Bon appetite!

The darkness was thick with the stale scent of time. Her nose wrinkled in response to the stench.

He was no longer there.

A shriek of rage escaped her lips and echoed off the walls of the stone room. The darkness fled in the face of her fury, leaving the area washed blue in the intense light of her fire.

The Fire Lord was gone from his prison. Relocated, not executed. Her brother lacked the conviction to end his life, or hers for that matter. Zuko was apt to making mistakes and that had been his biggest one.

Azula prided herself on her ruthless nature and her pride was far from misplaced.

She would do whatever it took to restore the rightful royalty in the Fire Nation.

Anything.

"Yukya, have you seen your aunt?"

The girl did not look at Zuko when he spoke to her. She was focused solely on the small stream of water before her that twisted and looped this way and that under her young, but quite obviously skilled command. For moment, he was not sure if she had even heard him.

"She was on the back deck earlier," Yukya replied deliberately, trying hard not to break her focus. "I think she's sick. The sailors say she hasn't got her sea legs yet."

Zuko frowned. A Waterbender getting motion sickness on the water? He had not known that was possible. Especially considering that she had flown around the world on a Flying Bison with no trouble in their youth and they were already a fortnight out at sea.

"Thank you," the Fire Lord mumbled the reply before he set off for the stern of the ship.

He had no trouble finding the Waterbender. The noise of her retching over the tall rail of the ship made him cringe. Generally he had no trouble being around sick people, but when they began to vomit he vacated their company as soon as he was able to.

"Katara?" Zuko called out her name to give her some warning to his presence.

Despite the warning, Katara started at the sudden sound and turned quickly to face him. She had her mouth covered with a silken handkerchief. A trinket from Aang, no doubt.

"Zuko," her voice was muffled by the fine cloth, "I'm sorry you had to catch me like this."

"Are you okay?" He deflected the apology and walked to up to her.

"Just a little nausea."

"You're certain?"

Katara nodded. "I'll be fine in a little bit."

"I can make you some tea to settle your stomach," Zuko offered. "Uncle taught me the recipe."

"That would be lovely."

The Fire Lord turned and started back to his cabins. Again he passed Yukya, who had abandoned her practice to watch one of the sailors play a thin wooden flute.

"Yukya, are you hungry?" Zuko asked politely. "You Aunt and I are going inside for some tea."

The girl shook her head. "Not yet, Lord Zuko. I want to learn how to play this thing. Dad would love it."

Her words pierced Zuko's heart. Sokka was an incredibly lucky man.

Katara and Zuko continued on their walk until they were back at the Fire Lord's spacious cabins. Unlike the other cabins, Zuko had a room separate from his bedchamber that was set up with a low table and cushions. It was there that Katara settled down to watch Zuko brew his tea.

"Yukya, she's a bit painful to you, isn't she?" Katara asked softly and suddenly.

Zuko's brow furrowed. The Waterbender was more observant than he had given her credit to being.

"Just my heart," he replied. "I always wanted kids."

"What happened with Mai?"

"We were too much alike, it turns out. She never liked the fact that I rarely told her my feelings." Zuko had no idea why he was explaining this to her, but he continued. "She married one of the noblemen loyalists, Ruon-Jian. They have a son and are close to having their second child."

Katara leaned forward to gently pat Zuko's forearm. "I'm sorry, Zuko."

"It's no fault of yours," he laughed bitterly. "But thank you, for the sentiment."

The silence continued for several minutes. Only once Katara had a cup of the sweet, soothing tea, did Zuko speak again.

"What of you? Why haven't you married Aang yet and saved the Air Nomads race?"

Her brow furrowed. "If I married Aang, then there's a good chance I'd lose my job."

"Really?" That seemed to amaze the Fire Lord.

Katara nodded. "I'm the master Waterbender in the North Pole solely because Pakku insisted I be the one to replace him. North Poleans aren't keen on the idea of women being anywhere but in the home. I remain unmarried so I remain uncontested. To them, if I have a lord and master I won't have time to train new Waterbenders and protect the city."

"I see." Zuko sipped his own tea thoughtfully. "That's terrible."

"Yeah, but who am I to try and change the traditions of a thousand years?"

"Aang's okay with it?"

Katara lightly shrugged. "He seems so. He would prefer us to be married, but he doesn't want to jeopardize my position."

A knock at the door interrupted them. Zuko granted their admittance and one of the guards who had accompanied him into the North Pole city stepped in.

"My lord, we're approaching the village of Li Suing. We should be docking in a quarter hour."

"Thank you," Zuko said before the guard saluted him and left again.

Katara's face was brighter than the sun at the mention of the town where the Avatar was supposed to be. It made Zuko smile and pine in silence. The Waterbender truly loved Aang, who never ceased talking of her whenever he had visited Zuko before.

True to the guard's word, fifteen minutes later and the ship grew still. Zuko and Katara left the Fire Lord's cabins and returned to the upper decks. Yukya was grinning widely and waiting anxiously for the gangway to be lowered so she could set to exploring this new place.

The trip from the North Pole had been an incredibly short one, all things considered. That was Fire Nation engineering at its best. The warships were the fastest vessel on the seas and the toughest.

The walkway had been set, but was not needed. In a great burst of salt air, the Avatar was on the ship and striding up to the small group.

Katara, unable to contain herself, rushed up to throw her arms about Aang's neck and pull him down so she could kiss him.

Yukya made a gagging noise at the scene and wandered down the gangway towards the village. Zuko thought seriously on joining her.

"Zuko!"

The loud, booming voice startled the Fire Lord. He forgot just how excitable his friend was.

"Hello Aang," Zuko greeted with a smile.

Still holding Katara's hand, Aang hurried to the Fire Lord's side and wrapped him in a massive hug.

As a child, Aang had been waifish and small. As a man though, the Avatar was taller than Zuko and equally matched in muscled bulk. He kept his head shaved to expose the arrow he wore proudly, but his jaw was dusted with a short beard as black as coal.

"What brings you to the Earth Kingdom?" Aang said, still holding to both his woman and his friend. "Are you going to Ba Sing Se?"

"No," Zuko replied with a slight chuckle at Aang's exuberance. "I came to see you."

The Avatar beamed. "This is great! Just like old times!"

"A little too much like old times," Katara interjected in a soft voice. She was the only one who would be able to sober Aang's spirits enough to break the news. "Azula's escaped prison."

Aang's grip loosened and his brow creased. "Well, that's unexpected."

"We thought she'd be after you," Zuko explained.

Aang nodded. He was already deep in thought over his choices. Katara gently squeezed his hand.

"What should we do then?" he asked the Fire Lord and Waterbender after a brief pause.

"Sit down and think it through," Zuko replied.

Katara nodded. "I think we should send word to the others though. Sokka and Suki, Toph. We'll need a cavalry."

Aang's lips became a hard line. "I can send Appa to the South Pole to get Sokka and Suki. He knows the way perfectly and Sokka knows how to fly him back. We can meet them in Ba Sing Se. Toph lives there."

"Sounds like a plan."

"But first," Aang said solemnly. "We have to have dinner."

Katara rolled her eyes playfully. "I swear, between you and my brother I'm amazed anything gets done between meals."

Aang smiled roguishly and lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. "You, my dear, should not be so amazed. After all, you have three and a half nieces."

Katara cringed.

"And not to mention-"

"I have to stop you there," Zuko interjected, a hand over his amber eyes. "I have no need for those images, or any desire for them."

Aang laughed and Katara flushed red in embarrassment.

With that cue, the Avatar led the two off the ship and into the village to dine before they set their plan into motion.