A/N: I think I received the most reviews in a single week on the last chapter, but not all of them were actual reviews, if you know what I mean. Per my announcement last week, I will be going through to remove those which I feel do not contribute to valid feedback.

Thanks to MasterKriebel, Sharpe, Guest, Black Dragon Master, BrightWatcher, AsahixMe, Tertius711, another Guest, Raider, BraviaryScout, devilfiredog18, Ashleyyy, CrazyPhenom, and Aquamirra for leaving actual reviews related to my story and not the ship war. Thanks to korrasami sucks (though I think your username doesn't need to be that), A usual suspect, and Heroesguy for defending my story. Thanks to Robert, Doc, and Doctor Mau for your holiday wishes and your very courteously-stated opinions.

Thunder, Redfox, and korrasami rocks, if you're going to insist on hanging around, at least read the story properly, please. Thunder and Redfox, especially, I have mentioned Iroh's age several times, and included a list of birth years of various characters at the end of Chapter 39. If you've actually been reading, you would know that Iroh is only nine years older than Asami in this story, NOT 'twice her age'.

And again, Korrasami fans who don't like that Korrasami is not the ship here, let me remind you that your ship is CANON, there are plenty of Korrasami stories, and this one Makorra fanfiction doesn't change that.

Okay, now that the drama is over (for now), let me address some things brought up by my reviewers.

On Makorra moments - the format of this story means that once certain story elements (e.g. Makorra) are established and the focus moves away from them, you may assume they are continuing in the background even if you don't see it. But established elements will still be interwoven as and when appropriate - so yes, there will be more Makorra moments, you'll just have to keep an eye out for them in the midst of chapters.

On Fire Nation lore...there will be some, but probably not exhaustive, because you're just going to see it from Mako's viewpoint. There is a lot he will discover and many people he will speak to here, and so you will learn a fair bit about the culture, but I don't want to deliver lengthy worldbuilding exposition; it's not that kind of story. Anyway, I think this way's more fun - you get to put the pieces together to form your own understanding of the Fire Nation.

And finally, apologies for the horrendously long author's note, and here is your chapter.

42. Family with resemblances too strong for us to see

Izumi doesn't bend.

That doesn't mean she can't bend. Maybe she can. He's not sure; he doesn't know if she's a bender. No one outside the Royal Family really does. Fire Lord Izumi has never done any bending in public, but she has also steadfastly refused to confirm the rumours that she is a nonbender like her mother, the late Lady Mai. It creates a sense of unease for any who interact with her, never knowing if they should brace for flames or watch for knife-throwing movements (who knows, maybe she can do both). Never knowing if it is appropriate to assume she is familiar with bending jargon or judge her stance on bending politics. Izumi's ability to bend — or lack thereof — is, like much of the first female Fire Lord in history, shrouded in enigma.

It's a smart tactic, but it's spirits-damned scary to be on the receiving end of it.

"You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?"

He stands ten steps away from the fountain, trying (not entirely succeeding) not to feel overawed by her proud, dignified bearing. Izumi is pleasant, but her presence is formidable, and she does not possess her son's ability to put people at ease.

"Yes, Mako, good morning," greets the Fire Lord.

And yet, he can see Iroh in her too. The same fiery resolve in the same golden eyes; the similar contours in the jawline; Iroh's composure in Izumi's posture. He hasn't yet met Iroh's father, the Prince Consort, but it's plain to see that Iroh's strength comes from his mother.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," he returns, striving not to sound as out of his depth as he feels.

Izumi waves a hand, beckoning him closer. "You may speak freely to me, Mako," she tells him. "You've been a very good friend to Iroh." Her tone softens — becomes less regal, more personable. "That's actually the reason I wanted to talk to you. I know perfectly well your primary reason for coming to the Fire Nation was not to accompany Varrick."

Oh, so that's why she asked to meet him here, and not in her throne room.

"I don't mean to intrude…" he begins.

"You aren't intruding, Mako. Quite the opposite — I'm glad you're here. Iroh has much to consider, and at this present moment, I am not the best person to speak with him."

He hesitates, weighing his words. "I thought…that's the whole idea of him being here? So you and he can…talk?"

Izumi smiles wryly. "Our talking will only get us somewhere if he knows how he intends to proceed. My role as his mother is merely to listen and advise."

"And what about your role as his Fire Lord?" he ventures, still testing how far he's allowed to go.

"That, I'm afraid, is far more complicated." Izumi watches the water flow in the fountain. "How much has Iroh told you?"

"Most of it," he admits. "He's explained the considerations that come with his role, and why you want him to settle at home." He clears his throat. "He's, um…also mentioned that…you didn't want him to join the United Forces."

"I did not," Izumi confirms. "The United Republic may have started as an offshoot of the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, a protectorate of the other countries in the world — but it has grown into its own independent state. Even seventeen years ago, when Iroh first enlisted, I knew that would be the case. It is not generally considered good form for the heir of a sovereign nation to join another country's military. Especially not when that sovereign nation has a recent history of world conquest."

He should've guessed, back when Iroh mentioned this particular tidbit, that politics underlay Izumi's disapproval of her son's choice to join the Forces. Lord Zuko had taken an active role — some would say too active — in world affairs with Avatar Aang, but that had sometimes backfired on him and on the Fire Nation, viewed as they were with suspicion by other countries. In contrast, Fire Lord Izumi has done her utmost to be as isolationist as possible. She remains dedicated to social reforms within her kingdom, intent on course-correcting the lingering effects of the Hundred Year War — but she has kept the Fire Nation's involvement in global politics minimal.

Now that he thinks about it, having the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation be the lead General of the United Forces could be construed very badly by people already inclined to think the worst of the Fire Nation. Iroh walks an extremely fine line (which is undoubtedly another reason why he is so intent on being as flawless and irreproachable as he can be).

Eager to defend his friend, he offers, "Iroh manages his reputation well. He has a stellar service record and his influence in the United Republic reflects well on the Fire Nation." Instantly, he berates himself internally: Idiot, of course she knows that!

Izumi smiles. "I'm aware. He's certainly assuaged my concerns on that front. But it's a significant pressure for him to contend with, and in my mind, it is unnecessary." She sighs, glancing at him with eyes that suddenly seem careworn, holding the burdens of her country that she refuses to allow her shoulders to bow under. "No mother wants to see her child unhappy, Mako. Iroh already has enough pressures that come with his position as the next Fire Lord; his obligations to the United Republic are an added responsibility I would prefer to see him freed of."

"He finds purpose in the Forces, though," he notes.

Izumi arches her brow. "More purpose than as his country's future leader?"

She doesn't sound quarrelsome — that is never a word he would associate with this Fire Lord — but rather, as if she seeks to understand. With a flash of insight, he realises that Izumi, too, is somewhat lost in this matter. Iroh might be juggling dual roles as Prince and General; but Izumi is juggling the even more substantial dichotomy of Fire Lord and mother. She has her country and her son to care for, and what was simple for her — inheriting the throne, doing right by her nation — has proven not to be as simple for Iroh. He's spent more time with Iroh than she has lately; it's no wonder she wanted to talk to him.

"I don't think it's like that," he says slowly. "Iroh doesn't rank his duty as General higher than his duty as Crown Prince — actually, I think it's the other way round. But I think he believes his responsibilities in the Forces are more urgent — more current — than his responsibilities here. Because he anticipates — he hopes — that you have many more years as Fire Lord." Izumi is in her very early sixties and has only been ruling for eight years since Zuko's abdication.

Said Fire Lord inclines her head thoughtfully. "That may be so, and I certainly have no intention of stepping down anytime soon — but however far off in the future he ascends the throne, Iroh still needs to prepare. I'm not so concerned about his ability to lead — in that, his career in the Forces is excellent preparation — and I know he keeps up with happenings here, so he is nearly as familiar with the goings-on as I am — but to secure the succession, he needs an heir. Preferably before he becomes Fire Lord," she adds dryly.

So the main issue, where Izumi is concerned, is Iroh's courtship.

"He also," Izumi continues, "needs to have more of a presence here. His fleet keeps him busy, and whether or not he keeps himself informed, there are nuances he can only be aware of, influences he can only exert, if he is home more often. I worry, if his future subjects see him only once or twice a year, that it will not foster the goodwill he needs to rule effectively."

She glances at him significantly, so that he reads between her lines. Iroh has to be around to build the authority he needs to keep certain nobles in check.

The gears start turning in his head. "What if…there were a way for Iroh to remain in the Forces, but still be in the Fire Nation more?"

Izumi contemplates that. "That would solve some of the issues," she allows. "But not the biggest one."

He blinks. "What's the biggest one?"

"Serving in the military is not always safe," Izumi says bluntly. "Serving as the commanding officer of a fleet defending the nation involved in arguably the most conflicts at this present time, even less so. How many men and women under Iroh's own command have died thanks to the crises of the last few years?"

His mind conjures up disturbing images of floating bodies in Yue Bay, and the carnage wreaked by Kuvira's army, and he gets Izumi's point.

"Iroh was on the front lines in almost every major conflict involving the United Forces; he could easily have been one of the fallen." Izumi's voice is grave, matter-of-fact, but with an undeniable, almost imperceptible, undercurrent of genuine fear. "The longer he remains in the military, the greater the chances that he will one day be in the wrong place at the wrong time…and should the worst occur, where does that leave us?"

He can see it now. Quite apart from the dire consequences for the Fire Nation, is Izumi's fear of Iroh being injured or killed in the line of duty. In this one concern, Iroh's mother supersedes the Fire Lord.

Izumi exhales, drawing his attention. "I do not want Iroh to be unhappy," she reiterates. Her chin comes up and her eyes gleam topaz hard. "But I will not lose my son."

Something tugs at the edges of his mind, and — unbidden, awoken by the maternal sentiment — he sees Naoki in Izumi. There is no physical resemblance and no blood relationship (he's quite certain his mother was not royalty, despite Bolin's fantasies) — but the same fierce love and care he remembers Naoki having for him is reflected in Izumi's voice now.

Iroh once said he envied him for being able to choose his own destiny; at this moment, however, he envies Iroh his mother's presence.

He finds himself suddenly having to work around a lump that has taken residence in his throat. "Iroh's lucky to have you," he says thickly.

Before Izumi can inquire what he means by that, a clear voice rings out across the garden.

"Mom!"

It is not Iroh calling for his mother (indeed, he has seen neither hide nor hair of the prince this morning); instead, Izumi's second child waves from the railing of the sheltered garden walkway.

"Mai?" the Fire Lord exclaims.

So that's Iroh's sister. 22-year-old Princess Mai Lee has been away on Ember Island for the last fortnight, and so this is his first glimpse of her. Already, he can tell that she is brighter, merrier, and more carefree than her brother (probably because Iroh shoulders the responsibility of heirship), but the family resemblance is still striking.

"I wasn't expecting you back until this evening," Izumi says — and the obvious pleasure at her daughter's early return strikes another chord in his heart.

Iroh's sister says something that he doesn't catch, absorbed as he is in could-have-beens.

"Give me a few minutes, Mai, I'll be with you shortly." Izumi turns back to him to resume — conclude? — their conversation, but he shakes his head and plasters a smile on his face.

"You should go see your daughter, Your Majesty," he says. "I'm sure you've missed her. We can talk again when you're free."

Izumi narrows her eyes, clearly sensing that there's something deeper to his unexpected reluctance to continue their discussion.

Really, it isn't that he doesn't want to — he's here to help Iroh, after all — but there are old memories circling in his head and he has to deal with the emotions they're bringing up if he's going to continue being of use.

Look at him, managing his emotions instead of repressing them. Erin would be proud.

He mutters a hasty, respectful excuse and quickly walks away, stopping short of outright fleeing.

He feels Izumi's eyes on him until he's well out of sight.

A/N: I had a TIME looking for the song to this chapter - it's 'Safe at Home' by Ray Stevens - not at all like my usual listening, and at first I felt like the tune didn't really fit the chapter even though the lyrics did...but after extensive research, I still hadn't found anything better, and the tune sort of molded itself to fit? If that makes sense. So, yes, this is what you get.