Serving tea to the Earth King might be a great honour, but Zuko was convinced he would die of tea poisoning before that day would come. With a growl, he sipped from the fifth brew Uncle had poured for him that morning.

Since Uncle had received the invitation, he had done nothing but brew tea in their apartment and in the teashop. Not that he had been doing much else before, but he had forced Zuko to taste all – and he meant all – of his brews to judge which one was fit for the Earth King.

Zuko groaned when he pushed away a cup of chai with cardamom. It might have been delicious, but he couldn't taste the difference anymore. He had once uttered that he had been sick of tea after working in a teashop all day, but now he was sure he would faint if he had to try one more of Uncle's brews.

And what was even worse: he was the only one to taste the tea, because Elyrie had been practising and practising ever since she heard that she would sing for the Earth King. Every moment in the teashop, she and Roman would be hunched over sheet music to narrow down the options and decide her repertoire for the upcoming performance.

With a sigh, Zuko quietly opened the door to the teashop. He saw that most of the tables were occupied and all the servers were walking around with trays full of steaming cups.

On the stage, Elyrie was performing with Roman accompanying her. They had decided to combine the practice with the live music, to see which song were preferred by the audience.

When the storm rises up

When the shadows descend

Every beat of my heart

Every day without end.

Zuko caught her eye. She winked at him and he knew she remembered the last time she had performed that song.

I will stand like a rock

I will bend till I break

Darling, that's what I give

If that's what it takes

Under a starry night in the Earth Kingdom on his ship, just as Zhao had taken over his entire crew to hunt the Avatar to the North Pole. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Zuko cocked his head to watch her now and couldn't help but compare her to her past self. Now he knew she had sung it under extreme stress and fear. Even then she had sounded beautiful, just like she did now.

But now, it seemed nothing was left of the hurt girl that had confided her fears in him; she looked happy - actually happy. She glanced over her shoulder to smile at Roman, who was giving her an encouraging nod.

Zuko felt a small pang in his chest at the gesture. He immediately shook it off, because he knew jealousy was fruitless. She had no feelings for Roman, just as Roman had no attraction to her. He knew she wasn't interested in any other man, but that wasn't where the pang came from; it was the easiness of their contact. She seemed so comfortable with Roman, here on the stage in the Earth Kingdom.

Zuko glanced over to his Uncle, discussing with Quon about the new tea flavours he was planning to put on the menu.

Once again he was reminded how effortlessly they blended into their new surroundings – they found their place wherever they ended up. She was singing like a nightingale and Uncle was running his teashop like he had never done anything else.

Zuko looked down at his own apron and frowned lightly. Even though this was his life now, he wondered if he would feel like he belonged here as well. Would he find his place between Uncle and Elyrie?

"- and my nephew agrees with me, don't you?" Iroh said jovially as he took Zuko's arm with a wide grin. Zuko forced himself to smile and nod, inwardly feeling his tastebuds dry up as Uncle placed a new cup of tea in his hands.

Elyrie laughed from the stage when she saw Zuko's face sour and shot him a knowing look. He answered it with a brooding glare, until she winked at him. He smiled back as he bravely took another sip.

"There you go, Miss," the coachman said as he extended his hand to help Elyrie out of the ostrich-drawn carriage that had picked them up.

"Thank you," Elyrie answered, while giving him a curd nod as she stepped outside. With one hand lightly lifting the hem of her skirts up and the other placed in the outstretched hand, she elegantly descended from the small steps.

Zuko watched her with an amused grin as he stepped outside the carriage himself. He was sure that it had been months since she was helped in such a manner, but her lifted chin and elegantly outstretched hand showed that she never forgot how it was to be treated like royalty.

As she turned around, she elegantly swept her white silk shawl over her shoulder. It complimented the jade colour of her dress perfectly, Zuko decided. "Ready, Miss?" he quipped as he mockingly offered her his arm. Elyrie made a face and playfully slapped his arm away with her fan.

Zuko grinned as he lifted his head up to the sun. It was a beautiful morning: the sky was a crisp blue colour and the sun was already high in the sky – perfect for a visit to the Earth King.

"Many times I imagined myself here," Iroh said wistfully beside him as he watched the grand entrance of the Palace. Zuko followed his gaze to the large symbol placed over the entrance: the golden sign of the Earth Kingdom. "But I always thought I would be here as a conqueror. Instead, we are the Earth King's personal guests, here to serve him tea." Iroh mused as he proudly walked forward, "Destiny is a funny thing."

"It sure is, Uncle," Zuko agreed as he glanced over to the old man on his left.

A woman dressed in emerald-green robes greeted them at the entrance.

"Hello, I am Joo Dee," she said with a smile so wide that Elyrie could almost count all of her teeth, "Welcome. Please, follow me to the Tea Palace."

Without waiting for a response, she motioned for them to follow her – the smile still plastered on her face. Her steps were quick and even, almost like she was marching.

The three of them were guided to the magnificent gardens. "The King has a special place in his garden for brewing and serving tea to his honoured guests," Joo Dee told them over her shoulder. A small wooden pavilion – well, relatively small compared to the grandeur of the Royal Palace – was situated in the middle of the gardens.

Elyrie looked around and was delighted at the sight of so much lush colours of green. They might have travelled for weeks through the woods, but here in Ba Sing Se there was no nature to spare. Now she saw why: the Earth King had horded it all for himself here.

"This is one of the fanciest tea rooms in all of Ba Sing Se," Jo Dee told them as she led them into the pavilion.

It was indeed a magnificent room, with a low throne on top of a raised platform, complete with a small table for the tea and a mahogany piano in the corner. The decorative screen behind the throne showed a relaxing landscape of lofty, mist-shrouded peaks and pines. The entire room was filled with gold and green colours, to highlight the Earth Kingdom's natural beauty.

"Wait here," Joo Dee instructed them, "The Earth King will arrive in just a moment." She left abruptly and closed the door behind her.

Iroh sat down as he began to sort out the different flavours of tea he had brought. Zuko had convinced him to narrow it down to five options, so that the Earth King wasn't overwhelmed by the possibility of choices. Uncle had – thankfully – agreed with him.

While he was preparing the tea, Zuko looked over his shoulder to Elyrie. She had nothing of the calmness she usually displayed. Instead, she was nervously fidgeting with her ring, turning it around almost frantically.

Smoothly, Zuko took her left hand – the one with the ring – and gave it a light squeeze. Elyrie looked up and smiled, returning his squeeze.

Just like Uncle had been fretting over the right blend of tea, she had been up all night practicing her song for the Earth King. Zuko had never seen her this agitated, but – he had to pride himself on it – she seemed to relax a bit more now. Lightly resting his hand on her lower back, he sat down next to her.

Elyrie felt the soothing caresses on her back. She smiled and looked over, but Zuko didn't seem to notice as he listened to his Uncle's monologue about the importance of the correct blend of jasmine tea to serve the King.

Five minutes passed.

Then another five.

Uncle kept up the lively chatter, but even he fell more silent as the minutes passed away. Elyrie started fidgeting with her ring again, taking it off a couple times and placing it back again.

Another ten minutes.

"What's taking so long?" Zuko wondered out loud at last as he looked around the empty room. Not even a servant was present to serve the guests of the Earth King.

"Maybe the Earth King overslept?" Uncle suggested, although his tone implied that he himself didn't believe it.

Elyrie opened her mouth to respond, but she quickly closed it again when the doors opened.

Three pair of eyes snapped in the direction of the door as fifteen solemn looking men entered the room. Each of them looked forward, as they stood in a circle around the trio sitting in the middle. The long dark robes and stone gloves were unmistakable: they were Dai Li's agents.

Elyrie's eyes followed them as she clenched the silk between her fingers, inwardly questioning the entrance. She knew the Dai Li were the guards of the Earth King. That wasn't the unusual part: having grown up around royalty, she knew about the protection the Royal Family had from elite warriors.

But this, as they closed around them, was different.

"Something's wrong," Zuko hissed, as if he read her thoughts. Uncle said nothing, but Elyrie saw in the corner of her eye that he was eyeing the agents with suspicion.

Immediately counting the Dai Li-agents in her head, Elyrie felt her chest tighten in panic. Had they found out they were Fire Nation? Were they lured here to be arrested? Did someone know about Zuko and Uncle? About her?

She realised that she wasn't that far from the truth when a voice like a razor cut through the tense silence of the room.

"It's tea time."

"Azula!" Zuko jumped up, all his muscled tensed as soon as his sister entered the room. She was looking just as arrogant as the last time he had seen her, but now in the clothes fitted for Earth Kingdom royalty instead of her usual Fire Nation armour.

"Have you met the Dai Li?" Azula asked casually, tilting her head, "They're Earthbenders but they have a killer instinct that is so Firebender." Her amber eyes had a devilish shine in them. "I just love it."

Elyrie felt all her muscles tense as she looked at the Fire Nation Princess.

"Have I ever told you how I got the nickname 'The Dragon of the West'?" Uncle said, picking up his steaming cup of tea.

"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle." Azula said in a bored tone, while examining her nails.

"It's more of a demonstration, really." Uncle answered, taking a sip of his tea.

Zuko immediately moved and placed his arms around Elyrie, pushing her head down against his chest. But it hadn't been necessary: Elyrie knew what was coming.

She had seen Uncle do this a thousand times as a child, simply to amuse them. He showed them he could use his breathing to spit flames in the air.

Uncle exhaled and the blast of flames spun around the room

At tea time, he had done it with small sips to spit small flames in the air. But now – with his full power displayed – did Elyrie finally realise how terrifying this skill must be to others.

Elyrie felt the heat of the flames above her head. Looking around, she saw every agent stagger back. Trying to avoid the flames, they scattered around the room.

She saw the opportunity to shoot a fireblast at the wall closest to them, breaking through it as she felt the adrenaline strengthen her bending. Luckily, it hadn't been a heavy wall. Jumping up from their crouched position, Zuko and she ran to the hole into a corridor while Uncle gave them much needed cover with his final breaths of fire.

As they ran, Elyrie heard a clattering sound follow them. It was as if someone was throwing pebbles at them at an alarming speed – which, since the Dai Li were Earthbenders, was probably the case.

She wasn't about to wait until they started throwing heavier things at them. Without stopping, she twirled around and snapped her fingers – like Uncle had taught her. A small bolt extended from her fingers and crossed the small space between her and the approaching Dai Li-agents. Without looking if she had hit something, she turned around again and kept running.

The sound of electricity crossed the room, but she heard the rumbling sound of something solid being erected. For a moment, the pebbles stopped.

In front of her, she saw Uncle igniting a powerful blast – far larger than hers had been – to break to the walls. Immediately jumping, she heard him yell. Without even hesitating, she ran past Zuko and jumped after Uncle – praying there would be something soft to break her fall.

Bracing herself for the impact, she landed on something relatively soft, not the unforgiving earth she had been expecting. Luckily for them, the Earth King was very fond of decorative bushes because both Uncle and she had landed on of them. She had completely destroyed the bear sculpture, but now was not the time to feel sorry about it.

"Come on! You'll be fine!" Iroh yelled. Elyrie looked up and saw that Zuko was still standing inside the palace, waiting in front of the gaping hole Uncle's lightening had made.

"What are you waiting for?" she screamed, pushing herself out of the bushes. He was too far away for her to see his face, but his posture was remarkably calm.

"I'm tired of running." Zuko answered in a determined voice as he straightened his spine, "I'm going to face Azula!" Without waiting for their response, he turned around and ran back into the corridor.

"Such a brave sentiment at such a bad time!" she yelled back at him, while Iroh grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the bush. She had barely enough time to scramble to her feet as he yanked her with him in the direction of the exit.

"Uncle, we have to-," she began but Uncle cut in: "No, we can't help him alone."

Again, he spoke like a General: no discussion possible.

You have got to be kidding me, she thought as she ran after Uncle, why – why?! – does Zuko go around looking for trouble? She recognised the same rush of annoyance she felt when she had hurled her books at him in frustration.

"What now, Uncle?" she dared to ask while trying to keep up with him.

"We'll get help." He answered without looking back.

"Help?" Elyrie echoed, "Where are you going to find help in a city taken over by Azula and swarming with Dai Li agents?"

"Well, with the Avatar in Ba Sing Se I could think of one."

"Do you know where they are?" Elyrie almost stumbled over in surprise, but caught herself fast enough.

"More or less." Iroh said over his shoulder.

"How are we going to find him?" She asked, "This city is enormous."

"And the Dai Li know it like the back of their hand."

"And they'll tell us?"

"If we ask them nicely."

Uncle threw the captured Dai Li-agent on the patio of a large house.

"Now, if you would be so kind to wait here while we'll get the Avatar and his friends, we would be very grateful." he said politely, as if they were visiting an old friend.

"You sure this is the place?" Elyrie cocked her head to the side when she was that half of the house was under construction, almost as if someone removed the wall entirely. A large cloth was placed over it to hide the construction, but it had taken a serious blow.

The Dai Li-agent nodded - at least he made an effort to. He was so restrained that she was surprised he could even move.

"Thank you so much." Iroh said as he nodded to the cuffed up man and made his way to the door.

"You really think they will help us rescue Zuko?" Elyrie asked, not to entirely confident that Aang, Katara and Sokka would be jumping with joy to help Zuko.

"We only know for certain if we ask them." was the pragmatic answer from Uncle.

That was true: they had nothing to lose, but everything to gain. Besides – now that she thought about it – Katara offered to help before when Uncle had been wounded. Yes, they might be willing to help them. With new courage, Elyrie walked behind Uncle up to the front door.

The door opened before they could knock.

Sokka thought he had seen everything on their trip around the world: hypnotised servants, angry Dai Li-agents trying to kill them, an enormous Fire Nation drill, singing nomads…,- Yes, everything.

But seeing the Dragon of the West on their doorstep was the last thing he had expected.

And it didn't help that Toph greeted him as an old friend.

"Glad to see you're okay!" she said cheerfully.

"I need your help," Iroh said as Toph greeted him.

"You guys know each other?!" Aang exclaimed, his grey eyes three times their normal size.

Sokka saw that Aang had assumed a fighting pose, just like him – with his mouth hanging open as well.

"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down," Toph shrugged, "Then he gave me some tea and some very good advice."

"May we come in?" the older man asked politely. Toph nodded, but Sokka frowned: we?

He peered around Iroh, clasping his boomerang while waiting for the brooding face of Zuko to step into the living room. But to his immense relief, he saw a familiar and much friendlier face.

"Sokka! Aang!" Elyrie said, "Good to see you again!"

"What are you doing here?" Sokka asked bluntly – he didn't wanted to be impolite, but it was hard to believe that Elyrie is here in the capital city of the Earth Kingdom with General Iroh. And in such fancy clothes as well, he thought as he cocked his head to the side. Why are they here?

"Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se." Iroh answered, as if he heard his thoughts.

"She must have Katara!" Aang said.

"Katara is captured as well?" Elyrie asked, her blue eyes widened in shock.

As well? Sokka thought, Wait, does that mean she is talking about …-

"She has captured my nephew as well." The old Fire Nation General said.

-.. Jup, the angry jerk.

"Then we'll work together to fight Azula," Aang said, immediately understanding the situation, "and save Katara and Zuko."

"Whoa there!" Sokka interrupted him, "You lost me at 'Zuko'!"

"I know how you must feel about my nephew," Iroh said as he walked toward Sokka and placed his hands on the younger man's shoulders, "But believe me when I tell you that there is good inside him!"

"'Good inside him' isn't enough."Sokka answered as he stepped back. "Why don't you come when it is outside of him too?" he asked while frantically waving his arms in the air, as if to underline the ridiculousness of the whole idea.

"Sokka, please," Elyrie said in a soft, but firm voice, "We need all the help we can get to stop Azula. We need Zuko and Katara to help us."

"And what makes you think he will help us?" Sokka asked her with a frown.

"Because the last thing he would do is help his sister." she shrugged, "I don't have to tell you that she's crazy."

While Sokka might not have believed that Zuko was capable of good, he did believe that he wanted to beat his maniac sister. He hadn't forgotten how he had faced her along with them in the abandoned town. Being the least hated of the two options did work in their favour, after all.

"Fine," he sighed defeated, "Let's go get them."

"We brought someone who might be help to us," Iroh said as he motioned for the group to follow him.

The Dai Li-agent hadn't moved from his spot on the patio. Toph stretched her arms to bend earth pillars on both sides of the man, effectively pushing him up whilst keeping him restrained.

Iroh bent forward to remove his gag, but before any of them could ask anything, the agent spoke: "Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup! They're going to overthrow the Earth King!"

Well, that was easier than expected, Elyrie thought dryly.

Sokka stepped forward in a menacing way. "My sister!" he said through clenched teeth, "Where are they keeping Katara?"

"In the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace."

"What is the fastest way to get to them without being seen?" Elyrie asked.

"Just outside of the Palace walls," the agent answered.

"And the fastest way to get out?"

"There is a river that runs throughout the catacombs, which leads back to Lake Laogai." He answered again, "Follow it up and you will get out."

"Thank you so much," Elyrie said as everyone turned around in the direction of the Palace.

Ten minutes later, they were standing just outside of the spot where Uncle and she had come from.

The small earthbender placed her hands on the ground. "Well, what'd you know?" Toph exclaimed after a few seconds, "There is and ancient city down there, but it's deep."

Elyrie had already noticed the girl's blindness, but that only seemed to be the case for her vision. She assumed that she used her bending in a way to feel the world around her. She was intrigued, but now was not the time to ask questions.

Toph stretched her arms to bend a tunnel through the ground, starting a path down to lead to the catacombs.

"We should spit up," Sokka said as he tapped his chin, "Aang, you go with Iroh and Elyrie to look for Katara and the angry jerk." He glanced over to Iroh and placed his hand on his shoulder in an apologetic gesture, "No offense."

"None taken." Iroh shrugged.

"And I'll go with Toph to warn the Earth King of Azula's coup."

"Isn't it better to let me come to the Earth King as well?" Elyrie opted, "Three man to free two might be a bit much."

"I'd rather have you with me," Iroh answered, "And I think that Zuko would be anxious to see you're allright."

Elyrie immediately nodded."Where do we meet after?" she asked instead.

"On the shores of Lake Laogai," Sokka answered, "We will be there waiting with Appa to pick you guys up once everything is settled."

Or if everything goes completely downhill and we need to make a quick escape, Elyrie thought. When she looked around, she saw that she didn't need to voice her concerns: everyone was sharing her sentiments, judging from the grave looks on their faces.

"Good luck everyone," Iroh finally said as he lit up his palm and started to descend down the tunnel with Aang. Elyrie followed them.

The tunnel was not wide enough to allow the three of them to walk beside each other, so Elyrie walked just behind Aang and Iroh.

"So," Aang began after a few moments, "Toph thinks you give pretty good advice, and great tea!"

"The key to both is proper aging," Iroh smiled, "What's on your mind?"

"Well, I met with this guru who was supposed to help me master the Avatar state and control this great power, but to do it, I had to let go of someone I love," Aang said, "And I just couldn't."

He stopped to push the earth back again, creating a deeper tunnel.

"Perfection and power are overrated," Iroh said calmly, "I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love."

Elyrie was surprised at Aang's trusting nature to tell Iroh about his concerns, but Uncle always seemed to have that effect.

"What happens if we can't save anyone and beat Azula?" Aang asked as he pushed the tunnel deeper into the ground again, "Without the Avatar State, what if I'm not powerful enough?"

"I don't know the answer," Iroh replied honestly, "Sometimes, life is like this dark tunnel: you can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if you just keep moving-..,"

The last wall was pushed back and the flames were sniffed out. Instead, a mysterious green light filled the tunnel.

"- you will come to a better place." Iroh finished as they stepped outside of the tunnel into the enormous Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se.

A river ran through the center of the large cave, which obviously once had been a main square in Old Ba Sing Se. Elyrie looked around and saw that the old city had been composed primarily out of rock houses; some of them were excavated out of the wall while others were built against it. The doors were large holes, with smaller holes for the windows.

The mysterious green light didn't come from any source of daylight, but was provided by naturally luminescent crystals. They were spread all over the walls and floor of the catacombs, allowing for them to see without the use of their fire.

"We must be under the Lake," Elyrie said as her eyes followed the river to the waterfall upwards.

Aang crouched down and placed his palms on the stone floor. With a concentrated look on his face, he slowly breathed in and out.

"We are," he said after a few moments, "and the prison cells are that way." He pointed across from the waterfall, to the old houses in the walls.

Zuko closed his eyes as the young waterbender carefully placed her hand on his scar, her thumb lightly resting on his lips. For a moment, there was silence.

Then both of them were startled by the sound of breaking rocks.

"Aang!" Katara yelled as she lunged forward to embrace the Avatar, who had appeared from behind the dust.

Before Zuko could open his mouth, Elyrie appeared from behind the Avatar and ran to him. He immediately placed his arms around her small form. When she pulled back, he inspected her face to see if she was wounded. But aside from her some loose strands of hair, she looked unscattered.

Relief washed over him as she stepped back to allow Uncle to hug Zuko. Zuko answered his hug too, but frowned when Elyrie turned around to hug Katara.

"Aang, I knew you would come!" Katara said with a smile over Elyrie's shoulder, "Although I am surprised to see you two here." she said as Elyrie pulled back.

"Surprise." Elyrie said dryly.

"I don't understand," Zuko said finally, "What are you doing with the Avatar?"

Elyrie wasn't sure whether he asked that question to her or to Uncle, but she assumed he meant both of them. She stepped forward to calm him, but Aang answered before she could.

"Saving you, that's what." He said coldly.

Zuko growled at his response and took a step in Aang's direction, but Iroh immediately stopped him.

"Zuko," he said firmly with a hand on his nephews shoulder, "It is time we talked."

Zuko avoided his eyes as he saw Elyrie standing across from him. She was standing between the waterbender and the Avatar, fitting in perfectly. He felt a sting in chest – of regret? Jealousy? Anger?

He didn't know.

Elyrie smiled radiantly at him, oblivious at his racing thoughts. She extended her hands and took his. "I am glad you are okay," she said, happy that they had found them without much trouble.

Without taking further notice of Zuko's shifting mood, she turned back to Aang and Katara. "We need to leave here," she said, "Sokka and Toph might need our help."

"Go on," Iroh said as he motioned to Elyrie to go back the way they came from, "We'll be right behind you."

When Elyrie opened her mouth to ask why, Iroh simply shook his head. She looked over at Zuko, but he wasn't looking at her. He stared into the distance, away from everyone.

She stepped in his direction, but Aang grabbed her arm. Elyrie halted and turned back to look at the Avatar – a motion that felt like a sharp dagger being plunged into Zuko's chest.

"Elyrie, we need to hurry," he said, "Azula could have noticed our absence us by now."

Zuko let his head hang down. In the corner of his eye, he saw that Elyrie lit up her palm and walked into the darkness of the cave. Aang and Katara followed her and he glanced away from the greenlit cave.

Elyrie looked back and saw Zuko look down, but she saw something else as well: Katara glanced over her shoulder to Zuko as well. When she turned back, Elyrie saw something in her azure eyes – something she couldn't quite place. Compassion maybe, or pity?

She shook her head and looked in front of her, quickening her pace. She heard the fast footsteps of Aang and Katara behind her, following her light. After all, they needed to keep going and make it out of the Catacombs as quickly as possible.

The green light of the crystals came closer. Elyrie closed her palm and descended down to the main square from where they had come, making her way to the waterfall.

"Where are we going to find Sokka and Toph?" Katara asked as she they ran over the grounds of the catacombs.

"We'll meet them at the edge of Lake Laogai," Elyrie answered as she pointed upwards to the waterfall, "It is where the catacombs lead to."

She looked over her shoulder to see if Katara and Aang were still behind her, but immediately saw the flicker of blue coming in their direction, standing out from the green light in the catacombs.

"Watch out!" she yelled as she turned around. Katara and Aang reacted immediately, bending the water in the river upwards as a shield for the oncoming blue flames.

They heard the sizzling sound as the flames hit the water, but they were extinguished almost immediately. Azula jumped throught the steam, aiming fireblasts at the trio before landing on rock high above them.

How did she find us so quickly? Jumping into action, Elyrie ran in front of the watershield while making the snapping motion with her fingers once again in the direction of Azula.

A small bolt hit one of the rocks on which Azula was standing, making her briefly lose her balance. Aang immediately reacted by bending the rocks away from the wall, forcing Azula to jump down.

She landed between the three of them, arms stretched in the direction of Elyrie and Aang. Katara was standing slightly behind Aang, her hands stretched and ready to attack.

Elyrie exhaled slowly through her nose, focusing on her breathing. Her heart was pumping in her chest with anger and determination.

Where are Uncle and Zuko? Panic washed over her as she saw the menacing figure of the Fire Nation Princess stand between them. Azula's amber eyes locked with her own blue eyes, and she almost felt the hatred coursing through her veins. She was here in Ba Sing Se to capture Aang and Zuko. She was here to end the peace they had finally found. She was here to wreck havoc on their lives, as she had done so often before.

It ends today, Elyrie vowed to herself as she felt her blood pump.

Now she understood what Zuko had felt this afternoon: the determination to face her and end this. The difference had been that Zuko had been alone; she was with the Avatar and a master Waterbender. And she wasn't as helpless as she had been: she was far better trained now. And Azula was alone.

Azula seemed to realise this too, because she kept looking back at all three of them. From the slight clenching of her jaw and the pursing of her red lips, it was evident that she was contemplating her plan of attack against three other people.

A ball of red flames landed between Azula and Elyrie. Azula immediately looked at her, but Elyrie hadn't moved.

The flames came from the entrance of the catacombs.

Zuko stood with one arm stretched and the other bend above his head, ready to release a second attack. He had thrown of his apron and heavy overcoat, exposing his muscular arms.

The siblings glared at each other for a moment.

Zuko shifted his eyes from his sister to Katara, to Aang and finally to Elyrie.

When their eyes met, Elyrie smiled, feeling the rush of relief come over her now that he was here with her.

Zuko's eyes shifted back as he carefully looked at everyone in the standoff.

Nobody moved for a few seconds.

Then, Zuko attacked.

Next up: the finale of Book 2!