The ostrich horse galloped as fast as its two legs would allow. Iroh held the unconscious Zuko with one arm and whipped the beast to go faster. He was certain they'd lost Azula by now, but stopping could prove deadly for them both.

The forest blurred by until a flash of purple made Iroh stop. The figure watched him backtrack in silence.

"Please, help! My nephew, Lee, he's hurt. Attacked by the fire nation!"

Brown eyes scanned them both. Eventually she grabbed hold of the ostrich horse and guided it to a hidden cave.

Between them both they carried Zuko to a blanket on the floor. She brought a box and placed it by his side.

"What can I do?"

She waved her hand over Zuko's chest and Iroh removed the fabric covering it.

She took one look at the damaged skin and knew what had to be done. She gave Iroh a glance.

"What is it?"

She reached into the box and took out a jar of clear goo.

"Infections," read Iroh aloud.

She gave him a nod as she opened the jar and removed her gloves. Before applying the medicine she placed a cloth between Zuko's teeth and brought Iroh and Zuko's hands together. As soon as the goo made contact with the wound, Zuko awoke with muffled screams that filled the cave.

She gave him an apologetic look.

Zuko spit out the obstacle preventing him from attacking her verbally.

"Lee, you must calm down. She is only trying to help."

"I don't need help. Get off me!"

He pushed her hands away and tried to stand up.

"Ahhhh!"

She pushed him back down forcefully. With a knife she cut open the legs of his pants to reveal a swollen, deformed left leg. Her finger pointed at a black jar.

"This one?" Iroh asked. She nodded.

Pain.

Carefully she spread the numbing ointment on the entire leg then scooted back to sit by his torso.

"Wait, that's it? You must know nothing of healing if you're not going to-"

His complaint was cut short when she once again treated the burns with the clear jelly. He gave her a sour look that she returned through narrowed eyes. After bandaging his chest, she stood up and approached a large chest towards the back of the cave. She took two long daggers , or perhaps two small swords, and began walking back.

Zuko readied the fire on his hands. She may be helping them but he would not trust someone that would not show her face to them.

She got closer and merely gave him a bored glance before turning her attention to his broken leg.

"You won't have to amputate it, will you?" Iroh asked in panic.

She cocked her head to the side and arched a mocking eyebrow at them. In a quick movement she removed the daggers' hilts and placed each on one side of the leg. Gently she worked her fingers over the area trying to determine how bad the break was.

"I feel nothing at all," Zuko whispered to Iroh. Her brown eyes connected with his as her hands pushed the bone back in place. After it was done she tied the blades along the corrected limb.

"Are you done now?"

She looked at him wordlessly then broke eye contact to begin putting away the supplies.

"What he means is, thank you," Iroh said with a smile.

Although the green and purple scarf covered her face, her brown eyes radiated warmth as they returned the smile.

Zuko caught himself thinking of the comfort hot chocolate provides on a cold winter day, so he shook his head clear of her.

"I demand to know your name."

"Lee, this woman has shown you great hospitality."

"Uncle, this woman could've poisoned me for all we know."

Iroh sighed.

The woman pulled blankets and furs out of the chest and set them out for them. She motioned for Iroh to help her move 'Lee' to the one of the clean makeshift beds.

It hurt Zuko's pride, but he let her put his arm around her shoulders and hook her arm under his thigh. Surprisingly, it was his uncle that had trouble lifting and moving him the five feet it took.

His hard eyes once again locked with hers. She didn't cower like he had hoped. Instead her gaze softened, showing him the rich, dark honey surrounding her pupils.

Before he could regain his composure she had turned and collected the bloody fabric he'd been on. Without further explanation or instruction she left them, taking the soiled cloths with her.

"I suppose we should get a fire going."

"Uncle, how do you know we can trust her?"

"I don't."

The older man gave him a simple smile.

"We know nothing about her."

"She saved your life. What more do you need to know?"

They remained in silence for a while.

Night fell before the woman returned.

"I see you've brought dinner!"

She gave Iroh a wary look and held the fish away from him. Still eyeing him oddly she took out some leaves and flower petals from her bag. Iroh's face lit up when he saw them.

"Those make for a splendid tea!"

She placed the fish on a flattened rock then searched the chest once again. She walked back to the fire Iroh had made and gave him what he needed to make the tea. As he did that, she prepared the fish for a soup.

Zuko eyed the bowl she held in front of him.

"I don't think so."

Her eyes narrowed at him.

She placed the bowl beside him, prepared a spoonful, and poked him on the chest.

"Ah!"

She shoved the spoonful of soup in his mouth and held his jaw close until he swallowed.

"How dare you?!"

She rolled his eyes at him and prepared another spoonful. Holding two fingers above his wound she waited. This time, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

"Oh, I like her," Iroh said from across the room, an amused smile on his face.

A week passed in the same motion. She would tend to Zuko's wounds, leave, then come back at night with fresh meat and tea ingredients. She would make him eat whatever it was she made, then force him to read a book from the chest.

Zuko had become accustomed to her silent judgement but was slightly annoyed it was only applied to him. For whatever reason, she was all smiles with his uncle.

"You can't expect her to be nice to you if you aren't nice to her," his uncle told him. The woman, for they still did not know her name, was out doing whatever she did during all those hours.

"Maybe she's just an old lady with a crush on you."

His uncle gave a chuckle.

"I wouldn't blame her. But I doubt she's any older than you."

"How would you know?"

"Her hands, for one," Iroh replied.

Now that Zuko thought about it, his uncle was right. They didn't look as weathered as Iroh's.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just glad her medicine is working so fast. I can't wait to get out of this cave already."

Iroh sighed at his nephew. Processing emotions and interacting with others were never his forte.

The sound of footsteps interrupted Iroh's thinking.

"Perhaps Azula has found us and we won't get out at all."

With each footstep they became more alarmed. At least the sun was high in the sky and their bending would be at their best.

Iroh almost threw a ball of fire at their healer. She walked in dragging a barrel behind her.

"What are you doing here? It is not yet sundown."

"Lee! Please forgive him, he's rough on his manners. Let me help you with that."

Iroh brought the barrel, which he saw now was full of water, further inside. As he did so, she went back out and brought in another. And another.

"What are those for? And where did you get them?"

She approached the nagging young man and his uncle. She pinched her nose with two fingers and waved her hand at them.

Iroh let out a hearty laugh.

"They are for us to bathe with, dear nephew."

She smiled at Iroh but shook her head. She pointed one finger at him then snaked her hand across her body.

"I don't... oh! A river."

She nodded at him and motioned for him to follow her.

Zuko sat on the cave thinking of how she expected him to reach the water inside the barrel when she walked back in. Alone.

"Wait," he said as she filled a bowl with water, "I-I can do this myself!"

She lifted her eyebrows at him but placed the bowl and a washcloth where he could reach them. She watched him struggle to take off the bandages for a few minutes before deciding to intervene.

"I told you I can do it!"

She ignored his protest and slapped away his hands. Gently she removed his clothes and bandages, leaving him only in undergarments, a deep blush and a pout.

The water in the bowl had cooled by now, so she pressed his hand to it. A moment later he understood and heated it up.

He watched her clean his body in silence, curiosity chipping away at his pride.

"Why are you helping us?"

She merely glanced at him. He reached for the scarf that always hid her face from him. Her hand caught his wrist firmly.

"Who are you?"

She moved around him, opting to sit behind now. Water poured over his hair. He hadn't cut it in a while and it now hung past his chin in waves. Her fingers worked sweet-smelling oils into it.

"Great, now I smell like a flower..."

She smiled. She could feel him relax under her fingers. But clearly relaxing was difficult for him.

She rinsed his hair and stood up.

"Done?"

She walked around to face him and knelt down. Her fingers gently felt the stubble that had begun taking over his jaw. Zuko didn't know where the knife came from, but was not afraid. If she had wanted to kill him, she could've many times already.

Her hands lingered on his cheek after she was done shaving him. Soft, timid fingers traced the outline of his scar. Spelled by her closeness, he let her explore the visible mark of his shame. It was the look in her eyes that broke the trance. His face turned away from her.

"I do not need your pity."

She stood and threw the rag at him.

"It is not pity, Prince Zuko, but sadness."

Zuko looked up at her in shock.

"You-you can talk!"

"And you can clean the rest yourself."

With that she walked out of the cave.

"That was delightful," Iroh exclaimed.

"She knows who we are."

"Who does?"

"The woman, uncle. Who else?"

"Oh. What a relief."

Zuko some times could not stand his uncle.

"What do you mean? She could be working for Azula!"

Iroh nonchalantly prodded his ear with a finger.

"You don't really believe that, Zuko. So tell me what is really bothering you."

Zuko let out an exasperated sigh. He was tired of being in this cave with only his annoying uncle and that infuriating woman.

"I just want to know who she is. She knows who we are. It is only fair we do as well."

"You hid your identity from her, Zuko, it is only fair you let her do so, too. It's not her fault she's better at it than you."

"Arghhhh!"

A ball of fire hit the wall across from him.

"It seems your nephew shares none of your patience, Iroh."

Iroh smiled at the woman entering the cave.

"It comes less naturally for him."

She smiled at him and handed him chamomile.

"Say, you sound familiar. Have we met before?"

She looked away shyly.

"You never forget, do you?"

"I'm afraid not. It would help if I could remember who the voice belongs to, though."

She sat by the fire and looked directly into it.

"A very old friend."

"You don't look that old. Now tell us who you are, or else," Zuko yelled.

She looked at him.

"No one you would recognize, Prince Zuko."

She broke contact and looked at the ground.

Iroh scratched his head and stirred the tea.

"It will come to me eventually I'm sure."

"I don't doubt it will," she said into the fire.

She spoke no other words that night. Zuko grew annoyed at her ignoring him, but was soon scolded by Iroh to leave the woman in peace. There was no rush, really. Iroh was sure he would remember who that voice belonged to soon enough.

"Finally. I'm sick of being in this cave all day."

The girl had brought him walking sticks for him to lean on since Zuko was strong enough to stand on his own now. She watched him clumsily limp outside and tried to keep from laughing.

Iroh stood back as his nephew explored the area surrounding the cave.

"Where are we exactly?"

"Somewhere safe. Time to go back in," replied the girl.

"No. I think I'm going to stay out here a while longer," said Zuko cockily. When he turned around to face her he was surprised by the intensity in her eyes. He told himself it was silly to be afraid of a girl who, now that he was standing, was a couple inches shorter than him. Besides, he was a fire bending prince. It was her that should be afraid of him.

After a few seconds, her gaze turned cold and detached. She shrugged and walked off away from the cave.

"Have it your way. Hope you fair better against Azula this time."

"W-What's that supposed to mean?"

The girl didn't answer. She disappeared into the forest without looking back.

Zuko looked around for any sign of danger. Surely the girl must've been messing with him? Azula hadn't found him yet, why would she now?

He walked around some more until the nagging little voice in his head convinced him to go back in the cave.

"Back already? I thought you'd be out for hours the way you were acting."

"The weather was unfavorable."

Iroh smiled at his nephew.

"Of course."

The hours passed by maddeningly slow for Zuko. He tried reading one of the many books the girl had left for him, but none held his attention. He tried sleeping, talking to his uncle, and even tried to learn that board game he was always going on about. In the end, Zuko just had to admit he was bored out of his mind. He took a look around the cave until the chest caught his eye. He made his way to it.

"And what do you think you're doing, nephew?"

"I'm just going to take a look. Maybe something inside will tell us who she is. Don't you want to know?"

"Of course I do. But what you're doing is wrong, Zuko. And disrespectful."

"I won't take anything. I'll just take a peek."

"Do as you must. But I warn you of the outcome."

"Yeah, yeah..."

The chest did not have a lock, which meant she must've not cared about others opening it- or so he told himself. He lifted the latch and pushed the lid up. With some force, the chest opened. He wasn't sure what he had expected, really. There were some more books, both male and female clothing and armor, and some swords from different places. Frankly, Zuko felt a bit disappointed. There was nothing personal or special that could help him know more about her. He was about to close the chest when he noticed something wasn't right. Comparing the height of the chest with the depth inside he found the was about a foot that was not used. He felt around the inside edges for something, anything, out of the ordinary.

"Ah-ha!"

The bottom shifted, allowing passage to a separate compartment. He found a pouch and a bag. Neither looked like anything he'd seen before.

"Uncle, come look at this."

Iroh did not agree with his nephew's actions but curiosity had a way of persuading his morals from time to time. They opened the pouch first. Inside they found brightly colored rectangles.

"50,000 jewels," Zuko read from one of them. Iroh shrugged his shoulders in response. They put the pouch aside for later.

Zuko placed the bag between them and untied the string holding it close.

"Are you sure you want to do this? It seems to me she made efforts to keep this out of others' hands."

Zuko glanced at Iroh before shaking his head. He needed to know. He took out the bundled fabric that were inside the bag, carefully unrolling them to find several items.

The fabric itself seemed to be a dress of some kind, although it didn't look like the fashion at any nation he'd been to. Protected by it were a set of ribbons, a set of keys, and a cristal the size of his hand.

Zuko took the crystal to examine it. It didn't look like any he'd seen before. Unexpectedly, it lit up, producing light that showed... a face?

The girl inside the crystal had blue hair that curled at the ends. Her skin was pale but her smile was bright. Zuko felt a pang of disappointment at her eyes being a rich, vibrant blue. This was not the girl.

Suddenly, the crystal was snatched from his hands. Zuko looked up to see the girl holding it against her chest. Her eyes were glassy and full of anger.

She put everything back to where it was and slammed the chest closed. This time, she clicked a thick lock through the latch.

"Who was the girl?"

She turned towards Zuko. Without warning, he was thrown against the wall.

She took measured steps towards him, her eyes burning into him.

"You leave tomorrow."

"How dare you attack me?" Zuko exclaimed, grabbing hold of the injured leg that throbbed painfully again.

"How dare I? Why you insolent-"

"We will leave at first light if you so wish," Iroh interjected, stepping in between the two.

She took a step back. A tear fell escaped her wet lashes as she looked at Iroh. Eventually she sighed deeply and looked away.

"No. You stay. She would never forgive me if Azula harmed you."

The girl walked back to where she slept. She lied down, pulling the covers over her head and said nothing else.

Zuko watched his uncle relax as she walked away. When it was clear she was done for the night, he helped his nephew to his bed.

"Uncle, did you know who she was talking about? The girl from the picture?"

Iroh looked down.

"Yes."

Zuko felt a new wave of excitement that was cut short when Iroh looked back up at him.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"But uncle-"

"Zuko. You are lucky to be alive right now. Enough."

"Just tell me who it was, please."

Iroh sighed deeply. His gaze was lost a in time long before Zuko's.

"An old friend."

He watched his uncle go to his own bed, not bothering to drink his tea, and go to sleep.

Zuko wasn't sure what to call this- this feeling that had lodged itself in his chest. It kept him up all night, making his mind play over what happened repeatedly. With a groan, Zuko understood for the first time what it meant to feel guilty.

"Please don't leave. I'll keep the boy in line."

The girl shifted judging eyes between the two men.

"Doubtful."

Iroh elbowed Zuko pointedly. The young man stepped forward with a sheepish look.

"I'm... sorry... for going through your stuff. If you had just told us who-"

Iroh elbowed him again.

"-I mean, I'm really sorry and I won't do it again."

The girl's hard gaze turned to a sad smile.

"You are a terrible liar, Prince Zuko."

He opened his mouth to reply but found himself forgetting all words. She had finally smiled at him, and it was not at all how he'd imagined. Instead of the playful, warm eyes he'd seen smile at his uncle, he received regret and disappointment.

Iroh nodded at the girl.

"If you ever need help, we gladly offer it."

She turned away from them, her feet already taking her away from the pain.

"I'm certain it will be the other way around."

"It is time."

Zuko walked proudly to where his uncle sat by the fire.

"Very well. Where to now?"

"To find the girl, of course."

"Zuko, I've already told you. You will not find her unless she wants to be found."

"I will. Besides, what makes you think she doesn't want to be found?"

"She left because of your stupidity," Iroh countered with a sigh.

"Uncle, you know more than what you're telling. How can you keep such secrets from me?"

Iroh eyed his nephew. It was happening all over again and there was nothing he could do to stop fate.

"The girl is not someone you would remember, but it is someone you would recognize."

"What does that mean, Uncle?"

Iroh took a deep breath. Stopping fate was impossible, but perhaps he could influence it some.

"The girl comes from a world different from our own. Long ago, her family was tied to ours through a prophecy. Our two families have crossed paths many times since then. None to a positive outcome."

"What prophecy?"

"It was your great-great grandfather that started the war against the other nations. He caused pain and destruction without remorse. In one of the many raids he lead, he came across a woman that was different from all the others. Her hair was a bright blue color and her beauty was unlike anything he'd encountered. For this, he let her alone live instead of die at the hands of his men. He kept her prisoner in his palace. Everyday he would court her, and everyday she would reject his advances. Yet, he continued, as he wanted for no other woman."

"So what happened?"

"The woman, Aquarius, had a maid whom she grew close to over the years. A long time passed since her capture before she confided in her maid that she indeed harbored feelings towards the firelord. It was his violent nature and the pain he caused that kept her from giving into those feelings. The maid betrayed her mistress to the firelord in exchange that he spared her family. The following night, he called for Aquarius and revealed what he knew. She confessed, but still refused to accept him. In his anger, he killed her."

"He... killed her?"

"From what my grandmother told me, he loved the blue haired woman. In a lifetime of violence, killing her was his only regret."

"What does this have to do with the prophecy you talked about? Or the girl for that matter?"

"Patience, Zuko. As I mentioned before, the girl was not from here. She was a wizard from another world."