Chapter 6: The Breakout

Normal POV

"okay, so the plan is clear?" Xai Bau asked a few days later as he and Tziza had a bag slung over their shoulders, ready to go.

"Yes. You all have been here for several days, we talked about the past some and after asking if we knew anything about Zaheer you left." Femke said as she and the remaining Red Lotus members stood in the doorway to Femke's home.

"And we told you we haven't seen Zaheer since the day he was arrested and that we have no idea where he is being kept." Ghazan said in a very relaxed way as he held one arm around Ming Hua, who looked up at him, annoyed.

"Good. Keep this in mind and we will handle the rest. Soon you will have your friend back where he belongs." Xai Bau said as he nodded to Ilena who opened a portal for them that would bring them back to the Avatar World.

"Good luck, Sir." Femke smiled as she and P'li smiled at Tziza as well, who gave them a small thumbs up as a sign they would be okay before they headed into the portal and disappeared from sight.

"You're sure they will be okay?" Femke asked her best friend as she gave her a worried look.

"I am. Believe me, Xai Bau and Zaheer look so much alike. Even I had mistaken them for relatives if i didn't know any better." P'li smiled as she gave her best friend a hug.

"Don't worry. Soon Zaheer will be back with us where he belongs." Femke smiled as the others joined in the groups hug.

'Let's hope Zaheer remembers his promise.' Femke thought as she looked at the deep blue sky above her with a sad look. knowing P'li would hate her if Zaheer would refuse to tell the truth about the kiss.

Xai Bau's POV

"So, if i understand you correctly; your son ran away from home because he didn't want to take part in an arranged marriage." A strict looking man asked as he sat hunched over the papers the Wood Villages had copied for us out of the real Ba Sing Se archive, which had been looted during the raids on the Royal Palace and were now in the hands of the Wood Villages who had taken them from those looters, who had wanted to burn them.

"Our little boy was always a rebel but we never intended to hurt him like that." Tziza fake sobbed, gently patting with a handkerchief in the corners of her eyes.

"We have looked all over the world for him. Now we finally found him we would want him home.. married of to a fine young woman as we intended him to be." I said strictly as I placed a big bag of money on the table, at which the man looked with a skeptical look.

"And what about his newly achieved airbending skills?" the man asked on, seemingly not trusting us with Zaheer unless we gave them every detail of the plan. "Those powers of him are very dangerous even we had to put him in high lockup while he was drugged to make sure he wouldn't escape." The man said firmly as he looked from Tziza to me.

"You can Chi Block him for the time being and once we're home we have a special potion to keep the bending away."

Tziza said as she handed them a piece of paper that contained the recipe of a potion that she made up. It was pure nonsense, but she hoped they might fall for it.

"Special Potion. Right… Very nice and all, but the fact stays he can throw something like that in a can, pretend to have taken it and escape during night. And that's just me saying the first thing that comes up in my head." The man said after he placed the recipe down.

"Well, do you know how much security is around our house? All of them are expert chi blockers. They won't let him escape" I tried to assure the man as I gave him a stern look.

"You must have thought of that right before he escaped last time as well. It isn't going to happen. He is too danger-..." The man started his line, but stopped as Ilena grabbed his neck firmly to knock him out while Dizanna and Aelvia, who posed as bodyguards, did the same to the other guards.

"So much for that. Plan B!" Ilena called as we grabbed the keys he carried and ran through the door into the small narrow hallway.

"Hey, what are are you…?" one of them managed to ask, but was soon knocked out by Dizanna's Earthbending

"Can you metal bend as well?" I asked her as she looked up at me shocked before she nodded.

"As long as his chains aren't made of platinum, I can bend them." She replied as we forced our way through the hallways and to a big door that looked like an elevator.

"Send the elevator down! Don't let these criminals through." The man that seemed to be in charge called, after which one of them pushed a button to do as told.

"We have to get the elevator up again!" Ilena called as she used her water whip to take out several of the men.

"No time! The backup arrived!" Dizanna called back as she pointed to a spot behind her were indeed more men came running.

"Give up, you're surrounded!" One of them bellowed as they all pointed their fists at the five of us. ready to strike.

"How close are we to Zaheer, Ilena?" I heard Dizanna whisper in her best friend's ear as we all moved our arms up.

"Close. I can feel his energy bane right under us." Ilena whispered back as she stepped backwards as the man came to us carrying chains.

"Can you two distract them? I have a plan." Dizanna whispered to me, which made me look up at her, surprised since i was normally the one that came up with the plans but against this many men we didn't stand a chance. Despite that it seemed these three women had a plan to get to Zaheer anyway.

"I can try, but it won't be for long." I replied as I got a dagger out of my pocket which Ilena took from my hand quietly and gave me a smirk as she handed me a magically made duplicate.

"Let's go get Zaheer." She whispered and smirked before she disappeared from sight.

Normal POV

"Where did she go?" A guard asked as he looked at the place the young woman had disappeared from.

"Like we would tell you even if we knew." Xai Bau said. This was a lie. He knew the blonde had a plan, though he had no idea what that was. He hoped they would somehow be able to free Zaheer, since they were so close.

"Put your arms were we can see them." The man now said firmly.

"Sir, what about the blonde?" One of the men asked.

"Just keep calm and restrain the prisoners." He answered and after that he nodded to one of his men who walked towards them with chains, but just as he wanted to chain them down there was a yelp behind him and when he looked up Ilena was holding the knife on the throat of the leader of the group.

"Get the elevator up. Let us though or I will kill him." Ilena called, Though Dizanna and Selvia noticed she was faking. Their friend was a lot and had been through a lot but she would never kill. Tziza looked at them with an annoyed look, since she couldn't believe what she was hearing. These had been friends with that fairy girl that had been so against murder and yet they threatened the life of a innocent man to free a man they didn't even know.

"Don't do it! He is too dangerous to be let out!" The man called, he was very scared at the moment, but he knew the world would be in grave danger if Zaheer were to escape. He would rather die than let that madman escape.

"But Sir, you might be killed." One of them objected. "That doesn't matter. Zaheer can't..." The man started but stopped as the point of the knife pricked in his skin while Ilena forced him to walk towards the elevator, forcing his hand on the button to call it up again, figuring the lift would most likely only react on someone from the White Lotus. She let the other four members of the group in first, Ilena holding the man firmly in her grasp.

"That was scary." Tziza sighted as she used the handkerchief to wipe some of the sweat from her forehead.

"We're not out yet, stay focused." Xai Bau told his second in command as the lift arrived at their destination.

"We have your superior, open the hatch! Let us through!" Ilena called as soon as the elevator had opened. The man in her grasp got a punch in his stomach from Dizanna as soon as he opened his mouth to object.

"Do as we say or we'll kill him!" Xai Bau threatened as he got the duplicate knife from his pocket and pointed it at the throat of the man, who now made a gruff noise because he saw a glint in this man's eyes he knew a bit too well. This man would kill him without hesitation if needed.

"Open the hatch!" The man now called, feeling threatened. "But Sir…" One of the men said, hesitating because he knew how dangerous Zaheer was.

"Do as I say." the man called now as the point of the knife made some blood ooze out of his neck on the place Xai Bau had his knife to add threat.

"Yes sir…" They obliged eventually, seeing there was indeed a comerade in need.

"One wrong move and he will be done for." Ilena threatened as they walked towards the opened hatch, Ilena held the man in her grip with Tziza standing before him in case he wanted to try something in the hatch, while Dizanna, Selvia and Xai Bau ran towards the middle of the room were Zaheer looked up shocked at the sight of the small group

.

"Master? What on earth?" Zaheer questioned as Dizanna ripped the metal chains from his wrists, ankles and waist.

"We're friends of Femke." Dizanna said. Xai Bau nodded to confirm this as Dizanna opened one of the earth walls to make a escape route that didn't involve fighting those men or bluffing with the life of an innocent person. "You can dump the guy, Ilena! We got an emergency escape!" Dizanna called to Ilena and Tziza as Zaheer, Xai Bau, Selvia and she walked into the opening first. Ilena nodded and knocked the man out, before she took Tziza's arm and ran towards the opening as well, after which Dizanna closed the wall to cover their escape way, leaving just an open room with some broken heavy chains as a sign someone had been imprisoned here before.

Zaheer's POV

"Master? What on Earth?" I asked with a shocked expression on my face as I saw my master walk into the prison cell I was in aong with three unknown girls, who immediately ripped my chains off

"We're friends of Femke." A brunette said. Master Xai Bau nodded in reply to confirm that they were indeed friends with Femke, as the brunette walked to the wall and opened a large gap in it so we had a escape route that didn't involve fighting. Even do Femke had warned me my master and some of her friends were coming to free me, I hadn't imagined they would be able to exactly reach me, since the guards had often mentioned how deep I was buried underground and how high the security was. There would be dozens of guards waiting for us outside that wall now and even though I was up to some fights, I knew the six of us would never be able to fight of all those guards on our own.

Besides, I might look okay but jail did a number on me, mentally speaking.

"You can dump the guy now, Ilena! We got an emergency escape!" I heard the brunette call to a blonde woman that was standing in the hatch together with Tziza, our second in command. The blonde she had called Ilena nodded and used a very well known Chi technique to knock the man out, before she and Tziza ran into the small narrow hallway as well, before she closed it. As she closed it I looked at the middle of the room one last time, praying this would be the last time I would see it.

"We have to hurry! I don't know how long it will take for them to let everyone know we busted Zaheer out." A voice called out from behind me.

"Can't you teleport?" The voice of my master replied from next to me, as I felt his strong arms forced me to lean on him form some odd reason, like he was fearing I would fall and hurt myself if he wouldn't help me walk in the dark.

'Some things will never change. He is still very protective of me.' I thought with a smile on my face as Tziza opened a small fire in the palm of her hand to light the way.

"You look horrible." She commented as soon as her fire was stable enough to see by.

"If that was all you lighted the fire for, I wish you turned the light of again." I quipped with a wry smile on my face. Though I was glad to see her and my master again.

"No, I also did it to make bending out a way for us would be easier for Dizanna."

Tziza said with a smile on her face as she gave my master a stern glare.

"Let the boy walk on his own. He isn't your age yet." Tziza snapped at Xai Bau, who looked at her with an annoyed glance.

"Just looking out for him. You have seen how insufferable that jail was." He mumbled as he let go of me.

"I can't understand how you can stand that smell around him. How long has it been since you last took a shower?" Tziza asked as she waved her hands before her face to sign I was probably smelling awful.

"Three years ago. This is nothing. You should have smelled me after thirteen years of prison." I half joked, since it had been the truth. I had smelled awful after those thirteen years of jail.

"Thank goodness i didn't, then." Tziza commented with a smile on her face after which everything went silent for a moment as I watched the woman Tziza had called Dizanna bend out a way for us.

"So how did you manage to get in? The security was top notch." I asked after having spent a long time walking in silence. which made Xai Bau look up at me

"Thanks to that new girl. Femke. She really wanted to get you out so that the Red Lotus could be together again. Including her." Xai Bau commented. Though I felt the hidden hint behind it. He was mad I recruited yet another someone without asking him first.

"I know, I know. I should have asked you first if I could make her join." I replied as I looked at him sternly. at which he reacted with a surprised look. "You weren't there to ask." I said, hinting I hadn't forgotten he should have been there when we needed him.

"I had some things to work out on my own and I think you're old and wise enough to make that decision on your own." Xai Bau replied as he smiled at me, then at Tziza who nodded in return. "You did great recruiting her. From what little I saw of her, she is amazing." He said.

"Master." I smirked as I tried to pull him away from me a little. "I'm still with P'li." i said defensively, though this was a bit of a lie. I thought she was dead and let go off her.

"I thought I heard you let all your earthly tethers go to learn flight." Xai Bau said as he looked at me from top to bottom, and when I looked down I saw why. I had made myself fly up a little so I towered out above him.

"I did but..." I sighed as I landed and looked at my master sadly. "That doesn't mean I forgot about her. 'Letting go your earthly tethers' doesn't mean letting go of all feelings you have." I said sternly, which was the sad truth. even if you let a your earthly tethers go. Even if you accept things happened and you can't change anything about it anymore, the things I had done. Large things like P'li, Ming Hua and Ghazan's deaths to small things like Femke's injured arm kept haunting me in my worst nightmares until Femke came to tell me they didn't die after all.

"True. Despite accepting, the mind can stay a powerful enemy." Xai Bau said as the girls made the small tunnel they were walking in turn to the right sharply.

"Which was why I was glad Femke came to tell me they didn't die after all. I had a lot more peace after that." I admitted with a small smile on my face, after which my master looked at me, surprised.

"You seem to be very fond of Femke" Xai Bau remarked as he looked at me sternly. "Do you have feelings for her?" He asked straight out now.

"What? No. I can't... I'm with P'li." I stammered which made my master look at me skeptically.

"You just said you let go your earthly tethers. She was your last earthly tether. Your flight proves you let her go." Xai Bau said. "But earthly tethers can come back and ten times stronger than before in the form of new love," Xai Bau said, which was something I had to think about for a moment. I indeed let go of P'li at Laghima's Peak but that had been because I thought she was dead, not because I wanted to. If I had the choice I would have never let go.

"You and Femke seemed to have shared a lot already. When you thought P'li died you let her go but with that you found a friend and maybe more in Femke." Xai Bau said now. "She lost the love of her life recently or so I heard. So she is free to make her own fate as well now and since you two share a history together it might be she already started to feel for you as well. Though she might still be in denial." Xai Bau continued at which I nodded since I indeed had heard from Femke that Grovyle left her which I could imagine had been very rough for her. But the idea that she might have started to build up feelings for me was strange. Though she did seemed to be tenser around me last time we were in the Spirit World together.

"Well, I did feel she was tense around me last time we were together." I stammered. "Though that might as well have been because I kissed her when we said our goodbyes." I admitted as I gave my master a sheepish smile, who now looked up at me, shocked.

"Excuse me? You kissed her? Why?" He asked, shocked that I kissed Femke while I just told him I still felt strongly for P'li.

"I don't know. Desperation?" I said as I looked down, thinking about that kiss on the dock and the feelings I had at that moment

.

"Zaheer, desperation isn't a good motivator. You should be honest with Femke." He said sternly. "And with yourself. Since I don't believe it was desperation." My master replied before he walked next to Tziza, leaving me alone to think as the end of the tunnel came in sight.

Normal POV

"Okay, stand clear. As soon as we're out we run into the forest. From there we can teleport." Ilena told the group when Dizanna said she fell the outside world at the other end of the wall.

"You think there will be guards?" Xai Bau asked as he looked at the wall which the outside world was behind.

"I feel nothing. Though they could be in the trees to ambush us." Selvia said, who had unlocked earth as her second element. even do it was weaker than her first element (air) it was already getting better.

"No. That sharp turn we made was to fool them. They're all waiting for us at the other side of the mountain." Ilena grinned as she placed a hand on the wall then double checked by stomping her foot on the ground. "We're all clear." She said, nodding as she opened a small gap in the wall, so they could all pass out, after which Ilena closed the gap again. After that the group of six sneaked as fast and as silently as they could towards the edge of the forest where they broke into a run.

"By the time they notice we fled, we're safe and sound back on Earth." Dizanna smiled after a while of running, as they stopped for a moment to catch their breath.

"You know, this had gone a lot faster if we had a Saito Mobile, like I told you to get." Tziza commented as she looked at Xai Bau accusingly

.

"There's nothing wrong with the old sneak and run technique." Xai Bau defended as he looked around. They were at the side of a lake in the middle of a forest. It was really peaceful, no sign of the White Lotus yet. They could take a small break here.

"Problem is we could have been killed this time." Tziza snapped as she crossed her arms.

"Tziza, they would have heard a Sato Mobile leave. We would have had a dozen White Lotus guards after us if we had taken one." Xai Bau replied.

"He's right. The only way they will find us now is if you keep talking." Zaheer half joked as he walked to the water and took a bit of it in both hands.

"You're probably right." Tziza smiled as she followed the young airbender's example and drank some of the cool water.

"After we're rested up we will be able to teleport to Femke's home on Earth." Selvia said, which made Xai Bau and Tziza look up at her skeptically.

"Why couldn't we just teleport to and away from Zaheer's cell?" Xai Bau asked as he bent down to drink some water as well.

"We need to know exact locations of where we're going." Selvia explained as Zaheer took his jail clothes of and jumped into the water. "So we had to tunnel out before we could teleport back, which should work by now." She said as she looked at the water, then to the other side, seeing Zaheer was swimming around.

"I think Zaheer hasn't seen water in a long time." Ilena said as she got two wooden trunks that were tied together in the middle from behind a tree and grabbed in it, before she throw a bar of soap backwards towards zaheer, who caught it, before heading under.

"Thanks!" Zaheer called, smiling as he got above the water again, then swam behind a rock to get himself washed up.

"While he washes up, would you mind telling me how you made that bag, it looks interesting." Tziza commented with a smile on her face as she looked at the bags, impressed. "They're bags made of hollow tree trunks, all Wood Villagers have them" Ilena said as she rustled through it some more, and got all kinds of things out.

"What are these for?" Tziza asked curiously as she picked up a small wooden box and shook it.

"That's my medicine box, everyone from the Wood Villages has one in their bag, in case of emergencies." Ilena explained as she placed two rocks on the floor as well as a small narrow rock with a hole in the back.

"Rocks?" Tziza questioned as she looked at the brunette curiously again.

"We make rocks into things we need, like this one." Inne said as she held up the rock with the hole in the bottom.

"We use it to do our sewing work, and the other two..." She pointed to the small rocks that were formed out in a circle. "We use to make fire, we always carry them around in case we don't have a firebender nearby to make fire." She joked as she finally found what she had been looking for and hung a towel over a nearby branch were Zaheer would be able to get it without any of them seeing it.

"Handy. I thought the Wood Villages only were a myth." Tziza commented as she looked at the place Ilena had just put the towel, then back at Ilena who was busy packing her stuff again.

"Yep, everyone believes that, which is for the best. All the people living in the Wood Villages have a criminal background. They would all be arrested again if people knew the myth was real." Ilena said as she finished packing, then swung the bag on her back as Zaheer emerged from behind a tree, still wearing his jail clothes, but looking a lot cleaner.

"So that's what was behind that filth" Tziza remarked dryly as she went over to give Zaheer a hug.

"Always with the snark, Tziza. You're sounding like Ming Hua." Zaheer joked as he returned the hug before he walked to the three girls. "I'm all set to go." He said as he held out his hand to them.

"Then let's go." Selvia said as she placed a hand on his, and with a flash, the group of six disappeared.

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And with that I end the sixth chapter of the story. I hope you liked it!

A/N:

The plan to pretend to be Zaheer's parents was a cover story to get in. Xai Bau made it up so they would be able to get into the compound of the White Lotus.

Xai Bau is sixty and Tziza is fifty-eight, despite the small difference in ag

e Tziza keeps referring to Xai Bau as "old man" and "oldtimer" which is mostly mocking his role as leader and his continued wise remarks.

In the whole escape scene Ilena and Dizanna shined,since both girls were able to earthbend, though Selvia's first element was air. Just like Femke she unlocked another element from the cycle though none of the Vootrix seemed to have to follow the normal order of unlocking (first water, then earth, then fire, then air) Selvia is always the silent one so she didn't had many lines now, she might be able to do more later.

Keep Xai Bau's protectiveness towards Zaheer in mind. It might have a certain reason.

I figured Zaheer might want to wash up before he would meet his friends again, besides the whole bust out would take a lot of the three fairies' energy and from what I have seen from all the Winx Club episodes I watched, I learned that magic won't react or will be weakened when a fairy is tired. Which would be the cause by a breakout.

Well that was all for now! I hope you enjoyed reading it, thanks for reading and thanks paranoidgirl for doing such an awesome job as beta reader and advisor.

Please review!