"Why isn't it working, it's sealed shut." Zuko said furiously.

"Because –"

"Be quiet!" Zuko yelled at me. "Bring him here," he said. the other Sages tied Shau's hands together and forced him to kneel on the floor.

"Why did you help the avatar?"

"Because it was once the Sages duty. It is still our duty."

Slow clapping, came from the other side of the room.

I snapped my head to see Zhau and roughly twenty of his men coming closer.

"What a moving and heart felt performance," he said, I rolled my eyes. "I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him.

"Commander Zhau," the head Sage bowed.

"And Prince Zuko. It was a noble effort, but your little smoke screen didn't work. Two traitors, in one day the Fire Lord will be pleased."

One of the soliders put Zuko's hands behind his back.

"You're too late Zhau, the avatar's inside and the doors are sealed." He said.

"No matter, sooner or later he has to come out." Zhau said.

"Is this what is supposed to happen?" Katara whispered. I nodded smiling.

"Look here, the avatar's friends." Zhau said, his gaze turned to me, his smile dropped, his eyes flicking to my hair. "And who is this?" he said walking closer to me. "Where are you from, I have never seen this before." He touched my braid. "Or these," he touched my shoulder, I knew he meant my freckles.

I glared at him.

"Untie her," he ordered. I looked surprised. Was there something the show missed – probably Alice it's a kids show! Crap.

A soldier kept a tight how of my arm as Zhau circled me like a statue at auction.

"Answer me!" he ordered. I could see Zuko struggling against Zhau's men.

"Well this is called a braid, people style their hair like this so it's out of their face. And that is a shoulder," I said slowly. "It connects your body to your arms. Look you have two!" I mock gasped at the end. Zuko snorted, then grunted as the solder held him tighter. Sokka laughed. Zhau grunted at me, his teeth clenched.

SLAP!

"Don't touch her!" Sokka cried. As the pain burned across my face. Zhau ignored him and grabbed my face, his fingers digging in.

"Why is your hair red? And what are these orange dots on your skin?" He snarled his face inches from mine.

"I was born with them, the same way you were born with your features. Now get out of my face." I glared at him. "Tie her up with Prince Zuko. I don't want her conspiring with her friends." He snarled, pushing my back from my face, and stormed back to the door.

Several soldiers kept us pinned as the others began to tie the chains around us. Once they were done they headed back towards Zhau.

"Are you ok?" Zuko muttered under his breath, once they were out of earshot.

"It'll bruise, I'll be fine. Thank you." I said, glancing in his direction, he wasn't looking at me.

"Why is your hair that colour?" he asked me quietly.

"Genetics same as you. I was actually born like this," I smiled at him. "So, Prince Zuko, haven't seen you since Kyoshi. How's your Uncle?"

There was a loud bang and the doors opened. Blue light streamed from the room inside. Blinding our vision.

"Ready," Zhau said to his men. The light cleared and the only thing visible were white eyes.

"No Aang!" Katara yelled. As Sokka desperately struggled.

"Get ready to run," I said to Zuko. He looked at me his eyes wide.

"You're not a bad person. You're just confused, focused on the 'destiny' thrown at you rather than your true path. You'll figure it out." I smiled at him. He frowned.

"You're wrong."

"I wasn't wrong last time," I muttered, he turned his head to the action, ignoring me.

"Fire!" the benders shot their flames towards the glowing eyes.

Their expressions shocked and terrified as they saw not Aang, but Roku. Roku bended the fire into a ball before throwing it back at them. In the process he freed us all.

When Zuko ran, I rushed to Katara and Sokka's side.

"Alice! Are you ok?" Sokka put his hands on my arms.

"I'm fine,"

"Avatar Roku is going to destroy the temple. We have to get out of here!" Shau cried.

"Not without Aang." Katara said.

"Shau stay with us, you will be captured otherwise." I said to him. He blinked at me, then looked past me, I turned to see the swirling fire, and lava rise up to the ceiling. Sokka covered Katara and I under him. The heat faded, I pulled away from Sokka and we all rushed towards Roku. Who vanished leaving Aang's exhausted body to drop.

"We got your back," Sokka said as we helped him up.

"Thanks."

Katara and Sokka ran to the stairs but stopped, when I got there I saw why. The only way out was out of the whole in the wall. Appa flew towards up. We jumped from the building onto his back. He flew over the sea. As we watched the tower crumble…