Channeling George R.R. Martin vibes and writing a chapter every few years.

Ch 15

Iroh stood in the main hall, Fire Nation wine in his hand. Fire Lord Izumi insisted on having a sendoff banquet before he took off again with the United Forces. His eyes scanned the faces, seeking the pale, oval face and sharp bronze gaze of Jin Lian Yang. Two weeks had passed since their talk in the pagoda, and she had found ways to limit her contact with him. Their conversations were kept short and professional, always with some kind of witness nearby. He had not heard any complaints or rumors circulating the palace as compared to when they had first met. A blessing and a curse in his opinion.

"Who are you looking for?" a female voice asked. Iroh turned, smiling at the speaker. His elder sister, Princess Ursa, elbowed him fondly. A five year difference separated them, making her 35 years of age. She, like her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, was not a fire bender. She was, however, a skilled physician who kept a healthy distance from politics. The media rarely followed her around because she was rarely seen outside of her clinic. The only time the news covered her was when she publicly abdicated her position of Crown Princess in exchange for a life in medicine and research, much to their mother's disapproval.

"It's rare to see you at these kinds of events, I'm glad you could make it," Iroh said as he gave his sister a hug. She returned the hug, and then held him at arm's length for a visual inspection. Ursa was shorter than Iroh, and lacked the fierceness that their mother had. Their father, the Royal Consort, was a gentle and kind man who preferred scholarly pursuits over military might and political games. Ursa had inherited this love for learning, and devoted herself to studying medicine when a plague took their father from them. Ursa's eyes were honey colored, her features soft and fair. She was dressed in an elegant gown that was currently in fashion in Republic City. A single gold necklace was her only decoration and her wavy, dark brown hair was done up in a simple bun.

"Like I said, who are you looking for?" she asked again, her eyes taking on a mischievous look. "Any girl you're interested in has to be approved by me personally, you know. I'm your big sister, I need to protect my baby Iroh."

"I'm not looking for anyone in particular, Ursa," Iroh replied defensively. "You always love to tease me." Yet his eyes betrayed him as a familiar form entered dressed in pink and white silk. The Yang family had entered, Ji Won and Suda walking side by side with Jin Lian following them from behind. Jin Lian walked through the hall as if floating, her eyes focused only on Fire Lord Izumi and Lord Zuko at the head table. She had arranged her dress so the excess silk was slung over her right shoulder in an attempt to hide her burn wound. As she walked, the silk swayed and shifted, allowing other party goers a glimpse of her injury. Men averted their eyes and women covered their mouths in shock at the sight of the twisted, pink branches on her skin.

Iroh, on the other hand, followed her figure without blinking. Ursa chuckled, a knowing smile on her face. "So you've picked Jin Lian Yang, huh? I guess being stuck on a ship isn't so bad after all, especially if you get to look at a beauty like her every day," she commented.
"She's more than that, Ursa," Iroh said. "She's clever, strong, hard-working…"
"My baby Iroh is in looooove," Ursa cooed. "Now I've got to talk to her."
"Ursa wait!" Iroh protested. However, his words were lost on his sister as she hurried away, eager to interrogate Jin Lian Yang.

Jin Lian slipped away from her parents as Ji Won and Suda were dragged into other conversations. She took a fritter of some kind from a passing servant and bit into it. Fire spread throughout her mouth and she held back a cough. She swallowed the food reluctantly, displaying the epitome of pure decorum in the face of suffering. The spice burning down her throat was horrible, her face became covered in a thin sheen of sweat and her eyes teared up.

"Here, drink this," a kind voice said. Jin gratefully accepted an offered glass of water, taking in small sips. "I've never met a Fire Nation citizen who couldn't handle spicy food."

Jin Lian laughed, wiping her eyes and face. "It really is unfortunate," she replied, looking to her savior. She immediately recognized the woman before her, and Jin Lian bowed. "Greetings, Princess Ursa. Thank you for the drink."

"It's nothing. I'm a doctor, I can't bear to see people suffer." Ursa smiled kindly. She paused before speaking again. "Forgive me if I sound rude or intrusive, but I remember the palace doctor mentioning a certain official's child sustained a very interesting injury in the palace when they were younger. I remembered you had an incident here, and I put two and two together. If I'm correct, would you be open to me examining you? For science, of course."

Jin Lian was taken aback. The elder royal sibling was interesting, indeed. "Perhaps in a less public setting, Princess Ursa," she answered. "I may be a medical marvel, but I don't appreciate the extra attention."

Ursa nodded in agreement. "Privacy is indeed an important thing, us nobility don't get much of it. Thank you for this favor." A lengthy pause hung between them as the two women drank and enjoyed the banquet. "Tell me, what do you think of my little brother?" Ursa asked.

Jin Lian nearly spat out her water. "Excuse me?"

The elder woman smiled knowingly. "I know you are his second in command. You two must spend a lot of time together."

"Princess Ursa, General Iroh is a kind and intelligent leader. The soldiers all respect him greatly."

Ursa waved her hand and rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Yes yes yes, we all know how wonderful a leader Iroh is. But what do you think of him? He hasn't been mean to you, has he?"

Jin tilted her head, confused. "I respect him for those same reasons. Prince Iroh came to visit me after I was injured in the Equalist attack. He even advocated for me in the Earth Kingdom…" She stopped speaking as Ursa leaned in close with an excited expression.

"Please continue, Lady Yang, I would love to hear more!" she gushed. The elder Princess moved to link arms with Jin Lian, only to be pulled away quickly by another royal.

"Sister, you're making our guest very uncomfortable," Iroh interjected. He placed his body between Jin Lian and Ursa, forming a wall between the two women. They both stared up at him one from the front, the other from behind.

Ursa laughed. "Are you afraid Lady Yang will like me more than she likes you, Iroh? Don't worry, I'm no thief." She turned to Jin Lian. "Although, don't forget our little appointment, Lady Yang."

"I won't, Your Highness," Jin Lian replied with a short bow. Ursa smiled and nodded before leaving to speak to another guest. Iroh sighed heavily in relief.

"She didn't do anything strange to you, did she?" he asked. He placed a hand on the small of her back and led her to a banquet table. Jin Lian shook her head as they walked.

"Your sister was very polite, Your Highness," Jin answered, filling her plate with food. "We simply spoke about my…condition."

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "I apologize if she made you feel uncomfortable, you don't need to lie for her sake. Ursa isn't the kind of person to beat around the bush." His apology was cut short by Jin's hand resting on his arm. She shook her head and giggled.

"I really don't mind, Your Highness. Let's drop it and enjoy the food. We're leaving in a few days, who knows when we'll get to eat like this again?"
-

The next morning, Jin Lian stood in front of a modest sized, building of historical Fire Nation architecture. The wooden, sliding door was polished and sturdy, it slid open silently as she pushed it aside. Inside the waiting area was a counter and seats. A large, decorative folding screen separated the open room into two, allowing the current patient privacy during their visit. The woman behind the counter looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Name please?" she asked.
"Jin Lian Yang."

The woman nodded, and tapped on the wooden frame of the screen a few times. Jin Lian could hear a voice on the other side, an unintelligible grunt. The woman raised an eyebrow. "The doctor will be right with you, please have a seat. Could I get you anything?"

Jin Lian shook her head. "No, I'm alright, thank you. I didn't get your name?"

The woman held out her hand to shake. "My name is Mia, I'm the office manager." Jin Lian shook the offered hand, and quickly scanned Mia's face. The woman had what Jin would call an 'honest' face and a no nonsense air about her. She did not look like the kind of person that had ulterior motives, the fact that Ursa had hired her also supported the fact. The princess would not want someone who would leak personal information working for her.

As Jin Lian sat, Mia returned to organizing paperwork and files. Jin watched as she worked. Mia had dark brown hair that was braided and twisted into a tight bun. She was not a delicate woman, rather, she had a strong build that was accentuated by a sleeveless blouse and slightly flared slacks.

Jin's examination was cut short by Ursa's head poking out from around the screen. "Lady Yang is here?" she asked Mia. Mia smiled warmly and nodded. Jin Lian did not miss the smile Ursa returned. She caught similar expressions on Iroh's face out of the corner of her eye when he thought she wasn't looking.

Jin rose from her seat and walked around the privacy screen to where the office opened up to a traditional medicinal clinic. The shelves on the side of the wall were lined with various powders and herbs, medical tools were neatly stored as well. It was an interesting mix of old and new medicine. Ursa seemed to notice Jin's wandering eyes and smiled. "I feel that we can learn much from old medicine to refine new techniques," she explained. "Father fell ill because he was providing support to communities hard hit by the plague. They brought him back to the capital for treatment, but the new age doctors could not find what ailed him. He died in quarantine, we didn't even get to say goodbye."

Jin Lian stayed quiet and nodded. The plague in question was isolated to one particular island, a poor community that was ravaged by an aggressive illness. A good number of villagers, however, managed to survive to many people's surprise. Ursa sighed, but continued. "I went to the village for answers once the plague ran its course. Those who survived were able to because of an herb that we considered a weed. The doctors scoffed at their old wives' tales. Father might have survived if they had just listened instead of being stubborn."

"It must have been hard for your family," Jin Lian said.

"I think Mother took it especially hard. Being Fire Lord means you don't get time to grieve," Ursa replied. She spoke again after a short, awkward pause. "Anyway, that's enough about me. Shall we begin? I'll turn around so you can have some privacy."

Jin Lian nodded and started unbuttoning her blouse. She reached behind her back and neck to loosen the silk ties that held her brassiere to her chest. She removed the padded fabric and placed it on her folded shirt on the table beside her. The younger woman let out a heavy sigh as she cast a look down at her torso. She hated the sight of the branching lines creeping on her skin. "I'm ready," she told Ursa.

As Ursa turned, Jin Lian expected the doctor's expression to be mildly disgusted or shocked. However, Ursa surprised Jin with a look of fascination. "I've seen plenty of electrical burns, but none are as pretty as yours," Ursa commented. "Would you mind if I sketched them? I won't do your face, I'm not much of an artist in that respect anyway."

"I wouldn't call them pretty," Jin replied dully, arms crossed over her exposed chest. "But go ahead." She lowered her arms to her sides and sat straight. Jin Lian heard the scratching of the pencil on paper, watching Ursa's golden eyes flick between her and the paper. The doctor had also circled around to her back to examine the more recent burn she had sustained from the Equalists. When she finished, Ursa flipped her drawing pad over to show Jin. Ursa was correct when she said she wasn't an artist. The doctor had drawn a general silhouette of Jin's body, placed simple curves to indicate the location of her breasts, but focused solely on the details of her lightning scars.

"Bending lightning is such a novel form of fire bending, once relegated to extremely talented benders," Ursa stated as Jin Lian dressed herself. "The first General Iroh the first may have been the one to pioneer it, but within two generations, about 30% of fire benders are able to do it as well."

"I'd say it's still quite rare," Jin Lian commented. "And hard to control."

"I'd agree, but once you understand the theory of separating your yin and yang, it's only a matter of practice and time that one could be proficient. It also helps to understand that electricity has a singular 'flow' much like water," Ursa responded. "Lightning burns are becoming more common, you know. The way your body reacted to Iroh's lightning could help me understand how it flows and affects people's bodies."

Jin Lian hummed softly, gazing at the picture of her scars. She remembered the initial lancing pain that struck her right side as she traced the lines with her eyes. The individual marks merged like small streams into a large river that snaked down between her breasts to her navel. She knew that lightning always travelled towards the ground. Fire Lord Zuko had managed to redirect the lighting out of her before it could continue through her child sized body. She flipped to the other page, which illustrated her back wound. This one had a central body with branches emanating outwards equally, like an ugly sunburst. "I'm glad I could be of help," Jin finally said, returning the pictures to Ursa. She tied her brassiere back on and shrugged on the blouse, buttoning it up completely and tucking it into her skirt.

"How about I compensate you for your troubles, Lady Yang?" Ursa asked. "I understand I asked a lot of you today."

Jin Lian pursed her lips in thought. "I don't feel comfortable having a member of the royal family owe me anything," she stated humbly.

Ursa snorted in disbelief. "I abdicated my Royal position long ago, so you don't have to worry about that. How about lunch? You haven't eaten yet, right?"

Before Jin could respond, Ursa rose and ushered the younger woman out to the lobby area. "Mia, come on, we're closing up for lunch," Ursa ordered. "Let's go somewhere nice!"

"Nice?" Jin asked curiously.

"Yes, don't worry, lunch is on me! How about Shang's Barbeque?" Ursa insisted. "They have an amazing selection of meats and the weather is perfect for outdoor grilling!"

Just as Ursa promised, the food was delicious. But it seemed to Jin Lian that Ursa and Iroh had a habit of using activities like games and lunch to assess people's personalities. "So, Lady Yang," Ursa said as she placed some slices of meat on their shared grill. "Iroh tells me you bested him in Pai Sho. Three times in a row, no less."

"I was lucky," Jin Lian replied. "He was going easy on me." She placed the cooked slices on Ursa's plate. Ursa chuckled and distributed these pieces between herself and Mia.

"Doubtful," Mia scoffed. "Iroh only goes easy on kids, and even then, he makes them think they're going to win and then beats them by a narrow margin." She wrapped her slices in a lettuce leaf and bit into it. Mia continued to describe how Prince Iroh had attended the annual Pai Show youth national tournament as a guest and former winner, but found himself playing against some of the competitors. This had received mixed results, as some found themselves emboldened by the experience while others completely lost confidence even before the competition began. Jin Lian shook her head in disbelief.

"I also heard you beat him in hand to hand combat," Ursa added. "That's quite impressive."

"I wouldn't say I was victorious that day," Jin Lian replied. "The fight was...cut short."

Ursa nodded. "He told me that he shot fire at you when he promised he wouldn't. Doesn't that upset you? He swore on his honor."

Jin Lian sighed. This is what Ursa truly wanted to know. Was the woman Iroh was supposedly interested in truly like? Jin knew Ursa was smart enough to decipher a white lie. A normal noblewoman would never place blame or publicly express anger at a member of the Royal House. "Of course it upset me," she answered. "As martial artists and fighters, honor is everything. We've talked it out and I know he did not mean to bend fire on purpose. But next time we spar, I'm blocking his chi beforehand."

Ursa smiled. "Good answer."
_

A quick little Fire Nation side story! Apparently Iroh was supposed to have a sister in LOK but that was cut out. I thought it would be nice to flesh out the Fire Nation royal family and maybe touch on some domestic issues that would affect Fire Nation citizens (ie industrialization, lighting related injuries, illness). I'm still working on the rest of the story when the inspiration/motivation hits. As always, thank you for sticking it out with me.