Over the next few days, Aang, his friends, and Deshi and Haruko would often meet to discuss the future and make plans. Aang asked Deshi and Haruko to give him advice not only because they were the parents of one of the airbenders he wanted to train, but also because they were life-long residents of Qi Cun and they pretty much knew what was going to fly and what wasn't (so to speak).
Everyone agreed that the first step was for Aang and some of the others to return to the Eastern Air Temple to bring it to its former glory. Currently, it was a shadow of its former self – not to mention the fact that no one other than Guru Pathik had inhabited it for 100 years, which left it poorly maintained and crumbling. Aang would oversee the rebuilding and develop a training plan based on what he learned during his childhood.
Over time, he had an opportunity to meet with any townsfolk who were interested in more information about his plans. After a few days, the overall picture of what to expect started to emerge.
Haruko and Deshi agreed that they would move from Qi Cun to the Eastern Air Temple. Fei Yen was already married and living in the palace in Ba Sing Se and thus, did not play a part in the decision. Their son, Kochi, would move with them and train with Aang. Haruko and Deshi also agreed that they would be responsible for feeding those living at the Eastern Air Temple and would also act as guardians to the airbenders who moved there to train without their families.
Meifeng also quickly decided to join the training class. Her father was also an airbender who wanted to train, though at his age of 43, was not sure if he could ever be a master airbender before he was too old. Meifeng's mother, Min, would move to the temple as well and, since she was one of the teachers in the town of Qi Cun, she would become the primary educator at the Eastern Air Temple. Meifeng's two sisters, Xia and Hye would also accompany the family, though they could not bend.
Two other boys would be relocating, albeit without their families. One was 13 year-old Tengfei and the other was 7 year-old Kanpu.
The final airbender who would train was a 24 year-old mother named Suwan. Her family – husband Ping and three year-old daughter, Huashang – would accompany her.
That will give Aang a total of six benders to train. Not a bad start, he thought to himself.
OlOlOlOlOlO
The night before they planned to leave, Aang sat down to make plans and timelines. Sokka was right there to help him.
It was too early to yank everyone away from Qi Cun just yet – after all, the decision to move had just been made within the last day or two. For most people, this would be their first trip ever outside of the village and Aang couldn't expect them to be ready so soon.
The first stop for Aang would be the capital city of the Fire Nation to help Zuko with his problem. He desperately wanted to find his mother if she was still living, and needed help to get his father to talk.
Once this promised task was completed, Aang would turn his attention to rebuilding the Eastern Air Temple and relocating the selected Qi Cun residents.
There was one last thing he had in mind that he wanted to do before heading for the Fire Nation the next day. Aang sat down and started writing a scroll:
Mechanist,
I hope this scroll finds you well. It has been a few months since we last saw each other at the Northern Air Temple. At the time of my departure, Kuei and Fei Yen had just gotten engaged. Since then, I have had the opportunity to visit Fei Yen's village (Qi Cun) and to my surprise, I found that there are airbenders still alive in the world today. (It's a long story - I hope to be able to tell you it in person).
We have made plans to relocate some people to the Eastern Air Temple. I would like to re-establish some sort of home for them. A home as well as a place where they can train and learn. However, you can imagine the ruin that the temple is in. I have a friend who lived there alone for a few years, but other than that, the place has not been touched since the Fire nation attacked. It is in sorry shape.
I don't mean to be presumptuous, but I wanted to ask anyway. You and the others at the Northern Air Temple are the only ones who have taken the time to make an air temple your own. You have had to upgrade and overhaul so many of the spaces there…and I noted during my last visit that you have also begun to restore many of the features and areas back to the way they were during the Air Nomad era. Would you be willing to also work on the Eastern Air Temple? Or at least, share some of your skills with us so that we might make the Eastern Air Temple a beautiful place to live again?
I am currently in Qi Cun but I am leaving for the Fire Nation tomorrow. I will be staying with Zuko at the palace if you want to send me a return message. I should be there for at least the next few weeks.
Aang
The next morning, Aang, Katara, Sokka and Suki left for the Fire Nation capital.
OlOlOlOlOlO
10 months ASC
A few days later, in the early afternoon, Appa landed in the palace courtyard and the four friends dismounted and started walking into the palace. It wasn't long before some of the palace staff spotted them and ran to tell Zuko and Mai that their expected visitors had arrived.
Zuko soon emerged to greet his friends. "So you made it," he said as he walked up to the group.
"Yeah, finally," said Sokka.
"At least you have Appa," said Mai as she entered the room. "There's only so much you can do on a transport balloon not to get bored."
"Oh Mai, just think if you had to travel the old way – it would have taken weeks!" said Suki.
"So what happened?" asked Zuko, referring to Aang's situation in Qi Cun at the time he left.
"Zuko, you're not going to believe what happened," started Aang. "But before telling you the story, do you mind if we get settled in? I figure we'll just hang out the rest of today and I can catch you up on the latest Qi Cun happenings."
"Sure, that sounds like a plan," Zuko replied. "I have you guys staying in the east wing near Toph. That's where we put up most of the dignitaries that come to visit the palace."
"Dignitaries? Hmmm…I feel really special!" Katara commented sarcastically.
"Don't let it go to your head…if you can help it," replied Zuko with a smirk on his face as he elbowed Katara to show he was kidding.
"Do you mind sending someone to feed Appa while we get unpacked?" asked Aang.
"Not a problem," replied Zuko.
"We'll see you around dinner then," said Aang.
"Good, I've got some stuff I need to tie up anyway. Y'know, being the Fire Lord and all," said Zuko.
With that, the friends scattered and went their separate ways.
Appa's saddle was removed and all their personal belongings were brought to their respective rooms in the east wing.
Katara knocked on the door she was told belonged to Toph.
"Yeah, what is it?" Toph bellowed from behind the door.
"Toph, its Katara. I just wanted to say 'hi' and let you know we're here."
"Oh!" Toph exclaimed. The door opened and the petite earthbender emerged to give Katara a giant bear hug.
"I was wondering when you guys were going to get here," she said. "Let me tell you, that transport balloon was ok, but I prefer Appa. I never thought I'd actually hear myself say that."
"It's good to see you, Toph," said Katara. "Aang and I are going to unpack and rest until dinner, but we'll see you there, right?"
"Yup! I never miss a meal – especially ones cooked by Zuko's chef! I'm surprised I haven't gained weight since I've been here!"
"See you then," said Katara as she closed the door behind her.
She made her way to the room she and Aang would be sharing. When she walked in, Aang was already there.
"So what do you think?" he asked her.
"Wow. This room is amazing!" Katara remarked. "It's almost as big as the Jasmine Dragon – and its only one room!"
"I could get used to this," said Aang.
"Me too. Try not to though. The only time we'll ever get a room as luxurious as this is when we visit Zuko," said Katara.
"I'm going to take a bath," said Aang. "I haven't had a good scrub since we left Qi Cun a few days ago." With that, he walked into the adjoining bathroom.
Katara went out on the verandah for a few minutes to take in the afternoon sunshine. As much as she loved Aang and would follow him anywhere, she liked the fact that they actually stayed in most places for more than a day at a time like they did before the war ended. Now she was in the Fire Nation and fully expected to be here at least a week or two.
OlOlOlOlOlO
The rest of the day was filled with food, laughs and stories as each person talked about the distant and not-so-distant past. The members of the group knew that they should cherish these times together as they would be less and less frequent as time marched on.
Of all the stories that were told, none was as exciting as Aang's adventures in Qi Cun. Sure, most of the group had been there for most of the happenings, but Aang could fill any blanks in from beginning to end. The fact that he was planning to train six airbenders in the near future was enough to light the room up with joy. They all loved Aang and the fact that he found others of his kind that he could work with and train was some of the best news they had heard since the defeat of the Fire Lord.
Zuko and Mai talked about their wedding date. It was quickly approaching, thanks to the fact that they hardly had to lift a finger to prepare anything. They decided that they would marry in two months time just as summer was making way for fall. The weather should still be good enough so that some of the day could be spent outside. Zuko, of course, asked his friends to participate in the wedding. Both Aang and Sokka would stand up with him along with his Uncle, who would be his best man.
Sokka had at one point taken Zuko aside and asked him, "What's the rush?"
"Frankly Sokka," said Zuko in a whistper, "we had a scare."
"A scare?" Sokka repeated, not fully understanding Zuko's meaning.
"Yeah, well. You could say we took advantage of our visit to the south pole…," said Zuko.
"Um….ok?" said Sokka, still not fully grasping what Zuko was getting at.
Zuko slapped his forehead. "Sokka, we thought Mai was pregnant!"
"Oh! Got it," Sokka replied. "But she's not, right?"
"No, it was a false alarm. But since we're engaged anyway, we figured there is no real reason to wait. I don't need any scandals this early into my reign if something were to happen."
OlOlOlOlOlO
The next morning, after breakfast, the group of friends gathered in one of the palace's sitting rooms to discuss how they could best help Zuko.
"So Zuko, this is about your mother, right?" asked Katara.
"Yeah. Some of you already know the story, but I will tell it again to all of you just in case I left out any details," said Zuko. "My mother's name is Ursa and she was banished when I was 9 years old. I don't know exactly what happened, but I infer from everything I've heard that she had a part in my grandfather Azulon's death. Because of this, she was banished as a traitor by my father."
"Why do you think she was involved in Azulon's death?" asked Aang.
"My father asked Azulon to bypass Uncle and put himself in the throne. I was there hiding behind a curtain when he asked. Azulon was enraged, especially since Uncle had just lost his only son, Lu Ten. My sister told me that night that she heard Azulon tell my father that to repent for his request, that he would need to kill me so that he would know what it felt like to lose a first born son. Mom overheard Azula telling me this. She grabbed Azula and took her out of the room. The next thing I knew, Mom was waking me up in the middle of the night and telling me she had done something to protect me. The next morning, she was gone, Azulon was dead, and my father was the new designated Fire Lord. I never saw her after that."
"This was eight years ago? Wow, that's just about half your life," said Suki.
"And I thought my parents were messed up," said Toph.
"All I have ever been told was that she did 'evil' things against the Fire Nation and that she was banished. My father never told me anything more, but I bet you he knows something," said Zuko. "I just can't get him to talk.
"And that's where we come in," said Sokka. "I bet we can get him to talk."
OlOlOlOlOlO
A few days later, a new prisoner entered the capital city prison and was to be put in the cell next to Ozai. "Get in there, scum!" the guard said as he shoved the scruffy new prisoner into his new full-time home.
"Uh!" the prisoner groaned as he was shoved into the cell, hitting a wood bench on his way down to the dirt floor.
"You don't have to be so rough!" the prisoner exclaimed.
Nothing was said and no noise was made while the guard stood there and took a mental inventory of his two highest-level prisoners. Soon, he let out a 'hmph!' and turned his back to walk away.
As soon as the guard was gone, the new prisoner spoke, "The name's Kaji. Yours is….?"
No reply was heard from Ozai's cell.
"You don't have to be so rude, y'know. We're going to be neighbors for a long time - probably for the rest of our lives," said Kaji.
Nothing was heard from either cell the rest of the day.
OlOlOlOlOlO
The next day started with a shout. "I'm hungry!" Kaji yelled. "Don't you feed the prisoners?"
"Quiet!" said the guard as he approached the front of the cell. "You'll get fed in due time. Twice a day – breakfast is in about an hour, and for dinner twelve hours later. You should count yourself lucky you are still here to eat anything. If I was out in the field and had captured you, you wouldn't still be alive."
"Yeah, yeah," said Kaji. "What I did, I did for the Fire Nation! Long live Phoenix King Ozai! Thanks to 'brave' soldiers like you, we lost the war!"
"I don't even think Ozai would have approved of what you did," replied the guard knowing that Ozai was sitting there in the very next cell.
With that, the guard once again walked away from the cell. An hour later, he returned with breakfast for the two prisoners. A half hour after that, the plates and trays were taken away.
Kaji continued to sit silently in his cell.
"So what did you do to get in here? It must have been pretty serious if they put you in this wing." Ozai was finally speaking to his neighbor.
"After the war ended, I continued to fight for the Fire Nation," Kaji said. "I led a group of rebels. We would set fire to villages in the Earth Kingdom and burnt them to the ground."
"But why did you keep fighting even through the Phoenix King had been defeated?" Ozai asked.
"I never thought that the war was lost. It was merely a set-back. The Phoenix King will be rescued from his imprisonment and will rise again!" said Kaji. "My friends on the outside have been plotting his escape."
"Hmmm….is that right?" Ozai said. "So how many villages do you think you burned down?"
"At least 20. I lost count, actually," said Kaji.
"Were your fires….deadly?" asked Ozai.
"Of course. I only selected villages with at least a hundred inhabitants. The fires were set at night so that most people would be in their homes sleeping. I bet I took over a thousand Earth Kingdom lives with my efforts."
Ozai smiled. After all these months, he may have found a comrade he could talk to.
OlOlOlOlOlO
The next day, the guard came into the alcove and announced that Fire Lord Zuko was on his way for a visit. A few minutes went by and in walked Zuko, dressed to the nines in his finest regalia.
"Father," said Zuko.
Nothing was said in return.
"Father, I came to see if you had changed your mind," said Zuko.
Again, no reply.
"I'm getting married in a few months, not that I ever thought you'd care. If Mom is alive, I want her there."
Silence.
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you? You lost everything and this is the one and only thing you can still hold against me to torture me," said Zuko. "You are a sadistic human being, if you can even be called that."
Ozai turned to look at his son. He grinned.
With that, Zuko stormed out of the area.
OlOlOlOlOlO
After a few minutes of silence, Kaji spoke up. "Are you….Fire Lord Ozai?"
"You're a master of perception," Ozai replied sarcastically. "And you may still refer to me as the Phoenix King."
"Oh, Phoenix King, sir. I had no idea that was you in the cell next to me. I am your humble servant," said Kaji.
This was exactly the response Ozai wanted to hear. "Not that there's much you can do for me in your current situation, now is there?"
"No, there's not. But if I ever get out of here, you can bet that I will continue my work on your behalf," said Kaji.
OlOlOlOlOlO
A few more days passed by. Ozai and Kaji began speaking on more regular intervals as Ozai felt more comfortable around his neighbor. There wasn't much to do in the cells, and being that they were both prisoners of the highest level, they were not even permitted to exit their cells for any period of time.
Kaji finally took the opportunity to bring up Fire Lord Zuko's brief visit.
"So how does it feel to have your son as the new Fire Lord even though you are still alive?" Kaji asked his leader.
"It's humiliating," replied Ozai. "If I ever get out of here, reclaiming my throne will be the first thing I do. I can't believe after everything that I planned for and worked to achieve, that little nothing is sitting on the throne."
"But he's your son. I know you banished him for a few years, but you did welcome him back, didn't you?" asked Kaji.
"You don't know the whole story. He was back only for a short while. Remember that eclipse that hit before the comet? He confronted me that day and told me he was no longer taking orders from me and that he was going to end the war by helping the Avatar," said Ozai.
"Oh no, he didn't….," said Kaji.
"He always was a weakling. Both his mind and his body. Azula's the strong one. She's the one who should have taken over," said Ozai. "But again, Zuko and his friends got in the way."
"I didn't realize...," said Kaji.
OlOlOlOlOlO
A few more days passed.
Ozai heard some noises coming from Kaji's cell.
"Kaji, what are you doing over there," Ozai said.
There was no reply at first.
"Aaah!" screamed Kaji.
"What is wrong with you?" said Ozai.
"It was just a dream. A very – bad – dream," said Kaji.
"I was wondering…," said Ozai.
"Oh, was I making noises? Yeah, I'm known to mumble in my sleep. At least that's what my wife used to tell me," Kaji said.
"You're married?" asked Ozai. "I wouldn't have pegged you as the marrying type."
"She is just as committed towards the Fire Nation – your Fire Nation – as I am. She's probably been quite busy since I was captured," said Kaji. "I was dreaming about her when I woke up just now. She was being killed by some of Zuko's soldiers. It seemed so real."
"Well, now that you're here, you may as well forget about her," said Ozai. "Based on what you've told me, you aren't leaving here anytime soon."
"Yeah, I know," said Kaji, sadly. "I'm going to miss her though."
"You'll get over her," said Ozai. "You probably didn't need her nearly as much as you think you did."
"You were married, weren't you?" asked Kaji.
"I was married for 10 long years," said Ozai flatly.
"You didn't love your wife?" asked Kaji.
"I did, or at least I thought I did, in the beginning. But she turned out to be a bore," said Ozai.
"What do you mean?" asked Kaji.
"She was definitely beautiful. She never talked very much. One of the reasons I think I liked her so much was because she was never very enamored with me. As a prince, I could get just about any woman in the Fire Nation that I wanted. But she never cared all that much about who I was and what title I held. Looking in retrospect, it made me pursue her even more," said Ozai.
"You probably just lost interest once you 'caught' her," said Kaji.
"That could be it. Once we were married, things were still fine at first. I'm sure she loved me else she wouldn't have married me. But when Zuko was born, she turned all her attention to him. He became her life instead of me," said Ozai.
Perhaps that's one reason why he hates his son so much, thought Kaji.
Ozai continued, "Even when Azula was born, she still gave Zuko most of her attention."
"So what ever happened to your wife?" asked Kaji.
"Her name was Ursa," said Ozai. "She ultimately was banished from the Fire Nation."
"For what?" Kaji asked. "Because of how she treated you?"
Ozai laughed. "I wasn't happy in my marriage, but that certainly doesn't merit banishment."
"There was an incident," started Ozai. "Let's just say she played a major part in Fire Lord Azulon's death."
"She killed him?" Kaji asked.
"I'm not going to say what she did," said Ozai.
"Well, if she helped to end his life, I would have thought you would have sentenced her to death," said Kaji.
"But don't forget – I then became Fire Lord as a result," said Ozai. "What she did was wrong, and there are other details that I am not divulging to you, but let's just say that banishment was the appropriate punishment for her crimes against the Fire Nation."
And I'm sure the harshest thing about it was never seeing Zuko again, thought Kaji.
"Do you even care where she ended up?" asked Kaji.
"Oh, I know exactly where she ended up," said Ozai, and he left it at that.
OlOlOlOlOlO
It was virtually the same schedule day after day. Two meals were served by the guards – breakfast and dinner. The guards also came to check on the prisoners about once an hour – but there were definitely times when they didn't even bother. After all, these two men weren't going anywhere – so what was the point?
Dinner was served as usual one evening.
Kaji lifted up his plate to find a note scrawled under it. When the guards were gone, he comments to Ozai. "It looks like I have a friend in the prison."
"What do you mean?" asked Ozai.
"I just got a note that one of my friends is now a cook for the prisoners," replied Kaji. "He took the job so he could keep the communication lines open with me."
"That's convenient," said Ozai. "You'll never see him though. It's not like cooks can come visit the prisoners. Unless he's a guard, he'll do you no good."
"I disagree," said Kaji. "I can send notes back with the dishes and maybe he can sneak me in things that I ask for."
"Oh, so nevermind that you're locked up in here for the rest of your life, but at least he can sneak you in some fire gummies or an extra slice of bread from time to time," said Ozai.
"It's not just that," said Kaji. "I can keep tabs on the situation in the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. I can continue to serve you even from here."
OlOlOlOlOlO
A few more days passed. Several more conversations ensued between the two imprisoned men. Several more notes were found under Kaji's plate, though there was really nothing happening to speak of just yet.
Eventually, they ended up back on the subject of Ozai's family and past troubles.
"I've been thinking about some of our past conversations…," Kaji began. "If you really want to hurt Zuko, and punish him for what he did to you, you need to hit him where it really hurts."
"What are you thinking?" Ozai asked.
"I heard what he said to you during that last visit. He wants to see his mother again," said Kaji. "It seems to me that he is still very connected to her even though they have been separated for so long." He then paused. "You should have her killed."
"What good would that do?" Ozai asked. "If things stay the way they are, he'll never see her again anyway. If I have her killed, she'll just be missing and dead instead of missing and alive. What would be the difference to Zuko?"
"What I meant was….have her killed, and make sure it is done in a very public way. That way he'll have to know what happened. It will absolutely devastate him," said Kaji.
"Hmmmm…..," hummed Ozai whose mind was just grasping the full potential of what Kaji was proposing. "You're right. That would cause him a great deal of anguish. But how?"
"My friends on the outside. I can send them instructions and have the deed done," said Kaji.
Ozai thought for a few minutes to make sure he was thinking through everything clearly. We wanted to make absolutely sure there was no negative repercussions that may befall him. Even if they find out I did this, apart from execution, things can't get much worse for me anyway. Zuko doesn't have the guts to do that anyway.
"Alright. I'm in. What do you need to know?" asked Ozai.
Kaji thought for a moment. "The first thing I need to know is where she is."
"When she left the Fire Nation capital city, she was sent to work in a factory near the town of Jang Hui. She worked there for several years before it was attacked and destroyed only months before my defeat in the Wulong forest," explained Ozai.
"So if it was destroyed, where did she go from there?" asked Kaji.
"She and her guards were housed at the housing near the factory. Even though the factory was destroyed, they were instructed to stay there and await further orders even though the majority of the soldiers and factory workers moved on," said Ozai.
"She had guards?" asked Kaji.
"I had to assign a unit to guard her. I needed to ensure she did not return to the capital city," said Ozai.
"So she should still be there," said Kaji.
"The guards I assigned were among my most loyal. I needed to make sure she remained banished else she may have thrown a wrench into my plans. She may have told the world what happened that night she left. She may have reunited with Zuko, and I needed him away from her influence," said Ozai. "I am confident that she is still near Jang Hui, even with my defeat."
"I'll make sure I send instructions to my friends that tell them where she is. I think the best strategy is to have her kidnapped. We can then send a ransom note to Fire Lord Zuko. He'll know she's alive and his hopes for a reunion will be at their highest. Then we'll kill her, dump her body in a public place, and he'll be devastated."
"If you tell her guards 'a phoenix is coming' they will fully cooperate with you," said Ozai.
"A phoenix is coming?" repeated Kaji.
"The phrase was put in place before I lost to the Avatar," explained Ozai.
"Oh," replied Kaji, flatly.
"But this is the last pass phrase we agreed upon and they should still use it as a sign that it's me sending them instructions," said Ozai.
OlOlOlOlOlOlO
Over the next few days, Kaji took every opportunity to write notes to his friend, the prison cook. Each note detailed the overall plan – where Ursa is, who was guarding her, what to do with her when they got to her, and the pass phrase that would make the guards listen to them.
Finally, Kaji stated, "It's done. Everything should be in place and I'm sure my friends are preparing for their journey to the Jang Hui area."
"When do you think we'll hear something?" asked Ozai.
Kaji thought for a moment. "Given the amount of time it takes to get there, pass a few messages back and forth, and ask for the ransom, I'd say we should hear something in about three weeks."
OlOlOlOlOlO
The next three weeks flew right by. Not a word was heard from any of Kaji's friends. Ozai got more and more impatient over time. Kaji had to reassure him that word would come – either from his friends or, alternately, a guard would mention what had happened to Ursa, since it was supposed to take place very publicly. There was no way a kidnapping and killing would not be news for the public-at-large.
After breakfast one morning, a group of four guards entered the area near the two adjacent cells.
"Kaji, it's your big day," said one of the guards. "You finally get to leave your cell."
"What?" Kaji remarked in a confused tone. "Am I being released?" he asked excitedly.
The guard didn't reply at first. But then he said, "No – actually, you've been sentenced to death for your crimes."
"But we are at war!" Kaji shouted.
"The war ended a year ago and you and your cohorts continued to kill people even after it ended," said the guard as he opened the cell. The four guards all rushed in and each one grabbed one of Kaji's limbs. As they expected, he was not going to go willingly.
Kaji scratched and grabbed at every passing orifice that he could find as he was carried out of the area. That was the last time Ozai ever saw Kaji – and he never did get word if the plan had worked.
OlOlOlOlOlO
Later that evening, back in the palace, a dinner was planned for Zuko's entire group of friends. He sent out a note earlier in the day requesting everyone to attend if at all possible. It wasn't going to be formal, but he wanted everyone there nonetheless.
One-by-one and two-by-two, people started arriving for the dinner.
"Anyone know what we're having?" Toph asked.
Sniff. "I don't know, but it smells wonderful," remarked Suki.
"Where's Sokka?" asked Katara as she entered the room.
"He's coming. He's been relaxing all day. Zuko made plans for a massage and a facial for him. He's been in the tub for over an hour. But I checked with him and he knows he needs to be here," said Suki.
Mai soon arrived without Zuko. "Boy that smells good," she said as she sat down at the table.
"Do you know what we're having?" asked Toph.
"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say Komodo chicken and roast duck," said Mai. "At least that's what it smells like"
Sokka arrived and sat next to Suki. She leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips. "I've missed you," she whispered.
Soon everyone was there waiting for Zuko to arrive. About 10 minutes, he appeared at the doorway to the dining hall. Everyone turned to look his way. On his left arm was a beautiful woman whose gaze was aimed down at the floor.
"May I present to you…my mother…Ursa." She then looked up at everyone and smiled.