Lu Ten awoke with a jolt. He tried to sit up and realized he was tied down. Panicking, he tried to summon fire but nothing happened. It was too cold in this room and he was breathing too fast and somehow everything hurt, it hurt even to breathe.

"Lie still." A soft voice said. "You've broken several ribs. It will hurt until they heal." A dark-eyed earth kingdom girl came into view, her long braid swinging over her shoulder. Her eyes sparkled in the dim light. Lu Ten had a thing for fire nation girls, but this girl—this girl was pretty. She swung her lantern to reveal a dingy basement room with mud walls, boxes and baskets stacked in the corner.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You're at my house in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. Try anything—and I mean anything—and this knife will be in your chest." Pretty and confident with a knife. Lu Ten liked this girl.

"How did I get here?" He was inside Ba Sing Se. What had happened?

"Your army tried to breach our walls again, but we're the impenetrable city. I found you unconscious in the street outside my house after the fight. I should have left you for dead. But I didn't. I thought I could bandage your wounds and let you heal. I—I thought maybe you had someone waiting for you at home, someone who might be crushed if you didn't return."

"I do have someone waiting for me at home. My little cousins look up to me." Well, cousin Zuko did. Cousin Azula was a different story. "What is your name?"

"I'm Ayeshi. Who are you?"

Lie, a voice in his head whispered. She's an enemy. Don't let them know who you really are. "I'm Lee." Lu Ten was royalty, but Lee? There were a million Lees.

"Lee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se, Lee."

"Thank you. Can you untie me now?"

Ayeshi brandished the knife. "I'll untie you. But try anything—"

"Please, I just want to sit up. I'm not going to hurt you. I can barely breathe right now."

Ayeshi nodded and carefully untied the ropes. Lu Ten sat up with some difficulty and rubbed his sore wrists, carefully examining his body for bruises. Ayehsi had removed his armor and tunic, and now he suddenly felt self-conscious to be shirtless in front of a stranger. He tried to move and winced as pain flared in his leg, a pain he hadn't noticed before. He looked down and saw it was bent in a very unnatural position. "My leg." He winced.

"It looks broken. I didn't notice that last night."

"You didn't notice I had a broken leg last night?"

"You had blood all over your face! I was trying to clean you up, and then my mother was standing over you with a knife all night in case you woke up and I was trying to make sure she didn't off you right there. It's all right. My mom can set the bone. She set my brother Han's broken arm last year. Mom!"

Miyo came clattering down the stairs with another knife. "What is it, flower? Has he hurt you?"

"No, Mom, he's awake. Lee, this is my mom. Mom, this is Lee, the fire nation soldier."

Lu Ten placed his fist below his open palm and bowed. "Pleased to meet you."

Miyo frowned at him. "The only reason you're alive is because my daughter's a complete softie. Ayeshi, is he better now? Can he get the hell out of my house?"

"No, Mom. He's got a broken leg. Can you help me set the bone?" She turned to Lu Ten. "I'm sorry. It's going to hurt. I wish we could have done this while you were still asleep."

"I don't." Miyo cackled. "It's going to hurt. It's what fire nation scum deserves." She took Lu Ten's leg and felt for the break in the bone. She yanked it back into place and Lu Ten let out a girlish scream. "Bandage him up." She barked at Ayeshi. Ayeshi carefully wrapped the leg so the bone would heal properly.

"I'm sorry." Ayeshi whispered. "Mom believes in tough love."

"She doesn't love me at all. We're enemies, remember?"

Ayeshi nodded. "Enemies." She looked away, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you or your family." said Lu Ten. "You saved my life."

"But would you hurt the rest of the earth kingdom? Just because they're earth kingdom?"

Lu Ten went quiet. "I wish I didn't have to hurt anyone. But I went to war to please my family."

Ayeshi sighed. "How nice to go to war to please your family and not because you have to protect your country from invasion."

"You haven't met my family." Lu Ten muttered darkly. He paused to rub his eyes, trying to clear his head. The room was starting to spin.

"I think you're concussed too." Ayeshi was watching his movements. "Don't overexert yourself. I've already saved your life once, my mom's gonna freak if I have to do it again."

Lu Ten smiled weakly as he lay back down on his cot. "That's her problem." he laughed as he drifted back to sleep.