The Search Part II
They began their journey to the Forgetful Valley the next morning at first light.
The gang had been walking through the forest for some time when Aang suddenly stopped.
"So this must be it: Forgetful Valley!" Aang told them.
"How do you know? Are you detecting something with your special Avatar powers?" Sokka ask turning to Aang.
"No. It says so on the sign." Aang pointed out.
"Oh." Sokka said sounding a little disappointedly.
"So where do we go from here?" Katara asks.
"I'm not sure. There's not even a path." Zuko responded with a frown.
"Quiet, guys! I am detecting something with my special Avatar powers! It's kinda making me wanna go...like this." Aang tells them making a face again.
"Sweetie, not with the faces again!" Katara says pleadingly.
"No, no. I think Aang is onto something! If you look carefully, there are actually faces all over the place!" Sokka says looking around. "Check out this leaf!"
"Sokka, stop! Aang can't help it, but you're just being a jerk!" Katara yells at him.
"And that squirrel-toad!" Sokka yelled pointing to the animal "And the bark of this tree!" He says mimicking the face on the tree. "And that giant flutter-bat over there! Aang, the patterns on its wings sort of look like the face you're making!" Sokka says pointing to the large creature.
"Hey, you're right!" Aang says running after the creature. "Don't fly away, Mr. Flutter-bat! I think we're meant to be friends!"
"Aang, don't run off by yourself! You don't know what's out there!" Zuko yells after Aang.
"Wait up!" Aang yells jumping up a tree, as he looses sight of the creature. "Mr. Flutter-bat? Where'd you go?" He finds him hanging upside down on a branch. "There you are!" The creature flys off again and Aang follows on an air scooter. "Whoa. Is this what you were leading me to? It's beautiful." Aang says looking down at a crystal blue pool.
"Aang?!" Aang hears Katara yell from the jungle.
"I'm over here!" He yells back to her. "Check this out!" He tells them as they walk into the clearing.
"I've never seen water so clear and still." Katara says in awe.
"Like a perfect pane of glass." Zuko replies.
"This feels familiar... so tranquil... It reminds me of Tui and La's pool in the Northern Water Tribe. Be respectful, everybody. This is a very spiritual place." Aang tells them all.
The tranquility of the place is shattered just moments later when a throwing star comes whizzing out of the forest at the group.
"What-?!" Katara says as one of the throwing stars grazes her.
"Look out!" Sokka yells as he jumps out of the way as more of them come whirring out of the tree line at them.
"These are the prettiest throwing stars I've ever seen!" Ari says pointing to one flower shaped throwing stars lodged in a tree.
"It's like the forest itself is attacking us!" Katara replies looking at it.
"I think nature hates us." Sokka says pessimistically.
"Heads up! More incoming!" Zuko yells to them shielding them with a wall of fire, while Aang puts up a earth wall. Ari and Katara are behind Sokka and he smacks one of the throwing stars that make it past the two barriers down with his club.
"I think I understand what's happening! Sokka, did you see how that flower shattered against your club?" Katara says realization sinking in.
"Yeah?" Sokka questions her, looking at his club.
"It shattered like ice. Somebody's bending the water in these flowers!" Katara explains excitedly.
"They're not just bending the flowers, they're bending the vines, too!" Sokka yells pointing behind his sister.
Ari hung back behind the others, now that she knew there was another bender, she couldn't airbend, and she had never exactly been a warrior. She saw Sokka cut down vines that were headed right for Aang and looked on helplessly as she heard Zuko cry for help.
"A little help here?!" Zuko yelled as the vines pinned him to a tree.
"Hold still." Aang said as he air sliced the vines that bound Zuko. "Yikes!" Aang yelled as more vines struck him down. "Hang on, guys! If we keep calm, we'll figure something out!" He said trying to stand up.
"How do you keep calm when nature's about to skewer you?!" Sokka yells.
Katara steps out in front of all of them and starts waterbending the vines around her.
"Whoever you are, you're not the only one who can waterbend! Show yourself!" She yells out to the forest.
They stare in shock as two people emerge from the trees; they are older and wearing tatered blue clothes, and the man is wearing a wooden mask.
"I'm sorry I didn't know there were people here. Come, we'll take you to our camp." The older woman says turning to leave.
They look at each other questioningly but follow anyway.
"Sit." She tells them as they reach a campfire smoldering with a pot over it. They all sit and she very kindly starts passing out bowls of soup.
"I'm Misu and this is my brother Rafa." Misu says in introduction.
"I'm Avatar Aang. " Aang tells her "And my companions are Katara, Sokka, Zuko, and Ari." Aang introduced each in turn.
"I apologize for attacking you earlier. My brother and I just aren't used to seeing other humans around here. When we heard the commotion, we thought a forest animal was disturbing the pool. It must remain undisturbed." Misu told them.
"That's what I told them! This is a very spiritual place." Aang said speaking with his mouth full.
"That's right, Avatar. There are actually three other pools just like this in Forgetful Valley. They all must remain undisturbed." Misu explained.
"Misu, this stew is delicious! It reminds me of ..." Sokka started to say.
"... The seaweed stew of the Northern Water Tribe?" Misu finished his thought.
"That's it!" Sokka yelled.
"Rafa and I make do with what we can find here." She laughed.
"So how did two people from the Northern Water Tribe end up in a Fire Nation forest?" Katara asked.
Misu started to tell her tale. "Growing up, my brother and I were complete opposites. I was quiet and studious. He was loud and brash. I followed the rules. He lived to break them. He'd often bring home things he'd stolen from our tribe's most powerful people: a waterbender's pouch, a warrior's club, the chief's battle helmet. Each time, I yelled at him to return the items, and he always did. He just wanted to prove to everyone that he could do it. The people that he stole from were always too embarrassed that he never got into any real trouble. Well, one day his luck ran out. I found him alone on the ice, his face horribly disfigured. It changed his life-our lives-forever. I took him to our tribe's most experienced healers, but none of them could do a thing for him. So I helped him the best way I knew how. I went to the library and began to study. In an ancient Fire Nation scroll, I learned about a powerful spirit who would visit a certain Fire Nation forest from time to time. This spirit had the power to give people new faces, the power to heal Rafa.I made it my life's mission to bring my brother here. I knew it would be dangerous for two Water Tribe folk to sneak into the Fire Nation, so I spent years figuring out how to use waterbending to fight. I had to learn secretly, on my own, since-"
"-In the Northern Water Tribe, women waterbenders were only allowed to heal. Things are different now." Katara told her.
"After many failed attempts, we finally made it to Forgetful Valley. We've lived here ever since, hoping to encounter the spirit." Misu told them concluding her tale.
"How come Rafa hasn't eaten anything?" Sokka ask Misu.
"Ever since his injury, Rafa's been caught between life and death. He doesn't eat anymore. He doesn't do much of anything." Misu explained.
"So you've spent almost your whole life trying to heal your brother." Aang ask her
"Of course. I'm his sister." She replied simply.
"Of course." Katara said looking at her own brother with a knowing smile.
"Excuse me, we came her looking for someone, a woman named Ursa." Ari ask politely.
"I'm sorry, but we haven't seen her. The forest was pretty quiet until you all arrived." Misu replied.
"So this spirit you're looking for-what's it supposed to look like?" Aang ask her.
"It is a she. I don't know what she looks like, but when she approaches, the forest tells us. Facelike patterns begin to manifest on the leaves of the trees, the wings of the insects, and the backs of the animals." Misu explained.
"Hey, we saw that! So the spirit must be near!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly.
"Then on a night like tonight, a giant wolf bearing the markings of a face travels from far away to drink from one of the forest's four pools." Misu told them.
"That's the wolf spirit who puked moth wasps at us!" Sokka yelled.
"Whichever pool he drinks from, there the spirit appears. The spirit has passed through Forgetful Valley many times since we arrived, but we always seem to be at the wrong pool. And I believe we missed her again. If this were the right pool, the wolf would have been here by now. I'm sorry, brother. We'll keep trying." Misu said sadly.
"No! There's gotta be something I can do! After all, I'm the Avatar, the great-" Aang started to say before Sokka cut him off.
"-The great bridge between the spirits and the humans. We know, we know!" Sokka finished for him, rolling his eyes.
"I'm gonna cross over to the Spirit World and try to get that giant wolf spirit to come here." Aang told them, getting up.
Aang walked over to the pool and sat down to meditate into the spirit world, it took but a moment for his eyes and tattoo to begin glowing. There was nothing for the rest of them to do but wait. It didn't take him long to return. Sokka had his back to Aang and didn't notice him stand up behind him.
"She's coming. " Aang told them.
"Ahhh!" Sokka yelled in shock.
"Aang, you're back!" Katara yelled running up to him.
"Whew! It's just you, Aang! This forest is so creepy, I half expected another creepy face!" Sokka told him.
Ari watched in horror as faces began bubbling up to the surface of the pool.
"You mean like those?" She said pointing at the water.
"Ahh!" Sokka yelled again backing away from the pool.
"Listen everybody no more yelling! We're about to have a visitor." Aang told them all calmly.
They all gathered around the pool, Zuko realized Ari was standing next to him and pushed her behind him protectively. More and more faces crowded the surface of the water. The surface began to bubble and suddenly the mother of faces breaks through the surface. Ari felt as though her heart would beat out of her chest in fear at the sight.
"I am the Mother of Faces. Through me, separateness came into the world. Through me, came identity. The many one became the many. I walk through my forest once a season, but never have I strayed from the path my wolf chooses for me. I do so now in deference to the Avatar, the great bridge between the spirits and the humans."
"See? What'd I tell ya?" Aang whispered.
"All right, all right, so you're Great Bridge Guy! Nobody ever said you weren't!" Sokka whispered back.
I am a generous spirit, softhearted and kind.
"Maybe she knows where my mother is." Zuko whispered to Aang.
"Spirits know a lot of things. You should definitely ask." Aang whispered back.
Each season, I grant one favor to one human. You may make your request now.
"Wait. Just one?" Aang ask the spirit.
One. Humans like you often chase after me, begging for new identities. Have you come to do the same?
"See, here's the thing-we actually need two favors. I'm sure a big-and-gigantic-yet-beautiful-and-lovely spirit like yourself can handle two favors, right? Your, uh... Face-iness?" Aang asks awkwardly.
Do not test my generosity, young Avatar. One.
"They've waited for so long. If there's only one, it should be theirs." Zuko said in defeat.
"I'm sorry, Zuko. We'll keep looking for your mother on our own after this." Aang tells him.
"Go ahead, Misu." Zuko says turning to her.
"Your mother? No we couldn't...go ahead we-we can wait to try again." Misu said looking away.
"No...I.." Zuko stumbles.
"We seek a princess of the Fire Nation named Ursa!" Ari yells taking charge, having seen the indecision on Zuko's face.
"Ursa. I remember her. I could not understand why a human of such beauty would ask for a new face. To test her sincerity, I offered her one as plain as can be.
The mother of faces opens her claw like hand slowly and a misty image of Ursa appears in her hand.
She accepted.
The image in her hand changed to one very familiar to us.
"That's Noriko! I have to go- I have to go back to Hira'a, back to Noren's house!" Zuko yelled out. He grabbed Ari's hand and started to run.
"Wait! You're trying to get back to the Fire Nation town just outside the forest?" Misu yells to them. There's a shortcut this way." She says pointing to a tunnel off to the left.
"Thank you. I'm sorry-" Zuko started to tell her, but she cut him off.
"Don't be, she's your mother. Go!" Misu told him kindly.
Zuko and Ari take off running down the path that leads back to Hira'a.
Misu turned back to the pool but as she saw the surface bubble as the mother of faces left she lost her composure.
"Wait I changed my mind. Please! Don't leave us yet, I beg of you!" She yelled bending the water around the spirit as tears cloud her eyes.
Foolish human! You dare bend the water of my sacred pool?!
"We've spent years waiting for you! I thought I could wait, but-" Misu choked out.
"She didn't mean any disrespect, Your Face-iness! She just-" Aang tried to defend her.
Goodbye, Avatar.
The Mother of Faces quickly sank into the water.
"No, please... come back! Come back!" Aang yells and dives headfirst in the water. Aang bends a bubble around himself so he can breathe and speak as he chases the spirit.
"Mother of Faces, you gotta hear me out! Those two siblings have searched for you for years and years! They have one small request! For someone as powerful as you, it'll take just a moment! Mother ... ? Mother of Faces, how could you be so cruel?!" He yells as he chases her. Suddenly a light appears in a crack in a rock in front of him, and a blast of energy sends him flying out of the pool.
"Aang!" Katara yells as she watches him break the surface, thinking quickly she uses waterbending to cushion his fall.
"I'm all right." Aang tells her.
Suddenly the mother of faces bursts through the surface of the pool, furious.
Since the beginning of time, I've fashioned faces with great care and deliberation-with all my heart! In each face, I put a piece of my own being! But then these, these humans trample into my forest to make demands of me as if I were their servant! They dare ask me to replace my precious gifts with new ones! Do you know how it feels to be told by such insignificant beings that your work is inadequate?
"That's not what they mean-" Aang says in defense.
The humans are so pitiable and my kindness so profound that I swallow my pride and grant their requests! Once a season, however, is all I can tolerate! You, Avatar, are supposed to be the best of the humans; yet you jump into one of my sacred pools and defile it with your presence! You scold me like I'm a child! Avatar or not, you humans are the same: selfish, shortsighted, insolent! Get out of my forest. And take your friends with you. GET OUT!
As the mother of faces gives her final command spirit animals erupt out of the forest and begin attacking the group. It's a cacophony of sound.
GET OUT. GET OUT. GET OUT. GET OUT.
"Try not to hurt them!" Aang calls out.
"Because they're spirit animals, I know!" Katara yells back.
A large spirit advances on Misu and she screams, Katara freezes its hands in blocks of ice.
"Thank you, Katara!" Misu calls out to her.
"We waterbenders have to look out for each other!" Katara yells back.
They continue to try to fight off the spirit animals.
"We've gotta do what they say! Let's go!" Sokka yells at them.
"No. My brother and I aren't leaving this forest until we have what we came for!" Misu yells.
"You can come back later! I'll help you get back! But there's no way the four of us can fight off an entire forest!" Aang pleads with her.
"Watch out!" Aang yells sending an air blast skyward as spirit birds try to attack from the sky. The air blast knocks Rafa's mask off.
"No! His mask! He needs his mask! Help me find it!" Misu yells.
"Wait, I've seen something like this before... when I met Koh the Face Stealer!" Aang says in shock at the sight of Rafa's non existent face.
Quiet. Repeat what you said, Avatar.
"Koh the Face Stealer. He's a spirit who looks kinda like a big ugly sow bug with these big ugly legs and a bunch of big ugly faces. He's-" Aang trys to explain.
He is my son.
"Koh the Face Stealer is your son?!" Aang says in shock.
That is not the name I gave him, but yes.
"Oh, heh heh. Did I say ugly? I meant, uh-" Aang stumbles over his words.
He's been estranged from me since time began. The legends say that he misses me so much, he's spent all of history stealing faces. How do you know him, Avatar?
"We've met. And to tell you the truth, Mother of Faces, your son isn't the nicest of spirits. He took someone important away from one of my past lives. And yet my past life spared him." Aang tells the spirit. The mother of faces reaches out and places her hand on Rafa's face. They all look on in shock as his face begins to glow.
I can feel his handiwork here. It's been so long since I've seen him.
The mother of faces closes her hand around his face, and the glowing intensifies, a muffled noise coming from under her hand.
"What's going on?! Is she hurting him?!" Misu ask as her panic rose.
The mother of faces removed her hand from Rafa's head, and the glow fades. Rafa gasps and raises his hands to his head. Misu approaches her brother, her hand outstretched and Rafa lifts his own face to meet hers, smiling.
"Hey, sis." Rafa says for the first time in a very long time.
"Rafa!" She says in shock.
"Thank you, Mother of Faces. I know we humans can be aggravating. So often, we're ungrateful for what we've been given. Maybe I was out of line when I asked you for two favors instead of one, but I really needed your help to restore two relationships: One between a sister and a brother, and another between a mother and a son." Aang said bowing respectfully.
Zuko and Ari made their way through the forest as quickly as they could and arrive in the clearing that surrounds Noren and Noriko's house.
"It's so quiet." Zuko says and he walks to where he can see the three of them sitting at the table eating dinner together.
Ari takes his hand and gives it a squeeze "You can do this Zuko, just talk to her." Such a normal sight in front of them is even making Ari's heart ache from the pain of remembering her own family. Her family had had more than its fair share of dysfunction but they had still had dinner like this every night growing up, and she had done the same with her own children.
Zuko closed his eyes and took a steadying breathe, Ari could tell how much grim determination it took to put one foot in front of the other. He walked to the door and knocked twice before Noren opened the door.
"Noren. I know it's late, but I-" Zuko said bowing.
"I had a feeling you would return." Noren told him knowingly.
"What do you mean?" Zuko ask him.
"Eeee! You came back! You came back because we're best friends!" Kiyi screamed hugging Zuko around the middle.
"Kiyi! It's good to see you again!" Zuko says with a smile.
"Come eat dinner with us!" Kiyi says trying to drag Zuko inside.
"I don't know if..." Zuko says hesitating.
"No, please. Join us you two." Noren says shooing them inside and closing the door.
They all sit down together at the table.
"You haven't touched your food yet. Is something wrong?" Noriko asks Zuko after a couple of minutes.
"Do you do this every night?" Zuko asks her.
"What, eat dinner? Doesn't everybody eat dinner every night?" Kiyi answered confusion.
"No, I meant eat dinner together. Like this." Zuko says rephrasing his sentence.
"Yes, of course. That's why we're eating so late. I insisted we wait until Noren came back." Noriko answers.
"I appreciate that, dear. Rehearsal ran over." Noren says thanking his wife and kissing her cheek.
"So what brings you back this way? Looking for more details on the Hira'a acting troupe?" Noriko asks Zuko.
"No. I came to find- Tell me, Noriko. Are you happy?" He asks her.
"What an odd thing to ask!" Noriko replies taken aback.
"Just answer me. Please." Zuko says pleadingly.
"Yes. Of course. I'm where I belong." Noriko answers him.
Zuko stands to go.
"I've bothered you folks enough. Have a good evening. Ari-" Zuko says reaching out to leave with his wife.
"No. Stop. Noriko, I knew this moment would come sooner or later." Noren stops him.
"What's going on?" Noriko asks panic rising at the tone of her husbands voice.
"Go ahead, young man. Do what you came to do. Tell her you haven't forgotten who she is." Noren tells Zuko.
"My name is Zuko. I am Lord of the Fire Nation... and I am your son." Zuko tells her.
"When I saw you in the crowd, I immediately recognized you because of your scar. I had learned all I could about Ursa's life in the royal palace. I knew it would come back to haunt us someday. Forgive me for not confessing the whole truth when you and your friends were here, Fire Lord. I had hoped to give you enough information to satisfy you, yet still protect my home here with Ursa." Noren tells Zuko bowing his head respectfully.
"Ursa?" Noriko asks in shock.
"That was your old name, my love, from your old life. You were once a princess of the Fire Nation. You had two children, one of whom grew up to be the Fire Lord." Noren explains gently.
"Mommy? What's Daddy talking about?" Kiyi asks sounding scared.
"You don't remember any of this because a powerful spirit altered your memories. I also have an old name. I used to be known as Ikem." Noren tells them.
They hear a large crashing noise coming from outside.
"Fire Lord, what's going on?!" Noren asks panicking.
"Stay here. I'll go find out. Ari stay with them."
Zuko goes outside and sees the Mother of Faces stalking towards the small house. Zuko can vaguely see Aang and Appa flying behind it.
"It's the spirit." He says turning to address them. Noren, Noriko, and Ari come to the doorway.
Human, do you wish to return to who you once were? Do you wish to remember?
"No. You don't have to. You have such a beautiful life here." Zuko pleads with her.
"Yes." Noriko says walking to the large spirit.
Hold still.
The mother of faces reaches out to grab her face, and the her face begins glowing once more. As the hand is removed the familiar visige of Ursa has been restored.
As dawn streaked the sky Ursa finally walked back over to the house. She had needed some time to compose herself after the nights events, and had spent hours sitting by herself silently. Sitting at the doorway of their house together Noren holds their sleeping daughter, while on the other side of the yard her son sits with his wife. With a sigh she walks to Zuko.
Zuko looked up and see's his mother standing in front of him.
"You should go to them." He says inclining his head towards the others.
"No. You and I need to talk. Can we walk." Ursa asks gesturing with her head.
Zuko gives Ari's hand one last squeeze as he gets up to follow his mother.
"I owe you an apology Zuko. I'm sorry I didn't love you enough." Ursa tells him, her voice heavy with emotion.
"Don't say that." Zuko says sadly.
"But it's true. I... I forgot you. What kind of mother forgets her son?" She asks on the verge of tears again.
"Things turned out okay. I've got an amazing wife, a baby on the way, and some good friends now. I have a life I can be proud of." Zuko tells her.
"And a crown on your head! You look so handsome, Zuko. I may not have a right to be, but I'm proud of you, too." Ursa tells him.
"I know I'm the Fire Lord now because it's my destiny." Zuko tells her.
"So how did you find me?" Ursa ask him.
"You're not going to believe it. It was Ari. She had tea with Ozai every week for a year and a half to get the information out of him." Zuko said with a proud smile for his determined little wife.
"You let that sweet gentle creature around your father!?" Ursa ask in shock.
"Honestly I think Ari might be the only person in the world who can actually handle him." Zuko said with a laugh. "I think my favorite story is one Uncle told me of her first meeting with Ozai. He was yelling and screaming vitriol at her and she calmly states, 'No matter how hard the wind howls, the mountain can not bow to it.' She's tougher than she looks Mom. Trust me." Zuko told his mother.
"I think I'm going to like getting to know her," Ursa said with a smile "And getting to know the man that you have become."
"Will you tell me what happened Mom?" Zuko ask her.
"Everything?" She ask him.
"Everything. "
"For you my dear I'll start from the beginning." Ursa said putting her arm around her son as they walked away.