"The Foggy Swamp"

"Uncle Iroh!" The shout came from Zuko's suite, later in the evening.

"Oho, coming!" Iroh stood at attention in the doorway. "You bellowed, Prince Zuko?"

"Find Katara," Zuko instructed. "I—well, I … I want her to hear a song."

"Right away. I—" Iroh's expression changed as Zuko's words registered. Then his waxen countenance lit up. "Splendid," he said, almost to himself. "Of course, I'll be right back." He scurried off to find Katara.

He checked all the usual places: her room, the library, even the kitchen where the Kyoshi Warriors were busy planning and starting to prepare food for the Solstice. But Katara seemed to have vanished from the castle.

Finally he headed to the ballroom and adjacent dining hall, where Meng was directing the efforts of Aunt Wu, Chief Arnook, Princess Yue, and most of the winter ornaments in decorating.

"Excuse me," Iroh spoke up. "Does anyone know where Katara is? Prince Zuko wants to see her immediately – would you believe it, he has a song he wants her to hear!"

"That's wonderful!" Aunt Wu said happily.

"Last I saw her," Yue said, frowning thoughtfully, "she was going with Aang to look for a Yule log, or a tree they could use as one."

"We must conduct a search of the grounds," Iroh decided. "Chief Arnook, you're with me."

They could hear Zuko's bellowing from the upstairs hall. "Uncle! I'm waiting!"

"Oh dear," Arnook said. "Yue, stall the Prince. All right, Iroh, shall we?"

The two of them went outside, where the setting sun was pouring slanted light onto the grounds. They found Katara's footprints in the snow, but they ranged from a day ago to just hours ago.

"Where is she?" Arnook harrumphed.

"Arnook, look at this." Iroh gestured to a different imprint in the snow. "It's from the sky bison—Appa, I believe."

"Did she take him for a walk?" Arnook said quizzically. He frowned. "She wouldn't …"

Iroh hopped from one bison imprint to another, following the trail toward the outer gate. Then, he gaped at what lay beyond, as it clicked in his mind. "The Foggy Swamp."

"Are you suggesting that …"

"Come on!" Iroh slipped through the metal bars of the gate.

"This is catastrophic!" Arnook all but moaned.

Zuko had it all planned out.

First, he would apologize for acting so rudely earlier. He would tell her that it was fine with him if they wanted to celebrate the New Year.

If she mentioned the gift she had left for him, he would open it, and then have Azula play Katara's song. Otherwise, they would wait until the Solstice to exchange gifts.

He didn't think it would take Iroh long to find her and tell her where to go. But nearly half an hour passed, judging from the candle burning low and the fact that the sun had set entirely. The room was dark again.

Why am I still waiting?

Zuko yelled again. "Princess Yue?" The girl wasn't one of his servants, but she might know where Katara was.

"Oh—coming!" A moment later Yue rolled in on the cart, which was laid out with a full tea service. "Good evening, Zuko," she greeted.

"Yue, where's Katara?"

"How about some tea?

Grudgingly Zuko accepted a cup.

"Azula," Zuko said loudly. "Play Katara's song."

The music was slow, and would have been beautiful with several instruments, but the way the pipe organ played it, it sounded like a halfhearted drawl.

"You're not singing," Zuko almost growled.

Now the music sounded pained. "Winter, spring, summer and fall …" It was a song about time passing, and about the different types of love—brotherly, paternal, friendly, and romantic. It seemed appropriate for the changing of the season.

"More tea, Zuko?" Yue asked. "Iroh says it's good for the heart."

"No, thank you."

"If you're sure …"

"Princess Yue." Zuko's voice was low and dangerous. "Are you trying to distract me?"

"Goodness, no." Yue glanced around the room. "Um … I like how you decorated in here," she offered, grasping at straws for small talk.

"Enough!" Zuko said, and the music stopped abruptly. "Where's my uncle? Where's Katara?"

"Katara?" Yue said, shrinking back. "We … can't find her, Zuko."

Zuko rose from his chair. "WHAT?" Yue was spared from answering as he threw the doors open and strode into the organ room.

He snatched the magic mirror from the table. "Show me the girl," he said through clenched teeth.

The image swirled, and then continued to swirl; Zuko realized it was showing wind and snow. And through it, he could make out Katara, wrapped in a blanket, holding Aang in her hands – sitting on Appa's saddle.

Zuko almost shook with anger. His thoughts were confused, but they boiled down to a few points.

Katara had promised him, in no uncertain terms, to forfeit her freedom and stay in the castle. He had trusted her to keep that promise. Yet here was the proof: she had left him.

Zuko was almost shaking with rage. Why? Had she left because of the way he acted?

"The only one keeping us prisoner here is you. Well, I'm not giving up."

"I will bring her back," Zuko swore.

"No!" Azula tried to recover herself and sound reasonable. "She has abandoned you. Listen to your sister, won't you? Have I ever steered you wrong? Led you astray? No; but the girl … she just torments you. That's all she's done, and that's all she'll ever do." She was steadily nursing the seed of doubt in Zuko's heart.

"Take it from me, Zuko: don't fall in love," Azula advised.

Zuko had heard enough. He slammed the mirror back on the table, causing the flower jar to shake. Then he stormed out of the suite, leaving Azula to wonder if she had won.

He stalked downstairs to the dining hall, where Meng had just put the finishing touches on the decorations. "I have to admit," Meng said to Aunt Wu, sounding impressed against her will "it's not bad."

They could hear Zuko storm down the corridor into the room. As he made his way through, he tore down the wall hangings, and overturned the table laid with place settings and a centerpiece. The animated objects ran or rolled away in fear, seeing him destroy what few decorations couldn't think and talk for themselves. When he had undone all of their work, he stomped to the front doors and went outside.

Meng stood up slowly and looked around at the destroyed decorations. Then she closed her eyes, not wanting to see it.

"I knew it was hopeless," Meng said, dejected and miserable.

"I don't understand," Arnook panted. "Didn't you tell me Prince Zuko made her promise not to leave? She understands the honor of an oath. And why would she leave now, when things were just getting better?"

"Why do you think? To find a decent tree for the Yule log," Iroh said, as though it were obvious.

"All this trouble for that?" Arnook exclaimed.

"She wants to please Zuko," Iroh said, a bit somber. "I believe that's her real reason for planning this celebration – she wants to make him happy, and give him hope."

"But she already does that," Arnook said, almost matter-of-factly.

"I'm not sure she realizes it. You know he doesn't express his feelings well; and if he did, she can't see them behind that mask."

They climbed up a large tree root so they could get a better view of their surroundings. Unfortunately the telescope was lagging behind the candelabrum.

"I'll never make it," Arnook groaned. "Go on, Iroh. Save yourself; find Katara and Aang."

Iroh ignored him, but seemed agitated nonetheless. "At this rate, it will be summer by the time we reach them."

"Don't say that. You know what happens between now and next summer?"

It was the first time Arnook caused Iroh to be at a loss of words. Arnook nodded, his lens bobbing up and down. "Your nephew will turn twenty-one. You know what that means. We'll be enchanted forever."

"That's irrelevant now," Iroh muttered, before sliding down the inclined tree root. "We have a friend to save."

Katara hadn't forgotten about the last time she went to the Foggy Swamp. But she reasoned that she would have less to fear now, since she had improved her bending so much over the past month, between studying scrolls in the library and sparring with Zuko.

It was Aang who spotted what they were looking for, as they flew low over the canopy. "Look Katara! That must be it."

The tree stood on a lone island of solid ground. Its trunk was about a foot in diameter, sturdy, and smelled good.

"You're right, Aang. It's perfect."

She had Appa land on the island and slid down, shivering. "We'd better hurry; it's getting very stormy." She focused on the snow on the ground, summoned it and turned it into water. Then, so fast that Aang almost didn't see, Katara sliced her hand through the air; the water sliced through the bottom of the tree trunk, and it started to tilt away from them.

"TIMBER!" Aang shouted.

Ty Lee watched, hiding in the saddle, as the tree fell down. "Oh, I have to do something," she murmured. "Azula's counting on me." She climbed down onto the side of the saddle, and examined how it was fastened to the bison. While Katara was busy dragging the tree onto Appa, Ty Lee worked unseen, loosening the ropes the held the saddle securely on the bison. They finished at almost the same time.

"Take it away, Appa!" Katara carried Aang into the saddle.

Ty Lee lost her grip and fell down the bison's side. She had to run after Appa as Katara steered him into an area under a break in the canopy.

A new thought occurred to Ty Lee: She could be left behind, and not be able to return to the castle. She hadn't even thought of that – and it seemed that Azula hadn't either, otherwise she wouldn't have sent Ty Lee out to make sure Katara didn't return.

Right?

She slid down the snowy slope of the island, and then skidded on the ice, going right past the bison and his passengers. She cried out and then landed flat on the ice, spinning almost in a circle.

"Ty Lee?" Katara exclaimed.

She turned around, trying to act nonchalant. "Uh, hi, Katara—Aang."

"What are you doing way out here?"

"Oh—I was just, um—walking, in the snow … I, ah …" She slipped on the ice, letting out a horrific high-pitched whistle. At the sound, Appa bucked, standing almost entirely on his rear legs; the saddle slid down his tail and onto the ice; Appa's front legs came down so hard they broke the ice before him.

"Oh no!" Katara and Aang were floating in the saddle on one piece of ice, while the tree was on another, though still tied to the saddle. Appa crawled out of the water, onto a small island.

"Katara, we're losing the tree!" Aang exclaimed. The rope was pulled taut, and then broke one fiber at a time, until it snapped and the tree came loose. When it did, the saddle jolted, and Aang was tossed into the air, before landing in the water.

"Aang!" Katara leaned over the edge of the saddle, trying to see into the water. As a teacup, Aang didn't need air to breathe; but he was in danger of sinking to the bottom, or getting stuck in the mud, and either fate could result in never being found again. "Hold on, Aang!" She sucked in her breath and dove into the water.

Appa and Ty Lee were the only ones there when Iroh and Arnook made it to the half-frozen area of swampland. "Where is Katara?" Arnook demanded.

"She went under the water – she might be under the ice now," Ty Lee said.

"We have to save her!" Iroh exclaimed, hopping across the ice that was still intact.

Ty Lee frowned. "She's a waterbender, isn't she?"

"Even waterbenders can drown," Iroh said grimly. "Or, more likely, die from hypothermia."

"Oh no, oh gosh," Ty Lee panted, hopping across the ice with the others. Azula had said to make sure Katara didn't return, but Ty Lee certainly didn't want the girl to die, especially not because of her. "Oh no, oh gosh … oh no!"

Suddenly she saw Katara's face beneath her, pressing a hand against the ice at the surface. Ty Lee let out a whistle of a scream, pointing to the spot where Katara was trapped.

With a roar, Iroh slashed at the ice, melting a line that cracked further. Katara was able to push through, and broke the surface. She gasped for air, and held Aang up over the ice. "Aang … thank the spirits you're all right," she panted.

"Thanks for saving me," Aang said respectfully.

Iroh and Arnook still looked concerned. "Can you get out?" Arnook asked.

"I –" Katara considered; she was soaking wet, freezing, and already felt exhausted. Her antarctic survival instincts kicked in. She knew she was losing energy and her body temperature was dropping, but if she could get out of the water she might survive. "Get back," she said to the others. She kicked her legs in the water and tried to lift herself up onto the ice; but when she pushed down, the ice broke beneath her hands, and she fell into the water again.

"No!" more than one object shouted.

Katara was sinking in the dark water. She tried to move her arms and bend the water, but the freezing cold was making her numb, and fear finished the job of paralyzing her. Now she couldn't tell which way was up. Scattered images and memories swam before her mind's eye.

Swam … swimming … have to swim … but there's no shore … just a wall …

She was backed up against a wall, until someone leaped in front of her.

She was being rescued, but was she going to be any better now?

"This isn't over." Those were Jet's last words to her.

The Blue Spirit was in front of her, moving closer, closer …

"What is he doing here?" Ty Lee blurted.

"Who knows? Who cares?" Aang said. All that mattered was that he was rescuing Katara.

A moment later, Zuko broke through the ice at the surface. He climbed out, holding an unconscious girl in his arms.

"Katara!" Aang was happy and relieved to see she was safe.

Zuko didn't seem to notice them. He walked resolutely, almost stomping on the ice. Iroh scooped up Aang, just before Zuko stepped where he had been. Appa started to follow him back to the castle.

"Oh no," Ty Lee said, staring after them in slight shock. "What have I done? It's all my fault …" She would have cried, if she had been able to produce tears.

Only Arnook tried to correct her. "We all share some blame, for daring to hope for a New Year."