ZW 2016 Day 7: Candles

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A Tale of Ba Sing Se

Zuko sees Katara first when she comes to the tea shop. He acts quickly, some would say too quickly, and then the whole thing is over as soon as it began. It's challenging to keep a prisoner in the City of Walls and Secrets, after all.

The old general is displeased. Prince Zuko's foolishness, such deep irrationality, that he thought had been left behind at the North Pole, left behind with his illness, lurks still.

Stupid boy.

He brings the girl a candle the first night, lit with spark rocks. "My nephew does not always think his plans through," he offers. "I am sure that he will let you out of here soon."

She looks at him with narrowed blue eyes. "Or, here's an idea, you could let me go now."

Iroh sighs heavily and sinks back against the wall, tucking his hands into his sleeves. "I was afraid that you might say that."

"What, so you're terribly sorry, but you aren't going to let me out? What's wrong with you?"

"I had hoped that perhaps you could speak to him where I could not. The balance of the world depends on the Avatar. But, so does Zuko's hope."

"So you're using a helpless girl to teach Zuko a life lesson. What do I care about him having hope, anyway? It's not like he wants me to have any hope!"

"You will understand when you have children." He leaves her quietly (though she does not let him leave quietly-"That's really condescending, you know! And you should teach him to care about other people, not to capture them and keep them in locked bedrooms!"). The candle burns out long past midnight.

He brings her another the second night.

"I'm not talking to you. Let me go."

"Ah, but you are talking to me."

"Not anymore." She turns toward the wall, fidgeting against the ropes tying her hands together.

"I hope you'll eat something. It isn't much, but if you are hungry, we have more.

"I could waterbend my way out of here."

"I don't doubt it." Iroh chuckles. Precocious girl. "So why don't you?"

Katara blinks. "You're both terrible people! If I leave, you'll probably just follow me to Aang and try to capture him instead!"

Iroh raises one eyebrow. "Getting the Avatar home to the Fire Nation would be a challenge at this time. It's not as though we can march through the city with him under our cloaks."

She narrows her eyes, sizing him up. Good thing, because Iroh cannot for the life of him decipher which side of this he's on at this moment.

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In the morning, the second candle has burned low, and the ropes that bound her wrists have been sliced through. Gone as abruptly as she came, it seems. Zuko is furious. "It's not fair, Uncle. I could have had him. And why did you have to fall asleep while you were on the watch!?"

Iroh tucks his hands into his sleeves as he searches for the right thing to say.

"Uncle? Aren't you going to say anything?"

"Prince Zuko. I have supported all of your endeavors. But even you must admit this would not have ended well."

"I would have figured something out."

Iroh lights a third candle and sets it on the table near the rickety bed. "Are you sure you would not prefer a quiet life in a tea shop to the trappings of royalty?"

"I want to go home, Uncle. I just want to go home."

And then in the morning, carved into the table, are three words. "So do I."

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A/N: So this is me playing around with moral conflict. Like moral conflict, I'm not sure that it makes a lot of sense.