Obviously, Zuko had given his father much to think about. It made sense that father had wanted to discuss and strategise with his advisors. It was perfectly normal for him to wish for privacy while he did so. It should not matter.

But it did.

Father had sent him away. Sent him and Azula away to Ember Island; a well deserved holiday from their time in the earth kingdom, a reward for their successes.

It felt more like being grounded.

Hadn't he proven himself? Redeemed himself? Then again, the last War Meeting he had attended had not ended so well. Perhaps it was best to simply endure this and not dwell too much on the reasons. After all, Azula was here too.

It galled her, as well. Apparently this was not the norm, privacy yes, and she was hardly invited to every high level meting, but she had never been sent away like this! Father must have his reasons, they decided whilst sparring on the journey. There must be a purpose.

Just not one they were worthy of hearing.

So they put up with the temporary exile, going to the beach and then a beach party. Ty Lee had a half dozen new boyfriends who were demanding she pick between them, Mai was being chatted up by a smooth talker who didn't know he was one wrong move from being riddled with blades, and the royal siblings were sitting in the corner having tried and failed to socialise with these 'normal people'.

Normal people were so strange. They slipped away from the obnoxious party, walking through quiet paths whilst making jokes about their hosts. They weren't paying attention to where they were going, and when they realised where they were, it was too late. The abandoned house loomed over them in the night, ghosts of times past haunting everywhere they glanced. They stopped speaking all at once, and entered their old holiday house.

Zuko brushed his hand over family portraits, Azula picked up old childhood toys, both lost in memories. Azula was the first to crack. "Come on, let's leave this place. It's depressing." Zuko nodded and followed his sister down to the beach.

They sat down at a small cliff and watched the ocean rippling constantly before them. Zuko broke the silence this time. "What do you think father is planning?" It had to be something big. The plans for the dark-day? The comet?

"I'm not sure." She shrugged but the motion was anything but casual. "The defences are solid and alert, patrols increased, and bunkers ready. There isn't much more to plan for the dark-day. It must be the comet. What will we do now that Ba Sing Se is already ours? The northern water barbarians have ventured out more since Zhao's idiotic attempt at glory, and they could prove a hindrance to our navy. But their population is so concentrated in that one city, only a few ships need be sent to destroy their defences and leave them too weak to harass our fleet."

Zuko nodded, well aware of how easily they might be dealt with come the comet. "And the south pole isn't worth the coal to get there. We have the west and north of the earth kingdom, and now with Ba Sing Se there is no stronghold large enough to stand against us, even without the comet. Maybe father means to conquer the southern areas? All at once?" They considered this, it seemed possible.

But why would they be sent away from such a meeting? Azula said as much. "There must be something more, some larger target or goal..." But try as they might, nothing else came to mind. The northern air temple was being renovated by the mechanist who created war balloons, why attack now when they could invade from the air and capture the temple once it had been made conveniently inhabitable, and filled with new inventions? Inventions they could adapt for many purposes. So that wasn't it either.

Eventually they gave up and started talking about other things. What they would do on the dark-day, and what they would do once the war was won outright, and all rebellion conquered. They might be married off soon; he to one of noble blood and great skill, she for political or material gain. It was not a happy thought. Azula had two years before she was of age, Zuko had no such luck.

At least there wasn't any real need to secure the royal line just yet. Father was still young and strong, and besides, he wouldn't do that to them.