The Plot for the day is...
Zuko Plot 216: 'Tis Time for Torture, Prince Zuko
Instead of being banished, Zuko was just removed from the line of succession, and drilled even harder to become a general in the war. He is still a prince, but only in name. While leading a siege, Zuko is captured by the resistance and spirited away to their secret stronghold. Surely they plan to pump him for information on the Fire Nation in order to win the war!
Zuko has been trained for years to withstand torture, his father did the training himself. Punishment for failing was always worse than what the suffering to get the information would be in the first place. So needless to say, if the fire lord can put his own son through that kind of pain (and claim to be holding back "unlike those rebel scum would do for him"), Zuko is sure he can withstand ANYTHING the Resistance can do to him!
He remains immovable and silent as he's passed through interrogators. No amount of threats from a spitfire earther named Jet, or shows of strength from a fearsome waterbender named Katara will break his will!
And then they send the Avatar…
Zuko tenses up ready for the pain and the attacks. The first two tormentors may have kept their hands to themselves and simply tried to intimidate him, but this man, Aang, had the power of ALL the elements at his disposal. Zuko is certain he will die for his country this night…
Instead of trying to scare him or attack him, Aang just… starts being weirdly nice to him? Must be an attempt to get him to drop his guard! When Zuko simple clams up more, Aang sighs and declares he didn't want to do this, but it looks like it's Time for Torture.
Zuko is tempted with sweets and delicacies, kind words and soft cute animals and it's… it's not what he was expecting. He has no defense for this??? He's not even being starved! They feed him regularly, so why is it SOO tempting to give in for the sizzling delight of fresh made cinnamon fireflakes, or the offer to cuddle with Aang's flying lemur, Momo. Or a ride on Appa the flying bison!?
It doesn't help that… when trying to be spiteful Zuko spat the most innocuous secret he could think of, about his father's shoe size no less, Aang still gave him the reward? It.. it just doesn't make sense! What is WRONG with these people!? They'll never win a war like this! Why aren't they ACTUALLY torturing him!?
Zuko gets so frustrated he inexplicably tries to torture HIMSELF just to show Aang how to do it and Aang panics and stops him from hurting himself. "We don't want to HURT you! Violence only begets violence! We just want to know how to end this war peacefully."
"B-but that doesn't make SENSE!?"
Aang feels so bad for Zuko and starts taking him out of his cell to mingle with the rest of the resistance under the guise of "more torture", Zuko is torn because now he's getting to KNOW these people and they're all so nice to him? But he was a GENERAL! he was leading armies to attack and kill them! Even his own FATHER isn't this kind to him! WHY would his enemies be!?
It starts getting harder and harder to even remember they ARE enemies, until Zuko ends up getting inexplicably rescued by his Sister's elite team and brought back to the Caldera to be grilled and punished for any secrets he revealed and letting himself get captured in the first place.
Zuko finally realizes how bad things are when he returns and after seeing the alternative he simply can't condone this war any more. He turns traitor and steals away into the night back to the resistance. This time, he's willing to help! The war will be over soon, he will make sure of that.
Let me know if you write it~!