Lost
-In which Iroh meets Zayu and talks to Kya about Lu-Ten
I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or Legend of Korra, but I do own this story which is celebrating its 1 year anniversary today!
It was a traditionally warm morning in the Fire Nation, Aang rose early like he normally did went outside to find a quiet place to meditate.
He found a large tree near the entrance to the palace grounds; it had thick branches that cast shadows on the ground, casting intricate patterns onto the grass under it. He sat down under it, crossed his legs and held his fists together.
Time slowed down when he was meditating; it lost all meaning or linearity. With each deep, even breath he took he could feel himself getting lost in the tranquillity of it all. This experience was interrupted when he heard footsteps; he opened his eyes to see a familiar figure walking toward him, entering the palace grounds.
The guards let him pass immediately, probably afraid that the Firelord would chastise him again if he didn't let him pass.
His eyes twinkled as they usually did and his belly hadn't gotten any smaller, if anything it had gotten bigger. He strode up the elaborate path, whistling merrily before catching the eye of Aang
"Avatar Aang" He greeted and Aang bowed before telling him that he needn't refer to him as the Avatar
"How are you?" He asked as they made their way back to the palace, judging by the position of the sun Aang had been meditating for about 2 hours, the rest of his and Zukos family would surely be awake by now
"I am very well thank you" He said smiling, "I am here to visit my new great-nephew" he said with an even wider smile
"Of course, I'm sure Zuko will be very pleased to see you"
He continued smiling as they walked to the palace, enjoying the elaborate gardens that lined the path.
They eventually entered the castle and were bombarded by 3 running children
"Uncle Iroh!" Yelled 3 voices at once, Kya, Gyatso and Tenzin ran to give him a hug. Iroh chuckled good naturedly and patted their backs
"My, haven't you all grown" He exclaimed which started a fight between Tenzin and Gyatso to see which of them was the tallest
"Are you here to see Zayu?" Kya asked politely
"I am indeed my dear, have you met him?"
Kya nodded her head vigorously "Yep! Except he's boring like all babies are. They don't want to play, they just want to cry!"
Iroh laughed at this "That is an interesting point of view Kya"
"Would you like me to take you to him?" She asked, extending a hand to him
"Why that would be very kind of you" He smiled, taking her hand. She started running down the hall and Iroh was having a hard time keeping up
"Aunty Mai is down here!" Kya's voice echoed down the hall before Tenzin and Gyatso even noticed they were gone, they quickly whipped up an air-scooter before taking off after them, effectively knocking over a servant that was carrying a large pile of blankets.
…
Kya entered the nursery, excited to be introducing Iroh to his grand-nephew. She let go of his hand as she stepped over the threshold and ran over to Mai who was rocking a sleepy Zayu back and forth.
Aunty Mai Aunty Mai! Look who's here!" she exclaimed, gesturing towards Iroh, her face brightened at the sight of him and she stood up to greet him
"Iroh, it's good to see you again"
"And you my dear, I do hope that you are well?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow
"I am thank you, well we had an incident a few days ago but I'm sure Zuko would like to fill you in on that" Iroh looked intrigued by her words but didn't question her further
"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner"
"No, it's fine. Zuko will be happy you're here, Azayla too"
Irohs face softened as he looked at the small bundle Mai was still gently rocking back and forth. Zayu's eyes fluttered closed and his breathing became deeper and more even with every passing second
"Congratulations Mai, Prince Zayu looks very healthy indeed" He said as Mai extended her arms, offering the young Prince to him. He quickly obliged, taking him into his arms and resuming his rocking as he started to stir from the exchange
"He looks a great deal like Lu-Ten did as a baby" He said quietly. Mai's face softened and her eyes widened ever so slightly,
"Would you like me to fetch Zuko and Azayla?" She asked, he nodded and she left the room.
"Who is Lu-Ten?" Kya asked innocently, Iroh smiled gently at her
"Lu-Ten was my son"
"You have a son?" She asked, crawling into his lap as he sat down and continued to gently rock Zayu to and fro
"Unfortunately I…lost Lu-Ten many years ago" He said, his eyes becoming slightly watery, but Kya didn't notice this. She did notice his sudden change in mood though
"I'm sorry Uncle Iroh" She said, as sympathetic as any girl her age can be "I hope you find him soon" Her big, stormy grey eyes looked up at him with an innocence only children can manage. He smiled graciously at her
"Thank you very much young one" He looked down at Zayu and found he had fallen asleep again, he smiled as he took in his expression of utter peace. He didn't correct her assumption that his son could be found
"Such raw innocence as that shouldn't be tainted" He thought before realising he was quietly humming the lullaby he had sung to his son when he was a young boy. Kya closed her eyes with a smile and listened to the sweet, sad tune. They were in this position when Mai returned
She stepped into the room without saying anything, behind her followed Zuko, Azayla and Kasami
"Uncle" Zuko greeted him, extending his arms wide. Mai took Zayu from Iroh so they could embrace
"My dear Zuko, how are you?" He asked, to which Zuko replied that he was fine
Iroh grunted slightly as he lowered himself to the floor, his joints not working with him the way they use too, He held him arms out for Azayla and Kasami as Aang entered the room, followed by his wife and the rest of his children.
It was lucky that the nursery was built exceedingly big, Mai thought it unnecessary, she could easily lose a baby in this room, but it came in handy now, when 2 families gathered together in it
"Azayla, Kasami, you 2 have grown so much since I last saw you"
The 2 girls giggled and gave him a hug
"These 2 have been nearly inseparable" Said Katara
"Is that so? I hope they are able to maintain such a relationship"
"The only trouble is the distance" Katara laughed and Iroh heartily joined in.
Zuko approached his uncle, "I have some very good news for you" He said
"Oh, is this in regard to the incident Mai was telling me about?" He said, eyes twinkling knowingly
Zuko laughed "Yes, but that's a long story, I'll tell you that later, the short version is that these 2 girls are benders!"
"Firebender!" Shrieked Azayla, laughing when she saw Kasami laughing
"That IS good news, but I suspect they are too young to control it?"
"Yes, Azayla has taken to setting her toys on fire accidently" He admitted, remembering her tear stained face as she cried over the loss of her favourite stuffed Platypus-Bear
"At least there won't be any trouble from the council regarding the next in line for the throne not being a Firebender" He commented, as if he had worried about this before, Zuko nodded in agreement
"And what sort of bender are you Kasami? Being the daughter of the Avatar I guess you could be anything!
"Airbender!" She shrieked, copying her best friend. The 2 dissolved into high-pitched giggles again at this
"That is good news, the Airbending culture will live on through these 3 children" He gestured toward Kasami and the twins "Without it, there would never truly be balance in the world" He said wisely
"Without it, the next Avatar wouldn't be able to bend all 4 elements" Aang laughed,
"That is true, do you have a plan for this?"
"I haven't really thought about it" He admitted "When their older and have mastered Airbending I guess I'll figure something out"
"Good, it would be a shame if the knowledge and culture of the air nomads were to be lost" Aang nodded in agreement to this
"I'll teach the next Avatar Airbending!" Proclaimed Tenzin, "I'm already a master!" Gyatso laughed at this and shoved him slightly "I'm the master you mean"
"Boys" Katara said, her voice telling them to stop fighting. They obliged but not after blowing a gust of wind in each other's face's
….
There was a slight breeze blowing as Iroh, Mai, Zuko and Azayla stood out the front of the palace, Zayu in Zukos arms. Iroh would stay at the palace for a little while before returning to his beloved tea shop at Zukos insistence.
Aang helped Kya climb up the side of Appa and into his saddle, ever since they had found the herd of sky bison Kya had been pestering her parents for one of her own and was getting bored of their response "When you're older"
Kasami and Azayla were devastated to be leaving each other, they hugged and started crying when Katara lifted Kasami into the saddle
When everyone was in the saddle and Azayla and Kasami had calmed down they yelled their goodbyes, Kya was quite happy that they were leaving the warmth of the Fire Nation, being a waterbender she didn't really like the heat, and she preferred the South Pole anyway.
The royal family waved as Appa started to rise into the air, Azayla screamed out a last goodbye to her friend,
Over the sound of the wind and Appa's roar Iroh heard Kya yell
"You'll find him soon! I know it!"
….
A/N So as you may have seen at the start of this chapter, today marks the one year anniversary of me posting chapter one! *cue balloons and streamers dropping from the ceiling* A whole year! My writing has drastically improved; I go back to the first chapters I wrote and cringe!
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