A/N: My first chapter in months and one of the more difficult ones to write. I wanted to add another dimension into Jen LuXian and General Iroh's relationship, which is subtle and romantic.

Chapter Twelve - The Journey To The Eastern Village By The Mountain:

Over the hills and the mountain valley, Jen LuXian was trekking, after exiting from a carriage, belonging to the Qian family. He said his goodbyes days ago, but he did missing them and their courtyard with the abundance of flowers and their modernist beliefs. He didn't belong in that world anymore. Jen LuXian was removed from noble life, but he still had his manners and respect for elders. On his back was the pouch that was delivered to him, which had few valuables in it, after sending Kumi and his serving retinue back to Bao Yun. Jen Lian couldn't bear ruining more of their young lives and the girls wanted to go home, after being homesick for years and he let them go.

The outskirts of the valley reminded Jen LuXian of the eastern plains, which was an agricultural hotspot. His robes were light jade, nothing remarkable because the robes he wore in the Qian household belonged to the household. Jen LuXian didn't deserve to wear nice things, not after his failures and seeing the results of his mistakes. He looked like an old traveller, but he was unique because of his beauty and the butterfly pendant he wore. Jen LuXian's stomach was full from the two pork-filled steamed buns he ate, on his trip through a town outside of Republic City to make his journey. He saw the charms of Republic City and then the flaws of modernism.

A veiled weimao was upon the earth master's head. Jen LuXian wished he could go by his given name, because most people don't know it and it would make travelling easier, but the downside was Jen not being a common surname and so few people had it. For years, Jen LuXian trained his body and mind into a perfect cultivational form, but he put high expectations on himself all because his clan raised the best earthbenders in the north. His father Jen Kuen was a master, but Jen LuXian surpassed his father years ago, when he went through the Foggy Swamp and found the Banyan Grove. Being in the grove and meditating under the tree awakened his spiritual meridians and it helped him on his metalbending journey.

The veiled hat made Jen LuXian look like those guardians from the stories, his father used to tell him. The guardians whom travelled from place to place and protected people. Jen LuXian was that person, but raised in a spiritually faithful family that valued humility more than their status. Unmarried members of the Jen Clan served the temples in Bao Yun and became earth sages and swear their lives to the faith. It would have been the reality of his uncle Jen Xizuan, had he not lost face and shamed the family, as being banished from Bao Yun was a consequence for his actions. Jen LuXian first thought his uncle was a shameless cur, who deserved his banishment, but visiting him many times had changed his perspective on him.

From the distance, a volcano was in sight and Jen LuXian was familiar with it. Mount Makapu had been inactive for seventy two years, never erupting during the post war years. He had read from a book that panda lilies grew from the crater of the volcano because of the rich volcanic soil. Jen LuXian kept strolling, despite covering many miles on his journey, but never wanted the easy way out of asking for a one way carriage. He travelled the way people have done for centuries, for the experience of every place Jen LuXian visited, meeting people and learning about their cultures was the ultimate travelling experience, which was something the new generation was missing because modernism corrupted them.

The northeastern region was familiar to Jen LuXian, having visited Zigan Town to stay in the Te family's palace three years ago. On the other hand, Governor Te was still bitter about missing his chance for pretty grandchildren, after two attempts of marrying his offspring to members of the Teng family. Was it luck that the Te family survived through one act of mercy from Avatar Kyoshi, sparing the life of a fifteen year old boy. Jen LuXian had unpleasant experiences in the house of the blue hibiscus flower, because the Te family envied the Teng family; being kin to the Hou-Ting royal family and having the perks of those blood ties. He never gripped about it, because the Te family were going to be, where they are and Jen LuXian made peace with it.

The earth master pulled out a compass, which pointed east from where he was. Jen LuXian liked using old methods, due to his dislike of the modern ways. A few carriages and carts passed him by, through this area without a glance. He liked the invisibility of being unnoticed, because being the centre of attention made him entitled as a teenager. The man shook his head, at his teenage self and wished he hadn't been that arrogant boy, who searched for glory. Was it a punishment from the gods for rising too high or was it fate redirecting him to a better path, other than being the darling of the Earth Kingdom?

A gust of wind blew in his direction, but Jen LuXian's weimao never fell from his head. He liked the wind in his face, despite air being the opposing element of earth and him taking on beliefs, that were once the province of the Air Nomads, but the airbenders worshipped their own deities. Jen LuXian could not see himself being that person, who would not help people because of earthly attachment to humanity. It was one of the main reasons why Jen LuXian wanted to work hard in earthbending, despite having a rotational set of shifus coming in and out of his life, because of the conflict of interest between his clan and his teachers. There was no one in the Earth Kingdom, who was a great hero anymore; the last one being Toph Beifong and a few heroes came through after her.

There wasn't anyone, who gave the Earth Kingdom hope because the people lost faith in the Avatar.

Jen LuXian pulled his veil to the side, to see the grasslands more clearly. Listening to the moving wheels of various carts and carriages passing him by, possibly heading to Republic City or Yu Dao, which was a bridge crossing away from the former city. The man never believed he would be a traveller this long, because his former peers would not last travelling the way, Jen Lian did because his former peers were lazy and spoiled. He almost missed his old life, because of the innocence and how Jen LuXian was happy, when people liked him and respected his abilities as an earthbender and nothing else mattered, but his banishment from the south pole ruined his reputation and he had to figure out a life without his status.

His current path wasn't without struggle and pain. Jen LuXian was almost immune to pain, because he had been hurt so much that nothing phased him. No one can hurt him because he has already been hurt, had people he loved taken away and he was alone. Jen LuXian knew life goes on and new experiences will inform him from the old ones. This road was familiar to him, because he passed behind the volcano through the road further than Makapu Village, to get to Zigan and tell Governor Te, he owed Uncle Han for the extra grain and fruits for the autumn season, because the Zigan fields were ruined by excessive rainfall three summers ago.

From the distance, the end was in sight. Being in good shape prepared Jen LuXian for the journey from Republic City into the outer plains of this land. The veil on the earth master's weimao waved gently in the wind, with his mind focused on getting to Makapu Village by the afternoon. The outer plains were peaceful, no bandits or robbers trying to harm people going about their business. There is security on the borders between each city of this burdening country. There was an excitement within his heart, because Jen LuXian was entering unfamiliar territory and he had to be prepared for anything, but there was no doubt that he was ready to take the next step in his journey.

The bustling of the people in cloud patterned robes and the smell of fried food filled the air. Jen LuXian entered Makapu Village, with not much notice and he liked the smell of street food, to his taste buds yearning for food not good for his body. The earth master was careful with what he ate before, but he was more relaxed and ate whatever was there because he didn't have the luxury to be picky. Jen LuXian had no problem with people of different body types, but in his experience he saw gluttony as a sin and saw the earth sages getting fat in Ba Sing Se and indulge in red blossom wine and the best pleasure house workers in the capitol and abandon the faithful of the city, which was why Ba Sing Se fell into decline. Abandoning the gods and the common people for divulging in sin to the body and the mind.

People strolled past Jen LuXian, but waved at him. He knew the cloud patterned robes the people wore, were in relation to the Makapu Village being one of the only places, which still worshipped Tienhai, which was very little because most of her temples were in ruins and she faded from relevancy. Jen LuXian worshipped the Tiger Goddess at home and still did, but had an appreciation for other deities from the other nations, even the Southern Water Tribe goddess Helak, which he had the privilege in seeing one of her temples years ago. The younger generation did not understand the respect for deities, that their elders had because it connects them to their cultures and their nations.

The children ran around with colourful kites in the air, and Jen LuXian moved out the way. It was delightful to see children with innocence, because Jen LuXian saw tears and suffering on his journey, because of the sickness within the Earth Kingdom. He hardened himself, because he couldn't afford to be emotional. He cried for Su Yong and the people, who died at the hands of the Crimson Matron; he blamed himself and realised he couldn't do anything. Jen LuXian didn't mind children, knowing his cousin will be a father in months time and a new heir of the Jen Clan will be born, in spite of his exile from Bao Yun.

Chatter filled the streets and Jen LuXian wanted to take everything in. The village was isolated from the modernism in Republic City and kept their own traditions and culture, which was something Jen Lian was glad to see in a world, where tradition was becoming outdated to the younger generation. He shook his head, grabbing his chin with his thumb and index finger, villages like this were familiar to Jen LuXian, but those villages were run down, infrastructure broken and no leadership. This village was prosperous, since it was the trade gateway between Taku and Republic City, which made Makapu Village's position on the trade road easier for people to travel. He strolled through the market district of the village, with women and girls smiling at him and he smiled back awkwardly.

Jen LuXian got used to people looking at him the way they did, and it was never going to stop, unless he had a disfigurement on his face.

Where Jen LuXian stood, was in a bustling market quarter, where people haggled for goods and the whiff of fried sweetened dough was in the air. He tipped the weimao on his head, with the curtains revealing his face to the people in the quarter. There were green lanterns hanging around the village, knowing the spring lantern festival was weeks away and the Earth Kingdom people prepared early for a festival, because of the massive hull when the day of the festival arrives and preparations have to be perfect. Noble families would donate to local city or town budget to help the citizens prosper, but no noble family lived in Makapu because it wasn't a large enough village to have people of that stature living here. However, nobles were regular visitors to get away from the pressures of their lives and being filial to the expectations of their families.

His eyes caught on a large establishment named Haping House in its respective characters. Jen LuXian knew inns were traditionally named houses to make them more attractive to visitors, but Haping House was like any other inn and people came in and out of it. It was one of the biggest buildings in the village, a few feet taller than the shops. Black and green cloth hung across the balconies of the inn, with the curved roof being a single colour and not tiltered with gold like in the bigger cities. Jen LuXian stayed in smaller inns and communal shelters, but this one looked like it could fit in Omashu's Old City District and he wondered, who stayed there and what kind of people came in and out of the inn.

The man had known that no nobles lived in Makapu Village, it was a town of merchants and fortune-tellers, who had significant influence in the town. Jen LuXian was open-minded, when it came to fortune-telling, but believed in fate having a role for everyone in life. He heard of the fortune tellers in this village and other parts of the Earth Kingdom, it was a lost art because of how the world was progressing, but in small villages and towns, people believed in fortunes. Jen LuXian never believed fate wanted him to live a destitute lifestyle and become a priest, but he still had his principles, which was unbecoming of a nobleman. He wanted to see the world outside of his mountain region and leaving Bao Yun was the only way to do it.

From the market quarter, the man was conscious because of reading his surroundings. Jen LuXian was in no danger of being attacked, because he wasn't a known name in this part of the region, but people did know of him, but never met him. There was a light tap on his shoulder, Jen LuXian jolted and turned to see General Iroh behind him. The prince looked different smiling, not having a forlorn look on his face. He clutched onto his weimao and his cheeks began to heat up again. The village was warm, but there was a breath of air that made the village less humid than the other villages Jen Lian had been in, because those villages were near the Si Wong Desert. He gulped, due to his fingers clenching harder and harder onto his weimao. Jen LuXian couldn't look General Iroh in the eye, due to his shyness of being close to him, to the point of almost touching, which was such a crude thought for a gentleman to have.

A sense of glee was upon the young master's face. "Your Highness, what are you doing here?" Jen LuXian asked.

"Taking the first rest break of my career." General Iroh replied.

"Shouldn't you be at your post?"

"I got Lieutenant General Tien to take my place. I need to get away from the city and people feeling sorry for me."

"Why."

"They say I am a lonely man with no capacity to love."

Jen LuXian took a deep breath in and sighed. "I don't think so. Those people are wrong about your capability to love."

"I am a soldier and feelings are beneath my line of work."

"Fu Cheng is a martial in the Omashu army and he still leaves his heart open."

"He has the privilege to be able to fight and love, because no trouble comes to Omashu." The prince said bitterly.

Jen LuXian didn't understand, the bitter tone in His Highness's voice, when it came to Fu Cheng. He suspected it was jealousy because Fu Cheng was there at his older twin sister's side, when she got married to the Governor of Yi's nephew and General Iroh had a difficult time celebrating his own sister's marriage. The earth master knew the other man's feelings were complex and there was nothing, Jen LuXian didn't understand about Iroh because he put on a face of being a gentleman to him and repressing his flaws. Jen LuXian never got closer to anyone other than Su Yong, because the thought of betrayal was on his mind and how everyone treated him after Su Yong's funeral.

"Why are you dressed like a merchant lord?" Jen LuXian asked.

"I don't want people knowing who I am." Zhu Iroh replied.

"I'm glad to leave home."

"Do you miss it."

"Maybe...my uncle let me go because he knew he couldn't keep me there. Chou has his wife, everyone is doing better without me ruining the family name."

There was a bitter taste in Iroh's tone, nothing like the gentleness of what his voice was in the Southern Water Tribe. "You shouldn't think that about yourself."

"Why not?"

"I promised to travel with you and you left on the earnest and I couldn't find you."

"...Your Highness...I don't travel with other people often." I sent Kumi and the girls back to Bao Yun. I ruined their lives and the least I can do is send them back home."

General Iroh muttered under his breath. "Always putting the needs of others before your own."

"Being a priest reminds me."

"I bumped into a bothersome earth sage on the way."

"Not all sages are bothersome, maybe you lost touch with faith. It's shameful, when the Fire Lord is the spiritual leader in your country."

"Faith has done nothing, but give me setback after setback."

Jen LuXian's heart sank, because he was born into a family, whom donated a percentage of their wealth into rebuilding the temples that were ruined by firebenders, despite the Jen family not wanting the attention for it. He didn't know how to feel about the prince's lack of faith in the gods or his apathy towards faith in general. It wasn't his place to get involved in whatever bitterness General Iroh felt about faith. Jen LuXian never experienced the soldier's life, because Jen Lian was sheltered and protected by the household guards in his home and other members of his clan.

The man was faithful and believed in anything, but raised his eyebrow at the idea of someone being faithless. The nobles of Ba Sing Se were faithless, using the gods for theatre, which angered Jen LuXian to the point of never visiting the city again, unless there was a new monarch or the city was set aflame from the royal palace to the lower ring slums. He had such morbid thoughts, because he witnessed a village set on fire and all that was left was ashes and sorrow, a lot of people died in Gu Village and were burned in the village alongside the members of the Xieye Sect. Jen LuXian could still smell the charred body parts burning in his mind and remembered what the smell of ashes was like. After the fire and five years later, Gu Village became a ghost town with a bad reputation of being hauted and a place of tragedy for those who died.

The prince's gaze was on him, but Jen LuXian hardly noticed. "Why are your robes so plain and uninspiring?"

"I don't wear the robes, I used to wear before." Jen LuXian replied.

"What about those robes, you wore went we went out last."

"Those belonged to the Qian family."

A saddened look was upon Zhu Iroh's face, but Jen LuXian couldn't tell what he was feeling inside. "Are you going to stay in Haping House?"

"Yes...I'm not sure there will be room."

"You can share a room with me, I don't mind sharing if the rooms are filled up."

"You shouldn't do that. You are royalty and you shouldn't have to share with a lowly man like me."

"We should get off the streets, before eyes start wondering."

There was a sigh of relief between the prince's lips and Jen LuXian paid attention. He face was heated again, but he ignored the fluctuations of his body for a moment, as life went on in the town, despite them being at a corner in the street. Jen LuXian pushed a part of his hair behind his ear, turning away from General Iroh and he couldn't look him in the eye, knowing his twitchy eyes will give him away. Jen LuXian gulped, as he was overwhelmed and the weather in the village was not the problem. Jen LuXian paid attention, if it got his face to cool from being in General Iroh's presence and he could focus right.

Jen LuXian's mind had detached from where he was supposed to be, but clenching onto the weimao was the only way, he could stop feeling uncomfortable around the general. Jen LuXian couldn't be this way, but it was always like this, since Jen Lian and Zhu Iroh reunited in the Southern Water Tribe and held hands at the light of Helak's temple. This time was different, because both men were eight years older and were more jaded, which made forging a connection harder now than it was in the past.

The earth master and the general made their way through the streets. This part of the village was more open and people walked in and out from the main square. Jen LuXian peeked at a building in his sights, by the way it was placed beyond the town square and it's light pink exterior was attractive to the eye. A whiff of sweet perfume was in the air, Jen LuXian was reminded of the sweet smelling pleasure house workers in Ba Sing Se, which was why the rowdy song about The Girls from Ba Sing Se became a hit during the Hundred Years War. It was a way for the pleasure houses in the city to gain more visitors and build their night time economy, even thought that was the only thing keeping Ba Sing Se from collapsing into economic disarray in the future.

The smell of the perfume was toned, but Jen LuXian wondered what was happening behind the doors of that pink building. It happened to be a fortune telling salon with the characters of Aunt Meng's Fortune Salon written in silver and hung above the doors. He knew there were other fortune telling salons in the region, but this one had special status because it has been here for generations, passed down from a fortune teller to their disciple. The previous owner of the salon was Aunt Wu, who was known to be scatter-brained and her fortunes became hit or miss, during the time Avatar Aang and his friends came to visit her the second time they came to town.

This Aunt Meng was Aunt Wu's successor and has been running the salon, since the latter retired. The difference was Aunt Meng studied intensely into fortune telling, to the point of not being seen as a swindler like her predecessor. Jen LuXian was open to fortune-telling, even though he believed true power came from the gods and spirits and humans were their avatars in the mortal world. He coughed slightly, seeing Zhu Iroh at his side and he looked like he could be fit with the commoners, despite his clothes looked more elegant than what the people in the village were wearing. The red outer robe with peony flowers patterned on the material looked beautiful contrasted in silver detailing. Jen LuXian looked away, not wanting a single look to be deduced to being like a blushing young miss, who looked at the boy she liked for the first time.

General Iroh honoured his word, which was something Jen LuXian admired about him. It was something Su Yong would never get, because he viewed the prince, as a raper, who would hurt Jen LuXian. He couldn'tstop thinking about a man, who was long dead, when there was another at his side. It was a betrayal to his heart, which Jen Lian never thought about because it wasn't fair on the general, who left his post to travel with him. His mind should not be on a man, who died five years ago, whose shadow haunted the earth master and the prince's relationship, which was something that cannot be broken. Jen LuXian smiled at the gaggles from the people in town; from the old to the young, which made the town feel alive, as the clouds people worshipped in the skies and the goddess, who used to rule this region with a fair hand.

The man snapped himself out of a delusion. Jen LuXian's face warmed, despite the climate in the village being moderate, allowing cold air to pass through the village and not be horribly humid like the atmosphere in southern desert region. His feet shuffled the ground, with dust particles hovering the air, but the town was clean and not a dust ridden haven that towns near the Si Wong Desert had to deal with. Jen LuXian was a old traveller, who followed a compass and used his bending to help him. His eyes moved away from General Iroh, itching to explore the places which were not visitor traps and see the real community hubs in Makapu Village.

"Your Highness, do you believe in fortunes." Jen LuXian asked eloquently.

There was a sourness in the prince's tone, despite being appearing noble and handsome. "No...the Fire Sages have spiritual abilities to tell the future and bless fortune, unlike those swindlers in the salons selling lies to people impressionable enough to believe them."

"You should open your mind, outside what the Fire Sages taught you."

"...My apologises, Your Grace. If I sound belligerent and insulting."

"It's okay for you to disagree with me, I like being challenged and listening to other opinions."

"My last experience in fortune telling didn't end well."

"What happened, Your Highness?"

"I will tell you at the right time."

It was all General Iroh needed to say, for Jen LuXian to pause. He wanted to know what made a prince, so sceptical about other modes of thinking about the future. Jen LuXian was not sure, if he had an idea of what made Zhu Iroh bitter towards fortune-telling and what aroused his anger like this. The earth master knew not to get on a firebender's bad side, as the people who did were lucky to live to tell the tale. It was different because the prince would argue with anyone, even a superior officer, but he will not do the same to Jen Lian. It was something Jen LuXian figured out long ago, because it was from the days of Omashu, when the prince used to tease him. The prince mocked the way Jen LuXian dressed a couple of times, due to the firebender arrogance and his lack of understanding of the Earth Kingdom's culture.

The men stood outside the pink building again, but the doors were open and a woman stumbled out. Jen LuXian glanced at the woman; she looked old and there was a limp in her step, as elders at that age would have, but he didn't mind the ordinary scene. General Iroh stood closer to Jen LuXian, a hand clutching above the earth master's wrist and Jen LuXian turned around the jerk his body away from the other man's side, as he reacted in a way and fear shone in his eyes. The other man was attempting protect Jen LuXian, but he was capable in defending himself and has lived without Kumi's protection before and didn't need anyone to shield him.

Jen LuXian looked at the old woman outside the salon. "Elder, do you work inside the salon."

The old woman turned around, draped in a mixture of pink shaded robes and scarves around her upper body. "Of course I do, I own the place." The elder woman said, with a bite in her tone. She seemed no nonsense, like Jen LuXian's Great Aunt Ruyi, who was the matriarch of his clan and truly ruled the Jen household.

"Aunt Meng..."

"I'm more of a great aunt, young man." Aunt Meng said, staring closer to Jen LuXian's face and tiltered her head to the side, "You look like someone, who used to come to my salon. Vapid girl, who wanted to know her future to taunt her cousins."

Jen LuXian looked at Zhu Iroh and looked back at the older woman. The earth master was careful, because he was taught to respect elders at a young age, and it was a cultural norm in the Earth Kingdom; being disrespectful to elders is a social crime and people who are disrespectful were shamed by society. Elders were treasured and honoured in the Earth Kingdom, in a way that masters and madams are not, because of the significant role they play in all sections of society. There were some elders in the world, who do not deserve respect because of their actions and forsaking duty for personal pleasures and selfish matters in life.

Aunt Meng had a wide jaw and big eyes, which told Jen LuXian that she used to be a strange child growing up. He met many people, but he was deceived by the idea of Aunt Meng, as she was an old woman, who carried herself with an upper class posture. He was wrong in the end, and all he saw was an old woman, who was very ordinary. Jen LuXian's wrist was released by General Iroh and looked at the old woman, who shuffled back and forth with a stiffened look in her eyes.

"Do you want to know your fortunes, young master?" Aunt Meng asked, with an iron tone.

"It depends on the cost." Jen LuXian replied.

"Gold coins will be good, better than what Aunt Wu got paid in the past. Her bad reputation spread from here to the rest of the Earth Kingdom."

"Can my friend come in with me?"

"Of course he can, not many handsome men come here often, unless they are from the United Forces."

The man caught a snigger from Aunt Meng's lips, especially her last comment. Jen LuXian was no stranger to old people having vibrant personalities, dispelling the myth of old people being thrown to the side, like the new generation in Republic City would do. His face heated up, as he had the urge to look back at Zhu Iroh, when Aunt Meng made a comment on handsome men and reminded Jen LuXian of something he had to hear from Su Yong years ago. Jen LuXian had grown tired of Su Yong putting Fire Nation men in a negative light, because of the sins of their forefathers; all he heard was they were rapers and cruel to women, and left them to birth to their bastard children, who will be judged by Earth Kingdom society for having Fire Nation fathers.

Jen LuXian took a deep breath out, seeing that Aunt Meng walked back into her salon with a fan in her hand, waving it across her face and stared back at the two men. There was something strange about her, but he thought it was because she was genuine and never spoke like a swindler, scamming people for gold. The earth master was sceptical at first, because there was no way in trusting his instincts. He hadn't had his fortune told in years, but was willing to give Aunt Meng a chance to tell his fortune. The bells outside the salon chimed above the doors, as it's sound was faint and could draw anyone in who wanted to listen to the bells chime and nothing else, but the doors of the salon were open and it was a gesture by Aunt Meng to come inside.

The inside of Aunt Meng's suite was eerie looking, with multiple trinkets all over the shelves and most of them looked to be of origin from the other nations. Jen LuXian sniffed the air and it smelled like overdone incense and burning flowers. Her trinkets were well placed around the room with things given to her personally and things she collected from the mountains and her journey through the region. There was a tapestry done of the kyoshi warriors that was vibrant with colour and detail, Jen LuXian dusted his robes and looked around the room. Something was burning in the room again, because fortune tellers use incense to cleanse the energy in the room, after each session not to pass on bad luck to the next customer. Jen LuXian was used to the smell of incense, because he was a priest and was used to handling it, when he worked in small temples in the Earth Kingdom.

Aunt Meng sat at the centre of the room, wearing mismatched fabrics above her robes. She looked like a elder merchant travelling from town to city, making a fortune in a kingdom that was strict in status and connections with the noble class. She used her fan to spread the smell of burning incense around, but looked at Jen LuXian with a stern look. Jen LuXian knew he reminded Aunt Meng of a vapid girl, who came into her salon long ago, but he had an inkling his mother was the girl Aunt Meng mentioned. Would Madam Qian have been here, as a young girl as well, Jen LuXian didn't know and he has the perfect opportunity to ask, before his session ended.

The earth master sat on a pile of cushions away from where Aunt Meng sat. Jen LuXian crossed his legs, his hands facing upwards and cleared his throat. His fingers were shaking, because fortune-telling was the unknown and he didn't like being uncomfortable. Jen Lian grew up a spoiled young master, because his mother was a beautiful woman and his father was an earthbending noble. He had years to get used to being out of his comfort zone, having servants on his journey was formality and nothing more. He needed to separate from the girls and be independent from them. The man was capable of surviving himself, but he felt good about sending the girls away, because they wanted to go home and he did what was best for them.

"You remind me of that vapid girl, who came here with her friends." Aunt Meng said, with a bite in her tone. She took Jen LuXian's right hand, as it was his dominant hand and looking through the lines on his hand.

"Was that girl a noble?" Jen LuXian replied.

"Of course, and wore a necklace just like yours but with diamonds on it."

"Aunt Meng, did you know her name?"

"Judging by the necklace she wore, she was from the Teng family. Pretty girl, most noble girls are not as pretty as her."

"Oh..."

The elder fortune-teller smiled, and looked deeply into Jen LuXian's hand. "You have gone through a great amount of adversity. You trust no one, not even yourself. Your hands are shaking young master, are you afraid or is it a habit."

Jen LuXian's face flushed red; he always had nervous habits, since he was a child and never grew out of them. "The kyoshi warriors tapestry, it's beautiful." The earth master said, as a compliment and hoped Aunt Meng stopped poking at him.

"It was a gift from the kyoshi leader Suki, when she and the warriors came to bring our people home."

"Do you see anything good in my future?"

"You are not a terrible person, just bad luck in life."

"What do you mean, Madam Meng?"

The fortune-teller began to chuckle. "Don't call me madam, I am no noble nor am I married?"

"Do I have happiness in my future?"

"There will be obstacles in your way, there is great love in your future and one obstacle will get in the way of your happiness. The secrets in your heart will get in the way of true happiness, a burning love will prevail above all in the world." Aunt Meng declared.

"None of what you say makes much sense."

"Not currently, but your journey will not be easy. I told Matron Suki the same thing, when she came here. Her fortune was she will have a blessed life of joy, she may lose a great love but her life will still be worth treasuring and living. "

A tear fell from Jen LuXian's eye, as his heart ached at the statement. He didn't know something beautiful and profound can come from fortune-telling. "Aunt Meng...I'm not sure what to think. My life is a crossroads and I'm not sure if I will be happy again."

"Don't underestimate fate, it will always be pushing you along."

"How do you know that?"

"I didn't study and practice all these years for nothing."

The man knew this session was more than just fortune-telling, he was keen to know about Aunt Meng outside her profession, which was something Jen LuXian did to all the people he met on his travels. As a young master, he was sheltered and shut out of the world, only interacting with the people in Bao Yun. Going to Omashu to be fostered, opened Jen LuXian's eyes to the world outside his mountain home, it was of poverty and sickness when he passed the rural parts of the Earth Kingdom, wishing he could help the people. He knew the Earth Kingdom was not perfect from the books he read, but he never realised how much his nation declined as a world power, since the era of Tian the Great. All Shen LingTian's hard work in rebuilding the Earth Kingdom was in the mud, with one incompetent monarch after the other and the Hou-Ting Dynasty infecting the rest of the kingdom.

"I see the way that Fire Nation man looks at you." Aunt Meng spoke, with a hint of bluntness in her tone.

Jen LuXian's hand tensed, when that was mentioned. "People look at me all the time like that, it's nothing really."

There was a scornful look on the face of Aunt Meng and she didn't look pleased. "I heard it all before, from the youth to the seniors. I know love when I see it and I don't care about traditional stuff, it's about time the Earth Kingdom moved forward with the rest of the world."

The earth master was shaking inside, knowing what Aunt Meng said wasn't a lie. He didn't mind because he was optimistic about his future, but fortune-telling was taken with a grain of salt because some fortune-tellers can be wrong. Jen LuXian never believed in finding love after Su Yong, but Aunt Meng suggested he would find love again. He wasn't ready to let go of the lingering spirit of Su Yong that was always by his side. The idea of moving on was uncomfortable for Jen LuXian, because he was used to being comfortable and safe, never going outside his comfort zone and shutting everything out of his mind, because he didn't want to be stuck mourning and not cherishing life.

Jen LuXian liked the chiming bells in the room, as it was a common feature in Makapu Village. The bells were chiming from the spring wind outside the window, he closed his eyes and relaxed his body and softened his posture. The man sensed the tension within his body was going away, but he was comfortable with Aunt Meng cleansing the room of bad aura for the next customer. Seeing Aunt Meng made Jen LuXian miss his great aunt, the strong matriarch of his clan and the glue of his family. On the other hand, Jen LuXian's great aunt was a harsh woman, who never allowed anything to pass her. He fell out with Great Aunt Ruyi, because she wanted him to do his duty to his clan and stop mourning for Su Yong, whose hiring she did approve at first but was the first member of the Jen Clan to turn against Su Yong.

He realised being away from his family was for the best; they got to move on without Jen Lian. Jen LuXian was happier, where he was in life, no pressure and no weight on his shoulders to impress his family and other nobles. He could live the life his former peers wanted to live, to be free and to love whom he wanted to love. The earth master's legs were crossed and his eyes were on the trinkets on the wall, because they were eye catching and must have come from all over the world. His nose was hit with the scent of the sweetened perfume he smelled outside of the salon, Jen LuXian was relieved with the thought of having an optimistic future, compared to the grief he suffered five years ago and believing he will be in hell forever.

For the man, helping people saved him from falling into a deeper hole. Jen LuXian was the kind of man, who was stuck between the past and the future, because it was too painful for him to move from the memories that comforted his heart. The earth master had hopes of living in the middle of nowhere, maybe he could find a home in Makapu Village or elsewhere to stay away from the world and start his life. What Aunt Meng said, was the road to happiness was going to be long and difficult, but Jen LuXian was more than ready to fight for his happiness and his right to live like anyone else in the world.

PS: Makapu Village is the place where Aang, Sokka and Katara visited in The Fortuneteller episode and it seems like a place to keep to their traditions and beliefs. It's the place I want Jen Lian and General Iroh to see each other again.

- Aunt Meng is the young girl from The Fortuneteller episode grown up and is an old woman this time. Aunt Wu retired, leaving the running of the salon in Meng's hands when she came of age and studied enough on fortunetelling to grow her knowledge of it. She would be a physical reminder of Jen LuXian's great aunt, which is how Jen LuXian grows to trust her and be comfortable in being vulnerable in front of her.

- Lady Tienhai is a guardian spirit from the Avatar Comics series The Rift. I adapted her into a cloud and sky goddess to fit in with how the people of Makapu Village have cloud patterns on their clothes and the Book of Clouds being important to fortunetellers, which forms the culture of the village. Makapu Village is one of the last places, where Tienhai is worshipped and it's what makes the village unique in the story.