The Fire Nation Chronicles: Reign of Fire

Book 1: The Illness

Fire Lord Zuko could feel the cool touch of cloth patting his forehead. His mind swimming, he tried to move but his aching body wouldn't let him. The dizziness made him clutch at the sheets to keep from falling, although he was flat on his back. The cool touch went away and he heard whispering but couldn't make it out through the pulsing in his ears.

"Agni," he moaned, his eyes clenched shut. His head pounded. He was trying to remember something, someone told him something. But sleep claimed him again and he couldn't think anymore.

She was swimming at the beach, and the water was so warm. It was burning to the touch, like a hot spring. He reached out to her and she swam away from him. "Mai, he called, "where are you going?" She sighed that typical sigh and swam farther away. He couldn't keep up; he was tangled on something and couldn't free himself.

He shivered awake, eyes blinking in the dimness and he tried to move but his legs were caught in the bed sheets. Nearby, a candle flickered. He strained to sit up but his arms were weak. "How are you feeling Zuko," someone asked in the darkness.

"Ah…ugh…" was all he could manage. "I…." He couldn't make out the voice.

"You caught a fever." The voice said, sounding concerned. "But you will recover." The voice sounded familiar, a warm voice, soothing. A sponge appeared over his lips and he sucked down some cool water.

"Uncle," he managed to say. "How long have I been out?" He shivered again, and grasped weakly at the blankets covering him. They were soaked in his sweat.

"Two weeks. You are very lucky; something like this could kill a lesser man." Uncle Iroh said, grabbing a wet cloth and touching his forehead gently. "You are very weak." Iroh looked down at him with kind eyes. "It's not good, Zuko. The fever took hold in the Earth Kingdom colonies and spread. It took a lot of people." He kind eyes sorrowed for a minute.

"A lot. How many is a lot? Aang?" His head was pounding again and he screwed his eyes shut.

He shook his head. "No, Aang is ok. The people you love are ok.….." He started to rub Zuko's temple with the cloth again, it felt too cold on his burning skin. Zuko tried to bat it away with his arm, but it hurt to move it so he stopped.

"Tell me Uncle." He demanded. Mai. He didn't even have to say it. The thing he was trying to remember earlier, she had been ill. Mai had died. "Mai," he whispered.

"I'm sorry; she took a turn for the worse after you caught the fever. There was nothing the healers could do. She was special to you, I know." He swallowed hard, knowing Mai's death would be difficult on his nephew's already frail body.

Zuko took in a deep breath. "I loved her," he said, his voice shaky. "I was going to marry her. She was going to rule by my side." He took a breath. "Ah, it hurts to talk. I want tea." He closed his eyes; a tiny tear trickled from his good eye and down his cheek. He didn't want to cry, but he couldn't seem to do anything else.

"It's ok to cry. I wouldn't think less of you if you did." He said gently while ordering a servant who was hidden in the shadows to go for tea. "Lee, fetch some ginseng tea for Fire Lord Zuko."

The servant left and it was just the two of them. His uncle took him in his arms and he sobbed unashamed until sleep took him again.

XXX

"I can't go running off to Ember Island, I need to get back to work!" He yelled at his uncle. "Ugh, I'm recovered. I'm fine!" Zuko sat on his bed, trying to think of the things he needed to do. The country was still torn apart by the war's end and reparations had to be made to the Earth kingdom. Their land was scarred from his father's attack, but it will eventually heal. In the meantime, the Earth kingdom was starving, as were his own people. Crops grew on that land that was burned and the quarantine had stopped all trade. He put his head in his hands. Agni, I'm so tired.

"Zuko, you need to take your time, it's only been a few days since the fever left you. I worry you will relapse. Ember Island is a place of healing and retreat, you should take advantage of it while you can." He couldn't stop the worry in his voice; his concern for his nephew's health was borderline obsessive. But he had his reasons. "No one expects you to resume your duties so quickly after your illness."

He thought about Ember Island. It was a happy place for him and Mai, and he didn't want to revisit his memories of her. Didn't want to walk the places she walked with him. He lay back on the bed. He wanted to say goodbye to her. He didn't have that chance. He sighed. "I'll go, but I want a pared down retinue. I'm not going on holiday. I'm there to recover," he turned to his uncle, "and work."

Iroh bowed low, he always did when he was given an order to carry out. He liked when his nephew made decisions and showed what a good leader he could be, or was already. He frowned slightly; his nephew hadn't mentioned Mai again since that night. He hoped her death wasn't weighing on his mind, but it weighed on his.