Katara stood with her back to the frozen pond, her unfocused eyes staring straight ahead. It was snowing lightly, and everything in view was white - the snow on the ground, the light grey clouds in the sky, and the occasional glint of ice. Her breath was visible in the air, as was normal in the South Pole, and her hands were clenched inside of her mittens.

"I can do this." Katara whispered to herself, her words swept away by the bitter winds.

She closed her eyes, and listened.

She listened with her bending - she listened to the water all around her. The ice, the snow, the moisture in the air...she was surrounded by her element. She pulled one of her hands out of her mittens and held it in front of her, feeling the hydration within the air. Her eyes were still closed, and she furrowed her brow as she pulled on the moisture, bending it toward her hand.

She felt it respond.

Katara's eyes snapped open, searching for the water she had pulled out of thin air...but there was none. She had stopped too quickly.

Cursing herself silently, Katara closed her eyes again.

I'm surrounded by water, she thought to herself, absentmindedly moving her hand in small motions in the air in front of her. I am a waterbender, and my element is all around me. Katara took a deep breath, feeling the water in her own body. She listened closely, feeling the water outside her body. I am a waterbender, and my element is all around me. She focused on that element, pulling it toward her fingers. It grew closer, more defined, and she almost felt water on her fingers -

"How long are you going to caress the air like that?"

Katara dropped her hand, her concentration broken. The air around her felt just as dry as it had before. She opened her eyes, which flashed dangerously as she turned to face her brother. "How many times have I told you not to interrupt me while I'm practicing my bending?" She snapped, pulling her mittens back on.

Sokka shrugged. "I don't know. More than twice, at least."

Katara bit back her fury at his casual attitude. "I tell you every single day, Sokka! What is so hard for you to understand about 'don't interrupt me when I'm practicing my bending?'"

"You weren't bending!" Sokka protested, crossing his arms. "I even waited to make sure you weren't! You were just standing there stroking the air, like it was-"

Katara's eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of their sockets. "Well I was bending, and I don't appreciate you ruining my progress!"

"I'm sorry, Katara…" Sokka walked up to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. She resisted the urge to shove him away and stared defiantly up at him. "...but no matter how much you practice, you'll never be an airbender."

Katara rolled her eyes as dramatically as possible. "I'm not trying to airbend, you incompetant buffoon. I was trying to bend water out of the air."

Sokka snorted. "Katara, that's not a thing."

"Yes it is!" Katara stomped her foot, and the frozen pond cracked ominously. "Hama could do it! And if Hama could do it, I know I can do it, too. I just haven't…" She trailed off, noticing Sokka's eyebrows trailing higher and higher up his forehead. "I just haven't figured it out yet, okay?" She stomped away from him. "It's not like you'd understand, anyway!"

"Hey!" Sokka jogged to catch up with her, offended. "That was a low blow!"

"Whatever." Katara quickly changed the subject, trudging through the snow back toward the Southern Water Tribe. "What was so important that you had to come get me, anyway?"

"Oh! Right!" Sokka grinned, elbowing his sister in the ribs. "Aang is back!"

Katara's eyes widened. "What? He's a week early!"

"I know!" Sokka said happily. "He wanted to come get you himself, but Dad insisted I should do it while Aang unpacked. He was trying to act like a good host, but I'm pretty sure Dad thinks Aang will get lost out here by himself."

Katara smiled to herself, still processing the fact that Aang is here when they finally approached the Water Tribe. All of her anxiety disappeared as she saw a familiar, friendly face. She felt a lump in her throat, whether from relief or missing them for so long, she couldn't tell. She looked into the eyes of someone who had never failed her, someone who always made her feel comfortable.

"Appa!" She cried happily, running toward the sky bison and flinging her arms around his head. His slobbery tongue nearly knocked her down as he greeted her. "Okay, Appa...I love you too." She giggled, regaining her balance on the slippery snow.

"Katara!"

Gasping, Katara turned around quickly. "Aang!" She threw her arms around him and he hugged her back, still holding his glider staff in his hand. Katara pulled away, looking at him in astonishment. It was incredible how much had changed in the past four years since Sozin's comet, but the familiarity of Aang's presence made her feel secure.

Without thinking, she blurted out, "You're early!"

Aang's face fell. Katara immediately regretted her outburst and quickly added, "But I'm so glad to see you! I've missed you so much!"

"I know, Katara. I've missed you too." Aang pulled her back into a hug, and Katara held him tightly. She could feel his fist against her back, clenching tightly around his staff.

"...Aang?" Katara rubbed his back cautiously. "Are you okay?"

Aang pulled away from her reluctantly, his eyes downcast. "...I'm here early for a reason. And it's not a good one."

Katara felt her heart sink, but she kept her expression impassive while she nodded. She and Sokka had travelled with Aang on his diplomatic trips for the first year after the comet before they decided to go home, and she knew the importance of international peace to Aang. She and Sokka had come home, and Aang and Toph came with them at first, but after a few months at the South Pole, Zuko - Fire Lord Zuko - sent a desperate request for Aang's help. Toph and Aang had been in the Fire Nation helping Zuko for the last three years and only had time to visit a every few months. Katara could only imagine the stress that Aang was under.

"It's okay, Aang." Katara grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her home. "Tell me everything."

Thankfully, Sokka and her father weren't home. Katara sat on a rug and motioned for Aang to join her. He sat down heavily, setting his staff down at his side.

"Things aren't going well in the Fire Nation, Katara." He began quietly. Katara clenched her jaw. "Zuko is in over his head, and all of the people who are supposed to give him advice either want him to be just like his father or they want him dead. If it weren't for Toph, he would have been assassinated months ago."

Katara paled, a jolt of fear running through her chest. "Spirits, Aang…"

"I know. It's bad. And, Katara…" Aang met her gaze guiltily. "I'm so sorry…"

Katara blinked. "What?" She shook her head. "Aang, I'm fine, what are you-"

"The Fire Sages are demanding to see you." Aang interrupted, staring back down at his hands. "Immediately."

Frozen in place, Katara was vaguely aware of Aang reaching out and grabbing her hand. The Fire Sages wanted to see her? "Why?" Katara asked bluntly, astounded.

"They're having a hard time accepting that Azula was bested by a waterbender in the Agni Kai." Aang explained quietly, his hand still holding hers. "Apparently you...didn't follow proper protocol, and they want to question you about it."

Katara couldn't believe what she was hearing. Proper protocol? "They can't punish me for breaking protocol, can they? I'm not a Fire Nation citizen!"

"It's not about punishing you," Aang sighed, "they're just trying to make Zuko's life as difficult as possible. Zuko is pushing for a council of foreign ambassadors, and in retaliation, the Fire Sages are claiming that you should be the ambassador, since you technically won the Agni Kai."

Katara's head was swirling. "But...what's wrong with me being an ambassador?"

Aang looked up. "Nothing! I didn't mean it like that!" He squeezed Katara's hand, scooting a little closer to her. "The Fire Sages are only requesting you as ambassador because they're going to use you to constantly remind Zuko of his failure, and how he technically lost to Azula. They're using you as a pawn in this stupid game." Aang shook his head furiously. "I tried to stop them, Katara, I'm so sorry. Zuko tried, too. But they've made up their minds and now none of us have any choice."

"Hold on." Katara pulled her hand out of Aang's. "Are they asking me to be ambassador? Or…" Her eyes widened at the guilty look on Aang's face. "You're here to take me back to the Fire Nation, aren't you?"

"I'm so sorry, Katara…" Aang held both of her hands pleadingly. "I know you want to stay here and help rebuild your home, and this isn't fair, but I don't know what else to do! The Fire Sages are playing dirty, but if we say no…"

Katara sat still for a moment before looking up at him. "What would happen if I said no?" She asked in a low voice.

Aang flinched. "...I'm not sure what they're planning, Katara, but the Fire Sages aren't happy that Zuko is at the healm of the Fire Nation. I've heard whispers of the Fire Sages wanting to crown Azula as Fire Lord because she technically defeated Zuko in the Agni Kai."

Katara's eyes widened. "But, isn't she still…"

"She's not okay, Katara." Aang shook his head. "Zuko refuses to put her in prison, because he's afraid she'll break out. He's keeping her in the palace. She's been deteriorating quickly - there's no way she'd be able to function as Fire Lord."

Aang looked up at Katara, his eyes shining. "They don't have any respect for you, Katara. But all they care about is to spite Zuko. They've implied that you are more fit to rule than he is, since you won the Agni Kai, which is a big blow to his honor."

Katara frowned. "I thought they didn't like me? Why would they want me as Fire Lord?"

Aang shook his head in exasperation. "They don't actually want you as Fire Lord," he explained darkly. "They're planning something, and it's not good. I think they're trying to keep Zuko distracted." Aang's expression fell even farther. "And now they have the nerve to drag you into all of this. If only I knew what they were planning, then I could stop them-"

"But, Aang," Katara interrupted, her hand on his arm. "what would they do if I didn't go with you?"

Katara held Aang's gaze. Finally, he nodded, and continued quietly, "There are a few options. A few of the sages have suggested that you committed an act of war by attacking Azula, who was first in line for the crown at the time. Since Zuko was challenging her for the throne and she…" Aang cleared his throat. "beat him, with her lightning, she was by all accounts the Fire Lord. The Fire Sages are claiming that you attacked the Fire Lord-"

"She attacked me first!" Katara insisted, growing stiff. Aang nodded at her, putting his hand over hers.

"I know that, Katara, but they won't listen to me!" Aang's eyes were bright with tears. "They're claiming you attacked first, which is an act of war, and the Fire Nation must counterstrike."

Katara cursed. "They can't make Zuko attack us! He would never do such a thing!" She shook her head, her fists clenched. "I can't believe they would claim I attacked her first. And how dare they not serve Zuko as loyal advisors!" She snapped even louder, as if she was scolding the Fire Sages themselves. "They bring dishonor upon themselves and their position! How dare they conspire against him!"

Aang looked at her questioningly after a few silent moments, and after Katara collected herself, she nodded at him to keep going. "I already mentioned that there have been multiple assassination attempts on Zuko's life." Aang closed his eyes, as if the horrendousness of the situation would go away if he couldn't see it. "I think they're looking for a way to grasp the throne for themselves - they either kill Zuko and claim that Azula is unfit to rule, or they crown Azula and use her as a puppet."

Katara blinked in shock. "A...a puppet? No, there is no way Azula could be a puppet! She's too-"

"Katara, she doesn't speak anymore." Aang interrupted, his voice tired. "From what I understand, she stays in bed all day. Every few days she'll have a severe meltdown, but other than that, it's as if there isn't a person inside her body anymore."

Katara looked down at her lap, unable to think of the powerful firebender as an empty shell. "How could this happen? Do they know what's wrong with her?"

Aang shook his head. "Zuko asked multiple doctors for their professional opinions, but no one has any answers."

Katara stared at Aang in disbelief, but sensing Aang's sensitivity toward the subject, switched to the other question swimming in her mind. "...why would they want to attack the South Pole?"

Aang scoffed coldly, and Katara knew there was no humor in the laugh. "It would be another spite against Zuko." Aang explained bitterly, instinctively laying a hand on his staff. "Zuko is trying to move the Fire Nation towards peace, and being forced to attack a defenseless -" Aang looked up quickly, eyes wide, "I mean, mostly defenseless, water tribe...especially when it's the home of you and Sokka…"

"But…" Katara shook her head, "But they can't force him, can they?"

Aang pursed his lips in frustration. "Technically, they can't. But I'm starting to believe the laws are going to matter less the more time goes on. I think they're getting impatient."

Katara felt an empty weight in the pit of her stomach. "How is he dealing with it?"

"Zuko?" Aang shook his head, sighing in defeat. "He's not, really. He's not sleeping, he's to afraid of another assassination attempt. And, quite frankly, he's too stressed. He doesn't want to overstep his authority, but he's absolutely livid about the idea of attacking you and Sokka." Aang rubbed his hand along his head nervously, glancing up at Katara. "I'm sorry I didn't write to you about this before showing up, or try and give you some time to decide about this. I barely convinced them to let me be the one to come and get you, I didn't think about sending a messenger hawk-"

Katara leaned over and took his hand, shaking her head decidedly. "It's okay, Aang. I'll come back with you."

Aang looked up at her in shock. "You...what? I thought you would be upset."

"I am upset." Katara frowned, holding his hand tightly. "But you said so yourself - if I stay here, I'll make things worse for everybody. I can't risk the Fire Nation attacking my tribe again." She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering when the Fire Nation attacked the Southern Water Tribe years ago. How they had killed Katara's mother, and Katara had been powerless to stop them. She had been a helpless little girl, screaming, tripping aimlessly around the village as fires burned around her.

Katara nodded to herself, forcing the memories into the back of her mind. She wasn't a helpless little girl anymore. "If I go with you, I have a chance to help you and Zuko fix this. I…" Katara looked away from his wide grey eyes. "I can't stay here and let you and Zuko deal with the consequences. And I definitely can't stay here if it means putting my people in danger."

"Katara…" Aang shook his head, bewildered. "Are you sure you've thought this through? I'm asking you to leave your home, and I don't know how long you'll have to be gone! And I have no idea what the Fire Sages want to do with you! They could have something really awful in store, maybe even dangerous -"

"Aang…" Katara smiled softly, leaning over and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He effectively stopped rambling and stared at her, wide eyed. "I've made my decision, okay?"

He nodded, smiling for the first time since Katara had seen him. "Okay."

"Good." Katara returned his smile sadly. "When do we have to leave?"

She almost regretted asking when a dark, guilty shadow fell back over Aang's face. "...tomorrow morning." He mumbled, holding onto her hands as if they were his anchor to life. "I'm so sorry, Katara, this isn't what I wanted. This isn't what YOU wanted." Aang's head fell onto his chest and surrendured to a look of defeat. "I haven't seen you in almost four months, and this is how we spend our reunion…"

Katara drew her lips into a thin line, reaching her hand out to lift Aang's head back up. She cradled his jaw with her hand, staring into his guilt-ridden eyes with her own fiercely determined ones. "None of this is your fault, Aang. Let me talk to my dad and Sokka. You get some rest, okay? I can handle this."

Aang nodded, and he followed her back out into the snow, where he climbed onto Appa's back and into a sleeping bag. Katara smiled softly to herself, knowing that Aang still kept all six of their sleeping bags with him when he travelled. she watched him settle under the covers and lie still. She was almost positive that he was asleep within seconds.

Her heart beat faster as her rage toward the Fire Sages resurfaced. After all Aang had done to bring peace, they still sought for war. Aang was only sixteen, but the bags under his eyes showed he carried the burdens of an elder. He didn't deserve so much responsibility at such a young age. Then again, neither did Zuko.

Katara waited at the docks for her father and brother to return, and when she saw their fishing boat moving toward her, she was flooded with relief. She hadn't been sitting there for more than a few minutes after Aang had fallen asleep. After helping Sokka and Hadoka secure the boat and haul the days catch to Gran-Gran's hut, Katara pulled them both inside their house and down onto the mats.

Hadoka let himself be dragged into a sitting position, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Alright, Katara. What's going on?" He asked gently.

Katara took a deep breath. "...I have to go back with Aang."

They sat quietly for a moment, the humor in her father's eyes vanishing, before Sokka cleared his throat and asked, "Uh, back where?"

Katara glared at him. "To the Fire Nation! Where else has Aang been?"

Sokka mocked her, rolling his eyes before fully realizing what she had said. "Wait, you're going back to the fire nation?" Sokka seemed repulsed by this idea. "Why in Agni's name would you want to do that?"

"It's not about wanting to." Katara met her father's gaze apologetically, noticing that his expression was missing it's usual warmth. "...there are a lot of issues happening in the Fire Nation right now-"

"The Fire Nation can deal with their own problems. You have no need to get involved in their politics." Hadoka said rather stiffly. Katara cringed.

"I...may have accidentially involved myself. During Sozin's comet." she explained. "And I need to go back and help fix things."

Seeing both Sokka and Hadoka's raised eyebrows, Katara took another deep breath and explained as much of the situation as she remembered. What was wrong with Azula, the assassination attempts, the corrupt Fire Sages, and their threats to attack the South Pole.

"...don't you see? I have to go. I don't have a choice." Katara faltered for a moment, feeling very small. Small like the child she was when her home was first attacked by the Fire Nation. But she forced herself to look up. "I have to go, Dad. Zuko needs help, and it's my duty to protect the tribe. I must take responsibility for my actions and face whatever consequences they have."

Though sadness lingered in his eyes, Hadoka smiled gently, placing his hand on Katara's shoulder. "Katara, you DO have a choice. If you decided you didn't want to go, I would support you, even if it meant an attack from the Fire Nation."

"But we support the other choice more, right?" Sokka interjected, his voice a bit higher than usual. "Because the choice where we DON'T get attacked sounds much better to me."

Hadoka closed his eyes in a plead for patience. "Thank you, Sokka." He looked into his daughter's eyes, which were shining more brightly than normal. Hadoka knew what it meant when Katara's eyes were so bright…they lit up with passion the same way Kya's had. He reached out and held her face gently. "You've made your decision?"

"Yes." Katara whispered, a tear falling onto her cheek. "I'm sorry, Dad, I really did want to stay and help rebuild the tribe-"

Hadoka shook his head. "You will not feel sorry." He commanded. Katara blinked her tears away, nodding, the strength in her father's voice assuring. Hadoka stood and pulled Katara to her feet before placing his hands on her shoulders. "You are strong, brave, and loyal. You have such courage…you remind me of your mother." Hadoka smiled sadly, and Katara continued to let her tears fall. "I will always support you, Katara. I love you so much."

Katara threw her arms around her father, stuffing her face into his neck. "I love you too, Dad." She whispered. She hugged him as her tears fell, and his comforting arms never pulled away. He waited for her to step away before letting go, smiling proudly at her.

"You two should go pack." Hadoka gestured toward the bedrooms. "Aang said he was leaving tomorrow morning, and if you're going with him, you shouldn't put it off."

Katara frowned. "What do you mean, 'you two?'"

"You and your brother." Hadoka pointed at Sokka, who stopped chewing at his jerky for a moment to stare at him.

"Huh?" Sokka asked, his mouth still full and his eyes wide.

Hadoka's eyes glimmered with amusement. "You don't think I'm just going to send my daughter into the Fire Nation without some help, do you?"

Before Katara could open her mouth and argue that she doesn't need any help, and she'd have Aang with her anyway, Sokka swallowed, choking slightly as he asked, "You mean, I'm going?" His mouth hung open. "To the Fire Nation?"

Hadoka pointed toward the bedrooms once again. "Get packing." He turned to Katara, who's mouth was also gaping. "I'm going to go and talk to Aang."

o0o0o

Dear Zuko,

Katara is coming back with me, and so is Sokka. Chief Hadoka said that if the Fire Sages are demanding Katara's presence, they should oblige for her to bring a guest.

I told her about everything. She's not happy about having to leave her tribe, but she seemed really determined to do this. I'm sure Sokka will bring some new ideas to the table, too.

We're leaving tomorrow morning. I hope everything is going alright there.

Flameo, Hotman!

Aang

Fire Lord Zuko cursed under his breath as he read the letter. He wasn't sure what he had expected, but the fact that Katara had agreed to come back to the Fire Nation made him feel incredibly guilty. Especially when Sokka was being dragged into this, too.

He pulled the fire ornament out of his hair and undid the topknot, letting his hair fall into it's natural place. Against the Fire Sage's wishes, he had kept it as short as possible - only long enough to put in a topknot.

He hated that topknot. It reminded him of his father.

It took roughly two days to send a letter by messenger hawk. Flying from the Fire Nation to the South Pole couldn't be much of a longer trip. Aang would be back with them soon.

The door swung open.

Pushing away from his desk, Zuko knocked his chair backwards as he stood quickly, getting into a firebending stance. One of the candles on his desk fell and lit the rug on fire, which took a moment for Zuko to stomp out, cursing loudly.

"You really need to sleep, Sparky." Toph sniffed, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. "You're getting paranoid."

Zuko glared at Toph for a moment before realizing she couldn't see him, and he snapped, "Well, wouldn't YOU be paranoid? I can't do anything without people trying to kill me!"

"No one has succeeded yet, so you're managing pretty well so far." Toph replied matter-of-factly. Zuko's brows furrowed even deeper.

"Everyone is good at staying alive until they're dead, Toph." He grumbled, picking up the extinguished candle and putting it back on his desk. Before Toph could reply with a quick-witted retort, Zuko changed the subject. "Aang should be back at any time, I need to go inform the palace staff."

"With Katara." Toph added, still leaning casually in the doorway.

Zuko scowled. How had she guessed? "Yes, and Sokka too. Now, would you please let me go alert the staff-"

"They already know, Sparky, Aang sent me a letter, too."

Zuko paused, confused. "...How do you-"

"Don't be stupid, Zuko, I don't read them. I have someone else read them to me." Toph waved him off lazily. "I don't see why you're in such a bad mood, anyway. We're getting the gang back together! You haven't seen Katara and Sokka in almost three years! Aren't you excited?"

Zuko crossed his arms defiantly, not caring whether or not she could see him. "Of course I'm-"

Toph shook her head. "You're such a liar." Her eyebrows narrowed. "What's your problem, anyway?"

"Look, I've missed my friends." Zuko growled, moving to push past her and into the hallway. "I've missed them a lot, but this is not the way I wanted to see Sokka and Katara after this long. I didn't want them to have to come here because of my political problems."

"I hate to break it to you, Sparky, but your political problems are all of our political problems." Toph followed him down the hallway, her bare feet slapping the stone.

Zuko slowed slightly, turning over his shoulder to look at her. "What is that supposed to mean?" He hissed as a servent hurried by them.

Toph shrugged. "This is the Fire Nation. You guys have more influence than any other nation. Besides…" Toph smirked. "I know you're not used to having friends, but there's this thing that friends do - it's called 'supporting each other.' It took me a while understand it, too, but don't worry, with time-"

Zuko shoved the girl into the wall as her teasing tone gave way to her laughter. "I still don't like it, Toph."

Toph finished cackling and regained whatever composure she had, her tone more serious. "You have a lot of problems, Sparky, but you're not selfish. That's my job. Trust me, if Katara didn't want to come, she wouldn't have come."

Zuko shook his head. She didn't understand. "Toph, it's not like that. She probably felt like she had no choice-"

"She probably didn't have a choice." Toph interrupted, her voice hard. Guilt cut through Zuko like an arrow. "Do you know why?" Zuko didn't reply, so Toph continued. "Because Katara is a good person. She cares about her people, she cares about peace, and she cares about you. The last thing she would do is turn her back on people who need her."

Zuko walked beside her silently as the hallway opened into the ballroom. "You seem to really admire her."

"Nah, I think she's overly selfless and puts everyone else before herself in order to avoid her own problems." Toph yawned, stretching. "But it is a nice quality to have in a friend. You just have to be careful."

Zuko walked with Toph across the ballroom and out into the courtyard. "Be careful of what?" He asked quietly.

Toph's entire body seemed to roll its eyes. "Do I have to hold your hand through every step of this? Okay, fine. Since I'm nice, I'll do it." She plopped down on the bench, motioning for him to sit down. He sat hesitantly. "Katara doesn't lie very often," Toph said bluntly, "but when she does lie, it's always to protect other people. If you ask her to do something and she says yes, there's still a chance she actually doesn't want to, but she just doesn't want to hurt you."

Zuko felt hollow. He felt himself ask, "Do you think that's why she said yes to coming back with Aang?"

"No, I don't." Toph replied, folding her arms across her chest. "But if she's going to get caught up in this mess, you should be aware that Katara will go to great lengths to help people, especially her friends. Even if she doesn't want to, or it hurts her - she'll shut up and deal with it. If you don't want to end up in a situation with a very unhappy Katara, you have to learn how to read people."

"Wow, Toph." Zuko replied sarcastically, picking a firelily from beside the bench. "Thanks, I'll definitely remember to use my earthbending to tell when people are lying - wait, I don't have earthbending!"

"You don't need earthbending to read people, you brainless hog-monkey!" Toph snapped back, throwing her hands up in the air. "Oh, you're hopeless. I give up."

Zuko stared after her as she began to walk away, his mouth open in astonishment. "Well, how else is someone supposed to just, READ someone else?"

Toph turned around to face him, her arms still crossed, tapping her foot on the courtyard path. "What do you think I'm feeling right now, Zuko?" She snapped indignantly.

Zuko frowned. "Is that a trick question? You're obviously really annoyed with me."

"See? You can read people. It's not that hard." Toph twirled and resumed walking around the corner. Before Zuko could call after her, she yelled over her shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm not going far. But I do want a break from you, since you're annoying." She turned the corner, and her voice faded slightly. "Of course, you already knew that, since you're so good at reading people."

Knowing full well there was no point in arguing with Toph, Zuko sat by himself in the courtyard, hair in his eyes. He knew Toph was only around the corner, but he still felt much more alone. He had grown much closer with the earthbender in the last few years, especially since she had become his personal bodyguard. She didn't hold her tongue while talking to him, which wasn't something Zuko had the luxury of experiencing often as Fire Lord. He felt safer when she was around, her and her all-seeing-feet. She slept in a room beside Zuko's, and the slightest movement would cause her to wake. Toph had foiled nearly seven assassination attempts in the last year alone.

Zuko closed his eyes, feeling the cool, night breeze rush against his skin. He felt nearly weightless, and caught himself as his head slipped forward. Maybe Toph is right. He thought begrudgingly, moving to stand. Maybe I do need to try and sleep.

It would be a pity, after all, to see two of his closest friends after nearly three years looking like a badger-sloth. Sokka and Katara would be there the next morning. Maybe he would be granted peace for just one night, and he could catch a few hours of rest, just enough to lighten up the bags under his eyes. Zuko chuckled to himself as he rounded the courner to get Toph. Since when had he cared about his appearence?

Zuko stopped short. The hallway was empty.

Zuko felt his heartbeat thump wildly in his ears, and he was suddenly wide awake, all thoughts of rest fleeing as his eyes darted in and out of the shadows. An unusual lump lay in the corner of the hall, cloaked in the darkness. Zuko stepped forward quietly, summoning a small flame in his hand. A jolt of fear and anger coursed through him, causing the fire in his hand to flare.

Toph lay crumpled in an unnatural position, her pale eyes staring upward, a blowdart sticking out of her neck. Cold dread began to seep through Zuko's veins, but before he could think of anything else, he saw his own shadow.

...His own shadow?

Zuko whirled around, barely dodging the fire blast that hit the stone wall behind him. A masked intruderer held up flaming fists, the fire glinting in their golden eyes. Zuko fell into a familiar firebending stance, positioning himself between Toph and the assassin, praying to Agni that she wasn't dead.

He would have called for help, but there was only one person in the palace that he trusted. And she was laying crumpled in a helpless heap behind him.

Tonight, Zuko would have to fend for himself, just like he always did.