Katara's sleep had been restless since her talk with her mother. She was still left with so many burning questions. Why couldn't her parents raise her? Who was her brother? Were they even still alive? She had wanted to know about her past ever since her last visit to the North Pole. People always gave her questioning look when she told them she was raised in the Earth Kingdom.

She was plagued by confusing dreams every night. Some were images of ice and snow, though not quite like the north pole. She saw a large man with in a dark blue parka, holding a boy who couldn't have been older than 3 or 4 years old. They were sitting by a campfire, surrounded by snow. The image was something she had never seen before. Other nights she dreamed of fire, a palace, and a pond filled with turtleducks. There was a man, well, more like a boy, about her age. His eyes were a fierce gold, and bore into her dreams. She had never seen this man before, but she knew there was some significance in these dreams. Hence, her restlessness.

Lao Bei Fong was honored. The letter that arrived from the King of Omashu, inviting him to the Meeting of Nations as an Earth Kingdom dignitary meant a lot to his position. He was finally being recognized outside of the town of Gaoling, and finally noticed nationwide. He would, of course, bring Poppy and the girls. Toph would probably cause some kind of commotion, but she needed to make her appearance in public one day or another. Perhaps he could even find a young man willing to overlook her blindness and attitude and marry her for a connection with the family. I doubt I'll have an issue finding someone to marry Katara, Lao thought. She was a lovely girl, she was clever and witty, without being insubordinate.

Lao summoned his family to the study to tell them the news. One by one, they trickled in. Katara has been a bit distant lately. Maybe this trip will help her regain that brightness she used to have. Lao knew about the conversation Katara and Poppy had had, and had only wished that he could've been there for it. Fortunately, Katara seemed to bear him no ill will for the secrets they kept.

"I've recently received a letter from King Bumi. He is inviting us to the Meeting of Nations in Omashu in two weeks time. There will be dignitaries from all over the world there to discuss politics and establish good relationships. I believe that even the Avatar will be there to work for world peace." Lao paused to assess the looks on his family's faces. Katara was smiling softly, Poppy was trying to remain in control, but was clearly giddy with excitement. Toph sat stoically, clearly unimpressed by the invitation.

"That's great dad, anything else?" Toph asked, trying to keep her voice even.

Lao looked taken aback by her attitude. He shook his head no, and dismissed her. Toph stood up and left, clearly uninterested in the adventure. Katara smiled at Lao. "When do we leave, and how long will be gone?" Katara asked.

"It's only a few days journey, so in just over a week. The Meeting is about two weeks long, so pack for three weeks of clothes," Lao answered.

As Katara left his study she began to imagine the trip ahead of her. Perhaps this trip would explain her recent dreams. As she entered her room, she was greeted by Toph.

"Are you excited Sugar Queen?" Toph asked, her voice edged with bitterness.

"Of Course! Aren't you?"

Toph understood that the trips would mean different things for them. "Katara, for you, this trip means adventure and meeting new people. For me, it's just Mom and Dad proving that they can control me no matter where we are. Transported from one cage to another. I hate this! I'm tired of feeling like I have to hide from them! You know they're just going to try to pass me off onto someone else when I get married. And yet another cage! You're the only one that knows who I am Katara."

Toph's voice cracked with emotion, showing how stressed she really was over her life. Katara understood how much her sister had gone through. She hadn't always noticed how upset Toph was with her life. She put her arms around her sister, thinking of a way to help her. Maybe this trip will be good for her, Katara thought. I hope something good happens for her. I don't know how much longer she can keep living like this. . . and I don't know how much long I can keep living like this.

Aang glided onto the balcony of his room in the palace of Omashu, where he was greeted by his pet lemur, Momo. Early morning gliding always cleared his head, as did riding with his sky bison, Appa. After reconnecting with his old friend in Omashu, King Bumi, he was beginning to find a sense of belonging. When he had first been found by the Southern Water Tribe members, he felt incredibly lost. He had missed so much of the world. He was 16 years old, or really, 116 years old. After spending some time in the South to learn Waterbending, he decided to travel to the Earth Kingdom to learn and reconnect with world. Although Bumi was a wonderful host, and a great teacher, he wasn't quite the teacher Aang needed with his bending. Something was missing, but he couldn't quite place it.

Aang began his morning with meditation, as he did every morning. He especially needed this calming energy so close to the upcoming meetings. He needed everything to go smoothly to ensure harmony between the nations, even dependency and growth.

He then moved onto his bending practice for the day. He was a master airbender, but only proficient in water and earth, and had almost no knowledge of firebending. He had never found someone willing to teach him. This was another reason that he needed the meetings to go well. He hoped to be able to gain a firebending teacher during the meetings, and perhaps another Earth and Waterbending teacher as well. He could certainly benefit from learning more about the other elements.

"What do you think Momo? Do you think I can find someone to teach me the other elements at the meeting?"

The lemur cocked his head and chattered quietly while holding a papaya.

"Yeah, you're right buddy, I just need to be patient. It'll work out."

Zuko's journey to Omashu was long and boring. Of course, the boring moments were far superior to the awful moments when Azula was awake and constantly pestering with him. Why couldn't I have traveled with Uncle? I would take that tea loving old man over my 'I want to watch the world burn' crazy sister.

The trip to Omashu from Gaoling was filled with an unusual amount of silence. Toph and her parents tried to pretend that the other didn't exist. Katara put on a smile and a brave face, trying to repair the relationship between Toph and her parents. Hopefully the upcoming meetings would allow their parents to stop seeing Toph as a helpless child.