A/N I edited the pond scene in this chapter, so for all my readers who have read through this and are reading it again: No, you are not going crazy. I did change it. Feel free to let me know what you think of this new version!
Once they have spread a little blanket on the ground and Iroh has brewed and served their tea, they sit and observe the two turtle ducks in the pond. The creatures are minding their own business, slowly paddling around and enjoying the sunlight and the water.
"So, how have things been around here? Is running the country all that you thought it would be?" Iroh leans back and and looks at his nephew.
"It's difficult, but not impossible. Those suggestions that you sent me for those first meetings with the Earth Kingdom nobles sure helped. I have a lot to learn though." Zuko pours another cup of tea for his uncle as he speaks. He's missed Iroh's tea.
"Have you been keeping up with your meditation in the mornings? It always helped to calm you while we were on the ship."
"Yes, and it helps. But there is still so much to do and to think about and learn!" Zuko's tone turns a bit frustrated.
"A calm mind is a person's greatest asset in the fog of chaos." Zuko thinks he hears, but he isn't sure, because he's already on to the next thing.
"And now, I need to go look for Mother. I sent out search parties for her weeks ago. They've found people that match Mother's description. But there is no way to know for sure, and if they're wrong and they reveal themselves as Fire Nation, it may not go over well in some of those communities." He sets his cup down and rests his chin in his hand.
"What makes you think you'll be any different?" Iroh raises his eyebrow in curiosity. A turtle duck wanders up to him and he offers it a piece of fruit tart. The little creature grabs it and hurries back towards it's nest, only to be caught in a gaggle of it's siblings, all wanting a piece for themselves.
"I'll have an alibi. A disguise. Something! I had practice as Lee. Maybe I can create someone new. I think I might start out in Fire Nation colonies anyway. She may have tried to hide there, or passed through. Maybe someone saw something. Or maybe I should check on Kyoshi Island first. Since they were neutral. And because I sort of burned down one of their villages. Or maybe I should check out the lead I have from the Northern Water Tribe first?" He absentmindedly takes a sip of tea.
"You still don't know?" Iroh shakes his head in a mix of exasperation and bemusement. "You still never think these things through."
"I have plenty of time to think it through while traveling. It will be at least a few days at sea. Maybe a week. I'll know more when I get out there." Zuko stares into his cup. "I wonder if she'll want to see me, after all these years."
"What are you talking about?!" The surprise is emphatic in his voice. "Of course she'll want to see you! You're her son!"
"Will she recognize me?" He points to his scar. "What if she thinks I'm ugly or something? And she doesn't even know what happened to Azula! What if she hates me for ruining my sister?"
"Your mother could never hate you!" He reaches for Zuko's shoulder. "And what does Azula have to do with this? She was destroyed by her own pride. My brother didn't help matters. What could you have done, Nephew?"
"Maybe I could have talked to her after the Agni Kai." He feels the flicker of irritation stir in his chest. "Maybe I could have helped her somehow!" He notices the tension in his shoulders and takes a deep breathe, trying to relax them. "When we were at Ember Island, right before I joined the Avatar, she was able to open up a bit with us around the campfire." He murmurs. "She said she thought Mother had seen her as a monster, and that it hurt. She used the past tense, but the way she looked into the fire, how her voice got quiet...I wonder if it still bothered her. She even said, "She was right, of course." Like it was a good thing, something that she was proud of. But if she were proud of it, why wouldn't she look us in the eye while talking about it?" He meets his Uncle's eyes. "What if she doesn't want to be this way, Uncle?" He asks, in quiet despair.
What if she's like me? What if she knows she's on the wrong path, but doesn't know what to do about it? I had Uncle Iroh. And Mother. Azula, He realizes with a pang in his heart, She doesn't have anyone.
"It's possible, but remember that all of that was before she tried to kill you in an Agni Kai. Your sister as you know her may be gone, Nephew." Iroh places a hand on his shoulder. Zuko leans into it, just a little.
"We used to play together. When we were very young. Before she discovered that she could firebend. She could still be horrible, but she wasn't crazy." He gazes sadly at the turtle ducks swimming in the lake. A little fluttering breeze goes through the tree above them.
"Go get me a pile of rocks. All sizes, the more the better." Iroh orders suddenly. Zuko shoots him a confused glance, but gets up and begins doing as his Uncle asks. When he has gathered three large rocks, and an assortment of smaller stones, he returns to his uncle, dropping them all at his feet.
"Has anyone ever taught you how to skip stones, Nephew? It is quite fun. Back in my day, every boy learned it from his father. It's always a great accomplishment to get more than four skips out of a single stone." Iroh stands, grabs a relatively flat stone, lines it up and throws. The little rock skitters across the water's surface three times and disappears under the ripples of it's wake.
"What does this have to do with my sister?" Zuko doesn't mean to use the harsh tone that he does, but why couldn't Uncle Iroh ever just come straight to the point?
"We'll get there in a moment, but first, you try. It is really quite fun." Iroh gleefully tosses another rock at the water. It jumps five times before going under. "Score!"He yells and leaps, as though he won a round of Flickerball. Zuko rolls his eyes, but does as he's commanded.
With a distinct plop!, his stone disappears as quickly as though it were weighted with lead.
"Like this, Nephew." Iroh hands him a flatter stone than his previous one, and shows him how to hold it, with the thumb and forefinger along the edges, and how to flick it towards the water. "It's all about the angle and the wrist."
Zuko tries again, with a shallower angle and a good flick of the wrist. The stone jumps once and then is gone.
They practice for a few more minutes, until Zuko's stones almost manage to catch up to his Uncle's at six jumps.
Uncle Iroh appears to be having the time of his life.
Suddenly, one of the larger rocks Zuko throws lands with a loud plonk!, sending up a spray of water at his Uncle. Iroh freezes and stares at him.
"Sorry, Uncle. Maybe it's too big to skip?" Zuko has to try not to laugh at the look false horror on his Uncle's face.
"The size of the stone doesn't matter when it comes to getting it skip. It is the stone thrower and his tactics, or lack thereof." Iroh says slowly. He moves towards Zuko. Zuko instinctively takes a step back. "You must learn how to think more carefully before you act." He bends down and massages some water over his arms.
"I will, Uncle." Zuko promises, not sure now whether he should still be biting back laughter or sitting down to listen to what his Uncle has to say.
"And I will be your teacher."
A quick flash of a smile is all the warning Zuko gets before he finds himself getting splashed and soaked through.
Laughing, he follows his Uncle further into the shallow pond, splashing as much as he can between steps. They bound back onto land and begin throwing the remaining rocks in, no longer skipping them, but just to enjoy the sounds of the splashing.
The turtle ducks had fled when the two crazy people had entered their territory, and were now watching this strange spectacle from the relative safety of their nest.
When all the rocks are gone, Iroh sits down again, panting with the exertion. Zuko follows suit, only slightly less out of breathe than his uncle. Iroh brews and pours more tea as Zuko is thinking things over for himself and wondering once more if his uncle had forgotten his original question.
"I haven't had that much fun since our day chasing the pirates!" Iroh laughs.
"Uncle, it was fun. But I'm still waiting to hear what the point of it was." Zuko sips his tea, feeling himself getting moody again.
"You do realize that good, honest fun doesn't always need to have a point, right?"
"Uncle!" Zuko is seriously considering finding something to throw at him.
"All in good time, Nephew. One day, you'll know." Iroh sits back against the tree's trunk, and calmly finishes his tea.
Zuko glares at his Uncle and sips his own tea, trying to figure out his Uncle's new lesson.
The wind sighs through the trees again, and Zuko takes a deep breathe of the sweet late summer air, and feels somewhat content, even as his thoughts continue to churn.
A/N Hello all! I was reading through my story and noticing a lot of spelling mistakes, omission of words, etc. I apologize for this. I don't have anyone proofreading it other than me, and most of these I am writing at 2 or 3 in the morning. I will edit the chapters as I find these mistakes, so bear with me. :) Also, I did make up the game of Flickerball. I have no idea what it is, so it may turn up later in the story if I find more Firebenders to tag along. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, questions and concerns. Have a great day!
Edit: 11/18/2020 Hey all! So, I decided to rework this chapter for purpose of better storytelling at a later time. I also felt like it sort of stated too plainly what Iroh was getting at. It seemed a little too on the nose and out of character. I do still have the original in a word document though, so let me know if you prefer that version over this one. I may change it back if enough people liked it the way that it was. Thank you all for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting. :)