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A few days had passed since the avatar informed me that they would be splitting up briefly to complete personal business. Aang dropped Sokka off at his father’s war camp before heading to an air temple to study under a guru there. Toph left to meet her parents, and Katara stayed to advise the Earth Kingdom on war strategies for the upcoming Day of Black Sun. I remained her companion while she was here. She tried to convince me to remodel her temporary home for her… A built-in steam bath, a backyard pool. I think she thought that was supposed to be “bonding time”.

When she asked about the best tea shops, I made sure to leave out the Jasmine Dragon.

Whenever he could, Zuko visited me. He walked me to work and back, even early in the morning, and ate meals with me. I enjoyed it and ate at the tea shop whenever possible- a little less obviously desperate than Zuko, of course. He talked quite a bit while with me, and often I found myself speaking more than I normally do. He taught me fire bending moves, and I taught him to use the water bending style.

One afternoon when I went to the palace to retrieve Katara, she didn’t show up. I waited for a while, skeptical of the situation. She would have let me know if she were going to be late- maybe sent Momo with a message. But there wasn’t much I could do. The guards wouldn’t let me pass without her vouching for me, even though they know I’m with her anyways. Perhaps she’s talking to the Kiyoshi Warriors she was so excited about.

“Iwa! How are you?”

I turned from the palace to see Zuko and his uncle walking up the many stairs. General Iroh waved with one hand as the other held pottery and tea supplies. Zuko walked a little more swiftly to meet me. “Uncle’s been invited by the King to serve tea. We’re on our way now.” By this time he stopped in front of me. His body leaned toward mine as if to hug me, or plant a kiss on my cheek, but he stopped himself. I’m glad. The General might have been nice to me in my younger years, but there’s no telling how he would react to having his nephew and heir to the throne of the Fire Nation in a relationship with a nobody like myself.

“Do you mind if I accompany you inside?” I wiped some beads of sweat from my brow. The sun was extremely relentless today. “I’m waiting for someone and need to make sure she’s alright.”

“Of course!” He made to hold my arm, but before he could I took the tea things from the General’s hands. “Allow me to carry these for you,” I said stiffly, my heart pounding. What did he think he was doing?? Zuko pouted at me and I nodded pointedly at his uncle. He rolled his eyes and walked as closely to me as possible on our way inside.

We were escorted to the throne room where I helped them set up. Katara should be here… What could have gone wrong in the Palace though? It’s completely secure at the heart of the city.

Just as these comforting thoughts crossed my mind, the Dai Li surrounded the three of us in the center of the room, their faces shadowed by the circular headgear. A woman in battle clothes and war paint of some kind I’d never seen stepped before the throne. My muscles tensed, and so did Zuko’s beside me. Something obviously isn’t right.

“It’s tea time.” The woman spoke, and immediately I recognized her voice as Azula’s. I had only encountered her a few times as a child when she visited General Iroh’s estate in the palace. She was cruel even in her younger years. My throat tightened at what this could mean. Why was she here? Why are the Dai Li under her control? What have they done with the earth King?

“Have you met the Dai Li? They’re earth benders, but they have a killer instinct that’s so fire bender.” She picked absentmindedly at her nails. I knew the Dai Li to be violent when necessary. Some “peace-keepers” they were. The villagers called them “Chi Magure” behind their backs.

The General stood with a cup of tea. “Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname ‘The Dragon of the West’?”

Just the mention of that title sent shivers down my spine and gave me a cold sweat. I had been at the receiving end of the “Dragon” years ago. I watched him burn my village to the ground. Haunted memories filled my head and I froze, unable to move. Instead of an ostentatious throne room I saw a crumbling roof trapping my friends to the ground. I saw the blue sky stained with vicious hues of reds and skin twisted in the flames. I saw my parents flatten under wooden beams and choke on the smoke of our burning house.

A hand roughly pulled me to the ground, just in time. Half a second later, the familiar roar of blazing fire resounded through the room. Dai Li soldiers fell to the ground, but I shut my eyes. Zuko held me firmly with two hands on each arm, until the General had finished his attack and we raced from the room. It all happened in seconds, but by the time we reached the hallway I had regained my composure.

The General jumped out of the palace after blasting a hole in the side of the wall. Zuko hesitated, and I waited beside him. I still have to find Katara. She can’t be safe anymore. “I’m leaving to find a friend,” I whispered. For some reason it felt too important to break the little quiet we had. “Be safe.” Here I pulled him away from the opening, away from his uncle’s eyes, and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. It just felt like the right thing to do. Like we’d never see each other again after this moment. And it broke my heart.

He must have felt it too. “I’ll meet back up with you,” he reassured me. “We’ll find each other outside the city somewhere. Don’t worry.”

It surprised me how attached I’d become to him.

I raced in the opposite direction. Lord knows where I was going, just away from fire and holes in the wall and the General’s shouts. Katara. I hope she’s ok. She has to be around here somewhere, unless they’ve already killed her.

When I no longer heard fighting- or anything really, I slowed to a stop in a dark hallway and took a deep breath. Just focus. I solidified my stance and calmed my heartbeat. Listen for footsteps, breathing, echoes. It’s the only way you’re getting out of this maze.

Behind me and to the left were Zuko and the Dai Li. Outside the General made is way around the building away from me. Below the palace I was surprised to find a large cavernous space with a waterfall, stalactites, and a few people. Someone was currently tunneling down to it quickly, meaning he was an earth bender. He and whoever walked with him were not taking the main entrance, meaning they probably didn’t know where it was. So they’re not Azula’s agents. If one of the people stuck in the cavern is Katara, I can safely assume the tunnelers won’t hurt her. Maybe they’re even saving her.

Alright already, where is the King? Since Katara’s probably, maybe, most likely 80% OK, my next plan of action should be protecting the King. The Kiyoshi warriors are tasked with protecting him, but now it turns out they’re actually Fire Nation… My head spun with all this information. They must be trying to capture the kingdom from the inside. I felt my stomach turn. Commanding this nation would be a great advantage in the war. Commerce and trade, amazing defenses, plenty of citizens to force into soldiers…

I pushed those thoughts away. Right now just get to the King. Warily I left the building, welcoming the warm air against my skin. From the outside, nothing seemed amiss. Guards still kept watch at the gates to the palace. Members of the upper ring conversed, laughed in the sunset, enjoyed the comforts of their uber-rich and spacious homes while inside the palace took place events that change the course of the war. The moment I stood there lasted nonexistent minutes as I just breathed. Like the last of the bread before days of starvation until the next food source shows up.

The moment ended abruptly when a large, white, furry ball of heat slammed me into the ground. “Appa!” The beast responded by licking me profusely. “That was extremely rude. Where’s Aang? Why isn’t someone with you?” He just grunted while still licking me. I bended him away from me and rubbed the air-bison-saliva off my clothes as best as possible. “What should we do, hm? The Dai Li are now working for Princess Azula, who’s been disguised as a Kiyoshi warrior. Zuko and the General are escaping, so that’s my two most important people taken care of. The King has probably been taken hostage and is safe in the dungeons somewhere. I can feel a massive fight happening in those underground tunnels. The rest of the gang are probably down there.” The whole time Appa just looked at me with intelligent brown eyes like he was listening. “I guess it’s probably better to go help them. That way you’re there for a quick escape just in case.”

He growled and moved toward me eagerly. “No offense, but I don’t want to ride you. Can you just follow me?”

So he rather unhappily flew above me as I ran through the streets, using dirt to control my legs. First we stopped quickly at their temporary home to gather their things. I had a feeling they wouldn’t have time to retrieve them later. With Appa’s saddle now loaded, I led us to the side of the mountain not far from the palace where I felt the fighting.

Just as I saw a man-made entrance leading into a steep incline through the mountain, an enormous surge of energy shook the mountain. It reverberated through my bones, shaking my very core. What on earth was that? Standing very still after the phenomenon finished, I could feel a small group running back up the tunnel to the surface. Hopefully they were friendly. Just in case I prepared to close the tunnel, but from the dark the band of Avatar-accompanying travelers emerged. Said Avatar didn’t look so hot. Katara actually had to carry him to the sky-bison, not even acknowledging my presence or the fact that I had arranged for this getaway. Slowly I began to realize that Katara was crying. And then that I couldn’t feel Aang’s heartbeat.

“We’ll fly to the outside of the city,” Sokka broke the tension with a glum sense of leadership about him- stoic and tired. “The King says there’s a small village that we’ll be safe at for a day or two. Just to recuperate and… think things over. Iwa, can you safely transport Bosco there? If you get lost, we’ll send Appa to find you.”

Only then did I see and bow to the King, who didn’t even notice in his grief. This must mean the city has been lost to the Fire Nation. My mind reeled at this information. I’m not sure how the world will survive now. The Avatar is dead, the biggest Earth Kingdom is in the hands of the Fire Nation… “I’ll head to the village with the bear,” I restated, mainly to keep my mind focused. “He is safe with me, Your Highness.”

They flew off in strange silence, so opposite of the tumultuous emotions hanging in the air. Bosco seemed to have no sense of these emotions and happily nuzzled into my back. His ignorance somewhat calmed me, brought me back to earth. “What an odd looking animal you are,” I whispered, ruffling the thick chocolate fur of his head. I blocked the tunnel and began our descent down the mountain, away from the city. “C’mon, buddy. We can’t stay here all night. You’d better be a good replacement for my cats. I’m gonna miss those guys.”

My brain could finally acknowledge the question probing at the back of my mind since the beginning of the revolt: I wonder if Zuko is safe.