Chapter 7: Father's Wisdom

"Thank goodness you're okay," Sokka greeted as he approached his father in his cell.

Hakoda jumped up into a fighting stance, extending his right fist threateningly at the man he thought was a prison guard. "If you take one step closer, you'll see just how 'okay' I am."

"Dad, it's me," he smiled, lifting his helmet mask.

His intimidating glare fell as his blue eyes filled with tears. "Sokka, my son."

They met in the center of the cell and hugged.

Hakoda took a step back, keeping his left hand on his son's shoulder. "You know, Sokka," he chuckled. "You should be more careful with that guard outfit on. I almost punched you in the gut." He took a seat on the floor with his back flat up against the drab wall.

"Yeah, I ran into that problem earlier," he simpered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he thought about his meeting with Suki when he had first arrived. Disconcerted by a noise in the hall, he took a quick peek outside, but he didn't find anything to raise alarm. "So, where's Bato?" He turned back to his father. "Where's everyone else from the invasion?"

"The others are being held at a prison near the Fire Nation Palace. They singled me out as their leader and sent me here."

Sokka sat down next to his father.

"But before I left, I met some young women who said they knew you. The… Oshinama Fighters?"

Sokka smirked. "You mean the Kyoshi Warriors?"

"That's right."

"Their leader, Suki, is here and she's gonna escape with us."

"Good," he affirmed, placing his hand on his son's shoulder. "We'll need all the help we can get." He set his hand back down on his lap.

"And you know Prince Zuko?"

"The son of the Fire Lord?" he questioned, cocking his head to the side. "I don't know him, but I know of him."

"Well, he's here too."

He crossed his arms. "Sounds like a major problem."

"Actually, he's on our side now."

Hakoda raised his eyebrow in suspicion.

"I know. I had the same reaction. After all he's done, it was hard to trust him. But he's really proven himself, and I never would've found you without his help."

He nodded his head with understanding.

"The thing is… his sister is here too."

"Princess Azula? She's changed sides as well?" he asked with disbelief.

"Not exactly…" Sokka cast his eyes down toward his feet as he gathered his thoughts. Then he began to speak a mile a minute. "Fire Lord Ozai ordered her to kill Zuko, so when she heard he was here, she came with her friends, and even though she said she wasn't going to kill him, her friends didn't believe her and ended up betraying and imprisoning her, and then Zuko asked me to take care of her, which I really didn't want to do at first, but she's not so bad once you get to know her, and somehow she convinced me to share a bed with her last night, and even though we didn't do anything, I kinda wanted to kiss her this morning, but I didn't because Suki is my girlfriend in case you didn't know that already, and I haven't quite told Suki yet that Azula is even here, and now I really don't know what to do." He stopped to catch his breath. "Help."

"That's quite the predicament, my son," he chuckled, shaking his head. "So… do you have an escape plan?"

"I do."

"And have you told the princess about this plan?"

"No, not yet. Do you think I should?" His blue eyes beckoned for answers.

"I think you need to be cautious. This is the Fire Nation Princess we're talking about – "

"But – but," he stammered. "She has hair like the night and eyes like the sun!"

"Would you still be interested in helping her escape if you didn't have feelings for her?"

"I-I don't have feelings for her! I mean, she's very beautiful, breathtaking really, but – "

"But you do." Hakoda released a disapproving sigh. "I can see it all over your face – I can hear it in your voice."

"Ughhhh," Sokka groaned with frustration as he considered his father's words. "Do I have feelings for her? Could I really have fallen so quickly?" He sunk lower against the wall. "So… you don't think I should include Azula in my plan."

"It's not a wise decision. I think you know that. But, this is ultimately your plan." He smiled and patted his downtrodden son on the back. "It's your call. I trust your judgment."

He gave Hakoda a halfhearted smile in return. "Thanks, Dad." Although his heart, head, and instincts were engaged in a heated battle, he had made his decision. He was going to get Azula off this island.