A/N: After two years of wrestling with real life and this stupid chapter, I decided that if I'm ever going to finish up this fic at all I'm going to have to bite the bullet and post this chapter anyway, no matter how displeased I am with it. Thanks so, so much for being patient with me and sticking around! You're all the best!

Chapter Twelve: Opportunity

"Ok, fine. But even if he was fire nation, he's a harmless civilian! "

Sokka- Jet

The bitter polar evening wind stirred in hesitant puffs and bursts, tugging at crimson robes and biting sharply into the tender scar on Zuko's face as he stood uncertainly by his uncle's side, peering down the railing into the frigid ocean below. The ice that filled the vast seascape glittered brightly in the soft light of the moon, but the beauty was completely lost on the young prince as he scowled irritably. He bit back the urge to shiver as the cold sank deep into his bones, an early warning sign that he had been pushing himself too hard recently and that if he wasn't careful, he was going to get himself sick with fever once again.

The thought of his fresh scar causing him such weakness was enough to make him snappish, and the added irritation of their current 'problem' only amplified it. "Why do you think this is such an issue, Uncle? We're just stuck on some ice. We can batter right through this if we boost the engine's power."

The pathetically small Fire Storm was at a stand still. Zuko had been taking his supper with Uncle and a few of the higher officers, discussing plans on how to get through Water Tribe controlled waters without being stopped, when the ship gave a mighty shudder and shrieked in a metallic cacophony of noise before coming to a jerking halt. Everyone had been scrambling after that, while Uncle Iroh had beckoned for Zuko to follow him so they could get a better view of what had happened. Looking down at the iceberg they were caught on, it seemed as if the ice hadn't punctured the hull at all, to everyone's relief. Imagine how long we could be here if it had caused damage like that. Zuko thought, his face twisting into a grimace even though it was starting to hurt his scar. (What a disgusting thought. Who in their right mind would live in a place where trees and grass couldn't grow?)

Stroking his beard, Uncle uttered a soft hmm as he stared down at the ice, and then cast a wary glance around the icy sea. "I don't think that this is normal ice, my nephew." He said at last. "Look at the shape, and how it's pinned us against another piece of ice just like it. Our navigator should have seen this formation ahead of time and easily avoided it."

Zuko blinked down at the ice, a small trickle of confusion mixed with trepidation leaking through his mind as he studied the shape. It was jagged, as all ice seemed to be up here, these particular icebergs having five long, thick fingers that interlocked to create a nice area for the Fire Storm to wedge itself. Peering at it longer, however, Zuko realized that the fingers seemed to be strangely smooth and uniform, and no natural ice would have interlocked so neatly at such an angle. "What are you saying, then?" He said at last, ruthlessly stamping down the apprehension starting to coil in his belly. "Do you think that this is the work of a water bender?"

The chill that seemed to make his scar scream in protest was joined by a new, unsettling chill of alarm as Iroh inclined his head, sweeping away from the rail and hurrying to get below. "I think that we're going to need Lieutenant Jee to rally our men. We're going to have a battle upon us that will turn out badly if we don't move quickly!"

Zuko would have been lying if he denied that through the alarm, he didn't feel a flash of excitement as he rushed to follow his uncle. A prince of the Fire Nation was expected to partake in the glory of battle, and the notion that now he was going to finally have his turn fueled his energy enough that he forgot the sting of the cold... and forgot to be wary of the rising full moon.

...

Today, we've parted ways with our new friends.

Suki frowned down at her journal as she wrote, feeling as if the opening words to her journal entry were too simplistic to fully capture what had happened. They had only just escaped from Macapu Village earlier this morning, and even as evening fell and everyone was getting ready for bed, the others were still whispering in hushed tones over what the right decision might be in the face of such unexpected circumstances.

I suppose I should have seen this coming the moment Ursa surprised us all and saved our skins by chi blocking that fire nation soldier. Chi blocking is shocking to see all on its own (and now that I've seen what it can do I really, really want to learn how to do it!), but it was even more shocking to see a normally gentle, soft spoken woman suddenly lashing out with all the cold ferocity of a snake striking. I'm not sure why it surprised us so much- maybe it's because it came from a woman who hasn't even told us anything about herself beyond her name and the fact she came from a colony town before becoming a slave. (In fact, she never really got a chance to explain her actions today thanks to our need to talk things over among ourselves. I suppose we will have to ask her in the morning.)

To be honest, I'm not sure what to think of it myself. My training as a warrior tells me that Ursa can't be trusted, and that even if she isn't a true threat, we should send her away and lower the risk her presence might bring to the Avatar's safety. On the other hand, she saved our lives, and Katara has pointed out over and over again that Ursa showed her loyalty by defending us all from her fellow countryman. After all, if Ursa was going to do anything to trick us, she would have let that man capture Katara or turned her in herself for the reward money.

It's a valid point. I'm still cautious though.

Smellerbee and Longshot, always just a little wary around her ever since she mentioned she was a fire nation colonial, are now completely spooked by the fact that Ursa kept such a dangerous skill a secret. They feel that she can't be trusted, that someone so secretive even around the Avatar must have an ulterior motive. Smellerbee and Katara got into a shouting match during supper, and it took me and (apparently) Avatar Aang to break it up long enough to let them cool down and start talking again in normal tones. It took a while, but Smellerbee finally shrugged her shoulders and muttered an apology for yelling. "I'm sorry. It's just that hokey witch lady said we need to choose our friends carefully if we want to live to old age." She said, looking the most thoughtful I've ever seen her. "Longshot and I already talked it over when we landed earlier for lunch, and we both think that it's better for us -and for you guys too- if we leave now, before anything else happens. We'll be leaving for Ba Sing Se in the morning."

Katara seemed a little put out that they were leaving so soon (and that Smellerbee still hasn't apologized to Ursa for being suspicious of her), but she let them both know they were still welcome to come along with us to the Northern Water Tribe. Though it didn't change their minds, the fact that Smellerbee smiled and made a joke about the ice and snow let us know that we're all still friends, even if we are splitting up. For a while there the arguing was bad enough that I was afraid we were going to end up going to bed on bad terms.

Speaking of the day's discussion, Sokka was quiet for most of the day. For all his bluster, I've found that he is surprisingly good at sitting back and studying a person to gauge them; and for most of the day he watched Ursa without comment, deep in thought. He surprised me by sticking up for her when we finally asked him about what he thought of the situation. He said that her past was her business, and that if she wanted to keep it to herself then we have no right to be upset with her for keeping her secrets. He even urged Ursa to come with us to the North Pole, though she politely turned him down. She thanked him for his offer (she seemed as surprised as any of us that he would be the one to offer first), and said that after our close call today, she wasn't sure where the best place to go would be. "I need to think it over, but leaving might be the best option. I will let you know of my decision in the morning."

A stiff breeze stirred the flames of their camp fire, the characters on the paper jumping in the flickering light and the sudden chill sent goosebumps racing along Suki's arms and back. Her train of thought interrupted, she found herself glancing over at Ursa's sleeping form; wondering with a creeping sense of guilt if the fire nation woman was too cold so far away from the fire.

Scooting closer to Sokka, she shut her journal and picked up the cloth she used to clean her brush. "Do you suppose Ursa is really going to leave us in the morning?" She murmured quietly, noting Katara had turned from the group and sat almost as far away from the fire as Ursa, her body folded into a meditative position and her eyes closed. It effectively left Suki alone with the water tribe boy, as Smellerbee and Longshot had already drifted off to sleep within their sleeping bags that had thankfully been in Appa's saddle. She glanced once more at Ursa, the unfamiliar feeling of guilt deepening as she noticed that the woman had curled up into a tighter ball beneath her thin blanket since she had last looked. "I hate to think that it might be because she feels we've lost all our trust in her."

The admission prompted a frown from Sokka as he too studied the sleeping woman for a long moment. "I don't know." He said at last, "I'm getting the idea that she has nowhere to go if she does leave us- she dropped enough hints that makes me think that her home life must had been pretty bad before becoming a slave." He drummed his fingers on his knees, lost in thought for a long time before nodding to himself. "I know that she kept an important secret from us, but as crazy as it sounds, I trust her. I think that we owe it to her to help her find a better home than the one she left behind, now that she's saved our lives. If we leave her behind and stay suspicious of her just because of one withheld secret, it would be like abandoning a long lost aunt or something. She hasn't done anything to really deserve being driven away."

"So... what do we do?" Suki wondered, hating how logical Sokka's point was. "You've already offered her a chance to go with us all the way to the North Pole- a place where she might be seen as the enemy no matter what good things we might say about her, I might add. Besides, we can't control what she decides in the end."

"No," He agreed slowly, his frown fading into something much more thoughtful. "But Katara and I talked it over, and we think maybe there might be another option for her. Can I borrow a sheet of paper from your journal and your brush? If she agrees to what we're thinking of, she'll have a safe place to go and prove her loyalty to us at the same time."

Confused, Suki nodded, though she winced a little at the thought of tearing out even one sheet from her private gift. "Well... I guess so, if you really need it." She said, finally reaching for the leather bound book. "What is it for?"

"You'll see in the morning." Sokka's eyes seemed to dance in the tricky light of the fire, and his small smile only heightened her curiosity.

Sleep was never a friend to Ursa.

Granted, sleep for anyone who was ever a part of the royal court was a very fickle thing- to sleep in a viper's nest, one always had to have an eye open at all times, for you never knew when something would happen. Ursa had learned that wonderful little piece of advice shortly after she had married Ozai, when she had been three months pregnant with Zuko. There had been assassination attempts on members of the royal family before, but since they usually slept in separate rooms, Ursa had always been under the assumption that she would be free of that worry- after all, at the time she had been married to the second son of the Firelord, and had been a member of the royal court for a few years prior to her marriage. Who would target the wife of a prince who wasn't directly in line for the throne?

Unfortunately, being that naive (and regrettably lax in her own training for self defense) had made her an easy target, and it was a lucky thing indeed that she had been awake at the time the assassin had slipped through her window. It was an even luckier thing that her father, years before, had enough foresight to hire a master to teach her how to protect herself, even if she hadn't practiced the art of chi blocking very often after her marriage.

( "I am an old man, Ursa," Her dear, venerable father had sighed so many years ago, fingering the lotus tile that he always kept up his sleeve and regarding her sadly. "You are a young lady now, and you are of marriageable age already. You have not been gifted with firebending, and there are many who would wish ill on you for being my daughter."

"What- what do you mean, Father? What does my lack of firebending have to do with anything?" She had wondered, her fifteen year old mind quite unable to grasp the idea that anyone would hate her because of him. She would learn of course, in the years to come, that her familial ties to the esteemed Avatar Roku was the deciding factor in landing her into life in the royal court; the move effectively ending the doomed revolution her father and brothers were involved in. But all that was something her fifteen year old self could never comprehend happening, and so she had thought it a waste of time when Father had asked a master chi blocker to come and educate her in the ways of self defense.)

Chi blocking had served her well, all things considered. She wasn't sure if it was some kind of cosmic joke that the universe was playing on her, or if it was simply a stroke of good fortune; but whatever the reason, she was glad to have been by the young Avatar's side when it had mattered. Saving a life was definitely preferable to taking one, after all, and by now she had to smile at the irony of her saving yet another child from Ozai.

She felt herself start to shiver a little with the cold, and the memory of her former husband. Ozai had, at one point, been a fairly decent (if proud) man, but something had changed along the way to make him evolve into a monster who was willing to kill his own son so he could earn the throne. She had little doubt what he might want with Katara- as the Avatar, it would be foolish of him to kill her. As terrible as it might sound, she could easily imagine that Ozai would most likely place the girl in the bowls of the bunker tunnels, or perhaps sent off to the now defunct prisons that Azulon had used for the waterbenders he had captured from the South Pole. It would be somewhere safe and out of the way where she would wither away the rest of her life in chains, nothing more than a stolen relic to be kept alive for the sake of preventing an Earth Kingdom Avatar from appearing and potentially turning the tide of war.

Never mind that Katara was a mere child, of course. Such things didn't matter when there was a war going on, as she herself had found out. Children were offered up often enough on the alter of innocents to the insatiable spirit of war.

Dark imagery started to run away with her, and she squeezed her eyes tighter, curling in slightly under the blanket as she started to feel doubt seep into her mind. Was it enough to merely save her son and now the Avatar in the moment of danger? Was it enough to leave afterward, in a bid to ensure that they stayed off the proverbial alter?

...Were children born in war and heir to greatness able to be kept off the alter for long? Or were they merely predestined to sacrifice themselves, in a bid to end an endless war?

Unable to shake away the too real image of her son and the young Avatar being consumed alive by flames on an alter that might very well be a pyre, she wondered, in a brief moment of mental clarity, if she had fallen asleep after all and was dreaming.

If she was, it was too close to a possibility of reality.

Not really comprehending what it was she was doing (though she distantly realized that yes, she really must be dreaming now, this was something too close to recurrent nightmares for comfort or logic), she turned and ran from the suddenly very real looking fire, the heat and crackle still following her even as she turned down the cobblestone path that had once made up the pathway of her family estate's private gardens. Her panic mounted as she realized that no matter how she tried to force her leaden legs to run faster, she was unable to escape the sound of Ozai's laughter crackling to life within the flames that spilled off of the alter and followed her every step. The fire licked hot and bright at her heels, and with a scream she felt tendrils of flame reaching out and touching her shoulder.

Tripping in her terror, Ursa gasped and scrambled away even when she registered that the searing heat of the flames seemed to soften and dull into something cool and even misty feeling upon touching her-in fact, the fire seemed to unexpectedly transform into nothing but ethereal bright blue mist (solid feeling mist, how strange) shifting and solidifying into a sight she had never seen before.

It was a boy- a little boy, possibly as young as Zuko had been when she had last seen her son- though unlike any boy she had ever seen in her life. The child had distinctive arrow tattoos, a shaven head, and strange looking clothes that seemed to show tiny glimmers of yellow and reddish orange beneath the translucent blue haze that colored everything. His large, deeply expressive eyes were wide with alarm as he realized he had frightened her, and he immediately started apologizing even before she had completely registered what it was she was looking at. "Sorry! I'm sorry, please don't freak out!"

Gulping a few breaths to steady herself, Ursa trembled and stared in shock at the boy she knew she wasn't supposed to see. "How...who are you?" She quavered unsteadily, trying to recall what Avatar Katara had called her friend, hoping that this was indeed the same spirit boy.

What if it wasn't the same one?

The boy smiled at Ursa, his cheerful grin sharply reminding her of her own children when they were trying to make up for whatever misdeed was committed. It opened up an old ache in her heart, and she found some of the tremors fading as the nightmare started to melt away into indistinct mist all around, leaving her alone with the spirit boy. "I'm sorry for scaring you," The boy apologized, seeming to take no note whatsoever of their fading surroundings as he spoke to her. "I guess I was so used to Katara being fine with dream meetings that I forgot that this was going to be weird for you." He looked sheepish, though the excitement lighting up his features ruined the look of contrition. He held out his hand, almost shyly. "I was really hoping this could happen. It's nice to finally meet you for real, Ursa. I'm Aang."

Well. As far as dreams went, this one took the cake for being the most surreal she had ever experienced. Thankfully, at this point the surrounding nightmare scene had fully melted away in stages into a fine, cold mist that wafted and curled lazily around their ankles, and Ursa found herself smiling hesitantly as her own fear started to gradually leave as well. "...Hello, Avatar Aang. It's... it's good to see you after hearing so much about you from Katara." Grasping his proffered hand, she almost let go in surprise as her hand registered a tingling, almost feather soft sensation instead of gripping warm, sturdy flesh. He seemed to notice her unconcealed startlement, his easy grin faltering in embarrassment. As soon as she was up on her feet, his hands swiftly dissipated behind his back. "Sorry."

Grimacing, Ursa chided herself for her lack of manners and respect for a previous Avatar. "Please forgive me, I should be the one to apologize. I was just... surprised is all. It's not every night I get visited by spirits, much less by a past incarnation of the Avatar."

The unspoken question of why hung in air for a moment before the boy seemed to catch on to the unspoken question. "Oh! Well, I came for two reasons, actually. The first was to see if I could actually enter someone's dreams beside Katara's, so I guess that worked out pretty well." His momentary grin fell away entirely, and Ursa couldn't help the sudden thought that the child's eyes were far too old looking for his youthful face as he stared at her solemnly. "But what I really came for was to ask you for your help."

"...My help, Avatar Aang?"

Aang nodded, turning and beckoning her to follow him as he started to make his way deeper into the misty darkness, following the cobblestone path (now the only visible thing at all, besides themselves) out farther than it had ever gone in real life. After a few moments of walking in silence, he finally turned his gaze away from whatever it was he saw in the surrounding void, and regarded her seriously. "You're thinking about leaving us in the morning, aren't you?"

Thrown off by the abrupt question, Ursa didn't quite notice that the mist was slowly melting into darkness until she happened to look away from the blue-ish white glow that the past Avatar emitted. She drew closer to her young visitor nervously as she forced herself to think about her response instead of the unnerving void that held whispers of unseen- often unpleasant- memories. "Well, I'm afraid it's the only option available to me at this time." She admitted, stiffening at the ghostly echo of her young daughter's laugh somewhere to her left. "I have nothing to offer Katara but my deepest gratitude for freeing me and having such faith in me, even though I'm Fire Nation. I'm only slowing her down in her journey to find a master waterbender... and I know that most of the other children have had their trust shaken in me due to my actions this morning."

A small smile appeared on his features, rather unlike his usual cheery grin in how this one only seemed to highlight a previously unseen undercurrent of melancholy he carried. "Yeah, I know how you feel. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough to act as a good guide for her. I'm supposed to help her survive until she meets with the Fire Lord, and I know now how hard that is- especially when she keeps putting herself in bad situations."

The darkness that seemed to swallow everything up was really becoming quite frightening- even more so when Ursa could hear faint traces of Azulon's harsh voice within the darkness. Thankfully, Aang's light seemed to cut through the dark and even push it away from them as they continued farther down the seemingly endless cobblestone path, and the boy mercifully kept quiet about what lurked in the dark recesses of her mind. "Bad situations... you mean like when she freed us?" She prompted.

The small smile dimmed until it disappeared completely. "She really did almost drown to death back when she freed you guys." He murmured softly, "It's hard to explain how it all works, but I can tell when she's in serious danger, and when she almost died..." He trailed off, stopping in place and frowning pensively. "When she almost died it really made me realize that I have no way to help her in a fight. My airbending is cut off until the war is won and right now I can only help her by giving advice and helping her to trigger or come out of the instinctive side of the Avatar State- something that's only supposed to be used when it's really looking bad for her." He paused, deep in thought for a minute before continuing. "That's why I came to you. When you saved us- well, them- from that firebender this morning, it made me realize that I can still fight as a nonbender, and learn how to be helpful and not get in Katara's way."

Arching a brow, Ursa allowed her hands to disappear into her spacious sleeves as she started to connect the dots. "...You want me to teach you chi blocking?" She asked, unable to conceal the surprise that colored her tone. A spirit, one distantly related to her in a way, was asking her (Ursa the meek, Ursa the kin slayer) for aid. She found herself unable to tear her eyes off the boy as her mind began racing with the implications of what this could mean. Is this is a sign from the spirits that my tarnished honor can be restored?

Aang nodded (though she couldn't tell if it was in response to her words or her thought), looking hopeful for the first time. "We actually found a chi blocking scroll the day before we freed you. As soon as I saw it, I wanted to try it out for myself, and now that you're with us I can't help but think that it's destiny guiding our paths together." Clasping one hand over the other, he bowed deeply before her. "I'd be honored if you would teach me the art of chi blocking."

"What do you mean, she escaped?!"

Colonel Mongke of the Rough Rhinos grimaced, his eyes flashing with resentment as he stiffly got up from his bow. It was no secret that the man was not used to being so humiliated (by a little girl, no less), but Zhao was not about to pander to the arrogant fool; especially since the Colonel was on his own ship and Zhao outranked him. He sincerely doubted that the man would be stupid enough to outright disrespect him, but just to be on the safe side Zhao had asked Lan Fan to stand by, to take note of anything said that might be a clue to where the girl had escaped to.

"It's as I said, Commander." Mongke growled, "I took Kahchi with me to scout out the Macapu area, and I found the Avatar within the village itself. Kahchi had gone in further to question the villagers, and I went straight to the Mayor's house to question him. She was there, in his own home!"

Only ten miles away. She was only ten miles away! Zhao gritted his teeth as he called upon every last reserve of self control he possessed in order to stop himself from toasting the idiot where he stood. "So, what happened?" He ground out.

The man's lips pressed thin, and the resentment reflected in his sour expression deepened. "She... seemed to be getting ready to leave. The girl had some friends with her, and the Mayor was there too. As soon as I found her and tried taking her, she used her bending to distract me from the woman with her."

Blinking, Zhao regarded Mongke in confusion. "From a woman?" He echoed dubiously, crossing his arm and arching a brow. If he tried to whore around with a woman while on assignment, I'll have to-

Even in the soft light of the rising moon, he could see the Colonel's face redden, though whether it was from the implication or from whatever the woman had done was yet to be determined. "The bitch jumped out at me as soon as the girl airbent at me, and did... something! I-I'm not sure what happened, one moment I was in my saddle, and the next, I was falling and waking up on the floor, unable to move or bend at all! If it wasn't for Kahchi creating his own diversion once he saw the bison take off, I would have been captured by those dirt eaters, or worse!"

A hot jet of steam curled out of Zhao's nose, the rage quickly disintegrating what little self control he had left. "So you succumbed to this mystery woman's tender touch, did you?" He sneered mockingly, "I'm quite sure the saddle you were seated upon was not your komodo-rhino's, if what I'm gathering is correct."

The man's normally pale face burned further, flushing into a truly impressive scarlet. "No! She used some kind of attack on me! Maybe she's a witch, or maybe she's a trained assassin, I don't know, but-"

"Forgive me for interrupting," Lan Fan interjected, taking a step out of the shadow of the bridge. She caught Zhao's eye, silently asking for permission to continue. After giving her a nod, she took another step toward the leader of the Rough Rhinos. "I couldn't help but overhear you say that this woman charged you." She began diplomatically, "Do you remember if she struck you at all? Perhaps with her fists?"

Curiously, the Colonel nodded, obviously relieved that someone was taking his crazy sounding story seriously. "Yes... she didn't punch so much as... well, 'jab' me. With her knuckles, I mean. She struck me under the arm twice, and once in the neck, and suddenly I couldn't feel my arm at all... hell, my whole right side was numb, and I could barely move the rest of my body. I couldn't stop myself from falling off my rhino, and I couldn't firebend for more than an hour!"

Arching a brow, Zhao considered what this would mean, if the man was telling the truth. Could the Avatar have found someone to act as her guardian? What would that mean for his mission to capture the girl, if this mysterious woman could interfere with someone's bending?

Bending... could it be a chi blocker? He wondered. It was an interesting notion, and one that would readily explain the story. It was rare to find someone proficient in the art, as it was a nonbender's choice for self defense, and even rarer to find a practitioner outside of the Fire Nation. It was tempting to find out if Colonel Mongke could remember what the woman looked like, in order to send out wanted posters for her as well, but it was going to be a waste of time to chase after someone he had little to no information about. He needed to keep his mind on his mission, and if he caught up with the Avatar... well, who was to say he wouldn't catch up with this possible chi blocker as well? "Whether or not you were rendered ...immobile by this woman is irrelevant," He said at last, "I need to find the Avatar, and capture her before we lose her yet again! Do you have any idea where she escaped to?"

"I didn't see the bison take off, but Kahchi did. He tracked them as far as five miles outside of Macapu Village, thanks to a light trail the beast left behind. He said that they have been consistently heading northeast."

Of course. Zhao felt as if he should have known all along, but the news was a great stroke of fortune. "Northeast... the Avatar must be headed for the Northern Water Tribe. She'll be looking for a teacher so she can master waterbending."

Lan Fan and Mongke perked up at the deceleration. "How can we intercept the Avatar before she reaches the North Pole?" Lan Fan asked, "Once she reaches the Water Tribe, she will be out of our reach for as long as she remains there, and when she leaves, she'll have mastered two elements!"

Zhao offered a condescending smile. "My dear Lan Fan, surely you haven't seen the wonderful opportunity that the Avatar is presenting us with?"

"...Opportunity, Sir?"

Zhao felt so vindicated that he couldn't help the short bark of laughter that erupted. All that work to find the Spirit Library, and the scroll about the location of the mortal incarnations of the Moon and Ocean spirits... it was destiny leading him! To capture the Avatar would make his name go down in Fire Nation history, but to capture the Avatar and bring an undefeated enemy like the Water Tribe to it's knees at the same time? I will be a legend! He thought, the idea as heady and satisfying as a strong wine. Zhao, the Conqueror... Zhao the Invincible!

Smiling, he turned away, waving a hand at Lan Fan. "Give our Colonel the payment that was agreed upon for giving me a lead, Lan Fan. I have a messenger hawk to send out."

Author's Note

Well, I suppose you can just assume that I'm never ever going to update in a timely manner. Sorry... I'm not going to apologize again after this, but you guys really deserve an apology for how long I left you all hanging after the last chapter! Expect updates from now on to be slooooow. I am now super busy thanks to my family (I just recently gave birth to our second daughter!), real life shenanigans, and the fact that I live in a very rural area where cafes are my only choice for WiFi. This fanfic could very well take years to complete!

However, it was fun to write in Ursa's perspective, as I have lots and LOTS of headcanons about her that I could hint about in her section. Comic canon is not the same as show canon, and I don't hold to anything except what fits in seamlessly with the show... and you all have to admit, Gene Yang did not do well at all in making a seamless continuation. He handled Ursa's backstory so poorly that someday I'm going to have to write my own version, just to make myself feel better about it.

Here are a few things you should know for the purposes of this version of Ursa:

1: Ursa's father is Roku's son, unlike the simpering woman that was his daughter featured in the comics. I did this for two reasons; the first for logic (Roku was 70-ish when he died, and his son/daughter would have to be quite old by the time Ursa is born- and that only works if the father is older than the mother for childbearing.) The second reason is for backstory purposes. I think that Roku's anti-colony/anti-war policies were shared by his family and by others in the Fire Nation itself, for various reasons, and that a coup organized by an early version of the White Lotus could have been attempted more than once in the early war years to try to uproot the deeply corrupted line of Fire Lords.

2: In that line of thinking, I believe that Azulon had the idea to blend Roku's legendary bloodline with his own, and had his eye on a teen aged Ursa, the youngest child (and only daughter) of Roku's son. Iroh, as the crown prince and an experienced soldier, was the one to lead an ambush to quell the rebellion as well as bring Ursa back to the Royal Palace unharmed. I don't think that he was always so squeaky clean as we like to believe (he even said in the show that he was once a 'different man'), and I think that he and Ursa have a long, convoluted history that had little to do with romance.

For the other notes...

Zhao is going to bow out of the narrative for a bit, as will Smellerbee and Longshot. All three will reappear later, never fear.

After the last chapter was posted, I was asked where the story was going; and I can heartily assure you (and anyone else wondering the same) that I do indeed know where my own story is going. This first leg of Katara's journey is rather serious and uncertain, as this is still only a little over a month since she left her home (for the first time in her life). She is going to reach the NWT very soon (there are fewer side trips now that Aang is not the one in charge of the route, remember?), and there will be surprises for everyone in the upcoming chapters. Endless action is not the main thing in this story, but it's certainly not absent either. Be patient!

Coming up next: Heaping helpings of humble pie, copious amounts of tea consumption, and old acquaintances are met within interrogation rooms.