At the break of dawn, the Dragon of the West woke up with the first rays of sunshine as was the way with firebenders. He streched his tired muscles while looking around the strange room. This wasn't his room? Then, he remembered the events of the previous evening and quickly got up to eat some breakfast. A man cannot work on an empty stomach, he chuckled to himself.
After a quick breakfast - which consisted of 3 omelettes, a bowl of miso soup and a full pot of white jade tea - Iroh went into town to fetch some clothes for the girl. He had checked on her this morning and she seemed better. Her blue eyes looked brighter, although she was still tired and almost fell immediately back asleep. Iroh had folded her dirty dress and decided to go shopping for her as fast as possible. He knew better than to ask his nephew to accompany him. He could go a little overboard when it came to shopping, and based on their earlier experiences, his nephew seemed not to enjoy it.
So he went out alone and bought her two dresses, but also pants and tunics. He remembered she loved to wear those as a child and they were much more practical on the ship than silky dresses. He had to stop himself from buying any more trinkets, since the market was full of nice little shops. However, he did stop to buy a few things, like sweet soaps, flowers and a comb. The girl needed to take care of herself and a little colour in the chambers never hurt anyone, he justified his shopping spree.
With two full baskets, he returned to the ship. He went straight to her room and when he opened the door, he was a little surprised. He saw the back of his nephew turned to him, again on her bedside. Elyrie slept but Zuko continued to caress her hand. Iroh smiled and closed the door without making a sound. He placed the baskets on the floor by the door and walked away, humming.
It is time for an early lunch anyway, he thought to himself.
Zuko opened his golden eyes and looked around the room. He felt slightly confused since they were not his sleeping quarters. He blinked a few times and then remembered. He sat upright and quickly got out of his Uncle's bed. One look outside and he realised it was long past sunrise.
It was not like him to sleep in, especially since he had trouble sleeping anyway. He washed himself quickly, before making his way to his own room.
He knocked on the door before quietly opening it.
"Elyrie?" he said softly as his eyes adjusted to the dark room.
He didn't get an asnwer, but he saw her sleeping, her eyelids fluttering. He knelt again by her bedside with a small smile.
She shivered, which was unusual for a firebender. Cold can't be good, he thougth as he walked to his closet and took out an extra blanket, the one he had used on the icy South Pole. He placed it over her with care, but she immediately wrapped herself in the blankets and stirred. Zuko froze in his movement, not wanting to startle her. She opened her sapphire coloured eyes and blinked a couple times. When the blue eyes met the golden eyes, she smiled. It was not her usual bright smile, it was a very weak smile. But, a smile nonetheless.
"How are you feeling?" Zuko asked softly while he sat down next to the bed.
"I'm not sure. Where am I? What happened?" she said while trying to push herself up on her elbows.
Zuko gently but firmly pushed her down again. "Don't get up. You are hurt." he said in a fatherly voice.
Elyrie sank back down in the pillows. She raised her hand to her head and felt the bandages that covered her head.
"Hurt?" she repeated with a puzzled look as she felt the tender skin under the bandages. Aside from that, she felt alright albeit a bit dizzy.
"Do you remember anything?" Zuko asked.
She took a moment trying to recollect her thoughts. Blurry images came into her mind as she pieced together the meaning. She remembered the Fire Temple, the Sages and a lot of heat.
"Pieces," she replied after a few moments, "Like a dream." Then she frowned and added a bit uncertain: "Did I dream Avatar Roku?"
Zuko shook his head. "No, that was real. He appeared at the Temple."
She raised her eyebrows and closed her eyes again. She remembered now: she was knocked against a wall of some sorts by Avatar Roku's fire.
"I was hurt when he appeared, right?" she asked while straining her memory, "I remember I falling down, but that is the last thing I remember." Zuko nodded, glad she did not suffer from severe memory loss.
"But why am I here with you?" she continued while placing her hands on her face, as if to clear the foggy thoughts, "I came to the Fire Temple with Zhao?"
Zuko took a deep breath. "I took you out of the Temple. You were unconscious when the Temple started to come down on itself. I took you back to my ship, where Uncle and I took care of you." He stumbled, trying to explain his rash decision. What would she think of him? It sounded like I kidnapped her or something, he mentally groaned. It dawned on him that she - still - was Zhao's fiancée. He had taken a high ranking Commanders fiancée with him.
"You took me out of there?" she repeated, frowning again. She remembered his baritone voice, talking to her as if in a dream. She must have been unconscious for some time, since she only remembered his voice in the darkness. His voice, trying to talk to her and keeping her awake.
The thick fog which seemed to cloud her thoughts slowly got thinner once she tried to fit all the pieces together. She remembered coming to the Fire Temple with Zhao, who prepared to take the Avatar and Zuko in custody. The Avatar had escaped with help from Avatar Roku. Roku had defended the Avatar, during which she had been knocked out. Zuko must have carried me away, while Zhao probably saved himself, she concluded as bit her lip until she could taste blood.
She pinched her nose bridge and closed her eyes. No rash conclusion, you don't know for sure. She felt a headache coming up and the fog in her head thickened again. Zuko noticed her discomfort and placed his heated hand gently on her forehead. She smiled with her eyes closed.
"Try to sleep some more, the physician said you will feel better after that." Zuko instructed while wiping a strand of hair from her forehead. She nodded without opening her eyes, but grabbed the hand he had placed on her forehead. She brought his hand to her lips and lightly kissed his knuckles.
"Thank you." she said in a sleepy voice. She turned her head to the side and fell asleep.
Zuko continued to sit by her side for a few more minutes. She still hold on onto his hand after she fell back asleep. With his other hand he caressed the back of her hand while looking at it. She had soft, delicate hands with long nails, like all noblewomen had. Her long fingers relaxed and when her breathing had become steady, he carefully released himself from her grip.
Elyrie stepped out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed and new. The sun had begun to set, so it was almost time for dinner. Uncle had brought her some new clothes and soaps, for which fhe was thankful since she felt incredibly dirty after the whole ordeal.
After a long bath, her hair was finally soft and skily again instead of the roughness from being covered in gravel and dust. It had taken a good effort to wash it, but she was glad that Zuko was keen on his personal hygiene, otherwise she would have taken three more baths just to feel clean.
She put on a towel around her body and stepped back into the bedroom. A tunic and a pair of pants were laid out on the bed. Elyrie picked up the tunic, which was a dark burgundy red. It seemed a bit too large, but she was glad for the clean clothes. Under the tunic lay a small, white piece of fabric. Underwrappings, she thought. She supressed a smile, since this could only be Uncle's doing. She doubted Zuko was worldly enough to think of such a detail.
She picked up the new comb, which was made of wood with details of flowers etched into it. She gently combed her wet hair, trying to take the tangles out of it. It took a lot of time and patience, but finally it was free of knots and tangles.
After that, she took off the towel and carefully wrapped herself in the undergarments and put on the tunic and pants. They were indeed a bit too large, especially around her waist. It must have been a mans tunic, which seemed not to be tailored around the waist. She picked up her old dust-covered silk dress and ripped off one of the sleeves. The sleeve was covered in blood and dust, but it was just what she needed.
She filled the sink with water and washed the sleeve quickly. After a few minutes of scrubbing the fabric with soap, the stains were hardly noticeable. She dried the sleeve using her firebending and tied it around her waist. She walked to the large mirror to inspect her appearance. It would do just fine, she thought. It was nice to wear pants instead of long flowy dresses, which were highly impractical.
She took a closer look at her face. She was still pale, but her normal colour had mostly returned. She carefully touched the new cloth on her left temple, which was covering the wound. It was still healing, but she hardly felt it anymore. The physician had stitched it neatly, but she was told it would leave a small scar. She sighed, glad she survived the whole ordeal with only a minor injury. It could have been so much worse if Zuko had not taken me out in time, Elyrie pondered.
She pushed her hair aside, which formed ringlets around her face. Normally, Jin would carefully brush and dry her hair. It had to be perfect to represent her higher status. But now, nobody could help her. She could try to dry it with her firebending but it seemed an unnecessary risk. My hair is less forgiving than a sleeve, she thought with a grin. Since her hair was almost dry anyway, she left the curls hanging down her back. She tossed her hair from side to side, combing her fingers through it. She liked the look of it, with her hair hanging loose and looking bouncy. She smiled at her reflection before she walked to the door to put on her slippers. After all this, she was really hungry.
"You look a lot better, my dear!" Iroh greeted her cheerfully when Elyrie entered the sitting room, "You have a blush on your cheeks."
Elyrie smiled at the older man before she took her place at the table. Sitting down was far easier in pants, she immediately noticed.
"Thank you again for the clothes, Uncle." she said gratefully, not noticing that she immediately used the term 'Uncle' instead of the correct 'General'.
The grey-haired man chuckled at her - since he did notice it - before adding "I thought you would appreciate the pants."
She nodded enthusiastically while she let her hand slide over the soft fabric with her legs crossed beneath her.
Zuko had said nothing and had only looked up when she entered. She did indeed look a lot better, her cheeks returned to the usual pink colour. Her hair was down, hanging down in ringlets on her back. She suddenly looked younger than her 21 years, with her hair down and in a tunic.
Dinner was served and Elyrie needed all her self-control not to devour everything within a couple of seconds. The food was simple but delicious: fish with rice and vegetables. She ate until she was sure she would burst if she took another bite. She smiled apologetically at the two men.
Iroh chuckled and poured her tea after the meal had ended. He took a breath and said: "Elyrie, we need to contact Zhao about your whereabouts."
She sighed, knowing he was right. "How can we contact him?" Iroh continued as he placed his cup on the table.
Elyrie thought for a second, playing with a loose curl. "He mentioned something about a Fire Nation Fortress in the Earth Kingdom as our next stop." she answered, while tangling her curl between her fingers. "A fortress where they trained elite archers." she added, remembering the detail.
Iroh stroked his beard as he thought about this. "The Yuyan archers?" he then asked. She nodded. "They reside at the Pohuai Stronhold," Iroh said pensively, "It is located in the Earth Kingdom."
"How far is it from here?" Elyrie asked, hoping it would take at least a day or two. For some reason, she felt not ready to face Zhao again. The feeling of betrayal was something she couldn't seem to shake, no matter how hard she had tried today.
"A few days I think, if the tide allows us." The older man answered. Elyrie let out a relieved sigh, before halting herself.
Zuko had noticed it and asked: "What is the matter?"
"Nothing." she quickly replied with a small shriek. Zuko immediately shot her puzzled look and she cursed her voice. Elyrie met his gaze and bit her lip: she was hesitant to answer, being used to hold her thoughts to herself.
However, she knew she could trust Iroh and Zuko, they would never betray her trust. "Let's just say that I am not that eager to return to Zhao." She said with a hint of disgust in her voice.
"Why is that?" Iroh asked with a furred brow.
Elyrie thought about it for a moment, but then turned to Zuko. "If I ask you something, will you promise me that you will answer truthfully?" she asked him with a piercing gaze. She could think of all the worst-case scenario's, but only Zuko knew what really happened.
Surprised by her seriousness, Zuko nodded. "I promise." he replied, although he wasn't sure what she wanted to hear from him.
"Did you save me because Zhao was too busy saving himself?"
"I..-" Zuko began as he chose his words carefully, "I saved you because I saw what happened."
"That is a very diplomatic answer, but it wasn't what I asked." she replied in a stern voice, "So, yes or no?"
Zuko was torn for a moment: if he answered yes, he might be jeopardizing her future marriage to Zhao. And despite his hatred for that man, he did want Elyrie to be happy and this could ruin it. But if he answered no, he would be lying. And he never lied to her.
"Yes." he finally said as he looked away from her gaze.
"Thank you." she said, her voice sounding surprisingly even, "That is all I wanted to know."
She didn't sound hurt or depressed, but the coolness of her voice was almost frightening. "How did you become engaged to him anyway?" Zuko asked before he could stop himself, wanting to know the whole story.
"He came to my aunt and uncle's for dinner one evening." Elyrie said in a neutral tone, "You remember the cousin of my father that I used to call uncle, right? I lived with them after my father died. I am older than my other nieces, so I was to attend as well. Zhoa barely spoke to me, only boasting of his accomplishments and great plans for the future. So I did what every other table lady would do; I smiled and nodded."
Zuko raised his eyebrows, wondering which direction she would go with this story.
"Within a week, Zhao returned to the house and wished to speak to my uncle. He had been looking for a wife and apparently, I made the cut." She continued. "Uncle did not give his consent right away, but I knew it was expected of me. Uncle and aunt did discuss it with me and did not pressure me in any way, but did encourage the idea. After all, I am21 years old and had been fighting marriage proposals for over 3 years by then. With my father, it was easier since I knew I would never be a burden. But when it is someone else, it is harder. So I accepted and within a month I was situated at that harbour we met."
"Doe he treat you well?" Zuko carefully asked although he was slightly afraid of her answer. If Zhao laid as much as a hand on her, he would burn him to a crisp.
"He does," Elyrie answered, "but I have certain expectations to meet if I want to keep it that way."
Iroh raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean, dear?"
Elyrie sighed. "Zhao is a proud, vain man. From the first meeting, it was very clear that he wanted fame and glory." Iroh nodded: he was familiar with Zhao's ruthless ambition and hunger for glory. "I play the part of a dutiful fiancée who worships the floor he walks on. Only that way, I can arrange some profits for myself."
Zuko looked in her blue eyes, which looked sad. "Like?" he asked, wanting her to continue.
"I was not supposed to come to the Fire Temple, because he only wanted his best soldiers and firebenders with him to capture you and the Avatar. As a woman, I was expected to stay behind. " she stated. "But with pleading and asking to see him in his glorious moment, he relented. That is why he asked if I had wished to see this." She said, looking at Zuko. "I never intended for you to be captured, but I came along trying to prevent the worst."
"He truly does not know anything about me." she said as she started tangeling her fingers in her hair, "I doubt he even knows I am a firebender, despite regular displays. He kept going on about a strong bloodline and that he hopes his sons would be benders, like him."
Zuko raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Truth be told, he despised Zhao but he never thought the Commander would be so careless towards others. Towards his fiancée.
"Why do you keep going on with this arrangement? You will be unhappy if you stay there." He exclaimed suddenly, not being able to stop himself.
Iroh raised his eyebrows at his nephew's fervent reaction. Zuko rarely showed interest in other people's private lives, and even if he did it wasn't with much enthusiasm.
"But what other choice do I have? I have no prospects if I break this engagement off." She replied harshly. "I am to be his wife and as such, I will have more autonomy. Besides, it had brought me good things as well. I've seen you again." She continued, but her eyes were softer and she gave him a smile. "And I could help you, maybe I could help others as well." She twisted a ringlet around her finger, softly humming.
Zuko looked at the auburn-haired girl, knowing she was right. But he could not help but feel unhappy about her decision, since she was worth so much more. She deserved a man who saw how special she was, how intelligent, how capable of holding her own in the most difficult situations. Zhao only saw her beauty, not her iron will underneath. He reached over the table and grasped her small hand.
Iroh's eyebrows shot up even higher at this gesture, since he never saw Zuko display any affection in front of others. He suppressed a knowing smile as he stroked his beard. This was something he needed his nephew to figure out on his own.
Elyrie looked surprised as well, but placed her other hand over Zuko's large hand. "I never intended this life, but it the reality that is given to me." she said in a reassuring tone, "I am in no position to change it, but I can work with it."
Iroh looked at the young girl, who seemed mature beyond her years at that moment. She is like a Fire Rose, he thought to himself, Beautiful and sweet but hiding thorns beneath. Like a rose, she bends in which way the wind blows but with strong roots in the ground. She accepts the reality given to her and works with it. But if only there was something we could do for her so she didn't need to face this unhappy future, Iroh mused as he tapped his finger against his chin.