Daughter of the Moon - Book Two: Earth

Chapter 22: Into the Fire Nation

- Elara -

For some reason, everything that had happened since the catacombs somehow blurred together in a series of events that seemed all too familiar. Perhaps I was reliving my life at the North Pole where I had been kept confined to a single room to stay hidden from Zhao, or maybe it was more like the time when I had been captured by slave traders after watching the demise of my people...yeah. Something like that.

So there I sat once again on the cold hard ground of a dark metal cell, carefully contemplating how in the world I had landed myself in this situation. Our plan had been simple: break into the catacombs, find Katara and Zuko, and get out. Easy enough, right?

But no, we somehow managed to get in, find the prisoners, get attacked by Azula and her battalion of Dai Li agents, allowing Aang to get shot (and probably killed) and forcing me to give myself up to save Aang and Katara as they fled from the scene. Was there another way for all of that to go down? A way that didn't leave Aang on the brink of death and me in a prison cell? Probably, but it was too late for that now.

And Zuko...

And Zuko.

For the life of me, I could not figure out what he could have possibly been thinking. One minute he was practically fawning over me, telling me how much he cared for me, and all that crap, and the next he turned around and stabbed me in the back! I mean, sure, I knew that boy had struggled with making the right decisions in the past, but this was so unlike him. Zuko turning his back on Iroh—unheard of. Zuko turning his back on me...I couldn't even find the words to describe it.

And somehow, even after all that, I still missed him. Why did I still miss him?

Fortunately for me, I was not allowed the opportunity to spiral down that rabaroo hole too long because someone chose that exact moment to grace me with their presence, my cell filling with light and blinding me momentarily as the visitor stepped in.

"Well, well. If it isn't the peasant that failed to brainwash my brother," Azula scoffed as she towered over me, my body too weak to pull myself up from the floor (not like I would stand for this lunatic anyway).

"Why are you surprised?" I asked wearily as I glared up at the princess. "You're the one that put me here."

"I suppose that's true," she replied with a wicked smirk. "But that doesn't mean I can't be surprised to find that you're still here. Zu-Zu said that you can be been quite resourceful when it comes to the art of escaping tricky situations."

I felt my heart physically ache at the mention of her brother, and I had to turn my face to the floor to catch the tears before they could spill from my eyes. I was determined not to cry. Not again.

"What are you doing here, Azula," I spit as I burned holes through the metal plating below me. "Last I checked, princesses have no business dealing with prisoners."

"My, my. You're a feisty one. No wonder my brother likes you," Azula began casually, which only seemed to torture me more. "But if you have to know, I just wanted to inform you that we'll be docking in the Fire Nation soon."

"And I care because..."

You'll be one of the first outsiders inside the capital city in decades," Azula responded maliciously as she picked at her nails. "I thought you might be excited."

"If my head wasn't on the chopping block, perhaps I would be," I answered spitefully, ignoring the disgusting grin that stretched its way across Azula's face.

"I suppose it is difficult to be properly excited when your life is on the line."

"I'm glad that we were able to come to an understanding," I sighed as I rested my head against the wall.