Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is my OC.

The Six Rules:

Rule Number One: Alec won't warn the Gaang about things in advance or solve their problems for them, with a few rare exceptions.

Rule Number Two: Only Alec has the right to tell people his true origins, and he will mostly limit this to group members. He will tell new group members his secret as soon as they join the Gaang.

Rule Number Three: There are some changes Alec wants to make, and he will use his knowledge of the future to make those changes.

Rule Number Four: Sometimes, to make a change, Alec will act in a way that doesn't make sense. If that's necessary, he'll tell the Gaang "I need you to absolutely trust me." After he says that, the Gaang has to either do whatever he asks or leave him to do what he needs to do.

Rule Number Five: After a change happens, Alec will tell the Gaang what happened in the original story, in the interest of transparency.

Rule Number Six: If a major change happens that Alec doesn't expect, the Gaang will have a meeting ASAP. In this meeting, Alec will break Rule One and tell them all relevant information that will help them figure out how to respond to the change.

Chapter 45:

Reunions

Alec POV

When I first saw Kya, I couldn't believe my eyes. Her hair was tangled and messy, and she was wearing a red prisoner uniform instead of Water Tribe clothes, but it was definitely her. Katara looked so much like her that it was eerie. How could she be alive?!

A bunch of memories ran through my head.

"The ripple affected more than Ursa."

"The change isn't a threat to you or your friends."

"They picked up a new prisoner six years ago."

This was the change! But how did this happen?! And why did everyone think she was dead?!

Kya frowned. "Are you alright?" she asked.

I blinked and snapped out of my daze. "I'm fine," I said. "Let's get everyone to the ship."

"Are you taking us back to the South Pole?" another prisoner asked.

"It's too risky to go there now," I said. "The Southern Water Tribe is too hard to defend. We're taking you to Omashu. Our allies are there." I turned to Yagoda. "Is everyone able to walk to the ship?"

She pulled her glowing hands away from one prisoner and helped him to his feet. "They're well enough to make it to the ship," she said. "But many of them will need more healing. Many have bad arthritis, and a few have muscle degeneration. Surprisingly, they aren't malnourished."

"The guards made sure to keep us well fed," Kya said. "I overheard some of them talking about it. They called their job 'the easiest job in the Fire Nation', and said that if all of us died, they would lose it."

I glanced at one of the dead guards. "They don't have to worry about their jobs anymore," I said. I took a cloth from my pocket and wiped the blood off my spear. "Let's get to the ship and get out of here."


We found Chey on the dock, unwinding a long fuse that ran from the dock, through the prison, and up to the roof. "The fuse is ready," he said excitedly, clapping his hands.

I nodded. While everyone boarded the ship, I felt my firebending return. I pinched the end of the fuse with my fingers, lighting it. I smiled to myself. If only I could see Ozai's face when he found out!

Maybe I should have brought a match. I heard a few sharp gasps from behind me. One of the prisoners pointed an accusing finger at me. "He's a firebender!" he exclaimed.

Oh, great. This shit again. Not that I blamed them for their reaction. Poduk held his hands up placatingly. "He's a firebender, but he's also an adopted member of the Southern Water Tribe. He went ice-dodging and everything."

Some of them still looked wary, but Kya seemed more curious than scared. I took a breath. "Poduk, could you explain to them who all of us are, and give them a rundown of how you know us?" I asked. "Get them all situated in cabins and get them some food." I looked at Kya. "Except her. Ty Lee and I should talk to her, personally."


Ty Lee and I led Kya to an empty cabin right next to ours. The cabin had a small, but comfortable single bed, a desk, and a few chairs. A candle provided light. Kya sat on the edge of the bed, while Ty Lee and I each pulled up a chair to face her. I took off my helmet. Ty Lee looked back and forth between me and Kya. This was going to be a long conversation.

I took a breath and prepared myself. "So, I bet you have a lot of questions," I said.

She nodded. "I think first you two should tell me who you are, how a firebender ended up a member of the Water Tribe, and how you know who I am."

"My name is Alec," I began. I grabbed Ty Lee's hand and smiled at her. "This is my fiance, Ty Lee, from the Fire Nation." I turned back to Kya. "About a year ago, I was on a boat that got thrown off course by a storm and ended up in the South Pole. Sokka and Katara took me in and nursed me back to health. They adopted me as a brother two months later. I know who you are because Katara looks exactly like you." I paused and rubbed the back of my head nervously. "I guess the adoption makes you my mom."

Ty Lee stared at Kya, surprised. Kya's eyes widened and she brought her fingers up to her slightly parted lips. Oh shit! Had I presumed too much?! "Um, no pressure or anything," I added quickly. "I mean, I know this is a lot of new information for you," I rambled, "and even though Dad, I mean, Hakoda, accepted me already, I don't want to pressure you…"

Kya flung her arms around me in a tight hug, stopping me mid-sentence. "You saved me and the others from that horrible place," she whispered. "Why wouldn't I accept you?"

I felt a few tears run down my cheeks as I returned the hug. When we broke the hug, Kya noticed my tears. "You haven't had a mother to hug in a long time, have you?" she asked gently.

I shook my head. "Ten years," I said, my voice wavering.

She smiled. "You have one now." She turned to Ty Lee and gave her a big hug, too. "And your fiance is lovely!" she praised. She pulled back from the hug. "Did he make you that necklace?" she asked her.

Ty Lee smiled and fingered it. "Yes, he did."

Kya ("Mom, now," I thought to myself) turned back to me. "Tell me, what's been going on at the village? Are Sokka and Katara alright?"

"They're fine, but they're not at the village," I said. "It's kind of a long story. But, could you tell me something first?"

Mom nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"This may sound a bit…dark…but, how are you alive?" I asked. "Everyone in the village thinks you're dead."

Kya looked down. "The day I was taken, I was confronted in my home by a Fire Navy captain during a raid on our village," she said. "He said he knew that we had a waterbender in our village. I don't know how he knew about Katara. I asked if he would leave the village alone if I told him who the waterbender was. He agreed, and I told him I was the waterbender to protect Katara."

I nodded. So far, the story matched up. "What happened next?"

"He was carrying a large sack over his shoulder," Mom continued. "I thought it was spoils of war that he stole from the village, but I was wrong." She shuddered. "He opened it, and inside was the dead body of an old woman."

An old woman? But who could that old woman be? Mom kept going. "He told me to take off my clothes and dress the body in them. He gave me some red clothes to change into. After I finished, he set the body on fire, put me in the sack, and carried me to his ship. A few weeks later, I arrived at the prison."

I had a theory. "Was there anything distinctive about the old woman's body?" I asked.

Mom nodded. "She had a big mole above her left eyebrow."

I knew it. Ty Lee shook her head. "Why would the Fire Nation do that?"

"Maybe so the Water Tribe would think she was dead," I speculated. "I mean, I know from experience that if you burn a body down to a skeleton, not many people will be able to know who the body was. And, if the Tribe thought she was dead, there wouldn't be any point in chasing after the raiders."

Mom nodded. "I suspected that's what the captain was after when he told me to change my clothes. I dropped my necklace behind me to signal that I was still alive, but I guess nobody got the message."

I shook my head. "Katara wears that necklace all the time," I said. "I guess nobody suspected that you were alive even though your 'body' wasn't wearing your necklace."

Everyone was silent for a few seconds. Mom got a curious look on her face. "You said Katara and Sokka aren't in the village right now," she said. "Where are they?"

"They're leading other prison breaks," I said. "It's kind of a long story how we ended up here."

Mom smiled. "I have plenty of time."

I took a deep breath. "Well, it all started about two months after Katara and Sokka adopted me…"


Bumi POV

I stood on the balcony of my palace, overlooking the city. My construction benders were hard at work, creating new buildings to house the newly-liberated prisoners where the factories used to be.

So far, things were going well. Ikem had arrived with the Earth King. The Earth King apologized for never visiting me before. He seemed like a genuine sort, if a little naive. The fact that he also loved animals helped. He promised to do better as Earth King, and we sealed the deal with a pinky-swear (my idea, of course).

I noticed someone else on the balcony, staring out at the ocean longingly.

It was Kanna. I could tell when we met that she was troubled about something. Well, far be it from me to let frowns linger in my kingdom. I walked over to her. "Copper for your thoughts?" I asked.

She started. "I'm sorry, King Bumi, I didn't see you there," she apologized.

I waved it off. "No harm done," I said. "But tell me, what's troubling you? While sad faces aren't illegal in Omashu, they are highly discouraged."

She looked out towards the ocean and sighed. "It's my grandson," she said.

"Are we talking about the one who likes meat, or the one who can firebend, and likes meat?" I asked.

She chuckled. "The latter." She sighed. "He had to do something…bad recently. He apologized for it, and I know it had to be done, but it's hard for me to forgive him."

I nodded. Ursa had informed me of Hama and her actions. "I'm old enough to remember when the war started, Lady Kanna," I said. "I was only twelve. And, all throughout the war, I saw people I grew up with do terrible things to survive. The good ones had someone to help them cope. The bad ones embraced the terrible things they did and fully became the monster." I shook my head sadly. "Many times, the good ones had to put down the bad ones."

A tear ran down Kanna's cheek. "It's hard to hear what my best friend became," she said. She turned to me. She turned to me. "What do you think I should do?" she asked.

I thought about it. "I've been around a long time," I said. "My wife, Nisha, spirits rest her soul, gave me three children, who gave me four grandchildren, who gave me eight great-grandchildren. Every chance I get, I tell them all that I love them, and make sure we never part on bad terms. Because if I died while we were on bad terms, my spirit would spend eternity in the afterlife regretting it."

I turned to her. "Would you regret not forgiving him if you died right now?" I asked. "Once you know that answer, you'll know what to do."

She smiled at me. "Thank you."


Alec POV

I spent hours telling Mom an edited version of the story that kept my secret. Ty Lee chimed in occasionally with parts of her tale that I wasn't there for. Mom was amazed by everything that happened. After we finished, I looked at Mom. "So, yeah, that's about it," I said.

She smiled and teared up a little. "My babies are so grown up," she said. "And dating, too? I'll have to meet Aang and Suki!"

"You'll get the chance," I said. "Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Suki are flying to join up with us. If I had to guess, they'll be here in the morning."

Mom opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, we heard a noise.

BOOM!

The sound of an explosion in the distance startled Mom. "What was that?" she asked, a little afraid. "Are we under attack?"

I grinned. "No, that's just my message to Ozai. I'm gonna go up and see."

Mom, Ty Lee, and I walked up to the deck. From the stern, we could see a bright fireworks display in the distance, lighting up the afternoon sky. The fireworks spelled out my message loud and clear, and if the Mechanist was right, it would be up there for hours. Ty Lee read the message and started laughing, holding her sides. Mom frowned. "Language, young man," she chided.

Like mother, like daughter.


Zuko POV

I stared at the lights in the distance, dumbfounded. Mai chuckled. Jee, Bato, and the others on the ship laughed out loud. "Who did that?" Jee asked.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "My Grand Advisor," I groaned.

"Hey, could someone explain to the blind girl what's going on?" Toph asked indignantly.


Katara POV

I couldn't believe him. Sending a letter is one thing, but this?! This was too much, even for him. Not that I minded what he was saying to the Fire Lord, but the image that message conjured up in my head…

Aang, Sokka, and Suki, on the other hand, thought it was hilarious.

I groaned. What would Gran Gran think?


Third Person POV

Kanna had come to a decision. She would forgive Alec as soon as he arrived. He might be a little coarse, but he was a good person.

Kanna saw a bright flash of light in the distance, and now big, bright words appeared in the sky. She looked at it and blanched. "I'll forgive him," she muttered, "after I wash his mouth out with soap."


Iroh POV

I looked up at the sky and chuckled. That would certainly get under my brother's skin. Only Alec would be bold enough to send a message like that.


Azula POV

I was in the War Room with Hakoda, Jeong Jeong, and Kuei when I heard the news. A messenger came into the room, and he was clearly struggling not to laugh. "Alec's message got delivered to Ozai," he got out between chuckles.

"What's it say?" Hakoda asked with a raised eyebrow.

The messenger told us, and I chuckled a little bit. Bold, Alec. Very bold. Hakoda laughed out loud. Kuei chuckled. Jeong Jeong shook his head. "And that is my star pupil," he said exasperatedly. "I don't even know why I bother."


Third Person POV

Rezok swallowed before he entered the throne room. He really should ask Ursa for hazard pay if he had to give Ozai bad news that she was partly responsible for. He entered the throne room and prostrated himself before Ozai. "What news?" the Fire Lord asked. "Do we know why nobody attempted to invade us?"

Rezok swallowed. "My Lord, the invasion plan appears to have been a ruse."

"What?" Ozai hissed.

"We're receiving reports from almost all of our war prisons that they were attacked and the prisoners were freed during the eclipse," Rezok said. "Iroh has escaped from Hari Bulkan Prison. Also, New Ozai has fallen. It's been retaken by the Earth Kingdom, and Governor Ukano has been captured." Rezok waited for the inevitable explosion.

"WHAT?!" Ozai shouted. The flames surrounding the throne shot up, licking the ceiling.

"Every war prison except for The Forge and Water's Wail sent messenger hawks reporting that they were attacked," Rezok said, not meeting the Fire Lord's gaze. "The Forge was destroyed by a volcanic eruption, coincidentally." He suspected that the Avatar was behind that one, and he didn't want Ozai to know how powerful the Avatar truly was. "But we do believe that Water's Wail was liberated."

Ozai took a calming breath and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think that?"

"There's something in the sky above that prison, Sire. It appears to be a group of flares that spell out a message."

"What message?" Ozai hissed.

Rezok swallowed. If he died because of this, he was going to come back and haunt the Hand Slicer forever.

"Ozai sucks flaccid cock."

The flames didn't leap towards the ceiling. Strangely, they shrank. Rezok dared to glance up at Ozai. He could tell that the Fire Lord was barely holding back unyielding rage.

"Leave this room," Ozai said, his voice eerily calm, "and tell the servants to clean up the mess when I'm finished."

Rezok took the hint and left the throne room at a brisk pace. As soon as the door shut behind him, he heard Ozai scream and the sounds of enraged firebending through the door. Rezok was definitely going to ask Ursa for hazard pay.

"Intelligence Minister?"

Rezok turned and saw Chen looking between him and the door nervously. Chen was a young man of eighteen with black hair and a kind face who served as a palace scribe. "What is it, Chen?"

Chen swallowed and held up a letter. "The Fire Lord ordered me to send this response to a letter that Governor Ukano sent to the Fire Lord from New Ozai, but given that the governor is now…unavailable, should I destroy the response?"

That had Rezok's interest. He wasn't aware of any correspondence from Governor Ukano recently. "Give me the response, along with the original letter, and I'll determine the best course of action," Rezok said. Given that the last time he got caught off-guard by Ozai's actions, Azula was almost assassinated, Rezok wanted to be aware of everything that Ozai was keeping from him.

Chen handed him two scrolls and left, eager to be as far away from the throne room as possible. Rezok opened both scrolls and blanched. Ursa needed to know about this. He walked quickly to his office and wrote a quick letter. He then went to the aviary, placed all three scrolls in a scroll tube, along with a small green crystal.

As soon as the scroll tube closed, the messenger hawk took off towards Omashu, bearing bad news.


Alec POV

"This is my best work," I said happily. "It almost brings a tear to my eye."

Mom shook her head and rolled her eyes. Ty Lee finally stopped giggling. She looked at me. "I have to ask, why 'flaccid'?"

I grinned. "Because it means he's terrible at it, but, by gosh, he's trying his best."

Ty Lee broke out in another fit of giggles. Mom shook her head. "I'm going to get some sleep," she said. She hugged us both. "Good night," she said gently.

"Good night, Mom," I replied. It felt so nice to say that.

Mom walked down the stairs to the cabins. I sat down on the deck and sighed. Ty Lee sat down beside me. "What is it?" she asked.

"I wasn't expecting her to be alive," I admitted, now that we were alone. "In the original story, she was definitely dead. This has to be the change Lady Ài told us about."

Ty Lee gasped. "That's amazing," she whispered. She leaned up against me. "Wanna celebrate?" she whispered in my ear. "You made me a promise earlier."

I swallowed. "I made you that promise before my mom ended up in the cabin right next to ours," I said.

"I can be quiet," Ty Lee insisted. "And I made sure to drink Moon Tea this morning."

I was unsure. "I don't know," I said.

Ty Lee sighed. "Fine," she said. She stood up slowly and sauntered towards the stairs, putting extra sway into her hips. She looked back at me over her shoulder and twirled her braid in her fingers. "Suit yourself," she teased.

She knew just how to push my buttons. "Dammit, you win," I said.

She smirked triumphantly. "I thought so."


Azula POV

No ships arrived the same day as the eclipse. That was just as well, because it gave us more time to prepare for their arrival. Jeong Jeong, Mom, and I stood out on the docks, ready to direct ships to their appropriate pier. Shul was flapping her wings by my side. Runners stood by to deliver reports to Hakoda and Kuei in the War Room.

Jeong Jeong frowned and took out his spyglass, observing the horizon. "I see a ship," he reported.

"Can you tell who it is?" I asked.

Jeong Jeong said nothing for a few moments. "It's Iroh," he said.

Mom smiled, but I felt a twinge of fear. Shul nuzzled into my side. I petted her on the head. After all the things I'd said and done to Uncle over the years, how could he possibly forgive me?

The boat only took a minute to arrive at the docks, but it felt like hours. Uncle stepped off the ship. His beard and hair were long and messy, and he was wearing a dirty, brown robe, but he looked stronger, like he'd lost a significant amount of weight, and not from starvation. He stepped off his boat, smiled, and bowed to Jeong Jeong. "It's good to see you again, old friend."

Jeong Jeong bowed back. "You as well, Iroh."

Iroh turned to Mom. "Ursa, it's been a long time," he said warmly.

Mom smiled at him. "Too long, Iroh," she agreed, "Too long."

Uncle looked at me, and his face was neutral. I needed to say something. I swallowed. "Uncle," I began in a low voice, "I know you're probably not happy to see me. I just want you to know that I'm…sorry." Tears began to form in my eyes when I remembered how terrible I'd been to him. "I'm ashamed of what I've said and done to you. I don't know if you can ever forgive me, but I…"

Uncle rushed forward and embraced me in a tight hug, cutting off my sentence. I returned the hug, completely baffled. "You're…forgiving me?" I asked. "But I thought you hated me!"

"I never hated you," Uncle said, his voice on the verge of breaking. "I was sad, and I was afraid you'd become too much like my brother." He pulled back, his eyes shining with tears. "But I was wrong," he said with a smile. "And I've never been so happy to be wrong in my life."

I wiped my eyes. "Don't make me cry," I said, trying to pull myself together. "I have a reputation to maintain."

He smiled and turned his attention to Shul. "And who is this?" he asked, petting Shul on the head.

I tickled my fingers under her chin. "This is Shul," I said. "She's my dragon. Druk and Ved are in the throne room."

"Am I the first to arrive?" Uncle asked.

"You are," Mom confirmed. "We're still waiting on the others to arrive…"

The sound of a messenger hawk overhead cut off Mom's sentence and made her look up. She held out her arm and the hawk landed. Mom opened the scroll tube on its back, taking out three scrolls. She read the first one quickly. "Its from Rezok," she said. "It sounds like all the other prison breaks were successful, and Ozai threw a tantrum when he found out about Alec's message."

I grinned. "I can imagine."

Mom's narrowed when she finished reading the first letter. Then she opened up the other two and read them side-by-side. Her eyes widened. "I need to speak to Mai when she gets back," she said. "Alone."

"Something we need to worry about?" I asked.

Mom shook her head. "I want to talk to Mai about it first," she said firmly.

Before I could ponder what Mom needed to talk to Mai about, I saw multiple ships on the horizon. I had arrivals to coordinate.


Alec POV

The next morning, Ty Lee and I were at the helm of the ship, making sure we stayed on course to Omashu, when I heard a familiar groan coming from the sky. I smiled. The others were here! I turned to Ty Lee. "Can you take the wheel for a second?"

She nodded and grabbed the wheel from me. I looked up at the sky and saw Appa in the distance. I ran and jumped off the side of the ship, and started flying. It had been so long since I'd flown using firebending. I flew up towards Appa and landed in the saddle.

"Hey guys!" I greeted. "How did it go?"

I looked around the saddle. Aang was at the reins, while Katara, Sokka, and Suki were lounging in the saddle. Sokka smiled. "It went great!" he said. "Aang went into the Avatar State, and made the Fire Nation think the volcano was about to erupt. The Fire Nation fled and left the prisoners behind, so we evacuated them, and then Aang blew up the volcano for real. The best part is, nobody saw us!"

I smiled and nodded. "So, the Fire Nation doesn't know how strong Aang really is," I said. "Clever."

"How did it go for you?" Katara asked.

I smiled. "We got all the prisoners out with no casualties on our end, I delivered the message successfully…"

"We saw," Katara interrupted with a grimace. "Do you know what kind of horrible image that put into my brain?"

Aang, Sokka, and Suki snickered. I continued, "And, I figured out what the other change to the past was."

That got their attention. "What changed?" Suki asked.

I shook my head. "You need to come down and see," I said. "But before I show you, I need you to trust me when I say that I had no idea about this. If I had known, I would have done something about it."

Aang turned around and nodded. "We believe you, Alec," he said. "Hang on, everyone. We're about to land."


As soon as we landed on the ship, I jumped out of the saddle and started walking towards the stairs. When the others moved to follow me, I held up a hand. I turned around and looked at them. "Wait here, and close your eyes," I said.

Katara tilted her head questioningly. "Why?"

"I need you to absolutely trust me," I said. Granted, this wasn't exactly a Rule Four situation, but I wanted the dramatic effect. The four of them nodded and closed their eyes. "Don't open them until I say so," I said.

I went down into the ship and made my way to Mom's cabin. I knocked on the door and entered. She was stretching her muscles to get out the stiffness of six years in prison. She looked at me. "Did something just land on the ship?" she asked.

I nodded and smiled. "There are some people up there who you'll want to see," I said.

She smiled hopefully. "Is it…" she trailed off.

I nodded. Mom smiled and followed me out of the cabin and up the stairs. She blinked up at the sky when we got up to the deck, her eyes not yet used to daylight again. She saw the four people assembled on the deck and smiled, tears brimming in her eyes.

I took a deep breath. "Everyone," I said, "open your eyes."

They opened their eyes and blinked a few times. Aang and Suki looked at Mom curiously, probably wondering who she was. Katara and Sokka had much more extreme reactions. Sokka's eyes widened, his mouth fell open, and he took a step backwards. Katara gasped, her eyes welled with tears, and she covered her mouth with her palm.

"Alec, who is this person?" Aang asked, noticing Katara and Sokka's reactions.

I smiled. "This is Kya."

Aang and Suki gasped. They knew that name from Katara and Sokka. My siblings ran forward so fast I could barely follow their movements. They embraced Mom in the tightest hug I'd ever seen in my life.

"Mom!" Katara got out through tears. "But…you were…" She tried to articulate something, but then she gave up. "I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" she sobbed.

Sokka was a little more articulate. "But how?!" he said through his tears. "We saw the body! We thought you were dead!"

"I'm alive!" Mom sobbed. "I was trapped in that place for six years, but I'm free now!" I felt myself tearing up a little. "Now, I can be there for my children again." She looked at me through tear-stained eyes. "All three of them."

Katara and Sokka made space in the hug for me. I ran forward and joined it, happily.


Mai POV

We sailed for a day after we liberated The Navy Yard before we saw the shores of the Earth Kingdom. The last time I'd been on these shores, I was on a Fire Nation ship with my family so my father could govern Omashu after he masterminded the takeover of the city. Now, I was back here with my friends.

Friends. Plural. Having more than one friend was an interesting change for me. I'd always thought of Ty Lee as my friend, despite our differences, but Azula was more of a 'forced acquaintance', at least until she changed sides. It was weird for me to have a group of people that I trusted and enjoyed being around this much. Despite their weird quirks, it felt…nice to have so many people I could rely on.

While I mused about this, the ship came into port. When we made our way down the gangplank, we saw some familiar faces. Zuko smiled. "Uncle!" he shouted happily, running down the gangplank to embrace Iroh in a hug. I liked seeing him happy.

Iroh was on the dock with Azula, Jeong Jeong, and Ursa. Toph stepped forward and grinned. "I almost didn't recognize you, Old Man," she said. "Your footsteps are a lot lighter. You've lost weight."

Iroh patted his now-flatter stomach and laughed. "I had to trim down to break out of prison," he said.

Azula turned to one of the runners. "Tell the others in the throne room that the group from The Navy Yard has arrived," she instructed.

The runner, an Earth Kingdom boy who had to be younger than Aang, nodded. "I'll go with him," Bato suggested from behind us. "I want to see if Hakoda needs any help."

Bato and the runner ran up the path towards the city. While Iroh was having a happy reunion with Zuko's former crew, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw Ursa with a grim expression on her face.

"We need to talk," she said. "Follow me."

What was going on?


Ursa led me to a small building on the docks. She sat me down at a small table inside the building, and sat on the opposite side, facing me. I tried to think of what was so serious that she needed to talk to me about. I could only think of one thing.

"If you're going to tell me not to sleep with Zuko," I began dryly, "I'm afraid it's too late for that."

Ursa didn't even flinch. "As long as you don't make me a grandmother before you're in your twenties, I don't really care," she said.

That ruled out that theory. "What's this about?" I asked.

Ursa closed her eyes and took a breath. "Would you recognize your father's handwriting if you saw it?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Ursa pulled a scroll out of her sleeve and handed it to me. "Tell me if this is his handwriting," she said.

I opened up the scroll and recognized my father's handwriting.

"My esteemed Fire Lord Ozai,

I am grieved to hear of your beloved Princess Azula's death. Truly, she will be greatly missed. I am also disturbed to hear that my daughter left Princess Azula's service and seems to have joined with the enemy. I assure you, my daughter is not a traitor, but merely a troubled young lady going through a rebellious phase in her teenage years. I spent many hours agonizing over how to get her back to the right side, and I believe I have come up with a solution.

With Princess Azula's tragic death, you are without an heir. My daughter is fifteen, old enough to bear children for you. If she were to be captured alive, I give my permission for you to marry her, and I'm certain that she will agree to it, if the offer is presented to her. Given her youth, she could bear you many potential heirs, to give you the best possible choices for a successor after your time on this Earth comes to a glorious end.

I hope to hear a response soon.

Your faithful servant,

-Governor Ukano"

I'd never felt so disgusted in my life. My father wanted to sell me into marriage to a man thirty years older than me?! I swallowed back the bile I felt in the back of my throat, and mustered all my self-control to look at Ursa. "It's his handwriting," I said plainly.

Ursa shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry," she said. "Ozai was about to send a response, but we took over the city before he could send it to Ukano." She pulled out another scroll and handed it to me. "Here's his response."

I opened the scroll and read it.

"Governor Ukano,

Given your record of loyalty to me, I am inclined to accept your proposal. I'll instruct my forces to capture Mai alive and bring her to me. Technically, according to the law, I need to wait until she's sixteen and get her consent to marry her, but given how uncomfortable I am leaving the throne with no clear successor, the laws can be bent to accommodate the marriage immediately. Do not worry about the potential for Mai being disobedient, as I can be very persuasive.

-Fire Lord Ozai"

The second letter was even more disgusting than the first. I was furious. I swallowed dryly. "Could you bring Zuko, Azula, Iroh, and Toph here?" I asked in a low voice. "I need to talk to them."

Ursa nodded understandingly. "I'll bring them here."

She stood up and left the room.


Ursa returned a few minutes later with Zuko, Azula, Iroh, and Toph in tow. I tried to keep my expression neutral, but Zuko noticed something was up. "Mai, what's wrong?" he asked in a soft voice.

I held up the letters. "This is what's wrong," I said.

Toph raised an eyebrow. "Well, they sound like sheets of paper, but I guess you're referring to what's on the sheets of paper."

I blinked. I'd been so annoyed that I forgot about Toph's blindness. Zuko grabbed the letters and read through them quickly. His face turned pale, and then green. The corners of the letters began smoking. Azula grabbed them quickly before they could burst into flame. Azula read them and a deep scowl formed on her face. She handed the letters off to Iroh. Iroh read the letters, then he closed his eyes took a breath. The candles lighting the room burned brighter for a few moments, but other than that, Iroh showed no reaction.

Toph frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Will someone explain what the fuck is going on here?"

"My father sent a letter to Ozai, apologizing for my treason and offering him my hand in marriage, so I can be his new baby factory and make heirs for him," I spat bitterly.

Toph's sightless eyes widened. "That's really fucked up."

"No shit," I replied. Snarking helped me cope with the disgust I was feeling.

Zuko grabbed my hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb comfortingly. "We won't let this happen," he said, his voice quiet but full of resolve. "You know we won't, right?" He was so earnest and kind and so damn adorable that I couldn't help but feel a little better.

Iroh shook his head. "Just when I think my brother can't go any lower…"

"I've known for a long time that there aren't any limits to how low he'll sink," Ursa growled.

"If anyone tries to take you, I'll burn them alive," Azula said, clenching her fists tightly.

I got an idea. "I need your help," I said.


Alec POV

Mom, Katara, Sokka, Aang, Suki, Ty Lee, and I went downstairs into Mom's cabin. Poduk volunteered to steer the ship while we were having family time. We managed to get enough chairs into Mom's cabin for most of us. Katara and Sokka sat on either side of Mom on the bed, still hugging her, almost like they were afraid she would disappear if they let her go. I decided to let them have this moment. After all, they had a deeper bond with her than I did.

Aang, Suki, Ty Lee, and I sat in a semicircle of chairs around Mom's bed. Mom looked between Aang and Suki. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was so happy to see Sokka and Katara again that I didn't give you two a chance to introduce yourselves."

Aang smiled shyly. "I'm Aang," he said. "I'm the Avatar, and I'm also…kinda…" he trailed off, blushing a little.

Mom gave him that knowing look that all mothers seem to have. "My daughter's boyfriend," she finished. "Alec told me everything about your adventures."

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki looked at me. "Not everything everything," I clarified. I didn't want them to think I told her my secret when I hadn't.

Mom tapped her chin in mock thought. "What was it you said about Aang and Katara, Alec? That they're so sweet together they'll rot my teeth?" she asked teasingly.

Aang and Katara turned tomato red and looked at me, mortified. "Alec!" Katara exclaimed.

I smirked. "You two call each other 'Sweetie'," I reminded them.

Mom looked down at my sister. "That's so cute!" she cooed.

Katara somehow turned even redder. "Mom!" she whined.

Suki looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "You making fun of them is pretty rich, considering you call Ty Lee 'Darling'."

I shrugged. "That's fair," I admitted, taking Ty Lee's hand in mine.

Mom, having thoroughly embarrassed Katara, turned her attention to Suki. "And, may I ask who you are?"

Suki smiled. "I'm Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and Sokka's girlfriend."

Mom gave her a smile. "I've heard about you. Did you really knock my son down twice in two minutes?" she asked.

Sokka looked up, horrified at the embarrassment. Suki grinned. "It was more like one minute."

Sokka sputtered, but Mom looked at him and smiled. "I also heard about how you apologized to her and asked her to train you. That was very mature of you, Sokka. I'm proud of you."

Sokka smiled, all embarrassment forgotten. "Thanks, Mom," he whispered.

Mom turned to Katara. "I heard how strong you both have become," she said. "I'm so proud of both of you."

Tears welled in Katara's eyes again. "It was so hard when you were gone," Katara whispered. "Dad went off to war four years after you were gone, and we had Gran Gran, but we had to grow up so fast, and it was so hard," she finished with a small sob.

Mom held Katara close and kissed the top of her head. "I know, Honey, I know," she whispered comfortingly. "It'll be okay now. Mom's here."

We heard a knock on the door. I stood up and opened the door. Chey was there. "What's up?" I asked.

"We're getting close to Omashu," he said. "We'll be there soon."

AN: I decided to end the chapter here, because it would have been way too long otherwise. Next chapter will feature Kya's reunion with Hakoda, and Mai's confrontation with Ukano.

Now, there are some things I wish to address. First, many people have asked me whether or not I plan on doing a sequel. Yes, I am doing two sequels. The first will cover the events of the comics, and the second will cover the events of Korra.

"But Urbanator93, won't this thing you're doing with Ukano throw off the events of Smoke and Shadow by a lot?" I hear you ask. Yes. Yes it will. And I'm okay with that. I'll explain more in an Author's Note at the end of the next chapter.