Authors Note: This chapter got very long but I hope that you enjoy it! This chapter brings in some new characters who will have a big role later on and I'm so excited for you guys to read it! As always enjoy!

Chapter 3

The servants at the palace spent two days getting the palace ready for Prince Ozai's birthday. Fire Lord Azulon had decreed that no expense was to be spared for the Prince's birthday. Fire Nation tapestries were hung up throughout the reception room, as well as a portrait of Ozai and red and gold streamers were hanging across the ceiling. There were round tables spread out throughout the room for people to sit and eat and a throne was placed at the head of the room where Fire Lord Azulon could sit.

The palace chefs had spent two days preparing the food and making sure everything was to the Fire Lords liking. The banquet tables were covered with cloths of gold and they were laden with a lot of different foods. There were trays of buns and bread, and steaming hot dumplings under a fire to keep them hot. There were different kinds of noodles and several roast ducks to serve all of the guests. One table was filled with different types of drinks, alcoholic and nonalcoholic.

"I wonder why Fire Lord Azulon went through all the trouble for the Prince's birthday," one servant whispered to another, casting a furtive glance around the room to make sure that they weren't being overheard. "I heard that he was angry at Prince Ozai when he returned from Omashu."

"I heard that the Fire Lord wants Prince Ozai to find a wife. I think that's why he went to all this effort for the party."

"Imagine marrying him. He's a monster!"


Lying in bed, Ursa knew that she was supposed to be getting ready for Prince Ozai's birthday party. Instead, she was reading her favorite novel, The Dragoon Girl, and wishing that she could be with Elua, her best friend, but she had gone on vacation to Ember Island. Her mother was going to rush into the room at any moment to chastise her for not getting ready, and especially for reading. Her mother didn't always approve of her daughter's love of books, but Jinzuk had always supported her and would buy her books whenever he could. They were all Fire Nation books because Fire Lord Azulon had banned books from the Earth Kingdom and the Water Nation, and so Ursa had had to get rid of the books. It had been troubling when the order had come down, but her mother had insisted that they get rid of them, and Ursa had been too young to fight her mother. She barely even thought about it anymore, she had been about ten when the ban was put in place, and it was just how things were now.

"Ursa! Why aren't you up and getting ready?" Rina demanded her dress already on and her makeup halfway done. "Up, up, up!"

"Sorry," Ursa apologized, sighing, and putting her book to the side, she pushed herself off of her bed.

"Mura! Come help Ursa," Rina called as she flounced out of the room.

Mura looked a lot like Ursa but had her father's brown eyes, rather than their mother's gold eyes. Truthfully, their looks were about all that they had in common these days. Mura was much more like their mother than Ursa, she loved pretty dresses and parties, and Ursa knew that she was dying to go to the party tonight but she was too young. But she would gladly trade places with Mura, but she didn't say that. She knew that her mother wouldn't approve and after their fight the other day, she felt like she was walking on thin ice with her mother. They had sort of come to an agreement that things had been said that shouldn't have been, but they hadn't talked more about it, and Ursa didn't want to.

"How can I help you?" Mura asked, looking at the dress enviously.

"I guess you can just…help me tie the sash and get it on," Ursa decided with a sigh.

The dress had lost some of its beauty after learning the truth of how her mother had afforded to pay for it. She should have worn one of the dresses that she already had, it would have been far cheaper and her mother could have kept her favorite earrings. She had noticed more things that had disappeared in the house, and it was incredibly distressing. Ursa had been eyeing all of her books the past few days, wondering if she could sell them at the market to help her parents pay for things. She wanted to help, and as much as she loved her books, she loved her family more. But she wasn't sure how her father would react. She knew that it was a source of shame for him, and she didn't want to make it worse. Ursa was quiet as Mura helped her tie the sash tightly around her waist, and she buttoned the dress up in the back.

"It's so pretty," Mura breathed out, looking at her older sister. "You look so beautiful." Mura sighed. "I wish I could go. It's not fair."

"Thank you," Ursa rested her hand on her sister's cheek. "Your time will come, Mura. And trust me," she whispered conspiratorially, her eyes going to the door to make sure that their mother wasn't there to hear. "It's going to be a big bore anyways, trust me."

Mura giggled. "Is not! You're going to see the Prince," Mura said, her eyes wide with wonder.

"I've heard that he's quite nasty," Ursa said dismissively. It was common knowledge that Prince Ozai was a piece of work. She didn't really care to see him or to celebrate his birthday if she were being honest.

Mura gasped. "Ursa! You can't say that! He's a prince!"

"Can't say what?" Rina asked appearing in the doorway, fastening an earring on, a frown on her lips. Ursa noticed that her mother had a glow about her that she hadn't seen in a long time. It made her feel almost guilty for all the trouble that she had been causing over this party.

"Nothing," Mura mumbled, not wanting to get Ursa in trouble.

"Can you help me with my makeup? You always do it better than I do," Ursa said, distracting her mother, who nodded and stepped into the room.


Prince Ozai was bored. It was his party of course, but none of the people that he wanted to be there were there. His father had banned most of his friends from coming, citing that they caused him to misbehave as he had in Omashu. The only friend that his father had allowed him to have was Lee. More than a brother than a friend, Ozai had known Lee since birth, and they had been inseparable since. Where Ozai was hard and cruel Lee was light and humorous. Lee was the only person that could speak truthfully to Ozai without fear of consequences, without fear of Ozai's temper.

Standing to the side, a drink in hand, he frowned as he surveyed the party.

"Why the long face, Ozai?" Lee asked, coming up beside his friend. He wasn't as handsome as Ozai, but he had a more approachable face, a warmness that Ozai had always lacked.

"I'm bored. This party is lame; it's the same women that my father parades in front of me, the same people. They're all wearing red like it makes them special," Ozai rolled his eyes. "Father is punishing me for Omashu."

"You're so easy to please, Ozai," Lee said with a sarcastic grin. Ozai glowered at him but said nothing. "Omashu's in the past. We had our fun and plenty of it."

"So what if I slept with an Earth Kingdom girl," Ozai went on, ignoring Lee. "She meant nothing to me, just like all the others." He brought the cup to his lips; the burn of the alcohol was nice on his throat. He found his father across the room in deep conversation with one of his generals, and downed the glass. He was glad that Iroh wasn't here.

"Better stop talking, here comes Meiko, does she know about Omashu?" Lee asked as he tilted his head towards the beautiful woman walking towards them.

"No, and I'd like to keep it that way," Ozai replied.

"Happy birthday Prince Ozai," Meiko exclaimed. Ozai was glad to see her for now, she was an improvement to the other women, but he didn't want his father to get any ideas. She was good enough to sleep around with, use when it pleased him, but she wasn't marriage material. She had too big of a mouth and thought that he wanted to hear her opinions. He much preferred their current arrangement and he didn't particularly care what she thought about it.

"Thank you, Meiko," Ozai said, taking her hand and kissing it, a smirk on his lips.

"We've missed you," She purred, looking up at him. "It's been so dull around here without you."

"Come on, let's go and have some fun then," Ozai proposed.


Rina fussed the entire way to the Royal Palace. Ursa was already tired of it when they arrived. She knew that it was going to be a long night of mingling, of her mother looking at her hopefully as she spoke with different people. She knew that her mother was going to want to try to match her with someone; it was what she always did. But Ursa didn't have the strength to deal with it today.

They were brought into a large room that had been beautifully decorated. She could see the happiness in her mother's eyes of being included again, of being in the Royal Palace. Her mother had grown up visiting the palace since her father had been friends with Fire Lord Sozin. Well, that was until they weren't friends anymore. But after Avatar Roku passed away, Fire Lord Sozin had helped her grandmother and took care of them.

"Ursa, look, there are the girls you used to go to school with, you should go and say hello," Rina whispered.

It was the last thing that she wanted to do. The girls that she had attended school with had been vapid and shallow and Ursa had never been best friends with them. She had always preferred to play with Elua and the other children that lived in the neighborhood. They had loved the same things, and she had never cared to talk about dresses or makeup for hours on end. Ursa could appreciate makeup and fashion, and she enjoyed talking about it at times, but she usually got bored of it.

But still, Ursa put a smile on her face and made her way over to the group.

"Ursa!" Michi exclaimed when she approached them, moving over slightly so Ursa could join them. Of the girls, Michi had been her favorite. She was a kind girl who wasn't as high maintenance as some of the others.

"Hello," Ursa said with a forced smile on her lips. "It's been too long."

"Yes it has been," Sienna agreed with a smirk. The second in command to the group, Ursa had never been a fan of Sienna. "Your dress is lovely. The purple really suits you."

"Thanks," Ursa said, already longing to be home.


Ozai and Meiko slipped back into the party. Lee looked over at him and winked, and Ozai had to smirk. Lee truly was useful; he had distracted his father long enough for Ozai and Meiko to slip away, undetected, and giving them enough time to reconnect. It was his birthday after all, and Meiko was the best present.

"Oh my Agni," Meiko said with a smirk, looking off at something.

"What?" Ozai asked.

"Ursa and her family were invited back to court it seems," She said with that irritating know-it-all attitude that Ozai detested.

"Who?"

"She's the Granddaughter of Avatar Roku," she informed him, her hand on his arm. "The one in purple. She was a few years below me at school but she's nothing special."

Ozai's interest was piqued; the Granddaughter of Avatar Roku? Why had his father never spoken about this family before? He followed Meiko's gaze and saw her standing with another group of women. It was disappointing, seeing her standing with the rest of the women that he detested, the women that his father expected him to marry. He knew the rest of them, some of them more intimately than the others, and he wasn't interested in them. But perhaps this new one, Ursa, would have potential. She was beautiful and most importantly, new.

"Bring her to me," Ozai ordered. Meiko looked surprised, and for a moment hurt flashed through her eyes, but Ozai didn't care. Meiko had to know that he had no interest in marrying her, that she was just a toy to him. She thought that she could rule him, but she was wrong. Ozai would do what he wanted every time.

Meiko simply nodded and took her hand off of his arm and walked away. She was replaced very quickly by Lee.

"Why's Meiko in a mood?" Lee asked. "Your little rendezvous not go well?" He asked with a teasing smile.

"Oh, it went well," Ozai laughed a grin on his lips. "Best birthday present she could have given me. She's mad that I want her to bring this woman over. Ursa. She's Avatar Roku's granddaughter and it seems my father has been hiding her under my nose this entire time. He thinks I'm going to marry one of those vain women like Meiko; well he has another thing coming. Find out about this woman, Lee." Lee nodded his head and disappeared a moment later.


"Ursa!" Meiko exclaimed when she came and joined the circle. "It's so great to see you again! It's been far too long."

Ursa looked at her warily. In school, they had not been friends, and Meiko had spread rumors about her at one point. She knew that people could change, but Ursa wasn't sure that she trusted her or her intentions. But she realized a moment later that she really needed to try to give people the benefit of the doubt, and give them a second try. Sienna hadn't been so bad. It had been years; perhaps they had all grown and matured.

"It's lovely to see you too, Meiko," She said.

"Walk with me," Meiko said, linking their arms, she steered them away from the group.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"Oh, nowhere, I just wanted to catch up with you! It's been so long. How are your parents?"

"They're good," she replied.

"Good, good," Meiko said, nodding. "That dress is lovely. The purple really suits you."

"Thanks. Your dress is pretty too. But you always look beautiful."

"Oh, you're so sweet!" She said with a laugh as she abruptly stopped. "Ursa, meet Prince Ozai." Ursa saw a look on Meiko's face, it was almost…sad.

Ursa hadn't noticed him standing there, she had been so focused on not saying the wrong thing with Meiko that she hadn't realized that she was leading her somewhere. Taking Prince Ozai in, he was older than she had remembered, and he was handsome, although the look in his eyes wasn't particularly pleasant or welcoming. She had heard so many stories about him, about how dangerous he was. Stories of his cruelty ran through the lower town, and Ikem had always said that it was good for them that Prince Iroh was to be the next Fire Lord and not Ozai. Ursa could see it in his eyes that he wasn't an easy man, but he looked pleased that she was standing there.

Remembering her manners, she bowed to him. "Happy birthday, Prince Ozai," Ursa said.

"Please rise, Ursa," Ozai said. He nodded his head once to Meiko and she disappeared. "Walk with me. Let me show you the gardens."


Ozai confidently lead Ursa out of the reception room and into the Royal gardens. Guests weren't permitted here, but with Ozai by her side, nobody was going to stop them. After all, it was his birthday.

He was intrigued by the woman on his arm. She didn't seem impressed by him, nor did she cower before him like so many other women. She didn't simper and fluff her hair. In fact, she seemed downright uninterested in him. Ozai wasn't used to being ignored by women. Wherever he went, women stared; women wanted him; but not this woman. He wanted to know why.

"Why have I never seen you before, Ursa?"

"Oh, my family doesn't come to court very often," she said in a light voice, her eyes looking forward and not at him. "My father is always busy. He works with swords, teaching people how to use them. He has dabbled in making them before but it keeps him busy."

"Swords, huh? He's not a fire bender?" Ursa shook her head. There was something in the way that she spoke that made him think that there was more to the story. He would have to find out from his father. "Perhaps I will have to speak with your father and see if he would be interested in teaching me. I'm getting bored of my current training."

"Oh! I'm sure he would be honored to teach you, Prince Ozai. I can introduce you to him."

Ozai nodded and brought her to the pond with the turtle ducks. This had been his mother's favorite spot in the palace, his father had always told him. She had always brought Iroh out here to read to him and play with him. When she got sick when she was pregnant with him, she had stopped coming, and there was a time that nobody came out to the gardens anymore. Iroh had asked for them to be restored some years earlier, and Ozai sometimes came out here and wondered what would have been, had she lived.

"Your gardens are beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," Ozai said. It was a line he used on all of the women. It got them simpering and smiling and blushing. But it seemed to have no effect on Ursa. She was a curious woman. Ozai leaned down and plucked a fire lily and handed it to her.

"Thank you."

"You're different from the other women."

"Am I?" She questioned, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm not sure how the other women are or how it makes me different. I'm just me I don't try to be anybody that I'm not."

"That's what makes you different, Ursa. The rest of these women, they are just interested in my title. They act differently in front of me. But not you."

"I don't know how you can say what I am or am not. I just met you, Prince Ozai. I don't know you at all."

Ozai was about to open his mouth to speak when he saw Lee approaching. Anger pooled in his stomach. What was he doing here?

"Your father is looking for you, Prince Ozai."

Ozai closed his eyes for a moment, a flash of anger on his face. But when he opened his eyes, he looked calm again.

"I will find you after I speak with my father. Don't go far now," he instructed, taking her hand and kissing it.


Ursa's heart was pounding and her head was spinning. The look on his face when his friend had come over had scared her, and she didn't dare move from the spot that she was rooted in beside the pond. She didn't know why he had singled her out, why Meiko had brought her to him. All of the things that she had heard about him, about his cruelty scared her. She knew that deep down he was trouble, but she didn't dare disobey him either. She didn't want to raise his temper; she didn't want to do anything that could hurt her family further. Fire Lord Azulon already didn't like her father; she couldn't add Prince Ozai to the list.

She carefully knelt down beside the pond, looking at the turtle ducks swim. This place was truly beautiful; she had never imagined that a place like this was inside the palace. The flowers were beautiful, and she looked down to see the fire lily that Prince Ozai gave her was still in her hand.

"He seems quite taken with you," a bitter voice said from behind her.

Ursa rose to her feet and turned around. Meiko stood there, looking at her with dislike and annoyance. She was taken aback. Who was taken with her? The Prince? That seemed crazy.

"You must be mistaken," Ursa replied, shaking her head.

That earned her a cruel laugh, and Meiko came closer to her. "I know Prince Ozai better than himself. You should be careful, Ursa. You don't know what you're messing with." She eyed her for a few moments. "You don't know what you have to lose."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She demanded.

Meiko simply shrugged and walked away, not looking back at her. She wanted to know more, but she felt stuck to the spot. This wasn't what she had signed up for when she came to the party tonight. A part of her wanted to ask her mother if she could just go home, even though she was sure that she would say no. She just didn't want to stay there anymore, with Meiko making threats or Prince Ozai talking to her. This was all more than she wanted. She closed her eyes and imagined herself at Ikem's house, curled up on the couch with him, talking about their future together, and eating snacks from his father's shop.

But before she could turn to leave, the prince was already returning. She turned to him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why did Meiko come and threaten me?"

"What?" Ozai questioned, looking at Ursa.

"She came out here just now and said that I should watch out because you are 'taken with me'. What is she talking about? I just met you. We were just talking." She felt uncomfortable with him there now and having this conversation. He was a prince, and she knew that she shouldn't be talking this plainly to him, her mother would be furious with her, but she couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Meiko is just jealous whenever I give any other woman attention," Ozai spoke. "But I said it before Ursa, you're different from these other women. I would like to get to know you better. If you'll have me, that is."

"I…I can't do this," she managed to get out, her eyes wide as she looked at Ozai. "I'm sorry. I need to go."

Ursa picked up the skirt of her dress and ran out of the garden.