INSPIRED BY MY RED LIPSTICK

My mother was only sixteen when she came to the Fire Nation palace as Fire Lord Zuko's fiancé. They married within three months of her arrival and were truly in love. Within the next month they announced that they were pregnant. The nation, according to my mother was overjoyed. There were parties every night. Lanterns remained lit throughout most of the night and there was music that stretched to all corners of the nation.

But something happened in the short period of time that she spent as Fire Lady. Something happened to make her runaway from her responsibilities—from everything she loved.

She was four months pregnant when she left. I was born the day after the summer solstice. She would begin each of my birthdays like, "You're father would call it fate, I personally think its just coincidence." I liked the idea of it being fate though.

All i knew was living in secret. We were constantly moving from home to home because a runaways job was never over. I lived in the stories she would weave for me. She told me about the 100 years war and her part in it. She introduced me to the Avatar when I was seven. She sparred with me, helping me to get my fire bending stronger even if she wasn't one herself.

Lately she's told me about my father. The king—the Fire Lord. Whichever way you wanted to put it he was royalty. I never got to meet him though because my mother decided to leave and I hated her for it.

I am fifteen years old and I have never spoken to my father a man I know I can trust and love thanks to all the stories I've heard of him. My name is Ursa and I'm determined to discover exactly what it was that forced my mother to raise me without my father.

"Mom, I want to go the Palace."

There was a silence as Toph stared blankly at a spot just above my chin. I felt the ground beneath me give a slight tremor. The palace was always a touchy subject for her. Suddenly she gave a hearty laugh that boomed in our small kitchen.

"You're really a very funny girl, Ursa," she said. "Reminds me of myself."

"I'm serious," I said.

My mother slammed her fork onto the table so hard that it bounced back up a few feet in the air. "Don't you dare ask that of me!"

"I'm not making you come with me," I screamed back.

We've had so many screaming matches that it had become second nature.

"I will not have my daughter in the clutches of those fire benders!" she said indignantly.

I scoffed at that. Her own daughter was a fire bender for Agni's sake. "The war is over, dearest," I spat. "You're just jealous. If you can't be there with Dad and live the happily ever after you deserve then no one can!" My breathing was heavy and I was so angry I was afraid I would set the house on fire. "Did you ever consider, once in your life that I'm not satisfied with my life right now? Has it ever crossed your mind that I deserve to be with Dad?"

"Of course, Ursa—" Her expression was pained and her blind eyes were watering now. Good.

"No, mom. You've been too scared to think about much else than keeping me fed and healthy. You're afraid that they'll find us. You're afraid that they'll take you back to the palace. You're afraid that you're still in . . ."

"Dammit, Ursa! Shut up!" the woman shrieked.

I closed my eyes, they were burning with hot tears.

"I want to meet him, Mom," I said after another stretch of silence. I heard my mother sniffle quietly from across the table.

"Then go meet him. Leave before lunch." She was kicking me out.

They weren't the warm farewells I was hoping for, in fact they felt like knives in my lungs. But that was my mother—she was to prideful for her own good.

"I will. Thank you, mother." I stood from the table to retreat to my room where I would pack the necessities. The palace was on the opposite side of the Fire Nation and a night's stay at an inn should be expected.

When I had packed a small bag filled with a new set of cloths, a hairbrush, some jewelry and my favorite ink pad I sat on my bed with a sigh. I flopped onto my back and my eyes immediately gravitated to the post on my ceiling. It was of the Fire Lord. My father. He looked to be about twenty-five in the picture. The avatar gave it to me when my mother was busy doing some minor sand bending on the black beaches.

I smiled at the picture. "I'm coming, Dad. I'll see you tomorrow." I felt a tear slide down my cheek.

I quickly wiped at my eyes when I heard the pit-pat of my mother's bare feet approach my door. Her face was red and puffy, her cheeks stained with the salty tracks of tears. She approached my bed and collapsed face first with the grace that could only belong to Toph Bei Fong. Her voice was muffled but I heard it all the same.

"Once upon a time not so long ago, in a kingdom not so far away . . ." she sobbed. It was moments like these that I remembered just how much my mother had been in love with the Fire Lord and how much she missed her once happy and fulfilled life. She would never go back though. Not if I asked her.

"A war ended," I supplied. I had heard this story so many times. It was engraved into my mind, my heart, my being.

My mother's hand reached out for mine. "I'm sorry I've kept you away from him. "

"I know," I said my voice soft. I couldn't really forgive her.

She breathed in deeply, trying to find strength in the air. "You will have to convince them somehow that you are my daughter. The Fire Nation princess."

"Yeah . . ." I hadn't a clue as to how I would accomplish that.

"Tomorrow is Zuko's birthday," she whispered quickly, as if just saying his name would bring her back to him, and that was something i wasn't sure she would ever be ready for. "You remember Sokka? From my stories?" I nodded but remembered my mom was blind so I grunted. "There was a big announcement last week in the market place that he would be arriving at the Fire Nation Port tomorrow morning. He'll be here, no doubt, for the celebration. He's your best chance at getting into the palace."

"Okay." I began to feel the nerves kicking in. What was I thinking? My existence has been kept a secret since my birth. No one knows who I am except for my mother and the Avatar, and he's not supposed to tell anyone! He's sworn not to. How was I going to get in the Palace?

"Remember how I used to wear my hair when you were younger? Take my headband and wear it in your hair." To me it sounded pretty ridiculous and she could feel it through the floor her feet were barely grazing over. "Trust me," she commanded. And I had to, especially when she used that voice.