"Where is my mother?" Zuko hissed as he squatted to face his defeated father in his prison cell. Ozai said nothing, his golden eyes studying his son intently before his lips curled into a triumphant grin.

"What makes you think that she'll want to see you?" Zuko was taken back a bit by the comment but his determination quickly returned.

"She's my mother."

"As if you haven't disappointed us before. Surely by now she must have heard of the way you disgraced your nation, then betrayed it by helping the enemy and stealing the throne away from your sister," Ozai sneered

"I did not betray the fire nation. And the avatar was not the fire nation's enemy. You were. I was helping the avatar save the fire nation from you," Zuko stated. Ozai was smiling.

"Well then, surely you will have nothing to worry about. I'm sure she had that all figured out, just like you." Zuko could see the light dancing merrily in his golden eyes. "I'm sure seeing you honoured with the defeat of the avatar in Ba Sing Se didn't create any confusion." Zuko was against the bars of the cell in an instant.

"Mother was in Ba Sing Se!" He demanded.

"But of course, the earth kingdom capital is the safest place for any...political refugee," at this point, Zuko was sure that Ozai's eyes were laughing at him.

"Ironic isn't it? That despite all the time you yourself was in Ba Sing Se, you've let her completely slip you by. Do still even remember her face?"

"No! You're lying!" Fear and guilt clawed at Zuko's insides. No. This cannot be true.

"Funny isn't it? If I recall correctly, you had also taken refuge in that city."

"Shut up!" Zuko hollered, suddenly up on his feet, his hands clapped over his ears.

"Are you sure you -"

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" A fireball struck the cell floor just beside where Ozai crouched. Zuko was fuming, his breath rapid as he glared at his defeated father. Nothing else was said as he stormed out of the chamber, slamming the door behind him.

"Zuko, this is absurd! You've hardly been firelord for over a month! You have duties to your nation that you have to attend to!" Iroh exclaimed.

"This is my mother that we're talking about! You can't expect me to just leave her out there now that I know where she is!" Zuko shouted back, as he furiously packed his travelling gear. Iroh sighed as he walked over to put a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"I know this is hard for you Zuko, but you have to think about this rationally. There are better ways to bring your mother back then just storming off on your own. You're the firelord now, you can send for other people to find her, you need to establish a balance between your duties to your nation and your duties to your family."

Zuko sighed, " I know uncle, and I'm sorry. But I miss her so much that I can't bear to just wait for someone to bring her back. Besides, she got herself banished for me. To save my life. The least I can do is take the time to go look for her myself. Can't you manage the officials duties for me while I'm gone?"

Iroh shook his head. "I know you have to do this," his eyes meet Zuko's, "and I'm proud of you for choosing to go about this using your own strength...I can take care of your official duties in your absence, but just this once." They exchanged smiles.

"However," Iroh added as he reclined and sleeved his hands together, "I still stand by my suggestion that you cannot go alone, not immediately." Zuko stared at him, his expression full of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Iroh began, eyeing his nephew knowingly, "that you have another more urgent issue to take care of before you leave, and that there is someone that must go on this journey with you if you wish to bring Ursa back."

Zuko frowned, immediately understanding his uncle's implicit message. "You're talking about Azula, aren't you?" Iroh nodded sadly.

"I know what I said back when you asked me to teach you how to conjure lightning, that Azula was crazy and needed to be brought down. But now, she is down and in a lot of pain. It is your duty as her brother now to bring her back to her feet and guide her onto a new path."

"I know uncle," Zuko replied solemnly, "I know she wasn't always like this, I know she once was...good." He paused, the haunting memories of those happy times flashing through his mind. "Uncle, I know. But I don't know how to help her!" He cried out in frustration. "I mean, why would she listen to me now? After all that's happened -"

"She will listen to you Zuko," Iroh explained cutting him off, "because no one else will go to say the things that she needs to hear." The words shocked Zuko, as realization dawned on him. Father didn't really love her, didn't really love any of us. After mother left and I was banished, Azula had no one. All this time, despite all her power and control, Azula was completely and utterly alone.

Every step through the dungeon sounded like it echoed out a voice from the past. Every breath of the cool damp air felt like it had a viscous grip behind it, slowly chocking the life out of him. At last, he was there. In front of the door that lead to his sister cell. With one last breath, Zuko wrenched the door open allowing himself to step inside.

The cell was dimly lit. Even more so than the corridor outside. Zuko had to blink to allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The cell was cold. Much colder than the corridors outside. It reminded Zuko of the coolers back at the boiling rock.

"Come here to gloat, have we?"

Zuko jumped at the voice, before spinning himself around to look over in her direction through the darkness.

There she was sitting on the cell floor in the tattered clothing given to her. Her thick black hair was a mangled mess, her skin was as pale as ashes, and her once bright golden eyes were dull with despair and agony. Zuko could scarcely recognize the person in front of him, the person who was once the proud and distinguished princess Azula.

"I'm pressurized to see you here," Zuko mouthed awkwardly. He was answered by a snort.

"Like you had nothing to do with how I ended up down here."

"That's not what I mean," Zuko quickly tried to explain, "It's just that I sort of expected you to have broken out of here a long time ago." Azula responded with a cold laugh.

"To do what? Scavenge around like a peseant? Make a living off stolen wealth like petty thief?" Her face grew stern. "My pride, my honour has all been stolen from underneath me. There's nothing left for me out there. I might as well just sit here and rot."

"That's not true Azula," Zuko tried to reassure, "you still have me and uncle and - "

"YOU and uncle! YOU! You could never stand that I was better than at firebending, at fighting than you! All you ever wanted to do was put me in my place! Me! Your little sister!" Azula screamed in rage.

"That, that's not true Azula."

"Yeah," she scoffed, "you say that now that you have me all locked up with NOTHING left to look forward to while you get to waltz around with a crown on your head and a seat on the THRONE!"

Zuko could suddenly feel the heat rise in the room. "Get out of my face!" Azula roared. "Get out, get out, GET OUT!"

Zuko barely dodged the series of blue fire blast that were flung at him and he ducked out of the cell. A few more fire blasts struck the door even as Zuko stood well out of site in the corridor. The blasts was followed by that same miserable wail that Zuko heard the day he and Katara defeated his sister, which in turn was followed by sobs and whimpers. The sounds were gut wrenching, and Zuko found himself reaching for the door again, but realizing that he couldn't do anything at that moment, he forced himself to heave a sigh, then left.