Sokka set the letter aside, the last to read it and visibly uncomfortable. "And you're saying this story is true?"

Zuko, who was still holding Katara's hand as she buried her face into his shoulder, replied, "Yes. I overheard a story once—sailors are fond of sharing ridiculous stories—from many decades before I was born. There was once a prison in the Fire Nation designed to hold waterbenders. The guard said that, one day, one of the prisoners reached inside his body and controlled him like a marionette on strings, and had him open the cell door for her. Just like that, she strolled out. No one ever believed him, of course; it hadn't been heard of before, and people assumed he was making an excuse to cover up freeing a lover he had taken on, and that they were planning to meet later. The man was moved to a different duty, far away, and the woman was never seen again. Despite no one believing it, the story was so outlandish that rumors spread widely, and it came to be superstition that waterbenders could perform inhuman magic, although that was never the official teaching."

"So the letter is legitimate, at least as far as that. What about these bending moves?" Sokka asked, "Katara, can you do these?"

"No, and don't ask me to. It's sick, and wrong."

"Okay, okay. I just wanted to know if it was legitimate." He rubbed his head, as if feeling bad for his sister but not understanding why it made her so upset. "So, instead of bending water, blood. Bloodbending."

It was late afternoon, but no one had appetite for lunch. Piandao seemed lost in thought, seated cross-legged on the floor beside the window with his hand on his chin. Finally he said, "Firelord, would you recognize the herbs used in that tea?" Zuko nodded. "Then let's see if it's planted on the campus."

The group stood to follow him. Both Piandao and Suki were using their students as guards, keeping them in pairs so that, if one were compromised, the other would keep them in check, and it must have weighed on their minds to not be able to trust them. As large as the campus was, a few small plants could have been concealed anywhere, but they hadn't needed to go far. In the main physic garden, where other medicinal herbs were grown, the responsible plant was there hidden in plain sight. Zuko stepped through the rows to kneel beside it. "This is what they used in her tea. Some leaves have been harvested from it recently."

"That's troubling," said Piandao. "Someone familiar with the grounds is involved. I'll have the lead servant brought for questioning." He sent two of his students to find her. Zuko lingered, trying to remember if he'd seen anyone in the garden, but more vivid memories overtook it, of his mother in the royal garden teaching him what her parents had taught her. After being taken from them for her engagement, she had never seen her mother and father again, and by the time she gained freedom from Ozai, they were already passed from old age. Katara, who had noticed and waited for him, called out his name, and he rose and returned to her.

In a drawing room they greeted the woman who oversaw the other servants at the mansion. She had light brown eyes and was around forty-five or fifty years old, a nonbender who had been in Piandao's service for fifteen years since giving up on the prospect of getting married. She worked in the kitchen and did the household laundry, which, after the addition of Suki's students, became a task consuming most of her day.

Piandao held a neutral demeanor as he examined her. It was difficult to tell that he was angry, but his posture was tense and his tone flat. Zuko understood the reason for his distress—had he been his father, Ozai may have had Piandao executed for his oversight. Despite their good relationship, his shame and discomfort were inevitable, as it would take more than two years to change perception. "Where did you get the herbs for the tea you gave Katara?"

"From the kitchen, the jar marked as 'lemon balm.' I've always used that tea. Sometimes I fill it from herbs bought at the market, and sometimes from what I get in the garden. Lately I haven't had time to be in the garden as often."

The jar was sent for, and it was handed to Zuko to inspect. The scent was between lemon and mint, the substance dried and chopped, mid-green, and resembled mint or basil in their dried forms. "It is lemon balm, at least mostly. There are a few flecks of chopped leaves at the top which aren't quite as well dried as the rest, but have been prepared to resemble the rest. After they've been in here so long they smell just like the lemon balm, so I can't tell what they are for sure. It is possible someone took the sedative from the physic garden, dried it in a private area, and added it to the top of the jar just before she prepared the tea."

"Master," pleaded the woman. "I've worked for you for years."

"I know. Nuwa, has anyone gone into the kitchen recently, near the tea supply?"

"Some of the students have been helping keep us supplied. It's hard for me to carry in heavy things anymore, and I have to cook for thirty-five people now with both the princess' and the Firelord's party here."

"Can you recall exactly who has been in there in the past day?"

"I'm sorry. I've been tending laundry all morning."

Piandao asked Zuko to follow him into the next room. "Firelord, she's been a good worker for years. I don't think she was involved."

"I agree. She can be dismissed now."

The four gathered in the dojo. The water feature outside kept a steady pace of flowing current, which came from somewhere in the bamboo grove and fed down into the open grassland, eventually joining the ravine. Scents of wood and paper shoji were joined with the lingering of past-burned incense. Sokka had his sword removed from his hip and laid across his knees, where he toyed with the sheath's decorative engraving. "Something has been bothering me. Both incidents are opposite in effect from one another. One person tried to kill Yue, the princess of the Northern Water Tribe, but the other knew enough about waterbending to have that letter and bending illustration. I don't want to say that we have two different parties at work, but it doesn't make sense otherwise. I don't see how their goal could be the same."

Suki replied, "It's unlikely that two different actors decided to make their moves at the same time in the same place. The incidents were only days apart, and both persons had to be familiar with the grounds. That would take a long time to set up. Yet, no one knew Yue and Katara were going to come here. That woman has been working here before Katara had ever left the South Pole. They have to be working together, or the same person."

"One seems trying to hurt the Water Tribe and the other trying to help," said Sokka.

"Could they have stolen the letter from someone?" she asked.

Katara replied, "No. You could tell by the clarity of the ink and the cleanness of the paper that it was written quite recently. It wouldn't be enough time to steal it and set up some use for it, not when the people responsible for these incidents must have been here for quite some time setting this up. Herbs can't be grown in a day, and that was a well established plant."

"But they work against each other," her brother argued.

Zuko said, "Maybe they do have the same goal. Think about the outcome. If Yue had died, it would have instigated conflict between Fire and Water. Meanwhile, spreading knowledge that waterbenders are capable of controlling people by bending their blood, what would that do? It would make Fire nationals afraid of waterbenders."

"Then, both could be caused by the same party," Katara replied. "Someone who wants the war to continue. But who? The only people who benefited from the war were the Fire Nation, as they were winning."

"No, we can't say that for certain," said Sokka. "Like the mine owner. He was selling materials to the Fire Nation on the black market and made a lot of money doing it."

She asked her brother, "What should we do? Contact Dad?"

"No. He would tell Arnook what happened, and Yue would be under curfew for the rest of her life, given how protective he is of her. I feel bad for her as it is, so I don't want to betray her trust. But there is someone else who can help us. I'm sending a message to Aang. He's training with that earthbender girl in Gao Ling. They can arrive here within a week."

Zuko replied, "I agree. If their goal is to reignite the war, we should inform the Avatar."

Sokka rose and slipped his sword back through the belt. "I'm going to prepare the stationary. Katara, don't go anywhere by yourself. We don't know who these people are or what they're capable of. Stay with Zuko." He and Suki exited the dojo and disappeared into the bamboo.

Zuko sat and lost himself to thought. He had trained there from age ten until thirteen with Master Piandao, taking rotations to return to Caldera City where he continued his practice drills alone under the dismissive inspection of his father, who thought him disgusting, and pining for his uncle to return so he could hear praise from a family member. His relationship with Piandao was strange, now, as Zuko had taken on the title he had slowly lost hope on ever reclaiming, but at that time he'd only been a somewhat arrogant child, and the master had seemed like a pillar of stone from his perspective. He was coming to see that even Piandao was not omniscient, and the matter was indeed beyond his sole ability to rectify. It reminded Zuko uncomfortably of the day he'd realized his father, as well, was not the god he'd imagined him being as a child.

As he lost some lingering trace of innocence, he tried to remember lost halcyon days, before the burn and banishment. At Piandao's training school he'd had his first chance at friendship with boys his own age, but, after the tragedy at the Agni Kai, all of that had ended, and by now he couldn't remember their names or faces anymore. His burgeoning friendships had been torn from him, and making friends as easily again was an ability never fully returned to him since. He tried not to look at the students with envy, but his own current friendships were intermittent and distant, washed through layers of previous hostility and middling doubt; he hadn't traveled with Aang for more than a year before he went away. Visiting Piandao's school campus again coaxed out a profound loneliness he had always shoved away to the back of his mind.

#

Wen finished recounting the book to her, a volume borrowed from Piandao's library, and showed her one of her rare smiles. Normally she kept her eyes sharp and wary, but when she was truly happy the muscles around her eyes softened and they showed their feminine curves. Yue had spent time trying to think of what state of the ocean or canals resembled her eyecolor the most, but had never come to a conclusion. One of the flowers in the garden was a perfect match, and she finally had a word to describe them.

"Are you sure you don't want any books? If you don't want to leave this room I can bring you a few volumes you might like."

"I'm alright like this."

She set the book aside on the chair. "Are you sure? Aren't you bored?"

"I have a window, Wen. I've never seen such sights in twenty years. A book I can get anywhere."

She looked to the window and frowned. The same rippling green hills spanned the view as from her own, though opposite in direction. While she was distracted, Yue slipped her engagement necklace off. The motion caught her attention and Wen turned back to her in confusion as she held it out.

"What are you doing?"

"Apologizing. You were attacked because you were mistaken for me, while out looking for me. The assassin saw your blue clothing and jumped to the conclusion." Her friend hesitated. "You were in love with him, but he proposed to someone else, right?"

She flushed. From under her hair even her ears tinged red. "I don't want to think about him."

"Take this."

Wen reached out and did so. She stared at the weight of cream-jade in her palm. "Yue?"

"You've met the healer, haven't you? From the Southern Tribe? Rather, I heard you said something quite cruel to her." Yue giggled, which put Wen at ease. "They have a different tradition there—her necklace was her mother's. So, I'm going to supplant his memory with mine. I want you to wear it. It's yours now."

"It's valuable."

"Not to me, but it is to you." She still made no motion to put it on, so Yue leaned forward and took it from her hand, brushed aside her dark hair, and laced it around her neck. When she sat back, she admired it and said, "That looks good on you. If you have children, pass it down to them. That's the tradition in our sister tribe."

Her friend felt the stone charm, then brushed the velvet. "Fine, but I'm bringing you a pile of books tomorrow. If you don't want to stop looking at the window, I'll just read them to you."

"I would enjoy that."

Wen stood back up and grabbed the volume she had finished. "Goodnight, then, Yue."

"Goodnight."

It was good to be rid of it, and part of Wen's happiness had been restored. She had pined for a young man for years but had never been able to confess. Not knowing anything about her feelings, he began courting another woman, and Wen was left with no one who knew why she cried, shouldering the pain of refuted feelings alone. Yue climbed to the window and watched the sunset playing out across the meadow, a lightplay she could have stared at forever, until she had to turn away to light the lantern before the daylight ran out completely. Then she returned to the bed, thinking that Wen must have her thoughts racing on what books to fetch her.

"Yue?" At the doorway Katara peeked in. "Can I come in?"

The Kyoshi Warrior pair were still in the hallway, which Yue thought of as comforting, and the Firelord was not evidently with her, though he was probably not far, keeping watch for her safety. "Of course." She stepped in and took a seat nearby at a chair next to the bed. It was strange to see her—from the South Pole, she was so close to being familiar but, just when she felt complacent in that, a mannerism or turn of phrase would shift her perspective. Looking at Katara was like seeing by holding a handmirror in front of herself so that all the world was in reverse—when she went forward, things became more distant rather than closer, and always there was a hesitance of the remaining difference between them.

She was independent and confident. Yue had met Hakoda. Superficially, he resembled her own father, but fundamentally he was opposite in nature. Where Arnook had been overprotective and stifling, Hakoda had fostered independence and self-worth for his daughter. The two women were so close, like standing on different sides of a mirror, but remained forever out of arm's reach from the other. In the end Yue shied from her and wanted the comfort of Wen and Hua, who would better understand her. Even if she explained things to Katara, she didn't think she would fully comprehend them, even if she might offer her sympathy, which would be a type of loneliness Yue could not recover from.

Katara's skin was the same shade as her brother's; she had never walked under a parasol. Without makeup, her complexion was clear, and Yue had confidence that the Firelord was not mistreating her despite his nation of origin still carrying a taint of prejudice. Her hair was thick and dark-brown, and her hairstyle looser, more natural. Hairstyles of the North forcibly bound and twisted one's hair to the point of pain. That was said to be a good thing. Yue wasn't sure if she agreed. She wanted to ask Katara to do Yue's hair the same as her own, but thought it would sound childish.

Settled, Katara posed her question. "I'm not sure how to ask this, but is there a chance you're a waterbender? There is no tradition in the South Pole that women cannot waterbend, so you don't need to keep it secret from me."

She shook her head. "It's been confirmed I am not. You still don't think the water spirit really saved me, do you?"

"I've had my own run-in with a spirit, and I haven't found them to be so compassionate, though they have their own sense of morality separate from our own. I don't think you're lying, of course, but it does seem like you're keeping something back from us. The way you acted around my brother, did he do something to you? I don't think he would, but it worried me."

"He's never mistreated me. I'm sorry for offending him. My husband was..." She raised a hand to her bare neck, where she felt weightless at last. "Has the Firelord ever harmed you?"

"Zuko would never do something like that. Yue, did your father know?"

"No, and I couldn't tell him. Being useful to my nation was my only duty in life. There are worse things to suffer. Many of our men died in the battle, even if we won it."

"I see. If you don't want me to, I won't tell anyone. Just know that my brother isn't like that. He's truly in love with Suki—he would do anything for her sake. I guess we should be asking, are you really okay? Do you want to go home, or anywhere else?"

"I like having the Kyoshi Warriors here. It doesn't matter that this sect are all from the Fire Nation. Fire was always a distant threat, but Hahn was close. Even if it's senseless, I had never hated Fire. I thought it was a shame we were fighting. Tui and La are opposites; they retained their balance, while Fire and the rest of the world fell out of theirs. That's all."

"Zuko would be glad to hear that. So, have you met a spirit before? Other than Tui and La in the garden? You seem insistent on it."

Yue reached behind her head and felt the ornamental pin there, the central component holding up the entire style. She slipped it out and let her hair fall around her shoulders. Taking a strand up, she gestured towards her. "When I was born, I was frail. I was going to die. My parents offered prayers to the spirits to save me, and the moon spirit did. This coloration is proof. I'm sure the spirits interfered to save me again, to not have the work of the moon spirit go to waste."

Katara touched her hand to hers. "I promise, we're going to figure this out. We won't let these people have their way. Do you want help putting your hair back up?"

"No. I'll leave it down for now. I haven't had my hair like this since I was a child."

She smiled. "If you want such freedom, you can find it. The world is a big place, and things are changing now. Agna Qel'a can change, too."

#

Katara breathed softly in her sleep, curled by Zuko's side under the sheet, with her hair done in a loose braid to keep it from tangling. Her necklace rested on the table with her hair ornament. He sat up and watched her for a while. It seemed impossible, but she smelled like the ocean no matter how far she was from it. Her chest rose and fell. He hadn't known how well she would sleep, given the distress the letter had caused her, but she had been clingy in a way he hadn't seen for weeks as they shut the room's door to get ready for bed, and he'd satisfied her insistent need until she was exhausted. His own inability to handle the affairs of office was causing her stress, and, seeing her wrapped in warmth having given him her complete trust, he had never been more aware of that fact.

He rose and uncovered the letter he'd penned earlier, drafted in haste while Katara had made visitation to Yue, who still didn't want any men in her company. The ink had barely dried when he rolled it up and slipped it into his luggage in a compartment she wouldn't go