"You and your family are stripped of your jurisdiction in this city. When you return to the Fire Nation you will be placed under house arrest until the Fire Lord determines your punishment."

The man bowed low, his body shaking like a leaf. "I understand, my lord." His wife cried loudly beside him, rocking the baby in her arms slowly. Ozai's lip curled.

He waved his hand dismissively. "I will speak with the girl now. Alone."

They left, not daring to disobey. Ozai studied the girl closely. He vaguely remembered her playing in Ursa's garden with the children. The girl didn't even twitch under his gaze. Ozai cleared his throat, leaning forward in an attempt to loom in an intimidating manner.

"You were in the company of traitors to the Fire Nation- to the crown. That is punishable by death."

The girl met his gaze. "I was kidnapped, my lord. I was their prisoner, not their ally."

"Don't lie to me." He hissed. "You were one of their companions years ago. What did you tell them?"

"I'm not lying." Her hands clenched in an attempt to hide their trembling. "They took me against my will. And I told them nothing."

"You feel no loyalty to them?"

"Why would I? They abandoned me without saying goodbye." The girl shrugged. "I hate them, and I made sure they knew it. They're traitors and nothing more to me."

Her face betrayed nothing. "And if you were to face these traitors again?"

"Then they'll feel the wrath of my blades."

Despite himself, Ozai chuckled darkly. He had contemplated killing her to dishearten the children, but it would be more amusing to let her live. Perhaps she would be useful in the future. It hurts more if the knife in the back came from a loved one. Another reason to rid oneself of those pesky emotions. Yes, she could be useful to him. "You are dismissed."

The girl bowed and left quickly.

All was quiet as they flew through the clouds. Zuko stroked Azula's hair, who had fallen asleep with her head in his lap. He wasn't sure if it was for her comfort or his. He felt completely drained, the adrenaline finally giving way for exhaustion. Facing their father had rattled him more than he wanted to admit. If Sokka hadn't hit him with the boomerang (he would have to thank him for that later), then he and Azula would have been toast. Literally.

It couldn't happen again. He had to be prepared, had to be better. Their father was hunting them, and he was deadlier than Zhao. There would be no mercy, no second chances.

His arm tightened around Azula. She thought it was her responsibility to look after him, but he was her older brother, and if that meant putting himself in front of Ozai's fire once more then he would do it without hesitation.

Katara slid closer to him, as if she were sensing his thoughts. He sighed and leaned his head against her shoulder. Not just Azula. He would protect them all.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly.

Zuko shrugged.

"You don't need to pretend that you're okay, you know."

"Azula is already upset. She needs me to be strong for her." Pretending to be okay was something he excelled at. There was never time for him to be upset, not when he had a little sister to feed. Emotions were for the weak. Zuko wondered if this is what Father wanted.

Katara's hand slipped into his. "That's what we're here for, Zuko." He lifted his head, taking in her knowing smile and soft eyes. "It's okay to feel, to let yourself be vulnerable. That's what makes us strong. That's how we know we have something to fight for."

Zuko nodded, squeezing her hand tightly. He had a lot of people to fight for- now more than ever.

"Azula is already upset. She needs me to be strong for her."

Azula breathed slowly, still pretending to be asleep. Her brother's hand was carding through her hair, something that mother used to do when she was upset. She was too tired to protest. Instead, she lay quiet and still, listening to her brother reveal parts of himself that he attempted to hide from her for years.

She knew what he was doing. He had done it for years, for so long that it seemed he didn't know how to stop anymore. Maybe it was a part of him now, something that had taken hold of him and now the roots were too deep, too strong to pull out. Her stupid, loving, self-sacrificing brother. Her brother, who always made sure she had food before feeding himself. Her brother, who always seemed to know just what she needed. Her brother, who always stood by her side.

"That's what makes us strong. That's how we know we have something to fight for."

Father had worked hard to push those emotions out of her. A small part of her understood why he was so desperate to, because she would have saved herself years of pain and suffering. Sometimes it seemed easier to feel nothing at all. Emotions were a weakness.

They can be. A voice said, a voice that she normally kept locked tightly in the shattered part of her heart. But they also make you stronger. The love you feel for others is not a weakness. It fuels you.

That day in the courtyard with Lu Ten was probably the tipping point for her, the moment when she decided to live, to feel, in ways that father despised. Because despite all the pain that came with it, love was worth it. The loss she felt, the grief and injustice and longing, it was all proof that she had loved, and that there were still loved ones for her to fight for.

Zuko's hand continued to stroke her hair. Distantly, their voices faint in the wind, she could hear the others talking. She couldn't be bothered to listen.

Until they started screaming.

Appa lurched forward, and Azula pushed herself off Zuko to see a tornado pursuing them. A swamp stretched endlessly below them, and she wrinkled her nose at the smell.

"You better throw in an extra 'yip." Sokka yelled. "We gotta move!"

Aang tugged on the reins, but they moved no faster, and the tornado grew closer. Azula's hair was whipped around her face, and she clutched at the edge of the saddle as they were tossed around. Zuko slid beside her, her grip on his arm the only thing keeping him from going overboard.

An air shield formed around them, allowing Katara to tug Sokka back into the saddle. But it was shrinking, the tornado too strong. Azula met Zuko's eyes as it broke.

She was torn from the saddle, her screams lost to the wind.

"Katara! Aang!" Sokka slashed through the thick vegetation, his progress agonizingly slow through the swampy muck. "Azula! Zuko!"

Nobody answered.

Stupid swamp. Stupid tornado.

It felt like even the trees were watching him. They pressed in from all sides, suffocating him almost as much as the swampy air. Sokka missed the cold, sharp sting of the arctic. This air felt thick, a nasty goop that stuck in his lungs.

Not to mention the disgusting leeches that kept biting him.

Something darted through the trees in front of him.

"Hello?" He called out hesitantly. He could have sworn that he saw a flash of blue. "Katara?"

There it was again! Sokka hurried forward. "Katara, wait! I'm right here."

But she didn't stop. He followed her, struggling through the vines and branches, until they reached a clearing.

It wasn't Katara.

"Yue?"

She didn't move. She was glowing faintly, her hair floating softly behind her. It was like that terrible night in the North Pole, but this time her cold gaze was directed at him. Sokka took a step forward. "Yue, how did you get here?"

"You left me behind." Her voice reverberated through the clearing, and Sokka flinched as it became colder, ice creeping forward from her feet.

"I had to. Yue, you know why, I'm sorry-"

"You left me!"

Her shout pierced through him like an arrow. Sokka stumbled backwards, raising his hands up to protect his eyes from the blinding light.

When he opened his eyes, he was alone.

Zuko carefully picked his way through the vines. Slashing through them with his dao swords was definitely faster, but he didn't like the sounds the jungle made when he did. He and Azula had heard stories of this swamp, and he didn't want to see if they were true. He also ignored the many sets of eyes that were following him.

"Azula!" He shouted. "Katara!" The jungle dampened his voice, absorbing everything. He wasn't sure how long he walked, or where the others might have landed. The winds from the tornado were powerful- strong enough to throw them miles apart. They could be hurt. Zuko was lucky enough to fall into deeper water.

He became aware of something lying on the ground ahead of him, partially obscured by the vegetation. As he came closer he could make out the red robes, the long hair fanned out around her face. Her chest moved rapidly, rattling with every breath.

Zuko fell to his knees. "Mom." He choked.

"Zuko." Ursa gasped weakly. There were tears in her eyes. The lightning had made a hole in her chest, a large, gaping, smoking wound that taunted him. Zuko's hands trembled, unsure of what to do. She was gone. Murdered, to protect him, so how was she here-

"This is your fault."

Tears instantly sprang to his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Ursa gasped, arching her back as the lightning coursed through her. "It should have been you." She hissed. "This wouldn't have happened if he had ordered your death instead."

"I know." Zuko sobbed, leaning forward in desperation. He was too scared to touch her. She looked fragile, so delicate that she could dissolve at his touch. "Mom, I'm so sorry-"

She threw her head back and screamed, the lightning crackling around her. Bright, vivid blue, so bright that it hurt. Zuko reeled back, unable to do anything as she burned away. For a brief moment he could see her eyes, the only part of her that wasn't blackened and torched, gazing at him as she writhed in agony. You did this. She could no longer speak, but her eyes said it for her. They were full of hatred, something that he had never seen on his mother's gentle face. It chilled him to his core, starting at his heart and slowly spreading down his limbs.

When the light faded, there was no scorch mark left on the ground, no ashes to be seen. She was gone.

To put it simply, the swamp sucked. She was hot, and tired, and sweaty, and one bug bite away from burning the whole place to the ground. The only thing stopping her was the ominous feeling she got whenever she angrily pushed a vine out of the way. Somehow, this swamp knew she was there and didn't belong.

Azula huffed, her bangs sticking annoyingly to her forehead. She just needed to find the others, then they could fly away from this Agni forsaken place.

But no matter how long she walked, there was no sign of them. No noises aside from the jungle's cries. No movement aside from the watchful eyes flitting through the trees. She didn't dare call out for them. It wasn't out of fear- she wasn't scared by a noisy swamp. But it didn't hurt to be cautious- she had heard stories of this place. People who entered and never came back. Strange lights and sounds luring the gullible in.

But she wasn't gullible. And she wasn't lured in. She had simply fell, to no fault of her own.

She was about to push through a particularly thick wall of vines when something caught her eye. There was someone walking in her peripheral vision, a flash of red that stuck out against endless green. Azula whipped around, her hand instantly going to her daggers. They were too far away for her to identify.

"Zuko?" She began, but cut herself off halfway. That wasn't Zuko. They haven't worn red in years.

The person, whoever they were, was moving fast. Azula followed them cautiously. If they were Fire Nation then perhaps there were troops here, also searching for her friends. It was a better plan than stumbling around blindly, anyways.

There was something odd about the way they moved. While Azula struggled through the thick mud and hanging vines, they seemed to glide through them effortlessly. She still couldn't get close enough to see them clearly, but they looked solid to her.

She eventually became frustrated with endless chasing, so she called out to them. "Stop!"

To her surprise, they did.

All of her breath left her when she realized who it was.

He watched her approach, but stayed still as a corpse. His face was gaunt and sickly, no longer the smiling round face she remembered. The air shimmered around him strangely. Azula found that she couldn't look him in the eyes.

"You're dead." She meant it as a statement, but really it was a question. He was dead. She knew that, but he was standing in front of her.

Lu Ten nodded, a ghost of a smile forming on his waxy face.

"So it's a trick, then. The swamp is messing with my mind." Strange lights and sounds, luring people deeper into the swamp. Azula felt cold wash over her as she realized what she had done.

"I was trying to protect you." She flinched at his voice. It was him, but it wasn't. An instrument out of tune.

"Protect me from what?" She asked.

Lu Ten looked down at his hands. They were shaking. "You've grown so much. I missed all of it."

Azula took a step forward, almost immediately regretting it. This was wrong. The dead shouldn't speak.

But it was Lu Ten.

"What were you protecting me from?"

"He was trying to turn you into a monster."

"My father, you mean."

"I couldn't stop it." He rasped. "I left you alone with him and now you're-"

Azula knew what those lessons from Father were for. He was trying to manipulate her, trying to separate her from the family. But it didn't work. She had Mother, and Lu Ten, and after they died she still had Zuko. "What are you saying?" She snapped. "I'm not like him, and I never will be. He killed Mother, did you know that? He hurt Zuko. He even tried to kill me."

Lu Ten's form flickered. "He's changed you. Even you cannot see it."

"Shut up!" Azula clenched her fists. It was the swamp, she reminded herself. Lu Ten wasn't really there.

He shook his head. "You're too much like him, Azula. You never stood a chance."

"I'm nothing like that man." Azula stumbled backwards, but he remained in front of her, moving faster than she could blink. "I hate him!"

"No, you hate yourself. You're disconnected from your emotions, just like he wanted."

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "No, you're wrong!"

"Your fire is blue, Azula. I warned you."

You need to be cold and cruel- detached from your emotions. He had told her that, years ago. Blue fire, the coldest and most powerful, but at a terrible cost. Horror struck through her like a bolt of lightning. Had she become exactly what Father wanted? She thought she was protecting herself, but instead she had become the monster she was trained to be.

"You see now, don't you?" Lu Ten said, towering over her. She felt like she was a little girl again, cowering as Father advanced on her. "It's too late to stop it. It's only a matter of time before the others see it, too."

Azula shuddered. It's not him, it's not him, it's not him, it's not him. Her eyes squeezed shut. "Shut up." she whispered.

His blue lips formed a gentle smile. "Even Zuko will leave you eventually, Azula."

"I said shut up!" She lashed out blindly, a ring of cold blue fire from her hands that roared almost as loud as her scream.

She was left in silence.

"My contacts say that the Avatar is heading to Ba Sing Se. He needs to learn Earthbending."

Iroh took a contemplative sip of his tea. "He already has a waterbending master?"

Piandao nodded. "From the North Pole. And we have heard rumors that he managed to find a firebending master as well."

"Master Jeong Jeong?"

"That we do not know. They have remained rather illusive."

Iroh leaned forward and studied the map. Ba Sing Se, his greatest military defeat. The city had taken everything- his reputation, his passion for war, his thirst for victory. His son.

"We have lost contact with our spies in the city. Their security has grown stricter since… recent events." Iroh took another sip of his tea, hiding a small smile as the others shifted uncomfortably. Many of the White Lotus were suspicious of his change of heart. Even with Piandao, a long time member, backing him, there were still some who doubted his intentions.

"Then it is imperative that we establish contact with them, as well as assisting the Avatar once he reaches the city."

"Then what do you propose?" Piandao asked.

"I will travel to Ba Sing Se and meet the Avatar."

"How convenient for you." Ryong scoffed.

Piandao leveled him with a cold stare. "Iroh has proven himself as trustworthy many times over. His insider knowledge of the Fire Nation has been invaluable."

Iroh bowed his head. "I understand your hesitation to trust me, Ryong. But as a Grand Lotus, I feel that this task must be entrusted to me. I alone have passed Ba Sing Se's walls."

"Because you laid siege to the city!"

Iroh grinned sheepishly. "When I was young I had a vision of me taking Ba Sing Se. At the time I thought it would be a victory for the Fire Nation, but now I realize it was a warning." He pointed to the map, where Ba Sing Se stood. "Where the Avatar goes, my brother will follow. The city will be in danger, and I believe it is my destiny to help the Avatar save it."

"Then we will not deny you your destiny." Piandao smiled. "Give me some time to arrange for your transportation. I hope you won't mind a few traveling companions."

Iroh smiled. "It would be an honor, my friend."

"Look, we were all just scared and hungry and our minds were playing tricks on us. That's why we all saw things out there."

"You saw something too?" Katara gaped as her brother turned away from her.

"I thought I saw Yue." He admitted quietly. "But, that doesn't prove anything. Look, I think about her all the time, and you saw Mom, someone you miss a lot."

Katara's hand instantly went to her necklace. Seeing mom had deeply shaken her. Judging by everyone else's expressions, they were pretty shaken up too.

"What about me?" Aang asked. "I didn't know the girl I saw. And all our visions led us right here."

They all looked around warily. "Okay, so… where's here? The middle of the swamp?"

"Yeah, the center ... it's the heart of the swamp. It's been calling us here. I knew it."

Luckily nobody had to respond to Aang's cryptic musings, because they were attacked by a seaweed monster. Which actually turned out to be a mostly naked, but very kind man named Huu.

"In the swamp, we see visions of people we've lost, people we loved, folks we think are gone." Huu later explained. "But the swamp tells us they're not. We're still connected to them. Time is an illusion and so is death."

Her mother had appeared to her. Katara had been so happy to see her, but the heartbreak of realizing she wasn't there was almost too much to bear. She didn't like the swamp very much.

Neither did the others. When they had found each other again, many of them had red rimmed eyes and a bone-deep exhaustion that only heartbreak could create.

By the time they were eating dinner with the swamp people, Sokka had completely convinced himself that their visions were hunger-induced. He happily munched on his bug and regaled their adventures to Tho and Due.

Katara, however, found herself sitting next to Zuko and Azula. Both of them have been quiet since they reunited. She had a feeling that they weren't as inclined to dismiss their visions.

"Did you see your mom, too?" She asked them quietly.

Azula bit her lip, but said nothing. Zuko wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I did." He didn't elaborate. Katara nodded slowly.

They sat together in silence.