These chapters might be sort of shorter than the last few, but I hope you are satisfied by their content. Again, thanks for the reviews! And I talked to the other Aleina again, the one who made the fan video- she wants to know if anyone was inspired to read this story by her video. So if you did, either comment on her page or something, or leave a review and I'll pass it on to her! I myself was very impressed by it!

And yeah, I know I'm updating twice in one day, but I just couldn't wait :)

Chapter Fifteen
Taken in Faith

Ursa's eyes were the exact shade Zuko's had been, and Katara found herself lost for a moment. The Dowager Lady's hand was smooth and warm against her face, and her mouth was drawn up into a weary smile.

"How did you know who I am?" Katara whispered, and the older woman moved her hand, the wrinkles around her eyes becoming more pronounced as her smile faded.

"My son… he talked about you often on the ship. He always spoke of your eyes, how he'd always known you could see right into him. Part of the reason he switched sides was to gain your approval." Katara stepped back, almost tripping over one of the fallen bodies. Ursa looked down with a slight frown. "I was beginning to think you would never come, my dear."

Her eyes widened, and she leaned forward. "You were waiting… for me?" she asked, the words getting caught behind her tongue, coming out as an affirmation when all she desired was a reason. Zuko's mother nodded, her golden eyes never leaving Katara's. "Why?" she asked finally, and the woman sighed, motioning for her to sit.

"I have been waiting for someone to come along who was resourceful enough to discover me. I couldn't risk anything more than calling the performers here every year- Azula knows how I love the plays, and it is the one luxury she has granted me upon my own request." Katara's eyebrows knitted together as she took a seat next to the other woman.

"Why didn't you just escape?" she asked, then looked away, at the fallen guards. "I know it would have been hard to get past the guards, but you've been here for almost three years- didn't you ever even try?"

"No," she said simply, "I did not." Katara waited for an explanation, but Ursa merely looked at her, a hint of obstinacy tightening her jaw and drawing her head up.

"Why?" she bit out, and Ursa stood, striding away from her swiftly, dropping the voluminous black cloak from her shoulders as she did so. She began to speak in a weary voice, and Katara felt no patronization in her words.

"I cannot expect you to understand, for you are young and we have led very different lives. For one thing, I am not a courageous woman- My one act of bravery was more out of desperation to save Zuko's life, and even then, I did not reap any benefit from it other than the knowledge that my husband could then kill him slowly in my absence." She swiveled, giving Katara a pleading glance. "I have not tried to escape for this reason, and for one other."

"And?" Katara demanded, but Ursa shook her head. Her temper erupted, and she stood, gesturing wildly. "I've gone through hell! Tell me what I want to know, so that this can finally end!"

Ursa strode towards her, the molten gold in her eyes freezing, becoming cold and unmovable. "You cannot honestly believe this will end here, my dear." There was an ancient wisdom in her voice, but she ignored it, protesting furiously. Ursa cut her off. "You are following a trail of breadcrumbs, but you will never have your fill. This is a forever consuming road, and even if it does have an end, there will be nothing further for you there."

Katara turned away, hot tears coming forth and spilling down her cheeks. "No," she denied vehemently, "this is all I have left anyways. I need to do this, and you will give me the answers. Please!" She spun on her heel, imploring Zuko's mother, finding the woman staring at her with an endless sadness.

"Very well," she murmured. "The other reason I do not leave is because my daughter- my one remaining child- still needs me." Katara's mouth fell open, and her mind exploded with howls of betrayal. "I know you think that by doing this, I am dishonoring my son's memory."

She snorted, trying to block out the woman's voice. "Yeah, you've got that right. That's like telling her that it's completely fine to run the nation into the ground. I lived in the slums of Caldera for two years, Lady Ursa, but maybe you're not aware that your daughter is destroying everything Zuko ever worked for."

"I'm trying to help- you may find it hard to believe, but one of the Fire Lady's chief duties is to oversee the charities dealing with the impoverished. I am well aware of the struggles of the poor, and I have tried convincing her to do something about it," Ursa said dryly, and the waterbender sighed, pulling back her temper. She was getting answers whether Ursa wanted to give them or not.

"What happened on the ship? The agent I talked to said Zuko was upset, and that you guys disappeared off the boat as soon as they made it into port." Ursa sagged, and sat in her chair. It occurred suddenly to Katara that she was no longer a young woman, though her beauty was deceiving. She'd seen and done horrible things, had heavy burdens that would never be cut free.

"In my years of banishment, I have been moved several times. I was first taken by Fire Sages to an Earth Kingdom desert, was sent to live with a knowledge spirit in his library." Katara froze, remembering the great, black-winged owl spirit and his antisocial nature. "I learned much from him, but the peace could not last.

"A man named Commander Zhao- although I hear he became an Admiral before his death- entered the library and found me on his way back from destroying several important documents. He had never learned the story of my disappearance, and thought he was doing Ozai a great favor. As soon as my husband heard that I was free, he had me brought back to the Fire Nation. I was imprisoned, and I know that by that time, my son had been banished as well. No one knew of my return."

Katara interrupted her there, quietly outraged. "Why didn't you try to contact Zuko or something? He needed you so much, just as I needed my own mother." Ursa's eyes softened, and she once again laid a hand on Katara's cheek. She fought the urge to shove it off her skin.

"My son told me of your mother, child. I am truly sorry for what I feel is one of the greatest transgressions of my nation- no mother should ever be taken from her children." She nodded tightly, and Ursa continued her tale, with a note of despondence in her voice. "I became very ill in my prison cell. I was watched constantly, and Ozai deemed me criminally insane, so no one believed that I needed to escape, that I had killed Azulon to save my son.

"I grew very hopeless, and grew sicker each day. None of the healers could help me, and while my husband didn't want me released, he also did not wish me dead. He sent me to a place where I could be better- somewhere I think you are quite familiar with."

Katara closed her eyes, realization dawning. "The North Pole," she murmured, and looked to the woman, who nodded solemnly. "When?" she asked, and Ursa glanced away.

"When Zhao laid siege on the Northern Water Tribe, he snuck me inside by disguising me as a Water Tribe woman and cutting open my stomach- I still have the scar. The healers saved my life, though I do not remember- I fell asleep, and did not wake for a long time. By the time I next opened my eyes, Zhao was dead, and I was being held captive by your sister tribe."

"So you were there, and Zuko was so close?" Katara asked, and slumped over disbelievingly. "So many things would have changed if he would have seen you again," she said, and try as she might, she couldn't help but blame Ursa for not trying harder to contact her son.

"Agni had a different plan for me," Ursa responded, then sighed and looked away, down at the guards. They showed no signs of stirring. "I was greatly weakened when I awoke, and the Chief had recently seen the death of his daughter- though of course, you would know that, I keep forgetting you were there as well.

"He took pity on me, and decreed that I would no longer be a prisoner. I was too weak to live on my own, so he gave me a supply of water from a healing oasis and sent me to the Earth Kingdom with some missionaries. I couldn't stay there, you see- I was a reminder of the great tragedy that had occurred. They took me to a convent, and it was there that I grew stronger."

Ursa hesitated, and Katara glanced at her. "What happened next?" she asked quietly, and Ursa closed her eyes tight, two pearly tears sliding down her cheeks.

"They- well, the Fire Nation came for me. Soldiers killed the innocent holy women, burned the convent to the ground and imprisoned me. I was left in the Earth Kingdom, far enough that Ozai could pretend to forget about me, and the only way I could keep myself from relapsing was to use the spirit water." She cut short, then averted her eyes and went on quickly, too quickly for Katara to ask what the flash in her tawny irises had meant.

"I was there for years before Ozai gave up my location. He told Zuko right before his death, but my son told me he had some things to set in order before he came to get me. One of them was to ensure you stayed in Caldera until he returned, which he accomplished by making you an ambassador. Another was to see to it that Azula was watched carefully. The third and final thing was to sever his ties with Mai, though this was a great secret."

She gasped, caught unaware by her admission. Zuko had done what it took to bring them together again- he hadn't told her, but here was proof that he had loved her still. She nodded her head in thanks, which made Ursa smile, wiping delicate sorrow from her eyes.

"My son came for me as I had known he would. And as hard as it may be for you to believe, his… his father approved, and when Zuko told me that, I knew what needed to be done. I went back with him agreeing to resume my duties, and to help him rebuild the nation. On the way home, he told me of his journeys, and praised you as one of the few who ever truly understood him."

"Why was he upset?" she interrupted, and Ursa froze, her eyes wide. She looked away from Katara and was silent so long that she repeated the question. "Why was Zuko upset? He had his mother back…"

"I cannot tell you, Katara. I swore to him that the information your question requires would stay a secret. Even in his death, I will not betray the information- not even to you."

Katara smiled faintly in understanding, knowing what she would hear next, trying to protect herself from the feelings she knew so well. "He loved you, Katara. Zuko loved you with all his heart, and he was determined to marry you." She bit her lip and stifled a whimper, but could not stop the tears from breaking free and falling.

"What happened, Lady Ursa?" she whispered, "How did Zuko die?"

Ursa's face fell, her shoulders slumped, and her familiar, beautiful golden eyes misted over. No, this can't be happening. She'd seen that look before. Katara felt the beginning strains of dread weaving through her, and fought the urge to run.

"I don't know," Ursa whispered.

Katara let out a sob, and hung her head in her hands, grabbing fistfuls of her unnatural hair and pulling it, trying to absorb the agony and disappointment as she'd done so many times before. The one thing she'd needed to know was lost to her forever. She would never know how her beloved died, whether her name was on his dying breath, or even if he died honorably, as it had been so important to him in life.

"We docked at port, and he snuck me off the ship. I could tell he was upset, but I didn't know how to comfort him- we snuck into the palace through a tunnel in the volcano, and he collapsed it right after so that no one could follow us. He hid me in his room and told me to stay there until he came back, and then he left.

"The next thing that happened was that Azula came in, hours later, and had soldiers seize me and take me here. I stayed in our old summer home, but I proved to be too familiar with its passages- she feared I would find a way to escape, and she built me this house, set up the guards and paid them well to stay silent. I knew that if she had a choice, I would live alone, imprisoned for the rest of my days. I have been waiting for someone to come along," she said again, and Katara sensed the end of the tale, "and that someone was you, Katara."

"Why me?" she asked, and Ursa smiled, wiping a tear from her tan cheek.

"Because I knew you would be the only one who loved him more than life itself- the one person who would continue to search for him even after he could no longer be found." Katara grimaced, let out a choked moan of pain and fell into her arms, letting go of her composure, letting the wave of sorrow wash her away.

The two women remained like that for an eternity, lost on the tides of what had been, too weary to look up to see the dawn of another day. Katara wept for Zuko, for Ursa, and for herself. She cried for the years she'd wasted, only to have it end in disappointment, and mourned the loss of camaraderie she'd felt with her friends and family. She grasped Ursa's hand tightly and whimpered, "I miss him so much."

"I miss him too, my dear," Ursa murmured, and Katara pulled away, surprised by the sudden fury she felt. It was so unexpected, but it was real and hot and painful, like poison.

"Then why, if you know that Azula killed him, are you still on her side?" Ursa looked shocked, and the blood drained from her pale face. "You know what she is," Katara hissed angrily, "you know exactly what kind of a demon she is to kill her own-"

"You remind me of her as a child," Ursa said in a hushed voice, and Katara reared back, then stood and strode away. "She used to lash out as well!" the Dowager Lady called after her, and Katara whipped around.

"I am nothing like Azula!" she screamed, "I'll never be like her! Tell me- why do you still support her?"

"Because I have nothing else left!" Ursa shouted, her eyes blazing, her posture suddenly emanating force. Katara shrank back, her rage insufficient against the pain of a mother. "Because my husband is dead, my son is dead- she is the only thing I have left. I have not pride, nor honor, and spent too much of her childhood coddling Zuko when I should have been looking out for her as well!"

She began pacing, agitated as a wounded, defensive animal in a cage. "Azula is my child, and always will be. A part of me may hate her actions, may loathe her decisions and the monster inside her, but she is my little girl and I love her," she said fiercely. "You must understand, Katara- haven't you ever had anyone so be important to you that you love them, even if they are broken and tortured?"

That brought Katara up short, a flash of Lani's smiling face fleeting through her mind. She heard the child's laughter, felt the protectiveness she always did when she considered the events that may take that light-hearted giggle away from her daughter. She remembered Zuko, sad and anxious for Iroh's approval, tormented by his sister and his father, and trusting her to love each him back, even from a distance.

The anger drained out of her, leaving her exhausted and empty. "Yes," she replied softly, "I know what that is- unconditional love." Ursa nodded, and the two women regarded each other, closer yet still separated by their entwined fates.

Suddenly, a guard moaned and stirred, and Ursa gasped sharply. "You must go before they wake," she said urgently, and pushed Katara closer to the door leading out of the room. The girl protested, needing more time, but Ursa shushed her quickly and retrieved the big cloak she'd worn to the performance. "Here, put this on," she ordered, and Katara did as she said with quick, deft movements. "You need to escape the island- don't give up hope, my dear."

She nodded bemusedly, pulled the hood up and turned to flee, but felt a cool hand on the crook of her elbow. She looked over her shoulder, then faced Ursa once again. The woman stared hungrily at her face for a moment, then sighed. "If my son had lived to take a wife, we might have been mother and daughter by now," she said, and pulled Katara close for a hug. The waterbender stiffened, then wrapped her arms around the woman, needily taking in the feeling of a mother's safety. She wasn't ready to let go by the time Ursa moved away with tears in her eyes, but she could no longer stay.

She ran from the room and down the hall, ignoring the fragmented thoughts and trying to focus on making it out alive. She heard a voice and vaulted under the table, her heart in her throat. A guard passed, but didn't look for her. He was headed in Ursa's direction- she needed to get out now.

She rolled out from under the table and took off running, going to the place where she'd stashed her pack and grabbing it swiftly. Her lungs began to burn as she ran from the house, but she still had a long way back to town, where she could hide out until a ship came to the island that could take her away.

A blinding pain shot through her side, and she screamed, hitting the ground and rolling. Every move was torture, she grasped the side and her hand came away red- she rolled instinctively, and a knife quivered right where her body had just lain. She coughed and held her side, the scent of blood making her dizzy, and drew up a shield of ice right before another small knife embedded itself in the frozen water. She gasped, seeing a shadow coming at her, the figure distorted by the ice. She drew the knife into the shield, and through it, letting it drop into her waiting hands. The water trembled, then slithered to the ground as she gasped and felt the cut in her side seep more blood.

"I'm sorry about this, Katara." The voice was familiar, and her eyes widened as the figure stepped forward. He leaned down and grasped the knife with a gloved hand, then turned once more to face her, twirling the weapon between his fingers.

"Han?" she managed, and gritted her teeth against the pain in her side. He'd hit her in the soft flesh just between her ribs, deep enough to be in danger of bleeding out. She dipped her hand in the puddle before her and began to heal the wound, but her exhaustion and fear made it hard to concentrate.

Han strode closer, his face somber. "I said, I'm sorry. I know it hurts, but it will all be over soon," he said regretfully.

"Why?" she asked, "How did you find me and- ugh!" She spat blood and began to shiver uncontrollably. He flicked the knife again, and she held up a bloodied hand. "Wait! You owe me answers!"

He paused, then his face shut down and he sheathed the weapon, leaning back out of his crouch. She held her water-gloved hand to her side, once more attempting to heal the wound. She felt dizzy, but struggled to hold on.

"That knife was supposed to hit the center of your back- very little blood, close to no pain at all. It would have been a swift kill… I never wanted to hurt you. She's got my mother, Katara. I've got to save my mother."

"Who?" she ground out, and Han's eyebrows raised.

"Don't you know? Azula. Fire Lord Azula found me while my mother and I were in Caldera. I was trying to find my father and tell him I knew everything. Azula found out, and she helped me find him. I- I killed him." He hung his head, and his voice became quieter, helpless. " I never meant to, but she was there and egging me on. It just… happened. She said it had been a test, and that I needed to do something for her, but I refused. Azula said she could easily frame my mother, and had her arrested. She'll release her if I kill you, or if I die- but my mother can't go through that."

She tried to drag herself away, but he stepped closer. "I have to protect my family," he said, and she looked into determined, hopelessly pleading eyes. "Please forgive me. I'm so sorry."

His words seemed to come from far away, and she heard the agony as it echoed around her. She couldn't feel her body anymore- everything was just so light, so cloudy that the only thing she could feel was her heart. It thudded loudly in her chest, but nowhere else- she couldn't feel it in her arms nor her ears. She couldn't hear it.

A thought occurred to her- Zuko. She was going to see Zuko soon, and she let out a sigh, concentrating hard on his image, but still seeing Han begging her for her leave to die. She tried to smile. "I forgive you," she mouthed, and saw him begin to cry as he pulled the knife back out. Something moved behind him- a black figure.

It was Death rushing to meet her, she knew it on sight. She felt herself falling backwards, but kept her eyes on the figure- a flash of blue welcomed her, and a silver blade materialized, like mercy, like home.

But the metal wasn't meant for her. She saw the figure step up behind Han, and suddenly the steel was protruding from his chest, his eyes were wide and unseeing, and then he was falling, falling… gone.

The last thing she saw was a leering, blue mask, staring down at her and steadily growing closer.

And then she was gone, too.

Review for a quick update :) let's go for twenty!