Iroh sipped his tea. The warm vapors brushed his forehead, clearing his mind of the troubles that he and his nephew were facing. Of couse they had been a long way coming, It had been difficult watching Zuko and Azulo grow together, Zuko wanting so hard to fit the noblesse oblige that he idolized, while Azula was a crackerjack firebender with little regard for the rules. Iroh had known the conflict would come to a head, but he never expected that Zuko would give up real honor in place of the idea of honor.
He took another sip, glancing to the small, barred window. He had perseverated to Zuko that important fact; the honor that he would find through the Fire Lord would not be real honor. It would only indicate rank and birth, not that honor which led a man to risk his own life so that an innocent person--even if that person was a so called enemy--could escape. He took a deep breath, the hot fumes crackling in his lungs. The temptation to escape was great. But his nephew needed rescuing. Iroh knew he would not be the one to do it. He had lead Zuko this far in life; it was now his turn to watch. It was time for Zuko to save himself.