A Kingly Gift
Ursa was not happy with her husband. The Winter Solstice might not be the most important holiday in Fire Nation culture, but it was Zuko's first celebration of any kind. Would it kill him to take a day to spend with his wife and son? She was fuming (literally) as she stomped back to her son's nursery, and her lack of attention was rewarded when she collided face-first with the Fire Nation's most dangerous Warlord.
Ursa bounced off Iroh like a single arrow off Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall. "Ow," she grunted as her hands went up to cup her sore nose.
Iroh raised his eyebrows. "My apologies. Are you all right, Lady Ursa?"
She tentatively lifted one hand from her nose, and didn't see any blood on it. "Yes, I am." Recovering her wits, she continued, "And I should be the one to apologize, General. I wasn't looking where I was going."
He smiled and waved a hand. "Do not worry about it. But a calm soul typically does not go careening off of other pedestrians in this palace. Is something upsetting you? I don't mean to pry, of course..."
Remembering Ozai's refusal, Ursa was tempted to tell his brother- and every other member of the Royal Family- to go jump in the sea. However, Iroh had only ever been courteous to her, despite his reputation as a devastating general. It couldn't hurt to stay on his good side. "My husband and I had a... disagreement."
"Knowing Ozai, I can scarcely believe that," Iroh chuckled.
So he had a sarcastic streak, eh? "I wanted to make a little Winter Solstice celebration of Zuko, but Ozai felt that he had other priorities. Like reviewing rice production estimates. Drafting letters of recommendation to military commanders who will do their best to ignore him. Being a waste of air. You know, the usual for him on one of his bad days."
A cheeky smile blossomed on Iroh's face, but he quickly suppressed it. "You must be aware," he said, "that my father discourages recognition of the Winter Solstice. It is typically the one day a year that Firebenders are at their weakest. There is the suggestion that the holiday promotes sympathy for the enemy nations."
Ursa sighed, and let her shoulders slump out her typical proper posture. "Oh, I don't really care about the Solstice. But it's Zuko's first holiday. I thought it would be nice to..." She completed the thought with a shrug.
When she looked up again to Iroh, she found his face still and tight. His eyes were calculating. "My nephew's first holiday?"
She nodded.
"Well," he said slowly, "we can't let that pass without comment. I'll meet you in Zuko's nursery at the fifteenth hour."
Ursa blinked at him. "Meet me? You? Why?"
He just gave her a sneaky smirk, and moved lightly on his way.
Her heart a little lighter, Ursa trotted on to the nursery.
She found her son just being settled into a fresh diaper cloth by the servants. She happily received the golden-eyed baby and sent the servants on her way. "Your uncle is coming to visit," she cooed. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"
Zuko just stared at her.
"It's the Winter Solstice," she went on. "That's the day of the year when the night is longest, and the Spirit World is closest to our own. It's a magical night, when wishes might come true, and families come together to stay warm and safe. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
She took Zuko's continued interest as agreement.
The fifteenth hour arrived quickly, and precisely on time, a knock sounded on the door. Ursa opened it herself, and was surprised to see not Iroh, but his son Lu Ten. "Hi, Auntie!"
Ursa gave a mock grimace. "I'm not that old yet."
The boy, not quite a teenager, gave her a grin that belonged on a much older and savvier face. "It's a term of affection, Auntie! You're the best, most prettiest Aunt in the world." He leaned to the side, and lifted something from floor. "Where can I put this?"
"That's a plant."
"It's a bonsai from the gardens," he said, carrying it nonchalantly into the nursery. "Dad said that you wanted to celebrate the Solstice, and you can't do that without a Solstice Tree."
"So you stole a bonsai from the gardens?" she laughed. Zuko gave a little laugh in answer.
Lu Ten put the plant down on the changing table and winked at her. "Dad says that anything you can put back before anyone cares can't be stolen. It's natural philosophy."
"Right," Ursa drawled. "Tell me another one."
"Okay." Lu Ten produced a small wheel of pink ribbon from his pocket. "This ribbon was definitely not intended to be a gift to a girl I know. It was always meant to be decorations for the Solstice Tree." He took his standard-issue military knife from his belt, and began cutting swatches to tie around the bonsai's branches. "And none of that is anything that my dad needs to hear about."
"Well, we can agree on that, at least."
As if on cue, the room's door knocked again, and Ursa once again opened it to find her expected guest. "Iroh, did you conscript your son into this?"
"Yes, wasn't that clever of me?" He bustled into the room carrying a tray with a full tea service on it. "I brought all my spiced teas, so that we can properly celebrate the Solstice. What do you think, little Zuko? Does some cinnamon tea strike your fancy?" Iroh pinched a little of the brown dust out of its serving bowl and held it up to the baby's face.
Zuko scrunched his nose and leaned away.
Iroh gave a laugh that rose from the deepest part of his belly. "Well, maybe it's a bit strong for you yet. But you should know that these are Winter traditions, so you'll have to get used to them eventually." He put the cinnamon back and laid the tray on a table. "Did Lu Ten explain the history of the Solstice Tree to Zuko?"
The boy shook his head innocently, but Ursa just rolled her eyes and said, "He's a little young to-"
"Nonsense! Can't you tell that he's a very intelligent little prince?" Iroh reached over and plucked the baby out Ursa's arms, poking a tickling finger at Zuko's middle. The baby smiled and squirmed in response. "Happy Winter Solstice, Zuko! That fine growth is the Solstice Tree. In the old celebrations, it represented life that slumbers during the winter and waits to live again when the sun brings the spring. Like trees, the Children of Fire endure, too strong for cold weather to defeat us. I like the ribbons very much, Lu Ten."
"Thanks, dad!" The boy shifted his feet, like a warrior in a friendly spar. "Can I give Zuko his present now?"
"Of course! I'll pour the tea, you go get it."
Ursa could scarcely believe her ears. "A present? Where did you get a present?"
Iroh smiled at her, and handed her a freshly poured cup of lemon-nutmeg tea. "Lu Ten came up with this all on his own. He's a very clever and resourceful boy. Can't imagine where he got it from."
Ursa could only laugh at that. Zuko looked over from Iroh's arms and once again echoed her with a laugh of his own.
Lu Ten was back in the room at a dash, shoving something right into Zuko's chubby arms. "Here you go happy Winter Solstice hope you like it!" The baby gave a little start, but pressed his arms around the object.
"It's a ball," Ursa said. "A very pretty one."
Lu Ten smiled and nodded at her, but it wasn't the same roguish smile he had been showing off before. This one belonged on a much younger, more innocent face. "It's the ball I played with when I was a baby. My mom had it made special for me. They added gold dust to the rubber mixture so that it would shine. Zuko can have it now."
Ursa put a hand to her face, feeling her throat tighten. She had never met Iroh's wife, Lu Ten's mother, but both only ever spoke of her in the most glowing terms. "Are you sure?"
"Of course. Just make sure Zuko takes care of it, okay?"
Ursa brought her hands together in the sign of respect, and bowed before her nephew. "I promise. You have my gratitude, and Zuko's."
Iroh laid a hand on his son's shoulder, still holding Zuko in the other. "A most handsome gift. It is well given." The baby, of course, was ignoring the exchange, in favoring of examining the metallic ball in his hand. Concentrating hard, he lifted it away from himself, and flung it at the floor. When it bounced high, Zuko gave an unprompted laugh that rang throughout the room.
"Happy Winter Solstice!" Iroh shouted, and drew Ursa into the little bundle of family.
This was exactly what she wanted.
In a meeting room on the other side of the palace, Fire Lord Azulon looked at his assembled staff. Then he turned to look at the son sitting at his left side, the young Ozai. Then he straightened and let his gaze fall to the floor. "Does anyone have any idea where Iroh is? I would very much like to plan how to conquer Omashu right now."
END
