Disclaimer: I own nothing you might recognise from the series.

Notes: Here's another Ursa PoV. AnaAza had asked for Ursa PoV, so here's another incident of that. Thanks to everyone still reading, it's very much appreciated.


Ursa was shaking.

She was so incensed over the scene she'd just endured she could think of nothing but how angry she was. How dare he? How dare they? How could they all just ignore everything she'd said, everything she'd told them? She'd suffered and worried and tried, so hard, to bring things out right, and no one would listen, let alone thank her.

Her ungrateful firebending brat offspring had dared to act as though she had wronged him. Her? Wrong him? She'd brought him into the great secret of the hidden airbenders, had done her best to make sure he became a decent human being, despite all the inborn flaws of his firebending nature, had certainly never disciplined him nearly as much as she ought to, and he acted as though she'd been cruel.

Cruel, he felt. Like his monster father and demon sister were cruel? He knew cruelty, she'd made sure he'd know what it was the people of air had been through over the last century and the brat had the gall to act like he was the one who'd been wronged.

On top of that, those Water Tribe savages clearly knew nothing. She'd thought, when she'd first met young Katara, that the girl was merely naive. Her unabated kindness and sweetness were simply something her vile son was taking advantage of. It wasn't until she'd seen more of the waterbenders, had spoken to a few as she made her way through the camp to find that misbegotten spawn, that she'd realised the Fire Nation propaganda was absolutely true. They were a bunch of savages, running around dressed in untreated animal skins and ridiculous war costumes. That Water Tribe chit wasn't sweet and naive, she was probably attracted to the native savagery of firebenders.

She watched the preparations of the combined armies of all four nations prepare to take on the Fire Nation and her demon of a husband to prevent his plan from coming to fruition. Granted, it was a good thing Zuko had torn himself away from his father enough to prevent the atrocity, but his change of heart, his display of apparent goodness was most likely some sort of ploy. A display to convince everyone to put him on the throne, it must be.

So, she followed him at a distance, listening in using the techniques she picked up from the Water Tribe airbenders, with their Water adulterated blood - no. That wasn't fair of her. All the airbenders save the Avatar were adulterated in these times, herself included. They'd had to interbreed with other peoples and with those vile firebenders, idiot earthbenders and savage waterbenders. She should grant them the decency of awareness that she was possibly worse than they were, including firebenders in her heritage. More than that, she'd learnt from those other airbenders, and she should be grateful for that chance.

And she was. That didn't stop her from cringing every time they wandered past with their ridiculous furs.

Enough. She had to know what Zuko's plan was. She bent the air, setting it to carry the sound of Zuko's voice to her ears.

". . . You wanted to see me?" Zuko asked.

"It is important that we speak, Nephew," The Dragon of the West said. "It is about tomorrow, when Azula is to be confronted and prevented from taking the throne."

"You'll be dealing with Ozai, Uncle, I know," Zuko said. "I know Avatar Roku told Aang that he had to defeat the Fire Lord –"

Ozai's brother spoke, sounding weary. Ursa rolled her eyes. Who was he pretending for? How many years had she had to listen to him pretending to be human? "Even if I did defeat Ozai, and I don't know that I could, it would be the wrong way to end the war. History would see it as just more senseless violence, a brother killing a brother to grab power. The only way for this war to end peacefully is for the Avatar to defeat the Fire Lord."

That, at least, was true. Although the only real way to end this would be to crush those monsters down until they could never threaten anyone again.

"And then… then would you come and take your rightful place on the throne ?" Zuko asked. She shook her head in disbelief. It wasn't Iroh's place. It hadn't been ever since he'd played the coward and given it up in his maundering over that son of his.

"No," replied the old man. "Someone new must take the throne. Someone who can help unite all four nations. Someone with unquestionable honour."

It took everything in Ursa not to laugh derisively over such a statement. The only way someone could think that firebending brat was honourable was if they were either ridiculously naive or another firebender. "Unquestionable honour?" Zuko asked. "I . . . I ran away from everything, Uncle. I spent three years doing nothing but wandering aimlessly and eating Chong's mushrooms and-"

A soft rustling sound accompanied the elder firebender's response. "You have always done what you thought was right. Even when your sister turned you from the right path you found your way back. You can restore the honour of the Fire Nation, Prince Zuko." That made Ursa snort despite herself. She'd find a way to restore the honour of the Fire Nation by removing them permanently from any position from which they could cause harm.

"I'll try, Uncle," her middle child said.

Katara's voice startled her when it suddenly joined the conversation. "So, with the way everything's been going, it looks like I'm coming with you when you stop Azula."

"I wouldn't dream of asking anyone else," Zuko said. "Except maybe your brother."

"You're not serious," Katara said disparagingly. "What good would he be against your sister?"

"Tactics," Zuko replied, sounding so cheerful Ursa's fingernails cut into her palms to keep from slapping the smugness out of his voice.

"Shpff," she said. "You don't need that. Anyhow, I don't think you want Sokka doing this."

She'd heard enough, and Ursa slipped away, finding herself a glider. She knew what she had to do now. Zuko would go and face off with his monster sister, and try to get her off the throne. Slowly a smile began to stretch over Ursa's face at the thought. Let the two firebenders fight and claw each other, and wear each other out. She'd be waiting, and once they were exhausted she'd take the throne for herself and deal with all those generals and admirals and commanders who had so happily destroyed the lives and homes of airbenders and the innocent the world over.

Yes, that would do it. And then she could change the ridiculous indoctrination in the schools to something more real, more true, and all those children would learn the truth of their natures and past. She'd make sure the Fire Nation was forced to face its crimes, and they'd learn how to control their dangerous ambitions once and for all. With Aiko to follow her onto the throne they could bring the airbenders back into their proper place, as leaders and advisors with the spiritual wisdom to pull the world out of the spiral of savagery they'd fallen to.

She took off, flying for the capital she'd been banished from all those years ago, planning her coup. She just had to wait for the right opportunity to strike. It was the airbender way to minimize the number of strikes you made against an enemy, and she just had to wait until the right moment.

Yes. She'd wait until they were distracted, and then she'd strike and end the line of the Fire Lord right there. Aiko would be Fire Lady after her, and they'd change the Fire Nation. She smiled as she flew toward the capital. Air Nation. It had a ring to it, didn't it?