A/N: I ended up splitting the next 2 chapters. There's a lot of rambling in both of them, so enjoy...

Late in the evening of their return from the prison after everyone had gone to bed, Zuko and Chiara started walking out of the temple. He stopped when he saw Kaito and Ezo following them.

"Oh, you guys can relax," he said.

"But, your Highness, you shouldn't leave the temple without your guards," said Kaito.

Zuko was unaccustomed to having guard escorts since before his banishment, and he was finding it tedious. "We'll be okay. We're used to being on our own."

"I just don't think it's...wise to go off on your own, sir," he said.

"We're just going to the river for a while. We won't be long."

The guards were hesitant to let them go alone. "We'll stay at a distance, your Highness."

Chiara looked at Zuko. "It's not much different than having Lady Katara or Lady Toph along."

"Fine," he gave in.

They left the temple as the guards followed. While Kaito and Ezo stood near the woods, Zuko took Chiara into the river where they sat in the water relaxing in the moonlight. Sitting on the riverbed he held her in his arms while leaning against the rock they usually sat on.

"I missed you so much," he said.

"I missed you too." She looked up at him. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For rescuing all those prisoners."

"I did it for you," he said.

"And thank you for rescuing me...again."

"I vowed to protect you," he said. "And if Katara thought I was overprotective before, wait 'til she sees me now."

She smiled. "I love you," she said as she caressed his face.

He leaned towards her and kissed her.

"I have something for you. Close your eyes."

He pulled out the little pouch Sokka had given him.

"Are they closed?" he asked.

"Yes."

She heard something metallic.

"Okay, you can open them."

Her eyes grew wide when she saw him holding her diadem. "Oh, how did you get it?"

"Nai got it," he said. "And your knife too...as well as these..."

Opening his hand he revealed her rings. She was relieved to see all three. He placed her wedding band on her finger followed by Ursa's ring, and then he put on her forefinger the dragon ring he had given her years earlier when they lived on the ship. He wrapped her diadem around her head connecting it in the back before wrapping his arms around her. They sat quietly in the water enjoying the current flowing against their bodies in the moonlight.

During their first week back at the temple, the airship was moved from their training balcony to just outside the temple as Aang resumed training with all his teachers focusing especially on his firebending. Zuko never relented in keeping Chiara on the temple grounds. Even if Izin and the Imperial Firebenders were around to watch her, Zuko never let her leave the temple unless he himself was with her. Every evening he took her to the river to relax followed by their faithful guards. During the days she often practiced with him and Aang going through the motions with them during their training hours. As Aang was progressing in his firebending, he, Zuko, Izin, Kaito, Shin, and Ezo would team up against Chiara, at Zuko's insistence, in order to keep her trained against an attack. It took a bit of effort, and nearly a command, to get Izin to participate in attacking her, but Zuko assured him that it was for her benefit so she could practice defending herself against several firebenders at once, and it allowed her to develop new defensive and offensive moves. Unless she used her sword, Chiara found the sparring quite challenging when her water supply was limited inside the temple, but when they battled near the river, it was the firebenders who were on the defensive often ending up wet and frozen. The three Imperial Firebenders were amazed to see Chiara's masterful waterbending, especially Kaito and Ezo who had practically watched her grow up in the Fire Nation and never knew she had been a waterbender.

One afternoon, a few days after arriving back at the temple, and after her incredible defensive waterbending techniques at the river during practice, Zuko and Chiara took a break in the river while Kaito, Ezo, Shin, and Izin remained on the bank where they snacked on the fruit Chiara packed for them.

As Kaito was watching the two teens enjoying themselves in the water he wondered about his own children. He had not been in touch with his family since before he had been imprisoned after his resignation after the Siege. Even now he could not take the chance of contacting them for their own safety, and, of course, for the safety of the prince and princess if it were to give away their location.

"I can't believe how powerful she is," said Ezo. "Do you think Prince Iroh knew when he took her in?"

"I don't know," said Kaito setting the thoughts of his family aside. "It's hard to believe he would take a chance of her being exposed to Fire Lord Azulon or Ozai."

Ezo smiled. "Prince Zuko doesn't seem to mind."

Kaito chuckled as he was watching them. "They were always close. I remember the last time we were in Shu Jing he asked me if I was married and if I liked my wife."

The other men softly laughed.

"Then he asked if it had been an arranged marriage."

Ezo nodded his head understanding why the young prince had been curious. "Of course."

"I said we had been friends before we were married, and he said he hoped he could marry his friend too."

Ezo chuckled. "I guess he got what he hoped for."

"Breaking into Boiling Rock for her..." Kaito shook his head. "...unbelievable. If only his father cared about family the way his son does."

"That's why Prince Zuko will make a far better Fire Lord," said Shin.

Kaito smiled as he reminisced his last trip to Shu Jing.

It was their last day at Piandao's estate where the two young royals were practicing their sword fighting techniques. It was in between their lessons with the swordmaster, and the two kids never seemed to tire of sparring together, even doing so during their free time. They took the art seriously, but their private battles, despite exercising all their skills, still turned out playful making him quietly laugh as he watched Prince Zuko pretend to cut off his opponent's limb only for her to switch hands to continue the battle with one arm behind her back, or for Lady Chiara to pretend to decapitate her opponent causing the prince to fall to the ground dramatically feigning death.

He had been serving as an Imperial Firebender for a year when he was first assigned to guard Prince Zuko on his trips to Shu Jing every month. Ezo joined him when Iroh began sending Chiara along with the prince. After having served as palace guards for three years, both men had undergone the year-long training course together to become Imperial Firebenders. The intense program provided training in multiple fighting and defensive techniques, diverse weapons, strategy, diplomacy, court etiquette, and even survival instruction and medical knowledge for emergency situations. The candidates who made it through the program would be required to guard the royal family with the highest level of skill, and even with their lives.

Kaito had to admit that he thought being an Imperial Firebender would be a lot more adventurous. For all his training, guarding the youngest prince was pretty tame on these monthly trips, and he did not expect much danger or many attempted kidnappings, especially considering Piandao's legendary history. But after hearing what happened to Prince Lu Ten and his guards who accompanied him on his mission at Ba Sing Se, his monthly week-long vacation-like assignments did not seem so bad. He found himself looking forward to the trip each month, especially as he had children of his own close in age to the young royals. Reminding him of his own children, they made his assignment feel more personal as he watched them grow up, especially as they were both good-natured compared to some other members of the royal family. And Kaito enjoyed seeing the two together again, especially after their year apart. He had noticed the change in Prince Zuko after Lady Ursa disappeared; he seemed so lost and reserved, and with his young friend gone too, it seemed to be a greater strain on the boy. The past year since Lady Chiara's return made a positive difference in the prince's somber disposition.

"Kaito, are you married?"

The guard looked down at the prince who was now sitting next to him with a bowl of noodles while Amiku was ushering Lady Chiara inside the castle.

"You two never stop with these swords," he heard Amiku saying to her. "I told Prince Iroh years ago it's one thing to train you in self-defense, but fighting with swords...it's just too much for a young lady."

"But, Lady Amiku, it helped when the General and I were in the Earth Kingdom..."

"But to pretend to remove the Crown Prince's head..."

Chiara was giggling at Amiku's motherly rant.

"Yes, Prince Zuko, I'm married," said Kaito.

"Do you like your wife?"

He was smirking under his mask, and he was finding it difficult not to laugh at the boy's question. "Of course, your Highness. I love my wife very much."

The prince silently contemplated his next question. "Was it an arranged marriage?" he asked softly.

"No, your Highness."

"So you were friends before you were married?"

Another smirk. "Yes, your Highness."

Zuko looked down lost in thought. "I hope I can marry my friend too," he nearly whispered.

"Do you think they're all right?"

Kaito snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Ezo who was looking fixedly at the river.

"What?"

"You don't think they swam downstream or something, do you?" asked Ezo.

"They were just here...," he started.

"Where have you been? They've been gone for a while. The sun's already dropped below the treeline."

"Can a waterbender drown?" asked Shin, sounding worried.

Just hearing those words made Izin nervous, and he stood up and walked towards the river as Kaito was right behind him. They could see nothing underneath the water from their position on the shore. The four men walked along the bank of the river looking for them. Getting worried when there was no sign of them, Kaito stopped.

"We should split up in pairs," he said. "We'll stay near the water. Ezo, you and Izin go up river..."

"But if...if something happened to them, they would be downstream," said Izin hating himself for saying it out loud.

"I don't think they drowned," said Kaito. "They may have gone upstream..."

"Something wrong?" asked Zuko.

They all turned towards Zuko's voice to see him and Chiara.

"Your Highness," said Kaito, "where were you?"

"We found clams," said Chiara, showing the molluscs they had gathered in her skirt. "There was a whole bed of them."

The men were relieved, but at the same time Kaito wanted to scold them for disappearing.

"You can't just disappear like that. We were looking all over for you," he said sounding more like a concerned father than an exasperated guard.

"Food doesn't find itself," said Zuko nonchalantly.

"And we wanted to gather enough for everyone," said Chiara.

Shin was looking at the clams. "They do look good. And it beats prison food."

"I appreciate that," said Kaito, "but could you at least let someone know when you're going to disappear?"

Izin opened the bag that had contained the fruit they had eaten. "Princess, we can put them in here."

She sat on the ground spreading out her skirt, and they gathered the clams into the bag.

They returned to camp, and after soaking the clams, Katara and Chiara steamed them over a fire and everyone, but Aang, of course, enjoyed them with the fish that Hakoda and Sokka had caught for dinner.

The next day, while Aang was practicing with Toph, Zuko walked up to Chiara who was gathering fruit for lunch and he took her hand pulling her away from the grove.

"What's up?" she asked.

"A date by a waterfall."

"Aw," she smiled. "But you should eat lunch..."

"We'll take the fruit with us," he said. "I want to sneak out before Kaito or Ezo see us."

She softly giggled. They started up the steps to leave the temple only for Zuko to look back and see Kaito and Ezo walking towards them. He sighed to himself and stopped.

"You guys don't have to come with us."

"You shouldn't go out unescorted, your Highness," said Kaito.

"He's right, your Highn-ass," said Sokka who was coming down the steps with Hakoda, both carrying fish they caught for lunch. "You shouldn't go anywhere without your elite jerkbending guards to protect you." He glanced at the firebenders as he walked by them. "No offense."

"Shut up, Sokka," said Zuko in a low, deep voice.

Sokka turned back towards him. "Hey, you don't want to get ambushed out there like we were when they took Chiara to the prison."

Kaito's eyes grew wide. "The princess was ambushed here? It would be best if we stay with you, sir."

Zuko made a mental note to kill Sokka later. "I really appreciate your loyalty and dedication, but my wife just got out of prison where she was constantly under guard. I would like to take her to the river without feeling like we're still incarcerated."

"They've been in prison for a while, Zuko," called Sokka. "They might not know about the treason charge...you know, with interrupting..."

"Yes, I know what you're talking about," said Zuko, quickly cutting him off.

"Maybe you should explain it to them."

Kaito looked curiously at the prince. "Sir?"

Zuko sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nothing. Just ignore the idiot." He looked at Chiara. "I feel like killing something. Let's go hunting."

"I'll get my bow."

He released her hand, and she went to their room to grab the bow and arrows and a bag for the fruit she was carrying. When she returned outside, Zuko took the bow from her before taking her hand and pulling her up the stairs.

Kaito started worrying as they walked deeper into the forest.

"We shouldn't stray too far from the temple, sir."

"We need to find something big enough to feed everyone," said Zuko.

"Why don't we go closer to the river," suggested Chiara. "Remember the muskrat deer? He was pretty big."

"He was," he agreed.

They went towards the river and sat just inside the forest where they could view the water. They ate the fruit Chiara brought as they quietly sat and waited for something meaty to stroll by. They did not wait long before Zuko spotted a rabbitcoon on the other side of the river. He stealthily took aim and let the arrow fly hitting his target.

"Good hit, your Highness," said Ezo.

Chiara raised an ice bridge from the water and then took the bow from Zuko before he ran across followed by Kaito who slipped and slid the rest of the way until he landed on the other side.

"Are you okay?" asked Zuko as he reached down to take his hand.

"Yes, sir. I've never been on ice before."

Zuko pulled him to his feet, but he could not help a smirk. "It's takes some practice."

He retrieved his kill. Kaito had planned on carrying it for him, but after sliding across the ice bridge, he decided to allow the prince to carry it since he seemed more balanced on the slippery walkway, but they did return to the other side at a much slower pace.

"Are you bruised?" Chiara asked Kaito.

"No, Princess."

Zuko pulled out his knife and began gutting the rabbitcoon at the river's edge. Though the Imperial Firebenders had been trained in survival skills, they had been rarely needed, and seeing the prince working so expertly, they chose to let him handle it.

"You really know what your doing with that, your Highness," said Ezo.

"We've been on our own for a while."

They heard a noise coming from the forest as it sounded like something hit the ground, and the guards turned to see Chiara holding the bow after releasing an arrow.

"You got it, Princess," said Izin who had been watching her.

"What was it?" asked Shin.

"It was a turkey-squirrel," he answered as he headed into the woods.

He returned carrying the new kill. Chiara joined Zuko at the river where she drew up water, suspending it in the air. She concentrated on heating it up and waited until it was boiling.

"Izin, hold it in the water just enough to cover its feathers."

He did as she directed. Seconds later, she returned the water to the river, the steam rising as the hot water met the cooler. She took the turkey-squirrel and sat on the bank where she began pulling feathers as the four men stood by watching them.

"These feathers'll be so much better for the arrows than bark," she said setting them behind her.

"And we can eat that tonight and make jerky with most of this one," said Zuko.

"We definitely need to make jerky, especially if we're leaving next week."

Kaito felt bad as he watched the two royals process their game. He had been trained to take care of the royal family in these situations, but the two teenagers had become more adept at survival just through their experiences. He considered it a shame that they had been forced to survive on their own by Prince Zuko's tyrannical father. Instead of living pampered lives in the palace, they had to concern themselves with arrow fletching and drying meat for the future. His greatest consolation, however, was that they did their work so willingly and selflessly, even making sure they had enough to share with everyone. And the joy they seemed to find in their labors reminded him of the fun they had when they sparred; these were just other activities they were enjoying together. It almost made him feel bad about hounding them about security and not allowing them time to go out on their own, but he was determined to do his duty and keep them safe.

Kneeling before Fire Lord Ozai was always terrifying, but even more so when the message contained news of a disturbing nature. A messenger never knew what to expect of the outcome of the delivery. The news of Prince Zuko's treason when he broke Iroh and the Water Tribe girl out of the Prison Tower so angered the Fire Lord that the messenger was instantly blinded by his wrath. Far worse was the fate of the messenger who delivered the news of Iroh's attack on Zhao preventing him from defeating the Northern Water Tribe. It was said that all that was left of the poor man was a few smoldering remains that could fill a bucket. Now the messenger kneeling before him was trembling slightly.

"M-my Lord, I have a message from Warden Idem of Boiling Rock Prison."

The Fire Lord remained silent.

"He's reporting a breakout."

"Anyone of significance?" Ozai asked as if an escaped prisoner was of no consequence.

"It was all the prisoners," the messenger spoke in a small voice.

"What?!" The flames around Ozai rose higher as the messenger shrunk back. "How did all the traitors manage to get off the island?!"

"They stole the warden's airship..."

"Prison was too lenient for those treasonous scoundrels!"

"Sh-shall we send out a unit to apprehend them, my Lord?"

"Where were they headed?" he asked deeply.

"Northeast from the prison towards the Earth Kingdom a week ago."

"A week?!"

"Yes, my Lord. We just now received the message."

The fires around the throne were burning hot.

"Should we pursue, my Lord?" he asked timidly.

"No," said Ozai thoughtfully. Though the man kneeling before him could not see, not that he would even dare lift his face to his Fire Lord, Ozai's lip curled slightly as Sozin's Comet flashed through his mind. "No. Leave them in the Earth Kingdom."

The messenger seemed to relax as the Fire Lord seemed to adjust well to the news.

"There is more," said the messenger. Ozai said nothing, but the messenger would not look him in the eye. "Prince Zuko had broken into the prison and was responsible for freeing the prisoners."

A blinding flash of light was the last the messenger's eyes would see before his lifeless body slumped to the floor.

"Bring me Azula!" ordered Ozai.

The guard at the door nodded before disappearing.

When Azula arrived in the throne room, she knelt down before her father, the acrid smell of electricity and singed flesh filling the air around her.

"Bad news, Father?" she asked eyeing the corpse beside her, smoke still rising from the exit wound.

"Your treacherous brother broke into Boiling Rock and freed the prisoners," he said deeply.

"He's building an army using traitors?" She scoffed. "How like Zuzu."

"First, I want you to pay a visit to Warden Idem, and then I want you to find that traitor Zuko and kill him."

"Yes, Father," she said, a smile gracing her face as she bowed her head.