Ursa stayed for a few more days at the beach house. She enjoyed the beach, and the ocean, and the luxury of the luxury of her accommodations, but eventually the atmosphere became oppressive.

The maid servants were sympathetic to her. The housekeeper cooed how hard it had been when her husband had gone to war, as she laid porridge on the table for Ursa to eat. But the servants were not her friends. They could not be. She was a princess. On the day of her wedding Ursa had been transformed by Fire Nation law into a strange and very different beast. They were uncomfortable engaging her in conversation, and Ursa realized that it was inappropriate for her to try and initiate it.

On the fourth day she arranged to spend the afternoon in Ember Island town. She had money to spend, and longed to see the activity of the dock, to speak with the street vendors, to watch children play ballgames in the courtyard. But one of the guards stopped her.

"Obviously if my lady wishes to go, I cannot stop her, however, I highly advice against it, should word leak out that you went, there could be trouble." The guard was red faced and timid as he spoke, not sure how exactly he should correct a superior's behavior.

"Trouble?"

"I could get in trouble," the guard said. "And the people of the court will talk. I'm sorry, my Lady. It isn't proper."

"Proper... to go into town?" Ursa said.

"Now that you're married," the guard said.

"Every married women I know goes into town every now and then," Ursa said, she felt herself growing angry.

"Perhaps for a common woman, my lady, but for a princes..." the guard said. "I was given instructions by my lady's husband to watch over her. And to watch over her... behavior as well."

Ursa took a deep breath. "And if you accompanied me? Would that be proper?" she said.

He was now redder than a tomato and sweating like a cold glass of water. "I would have to write to the prince and ask him," he said. "The instructions he gave me were not specific."

Ursa eyed the guard carefully. No one had discussed such royal protocol with her before, and she did not like having to learn it from a pimply faced guard who stared at her as if she might eat him. The young man did truly give the impression his job was on the line, so she would humor him.

"Propriety or no, I cannot spend another day in this house," she said. "Can we arrange a ship to return me to the capital?"

The guard bowed. "It can be done, my lady."

When Ursa arrived in the capitol again, she was greeted by its noise, its smells, its bustle. She remembered the day she rode north in a carriage with her family and saw the city for the first time, how much she had hated it. Things were different now. Now this city was her home, a place where she would live her life and raise her children. But the city was also more foreign than ever before. She looked out the window of the carriage at the shops she and her brothers would visit, at the town square with Sozin's statue where she and Ozai would go to practice fire bending. She would not be allowed to walk these streets like she had before.

The carriage stopped well within the palace grounds. The guard opened the door and helped her down. A servant accompanied her to her quarters.

A gaggle of handmaids were waiting for her inside. They informed her they were fresh hires, assigned specifically to her. They offered to draw her a bath, and serve her lunch, and braid her hair. The attention was overwhelming. She didn't want any of that. She wanted some company. And people who were not her equals could never give that to her freely or willingly. She allowed them to bring her something to eat, but then ask that she be given some privacy.

Alone in the chambers she drained the bowl of soup quickly, reveling in the chance to abandon her table manners. And then she laid out some ink and parchment to write.

To Mother, Father, Quon and Bo,

The beach house on Ember Island is absolutely beautiful and I hope we can entertain the four of you there next summer. I feel my homesickness is starting to take hold finally. I know I will overcome it eventually but I do miss you. It is made worse now that my husband has been sent to the front. Please remember him in your prayers. Please write soon...

She wrote other letters as well, people in Hira'a. It had been a long time since she had sent correspondents to her home town. But the urge overcame her today. One for Mrs. Tao. One for her friends in the theater troop. One for her old fire bending teacher. One for Ikem. The last one was particularly strange to write. She didn't know what to say to the young man she had fawned over as a younger woman. The letter would dig up old histories and pain she wasn't sure she wanted to put him through. But she decided to send it anyway.

And then she wrote to Ozai.

The staff at the palace have been nothing but kind and accommodating to me. However it's been difficult finding ways to occupy my time in my new home without your company. I feel guilty describing the troubles of royal life while you are fighting in the cold. And I can't imagine the difficulty the enlisted men in your regiment are no doubt enduring. Stay safe my love. Think about me on your lonesome nights.

She allowed the ink to dry, sealed the parchment with wax, and found a manservant outside who was willing to take them to a courier.

And with no letters left to send the boredom returned.

For a few days afterword, she managed to pass the time. She practiced her fire bending forms in the garden. She found the library and absorbed some books on the southern water tribe. But eventually that lost its appeal as well.

"What do most of the ladies do to entertain themselves in the palace?" she asked one of her handmaids one night as they were preparing her fore bed.

The young woman looked down at the floor and visibly gulped. It wasn't long before Ursa realized she was not really supposed to converse with the servants. "It is said that Lady Ila was a talented poet," the maidservant squeaked. "She would sit by the garden on mild days and write for hours. Or so I am told..."

"Anything where I can interact with other people?" Ursa said, trying to hide her exasperation.

The maid servant was unable to answer.

On the third day in the palace, she gave up trying to find her own entertainment. What she needed was to not feel useless. She needed work. She made a pot of tea, put it on a tray, and carried it upstairs.

Fire Lord Azulon had already reported to his chambers for the evening, despite the fact the sun was still high in the sky, and most of the palace had not even gathered for the evening meal. Old men in every social class were the same it seemed. But he allowed her to enter when she announced her presence. He was sitting in a large chair next to the bed. It was somewhat disarming seeing the Fire Lord in just a simple cotton robe instead of his usual regalia, but he wasn't embarrassed. In fact he seemed happy to see her.

"You come bearing gifts, it appears," he said with a grin.

"Yes, my lord," she said. "But just tea."

"Your presence is a gift in and of itself."

She blushed. "I was afraid I would be a bother to you."

"Don't be ridiculous, my dear, in fact I have been impatiently waiting for you to call upon me. It is not proper that we should ignore each other. We are family after all. Take the tea tray and set it on the breakfast table, and then help me from my chair."

She did as she was told. She walked the old man from one seat to another, and helped him to lower himself onto the cushion despite his failing knees. When he was seated, he took the tea pot and poured a portion into each of the two cups.

They drank slowly.

"What leaves are these?" the old man asked.

"It's a cultivar from my home region," she said.

"It is not a cheep tea you have brewed for me."

"No, my lord."

"Father. You are to call me father, my dear."

She smiled. "If you say so Father."

"Did you buy these leaves in the Capitol?"

"No, Father," she said. Her voice dropped a little. "They were a gift, a going-away present from an old friend, before we moved here."

"Who?"

"She was a neighbor of ours. An old widow, and a friend of the family. She taught me how to garden, all the herbs and medicinal plants, what they were used for, how to grow them and prepare them. She grew these tea bushes her self. And she gave me some of the leaves when we moved."

"You miss her."

"Yes, sir," Ursa said. "I wrote her a few times. But I don't know how much good that will do. She never learned to read. I hope she found someone to read the letters for her. For a while, my homesickness had been fading. I was getting used to life in the capitol city, but the last few days..."

Azulon smiled gently. "I imagine you are feeling quite homesick and lonesome these past few days, especially with your husband away. It is to be expected for a young bride."

"I don't want to be ungrateful, father, my accommodations have been very comfortable."

"Luxury and riches cannot comfort hurts of the heart, I'm afraid. I learned that the hard way when I was a young man," Azulon said. "What is it you came to speak to me about?"

"Well, Father..." Ursa said, suddenly a lot more nervous than she thought she would be. "I was hoping... I was hoping I could have my job back."

"As a scribe?" he said.

"Yes, Father," she said.

"What for? You don't need the money, I would think."

Ursa was rather surprised with Azulon's response. "No, Sir, I don't need the money. But It's been rather difficult, I... I haven't had much to do since returning from Ember Island."

"You are bored," Azulon said. "And you desire something to occupy your time."

"Yes, Sir."

"Hmm. I don't think that would be appropriate, Ursa," he said, sipping his tea.

She resisted the urge to get angry. "Why not."

"You are a married woman."

"I may be married, but it isn't as if I have children to watch or house work to do."

"No," Azulon said. "But it would not be appropriate to take you out before the court and parade you around like a prize on display. It would not be proper. It would be a violation of my son's trust."

"I don't think that simply appearing in your office as your scribe will lead to any type of impropriety."

"Your appearance itself would be an impropriety. Ursa, in the palace, among the royal family, there are norms and customs that are different from that of the lower classes whence you came. They cannot simply be amended on a whim."

"No," Ursa said. She remembered the nervous guard who refused to let her leave the summer home to head into town. She felt her stomach twist in anger. "But If the Fire Lord wished to amend them, that would be his prerogative."

"My dear, these customs are older than I am. If that's possible to believe," he said with a small chuckle. "As Fire Lord, I have the right to change these ways. But also as Fire Lord, it is my sacred duty to guard and preserve them. I'm sorry Ursa, I cannot allow it."

"There's no way I can get you to change your mind? Please, Sir! I can't simply sit around in the gardens useless and idle. I don't think I could stand it."

"Do not beg, Ursa. It is unbecoming." he said, his tone growing more firm, though still gentle.

She looked down at her tea cup. She had to decide carefully whether or not she wanted to fight this. She was angry. It wasn't as if she were going to be unfaithful to her husband simply because she around the male members of the court. And either way, she was not a possession to be protected or guarded. She resented being spoken to that way. But at the same time, her father in law, with all his rank and power, had made his desires clear.

"I understand how you feel, Ursa," he said, reaching out and patting her hand.

Of course he could not ever understand how she felt. How could the most powerful man in the world understand the burdens of womanhood? Especially burdens other people artificially placed upon her?

"You will learn the customs of the court soon enough. You will understand your role here more clearly. You will adapt and and adjust and learn to thrive here. My wife was quite young when I married her, and she came from a higher birth than you did, but even for her it was a difficult change. She soon became a model lady of the court."

"But what will I do in the mean time?" Ursa said. "Perhaps there is something else I can do, that is less public. I can copy old texts. I can write correspondences. I could..."

Azulon stroked at his mustache. "We could use someone to help calculate figures."

"I'm not sure I would know how to do that," Ursa said.

"It is not much more than simple algebra."

"I never learned, I'm afraid."

"Well," Azulon said. "I have found a solution to your boredom, it seems. Your parents did express their desire that you continue your education. And I promised them I would provide that to you."

Ursa looked up. "You're going to send me to the Capitol City College?"

"Oh, Heavens! No! We cannot have you flouncing about the town like a stray dog."

Ursa winced at the simile.

"But we certainly can find you a respectable tutor."

Ursa felt herself relax slightly, her anger decreasing in sting though not going away entirely. "I would appreciate that. Father," she said.

"Excellent!" Azulon said. "I shall make the arrangements."

"Thank you, Sir," she said, forcing a smile.

"But I do have one requirement, one stipulation," he said. "You must report to me to tell me what you have learned." His smile returned. "I cannot stand the loneliness of this palace any more than you can."

She smiled back. "I will, sir."

He drained the rest of his tea cup. "Now, perhaps you'd best returning to your own chambers, my dear. I'm afraid an old man needs his rest."

Ursa nodded, thanked the old man, and left with the tea set.

Heading back to her own chambers Ursa was left feeling unsettled. It wasn't that the Fire Lord had denied her request. She could handle not getting what she wanted. It took her a moment to identify the sensation that was bothering her. It was claustrophobia. In this grand palace with its labyrinth hallways and cavernous chambers, she was claustrophobic.

If she wanted to entertain herself, she had to do it within the walls of the palace. If she wanted to work, it had to be away from the prying eyes of the court. She was an owned woman.

She hadn't made a mistake, had she, marrying into the royal family? Yes, she had sacrificed a lot, but she was gaining a lot as well. She had her husband after all, who loved her. And why was she thinking of these concerns now, when it was too late to turn back? She was angry at herself for even feeling this unease. How many girls of her station had the opportunity to become princesses after all? How could she be so ungrateful?

An even darker thought crossed her mind. What if Ozai didn't come home. Would she have to spend the rest of her life sequestered in the palace walls alone? Could she handle that?

But what was done was done. This was her role now. If she fought her role, it would fight back. And with the entirety of Fire Nation tradition and the Fire Lord himself on the other side, she surely would lose. If she accepted her role, perhaps a part of her would die, a part that was vital to who she was, but one she had always taken for granted.

Ozai had warned her about this. The closer she got to power, the less power she herself would have. Even as a man, he had faced this claustrophobia in his own way. She wished he was here so she could talk to him about it. She hoped he made it back so she could talk to him.

But in the mean time all she could do was adapt, like Azulon had said. And continuing her education seemed like a sensible place to start.