This scene may seem like RedNovember's piece but it is NOT! And I'm really sorry if it pisses people off. Go read her work, it's fantasmic. Go check out my favs, actually, they're all good stuff.
Katara heard the door open behind her. Why was it that whenever she wasn't facing the door, it opened? Did Zuko plan it or something?
Katara turned to find none other than his Highness in the doorway.
"Look, Zuko," she began. "About what I said yesterday, I'm sor-"
The ship suddenly shifted to the side and shouts came from the ship's deck.
"Avatar!" came the distant cry.
Both Zuko and Katara looked at the door in surprise. They stood for only an instant, both their minds weighing what that cry meant. After that, Zuko raced to the door and ran out; running up the steps Katara had tried to escape through yesterday. Katara followed him, as he had forgotten to lock the door and she wasn't going to make it any harder for Aang and Sokka to find her.
When Katara reached the deck, she found Fire Nation soldiers sending blasts of fire in a circle to three kids. Zuko was watching, mesmerized for only a moment before he snapped out of it.
Turning to her, he called out to a guard, "Seize her! Don't let her escape!" before joining the fray.
A guard grabbed Katara by the shoulders and held her in place. She struggled against him but it was futile and she stopped to watch the fight.
Small Elsie (Katara had nearly forgotten about her!) was wielding one of Sokka's weapons – the slightly curved one with the blue ball in the end. She wasn't very good, throwing her weight behind every swing to give it power instead of using control. Her aim was also very haphazard and she'd only managed to keep the guards from getting close to her. She'd yet to injure one.
Sokka was darting in and out of the guards, landing hits and blows with his boomerang when he could, receiving blows when he couldn't. He'd definitely improved since they'd left the South Pole but he really wasn't good enough to be battling an entire ship of Fire soldiers.
Aang was the only one who had any skill. The only problem was he spent most of the fight spinning his staff and blocking the balls of fire the soldiers blasted towards him, Elsie and Sokka.
Why isn't she using her bending powers? Katara thought frantically. She could be helping Aang put out some of the blasts and let him get closer to me!
Elsie was the first one caught. As she swung Sokka's club, her eyes closed tight, a guard sidestepped her swing and grabbed her shoulders. She opened her eyes wide in surprise as another guard stepped forward and effectively removed her weapon from her hands.
She struggled against them but she was so tiny that even Aang could have probably detained her without needing any bending powers at all.
Sokka was taken next as the guard who had taken Elsie's club, knocked Sokka over the head with it. Dazed, he began to fall to the floor but a soldier caught him. There wasn't any blood but he didn't look good and when Katara saw it, she struggled even harder.
"Sokka! Elsie!" she screamed. "Aang! Sokka and Elsie!"
Aang paused, surprised, and turned around to look for his friends. Elsie was gathered up in the arms of a soldier like an overgrown baby and Sokka was fighting to find his footing as two soldiers held his arms.
Zuko laughed. "All your friends are captured, little Avatar. What are you going to do now?"
Aang's shoulders fell and he looked utterly dejected. Both Katara and Elsie stopped struggling and stared at him. Elsie was placed on the ground and her hands were tied behind her back with rope.
Sokka was finally able to stand up on his own and the same was done for him but he still weaved a little.
"I guess…" Aang looked up at Katara and her eyes filled with tears. "I guess I'll hand myself in." Aang looked up, suddenly ferocious. "But you've got to let them go!" he said. "You've got to let my friends go if I let you capture me!"
Zuko smirked and stroked his chin with his hand. "I'll think about it."
"No!" Aang pointed his staff at Zuko and the guards tensed. "You have to promise! You'll let my friends go and I'll go quietly. And you have to give them their stuff back."
"All right, Avatar," Zuko dropped his hand. "I'll let your friends go and give them back their weapons, but you have to be peaceful and not try to run away, do you understand?"
"No, Aang!" Katara cried out.
"All right," Aang said. "You promise."
Zuko bristled. "I promise."
Aang walked forward and a soldier clamped iron shackles on his wrists while another did the same for his feet.
A burst of fire appeared behind Elsie and the guard standing behind her stepped back as she pulled her hands forward. "No, Aang!" she cried out, like Katara had done, and rushed forward.
"Detain her!" Zuko called out.
Seven spears lowered in front of Elsie and she stopped to keep from being stabbed.
"Tell your friends to stop or they'll all be killed," Zuko warned Aang.
"Guys," Aang pleaded. "Don't. You'll only make it worse." His shoulders sagged and Elsie lost her force. "Besides," he said, brightening a little. "Maybe you'll be able to rescue me later on."
"Fat chance, Avatar," Zuko smirked. "We're going to the Fire Nation, now."
But Zuko nodded to the guards and they lifted their spears and untied Sokka. Sokka stumbled and almost fell but Elsie caught him. She nearly buckled under his weight and collapsed to the floor. A single guard stepped forward and helped her escort him to the saddle of the bison. Another guard brought over Sokka's club and boomerang but Elsie ignored him, still looking at Aang, and he shrugged and threw them up into the saddle.
"All right," Zuko said, turning. "Bring the Avatar into the girl's room and bring her to mine. He won't be escaping this time."
"Wait! But!" Aang dug his heels into the ship's deck. "You promised! You said you'd let my friend go!"
"And I am!" Zuko snapped.
"But what about Katara?"
"She's staying here, with me," Zuko gave Aang a lop-sided smirk. "I can't have you running off now, can I? I've got to keep some collateral and she's it. If you run, I'll do worse than kill her." Zuko stepped up close to Aang and lowered his voice so Katara and the guards couldn't hear him. "I'll make it so that her existence will become as painful as mine has been, these last two years, searching for you."
Aang swallowed and the prince smiled self-satisfactorily. He swept through a door and began walking up to the helms room to give the sailor steering the order to head directly to the Fire Nation's capital.
Katara, stunned, allowed herself to be dragged downstairs once more, this time to Zuko's personal bedroom. Aang walked dejectedly behind her, his face sadder than she'd ever seen it.
Elsie swallowed and considered her options. Everyone seemed to be ignoring her. Maybe the best plan would be to grab Katara before she disappeared below deck and run for Appa. Then Aang could make his escape without having to worry for Katara's safety.
An older man, short and fat around the stomach walked up to Elsie as she sat in Appa's saddle, considering her plan.
"That was an interesting bit of firebending back there, young one," he said. "I am surprised to find the Avatar traveling with a firebender. Especially since you appear to be from the Water Tribe. But then, it is very difficult to burn away rope without burning yourself, so it must be no trouble for you to disguise yourself."
Elsie looked sideways at the man. He was scaring her a bit, but when she looked past him to where Katara had been taken, she was no longer in sight.
The man had effectively distracted Elsie from rescuing Katara as was doubtless his plan.
That, more than the man's strangeness, convinced Elsie, and she took the reins in her hands and flapped them, calling to Appa. Appa rose up and flew away from the ship. Elsie could only hope they were headed towards land and village or a town, perhaps, where Sokka could rest and the burns on her wrists from her firebending could be treated.
Sokka shook his head as he wrapped bandages around Elsie's wrists. They hadn't been able to find a town so they landed on an island to give Appa a rest while they sorted themselves out.
"It really wasn't your fault," he said with a sigh. "We did our best and it just wasn't good enough." Elsie flinched though whether from the pain in her burns or his words, Sokka didn't know. "But we'll try again and this time we'll be prepared."
Sokka sat back on his heels and clapped his hands together in a brushing motion. "All done! Now let's see what we can do about this bump." He fingered the tender spot on the side of his noggin where the soldier had hit him with his own club. "I seem to get hit in the head a lot."
Elsie giggled. Sokka tried to look affronted but a smile crept from his face anyway.
"Oh, you think that's funny, do you? Me getting hit in the head is the sick way you get your amusement?"
Elsie giggled harder and shook her head.
"Now why don't I believe you? Is it the giggling perhaps?"
Elsie's sides were shaking as she suppressed her laughter with a hand over her mouth.
"I'll show you giggling!"
Elsie was struck with an image of Sokka trying to giggle better than she was and it made her giggle harder, when Sokka reached forward and began tickling Elsie's sides. Elsie's eyes flew open and she tried to get away but Sokka wouldn't let her.
"What- what are you-" giggle "-doing?" She couldn't breathe she was laughing so hard. His fingers were rubbing against her stomach and it felt strange in a way that made her laugh.
"I'm tickling you," Sokka stopped and looked down at Elsie who had fallen to the ground. "Haven't you ever been tickled before?" Elsie shook her head. "Weird."
She shrugged. When had she ever been in the position to be tickled? With friends who would even get close enough to tickle her?
She stopped. Sokka had touched her! He didn't care anymore! She was a person to him, just like she was to Aang! It must have been the battle, seeing her fight for Aang and Katara. He must have realized she wasn't evil like the other firebenders.
Elsie struggled to sit up but her wrists collapsed under her weight and she fell back. Her back stung from the impact against the hard dirt.
"Are you okay?" Sokka leaned over Elsie, a brow raised. "Maybe you shouldn't try to use them for a while. Your wrists, I mean. They're still kind of sore, right?"
Elsie nodded.
"Well, come on. Get up then," Sokka grabbed Elsie's forearms and pulled her up, careful not to touch the burns. "Now we've got two people to rescue."
You know, I've always thought of Sokka as a reasonable guy. I really think he knows when to retreat from a fight. I think he's in character in this chapter but you tell me if you think otherwise. I'd be glad to hear your opinion.