Katara seethed. Her rage itched and scraped beneath her skin as she glared at Zuko's back, at the front of Appa's saddle. He had given Azula the letter and goodness knows where the mad princess had stashed it now. He hadn't even tried to defend himself, just glared across the room in stony-faced silence.

Katara hadn't slept a wink. She'd pretended to be asleep when the others got back so as not to give anything away by accident, but her dismay at Zuko's… rashness kept her awake. He sat against the wall through the night, unmoving, with Kiyi asleep across his legs.

Now, they were making their way to the Forgetful Valley, where the heartbroken would go in order to disappear. It seemed apt, somehow; Katara felt rather broken-hearted. Zuko had always been prone to emotive reactivity but giving Azula the proof that he wasn't the rightful Fire Lord was potentially catastrophic. The whole world was at stake and it seemed like he'd turned his back on it.

An era of love and peace- that was what he'd promised at his coronation. What on earth had possessed him to give it all up?

A small, carefully repressed part of her whispered reminders of long, sleepless nights bent over a desk, of his untouched meals and unused bed. Drowning he'd said. Yes, Zuko had been drowning but if Azula became the Fire Lord then the whole world would burn.

"No luck with Zuko?" Katara turned to see Suki at her side with Momo perched cheerfully on her shoulder. "He knows nothing can change, right? Even if Ikem is his father."

Katara wondered, for a wild moment, whether Suki was psychic and knew about Zuko returning the letter to Azula but then she recalled the conversation they'd all had about it before even stepping foot in Hira'a. "I… don't know," She sighed, turning to watch Zuko's broad back, a few steps ahead of the group with Azula at his side. "He's been struggling, I know, but he has to know that Azula can't have the chance to be Fire Lord."

"What did you say when you talked about it?" Suki asked carefully. "Did you…"

Katara shrugged helplessly. "I can't just- what if he says no?" She crossed her arms over herself. "I don't even know if staying in the Fire Nation would be any help. I don't even know if it's…" If it's what I want? It was. She was sure it was but… the distance between them seemed to be growing and she wasn't sure what it meant. Suki reached out and caught her hands, holding onto them tightly.

"If it helps at all," Suki offered with a wry smile. "Try to bear in mind that Zuko's only family right now is his crazy sister and absent uncle. Of course, he wants to know what happened to his mother and Ikem. He has as much right to know where he came from as any of us do."

Katara looked away guiltily. She could understand that; she grabbed greedily at the barest hints of stories about her mother and she had been so desperate to understand the history of her own decimated culture as a Southern Water Tribe waterbender she'd stolen from pirates and endangered the lives of her friends. "But at what cost?" She whispered, tucking her knees up beneath her chin. "What if he abdicates?"

Suki narrowed her eyes at Katara speculatively. "You really believe he would?"

Katara wasn't sure what to say to that. Zuko's desire for a simpler life was apparent but… no, if there was one thing that could be said for Zuko as a certainty, it was that he was honourable. If there was a mission to carry out then everything else fell to the wayside, including his own health and wellbeing. Katara just wasn't sure what his mission was at the moment… was it reuniting his family, or healing the Fire Nation?

"Here we are!" Aang announced, bringing Appa down to land and breaking Katara from her reverie. "The Forgetful Valley!"

They left Appa at the mouth of the forest and slowly made their way in. The valley was shaded from the morning sun with huge, twisting, ancient trees. Their trunks curved and crept up, away from the earth and their roots tangled around Katara's feet, tripping and distorting the ground. "Where do we go?" Sokka wondered aloud and Momo leapt from Suki to the warrior boy, perching atop Sokka's head as he peered up as a huge boulder.

"There's no path…" Zuko muttered, confused. "There was a sign just at the edge of the forest- there should be some sort of path…"

Azula broke from his side and laughed joyfully. "Zu-Zu, are you serious?" She held her hands out and span across a tangle of tree roots. "How are you going to get anywhere if you follow other people's paths? Make your own."

She danced up and blasted a fiery hold in the thicket. Aang blanched at the sight and Katara ran forward, grabbing at Azula's wrist. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Do you have a better idea, Bloodbender?" Azula leaned close to Katara's face, eyes wide and searching. "Or did she tell you to keep me from finding her?"

Katara leaned back but kept a firm hold of the princess's hands as Zuko and Aang worked to suppress Azula's fire. "Anything is better than burning down the whole forest."

"Guys, I think I'm sensing something… spirit-related," Aang pulled an odd face and Suki shook her head in bemusement. "It kinda makes me want to… do this."

He brought one eyebrow down in a scowl and lifted the other to widen his eye, grimacing. Katara stared at him in horrified silence. "Aang… this really isn't the time…"

"Oh!" Sokka exclaimed. "You're right!" He pulled a dramatically sad face, with his tongue hanging out of a downturned mouth.

"What-" Zuko was cut off as Sokka moved to grin manically at the back of a squirrel toad with strange markings. "Sokka?"

Sokka skipped across to a tree trunk and pulled an exaggeratedly angry scowl. "Everything in the valley has a face," He explained and Katara looked around, realising he was right. Every leaf, every tree, every creature seemed to have faces hidden in their markings. "Aang look- that flutterbat has the face you're making on its back!"

"You're right!" Aang exclaimed, still pulling the lopsided face. "Hey- come back Mr flutterbat! I think we're meant to be friends!"

"Aang!" Zuko cried in almost comical frustration. "Don't wander off by yourself-!" But Aang had already vaulted into the canopy and disappeared. "For goodness' sake!"

"Zuko," Katara grimaced, struggling to keep hold of Azula who pulled and scowled at her insistent grip. "We should follow him. He's probably actually tapped into the spirits of the valley."

He gaped at her for a second before recovering and ran his hands through his hair, groaning. "You're right. Ugh. Aang!" He called, spinning and picking his way through the undergrowth in the vague direction Aang had disappeared. "Aang!"

Katara went to follow him but Azula planted her feet and smirked down at her. "Azula."

"Bloodbender."

"Sokka!" Sokka announced, throwing Azula over his shoulder easily. "Let's go."

Katara bit back a grin at the indignant cry Azula made as Sokka clambered after Zuko with her slung over his shoulder like a sack of cabbages.

The valley echoed with the eerie noises of the forest. Croaks and chirps bounced off the trees from above and insects droned all around them, making Katara's head hurt with the sheer volume of noise.

"Aang!" She called, trying to keep track of the backs of the others. The undergrowth made progress slow, and the face markings peering up at her through the branches were unnerving; she kept seeing movement in the foliage but could never be sure if it was a creature or just the wind… or a spirit.

A rustling in the leaves beside her spurred her forward, hurrying to catch up but roots seemed to catch onto her foot and sent her toppling into Zuko's back. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, she nearly fell again, trying to back away from him but he caught onto her hand and squeezed.

She squeezed his hand back.

Whatever they disagreed on, they had to approach it together, head-on. Whatever Zuko decided she would still stand beside him, even if she didn't agree with the choice itself…

She hoped he'd make the right one, nevertheless.

"Aang!" Zuko called again, craning his neck to look up at the canopy as Katara focused on leading them through the tangled forest floor. "Aang!"

"Over here!" Aang's voice echoed through the trees and Zuko turned to follow the sound of his voice, stumbling as his foot caught on a raised, knotted root. Katara tugged at his hand to keep him upright and he shot her a grateful little smile. Yes, they would face it together, whatever they found.

What they found was Aang standing at the edge of a perfectly still, round pool in the middle of the valley, looking deep into it. "I can sense something here," He said, closing his eyes and looking every bit the wise, sagely Avatar.

Still holding hands, Katara and Zuko approached the pool cautiously. It was deep and clear with a rocky base and no life in it that Katara could see. "Wow," She breathed. "I've never seen anything like this- the water is so clear and still."

Sokka and Suki emerged from the thicket, setting Azula down on her own feet. "It's beautiful," Suki breathed.

"It's like the oasis at the North Pole," Aang agreed and Katara looked up at Zuko, reminded of the healing she had carried out on him with the water from the oasis. Seemingly thinking along similar lines, Zuko lifted a hand to the left side of his face with reverence. "Guys, we have to be really respectful; this is a very spiritual place."

Zuko's eyes slid to Katara's as his hand fell from his face and he smiled softly down at her. Squeezing his hand tighter, she leaned her head down to rest on his shoulder and closed her eyes. The pool really did feel so… tranquil. Something about the nearness of the spirit water settled her soul.

"Don't you ever shut up?!"

Katara's eyes snapped open. Azula had her hand outstretched, lightning crackled into the still, clear pool of water and Zuko rushed forward. "Azula, no!"

Aang got to her first. He bristled and stood face-to-face with the princess, wearing an expression of dark fury. "What did I just say about being respectful?" He growled but Azula squared up to him, her own face a mirror image of rage.

"She told you to lead me here, didn't she?" Azula accused, almost brushing noses with Aang as she stretched out her arms in an emphatic challenge. "So she could keep tormenting me with her lies!"

"Who?" Aang nearly shouted back. "You're not making any sense!"

"Azula, stop!" Zuko snapped but his sister was too far gone. Blue flames blossomed over her splayed fingers and Suki sprang forward, jabbing Azula's arms at the shoulders so that her flames dissipated and her hands hung uselessly at her side.

Infuriated, Azula snapped her head back, catching Suki in the nose with a crack. Suki grunted at the collision and blood splashed to the floor as Azula brought her head forward to smack into Aang's forehead, sending him stumbling back in surprise. Zuko and Sokka tackled her to the floor in a tangle of limbs and Katara reached out to take control of her blood, forcing the girl's body to relax.

"You couldn't have done that any sooner?" Sokka sighed, scrambling to his feet. "Jeez!" Katara didn't have any focus spare to snap back at him, she forced the girl to walk away from the water and towards herself.

She didn't have to look to know Aang was watching her with silent judgement, but she couldn't spare the focus for that, either. Once Azula seemed to have calmed down a little, Katara let her go. Still unable to use her arms, the princess looked back at the scattered group with a bored, disdainful frown. "You attacked me first."

Not technically true, Katara thought resentfully but Zuko was approaching with a stormy look on his face. "You can't just bend wherever you want, Azula, it's dangerous."

"And disrespectful to the spirits," Aang enthused, heatedly. Azula rolled her eyes.

"So what do we do now?" Suki asked, smearing blood across her face. It made her look fierce and deadly, Katara thought with a twinge of pride in her warrior friend. "Wander the forest to see if we can find Ursa?"

Aang stood at the water's edge, his back to the others. A cool wind lifted the ends of Katara's hair as she watched him slowly sit and cross his legs. "I'll try to communicate with the spiritual presence here. Maybe the forest knows what happened to her."

Azula made a tiny step towards him and the pool, but Zuko quickly intercepted her, standing chest to chest with his sister to block her access to Aang. "Relax, Zu-Zu," She sounded almost amused. "I'm not going to hurt your precious friend."

Aang huffed. "Guys, seriously. I need quiet."

"Tell her that," Zuko seethed, anxious irritation drawn deep in the lines on his brow. Aang turned to look at the Fire Lord with a twitching eyebrow. Zuko crossed his arms and glared at his sister in a move so utterly juvenile it triggered a bizarre impulse in Katara to laugh aloud.

"Come on," She tried to sound soothing but from the narrowing of the older boy's eyes, he'd picked up on the humour in her voice. "Let's give Aang some space."

Sokka and Suki took positions beside Aang to guard his body as his tattoos began to glow brightly and he entered the spirit world. Katara and Zuko escorted Azula a little further back, into the shade of the trees. Once she was beneath the canopy once more, Katara realised how hot it was in the direct sun. Although autumn was gathering, the Fire Nation still had these hot, dry days in which Katara wouldn't realise the strength of the sun until she was back indoors with darkened skin and a parched throat.

"Do you want some water?" She asked, taking a deep swig from her flash before passing it to Zuko. He eyed the flask dubiously and she shook it. "It's drinking water, not bending water."

Zuko smacked his lips experimentally, testing his thirst, in a way that was far too distracting and reached for the flask, clearly deciding it was worth the risk of accidentally ingesting the traces of dirt that typically flecked Katara's 'fighting water'. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed and passed the flask to Azula.

Azula didn't say anything. She didn't need to; the look of utter disdain she shot her brother spoke volumes. "Suit yourself," Zuko muttered sulkily and took another swig, narrowing his eyes at Azula as he did so. Again, Katara had the overwhelming urge to giggle- she was sure she'd given Sokka that exact look many times before and it was odd to see the siblings bickering like a normal brother and sister.

The girl slunk onto a raised tree root and draped herself across it like a chaise. Even in the middle of this creepy,forest she still managed to look elegant and refined. With a heavy sigh, Zuko sat down on the floor, his shoulders slumped and head hanging down in despondency. Katara made her way over to him and sat beside him, conscious of Azula's cat-like eyes following her movements.

Wordlessly, she tucked her arm around his and leaned her head against his shoulder, gratified when he responded by kissing her temple. Azula made a small, scoffing noise but Katara deliberately ignored her and tilted her head up for a chaste kiss of reassurance.

"How long will this take?" Azula demanded.

Katara rolled her eyes. "It's the spirit world. It will take however long it takes," Zuko's finger was tracing absent-minded patterns on her inner arm that sent shivers up her spine.

"Well some of us have places to be."

Zuko eyed her carefully. "Where do you have to be, Azula?"

But the girl didn't answer his question, she simply looked up at the strange faces in the leafy canopy above and sighed. "So many faces. I wonder which one's her's."

Deciding not to dwell on the princess' strange musings in case they rekindled Katara's frustration at the situation, Katara pressed the side of her thigh against Zuko's and focused instead on the warmth of his nearness. Zuko's idle tracing of her skin paused before resuming slower, more deliberately.

It had been far, far too long, Katara thought as she felt her response to the motion. The distance between them seemed to ebb and flow like the tide and they hadn't been alone together in what felt like weeks though it had barely been days. But they weren't alone now and so Katara had to make do with idle touches and subtle closeness in the valley.

Zuko's fingers brushed her inner wrist and swept up towards her elbow in a curving, meandering path that made her breath catch.

She turned to look at him but his eyes were fixed on the forest floor with a small smile teasing the corners of his mouth, softening his face and making him look even further removed from the stately Fire Lord he dressed up as for court. Her heart broke a little at the lightness in him, now that he was so far away from the pressures of Fire Nation politics and high society. He seemed much… happier.

She wished very much that they could just stay here together, or maybe travel the world as they all had during the war, unfettered and untethered like birds in the sky. She wanted to see how wide his smile could go.

But, of course, there were more important things to consider. It wasn't fair, really, the fate of the world resting so heavily on the shoulders of teenagers.

As if sensing her sudden onset of melancholy, Zuko's eyes refocused on her face- the light in them shifting slightly in the filtered sunlight. His hand on her arm stilled and he parted his lips as though to speak.

Azula sat up, abruptly, breaking the silence with a harsh snapping of twigs. She was glaring up at the canopy, muttering feverishly. Weary, and mentally preparing herself for another of Azula's breaks from reality, Katara stood and sank into a bending stance, as Zuko stood beside her, watching his sister.

Slowly, slowly, Azula lay back down with an eerie smile. "What you want doesn't matter to me," She said softly. "You'll see."

At least this wasn't one of her more violent outbursts, Katara thought. Just a creepy, spooky one where she talked to ghosts. In truth, Katara wasn't sure which was better.

Azula's eyes turned pained and sorrowful, reminding Katara of why she'd pitied her when she was in the hospital. "I wish you'd leave me alone."

Zuko stepped towards her but Katara looked away, back towards Aang, meditating by the pool. Feeling sorry for Azula was dangerous territory; she was unstable and violent and if Zuko was going to try to help her, Katara had to be the one who was ready for when she let him down.

Through the leaves, Aang's tattoos stopped glowing and he stood, making Sokka jump. "Hey, guys! Aang's awake!"

Azula was the first to surge forward, past Katara, hurrying towards Aang with Zuko hot on her tail. "Well, Avatar?" She demanded. "Did you find her?"

"Peace, Azula," Aang said soothingly, hand up to keep the princess at bay. "She's coming."

"She is?" Zuko asked, shoulders tight with anxious nervousness. "When?"

Aang gestured to the pond where what looked like dozens of theatre masks began to break the still surface of the crystal clear pool. They bubbled and danced in the water, glowing an ethereal blue that seemed to drown out the light of the sun and cast the clearing in pale blue shadow. Suki knelt in reverent awe and the water rose to reveal what could only be a great spirit of the valley.

It looked like a huge, somehow feminine tree. A pale trunk curved upwards with elegantly twisting limbs and a crown of pointed branches with four faces, eyes hidden in overgrown, swollen wood like an ancient sign nailed to a tree that has grown around and absorbed it. The faces pointed in each direction, giving the spirit a view of its complete surroundings.

Zuko and Azula stood with Aang at the water's edge, transfixed.

"I am the Mother of Faces," The spirit's voice reverberated through the glade, with a depth that sang to Katara's very soul. "Through me, separateness came into the world. Through me, came identity. Through me, the one became many."

The forest around them stilled as she spoke- the strange faces of the plants and animals all turned inward, trapping them in place.

The spirit, the Mother of Faces, bent slightly towards Aang who smiled up at it with soft certainty. "I am a generous spirit, soft hearted and kind. Each season, I grant one favour to one human. You may make your request now."

Aang turned to the ashen-faced boy beside him. "The Mother of Faces has deviated from her path at my request. She is an ancient and powerful spirit who's inhabited this valley for thousands of years… if anyone knows what happened to your mother here, she does."

Zuko swallowed hard, looking up at the great spirit who towered over them. Azula, at his side, was glaring at the floating faces in the water, eyes searching for something- Katara didn't know what.

"Mother of faces," Zuko bowed deeply and Aang gave him a small, proud smile. "We are searching for someone- our mother, Ursa, Fire Lady of the Fire Nation and formerly of Hira'a. We believe she came to this place," His hands clenched into fists. "If you know what happened to her, or could help us find her, you would have my deepest gratitude."

The spirit seemed to like his respectful address and lifted two boughs like arms towards him. "Ursa, I remember her. I could not understand why a human of such beauty would ask for a new face…" Her voice was flat, almost dispassionate but there was an undercurrent of deep feeling. Like Hei Bei, whose love for his forest drove him to madness, the Mother of Faces seemed to hold great emotion beneath her blank masks.

Then the weight of the spirit's words sank in. Ursa had been here. She'd asked for a new face. She could be anyone, anywhere.

Katara's eyes sought Zuko's, wide with despair. In the spirit's clasped hands, she held Ursa's face. It had to be Ursa; she looked so much like her children- soft, almond-shaped eyes and beautiful, high cheekbones.

"To test her sincerity I offered her one as plain as can be. She accepted."

The face in the spirit's hands melted away to reveal a new face, rounder and less defined but all-too-familiar. Zuko's eyes blazed with fierce recognition and Sokka gaped in stunned realisation.

"That's-!"

Katara's belly turned cold; they had been so close! It didn't make sense- why hadn't she said anything? "Noriko." Zuko's voice was strangled and tight.

Beside him, Azula was glittering fury. "That peasant!" She exclaimed. "She tricked me!" Both of them looked struck by lightning, stunned and taut with shock. The woman who had fed them, hosted them… whose little girl Katara had thought looked so much like Zuko and Azula… How had she been able to act as though she knew nothing about them? It didn't fit the Ursa from Zuko's stories, who was kind and loving and who would have done anything to ensure the happiness of her children.

If Noriko was Ursa, she was truly cruel to have cast aside her first and second born children this way.

"Thank you," Zuko managed, voice tight with emotion. "That is very helpful."

The pain in his face… and in Azula's, was heartbreaking.

"Wait," Aang implored, hands out beseechingly. "We met her. She didn't recognise her own children… Are you sure that's Ursa?"

The spirit leaned close to Aang, her sightless faces severe. "You doubt me, Avatar? I, who crafts every living creature's face and bestow identity on all of humanity? I gave her a beautiful face and she rejected it, along with her memories. I wiped her clean so that she could live in peace."

"Her memories?" Katara demanded. "Her memories are gone?"

"Yes," The Mother of Faces said from the mask facing Katara, not moving from her imposing hunched position over Aang. "I took her pain away. I am a benevolent and kind spirit."

Katara stared, helplessly at Zuko and Azula. Zuko was looking up at the Mother of Faces with anguished helplessness whilst Azula glared at the water. Their mother was alive and safe, but she didn't know them. "If… If she wanted her memories back…" Katara started tentatively, causing Zuko's eyes to snap to her in alarm. "Would you grant her wish?"

The spirit seemed to tremble with otherworldly indignance. "I would not," She said with a multitude of voices. "I am not a purveyor of parlour tricks. I crafted her memories to heal her, and her face to prove her sincerity. It is not easily undone."

"But her children have returned to her!" Aang cried. "She doesn't need to hide anymore."

The spirit paused. "I have deviated from my path once for you, Avatar. I will not do so again," But she seemed to wait, expectantly, for Aang to do something. He bowed, low.

"I understand," He said. "Please, give me the ability to help her, if you will not."

The Mother of Faces crouched low over him. "I will allow you to reverse my blessings one one person, Avatar, but if I find out it was done against her express wishes then there will be nowhere safe for you… or your companions."

The threat hung in the air, weighty with the power of a curse. Aang closed his eyes as the spirit wound her boughs around him and his tattoos glowed bright. The masks in the water bobbed and sank beneath the surface as the light grew brighter and after what felt like an eternity, the Mother of Faces sank back into her pool, without a word of goodbye.

Sokka let out a low, long whistle. "So… she was scary."

"Sokka!" Suki batted at his arm with a warning glare and he held up his hands defensively.

"It's true! 'Nowhere safe' for us, she said. How is that not super threatening?" He turned to Zuko. "What do you want to do?"

"It's clear what we have to do," Azula said snippily, crossing her arms and glaring into the pool. "We have to restore our dear mother's memories so that she can answer for her crimes."

"Crimes?" Suki asked, looking appalled. "What crimes?"

"Treason, for a start," Azula's eyes narrowed. "She was an adulteress who wilfully tried to disrupt the royal line of succession… and she murdered our grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon."

"We don't know that," Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "And we can't just force her to take her old memories back…" He trailed off and closed his eyes. Katara stood behind him, one hand on his shoulder as he took in a deep, calming breath. "Let's go back to Hira'a. We'll speak with her and… we'll decide the best course of action afterwards."

.

When they arrived at Noren and Noriko's -or Ursa's- house, the lights were on and it Noren opened the door to them as they approached, looking serious. "I thought you'd be back," He said softly. Zuko stood at the head of the group, flanked by Azula and Katara with the others behind. "You'd better come in. We're just finishing dinner…"

The house was as warm and welcoming as it had ever been. Ursa and Kiyi sat at a low table, looking up at their arriving guests. "You came back!" Kiyi beamed, throwing herself up from her seated position and came barrelling into Zuko who, looking rather stunned, brought his arms down to tentatively hug the girl - his sister.

"Hi Kiyi," He whispered, a tiny smile gracing the corners of his mouth. He looked up and met his mother's eyes silently. She smiled politely back.

The moment stretched, and Ursa's smiled turned curious, puzzled. Noren cleared his throat and began to clear the plates away. "Can I get anyone a drink?" He asked, voice gruff.

Zuko sat down on a nearby cushion, Kiyi nestled beside him with a quiet grin and Azula sat on his other side. Looking at the three of them together, knowing what they now knew, the resemblance was undeniable; three matching chins, six pairs of light-coloured eyes with the same distinctive lilt and long lashes, three straight noses, though Kiyi's was stubby with youth.

"Do you do this every night?" Zuko asked as the others arranged themselves around the living room. "Eat dinner together?"

"Of course," Ursa confirmed with a smile. "We ate a little late tonight as Noren was stuck at the theatre until late but we always make sure to eat together."

Katara was reminded of Zuko's long nights, working alone in his study.

Untouched plates on cluttered tabletops.

Even if Ursa couldn't remember, she had made the choice to forget her children, she made the choice to abandon them to the loneliness of Ozai's palace.

Zuko nodded, mostly to himself as Azula watched him with silent impatience. "Tell me… Noriko," He said slowly. "Are you happy?"

Noren paused in the doorway with his tray of steaming tea, an inscrutable look on his face. Ursa tilted her head at Zuko, eyes searching his with an indulgent smile. "Such a strange question…" She shook her head. "Of course I'm happy," She beamed up at Noren, who stiffly entered the room and set down his tray. "I'm where I belong."

Noren smiled, meeting her eyes as he passed the tea around. Katara held hers close to her chest, hoping to absorb some of the warmth as Zuko's eyes steeled and he nodded with a defeated, embittered smile. "Right…" He looked down at Kiyi. "We've bothered you enough. Have a good evening."

"Zuko!" Azula hissed as he moved to stand. Her hand flew to his elbow, holding him in place and Kiyi grabbed his other arm with a matching scowl. Trapped by his two sisters, Zuko was at a loss.

Noren broke the stalemate. "No, Zuko. Don't leave," He squared his shoulders and met the Fire Lord's eyes directly. "Do what you came here to do. Tell her that you haven't forgotten who you are."

Zuko frowned at the older man, cogs turning in his head before he nodded and turned to his mother, face pale and determined. "My name is Zuko," He said, voice strong and clear. "I am Lord of the Fire Nation… and I am your son."