To Find Ursa

Zuko took a deep breath and opened the door to his father's prison cell. The once clean-cut, blazingly confident man now resembled a poor beggar. He lay in the corner of his cell and his hair was greasy. Zuko recoiled at the pungent odor, and Ozai barely glanced toward his son.

"I should count myself lucky," he grumbled. "The new Firelord has graced me with his presence in my lonely prison cell."

"You should count yourself lucky that the Avatar spared your life."

Ozai sniffed.

"Banishing me was the best thing you could've done for my life. It put me on the right path," Zuko told him. "Perhaps your time in here could do the same for you."

Ozai's eyes narrowed. "Why are you really here?"

"Because you're going to tell me something." Zuko leaned down and said forcefully, "Where is my mother?"

His father frowned slightly. "Why don't you ask your sister?"

Zuko's eyes widened. "Azula knew?"

Ozai looked away and nodded. Zuko's fist clenched. "She's gone." Ozai's eyes widened for a second.

"Is she?"

"Dead," Zuko's voice was flat.

"Pity. You'll never know."

Zuko's eyes flared and he yelled, "Where is she?"

Ozai grimaced. "Why should I tell you? What's in it for—" Zuko cut him off angrily,

"You're in no position to bargain. You're my prisoner." He stared into the twin abysses of his father's eyes and took a deep breath. "Now tell me what Azula knows."

His father rolled his eyes and then glared at Zuko. "That boy you befriended in Ba Sing Se," he began.

"Jet? You knew about—"

"Azula knew, of course. She found out when she was leading the Dai Li—with Longfang's connection to Jet's brainwashing at Lake Laogai."

"Lake Laogai," Zuko murmured, recalling the day he set Appa free and abandoned his persona of the Blue Spirit. "But Jet's dead."

"Not quite," Ozai mumbled. "He's in a prison in the Earth Kingdom."

"He can't be in there still."

"Azula saw to it that he would be kept there, secretly, so that he couldn't help the Avatar fight us, so I assume he's still there. Now, please, let me rot in peace," he groaned.

"What does Jet have to do with my mother?"

His father coughed. "He stole something of hers."

Zuko frowned. "What was it?"

Ozai shrugged.

"How—"

"It was from our house on Ember Island."

Zuko nodded thoughtfully, and made his way towards the door, then spun back around on his heel. "How can I find the prison?"

Ozai heaved another sigh and closed his eyes. "I'm not sure."