Disclaimer: hi (not mine)

Iroh came home with great pomp and ceremony. His time on Ru's ship had been more than successful: they'd wiped out the last major towns in the North Pole that hadn't been absorbed into Agna Qel'a, and they'd claimed three new ports in the northwestern Earth Kingdom in addition to the well-established Qingdao. It was a historic accomplishment for the crown prince's first naval tour, especially in winter. In celebration, there was a grand victory parade through the city when his ship finally reached the docks.

At the end of it, Ursa and Lu Ten were waiting for him at the palace gates, and Iroh swooped down upon them like a man starved for their touch.

"I missed you both so much," he declared, taking them both into his arms and smothering them with kisses.

Back in his father's embrace, Lu Ten wasted no time getting to the point. "Daddy, wanna see my fire?"

"Absolutely I do."

Lu Ten scrunched up his face, focusing very hard, and a little flame popped into his cupped hands. "Look!"

"Incredible, my love!" Iroh laughed, tossing him up into the air. "You'll be the brightest of us all."

The brightest of us all. It sounded nicer than the pressure Ursa worried was waiting for her son.

"Will you teach me?" Lu Ten demanded.

"Of course I will. I promise, little dragon, first thing tomorrow morning, we'll start your firebending lessons."

Was her little boy really ready for firebending lessons? It was happening too fast.

As Ozai had predicted, the success of Ru's ship meant good things for his career: once the victory parade had concluded, Azulon gladly declared Ru's promotion to commander.

"A personal promotion from the Fire Lord!" Kai Ming whispered excitedly as she embraced her husband. "Oh, it's a good thing I was house hunting while you were gone."

"Don't tell me you're actually moving here?" Iroh questioned.

"Yes, we are! Prepare to be sick of me," Kai Ming grinned.

Iroh groaned, but the twinkle in his eye showed he was happy to have his favorite cousin and her small horde of offspring nearby. Ursa was too. And maybe having them here would help Iroh see her point more clearly…

Later that night, after Lu Ten was asleep in his room and husband and wife had finally celebrated Iroh's homecoming properly, Ursa raised the subject. "Iroh," she whispered, interrupting the comfortable post-coital silence, "I want to talk to you about something."

"Hmm…" he shifted beneath her, bare chest rising and falling in a content sigh. "Don't tell me tonight's sex was just so you could have me in a good mood for a big discussion. Here I was thinking you missed me."

"I did!" she protested, moving to pepper his face with kisses. "I really did. I just also might have wanted you in a good mood for the discussion."

He chuckled, low and warm. Ursa had missed that sound. "Is that right?" His callused hands slid up and down her naked back, just the right amount of heat in the touch. "Well, Princess, what do you want now that you've tamed The Dragon of the West?"

Ursa propped her chin on his chest, looking into his eyes very seriously. "I want another baby."

Iroh's hands stilled for just a moment, then resumed their gentle stroking. "Really?"

"Yes. I was thinking about it a lot while you were away, especially once Kai Ming came with her girls. Those sisters are so close, and Lu Ten likes playing with them. I think he'd like having a brother or sister of his own even more."

"He could just play with his cousins, especially if they're moving here."

"It's not the same." Ursa sat up a little, and Iroh sat up with her so she was in his lap now. "I grew up as an only child, Iroh. My friends all lived nearby, and I could play with them whenever I wanted, but it was never the same thing as having a brother or sister. There's something in that sibling bond that can't be recreated. It teaches children how to love and share and care for each other. I think Lu Ten should have that."

"I'm not dismissing your personal experiences," Iroh said quietly. "But that's not how it was for me."

"That's different." Ursa had anticipated he would bring up his childhood, and she had her counterarguments ready. "You're not your father. You've shown that already in the way you raise Lu Ten. I know you're not going to pit our children against each other. Between the two of us, we can make sure they actually have a good relationship. The one you and Ozai deserved to have."

Iroh flinched slightly at that, and Ursa bit her tongue, waiting to see what he would say. Then, he sighed and pulled her close for a hug.

"I'd say I'm still worried about your postpartum depression," he murmured into her hair, "but something tells me you already have a rebuttal prepared for that as well."

"Since we know I'm prone to it, we can prepare for it better. I might even hire a nanny this time, or at least invite my mother to help sooner."

"That would definitely make me feel better," he conceded.

"Anything else?"

"My love, you're acting like I'm your enemy in this discussion. I would like to have another baby too. I never meant to make you think I was opposed to the whole concept of a second child. I'm just…worried."

"I know," Ursa tried to soften her tone. "But worry can't stop us from living our lives, Iroh."

"I know." He kissed her forehead.

"You actually want another baby?" she asked, pulling back to look at him curiously. "You didn't seem that excited about it before."

"Are you kidding? In a perfect world, I want as many babies as you're willing to carry."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I'd give Kai Ming a run for her money," he smiled. "Any child that's half-you and half-me is going to be incredible. That's not what's stopping me. I worry about the strain on your body and mind, and the stress for you raising children while I'm gone. If I could be home all the time and guarantee your health through it all, I wouldn't hesitate nearly as much."

"Let me worry about me," Ursa told him. "I promise, my body and mind are sound enough to have one more."

"Just one more?" he clarified. "Or will we have this conversation again in a few years?"

Good question. "I still think three is a good number," she said after contemplating. "A boy, a girl, and one for good measure."

"I'm not against that. But I want us to be ready to stop at two, depending on how the pregnancy and postpartum go this time."

Ursa nodded. That made sense. "So…we're going to have another? Really?"

"Yes, really."

Joy filled her. She kissed him, desire shooting down her spine when he readily matched her enthusiasm. His tongue found hers, his hands gripped her hips, and then- oh!- he had her on her back in one fluid motion. Spirits, she would never get over how arousing that was.

"You want this one to be a girl, right?" His voice was rough in her ear. "There are some positions that are supposed to help with that."

"Iroh," she tried to laugh, but it came out more like a moan, "we're both still on the tea. We're not conceiving tonight."

"So? We can still practice." His hand trailed down her torso and slipped between her thighs. "Do you have a problem with that?"

She never had a problem with anything he wanted to do down there. He smirked a little too proudly when she told him as much.

Iroh, cont.

I didn't tell Ursa about my real lingering fear since I knew she would brush it off as irrational too. Back then, I was scared because it was the second pregnancy that had killed my mother, not the first. But I knew Ursa was not afflicted with the same health problems as my mother, so I didn't mention it.

Maybe I should have. It wouldn't have made a difference, though.

"Daddy!"

Oh, no.

"Daddy, come on."

The sun couldn't be up yet. It just wasn't possible; Iroh would have felt it if it was. He cracked an eyelid open to confirm: the sky outside Ursa's window was only barely turning orange, the sun still hiding below the horizon. Well, at least Lu Ten had a strong sense of punctuality.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy…" Lu Ten began to chant from next to the bed, practically in Iroh's ear now.

On Iroh's other side, Ursa groaned and smacked him in the shoulder none too gently. "Can you please handle your son?"

"So now he's 'my' son?"

"Daddy, you're awake!"

"No, I'm not," Iroh lied, "I'm sleep-talking."

"Daddy," Lu Ten complained, clambering onto the bed to sit on Iroh's stomach, "you promised."

Yes, unfortunately, he had. He just hadn't expected Lu Ten to take "first thing tomorrow morning" so literally. Opening his eyes properly, he was greeted by his toddler's adorably intense amber stare.

"I know I promised, my love," he yawned. "I'm awake now, see? Come on, let's change out of our pajamas and have some breakfast."

"And then fire?"

"Yes, then fire."

In the kitchen, Aisha and Yuna chuckled at father and son fondly, unable to conceal their amusement at Lu Ten practically bouncing off the walls while Iroh beseeched Aisha to brew a cup of the strongest tea she had. For the most part, Iroh thought of himself as young and full of energy; he was only twenty-five years old, after all, nowhere near his peak of power. But raising a toddler made him feel older than he was. Plus, four months at sea would suck anyone's strength, and he hadn't exactly done a lot of sleeping in Ursa's bed last night…but he didn't need to be at peak condition to stop Lu Ten from burning down the palace.

Well, he was pretty sure he didn't need to be. Lu Ten was firebending remarkably early, but the strength of his fire seemed non threatening so far. Hopefully, it would stay that way until he was old enough to exert a little more control.

"Yuna," Iroh muttered while Aisha served Lu Ten his congee and Iroh his tea, "be honest, was I like this when I started firebending?"

"No, Your Highness, you were far worse. At least your little prince hasn't set anything or anyone on fire yet."

Deserved. Iroh sipped on the spiced black tea and said a silent prayer to Agni for Lu Ten to be better than his forefathers.

"Now fire?" Lu Ten demanded when he finished his congee.

"Yes, now fire." Iroh drained the rest of his tea. "Let's go outside."

To his surprise, a small audience was waiting for them at the training grounds. On the steps to the arena was Ursa in her dressing gown, yawning her head off with Xiliu in her lap.

"Mommy!" Lu Ten hugged her. "Daddy's teaching me."

"Yes, I know! Xiliu and I are so excited. Is it okay if we watch?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm shocked you made it out of bed at this hour," Iroh teased her as Lu Ten ran ahead onto the sand.

"Don't worry, I'm going right back to bed after this. I just didn't want to miss his first lesson."

Iroh tried to remember what his own mother's reaction had been to his first fire. Probably a touch of panic, seeing as he'd set her breakfast table on fire, but had there been pride too? He vaguely recalled her laughing about it once she'd put out the fire. That seemed like her.

One of the disadvantages of Iroh being a prodigy was that he didn't really remember his first firebending lessons all that well. Father had offered some advice, but after a lot of ruminating at sea, Iroh knew he didn't want to adopt his father's teaching style.

"Here, love," he beckoned his son over to the center of the square, "sit down with me."

"Okay." Lu Ten sat, mimicking Iroh's cross-legged posture.

"Tell me about your fire." Iroh had decided to open with this question, in honor of the Sun Warriors' wisdom. "How does it feel to you?"

"Hmm…warm?"

"Yes, mine's warm too," Iroh agreed. "Anything else?"

Lu Ten cocked his head. "Kind of tickly."

"Your fire tickles?"

"Yeah," he giggled. "Makes me wanna laugh!"
"So, does it make you feel happy?"

"Mm-hmm. Can I make some now, Daddy?"

"In a minute." Iroh was proud Lu Ten already associated fire with warmth and happiness; that was exactly what the Sun Warriors preached. "I'm going to make some first."

"Ooh!" Lu Ten let out a delighted squeal. Watching other people firebend, especially Iroh, was one of his great joys in life.

"I'm going to make a fire, and I want you to tell me how it feels to you." Iroh held out his left palm and produced a small yellow flame, making sure Lu Ten's hands didn't get too close. "What do you think?"

"This tickles too," Lu Ten declared. "And it's soft!"

"It's soft because I'm keeping it soft." Holding his hand out to the side, Iroh doubled the flame. "I can make it really big too."

"Wow!"

"Yes, wow. But look at my hand now." Iroh put out the fire, and held his empty hand out to Lu Ten. "How does it feel?"

Lu Ten poked it with a finger. "Hot."

"Right. And you see that mark there?" Iroh pointed out the star-shaped lightning scar on his palm.

"Yeah."

"I got that when I was making a fire, and I made it too big. It hurt a lot."

"Really?"

"Yes. And you know that mark Mommy has, right here on her arm?" Iroh tapped on his right wrist for show.

"Yeah."

"She got that when someone else made a fire too big near her. It hurt her very badly because she can't make fire."

"Someone hurt Mommy?"

Yes, and I killed him for it. "Yes, he did. If you're not very careful with your fire, you might hurt yourself, or Mommy, or someone else. That's why Uncle Ozai told you not to make fire without me. Understand?"

"Yeah," Lu Ten nodded readily.

"You have to always be careful. You shouldn't make fire without me, and you should always keep your fire small and soft until I say you can make it bigger, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Now, show me your fire again."

They didn't do much, really, for that first lesson. The early stages of firebending were all about teaching safety and restraint. But Lu Ten had a knack for these things. According to Ursa, he hadn't made a fire without permission once since his first fire, and he didn't seem prone to emotionally-fueled fiery outbursts like many children. Then again, Lu Ten had never been prone to tantrums at all. Maybe his next tantrum would show them whether emotional fires had to be a concern.

For now, though, Iroh just relished the joy of teaching his son to firebend. There would be so many more lessons where Lu Ten could learn true mastery, but for now, they just worked on little goals. How long could Lu Ten hold his fire for? Could he share his fire with his dad? How small could he make it before it went out? They went on like this for about a quarter hour, until Lu Ten was sweaty with effort. Firebending took a lot of energy for little ones. These lessons would be short until he got older.

"Look at the sun, my love," Iroh decided to wrap up. "Do you know what the sun is?"

"No."

"It's the celestial fire; the great fire in the sky. It helps make our fires warm and strong. Always be thankful to the sun."

"Okay." Lu Ten squinted at the rising sun in the distance. "Thank you, sun!"
On the steps, Ursa laughed. Iroh grinned back at her. Their boy was so well-mannered.

"Good job, little dragon." Iroh ruffled his hair and stood up. "I think that's enough for today."

"Can we do it again tomorrow?" Lu Ten asked, scrambling to his feet.

"Yes, we'll practice every morning when I'm home. But tomorrow, wait for me to come get you, okay?"

"Okay. And can we bring Uncle Zai?"

A strange ache appeared in Iroh's throat as he looked down at Lu Ten's shining eyes. Did his son not like his teaching style? Was that why he was asking for his uncle already?

"Why do you want Uncle Zai, honey?" Ursa called from where she was sitting.

"Uncle said Daddy's the best firebender in the world. He should learn from Daddy too."

Iroh snorted, tension easing. "Is that what he said?"

"Yeah-huh."

"Well, don't let your Uncle Zai fool you. He's a pretty good firebender too. We can bring him sometimes, if he wakes up early enough to come with us."

"Okay!"

It wasn't a half-bad idea, Iroh had to admit to himself. Ozai remembered his early firebending lessons more clearly than Iroh since he'd been a "late" bloomer. Plus, Ozai would be home whenever Iroh wasn't. Someone had to oversee Lu Ten's firebending instruction while Iroh was gone, and he didn't want it to be the FIre Lord.

But he wasn't sure Ozai was a much better choice.

Ursa, cont.

As worried as I was about the prophecy and Lu Ten's future, watching Iroh take him through that first lesson soothed much of my anxiety. Iroh didn't say a word about fighting, or power, or strength. He just taught Lu Ten about warmth and safety and the sun. While the pressure came later, as it inevitably had to for a boy in Lu Ten's position, I always felt better knowing Iroh was the person who'd shaped Lu Ten's outlook on firebending.

It reminded me of what the Sun Warrior healer Maya had said to me, back during my first Autumn Festival, about what the Sun Warriors had seen in the prophecy. They believed the union of the Avatar's bloodline with the royal family would restore balance to the ways of firebending once more. I still don't know if the Fire Sages predicted the same outcome, but I'd wager it was something similar. Watching Iroh train Lu Ten, I thought I saw it coming true: a new generation of the royal family, with a fire fuelled by something warm and true instead of rage and ambition. With Iroh as heir to the throne, and Lu Ten to follow, they could show the entire nation how to firebend the way they did.

I wish that was all it took to restore balance.

Still, with Lu Ten getting older, Iroh's agreement to have a second child, and Kai Ming moving to the capital, I felt truly content with the state of my family. Naturally, that was when the White Lotus decided I'd had too much contentment.

I hadn't given much thought to the White Lotus since Lu Ten's first birthday, when I'd asked Piandao to look into Jinpa and Qin for me. About a year after that, he hadn't told me much; he was busy on the battlefield and had other White Lotus tasks of his own aside from the favor I'd asked of him. The few notes he sent me included random details.

For example, Jinpa's daughter had nearly married the Fire Lord, but Jinpa had retracted that proposal out of respect for the old general Lu Ten after their years on the battlefield together. In exchange, once Ilah and Azulon were expecting Iroh, Lu Ten had advocated for Jinpa to be made captain of the guard and instructor to the new prince. Apparently, that was almost as good as being grandfather of the future Fire Lord for the White Lotus's purposes.

I wondered, after that anecdote, if Lu Ten the older had been part of the White Lotus as well in his day; if the society had already found its way into the royal family's bloodline before me. I later found out he wasn't, although Jinpa had thought about recruiting him a couple of times. He believed Lu Ten was of the right temperament for the society, but perhaps too far along in his military career and too close to the Fire Lord to risk it. That was another reason why Jinpa wanted to recruit Iroh instead of Ozai, back then. He saw that Iroh took after old general Lu Ten.

As for Qin, Piandao couldn't find out much about him at all. He was an academic through and through, thoroughly uninvolved with the military. My mother was the one who told me more about his story. He'd been born in one of the outer islands, invited to the royal university on scholarship, and had blossomed into a leading historical scholar. Naturally, the White Lotus had snapped him up early. My mother didn't like him much, even though she respected his mind. She thought Qin's way of learning history, from books and secondary sources alone, limited his knowledge. She found him to be too afraid of getting his hands dirty. But she didn't think he was a threat to me, and I didn't either.

So, I was still angry with the White Lotus as a whole, but I didn't believe I had any reason to fear Jinpa and Qin. That made it easier when it was time to go back.

It was so good to have Iroh back home, partly because he could absorb the brunt of Lu Ten's toddler energy. That meant Ursa could collapse back into her bed (that still smelled like Iroh's sandalwood) and sleep away the rest of her morning in peace. Funny how she was a princess, yet this was the biggest luxury of all.

When she woke up, feeling well-rested for the first time since before Iroh had left, she laid in bed just a bit longer while mentally making her plans for her day, Xiliu curled up beside her. She would go spend some time with her boys soon, but first, she needed to do all the princess things she'd been putting off while Iroh was away. There was a pile of correspondence on her desk, and Hana had been saying they needed to start dress rehearsals for the royal play if they were going to be ready for the summer travel season…perhaps it was the right time for Ursa to look into a nanny, especially with a second child coming.

"What do you think, Xiliu?" Ursa asked the cat. "Letters first, or the play schedule?"

Xiliu stretched lazily, which meant he didn't want to leave the room just yet. Ursa didn't either. Letters it was.

About a third of the way through the stack, she found a familiarly mysterious note that made her stomach drop. Jeong Jeong's Lotus signature, the symbol for "home," and an imprint of dried rosemary flowers.

Rosemary. A cry for help, in the Lotuses' flower language. Jeong Jeong was asking for help, and it was something quite serious if he was using the flower language to do it. After all this time, why would he suddenly reach out to her, right after getting back from a mission with Iroh?
There was only one way to find out. "Sorry, Xiliu," Ursa ripped up the note and tossed it into a lamp, "Looks like we're going to start having midnight adventures again."

When a disguised Ursa appeared outside his apartment that night, Jeong Jeong nearly passed out from relief.

"Thank you," he whispered immediately, moving aside to let her in.

"Don't thank me yet. You're alone, right?"

"Yes, yes. I keep waiting for royal guards to show up and drag me away," he laughed humorlessly.

"What?" Her eyes widened with fright, and she lowered her hood. "Jeong Jeong, what on Earth happened on that mission? All of Iroh's letters made it sound like you were doing splendidly."

Iroh had written to her about him? Spirits, that made his treason worse. "I- well, do you want a cup of tea or something, first?"

"I haven't snuck out of the palace since my son was born, and I'm not eager to find out what will happen if he has a bad dream and I'm not there to soothe him. Please, get to the point."

Fair enough. "I got caught on a handoff."

Ursa's mouth opened.

"With a waterbender."

Her hand went over her mouth.

"By Iroh."

"What?" Her hand only barely muffled the cry. "Iroh?"

Jeong Jeong nodded, her panic starting to reawaken his own. "I fed him some cover story, but I'll tell you right now, he doesn't buy it. He said he was going to look into it once he's back. I don't know if he's started already, but I can't imagine it would take him more than a few weeks to confirm it was a lie."

"Oh spirits," Ursa whispered. "What will you do then?"

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to worry by then," he said.

"What do you- oh." She caught onto his meaning. "That's why you want my help."

"Yes."

"Do the others know?"

"No. They'll cut me loose and leave me to my fate. I'm not high-ranking enough for them to try and save me."

Ursa's face darkened. Jeong Jeong didn't know the details of why she'd left—something with her mysterious family background and an argument with Qin that had upset Captain Jinpa greatly when he'd heard of it—but he knew she had gone on bad terms. For a few months, Qin and Jinpa had feared she would turn them in, until it had become clear she had bigger things on her mind as a new mother. But Jeong Jeong had never worried. He'd remembered Ursa as he'd met her, the newcomer princess who'd stood up for the servants, and he'd known deep down that she wouldn't seek revenge that way.

"I could try to delay Iroh," she said finally. "It might buy some time for you to run, but he'd get suspicious. I don't normally take much of an interest in his military work."

"I can't run anyway."

"I'm sure the White Lotus could get you a new identity-"

"No, it's not that. Meena. She'll never run, not while her parents are still here, and Iroh knows I love her. I can't leave her here."

"Iroh wouldn't do anything to her," Ursa said at once.

This was something Jeong Jeong had anticipated and hoped to use to his advantage; Ursa was Iroh's wife, who'd only known him to be loving and gentle and far away from the battlefield. She thought of the Dragon of The West as a half-mythical beast that razed foreign lands and then shed his scales for his return to domesticity. She didn't realize that Dragon was there in the palace; slumbering with his mate and offspring, but still coiled to strike at the heart of his enemies. At the same, though, the Dragon would never strike at his mate.

"Do you know what the penalty for treason is?" he reminded her. "I don't think he would bend the law that much for me."

"Jinpa, Piandao, and I can all vouch for you. Iroh trusts us."

"I need more than that now. Your word alone can't save me."

"Well if my word can't save you, and you don't plan to run, how can I possibly help you?"

"Your word alone can't save me," he clarified. "But if you told him the truth…"

Her eyes widened. "No."

"Jinpa already wants to recruit him. If you were the one to bring him in-"

"And confess that I've been lying to him for years?" she hissed.

"He'll forgive you."

"You just said- the penalty for treason-"

"Agni's sake, Princess, he's not in love with me, is he?"

Ursa stared at him, clearly not finding any humor in the situation.

"Please," he whispered, starting to lose his small hope. "I know it's not fair to ask you, and I know it's my own fault, but- Princess, you know I'm not a traitor, and you know what they do to traitors and their loved ones."

That seemed to strike a nerve. Her face softened again.

"You said to me, back when we first met through the White Lotus, that we were like partners because we joined together," he continued desperately. "We were partners when we learned the codes together. We were partners when we brought in Piandao together. We were partners- even when you left the society, I never stopped looking after you. Not just because it was my job as captain, but because I never stopped thinking of you as my partner in all this secrecy, even after Jinpa and Qin wouldn't tell me why you'd gone. I know that's a small thing and I don't deserve anything for that, but I really truly think Jinpa is right when he says Iroh would be a good fit for the White Lotus. I learned that much, being on a ship with him for four months. I'm trying to save my own skin, yes, but I think- I think he would've ended up finding his way here sooner or later, especially with your and Piandao's connections."

To Jeong Jeong's horror, Ursa was quiet for a very long moment. Then, "I think I'll take that cup of tea now," she said softly, slumping down in a chair.

She was thinking about it. As long as she was thinking about it, thank the spirits, Jeong Jeong wasn't a dead man walking just yet.

"Thank you," she whispered when he brought her the tea. "You know, Jeong Jeong, I really was sorry to leave without explaining it to you. My partner." She toasted him informally. "Maybe I can make up for it now."

Qin was eying her like she was something sprung out of a zoology textbook, and Jinpa looked like he couldn't decide whether to apologize or tell her off, but at least the two of them had agreed to this meeting. Jeong Jeong sat next to her, her one sure ally in this backroom gathering, explaining the peril he'd found himself in.

"I don't want to talk about what happened when I left," Ursa began once he finished, not bothering with pleasantries. "Here's what's important. I'm coming back, and I'm bringing Iroh with me."

Jinpa immediately lit up, while Qin's face tightened. They glanced at each other, clearly having a silent discussion.

"You may return, if you like," Qin said, still staring at Jinpa. "But Iroh can't join."

"You aren't still hung up on Ozai joining, are you?" Ursa challenged. "Because you're the only one in the room with that opinion."

"Please, put that difference aside." He turned to her. "It's not just me who says no to Iroh. It's the White Dragon."

"The White Dragon?" Jeong Jeong asked.

"You two haven't needed to know of him before," Jinpa explained. "The White Dragon is one of the Grand Lotuses, a member with the power to call us all together. He oversees everything we do in the Fire Nation, and he keeps in contact with the other Grand Lotuses around the world to know what's happening everywhere else. Qin is unfortunately correct that he would never permit Iroh to join."

"Why not?" Ursa asked. Her own mother had almost been a Grand Lotus. Did she know of this White Dragon character?

"The White Dragon is the defender of dragons," Qin explained simply. "Iroh slayed not just any dragon, but the very last dragon in the world. The White Dragon will die before he lets a dragonslayer of that calibre join."

Jinpa regretfully nodded in agreement. "Before Iroh became the Dragon of the West, I would have advocated for his membership as well, but no one can change the White Dragon's mind on this. Dragonslayers are unforgivable in his eyes."

But Iroh's not a dragonslayer. The words were on the tip of her tongue; she had to hold them back before she blurted out the secret. This White Dragon, if he knew the truth of Ran and Shaw, would have no objection to Iroh joining. In fact, he might want Iroh to join.

"Couldn't I speak to him?" she said instead.

Qin smiled apologetically. "Please, Ursa, you've only just come back. It's not that easy for you to seek a meeting with a Grand Lotus."

"You need me," she countered. "You know who my family is, both the one I was born into and the one I married into. It's best to have us on your side than against you, isn't it?"

"So you're against us if we don't give you what we want?""

"Enough," Jinpa interrupted, shooting a frown at Qin. "Ursa, even we don't get to speak to the Grand Lotus often. It's not just a question of confidentiality, but his own safety."

"How do you mean?"

"The White Dragon is a very personal enemy of the royal family. More than sixty years ago, when he was a young man, he took a pilgrimage to what was once the Sun Warriors' Island in search of a way to save the dragons. When he came back, he claimed he'd been given a vision by the islands' spirits that it was his destiny to end Sozin's war on the dragons. A few years later, he attacked Sozin in broad daylight during a dragon hunt and killed him."

Ursa inhaled sharply. He'd been to the Sun Warriors' Island, trying to save the dragons? She knew that story. She'd heard it before, when she'd been to the island herself.

"He killed him?" Jeong Jeong asked, eyes wide. "How is that possible? Fire Lord Sozin was undefeated in battle, and he died of old age."

"We still don't know what exactly the White Dragon did. We think he was blessed with some special technique by the spirits of the island; the fire he used was blinding white, hence his name," Jinpa shrugged. "Sozin technically survived, but as old as he was, he ended up dying from his injuries in the attack not long afterwards. The official cause of his death was reported as old age, but a handful of people know what really happened. Fire Lord Azulon is one of them."

"Fire Lord Azulon was at that dragon hunt when the White Dragon struck," Qin continued. "He was the one who stopped him from killing Sozin on the spot. He spent years after that plastering The White Dragon's face on wanted posters and hunting him to avenge his father's death, to the point where the White Dragon fled the Fire Nation for a long time. If anyone recognized him now, and word of it got back to the Fire Lord, the hunt would resume. And he's a much older, easier target now."

"Why did he ever come back, if he's such a wanted man?" Jeong Jeong questioned.

"The Fire Lord eventually stopped looking for him, and The White Dragon missed his country. He hides in small villages these days, enjoying the countryside and keeping his head down while watching the rest of our movements."

As fascinating as the White Dragon's legend was, Ursa was trying to remember something else. Back on the Sun Warriors' Island, Iroh had told her there was a young man who'd been blessed by Ran and Shaw over sixty years ago, a young man who had journeyed to the island in search of a way to stop dragon hunting. That young man must have become The White Dragon; the timelines added up! His name, his name…Oh, what had Iroh said that man's name was?

"Kuzon!" she gasped. "The White Dragon- his name is Kuzon, isn't it?"

Both Qin and Jinpa stared at her with undisguised shock. "How," Qin said slowly, "do you know that name?"

Ah-ha, now she had the upper hand with them for once. Trying not to look too smug, she folded her arms. "I believe Kuzon's the only one who really needs to know the answer to that question. Would you mind relaying my request to speak to him?"

A/N: I apologize in advance for vanishing for a while after this chapter. Law school finals are happening again. Will hopefully be back soon since I'm excited to write more about Kuzon!

~Bobbi