Ursa's Choice

There was so much commotion all about, guards rushing and soldiers readying their armor, and the sound of battle far off from the harbor of Caldera City. Ursa hurried through the halls, one year old Azula in her arms, whimpering softly and shaking in fright. Just around the corner and down the stairs, and Ursa was in the servants quarters, surprising several maids. "My Lady-" one said, but she cut her off. She had no time to waste.

"Please, take Azula," Ursa said, shoving the child into her arms. "They won't hurt her if they don't know she's part of the royal family."

"Yes My Lady!" the maid nodded, taking Azula and holding her tight despite the young girl's protests. "My Lady, you should stay here, it will be safer!" the maid then pleaded. An explosion caused her and the others to jump, and glance anxiously out the window. They were coming.

Ursa shook her head. "I have to go find Zuko." She felt the tears prick her eyes as she thought of the little three year old back in the nursery, where she left him. "Please, keep her safe!" she said, even though she knew it wasn't necessary. Then she turned around and practically fled down the halls, back towards he royal quarters. The nursery was exactly as she left it, toys strewn about the floor, a dying fire cackling in the hearth. And three year old Zuko playing on the floor, having not moved an inch from where she told him to stay. "Oh Zuko!" Ursa cried, scooping the toddler up into her arms and sitting on the couch.

"Mama," Zuko said, looking worried. "Why'rou crying?"

"Because the spirits have been cruel," Ursa sighed against his head, kissing his brow. He didn't understand. Wouldn't understand for years to come. Because what was she to do? Out there, storming through the city, all the forces of the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom were bearing down upon the palace. Yelling and screaming, all in the name for peace. Coming for her son.

The Avatar.

Ursa didn't know who found out. There must be a rat in the palace. A servant, an instructor, a noble...the possibilities were endless. Someone who happened so see the little prince bend an element he never should have. Before Ursa found out herself, and told him that he must hide it. From everyone, even his father. Especially his father.

But someone found out, and now the enemy has come to take him away. Train him. Teach him. Raise him as they would have it, as their own Avatar, to destroy the Fire Nation. Ursa had no love for the war, but she would never give up her son to end it. And yet she might have to.

What if Azulon found out? What if Ozai found out? And they would, of course they would. There was no way Ursa could keep Zuko hidden forever. Maybe a few weeks, or months, even years. But eventually, he'd slip up. And it didn't matter if he was loyal to the Fire Nation. He would be taken away and punished, simply for being something he could never control.

And so Ursa must choose: give up her precious baby, with the hope that he'll live? Or keep him, in her arms and away from the enemy, but under the deadly gaze of his own family? Yes, the spirits were very cruel.

"Mama, don' be sad," Zuko said very softly, reaching up to wipe a tear from her cheek.

Ursa couldn't help but smile at the innocent, ignorant child in her arms. She held him to her tighter and whispered into his ear, "You have to listen to me Zuko. Lots of things are going to change." She pulled back and stroked his hair, saying, "People are going to come and..." She lowered her eyes. Could she really do it? Could she give him up, to protect him?

Zuko was looking at her expectantly, though he couldn't possible know what she was talking about. There was a great blast, so much closer this time, and he drew nearer to her. "Loud noises," he said. "M' scared."

"Don't be scared darling," Ursa quickly assured him. "No one's going to hurt you." No matter what the outcome of today was, that was one thing she'd be sure of. No one was harming a hair on her precious little boy's head.

Ursa stiffened when she heard the alarmed cries. "They're in the palace! They're in the palace!" This was her last chance. Her last chance to hide Zuko away from the invaders. There were plenty of secret passages and hidden walls. It would be easy to tuck him away in a nice, safe little nook until the enemy could be driven back. But then what? It would simply be a ticking bomb to explode, waiting until Zuko's secret was out. If it wasn't already.

It occurred to Ursa that Azulon and Ozai probably knew why the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom were here. How could they keep something so big a secret? And if that was true, then there really was no option. She must give up Zuko. Or he will be killed.

She could hear the shouts and fighting from the halls. She hoped desperately that Azula was okay. She was in the lowest section of the palace, and Ursa had taken the time to change her into simpler clothes. In the hands of any common maid, hopefully she'd be overlooked. The invaders knew who they were looking for, after all.

"M' scared!" Zuko repeated when he heard the panicked screams of soldiers passing on to the next realm. He huddled in her arms, shivering despite the summer warmth, playing with his hair like he did when he was nervous.

"I know," Ursa whispered, holding him tight while she shut her eyes against his head. I am too, she added, just for herself, when the doors burst open and in poured no less than eight of the invaders. She looked up and saw blue and green, all mixed together, working together, for one, common goal: Zuko.

They knew they had found what they were looking for. The one in front, a Water Tribe man, stepped forward, eyeing her warily. "Give us the child, and we'll leave," he told her in a careful voice.

"Mama, 'eres bad man!" Zuko sniffled, turning away from him.

Ursa stroked his hair and stood up, balancing him on her hip. "You've come to take my son away from me," she stated evenly. Her shoulders sag as she added, "But if he remains here, he'll be killed for who he is." The man paused, waiting for her answer. He was patient with her, at least. He must know what horrible conflict she was in. The tears began to fall again. "How can I possibly make such a choice?" she demanded angrily.

"If we win the war," the man said, "you will see him again."

"He will not know me," Ursa snapped. "And if raised by you and the Earth Kingdom, then he will hate me. He will hate all the Fire Nation." But he will live. She cursed the voice in her head, whispering her reason.

It didn't matter though, anyway. She supposed she had already made her choice, by failing to act earlier. Now, even if she tried, Zuko would be taken. Right out of her arms. Screaming, crying...

"No!" Ursa glared fiercely at the invaders, the people she had always been taught as her enemy. She carefully set Zuko behind her, who hid in the folds of her skirt, and said, "I know that you will take my son, and I cannot stop it. But I will not sit by while it happens!" She nudged Zuko to hide behind the end of the couch and lowered herself into her stance. Like everyone in the Fire Nation, she was trained well in the art of war and defense. She would protect her son until she no longer could.

She was being unreasonable, she knew. There was no way she could defeat so many, but she had to at least try. What kind of mother would she be if she didn't? So Ursa called to her inner flame, and breathed deep from the pits of her belly. The soldiers lined up, weapons at the ready, barely had time to jump out of the way when her ball of searing flame sailed towards them, hitting the wall and sending them scattering. Instantly she was bombard by water and earth and metal weapons combined, closing in on her from all directions. She ducked and rolled to the side, quickly glancing back to see Zuko. He had run to the corner, sobbing, and was covering his ears with his hands. He was shouting at the top of his lungs, shouting for her, for Father, for Uncle, Lu Ten, Grandfather...even Azula, his dear little sister whom he adored so much.

Ursa was caught in the stomach by a flying rock she failed to dodge, and the force sent her reeling backwards. She groaned when she hit the floor, feeling bruises already form. She had some trouble getting back up; it had been years since she had firebent combatively. But up she forced herself anyways, because one of the soldiers was trying to reach Zuko, and so she cut him off with a wall of flame, causing him to stumble. There was now a barrier between Zuko and the enemy, weak as it was. The motherly part of her brain worried that Zuko would try to touch the fire and get burned.

It was easy for Ursa to tell that the Water Tribe warriors had reservations about fighting her, probably for being a woman. Even after shooting several fireballs, they held back, not striking deadly blows. She used that to her advantage, focusing less on them and instead on the Earth Kingdom soldiers, who had obviously seen enough females in the Fire Nation army to no longer be surprised by it. She dodged another volley of rocks and sent waves of heat into the ground, burning the feet of several earthbenders. Others were trying to go around her, to get to Zuko, but she was having none of that. She kicked the couch and used a fire ball to send it flying towards the sneaks, tripping them and giving her enough time to turn the water whip heading towards her into steam.

Ursa couldn't keep this up, forever, however. And it looked like she underestimated them, as well. One of the Water Tribe men, the one who had spoken to her before, drew an unfamiliar weapon from his back. It was curved and it looked like it was made of bone, and when he threw it, Ursa easily dodged. She didn't expect it to ricochet off the wall and head straight back for her, hitting her hard in the back and sending her forward. Ursa fell on her hands, and before she could move they were encased in rock. She blasted out of the stone clamps, not caring her hands got burned, and tried to stand. But then there was more rock, encasing her whole arm and her legs, as the earthbender drove her back against the wall. Water shot out against her free hand, freezing it above her. She was well and truly stuck. And the Water Tribe man was approaching Zuko.

"Mama!" Zuko cried fearfully, pushing himself up against the corner. "Go 'way!" he shouted at the man, swinging his arm and causing a thin arc of flame to follow.

The man knelt and removed his wolf helmet. "Hey, it's okay," he tried to say calmly. "We're here to help you."

"I want Mama," Zuko declared, glancing at where she was pinned to the wall. Ursa tried to melt through the ice holding her arm, but one of the waterbenders noticed and froze it solid again.

"We need to get out of here," someone said, looking anxiously back through the ruined doorway of the nursery.

The man nodded and gave an apologetic sigh towards the toddler. "Sorry little buddy," he said, before plucking him up. Zuko began to screech and struggle, but he wasn't nearly strong enough to escape the man's grasp. The invaders began to race back the way they came, taking her precious boy with them. He was screaming for her, crying, sobbing...

"Wait!" Ursa called out desperately, blowing out the ice and rocks around her. She collapsed to the ground in sheer exhaustion, burns covering her arms from the blast, along with the cuts and bruises she already had. A few of the benders got into a stance, but the man holding Zuko held up a hand, and slowly came towards her.

"Mama!" Zuko called, reaching out for her. The man knelt, and Ursa reached up to cup Zuko's cheek. He was crying. Tears were streaking down his cheeks, just like her own, and no matter how many times she brushed them away, they just kept coming.

"Please," Ursa whispered, turning to the man. "His name is Zuko. Protect him. Keep him safe."

"I will," the man promised, standing back up. "I'm sorry," he added, before turning to leave with the rest of his men. Zuko was still crying, and Ursa still wanted to race after him... But everything hurt, and there were flames around her, the nursery in utter shambles. Her lower lip quivered as she collapsed against the ground, breathing heavily, until the darkness slowly closed in, taking away the pain.

And that was how Ursa was found, hours later, unconscious in the burned out nursery. Azula was okay, having remained safely hidden away with the maids. And Lu Ten, the young boy had been so brave, helping the palace servants escape the mass of enemy soldiers despite only being twelve. Iroh and Ozai were both fine, if a little worn, covered in their own scars and bruises. And Azulon...of course he was okay. The invaders had never even reached him. Then again, he hadn't been their target.

The enemy was gone. And so was Zuko.

I do not intend to continue this. The point of this wasn't for a story, but to take a look at tough choices, sacrifices, and doing what needs to be done. As you can see, Ursa has to choose between giving up Zuko or having him face the wrath of Ozai for being the Avatar. And while she 'technically' chooses to give him up by not trying to hide or run, she still can't just sit idly by while her son is taken.

To anyone who thinks that was an overreaction, then just ask a mom how hard it would be to give up their kids. I'm not a mom (still a teenager, heh), but I do babysit a lot and there's a few kids I've known since they were born. Not even I can imagine having to make such a touch decision. Remember, there's always going to be that little inkling that it might be okay. Ursa knows that if she wants to save Zuko, she has to give him up. But there will always be that small little nudge in the back of her mind that it might turn out alright. And that's partly why she doesn't just give Zuko up without a fight. Mostly, however, it's because no matter what the situation, mama-bear is always going to fight for her cubs.

So that's tough choices for you. Doing what you gotta do, no matter how hard it hurts. And remember, Ursa will have to carry with her for the rest of her life that it's her fault Zuko is gone. Even if it was for his own good, that's still harsh. Especially since she set out with that intention in the first place (that whole thing with the maids, got Azula out of the way and to safety, leaving an excuse so that Zuko can get to 'safe hands').

The title Ursa's Choice is reference to the novel and movie Sophie's Choice, which takes place during the holocaust. The choice part is talking about when Sophie and her two young children are taken to Auschwitz and she must decide which of her children will live, and which one will die. This isn't quite as tragic for Ursa, but she still has to make an impossible decision. In addition to the little notion that everything might turn out fine, there's also the small niggling that maybe the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom won't keep him safe. Won't protect him. They are enemies, after all, Avatar or no.

Okay, so like I said, I will not be writing a story on this, but I may or may not post various one-shots that connect to this, while addressing other, difficult matters. There won't be a continuous story though, just random parts that would have a big affect on a character. But, let me just make this clear now: if I decide to post more chapters they will be at random and whenever I please, so don't expect anything.