A/N Had a little writers block, but I'm back. I incorporated parts of the show into this chapter, but had to make some changes due to Zuko and Amara. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 42: Secrets

The dress was laid out before me on the wooden table in the room. Toph and Katara were getting changed behind me, putting on their own dresses. Iroh's friend Kyro had outfits delivered to us along with the invitations we'd been promised. The guys were getting changed in the other room, and I could hear their chatter but could not make out their words.

One thing was a relief though: Zuko was being accepted by the group more each day.

Yesterday, we got back to the house after a long day of searching for Appa. I'd had the privilege of meeting Joo Dee, a middle-aged woman with straight black hair and a creepy smile. Her hazel eyes never seemed to blink. She was very strange, and she was rather annoying too. She followed us around all day. Thankfully, she left us once we got back to the place we were staying.

When she was gone, Sokka started to discuss plans for the party we would be attending. To my bewilderment, he told Zuko about the eclipse and hopeful invasion. Katara wasn't thrilled about the information being spilled so soon, but she calmed when Zuko promised he'd help them fight. He offered information about the Fire Nation Capital to the group, talking about the flaming gates in the middle of the ocean known as the Gates of Azulon. He also talked about the heavily guarded harbor. Sokka made a mental note of all of this, saying it would be perfect information once we started working with the King's army.

When morning came, Zuko arrived a few minutes before the invitations and outfits were delivered by one of Kyro's men. Once we got the things we needed to get into the party, we hid them in a crate in the house in case the Dai Li snooped around. We then started our search for Appa, to which we were immediately followed around by Joo Dee again. None of us mentioned the party to her, and she didn't seem to know anything about us going.

As soon as we ditched her around dinner time when we got back to the house, we started to prepare for the night. Sokka asked as we ate dinner before getting ready what type of bear the Earth King had. Katara looked on the invites.

She shrugged. "A bear."

Aang spoke up. "You mean platypus bear?

Katara shook her head. "No, it just says 'bear'."

Sokka asked, "Certainly you mean his pet skunk bear?"

Toph added, "Or his armadillo bear."

Aang tried again, "Gopher bear?

Katara shook her head. "Just ... bear."

Toph sighed. "This place ... is weird."

Zuko nodded. "Very…"

I crossed my arms. "The fact he's throwing a party for a bear is already weird. Unless that's normal?"

Aang laughed. "Nope! It's not!"

After our conversation, the guys went into one room and the girls went into another to change. Yuna perched on the table where the light green dress was sprawled out. I let my finger trace the hem of the dress, enjoying the feel of the soft material. I was nervous though about wearing something so fancy and attending such a royal gala. I knew nothing about parties. Zhao and my uncle had them in the past at the estate, but I was always forced to the storage room so none of their guests knew about me. I didn't know how I was supposed to act… what I was supposed to do…

"Hey, Kitten. What's got you so anxious?"

Toph had sensed my tense body. I pulled my hand away from the dress and looked over at her. She was wearing a white dress with some gold and brown lining on the hem. Katara was in a light green dress with some darker green lining, and what appeared to be cloud designs along the pattern.

I answered. "I… just haven't been to something fancy like this before. I don't know how I'm supposed to act."

Katara smiled. "I haven't really been to anything this fancy either. Water Tribe parties are nothing like the Earth Kingdom's I'm sure."

Toph nodded. "Don't worry you two. Just follow my lead, and nothing will go wrong. I've grown up attending parties like this one. You just have to act prim and proper. I think us gals will be fine. It's the guys I'm more worried about."

Katara giggled. "Yeah. I can see them being a problem. Although I'm sure Zuko has attended parties in the past, so hopefully he can be a good example for them."

"Yeah. Hopefully," Toph said. "I will say, it is pretty cool to have a prince in the group."

Katara rolled her eyes. "His status means nothing to me. He's lucky I've started to trust him some. I'm still watching him like a hawk."

I frowned slightly. "You don't have to though. He's really changed."

Katara sighed. "Aang wants me to believe that too… just give me time, Amara. Zuko and I don't have the best past. He tied me to a tree once and knocked me out at the North Pole."

I flinched. "He is really sorry about that."

"I know," she said softly. "But it's going to take some time for me to completely forgive him."

"On another note," Toph interrupted. "Get dressed, Kitten!"

I did as she said. I changed into the dress, surprised by how light the fabric was on me. The dress was almost to the floor, the lining a dark green. The sleeves were flared and had floral patterns at the end. The shoes I wore were silk and green to match the dress. Once I had on the outfit, Katara put a light brush of makeup above my eyelids, on my cheeks, and finally my lips. I'd never worn makeup before, and it felt odd on my skin. Katara managed to apply her own after she helped put some on Toph.

"I miss doing this," Katara said. "At the South Pole we would have weddings and other ceremonies, and mom would help dress me up all the time. After mom died, I had to figure out how to do a lot of it on my own."

I was curious. "What are parties like at the South Pole?"

Katara thought for a moment, placing down the brush back in the small container of pink powder. "Hmm… Most of them happen at night under the moon. Usually we'd be celebrating the Winter Solstice, dancing around a large bonfire in our finest furs. Other times, we'd be having wedding ceremonies where my father would marry the bride and groom, and then we'd have a huge feast and celebration after. Of course, there were other parties when warriors would return home from battle. We haven't had a lot of parties since the men left to go fight in the Earth Kingdom though."

I nodded, listening to what she said. "What kind of music was there?"

She smiled, glad I was so interested in my mother's heritage. "Mostly drums. There was a pan flute too. I learned how to play one when I was a little girl. My mom taught me. She taught me how to dance too."

Toph smirked. "Never struck you to be good on your feet, Sugarqueen."

Katara looked over at Toph, and then rolled her eyes. "You're one to talk. I bet you don't even like to dance. Also… You know you have to wear shoes tonight, right?"

Toph huffed. "I know. I'll be blind."

Katara gave her a small smile. "It's okay. I'll be your eyes."

Eventually we were all done preparing for the party. Katara had managed to put a pretty gold headpiece in Toph's hair, and one in her own. Toph's headpiece had a red flower on it, while Katara's had a pink one. My head piece, which was heavy in my hair, was gold also and had a lavender flower.

Katara was excited. "The guys are going to be amazed by our transformation!"

Toph smirked. "They're probably wondering what's taking us so long."

Yuna hopped on my shoulder. I stroked her feathers, and then said, "We shouldn't keep them waiting."

We stepped outside and back into the lounging area of the house we were staying in. When we got into the room, we were bewildered to see how nice the guys looked. Sokka had his hair up in a neat topknot. Zuko had just enough hair now to make a small topknot for himself. Aang wore a fancy green and black hat to hide his bald head and arrow tattoo. They were all wearing a long green dress shirt of different shades, and some fine dark green pants. They wore black shoes as well.

When we entered, all three of them stared at us with bewilderment. Aang's jaw dropped, while Sokka's eyes widened. Zuko stared at me with his own mouth open slightly.

"Wow…" Aang said. "You three… wow…"

Katara blushed beside me. "You think we look good?"

Sokka came out of his shock and shrugged. He joked, "I guess you all will fit in okay."

Toph smirked. "And what about you? From what I see, you'll be lucky to pass for a busboy."

I giggled. I knew Toph couldn't actually see, so her comment was pretty funny. Plus, Sokka's jaw dropping and his arms crossing with frustration was amusing as well. "I look fine," he defended. "Don't I, Zuko?"

Zuko was surprised Sokka was asking his opinion. He shrugged, "I've seen worse."

Aang laughed. Sokka pouted. Katara and Toph smirked.

Zuko turned to look over at me then, and he stepped over. He took my hands in his and smiled. "You look beautiful, Amara."

My cheeks went a shade darker than the makeup I wore. My heart fluttered at his compliment. "Thanks… Katara had fun dressing me up."

He smiled. "She did a great job."

Aang nodded. "You all look beautiful."

Toph smirked. "Glad to hear. I was putting a lot of trust in Sugarqueen today."

As we prepared to head out, Sokka stopped us at the door. "Wait. Animals shouldn't come."

Momo, who was on Aang's shoulder, whined. Yuna, who was still on my shoulder, whined as well. I argued, "It's a party for an animal!"

Sokka nodded. "Exactly! The bear could be restless by other animals. We need to attract as little attention as possible until we see the king. Momo and Yuna have plenty of food here. They will be fine."

Aang sighed. "Fine…" He looked over at Momo. "Sorry buddy. I know you wanted to dance, but Sokka's right. We need to be stealth."

Yuna and Momo hopped off of our shoulders and sat on the floor pouting. To cheer them up, I rushed into the pantry closet and grabbed some sweet moon peaches. They ate their snacks with satisfaction.

We left the house then, and started to head to the Earth King's palace. As we made our way, Toph started to tell us what to do and what not to do. "Walk straight, don't speak to elders without bowing first, and don't stuff your face with food. Basically, do the opposite of what you normally do and we'll be fine. Especially you, Sokka."

Sokka muttered, "I feel a lot of insults tonight."

Toph smirked beside me while she held on to Katara's arm for direction. "You're the one who's addicted to anything edible. I see you going straight towards the buffet."

"That's not true!" Sokka huffed. "I'm a man on a mission!" He tapped his chin. "Although, if I happen to walk by the food table you can't blame me."

Katara sighed. "Just remember. As soon as we see the Earth King we need to focus."

Zuko nodded. "It will be tough to get through to him probably due to his guests and guards, but we'll figure out a way."

Aang grinned. "I'll just reveal I'm the Avatar! He'll be thrilled to meet me!"

I frowned. "I'm just a little nervous about the Dai Li. From what Iroh and his friend Kyro have said, they may try to stop us somehow."

Zuko took my hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll work around them. We'll find a way. They don't know we're even coming tonight. We will hopefully be fine."

Toph nodded. "I like your optimism, Sparky."

The walk to the palace was a good mile. When we got to the gates, we saw a line was already waiting to get in. A guard was checking people for invitations, and shoving those who did not have one away from the line. Thankfully, there were no Dai Li agents as we approached the guard, so we were confident we'd be able to get inside.

Katara handed him over our invites. The guard was surprised when he saw us. "Aren't you all a little young to attend on your own?"

Zuko spoke up. "We were invited personally by Kyro. He never mentioned there was an age restriction."

The guard was stunned by his words. "Oh… You're… I mean, sorry. I didn't realize my father-in-law invited you all."

I was surprised. "Wait. You're Sa… Ami's husband, aren't you?"

He smiled over at me. "Yes. And now that I realize who you all are, please forgive me for being rude." He stepped aside to let us pass. "Enjoy your time."

Aang grinned. "Thanks!" He moved forward, and the rest of us followed.

I smiled at Sa as we passed. "Nice to meet you finally. Tell Ami that Amara said hi."

He nodded. "I definitely will. Good luck tonight." He then turned back to the line to continue his duties.

We walked through the giant and heavily guarded entrance then, and made our way across a huge courtyard. The area around us was lit up by the moon above, and it was all so beautiful. Toph kept a grip on Katara's dress sleeve, muttering about how she hated shoes. Zuko held my hand in his, commenting about how the palace courtyard was much larger than the Fire Nation's. Aang was grinning widely, taking in everything around us with excitement. Sokka looked focused, and on alert.

We eventually crossed a stone bridge and climbed up a ton of stairs to get to the palace's main entrance. We followed a group of finely dressed men and women down a hall inside the palace, and around the corner onto another hall, until we arrived at a large doorway where music and chatter was flowing through. There was also the sweet and heavenly aroma of food. As we stepped through the golden doorway, I was amazed by the beautiful scene before me.

Men and women were dressed in fine outfits of different greens, yellows, and browns. There was an opening in the room where men and women were twirling to the music that played. A stage was set up on a platform where a group of men and women were playing instruments I had never seen before. There was a large table to the side of the room where some people sat, and food stretched between them on golden plates. At the end of the table was a giant furry animal in a fine yellow shirt with a domed green hat. He was clawing at the food on the table in front of him, eating everything in his reach. His slobber was falling on the table.

I was stunned. I asked Zuko beside me, "That's the bear?"

He nodded. "It appears so. I definitely don't have a desire to meet him."

Sokka argued. "Oh come on. You know you want to greet royalty." He extended his hand towards the one that the party was intended for. "After you, Lee."

Zuko scoffed. "What royalty? It's an animal."

Aang argued. "I'm sure he's important to the king though. Family." Aang frowned. "Just like Appa is to me."

Toph spoke up. "We'll find him, Twinkletoes."

Sokka nodded. "We will. But tonight, we have to focus on speaking to the king."

Katara sighed. "Yes. Remember why we're here. Keep an eye out for the Earth King. I say we split to cover more ground."

Another song had started as the group did as Katara suggested. I stuck with Zuko and Sokka, while Aang went with Katara and Toph. We walked around, searching for the one that would be the king. I wasn't really sure what the man would look like. I assumed he'd be wearing something on his head and a fine outfit. I knew he would also be heavily guarded. Other than that, I was at a loss.

As I continued to follow Zuko and Sokka around one side of the massive room, we began to head through a thick crowd of people who were chatting and drinking what seemed to be wine. As we went through, a woman stepped in my path forcing me to stop. I was suddenly blocked by more people who seemed to converge in my path as well. I realized then I had lost sight of Zuko and Sokka. Stepping back, I bumped into someone behind me who gasped when wine spilled on her.

"Ugh! You!" The older woman looked at me with outrage. "Do you know how much this dress cost me?"

I was horrified. I quickly shook my head and sputtered out, "I'm sorry. Really sorry."

She scowled and turned away, stomping off. My heart was pounding intensely as others who had seen what happened stared at the woman with amazement. One man in a fine Earth Kingdom robe said to another man beside him, "The Earth King better show himself soon. Seems people are starting to get restless."

His friend scoffed. "No. They're just drinking too much. That's more entertaining than hanging out with the King's bear."

I finally managed to break out of the crowd of people. I gasped, my body shaking from the tight spot. There had been too many people. I had felt trapped. My pounding heart took a moment to slow as I breathed in and out to calm my nerves. I saw a table with some glasses of water nearby, and I made my way over hoping maybe the refreshment would calm me more.

Just as I stepped forward to head to the table, a man moved in my path abruptly and I was forced to a halt so that I didn't run into him. He turned to look at me, as if that were his intention all along. I had a feeling he had stepped in my path on purpose. His green eyes stared down at me with so much intensity. He had long black hair in a braid behind him, and a black beard and long mustache. His robe was a dark green with gold lining the ends.

"I apologize. I did not mean to startle you."

I was stunned as I stared up at the man who I could immediately tell was Dai Li based on his outfit. I felt my heart pound loudly in my chest. I tried to remain composed. "No. I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Excuse me."

I turned to try and leave. He moved in my path again though to stop me. "You appear to be a little lost. Is there anything I can assist you with. My name is Long Feng. I'm a cultural minister to the king."

I quickly shook my head. "N… no… I'm alright. Just lost my group, but I'm sure that they are here somewhere."

"Well I am happy to help you find them," he insisted. "We don't want you to be separated the whole time, now, do we?

"No need," Zuko suddenly spoke from behind me. I felt him grab my arm and pull me back. Relief flooded through me. "Thank you, but she's with me."

Long Feng smirked. "I see. Are you two here alone, or did you come with someone?"

Zuko put an arm around me. "We were invited, if that's what you're trying to ask?"

The corner of his lip twitched, and I could tell he was starting to get irritated with Zuko. "I see. May I ask how you acquired such an invite?"

"We have our connections," Zuko answered. "Plus, I'm certain these invites could be purchased for the right sum, so anyone could get in with the right resources. Or am I wrong about that?"

He scowled. "I can see you definitely are a wise young man. If you're truly as smart as you act, then you will go find the rest of your friends and leave this party."

I finally found my voice. "Why? We have every right to be here like the other guests."

His lip twitched again. "I suppose you're right…" He turned on his heel and stomped away.

I watched him go with disbelief. He was definitely a strange man.

"Come on," Zuko said. He kept an arm around me as he started to walk me through the crowd I'd lost them in. "Let's find the others… Who was that guy?"

I answered, "He said his name is Long Feng. That he is the cultural minister to the king. But I can tell he is definitely Dai Li."

Zuko nodded. "Yeah… He definitely isn't happy we're here. And he clearly knows who we are based on his reaction to us." He then sighed. "Sorry for losing you. Sokka and I were so focused we didn't notice we'd split."

I sighed. "It wasn't your fault. I'm just not used to such crowded places."

We eventually circled around the dancing area again and found the rest of the group standing near the wall. We approached, and Sokka was relieved to see I was found.

Katara asked with her own concern. "You okay, Amara?"

I internally kicked myself for making my family worry about me again. "Yeah. Sorry. I couldn't get through the crowd and lost everyone. Then there was this guy who was interrogating me."

Aang asked, "What guy?"

Zuko answered. "He said his name was Long Feng. Something about being a minister to the king. He was clearly part of the Dai Li from what we could tell. And he really doesn't want us here. We need to find the king soon or he may stop us."

Toph sighed. "Of course we have to run into an obstacle. Nothing is ever easy for us."

Katara urged, "I'm thinking he hasn't arrived yet. Hopefully he will soon though. You'd think a king would attend his own bear's party."

"What are you doing here?!" We jumped a bit at the sudden voice that sounded beside us. We looked over to see the lady named Joo Dee was approaching with fear on her expression. "You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble."

She tried to push Sokka towards the exit, but he pushed her hands off. Sokka spoke firmly to her, "Not until we see the King."

She shook her head. "You don't understand. You must go." She shoved Sokka again, who fell back into Aang. Aang tripped backward and almost fell on his back. He shot his hands behind him and air pushed him back up straight. His air caused his hat to fall off and hit a young lady in the arm, which caused the lady to gasp as her drink spilled on her dress. Thankfully, her reaction was nothing like the other lady I'd spilled wine on earlier.

Aang turned to her quickly with horror. "Sorry! No, don't shout." He shot air at her dress to dry her off, which also caused her hair to come loose and go wild.

She blinked for a moment. Then her shocked expression turned to excitement. "The Avatar! Ooh, I didn't know the Avatar would be here!"

Other guests looked over at Aang with sudden interest. Aang rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed by the sudden attention. Joo Dee gasped beside me, and I glanced over to see her face had turned to dread. She looked around the room with worry, as if she knew she were being watched. I had a feeling she was after meeting Long Feng. She turned and left us, just as Sokka said to Aang, "You keep their attention while we look for the King."

Aang nodded. "Watch this everybody!" Aang suddenly leaped into the air and landed on the dining table where the bear was. As he started to distract the room, and even entertain the bear, we moved around the room again to search for the king. The crowd cheered at whatever Aang was doing, while we looked at each man in a robe trying to see if any of them had the royal look to them.

"I'm starting to think this king doesn't exist," I muttered.

Toph, who still held on to Katara's arm, said, "If I was barefoot I could tell you, but it seems shoes are expected here."

Zuko sighed. "If he doesn't show up soon, we may need to leave. I fear that guy Long Feng may come back."

Katara argued, "If he does, then we can take him. This is important. We need to speak to the king."

Just as she said this, two lines of guards suddenly walked into the dining hall. Eight of them were carrying a curtained palanquin, and from the fabric I could see a shadow. There was clearly a man on the other side. The crowd stopped watching Aang to marvel at their ruler.

Sokka took a step towards Aang, shouting, "Aang, the Earth King!"

As Aang jumped onto an airball to ride across the table towards the king, I felt a hand shaped stone suddenly move in front of my mouth to block my screams. More stone wrapped around my arms, and I was yanked back by an unknown force. Everything happened so fast, before I knew it I had been forced back into a hallway outside of the dining hall. The stone left me and was replaced by a Dai Li agent's hand. He shoved me down the hall as I struggled, and managed to get me into a dimly lit room.

The room was clearly a library, with numerous shelves of scrolls and books. There was also a large desk in the room, and green crystals lit the area with a creepy glow. A green fire was roaring from a golden hearth.

"Hey! Watch it!" Toph snapped suddenly.

I turned and saw her shoved in the room next, and then Katara followed. The Dai Li agents that had grabbed us left the room just as two more arrived to shove Sokka and Zuko inside. The stone door shut as the agents left. Zuko turned and quickly tried to open the door, pulling at the metal handles, but they appeared to have jammed it somehow and he could not pull it open.

Zuko scowled and smacked his hand on the frame. "Damn it. They've locked us in!"

Sokka stepped beside Zuko and smacked his fist on the door rapidly. "Hey! Let us out!"

Toph ripped off her shoes, and then turned to the door. "Allow me!"

She went to use earthbending to force the door open. However, before she could, a voice stopped her.

"I wouldn't."

I felt shivers race through me when I heard Long Feng again. The wall to the side of the room had opened to make a doorway, and Long Feng stepped in with Aang following behind. Aang quickly joined us, while Long Feng shut the doorway with earth. He walked over to a bench in front of the hearth and sat down. We slowly moved in front of him, all of us irritated by his agents' rough handling.

"I apologize for the treatment," Long Feng spoke. "Especially to you and your friends, Avatar Aang. But you were putting me in a tough position, and I was forced to intervene."

Sokka scowled. "Why won't you let us talk to the King? We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"

Long Feng kept composed. "The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities."

Zuko argued. "Of course he does! He's the Earth King! His duty is to protect his people!"

Aang added, "This could be the most important thing he has ever heard."

Long Feng shook his head. "What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military."

Katara gasped. "So the King is just a figurehead?"

Toph snapped, "He's your puppet!"

Long Feng waved his hands. "Oh, no, no! His majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can't sully his hands with the hourly change of an endless war."

Sokka argued, "But we found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenseless. You could lead an invasion…"

Long Feng stood and snapped, "Enough! I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan! It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls. Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic. In silencing talk of conflict, Ba Sing Se remains a peaceful, orderly utopia. The last one on Earth."

Zuko was astonished. "That's absurd! Most of these people come here to escape the war! You can't expect them not to talk about it! How do you explain the refugees to the king?"

He answered, "The king has never left this palace, so there is no need to."

I was stunned. "Never…?"

He nodded. "Yes. He remains in these walls unless I need him to make an appearance in the courtyard. It is not safe for him to leave."

"So… He's like a prisoner then…"

Long Feng shook his head. "No. Just well protected. He has been since he was born. Which is why it is important that the news of the war remain outside of these walls. When people talk, word is bound to spread through the palace."

Katara spoke again with frustration. "You can't keep the truth from all these people. They have to know!"

Aang stepped forward and pointed a finger at Long Feng. "I'll tell them. I'll make sure everyone knows!"

Long Feng narrowed his eyes. "Until now, you've been treated as our honored guest." He stepped forward and leaned in a little to intimidate Aang. "But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city." He turned his back to us and stared at the hearth. "I understand you've been looking for your bison. It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest… and I also understand that you have a wanted dualbender and Fire Nation prince with you… We wouldn't want someone to learn of their identity and try to claim bounty from the Fire Nation for them, now would we?" He turned and glanced over at me and Zuko. Zuko scowled, and he put an arm protectively around me again. Aang moved in front of us, his fists tightened.

Long Feng continued, "Now Joo Dee will show you home." He took a seat on his bench again, his gaze showing victory as he believed he had won.

I wanted more answers. I had a strong feeling he was hiding something. I pulled from Zuko and moved beside Aang. "What do you know about Appa?"

He met my gaze again. I shivered as I stared into his cold eyes.

"Appa? I am not familiar with this name."

I tightened my fists. "Appa. The Avatar's bison."

His lip turned up slightly. "I only know what you all do. Rumor that the bison was brought here. I am not sure what happened to him, but if you all want to keep searching I suggest you leave this room and don't come back."

I narrowed my eyes. "You have him. Don't you?"

He scowled. "Accusations and assumptions are rude without evidence. You clearly were not taught respect by your father. If he heard you speak this way he would be disappointed."

His words made me grit my teeth. "Don't make your own assumptions. You don't know anything about my father!"

The fire suddenly grew behind him from my frustration. He gasped and jumped away from the heat. He looked back at me with fury. "Watch it girl! Or I'll have you thrown in the dungeon!"

Katara stepped forward, grabbing my arm to try and calm me down. "Amara… forget him. Let's go."

The doors to the room opened then just as we prepared to leave. A lady we did not know came into the room, a big smile plastered on her face. She wore the same outfit that Joo Dee had been wearing, but her dark hair was shorter than our original hosts and her face was a bit thinner. Her eyes were the same though. Wide and creepy.

She spoke to us with that unchanging grin. "Come with me, please."

Katara was stunned. "What happened to Joo Dee?"

The lady placed a hand on her chest. "I'm Joo Dee. I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city."

We were horrified. What had they done to the original Joo Dee? What was wrong with this city?

Without a choice, we followed Joo Dee away from Long Feng and his creepy library. We were guided outside of the palace, back down the steps, across the courtyard, and through the gate. Once we got out of the gate, the fake Joo Dee smiled at us again. "Come along. I will walk you back to your home."

As she walked away from us, we lingered for a moment. Sokka whispered once she was a little ways away, "What on earth did they do to Joo Dee?"

I shivered. "It can't be good…"

Later that night, after the fake Joo Dee finally left us, we sat in the lounging area to converse about our night. Yuna rested in my lap, and I pet her to try and find some comfort. All I could think was Long Feng was hiding something about Appa. I honestly wasn't even thinking about the invasion plan anymore as I thought about our furry friend.

"So… Iroh was clearly right," Aang spoke. "The Dai Li are corrupt."

Toph nodded. "I didn't want to say anything until we were finally alone… But when Long Feng answered Amara about what he knew about Appa, he was lying."

Aang's face twisted into fury. Momo jumped off his shoulder when he started to shout, "Are you saying that he knows where Appa is?!"

Toph frowned. "All I know, is he's definitely hiding something."

Zuko spoke up. "Uncle said he was going to try and ask around more today through his connections. I'll see if he's heard anything."

Katara sighed. "So, now what? We just find Appa and give up on the invasion plan?"

Sokka argued. "No! I'm not letting Long Feng scare us away from our mission. We need the Earth King's help! There's got to be a way to get to him."

I thought for a moment. "Well… If we find Appa, we could always fly him into the palace gates again. We'd have a better chance of getting past the Dai Li and the Earth King's guards to get closer to him."

Toph smiled. "Not a bad idea, Kitten."

Sokka contemplated it for a moment. "Yeah… If we had Appa then we'd have an upper hand." He looked over at Zuko. "Ask your uncle if he's heard anything and let us know tomorrow. Until we get information, we'll work on hanging up posters around the city. Amara's right. Our first priority now is to find Appa. Then Long Feng can't use him against us anymore and we can get to the Earth King at last."

I pet Yuna as the group started to discuss plans for making posters. As I did, I got a bit distracted as I thought back to the party we had attended. While a lot of it had been stressful, it was definitely a new experience that I had found some beauty in. The music… the dancing… the bear that was dressed in a shirt and hat… I was kind of disappointed that we couldn't enjoy more of it.

But I was more disappointed that I hadn't gotten to dance with Zuko…

That night, as I walked Zuko out to say goodbye to him, he noted my disappointment and asked me what was wrong. I felt my cheeks burn a little in embarrassment. "It's silly…"

He brushed a strand of hair back behind my ear. I had taken the heavy headpiece out and let my long black hair hang freely. He argued. "You always say that, but I doubt it is." He moved his hand to my cheek. "What is it?"

I sighed against his touch. Then I answered softly, "I just… kind of wish we could've enjoyed the party more. Dancing looked like a lot of fun. It was different from the dances that I learned back on the ship with the crew."

He was surprised. Then he smiled. "I wish I could've danced with you too, Amara." He then suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me. I gasped, wrapping my arms behind his neck as he spun me on the porch. When he spun me a second time though, I smiled and giggled. He sat me back down on my feet, his arms still around me. He then leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips. When he pulled away, he whispered, "Next time, I'll definitely pull you out on the dance floor."

I met his gaze in the moonlight. "You better keep that promise."

He smiled. "Definitely." He leaned in again, and this time I met him. Our lips moved together and our breaths intertwined.

The door beside us suddenly swung open. "Hey, Kitten!" We pulled apart, a bit startled by the sudden intrusion. "Can you stop making out and get inside? Sokka's having a fit about you smooching and said something about throwing you over his shoulder."

Zuko rolled his eyes. He looked down at me as my face burned more from Toph's comment. He smiled and said, "See you tomorrow, Amara. And don't worry… we'll find Appa. Hopefully we'll hear something soon."

"I hope… Be safe… I love you."

He kissed me again, this time just a gentle peck on the cheek. Toph still made a gag sound. He spoke, ignoring her. "Love you too. You were beautiful tonight."

I smiled. "And you were as handsome as a prince."

He laughed. "I guess that wasn't too hard."

Zuko left then. I watched him go until I couldn't see him anymore. Once he was gone, I turned to head back inside. Toph was still standing in the doorway, her smirk showing amusement. "You two are adorable." She turned and headed back inside.

I stood on the porch for a brief moment, just thinking about all that had occurred today. While Long Feng was officially my enemy, and I despised the Dai Li more than ever before, I couldn't help but feel nothing but relief. No one had treated Zuko like an outsider today. He seemed to have finally become one with the group. This filled my heart with joy.

My cousins were accepting Zuko at last. Toph and Aang found him as an ally and friend. All of the fears I had once had about the group not accepting Zuko were fading at last. This was a wonderful thing… because it meant one day my cousins would hopefully accept my relationship with Zuko as well. The obstacles that once stood in the way of allowing me to be with Zuko were being overcome.

I prayed things would continue in a positive direction. I prayed we'd find Appa… we'd get to the Earth King… we'd invade the Fire Nation… end the war… save the world…