Chapter Thirty-Six

"I am surprised to find you in Fire Nation territory," Iroh said, sitting down at the table as Ursa handed him a cup of tea.

"Then this hideout was well-placed."

Iroh inhaled, letting the fragrant tea fill his nose. Jasmine tea, he knew, though the scent was subtly different from the usual brew. When he tasted it, he identified several herbs seldom used because of their rarity. Even after years of being away from the palace, she still has the taste of a princess. "I was surprised to see your handmaid coming to break me out of jail," he added, nudging her toward an explanation.

Ursa smiled softly. "Tazia has always been loyal to me. I entrusted her with the task of taking care of my children while I was away." The last was said as if she'd intended only to take a day trip. "I knew she would care for them." Her smile faded, as if a shadow had fallen across her soul. "Though it seems things didn't turn out as planned."

Iroh blinked. "I am afraid I don't take your meaning."

Ursa sat down across from him with her own cup of jasmine. Her eyes strayed to a loose thread in her robe. "I heard Zuko was banished soon after Ozai took the throne?"

"He was."

"Is he doing well?"

Iroh hesitated. "I have not seen him in some time, but he has joined the Avatar's party."

Ursa nodded. "The Avatar will rejoin them soon. My little birds are out looking for him, and one of them is tracking a lead at the edge of the Earth Kingdom."

Iroh's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "The Avatar?"

"He's alive, Iroh. My daughter . . . My daughter made it appear as though he was dead. For months, they had him imprisoned. It was Tazia who freed him."

Iroh sunk back into his chair, every blood vessel bursting with relief. There might've been a way to end this war without the Avatar, but in all his contemplation, he hadn't been able to think of one that would allow lingering peace. Even if he defeated Ozai—and he wasn't certain he could anymore, old as he was—the world would view it as a brother killing a brother for power. With the assurance that the Avatar was alive, a new hope bloomed in his chest, warmer than the tea in his hands. "Then there remains hope for this world."

Ursa nodded. "Yes, but there are still things to do. We must find my son."

"I am afraid I do not know where he is."

She shook her head. "My little birds have many eyes. We should be able to judge their location based on where they were a few days ago."

A wrinkle formed above his eyebrows as he thought of his nephew's fruitless hunt for the Avatar. Never had he seen a group of children with such a talent for evasion. "There are many ways to catch a fish, Ursa. Some are better caught with a baited net than a hook."

Her eyes flashed up to meet his gaze; she set her tea down. "It's been years since I've seen my son, Iroh. If I don't find him soon, he might be lost to me forever."

The words stirred a tempest of sympathy in the old man's heart. To be separated from your son was enough of an ordeal. To be separated knowing he was in danger was a wholly different scenario.

He sipped his tea, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he considered their options. After a moment, he set his cup down. "Perhaps you are right."

Ursa's head shot up. "Truly? We can go?"

Iroh smiled. "It was never something you had to ask permission for. I was merely offering advice."

She stood. "Then we shall leave tonight. I will see my son before the comet."

"Do you remember that time when you shot lightning at your sister?" Katara asked, staring at the gibbous moon. "In the Crystal Catacombs, I mean."

Zuko's voice was as quiet as the whispering waves. "I remember."

A placid silence stretched between them. Katara brushed the sand off the back of her arms, then settled, hands behind her head.

After a minute, Zuko turned his head to look at her. The moonlight caught in his eyes, so they appeared to glow. "What about it?"

"I was just wondering . . . Why did you? I mean, I guess it could've been an accident—" Her mind flickered back to her escape from the Fire Nation hospital, to the blood running down the firebender's gown as she accidentally wrung the life out of him. "—but it looked like you meant to . . . you know . . ."

"Like I meant to kill her?"

"Yeah."

Zuko tilted his face up to the darkened sky. "I suppose I did."

Another silence, this one tense.

"Is that bad?" he asked.

Katara bit her lip. "I guess not. I mean, she is our enemy." And if anyone deserves it, it's Azula. "But is there a reason why you . . ."

"Azula is exceptionally skilled. Deadly. You can't use half-measures when you're up against her; she'll crush you. So I . . . I don't know how it happened, exactly. It was like . . ." He fumbled with his words, gesturing as if that would help him explain. "I don't know how I did it. I'm not sure I could do it again."

Katara rolled over, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Not even during Sozin's Comet?"

His eyes flickered to hers. After a moment, he rolled onto his side to face her. "Why? Are you saying we should wait to act until the comet?"

She bit her lip. "No! I just thought . . . I don't know."

"Katara, that's crazy. And even if I could shoot lightning, Azula can redirect it."

The waterbender rolled over so she was facing away from him. She wasn't sure why it was bothering her so much, but Sokka would tell her that any edge they could find might be the deciding factor between victory and defeat. If Zuko could produce lightning—just once—and catch his sister or his father off-guard, that could be enough to keep him alive.

The world could go on without me, Katara thought, closing her eyes. But if Zuko dies, there will be no one to take the throne, and the war will start up all over again. He has to make it through this, no matter what.

"Could you do it for me?" she asked quietly.

"Katara . . ."

"If my life depended on it, could you generate lightning?"

She could feel his gaze, heavy on the back of her neck, but she didn't roll to face him. If she let him see her expression now, he might guess her thoughts, find a way to counter her idea.

Several minutes passed, and she wondered if he'd dozed off. Firebenders rose with the sun, after all. But finally, he answered. "I would do anything to keep you alive."

She turned toward him and buried her face in the hollow of his throat so he couldn't see her expression. "You should practice, tomorrow. I think you could do it."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Okay. Tomorrow."

Author's Notes:

I know it's been a long time, but I'm referencing chapter one of The End of Hope in this last section, when Zuko first generated lightning as he fought with Azula. I figured I'd have to reference that detail eventually, but I didn't think it would take this long, so I apologize if this last section seemed to come out of the blue.