The brief confrontation with Azula left Iroh feeling, as he does every time the two happen to cross paths, conflicted. Ursa's middle child was so much like Ozai that it was difficult for the old man to resist raising a hand to her like the man she was not. Iroh looked to the fire lord's unreadable face. The look, however, made the man flush.
Surely, he's not angry with me? Thought the former general. Zuko had witnessed Azula's cold exchange, though Iroh could admit the young woman's fangs were not as sharp as they had been in her teen years. That was definitely a testament to her growth. The general was no less skeptical, however. The princess he'd known all of her life embodied the supreme art of war, to subdue the enemy without fighting, since Ozai deemed her worthy of his false affections. Iroh contemplated following the woman to discuss her outburst. Instead, it was her half-sister who took on the task of pursuing the irate older girl.
"Well, that was probably the best greeting Azula and I have ever had," Iroh joked warmly to ease the tension the princess always seems to create when she enters a room.
The fire lord gave a soft smile which eased the general before turning to his mother. "The nurses need to speak with you," Iroh overheard the ruler tell her.
Ozai's ex-wife gave a smile and nod before leaving the men to aid her daughter-in-law. That left Iroh, Zuko and the fire lord's step-father alone in the throne room. The general placed his blue egg in his green robes for safe keeping should Azula return. The move was not missed by Ikem, formerly known as Noren, however.
"I wonder if the eggs will hatch one day," he commented, nodding a head towards the one Zuko held.
Iroh gave a nod of confirmation. "When I received these from the sun warriors, I vowed to protect them until they did. Legend was that dragons are the most patient animals on the planet, so they are not quick to hatch as normal animals would".
The fire lord turned the egg over in his hands, entranced. "How long have you had these, Uncle?"
"Almost thirty years, now". With a chuckle, Iroh added, "I hope to at least see one of them hatch before my time is over in this world".
At this, Zuko's hand glowed beneath the egg. The red shell turned several shades lighter under his intense flames until it was a majestic orange. Ikem's eyes widened at the slight movement the egg gave in the palm of the fire lord's hand before Zuko ceased the flames and it stopped.
"Well, something is definitely in there," said the man. "Perhaps you're the key, Son. After all, isn't the dragon a sign of the royal family?" He recalled.
The old general confirmed it. "Though, I tried the same thing also years ago and it never did that!" A proud grin crossed his face. "It must be with its proper owner, now. No fire lord since Sozin has owned a dragon. You will be the first in generations, Zuko".
As if a light had triggered in Zuko's mind, the fire lord turned beckoning the men to follow him. "Aang is here. Of course, the avatar would know what to do with them".
Iroh's brow furrowed as he hurriedly matched the young men's pace. "It's been thirty years, Zuko. Sometimes…it is…best to not rush…things". He managed to say between breaths from an almost run past the estate's courtyard towards the royal spa.
As they passed the nursery and birthing room, Iroh caught a glimpse through a small opening in the door of several attendants surrounding the fire lady and the new child. A set of golden eyes met his own, giving a shy smile that the general felt throughout his body. He looked away before he could make the moment too uncomfortable.
He was an old man, yet a man still, who had always admired such rare, goddess beauty the former princess and former wife to his brother, possessed. The envy was there for the woman's dedicated husband to some degree, he knew better than to act any further than brief, longing looks. He would always see the former princess as an unattainable prize and mother to his nephew, which was one of his main motivations for keeping the former prince on the path of good.
The men briefly met Kiyi, who pointed them in the direction Aang had gone.
"He's with Azula on the balcony," she directed them.
Iroh felt a twist in his gut as they continued. Why on earth would Avatar Aang want to be anywhere near the mad princess, he could not fathom. Zuko did not seem bothered by the paradoxical statement, so he kept his thoughts to himself until they reached Aang, unharmed meditating on the balcony just outside the spa. Azula was nowhere in sight, Iroh kept his eyes alert should she return seeking to take the egg tucked deep within his robes. She never took rejection well and Iroh was sure even time and maturity did little to change this deeply embedded character trait.
As if sensing the men, the avatar opened one eye then both from his position, legs crossed, fists together. Like the fire lord, the avatar had changed appearances from the boy with incredible power and strange looking tattoos to a formidable looking man, his beard neatly trimmed, framing his face and the tattoos now accented his musculature instead of diminishing it. He was already dressed in his ceremonial; golden robes complete with a golden pendant with the symbols of all four nations around his neck. The last time the young man wore the garbs was during Zuko's coronation.
"Guess the answer was a no, huh?" asked Zuko, extending a hand to help Aang to his feet.
The avatar gave a warm chuckle at the statement. "She wasn't in the best mood today".
The fire lord laughed as well, sending a thumb over his shoulder. "Blame, Uncle," he said.
"What?" Asked Iroh, confused, making all three men laugh.
"Azula," Zuko explained. "She is Aang's firebending teacher. It's your fault he missed his training today".
Iroh gasped. "Zuko, are you sure about this?"
The fire lord shrugged. "My sister's been a master since we were kids, Uncle, you know this. She's the best," he pointed out.
The old general huffed. "It's not her place to train a man," he complained.
At this, Aang interjected. "With all due respect, Iroh, all of my bending teachers have been women. My wife and Toph, remember? Besides, it sounds much better taking orders from Azula than Lord Zuzu, here".
The fire lord's smile became a playful scowl. "Ok, we're ending these sessions, today, you two are getting too close," the men laughed as though it was the funniest joke in the world.
"Sorry, guess she's rubbing off on me," said the avatar. Iroh did not like the idea and found nothing funny about the possibility of the so-called reformed princess rubbing off on the avatar, especially after everything they fought for. He could not argue with the men's decision however and hoped the avatar was being cautious at least. Everyone knew what that woman was capable of.
After more light-hearted conversation, the fire lord revealed their reason for hunting down the avatar across the palace.
"You were around during Sozin's time. What do you know about dragon eggs?" The fire lord asked, revealing the dark, red egg to the avatar.
Aang took it in hand, turning it over with several taps before exclaiming, "Whoa! This is real!"
Iroh nodded in affirmation. "The last two. A symbol of this house, according to The Sun Warriors".
Aang glanced to Ikem, hesitantly before asking, "Their location is still secret, correct?"
The fire lord nodded. "Yes, of course, Uncle has had the eggs since before I was born. Almost thirty years and they have yet to hatch".
"Hmm," was Aang's response.
"The second one is for his son," Iroh added.
Aang's brow furrowed. "But, Izumi is a girl".
"She won't be the last of course," this came from Ikem. "Only men owned dragons in Sozin's time, right?"
Aang gave a look of uncertainty.
"Yes," confirmed Iroh. "Don't worry, this is a sign of a secure future. Your future son is due, I'm sure".
The fire lord, a man full grown, blushed slightly. "Whenever Mai is up to the task again, I guess," he said bashfully.
Ikem gave the avatar a playful nudge on the bicep. "Your friend here, has sure been busy".
Aang gave a smirk. "Well, I guess time will tell. Maybe we should ready ourselves for the coronation," he said smoothly. "I am honored that you sought a traditional Air Nation blessing, Zuko. Didn't know you knew anything about Air Nation culture".
Zuko gave a laugh. "I don't," he said. "That was all Azula's idea. She spends most of her time in the royal libraries and Dragon Bone Catacombs. She was pretty adamant about including the blessing ritual and of course, my advisors wouldn't dare oppose".
"But-" Began Aang.
"Zuko! You give Azula too much power! Why is she meeting with your advisory board?" Asked Iroh.
"Uncle, please, I-"
"No, you have forgotten the type of woman your sister is. You allow her an inch, she will take a mile. Enough of this".
Turning away, the dragon of the west stomped away. It had been years since he last lashed out at his nephew, but the words had needed to be said and heard. He needed to secure the throne for Zuko and with his sister influencing his every decision, the old man could not stop the sinking feeling in his stomach. Unfortunately, with the joyous excitement surrounding the coronation, he would need to wait before speaking with the princess on the fire lord's behalf, but soon afterwards, he was going to do what Zuko should have done upon allowing her freedom, put his niece in her place.
Just in case you're wondering, I have decided to take a strange approach to the Azula week prompts. Each prompt will be about 4-6 chapters, leading into the next prompt. So there will be Dragon (1-6) then Thunder and Lightning (1-?) and so on. Just stick it out with me. I am determined to finish this story, really I am along with my others. Happy reading QTZ.