Y/N's POV

          If he spills, even more Fire Nation troops will go after the Avatar. The words floated through Y/N's brain lazily. She had been hit hard on the head more than once, and was struggling to stay fully conscious. They won't have any regard for my sibling's safety. If anyone but Zuko catches them, they could be dead. 

          Y/N balled her fingers into fists, managing to lift up her head to look up at Zuko, who was up on his feet in a flash, eyes wide.

          "Y/N." Was the first word that came out of his mouth. Weird. The name looked strange on his lips. 

          "You beat up my uncle's custodian? That's a cruel, even for you." He spat, composing himself and glaring at Zhao. 

          "You can drop the act. Your crew told us all about her. I've heard she's quite the bender, despite her looks." The commander looked down at Y/N, then back at Zuko.

          "This is none of your concern. Let her go." Zuko demanded, his fingers balled into fists. 

          "Oh? Why so agitated? You seem to care about the well-being of this waterbender." Zhao laughed, signaling to the guards. They roughly grabbed Y/N's arms, holding her upright. Her body screamed at her, but she bit her tongue, glaring defiantly. 

          "We have a pact. Until both sides are upheld, she is an ally. Let. Her. Go."

          "It seems this might be easier than anticipated." Zhao lit up his palm with a hot flame, ignoring Zuko's words and carefully holding it close to Y/N's neck. The intense heat already hurt, but Y/N kept her mouth shut, afraid of screaming. 

          "Stop!" Zuko yelled, moving forward, but two guards behind him held him back. Iroh now stood as well.

          "Stop this, Zhao." He commanded, warily watching the guards around him. Y/N felt the flame get closer, and she resisted the urge to struggle.

          "I'll ask you this nicely, Prince." Zhao said slowly with a smile. "Have you found the Avatar, and where is he?"

          "Don't say anything." Y/N cut in, her voice sounding worse than it felt. She spat blood onto Zhao's shoes, coughing weakly. Her burns felt like they were still on fire, and her entire body ached. Keeping her head up was a lot of work, just the thought of trying to wrestle free made her feel like passing out.

          "Shut your mouth." Zuko hissed quickly. "He will not hesitate to kill you."

          "Don't give him what he wants." Y/N then spat blood at Zuko, but over his shoulder. 

          "I can ask again." Zhao offered, holding the flame close enough where it began to sizzle, the smell of burning flesh quickly filling the room. Y/N bit her tongue so hard she thought she might bite it off.

          "Stop! Stop it! I'll tell you!" Zuko roared, struggling violently against the guards to the point where a third had to help. Zhao didn't move his hand, looking at him expectantly. "I had him in my custody, but he escaped. I don't know where he is."

          "...I already knew, but the confirmation always helps. Your lack of leads is disappointing, though. That was certainly fun." Zhao smirked, putting out the fire and signaling for the guards to drop Y/N. She hit the ground hard, but anger fueled her movements now.

          "You roll over so easily?!" She rasped, attempting to stand to swing at Zuko, but fell over. My siblings are going to die in the hands of  a psychopath commander.

          "Prince Zuko, I believe your ship is ready. My search party is ready, once I leave you may be free to go." Zhao waved dismissively at Zuko. "I heard that a lot of facilities are running low on waterbenders. We'll send them a new recruit." He signaled to his guards, who picked up Y/N to carry her out.

          "Are you worried about me stopping you?" Zuko asked quickly, and Zhao turned to look at him, signaling to the guards to wait. 

          "You? Stop me? Impossible. You cannot compete with me. I have hundreds of warships at my disposal, and you? You're just a banished prince. No home, no allies. Your own father doesn't even want you." Y/N's eyes widened at that, her eyebrows furrowing.

          "You're wrong. Once I deliver the Avatar to my father he will welcome me home with honor, and restore my place on the throne." Zuko shot back.

          "If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or no. In his eyes, you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."

          "That's not true."

          "You have the scar to prove it." 

          "Maybe you'd like one to match!"

          "Is that a challenge?" 

          "An Agni Kai. At sunset." Zuko smirked, still held back by guards. "If I lose you can take the waterbender."

          "The waterbender was never a part of this." Zhao growled.

          "Afraid to lose a prize to show to your superiors? If I win, Y/N leaves with me." Zuko waited, and Zhao huffed, turning away from him. Zuko shook free of the guards as they left to follow their commander.

          "Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your uncle will do." Zhao quickly left, and the guards stood to the side, still holding Y/N. 

          "Get her medical attention, and bring her to the fight at sundown." Zuko told the guards, looking down at her.

          "You're an idiot." Y/N commented in a raspy voice. Zuko looked at her for a moment, his expression hardening.

          "In some aspects, maybe so."

                             —|〰️〰️〰️|—

          "I've only heard of Agni Kais, but I didn't think it would be so dramatic." Y/N leaned against the railing of the small arena. "Then again, dramatic seems to run in the blood of all firebenders. Geez, I wonder what the girls are like."

          The sky was already red from all the smoke, but the setting sun added a bloody element to it. It was pretty, in a strange way, but Y/N was also getting sick of inhaling smoke and fumes all the time. She didn't have to wear a huge coat, but she was definitely missing home already.

          She couldn't even imagine living in a place like this, or any Fire Nation facility.

          "Rather sassy for being so recently recovering. You couldn't stand a few hours ago." Zuko commented, stretching. Y/N shrugged, gingerly touching the worst burn, the one on her neck. 

          "I'm a fast healer." She yawned, putting her chin on her arms, letting the railing take her weight. "I'm ready to watch you kick his face in whenever. Didn't the oh so great Commander Zhao agree on sundown? He's late."

          "Why the confidence in me? You haven't even seen Zhao fight." Zuko growled, leaning against the railing a few feet away from her. 

          "I can't do anything but trust you at this point." Y/N pointed out. "Despite the commander's flattering words, yes, I'm a waterbender, but nothing to write home about. I'm surrounded by guards, and can only take out about 10 of them before they incapacitate or kill me." She kicked a rock across the sand, seriously trying to find another way to get out of this.

          "You've had no choice but to trust me for awhile now." Zuko noticed a figure approaching the arena in the distance.

          "I could've jumped overboard, although it would complicate things." Y/N smiled a little. "I kinda thought about it a few times."

          "You should've. It would have been a lot easier that way." Zuko growled, pushing off the railing to go meet Zhao. 

          They met in the middle of the courtyard, staring at each other and exchanging heated words too quiet for Y/N to hear. They took their places, and Y/N moved so she was closer to Zuko's side, where he crouched, back towards Zhao. Iroh stood next to his nephew.

          "Remember your basics, Zuko. They are your greatest assets." He counseled, watching as Zuko stood, the cloak that was draped over his shoulders  sliding off. Zhao did the same, both staring at each other intensely. 

          We need drums or something to add to the dramatic suspense. Y/N thought with a small smile, resisting the urge to start pounding on the railing to put her idea into action. 

          You better win, fireboy, or I'll slit your throat myself.