When Zuko saw his face, all those emotions he had felt that afternoon hit him again, but in a very different way. Iroh's reappearance, after months of no word from him, did not bring brightness to the young Prince's inner fire. The solemn look that his uncle had was completely understandable, and it only made his heart throb more; he knew he had been too angry, and not considerate enough of what his uncle had felt. Though the anger subsided, he hadn't really had a chance to process what had happened to his cousin, or more so, what had happened to his uncle.

Lu Ten was dead, so by virtue of that, he didn't have to deal with the consequences of the event itself; his father on the other hand, had to deal with it, all by himself on the other side of the world. He could imagine what would have happened well enough. His uncle lauded a hero of their nation, quite rightfully at that, cheering over the rubble of the Earth King's palace, when all he could probably think of was what had happened to his son.

What made him feel worse was when Iroh's eyes met his own, his expression shifted; he forced out a smile, and raised his hand to gesture for his Imperial Firebenders to move out of the way, "Prince Zuko." he simply addressed his nephew.

The sound of his voice was soothing and brought a small smile to his face, but it was not the same voice he was used to hearing; he wasn't sad, or even angry, but neither was he the hearty and kind uncle he knew. Prince Zuko, not knowing what else to do, slowly approached his uncle, who broke the gap by moving forward to hug him; the Prince clasped his hands around his uncle's back, and tried to hold back tears. Crying in front of the guards would be undignified for someone of his status; he had to act like a Prince, even in his own home.

"I missed you, Nephew." he told him with a softer voice than which he had spoken with before, and turned his face to smile at him, "I'm sorry I didn't come home sooner."

"No." he mumbled, before leaning back from their hug, straightening his posture, "You didn't need to." he assured him, knowing the kinds of thoughts he would have been dealing with- he was sad, and grieving, and even if it had been nearly a year since Lu Ten's death, he wouldn't have recovered quickly.

"You can all leave for the moment. I want to spend some time with my nephew, privately." he spoke to his guards, who bowed immediately.

"As you wish, your highness." one of them simply accepted his command, before raising a hand, gesturing for his men to step back while the two royals continued on down the hallway; Zuko could immediately tell from their location inside the palace that his uncle was returning from the throne room- he'd already spoken with the Fire Lord.

"Did Grandfather... say anything?" he asked, letting his curiosity get the better of him.

"Well, he had some words to say." he acknowledged, not sounding very impressed as he spoke, "My father understands why I took my time away, and congratulated-" he began, before cutting himself off, turning his eyes away, "My victory." he added, sounding almost skeptical of the fact.

"You did... you did do it, Uncle." he admitted, knowing that even if it didn't compare to the loss he suffered, Ba Sing Se was theirs.

"I know." he nodded, before sighing, gesturing ahead of them, "Where did you want to go, Prince Zuko?"

"Wherever you do." he immediately responded, before scrunching his lips up, considering the place he was most likely to go without him, "The tea-room?"

"A brilliant choice." he grinned at him as he patted him on the shoulder, before he began to pace down the hallway, "Let's go have some fresh tea." he told the Prince, who followed right after his uncle.

"Uncle, are... can you tell me?" he asked him, trying to hide his nervousness as much as he could, his uncle glancing back his way with an uneasy look on his face.

"Do you mean, what happened?" he simply asked in return, and the young Prince nodded, "Well, I can." he confirmed, "It was a long siege, Nephew."

He nodded, knowing that his uncle had spent a long time away from home; the siege must have been a serious strain on him, something he could see through his uncle's clearly grayed hair- before the siege, it was graying, but now, he looked ten years older than what he really was. It made him look as old and wise as Zuko had always seen him to be, though he wouldn't wish such aging on anyone.

"It was." he agreed with him, before continuing on after his uncle, who turned at the corner to head down toward the tea-room, which was located beside one of the gardens inside the palace; the well-lit room sat out, distinguished from the rest of the dark, gloomy palace.

Iroh stepped inside, and eyed around, before he glanced out of the doorway, presumably checking for servants; he found one, who had been walking down the hallway with some linen in his hands. He realised that the two royals were looking at him, and immediately approached.

"Your highnesses." he bowed as much as he could, given what he was holding, "Did you need some assistance?"

"Uh, if you could fetch a tea-server while you're on your way to... uh, my niece's bedroom, I presume." he guessed where the servant was going, and his eyes widened, before nodding.

"Yes, that is where I am going." he confirmed, "I'll go get a tea-server first, Prince Iroh." he assured him, before pacing off down the hallway.

"How'd you guess where he was going, Uncle?" Zuko asked, interested by his deduction skills.

"Oh, I just had a hunch. The sheets looked very glossy- I presume Azula has demanded finer bedsheets in my years away."

He nodded, knowing that to be a fact; Azula had asked their father to get her better sheets when she turned ten, probably because she knew they existed, and she was arrogant enough to ask for them.

"Um... yes." he confirmed, before glancing back into the tea-room, "So, are we going to sit?"

"Yes. My feet are getting sore from all this walking- sitting on a boat two weeks straight did not do my fitness any good." he joked, making the young Prince chuckle, finding it nice to enjoy a little humour, despite the circumstances.

The two royals sat themselves down at a table, across from each other, and the Prince didn't know what to say next; he knew that he wanted to know, or rather, he felt compelled to know, what his uncle had gone through. He knew himself, and knew how he could bottle up emotions and hide his fears, anger and sadness, though, in the case of Lu Ten's demise, he had been rather unrestrained, mostly because he simply didn't care. His father could have berated him all he liked, but that would not have changed how he felt. He wondered if his uncle had done the same, and so, he placed his hands up on the table, twiddling his fingers as he struggled to put his thoughts to words.

"Uncle." he muttered quietly, Iroh making a small smile at him.

"Yes, Nephew?" he asked him with open arms, "I assume you want to say something instead of sitting there silently."

"The siege." he put his thoughts as succinctly as he could, "Could you tell me... how it all happened?"

"I spent more than a year and a half just to break through the Outer Wall." he acknowledged, the Prince nodding.

"I remember." he acknowledged, before making a small smile, reaching into his boot, where he had hidden the thing he associated with his uncle's victory at the walls, "You sent me this." he explained, showing him the ornate dagger he had been given.

"That I did." he nodded, before smirking, "So, I assume you liked your gift if you have it on you all the time."

Iroh had said in his letter at the time that it belonged to a general, and he was enamoured by it, though Azula, jealous of his gift, wanted it for herself; he thought that perhaps instead of giving her a doll, his uncle could have done that smart thing and gotten her something comparable- she was a great fighter after all.

"I did." he confirmed, "But maybe you should have gotten something more... suitable for Azula."

"Oh, did she-" he began, before sighing, "Oh, yes, the doll." he recalled, "Perhaps that wasn't the best choice. She would've liked a sword or something flashy like that, wouldn't've she?"

"Not that she can use one." he muttered under his breath, nodding before he glanced over toward the windows that looked out to the courtyard.

"Don't worry, Prince Zuko, I have a better gift in mind for the two of you." he spoke up, almost sounding a little giddy, which was in stark contrast to his prior tone.

"A gift?" he raised a brow, "What kind of gift?"

"Oh, I'll show it to you when you're older." he assured him, "There's things beyond this palace that you and your sister ought to see."

"I assume you're not talking about... the battlefield." he noted, his uncle nodding.

"I am not." he assured him, "There's more to the world than fighting, even if I've done it my whole life."

Zuko noticed a silence falling between them, and thought back to what they were actually discussing, "You must have been relieved once you got there." he guessed, hoping to keep his uncle's spirits up rather than letting him get too focused on his past, and the mistakes he might have thought he made.

"I was." he smiled at his nephew, before that expression faltered, obviously realising how naive he had been to feel that way, "But things changed after we won at the walls. It got worse... much worse, and this was long before the palace."

"The Earth Kingdom didn't realise they had lost." he guessed, "Even I know enough about strategy to say they should've surrendered when you took the walls."

"I thought they would, but they were steadfast in holding us off. The Earth King's guards, the Dai Li, along with all the other usual soldiers, all of them working together to hold off my forces from overwhelming the streets of the city and forcing their submission. Many perished in the fighting, and I was nearly killed by some sneaky Dai Li agents" he explained with a straight face, his tone and phrasing remaining Zuko had his uncle was a hardened general, and not just his jolly and kind uncle, "Lu Ten saved me, actually."

"Well, he was always more cautious than you, Uncle." he argued, making the Dragon of the West chuckle, though his face was clearly saddened by the thought of his son.

"He was. Lu Ten was good at fighting, and he helped command and lead the troops with me. If Azula was there, she probably would have derided me for letting my son do all the work." he acknowledged, "But he did well. All our troops did as good as they could. The normal soldiers did give up eventually, but that was after nearly two weeks of fighting in the Lower Ring. We knocked holes in the other walls, and marched for the palace. The Earth King's Guards made a last stand... it was quite noble, actually, and I personally faced them. We fought for a number of hours on the pavilions of the Earth King's Palace, and when we came to take the King prisoner..." he explained, his tone becoming more anguished as he spoke; Zuko raised his hand up, not wanting him to continue if it was to cause him too much grief.

"Uncle... you don't need to say the next- what..." he tried to assure him, before he dropped his head down, only having his imagination to work with- that was where his cousin had died, and he didn't even know if he could face the facts.

"No, Zuko, it's alright... I'm- well, I was shocked at the time, because there was nobody there, or even a throne room at al. Your cousin and a number of other soldiers had come around to flank the palace and capture him, but I was faced with... ruins. Hundreds of soldiers died, and a good number of Dai Li too. The rest..." he began, before turning away, closing his eyes as tears fell down his cheeks, "I can't forgive myself for what I did."

"Did they even try to surrender?" he asked, the Dragon of the West shaking his head.

"My men were furious... I was furious, and in that moment, which I thought I'd be celebrating victory, I only could taste smoke and ashes." he explained with a sad, dejected tone, "How... why... I don't know, but we fought, and there was no Earth King. There was no great prize, no wealth and jewels- it all burned."

"Great-grandfather Sozin, he did what he thought was right... no matter how brutal he was." he spoke up, remembering what he had been told about the Air Nomads, both by his father and by his tutors- an air of inevitability always seemed to permeate the discussions, and he could only hope that the people his uncle and cousin had faced were at the very least deserving of their fate, "These Dai Li, they can't have been good people, could've they?"

"I was told things by my intelligence reports." he admitted, "Terrible, terrible things. The kinds of things that make bile rise in my throat. It's one thing to kill a man, or to rob him of his things." he acknowledged, before taking a deep breath, "it's another, to break him."

"Break? Like their bones?"

"Oh, if only they were that kind." he sighed, "Though they are good fighters... what happened that day told me enough, it's not their physical strength that makes them so terrible." he warned him, "The broke people's minds, and made them slaves- not with chains of steel, but with words. I don't know exactly how... but, I don't even want to think. There could be hundreds, if not thousands in Ba Sing Se, even right now, with their minds muddled and under the control of those fiends."

"What are we going to do about it, Uncle?" he asked him, knowing that sitting idly by while his cousin's heinous killers could still be undermining their rule- disgracing his uncle's victory, "You- no, we can't stand for it."

"Prince Zuko, there's no need to fuss about the Dai Li." he assured him, obviously noticing the young Prince's anger, "If they had wanted to take back what was theirs, they would have killed me and my men after what we did at the palace. They're obviously just waiting... like any good strategists do. Neutral jing." he raised a finger, making the Prince sigh, remembering when that concept was last mentioned to him.

"Is this going to become a strategy tutorial?" he lamented, not wanting to have to deal with another of those, given how frustratingly enthusiastic his father happened to be on quizzing him about it, and then chiding him when it inevitably made mistakes- he wasn't anywhere near as good as his uncle when it came to strategy, and he was sure it would take a long time to reach his genius.

"No, no, my nephew." he assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "We're here for tea."

"It's taking a while." he glanced past his uncle, noting that a tea-server was yet to arrive.

"Well, we'll just have to sit here and look at the garden while we wait." he suggested, turning his gaze to the aforementioned garden, smiling as he eyed the serene display of trees, bushes, flowers, stones and ponds.

"It's just a garden, Uncle." he noted, making the Dragon of the West give out a hearty chuckle.

"Oh, Nephew. Nothing is just what it seems. Look closer, what do you see?"

"A philosophy lesson." he guessed, making his uncle raise a finger.

"Just look. Tell me, what first comes to mind?"

He blankly looked toward the garden, and spoke the first word that came to mind, "Quiet."

"It is quiet. Do you like it?"'

"Uh, I guess." he shrugged his shoulders, "I prefer quiet over the sounds of annoying servants." he noted, making his uncle smirk.

"Well, I do too. The quiet lets you appreciate its beauty even more." he acknowledged, "Without noise, without distraction, the true beauty reveals itself."

He glanced back over to the garden, and noted a few turtle ducks swimming in a nearby pond, and noted how they were all being led along by the mother turtle duck. They were cute, but they also reminded him of a little family, though one that seemed rather different to his own. He didn't know his mother, and the scant memories were kind, but they weren't enough. He wondered if she liked to look at beautiful things too. Beyond those thoughts, the kind he wanted to push away, he found a certain kind of longing for what he could see, yet couldn't have. It was a kind of peace and tranquility, and not the kind his grandfather spoke of when he told them of his aim to defeat the Earth Kingdom; a purer, kinder form, that didn't need to arise from the fighting his family loved.

"Peace is beautiful" he acknowledged rather simply, before turning his eyes to his uncle, remembering what he had faced, and what he had inadvertently achieved- it was the thing they had sought out for a hundred years, and his uncle had claimed it, "Does that make it any better?"

"Peace?" he raised a brow, his eyes showing a glint of fear, "Not yet." Iroh acknowledged with a slightly nervous voice, before shaking his head, his warm smile more reassuring than ever, "Don't worry about me, Prince Zuko. I have already seen the path ahead."


Hundreds of tents lay before her, and Princess Azula knew that she was as far east as her tank train could take her. The Fire Nation military was laying siege to Omashu, the city which her uncle had intended to reach when he left the Fire Nation capital; he obviously didn't expect all the dangers he faced on the way, but he had overcome them, and now, together, they could work together to achieve the peace he wanted for their nation. Whatever disagreements she held with his ideas, she tried to keep them to herself, though she struggled at times; not having him standing there beside her was actually a boon in one way. He couldn't distract her when she had to use her best skill against an unwitting enemy; not her firebending, but her words. She could lie better than anyone she knew, and she did so with no remorse, and that day would be no different; she had a very good reason to keep her uncle hidden, and so, she would, for his sake, and for the sake of their country.

Though she knew she might have the potential to be the Fire Lord, given her father's treasonous actions, she didn't want her uncle to perish; he did not deserve it, and she was sure, given his cryptic words and vague intentions, had things to tell her still. Perhaps not to do with her father, but with her destiny itself; she was set on becoming his heir, and she would serve him with duty and honour, like she wished she could have her father. She knew that he was mistaken in his actions, and she could only dream of a world where he was more wise; his desire for the throne knew no bounds, and it was to be his undoing. She felt no guilt in knowing that she would have to go against him, if only for the heinous thing he had attempted. She might have respected his wishes if he had fought Iroh in an Agni Kai, but to send assassins after him was utterly despicable.

So, as she stood there with her hands behind her back, and her Imperial Firebenders flanking her, she could only wonder if her appearance was as perfect as she wished it to be; she could not be disappointing to look at. She was a Princess after all, and if she strode and spoke like one, she had to look like one too.

She turned her gaze to her men, and gestured for them to follow, "Let's get this over and done with." she decided, "You know what to say if you are asked about him, right?"

"That we are seeking his assassins, your highness." one of her guards assured her, "We haven't found his majesty yet. We are here to find the Avatar."

"Correct." she pursed her lips upward, before noting the very fact her guards' faces were covered by their intimidating helmets, preventing anyone from seeing their expressions, "Do those help you lie?"

"Yes." one of them assured her, making her snicker, unsure whether that itself was a lie.

"Well, they do work." she noted, before turning her heels, "Heads up, tongues held, and by the spirits, if one of you dare mention the Avatar leaving my grasp, I will have you clean the Fire Lord's peasant disguise by hand. Got it?"

They all nodded, their tense stances telling her that they were all disgusted by the idea of having to complete her threatened chore, and she pursed her lips upward; she truly had mastered the art of intimidation, and despite being only fourteen, her formidable bending abilities meant that she had a considerable bite to her bark, not to mention the authority of being Princess. Where she was intending on going, however, she wouldn't have the privilege and respect usually afforded to her, only the skills and reputation she had earned by capturing the Avatar herself.

The soldiers present in the camp all looked her way, and she could tell from their expressions that they knew exactly who she was; Azula was not someone to be trifled with, and perhaps, messages from the fight by the navy port had come around. She had been defeated, but that very fact ought to make people afraid; she wasn't going to stop until she destroyed the assassins, or at least, that was what they'd think considering the Fire lord still was missing. She did want to destroy them, but she knew that was beyond her grasp and intentions at that moment; getting into Omashu, and then tracking Aang and his friends down were her present aims, and if she happened to run into the assassins, or rather, they chased her down, she would give them a piece of her mind.

Quickly enough, she made sight of the command tent, with its flags and golden trimmings, and momentarily wondered if that was the kind of place her uncle used to work, planning battle strategies against their enemies in the Earth Kingdom. Those thoughts were pushed away as she forced a straight, serious face; she had to act like her uncle's life was still in danger, and she had yet to find him. A few guards strode out of the tent, probably seeing her coming, and their expressions shifted to ones of surprise as they glanced back inside.

"Sir!" one of them called out, "Somebody's here to see you."

"What..." she heard a grumbling, frustrated voice from inside, "I'm in the middle of-" the voice grew louder as the figure approached the opening of the tent, glancing out to see that it was Princess Azula, not just some random soldier, standing at his tent, "Y-your highness."

"General Zhiying?" she raised a brow, sure that was his name, having remembered him from one of the war meetings her father had made her come to; in hindsight, those meetings were going to be very helpful in future, given she would need to earn the trust of those military officials in the worst case scenario that her uncle and father began to openly fight for the right to the throne.

"Uh, yes, that's my name." he confirmed, before straightening his expression as he stepped out of the tent, "Did you require something of me? It's not everyday that a Prince or Princess shows up at my camp here."

"You're commanding the western forces, I assume?" she asked him, the General nodding, "Well, that's good. I have been hunting the Avatar, and I am in need of some basic supplies and some clothes requisitioned in your local prison."

"Clothes from-" he began, sounding confused by what she was saying, "Did you need some disguises?" he asked, the Princess nodding, "Are you going on a stealth operation in Omashu?" he asked once more, and she pursed her lips upward.

"Quite attentive, aren't you?" she quipped, before crossing her arms, "Yes. I will be leaving my servants and tank-train here, because it poses too much of a hazard while I approach the city."

"The Avatar was spotted flying over this area about two days ago, so I can see why you've come here." the General conceded, "He's likely in the city as we speak, collaborating with the Earth Kingdom."

"That does not surprise me, General." she assured him, before gesturing to her men, "My guards here will go and collect the disguises, so if you could have someone guide them to wherever they're being stored." she explained, Zhiying nodding, before he glanced into the tent.

"Captain Chen!" he called into the tent, and a few moments later a young officer strode out, immediately bowing towards Azula as he realised she was standing there.

"Your highness." he deferred to her, the General gesturing to his right.

"Go take the Princess's Imperial Firebenders to the storage areas. They need to use some disguises for an operation."

"Of course, sir. Right on it." he stressed, before striding past him, glancing back toward the Princess's guards, "Uh, you can just follow right after me." he suggested, the guards all looking toward their leader.

"Well, go. I'm sure the camp is safe enough for me." she assured them, "Plus, I would beat anybody who tried to assassinate me." she added, which seemed to make the General nervous.

As her guards walked away, Zhiying gestured into his tent, "Would you like to uh... have some tea? It would be a grave dishonour for a Princess to not be treated with such respect."

"That is expected of you, General." she nodded, before stepping through the opening in the canvas, noting the long table that sat inside the tent where she assumed he and his officers would discuss their battleplans.

Inside, there were a number of guards standing station, clearly ready to protect the general's life, and she could see a teapot sitting already cooked on the table in front of her; perhaps he was having tea with Captain Chen, though she couldn't really be sure of it.

He gestured to a spot close to where they were standing, "Please, sit. I am sure you are tired after your long journey here." he suggested, and she moved to do just that, while he walked around the table to sit on the opposite side.

Sitting herself down, she glanced along the table, and noted the few maps that were already sitting there, indicating the topography of the local area, the location of a few settlements, as well as the location of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation forces. The General picked up the teapot, and poured two cups of fresh tea, which she would admit smelled quite delicious.

"So... your highness, how does your search for the Fire Lord fare? I heard about some fight to the west of here." he acknowledged, "His majesty might be in some danger out in the wilderness by himself."

"He is." she agreed with his assumption, though she felt a little uneasy as to how he had brought up the topic; whether his interest was out of the loyalty he held as a soldier to his monarch, or due to more ulterior motives, she could not be certain, "As soon as I have taken the Avatar, I will go and find my uncle. He is a strong and wise man, so I don't expect him to be lying around starving in a forest. He's probably trying to find a way back to the protection of his loyal military forces." she explained, putting a little emphasis on the 'loyal'.

The General picked up his teacup, and smiled, "Well, we can only hope he is in good health. It would be a great loss for our nation if he were to perish out there. Such a great leader would be dishonoured by such an undignified demise."

"It would be undignified." she agreed with him, before sipping from her own cup, "How has the campaign fared?" she asked him, knowing that small-talk might help her get some more intelligence on the current state of affairs, which would be useful in deciding what exactly to do next.

"Fire Lord Azulon's last campaign is soon to be over, your highness." he assured her, "The Earth Kingdom, no matter how strong their walls and defiant their men might be, will not hold on forever."

"It took us decades to take Ba Sing Se, General. Are you really confident this victory will come so much easier?" she asked him; she didn't really know how skilled the General was, but she wanted to see how he'd react to such a denial of his capabilities.

"Omashu is no Ba Sing Se." he raised his left hand up, "The enemy will fall sooner or later, and it will only take one slip up for us to corner their forces and take away whatever strength they have left."

"There are hundreds of men surrounding this city at any given moment, from what I last heard. Has anybody had a chance to escape?"

"Refugees have tried to flee, and we've stopped them from doing so." he clarified, "The worse their conditions become, the more uneasy the populace will be. They might just let us in once they realise they're doomed."

"Oh, that would be a brilliant end to our war, wouldn't it? The enemy dejectedly opening their gates and throwing themselves at our feet, hoping for an inch of mercy."

"We are not here to massacre a whole city, your highness." he assured her, "We aren't the Rough Rhinos."

"And they aren't the Air Nomads." she quipped in return, "Your soldiers might find it rather challenging to deal with aggrieved peasants throwing stones at you." she warned him, before eyeing the men that stood around them in the tent, "That's why you've got all these men, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." he confirmed, "I can't have myself being attacked when I have to lead my men to victory." he stressed, before sipping from his tea cup once more.

"Have you received any orders from my father? He is Interim Fire Lord, after all." she decided to ask, hoping the General might have a shred of honesty.

"Prince Ozai sent me and the other generals a warning about the Avatar, and mentioned you might be coming this way." he explained, "And you are here. So, your father presumed right." he conceded, the Princess nodding.

"That he did." she confirmed, feeling a little concerned as to what else her father knew, or could deduce; if he knew where she was going, he might come to realise Iroh was with her.

She sipped down the last of the tea in her cup, before she rose up to her feet, "Well, I need to go get my disguises on and make sure my men are ready. We'll be leaving as soon as possible, and will make our trip with haste. If I do not return, then I assume you might send a warning to my father, but trust me, I will not let those savages take me captive."

"Earthbenders are dangerous, your highness." he warned her, "Are you sure you don't want a military escort... at the very least out to the valley surrounding the city?"

"No." she shook her head, "I have all the strength I could possibly need. Good luck, General. May your efforts lead to victory." she gave him a pleasantry, and with that, he rose to his feet and bowed.

"Good luck, your highness. I am sure you will come back with the master of the elements in chains." he bid her farewell, the Princess turning her heels, noting the General's guards moving right out of her way, and bowing toward her in deference.

She held her chin up high as she walked out, wanting to seem like she was more aloof and arrogant than she actually was; in fact, she was in a very uneasy and nervous mood, knowing that Zhiying's men could find out about her uncle's presence. Though she didn't think the General was in league with her father, she couldn't be too cautious; if the assassins found out about Iroh's presence, then it was more than likely that they'd be in danger once they left the safety of the camp once more. Though a whole army could stop the powerful assassin with the most absurd, extreme ability of making explosions with his mind, if it was just her guards and Iroh, she didn't know how well they would fare, given how many assassins her uncle had spoken of when he told her about the battle at the beach, where his men had gotten away, but only barely.

Though the distance between the General's tent and the tank-train wasn't very far, the haphazard positioning of tents meant that her path was longer than she would have liked, though it was very easy to know where she was going. The dark and massive machine stood out like a sore thumb amongst the smaller tents, and she was able to quickly reach it, given her steady pace. She was not interested in basking in the looks of awe she might get from the soldiers, but was rather concerned about one thing, and one thing only: making sure her uncle was still hidden.

When she got to the tank-train, she saw a number of the engineers who worked onboard checking the exterior, making sure the wheels were working and undamaged from their long drive to Omashu. She couldn't see Iroh anywhere, let alone any snooping soldiers, and that relieved her; she strode over to the carriage in which she had her personal quarters, where one of her Imperial Firebenders was stationed, as she had told him to be.

"Your highness." he simply acknowledged her, before opening the door for her, the Princess stepping past to look into the well-lit and rather extravagant carriage, which had a luxurious look to it that seemed rather out of place, given the appearance of the vehicle.

Upon looking inside, she saw her uncle, sitting by the small table that sat in the centre of the room, eating a bowl of roast duck; of course, he was having lunch, because he couldn't help himself. Once he noticed her arrival, he gave her his usual warm smile, and raised a hand.

"Ah, Niece. Was your meeting with the general productive?"

"Yes." she nodded, before knocking on the wall, the guard closing the door for her at once, "We'll be getting disguises, and then we can be on our way. I don't know exactly how I'm going to hide you from the peering eyes out there, but I'm sure you've been thinking about that yourself."

"I have an idea, but you mightn't like it." he spoke up, the Princess sighing, sitting herself down across from him.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I can understand your idea, Uncle." she assured him, "Who do you take me for, Zuko?"

"Well, do you like the idea of me pretending to be your attendant?" he asked her, the Princess cringing at the thought.

"Even as a joke, that's extremely denigrating to your station as Fire Lord." she warned him, "Why would you do that? Can't you just sneak around like any normal person?"

"Where to?" he raised his hands up, "I don't see a clear path out of this camp where I'm not going to be spotted."

"Urgh." she sighed, "Well, at least there's a chance not everyone will recognise you." she conceded, before glancing toward the teapot on the table, "So were we going to have tea?"

"I thought we were getting ready to go." he narrowed his eyes, the Princess shrugging her shoulders.

"The Imperial Firebenders have to go retrieve our disguises, so they'll be a little longer." she suggested, before reaching over to the cup that was on her side of the table, flipping it over.

"Well, I'm glad you've come to like tea, my niece." he beamed at her, pouring her a cup before he refilled his own, "It can help you calm down before we leave."

"It's something to distract me while you come up with a plan to hide that isn't absurd."

"I can pretend to be a Princess's attendant, Niece." he assured her, "I've done more denigrating things in my time."

"Like what, Uncle?" she quipped in return, and though she wasn't actually expecting an answer, he was willing to indulge her with an anecdote.

"Once, when I was around your age, I snuck out of the palace to go to the Winter Solstice Festival." he explained, "I had to disguise myself as a palace cleaner so I could leave, given all the catacomb entrances were blocked back then. People thought I was coming to sweep the streets when I showed up, and they had no idea I was the Crown Prince." he explained, before chuckling, "I ended up playing a pipa to incite people to dance."

"Did that even work?" she asked him, the Fire Lord chuckling.

"Well, you see, the young people had been told dancing was bad, so they were all too shy to dance, but a bunch of old folks, probably older than my father at the time, they were more than willing to get on and party. Then the young people joined in, and we all had a great time."

"Well, you sound like you would have preferred being a tea-brewing musician and not a general." she concluded, making her uncle chuckle.

"Oh, well, I was pushed by circumstance to go down the path of becoming a general, but I think I did a good job." he argued, the Princess rolling her eyes.

"You conquered Ba Sing Se. I'm sure that qualifies you as the most accomplished general in history."

"Perhaps." he smirked, before raising his hands, "I don't feel like that was my greatest achievement."

"What... seriously?" she raised a brow, "Then what was?"

"Well, if we end up getting back to the Fire Nation Capital, you'll get to see it for yourself." he cryptically suggested.

"If I'm a master of lying then you're a master of avoiding things, Uncle. Are you a firebender or an airbender?" she quipped, making her uncle snicker; he raised his teacup up, with a proud smile on his face.

"I take inspiration from all the elements, Azula. You'll just have to wait and see what I can do."


"How much does it hurt?"

Zuko straightened his back and held a tough face for Mai, knowing that they had to leave; their messages were sent, and his burns were becoming tolerable. He could stand without much pain, and if he could stand, he could walk too. Most of his bruising and pain was centered around his arms, not his legs, which meant he was probably going to be able to get down to the port with little issue.

"We can go, Mai." he assured her, knowing that despite her stoic tone, she was concerned about his safety; he was a danger if he couldn't run, hide and do all the other kinds of things they might have to do, given their circumstances as fugitives.

Mai breaking into the post office was necessary, but he was sure that the guards were looking for her, and that's why she was intent on getting out; she might have said she wanted to wait until he was healed, but he could read past that. She tapped her fingers on the windowsill all morning, and was constantly looking out, checking for guards, even though she hadn't done so on prior days. He was afraid too, and though he knew it would be better to wait out until he was completely capable to run, fight, climb and do all the things he knew he could do with a normal body; he didn't know if any of his injuries were permanent, but time would tell.

"The last thing we want to do is get caught, Zuko." she warned him, the Prince grimacing at the thought of having to face his father once again.

"Y-yeah... I don't want to be anywhere near my father, especially without Uncle's help." he acknowledged, "He's probably the only one who can solve all this."

"Well, we're not going to get any closer to him if we just wait in this warehouse." she retorted, making the Prince chuckle, knowing her observation to be true.

He pulled himself up from the crate he had been sitting on, and strode over toward the slightly ajar doors ahead of them, able to hear the sound of people walking on the street in the distance; they were going to exit on the opposite side, but that didn't mean they'd be completely safe, avoiding guards at all costs would be their aim, and with any luck, they'd reach the port quickly enough. Mai had already traced a path for them, having figured one out on her numerous outings while he was recovering in the warehouse. He pulled the ajar door along its rollers, allowing him to get a look out into the alleyway which was well lit, given it was nearly midday. His legs weren't hurting as he moved them, so he was confident enough to turn back and face her with a smirk.

"I'm ready, and the alley's clear." he assured her, Mai moving closer to him, eyeing him intently; he wondered if she was going to say something, but she just leaned over and grasped the door-handle, before pulling it further open, allowing her to step past him.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to get moving?" she rhetorically questioned him, the Prince immediately striding on after her, pulling the cloak he had on around his shoulder up and over his head, Mai doing the same as she quickly paced on down the alleyway toward the intersection, where he could already see people.

"How well do you know the guard's routes?" he asked her, Mai gesturing to the street ahead of them.

"They like to make rectangular areas of control, and loop around them. As long as we know where the boundaries are, we can be sure we're not about to run into them." she simply explained her knowledge on the matter, the Prince nodding, glad that she had spent all the time she had observing the guards movements.

"But what about Ozai's men?"

"If they find us, they'll follow us. If anybody follows us down a narrow alley, we'll beat them to a pulp. Well, I assume that's what you'd do."

"Knock them out... but yeah." he confirmed her suspicions, though he wasn't feeling inclined to kill anybody, even if he was completely capable of doing it; the danger his father's goons posed to them was great enough that he might have to do it, but he would do everything in his power to avoid it- Prince Zuko did not take anyone's lives lightly, not even that of his own father, who he knew to be intent on taking his own, or at the very least, intent on keeping him silent.

Continuing on down the alleyway, he kept his pace aligned with Mai's, who was understandably quick in her step; she was probably more concerned about getting caught than about his frequent aches and pains, and he was too. The hurting was something that would end quickly enough, but being dragged back to the palace after his identity was found out was something he couldn't stop if he was caught. They momentarily stopped at the end of the alleyway, and she gestured to their right, pointing towards another alleyway.

"They patrol this street." she warned him, before stepping forward, "Let's cross."

And with that, they did, and he glanced down the street, noting there were a few commoners walking along the street, though they took no mind of the pair. Zuko was glad that at the very least his attire was drab and inconspicuous, and it wouldn't catch him any attention. Mai had already gotten him some new clothes, which covered his body loosely, not tugging on his burns and bruises too much, and though they weren't of the best quality, they were better than the burnt and tattered clothes he had been wearing after the explosion. They covered his burns and bruises well, and though his face had a few cuts and bruises, he could talk it up as being the result of a bar fight or something of the likes; sailors would believe that, of all people.

He and Mai didn't slow down, and quickly paced down the alleyway, and Zuko thought back to what she had told him about; if the guards were always following certain paths, that meant that they'd have to do a fair amount of weaving about the streets to avoid being spotted. He didn't think that they'd likely get any immediate attention, but the threat of Ozai's men remained. If they were as omnipresent as he feared, they could be waiting around the streets for the pair, knowing them to be alive, despite whatever vacation they had appeared to have gone on.

As they made their way down the alleyway, Mai suddenly came to a halt, and he tapped her on the shoulder, unsure why she had stopped, "Mai?"

she remained silent for a few moments, before she leaned over to pick something up; Zuko stepped to her side, and he realised what she was looking at; it was a tattered, but clearly distinguishable wanted poster, and plastered right on it was the same Dark Water Spirit mask he wore when he snuck around the capital- he had abandoned it at the hideout, given the damage it had sustained, and easily figured out why there was a wanted poster on the ground.

"The Blue Spirit. Wanted for espionage and for conspiracy against the life of Prince Ozai." he read out the charges out loud, and didn't read out the bit of writing below it, though he could clearly see it.

His father was perfectly fine with people capturing him dead or alive, and though he had the clear excuse of marking the so-called 'Blue Spirit' as an enemy of the state without anyone realising that it was his very own son. Zuko was pretty sure he had a degree of legal immunity and privilege as a Prince, but that wouldn't stop his father from having him chained up in some dark part of the palace.

Mai threw it away, and she grasped him by the hand, refusing to look his way, "Let's just keep moving, Zuko."

"He has to know we're alive and around here if he's ordering these posters to be made." he concluded, the stoic girl turning her eyes to meet his own, even if only for a moment.

"And?" she rhetorically asked him, before she continued along, suggesting that such a conclusion was obvious; it was, but he didn't really want to think it to be true- the more danger they were apparently in, the more nervous he became.

He kept his pace steady moving along behind her, noting how the alleyway meandered about with the differing shapes of the plots that surrounded it, with walls, clothes-lines and balconies interspersed about, making him feel a little uneasy as he realise how many angles they could be seen from. He pulled his cloak over his head a little tighter, and eyed ahead, knowing that the local guards were the real threat, not nosy residents in the houses lining the alleyway.

When they reached the end of the alleyway, Zuko noted the well that sat in the middle of the small courtyard they had reached, where a few commoners were sitting and chatting, eating their lunches. He turned his gaze away, not wanting to get their attention on him, and continued after Mai, who took no interest in them. She turned down another alleyway, down which he could see another major street, where there happened to be a lot of pedestrians; he continued after her, and wondered if they were going to stop again at the street. They did, and he glanced up and down its length, not seeing any guards.

"They're not here. Maybe we should just blend in with the crowd." he suggested, Mai nodding, before suddenly she was thrown forward, nearly face-planting onto the street; he immediately reached down to help her up, and she whacked his hand away at once.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, before glancing up, realising that a man had dashed past them, and was running down into the other alleyway, with her bag over his shoulder; the bag that contained their food, most of Mai's weapons, and the few coins they'd been able to scrounge up.

"Burn his face off for me, won't you?" she asked, the Prince clenching his fists as he decided on a course of action; though chasing down a thief was clearly not a smart idea, he knew they needed their things, and Mai wasn't as fast as him, despite his injuries.

"If I can walk, I can run." he decided, before dashing across the busy street, weaving past people as he made his way into the other alleyway, keeping his eyes set on the thief, who turned to the right, presumably down another alley.

Once he reached the corner, he turned down it, and noticed that the thief was climbing up onto a balcony, presumably so he could get up and away via the roof. Zuko sighed with frustration, knowing that he'd have to go up after him; he did, and he grunted with pain as he felt his arm muscles stretch and tense as he gripped the railing to pull himself up to the balcony.

"Shit, this kid's fast." he heard the thief gasp out, clearly worried about Zuko's agility; if it weren't for his burns, he would've already tackled the thief and gotten their things back.

He reached up the eaves of the roof, and pulled himself up onto the tiled roof, watching as the thief continued to run away, making his way along the undulating slopes of the roof. He ran on after him, climbing up to the top of the sloping roof, before he aimed his fist toward the thief, knowing he could trip him with a well-placed fireball. He took a deep breath, and for the first time in three days, he bent his element, creating a small, concentrated ball of flames which coursed forward, hitting the thief on his right calf and forcing him to trip over. The sound of his head and upper body slamming into the roof tiles was that of the ceramic tiles breaking, which made the Prince cringe guiltily, not really wanting to hurt the thief- he just wanted the bag back, after all.

Zuko dashed toward him, quickly enough, he saw that the thief was about to roll off of the roof; he skid with his heels to slow himself as he neared the ledge, reaching a hand out to offer it to the thief, who was clearly surprised to see him offering help. He was dangling over the eaves, looking out onto the street, where dozens of people began to look at them both; Zuko was worried the guards would know where he was at that point, but he knew he needed his things back.

"Th-thanks." the man acknowledged Zuko's hand as he accepted it, allowing the prince to pull him up onto the roof, "Why did you help me?"

"Because you're just a thief. It's not like you were trying to kill me." he conceded, before pulling the bag off of the thief's shoulder, "Why'd you steal from us?"

"Because I'm hungry." he admitted, "Work doesn't pay enough." he simply put his situation to words, and the young Prince felt a shred of guilt; perhaps his family wasn't doing enough for the people of their country, if they were poor enough to resort to stealing to feed themselves.

He reached into the bag, and tossed a fruit to the thief, who grasped it at once, "Could you do me a favour?" he asked him, the thief nodding.

"Uh- yeah, since you're not going to beat me up." he agreed to his proposition, the Prince gesturing out across the city, toward the port.

"Do you know any ships that will accept people without documentation?"

"The ships bringing things from the colonies usually don't have issue with anyone leaving the homeland. People coming in is another thing." he explained, before narrowing his eyes, "Are you on the run?"

"Yeah, pretty much." he confirmed, before eyeing the people down on the street below them, "You better get going before the guards go after you." he warned him, pacing back up the slope of the roof, the thief nodding.

"Thanks... uh, do you have a name?"

"No, no I don't." he refused to answer his question, and climbed over to the other side of the roof, making his way down the opposite slope to the alleyway he and been in a few moments earlier; he first climbed down onto a balcony, before he jumped down to the ground.

The force of his feet colliding with the ground made his knees buckle, and he fell down, crying out in pain, before he slowly pulled himself back up.

"Zuko, that was pretty dumb." he heard Mai's monotone voice address him, "Why'd you save him, you could have just got the bag." she noted, suggesting that she had followed after them and watched from the ground.

"He gave some good advice. We need to find a ship that's come from the colonies." he explained, "They won't care about people leaving the capital. They might even think we're exiles." he suggested, the stoic girl raising a brow.

"Okay, well, that's nice and all, but we have to get out of here before-" she began, before turning around, hearing the same footsteps he had; it was a pair of guards, clearly confused by the chase they might have seen on the roof.

"What were you doing? You, long hair guy!" one of the guards pointed to Zuko, who remembered that his phoenix-tail was down at that moment, meaning that his hair was flowing down onto his back and chest.

"Come on, long hair guy, we need to run." Mai mockingly referred to him, and with that the two of them dashed off away from the guards.

"Hey, stop running!" the other guard called out to them, clearly frustrated by their avoidance; the Prince could only hope their desire for information ended then and there as they dashed around the corner and bolted for the closest alleyway.

He and Mai ran as fast as either of them could, and though Zuko's legs were hurting, he didn't dare slow down; when they reached the next main street, he gestured to their left, immediately noticing the passing of people in the area- he assumed it had to be a market. She understood his intentions, and pulled her cloak over her head, and dropped her bag down, as if she were ready to fill it with produce.

"Let's go shopping, Zuko." she whispered to him, and with that, he loosened his posture, and strode along beside her, moving into the crowds that surrounded the numerous stalls.

"Could I get a hair band out of the bag?" he asked her, making her eye him for a moment, before she scoffed.

"So now you're self-conscious about your appearance." she noted, making him roll his eyes.

"I was in a daze for a few days, and I could barely walk." he argued, "You can't blame me for that."

"I wasn't." she assured him, before pulling a fabric band out and tossing it to him, the Prince tying his hair up quickly into a topknot as the street ahead of them became tighter and tighter with more pedestrians about.

She momentarily looked at him, before she turned her eyes away, "Maybe that isn't the best choice of appearance."

"Why? It's easier to tie up than my phoenix tail." he argued, making her wince slightly as she pretended to look at the market stalls.

"You look exactly like him." she warned, the Prince clearing his throat as he tried to cover his shock from comprehending why she was so uneasy; he thought people exaggerated when they said he looked like his father, but with his hair down, they'd be practically identical, barring the fact Zuko was negligibly shorter and less well-built than his father, though not by much.

"Well, they're looking for Zuko, not Ozai." he whispered, before gesturing ahead of them, acknowledging how the market sloped down the hill toward the gates in the distance, past which was the Royal Plaza, where they would be able to access the Capital City's port, "And I like my hair. I'm not cutting it."

"Okay, Mister Honour-bound Nephew." she nonchalantly referred to him, making the Prince roll his eyes; he didn't like getting insulted by Mai, usually because her insults were rather astute, yet offensive observations, I'm sure everyone who thinks you're dead will think of the disgrace of you cutting your hair."

"Okay..." he mumbled, "I might consider it." he conceded, even if he really didn't want to cut it; he knew it might be necessary if his father's men started to hunt him down properly- shorter hair, perhaps an eyepatch, or a fake beard- he didn't know what would work best, but he knew sooner or later, he might need it.

"What did you want to buy, dearest?" she sarcastically spoke to him once more, reminding him that they had to at the very least pretend they were going to the market.

"Do they sell fruit tarts? I thought you might enjoy a gift." he joked back to her, playing the act by deepening his voice somewhat; she looked like she was almost about to laugh, but she didn't, only looking ahead of them.

"This Piandao man better have some nice food."

"Fat does make some good meals." he remembered his sword master's attendant, who was quite a good cook, or at least, better than what he might have guessed him to be by his appearance.

"Fat?" she raised a brow, "That's somebody's name?"

"Yeah. Piandao's attendant... or his servant. I don't know exactly who he is. His friend, I assume."

"And any friend of your master is our friend." she concluded, "Well, maybe it won't be terrible." she decided on a more optimistic view, which he agreed with, though not out of rationale, but simply because he wanted to be optimistic; he didn't want to imagine what might happen if things went awry.

"The worst has to be past us, otherwise... I'm going to figure out lightning generation to just let out my frustrations."