A/N: Short tidbit while writing this I had to listen to the creepiest orchestral/waltz music I could find. I would suggest listening to similar instrumental music while reading this chapter to really get the full feel. Or just classic orchestra music would work too. You don't have to but that's just my suggestion.

~Chapter 35~

As they walked down the hall, Korra spotted a white hawk sitting on a railing looking down at them. It tilted its head as if trying to get a better look at them. Taking flight the hawk landed on Iroh's shoulder for just a brief moment before taking back into the air and into a room with an open door. Iroh turned to Korra.

"Do you think we should fallow the hawk?" He asked.

Korra shrugged. "I don't see any reason why not."

They entered a library, two stories tall and packed with books. Korra picked one up. "It's written in a strange language, it looks kind of like the language from my dreams but." She sighed. "I can't tell if it's the same, Iroh. Iroh?"

She turned to see her husband looking at a large map spread out on a desk. She walked over and looked over his shoulder. She had to tilt her head in surprise. The map had the four nations but east of the eastern sea depicted another cluster of land with four collared nations all compiled close to each other. In the middle of the new land mass was a large sea with one island collared white while the rest of the land was either green, yellow, silver, or dark blue.

"I wonder if this is where Admiral Leopold and his shadow benders are from?" Iroh mused looking closely at the map.

"That would be correct Sir." A male voice said making the two of them jump. They turned to see a youngish man with tall thin features and sharp eyes. "To be specific I believe the Admiral originates from this region of the Shadow Nation." He pointed to the northern part of the dark blue nation. He looked at the pair. "I'm Hiroto, the North Star's Harold and care taker of his estate while he is away and you two are?"

Korra gulped. "Well I'm Avatar Korra-"

"No your not." Hiroto interrupted. "Tell the truth, who are you?"

Korra pouted. "I am Avatar Korra-"

"Nope, not your name or your title, try again and this time." He pointed to his head. "Remember Avatar's don't wear tiaras."

She took a deep breath. "Princess Korra?" She offered.

Hiroto nodded. "Thank you, for being honest princess." He turned to Iroh. "And you?"

"Prince Iroh, Fire Nation."

Hiroto smiled. "Now, here's a guy who knows who he is!" He pulled out a book for seemingly nowhere. "All be it I wasn't expecting either of you for another hundred years or so." He shrugged and slammed the book. "Oh well, since you're here might as well take you where you're supposed to be. Can't have you wandering all over Master's house can we?"

Korra tilted her head. "Supposed to be? Where's that?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Wow, doesn't know her own name and now forgot why she's here." He did a quick turn on his heel and looked at her closely. "No, no sign of head trauma." He eyed her suspiciously. "You might not be quite…ready to be here." He looked down at her. "But you're dressed for the occasion, so my master clearly wants you two here."

"Wants us here? How can you tell? It's not like we have an invitation or something."

"You're dressed for the occasion darling, this little ensemble you're wearing is your invitation." He turned back and gestured them to fallow him. "This way you two! Keep up don't want you lagging behind and becoming more lost! Can't have the spiders eating you!"

Korra looked at Iroh and mouthed 'spiders?' Iroh shrugged and taking her arm fallowed the strange man.

"Uh, Hiroto if you're the Northern Star's Harold does that mean you're a spirit too?" Iroh asked as the passed another painting of a white phoenix.

"Of course, how could I not be?" The man rolled his eyes. "Honestly, are you two that dense?" The spirit opened up two great doors on to a giant ballroom filled with people and the music they had been fallowing.

"Sorry we're just a bit confused as to where we are. Since you know this evening we-"

"I don't care." He pointed to the dance floor. "Now go! Have fun; my master only hold's a ball once a year. Don't waist it with your petty little confusion! You have practically eternity to figure it out!"

The spirit partially pushed the two on to the dance floor with all the other dancers. Iroh and Korra assumed the dance position and began to waltz to the music. Korra looked around the room at the people some more livelily then others but all moving like they were figurines from a music box.

"Iroh, do you have any idea where we are?"

Iroh gave her a spin and pulled her back into his arms. "No, I don't but I also don't think we belong here."

She nodded. "I agree I want to leave." She looked up at the door and saw Hiroto standing guard. "But I don't think he's going to let us."

"We could always ask nicely." Iroh offered before stopping causing a few people to run into him. He shook his head and started to dance again.

"What is it Iroh? What did you see?"

Iroh gestured over to a group of people drinking by a bowl of punch. "You see those people?"

Korra nodded. "Yes, what about them?"

"That is Avatar Roku, Captain Lu Ten, and Fire Lord Sozen." He bit his lip. "I think we have stumbled in to the manor of the dead. This is the night before the Red Dragon festival, the night the spirits have sway and come together to enjoy a night of a merriment." He looked at her. "What? It's a popular kids tail in the Fire Nation. Mom used to read me this pop up book about it. That and a story about this little dragon who helps a phoenix but that one was written by my grandfather so no one else has ever heard of it."

Korra looked around and spotted people that looked a lot like some of the paintings in her history book. She also spotted Wan waltzing with Avatar Kyoshi. Talk about dancing with yourself. "So how are we here if it's a party for the dead? I'm pretty sure we shouldn't be on the invite list."

Iroh looked at her and nodded. "Well we're here so we're dead."

Korra rolled her eyes. "We are not dead."

Iroh took her off the dance floor and to a table filled with food. "We are dead, and I will prove it to you." He looked at one of the partygoers. "Excuse me? Madam, can living people eat this food or is it only spirits?"

The woman laughed and grabbed a cracker covered in some sort of meat, which was odd because the item was both in her hand and still on the table. "Only phantoms my dear child. If a living person came and picked one of these delectable things up, well they'd actually pick it up but I don't think they'd find the taste very appeasing."

Iroh gestured for Korra to grab something. Smugly she picked up a cracker toped with meat and cheese and ate it as quickly as she could. She glanced down and saw to her agitation that the cracker was still there. Growling, Korra grabbed the cracker again and again making a pile in her hand and in Iroh's hands until she had about twenty between the two and still the cracker remained on the table. Exhaling exasperatedly she took one of the crackers and stuffed it in her mouth. "Fine, you win."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Wow you must really like that hors d'oeuvre."

Korra chewed and swallowed. "Yeah, it's pretty good." She ate another since she doubted she could actually put it back.

Iroh shifted the one's in his hand so he could eat one. "Hmm, that is good. Why would the living find this food to be lacking?"

The woman laughed. "This must be your first ball. This food is over a thousand years old pet; the living would find the taste rotten."

Korra practically chocked on the cracker in her mouth.

The woman laughed. "Oh it can't harm you dearie, since you're here, and dressed magnificently I might add, you belong. Now enjoy! This night is our night!" She threw up her arms before walking away. "Oh! And since you're new, you can eat all the sweets and not gain an ounce which I know being phantoms doesn't matter but this party always has the most divine cakes."

Iroh looked down at Korra smirking. "See we are dead…you heard cake without consequence and just checked out. Didn't you?"

Korra looked up at him her big blue eyes even bigger then usual. "Do you think they have strawberry ice cream? Because I have been craving that stuff like mad."

"They might, you're taking this news of being dead quite well."

Korra finished the last of the crackers. "If we're dead, we're dead. I want strawberry ice cream." Korra picked up her skirts and walked to another table that was over flowing with cakes and other sugary sweets.

Iroh shook his head. "I think you should be a little more concerned with the situation." He said fallowing after her. "I mean I didn't get the memo we died! Aren't you the least be curious how it happened? Korra?"

Korra sat down holding her cup of pink ice cream and shrugged. "We wondered into a house built by the North Star which now that I think about it is synonymous with death, specifically the deaths of sailor, soldiers, and other warriors, looked into a magic mirror and took our spiritual forms all be it, dressed much more grandly then normal, and ended up here. The mirror either fell on us and killed us or sent us to the isle of the dead for the night. Either way we can't do anything about it might as well eat ice cream." She took a large spoonful and shoved it in her mouth. "Can't change the fact that we are at the dance of the dead as guests eating thousand year old food that tastes great and is not poisoning us."

Iroh grabbed a bowl of chocolate ice cream and sat down next to her. "You're drowning your regrets in strawberry ice cream aren't you?"

Korra took another bite. "Maybe a little, maybe a lot."

Iroh took a bite of his. The ice cream was good that right balance of sweet and comfort. "Care to share those regrets my love?"

Korra bit her lip and looked down at her bowl. "I know being the avatar and having such a dangerous life it was likely I would die young but I always wanted to have kids, not many but a few." She suppressed a sob. "To hold them close when they were sad, hear their laughter, play with them, I wanted all that and being dead, that can't happen…and right now that feels like my biggest regret."

Iroh sighed. "Yeah, mine too."

Korra looked over at him. "Really? What about all that talk about not being ready or scared to have a child?"

Iroh took a breath and let it out. "Well yeah, but I don't think anyone is ever really ready to have a child and why wouldn't I be scared? I mean what would happen if I turned out to be a horrible father? Like great grandpa Ozia."

Korra looked at him kindly. "You would have been a great dad, you're patient, loving, funny, kind, and always making sure the people you love are safe." She leaned against his arm. "You would have been the best father ever which is good because I would have been the worst mother ever."

Iroh shook his head. "No, you would be a great mother Kor."

"But I'm blind."

"So? That doesn't matter, you're still loving, kind, and gentle, not to mention you are the best baby-sitter Tenzin and Pemma ever had even while being blind." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Our kids would have had great parents."

Korra nodded. "Yes, they would have." She bit her lip. "Can I cry on your nice coat?"
"Yes."

Korra buried her face in his chest and just started weeping. Iroh stroked her back soothingly. He looked up when someone stopped in front of them. Lu Ten looked down at the two.

"Why is the young lady crying?"

Iroh sighed. "This is our first time here and well we just realized we're never going to have children which is quite a painful reality for my wife."

The soldier sighed. "Well that is unfortunate, but please try to be gay tonight! It's a ball! It's our ball! The one night we get to feel alive once again! Weep for you lost children tomorrow my dear." He placed a hand on Korra' shoulder causing her to looked up at him. "Tonight smile, and be glad you are here with the man you love! Look around you so many are not that fortunate." He helped her to her feet. "Dance, laugh, hold your prince close." He smiled kindly at her putting her hand in Iroh's. "You don't know how rich you really are princess."

Korra gave Lu Ten a kind smile. "Thank you, Lu Ten."

The man looked at her in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

Korra looked away. "It's a long story."

The man nodded. "Then I won't have you relay it here." He pointed at the dance floor. "Go, I saw you two dancing earlier, it really is a crime for you two to deprive us or your graceful moves."

Korra giggled and let Iroh lead her back out on to the floor to join the others. She let her regrets float away with the music as they danced the rest of the night away. Even into the wee hours of the morning the band played on. Korra laughed and held her prince close taking Lu Ten's words to heart. She did have him and she loved him and tonight she could see his face and watch him smile, watch him laugh. Yeah, she'd never have children but as he held her close maybe she didn't need them. She had her prince and that was enough.

.o.

Korra awoke her head on Iroh's chest the sunlight streaming down through the trees on to her face. She sat up and found herself back in her fourteen-year-old body with Iroh back in his fifteen-year-old body. She looked around at the ruins they had slept in and up at the cracked mirror they had fallen asleep in front of. She checked her pulse and felt a heart beat. "I'm alive? I'm alive!" She put her head on Iroh's chest. "You're alive too!" She grabbed his collar and shook him awake. "We're alive!" She yelled into his face.

Iroh shook his head trying to wake up. "Apparently, was that a joint dream? Did we inhale some sort chemical? Or did that really happen?" He looked down at his other hand that held a rolled piece of parchment with the note: Because you seemed so interesting in it.~ Hiroto. Iroh unrolled the parchment. "It's the map of the eight nations. That did happen last night."

Korra looked over at Iroh. "So we attended the dance of the dead and lived? How?"

"I don't know but we should get this to Grandfather Zuko, and the rest of the team. I really think they need to see this."

A/N ok a short chapter I admit but I don't want to ruin the atmosphere of it with changing to focus to the other characters. Please comment if you feel so compelled, I'll see you later. ~C. C.