Katara and Kahina emerged from the path at the same time Zuko jerked up with a loud gasp. His head swiveled around, his eyes wide and disoriented.

"Zuko!" Katara broke into a run and dropped into the grass beside him, grabbing his face in her hands. "Zuko, you're back!"

He blinked owlishly, his eyes still too wide and his face peaked. His hands wrapped around her wrists.

"Katara?" His voice was a harsh whisper. Zuko squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He looked back up at her. "Is this real?"

Katara stared into his eyes. His pupils were dilated and nearly blocked out all of the gold. She drew him into a hug, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. He released his hold on her wrists and laid his hands on her shoulders. She could feel the way he trembled under her touch.

"Yes, Zuko. It's real. I'm real. You're back in the Garden." She paused before she added, "You're back with me."

At her words, Zuko slipped his arms around her the rest of the way. He drew her in as close as he could against himself, until he could feel her heart beating against his chest and knew that she was really here, and he was back from that strange dream-place.

"The after-effects can be a bit disorienting." Katara pulled back enough to look up at Kahina. The Oracle offered her an apologetic smile. "It should wear off in an hour or so, and he will be fully back to normal."

Zuko disentangled himself from Katara and sank back down onto the grass, stretching his legs out in front of him. He scrubbed his hand over his face. He blinked several more times. "My head feels strange."

"That's to be expected, I'm afraid." Kahina knelt down beside them and brought her hand up to Zuko's forehead. Her palm glowed a pearly white as she ran her hand across his skin. She nodded once, satisfied by what she found. "You're coming out of it quite nicely. Some people remain...disoriented for much longer. Take it easy for a while and you should be back to normal soon. It probably won't even take an hour."

Zuko drew his knees up and braced his arms on them. He let his head rest on his forearms as he let out a shaky breath. Katara and Kahina watched him silently for several moments. Zuko breathed deeply in and out before he turned his face toward Katara. A half-smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I'm glad you didn't drink it too. It definitely makes you feel weird." He arched his brow at Katara. "I wonder if this is how Sokka felt when he drank that cactus juice."

Katara laughed. She couldn't help it. If he was making jokes, he was alright, and she felt relieved.

"Oh no, I'm sure Sokka felt way worse than you do. He was really out of it." She rested her hand on his shoulder. "What did you find out?"

Zuko opened his mouth to reply, but Kahina interrupted him. "Let him recover first, Princess Katara," she warned. "He needs to be clear-headed when he relays the insights he has gained."

Katara frowned, but she nodded. "Okay." She sighed. "I guess I can wait a little longer." She looked back at Zuko. "Do you need anything? Water, maybe? Or something to eat."

He grimaced. "Food is the last thing I want right now. But some water would be nice."

Kahina rose. "I'll get some for you, Fire Lord. Rest. I'll return shortly." The Oracle walked back into the Garden.

Katara cupped his cheek in her hands and studied him. "You're really okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." He massaged his temple. "Like I said, I just feel strange. But it's passing." A stormy expression passed over his face and disappeared just as quickly.

Katara frowned at him. "What's wrong?"

He kept his face blank. "Let's...let's just listen to Kahina, okay? I'll tell you everything once my…" Zuko trailed off, shaking his head again. "Once my head clears."

"Well...okay."

He laid back in the grass suddenly, but he caught Katara's wrist and guided her down to the grass alongside him.

"Come lay with me for a bit. Hopefully this passes soon."

Katara smiled as she settled her head on his shoulder, draping one arm across his middle. He wrapped his arm around her while his free hand came up to rest on hers, which she had placed on his stomach. Katara could hear the steady beat of his heart in his chest and his smooth breathing. Outwardly, everything seemed fine. But she couldn't help but wonder what he had seen.

They didn't speak as they lay there. Katara couldn't see his face, and she suspected Zuko had done that intentionally. Anxiety seeped into her belly, cold and sharp. What had he seen? And how bad was it? Scenarios of varying degrees of disaster played in her head. She hoped he would recover soon and Kahina would give him the okay to talk about it. She didn't know how much longer she could wait.

His husky voice brought her from her reverie. "I love you, Katara."

She raised her head to look at him, her brow furrowing. Zuko's eyes were closed, but she could see the drawn lines of his mouth and the deep shadows beneath his good eye. "I love you too, but I don't like the sound of that. The way you said it...makes me feel uneasy."

His eyes opened. She could see that his pupils had somewhat shrunk, but he still didn't look like his normal self. He stroked her cheek lovingly. "You'll know soon enough." His eyes closed again and he released a heavy breath. "I just hope all of this was worth it."

Katara opened her mouth to speak, but his other arm came up to press against her head gently. Katara relented and settled back on his chest, frowning. Kahina better hurry up, she thought impatiently. Or I'm going to go crazy.

They lay in silence for a while until Katara heard the whisper of grass. She bolted upright and turned to see Kahina emerging from the treeline. She was carrying a tray with cups on it. Zuko sat up slowly, slipping one arm around her waist. Katara leaned against him and together they watched the Oracle come to sit beside them.

"Are you feeling more clear now, Fire Lord?" Kahina asked as she passed him a cup.

"I am." Zuko took the cup from her, and Katara noticed that his fingertips were trembling. His trip to...wherever he had gone had done a number on him. He drank deeply. "I feel almost normal again."

Katara took the drink Kahina offered her and forced herself to take a sip. "Can he tell us what he saw now?"

Kahina leaned over to brush her glowing palm over his forehead again. Her brow was furrowed, but when she withdrew her hand, the Oracle nodded.

"He should be fine now to talk about it." Kahina locked eyes with Zuko. "But, if at any time, you start to feel strange, you must stop and tell me, do you understand?"

"Strange how?" Katara inquired.

"If he starts to feel...distant, like he's drifting away." Kahina looked over at Zuko. "Or any changes to your vision, or if you hear things you know you shouldn't." Kahina looked at him sternly. "Usually, I would request that you wait a little longer, but I feel like this is too urgent for that."

"You're right." Zuko grimaced as he rested the cup on his knee. His eyes were focused on the glowing water. "The things I saw...if we don't get this right, things don't look good for Aang or the Conduit."

Katara looked at him fervently. "What did you see, Zuko?"

"I saw their fight. Their final fight." His jaw was a taut line, and he still wouldn't look at her. "My sister hired those assassins who tried to kill me."

Katara gasped. She shouldn't have been surprised, but somehow she was. "Azula? But I thought—" Katara didn't know what she had thought. In truth, she hadn't thought much about Zuko's sister at all.

"It turns out she's been plotting to take me down. She found out about the Conduit, and she's going to try to control her to take out Aang." Zuko sounded dejected. "She thinks as long as he's out of the way and she has the Conduit under her control, no one will be able to stop her."

"Oh, Zuko." Katara squeezed his hand.

He shook his head slowly. "Azula doesn't know what she's messing with." He finally looked at her. "We've seen the Conduit in action. Azula hasn't. She's in way over her head. And yet…"

"What?" Katara prompted impatiently. She was a ball of nervous energy. Every word Zuko spoke sent a shiver of anxiety through her.

"She captured her." Zuko's eyes fell closed. "Well, those assassins did anyway. After we were attacked in the desert."

"We have to get her away from them, then," Katara said determinedly.

But Zuko shook his head. "No. We won't make it in time. The assassins are on their way to the Fire Nation with her right now. We're too late."

Tears burned in Katara's eyes as his words sunk in. Things were even worse than she had imagined. "So what do we do, Zuko? How do we save Aang?" She hadn't meant to say it quite like that. Katara had meant how do we save the world, but Zuko's eyes flashed to hers, filled with something she couldn't quite name.

"We have to go to the Fire Nation. We have to—" He winced and shook his head.

"Fire Lord?" Kahina spoke for the first time since he had begun to divulge what he had seen. "Are you alright?"

Zuko heaved a sigh and dropped his hands. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked at Katara. "Things are bad, Katara. The Conduit...she showed me…" He inhaled shakily. "Azula has taken over. She's claimed my throne already."

Katara gaped at him. She felt like she couldn't breathe. The world seemed to waver at the edges of her vision. "How?" she finally managed to rasp out.

Zuko shook his head. "I don't know. All I know is that the Conduit showed me Azula in the throne room at the palace." His mouth twisted into an angry scowl. "She's wearing the Fire Lord's crown. Somehow, she staged a coup."

"But what about your mom? And Kiyi? My brother?" Katara's voice rose in octaves until it was a high-pitched squeak. "Are they okay? Did she hurt them?"

"I don't know, Katara." His tone was sharp. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "The Conduit didn't show me or tell me, so I don't know what's going on other than the fact that Azula is in the Royal Palace." He looked up at her with a sad expression in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew more."

A tear rolled down her cheek and Katara wiped it away angrily. "Then we need to go. We have to take Azula down and make sure our families are okay."

"I know." He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We will."

"The Equinox is only three weeks away. By the time we get out of the desert, the assassins and the Conduit will already be well on their way to the Fire Nation. We'll never make it in time." Katara chewed her lip in thought. "How are we going to get out of here? Beast is dead."

"We'll figure something out." Zuko's brow knitted unhappily. Without an animal steed, it would take them well over a week to get out of the desert, and even longer to get back to the ship in Gaoling."

Kahina spoke up again. "I have a solution for your issue of transportation."

Zuko looked past Katara at the Oracle, arching his brow skeptically. "What, do you have a komodo rhino here or something?"

She looked at Katara knowingly. "Allow me to introduce you to Dagny." The Oracle stood. "I'll be right back with her." She glanced down at Zuko. "I know that timing is of the essence, Fire Lord, but I implore you to take this night to rest, and leave at daybreak."

Zuko climbed to his feet with some effort. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't think we can wait any longer. My sister is...she's bad. And if she's in the palace, that means she has my mom and my sister." His gaze flickered to Katara. "Sokka and Suki, and everyone else at the palace, too. We need to find out if they're okay."

"I understand." Kahina bowed. "I will prepare Dagny for travel, and give you some provisions for your journey then." She spun on her heel and disappeared down the path she had led Katara down earlier.

When they were alone, Katara stood up. She slid her arms around Zuko's waist and pressed her face into his chest, smelling his familiar scent and feeling comforted when his arms wrapped around her. He kissed the top of her head.

"Everyone is going to be fine," he murmured into her hair. "The Conduit told me more, about what's going to happen."

Katara pulled back to look at him. He brought one hand up to brush away the tears she hadn't realized had fallen down her cheeks. Before she could speak, Zuko pressed his lips to hers. Katara let her eyes close as she soaked up his gentle kiss. She was finally starting to feel a little content when he drew back. When Katara opened her eyes, his expression was turbulent.

"Somehow, Azula is going to control the Conduit. She's going to send her to fight Aang. Aang found out how to save them both and avert the prophecy from someone called the Sieshin Lord, but it'll be useless if the Conduit is under Azula's control." His brow was furrowed and his eyes were smouldering. "I know how to break Azula's hold. I've just got to get that information to Aang."

"So are we going to Ba Sing Se, then?" Katara frowned. "But what about my brother? Your sister? We can't let them stay in Azula's clutches. Who knows what she'll do to them." Her voice dropped to a whisper and she looked away from him. "If she hasn't killed them already."

Zuko cupped her chin in his hand and brought her eyes back to his. "Don't think like that, Katara. This isn't over yet. And if I know my sister, she won't—" He cut off suddenly and shook his head as if to clear away the thought. "She's going to use them as leverage."

"She thinks you're dead though, doesn't she?"

Zuko nodded. "And we can use that to our advantage." The corner of his mouth quirked up in a humorless smile. "Imagine her surprise when I show up to take back my throne...again."

Katara allowed herself a small smile at the thought. "Okay." She released a breath. "So, we meet up with Aang, Iroh, and Toph in Ba Sing Se, then we go back to the Fire Nation." She pursed her lips sullenly. "Do you think we'll make it before the Equinox?"

"We have to. It seems destined that Aang and the Conduit are going to battle it out." He licked his lips nervously. "I've just got to tell Aang what I know so he can stop the Conduit from destroying him. If I can do that before they fight, then maybe it can be avoided."

"You don't sound confident that'll happen." Katara cocked her head to the side. "There's more, isn't there? That the Conduit showed you."

Zuko looked away from her. "The Conduit seemed pretty convinced that she and Aang are going to fight, even though I know how to break Azula's control. So maybe there's a chance we don't make it to Ba Sing Se in time."

"Then should we go at all? Or should we just go to the Fire Nation?"

"I don't know!" His tone was exasperated, and Zuko raked his hand through his hair. He turned away from her suddenly, leaving Katara to stare at his back. His hands clenched into fists at his sides and he brought them up to press them into his temples. "I don't know. The Conduit told me...what she showed me...she said there were two ways this would end. One of them is that she and Aang kill each other. They're fighting in the Fire Nation, in a crater. They power up and collide and that's the end of them."

"Zuko—" Katara stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder, but he wasn't done talking.

"The second way is that I tell Aang what's happening, and he's able to stop her. The Conduit told me that she and Aang are going to confront each other at that volcano no matter what, so that means I didn't make it in time to tell him before the fighting starts. We didn't meet up with him in Ba Sing Se." Zuko dropped his hands to his sides. He turned back to Katara. His expression was dark and stormy. "So I don't think we should go to Ba Sing Se."

Katara watched him for a moment, her mind racing as she processed what he had told her. She set her mouth in a determined scowl. "We're overthinking this." She shook her head. "We've become consumed by this...idea that we need to do things a certain way to follow our destinies, or what we think are our destinies. We can't do that."

"So what do you propose?" He sounded drained. Katara could see the exhaustion in the sag of his shoulders and the listlessness in his eyes. His fire was dying out. He needed to rest and recover, but she wasn't sure she would be able to convince him.

She reached out and took both of his hands in hers. "We need to trust our instincts. What is your gut telling you we should do, Zuko?"

He considered that for a moment, looking down at their interlocked hands. When his eyes met hers, some of the spark had returned. "We need to go to the Fire Nation."

"That's what my instincts are telling me, too." Katara smiled at him. "So that's what we'll do."

Suddenly, there was a sudden sound of great wings beating against the sky and they both turned to the source of the sound. Another grin split Katara's face as she saw Dagny rise above the treetops. Kahina sat on a saddle on the phoenix's back. Dagny flew over the trees and began to descend into the clearing.

"What is that?" Zuko was wary and awestruck as he took in the massive bird.

"That—" Katara looked up at him. "—is our ride. Meet Dagny." Katara pulled him toward Kahina and the phoenix. "She's friendly." She let out a happy sigh, suddenly feeling lighter. Having a plan...it improved her mood. She was still worried about her family, but she felt better now that she could do something about it.

"I've never seen anything like her." Zuko cocked his head. "Well, she kind of reminds me of the dragons. But with a shorter neck. And feathers."

"She reminds me more of ostrich horses. But more magnificent."

They stopped just in front of Dagny. The phoenix lowered herself to the ground and Kahina moved to carefully dismount, and Zuko went to help her down. Kahina offered him a grateful smile when she was back on the ground, and Zuko nodded to her.

"Dagny will get you to the Fire Nation in record time," Kahina told them. "However, she will need food and rest between flights, so make sure you do that. I've supplied enough food for her for your journey. You need to take care of her."

"She's very important," Katara informed Zuko as she stroked the phoenix's neck feathers. She looked up at Kahina. "We'll take great care of her, Kahina. We won't let anything happen to her."

Kahina nodded. "Thank you, Princess Katara." Her hands folded over her stomach. "When you no longer need her, Dagny will return here to me." She looked at Zuko. "Are you sure you won't rest before you go?"

He shook his head. "No. We've wasted too much time already." He held his hand out to the phoenix, who nudged it with her beak. Zuko petted her. "Alright, girl, are you ready to fly?" Dagny cawed loudly in response. He grinned in spite of himself. "I'm with you, girl." He looked at Katara. "What about you? Are you ready?"

She gave him a determined look. "I'm more than ready." Her eyes trailed across his bare chest. "Maybe we ought to find you a shirt first."

Zuko looked down as if he had just remembered that he was shirtless. "Oh. That might not be a bad idea." He looked at her sheepishly before his expression darkened. "I bet some of our supplies are still in the desert. I can probably find a shirt."

Katara winced as she thought of Beast. "Yeah, probably." She released a sigh. "Okay. Let's get going then." She turned to Kahina and bowed. "Thank you so much for all of your help. It's been an honor."

The Oracle returned the gesture. "And it has been an honor assisting the two of you. May the spirits bless your journey." When she straightened up, her eyes had a knowing twinkle to them.

Zuko grabbed onto the saddle and pulled himself up onto the phoenix's back before he extended his hand to Katara. She took it and allowed him to pull her into the saddle in front of him. Dagny bobbed her head as she squawked, her clawed feet digging at the grass.

Kahina smiled. "She's ready to go. Fly fast and safe, Fire Lord, Princess Katara."

"We will." Zuko dipped his head respectfully. "And thank you...for everything."

Kahina nodded.

Zuko took the reins in his hands. It didn't seem that much different from steering Beast. He exhaled and leaned around to look at Katara. "Are you ready?"

She nodded determinedly. "Let's go."

He planted a quick kiss on her cheek before he snapped the reins. As Dagny beat her wings and lifted skyward, the edges of her wings and tail seemed to shimmer with fire. The long feathers on the crown of her head seemed to be aflame, as well. She was breathtaking to behold.

She flew over the Garden and above the forest of dead trees. Leaving a trail of flame behind her that dissipated as she flew, Dagny crossed over the edge of the canyon as dawn's first light tinged the skies.

The phoenix carried them east toward the Fire Nation, where their destiny lay waiting.