"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other." —Richard Bach
/
I trip and stumble and barely keep my feet as the guards drag me to the Lĕngquè. Jūnlài marches ahead of us, whistling the whole time. It's super irritating.
The Yùzhăng is waiting outside one of the Lĕngquè cells. I'm extremely proud of the dour expression that reigns his features now. I could live to irritate the Spirits out of this man.
A kick to the back of my knee forces me to kneel before the Yùzhăng. I refuse to break eye contact. I refuse to give in to him.
"Well," he holds up the handcuffs I'd melted the locking mechanism on to get out of. "This is interesting." Then he whips them across my face, opening up a cut on my already bruised face before tossing them to a guard behind him.
I gasp at the pain, my head getting wrenched painfully to the side by the force of the blow. Blood runs down my cheek, but I have no way to staunch the flow. The collar of my tunic is soon drenched in blood.
The Yùzhăng leans down, the stench of his breath hitting me like another blow. "You will behave or I'll break every bone in your hands!"
I wrinkle my nose. "Ugh. Do you never brush your teeth?"
The Yùzhăng's expression never changes when he delivers a vicious blow to my broken ribs.
A scream escapes me and I double over, coughing up blood. That can't be good.
"Cuff him," I hear the Yùzhăng demand. "And muzzle him. I don't need him using the Breath of Fire to stay warm."
I take the second pair of handcuffs well enough, Jūnlài smirking at me the entire time. But, when they try to muzzle me, I panic. With a surge of energy I probably can't afford, I head butt the guard trying to muzzle me. He stumbles away shouting curses as his nose starts to bleed ferociously. I hope I broke it.
Before I can do anything else, Jūnlài hooks his ankle around mine and sends me crashing to the floor. I'm too winded and dizzy with pain to fight off the muzzle any longer. The metal is cold in my mouth and over my nose, and it takes everything in me to remember how to breathe.
The nose bleeder guard has been replaced by the guard behind the Yùzhăng. The two remaining guards hoist me to my feet. I manage to glare at the Yùzhăng and Jūnlài despite my chest heaving in barely controlled panic.
"Oh, and one more thing," the Yùzhăng calls as the guards start shoving me into the Lĕngquè cell. "I looked into the prisoner who's cell you were hanging around."
I try not to react even though my mind is racing. Please tell me I haven't placed Suki in harm's way!
"Suko of the Kyoshi Warriors, captured by your sister, Princess Azula. There's something I don't understand." He shoves his face into mine. I recoil into the two guards despite myself. "No known association with this Suki. And, you escape your cell only to start a fight. You're smart, but that was a very dumb idea."
He waves to the guards who dump me with a kick to the solar plexus. I collapse to my knees, struggling to remember how to breathe around the muzzle.
"I will figure out what you're up to," the Yùzhăng warns before Jūnlài slams the cell door closed.
The full might of the Lĕngquè hits me and I'm instantly freezing. I'm so screwed!
/
It takes me a stupid long time to melt the handcuffs off this time. My hands are shaking so bad I'm lucky I don't manage to burn myself. I rip the muzzle off with tears of relief. I've never hated something so much in my entire life. That thing is horrible!
I'm so cold now I can hardly retrieve the wrench from my tunic, let alone hold it. I wipe at the frozen, crusted blood on my face, trying to get rid of it to no avail. Whatever. I can deal with it later. At least it's so cold in here the cut has stopped bleeding.
I attempt the Breath of Fire but my ribs are so fed up with me that I can't maintain the breath control to use it. I quickly give up on it, resigned to be freezing my ass off.
With fingers starting to turn blue from the cold, I get to work on the bolts keeping the cell attached to the outer wall of the prison compound.
/
I have no idea how many hours later when the cell door creaks open. I've tucked my arms close to my body and drawn my knees up to my chest. I got so cold I stopped shivering a long time ago which is definitely not a good sign. If it's the Yùzhăng walking in here, I've got nothing left in me for a fight and Sokka's escape plan will be in tatters. I'm too cold to even feel scared. I've forgotten what the warmth of the sun feels like. And, for some reason, that hits me as incredibly sad.
"Zuko!" Sokka collapses to his knees in front of me.
"Oh thank the Spirits," I breathe. "It's you!"
"We've got to get you out of here." Sokka looks me up and down, worry and tension in every inch of his body.
"Wait," I say when he tries to move me. I move my arms to reveal the bolts and wrench. "It's done." Spirits it takes so much energy to talk.
Are those tears in Sokka's eyes?! "You did it. You fucking did it!"
I wrinkle my nose at him. "What? You thought I wouldn't follow through?"
"No, you idiot!" He takes the wrench, bolts, and busted handcuffs (I've saved the muzzle in a pocket of my trousers in case I need it for later even though I absolutely hate the horrid thing) and disappears out of the cell to the incinerator at the end of the block. Bye bye evidence.
I've gotten creakily to my feet by the time he comes back.
"Seriously Zuko." He pulls a jacket out from under his guard uniform and hands it to me. "You didn't have to do this."
"Yes. I did." I can't work my arms to get the jacket on. Sokka has to help me. I can't even feel the warmth of the fur lined jacket. I'm going to be useless for anything but shivering.
Sokka's hands linger on the zipper, the look of pure gratitude he's giving me making me extremely uncomfortable. "I should be furious with you for hitting me in the head with a wrench."
"You're not?" He should be.
He just shakes his head. "Thank you for getting yourself thrown in here. It was brave and selfless and I'm honored to call you a friend."
"Really?" Friend. He called me a friend! "I don't deserve the honor."
He squeezes my shoulder. "You just risked your life for me. Again. And you came here despite the danger. Whatever doubts I had about you are gone. I trust you, Zuko."
Tears spring to my eyes of their own accord. Uncle was the only one who trusted me, until I ruined even that. I'm not sure I've earned Sokka's or Aang's or Toph's or Teo's or the Duke's trust. But it means a lot to me that they do. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep earning that trust. And to protect them.
Sokka's suddenly back to all business. "I got Suki out of her cell a few minutes ago. She'll meet us at the shore. Now, let's get out of here!"
"Wait!" I grab Sokka and yank him into the cell. Where I get the strength, I have no idea. I can't even feel my hands.
"What are you—"
"Shhh!" I hiss, yanking the cell door closed but making sure it doesn't latch. "Someone's coming!"
Shit! If it's the Yùzhăng coming to see how frozen I am, we are so screwed!
Sokka's pressed so close to me against the cell door I feel distinctly claustrophobic. But I can't help welcoming his body heat.
"New arrivals coming in at dawn." Ānlè. She must be going with that male guard she's always with to check on Chit Sang in Gélí.
"Anybody interesting?" her companion asks.
Sokka's breath catches in his throat.
"Eh. Just the usual. Some robbers, couple of traitors, some war prisoners…"
Their conversation fades away as they move out of hearing range.
Sokka's grip on my arm is so tight I can actually feel it. "War prisoners," I venture cautiously. "It could be your father."
"I know." Sokka squeezes his eyes shut, cursing in indecision.
"What should we do?" I press gently. I know how much rescuing his father means to him. I'll do whatever it takes if that's the path Sokka wants to follow. "Are we going ahead with the plan or are we waiting another night?"
"I don't know!" Sokka growls, starting to pace the tiny cell. "Is it right for me to risk Suki's freedom, all of our freedom," he shoots me a worried look, "on the slim chance that my dad is going to show up?"
I put a hand on his shoulder to stop his pacing. "It's up to you Sokka. But," I look right into his gaze defiantly, "you shouldn't make your decision based on what might happen to me. I earned whatever punishment comes my way here. I'll be fine."
The look Sokka gives me is one of pure torcher. "Why would you give up your freedom for me?"
I'm shocked by how easily the answer comes to me. "Because it's the right thing to do." I let my hand drop and I look at my feet, emotions hitting me like an avalanche. "And you're my friend. This is what friends do, right? Be there for each other through thick and thin. I have your back, Sokka, no matter what."
Sokka just shakes his head, wiping angrily at his eyes. "Who are you and what have you done with Zuko?"
I snort. "Zuko's freezing and would like to know what the game plan is."
He immediately sobers. "Let's go."
"Are you sure?"
He looks away and starts prying the cell out of the wall. "No. But this is the right thing to do."
I think he's an idiot but I don't press any farther. I'll make sure he's certain before it's too late.
Author's Note
Zuko finally getting a chance to learn what real friendship looks and feels like. Azula's, Mai's, and Tai Lee's friendship was not the best of role models (obviously).
