This ti, Kahn hadn't co empty-handed.
He had brought several items with him—among them, a handful of letters and a mask.
All of them had been taken from the hidden chamber.
Several masks had been stored together in a box, alongside a stack of letters written by Ursa, so they were clearly her belongings.
Back when they were unable to leave the capital, they had still taken the ti to investigate these items.
What they discovered was that the mask wasn't ordinary.
It was a character mask from a stage play called The Dragon King and Love.
A classic performance.
At its core, it was a fantastical tale of romance and conflict.
Azula rembered it well.
When she was young, Ursa often took her and Zuko to watch it.
They would even act out the roles afterward.
Azula always insisted on playing the hero, while forcing Zuko into the role of the villain.
At the ti, she had assud it was just one of Ursa's personal interests.
But now, it seed there was more aning behind it.
As for the letters, most of them were addressed to soone from her hotown.
Yet for so reason, none of them had ever been delivered.
Instead, they had all been intercepted and left to gather dust.
The one responsible was obvious.
Ozai.
In any case, Kahn had brought these items with him, hoping they might prove useful.
Fortunately, they did.
He claid to be a friend of Ursa's.
He told them she had left the capital for unknown reasons, and that he was searching for her.
When he paired that explanation with the mask he carried, the reactions around him changed instantly.
While The Dragon King and Love was perford across the Fire Nation, each local troupe designed its own unique masks, incorporating regional styles.
They weren't identical.
And those distinctive designs were rarely sold outside their place of origin.
The mask Kahn held bore the unmistakable style of this very town's troupe.
With such convincing proof—and Kahn's calm, approachable deanor—the villagers' suspicion faded.
Under his careful questioning, they began to share what they knew.
Ursa had been the daughter of the town's magistrate.
Before leaving, she had been involved with the local theater troupe.
She was talented.
Popular.
People still rembered her clearly.
"It's a sha, really…"
"One step away from playing the Dragon King before she left…"
One of the older theater enthusiasts sighed, clearly regretful.
The Dragon King was the lead role in The Dragon King and Love.
It was the most beloved production in the town.
And the mask Kahn carried was that very role's mask.
Though it didn't seem imdiately useful, Kahn nodded along before asking another question.
"What about soone nad Aiken?"
Among the many letters Ursa had written, aside from those addressed to her parents, most were ant for this person.
Whoever he was, he had to be important.
"Aiken… that's a na I haven't heard in a long ti."
With mories of Ursa resurfacing, it didn't take long for the villagers to recall him as well.
After a few nostalgic sighs, one of them dropped the revelation.
Aiken had been Ursa's lover.
"What?!"
Kahn's pupils shrank.
Shock rippled through him as his thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.
Ursa had a lover.
Ozai had taken her by force and married her into the royal family.
And even after all these years, she had continued writing to Aiken in secret—only for every letter to be intercepted.
What kind of twisted ss was this?
Kahn felt a headache coming on.
What sort of royal scandal had he just stumbled into?
He wasn't here for gossip.
Forcing himself to calm down, he pushed aside the chaotic thoughts and refocused.
Unfortunately, the trail went cold from there.
Not long after Ursa left, Aiken had also disappeared from the town.
So said he had ventured into Forgetful Valley—a dangerous place—and likely died there.
Others believed he had simply left to start a new life elsewhere.
No one knew the truth.
Too much ti had passed.
Forgetful Valley.
Kahn committed the na to mory.
It wasn't far from here.
If nothing else turned up, he could investigate it later.
He then asked about Ursa's parents.
But they had passed away a few years after she left.
The sa was true for Aiken's parents.
A trace of regret surfaced in Kahn's chest.
Not just because the leads had been cut off—
But for Ursa herself.
If she ever returned, only to learn her parents were long gone…
That wouldn't be easy to bear.
By now, night had fallen.
The villagers, ward by the conversation, invited Kahn to stay at their hos and continue talking.
He declined politely.
Ti was tight.
He still had more to investigate.
After several failed attempts to persuade him, they reluctantly gave up, telling him he would always be welco.
Kahn smiled and promised he would visit another ti.
After considering his next move, and with so directions from the villagers, he made his way to the town's theater.
Both Ursa and Aiken had once perford there.
If Ursa had secretly returned, this would be the most likely place she would visit.
There might still be clues.
Calling it a theater was generous.
It was little more than a simple wooden stage.
Nothing remarkable at first glance.
But despite its age, the entire place was kept spotless.
It spoke volus about how much the troupe cared for it.
Major performances were held there regularly.
Smaller rehearsals and practice sessions took place as well.
The day's activities had already ended.
His earlier conversation had delayed him, and the person responsible for cleaning had likely finished and left.
But as luck would have it, one man remained.
He was tall and thin, yet carried a wiry strength.
His features were plain, but his expression was lively and approachable.
Kahn stepped forward and asked,
"Excuse , do you work here?"
The man looked at him—at his unfamiliar face and unusual attire—and his expression shifted to cautious curiosity.
"I do."
"And you are…?"
Kahn repeated the sa explanation as before, producing the mask once more.
Then he asked,
"Do you know anything about Ursa and Aiken?"
To his surprise, the man clearly did.
At the ntion of those nas, his expression grew complicated.
After a mont, he let out a quiet sigh.
"It's been a long ti since anyone in this town spoke those nas."
"My na is Noren."
"If you don't mind, co to my ho as a guest."
"I can tell you what I know."
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