Zuko sat on the chair holding his son protectively, noddign in and out of sleep. Iroh walked in and seen this, and shook his head. He walked over and started to take the baby but as soon as a little of the weight was displaced Zuko's head shot up and with his free hand let out a fire ball that his unlce had narrowly avoided.
"Calm down. Prince Zuko, I know that you want to protect Riyo, but you must get some rest. We know for a fact that there is a child healer in the village, so try and rest. I will take care of him." Zuko eyed his uncle skeptically before giving in to the tuggin of tiredness.
"Fine..."Zuko mumbled and watched his uncle walk away with his son. He stood up and walked clumsily over to the bed and fell down onto it. He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling.
"I guess now I won't be able to go to sleep.." The prince said aloud to himself. But no sooner had he said this, that his eyse drifted close.
Do you really love her? Or do you love that she loves you're son? Did you truly want her to stay and be with you? Or were you just wanting a mother for the baby? You don't really love her, you don't know how to love. You were born a heartless prince. You don't love anyone or anything. You will never know what it means to truly love. Do you honestly think that this girl loves you? You haven't even looked at the situation you put her in. You force her onto you're ship, you make her take care of your son, you force her further into being around you, you forced her to love you...or to pretend to love you. That's what this entire thing was. She pretended to love you and got her freedom back. By making you believe that any woman would want or even love you, she made you soft. You didn't want to hurt her. Or was it yourself you didn't want to hurt when reality hit you in the face.
Zuko sat up with a start. What the hell was all that about? He rubbed his head and looked down at the blankets. It was a good point though. Did he only love her because of his son? It couldn't just be that...he knew he loved her...he thought he loved her...Zuko grabbed his head and closed his eyes tight. I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!
Katara smiled as the two boys began to stir. Aang was the first one awake and looked almost one hundred percent better then he had. The dark circles were gone, but the sunkenness hadn't liftend yet. Aang sat down beside her and looked at her.
"What?" Katara ask blushing.
"I missed you." Katara smiled and hugged Aang.
"I noticed. I missed you too." Aang looked up at her.
"Where did you go..?" Katara froze earlier when he ask he she would jsut fake amnesia or change the subject.
"I doesn't matter, all that matters is that we are back together. " Aang looked down at the ground and shook his head. He knew that meant that something bad had happened. She would tell them when she wanted to. Katara stood up and stretched.
"We had better get moving..."
"Did you have an allergic reaction to the soup?" Katara frowned and looked at Aang.
"Huh?"
"tHe lizard soup did you have an allergic reaction to it..?" Katara frowned and thought. That was a while agai..she didn't know. So much had happened in the few months they had been apart. She cautiously shook her head.
"No..I don't think so." Aang smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. Katara stared at him with confused eyes.
"Why?" Aang turned and looked at Sokka who was still asleep.
"Sokka almost died. But it's okay!" Katara nodded and walked over to her brother nudging him with her toe.
"Come on Sokka. We need to resupply, then we have to find a Earth Master." Sokka opened on eye and glared up at her.
"You've only been back with us for a day and you are already back to your same old bossy self." Katara frowned. She wasn't bossy.
Zuko ship pulled back up to the small port and almost before the landing was down two cloaked figures ran out. Zuko held Riyo close to him as he and his uncle hurried into the town. They had to find a guard of the nation, so that they knew they would be safe in the town.
A barkeep sweeping out his tavern door way caught a glimpse of the exiled prince and his revered uncle. Beris felt fear flood into his veins. He had put out the Prince's wife, and now the prince was here to see why. Beris felt his knees begin to go weak. He had never met the prince but several times had to face his father's wrath. Beris threw himself out in front of the prince and the general down on his knees bowing in traditional fashion.
Zuko stopped on a dime seeing the man throw himself at their feet. Zuko looked over at his uncle then back down to the cowering Beris.
"Move!" Zuko commanded bringing tremors to Beris's shoulders. Beris looked up at the Prince through teared eyes.
"Please .. I didn't know that she was you're wife... I'm sorry.. Please have mercy..." Zuko frowned and made the old man stand up.
"You want mercy? Then take us to the village doctor! NOW!" Zuko growled. Beris smiled and nodded thankfully.
"Yes sir." Beris lead the two through the streets to the small house that the doctor lived in. Zuko and Iroh went in first looking around. A small couple looked up at their uninvited guest, with a scowl. Beris stopped in front and greeted the doctor.
"This is Prince Zuko and his Uncle General Iroh. They need your assistance." The small elderly woman stood up from her chair and walked over to the young man. She looked up at Zuko's face then back down to the small bundle that he was holding close.
"Please, my son is very sick..." The prince said as the doctor took the baby from him. Beris stared at the prince with an utter feeling of shock. Not only was the prince married, he had a child! Beris shook his head, he really needed to read the notices more. The doctor looked over Riyo and took him into a different room. She turned and stopped Zuko as he tried to follow.
"You stay out here. I have to tend to him, you would just get in the way." Zuko frowned but instead of throwing his normal fit, he just nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. Zuko walked back over to Beris and looked at him.
"Now what was this you said about my wife?" Beris felt like throwing up, he was notoriously bad for pleading guilty to things the other person didn't know about. Zuko cocked his eyebrow and stared at the man.
"Well...?" Beris dropped his head and preceded in telling the prince the entire story.
Aang watched as Katara bent down to snuff out the fire, but he noticed something fell out of her pocket. She turned and ran to catch up with her brother and Appa. Aang walked over and picked up the necklace and looked at it. Her mother's stone was missing. He looked up at Katara's back then back to the new stone. He recognized the stone, but he didn't know how. Perhaps from a former life? Aang decided not to say anything and buried the necklace in his pocket making sure that it wouldn't fall out.
Something wasn't right about that, and when he felt like it was the right time, he would find out why.
There you go. Hope you like it, if so tell me about it