Chapter 3

After Zuko returned home, he quickly changed into more causal clothes. It was the end of a long week: time to spend a night with Mai. As he walked in quiet excitement and happiness to the home of his beloved, he suddenly remembered something and looked down at his shirt and robes.

Better remember this type of style for Azula, he paused briefly to remind himself.

Shortly afterwards, he was standing in Mai's doorway, grinning at her. Mai's usual bored expression morphed into a playful smile, and she walked slowly backwards toward her couch. Within seconds, he swept her into his arms, pulled her onto the soft cushions, and began making sweet, sweet love…

Throughout the entire next month of November, Zuko visited Azula on a weekly basis. No matter how busy or hectic his day had been, he always remembered to dress in his signature short-sleeved red garment and his black, hooded cloak before going to the asylum. He also kept his shaggy hair down, to further cover his huge scar.

There were several reasons for this. First, this attire was a great way to avoid unnecessary attention, or more accurately, unwanted attention. He had been extremely lucky the first time that so almost nobody happened to be near the ferry docks. He didn't need random citizens (or worse, Fire Nation officials) giving him crap about visiting his sister and annoying the hell out of him with stupid questions like "How crazy is she?" or "Are you gonna keep her in there forever?" or "Isn't she too dangerous to be kept alive?"

Second, Azula would be at least a little less hostile if he didn't insult her by dressing up as royalty before her, further reminding her of her downfall. He didn't care that Azula, following in Ozai's footsteps, would not have shown him the same respect; he was not her. Finally, Zuko just plain preferred modesty. He had developed a liking and respect for it after his experiences in the Earth Kingdom, and he was only brought further down to earth after making friends with the Gaang.

His instincts proved true. Azula was always at least slightly more receptive than she had been the first time. She was, however, still a really tough cookie, to put it mildly. All of Zuko's conversations with her were relatively brief. She would only ask him a few random questions about running the Fire Nation. He would give quick answers, and then continually press her, trying to inquire about her past outbursts and apparent nightmares. She would only glare or change the subject to trivial matters, such as what she ate, how well she slept, and what annoyed her about the staff. All the while, Zuko could not help but notice a subtle increase in Azula's irritation at his presence and questions.

The tide turned when December rolled along. At the end of the first week, Zuko was prepared to see his sister in the late afternoon, as per usual. As he was finishing getting dressed for the routine, there was a sudden knock on his bedroom door. He opened it to find one of his servants holding out a scroll to him.

"It's a message from a group of your scouts, my lord. We just received it from a hawk a few minutes ago," explained the servant.

"Thank you," said Zuko, taking the scroll. The servant bowed and departed.

Zuko quickly unfurled the letter. It read:

My Lord,

I hope this letter has not arrived at too inconvenient a time. My men and I have worked tirelessly to find any clues at all regarding Lady Ursa, your dear mother, and a lovely woman indeed, if I may say so.

It is with great displeasure and pain that I must inform you that we have good news leading to very bad news. Lady Ursa has been pinpointed to an extremely remote part of the Earth Kingdom, in the far northeast corner. Unfortunately, that is all the data we have on her.

Additionally, this area is not only physically challenging because of its mountains and valleys, but also very hostile. The villages here have evidently been fractured off from most of the rest of the Earth Kingdom for quite some time. Worse still, the small amount of men whom I sent into some of the villages there barely came back alive. They report that these villages are under brutal domination by utter scumbags. The "leaders" of these villages are vicious, sadistic, and power-hungry thugs and earthbenders who regularly bully their populations and treat them like slaves. Furthermore, they are extremely hostile to any outsiders, especially those from the Fire Nation, and will not hesitate to make use of their people as human shields.

I am at a loss as to how to proceed, my Lord. If I take any action, I risk a huge bloodbath. I cannot do more without informing you, especially considering that Lady Ursa may be… lost if anything goes wrong. My men and I are stationed at the very border of the aforementioned corner, awaiting your reply.

Yours Truly,

Captain Loftus

Scouting Division Seven

Zuko froze. He fell onto his bed in silent but deep despair.

How would he get his poor mother out of there? How did she end up trapped by those… savages? Was she even alive?

He lost track of time as he held his face in his hands. Eventually, he got a hold of himself and wrote a reply:

Captain Loftus,

I realize this is difficult, but I want you to do everything you can. Do not enter that area, but continue scouting to the best of your ability. Make as much use of the Fire Nation's air superiority and contacts in the Earth Kingdom as possible. I will not let this dilemma stop me from bringing my mother home!

-Fire Lord Zuko

Zuko folded up his response letter and rushed to one of his servants. He looked on as the man quickly sent off the letter via hawk, and set off to the asylum.