The ties that bind us~;
Zuko's mask was beginning to unravel as he sat on his daybed, feeling his chest writhing with anxiety whilst talking to his Uncle about a certain Watertribe lady.
"I don't know what this feeling is, Uncle!" He said shakily and with a hint of fear. Iroh looked at him comfortingly and placed a wrinkled hand on his shoulder. "Young Nephew, you must remember to breathe! Our heads cannot work without the flow of air; it fogs our minds and shrouds our sense of right and wrong." He said, passing his nephew a small porcelain cup of jasmine tea.
Zuko heeded his Uncles advice and began to take slow deep breaths. He began to feel his mind slowing it's frantic pace to comprehend these new emotions. He silently thought to himself about Mai, but ended up burying his face in his hands in mortification. "But, Uncle... I love Mai!" he said trying to reassure himself that his emotions towards the Avatar's girlfriend were just a phase. Iroh rolled his eyes without his nephew seeing and sat next to him on the chaise.
"Firelord Zuko, you may feel endowed to love her, and you may. But not as you wish to see her. You have been close since you were a young boy, my Nephew, but that doesn't mean you love her as a lover." Zuko froze in his seat and gazed out the window over his city with a shocked expression. He felt the anxiety ease a little and his amber eyes slowly blinked in astonishment.
The young Lord looked down at the steaming cup of tea his Uncle passed to him, watching the steam swirl and the small jasmine blossoms steeping in the bottom, he took a small sip of the tea and felt the warm liquid heat his throat. He sighed at the relief of his Uncle's tea. The palace tea maid did make a good cup of green tea, but he has missed his Uncle's jasmine tea.
He was relieved when the retired general made a surprise call to see him, he was more of a father then Ozai ever was. Zuko reluctantly thought of his paternal father and felt the burning of tears brimming his eyes. He quickly blinked them back and changed the subject with his uncle, trying not to think about Katara.
"How is the Jasmine Dragon fairing in Ba Sing Se, Uncle?" Iroh raised a bushy eyebrow and smiled at his nephew. "Very good, It is getting quite busy and I find only having one waiter a little hard on these old bones." He chuckled and smiled again. "I have missed you, Uncle." Zuko said with his voice cracking a little. Iroh looked at him astonished and bewildered at the display of emotion his nephew usually suppresses. "My nephew, I have missed you immensely also."
Iroh looked at the young man. He felt a swell of pride for him and embraced him tightly. He still could not believe this fine ruler used to be an arrogant, hot-headed boy less than a few years ago with a mission to regain his honour by capturing the Avatar and grovelling to his father to love him again. Iroh smiled at Zuko again and chuckled lightly.
"Can you remember, nephew, when you tied Lady Katara to a tree and bribed her with that lovely necklace for the whereabouts of the young air bender, Aang?" Zuko groaned at the thought of Katara tied to a tree again, but not against her will. "Yes, Uncle; I remember it... Too clearly."
He shook his head and ran a hand through his thick black hair and smiled. He remembered when the young lady told him that he looked better with his hair down. At first he thought it was to hide the scar on his left eye, but then he felt the warm sensation course through him as Katara softly brushed the rough, yet smooth skin and smiled at him.
He thought he was a stupid immature boy when he thought of his mark as a symbol of banishment and failure, he reminisced to himself when Katara had said to him that a scar in the Water Tribe was a symbol of courage, and honour. Zuko's absent mind snapped back to the present and he looked at the setting sun, casting a warm ochre glow over the city as the flame keepers lit the lanterns for light in the dark of the night. He saw the small lights flick on singularly and smiled when his mother, Ursa told him when he was a boy that they were glowflies, protecting the city from those who wish to harm them.