Sorry, I forgot to mention again that I am reworking the story with the update. Some of this chapter has changed, but I am planting the seed of escape and how Zia's bending is blocked. Enjoy!

I jerk awake, the jostling of movement waking me. I have only been on the ship for less than a day, with Iroh bringing me a change of clothes that lingers on the table. However, I wear the orange and red of my past, unable to fully believe that there is only me and one other airbender left. A weight presses down on my chest, and it mingles with the unease I feel about my situation.

I sit up, the room dim, the only light from the porthole. A figure clad in black and armor approaches me. He grunts and lifts me off the bed, though I struggle and try to fight back. No air forms around us to push me away, and he chuckles and forces my chest on the bed, wrapping rope tight around my arms.

"Quit struggling," he grunts, heaving my upright and pushing me forward. "You'll cause issues." The guard shoves me out of the room and off the otherwise quiet ship. I see neither Iroh nor Zuko, and confusion fogs with the tiredness.

A tent with a red flag on the top and the Fire Nation symbol on the entrance is our destination, and I panic. Screaming. I start screaming and pulling away. My throat is still dry from the burn, but I don't notice. Being on the boat is one thing, but Iroh told me what happened to the other airbenders. I'm afraid. I am afraid of dying.

Somebody clamps a hand over my mouth to shut me up, and I thrash in his grip, trying to pull my hands out of his. My bending still seems unable to work, but I try to calm myself and work out of his grip and then airbend out of this place. My airbending is failing me; I am failing me.

This is not good! I scream inside. The guard pushes me into the tent, where Iroh and Zuko now sit. He shoves me once more, letting me fall hard on the ground with no hands able to catch myself. Iroh seems to shift in his seat, but makes no sound, eyes following as I struggle to stand. There is a cup of tea in his hand.

I am near Zuko's chair, and he seems furious, and I don't know why. "What is the meaning of this?" Zuko asks.

"What's going on?" I mumble. Zuko does not look at me, and he hasn't said a word directly to me since I've arrived. Is he planning to kill me? Or use me for some disastrous plan to catch Aang?

"I should be the one asking Prince Zuko that," a third man says. He enters the tent, guards posted outside holding open the cloth. His eyes glance over me, and they are set in a hard glare. "After interrogating and searching your ship, I found this girl dressed in Air Nomad garb. Your crewmates said she accosted you shortly after the Avatar escaped. Who is she?"

"We do not know," Iroh says, even though I told him who I was. "After briefly speaking with her to treat a burn, she only disclosed amnesia and her name, Zia. Other than that, she claims no knowledge of her past or heritage. As for me, I assume her to be a decoy, set up by the Avatar to keep us off his trail. Just some Earth Kingdom woman he found, meant to sway us off his path."

Mouth agape, I stare at Iroh. He is lying. For me. Some woman he doesn't know. Zuko nods, knowing nothing of the lie or the truth behind me. "I planned to interrogate her further, as well as to see if she has any airbending capabilities. As you can see, it seems there are none." The prince waves a hand toward me, as if dismissing my captivity.

The other man "hmmph"s, seeming to neither believe nor deny what he has said. "It is impossible for her to be from the Air Nomads, as all of them were systematically wiped out a hundred years ago. However, the same was said of the Avatar that escaped you, Prince Zuko." The man thinks, as if wanting to keep me. "Along with your search for the Avatar, I will be keeping her, in case she proves useful."

"No." Prince Zuko stands up.. "Zhao, she is my prisoner, and I will capture the Avatar before you."

"Prince Zuko, that is enough!" Iroh says.

"You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of warships under my command, and you. . . you're just a banished prince. No home. No allies. Your own father doesn't even want you."

"You're wrong. Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honor and restore my rightful place on the throne."

"If your father really wanted you home, he'd have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar, but in his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."

"That's not true."

"You have the scar to prove it."

I stand up abruptly, shocked by the implication that Zuko's father was the one to give him the scar. I assumed it was a training accident, not. . . not intentional. Iroh places a hand on my chest, keeping me at bay, while Zuko launches himself at Zhao, saying, "Maybe you'd like one to match!"

"Is that a challenge?"

"An agni kai. At sunset."

"Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your uncle and some fake airbender will do." Zhao turns and departs, and Iroh holds me back. There is anger within me, at what has happened to Zuko, and what Zhao plans to do with me.

Iroh moves toward Zuko, saying, "Prince Zuko, have you forgotten what happened last time you dueled a master?"

"I will never forget."

"Spirits, did your-" I start, Zuko's gaze cutting me off quickly. The question lingers in the air, and Iroh unravels my ropes from behind me.

"Unnecessary. She is more a guest than a prisoner."

"I am allowed to leave?"

"No!" Zuko shouts. "Tie her back up!" Zuko stomps back over to his chair. Iroh sighs, but does not tie my arms back. He pats me on the back and turns to Zuko.

"We should prepare you for the agni kai. Sunset is approaching."

After Zuko has changed, a guard ushers us out of the tent. We are led to an arena not very far from the shore. We are flanked by guards, one lingering too close to me for comfort. Iroh looks at me, as if he wishes to help me in some way. He slows down for a moment to say, "Commander Zhao says if you were a prisoner of ours, you will be a prisoner of his. If we lose this Agni Kai, I imagine he will take you, among other things. But do not fret, I have faith in Prince Zuko."

As I am standing behind Iroh as he prepares Zuko for the fight, the guard close to me cuffs me, keeps me in front of him, as if I could take him on my own. I struggle in surprise, and he shoves me forward, making me stumble. Iroh moves toward me, but Commander Zhao cuts a look at us.

The two, Zuko and Commander Zhao, stand apart with shawls at their feet that fell from their backs when they stood. Zuko stands with his feet apart with one arm close to his chest and the other out in front. On both their arms are red bands that wrap around their upper arms. I wonder what those are for, but do not ask, knowing my guard won't be pleasant to talk to.

Zuko makes the first move, but it is easily dodged by Zhao, as are the next four or so. The last one Zhao takes straight on and extinguishes the flame. Zuko is breathing hard but tries to fire kick Zhao. However, Zhao is calm, aware of everything and dodging and taking Zuko's hits with ease.

Again Zhao puts the flames out and shoots flames down at the ground, blocking any upcoming attacks. Iroh yells from the side, "Basics, Zuko. Break his root!" I have no idea what he's talking about and I try and fight my way out of the guard's grip. This time Zhao takes the offensive and starts to shoot fire at Zuko. I don't want Zuko to lose, because Zhao seems worse than Iroh, and I don't want to be a prisoner of a war I didn't know existed until recently.

Zuko is out of breath and whisking the flames away as quickly as they touch him, but he can't keep it up for long. Iroh looks concerned, but continues to watch Zuko. At the fourth shot, Zuko falls, landing on his back. I move forward involuntarily, scared for Zuko despite what he's done to me. The guard jerks me back, and I struggle to stay upright. Zhao jumps up in the air and lands right next to the fallen Zuko. Flames shoot toward Zuko's head and I stop fighting for a moment, the grip behind tightening. Zuko takes Zhao by surprise and kicks Zhao's feet out from under him, unharmed by Zhao's blast.

Zuko lands on his feet while Zhao is now on the ground. Zhao says something to Zuko, but I cannot hear it from this far away. Zuko's hands are pointed toward the commander's face, ready to give him an identical burn. Revenge is deadly, I remember, a two-headed rat-viper.

Zuko pumps his fist forward, causing fire to erupt and land inches away from Zhao's head. Zuko turns his head after exchanging some words with the defeated, and Zhao stands. I try to yell, but the guard covers my mouth. It really does seem like the plan is to kill Zuko, suddenly.

Flames make their way to Zuko, but his uncle intercepts the blow by grabbing Zhao's foot. Iroh pushes the foot and Zhao across the arena. Zuko begins to run forward but Iroh stops him. Zhao stares at the two in disbelief. The two turn and walk toward me. The guard frees my arms from the cuffs, and I rub my wrists warily. Free from one jailer to the next. However, I say, "Revenge is a two-head rat-viper. As you watch your enemy go down, you are being poisoned yourself."

Zuko glares at me and shoves me forward, grunting something I can't make out. Zuko asks Iroh, "Did you really mean that?"

"Of course," Iroh replies. It seems I am a slightly better prisoner with these two than with Zhao. At least with Iroh. "I told you ginseng tea is my favorite."

As we approach the ship, a seed of escape plants itself in my stomach. There is a crowd that I can easily escape into near a market. I could run. I could hide. I could -

I step toward the crowd, but Zuko angrily grabs the scruff of my neck, pushing me ahead of the two. "No. Don't make me put the cuffs back on. Back to the ship. I'm not done with you."