Trustworthy or Traitor

Chapter 1: What Now?

"If you won't accept me as a friend...then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner." Zuko pleads as he lowers to his knees and raises his hands, offering for them to be bound.

Katara in one quick motion-water whips at him, throwing Zuko across the ground where the water freezes to form solid cuffs around his wrists.
"Gladly!" Katara announces confidently.
A short silence sets in over them all. "Katara....!? What are you doing?" Sokka asks with panic and uncertainty showing in his voice. His eyes flicking nervously between the firebender and his sister.
The others also look at Katara, shocked by her impulsive decision.
"This is probably just another trap!" Sokka adds, snapping out of his confused shock.
"It's not I promise!" Zuko says finally speaking up. Everyone only glares at him.
"Maybe your right Sokka, but-I have a feeling." Katara defends herself.
"Fine." Sokka relents, knowing when not to argue with his sister when she spoke with such resolution and not immediately objected to the idea himself.
Aang finally pipes in, his eyes lingering on Zuko. His hands bound in ice shackles which were quickly melting in the heat.
"Hey, guys, what's the plan here?" he questions. His own concerns still formulating in his mind.
Sokka sighs "Is there just? Is there a place we can put him while we figure some stuff out?" Sokka asks Aang, his face showing a defeated look.
"You mean like a prison cell? No. Air nomads didn't practice those forms of rehabilitation..." Aang explains. His culture typically one of peace and respect.
Toph realizing they were not getting anywhere fast enough, tries to be helpful. "I can make something work.." she announces with a sneaky grin on her face as she simultaneously stomped and secured Zuko's hands in earth-the ice now melted. Cracking her knuckles with a confident grin on her face at the ease of containing the firebender.
Silence hangs for a moment while everyone tries to figure out what Toph is suggesting. She finally breaks the silence and with authority gives everyone instructions. "Twinkle Toes you come with me...Sweetie and Snoozels you follow us with Sparky in a minute..." everyone nods and moves to complete each of their tasks. Sokka and Katara approaching Zuko prepared for a sudden attack.
Toph pulls Aang's arm and starts to lead him onto the sections of the temple.
"Aang-are we really going to do this?" she questions finally showing her own doubts.
Aang hesitates. "I guess so. He did offer himself as a prisoner? Right?"
"You don't seem so sure..." Toph adds. Aang becomes frustrated, his cheeks growing hot as the pressure once again settles on him. Why was everyone constantly looking to him for decisions!
"OF COURSE NOT! I'VE NEVER TAKEN ANYONE PRISONER BEFORE!?"
The two stop walking for a moment as Toph buts a flat hand out onto Aang's chest to pause him and Aang calms down in the silence.
"Well if it helps, he was telling the truth," Toph tells him as they start walking again.
"Really?" Aang asks, looking towards the ground as he considers the weight of the situation.
Soon they come to stand outside an empty and bare room, the doorway just an open gap in the wall leading to a small cove of darkness and space. "This room empty?" Toph asks Aang even though she knows the answer, pointing inside but facing away from the opening.
"Yeah, it used to be used as a silent meditation room..." Aang informs his face lighting up proudly of his heritage.
Not a moment later, Zuko is led by Katara and Sokka. Toph nods towards the empty room and Sokka in understanding grabs Zuko and throws him into the darkness. "Against the wall." He demands as Zuko struggles to regain his balance and composure after landing on his knees. Even so, he complies and the earth shackles around his wrists fall away and instead, the earth reaches up to his wrists again and they are pulled to his side and bound to the wall behind him. Before Zuko has a chance to speak another word or question anything, a wall grows in the doorway with the stop of Toph's foot. The firmness in the sound of the appearing wall separating them from their new prisoner.

Chapter 2: Zuko's Captivity

It's an act of desperation. They need to accept me. I need to do this. So I raise my hands in surrender. But even so, I'm honestly surprised when Katara takes me up on it, as does the rest of the group.
The first thing I notice is the ring and scrape of ice forming around my wrists. Then I feel the sting of the cold. The shock makes me shake my head and look upward again. When I finally zone back, in I realize the Avatar and his friends are talking in a group...seeming like they are trying to get a hold of the situation. I realize they are as unsure as I am about my decision and watch in fear as they discuss what they will do with me now. When I hear Sokka purpose my actions all part of an elaborate trap, I finally find the courage to speak up.
"I swear it isn't," I say again. I only get sour looks as they turn their heads to me and away again. After a couple of minutes of bickering and silence, Toph, the young but powerful Earthbender takes charge.
The next thing I know is the ice restricting my hands is gone and replaced with rock, bounding my forearms even tighter. Then the water tribe siblings come towards me, hesitation in their stance and prepared to engage in battle. Prepared to defend themselves if I was to attack them. But I'm not going to. I came here to try to make things right, to help the Avatar defeat my father. I was honest in my surrender if this is what it takes to get them to let me join their group-as a prisoner-then so be it. They reach me and lift me off the ground, my own body feeling weak from the current turn of events and nervous for what is about to happen. For all their anger and grief that I had caused them, I am now at their mercy. It's possible their first act of business would be to punish me for what I've put them through, to make me regret it. If only I could explain how badly I already do. Instead of feeling the pain of hits and attacks, they lead me to follow the Avatar and Toph into the Air Temple's many twists and turns.
Neither of them speaks to me, and I don't question anything in return, not wanting to push at their tempers-especially Katara's whose is already leaking from her to me as she takes a harsh grip to my upper arm. At one point I hear the Avatar yell out from ahead, but his words are incoherent, echoing off the many walls. Even so, I sense the rush creep into Katara and Sokka as we then hurry along.
Arriving in the middle of a conversation between Toph and the Avatar, I'm pushed forcefully into a small room. There aren't any windows or even a door and I question how they are going to keep me here? I confusion is answered when I hear a demand to go against the wall and still slightly shocked I comply. Then the earth drops from my wrists and then grows out around them again, hugging my hands to the wall behind me and only about a foot from the floor-forcing me to kneel. It feels demeaning even though I was in the same position by choice only moments ago. But somehow being forced into a position of surrender is far more irritating than doing so by choice. Even when the surrender is genuine. Before I can say anything about the uncomfortable position, the empty doorway grows into a solid wall, connecting with the top of the entryway with a resounding thump. Sealing me into a dark bare room and a short panic overloads my system as I realize I am stuck here, I could try to heat up the earth around me or break out some other way but I know doing so would only make getting them to trust me harder.
After a few moments I am able to calm down and process what just happened, it seems like a weird dream. Thinking to myself, I ask what happens now? They have every right not to trust me but some part of me was still hoping they would, but I knew it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing is ever easy for me. In the dark, unable to fire bend with my hands, I pull my knees up to my chest and rest my head down on them. All I can do is sit and wait. But sitting and waiting also means lots of time for thinking to myself. Thinking about everything. What I'm doing and what I've done. About my uncle. My uncle...I wonder where he is and what he is doing.. If he will ever forgive me. I can only pray that one day I can make it up to him. If by helping the Avatar restore balance if I will earn some severance of forgiveness. The next thing I know for certain is I'm crying locked in a cell wondering if anybody will ever forgive me.