Prince Lu Ten was a little confused when he heard the sound of metallic bangs and crashes when he strode down the hallway, just having finished his breakfast; usually, at that time of day, he might expect to see one of his cousins doing their firebending sets, given it was just before either of them would begin their schooling. He was unsure what the sound was coming from, but was interested enough to follow after it; he made his way toward one of the training yards in the palace, and the sounds became louder. He thought perhaps his uncle might have been training against dummies wearing armour, which he'd seen him do before, but he couldn't be sure of that.

He was surprised when he made sight of Zuko, who was wielding dao swords, holding them up against two men, who were both wielding jian swords; he watched from the edge of the training yard as his cousin parried blow after blow from the two swordsmen, and the elder Prince's jaw dropped. He had no idea that his cousin knew how to use swords, and quite proficiently at that.

He was only nine years old, yet he was able to fight off two grown men, though they were clearly not trying to hurt him, simply offering a challenge for him to go up against. That was until Lu Ten witnessed Zuko use his dao like scissors, grabbing one of the jian swords and throwing it out of the man's hands; he looked at the Prince with an aghast expression, and stepped back, while the other swordsman stood in to continue sparring the young prince.

He threw his strength into his blows, forcing Zuko to maneuver around, and dodge a few of the swing; eventually, he was able to swing one of the dao down on the jian, and force it down toward the ground, giving him an opening to thrust his dao toward the swordsman's neck, leaving him in a position where he could only forfeit.

"Good job, your highness." the swordsman commended the young Prince, "You were trained well."

Lu Ten's young cousin grinned at that compliment, and drew his dao back into their sheath, "Really?" he asked, "Well, I'm glad you two were willing to spar me."

"It is our duty to provide services to the Royal Family." the other swordsman acknowledged, moving to pick up his sword from the ground, "If that involves sparring you, then we will." he noted, before the other swordsman cleared his throat.

"Uh, Prince Zuko." he addressed him, before pointing towards Lu Ten, who had just remained quiet, watching the spar unfold, "Your cousin is here."

Zuko turned around, and looked at his cousin with a nervous expression, "Oh... hi, Lu Ten." he waved to him, "Did you, uh, see my sparring?"

"Yes." he confirmed, stepping forward with a small smile on his face, "I didn't know you were so good with a dao, Zuko."

"Well, I only learnt from the best." he acknowledged, before furrowing a brow, "Did Uncle not tell you where I went?"

"No, he didn't." he admitted.

"Last week, I went on a trip to a town called Shu Jing. You were away at the academy... that's why you didn't realise I was gone. I learned from a master there, Piandao."

"Oh." the young Prince raised a brow, "I've heard of him."

"About the fighting a hundred guys thing?" he asked, Lu Ten nodding, "Yeah, he's not really... uh, a traitor or anything. He's a really nice and wise man."

"And you learned how to do that in a week?" he gestured to the men he had just beaten in a spar.

"Uh, yeah, pretty much.." he confirmed, "I've only won once, though." he admitted, "That was it."

"Oh." Lu Ten's eyes widened, before turning his gaze to the swordsmen, "Who are you two?"

"Just servants of the palace, your highness." one of them clarified, "We usually train the Imperial Firebenders to help them deal with assassins, but Crown Prince Iroh suggested we spar with the young prince."

"Did Dad send you to Piandao?" Lu Ten asked his cousin, who nodded, "Hmph, I wonder who gave him that idea." he mumbled to himself, recalling how he'd had a conversation with his father about his nephew's frustrations with firebending; he told him he had a solution, but he never would have guessed it would have been Zuko learning how to fight with dao.

"Well... are you going to spar me?" he asked the elder prince, who chuckled.

"I haven't sparred someone with a sword before." he admitted, "Maybe not right now. I need to get ready to go back to the academy."

"Already?" he asked, "But you must have only come back home yesterday." Zuko guessed, Lu Ten nodding; he had a rather strict schedule, given that he only could be afforded a day back home in a week, though he was given ample break time at the academy, he didn't have enough of it to go home often.

"Yeah, I know." he acknowledged, before furrowing a brow, "Maybe I could spare a little time." he admitted, "Though, I promised Azula I would spar her as well."

"Yeah, but you'll beat her pretty quickly. This is more of a challenge, right?" he asked, the elder Prince snickering.

"Now, I never said your sister was a pushover. She's a good firebender." he conceded his cousin's skill, before pointing toward his cousin, "I can fight you, Zuko, but I don't exactly know how to go against dao."

He turned around, and pointed toward some armour that was sitting by the edge of the training yard, "You can put those gauntlets on so I won't cut your hands." he suggested, Lu Ten scrunching his lips up.

"That's a good idea." he agreed to his proposition, before pacing over to the gauntlets; he pulled them over his forearms and fastened them in place, and then turned to face his cousin, who had already drawn his dao back out.

"Have you fought a firebender with those?" he asked, the Prince shaking his head, "There's a first for everything, I guess." he noted as he took his own firebending stance; his left hand ahead of his right, and his right leg poised to move up into a kick, or to sidestep an attack, if necessary.

When his cousin began to move toward him, readying his dao, the elder Prince spun his hands around, conjuring a circle of flames, which grew stronger with each passing second; it shone brightly as he forced it forward, sending the flames toward his cousin, who cut his dao through the fire as he ducked down. He then leapt up, moving his swords toward Lu Ten's face, who was forced to lean back to dodge his attack. He reached forward, creating a fire whip which coiled from his arm to his cousin's leg, grappling it before he dragged him off of his feet. He jabbed one of the dao into the gaps between the tiles, using it to hold himself up while he spun himself around, freeing himself from Lu Ten's flames.

He smirked at his cousin's quick thinking, and readied a defensive stance he readied his blades once more, slashing them up toward the elder Prince, who leaned back once more, kicking his right foot into one of the dao blades, which had its flat side facing toward him. He forced the blade out of his cousin's hand, and sent flames from the heel of his foot, flinging the sword into the air, and sending it careening over onto the ground. He then spun his hands around as he dropped his right leg down to the ground; flames appeared between his hands, and his cousin lunged forwards with his sword, aiming to strike him. Lu Ten drew up a wall of flames between himself and Zuko, and though his cousin could cut through it, not even considering his own firebending capabilities, it gave him a moment to step back and plan his next move.

"Are you hiding?" he heard Zuko question him, before he slashed through the flames with his blade, catching sight of his cousin; he moved to attack him again, but found himself falling flat on his face as the elder Prince used the cover of the wall of flames to send a fire bolt out of his left sole, striking his cousin in the shin.

He grunted as he hit the ground, and though Lu Ten intended to stop the fight then and there, his cousin wasn't as willing to give in as he might have expected. He spun himself around, kicking his cousin in the shins, which made Lu Ten stumble back. He struggled to keep his balance as his cousin readied his blade, and thrust it upward, holding it just below his chin.

"So, do I win?" Zuko asked his cousin, who let out a sigh.

"Yes, I think you do." he conceded, "You're quite good at it. Dancing, that is."

His cousin scrunched his lips up, looking up at him, leaving him unsure if he was going to be angry, or accept his little jab, "If this is dancing, then maybe I should become an actor instead of a prince."

"Good idea, Zuko." he pointed at him with a smug grin, his cousin pouting as he let out a sigh.

"You were meant to laugh." he retorted, making him snicker.

"Oh, it was funny, but you are very fast on your feet, Zuko."

"I know." he nodded, rising up to his full height, "But I'm not becoming an actor. I'm Prince Zuko."

"And what does Prince Zuko want to do?" he asked him, "Would you like to become the greatest swordsman in the Fire Nation."

"That's a good idea." he admitted, before smirking, his smile trying to assure him he could fulfil that suggestion, "I'll do it, just you wait."

"I'm looking forward to it." he acknowledged, "It would be a pretty great achievement if you could make people more afraid of you when you aren't even firebending."

"That might come in handy if I go to fight in the war." Zuko observed, his cousin letting out a nervous laugh; he didn't want to imagine his nine year old cousin going off to fight on the frontlines, even if she wouldn't be doing so for many years.

"Let's just hope you won't need to be in such a situation." he suggested, before glancing around, "Now, could you do me a favour and direct me to where you sister is? I need to kick her butt too."

"Oh." Zuko's eyes widened, before he chuckled, "She's down firebending against those Earth Kingdom dummies." he gestured to the hallway, the elder Prince glancing that way.

"Got it." he nodded, before patting his cousin on the shoulder, "You did good, Zuko. I'm sure Dad is happy about you finding a new skill."

"Uncle was more excited about it than I was." he admitted, sounding almost a little confused by it, "But that's okay. He just wants me to be the best Prince I can be."

"You're pretty good for a nine year old. When you're my age, you'll be fighting a hundred men at once."

"A hundred?" Zuko's eyes widened, "That's a little crazy, Lu Ten."

"Okay, maybe ten." he gave him a more accurate number, "I'm sure you'll be able to do it. Firebending or not." he assured him, his cousin beaming at him.

"I will."


Mai would admit that when she had finally made sight of the port they were approaching, she was almost excited; not because she was rather enthused about getting closer to Shu Jing, but because she wanted to get off the boat. She had not enjoyed her time there, being eyed off by sailors and having to do menial work for little gain. They were only getting a few dozen ban in payment for their services, but she was glad they were getting anything at all. She thought perhaps they would have to tolerate the working on the freight ship, and leave with nothing but their clothes and the few meagre possessions they had, which for Mai, effectively consisted of her throwing knives, stilettos and sai. Zuko had even less, only having the dagger he had received from Iroh years earlier, something that he seemed to value more than anything else; he didn't even have his dao, having left them at the ruins of the hideout in the aftermath of the explosion. She regretted not retrieving them, knowing that he might have held some attachment to them also, though he hadn't mentioned them since.

She was standing ready to receive their payment from the First Mate, Jishang, and though she was sure he was dealing with the port authorities, and might take his time, she didn't want to leave empty handed. They had already helped heave goods onboard the ship, and now that it was likely about to leave, she knew that he would come around to farewell them and hand them what they were owed. Zuko was getting impatient, as he tended to, but otherwise, he seemed to be in a decent mood. He was obviously just glad their time on the ship hadn't ended with disaster, and perhaps, like her, was glad to be off of it. He probably didn't want to spend anymore time cleaning around on a ship, which in his eyes, as a Prince, was probably more than degrading; he hadn't been that vocal about his frustrations, but she could tell that he didn't really enjoy it.

"Kamen, are you getting annoyed?" she asked him, with a completely straight face, a little curious how he'd react by being called his pseudonym.

"Uh, no." he assured her, glancing around for Jishang, "I'm just hungry."

Breakfast had been early in the day, and as they had arrived at port before the crew could be served lunch, they had gone quite some time without food; she wasn't that hungry herself, or perhaps, she could just tolerate her stomach grumbling more than he could. She didn't want to brag internally that she was tougher than Zuko, as a part of her told her that was just a stupid thing to do, and if he could even notice the slightest bit of smugness on her lips, then he'd figure it out.

"And maybe try not to call me Kamen..." he added, more quietly, "It's weird."

"What, do you prefer Zuzu?" she quipped in return, making him cringe, obviously not approving of the nickname Azula had given him as a child, and then, out of a desire to annoy him, had continued to use well into his teen years.

"Please." he murmured, sounding almost as if he were begging her to not call him that again.

"It's not like I actually care." she acknowledged, "It is fun to annoy you." she added her honest opinion on the matter, the Prince furrowing a brow.

"Fun?" he asked her, "You didn't even smile."

"I don't need to smile when I enjoy your cringing." she retorted, before glancing around, noting that Jishang was in the distance, walking along the dock back toward the ship; she raised her hand up, knowing that she needed to get his attention so they could finally get going.

He approached the pair, and made a small smile as came to speak with them, "Ah, Kamen, Hishu. I see you're all ready to leave. It was a pleasure having you on the ship." he addressed them with pleasantries, which were not her concern; she simply smiled at him, forcing her face to contort in such a manner that felt unnatural to her.

"We enjoyed our time." she lied through her teeth, before offering her hand out, "So, how much?"

"You were with us for five days, so that's... forty ban each." he clarified, before furrowing a brow, reaching into his pocket, looking at the coins he drew out.

He counted them, before handing each of them coins totalling the aforementioned value, and they put the coins into their pockets.

"Thank you." Zuko made a small bow toward him, "Good luck with your travels." he simply told him, before he began to pace on down the dock; Jishang raised a brow, and Mai looked toward the Prince as he paced on down the dock, clearly intent on going to find some lunch in the port town.

"Uh... that was a little abrupt." he noted, and she turned her eyes back to him.

"He's hungry." she clarified, "Goodbye, Jishang." she simply told him before she followed after the Prince; she didn't have any time for farewells, and not feeling much care for anyone on the ship helped- she had not been there to make friends, after all.

"Uh, bye." the First Mate waved to her before he made his way back up to the plank that led onto his ship.

She had to pace quite fast to catch up with Zuko, whose pacing clearly indicated the severity of his hunger; when she caught up beside him, she looked at him with slight concern.

"Are you really that hungry, Zuko?"

"Yes." he told her snappily, before shaking his head, "I'm sorry. I just need something to eat."

"You have more pressing things to be in a shit mood over." she observed, before turning her gaze away, towards the end of the dock, preferring him to have trivial concerns rather than life-threatening ones; that would keep her calmer in the end, and she certainly wasn't akin to constant danger and a fear for her life which had not left her since she fought those men just outside of her house.

"I..." he mumbled, before shaking his head; he was still worried, and she realised it was a poor choice to remind him of it.

The pair continued along in silence, and made their way along the long concrete and stone dock that jut out into the bay the port was located within. They were on the same island as Shu Jing, which according to Zuko, was a village located by some waterfalls, and well-isolated from even the relatively isolated port town they had arrived at. That was good and bad news for them at the say time, given that they wanted to remain as far away from and well-hidden from Ozai's conspiracy, but still able to get news from other parts of the world which might tell them what was going on with Azula and the Fire Lord, who according to the most recent information they had received while sailing, was still missing.

She felt more than a little concern for Azula, knowing that the assassins that Ozai had sent her way might fight her, if they were still going after Iroh, as Zuko assumed they would be; she knew that her friend was reckless at times, and that she might put herself in danger to try and help her uncle, or perhaps even to enact revenge upon those assassins. She just hoped that she would receive her letter, go to Ty Lee, and retrieve the evidence she could use to publicly announce Ozai's treachery; the message she had sent was coded with another inside, though she was sure that with her wits and knack for deceit, she might be able to find it, though she feared somebody else might read it.

"Something's on your mind." Zuko observed, "Did somebody say something again?" he asked her, obviously thinking that she had found some new information, when in reality, she was just going over her own actions and knowledge, hoping that she had made the right choice in sending those letters.

"No." she turned her head slightly, eyeing him as she wondered whether she ought to tell him what she was thinking; she knew that it might just get Zuko more worried, thinking about all the things that could happen to Ty Lee, his sister and his uncle, just because of what they had done alone, "I'm just thinking about what might happen."

"With... Azula?" he asked, the nervousness clear in his voice; Mai nodded, and he sighed, turning his gaze ahead as he eyed toward the market that sat by the end of the dock, "She warned me about something like this happening."

"What do you mean?" she furrowed a brow, the Prince's expression hardening; he was angry, even if it was covered mostly by his tired expression, and she was sure it was not with anyone other than himself.

"I thought she was just trying to scare me, but... she was right. Father must have known about what I was doing, and figured out I knew too much, and was going to help Uncle. She already guessed all this... before Grandfather even died."

"Well, you were sneaking around for a while." she reminded him, "It was only a matter of time before people spotted you, or figured out who was behind the disguises."

"I'm just not as lucky as other people." he conceded, before clenching his fists, "But I'll make us some luck. I know... I know we aren't done yet."

"How much will Piandao be able to help us?" she asked him bluntly, unsure other than the lodging he might provide, what help Zuko's former sword master would give them.

"He's... friends with my uncle. I mean, they're probably not that close, but they know each other well, and I have a feeling that... whatever my uncle was going to Omashu for, Piandao might know about it."

She raised a brow, unsure what some random sword master would have to do with the politics of the Fire Nation, "Why?"

"Because he left the army, and he doesn't like fighting, at least, the kind that we do in the Earth Kingdom. I know that Uncle was going to make peace with the Earth Kingdom, and that he doesn't like war much either. They both want peace, and I think that Piandao might help us get to Uncle, because he would want that peace to come about,, once... all this is dealt with." he explained as they approached the market, Mai raising a hand to his shoulder, stopping him from getting any closer; all his talk gave her one question, and she was surprised she hadn't even asked it before.

"And what do you think about ending the war?" she asked, the Prince furrowing a brow.

"We've won. All that matters is that peace comes about, and we don't have to fight anymore battles that will... cause unnecessary sacrifices."

"Do you think your cousin's death has to do with what your uncle wants?" she asked, guessing that from what he had just told her, Iroh wanted to end the war and bring peace to the Four Nations, something that stood in stark contrast to Fire Lord Azulon's leadership, and what she assumed Zuko's father would do.

"We all loved Lu Ten." he simply put it, "It wasn't fair... but that's just that. People die for little gain, and my grandfather, he just let it happen for... decades." he acknowledged, "We shouldn't forget those sacrifices, and not let them go to waste either." he gave his opinion, before shaking his head, "Can we stop talking about this and get some lunch now?"

She nodded, knowing that she didn't want Zuko to get in a bad mood thinking about his dead cousin; it wasn't fair, given she knew she had nothing to compare to that. She turned her attention towards the various stalls at the market; they were selling goods, presumably shipped over from other parts of the Fire Nation and the colonies, alongside various fresh, cooked foods as well as dry foods. There seemed to be reasonable variety, but given they weren't the richest dish cleaners and window scrubbers in the Fire Nation, they certainly weren't going to be buying much.

"What do you want?" Zuko asked her, now that they had entered the port market, before smirking, "Let me guess... a fruit tart." he raised a finger, and though she was inclined to agree, she really just wanted to eat something that would fill her stomach so they could start their journey to Shu Jing by foot.

"No." she refused, "We barely have any money." she reminded him, "We should just buy something that is cheap and will keep us sated." she suggested, the Prince's eyes momentarily widening before he straightened his face, giving her a curt nod in response.

"Yeah, that's a better idea." he conceded, though he seemed a little embarrassed by having himself refuted.

Whether he had some kind of romantic intention or not by his suggestion, it didn't really matter to Mai; she just wanted to make sure they could feed themselves until they reached Shu Jing. She glanced around at the stalls that surrounded them, and noted a few of them selling snacks like fire flakes and rice cakes, though she didn't think that would suffice. She paced along, eyeing the stalls intently, wondering what would fill their stomachs.

"How about some noodles?" Zuko suggested, and she turned to see where he was pointing, a stall that clearly had 'hot noodles' marked out on the top of it; she nodded, and followed after him, thinking they should at least check the prices first.

From the number of people standing outside of it, she assumed that it was a reasonably popular stall, and that told her the food itself had to be decent; as they paced over to the stall, she began to hear some commotion nearby, and turned her attention to some men and women shouting, and spotted somebody running away from one of the stalls with what looked like a bag of coins. A thief, she assumed, and when he came their way, she tapped Zuko on the shoulder, getting his attention; he turned around, and raised a brow, probably considering whether he ought to do anything about it.

Mai preempted him by flicking her right arm out, whacking the thief in the forehead as he ran toward them, knocking him to the ground. He dropped the bag of the coins, and Zuko leaned to pick it up; she eyed the thief, and wondered whether to let him go. She didn't really have anything against him personally, and didn't really care for apprehending someone when it probably wouldn't bring her much personal gain.

"You better keep running. I'm sure the guards will have a field day with you." the Prince suggested, the thief's eyes widening, before he glanced back toward the guards, who were moving to apprehend him.

The thief got up to his feet and kept on running, and the guards came up toward the pair, the Prince offering them the bag of coins, "Here's the money he stole." he explained, one of them taking the bag into their hands, before pulling a few copper coins out, and tossed them to the Prince, who grabbed them with ease, proving his reflexes were just as good as they used to be before the explosion.

"Thanks." he simply told them, before pointing to the thief, "Get back here!" he shouted at the thief, who didn't stop running.

Mai eyed the coins, and knew they wouldn't amount to any more than ten ban, though it was a good addition to their meagre funds; she turned to face Zuko, who seemed to approve of the additional coins, "Well, this is a surprise." he admitted, before tilting his head toward the stall, "So, lunch?"

She nodded, and followed after him as he approached the end of the line, and they stood behind the last people there, the Prince crossing his arms as they waited; he eyed off toward where the guards had ran off to, and furrowed a brow.

"What?" she asked him, the Prince shaking his head.

"It's nothing." he simply refuted her question, before turning his gaze toward the stall.

"Don't tell me you think we should start thieving to get some more money."

"At the moment, it's not necessary." he assured her, before looking down at the coins he held in his hand, "But if we don't have any coins, then maybe we'll take them from somebody who needs them less than us."

She rolled her eyes at his suggestion, and eyed toward the stall, looking at the pots of noodles that were being cooked, "You do realise that we can just find work again, right?"

"I'm not cleaning windows." he argued, Mai shaking her head; she didn't think they would have to do work like that again- out in the outer islands, she assumed there was much farm work and other kinds of manual labour to do that would feel less demeaning, at least to a Prince like Zuko.

"You won't have to." she assured him, before crossing her arms, "Are you really that hungry?"

"Yes." he confirmed, making her consider what else he might resort to on an empty stomach.

"Well, you better keep a full stomach, or you'll do something you regret." she warned him, "And I don't want to have to save your butt again."

"You won't." he assured her, "I'm keeping my head down."

"For now." she added off-handedly, the Prince looking at her, seeming offended by her words.

"I'm not that reckless."

"Oh, and what you did back in the capital wasn't reckless?" she retorted, Zuko cringing at the thought of what he had done; he must have understood that even if Ozai was the one who had those assassins go after them, he was the one who had done the espionage that had led to that reaction.

"I've... I've learned my lesson." he conceded, Mai letting herself smile, glad that was the case.

"Good." she accepted his words as an honest reflection of his feelings, before turning her gaze toward the stall, "What kind of noodles do you want?"

"Something with a little spice. A little less bland than what we eating on that ship." he suggested, making her raise a brow.

"So, now you're going to insult their cooking now that the cooks aren't feeding you?" she asked, the Prince scrunching his lips up.

"It wasn't really that good." he argued, before sighing, "But it was better than nothing."

She turned her attention ahead, "Well, we've got money now, so we can get some good food. Will that please his-" she began to ask him, the Prince raising a hand, obviously realising what insult she had in mind.

"I get it." he assured her, "This is the first time I've really lived without any of my... privileges."

"This is the kind of lesson your tutors won't teach you."

"What, how to spend money well?" he asked, sounding amused by the idea of being taught something like that, "That's just called economics."

"Well that's concerning the whole country. We're talking about the forty ban in your pocket and the ten in your hand." she reminded him, the Prince glancing down to his hand.

"I guess they didn't." he noted, before furrowing a brow, "Wait, does this mean we have to... uh, what's the word for it? Barter?"

"Haggle." she corrected him, "And I doubt we'd be able to do that. We're outsiders. We don't even know what price they'd usually ask for." she explained with a whisper, the Prince leaning closer.

"So, just aim low?"

"No, we don't want any trouble." she argued, "They mightn't be very happy if we demand low prices."

"Well, I'm not going to beg for their pity." he argued in return, making Mai raise a brow.

"So is it empty pockets or an empty stomach?" she questioned, knowing those were the only other options; he sighed, and shook his head, seeming frustrated that he would have to act in an undignified manner.

"I guess I really have to pretend I'm a starving peasant."


With the evening sun falling below the hills to the west, Sokka was felt a sense of calm as he sat by a campfire; even if he was sitting around a bunch of Fire Nation people that he didn't really trust or like, they didn't seem to hate his guts, not even Azula, who had made an effort to express how much he annoyed her. He had tried to lay off the questions and just stay quiet after what she had learned from that coded letter; in all honesty, he was rather proud of himself for figuring out the code, though he was more concerned after it by the Princess's reaction. He didn't know anything about the Fire Nation Royal Family, and Aang didn't really speak about what he had learned, so he was in the dark when it came to the familial conflict that clearly seemed to be in play.

For his dinner, he had been offered some meagre Fire Nation rations, which consisted of rice and dried meat, the former which had just been quickly cooked up in a pot that had been taken along on the back of one of the mongoose lizards. The Imperial Firebenders, who were protecting the Princess, were quietly chatting amongst themselves, and from what he had heard of their conversations, they were avoiding the topic of the war and the conflict that was seemingly about to unfold over the leadership of the Fire Nation.

Azula, on the other hand, was silent, having eaten her meal, and was looking into the flames, which flickered at time with the blue of her firebending. He thought perhaps that she might be meditating, so he decided to remain quiet, and just sat there, eating the rest of his meal. As he ate the bowl of rice and meat, he could hear some of the soldiers shuffling about, and glance dup, noting that they must have been going to either relieve themselves or go to bed.

"If it's okay, your highness, the men will go and play some dice games until we go to sleep. We'll leave you here in peace." one of the guards explained, the Princess turning her gaze over toward him.

"Fine." she accepted his request, "I don't want anyone staying up after twilight. We need to move at first light tomorrow morning."

"We're nearly there, aren't we?" Sokka asked, remembering they were intent on getting to Azula's ship, which must have been where it was when Aang had escaped it.

The Princess turned her eyes to the Water Tribesman, and narrowed them, "We'll reach my ship, and then hopefully, I can check navy and army reports that should have come into my ship so I can track down Aang and hand you back to him." she explained, "I want you gone as much as you want to be with your friends."

"Really?" he raised a brow, "Are you that enthusiastic to see me gone?" he asked, the Princess chuckling, before shaking her head.

"Just eat your food. I just want to sit here in silence." she requested, and Sokka nodded, getting how her mood was; she was obviously thinking about things, as he'd expect anybody to when they found out their father had tried to kill their brother.

He continued to chew down on the meat and rice, taking pieces bit by bit into his mouth with the chopsticks. They were flavoured with some kind of spice, and he thought it tasted pretty good, though he had no intention of telling anyone that; he didn't want anybody knowing he even considered eating the enemy's food. He did finish the bowl rather quickly, and once it was done, he placed it down beside himself, before turning his eyes to the Princess, wondering what she was thinking about; he knew his curiosity was getting the better of him, and that needlessly questioning her would only agitate Azula, as he already had.

She eyed him once he had put the bowl down, and gestured away from the campfire, "You have a tent. Go to it." she suggested, or perhaps, demanded of him.

"I'm not that tired yet." he retorted, crossing his arms as he looked up above them, seeing the clouds that reflected the sun's light from below the horizon, "It's not even that dark."

"Don't tell me you're worried about me." she crossed her arms, "You don't even know me."

"Yeah, I don't." he agreed with her, "I'm not worried about you... I'm worried about the world." he admitted, "The Fire Nation's pretty much won the war, and now, it looks like you're all about to go at each other's throats."

"That wouldn't be an inaccurate judgement." she conceded, her golden eyes narrowing at him, seeming a little interested, though in what, he was unsure, "Do you even know why we're here?"

"Because your uncle met with the Order of the White Lotus." Sokka recalled, "I assume he wanted to try and make peace with the Earth Kingdom by doing that."

"It's a lot harder to make peace when another man is effectively the Fire Lord." she warned him, before shaking her head, "That damn idiot."

He looked down, wondering if she was referring to her uncle as an idiot, or perhaps her own father; Sokka was just glad he wasn't the one being insulted.

"Who's the idiot?"

"Zuko." she clarified, her eyes turning up to him as the flames of the campfire began to flicker with bits of blue, "I warned him about going after our father... and he got what was coming for him."

"I mean... your dad doesn't sound like the nicest guy." he admitted, "Maybe he was just trying to help your uncle... I mean, that's what you've been doing, right?"

"That's why I wanted to kill those assassins." she recalled, narrowing her eyes at him, "I wasn't just there to capture Aang, I was there to kill them."

"That explains... the anger." he conceded, before placing his hands together, "So, do you have any idea where this brother of yours is?"

"No." she shook her head, "Maybe Uncle will. I just have to get to Ty Lee... that's what matters."

"And Aang." he reminded her, the Princess shaking her head.

"I don't know why he hasn't just come up to us already on that sky-bison of his." she expressed her frustrations, "Unless he's running from Fire Nation forces."

"Appa's fast. They wouldn't have caught him." he assured Azula, who scoffed at his words.

"Oh, you say that now. The Fire Navy is the best equipped in the world, and they have enough catapults, net launchers and manpower to take down the Avatar... assuming he doesn't use his powers." she acknowledged, "You've seen it first hand... what do you think?"

"Anger... grief... fear..." he mumbled, recalling the emotions Aang must have been feeling when he saw Gyatso's body, "If they go after Katara, Appa or Momo and hurt them, he'll... well, those sailors better know how to swim."

"Are you saying he can sink an entire ship?"

"I think he could single-handedly take down an army if he wanted to." Sokka suggested, simply extrapolating what he had witnessed at the Southern Air Temple to a battle situation, "He doesn't have any control over it... that's the problem."

"Well, that's a disaster just waiting to happen." she observed, "Though, I have a far larger disaster in my hands."

"Are you going to fight your father?" he asked her bluntly, and the Princess scoffed.

"No." she flatly refused his suggestion, "That'd be stupid. He's a master firebender and is currently protected by the best firebenders in the Fire Nation. If I was to face him, it would have to be under false pretenses, and even then, I will-" she began, before cutting herself off, "Why am I even telling you? It's not like you can do anything about this conflict. It has nothing to do with you."

"It's a danger to the world, and that concerns Aang... which concerns me." he argued, "Obviously your family has some issues."

"That'd be an understatement." she warned him, "My uncle and father are both so self-assured in their ideals that there will never be peace between them. I thought my uncle was going to just let my father walk all over him, but I think I was wrong." she admitted, looking into the flames, "He's not weak."

"He killed that assassin with a lightning bolt. If that isn't crazy bending power, I don't know what is."

"The Avatar is truly powerful, and that's why my father is probably worried about him. I'd expect him to be sending men after Aang as we speak." she noted, the Water Tribesman tensing up.

"Like that guy we fought?"

"Probably worse... given that he has command of the Fire Nation military and the war council." she explained, before looking down, "Neither of us can do much about that."

"Well, right now." Sokka argued, "Eventually Aang will master the elements, and the Fire Lord will stop your father."

"There's no point discussing these matters." she retorted, "I need to stop him from getting caught, and you all need to get to the North Pole."

"Are you going to follow us there?" he asked, the Princess raising a brow.

"No, I need to find Ty Lee." she reminded him, "That's what I am concerned about."

"Is your friend in danger?" he asked her, the Princess furrowing a brow.

"If my father knows anything about the letters Mai has been sending, then yes, she is in danger." she admitted, before rising up to her feet, "I cannot let whatever evidence or information she has be lost."

"And... you've got to save her, right?" he asked, the Princess scoffing.

"I'm nobody's hero." she retorted, "Ty Lee is competent enough to save herself... but saving whatever Mai has sent her... that's another question."

"What can be more important than warning you about your father?" he asked, Azula narrowing her eyes.

"Information that can be used against him. Just saying that Mai and Zuko are alive doesn't do anyone any good if they can't help me stop him." she argued, before glancing over toward the tents, "I need to sleep. We're leaving at sunrise, so you better be ready to wake then." she warned him, the Water Tribesman rising up to his own feet.

"Uh, what do I do with the bowl?" he asked, pointing to what he had eaten his dinner out of.

"Wash it." she explained, before raising a brow, "You must be disappointed you weren't born a waterbender." she suggested, the Water Tribe warrior shaking his head as he moved to pick up the bowl.

"You're wrong." he warned her, narrowing his eyes as he remembered that day; it had changed his life forever, and he couldn't help but feel the slightest relief that it wasn't his nature that was responsible for what had happened- Katara had to live with a burden of guilt that he couldn't compare to, "I'm relieved."

"Why?" she raised a brow, sounding confused by his words, "Do you feel that confident about your skills, savage?" she mocked him, "Wits won't get you everywhere, you know."

"Bending is the source of all my problems." he argued, before sighing, "Okay, maybe not all of them... but most."

"You sound like my brother."

"Is he a non-bender too?"

"Oh, he might as well be." she joked, sounding amused by what seemed to be her brother's bending abilities; he guessed he didn't compare well to the blue fire and lightning bolts, "He's just jealous that I'm so much better than him."

"You know, if you act like that to his face, he'd probably try and burn it off." he warned her, making her snicker.

"Oh, he's tried." she revealed, the Water Tribesman shaking his head; he was no longer surprised that her uncle and father were feuding if that was how she treated her own brother.

"Do you hate him or something?" he asked, the Princess raising a brow.

"No. I don't hate anyone." she clarified, "He probably hates me... and I don't blame him. I'm just that much better than him."

"That's not how siblings are meant to work." he suggested, the Princess rolling her eyes.

"I'm not taking advice from the guy who got himself caught when he had a sky-bison, the fastest creature alive, to escape on."

"I got caught saving my sister and Aang!" he shouted at her, annoyed that she would suggest it was incompetence that had got him caught.

"Well, that makes you no better than Aang." she argued, "At least you're not a coward."

"He's not a coward, he's twelve." he retorted, the Princess falling silent, before he decided to ask her, "And what were you doing when you were twelve?"

"Training to become a master firebender and strategist so I could fight for my nation." she explained the fact of the matter, "And you?"

"Training to..." he began, "I mean... okay, I can see what you mean." he agreed with her, knowing that even if he couldn't bend, he had had the same mindset as her, at least since his mother had died; Aang was just afraid, and he understood that, but he knew that if he was in the same circumstances, he probably wouldn't have fled the temple, let alone surrendered to Azula- Sokka wouldn't just give up and run away, and he never intended to do that.

"How long have you been training to fight my people?" she asked, the Water Tribesman narrowing his eyes.

"Since I was six years old." he explained, "I mean... the warriors didn't really take me seriously, but I trained. I was ready to fight the Fire Nation if they came for us again... but they didn't."

"Your nation was already defeated before my uncle even took Ba Sing Se. You would have been waiting a long time." she warned him, the Water Tribesman clenching his fists; he wouldn't lie to himself, because it was the truth- he wanted revenge, and he wanted to honour his mother, and everything that he ought to be.

"Not yet." he warned her, "We're not done for yet." he added as he walked by her.

"You really are like him." she commented as he moved toward his tent, and he turned around, realising who she was referring to.

"Your brother?"

"Yes." she confirmed, "He's as stubborn as a rock." she admitted, "He'd never give up trying to prove himself, even if it'd... well, lead to this."

"So, I guess you don't like to give up either." he noted, the Princess raising her chin up.

"Unlike him, I will always take the most effective path. I will not be rigid and stuck in my ways." she declared with an aura of confidence that he found admirable, even if he didn't really like or trust the Princess; what she was saying was interesting, given that it contrasted with how she had been reacting to her uncle's propositions about helping the Avatar and ending the war.

"Huh." Sokka furrowed a brow, before glancing away, "So, was that all an act, then?"

"What?" she questioned him, the flames of the campfire brightening as she turned back to face him, "What was an act?"

"Saying that you don't care... or don't have an opinion about the war."

"Why are you so set on this one question?" she asked him, now sounding agitated, and the blue flames behind her confirmed that suspicion.

"Because..." he began, unsure whether he should really tell her his reasoning; explaining his feelings and past to a stranger was weird, but it was the only way he could answer her question, "Because the Fire Nation killed my mother." he explained the fact of the matter, "And they've destroyed my tribe, and made us as poor and desperate as you probably imagine we are."

"That's better than not existing." she retorted, the Water Tribesman's eyes widening, before he gave a resolute nod; even if it was a snarky, if not mean thing to say, as if to minimise what had happened to the Southern Water Tribe, he was certain she was right- the Air Nomads were gone, and Aang was all that remained of them, a burden he would have to live with for the rest of his life.

"Yeah, it is. I really feel bad for Aang, and everything he's had to go through." he agreed with her, "But that's why." he reminded her, "So, do you care?"

"I want..." she began, her voice quiet, before she turned her eyes back toward the fire, the blue colour of the flame dissipating as they returned to their ordinary orange hue, "I want my cousin back." she simply told him, before pointing toward his tent, "Now fuck off, and leave me in peace." she told him; he thought her words might have been in anger, but her tone seemed to be more pained than anything.

He nodded, seeing that things had happened to her that he didn't understand, "Yeah, I get it. I'm sorry." he apologised to her, knowing that he might have gone a little far in pushing that question, for a second time.

As he turned away, he could hear her moving to sit back down, and he sighed as he approached his tent, wondering if he should even bother cleaning his bowl; that task seemed so far away and trivial when he really considered what he was doing, and why he was there. He needed to get back to Aang and Katara, and now, he felt more than nervous about the Princess. She seemed like she was ready to explode at any moment, and because of things he had no understanding of, and now, didn't think he would like to.

Whatever had happened to her, it wasn't as simple as her father trying to kill her brother, or even the whole feud that seemed to be unfolding between their family; she had her own painful memories, the same as him, and for once, he knew he could sympathise with her. She wasn't that nice, but she couldn't be that bad, at least not as bad as the crazy explosion guy who had nearly killed them all. The Fire Nation might have been stupid, but not all of them could be evil; the world was never going to be as simple as that boy who swore to protect his village from the 'evil ash-makers' wanted it to be.


Feeling somebody's hand grasp his arm made Zuko open his eyes immediately, and he moved into a defensive position at once; in the process of doing so, he raised his head up, and whacked it on what felt like a piece of wood. He grunted, and grasped the back of his head, blinking a few times before he remembered where he was; it was just Mai grabbing his arm to shake him awake, and they were in the back of a cart, travelling to Shu Jing.

"Sorry." she cringed slightly, before tilting her head toward the front of the cart, "The driver says we're here."

"Shit." he mumbled, scratching the back of his scalp, "How long was I asleep for?"

"Just a few hours. It's already getting close to midday." she explained; Zuko remembered how they had been walking during the night prior, not long after sunset, when a cart had come by and offered to give them a ride in exchange for a few coins- it wasn't that much money, so they accepted the offer, and climbed inside.

The driver had obviously taken them all the way to Shu Jing, which was good to hear, and now, they could finally get out and go walk up to Piandao's estate. He sighed with relief, just glad he wasn't about to get attacked. He had been lying on his outer robes, and picked them up, before wrapping them back around his body; Mai handed him his waistband, and he strung that around his torso, before tightening it.

Zuko turned around and faced the driver, who was a middle aged man, with a moustache and a wiry frame; he knew he shouldn't be worried about getting attacked by him, given his appearance, but he knew he could never be too cautious. He considered his very thought, and realised that he was being paranoid, though after all that had happened, he thought that paranoia was well-reasoned.

"Thanks for driving us all the way here." he addressed the man who had helped them; he simply shrugged his shoulders and picked up a flask of water, which he took a sip from as he held his other hand on the reins of the dragon moose that was pulling the cart.

"Well, I was heading here anyway. You're going to pay me, right?" he asked, Mai nodding as she reached into her pocket.

"Will ten copper do?" she asked, offering him the coins; the man raised a brow, and for a moment, Zuko was nervous, wondering if that wasn't enough to appease him.

"That's not much... but you two don't look like you're in the best of situations." he conceded, "I'll take it." he decided, "Thanks." he accepted the coins, before gesturing ahead of them, "Here it is, the village of Shu Jing. You should see the waterfalls if you're going around; they're quite pretty." he suggested, the Pince nodding.

"Yeah, I know." he agreed with him, the man raising a brow.

'You've been here before?"

"Years ago." he clarified, "I'm here to see an old friend." he explained their reason for being there, and the driver nodded.

"Ah, that makes sense. Where'd you come from?"

"The main island." Mai gave him a vague answer, before leaning her head forward, "Do you know where we might be able to find work around here? We don't have much money."

"There's a few farms and mines in the area." he explained, "I'm actually transporting these supplies to a mine not far from here." he explained, "They probably aren't the best place for a young lady, however." he warned, making her raise her chin up.

"What, you think I can't work?" she asked, before the man nervously shook his head.

"No, of course not, I'm just saying-" he began to defend himself, Zuko rolling his eyes as he realised that she'd made him needlessly nervous.

"Don't worry about it." he assured him, "Let's just go, Hishu." he suggested, and she nodded, "Thanks for taking us; if we run into you again and we need transport, maybe you could help us again."

"Well, I don't come up here every day." he warned them, "But yeah, we'll see." he added, suggesting he might be willing to help them out again, "You seem like a nice young couple."

"Uh... thanks." he awkwardly smiled at him, before straightening his face, knowing that he had to get to Piandao's estate at once, "Could you stop the dragon moose for a second?"

He nodded, and pulled on the creature's reins, causing it to draw to a halt; Zuko pulled himself over to the edge of the cart, and then leapt out of it, before turning around, ready to offer Mai a hand, as would be courtesy. She completely ignored him, just jumping down the same that he had, before she glanced around.

"This village is far away from everything." she commented, before pursing her lips up slightly, "Good choice."

"Well, I didn't choose it for that reason." he reminded her, before glancing at the driver, who raised a hand up to farewell them.

"Good luck." he waved his hand, before whipping the reins, the dragon moose making a growl before it began to start moving again.

He turned back to face Mai, and gestured toward the village they had just arrived at, "Let's get moving."

"You just woke up, Zuko." she bluntly addressed the fact of the matter, "Don't you want to take a breath for a moment?"

"I am more than capable of walking up the hill to Piandao's estate." he assured her, "Are you tired?"

She shrugged her shoulders, and began walking toward the village, and he followed in suit; as they approached the various houses and shops that lined the street, Zuko wondered if they ought to try and buy something, though he thought that would be useless, given Piandao would be able to provide for them. Freeloading off his former master was not his intention, and he was sure that he could do some work for him, just as he knew Fat did, so he could earn his keep, and he guessed Mai would do the same.

Above all else, he knew that they would need to get to Piandao at once; he wanted to send a letter to his uncle, wherever he was at the moment, so he could inform him of his safety, and try to coordinate in some manner so that they could deal with his father. Even if wasn't considering fighting him directly anytime soon, he knew that stopping his conspirators from getting their hands on the various ministries of the Fire Lord's government, as well as the Fire Nation's army and navy, would be the main priority they faced.

The Avatar, obviously, was another one, and preventing him from falling into his father's hands would be vital if the last airbender was to play any role in the coming conflict; he knew that even if the Avatar didn't trust or like the Fire Nation, which would be completely reasonable if they had any idea what had happened to their people, then they would have to earn his trust. Perhaps, if his sister wasn't completely incompetent when it came to talking to people in a manner that didn't involve treating them as servants, then the Avatar might already see them in a positive light. Zuko did not, however, think his sister was going to have an easy time doing that, though he was sure his uncle, on the other hand, might be able to sway the Avatar with his wisdom and tea.

Mai cleared her throat, and Zuko realised that they had come to the centre of the village, where there was a well and a small market, though it wasn't very lively at that time of day, seeing that most people were likely at work, "Where do we go?" she asked him, and the Prince pointed up to their right, toward the precipice on which Piandao's estate was located; his manor house had quite the view over the nearby waterfalls, which he remembered as being quite beautiful, even if that wasn't really on his mind at the time.

They continued along, making their way up the relatively narrow path that led up through the village, and looked up beyond that, where he could see the winding path up to Piandao's estate. It didn't take them long to walk on up, though Zuko was forced to keep his pace slow as he was still dazed from just waking up. Mai, however, seemed perfectly fine, and kept tugging on his arm to make sure he kept up pace; he wanted to assure her that he wasn't tired, but just lying about it wouldn't do him any good, so he just kept quiet, and focused on following the path up toward the estate. He glanced back behind him, and noted the village getting smaller and smaller, as well as lower, as the path led them up above it, toward the cliffs and precipices of the wide canyon that the estate was built up against.

It was quite a defensible location, and perhaps, in earlier times, he wouldn't be surprised if the estate was used as a base for some warlord. He didn't know too much about the history of the Fire Nation before Sozin's reign, but he knew enough about the country to say it wasn't the nicest place at times, perhaps even comparable to what he imagined the Earth Kingdom was like at that very moment, with the areas outside of Fire Nation control effectively lawless, or worse, ruled by bandit warlords. He was glad that their country wasn't like that, but he couldn't help but feel they might be heading toward something like it, if the worst came to bear.

As they approached the gates of the estate, he let out a sigh as he placed his hands on his knees, realising how exhausted he was, just from that short walk. He knew he'd need to wake himself up with some tea, or perhaps a proper breakfast, though he was unsure if he could just receive that by asking; he knew Piandao was a kind-hearted man, but he probably wasn't going to just give him a bunch of things for free just because he had once been his student. Mai approached the gates of the estate, and knocked her hand on them; not just once, but three times, just to stress their urgency. Not getting an immediate response, she crossed her arms as Zuko strode up behind her, and covered his mouth as he let out a silent yawn.

"You are tired." she observed, as if to emphasise that he had been lying about it earlier, "Maybe you need to eat something." she suggested, and the Prince furrowed a brow, remembering they had bought some extra food for the road when they were at the port town.

"Uh, you've got some rice crackers in the bag, right?" he asked, and her hand pursed into the bag, before pulling out a rice cracker, which she threw to him; his reflexes were good enough that he could catch it without it falling from his hands, and getting soiled by touching the ground.

He took a bite, and then turned his head forward, his attention drawn by the sound of footsteps approaching the gates; a few moments later, one of the gates was pulled open slightly, and Fat's head peered out.

"Can I help you?" he asked her, and she gestured toward Zuko, who raised his hand up to greet him; he seemed perplexed by his greeting and pointed toward him, "Am I supposed to know who you are?" he asked, the Prince's eyes widening.

"Have I really changed that much?" he asked, "It's Prince Zuko." he identified himself, Fat's eyes widening.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger toward him, "You're..." he gasped, "What happened?" he asked, obviously confused why he was standing before him if he was supposedly dead.

"My father tried to have us killed and then covered it up. Can we stay here?" he addressed the fact of the matter as succinctly as he could, and Fat's jaw dropped with shock.

"I..." he murmured, lost for words, before he turned his head around, "Master Piandao will need to hear about this."

"Yeah, he will." he agreed, Fat pulling the gates open completely, and gestured for them to enter.

"Please, come. He has just been working on a new sword." he explained, gesturing toward the manor house ahead of them; he knew that his workshop was located on the other side of the estate, and thus, he followed after Fat as he led them inside.

He followed after the butler, and made his way into the manor house, which was just as ornate and massive as when he had left it; he thought it was quite a nice place to live, and even though his own home, the Royal Palace, was even more massive and ornate, it lacked the view, or the homeliness of the manor. Piandao certainly was a man who cared for aesthetics and the Prince could appreciate them too, even though he wasn't usually concerned about such things; Zuko, as an individual, had his mind set on one thing, and that was serving his country, and he couldn't do that if he was forced to hide from his father's men.

They made their way down through the hallway that ran through the centre of the manor, making their way out toward the rear room where he remembered his master teaching him how to do calligraphy, even if it was only for a short span of time. The pair followed Fat out to the garden that sat at the rear of the estate, and looked toward the workshop, out of which he could see smoke bellowing, telling him that he was most likely heating up some metal to forge it into a blade.

"Master." Fat called out into the workshop, "Prince Zuko is here to see you."

There was a few moments of silence, before Master Piandao strode out, standing shirtless in pants, as he had just been in the heat of the forge; he glanced at Zuko with surprise, before he picked up a robe he had hung up just nearby.

"Zuko... I heard you were missing, presumed dead." he noted as he pulled his robe over his torso, "Why have you come to me?"

"I know you can help me. You are friends with my uncle, so you must know how to contact him." he explained his reasoning, his former master nodding.

"I do know how to contact the Fire Lord." he confirmed, "The last I heard, he was still missing in the Earth Kingdom. That makes it somewhat of a challenge to do so."

"News will be coming soon, if he has been found." Zuko explained, "I need to tell him I'm alive, and find out what I can do to help him."

"Fight those assassins?" he asked, the Prince shaking his head.

"No, to stop my father." he explained, Piandao's eyes widening with surprise.

"Has Iroh told you about the Order?" he asked, the Prince shaking his head.

"No." he admitted, "But I know that he has associates. I assume that is what they are this 'order'." he concluded, the sword master nodding to confirm his suspicions.

"Your Uncle and I belong to a secret organisation, called the Order of the White Lotus, formed with the intention of bridging between the four nations, and hopefully, bringing peace between them."

"I assumed as much." Zuko admitted, before crossing his arms, "So, could you help us?"

"Is this... uh, Mai?" he asked, the Prince nodding.

"Uh, yes. She's accompanying me... well, because my father's men tried to kill her too."

"They tried to-" Piandao began, before shaking his head, "I shouldn't be surprised... but that's just terrible."

"I remember what you said about your parents, master... of all people, I thought you'd understand." he admitted, his expression shifting to one of pain; he had learned that Master Piandao's parents were both skilled firebenders, who abandoned him upon realising their child was a non-bender- that wasn't the same as Ozai trying to have him killed, but he knew that the emotional significance of such an action was comparable.

"I do." he admitted, "I'm sorry that you've ended up in the situation you have, Prince Zuko. I am impressed that you came all this way just to seek my help."

"I thought I could trust you, and I... I think I was right."

"I will help you, Zuko." he assured him, before eyeing Mai, "And you too, Mai. I am sorry that you've been dragged into all this."

"And I'm sorry too. If they come here... we'll try and protect your home." she assured him, the Prince's eyes widening; he hadn't really considered the possible outcome of them being tailed to Piandao's estate.

"M-Master..." he gasped, before raising a hand to his forehead, "I didn't even..."

"Don't worry, Prince Zuko. You know I am a master of the art of the sword. Whatever your father may send our way, we will hold them off."

He bowed toward his former master, glad that he had somebody that he could rely on; even if it had been years since he trained him in the art of the sword, he was sure that Piandao was the same man he remembered him as. Wise, thoughtful, with an admirable temperament and understanding of the world that he could only hope to attain when he was his age.

"Thank you, Master. Is there anything I could do for you?"

"It is not what you can do for me, Prince Zuko." he admitted, placing a hand on his shoulder, his small smile reassuring him of the safety he had found, "It is what you can do for the world."