Appa let out a low rumble as he soared through the sky. After a tear-filled reunion, they were now headed to the Earth Kingdom Palace to finally tell the Earth King about the opportunity coming with the solar eclipse; an endeavour that they had long planned on doing since their arrival in Ba Sing Se.

They also intend to confront him about Long Feng's intentions and crimes. "There it is! That whole thing is the palace." Sokka pointed to the ornate stone palace made of jade and gold, towering high right in the middle of the upper ring. "The Earth King's chamber should be in the center."

The way the palace grounds were built was not only for aesthetic purposes. The layout was designed like a fortress. On foot, it would take a good half an hour before they actually reached the palace doors from the gate of the upper ring. There were several trenches lined with large boulders that earthbenders can use for defense and attack. The pathways and the palace itself were entirely made out of green-hued stone, giving the earthbending soldiers a great upper hand when it came to combat.

"We have to be careful." Katara warned. "Long Feng's probably warned the king that we are coming."

"Why would you assume that?" Sokka's new found positive attitude was quite unnerving for the team. But after having Appa back, how could he not hope that things were finally looking up? "If you ask me, I think we're gonna sail right in—!" He was cut-off by Appa swerving hard to the left, narrowly avoiding a projectile launched at them with breakneck speed.

Toph, who was already clinging onto Appa's back for dear life, nearly ripped the bison's fur off as she tightened her hold. "W-What was that?!"

"Surface-to-air rocks!" Sokka shouted as he eyed the trenches warily. "More incoming!"

They all held on to Appa tight while the bison maneuvered in the sky, avoiding the boulders sent by the Earth Kingdom soldiers. Aang helped by using his newly acquired earthbending skills to crush the boulders before they made contact with the group.

The soldiers lined up on the stone pathway and waited for their general's signal to attack. Aang leapt forward ahead of the group and struck the ground, throwing the soldiers off balance as the stone path rose unevenly.

Appa landed safely and they sprinted towards the grand jade and gold palace doors.

They got home by nightfall. Iroh smiled as he closed the door behind them. "You did the right thing, letting the Avatar's bison go free."

But Zuko was only half-listening to his uncle. Ever since they left Lake Laogai, he had been feeling... off. Drained. Like he had done several sets of training without rest for hours. His head was aching and he felt the room spinning. "I- I don't feel right..."

Before he could reach his room to rest, his legs buckled under his own weight and he was brought to his knees. He tried to clutch the table for support, but his arms felt like they were jelly. He felt his face make contact with the floor before he lost consciousness.

"Zuko!" Uncle Iroh rushed to his nephew's side, fear steadily gripping his chest as he watched him fall.

'Zuko!'

Quinta and Reiko rested by the young woman passed out on the large bed. The Dai Li had insisted that the tea mistress must head to the palace, but she stood her ground, refusing to leave without Chiyo at her side. Reiko reluctantly folded after a lengthy discussion with the entertainer, on the condition that she would be coming along too, for the sake of making sure the child was safe.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Quinta asked worriedly as she swiped a cool, wet cloth on her forehead. "It's been half a day!"

"The shock must have been too much for her..." Reiko sat beside the bed, holding her hand, studying the young woman's face. "So that was why I felt so drawn to her... She's so much like my sister."

"You must miss her so much. How many years has it been?"

Reiko sighed. "Three decades, old Quinta. Thirty years since Suiren ran away from home-"

The floor started to shake as a tremendous force caused an explosion from outside the hallway. The Dai Li agents guarding them sprung into action, leaving the room to see what caused the abnormal disturbance.

The two women frantically locked the doors and secured the windows. "We can't stay here, Sifu. It's not safe here in Ba Sing Se anymore." Reiko gripped her skirts to stop her hands from shaking. The war was upon them. And they could no longer hide it anymore.

Quinta called her handmaidens and ordered them to stop unpacking. "We're leaving! We can't stay another day in this gods-awful city!"

"Where are we going, My Lady?"

"Home. Back to the Fire Nation."

Zuko tossed and turned in his cot, sweating profusely. He felt little relief when his uncle wiped a damp cloth across his brow and cheeks. "So thirsty..." He said weakly, opening his heavy-lidded eyes. He struggled to sit up.

It was as if his body was not his own, as if it was made out of lead and concrete.

Seeing his nephew's struggle, he put a firm hand on his shoulder and pushed him back to lie down. He scooped a ladle full of water from a bucket. "Here's some clean water to drink. Stay under the blanket and sweat this out."

Zuko grabbed the ladle and drank greedily, but it wasn't enough to quench the heat in his body. He tossed the ladle aside and grabbed the bucket, drinking from it straight and not caring as he spilled half the contents on his bare chest and on the floor. He laid back down and turned to his side.

Iroh draped the thick blankets over him and tucked him in. He isn't aware of the extent of his nephew's pain, but it doesn't matter how much it was, he wished he could take it upon himself.

The handmaiden returned with news for Lady Quinta. "My Lady, the Earth King has left the palace with all of the Dai Li and most of the Earth Kingdom soldiers. The Avatar and his friends are with him and they are heading out to the outer wall.

"The Avatar?" She gasped. "You mean, the Avatar, master of the four elements? He has returned?"

"Yes, My Lady."

The time she had long feared is nearing. With Sozin's comet upon them, the Fire Lord is sure to take advantage of its tremendous power. And with the Avatar's return, there will certainly be a devastating fight. And that scale of fight would mean casualties...

"Call Duk and tell him to prepare a carriage. We are leaving now."

The handmaiden bowed and ran out of the room to find the eunuch. Quinta went back inside the bedroom, relieved to find Chiyo awake. She hurried to the young woman's side and held her hand. "How are you feeling, child? You had us so worried!"

"I-I'm fine..." She stuttered as she tried to place the old woman in her clouded memory. "Lady Reiko told me that you know me..."

"Yes, yes..." She sat down on a stool next to the bed, letting the two other handmaidens make preparations for their travel. "Your name is Chiyo. You are an apprentice entertainer under Suiren, the greatest one there is in the Fire Nation—"

Her amber eyes widened, her lips trembling. "F-fire Nation?"

Quinta nodded. "You lived with Suiren ever since you were a newborn, and she trained you, well, we all trained you in the arts: dancing, singing, poetry, and tea." Quinta smiled and combed Chiyo's short hair with one hand. "You used to have the most beautiful, long locks..."

Chiyo looked down at their joined hands and saw the rings on Lady Quinta's fingers. They were like the ones she had on her before, and her index finger housed a large jade ring that shone with the light of the candle. "Chiyo..." She whispered her own name, testing it on her lips.

"Chiyo."

He sat in the dark throne room of the palace. It was the very throne room where he had challenged the general's plot that led to the Agni Kai and his banishment. But now, he was in the place where the Fire Lord sits, among the tall pillars and the dais engulfed in flames. In front of him, a battalion of soldiers stood silent, waiting for his command.

"Fire Lord Zuko..."

He remained expressionless as two dragons slithered along the pillars, winding their elongated bodies around it and bringing their faces level to his own.

"It's getting late... Are you planning to retire soon, My Lord?" It was the blue dragon that spoke, languidly circling him repeatedly.

"I'm not tired." Firelord Zuko replied simply. This voice... it was so familiar, yet strange.

"Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let go... Give in to it... Shut your eyes for a while."

He felt tired all of a sudden, his lids growing weary. He was about to follow the dragon's commands until the other dragon spoke up with a roar. "NO Fire Lord Zuko! Do not listen to the blue dragon! You should get out of here, right now! GO! Before it's too late!"

The red dragon spoke with urgency whereas the blue dragon spoke calmly, her voice lulling him to sleep. The fire of the throne room dimmed slowly. "Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko."

The pillars and walls around him crumbled down, the ground beneath him disappeared, leaving only black, endless abyss. He looked around desperately for something, for anything.

Two golden eyes glowed in the darkness and he felt genuine fear grip him. "Sleep," The blue dragon came in to view, and it lunged at him with its mouth wide open. "Just like MOTHER!"

In the darkness, he heard her voice. The voice of his mother, calling for him, screaming for help. He tried to stand up and run to her, but the throne he sat on held him down, pulling him under. He clawed at the abyss to no avail and eventually, the darkness took him.

After the long day of journeying to the outer wall and proving Long Feng's traitorous actions against the Earth Kingdom, they went back to the palace.

King Kuei sat on his throne, feeling the weight of the war on his shoulders. "I want to thank you, young heroes, for opening my eyes. All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools. And that makes me... the king fool." He looked down at his beloved bear, Bosco, who was napping peacefully at his feet. He hid his face in his hands in shame and frustration. "We are at war... with the Fire Nation."

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, your Highness." Sokka stepped forward. "Because we think you can help us end the war."

"We don't have much time." Aang said in a serious and urgent tone. "There's a comet coming this summer. Its energy will give the firebenders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable!"

"But there is hope. Before the comet comes, we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming." The King raised his brows at their information, but kept silent and let them continue. "The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and the firebenders will be helpless."

"What are you suggesting, Sokka?"

"That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation. The Day of Black Sun."

Luckily, he had found the special chi-enhancing tea he had acquired from Kai's employer. It was the same tea that he had brewed for the late Chiyo when she too was bedridden and sick. He watched silently as Zuko slept while waiting for the water to boil. Fortunately, his fever had gone down, but he was still weak and in pain.

"You should know, this is not a natural sickness." Iroh poured the steaming tea into two cups and carefully held one to Zuko's chapped lips. "But that should not stop you from enjoying tea."

The prince drank slowly and looked up at his uncle. "W-what? What's happening?"

"Your critical decision, what you did beneath that lake... It was in such conflict with your image of yourself that you are now at war with your own mind and body."

Zuko coughed uncomfortably, his muscles aching at the jerking movement as he did. "What's that mean?" He laid back down on the cot. Before he could even hear his uncle's reply, sleep had taken him once more, pulling him into welcome numbness of the abyss.

"You're going through a metamorphosis, my nephew. It will not be a pleasant experience." Iroh grabbed a cool cloth from the basin and wiped his forehead. "But when you come out of it, you will be the beautiful prince you were always meant to be."

"I have to go back to the lower ring, Lady Reiko. I have to tell, Kai..." She looked up at the lady pleadingly. They were in a carriage, currently passing through the middle ring, every second further away from the palace.

"There's no time, Li—Chiyo..." Reiko held her hand. "We have to leave now. Ba Sing Se is no longer safe."

"If it's no longer safe, then I need to warn him!"

"Chiyo—!" Once the carriage passed the gates of the middle ring, she opened the doors of the carriage and jumped out. Much like before, she sprinted as fast as her clothes allowed her and searched for Kai.

Eventually, she found him in Mrs. Chu's stall, dropping off the last crates of her order. "Kai!"

He whipped his head around. "Lily!" He ran, meeting her halfway, and pulled her in his arms. "You were gone... I thought you had run away..." He whispered into her hair. He released her from the hug and looked her over, checking for any signs that she may have been hurt. Instead, he noticed her new clothes and shoes. "What happened? What's all this?"

"There's no time to explain..." She said with urgency. "Just know that Ba Sing Se is no longer safe... You have to go back to your town."

Kai nodded, trusting her fully, and took her hand in his. "Alright. We'll pack our bags and we'll take the monorail back to the ferries—"

"I-I can't go back with you, Kai..."

He tensed. "If this is about what happened the other night, I'm sorry... not for confessing and kissing you, but I'm sorry that I ran away. I should've stayed..."

She looked down at their feet, biting her lip, wondering if it was right to tell him. "Kai... I found out who I was... or who I am..." His emerald eyes widened and he waited for her to continue. "I am an apprentice entertainer-"

"That's okay!" Kai laughed in relief and ruffled her hair. "That would certainly explain the kimono, fans, and makeup! Yona would love to hear all about it once we get home!"

Home. She didn't even know if she had a home, but for Kai to offer his freely, it was too much. It pained her so much, but she had to tell him. "I can't go back with you because I have to return..."

"Return where?"

"To the Royal Caldera City."

His heart sank upon hearing her words. He took a step back as if her touch physically burned him. "Y-You're Fire Nation?"

"Kai—"

"Chiyo!" Quinta called from the carriage. It took a while but they finally found her. "We must go, now!"

"Please, Kai... Come with us now, and let's leave Ba Sing Se..."

"You're Fire Nation..." He repeated, still not believing it.

Reiko got off the carriage after having gotten impatient and took her by the arm. "If he doesn't want to come with you just because of where you were born, that's his problem!"

"But, Lady Reiko—"

"No more stop-overs! We're taking you straight back home to my sister!" She turned to Kai one last time, giving him a sad look. "She's out of your league, young man. More than you could ever know. Forget her."

He stood there and watched as the carriage sped off. His mind a mess, more so his heart.