Freedom

Chapter 19: The Rags Stained in Blood

Trigger Warning: Sexual Violence

When Zuko opened his eyes, the grogginess overwhelmed him. The room spun around him as he felt his body losing control.

But he felt strong rough hands pull him up and keep him steady. Zuko looked up to see familiar blue eyes but incased in a unfamiliar face.

The water tribe boy masquerading in a Fire Nation uniform gave him a comforting look, one that appeared to run in the family, "Don't feel bad, Jet passed out in the middle of the floor after Katara went all waterbending guru on him"

Zuko rubbed his eyes, trying to get his bearings back. Katara moved from behind him to face him, "How are you feeling?" she asked him gingerly.

He paused for a moment, trying to see if his mind would fall back into the haze if he let it. But instead of falling, his mind stayed grounded right with him. He felt at peace in his own mind, and didn't feel afraid of the memories that plagued him.

He remembered seeing them, he remembered watching Katara's body fall at his feet. He remembered watching his Uncle get tortured. But when he searched for the memories, and he had to search to find them, he saw the haze that covered them. He saw the fog of a memory that was not his own. He could decipher them from his own memories.

A small smile began to appear on his face, as he looked up at the two water tribe members in front of him.

Katara had come to save him, she was here and she wasn't going to let him die.

His heart fluttered in his chest, "Better..." he said softly.

Katara smiled back, "We're going to get you out of here..."

He looked back at her for a moment, internalizing what she said. It took a moment before the gravity of the situation sunk in.

Katara snuck in here, faking a fire nation persona, in one of the world's most dangerous and cruel prisons. If she was caught, she would be tortured, even just for the purpose of drawing out the Avatar. They would torture her in worse ways then even he was.

He shuddered at a memory from his first day.

Zuko mopped the floor of the cafeteria, letting the mop move back and forth across the floor. He watched the sun glimmer across the stone floor from the skylights above.

He was trying his best not to think about what was to come. If he could only focus on the rays of sun illuminating the floor, maybe he could go out of this world with some dignity intact.

The sound of a woman screaming pulled him from his thoughts. Two guards were pulling her into the center of the room.

She didn't look any older then his mother when she left. Her hair hung long down her back, but the dark locks were replaced by a yellowish blonde. Her eyes were enough to pull one into them. He imagined in another life they would be full of life. But she held the same frightened look on her face that his mother held when his father beat her.

The two guards threw her to the floor. They snickered above her as she cowered away from them.

"Let's make an example of this one" the guard yelled, causing all of the prisoners, some eating, some cleaning or cooking, to look towards the girl.

They all wanted to look away as the guard stripped her of her rags, some of them stained with blood, but the other guard looked around the room in a threatening manner, as if they looked away they would join her.