Snow
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By: Kyatto
Character: Iroh
Pairing: None
Rating: G
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The North Pole was a drastic change from the Earth Kingdom, and the complete opposite of the Fire Nation. General Iroh was a failed man, a disgrace, an exile. His failure to bring down Ba Sing Se after the death of his son led him to believe he would never be welcome home. His father and younger brother wouldn't want to be burdened by his existence any longer. The former General decided to use his freedom to explore the world, to study the nations he used to yearn to destroy. What used to seem savage and beneath him was now a beautiful art. Waterbending was especially lovely.
Seeing that he had come alone, broken, and unarmed, the Northern Water Tribe didn't see him as much of a threat. They gave him his space, and let him go about his business. The chief even allowed him a bed in an empty warrior's igloo. Iroh had been humbled. He worked for a living, helping out around the tribe and disclosing information to the chief in exchange for money to buy food. The Fire Nation was hopeless. To pay for his sins the least he could do was save one nation from destruction. The Northern Water Tribe was the most formidable to the Fire Nation. They had a strong chance of making it through the war. The tribe had a sense of community and love that was greater than anything he had ever seen.
Iroh had taken a liking to watching the Waterbenders practice. Master Pakku was a strict, yet brilliant teacher. He saw moves that the older Generals only whispered about. Even though he never spoke to him, he felt a connection with himself and the Waterbending Master. Pakku, like himself, seemed like a broken man. He always held the glow in his eyes of someone who had lost something very dear to him. The way he fought was much like the General as well. Swift, precise, but each move was always thought through. One couldn't risk a mistake, lest it be deadly.
Snow began to fall and cling to his beard and parka as he made his way across the icy tundra. At the Winter Solstice banquet, the chief had spoken of the Northern Light Show in the sky. It was said to be man's best view of the spirit world. Avatars used the solstice to speak with their past lives. The timing of the lights and the solstice was too well thought out to be a coincidence. Iroh felt the best way to repent would be to pray and meditate as the colors danced across the night sky. Maybe even be blessed with the chance to hear his son's voice.
When he was young and still going to school, Lu Ten used to always come home with stories of what he wanted to do once he was old enough to go to war. He wanted to take down the greatest Earthbenders single-handedly, he wanted to be there when the wall of Ba Sing Se fell, he wanted to take down the most elite of Waterbenders, to see the abandoned Air Temples, and to be one to witness the Northern Light Show. The passion his son had for everything never failed to fill Iroh with loving pride for the boy. He promised that one day, he would use the powers bestowed upon him by being royalty, to make sure his son was stationed in all the places he dreamed of. The greatest thing he wanted to do was make all of Lu Ten's dreams come true. Unfortunately, Lu Ten never even made it to see Ba Sing Se fall. Iroh never felt more shame for anything than the fact he had failed his son.
The bitter cold chilled his breath and ached his joints. He found a clearing and spread out a blanket. He lay down on his back so he could look up at the night sky. Snow drifted and slowly blanketed him. The flakes danced in the air as the northern winds came in all directions. Hours passed and then finally, Iroh saw a streak of green cross the sky. Then yellow, then violet, then blue. It was as if the spirits were telling a story. The streaks of light made shapes, much like cloud formations during the day. Iroh smiled as he tried to make out what he thought they were. A giant sky bison he used to read to his son about at bedtime, a winged lemur, the face of Avatar Roku morphed into that of a young boy. As the lights sped up the shapes changed rapidly, in flashes, sending feelings of foreboding through him. His brother, his young nephew with only half a face, a fish swimming alone, five children up against a giant monster, the face of a pretty girl with long wavy hair and large eyes, a skull engulfed in flames of many colors…And then he saw it. As if the spirits were blessing him for coming all this way. The colors changed and he saw the face of his son, Lu Ten. He looked content and happy. As if assuring his father everything will be all right. Iroh didn't even notice he was crying until he felt the tears ice over as they fell down his cheek.
He had hope again.
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The end!