The Traitor Princess

Chapter 62 - The Boiling Rock, Part Two

Eziri, Zuko, and Sokka watched as the new prisoners were all ushered into a line. Sokka's eyes were glued to his father, a nervous energy buzzing through him. Before anyone could stop the youngest teen, he hurried up the stairs, shoving past other prison guards and shouting half-assed apologies as he went.

The fire-bending siblings shared an anxious look before following their companion.

"Wait!" Eziri whispered. She grabbed Zuko's wrist to stop his movements. "You need to join the other prisoners. We can't draw attention." Zuko paused for a moment, shifting his eyes between his sister and Sokka's retreating figure. He reluctantly nodded and did as Eziri said.

Eziri unintentionally kept her eyes worriedly on Zuko for a moment before she took off after her boyfriend. Her steps were slow as she tried not to draw as much attention to herself as Sokka had. Eziri winced when she saw the Warden harassing Hakota. The Warden abruptly shoved Hakota to the ground. She snapped her eyes to Sokka and wasn't surprised to see him on the balls of his feet, struggling to remain in place. She quietly joined the back row of guards and harshly bit her lip when she saw Hakota trip the Waarden with his shackles. She had to look away to contain her laughter.

A couple guards rushed to the Warden's aid while the rest remained in formation. The man angrily got to his feet and shouted his next order.

"Get these prisoners out of my sight." A few guards did exactly as ordered and started to lead the new prisoners away from the gondola and towards the cells. Sokka and Eziri made subtle eye contact and Eziri tilted her head to the side, an indication for Sokka to follow. She casually left the top platform and started down the stairs, hearing soft footsteps behind her.

Sokka eventually caught up and the pair walked side-by-side until they found an empty corridor further inside the prison.

Sokka glanced around them, ensuring they were alone, before he tilted up the face-covering on his helmet. "I need to talk to my Dad."

Eziri nodded, connecting her right hand with Sokka's left and gently squeezing. "I know. We'll have to wait until he's assigned a cell and we can stop by in between guard rounds. I'll keep watch while you talk to him."

Sokka sighed in relief. "I can't believe he's actually here."

"I know." She gave him a soft smile. "We're going to get him out of here. Him and the others."

Sokka shifted nervously. "How? Our only plan went out the window as soon as they spotted Chit Sang." The escape plan using the cooler was brilliant and he didn't know how they'd manage to top it.

"You're the idea guy." She teased. "I'm sure you'll come up with something." Eziri brought their joined hands up to her lips and pressed two quick kisses to Sokka's knuckles. She then let go of his hand and pulled the face-covering back down on his helmet. "Come on, we shouldn't linger too long. Can't risk one of us getting caught like Zuko." He nodded and followed her down the hall, smiling softly at the back of her helmet.

____

Later that day, Eziri and Sokka made their way to Hakota's cell. Eziri stood watch outside while Sokka snuck into the cell. The Watertribesman were speaking softly enough that Eziri couldn't overhear their conversation. She could just hear the faint hum of their voices as she kept vigilantly glancing around the cell block. She couldn't help but smile fondly when she heard the faint rumble of Hakota's laugh followed by her boyfriend's giggle.

Eziri had no idea how they were all going to get off the island safely, but she was glad they found Hakota and the others. It gave the teens the burst of hope they all needed to keep going. She couldn't wait to see the look on Katara's face when they returned with Hakota.