Unknown Location

He woke with a start, his head pounding like someone had dropped a boulder on it. He groaned in discomfort and tried to open his eyes, but for some reason he still couldn't see anything when he did so.

He tried to move his hand to scratch an itch, but to his sudden alarm, he found he couldn't move his arm. Another check found he couldn't move his legs or any other limb on his body either. He was completely bound in what felt like stiff metal chains.

"Okay Aang, don't panic," he told himself, taking a moment to breathe and try to get a grip on his surroundings. The sound of creaking wheels and the shaking floor beneath him told him he was in some sort of transport, but whereto? And why? How did he end up bound like this?

Aang strained his muscles to test the strength of the chains holding him down, but it was useless. Whoever had bound him had obviously taken plenty of precautions, as his restraints didn't budge an inch despite his greatest efforts. The metal only dug more painfully into his skin every time he strained against it.

He searched his memory, trying to remember how he had gotten in this situation, but it was difficult for him to think through the hammering pain in his head. "Ugh," he groaned loudly. "Can someone loosen these chains? Someone? Please!"

He was jostled when the wagon or whatever he was in came to an abrupt halt. There was some urgent whispering and muttering that he couldn't make out, and then he heard the sound of metal creaking and booted footsteps approaching.

Aang sensed that there was somebody near him, but strangely, they made no move to announce their presence. "Hello?" he called out to the person. "Is somebody there? Can you help me please?" he called weakly with desperation.

For a long moment there was no reply, and Aang had almost convinced himself he was really alone when the quiet stranger finally spoke up.

"Avatar," a voice said curtly.

Aang felt his hopes rise. If they knew he was the avatar, they would probably help him out. "Yes, I'm the avatar," he confirmed rather quickly. "You've got to help me out of these chains. They're hurting me," he told the person in an urgent whisper, afraid that whoever had put them on him would soon return.

He expected them to move quickly to assist him, to sound the alarm, or to do anything other than laugh at him. Yet that was exactly what happened. His visitor was laughing at him. Aang struggled to make sense of his precarious situation.

"Please," he tried to plead once more, pushing aside his growing confusion. "These chains. They're-"

"They're hurting you, yes…" the person interrupted him. "That means they're doing their job."

Aang had to strain his ears to hear the person, as they seemed to speak barely above a whisper. He thought they sounded maybe vaguely feminine. "What do you mean?" he asked in complete bewilderment. "I'm the avatar. You need to-"

He got no further as doubled over in pain as he was ruthlessly gut-punched. Or he would have doubled over if he could move at all, instead he just moaned miserably as dull aching coursed through his body.

"Mind your tongue, avatar," the person spat the word like it was the most vile curse. "You are in no position to be making demands. We don't need to do anything for you," she grit out between clenched teeth.

Aang coughed up a coppery tasting liquid when he was punched again. "Please," he begged. "Why are you doing this?" He couldn't understand why anyone would treat him this way.

She guffawed at his question. "Why? Isn't it obvious?" she returned condescendingly.

Aang shook his head quickly, hoping to avoid any more bodily punishment. "No," he said simply. His hope was in vain as his head was slammed against the metal wall behind him, making him see stars even as his eyes slammed shut in pain.

"Look at me, avatar," the person said, slapping his face. Aang cracked his eyes open and distantly noted that his blindfold had been removed. He took a moment to observe his surroundings.

He was in what looked to be a small metal box. There were no windows and only one small door. His head reeled as he was slapped again. That was when he finally noticed his torturer of the last few minutes.

Her Fire Nation uniform gave away her allegiance rather quickly. But it was the way she glared at him so angrily, as if his very existence was the highest insult to her, that really got his attention. Aang had never seen someone look at him with such fiery hatred.

"Listen to me, avatar, and listen to me well because I will not repeat myself. You are in Fire Nation territory. The Crown Princess Azula and her companion, the Honorable Colonel Aizon, captured you in battle. You are now a prisoner of war…"

Aang's eyes widened as the fog on his brain suddenly lifted. Memories came rushing back to him like torrential rainfall. Omashu. The hostage trade. King Bumi. His fight with those two firebenders.

"That girl and that boy… he called her Azula," he muttered in dawning realization. He hadn't had time to think about it before, but it all made sense now. The way they all seemed to defer to her. Her arrogant bearing and the way she spoke so patronizingly to him… as if she was royalty.

In shock, Aang suddenly realized the implications. He had fought against the princess of the Fire Nation… and he'd lost. If he couldn't even beat his daughter, how could he possibly hope to defeat the Fire Lord himself?

But before he could think any further along that line of questioning, his captor stepped forward and roughly grabbed his face. His breath hitched in his throat when he got his first good look at her. Even with her face marred by visceral hatred as it was, she was stunningly pretty.

She had golden blonde hair done up in a sleek military-style bun. A sharply angled jawline that was clenched in concentration. And forest green eyes that were staring intensely into his own, observing him carefully like he was a bomb that might go off at any moment.

"That's Princess Azula, to you, avatar," she said with a scowl. "Disrespect a member of the royal family again, and your punishment will be most severe. Do you understand me?" she whispered, deadly serious.

Aang nodded quickly. There was no sense in trying to provoke this obviously hot headed soldier. The girl continued to observe him in silence for a little while longer before she did something astonishing. She looked left, right, and behind her, then leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips.

Perhaps it was because he had been hit on the head so much recently, but Aang found himself leaning into it, enjoying the seductive feel of her lips against his despite the fact that alarm bells were going off in his brain.

But all too soon it was over and he found himself breathless. Not from the kiss, but from the knee that was suddenly driven into his groin. He howled in pain as a spasm of pure agony shot straight up his spine.

"Did I say you could touch me? You nasty little barbarian!" the girl yelled as she swung a right hook across at his face, making his head snap back. He looked up in fury a few minutes later when she finally took a moment to breathe between raining blows down on his body.

He saw what she was doing. She was trying to get in his head. She was trying to break him. Well he wasn't about to go down without a fight. He spat a mouthful of blood at her, taking grim satisfaction when he stained her previously spotless uniform.

"Up yours, ashmaker," he grunted, bracing himself for another beating. When it didn't come a silent minute later, he peaked his eyes open to look at the girl in confusion. Strangely, she had an expression of hurt and betrayal on her elegant face.

"Ashmaker huh?" she repeated quietly.

Aang goggled at her. It was pretty rich of her to take offense to his words after she had just finished beating him bloody. She tapped her foot at him, waiting like she actually expected an apology from him. She growled when he only returned her silence.

"Fine. I thought you might need some help. Thought you might be different. But I guess all the propaganda against you was right. You are just a little boy. An arrogant, rude little boy who happens to be able to control more than one element."

Aang stared at her absolutely dumbstruck. He was speechless. She had meant to help him? But why then did she…

"Private Sima!" the girl called, breaking the silence. A huge hulk of a man dressed in a Fire Nation uniform appeared in the doorway a few seconds later.

"Yes Captain Mao?" the giant asked in a surprisingly polite voice.

She flicked a thumb over her shoulder at Aang. "The prisoner needs to be put back to sleep," she told him.

Private Sima glanced back and forth between Aang and the now named Captain Mao. "But Captain," he objected. "He's already awake. And we're under strict orders not to-"

Mao cut him off. "I said, put the prisoner back to sleep. That's an order Private," she said in a tone that brooked no compromise.

The large man's shoulders slumped. "Yes Captain." He had to hunch down to fit inside the box when Mao stepped out. He cracked his knuckles and got as close to Aang as he could. He gave Aang an apologetic smile. "It brings me no pleasure to do this," he announced.

Aang looked at him for a second before he shrugged his shoulders and looked away. He knew what was coming. There was no point in delaying it with awkward small talk. "Just get it over with," he told him.

Still the man looked hesitant. "I won't be cursed to wander the spirit world for all eternity, will I?" the soldier pressed.

Aang raised a disbelieving eyebrow. Did he really… The completely serious expression on the big man's face told him all he needed to know. He was genuinely worried about being cursed. "No," Aang replied slowly. "Why would you-"

"Oh phew," the soldier cut him off. "Well that's a relief." And without another moment's delay he pulled his fist back and brought it slamming it into Aang's face, instantly knocking him unconscious.


New Ozai

Katara sighed yet again for what felt like the umpteenth time that morning. She observed dispassionately as the girl whom she had come to loathe more than anyone else in the world hummed a sickeningly cheery tune.

"Keep brushing slave. I didn't hear anyone telling you to stop," the amber eyed girl told her, her reflection glaring menacingly at her in the gleaming glass mirror.

"Yes Princess Azula," she replied dutifully, immediately resuming the task of brushing her luscious ebony locks. Her hair was already shining with a nearly perfect luster, so silky that it actually glowed. But just like everything else the princess did, nearly perfect wasn't good enough.

Katara sighed again, only just managing to swallow down the scathing insults she so desperately wanted to hurl. She chanced a glance at the princess, and saw to her indignation that the stuck up royal had gone back to ignoring her, her eyes closed in total relaxation.

Oh how she dreamed of ruining that flawless face with a good punch or two. The brush in Katara's hand wavered as she contemplated doing just that. She could do it. She could do it right now. There were no guards here. Who would stop her?

Sure, she might get thrown in prison for it, but it would be worth it just so she wouldn't have to see those smug golden eyes looking at her with such superiority anymore. She'd give anything just to wipe the smile off of that perfectly polished face. Katara's violent fantasy vanished like a puff of smoke in the wind when the princess sighed and abruptly opened her eyes again.

"I suppose it would be too much to expect a filthy savage like you to understand the delicate intricacies of beauty care," Azula said, slowly turning around on her cushioned bench.

She held her hand out. "Give me my brush, slave."

Katara's fists clenched as she scowled at the infuriating princess. "I have a name you know," she bit out, trying to hide just how enraged she actually felt.

Azula merely raised an immaculately shaped eyebrow at her, looking completely unimpressed at the temper tantrum she was throwing. "I'm sure you do," she drawled. "But you're a slave. I don't care what your name is. Now hand over my brush before I am forced to punish you for your insolence."

"I'm not a slave!" Katara denied, absolutely seething. She threw the brush on the ground. "My name is Katara. And if you want your damn brush so bad, you can very well get it yourself!"

She was very surprised when Azula actually obeyed her request, bending down to pick the brush up.

She watched as the princess brought it up to her eyes and examined it closely. There was a small, but visible scratch going up the side of the previously flawless porcelain handle.

"You've damaged my brush," Azula announced her in a strangely soft voice.

Katara crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance. "So what? You're a princess. I'm sure you could get a million of those if you wanted."

Azula's eyes narrowed. "This isn't just any old brush. This is the brush that my mother gave me. It's priceless… and you damaged it," she whispered the last part accusingly.

Katara tried not to roll her eyes. Like she was supposed to care. "So just go ask her for another," she replied dismissively.

She knew she made a mistake as soon as she said it. Instantly there was a shift in the previously peaceful atmosphere. The temperature in the room went up several degrees, and Katara began to sweat profusely.

Azula gently laid the brush down on her dresser and slowly stood up, the look on her face being one that promised retribution.

"I no longer have a mother," she whispered, making Katara wince. Of course her flippant remarks would have unintended meanings like that to them. She was rapidly beginning to regret her little outburst.

She followed with dread as the princess slowly walked up to her, every footstep echoing loudly in her mind as she approached. Despite her best efforts not to show fear, Katara still flinched violently when the princess put her finger under her chin and forced her to make eye contact. Her golden eyes were blazing with barely restrained rage.

"I could have let you be sent to the waterbender prison, you know," Azula informed her casually, like she was only speaking to her about the weather. "It's a special place for keeping animals like you. You would have been thrown in a cage, chained up, and given only the absolute bare minimum amount of water necessary for keeping you alive… and only just alive at that."

The princess squeezed her chin painfully. "I saved you from that fate, you silly little girl. I saved you from spending the rest of your days rotting away in a cage, and this is how you repay my kindness? By destroying priceless heirlooms?!"

Katara had to force herself not to look away from that intimidating stare. "You made me into a slave," she whinged, sounding petulant even to her own ears. Being a slave in a palace didn't sound that bad when compared to the alternative.

Azula gave a hollow laugh, the smile on her face never reaching her glimmering eyes. "Indeed, I did. You're far luckier than most prisoners of war. I imagine quite a few of your water tribe compatriots would jump at the opportunity… Perhaps you'd be willing to trade places-"

"No, please! Forgive me!" Katara begged, panic creeping into her ocean blue eyes. She didn't think she'd be able to survive in a prison like that. "Please… I.. I.. I'll do anything," she stuttered, finally lowering her eyes in subservience.

The princess chuckled darkly. "Ah, so now she finally asks for forgiveness. All it took was a threat to be shipped off to prison, and your defiance crumbles like mochi cake in the sun," she said, scathing sarcasm dripping off of her every word.

Katara kept her eyes lowered as she heard more than saw the princess pace back and forth like a caged tiger. She had really done it now. She had gone and run her big mouth, and now it was going to cost her big time.

For days she had hoped against hope that she would be rescued by someone, anyone. She waited for Aang, Sokka or even the resistance to come to her salvation.

But they never came.

She realized now, perhaps far too late, that rescue was not coming any time soon. All her friends were probably in equally perilous situations. Because why else would they not try to save her?

She refused to believe that she had been forgotten. Despite a small, but increasingly loud voice in her head that pointed to exactly that happening, she knew her friends better than that. They wouldn't abandon her. Sokka at the very least would try to save her, if no one else... right?

Azula finally stopped pacing and came to a stop a few feet away from her, an indecipherable expression rooted on her face. "You should've been thanking me on bended knee for my abundant kindness. Instead, you inexplicably choose to defy me, and damage my precious brush on top of all of that. You leave me no choice… Strip."

Katara blinked, sure she had not heard her right. "Excuse me?!" she coughed.

The princess didn't blink. "You heard me, strip. A slave like you needs to learn some humility. You're far too prideful to be a proper servant, and you'll never learn as long as I allow you to continue wearing your own clothes. So get on with it, take all your clothes off," she said, watching expectantly.

Katara blushed deeply and stuttered. "B.. but.. I.. I-"

Azula threw her hands in the air. "Spirits of the Islands! Must I do everything myself?" she asked in exasperation, before marching right up to her and pulling on her dress.

"Wait!" Katara cried in a panic. "I can do it myself! P..please, just go over there," she protested, pointing vaguely into the corner.

The princess rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. So you can hide whatever contraband you've got tucked away here? I think not," she said with her usual sarcasm.

Azula slapped her resisting hands away and looked at her. "My patience grows thin, slave. Start cooperating now, or I will ensure that you are sent away to be caged for the rest of your pathetic little life," she threatened.

Katara took one look at her face before she dropped her hands to her side, and allowed the princess to strip her. This girl wasn't the type to make idle threats. She didn't even make a noise of protest when her sarashi was taken off. She only spoke up when the princess made to remove her mother's necklace.

"Please, that was my-" she stopped short when Azula narrowed her eyes in warning. Katara floundered for a few seconds - debating internally if she wanted to risk prison for a necklace - before she ultimately lowered her eyes again, and allowed that too to be taken off.

Finally she finished. For the first time in her adult life, Katara was standing completely naked in front of another human being. And it wasn't in front of her future husband. It was in front of the crown princess of the Fire Nation.

She had never felt so humiliated in her life. She could feel her whole body burning up from utter embarrassment.

"Hmmm," Azula made an indistinct noise in her throat as she circled around her, inspecting her like a bird of prey would it's next meal. "Healthy enough, I suppose. A little chubby around the middle though, and could probably use a bit more more exercise," she analyzed without emotion in her voice.

"Hey! I'm not fat!" Katara denied hotly. Azula simply raised an eyebrow at the outburst, and Katara blushed and looked down again. "I get plenty of exercise," she grumbled.

"Be that as it may," the princess continued. "I will not have my servants in anything other than peak physical condition. You will exercise until I am satisfied, is that clear?"

"Yes Princess Azula," Katara answered.

"Oh good, so you can learn. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever catch on…" she waited for a reply, but when Katara remained silent, she made a somewhat satisfied noise.

"Wait here while I fetch you some proper servant's clothing," she said, before walking off and disappearing behind a doorway.

When Katara was finally alone, she glanced down longingly at the pile of clothes where her necklace lay. She was just beginning to contemplate if she could snatch it and hide it somewhere without the princess noticing, when suddenly there was a knocking from the door behind her.

"Azula, are you there? I've just-"

Before she could even blink the door scraped open and in walked a boy. If it wasn't for her current state of undress, she would have thought that he was quite handsome. But as it was, she let out a horrified scream as she tried rather unsuccessfully to cover herself with her hands.

"What the!" the boy exclaimed before he covered his eyes and turned around. "Put some clothes on, idiot girl!" he yelled at her with his back still turned. But Katara was too frozen with mortification to do anything. The sound of running footsteps announced the return of Princess Azula.

"Aizon!" she greeted him. "What are you doing here?"

The boy cleared his throat rather loudly. "Azula? Is that you?" he asked in a voice that sounded rather strained.

"Yes, it's me," she replied. "Why are you standing in the corner?" she asked innocently.

"Because your servant girl was rather… exposed, shall we say, when I walked in looking for you. Is she gone now?"

There was only silence for a few seconds. Katara looked up when she felt Azula approach. She had some clothing in her arms, but rather than give it to her to put on, she came up from behind her and forced Katara to lower her arms again, leaving her completely uncovered.

"Yes, Aizon. She's gone now," Azula announced, an intimidating look ensuring that Katara only whimpered, and didn't correct her.

He gave a sigh of relief and lowered his hands from his face. "Oh good… Anyways, as I was saying, I've just heard from-" He yelped when he finally turned fully around again, and saw that Katara was not gone at all.

He quickly raised his hands to cover his eyes. "Spirits of the Islands! She's not gone! Really, girl, servant, whoever you are, find some clothes to put on, this behavior is far from appropriate…" he trailed off when he heard the distinct chiming sound of Azula laughing that he would recognize anywhere.

He sighed in exasperation. "It's really not funny, Azula," he told her without looking.

"Yes it is!" she instantly contradicted him. "Now come over here. I have something I want to ask you," she said, ignoring the way Katara was growing steadily redder until she almost resembled a tomato.

"But Azula, I-"

"Now Aizon! I don't have all day!" she interrupted his spluttering protest.

Aizon audibly swallowed before he finally lowered his hands and walked over, looking anywhere but at the naked servant girl in front of him. "Yes Azula?" he asked her, suddenly finding a corner of the ceiling extremely interesting.

"Tell me, Colonel Aizon, do you recognize this girl?" she asked him.

He glanced down briefly at Katara, never looking below her face, before he looked back up at the ceiling. "I.. I um, I think I recognize her from the hostage trade. She's the waterbender we captured along with the avatar… though, now that I think about it, I do recall ordering her to be imprisoned."

Azula hummed in affirmation. "I suppose then you're probably wondering then what she's doing here naked in my private quarters," she guessed.

"The thought did occur to me, yes," Aizon replied with heavy sarcasm.

"Well you'll be happy to know then, Colonel Aizon, that I have it on good authority that this little watery tart is actually privy to sensitive information about rebel military movements. And she's also possibly aware of the long term plans of the avatar," Azula told him, clamping a hand over Katara's mouth before she could object.

That got Aizon's attention. It was true that they already had the avatar captured, and that specialists were likely interrogating the last airbender as they spoke, but it never hurt to have a second source of information. Plus, the Fire Nation could always use some insider tips to crush the rebellions that constantly seemed to spring up everywhere.

Without thinking he looked down to get a better look at the girl, and his eyes almost involuntarily wandered to linger on certain… curvaceous parts of her body. Then he realized he was checking another girl out right in front of his girlfriend, and his eyes flew back up to the ceiling as his cheeks heated up rapidly.

I.. I um…" he cleared his throat. "That's great then. Good thing you kept her around. She might prove useful," he said in a voice that seemed a little more high pitched than usual.

Azula smirked at him, not that he saw it, and finally shoved the clothes she had gathered into Katara's hands and released her from her grip. "Get dressed," she told her curtly.

"Yes princess," Katara replied, her face blushing furiously before she ran off.

A few seconds later she was gone, and Azula cleared her throat. "You can look now, Aizon. The slave girl is gone," she informed him.

Aizon slowly looked down, and breathed a sigh of relief when there weren't any other naked girls around. He glowered at Azula when she only smirked at him. "Was that really necessary?" he questioned her.

Her smirk only grew wider. "Of course it was," she replied without hesitation. "I don't do anything unless it's necessary."

Aizon crossed his arms. "Oh really? Then explain to me why exactly you couldn't have just told me everything you've said without humiliating that poor girl?"

"Humiliating her was the entire point, Aizon, don't you get it? She would never have accepted her position as a slave otherwise. I had to break her resistance somehow, and stripping her naked was a good way to do that," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Aizon nodded slowly. "Okay… That sort of makes sense, but I still don't understand why you'd make her a slave in the first place. You have plenty of willing and far more reliable servants who you wouldn't have to go through all this trouble for. Why even bother with the girl?" he asked confusedly.

Azula leaned in closer as if to tell a secret. "Because Aizon. She's our insurance card. If something goes wrong, and the avatar somehow slips from our grasp, she's our ace in the hole."

Aizon's eyebrows slowly rose into his hairline as he began to connect the dots. "She's part of the avatar's little group, isn't she?"

Azula nodded and smiled at him, extremely pleased. This was yet another reason why she liked Aizon so much. She never had to explain herself endlessly to him. His mind worked so similarly to hers, that he would would just get what she was trying to say without her ever having to actually say it.

"So they would want, no, need to come get her if they ever wanted to start making trouble again… which is why you're so determined to make her a slave. By breaking her will to fight, you'd be breaking their group cohesion."

"Which in turn will pacify any threat the avatar could ever potentially pose, even if he did somehow miraculously escape," Azula continued for him. "He can't act alone. He needs allies. Take them out, and he becomes weak and vulnerable to attack."

Aizon's frown decreased only slightly, but he did seem to look at her with a more sort of begrudging respect. "That… makes a lot of sense. It's brilliant, actually. Strangely genius, in an Azula sort of way…"

"I'm so glad you agree," she cut in, grinning smugly at him.

"But I still think you could have done it differently," he continued stubbornly.

Azula smiled sadistically. "But that would never have been as much fun, would it have?" she asked with a shark like grin.

Aizon turned away, his frown deepening. "For you, maybe, but not me. I have to live with the fact now that the first girl I ever saw naked was some random servant," he said with an annoyed grunt. He jumped slightly when he felt Azula press herself up against him from behind, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Oh? Was there some other girl you were hoping would be first?" she whispered into his ear, her warm breath making his whole body shiver.

"I.. I.." he stuttered as he felt his blush return with a fury. Having had enough teasing in one day for a lifetime, Aizon decided to turn the tables. He turned and looked Azula straight in the eyes. "Yes. I was hoping it would be you. How about it?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could.

Azula blinked at him, and then Aizon felt a big grin spread on his face when he got the normally imperturbable princess to actually blush. But his momentary satisfaction vanished when Azula didn't back down, and instead decided to up the ante.

"Sure, why not? You're my designated husband-to-be anyway, so it's nothing you won't see eventually regardless. My only condition is that you reciprocate," she told him with a smirk, wiggling her eyebrows at him in challenge.

Aizon didn't think he could blush any harder than he already was, but somehow, Azula managed to prove him wrong yet again. He cleared his throat and swallowed hard. He wasn't going to win this round.

"Perhaps another time?" he asked faintly, trying to avoid looking at her triumphant grin.

"Of course, dear," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Now, why don't you tell me what it is that you came here to tell me about."

Aizon blinked, then slapped his forehead. "Right. Yes, I almost forgot."

"Understandable," Azula said, not missing a beat.

Aizon ignored the comment. "Anyway, I've just heard bad news from the capital…"

"What is it?" Azula asked with dread. There was bad news, and then there was bad news from the capital. You could guess which was worse.

"Iroh has escaped," Aizon answered.

Azula's eyebrows twitched. "What? How? Was it that captain? I swear I'll-"

"No, it wasn't the ship captain. I've double checked that already," Aizon interrupted her.

"Are you sure?" Azula asked him. "That incompetent sorry excuse of an officer nearly let my traitorous uncle escape the first time, who's to say he wouldn't make it happen again?"

Aizon nodded. "I'm sure. I would never have received my promotion to Colonel if Iroh hadn't been processed into prison, at the very least," he answered.

She smiled. "Oh that's right. Congratulations again, Colonel Aizon. Why, I think you must be the youngest colonel in decades," Azula speculated.

"Ahem. General," Aizon coughed as he corrected her, making Azula's eyes go wide.

"What? General? When did-"

"I just received notice from a messenger hawk only a few hours ago. For capturing the avatar, and for services to the Fire Lord, bla bla bla, I've been promoted to General. And yes, I'm the youngest General in modern Fire Nation history. I checked the archives," he informed her cheekily.

Azula stared at him in shock for a moment before she laughed maniacally and threw herself in his arms, grabbing his head and peppering his face with wet kisses that made his knees wobble.

"Oh Aizon. The youngest General in history. That's so amazing. My boyfriend. Setting military records already. And he's only sixteen," she said breathlessly, punctuating each sentence with a caress of the lips that made his toes curl.

"Spirits Azula. If I had known you liked me getting promotions this much, I would have told you much sooner," he said with a laugh, gently setting her down on her feet again. Azula laughed back and they punched each other before they finally returned to the matter at hand.

"So if it wasn't the captain then, what was it? Tell me what you know, Aizon. I need information!" she pressed him urgently.

Aizon sighed and shook his head tiredly, pinching his nose. Azula's eyes softened when she noticed the deep bags under his silver grey eyes. He had probably been up all night working on this. It was just like Aizon to do something like that. He never knew when to quit, even for his own good.

She brought her hands up to his back and rubbed his shoulders soothingly. Eventually, after a few long minutes of her massaging him, he had all but melted back into her soft embrace, and he seemed to have relaxed enough to think clearly again. He threw her a grateful smile before he continued.

"As I was saying, reports are garbled. Information is still coming in, but from the best that I can tell with what little we have to go on, the most likely scenario is that someone broke him out of prison," he told her gravely.

Azula paused her massage for only a second before she continued again, leaning her head gently on Aizon's shoulders. "This isn't good," she whispered worriedly.

He nodded slowly, groaning quietly as he let her work out all the knots and kinks in his muscles. "Tell me about it," he said after a moment. "This could be very bad. But it only begs the question: Who would want to break Iroh out in the first place? Can't be a very long list of people who'd risk everything for a disgraced ex-general."

Azula hummed in thought for a few seconds before she nodded in agreement. "You're almost definitely right, it would be an extremely short list indeed. In fact, I can only think of one person who would ever be both foolish and daring enough to actually accomplish such a feat. Someone who has already committed criminal acts of treason on Iroh's behalf before," she said.

Aizon's breath hitched as he made the connection. "Your brother…"

Azula nodded grimly. "Yes. It appears my backstabbing little brother zuzu is not as dead as I had imagined him to be," she said, confirming his prior statement. "The only question is how he survived. He went over a bloody waterfall after I struck him point blank with lightning."

Aizon shook his head tiredly. "How Zuko survived is irrelevant at this point," he pointed out. "What we need to do now is figure out a plan to deal with Iroh and Zuko."

Azula bit her lip. "I think a more permanent solution will be needed going forward. Those two have been a thorn in the side of the Fire Nation for too long…"

Aizon didn't say anything to that suggestion. He was usually against the idea of assassination, just as a fundamental principle. It was an underhanded, dirty tactic that lacked all sense of honor. But sometimes war called for playing dirty, and this might be one of those times.

"On a separate note, War Minister Qin has finished finalizing those plans for the assault of Ba Sing Se," he announced in a clear change of subject.

Azula glanced up at him curiously. "Oh? And any hint on what exactly those plans might involve?"

Aizon sighed and rubbed his temples. "You know how the man is. All I could get out of him was something about building a giant drill…"


At the Resistance Hideout

"No, no, no! We've been over this before. For the last time, I barge in and demand a trial by combat to save my sister. You take out any stragglers."

"Errr… okay.. So you barge in and take out your sister, and I demand a combat by trial to save any stragglers, right?"

"What? No! That doesn't even make any sense! Oh I give up," he said, throwing his hands up in defeat. He walked over the man who was busy directing soldiers to do one task or another. The man smiled at his approach.

"Sokka! How goes the planning with young Su?" the man asked him in a friendly manner.

"She's hopeless!" Sokka exclaimed, before wincing and lowering his voice when he glanced back and saw the hurt expression on the girl's face. "I mean she's brilliant!" he yelled, smiling at her, and breathing a sigh of relief when he got a smile back.

The man in front of him laughed heartily. "She's got you under her thumb already. I hope I don't need to be worried about you two running off together, do I?"

Sokka glanced back at the man and glared. "No really, she's hopeless," he said in a much lower voice. "I must have explained my simple plan ten dozen times, and she can't even follow the simplest of instructions," he bit out in frustration.

"Careful, that's my daughter you're talking about," came the warning reply.

Sokka held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I'm sorry, Commander Lin, but that's just the truth. I can't deal with her anymore. I need some real soldiers if I ever hope to have a chance of pulling this plan off. It's just not going to work otherwise," he said simply.

Lin stroked his goatee for a few seconds before he sighed regretfully. "I'm sorry, Sokka. But I simply don't have the men to spare. I need every last one of them for protecting our camp and for attempting raids. And while I understand and even admire your great desire to save your sister, frankly, your plan is quite foolish, and bordering on suicidal."

"It is not suicidal!" Sokka instantly denied.

Lin just gave him a look that said 'really?'

Sokka huffed. "Okay, so maybe it is a little overly daring. So what? I've not heard you come up with any suggestions!"

The commander placed a comforting hand on Sokka's shoulder. "Again, I just don't have the soldiers to spare. And even if I did, I couldn't justify risking their lives to save one girl who we're not even really sure is still in the city… I'm sorry Sokka."

And with that he walked off, leaving Sokka all alone. He took one look over at Su who waved and winked at him flirtatiously before he decided to retire for the night. It took him a few minutes to walk to the spot where he had spent the past few days all alone. Or almost all alone, he still had Appa for company.

The air bison gave him a big lick by way of a greeting, leaving him soaked in bison saliva. He laughed and batted the giant tongue away, trying to keep dry. "Yeah, it's nice to see you too buddy, how are you holding up?"

The bison simply stared at him. "Right. Dumb question. Still no flying yet, huh?" he asked.

Appa got to his feet and slowly turned. The fur around the spot where he had been struck by the lightning was matted over with dried blood. And in the spot itself there was a blackened wound the size of a few dinner plates that still looked painfully raw.

Sokka sighed and went to the satchel to prepare another change of bandages. "Well, at least I'm still useful to someone."


In a Forest Clearing

Two men puffed and panted for breath as they both came to a rest beside some boulders in a forest clearing. For a few seconds no one said anything to each other, but finally the old man spoke up.

"I must thank you for rescuing me, stranger. Though I find myself curious as to whom my savior might be exactly. Perhaps you could take your mask off for just a moment, so as to allow me to thank you more properly," the old man said.

The other man, who wore a blue mask that was painted with the face of a laughing demon, shook his head and slowly backed away.

"No really, I must insist," the old man continued. "It's not every day that someone shows such kindness to an old man, let alone an old man who is a disgraced former general wanted by the Fire Nation. Remove your mask, please."

Still the masked man didn't comply, slowly backing away until he found himself backed up against a boulder. He glanced around before he pulled out a pair of distinctive twin swords that he held up in warning.

The old man paused, staring at the swords with intense concentration. "I have seen a pair of swords like that only once before. The person to whom they belonged is presumed by most to be deceased. So either the dead are walking amongst the living, or you are a sword thief."

The masked man made no visible reaction, but he did seem to consider the old man's words.

The old man sighed when he got no further reaction. "Either way, you are no friend of mine. So remove your mask now, or I will be forced to do it for you… But I must warn you, though I do not look it, I am a very adept and skilled fighter. I would advise you to surrender peacefully."

Just as he raised his hands to prepare to fight, there an audible sigh from behind the man's mask. He reached back to remove it, revealing a face that made the old man stagger, before he rushed forward and seized the other man in a hug.

"Prince Zuko! It is so good to see you alive!" the old man said with enthusiasm.

The now unmasked prince hugged the old man back briefly before pushing him away. "It is good to see you too, Uncle Iroh," he replied.

Iroh looked him up and down a few times, as if not believing that he was really seeing what was in front of him. "But how? I saw you get struck with lightning and fall over the edge of a waterfall. That is not something a man should normally be able to survive."

Zuko looked away. "I don't know myself, uncle. The way I remember it, one minute I was fighting against the Azula, the next I was waking up at the edge of a riverbank covered in crows… I came to rescue you as soon as I heard you'd been captured."

Iroh slowly stroked his pointy beard. "Covered in crows, you say?" he asked with interest.

Zuko twisted back to stare at him angrily. "That doesn't matter right now. We don't have any time to waste. We need to find the nearest port and get back on the trail of the avatar. I was thinking, if we went-"

The former general interrupted him. "You have obviously been out of the loop for quite a while, Prince Zuko, so I think your ignorance can be excused. But I can tell you right now that any attempt at capturing the avatar would prove futile," he said.

Zuko looked at his uncle in confusion. "Futile? How could you say that? We were so close last time, and we're even closer now, I can feel it. We just need to-"

"Zuko," Iroh interrupted him again. "I say it's futile not because I believe us to be incapable, but because someone has already done it. The avatar was captured over a week ago by your sister, Princess Azula, and by her boyfriend, General Aizon."

Zuko's eyes widened and his jaw dropped at what his uncle said. Suddenly his legs felt weak beneath him, and he could no longer stand. He sank heavily into the ground. "Already captured?" he repeated in a daze, not quite believing what he was being told.

"Yes Zuko. Your sister and her boyfriend have become quite the famous pair," Iroh said with a chuckle. "And that's putting it lightly."

Zuko looked up sharply. "Wait a second, you said Azula and her boyfriend. Since when does she have a boyfriend? What kind of crazy boy would want to date her?"

Iroh laughed at that. "A fair question, but not one I have an answer for," he said simply.

Zuko stood up. "What do you mean you don't have an answer? You must have some idea!" he pressed.

His uncle just shrugged before closing his eyes to think. "There are rumors, of course. I've heard people say that their relationship is a torrid love affair between a peasant farm boy and a delicate princess who'd never left the palace before in her life," he said with a laugh.

"But I'm pretty sure you can guess that's not terribly accurate. I think it's far more likely that they met on some mission, but it doesn't really matter overall. In any event, one thing is certain, General Aizon is extremely powerful. He is probably the most powerful firebender in the world at the moment, barring only myself, Ozai, Azula, you, and maybe a few others."

Zuko gaped at his uncle. "Surely you exaggerate?

Iroh just shook his head. "No, I don't think so. He beat me in a fight, which was how I was captured in the first place. Granted, it was mostly because I made a mistake and took my attention off the fight, but still, not many people could do even that to me. He's also credited along with Princess Azula for conquering the North Pole. Those two conquered an entire city almost single handedly," he said, ticking off his fingers.

"Add capturing the avatar on top of all of that and you've got quite the impressive resume. I don't think it's any wonder that Ozai signed off on his request to court Azula. He would probably have proposed himself if Aizon hadn't asked first. Powerful men like Aizon only come around a few times every generation, and powerful men make powerful children. Something that every Fire Lord desires."

"But aren't most Generals supposed to be super old?" Zuko asked in disgust, imagining his sister dating someone his uncle's age.

Iroh laughed. "Well normally, yes. But I'm not really sure Aizon is a general. He's about Azula's age. I'm only assuming he got a promotion from Colonel after he captured the avatar, which seems like a fair bet considering the Fire Lord's apparent like for the boy."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes before Zuko finally spoke up again. "The way you say it, you make it sound like Azula and Aizon are almost... unstoppable."

Iroh said nothing in reply for a moment, then he sighed deeply. "The world would have been much better off if Aizon had never met the princess, yes, that's true. But do I think they're unstoppable? No, not really. No one is completely invincible. Not even the avatar, as his latest capture makes clear."

"They're probably more dangerous together than on their own, so maybe we could separate them?" Zuko suggested.

Iroh scratched his beard. "I don't think that's possible at this point, Zuko. Aizon is officially courting the crown princess. Many people would notice if he disappeared. Additionally, Aizon is rumored to be something of a strategic genius, and also a master at defensive firebending. Rumors like that must be taken very seriously, and they are lended heavy credence in my mind by his many victories against the odds. In my experience, moving overtly to attack a person with Aizon's skill set can only end poorly."

"So there's nothing we can do?" Zuko asked, looking morose.

Iroh glanced at him, and then into the distance, looking as if his mind was far, far away. "Not nothing, Prince Zuko. There is one thing we can do…"


A/N: Hello all! Another dialogue heavy chapter. Sorry. I don't know why I keep doing this. I think it's because in my mind every scene is supposed to be action packed and dramatic, but when I actually go to write it all out, there is so much more dialogue that needs to be fleshed out to make it seem natural. Does anyone else have this experience? I did involve more characters, so that was something I actually managed to do like I said I would.

I'm going to commit that next chapter will have more action. I think if I put it in writing, it may help me remember. Also. sorry if parts of this chapter bordered on deserving an M rating. I tried not to be too graphic, but I might have completely failed and just written pure cringe, so I apologize for that. Anyway, lemme know what you think. Please fav and review. Thank you.