The palace was much different than what Katara had expected. Back home, the palace had been blue, of course, but it had been subtle and a cold political atmosphere. But the Fire Nation palace was designed so that one always had the feeling that something was happening. That activity was always going on just around the corner.

As the squad appeared at the servant's entrance, they were ushered up two different stairwells and through a hallway by a young boy. Every step led Katara and the others down plush carpets, exquisite paintings and portraits, flowers, and tapestries. Everywhere she looked, she saw money and power. It made her feel nervous to be there, which was probably the idea the designer had been imagining.

Their guide stopped in front of two large doors that had ferocious dragons carved into the wood. Katara stared up at them in wonder. They looked so lifelike, she imagined them jumping off the wood and attacking at any moment. Breber must have sensed her anxiety, for he put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

The doors opened to show Lady Aza and five other young women smiling at them from the center of a large ballroom floor. The room was a right red with gold settings for the windows, door, and even a fire place at the far end. The tiles were patterned in the Fire Nation's symbol of a flame. Katara knew that, even if she spent the rest of her life here, she would never get use to the colors and heat of the nation. She preferred her cold and snow.

"Welcome, honored guests," she said, bowing. Katara bowed back and the rest of the team followed her lead. Lady Aza's smile grew a bit more friendly. The reputation of the Nonpareil was definitely going up because of Katara's presence. "I have arranged a suitable schedule that will enable you to train as you usually do, as well as making sure you are presentable for the ball."

"Ball?" Jack said. "What ball?"

Lady Aza's eye twitched at the interruption. "What my companion is asking, my lady," Katara intervened quickly. "Is that there has been no mention of a ball to any of the Nonpareil's members."

The lady nodded and returned to her composed smile. That smile was starting to get annoying, too. "I apologize for not mentioning it earlier," she said. "There will be a ball in honor of His Fire Lord's 21st birthday two weeks from now. The Public Relations Board has asked me to prepare the Nonpareils to attend said ball. Now, we shall begin with dance lessons. Please pair up with a partner."

Jack leaned over and grabbed Katara's hand before anyone else could. The others walked over to the women. "Now," Lady Aza said. "The first step in asking your partner to dance is not to grab them by the hand and pull them onto the floor," here, she glanced pointedly at Jack. "But to offer the lady your arm or hand and ask them politely. Mr. Jack, would you care to demonstrate?"

Katara turned to Jack. He swallowed and said, "My lady, would you care to join me for this dance?"

Katara gave a little curtsey and said, "I would be most honored, kind sir." She placed her hand in his and stood.

Lady Aza nodded. "Excellent," she said, then turned to the others. "Now, I would like all of you to do just as Lady Katara and Mister Jack have done."

As the men turned toward the ladies, a kind voice said, "Lady Aza." Katara looked up and was delighted to see Iroh standing in the doorway, his hands slipped into his sleeves. "I do not mean to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could borrow Katara for a while. It is most important."

"Of course, General," she said, bowing respectively.

Katara hurried over to Iroh and followed him out the doors. He led her down a hallway that was plainer than the others. There were still paintings on the walls, but they were more family oriented instead of landscapes and royal portraits. One caught her eye and she stopped in her tracks, studying the picture.

A young boy looked back at her. His golden eyes shown brightly as he smiled at the painter. He was about 10, she would guess, and dressed in royal clothes. His black hair was pulled in a high topknot. But that wasn't what stopped Katara. The boy looked familiar somehow. Like she had met him before. But that was impossible. She would have known if she'd ever met a royal. They were all the same with their snooty ways and holier-than-thou attitudes. No, she would have known right away. Iroh was the only exception to that rule.

"He looks happy, doesn't he?" Iroh said.

Katara jumped and put a hand over her heart. He chuckled. Iroh had always been too quiet for his own good. One day, she'd learn how he did that. He was almost as quiet as her. She looked back at the painting. "Who is he?" she asked.

"That is my nephew. He looks so much happier than he is today." Iroh's voice turned sad, though his smile was still in place. "I believe the accident changed him into someone cold and lost."

Katara turned to Iroh. "What accident?" she asked.

Iroh turned and walked into a room. Katara followed after him, her eyes staying on the painting until it was out of view. She looked at the room and instantly relaxed. The walls looked like The Ginseng Dragon's and a tea set had been put on a side table next to a large Pai Sho table. Two pillows were placed on either side of the table.

Iroh took the pillow on the left and Katara took the one on the left. "Tea?" Iroh asked, lifting the pot. Katara nodded and watched as he poured. "I would ask you to play a game of Pai Sho with me, but I know how you are not a good player."

"Thank you for the offer, though," she said, accepting the cup. "Now, what accident, Iroh?"

The old man slowly sipped his tea before saying, "Are you not curious as it why I pulled you out of your lessons?"

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Now that you mention it, yes. Is there a specific reason you did that? Besides pulling me out of my least favorite activity?"

Iroh chuckled for a moment. "That is not it, though you are welcome for the rescue." He looked up. "Do you know what happened to my nephew? The accident?" Katara shook her head. "My nephew was scared a long time ago. But it was no accident. He had spoken out against his father, the Fire Lord Ozai, my brother. Ozai did not like that his son had spoken out, and punished him by scaring him with fire."

Katara set her tea down. "I believe I've heard the story. But what does this have to do with me?"

Iroh smiled. "Do you remember when you came into my shop with that young man?"

"You meant he man that you recognized?" Katara asked. Iroh showed shock on his face, but Katara raised a hand. "You forget, Iroh, that I can notice almost anything and everything that goes on. Especially when a tea shop owner makes a flimsy excuse to not sit at a table. You've always had time to talk to anyone you wanted."

Iroh chuckled. "That I have," he said. "But do you know who he was? I'm sure you figured it out during your eventful night."

Katara nodded. She took a tile from the pile and put it on the Pai Sho table. She may not be good, but at least she could give Iroh something to do besides drink tea. "I believe he is a high official in the Fire Nation Court that is easily recognized and did not want to caught, for he ran when he saw the Nonpareil."

Katara thought back to the night. A soft smile appeared on her lips. "He wanted to have one night where he could relax and no one would recognize him. I thought I'd help and we went to see the festival." She looked up. "You know, he asked me to dance when he saw me watching the dancers in the Main Square. But I knew that if he did dance, it would risk the chance of his hood falling back and he would have been exposed."

The old general nodded and asked, "But do you know who he is?" Katara looked at Iroh quizzically. He was trying to get at something and was doing a very obvious job of it.

"His name is Zuko," she said slowly. "And he has a...burn mark." Suddenly, everything clicked and she felt like slapping herself in the head. "Oh," she said, closing her eyes and resting her forehead in her palm. "I am so stupid. How could I not figure it out?"

"Figure what out?" asked a familiar voice.

Katara looked up and froze. There, standing in the doorway of the parlor, was Zuko, dressed in royal robes and his hair pulled into a topknot with a golden flame tucked behind it. His scar was striking against his pale skin and it was just as hansom as she remembered it. His eyes fell on her and stared. "Katara," he said. "What are you doing her?"

She was still for a moment before standing and bowing low in the Fire Nation style. "Your Highness, I am Katara, new member of the Nonpareil squad." She straightened. "It would seem that I am one of your new bodyguards, Fire Lord." Katara felt a smile appear. "It seems we did see each other again."

Zuko's features turned from cold to warm with just a smile. "And a good think, too," he said. "I was thinking that it was all a dream."

They stared at each other for a little while before Iroh cleared his throat and said, "Will you join us, Zuko? I believe there is something that concerns the Nonpareils and, since the others are taking dancing lessons, Katara is the best person to discus it with."

Katara waited until Zuko sat on another pillow before taking her seat. She was still in shock that the man she'd spent the festival night with, was the man she was suppose to protect/kill. But why did he also have to be the one she had been attracted to? Karma was starting to be a real bi-

"It's good to see you again, Katara," Zuko said.

She smiled back, snapping back to the present, and said, "You too. If I had known you were the Fire Lord, I would have pulled some kind of prank on you."

Zuko chuckled. "I think you would have been the only one to do that." Katara blushed and looked down. Iroh cleared his throat again, snapping them back to the present. Zuko blinked. "Yes, well," he said. "There is a mission that I want the Nonpareils to undertake. There have been sightings of Water Tribe rebels in the South. We must travel there and stop their plans."

Katara paled. Her people? In the South? How did they get into the Fire Nation? And what were they planing? Did they know that they'd been spotted? Maybe, if she was sneaky enough, she could warn them.

Suddenly, she picked up something he'd said. "What do you mean, we?" she asked.

"I am going to be traveling with the Nonpareils on this mission," he said. "I want to see these rebels and kill them with my own hands."

Katara paled even more, but kept her eyes on her tea. This was not good. Her people were going to hunted down and she couldn't do a whole hell of a lot with Zuko along. Her target. This was getting more complicated by the moment. Well, at least she wasn't bored, right? Yup, this was one fun mission she had.