HERE YOU GO! JUST AS I PROMISED! THANKS FOR READING! ~FAITHY WAITHY
Crystal POV
The giant throne-room door shut behind me causing Zuko and Katara's desperate cries to cut off. Silence fell over the room, and I stood firm to try not to reveal how afraid I was. I knew Azula wanted to hurt me for knocking her around on the Drill so long ago. I'd also foiled her plans of capturing her Uncle and brother right after we'd escaped the Northern Water Tribe so long ago. She wanted revenge for the battles she'd lost, and her revenge was about to be taken on me.
After a moment, Azula broke the silence, "Someone go get me a drink. I'm parched from all this speaking." As she walked back to the front of the throne room, I was forced to turn with her by the Dai Li agent that still restrained me. Shoving me forward, I was held a few feet from Azula who watched me like a leopard-seal eying its next penguin.
"So... Crystal..." My name rolled off her tongue slowly, as if she were pondering its origin. She tapped her chin. "I'd always heard myth that the female waterbenders of the South Pole were beauties... You disappoint me though. You're so average... like your sister... Katara, right? Honestly, I don't see what makes you so special in Zuzu's eyes. You're short and don't have much to offer. Don't you think so, Mai?" She looked back at Mai who had watched everything play out with irritation. Mai looked at Azula, and then over at me with a nod.
Azula was satisfied with her answer. "I guess you're pretty enough to have as a prisoner at the Palace though. You'd fit right in with the other war captured slave girls we've forced into servitude."
My insides boiled as fury filled me. I spoke out without pondering the circumstances. "You're a cold, heartless, masochistic monster! You and your father will pay for the pain you've caused this world!"
My outburst was amusing to her. She cackled and clapped her hands. "My, my! I like your courage. Speaking to the Princess of the Fire Nation with such defiance is a bold move. Must be the chief's daughter in you, eh?" She crossed her arms. "The daughter of a chief... Pity that title is no match to a Princess. You are worth nothing to your people... As for me, I'm the heir to the throne." She grinned. "So show me some respect. Kneel before me!"
I scowled, lifting my chin in refusal. "I won't show respect to someone who treats her brother with such hate. You don't deserve praise for the evil you've done. You're nothing but a rat-snake!"
She clenched her jaw as she tried to keep her boiling anger inside. "How dare you speak to me with such informality?! I said, on your knees!"
I stood firm. "You're not my Princess. I will not kneel!"
She growled and slapped me again, only this time she hit my lip with her nail splitting it open. The sting and the blood made me light headed. I licked my lip though to try and stop the bleeding.
"Kneel!" The Dai Li agent kicked at the back of my knee causing me to collapse with a cringe. As he held me down on my knees, Azula's shadow fell over me. I struggled with the rope that restrained my wrists, eager to escape from the psychotic woman before me. "Pay respect to the Princess!"
Instead of paying respect, I stared at her stolen Kyoshi warrior shoes and spat blood at them. The iron taste left my mouth in the process, and for that I was relieved. As my blood soaked into her shoes, I heard the Dai Li official gasp from behind. Glancing up, I looked into the irate eyes of Azula with a glare. As much as I feared what she'd do to me, I kept courage and prepared for the worse. "Do whatever you want to me, Azula... But leave my sister and Zuko alone!"
She crouched down suddenly and grabbed my hair to jerk my head back again. As I tried to jerk from her hold, she brought her face inches from mine. "Oh, Crystal... Silly, peasant... I'm going to enjoy watching you scream when we get back to the Fire Nation. I have so many plans for you." Her nail traced along the outline of my scar with a grin. "Just think of the fun I'll have filling the rest of your skin with pretty marks like this one." I cringed at her touch, feeling my stomach clench with fear. She released my hair, and then stepped back. "Until then, I'm going to ask you the same question my foolish brother and your sister would not answer." She crossed her arms to show her authority. "What did the report from the Earth Kingdom generals read? Your beloved burned it as soon as he saw me."
Relief fell over me when she said this. Zuko had protected the plans. The eclipse was still a secret.
Azula growled from the satisfaction on my face, grabbing my hair again with fury. "ANSWER ME!"
I gasped from the pain of her pull, but kept silent. I would not betray my people or the Earth Kingdom again. I would not give in no matter what she did to me.
"I said answer me!"
Her tightening grasp only made me more defiant as my refusal to let her win continued to build. "I won't!"
She scowled and released me once more. "You're as stubborn as my brother!" She shut her eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. Opening her eyes again, she spoke with composure. "Fine... I suppose I can just interrogate one of the generals later." She lit a flame on her fingertips. "One thing I've learned is that persuasion can be a powerful tool."
My heart skipped a beat as I realized there was still a possibility Azula could find out the plans. If she tortured a member from the Council of Five long enough, there was a chance her victim would spill the details to end his suffering. With dread, I muttered, "Is that how you managed to ease your way into Ba Sing Se? Persuasion?"
She smiled, cutting off her flame. "You'd be surprised how stupid Earth Kingdom soldiers can be. It was easy locking every single one of them in a cell when I threatened to kill their king and his fluffy beast."
I tried to stand, but the Dai Li official kept me down. "Where is King Kuei?!"
She tapped her chin. "Hmm... Somewhere down in the dungeon. The Dai Li loaned the place to me. The King was surprised he even had a dungeon. Pretty amusing."
I grit my teeth. "You won't win, Azula. Aang will stop you and your father."
A manic laugh escaped her. "Right! And balance will be restored? HA! You all don't have a chance leaving the fate of the world in that child's hands!"
I glowered, irritated by the darkness in her heart. She continued to laugh, and every sound she made only caused my hate towards her to build. How could Azula be so sick and cold-hearted? What had the Fire Lord done to her to make her like this? I wanted to believe there was good in everyone, but the girl in front of me gave me second thoughts.
She sighed, wiping her eye as a tear fell from her cackles. "Thank you. I needed some amusement today..." She ran a hand through her hair. "Enough about the war though... Mai would actually like to have a word with you. She's been dying to speak to you since the day you broke my toy at the outer wall."
My eyes shot over to the girl standing in the corner of the room. Her brown eyes glared daggers at me, and I knew exactly why. She'd had feelings for Zuko since they were children, and her feelings had not changed as the years passed. Her hate towards me was from envy as she realized Zuko had absolutely no feelings for her. She was bitter by the thought that a waterbender like me had won the heart of her prince charming.
She stepped over to me in the very spot that Azula had stood. Still on my knees, my neck ached as I tried to meet her eyes to show her I wasn't scared. She stared down at me for a moment, and must've been irritated that she had to lower her eyes so far. "Stand her up," Mai ordered to the Dai Li agent that still forced me down. The man grabbed my shirt sleeve and yanked me back up to my feet. Once I stood, Mai looked me over with disbelief. Then a scowl formed. "You're not what I expected Zuko's type to be."
The mannerism of the girl before me actually made me wary. If looks could kill, hers would've ended me as soon as I entered the room. I spoke softly to try not to anger her more. "I don't think Zuko ever wanted to hurt you, Mai."
She pulled a dagger from her sleeve and pointed the sharp end of the blade at the vein on my neck to silence me. I cringed away, but the Dai Li agent held my shoulders hard to keep me in place. "You don't have a right to speak to me like we're acquaintances! I wish so much I could kill you, but then that wouldn't solve a thing." Her tip hit my skin, and I felt a sharp pain as she pierced only the top layer. A drop of blood slid down from where she dug in. I gasped and jerked away, feeling a pulsing pain from her mark.
"Mai... I don't think hurting her is-"
"Ty Lee! Silence!"
Azula's shout cut the petite cartwheeling chick off, and the tiny girl fell silent in defeat from where she stood by the king's throne.
Mai lowered her dagger, and then she stepped forward grabbing my chin hard. Since she was a few inches taller, she forced me to look up at her. "What did you do to win his heart? I'm dying to know how the guy I've been chasing after for years falls for you in a matter of months."
I stayed strong, and spoke with truth. "You don't know anything about Zuko..." My eyes watered as I wished more than anything I was with him. "The young man you knew at the palace was only an act to please his father... Zuko has a kind heart and cares for the world."
She growled and ripped her hand away as if I'd burned her. She then smashed the back of her hand into my cheek. I stumbled back only to have the agent force me forward again. My cheek pounded from the constant impact it received, and I felt more blood in my mouth from where the inside of my cheek hit my teeth. Her eyes turned dark. "Zuko is a fool! He is betraying his family by even associating with the likes of you!" She stabbed her finger at my face barely keeping it an inch away. "You are nothing but a filthy waterbender from some frozen wasteland! He may like you now, but it won't last!" She jerked away, turned sharp on her heel and stomped off. "I'm taking a walk!"
As Mai stormed out of the throne room, Azula watched her go with satisfaction. She then looked over at me with cold eyes that could pierce through anyone's soul.
"Poor Mai... You really know how to wreck a girl's dreams huh?" She tapped her chin. "What is it about you though? I can't quite understand how my brother could fall for someone so weak and pathetic like you."
Looking away from her, I muttered, "You should look in a mirror..."
Silence fell over us, and I could tell Azula was taking in my insult. Deciding that a backlash wasn't worth her time, she stated, "Zuzu and your sister are probably missing you..." She stepped back over to me with sinister intentions. "Let me return you to them before they worry..." She tightened her fist as she spoke. "Before I do though, let me remind Zuko what happens when he doesn't listen to me."
She brought her arm back and then swung it forward smashing her fist into my gut. The pain from her impact sent me keeling over. The Dai Li agent let me go this time, and I tried to stay upright. My vision blurred though and I struggled to breathe through the pain. Azula snickered with delight and insanity. "That was fun!"
As she went to hit me again, I dodged by stepping back quick. My back rammed into the agent behind me, and he lost his footing. As the agent fell back behind me, I tried to run. Azula was one step ahead of me though as she threw her foot around my ankle hooking it to me and yanking me off my feet. I fell onto my side, and the hard stone floor scratched into my skin.
"I'm not done with you yet! I can't just take you to Zuko without punishing him first." She kicked me below my ribs, and I cried out from the impact. Trying to roll onto my back so I could face her, she stopped me with her foot. Instead she pushed me down onto my stomach so my face was pressed up to the floor. I tried to kick back at her, but she avoided my feet.
"Red looks good on your skin you know... So why don't I help you out and add some more." Shoving up my shirt, I felt her knee press down my legs and her other hand pressed my upper body down. "Where should the pretty mark go..." Her finger trailed from one side of my back to the other. Then she moved it back to the center where my spine was, right below the bruise that still painted me from Long Feng's attack days ago. "Ah... Perfect." Her palm dropped down on my back then and I felt the heat only a second later.
A scream escaped me as my flesh started to burn from her contact, and I squirmed from beneath her. Pain shot through me as my flesh singed from her fire. "Shut her up! She's giving me a headache!" My screams were silenced a moment later by a piece of cloth being shoved into my mouth. As I was gagged, the fire continued from behind and the pain made my senses blur. Fire continued to eat at my skin, even after Azula was finished burning me. As she released her hold on me, and her weight was removed, I stayed still too scared to move from the pain.
"Very nice... A scratch on your neck from Mai, and a burn on your back from me." She laughed. "Ty Lee! You want to join in and take a swing at the punching bag?"
I wasn't sure if Ty Lee answered, but the next thing I knew her small body was beside me. She crouched down, and I heard her say softly so only I would hear, "I'll stop the pain... I'm sorry..." Then she said louder for Azula to hear, "Sure! Just for Mai!" Her hands smashed speedily against my body then, and at first I whimpered through the gag. However, her hits hurt at first but then made my body numb. As I became immobilized, the burn on my back could no longer be felt. The only part on my body I could feel was above my neck, and I lowered my head down to the stone enjoying the cool of its feel on my pulsing cheek. Shutting my eyes, my mind went in and out for a moment.
"Wow! You knocked her out cold, Ty Lee," Azula chimed. "Very impressive!"
Ty Lee's small voice echoed in my head. "Are you taking her to the Catacombs now?"
"In a moment... I think Zuko can do with a few more minutes of separation, don't you think?"
Zuko... My body felt cold and I longed for his warm touch. As my cheek rested against the floor I went under into the dark world of unconsciousness.
Third Person POV
"ARGH!" Zuko smashed his body against the stone wall again, desperate to return to the world above. He backed up and shot fire with his foot at the stone, only causing smoke to fill the cave and the stone to turn red from the heat. When he saw nothing happen, he shouted, "NO! Crystal!" He ran back up to it and smashed his hands to the stone, only this time his eyes were clouded with hot tears.
Silence fell over the cave again, and the young prince fell to his knees in defeat. Katara slowly stepped over to him, her own cheeks red and moist from crying. "Zuko... Stop... There's nothing you can do... Only an earthbender can open that wall..."
He shut his eyes tight, his shoulders hunched as he felt mortified. He could only picture in his head what Azula was doing to her. He knew she wouldn't kill her, but he was certain the insanity of his sister would make Crystal plea for death.
"She's going to hurt her... This is all my fault..." He breathed heavily as he tried to choke back a sob. "I couldn't get Azula to listen... I thought learning about Avatar Roku would help, but it did nothing to sway her..."
"Zuko..." Katara hesitated as she went to place her hand on his heavy shoulders. She was about to comfort the very prince that had caused Crystal to be targeted by Azula in the first place. She wanted to blame him too, but she knew it wasn't his fault. Her hand rested on his shoulder, and she knelt beside him. "You tried to save her... We were outnumbered... Tai Lee's attack made us both powerless."
He hung his head more knowing she was right. They both had only gotten there mobility back a few minutes ago.
Katara grabbed his arm then, saying, "Come over to the water... I'll heal your head... It's got a bump on it..."
He jerked his arm from her. "No..." His voice softened as he calmed down. Standing, he wiped his eyes to hide the tears that had spilled. "Save your healing for later... We have to focus on getting out of here."
She backed away, hugging her arms together in agony. "The cave runs deep, and the water in here has to be coming from somewhere... If we work together, maybe we can find a way out and get back to Crystal..."
He nodded, turning back to her with slow renewed strength. "We should follow the water then... There has to be an opening..."
Katara nodded, and then hung her head. As they began to walk away from the wall towards the water at the back of the cave, Katara spoke. "I'm sorry for thinking wrong about you, Zuko... I can see you really care about her... Crystal is lucky to have found someone like you."
He grit his teeth as his stomach clenched. "Lucky..." he stopped in his step beside some glowing green-tinted crystals. "My psychotic sister is doing who knows what to her all because of me..."
"Azula's actions have nothing to do with you," Katara tried to reassure Zuko and herself. "And you said it yourself all those times you were chasing after us... The Fire Lord wants Crys alive... She'll be-"
"Don't!" Zuko shook his head. "She won't be fine! You have no clue what Azula's capable of!"
Katara shouted back at him, "No! I don't! But I can't think Crystal is pain, because if I do I won't be able to think straight!" She covered her mouth as a sob escaped her, and she shut her eyes tight. Images of Crystal shot through her. Crystal had been right all along to think something was going to go wrong. Why hadn't she listened to her?
Zuko was shocked by her break down, and he stepped over to her taking his turn to give someone comfort. "Katara..."
The wall suddenly shook behind them, and the entrance was opened again. They both stepped back with gasps and prepared to defend themselves from what was coming. To their horror, a Dai Li agent stepped down into the cave and lowered an unconscious figure to the ground. Stepping away, he said nothing as he left the limp body and made his exit through the entrance shutting the wall again as he left. As soon as the wall was shut, Zuko rushed forward to the body feeling his blood run cold.
"NO!" He fell beside the tied up and gagged figure, and looked her over with horror. Her cheek was swollen from being hit, and a small mark stained by dried blood rested on the nape of her neck. Her shirt was damp from sweat, and her hair was wild from the numerous hands that had pulled at it.
"Crys!" Katara fell beside Zuko, taking in her sister's condition with horror. She reached for the gag that was kept in her mouth by another strip of cloth tied around her head. The cloth had dug into the corners of her mouth making the skin raw. Katara tried to undo the knot behind Crystal's head that held the gag there, but the knot was too tight to undo. She reached for the knife Crystal had given her earlier that morning from the sleeve in her boot, and with shaky hands tried to cut the gag away. Zuko saw the shaking hands and grabbed the knife quickly. He jerked the knife from her before Katara accidentally sliced her sister's skin.
"Hold her up," he managed to choke out through his tears. "I'll get it..."
Katara was surprised, but through her own tears she managed to maneuver around her sister and pull the top half of her body off the cave floor. Zuko managed to hold his hand much steadier as he cut the gag's restraint from Crystal's mouth and sliced the rope on her wrists off. As her restraints were released, Zuko dropped the knife away and grabbed the gag from her mouth pulling it out and tossing it to the side. The fabric was bloody, and he knew that was a result of the blow she had received on the side of her face. He held his hand to the vein of her neck, and was relieved to feel the slow beat of her pulse.
"Water..." Katara choked out. "Help me get her to the water... I need to heal her..."
Zuko pushed one of Crystal's sweaty strands of hair back, and his thumb rested on the swollen side of her face. He let his thumb trail over the swell of her cheek to the cut on her lip. As he looked over her state, he felt fury shoot through him. The fury was directed towards his sister, and he wanted nothing more than to burn her face with every ounce of his power.
"Zuko! Now!" Katara snapped him out of it, and he jumped into action. Sliding one arm behind her back, and the other arm below the crook of her knees, Zuko managed to lift her body from the ground. She whimpered in her unconscious state as the pain from the movement caused a reaction.
Somehow Zuko found the strength to carry her down the slope of the cave to the settled water that glowed from the green crystals around it. Katara was already by the water, bringing a stream to her hand and encasing her palm with a glowing liquid.
"Set her down and hold her up for me... I need to assess the damage."
He did just that. Lowering her to the rocky earth, he knelt beside her to let her head rest back against his shoulder. He managed to hold her up as Katara began to move the water down Crystal's body from her head to her arms, using the element to feel for areas that needed healing. As she concentrated on the scratches and bruises her sister had gained, Zuko pressed his face into Crystal's hair, whispering, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Katara heard him speak to Crystal, and she felt pity for the Fire Nation prince beside her. She could see Crystal's state weighed heavily on his heart as much as it weighed on her own. As she thought this, she gasped when her water detected a massive amount of damage in the area behind Crystal's back. Zuko caught her gasp, looking at her with concern.
"Pull her forward! I need to see her back!" Katara jerked her water away, dropping it beside her in a panic. Zuko saw the urgency in her eyes, and he did just that. Managing to turn Crystal's body to the side, he held her up still as he resulted to cradle her in his lap. Katara came to the back of her sister, lifting up her shirt only to cry out and release at the sight. She covered her mouth as memories of so long ago replayed in her mind. She was young when her sister had received the scar on her face, but she could recall the mutilated flesh she caught glimpses of when her Gran-Gran or other women of the village would put fresh bandages on Crystal. She kept her eyes closed for a moment, having the image of the boil covered skin engraved in her mind. Taking a few breaths as nausea hit her from the sight, she tried to collect herself knowing her sister needed her.
"I'll kill her," Zuko hissed, knowing just from Katara's reaction what was present on Crystal's skin. He'd been burned before, and he could only imagine how awful the mark was to cause Katara such anguish. "Azula's going to regret this."
Katara calmed herself, glad to see Zuko was enraged at his sister for the state she'd put Crystal in. Katara came back to action, saying weakly, "I need to take her shirt off... I need to see the whole thing..."
Zuko assisted Katara in removing Crystal's shirt leaving only her chest covered by her wrappings. Once her back was exposed, Zuko held her up so that Katara could grab water once again and hover the liquid over the raw, red, and severely blistered skin. The contact of the liquid on the damaged flesh brought Crystal out of her incoherent state. As pain once more shot through her back, her eyes shot open and she cried out in pain. Jerking her body away from the element, Zuko held her tighter around her shoulders to stop her movement. The jerk of her body had startled Katara causing her to drop her glowing water.
"Crystal! Stop!" Zuko grimaced as she jabbed her elbow into him again, thinking she was still in the palace in danger. At Zuko's voice, she stopped fighting him and instead broke into sobs. Zuko pulled her to his chest so her face could press into his shirt and soak up her tears. "You're safe... I'm sorry... I'm here..."
Katara let out a deep breath, and then she resumed her healing. "Hold her still. This isn't going to be pleasant for her, but I need to heal up the worse of this before it gets infected." Zuko nodded, doing just as Katara asked. He hugged Crystal closer, using his arm which wrapped around her shoulders to reach and grab her left hand. Then he used his free hand to restrain her other hand. Crystal caught on quick through her fogged mind that she was being restrained. She began to whimper in anticipation for the pain that she, Zuko, and Katara knew was coming.
"Crystal... I need you to breathe for me... This is going to hurt, but you have to breathe..."
Katara's voice convinced Crystal to take a choked breath. As soon as air filled her sister's lungs Katara went in for the contact. As her water began to glow and rebuild the skin that had been damaged, Crystal lurched and screamed from the fire coursing through her. Zuko shut his eyes in agony, but held Crystal as still as he could. He could feel her trying to pull from him every second, but he tightened his hold knowing she'd feel better soon.
A few moments after Katara began her healing the screams and gasps from Crystal ceased. As the fire in her back soothed, she breathed heavily to try and bring air back into her lungs. Katara let out a sigh of relief as she saw the worse of the burn was healed. The scar would remain however, much to Katara's dismay.
"That's it for now... I have to heal her more later... The wound needs time to air out..."
Zuko nodded. "We need to get out of here before the others come looking for us. Having us down here is just a trap for Azula to lure Aang in."
"Zuko..." Crystal's pained voice spoke up suddenly. "I'm sorry... Azula... She shouldn't have..."
"Crys... Save your energy," Katara ordered. "We'll talk later. Let's get out of here first."
Crystal fell silent at her sister's request. Instead, she worked on getting the energy to pull from Zuko and try to stand. Her body ached at every move though. Zuko felt her attempts, and managed to pull her to her feet as he stood. As soon as she was upright, she felt the blood rush through her and her vision blurred. Katara rushed forward using her upper body to anchor her from falling. Her hands held her forearms to try and steady her.
"I- I'm fine," she spoke, trying to shove from her sister with what little energy she had. She stepped from her sister and tried to walk forward, knowing they needed to get out and get a message to Aang before Iroh had them coming here in a frenzy. "We have to save the King..."
"We will..." Katara promised. "But first we need to get you out of here. If Azula arrives again you won't be much help in a fight."
"No..." Shaking her head, Crystal's glazed eyes shot between her sister and Zuko. "If we wait to save the King, we won't get the same chance again... Once we leave the palace yard, there's no way back in with the Dai Li-"
"Fine." Katara didn't feel like reasoning with her pain dazed sister. "We'll figure it out once we get out of this prison."
Nodding, Crystal went to move again but the spot where Azula kicked her in the ribs spiked with pain at the movement. She stopped clutching her side with grit teeth trying not to sound out her discomfort. She didn't want to slow them down, but she also couldn't ignore the turmoil her body had been through. Azula had used her to take out her wrath, and the Princess definitely had a lot of anger within her.
"We're not going to get anywhere with her state," Katara spoke to Zuko low enough for only him to hear.
"Get her on my back," Zuko responded. "I can carry her." He turned and crouched, while Katara guided Crystal over to his back. At first Crystal wanted to argue, but she understood why. With defeat, Crystal managed to wrap her arms around Zuko's neck while he scooped his arms beneath her knees and lifted her. As soon as gravity tried to pull her down, pain shot through her whole body and she pressed her face into Zuko's shoulder blade to suppress the whimper.
Third Person POV
"WHAT?! Captured? How do you know?"
Sokka stared up at Aang with horror. Momo was perched on Aang's shoulder looking off in the distance, while Appa lowered his body to take a moment of rest from his abrupt flight.
"I saw them." Aang frowned. "They were in some weird cave with glowing crystals. We have to hurry, Sokka..."
The worry in Aang's tone caused Sokka to feel even more unsettled. "Are they okay?"
Aang hung his head, shutting his eyes as the vision came back to him. "I don't know... The image came so fast... I heard screaming though... I think it was Crystal..."
Staring over at the water tribe warriors who were headed off on their mission, Sokka hung his head in defeat. He'd been so thrilled about getting to fight the Fire Nation alongside the other Southern Water Tribe warriors, but he knew what was most important. Letting out a deep sigh, he nodded to let Aang know he understood.
Hakoda, who stood beside his son and listened to Aang's words with horror, knew what was going on in Sokka's head. He also couldn't imagine what was happening to his little girls at the moment. He wanted to go with Sokka, to save his daughters, but his chiefly duty caused him to hold back.
"Alright," Sokka spoke. "I'm coming." He turned to his father with confidence. "Sorry dad... my sisters need me. You go on with the mission. The warriors will need your guidance."
Hakoda took this in, and then crossed his arms with defeat. "I know... Be careful son... Get your sisters and come straight back here. I want to be sure you all are safe. The faster you get out of that city, the more at ease I'll feel."
Sokka nodded, and then raced over to Appa. Once he was on the fluffy beast, Aang shouted out the signature call and Appa took off into the air flying towards the direction of the city. As they flew off, Hakoda watched them go with dread. As he stared at the figure disappearing in the distance, he didn't notice Jaka, Kona, and Areto approach him from behind. They each brandished weapons and had war paint smeared on their skin. They'd seen the bison arrive, and had become curious to the Avatar's sudden return.
"Where's he going?" Jaka asked, amazed by his cousin's departure. He'd spoken to Sokka not even an hour before, and the young man had been thrilled about joining them to fight the Fire Navy ships. "I thought he was coming with us?"
Hakoda's fists tightened as worry over his children's wellbeing flooded through him. "Something's happened... Katara and Crystal are in trouble."
The three warriors were stunned by this announcement. "What should we do?" Kona crossed his arms. "I've been to Ba Sing Se... It's a mess in there, but we could get in and he-"
"No..." Hakoda shook his head. "I have another favor to ask of you three... I need you to stay here at camp... I don't know how long Sokka and the Avatar will be gone, and I need you all here to assist them if they need it."
Areto was appalled. He knew exactly why Hakoda wanted someone to stay behind though. He'd been told about Prince Zuko joining the Avatar and Hakoda's children. He knew Hakoda wanted the three to chaperone the group when they arrived so they could ensure the Fire Lord's son kept in line.
"Assist them?" Areto asked with disbelief. "How? Those kids have been on their own for months. I doubt they need our help."
"I don't know how long this mission is going to take, and I would prefer someone is here when they arrive." He looked over at Areto briefly. "Plus... I have a feeling the Fire Lord's son will be with them and I need someone to keep an eye on him."
Areto's suspicion was confirmed. "If what Sokka say's is true about the Fire Lord's son, I see no reason to be so worried. Crystal seems to trust him... and your son does too."
"My daughter has gone through some hardships," Hakoda calmly spoke. "Once she is among her tribesmen again she will come to her senses and remember the true enemy."
"I don't know, Chief..." Areto tried to get some sense into the man who was blinded by his prejudice. "The way she tried to escape Kona and Jaka a few weeks ago makes me think this is more than just a fancy..."
The Chief growled. "I'll be damned if my daughter continues to run around with a filthy firebender!" He pointed a finger at Jaka. "When your cousins arrive, keep an eye on them." He then pointed at Kona. "You make sure that Firebender stays in line!" Then he directed his next order to Areto. "And keep my daughter away from him!" He turned sharp on his heel and stomped off. As he went, all three warriors watched him go with irritation. They waited in silence until Hakoda was far enough down shore not to hear.
Jaka was the first to break the silence with a scowl. "So we're babysitting now! Why are we the ones who have to be punished? Uncle should stay behind if he's that worried about an enemy in our camp!"
Kona sighed heavily. "Forget it Jaka. There's no use arguing with your Uncle. Chief Hakoda won't change his mind." Turning, he crossed his arms with defeat. "Guess I'm going to unpack..." He walked off in the direction of his tent knowing there was no use in arguing with the chief. Jaka muttered under his breath as he stomped behind Kona in defeat.
Lagging behind, Areto watched his brother and Jaka go understanding their frustration. Running a hand through his hair, he let out a deep breath and shook his head.
He hadn't seen Crystal in three years, but from what he recalled she wasn't one to listen to him. He wouldn't be able to keep her away from the Fire Nation prince even if he tried. He had no desire to keep the two apart though. Chief Hakoda's dreams of pairing Areto and Crystal together were foolish in his eyes.
Crystal would always be like a little sister to him, and she would never have feelings for him as long as her heart belonged to the prince.
Areto let out a deep breath as he contemplated what would come. "This will definitely be an interesting reunion..."