A/N: So I decided in a moment of inspiration based on a request from NO ONE (LOL) that Carla now needed her own story in the Fire Nation. I think it was a good choice. This will be a companion story to the series of one shots under Prince Zuko Finds a Portal (Or a Portal Finds Him). This Story will be a part of the Carla of the Fire Nation Series and I hope to finish off a final one shot and an epilogue in the Prince Zuko Portal fic.

Disclaimer: Welp, Carla and any other non- ATLA characters are my own little inventions, but they are rocking out in a world with other characters that belong to people other than me.

Carla of the Fire Nation

Chapter 1: A Leap of Faith

She panted in time with her husband gripping his hands until her knuckles were white. Someone with a cloth gently patted her forehead mopping up the excess sweat dripping into her eyes from her hair. A sharp rolling pain wrapped around her back to her middle squeezing her like a vice grip. She raised her torso off the bed in agony.

"Ahhhhhhgh! This hurts…It hurts!" She cried out as the ever-tightening contraction gripped her. "Oh God! Oh God!" she screamed. Her husband tried to help her focus again. "Watch me my love, just breathe, breathe. That's it… You're doing great." The contraction slowly released its hold on her, and she took a deep shuddering breath as she fell back on to the bed for her reprieve. "How much longer do I have to do this?" The woman begged. The cool cloth came back to mop her forehead.

The midwife wiped her hands on a towel as she completed her check. "Well, it looks like it won't be much longer. You're already far along in the process. Maybe another hour or two, maybe less. You never can tell with these things, but you're almost ready to greet your little one. Soon my dear." The midwife said with a smile. The laboring woman nodded just as another wave of contractions washed over her. As she wailed in discomfort, she hoped in the back of her mind that it would only be one more hour. She didn't know how much longer she could take it…

Carla sat up with a jolt. A scream echoed in her subconscious. Beads of sweat rolled off her face and down her back. She panted as if she had been running a marathon. Zuko startled awake at the movement and asked in a panic, "What is it La? What's wrong? Are you OK?" He began running his hands over her arms and neck gently and checking her for injury or pain. Zuko became exceptionally worrisome since he almost lost Carla when they fell through the portal and he wasn't taking any chances. Carla slowed her breathing and nodded. "Estoy bien. It was just a dream. I'm OK." Zuko looked unconvinced but knew better than to push the issue.

He shifted Carla's hair gently out of her face and stroked her cheek lovingly as he helped her to lie back down. Carla was still a little weak from when they landed here quite literally. Koh was kind enough to drop them over water though the impact still knocked Carla out giving her a severe concussion. Zuko swam them back to shore and Carla had been unconscious for days. He was terrified that she wouldn't wake up at all. Fortunately, he met a healer and herbalist who worked alongside her mother, the local midwife, to treat people's injuries. This was how Zuko found out they were in the Earth Kingdom among other things.

When Carla came to, the first thing she did was vomit on Zuko's shoes. He smirked at the memory. He was so relieved that La La was alive he hugged her as if his life depended on it. He released her only when she thought she was about to vomit again. Zuko and the healers breathed a deep sigh of relief that Carla came back to them. They feared she was on her way to the Spirit world with how long she had been unconscious. The healers also worried that the young woman would not come out of her sleep the same if at all. They had seen other injured that were not as fortunate after sustaining an injury to the head. It appeared the gods were with the young man and his wife. It was still a few weeks later before Zuko and his "wife" were able to leave the healers. Though "Li" as he called himself and "La La" slept in their home and ate their food, the healers refused to charge them for the services rendered.

They even sent Li and his wife away with extra food, bedding and a mildly cantankerous ostrich horse named Lily. Maybe the women did it because they knew he had no money to pay them. Maybe they did it because Li worked extra hard to help make their work load easier during the time La La was bedridden by chopping wood and making repairs around their home. Maybe they did it because La La's condition was still quite fragile and they dare not let her suffer needlessly.

Maybe the women did it because it seemed they were all victims of the Fire Nation in one way or another and with that came a solidarity they couldn't ignore. Zuko's mind briefly flashed to the time he saw Song's badly burn-scarred legs that occasionally ached when she stood or walked too long. Zuko lightly ghosted his fingertips across his own scar that had moments of phantom pain and then focused again on his task at hand.

As he covered Carla with her blanket, Zuko took his hands and ran them over her body taking the morning chill away from her skin and comforting her. His warmth and presence reminded Carla that she chose this. Chose him. Carla took Zuko's hand into her own kissing each finger lovingly almost reverently. The hand he offered her to come with him. She didn't regret jumping into Koh's portal, she only wished she could have made her family understand how much she loved him. That Zuko truly was a good person and that her choice was her own. Her eyes drifted closed as exhaustion washed over her once again.

Zuko noted that the sun was about to come up and he decided to start his day early since he "rises with the sun." Carla was sleeping peacefully now, her breathing back to a normal rhythm. He prayed to Agni that Carla would soon be free of the thoughts that haunted her dreams and robbed her of sleep. He kissed her forehead and she stirred only a little. Zuko walked a little way away to a nearby cliff overlooking the east. The sky morphed from a midnight blue to a bluish gray, periwinkle and pink with the warming glow of the rising sun. Zuko felt his inner fire stir and he exhaled a long billowing plume of smoke and red-orange flame. He clasped his hand in greeting and bowed to the sun whispering a prayer and exhortation to Agni. He repeated his bow a final time and took out the tapered white candle he brought with him. He lit the candle with a touch and closed his eyes to meditate. He breathed in and out his candle's flame rising and falling in time with his breath. The fire burned orange to blue, blue to white and back to orange as he continued his pattern. Prior to his return to his "Earth" he could never produce blue or white fire it was always red and orange like the anger that used to consume him constantly. He marveled at how quickly his thoughts altered for him with a change of scenery.

Well, Carla actually had a lot to do with that, he thought. La La didn't hesitate to show him examples of how horribly he reacted to situations and threw actual temper tantrums. She never held back from him and was clear in her words that he was a terrorist of sorts at times. He was embarrassed at the way he treated others because he felt so low and unimportant in his family and in his own eyes. He used to spar with his anger fueling how he fought and sought control over his subordinates. Zuko wanted now only to control himself using his fire for defense, usefulness, and to establish himself as a true Son of Agni. He knew the cruelty that improperly using inner fire could possess. At times he felt that if his bending never returned it might be a blessing in disguise, but of course destiny is not that forgetful. Thankfully, his bending only took a few days to return to him once he came back to his world and with his new outlook, he took every moment could to meditate and practice his most difficult and advanced katas. He hoped he wouldn't have to use them anytime soon.

Carla didn't wake up until the sun had long passed overhead. She felt a little peckish though she still fought off bouts of nausea from her concussion. Zuko made her a pot of tea which she sipped gratefully though she found it to be quite "bracing" just as some rumored his teas to be. She wondered to herself why he made such good tea back at the apartment. She suddenly remembered that he only used tea bags in a cup, so it was hard to ruin unintentionally. She drank as much of the tea as she could keep down and passed the cup back to "Li". "Gracias," she whispered. Zuko smiled. "How are you feeling now?" he asked. Carla sighed laboriously. "Oh, I don't know: on one hand like I'm glad to be alive and on the other like I got stepped on by a rhino and death is a close companion." Zuko laughed.

It was his first real laugh since they arrived in the Earth Kingdom. She was glad to hear it once again. It signaled to her that things were stabilizing in their lives. "So, Li, where are we headed exactly?" Zuko stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Carla. "Well wife, we are trying to pinpoint where we can find the Avatar and get as far away from him and his little minions as possible. It seems like where ever he goes trouble follows and we cannot afford that right now." Carla sighed shaking her head. "Husband, I think you're missing the point of being returned to your world. You must join up with the Avatar and help him defeat your father. That destiny thing, remember?"

Zuko threw his head back groaning into the sky. "Ugh don't remind me right now. We can't go running after three kids in your condition! You're barely able to ride right now. We have to get to a more permanent location until the b—until you get better." Carla tried to sit up more to prove that she was Ok to travel but her stomach lurched in disagreement and she found herself quickly lying back down to keep from losing her tea. She hated when Zuko was right. "Fine." She conceded. "We'll follow your lead until destiny steps in and demands you do what you're here to do. On a positive note," she said. "I didn't sleep all day this time. I only slept until the afternoon." Carla pointed out. "Late afternoon." Zuko countered. It's well after 5:00 and we're in the late autumn so the sun is setting much earlier. In fact, the sun is setting now. Which reminds me…" Zuko got up from his spot on the ground and went to the camp fire to build it up. The nights were beginning to get much colder and it wouldn't do for anyone to get sick on top of being injured.

As if he divined or prestidigitated the event, the sun moved quickly behind the horizon shadowing the young family in twilight darkness. Zuko prepared himself a bit of bread and jerky that they received from the healers and sat next to Carla. He helped her sit up so that she was between his knees and resting comfortably on his shoulder. He tried to coax her to eat a little bit so that she didn't lose all her strength while recovering. She took one or two bites to appease Zuko but refused the rest or they both would have paid for it with tea and bread stained bedding.

The night was still and quiet save for the crackle and snapping of the fire Zuko built. Carla was content to rest on her husband's shoulder all night and listen to his breath and feel the pounding of his heart under his tunic. Zuko, however, had another idea. "Would you like to hear a story, babe?" He asked warmly. Carla nodded and began quoting lyrics from a song from one of her favorite movies.

"You remind me of the babe…"

Zuko smirked and couldn't help but play along, "What babe?"

"The babe with the power…" she giggled.

"What power?" he asked.

She snorted. "The power of voodoo."

He cocked his head. "Who do?"

Carla laughed and chortled, "You do! You remind me of the babe!"

Zuko wrapped his arms around Carla and nestled in her neck his rumbling laugh tickling her neck causing her to laugh more. As they settled down again, Carla whispered dreamily, "Yes, I would love to hear a story." Zuko kissed the top of her head and began. "This is a story my mother used to tell me before things… changed in my life. It's one of the happier memories I have of my childhood and I just wanted to share it with you." He said softly and Carla snuggled closer. Zuko began:

This story is the tale of a poor old man bent and broken from age. He was unable to work anymore and had very little it appeared. He was a beggar by the roadside. He never asked for much just a coin or a morsel of bread to feed his hungry soul. People of the village mocked and chided the old man on their opinion that he wasted his youth and now needed help. Some cruel ones threw rocks, some threw insults, and some took pity and gave a morsel here and there.

No one really cared for him except a small girl who came to give him a kind word everyday though she had no money. She would also bring what bread she could though it wasn't much for she also was poor. He would in turn give her a kind word or tell her story or teach her a song. Just the one song though. Oddly enough he would teach her the same song over and over and told her to remember it for one day he would not return but she would need it when the time was right. The girl learned the song and sang it everyday to the chagrin of her family who eventually told her to reserve her singing for bedtime as the song was strange and her voice was hard on the ears. Children teased her for caring for the old man and occasionally would make her cry about her singing voice. She eventually only sang the song to herself or in the privacy of the woods or just to the old man who listened and smiled and nodded with approval.

Carla looked up at Zuko. "Wow. Why are people so cruel, mi amor? Please tell me they get what's coming to them?" Zuko chuckled. "I'll tell you this, no interrupting." He tapped Carla on the nose and continued. Carla smirked and settled back into his shoulder her attention on the stars above and the mesmerizing cadence of her husband's voice.

One day the man disappeared. No one worried about it because he was just an old beggar anyway. Good riddance some said. Only a few were remotely sad, but there was one who missed the old man dearly because he had become her friend over the days and months he sat by the roadside. The young girl cried for days after he left, for she really had no one else to talk to and spend time with. She had no other friend at all. Days turned to months and months turned to years and the little girl who eventually developed into a beautiful young woman continued to sing the song the old man taught her though only to herself.

People eventually forgot about the old man and the song, but not about the girl. Her voice was no longer hard on the ears and any song she sang now was beautiful. There were many suitors who vied for her hand though all they wanted was a trophy, a pretty trinket to hang on their arm to impress others, or a wife who would give them many beautiful children, but none who would love her unconditionally and cherish her for the kind and beautiful person she was inside. She avoided marriage by hiding away in her favorite spots and working so hard that she was never available for courting. People began to shun her again as she was considered strange and unfriendly.

Things for everyone would change when an entourage entered the village bearing the King's flag and crest. People rushed to the town center to see what the commotion was all about. A crier came forth and made an announcement: "Hail citizens of this village! A new king has been crowned and is seeking his queen. He will not choose his queen among the noble women in name. He shall collect his queen from the noblest of women among you. His queen must possess unparalleled beauty, a kind and giving heart with no equal and must be able to sing the song of the beggar." Murmurs rose from the crowd in confusion. The song of the beggar? Is there such a song? We have many beautiful women who are kind and giving. But who among us knows the song of the beggar? The crier added: "You will have 10 days to produce this woman or your village will be cut off from the king's support for squander and dishonesty. You were entrusted with a gift and it is with this knowledge we hope you have cherished and treasured such a gift left with you and will bring her forth swiftly."

Carla sighed, "Oh, they are so screwed…" Zuko's laughter rumbled in his chest. "Patience mi pajarita, the story isn't done yet." Carla giggled, "Fiiiiine. Finish your story." Zuko cleared his throat and continued.

Citizens of the village were in a crisis now. Being cut off from the king's support was the equivalent of exile. They would have to defend their own keep and in times of famine and trouble they would have none but themselves for help. They would also become ostracized from the other villages that they traded with and they would quickly fall to ruin. What could they do? There was no such woman in the village like the crier described! There was one who could sing but she long ago cut herself off from the village not willing to join herself to any of the available suitors in town. She had been deemed unkind and unfit for marriage.

No one knew what song the king desired and how would they find anyone who could possibly fit the description in ten days? For eight days the people searched among their daughters and their granddaughters. Most though beautiful didn't even have a singing voice or knew songs that were worthy of a king's hall. It was on the night of the ninth day that a member of the entourage was walking in the woods. He was saddened that the townspeople could not produce the woman and that none would be able to save them from impending doom for his father told him before his death of such a girl that would be the one to rescue her village when the time came.

He came upon a stream illuminated by the full moon. Upon a rock sat a young woman as beautiful as the dawn and radiant like the sun itself. She glowed under the moonlight and the man was enchanted. Not wanting to disturb such a glorious vision he began to walk away until he heard a voice begin to sing:

Be kind to the lowest of the low my friend,
The beggar is now where we all must begin.
The beggar is back where we all shall soon end,
For all come with nothing and all leave the same.

The young man froze in place. She was singing the song! The song of the beggar that could only have been taught by his father. But why was she all alone and isolated? She should have thrived in the village for she had been given such a gift. She was the salvation of their whole way of life! What could have happened? He wondered. He cleared his throat to get her attention not wanting to frighten the girl. He held up his hands to show he was not a threat to her and asked, "Where did you learn such a sad and mournful ditty?" She replied, "From my friend. He used to sit by the road side every day and I would come to talk to him though I had no money to share. When I could I would bring him some of mother's fresh bread. He taught me the song and told me never to forget it for one day I would need it when the time was right." The young man smiled. He found the girl he was looking for without the help of the villagers. Now he was curious. "My lady, why is it that you didn't come forth when the announcement of the one who knew the song of the beggar went out? It was given nine day ago and the villagers have been in a panic." The young lady's eyes went wide. "I never knew of such an announcement! She replied sadly.

"The villagers don't deal with me much anymore because I would turn down the suitors that harassed me at every turn. Men wanted a trophy or a baby factory but not a wife to love and cherish and to be loved and cherished by. I had not the desire to bear them." She said. The young man hummed thoughtfully. He knew now why his father chose her to be the queen. "I would like for you to do something tomorrow. It is that very important thing your friend spoke of. Will you come tomorrow at noon to sing the song of the beggar? It is of the utmost urgency that you do." The woman heard the seriousness of his voice and nodded. "Yes, I will come."

Carla remained silent. Zuko looked down to see her fighting the heaviness of her drooping eyelids. He bent near her ear and whispered, "I can finish the story tomorrow while we ride, go to sleep my love." Carla blinked hard. "No, no please finish. It's at the best part, isn't it?" Zuko nuzzled the side of her face and gave a gentle peck. "Ok, I'll finish it, but I get the feeling I'll be repeating it tomorrow." Carla purred, "Hmm, 'sokay I love the sound of your voice…" Zuko chuckled his voice rumbling deep and low. He picked up where he left off.

"The young woman kept her word and was in the town square promptly at noon. So was every other villager who had given up hope that the woman the king was searching for would be found. The crier came forth again with a new announcement: You were given ten days to find the woman of virtue and worth who knew the song of the beggar and you were to produce her for the king to take his bride. You were entrusted to keep her in your care until the time came. Because you have failed to do so your village will now be cut off—"

A voice rang clear and clean through the man's announcement and his concentration. The village stopped to look at the woman they shunned and ostracized from a young girl. She began to sing a song:

Be kind to the lowest of the low my friend,
The beggar is now where we all must begin.
The beggar is back where we all shall soon end,
For all come with nothing and all leave the same.

Another voice rang out over the crown joining in harmony with the woman singing the song of the beggar. The woman looked up to see it was the man from the previous night. He was dressed in full regalia and people quickly realized they were in the presence of their king. The entire crowd began to kneel in obeisance their heads touching the ground in humility. The girl was the one all along! She was singing the song taught to her by the elderly beggar on the roadside. The pair continued to sing with perfect harmony and the blend was almost ethereal to hear. When the song concluded the king stepped to the young woman and held her hands.

He spoke loud enough for all the citizens of the village to hear. "Rise and hear me people of this land! My father was a wise and benevolent king. He cared for all his citizens from the nobles to those considered the lowest of society. He knew from the time I was a small child that he didn't want me to marry from the nobility for they had grown too proud and haughty from their money and positions. They cared not for the people especially those they deigned weaker and beneath them. My father went on a pilgrimage to find the one he felt would be my heart's match for he taught me how to love and respect all who come under Agni's sun."

He then looked into the girl's eyes and smiled. "He chose this lovely woman here. She was his friend and he spoke ever highly of her." The young woman smiled in memory of her friend who cared for her and treated her well. "My father taught her this song in her part so that when the time came, we could harmonize together, and I would know my beloved. If she will accept, I ask her now to be my queen and to stand by my side as my partner and equal. Though we sing different parts, our song will blend in a perfect union of sound and grace." He looked to the girl intently and asked, "Will you be my queen, and rule by my side as long as we both shall live?" The girl smiled and said. "Yasumi." The king was confused. "I'm sorry?" She smiled again, "My name is Yasumi, and I would be honored, my Lord." The king grinned widely and remarked. "How fitting. My queen, Yasumi."

The king took his soon to be queen by the arm and led her to his carriage where they would travel home together. The new king and queen ruled their lands for many decades together side by side in a just and prosperous reign. As did their children after them. The villagers were stunned that their salvation was found in those they rejected and shunned. Many vowed never again to look down on someone for appearance or station but to treat every man, woman, and child as equal under Agni for one never knew who they would need before they all met the beggar's end."

Zuko looked down at his wife who was breathing deep and easy. She slept in his arms her head lolled to the side. Zuko shifted himself on the trunk of the tree he was sitting up against so that they could be more comfortable. He laughed at his self-fulfilling prophecy and planned to tell the story again once they got on the road in the morning. To Zuko's surprise, Carla shifted slightly and murmured in her sleep. "Te quiero mi rey." Zuko whispered back, "Te quiero mi reina."