Zuko walked reluctantly down the halls of Palace. It had been three days since the water tribe girl had been condemned to be his slave. After she had collapsed in the throne room, she had been taken back to the infirmary where she was attended to by Onigata, the palace healer. She had remained unconscious throughout all her treatments, barely even breathing. Zuko had been checking in on her each day, hoping that she would be dead and yet praying for her survival. Nothing ever seemed to go right for him, he had been so close and now this girl had ruined everything. Death would be a sweet relief for both her and myself. If she lives we'll both be miserable and if she dies...lets just say we'll both be free. Zuko reached the banquet hall and entered to find his father and sister already sitting down waiting for him.

"It's about time."

"My apologies father, Azula."

"So hows the water brat doing? Is she up to her...duties yet?"

"No."

"Don't be so forlorn brother, I'm sure she'll come around soon. I can only imagine how anxious you must be for her to...get better."

Zuko clenched his hand in a fist fighting the urge to burn his little sister to a crisp. She just wants to make me angry and Agni knows it's working. Responding will only add fuel to her fire. Seeing her brother was determined to remain silent she began a new string of attacks far less direct.

"I've been thinking father that when this girl wakes up she will need to somehow be restrained."

"Restrained? What for Azula?"

"Well she is Water Tribe after all and therefore most likely a water bender. We wouldn't want her killing Zuzu in his sleep because we failed to prepare."

"What then do you propose we do about it?"

"Well, my sources tell me about there being a new method of restricting bending. It blocks the chi paths rendering the bender completely helpless and ineffective. I believe that it will prove to be most helpful in securing our victory in the war. The Water Tribe girl can be a guinea pig of sorts, we can see how it works with her and then consider whether it would be worth our time."

The Fire Lord sat and thought for a minute before answering.

"Go ahead Azula, this method seems promising and water benders have been the most difficult to restrain as of late. "

"I'll have one of my men see to it immediately." Azula looked over to Zuko smirking, he shifted awkwardly in his seat. She knew he had never thought about the girl making an attempt on his life and now he would become so paranoid he would have a concubine and not be able to enjoy it. Sure enough Zuko's thoughts ran wild about how many ways a water bender could kill him as he slept. Clearing his throat he asked to be excused and left the banquet hall deep in thought.

Soleil walked back to the Fire Realms to find Agni and Fate waiting for her.

"Soleil, are you ready to go back now?"

"Is there anything else you could tell me Fate?"

"You know I've revealed more than is permitted already."

"Then yes, I'm prepared to return."

"Goodbye darling I'm having Fate keep a close eye on you, unlike me she's permitted to go to the mortal world whenever she likes so call to her should you need anything."

"Ok, but unless you can get me out of this mess I can't really see how it will help."

"Don't scoff at a helping hand Soliel, there may come a day when you won't have one offered and you turn out to need it."

"Yes, Fortunata."

"Don't give me your sass child, I could have made you concubine to an old fat general so count your blessings. The Fire prince got his looks straight from your daddy."

"Eww why on earth would you compare him to my father?"

"I was just trying to help..."

"Well thanks but I'll be doing this on my own from now on. If you need me you'll know where to find me."

Soliel turned and walked out through the flaming doors and never looked back.

"Are you sure about this Fate, I'm certain if we spoke to the Jade Emperor he..."

"Don't you have any faith in her? She's your daughter Agni not just an everyday girl. She's strong and determined, Soliel will be fine, you'll see."

"You do realize I'm betting her life on this don't you?"

"Agni please, it's not just her life were talking about, we're betting everyones'."

Soliel could feel the dizzying sensation as her spirit resumed it's place in her body. With a gasp of air she became aware of the acute pain spreading throughout her midsection. I thought the Spirit World was supposed to help heal me, not make it worse. She moved a little and finding that the pain remained constant no matter what she did, Soliel sat up and sat on the edge of her cot. The room was small with three other cots in it that were empty, a closet of sorts, a small sink and water pump. Next she examined herself. She wore nothing but her bindings, a couple large, clean bandages, and a pair of peculiar gold cuffs around her wrists and ankles. I must have been attended to regularly...not something a slave would expect. This must be the servants infirmary judging by the size and simplicity. And the cuffs a welcome gift from the Fire Lord. Soleil chuckled at her own joke but quieted her laughter as an old woman entered the room.

"Well look at that, you're awake and moving about without any assistance. You had us all worried for a while, I thought you would die any day now, but aren't ya just filled with surprises. The Fire Lord will be happy to hear about your quick recovery, it should have taken ya weeks to be moving about and all those scars I thought were permanent just seemed to vanish overnight. And here I was so sad that such a pretty young thing like you wold bear such unsightly marks for the rest of her life. It's nothing short of a miracle all this is. Your Water Tribe gods must favor ya greatly..."

"I'm not from the Water Tribes..."

"Of course ya are sweetie, have ya gone and lost your memory?"

"No, I'm positive. You see I'm a fire bender, I don' live in the Fire Nation but I am of that race"

"My dear if you were a fire bender you wouldn't be in this mess. The only reason you were brought here was because you were a water bender, and one thought to be helping the Avatar at that. No, no, ya can't be a fire bender."

"But I am! Here if you'll just give me a moment I'm sure I can conjure up some sort of flame though it might be small..."

"Haha oh dearie you can't bend at all now. The Fire Lord made sure of that."

"What? You mean my injuries were bad enough to..."

"No, no those cuffs on you're hands and feet. They're some sort of fancy new chi blocker. They keep your energy from flowing properly making your bending useless."

"My bending is gone? That's impossible...I've never been without it"...not even in the Spirit World. The old woman stared sadly down at the young girl.

"Don't fret dearie ya won't be needing you're bending any more it's for the best ya see?"

"You think this doesn't matter? Its like taking the blood from my body! You can't just take away someone's bending!"

"Now I know you're upset dear but think about it, what occasion would you have to use your water bending? Not very many I'm afraid."

"I'm not a water bender!"

"There there dearie why don't you just lie back down for a bit. It seems you're not so fully recovered as I thought."

"I assure you that anything wrong with me can be rectified if my bending is restored this very minute, I promise I won't disrupt anything and just leave quietly..."

"You really think you're going to get out of this don't ya? My dear girl, concubines aren't something you're one day and not the next. Once a concubine always a concubine and if the Prince ever tires of ya you'll be sent to the generals and then the soldiers and from there a brothel until you're too old to be worth anything. Don't fret though, you're quite the looker so I don't think you'll ever leaving the Palace. Once the Prince marries, you won't be welcome in his chamber any more but you'll have the Generals..."

"I'm not giving up, I can't"

"Well suit yourself, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment."

"Every moment of our lives is a fight; a fight to keep breathing and living according to our destinies. If we loose sight of that we cease to exist and become hollow vessels taking up space. I can't back down not even if it means defying the Fire Lord and the entire Fire Nation and end up dying in the process. To stop fighting is to stop living."

"Maybe we should make you one of our Generals instead of a concubine, too bad you're a filthy water witch."

"Princess Azula! Forgive the girl she's deranged from loss of blood and needs rest to clear her muddled mind."

"I am in complete possession of my wits and take none of what I said back and further more I am not a water bender, I am a fire bender."

Azula laughed and then turned to the girl,

"Perhaps you are a bit deranged but there can be no further reasons as to why you shouldn't begin your duties to my brother immediately."

Soleil stood in shocked silence. She had been betrayed by her anger into placing herself in the least desirable of situations.

"I can see I've shocked you. Did you really think that a few mere injuries would keep you from your fate? The simplicity of your mind astonishes me."

"I will get my bending back one day and when I do, you Princess Azula will be the first person to know that I am in fact a fire bender."

"I am neither honored nor terrified by you assertion, and if you know what's good for you you'll stay out of my way. Guards take her to the Prince's chamber."