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More Than Blood Can Stand
"I was born by myself but carry the spirit and blood of my father, mother and my ancestors. So I am really never alone. My identity is through that line."
-Ziggy Marley
Chapter 4: Fire Lord Iroh
Zuko cut and thrust his way across Master Piandao's courtyard swinging his broadswords at one imaginary foe after another. The boy had improved greatly in the four years since Iroh had convinced him to take his nephew on as a student. The dual broadswords were an extension of his limbs, as much a part of him as his firebending.
Up on the covered porch, Iroh and Piandao were watching his practice and drinking tea together, deep in conversation.
"My brother's military victories continue to mount," Iroh frowned, swirling the tea in his cup. "I am concerned about his growing influence among the soldiers."
"Surely there is something you can do about it?" Piandao asked frankly. "You have been the de facto Fire Lord for more than two years."
"That is different. My father allows me to act on his behalf for the good of the Fire Nation. But if I lifted my hand against my brother… he would see that very differently. My title as Crown Prince could even be in jeopardy. I have had to tread very carefully." He sighed. "The sicker he gets, the harder it is to broach this topic. I think a part of him wants to be reconciled with Ozai before his death."
"The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that Prince Ozai will try to challenge you for the throne when the Fire Lord dies."
"I know," Iroh sighed. "And I am trying to prepare for that possibility. That is what I wanted to talk to you about today."
"You can, of course, count on my support."
Iroh nodded. "My first concern is Prince Zuko. No matter what happens to me and my reign, I must protect him. If I am overthrown, his life will be forfeit. Ozai despises the boy, though I have never been able to discover why."
"He lacks the princess' killer instinct," Piandao said, as if it were obvious.
"I always got the impression it was something more visceral than that," he shrugged. "But regardless, if something happens to Zuko the crown will pass to Ozai and Azula, and I don't want to consider what the world would look like after their reigns. It is a mercy that Sozin's Comet returns in a little over a year. If we can keep them off the throne for that long, the world may survive them."
Piandao shook his head vigorously. "Don't say things like that, Prince Iroh. The White Lotus will do everything in our power to keep both you and Prince Zuko alive and on the throne. When you become Fire Lord, you will wrap up the war and usher in a new era showcasing the strength of peace. Your reign will be long and prosperous, and by the time Prince Zuko takes the throne, he will have a half dozen grandchildren who will all have been raised with your values." He paused. "All the same, what does Prince Zuko think about this danger?"
Iroh grinned sheepishly and put his hand up to rub the back of his neck. "It's funny you should say that…"
"You haven't told him yet." Piandao stared at him in disbelief. "Sir, I do not presume to tell you how to do your job, but-"
"I know, I know. I will have to tell him eventually, but he's still so young."
"He's fifteen, nearly sixteen. Princess Azula was leading troops at twelve! Prince Zuko is more than capable of handling this burden. He is a skillful warrior with a clear head, a serious nature, and extensive knowledge of every subject important to his future role as Fire Lord."
"I thought you wouldn't presume to tell me how to do my job," Iroh said archly.
Piandao pursed his lips. "My apologies, Prince Iroh."
"I probably have protected him too much," he sighed. "But I just can't bear to lose another son." His voice broke slightly on the last word.
Zuko finished executing a particularly difficult series of leaps and twists, and then bowed at Piandao, who nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Excellent, Prince Zuko," he said in a loud voice. "Now run through the cool down exercises, and you will be done." Then, in a lower voice to Iroh, "No one would fault you for fearing that. But you are not the only one protecting him this time. The White Lotus will keep Zuko safe, even when you cannot."
"The good news is that we have time. As long as my father is alive, there is still time to prepare."
But that was not to be. Only a few weeks later, Prince Iroh was enjoying a Pai Sho lesson with Zuko when a palace servant burst into the room, gave a hasty bow, and blurted out, "Forgive me, Prince Iroh, but you are urgently needed in the Fire Lord's chambers!"
There had been other scares during the last three years, of course, but something in the servant's voice made him suspect this was not like the other times. By the time he entered the room, Fire Lord Azulon was in a coma.
Iroh heard no final words, did not witness any pain or suffering.
His father's funeral was elaborate and proper, as befitted a beloved ruler. That night Iroh joined the Fire Sages on top of the palace's main stairs and closed his eyes as the head Sage began to recite the funeral rites in his droning voice.
"Azulon. Fire Lord to our nation for twenty-eight years. You were our fearless leader in the Battle of Garsai. Our matchless conqueror of the Hu Xin Provinces. You were father of Iroh, father of Ozai, husband of Ilah, now passed. Grandfather of Lu Ten, now passed. Grandfather of Zuko, and Azula. We lay you to rest."
He felt rather than saw as the Sages turned as one and sent streams of flame towards his father's casket, which immediately lit on fire. His spirit is returned to the Eternal Fire, Iroh sighed to himself, opening his eyes as he kneeled before the Sages. As was custom, while the nation mourned the deceased monarch, they also celebrated their new Fire Lord. He looked out at the assembled crowd and briefly caught Zuko's eye. His face was perfectly solemn, as the occasion demanded, but Iroh thought he also looked proud.
"You are now succeeded by your first son," said the head Sage, placing the crown in Iroh's topknot. "All hail Fire Lord Iroh!"
"Ugh," Zuko untangled himself from yet another vine. "Worst birthday present ever. Why are we trekking through a jungle again?"
Uncle turned around and smiled indulgently at him. "You will see, Zuko. Trust me, the destination is worth a great deal of inconvenience."
"But why can't you tell me where we're going?" He kicked a vile looking insect, with as many feet as it had eyes, off of his boot.
"Because I promised to keep it a secret." Uncle's voice was serious. "A long time ago."
Then he brightened considerably. "But for my favorite prince's sixteenth birthday, I couldn't think of a better vacation."
"Really, sir? Nowhere?"
"Trust me, Zuko."
He turned away from his Uncle, raised his dual broadswords and continued to hack his way through the jungle. "This had better be worth it."
"This was definitely worth it," he whispered, looking up at the dragons and their multi-colored flame. It was more than beautiful; it was a revelation. Uncle had always said that fire was more than power and death and destruction, but now Zuko understood. Fire was warmth, like a small piece of the sun inside of him. Fire was life. The dragons' fire was like a balm to his soul, its warmth lifted his spirits and gave him clarity.
"Thank you for bringing me here," he said quietly. "I understand now." He turned to Uncle, and was surprised to see tears running down his face.
"I always dreamed of bringing my beloved Lu Ten here."
In the five years since his cousin's death and his adoption into Uncle's family, he had not once heard him mention - much less shed tears over - his cousin. "I'm so sorry, Uncle," he began.
But he was interrupted as he was enveloped in a crushing hug. "But bringing you here, Zuko, is everything I imagined it would be. I know you still think of me as an uncle, but to me you are as real a son as Lu Ten was."
Zuko was dumbfounded. Not to hear that Uncle loved him like a real son - he had known that for years - but that he assumed Zuko thought less of their relationship because he still called him Uncle. In his mind, Uncle wasn't the lesser title. But how to explain it?
"I would rather have an uncle who loves me than a father who doesn't."
Uncle pulled out of the embrace, but he seemed pleased with that answer. "Father is not a bad word, Zuko. Most fathers are good men. One day you will be a father, too, and a good one I'm sure." Zuko made a face at that, and Uncle laughed heartily. "Not anytime soon, don't worry!"
After promising to the Sun Warriors that they would keep their secrets, they started walking back down the jungle path. Uncle cleared his throat. "Speaking of Mai…"
When were they speaking of Mai? Oh. Right. Becoming a father. Because who else would be the mother.
"What about her," he asked warily.
"I feel like it is time she returned to the capital. She has spent enough time at the front, and it is time for her to start preparing for her role as princess. It is only two years until you turn eighteen."
"You know they won't return her easily. Not even if you give an order."
"That is why you will go in person-"
"That's even worse! You know how they treat me. They'll laugh in my face."
"That is why you will go in person, with two warships full of elite soldiers who are loyal to me, and with a royal edict. They will let her go," he said grimly, "or it will be treason."
"Water. Earth. Fire. Air." Katara moved her hands, miming the four elements for a group of young Water Tribe children who were sitting in a semicircle around her in the snow. Babysitting the little ones was not her favorite chore, but the children did always enjoy storytime and when they behaved themselves, they were awfully cute.
"My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days: a time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar mastered all four elements; only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished."
The children gasped as one, even though they had heard this story too many times to count.
"A hundred years have passed, and there is still no sign of the Avatar. Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that, somehow, the Avatar will return to save the world. And when he does-"
"Psh. More of that Avatar nonsense?"
Katara shot death glares at her brother. "Sokka! Stop interrupting the story. I was just getting to the good part!"
"No can do, little sister. Gran-Gran says a polar bear dog got into the last crate of fish, and we need to replace it. She said we both have to leave now."
"Really?" Katara brightened. Fishing was her new favorite chore. Since her father and the other men had left the tribe two years ago, more and more of the men's work had been passed on to her and some of the younger adult women. Many of those chores were difficult and exhausting and left her nearly too tired to crawl into bed afterwards, like cutting and hauling heavy blocks of ice, and then building structures with them. Her muscles hurt just thinking about it. But fishing was all fun, and was an excellent opportunity to practice her waterbending. Katara would drop anything to go fishing.
"Yeah, yeah, don't get too excited. The schools won't be back for another couple of weeks, so it'll probably be a lot of sitting around doing nothing."
As it turned out, Sokka was right - for once in his life - and by their third hour on the water, they were starting to get testy with each other. Or rather Sokka was getting testy with her. It wasn't her fault he wasn't paying attention when she caught that fish with her waterbending! It wasn't her fault he stabbed her water bubble and got soaked! And what was up with him, calling her waterbending "weird powers"? She'd had it.
"You're calling me weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water!"
Sokka opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment the canoe listed severely. They both turned around suddenly to find that they had gotten caught in a strong current, and the next few minutes were chaos as they tried to navigate around the ice floes and icebergs. They lost the canoe, they got stranded on an ice floe, and they did a lot of yelling at each other. And finally, Katara lost her temper and put on the most impressive display of waterbending she had yet managed.
That was the moment when her life changed forever.
Zuko stood on the stern of his ship the next morning, watching as the Great Gates of Azulon faded from his view. Sixteen seemed so young to be in charge of his own ship, his own soldiers, his own mission. And yet, at the same time he wondered why it had taken so long for him to be given this responsibility. He was Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. It felt monumental, somehow, this new title and obligations. He felt as though he had the power to change the course of the Fire Nation.
And perhaps he did.
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