It was shortly after Ba Sing Se was taken that another strange thing happened to Lu Ten. He was leaving early so that he could get home quickly when he noticed a woman staring at him. He had not seen her around, so he figured she had only arrived recently. She was watching him carefully, and he began to get uncomfortable under the intensity of her gaze. He saw her lean over and whisper something to the shopkeeper she had been talking to, and then that man stared at him too. Lu Ten got nervous. What if this woman knew who he was? It seemed impossible, but his fear was getting the better of him. Then the shopkeeper called him over.

"Ping! Come over here!"

Lu Ten cleared his throat and walked over to them, and as he approached, he took in the woman's appearance. He just about fell over from shock. It couldn't be…Ursa?! What was she doing in the Earth Kingdom? He remembered what Zuko had said that Ursa was gone, and he took it to mean she had died, but here she was standing in front of him. He supposed that shouldn't surprise him, since Ursa had certainly heard of his own "death." He desperately wanted to question her, but he did not dare do so in front of the shopkeeper. He only hoped Ursa had not given too much away.

"Ping," the shopkeeper said. "This woman said she thought she recognized you. Do you know her?"

Lu Ten nodded slowly, holding his aunt's gaze. "Yes," he said. "I know her."

"We have a lot of catching up to do," she added. "If you'll excuse us."

"Of course!" the shopkeeper said, and Lu Ten and Ursa departed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in an undertone as they walked toward his home.

"I could say the same to you," she returned.

They walked in silence until they reached Lu Ten's house. When he opened the door, only Cho was awake, and she was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. She came to the door when she heard Lu Ten enter, and shot him a questioning look when she saw Ursa.

"Cho, this is my aunt, Ursa," he explained. "Aunt Ursa, this is my wife, Cho."

The two women shook hands. "I see," Ursa said. "Is she the reason you faked your death?" Her tone was not accusing, but almost playful as she raised an eyebrow at her nephew.

He nodded and then released a sigh. "Ursa, what happened to you? Zuko said you were gone, I thought he meant that you died –"

"You've talked to Zuko?" Ursa interrupted him.

"Yeah," he told her. "He was working in the tea shop my niece took me to. In fact, she and Zuko ended up going out on a date, but it didn't go anywhere. Anyway, I heard he helped Azula take the city, so I guess he hadn't changed as much as I thought."

"That's why I'm here," Ursa said. "I need to talk to my children. I need them to understand what the war is doing to the world."

"You really think you can change their minds?" he questioned.

"I've got to try," she said.

"You might have a shot with Zuko, but Azula has always been on her father's side," Lu Ten said. "Even what little I remember of her, that much I know."

Ursa stared at the ground. "I can't give up on her."

"Aunt Ursa, would you mind telling me why you left the Fire Nation?" he asked. "I know you've got things to do, but I'm so confused."

Ursa began the tale where she knew Lu Ten had information. She recounted everything for him, from Iroh's decision to abandon the capture of Ba Sing Se to striking her bargain with Ozai to save Zuko and leaving the Fire Nation, all the way to living in Huang and her time with the Southern Water Tribe Warriors. Lu Ten felt another pang of guilt similar to what he felt during his confrontation with Zuko. If he hadn't left, then Ursa would have never had to leave her children. Although, he also couldn't help but notice she was happier than he ever remembered her.

"This Chief Hakoda," Lu Ten said. "You're in love with him."

It was not a question, but a statement.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Well, each time you said his name, your face changed," he told her. "I know you've practiced hiding your emotions, but I've been there before too. I know when you're trying to hide something."

Ursa looked at her hands, some color rushing to her face. "I can't very well deny it, can I?"

"No, you can't," he said. "Not to mention, it's the same way my face changes when I talk about Cho. You can't hide love, no matter what."

"Yes, I love him dearly," she finally said. "Unfortunately, I had to do this alone. He does not yet know my full history."

"You mean, he doesn't know your husband was Ozai and that your children are the Prince and Princess of the Fire Nation."

"How long did it take for you to tell Cho that you were the Fire Nation Prince?" she asked.

"A week," he answered. "I fell in love with her so quickly, but I was revealed in what was originally my last night in the city." He told her the details behind his fake death in Ba Sing Se. He also told her of his reunion with Iroh and that he had a daughter.

"Be careful," Ursa warned. "If Ozai finds out, you'll be killed, and so will your daughter."

"I know," he replied bitterly. "Believe me, I've thought about this. That's why I think I'm going to try to leave Ba Sing Se. I fear that someone in the higher ranks might recognize me."

"Ping, we can't!" Cho protested.

Ursa raised her eyebrows.

"I've asked Cho to never use my real name," he explained. "That way we don't have any slip ups when it matters."

"I see," Ursa said.

"Anyway, why can't we go?" Lu Ten asked his wife.

"Because we have a life here," Cho insisted. "Our daughter is familiar with this place. We can't uproot her now. Besides, where would we go? The refugees were coming here to Ba Sing Se. Even Omashu has fallen. We cannot escape the Fire Nation."

"I can't keep hiding in my own home," he argued. "Anyway, we can talk about this later." He turned to Ursa. "What can I do to help you?"

"Can you show a place where they have Pai Sho?" she asked.

It was a peculiar question, but Lu Ten trusted his aunt's judgement. He told her where to go to find what she needed. She didn't stay long, insisting she needed to get in touch with Zuko and Azula as soon as possible, so Lu Ten walked her to the door.

"Aunt Ursa," he said after a warm hug. "Please know that you can come to me should you need anything else."

"No, Lu Ten," she said. "I wouldn't dream of putting you or your family in any more danger than you already face. But thank you for telling me of my son and your father. It was great to hear."

"Thank you for telling me about the Fire Nation," he replied. "I hope we meet again, Aunt Ursa."

"Me too, Lu Ten. Stay safe," she said, and they embraced once more before she left and disappeared around the corner.

Lu Ten turned to Cho. "I think we should talk about leaving Ba Sing Se before Malina wakes up. We will tell her our decision."

"I don't want to go, my love," she said. "This is our home. And, it's like I said, where would we go? Refugees were coming here."

"I know," he returned. "But Ba Sing Se is about to have many Fire Nation nobles in it. If I know Ozai, he will call his children home, but he will leave someone else in charge, and it's very likely that that someone would recognize me."

"But the nobles never come this far out," she protested. "They barely leave the palace."

"You're thinking of Earth Kingdom nobles," he reminded her. "They had nothing to fear from the people of Ba Sing Se. The Fire Nation higher ups will be on the lookout for rebellion, and they will be taking people. And if Zuko really has joined his sister, I cannot trust that he will keep my secret for us. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but we can't take any risks. I won't risk Malina. They can kill me, but I will not let them take my daughter."

Cho's eyes had filled with tears. Suddenly, she pulled Lu Ten into a tight hug. "No, they can't kill you! I won't let them!"

He stroked her hair. "They'd have a tough time getting through you, love."

She sniffled. "Darling," she said. "Honestly, where would we go?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "Somewhere…anywhere but near the Fire Nation nobles. Maybe…maybe just I could leave. It would keep all of you safe."

Cho looked up at him, horrified. "No," she said firmly. "You can't leave us. We're a family. We stay together."

"But I'm putting you in danger," he insisted. "When the war is over, we could be together again."

"But who knows when that will be?" she demanded.

"I think you're forgetting a key figure in all this," he said. "The Avatar has returned. With him back in the mix, this war should be over by the summer. He will have to end it before Sozin's Comet. If I know Ozai like I think I do, he'll want to use the Comet to destroy what is left of the Earth Kingdom. So, if the Avatar doesn't defeat him by the end of the summer, it would be hopeless anyway. I don't mean to frighten you, but this is the reality."

Her eyes were still swimming with tears. "How can you say these things? You gave up your life to be with me. You can't give up this life too."

"I've got to," he said. "I'll do whatever I must to keep my girls safe. And you two would be safe here without me."

"You don't know that," she returned, but she knew that he was right.

"I do know it," he said firmly. "I've got to go. And who knows? Maybe I can help in the war somehow."

They decided that he would spend the day with them and would leave under cover of darkness. So, Lu Ten did his best to make his last day with his family worthwhile. They went to the hill where Lu Ten and Cho had shared their first kiss and had a picnic. The Fire Nation was desperate to prove that everything was still fine in Ba Sing Se, so the citizens still lived fairly normally. The Fire Nation patrols were still all around though. Lu Ten got lucky, and no one recognized him while he was out with his family. They went home for dinner around sunset and then sent their daughter upstairs to bathe and prepare for bed.

"Are you going to tell Malina?" Cho asked.

He nodded. "I'll go pack some things, and then I will say goodbye to her."

He went upstairs to his bedroom and packed a small bag. Then he went to his daughter's bedroom and cracked the door open. She was already in bed and her breathing was slow and even, indicating she was already sleeping. Lu Ten touched her shoulder and her eyes fluttered open.

"Daddy?" she asked, a questioning look on her sleepy face.

He knelt down beside her bed. "I've got to say goodbye, sweetheart," he told her. "It's a lot to explain, and I don't want to scare you, but in order to keep you and Mommy safe, I have to go away for a little while. But I want you to know that I love you so much, and I will be back as soon as possible."

She rubbed her eyes. "I'm confused…"

"That's okay, baby," he said, and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you."

"Love you too, Daddy," she returned.

He rose and went out the door. He felt a lump rising in his throat as tears filled his eyes. He shuddered to clear his head. Downstairs, Cho was waiting for him at the front door. She immediately pulled him into a tight hug.

"Be safe," she said.

He kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too, Lu Ten."

He knew how much this must mean to her. She only used his real name when it was serious between them. They embraced once more before Lu Ten departed. He felt as though he were leaving behind a piece of himself as the door closed behind him. He wanted nothing more than to turn around, go back inside and exclaim that the Fire Nation could do whatever they wanted, but he was not leaving his wife and baby girl. It was a bitter parting indeed. He left his heart behind the walls of Ba Sing Se.