Chapter 5

Zuko had finished most of his paperwork but only had one more meeting for the day. Izara had arrived at a good time, as it was right when he was free. Still, he had unfortunately forgotten to eat, so his stomach was growling angrily within him. The meeting was with builders and planners about creating a park with lots of greenery and plants in a free space in the city. The building used to be there was an orphanage, but he planned to rebuild it to join with the park. It used to be one of the only orphanages in the Capital City, but they were more spread out now. Refugees of the war and their children were well looked after, but things were much better now.

The Fire Nation was genuinely prosperous. The people were much happier without the feeling of soldiers breathing down their necks. It had been tough to change such a strongly ingrained culture, and it clearly wasn't perfect since extremists had emerged. A few in the military still had that war-like state of mind, but most were pleased to see the war ended. Trade was incredible, with merchants coming from all across the four nations and their own being sent elsewhere. The best exports were spices, as some plants in the Fire Nation could not be found anywhere else. There were also types of alcohol produced here that have proved a fine export, particularly popular in the larger cities in the Earth Kingdom. In his first two years as Fire Lord, he had made a point to go personally and visit each significant town in the Earth Kingdom and the North and South Water Tribes. He had hired many new diplomats whose job was to maintain the trade routes and upkeep any other necessities demanded by the agreements. Since trade was so good and improving every day, the economy was also good. Small businesses were also profiting, which allowed him to put more money back into caring for the refugees, making new homes and buildings that would benefit the populace.

As a result of all of this, people were happier. He had increased the wages of people working in the palace, which was bustling. There were plenty of guards in both the palace and the city, and guards posted across the islands and the colonies. The colonies were no longer under military rule but by a friendly hand. Zuko had worked to send aid and supplies to everyone who needed it as quickly as possible once the war had ended. He worked incredibly hard to achieve all this and couldn't remember the last time he had slept in or had a bath for longer than 15 minutes. Things were improving, and he was gradually finding good people to work with that he could delegate tasks and trust that they would get it done to his standard. Once the overhaul of those in charge was complete, he could relax more. He was getting there, slowly but surely.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose even as Wen opened the door to let him know his next appointment had arrived. She waited a moment until he took a breath and nodded before she let them in, enough time for him to plaster his business face. Although this project was significantly more light-hearted than many others he had worked on, he still found it hard to focus. He stood up to greet them and moved from behind his desk to the plans on the wall. They discussed and reviewed for roughly 40 minutes before Zuko had struggled enough and suggested they reconvene at another time to finalise everything. He was mentally exhausted and just wanted to zone out for a bit.

Once he was finished and the men left, he told Wen to go home and thanked her for her hard work. One kitchen staff was in sight at the end of the hallway, and she shuffled quickly to him.

"My Lord, shall I bring your meal to your chambers?" She asked after stopping abruptly and bowing.

"Yes, please. I would appreciate that very much." He replied with a tired smile. Even if he was exhausted, it gave him no reason to not be grateful.

"You're very welcome, My Lord. Won't be long." She bowed again and shuffled off at what seemed to be light speed, probably because he was so wiped out.

Slowly but surely, he made his way back to his chambers. Once he got there, he sat at his small table and simply waited for his food to arrive. Some days, when he was feeling okay, he would personally make his way down to the kitchens and sit with whoever was in the cafeteria. But he wasn't up for it today.

It could have been 10 minutes or an hour, but the same staff member arrived and placed his meal on the table. He thanked her as politely as he could before she left. He ate as quickly as possible to bathe and then sleep. His day wasn't as busy tomorrow, and he looked forward to getting outside and training with Izara.

As he got in the bath, he considered her. Something about her intrigued him, and he couldn't put his finger on it. It seemed that she was far more than she appeared to be. She certainly was more than a Colonel's servant. He had been too caught up today to look up information about her father but wondered briefly if he was in any of the books he had in his room. From his spot in the bath, he could see his bookshelves clearly and gazed at them until he figured he might have the right one. He hopped out and dried himself quickly, wrapping the towel around his hips and grabbing the book, sitting down on his bed and flicking through it. It wasn't what he was after, and it was three books later that he found it.

"The Trap at Kovu Cliffs…" he read aloud for no one else to hear.

This battle was famous for the Navy General, who was Zaigan manoeuvring his ships through the heavy fog around dense rocks, all to create the perfect trap for Earth Kingdom vessels. They had blocked off an entire main supply line and held their position for 8 and a half years. It was a rather ingenious plan and had clearly worked very well. The river led inland to only a few hours' travel to Ba Sing Se and was a major trade route from the coast. To hold the position for such a long time was impressive. Zuko took in the recorded details of the battle that finally lost control of the area. General Zaigan had lost his life in the fight but hadn't let go easy. Knowing they would lose, Zaigan and a small team boarded an enemy ship to try and take out as many as he could before they finally died. Zuko felt sorry that this took Izara's father from her. Although she didn't seem upset, he was sure that a small part of her still missed him. He made a point to close his eyes in brief silence and respect before placing the book back on its shelf.

Once he had put some pants on, he laid in bed, stared at the ceiling, and fell asleep as he willed tomorrow to arrive…

It was a warm day, and Izara was waiting for the Fire Lord to come to the training ground. He had offered to help her improve her skills and firebending, which was a great surprise, but Izara wouldn't complain. She was excited for someone to teach her firebending and sincerely hoped she wouldn't make a fool of herself. All she had learnt was from watching her Uncle's men when they were training, and it was unfortunate that she had gotten so far in life without proper instruction. The Fire Lord had said that he thought she would learn quickly, and she hoped so. She wanted to make him proud.

When that thought passed through her mind, she pulled a funny face, wondering where she had gotten that from. She did want to be good at her job and improve her abilities but making the Fire Lord proud was a strange development. She supposed it was partly due to him being so kind to her, plucking her away from her Uncle and giving her such an opportunity. Due to her background, she wasn't useless in a fight, but when it came to firebending, she was not great. Most of her basic techniques, stances and breathing would be okay, but she was more than happy to start from scratch. Despite her increased position, she was still just as humble as she had always been.

As he walked out onto the grounds, she stood straight and bowed low to greet him. Instead of his usual robes, he was wearing more casual clothing, more suited to training. He looked much more like a young man than the Fire Lord. Even his hair was pulled back into a lazy ponytail instead of in his formal style.

"Hey. Ready to start?" He asked with a smile as he stood a few metres from her.

"Yes, my Lord," she responded with her usual business-like tone, and he nodded in confirmation.

"Alright. Now I know that you haven't had any formal training before. How have you learnt what you currently know?"

"Mostly from what little my mother taught me when I was young and from watching my Uncle's men train. I would memorise the simpler forms they practised, then try to teach myself later." She was somewhat embarrassed about admitting this and shifted her weight between her feet as she spoke.

"That is impressive in itself. We will probably have to spend most of our time fixing your basic techniques and stances. I do apologise if I am too harsh. Apparently, I am not the nicest teacher." He seemed to be recalling a memory and smiled at his comment. "Let's sit and go through some breathing exercises."

"Sure." She did as she was told, and they sat cross-legged, facing one another.

"Okay, so I know we can't all be The Dragon of the West, but breathing is important in firebending. It's the basis of our technique and its strength. Close your eyes and copy my breathing. Feel it in your chest, your throat, your diaphragm." He gestured to the parts of the body on himself.

He began by taking slow, extended and controlled breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth. Izara closed her eyes and copied him, then changed when he changed. It seemed like there were patterns to each change like they were their own formula. Once they had cycled through 3 different patterns, they restarted and repeated. She wasn't quite sure how long, but she continued watching his movements and copying him as best she could.

"Stop there. We just went through the breathing patterns for the first 3 basic patterns. So, let's go through them one at a time, and we can check technique and stances and apply that breathing we just did."

Izara stood up and dusted herself off, trying to stall her inevitable embarrassment. She wasn't that good a firebender, and she worried that she would disappoint the Fire Lord, which was the last thing she wanted to do. He stayed silent and waited for her, probably because he sensed her discomfort. He was undoubtedly perceptive, and Izara supposed she should be honest with him since he seemed to do the same with her.

"Sorry, My Lord. I must admit that I am very nervous." She kept her eyes on her shoes as she confessed in a quiet voice.

"Worried you'll disappoint me?" He replied without hesitation, and she gave a slight nod in answer. "I understand, but please don't worry too much. I hired you for your potential; it doesn't matter if you need help to unlock it. In fact, I'm excited to see how you progress." As he spoke, he stretched his arms and shoulders, and she watched his movement idly.

"Please don't be too excited. I'd hate to let you down," she said while shifting her weight between her heels to the balls of her feet.

"You won't." He gave her a grin that made her feel braver. "Let's start."

Immediately his demeanour changed, but not so much that he would notice himself. He became a lot more animated, and he seemed rather passionate in his instruction. Izara didn't believe he was a lousy teacher, but it had only been a few minutes. He also spoke about breathing technique, correct stances and weight positioning and demonstrated. After he finished his explanation, he began telling Izara what to do. Though he was firm, Izara appreciated how critical and perceptive he was. Nothing slipped by his notice, and he corrected every single part of her technique. He was pleased with her stances and didn't have to fix her much, which she was happy about. Thankfully her regular fighting abilities were quite good, and it helped her pick up the finer details of the techniques without too much issue. Instinct kicked in, and she was happy that she didn't feel completely useless.

As they practised, Izara realised that he was right yesterday. He did seem happy to be outside and active. Indeed, he would get ample time for his training, but this was somewhat different. It looked like he genuinely enjoyed teaching and helping her, despite how awkward she felt. In fact, her nervousness faded under his patient but careful tutelage. She stopped worrying if she made a mistake, as he didn't seem frustrated in the slightest. When she got it right, he smiled and gave her a thumbs up when she second-guessed herself. He was more hands-on than expected, but the kinesthetic approach worked well with her. Especially one getting her stances and body positioning correct. When he moved her to correct something, she could feel that it was better. His touch was gentle and purely instructional.

Before they knew it, it had been almost 3 and a half hours, and Izara was exhausted. He pushed her hard, but it was exactly what she wanted. If that was why he thought he was a bad teacher, he was wrong. She wanted someone to push her and not give her any slack. They had been through all 3 beginner forms and drilled them so she could get them right every time.

"I think we will call it a day there. I feel like you might vomit if we continue anyway." Zuko chuckled faintly and enjoyed the stare that he got in response. "Go and get some food and rest. We will meet here again at the same time tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" She asked incredulously.

"You seemed keen to start as soon as possible." He offered with a raised eyebrow in question.

"It's not that. I just don't want to interfere with your work. You only have the most important job in the country," Izara commented with a half-shrug, playing down her words to enforce the sarcasm further.

He laughed, a proper hearty laugh from deep within his chest. Izara smiled at the sight and began to relax more in his company. It was nice to know that he had a sense of humour.

"I appreciate your concern, but I want to train you whenever I have the time. You are easy to teach and learn quickly. I'm sure you want to progress as fast as you can too. Eventually, we can train together instead of having me teach you." He casually offered to train with the Fire Lord himself as if it didn't sound entirely out of the ordinary.

"Thank you. I will work hard." She gave him a formal bow with her hands in the correct position and stayed for a moment before she rose again.

"See you tomorrow." He gave her a nod in return and headed back towards the palace...