The Pawn |Katara

EIGHT

Akira tried to act as if everything was normal. As if the guilt of leaving his friends behind to rot in prison wasn't eating him alive from the inside out, like the possibilities of what they could have been going through weren't keeping him awake at night and were the only thoughts in his mind remaining at day. Pretending nothing had happened was becoming harder every day he spent in the Fire Nation capital. He still joined Azula every day in the morning for their common practice, not even daring to dream of doing otherwise in fear she would figure out what was going through his mind and realise his true allegiance wasn't really with her. Not that Akira himself had quite figured out where his allegiance lied. 

It was barely a week after the visit at the Boiling Rock but to him it felt like months. Azula was more preoccupied than usual it seemed, and that was the reason why he thought it would not be noticed if after their practice he left the palace with the excuse he had things to do at home in favour of visiting the prisons themselves. 

The foundation of his plan had begun only a few days after the visit. His father had been Warden to one of the prisons before he had found his way among the close ranks of the Fire Lord, and he knew all current Wardens in all prisons, some he even considered friends. Akira had only needed to let it slip that he wondered if the prisons Ty Lee and Mai had gone to were truly suitable for the weight of their crimes once, pair it with a pretty question that was there ever a chance his father would know about it. And his answer had come a day after. From then on, things had been a bit easier. He had mapped the route he would take in his mind and had checked with the giant eel hounds his family owned to ensure they were in condition to travel. He only needed to take one. 

So his plan was set into motion, and on that day, about a week after his friends had been arrested, he had told the Princess he had obligations at home, his parents he would be outside on a task personally handed to him by Azula who had come to rely more on him now she knew of his worth and his faith, and Akemi the truth. And so he took one of the great eel hounds and rode off in the prison that was located further away – where Mai was.

It took him almost half a day to get there, even with his ride's speed. The prison Mai had been brought into was the one that was located the farthest away from the capital of the Fire Nation, although it was still on the island. If the Boiling Rock housed the most dangerous criminals of the Fire Nation, here were placed the ones authorities wanted to be forgotten. Those charged with treason were usually led here, as were those who had hurt a lot of the people in the Fire Nation so that it would be ensured there wouldn't be a crowd gathering in front of the prison due to a specific prisoner. People wouldn't go to such great lengths. 

In a sense, Akira imagined this was the prison that most fitted the crime Mai and Ty Lee had been charged with although even though some people in the prison might have had values similar to Mai's once, he still believed splitting the two of them up had been too harsh. He supposed Azula wouldn't have left things any different, though.

He had not informed the Warden he would be arriving beforehand, although he didn't doubt he would be recognised. The guards at the front had taken one look at his formal attire before they had let him in, where he had been asked to prove his identity and then he was led further inside, to the Warden who happened to be there during his visit. Akira didn't let himself be deterred.

"Mr Wang," he greeted the Warden with a brief bow of his head the moment he was led in front of him. "It has been a couple of years since we last saw each other, do you remember?"

The Warden seemed to not recognise him, his eyes only narrowed for a moment. Akira sent him a small, polite smile. 

"It was a family dinner, in Ember Island. In the house of former Warden Lee-"