Seven Months Later…

A blast of fire whizzed by, inches from her ear, and Arael instinctively ducked toward the ground, only to see another was coming at her straight on. She leapt out of the way and continued to twist and turn, duck and leap, weaving her way through the continual blasts of fire until she was too close to Iroh for him to safely use firebending. He engaged her in hand to hand combat, exchanging blows and punches ruthlessly. He'd learned quickly in their time together not to go easy on her. It was only a moment before his leg buckled beneath him from a blow to the back of his calf, sending him to his knees, and Arael held her hand against his throat, a pleased smile on her lips. He looked up at her with amused golden eyes, knocking her hand away and climbing to his feet.

"I was distracted."

She snorted at his excuse, walking to the edge of the court yard to grab a towel and wipe the sheen of sweat from her face. "Never heard that one before." She turned toward him, giving him a small knowing smile as he approached and grabbed his own towel.

Sparring had become a regular hobby between the two ever since Arael had arrived at the Fire Nation Palace. She needed something to distract her from her thoughts and it had proven the perfect way to do just that as well as help her stay in shape. It surprised her at first how well she could keep up with the Fire Nation General, but it became apparent that her training with Amon had not been only self-defense. He had created an army of close combat fighters. It had never dawned on her while she worked with her cousin, but she was almost proud of the skill she had learned, even if she now considered that portion of her life one of her darkest moments.

They hadn't initially started out so roughly. Iroh had been worried about accidentally harming her, although he quickly learned that the girl could hold her own, as well as take a beating. After all, she had been a Pro-Bender for a while. She was used to falling off an arena and being hit with earth discs. When they got bored, they added new challenges, and eventually, she convinced him to let loose and use firebending. Her reflexes had certainly improved after being singed a couple of times.

As was their ritual after a work out, the two sat down at a waiting table for tea. Iroh flipped the radio on and Korra's voice came through, crackling at first as it warmed up and then smoothing out: "…guide the world toward peace and balance. Harmonic Convergence has caused a shift in the planet's energy, I can feel it. Things will never be the same again. We are entering a new age."

Arael lifted her gaze curiously to the firebender across from her. She hadn't realized that something had been occurring big enough to concern the Avatar. Iroh sighed at her look, and she could immediately tell that he knew something about whatever Korra was talking about. She looked at him expectantly and waited for him to explain further.

"There was a civil war between the Water Tribes recently and Korra's uncle went power crazy and somehow managed to involve the Spirits. It doesn't really concern us, to be honest. Avatar Korra took care of everything before the fleet was needed."

Arael nodded slowly, a little confused by the brief explanation, but not too concerned with what it implicated. However, she did grow a little curious. "Does this make my trial old news?"

Iroh shrugged. "I'll have to send a message to your father to see how things are going."

Arael nodded, despite how frustrating his vague answer was. Although Iroh had taken good care of her since he brought her to the Fire Nation, it was obvious that he was acting as her jailer in a way. She was allowed to do as she pleased throughout the palace, but there was always someone around to keep an eye on her. And she was never allowed to leave the confines of the palace, especially alone. Iroh wasn't around a whole lot because of his duties with the First Division of the United Forces, so Arael was mostly left to her own devices. This included Pai Sho with the guards and reading anything she found interesting in the vast library. Occasionally, she would be honored with the presence of former Fire Lord Zuko, who would request she humor an old man with a game of Pai Sho or a cup of tea. He didn't seem to dislike her at all and often told her stories of his younger life when he worked with and against Avatar Aang. He seemed to understand that there were two sides to every story and he didn't have any animosity toward her after her previous actions. She rarely saw Fire Lord Izumi, who didn't seem fond of her at all, and Arael knew well enough to stay out of her way.

"Will you send the message soon?" she asked, her voice a little hesitant. She hated to ask much more from Iroh, but she really wanted to get back to Republic City and return to a somewhat normal life.

Iroh gave her an unreadable look, one of his practiced political strategies. "It will get done. For now, I think it's best you get to bed. We trained pretty late."

Arael nodded, rising to her feet and slinging her towel over her shoulder. It was best that she didn't push things with him. After all, she was far from his first priority. Returning to her room, she changed out of her sweaty clothes and rinsed off before sliding into her bed. She was finally alone, despite the guard standing outside of her bedroom door.

In these moments, her heart ached for Mako. It had been two months since she had last heard from him. They had to keep in contact through letters and his response to her last one never came. She missed him horribly and she worried that something must have come up to stop his letters. They had become increasingly distant and she worried that he had given up on her returning home.

The following day, Arael had felt…different. Not a bad different, but something along the lines of more aware. She felt more alert and noticed more things that usually didn't catch her attention. She certainly felt livelier. Some spark had been put back into her personality. Iroh had noticed a change over dinner and commented, but she just brushed it off. She didn't know what had gotten into her.

During their sparring match, she was even more on top of her game. He couldn't touch her. She was fluid as water as she danced away from his flames and blocked his blows. She could tell that Iroh was growing increasingly frustrated. His attacks were becoming more violent, his punches more deliberate. When they started again after she defeated him for a fourth time, he was the first to make a move. He sent a rather forceful bout of fire out before she was ready. Instinctively, she pulled her arms in, closing her eyes against the inevitable blast.

There was a loud sizzle, a gasp from Iroh, and no intense burn from the flames.

"Arael."

She peeked out from between her arms in her crouched position, catching a glimpse of the look of absolute disbelief on his face. The ground was wet in front of them, the water in the turtle duck pond beside them swishing like it had been disturbed.

"How?" Iroh was at a loss for words, grasping for something to say, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Slowly unfolding from her defensive position, Arael got to her feet, her eyes falling to the pond. She could feel it. The water. That was why she had felt so different that day. She felt whole again. With a giddy laugh, she pulled a pillar of water out of the pond, freezing it in place and then letting it collapse back into liquid form. She thought she would never feel the bond with her element again.

"I need to report this," Iroh said suddenly, turning and starting to walk in a daze out of the courtyard.

"Wait! Iroh!" Arael ran after him, stopping straight in front of him and throwing her arms out as if to block him from leaving. "Please don't tell them. We can keep it a secret."

He frowned at her request, brushing past her. "I'm not going to lie to them. This is information they need to know."

"Please, I won't do it in front of anyone," she begged, following after him.

"Arael, stop!" She stopped in her tracks at the biting tone, shocked by the authority in his voice. "I have to report this. It's my duty." He seemed to recognize that he had hurt her and his expression softened. "I'm sorry." He turned and continued into the palace, stopping only to tell a guard to keep a closer eye on her.

Arael watched, heartbroken as he left. How could he do that to her? She was whole again and he wanted to take what she had already lost away again. She couldn't go through that again; the months of depression and emptiness. It had taken a lot to pull her out of the slum she had been in and he wanted to send her straight back into it. She couldn't do it. She wouldn't do it.

Turning on her heels, she darted toward the turtle duck pond and dove in, relishing in the feeling of the water on her skin as she pulled it to her, surrounding herself in it and cushioning her dive before she hit the bottom. There were muffled shouts coming through the bubble of peace she had created, but she didn't care. She would rather die wrapped in the loving arms of her element than have it ripped away from her soul once more. There were hands tugging on her, trying to rip her away now but she resisted, clinging tightly to the part of her she could never lose again. The air had left her lungs and the world was starting to fade. She didn't care. As long as she had water, she would die happily.