In this chapter, we get a peek at Iroh.

I found him difficult to write, as we don't see much of him in the show.

Let me know how you guys interpret my Iroh!

Chapter 2: Tan Eyes

"Your highness." Lieutenant Roade stood behind the prince, feet shoulder's-width apart and hands behind his back. "We're ready to enter Jang-Hui."

Iroh looked around at the small, desolate town and his heart tore a little inside. "Of course, Lieutenant. Have the courier send word back to the capitol—this village needs help." The festival that he'd brought and had arrived two days prior had completely invigorated the small town—given food to the hungry and places to sleep for the tired. It had even given jobs to those who had needed money. Those who had never seen such luxuries thanked the ground that he walked on, when, in all honesty, it was nothing compared to what he'd grown up with his entire life.

"Yes, your majesty."

"It's General now, Lieutenant." He felt completely disgusted with myself. He had all of the money in the world, all of the luxuries, all of the power to do whatever he wanted. He'd gone to the best academies to learn, whereas most of the people surrounding him were lucky to know how to read and do basic math. Actually, they were lucky to eat. Lucky to live. And here he was, bringing them a party when all they really needed was help.

His garrison of men was the last to enter the small town, as the festival had been set up for about a day. Jang Hui was the last stop on his promotion-slash-coronation tour. It was the last city before he hit the vast ocean for a year to train the main encampment of the United Forces. It'd been three months of visiting every city and village in the Fire Nation to celebrate and recruit for his armada. Being the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and a General in the United Forces? It was something that didn't happen often and needed to be celebrated according to the Council and his advisers...and his mother.

Watching the small, malnourished children run by his feet churned his stomach. He felt so guilty about spending so much money on all of the extravagance of his coronation tour when these people could barely afford food.

A body brushed past his; it was a small child holding a crudely-crafted lute. "Huo!" she shouted. Iroh's men raised their hands but he just waved them off. The kid probably didn't know who he was and obviously wasn't paying attention to where she was going. But watching the child run made his heart constrict a little—he would have to birth an heir at some point.

But that was one reason he had become a General in the first place. His five years of required service kept him from being married off. As much as he loved his mother and his country, he couldn't just marry some woman that was forced upon him. He wasn't even in that right kind of mindset. Love, family, marriage, ruling the Fire Nation...none of that seemed real to him. It wasn't his real passion. But, as the heir to the throne, one day it would have to be.

The child—a little brown-headed, brown-eyed, scrawny thing—ran over to a woman. She was wearing a very old kimono—it had to have been over fifty years old, if he knew anything about fashion—but it was very elegant on her. She was thin and wiry, and although he couldn't see what was beneath the kimono, he could see a set of wide hips for how thin she was. Thick black hair was braided multiple times up and around the back of her head. Fire lilies were scattered throughout. All the skin she was showing was painted white. Her eyes were painted with black liner and her lips were painted a cherry red.

The smile of those cherry red lips when the child ran up to her warmed his heart. It was so difficult to find anything remotely beautiful about the desolate towns he'd been visiting. Yet the smile of one young maiden seemed to give him a little reason to smile as well.

Those eyes, he told himself, he would never forget. Tan, sparkling with flecks of gold and brown. Simply beautiful.

HHH

I smiled to the children who ran by me, so oblivious to the poverty around them. Most of them were trader children or kids of fishermen. Some had a little money, enough to keep from starving most nights. Some had what they thought was a good life. But how many of them had ever been out of this decrepit village? I hadn't. I doubted that any of them had, either. But I was going to leave and soon.

I'd been caught multiple times trying to sneak out of the house that week. For being over one-hundred years old, Great-Grandfather had the ears of a bat-hawk! After the fourth time I gave up and decided to go to the Fire Days Festival, find the recruiter for the United Republic's Forces, and sign up where Bujing Gao couldn't stop me. I'd have to change my name, of course, but I figured that that wouldn't be too difficult.

In the meantime, I had to play along with Great-Grandfather's plan. After three hours of being forcefully bathed, made up, and dressed by some of the town women, I looked like a perfect little...I didn't know what I looked like. It felt like the makeup was caked on and the kimono was tripping and constricting me. Still, I was at the festival and that was a step closer to freedom.

This festival was a blessing for me, for the village, but especially for the children. They'd never seen anything quite as wonderful or vibrant. Free food was being handed out at every corner, feeding the hungry and delighting those who could use even a little bit more. Some delicacies, like Flaming Fire Flakes, were wonders to those who had never had them.

Like me.

I absolutely loved them. Carefully, as to avoid smudging my makeup, I placed one on my tongue and let it melt in my mouth. They tasted sweet until they sat there for a moment, quickly blazing like a fire had been placed there. When swallowed, it made me feel so warm all over!

"Huo!" a child's voice called. I turned in the town square to see a small child—barely to my knee in height—running towards me. Carrying what looked like a lute.

I smirked and shook my head, knowing what she wanted. "Already, Sala? I did this yesterday!"

A small group of children was starting to form around me. I laughed and shook my head, not able to say no to their bright, hopeful faces. Behind me was a relatively clean boulder, so I smoothed my dress and sat down. Sala handed me her lute and smiled a bright, gap-toothed smile.

"Alright, okay, what story am I telling you today?"

The children all shouted out their answers. As I strummed the lute for them, I couldn't help but see my dress underneath. I thought on some stories as I stared at the intricate designs. It was old—my grandmother's, to be exact. It was most definitely out of style, but it was the most luxurious thing that anyone in Jang-Hui owned next to Great-Grandfather's tea set. It was a deep red that worked well with my pale skin and dark hair. Gold dragons circled up and down the fabric and gold trim lined every edge. It was made of multiple layers, but each one was a soft silk that had been well-maintained over the years. It had been my great-grandmother's but my mother had worn it for her wedding.

The song I was playing was one that she had sung for me many years ago before she'd passed from a sickness. As I played I asked the children, "How many of you know anything about the spirits?"

They were sitting cross-legged in a circle around me as I sat on that boulder in the square. Most of them were yet seven summers, mostly younger. One of the younger ones raised her hand impatiently. "I know!"

I smiled softly at her as I continued to strum the melody of the tune. "Yes, Iroka?"

She sat up straight and cleared her throat. She was missing a few teeth when she opened her mouth to speak. "Spirits live in the Spirit World!"

The children all blew raspberries at her and cajoled her. One boy in particular, Shiji, punched her shoulder lightly. "We all knew that, stupid!"

"Now, now," I said, "that is true. The spirits who live there reside in many different areas, just like we humans do. In fact, the Spirit World reflects our very own world. Spirits, like we mortal beings, can be light or dark. Many pray to the spirits, like we pray to the Sun Spirit, or to our own gods who reside over us."

"Like Agni?" Shiji asked.

"Yes, like Agni." I let my fingers effortlessly play through the simple chords. While I couldn't play much, what I did know was more than they knew. Even the simplest sound made them ooh and ahh. A few of the festival folk were gathering around to listen, too. I didn't mind, I was just trying to make the children forget about their misfortunes for a little while. "Spirits take the forms of many different creatures, different from even the animals that reside in our lands. Some of them take more familiar shapes. Some are just wisps of smoke or rain falling from a cloud."

"How can a spirit be rain?" a girl named Onji asked. She was six and had lost her father to the same sickness to which I'd lost my mother. I'd taken care of her before, especially during the hardest part of the sickness.

"Because it's a spirit," Shiji said with a roll of his eyes. "Duh!"

"Spirits are beings not of this world, Onji," I said. Her eyes looked hurt at Shiji's reply. "As I said before, they can be benevolent or harmful. We pray to many of them to help grow our crops or heal those we love."

Onji's eyes teared up then, making me regret those last words. "Why didn't they help my dad, then? Why don't the Spirits listen to our prayers when we ask them?"

I felt my heart break for her. "Oh, child. The spirits cannot interfere with our lives. If we pray to the spirits asking to be more patient, do you think they make us more patient? Or do they give us opportunities to be patient? If we pray for courage, do the spirits give us courage, or do they give us opportunities to be courageous?"

"But why did they take my daddy?"

That question was one I couldn't answer. "I don't know, child. People tell us that when others die, that it was their time. I lost faith for a while when I lost my mother. But that does not mean that the spirits wished to take our loved ones away. I would not say that it was an opportunity, but there is always a reason, I should hope."

"What if I don't believe in spirits?" Shiji asked with his nose in the air.

I took a deep breath and realized that the spirits were giving me an opportunity to become more patient. "Let me sing you a song my mother used to sing to me when I asked her the same question.

When the earth was young

And the air was sweet

And the mountains kissed the sky

In the Spirit World, with its many paths

Man and nature lived side by side."

A small crowd was gathering as I struggled to remember the chords. I hadn't sung the song in many years. The lyrics, while ingrained into my memory, had also been a long time coming. Still, I let the music flow from my lips and fingers and let the world around me evaporate as I imagined the world of which I sang.

"The pretty wisdom does not come without learning

And revision not wholly with our eyes

We can think that we see

Truly see they're around us

But when we look

Do we see with open minds?"

I hoped that the children could understand what I was saying. They were listening with baited breath and seemed to be soaking in every word, every note, every stanza. I played on, not noticing the large crowd of United Republic soldiers that were showing me attention as I stood up and danced among the children.

"Great Spirits of all who lived before

Take our hands and lead us

Fill our hearts and souls with all you know

The key to understanding

Is to see through others' eyes

Find a way to help us

See from all sides

Truly see from all sides!

I helped the children up and danced with them. Someone in the crowd had picked up on the chord signature and started playing along with a woodwind. One child wasn't dancing so I pulled him along with me. I grasped Shiji's chin delicately, looked him in the eye, and sang,

"Teach our children to look deeper than the surface

See the world through another's eyes

For to be blind beyond yourself

Is to look but not see it

Knowing much is not enough to be wise."

By this time, a few villagers had started dancing along. The tune sped up the closer it got to the chorus and I couldn't help but let myself live in the music.

"To see the wonder

In all we've been given

In a world that's not always as it seems

Every corner we turn,

Always leads to another

Follow on, for a journey begins!

Great Spirits of all who've lived before

Take our hands and lead us

Fill our hearts and souls with all you know

Show us that in your eyes

We are all the same

Find a way to help us

See from all sides

Truly see from all sides!"

After another chorus, the song ended in a flurry of chords as I held the last note out. Applause rang throughout the square and I flushed down to my toes. Almost every villager I knew was standing out there, watching me, as well as half of the United Republic soldiers that had come with the festival. The servants of the festival were there as well and I couldn't have been more embarrassed in my life.

I quickly handed the lute back to Sala and bowed to the children. I looked at the sun and saw that it was late—very late and I needed to be gone! I said my goodbyes as quickly as possible and tried to run towards the Golden Dragon of Unity's tent when I ran straight into a brick wall.

I landed hard on the dirt and something in my wrist twinged as I caught myself. Ignoring the pain, I looked up into the eyes of what looked to be a very handsome noble man. He was better dressed than anyone I'd ever seen before and held himself in a very regal way. His face looked to be sculpted out of granite with thick black hair atop. Bright topaz eyes looked down on me with a small amount of shock and something else I couldn't quite register. His thick jaw started to open to say something when two men on either side of him started to advance on me.

They were wearing uniforms from the United Republic. One was maroon, another green, and another blue. Each one stood at least six foot five and wore ranks on their lapels that I didn't recognize. Officers!

This man had to have been very important to have bodyguards of such stature. I shrunk back and may have given an undignified squeak of fright. The man stopped them, though. He held out his hand to me. "My dear lady," he said in a gruff, low voice, "I apologize. Your voice held me captive and I simply could not move out of the way fast enough."

I snorted in laughter as I took his hand to stand. I was taken back by his large, too-soft hands against mine. He pulled me up and looked surprised at my snort. "I'm far from a lady, m'lord, but I thank you for the compliment. I apologize for running into...someone of your stature. If you'll excuse me, I'm late for a meeting and punctuality is a strong requirement for a good first impression, which I won't likely make anyway."

One of his guards advanced on me. "You'll address the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation with his proper title, peasant!"

A gasp came from the villagers around him. I stared at the man in front of me with a little bit of awe, a little bit of fear, and a lot a bit of fury. I only briefly wondered why I hadn't recognized him before, but that was quickly taken over by my temper. This man got to travel in luxury and put on this festival using our tax money, while my people rotted on the outskirts of his nation. I held my anger in check but I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks.

Prince Iroh, for I knew it to be him, waved the soldier down. "She was fine in addressing me as such, Lieutenant, and if you speak like that to a lady again I will have you sent back to the capitol. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The gruff, older man didn't even look ashamed.

"It's General, Lieutenant."

"Yes, General, sir!" The soldier clicked his heels together and got back in line.

Iroh's topaz eyes turned back to me. I was clenching my mother's jade pendant at my throat hoping for a calming effect. It wouldn't do to attack the Prince of the Fire Nation and apparently General of the United Republic. My family was already banished—we didn't need eradicated. "My lady, I apologize for his insolence. I hope that your meeting goes well."

"I don't," I replied curtly, giving him a small nod. He seemed surprised by my cheek. "But I do hope that you will remember our village, my prince, as we are not in a good way here." One of the town elders tried to grab my arm, to stop me, but I brushed her off. "Your people are starving. Children can't read or write and grow up unable to find suitable jobs to help themselves. It's a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped."

The square was dead silent as the man stared as if into my soul. My hands clenched and unclenched in fear and anger by my sides. The makeup on my face suddenly felt too thick and my clothes felt constricting. I just wanted to put on my leathers and go practice hitting things until they were burned to a crisp.

"I will not forget this village," he told me truthfully. His eyes were burning with a passion—a Firebender's passion. "I've seen the outer villages and I know how much help they need. I've already sent missives to the capitol. When I come back in a year, if things are still not fixed, then I will fix them with my own two hands. On that you have my word."

I nodded but found it hard to believe him. Wouldn't want to destroy those soft hands of yours, Prince. My throat was tight as if I were about to cry, but I didn't let those emotions show. Rather, I gave a perfect bow to him—one of respect—and then I looked him in the eye. "Thank you, my prince. If I may, I will have my leave."

As I brushed against his shoulder in my haste to leave, he reached out and grasped my wrist. I didn't like to be handled that way. I stared defiantly into his eyes. "What is your name?"

The last thing the Prince of the Fire Nation needed to hear me say was that I was a Bujing. Instead, I said, "Call me a fox, for that is all I am to you."

"The General asked you a question," the same town elder from before gasped in boiling fury.

"No," Prince Iroh said as he graciously released me, "it is fine. Until we meet again, Little Fox." He gave me a bow that made me chuckle. When he grasped my hand and laid a kiss upon it, however, that chuckle caught in my throat. "I cannot wait for the day."

I wanted to call him a kiss-ass, but the words were stuck in my throat. Rather, I snatched my hand away before the blush could show through my makeup and I ran toward the giant golden tent on the other side of the pavilion. As soon as I suffered through an appraisal of my merit as a woman, I would run out of there and to a recruiter. And, if that didn't work, I still had a pack of things waiting. I would run away if I had to.

Lyrics: "Great Spirits" by Phil Collins (listen to the Tina Turner version)