Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! Hope this one is good enough for you guys!

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The Dragon's Tale

Katara's hands were beginning to hurt.

She'd been sitting outside the cave for an hour already, and it had been at least two since On Ji had gone down to the port to meet Iroh. Aang was on a quick trip around the city skies. He'd told her it was for reconnaissance, but she secretly thought it was simply because he couldn't bear to sit and wait for On Ji to return without knowing when she'd come back. So Katara had played a bending game with Lani for a while, then roasted a small bird for lunch and eaten it with still no sign of On Ji. She'd gone outside to keep an eye out for movement near the cave and sat, twisting her hands, cracking her knuckles, rubbing her fingers.

She'd been going at it for so long that her skin was beginning to chafe, but she couldn't help it. The anxiety was just getting too heavy for her to ignore.

She'd sent the letter to Iroh eight days ago. It had taken three days for his reply to come by black-ribbon hawk, but the response had been frank and agreeable. He was setting out immediately, it had said, and he hoped he'd be able to help with whatever she needed. Katara had taken that as a good sign, but since Iroh didn't have any warning, he wasn't sure which route he could take from Ba Sing Se to Caldera. He'd given them the Earth Kingdom's commercial ship schedule for the next week. This was the third day On Ji had gone down to the ports, and Katara's nerves seemed to be dancing on the edge of her sanity.

A flicker of color caught her eye and she glanced up, seeing Aang fly out from behind a cloud. His red and orange robes billowed in the wind as he dove down and landed, snapping his glider shut and striding towards her with a determined look on his face.

"He's here," he announced, "On Ji met him on the docks and she's taking the back way up through the hills. They'll probably be here in about twenty minutes." Katara nodded tightly, unable to speak. She hadn't seen the older man in years, hadn't spoken to him in months. She wondered briefly if he still thought of her as Zuko's something-more-than-friend, as he'd hinted at in that letter, or if he'd forgotten all about it.

"You're nervous?" Aang affirmed unexpectedly, and Katara raised her eyebrows at him. "No use asking how I know," he added, "if you don't know by now, then you never will."

"I guess… I don't know. It's just been a really long time since he's seen me, and he doesn't even really know why he's here. What if he doesn't know what to do?" she asked, "what if this is a dead end?" Aang shrugged. A leaf blew by on the wind and he grasped it between his long, thin fingers, then sent short little bursts of wind at it, whipping it between his fingers.

"Whatever it is, whatever happens, it isn't a dead end. A dead end is the last, final conclusion. It's cause and effect- 'if you go down this one road, you will come to an end'. Life isn't like that, Katara," he said quietly. "Life is the breeze that moves past you on your way, or pushes against you, or filters out of the cracks in the walls. Life is your water- if it's dammed up in one place, it flows to another and keeps running. So no matter what, Iroh coming here is going to change something. It's going to help."

She sat in silence for a moment, then nudged him with her elbow. His fingers stilled, and the leaf escaped from his power and flitted away, on its path to some other philosopher. "That's a very optimistic, all-encompassing way of looking at things," she teased halfheartedly. Aang's eyes remained unchanged, even though his lips twitched up.

"Avatar," he reminded her unnecessarily. "I learned a lot more from going back to the temples than I ever thought I would. I was trying to distract myself, see- I was really worried about you. I found these manuscripts though- ancient beliefs of my people. They gave me some peace, honestly, it was like I was really, truly coming home."

"I had a dream like that last night," Katara admitted. Aang turned to look at her and she clasped her hands behind her back, trying to stay relaxed, twisting her forefinger around the base of her thumb until the skin was tender. "It was just Sokka, Dad and I. Just sitting together, hanging out. I miss them."

"You're so lucky to have them," he reminded her. "Part of growing up as a monk means that your only family are your peers and your teachers… I think it would've been nice to have a mom, though." She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed sympathetically, and he sat down next to the stump she'd been posted on.

They waited together, talking in low voices about Lani's improvement with her form and commenting on their own bending training. She picked at a hangnail on her thumb, then folded her hands tightly, then stuffed them between her thighs when she found she couldn't stop picking at her skin. Her neck prickled and a bead of sweat slid down between her shoulder blades. She reached back and scratched the spot, irritated by the feeling, and accidentally elbowed Aang in the face.

"Sorry!" she cried, but he just shook his head, rubbing his cheek. He grinned over at her, opening his mouth, then stopped, his grey eyes focusing somewhere over her right shoulder. His features broke into a relieved smile and he jumped up. Katara did the same, turning around just as Aang got to On Ji and scooped her up into his arms.

Katara walked forward, her heart rocketing around in her chest as the figure behind On Ji came up the hill and into view. She stepped past the embracing couple and blinked in the sunlight. Iroh was red in the face and puffing, but a smile spread over his face as he caught sight of her. The Dragon of the West straightened up and bowed, his hands in the traditional Fire Nation position.

"My goodness, Katara. It has been too long." His voice broke a spell within her, and she surged forward with a cry, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his soft, comfortable shoulder. He hugged her back, holding her there even after she released him, and she realized he might have been just as worried about seeing her as she'd been about seeing him. He drew back and stared at her happily. "You look so beautiful. I'm sure you look more like your mother than ever before."

"It's wonderful, seeing you," she said back thickly, then laced her arm through his. "Come inside. We have much to talk about." He nodded calmly and walked beside her, shivering slightly as they left the warmth of the sunlight in exchange for the secure caves. Katara waved Lani over, whose eyes lit up when she saw Iroh. The girl ran up to him and bowed hastily, hopping on the balls of her little feet.

"Hello, little one," Iroh greeted her jovially, "It hasn't been very long since the last time we've met, but hopefully this time, no one comes to snatch you up." Lani nodded very seriously and Iroh patted her head, then put his arm around her shoulder. Lani leaned into him, naturally trusting him.

Iroh's gaze flickered from Lani's sweet face to Katara's tired expression, and he raised his eyebrows at her. "Perhaps you can brew some tea for me as I speak to your mother?" he told Lani politely, drawing a silk bag out from his robes. She took it and opened the pouch, inhaling deeply.

"It's sweet!" she said in surprise. Iroh nodded indulgently.

"Yes, it is. For such a happy occasion as this reunion, I could not have brought a better blend. I was told you were quite good with tea- might I see for myself?" Lani seemed to understand and took the tea from him, grabbing a metal teapot and going outside to fill it up at the stream behind the cave.

"Thanks," Katara said, "I don't like sending her out, but I'd rather speak to you privately first." Iroh gestured for her to sit and knelt by the dying embers of the fire, stoking the flames and adding a few of his own to get the fire started up again.

"On Ji told me on the way up that you had some news for me, and that my help was badly needed on a few issues. I assume it has something to do with why Lani was stolen from my care, or why the dignitaries from Ba Sing Se have not yet returned to the Earth Kingdom after a peace summit?" Seeing Katara's shocked expression, Iroh went on in a grim tone of voice. "Indeed, Katara, there are strange happenings all around which suggest that all is not well here."

Lani came into the cave again, carrying the kettle carefully with both hands. Her eyes lit up at the fire, and Iroh turned towards her, inviting her closer. "You're quick! Do you know how to warm the teapot yourself?" Lani shook her head, her face shining in admiration as Iroh lit a small flame with two fingers and held them under the metal, causing steam to gather along the rim and disappear in ghostly strains up the side of the pot. She grasped her tiny hand into a fist and extended her pointer and middle fingers, glaring at them with a furrowed brow. It took a moment, but a small flame appeared there, flickering wildly for a moment before settling into a steady glow.

"Oh!" she gasped, and the flame went out. She looked up at Iroh, her wide smile revealing two missing teeth. "I've never done that before! I can only make a little fire with my fists, but this time it was easier and I was good at making it do what I wanted it to. Thank you!" She bowed hastily to Iroh, who was studying her with a little smile on his face.

"Many female firebenders feel more control and accuracy through two fingers," he agreed, then reached forward and gently adjusted her wrist so that it was straight. "Now, breathe as deeply as you can, as I showed you that night we… met," he amended, catching Katara's apprehensive expression. Lani sucked in a deep breath, and Iroh nodded. "Now center yourself. Feel the heat in your belly and expel it through your stomach, into your throat and down your arm!"

A blast of fire rocketed past Katara's face.

She lurched backwards, a shout of surprise on her lips. Lani, her face contorted with determination, pulled her arm up with a mighty heave. The flames followed like a rope being flung at the cavern's ceiling, twenty feet long by the time she lowered her arm, the orange strands twisting into white smoke. Katara stared, her chest heaving. Iroh said nothing, but his eyes were wide in the same shock Katara felt.

Katara remembered back to her first time bending a water whip, when she was fourteen years old. Shaky, only strong enough to slice an inch through an ice block at best. How was it that Lani already had such a massive force within her? "Sorry," the little girl giggled, a mischievous dimple forming in her cheek. She bounced over to Iroh, her hands clutched hopefully at her chest. "Did I do it right?" she asked expectantly.

"You did it wonderfully," he told her. She threw an excited smile over her shoulder to Katara, then faced Iroh again. He straightened up and tapped his lip. "In fact, I may have to rethink your training. Would you allow me a few quiet moments with Katara to discuss some things?"

"Yes," Lani agreed breathlessly, and ran to hug Katara around the waist before she skipped out of the cave. Katara exhaled a long, slow breath and finally let the full weight of her shock show.

"Iroh," she started in a hushed, strained whisper, and he seemed to know exactly what she would ask, because he shook his head and stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"It is uncommon, though not unheard of, for children to have such ferocity in their bending. How long has she been doing that?" he asked.

"I've never seen it before," Katara confessed, "all I remembered about firebending was what Z-zuko taught me, just some forms," she continued, forcing out his name when her teeth tried to clench shut. If Iroh noticed her difficulties, he didn't mention them. "We've seen her punch out some flames before, but honestly…" she trailed off, not wanting to sound ignorant. "I guess I just thought that because she hadn't ever really trained, her bending wasn't going to be super strong."

"Is this one of the issues I was summoned here for?" Iroh asked, and when she shook her head, he pursed his lips and stared thoughtfully into the fire. "Then perhaps we should allow a moment to discuss this so as not to be distracted by it later. I have some concerns that you should be aware of." She agreed, and waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. Finally, he sighed and stroked his beard.

"It appears that she already has a good sense of control over her bending, but that she doesn't yet know the significance of her power. I would teach her the spiritual side of bending as I understand it, and also help her come into this considerable amount of might with a good amount of comprehension and morality." Katara nodded, knowing that Iroh had what it takes to train a firebender.

"I'm just surprised by how intense it already is. Do you think maybe she could've been repressing some of it, and it all just came out at once?" Iroh raised his eyebrows, and when he spoke, his voice was grave.

"If that is the matter, then she must begin to train immediately."

"Why?" Katara asked as a shrill whistle filled the air, and Iroh grabbed the kettle from the embers at the edge of the fire. He began to pour the tea into two little mugs as he listed off his concerns.

"Firstly, energy, if not spent, circulates through the system and can cause problems. She should have an outlet for her energy, and a safe place to practice it. Secondly," he continued at Katara's nod, "children are most impressionable when they are young, before they are hit by their own importance and begin to know everything. The traditional age of beginning to train has passed her by, so in global terms, Lani is behind." Again, Katara agreed with a nod, waiting for his next bout of recommendations. "Lastly, something I think you shall understand best of all. Bending fire- especially at that amount- is something to rejoice in, to cultivate. Bending helps to shape a bender's personality, their standards, their self-respect. This could enhance her quality of life in ways that, unfortunately, only firebending can." Iroh smiled briefly at her, then arranged his features into an expression of gentle curiosity. "Is it you who taught Zuko to do that?" he asked abruptly.

Katara's eyes widened. "What?"

Iroh chuckled into his beard. "Take turns in polite conversation. Zuko was forever interrupting anyone who tried to give him advice, whether through his own ignorance or because the conversation simply wasn't telling him what he wanted to know. Even after his appointment to Fire Lord, he was hasty in speaking. However, the last time he came to see me, we had surprisingly long, peaceful talks without interruption. He'd learned to wait to make his argument until he'd first heard the terms of it." Iroh's eyes rose to meet hers, politely interested. "I am wondering if you were the one to have such an effect on my nephew. He-"

"He's alive," Katara croaked, her throat rusty from choking back a whimper. She hadn't meant to say it so directly like that, but so much time had already passed… it had just spilled out. Surely she should've been more considerate, Iroh was aging after all, and shock wasn't good for him…

She realized that Iroh was studying her more thoroughly than she'd ever felt in her entire life. Not even the knowledge spirit from the library had had that effect on her, but now she felt as if he was cutting her skin away and examining everything underneath. She waited for his response, waited for anything but the simple, interested, calculating look in his eyes.

Then, Iroh said, "Who told you?"

There had been one day among many with Zuko where she'd accompanied him around the whole palace in an appraisal of what needed to be fixed, mended, or modernized. It was a tradition for the new Fire Lord to become the leader of the household as well in this manner, and he had taken it very seriously. There had been broken fences in the royal orchard, a few ripped tapestries, and the disaster zone that had been Azula's room, but they'd eventually made it to the private tea garden.

She had watched Zuko kneel by the murky waters of a pond and gaze down into the depths, and had come to stand by him. "You look sad," she'd said softly, so that the attendants wouldn't hear. He had turned to look at her steadily, his scar spreading across his cheekbone and up into his hair like layered waves in the ocean. She remembered thinking about how soft the skin was, despite its rough appearance- much like its owner.

"This was one of my mother's favorite places in the palace. My grandmother was the one who designed it, so it's sort of the Fire Lady's retreat. There used to be a family of turtle-ducks here, but…" his voice trailed off, and she had made the leap that somehow, the disappearance of the little animals was a profound loss to him.

"Don't worry, Zuko. They'll come back for the next Fire Lady when she comes here, I suppose. I'm sure Mai will just love them." She'd seriously doubted Mai's ability to care for such darling little creatures, and had tried to make a joke of it. Zuko hadn't laughed, and she remembered being so full of anger and anxiety that she hadn't been able to fully control herself. "Don't you think, Zuko? You sure chose the right woman." Katara snorted. "She'll probably have them outlawed."

Finally, he'd sighed. "I know what it looks like. But Katara… please. Don't ask me."

"I don't need to," she'd spat back, unable to keep her secret anymore. "I don't need to. I already know the truth, no thanks to you." His eyebrows raised, pulling the corner of his scarred eye up, but her words were already spilling over her lips, knotting together like a thread that's too long for it's needle. "Mai's moving into the West Wing."

Her statement hadn't seemed to faze him. Zuko had studied her for a long time, her chest heaving, her eyes narrowed expectantly. What she had been expecting, she couldn't say. An excuse, perhaps, an apology. Something as simple as saying, "I know. I'm sorry." So she had waited and watched the battle in his wasted eye- he could control his emotions in his right eye because he'd practiced, but Zuko had never counted on someone looking past his scar to delve into his internal musings. She could see the Prince against the Pauper, the Rebel versus the Servant to the People, and all his other roles, all waging a hasty war on each other. By the time the flickering gaze settled, she was holding her breath, unable to determine who had won.

"Who told you?" he'd finally asked. As if she was an ignorant peasant, as if he'd been caught in a lie and was thoroughly irritated by it. He was Fire Lord Zuko after all, and she would be expected to play submissive. Her teeth had bared at the thought.

"No one needed to. It's big news when a Fire Lord moves his girlfriend into the palace. Which, according to Fire Nation custom, is the first step a woman takes in a marriage to the Fire Lord. She gains control of one end of the house, familiarizes herself with her future servants and chambers, and once she's settled, they announce the wedding date. Seems a little backwards, doesn't it? I bet-"

"Enough, Katara!" he'd snapped, suddenly standing over her with eyes like a those of a starving man watching another man eat a juicy, succulent pear. "You've made your point, alright? And who knows? Maybe- maybe it was better this way," he'd finished miserably.

"And maybe it's not!" she'd shouted at him, enraged that he was so passive about it. His guards and advisors had looked their way, alarmed, and she'd bit back her next retort.

"You're right. But did you ever think that maybe there was a reason I didn't tell you? That maybe it didn't matter?" She'd gaped at him, not believing he'd said the words. It didn't matter? A major step forward, a huge change for both of them (whether she was willing to admit it or not) and he thought it didn't matter?

"Right," she'd said. And it was then that she'd realized that no matter how hard she wished it, nothing was going to go her way. Mai would move in, they would announce the engagement, and they would marry. She would watch from the crowd as he committed himself to a future without her- so Zuko was right then, and it really didn't matter. She hadn't been able to stand another minute of that deep, wrenching agony, and had gotten up as fast as possible.

"Well, I hope she's all you wish her to be. I'm sure that you will have a long and fulfilling life together, Fire Lord." He'd watched her rise to her feet with his mouth set in a hard line, but at that he'd shook his head slowly, sadly.

"Not you, Katara," he'd murmured, catching her by the hand to still her movements. "I can deal with false happiness from everyone but you." The other men had gone silent, watching their leader carefully. Katara hadn't reacted. She'd gently slipped free from Zuko's warm grasp, dropped to one knee, stood and receded, and knelt again. It was customary for a citizen to kneel thrice when in the presence of the lord and again when leaving, but he'd never let her be so unfamiliar. They had transcended that boundary, yet she'd known then that it was a mistake to think that way.

"Stop," he'd told her, his face contorted in grief, but she had already been kneeling for the third time. He'd started forward, and she remembered thinking, too little, too late. Katara had turned on her heel, daring to defy him as she left the peaceful garden. "Katara!" Zuko had shouted after her, but she had kept a measured gait until she was certain he couldn't see her, wouldn't follow.

Then, she had fled.

Now, she looked at Iroh, his words still ringing in her ears. "Who told me?" she rasped, frozen in her seat. He knew, and he hadn't told her? He knew, and he hadn't done anything with the information at all. Traitor, her mind hissed, and she slammed her tea down, rising to pace around the fire. "Who told me? Maybe you should have, if you would be so kind! Iroh- I've been killing myself, trying to find out what happened! And you knew!" she screamed, tearing at her hair, flinging her arms out and accidentally bending the tea in their cups into frozen spikes with the harsh movement. She turned, trying to regain control.

"Yes, I did. I knew that Zuko was alive, and- forgive me- I have known for a while."

"I won't," she snapped childishly, and Iroh nodded, accepting her anger. His frozen tea steamed for a moment as he heated the mug, and he swilled the warm liquid around as he studied her.

"Let me explain, Katara. If by the time I am done, you still have contempt for me, I will leave you in peace. But first let me explain."

The request was too tantalizing to refuse, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. A beast was clawing at her insides, and she found herself picking incessantly at that damn hangnail again. "Fine," she snapped, and sat down across the fire from the old man, letting the flames and smoke obscure him until she could almost believe he was just a voice, floating out from her best dreams and worst nightmares.

"You went to see Ursa disguised as an actor in a play. She told you that Zuko came to find her, she related parts of her journey-"

"Yeah, like how none of this would've happened if they'd been able to meet at the siege of the North Pole," Katara interrupted, causing Iroh to raise his eyebrows in polite incredulity. He was still the Dragon of the West, of royal blood, and the wisest man she knew, and she felt bad immediately for being rude. "Sorry," Katara muttered.

"Yes, indeed," he said quietly. "But alas, fate chooses its own course. I believe that one of the reasons the late Commander Zhao refused Zuko's help at the end of his life partly because he then would have felt compelled to owe him something, and all he had to offer was information on Ursa. He was a truly evil man, to be so consumed by hate until his very last."

"Undoubtedly," she agreed impatiently. Iroh smiled a little and went on.

"Ursa told you that Zuko and she left the ship in private, got into the palace, and that after that, she didn't know what had happened to him. However, she refused to give you a key piece to the puzzle, citing her reason as being to not dishonor the memory of her son. This was her one true lie to you, Katara."

"What's the truth, then?" she demanded.

"The truth is that by doing this, she endeavored to keep you as safe as possible without letting you give up hope." She frowned, realizing that whatever Ursa hadn't told her, she wasn't going to find out from Iroh. "Think about it, my dear- if you had gotten a full answer to how my nephew died, you might have gone back to your life and left it at that. She was fearful for many reasons. When Azula took the throne, she neglected to reinstate Ursa as the Dowager Fire Lady. She instead hid her mother away in a mostly unfamiliar place, barring her from having visitors. Even back during this time, Ursa could tell there was a significant struggle in her daughter's mind, and took advantage of it to question her. Azula never gave her a straight answer, but she said something that Ursa thought very suspicious.

"Azula, when leaving her mother in her new prison, had given the strictest instructions to not allow anyone in or out. She said, 'if he remembered you well enough to go out and find you once, there's no guarantee he won't do it again'. Ursa had questioned her and Azula clarified, saying Ozai wouldn't rest if he knew where she was. This was untrue.

"Did you ever meet a man by the name of Ju Huan?" Iroh asked suddenly, and Katara shuddered, remembering the beheaded body at the foot of her stairs. "He was an old friend of mine, a respected leader in the military. He was also the captain of Zuko's ship when he went to find Ursa, and the first person I sought out when I heard of Zuko's death."

"Me too," she said, "but I didn't get anything useful out of him, really. He was drunk and really confused. It was like-"

"It was like he didn't remember anything about the journey? Or possibly, that it hurt him to think of it? Liquor dulls a man's intellect. He may drink so as not to feel guilty about holes in his memory, or because in a stupor, trying to remember is less painful."

"The Dai Li," Katara suggested grimly, "their specialty is altering memories. Jet for example, he didn't even know that he'd been hunting you guys down in Ba Sing Se because he'd been brainwashed to forget. He forgot pretty much every aspect of himself." When Iroh didn't answer, she narrowed her eyes so that his face came into focus through the smoke screen. Why wasn't he responding? What had she missed?

As soon as the concept was voiced inside her head, Iroh's silence fell into place.

There's no guarantee he won't do it again…

He'd been brainwashed to forget…

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…

"Oh," she breathed, her mind suddenly crystal clear- more so than it had been in almost three years. It was a dizzying sensation, as if all the air in the room was suddenly too thin to sustain her.

"There we are," Iroh murmured, and tears leaked down into his beard. "Now you know. Zuko is alive, but even he does not know it. There is, of course, the possibility that the conditioning has faded, but this is unlikely. Azula had to know that he was made to forget, and only she knows what happened to him next. But she did not kill him, or else she wouldn't have had to hide Ursa away. Zuko and the crew were the only ones who knew Ursa was set to return, and obviously Azula hadn't accounted for that when she staged the coup. She had to fix it later, by killing off the crew, but it was around this time I believe Zuko escaped somehow and sparked Azula's paranoia."

"But then why didn't Ursa tell me he was alive?" she protested.

"As I said, she was mainly interested in keeping you safe, Katara. Ursa is not as helpless as she may have appeared- she has enough influence to occasionally sneak messages out, as she did to me. Also, she was a key advisor for Azula's actions as Fire Lord, and has used that to manipulate her daughter. Ursa hoped that by drawing Azula's attention to rebuilding the Fire Nation, a process which will take decades, she could distract the girl from trying to hunt down the brother she'd obviously lost track of. If Ursa would have told you he was alive, you would have been a liability and a danger. You may have taken more risks, gotten captured or killed. This is why she decided to censor the information she gave you."

"But Azula's been trailing me just for looking for answers! How is that saving me?" Iroh inclined his head.

"So it is Azula who told you? I only ask because it would be problematic for others to know, and we need as much of the full story as possible." Iroh leaned back, lacing his fingers over his belly, and smiled over at her. "It is only with the full knowledge of the past that we can change our future, Katara. It is time."

Katara thought about Sokka, captured and alone. She thought about Ursa, who had been kept in silence for so long. And she thought about Zuko, who was wandering around with no idea that he had the power to save the world as they knew it. As they wanted it.

"Yes, it is."

Hopefully no one's disappointed, please review, and I'm trying to get the next chapter hammered out right now! Thanks for reading, as always!

-Aleina