Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my sons.

Almost as soon as Zuko and his friends entered the forest, they saw a giant, translucent wolf.

"Let's follow it!" Aang shouted, obeying his instinct. He ran after the creature, but it moved so quickly between the trees that it was soon gone. The trees were too close together for Aang to fly on his glider. Just as his friends caught up to him, Aang saw another animal he felt he needed to follow, this time a flutter-bat. Sokka grumbled as they changed direction, barely keeping up with the nimble airbender. Finally they came upon a clearing with a smooth pool of water in the middle, almost a perfect circle.

"I've never seen water so clear and so still," Katara looked at the small pond in wonder.

"This feels familiar...so tranquil...it reminds me of Tui and La's pool in the Northern Water Tribe." Aang said. "There's a strong spiritual presence here."

The Avatar sat down to meditate. Soon his eyes and tattoos were glowing. Sokka rolled his eyes, always doubtful of spiritual mumbo jumbo. But Katara had perfect confidence in her boyfriend, and Zuko was content to go along with his trusted friend.

As he sank lower into his spiritual contemplation, Aang's perception of the world suddenly flipped: he found himself sitting underwater on the surface of the lake, with its floor arching above him. Looking up-down?-through the clear water—which somehow failed to obstruct his beathing-or maybe he didn't need to breathe?-he could see dozens of masks decorating the bottom of the lake, which appeared to him to be a ceiling.

A winged fish with markings like eyes swam by him. "Can you help me?" He asked the fish, noticing that his speech was not garbled by the water. The creature looked back at him and flapped a wing-fin as if to say 'follow me.' Aang kicked his feet to keep up, descending into the pool.

In the deepest part of the pool, he found a tangle of reeds and kelp. An imposing spirit emerged to greet the winged fish, as if her body were forming itself from the willowy stalks as she appeared. She had three white masklike faces looking in three different directions.

Aang gathered his courage and addressed the huge spirit. "I'm looking for my friend Zuko's mother. Do you know if she came into this forest, maybe seven or eight years ago? Is she still here?"

The giant spirit came close and touched Aang's hand, as if to gain more information this way, and recoiled in shock at something his touch communicated to her. "You are still unbound, Avatar! And alone! You can't stay here too long, or you'll never get out! Let us go to the surface to do our business. Quickly, now!" She began making her way to the surface of the lake.

"That's good, that's where my friends are. But what do you mean, unbound?" Aang asked, following her. "The Painted Lady said something about that to me months ago, but I still don't understand-"

"If you venture into the spirit world while you remain unbound, the hungry ghosts may attack the world you leave behind." She warned briskly. "You cannot remain here another minute."

"I don't even know what are you talking about!" Aang's frustration peaked and he practically screamed. "What binds me to the world?"

"What else? Love." The spirit answered simply.

He couldn't question her anymore. They had reached the surface.

Bored with their wait, Katara shot Zuko with a playful burst of water from her pouch. "Remind you of anything?"

"Oh yeah, I remember." Zuko recalled his fight with Katara in the Spirit Oasis. "It was pretty dumb of me to challenge a waterbender at nighttime when I was surrounded by ice. I wouldn't try that again."

"You mean you're not about to capture the Avatar and drag him off into the tundra?" Katara pushed, her eyes dancing with humor.

"I have a better sense of self-preservation now. And of friendship."

Aang's glowing eyes closed, his tattoos dimmed, and he stood up. His friends came closer to him, but before they could ask what he had found in the spirit world, the smooth surface of the pool was broken by a number of masks appearing in the water, floating up from the bottom.

"She's coming, guys, stand back!" Aang warned them.

Suddenly a huge spirit rose up from the depths, her body composed of reeds, three white faces on her willowy shoulders.

"I am the Mother of Faces." The spirit's voice was resonant, as if she spoke in chorus. "Through me, separateness came into the world. Through me, came identity. The one became the many. I am a generous spirit, softhearted and kind."

"Maybe she knows where my mother is." Zuko gazed up at the spirit in wonder.

"Spirits know a lot of things." Aang remarked. "You should definitely ask."

"Each season I grant one favor to one human." The Mother of Faces went on. "You may make your request now. Humans often chase after me, begging for new identities. Have you come to do the same?"

"We seek a princess of the Fire Nation named Ursa." Zuko spoke boldly to the giant spirit. "Please tell me where to find her."

"Ursa. I remember her. I could not understand why a human of such beauty would ask for a new face." The Mother of Faces held an image of Ursa in one hand. Zuko started when he saw it: his mother exactly as he remembered her, more lifelike than any portrait. "To test her sincerity, I offered her one as plain as can be." The image changed, to a face they all recognized.

"That's Noriko!" Zuko exclaimed. The others gasped in surprise.

Her favor granted, the Mother of Faces sank back down into the pool.

Zuko turned around and began the trek out of the forest, lost in thought. His friends followed silently. Soon they stumbled out of the forest, found Appa where they had left him, and flew back to their campsite. The firebender was still reeling from the news.

"She...must have known it was me." He realized sadly.

"What? Through your great disguise?" Sokka scoffed.

"She was nervous throughout dinner, couldn't you tell?" He pointed out. "And she protested Noren inviting us in the first place. She was worried I would reveal her and haul her back to the palace..."

"She probably felt she couldn't claim to be your mother because she obviously looks nothing like the way you remember her." Katara said reasonably. "You wouldn't believe her if the Mother of Faces hadn't just told us what happened."

Zuko had to admit that made sense. Even if she had wanted to speak up, she wouldn't have felt able to. And if she had, maybe it wouldn't have truly mattered. He shook his head. "I can't take her away from this. You saw how happy she is here. I found her just to say goodbye."

"Don't you want to tell her you know who she is?" Katara pushed with a hopeful smile. "Give her a chance to get to know you as you are now?"

"As if that's such a prize," He muttered, looking down.

"Your mother is right there." Katara emphasized incredulously. "I can't believe you're just going to leave her. If it were me..."

"I can't push that on her unless it's her choice." He shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself.

"If I had this chance, to be with my mother again..." The waterbender's fingers found her necklace unconsciously.

"This is different." Zuko argued. "If I impose my will on her, I'll be just another Fire Lord stealing her away from her family."

"You are her family." She argued.

"And sometimes family is toxic." He answered. "You don't really have any idea what I mean by that, Katara, and I'm glad you don't. It doesn't make sense to you that she could be better off without me, but she is. I think the only way for me to break the cycle is to let her be."

"You are not your father, Zuko." Aang put in solemnly. "I know that better than anyone."

The firebender paused and took a deep breath. "Thanks for saying that, but I still can't-"

"What about Azula?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, I thought you were hoping to bring your mother back so that she could help your sister with her hallucinations." Aang reminded him.

"My mother has a different face now. I'm not sure she'd be able to help Azula anymore. We'll just have to find a different way to break through to my sister. Maybe you can help me find a waterbending healer." He said to Katara. "That's one other thing we haven't tried yet. It wouldn't have to be you."

Katara nodded with a sigh. "Of course. I'll write to Pakku and Yugoda as soon as we get back to the palace."

"Thank you for helping me find her." He told his friends. "It does ease my mind to know that she's safe."

Seeing his decision, his friends started preparing the camp for sleep.

Zuko unfurled his bedroll, and found the package Mai had given him as he left, his birthday present. He smiled when he opened it: a copy of the script of The Banished Prince and the Last Airbender. Opening the cover, he saw that the entire cast had signed it. The names scrawled in the book gave him an idea. He heard again the longing in Katara's voice as she talked about her mother; his own heart matched it. Surely reaching out with a gift and a letter wasn't tyrannical, he rationalized.

He found a pen and a blank page in the book, near the end, and began writing.

Dear Mom,

I understand that you have made a happy new life for yourself here in Hira'a. You have a husband who is not a monster, an adorable, undamaged daughter, a comfortable home, and satisfying work in the theater. I would never disrupt any of that or ask you to give it up for my sake. I understand that by showing up here, I brought complications back into your life, and problems that you are wise to shrink from. It's ok that you didn't acknowledge me or tell me who you are; and I'm sorry I didn't immediately recognize you either, until the Mother of Faces told me what she did for you.

I'm so grateful to have spent a single evening in your company. You gave me the best birthday I've had since you were there to celebrate with me in the palace. Simply knowing that you survived and are safe and thriving is the greatest gift. I'm glad I got to meet Noren and Kiyi, and that you met my friends. Kiyi is so lucky to have you as her mother. I wish you all every happiness.

If you would ever like to see or write to me, I can be contacted at the palace.

I love you.

Your son,

Zuko

Rereading the letter, he nodded to himself. It was proper to give his mother the opportunity to contact him, and let her know that he was open to it. He was too selfish and hopeful to leave without offering her at least that much. But it should be something for her to initiate, not for him to force on her. Maybe he was wrong, and she would write him. It would be nice to correspond with her.

The others were curled up to sleep, Katara and Aang near each other, and Sokka on the other side of Appa. He decided to sneak away without waking them. He could walk there and back before dawn, and sleep on Appa as they flew back to the palace.

He approached the house warily. His plan was just to set the book on the doorstop, so that either his mother or Noren would find it as soon as they leave the house in the morning. But as soon as he set foot on the doorstop, the door opened, and Noriko—no, his mother, Ursa—was there.

"Lee?" She asked, giving his alias. "Come in." She opened the door for him. Nervous, he obeyed. Hearing her voice now, and noticing the way she held her shoulders like royalty, he wondered how he had failed to recognize her. Her features were different, but there was something in the light behind her eyes, in her expressions, that was intimately familiar. Maybe he had known her in a subtle way; that was why he had felt so at home, and enjoyed the dinner so much.

"I'm sorry to come by so late. I know it's not the proper time to visit. I was going to simply leave this on your doorstep. As a thank you gift for welcoming me and my friends for such a lovely dinner." He handed her the book. He didn't know if he wanted her to open it right now and find the note, or not.

"The Banished Prince and..." She began, understanding what it was.

"You said you liked the play."

"It's my favorite," she hugged the volume to her chest, her eyes shining. "Thank you."

He swallowed. "Prince Zuko, he turned out all right in the end." He meant only to let her know that he was fine, to ease any worries she may have had for him.

"He did. He found some wonderful friends."

"Yes." There was an awkward pause. "And you've made a wonderful family here."

As if Zuko's words had called her out, Kiyi appeared at the door, holding her doll and a blanket, rubbing one eye. "Mommy?" She asked sleepily.

Ursa got up. "You should be in bed, honey."

"I need my song," the little girl wheedled. Her mother took her hand and began to lead her back to her bedroom.

"Please, I'd like to hear it," Zuko begged, unable to resist.

Trapped in her son's gaze, Ursa nodded. She picked up Kiyi, arranging the girl's knees on either side of her hips and her head on her mother's shoulder. She turned away from Zuko and began to sing to her youngest daughter, swaying her body from side to side.

"The fire in my heart,

It burns for you, my darling.

The fire in my heart,

It burns for you.

Can't blow it out,

Can't drown it down,

Can't bury it in the sand.

The fire in my heart,

It burns for you.

The winds may rage,

The rain may fall,

The earth may crack and quake,

But the fire in my heart,

It burns for you.

So sleep, darling.

My fire will burn you.

And while we're apart tonight

It won't run out of fuel,

For the fire in my heart,

It burns for you."

The long, sweet, clear high note on "fuel" made Zuko's tears spill over. It was his mother's voice, singing the same melody that had put him to sleep when he was even younger than Kiyi. The tune was from one of Ursa's beloved operas. In the context of that show, it was a romantic song, but she had changed a couple of the lyrics and slowed it down to make it a lullaby. He was aware of the problematic hints of fire supremacy in the lyrics, but his adult rejection of the ideology did not prevent the melody from calling to his heart with all the force of a lonely little boy's longing for his absent mother. He wiped at his eyes, and some of the white makeup came off on his fingers. It didn't matter. He would slip out the door as soon as his mother left the room with her little girl. At least he got to hear the song one last time. He felt so grateful.

Kiyi had fallen asleep on her mother's shoulder, arms dropping slack. "I'll go put her to bed." Ursa whispered. "Please stay."

Her words seemed to have woken up the little girl, at least halfway. "I like him, mommy." She murmured, turning her head toward her mother's neck.

"Me too, honey." Ursa agreed softly.

Zuko fidgeted on the couch, feeling trapped. Surely she only wanted him to stay for a proper goodbye. There was only one thing he needed from her, so that he could let go and leave her to this sweet, simple life.

She came back in the room. He stood. "Noriko, are you happy?"

Her face crumbled. She brought up her hands to cover it, hunching her shoulders. "No!" She sobbed. "How could I be happy? I'm a horrible mother who abandoned her children..."

He rushed to her, taking her in his arms. "No, you're not!" He insisted, the façade finally broken. "You're an amazing mother! You saved me, and then you saved yourself. That's all anyone could have asked of you."

Ursa lifted her face to her son's. "This is my fault," she touched his cheek, still mostly covered in paint.

"No, it's his fault," he shook his head emphatically.

"I wasn't there to prevent it, to talk him down or take your place. He was angry with me because of a letter I wrote, and he took it out on you..."

"I know about it. It's ok."

She gave him a sad, strong smile, her hand still touching his ruined face. She noticed the paint flaking off on her fingers, and tsked at it, sniffing. "You're the Fire Lord, why are you using cheap make up?" Focusing on something small and silly seemed to help her regain control of her emotions.

"It was in your old costume closet."

"Not cheap, then, just ancient." She bustled into the kitchen and returned with a wet washcloth. Sitting down next to her son on the couch, Ursa wiped the last of the white makeup from Zuko's face gently. It made him recall how much he had wanted her to be there when he had been so gravely hurt, how he had longed for her hands to be the ones smoothing ointments onto his burn.

"Even with this, you never did forget who you are." She murmured, stroking his scorched cheek.

"I did for a while." He corrected her modestly.

"But you remembered in the end. When it counted. I may not have a right to be, but I'm so proud of you." Her fingers lifted his chin to meet her shining eyes.

That was when he dissolved into tears. "Mom, I missed you so much."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you, too, turtle duck."

"I thought you were dead for years!" He wept, clinging to his mother. "And then tonight, when I realized who you were, I...thought you didn't want me."

"Not want you!" Ursa pulled away to look at Zuko, cradling his wet face in her hands. "I spent that dinner in agony, wanting nothing more than to hug you just like this. I'm so sorry I stayed away. I was ashamed of abandoning you. Even after Ozai was locked up, and it was safe, I assumed you didn't want me anymore. You're grown, and a hero; you don't need your mom."

"Of course I do!" He shook his head. "And Azula-" he began, but cut himself off. He didn't want to pressure her.

"How is she?" Ursa asked tentatively.

"A wreck," he answered frankly, unable to lie.

"That's my fault too." His mother fretted, looking away.

"No, you know she had...violent tendencies long before you left." Zuko protested.

"But I could have reined her in if I'd been there. I could have protected her from your father's influence. I failed her. She...perplexed me."

"You're not the only one. Please don't take it to heart. I know you did your best for her."

"I'd like to do more." She offered.

"If you want to see her, I could bring you to the asylum. But she won't recognize you." Zuko was unsure how Azula would react to seeing her mother with a completely different face. She probably wouldn't believe it was her. Some of her hallucinations were paranoid, distrustful of her caretakers. Trying to get her to buy in to a truth that was so illogical and counterintuitive-that her mother now wore a stranger's face-could very well backfire.

"If I could have a positive effect on her, that wouldn't matter to me. I survived this evening playacting with you."

"When did you know it was me?" He wondered.

"As soon as I spotted you in the audience this afternoon. It takes more than half a face of paint to hide from your mother. I told Noren who you were, and he insisted on inviting you over for a birthday dinner."

He lowered his voice. "Then, Noren knows?"

The older man stepped in then. "Yes. I'm the one who took your mother to the Mother of Faces. She gave me a new face of my own years earlier, to escape the assassin your father sent after me."

"Is that why you changed your face too?" He asked his mother. "Were you afraid he would try to have you killed?"

"That was one reason." Ursa admitted. "And I thought, if I didn't look like myself, I could go back to the capital and at least see you and Azula, even if you didn't recognize me. And I did get a job as a maid in the palace for a while," she confessed, her voice rising in distress as she remembered that difficult time. "But I found it made my estrangement so much harder, to see your father's tirades against you and not be allowed to interrupt them, to watch Azula learn cruelty from him without being able to correct her. And then some of the other maids started to ask me questions, and I was afraid I'd be found out. I couldn't see Noren at all while I worked there, and I missed him terribly. I missed Hira'a and the theater, too, and eventually I decided I had no real choice but to...let go of you and try to make a new life for myself." Her troubled eyes begged his forgiveness.

"I understand." Zuko squeezed her hands. "You did the right thing, the only thing you could." It wasn't as if torturing herself with a job that offered her proximity to her children while keeping her powerless to help them, could have benefitted them in any way. Knowing she had agonized over her separation from him soothed the childish part of his heart that had blamed her, or felt rejected by her.

"Ursa and I were childhood sweethearts." Noren explained, changing to a happier topic.

His wife smiled at him, then continued their story for her son. "When Ozai came for me, he tried to stop the carriage-"

Zuko's eyes widened, putting the pieces of the story together. He felt both thrilled to hear that his mother's first love had endured, and dismayed at the thought of the years the couple had lost due to his family's machinations. He hated the fact that he owed his own existence to the blighted marriage that had temporarily broken up this happy couple.

"And then we found each other years later," Noren finished the story with a fond glance at his wife.

"I'm-glad you did," Zuko responded awkwardly. He felt responsible in a way for their years of separation. "I don't want to disrupt your life."

"This is not a disruption!" Ursa shook her head insistently.

"I don't want to roll in here like my father did, and take you away from your home."

"Well," She answered uncertainly, "I don't know if I ever want to live in that palace again," she shuddered, "but I'd love to visit! And I'm so glad you came here!"

"And maybe I could visit you here too?" Zuko asked eagerly. "I could bring Mai next time."

"Yes, I heard that you're...together." She answered tentatively.

"I'm going to propose as soon as she's eighteen." he assured his mom, worried she would think he was taking advantage. "She's only living in the palace with me because she got kicked out."

"I always liked Mai." The older woman assured her son of her approval. "And I saw the play, how she saved your life; she's earned my eternal gratitude for that, and surely yours as well. It's terrible about her parents. Ukano always was an unscrupulous brute. As far as your living arrangements, it seems like you had no choice, and I'm certainly in no position to disapprove of anything you do. I'm sure you were a gentleman about it." Her voice turned a little stern.

He blushed, recalling Mai's words: You were exactly enough of a gentleman, and no more. "I think I was." He changed the subject. "And you also heard about-"

"Your little brother? Everyone knows. It doesn't bother me. I didn't expect your father to sleep alone after I left, especially since he didn't before. I moved on." She smiled at Noren. "I only hope Ozai treated this girl better than he treated me."

Zuko shifted uncomfortably. "Well, at least she didn't have to endure him for that long. Iroh said Roku looks like I did as a baby."

"I'm sure he's adorable."

"And Kiyi is, too! She's, um...spirited."

"She went to sleep with that Blue Spirit doll, and asked me when she could see Lee again."

"I can't believe I have another sister!"

"And I can't believe we served the Avatar dinner in our home!" Noren put in. "Your friend 'Kuzon'?"

"Yes, that was Aang. And Katara and Sokka. I guess our disguises weren't-"

"Speaking as a former wardrobe mistress and makeup artist, your costumes were nearly professional." Ursa assured him.

"I only guessed who they were because your mother recognized you first, and we'd seen The Banished Prince so many times." Noren explained. "Those actors really captured your friends' mannerisms and voices."

"They did, didn't they?"

The three talked for the rest of the night about the theater, their years apart, and their plans for future visits.

In the morning, Aang, Katara, and Sokka found that Zuko wasn't in camp, so they went to look for him at Noren and Noriko's house. When they arrived, Zuko, his mother, and stepfather came out to greet them, all grinning widely. Zuko apologized to his friends for disappearing, and introduced them to Noren and Ursa with their real names. The commotion woke Kiyi up, and the girl's mother began to explain to her who "Lee" really was.

Zuko looked around at the group, heart bursting with gratitude. His mother restored to him, a new sister and stepfather, his friends welcomed by his new family-it was truly the greatest birthday gift he had ever received.

Author's Note: I told you it would be emotional.

Tell me what you think! How does my version of The Search compare to the graphic novels? Does it make it more poignant if Ursa doesn't give up her memories? (As a mother myself, I found that choice utterly incomprehensible.)

Next chapter: Aang and Katara revisit the Swamp.