Opening her eyes, Azula rubbed the sleep from her eyelids, glancing to her side, noting the sleeping Water Tribesman beside her; she noted his calm and sleeping form- he was always so peaceful in his sleep- she noted this is in stark contrast to their night in the abandoned mining village- perhaps he had found some peace in the things he had found in his time with her. She didn't want to admit his influence upon her, but she knew that the Azula that she once was would have never appreciated the sight of a calm sleep- she was far too concerned perfecting her firebending forms and sculpting herself into the perfect heir; with nothing to focus on, and nothing to do, she couldn't help but to analyse every fine detail of her companion- the smell of his hair, the texture of his skin, the sound he would make in his sleep. She had come to understand him like she had never another human being- it was almost unsettling, having passed through her childhood and teenage years never really coming to truly understand a person for anything less than ulterior motives- she knew her childhood friends well, but because she desired to have them in her grasp; in hindsight she knew this was little different to her experiences with Sokka, but the tone of their relationship some how felt so different to anything she had experienced prior- there was no desire for her to control him, perhaps even the opposite: it pleased her to see him rebel, because it showed to her that he could think for himself, that he was with her by choice and not by fear or convoluted obligation- they owed each other nothing, but yet they continued marching on together, as if nothing could divide their resolve to hold onto each other- not their patriotic duties or their world-views- not even the driving wedge of the war itself.

Pulling the blanket off of herself, she moved her right arm, as to test it's motion, and smirked at the flexibility it offered- the wound on her shoulder had faded over the weeks, and now she could confidently say that she was on the way to becoming herself once more- a fully capable fighter, the bearer of blue fire the world had come to fear- she was curious as to her own infamy in the world; she had asked around when they had gone to port a few times on their long journey south, and she knew that many people were enamoured by their story- it had become skewed by rumour and exaggeration to something beyond her wildest dreams- there was everything between a romantic love story between a savage and a Princess and legends of her ruthless treatments of her opponents all leading to her defeat, as if it were willed by the spirits. She knew no one truly understood what happened- how she struggled and won herself the respect of her nation, only for it to be shattered by her brother's desire for the throne- how she had found the respect, admiration and even care of a man she would have never expected to even consider her anything beyond a monster; she was not the same Princess her father had sent to Ba Sing Se to squash a rebellion- Azula did all that was asked of her, yet along the way she changed so much that she was barely recognisable- and it wasn't the crude haircut that he had suggested to her that made all the difference- she was essentially a different person, despite only having spent a few months away from home.

Looking back down toward the Water Tribesman, she noted his squinted eyes and slight motion, indicating to her that he was awake, "So- I see you're growing to my habit of rising with the sun." she noted to Sokka, who raised his brows without opening his eyes before nodding with a slight grunt.

"U-uh good morning to you too." he mumbled before raising one of his hands to wipe the sleep from his eyes; scrunching his fingers at his nose bridge, he looked up to her with interest.

"So are we going to make breakfast?" he asked her, who rolled her eyes at his immediate turn to food, though not surprised- she knew she was hungry as well but she knew too well not to stoop to his level.

"F-fine." she muttered, grabbing her shirt from the bench beside them and slinging it around her shoulders; stepping up from their makeshift bed she turned to the barrel of water they had prepared, tilling a small metal pot into it to fill with water- she appreciated the efficiency of their makeshift kitchen they had assembled with the things they had bought from the various ports they had visited- it was almost as if their boat was becoming crowded, despite only having two people on it.

Placing her right hand under the pot, she boiled the water with some restraint, knowing that the last time she had tried to be as quick as possible she got a face full of steam; turning to their box of rations, she picked out some rice and placed it in the pot, placing it to the side where it wouldn't spill from the motion of the boat. Beside her Sokka pulled himself off his back, putting his own shirt on before slinging over his boomerang- she chuckled at the sight, knowing at this point it was habitual rather than necessary to be carrying his favourite weapon around with him at all times. He stepped over to the fabric covering that made for a door to the front of the boat, pulling aside one of the sheets of fabric to look out- she heard him gasp and stepped closer with interest.

"What is it Sokka?" she asked him, confused by what would make him so shocked.

"It's snow- I haven't seen snow in so long that it's kind of weird." he explained to her, pointing out that the outside of their boat was laced with a fine covering of snow, which seemed to already be melting under the morning sun.

"Hmm- it's less interesting that I imagined it- it just looks like a very pale sand." she noted, the Water Tribesman shaking his head at her assumption.

"It's much better than sand- it's water, so it doesn't stick to you like a sickness." he explained to her, Azula raising a brow in interest.

"Well that sounds much better than sand, other than the fact it's cold." she admitted, the Water Tribesman nodding in understanding of her aversion to the cold.

"Yeah well- my home is as cold as it gets- but we wear comfortable furs that are much better than your peoples clothing- too thin and too many unnecessary layers." he explained to her, his complaints about her nation's attire making her glare at him.

"I'll have you know that Fire Nation clothing is far nicer looking that whatever rags you excuse for clothes." she snidely commented, before indicating to the box of rations beside herself, "How about you do your part- I'm not doing all the cooking like some kind of maidservant." she growled at him, knowing too well that he was far too lazy for his own good.

He raised his hands defensively and nodded back affirmatively, "Yep- yeah- I'll get to work."

He stepped over beside her, leaning in to grab some jerky from the ration box before turning to the chopping board; he grabbed his bone dagger that he had stabbed into the wall on many an occasion- one of their favourite pastimes on the boat was knife-throwing, which she had gained scarily accurate proficiency with her left hand, which was intimidating enough for him to force himself to replicate the ability himself.

Cutting up the jerky into small pieces, he turned to her with interest, "So how is the arm feeling today?" he asked her, who smugly smiled at him as she raised her right hand and spout out blue flames.

"I can bend well now- the movements a little off but soon enough I'll be able to pummel you in a duel." she smirked at him, who eyes opened wide.

"Uh- not on the boat please- I'd prefer not to drown in the middle of the ocean."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Fine then- you'll receive your comeuppance once we reach your frozen wasteland of a home." she glared him down, the Water Tribesman shrugging her threat off.

"Ah come on- you don't want to hurt me, if anything you can fight my sister- I'm sure she'll want to have a piece of you, being a firebender and all." she noted, Azula smirking at him.

"If I can beat a waterbender in her home ground, I'm pretty sure that qualifies me for some kind of recognition." she considered, Sokka coughing under his breath.

"Southern Raider." he muttered, before looking back at her, "So- uh yes- I'd like to see you try." he told her.

"You seem rather eager for me to fight your sister- do you want to see her be beat by a master firebender?" she questioned him, who raised his hands as if he she wasn't spot on.

"I dunno- perhaps I think my sister needs to learn that she isn't the greatest bender in the world because she can throw snow in peoples faces... perhaps." he acknowledged with a tone of nonchalance.

"Perhaps," she smirked at him, "you'd better show off your new skills- a bender being beaten by another bender isn't much, but by a non-bender- that's a another thing in and of itself." she explained, to which he rose a brow.

"So is that why you respect me so much- because I can actually beat you in a fight?" he asked of her, Azula rolling her eyes.

"I haven't tried to fry you with lightning yet- at least not properly." she noted, making him scratch at his neck at the mention of what she had experienced in Yu Dao; turning to face her, he looked on with empathetic eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it- what happened that day?" he asked her, who shrugged her shoulders, her eyes looking at him with cold honesty.

"I killed my uncle in a hallucination- I won't forgot that one." she acknowledged, looking back to focus on her pot of rice, "It's not like I can remember most of it well- I do remember everything you did for me- you were the one who won that day." she told him, making him chuckle in amusement.

"Well- I did beat your brother- a little unfairly, but beat him I did." he smirked looking at her with a sense of confidence in his abilities; she glanced back at him a looked on coldly.

"My uncle's stupidity is the only reason you're alive and I'm out of prison- we should thank him for lacking a spine."

Sokka raised a finger in objection, "That's not exactly what ha-" he begun, only to be cut off by her finger going to his mouth.

"I don't want to hear another apologist word from your mouth- just appreciate the fact that you did your job well that day." she told him, before glancing at the cut jerky beside him, "Toss that it in now- you do want to eat, don't you?" she questioned him, his mind immediately turning to the idea of breakfast, licking his lips in anticipation.

"Certainly." he nodded, picking up the sliced up jerky with his hands and dropping it into the pot of rice, which was cooked and ready to eat.

She mixed the rice and jerky together with a spoon and pulled out the two wooden bowls they had purchased- she noted the crudely carved names he had written into each of their bowls to signify each of the owners; she couldn't help but smile at the detail she found as she plopped bits of their rather basic breakfast into each of the bowls. Handing Sokka his bowl, the Water Tribesman nodded with a smile.

"Thanks- I do love this jerky." he noted, making her roll her eyes.

"Of course you do 'Sokka the Carnivore'." she titled him, making him shrug with a smug smile.

"You're not wrong- I couldn't live without the stuff." he admitted, making her chuckle at his shamelessness.

Picking up her cup she sat down on the bed and begun to eat with a pair of chopsticks slowly eating away at her rather small meal; she knew that the had to ration, but as a Princess she was rather used to larger meals- all she could do was tell herself it was better than eating wild boar in a forest. As she ate her meal, she noted him quickly going through his own, already cleaning out his bowl with his tongue, making her grimace in disgust at his eating habits.

"You could do better to turn away when eating so horribly." she commented, making him smile deviously at her before continuing to do exactly as he had done before, leaving her to roll her eyes and try an ignore his obnoxious chewing as she ate.

As she finished her breakfast, she looked up to her companion, who was silently staring at her, which made her cough to break the uncomfortable awkwardness of the moment, "Excuse me- but I'd prefer if you didn't just stare at me." she suggested to him, only for him to sigh with emphasis.

"I just can't help it- you're so- I don't even have a word to describe it."

She raised a finger to give him an answer, "Majestic." she told him, who scrunched his face in disagreement.

"No- uh- more along the lines of intriguing- that's a better word." he told her, Azula raising a brow in response.

"Intriguing you say?"

"You aren't just any pretty girl- I can see you for who you are: you're intelligent, powerful, driven- probably better than me in every way." he told her, making her lick her lips in approval.

"Well- I mean I appreciate the compliments, but you can't say you know everything about me." she told him, who nodded without another thought.

"I don't- you're a mystery- and I like mysteries." he grinned at her, making her look at him with interest.

"What- so do you want to solve me?" she questioned him, who simply smiled back at her.

"You don't need to be solved." he knelt down beside her, "Some mysteries are better left unsolved."

Leaning in to kiss her lips, she smirked at him, "You think you're so smooth?" she questioned him, Sokka raising a brow at her- he was cut off from any response by her hands grasping his shoulders and pushing him downward,

"You're mine- and I say I do the solving." she smirked at him as she leaned over him.

"What needs solving today?" he asked her with an innocent face- she simply leaned in without another word and kissed him on the lips, breaking for a moment to chuckle at him.

"My every desire."

Standing before the man he dare call his own father, the Fire Lord couldn't help but smirk- he was not a callous man, but he was willing to say, after all the suffering and hardship, he was pleased with what he had achieved; on the other hand, his father refused to look him in the eye, further amusing Zuko, who hadn't even said a word to him after he entered the recluse cell that he had placed his father in. Reaching into a bag by his waist, he retrieved an item that would solidify his stance- his sister's royal headpiece that had signified her title as Crown Princess; though regretted how his relationship with his sister had turned out, he was more than willing to make his father know that he was victorious. Throwing the head piece through the bars into the cell, his father lifted his hair from over his eyes, glancing at the golden headpiece with interest, his eyes widening as he looked at his son, realising the implications of the object before him.

"I've won father- there can only be one Fire Lord." he told him with a rather exaggerated tone of confidence- his desire to mock his father in victory outweighed the uncomfortable feelings he had about having to deal with Azula as he had.

"Hmph- so will my loyal daughter be joining me in prison? I would most certainly enjoy the company." Ozai asked his son with a rather mocking tone, who simply responded by scoffing.

"As much as I would prefer her to be in my grasp, your daughter has evaded capture for the past few weeks since I beat her." he explained to his father, grasping the metal bars as he stared down his father, "I don't expect her to be helping you in any escape attempts- it would be a shame to taint my honour with kinslaying."

He laughed at him mockingly pointing at his son as if he were the one with power in the situation, "You're too weak to even kill me- I doubt you would ever kill your sister, even if your beloved Uncle wanted you to." he chided him, making Zuko grit his teeth in frustration.

"No you're right, but don't think for a second that I won't give you what you deserve." he told him with a cold tone, pointing to the burn on the left side of his face, "You will live- but you will suffer." he threatened before stepping away from the bars.

"Your victory is meaningless- my daughter will free me and I will kill you myself- just like I told my father I would." Ozai glared him down, making his son simply chuckle at his own threats.

"So Azula wasn't lying- so did you do it?" he asked him, implying his father was behind the events of that fateful night where his mother disappeared and his grandfather died.

"I didn't do anything." he simply grumbled, before turning to his son, "I became Fire Lord because I was the chosen heir of my father, the better son." to which Zuko scoffed, in disbelief of his father's arrogance.

"You didn't kill me, and look where we are- perhaps you made a mistake?" he questioned his father who simply looked away from him; seeing that his father wasn't going to respond to his mockery, he chuckled at him and continued,

"Well, I'll have you know your 'loyal daughter' was saved by her dashing lover- who is foreigner, I might add." he noted, making his father looking at him with disbelief.

"She would never- she is loyal to me." Ozai declared in response, his son chuckling at his rather simplistic argument.

"She is loyal to the idea of you- but to her, you've been dead ever since I took the throne, so I don't expect her to follow every one of your stupid tenets." he told his father, who simply rolled his eyes.

"So you're claiming you killed me, yet I sit here with breath in my lungs- you are truly a fool." he chided him, Zuko raising a hand which he filled with flames.

"I can fix that problem if you'd like." he glared at his father, who stood up in response to his threat, filling his own hands with fire.

"I will find a way out here boy- and you will feel the wrath of a thousand suns." he told him with his teeth grit, to which his son simply rolled his eyes.

"You aren't as strong as you think you are father." he chided him, to which Ozai responded with the same tone.

"Neither are you, boy." he glared him down, unable to say any more before his son left the room, uncaring for what ever else his father would have to say.

Leaving the prison block, Zuko nodded at the guards who stood by the door, who bowed back in response to their Fire Lord- to him, the entire situation felt a bit surreal- he was talking down his own father in a prison cell, claiming that he had given mercy for not killing him- a few years ago he would have thought it far more likely that he would have ended up in that cell and his father the one mocking him. He walked up the staircase that led up to the ground floor of the palace, breathing in the fresh air of the courtyard in the centre of the palace; at that moment he knew he needed to clear his head- talking to his father made him feel angry, hateful and vicious, as if he was a mirror image of the man he despised so much. Making his way down through the halls of the Royal Palace, he made his way to a smaller courtyard, where as he had expected, his uncle sat drinking a cup of tea; noting his nephews arrival, Iroh smiled at his nephew, raising a hand to acknowledge him.

"Ah- nephew, it is good to see you at such an hour- have you gone to see Lady Mai?" he asked him, who sighed at the thought of what he wished he had been doing that rather that what he had actually done.

"No- I went to speak to him." he corrected, his uncle raising a brow at him with confusion.

"Why- he has nothing to offer you but hateful words?" he questioned him, the Fire Lord stepping closer with a solemn face.

"I wanted to see his reaction- to ask if he really did have any care for my sister's well-being." he explained himself, sighing in disappointment before continuing, "My father is just as bad as I want to believe he is- even in defeat he believes he is better than me."

Iroh sighed at his story, "My brother is a foolish man- I already knew he had no real care for your sister; look at how he treated you- you couldn't offer him what he desired so he burnt for face for the slightest showing of weakness- she is just the same, she just had the luck of never failing him or showing any sign of 'weakness'." he explained, Zuko nodding in understanding.

"I just wish I could have fixed things another way- for all we know Azula could just show up in a few months time with an army and overthrow me." he lamented, his uncle patting him on the shoulder.

"That won't happen nephew." he simply told him, who looked at him with disbelief.

"How could you know that?" he questioned him.

"I trust that boy- he is a saving grace to us in disguise." he explained to his nephew, who rolled his eyes.

"The ringing sensation I felt in the back of my head for a few hours after that duel says otherwise." he commented, grimacing at the beating he had swiftly received from Sokka after his victory over his sister.

"Zuko, I do not jest- your sister is not the kindest woman to grace the earth, and that boy seemed better than most- I think he will be a good influence on her, perhaps helping her come to understand our point of view, maybe even join us one day." he told him his hopeful idea, to which Zuko shrugged his shoulders.

"I mean it is possible- but can you be certain that she can change?" he questioned his uncle.

"Nephew look at where you came from- you are the better version of yourself, are you not?" he asked of him, forcing his nephew to nod in acceptance of the fact- he knew too well what he had been like before his breakdown- an angry teenager who confidently believed in myths of the Fire Nation's great cause and his father's 'love'.

"I came to see the world in a different light- even if she does the same, she's still Azula." he told Iroh, who nodded in understanding of his point of view.

"She may still be herself, but she is not simply a mirror of your father- if she were, do you think she would have considered aligning herself with that Water Tribesman?"

He sighed in acknowledgement of his uncle's fair argument, "I guess- let's just hope that her friendliness toward him can extend to the rest of the world." he proclaimed, his uncle nodding in agreement.

"Yes- let us hope." he smiled at his nephew, before turning to pick up his teapot, "Did you want a cup- it's still hot." he asked him, tapping the side of the pot.

The Fire Lord smiled at his uncles offer and nodded gratefully, "Yes Uncle." he accepted, his uncle quickly pouring him a cup before handing it to him; Zuko nodded in acceptance before glancing off into the garden, lost in thought, "I- I don't know if I've done the best I could." he told his uncle, in a quiet and solemn tone that he wouldn't expect of him.

"What else could have you done? Let your sister win? Let your father continue to be Fire Lord? You did what you had to Zuko, and I am proud of the man you have become." he assured his nephew, who looked back with a curt smile.

"I hope you're right- I will try to be the Fire Lord you never could be." he assured his uncle, who chuckled at his rather high viewing of his character.

"I wouldn't have been the best Fire Lord- but I am sure you can be."

The low polar sun glimmered down upon the icy shoreline, giving the water an orange tinge- Katara squinted her eyes as she focused on the water before her, trying her best feel the motion as the small waves lapped up against the ice; she had no master to teach her what waterbending was meant to be be like, so she made up the gaps in her head- she knew that water flowed and moved, it transmuted between ice, snow, liquid and steam- it was forever changing. Despite her understanding of her element, she was stuck at the basics of lifting water and snow, let alone manipulating it as a tool or weapon- not that it would be any easier to use than a spear or knife, which in her brothers absence, she had grown well accustomed to handling. She motioned her hands upward calmly, finally moving a small body of water up into the air, grinning at the swift motion she made as she propelled it up above her; feeling the ball of water, she tensed and with her motion it shrunk in size, becoming more unstable before it exploded above her, making her raise her arms to cover from the splash of water that sprayed over her. Dropping her arms down and noting the uncomfortable wetness she experienced over her body, she couldn't help but grit her teeth in frustration.

"I've had it." she mumbled, before her tone raised higher, "I've had enough of playing with this damn water-" she shouted out, before turning behind herself to the village, "Dad's back now- maybe I can finally convince him to find me a master." she thought aloud, before grimacing in realisation, "But after what's happened with Sokka, maybe he won't even let me leave the tribe..." she continued her train of thought, dropping her head in understanding the unrealistic goal she had in mind; she had waited all her life, ever since she knew she was a bender to find a master, to be taught the art-form- the way of life of waterbending, but her father had always refused, telling her it was too dangerous to go try and take a child to the North Pole.

She considered it was still worth a try- she hadn't asked since he had got home, and ever since he got a message from Bato about Sokka's whereabouts, he was much calmer and she thought at that moment that he might be willing to reason for her learning waterbending- after all if they were going to keep on fighting the Fire Nation, at the very least she should be able to get good enough to join them, lest she be stuck around doing chores with Gran-Gran for the rest of her life. She smirked at the thought of her and her brother taking on the Fire Nation together, which in her eyes was a dream that might become reality- pacing up toward the wall of her village, she climbed up the snowy escarpment before standing on the wall, looking out at her village- it was far more lively than it had been in the few months in which the men of the tribe had once again gone to the Earth Kingdom, and it brought a smile to her face to see the mood improve dramatically. It always made her feel disappointed by the general feeling of hopelessness and sadness that felt like a rot in her home, but with the men back it seemed like there was a touch of hope; after all the war might have been practically won by the Fire Nation but they were still free, even after all the raids. Walking up to her families igloo, she opened the skin covering to glance in, noting her father sitting down eating lunch- she was relieved that he wasn't doing anything too serious, lest her suggestion mightn't be considered seriously.

"Hi Dad." she greeted him, who turned to face his daughter with a surprised smile.

"Katara- I haven't seen you today- too many chores?" he asked her, which she laughed off.

"Ah- something like that." she dismissed, knowing that she probably shouldn't tell him she was playing around with water for a good thirty minutes, "I'm just on a break right now- mind if I join you?" she asked, to which he shook his head and indicated for her to sit down beside her.

"No not at all- seaweed noodles today." he told her, Katara sitting down beside him with a grin.

"Gran-Gran always makes it good" she acknowledged before her father handed her a bowl; picking up the bowel she used a pair of chopsticks set beside the dish to start picking up pieces of noodles; after eating a few pieces she decided she ought to address her father on the issue she had in mind.

"Dad- I've been thinking- after all that's happened, I think I should try and help the tribe with my abilities." she told her father, who raised a brow at her suggestion.

"Waterbending? How have your skills been going along? I saw you making some moves a few days ago." he asked her, making her blush in embarrassment, knowing all too well her skills weren't as good as they could be.

"I'm trying to get better, but I don't think it will be very useful without any training." she told him bluntly, before looking at him with a serious face, "Dad- would you consider sending me to the North Pole to be trained- I'm sure it would greatly help our tribe- we can barely build an igloo, let alone protect ourselves from the Fire Nation." she told him, her father nodding in understanding of her sentiment.

"I get what you mean Katara, but how can we get to the North Pole? The men won't be leaving at least until winter comes, and even then after what happened with that shipwreck, I don't know if I could get enough volunteers to head north." he told her with a solemn tone, understanding that she all she really wanted was to become a better waterbender.

"Couldn't Sokka take me- when he gets back of course- he's a good sailor isn't he?" she asked her father, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Even if that's true, sending my two children to the other side of the world, all alone is something I can't really agree to." he told with a stern tone, picking up some noodles to chew on, stopping his daughter from trying to argue with him.

"B-but Dad- you know how much this means to me- can't y-" she begun to plead, before she was cut off by someone barging into the igloo.

"Chief! A boat has been spotted off the coast!" a man told her father with a serious tone- scared even, unsure what a boat coming to their tribe might harbour.

Katara raised a brow and looked to the scared villager, "What- a boat? Was it Fire Nation?" she questioned him, who shook his head.

"No- no- it's a normal sail boat." he told her, seeming as confused as she was.
Her father stepped up and looked to the fellow villager with concern, "Aujaq- how large is it?" he asked him, who raised his hand to image the size of the boat.

"Not big- probably only could fit a few people on it." he told him, Hakoda nodding in understanding.

"Okay- get some men ready, we'll go and investigate this 'little boat'." he told him, Aujaq nodding in understanding of his chief's command.

"Of course, Chief." he nodded, stepping out of the igloo to find some men to help them.

She turned to her father with intent, knowing this was the perfect time to prove herself, "Dad, let me come and help." she asked of him, her father looking at her with a slight grimace before nodding at her.

"Of course- get- uh- a weapon- you never know if you'll need one." he advised her, feeling somewhat uncomfortable telling his daughter to be prepared for a fight.

Nodding confidently at him, she picked up a bone knife from one of the bags in the igloo, which glinted from the small bit of sunlight peering through the doorway, "Like this?" she asked him, her father nodding with encouragement.

"Uh, yes- like that." he confirmed before stepping out of the igloo himself, to which she followed, covering her eyes from the glare of the sun as she exited.
Her father picked up a spear from a rack nearby, stabbing it into the snow to test it's durability before nodding at his daughter, "Let's get the men rounded up."

Following her father out to the entrance of their village, she noted the hastily assembled group of men who had be collected to investigate the boat; her father stood forward to address the men, who seemed tense from the idea of having to deal with outsiders- they hadn't had a raid in many years now, but they knew all too well that they could change any day.

"Okay men- you know the drill- we'll investigate the ship- but remember, we're not fighting anyone we don't need to, especially on our own grounds." he advised his men, who nodded in agreement; Katara knew that they respected her father just as much as she did- he didn't need to order them to do the right thing, they trusted his word like they trusted the continued passing of the seasons.

Turning to Aujaq, her father asked, "So- where did you see it last?"

The tribesman pointed out across the tundra to the north, "It was up toward the hills, near the forbidden shipwreck- it wasn't moving very fast so I'm guessing they'll still be around- not much wind today anyway." he noted, Hakoda nodding with understanding.

"Well that settles it- let's go check it out men." he indicated to his fellow tribesmen who nodded, baring their various weapons and following in line behind him- she made sure to be following right behind her father, knowing that she wanted to be by his side in handling whatever they would.

She walked beside her father in front of the group as they paced across the tundra, following the usual tracks across the icy plain toward the forbidden shipwreck, which was located at the headland of the bay in which their village was placed; she knew that their village was relatively recluse- she considered that perhaps the boat had tried to land further up the coast where there were less ice hazards- that's what she thought, but having not much understanding of the ins and outs of sailing she was left guessing as to why they would go there. As they crossed a snowy hillock, they made sight of the forbidden shipwreck, standing out of the ice like a sore thumb- as they looked out across the glaringly white landscape, her father pointed out the ship that was just as Aujaq had described- a small sail boat, currently straddling the shoreline; Katara looked on in interest, kneeling down beside her father as the group decided to cover themselves- the boat was obviously trying to land, but she had no idea why it was at her home. Raising her hand over her eyes, she squinted her eyes to try and get a better look on the boat, noting out a figure standing on the boat, cloaked in the cold and far too hard to make out; turning to her father.

"There's definitely someone in there Dad." she commented, Hakoda nodding with confidence.

"Yes- well, we ought to get a little closer to see who and what is on that boat- for all we know it could be a lost fisherman." he considered, which made her chuckle.

"Dad- someone would have be really bad at sailing to get themselves lost here." she told him, before raising a finger to her chin, "... Or very good- I can't tell."

"Probably good- these waters are dangerous, and anything that isn't a Fire Nation icebreaker is going to find itself in trouble navigating the sloe." he told her, after which he begun to make his way forward, his followers spreading out to make good cover with the fresh snow.

As she paced forward with her bone knife in hand, she noticed that the figure she had seen had already gone back into their boat, and this gave them a prime opportunity to sneak up on them- she thought that a friendly conversation ought to do the work well, despite the arms that they all beared; closing in on the ship, her father indicated for her to hide with him behind a outcropping of snow, which was the closest obstacle she could see between her and the boat. Kneeling down beside him, she glanced out over the snow pile at the boat to note it- she couldn't tell where the boat was from, but the deck of it was filled with various objects- barrels and bags, nothing that seemed too suspicious; Katara considered for a moment that it might just be a trader that had lost their way, or maybe even decided to try and sell their wares down South- she thought that at the very least that might be a good thing- their people were poor and thinly supplied- a good trade would give them more than enough to help their tribe get back on their feet.

Her father turned to her and nodded, "It's an Earth Kingdom boat- I've seen a few ships just like this one on our travels- I don't think these people will be hostile." he told her, lowering his spear into the snow, to which she nodded with a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank the spirits- maybe they can help us?" she considered, her father nodding back in approval.

"That would be nice." he admitted, before they both turned back to look at the boat, waiting for someone to come out of it.

After a few moments, she made out some grunting noises and the noise of muffled voices- there was at least two people, she noted- soon enough the figure returned out of the cabin of the boat, lifting up a canvas to exit- at that moment she made out something very distinct about the person before her- he was wearing red and gray plate armour; Katara had the memory of Fire Nation soldiers well ingrained in her head, and she knew that the man before her was most certainly one of them. He looked out to the snow with his upper body covered by his thick gray cloak, not noticing them, he turned back to the boat to indicate for who ever else was in the boat to get out; noting that the man was looking away, she knew she had to take the initiative- the man before her was Fire Nation, and the Fire Nation was her enemy. Jumping over the snow she raced at the man, using her open hand to lift up a large amount of snow off the ground, which drifted with her motioning to be flung at the man, which knocked him off his feet; hearing him yelp in pain she raced over to the boat, preparing to use her knife if she had to. As she jumped onto the boat, she readied her knife, but before she could do anything, the man turned to face her, throwing a boomerang at her head- at that very moment she realised she wasn't fighting a Fire Nation soldier: she was fighting her brother; she was hit in the shoulder by the boomerang and flung to the deck of the boat, after which she whelped and looked to her brother with shock, scanning his figure. He looked completely different- his hair tied up in a topknot with a scraggly beard to go along side- all of that was complemented by the fact he was wearing Fire Nation armour, which further confused her- not a bit of his clothing made him seem Water Tribe at all, only his boomerang giving his identity away.

"K-Katara?" he muttered in shock, realising that he had just been attacked by his own sister.

She was speechless at the moment saying nothing as he grabbed him, reaching in for a hug- she hadn't seen her brother in months- after what she had heard about the shipwreck, she feared for the worst, but soon after relieved to know that he and Bato had found each other- but that was months ago now, and the delay from the letter wouldn't have helped; now with her brother in her arms she didn't know what to say- part of her was angry that he had left with the men in the first place, and another part was relieved that her brother was finally safe and home with the tribe once more.

"I- I missed you." she mumbled to him, to which her brother simply chuckled, patting the back of her head; moments later their father was beside them on the deck of the ship.

"Sokka!" he exclaimed in surprise of his son's return, reaching in to join the hug; looking at his son for a moment, Hakoda realised how much he had changed since he last saw him, "Huh- you grew my beard." he noted with a sense of humour, to which Sokka simply shrugged.

"Uh- yeah- I haven't shaved in a while." he noted, with as much surprise as his father had.

Katara raised a brow at her brother as she broke the hug, knowing that there was someone else on the boat, "Wait- Sokka, who is with you?" she asked him, making her brother shrink back almost fearfully.

"Oh- uh- well-" he begun to mumble, to which their father's eyes widened.

"S-Sokka- you didn't bring her with you, did you?" he questioned his son, to which he simply bared an awkwardly straight face.

"Um- well if you're talking about who I think you are- yes." he confirmed his father's suspicion, to which his eyes widened with a sense of shock, confusing his sister further.

"Can someone please explain to me who you're talking about?" she questioned, only to be interrupted by said person walking through the canvas doorway; she looked on at the girl who stood before her- she had dark hair, trimmed to neck length, with two long bangs hanging down her face- most distinctive were her golden eyes that glared her down as she muttered a single word.

"Me." she simply uttered, leaving Katara and her father speechless.

Her brother stepped forward to intervene, "Uh yes- this is- uh- my sister and my dad." he introduced her, to which she raised a brow.

"And who exactly are you?" she questioned the unusual looking girl.

"Exactly?" the girl clarified, before smirking, "I am Crown Princess Azula, daughter of Fire Lord Ozai, the rightful ruler of the Fire Nation." she exposed herself, to which her jaw dropped.

"What?!" Katara screamed in shock, looking to her brother with horror, "The Crown Princess of the Fire Nation?!" she shouted at him, to which he simply shrunk back in fear, knowing that his sister wouldn't take any person from the Fire Nation, let alone their royalty, in their lands; before he could respond Azula raised a finger to clarify.

"Not just that- I'm also-" she begun to explain, only to be cut off by Sokka's hand covering her mouth.

"Uh- she's my girlfriend." he muttered, which only made his sister's eyes open wider.

"She's your what?!" she exclaimed, their father's eyes opening in a similar shock.

"Bato wasn't joking- I thought he was joking." Hakoda mumbled in disbelief of the words he was hearing.

She grabbed her brother by his plate armour and shook him, "Have you gone crazy?! Did my brother drown in that shipwreck?" she questioned him in horror, thinking that the Sokka she knew would never consider, let alone date, someone from the Fire Nation.

"I can explain." he assured her, before turning to his supposed 'girlfriend', "You have to back me up here."

Azula raised her hands defensively, imitating a pose that Katara knew that her brother frequently made, "Don't look at me- it's not like they're going to believe a word I say." she told him bluntly, to which he rolled his eyes.

Turning back to his sister he sighed with frustration, "I can tell you everything- but it's a little complicated." he told her, who raised a brow, looking back to their fellow tribesmen who were standing in the distance, looking on in confusion.

"We have all the time in the world." she glared at her brother's 'girlfriend', who waved off her intimidating glance.

"Can we at least sit inside the cabin- it's a little cold." Sokka asked his sister, deflecting her attention; despite the situation, Azula begun to mockingly laugh at him, pointing at him accusingly.

"Ahah- I knew it- you really have lost your spine for the cold!" she exclaimed, much to his families confusion.

"Now is not the time and place for making fun of me." he told her with frustration, which made Katara audibly chuckle, reminding her of how she would always argue with him.

"Everywhere and every time is the right place for that." she smugly told him before stepping back into the cabin.

Turning back to his sister and father he sighed, "Well- do you want to hear my convoluted story of how I ended up back home in Fire Nation armour in a stolen fishing boat along with a girlfriend who you'd probably expect to be- uh- you know- my enemy?"

His sister chuckled at his rather drawn out offer, "Uh- okay- I'm sure it will make me trust your new girlfriend." she sarcastically remarked, much to his chagrin.

He raised a finger to try and argue against her statement, but simply shrugged ads sighed, "I don't think you two are going to get along."

"Get along? I'd rather jump in the sea and swim to the Earth Kingdom than be friends with some ash-maker Princess." she snidely told him, which made him simply chuckle.

"Well that's what I did- but when I swam there she still found a way to try and kill me." he simply told her in consideration of the story he was about to tell her, much to Katara's shock.

"She-" she pointed into the cabin, her tone rising, "She's your girlfriend?!"

"That's why you need to listen to the story."

This is it guys, the last chapter/epilogue- coincidentally I'm posting this on my birthday, so this is my present to the world! Do not fear if you are itching for more, there will most certainly be a sequel to this fic, although I'm not planning to write it until this summer (December) due to other writing projects. Hope you've enjoyed the fic, and I hope you come back to read the next one when I write it.

UPDATE: Hello, this is a notice for the readers of Into The Fire that the sequel of said story has been published. If you enjoyed my story, then I recommend that you have a read of my follow-up story.