A/N: I'm so embarrassed I wrote this omgzzzzz! :o ANYWAY, here's the second chapter, there will be one more. Yay! please leave a REVIEW!
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Zuko was back in the fire nation, leaning against the frame of his bedroom window in melancholy. He held a letter in his hands, which was a little crinkled from over-reading, and glanced between it and the view that he had from the castle. His eyebrows suddenly furrowed, studying part of the note, and he tightened his grip on the paper. Zuko let out a soft "hmph" before standing upright and placing the letter gently on the table next to him.
The Fire Lord paced around the room, his long dress robes dragging on the ground behind him. He stopped and looked at a decorative rug hanging on the wall and rubbed his chin where some sparse hairs were coming back, despite the fact that he had shaved that morning.
Suddenly Zuko heard footsteps approaching his door, a soft clanking sound emitting from the special floor that lay there for defense purposes. A loud knock echoed against the walls of the master suite, followed quickly by a firm voice.
"Lord Zuko," came the shout, and then a slight pause. "Lord Iroh has arrived and has been shown to the Reception Room, sir." Before the guard could finish, Zuko was across the room and opening the door. The guard immediately bowed when Zuko showed his face, head parallel to the floor.
"At ease," Zuko waved his hand and looked the guard over quickly. His name and rank popped up in Zuko's mind (he knew everyone that worked in his palace by face, a safety precaution of his) and both men relaxed at the same moment.
"Show him to my room," he commanded, turning back around and retreating to where he had come from. The guard bowed again and turned just as abruptly, headed down the hall, another group of dull clucking following him.
Zuko shut the door, decorated in a single giant flame, behind him and walked over to his wardrobe. Usually a maid or a footboy would be there to assist him, but he specifically required that none be present for the meeting with his Uncle. Apparently there was some important things to be discussed.
In front of the mirror, Zuko pushed back some strands of hair that had come loose and picked up his Flame knot-fastener that he was given upon his coronation. He placed it over his topknot and adjusted it to his liking, staring fixedly into the glass in front of him. When he was satisfied with his appearance, he slipped over to the side table next to the window, picking up the discarded letter and tucking it into the hem of his robe, against his chest.
As quickly as he could in his long robes, Zuko walked back to the entrance of his room, but instead of opening the flame covered door he opted for a smaller one that stood next to it. It was covered in delicate flowers instead, and blended in well with the woodwork in the wall. Next to his private suite, where he was right now with his bed and clothing selection, he also had a greeting room that was included in his personal wing of the castle. If he received a personal guest, like his uncle, it was far more appropriate to meet him there than in his room. Not only was it cleaner, but less rumors flew around the castle when other, especially female, guests met with the Fire Lord.
Zuko pulled his robes forward, making sure the train was not caught in the doorway, and gently shut the door behind him. As soon as he had ,the telltale signs of a group approaching were heard. There was a soft knock on the door to his left before the door was slowly opened. There were three guards that accompanied Iroh, one of them being Zuko's personal body guard Min, and they each bowed as the old man entered. The other two, lower ranked guards, bowed to Zuko before leaving down the hall, but Min remained.
"I will be waiting outside the door, my lord," she also bow, but not as deeply, and slowly closed the door, leaving the two alone. If it had been anyone else, Zuko would have insisted they wait at the entrance to the wing, but Min had already become too close to Zuko. She had witnessed the fight with Sokka three months ago and had actually made an effort to comfort him when it was all over. It hadn't really helped, but it took some pressure off his chest that he didn't have to hide his feelings from everyone, especially those he was so close to.
"It is good to see you, nephew," Iroh began, looking more chipper than he had during the trip to the Water Tribe. Zuko forced a smile, hoping that he was succeeding at looking happy. In all actuality, he was very stressed and worried about both Iroh and Sokka.
"Yes, yes. I hope your trip was pleasant," Zuko replied automatically, offering him the largest floor pillow he had. He watched his Uncle slowly sit on the ground, making sure he didn't need any help, before taking a seat across from him, a low table seated between them. The table, the exact height to rest ones elbows on while seated on the floor, was the only hard piece of furniture in the room. Various pillows covered the floor, many of them thrown into the corner, and the walls were lined with red and purple drapes, hiding the hard surfaces behind them. There were no picture or windows, which left the room a little claustrophobic, but it was for defense purposes as well. Fire Lord Sozin had been a paranoid man (with reason) and his son had picked up his bad habits. There was only one entrance to the King's personal wing and only two windows leading out. It was easy to escape from the windows, but almost impossible to climb the five stories to reach there.
"Well, after we returned from the Water Tribe I admit I was a bit tired. Another trip so soon was not what I had hoped for." Iroh's words seemed cryptic to Zuko, especially after the letter he'd read, but etiquette would not let him bring up the topic just yet.
"I'm very sorry," Zuko started dryly (after all his uncle had brought this on himself) but before he could continue the floor outside his room began to clank again. He raised his eyebrow at his uncle.
"Ah, yes. I forgot to tell you! I asked them to bring some tea. You know that I can't get any good pepper-root tea in Ba Sing Se," he explained with a sheepish grin and Zuko stood to accept the tea. He opened the door a crack and the young girl stared at him with wide eyes, blushed, and shoved the tea tray into his hands. She bowed before turning to leave, shuffling rushedly, and the Fire Lord caught Min drinking a cup herself out of the corner of her eye. She downed it in one gulp, although it had to be hot, waited three seconds, and nodded to Zuko. Not poisoned.
Zuko shut the door again and returned to the table, setting the tray down gently before reclaiming his seat.
"It is too bad we had to leave the Water Tribe early. They also had some fine tea that I had never tasted before..." Iroh reached for the pot, but Zuko shooed his hand away, pulling back his right sleeve to pour the tea himself. He knew his uncle was baiting him for information and he wasn't sure how to respond.
"You were so happy when we were first arrived. I wonder if you got into an argument with Sokka or Katara..." Iroh's tone was that of indifference, but he wouldn't make that reference for nothing.
"Katara told me there was a storm approaching, that was all," Zuko lied, handling the tea delicately. He poured a cup for Iroh and set the pot down, pushing the cup over to his uncle.
"It was also strange that Sokka was not there to see us off." Iroh picked up his cup with both hands and blew the steam from the top away. "In fact, after you two went to chase the Penguins I did not see him again. I thought you would want to spend every minute you could with those two."
Zuko's mouth furrowed into a frown, not happy with where this conversation was going. He had been planning on telling his uncle about Sokka sometime soon, but after the fiasco in the South, he wasn't so sure he was wanted to.
"Zuko, you can talk to me about anything, you know," Iroh's smile was soft and inviting, as it had always been. Zuko finished pouring his own cup of tea, then pushed the tray aside, taking it roughly in one hand.
"I would rather not talk about it." He looked down at his hands. Iroh sighed and remained silent for a few seconds.
"Zuko, if there's something on your mind-" he started, but Zuko sighed and cut him off.
"I got into an argument with Sokka. I didn't think I was welcome anymore," Zuko replied shortly, unable to deny his uncle any longer.
"I'm sure Sokka is more forgiving than you give him credit for," Iroh continued to smile gently and took a sip of his tea, finally looking away from the Fire Lord. Zuko shook his head in return, his long hair swaying gently behind him.
"It is not something so simple to forget," he said carefully. "Besides, when he returned that evening he avoided me by staying with his neighbor-and when I asked Katara she said he didn't want to see me. I took that as my cue to leave," Zuko continued, very sadly.
Iroh nodded again, his smile turning sad. "I see. I'm sorry," he replied. Sorry for what, Zuko wasn't sure. He sighed and took a sip of tea himself.
"Anyway," Zuko cleared his throat. "About your letter," he started, trailing off and allowing Iroh to explain whatever he wanted to first.
"Ah yes, that." Iroh looked a little sheepish and let out a dry laugh. "I'm an old man, I can't quite remember-" he started, but Zuko pulled the letter out of the breast of his robe. He unfolded it slowly and Iroh smiled back at him nervously.
Zuko started from the middle of the letter, reading outloud: "...I have something I must confess to you, Zuko. I do not wish to have any secrets, especially from you, my trusted nephew. I will be arriving at your palace in a few days. If you have the time to meet me, please accept me with open arms and an open mind..." Zuko looked up at Iroh, meticulously refolded the letter and stuffed it back into his shirt.
"Oh, right. That letter." Zuko was mildly annoyed.
"Uncle, you can talk to me about anything, you know," Zuko repeated what Iroh had told him a few minutes before, only with a sarcastic edge. His Uncle was far too chipper for this supposed "secret" he was keeping.
Iroh sighed, took another sip of tea, and then placed his cup lightly on the table. He looked at Zuko was an intense, serious gaze.
"Zuko, you are going to have a cousin." The Lord became rigid, confusion crossing his face. Iroh's son had died a long time ago.
"What?" he asked slowly, trying to register what his uncle was telling him. His eyebrows were furrowed in thought and his hand was gripping the tea cup so hard he thought it might break it.
Iroh took a deep sigh at Zuko's reaction and let his eyes drop to the table before looking back at his nephew determinedly.
"I'm having a son." His tone was firm; Zuko had never seen this uncle this defensive before. Not since he had lost his other son so many years ago.
"What?" Zuko repeated, unable to wrap his head around what Iroh was telling him.
"I..." Iroh paused. "June is having a baby."
"Your baby?!" Zuko couldn't hold himself back. He had known that June had begun living with his uncle, but he had never thought their relationship was like that. He thought his uncle had simply taken pity on her after her accident.
Iroh's features softened. "I don't know," he replied in a sober tone. "An old man has his-" Iroh started, but Zuko cut him off by raising his hand. He certainly did not want to hear about his uncle's sex habits.
"It doesn't matter. Do you have reason to believe this kid is yours?" Zuko's attitude had changed from shocked to "get it over with."
Iroh nodded, looking directly into Zuko's eyes. The Fire Lord could tell that Iroh wasn't hiding anything any longer. He nodded in reply and brought his hand to his chin, rubbing his stubble in thought. This situation was a miracle.
"I will do anything in my power to help you care for this child." He placed his hands firmly on the table and spoke with passion. "If you need financial backing, paperwork, whatever. You name it." Zuko's eyes were (figuratively) burning a hole in his uncle's skull.
Suddenly Iroh laughed, grabbing his stomach. "Prince Zuko," he used the Lord's old title, "I knew that you would not reject me but I never imagined you would be so passionate about this. I thought maybe you would hit me on the back of the head or something." Iroh continued chuckling, his face fully relaxed.
Zuko blushed, embarrassed that he had let his emotions show for so long, even if it was to his uncle. Iroh's laughter quickly faded, replaced with a warm smile.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
Zuko hesitated for a moment. Now that there was a glimmer of hope with Sokka, he should let Iroh know and maybe even ask for advice. But Zuko didn't know if he could do it. He placed his head in his hand and looked down at the table for several seconds.
"Zuko?" Iroh's smile had relaxed and he was looking a little worried now. "What is it, nephew?"
"Uncle, I have something to tell you as well."
Iroh nodded, waiting for his companion to begin speaking again.
"I..." Zuko took a deep breath. He forced himself to speak. "I am in love with Sokka."
Iroh's worried look fell from his face and instead he raised his eyebrow in confusion. "I am glad for you, nephew, but...?" he trailed off. That was the reaction Zuko was expecting: not one of extreme happiness, but not one of disappointment either.
"He's rejected my advances." Iroh's brows furrowed and he rubbed his chin.
"I don't understand," he began, but Zuko shook his head, showing that he wasn't done explaining yet.
"He said that if we're together, I won't be able to have a child to take over the throne." He left out all the spouting his friend did about defeating Azula and how crazy she was. "He said-" Zuko paused and tried to check his emotions. He had never talked about this with anyone before. "He said that he wasn't about to let me give up my life for him." His voice only wavered on the last word.
Iroh reached across the table and grasped his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Zuko forced a smile in gratitude and continued.
"If I had a blood relative in the next generation, I might be able to convince him to rethink his decision." Iroh's eyes lit up in understanding, but Zuko barely noticed.
Iroh leaned back. "Zuko, I'm not entirely sure this child has my blood running through it's veins."
"The paperwork is all that matters." Iroh gave Zuko a stern look, but nodded after a moment. "If you would let the child to grow up here, it can be arranged. If you raise it yourself, that is equally acceptable."
Iroh rubbed his chin again, the same look plastered on his face as in the middle of a good game of Pai Sho.
"Zuko, if that is how you would have it be..." he began, but trailed off. Zuko couldn't be sure that his uncle was satisfied with the way the conversation had turned out.
"I... I don't want to meddle..." Zuko started, unsure how to say what he wanted to. He didn't want his uncle to feel obligated to him, just as when he had passed up the opportunity to make his Uncle his closest adviser.
Iroh shook his head and smiled softly again. "Do not worry about this, Zuko. I will help you as much as I can, as I know you would help me." Iroh picked up his chunky tea cup and drained what remained.
"June should be giving birth after the next full moon," Iroh said with a note of finality. The next full moon was about 25 days away, which meant Jun must have been pregnant before the group had left for the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko wasn't sure what to think about the situation (besides it had been a miracle to his love life). June was far too young for Iroh, and... they had had sex? Gross. Not something Zuko wanted to think about.
"I understand. If you need any help... In fact, if you would like to travel here to give birth, I can find the best house-maids-" Zuko started, but Iroh shook his head.
"A baby needs it's mother and I know June will not leave Ba Sing Se. If you would allow me a small token," Iroh gave Zuko a comfortable look, "I would raise the baby until it is old enough to survive without a mother. When that time has come we will speak of this matter again."
Zuko nodded his head in agreement. "Of course." He replaced his half finished cup of tea onto the tray and stood, pushing his robes from underneath him. Iroh followed his lead and stood, hobbling over towards the door. Before opening it to leave, he turned to Zuko and patted his shoulder again.
"Thank you," he repeated. Zuko smiled down at him and drew him into a hug. He was the happiest he had been since the trip to see Sokka had started.
Iroh chuckled and gave the Fire Lord a proud look before once again moving towards the door. He opened it slowly and Min immediately perked up, bowing shortly and looking to Zuko for instructions.
"Min, I shall escort my Uncle out. Would you have my stationary and a new brush sent to my rooms?" Min nodded immediately, not asking any questions, and followed the two as they walked down the short hallway to the entrance of the wing, where three other guards were stationed.
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"Thank you for coming so quickly. I didn't mean to worry you." Zuko shut the flower covered door, in the same room that he had occupied with his Uncle a week earlier. Min, once again, was outside, no other guards allowed within the entire wing.
"You letter did sound a little urgent." Katara had been the one to enter the private room this time, dressed in casual Water Tribe traveling clothes and a medium-sized pouch tucked around her waist. She took a quick look around before focusing on the small floor table and the pillows that surrounded it.
"Have a seat," Zuko motioned to the floor where she was looking. Katara nodded and took the pillow that Zuko had used last time, resting her elbows immediately on the table. Her hair was loose of her regular braids and Zuko momentarily thought it was a good look for her. She looked much more mature than when they had taken on Azula together. "I didn't mean for you to come so quickly. It must have been inconvenient for you," he continued, completely honest.
Katara shrugged. "I had been meaning to take a trip to the Northern Water Tribe recently anyway." She fidgeted with her hands for a second before smiling at Zuko nervously.
"Would you like some tea?" Zuko offered. Katara shook her head.
"No, I'm fine." She waited as long as she thought was appropriate before returning to their previous topic. "Besides, Sokka has been driving me crazy. He's been acting like a spoiled brat ever since you came last winter. You two must have had a preeeeetty serious argument." Katara sent him a sidelong glance as he sat down across from her, resting her head against her palm and her elbow leaning heavily on the table. "He wouldn't tell me what it was about. You two are so strange..." Katara suddenly sat up straight and looked down at her hands sheepishly, as if she had said too much.
Zuko cleared his throat. "Actually, that's what I wanted to speak with you about." It was no use hiding it from her and he would probably need her help to win Sokka over anyway. The only problem was that he had no idea how the girl would react. In the Fire Nation about 1 in 5 couples would be of the same sex, but Zuko didn't know if that were the case in the Water Tribe, especially considering their sparse numbers. Sokka never seemed too upset about it, though.
"Sokka, you mean?" Katara perked up, folding her hands in her lap. "Is that what all this is about?" She looked a little disappointed, pouting out her bottom lip. "I thought it was an emergency..." Zuko frowned at her reaction, a little annoyed.
"It's more important than you think," he began, rubbing his nose to try to cover his frustration.
Katara looked sheepish again. "I'm sorry, go on." She had come all this way after all.
Zuko took a deep breath, serious again, and hesitated, losing his confidence.
Katara waited somewhat patiently, but after an extended silence raised an eyebrow.
"I'm in love with Sokka," he spit out in a rushed fashion. Katara's eyes popped open.
"WHAT?! I thought you were getting married to Mai?" Her face was screwed up in a look of amazement, but that was better than disgust.
Zuko shook his head in response. Out of all the problems she could have mentioned, it was probably a good sign she picked that one first. "As of now, we're just friends."
Katara's mouth was handing open an inch and she didn't respond. She blinked a few times.
"You..." She gulped and took a breath, obviously trying to get her surprise under control. "Like you have a crush on him?" Katara's features looked hopefully. Zuko furrowed his brow in confused and realized how hard it was to read girls. Shouldn't she either be upset or happy?
"No. Like. We did stuff." Zuko felt like a teenager again. Katara's eyes almost popped out. "I mean, not like sex stuff, Sokkaalreadytoldmeaboutthatyouknowthat..." he started running his words together and his face turned bright red. "Like kissing and whatever." Katara relaxed, placing her hand on her chest.
"In the water tribe you're not supposed to have sex until your at least formally engaged," she explained, trying to cover up her own reaction to what Zuko had said.
"Yeah, Sokka told me already," he replied, looking down at the table and then back to Katara. His face was still bright red.
"So this is a... uh... mutual...? Thing?" Katara's face twisted strangely as the last word came out. If Zuko hadn't been so embarrassed he would have laughed.
"Sort of. I asked him to... commit... and he turned me down." Katara pursed her lips, thinking.
"That explains a lot."
Zuko didn't respond.
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Zuko spent the next two hours explaining to Katara how Sokka and Zuko had gotten involved (when they had traveled to the Boiling Rock together), how involved they were (lots of love, no affection) and how and why Sokka had rejected him. He also took the time, after Katara had asked all of her meticulous questions of Zuko's plans for Sokka's future, to explain to her why his Uncle had visited earlier and his plan to win Sokka over.
"I figure if I can at least dent his 'no heir' argument, he might rethink his feelings and give me an honest answer," Zuko explained, finally.
Katara nodded. He had figured out through their discussion that same sex relations were dealt with similarly in the water tribe- not unheard of, but in a time when they needed as many babies as possible to refill their population... not preferred.
Katara had warmed up to the idea a little bit, especially when she had found out that Sokka had admitted his feelings for Zuko, too. They had moved from defensive to accepting, lucky for Zuko, and now Katara was trying to give him tips on seducing her brother. He had to admit, it was a little awkward.
"Actually, all I really want to know is how the whole commitment thing works in the Water Tribe," he was blushing lightly, but had regained his dignity over the nervousness from earlier. "Here in the Fire Nation we hold a ceremony with our family and throw a party," he explained so that Katara would have some idea of the answer he was expecting. It sounded like the Water Tribe held many traditions that were meticulously followed. Zuko needed to know what he had to do before he went about convincing Sokka to do it with him.
"Well, first of all, you have to get engaged. Afterwards you can exchange vows in front of the tribe leader if you want." Zuko nodded, showing Katara that he was listening.
"How do we get engaged?" he asked next, and Katara's eyebrows wrinkled.
"Hmm. Well. Usually the man," Katara paused, giving Zuko a stern look-as if to say "you're the man, aren't you?"
She continued. "The man leaves the village to hunt for this rare stone- it's called the Azure Quartz-which is found in the caves deep in the glaciers outside the village. It usually takes a two or three day trip to find one big enough to use. When you bring it back, a water bender or a silver smith will carve a design of your choosing and you attach it to a piece of leather." Katara lifted up her own necklace, the one that Zuko had stolen from her once, as an example. "It's not unheard of to pass an existing necklace on to your children either, as my grandma did for me," Katara smiled, her eyes brightening. "So if I ever get engaged," her smile dropped "I would give him this." She finally dropped the necklace back to her neck, trying not to look sad. Still no word from Aang it seemed.
Zuko nodded. "I see..." He was trying to figure out how he was going to do all of these searching for rocks between his job as Fire Lord and not living in the South Pole. Maybe he could find another rock that would work just as well.
After a moment of him thinking to himself with Katara watching politely he looked back at her. "Do you think it'll work?"
She shrugged. "That part is all up to you."
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