Iroh, Zuko, and Chiara had been at the resort for nearly two weeks. Iroh had enjoyed the quiet time often walking on the beach or relaxing in the spa. Chiara kept busy as she took up work as a seamstress, or cooking, or cleaning, and it made it easier for her to deal with the memories of the Siege. She was even able to sleep through the night as her nightmares lessened in intensity. Zuko, however, had been tense and upset about many things, including Chiara working so hard as he felt she was being treated like a slave.

"You're doing too much around here," he said to her one day as they stood outside their hut.

"I like keeping busy. And I like seeing the General happy. He really needs this, and he's been enjoying it so much."

"You haven't taken any time to relax. All you've been doing since we got here is work while he sits around being fat and lazy."

"I don't mind, Prince Zuko. He deserves it. Besides, the work keeps my mind off...other things."

Just then Iroh walked up after a long walk on the beach.

"Look at these magnificent shells," he said as he walked inside their hut and dropped several on the table.

They followed him inside.

"I'll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come."

Chiara smiled at him.

"We don't need anymore useless things," said Zuko. "You forget, we have to carry everything ourselves now. And while you're spending time collecting this junk, Chiara's been working like a slave."

"Hello, brother."

They all turned to see Azula sitting in the room.

"Uncle," she said. "Chiara."

"What are you doing here?" asked Zuko deeply.

"In my country, we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions." She stood up and walked towards them. "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"

"Don't call me that!" yelled Zuko.

"To what do we owe this honor?" asked Iroh.

"Hmm, must be a family trait," she said. "Both of you so quick to get to the point."

She broke one of Iroh's shells to his dismay.

"I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him, treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust. Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."

Nobody said anything, though Chiara noticed Azula averted her eyes as she was speaking, and she sensed she was lying.

"Did you hear me?" she asked Zuko. "You should be happy, excited, grateful. I just gave you great news."

"I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment to...," started Iroh.

"Don't interrupt, Uncle!"

"Don't speak to him like that," said Chiara deeply, stepping towards Azula.

Zuko, who had been lost in thought, turned around to see Iroh pulling Chiara back.

"Still sticking up for him, I see," said Azula unfazed by Chiara's anger.

"You have no right to speak like that to him," said Chiara.

"I have every right. I am the princess of the Fire Nation. You don't even know what you are..."

"It's not about me, Princess Azula. It's about you speaking with respect to the General."

Zuko was reminded of Chiara admonishing him at the Western Air Temple, and he was impressed to hear her standing up against Azula in order to defend Iroh who was also most appreciative of her devotion to him. But both were also worried about the consequences.

"Oh, yes, your beloved General. The man who's more than likely responsible for the death of your family. I'd say it is about you."

"You will treat him with respect," demanded Chiara. "He is still the brother of the Fire Lord and a great general and hero to the Fire Nation..."

"He's a failure and a...," started Azula angrily, but realizing she said too much.

"A what?" asked Chiara. "Let me guess, the next word out of your mouth was going to be 'traitor'? Is that what you're luring them back to?"

"Enough," said Azula. "Who are you to speak for them? Zuko and Uncle are members of the royal family. You aren't even royal blood, Earth peasant."

"Unlike you, Princess, I love them, and I will defend them with my life."

Zuko's heart melted at Chiara's words, as did Iroh's.

Azula smiled and a charge of electricity spread through her fingers. "Is that so?"

"Chiara, enough," said Iroh gently before she could continue arguing as he worried that Azula would hurt her. He pulled her back and stood between them.

Azula smiled smugly at Chiara and then turned to Zuko. "I still haven't heard my thank you. I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way."

"Then why did you?" asked Chiara deeply.

Azula glared at her. "I wanted to bring my brother this good news personally."

"Father regrets?" asked Zuko softly.

"You're lying, Azula," said Chiara. "I can see it in your eyes. Don't listen to her, Prince Zuko," she said as she placed her hand on his arm while looking up into his eyes.

"He...wants me back?" said Zuko softly.

"I can see you need time to take this in," said Azula smiling mischievously at Chiara. "I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening."

Azula left, but Zuko was still lost in thoughts of hope that it was true.

"Prince Zuko," said Chiara softly, "I don't trust her. Something isn't right. She's lying."

"But...but why would she lie?" he said. "Why else would they want us to come home?"

Chiara was sure that Azula was lying, and she worried about them being lured back to the Fire Nation. Zuko, however, was so weary of his long exile and so anxious to go home, that he was willing to believe anything Azula said.

That night Zuko was packing. "We're going home," he said happily. "After three long years. It's unbelievable."

"It is unbelievable," said Iroh. "I have never known my brother to regret anything." He stood up.

"Did you listen to Azula?" asked Zuko. "Father's realized how important family is to him. He cares about me."

"I care about you!" said Iroh. "And if Ozai wants you back, well, I think it may not be for the reasons you imagine."

"You don't know how my father feels about me," said Zuko angrily. "You don't know anything."

"Zuko, I only meant that in our family, things are not always what they seem."

"I think you're exactly what you seem: a lazy, mistrustful, shallow, old man who's always been jealous of his brother."

He stormed out. Chiara followed him, and when he stopped walking, she stood before him.

"I would expect Azula to disrespect the General, but after all he's done for you, how could you possibly say those things to him?"

"I have the chance to go home, to be Crown Prince of the Fire Nation again, to have my father care about me..."

"General Iroh has been more of a father to you than the Fire Lord ever has..."

"If he cared about me at all he would be happy that we're going home, that my father wants me back."

"After all these years have you forgotten how Azula lies? How can you trust what she's saying?"

"What reason would she have to lie to me? Why else would they want me to return? For you and Uncle this has been a cruise, a vacation, but for me, it's been a search and a struggle to restore my honor. Now that I'm finally going home, why can't you both be happy for me?"

"I don't trust Azula. I think she's setting you up..."

"I think you just don't want to go back. You've never been part of the Fire Nation, so what do you care if we never return?"

Chiara was deeply hurt by his words, and she could not help the tears that fell down her cheeks. Zuko suddenly began feeling guilty at the sight of her tears and knowing he caused them. She slowly backed up and turned away from him.

"Chiara..."

"The Fire Nation may not be in my blood, but it's where my heart lies," she said softly.

She walked back to the hut. Zuko remained where he was, but he regretted his words to her. He had never said anything so hurtful to her before that made her cry.

"Chiara," called Iroh before she could walk into her room.

She stopped and turned to him.

"You're crying," he said.

"He had no right to speak to you that way."

He was always amazed by her defense of him.

"He spoke the truth," he said softly.

"It's not true. You gracefully conceded the throne your brother stole from you, and you've been a more worthy father to Prince Zuko than the Fire Lord. And you also know Azula's lying."

"Zuko is too ready to believe anything if he thinks it means going home. Nothing we say will change his mind. He will return to the Fire Nation tomorrow with or without us."

"But if this is a trap to imprison him...or...or something worse, what can we do?"

"We have to hope it is revealed before it is too late," said Iroh.

Chiara went to her room and sat on the bed. Zuko's words stung her deeply, and she had not felt she did not belong to the Fire Nation since her first days there. Mixed with her pain was the worry that Zuko was being set up, but she knew she could not convince him otherwise, and she did not believe she could do anything to help him if he was. She now considered that it might be time to return to the Water Tribe.

Late that night, Zuko knocked on Chiara's door. She opened it.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

She stepped aside.

"I'm-I'm sorry for what I said," he said.

He had been feeling guilty for his words all evening, especially after he remembered her telling Azula that she would give her life for them. He also thought about everything she had done for him over the years and how hard she worked for everyone on his ship, and he regretted having accused her of being on a cruise.

"I was angry," he continued. "I didn't mean it when I said you weren't part of the Fire Nation..."

"Don't apologize for speaking the truth," she said softly.

"But it's not true..."

"It is. I'm not part of the Fire Nation, which is why I'm not returning."

"What?! Chiara," he said as he stepped closer to her and took her hand in his, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me for saying that."

"There's nothing to forgive. You were right. I don't belong there..."

"Don't say that. You do," he insisted. "It's your home."

"Just promise me that you'll watch Azula carefully; don't let her hurt you."

"Where do you plan on going?"

"I've been here before. I'll find some place."

He remembered how lost he felt when she was gone with the Avatar for several days.

"No. You're not staying here," he said adamantly. "All those years at sea, you made it feel like home. You were my connection to the Fire Nation more than anyone else besides Uncle, and I...I don't want to return without you."

He wrapped his arms around her and tenderly caressed her head.

"Please go back with me."

Tears fell down her cheeks. He released her and when he saw the tears he wiped them away.

"I won't go back unless you go with me," he said.

"You don't mean that."

"I do mean it. I'll tell Azula right now I'm not going with her if you don't go too."

She felt conflicted. She worried that returning to the Fire Nation was a trap, but she did not want to force him to choose her over his Nation.

"Please come home with me," he said as he caressed her face.

She finally nodded her head reluctantly agreeing as more tears fell. He wiped them away and then he embraced her again.

The next day, Zuko was excited about leaving for the Fire Nation as they all headed down to the port.

"We're finally going home," said Zuko as he was walking ahead.

Iroh and Chiara looked at each other. As they walked down the dock, it was lined with Fire Nation soldiers. As Iroh and Chiara walked behind Zuko, they grew more and more suspicious while walking between the soldiers.

"Brother, Uncle," greeted Azula pleasantly from aboard the ship. "Chiara," she added in a less pleasant tone. "Welcome."

She bowed, and they returned the bow.

"I'm so glad you decided to come," she said.

"Are we ready to depart, your Highness?" asked the captain.

"Set our course for home, Captain," she said.

"Home," said Zuko longingly.

"You heard the princess," yelled the captain as they ascended the gangplank. "Raise the anchors. We're taking the prisoners home..."

Everyone stopped as Azula glared at the captain over his faux pas.

"Your Highness...," started the captain. "...I..."

Zuko now understood it was a trap. Iroh turned and immediately attacked the guards nearby, and Chiara followed his lead. Zuko threw the captain off the gangplank and walked towards Azula.

"You lied to me!" he yelled.

"Like I've never done that before." She turned and walked away leaving her guards to attack Zuko.

As Iroh and Chiara continued fighting the guards on the dock, Zuko fought his way onto the ship to go after Azula.

"Zuko!" yelled Iroh. "Let's go!"

Zuko was now fighting Azula.

"You know, Father blames Uncle for the loss of the North Pole," said Azula. "And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar. Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him."

Zuko angrily attacked her again, but she fought back scratching him. As they fought up the ramp, Azula grabbed Zuko's arm and then blasted him with blue flame causing him to fall back down. As she began creating lightning, Chiara ran over to Zuko and knelt down by his side.

"Interfering in family affairs again," said Azula.

Chiara stood up and faced her blocking Zuko to protect him.

"You'll have to go through me first to get to him again," said Chiara to Zuko's surprise.

Azula laughed. "You always did protect little Zuzu. But I don't have a problem with that, Earth tramp." She charged her lightning even more.

"Chiara! Move!" yelled Zuko who was getting up.

Just as Azula was about to shoot, Iroh grabbed her hand and redirected the lightning, and then he threw her off the ship. As Iroh ran down the ramp, Zuko grabbed Chiara's hand and pulled her towards the gangplank with Iroh following. The three of them immediately left the ship and ran into the Earth Kingdom.

Back at the resort, Azula held up a wanted poster. "Anyone who harbors these traitors will face the wrath of the Fire Lord. There will be no place left to hide."