When Worlds Collide: Book Three, Fire

/////Sam's POV\\\\\

Four days away from the eclipse, the Fire Lord and Azula moved most of the palace staff into a secret bunker deep within the volcano, and I was kept under surveillance at all times. The only time I didn't have a guard with me was when I was in the company of the royal family, or Mai and Tai Lee. My lessons with Azula were paying off, and I could control the fire in my mind with little effort. Water, however, was another story; it was more difficult, like learning a second language.

"Will you please just leave me alone?" I snapped, rounding on Jaang, my personel body guard. "We're in a volcano. Where am I going to go?"

He just rolled his eyes. In truth, I sort of liked Jaang. Sometimes he let me takes walks by myself, or sneaked me dessert in the middle of the night. So really, a great guy.

"If you don't want me following you around, why don't you go hang out with Ming or someone?" he suggested. Ming was another servant at the palace who I enjoyed spending time with. She was in charge of bringing Iroh his meals while he was in prison, and passed messages between the two of us. She was nice as well, and more than once we traded gossip about the Fire Nation.

"She took off for the day," I sighed. "Said she wasn't feeling well."

"Finally ran her off too, huh?" Jaang chuckled, and I glared.

"Make yourself useful and make me tea," I said, throwing a pillow at him.

He danced out of the way as there was knock on my door, and he went to answer it. There, was Zuko with a weird look on his face, and dark bags under his eyes. He gave Jaang a look, and the buff guy shifted uncomfortably.

"I'll go make that tea now," he told me, and after bowing to Zuko, left the room.

I stood up from my bed with a smile, and Zuko walked over, taking my hands and pulling me back down with him. "Sam," he started, "todays the eclipse. And I'm not really sure what's going to happen."

"This sounds like a goodbye," I teased, but he didn't smile. Instead, his lips landed on mine, gently, but with something behind it - worry? Panic? I kissed back hesitantly, before pulling away.

"Are you okay?" I asked, cupping his cheek with my hand. "You seem pale. Paler than usual."

He chuckled, and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm fine. Everything will be fine; I promise."

"You're scaring me," I told him, scrunching my eyebrows. "You're planning something, aren't you?"

The door slammed open, and Azula stood there, her arms crossed as she leaned against the door frame. "Zuzu, I need our dearest Sammy," she sighed.

I glared at the nickname, and sent Zuko a 'We'll-talk-about-this-later' look, and stood up. "Guess I'm not getting that tea, huh?" I asked as I passed the princess.

"The eclipse is almost upon us," Azula stated, ignoring me. "The moronic invasion force is still busy with our decoys, but Father wants you in a secure location just in case."

"Wait... they actually invaded?" I asked, stopping in my tracks.

"You seem surprised," Azula shrugged, raising an eyebrow.

I mumbled incoherent words, before following her through the tunnels. Mai and Tai Lee emerged from the shadows, and flanked us, but I was used to their weird antics, so didn't' question it. We entered a massive room with nothing but two chairs. Azula lounged in the larger one, while I plopped down into the smaller one on her right. Mai and Tai Lee went their separate ways, leaving us be, and I watched the doors for a while, before losing interest, and setting random patches of dirt on fire to cure my boredom.

"You're a natural," Azula commented, watching me. She rested her head in her hand, and crossed her legs.

I snorted, and threw my legs over the arm of my chair. "How long do we have to wait here?" I asked. "I'm bored, and tired of having a chaperone follow me everywhere."

"We'll be leaving soon enough," was all she said, and we went back to ignoring each other.

We sat there for hours, doing nothing, and not saying a word. The only noise I could hear was our breathing, and I sighed.

The doors suddenly slammed open, but I didn't look up - the Fire Lord had habbit of making an entrance.

"So," Azula drawled, "you are alive after all."

I glanced up, and bolted up right at the sight of Aang, Sokka and Toph. I gasped, and stood up, prepared to race towards them, but Azula snatched my wrist.

Aang, Sokka and Toph were slack jawed, and barely paid any attention to me.

"I had a hunch that you had survived," Azula continued, forcing me back in my seat. "But it doesn't matter. I've known about the invasion for months."

"Where is he?" Aang demanded. "Where's the Fire Lord?"

Azula hummed, and stood up. "You mean I'm not good enough for you?" she asked in a teasing tone that made me want to slap her. "You're hurting my feelings."

"Stop wasting our time, and give us our friend and information," Sokka snapped, pulling out a sword that I had never seen before. It was made of black metal that glinted terrifyingly in the dim light. "You're powerless right now, and you're in no position to refuse."

"And stick to the truth," Toph added, "I'll be able to tell when you're lying."

"Are you sure?" Azula asked, stalking towards them. "I'm a pretty good liar." When none of us looked convinced, she sighed. "I am a four hundred foot tall purple paltypus bear, with pink horns and silver wings."

There was silence, until Toph slashed her arm out in front of her. "Okay, you're good, I admit it," she huffed. With a stomp of her foot, a path of dust trailed until it reached the princess, and she was surrounded in rock. "But you really might want to consider the truth anyway."

I grinned, and ran towards my friends, pulling them into a massive hug. "I missed you guys so much," I whispered, kissing Tophs forehead.

"What a touching moment," Azula scoffed, and the rock cracked around her, and she was free. "When I left Be Sing Se, I brought home some souvenirs. Sam, I suggest you sit back down."

Metal ropes flung form the cieling, and I gasped as a pair of rock hand cuffs wrapped around my wrists, and yanked me back to Azula's side. A couple Dai Lee agents landed with force in front of us, and Azula smirked.

Aang sent a gust of wind towards us, but the Dai Lee created a wall of rock between us. Deciding I had had enough, I focused on them, and tried to light their robes on fire, but it didn't work - the eclipse had already started, and I didn't have any water source; no back up plan.

Aang leaped over the barrier, and sent rocks flying towards us, and I had to roll out of the way of a few of them.

"Sorry!" he called, as Toph slammed through the wall, landing with a strong thud. Two beams of earth sent the Dai Lee sailing through the air, but they counteracted with their own beams, which Toph easily deflected.

A wall of rock nearly pushed Azula off her feet, but she used its force to her advantage, and flipped in the air, landing with an elegant thump. Aang charged her, but a Dai Lee landed in front of me, putting another barricade in front of the princess and me. Aang slammed through, swiping the agent out of his way, and smashing the two chairs with air.

While Aang chased Azula, Sokka was suddenly at my side, slashing at the cuffs with his sword. When I free, I grabbed him into another hug.

"That's new," I commented, nodding at his sword.

"You like it?" he asked. "I made it myself."

I laughed, and hugged him again. Azula flew over us, followed by the Dai Lee, Aang, and Toph, so Sokka helped me up, and we chased after them.

I pulled out my fans, and revelled in the fact that they actually expected me to help them with this war. Aang shouted something about Azula being too quick as we swerved around a corner, passing Jaang in the process.

"Sam?" he questioned.

"Later Jaang!" I shouted over my shoulder, giving him a salute. "I'll take my tea later!"

Toph pinned a Dai Lee guy into a metal beam, and I gaped. "When'd you leard to do that?" I asked.

"Not now," Sokka scolded, grabbing my hand, and making me come to a halt. "Wait, Aang. Don't you see what she's doing? She's just playing with us. She's not even trying to win this fight."

"Not true," Azula defended. "I'm giving it my all."

"You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!" Toph shouted, pointing an accusing finger.

"Um, right, I think your friend just said that, genius," Azula stated, rolling her eyes. "And since you can't see, I'll tell you, I'm rolling my eyes.

I glared, and stepped forward, but Sokka held me back. "I've been wanting to slam your face against the wall ever since I got here," I spat.

"She's just baiting you again," Sokka said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Okay, so what do we do?" Aang asked. "Just ignore her?"

"We don't have a choice," Sokka sighed. "We just have to get out of here, and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow."

"I know where he is," I said, glaring at the ground. "His throne room was right down the hall from where I was staying."

They nodded, and we turned to walk away.

"It's a trap," Azula called. "Do you really think Sam would be here all this time, and not do anything? She didn't even warn you about our knowledge. She's a fire bender. She's the legend that will bring us victory in this war."

I turned with a glare, and stomped towards her. "I've been trapped in this demon hole for months because of you monsters. Don't you even try to play that card."

"All of us?" Azula smirked. "Jaang and Ming seem to be pretty close friends of yours. And should I even mention you and Zuko? That's sure to start some drama in Team Avatar."

"Ignore," Sokka snapped, leading me away.

"So...," Azula trailed. "Sokka's your name, right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time. She was convinced you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came, and she gave up on you."

Sokka had tears in his eyes, and he gripped my shoulders. "Was it her?" he demanded. "Was it Sukki?"

"I-I don't know," I admitted, shaking my head. "I never left the Palace City, I didn't-"

He pushed away from me, and rushed towards Azula, who had a smirk on her face. Toph suddenly strapped her wrist to the wall, and Sokka grabbed her by the throat.

"Where-is-Sukki?" he growled. "Where's Sukki? Answer me!"

Azula continued to smirk.

"Sokka, she won't talk," Aang told him, gripping his shoulder.

For a moment, I thought he would listen, but he turned back to the Evil Queen in Training. "Where are you keeping her?"

I gasped as I felt a wave of power go through me, and Azula grinned. "Oh," she chirped. "Sounds like they turned the fire bending back on."

She swiped her foot, and blue fire forced Sokka way. She swung up to undo her chains, and I stepped forward.

"Sounds like it," I growled, and fire surrounded her. I raised my chin, and the flames grew. I watched as the fire became white hot, and through the flickering flames, I saw look of almost panic on Azula's face. And then she leapt over the fire, swiping her feet, and making me tumble down.

"Dad's all the way at the end of the hall, then down the secret stairway on the left," she said. "I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you now." Then she smirked at me. "Especially you."

Then she ran away, and I debated on chasing after her.

"They moved him," I growled. "They moved him into the dining hall."

"I fell for it," Sokka groaned. "I used up all our time."

"It's not your fault, Sokka," Toph comforted. "Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out."

"Why did you guys come?" I asked. "I replied to that Fire Hawk you sent, and I specifically told you, 'do not carry out the invasion plan.' Why was that so hard?"

"Hawky?" Sokka asked. "He never came back!"

Before I could respond, Aang spoke up. "Maybe it's not too late. The eclipse is over... but I can face the Fire Lord any way."

"No," Sokka said. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"But I'm ready," the Avatar argued. "I came here with a job to do, and everyone's counting on me."

"The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time," Toph explained. "We thought we had surprise on our side, but we didn't. It just wasn't our day. We have Sam. What we need to do now, is go help our friends."

Aang looked down, and nodded. "I guess you guys are right."

I wrapped him up into a hug, and smiled. "Hey, you'll get another shot at this, alright?" I said, pulling back and grinning. "I'm the living legend. Whatever side I'm on, wins."

He gave a half smile, and nodded. "Alright. We'll wait. But for now, we need to find the others, and get everyone to safety."

We raced through the tunnels, Toph leading the way back to the way they'd come. When we finally made it outside, I grinned at the sight of Appa, and eagerly climbed on his back.

Before we lifted off into the sky, I sent a look at the volcano, wondering where Zuko was.

"You alright?" Sokka asked.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I nodded. "Just glad to get out of there," I smiled.

We soared above the skies, and watched on in terror as hot air balloons and flying metal contraptions rose into the sky.

We landed as Katara raced over, and Sokka stood up. "It was all a trap," he informed her. "Azula knew we were coming, and she plotted out every move." We climed down, and Katara gasped as she pulled me into a death grip. "We just have to get to the beach as fast as we can," Sokka continued. "If we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely."

An older man came up to us, and he looked like an older Sokka; it must've beent the Water Tribe siblings father.

"They've got air power, but so do I," Aang declared, and pulled out a blue glider. "I'm gonna do what I can to slow them down."

"I have so much to catch up on," I commented, as I watched the new glider curiously. "I'm Sam," I introduced to the new Water Tribe man. "Sorry we had to meet under such back circumstances."

He chuckled. "Hakoda," he nodded.

"Come on, Appa," Katara called, leaping onto the sky bison. "You and I can help too."

"I'm coming too," I told her.

"Sam, we just got you back-"

"And I'm not going to risk losing you again," I interupted, climbing into the saddle. We stared each other down for a second, before Katara huffed, and nodded. We chased after Aang, and I focused on the ballons, setting them on fire, and quickly sending them down.

"How are you doing that?" Katara shouted over the wind.

"I'll explain later," I called, making an engine explode under my gaze.

Appa's saddle caught fire, and I focused on putting it out before doing anything else. "We can't keep this up," I called.

"There are too many of them," Katara agreed.

"Let's join the others," Aang called, swerving out of the way of a fire ball.

We raced to the others, and landed right as Sokka was ordering to find cover. Toph pulled out a rocky roof, blocking us from the impact of bombs. She had to add support beams as the blasts continued, but we stayed safe. Whent the attacks stopped, we exited our safe haven to watch the fleet retreat.

"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara asked.

"They're headed for the beach," I whispered, and the others got a look of panic.

"They're gonna destroy the submarines!" Aang gasped.

"How are we all gonna escape?" Sokka asked.

"We're not," a voice said behind us, and we turned to see Chief Hakuda being supported by another Water Tribe warrior.

"Then our only choice is to stand and fight," Sokka decided, slamming his fist into his hand. "We have the Avatar. We could still win."

The adults were standing side by side, and I knew what was coming.

"Yes," Hakuda agreed, "with the Avatar, we could still win; on another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."

"What?" Katara asked, reaching out to her father, and gripping his shoulders. "We can't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind."

"You're our only chance in the long run," Hakuda urged. "You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive."

Katara looked away, and another man spoke up. "The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind, and surrender. We'll be prisoners; but we'll all survive this battle."

An older man with a long white beard, and a bald head stepped up. "I've got experience with Fire Nation prisons," he said. "It's not going to be easy, but we'll get by."

"They're at the beach already!" Sokka shouted, and we watched as they dropped bombs.

"We're not running," I nodded. "It's a tactful retreat; and we need to do that now."

I let the others say their goodbyes as I waited on Appa, clutching my knees to my chest. When everyone was on board, Aang stood up.

"Thank you all, for being so brave and so strong," he spoke, his tears threatening to spill over. "I'm going to make this up to you."

We went to the skies, and after a few silent moments, Aang spoke again. "I know just the place where we can go and be safe for a while," he called over the wind. "The Western Air Temple."