Chapter 19

"So, have you got everything packed?" Aang asked Zuko as he checked his pack. They were leaving for the colonies in a few days, and Zuko looked at Aang with disbelief.

"We aren't leaving for days. Why would I need to pack already?" Zuko answered, craning his neck to look up and behind at his best friend.

Aang was pacing back and forth across the carpet as they discussed what to do for the past few hours. It had been stressful, so they both took turns walking and lying on the couch. The couch was up against the left wall, and Zuko was resting his head on the arm of the sofa with his feet elevated on the other arm of the couch.

So far, they hadn't come to a decision about what to do. They had toyed up the pros and cons of if it would be better to leave the land as Fire Nation territory or to return it to the Earth Kingdom. The board they had been writing on was full after about the first hour, and they'd run out of space and stopped bothering to write everything they suggested down.

Iroh would be arriving in two days, so Zuko planned to ask for his wisdom when he came. Surely he could give sound advice and help them figure out what to do. They had exhausted what would be better as there was always a downside that wasn't worth the benefit of the choice. It had been difficult, but he hoped that his Uncle's arrival would make him feel better since he would be Fire Lord while he was away and stay for a while to open up a Jasmine Dragon tea shop in the Capital. This would mean he would be here for some time, maybe a year or so at least, while he got everything set up and hired some competent staff so he could return to the Earth Kingdom. Zuko knew he enjoyed living there, so he didn't want to force him to stay in the Capital.

"Well, if you don't pack early, you have less time to ensure you've got everything. Katara's organisational skills have saved me plenty of times. Since I always forget something, it gives me more time to remember everything I need." Aang spoke affectionately for Katara, and Zuko didn't need to see his expression to know he was smiling.

"Ah, she's probably right. She always is. I'll start packing later." Zuko folded his arms over his chest in acceptance.

"How about we call it a night? We've been at it for hours anyway." Aang suggested, and Zuko nodded and got up from the couch.

He nodded and wrapped an arm over Aang's shoulder as they walked towards his chamber door. Both were mentally drained, so having an early night would be a good idea. It was probably only about 9pm, and they had already eaten. Once he'd bathed, he would go to bed and read for a while before he slept. He waved Aang off and watched him walk down the hall for a few seconds before he turned on his heel and let his arm go behind him so the door would be pushed shut as he moved.

Once he had turned on the taps for the water to flow into the bath, he pulled his hair from its tie. It desperately needed a wash, so he figured he had plenty of time to let it dry. His hair had grown below his shoulder blades, and it was only getting longer. He wasn't worried about cutting it or letting it grow; it was just happening with time passing. Suki had told him that he looked more mature with it longer, so he thought it made sense to keep it that way. Thinking back on it, hopefully, Suki had meant it as a compliment. Maybe it was a nice way of her saying that he looked old, and he burst out laughing at the thought.

When the bath had finally filled up, he turned the taps off and stripped off his clothes and threw the dirty clothes into the laundry basket from across the bathroom. His pants landed on the floor, and he made a mental note to pick them up later. Once he hopped in the bath, he let his shoulders relax, closed his eyes, and let his jaw slack. He tilted his head against the tub's edge and enjoyed the hot water. He stayed in bed until he started to doze off and thought it was best to not fall asleep there since he wouldn't get a decent rest. After he got out and dried off, he just put on a small pair of shorts to sleep in and hopped into bed. The book he was still trying to read and had been for the last few months was currently collecting dust on his bedside table. He made a vow to try and read a few pages every other night so he could wind down from the day. Using a bit of fire, he lit the lamps on the wall behind his bed for some light and then lay down. He blew some dust off his book before opening it to the page where his bookmark was and briefly scanned over the previous page to refresh his memory on where he was up to.

It was a philosophy book written a few hundred years ago, but it was one of his favourites. Figuring it was an excellent place to start his resolution to read more, he had to take care as the edition of the book was quite old as well. Some of the string binding the book together had come loose, and he probably needed a new book. Still, it was one his mother had given him many years ago, so it held a lot of sentimental value. The book itself was well-loved, but he didn't want to read it until it completely fell apart. As he read through a few pages, his eyes started to droop again like they had in the bath, and he decided it was time to put the book down. He put the bookmark in the right spot, placed the book back on the bedside table, and then snuffed out the lights. It took a minute, but he eventually got comfortable and breathed in and out slowly until he finally nodded off to sleep…

Izara woke up the following day and reported in after she got ready for her shift. Luan was there, as also three other guards, Kai, Seju, and Chan. Footsteps from the hallway outside told them that someone was rapidly approaching, and Chan jogged into view.

"Ah, now that you're all here. We have to report to the Fire Lord. Let's go." Luan headed out of the Guard's office first, and they followed behind and kept pace with his long legs.

Wen was at the desk outside his office as usual and bowed her head politely to them all as a group, telling them it won't be long. They all stood to attention as they waited, showing their discipline as best they could. When the previous meeting ended, the person exited the Fire Lord's office with a bow. Izara didn't recognise them, but they had a similar complexion to Sokka and Katara, so maybe they were from the Water Tribe. However, she didn't have time to continue assessing them since they were gestured into the office.

"Thank you for coming. Please have a seat." The Fire Lord spoke authoritatively from behind his desk and sat back down himself after gesturing to the lounges. He continued speaking once they all sat down. "So, I'm sure you're all intrigued as to why I've asked you to come. I have a crucial role for you all to take on."

"We are at your service, my Lord. Whatever we can do to help." Luan was sitting so straight that it looked like his spine was made of a wooden plank. The rest of their group nodded, concurring with Luan's statement.

"My Uncle Iroh will be arriving in a few days, and I would like you all to guard him while he stays in the Palace. He will be Fire Lord while I am away visiting colonies in the Earth Kingdom, and I may be gone a month or more. You will be his primary guards during my absence."

The Fire Lord's voice was firm and confident, but Izara felt a twinge of doubt as to why she was there with some of the guards that had served much longer than she had. She wondered if it was because she had recently started to display her actual abilities. Suki had been asking her to help her run and assist her instruction in some of the classes. She had no problem assisting and helping her plan the lessons. They had been training together a little bit (when they had time) and trying to work towards a standard for all guards to obtain, almost like a ranked system. Each Guard would receive a grade in each aspect of their duties and an overall rank. They hadn't worked out all the bits and pieces, but it was definitely close to finished. Suki had given her knowledge from her training with the Kyoshi Warriors, and Izara had based a lot of her experiences and time working for her Uncle and the Army to put it all together. Izara had felt quite honoured that Suki wanted to get her help on the project, and maybe this was why her name had been put up for such a role. Surely Suki was reporting and telling him all about it, so the Fire Lord would know what was happening.

"Thank you for trusting us with such an important duty, my Lord. We will not disappoint you." Luan replied, but he was speaking for all of them. They all stood together, following Luan's lead and bowed low to show their respect and appreciation.

"I have no doubts that you all can complete your duties. I have faith in you all. I know my Uncle will greatly appreciate your service as well." The Fire Lord smiled, stepped out from behind his desk, and shook everyone's hand. "Thank you, and please let Wen know if you need anything. She could probably do my job better than me."

His joke set them all at ease, but Izara hadn't been around long enough to get the joke fully, but she laughed along anyway. Chan gave her a look to tell her he'd say to her later, and she just went ahead looking amused with the rest of them, so she didn't feel left out.

"Thank you, everyone. I'll be in touch about his arrival time, as I should receive word later today. I really appreciate it." The Fire Lord saw them out, and they all bowed low in the doorway before heading out and giving Wen a quick bow.

They all began to walk back to the Guard's office, and Chan fell back to explain details. Luan cut them off by chatting with them about what would be expected of them for the duration of this role. Everyone listened obediently, and when Luan dismissed them once they'd reached the office, Chan finally gave her the details.

"So, the story goes that back in the day, when she was about our age, Wen was Head of the Palace Guard and also served the previous Fire Lord," Chan answered her question but only gave her more.

"How old is Wen? She only looks like she's in her thirties at most!" Izara answered as they fell into step, heading back towards the dorms.

"She's closer to fifty, but I don't know the exact number. She's old enough to be my mother, though." Chan nudged her with his elbow, and she laughed with him. Chan had a great sense of humour and always lightened the mood everywhere he went.

"So you're saying she's been around long enough to know all the ins and outs. She knows everything there is to know." Izara responded, and Chan nodded with his eyes wide to show his intensity.

"Yes, indeed. Are you just starting your shift?" Chan asked with a smile, and Izara nodded. "Ah, well, I'm finishing. We'll be taking over from each other to look after the Fire Lord's Uncle since you're usually on afternoons or nights." He phrased it as a statement but sought her confirmation, and she nodded again.

"Luan is usually on in the mornings, but I guess it might be a different rotation since we will be working a different role." Partly thinking aloud, Chan grunted in agreement and nodded before reaching her post outside the doors to the palace gardens.

"Well, my friend. I'll see you when we do our first shift or change over together." He raised his hand, and she high-fived it with her own, and they grinned at each other before Chan went back to the dorms to rest after his shift.

Chan waved over his shoulder as Izara apologised for the delay and took over from the other Guard whom she was rotating with. They said that Luan had already informed them there would be a slight delay in the rotation and thanked her for getting there as quickly as she could before heading to the dorm.

She greeted the other Guard, and they chatted briefly before they got their shift ended and the next Guard started. All shifts were staggered on each station, with each Guard changing over by an hour to give each pair time to update and debrief before they rotated. It was a sound system, allowing everyone to collaborate and share their knowledge.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the duration of her shift, and she got a good night's rest after she had finished work for the day…