Chapter 9: Iroh's Story
It was an hour past sundown when I finally returned to camp. My vocal chords were sore, but at least I'd convinced Akado, the manager of The Chipped Teacup, to pay me for the afternoon. In my hands was a metal pot which held two small fish. As I approached camp, I noticed a small fire had been lit in the clearing. Iroh was sitting in front of it, his back to me. I tip-toed into camp as quietly as humanly possible but, against all odds, he sensed me.
"I was wondering when you would return." I sighed. Iroh was a ninja. There was no getting past him.
"Sorry." I said as I neared the flames. I started poking the fire with a stick, trying to move around the coals. Once I was certain I had enough room, I laid the fish on the bed of fire and got up to collect water from the river in our new metal pot.
"Leave it for now." Iroh said. "You can get water later. Please, meditate with me."
After a moment's hesitation, I dropped the pot and joined him by the fire. Honestly, I couldn't remember ever having meditated before in my old, forgotten life, so I had to copy his stance, crossing my legs and sitting up straight. My butt shifted in the dirt and I found myself struggling to keep balance. I was more than a little uncomfortable.
"Try imagining a string pulled taught from the center of your head. It aligns with your spine and keeps you balances at center."
Despite his deep, philosophical voice egging me on, no imaginary string could fix my posture. In fact, me and meditating did not get along at all. Instead of clarity, my head was clouded with questions. Was he making me do this to torture me? How will he react when I tell him about my new job? How long are we staying in this town anyway? Is this training? When will my training start? Where was the invisible string supposed to be again?
"You can stop pretending to be at peace. You're just creating more stress in your chakras." What the hell was a chakra? I opened one eye to see Iroh smiling wryly at me. He uncrossed one leg. "Flip that fish."
Grateful to get out of the yoga pose, I got on my knees and poked the stick into the gutting fish. Carefully, I flipped them each over, so the golden brown sides faced up.
"My nephew always had trouble meditating too. Sometimes you really do remind me of him."
I waited to see if he'd tell me more. Iroh knew more about my life than I did (woo, amnesia!), but he barely told me anything about his past. Most of what I knew about him came from what Ming had told me in prison.
I knew he was the former heir to the fire nation's throne. Somehow his brother became Firelord even though it was Iroh's birthright. He was the nation's best General. He loved his nephew, the Fire Prince, but he always made him sad somehow. Finally he figured out some creative way to royally piss off his family (get it? Royal family? Royally? Ah never mind…) and got himself sent to jail.
I tried to put my skills of deduction to the test. What could I deduct about Iroh? I peered over at him as I started to break the fish into steamy pieces. Honestly, he looked like anyone's harmless grandfather. Then again, he was a fantastic fighter. Plus he was at such peace meditating; it was obvious he'd had some serious physical and mental training during his years as an officer. As a former General, I'm sure he must have kicked some ass.
I looked at his hands. While I would expect a former member of the royal family to have clean, smooth hands, Iroh's were rough and callused. I looked for grit from where he had rubbed sticks together to make fire. There was none. Oddly enough, I didn't see any material used to build a fire anywhere near us in camp.
"You're a firebender." The words involuntarily spilled from my lips. When he looked at me, his face was so sad and tired that I wished I could just snatch them from the air and shove them back down my throat.
"Are you okay with that Elyon?" He asked me. "One should not judge others based on their bending nation anyway. Perhaps if benders could coexist, harmony would be easier to obtain in this world."
I got up and handed him some fish. I talked around the fish in my mouth. "No I understand. Sorry I sounded so prude. If you're a good guy, then it really doesn't matter what kind of bender you are."
"The world isn't split into good people versus bad people Elyon. Sometimes those we consider bad are simply misguided. They do what they are led to believe is right, simply because others draw a path for them and they are too lost to dare stray from it."
I got a hunch. "Is that true in your nephew's case?"
Uncle Iroh was silent for a moment. He swallowed another piece of fish before answering me.
"My son, Lu Ten, died at a young age. After he passed, there was an emptiness inside me that I couldn't fill. When my brother took my place as heir, I found myself relieved to not have that responsibility on my plate any longer. It was only when I was sentenced to guide my nephew, Prince Zuko, after his exile that I started to feel whole again." Iroh had this far off look in his eyes as he further explained his nephew's scar and his obsession with capturing the Avatar. He told me of their adventures at the North and South Poles, their risk in hiding themselves with refugees in the Earth Kingdom, and, finally, his nephew's betrayal at Ba Sing Se.
"I just wish that he'll find his own way some day."
"You must love him very much." I said quietly.
"As much as my own son." Iroh started to put out the fire. Hopefully you'll meet him someday under better circumstances."
I reflected on Iroh's story. "Well he must have good in him. He did let the Avatar's bison go."
"He just thinks he needs to regain his honor. More importantly, he needs to find his reason to live. Once one can find their reason to live, they can truly find their destiny."
"I don't have a reason to live." I pondered out loud. The light from the campfire was finally extinguished and we made our way over to the leaf-cots Iroh had made during my escapades.
"You'll find yours in due time my blossom. The first step is a good night's sleep." Minutes later, Iroh was snoring softly in his sleep. I buried myself in the leaves, just now remembering that I hadn't told Iroh about my job. Oh well. I rolled over. My dreams that night were of Iroh's brother, the Fire Lord, and of a great fire he set to the forest. The wildfire burned the entire island and reached over islands, killing thousands and burning homes. I watched as everything became ash, until it was just me, standing on the barren earth. Alone.
XX: Well that's chapter 9! Teehee! Next chapter will have ZUKO! YAY! I love the angsty prince! Comment on his behalf! (The more comments I get, the creepier Elyon's dreams become )
