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A Decade in the Life of Mai and Zuko
Year 5
Finding time for family fun when you are the Fire Lord is a difficult task. But Zuko was determined to spend a lot of time with his wife and daughter, both together and separately. He refused to be a non-involved, aloof father or an absent husband. The happier he was the better job he did. And his family made him very happy.
So during the summer of his fifth year as Fire Lord, Zuko asked Mai if she wanted to spend a week on Ember Island, just her and Keiko and him. The family vacation home was repaired a few years earlier. Suki and Sokka had already used it a few times for getaways. Mai was pleased with the idea. Keiko was excited too, but at a fresh two years old, she was excited about almost everything.
With her dark, shiny hair in a pert ponytail and her golden eyes shining, Keiko dragged her little bag full of clothes and toys down the hallway outside the bedrooms.
"Ready, Daddy," she called to Zuko who was a few steps ahead of her.
He turned. A warm smile lit up his face. "Can you carry that all by yourself, Keiko?" he asked with a broad wink.
"I dunno, Daddy," she replied, frowning with concentration.
Mai emerged from Keiko's room carrying a stuffed dragon. "Keiko, you forgot your dragon," she called to her determined little girl.
Keiko dropped her bag and ran back down the hall toward her mother. "Sokka," she called. Mai giggled and Zuko snorted. Keiko insisted on naming her favorite toy after her favorite "uncle". She and the Water Tribe man had a close bond. "I almos left you," she said, taking the toy and hugging it close.
"Okay, are we all ready to leave?" asked Zuko.
"Yes," both Mai and Keiko replied.
The family walked to the harbor. Zuko refused to use palanquins. They were part of the old Fire Nation. Two guards followed a short distance behind and another two were slightly ahead. Keiko grew tired after ten minutes of walking and half carrying, half dragging her bag. Zuko swept her up into his arms and she laughed happily. A boat awaited them. Since Keiko loved animals so much, Zuko arranged for a giant sea lion to pull the boat to Ember Island.
The water was choppy and Keiko got sick. Zuko held her tightly so she could vomit over the side of the boat. He handed her off to Mai who wiped off her mouth with a cloth and held the girl in her lap.
"Are you feeling better, Keiko?" Mai inquired, running her hand across the child's sweaty brow.
"My tummy's still sick," she replied. "I wanna have a nap."
"Alright, sleep then. When you wake up, the boat ride will be over and you can play in the sand."
"Okay," she agreed, nestling into her mother's chest. Mai smiled at Zuko over their daughter's head. The Fire Lord was watching the waves and thinking about his time on Ember Island with his parents and little sister. Often Uncle Iroh and Lu Ten would come too. Those days had been happy, at least from his young child's perspective.
The small boat docked outside the family vacation home. Keiko awoke and looked around blearily. "We're here?" she asked.
"Mm hmm," Zuko answered, grabbing the bags, while Mai walked hand in hand with their daughter up the wooden dock. The house was large, but tiny compared to the palace. It was built further away from the beach than most of the surrounding homes and a steep stone path led to a stone stairway which led to the front door. The huge double doors were sheltered by an overhang. The house was built on wooden posts to prevent high water from flooding it. An enormous outcropping of rock dominated the skyline behind it, as if providing both shelter and protection to the royal family's home. The front had several windows each giving a great view of the beach. It was traditional Fire Nation white with a red tile roof.
The cook and housekeeper Zuko hired from the small town on Ember Island waited in the doorway for the royal family. Keiko pulled away from Mai's hand and ran the rest of the way to the house. She struggled up the steps, excited to meet new people.
Hi," she said. "I'm Keiko. That's Daddy and Mommy."
Zuko and Mai shook their heads at Keiko's precociousness. She was quite articulate for a two year old.
"Nice to meet you, young lady," said the housekeeper with a deep bow. "My name is Suzumi. And this is Chung. I'm the housekeeper and he's the cook."
"Oh," replied Keiko. "Can I see my room?"
"How about we ask your parents first," Suzumi suggested.
"Its fine, Keiko," Mai said, reaching the front doorway.
"Yay," the little girl shouted.
"Your rooms are ready, my lord, and lunch will be served shortly," Suzumi said to Zuko before turning to leave with Keiko.
"Thanks," Zuko replied. "We can find our way."
Zuko carried the bags up to the largest bedroom and tossed them on the bed. Keiko came running into the room shortly after babbling about how great her room was.
"I've got your bag her, Keiko. Do you want to change into your swimsuit and go down to the beach for a while? You can have your lunch outside too," Mai offered.
Yes, yes," the toddler agreed enthusiastically.
Their first day on Ember Island passed quickly and the trio was all ready for bed early.
"Can we have a fire at the beach tomorrow, Daddy?" Keiko asked sleepily as her parents tucked her in.
"Sure," Zuko agreed readily. "And we'll build some sandcastles, okay?"
"Okay," she agreed as her eyes closed. Mai kissed her daughter on the forehead and whispered good night. Zuko extinguished the bedside lamp and they walked down the hallway to their own bedroom.
"I'm tired," he moaned. "Who knew vacationing as a parent was so hard?"
"Well, you're going to be even more tired next year."
"What do you mean?" the Fire Lord asked.
"We're going to have two children with us instead of one," Mai revealed.
"Oh…oh," Zuko stuttered, slow to realize Mai's meaning. "We're going to have another baby."
He reached for his wife and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I can't think of anything that would make me happier."