"what happened? You literally had him in your hands!" Y/n said angrily.

"Just shut up and help me open the door!" Zuko said sourly.

Just like when they arrived, three of the old sages came and together they shot fire at the door, but this time, it didn't open.

"Why isn't it working! It's sealed shut!" Zuko yelled out to the sages as Y/n approached the door, running a hand across the intricate patterns.

"It must have been the light!" Y/n overheard one of the sages say, "Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside"

Y/n let out a groan as Zuko walked up to her, "I feel so weird without my spear" she took her hand off the door and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Why do you use it?" He said in his usual angry tone, "You can fire bend, weapons are unnecessary"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm all talk and no show" she said revealing her secret with a bit of embarrassment, "words are powerful alone, but when you pair them up with a blade, then it gets people talking sooner"

"H-have you ever--"

"No" she saved him the word, "your father orders for me to do it all the time, but I can't, I change it to invade, never attack" she let out a small laugh, "one day he's going to catch up with all the changes I do and, I don't know, kick me out of the army"

"You're not afraid of my father?" Zuko asked.

Y/n thought about it before giving the answer he wanted to hear, "yeah, I mean everyone is"

"Then why do you go against him? He won't kick you out of the army Y/n, he'll hurt you and kick you out of the fire nation! Just like he did to me!" He yelled out.

Not wanting to press on about the subject she sighed, "just watch and learn" she walked up to the sages, who held one of their own, which Y/n assumed helped the Avatar get in, "what!" She paused for a dramatic effect, "happened here?" She looked around at all five sages with a raised eyebrow, "how did the Avatar get in? Aren't you supposed to protect the temple!" She stopped right in front of the prisoner sage, "I suppose it was all you, hm?"

"Yes! It was him indeed, Commander L/n!" Another sage answered.

"Thank you" she said walking back to Zuko and whispering, "your turn"

Zuko nodded and walked forward, "now tell me, why did you help the Avatar!"

The old man replied with, "because it was once the Sage's duty, and it is still our duty"

Someone started to slow clap. It wasn't Zuko and it wasn't Y/n. It wasn't any of the Sages nor the Avatar's friends.

Zuko and Y/n looked back to see Zhao, clapping slowly and behind him, a whole army. Y/n made a move as to grab her spear, forgetting it was missing, giving Zhao a glare instead.

"What a heartfelt performance" Zhao stopped clapping and moved forward, "I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him" and of course cause he was Zhao, he didn't stop speaking, "Prince Zuko and Miss L/n, it was a noble effort, but your little smoke screen didn't work. Three traitors in one day. The Fire Lord will be pleased" he signaled for three soliders to step forward to capture them.

However Y/n moved away and glared at the solider who was about to take a hold of her, causing him to stop.

"Shut up, Zhao! I'm no traitor! I'm--"

"Nobody." Zhao finished her sentence, "nothing, that's what you are without your little toy stick, aren't you?"

The guard took her and she struggled against his grip.

"I had a little chat with your father, Y/n." He said grabbing her attention as she quit struggling and listened, "he isn't very happy about you joining the banished Prince here," he gestured at Zuko, "in fact he asked me to deliver a message to you on his behalf, "he cleared his throat," he said, 'if you want to hang around a banished Prince, then you might as well be banished along with him.'" he took a step towards her, "Banished from the Fire Nation," he took another, "and stripping you from the title of Commander" he now stood directly in front of her, "giving it to me, so it's Commander Zhao now" he leaned into her ear, "and like I said, you are nothing"

That was like being stabbed in the heart, being Commander was her pride, sure she had it coming, but she never realized how badly it actually hurt, how badly she actually cared about the title. Zhao was right, without her spear and title of Commander, she wasn't anyone, just some banished girl.

Zhao stood up straight to see her stunned face, he wore a smug smile, "let me state this again, three traitors in one day" he looked at Y/n, "I've dealt with you for so long!" He said raising his hand, "I've been waiting to slap the annoyance out of you for three years--" he said lowering his hand with full force, ready to make impact with Y/n's face.

"You're too late anyway, Zhao!" Zuko's voice echoed through the temple, making Zhao stop his action, "the Avatar is already inside, and the doors are shut!"

"No matter. Sooner or later, he has to come out" he said, "chain them up"

The soliders did as told and chained Zuko and Y/n against a pillar. The room was quite as they waited for the doors to open.

"Y/n" Zuko said quietly, "are you ok?"

Y/n turned to look at his golden eyes with her e/c eyes, "I suppose" she looked at the floor then back at him, "by the way, thank you"

"For wha--"

"Don't play dumb, Zuko, you know what you did" she said looking back at the floor.

Zuko indeed recognized why he was being thanked. He intentionally told Zhao about the Avatar and closed doors to prevent him from hitting Y/n. She didn't deserve it, she was probably already feeling pain internally, she had just had everything taken from her, she was like him now, but that didn't mean she had to feel external pain either. He of all people knew, after all had experienced both at the same time, and he didn't want her to go through the same thing.

"No, what I mean is..." He closed his eyes as said, "your gonna be ok" he opened them to see Y/n's e/c orbs looking at him with a small smile, "we'll get the Avatar and return home together, we'll be welcomed back and they'll regret banishing us in the first place

"Thank you, Zuko" she said, "you're right, we'll get through this together"

Like the previous two times, soliders stood in a line, ready to blast the door, but instead of five soliders, this time it was Zhao's entire army.

"When the doors open, unleash all of your fire power!" Zhao instructed as the door began to glow.

It was a bright white light, it was so bright that Zuko And Y/n had to look away, struggling to free themselves.

"Ready..." Zhao called out.

"No Aang!" The girl yelled from her pillar.

"FIRE!"

All of the fire was directed at the opening doors, however someone from inside the room manipulated it around into what looked like a fire storm.

"Avatar Roku!" They heard the old sage say.

Avatar Roku redirected the fire back at them, melting the chains.

"Come on, Y/n!" Zuko grabbed her hand and took the moment to escape, running down the stairs and out of the Temple, pulling Y/n behind him, onto the boat and off the Island.
×××××××××
"No Avatar! No spear!" Y/n ranted as the crew pulled the boat onto the ship, "well at least I can be Captain of this ship"

"No way, this is my ship! I'm Captain!" Zuko replied.

"Fine, I'll let you be Co-Captain" she yawned.

Getting off the boat, a wave of tiredness hit them both as they realized they hadn't had a wink of sleep in two days.

"Commander--"

"It's Captain L/n, now" she corrected the crew member.

"Uh, Captain, where would you like us to go?" He asked.

She looked at Zuko, "what do you think?"

"I expect the ship is repaired?" He asked.

"Yes Prince" he did a little bow to Zuko.

"Then just keep heading North" he waved the member off.

Then Y/n realized something and started heading upstairs before her hand was pulled back by Zuko.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"We can follow them, I'm expecting for them to leave on a flying bison, we'll just follow it" she said pulling her hand out if Zuko's.

"I said head North" Zuko said, "we need to rest, we haven't slept in two days! I'm sure we can pick up their trail again"

"The Prince is right, Captain" Iroh came over to them, "it's ok Y/n I'll tell the crew to keep an eye out for the flying bison."

She looked between Zuko and Iroh, and her tiredness won over as she nodded her head, "ok, thank you Iroh"

And the two teenagers turned to go to their separated rooms and finally catch up on their much needed rest.