Hey everyone! Thank you so much for continuing to read and support this fic :) Please excuse any artistic liberties I may take with the Royal Palace. Also, some familiar faces may appear in this chapter ;) enjoy!

The day had come, and I hadn't slept a wink the night before. I laid in my own bed, tossing and turning amongst the sheets, and staring hard at the ceiling. Tomorrow, I realized, was the most important day of my entire life. I would come to terms with my past, and I - or Etka or Naheel - could very well die for it.

At first, I'd refused to let Naheel come. Where I had stuck out in the Southern Water Tribe, he stood out even more in the Fire Nation, from everything to his appearance, his clothes, and his manners. My worry was that the guards would instantly pick Naheel out as a foreigner, and decide to turn on us all. I wasn't going to put Etka into that kind of situation, and certainly not my own brother.

But when I had expressed my worries to both Naheel and Etka over lunch, Naheel had adamantly refused. "I'm not letting you walk into that place all on your own while I sit and wait here," He had said with a dark frown.

"She's not going alone," Etka had reminded him with a look. They had both become more civil to one another, but I had the feeling neither one of them actually trusted the other. "I'm going to be with her the entire time."

"Naheel, I just don't think it would be a good idea," I said gently. "It will be fairly obvious you're from the Water Tribe, and if they find out you can bend - "

"I won't use my bending unless things turn bad," Naheel promised. "I want to be there. If something happens - "

"I'm not a helpless little girl anymore, Naheel," I protested, but my brother shook his head.

"But you can't defend yourself against the entire Fire Nation army - and neither can Etka," He pointed out firmly. "I know that the three of us aren't invincible, but having another person there... Well, if someone got into trouble, saving said person would be more effective with two people as opposed to one."

I knew Naheel wasn't talking about Etka, and Etka knew it too. When I cast a glance over at him, I saw him make eye contact with Naheel and nod slowly. "I agree with Naheel on this," He said stoically. "Having him come along would be an advantageous asset."

I knew that both of them could not be swayed, and I sighed, resigning to the fact that I would have to be extra careful. If Naheel were to be hurt in any way in this, after coming so far, I could never forgive myself.

Etka came into my room that morning, looking handsome in robes of deep scarlet. He saw that I hadn't slept, sitting upright and wrapped in blankets. "I'll go make you some tea," He said, then turned and added, "Strong tea."

Wearily, I got up, and found my nicest robes, and carefully put them on, then fashioned my hair in a modest braid off of my shoulder. When I came outside, I saw Naheel sitting by the koi pond, wearing some of Etka's clothing and fussing with the sleeves in distrust. He looked so different, his hair pulled back like Etka wore his, and dressed in fine Fire Nation robes of red and black.

"Look at you!" I tried to sound lighthearted, but it fell flat. Naheel looked up, and his face changed when he saw me.

"Anahi," He stood up and embraced me, wrapping me in a firm, strong embrace that I really needed. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I said, pulling away with a sigh. "I just...this day has been on my mind for nearly a year. It needs to go perfectly."

"Don't worry too much," Naheel said comfortingly. "You'll show the Firelord the dagger, and I'm sure he'll show you some sympathy."

"He's my only chance at knowing where Kita could be," I said, touching the dagger that remained around my throat. "I have to go. I must know."

"Anahi," Etka approached the two of us, holding a cup of steaming tea in his hands. "Please, drink." Etka had rarely shown me affection since Naheel had arrived, at least not in the presence of my brother. I thought that part of him was almost afraid of how Naheel would react.

"Thank you," I said gratefully, taking a careful sip.

"We have a carriage that will take us to the palace after breakfast," Etka told us. "While we are there, it is absolutely critical that you display the utmost in politeness at all times. Always show your obedience to the Firelord, and any members of his family."

Naheel stiffened, and I saw his jaw become more rigid, like it always did when he became upset. "I know you don't like it, but this is the price of wanting to come along," Etka added pointedly. "Just follow everything that I do."

I finished my tea, and set the teacup down. "Will you do this, Naheel?" I asked. "You can't cause a scene - "

"I'm not going to cause a scene," My brother scowled. "I'll do everything that needs to be done. I know how important this is for you."

"Thank you," I replied, getting shakily to my feet, and looking around at both of them. "Are you ready?" I asked, and each man nodded. I closed my eyes and exhaled through my nose. "Then let's go."

When I had seen the General's mansion at the Naval Gala, I had scarcely imagined any building more greater, and more beautiful. But the Royal Palace made General Chan's home look like little more than a tool shed.

A massive scarlet pillar loomed over us, with two smaller twin barricades upon either side, terraced and bordered in gold. It took my breath away, just by the sheer size alone. Fear settled into my heart, and I realized that this had to be the Firelord's intention.

I felt Etka's hand brush by mine, and I looked down, sliding my hand into his own. With our long sleeves, it merely looked as though we were walking close to one another. As we approached the gates, he squeezed hard before letting go and approached the guards, speaking in a low voice. "I am Captain Song Etka, and this is Anahi and Naheel. We have an audience with the Firelord today under the authorization of Admiral Chan."

"Admiral Chan," One of the soldier's opened a scroll of parchment, and they both peered over it together. The same soldier looked up and nodded curtly. "Cleared." He looked up to an outpost before the gates and signaled with his hand to let us through. "You will have an audience with the Firelord after his afternoon meal. You will be sent for in the main courtyard." The gates began to open with a bone-jarring screech, and we began our slow, steady walk on the sand-colored stone towards the entrance. My hands were shaking and covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and several times, I wanted to bolt and run. The dagger hung around my neck like a millstone.

Naheel was rigid the entire time, his shoulders drawn and clenched. I knew he was equally angered by and afraid of the soldiers. I was still uneasy about them myself, but I had to trust that Etka would get us out of any problems. The one thing that he couldn't protect us from though, was Ozai.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," I turned to him abruptly, after we were led into a lush courtyard filled with flowering trees and calm, reflecting ponds. "I shouldn't be here. I don't know what I was expecting - "

"You've come all this way," Etka said forcefully, looking me dead-on in the eyes. "You've fought for this day, and now you tell me that you don't think you should be here?" I was a little taken aback by his forcefulness. "Anahi, this is your right to be here. I'm not letting you leave."

I cast my eyes frantically around, willing that no one but Naheel could hear. "What if he kills us all?" I whispered. "Etka, it was wrong to come here - "

"You have to know," He said firmly. "You have to find your mother. He could be your only chance."

"Etka's right," Naheel murmured. "I don't like it here either, but you sacrificed your entire life for this moment. Don't give that up to your fear."

Suddenly, Etka's eyes widened, and he abruptly grabbed my arm. "Both of you, get down on the ground and kneel," He said, bending down. Startled and alarmed, I began to follow him.

"What is it?" I asked worriedly, grabbing Naheel and pulling him down to his knees beside me. To my shock, Etka placed his hands before him and prostrated fully onto the grass. "It's the Firelord's children. Princess Azula and Prince Zuko. Wait until they pass before standing, and stay quiet."

Following him, I knelt and pressed my forehead against the grass and stole furtive glances as the two children strode by. Both didn't look much older than twelve - not exactly children, but young nonetheless. The boy - Prince Zuko - had dark hair like his sister and pulled into a high ponytail that waved in a little black tuft in the air. His sister walked in front of him, looking over us with a smirk on her face. Something about her, her eyes that seemed to only look on us with a cold mockery and scorn, made me feel as though a rotten plant had bloomed inside me and was choking me from the inside out.

"Oh look, Zuko," She sneered, her high, icy voice ringing out over the quiet of the courtyard. "Beggars have come to appeal to Father."

I felt my blood boil with anger, and I heard Naheel exhale sharply beside me. She was no better than I was. We had the same Royal blood. The Firelord was her father and mine. It was shocking to think that someone like this, even as a child, was still my sister.

"I wouldn't call them that," Zuko said, but quietly, and Azula didn't hear him. We waited until they were out of sight before standing again, and Naheel looked furious.

"That will be the last time that I bow to a child," He snarled, and I stared at him in surprise. This was the most upset I had ever seen my brother.

"Naheel," I murmured softly, touching his arm to calm him. I was still shaken from this encounter with Azula.

"You're no different than she is." My brother turned passionately to me. "You should have the same birthright she has. That's not fair to you."

"I'm a bastard, remember?" I muttered dryly, pulling away from him and taking a seat on the stone edge of a fountain. "You forget, Naheel, that I'm not supposed to exist."

"Anahi," Etka said consolingly, trying to take a seat beside me, but I brushed him off with a wave of my hand.

"It's fine," I said brusquely. "It's really fine."

"Don't - "

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," I said forcefully. "Please."

Both Etka and Naheel fell silent, and my brother took a seat beside me. I stared hard at the grass, and felt each man at once reach for my hand. I took them both and felt reassured, knowing that they would stand by me in my hour of need.

"There's been something on my mind," Etka said, keeping his voice low. "If something goes wrong and we need to leave, we need a rendezvous point, in case we have to split up."

"That's a good idea," Naheel answered. "Except I don't know the city like you both do."

"Did you come in by the harbor when you got to the city?" Etka asked, and Naheel nodded. "By the end of the docked ships, there's a temple on top of a hill. It's a nunnery, and anyone who goes there has a law of sanctuary - the soldiers cannot follow us there. It would be safe, and the ocean would provide for a fast getaway."

"That's perfect," I said, looking around. Again, my heart picked up, my mind imagining worst-case scenarios in which we might need to quickly leave. "If...if we had to leave, we should try our best to stay together. If that's not possible, either Etka or myself should stick with Naheel. He doesn't know the city as well as we do."

"I'd feel better with that as well," Naheel gave a sad smile, and this only made me feel worse, as if making a break for it was something to be expected and not the worst case scenario.

I willed things to go well.

We stayed together, hands interlocked and tightly grasped, until one of the soldiers came for me. "His Royal Majesty is ready to receive you." I stood up, and turned back to Etka and Naheel, who had also gotten to their feet as well.

"Stay here," I said, willing for them to understand. "I must go alone." Naheel passed Etka a fleeting look, and Etka sighed, slowly moving towards me and pressing his lips against my forehead.

"Good luck," He whispered, cracking a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too," I replied, before looking over and nodding at Naheel. He already knew.

And I turned away, leaving them both, and followed the soldiers to the Firelord.

A while ago, someone had asked Aang and the gang existing in this story, and I'd held off on answering that question until now. Yes, they exist here, but this story at present takes place a few years before they come into the scene. Zuko and Azula are in this chapter, and (according to the Avatar Wikia, Zuko was 13 when he was banished) this is set a year before Zuko's "falling out" with his father and exile. I hope that helped! More information will clarify itself as the story continues on. Thank you for all of your support.