Zuko, shivering in the bitter cold of morning, waited for the others to descend from the saddle. His sister still retained the key and seemed pleased to tarry as long as possible, her inner heat sufficiently keeping the chill from her shoulders whereas Jet grit his teeth to keep them from chattering, which she found amusement in. Zuko hugged Katara against his chest as he shouted at Azula, "Hurry up and try the lock. We don't even know for sure this will work." Katara shivered gently in the resigned way she must have been accustomed to in dealing with unpleasantly cold environments from a lifetime in the arctic circle, as the borrowed clothing wrapped around her was hardly sufficient for even a short time exposed on the mountaintop. Morning light gleamed off the snow surrounding them.

Azula huffed and slipped past him towards the old well then knelt to pull off her necklace, the key dangling at the end. Aang, meanwhile, was helping Toph along. On crutches the snow was treacherous for her. To their surprise she had accepted his help without complaint. He, meanwhile, was saying his farewells to the bison. "I'll be back for you soon, buddy. Stay warm."

The trapdoor lifted with the sound of aged wood weathered from neglect. The well was dark and silent, though the staircase was still there trailing into the depths beyond visibility. "No firefly," reported Azula.

"It'll appear when we get to the bottom," Zuko replied brusquely. "Hurry up and get down there."

She huffed and lit a blue flame in her palm which blended with the winter mountain's pale morning atmosphere and played a strange effect across the snow. Jet lingered at the back of the group wanting to keep his distance and Toph yelped indignantly as Aang scooped her up and took a giant leap into the air, bands of wind bursting around him, and plunged down the center emptiness laughing while his passenger screamed. Zuko leaned over the side curiously. They'd reached the bottom and she berated him indignantly while he laughed it off. Setting Toph down, he stood and lit his own flame to see by. Zuko saw the arrow cresting his head point this way and that as he looked around. Upon their turn Zuko led Katara down lighting each step for her. The wooden boards creaked dry and brittle but held. Momo was the last to enter and sailed down past their shoulders at an easy glide. Above, the sky was closed off by the door self-closing and they were shut into the tight shaft of the well, stacked and masoned stone wrapping around them.

They gathered at the bottom. Vines crawled along the walls in a dense net but no opening appeared. "Where is it? This can't be a dead end. We came through here." Zuko ran his hands along the wall and roots but nothing yielded.

Aang laid a hand on his arm. "Let me try." The rest of them waiting quietly, he seated himself in half-lotus on the floor's center and began to meditate with a hand on either knee. The stonework cast back every sound and shifting in a close, high cast, but at least that deep into the ground they were insulated from the bitter cold above. Fine dust coated the enclosure and he could smell it burning on his flame when a particulate fell to the fire. As the well wasn't particularly wide, they were crowded at the bottom with their knees nearly pressed against Aang. Jet lingered two stairs up trying to keep his distance from the blue fire.

Toph's expression changed, then she and Aang spoke at once, "Something is coming."

Aang stood. Behind the wall, deep into the earth, a barely perceptible sound repeated in a rhythm unmistakably footfalls. Then, like a curtain drawing aside, the vines parted revealing an aperture into a connecting tunnel bounded by thick roots. Someone was approaching them leaning on a cane. From the man's feet a fox dashed past and made for Katara's ankles, then circled her rubbing its head affectionately. She reached down and rubbed under its chin.

Zuko's eyes widened as the visitor came into view. "Uncle?"

"Well, it seems I caught up to you after all." Iroh smiled and greeted them. "My friend here came to fetch me last night."

"How are you here?" Unable to wait for reply, he walked forward and hugged his uncle. "Is everyone okay?"

"All is well back in Caldera City, don't worry." When Zuko stepped back, Iroh explained, "I'm not unfamiliar with the spirits, after all. When my friend came to wake me up, I understood that I needed to follow him. He guided me to a curious place. Luckily I had the key. He could fit through a ventilation shaft, but I certainly wouldn't be able to," he joked and patted his belly. From under his jacket he removed a key hanging from a golden chain.

Azula startled. "Where did you get that?"

"Perhaps you forget, but I was once the crown prince. When my brother passed away I was consulted about the funeral arrangements and advised that this be retrieved. It was unharmed but I needed a new chain cast to hold it. If I understand correctly, you hold the other?"

"I do," she said defensively and placed a hand over her shirt as if protecting it from being taken away.

Iroh's gaze was level and unoffended. "I'm glad to see it is in good hands, then. Keep it. Nephew, I'm sorry I didn't give this to you earlier but I was still investigating what Ozai had done with the other and whether it was safe to reveal this yet. As the Firelord, you should have it." He unfastened the clasp and extended it.

Breath held, Zuko reached forth and received it. The key was heavier than he imagined it would be and the metal was cool to the touch as if it hadn't retained any of his uncle's bodyheat. The chain glistened in beautifully welded links of gold. Katara helped him put it on and he felt the metal's weight lying against his chest. His uncle replied, "That is auspicious. The pair now belongs again to siblings."

"Again?"

"At one time Ozai and I carried them. It was removed from me when my brother took the throne. For a while he carried both keys by himself, which has never been done in our history. Now the tradition is proper again. Both of you, keep them safe."

"Surely you didn't come all the way here just to give me this," said Zuko. "We're at the Northern Air Temple."

"Oh? It's good you were already waiting down here, then. I didn't bring warm enough clothing for that!" As he spoke, the fox began pacing restlessly then pointed like a birding otter-dog towards the tunnel imploringly. "Well, we had best get going. My friend says we are short on time."

"Has the battle begun?"

The fox shook his head that it had not and Zuko exhaled in relief. "Let's get going, then."

The group entered the tunnel walking in a line. Momo and the fox jostled at the front playing with each other while they guided the group. Around them the vines shifted subtly as if reorienting their pathway. As they walked, Iroh told them the tale of his visit to the spirit world, which Aang took great interest in and his questions dominated the conversation. Iroh patiently explained all that he asked. Zuko, of course, already knew the story and Katara had heard some, but Azula listened with interest as if paying attention for the first time though she'd undoubtedly heard the words before.

"While at first the Spirit World seemed to be completely strange and novel, as I wandered I found similarities to our own world. These roots, for example—I had seen the same there many times forming structures and bordering roadways. As I passed through a torii gate formed by the woven roots of a yew tree, I heard a bell ring. In our world we paint the pillars of a torii gate with vermilion, but there they have no paint and so red chrysanthemums were vining around the structure bloomed in red, and at its lintel I looked up and saw a monkey-spirit perched. From the other side it hadn't been visible. I was astonished, and it grinned at me with its teeth bared and rang the bell again before disappearing. I should have heeded this warning, because no sooner had I taken two steps than did a persimmon fall out of a tree and land right on my head! The spirits work in strange ways."

His uncle repeated many of the tales Zuko had already heard since childhood, but he carefully avoided answering the question of why he had ventured there to begin with. That is, crippled with grief from the loss of his son, Iroh had taken an extreme measure in his desperation and had chased after his spirit towards the afterlife. He, of course, never found his son. While the others giggled and listened in fascination, Zuko's knowledge painted for him a different visual for the events. He'd only known his uncle's cheerfulness and so had to imagine his form in grief. As he'd ventured through the spirit realm, he would have worn the white robes of mourning, and Zuko wondered if the spirits had understood what they meant and if they would have pitied him for his loss, a loss which, to them, would be incomprehensible as mortality was the burden only of humans.

Time passing with his stories, they slowly progressed through the tunnel by the guidance of the fox and came again to the root cellar, its wide floor familiar and crested with the star constellations of the fireflies. The fox guided them through and laid his paws on the heavy wooden door, which yielded to him. The group thus concluded their journey to the other side of the world and back in only two days, a feat hardly believable to anyone else, especially as they'd agreed not to reveal the root pathways to anyone fearing that it would be abused if known. They stood again on the polished marble floors of the library. In the center lobby, beyond the hundred columns of yew and cedar, the three great doors to the outside were propped open. The city was in chaos.

Has it started yet? Too nervous to wait for his uncle to catch up, Zuko ran outside to check the conditions with Katara following close behind. Preparations were underway as the city was preparing for seige, much as Piandao's academy in Shu Jing had after the riot. The residents were doing what they could to prepare their homes and steel them from damage while workers in the fields made a hasty harvest, fearing the crops would be destroyed if not taken into the silos beforehand. Katara tugged his hand urgently then took off at a jog. At the boundary of the city a wall was being constructed and a man with a wolf-tail was coordinating the effort.

Katara threw herself into her brother's arms. "Sokka!" Having been too startled to brace himself, he fell to the ground with her atop him yelping in an unmanly shriek that brought Suki running over.

The latter was the one able to offer explanation after she greeted the pair. "We arrived two days ago. Wan Shi Tong mentioned that you had just left, though he didn't elaborate where you had gone, only that you'd be back soon." Suki's makeup had become faded from sweat and sun and they both had a dusting of dirt across their clothing and hair, but she was smiling regardless to see them again and in her energy-raising Kyoshi-Warrior-leader persona with a hand on her hip. "The White Lotus network alerted us that our help was urgently needed in Shambhala. I brought the Kyoshi sect from the Earth Kingdom. Luckily we were already nearby fielding a request in Omashu. They've been terrorized by bandit activity lately."

We know just the little bandit responsible for that business, thought Zuko. "It's good to have you. We need to catch up, so how about a tea break?"

They gathered at the hotel, which was bustling with hosting the Kyoshi Warriors, and briefly explained their mission to the north to the pair. Toph wrinkled her nose to all of Sokka's questions pertaining to her until finally striking him over the head with one of her crutches and telling him to mind his own business. He rubbed his head gloomily and frowned.

Sokka led the summary for their plans. "We've had scouts reporting the location of the merchants. They've gathered a small army—a force much larger than the Dai Li we faced in Shu Jing. Some of the girls—" he paused while being fwumped in the head by Suki's folded fan, "—Kyoshi Warriors recognized members of the group as being from pirate outfits or raiding parties that have been notorious in the Earth Kingdom in the last decades. All the rot in the world is gathered outside of Shambhala."

"Perfect," Zuko replied. "We can burn it away with one strike."

Sokka didn't look as convinced. "It will be a difficult battle. Piandao isn't here to lead us, either. Without his strategies we would have been done for in Shu Jing."

Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully. "As it happens, I was previously the world's premier general. I think we can manage something." Iroh, as one of the eldest members of the White Lotus, was much reknown to Sokka and his new White Lotus recruits and thus instantly respected. They discussed strategies for the next hour and he and Azula added their own comments. Aang, though the centerpiece of all their plans, himself had little combat experience and listened diligently to their discussion. During this time Toph's role had been noticeably excluded. Her face was pained with frustration but she did not interject. Iroh concluded by asking her, "I am old now and my legs pain me. Young lady, would you keep me company in the library while we oversee the battle? I find that tea helps with mental clarity and would enjoy a companion to share it with."

"I will," she replied. Her expression said she would have given anything to be out in the field with them taking direct action, but she was no longer young and reckless. Aang seemed relieved to hear it and looked to Iroh appreciatively.

Iroh finished the last of his tea. "We should all get good sleep tonight, then. By tomorrow their group will be within range to begin their siege. I find myself on the other side of the conflict, now, than when I had been besieging Ba Sing Se. Hopefully we can hold out as well as they did."

Zuko led Katara to their accomodation for the night and he pulled her close, running a hand over her shoulder where her previous injury was healed almost without trace, but not quite, wishing that the night would never end.

#

Katara awoke early in the cool darkness of a desert's pre-dawn, sweat from the nightmare dampening the linen sheet. Zuko was still asleep, curled on his side next to her breathing softly. She touched her shoulder and shivered. She's been brushed by death's nearness both in the port and in their first battle against the merchant group and the impressions haunted her, recent and sharp in her memory. She curled her knees to her chest and tried to calm herself. How did Father feel in the naval battle, standing at the prow of a ship slowly approaching the enemy? Was his sleep this restless?

Barefoot, she padded off to the restroom trying not to wake her husband. A water pitcher rested next to the basin and she practiced bending with that small amount in the confines of the room, not willing to leave the hotel and see the newly constructed ramparts just yet to find water at the well, waiting for dawn and wondering who else was struggling with the same nervousness at that hour behind their own closed door.

Zuko greeted her with a kiss at sunrise, always punctual. She grasped his arm to keep him from leaving just yet and he understood her need. "We have Aang with us, now," he whispered. "We'll be fine." When she didn't answer, he followed up, "You have access to water this time. Pakku's finest student won't lose to some vagabonds."

She nuzzled against his chest. "I loved that six months in Agna Qel'a. It was the first time we were together and I never wanted to leave. It was the first time I realized I loved you."

He kissed her forehead. "I had a crush on you since the second time we met."

"Not the first time?"

"Not the first," he replied. "Then I was angry about my ship."

She laughed. "I guess if I can take a ship, I can take a pirate." There was a lapse as she considered his confession and his hands slipped to her shoulders in a gentle massage. "In Ba Sing Se?"

"I liked you then, against my own preference for practicality."

"I had still hated you."

"I deserved that. You had no idea how much I desired you those first few months. I tried copying Aang's meditation just to get you out of my head."

"Did it work?"

"Not at all."

For breakfast they left to find a cafe that was still open. A venue remained in order to serve the fighting force and the owners were present doling out portions free of charge as, other than those who would be participating, the residents had mostly evacuated to Omashu. The Earth division of the Kyoshi Warriors were there, those who were fully trained, and painted faces blended their identities into unity. Some had been in Shu Jing with them and recognized the pair. The sky was painted in orange and pink beginning to settle, casting the pots of congee in golden light.

After eating they walked towards the library and paused halfway there as a massive form dropped from the sky and lowered to the staircase. Iroh struggled from the back of the owl-spirit and stepped down to the upper landing. Stretching briefly, he concluded whatever stint they'd done by thanking the spirit before turning to see them approaching. "Nephew, you've arrived just in time. I've finished scouting."

Katara wondered that he could have convinced such a proud spirit to work with him as a scout. He and the owl-spirit seemed to already be good friends. Wan Shi Tong, meanwhile, looked displeased to have been caught in such a subservient act and only greeted them gruffly before ducking into the gateway to his library refuge and disappearing down the hall. Iroh led them to an upper story, where the windows, now, viewed sky instead of sand. They had a vantage point across the city and could glimpse the entire plot of the defensive constructs. "We took a tally of their number and I calculated their distance. They might strike either today or tomorrow, but we don't think they'll delay long. There are now water sources for them even outside the city's limits, but they are without provision and have no reason to wait," Iroh explained. He pointed to a direction. "They are five miles north-northwest and number about ninety. They have beetles with them as well as other animals."

They held off on a formal strategy meeting until the others could join, but he and Zuko caught up with family matters. "Kiyi is progressing in her studies. She'll be a fine firebender someday and she's also taking interest in calligraphy. Yuze has no care for the brush but likes to paint his fingertips in the ink and paint like that. Unfortunately he recently strayed from paper and tried his hand at the wall, and Ursa gave such a scream as I've never heard. Ikem was laughing as she scolded the living daylights out of the boy. With her experience in theater she has a knack for dramatics and I doubt Yuze will soon forget his lesson."

"But everyone is fine?" Zuko asked with a worried expression.

"Of course. You're the one facing battle, not them. Try to remember your education. I know the lessons I gave you were informal and I couldn't access all the materials that Ozai had on hand for Azula, given that we were confined on that ship without the full royal library, but this is a simpler conflict than we had during the war. I will provide guidance, but I expect you to take the lead, Firelord Zuko."

The use of his formal title caught his attention. "Thank you, Uncle," he replied. "I'll have some time to think about it."

Half an