Chapter Text

Every jolt of the gondola made Zuko’s breath hitch. He told himself the heat reaching across his chest was from the boiling water beneath them.

“Standby for docking,” a guard said.

“Prisoners! On your feet!” another guard ordered.

Grumbling prisoners rose around Zuko. The traitorous prince closed his eyes and leaned heavily on the side of the car as he levered himself upward. The gondola slowed to a shuddering halt.

“Alright! Let’s go! Everyone off!”

The mass of people pushed toward the exit, sweeping Zuko along with them. He bumped into more than a few shoulders and backs, but no one seemed to pay much attention. They formed into a loose line, Zuko trying to inconspicuously blend in. A drop of sweat ran down his temple.

The warden was talking. Zuko forced himself to pay attention as the older man reviewed the rules of the prison and the standard threats. The teen kept his head bowed, hair hanging in his face and gaze on the ground.

“No firebending will be tolerated,” the warden said. “Anyone found firebending will immediately be sequestered to the coolers. Please, test that theory if you choose.” His lips twisted cruelly as he surveyed his new prisoners. “Now, away with you.” He waved his hand dismissively and the guards began to herd the prisoners toward the building.

Zuko didn’t notice the warden step in front of him. The older man stuck an arm out, his hand contacting Zuko’s bandaged chest. The teen barely stayed upright as he staggered back.

“Prince Zuko.” The man’s eyes narrowed above his smile. “I trust you won’t do anything rash during your stay. I’m sure it would be quite bad for you if others found out your identity. Even prisoners have national pride.” He sneered and stepped away.

Zuko caught up with the other new prisoners. By some sort of dumb luck, he ended up as the odd one out, earning him a cell without a roommate for at least the time being. He lowered himself to the bed with a groan. His breaths were shallow in an attempt to keep his chest still.

Someone was watching him. He was sure of it. He kept his head down as he mopped the floor and his eyes flicked from side to side in an attempt to deduce who the culprit was. He paused to catch his breath and took a better look around the area. A large man mopped another part of the hall and blocked most of his view, but he didn’t seem to be the one watching.

“It’s not breaktime,” a guard warned, spurring Zuko to keep working.

The prickling feeling didn’t diminish. Slowly, Zuko moved farther and farther from the main group until he was cleaning a room by himself. He kept his back to the door, giving whoever it was ample opportunity to follow him without feeling like it was a trap. Better to set my own terms of engagement.

The sound of the door shutting made Zuko’s shoulders tense and he froze with the mop in the bucket. “What do you want?” he demanded without turning.

Instead of an angry rasp of a man, the quiet voice of a teenage girl reached him. “It is you? Isn’t it?”

He slowly turned his head to look at her with his good eye. Part of her chin length hair was pulled back in a small ponytail and her blue eyes pierced the dim room. “What do you want?”

She cocked her head. “You don’t remember me, do you?” She didn’t wait for his response before continuing. “You came to my island and burned my village to the ground.”

Zuko turned away and tightened his hold on the mop. “Sorry, you’ll have to be more specific.”

She huffed a laugh. “I can’t say I’m surprised. You seemed like the indiscriminate type back then.”

“Are you here to get revenge?” He turned to fully face her, brandishing the mop. “Let’s get it over with.”

Her eyes narrowed and she dashed toward him, moving faster than he expected as she vaulted over the furniture between them. She threw quick punches that Zuko blocked with his makeshift weapon. She’s holding back , he thought vaguely as he stumbled back until he hit the wall. The girl yanked the mop upwards and pressed it against his neck. Zuko kept his hold on the mop and pushed back to keep it from choking him.

“Funny, last time you put up a better fight,” she smirked.

The brief spar had sapped Zuko’s strength and he could only gasp with narrowed eyes.

His lack of response made the girl’s brow furrow and her eyes swept over him in a quick examination. Her gaze landed on the edge of his burn that peaked above his shirt and bandage. “You’re hurt.” She immediately stepped back, releasing her hold on the mop; it clattered to the ground as it slipped from Zuko’s lax grip. He began to slide down the wall and she caught his elbow to assist him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize-- I was just messing around. I would never have--” she stopped her rambling abruptly and seemed to restart her thoughts. “My name’s Suki. I’m from Kyoshi Island.”

Zuko’s forehead furrowed in confusion at the sudden change in direction. “Oh. Uh, hi?”

She flashed a brief smile. “I’m friends with Sokka. And everyone else. I ran into them on their way to Ba Sing Se.” She was sitting back on the balls of her feet so she was level with Zuko. She brushed a stray bit of hair behind her ear. “They were looking for you. They came to the crossing instead of just flying over on Appa and told me to keep an eye out for you. Of course, I didn’t expect to meet you here of all places.”

“They were looking for me?” Zuko asked, almost too quietly.

Suki’s lips compressed into a sad smile. “Of course they were. From what they said, you’ve turned out to be a pretty good guy”

He gave a halting laugh and winced as he adjusted against the wall.

Suki’s hands reached forward and hovered over his shirt. “Let me take a look. I know a bit about treating battle wounds, especially burns.” She waited until he nodded his consent before helping him shrug out of his shirt.

“I’m sorry,” Zuko murmured. “About your village.”

“And I’m sorry for attacking you,” she replied immediately. “It was a bad prank. I should have realized you were hurt earlier.” She started peeling back the bandages around Zuko’s chest, wincing at the pus and dead skin that came away with it.

“Haven’t been able to change the wrappings in a few days,” Zuko said, averting his eyes to the ceiling.

“This isn’t good, Zuko,” Suki said. “I think it needs more than just a bandage change.”

His dry laugh only made her frown deepen.

She shook her head. “I’ll see what I can get. There’s got to be a way to get some medical supplies.” She made to stand and Zuko grabbed her wrist.

“No.” He shook his head and shrugged back into his shirt. “It looks worse than it actually is. No breaking and entering.”

Her questioning gaze searched his face until she sighed. “I don’t like this.”

Zuko kept his grip on her arm. “I’ll be fine.”

“You better be. If you’re not, Sokka will kill me.” She bit her lip. “I’ll get something for you to rewrap it with. Find me during lunch, okay?”

“Don’t do anything to get yourself in trouble.”

Suki’s easy grin spoke of a confidence that Zuko envied. “They’d have to catch me first.” She shifted his hold until she was holding his wrist and helped hoist him to his feet. “You just lay low.”

Zuko nodded and took the mop she retrieved for him.

“Give me a head start. We don’t want any guards to think we’re scheming.” She turned and slipped from the room.

Zuko stood to the side in the courtyard, eyes skimming the sea of prisoners for any sign of Suki. His chest hammered as the minutes dragged by. She got caught. The thought burrowed its way into his head. His jaw tensed.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump and he automatically grabbed it, ready to break the wrist before his attacker could react.

“Whoa! It’s okay. Just me.” Suki held up her free hand placatingly. “It’s okay.”

Zuko released his hold immediately. “Sorry.”

“I told you I was sneaky,” she said with a smile. She lightly laid a hand on Zuko’s arm. “Come on, I know a spot where we can get some privacy.” She led the way, artfully dodging guards and slipping through empty hallways with silent steps. He followed without question, his steps equally as quiet. They finally arrived at a small room and Suki shut the door, plunging the area into darkness. “Oh, I probably should have figured out the light situation.”

“I got it,” Zuko said quietly, snapping his fingers a few times before a miniscule spark ignited. He focused on the small flame until he found the lamp attached to the wall and lit the wick. His finger felt too hot and he subconsciously stuck it in his mouth.

“Thanks,” Suki said brightly as she retrieved a bucket of water and a stack of clothes. “I know you didn’t want me breaking in anywhere, so I just borrowed some shirts.” She knelt on the ground and waited for him to sit across from her.

He eased down and removed his shirt. It was harder to remove the old, stained bandages and Suki had to help. Her gentle hands carefully pulled the fabric away. Skin came with it and Zuko couldn’t help his wince.

“Sorry.” Suki’s brow furrowed in sympathy as she continued her work. “But I have to get this off.”

“I’m fine,” Zuko said quietly. His nails dug into his left palm.

Blue eyes briefly flicked to his face. The last of the bandage was removed, leaving his burned chest open to the air. Small patches were slowly seeping blood. Suki ripped off a section of shirt and soaked it in the tepid water. “What happened?” she asked. She realized his discomfort and quickly amended her question. “If you want to tell me. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Zuko swallowed as she started to clean the wound. Part of him wanted to talk, to spill everything, but the words lodged in his throat. Suki didn’t press or say anything else as she gently worked until the area was clean.

“We should change these bandages everyday if we can. It might be difficult, but I really don’t want it getting any worse.” She began expertly wrapping strips of cloth around his chest and shoulders to cover as much of the oddly shaped burn as she could. “Are you sure you don’t want me breaking into a storage room to get better supplies?” Her smirk said she was kidding, but her quick glance told him she would do it in a heartbeat if he asked.

“No,” he said with a short chuckle as he pulled his shirt back on.

“Suit yourself.” She stood and helped him to his feet. She kept a hand on his bicep for a second longer than necessary as if making sure he could stand upright. “I’ll find you later.”

“It would be better for you to stay away from me,” Zuko said, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck. “The warden might have it in for me.”

Suki tapped his chest gently. “That’s not going to scare me away. You can find your own way back, right?” She winked and slipped out the door after he nodded.

The teenager gently rubbed at his makeshift bandage, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Three days later they were back in the storage room and Suki was examining his wounds.

“It looks a lot better than it did.” She sat back on her heels and smiled at him. “You must be taking better care of it.”

“My nurse is intimidating. I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.”

“Smart man.” She finished rewrapping the injury. “A few more days and you probably won’t even have to wrap it. You will have a gnarly—“ she cut herself off mid-sentence. “Sorry.”

“At least this one’s less visible.” His attempt at a joke fell flat. Azula would have laughed. He chewed his bottom lip.

Suki sighed and gave him a look that was a strange mix of compassion and annoyance. At least there wasn’t any pity. “Come on. We need to get back.”

“I’ll go first.” Zuko opened the door and slipped back to the main yard without incident. He leaned against a wall and watched the other prisoners mingling. He closed his eyes and turned his face upwards. It was a cloudless day. Nothing prevented the rays from warming his face. Which is why it was concerning when the red of his eyelids began to dim.

Golden eyes snapped open and, before he could stop himself, focused on the sun that was slowly beginning to be eaten by a circle of black. His retinas burned as he looked away, spots flashing across his eyes with every blink. No, not yet. His hands started shaking and he broke into a cold sweat.

At some point, he had pushed away from the wall into the mass of prisoners that were also staring at the sky. His heart rate picked up. His quick gasps caught in his chest. Someone bumped him, sending him sideways into someone else. The other man roughly pushed him back with a snarl. Soon everyone was pushing in the mob of people, fear rising as the sun continued to slowly disappear. It can’t be happening yet.

A hard shove knocked Zuko to the ground. He curled up on his side as feet stomped around him. Numb tingling overtook his arms and legs. His ears rang. Hands roughly grabbed under his arms and jerked him upward. He felt himself being dragged and a dim part of him knew he should care.

He squeezed his eyes shut, the afterimage of the sun still scorching his mind. The person dragging him looped his right arm over their shoulder and kept dragging him farther away from the already distant sounds of a prison fight. Zuko couldn’t focus. His thoughts raced with images of his friends walking into a trap. Should have found a way to warn them. Should have tried to escape. Should have--

“Zuko!”

His eyes snapped open and he focused on Suki’s calm blue eyes. His vision was dotted. He couldn’t breathe.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Focus on me. We’re going to breathe together.” She took his hand and held it to her chest, placing her free hand on his sternum. “In. Hold. Out. In. Hold. Out.”

Zuko matched her until he could get enough air to speak. “Should have warned them.”

Suki frowned. “What?”

“I-I-I should have warned them. The eclipse. The attack. He knows.”

“Who knows?”

“Father.” Zuko’s free hand flew to his burn and clutched at the bandages. “I didn’t want--” Tears stung at his eyes. “I tried not to.”

“Zuko?” Suki asked quietly. Realization lit her face and he squeezed his eyes shut to avoid the horrified look.

“I told him,” he choked out. “I didn’t want to. But I did. I thought-- I thought I had more time before the eclipse.” He pushed at the healing burn until it hurt. “He knows and they’re all-- they’re all--” He didn’t finish his sentence before Suki suddenly pulled him forward. Her arms encircled him as his breathing stuttered again.

“No,” she stated quietly. “Everyone is fine.”

Zuko clenched his teeth and shook his head. “How? I told him. I was weak and I gave up the big plan and--”

“No. They are okay.” She pulled back slightly to meet his eyes. “You didn’t know their plans. You just knew a date. Even though he may act like a complete idiot,” she chuckled softly, “Sokka is smart enough to plan for every contingency. Even if the Fire Lord knows they’re coming, they’ll be okay.”

“But-”

She pulled him back into a tight hug. “No one would blame you, Zuko. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

He didn’t know if he believed her. He didn’t know if he could believe her. But a part of him wanted to. His arms shakily returned the hug and he buried his face in her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” she hummed. “It’s okay.”

The world slowly grew darker as the moon continued across the sun. After a few minutes, Zuko pulled back with a sigh. A little ways off, the sound of fighting could still be heard, though he could tell by the authoritative shouts that the guards had arrived.

“Zuko? Are you okay?”

The teenager ran a shaky hand through his sweat-soaked hair. “Yeah. I think so.” He gave a hopefully convincing crooked grin. “Thanks.”

Suki laid a hand on his shoulder and her brows knit together. “I’m serious, Zuko. No matter what happens, it’s not your fault.”

He swallowed the massive lump in his throat as the sun was completely obscured. They both looked up at the suddenly dark sky. “Well, whatever is going to happen is happening right now.” His heartbeat picked up again. Suki gripped his wrist, grounding him.

“That’s right,” she said. “And since we have no control over that, we need to focus on what we can control.”

“Like how to avoid being swept up in a prison brawl?”

“I was more thinking of a way to escape, but we can start small. Work our way up.”

“I like that plan.” Zuko’s shoulders slumped. “Any idea how we do that?”

She sighed. “No. But we will think of something. We just need to channel our inner Sokka.”

A sighed laugh escaped him. “I don’t think we have enough luck to make a Sokka plan work.”

“Then we’ll make our own luck.”

For four days Zuko tried to garner any information about what happened on the Day of Black Sun. Four days of him continually imagining the worst. The prison had gone on lock down after the riot. All prisoners were restricted to their cells. On the fourth day, they were finally released to gather in the main yard. The guards forced them together and directed their attention to the warden standing on an overlooking platform.

“As the brighter of you may have surmised, there was a solar incident a few days ago.” Narrowed eyes surveyed the crowd. “I am severely disappointed by the reaction of my model prisoners,” he sneered.

Zuko’s gaze flicked around, searching for Suki but unable to find her in the crowd.

The warden began pacing along the platform. “I have no doubt you’ve noticed the increased cell time. This will be the new normal. We are also receiving a fresh shipment of guards that I’ve been assured are ready to put any who step out of line back into place.” He stopped and turned out to the masses. “I will also be performing an investigation into who started the incident. Anyone who is able to provide valuable information will be rewarded.” He grinned and slowly swept over the prisoners. “Dismissed.”

Everyone was marched back to their cells. Zuko continued to try and spot Suki, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Get up.” A guard kicked Zuko’s bed, jostling him from his nap. “Warden wants to see you.”

A quiet sigh escaped him as he stood and followed the guard into the hall. Another guard followed behind as he was led deeper into the prison. They turned into a room and forced him to sit in the single chair. The warden entered and stood in front of him with hands clasped behind his back.

“Ah, the ex-prince. It’s so good to see you again.”

Zuko said nothing.

“Hm, no greeting? How rude. No matter. I want to do most of the talking anyway.” He began to slowly circle Zuko’s chair. “A little birdie told me that you were one of the instigators of the Day of Black Sun riot.”

His jaw clenched.

“I’ll take that as an admission of guilt.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Zuko said quietly.

“Of course not. Why would you do anything? You’re just an ashamed traitor of the Fire Nation who is a known war criminal and fraternizes with the Avatar. Why would you possibly want to cause more trouble?”

His eyes tracked the warden as he passed in front of him. “I didn’t start anything.”

“Funny. Because not only my little birdie, but multiple other prisoners stated that you were shoving during the start of the event. I even have a few guard reports that accurately identify you.” His lips twitched into a smile. “And it’s hard to argue mistaken identity when they say the young man with the scar over half of his face.”

“Everyone was shoving,” Zuko argued.

“I’m not discussing everyone, I’m discussing you. Do you admit to shoving other prisoners during the eclipse?”

Zuko hesitated. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Ah! So you were lying to me before.”

“No.” Zuko shook his head to try to better remember what happened during the eclipse. Everything was blurry until Suki had calmed him down. “I didn’t do anything on purpose.”

The warden scoffed. “Of course not. I’m sure nothing you’ve done in your entire life has been your fault .” He turned to one of the guards. “Put him in the cooler for the night.”

Icy chill permeated his thin clothes and bit into his skin as he sat in the dark of the cooler. His breath steamed from his lips. He curled in on himself as much as possible, but it did little to help. His jaw hurt from clenching and his teeth chattered incessantly. More than once he tried to find his breath of fire, but it was elusive.

He dug his fingers into his ribs and squeezed his eyes shut. He wouldn’t die. As long as he did his best to protect his core temperature, he would be fine, relatively speaking. Hopefully.

He bit his tongue to keep his teeth from clattering so loudly and closed his eyes. He focused on his inner flame, fanning it with each catching breath. He needed a distraction from the bitter cold.

“Once upon a time,” he barely whispered through chapped lips. “The great Dragon Emperor was cursed by the Dark Water spirit to live a mortal life.” The story came back to him despite the years since he last heard it. He could almost feel the warmth of his bed as he cuddled next to his mother. That was always how he preferred the story: not with the Ember Island Players, but with her novelizing. Her arm would snake around him and he would curl into her side safe and warm. He would turn the pages for her, the worn paper soft on his fingers as the story of the Dragon Emperor unfolded.

“He learned more about the mortal realm with each passing day. He saw how they worked and lived and loved.” He kept reciting as he ignored the slurring of his words. The Emperor’s story continued with him falling in love with a woman and breaking the water spirit’s spell. “‘Though I was trapped in the body of a mortal, you willingly gave me your heart. I cannot help but give you mine in return,’ the Dragon Emperor said. ‘Only with your glory hidden in false form could you finally recognize my devotion,” the Dragon Empress replied. They embraced and returned to the palace to live together in everlasting love.” A shuddering sigh escaped him and he blearily blinked. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. He swallowed and began again.” “Once upon a time, the great Dragon Emperor was cursed by the Dark Water spirit…”

He made it about halfway through the story before he realized he’d been repeating the same part of the for an unknown time. He frowned and tried to remember where he was and what the next part was, but he couldn’t. Despite the worry that should have sparked, Zuko could barely care. After a few minutes of contemplation, he started again from the beginning.

The door slid open with a quiet creak. Zuko barely registered it as he continued his mumbled story.

“Looks like this one had a long night,” a guard laughed. “Why don’t you take him to his cell? Last one on the right. He shouldn’t be too much trouble in this state.”

A shadow entered and bent towards him. Zuko wanted to shy away, but he couldn’t find the energy. A hand gripped his upper arm and he grumbled and feebly tried to pull free.

“Hey, come on,” a quiet voice said next to him. “You don’t want to stay in here.”

Warm hands burned his skin as they pulled him upward. His feet refused to cooperate and he listed to the side. His shivering increased as he tried to move.

“You need any help, newbie?” the guard at the door asked.

“Nope! I got it. No worries. Did this all the time in training. Come on, you… prisoner.” The guard supported Zuko as he half-dragged him out of the cooler and down the hall. Zuko half-heartedly tried to walk, but he was so tired, it was much easier to rely on the warm person.

Zuko frowned. He was forgetting something. He was supposed to be doing something. “Dragons,” he mumbled.

“What was that?” the guard asked.

“Love dragons,” Zuko slurred.

“Right. Okay. Glad to hear that. You keep loving those dragons.”

He frowned and tried to focus. “No. Love Amongst the Dragons .”

“How about we focus on getting you to your cell, okay?”

“Once ‘pon a time,” Zuko began. “Dragon Emp’ror… cursed... Blue Spirit.” He shook his head. “No, Water Demon.” They entered his cell while he was still trying to figure out how the story began. He sat on the edge of the bed heavily. His eyes started to slide closed.

“Zuko? Zuko? Come on. Hey, Zuko.” The guard snapped his fingers in front of his face. “Stay with me.”

Zuko forced his eyes to look at the shadowed face that swam before him.

“You’re practically blue.” He started rubbing Zuko’s arms. “Okay. I can do this. Hypothermia. Can firebenders even get hypothermia? Is it worse when they get it?” He shook his head. “Focus. Happened all the time back at home.” The guard pulled the scratchy thin blanket up over Zuko’s head and wrapped it around his shoulders, leaving only his face exposed. His teeth clattered loudly in the quiet of the cell. “Just gotta get you warm.” The guard removed his helmet and continued rubbing Zuko’s arms.

Zuko blinked under his shaggy hair, trying to focus on the face in front of him to no avail. The cell was too dim and his vision kept swimming. He tried to wiggle free of the itchy blanket.

“No, we are staying under the blanket.” The annoying guard repositioned to sit beside Zuko and wrapped his arms around his blanketed form, trapping Zuko’s arms at his sides. “Is this helping? I feel like it’s not really helping.” He paused long enough to pull off his armor to better hold the teenager.

Heat slowly seeped through the blanket and into Zuko’s skin. He sighed and leaned further into the guard. “Warm,” he mumbled.

A sighed laugh escaped the guard. “Warm is kinda the point.”

Zuko hummed contentedly and pulled his legs up. The guard adjusted the blanket to cover them. His eyes started to slip shut, but he was jostled before he could fall asleep.

“Not yet, buddy. Stay with me for a little longer, then I’ll let you sleep.” Zuko’s groan earned a chuckle. “What was it you were telling me about dragons earlier?”

“Dragon Emperor.” Zuko gave a short retelling of the story, obvious annoyance coloring his tone. As he spoke and the warmth continued to permeate his icy muscles, his shivering finally calmed to occasional twitches. His mind began to clear as well.

“Interesting story. Kind of reminds me of this one my gran-gran used to tell about a boy who pretended to be a seal and tricked a bunch of bullies into following him out to sea.”

Zuko frowned. “What does that have to do with dragons?”

The shoulder he was leaning on shrugged. “Just reminded me of it. I’d tell it to you, but I think Katara could tell it better.”

Sudden realization hit Zuko and he jerked away. The guard jumped and let him go, his head whipping around. “What? What is it? Something happen?”

“Sokka?” Zuko blinked, not believing his own eyes.

The crooked grin that lit up ocean blue eyes couldn’t be denied. “The one and only.”

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

Sokka leaned over and adjusted the blanket to stay on Zuko’s shoulders. “Right now I’m trying to keep you from freezing to death.”

“But what are you doing here ?”

“Breaking you out, obviously.”

Zuko stared at him.

Sokka stretched an arm up to scratch at the back of his head. “Long story short, you’re uncle said you’d probably been taken here and we decided to stage a rescue mission.”

“My uncle?”

“Yep!”

If Zuko hadn’t already been sitting, he might have collapsed.

“Whoa, you okay? Here, lie down.”

Zuko complied and ran a hand over his face. Exhaustion combined with the shock was making his head spin. “You came here by yourself to break me out?”

Sokka gave him a withering look that almost matched Katara’s. “I’m not stupid. My dad’s here, too.”

“Two water tribe warriors were able to sneak into the highest security Fire Nation prison.”

“Yeah, you might want to take a look at your security measures once this whole war thing is over.”

Zuko chuckled. “I told her we needed Sokka luck to make a Sokka plan work.”

“Who?”

“Suki.”

“Suki?!”

Zuko grinned up at Sokka’s wide eyes. “Looks like you’re not the only one with surprises.”

Suki recognized Sokka instantly despite his disguise. He barely managed to stay upright from the force of her hug.

“Good to see you, too, Suki.” Sokka buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Zuko stood to the side while they had their reunion, eyes wary for any lurking guards. Bits of their hushed conversation drifted to him, mostly about how Suki had ended up at Boiling Rock.

“So you’ve been here long enough you should know about security and weak points,” Sokka slipped into a more calculating tone.

Suki shook her head. “I’ve been watching for weeks and there’s never a large enough opening to make an escape. Plus, there’s no way on or off the island aside from the gondolas and there’s no way for prisoners to get there without an escort.”

Sokka frowned and drummed his fingers in his chin, “Well, Dad and I can be the guards, we just need to find a way to get you guys through.”

“The warden would recognize me instantly,” Zuko said. “It’s not worth the risk to put you all in danger.”

Sokka’s eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms. “Don’t.”

The ex-prince blinked. “What?”

“Don’t even suggest we leave you behind. It’s not happening.”

Zuko ran a hand along his neck. “I was just—“

“Nope. No justs. No more of this self sacrificing attitude. All of us are getting out or none of us are. Personally, I prefer the get out option, so you’re going to have to work with us.”

A soft smile tugged at Suki’s lips. “Good to know he’s always this hard headed. I was beginning to think he just didn’t like me.”

“What? No, you’re fine. Great,” he corrected when she resided an eyebrow. He turned away to hide his growing blush.

“Now that that’s settled, let’s start thinking on some plans.” Sokka scratched under his helmet. “I should meet back up with my dad and let him know what’s going on. Try and lay low. I’ll find you later.” He pulled Suki into another tight hug before leaving.

Zuko had a less than stellar history with fathers, and seeing Hakoda approach with Sokka made his heart rate spike. Sure, they were on the same side now, but Zuko had spent quite a bit of time terrorizing the man’s village and then hunting his son across all four nations. The tall man nodded between Zuko and Suki in greeting.

“I have heard a lot about you from my children. I’m glad to finally meet you in person.”

“It’s good to meet you, too,” Suki said with a wide smile.

Zuko averted his gaze and nodded in return.

Hakoda placed a hand on Sokka’s shoulder. “Sokka has thought of a plan that I believe will work, but we will have a short window.” He nudged Sokka forward.

“Okay, so it’s all about the gondolas,” Sokka began with an excited grin. “There’s another group of prisoners coming in tomorrow which means the Warden will be distracted. At the same time, we’ll start a riot in the yard. In all the confusion, we will be able to slip up to the gondola and get away before they even realize we're gone.” He looked between the trio expectantly.

“Don’t you think they’ll notice two prisoners going to the gondolas?”

Sokka’s smile grew wider. “Prisoners, yes, but you won’t look like prisoners. First, we need to get you guard outfits from the equipment locker. Shouldn’t be too hard. After that, you just need to make sure you're changed in time for the escape. We’ll take the roundabout way and avoid all the commotion, sneak onto the gondolas, hit  the switch, and be gone before anyone realizes. Easy as that.”

“That doesn’t really sound easy at all,” Zuko pointed out.

“That’s because you're thinking too much. It will work. Trust me.”

“I think it’s a great idea, Sokka.” Hakoda’s praise caused Sokka to blush slightly.

“Okay.” Suki clapped her hands. “When do we start?”