They were pushed into a large room, a king and guard standing by the throne. Azara looked up at the king in surprise as she was forced to kneel in front of him by the guards.

"Your majesty, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages," a guard listed as the cabbage merchant jumped forwards.

"Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!" he demanded, waving his fists in the air as Azara raised an eyebrow at him.

"Silence! Only the king can pass down judgement. What is your judgement, sire?" the guard asked, holding a hand up to the merchant. The king stared at the group, contemplating for a moment as Azara stared nervously up at him.

"Throw them . . . a feast!" the king announced, as everyone in the room exchanged confused expressions. They were led into an equally grand dining room, each taking a seat along a long table piled with various dishes.

"The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like your chicken with no skin," the king stated as he grabbed a chicken leg from in front of Aang.

"Thanks, but I don't eat meat," Aang replied as the king turned to Sokka.

"How about you? I bet you like meat," the king smiled as he shoved the chicken leg into Sokka's mouth. The king takes his seat at the head of the table as Azara stares down at her plate, unsure of what to say in this situation. "So, tell me, young bald one, where are you from?"

"I'm from . . . Kangaroo Island!" Aang lied.

"Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hopping," the king stated as an awkward silence fell over the group. Sokka suddenly burst out laughing as his friends turned to him with confused expressions on their faces.

"What? It was pretty funny," he shrugged as Azara shook her head.

"Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay," the king trailed off, leaning to the side. Suddenly, he sat up, sending two chicken legs through the air, one directed at Aang and another at Azara. Aang caught his in a small air bubble as Azara burned the chicken leg before it could hit her.

Azara's eyes widened in surprise as she lowered her arm sadly, knowing that her identity was now revealed to everyone. "There's an airbender and firebender in our presence, and not just any benders. The Avatar! And Princess Azara of the Fire Nation!" the king accused as he stood up. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Pippinpaddleopsicopolis?"

"Okay, you caught us. I'm the Avatar. Doing the Avatar thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out," Aang smiled sheepishly, moving to look under the table. "No firebenders here. Well, except for Azara, but she's good. Verified." Aang wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they wore identical nervous smiles. "So, good work, everyone!" Aang pulled Katara and Sokka into the hug, the group moving to leave. "Love each other, respect all life, and don't run with your spears. We'll see you next time!"

The guards behind them interlocked their spears, preventing them from leaving. "You can't keep us here! Let us leave!" Katara demanded as the king looked at her weirdly.

"Lettuce leaf?" the king asked, picking up a lettuce leaf and chewing it loudly.

"We're in serious trouble. This guy is nuts," Sokka whispered as the king finished eating.

"Tomorrow, the Avatar will face three deadly challenges. But, for now, the guards will show you to your chamber," the king announced, as the guard next to him looked confused.

"My liege, do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?"

"The newly refurbished chamber," the king clarified, turning to the guard.

"Wait, which one are we talking about?" the guard asked again as Azara and Katara shared confused looks.

"The one that used to be the bad chamber, until the recent refurbishing, that is. Of course, we've been calling it the new chamber, but we really should number them. Uh, take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!" the king ordered as the guards started to lead them away.

"We're screwed," Azara sighed as they were pushed down the hall. Facing a blank wall, one of the guards stepped forwards, bending a door through the wall. They were pushed inside before the wall was shut behind them, effectively trapping them in the room.

"This is a prison cell? But it's so nice," Katara commented as Azara turned to examine the room. Four rock beds formed a circle, a banner with the Earth Kingdom symbol in front of each one.

"He did say it was recently refurbished," Azara shrugged, moving to sit on one of the beds.

"Nice or not, we're prisoners!" Sokka pointed out, throwing his hands in the air.

"I wonder what these challenges are going to be," Aang mentioned, looking worried at the thought of the challenges.

"We're not sticking around to find out. There's got to be some way out of here," Katara stated, stepping forwards with a determined look on her face.

"The air vents!" Aang suggested, pointing at the small holes in the wall.

"If you think we're going to fit through there, you're crazier than that king!" Sokka snapped as Aang walked over to inspect the hole.

"We can't, but Momo can!" Aang replied, turning to Momo, who was licking lazily at a half-eaten apple on one of the beds. "Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us out of here." Aang picked up the lemur, whose stomach was protruding from eating so much, and walked towards the hole, pushing him in headfirst. "Go on, boy, get Appa!"

"Eh, how was Appa supposed to save us anyway?" Sokka sighed, as Momo tried to pull himself from the hole.

"Appa's a ten ton bison; I think he could figure something out," Aang replied as Momo gave up, his legs dangling.

"Well, no use in getting worked up over this. Since we're stuck here, might as well use the time to catch up on some sleep," Azara suggested, motioning towards the other beds. Bidding each other good night, the group settled in and started to drift off. Azara laid on her back as her eyelids fluttered closed, the call of sleep finally breaking through.

Azara stood alone in her childhood bedroom in the Fire Nation Palace. She was young again, probably only five or so. Looking around in confusion, Azara whipped around as the door slammed open, revealing her mother. "Mom?" Azara gasped out, stepping forwards.

"We have to leave, now. Before they find us!" Ursa yelled, grabbing Azara's hand and dragging her out of the room. As they ran through the long hallways, Azara could hear shouting and footsteps behind them.

"Mom, what's going on?" she whimpered as her mother opened the doors to another room. Ursa quickly locked the door behind them as Azara locked eyes with younger versions of Zuko and Azula. Instead of fighting, as they normally did, they were huddled together, fear plastered on their faces.

"Stay here and be quiet, and know that I love you," Ursa sighed, pulling her three children into a tight hug as the sound of shouting men drew closer.

"Mom, what's happening?" Azara asked again as Ursa got up and left the room without another word. Azara moved to follow her mother, but Zuko grabbed the back of her shift and dragged her under the bed with him and Azula.

"We have to be quiet," Zuko warned as Azara stared out from underneath the bed. Azula was laying against the wall, silent tears dribbling down her still chubby cheeks as Zuko kept his hold on Azara's arm. The sound of a loud bang made Azara nearly scream if Zuko hadn't pulled her back.

"I won't give you them, Ozai!" Ursa screamed, causing Azara to hold her hands over her ears. There was a flash of light then silence. Something heavy dropped to the floor outside. Azara held her breath as Zuko pulled her and Azula into a tight embrace, the siblings shivering in fear.

The door slammed open and the sound of heavy footsteps filled the air. Azara held her breath when suddenly something latched onto her foot and yanked her out from under the bed. Screaming, Azara stared up in fear at her father, whose face was twisted into an ugly grin. "Found you, Azara," he cackled as Azara stared out the door. She could see her mother's crumpled figure on the ground and screamed at the sight. "You're next," her father hissed, before flames licked at her face.

Azara let out a scream, sitting up straight and she tried to control her breathing. Sweat dribbled down her back as she curled into a ball, tears dribbling down her cheeks. Azara jumped again when someone reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Azara, you're alright, you're okay," a voice soothed as Azara flinched away from the hand. "Shh, it's me, Sokka. I'm not going to hurt you," Sokka whispered calmly. Azara slowly relaxed as she allowed Sokka to pull her into a quiet embrace. "It's okay. No one's going to hurt you, you're safe." Azara took another shaky breath as she wiped the tears away from her cheeks. Her muscles finally relaxed enough for her to lean into Sokka's chest.

"Thanks," Azara stammered out, closing her eyes for a moment to keep calm.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sokka offered, causing Azara to shake her head instantly. "It's okay, we don't have to." Azara pulled away from Sokka, looking at her hands.

"Sorry for waking you up," she stated sheepishly, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled, reassuringly, still staring at her with concern. "Good night, Azara."

"Good night, Sokka," Azara returned, laying down, wide awake. She could hear Sokka return to his bed and drift off back to sleep, but she knew that she would not. She had had nightmares before, right after her mother had disappeared and the first few weeks of Zuko's banishment. These nightmares, however, were worse than the others she had dealt with before.