Frozen Beauty
Iroh breathed in deeply and felt the frigid air of the Southern Ice Sea jolt his lungs. It was slightly painful but also bracing.
"Uncle, what are you doing out here?" called Zuko from behind as he strode boldly across the deck of the ship. "The ship's doctor said it's too cold for anyone to be on deck right now. We're closing in on the Avatar. I can't afford for you to get sick now."
"I appreciate your concern for my health, nephew," replied Iroh with a smile. "I was just taking a moment to enjoy the beauty of the landscape."
Zuko glanced around for a moment and then snorted. "All I see is snow, icebergs and the ocean, uncle. The same thing we've been forced to stare at for far too long. There is no beauty here, uncle!"
"As I've told you before, Zuko, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There is beauty here if only you open your eyes and heart and are willing to see it. True, in such a place as this it might be a cold, stark and unforgiving beauty. But it is beauty none the less."
Zuko fixed his uncle with a hard glare and pointed to the scar on his face. "I got my fill of cold, stark and unforgiving at home! I certainly don't need any more of it from this wasteland!"
Iroh mentally winched.
Zuko took a deep breath to calm himself before turning on his heel and marching back towards the hatch. "I'll have some of your favorite tea sent to your room. You'd best hurry back so it doesn't get cold, right, uncle?"
"Ah, yes. You're most thoughtful, nephew. I'll head inside in a moment," said Iroh with his eyes cast to the deck.
As the hatch closed with a clang Iroh sighed. Suddenly, try as he might, the beauty around him was suddenly very hard to see.
The End