The Education of Miyako's Father
Change is Hard, Part 2
Two Weeks Later
Miyako cuddled with her mother, up on the huge bed that Mai and Zuko shared. She had her storybooks spread out on the covers and was doing her best to pick out words and phrases. Susu pressed herself against the warm mound of Mai's belly and purred contentedly. Stroking the cat, the Fire Lady leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. It was good this, more than good, being with her daughter, and the family pet, her unborn child kicking vigorously. The only thing missing was Zuko. But he was busy in a meeting and wouldn't show his face for at least another two hours.
"Did you hear me, Mommy? I read that whole page." Miyako tugged on her mother's sleeve, anxious to get her attention.
Mai's lips quirked upward slightly. Her daughter's impatience was amusing sometimes. "I heard, Miyako. Your reading is coming along nicely. Why don't you read me something else now?"
"Okay!" Miyako readily agreed. The six year old girl's enthusiasm was delightful. Mai hoped she never lost her love of reading and learning in general. It was all new and exciting now, putting characters together to form words, studying different firebending forms and listening to stories about the Fire Nation's distant past. But kids got older and lessons sometimes became a chore rather than a joy. It was a shame, really.
Miyako stammered her way through a little tale about a cat, giggling every few seconds at the silly illustrations and giving Susu the odd rub. "See, Susu, see the picture of the cat?" She held the volume up close to the cat's face, the paper brushing against wiry whiskers. Susu didn't flinch but gave the girl a cool, appraising sort of stare.
They spent the morning like that, Miyako reading and playing with the toys she had brought along, Susu sitting in the midst of everything, calmly observing, and Mai simply enjoying her daughter's company and the sound of the child's voice. The baby seemed determined to prevent her from napping and kept the kicking up almost nonstop.
"Mommy?" The little girl was snuggled up against her mother's belly now too. Tentatively, she reached out to touch. "When's the baby coming?"
"Hmm, well, the baby is supposed to arrive in about two weeks. But sometimes they show up early. Are you worried, Miya?" Mai rubbed the child's back, trying with that simple gesture to convey her unconditional love. "Mommy and Daddy will love you just as much when the baby arrives. We'll be busy with him or her, but that doesn't mean our feelings for you are any different. We'll have two children to love instead of one. Do you understand what I mean?"
"You love the baby?" the child asked.
"Very much; and we loved you when you were in here too." Mai's eyes sparkled now at the memories. "That seems like a long time ago. You're getting so grown up."
Miyako sat up and puffed out her chest proudly. "Yep, I can dress myself and read and bend and I can take good care of Susu." To demonstrate her point, she picked up the dozing cat gently, placed her on the floor and crawled down to join her pet. She reached for the special brush she used to keep Susu's coat looking its best and ran it down her back and over her head, laughing when the feline began to purr loudly. "See, Mommy, Susu likes it."
"Yes, she does indeed. I can hear her purring." Leaning back into the pillows once again, Mai let out a loud sigh. "Uncle Iroh will be here in a few days. Are you looking forward to that?"
"Did he come when I was born?" Astute narrow gold eyes looked up at Mai.
Barely able to restrain her eye roll, Mai replied, "Yes, he came when you were born. And he was thrilled to meet you."
"Mmmkay, I love Unca Iroh. He's funny and last time we made tea together."
"Well, that's certainly surprising," Mai drawled. "Anyway, he'll be here soon and will probably stay for a couple of weeks. You'll be making lots of tea, Miyako."
Zuko joined them for lunch, and after Miyako was whisked away for some lessons with her tutor, helped Mai out of bed so that she could walk outonto the balcony and get some fresh air.
"I hate not being able to move as I please," she moaned. "I feel like a huge, useless ball and if I don't get out of this room soon, I'll go crazy."
"I'm sorry," Zuko sympathized, rubbing the small of her back tenderly and kissing along her throat. "It must be difficult. But the baby will be here before you know it and then you can get up and go wherever you want." He moved to face her, tucking a few strands of silky black hair behind her ears. He put one of his hands on her burgeoning belly and grinned when he felt a strong series of kicks. "She's really having at it in there."
"Do you think?" Mai asked with her typical dry wit, but she was pleased nonetheless, pleased that she had a husband who cared so damned much. She basked in the cool autumnal air, and breathed in the smells of the small courtyard garden just below their window. "It's a beautiful day."
"It is," Zuko agreed and kissed her full on the lips.
Pressing her head into the crook of his neck, Mai asked about the meeting Zuko had presided over that morning. "How was it, the meeting, I mean? Did old man Tanaka act like an idiot or did he behave himself?" Tanaka was a particularly cranky council member who seemed to enjoy sparring with Zuko, but even more so with Mai. She had her ways of keeping him in line, though. "I never thought that I would say this, but I miss the meetings."
"Hmph," the Fire Lord chuckled. "They're not the same without you. It went well, though. Here," he got her a chair and helped her to sit, "let me tell you about it."
Mai was more than happy to listen.
The room that Iroh always stayed in when he visited was aired out, fresh linens were on the bed and clean towels in the bathroom. Mai had requested some flowers for his room, as well, bright, sunshiny yellow ones. The former general enjoyed the smell of nature in his living quarters.
He was due to arrive by ship within the half hour and Miyako practically bounced on her tiny feet down at the harbor where she waited with her father.
"When's he coming, when's he coming?" she asked repeatedly. "Will he bring me a present, Daddy? I wanna present. He brings good ones."
"Whoa, Miya, slow down a bit. Uncle Iroh will be here soon. See out there?" He pointed to beyond the harbor where the rougher waves of the open sea rocked a small Earth Kingdom vessel. "He's on that ship."
"K, but is there a present on it too?" Miyako tugged on Zuko's hand, practically dragging him to the edge of the pier they stood on.
Zuko tried his best to maintain his patience. "I don't know, sweetie. You need to wait and see."
The next twenty minutes or so dragged by and when Iroh finally did walk down the gangplank and on to solid ground, the young Fire Lord looked harried.
"I see Miyako is keeping you busy," the old man quipped. Still quite limber, though age had taken its toll in the form of deep lines on his face, Iroh scooped up his great niece and embraced her for all he was worth. "And how is little Miyako who isn't quite so little anymore?"
She giggled and rubbed her nose against her uncle's chest as if trying to capture his scent. "I'm good, Unca. I can bend good now and Mommy's having a baby and Susu is…"
Interrupting what could prove to be the longest run on sentence in history, Zuko put his finger against his daughter's lips. "I know you're excited, Miya, but you need to slow down, remember? Uncle Iroh won't be able to keep up." His eyes twinkled a bit and he waited for the indignant protest he knew would come from the old man.
"I'll have you know that my mind is just as sharp as it always was. I can still beat any of you youngsters at pai sho. You just keep talking, Miyako. "He gave Zuko a huffy look and then turned his attention back to the little girl.
Happy to oblige, she chatted up a storm all the way back to the palace. Iroh eschewed the use of a palanquin, preferring to walk instead. "I'm not dead yet," he insisted. "And I've got babies to see grow up, and give presents to. I need to stay in shape."
Miyako stiffened with excitement as she walked in between the two men, holding tightly on to each of them. "You did get me a present. I knew it."
"Bed rest be damned," Mai cursed as she struggled up from the wall of pillows and walked to the dining table set up in the Fire Lord's and Fire Lady's quarters. "Hello, Iroh. It's good to see you."
He embraced her carefully, as though she were a fragile doll, and put one hand on the massive bump between them. "You look well, Mai, but frustrated. It's almost over."
"Yes, thank, Agni. I can't take much more of this sitting around. A trip to the bathroom is the most exciting thing I do in a day." She hugged Iroh back, genuinely happy to have his excellent company. "Thanks for coming."
Iroh laughed deeply and helped Mai to her seat. "I wouldn't miss the birth of your child for anything. And, soon you'll be walking in the garden with the new baby and your beautiful daughter. Don't despair, dear. It will all be worth it."
Servants brought dinner in for the four, and they ate leisurely, enjoying every bite and every tale that Iroh told of his tea shop or any adventures he had in Ba Sing Se. Even Miyako was calm and listened attentively, occasionally feeding Susu, who was coiled about her feet, a scrap from her plate.
Dinner over, tea and cakes ready to tempt everyone now, Iroh reached under the table and pulled out a package. He handed it over to Miyako who shrieked with delight. "What is it?" she demanded to know.
"Open it and see for yourself," the old man instructed her. He watched animatedly as Miyako tore off the layers of soft fabric. Inside was a set of paints and brushes along with a small portable easel.
She was thrilled and jumped up from her seat, shouting, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Susu, used to commotion, stretched and began to clean her fur, all the while keeping her eyes trained on Miyako. Wrapping her arms around Iroh's neck, the little girl hugged him tightly.
"You're certainly welcome. Perhaps you can paint me something tomorrow." He winked at Zuko and Mai.
"Yeah, yeah," the princess agreed and hugged Iroh again.
The remainder of their evening was calm. Miyako fell asleep shortly after and Zuko carried her to bed. Iroh came along, giving his great niece a good night kiss. "Who knows how many times I'll be able to," he explained. "I'm taking good care of myself, but death calls for all of us."
Zuko rarely let himself think about the day when Iroh would no longer be with them. It was too terrible an idea to contemplate. "You'll give her lots of good night kisses, Uncle." The young man's voice trembled a bit and Iroh placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If I have my way, dear nephew, I'll see Miyako with her own children. But, that is unlikely. The trick is to make the most of the days you have, right?" He squeezed then, his grip still strong and firm.
Zuko took heart in that. "I suppose so."
"Right, this old man is going to sit with Mai for awhile and then toddle off to bed himself. It's been a long day."
The Fire Lord gave his daughter one last look, extinguished the lamps and followed Iroh out into the corridor.
Miyako was terrified. Her mother was shouting and cursing and moaning. The little girl could hear the terrible sounds all the way down the hall where she lay curled up with Susu, tucked in behind a huge potted plant. People rushed by the princess, unaware of her presence. She peeked at them and saw the anxious looks on their faces, the bloodied towels in their hands. Quietly, she began to weep.
"Mommy's hurt, Susu. I'm scared." She petted the feline, running her hand down his entire length.
Someone was calling her name. The voice was so warm and so caring and Miyako wanted nothing more than to go to it. She got up onto her feet and moved from behind the plant. Iroh was there, his eyes full of concern. "We've been worried, dear. Were you hiding?"
The little princess nodded and tears spilled down her cheeks. "Is Mommy gonna die?"
The once fierce general knelt down before his great niece and held her close. "No, no, no; your mother is not going to die. Having a baby hurts and it's messy. But your mother is doing just fine. Okay?"
"Okay," she snuffled. "But, I don't ever wanna have a baby."
Iroh chuckled. "Fair enough."
Zuko felt helpless as he watched Mai suffer and endure. All he could do was hold her hand and whisper words of encouragement. He wished that he could take the pain for her. He would do it gladly and a thousand times over. Mai knew this and was grateful.
"It's all right," she grunted as she observed his stricken expression. "It's almost over and then I won't even remember the pain." She let out another loud groan as she pushed with all her might.
The midwife nodded approvingly. "One more strong push, my lady, and I'll be able to put the child in your arms."
Mai relaxed for a moment, then sucked in her breath and bore down. She let out a long, shuddering sort of groan and they lay back. The urge to push and the need to push was gone. She and Zuko both grinned as their child made its first cry, loud and long and piercing.
"Good lungs, like Miyako," Mai said as she let out a huge breath.
The midwife was grinning too. She wiped off the infant carefully, cleaning off most of the blood, and cradled it gently to her chest. "You have a fine son, perfectly healthy, and a good size." She placed him in Mai's arms.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Look at him." The Fire Lady touched tiny clenched fingers and then stroked the plump cheeks. Overwhelmed, she said nothing else, just held him out for Zuko to see.
He sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at his son. "You were supposed to be a girl."
"Let's not give the poor kid any issues just yet," Mai laughed. She gazed back down at her son. "We're very glad that you're a boy. Here, Zuko, you hold him now." Mai brushed her lips against the infant's forehead before handing him over.
He took the child, sure and confident in his actions, and rocked him gently. "I'm just as glad that you're a boy and such a handsome one. And your big sister is going to be ecstatic."
Iroh peeked into the room then and raised his bushy eyebrows, asking for permission to enter. Mai waved him inside. Miyako, holding Susu was right behind him.
"What have we here?" the tea maker asked playfully as he peeked at the bundle wrapped in a soft red blanket.
Miyako put down the cat and wrapped her arms around Zuko's legs instead, hiding her face from view. "Is it a boy, Daddy?" her muffled voice asked. "The grumpy lady wouldn't tell us."
"It is," Zuko replied softly. "We have a son." He spoke the words with wonder, the solidity of the child in his arms sinking in for real. "Uncle, I have a son."
Iroh wiped a tear away as Zuko passed the infant on to him. "Congratulations to all three of you. My, he is a handsome one; look at that hair and those big eyes."
"Can I see too?" Miyako asked tentatively. She was not entirely certain that she wanted to see.
Iroh found a chair and sat, and held the baby out so that the princess could get a good look. She peered down and studied the boy, taking in every bit of his adorable face. Miyako decided then that being a big sister might not be so bad. She decided that her brother was someone she loved, like she loved Mommy and Daddy and Unca and Susu.
"I like him," she declared. "But he looks kinda funny, like a mad old man."
"Glad to have your seal of approval," Mai joked. "And that 'old man' look will go away soon enough."
"Does he have a name yet?" Iroh glanced between the parents.
"Yeah, we decided on names quite awhile ago," Zuko informed him with a contented smile. "Uncle, Miyako, say hello to Taro*"
As if he knew that his name had been declared, the baby let out a series of gurgles and coos. Miyako reached out one finger and touched the baby's hand. "He likes it."
"Yes," Mai agreed. "I believe that he does."
*Taro means great son or eldest son in Japanese