Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

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Keya was left to stand in the hole herself. Never before had she stood on such a high platform in her life; and she was expected to jump from it?! She shook her head in panic and looked back to where Zuko had abandoned her. Should she help him? Or jump to safety?

"Come on!" Iroh now focused his efforts on the girl he considered his daughter. "Use your bending if you must!"

That's right! She was an airbender! Surely she could soften her fall? There was only one problem...

"But I don't know how!"

"Trust in yourself, Keya! You mustn't let your doubts keep you from trying." The old man urged her.

Easier said than done.

Keya swallowed nervously, tears flowing down her cheeks from the stress of the situation. How could Zuko abandon her like this?

With all the courage she could muster, the young airbender started repeating the breathing exercises that she had been using for some time now. Breathe in... hold it... breathe out...

With each breath, she connected herself more and more with her element. Her skin tingled and her lungs felt lighter. She could do this.

Keya stepped closer to the edge of the wall. Two stories down she could see Iroh's hopeful eyes staring back up at her. His arms were stretched out, as if he would catch her once she fell. To be honest, it did help her calm down a bit. She trusted that man with her life.

"Okay," she said shakily, "I'll just jump down in three..." she took two steps back in preparation, "two..." she breathed out and focused her mind on the air around her. If she pushed hard enough, she would surely be able to soften her own blow with the power of wind.

"One!"

Without a second thought, Keya closed her eyes and made a great leap forward. Her body felt light as a feather as she soared through the air.

However, before she could get completely out of the palace and down to where Iroh stood, a stream of sharp rocks suddenly smashed into her body.

A breathless scream left her throat as the rocks closed around her body. From inside the palace, a small troop of Dai Li agents worked together to hold her body up mid-jump. Their strong arms strained against the gravitational pull of her weight as they used their rocks to slowly reel her back into the palace.

As soon as she was put back inside, the troop leader of the Dai Li shot out his own gloved hand to clasp her hands together. The young airbender struggled desperately against the rocky shards that held her in place to no avail. She watched helplessly as two men approached her.

"Please-" She whimpered softly. "You're supposed to protect the Earth Kingdom and its- its citizens..."

Her breaths came out more like heaves, strained by her rapid heartbeat and the familiar tightness in her chest. Vertigo appeared on the sidelines of her vision as the men came closer and closer. The cold, dead look in their green eyes would surely haunt her for the rest of her life. She flinched when one of them bent his rocky glove off of her body and used it to hold her head in place. Another bent a larger rock up to the side of her head.

Keya struggled harder against her restraints at the sight of the weaponised element. Her body ignored the pain of the small cuts and bruises it received from the movements. All her brain could think of was survival. Never had she expected to be in this position due to her own countrymen. A wet sob escaped her chapped lips. "Please... don't kill me."

"Princess Azula wants you alive." Was all she was told, before the large rock slammed against her temple, taking her consciousness with it.

Iroh couldn't see exactly what was happening, but the sound of her cries suddenly stopping was enough to make the old General fear the worst.

"No!" He gasped. But before he could blast his way back up the building, the troop had disappeared, taking Keya's unconscious form with them.

The old man calmed his racing heart. This was not the time to panic. He was a retired General after all! Staying calm in tough situations had always come natural to him. This wasn't like the situation with Lu Ten, he had to remind himself. He wouldn't allow it this time!

In all haste, Iroh made his way to a small house on the outskirts of the upper ring, where three friends had just arrived from their Bison trip.

Aang, Sokka, and Toph ran into their luxurious home. A familiar lemur greeted the trio. The Avatar smiled when he noticed his pet. "Momo!"

The boy held out his arms and let the creature climb up to his neck happily. When the three looked around to spot their Southern Water Tribe friend, they quickly discovered that she was nowhere to be found. Toph let her feet feel around for any heartbeats nearby, but her conclusion remained the same.

"There's no one else here." She stated dejectedly.

"Katara is in trouble!" Aang gasped and turned towards the other Southern Water Tribe member, Katara's brother. "I knew it."

The brother frowned worriedly. "Oh, no..."

Before the friends could think of a plan to rescue their friend, Toph turned around and silenced them. "Wait-" She said softly, "-someone's at the door."

As if on cue, Iroh knocked on their wooden front door formally.

Having already sensed his heartbeat, Toph smiled and walked to open the door herself. "Actually, I know who it is. It's an old friend of mine. " With that said, she opened the door to reveal the Fire Nation Prince's uncle; Iroh. "Glad to see you're okay."

The revelation shocked her two remaining friends. Aang and Sokka jumped back in alarm at the sight of their old enemy. However, the old man wasn't there to accompany his nephew in another kidnapping attempt. This time, he was only desperate for one thing.

"I need your help."

Aang's finger pointed between the man and his earthbending teacher accusingly. "You guys know each other?!"

"I met him and his friend at the woods once and knocked him down," Toph explained calmly, "then they gave me tea and some very good advice. Say- where is your friend, actually? I can't sense her heartbeat."

"That's actually the reason I'm here. May I come in?" Iroh asked. As soon as Toph gave him a welcoming nod, he entered the house and explained himself further. "Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."

"She must have Katara!" Aang realised.

Iroh nodded sadly. "Yes. She has captured my nephew and my friend as well."

"Then we'll work together to fight Azula and save Katara, Zuko, and your friend." The Avatar spoke clearly. He would not stop at any point to save his friend.

"Whoa there," Sokka intervened, "you lost me at 'Zuko'."

"I know how you must feel about my nephew, but believe me when I tell you that there is good inside him!" Iroh begged. However, Sokka was having none of it.

"Good inside him isn't enough!" He pushed the old man away from himself. "Why don't you come back when it's outside him as well, okay?"

"It's not only him I'm worried about. Keya, my friend- she's like a daughter to me. That girl possesses a power that absolutely cannot fall into the hands of someone like my niece. Please, if not for my nephew, do it for her! She's innocent in all of this."

Sokka sighed and contemplated the situation in silence. Aang stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Katara's in trouble," he said, "all of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance."

With that, Sokka conceded. They were going to work together to get their loved ones back and save the city. This was their best shot.

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A/N: whoop there it is... sorry for the trauma lol