Zuko and Katara were sitting with their backs against a tree. Zuko was still a little groggy, a lot angry, very much grateful for Katara's healing, and a horrendously embarrassed that he'd been so overdramatic about the possibility of death. After all the assassination attempts, you'd think he'd get used to it, and he hoped Katara wouldn't tease him about it later. The prison was on fire, and they were at a stalemate, but she was right—they weren't about to die. Yet. Chem sat outside their protective circle, waiting, but looking none too pleased about it. During the lull when both sides were at a standoff, Zuko had set Katara's shoulder, and she managed to heal some of their worse injuries. Including Zuko's fractured skull.

"Speak," Zuko commanded. His head was already feeling better, and now he could remember seeing Chem around the palace. He'd always taken his mother's letters and helped her organize Ozai's affairs. If he remembered correctly, Chem had been to Ursa what Hau had become to him.

"My Lord—"

"Why did you have us followed?" Zuko demanded. Chem looked extremely irritated, his nostrils flaring, and his hands clenched.

"We would not let harm come to either your or Master Lady Katara." Chem paused, but continued when Zuko didn't interrupt. "I have served your mother since the day she left Kirachu for the capitol. Hers was not a marriage her parents desired, and they refused to send their only child into the capitol unarmed and unguarded. Those of us who came to the palace with the Lady Mother Ursa were loyal, and remain loyal to the Lady Mother Ursa, and the Lady Mother Ursa alone."

That didn't erase Zuko's fear and anger. "Where is she?"

"Even I don't know." There was undisguised sadness and pain in Chem's voice, and it deepened the lines in his face. He looked old, sad, and tired.

"Is she alive?"

Chem paused. "Yes."

"Why did you hesitate?"

Again, Chem hesitated. "These are…delicate matters, my Lord—"

"I keep no secrets from Katara, and the way you keep throwing around names and titles, I would guess you should know this. Whatever you would say to me, you will say in front of her."

She was beside him, like a rock, anchoring him to the world when so much seemed unreal and out of his grasp. Here they were, sitting in the courtyard of a burning building, talking after having just slaughtered dozens of people—after giving in to the most base and ugly urges.

"I was just as surprised as you were to find that she wasn't here. She has many friends, and I hope whoever took her is friendly toward us. But we have been through this before, this foolish little game with Ozai."

"You keep saying us," Katara said. "All these people could not be from Lady Ursa's house."

"No, they are not." That was all Chem said, but he looked proud for having said it.

Zuko took deep, deep breaths, but it wasn't enough to keep his head from spinning. Katara was squeezing his shoulder, reassuring him that she was there, and he wanted to bury himself in her. Chem crossed his arms and sneered at Zuko, and this wasn't the man that he remembered from the palace. That man had been quiet and helpful, by his mother's side whenever she needed him. He'd never been smug or self-righteous, and certainly he didn't have his own army.

"She did what Ozai could not do, and she did it far better than he ever could have," Chem said, spitting Ozai's name with open contempt. "When we could no longer protect her, she commanded that we protect you. Those who had become loyal to her turned their attentions to you, my lord, though I assure you, the Lady Mother Ursa was never far from our minds."

"If you protected her like you protected me, then I fear for her safety."

"Zuko—"

"Just what were you protecting me from? Because I still remember—"

"My Lord must understand that, though we wished we could do so, we could not protect you from your own father," he said as if he were talking to a stubborn child. "Only the Lady Mother Ursa could shield her children, but in time, even that was beyond her. We protected you from the court as much as we could, mostly from Ozai's agents within the palace. I worked with former General Iroh, your uncle—"

"Bullshit. He would have told me."

"—to hand pick your crew when you were banished, to be sure that Ozai would not have the chance to be rid of you once and for all. And I doubt your esteemed uncle has mentioned me because we did not cooperate of our own will, but rather at the will of your mother."

"So what happened to you? Ozai's not the forgiving type." Katara said.

"With the Lady Mother Ursa gone, my services were no longer needed. Ozai had his crown, and as far as he was concerned, he was untouchable. It was no secret that I disliked Ozai from the day after the wedding."

"What did he do to her?" Zuko asked, moving into a crouch. The heat was rising from the pit of his stomach.

Chem smiled, satisfied. "She called it inexperience, but I will not deign to go into the Lady Mother Ursa's intimate affairs with her husband."

Zuko wanted to lunge, but Katara was holding him back, or rather, leaning on him to keep him in place. If he were to pass through her barrier, there would be nothing to keep them from all attacking at once. At least, this way, they had some measure of security.

"Does someone intend to put that fire out?" Zuko yelled.

"If it pleases my lord for the fire to be extinguished," Chem said, bowing his head in a what Zuko was positive was a mocking gesture.

"It does."

Chem gave a signal, and several people began work on putting out the fire. "If you will consent, we would shelter my Lord and his Lady Consort at least for the night."

"I am not the Lady Consort," Katara said. "You know this."

"No? I had assumed from your familiarity with his majesty that you were. My apologies. I have been gone from the Fire Nation for quite some time."

"Wipe that smile off your face," Zuko said, springing to his feet, and almost falling on his face. "Cut the act. You know Katara and I are only friends."

Chem did that mocking head gesture again. Zuko knew he was being provoked, but he was just so frustrated and exhausted and angry that not rising to the bait never crossed his mind. The angrier he got, the smugger Chem got. Zuko didn't trust him at all, even though the man seemed to know a lot about his mother. It wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to blackmail him with information about Ursa, and he'd learned to be cautious. There was a twinkle in Chem's eye hinting at secrets he wasn't ready to reveal.

"There is a young man who works in his mother's inn not far from here who seems to think otherwise."

"That young man will be a dead one, soon."

"I'm repaying an old debt by helping him find Lady Ursa," Katara explained, grabbing onto the back of his shirt again. Zuko struggled against her, but most of the adrenaline had left his body feeling spent. She was pulling herself off the ground, keeping him back at the same time. "We're old war buddies."

"Yes, old war buddies." Chem sighed and clasped his hands behind his back. "It is a sad time when you can be so young and yet call yourselves old war buddies. Perhaps old war buddies would follow an old man."

Slowly, Katara began dropping the ice shield. They could have been overwhelmed by now, and it should be a good sign that they weren't. Really, what choice did they have but to follow?

A/N: I can't kill off my POV character! Then who'd tell the story? Anyway, Kimberly T. pointed out in another one of my fics that Royal/Lady Consort is a title used to refer to the ruler's spouse. I found that out when I was looking for official titles for the girlfriend of the ruler, which there don't appear to be any. I'm going to leave it as Royal/Lady Consort in my fics because calling the women the council pushes at Zuko girlfriends or significant others suggests too much intimacy, in my opinion. I wanted it to be almost like an official position, something you're appointed to. I am open to suggestions for better titles, though.

On another note, I'd originally planned this Finding Ursa bit to be a three arc series, but after writing the second arc, I felt like it was too much of a detour. So, what was formerly the second in a trilogy, Lily of the Valley, is being uploaded separately. That fic follows Ursa and Ozai, features Chem, and shows my take on what life could have been like for them. I'm working on the final part, Finding My Way Home as we speak!