"You've got company!" A voice yells and then Katara hears a body fall down the same hole she fell down.
"Zuko!" Katara yells. Her shocked face becoming an angry one as Zuko sits up, looking back at her with surprise, and the hole closes behind him.
"Why did they throw you in here? Oh, wait, let me guess. It's a trap. So that when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches!" He says nothing which only fuels her anger. "You're a terrible person! You know that? Always following us! Hunting the Avatar! Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood!" His face turns red. "You don't know what you're talking about!" Katara at least had some satisfaction that she'd striked a nerve. "I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through! Me personally! The Fire Nation took my mother away from me." She sobbed the last part.
Zuko felt some shame. "I'm sorry." He paused. "That's something we have in common." Kataras tear streaked face looked up at him in surprise.
After a moment of silence Katara spoke up. "I'm sorry I yelled at you before." Zuko rolled his eyes at the sudden change of attitude. "It doesn't matter." "It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face" She trailed off. "My face? I see." Katara blushed. "No, no, that's-that's not what I mean." Zuko cut her off. "It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."
An idea crossed her mind" Maybe you could be free of it." "What?" She got up and crossed over to him. "I have healing abilities." It's a scar, it can't be healed." Katara held up a vile. "This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but ..." She trailed off putting a hand on his scar. Zuko closes his eyes, only to be interrupted by Aang and Iroh.
"Aang!" Katara yelled running to hug him. Who briefly smiles at her, then looks over Katara's shoulder to glare at Zuko, to which he returned.
"Aang, I knew you would come." She smiled hugging Aang again. "Uncle, I don't understand. What are you doing with the Avatar?" Zuko said pointing at the Avatar. Aang glared at the fire bender again. "Saving you, that's what." Zuko growled and took one confrontational step in Aang's direction, but Iroh stops him. "Zuko, it's time we talked." Iroh turned to the younger two benders. "Go help you other friends. We'll catch up with you."
As they walk away, Katara looks back at Zuko, who is looking sadly to the side, before moving on. And she finds herself feeling something different inside towards him.
"Why, Uncle?" Zuko asked hurt. "You're not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good." Iroh smiled at his nephew.
As Zuko contemplates what his uncle is telling him, he yells as crystals grow to encase Iroh. He assumes a fighting position to prepare for the intruders.
Azula and two Dai Li agent's slide down the slides in the camber. "I expected this kind of treachery from Uncle." She starts, looking at her Uncle, still trapped in crystals. Zuko took a protective stance in front of his uncle. "But Zuko, Prince Zuko, you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you?" Zuko growls" Release him immediately." "It's not too late for you, Zuko. You can still redeem yourself." "The kind of redemption she offers is not for you." Iroh cuts in. "Why don't you let him decide, Uncle?" Azula sneerers in his direction. "I need you, Zuko. I've plotted every move of this day, this glorious day in Fire Nation history, and the only way we win is together. At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have Father's love. You will have everything you want." "Zuko, I am begging you. Look into your heart and see what it is that you truly want." Iroh pleads Zuko looks to the floor torn with what to choose. "You are free to choose." Azula hums." As she and the Dia Li race off towards the Avatar.
"We've got to find Sokka and Toph." Katara breathes just as blue fire attacks them from behind. Aang stops it using earthbending, but the impact forces him backward a few steps. Azula, the source of the blast, with smoke trailing from her fingertips. Katara uses waterbending to stop another attack, then sends a wave crashing toward Azula, who vaporizes the water with firebending. The mist from the vaporized water allows Azula to jump onto a crystal and firebend two blasts of blue fire. Together, Aang and Katara use waterbending to stop the blasts. Azula finishes her jump by landing on a rock pillar. Aang uses earthbending on the pillar, and Azula gasps once she notices the pillar crumbling. She jumps off and lands between Katara and Aang. She points at both of them, preparing to attack or defend herself.
An orange fire blast lands in the middle of the standoff, and they look to see the source of the fire blast to be Zuko. Zuko looks from Azula to Katara and Aang, choosing who to attack. Katara looks at him hopeful who he looks at Azula, she is glaring back at him. He then looks at Aang, who gasps once he realizes Zuko will attack him. Zuko firebends at him, and Aang uses airbending to jump away from the blast. Azula smiles at this and starts dueling with Katara, and Zuko furiously throws multiple fire blasts at Aang. Aang airbends the air currents around him to make a human-shaped gust of air at Zuko, knocking him down. Aang attacks Zuko with more airbending, but Zuko maneuvers around the attacks and gets back up on his feet. He fires more blasts at Aang who is clinging on to a rock pillar. Aang jumps onto a clump of crystals to avoid the attack. Furious, Zuko summons a greater blast of fire. Aang earthbends some crystals to protect him, but the crystals shatter, sending Aang flying to another clump of crystals. Zuko uses fire whips to attack Aang once again, but Aang jumps to another patch of crystals and Zuko keeps attacking.
Azula landing on a puddle of water running toward Katara, who sends a aharp wave of water at Azula that very nearly hits her face, but cuts her hair instead, startling her.
Zuko, who is still using his fire whips to attack Aang, who is now jumping along the cave's ceiling. Aang kicks down a stalactite and follows it, using earthbending to increase its impact and sending Zuko flying, bouncing off the ground into a small wall of crystals. The scene focuses on Azula and Katara. Katara waterbends at Azula, knocking her down. Azula slowly gets back up into a fighting stance as Katara encases herself in water. One water tentacle captures Azula's hand as she struggles to attack her, and another one captures her foot after another failed attack. Katara then lifts Azula up, who yells in fear. Zuko frees his sister using firebending to break the tentacles. Azula gets up and briefly smiles at Zuko in gratitude, then looks toward the crater Aang had created with the stalactite. Aang crawls out, exhausted. Azula runs toward Aang.
Zuko and Katara start fighting. Katara still has water whips on her hands and Zuko starts using his fire whips.
"I thought you had changed!" She grunts. "I have changed." He hissed. Zuko fires another blast.
Azula uses firebending to charge at Aang. Aang earthbends crystals around him into a crystal encased armor and charges at Azula. Azula stops, and uses her firebending to break Aang's crystal armor and send him flying back into an old building.
Now both Zuko and Azula are fighting Katara. Hopelessly outnumbered, Katara gets knocked down. Aang jumps from the old building and earth surfs toward Zuko and Azula to stop them from attacking Katara, with a fiercely determined look on his face. However, a Dai Li agent appears and jumps in front of Aang's surf, sending him flying off. Aang yells as he falls. More Dai Li agents gather behind Zuko and Azula. Katara starts regaining her focus and Dai Li agents surround her. Katara uses the octopus form to defend herself. Aang stands up in a fighting stance, but his determined face quickly turns into one of despair.
"There's too many." Aang signs breathlessly. He looks at Katara. Suddenly he remembered Pathik. "The only way is to let her go"
"I'm sorry, Katara." Aang whispers. Closing his eyes, he turns away from Azula and Zuko and earthbends a crystal shelter tent. Aang starts meditating. Aang enters the Avatar State and the crystal shelter starts glowing, alerting those outside. Aang opens his glowing eyes and breaks the crystal above him. But before Aang can let Katara go and control the Avatar State, a bolt of lightning strikes him in the back. Azula, smiling menacingly her fingers smoking. As Aang falls down, Katara, tears now falling down her face, creates a wave to catch Aang. The wave knocks down the Dai Li agents and Zuko. She looks down at Aang's lifeless body and back up with tears in her eyes. Zuko and Azula prepare to attack Katara, but a blast of fire stops them. Iroh, the source of the blast, jumps down from the wall of the cave and shields Aang and Katara from Zuko and Azula.
"You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Iroh yells to Katara as he fires some blasts at Zuko and Azula.
Katara walks away slowly with Aang's body to a waterfall, and she uses waterbending to lift herself and Aang's body up its path. Iroh holds off the Dai Li agents, taking blows of earthbending, until after Aang and Katara leave. He submits to the Dai Li, who use earthbending to encase him in crystals. Azula is triumphantly smirking next to Zuko, both looking at Iroh. Iroh is looking back at Zuko, then closes his eyes and turns away. "I want the Avatars body." Azula yells.
An injured Toph and Sokka meet Aang, and Katara by Appa. Appa moans sadly at the sight of him. Katara places Aang's body on Appa. She opens the vial around her neck and uses water healing on Aang's wounded back. The rest of Team Avatar, Kuei, and Bosco all look sadly and in anticipation. The glowing from the spirit water stops, and Katara starts crying, assuming that it was not enough to save Aang. Aang's tattoos glow for a second and Aang groans. Katara, overcome with joy that Aang is alive, looks at him, who smiles a little, and she holds him closer.
Then just as they are about to take off they get attacked by more Dia Li.
"I'll hold them off get." Katara shouts as she starts fighting off the agents. "Katara no!" Sokka yells. "There's no time! Get him somewhere safe." She calls over her shoulder. "Sokka please!" Reluctantly the rest of the team leave on Appa.
"We've done it, Zuko. It's taken a hundred years, but the Fire Nation has conquered Ba Sing Se." Azula smiles. "I betrayed Uncle." Zuko whispers." No, he betrayed you. Zuko, when you return home, Father will welcome you as a war hero." "But I don't have the Avatar. What if Father doesn't restore my honor?" "He doesn't need to, Zuko." She says as puts a hand on Zuko's shoulder." Today, you restored your own honor." Zuko looks turns away, uncertain of himself. "Now before I forget I have a present for you. For your success." Azula smiles clapping her hands. The Dia Li bring out a bruised and exhausted looking Katara hands bound. "Your one personal prisoner of war to do with as you please."