Chapter 5: Prisoner of The Fire Nation

Quasimodo closed his eyes against the bright light as they walked through the portal. When they where on the other side he blinked his watery eyes and looked around. They where standing in a dark dreary cave. The guards pushed him forward as they walked out of the cave and out onto a sandy shoreline.

Resting on the shoreline was a ship made of black metal, its prow lowered like a ramp leading into the darkness of the ship. He gulped. Move It! One of the guards yelled at him as they pushed him forward. He looked back at his last glimpse of sunlight before the ramp closed encasing the ship in total darkness.

They threw him in a cell chaining him to a wall, then they left. Quasimodo leaned against the cold metal wall exhausted. I might as well get some sleep. Over the next couple of days, he was mistreated and abused. He would be beaten and burned almost on a daily basis. Sometimes he was left for days without food or water.

However, he feared his treatment would be worse when they reached the Fire Nation. He prayed they would get lost and never find their way to the fire nation. He prayed someone would save him Aang more than anyone else, but he also prayed for his friends safety.

After months at sea however they finally made it to the fire nation capital. He was dragged from his cell and out into the brilliant sunlight. He saw a vast city surrounded by rock walls on every side. "Beautiful isn't it." He turned to glare at Azula who was standing on the deck looking proudly at the city.

Yeah beautiful he muttered sarcastically under his breath. He was led through a busy harbor and then through the city. Everywhere that he went people stopped and stared. The whispered about his ugly appearance under their breath and he couldn't blame them. He knew he was ugly. There was nothing that would change that.

They soon arrived at the palace its black, red, and gold towers gleamed in the sunlight. He was led through endless halls red curtain hung on some of the walls. He was soon led into what could only be the throne room. Dark red and gold pillars lined the room in the center of the room was a dais of sorts instead of a throne sitting on dais surrounded by a wall of flames was who he could be was the fire lord.

Azula stepped forward kneeling before her fathers throne. Father. Azula my dear daughter to what do I owe this delightful visit. Shouldn't you be out capturing the avatars friends. I have discovered the Avatar is alive! "What?!" Impossible you told me you killed him in Be sing Se. He healed I don't know how. I followed him to another world, but he escaped me yet again.

I can imagine Zuko failing at this but you my daughter? You're a fire bending Prodigy. The avatar is a 12-year-old boy. He shouldn't be that much of a challenge, and yet….You let him slip through your fingers! The Avatar may have escaped father, but I didn't leave empty handed father. I've brought you a gift. Oh, and what did you bring me daughter? In the other world I discovered the Avatar had made a very unusual friend. She motioned to the soldiers to bring him forward. He struggled against his captors, but it did him no good.

He was forced to his knees in front of the throne. He looked up slightly to get a better look at the so-called fire lord he'd heard so much about. He could not see his face well enough to see a small grin spread across his face.

"You have done well daughter." Then his cruel stare became focused on Quasimodo. "What is your name boy?" If I can even call you that. Quasimodo didn't answer. "He asked you a question creature, I suggest you answer!" One of the guards pulled his head back forcing him to look the fire lord in the eye.

"Quasimodo." My name is Quasimodo. He said glaring up at the man wreathed in flames. The fire lord glared right back at him. "What should we do with him father?" Azula asked. The fire lord gave a tired sigh. Put him to work in the palace, he looks like a strong worker. Now leave take the creature to the servant quarters and put him to work, I don't care!

"What I wish to know daughter is why bring him here?" Father, if the Avatar discovers we have his friend , he'll come here to rescue him and when he does….The Avatar will be ours! He turned to the soldiers who held the hunchback. Take him away he said.

Quasimodo was forced to his feet and was dragged out of the throne room. They placed him in a random room and left him there. The room was small and sparce with a small bed in the center of the room. He had half expected to be thrown in a cell, but the fire lord had shown him mercy. Why? Maybe he just didn't care what happened to him. All he wanted was Aang. He collapsed on the bed and cried.

Over the next couple of days, he was practically treated like a slave. They worked him hard until he was so tired that when he returned to his room, he would instantly collapse on his bed. Weeks soon passed and he got used to the work and some of the other servant even helped him when he needed it.

But things where still hard. After he was done working every day he was locked away in his room by guards. Sometimes he was brought food while other times he was starved by the guards. Weeks soon turned into months. It was clear. Aang wasn't coming for him.

Quasi prayed his friend found him soon. Out of the months he'd been here he had tried to escape five times, each time getting caught. Now the guards watched him more closely now. At one point they had guarded his door.

Now they were confident that he'd given up on trying to escape and they where probably right. After all what was the point of escaping if you didn't know where you where going afterwards. However, something changed that week and it led to his freedom and a shocking discovery.

He had been cleaning the floor when someone knocked over the bucket of water. Hey! "You did that on Purpose!" He froze realizing who had just yelled at. Glaring down at him was Azula. "What did you just say?" She said with a threatening tone to her voice. N-N-Nothing your highness. A cruel grin spread across her face. "That's what I thought." She said smugly.

"Come along girls, lets leave this creature to his work." It was then he noticed the two other two girls with her. One girl had black hair and dark eyes and was dressed in red and black. The other girl was dressed from head to toe in pink and magenta. Her brown hair braided down her back. She turned to look at him as she passed.

This startled him so he looked down, to avoid her gaze. There was something about the way she had looked at him. She had looked almost, apologetic. As if she were apologizing for her friends cruelty. She almost looked as if she felt sorry for him. He shook the thought out of his head and continued scrubbing the floor.

That night he was not brung his meal as usual. His stomach growled. "I shouldn't have yelled at Azula now I'm going to suffer because of it." He curled up on his bed and cried. He cried for his friends in Paris, he cried for Aang. He cried because of his unfair imprisonment and the way he was being treated. Suddenly he heard the door to his room slowly creak open.

Earlier…

Ty Lee couldn't believe the walled city of Ba sing Se had finally fallen. She hadn't been their when Azula had supposedly killed the Avatar, but she heard it was a great victory. Know Azula was saying the avatar had been healed and escaped her once again. It made no sense.

Then again what really made no sense was Zuko betraying Azula to help the Avatar. She had not expected that. What was really shocking was that Azula's Uncle had sided with her during the battle which was a surprise because the old general loved his nephew like a son, so why betray him.

The answer was simple. She had figured out what the old generals plan was a long time ago. After the battle to be precise. He was simply a spy within the walls of the fire nation. To deliver information to the avatar and his friends.

She personally did not like the millions of people who where suffering because of this war she secretly helped the general deliver messages to his nephew when ever she could. When she heard from Azula that she had captured one of the Avatars friends she was expecting the pretty water bending girl or maybe the little blind earthbender girl.

However, she was surprised with the strange sight of the deformed red-haired boy. He was about 16 by the look of it. He definitely seemed two years older then her she was only 14. She watched as Azula walked over to the boy who seemed to busy scrubbing the floor to see her.

She Kicked over the bucket smirking at his shocked reaction. "Hey!" You did that on Purpose!" When he realized who he yelled at his green eyes widened in fear. "What did you just say?! Her dark eyes glared down at him waiting for his response. "N-N-Nothing your highness." He answered meekly. Azula smirked down at him. "That's what I thought." She turned her back on him and motioned her and Mae to follow.

"Come along girls, lets leave this creature to his work." Ty Lee followed her friend looking at the strange boy as she passed. He fearfully avoided her gaze as she walked past him. She felt sorry for him it wasn't his fault he was born different. He didn't ask to be born the way he did.

What surprised her the most was what Azula told one of the guards. Don't bring the creature anything to eat this week he needs to be punished. The guard nodded and walked off. That night she gathered as much food as she could sneak from the kitchen and found the boys room. With a deep nervous breath, she knocked on the door.