Avatar; The Royal Firebender.

Imprisoned.

"My mother said you can stay in here for the evening, we only have two rooms in the house." Haru says, leading the three benders and Sokka towards a small barn near the main house. "Lee, Katara? Can you bring the others up to speed on what we're going to do?"

"Yeah, we'll let them know, and we'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay." Katara responds queuing the flying bison to look over at her and Haru with a mouthful of hay. He stares at them for another moment before continuing to munch on it. Hair brings in some blankets and a small cooking stove for a fire to be safely burned under before returning inside for the evening.

"So what's this plan you and your new bending teacher came up with, Zuko? Are you replacing Aang or something?" Zuko just ignores this comment from Sokka, opting to instead focus on lighting the fire so they can prepare their dinner and maybe some tea as well.

"We're going to free the earthbenders that the firenation has taken prisoner and are using as slaves to build their ships. Zuko said that the ploom of smoke off the coast is where they're being held. It's a firenation shipyard. Our plan is to rally the earthbenders, get the coal fueling the furnaces and use it to help them escape the prison." Aang and Sokka sit silently for a moment thinking about what she said.

"And who came up with this plan exactly? It definitely wasn't prince hotfoot over here." Zuko groans at Sokka's pestering before placing a pot above the fire on the cooking stand.

"For your information Sokka, it was Zuko's idea." Katara proclaims a matter of factly causing Sokka's mouth to drop to the floor upon hearing that statement from his sister. He stammers out a bewildered response pointing at Zuko, trying to form any sort of coherent form of speech.

"Yes, I came up with the plan, but I don't want them recognizing me. If that happens, then I'll be branded a traitor to my home and I'll never be able to return." Zuko responds, stirring the pot with a stick that he had carved. "Not all firebenders are evil. My mother was a very gifted firebender and a kind woman."

"What about commander mutton chops who attacked us at Kyoshi Island?" Sokka questions.

"Commander Zhao is a narcissist and an idiot, he probably thinks that Aang is the avatar, like I did."

"Speaking of that, why did you think he was the avatar?"

"It's because the fire sages believe that if my sister wasn't the fire avatar, it would be an airbender. I'm sure now that they lied to me about that. Zhao on the other hand, he does as he pleases, he's only under the generals and admirals in rank. He probably thinks capturing the Avatar would put him either in the fire lord's personal advisor board or even get my father to name him his successor. It's all about the glory for him." The banished prince responds, sitting back on the dirt floor of the barn and draping an arm over his eyes.

"Do you really think they'll let you come home when you master all four elements?"

"I hope so, but a part of me is afraid that once they learn what I am, they'll try to kill me since I'd be a threat." Zuko warms up his hands with a small puff of fire from his mouth, keeping his extremities warm as he slowly lets exhaustion take over.

Katara watches the teen Avatar as she drapes a blanket over her body. "Well, for what it's worth, we'll always be here if everything doesn't work out at home." She says, unfurling his brown hair and letting it fall behind her. "And if they attack, we'll be right there with you."

"Thank you, Katara." With one last smile, Zuko and the rest of the Gaang fall asleep, hopeful for the prison break they were about to do.

Zuko turns over onto his scarred side, sleeping with his other ear out in the open so that he can hear better. The scarring did a number on his vision in his left eye and made his hearing in his left ear diminish noticeably. When around those he trusted, like his uncle and new friends, he slept on the side without the scar. It's this that is the one thing that alerts him to the rhythmic stomping of boots in the night. His eyes snap open when he hears the marching and he springs up from his spot on the hay. He climbs over the sleeping form of Appa up towards a window at the top of the barn looking for the incoming soldiers. Almost 2 dozen of them were being led by the captain from earlier in the day and the elderly man that he had helped Haru rescue from the mine collapse. He sees them knock on the door to Haru's home, he watches on in utter silence and disbelief as the old man points out Haru and the soldiers grab him. Part of him however was relieved to see they shackled him and didn't kill him right then and there.