"Excuse me, but how are we passing the ten-year-olds as crew members?" Kya asked Bumi, who was trying to adjust the captain's hat on his head.

"Don't you mean, how are we passing the ten year olds as crew members, Captain?" he pointed to the hat.

"No." Kya looked at him dead cold, "It is a bit weird to have kids aboard."

"Actually," Zari ran in between them, "Most crews have a few young children aboard for the cleaning and such."

After a whole morning of sailing, almost everyone but Zari was ready for anything just to get a change of scenery. They all got up at dawn to explain to the King what they were attempting and get him safely onboard. He was now in his royal chamber, permanently repurposed into a prison cell by Azula.

"Good. I'm glad I'm not going alone to prison later today." Bumi looked at Kya.

"Very nice... At least I can handle myself. I think Zari would be better off going alone than with you, Captain." Kya giggled.

"I knew it! I knew you were jealous of the hat!"

"Yeah, right..." Kya rolled her eyes, "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I think I miss Tenzin. Usually we both just focus all our teasing on him."

"Well, you haven't been exactly kind to me until now..."

"It's because you act like you're the Team Avatar leader."

"Stop it, you guys!" Izumi pushed them apart, "We don't have a leader. We do everything together, remember? Like our parents did..."

"It's nice of you to think that, Izumi, but the old Team Avatar had the avatar. Of course our dad was in charge." Bumi said.

"Alright, then our leader is Azula." Izumi proclaimed and watched how Bumi and Kya looked at each other and then at her in disbelief. Even Zari was looking at her doubtfully.

"You know I'm right," Izumi continued, "We couldn't have done any of this without her. Remember that first morning without her? We were all fighting, yelling at each other, without food, without any supplies... And now, you're a Captain, I can generate lightning, Su and Lin are getting along and we're about to save our parents."

"And I get to go with you to the palace," Zari added, "If your parents agree."

"Well, that's great, cousin." Izumi smiled at him.

"I know! I can't wait to see the Royal Gallery... And we could spar in the Agni Kai chamber!" Zari shot a blue ball of fire out towards the ocean.

"Your fire is blue, too?" Bumi asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, right?" the little kid smirked and fired a few more fire blasts into nothing.

"Zari!" Azula walked over, seemingly from nowhere, "You're supposed to be a non-bender today. So act like it."

"Sorry, Mother."

"Where are Lin and the little one? I think that's the Red Lotus on the horizon." Azula said making everyone look out to the east. She was right, there was a decent sized ship heading straight for them. No recognizable flag.

"They're below deck bending door knobs or something..." Kya said.

"Come on, do it!" Lin yelled, watching Su just stare at a spoon.

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can. You cracked metalbending two days ago!"

"Maybe it's platinum!"

Lin answered her sister by lightly lifting the spoon and setting it down. Su wanted to say that was because she had a proper teacher, but stopped herself. That wasn't helping...

"Lin, maybe I just can't do this!" Su clenched her fists and brought them to her chest. Lin knew exactly who their fathers were and couldn't help but wonder for a second. Maybe she really was born with an edge because she had two metalbending parents. But no! That was ridiculous! This plan depended on Su.

"Listen to me for a second," Lin took her sister's hands into her own, "We're asking more from you today than anyone ever asked from me, and our mother asked for a lot. I know you can get this, I just hope it's today."

"I'm trying..." Su pulled back.

"Just try one more time. You don't have to throw it across the room. Just do anything to the spoon. Anything you can think of."

Su took a deep breath and started moving her hands, not breaking eye contact with the metal. She tried feeling the earth pieces in there. Then suddenly the spoon flew and wrapped itself tightly around Su's wrist.

Of course she'd make herself a bracelet! Of course that's where her mind went first! Lin chuckled.

"They're coming! Ten minutes!" they heard Kya yell from the deck and Su's joy turned to panic.

"No! I'm not ready! I can't even get this thing off me!" Su tried pulling the spoon from her wrist. Lin bended it away.

"Listen, sis," Lin embraced her, "You got this. We got this."

They were on deck in a few minutes, just at the right time to welcome the Red Lotus members who've climbed aboard their ship. Azula instructed them earlier to definitely put up a fight, just not a good one so that they'd lose like planned. In the end, the person who had the most problem with that was Azula as she couldn't bring herself to purposely lose a fight. After a short struggle, they were all tied down and blindfolded, similar to when Azula's men kidnapped them.

Kya hoped she'd see her mother while they were leading her through the prison, but sadly she didn't recognize anyone except for the Northern Tribe Chief. She was quickly shoved in a metal cell and left there alone. She hated how the air made her feel there. It was dry and hot, almost insufferable, like nothing she'd ever experienced before. It terrified her that her mother had to suffer through a week of this.

Kya looked around for any guards and then when she was certain she wasn't being watched, she pulled out her secret weapon. It was a folded piece of paper Azula had given her just before they were captured. The Princess said what was on the paper would get her out of prison, but she had to open it only when she was in her cell alone. Kya was skeptical, but curious.

As she begun unfolding the paper she realized it was completely covered in writing on both sides. She looked around once again just to be sure no one could see her, and started reading.

Kya,

you must be wondering how some words on a paper are going to help you save yourself from this situation. Well, they're not. Nothing can, now.

Kya's eyes widened. Why would Azula write such a thing?

The truth is I've been thinking of a way to make your mother pay for what she did to me all those years ago. And then the perfect revenge plan just came walking through my door. You. In case your feeble mind hasn't yet grasped what I'm saying, here it is. I have no intention of ever letting you or your mother leave this prison. And when the rest of us have escaped, the Red Lotus will end your miserable existence for me.

Kya was mad. Furious! She stopped reading and looked around. The air somehow seemed dryer now. Like it was suffocating her. Her tiny cell somehow seemed even smaller now that she was thinking about the possibility of never leaving it alive. She didn't even notice tears running down her face.

Now you must be wondering why. Why would I choose you to pay for what your mother has done? Simple really. She stole my future of being Fire Lord and ruling over my Nation. She stole my son's future. I am simply returning the favor. But why just you? Why not any one of your brothers? Well, Kya, I have always been good at reading people. Good at predicting what they'll do. And I can see clearly that you will never amount to anything.

Kya knew she didn't have to read the rest of the letter, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to stop. Every word on that page hurt her, but she kept reading. Kept reading as Azula listed every reason she thought both of her brothers were better than her. Kept reading as Azula called her worthless, called her a failure, told her she would have ended up alone either way... By the end of the second page, Kya was crying uncontrollably, but trying to keep herself quiet so that no one would take the paper from her before she finished.

Then she reached the end.

I am so sorry, Kya, but nothing I wrote on this paper was true. I needed to have you crying while you were still not dehydrated from the conditions they keep you in over there. The tears are not much, but they should at least get you out of your cell. Water expands when it turns to ice.

You probably only have one chance at this so do it as close to noon as possible. That's when they'll most likely be going around with drinking water for everyone. I'd say good luck, but you don't need it.

And I really am sorry I had to put you through this. I didn't mean any of it. Azula always lies.

Kya felt her breathing slowly come back to normal. She looked around before standing up and collecting all of her tears from her clothes and the floor into a single orb. It could be enough. It had to be enough. She sent the water flying into the keyhole of the door and then turned it into ice, shattering the lock.

Someone must have heard that. Kya pushed the door open and hurried out through the hallway, holding the water around her palm. She ran into the next occupied cell soon and did the same thing to that lock. The young man inside was reluctant to exit. If Kya was being honest, he didn't look all that good.

"Come on, we're all getting out of here," Kya stepped into his cell, "You don't have to worry, I'm the Avatar's daughter."

She felt weird playing that card, but she needed those people to trust her.

"It's pointless, that's not enough water." the man whispered.

"We don't need water. We just need to work together." she tried to pull him by his hand, but he pulled away.

"You'll get yourself killed, daughter of the Avatar."

"It's Kya." she said, then sighed and walked out. She couldn't linger in one cell for so long. This was her only chance.

"Stop right there!" she heard a voice from down the hall. There was a guard running towards her. She wasn't really sure if she could even hurt him with the little water she had, but she had to try.

It was too late when she realized the guard was a firebender. Kya was ready to feel the full power of his fire blast when the man from before jumped out of his cell and knocked the guard down with a punch to the face.

"We don't need water, right?" the young man smiled at her, "I'm Jian. What do you need me to do?"

Kya still didn't believe she didn't get her face burned off yet.

"You can... Get his keys and free more people. I have to find-" she heard footsteps behind her. It was a handful of guards carrying a bucket of water they were giving to the prisoners for drinking. Yes!

Kya ran forwards towards them and once she was close enough she called the water to her. In a few moves they were all knocked out and she was free to keep searching for her mother. She ran through the halls, freeing all the prisoners on her way, until she spotted Katara's cell.

Unlike the other prisoners, Katara was bound with chains to the floor and all the walls. It looked like she couldn't even move a muscle. Yet she looked up as soon as she saw her daughter breaking the lock.

"Mom! I'm getting you out of these." Kya made a few poses and the water cut Katara out of her chains.

"Kya! How did you-" Katara was cut off when her daughter gave her a hug. The older woman was a bit weak, but could stand on her own carefully.

"It's a long story. But we have a plan that will save everyone." Kya spoke into her mother's neck.

"I'm so sorry you had to get involved in this. Me and Toph got ambushed. It was too much for just the two of us. We need to get Appa, they're holding him here."

"Yes! Alright, we'll get Appa and then go to meet up with everyone." Kya pulled away from her mother and stepped out of the cell.

"Your brothers? Where are they?" Katara slowly followed her daughter.

"They're fine. They're saving Uncle Sokka."

"You three handled all of this? Your father will be so proud."

"Well, we're not exactly alone... We had Lin and Su and... We made some new allies. Allies you're not going to like."

"Sweetie, if they kept you safe" Katara stopped to look at her daughter's face and then brushed back a strand of her hair, "I'm going to be endlessly thankful to them. I don't care who they are."

"Just hold on to that thought."