Chapter 9: Chakras and Charity

"She WHAT!" Zuko yelled, smoke seeping from the corners of his mouth.

"Calm down Sparky" Toph said.

"Azula can't have gone far" Suki said.

It was early morning, and Suki was supposed to have relieved Toph in guarding Azula several hours ago. What she found was Toph sound asleep and Azula missing. On her own Suki followed tracks in the sand leading away from the camp, but the trail ended at a heavily used road. When she lost Azula's trail Suki had returned to the camp to report. At sunrise Zuko had woken up to relieve Suki, and was furious when he found out Azula was missing.

"IDIOTS!" Zuko yelled, with smoke rising from his clenched fists. "This is exactly why I wanted her watched in the first place!"

"In her condition, we can still catch her" Suki said.

"Her condition doesn't matter!" Zuko yelled. "We had her! And she still escaped!"

"Then we better start chasing her" Sokka said.

"Yes" Zuko said, trying to calm down. "But we're doing this my way!" He walked across the beach towards Hakoda's tent, his footsteps heating the sand into glass. Zuko saw Hakoda standing next to the tent, having been trying to stay away from Zuko's temper. "Chief, are there any ostrich-horses here?" Zuko asked.

"We have three stabled not far from here" Hakoda answered.

"I'm taking them" Zuko demanded. "Sokka, Suki, you're with me. Toph, I want this area earthbended into a fortress."

"Since when do you give orders around here?" Sokka asked.

"This is Azula we're dealing with" Zuko said. "You've only known her for what, a month? I've had to deal with her all of my life. I call the shots when we deal with her."

OOOOOOOOOO

Limping down a dirt road, Azula focused on getting as far away from the Water Tribe camp as possible. She could feel her strength slipping away, the burn on her back taking its toll. Even though she struggled to fight off unconsciousness, Azula refused to give in. It wasn't until she heard a noise coming from behind her that she stopped moving.

Turning around, Azula saw a wagon drawn by a pair of ostridge-horses. She was directly in its path, and moved to get out of the way. On the edge of the road Azula tripped on a rock, falling to the ground. She heard the wagon stop nearby, the driver having seen her fall.

The driver was a middle aged man with a short bead and brown hair. He jumped off the wagon and rushed to Azula, a woman and a boy watching from the wagon. "Are you alright?" the man said, kneeling at Azula's side.

"No…" Azula muttered.

"Okay, we'll get you to safety" the man said. Trying to pick up Azula, the man placed a hand on her back.

"OWWW!" Azula screamed, feeling intense pain until the man pulled his hand away. "My back…" Azula muttered when the pain subsided.

"I see now" the man muttered. "Sela, help me lift her."

"Coming Gansu" Sela said, hurrying to help her husband. Together they lifted Azula by her arms and carried her towards the wagon. "Lee, make some room" Sela asked.

"On it" Lee said. Even though he was just a little boy with a few teeth missing, he was still able to rearrange the farming equipment in the wagon to provide space. He laid down a mat in time for his parents to lift Azula into the wagon and place her on it.

"Careful now" Gansu said as he and Sela set down Azula.

"Don't get any ideas now Lee" Sela teased.

"Mom!" Lee shouted.

"I'm just teasing" Sela said, climbing into the wagon.

With everyone else back in the wagon, Gansu climbed onto the front and grabbed the reins for the ostrich-horses. He used them to make the beasts move, pulling the wagon down the road. As the wagon moved down the road, Azula fell asleep.

OOOOOOOOOO

Meanwhile, Aang, Katara, and Pathik were sitting inside a dark cave beneath the Eastern Air Temple. Pathik led them there after using a stream as a metaphor to explain how chakras behave. The cave was the lowest spot on the mountain, reflecting the position of the first chakra in the body.

"There are seven chakras that go up the body" Pathik said. "Each pool of energy has a purpose, and can be blocked by a specific kind of emotional muck. Be warned, opening the chakras is an intense experience. Once you both begin this process, you cannot stop until all seven are open."

"Both?" Katara questioned. "I thought I was just going to watch."

"If you are going to approach The Face Stealer, you need to become the master of the body you possess" Pathik said. "Not only will opening the chakras provide balance between your mind and body, it will allow you to achieve a firebender's ultimate technique. Lightning."

"Lightning?" Aang and Katara said together.

"Yes, and it requires peace of mind and body, which you do not currently posses" Pathik said. "Now, are you both ready?"

"I'll do whatever it takes" Aang said.

"I'm ready" Katara said.

"First we will open the Earth Chakra, located at the base of the spine" Pathik said. "It deals with survival, and is blocked by fear. What are you most afraid of?"

Aang saw visions of old memories, the Blue Spirit's blades at his throat, watching Katara sinking into stone by earthbending, himself in the uncontrolled Avatar State, and finally the Fire Lord burning everything around him. "I'm afraid of losing everyone."

Katara saw herself fighting her friends. Killing them with fire and standing over the bodies. As the smoke cleared she saw a silhouette of the Fire Lord walk up to her, handing her the crown. "I'm afraid, that I'll become her."

"Your visions are not real" Pathik said. "You must surrender your fears. Let them flow down the creek."

Accepting Pathik's council, Aang and Katara let their fears go and the visions faded. With the visions gone, both of them felt safe from harm.

"You have opened your Earth chakras" Pathik said.

For the second chakra, Pathik took Katara and Aang to a secluded area behind a waterfall. Pathik sat with his back to a wall while Aang and Katara sat with their backs to the water. Katara found the noise of the flowing water soothing, and she was ready for the next task.

"Next is the Water Chakra" Pathik said. "This chakra deals with pleasure, and is blocked by guilt. Now look at all the guilt which burdens you so. What do you blame yourself for?"

"I ran away" Aang said, remembering how he left the Southern Air Temple all those years ago. Then he saw himself wreaking havoc at General Fong's base while in the Avatar State. "I hurt all those people."

At the same time, Katara remembered how she had driven Appa away while fighting Suki. "I scared Appa away" she said. "I couldn't get him back."

"Accept the reality that these things happened" Pathik said. "But do not let them cloud and poison your energy. If you are going to be positive influences on the world, you need to forgive yourself."

OOOOOOOOOO

When Azula awoke she found herself lying in the moving wagon. Immediately Azula saw Lee staring into her eyes, startling both of them when she opened hers. Lee backed away and hit a wall of the wagon, nearly hitting his head on it. Not caring about the little boy, Azula tried to ignore the pain in her back and sit up.

"Where am I?" Azula asked.

"Safe" Sela answered. She handed a canteen to Azula, and she immediately drank all of the water inside it.

"What's your name?" Lee asked.

Uncertain what to say, Azula hesitated. Both her real name and her body's name were a liability now, since her enemies would likely search for both. "I'm… Talia" she made up.

"Talia, how are you feeling?" Sela asked.

"Lousy" Azula said. Looking around she saw various tools and a few caged animals in the wagon, all various pig hybrids. "What's with all the vermin?"

"They're all we have left from our farm" Lee said. "It's the Fire Nation's fault, and that Zuko is the worst of them!"

So he hates Zuko specifically? I like this kid Azula thought. "Really? Tell me more."

"He scared off the bullies in our town" Sela explained. "We thought the army wouldn't bother with such a remote town, and that we didn't need those people. Just a week after they left the army arrived and destroyed the town."

Azula saw tears running down Sela's face, but didn't care about it. As far as she was concerned this remote town was insignificant like so many others before it. "So where are we headed? Ba Sing Se?"

"No" Lee said.

"My husband and I are just simple farmers. We'd never survive in a city" Sela said. "We're going as far south-east as we can. Hopefully distance from the army will keep us safe for a while."

Not as long as you'd expect Azula thought. It was obvious these people didn't know about Sozin's Comet, and to Azula's knowledge its power was going to be used to overwhelm most of the Earth Kingdom forces. Even if remote corners of the continent weathered the assault they would fall under Fire Nation rule soon enough.

"Is there any place in particular?" Azula asked.

"We'll be stopping at a village not far from here to resupply" Sela said. "I'm not sure how long we'll be staying there."

"It's not just a village Mom" Lee said. "The Green Spirit lives there."

"Lee, now's not the time for rumors" Sela said.

"But she's real" Lee said. "They say she can heal the sick."

"They say a lot of things" Sela retorted. "Don't get your hopes up."

"How long until we get there?" Azula asked.

"A few hours" Sela answered. "You should get some rest before we arrive."

"That sounds like a good idea" Azula said and lied down on her stomach. In minutes Azula let sleep take her again.

OOOOOOOOOO

On a narrow path leading up the mountain, Pathik sat next to Aang and Katara. A fog had rolled in, limiting the view of the landscape below. This location was higher than the previous areas, reflecting how the next chakra was higher up in the body.

"Third is the Fire Chakra, located in the stomach" Pathik said. This chakra deals with willpower and is blocked by shame. What are you ashamed of? What are your biggest disappointments in yourself?"

Aang remembered his first attempts at firebending, and how he had burned Katara doing so. "I'm never going to firebend again, I can't."

"You will never find balance if you deny this part of your life" Pathik said. "You are the Avatar, and therefore, you are a firebender."

Meanwhile, Katara remembered how she had to fight the Kyoshi Warriors, and couldn't prevent most of them from being taken to a Fire Nation prison. "I betrayed our friends, I could only save Suki."

"It wasn't a total loss then" Pathik said. "We can only try to correct our mistakes."

"I'll try" Katara said.

"Very good" Pathik said. "You've opened your Fire Chakras."

For the next step, Pathik led them to a broken building further up the mountain. Inside were statues of various Air Nomads, and everyone sat in the center of the building. The interior was open to the wind blowing around the mountain, which reflected the name Air Chakra.

"The fourth chakra is in the heart" Pathik said. "It deals with love, and is blocked by grief. Lay all your grief out in front of you."

Immediately Aang saw a vision of his people in front of him. One by one they disappeared in puffs of smoke, leaving him all alone. At the same time, Katara saw her mother being killed in a raid on her home village, and she saw Yue giving up her life to restore the moon spirit.

"You have both felt a great loss" Pathik said. "But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The love of the Air Nomads and your family has not left this world. It is still inside you, and is reborn in new love."

Like two sides of the same coin, Aang and Katara both saw the day they first met. Katara was looking down at the boy in the iceberg, and Aang was looking up at the innocent girl that found him after a hundred years. So much had changed since then, and yet it didn't seem to matter at that moment.

"Very good, you have opened your Air Chakras" Pathik said.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Careful now, don't strain yourself" Gansu said, helping Azula step out of the wagon.

They had just arrived in a little town called Tian, which was nestled between two forests and had a steep mountain behind it. A small stream flowed down the mountain and through Tian, which Gansu had stopped the wagon next to where it exited. Once on the ground Azula limped to the edge of the stream and knelt down next to the water.

"Take the bandage off" Azula ordered.

"What!" Sela shouted. "Why would you want that?"

Sighing, Azula wondered if she would have to explain everything. "I'm a waterbender, which means I have healing abilities" Azula explained.

"Alright, Lee don't you even think about looking" Sela said. She waited for Gansu to cover Lee's eyes and turn away before removing Azula's shirt. Slowly removing the bandage on Azula's back Sela saw that it was slowly healing. "There, it's off" Sela said when she was finished.

"Good" Azula said. She bended some water from the stream and moved it behind her back. Slowly she pressed it against the burn, feeling pain from the cold. When she started healing the burn the pain increased, quickly draining her energy. The pain was too much and Azula lost her concentration, stopping the healing process after only half a minute and nearly losing consciousness.

Noticing Azula almost pass out, Sela caught Azula in her arms. Looking at the burn Sela noticed that only the edges had healed, and the rest of it was only barely affected. "Talia, I think this is too much to heal yourself" Sela stated.

"It's the only way" Azula said. "I have to try again."

"No, you're going to hurt yourself doing that" Sela said. "You need rest."

"Fine" Azula said. She let Sela apply a fresh bandage on the burn and then put her shirt back on.

"Are you two done yet?" Lee asked, his eyes still covered by Gansu's hands.

"Yes you can look now" Sela said.

"That's not what Lee meant" Gansu said, looking away from them. "We have company."

Standing up and looking around, Azula spotted a woman in brown robes standing between them and the town. Not a single bit of skin was exposed, her hair was hidden by a hood, and her face was covered by a green oni mask.

"It's the Green Spirit" Lee said. "Told you she was real."

"She must have seen us arrive" Azula guessed. "Do you know who we are?"

The Green Spirit said nothing, but pointed a gloved finger at Azula. Then she turned around and walked into Tain, gesturing for Azula to follow. Curious, Azula complied while allowing Sela to help keep her upright. They followed the Green Spirit to a small house near the forest, and Azula followed the stranger inside alone.

OOOOOOOOOO

Inside a large room, Pathik, Aang, and Katara sat at the base of a large statue of a female Air Nomad. Inside the room there was a small echo to everything said inside, which was annoying at first but easy to ignore.

"Fifth in the chain is the Sound Chakra" Pathik said. "It deals with truth and is blocked by lies, the lies we tell ourselves."

"Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" Aang remembered Katara asking long ago. "Because I never wanted to be" Aang said aloud.

I can't do this, I can't be her Katara thought. "I'm sick of pretending to be that monster" Katara said.

"You cannot lie about your own natures" Pathik said. "We are what we are, and we must accept that."

Aang had a brief vision of when he accepted his role in the world back at the North Pole. Katara remembered how she had been able to fool Azula's closest friends into believing the charade. Both of them felt that they could continue with the hand that fate had dealt them.

"Very good, you have opened your chakras of truth" Pathik said.

Next Pathik led them onto another path going up the mountain. They stopped near the top and sat down on different steps. From there they could see the peaks of smaller mountains nearby. Being almost at the top of the mountain reflected how the next chakra was near the top of the body.

"The sixth pool of energy is the Light Chakra, located in the center of the forehead" Pathik said. "It deals with insight, and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same."

"Like the four nations?" Aang asked.

"Yes. We are all one people, but we live as if divided" Pathik said.

"We're all connected. Everything is connected" Aang said.

"That's right" Pathik said. "Even the separation of the four elements is an illusion. If you open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one."

"Is that how I've been able to firebend so easily?" Katara asked. "Is it because I was a good waterbender?"

"Indeed" Pathik said. "Both fire and water are parts of the same whole, along with air and earth. Even metal is just a refined part of earth, and wood is filled with water. There is no hard line between one element and another."

OOOOOOOOOO

Inside the small house in Tian, Azula observed the interior. Most of the room was bare, only a bed, a desk, a fireplace, and a few chairs inside. The few windows the room had were being covered by curtains drawn by the Green Spirit, obviously desiring privacy.

"Who are you?" Azula asked.

The Green Spirit said nothing, which made Azula wonder if she was a mute. She gestured for Azula to lay down on the bed. Azula didn't comply, wanting an answer to her question. In response the Green Spirit walked to the desk in the room and took a short scroll from a drawer. She quickly wrote on the scroll and handed it to Azula.

I saw you trying to heal yourself. I want to help. Azula read from the scroll. "Are you a waterbender?" Azula asked.

The Green Spirit shook her head, then gestured for Azula to lay down again. This time Azula complied, laying face down on the bed. She let the Green Spirit remove the bandage on her back, leaving it bare for the moment. Azula wasn't certain what the Green Spirit was going to do, but if it would heal her back then it was worth the risk.

Taking a moment to observe the burn, the Green Spirit noted that it would likely heal naturally over a week. She walked to another room to get a glass of water, then slowly poured it over the burn. Azula felt the cold sting, but refused to show it. To Azula's surprise the Green Spirit gently placed a bare hand on the burn, and the cold slowly vanished.

What is she doing? Azula wondered, unable to see what was going on. The pain in the burn slowly lessened and disappeared, displaced by a strangely pleasing sensation. It felt nice, pain replaced by pleasure, the cold giving way to warmth. Wait a minute, warmth? Azula thought. Thinking about it, she realized that there was only one explanation for what the Green Spirit was doing.

"You're a firebender!" Azula accused.

Surprised by the accusation, the Green Spirit pulled her hand away and stepped back. The pain in Azula's back returned, but at a fraction of the intensity. Azula stood up, covering her chest with one arm, preparing to use the other to waterbend if necessary. But instead of attacking to maintain her secret, the Green Spirit put her hands up to her mask, and started to remove it.

OOOOOOOOOO

Back at the Eastern Air Temple, Pathik led Aang and Katara to the very top of the temple. The view from there stretched out for miles in every direction, and Katara was disappointed to have just missed it at sunset. They had reached the top at nightfall, and could see all the stars in the sky.

"This is the last chakra, isn't it?" Aang asked.

"Yes. Once you open this chakra you will be able to go in and out of the Avatar State at will, and when you are in the Avatar State you will have control and awareness of all your actions" Pathik said.

"And I'll be able to shoot lightning?" Katara asked.

"Indeed, though I'd be careful when doing so" Pathik warned.

Aang and Katara looked into each other's eyes, and they knew each other were ready. "Let's do this" they said together.

"The Thought Chakra is located at the crown of the head" Pathik said. "It deals with pure cosmic energy, and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world."

To Aang, his attachment was his feelings for Katara. How she had always been there for him until Ba Sing Se, and even after the switch she had remained loyal. To Katara, her attachment was her goal of retrieving her natural body. It was part of the reason she was opening her chakras in the first place.

"Now let all of those attachments go" Pathik said. "Let them flow down the creek, forgotten."

"What!" Katara shouted. "Why would I give up trying to reclaim my body? Why should I just give that up?"

"You must learn to let go" Pathik said. "Attachments cloud your judgment, preventing you from seeing the bigger picture."

"But do we have to just ignore them?" Aang asked. "Forever?"

"Not forever" Pathik said. "The point is to put the needs of the world ahead of your own. Your feelings can remain, but do not let them dictate your actions."

"Okay, I'll try" Aang said.

When Aang let go of his attachments, he had a vision of being high above the Earth. He stood on a path of solid light, and at the other end was a giant version of himself, dark but glowing from the eyes and tattoos. Aang walked along the path, stopping when he was in between the hands of the giant. It surrounded him in a sphere of energy, and Aang could feel himself obtaining control of the Avatar State.

When Katara let go of her attachments, she had a vision of being back at the North Pole. Only it was split down the middle, the western half replacing ice with volcanic rock and the snow with metal. The western side was day with the sun in the sky, while the eastern side was night with the moon above. Katara walked along the division between Fire and Water, and as she walked up to the divided palace the scene around her blurred and mixed together. When she reached the palace, everything was meshed together in equal parts, the sky in twilight with both the sun and moon setting. As she entered the palace, lightning struck and the vision ended.

Coming back to reality, the first thing Katara noticed was Aang. He was in the Avatar State, but completely calm and looking at the glowing tattoos on his arm. Aang closed his eyes for a moment and the glow faded, and then he made it reappear and disappear at will.

"Excellent" Pathik said. "You have opened all of the chakras."

OOOOOOOOOO

While the Green Spirit slowly removed her mask, Azula quickly put her shirt back on. As the Green Spirit pulled the mask off her hood fell back as well. Azula didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the woman's fair face or her black hair. Despite her hair being cut short and graying, or the few age lines in her face, there was no mistaking her. The amber eyes gave away her identity, as someone Azula never expected to see again.

Mom? Azula wondered, barely stopping herself from saying it aloud.

"What gave me away?" Ursa asked. She had no idea that she was talking to her own daughter.

It's really you Azula thought when she heard Ursa's voice. "I… uh… it was your firebending."

"You're the first person to come here and recognize that technique as firebending" Ursa said. With a short laugh she said "Everyone else assumed I was a waterbender."

"Well heat therapy is a guarded secret of the Fire Nation, no earth peasant would know about it" Azula said.

"And how would a water tribe girl know about it?" Ursa asked.

"It's complicated" Azula admitted. Part of her wanted to explain everything, but another part still hated Ursa for leaving all those years ago. "And I have genuine waterbending, and that kind of healing has a different feeling when used."

"I wouldn't know" Ursa admitted. "I suppose you're going to expose me now?"

"No" Azula said. "I still need this burn healed, and that won't happen if this town kicks you out."

"Very well, it shouldn't take much longer" Ursa said.

Azula laid back on the bed, and Ursa resumed her work on the burn. Using firebending to move heat and energy into the body accelerated its natural healing process. Combined with Azula's healing power the burn quickly faded away, leaving only a light scar behind. When Ursa was finished, Azula felt whole again and back to her full strength.

"Thank you" Azula said, noting how strange it was to genuinely say it for once.

"You should stay for the night" Ursa suggested. "There's nowhere to go at this hour."

"I need to be moving on" Azula said. "There are people after me and I can't let them catch up."

Suddenly someone was pounding on the front door, obviously begging to get inside. Ursa quickly raised her hood and put her mask back on while Azula walked up to the door. Once Ursa was ready Azula opened the door, and was surprised to find Lee.

"He's here!" Lee shouted. "He's going to kill us all!"

"Slow down, who's here?" Azula asked.

"Zuko!"

OOOOOOOOOO

Back at the Eastern Air Temple, Katara wanted to try shooting lightning. While Pathik was no bender, he had studied the styles of the different disciplines over his long life. He showed Katara the movements for generating lightning, explaining how it worked at the same time. After practicing with the movements, Katara felt that she was ready to do it for real.

"Remember, once you create the lightning, you do not control it. You are merely its humble guide" Pathik said.

"Okay" Katara said. She started moving her arms in the circular motions, separating the positive and negative energies at the same time. The raw power built up around her, electricity crackling at her fingertips. When it felt like she had enough power, Katara pointed one arm forward, and fired lightning into the distance. The lightning struck a nearby mountain, and thunder could be heard for miles.

"That was amazing!" Aang shouted. "And on the first try too!"

"Excellent" Pathik said. "Now be careful where you use lightning. It can be unpredictable at times, especially when there's a lot of metal nearby."

"I'll keep that in mind" Katara said.

"Can I try it now?" Aang asked.

"You should learn some firebending first" Pathik suggested. "You could hurt yourself with lightning without that experience."

"Right" Aang said. "So Katara, are you going to teach me firebending?"

"Aang, I've been making it up as I go along" Katara said. "I think you need someone that was actually taught properly to learn from."

"I guess I'll have to learn from Zuko" Aang said. "I can't believe I actually said that."

"Yea" Katara agreed. Turning to Pathik, she bowed to him. "Thanks for everything."

"It was an honor to assist you both on your journey" Pathik said.

Aang took his bison whistle out of his pocket and blew it. Within minutes Appa arrived, well rested after being lazy since the arrival at the temple. "If we hurry we could get back to your dad by tomorrow night" Aang said.

Together Aang and Katara climbed onto Appa, who took off into the night sky. Pathik watched them leave, glad that he finally completed the role destiny had given him. Once they were gone, Pathik couldn't help but notice something nagging at him. Then he realized what it was.

"What do I do with my life now?" Pathik muttered.

OOOOOOOOOO

In Tian's central square, Zuko, Sokka, and Suki were on their ostrich-horses. Zuko was lighting up the area with a flame in his hand. There were dozens of villagers in the square, terrified of Zuko but not enough to take up arms against him. Sokka had wanted to use a different approach to finding Azula in the village, but Zuko had overruled him by pointing out that they wouldn't have found Tian without his tracking skills.

"Now that I have your attention, we're looking for someone in this village. Water Tribe, teenaged, looks similar to him" Zuko announced, gesturing towards Sokka. "She'll have been injured, possibly sick by now."

"There's no one here like that" Gansu lied, trying to stay between Sela and Zuko. "You should leave, now."

"Not until we find her" Zuko said. "This village is the only one close enough for her to reach safely. You can't hide her."

While Zuko tried to force the villagers to reveal Azula, she was listening in from behind a low wall nearby. She had left Lee behind with Ursa in that house, and left it to find out if Zuko was certain that she was here. While listening to Zuko's demands, Azula debated whether or not it was worth it to confront Zuko here.

"Get out of our village firebender!" a villager demanded.

"The Fire Nation isn't welcome here!" a woman yelled.

Suki made her ostridge-horse walk up to Zuko's stopping alongside it. "This is going to get ugly" Suki said.

"I told you we should have been stealthy" Sokka complained.

"There's no time for that" Zuko argued.

"There's also no time for us to fight off a mob" Sokka said.

The last complaint gave Azula an idea. Trying to make her voice as deep as possible, she yelled "GET THEM!" towards the villagers. Like a misplaced barrel of blasting jelly, the crowd exploded into violence. The villagers grabbed whatever weapons they could find, everything from rocks on the ground to sharp tools to the occasional torch and pitchfork.

Before the mob could strike Zuko created a wall of fire in front of him. The villagers started throwing rocks through the flames, pelting Zuko and the others with them. The ostrich-horses were spooked by the attacks, barely kept under control by their riders.

"We should get out of here before this gets any worse" Suki suggested.

"Yea Zuko, the direct approach isn't working" Sokka said.

Uncle always said I never think things through Zuko thought. "Fine, we'll go back to the camp and wait for Aang to get back. Maybe these people will listen to the Avatar instead."

Peering over the low wall, Azula watched Zuko extinguish the flames. She watched Zuko leave with the others, and the crowd cheered when it appeared that they had won against the Fire Nation. Who knew it was this easy to make peasants fight for you? Azula wondered. Satisfied with how this night played out, Azula walked back to Ursa's house to plan her next move.

A/N: Everyone that saw Ursa coming before the reveal, raise your hand. Is that everybody? Probably. Anyway, as you can see I subscribe to the "Ursa's hiding in the Earth Kingdom" theory.