Harry, Sokka and Aang had discreetly followed Katara after she had been taken away, it had been agreed upon previously that once Katara was in the prison they would give her twelve hours to do what she needed to do before they would bust her out. After twelve long hours Aang and Harry had snuck into prison and brought Katara out to the edge of the prison where Sokka was waiting along with Appa and Momo.
"Your twelve hours are up; where's Haru? We've gotta get outta here!" Sokka whispered, not wanting to attract too much attention, honestly it was a miracle they hadn't been seen yet.
"I...I can't." Katara said, looking down at her feet.
"Why not?" Harry frowned. "We've got to go as soon as possible."
"They're not leaving," Katara sighed. "they're...they're..."
"Broken," Harry finished with a sigh. "that's by design. Take away earth, take away power, take away hope." The prison was in the middle of the sea and made almost entirely of metal, leaving nothing for the earthbender to bend.
"They haven't taken away all hope yet." Katara said stubbornly.
"You're not going to give up on this, are you?" Harry asked.
"No." Katara scoffed, as if the very idea was ridiculous.
"Of course you aren't," Harry rolled his eyes, the worse part as far as he was concerned was he would be doing the exact same thing as her. It would be far easier to leave the earthbender to rot so they could focus on the bigger problems but Harry didn't want that, he didn't want to become a person so focused on the 'greater good' that he forgot the individuals as well. Sure there were times when that would be needed, but not all the time. "Bloody Gryffindors." Harry said under his breath.
The next morning:
The plan had been quite simple, they would use the coal that the Fire Nation had been burning and have Harry and Aang use airbending to send them to the earth bending prisoners through the ventilation shafts, much like their earthbending trick from before. Part way through the plan Katara and Sokka had been discovered by one of the ventilation shafts and had been chased into the prison court yard and surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers while the earthbenders stayed a small distance away.
A sudden rush of air fills their ears as the facility shakes. A ventilation shaft bursts off its hinges as an immense blast of coal soars into the air, crashing down into a gathered pile. Everyone present is silent, staring in stark surprise at this turn of events. Suddenly, Aang leaps out from the barren ventilation shaft, landing atop the coal pile and coughing, covered in soot and dirt.
"Here's your chance, earthbenders! Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!" Katara yelled as she held up a piece of coal, not showing any of the uneasiness she was feeling.
The plan had so far succeeded, the coal was right there in front of the earthbenders, but unfortunately they didn't seem to want to start fighting. Haru had started moving forward but was stopped by Tyro, his father.
"Foolish girl." The prison warden laughed. "You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago. Oh, but you still believe in them? How sweet. They're a waste of your energy little girl, you failed." The warden said in an amused voice before turning away, he had started walking away only to stop when he felt something hit his back. He looked behind himself and saw a lump of coal on the floor behind him, he looked towards the earthbenders and saw Haru glaring at him while levitating three more pieces of coal.
The warden growled before sending a fire blast at Haru, Tyro's eyes had widened before he quickly reacted and formed a wall from the coal to protect Haru.
"Show no mercy!" The warden shouted to the Fire Nation guards that were next to him. The Fire Nation joined the warden in shifting to a fighting stance while Aang, Katara and the earthbenders did the same. The guards were about to fire when suddenly they became separated from the prisoners by a green waist length line of fire. Everyone turned to see Harry standing a small distance away, Harry waved his arm and the flames disappeared.
"The...Emerald Dragon!" One of the prisoners breathed out with disbelief and no small amount of fear. An expression shared by the others as all fight seemed to have dropped out of them as Harry walked forwards and stopped in-between the Fire Nation guards and the Earthbenders.
"We're doomed." Another earthbender whispered as Harry stared at them.
"You were travelling with the Emerald Dragon?!" Haru hissed to Katara. "My mum let him stay in our barn!"
"Give up, savages." The warden laughed, a gleeful expression on his face. "We have the Emerald Dragon on our side." He grinned.
"Yeah...about that." Harry said in a quiet voice as he turned away from the earthbenders to look at the warden and the guards. "It's not you I've come to help." He said as his fists became covered in green flames.
The earthbenders stared with complete disbelief at Harry's back while the Warden and guards took a step back. A long silence dominated before the warden decided to put words to what he and the guards were feeling.
"Well...fuck."
Deep in the throne room of Fire Lord Ozai, a messenger remained kneeling with his head bowed down as he was stared down by the Fire Lord himself. The messenger tried not to tremble, tried not to show any weakness. But it was so dammed hard! Not only was he in a room with one of - if not the most powerful men in all four nations - but he was also being stared down while the man in question was perched above him and resting while being surrounded by a wall of fire.
"The Emerald Dragon helped these prisoners escape?" The Fire Lord asked in a cold voice that echoed all throughout the throne room. "He has turned traitor, is that what you are trying to say to me?"
"I...I cannot say with absolute certainty, Fire Lord Ozai." The messenger said, not totally able to hide the nervousness he was feeling. "All I know is what I have been told, and that was the fact that the Emerald Dragon had helped the Avatar and two water tribe children free these earthbenders. It is very possible that he has turned traitor but for all I know this is some elaborate plan to lower the Avatar's guard so he can capture him." The messenger finished, gulping slightly.
A long silence filled the room, the messenger did not dare speak or move until permitted, for fear of that being the very thing that would lead to him either ending up severely burned or dead. The majority of his focus was spent trying to stay as still as humanly possible while the rest was wondering if the Fire Lord simply enjoyed making him wait to make him more scared. He probably did.
"Leave." The Fire Lord spoke, the messenger understood that this was an order and he gladly obeyed, leaving the room as quickly as he could. Neither noticing the girl with an amber-gold pair of eyes that had been watching and listening from behind a curtain.
"Stupid, green-eyed jerk." Princess Azula said under her breath as she pulled the bed covers over her.
The daughter of the Fire Lord was currently in a private bedroom on a ship that was taking her to Ember Island, a renowned resort area located in the outer islands of the northern Fire Nation. Azula liked going there, she had been there a couple of times already. The trip would have normally taken a simple day, but her father had ordered the captain to take her on a tour of the entire Fire Nation, meaning she was going to spend at least two weeks travelling on this ship. Azula wasn't sure why she had to spend so much time on such a long trip.
Did her father simply want her out of sight for a while? She had been trying to spend more time with him, had she bothered him too much? She wasn't sure, but one thing she knew was that right now she was the one who was being bothered. Bothered by none other than 'Harry', the boy who bended green fire. The rest of her family would be joining her later in Ember Island as her mother and father still had business to attend to. Though of course Zuko stayed with them, Agni knows Mother won't let her 'precious boy' leave her sight.
That was something Azula felt like she could deal with, what she did not want to deal with was Harry. The boy had to come with her, by order of Fire Lord Azulon who wanted them to spend more time together and for Harry to teach her more.
Azula hated him, she had no doubt that in the boy's head he probably thought he was better than her, just because he had saved her and Zuko a few weeks ago. She was a princess yet this middle class boy thought he was better than her. As much as it pained her to admit, he was the stronger firebender. His flames burned hotter than hers and they were consistently green, while hers were still normal coloured. Harry also seemed disinterested in spending time with her, how dare he?! She was Fire Nation royalty! The boy should be glad she was even talking to him.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the door to her room opened, she rolled her eyes and turned over in bed so her back was facing whoever had come in.
"I'm going to sleep, leave me alone." She said in an annoyed voice before she closed her eyes. She waited, but she didn't hear the sound of the door closing or the person leaving. She opened her eyes with a frown on her lips, she was about to turn when suddenly a hand covered her mouth before two pairs of hands grabbed her arms and legs.
The next few seconds were a blur but by the end of it Azula found herself tied up and gagged and on the floor of her room, looking up to three masked men that were dressed in blue, clearly from one of the Water Tribes. Azula struggled and tried to escape but found that she was unable to, they had secured her properly. One of the men picked her up and the three took her out of the room, ignoring her muffled cries and fruitless attempts to break free.
"The other Fire Nation scum should be dead." The Water tribe man behind her whispered to the others.
"Hopefully, but stay on guard." The one in front of her said as they walked along the side of the ships control room, the solid metal wall on their left while the ships rail and the open sea on the left.
"Still," The one holding her said. "this should hopefully go off without a hitch, I..." A loud scream was heard, cutting him off from whatever he was about to say. The three Water Tribe men froze, they looked around, trying to see if they could spot the cause of the screams. Azula felt her hopes at salvation rise up and joined them in looking around for the cause of the scream, whatever it was it clearly wasn't on their side since they seemed very bothered by it.
The window of the control room smashed open, the shattering of glass echoed in their ears before they saw a body draped over where the broken window was, the blue colours of the body's clothes let everyone know that it was another Water Tribe member.
"Oh my..." The Water Tribe man in front of Azula began, only to be interrupted as a green fire blast hit him square in the face, knocking him back and off the ship, he screamed as he fell down to the violent seas.
A small figure jumped off of the body draped over the broken window, Azula's eyes widened upon seeing that it was Harry, he jumped onto the man behind her and began throwing punch after punch until the man grabbed him by both of his wrists.
"Go!" The man yelled to the one holding her. "I'll deal with the kid!"
"You'll try!" Harry growled before his fists became covered in green fire. The man holding her stumbled back before he quickly turned and ran to the front of the ship, Azula felt her heart plummet when she saw ten other Water Tribe men waiting.
"Where are the others?" One man asked.
"Some crazy fire kid attacked us! He had green fire!" The man holding her began. "He..."
"Hey." A voice interrupted, the group turned to see Harry standing a small distance away, his green eyes and green fire making him glow in the dark, succeeding in making him look more intimidating than any child his age had a right to be. "Let her go, now." Harry said, glaring at the Water Tribe men.
"Or what kid?" One Water Tribe man asked before he bended some water out from the ocean and held it above his head.
Azula honestly didn't know what Harry was thinking, he might have been a great firebender but he was outmatched, outnumbered and was fighting waterbender that were surrounded by water. The man holding her walked back away from the other Water Tribe members and was edging towards one of the rails were Azula noticed a rope that likely descended down to a water tribe ship.
"Tell me, have any of you ever heard of 'Fiendfyre'?" Harry asked in a calm voice.
"What is that?" One Water Tribe man scoffed in amusement. "Some fire trick?"
"Let me show you." Harry said before he thrust his hands into the air. Green, emerald flames shot out from his hands with a roaring, billowing noise. The Water Tribe members could only watch in horror as the flames grew and grew until they were at least twenty-five feet tall, their horror only continued to grow as the flames shifted, changing shape until the Water Tribe men were facing a dragon made from flames. A roar was heard before the flaming dragon charged towards them.
The ten terrified Water Tribe men summoned as much water as they could and shot the water towards the fire, but they may as well have spat on it given how effective it was, the fire hadn't even been slowed down and the water had turned into steam near instantly upon contact. Azula watched with wide eyes as the flaming dragon bit down on the Water Tribe men, they screamed, they screamed loudly, louder than she had ever heard anyone scream. Their screams lasted for...well...Azula wasn't quite sure. Minutes? Seconds? She had honestly lost count.
Once the screams had died down, Harry grunted and with a small shout of effort he managed to get rid of the flames. Azula and the Water tribe man holding her looked on in no small amount of disbelief as the only thing that remained from the fire was a burnt ship floor and several charred, unmoving bodies. The Water Tribe man holding her dropped her as shock and fear overcame him, he probably hadn't heard the small pained nose she made as she landed on her side, he was far too busy looking at the unrecognisable corpses of his tribesmen.
His eyes turned towards Harry who had begun calmly walking towards the Water Tribe man, the man let out a noise that was halfway between a scared whimper and an angry cry before he jumped over the rail. Once the man was no longer an obstacle Harry rushed over to Azula and quickly freed her from her gag and ties.
"Azula," Harry spoke, "I..." only to find himself interrupted as Azula launched herself at him, knocking him down onto his back as she began crying into his chest as her arms wrapped around his body, all the emotions of the night finally catching up with the six year old girl."Shush." Harry whispered as he gently pulled her into a hug. "It's alright, you're safe. You're safe." Harry whispered.