"I can't believe it." I gasped as my eyes couldn't move from the words, 'our son' Zuko had showed me that morning. That night he didn't tell me anything, but to get some sleep.

I really couldn't believe Zuko wasn't Ozai's son. After all that, to find out he wasn't his son was disturbing to say the least.

"It makes sense of so much of my life! That's why Ozai banished me without a second thought. I'm not his son." Zuko stated in a way that told me he was excepting this. It was like he wanted this news, I couldn't blame him, but I began to think of what this meant.

"But... Zuko I'd hate to bring it up but is it true? Should it be?" I stumbled to say, I didn't know what to say without taking his new found happiness away.

"Why not? All night, I've had this odd sense of.... hope." He replied with a tight smile, looking at the far away ground from us since we sat on a cliff.

"But, Zuko, what would this mean for the Fire Nation, your family, who's the rightful Fire Lord?" I asked, with a tiresome voice that I didn't know I had.

He looked back at me with eyes I hadn't seen him with in over two years since we kissed that sunset, he looked happy. "Gyawa, my life would be so different, just think maybe then we can find peace. I could find peace."

I sighed, he had a point, if he wasn't Fire Lord things wouldn't be so bad with our long distance relationship, he could follow me everywhere. I would never change being the avatar, but if this was true, he wouldn't be Fire Lord. But I had to consider who would be Fire Lord. Azula? There was no way I would let her be on the throne, I couldn't let my feelings from my personal life get in the way. Even for Zuko.

"There you are!" I heard Azula say, standing on the edge of the forest, looking at Zuko with insanity written in her eyes.

"She told you to steal that letter out of my boot, didn't she?! Give it back! I'm not letting her win!" She rambled on, she was just getting worse about Ursa.

I stood ready to attack her, she was insane and on the loose, I had to be.

"Azula, stop!" Zuko yelled.

"She's not going to get away with this!" She hissed before throwing fire balls at us.

I moved a wall of earth to block it before sending it at her.

"Go check on the others, Gyawa, I can handle Azula!" Zuko shouted at me as Azula jumped over the wall.

It sounded like he didn't want me to get in a fight with her, but I suppose he was right, I jumped over Azula with airbending.

When I got to Katara and Sokka I found that she burnt most of the forest getting to Zuko. It took forever to put them fire out.

"Gyawa are we ready to leave?" Zuko asked, it immediately hit a nerve, even more when I turned around to see Azula free.

"Just about," I harshly stated, not looking at them, I didn't want to show Zuko I was irritated. And I didn't want to be, but he couldn't just let her run around like that. "But we did have to save an entire forest from blue flame! You know anybody who can do that?" I turned to Azula who had her arms folded and huffed at my sarcasm.

"Even with Gyawa's help it took us until now to put everything out!" Katara added, not able to hide her frustration either.

"Nature hates you!" Sokka yelled at Azula.

"So... uh you guys aren't fighting anymore?" Aang asked, scratching the back of his head.

"We've arrived at an understanding." Zuko replied, he couldn't be serious.

I scoffed before turning around just when I rolled my eyes, hoping Zuko didn't see.

"That's what you said when this whole thing started! Since she tried to kill us, twelve times!" Sokka loudly stated, as Zuko and Azula began to climb Appa.

"Come on, time to go to Hira'a." Zuko said, ignoring all our harsh acts.

"Are you louts coming or not?" Azula asked, trying to glare at me. I wanted to smack that face, she was so urh!

                                     ~*~

When we got to the town we put on disguises, I wore a dress and bandanna. "Gyawa, you look... good." Zuko scratched his head as I came around the corner, I wanted to be happy at his compliment, his shy of blushing at me, but I found myself still annoyed that Azula was walking free.

"Thanks." I tried to smile, but failed badly.

"We need to hide our identities. We'll get mobbed if people figure out we're the Avatar and the Fire Lord." Zuko smiled, as he put a hood on.

"Don't worry. After hiding from you all those months, we're masters of disguise!" Aang replied with a huge smile.

"Aang, that headband of yours is cute. But as a disguise it worked a lot better when you had hair." Katara remarked, as she fixed her shoes, only to have Aang say nothing.

"See? A fake beard made of sky bison fur! A classic!" Sokka said, glimmering at his out right fake beard.

"Get away from me! You smell like a wet possum-pigeon!" Azula gasped, and I had to admit she was right, it smelt bad!

"You might want to take that off, Sokka." I suggested, keeping my distance before he sneezed.

"I thought Hira'a was supposed to be a small town. Why is it so crowded?" Katara asked, as we saw there was just that in the center of town.

"Let's get this over with." I groaned, walking in front of everyone.

"Looks like they're performing some kind of play." Aang stated, as we got closer.

"I recognize that scene! It's the final battle in Love Amongst the Dragons." Zuko smiled, as the play went on. Zuko and Azula seemed to enjoy it, though I was waiting for someone to rough us up for money.

Since we came at the end, the crowd began to leave, making Aang question. "Everybody's leaving! What do we do now?"

"Let me ask around." Zuko replied, before noticing an old couple.

"Excuse me. We're looking for information on a woman named Ursa. I believe she lived here many years ago." Zuko explained, with a polite smile.

"Ursa... Ursa.... wasn't she the magistrate's daughter?"

"Oh yes-! Rumor has it, she-"

The couple began to explain before a man in a blue spirit mask said; "Excuse me." In Katara and Sokka's ears making them scream.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you." He apologized, taking off the mask to reveal a middle age man.

"My name is Noren, I'm the director of Hira'a acting troupe. Ursa was once a performer." He explained with a friendly smile.

"Really?" Zuko asked, while shaking his head. I didn't know people did that here.

"That's right! She always wanted to play the dragon empress, but she never got the chance. Didn't she-?" The old woman began to say before Noren cut her off.

"We should find a quiet place to talk, say from the crowds." Even if he seemed friendly, he cut that woman off for a reason.

"You're all welcome to come to my home. We'll share some tea and I'll tell you everything I know." He offered, I was about to say no, due to his odd interruptions.

"It would be an honor, thank you." Zuko bowed.

                                     ~*~

He lived in a small typical house, I sat next to Zuko and didn't keep my eye off Azula who sat next to him.

He had a wife, and a daughter, who at the moment was trying to talk to Zuko. Oh and not like that, she was about five, it seemed.

"You want to meet my doll?" She asked, holding her sowed up doll.

"No." Azula bluntly stated.

"Of course." Zuko smiled, holding out his hand.

"This is Kiyi." She said, as we saw that she cut the fake hair off.

"I thought your name was Kiyi?" He asked, in that tone when people think kids are cute.

"It's such a good name I liked it twice." She smiled back.

"Well little Kiyi has a very... interesting... haircut." He stated, trying to give her a compliment.

"I wanted to make her prettier, but it didn't turn out very good." She sounded a bit guilty, despite me being the Avatar and stuff, I was glad I didn't have siblings.

"Did you do stuff like this, Gyawa?" Zuko asked, turning to me with a slight smile, I tried to think but I never did. I was always with my dad, or on this world I was training with my friends. I always train what's up with that? "My sister did stuff like that when she was little." Zuko reassured her, probably mentioning the wrong person.

"I find that hard to picture." I smirked holding my legs.

"That's right. Only I didn't give my dolls haircuts, I gave them headcuts! Would you like me to show you?" Azula offered wit that intimidating grin.

"No!" Kiyi gasped, hugging her doll tight.

"Azula, stop it!"Zuko ordered.

"Kiyi, are you being hospitable to our guests?" Noren asked, as he walked in with Sokka and the tea.

"I'm trying." She softly and unsurely replied. 'Well ain't that cute' I thought.

"You heard that, Azula? You might want to tone down the psycho." I remarked, making her glare.

"Gyawa, stop!" Zuko demanded like I was a child.

"Mind if I join the conversation dear?" Noren asked sitting next to his wife.

"Just sharing some advice about life and love." She said, as he kissed her cheek.

"Ah! Well you are Hira'a foremost expert on those subjects."

"According to you." They said to each other.

I could see Zuko from the side of my eye, looking over at me, like this was a role model, if I had a phone I would be diving my head in it.

"I must admit, I was a little suspicious when you all started asking about Ursa. But Sokka tells me you're drama historians!" Noren stated with a smile before Katara whispered over to him, no doubt his cover up, which I thought was pretty good.

"How wonderful! It's about time the Hira'a acting troupe got a little recognition." Noriko said, with a smile.

"Ursa, the woman you asked about, was probably the troupe's most famous member— but not for her acting. Years ago, she was... well... taken to the Capital City on some sort of official business. We're not supposed to talk about her anymore, but people can't help but speculating." I could tell there was more to him than he was telling us, like he knew a lot more, but I couldn't do anything. That would just be rude.

"Supposedly she married into the royal family. This all happened before I came to town, even I've heard the rumors." Noriko explained, she had something about her, that was just strange. She wasn't dangerous, it just seemed that I couldn't put my finger on it.

"What about... Ikem?" Zuko asked, I wanted to sigh, he really wanted this whole thing to be true.

"Ikem? My, you've really done your research. Ikem was an actor, Ursa's boyfriend too. I believe he disappeared shortly after Ursa left." Noren said, but he sounded stunned when he mentioned the name.

"Folks say he ran off to the forgotten valley." Noriko was definitely enjoying this conversation, because she had a smile around her face when she said this.

"Forgotten Valley?" Aang asked.

"A forest at the button of a canyon, just outside of town. The heartbroken go there to forget their lives. You know, I vaguely remember hearing Ursa came back to town years later, looking for Ikem. They say she went after him in the forgotten valley." As soon as she finished I saw how Noren tensed when she said this.

"That can't be true! No ones seen or heard from Ursa since she was taken to the Capital city." He replied.

"*gasp* well if it's true. It's awfully romantic!" She almost sounded like she didn't know what she was saying herself till she said it.

"Romantic or tragic? Forgetful valley is a dark, dangerous place. No one who enters ever returns."

Soon after we got that information and the conversation ran out, we stood out if their door ready to leave. "Noren and Noriko, you've been more than generous. Thank you for the information." Zuko bowed.

"And sharing your home with us!" Katara added with a smile.

"You'll come again? Please, please, please?" Kiyi pleaded nagging on Zuko's sleeve.

"I really hope so, Kiyi." He replied, with a warm smile at her.

As we began to walk away, I was looking over at Zuko who seemed very pleased, only to get bumped into the side by Azula. "Watch where your going!" She hissed,

"You watch it!" I growled back. I didn't want to start a fight here right in front of their house, but Azula was becoming more and more frustrating.

                                     ~*~

When we got back to Appa and Momo it was late, but I had to say something about Azula to Zuko, who was very silent the whole way. But I also had to set this letter business straight.

"Hey Zuko?" He just slightly turned his head at me.

"I'm sorry about earlier, so I know this will sound harsh but... that letter has to be destroyed." I said, before he turned back the other way.

"I don't have it anymore, Azula took it back." He said, as soon as he did I wanted to break something.

That girl would use it against him, and he just let her take it???!!! "Ah! All that freedom you give that woman and for what??! Because you feel guilty!? She should be locked away!" I growled through my teeth, as I automatically shoved Zuko's shoulder so he could look at me.

"We need to focus on the task at hand, and that's looking for my mother. We'll figure everything else out later, including Azula and where and who I'm supposed to be." He stated, trying to ignore my aggravation, it just made me even more aggravated.

"What do you mean?! Just because your father wasn't once a ruler doesn't mean you can't be! The Fire Nation needs a good leader, not a selfish, power hungry, warmongering bastard!" I clenched my fist, I wasn't about to let Zuko step down after all that to get one power hungry person on the throne.

Zuko glared at me, I hated that he wasn't saying anything. It seemed like he was going to give it all up, he wasn't trying, and to be honest, there was nothing I could do. He used the excuse of that we could be together, but I'd rather have him on the throne than Azula or Ozai.

"How much longer do you expect to keep this crew together. Zuko? I give it another two minutes tops before something's either on fire or encased in ice." Sokka asked, referring to Katara and Azula at each other's throats.

"One more place to visit and then we're done. We're going to the forgotten valley."

                                     ~*~

The next day we left for the valley, which had a thick forest more than anything. "So this is it huh?" I said as we stepped outside of it.

"How do you know? Detecting something with your special, avatar powers?" Sokka asked, before I nudged my head at a sign hanging on a tree.

"No, there's a sign right there."

"Oh." He said to his inobservance.

"So where do we go from here?" Katara asked as we began to walk in the crowded forest.

"I'm not sure, there's not even a path." Zuko replied, as I looked around, still keeping an eye on Azula I saw that the trees and everything else had faces.

"Come on, Zuzu. For the true fire bender there's always a path!" She grinned before she blasted threw the tall vines.

"Hey!" I yelled, running up and grabbing her arm.

"What are you doing?!" Katara gasped.

"I suppose one of you imbeciles has a better idea on how to proceed." She scoffed after I let her go despite how I felt.

"Any idea is better than burning done the whole forest!" Katara yelled back.

"What'd I tell last time you did something like this? Oh yeah. Nature hates you!" Sokka added, since when was he the nature loving guy?

I looked up a tree, it was massive, and had a face on it, it looked painted on but I could tell it was grown on. As I stared at it I began to feel that same feeling I did the other day when I made uncontrollable faces.

"Gyawa, are you okay?" Zuko asked, with concern in his voice.

"I'm getting that feeling again." I answered not turning to them, I hated not controlling my face, specially with Zuko there. He walked beside me and turned me to look at the others.

"Not with the faces again!" Katara sighed.

"No, no, I think Gyawa is onto something, if you look carefully there are actually faces all over the place!" Sokka said, with a hint of sarcasm, as he made the faces of the trees he was pointing to. "Check out this leaf!" He grabbed it and made the mad face it was making.

"Sokka stop! Gyawa can't help it, but you're just being a jerk!" Katara scoffed at her brother.

"And that squirrel-toad!" He pointed as he gave a happy face they're backs showed. "And the bark of tree is like this!" He pointed to his face as he made a angry expression. "And that giant flutter-bat over there! Gyawa, the patterns on its wings sort of look like the face your making!" He then pointed to a bat flutter that was flying through the trees.

"You're right!" I said, before using air bending to jump up the tree and get to it.

"Gyawa, don't run off by yourself! You don't know what's out there!" Zuko warned, I didn't listen and followed the bat.

As I traveled through the trees with ease, the bat stopped at a tree near a clearing. "There you are. Where are you taking me?" I asked, as we tilted our heads to each other. "I'm talking to a bat, great." I scoffed before the bat took flight again.

He flew to the clearing, and in it was a blue, beautifully perfect, still, pool of water in the middle of the forest. I gently landed, I didn't have to be the Avatar to know this place was special.

"Gyawa?!" I could hear Zuko shouting.

"Over here." I shouted back. I looked at the peaceful and still water, it was shaped in a perfect circle, and it almost had a ring to it.

"I've never seen water so clear and so still." Katara said as they ran up.

"Like a perfect pane of glass." Zuko added as they stared at the water.

"It feels so different, so still." Aang stated with a slight smile.

"This place remind of the garden in the Northern Water Tribe. It's a sacred place so treat it with respect everyone." I directed at Azula and Sokka. Azula was the one who kept her eyes on the water most of all, even so that she began to yell at it.

"You again! Don't you ever shut up?!" She then shot lightning straight in it.

"Azula, no!" Zuko shouted before I tackled her and knocked her to the ground.

"What did I just say??!" I growled as I held her neck down with my arm and had my knee on her stomach.

"She told you to lead me here, didn't she?!" She hissed before punching me with a fire blast, I immediately got nocked off her. "So she could keep tormenting me with her lies!" She rambled again as she shot more fire at me, I used my own fire to block it.

"That's enough!" Zuko shouted as he blocked another one of her blasts.

"You're right, Zuko, it is enough! We're tried to put up with her, She's too dangerous!" Katara said, as she bended water from the pool into a ball, but just when she was going to use it flying stars shot at us.

"What?!" Katara gasped as she got cut and dropped the water.

"Look out!" Sokka squealed as he ran from them.

"These are some of the prettiest throwing stars I've ever seen." Aang stated looking at the ones that landed in the trees.

"It's like the flowers itself is attacking us!"

"Because nature hates her!" Sokka yelled at Azula.

"Heads up! More incoming!" Zuko warned as the throwing flower stars were coming at us.

I blocked fire threw it before vines began to grasp me. I threw an Earth wall in front of it and slide myself back, but the vines kept coming. I immediately shot fire at them.

"A little help here!" I heard Zuko yell, I turned to see him being over run with vines.

"Hold still." I warned before using air to cut them off.

"Hang on, guys if we stay calm we'll figure something out!" Aang tried to reassure us, but not to comforting when even more vines were flying towards us.

"How do you stay calm when nature is about to skewer you?!" Sokka asked. Just when they were about to hit, Katara took control of the vines and turned them around.

"Who ever you are, your not the only one when can water bend! Show yourself!" She demands before gasping at the sight of a old skinny water tribe woman, and a water tribe man with a wooden mask on slowly walk up.

                                  ~*~

"I apologize for attacking you earlier, my brother and I just aren't used to seeing other humans around here. When we heard the commotion, we thought a forest animal was disrupting the pool. It must remain undisturbed." The woman named Misu explained, as we sat around a camp fire eating soup.

"That's what I said! It's a very spiritual place." I replied with a smile.

"Don't look at me." Aang defended putting his hands up.

"That's right, avatar. There are actually three other pools just like this in Forgetful Valley. They all must remain undisturbed." Misu said, with a calm tired voice.

"Misu, this stew is delicious, it reminds me of..."

"The seaweed stew of the Northern Water Tribe?" She finished Sokka's sentence.

"That's it!" He chimed.

"Ha ha. Rafa and I made do with what we can find."

"So how did two people from the northern water tribe end up in a fire Nation forest?" Katara asked.

"Growing up, my brother and I were complete opposites. I was quiet and studious, he was loud and brash. I followed the rules, he lived to break them." Misu explained how her brother would steal just for the fun of it and she'd tell him to give it back and he all ways did. And how one day her brother got in trouble with the wrong people, she found him with his face disfigured. She then said how no healer could help him, so she studied for a way, and found out about a spirit that could help Rafa in the valley.

"I made it my life's mission to bring my brother here. I knew it would be dangerous for two water tribe folks to sneak into the Fire Nation, so I spent years figuring out how to use water bending to fight. I had to learn secretly on my own since-"

"-in the Northern Water Tribe, woman waterbenders were only allowed to heal. Things are different now." Katara said, I couldn't help but feel bad. I wanted to help them somehow.

"After many failed attempts, we finally made it to the forgotten valley. We've lived here ever since, hoping to encounter the spirit." Misu put a hand on her brother's arm, he didn't do anything. Only continued to sit and do nothing.

"How come Rafa hasn't eating anything?" Sokka asked still eating the stew.

"Ever since his injury Rafa's been caught between life and death. He doesn't eat anymore. He doesn't do much of anything anymore." She replied.

"So you've spent almost your whole life trying to heal your brother." Aang said with amazement.

"Of course, I'm his sister." Misu slightly smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course." Katara said, looking at Sokka.

"I'm sorry to interrupted your sob story-" Azula began to say.

"Azula! Don't be rude!" Zuko tried to correct his insane sis.

"But we're here on a mission of our own. We're looking for a woman named Ursa." She finished, ignoring Zuko.

"I'm sorry, we haven't seen her. The forest was pretty quiet till you arrived." Misu responded.

"So the spirit? What's he do?" I asked, from what I had heard this spirit sounded powerful.

"It's a she. I don't know what she looks like, but when she approaches, the forest tells us. Facelike patterns begin to manifest on the leaves of the trees, the wings of the insects, and the backs of the animals." Misu explained.

"Hey we saw that! So the spirit must be near!" Sokka said, pointing with his chopsticks.

"Then on a night like tonight, a giant wolf bearing the markings of a face travels from far away to drink from the one of the forests four pools."

"That's the wolf spirit who puked moth-wasps at us!" Aang chimed in.

"Whichever pool he drinks from, there the spirit appears. The spirit has passed through forgetful valley many times since we arrived, but we always seem to be at the wrong pool. *sigh* and I believe we missed her again. If this were the right pool, the wolf would have been here by now. I'm sorry brother, we'll keep trying." She reassured Rafa putting a hand on his arm. I couldn't do nothing, they had been here for years, there had to be something.

"No! There has to be some way I can change this. I'm going to go in the spirit world, see if I can't locate the spirit." I stated, walking down to the pool and sitting in front of it.

As I meditated, I heard Azula and Zuko talking but it was too far away to hear, I found myself in the same forest but yet completely different.

The trees all had angry faces pointing at me, it was so much more intense. The bat from before flew over me, almost like he was waving, and now he was massive. Big enough to ride.

"Wow, hey there, thingy." I smiled as I walked closer.

LCome with me. I will show you what you want to see." The bat said. He literally talked!

"You can talk?! What am I saying this is the spirit world." I sighed, before getting on the big bat and he took me above the forest. I then saw that there were three other pools, all perfectly circled, and still.

The bat lead me to the wolf spirit, who didn't look at me when I landed right next to him. "Hey remember me? Avatar?" I asked, I then realized he was walking to a pool to drink of it.

"Hey hey! You don't want to do that! There's a pool not to far from here that tastes a lot better!" I yelled trying to get his attention.

He looked down at me, I completely went silent, what do you say to a wolf spirit when they stare at you? He turned away and began to run. "Hey come back here! Where are you going!" I then jumped up and grabbed on his fur, holding for dear life.

I closed my eyes from the fast ride, seriously this wolf could run. When he stopped I got down and tried to get my eyes used to the light again.

"Who dares ride my wolf as if she were some common beast of burden?!?" I heard a stern strong woman voice say.

"My name is Gyawa, I'm the Avatar, who are—" I was about to ask before I knew exactly who it was.

"I am the mother of faces!!"

                                    ~*~

[A/N: Funny, national book day, I was like, "is writing still reading?" Did you enjoy it? Hope you did, and Thanks for reading.<3]