"Alright, let's try again. You have a several platoons under your command. Each unit has around 100 men each. Four of the platoons are experienced soldiers. One is entirely new recruits. You're superiors want you to take the city by nightfall, and your informants tell you that the enemy plans to attack from the west. Give me your options." General Junren leaned back in his chair and peered at Iroh with genuine interest.

This was the third class they had had together, and General Junren had already proven himself to be a better teacher than half the diploma flaunting professors Iroh had been forced to tolerate in the past. Of course General Junren had a bit of an unconventional teaching style. During their first lesson, he had run headfirst at Iroh with a spear in one hand shouting 'Think on your feet!' Iroh had reacted automatically; sending a fireball hurtling at his teacher. Luckily, the surprise had affected his aim, and Iroh's fireball flew past Junren's ear; striking the stone wall behind them. This was the first time Iroh was introduced to the other side of General Junren. His public persona was a carefully sculpted model of a palace General and nobleman, while his private self was much more eccentric and exhibited traces of Vailea. Iroh was beginning to understand why she was so fond of him.

"Options," Iroh repeated more to himself than to anyone else. "We're going to have to protect the new recruits, obviously. We can't leave them dangling in the wind." General Junren nodded as Iroh said this. One of the lessons Iroh had learned from his teacher was the role of compassion in the war. Iroh had never been a cruel boy, but it was reassuring to know how a real General felt about the cost of human life. 'A platoon on the field has dozens, even hundreds of boys in it. These are boys with families and lives at home. They're people, not Pai Sho pieces.'

"What do you think the best course of action is, then?" Asked General Junren; still eying Iroh with curiosity.

"I think if the enemy is attacking from the west, we should travel east and swing around south to take the city from behind." Iroh said. It was times like these Iroh realized how much he needed General Junren's classes. The strategy classes assigned by his father only outlined the strategies used by past Generals. Iroh had never before been asked to come up with his own strategies so quickly. It required more creativity than Iroh had expected.

"You plan to transport several hundred men in a semicircle before nightfall?" Asked General Junren; sliding his elbow onto the table while resting a hand under his chin.

"Ah," Said Iroh tapping his fingers nervously. "Well, I guess not. Can I call for reinforcements?" He asked.

"Yes, but they might not get there in time."

"Can I at least send spies out?"

"Sure, if you want to risk them getting captured."

Iroh made a frustrated noise in his throat. "What if I sent for the special platoon?"

"The special platoon?" General Junren asked; raising an eyebrow.

"You know, isn't that what they call it now? I heard Chef Ai talking angrily about it once. The special platoon is what they call the prostitutes who follow selected platoons to keep them…er…happy."

General Junren stayed silent for a whole thirty seconds, and then burst out laughing. "And what do you plan on having the special platoon do once they reached the enemy?" He asked in good humor.

"Keep them distracted." Said Iroh simply, but he cracked a smile.

General Junren lowered his head into his hands, but when he looked up he was smiling. His fingers were in front of his mouth to keep from laughing. "You've got imagination, Iroh." He said with a smile. "And I think that's enough studying for this lesson. Vailea will be waiting for you in the garden."

"And I'm allowed to you meet her?" Iroh asked, almost flabbergasted. Even after his success at the exhibition, his family had decided to keep him imprisoned—just for good measure.

"The Fire Lord's orders actually," responded Junren. "He said that if your lesson went well, I could reward you with some fresh air."

"Fresh Air!" Shouted Iroh. "Are you sure it still exists? I haven't experienced it in so long…" He trailed off for a minute, letting everything sink in. It had been months since he'd walked outside; even longer since he'd visited the story tree. The two seemed to belong in different worlds than the one he was living in now. In the grand scheme of things, very little time had passed since his last visit with Vailea in the magical world they had created for themselves. But in Iroh's short life, several months was enough to separate the man from the boy.

General Junren laughed again. "I can assure you, Prince Iroh. The great outdoors is just how you left it. In fact, Vailea promises me she has not visited your story tree since the two of you left it." He smiled.

Iroh sometimes forgot that General Junren was so involved in the life of his daughter. Vailea told him everything (including news of their story tree, apparently), and Iroh was not sure how he felt about it. On one hand, General Junren had been the catalyst that condemned him to many months of solitude within the palace. On the other hand, Vailea trusted him—which should make him trustworthy. Iroh had weighed this in his mind many times since General Junren first unveiled the open relationship he and his daughter shared.

Then of course there was jealousy factor. Iroh knew it was selfish, but he was jealous of how much Junren knew about Vailea. Obviously they were family; knowing about his daughters past was to be expected. But Iroh still wished that he too could learn the secrets that Vailea kept from him.

"Oh, and Iroh" Junren stopped him as he was walking out the door. "Be kind to Vailea tonight."

Iroh just paused. When was he ever not kind to Vailea? "Alright," he said uncertainly. "Any specific reason?"

"She's just worried" said Junren in a calm voice. "She's finally decided to show you something—it's something she's been struggling with for a long time."

"What is it?" Iroh asked instinctively. His tone was concerned, but a part of him couldn't help but feel excited. Vailea was going to let him into her secret world. She was finally going to tell him something about herself.

"She'll show you," Junren's voice was still calm. "She'll probably be angry that I've told you this much before she could herself, but I thought it best to prepare you. Vailea, if you haven't noticed, is rather more secretive than the rest of us. She's tentative about sharing parts of herself before the time is right. So, I just want you to remember, everything she does she does for a reason. She wasn't ready to share this part of herself before tonight, and I hope you won't be too hard on her."

Iroh nodded and tried to act indifferent, but his insides were doing summersaults. "Alright, I won't be."

"Thank you," General Junren smiled sadly. "I'm not sure she's ready to share this with anyone yet, but she convinced me that you will understand… I will see you next lesson, Prince Iroh." As he guided Iroh out the door, Junren squeezed his shoulder in a reassuring way.

Iroh looked at him. Up close, Iroh noticed the worry lines digging into the handsome General's face. His eyes were a little dimmer these days, and his smile a little more faded. His hair, though much darker than Vailea's, was just as unkempt. Even tied back, more than a few loose strands had found their way out of his topknot. And as door closed, Iroh could have sworn he noticed a few gray hairs among the black.

Making his way through the palace, Iroh was greeted with more amiable glances than usual. The exhibition had won him prestige among the nobles. Many liked to pretend that they had always been on his side. Iroh caught phrases like 'I always knew he was special' or 'Professor Lee and I have been telling you all for so long—this Prince is a protégée' as he wandered through the hallways. Iroh could tell some were trying to gain his favor. Perhaps they expected that in fifteen years time, he would actually remember their empty compliments.

Chef Ai, who was always the first to know the secrets and whispers of the palace, told Iroh that his musical performance had won him favor among the young ladies of the court. The daughters of noblemen now swayed in his presence. Iroh had no interest in these spoiled socialites who cared more about the latest in Fire Nation fashion than any sane person should.

When he finally reached the garden, Iroh was greeted by a group of giggling girls. Some looked like they had spent days doing their hair and makeup. "Prince Iroh," one broke from the crowd and tiptoed daintily towards him. She looked the most foolish. Her eyelids were smothered in blue eye shadow, and some of her red lipstick had brushed across her teeth; giving her the attractive just-punched-in-the-mouth look that was so fashionable these days.

"Hello," said Iroh, as politely as he could. He wasn't in the mood to deal with them now.

The girl giggled. "Let me be the first to say how marvelous your exhibition was. The performance was so romantic." She swayed for a moment.

"Thank you." Iroh bowed as was accustomed. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds incinerating blocks of wood with firebending pretty romantic," he said sarcastically, and then walked away.

Although he had not been to the story tree in ages, it was not difficult to find. The large tree was in the center of the orchard, and the knobs in the bark seemed to be getting bigger. "Lea," Iroh called when he did not see her. "Lea are you here?" An orange dropped on his head to answer him.

"Iroh!" Came a voice from above. And before he could blink, Vailea had jumped off a branch; knocking him over completely. Oranges spilled everywhere. "You're here!" She said, falling to the ground to hug him. Iroh hugged back. "I didn't hit you too hard did I?" She asked, and Iroh couldn't help being reminded of the first time the two of them had met. He had run head on into Vailea, and she had laughed.

"No, no I'm fine." He said, rubbing his head. "What are all the oranges for?"

"Tea!" Vailea shouted excitedly. "Chef Ai just taught me how to make the most delicious tea you've ever tasted. Oranges are one of the ingredients," She said, rounding up all the oranges that had rolled away. "And where could you find better oranges than in the story tree?" She asked animatedly.

"Nowhere!" Iroh responded, feeding off of Vailea excitement. It was hard not to be enthusiastic when she was there.

"Take this," she ordered, handing him a teacup. Darkness was falling, but Vailea had already started a fire. She slid a bag out of her pocket and scattered some shredded leaves into a teapot.

"I didn't know you knew how to start fires." Iroh said. Since most everyone in the Fire Nation was, or at least knew, a firebender, building fires out of other materials was a skill only other cultures practiced. "Did you bring some flint?"

"No," Vailea said in a smaller voice; hanging the teapot above the fire.

"Oh," he said simply. When silence followed, Iroh wondered if he should ask Vailea about her secret. "Lea, is there something wrong?" He asked, trying not to sound too eager.

She was silent. Iroh watched her from across the fire. He could see Vailea's fingers twitch nervously, but her hair fell over her eyes; making her facial expression unreadable. Whatever she wanted to tell him, it must be big. She probably hadn't expected him to ask about her secret. Maybe he had done something wrong. As Iroh waited, he watched the fire. The flames danced in the darkness; making shapes and symbols around the teapot. But as he stared, Iroh noticed a distinct figure form within the flames. As his eyes adjusted, he could see a dragon; a little, blazing dragon made of fire was flying above the teapot.

"Vailea," He whispered. "Vailea, what did you put in that tea? Vailea look at this!" But then Iroh stopped. Vailea's hair was still in her eyes, but now she was looking up. Tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. "Vailea what's—" But that's when he noticed it. Vailea fingers were still moving, and both hands stirring to the same rhythm. She raised them, and the fiery dragon obeyed; soaring a few feet upward and then plunging into the bonfire as Vailea's hands dropped to the grass.

Iroh's heart stopped. He forgot to breath. The teacup that had been so tightly grasped in his hand fell to the soft earth below. "Vailea," He whispered hoarsely. He had to force his voice just to say her name. "Do—do you mean to tell me that you are a firebe—bender?"

It was like his stomach had just dropped out of his body. His heart has resumed beating, and was racing out of control. Everything he had ever thought, he had ever known about Vailea rushed through his mind at lightning speed. He didn't know how to act, or even how to feel. Every fiber in his body was stinging with rage. She was a firebender. How was that even possible? All the lectures, the warnings and the stories about the dangers of firebending…what did they mean now? "You're a Firebender!" He shouted into the flames. His voice was coming back to him, and he wanted to use it.

But then Iroh looked at Vailea. She wasn't just crying now; she was sobbing with her hands covering her face. She was shaking; her little body was curled into a ball. Some of Iroh's rage softened, but was replaced by questions. "Why?" Was all Iroh could manage to say. "I don't understand."

Vailea rocked back and forth; refusing to lift her hands from her face. "I'm sorry. I—I wanted to tell you—but—but I couldn't." Her voice was shaking even more than her body. A part of Iroh wanted to reach out and comfort her; hold her, be the strong one for once. But enough rage was still bubbling that it held him back.

"Why?" He repeated again. His voice was strong. It was one thing to keep something this big from him; to not even tell your best friend that you were a firebender, but Vailea being a firebender seemed to break some natural law. The universe had shifted, and Iroh was still trying to find his footing.

"I couldn't, I just couldn't" Vailea mumbled the way people often do when they cry. Her words ran into each other. She wasn't thinking straight. Iroh knew if he was going to get any response out of her, it wouldn't be while she was sobbing.

"Lea," He said, forcing his anger down. He walked around the fire and sat next to her. "Vailea," Iroh said her name again. He pulled her towards him, and she didn't pull away. Stroking her hair, he sighed and said "Its okay," when it really wasn't. Iroh breathed in and out to a steady rhythm; hoping that Vailea's breathe might slow down if she could follow his.

"I shouldn't have shown you." Vailea murmured.

"No." Iroh said firmly, remembering what Junren had told him. Vailea trusted him enough to share this secret with him. It was one of the first big secrets she had ever shared, and look how he had responded. "I'm glad you shared this with me." Iroh said honestly, and he pulled her tiny hands into his own. "Vailea, thank you" Iroh squeezed her hands. He never noticed what tiny little hand she had. They were soft, but wet from when she had used them to try and stop the flow to tears. "Vailea I'm sorry I acted the way I did. I was just surprised."

Vailea let out something between a laugh and a cough. "I thought you would be surprised," she said in a still small voice. "I knew you would be angry too, and I deserve it." Iroh had nothing to say to this. Part of him wanted to say 'no Vailea, you don't deserve it', but he was still angry enough to let her feel guilty.

When he didn't respond, Vailea nuzzled her head under his chin. She curled her knees to her body and leaned against his chest. Her breathing had steadied, and the two of them breathed to the same beat. "You are my best friend," She whispered. "And I love you."

Twenty minutes ago this comment would have made Iroh grow ten feet, but things were different now; they were different now. Iroh, even at the age of fourteen, loved Vailea more deeply than any person he had ever know. She meant the world to him, and he to her. But she had lied to him. Vailea had never said she wasn't a firebender, but the universe had always pointed in that direction. "Vailea," He whispered back. "I want to tell you a story."

She looked up at him. Her eyelashes had clumped together in little triangles, but at least she had stopped crying. "Alright," she said.

"But you need to help me." Iroh said. He wanted to bring Vailea out of her shell, and stories were the best way to do this. Naturally, he still longed to ask her so much; he wanted her to explain, but now was not the time.

"Yes, I will Iroh," She murmured; sitting up. Her face was stronger now, more determined. Iroh could see bits of the strong, independent Vailea shinning through.

"You're going to need to firebend though," he said; not meeting her eyes, but Iroh could feel Vailea's confusion that seemed to ask why.

"If you can make a dragon out of fire, you can make anything. I'm going to tell a story, and you're going to bend it." Iroh's voice had more authority than it ever had before. "You're a firebender now, and you can't keep denying that part of yourself." He turned Vailea to face the fire. He took her hands and his, and mimicked her bending the flames.

Vailea laughed a little. She took a cloth out of her pocked, and leaned over the flames to pick up the teapot. She put the cloth on the handle, as not to burn herself, and drew it towards them. Vailea poured some of the tea into a cup and handed it to Iroh. "Drink this; I made it especially for you."

"I don't really like tea."

"You'll like this tea."

"Is it the kind you gave to my guards?

Vailea laughed and shook her head, still holding out the cup for him. Iroh looked at it, and drank the tea in one gulp. It was delicious, and Iroh's mood immediately lifted.

"You like it?" Vailea asked; sweeping pieces of hair out of her eyes.

Iroh swirled the tea leaf residue at the bottom of the cup for a minute. "I've never had tea like this before" he said simply and honestly.

Vailea smiled. "Does that mean you want some more, Prince Iroh?"

"Well of course, Madam Vailea." She rarely called him 'Prince', and Iroh wasn't sure he liked it. But Vailea giggled, and poured him some more tea.

"Get ready." Iroh ordered, drinking the tea and moving to the other side of the fire. "How long have you been bending?" Iroh asked.

"Since I was nine," Vailea said sheepishly.

Iroh might have acted more surprised had all his energy not been used up from the previous shock of the evening. "This should be easier for you then," he said; gesturing to the fire.

"Well, I haven't practiced in years. My father offered to teach me, but I couldn't…" She said; trailing off again.

"That's fine!" Iroh said hurriedly. He didn't want Vailea to slip back into the crying cycle again. He tried to draw her back out. "Just focus on the flames, let them become a part of you." He felt like one of his teachers. "I'll tell the story, and you illustrate it."

Vailea nodded, and put her hands into position.

"You're going to need to sit up straighter if you want more control." Iroh said instinctively.

She laughed and said "Well aren't you a good teacher." Iroh laughed too.

He gave her a half smile and began. "Once, there was a…tree." And as he said this, a tree (or something that looked at least somewhat like a tree) appeared in the flames.

"Sorry," Vailea said. "Like I said, I haven't practiced."

"Really, it's fine." Iroh assured her. This storytelling business was much harder than he had anticipated, and he had barely started. "But this tree, like any tree, began as a little tree." Suddenly the tree in the flames shrunk to a little, fat, stumpy evergreen. The both chuckled. Iroh took another swig of tea "And all the animals were drawn to it because the tree was so welcoming." Iroh watched as all manner of forest creatures danced around the stumpy evergreen in the fire. He wondered if trees could be welcoming, but he continued anyway. "Squirrel Birds climbed its branches, Fox Antelope danced around its trunk, even fish from the river loved to jump up to say hello." Iroh paused to watch Vailea struggle with creating the elaborate scene in the fire. "Try using your palms if you want to move all the creatures together" he recommended.

Vailea followed his suggestion, and the scene suddenly became less hectic. "You're such a good firebender," she said.

Iroh smiled. "I've only been practicing most of my life. Anyway, as I was saying, the tree was very popular. As time went on, it grew bigger. Its branches reached to the sides, and its roots spread all around." The fire tree expanded, and Vailea elongated the branches and roots. "And as the reputation of the tree spread, so did its popularity. Pretty soon, there were hundreds of animals living around the tree. Even predators could live in harmony with their food source. It was just that somehow, when everyone was surrounding the tree, the world became more balanced. All the animals loved the tree because it was funny and—" Iroh was about to continue but Vailea cut him off.

"The tree had a friend who was a dragon." Vailea's fire dragon returned to the flames; flying around the evergreen. "The tree had seen many dragons before, when the tree lived in another forest. But this dragon was different. It was a kind, good, wonderful dragon. It breathed fire yes, but never to harm the innocent. You see, when the tree lived in another forest, legions of dragons had come. They had come in a wave of fire and terror. They had burned down everything in their paths. But somehow, the tree, who was small and frightened at the time, managed to escape. The tree was taken to live in another forest." Vailea was speaking quickly now, and Iroh had easily stepped down from the position of storyteller.

"The new forest was beautiful. It was so full of life that the tree could not help but spread and become a part of its new home. All the animals made the tree feel welcome, but the tree never felt completely safe, that is, until the tree met the dragon." Vailea smiled faintly and continued. "At first, the tree was afraid of the dragon. It feared that the dragon might turn into something hideous and engulf the forest just like the bloodthirsty dragons that had consumed the tree's old home. But the tree was wrong.

This new dragon was unlike any dragon the tree had ever met. He was kind and compassionate and a wonderful dragon. The dragon was so beautiful in so many ways…but the tree was selfish. The tree loved the dragon so much, and feared that it might someday become like the dragons that had set the tree's old forest ablaze. So the tree tried to suppress the dragon. The tree tried to force it to be something it was not, to stop it from being a dragon. But the tree was foolish. You see, there are many kinds of dragons, just like there are minds kinds of trees. Just because a dragon breaths fire, does not mean the dragon is bad. It just means that dragon is being a dragon."

"But," Iroh interrupted "Wasn't the tree, also a dragon?"

Vailea smiled faintly. "The tree was a dragon in disguise. Once, it had been a dragon in the forest. It was, in fact, the only dragon in its old forest. But the dragon was afraid to be different. So the dragon covered itself with bark, and pretended to be another tree in the forest. When the horrible, savage dragons came, the dragon hiding in the tree swore it would never come out again. It could never become like those dragons that had destroyed its home."

Again Iroh interrupted. "But then wasn't the dragon in the tree punishing itself for a crime it did not commit?"

Vailea didn't answer. She just looked at Iroh; her eyes were big and almost vacant. Suddenly, she stood up and walked to the other side of the fire. She lowered herself down next to Iroh. "You've changed my life in so many ways, you know. I used to think that all firebenders were bad, and that I was bad for being one. But when I met you, it was like a veil was lifted. You showed me that I could stop hiding, that I could be a firebender without being a monster." She continued softly. "To me, you are everything that is beautiful and wonderful in firebending." She paused. "You are everything that is beautiful and wonderful in the world." And then, without warning, she kissed him.

Author's Corner: It is the chapter that never ends, and it goes on and on my friends. Honestly though, this was a very long chapter, but it killed me to cut any more of it out than I already did. So I kept it long. I don't want to say much about this chapter yet, I'll let you guys stew on it for a while. I'll update with more as soon as I can. Also, review (many thanks to those of you who have been reviewing)!