Categories > Cartoons > Avatar: The Last Airbender > Dragons of the West
Chapter Sixteen
1 reviewSet after episode, the Firebending Masters. It was dinner time after Zuko and Aang arrived back from the Sun Warriors’ community. Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Haru, the Duke & Teo, wait for the arr...
0Unrated
Dragons of the West
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Summary: Set after episode, the Firebending Masters. It was dinner time after Zuko and Aang arrived back from the Sun Warriors’ community. Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Haru, the Duke & Teo, wait for the arrival of their newest member to come from his room. Everyone is still uneasy around the fire bender. Soon they have to leave the Air Temple. Ever wondered what the Fire Nation value the most? Find out. What other secrets would be discovered?
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Chapter Sixteen
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/Boiling Rock Prison
Fire Nation/
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Hakoda knew that something very soon is going to happen.
He didn’t know what made him think of it. Maybe it was because of the air around him seem to stand still or maybe it was feeling that he felt a short month ago before the Fire Nation took him away from everyone else and placed him at Boiling Rock. The feeling that he felt, was a feeling that he never felt before. It was as if his very soul was being burned alive. That only happened on the first time, but after while as time passed, the burning feeling turned into passion, like a feeling that he need to do something and do it or die trying.
He cough, as dark blood poured from his mouth onto his hand. He sighs, as he remembered what happened to him a couple days ago. He shifted is weight slowly off the wall that he was leaning on to, again winced in pain as he did so, as he tried not to move his back to much. He feared if he moved too much his deep wounds on his back would reopen, as it only been a few days since he was tortured for his “punishment”.
He closed his eyes, remembered how he was punished.
--Flash Back--
The prison guards strapped him to a four leather bonds; two hanging from the ceiling and two on the ground. As they finished, one of them slugged him at the jaw.
Hakoda refused to cry in pain, as blood dripped of where the guard’s ring cut his bottom lip.
They laughed. “Achilles/ (1) /will have fun with this one all right. He still got his spirit.” said one.
/
“He like the others won’t last very long.” said the other in agreement./
They both laughed again in glee, as they left the water tribesman dangling from the ceiling, leaving to him to his fate.
Hakoda took no time to waste as the dungeon door closed, as he tried to break the leather bonds off from his wrists and ankles. But there was no use, there was no escape.
“Now, now, don’t do that. Or you will break your little head of yours.” a voice from the dark said to him.
Hakoda froze at the cold voice. His eyes widen as the largest person that he ever seen walked towards him from the darkness. The large man seems to limp towards him. He had dark yellow eyes, burned scars covering his whole face, neck, arms and hands. He wore thin rags for clothes, similar to those that Hakoda and every other prisoner in the prison wore. In the man’s hands was a whip with nine tails with bits of sharp rocks imbedded in them. Fear gripped Hakoda’s heart, as the man pulled his shirt above his back.
“Now the fun part.” the man, Achilles said in amusement as the whip slash across Hakoda’s back. Shock filled Hakoda’s body, as the sharp rocks and whip cut through his back like a hot knife on butter. He felt his blood soaking down his to pants and onto the floor.
Whipping sound cried out once again as he suddenly felt another whip slashing though his body. Hakoda cried out in a hiss as another and another ripped onto his back.
“Yes, yes cry! Let it all out! Let me hear you sing!” bellowed Achilles in happiness, loving the cries and hisses from Hakoda. “Let me hear you cry to your mother!”
Hakoda didn’t know how long he hang there, as the large man ripped and gashed to his back with the whip. Within the hour of consent torture he blacked out.
--End of Flash Back--
Hakoda flinch at the memory of the whip hacked his back. In days such as this, he wished he was a waterbender, enough that he could heal his wounds with the water that they give him three times a day in his cell. At least his wounds would heal faster.
He leaned on a steel wall deep in Boiling Rock prison, watching the other prisoners mop the floor, lost in his thoughts. He scanned around the room, everyone there he seen before, expect for one.
There was lone figure far from everyone else as if avoiding them like a plague. It was young girl that looked very beat up. The whole left side of her face was bruised, her prison uniform was very torn and stain in dried blood. Hakoda then hoped it wasn’t hers.
He slowly walked towards her, getting a better look of her. As his approach he suddenly stopped. The girl had dark hair, very pale skin and golden eyes clearly stating that she is a firebender.
Hakoda felt very uneasy. But seeing that he is in a Fire Nation prison, then it wouldn’t be little far fetch that most of the prisoners around him here were Fire Nation. The young girl didn’t look over fourteen years old; around the same age his own daughter Katara was.
Seeing in this young girl’s state in being, being alone in this gods forsaken prison, he felt glad that his own children was far away from the Fire Nation (he hope) and relived that they escape from being in imprisoned such as he was.
What did this young girl did in the past that land her here in the first place? Was she deserter the military in the Fire Nation? No, she looked far too young to be involved in the war or so he hopes. Did she come from a traitorous family? Maybe she was a being that has a mother or father from the Fire Nation and another parent from a different Nation? Or was she on the wrong place on the wrong time?
“What do you want?” the young girl hissed at him, breaking his thoughts.
Hakoda was taken back of the way the young girl spoke to him. He knew that moment that this young girl wasn’t a type of girl to trifle with, guessing the way she glared at him. The girl’s look was murderous as if daring him to do something to give her the right to kill him.
“Are you are okay?” Hakoda dared to ask her. He felt foolish of asking the question after seeing the anguish look she given him.
The young girl suddenly stood up, hiding the fact as she did so she felt pain going through her weak body. “Go away.” she hissed, as she gripped the wall so she wouldn’t fall face down.
“Now that’s not a lady like.” Hakoda smiled at her, helping her stand up. This mad the girl more angry, as she pushed him away from him, with strength that he didn‘t know she had in her state.
“I’ll give you lady like!” yelled the young girl at that second, sparks of blue fire appeared from her finger tips and attacked him.
Instantly, Hakoda blocked her attack, as he dodges another fist full of flames. What is up with this girl? Why does she hate him so? What happened to her that made her so full of anger and sadness?
Just as fast and it started, the young girl was pulled away from him by the prison guards.
“No firebending allowed! Into the cooler!” one said, gripping tighter on the young girl’s bruised arms.
“Let me go! You will pay for this! When I get out of here, you will all pay! Death will befall on all of you and your family! Let me go! NOW!” yelled the young girl. The two guards ignored her, as they headed to the coolers.
Sadly, Hakoda watch the two guards and the young girl left the room. The prisoners and the shock prison guard stood motionless around. All of them were little taken back of what just took place just a moment ago. Shortly everyone went back on what they were doing as if nothing out of the norm happened.
/‘What just happened?’ /Hakoda thought. He shrugged it off, and went back to his cell. Maybe he will see her again. Just to see she was okay.
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Azula kick, bite, slashed anything she could do to get the guards’ iron grip off from her arms, as the two guards led to her the coolers.
“Let me go!” she yelped. A guard appeared and opened the double doors as cold mist come out from the small circular room. The guards throw her into the cooler and quickly shut and locked the double doors.
Azula got up to the window and watched as the three guards left her to die. The room was so cold, biting onto her weak body. She slowly slide down onto the ice covered floor, cuddling into a ball. She hugged herself, putting up her legs close to herself.
“Father, please. Help me! I promise I would be good. I will never fail you again. Please daddy.” She cried to herself.
She knew she was weak, just like her brother. She was alone, no one could hear her so why not show some weakness for a change?
“Please, help me someone….” She prayed.
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Night had fallen.
The prison guards who guard the Boiling Rock surround the prison felt uneasy, as the night darkened. They knew something wasn’t right.
Little did they know that they were right.
Beyond the walls of the prison, dark figurers slowly approached from the sea. The first group came first as they grouped each other in twos as the jumped off the cliff as they glide across the boiling lake at ease as if they were birds. They landed on the island without a sound, as they pulled out their bows and arrows.
They were not spotted.
Javor, the leader of the Tiger Tribe of the Yu Yan Archers, waved his hand above his head and nodded at a nearby Archer. The Archer nodded and did the same signal as the guy in the next group and so on did the same until everyone got the message.
The Yu Yan Archers surrounded the large building. Giving the signal that everyone else was ready, they all started to climb the wall, as build metal claws stabbed into the stone as each climbed up with ease.
As they got to the top, each of them shot an arrow at each guard, killing them. They waited and looked around. Javor singled again, as many of his men lowed ropes down the wall for the next group to climb up.
Below them on the other side of the prison, no guards notice the break in or notice the silence cries of surprise of their fallen comrades as they breathe their last breaths of life.
Javor come to the edge of the wall, flagged the group telling them that the coast was clear. He turned back to his Archers. Nodding each lowed themselves close to the ground, aiming their bows towards the unexpected guards below.
It was if they were one mind, as each arrow killed every single guard, not missing one out of step as each fell onto the ground without a sound. Half of the Archers went down and collected the fallen corpses and hiding them from view.
Haruki and the rest of the group got up from the wall by climbing with ropes, just as this was happening.
Quickly everyone split up into groups as they headed into the cells to free the people that they were after. The Archers stayed to guard their exits.
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Hakoda was lying awake on his uncomfortable bed in his cell. He couldn’t sleep. That feeling was still there. Something right now is happening, and he doesn’t know what and it unnerve him to no end.
A sudden a thud sounded out in front of his cell door. Quickly he got up onto his feet, ready to attack anyone that come into his cell.
The door opened, and came into three masked men. The men were clearly not prison guards.
“Are you Hakoda of the Water tribe?” one asked him, as he stepped forward from the group, his hand tightly around his sword, ready to attack him if necessary.
“Depends who’s asking.” Hakoda heard himself say.
“You must come with us, sir. We are getting you out of here. We need to do this quickly. They are coming.” Said the man on his right. The man turned to the others and nodded at them. The two men left Hakoda and the man. “Come with me sir. We don’t have much time.”
Of all the things Hakoda thought that these men would do and say, it wasn’t that.
Silently nodding, Hakoda followed them out, passing a fallen guard in his wake.
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The Yu Yan Archers above shoot ever prison guard that dared to come out and sound the alarm each fell to their fates. Archers from below took their corpses so those that see them would not escape from their sight. The window of escape is closing fast. Javor and his men fear that they would be force to leave the others and leave. Would that be the fate of the others and the prisoners that they are trying to save?
“/When are they not coming?”/ one of the Archers hand signaled to Javor. “They should’ve been out by now.”
Javor didn’t reply. He knew that the man was right.
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Haruki stood in the hallway, his spear in his hands looking around himself. Three bodies of the guards’ lye dead near his feet.
The plan was going smoothly. Too smoothly to his liking. So far he met only three guards since he came to the prison. Where are the others? Why are there too few of them to guard the prison?
“Chief, we are ready to head out.” Ham Ghao said to him as he approached his chief.
“Good.” Haruki said, not looking at him.
“Is something wrong?” Ham Ghao asked him.
“I feel something is wrong. Very wrong. This is too easy. The Boiling Rock is supposed to be the hardest prison to escape from… Where is the alarm of us being here? Where are the rest of the guards?”
Ham Ghao silently agreed but didn’t reply.
Haruki turned to face him. “Come, Ham Ghao! Let us not be left behind. It is time!”
The two ran down the dark halls without looking back.
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The Yu Yan Archers saw their men coming out, with many of the prisoners behind.
They had done it.
Javor smiled. He stood up and singled the others. They are heading to the ship.
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Hakoda followed the unknown man that broke him out from his cell. Beside him others that he few seen in the prison was following. Was this is really a break in? Why was he a part of it?
They come to the edge of the wall. One thought came to mind ‘Do they really think that he can fly?’
Someone grabbed him from behind.
“Hey!” Hakoda yelped but his breath was cut short, as the person wrapped his arms around him and jumped.
He didn’t have time to yell, scream, but held on tight of the person holding him up as he and the ma glided across the boiling lake and onto the other side. Fatedly through the darkness he saw a
big ship. Not wanting to be left behind or stand there looking like an idiot. He headed towards the ship.
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“Here they come!” Shui called out. Everyone who was stayed at the ship smiled. They are finally got out from the cursed waters.
“Open the port!” called out someone.
Quickly the port was lowed as the freed prisoners and their men climbed into the ship. At last the last man and woman come onboard.
“LET GO!” yelled someone. Instantly the waterbenders started to row the ship out.
They had done it; they escaped.
Hakoda smiled; as he slowly sat down to take a breath.
He was finally free.
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/Firing Lava Prison
Fire Nation/
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Everyone slowly approached the Firing Lava Prison. The prison itself was quiet smaller then the Boiling Rock, with walls as thick as Ba Sing Se’s own walls, sitting on a lone island surrounded by burning hot lava. Poisonous fumes as deathly as a poison snake loom over the prison. The smell in the air was thick as death itself. The sight itself was frightening.
“Iroh, you didn’t say this place would look like a grave site!” said one.
Iroh smiled. “It doesn’t” He told the man. He nodded at the closest firebender. Eighteen other firebenders walked up to the edge of the lava, raising their arms. Together, they bended a bridge.
The other Nation citizens looked at them in amazement.
“Let go.” Iroh said.
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Quietly everyone broke through the gates. With the aid of the Yu Yan Archers the prison guards was easily killed. Quickly, those closest to the corpses took off their masks. Iroh nodded at himself as he braced himself as he ran through the main gates, as two guards came running towards them, he ducked as a burst of fire missed him in mere inches from his face, as he grabbed the guard and snapped his neck. The other guard was quickly killed by an earthbender beside him.
Iroh and three others went on the right freeing cells as they went.
“Iroh I will get those. You do those over there!” yelled one.
Iroh nodded as he departs from the group headed towards the darkness.
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Iroh opened the last cell. A sudden fist came into his eye vision. Iroh ducked, twisted his body around and grabbed the person into the wall.
“You fucking guards have a nerve to attack me!” bellowed the man.
Iroh blinked and let go of the man. The man gasp as he brought himself from the ground. He looked up and also blinked.
“You’re not a guard.” He said.
Iroh smiled. “No I am not. Come, we’re getting you and the rest out of here.”
“What?”
Iroh rolled his eyes. Water tribesmen, they are all alike.
Iroh then gave him a breathing mask. The water tribesman grinned and followed him out.
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Iroh and the water tribesman gathered with the others. “Iroh! We must go now!” Ivor said running towards him.
The water tribesman beside Iroh eyes widen. “Mother of the Moon, a Yu Yan Archer.” He breathed out. What is an Fire Nation Archer doing here, helping the man who freed him from the cell?
“Bato!” cried a man. Iroh looked ahead. “Do you think we should trust them?”
“I see no evil in them.” Huu (2) said as he stepped forward. It strange to see him without his usual loin-cloths. “Come Cousin let us go!”
‘/So that is his name.’/ Iroh thought to himself. Bato seemed to trust the man, who called the man his cousin. Iroh didn’t know how they could be cousins, as they both don’t look anything alike. But not knowing everything about water tribe people, Iroh shook it off with a shrug.
Iroh grabbed Bato’s arm. “Let’s go.”
Bato nodded.
Iroh, Bato and Huu followed everyone out.
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Zhao stood impatiently on the ship. He was pissed that he was left behind. He knew the others would soon be coming back. He stood his ground, looking around himself, looking for the enemy that once was his own comrades.
Hotaru come up to him. Zhao glared at her, looking up and down at her curvy form. He sneered at the way she was dressed, a typical style for the female Sun Warriors, showing nothing from the opposite sex. It slightly pleasant him, but he would never admit it anyone.
“What do you want?” Zhao rudely asked her.
The young woman smiled at him. “Nothing. I just think you’re cute.”
This was not what Zhao thought she would say. Cute? No one, not even his own mother ever called him cute before. Handsome and cruel maybe, but never the word cute.
“I—what?”
Hotaru giggled. She then suddenly stopped and looked ahead. Zhao looked the same place where he saw her look at.
Many dark figures were seen ahead of the ship.
“The enemy?” Hotaru asked.
“No… it’s them. Open the port.”
Hotaru nodded. “Here they come!” she yelled to the others.
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Iroh and everyone else running fast as they could. Yells behind them tell them that the all the prison guards knew that they was spotted. “RUN! Quickly!”
Everyone followed Iroh’s orders as everyone climbed into the ship. “Zhao! Take us out!”
Bato froze at the name. “You! You’re supposed to be dead!”
Everyone around stopped, as Zhao and Bato came face to face with murderous eyes.
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/Boiling Rock Prison
Fire Nation/
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Azula knew that what happened behind her cooler door. She wanted out to be freed like the others. But she was too weak to call out. It has been hours since she felt the hot air, the sun itself.
The sounds now are silent. The only sounds that she heard were here feeble breathing. If not soon, she will die and she knew it.
Her door was suddenly snapped open, as the Warden and two guards was seen.
“She still lives.” The Warden said. “Take her.”
Azula felt herself been picked up and dragged from the cooler.
“Warm her up! The Fire Lord now wishes to seen his daughter.”
She could not keep herself awake. She fell into unconscious.
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/Fire Island Palace.
Fire Nation/
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Fire Lord Ozai glanced at his weak daughter, who was seen kneeling in front of him to at the foot of the stairs. Azula who was now again awake and slightly warmed. She was still wearing her prison uniform, and ice sickles covered both her body and hair. She was still shivering from the cold, as her firebending has not fully come back to heat herself up. Again she sneered herself of being so weak.
Ozai was impressed with her, but he didn’t show it. He was the Fire Lord, showing such emotion is a sign of weakness. The reasons he felt proud of her was that she didn’t escape from him like half of the prisoners from Boiling Rock, but willing come back to serve him. And also the fact that she survived her punishments that plagued her.
“I see you learned your lesson, daughter?” Ozai asked her.
“Yes father, I did.” Azula said lifting up her head to look at her father. Her father waved his hand. Azula slowly walked up the stared and sat next to her father. She shrived in happiness and the warmth the fire surrounds her. The Fire Lord sat his hand on top of her head and the only thing that was close to a hug.
“Where does your loyalty lay, my daughter?”
“You, milord.” Azula said, slightly smiling. Her father doesn’t hate her!
“And what is your mission in life?”
“Help you defeat the Avatar and crush the world that soon will bow to you, father. The Fire Nation will rise to its greatest.”
Ozai smiled at his daughter. His daughter is his at last.
(End of Chapter)
Words: 4,483
(1) Achilles: In English this male name is pronounced as É™-KIL-eel. From the Greek Αχιλλευς (Achilleus) /which is of unknown meaning, perhaps derived from Greek αχος /(achos) “pain” or else from the of the Achelous river. This was the name of a warrior in Greek legend, one of the central characters in Homer’s “lliad”. He was a one of the bravest of the Greek heroes in the war against the Trojans; he was eventually killed by an arrow to his heel, the only vulnerable part of his body.
(2) Huu: is a Waterbending master from the Foggy Swamp Tribe, whom are cousins to the Southern Water Tribe that migrated from their Southern home and found the Swamp. This information has been lost for thousands of years both tribes’ history, resulting in neither of the two knowing the other exists.
Huu is also the guardian of the swamp and is believed to be the wisest member of his tribe and is rumored to be the leader to his tribe. His two famous quotes are “Time is an illusion and so is death.” And “Pants are an illusion and so is death.”
Author’s Notes: I am SO sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I am having such havoc, stressful time in my life right now. I am getting married this middle of December, my soon-to-be husband is gone leaving me to deal with the stress of making plans of our wedding, don’t forget that I haven’t seen him for almost FOUR months because he joined the Air Force. AND to top it off, we are moving to Minot AFB, North Dakota! Come on, I know I would be leaving home
soon, you know getting out of the house, but I never thought I would be moving that far away. sighs
Don’t get me wrong. I am happy that he joined the Military, but he been gone far too long that I like to him be. I am so proud of him!
On a lighter note. THE POLL OF THIS STORY HAS ENDED. Adding everything from the votes on the poll itself, from my betas that voted and from those that gave me their vote either through email or on their reviews. Below is what everyone voted on. It ended up on a TIE! Can you believe it?
11 Voted: Hell no! We don't like sex. Only the people that are married can have sex. Aang, Sokka, Zuko etc are far too young to do it! Ew! Don't!
11 Voted: Yes! Write the sex scean(s), but DON'T go overboard with it.
So to make everyone happy, I will mix them together and it ends up with the poll answer that is: Yes! But only hint that "they" had sex, but don't write any details of it. Ew!
I hope that I made everyone happy. Thank you all for voting.
Please Read and Review!
--FireChildSlytherin5
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Summary: Set after episode, the Firebending Masters. It was dinner time after Zuko and Aang arrived back from the Sun Warriors’ community. Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Haru, the Duke & Teo, wait for the arrival of their newest member to come from his room. Everyone is still uneasy around the fire bender. Soon they have to leave the Air Temple. Ever wondered what the Fire Nation value the most? Find out. What other secrets would be discovered?
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Chapter Sixteen
-
/Boiling Rock Prison
Fire Nation/
-
Hakoda knew that something very soon is going to happen.
He didn’t know what made him think of it. Maybe it was because of the air around him seem to stand still or maybe it was feeling that he felt a short month ago before the Fire Nation took him away from everyone else and placed him at Boiling Rock. The feeling that he felt, was a feeling that he never felt before. It was as if his very soul was being burned alive. That only happened on the first time, but after while as time passed, the burning feeling turned into passion, like a feeling that he need to do something and do it or die trying.
He cough, as dark blood poured from his mouth onto his hand. He sighs, as he remembered what happened to him a couple days ago. He shifted is weight slowly off the wall that he was leaning on to, again winced in pain as he did so, as he tried not to move his back to much. He feared if he moved too much his deep wounds on his back would reopen, as it only been a few days since he was tortured for his “punishment”.
He closed his eyes, remembered how he was punished.
--Flash Back--
The prison guards strapped him to a four leather bonds; two hanging from the ceiling and two on the ground. As they finished, one of them slugged him at the jaw.
Hakoda refused to cry in pain, as blood dripped of where the guard’s ring cut his bottom lip.
They laughed. “Achilles/ (1) /will have fun with this one all right. He still got his spirit.” said one.
/
“He like the others won’t last very long.” said the other in agreement./
They both laughed again in glee, as they left the water tribesman dangling from the ceiling, leaving to him to his fate.
Hakoda took no time to waste as the dungeon door closed, as he tried to break the leather bonds off from his wrists and ankles. But there was no use, there was no escape.
“Now, now, don’t do that. Or you will break your little head of yours.” a voice from the dark said to him.
Hakoda froze at the cold voice. His eyes widen as the largest person that he ever seen walked towards him from the darkness. The large man seems to limp towards him. He had dark yellow eyes, burned scars covering his whole face, neck, arms and hands. He wore thin rags for clothes, similar to those that Hakoda and every other prisoner in the prison wore. In the man’s hands was a whip with nine tails with bits of sharp rocks imbedded in them. Fear gripped Hakoda’s heart, as the man pulled his shirt above his back.
“Now the fun part.” the man, Achilles said in amusement as the whip slash across Hakoda’s back. Shock filled Hakoda’s body, as the sharp rocks and whip cut through his back like a hot knife on butter. He felt his blood soaking down his to pants and onto the floor.
Whipping sound cried out once again as he suddenly felt another whip slashing though his body. Hakoda cried out in a hiss as another and another ripped onto his back.
“Yes, yes cry! Let it all out! Let me hear you sing!” bellowed Achilles in happiness, loving the cries and hisses from Hakoda. “Let me hear you cry to your mother!”
Hakoda didn’t know how long he hang there, as the large man ripped and gashed to his back with the whip. Within the hour of consent torture he blacked out.
--End of Flash Back--
Hakoda flinch at the memory of the whip hacked his back. In days such as this, he wished he was a waterbender, enough that he could heal his wounds with the water that they give him three times a day in his cell. At least his wounds would heal faster.
He leaned on a steel wall deep in Boiling Rock prison, watching the other prisoners mop the floor, lost in his thoughts. He scanned around the room, everyone there he seen before, expect for one.
There was lone figure far from everyone else as if avoiding them like a plague. It was young girl that looked very beat up. The whole left side of her face was bruised, her prison uniform was very torn and stain in dried blood. Hakoda then hoped it wasn’t hers.
He slowly walked towards her, getting a better look of her. As his approach he suddenly stopped. The girl had dark hair, very pale skin and golden eyes clearly stating that she is a firebender.
Hakoda felt very uneasy. But seeing that he is in a Fire Nation prison, then it wouldn’t be little far fetch that most of the prisoners around him here were Fire Nation. The young girl didn’t look over fourteen years old; around the same age his own daughter Katara was.
Seeing in this young girl’s state in being, being alone in this gods forsaken prison, he felt glad that his own children was far away from the Fire Nation (he hope) and relived that they escape from being in imprisoned such as he was.
What did this young girl did in the past that land her here in the first place? Was she deserter the military in the Fire Nation? No, she looked far too young to be involved in the war or so he hopes. Did she come from a traitorous family? Maybe she was a being that has a mother or father from the Fire Nation and another parent from a different Nation? Or was she on the wrong place on the wrong time?
“What do you want?” the young girl hissed at him, breaking his thoughts.
Hakoda was taken back of the way the young girl spoke to him. He knew that moment that this young girl wasn’t a type of girl to trifle with, guessing the way she glared at him. The girl’s look was murderous as if daring him to do something to give her the right to kill him.
“Are you are okay?” Hakoda dared to ask her. He felt foolish of asking the question after seeing the anguish look she given him.
The young girl suddenly stood up, hiding the fact as she did so she felt pain going through her weak body. “Go away.” she hissed, as she gripped the wall so she wouldn’t fall face down.
“Now that’s not a lady like.” Hakoda smiled at her, helping her stand up. This mad the girl more angry, as she pushed him away from him, with strength that he didn‘t know she had in her state.
“I’ll give you lady like!” yelled the young girl at that second, sparks of blue fire appeared from her finger tips and attacked him.
Instantly, Hakoda blocked her attack, as he dodges another fist full of flames. What is up with this girl? Why does she hate him so? What happened to her that made her so full of anger and sadness?
Just as fast and it started, the young girl was pulled away from him by the prison guards.
“No firebending allowed! Into the cooler!” one said, gripping tighter on the young girl’s bruised arms.
“Let me go! You will pay for this! When I get out of here, you will all pay! Death will befall on all of you and your family! Let me go! NOW!” yelled the young girl. The two guards ignored her, as they headed to the coolers.
Sadly, Hakoda watch the two guards and the young girl left the room. The prisoners and the shock prison guard stood motionless around. All of them were little taken back of what just took place just a moment ago. Shortly everyone went back on what they were doing as if nothing out of the norm happened.
/‘What just happened?’ /Hakoda thought. He shrugged it off, and went back to his cell. Maybe he will see her again. Just to see she was okay.
-
Azula kick, bite, slashed anything she could do to get the guards’ iron grip off from her arms, as the two guards led to her the coolers.
“Let me go!” she yelped. A guard appeared and opened the double doors as cold mist come out from the small circular room. The guards throw her into the cooler and quickly shut and locked the double doors.
Azula got up to the window and watched as the three guards left her to die. The room was so cold, biting onto her weak body. She slowly slide down onto the ice covered floor, cuddling into a ball. She hugged herself, putting up her legs close to herself.
“Father, please. Help me! I promise I would be good. I will never fail you again. Please daddy.” She cried to herself.
She knew she was weak, just like her brother. She was alone, no one could hear her so why not show some weakness for a change?
“Please, help me someone….” She prayed.
-
Night had fallen.
The prison guards who guard the Boiling Rock surround the prison felt uneasy, as the night darkened. They knew something wasn’t right.
Little did they know that they were right.
Beyond the walls of the prison, dark figurers slowly approached from the sea. The first group came first as they grouped each other in twos as the jumped off the cliff as they glide across the boiling lake at ease as if they were birds. They landed on the island without a sound, as they pulled out their bows and arrows.
They were not spotted.
Javor, the leader of the Tiger Tribe of the Yu Yan Archers, waved his hand above his head and nodded at a nearby Archer. The Archer nodded and did the same signal as the guy in the next group and so on did the same until everyone got the message.
The Yu Yan Archers surrounded the large building. Giving the signal that everyone else was ready, they all started to climb the wall, as build metal claws stabbed into the stone as each climbed up with ease.
As they got to the top, each of them shot an arrow at each guard, killing them. They waited and looked around. Javor singled again, as many of his men lowed ropes down the wall for the next group to climb up.
Below them on the other side of the prison, no guards notice the break in or notice the silence cries of surprise of their fallen comrades as they breathe their last breaths of life.
Javor come to the edge of the wall, flagged the group telling them that the coast was clear. He turned back to his Archers. Nodding each lowed themselves close to the ground, aiming their bows towards the unexpected guards below.
It was if they were one mind, as each arrow killed every single guard, not missing one out of step as each fell onto the ground without a sound. Half of the Archers went down and collected the fallen corpses and hiding them from view.
Haruki and the rest of the group got up from the wall by climbing with ropes, just as this was happening.
Quickly everyone split up into groups as they headed into the cells to free the people that they were after. The Archers stayed to guard their exits.
-
Hakoda was lying awake on his uncomfortable bed in his cell. He couldn’t sleep. That feeling was still there. Something right now is happening, and he doesn’t know what and it unnerve him to no end.
A sudden a thud sounded out in front of his cell door. Quickly he got up onto his feet, ready to attack anyone that come into his cell.
The door opened, and came into three masked men. The men were clearly not prison guards.
“Are you Hakoda of the Water tribe?” one asked him, as he stepped forward from the group, his hand tightly around his sword, ready to attack him if necessary.
“Depends who’s asking.” Hakoda heard himself say.
“You must come with us, sir. We are getting you out of here. We need to do this quickly. They are coming.” Said the man on his right. The man turned to the others and nodded at them. The two men left Hakoda and the man. “Come with me sir. We don’t have much time.”
Of all the things Hakoda thought that these men would do and say, it wasn’t that.
Silently nodding, Hakoda followed them out, passing a fallen guard in his wake.
-
The Yu Yan Archers above shoot ever prison guard that dared to come out and sound the alarm each fell to their fates. Archers from below took their corpses so those that see them would not escape from their sight. The window of escape is closing fast. Javor and his men fear that they would be force to leave the others and leave. Would that be the fate of the others and the prisoners that they are trying to save?
“/When are they not coming?”/ one of the Archers hand signaled to Javor. “They should’ve been out by now.”
Javor didn’t reply. He knew that the man was right.
-
Haruki stood in the hallway, his spear in his hands looking around himself. Three bodies of the guards’ lye dead near his feet.
The plan was going smoothly. Too smoothly to his liking. So far he met only three guards since he came to the prison. Where are the others? Why are there too few of them to guard the prison?
“Chief, we are ready to head out.” Ham Ghao said to him as he approached his chief.
“Good.” Haruki said, not looking at him.
“Is something wrong?” Ham Ghao asked him.
“I feel something is wrong. Very wrong. This is too easy. The Boiling Rock is supposed to be the hardest prison to escape from… Where is the alarm of us being here? Where are the rest of the guards?”
Ham Ghao silently agreed but didn’t reply.
Haruki turned to face him. “Come, Ham Ghao! Let us not be left behind. It is time!”
The two ran down the dark halls without looking back.
-
The Yu Yan Archers saw their men coming out, with many of the prisoners behind.
They had done it.
Javor smiled. He stood up and singled the others. They are heading to the ship.
-
Hakoda followed the unknown man that broke him out from his cell. Beside him others that he few seen in the prison was following. Was this is really a break in? Why was he a part of it?
They come to the edge of the wall. One thought came to mind ‘Do they really think that he can fly?’
Someone grabbed him from behind.
“Hey!” Hakoda yelped but his breath was cut short, as the person wrapped his arms around him and jumped.
He didn’t have time to yell, scream, but held on tight of the person holding him up as he and the ma glided across the boiling lake and onto the other side. Fatedly through the darkness he saw a
big ship. Not wanting to be left behind or stand there looking like an idiot. He headed towards the ship.
-
“Here they come!” Shui called out. Everyone who was stayed at the ship smiled. They are finally got out from the cursed waters.
“Open the port!” called out someone.
Quickly the port was lowed as the freed prisoners and their men climbed into the ship. At last the last man and woman come onboard.
“LET GO!” yelled someone. Instantly the waterbenders started to row the ship out.
They had done it; they escaped.
Hakoda smiled; as he slowly sat down to take a breath.
He was finally free.
-
/Firing Lava Prison
Fire Nation/
-
Everyone slowly approached the Firing Lava Prison. The prison itself was quiet smaller then the Boiling Rock, with walls as thick as Ba Sing Se’s own walls, sitting on a lone island surrounded by burning hot lava. Poisonous fumes as deathly as a poison snake loom over the prison. The smell in the air was thick as death itself. The sight itself was frightening.
“Iroh, you didn’t say this place would look like a grave site!” said one.
Iroh smiled. “It doesn’t” He told the man. He nodded at the closest firebender. Eighteen other firebenders walked up to the edge of the lava, raising their arms. Together, they bended a bridge.
The other Nation citizens looked at them in amazement.
“Let go.” Iroh said.
-
Quietly everyone broke through the gates. With the aid of the Yu Yan Archers the prison guards was easily killed. Quickly, those closest to the corpses took off their masks. Iroh nodded at himself as he braced himself as he ran through the main gates, as two guards came running towards them, he ducked as a burst of fire missed him in mere inches from his face, as he grabbed the guard and snapped his neck. The other guard was quickly killed by an earthbender beside him.
Iroh and three others went on the right freeing cells as they went.
“Iroh I will get those. You do those over there!” yelled one.
Iroh nodded as he departs from the group headed towards the darkness.
-
Iroh opened the last cell. A sudden fist came into his eye vision. Iroh ducked, twisted his body around and grabbed the person into the wall.
“You fucking guards have a nerve to attack me!” bellowed the man.
Iroh blinked and let go of the man. The man gasp as he brought himself from the ground. He looked up and also blinked.
“You’re not a guard.” He said.
Iroh smiled. “No I am not. Come, we’re getting you and the rest out of here.”
“What?”
Iroh rolled his eyes. Water tribesmen, they are all alike.
Iroh then gave him a breathing mask. The water tribesman grinned and followed him out.
-
Iroh and the water tribesman gathered with the others. “Iroh! We must go now!” Ivor said running towards him.
The water tribesman beside Iroh eyes widen. “Mother of the Moon, a Yu Yan Archer.” He breathed out. What is an Fire Nation Archer doing here, helping the man who freed him from the cell?
“Bato!” cried a man. Iroh looked ahead. “Do you think we should trust them?”
“I see no evil in them.” Huu (2) said as he stepped forward. It strange to see him without his usual loin-cloths. “Come Cousin let us go!”
‘/So that is his name.’/ Iroh thought to himself. Bato seemed to trust the man, who called the man his cousin. Iroh didn’t know how they could be cousins, as they both don’t look anything alike. But not knowing everything about water tribe people, Iroh shook it off with a shrug.
Iroh grabbed Bato’s arm. “Let’s go.”
Bato nodded.
Iroh, Bato and Huu followed everyone out.
-
Zhao stood impatiently on the ship. He was pissed that he was left behind. He knew the others would soon be coming back. He stood his ground, looking around himself, looking for the enemy that once was his own comrades.
Hotaru come up to him. Zhao glared at her, looking up and down at her curvy form. He sneered at the way she was dressed, a typical style for the female Sun Warriors, showing nothing from the opposite sex. It slightly pleasant him, but he would never admit it anyone.
“What do you want?” Zhao rudely asked her.
The young woman smiled at him. “Nothing. I just think you’re cute.”
This was not what Zhao thought she would say. Cute? No one, not even his own mother ever called him cute before. Handsome and cruel maybe, but never the word cute.
“I—what?”
Hotaru giggled. She then suddenly stopped and looked ahead. Zhao looked the same place where he saw her look at.
Many dark figures were seen ahead of the ship.
“The enemy?” Hotaru asked.
“No… it’s them. Open the port.”
Hotaru nodded. “Here they come!” she yelled to the others.
-
Iroh and everyone else running fast as they could. Yells behind them tell them that the all the prison guards knew that they was spotted. “RUN! Quickly!”
Everyone followed Iroh’s orders as everyone climbed into the ship. “Zhao! Take us out!”
Bato froze at the name. “You! You’re supposed to be dead!”
Everyone around stopped, as Zhao and Bato came face to face with murderous eyes.
-
/Boiling Rock Prison
Fire Nation/
-
Azula knew that what happened behind her cooler door. She wanted out to be freed like the others. But she was too weak to call out. It has been hours since she felt the hot air, the sun itself.
The sounds now are silent. The only sounds that she heard were here feeble breathing. If not soon, she will die and she knew it.
Her door was suddenly snapped open, as the Warden and two guards was seen.
“She still lives.” The Warden said. “Take her.”
Azula felt herself been picked up and dragged from the cooler.
“Warm her up! The Fire Lord now wishes to seen his daughter.”
She could not keep herself awake. She fell into unconscious.
-
/Fire Island Palace.
Fire Nation/
-
Fire Lord Ozai glanced at his weak daughter, who was seen kneeling in front of him to at the foot of the stairs. Azula who was now again awake and slightly warmed. She was still wearing her prison uniform, and ice sickles covered both her body and hair. She was still shivering from the cold, as her firebending has not fully come back to heat herself up. Again she sneered herself of being so weak.
Ozai was impressed with her, but he didn’t show it. He was the Fire Lord, showing such emotion is a sign of weakness. The reasons he felt proud of her was that she didn’t escape from him like half of the prisoners from Boiling Rock, but willing come back to serve him. And also the fact that she survived her punishments that plagued her.
“I see you learned your lesson, daughter?” Ozai asked her.
“Yes father, I did.” Azula said lifting up her head to look at her father. Her father waved his hand. Azula slowly walked up the stared and sat next to her father. She shrived in happiness and the warmth the fire surrounds her. The Fire Lord sat his hand on top of her head and the only thing that was close to a hug.
“Where does your loyalty lay, my daughter?”
“You, milord.” Azula said, slightly smiling. Her father doesn’t hate her!
“And what is your mission in life?”
“Help you defeat the Avatar and crush the world that soon will bow to you, father. The Fire Nation will rise to its greatest.”
Ozai smiled at his daughter. His daughter is his at last.
(End of Chapter)
Words: 4,483
(1) Achilles: In English this male name is pronounced as É™-KIL-eel. From the Greek Αχιλλευς (Achilleus) /which is of unknown meaning, perhaps derived from Greek αχος /(achos) “pain” or else from the of the Achelous river. This was the name of a warrior in Greek legend, one of the central characters in Homer’s “lliad”. He was a one of the bravest of the Greek heroes in the war against the Trojans; he was eventually killed by an arrow to his heel, the only vulnerable part of his body.
(2) Huu: is a Waterbending master from the Foggy Swamp Tribe, whom are cousins to the Southern Water Tribe that migrated from their Southern home and found the Swamp. This information has been lost for thousands of years both tribes’ history, resulting in neither of the two knowing the other exists.
Huu is also the guardian of the swamp and is believed to be the wisest member of his tribe and is rumored to be the leader to his tribe. His two famous quotes are “Time is an illusion and so is death.” And “Pants are an illusion and so is death.”
Author’s Notes: I am SO sorry for the long wait for this chapter! I am having such havoc, stressful time in my life right now. I am getting married this middle of December, my soon-to-be husband is gone leaving me to deal with the stress of making plans of our wedding, don’t forget that I haven’t seen him for almost FOUR months because he joined the Air Force. AND to top it off, we are moving to Minot AFB, North Dakota! Come on, I know I would be leaving home
soon, you know getting out of the house, but I never thought I would be moving that far away. sighs
Don’t get me wrong. I am happy that he joined the Military, but he been gone far too long that I like to him be. I am so proud of him!
On a lighter note. THE POLL OF THIS STORY HAS ENDED. Adding everything from the votes on the poll itself, from my betas that voted and from those that gave me their vote either through email or on their reviews. Below is what everyone voted on. It ended up on a TIE! Can you believe it?
11 Voted: Hell no! We don't like sex. Only the people that are married can have sex. Aang, Sokka, Zuko etc are far too young to do it! Ew! Don't!
11 Voted: Yes! Write the sex scean(s), but DON'T go overboard with it.
So to make everyone happy, I will mix them together and it ends up with the poll answer that is: Yes! But only hint that "they" had sex, but don't write any details of it. Ew!
I hope that I made everyone happy. Thank you all for voting.
Please Read and Review!
--FireChildSlytherin5
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