CHAPTER 7- Imprisoned

Author's Note: Thank you for continuing to read and support this story. I am happy with this installment and can't wait for everything to culminate in the next. As a quick reminder, all characters have been aged up by three years. For example, Aang is 115 (physically 15) and Zuko is 19. Also, I don't own AtLA.

The Ocean

Aang sat silently in the hold straining to hear the noises as they drifted from above deck, barely reaching his ears. He could hear the sounds of a skirmish and smiled as he realised that Zuko and Azula must have come to rescue him. His hyper tuned senses felt the disturbances in the air as the guards assigned to monitor him shifted about becoming more attentive. To his left, one leveled their spear at the entrance, while the others inched closer to his chair attempting to keep him secure. Though Aang could not see them, the tension charging the air was palpable at that moment.

Silently, he waited to hear the conflict cease and the door to the hold be thrown open. The noises stopped and Aang heard a faint sound of talking consistent with the tone of the Water Tribe Prince with whom he had recently become acquainted.

Again, Aang waited as seconds slipped into minutes. A scream cut through his listening. He instantly recognized it as Azula's, and fear began to take hold of his mind began to play through hundreds of potential scenarios, each one more morbid than the last. He realized that his rescue attempt had failed. As he felt the guards near him begin to relax, he knew it was over. No one was coming to rescue him.

As his head hung low, Aang heard the hatch swing open. Glancing up, he heard the sound of footsteps descending the short stairway leading below decks. A man arrayed as all the others stood before him and gestured towards the guard positioned to Aang's right. A coarse voice came from below the wolf visage that obscured the man's face. "The Prince needs another set of hands above deck."

The man to Aang's right nodded and followed his comrade as they went above deck.

Eight Hours Later

Aang felt the ship begin to slow and once again readied himself for whatever he would face next.

The full moon hung above them illuminating the coast line and casting long shadows from the structures built upon it.

Above deck, men quickly moved to secure lines as the ship approached Fort Arnook Naval Yard where they would soon rendezvous with General Bato's Armada and turn over the prisoner they currently had detained below decks. After the 4 week journey from the Northern Water Tribe, the sailors were ready to have time to rest on shore before returning back to the homeland.

Soon, the silhouette of a watchtower appeared on the horizon. As they neared it, the darkness surrounding it transformed into the shapes of a port with several ships and small buildings. As the ship continued further, undeviating from its course, faint noises could be heard as men loaded and unloaded ships. The clatter of armor and weapons slowly replaced the otherwise monotonous sounds of waves slapping against the hull .

Within fifteen minutes the ship was safely docked and Sokka once more signaled for his men to bring the prisoner above deck. Sokka descended the gangplank with a small entourage in tow. He was quickly stopped by a customs officer. "Excuse me," the demure man enquired, "but if you could please explain your reason for docking here?"

Sokka sighed and simply said, "I require an audience with General Bato."

The officer responded, "I'm afraid he will not be available unless you already have scheduled an appointment with him."

Losing his patience with the man, Sokka was inexpressibly glad when a familiar voice cut in, "Thank you Ensign Alornerk, but I believe the crown prince does not need an appointment to have an audience with me.

Sokka could see the realization wash across the young man's face as he fell into a deep bow. "My apologies Prince Sokka, I-I had no idea," stammered the young man.

Sokka simply waved his hand and the office scrambled away, keen not to risk further insulting the heir to the Water Tribe Throne. Once he had slunk away from the duo, the General clapped Sokka on the back. Spotting the teenager in chains he said, "I see your search did not result in another wild goose chase. "

Sokka smiled and responded, "Indeed, we have finally captured the Avatar. How goes your hunt, General?"

"Well."

"Excellent, in the meantime, I have a private matter to discuss with you."

"Of course. Follow me." As Sokka trailed behind the General, he signalled to the guards to secure the prisoner before allowing them some time to relax. Soon he and Bato entered a large building at the center of the base. Bato turned to him and said, "No one should be able to overhear us."

Seemingly satisfied after a short visual inspection, Sokka began, "I believe the Avatar may have unlocked the secret of immortality."

Bato looked at him quizzically, "Your father has searched for decades to unlock immortality and you believe a mere boy has found it before him."

"Not just any boy. He is the Avatar, and yes. His attire matches that of the traditional Air Nomad garb and he bends air as if he has had years of training. For a person of his age, this would be impossible seeing as the Air Nomads went extinct one hundred years ago. I see no other explanation."

"I understand where you are coming from, but I still do not see how he could have done this. I think it may be most prudent to refrain from telling your father until you can be sure."

"Very well. If I may ask, what news has there been from the search party?"

"The hunt has been tedious, but after four months we believe we have found your sister's base of operations."

"Excellent. My father will be most pleased. I plan to return to him in a week and tell him the good news. In the meantime, my crew and I require lodging."

"Of course, a barrack will be opened for your men and when your advanced messenger came we began preparing a room for you. It should be ready. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable. Unfortunately, I cannot stay with you. Duty calls, and I must go talk to our newest guest."

Dungeon

In the bowels of the prison, Aang was chained between two posts. Surrounded by darkness with a persistent dripping noise breaking the silence every few seconds, Aang awaited his fate. Hanging in the air, unable to move his arms or legs, all hope seemed lost.

A door swung open across from him and a man walked in. The man entered with a cart arrayed with a variety of cruel instruments. The next man to enter the small cell in which Aang was confined was one he recognized. The man that his captor had identified as a general was the next to enter the cramped space. The General seemed to survey Aang, determining how much of a threat he posed. Seemingly satisfied with his analysis, he turned towards Aang and began to speak, "So, you are the ever elusive Avatar. You don't look like much, but I suppose appearances are well known to be deceiving. Before I have to resort to any unpleasantness I exhort you to answer me honestly. What is your reason for emerging after a century of silence?"

Staring the man in the eye, Aang knew he had to stay strong. No matter what inhumane punishments they chose to enact on his body, he could not let his spirit break. Keeping his silence, Aang met the petrifying gaze of his jailer.

After almost a minute, the man realized that Aang would not betray himself. "Very well then. I wish it did not have to come to this. I will return in one hour. I pray to the spirits you will have come to your senses by then."

As the cell door crashed behind The General, the other man began preparing his tools. He seemed to lay out several blades, two vials, and a needle for the torture that was to come. "You should have taken The Generals' offer. After I'm done with you, your life will be a prison from which you cannot escape, for only I will hold the key." As he finished saying this, he extracted a needle from one of the vials and dug it into Aang's side. Aang grimaced and squirmed as his side began to heat up.

"What you are currently feeling is a poison slowly spreading through your bloodstream."

The searing feeling then shot up his other side. Aang felt it begin to creep down his arm. He gritted his teeth in an attempt to hide his pain. The man laughed in response.

"Resist as much as you want, but even the Avatar cannot overcome this."

Aang began to feel the sensation creep down his legs. Finally it began to creep towards his heart. Slowly, the burning reached Aang's heart when the sensation suddenly stopped as it was about to overtake the muscle. The man simply said, "You are lucky that the Crown Prince still deems it necessary for you to continue living, but I can still make you regret your very existence. Have you ever experienced what it feels like to drown? It is not a pleasant feeling Avatar. In fact, it has been known to drive men insane. I wonder how long you will last."

The torturer removed Aang's chains and bound him to a chair before leaning it backwards. He covered Aang's face with cloth and began to pour water over it. Aang began to gag. He couldn't breathe. He began to panic when he felt the water stop. Though he could not see through the cloth covering his face, he could still hear what was occurring around him. Listening closely he heard the door to his cell swing open and close. He heard the gruff voice of his captor asking, "What are you doing in here." Then the sound of a knife being driven into flesh and the thud of a large body resounded through the cell.

Aang felt the cloth being removed from his face.

All the water in his throat then seemed to be forcibly removed. Gushing out of him, Aang began retching and collapsed as much as he could while still chained to the chair. When he finally looked up he saw the body of his tormentor lying in a suspiciously red puddle. Looking around to see what might have caused it he found himself staring into a pair of bright blue eyes.

Author's Note - I have really enjoyed writing this and am looking forward to the next update. I apologize for the long gap, but school really ratcheted up. I will try to get the next update out in about two weeks, but I cannot guarantee anything. Thank you so much for reading and have a good morning/day/night. Please leave feedback.