A/N: Hi everyone! This is my second ATLA fic. 'The Prince of Fire' Common Sense says that I should first finish Looming Darkness before moving onto this, but I'm just too excited to listen to Common Sense. I also have a lot of time on my hands at the moment, so I'm putting this out to see if there is any interest. It's a little different from 'Looming Darkness' so please read this with an open mind and leave a review.
To avoid any confusion early on I will explain the format of the story. There are two timelines in this fic. one is the Present and the other is the Past.
The Present takes place fifteen years after the end of the War, Iroh is an old man who has returned to the Fire Nation to look after his young grandchildren while the parents are away on a diplomatic visit. He will periodically refer to the Past (i.e. his life) when talking to his grandchildren or other members of the gang.
I am just putting out a Prologue and the 1st Chapter to see if there is any interest, if you like this story please let me know by reviewing. For the time being I will not update this fic regularly.
Prologue: Tell Us A Story?
Tonight was the full moon, Iroh loved nights during a full moon, he couldn't explain it, but there was something about watching the silver orb in the sky that evoked a sense of calm and tranquillity. The capital looked so peaceful under the rays of sliver light, like a ghostly city that was once the epitome of a culture and a way of life long lost to the endless of sands of time.
It was there for unfortunate that he couldn't enjoy the moon while it was available.
Instead of the peace and quiet he was hoping for, the room he was in, was punctured by high-pitched squeals and the soft sounds of pillows being battered to shreds. Iroh's three grandchildren were suppose to be asleep by now, at least, that was what their father would say to anyone who would inquire about them, but it was quite evident from the relentless squealing that sleep wasn't on their minds. Finally, the Dragon of the West had had enough, with the reflexes of a much younger man, Iroh got to his feet and turned away from the window.
"Enough you three!" he said. "Play time is over"
His grandchildren, two girls and a boy, froze at what they were doing and turned around.
"Time to go to bed" said Iroh, walking towards the three beds lined in a row.
"But we're not sleepy" whined Kya, the youngest of the three. At such a young age, she was already beginning to resemble her mother.
"Yeah, grandpa, can't we play for five more minutes" begged Ursa, the middle child.
Iroh shook his head; he was having none of it. The oldest of the three, Iroh Jr. was smart enough to know that negotiating with his grandfather was a lost cause. Iroh had a special fondness for the boy, not because he was the first-born nor was it because he had inherited his name, but because Iroh Jr. had inherited features from both his parents. He had his father's pale skin and dark hair but he had his mother's blue eyes and soft facial structure. The boy simply collapsed into bed without another word, but the two girls stood where they were, determined to stand their ground.
"Why don't you two follow your brother's example and get to bed?"
Both girls shook their heads in much the same way their mother would have done, albeit, in a childish manner.
"Nope" said Ura, who was the spitting image of Zuko.
"Yeah! We want to play" said Kya.
Iroh smirked, how long had it been since he had dealt with hyperactive children?
Iroh shrugged. "Very well" he said. "But I was thinking about taking you to the fair tomorrow" he said. "But if you insist on being stubborn…"
Both children gasped in shock and in a blur of motion, tumbled into bed. Iroh chuckled, as the girls closed their eyes pretending to be asleep.
"Remember, If you get out of bed, no fair"
"What if we want to pee" spoke up Kya.
Iroh Jr. groaned. "Kya, you don't say things like that!"
"Why not?" said Kya, curiously.
"Toilet is an exception" said Iroh, intervening smoothly. "But you can't get out of bed to play games again"
"Goodnight Grandpa!" said Kya.
"Yeah, good night Grandpa Iroh" said Ura.
"Good night my children" said Iroh, with a warm smile. "Sweet dreams"
He had made it to the doorway when Kya's voice rang out.
"Grandpa Iroh, can you tell us a story!"
Iroh stopped at the doorway and smiled, he wasn't surprised to hear that, Kya loved stories and he knew that Katara would frequently enthral the little girl with wondrous tales about the South Pole or her adventures with Aang. But Katara was not here, she had gone to the Earth Kingdom on a diplomatic visit with Zuko. Iroh turned around and smiled. So long as Kya wanted to hear a story it meant good news, it mean that she wanted to sleep.
"What sort of story would you like to hear?" he said.
"Anything!" said Kya.
Iroh made his way to the foot of Kya's bed and sat down, pondering what sort of story he could tell. He certainly was no Katara, but he could whip up a grand tale of his own. He smiled as a wonderful idea occurred to him.
"Let me tell you, my dear little girl" said Iroh, in his riveting voice. "About a young prince, and how his destiny changed forever"
"Destiny?" said Kya, puzzled at the large word.
"It means where you are meant to be" he said. "Who you are meant to be, this young prince was groomed to be the leader of his nation, but events took place, that changed the course of his life forever"
Kya was mesmerized.
"What's his name?" she said.
"Nobody knows" said Iroh.
"Hmm…" said Kya, with a calculating look on her face. "Maybe he's the sort of prince who really can't stand his title because it means he can't be with the woman he loves nor do what he really wants to do, that is help the poor So instead, he dresses in a suit with a long cape and goes out into the night to meet his love and with his dual swords beats up bad guys like this"
And she began sweeping the air around her as far as her little arms would go. "Just like Daddy does with his dual swords"
Iroh was stunned.
By Agni, what have you been feeding this child's mind, Katara?
"Not exactly" said Iroh. "But his story is a wonderful tale of action and romance"
He leant forward, as if to whisper a secret to Kya. "And I know every single detail"
Kya's eyes expressed her glee. "Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" she cried.
"I shall go back to the beginning" said Iroh, with a monkey like grin on his face. "Back when he was just a young boy"
A/N: Onto the next chapter, what do you guys think thus far?