Of Zuko and Mai's Father
When brought to anger, Fire Lord Zuko was terrifying. One was instantly reminded that he was the son of Ozai, grandson of Azulon, and great grandson of Sozin. His rage rivaled that of the Avatar. Those who put him in such a state would account for it. In this instance, that person was Govenor Yoshi Nakayama.
"How dare you treat Mai that way? She is your Fire Lady! She is no longer a little girl who you can push around. I will not have you, or your wife, upsetting her!"
The Governor braced himself yet again. He was not in a position to argue. The facts surrounding the issue were vague to him. He knew it had something to do with Mai's pregnancy and his wife's attempt to see their daughter. However, everything else was lost on him. Did the Fire Lord think he himself had upset their daughter? Or was he being yelled at because he happened to be at the palace. Either way, he was getting an earful. Normally he would have had the decency to be scared, but today he didn't have the energy for it. Tom Tom was sick; his wife was driven to distraction; and everything had gone wrong for the last two weeks at work. So having the Fire Lord berate him should have come as no surprise.
Silence. The yelling had stopped. Was he expected to answer? Probably. That would make sense as he had no idea what the Fire Lord had just said. That would probably anger him further and the yelling would commence again.
The silence stretched out, so much so that he began to wonder if he was left alone in the room. He took a chance and looked up. There before him, stood Zuko arms crossed, brow furrowed and pointedly looking at him. The silence continued.
Zuko gave up. He couldn't get through to the man. He had tried different approaches and now, after this last incident, he let loose on him. Mai told him not to bother; that they would never change, or ever understand. He should listen to Mai more often. Zuko sighed deeply and retook his seat in the assembly hall.
Zuko broke the silence, "You may rise."
"Thank you, my Lord." The Governor righted himself and resumed waiting.
Not seeing the point in continuing, Zuko dismissed the Governor, "You may go."
"Thank you, my Lord." The Governor bowed, and turned to leave, but before he could do so, Zuko spoke again.
"No. Wait. Tell me. Why do you treat Mai so? Surely you see that she is her own woman, fully capable of thinking and acting for herself? Though you may object to me personally, she could not do better than to marry the Fire Lord. Why are you so disappointed by her?"
Zuko could see that he had surprised the Governor, but if he did, the Governor's reply surprised him even more. "We are not disappointed by her, my Lord. My wife and I could not be more proud of her. We love her very much."
Zuko's mouth fell open.
"You certainly don't act it. Have you ever told her?"
"Of course we have, my Lord," said the Governor defensively.
Zuko was seething again. His exasperation was evident and he spoke to the Governor as if he were a child. "Have you ever told her in a way that she could actually believe you? Have you ever shown her?"
"My lord, please. Our relationship with our daughter has been strained, but I assure you that we love our daughter very much and have done everything we could for her to prosper and be happy."
Dumbfounded, Zuko openly stared at him. He's crazy, he thought. He must be. He is obviously talking about someone else.
It was the Governor's turn to sigh. He knew how Mai perceived him and his wife. No doubt the Fire Lord saw them that way too.
"My Lord, may I speak candidly? Not as your subject, but as your father-in-law."
After a long pause, Zuko replied, "Alright."
"In a few month's time, you will be a father. You will start to see things differently. There will come a time when you will have to decide what is best for your child and act accordingly, because ultimately your child's well-being comes first."
That did it! Zuko was back up on his feet and making to close the distance between him and the Governor.
The Governor stood his ground and raised his voice, "Tell me. When your child comes to you and asks, 'Daddy, how did you get your scar?' What will you tell him?"
The mention of his scar had stopped Zuko in his tracks. Forgotten was the fact that the Governor had actually raised his voice to him. In fact, at that moment, Zuko was no longer Fire Lord and the Governor commanded the conversation. He was playing a dangerous card and hoped that he could get his point across without incurring further wrath.
"What?" asked Zuko in disbelief.
The Governor proceeded, emotion heavy in his voice. "If you persist, and do as you do in most things, and tell him the truth; do you not think that somewhere in the back of his mind, he'll not think that one day you will burn him thus? Do you not think that when he does something wrong, he'll not wonder if this will be the time you strike him? Will you take that chance? Will you explain it to him over and over again, hoping that this time he'll believe you?
As parents, we sometimes withhold the truth. We make omissions. We do things that are necessary so that our children will not only survive, but thrive; regardless of how it may appear to them.
Mai blossoms in adversity. She is strong. She was raised to be a queen. I genuinely hope you are worthy of her.
You may not understand all I've said today. Maybe after you've held your child it will start to come together."
Having said his piece and having pushed his luck beyond all limits, the Governor bowed low on the ground as was fitting when before his Fire Lord.
Again there was the silence between them.
"My lord?" he asked, hoping that he had not jeopardized everything.
"Hmm?" Zuko, still stunned, hardly acknowledged him.
"Am I free to go now?"
Zuko stared at the man on the ground before him. What the heck could he possibly mean? All the wrong they did by Mai was for her benefit? Denying her the ability to express herself? Exposing her to danger? Forcing her to stay in Azula's good graces? Agni, he had a headache.
"Yes, you are free to go," replied Zuko in a more subdued tone.
"Thank you, my Lord." With that the Governor quickly took his leave.
Years later, as his son looked up expectantly at him, Zuko recalled the conversation and lied.