Prisoner of War

Freedom

Rhea sat crosslegged on her bed, staring at the sky outside the window. She still couldn't believe she was free or that she was in the Western Air Temple. She'd heard stories about the amazing city built upside down, hanging from the cliffs, but it was so much more breathtaking in person.

Someone knocked on the doorframe and she turned to find Zuko standing just inside her room. She did her best to smile at him. It was still weird to be around him. They'd been apart for so long and, last time she'd seen him, he'd sided with Azula.

"Can I come in?" He couldn't quite meet her gaze.

Rhea took a deep breath and nodded.

He shuffled awkwardly into the middle room. "How are you?"

She stared at the thin blanket hung over her bed. "So, now you care." She had been so excited to see him in the Boiling Rock, she'd disregarded any and all feelings. Now, his betrayal was catching up with her and the hurt was festering inside.

Zuko wouldn't look at her. "I've always cared, Rhea."

She scoffed. "Could've fooled me." She pushed herself to her feet and walked to the window. "You left me behind."

That caught his attention. He looked up. "What?"

She faced him, fighting the rebellious tears. "I wanted to come with you... and Iroh, but you left without so much as a goodbye. You left me at the mercy of your father. You're as much responsible for making me this as your father is." She could feel the harsh words, like knives, leaving her mouth.

Zuko just stared at her, his mind reeling. His whole body slumped. "I'm so sorry. I was so caught up in my own anger, I didn't think about what leaving would do to you... what he would do to you."

She took a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

Without warning, Zuko hugged her. She was so caught off guard, that it took her a minute to return the embrace. She leaned into the hug, letting her tears flow freely for the first time in years.

When she finally pulled away, her cheeks were wet and streaked with tears. She met Zuko's gaze and managed a small smile. "I missed this. I missed you."

He gave a curt nod. "Same."
————
An explosion threw Rhea forward. She rolled across the cold stone floor. Looking up and back, she watched as a Fire Nation airship lowered into the canyon, Azula perched on top. A crazed fire burned in the princess' eyes.

Rhea followed the others to the center of the temple, where Aang used airbending to close the huge slats surrounding them.

Toph formed a tunnel leading to the surface, but Appa refused to move.

"Appa hates being underground." Aang said. "I'll have to take him out by air."

Hakoda faced his children. "You have to go with Aang."

"No. I can't lose you again." Katara protested.

Hakoda embraced his daughter. "We'll see each other again."

Sokka, Katara, Toph, Zuko, and Rhea climbed onto Appa's back and Aang took his place at the reins.

"Good luck." Rhea met Hakoda's gaze.

The water tribe chieftain nodded. "You too."

When the others had disappeared into the tunnel, Appa burst through the wall, a rocky shield protecting them as they flew into heavy fire. They wove through the airships, dodging fireballs as they fought to gain altitude.

Zuko leapt from the sky bison to fight off Azula. Blue and orange fire jetted through the air. The siblings beat each other back until they both slipped and toppled off the airship. Aang dove to catch Zuko, but Azula kept falling.

"She's... not gonna make it." A tinge of concern edged his tone as they watched her plummet.

At the last moment, she caught herself on the cliff side, sliding to a halt.

"Of course." Zuko grumbled.

Finally, they broke through the line and shot into the sky, the canyon receding into the distance.
————
Rhea stared out at the water as the sun dipped below the horizon. She still couldn't believe she was free. It had been so long since she'd truly been able to breathe easy. Even with Sozin's Comet on it way, she felt more at peace than she had in almost 4 years. She closed her eyes and let the breeze toss her long brown hair.

Someone walked over from the camp and stood quietly beside her.

Rhea glanced over to find Aang staring at the water too. She felt like she needed to say something, but couldn't come up with anything.

Aang met her gaze... and smiled. There was nothing to say. Together, they watched the sun set over the water.

"I owe you a 'thank you.'" She looked at him. "You saved me."

Aang faced her awkwardly. "I don't know about that."

"You reminded me who I really am." Rhea glanced back at the camp. "You made me believe I could fight Ozai. I'll never be able to repay you for that."

"Just... help us stop him." He offered.

She grinned and nodded. "Gladly."
————
"It's not a good idea." Rhea insisted as Katara filled her flask with water.

"I don't care." She strapped it around her waist. "I have to do this!"

"No you don't." Rhea stopped her before she could walk away. "If you go after him, if you..." she couldn't finish the thought. "You will regret it for the rest of your life." She locked eyes with Katara. "Believe me. I know."

She paused, gazing into Rhea's desperate gaze. She narrowed her eyes, pressing her lips into a hard line. "I'm not you."
————
Rhea watched as Appa disappeared into the night with Zuko and Katara on his back. "Are you sure about this?"

Aang stood next to her staring solemnly at the horizon. "I couldn't have stopped her." He sighed. "She has to confront them. It's the only way she'll be able to let it go."

"When did you become so wise?" She met his gaze.

He shrugged.

Rhea chuckled. "Well, let's hope this doesn't turn out badly."
————
Rhea watched from a distance as Aang talked to Katara. The girls made eye contact. In that moment, Rhea knew, Katara hadn't gone through with it. The man who'd killed her mother was still alive. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Katara approached Zuko and gave him a hug.

Rhea smiled. Maybe some wounds could be healed.

A/N:
Yay!!! I have completed another chapter! 😊
Hope you guys enjoyed it.
We're getting closer to the end. Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter out soon. 😅
Thanks SO much for all the support guys. I appreciate it. ❤️
-Cheshire