Breaking the Rules:

"What are you doing here? You have a son? What?" Jinora asked quickly, clearly confused. Even Anik seemed astonished, standing with his mouth open as he recognised the ex-Chief. It was left to Tilia to ask about what was going on.

"Who's Eska? Sorry, I meant, who are you?" she asked the woman, ignoring Jinora's questions.

Eska didn't reply. She looked from Anik to Jinora to her son, who ran over and gave her a hug. She patted Iluq's head gently and half-returned the hug with one arm.

Anik finally came to his senses. "She's Chief Desna's twin sister and one of our Chiefs for a very long time. Everyone thought you'd left forever…"

"Oh, THAT Eska!" Tilia exclaimed, finally understanding.

Jinora nodded in agreement with Anik. "How long has it been since you left, Eska?"

"Five years. I had just given birth to my little turtleduck here. Desna was less than pleased that I was dating a commoner," she explained in her emotionally devoid voice. Her husband raised an eyebrow but remained silent at her comment. "We argued. It is nothing new. He thought he should be priority but I chose my family. I left the throne to be with them."

"But you were always so close to your brother," Jinora said with a sympathetic frown.

Eska nodded. "I was. When our father was driven to destroying the world, Desna was the one person I could trust. He cared for me and I him. As we grew up, that trust began to break down. Eventually, he threatened my family. I could not harm him, so I did the only thing I could. Starting a new life is not so bad."

"Why the red hair?" Anik asked.

Jinora tutted loudly. "Anik, priorities."

Eska shrugged slightly. "It helps to stay unrecognised. I do not wish anyone to know where I am or they may try to force me back. That is why this house is so…small. We do not want any help. You must not tell Desna where I am."

"We won't; we nearly got lost just getting here," Tilia said with a smile.

Eska turned her eyes on her. "I mean it. Desna has lost his way since I have left and I feel bad, but my family must come first."

Ornatok walked over and put his arm around his wife's waist, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "Please do as she asks. I wouldn't have invited you if I didn't believe you could keep this secret."

There was a short silence as Jinora and Anik looked at each other. Finally, Jinora nodded. "Fine. We won't tell anyone from the Northern Water Tribe where you are," she promised, making Ornatok sigh in relief.

"You could definitely do with a bit of work in here though, it's pretty…" Anik began before Tilia kicked him in the shin. "Pretty! Yep, just pretty…" the Waterbender finished weakly.

Ornatok wasn't fooled. He pulled a face and shrugged. "You're right. We simply don't have the money though. Work is hard to come by at the moment so anything that brings in a little extra is always a good idea, right?" he asked the group, causing Anik to nod.

"No," Eska said bluntly. "I told you before, you are not to involve yourself with them."

"But sweetie, they're acting for the good of everyone and they DO pay well. After everything your father did…"

Eska pulled away from him. She seemed genuinely mad at her husband but her voice didn't rise at all. "I said no because of what my father did. They're making the same mistake. There's a reason they're never spoken of, Ornatok."

Her husband frowned but didn't reply. Instead, he scooped his son up in his arms and walked into a room at the back, closing the door behind him without a word.

"I apologise for that," Eska said. Her eyes were shimmering slightly, showing signs of tears welling up. To try and cheer her up, Anik laughed lightly and made a flippant gesture with his hand. "Men eh?" he chuckled.

Eska raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I don't mean to pry, but what was that about?" Jinora asked curiously. A thought had sprung to her mind during the conversation which could finally provide some answers.

The Waterbending ex-Chief sat down in a seat nearby and took a sip of water slowly. She put the cup down and finally said, "My husband wishes to join a group of people who are causing trouble simply because they pay well. He means well but I do not want to see him harmed or worse."

Tilia smiled. "That makes sense though. You're just looking out for him. It's really sweet."

"What trouble are they causing?" Anik asked. "Roughing up some shops? Pirating? Hunting endangered polar bear dogs? Surely not…boycotting the fashion industry?"

"Anik! Priorities!"

"Oh, sorry…"

Eska shook her head. "No. The kind of trouble where they kill spirits for their power."


The coat was warm and a welcome relief to the bitter cold outside. Jahn pulled it round him tighter, more than pleased that the Water Tribe garb was as comfortable as it looked.

"Happy now?" Kazon asked with a smile.

"Blue's not really my colour," Jahn replied ironically as they walked down the street. "Better than my skin turning blue though."

Kazon shrugged. "You'll make a wise Avatar yet. Unless you go round arguing with more world leaders. What was all that about?" he asked softly.

Jahn wrinkled his nose up. "I was after some answers but it turns out I was wrong. Although Desna didn't have to be such a—"

"He IS difficult, yes," Kazon said, cutting Jahn off. "But he's Chief here now so what he says goes. You're not to look into these Spirit Eaters."

"Pfft," Jahn scoffed. "No point now, they're not here apparently. Maybe I was wrong, maybe they're no threat at all?"

The Fire Prince looked sideways with thoughtful eyes. "The Avatar is meant to keep the peace in all nations. If you had a gut feeling, you were right to try and find out more."

They turned into another street, which was considerably larger than the rest. Lights illuminated the entire street and people were coming and going continuously. The heart of the Northern Water Tribe entertainment scene. The hotel that Varrick had booked was somewhere along here but only Kazon knew the way, having visited before.

Jahn kept his eyes on the floor. "I'm not exactly doing a great job. All I seem to do is go round and aggravate everybody."

"I don't believe that's true. You helped save Republic City and countless lives from Vehrin and the Red Lotus," Kazon pointed out. "Stop being so hard on yourself and give yourself some credit. You didn't exactly have a fun time during it all, did you," he continued, waving his hands in the air to accentuate his words. A few tiny flying spirits with no faces flew around his hands in excitement but he waved them away easily.

Jahn sighed. "You can say that again. Do you ever…regret what happened with Scarlett?" he asked tentatively. He knew Kazon despised the woman but maybe he too felt that guilt gnawing at his insides.

"She had to be stopped and we did what was needed to save more people from being harmed by her wickedness. It was indeed a shame but what's done is done now," Kazon said, staring straight ahead.

"I still feel awful about it though."

Kazon shrugged. "I'd be very worried if you didn't. It's not a good thing to take a life but sometimes the means justify the end. Let's hope you never have to find that out again."

"I hope so. Who knows, maybe all the time for trouble has passed," Jahn said somewhat optimistically as they approached the hotel. It was a magnificent building made from pure white snow and ice, illuminated by huge chandeliers in the vast ceiling.

"That's the spirit!" Kazon said with a smile as they passed through one of the main doors to the hotel. Even at this hour, people were still milling about, busy with their lives. Some individuals in slightly more expensive clothes were sat around the lobby, clearly waiting for this or that. The rich of the world visiting the Northern Water Tribe could be found in one place only. This very building.

It was fitting then, that the Fire Nation Prince and the Avatar walked into the lobby. A hush fell over the entire room as all eyes turned to them. Jahn felt inconspicuous, given his recent purchase of the Water Tribe coat, but Kazon stood out royally. The pair looked around and then at each other awkwardly.

"Maybe you two should kiss. You know, break the tension," Anik said as he came up behind them. Jahn jumped slightly but Kazon simply turned. "Ah, Anik. Nice to see you again."

"And you, Prince Kazon. Looking fancy! Any particular reason you're here?" Anik asked.

"Business," Kazon said with a rueful face. He turned back to the room and held out two hands widely. The unspoken question was loud and clear, making the entire lobby resume action.

Anik rolled his eyes. "Never anything fun. Did you find anything out?" he asked Jahn.

The Avatar shook his head. "Nope. Total waste of time. Desna said there were never any Spirit Eaters here and Kazon pretty much helped confirm it."

"Whoa, don't go blaming me," the Fire Prince said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

"Chief Desna said that?" Anik asked, looking surprised. "Well you might be right about him lying on the radio then. We had a bit of an adventure ourselves."

It was Jahn's turn to be surprised. "Oh? When?" he asked. He knew he wasn't the centre of their worlds but he didn't like missing out on stuff.

"After you left, we kinda attacked some kid, then got attacked by his dad, then met his wife and now we're all friends."

Both Jahn and Kazon just stared at him.

Anik winked. "Here's the clincher. His wife is Eska, Desna's twin sister."

Kazon's eyes widened. "She's here? In the city? We all thought she'd gone missing."

"So did we. Looks like Desna's been a bit of a naughty Chief. Come on, we'll go upstairs and discuss this with the ladies," Anik said, waving over his shoulder as they made towards the elevators.

Jahn gritted his teeth as they walked. He was feeling smug about being right but why did it always bring more strife?


"Sounds like Desna hasn't changed much. If anything, he's even more miserable than ever," Jinora said glumly as she peered out the window.

"Threatening to arrest me WAS a little much, yeah," Jahn agreed. The group were sat around in their expensive hotel room, waiting on Tilia who was 'freshening up' in the bathroom.

Anik sampled a drink from the nearby minibar but screwed his face up in disgust. "People drink this stuff? Sweet spirits, that's disgusting."

Kazon took the bottle from him and peered at the label before laughing. "That's because this IS a sweet spirit. Just not the floating around kind. It's meant to last a while, not just downed in one."

Anik was attempting to brush his tongue with a comb and just about managed to say, "Do cab keeb ip den!" before waterbending a sizeable tendril of crystal clear water into his mouth.

"Anik, get a grip," Jinora said bluntly. "We need to tell Jahn about Eska."

"Go bor ib."

"Why don't you swallow before you—oh never mind, I'll say it. You were right Jahn, the Spirit Eaters ARE in the Northern Water Tribe. Eska's husband wants to join them to earn them some money and they've apparently been very selective about their recruiting," Jinora explained quickly.

"They're recruiting here? What do they want?" Jahn asked quickly.

Jinora shook her head. "We have no idea. All we know is they're killing spirits to gain some power or something."

Jahn slammed a fist into his other hand in frustration. "Desna was lying then. I bet he's covering their tracks or something. We need to find out what."

"Good luck getting through those palace gates then," Anik finally said after he'd spat out the water in the nearby sink. "Plus the perimeter wall would be too hard to saw through."

The door to the bathroom opened at last and Tilia emerged, wiping her hands on a towel. Jahn gestured towards Kazon as she walked out. "Ah, Tilia, this is Prince Kazon of the Fire Nation. Kazon, this is-

"Oh, it's you! Pleased to meet you again," Kazon said with a slightly shocked expression but smiled quickly. "I never really got chance to thank you for helping me out. Tilia, is it?" he said, holding out a hand.

Tilia, to nearly everyone's surprise, walked straight over and took it, smile on her face. "Hello again Prince Kazon. I take it everything turned out well?" she asked in a strangely formal voice.

"Just about. Only thanks to Jahn and the others here," Kazon conceded.

"Erm, you two know each other?" Anik asked, curious.

Kazon made a twirling motion with his right hand as he looked at the ceiling, remembering. "We met during the Red Lotus incident. I was on…which street? Ah it doesn't matter. Either way, I was trapped against a building and then this charming young lady showed up."

Jahn looked at Tilia, who shrugged. "And you helped him how?"

"Oh, she Metalbent me out of it," Kazon said nonchalantly.

Jinora stood up. "You can Metalbend and you never told us?" she asked Tilia, who looked at the floor sheepishly.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want me around if you thought I was a nonbender but I hoped we could all be friends anyway. If you knew I was a Metalbender then maybe you'd have just used me for my bending, not my intellect. I don't really use my bending much," Tilia admitted, somewhat embarrassed.

Kazon frowned at their reactions. "Hey, remember what I told you last time? Have some more faith in yourself and just live life to the fullest," he said wisely with a wink. Tilia grinned back, thankful for some support.

"Well that solves the palace gate situation. Anyone up for a little night-time raid on the palace?" Jahn asked, cracking his knuckles.

Shaking his head, Kazon pointed at the assorted group. "Chief Desna prohibited you all from breaking any rules whilst you were here. I can't be a part of this and I can't let any of you get in trouble under my watch."

Jinora's eyes narrowed. "Forgive me, Prince Kazon," she said in a slightly frosty tone, "But I'm the current leader of the Air Nation and I'm also older than you by quite a few years. I agree with Jahn; we need to find out who we're dealing with and the best way to do that is to follow up on our only current lead. Eska wouldn't give us any more information so the palace might give us some answers."

"What about jail?" Kazon asked with a genuine look of concern on his face.

Jahn rolled his eyes. "I'll break out of it if I have to. Anyway, there's no point worrying about jail if we're not caught," he chuckled with a wide grin on his face.


The palace gates were gigantic ornate metal gates in tarnished silver, surrounded by huge icy walls which were said to be built around metal meshing to prevent any Waterbenders easily breaking in. If it were just a Waterbender, the palace would be almost impregnable. For Team Avatar, it was merely an obstacle to overcome.

"Through there, quick," Anik whispered as loudly as he dared, ushering the group through the sizeable hole he'd made in the ice. When they were all inside, Anik clambered in and bent the ice back across the hole, covering them all in total darkness.

"Is that the fence?"

"No, that's my hand."

"Oh, sorry. Wait, who's pulling my coat?"

"You're snagged on some ice. Wait, no, now I am too…"

"Guys," Tilia whispered. "I've found the fence."

The younger girl focused and ripped her hands apart from one another. The group could hear a weird screeching as the metal twisted and bent, the broken posts all bending into the ice to allow them to pass. "Ok, we're through," she said smugly.

Anik continued to push through the ice, trying to ignore the group ahead of him. "Man, bending is hard when you can't see…" he complained.

"I can't Firebend in here, it'd be a washout…" Jahn whispered back.

"It wouldn't melt that fast. You could at least give us a little light," Jinora's voice came from ahead of them.

Jahn sighed and held up a hand, hoping that nobody was close enough in front of him to catch on fire. As he willed the flame into existence, the small secret tunnel they had created burst into light once more. Jahn looked at the tiny fire in his hand, confused, before Jinora flicked a hand and a small gust of air blew it out.

"We've reached the other side! We can't have you lighting up the place!" Jinora said quickly with a slightly apologetic look.

"But there are lights in the courtyard!" Jahn whispered back. Why bother with the flame if they didn't need it!?

"Search lights," came Anik's voice from behind them. "Did you honestly not see them before we climbed in here?"

"…..it was a tall wall…"

Tilia jumped out of the tunnel and landed gently on the snowy courtyard floor. "We don't have long to get across here before the lights sweep the area. It looks like they're standard two metre lights so there should be a blindspot round that corner," she said, pointing it out.

"You've done this before…" Jahn muttered as he peered over her shoulder. Tilia turned her head slightly with a little shy smile.

Turning, Jahn spotted Kazon emerging from the tunnel. He looked rather irritated and the Water Tribe jacket didn't suit him at all. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered. They'd convinced the Prince to come with them but disguised him to look like a native citizen in case trouble arose.

"We're going to need some cover to avoid being seen, lights or no lights. Hang on," Jinora said, gently moving her arms back and forth. The snow, which had been falling gently, began to swirl around faster and faster on gusts of air. Anik grinned as he too bent the water around them, causing a large area to be covered in twirling snow.

"Let's go, quickly!" Jahn said, dashing forward. Tilia was running by his side but he couldn't really see any of the others through the deluge of snow. They reached the edge of the palace quickly and the snow died down once more. As expected, the guards were curious over the sudden snowstorm and were beginning to investigate.

"We need to get inside. Up there!" Kazon said hurriedly, pointing out a small window two floors up.

"On it!" Jahn said, standing with his feet wide. He tensed his arms and raised them above his head quickly, making the entire patch of ground they were stood on rise up. The earth column burst upwards and stopped just at the window, allowing Tilia to climb through the window carefully.

"This is the least stealthy break-in ever," Jinora said grumpily as she too climbed into the palace.

"Jahn, the guards are coming over, I think we've been spotted!" Anik said urgently. A number of figures were running over to their location, having finally noticed the intruders.

"About time. Right, everyone in!" Jahn ordered, Airbending the two others through the window. The wooden window totally shattered as the two men fell through, leaving a gaping hole where the window once was.

"You there, stop!" shouted one of the guards but it was too late. With a cheeky wave, Jahn hopped through the hole and disappeared from view. "Think anyone noticed?" he asked the group.

They were in.