weeks into Suki's stay at the Boiling Rock, sold out some of her fellow inmates for starting a garden to get herself some fancy new favors, like better rations and a more comfortable (and flattering) uniform that signalled her new status.
Ugh. Suki was glad to dodge that nonsense. She didn't think she could handle a betrayal at a time like this. Kya had comforted poor Qing for hours after he was released from solitary confinement, the man almost inconsolable because he thought Biyu was his friend.
Everyone seemed to trust Kya. She had a way of making people feel safe and loved. She had truly earned her title as the Mother of the Boiling Rock.
And even though she was so tender and loving, she had such a sense of justice that Suki loved her even more. She would routinely stop fights between inmates. If she saw a guard unfairly targeting a prisoner, she loudly spoke up. She even coordinated with female guards to provide the necessities for female inmates during nature's monthly call, as well as to keep the female inmates safe and seperate from any criminals who were sent to the Boiling Rock for sexual crimes, or worse, lecherous guards who would likely not be punished by powers that be.
And speaking of the powers that be, oh boy…
Kya was summoned to the Warden's office more times than any other inmate, even the perpetually rowdy Chit Sang, for having the audacity to care, and care loudly. And, unlike the firebenders, the cooler did nothing to affect her. Suki heard Kya tell the Warden, to his face, that "It reminds me of home," and "I've had colder baths than that when I was five. You can do better, honey." It drove the Warden mad.
Suki loved watching Kya face off with the Warden during inspections. Kya never raised her voice or her hands, yet she stood proudly. She was slightly taller than the Warden, and looked down at him with a face as hard as flint. All of the Warden's bravado and bluster did not impress Kya, and she'd tell him to his face exactly how he was terrible at running a prison, as well as how he was terrible at being a decent person. The more the Warden blustered, the more stoic Kya was. She could not be moved. It was glorious to see.
Ironically, Kya did get a commendation from the Warden. It was for her coordination with the female guards, which, when the Warden found out about it, he had written into the official guidelines of the prison, as well as severe punishments for any guards who sexually harrass any inmates. So at least he wasn't a completely garbage person, but, as Kya put it, she's not going to give the Warden a medal for "Not Being as Big a Jerk as He Could Have Been."
For her ideas, the Warden offered Kya the same privileges afforded to Biyu, with a more comfortable uniform, a less demanding schedule, and better rations, but Kya, to Suki's amazement, turned him down. She refused to participate in the Warden's game of pitting prisoners against each other with rewards for "good behavior." Even if Kya's idea was for the good of the women of the Boiling Rock, "Why would I want to share the same 'honor' with a girl who sold out her friends for some comfort?" she asked.
Kya was in the cooler for almost a day, for that. When she came out her skin had a bluish tint and she was shivering, but according to her, "It's nothing a little Fire Nation sun can't fix. This place is too damn hot!"
0-0-0
Suki had been in the Boiling Rock for over two months when something happened. She was lying on her mat when a male guard opened her cell door.
Suki glared at the man and sat up. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?"
The guard crossed his arms. "You mean you don't recognize me?" he asked.
"You people all look the same to me," Suki spat.
"Maybe you'll recognize this," said the guard. He began to lean in with puckered lips. Suki recoiled in disgust. She grabbed his lips, then heaved him backwards into the cell door. The guard's helmet fell off, revealing—
"Sokka!" Suki rushed towards him and pulled him into a crushing hug. Her eyes began to tear up. "It's you!"
Sokka began to rub the back of her head, and everything would be all right.
0-0-0
Everything was not alright.
Sokka's accomplice was caught by one of the female guards walking around. She thought he was trying to do something unsavory.
Even worse, this accomplice was, of all people, Prince Zuko.
Sokka managed to get away from Suki's cell without being caught, and Suki vehemently denied anyone ever being in her cell. The guard even gave her a soft look, telling Suki that she didn't need to feel embarrassed. Suki took the guard's hand and forced as much sincerity into her voice as she could, telling the guard that no one entered her cell to harm her. The guard believed her.
Prince Zuko was promptly arrested and imprisoned in the Boiling Rock. Unfortunately, Suki and Kya both had cleaning duty with him the next morning.
Kya took one look at Zuko's huge scar and melted. "Oh, sweetie, who did that to you?"
Zuko didn't meet her eyes. "The Fire Lord," he replied.
"Ugh, that horrible man. Him and his whole family can freeze in the coldest pit of the Spirit World. Rotten, all of them!"
Suki had to hold back a laugh as Zuko paled and made a strange coughing noise. Kya looked at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, sweetie. What's your name?"
"Um… Lee?"
Kya gave Zuko the Tell the Truth look that all moms seem to have. Zuko looked down.
"Uh… Prince Zuko. Son of Fire Lord Ozai."
Kya blinked. She looked over at Suki. Suki shrugged.
"That's him. He burned down my village."
Now Zuko was looking at Suki and blinking. She rolled her eyes.
"Kyoshi Island?"
Zuko's good eye widened. "Oh. Oh! Um… sorry about that." He gave Suki a small bow. Suki grunted.
"What are you doing here with Sokka, anyway?"
Zuko was about to answer her, but Kya whipped around and grabbed Suki by the shoulders. "What did you just say?"
"Wha—?" said Suki.
"That name! Say that name again!"
"Sokka?"
Kya's eyes immediately teared up. She placed one hand over her mouth and sank to her knees. She stayed there for a few seconds, before looking up and glaring at Zuko with so much venom, Suki thought he might keel over dead right there.
"What. Did you do. To my son?" Kya growled. Zuko backed up into the wall.
Suki blinked. "Your so—"
"Psst! Suki! Zuko!"
Suki, Zuko, and Kya all turned to the voice. Sokka was running down the hall towards them, in full guard uniform with the visor of his helmet down. Kya's eyes widened.
Suddenly, Suki realized why Kya felt so familiar to her. It wasn't just because she was Water Tribe. She looked just like Sokka!
Sokka slowed, staring at Kya. His mouth gaped open. Kya gaped at him, before standing up slowly.
"Sokka?" Kya asked in a whisper.
Sokka pulled the visor, revealing his blue eyes that matched Kya's. No doubt about it. He was his mother's son.
"Mom?"
Kya grabbed him into a hug, one that he immediately returned.
"Sokka!" Kya's voice was thick with tears.
"Mom! I—we thought you were dead! The Fire Nation—no one ever comes back!"
"Shhhh, sweetie," said Kya, rubbing Sokka's back. "I'm here. I'm here, and I'm never letting you go again."
Both mother and son began to shake, sobbing silently. Suki looked away. This was clearly a private moment.
Her gaze landed on Zuko, who was busy swiping at the tears on his face. He locked eyes with Suki and quickly looked away. Suki looked down at the ground.
Kya broke the hug and took Sokka's face in her hands, drinking him in. "Baby, what are you doing here? How did you get that uniform?"
"We snuck in," Sokka said in a whisper. "We thought Dad might be here…"
"Hakoda?" Kya asked.
"Yeah. He got caught when… when my plan for the invasion failed."
"Invasion?" Kya's voice went up an octave.
Sokka nodded. "During the eclipse."
Suki remembered. The day of the eclipse, everyone was locked in their cells. They didn't want anyone trying anything while the firebending guards were powerless.
Kya gasped. "Sokka…"
"I didn't… I didn't know you were here… I thought Dad would be here… I didn't see you in the yard…" Sokka gasped.
Kya smiled. "My outdoor privileges have been rescinded for the next month. Apparently telling the Warden 'At least we know how to use shampoo,' is not the correct way to reply to being called a 'Water Savage.'"
Sokka's eyes widened, and he started to guffaw. If there was any doubt that Sokka was Kya's son, it was gone. He had his mother's laugh.
"Oh, that's good," said Sokka, wiping away a tear. "Even though Dad's not here, I'm so, so happy to see you here. Because…" Sokka's smile turned devilish, "we're busting out."
0-0-0
The plan was simple. Zuko once more donned his "spoiled prince" personality (except fake this time) and shouted at Kya for "being a peasant who dared to touch him," when she brushed up against him. He even swiped a few weak flames in Kya's general direction. Sokka put him in the cooler, where Zuko removed the bolts so that when the time came, they could use the cooler as a boat across the boiling lake.
The plan was put on hold when Sokka and Zuko overheard some guards talking about a prison transfer. The group unanimously agreed to wait and see if Hakoda was going to arrive at the Boiling Rock.
Kya had been away from her husband for six years, and she wouldn't wait a second more if she could help it.
That next day, Hakoda arrived.
0-0-0
Sokka managed to get Hakoda looped into the plan. The entire prison was on lockdown for the processing of new arrivals, so only Sokka was free to move between cells. Suki could only imagine how painful it was for Kya and Hakoda, to be so close and yet so far.
They planned to meet up that night, and sail to freedom in the cooler Zuko disassembled. Things went sideways, though, when Zuko was called in by the Warden. There was no telling what trouble Zuko might have gotten in, or what wrenches that might throw into their plans.
Things got worse when Suki caught sight of none other than Princess Azula and Ty Lee walking past her cell. She managed to slip the information to Sokka when he next passed by, and Sokka decided that they needed to speed up their escape to now, since there was no telling what Azula would do to Zuko.
Sokka somehow managed to get all the cells unlocked and everyone herded into the yard. As Suki waited with Kya, Sokka came over with a tall, dark-skinned, very muscular, clearly Water Tribe man, and…
Suki's jaw dropped. Sokka's dad was hot. And not that Suki was so shallow as to think that looks were the only important thing, but if Sokka grew up to look anything like his dad, especially his physique…
Suki had made a very good choice in the boyfriend department. Was Sokka her boyfriend? Suki didn't think they ever officially labelled the thing they had going on. She should bring it up to him after the escape was over, just to make sure they were on the same page.
Kya took two steps and leaped into Hakoda's arms. They kissed like two people drinking water after traversing the Si Wong Desert. Hakoda twirled her around.
Once they came up for air, Kya took a look at Suki and winked. Suki giggled.
"Alright," said Sokka. "We have to figure out how to get a riot started so that the guards are distracted while we sneak out."
"Leave this to me," said Hakoda. He approached a very tough looking man and shoved him. The man gave Hakoda a blank look.
"Oh, he's going through anger management," said Kya, patting her husband's bicep. "Allow me."
Kya cupped her hands around her mouth. "HEY EVERYBODY!" she shouted.
The entire prison yard turned to look at her.
"RIOT!"
Immediately chaos broke out. People started punching each other, flames were shot randomly, and so much dust got disturbed that it was hard to see.
Hakoda looked at his wife with admiration, and just a little bit of hunger. "Wow," he said.
Kya smiled at him. "Now, come on, we have to find Zuko and get out of here."
Together they made their way to the main prison building. Suki could hear the Warden shouting, but he was on the opposite side of the prison yard from them. They sprinted up the steps towards the special interrogation rooms that the Warden used.
From one of the cells, they could hear arguing. Zuko suddenly burst out and locked the door. He looked in the window with a sad expression.
"I'm sorry, Mai," said Zuko.
Sokka skidded to a stop. "Wait, Mai? Your girlfriend?"
Kya frowned. "You're locking your girlfriend in a cell?"
Zuko turned to them and sputtered. "Uh—well—I—"
"Open the door, Zuko," came Mai's raspy drawl. Suki could hear the tension in her voice. Mai was very, very close to snapping.
"Sokka, she's with Azula!" Zuko tried to defend.
"Zuko, you moron!" shouted Mai. "Did it ever occur to you to even ask if I would join you?"
"Uh, my lady, are you talking about treason?" asked a second voice from within the cell. Probably a guard.
Suki heard a series of thwiks, a quiet "Shut up," and then Mai spoke again.
"I don't know what hurts more, Zuko. The fact that you don't trust me to make my own decisions, or the fact that you think so little of me that you broke up with me by letter."
"You broke up with her by letter?" Kya asked.
"Guys, we really need to get going," said Sokka.
Zuko held up his hand in a "one minute" gesture. He looked through the grate of the door, and then opened it.
"Zuko," Suki warned, but Zuko held his hand up.
Mai came out of the cell, her glare just as cutting as any dagger.
"Mai. My father has to be stopped. The war has to be stopped. I saw firsthand what it's doing to people. I can't… I can't let it go on any longer." He held his hand out to Mai. "I'm sorry that I doubted you before. I was wrong. I understand if you never want to see me again, but… will you join us?"
Mai looked at Zuko's hand, then shot a glance at the rest of the group. She was about to open her mouth to reply, when…
"Of course she's going to reject, Dum Dum. Mai, pin him to the wall."
Suki froze. She could never forget that voice. And sure enough, the owner stepped into the corridor, followed by the cutest human weapon dressed in pink.
Princess Azula and Ty Lee stared Zuko down.
Nobody moved. Suki began to sweat, and not just from the Fire Nation heat.
Azula's smirk slowly left her face. "Mai, I gave you an order. Pin this traitor to the wall. He'll make a very nice wall decoration for Father."
Mai looked at Zuko, then looked at Azula. "No."
Azula blinked. "Excuse me?"
Suki blinked as well. Mai had never shown any indication that she'd disobey Azula before. In fact, Mai seemed to enjoy the fight against the Kyoshi Warriors.
"I said no."
Azula frowned. "I gave you a direct order. What do you think you're doing?"
Mai glanced at Zuko, then looked at Azula. "Apparently, I'm helping the guy who dumped me."
Zuko smiled like a panda puppy. "Mai!"
"I don't get it," said Azula. "You know the consequences of disobeying me!"
"I guess you don't know people like you think you do. I love Zuko more than I fear you."
Azula's eye twitched. "Then you should have feared me more!"
She dropped into a lightning bending stance at the same time Mai dropped into a knife-throwing stance. Azula was prevented from winding up her arms in a circle, however, by Ty Lee grabbing onto her bicep.
"Azula, no!"
Azula whipped her head around. "You too?!"
"These are Mai and Zuko! Your friend and your brother! Don't do something you'll regret!"
Azula pushed Ty Lee backwards and whipped around. "Don't presume to tell me what to do!"
SLAM!
Out of nowhere, a guard helmet went flying into the back of Azula's head, and she crumbled to the floor, unconscious. Suki turned to see where it had come from.
Sokka stood, helmet-less, staring at his mother. Kya had taken Sokka's helmet and thrown it at Azula.
"What? We need to go!"
Sokka nodded and immediately began running. He passed Mai and Zuko, who were still staring in shock, and zipped past Ty Lee crouching over Azula and making sure she was alright. Hakoda followed after. Suki and Kya followed them.
Kya glanced back and stopped. Suki stopped with her.
"Zuko, come on!" called Kya.
"Azula…" he whispered.
"What's wrong?" Kya called back.
Mai spoke up this time. "Ozai won't be happy if Azula comes back empty handed." She looked Kya in the eye. "He doesn't react well to failure."
"I don't give a flying fuck what the Fire Lord wants. We need to get out of here, now!"
Mai turned to Zuko. "Zuko, we can't just leave her here. Her neck's already on the line for lying to your dad about you killing the Avatar."
Suki wanted to scream in frustration. Zuko and Azula had done what?
Zuko looked between Kya, Mai, and Azula. He seemed frozen.
"Oh for goodness' sake!" Kya grumbled. She ran over to Azula and plucked her up in a fireman's carry. Azula looked so small compared to Kya's tall height. Ty Lee tried to stop her, but one Mom look from Kya made it clear that she was not playing any more games.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Sokka had run back to see what the holdup was.
"I think I'm kidnapping a princess for her own well-being."
"Mom, we won't all be able to fit in the cooler boat!"
"There's an easier way out," Mai said. Sokka and Kya turned to her.
"I'm all ears," said Kya.
"First, we need to stop by the laundry room."
0-0-0
The day was a disaster. The inmates somehow escaped their cells and started a riot, on the day the Princess of the Fire Nation visited no less!
To make things worse, said princess was somehow injured in the ensuing riot and was currently unconscious.
The Warden watched nervously as his niece, her friend, the princess, and an entourage of four guards boarded the gondola. He hoped Princess Azula would be alright, of course, but he knew things were not looking good for him.
He growled. At least his niece was safe. Now he'd have to find a suitable punishment for the entire prison.
Ugh, so much work.
0-0-0
Suki peeled off her helmet once they reached Azula's airship.
She was free. She was finally free!
Suki started laughing. She couldn't believe it. She whooped at the top of her lungs.
Sokka pulled her into a hug and she immediately kissed him. He kissed back, and Oh yeah, he's definitely my boyfriend, Suki thought.
She was free!
Once she released Sokka, she looked around. Zuko took his place at the pilot's wheel. Ty Lee sat dejectedly on the ground, hands cuffed behind her. Mai sat next to her, looking bored as ever but letting Ty Lee's head rest on her shoulder.
Ty Lee was restrained because of her chi-blocking ability. Mai was left uncuffed, but she had to take off all her knife holsters and put them on the other side of the cockpit.
Azula lay on a table, still unconscious. Kya wrapped her head with bandages, and checked over her injuries, talking in a low voice with Hakoda. Judging from their goofy smiles and the sultry looks in their eyes, they were waiting for an opportunity to sneak off and make up for lost time without any kids around.
Suki shook her head and turned her attention back to Sokka. She was happy for Kya, but she did not need to think about whatever nighttime activities her boyfriend's parents wanted to get up to.
Sokka wrapped his arm around her. "This is amazing. Katara's gonna be so happy."
Kya looked up at that. "Katara's with you?"
"Yeah, at the Western Air Temple. We're camped there with Aang, who's the Avatar; Toph, his earthbending teacher; and three other friends, Teo, Haru, and The Duke."
"You have a duke with you?" Kya raised her eyebrows.
"No, not a duke, The Duke," said Zuko. He looked over at Kya. "According to him, that's his name. He's an eight-year-old kid."
Kya nodded. She smiled. "I can't wait to see Katara again. Oh, I can't wait to have our whole family reunited again!"
"I can tell," came Ty Lee's voice. Everyone turned to her. She blinked innocently. "What? Her aura is one of the most beautiful combinations of pink and cyan I've ever seen!"
0-0-0
"Sir, there's a problem," said one of the guards.
"What now?!" snapped the Warden.
"Several prisoners are unaccounted for."
The Warden snarled. "Which ones?"
The guard passed the Warden a list of missing inmates. He scanned the page.
The new Water Tribe transfer, the Kyoshi Warrior, the Water Tribeswoman who was a perpetual pain in his ass, Prince Zuko…
Prince Zuko…
The Warden didn't even bother to read the names that came after. "Search the entire prison!" he said. "They must be found. Get every guard on this. Dead or alive, I want them accounted for!"
The guard saluted and ran to carry out his orders. The Warden was just about to sit down when another guard came running in.
"Sir, one of the coolers is missing!"
The Warden slammed his head on the table and screamed. How does an entire cooler go missing?!
0-0-0
"I must say, that was an excellent move, slipping Qing a note about the cooler we prepared," Suki said.
Kya smiled. "We already did the work, it might as well be put to good use!"
"You are all going to pay!" Azula had finally woken up and joined Ty Lee by the wall, hands cuffed behind her back. "I am the Princess of the Fire Nation! You will free me!"
"You can't go back to Father without me, Azula," Zuko said, steering the ship. "And I'm not going with you."
Azula snarled, and blue sparks flew from her nostrils. Sokka sprayed her in the face with a spray bottle he found.
"No! Bad Azula!"
"I am not an animal, you ridiculous—"
"Sokka, stop antagonizing the hostage," Kya said firmly. Sokka bowed his head.
"Sorry, Mom."
0-0-0
When they finally reached the Western Air Temple, tears were shed.
Katara held fast to her mother, sobbing. Kya peppered Katara's face with kisses, whispering that it was alright, she's here now, mama's got her.
Aang teared up at the touching reunion, and Suki was big enough to admit that she did too. Soon the entire Water Tribe family was joined in one big embrace.
Azula pointedly looked away from them.
Suki noticed how young Azula looked. While she was unconscious, Kya had cleaned the wound on Azula's head, which had been bleeding, and also wiped off some of the makeup Azula was wearing. Without it, she looked younger than Suki.
A heated discussion was had among the group about what to do about their Fire Nation prisoners. While they discussed it, Suki took the opportunity to take a bath in the bathing area of the temple.
Feeling fresh and clean, she returned to the group. Sokka grinned at her and immediately looped his arm around her shoulder.
Oh yeah, she definitely picked well in the boyfriend department.
"We've decided to keep them here with us," Sokka said, "but they have to be restrained and disarmed until they prove their trustworthiness. Plus, we can't exactly let Azula or Ty Lee wander off and tell Ozai about where we are."
Suki nodded. That made sense. "Any objections?"
"Well, Katara wanted to throw Azula off the cliff, and Zuko wanted them to be unchained, but we managed to talk some sense into them," Sokka said. "Aang would be pretty upset if anyone got murdered, after all."
She and Sokka sat down at the campfire. Haru doled out bowls of stew. Suki could see Kya leaning into Hakoda's side, the two of them fitting perfectly together. Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai had their hands cuffed in front of them, the three huddled awkwardly together with Zuko away from the rest of the camp.
Suki looked up at the stars. The constellations were different from the ones in the Southern Hemisphere, over Kyoshi Island, but they were beautiful all the same.
She smiled. Suki didn't believe in astrology, but she couldn't help but feel that the stars were aligned. Everything would be alright.
She caught Kya's eye. Kya grinned and winked at Suki.
Evidently, she was thinking the same thing.
Author's Note:
I saw this as a prompt on Tumblr. Please let me know what you think! Reviews are greatly appreciated!