Ami is raised in the Fire Nation & is an Ambassador for Fire Lord Zuko. She's on a mission w/ 3 purposes: help bring a sincere apology to the world. Find her missing family w/ her waterbending as her only clue. Uncover the deadly plot that threatens Zuko & his family to restore Ozai to the throne. This story takes place eighteen years after Zuko is named Fire Lord. The reason I decided to write this fanfiction was to fill in the gaps between A:TLA and A:LOK. It contains mostly OCs, but the major characters from the show are in it. The small characters, such as: Hahn, Yue, Master Piandao, and Jet have a much bigger impact in this story. I wanted to shed some light on what I think happened to some of them.

It is my first one that I've ever written out. It starts off a little slow, but I promise it will pick up. Please Read and Review. I would really appreciate any thoughts on this fanfiction. I wanted to test out my writing style and I thought this would be a good place to start. Thank you for your time and enjoy!

I am a huge fan of the shows. However, I do not own anything from Avatar: The Last Airbender or Legend of Korra, only the OC's I came up with.

Pronunciations

Ami: Ah-mEE

Tula: Too-la

Nolaan: No-lawn

Puka: Poo-kah

Trisc: Like Triscuit but without the cracker. Lol. I know probably one of the stupidest jokes I ever make.

Peto: Peh-toe

Burt: Bert

Nani: Nah-Nee

Atta: Att-ah

Sué: S-way

Bamin: Bam-in

Ahpt: Aahh-p-t

Omber: Oh-m-ber.

"And I thought the Fire Nation had a lot of layers for clothing." Tula admitted.

Atta had come mid afternoon to take Ami and Tula shopping. Peto had taken Puka back to the ship a few hours ago and left the ladies to their own devices. He knew they would be safe from harm since they were welcome in the city, and that Ami was the granddaughter of one of the advisors. She admitted to her cousin that they could not stay in the Northern Water Tribe much longer because they had other ports they needed to go to.

Currently, they were in the city market going from shop to shop trying on different styles of indoor and outdoor clothing. It seemed pointless to purchase many different outfits since she would be leaving and had limited storage in her quarters on the ship. Tula was struggling with picking only a few things. She was a shopper and could not say no. Ami had to be her voice of reason when they were getting ready to finish up.

"You're not storing your stuff in my room." Ami stated. In all reality she would have done it if her friend asked. But she knew that she would go on a crazy shopping spree at every stop. Ami was only encouraging her to pace herself. "Remember, you can come back here with me in the future."

"I know," Tula sighed. "They just have so many cute options. It's hard to choose."

"Keep in mind that you won't want to wear too many of these when you get home, it will be too hot." Ami reminded her. "If you are going to get anything, you should get a warm coat, hat, scarf, and gloves for while we are still in cold weather. And get jewelry to wear instead. It's more practical and you will have more chances to wear them."

"You sound like my mom."

"That's not much of an insult, you're mom is pretty awesome."

"Too you," Tula snorted and pouted. "Alright, a coat, hat, scarf, gloves, and jewelry."

Ami followed her own advice. Atta had taken them to a few different merchants in the market and were able to get everything they needed. She found a dark blue puffy coat that snug to her waist and flared out and stopped at her hips. It had an attached shawl gathering in the front and around her shoulders to keep her neck warm and could convert into a hood if the weather turned nasty. It was simply decorated with silver buttons, white beads, and light blue dyed fur along the edges. She found a set of simple black gloves, hat, and a scarf for when it was too warm for her coat, but when there was still a chill in the air. Tula found a coat and other warm weather gear of similar fashion.

Then the fun part, discovering an old married couple selling exactly what they were looking for. Ami found a head band decorated with polished gray stones that sparkled in the light. Tula found a beautiful cuff bracelet, it was made of some kind of white stone, and it had detailed carvings all over it. With their success they were just about to back to their rooms. They picked up something to eat to tide them over to dinner, when they were stopped.

"Ambassador Ami!" a male voice called out.

The ladies looked up from the food options in front of them to see Trisc coming toward them. Ami sighed and forced a smile. Both Tula and Atta looked between her and him, coming up with different silent questions.

He was grinning at the group of ladies around him. "I went by your room and you didn't answer. I guess you didn't waste any time seeing the city."

Ami gently shrugged her shoulders. "My cousin, Atta, offered to bring us to the market today."

"Of course! You're Motsu's long lost granddaughter. How does it feel to have her back?" He turned to Atta and asked.

"Like the void has been filled," Atta answered.

Everyone stood there awkwardly after that. No one knew what to say. Everyone had something they wanted to ask each other; but wanted to do it in private. Atta and Tula wanted to know what was going on between Ami and Trisc. Trisc wanted to ask Ami on a date. Ami wanted to hightail it away from him.

Having enough of the awkwardness, Ami broke the silence. "Well, we have some more shopping to do before this evening."

"What are you doing this evening?" Trisc asked.

"Hello, Atta!" All eyes went to another young man, followed by three other gentlemen.

Atta grinned at him. "Hello Sué. Ami, Tula, this is my betrothed, Sué and his friends Bamin, Ahpt, and Omber. Guys, this is my cousin, Ami and her friend, Tula."

"Welcome to the Northern Water Tribe," Sué offered his hand to shake. "How are you dealing with the cold?"

"Oh, were dealing," Tula stressed.

"Just think if you were here during winter." Sué was able to effortlessly stimulate the conversation. He looked to Atta for support as he gently grasped her hand in his.

"Yeah, you both would probably be dead from frostbite if you had showed up with the clothes you had on." Atta joked.

On the outside, both Atta and Sué seemed fond of each other. Their smiles were genuine, and they were kind to each other. Ami assumed it could all be forced or fake. But that seemed unlikely. Deep down, maybe Atta wanted to be married to Sué and she was just afraid of the future. Or that she will miss out on life experiences if she gets married.

"How long do you plan to stay?" Sué asked continue forward.

Tula and Ami looked at each other, deciding on who would answer. Tula took charge, "That depends on Ami. Since she found her family, it's hard to pull her away from that."

"I can imagine." Sué sympathized.

"If you ladies aren't doing anything later, maybe we can go do dinner or check out the new swimming hole." Bamin invited and gave both Ami and Tula a once over.

They both noticed that he was not the only one observing. Ahpt and Omber were not trying to hide their staring. Trisc cleared his throat, making his presents known and that seemed to instill a little fear and embarrassment. He was intimidating and he knew it. He was about to say something when Ami cut him off.

"Thank you very much for the offer, but Tula and I will be having dinner and spending the remainder with my family. We have a lot to catch up on." Ami smiled at the men staring at them. Tula and Atta nodded in agreement. "And we have a little more to shop for before we head back there."

"Do you need help?" Trisc asked.

"No I think we have it under control." Ami reassured. "Thank you, though."

"It was lovely to meet you all." Tula charmed the young men with her smile.

Sué turned to Atta to speak. "Your dad invited me to join you all for dinner."

Atta nodded, "I guess I will see you tonight, then?"
"I wanted to know if you were okay with that. I wasn't sure if you wanted to spend some alone time with Ami."

"I don't see an issue with you coming over. You might as well get to know her. She's part of the family you're marrying into." Atta added.

"I wanted to double check with you first. Well, then I will see you all later then. It was nice to finally meet you, Ami and Tula." He kissed his future bride's hand and waved at the rest. His friends all said their goodbyes and checked them out one more time before departing.

Tula laughed and enjoyed the attention. However, Ami was getting irritated with the whole male population. All three ladies turned to Trisc, who was still standing with them.

He seemed to take the hint. "Well, I will leave you ladies to your shopping. Can I see you later, Ami?"

"Um, I am not sure what my schedule is going to be in the near future. But I will let you know when I'm free." Ami sighed.

It must have satisfied him. "Sounds good. I'll see you later than. It was nice to see you again Tula and Atta."

"Bye." They said at the same time as he walked away.

"He's very cute," Tula admired him.

"You both can do better." Atta stated.

"You don't like him?" Ami questioned. She already did not think very highly of Trisc, and it would make it easier on her if Tula was not a fan of his either.

"I don't dislike him, well I didn't before; I do now." Atta explained.

"How come?" Tula asked curiously.

"Well, I knew he was a bit of a ladies' man. I guess I didn't realize how much. Since he reached warrior status, he became really cocky and a bit of an arrogant jerk."

"That explains a lot." Ami nodded.

"And he was seeing a friend of mine, and we all thought it was serious. But apparently he was just sampling. And has been with a lot of girls." Atta shook her head at the thought. "Listen, I need to go see a healer really quick. I have some questions on a bending technique. I can meet you at the end of the market in fifteen minutes."

"Yeah, we'll meet you down there." Ami agreed.

As soon as they were on their own, Tula voiced a thought. "I know you may not be happy to hear this, but you might want to think about moving on in our quest. We have six more ports to get to, and get home, before winter sets in."

Ami sighed, "as much as I don't want to admit it, you're right." She smiled at her friend whom was sticking out her tongue. "I've been able to learn so much about my mom, dad, Ty, and the rest of the family. It's hard to leave."

"If we stay much longer it's going to be harder to catch up with your mom, dad, and Ty. I was talking with Peto, and he said there is a chance that if they stop in Kyoshi, we might catch them on our way to Republic City." Tula explained.

"Really!? That's perfect!" Ami was wide eyed for more reasons than one. "You were talking to Peto?"

"Relatively speaking." Tula grinned.

Ami rolled her eyes. "I will see if we can speak with the chief. We can ask if he can prepare a boat while I say goodbye to my family. And you can relatively say goodbye to my cousin. But I haven't found a waterbending teacher yet."
"Isn't Peto a waterbender? He's family, you can ask him to come."

Ami shook her head, "He already told me that he had duties here that he can't and won't leave. Are you only suggesting him because you are interested in him?"

"At first I was, but I don't see myself with him." Tula stated. "I promise I won't lead him on."

"Good. I don't want to disown you as my best friend when I just met my family. Nor do I need to deal with crazy family drama."

They made it down to the end of the market and found Atta already waiting for them. They completed their shopping and decided to head back to the palace. Peto met up with them and walk back to Motus' house after he spoke to the chief for Ami. He explained that the chief was in council with his advisors, but he passed along the request.

Later that evening after dinner, the whole remaining family was in the family room. They all sat on pillows with warm cups of wine or tea. There were going around sharing stories and joking and laughing with one another. Even Tula, as a firebender, felt right at home. Atta and Peto encouraged her to do a small demonstration of firebending. She made a small flame in her hand and explained how beneficial fire was to all life with its light, heat, and power. Being a firebender was a great blessing, but also a great burden. She understood that it fire was to be wielded with caution.

Her words helped put the older family members at ease and even respect the Fire Nation a little better. They still remembered the attack all those years ago and made a point to make sure it was never forgotten. But Tula helped them see that not everyone in the Fire Nation was guilty of the pain and destruction caused by others.

Everyone was comfortable around Tula, and that was wonderful. But Motsu opened up a whole new can of worm guppies. And the new found peace did not last.

"A young man came to me today, asking for permission to court you, Amisis." Motsu explained. "I told him it was not out of the question, but we must wait to hear from your father to make any long term agreements."

"Excuse me? Who asked permission to court me?" Ami asked dumbfounded.

"A warrior by the name of Trisc."

Everyone looked at him and then at Ami waiting to see how the conversation would move forward. The older members of the family were pleased by the news. Atta and Peto did not seem fazed by it but were curious about how their cousin would handle it. Tula was utterly shocked.

"That was fast," Tula stated.

"I thought I was waiting until I met my parents and brother for the first time in six years, before considering marriage?" Ami was once again using diplomacy in order to remain calm and keep this topic in her favor. It probably was not a good idea to murder a warrior in cold blood of a nation she was trying to make amends.

"I did inform him of that, and suggested he speak to Hahn when he returns." Motsu waved away her concern. "However, he would be an excellent choice for a husband. I gave him my permission to call on you."

"Well," Ami began but her grandma cut her off.

"Again, having just met our granddaughter, I do not wish to share our time with her with a future husband just yet. Amisis, would you consider staying with us for the duration of stay?" Rena inquired.

Everyone was staring at her again. "Under normal circumstances, I would jump at the opportunity to stay with you. However, Tula and I will be returning to the ship tomorrow and heading south. We have six other stops to make and return to the Fire Nation before winter."

The room went quiet in disappointment.

"Can't you stay a few more days?" Rena begged. "You just got here."

It was tarring her up inside to break her grandmother's heart. "It took us a long time to find the city. Technically we didn't find it. The warriors found us and brought us here. We would probably still be searching if they hadn't boarded the ship."

"Or we might not have been able to stay," Tula chimed in. "We're sure we would have run out of fuel before we ever located the city."

"But I promise I will be back!" Ami reassured her family.

Rena was wiping away her tears on a white hanky. "We are so grateful that you came back, and just wish you could have an extended stay."

Ami agreed it would be awesome to stay. She could spend more time with her family, learn how to waterbend, and eventually her parents and brother would return. She shook her head, "we have to get back on schedule."

"Will you be back for Atta's wedding?" Nani asked hopefully. "It's at the end of the summer."

"I wouldn't count on it. I'm hoping we will be back next spring."

The rest of the night, everyone was trying to enjoy themselves. No one paid any attention to Atta, who was sitting quietly in the corner of the sitting room. She was sipping on her wine, pondering her own future. Sué had already left for the evening, thus freeing her mind. Her thought process was interrupted when a knock sounded on the door. Peto answered it and returned with Chief Arook.

"Good evening, Chief!" Motsu stood and invited him to join them. Atta retrieved him a pillow to sit on, and Nina warmed him some spiced wine.

"I cannot stay very long," the chief gratefully accepted the glass. "I'm sorry I was not able to speak with you sooner, Ami."

"Oh not a problem!" Ami shook her head. "I wanted to speak to you about arranging a boat to take Tula and I to the ship."

"You are leaving so soon?" Chief Arnook looked surprised.

Before either Tula or Ami could explain, Motsu took charge and spoke on their behalf. Normally, Ami would be annoyed at this, because she was used to being in control. However she was becoming tired of explaining the plan.

When Motsu did not have any more answers, Ami stepped in. "Once we get back to the Fire Nation and give a full report, we can submit a proposal to escort the first ship of merchants here. If all goes well, hopefully we will be here late next spring. As far as I know, no other Fire Nation Ship should be coming this way. If they do, they should have the official seal of the Fire Lord. If they don't have one, they're not affiliated with the Fire Nation."

"Alright, that is good to know. We will begin the construction of the trade post very soon. I left a meeting to come here, and they are discussing the possible blueprints as we speak."

"That's wonderful! I can make sure to put that in the report."

The chief finished off his cup and stood, and so did Ami. "It seems I have a little more to accomplish before I retire for the night. I will make the arrangements and send someone to retrieve you and your family when the boat is ready." Chief Arnook said, and he hugged her. "Thank you for all you have done." He whispered. It was everything she could do to keep herself form tearing up.

When they broke apart, the chief asked. "Is there anything else you need in order to continue your journey?"

Ami perked up at the question. "Actually there is. I was unsuccessful in finding a teacher for my bending. And I saw some children practicing with scrolls healing and sparing. Where can I find them?"

"I can find some for you, not a problem. Well then, goodnight all. See you in the morning." The chief waved as he left.

It was not too much longer after that Ami and Tula were having trouble keeping their eyes open, as was everyone else. Peto and Atta took them back to the palace, and they passed out on their beds.

The next morning, they packed up their belongings while they waited for the boat. Once it was ready, the whole family, the chief, Sué, and much to Ami's disappointment, Trisc, had come to send them off.

At Motsu's approval, Trisc pulled Ami aside for a private moment. He gently held her hand and tried to interlock their fingers. "Perhaps when you return in the spring we can spend more time together. Or I can meet you in the Fire Nation before winter."

She needed to nip this in the bud. She looked over her shoulder and saw that most of her family was watching. "Trisc, I am flattered, but I am not looking for a relationship at the moment. My priority is to fulfill my duties as an Ambassador, and to find my parents and brother."

Trisc looked taken aback at her rejection. Clearly this was a new experience for him. "I see. Well maybe once you find them and come back north we can spend some time together."

"Possibly. It was nice to meet you, and enjoy your summer." She smiled at him and let go of his hand. Her whole family was hoping to hear the conversation and adverted their eyes as soon as she turned around.

Tula and Peto were saying goodbye to each other. The look on her friend's face, Ami was wondering who was dumping who. Motsu was speaking to the Chief, Atta was standing next to Sué, and the rest of the family was waiting for their turn to talk to say goodbye.

Chief Arnook addressed her first. "I took the liberty of asking a few of our masters to travel with you. Unfortunately, none of them wish to travel or have made previous commitments." Ami's hopes were dashed as soon as they made. "So I want to give you these. They are my family's bending scrolls. There are scrolls for: fighting offensively and defensively, freezing water, building and sculpting, healing, even bloodbending."
Ami was shocked. "Are you sure you want me to barrow them?"

The Chief nodded. "Scrolls are passed down by the father's family. Yue was my only child and I have no one to give them too. I would be honored for you to accept them."

"Thank you very much, for your generosity and hospitality." Ami wanted to cry again, but a new concern arose. "Who then will be the next chief?"

"My nephew from my sister will take over when the time comes. He is one of my advisors and has fully supported any of my decisions. I have complete faith in him that he will continue to move the Northern Water Tribe forward and maintain the peace between us and the Fire Nation. You may not have met him. His wife will be bearing their first child at any time, and she has been resting in bed for a week. He has only left her side when you were first brought to the city for an emergency meeting, and when his wife wished to briefly attend the celebration."

"When I return, I would love to meet him." She stated and he agreed.

Turning to her family, she hugged her aunt and uncle, Atta and Sué, and finally the grandparents. "Thank you for everything. I'm already counting the days till I come back."

"Take care, dear. I wanted to give you this." Rena smiled and handed her a gift wrapped in cloth. "I wanted to give it to you six years ago. It's probably a little juvenile, but I wanted you to have it just the same."

It was a small silver hair comb, decorated with various sizes of deep sea urchin shark pearls.

Rena pulled out a second piece of cloth and held it out to Tula. "I have one for you as well. Now all of my granddaughters have one."

Tula graciously accepted and hugged the woman, who was tearing up again as she patted her back.

Motsu cleared his throat and broke the moment. "We can't wait to have you back, Amisis, and Tula. When you return, we will need to settle this marriage business as soon as possible."

"There is a lot to settle before the spring." Ami replied. She stepped back and spoke to everyone. "I love you all, and see you again soon!"

Peto helped the ladies into the boat that was already loaded with their belongings. He was in command of his fellow warriors, giving them the instructions to push off. Trisc was annoyed at this. He was older, had more experience as a warrior, and had become possessive of Ami. Peto ignored him as they pushed off and left the city. Chief Arnook had put him in charge. No matter how much brooding Trisc did would change that. Ami was his cousin, he felt protective of her and his brief romance with Tula made him feel happily responsible for her wellbeing until they left the north.

Puka must have had someone on the lookout for them. Once the ship was in sight, the bell sounded and the crew started to get to their stations. This sent everyone on the small war boat on edge, thinking there may be trouble.

Once they approached the side of the ship, the waterbenders made an ice anchor, attaching to the ship. Then they created stairs for Ami, Tula, and Peto.

Puka was waiting for them on deck and greeted them warmly and shook hands with Peto. "I was starting to wonder when you would be returning."

"We had some loose ends to tie up," Tula tried to sound innocent.

"Shopping does not count as loose ends," Puko noticed the extra bags Peto was carrying for Tula and Ami.

"I just wanted to spend a little time with my family," Ami clarified. She turned to her cousin and accepted the bags from him. She set them down on the deck and hugged him tight. "Take care, of you and the family."

He returned the hug. "You as well. And don't worry about Trisc, I'm sure that he will find himself married before you come back."

"What do you mean?" Ami tried to act dumb.

Peto raised an eyebrow at her. "I've known him for a long time. And he may talk a big game, but I know he is nothing to worry about. Besides, it's not up to grandpa to decide who you marry." Ami was relieved to hear that. "It's ultimately Uncle Hahn."

She sighed. "Well, I'm not marrying anyone right now. Nor will I marry someone that I have not approved because others say I should. So tough to everyone who thinks others wise."

Peto softly smiled and hugged her one more time. "Good luck with everything, don't forget to practice your bending. When you get back we can spar."

"That sounds like a challenge." Ami smirked. "Thank you and see you then!"

Tula walked over to Peto blushing. She whispered something in his ear and kissed his cheek. He looked down at her, smiled and kissed her cheek as well. She picked up her extra bag and stepped back next to Ami.

Peto addressed Puka with an advising tone, but not insulting. "We will push off from the ship and be heading back to the city right away. If you are capable of navigating by the stars, it's easier to travel at night once you get out of the icebergs. I would leave in the next couple hours to get out of ice and you will be safe for the nighttime navigation."

Puka nodded and accepted the suggestion. "Thank you."

As soon as he was back safely on the boat, Peto gave the commands and they were on their way. Puka explained that they were going to follow Peto's suggestion. As soon as the ship was ready to go in an hour, they would be on their way. Little did they know that they would be acquiring an unexpected passenger before they were out of the northern waters.