Y/n's POV
I rolled over, shivering.
It's so cold... I thought, slowly opening my eyes.
Everything was dark.
I sat up, confused.
"Where am I?!" I shouted, standing up.
"Shhh, quiet down." A familiar voice said.
"Iroh?" I asked, teary eyed.
"We're in the Fire Nation, Y/n." He said.
"The...Fire Nation?" I quietly repeated. "So that means..." I felt the tears going down my face. "He chose Azula."
Iroh stayed quiet.
"How long has it been?" I asked.
No answer.
"How long has it been?!" I asked louder.
"...A while." He finally said.
I sat down again, feeling sick to my stomach.
"How could he...?" I whispered.
"I did not expect this from him." Iroh admitted.
"I can break us out." I said, looking at the metal bars of the cell. "I can metalbend, Iroh. I can set us free."
"Not yet, Y/n." He said. "We must wait for the right time."
"But why?!" I shouted.
My voice echoed throughout the cell.
As it did, the door creaked open. Someone walked in wearing a hooded robe.
"...It's me." The voice said, stopping in front of both our cells.
My eyes began to burn from tears.
I moved to face the far wall of the cell, sitting on the ground.
Iroh was also quiet.
"You brought this on yourselves." Zuko said.
I gritted my teeth.
"We could've returned together." He continued speaking
I punched the wall in front of me. The sound echoed.
"Return together?" I repeated, standing up. I walked up to the bars, grabbing them.
"We all know that was never an option." I hissed.
"You could've joined me-" He began.
"Join you?" I asked. "Is that not what I've done this entire time?!" Tears were now streaming down my face from frustration. "I risked my life for you, and now look at me. I'm locked in a dark cell!"
"You owed me. I saved your life." He said in a gruff voice, moving to stand directly in front of me.
"Then I wish you had let me die so I would've never loved you."
He kicked the wall beside me.
"You have no right to talk to me like that!" He shouted. "I'm royalty!"
"Then forgive me for wasting so much of your precious royal time." I said bitterly, taking a few steps back to surround myself with the darkness of the cell.
He stomped out, slamming the door behind him.
I leaned against the wall, sliding down to hug my knees.
I began bawling.
"W-Why?" I hiccuped, sniffling.
I got on all fours and crawled to the wall that separated our cells.
I created a hole big enough for me to crawl through with my earthbending.
"I-Iroh." I whimpered. "Wh-What did I do wrong? What did I do to make him h-hate me?"
The old man put his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace.
"He does not hate you, Y/n. He has simply chosen the wrong path." He told me.
"We don't need him." I mumbled. "We'll never need him."