Prisoner of War

Lake Laogai

Rhea stood on the shore beside the others. It didn't look like much, but Toph confirmed that there was something beneath the lake. She used her earthbending to raise a short path that ended with a trap door of sorts. She moved it aside and turned to Sokka. "Ladies first."

Sokka blanched. "I resent that."

"I'll go." Jet volunteered. "I've been here before."

Aang nodded and Jet led the way down into the darkness below.
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They crept through the stone hallways, praying they didn't run into any Di Li.

Rhea was glad Azara hadn't wanted to tag along. She would've made sneaking around a lot harder.

They passed a room full of young women with dark hair.

"I'm Judee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se." The chorus of voices made Rhea's skin crawl. What kind of sick conspiracy was this? 

Jet's hushed voice drew her back to the mission at hand. "There should be a chamber big enough to Appa just ahead."

Rhea sighed in relief. Good. She didn't want to be down here a second more than necessary. Ba Sing Se had changed a lot since she'd lived there. It wasn't the same city anymore, not in the ways that really mattered. Any remnant of her home, the war, her loss had been covered up by a power-hungry politician.

She held her breath as Aang opened the door.

Their group dashed into the room to fight off any opposition... but the room was empty.

Appa was gone.
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Rhea wandered the tunnels alone. She figured Aang could use some space so she'd offered to keep searching. Katara had tried to accompany her, but Rhea insisted that she stay with Aang. She was special to him.

The curved tunnels reduced the number of hiding places so Rhea could see everything, but she also couldn't conceal herself. Again, she was thankful Azara hadn't come.

A door creaked up ahead.

With nowhere else to go, Rhea pressed herself flat against the wall and stared expectantly down the tunnel.

Two figures exited a room - one wearing green robes with a white beard, the other a young man with black hair and... a scar on the left side of his face. Zuko and Iroh.

Rhea teared up and almost fell away from the wall. They were here. Not just in the city... HERE, beneath the lake. There was only one reason for him to be down there.

Rhea leaned her head against the cold bricks. "Oh, Zuko, what did you do?" She followed them at a distance as they made their way back to the surface. She wasn't sure why she did it. She wasn't going to talk to them, they wouldn't want to see her, but... she wanted to be sure they made it out.

She crouched at the entrance as they stood on the outcropping of rock and talked.

"I am proud of you, Zuko." Iroh's kindly familiar voice was music to Rhea's ears. It made her want to jump out of hiding and throw her arms around him... but she couldn't do that. He probably hated her. She could take a lot of things, but she couldn't face that.

She heard one of them drop something in the water then their footsteps receded towards the shore.

She sat there for a solid five minutes, her mind reeling. They were in the city. What now? Part of her wanted to drop everything and find them, but another part warned her against it. It would only lead to more heartbreak and more pain. She'd betrayed Iroh. Instead of being a light in the Fire Nation, she'd let the darkness take her. She'd lost herself in it. She sank deeper into the entrance of the lake. She couldn't face him, not yet at least.

She descended back into the lake. She had other people who needed her right now.
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Rhea rushed into the room right as a spike of rock burst from the ground and threw Jet backwards. She skidded to a stop as he lay there. Her gaze shifted to a man in royal-looking robes with black hair and beard and slim menacing eyes.

Anger bubbled up in her chest like she'd swallowed lava. The war wasn't about fighting the Fire Nation. They, as a people, were not the enemy. The true enemy was people like this man, like Ozai, like Zhao. That's who they were fighting, power-hungry tyrants who just couldn't get enough.

Rhea dashed forward with no plan, no idea how she would beat him, but knowing she had to. She slid across the stone floor, kicking his legs out from under him.

He collapsed in shock and finally noticed Rhea's presence.

She was already on her feet, sword drawn, waiting for him to make a move.

He glared up at her, his eyes flashing with hate. Instead of fighting, he rose to his feet and retreated down on of the branching tunnels.

Before Rhea could follow, a wall of rock blocked her path, sealing the passage. She sighed and turned back to where the others all knelt near Jet's crumpled body.

Rhea stood on the outskirts of the group. She knew she didn't belong. She didn't even know Jet, but she could sympathize with the others. She'd lost people close to her before. She knew how it felt.

The two Freedom Fighters that had joined them urged Aang and the others to leave.

"Go." Jet agreed, his breaths haggard and his voice strained. "I'll be okay."

Katara, Sokka, Aang, Toph, and Rhea walked towards one of the tunnels to find a way out.

Toph walked next to Katara. "He's lying."

Rhea paused and took one last look at the trio they were leaving behind. Hanging her head, she turned and followed the others away.

A/N
Yay! Only a week this time!!!
Again, I'm not sure how quickly I'll get the next chapter out, but I will try to do it soon.
Hope you enjoyed. 😁
-Cheshire