Previously on Open Your Mind:

"Whoo!" The three friends yelled as the mail cart Xiaodan, Aang and Bumi were sitting in raced down the chute, laughing and cheering even when they crashed into the cabbage merchant's cart again, just like old times.

Xiaodan kneeled beside Katara, folding one of the bedrolls while the dark-haired girl folded the other one. Aang was lounging on a thick root of a downed tree, his hands behind his head while he listened to the relaxing sound of the water trickle from under the rock they had camped on and into the tiny stream. Momo suddenly appeared and flew towards the white-haired girl, landing on her shoulder and curling his tail around her neck, Sokka walking not far behind. Once the older Water Tribe sibling reached the flat rock they had camped on the other night, he kneeled in front of his sister and Xiaodan, opening the drawstring bag in his hand.

"Great you're back!" Aang commented happily as he jumped from the root and landed between the siblings, "What's for dinner?"

"We've got a few options." Sokka replied, reaching into the bag and pulling out a nut, "First round nuts and some kind of oval shaped nuts and some rocked shaped nuts that might just be rocks."

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow and folded her hands in her lap, swatting Momo away from her when he started eating her hair, then she watched Sokka continue to dig in the bag after tossing what looked like a rock over his shoulder, which Momo looked at curiously after finishing the leaf he'd been eating.

"Dig in." The young man said, smiling at the others proudly after emptying the bag.

"Seriously," Katara asked, looking at the nuts in her hands then at her brother, "What else ya got?"

Sokka frowned and dug into the sack while Xiaodan sighed quietly and looked at Momo, who had picked up the rock Sokka tossed over his shoulder and tap it against the boulder he was sitting near. The white-haired girl watched the lemur slam the pebble against the larger rock when a loud BOOM startling the lemur, the four teens, and Appa.

"What was that?" Sokka demanded, looking over his shoulder in the direction of the noise.

Xiaodan's eyes narrowed and she saw Momo dropped the pebble on the rock out of the corner of her eye as the four friends got to their feet.

BOOM!

Momo chittered and leapt onto the root Aang had been laying on early, his ears pinned back.

"It's coming from over there!" Aang said excitedly, pointing in the direction of the noise.

Xiaodan jumped off the rock and started running towards the noise, Katara and Aang right on her heels, leaving Sokka kneeling on the rock.

"Shouldn't we run away from huge booms not toward them?" Sokka demanded as he waved his arms over his head only to groan when Momo flew after the other three teens.

Xiaodan, Aang, and Katara peered over a fallen log, looking at the source of the loud noises. The white-haired girl smirked slightly when she saw Momo land on Aang shoulder then Sokka appeared on her right side. Xiaodan turned back to the source of the noise and gave a low whistle as she and her friends watched a young man use Earthbending to slam a large boulder into the side of the small ravine he was in, the loud booming sound reaching their ears when the boulder connected with the ravine wall.

"An Earthbender." Katara whispered in awe.

"Let's go meet him!" Aang suggested eagerly, smirking over at Katara.

"He looks dangerous, we better approach cautiously." Sokka warned ineffectively from beside Xiaodan.

"Too late for that." Xiaodan muttered and flicked her fingers towards where Katara was now standing a few feet from the mysterious Earthbender.

"Hello there!" The young Waterbender called out, "I'm Katara. What's your name?"

Xiaodan watched as the boy looked back, his expression becoming worried as the boulder he'd been raising dropped back to the ground and he turned around. The boy ran down the ravine and jumped, lifting his arms briefly which caused a bunch of boulders to fall into the ravine and block the path behind him.

"Nice to meet you!" Aang shouted as he, Sokka, and Xiaodan approached Katara.

"Well, that could have gone better." Xiaodan quipped in amusement from her spot beside Sokka, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked to where the boy had run to.

"I just wanted to say 'hi.'" Katara muttered with a confused shrug of her shoulders.

"Hey!" Aang exclaimed suddenly, "That guy's gotta be running somewhere, maybe we're near a village? And I bet that village has a market."

"Which means no nuts for dinner!" Katara finished Aang's thoughts excitedly and the two younger members of the foursome ran in the same direction the enigmatic Earthbender had run in.

"Hey!" Sokka protested, crossing his arms over his chest, "I worked hard to get those nuts."

Xiaodan patted Sokka's shoulder empathetically before following after Aang and Katara while Momo flew over Sokka's head with a soft chitter.

Sokka's shoulders slumped and he trailed after the other three, "Yeah, I hate 'em too."

Xiaodan looked around the small village curiously then smiled when she saw Aang holding a straw hat in his hands.

"Great hat," The bald boy said with a grin, "I'll trade you some nuts for it."

The white-haired girl shook her head at her little brother and turned to look at Katara, only to see the dark-haired girl head towards a shop across the street. Glancing over her shoulder and seeing Sokka and Aang occupied, Xiaodan followed after the young Waterbender into the shop.

"Hey, you're that kid." Katara said as soon as she entered the shop while Xiaodan slipped past her and walked further into the shop and leaned against the wall near the window.

The white-haired girl watched as the mysterious boy from before turned around with a small gasp of surprise.

"Why did you run away before?" Katara asked, gesturing slightly with her hands to express her confusion.

"Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid." The boy stated, looking away from Katara as Sokka and Aang entered the shop through the still open door.

"No she doesn't." Aang said, stepping forward so he was standing beside Katara, "We saw you Earthbending."

The boy and the older woman that was obviously his mother gasped and suddenly rushed forward.

"Whoa!" Xiaodan squeaked quietly and moved to stand next Aang when the woman darted past her to slam the door then the window closed.

"They saw you doing what?" The boy's mother demanded, looking away from the small crack in the window and towards her son.

"They're crazy, Mom," The boy tried to defend himself then gestured towards the four, "I mean look at how their dressed."

Xiaodan snorted when Aang started adjusting his hat while Sokka and Katara looked at their Water Tribe clothes self-consciously.

"You know how dangerous that is!" The woman scolded her son in a fearful tone, completely disregarding what he said a moment ago, "You know what would happen if they caught you Earthbending!"

"What would happen? Xiaodan asked curiously, "And whose 'they?'"

"Open up!" A male voice demanded from outside followed by the sound of the person banging on the door.

The mother and son tensed while Sokka moved over to the window and opened the blinds slightly.

"Fire Nation!" He hissed, closing the slats quickly, "Act natural."

Xiaodan moved over to the shelves on the left side of the store and pretended to examine the shelves while Aang leaned against a barrel next to her, Katara ate a berry from a bowl of berries, and Sokka and Haru examined an apple.

"Oh yeah, that looks natural." Xiaodan murmured just as Haru's mother opened the door and a large man in the Fire Nation military uniform stepped into the store and looked around, observing the five teenagers.

Xiaodan winced when the lid of the barrel Aang was leaning against flipped, causing him to lose his balance and fall against the barrel.

"What do you want?" Haru's mother demanded angrily, "I've already paid you this week."

"The tax just doubled." The Fire Nation soldier said as he looked over at the woman with a sneer as fire formed between his hands, "And we wouldn't want an accident, would we?"

Xiaodan took a few steps forward so she was between the soldier and Aang, just in case.

"Fire," The man said darkly as the fire dance around between his hands before disappearing, "It's sometimes so hard to control."

Haru's hard expression faded and became a defeated one as she looked at the ground, before walking around the counter and taking out the money box. Xiaodan, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Haru all watched as Haru's mother took the small amount of money from the box and placed it in the Fire Nation soldier's hand.

"You can keep the copper ones." He sneered and dropped the copper coins on the floor as he walked out of the store.

"What a jerk." Xiaodan muttered with a scowl as walked over to help the older woman pick up the copper coins from the floor.

"Nice guy." Sokka muttered then turned to Haru and his mother, "How long has the Fire Nation been here."

"Five years." Haru's mother responded as she stood, smiling slightly in gratitude when Xiaodan placed the coins she had picked up in her calloused hand, "Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships."

"I'm really starting to dislike this guy." Xiaodan whispered to Aang after she had returned to his side, the younger Airbender nodding in agreement.

"They're thugs." Haru snapped suddenly, glaring at the floor and crossing his arms over his chest, "They steal from us and everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything about it."

"Quiet, Haru!" His mother instantly scolded, "Don't talk like that."

"But Haru's an Earthbender, he can help." Katara stated, looking at the mother and son in confusion.

"Earthbending is forbidding." The woman snapped harshly, "It's caused nothing but misery for this village. He must never use his abilities.

"How can you say that?" Katara demanded as she walked towards the young Earthbender, "Haru has a gift. Asking him not to Earthbend is like asking me not to Waterbend. It's a part of who we are."

"It's like asking someone who's right handed not to use their right hand." Xiaodan explained softly, her arms folded over her chest as she looked at the older woman.

"You don't understand." The mother said firmly with a shake of her head.

"I understand that Haru can help you fight back." Katara stated passionately, "What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?"

"They could take Haru away." Haru's mother said sadly, pressing her hand against her chest, "Like they took his father."

Xiaodan pursed her lips and furrowed her brow when she saw Haru frown and close his eyes, looking away from Katara's compassionate gaze.

"My mom said you can sleep here tonight," Haru said after leading the four friends to the barn on their farm, "But that you should leave in the morning."

"Thanks." Aang said with a smile, then gestured to Appa who was already munching on the hay in the barn, "Xia and I will make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay."

The sky bison paused in his chewing and turned to look at the teens for a moment before continue to eat the hay, as if daring the two Airbenders to try and stop him.

Xiaodan snorted and rolled her eyes at the bison, before moving sprawling on a pile of hay far from where Appa was eating. The white-haired girl quirked an eyebrow when she saw Katara walk away with Haru.

"Teenagers." The older Airbender sighed quietly with mock exasperation then snickered then made herself comfortable on the hay she was laying in.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier." Katara apologized as she and Haru walked away from the barn, "I didn't know about your father."

"That's okay." Haru said quietly, "It's funny, the way you were talking back in the store, it reminded me of him."

Katara looked down with a small smile, "Thanks."

"My father was very courageous." Haru commented, "When the Fire Nation invaded, he and the other Earthbenders were outnumbered ten-to-one, but they fought back anyway."

"He sounds like a great man." The young Waterbender complimented, giving Haru a soft smile as she followed him up small incline.

"After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other Earthbender and took them away." He explained quietly, kneeling near the edge of the small cliff they were standing on, "We haven't seen them since."

"So that's why you hide your Earthbending."

"Yeah." Haru agreed and picked up a couple of pebbles from the ground and making them move in a circle with Earthbending, "The problem is, the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practice my bending. He taught me everything I know."

Katara took a seat beside the despondent Earthbender and touched her necklace, "See this necklace? My mother gave it to me."

"It's beautiful." Haru said softly as he looked at the dark-haired girl.

"I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid." Katara looked to the side, away from Haru, "This necklace is all I have left of her."

"It's not enough, is it?" He questioned, looking back at the sunset.

"No..."

Katara and Haru watched in shock as a billow of dust exploded from the entrance to the mine.

"Help!"

"The mine!" Haru shouted rushing down the small incline towards the collapsed mine and the cry for help, Katara right at his heels.

"Help me!" An elderly man called out and tried to pull him lower body out from under the pile of dirt and rocks.

Katara gasped and quickly kneeled beside the man and began pulling while Haru put his back against supports to keep them from completely collapsing on the man.

"It's not working." Katara said, looking up at Haru, "We have to get help."

"There's no time! Pull harder!"

"Haru, there's a way you can help him." Katara pleaded as she looked up at him.

"I can't." The young Earthbender protested, his eyes showing how torn he was.

"Please!" Katara begged, "There's no one around to see you. It's the only way."

Haru looked way from the young girl and at the ground, internally debating with himself. Coming to a decision, Haru moved away from the support beams and stood in front of the mine, his feet shifting into the familiar stance. Sucking in a deep breath, the teenager twisted around then thrusted both of his fists towards the mine, Earthbending the rocks, dirt, and everything else off of the man and into the mine shaft.

"Haru, you did!" Katara stated ecstatically with a wide smile on her face.

Haru gave a small, proud smile before moving to help Katara help the old man to his feet and take him back to the village to get treatment.

"It was so brave of Haru to use his Earthbending to help that old man." Katara said softly, looking at the lamp in her hands with a fond smile.

"You must have really inspired him." Aang stated with a smile.

"I guess so."

"Everyone should get some sleep." Sokka cut in, "We're leaving at dawn."

"Joy." Xiaodan mumbled tiredly from her sprawled out form on Appa's head, next to Aang.

"Dawn?!" Katara demanded, "Can't we sleep in for once?"

"Absolutely not!" Sokka snapped, looking over his shoulder at his sister, "This village is crawling with Fire Nation troops. If they discover her, Aang, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast. Goodnight."

"I'd rather eat fireballs than nuts." Katara snipped, smirking at her brother.

"Goodnight!"

Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan giggled quietly for a few moments before the dark-haired girl blew out the lamp in her lap. Xiaodan yawned, curling up slightly and with Aang's back pressed against hers, the two Airbenders drifted off to sleep, unbeknownst of what was about to transpire.

Haru gasped as he opened the door and saw the old man he and Katara had saved earlier that day standing in front of a group of Fire Nation soldiers.

"That's him." The old man said, point at Haru, "That's the Earthbender."

The man was shoved aside by the higher ranking soldier grabbed Haru by the shoulders and yanked him from the house.

Stepping out of the barn, Katara walked over to the water pump just outside the barn to refill their water jug in preparation for their journey. Smiling slightly, the dark-haired girl Waterbending the water from the pump and into the jug then she bent down to pick it up, pausing once she straightened and saw Haru's mother looking out at the ocean.

Katara's smile faded from her face when Haru's mother turned towards her and the girl saw the tears streaming down the woman's cheeks, the clay jug falling to the ground and shattering as realization hit her.

"They took him!" Katara cried out as she pushed the barn door open, "They took Haru away."

"What?" Aang and Xiaodan chorused as they got to their feet.

"The old man turned him in to the Fire Nation." Katara exclaimed, closing her eyes and shaking her head, "It's all my fault, I forced him into Earthbending."

"Slow down, Katara." Sokka soothed, stepping towards his crying sister and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "When did this happen?"

Katara took her hand from her face and looked up at her older brother, "Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight."

"Then it's too late to track him." Sokka stated, "He's long gone."

"We don't need to track him." Katara said as she stepped away from her brother and began pacing, "The Fire Nation is going to take me right to Haru."

"And why would they do that?" Aang questioned, while Xiaodan just looked on curiously.

"Because they're going to arrest me for Earthbending."

Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan exchanged glances then looked back at the determined Waterbender standing in front of them.

With a sigh, Xiaodan stepped forward and crossed her arms over her chest, a smile tugging at her lips, "Alright, what do we have to do?"

Katara gave the older girl a grateful smile and turned to the boys to explain her plan.

"I thought you were crazy at first, Katara." Sokka stated as he, Katara, and Xiaodan rolled a large boulder over one of the mine vents in the ground, "But this might work."

"There are ventilation shafts throughout these mines," the boy explained, placing his hand on Katara's shoulder, "All Aang and Xia have to do is send an air current from that vent to this one right here. The boulder levitates and ta-da! Fake Earthbending."

"Aang did you get all that?" Katara asked, turning to look at the boy who was leaning against the rock the other vent was behind.

"Sure, sure." Aang agreed, using Airbending to play with a butterfly, "I got it."

"Do you remember your cue?" Sokka asked skeptically.

"Yeah, yeah, just relax." Aang stated, "You're taking all the fun out of this."

"By this do you mean intentionally being captured by an army of ruthless Firebenders?" Sokka asked drily, hands on his hips.

"Exactly." Aang agreed, "That's fun stuff."

Xiaodan shook her head with an amused smile and patted Katara on her arm, "Don't worry, I'll be there to keep him on track."

Katara smiled gratefully at the older girl and nodded. Xiaodan grinned widely and hurried behind the rock with Aang.

"Here they come." Sokka called out, "Get in your places."

Aang and Xiaodan quickly crouched on either side of the vent and waited for their cue, while Sokka and Katara purposefully ran into each other.

"Get out of my way, pipsqueak!" Sokka snapped in a fake angered voice, pointing at Katara's face.

"How dare you call me pipsqueak, you giant eared cretin." Katara snapped right back, causing Xiaodan to bit her bottom lip and cover her mouth with one hand to keep from giggling aloud.

"What did you call me?" Sokka demanded, glancing at the Fire Nation soldiers that were watching them with curious expressions.

"A. Giant. Eared. Cretin!" Katara said, enunciating each insult then gesturing at Sokka's ears, "Look at those things. Do herds of animals use them for shade?"

"You better back off!" Sokka yelled then leaned forward, using the back of his hand to hide his mouth as he whispered, "Seriously, back off."

"I will not back off!" Katara shouted, leaning forward to tower over Sokka, "I bet elephants get together and make fun of how large your ears are!"

"That's it! You're going down!"

"I'll show you who's boss!" Katara cried out dramatically, "Earthbending style!"

"I said, EARTHBENDING STYLE!"

Xiaodan had resorted to biting her knuckle to keep from laughing as Sokka and Katara's 'fight' progressed but she quickly released her knuckle and kicked Aang in the leg when Katara gave them their cue. The two Airbenders slammed their hands down on the vent, sending two gusts of air ventilation pipes, causing the boulder on the other vent to rise up right when Momo happened to be raising his arms.

"That lemur..." The lead soldier said in awe as he pointed at Momo, "He's Earthbending."

Xiaodan almost smacked herself in the forehead at that. She wondered if all Fire Nation soldiers had become stupid in the hundred years she and Aang had been in the iceberg.

"No you idiot, it's the girl!" Sokka snapped, gesturing to Katara with his hands and an exasperated look on his face.

"Oh," The soldier said, a blush forming on his face, "Of course."

"I'll hold her." Sokka said as he stepped behind Katara and grabbed her by the shoulders, then leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You've got twelve hours to find Haru. We'll be right behind you."

The Fire Nation soldiers grabbed Katara and started leading her away, leaving Sokka, Aang and Xiaodan to stare after her worriedly. Katara glanced back at them and saw Xiaodan give her an encouraging smile.

Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka watched the soldiers lead Katara away with worried expressions on their faces, until Sokka started tugging on his ears.

"Momo, you have some big ears." The Water Tribe boy stated, pointing at the lemur who pinned his ears against his skull.

Without even looking, Xiaodan reached behind Aang and smacked Sokka upside the head, "Leave Momo's ears alone cretin."

Sokka yelped and rubbed at his head with a pout, glaring at the white-haired girl who merely giggled behind her hand.

Katara glanced back at the harbor where she could see Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka standing amongst the villagers with straw hats covering their faces as she rode in a cart with the Fire Nation soldiers towards a Fire Nation ship at the end of the dock. The soldiers had forced her to wear a long, brown tunic that was tied with brown belt over her Water Tribe dress, apparently signaling that she was an Earthbender.

Xiaodan and Sokka looked over the edges of the saddle, keeping the prison rig in their sights while Aang steered Appa through the sky after the metal ship, which was heading towards the large rig miles from the small Earthbending village in the middle of the ocean.

"Whoa..." Xiaodan whistled lowly as Aang flew Appa closer to the prison rig, "That place looks fun."

"She'll be fine, Aang." Sokka said in an attempt to reassure the worried boy, "Katara knows what she's doing?"

"I sure hope so..." Xiaodan muttered as Aang remained silent and steered Appa back towards the village where the trio would wait until nightfall before going back to the rig and getting Katara.

"Earthbenders, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard my modest shipyard," An man in his late forty with gray hair greeted the newly arrived prisoners, his hands clasped behind his back as he stopped in front of them, "I am your Warden. I prefer to think of you, not as prisoners but as honored guests. And I hope you come to think of me as your humble and caring host."

"You will succeed here if you simply abide by-" The Warden paused when the prisoner next to Katara began to cough violently into his hands, his slightly aged face turning sour as he whirled around and set a blast of fire from his foot at the man who had coughed.

The man gasped quietly and jumped back with a cringe, only a foot or so from the edge of the metal platform they stood as he stared at the scorch mark in the metal with fearful eyes.

"What kind of guest dishonors his host by interrupting him?" The Warden demanded cruelly before waving his hand at the man, "Take him to below! One week in solitary will improve his manners."

Katara watched as the man was led away by one of the guards on the rig just as the Warden began speaking again.

"Simply treat me with the courtesy I give you," The man said sarcastically as he stopped in front of Katara and leaned closer to her, "And we'll get along famously."

The dark-haired girl glared up at him with pursed lips and the Warden smirked slightly before turning and gesturing for the guard to beginning leading them to the rest of the prisoners on the rig.

"You will notice, Earthbenders that this rig is made entire of metal. You are miles away from any rock or earth." The Warden explained smugly, "So if you have any illusions of employing that brutish savagery that passes for bending for you people. Forget them. It is impossible."

"Good day." The Warden said coldly then turned and walked away as the guards ushered the newest prisoners through the hallway that lead to where the rest of the prisoners resided, the metal doors locking them in.

Katara looked around the area with stricken blue eyes, taking in the despondent and hunched forms of the other prisoners as they either chatted softly or sat silently by themselves. The girl walked forward a few steps, eyes roving the faces of the prisoners in search of Haru.

"Katara?"

The dark-haired girl turned and relief flooded through her when she saw the young Earthbender get to his feet, dressed in the same brown tunic as she was.

"Haru!" Katara exclaimed quietly, rushing forward and hugging the older boy happily.

"What are you doing here?" Haru asked, looking at the Water Tribe girl curiously as she pulled away.

"It's my fault you were captured." Katara admitted sadly before looking at him with determination, "I came to rescue you."

The young man jolted in surprise, his green eyes widening as he looked at the girl in front of him, "So you got yourself arrested?!"

"It was the only way to find you."

"You've got guts, Katara, I'll give you that." He stated with a soft chuckle as he crossed his arms over his chest before reaching out and taking her shoulder, "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

Katara smiled and let Haru lead her to where four people were sitting in a semi-circle on the hard metal floor of the rig near the food table.

"Katara, this is my father Tyro." Haru introduced, catching the attention of a balding older man with shoulder length grey-white hair and beard, "Dad, this is Katara."

Tyro turned slightly to look at the dark-haired girl standing next to his son curiously as she bowed slightly to him.

"It's an honor to meet you." Katara stated sincerely.

Tyro smiled slightly and took one of the bowls lying beside him, holding it out to the girl.

"Have some dinner, Katara." He offered, then chuckled when he saw her eager expression turn into a disgusted one when she looked at the contents of the bowl, "It's not as bad as it looks."

Katara sat down beside the older man and put a spoonful of the 'soup' in her mouth, gagging a moment later as a blush dusted her cheeks.

"It's still pretty bad though." Tyro said with a slight smile that Katara attempted to return.

Another older man suddenly appeared and touched Tyro's shoulder, causing the man and two teens to look up at him.

"Tyro, the prisoners are complaining that there aren't enough blankets to go around." The slightly younger man informed Tyro.

"I'll talk to the guards." Tyro assured the other man, "In the meantime make sure the elderly are taken care of. The rest of us will simply have to hope for warmer weather."

Once the man had left, Katara looked over at Tyro curiously.

"If you don't mind me asking; what's your escape plan?"

Tyro quirked a brow at the young girl and uncrossed his arms, "Excuse me?"

"You know the plan to get everyone off the rig?" Katara clarified, "What is it? Mutiny? Sabotage?"

"The plan?" Tyro looked down at the floor, "The plan is to survive, wait out this war. Hope that someday some of us can get back home and forget this ever happened."

Katara looked at the older man in shock, "How can you say that?! You sound like you've already given up!"

"Katara," Tyro intoned gently, "I admire your courage and I envy your youth, but people's lives are at stake here. The warden is a ruthless man and he won't stand for any rebellion."

The man bowed head and closed his eyes, "I am sorry, but we're powerless."

Katara scowled at the metal floor, her brows furrowed before she got to her feet, "We'll see about that."

Tyro and Haru watched as the young girl climbed onto the food table and started banging on a pan lid with a spoon to the attention of the prisoners.

"Earthbenders, you don't know me but I know of you," Katara began, projecting her voice as the Earthbenders looked at her, "Every child in my Water Tribe village was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom and the courageous Earthbenders who guard its borders."

The Warden watched the young girl from his spot on top of the wall surrounding the prisoners area, holding his hand out to the stop the guard that had been about to stop the girl.

"Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless." Katara continued her speech passionately, "Yes, they have taken away your ability to bend, but they can't take away your courage. And it is your courage they should truly fear, because it runs deeper than any mine you've been forced to dig, any ocean that keep you far from home. It is the strength of your hearts that make you, who you are, hearts that will remain unbroken when all rock and stone has eroded away. The time to fight back is now! I can tell you the Avatar has returned! So remember your courage Earthbenders! Let us fight for our freedom!"

Katara's determined expression slowly morphed in a stunned one as the Earthbenders looked away from her and remained where they were, her shoulders sagging in defeat as the prisoners just carried on with what they had been doing before.

"Oof! Hurry up, Aang." Xiaodan grunted quietly as she held the younger Airbender up while he peered over the edge of the metal platform Appa was hovering beside.

The bald boy glanced around before hoisting himself onto the platform and hurrying towards prisoners' sleeping quarters with light steps so as not to alert the guards, while Xiaodan peered over the edge to watch his progress until he disappeared into one of the buildings.

Aang looked around quickly until he spotted Katara sleeping on the far side of the narrow build. The young Airbender hurried over to the slumbering Waterbender and gently shook her shoulder until she woke with a quiet gasp.

"Shh..." Aang whispered, his finger to his lips and stealthily lead her back to where Sokka and Xiaodan were waiting with Appa.

"Your twelve hours are up." Sokka said from Appa's saddle when Aang reappeared with Katara at his side, "Where's Haru? We've got to get out of here."

Aang jumped onto Appa's and Xiaodan passed him the reins then climbed into the saddle beside Sokka.

"I can't." Katara admitted softly, looking at her brother with slightly pleading eyes.

Sokka ignored what his sister said and held his hand out of her to take, "We don't have much time. There are guards everyone. Get on."

Xiaodan watched the dark-haired girl glance to side indecisively.

"Katara, what's wrong?" Aang asked, looking up at the girl with concern.

"I'm not leaving." Katara stated, her expression determined as the other three looked at each other in shock then back at the dark-haired girl.

"I'm not giving up on these people." Katara vowed firmly.

Xiaodan sighed and jumped onto the platform, crouching down to make it her harder see while Aang and Sokka followed her example a moment later with Katara kneeling beside the white-haired girl. Xiaodan turned slightly and kept a lookout while the other three talked.

"What do you mean, you're not leaving?" Sokka squawked quietly, giving his sister an annoyed look.

"I can't abandon these people!" Katara snapped then looked down, "There has to be a way to help them."

"Maybe she's right." Aang whispered and looked at the older boy, "What do you, Xia?"

The white-haired girl glanced over at her little brother and shrugged one shoulder, "If there's a way to save them, we have to find it. It's the right thing to do."

"I think you're all crazy." Sokka hissed before the four ducked when the light at the top of the guard tower flashed over them.

"Last chance." Sokka continued once the light had passed, "We need to leave. Now!"

"No." Katara stated unwaveringly.

"I hate when you get like this." Sokka said with a shake of his head, only for his eyes to widen slightly when the light passed over them again, "Come on we better hide."

Xiaodan waited while Aang whispered for Appa to go and Momo jumped onto his shoulder before the two Airbenders followed after the siblings, just as two guards rounded the corner.

"Tell me exactly what you saw." The Warden commanded as he turned to face two of his guards, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, sir, it looked like a flying bison." The older guard explained warily.

"What?"

"It was a giant, flying buffalo, sir." The other guard clarified in an attempt to be helpful, "With an empty saddle."

The Warden gave his subordinates a stern look, "Which was it, a buffalo or a bison?"

"Uh..." The first guard said confused as he looked at the ground, "I'm not really sure what the difference is, but that's not really the point, is it, sir?"

"I'll decide what the point is, fool!" The warden snarled then grabbed the guard and tossed him over the railing into the ocean below before turning to the remaining guard, "You! Wake up the Captain. Search the entire rig."

"Uh, sir..."

"What?!" The Warden snapped harshly.

"That was... the Captain that you just threw overboard, sir." The guard explained warily.

"Then wake up someone I haven't thrown overboard and search the rig!" The older man hissed, "There's something going on here and I don't like it."

Momo and Xiaodan peeked over one of the boxes the four friends plus the lemur were hiding behind then ducked back down and turned to the others.

"We don't have much time." Sokka stated, lifting his hands in a helpless gesture, "What are we gonna do?"

"I wish I knew how to make a hurricane." Aang muttered, causing the siblings to give him flat looks and Xiaodan to snort quietly.

"As awesome as that would be, little brother," The white-haired girl said quietly, "I don't think it would be very helpful in this situation."

"But the Warden would run away and we'd take his keys." Aang explained easily.

"Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?" Sokka asked rhetorically.

Aang looked away with a pout, "I'm just tossing ideas around."

Xiaodan patted his shoulder understandingly before looking over at Katara when the other girl began to speak.

"I tried talking the Earthbenders into fighting back, but it didn't work. If there was just away to help them help themselves."

"For that they'd need some kind of earth or some rock." Sokka stated, looking up at his sister, "Something they can bend."

"But this entire place is made of metal." Katara sighed, touching the metal floor.

Xiaodan pursed her lips and looked around, the smoking coming from the chimney stacks catching her attention.

"Wait, look at the smoke." She said, pointing at the billowing, dark clouds rising above them, "I bet there burning coal."

Aang's eyes lit up as he caught onto what his sister was saying, "And coal is a type of earth!"

The four looked up at the smoke then back at each, a plan already forming.

"It's almost dawn." Katara whispered to her brother, as they crouched beside one of the vents on the ship, "We're running out of time. You sure this is gonna work?"

Sokka crouched down beside her and nodded slightly, "It should. These vents reminded me of our little trick back at the village. We're gonna do the same thing but on a much bigger scale."

Sokka and Katara looked up at where Aang and Xiaodan stood on the narrow platform high above their heads where the three smoke stacks were located, waiting for the signal.

"There's a huge deposit of coal at the base of the silo and the whole system is ventilated. Aang and Xia closed off all the vents except one." Sokka explained quietly, "When they do their Airbending, the coal only has one place to go. Right back here."

"There's the intruder!"

Sokka and Katara jumped and moved back-to-back, Sokka pulling out his boomerang as the guards surrounded the two teens while the prisoners looked on.

"Stay back!" Sokka demanded, brandishing his weapon, "I'm warning you!"

"Katara, stop!" Tyro ordered firmly as he looked at the girl, "You can't win this fight!"

Katara's wide blue eyes met Haru's worried green ones but her attention was pulled away from the young Earthbender when the Warden suddenly appeared.

"Listen to him well, child." The Warden drawled coldly, "You're one mistake away from dying where you stand."

The guards began to close in on Sokka and Katara, causing the siblings to tense until a sudden rumbling began to come from the vent they were standing next to, causing them to look just as a geyser of coal came shooting from the vent, followed by the soot covered Aang and Xiaodan. The two Airbenders landed on the large pile of coal and started coughing, the soot falling off them.

"Here's your chance, Earthbenders!" Katara cried out as she climbed the pile of coal and held up a lump of coal, "Take it! Your fate is in your own hands."

Haru made to step forward but his father blocked his by raising his arm and the rest of the Earthbenders began to back away. The grating laughter of the Warden caused Katara to tense and slowly lower her arm. Xiaodan turned to look at the cackling man standing behind them with his arms crossed and six masked Firebenders behind him.

"Foolish girl," The man drawled mockingly, "You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces."

Xiaodan watched as Katara turned her gaze to the despondent Earthbenders in front of her, the dark-haired girl's own expression slowly falling.

"Their spirits were broken a long time ago." The Warden continued to taunt, "Oh, but you still believe in them, how sweet. They're a waste of your energy, little girl. You failed."

Xiaodan grabbed a handful of coal and rose to her feet, intent on launching the flammable earth at the Warden's retreating back in retaliation for his cruel words to her friend, when someone beat her too and the man was nail in the back of the head.

The white-haired girl grinned broadly and turned her head to see Haru glaring at the Warden, coal spinning above his hand. The Warden snarled and punched his fists towards the young man, sending a strong fire blast at him. Haru jerked backwards, but instead of feeling the searing heat of the flames, a wall of coal stood before him and the young man turned to see his father standing with his arms raised.

"Show no mercy!" The Warden commanded as his Firebenders lined up on either side of his, taking a Firebending stance then sending streams of fire at the Earthbenders.

Katara, Aang, Sokka, and Xiaodan watched a other Earthbenders joined Haru and Tyro in bending a large wall of coal up to block the flames.

"For the Earth Kingdom!" Tyro yelled as he and the other Earthbenders slammed their hands on the ground and sent the coal flying at the Firebenders, "Attack!"

The other Earthbenders quickly attacked the Firebenders, ducking the blasts and countering with fists of coal. Katara, Aang, and Xiaodan run after Sokka as he uses his boomerang to snap the non-Firebending soldiers' spears in two with his boomerang, tossing the broken spearheads up to Momo who was flying overhead.

Haru and Tyro moved a large amount of the loose coal and began to bend it into a hard, compact ball which they launched at the only entrance into the former prisoners' housing area, knocking two guards from the wall in the process.

"Get to the ship!" Tyro commanded the other Earthbenders, "We'll hold them off!"

"Do not let them escape!" The Warden shouted when he saw his former prisoners racing towards the hole in the wall and he kicked a stream of fire at them.

Xiaodan yelped slightly and ducked as the flames past over their heads as they ran towards the hole. Aang stopped and spun around, creating a funnel of wind and holding it between his hands.

"Guys! Throw me some coal!" Aang calls out to his three friends, causing Xiaodan to laugh slightly and begin to drop lumps of coal into the funnel along with Katara and Sokka, pelting the Warden and the other Firebender with the projectiles and knocking them to the ground.

Tyro and two other Earthbenders work together to lift the coal that had gathered underneath the Warden and his men, moving them away from the rig until they hovered right over the ocean.

"No!" The Warden pleaded and turned to look at Tyro, "Please, I can't swim!"

"Don't worry. I hear cowards float." Tyro growled and then drops the Firebenders into the ocean below.

"I want to thank you for saving me." Haru said as he stepped closer to Katara, who had been watching the rig shrink in the distance, "For saving us."

The young Waterbender turned to face Haru, rubbing the back of her, "All it took was a little coal."

"It wasn't the coal, Katara." Haru stated sincerely, "It was you."

The dark-haired girl blushed brightly and looked off to the side then looked up at Tyro when he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara of the Water Tribe." The older man said gratefully, "My family and everyone here owes you much."

"So, I guess you're going home now." The girl stated more than asked, looking up at Tyro with a slight smile.

"Yes, to take back my village." Tyro agreed then turned to face the other ships, "To take back all of our villages! The Fire Nation will regret the day they set foot on our land!"

The other former prisoners cheered loudly, raising their fists in the air. Katara smiled at the scene before Haru's voice suddenly grabbed her attention.

"Come with us."

Katara turned to the young man with a shake of her head, "I can't. Your mission is to take back your home. Ours is to get Aang to North Pole."

The dark-haired girl looked over at Appa, swimming alongside the ship, smiling when she saw Aang and Xiaodan sitting on Appa's head, using Airbending to keep a piece of coal away from Momo while Sokka relaxed in the saddle.

"That's him, isn't it?" Haru asked, looking over at the two Airbenders, "The Avatar?"

Xiaodan tossed the air encased piece of coal over to Aang and Momo jumped into the bald boy's lap with a chitter, causing the girl to laugh merrily. Aang hugged the lemur before lifting him up and grinning at him.

Haru glanced over at the girl standing beside him, "Katara, thank you for bringing my father back to me. I never thought I'd see him again. I only wish there was some way..."

"I know." Katara murmured, looking away and reaching up to touch her mother's necklace only for her eyes to widen in panic when she realized it's not around her neck and she began searching her body, "My mother's necklace! It's gone!"

Burning gold eyes catch sight of the familiar blue necklace lying on the coal covered floor of the rig before being picked up. Lifting his head, Zuko looks away from the necklace and at the setting sun, his scarred face set into an expression of grim determination as he clenched the necklace in his fist