Authore's Note: Welcome to my sequel of The One I Love (TOIL) which I've finally decided to call My Love Is Eternal. This fic will mostly be based on Zuko and his children but that doesn't mean that the other charaters won't be in the chapters a lot, it just means that they aren't the main focus of the story. Though we will venture a bit into a few of their backgrounds dictated by me, Mai will make an appearence, Zhao will return, a total of four characters will die in this fic, (at least, mentioned, big-ish characters) and there will be plenty of Zutara despite the lack of Katara. If you haven't read The One I Love but you wish to read this fic, or if you have read it but kind of forget what's happened, then please pm me and I'll be more than happy to send you an abridged version.
My Love Is Eternal
Chapter 1
My Life Without You
It's been ten long years since that day. That day changed everything and everyone, even if it was a change for the better in some cases or a change so small it was unnoticeable except for at a specific moment. But it especially changed him and that was as clear as the bright blue sky.
"My Lord, would you care to go outside today?" The light caressed against his skin and he cringed as he opened his eyes. They call him Lord but he is no longer treated like one. He's a prisoner. He was once a Lord, was once loved, and was once happy. But he's a prisoner now, kept locked up by people he once trusted and thought of as his friends and loving family. Not anymore; he knows better now, knows that he lost all of that when he lost her.
"No, let me sleep some more." His raspy voice was barely heard nowadays but whenever Jee did hear it, he never could miss the pain and rage that lay behind it. It never failed to send shivers down his spine.
"As you wish, my Lord," Jee bowed even though Zuko had his back to him. He closed the thick metal door as he went. Zuko listened for the click of the lock and the footsteps as Jee traveled the three rooms down to his uncle's room. He didn't doubt that Jee would tell his uncle about his desire to stay inside and his uncle would once again come to stir him up just enough so he'd leave his room peacefully.
Zuko rolled on his back and blinked up at the black canopy above him. He rarely did manage to sleep but when he slept he would always have the most wonderful dreams that he wished he would never wake from. In his dreams, she always came back to him and brought him peace and joy.
He still thinks of her—thoughts of her keep the little sanity that he has left—but the thoughts aren't enough. He misses her with all his soul. Though, he's not sure if his soul really has much value left to it. But what good is a soul anyways when he is denied of his soul's and heart's desire?
Everyday is spent in the lonely room he has been forced to call home. When he is allowed outside, it is usually for a quick stroll through the gardens with his uncle while a dozen guards keep close watch on him. He doesn't know why the guards stayed with him; he's no longer the Lord, despite what they may call him, he knows that the Fire Nation is in a war with itself with different groups trying to gain power. But perhaps the guards hope that he gets better—they keep calling him sick—and will join the fight to become triumphant over the groups and once again claim his rightful place as ruler of the Fire Nation. He won't; how can one heal from a broken heart by himself?
Still, for being a prisoner, he is treated well enough. He always gets a weekly visit from her brother, if the guards and his uncle think he is well enough for it. Not to mention three meals fit for a Lord every day. Granted he only eats enough to stay alive, barely enough really.
His cell is more like a well furnished room. He has a big, comfortable bed with black sheets. An attached bathroom with a shower and bathtub which his uncle isn't worried about him having because he knew that Zuko was never someone to take his own life, no matter how miserable he got, or else the boy would have done it a long time ago.
A cozy, cushioned chair by the small window that even if he did break it hasn't help him escape because he wasn't even able to fit his leg out of it. Not to mention, he's kept on the fourth story of his replacement home—he refuses to call the place his actual home because home is where the heart is and his heart is not in this place.
His life isn't as bad as it once was—back when he was on a tiny ship chasing a wild dream—but it's also not as good as it one was—holding someone in his arms while he whispered sweet nothings and received sweeter nothings right back. He missed her so much it hurt whenever he spoke or heard her name.
"Zuko," He blinked and noticed that his uncle was standing in the doorway. He must have fallen half asleep; darn his uncle for waking him up. "Jee tells me that you don't wish to go out today. Why wouldn't you want to go outside on such a nice day like this?" Iroh asked as he pointed out the tiny window.
"Alright, Uncle, let's go for a walk." Sighing as he forced himself to sit up, Zuko threw his legs over the side of the bed. His bare chest was met with the cooler temperature of the room—a pity that blanket warmth could never stay with someone—and his baggy black pants fell down to his ankles, allowing more of the cold air to brush up his legs and chill his spine. He never used to be so compliant with his uncle but he realized that the man was getting older and his age was starting to affect his body. Iroh's spirit, however, was as bright as it had ever been.
"Wonderful idea, Zuko, I'll have Jee escort you down and get a head start myself while you grab a shirt." Iroh beamed as he left the room, leaving Jee and two other guards waiting for Zuko.
As he opened his closet's oak draws and pulled on a shirt, Zuko absentmindedly noted that his uncle no longer addressed him with the title 'Lord' and he wondered if it was because his uncle knew he no longer was the man that once wore that title proudly. He brushed back his hair—it had gotten far too long for his liking around his scalp and he really needed a haircut—and pulled the lengthen locks into his famous ponytail.
He nodded to Jee to motion that he was ready to start heading down to the gardens and the man nodded back as he signaled his men to start the daily routine of allowing Zuko out of his room. He stepped out of the room and in-between the two guards so that one could walk in front of him and the other behind him as Jee walked at his side and always attempted some sort of awkward small talk that normally started with--
"How did you sleep last night, Lord Zuko?" Jee asked in his typical manner; a small smile as he tilted his head and faked an intrigued look. Zuko wouldn't change his morning's routine by answering anything different then he normally did.
"I dreamt of her again once I finally managed to fall asleep." Zuko stuffed his hands into his pockets as he fell into step with Jee.
"Hm," the older man hummed. "Was it a good dream or was it the bad one?"
"It was a good one." Zuko replied honestly as he started to recall it. "She was waiting for me by the pond and had a huge smile on her face when she saw me. We embraced and I picked her up by her hips and swung her around until I didn't hear anything but her laughter." A smile formed on his face.
"That's wonderful, my Lord, two good dreams in a row." Jee couldn't help but smile when he saw Zuko's own smile. The boy—Jee couldn't think of him as a man since he had not really lived the past ten years of his life—was rarely happy but when he was then it always turned out to be a good day.
"Yeah, I think it might be a sign." Zuko thought aloud as he glanced out one of the opened windows.
"A sign, my Lord; what do you think it means?" Jee asked as he studied Zuko's face. The smile was growing wider and Zuko actually showed some of his pearly white teeth that were rarer to see than the smile.
"I think it means that she is stilling waiting for me back at the palace." Zuko's smile turned into a smirk and before Jee had time to even open his mouth, Zuko had acted.
Jee fell on his back as Zuko swept his legs out from under him and threw two fireballs at the guards. Knocking all of his guards away from him, he gave himself plenty of room to jump out the opened window and dart across the replacement palace's grounds.
His feet echoed against the hard ground as he pumped his arms faster than they had gone in quite some time. He knew he didn't have much time before the other guards showed up and he was never able to stop them. But he felt lucky today. That dream had meant that he would be reunited with her; he knew it.
"Zuko, stop, Zuko!" He ignored his uncle's cries and continued to run, knowing that his uncle would never be able to catch up with him. In fact, he was pretty sure that he was going to make it to the woods this time; the guards were never able to run too quickly with all the bulky armor they wore.
Once in the woods, he would be able to evade the guards even easier as he would use the trees and overgrown bushes to hide and swerve through the winding paths that many travelers have gotten lost on to keep his track hard to follow. He was only a few feet away from the beginning trees; he was going to make it! From the woods, he would return to the palace and to her.
"Not so fast!" He blinked out of his thoughts just fast enough to roll out of the way of the large rock shooting out of the ground. Brushing himself off, Zuko growled and stared at the Earthbender rotating a few pebbles above her hand. "You're being a very bad boy today, aren't you? Just think of all the trouble you would have caused your dear uncle if I hadn't decided to come check up on him at this perfect moment."
Toph, the Earthbending master, had become close friends with Zuko's uncle over the years though Zuko never took too kindly to the blind girl. Namely, due to incidents like this. "I'm not going without a fight." He challenged as he slid into a defensive position.
"You never do." Toph grinned as she brushed a lose strand of her long hair behind her ears. She had long gotten rid of her bangs and no longer found the need to hide her unseeing eyes since her talents were known world wide. "Too bad for you, Zuko, I didn't come alone today."
"Hey, Zuko, it's been a while." The Avatar, still wearing his ridiculously bright orange outfit, fell from the sky with his staff in hand. His smile wasn't as friendly as it once was but he had grown and over the last ten years, his innocence had been put through too much for him to still be able to give the same open-hearted smile.
Zuko couldn't stand the Avatar, he never could. The boy was always to blame on so many hardships of his life; how could he possibly like someone like that? Charging full speed toward the couple, Zuko released all the pent up energy that he hadn't released during his escape attempt a week ago. One fire blast after another, each with its own pain filled, desperate scream, were easily blocked by Aang's Airbending and a few stray rocks from Toph until Zuko was a mere foot away from them.
Aang spun around with his staff and sent Zuko flying into Toph's first jutting rock. He slumped against the rock and fell to the ground as his guards finally caught up with him and helped him up. They didn't release their holds on his elbows or shoulders even after he was standing.
"Why must you always stop me, Avatar?" Zuko seethed through his clenched teeth. "What harm can I do?"
"A lot, actually." Toph folded her toned arms over her developed chest.
"I will keep my promise, I will go back to her one day whether you want me to see her or not. We belong with each other!" Zuko screamed as the guards started to drag him back toward the palace.
Iroh sighed and shook his head as he watched his nephew being dragged away again. "Just another week, hm?" He forced a small smile on his worn face as he approached the couple. "So, what brings you two up to visit an old geyser like me? Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, especially with your timing being perfect. But you were just up here yesterday with the twins." Iroh glanced at one smiling face to the other and he narrowed his eyes. "What news are you two not telling me?"
"Well, Uncle Iroh, remember that little thing I've been discussing with you for a while now." Aang pointed to Toph and Iroh's smile widened.
"Young Avatar, you didn't." Iroh beamed as Toph held out her left hand and he noticed the all-too-familiar ring on her finger.
"He did and I agreed!" Toph grinned. "You can call me Mrs. Avatar!" Iroh clapped his hands together happily.
"Congratulations, you two. Though, if you don't mind me saying, it's about time you two did settle down. You are the last ones out of your group to finally match up." Iroh grinned and clapped Aang on the back with his callused hand. Aang grinned like an idiot and rubbed at his short brown hair.
"Yeah, well, Smellerbee and Long Shot got married right after Ty Lee and Sokka did so I didn't want it to seem like I was just following the group or anything like that." Aang shrugged his broad shoulders with a sloppy grin still on his face.
Toph rolled her blinded eyes. "Yeah, right; Twinkle Toes just didn't have enough guts to finally ask the question until last night." She elbowed Aang lightly in the side and he chuckled nervously.
Iroh chuckled as well. "You cannot blame the man, my dear; you are a determined, free spirited, beautiful young lady and any man can find that intimidating. Even the Avatar was a bit afraid to try and take you on."
"He should be use to going at things head first with me; he's been doing it for ten years practically." Toph pointed out as Aang's face began to flush.
"I just wasn't sure if I wanted to settle down yet or if you wanted to." Aang claimed in his defense. "Besides, you were the one who always commented that there wasn't any point in getting married with a family like ours."
"But I didn't mean that." Toph stamped her foot on the ground and the rock that had been jutting out from the ground suddenly turned into grounded pebbles. "You should have known that I was just--"
"Excuse me for interrupting your lovers' spat, but I really should go have a talk with Zuko about the little stunt he just pulled." Iroh spoke up. "But you two may continue your little chat at dinner tonight if you wish to do so." He suggested with a small smile.
"I think we'll be fine." Aang wrapped his hand around Toph's waist. "We will, of course, be discussing the wedding plans tonight. Oh and please tell Jee of the news as well." Aang beamed as Toph interlaced her hand with his own.
"I will do. Now get going you two, a newly pronounced couple shouldn't be wasting their time chatting it up with an old man that they already spent an entire day with. Especially not when you see said old man each night anyways." Iroh sarcastically scolded the two.
"What did I say about calling yourself old?" Toph growled and Iroh laughed as he started to walk back towards the palace.
"Forgive me, my dear, I must be forgetting myself." He grinned and waved as he walked backwards for a few steps to watch Aang blast off into the air with Toph in his arms.
"You'll get off easy for today, but only because I'm in such a good mood." Toph called down below her as she clung tightly to Aang. She knew she would never be use to flying, whether it was with her fiancé or on his magically bison.
Iroh made his way back into the palace and, after a while, came to his nephew's room. "Zuko," he knocked and opened the door before receiving a response. "Why do you feel the need to send me to an early grave by giving me a heart attack? Haven't I--"
"Not today, Uncle." Zuko turned his back to the man as he rolled onto his side on the bed. "Please, not today. I had really thought I would be able to see her again today."
Sighing, Iroh stood in the doorway for another moment or two before he closed the door. He no longer bothered trying to tell his nephew that she was dead. Zuko never believed him anyways.
He headed back to his room and he sat before his tea set. Removing his mask, he drank his tea with a tired frown on his face. Iroh wasn't sure how much longer he could take this heart wrenching life. If it wasn't for all of his lovely, extended family members meeting him for dinner each night, he knew he would have died long ago.
"Would you just pass the damn salt already?" Smellerbee shouted for the third time as she pointed at the salt at the opposite end of the table.
"What's the magic word, Smelly?" Toph asked with a grin as she picked up the salt and rocked it back and forth in her thumb and forefinger.
Smellerbee stood up and slammed her hands on the table as she tried to stretch her arms across the table to simply take the salt for herself. Aang, fortunately, intervened and snatched the salt from Toph's hand. "Ask nicely, Smellerbee."
"Aang, may I please have the salt?" She hissed through clenched teeth as she held her hand out.
"Of course." Aang beamed and placed the salt in her palm. She quickly sat back down and poured the salt on her chicken. Long Shot, sitting next to her, shook his head.
"Shut up, Long Shot, I do not use that much salt." She stressed as she continued to shake salt onto her meal. He rolled his eyes and continued to eat his own meal, casting a few glances at the piling salt on her chicken.
"If you keep eating like that then you're going to have high blood pressure." The Duke commented as he poked Smellerbee in the shoulder. Even though it had been ten years, he was still the smallest of the group.
"Leave her alone, Dr. Duke." Pipsqueak reached across the table for another slice of bread. He was still the largest of the group and no one minded since he was another gentle giant.
For the small town that they lived in, Sousen, The Duke had become the local doctor and gained plenty of respect despite the odd fact that he never seemed to have grown. Pipsqueak had become Sousen's local man for hire. Any manual labor that needed to be taken cared of, he was quickly contacted and he usually finished the job within the next two hours.
"He's right, you know." Sokka spoke up with his mouth full. Ty Lee sat next to him and raised her eyebrow as she pointed at his own plate. "Don't even start on my diet again. You know how I am with my food." Sokka stabbed his chicken with his fork and started to shove more into his mouth even though he had yet to swallow what he had in his mouth.
"I'll talk to you later then." Ty Lee signed with a smile. Over the years, she had learned sign language and so had the rest of the group, except for Toph.
"Kimiko, would you mind pouring me some more tea?" Iroh asked his granddaughter as he held out his empty cup.
"Sure, Granddad," Kimiko smiled as she brushed back a few loose strands of her long, brown hair. She had grown up looking like the split image of her resting mother. Her eyes were as bright blue as the water she loved to play with, her hair just as long and manageable, and her spirit shined in her smile. She even wore the necklace that had been given to her mother as an engagement sign from her father which she had never met.
"I've got it, Granddad." Kazuki spoke up as he stared at the tea pot in his twin's hands and concentrated. He took a deep breath and a stream of tea started out of the pot and filled Iroh's cup. He flashed his arrogant little smirk that had become so natural for him. His short brown hair was shaggy on the top of his head and shaved on the back, but he didn't have a ponytail like his uncle Sokka did. His eyes were a dull mix of blue and gold that made him appear to have ugly green eyes except when looked upon in the bright sunlight.
"Zuki," Kimiko placed the tea pot back down on the table. "What did Uncle Sokka tell you about using your powers at the dinner table?"
"Oh come now, Kimie," He rolled his eyes. "Uncle Aang says I'm allowed to practice whenever I want to. Right, Uncle Aang?"
"Don't drag me into this." Aang pleaded as he continued to eat his meal and look away from the two young stares.
"Speaking of practicing, how have your skills come along since I last trained with you, Kim?" The normally quiet Jee spoke up and asked the little girl who had become a niece or granddaughter to everyone at the table.
"Would you like to see me perform Granddad's move?" She asked eagerly as she picked up a cup of tea. A few glances were cast along the table.
"Kim," Sokka started to interject. "I don't think you should try anything indoors. Remember the last time you tried to do something--"
"That was a year ago, Uncle Sokka. I'm so much better now and besides, Granddad has been showing me his signature move for months. Please, just let me try once." She pleaded as she folded her hands together and batted her long eyelashes. Sokka sighed and waved his hand to signify that she could go ahead and try. "Thank you, Uncle Sokka; trust me you won't be disappointed!"
She jumped up from the table with her cup of tea in hand and tilted her head back as she extracted the liquid into her mouth. She made a circle with her hand and held it in front of her mouth as she focused her energy to her hand. Spitting the tea out, her eyes lit up as the tea contacted with her Firebending skills and turned into a powerful blast of fire. She bent back and shot the flames higher into the sky, appearing to be a fire breather just like a dragon which the move was named for.
When the tea ran out, she settled her hand back at her side and smiled as the table started to clap. She bowed and then sat back down. "Wonderful, Kimiko, darling; you've really been practicing hard. I'm proud to pass that move down to you." Iroh smiled happily as he patted his granddaughter's shoulder gently with pride.
"Well, I did have a great teacher." She grinned and to her left, Aang's heart twitched in his chest. She really was starting to look just like her mother, Katara.
A. N. (again): I'll update twice a month, I'm not sure when exactly, and I'll try to make the chapters around 4,000 words at the least. I hope to make this story about 25 chapters. Also, for those of you that feel like looking back at my early chapters of TOIL, you might have noticed that I've gotten much better at writing which just proves if you practice something, you do get better!