Avatar: The Banished Fire Prince

The Earthbenders' Prison

Suki's POV:

I was excited to see other Earth Kingdom villages. We left Omashu that same morning, right after plans were made. Sadly, King Bumi wasn't able to come with us. He said that his duties in the city were very important recently, and that he was sad he couldn't come with, but when times were right, he said...

The seven of us came across a teenager who looked about our age, and he was earthbending. In hopes that we had found a possible earthbending teacher for Zuko, we tried to get his attention, but he ran away from us. We followed him as he ran, and he ran into a small shop on the side of the road, and we went in after him.

"Hey! We saw you earthbending! Do you-" Katara said, and soon, the windows were all closed as his mother, we assumed, warned him.
"Earthbending!? Do you know what would happen if they caught you earthbending?!" she said.
"I know. Sorry mom." 
"What would happen?" Azula asked.
"He would be taken away. Like his father," his mom said sadly.
"I'm sorry. We were just wondering if he-" Katara tried to continue, but the door was suddenly flung open, and people of the Fire Nation came in and took all the money from their family, and left only a few copper pieces.

-----

Katara's POV:

I was with Haru. He had told me his name a little while ago, and I was trying to figure out if he was supposed to be Zuko's earthbending teacher when we saw an old man trapped beneath a collapsed tunnel. I encouraged Haru to bend him out of there, and he did. 

And now he was gone. 

Because of me. I had to go help him. I managed to get myself arrested by the Fire Nation bullies, and I was taken to the prison that Haru was in. I met Haru's dad, Tyro, and I now knew their story. I told them about my mother, too.
It was nice meeting Haru's dad, but I couldn't help but notice that all the earthbenders looked lifeless and numb. I tried to encourage them by giving them a speech, but it didn't work.
They were so tired and hopeless, it broke my heart. 

Sokka, Zuko, and Aang came to bring me home on Appa, but I wasn't going to leave. I was going to save these earthbenders. They finally agreed, and they all stayed with me. We worked on our plan.

"I just got the perfect idea!" Sokka whisper-shouted suddenly, "Look! There's smoke coming out of those chimneys!"
"I can see that, Sokka, but what does that have to do with rescuing the earthbenders?" Zuko asked, clearly annoyed.
"What I'm saying is, they've got to be burning something! And it's probably coal! And coal is earth! And earthbenders can BEND EARTH!!" Sokka said, excited.
"Right! And if we pull the same trick we did earlier to get me in here, they would have earth to bend!" I said. I was excited too. This was going to work!

The next morning, the guards found Sokka and yelled, "Here's the intruder!!" And as soon as the guards all circled us, Aang blew all of the coal out of the vent, and I shouted to the earthbenders, "Here's your chance, earthbenders! Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!"

I looked at the earthbenders, hopeful and smiling. The warden was right there. We just had to take the opportunity, and freedom would be ours! Haru tried to step forward, but his father stopped him. My smile faded, and I realized all of the earthbenders were backing away from the pile. 

"Foolish girl. You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago. Oh, but you still believe in them. How sweet. They're a waste of your energy little girl. You failed."

He turned away, and I couldn't help but feel defeated. He was right. I failed.

Then, as if in slow motion, a single piece of coal flew and hit the back of the warden's head. He whipped back around, enraged. 

"SHOW NO MERCY!" he yelled, and his firebenders threw fire at everyone in sight. But this time, the earthbenders fought back!

"For the Earth Kingdom, ATTACK!" Tyro yelled, "Get to the ships! We'll hold them off!"
"Guys! Throw me some coal!" Aang said.

Zuko tossed some coal at him, and Aang threw the coal at the guards, which knocked them off their feet. Tyro picked them up with the coal, and hovered it over the ocean.

"No! Please! I can't swim!" the warden pleaded.
"Don't worry," Tyro said, "I hear cowards float," and he dropped them all into the ocean.

-----

Zuko's POV:

I watched as Haru went up to Katara, and said, "I want to thank you for saving me... For saving us." He gestured to the earthbenders.
She turned, facing him, "All it took was a little coal..."
"It wasn't the coal, Katara, it was you."

She blushed, then Tyro- She what?! She blushed? I started to head their direction. There's no denying it. I was jealous.

Tyro reached her first and said, "Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara of the Water Tribe. My family and everyone here owes you much." That was true. She did do that. I stopped. Tyro could to talk to Katara. I didn't have to worry about him.

"So I guess you're going home now," Katara said to Tyro and Haru.
"Yes. To take back my village," he raised his voice so that everyone on the deck could hear him, "To take back all of our villages! The Fire Nation will regret the day they set foot on our land!"

Everyone cheered, and I couldn't help but feel happy for all the freed earthbenders today. Even Haru. Even if he was making me jealous, he deserved his freedom.

"Come with us," he said to Katara. 

Nope. He deserves to rot. I went over there and pulled Katara to me before she could answer. 

"Sorry. But she can't. She has to come with me and find an earthbending teacher," I said.
"Well, actually, I don't have to," she said. I looked at her and saw that she was smirking.
Spirits, this girl.
"So you're the avatar, huh?" Haru asked me.
"Yes. I am."
"Oookay. Well, I just wanted to say... Katara, thank you for bringing my father back to me. I never thought I'd see him again. I only wish there was some way..."
"I know," she said, and reached for her necklace, but quickly realized it was gone.
"Oh! Right!" I said, spinning her around so that she was facing away from me, "I found this on the ground. It must have come loose when you were running." I clasped her mother's necklace around her neck again. She turned around and embraced me.
"Thank you so much Zuko," she said, her face buried in my chest, and she sighed. I turned red, and looked at the sky, then the sea, hoping she wouldn't see my flushed face.