Prisoner of War

The Escape Plan

Rhea didn't look up as the guards threw her in the freezer. She could see Sokka standing several cells down, but she couldn't show any recognition. It would give him away. She glared up at the guard as he slammed the door shut, leaving her in the cold.

She could hear a muffled conversation outside, probably her guard explaining to the others. She tried listening at first, but gave up when she couldn't make out anything.

Later, when the door finally squealed open, Sokka was gone. The guards led her back to her cell, tossing her in and slamming the door.

She caught herself on the back wall, then turned and glared fruitlessly at the door.
————
Rhea couldn't pull herself away from the door as the chatting guards disappeared down the hallway. Her brain was still trying to wrap around what she's overheard.

Zuko was here. He was prisoner.
————
Rhea followed the crowd of prisoners as they made their way into the corridor. As she inched towards a pair of guards up ahead, she noticed them shoving mops into the inmates' hands. She sighed. Wonderful, she'd be stuck inside.

She accepted her mop with a quick glare to the guard and made her way to the lower level where she'd spotted Suki.

Plunging her mop into the bucket, she started pushing her way across the floor towards Suki. That's when she noticed who she was with. Not only was Sokka there in his guard uniform, Zuko stood next to her, dutifully scrubbing the floor.

She froze. She'd heard he was here, but hearing and seeing were two very different things. She stared at him, unable to look away. She hadn't dared to hope that the rumors of his betrayal were true - that he had actually turned on his father... but there he was, with Sokka and Suki.

Suki noticed her and gestured for her to join them, but Rhea couldn't move. That's when Zuko finally looked up. His eyes locked with hers in disbelief. She could've sworn he was gonna cry, but he composed himself and nonchalantly made his way towards her.

She just stood there, her feet glued to the floor, her mind grasping for something to say.

Zuko quickly scanned the room for guards and gave her a quick hug. It only lasted a second, but the warmth spread through her whole body and she almost dropped her mop.

"I was afraid he'd send you here." Zuko kept his voice quiet and went back to cleaning the floor.

Rhea, finally snapping back to reality, followed suit. "Where else would he send me? How did you get caught?"

Zuko glanced over to Sokka. "We came looking for his dad. Things didn't exactly go according to plan."

"Obviously," she snuck a peek to where Sokka was conspiratorially talking to Suki. "He seems to know Suki."

Zuko nodded. "From what I gather, she's a bit more than a friend."

Rhea couldn't stop a small grin from tugging at her lips. "So... is there a plan to get out of here?"

Zuko eyed the guards again before nodding.
————
Rhea sat in her cell, trying to process what had just happened. She'd found Zuko; he had been happy to see her; and they had a plan to get off this rock. She wasn't sure how they would all fit in  one freezer, but she didn't want to worry about that now.

Her door squealed open and a young guard walked in. He closed the door quietly behind him.

She jumped to her feet, ready to kick his butt, but he held out his hands.

"Don't!" His familiar voice gave her pause. He flipped up his visor to reveal Sokka standing in front of her.

Her whole body relaxed and she couldn't stop herself from running over and hugging him. "I can't believe you're actually here." She pulled away awkwardly.

Sokka flashed a little grin. "I wasn't just gonna leave you in here."

Rhea crossed her arms. "Don't act like you came here for me. I know I'm not that important."

"And why wouldn't you be?" He tried.

"I tried to kill you." She reminded him.

He shrugged. "That's in the past. What matters now is that we're getting you out of here."

Rhea felt a smile pulling at her lips. She nodded.

Sokka returned to the door. "I'll be back to get you out of your cell." He slipped out, disappearing into the hallway.
————
Rhea followed Sokka down the corridor, refusing to look at anything but the back of his head. She knew they looked suspicious, but she didn't want to make it worse.

They walked through the maze of halls, avoiding as many guards as possible.

Rhea dropped her gaze as they reached an unavoidable security checkpoint. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the guard standing by at the door, his hand tense, as if ready to fight. "Where are you going?"

"This prisoner refused to follow orders." Sokka grabbed her by the arm and yanked her forward. "I plan to teach her a lesson." Rhea's heart skipped a beat. Sokka almost had her convinced.

The guard was silent for a painfully long moment before a wicked grin spread across his face. He stepped aside. "Don't show her any mercy." He grabbed Rhea roughly by the chin and forced her to look at him. "This one is a traitor."

Rhea pulled out of his grip. "That implies I was ever actually on your side."

The guard smacked her hard across the face, sending a fiery sting of pain through her cheek. "You don't have the right to speak to me, trash. I hope he dunks your hand in the boiling lake."

Rhea felt Sokka tense up next to her, his grip tightening on her arm. She forced herself not to look at him, but willed him not to act recklessly. She glared at the man, her cheek still stinging.

Without another word, Sokka dragged her passed the guard and out of the prison.

A/N:
Yay! I finished the chapter!
Man, I hate writers block. 😡
Anyway, hope you liked the chapter. Thanks so much for 7k reads.
Alright. I'm off to start the next chapter and hopefully get it out in less than a month. 😅
Thanks again guys.
-Cheshire