Chapter 2

Lu Ten just stood there for a few moments, not knowing what had happened. What had he done wrong, he wondered to himself. After standing in the same spot, staring after the girl for a few minutes, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see his father standing there, looking sympathetic, yet understanding. Lu Ten looked into his father's eyes and saw something there that hadn't been there before, or, his father had been hiding it to well for Lu Ten to notice.

Lu Ten turned around to completely face his father.
"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?" Lu Ten asked his father, curiosity, anxiety, frustration, and anger burning in his voice. His father just nodded slowly. Lu Ten had expected this answer, yet his eyes still widened in shock.
"But how???" Lu Ten asked in frustration. What did his father know that he wasn't saying?
"Come, I will tell you over a nice cup of tea," Iroh told him, already on his way to his favourite tea shop, The Golden Gate Dragon. Lu Ten followed suit.

Iroh walked into the tea shop, smiling. He greeted the owner and asked him if he and his son could get a private room, one that they could talk unheard in. The owner said yes, and showed them to one of his back rooms that were used for big occasions and had to be booked. Only, the owner wasn't charging them. But, Iroh insisted on paying the man the proper fee for the room and, after much contemplation and commanding, the owner finally gave in, although he was far from happy about it.

Iroh and Lu Ten both ordered green teas and eagerly sipped them when they arrived. One of the many characteristics Lu Ten had inherited from his father was his father's love for tea. When they were done with their tea, Lu Ten just sat back in his chair and looked at his father, waiting for the explanation that he believed he was entitled to. Iroh took a deep breath and began explaining.

"Okay, first of all, Crystal is her middle name. Her full name is Rui Crystal Xiao, and she is the daughter of the highly respected general Zhong. Zhong had given her her first name, and her mother, who passed after giving birth to her, had named her Crystal.

"Usually, it is customary for the mother to take care of the children, but, in this case, Zhong took care of her. Zhong, at first, spent more time with her than at work, and the Firelord – your Grandfather – didn't have a problem with that, because he completely understood. Zhong was Rui's entire world, and vice versa. Zhong was Rui's mother, father, brother, sister…. He was her everything. Gradually though, as Rui got older and older, Zhong spent less time with her and more time at work. However, Rui completely understood. Infact, she was aspiring to become and even better general than even her father had been. So, when Zhong used to come home from work, he used to teach Rui all about the war front, statistics, and plans that would help thwart the enemy. Basically, he taught her all he knew, and so by the time Rui turned 14, she was almost as good as her father had been, but, the only thing that made her father a better general was that he had experience, whereas she did not.

"A month and a half after her birthday, Zhong was called to the warfront. When Rui found out that he was going but he wasn't taking her, she grew furious, and scared. What if something happened to him? These fears were born in her mind, and they stayed. No matter how much she tried to reassure herself that nothing would happen to him, her fears still stayed in her mind. She grew furious with herself; so much for general. How would she be able to give good advice and war tactics when she was so afraid of it? She then decided that never again would she be afraid of the prospect of war. She managed to bid her father good-bye with only a few tears by convincing herself that nothing would happen to her father – nothing could happen. He was invincible – her invincible father. Little did she know that she was far from right.

"About 2 months later, there was a knock on her door in the middle of the day. She opened it to find a sorrowful soldier with a letter and a box in his hands. At first, Rui didn't realize what it meant. She just looked at the soldier in confusion. The soldier, understanding that she wasn't going to understand anytime soon, then said the few words that would destroy her life. He told her that her father had died in battle; he was a very brave man, and the rest of the hullabaloo that they say.

"They gave her the box and told her that it held all of her father's possessions. She merely nodded, too numb to speak. She was just waiting for the man to leave so that she could finally escape the mask that she was wearing. Before leaving, the soldier bowed low and said that her father was a very brave man who was very loved and valued, and he would be missed greatly. The poor child merely nodded. The soldier gave one final small, sympathetic smile, saluted, and walked off.

"Rui closed the door, tears already escaping her perfectly constructed mask. People say she didn't come out of her house for days, and when she finally did, it was because the Firelord had summoned her. You see, the Firelord knew that she was trained and was almost as good as her when it came to advising and devising war tactics, so, it was only fitting that she be instated in her father's position on his personal council. At first, a couple of the other generals disagreed, because, you see, she was a girl, and girls weren't welcome in the war chamber and on the council. However, the Firelord soon managed to convince them that she was the best person to take her father's position, since he had taught her everything he had known. The council agreed, unwillingly yes, but still, they agreed.

"Rui accepted her position, honoured. Whatever doubts the other council members had had were long gone by the time Rui's first meeting was over. They were stunned at her knowledge and her plans; they were flawless, or as flawless as plans could get, anyway. The council members were very pleased with the Firelord's choice. And so, she's been on the council ever since. However, she has never been the same lovable child that I once knew. After that horrible day when she found out about her father, it's like everything – all her emotion – was drained from her in those tears...." Iroh looked thoughtfully at his empty cup of tea. Lu Ten offered him another one, but he refused.

"I have to go back to the palace; your grandfather wants to speak with me." Lu Ten looked at his father and cocked his head slightly to the right. Iroh burst out laughing. He looked at his son affectionately.
"Your mother used to do that all the time…." Iroh looked away from Lu Ten, trying to wipe the few tears that had escaped his eyes without his son's notice. However, Lu Ten did notice, but decided not to say anything as to not invade on his father's privacy and emotions. Lu Ten knew that his father missed his mother greatly, and so did Lu Ten, only not as much, because he never got to know her, so he never really had anyone to miss; just a mother figure in general.

When Lu Ten was small, he always used to sit for hours on end, just imagining what his mother must have been like. After he had finished, he would always feel happy and sad. Happy because he felt like he knew his mother better, but sad because now he wished even more that he had a mother. Lu Ten got up and put his hand on his father's shoulder, smiling faintly.

Iroh never mentioned it, but, Lu Ten knew that Iroh wanted to have grandchildren to play with before he joined Lu Ten's mother. The only problem was, none of the females in the Fire Nation had caught Lu Ten's eye yet – until now. Right then and there, Lu Ten vowed that he would get this girl no matter what. He didn't care what he had to do. All he knew was that he would get her, no matter the consequences.