The Tale of Amara

by faithy waithy

Amara... daughter of two nations. father: A Fire Nation Admiral. mother: an imprisoned waterbender from the South Pole. Her half-brother Zhao sees her as nothing but a mistake. Abused both physically and mentally for sixteen years, Amara begins to lose hope that she will ever know happiness... but then a tea loving man arrives and her life changes forever. Full summary inside

52. The Painted Lady

Readers! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I lost my writer's touch for a moment! I'm back! And this is a pretty long chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 52: The Painted Lady

Third Person POV

Azula narrowed her burning gold eyes at the man with the eye-shaped tattoo. He had not spoken a word since he was brought in by the Dai Li agents who had followed her from Ba Sing Se. She had heard of the man before. He had no name, but he was good at what he did. She knew that her brother's death could not be tied back to her, because her father had already ordered that Zuko be brought to him alive. She also desired to end the life of the dualbender that had stolen her brother's heart.

The moon shone above them as they stood a mile outside the palace. She did not want word getting back to the servants or guards that she had spoken to the renowned assassin. They called him Xiōngshǒu, but no one truly knew his name or his origin. He was the only firebender known in the world who could concentrate his energy and shoot blasts from his head. He was good at what he did, and Azula needed the best.

The man stood a little over seven feet. He had a bald head to show off his tattoo, and a metal glove that covered his right hand. He wore a burgundy vest that only covered part of his massive muscles, some tan trousers, and burgundy pointed shoes. His eye-tattoo was horizontal in the center of his forehead, having a dark red pupil with lighter shading around the eye shape outline. His beard was black, and his eyes were dark and determined.

Azula raised her brow as she took in his presence. "You're a hard man to find. You're on my father's most wanted list as well. He fears someone will hire you to assassinate him." She smirked. "Of course, you're not foolish enough to take on a task such as that."

The man said nothing. He actually looked bored.

Azula was amused by his lack of emotion. He was perfect for the job. "I need you to track down and end someone for me. I hear you're very good at what you do." She moved her hands behind her back and nodded over to the Dai Li beside her. The man in the dark green robe stepped towards the giant assassin, and then extended a bag of coins towards the man along with two scrolls. "Those are sketches of your targets. You'll be paid half for your service now and the rest after. The girl has a necklace in her possession. Bring it back to me as proof of your mission being completed and you will be paid the rest in full."

The man took the bag and scrolls from the Dai Li agent. He then said nothing as he turned and walked away.

"Princess Azula," one of her agents spoke. "Are you certain you can trust him with such a task? We are happy to destroy them for you."

She frowned. "No. You are already tied to me. This has to be done so that no blood is on my hands." She turned and started to walk back across the rocky earth towards the palace. "We must make Zuko and that girl Amara disappear… I cannot let them take my throne from me."

Amara POV

The minute Appa landed in the river, I could tell there was something off about it. The color was a strange dark green, and the liquid was not flowing properly. My connection to the water was obstructed by a heavy element that seemed to be resting on top of it.

Zuko was analyzing a map. Sokka was at the front of Appa, trying to catch us some food with his fishing line. Toph was leaning back against the side of the saddle listening to the sounds around her. Katara was looking at Aang with worry as he swam in the gross liquid. Momo was perched on Appa's floating tail, watching Aang swim around. Yuna was stretching out her wings, flying from tree to tree as she followed us down the river path.

After we had left the island where Aang and I had attended school, we continued to island hop, keeping out of the sky and in the most secluded places we could. After we camped in the wilderness last night, we found ourselves in a very wooded area that stretched along a river. Since it was day time, Sokka suggested Appa travel on the river to keep out of sight. However, I was starting to think that wasn't a great idea for his health.

"I don't think Appa should be swimming through this," I commented. "The water isn't even the right color."

Katara nodded. "I agree! Aang shouldn't be either!"

Aang poked his head out of the dense liquid again, his skin covered in whatever was the cause of the color change. "Momo!" He called. Then he dived under again. Momo chirped, looking around in shock as his pal disappeared. Aang poked his head up again. "Oh Momo!"

Momo jumped off Appa this time and landed on Aang's head. Aang laughed. "You found me, buddy!" He glanced down at the water then, and decided he had enough. Momo jumped back on Appa's tail as Aang used airbending to fly himself back onto Appa's saddle. He stood in the center of us, dripping gross sludge. "Hey guys, I think this river's polluted."

He used his airbending and the sludge shot towards us. I thought fast and used my bending to divert the liquid from hitting me. The others weren't so lucky. Zuko got some on his shirt, while Toph and Katara got the brunt of it. They cried out in disgust. Toph spat as some got in her mouth. Aang used airbending again and blew the liquid off of Toph and Katara. I used my waterbending to clean Zuko off.

Sokka, who had been out of the line of sludge, spoke from where he was on Appa. "Well that explains why I can't catch a fish around here, because normally my fishing skills are off the hook!" He held up the empty hook with a grin of amusement as he looked back at us. "Get it? Like a fishing hook?"

"Too bad your skills aren't on the hook," Toph muttered.

We laughed. Sokka pouted. "I am seriously good. Tell them, Katara! I was the best fish catcher in the tribe for three years!"

Zuko looked up from the map again and glanced over at Sokka. "Are you fishing for compliments?"

Sokka blinked. Toph smirked. Katara and Aang covered their mouths to hide their amusement. I laughed again. Yuna landed suddenly on my lap, probably curious to what we were amused by. I pet her, brushing off some leaves from her adventure in the trees.

Katara sighed. "It looks like we'll need to go somewhere else to get food." Sokka pulled out his scroll which he had been writing a schedule on for the last twenty four hours. Katara frowned. "Assuming that'll fit into Sokka's master schedule."

Sokka looked it over for confirmation. "Hmmm ... It's doable. But that means only two potty breaks today."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I don't think your schedule needs to be followed so rigidly, Sokka."

Sokka was horrified. "How can you say that?! Without a schedule we have no direction!"

I stroked Yuna, asking, "I thought the goal was just to keep heading west towards the Black Cliffs?"

"Well… It is… But we need a set time," Sokka insisted.

Aang suddenly pointed at something in the distance. "Hey, maybe we can get food there!" I looked to see what Aang was seeing. In the distance was a small village in the center of the river. The village was made out of wood, and looked to be very worn down.

Zuko was stunned. "I… didn't know there was a village out here. It's not on any of the maps I've ever seen."

"Maybe because it's so tiny," Sokka suggested. "Too small to put on a map."

Katara spoke. "Let's get Appa out of this water and onto land. We'll find a nice spot to hide him while we go."

Sokka let out a heavy breath. "Fine… but we can't stay long. We need to keep moving."

A few moments later, Sokka had landed Appa on a patch of grass that was shielded pretty well by some trees. Aang used extra measures and grabbed a mat of grass pulling it over him. Appa's horns stuck out from the spot, but he was pretty concealed.

Aang commented, "Now you look just like a little hill with horns! Bye, buddy!"

While Appa got some rest and dried off with Momo hanging with him, the rest of us made our way out of the woods and down towards the river. We walked along the bank of the gross water, and I grimaced as I saw dead fish float by. Yuna watched the fish float by with curiosity, but she showed no desire to eat the rotting corpses.

As we got down the hill, we saw a man near a dock where a long wooden boat was tied. He wore a torn vest, some loose pants, and was barefoot. His gray hair was pointed in different directions. Zuko quickly pulled the hood of his cloak up to conceal his identity. I did the same to be cautious. The others were not too concerned.

Toph spoke, "I don't feel anything. Where is the village?"

Sokka answered. "It's in the middle of the river."

The man by the boat overheard us from where he was nearby. "Sure is! My name's Dock. Mind if I ask who you are?"

Katara was the one to answer. "We're um ... from the Earth Kingdom colonies."

The man named Dock seemed satisfied. "Wow ... Colonials. Hop on, I'll give you a ride into town!"

We hesitated for a moment, but then decided he seemed harmless. Getting in the boat, he started to row us across the river towards the wooden buildings in the distance.

Katara made conversation as we sat in the boat and Dock steered. "Why do you guys live on the river?"

Dock answered. "Because we're a fishing town. At least that's how it was before the factory moved in." He pointed at a steel building on a cliff in the distance. "Army makes their metal there. Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive."

Zuko hung his head beside me. "I never knew… I didn't know things were this bad in the Fire Nation."

Dock sighed. "We get by… Food is scarce, but we find our way. We've sent requests to the Fire Lord for supplies… So far they are only sending stuff to the factory."

Toph crossed her arms. "Not surprised there…"

Dock finally got us to the docks of the town, and we got out. As we started for the steps leading up to the main dock of the town, Aang turned back to wave at Dock who was tying up his boat. "Thanks for the ride!"

Dock nodded and waved back.

We finally got to the main dock, and the view was pretty depressing. There were sick people sitting on doorsteps, flies circling barrels of rotting meat, and the small wooden homes were worn down and had holes in them. As we walked towards the market, I saw people clutching their stomachs, heard people coughing, and watched a man laying on a mat outside his home barely able to lift his head.

The town was full of sick and starving people. I had a feeling we probably wouldn't be finding much food.

"Look at this place," Katara whispered. "It's so sad. We have to do something to help."

Sokka kept walking, shaking his head as he took the lead. "No, we can't waste our time here. We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are on their own."

Katara sped up and grabbed his shoulder to stop him. We stopped with them. "These people are starving! But you'd turn your back on them?" She jerked her hand away and placed her hands on her hips. "How can you be so cold and heartless?"

Sokka held his hands up defensively. "I'm not turning my back, I'm just being realistic. We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we wander into. We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord."

Toph, who was being guided across the pier by Aang, shoved a hand over Sokka's mouth. "Hey, loud mouths! Maybe we should be a little quieter when we talk about 'taking out the Fire Lord."

Zuko nodded. "Yeah… Even though these people are being mistreated they could still be loyal… We need to be careful."

Sokka shoved Toph's hand off, and then looked at Katara with a sigh. "Come on, Katara, be reasonable about this. You know our mission has to come first."

Katara hung her head and her fists tightened. "I guess so."

Aang took Toph's hand again to guide her since she couldn't see. "Let's just get what we need and go." He smiled over at Katara who gave him a small smile back.

The group moved forward again. As they walked further into the town, I glanced back at the factory in the distance. I had met so many soldiers from the Fire Nation. I couldn't believe none of the factory workers cared about the people right outside their building. The thought sickened me. War really twisted the hearts of men.

We eventually arrived at a shop stall where the smell of fish was coming from. As we approached, we saw the same man from the docks. He was wearing a different hat than when we saw him earlier, but he was clearly the same man. Sokka stepped over to him with confusion, "Hey, Dock. You work here too?"

The man looked surprised. Then he shook his head. "I'm not Dock. I'm Xu! Dock's my brother."

I blinked. Yuna blinked. Zuko's mouth opened in surprise. The rest of the group was stunned.

Aang spoke up. "But we just saw you. You're even wearing the same clothes. The only difference is your hat."

The man argued. "Dock works on the docks. That's why we call him, "Dock", and I work in the shop, that's why they call me, "Xu"!"

We were still confused. Aang muttered, "I don't get it."

He shrugged. "Me neither." He then gestured towards the fish and clams on the wooden counter. The piles were full of fish covered in sludge and packed with mutations. There were filthy clams that seemed to be seeping sludge out of them as well. "What can I getcha?"

Toph's nose twinged from the smell. The others looked at the food in horror. I suppose I didn't react as terribly because I had eaten worse growing up.

Xu smiled. "Hey, I'll give you a special deal. If you buy three fish, I'll give you a clam for free."

Sokka pushed down on one of the clams and some gross liquid splashed out of the opening. He quickly shook his head. He picked up three really large fish carefully. "We'll just take the fish." He paid and put the fish in the bag that Katara had on her shoulder. Then he played along with the man's confusion. "Mind telling your brother we need a ride back to shore?"

Xu suddenly dropped down from where he stood and disappeared behind the counter. He reemerged wearing the hat that he had worn earlier when he was Dock. Yuna mewed in confusion. I blinked again in surprise.

"Hey, colonials! My brother says you need a lift."

Zuko covered his face in disbelief. Aang was baffled. Toph was confused by what was happening since she couldn't see anything. Sokka was annoyed. Katara seemed distracted.

Dock started to lead us back to the boat. As we went back through the town, I noticed Katara had stopped and was not with us anymore. Stopping myself, I turned to see she was handing a fish to a little boy. The boy smiled up at her and ran back into a home where his mother was lying on a mat sick. The woman patted the boy on the head as he showed her the fish.

I stepped back over to Katara with concern. "You okay?"

She frowned and shook her head. "I hate this… We have to do something… These people are suffering."

My heart clenched as an image of my mother lying on the cot in our attic prison came to me. "I know… These people… They kind of remind me of my mom. So sick and hopeless… But what can we do to help?"

Katara thought for a moment. Her eyes moved to the factory in the distance. Then something flashed across her eyes. Hope. She smiled slightly. "I think I have a plan."

A few hours later we worked on making camp for the night. We decided that with our adventure to town we could afford one night of rest. Also, the sun was setting so we would soon not be able to see much anyway. Once we had our sleeping bags rolled out and a fire started, we worked on getting some clean water to cook the vegetables we had. Aang used waterbending to lift some water and Toph was able to grab the material with her bending to pull the pollutants out. Katara caught the clean water with her bending and put it in the pot over the fire. I added the vegetables and used my combined bending to make the water boil.

Sokka sat with his scroll looking perturbed. "Our detour into town today has completely thrown off our schedule. It's gonna take some serious finagling to get us back on track."

Toph plopped down beside me where I sat by the fire. "Finagle away, oh schedule master."

Sokka stared at the schedule. "Well, for starters, it looks like we'll need to wake up forty-three minutes earlier every day."

Katara was bewildered. "Forty-three minutes?"

Zuko was astonished as he sat on the other side of me. "Why?"

Sokka pointed at his schedule. "Look, we only have a few weeks to get to the Fire Lord in time for the invasion and the eclipse, which, by the way, only lasts for eight minutes. And we just lost a whole day. So if we want to make up the time and stay on schedule, we have to wake up early!"

Toph scoffed. "Well I'm not waking up early."

Sokka shrugged. "Or we could just cut out all of our eating breaks."

Zuko scoffed. "Are you crazy?!"

Aang was horrified. "What?"

Katara protested. "No way!"

Toph shook her head. "Forget it!"

I also wasn't thrilled with that. "Appa needs to eat… He's carrying a lot of weight, Sokka."

Sokka seemed to consider this. He then nodded. "I got it… how's this… from now on, we'll take food breaks and potty breaks at the same time."

"That's not even sanitary!" Zuko argued.

Sokka shrugged. "Hey, it might be gross, but it's efficient. Either way, we have to leave here first thing tomorrow morning."

The sun soon set and the moon hovered above. Everyone else was asleep, but I was a bit restless as I thought back to the people in town. I recalled their conditions, and once again I thought of my mother… weak… sick… so hopeless… She had given up for years…

A noise alerted me. I opened my eyes and noticed Katara was not on her mat. Moving my gaze, I saw her walking off into the woods. Yuna was already asleep on my mat beside me, so I carefully maneuvered to not wake her and made my way to follow my cousin.

"Katara?"

She jumped a bit, surprised by my voice. She turned and moved over to me, grabbing my shoulder and putting a finger over her lips. "Shh… You'll wake everyone."

I was confused. "Where are you going?"

She let my shoulder go, and then let out a heavy breath. "I'm going to the factory… I'm going to steal some food for the townspeople. They need help."

I was shocked. "You're sneaking into the factory? You could get caught… It's dangerous."

"You're right," she said. "Dangerous for you… I'll be okay. Just cover for me."

Immediately, I pictured a thousand things going wrong with letting Katara go on her own. I shook my head. "No. I'm coming. I'm with you, Katara… These… are my people. And… I want to help."

She seemed uncertain. "I don't know, Amara… I don't want to put you in dan–"

"Katara… I'll be okay. Let me help," I insisted.

She sighed. Then she gave a small smile. "Okay… Let's go."

The two of us headed away from camp towards the direction of the factory. We trailed along the river and then started to make our way up the steep hill towards the large steel walls that surrounded the area. We scoped along the base of the wall until we arrived at what appeared to be a storm drain. I crouched and grabbed the bars, heating them to the point that they started to melt. Once I got enough of an opening for us, Katara crawled through and I followed her.

We made it to the other side, and clambered out of the storm drain. Then we looked around the factory yard and saw that the coast was clear. The workers all seemed to be in bed or other areas of the factory. We quickly made our way across the area, hiding behind some partially constructed tanks and other strange machines. We then got to a door that led into the main building. Silently we crept through the dimly lit hallways, using the torch light to find our way. We peeked through different doors, searching for the storage area where they kept their food. We spent a good thirty minutes sneaking through the factory, hiding when we heard guards, and searching in rooms. Finally, we found the jackpot.

I opened a door slowly, peeking my head into the room. I saw the bags of potatoes, barrels of fresh fish, bread, rice, and so much healthy looking food. I turned and nodded to Katara, who smiled with relief. We quickly rushed in and grabbed some burlap sacks, stuffing as much food in them as we could. Once we had about as much as we could carry, we made our way back out of the factory using the same path we had taken. The way out took a little less time since we weren't opening doors. When we got back outside into the factory yard, we quickly headed to the drain and made our way back out. Once we were far enough to not be heard by the guards, Katara spoke to me.

"Thanks for coming with me, Amara. I don't think I could've carried so much without you."

I adjusted the bag that I had slung over my shoulder. "I'm just glad we got in and out without being caught. That was a big factory… Did you see how many weapons were in that one room? I really hope we stop this war soon…"

Katara smiled over at me with reassurance. I could see her hope from the light of the moon. "We will. This war is going to end. I can feel it."

Eventually we got to the village. Katara and I managed to bend our own ice rafts to head to the structure in the middle of the river. Getting onto the docks, we moved around as quietly as we could, dropping food on any doorstep we could find. Once our bags were empty, we rushed back out of town and headed back to land on freshly made ice rafts. Getting onto shore, we both turned and looked at the village with a feeling of satisfaction.

"We did it… We got them food," Katara whispered.

I nodded. "I wish we could do more… But at least we were able to help them in one small way." I turned. "Come on… We should get back and get some sleep. We have a lot of traveling to do tomorrow." I started to walk back towards camp. I stopped though when I didn't hear Katara follow. I turned and looked back to see my cousin was still staring at the village. "Katara?"

She looked back at me, and waved me off. "You go ahead. I'll be there soon. I just want to clear my head a little."

I was confused, but I decided to not question her. I gave a small nod and headed back to camp. I didn't really know what she needed to clear her head about. We had done something great tonight, bringing the village food. I suppose she was just upset that we couldn't do more… but I knew in the morning Sokka was going to shuffle us off. Our time here was limited.

I managed to get two hours of sleep before the sun rose. Sokka shook me awake and told me we needed to head out. I was very groggy from my late night adventure, but I managed to wake up and start to put my mat away. Yuna was eying me with confusion, probably having noticed my absence through the night. I slipped her a fish I had snuck from the factory last night to keep her quiet. She was satisfied.

I suddenly heard Appa groan from nearby, and I turned to see he was lying on his side. Katara was beside him looking worried.

Aang had heard his friend's groan as well and noticed Katara's concern. He walked over, asking, "What's the matter Katara?"

Katara frowned. "I think Appa's sick."

Sokka heard from where he was packing beside Zuko. He jumped up and looked horrified. "What? Appa's sick? That's awful!"

Toph had approached Appa with concern too. "Wow, Sokka, I didn't realize you cared so much."

Sokka held his hands up. "Of course I care. I might as well just throw our schedule away now." He pulled out the schedule from his shirt. We all looked at him with disbelief. Even Zuko wasn't thrilled with his attitude, rolling his eyes at my cousin. Sokka realized he was being selfish, and quickly went over to Appa to pat him. "And I'm concerned because my big, furry friend doesn't feel well."

Toph frowned. "He must have gotten sick from being in the polluted water."

Aang looked at Appa with concern but also uncertainty. "He doesn't look sick. You okay, buddy?"

Appa groaned and stuck out his tongue. I was shocked when I saw it was purple.

Aang was horrified. "His tongue is purple! That can't be good. Katara, can you heal him?"

Katara frowned. "It looks like he needs some medicine. Maybe we can find the right herbs in town."

Zuko sighed. "I doubt that. The town barely had food. What makes you think they'll have medicine?" He approached Appa, staring at his tongue. "I've never seen anything like this before. Did he eat something yesterday?"

Katara answered. "Just the hay I found yesterday. He probably picked up something in the river. Let's head to town. Maybe someone will know something."

The group decided she was right. Momo and Yuna hung back with Appa for company while the rest of us headed towards town again. As we went, I hung back staring at Katara with suspicion. I had a strong feeling whatever was wrong with Appa had something to do with her. However, if that was the case I wasn't thrilled she was hurting Appa just to stall the group.

Zuko noticed I had fallen back a little. He slowed too so he could check on me. "You okay?"

I gave him a small nod. "Yeah… Just… Worried about Appa."

Zuko smiled reassuringly at me. "Don't worry. He'll be fine. I'm sure he just has a small stomach ache. We'll let him rest today and hopefully he'll be back to himself tomorrow." He took my hand to give me one last comfort. I squeezed his hand to thank him. My eyes looked at Katara again though. I knew she wanted to stay and help the village, but if she did get Appa sick somehow I didn't like her method.

We eventually got back into town, Dock giving us a ride. We then made our way across the village and saw a complete change in the town. People were out and about. Children were laughing and chasing one another between buildings. Everyone seemed to be in a great and lively mood.

Toph, who was being guided by Aang, heard the cheerfulness. "Is it just me, or does this place seem different?"

Aang spoke with confusion. "Yeah, are the people ... happier?"

Zuko looked around with his own bewilderment. "This is such a change… I wonder what happened?"

Katara and I shared a glance. She smiled at me. I gave her a small smile back. However, I was still very suspicious that she had something to do with Appa's condition.

We finally got to Xu's stall, and we saw he was polishing a wooden figurine. Sokka stepped up and leaned against the stall. "Hey, Xu, what's going on with everyone today?"

Xu smiled. "Ah, something amazing happened last night. Food was delivered to our village by a mysterious and wonderful person ... the Painted Lady."

Katara was shocked. I was astonished. I asked softly, "The Painted what?

Xu answered me with delight. "The Painted Lady." He placed the wooden statue he'd been cleaning onto the counter in front of us. I saw it was the outline of a lady wearing a large sun hat and white painted dress. She had red streak paint on her face too. "She's part of our town's lore. They say she's a river spirit who watches over our town in times of need. I always thought she was just a legend. Until now."

Sokka turned towards Katara. "See, we don't need to help these people, they already have someone to help them." He then directed his next statement to Xu. "All we need is medicine for our sick friend."

Xu was shocked. "Medicine? Sorry, all the medicine we have goes to the factory. That's why there's so many sick people in our village."

Katara sighed. "Looks like we need to stay another night so Appa can rest."

Sokka let out a heavy breath. "I guess you're right." He looked back at Xu. "You got any more food to sell?"

Xu dropped under the counter and then held up a fish in each hand. One of the fish was mutated. "Would you like the one-headed fish, or the two-headed fish?"

Sokka pondered it for a moment. Then he grinned. "Two-headed!"

Zuko argued. "That makes me question if it's safe to eat!"

Sokka waved him off. "Sure it is. Plus, you get more for your money that way!" He grabbed the fish and held it up to all of us. Toph flinched at the smell. The rest of us decided we didn't want to look at it and started to head away.

Later that day, I saw Katara by the river water. I headed down to her while the rest of the group chatted at the campsite. Stopping beside her, Yuna on my shoulder, I asked, "What did you do to Appa?"

She went a bit stiff from where she was filling a pot with water. She stood and looked at me with wide eyes. "Why would you ask me that?"

I frowned. "I don't want to accuse you, Katara… But you seemed pretty relieved this morning when Sokka agreed we needed to stay another night… And Appa was fine when I got back to camp last night. What did you do?"

Katara defended herself. "Nothing. I told you he got sick from the river water. Why are you blaming me?"

I crossed my arms. "It's just… You seemed really desperate to stay and help more. It wouldn't surprise me–"

Katara started to walk away from me. "I didn't do anything to Appa. I can't believe you'd think that." Her voice didn't sound convincing.

I walked behind her. "Are you going back for more food tonight?"

She stopped in her step. Her shoulders slumped. She turned to me with a sigh. "No… I'm going to try and heal some of them tonight."

I was shocked. "Heal them… Isn't that a bit risky? You'd be in close contact with them. What if someone sees you?"

She smiled. "I already thought about that… I'm going in disguise… as The Painted Lady."

Her plan was not reassuring to me. "Katara… I want to help these people as much as you do. But you do have to remember… if they find out you're a waterbender they could turn against you. They may not see you as a friend if they learn you're really their enemy."

She placed the pot down so she could place a hand on the shoulder Yuna wasn't on. "Trust me, Amara. I know what I'm doing."

I knew this time I couldn't really be much help. I wasn't great at my healing. I was still learning. "Okay… Just… Be careful."

She nodded. "I will."

That night I was restless. At some point I glanced over at Katara's mat. Everyone else was asleep. I noted she was gone. I didn't like her going off on her own without backup, but then I reminded myself that Katara was strong and smart. She'd be able to get in the village and back out without being caught. Somehow I managed to fall asleep, but I dreamed of Katara dressed in a white dress with a wide hat gliding across the river.

When I woke in the morning, I saw Katara was back and was glad she didn't get caught during her night charades. However, I was disappointed to see Appa still under the weather. His tongue was purple too. I still had suspicions that Katara was doing something to him, but I also didn't want to believe that she would hurt him.

Sokka was greatly disappointed that Appa was still sick. He fussed again about his schedule, and said at this rate we would never get to the Black Cliffs to meet with the others. Zuko reassured him that we actually weren't that far and had tons of time to get there. Aang urged us to head into town again to see if there was any update on medicine for Appa.

When we got to town, this time taking an abandoned boat on the shore, I was astounded by the change from the day before. More people were out of their homes. People were cleaning their doorsteps, putting up a large wooden statue of the Painted Lady, and appeared so full of life. Katara had done well.

We headed over to the shop where the man wearing the hat for Dock was. He was standing in front of the shop, polishing the wooden statue he had put out yesterday. Sokka stepped over and played along to the man's insanity. "Hi, Dock. Is Xu around?"

Dock/Xu seemed to ponder this. "Let me check …" He ran behind the stall and ducked beneath the counter. He reappeared, wearing the hat that signified he was now Xu. "Hey there! Back again, are ya?"

Toph pushed Sokka aside. She smashed the money that Zuko had handed her onto the counter. "We need more food. Our friend is still sick and we can't leave until he's better."

Xu dropped behind the counter and then held out a platter of polluted clams towards us. Zuko sighed beside me, not thrilled by our options.

Xu spoke, responding to Toph's last statement. "Oh, well, that's too bad. Maybe if you guys are lucky, the Painted Lady will visit you in the night, and heal your friend."

Sokka picked up a clam that was spewing gunk. He sarcastically said, "And maybe she'll cook us a midnight snack, and we'll all have a sing-along."

Xu nodded, not noting Sokka's sarcasm. "Yeah, maybe! You know, last night she visited us again. Healed most of our sick folks."

Aang was amazed. "Is that why this place seems so festive?"

Dock nodded. "Yep, it's all because of the Painted Lady."

As we started to head back out of town, we looked around at the people with amazement. I was glad Katara was able to help them. I smiled slightly, glad that these people had some relief.

Katara was thrilled. "Can you believe how much an entire village can be affected by one lady– I mean ... spirit?"

Sokka shrugged. "Well, I hope she returns every night. Otherwise this place would go right back to the way it was."

Katara turned to Sokka with horror. "Why would you say that? Look how much better off these people are!"

Sokka held his hands up defensively. "Yeah, now, but without her they wouldn't be able to fend for themselves. If she really wanted to help, she would use her spirit magic to blow up that factory." He suddenly made a gesture with his hands to indicate an explosion, and even added sound effects.

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Spirits don't do that, Sokka."

Sokka scoffed. "And how would you know?"

He crossed his arms. "I've been hunting a spiritual being for three years. I've done my research."

Aang nodded. "He's right. Spirit magic doesn't work that way, Sokka. It's more like…" He waved his body with his arms in the air making a woo sound.

Katara scowled and stomped away. Toph, who had been holding on to her arm for direction, stumbled as she lost her grip. "Hey! What's her problem?"

I stepped over to Toph to take her hand. "I think she just has a lot on her mind. Come on."

We headed back to camp again. As I helped prepare some supper by boiling the gross clams as much as possible, I noticed that Katara seemed to be lost in her thoughts. Her eyes kept moving towards the factory in the distance. As the others were busy seeing to Appa and discussing plans for our next route, I asked Katara softly, "Are you still going back? You need to sleep, Katara… You've done what you can."

She frowned. "No… I haven't. There's still one thing I can do…"

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "What's that?"

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I've got it covered."

That night, I did worry. So instead of sleeping, I waited until Katara made her move to head off to do whatever she was planning. I heard some movement as I kept my eyes shut. Yuna was curled beside me fast asleep, and I felt guilty for leaving her again, but I didn't want Katara to get hurt. Eventually I heard her walk away from camp. I managed to slide off my mat without waking Yuna, and then made my way from camp to follow her.

She was standing on a hill that overlooked the village. She was wearing a wide brimmed hat that had some netting hanging off to create a veil. As I approached, I was surprised to see Aang appeared between us. He was approaching Katara.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you, but my friend's sick and we're on kind of a tight schedule."

Katara took off running, using waterbending to cross the river. Aang pursued her, freezing some water to follow her. "Wait! But I'm the great bridge between your world and mine! I know Hei Bai! We're close personal friends!" They started to head towards the town. I watched Aang chase Katara with bewilderment. I wasn't really sure if I should follow. However, I decided Katara might need some backup if Aang figured out who she was, so I did.

Running towards the river, I used my bending to create multiple stepping stones of ice to move across. I managed to step my way to the village, and then made the water lift me onto the dock. When I arrived, I found them jumping across one of the roofs of the buildings. I ran to follow their path, and saw Katara could not lose Aang. She had no choice but to leave the village and head on the other side of the river. I maneuvered through the town quickly, not really wanting to jump roofs like the other two were doing. I finally got to the edge of the village and saw Katara running across the river again. Aang was still running behind her on the water, using ice stones like I had.

I created my own stones again and followed once more. I was impressed by Aang's determination to confront the "Painted Lady," but I knew Katara was probably in a panic as she realized her nights out were about to be discovered. By the time I arrived, Aang had reached Katara. She was doing all she could to hide her face from him. He was only a few feet away. I approached as silently as I could, although I was trying to catch my breath from chasing after them. They were really fast.

Aang was speaking, "You seem familiar too."

Katara tried to mask her voice. "A lot of people say that."

Aang spoke with more suspicion. "No, you really seem familiar."

Katara started to back away. She had noticed me now and looked over at me with panic. I shrugged. I wasn't really sure how to help her.

She spoke to Aang again. "Look, I really should get going." She turned to run. Aang wasn't having it. He blew a gust of air at her, and her hat flew off revealing her familiar hair and outfit.

Aang was bewildered. "Katara?"

I finally made my presence known to him as well, coming up beside him. "Took you a while."

He looked over at me with shock. "Amara? Where'd you come from?!"

"Tried to keep up with you two… But I didn't feel like jumping from the roof," I explained.

Katara added. "Hi, Aang."

Aang turned back to Katara, pointing at her. "You're the Painted Lady? But how?" Then he turned and pointed at me. "And you knew? When?!"

I gave a small smile. "Pretty much the whole time."

Katara sighed. "I wasn't her at first… I was just trying to help the village. Amara helped me the first night with getting food. I went back the next night alone… since everyone thought that's who was doing everything, I guess I just kinda became her." She dropped her hat on the ground.

Aang held his hands up. "So you've been sneaking out at night? And you brought Amara into this! Wait… is Appa even sick?!"

"That's still something I don't know," I muttered.

Katara grimaced. "He might be sick of the purple berries I've been feeding him, but other than that he's fine!"

I shook my head in disbelief. "I knew it! You've been stuffing him up and giving him belly aches?! That's not nice!"

She hung her head in guilt.

Aang added, a bit calmer. "I can't believe you lied to everyone so you could help these people."

Katara sighed. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have–"

Aang's tone completely changed. "No, I think it's great! You're like a secret hero!"

Katara and I were shocked by his sudden delight. I asked, "You're not mad?"

He sighed. "I'm only mad Katara brought Appa into this. But I'm happy to hear you both were trying to help the village."

Katara relaxed. "Well, if you two wanna help there's one more thing I have to do."

Aang and I looked at her with curiosity. I asked, "What else could you do?"

She glanced over at the factory in the distance. "Destroy the cause of all these peoples' suffering." She started to walk in the direction towards the giant factory in the distance.

I followed after her with uncertainty. Aang trailed behind. I asked, "How exactly are you going to do that?"

She kept walking, answering me. "Remember those barrels of magma we saw? The ones they use to melt steel down. I'm going to knock them over and start a fire. Aang can help. And there was blasting jelly too. You can help me ignite that to create some explosions and light some of the other crates on fire, Amara."

Aang was astonished. "You wanna destroy this factory?"

Katara nodded. " Yes. Sokka was just kidding, but he was right. Getting rid of this factory is the only way to help these people permanently."

I still wasn't sure. "You don't think the Fire Nation soldiers will blame the village?"

She waved off my question. "Why would they? There's no way the villagers would be able to do something like this."

Aang seemed to be all for the plan. I was still a little nervous about the repercussions. However, I wanted to help so I didn't argue. We snuck back through the same storm drain we had been using, and then silently made our way across the factory yard again. Once we got inside the factory, we arrived at the welding room where the giant barrels of magma were hanging. We set to work, destroying what we could.

Katara and Aang worked on pouring the barrels of lava to the floor. I found more barrels of blasting jelly in another room and fired at them from the doorway. The barrels caught fire, and I ran out as they exploded. I avoided the magma by staying on the edge of the room, and Katara and Aang rejoined me a moment later.

We moved on to a different room, and a very large steel pipe stretched across the room in all directions. Katara grabbed my hand and we ran up some stairs to get onto a metal bridge that overlooked the room. Aang used earthbending to lift the ground under the pipe, which helped to break apart the pipe and cause water and then steam to rush out. Katara ordered Aang and I to head out then. I wasn't sure what else she had planned because I could already feel the whole place was up in flames, but Aang and I did as she said. As we rushed back out of the factory, Aang destroyed a few tanks along the way and I set more crates on fire. Once we got out of the factory, we were amazed when we saw a rush of water being pulled up from the river over the factory wall. As Katara flooded the other parts of the factory we had not destroyed, I watched the wave of water with astonishment. Katara had to be one of the strongest waterbenders I'd ever seen. I knew I didn't have a lot to compare her too, but I was certain she was viewed as a master with her abilities.

Eventually Katara arrived outside of the factory. At this point we could hear shouts on the inside from the soldiers and workers as they tried to salvage what they could. We made our way towards the camp, and I could see Aang was thrilled by all that had occurred. Katara was ecstatic as well, glad her plan worked.

We got back to camp a little before sunrise. Aang was still chatting excitedly about all we had done.

Katara quickly shushed him when we got closer to camp. "Shhh! We don't wanna wake Sokka or Zuko." We stepped around some trees and got to the clearing where our camp was. We were surprised to see Toph, Sokka, and Zuko standing in our path. Toph was curious. Zuko was relieved. Sokka was disappointed and frustrated.

Katara tried to cover. "Hi, Sokka, we were just out on a morning walk!"

I realized then Sokka was holding Katara's sleeping bag. "Oh, really? A morning walk?" He shook the bag and hay fell out. He dropped the sleeping bag. "I know you're the Painted Lady, I know you've been sneaking out at night, and I know you've been lying about Appa and been feeding him…" He stuck out his tongue and it was purple. "Purpleising tongue berries!" Toph stuck out her tongue too, showing she had eaten the berries also, and she shook a bag dumping the berries that Katara had been storing.

Zuko asked Katara, "What were you thinking? What if you were caught?! And I can't believe you dragged Amara into your dangerous plan!"

I argued. "I wanted to help. Katara told me to stay back. Don't blame her."

Sokka ignored my defense. "Katara, what you did put our whole mission in jeopardy. We're leaving right now!"

Katara hung her head. She walked past Sokka sadly.

Sokka pointed at Aang then. "And how long did you know about this?"

Aang held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I just found out this morning!"

Zuko shook his head. "What's done is done… Let's just go. We need to start heading to the next island." Sokka and Aang started to head back to camp. Zuko looked over at me with frustration. "Do you know how worried I was when I woke up and you were gone this morning?"

I felt immediately guilty. "I'm sorry… I just wanted to help. Those people were suffering, Zuko."

He sighed. He stepped over and pulled me into a hug. "I know… I just don't want anything to happen to you. Yuna would be really sad too."

I smiled slightly, hugging him back. "I know. I'm fine. I didn't want my cousin to get hurt."

"Just don't follow Katara all the time. She seems to get herself in crazy situations…"

I joked, "You're one to talk Mr. Blue Spirit."

He pulled away and looked down at me. "That was a long time ago."

"You and Katara could start a crime fighting duo though… The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit, fighting crime together. You'd become legends."

He rolled his eyes. "I've read you too many books." He took my hand then. "Come on. We should go–" He stopped when he noticed some black powder on my hand. "Amara… What is that?"

I jerked my hand away and held it behind me. It was some of the powder from the crate I'd found to blow up a part of the wall.

"Um… Nothing…"

"Doesn't look like nothing. That looks like powder used in explosives." He narrowed his eyes. "What did you three do last night?"

I dropped my gaze. "We… we just wanted to help…"

"Amara…" He gasped. "Did you go to the factory last night?"

I sighed and looked up into his penetrating golden gaze. "We had to stop them, Zuko… It was the only way to help the villagers."

"Stop them?" Zuko's eyes widened. He looked up towards the direction where the factory was. You could see smoke on the horizon. "You blew up the factory!" He looked back at me with horror. "Whose idea was this?!"

I flinched. "Technically… Sokka's. It was the right thing to do."

"This isn't good, Amara!" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "We need to get out of here before we're all arrested." He turned to head back to camp. I rushed to follow after him, a bit stunned by his reaction. Once I arrived, I saw the group was packing.

"Sokka! We've got a problem," Zuko said.

Sokka looked up from where he was stuffing our supplies in a bag. "What now?"

Before Zuko could answer, we heard the sound of water splashing and some type of machine in the distance. We moved our gaze to the river and saw three shapes shooting across the water towards the village.

Katara was the first to ask. "What is that?"

Zuko let out a heavy breath. "Not good… That's what it is…"

Toph was confused. "What? Is something happening?"

We left camp and headed up to a cliff that overlooked the river and the village to get a closer look.

Toph approached as we all watched from a distance, not sure what we were seeing. "What's going on?"

Aang was horrified. "Fire Nation soldiers are heading toward the village!"

Sokka looked over at Katara. "What did you do?"

Katara flinched. "I kind of destroyed their factory."

Sokka was horrified. "You what?!"

Katara defended herself. "It was your idea!"

"He didn't mean it," Zuko snapped. "You barely listen to anything he says, but you picked up on that?!"

Sokka added, "Exactly! I was joking! I also said to use spirit magic and made funny noises!" He slapped his forehead. "Did you even think this through? The army is gonna blame the villagers! They're headed there right now to get revenge!"

Katara cried, "Well, what was I supposed to do?"

Sokka held his hands up. "Leave! Do nothing! Let Zuko handle it when he becomes Fire Lord!"

Katara snapped, "No, I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me!" She tightened her fists. "I'm going down to that village, and I am gonna do whatever I can."

As Katara started to storm away, Sokka stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder. "Wait! I'm coming, too."

Katara was surprised. "I thought you didn't want to help?"

Sokka sighed. "You need me, and I will never turn my back on you."

She smiled. "Sokka, you really do have a heart." She threw her arms around him to hug him. He hugged her back.

Aang wiped his eyes, getting emotional by the sibling bond. "He really does have a heart, doesn't he?" He sniffled.

Toph shut her eyes and shook her head. She elbowed Aang in the side, knocking him over.

Zuko sighed and covered his face in disbelief. "Okay… How are we going to fix this problem?"

The group started to plan how to help the villagers. As they did, I kept my gaze from Zuko and pet Yuna. I felt guilty for upsetting him. He was the one person I never wanted to upset. I knew what we had done was a bit rash, but we had only done something to stop the river from being polluted. We never meant to cause danger to the villagers. I wondered just how upset Zuko was with me? When I made people upset, they would be angry… Was Zuko angry?

I shook my head. I knew he would never be angry like Zhao or my uncle… but I was also aware I had disappointed him.

"Amara. You can handle that right?"

I jumped a bit when Katara directed her question to me. "Huh?"

Katara met my gaze. "Did you hear anything we just said?"

I flinched. "Um… no… sorry…"

Katara looked at me with concern. Zuko glanced my way and I dropped my gaze again. I felt too ashamed to look his way. I didn't like upsetting Zuko.

Sokka spoke to give me the plan again, "You're going to make some fog and follow Aang and Katara into the town. Yuna can make some creepy cat-owl noises beside Appa, while I play Aang's flute back on land."

I nodded. "Okay… I can do that."

Zuko added, "I'll stick with Amara and be on the side to offer backup just in case anything goes wrong."

Katara nodded. "Okay. There's two boats so you take one and the others can take the second once we infiltrate the town. Let's do this!"

As the group went to do what they had planned, I moved Yuna over to Sokka's shoulder so she could help them make the creepy noises. Then I started to make my way to the boats. As I went, Zuko stepped in my path. I was surprised by his appearance, and came to a stop.

"Amara… I know that look… what's wrong?"

I dropped my gaze to the ground with guilt. "I… upset you… I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to help. I'm sorry…"

He was quiet for a moment. Then he let out a heavy breath. "I'm not mad at you… I'm just upset you all put yourselves in danger last night. I'm sorry if you thought my anger earlier was towards you. It was more towards Katara… I don't like that she dragged you along in this mess."

I defended her. "I asked to come. She didn't want me to at first." I felt my eyes burn as tears formed. "I couldn't help my mom… She had been so sick and weak… so hopeless… I thought if I helped these people, then maybe I could make up for that."

His eyes softened. He pulled me into his arms to give me comfort. I hugged him back, relieved that my concerns were foolish. He wasn't mad at me… Just worried…

"There's nothing you could've done for your mom, Amara… You know that…" I nodded against him. "And I was upset… but only because I was disappointed in myself that I hadn't done something to help… These are my people… and I was just trying to turn my eyes and focus on the mission. That was wrong of me."

I shook my head against him. Pulling away slightly, I looked up to meet his own guilt ridden face. "You will help them in the end… When you become Fire Lord, you'll be able to save the Fire Nation from years of war."

He gave me a small smile. "Yeah… I'll definitely do what I can."

A few moments later, Zuko and I were on the boat and headed towards the village behind Aang and Katara (who was dressed as the Painted Lady again). They were using ice stones to move ahead of us on the river. I created a very dense fog with my waterbending, and as my fog took over the air it became harder and harder to see. I spread my fog out so that the cloud moved ahead of Katara towards the village and consumed the sight of the guards.

Appa started to groan in the distance.

I heard the call of Yuna as well.

Mew-Hoo…. Mew-Hoo….

Toph dropped the boulder she was smashing to the earth, creating an almost drum-like sound.

The sound of the flute started to echo across the river.

A ball of light appeared ahead of my fog. It was quickly extinguished, and I knew Aang was the one who had blown it out. He was already hiding under the docks I was sure.

A deep male voice shouted through the fog. "Light it again!"

Sokka's flute music seemed to grow more eerie. The groaning and mew-hoos in the distance would've sent shivers down someone's spine if the cause was not known.

The ball was lit again, but then quickly extinguished.

A female voiced her notice of the fog. "Look at that! Where's it coming from?"

A male voice spoke. "I don't know. Something strange is going on."

Zuko and I were just reaching the docks, so we could hear just about everything. A young boy sounded through the fog. "It's the Painted Lady. She's coming."

The first soldier snapped, "There is no Painted Lady!"

The others back on land kept up their creepy noises. The townspeople could finally hear it now that everyone was listening.

The female from earlier, who I could now make out was one of the soldiers, asked, "What is that sound?"

The second man spoke with dread. "Maybe it is her."

Zuko and I made it to the dock and got out of the boat. We snuck behind some crates as we watched Katara approach the villagers. She parted what remained of my fog and everyone gasped. She used waterbending to rush forward on the dock. The two male and one female guards stumbled back. The townspeople watched in amazement as the lady who was believed to be a spirit appeared.

The short male leader in armor shoved the soldiers near him forward. "Do something!" The two soldiers slowly started to approach my cousin. However, Aang was beneath them and blew a gust of air up at them. The two soldiers screamed from the sudden rush of air and ran off.

The man looked at the other three soldiers with him. "Stand your ground!"

Katara used waterbending and shot two of the floatation devices the soldiers had come on into a nearby cliff. They crashed and exploded upon impact. As she raised her hand to wreak further damage, the remaining soldiers rushed off and jumped onto the remaining vessels. They sped off, leaving their leader. He snapped, "I'll take care of you myself."

He shot an arc of fire at Katara. Aang had moved beneath Katara and shot her up with a blast of air. She was launched up from the dock, avoiding the blast. Aang took his chance and used his airbending to break the part of the dock the leader was on. The man was flung off the broken dock into the polluted water. He resurfaced with horror.

Katara had dropped into the water at this point, and then rose herself out in front of him, using her waterbending to hover. She raised her arms to keep her body floating above him. "Leave this village and never come back!"

The man screamed and swam away. One of his soldiers moved their floatation machine towards him and helped him up on it. They rode away to escape.

The crowd cheered and Katara returned to the dock. Zuko and I left our hiding spot and joined the crowd. Sokka and Toph appeared on the dock as well, and Yuna returned to my shoulder. Aang joined us a moment later, Momo appearing on his shoulder.

The little boy who had spoke earlier, stepped up to the front of the crowd, saying to Katara, "I knew you'd come."

Another male villager exclaimed, "Thank you!"

A man beside me shouted, "Painted Lady, you're the best!"

Dock approached Katara then. "Me and my brothers really owe you a lot." He smiled, and then frowned. Then he turned angry. "Hey, wait a minute! I know you! You're not the Painted Lady, you're that colonial girl!"

Katara placed a hand on her face and I could see then her red makeup was smudged.

The same boy exclaimed, "Yeah, you're the lady that gave me a fish!"

Dock snapped, "You've been tricking us. You're a waterbender!"

The crowd gasped. Zuko sighed beside me. "Wait here…" He stepped forward and I was confused by his action.

A villager snapped, "She's a waterbender!"

Another cried, "How dare you act like our Painted Lady!"

Sokka had already run forward to intervene. He stepped between Katara and the villagers. "Maybe she is a waterbender, but she was just trying to help you. Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river, and the army is gone. You should be down on your knees thanking her!"

Katara grabbed Sokka's shoulder. "Sokka, it's okay."

"No. It isn't," Zuko spoke. He stepped over to Katara and Sokka, and then pulled his hood back. The crowd gasped when they recognized him by his scar. "If you want to blame anyone for this, then blame my family. My grandfather ordered this factory to be built, and my father has been neglecting the surrounding area."

"Prince Zuko…"

"It's Prince Zuko…"

The villagers started to whisper amongst themselves. Dock was amazed and backed away from the prince.

"We… we heard you were traveling with the Avatar before he died," Dock spoke. "What are you doing here?"

Zuko answered. "I'm here to help my people. Just like my good friend Katara, I want to make the world a better place for everyone. That includes you all."

"But… you're working with the enemy! A waterbender!" A man from the crowd exclaimed. "You're betraying your people."

Zuko shook his head. "The only one betraying the Fire Nation is my father. How many of your people have suffered at the hands of this war? How many family members have died? And for what? So my father can spread his power across the four nations? What is this war really about?"

The crowd was bewildered. Dock seemed to ponder his words. "And what will you do differently? If you became Fire Lord, how would you help us? The Fire Nation royal family has never cared for our people. Our village has been neglected, even before the factory was built. The only people that matter to you are in the Capital."

Zuko hung his head. "There was a time when I was much like my father. I did not think about others… I did not know much except the Capital. However, I have been outside of the Capital now. Seen the destruction of not just other lands but my own. I've known what it is to have nothing… To be hungry, and to feel abandoned. When I become Fire Lord, I will make this world better for all nations… even my own."

A little boy stepped forward suddenly. He was maybe five, and he was in nothing but some torn trousers. "Will… will you let my daddy come home?"

Zuko stepped over to the boy and crouched. He placed a kind hand on his shoulder. "Definitely… I'll let everyone come home. The fighting will end. I'll see to that."

"How can we trust your word?" A woman from the front of the crowd asked. "Your friend lied to us."

Katara spoke then, as Zuko stood and stepped back beside her. "I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't, and I shouldn't have tricked you. But I felt like I had to do something. It doesn't matter if the Painted Lady is real or not. Because your problems are real, and this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself."

Dock sighed. "She's right, but what should we do?"

Toph suddenly appeared beside me and shouted in a fake voice, "Maybe we can clean the river!"

Dock seemed taken by the idea. "Yeah, we can clean the river!"

The townspeople all cheered.

I took Toph's hand and guided her out of the crowd. Aang joined us as we approached the other three.

Dock spoke kindly to my cousin now. "Thank you. You know, you're not so bad for a waterbender." He then turned to Zuko and bowed. "And I'm grateful that Prince Zuko has taken such care of our people. We are honored to have you here."

Sokka rubbed the back of his neck. "You wouldn't mind keeping all that a secret, by the way, would you?"

Dock smiled. "No problem. Keeping my mouth shut is a personal specialty. My brother Xu, on the other hand, ohh, he's a blabbermouth."

Sokka smacked his face in disbelief. Zuko rolled his eyes. I only felt more concerned for this man's sanity.

The townspeople had started to disperse as they went off to find tools and buckets to start cleaning out the river.

Katara spoke again as Dock lingered with us. "So, Dock, are you gonna help us clean?"

He shook his head. "No, ma'am. I'm going to get my other brother, Bushi. He loves cleaning rivers." He reached into a pocket on his trousers and pulled out another hat. He switched it out and grinned. "All right, I'm Bushi! Let's get some river cleaning done!"

Aang pointed at him. "Aha, I knew it! I knew you were the same guy. You're the shop owner and the boat guy."

Dock laughed. "Oh, you must be talking about my brothers, Dock and Xu."

Aang argued. "No, I just saw you! You switched hats and called yourself a different name!"

Dock blinked. "Oh, you know who does that? My brother, Dock." He leaned forward, whispering, "He's crazy." He chuckled and walked off to go get his own supply.

Toph spoke. "So… Is he really the same guy?"

Zuko sighed. "Yep… He clearly drinks too much of the swamp water. Maybe he'll be sane once we clean this place up."

Sokka muttered, "Doubtful."

The rest of the day was spent helping the villagers clean the pollutants out of the water. Katara and I stood on a boat and used waterbending to move portions of water into a large vat. Aang and Toph worked on taking the pollutants out with earthbending and moving them onto a large boat. Sokka helped other villagers use a large net to scoop out more of the gunk from the water. As we worked on cleaning the river, Zuko was busy speaking with different villagers to learn more about their condition and what he could do for them when he became Fire Lord.

After a long day of cleaning, the last remnants of the gunk floated downstream and clean water surrounded the area. We noticed some normal looking fish had started to appear the cleaner the water became. The village celebrated their new clean home, and people polished the Painted Lady statue in the center of town to honor Katara for her kindness. Our group was given gratitude and promised that no one would share that we had passed through. Dock promised that they would just hold the tale that the Painted Lady had saved them all.

That night, the group sat around our campfire with the clean river in the distance. Zuko spoke about everything he would work on changing once he became Fire Lord. Aang chatted with him, planning out different ways to help him accomplish his goals. As they discussed this, Sokka redid a schedule and Toph was already passed out in a rock tent. Yuna was napping with Momo by Appa who was feeling better from his berry feast.

"Amara…" Katara spoke, picking up a pot. "You want to help me get some water to fill the canteens?"

I nodded. I stood and followed her down the hill towards the water. Once we got to the bank, I crouched and dipped my hand in the clean liquid with a smile. We'd made a difference today.

"That was great what you did, Katara," I said, standing and looking over at her. From the light of the moon, I saw her looking out towards the village in the distance. "Aunt Kya would've been so proud of you."

Katara smiled over at me. "Thanks, Amara… but I didn't do it alone. You helped me so much."

I shrugged. "All I did was help you pass out food. Hopefully one day I can be as good a healer as you."

Katara argued. "You have become such a skilled bender. You helped us set off the explosions and created some incredible fog today. You were great. Sometimes I'm so jealous you can bend two elements."

I gave a small smile. "Thanks."

A light suddenly showed in my vision. I was a bit startled and looked up to see glowing fog. My eyes widened as a glowing woman with a flowing white dress and white veil appeared in the fog. She was floating towards us. We both stared in bewilderment as we took in the beautiful spirit. Her dark hair framed her face well, and her red markings were in bright contrast on her pale skin. We were not afraid of her though as she approached. We felt at peace.

She hovered before us. Her brown eyes moved between Katara and I. "Thank you."

Katara smiled, responding for the both of us. "You're welcome."

She glanced my way then. She moved forward, breaking the distance between us. Her glowing hand pressed to my cheek, and it felt like a cool brush of air. She moved so she could whisper in my ear, "I know of your story, daughter of fire and water… the suffering you endured… the suffering of your mother… I hope this gives you some comfort…"

Her words confused me. I went to speak, but before I could she had moved so her gaze met my own again. Then her eyes lit white light. I felt a rush of energy shoot through me from where her hand still pressed on my cheek, and I dropped to my knees as I lost my balance from the shock of the sensation. The hand left my cheek, and the glow of the woman disappeared as she vanished. There was silence as both Katara and I tried to understand what had happened. Katara moved beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Amara? Are you alright?"

I was so confused. What had she done to me? "Yeah… I… don't know what that was…"

"Did you see anything? What did she do to you?"

I met her gaze. "I… don't know… I just felt this strange energy rush through me."

She helped me up. "Did she say something to you?"

I looked back at the spot the spirit had once been. "Just… that she knew about my past and wanted to give me comfort."

Katara was even more confused. "That didn't seem like comfort…"

I crossed my arms. "Let's just not think about it… it was probably nothing."

Katara sighed. "Okay…" We started to walk back to camp. "I can't believe she's real though…"

"She was pretty… the statues don't do her justice…"

That night I went to sleep, still puzzled by the Painted Lady's touch. She had told me she was going to give me comfort… I wasn't sure what she meant by that. I decided not to dwell too much. I eventually drifted to sleep. Yuna had moved beside me to snuggle against me. As I drifted though, I felt the rush of energy shoot through me again.

I was standing on snow. Pure white snow. The ocean stretched out before me, shimmering from the sunlight. The area around me was so peaceful. I felt safe.

"Amara…" A voice spoke behind me. The voice was so familiar. The voice was from a distant memory. I turned around and saw a woman standing a few feet away. She wore a similar outfit to what Katara had worn when we were at the South Pole. Her long dark brown hair was tied back behind her with a single braid and she had on some fur boots. Her familiar blue eyes were full of love and adoration as she met my gaze. She wore the same necklace that I kept safe in my travel bag as we journeyed through the Fire Nation.

She smiled at me with adoration. "Amara… look at how much you've grown…"

I was stunned. "I… I'm dreaming…"

She stepped forward. Her feet crunched through the snow. Her hands were uncovered, her gloves tied to her side. She moved towards me, her eyes watering as she broke the distance. "Daughter… You have become so beautiful." She reached me, her hand pressing against my cheek. Her hand was so warm against my flesh. For a moment, I forgot that I was dreaming.

Everything felt so real. I felt like my mom was here. I had started to struggle with remembering my mother's face in full. It had been eleven years since she died, and I had been so young. But this woman before me was definitely my mom… strong… healthy… beautiful…

"Mom… is it really you?"

She leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead, her touch so familiar and gentle. She pulled away slightly, but only so she could draw me into her arms. Warmth consumed me. Her familiar touch as she brushed a hand through my hair made me realize that this was the gift… Even if this was just a dream, the Painted Lady had granted me a moment to be with my mother.

"Amara… I wish so much I could be with you… You have made me so proud, my little polar-pup."

A sob escaped. I pressed my face harder into her coat. "Mom… I… I miss you. I miss you so much… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you."

She pressed her mouth into my hair as i cried against her. She spoke with kindness. "Amara… You have nothing to be sorry for. You saved me more than you know."

I shook my head. "You died… they killed you… I didn't save you."

She hugged me closer. "You did… you were my comfort in that prison, Amara. You gave me hope. A reason to keep living."

I argued. "You didn't live though… you died… why mom…? why wouldn't you run…?"

Her own voice cracked. "Not a day went by that I didn't want to try… I feared if I ran, you and I would both die… and I wanted to give you a chance… I stayed to give you a chance… I stayed so you would live… I'm so sorry that you suffered because of that…" She sobbed against me. "I'm so sorry, Amara. I was too afraid… but I did what I could to keep you alive… I'm so relieved it wasn't in vain… All I wanted was for you to live."

We cried together, both of us hugging one another as our pain drifted out of us. My mom kept whispering sorry to me as I cried with relief that I was in her arms.

After a few minutes, I finally calmed down. Pulling away slightly from my mom, I said, "Please… Don't be sorry, mom… You did save me… Zhao's dead… and I am alive and free…" I met her gaze. Her blue eyes were like the ocean from the water that still filled them. "I found them mom… I found our family… I met my cousins… Uncle Hakoda… Bato… And I'm going to tell grandma about you when I meet her too. Our family is alive, mom… your people are alive… And they never forgot about you."

She smiled and shut her eyes with relief. She moved forward and pressed her forehead against my own. I shut my eyes too, enjoying the familiar touch. She spoke with peace. "I'm so glad to hear… I'm so happy you found them. I am so proud of you, my daughter. So proud."

"I love you mom… I miss you…"

She moved away, but only so she could kiss me tenderly on my cheek. She then whispered, "Don't… I am always with you… please… Be happy… Live your best life… don't let anyone ever cage you again… You are meant to be free, my little polar-pup…"

She kissed me again on the forehead. I felt her slip something cool in my hand as she did so. There was a rush of energy then. I felt her presence fade. However, her voice whispered, "I love you, Amara… I always will… forever…"

I was suddenly laying flat again. Opening my eyes with a gasp, I found I was lying on my sleeping bag. The night air was quiet as the rest of the group was asleep. Tears were still flowing down my cheek. I felt Yuna sleeping beside me. My hand tightened around the stone that was still in my grasp. I slowly lifted my hand and stared at the smooth white charm with the symbol of a polar-dog carved into it. I lowered my hand and looked out towards the river. I saw the Painted Lady, floating across the water. She turned in my direction

"Thank you…" I whispered.

She disappeared then, and all that was left was the reflection of the moon on the river. I tightened my grasp on the stone, peace taking me over as I felt the touch of my mother's lips linger on my forehead.

Yuna had stirred from my movements. She moved a little to readjust, purred, and drifted back to sleep. I smiled and shut my eyes again.

I'm happy, mom… I'm living… I'm free… thank you… thank you for saving me…