Rewrite, Rewind
Chapter 20
"Yang," Azulon felt weak as he laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling, trying hard not to cry. His daughter didn't answer him, her hands were glowing blue, her tears dropping onto the liquid surrounding her hands. "My sweet girl," Azulon smiled weakly at his daughter, "Please, I don't have much time."
"You're not allowed to leave," Yang's voice cracked, "not yet. Everyone still needs you."
"When I die and Iroh doesn't succeed me—"
"Quit talking nonsense, father," Yang ordered.
"You must run—"
"why wouldn't Iroh succeed you?"
"To the south—"
"You'll live long enough for Lu Ten to marry and then step down and give the throne to Iroh. I know you'll long after that too. You'll be there for Azula's and Zuko's weddings and see their children for yourself. I know you will." Gentle hands joined Yang's atop Azulon's chest, a new wave of water grew and surrounded his center-body. "We know you'll live that long." Yang didn't need to look to see her sisters, Liah and Hai He, standing beside her, struggling to keep their father living.
"And longer," Hai He whispered, "you'll be alive when the avatar finally returns. It's your mission to see him again, after all."
"Haha," Azulon chuckled weakly, "My beautiful daughters…" Liah's fingers twitched, her face seemingly rippling, her bright copper eyes never shed a tear but Azulon found her eyes to be the most beautiful orange flames he's ever seen. "My poor sweet daughters," Azulon whispered, ignoring the tears that started to fall, "Oh how you curse me… with your mother's face…staring back… a-at m-me…"
"We don't hate you, daddy," Hai He broke, an ugly sob escaping her. "W-we-e kn-know you-you-you're—"
"We know you're trying to protect us," Yang finished her sister's broken sentence. "That's why you have to keep living. It's not your time yet."
"I feel cold," Azulon whispered, "I can see the snow…" he fell asleep to the glowing faces of his daughters. A part of him wanted to leave, to see his wife again but another part, apart still tied to the promise from almost nine years ago, reminded him of his bonds to the living world. He was standing in murky brown water, streams of golden light filtered through the ancient branches high overhead, whispering like a hundred people surrounded him all saying the same thing.
"You'll know when the time is right." All he could do was weep; the spirit world did not want him yet.
He could not see his beloved. Surely she was still angry with him.
"Father," Yang wasn't the only one to greet Azulon upon waking. His eldest daughter was slumped against his bedside, both hands entangled with his right, glowing blue water still clinging to her withered palms. He sat in his bed, staring down on the face of his eldest daughter, wondering when it was that her black hair turned white. He turned to look at his other daughters, discovering Yang with dark gray hair, few strands still the dark umber she once wore with pride. Ming, laying beside him and unconscious, was already showing grays in her own onyx locks. Hai He was sleeping at Ming's back, her long black curls sprayed out like a midnight storm along his scarlet sheets.
"Yang," his voice was horse and strained, heartache a sound in his voice. Yang didn't speak as she pulled water from the air, hardly twisting more than her wrist, and pushed a small bubble of water towards his mouth. He obeyed the silent order, drinking the pure and clean water from Yang's palm obediently.
"I'll get breakfast, father," Yang whispered. Azulon wanted to stop her, but he let her go. He had noticed, a part of him was pleased but a bigger part was scared someone else was hearing that word. He had noticed his daughters slipping up, calling him 'father' instead of 'master'. He had noticed it most clearly after his last heart attack, written so clearly through Liah's gentle flowing script and whispered so softly he thought it a dream the first time he heard it from Ming's lips. Yang left for the kitchens, he caught sight of a guard outside his door, a flash of gold clashing with gold, and his door was closed; his daughter gone.
"How are you feeling father?" he turned towards the sleep-deprived voice of Iroh and found his son sitting in the chair by his desk.
"Iroh," Azulon smiled bitterly at his son. "I need a promise from you."
"The girls said you'll live long enough to see the twins marry off and have children of their own." Iroh sighed with a sleep stretch.
"When I die, protect your sisters," Azulon said, his eyes closing over in distant memory. "You are their last shield."
"Father?" Iroh question, "what are you saying?"
"I had a dream, a dream of a comet falling and the royal line turning to ashes with it. You have to save them, Iroh."
"Me?" Iroh questioned, "I'm your heir. When Lu Ten marries, I'll succeed you. There is no need for this concern, father. Please, rest now. You need to gather your strength." Azulon looked out his window, at the distant sun rising on the horizon. "No one in their right mind would ever dare to harm my sisters. And if some fool does try to test his luck, each of them is strong enough to handle it themselves. You and mother made sure they were strong enough to protect themselves.
"Its almost new year," Azulon murmured distractedly, having not heard Iroh's concerned reassurances. "I want to go to Hirahara Island. I want to see the life my grandchildren have made for themselves." Iroh wanted to protest, wanted to tell his father that he hasn't left the palace in nearly seventy years but he couldn't. At that moment Azulon wasn't Fire Lord of reason and rage; he was a withered old man, crying to see his youngest grandchildren just once more.
"Alright," Iroh caved, he glanced down at Lian, the woman had nearly killed herself to get to the palace in the middle of the night. She was still sleeping, glowing water still clinging to her spiderweb-thin fingers. "I'll write to Ursa, tell her not to come. We'll go to her this year. All of us." Azulon turned his mass of wrinkled-face towards him, sleepy-eyes sad and soft in a way Iroh had never seen them. "I'll tell Lu Ten to pack up his things, get my soldier's ready for departure. I'm sure the twins would like to show off their home to us before we leave for Ba Sing Se."
"Alright," Azulon smiled, he looked down at Lian, sadness seemingly consuming the old man. "Oh, my precious baby girl," Azulon whimpered, "What has become of you, my sweet girl?"
Azulon set a hand on his sleeping child's face, at that moment Iroh realized that his father has yet to see all his daughters in a very long time. Azulon had cried at the sight of Liah, who he thought was dead for five years despite that his other daughter's still talked about her in present-tense; he refused to have her leave his side these days. Hai He spent all her time with Lu Ten, rarely seeing her own father even during dinner time, where her attention was still absorbed by Lu Ten. He still demanded visits from Ming, who visited him on nights of the full moon when she was at her strongest; they shared whispers about their days apart. But Lian? He had not seen her since the twin's first birthday, nearly ten years ago.
Iroh swore to end this war so that his family could finally be whole like it should be.
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