Deception – Part 1

Iroh packed a small bag with some basic necessities and gathered up his son, Lu Ten. They were both in mourning, their wife and mother respectively, having died a few weeks earlier. They needed to get away from the palace. It seemed a smothering place now and man and boy needed room to breathe. Iroh was taking them on a little trip, a tour of the Fire Nation archipelago and perhaps beyond.

Azulon, the Fire Lord, and Iroh's father had given them his blessing; well, a dismissive wave of his hand was more like it, but the old man had not objected to Iroh indulging in some time off. For the past year, with nary a break and no time at home, Iroh had served his nation as general. He had run campaigns in the Earth Kingdom with enthusiasm for the tactics but not so much for the actual killing. He tried to keep that to a minimum on both sides. Nothing was done, not one move made, without extreme care, and a lot of thought as to that move's consequences. Sometimes, Iroh could see the confusion in his men's eyes. Why don't we simply slaughter them all? What are you waiting for? Why are you worried about the enemy? They were all unspoken questions. But Iroh could make the doubts go away with a bright smile or the offer of tea or some philosophizing or other. His men loved him. That much was evident, even if they did wonder about his leniency.

As he took Lu Ten's hand, warm and slightly sticky from something eaten at breakfast, his thoughts turned back to his wife, Kotomi. She'd fallen ill suddenly and died after only a few days, not nearly enough time to get back home and be with her. In fact, the funeral had been held without him. Lu Ten, only seven years old, had stood stoically beside his Aunt Ursa and watched unflinchingly as his beloved mother's body burned. Thank Agni for his brother's wife. She was a kind soul, who loved Lu Ten dearly, almost like a child of her own. She had watched out for him during Kotomi's brief illness and during the days leading up to and after the funeral. When Ursa became a mother in another four months, shortly after Lu Ten's eighth birthday, Iroh was certain that her child would be blessed. Loving parents were a rarity in the royal family, but Ursa looked poised to change that.

"Are you ready, my boy?" he asked, looking down at the child beside him.

Lu Ten was short for his age, but sturdily built like his father, with a good face, not handsome exactly but pleasant to look at. His dark brown hair was pulled up into a loose topknot and he wore comfortable red pants with a tunic overtop. His amber eyes, usually full of mischief, held sorrow instead.

"Yes, Father. But I wish, I wish that Aunt Ursa could come too."

Iroh winked at his son. "I have a feeling she would enjoy our little trip very much. Your aunt has a sense of adventure too. But she's having a baby soon, Lu Ten, and it's best that she stay close to home and the healers."

The boy looked panicked now. "She's not sick, is she?"

"No, no, Ursa is very healthy." Iroh ruffled the boy's hair, loosening the top knot and then admonishing himself. "Look what I did to your hair. Oh well, we're leaving for an adventure. Hair is of no importance."

Lu Ten laughed then, happy that his beloved father was in a cheerful sort of mood. He pulled the top knot out completely and stuffed the hair tie into his pocket. It felt strange walking around with loose hair but sort of freeing too. He hoped their trip would be fun.

"What are we going to see on our trip, Father? "

"Well, we'll see lots of small towns and beaches and forests. We'll fish and we'll hike and we'll camp out some nights."

The younger prince's eyes were sparkling now, anticipation and the desire for fun getting the better of him. "You know how to fish and camp?"

"I do indeed. And I think every child should go fishing and camping at least once."

Azulon's son had another destination in mind too, somewhere beyond the Fire Nation's chain of islands, somewhere mysterious and almost forgotten. Yes, it was time he traveled there and set things right before it was too late.

To be continued…