Zuko

It was lunch time after the interrogations were completed and Sam, Izumi, Azula, Chang and I were all eating lunch. Aang and Katara were staying with their children and they were eating together. They still had trouble eating after the poisoning so they wanted to be there if the children got sick. After the poisoning, everyone was on edge. In fact, this was the first time we were eating anything prepared by the servants. After speaking to, Denorshita, the head of the kitchen staff, we were confident we had gotten rid of anyone who wished to do us harm.

"How did the interrogations go?" Azula asked.

"It went well…well?…Shira's went well, Buzi's did not."

"How so?"

"Well, Shira cooperated so she could see her daughter, as you know. But Buzi, I couldn't get anything out of him. And I don't think I will. But Shira did confirm that the ring leader of this is Xinche." I looked over at her and she looked preoccupied.

"Sam, are you alright?"

"There was something I picked up on during your interrogation, Zuko. It's been plaguing my mind." She said.

"What is it?"

"Well, it was Shira. Something she said." Sam said. She seemed to be trying to articulate what she wanted to say so I remained silent. Azula, on the other hand, was another matter.

"Come on, Sam, spit it out!" she said, impatiently. I shot her a look, "What? You want to know too, you know it." I rolled my eyes at Azula but said nothing more. Azula was still Azula.

"Do you know what a mule is?" Sam asked. This was not what I was expecting her to say.

"No, I don't. I do remember her saying it though."

"It's a cross between a horse and a donkey. Both species you aren't familiar with."

"Correct. What's your point?"

"She also talked about trafficking like…she was familiar with it. Like she knew of it before. But how could she? This is the first time it's come to the bending nations."

"Yeah?"

"I know what a mule is. And I was familiar with trafficking when it arrived here." she said. I thought for a second and then it clicked.

"Sam, are you saying….she's an outsider?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying. There is no other explanation." Sam explained. Agni, she was right.

"So what does that mean?"

"Well, do we know when she came to the bending nations?"

"No, but we keep records on all residents. We can find out."

"I think we need to. I think we also need to know if she lived anywhere else before the Fire Nation."

"What are you thinking?"

"It wouldn't surprise me if she lived in Republic City before coming here."

"I'll have someone look into it for us." I said. Sam nodded and continued eating.

"When are you bringing the girls here to identify them?" Azula asked.

"Not until Toph and Sokka get back with a portrait of Xinche."

"But that could be weeks!" Azula said, annoyed.

"No, it won't be. They should be back within the next couple of days." I explained. Azula didn't like it but she accepted it. She liked her instant gratification.

"Chang, aren't you hungry?" Sam asked, bringing me back to reality. She had taken a couple of bites but was mostly pushing her food around.

"I can't eat anymore." she said.

"Sweetheart, you should eat." Sam insisted. I placed my hand on hers. She looked over at me.

"Sam, she is still recovering. It may take a while for her to be back to normal." I reminded her. She looked back at Chang.

"Chang, is your belly hurting?"

"Yeah, I feel like I'm gonna throw up." she said. Sam stood up.

"How about we get you back to bed. You still aren't 100% yet." she said. Azula looked concerned. "It's ok, Azula. We will stay with Chang for the afternoon." Sam said. Azula nodded and left to go to work.

Azula was surprising me with how involved she was with Chang. Azula was really taking a liking to her. She took good care of her – physically and emotionally. It was nice to see.

Sam stood up and approached Chang.

"Come on sweetheart, lets get you back to bed." she insisted. She held her hand out for Chang to take. She stood up and walked with Sam. "Izumi, you want to come too?" she asked. Izumi's face beamed, clearly feeling left out. Sam always amazed me with how she could almost read our daughter's mind. Everyone's minds for that matter. I stood up with them.

"I need to review some proposals today. Because of all this trafficking stuff, we have fallen behind. You go with the children. I'll catch up with you later." I said. Sam didn't seem to like this idea - me working alone. But she accepted it. She knew how important the proposals were especially at the end of the year.

"Alright, don't work too long though. You know I like to be involved in them." she said. I agreed. I didn't plan on completing any. I just wanted to get a feel for what they were requesting.

"It's alright, I won't be long. I just want to give them a once over. I'll join you in an hour or so." I said. Sam took the girls by their hands and walked back to the bedrooms.

I looked over the proposals for a while. Nothing groundbreaking. Definitely stuff that they ask for every year. Some of them will be granted and some of them won't. It all depended on their main agricultural – or otherwise – contribution to the nation. What they contributed and how much they contributed. I wasn't going to reward a province when they were lacking on production. I finished and, as I had promised, it was only a little over an hour. I laid them all down and organized them to talk to Sam when we were able to. I knew she wouldn't want to until Chang was better. I left the office, locking it behind me. We never used to lock it but since we have sensitive information in there regarding the trafficking, we keep it locked. Sam and I are the only ones with a key. When they want to clean the room, they have to do it when Sam and/or myself are in there.

I walked down the corridors to the bedrooms to check on the girls. I walked in and I smiled at the scene that I saw. Sam was sitting on the bed leaning back against the headboard. Chang was on her left and her head was resting on Sam's bosom. Izumi was on the other side and she was laying flat on the bed but snuggled into Sam's side. All three were sound asleep. I quietly stepped out and gently closed the door.

I decided I would check on Aang and his family. I walked down the hall to their children's room. They usually each had their own room, but since they had been sick, they all slept in the same room. I hadn't told anyone but I felt incredibly guilty about their poisonings. It happened in MY palace and I didn't prevent it. Sam had known my feelings of guilt just because she knows me so well. She told me that I didn't need to feel guilty about it – that it wasn't my fault but I couldn't help but feel that way. I loved Aang and his family and I was still worried about the children. I knocked on the door and Katara called out to come in. I walked in and noticed that the children were awake and somewhat active.

"How is everyone?" I asked. It was then that I realized how exhausted Katara looked.

"Slowly improving. I have been trying to heal them but poison is something that my waterbending isn't really effective against." Katara said. I looked over at Aang. He also looked exhausted. Tenzin and Kya were snuggled into his side, sound asleep. "They still can't eat much."

"Do you think they'll be ok?" I asked.

"Yes, I do. In time." she said. Then she looked at me and her brow furrowed, "stop doing that." she said. I looked at her, puzzled.

"Stop doing what?"

"That. Feeling guilty or somehow responsible for my children. You couldn't have known. This isn't your fault." she said. Apparently my face was more readable than I thought.

"No, it is my fault. I am the Fire Lord. It's my job to keep the palace and all of the Fire Nation safe." I said.

"So you blame yourself for the trafficking then?" Katara asked. I didn't respond and her eyes widened. "Tui and La, Zuko! It's not your fault! You had no idea it was happening." she said. I furrowed my brow, upset.

"Exactly! I should have known it was happening! Now my people are suffering for it and Agni knows how many others!" I all but shouted. She held her finger up to her lips in a shush gesture. "Sorry." I said.

"It's ok. And no, you couldn't have known. Unless you have the gift of foresight but something tells me that you don't."

"No, I don't." I said even though I realized that it wasn't a statement warranting a response.

"Then you couldn't have done anything. Period." she said.

"I know that. But I still feel responsible."

"That's because you are a good ruler, Zuko. You care about, not only your people, but all people. You love them." she said. I hadn't thought about it like that before.

"Thanks, Katara." I said, blushing at her compliment.

A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Katara bade them come in and they looked at me. "Toph and Sokka are back."

Katara and I looked at each other. "It's show time." I said.