Whispers had started to spread, multiple people had witnessed the events that had taken place in the little city.
Tanyi had gone to the herbalist three villages away to pick up new stock. Barely had she gone in before the herbalist, a middle aged woman with dark hair in a messy bun and huge glasses on her noes pulled Tanyi aside. "Is it true?" she asked in a whisper. "Was he really there?" he asked. "The… The Prince."
Tanyi swallowed then slowly nodded.
The herbalists eyes widened. "They say he spat fire… That such power coming from one firebender had never been seen before."
"Well…" Tanyi halted. "It was a little different." she said. "It was like… Five firebenders cast fire at him and he… Absorbed it somehow. I don't know. And then all the fire he had absorbed. He spat out I… I've never seen anything like it! And then the Avatar was there." she gasped. "He called the prince his master. He must be a fire bending master!"
The herbalists eyes widened. "The Avatars fire bending master?" she asked. "That's…. " she started to shake.
"It's okay." Tanyi assured. "Before it came to that. I had no idea who he was but… he was in my shop and he bought your Zingiber salve. For his scar. Poor kid has half his face covered by that scar."
The herbalist looked up. "You… Talked to him?"
"He was so kind." Tanyi smiled. "Truly. Kind, well mannered, gentle. I would never have guessed he was such a powerful firebender. And he thanked me for the salve! Bowed to me!"
The herbalist gaped.
"He asked me about my son." Tanyi swallowed. "I… I couldn't stop myself from crying and… he hugged me and apologized. I had no idea why he would apologize, I didn't know who he was. He told me that… The Avatar didn't intend to destroy the fire nation but to save it. And he wanted to make it right." she looked up. "And… I believe him." she said. "If you had just seen him! He was honest! So honest!"
The Herbalist blinked as she looked at Tanyi. And Tanyi's eyes looked honest and so full of genuine hope.
Other people would visit the herbalist and she would whisper. "I heard from an honest source she was a witness! Prince Zuko! The Fire Prince!"
"What? Who?" The buyer asked. An older man with grey hair and beard.
"The woman who runs the shop in the city! She buys salves and remedies from me to sell in her shop. She was there! She saw him! And you wouldn't believe what he said!"
"What?" The man asked, curiosity and eagerness in his voice.
"He said that… The firelord was the one who betrayed the fire nation and he would set it right! And the avatar was there and called the Fire prince his Fire bending master!"
Soldiers were whispering among themselves as well.
"I tell you it was crazy." The soldier whispered. "The fire I send at him he just… I don't know. Absorbed it into his body like a sponge! It was crazy!"
"Are you serious?" The female soldier next to him asked.
"Yes! And then he breathed fire and it was." The soldier swallowed. "I never seen such powerful firebending! Not even fire lord Ozai." he halted then bit his lip. Going ghostly pale by the admission.
"Wow." The other soldiers gasped and the first one nodded.
"He… He challenged the firelord. Right there." The soldier whispered. "Said that… The fire lord was a traitor to the fire nation. That the fire lord should have protected them, the people who live in the fire nation. That that was his duty. Not some pointless war."
They all looked at the soldier.
"He was with the avatar too." The soldier barely even whispered. "They were working together."
"To take down fire lord Ozai?" Another soldier asked wide-eyed.
The first soldier nodded. "What else would they do?" he asked.
"But… What about the fire nation?" A soldier asked.
The first soldier halted then looked down. "The way Prince Zuko spoke…" he hesitated. "It sounded like.. .He wanted to.. To protect the fire nation. The people." he said. "He said that Ozai was the traitor, not him. That protecting the fire nation meant protecting the people I… I don't wish to question Ozais orders but.." he halted and everyone was looking at him.
They were to scared to speak but everyone were able to think for themselves.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Azula howled in laughter. "Zuzu?" she asked. "A fire bending master? Oh please." she rolled her eyes.
Mai who stood by her side didn't move a single face muscle while Ty Lee was glancing up at Azula with a worried look in her eyes.
"I… I'm only repeating what the messenger said." A fire nation soldier stammered from where he sat on his knee. "They say that Prince Zukos fire bending was…" he swallowed. "Formidable and that.. He is now the avatars fire bending master!"
Azula rolled her eyes. "Figures that Zuzu would cover away and join the avatar. No one else would want him." she stated and then she snorted. "And the only one the avatar could find to give him a bit of fire bending practise would be poor little Zuzu who has no-where else to go! To bad for the avatar that Zuzu can't even make a fireball without having it blow up in his own face!"
Mai glanced at Azula. "He may have grown in the three years he spend at sea."
"Yeah right." Azula shook her head. "I fought him twice already this summer. Both times I easily defeated him. He is as pathetic now as he was back then. No reason to worry. He thinks he is still a part of the game? Let him think that."
Mai frowned.
"What?" Azula asked. "You think Zuzu is a threat?" she asked annoyed.
"No. I'm not saying that at all." Mai said her face going back to its neutral folds. "You were outmatching him even three years ago."
"That's correct." Azula said in a sour frown. "And don't forget it again."
"What did you say?"
The words were spoken by a man hidden beneath a curtain of flames, and the poor messenger was covering on the floor, with this head pressed against the floor and his arms stretched forward in kneeling position
"He… He was with the Avatar." The man whispered. "And his words were… The real traitor is the fire lord. The man who should have been there for his people. Who's first priority should be protecting his own people. His crimes against the fire nation will not go unpunished. I'll see to that myself…. Tho-Those were Prince Zukos words!"
The flames bursts, towering and made the room temperature to rise to a swelling heat as the messenger squealed.
"The-The Avatar called him his fire bending master!" The Messenger informed.
"There is no way that Zuko would ever become a fire bending master! He was a disgrace to fire benders from the start! And now a traitor to the fire nation!" Ozais voice boomed for all to hear. "Let it be known that Zuko is no Prince and no son of mine! He is lower than a traitor and who ever captures or kill him will be well rewarded! Double the reward! Now!"
As always the fire lords words were meant to scare and intimidate those around him but another message was being heard as well.
The fire lord himself was scared. Scared of the Avatar and scared of Prince Zuko. Of what either of these young people might become. They were becoming a threat to the fire lord.
No one had been a threat to the firelord for decades… For many people. That was hope.
Iroh was frowning deeply as he looked down at the Pai-Sho board in front of him. Then finally he moved a hand and moved the lotus tile two spaces to the left.
Just as he did another man walked by Iroh and without saying a word, transferred a piece of paper to Irohs hand in exchange for a silver.
Without a word Iroh put the piece of paper in his pocket and returned to the Pai-Sho board.
"I am telling you!" A voice suddenly sounded not far from Iroh in this overcrowded in. "Prince Zuko was with the Avatar! And he is a fire bending master!"
That made Iroh look up and he turned around to abandon the game entirely.
"The Dragon Prince will save the fire nation!" The man grinned.
Iroh blinked… Dragon… Prince? Slowly he stood up ignoring the complaints from his Pai-Sho opponent.
"You're full of crap you know that?" Another older woman asked.
"It's true!" The first one exclaimed. "I heard it from a very good source!"
"Erhm, excuse me." Iroh cut in. "What is this about a Dragon Prince?" he asked.
"Prince Zuko!" The man exclaimed at Iroh. "The Prince who breaths fire like a dragon!"
Iroh blinked. Well he had tried to teach Zuko how to breath fire but sadly Zuko had never really mastered the technique. Only managed a few sparks to keep his own body warm. Zuko just hadn't had the patience or control at the time.
"That's… Very interesting." Iroh replied.
"Not even the dragon of the west would be able to breath fire like that!" The man continued.
At that Iroh huffed. "The dragon of the west invented the technique you know! Surely he would be better at it!"
"No no no!" The man shook his head. "From what I heard this flame was the seize of a tower!"
Iroh rolled his eyes. Sometimes stories really had a tendency to grow. "What else do you know?" he asked. "Where was he? What was he doing?" he asked. "You said he was with the Avatar? Did they seem to be doing okay with each other? Did he eat? Did he look like he had slept any? Was he healthy looking? What did he look like?" he rambled off questions.
"Wow there old man." The man held up his hands. "All I know is that Prince Zuko was with the Avatar. Defended this colony city and said that he was going to challenge the fire lord who was the true traitor of the fire nation. Then he breathed fire great enough to push an entire battalion back. Is that good enough for you?"
Iroh huffed. It wasn't. It really wasn't. It sounded like Zuko was doing okay but he really wanted to know more! A lot more.
"I heard he was kind." a woman suddenly said from the table. "Gentle, polite and kind."
That made Iroh blink. "Gentle?" he asked. "This is… Prince Zuko we are talking about right?"
"Yes." The woman nodded. "Do you doubt me?"
"No I just." Iroh shook his head. "Gentle, polite…. Kind." he frowned deeply. "Prince Zuko?" he asked again. "Are you sure?"
"It's just what I heard." The woman huffed. "It would be nice to believe though… Someone whom actually cares." she commented.
Iroh halted then finally sat down in front of the woman. "Please." he asked. "Let me buy you some tea and… Tell me what you know. Everything you heard."
"About Zuko the Dragon Prince?" The woman asked.
"Yes. Please." Iroh nodded. "If you would be so kind."
"Well." The woman hesitated. "It's not much I heard. Just a lot of rumours but…"
And so Iroh listened to the story not wanting to miss just the tiniest bit. There was no way of knowing how much was true and how much was just made up by eager story tellers. But it felt nice anyway.
Iroh could only admit. He missed his nephew terrible.
"Where-ever you are." Iroh whispered into his hands after the story had ended. "I hope Agni will protect you." he said quietly. "My dear Nephew."
