The Traitor Princess

Chapter 57 - The Day of Black Sun, Part One

It was nearly impossible for Eziri to keep track of time. She was transferred from the prison tower to an empty cell in some sort of underground bunker.

Her time in the tower was nothing short of horrific. The guards were instructed to get as much information out of the young princess as they possibly could. Unfortunately for them, Eziri was one of the most stubborn teenagers alive. She did, in fact, have a wealth of useful information regarding the invasion. Especially since her boyfriend was responsible for most of the planning. However, Eziri didn't give the guards a single true piece of information. She lied through her teeth and gave as much false intel as she could without making herself seem suspicious.

Eventually, the guards had deemed her lies to be useful enough and left her alone to rot. She could only hope that all the false information would help her friends take Crescent City. If she were to be killed, then she could at least do everything to help Aang until her last dying breath.

Eziri was almost certain that she would be killed when the guards moved her, but the cell in the bunker was just as cruel as their interrogation methods. She wasn't sure how long she'd been there but she estimated it had been at least four days, judging by the strength of her hunger and the dryness in her throat.

Unlike her tower cell, it was completely silent. The thick, metal walls didn't allow any extraneous noises to reach her. She was essentially trapped in a cold, dark box.

The first few hours had been the worst. She struggled to keep her anxiety under control as she was plunged into pure darkness. She sobbed and screamed out her panic but it only made her feel worse. Eventually, her body had no strength left to give and she curled up with her back against one of the walls.

The longer she remained huddled in the pitch black, the more she believed she was losing her mind. The rational part of her brain knew that she was utterly alone, but that didn't stop her from seeing glimpses of figures moving around her or hearing disembodied whispers. Living in pure darkness can do funny things to the brain. She tried to remind herself that it was just the isolation–her mind was playing tricks on her. But without any hope of escape, Eziri didn't know how long she could cling to her sanity.

Thankfully, the click of a lock wasn't a mere figment of her imagination. The large, metal door creaked open and Eziri quickly sat up, shielding her eyes from the painfully bright light of a torch. She squinted and blinked a few times to try and clear her vision. Once she was finally able to see, she was utterly dumbfounded at the face before her.

"Get up. We don't have much time." Her savior glanced down the hallway and hurried to her side. "Can you walk?" Eziri stumbled to her feet and hesitantly nodded. "Good. Be quiet. We only have a small window of opportunity until someone notices you're gone."

Eziri had a million questions swimming in her mind but she could only follow along and focus her attention on staying upright. Of all the rescue scenarios Eziri imagined, this person was never there. Sure, she had hoped that her friends would come save her, despite her instructions to Aang. She imagined Toph would smash the small metal room into bits and Sokka would scold her for being so stupid and staying behind. Aang would smother her in a hug and get snot all over her dirty prison robes while they held each other. She even imagined a teary reunion with Katara—one filled with apologies and pure relief. But it was not Team Avatar who came to her rescue.

"They've set your execution for today. Apparently the Fire Lord wanted it done while most of the city was distracted by the aftermath of the invasion. The invasion force has already fled back towards the beaches. I expect the guards will be looking for you soon."

Eziri froze at the new information. "M-my execution?" She croaked.

"There's no time." Eziri's hand was tugged forward and she numbly continued her steps down the hall. Her body was weak and she wasn't sure how long it had been since her last meal. Not to mention the fact that one of her biggest fears had come true; she was set to be executed. "Look, I know this is a lot to process but you need to keep it together."