After Zira's heartbreaking reveal, Katara insisted that they all get some sleep. Katara and the boys stayed up till Zira finally drifted off before hitting the hay themselves.
In the early hours of the morning, Zira was awoken by the walls opening and guards entering the chamber.
" Aan-!" She tried to scream for help but the guards covered her mouth as they dragged her, Katara and Sokka from the room.
" What's going on? Where are you taking us?" Katara demanded as they were pushed down the tunnel.
" Quiet!" One of the guards snapped as they came to a stop in front of a wall.
Azira was struggling and thrashing around, trying to get the guard to let go.
"Stop struggling!" The guard snapped as shouting was heard from the other side of the wall.
" Give me my friends back. We're leaving!" Aang voice echoed
" Aang!" Zira yelled but the guard shook her to shut her up.
" Oh, I thought you might refuse" The king smirked as the wall fell away, revealing the others to Aang. " So I will give your friends some special souvenirs"
As the king was speaking the guards forcefully place crystal rings onto the kid's fingers. " Those delightful rings are made of pure Genomite ... Also known as Creeping Crystal"
The guards released the kids and the rings shrunk, stopping them from taking them off. As the guard let her go, Zira instantly ran to Katara's side. Both struggled to pull the rings off.
" It's crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall, your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible fate really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate" The king threatened
" Ahh, it's already creeping!" Sokka cried as the crystal grew slightly on his finger.
Aang glanced over at his friends, he saw the utter fear in Zira's golden eyes as she clung to Katara.
" I'll do what you want" Aang declared, turning back to the king.
The crazy old man just smirked.
*
The kids were taken to an underground cavern with a waterfall in the centre. A key hung from a chain in the middle of the waterfall. There was a ladder leading up to it, otherwise, it was impossible to reach the key. The king and the others watched from a balcony while Aang was down in the cavern. The crystals had already grown to encase Azira's entire arm and it wasn't slowing down.
"It's okay, Zira. We'll be okay" Katara reassured her as the crystal grew even more" Aang will complete these challenges, then we're out of here, I promise"
" I hope so" Zira muttered before the king yelled out to Aang
" It seems I've lost my lunchbox key, and I'm hungry." The king then pointed to the key hanging from the chain " Oh, there it is! Would you mind fetching it for me?"
Aang began to hop his way over the spikes towards the waterfall. He dived headfirst into the waterfall and grabbed onto the ladder.
" Ooh! Climbing the ladder. No one's thought of that before!" The king laughed
The pressure of the water caused Aang to lose his grip on the ladder and go plummeting towards the spikes.
" Aang!" Zira yelled in worry as she and the others rushed to the edge of the balcony
" He's alright, see" The king pointed out as Aang caught himself of the spikes.
Zira let out a sigh of relief as Aang then went for the key again. As they watched, the king turned to Zira again, noticing the ugly scars decorating her arms and shoulders, that were now exposed due to her lack of sleeves.
" Say, those are some pretty nasty burns, little one. How on did someone of your size get those?" He asked
Zira shuffled away from the king and clung to Katara's arm, not answering.
" Still not much of a talker, eh?"
" Sorry, your highness. She just doesn't like strangers" Katara explained, holding Zira close.
"Is that so?... Oh well," The king shrugged and turned his attention back to Aang who was once again, diving headfirst into the water.
" That's right. Keep diving head in. I'm sure it'll work eventually"
Aang once again got thrown from the water and smacked right into one of the spikes. He glanced at the spike and then back at the key before getting an idea. He broke off the top of the spike and stood on the remaining part. He chucked the top of the spike at the water before quickly using his air bending to redirect it.
The spike cut right through the water, breaking the chain and lodging itself in the wall above the kings head. The key was dangling from it, still attached to the chain.
" There! Enjoy your lunch!" Aang yelled, " I want my friends back now!"
" Uh, not yet. I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet, Flopsy" The king stated
*
The kids were taken to another area with a huge open pen in the middle. In the middle of the pen, an adorable white rabbit with floppy ears sat on a rock.
" Okay, found him" Aang called out, going over to the rabbit
" Bring him to me" The king demanded " Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsy"
" Come here, Flopsy" Aang went to grab the rabbit when a huge beast appeared behind him.
The creature snarled before lunging at him making the rabbit runoff. Aang backflipped to avoid the beast and noticed the rabbit running away in fright.
" Flopsy, wait! Flopsy" Aang ran after the fluffy creature while the huge beast followed behind him. The king was laughing maniacally as Aang ran all over the huge pen chasing the rabbit with the massive creature chasing him.
The rabbit eventually managed to escape through a tiny hole in the wall and Aang reached his arm in to try and get it.
He then stopped when he realised something. " Wait a minute"
He got up and faced the giant creature that was running at him full speed.
" Flopsy?" The creature came to an immediate stop in front of Aang, wagging his tail.
Flopsy picked up the boy and licked his face.
" Flopsy!" Aang cheered, petting the creature
The king then whistled for his pet, who dropped Aang and ran over to his owner. He climbed out of the pen and the king began to pet him.
" Aw, that's a good boy" The king cooed as Flopsy rolled onto his back, wanting his belly scratched " Yes! Who has a soft belly?!"
Aang rushed over to his friends looking concerned. The crystals had covered their entire bodies.
" Guys, are you okay?" He asked
"Other than the crystals slowly encasing my entire body, doing great" Katara replied
" Speak for yourself" Zira grumbled as Sokka's crystal then grew a little more causing the boy to lose his balance and fall over.
Aang then marched over to the king with a determined face. " Come on. I'm ready for the next challenge"
The king looked up at Aang and simply laughed manically.
*
For the third challenge, the king took them to an arena. The crystals had almost fully covered Sokka, Katara and Zira. The only thing that wasn't covered was their faces. Zira was struggling where she stood, not liking being confined and restricted by the crystal.
" Your final test is a duel," The king told Aang. " And as a special treat, you may choose your opponent"
Two very intimidating men came to stand beside the king, smirking menacingly at Aang who looked at the two huge men nervously.
" Point and choose" The king commanded
" So, you're saying whoever I point to...That's the person I get to fight?" Aang questioned
" Choose wisely" The king advised
Aang thought for a second
"I...Choose...You!"
Aang pointed right at the king who smirked at him.
" Haha. Wrong choice" The king stood up straight and his bizarre purple robes fell away showing his muscles. The kids stared at him shocked.
The king then earth bent the floor, sending Aang flying into the arena and the king quickly followed.
Zira watched nervously as the two began fighting but her view was then blocked as the crystals grew in front of her face, restricting her vision.
Feeling extremely claustrophobic, she started to panic. Her breathing became rapid, coming out in short breaths. She felt dizzy and her chest was aching from her pounding heart rate.
She couldn't breathe!
"...K-Katara..." She whimpered
" Zira! Are you alright?!" Katara turned away from the fight to the small girl, instantly knowing that something was wrong.
"I-I...I can't breath!" Zira stammered " I can't breathe!"
" Okay, okay. Everything's going to be fine. You're going to be fine" Katara attempted calming her down. But the bangs and yells coming from the arena were not helping.
" Katara, what's wrong with her?" Sokka questioned, looking worried
" She's having a panic attack!"
" What! Why?!"
" Don't you remember, her father used to lock her in the cooler! It's the cramped space! It triggered it!"
"Well, what do we do?!"Sokka exclaimed
"Zira, try and control your breathing. Take slow deep breaths" Katara instructed
Azira attempted to do as advised but another loud bang from the fighting and her panic only increased.
" Zira, just block out everything else. Focus only on my voice and your breathing" Katara instructed " Shut your eyes and focus. You're going to be alright"
Zira did as she was told and shut her eyes. Focusing only on her getting her breathing under control and Katara's voice reassuring her that she was going to be fine and make it through this.
After what seemed like forever, Zira's racing heart finally slowed down. The dizziness and aching in her chest went away and she could breathe properly again.
" Are you okay?" Katara questioned
" I-I'm alright..." Zira breathed " Thank you, Katara"
Katara was going to respond but the king suddenly appearing out of the earth cut her off. Aang followed soon after. The fight was over.
" You've passed all my tests. Now, you must answer one question" The king stated
" That's not fair!" Aang yelled, " You said you' d release my friends if I finished your tests!"
" Oh, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything?" The king smirked
" Oh, come on" Sokka groaned
" Answer this one question and I will set your friends free," The king told Aang, ignoring the kids behind him.
" What...is my name?" The king then asked " From the looks of your friends, I'd say you have only a few minutes"
The king then walked off, leaving the kids alone.
" How are you feeling, Zira?" Katara asked concerned
"I'm okay... I think" Zira muttered
" How am I supposed to know his name?" Aang questioned
" Think about the challenges. Maybe it's some kind of riddle" Katara suggested
" I got it!" Sokka cried
" Yeah?!"
" What is it?!"
" He's an earth bender, right? Rocky..." Sokka guessed " You know, because of all the rocks"
" We're going to keep trying, but that is a good back up"
" Okay, so back to the challenges. I got a key from a waterfall, I saved his pet and I had a duel" Aang listed
" And what did you learn?" Katara asked
"Well, everything was different than I expected..." Aang muttered, thinking
" And..." Katara pushed, wincing as her crystal grew some more.
" Well... They weren't straightforward. To solve each test, I had to think differently than I usually would... I know his name!" Aang declared
" Great, let's get going before Zira has another panic attack"
" Zira had a panic attack!?" Aang exclaimed, " Why didn't anyone tell me?! "
" Now's not the time! Come on!"
*
Aang was now stood in front of the king in the throne room. His friends stood behind him, completely covered in crystals.
" I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges" Aang stated " As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities"
The king began laughing and snorting.
" Bumi, you're a mad genius" Aang grinned, rushing over to hug his old friend.
" Oh, Aang, it's good to see you." Bumi chuckled " You haven't changed a bit... Literally"
" Uh, over here" Katara cut in
" Little help" Sokka added
Zira also said something but it came out muffled due to the crystals. Bumi raised his hand and formed a fist, destroying the Genomite crystals. Zira fell to her knees breathing heavily. She shut her eyes, thankful to be free of the crystals.
" Genomite is made of rock candy" Bumi explained, catching a piece of the crystal and eating it " Delicious!"
" So this crazy king is your old friend Bumi?" Katara questioned as she helped Azira stand.
" Who you calling old!?" Bumi resorted looking offended "...Okay, I'm old"
" Why did you do all this instead of just telling Aang who you were?" Sokka questioned
" First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people" Bumi laughed " But I do have a reason. Aang you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the 100 years you've been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai"
Aang glanced over at Zira when the Fire Lord was mentioned. She simply looked down, her bangs covering her eyes.
" You have much to learn" Bumi continued " You must master the 4 elements and confront the Fire Lord. And when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius."
Aang smiled and bowed respectively to his friend.
" And it looks like you're in good hands. You'll need your friends to help you defeat the Fire Nation" Momo came over to land on Aang shoulder, chittering affectionately
" And you'll need Momo, too" Bumi smiled
" Thank you for your wisdom" Aang grinned, he glanced behind him at Zira again who was holding her bare arms, trying to cover up her scars. Aang's grin fell slightly and he turned back to Bumi.
" Actually, can I ask a favour?"
" Of course" Bumi smiled " What do you need?"
" It's not for me. For Zira" The said princess looked up at the sound of her name " Do you think you have anything better for her to wear?"
" Certainly. Guards!" Bumi cried and a few men came running, awaiting further orders. " Take the princess and find her some more suitable clothing. Preferably long-sleeved"
" Yes, sire" One of the guards nodded before turning to the tiny girl" This way, your highness"
Zira stayed where she was, glancing back nervously at her friends. Katara picked up on what she wanted and smiled softly.
"I'm coming, Zira, don't worry" Katara and Zira then were led out of the throne room by the guards.
*
About an hour later, Katara was waiting outside one of the chambers as Azira changed inside. Katara was lost in her thoughts when she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up to see her brother walking towards them.
" They find her something?" Sokka asked
" Yep, she's in there trying it on" Katara replied, " Where's Aang?"
" He went with the king to go sledging down the mail shoots again" Sokka answered and the two fell into a comfortable silence as they waited for Zira.
" Okay, Tara, I'm ready! I'll be out in a minute!" Zira's voice called from inside the room.
Katara smiled and went to enter the room when Sokka stopped her.
"Hey, um... Could I talk to her? Just for a second?" Sokka then wondered
" What for?" Katara interrogated suspiciously
" I think it's about time I apologised to her. You know... For being such a jerk"
Katara looked at him, thinking for a moment before she stepped aside" Go ahead"
Sokka hesitated for a second before opening the door and walking in.
Zira was standing by a mirror on the wall, pulling her hair back into its usual ponytail, this time with a green hair tie when she noticed Sokka walk in. She had swapped out her old outfit for one that covered her scars completely.
"Uh, hey Zira" Sokka awkwardly waved. " Can we talk?"
" I guess. What's wrong?" Zira replied finishing her hair
"...What's wrong is that I've been a total jerk to you... and you never deserve any it" Sokka admitted
Zira didn't respond and just listened silently.
" I judged you before I got the whole story. I assumed you were just like any other fire bender, but I was...wrong. You're nothing like your nation or you're father, I should've realised that sooner. I guess what I'm trying to say is that...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for treating you so harshly...and I understand if you if hate me now..."
Zira stared unemotionally at him for a second before a smile broke out onto her face and she tackled him in a hug, catching him by surprise.
"I don't hate you, Sokka." She muttered
" You don't? Why? I would" Sokka questioned
" Katara told me what happened to your mom. I understand why you didn't like me very much at first" Azira explained pulling back from the hug
" So ...You forgive me?"
Azira grinned and nodded her head " I forgive you, Sokka"
Azira hugged Sokka again and this time he hugged her back.
" Hey, are you two done making up in there?" Katara's voice called from outside the door.
The two laughed slightly as they pulled away from the hug.
"Yeah, it's all good!" Sokka replied and Katara walked in a second later.
" Wow, Zira. You look great" Katara complemented, seeing the princess's new outfit.
" You think so?"
" Defiantly" Katara smiled " But you do know that your scars are nothing to be ashamed of right?"
" Yes, they are!" Zira argued, " They're ugly and horrible and..."
" And a part of who you are" Katara interrupted, " Each one of your scars tells a story, Zira... A story that says, you survived"
Zira glanced up at Katara with a small smile "...I did survive didn't I"
"You did. You went through hell and you came out the other side. You sure are one tough kid" Sokka added, jokingly ruffling Zira's hair making her cry out in protest and try and shake him off.
Azira finally shook off Sokka's hand and pouted childishly as she fixed her hair while the others just laughed.
"Guys..." Zira thought for a moment before smiling slightly at her friends. "...I don't want to just survive anymore. I wanna have crazy adventures, I wanna laugh, I wanna have fun ... I wanna live"
" Then we'll be with you every step of the way, as your new step in siblings" Sokka grinned placing his arm around the tiny girl's shoulders.
" As her what?" Katara questioned, looking at her brother confused
"Her step in siblings... You know, we're stepping in as her older siblings since her actual siblings didn't do a very good job at well... being siblings" Sokka explained
" Maybe you should ask her how she feels about that before just declaring yourself as her brother" Katara scolded
" Fine then" Sokka resorted before turning to Zira " Zira, how would like to be our little sister?"
"I'd love to!" Azira grinned at them, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
" Then as your new big brother, I pledge to make the rest of your life the greatest it could ever be!" Sokka declared
Katara rolled her eyes at how over the top Sokka was being. The two heard a slight sniffle and then noticed that Azira had tears running down her cheeks.
" Great job, Sokka" Katara scoffed sarcastically " Only a few seconds of being her "older brother" and you already made her cry"
" I didn't mean to!"
The two started arguing, shouting and screaming at each other before the sound of laughter interrupted them. They looked over and saw Azira clutching her stomach as she continued laughing loudly, tears still pouring down her cheeks.
" What's so funny?" Katara wondered
"I'm sorry." Zira giggled, calming down from her laughing fit " It's just I'm not crying because I'm sad...It's because I haven't felt this happy for so long"
" Well get used to it, kid. Because from now on, your going to be the happiest you've ever been" Sokka stated "We'll make sure of it"
Azira smiled and pulls the Water Tribe siblings, now also her siblings, into a hug. They laugh and hugged her back tightly. Zira was still crying tears of joy.
Because for the first time since her mother left, she felt like she knew where she belonged. She belonged with her new friends. Her new family who would love and defend her till their dying breath.