18. Chapter 17 (1/2)

disclaimer: i don't own atla or joj

when adults wage war, children perish

~ elie wiesel

aang felt numb and weak as he groggily opened his eyes and adjusted to his surroundings. the room he was in was quite dark except for the two torches lit on both sides of him, sitting on a column. he tried to move but realized his wrists and legs were bound up in chains, he tried to struggle out but the more he tried the tighter they became.

"so, this is the last airbender."

aang looked up and realized it was the commander from school. zhao, however, ignored the airbender shocked expression and kept talking with his hands behind his back as he stalked around the airbender.

i don't know how you've managed to elude the fire nation for a hundred years, but your little game of hide and seek is over."

"i've never hidden from you! untie me and i'll fight you right now!"

he definitely didn't like this zhao and his wrists were itching to wipe that smug of the commander's face.

"um.. no."

zhao slowly made his way in front of the airbender forcing the boy to look at him in the eye.

"tell me; how does it feel to be the only airbender left?"

the commander's warm

eath snaked its way into the airbender neck and aang slowly looked away.

"do you miss your people?"

zhao knew he had hit the airbender where it hurt as the child stopped thrashing and his face softened.

"don't worry you won't be killed like they were, see if you die i can't use you to put a real firelord onto the throne. you see, why use a boy like that prince when there is a man to rule this great nation?".

he backed away, turning to make his way to the door.

"so.., i'll keep you alive, but just barely."

the commander chuckled in delight as he began to leave the room, aang furious took a deep

eath and blew a gale force of wind at zhao making him fall against the door.

"ugh" zhao quickly regained his composure adjusting his armor.

"blow all the wind you want, but your situation is futile. there is no escaping, and no one is coming to rescue you."

aang slouched back in chains as the commander exited the room slamming the door.

azula may have surpassed zuko in answering quizzes laid out by their father when they ate. but, the prince knew for a fact that only black-tailed messenger hawks were delivered to the fire lords at a time of urgency.

he had seen the bird fly into the earth kingdom palace to his father. as soon as it came zuko found himself and his family back in the carriage they had taken into ba sing se, taking them out. he had tried asking his mother what was happening, but she didn't respond urging him to quickly get into the carriage. his father, on the other hand, carried a deadly smirk with a spark of victory in his eyes. azula sitting beside her father and opposite zuko didn't speak through the whole ride with her arms folded, she glared at the civilians on the streets who fearfully bowed as they rode through.

zuko decided to keep quiet and do the same observing as no one wanted to look him in the eye or his carriage. soon a foul smell of smoke filled the air and ursa being the only non-firebender

oke into fits of coughs. she pulled out a fan from her sleeves fanning away the stench as her eyes began to water, zuko looked at his mother beside him with concern and tried to pat her back. ozai watched his wife sitting opposite from him in amusement and silently closed the blinds on their side decreasing the fumes.

zuko proceeded to do the same until he noticed the cause of the fire. the crowd trying to put it out immediately fell to their knees at the sight of his family. the prince's eyes caught blue ones as they emerged out of the burning building. he took another look and noticed it was a boy with a similar looking girl unconscious in his arms both covered in soot. zuko recognized her in an instant scrambling closer to take a better look, the blue-eyed boy was pushed down roughly to his knees by an old soldier forcing him to bow.

"i don't want to be a princess. i just want to be me!"

the blue-eyed boy held her close making sure she didn't fall, his knees on the dirt and maintaining eye contact with the prince. two other young boys one

own eyed with rough spiky hair and another in clothed in green and a small topknot knelt beside him glaring even more dangerously at zuko.

she really was a peasant. he thought in annoyance, the loss of his knife making him angry.

the prince quietly looked away and noticed azula smirking for the first time throughout the day.

"close the blinds azula, mom doesn't feel well."

the princess's smirk dropped as soon as it came and she folded her arms back to its original position ignoring him. zuko inwardly sighed proceeding to close the last image he saw of the children, the building, the fire, and his peasant princess.

~1 week later ~

"kill him"

that is what ozai had told her as soon as the fatherless prince left the room. upon their entry back to the fire nation palace, luten had greeted them with solemn expression avoiding their gazes. ursa wasn't surprised as she watched her husband, feign the perfect innocence apologizing to the prince by proceeding to bow in humility, lamenting of how he was unworthy for the prince's birthright and

other's legacy.

the princess was unsure of which puppet her husband used while overseas to make the prince give up so easily. she had only heard of his abdication as soon as they had returned to the fire nation and her chest squeezed with guilt as soon as they were greeted back to the fire nation palace by luten. his eyes had lost it usual spark and ursa had hugged the prince as he quietly sobbed in her arms trying to hold back tears of her own.

their coronation was soon and their life was about to change. she wasn't ready.

"i won't kill him"

ozai cocked his eye

ow knowingly wondering what excuse she would provide. she was no longer of use to him and could sense the guilt, betrayal, and loyalty she still had for his deceased

other. this made him furious and wanted to snuff it out.

"ozai, a

other who just took his nephew's throne and his nephew turning up dead will raise suspicions. instead, banish him or cut off all the ties to the palace."

the soon to be firelord stroked his chin pretending to fully comprehend what she had said. she wasn't wrong, but she was a liability.