Chapter Text
Two Days Later
Conversations in the Jasmine Palace became hushed when Zuko, along with Suki and Ty Lee, walked in. News of his trip to the Lower Ring had already reached the Upper Ring, and rumours had quickly began to manifest. The term 'peasant girl' and a few other, less savoury, names were audible in the street as he passed by. There were more outlandish theories, spread by those who still saw the Fire Lord as an enemy, which stated that he had met with a spy to receive information about the Inner Wall. However, he gave no acknowledgement to any of these rumours.
Iroh beamed when he spotted the trio and hurried out of the kitchen. “My nephew returns already—with good news, I hope.” He caught the way Zuko's shoulders dropped and the shared glance between his bodyguards. He smiled apologetically and bowed his head. “I'm sure you have much to tell me. Take a seat, and I'll prepare some tea for us.”
“Actually,” Zuko started as Iroh turned. “I was hoping to talk to you, Uncle.”
Iroh raised an eyebrow and nodded. He led Zuko to the back of the Jasmine Dragon while the Kyoshi Warriors found a table. “It's good to see you did not forget to say goodbye to your old uncle before heading off.”
“How did you know we were leaving today?”
“I didn't,” he told him, giving a shrug as he poured water into a kettle. “I assumed that you would be leaving soon; there doesn't seem to be a reason for you to stay in Ba Sing Se much longer.”
Zuko let out a chuckle and scratched the light stubble along his jaw. “I suppose you have a point.”
“Did you find that Jin girl in the end?” he asked as he clicked his fingers. A small fire lit under the kettle. He heard his nephew sigh behind him and waited until he was ready to speak.
“Suki and I were able to find her fairly easily. Turns out she’s engaged.”
Iroh turned, nodded, and smiled gently. “A journey doomed to fail before it had even started. The fate of many a young heart.”
“You make it sound like it was pointless trip,” Zuko noted, getting a smirk from the old man. “It was good to catch up with her, though. She was happy to see me again, too, and her husband, from what she told me, seems like a good man.”
Iroh took a moment to turn back to the kettle and adjust the heat of his flame. “It sounds like everything went well then. How come you wanted to speak to me in private?”
Zuko leaned against the counter, his cheeks heating up as he tried to explain. Iroh simply busied himself with the tea while his nephew continued to stop and start his sentences. “I...I was...” He sighed and took a deep breath in. “I was hoping to get some advice on women.” Iroh smirked and looked over his shoulder.
“You have come to the right place then.”
Zuko shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
“Nonsense!” Iroh boomed, clapping his hands. “I'll have you know, I was quite the ladies’ man when I was your age.”
“Well, I'm not exactly looking to be a ‘ladies' man’,” Zuko muttered, crossing his arms. Iroh's eyebrows shot up for a moment, then he closed his eyes, nodded, and gently tugged his beard. Zuko cleared his throat. “When I was with Mai, I thought we would be together...”
Iroh's lips formed a straight line and his brow creased slightly as Zuko continued to talk about his ex. He had liked the girl, even if she seemed quite dreary at times. It was a shame, really, to see the two childhood sweethearts' relationship end as it did. He could see the passion his nephew still had for her, and no doubt she felt similar. However, they weren't able to communicate or compromise; the death knell of so many lovers. He simply wished his nephew would stop focusing on her. It wasn't good for him. He found himself looking past his nephew to Ty Lee, who was the centre of attention for a group of guys. She and Suki rolled their eyes, trying their best to ignore them.
Iroh considered the stunning girl. She was certainly more cheerful than Mai, although that wasn't particularly difficult. Ty Lee was more lively than most people he had ever met. Ah, Iroh thought. My nephew would have his hands full with her, that's for certain. However, she'd bring out the more adventurous side of him. Agni knows he needs that. She would be able to let him forget his troubles and focus on the ‘now’, but would also be there for comfort. Hmm... Iroh slowly stroked his beard. Would she be able to confront him or take the initiative in his times of need? Or would she wait until he came to her—if, he came to her? Hmm…
Zuko's voice interrupted his thoughts. “Suki was actually the one who set this trip up for me.”
“Suki?” Iroh's raised an eyebrow while Zuko went silent for a moment.
“Yes. She's done a lot for me recently. She convinced my advisors to just allow me to come here, and planned out the entire trip and my dinner with Jin. She even accompanied me on it herself when the whole thing with Jin fell through.”
“Accompany you?” The old man grinned as Zuko stared blankly at him for a moment. “To dinner?”
Zuko eyes widened and his voice wavered as his cheeks heated up. “Well, I wasn't going to go, but Suki made a good point that we shouldn’t let good food go to waste.” Iroh chuckled lightly, getting a quiet laugh out of his nephew. “Honestly, she's been...amazing, to say the least.” Iroh nodded slowly, seeing the small smile on his nephew's face that threatened to grow even wider. “I'll have to repay her back somehow. Anyway...”
Iroh's gaze shifted back to the two girls as Zuko continued. Ah, yes. The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. Capable of leading people and life in general, something any good ruler should be; caring, something my nephew definitely needs to keep him on the right track. However, she is also headstrong and would not be afraid to challenge him when required. His eyes flicked back to the Fire Lord. I could see how my nephew could develop feelings for her. Although, I'm not sure how well a non-Fire Nation Fire Queen would be received... As he watched, a confident young man sat down next to the wary captain and put his arm over her shoulder. She lightly smiled at him before sliding her katana out of her scabbard and hitting him in the gut with the end of her hilt. He doubled over, leaning on the table, then slowly stood and slunk away. Oh...is she still with Sokka?
“Uncle?” Iroh looked back at his nephew, who had a slightly puzzled look on his face. “Are...are you listening?”
“Of course.”
“Oh...okay.” He scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “What do you think I should do? Should I pursue after another woman, or maybe take a break from relationships for a while?”
“Hmm. I believe one should always follow their heart, and if your heart already has a woman in mind, and it's truly what you desire, then I would say go for it.” Zuko hesitated for a moment, and Iroh glanced at two men deep in a game of Pai Sho. “Sometimes, in Pai Sho...” He couldn't help but grin when his nephew sighed. “We spend our turns thinking of what's ahead of us, taking a long time to find that one move that'll bring us victory. However, if we were to just focus on the now for a moment, we may spot exactly what we needed right in front of us.” Zuko cast his eyes to the floor, and Iroh could see the gears turning in his mind. The Fire Lord's head turned slightly and he went to look behind him, but stopped himself. His uncle narrowed his eyes, once more looking to the Kyoshi Warrior. The flirting men had limped away, one dragging his dead leg behind him.
“Thank you, Uncle,” Zuko said, standing up. “You've given me something to ponder.”
“Are you sure? There isn't anything else you wish to speak about?” Iroh asked as his nephew picked up the kettle and turned towards his bodyguards.
He stopped, but didn't look back. “I'm sure. What you said was more than enough.” Iroh grimaced, but followed after him.
“Finally!” Ty Lee exclaimed once Zuko placed the kettle on the table. “Good talk?”
He gave a short nod and shared a glance with Suki as he sat down. The pair quickly looked away from each other while Iroh began to pour the tea.
“Will you be staying in Kyoshi Island long?” Iroh asked as he handed out the drinks.
“A couple of days,” the Fire Lord said. “A week at most.”
“We're staying for the week,” Suki told them, and Zuko cocked an eyebrow. She smiled and gave a shrug. “The first day or two will probably be filled with discussions between you and the village elders. There still has to be a political reason we're going.”
“It better not cut too much into my beach time,” Ty Lee added. The other three rolled their eyes at her before laughing.
***
Suki sighed and shook her head at her Kyoshi Warriors as she reached the large courtyard where the Fire Nation airship was grounded. As she neared them, their chattering seemed to get louder and louder; excited talk of Kyoshi Island, rumours, old boyfriends, and other things that weren't fit for an elite guard to casually be discussing while on duty. They were the bodyguards of the Fire Lord, and as such, a representation of him. She knew Zuko wouldn't like seeing them like that, and she shouldn't either. There were smiles and small waves when the warriors spotted their leader walking towards them, but it all stopped, along with the chatting, when they saw her serious expression.
“Is something wrong, Suki?” one of them asked, looking around the courtyard.
“Yeah, I could hear you from the gate. Shouldn't all of you be helping to load up the airship?”
“We were helping,” Ami told her, getting nods from the others.
“Yeah,” Maiko said, unable to keep the guilty grin under control. “We're just taking a small break.”
“A small break?” Suki repeated, struggling not to smile herself as the group shared little looks and laughs with each other. She made a show of inspecting an empty cup and plate before placing her hands on the table and leaning in. “I suppose break’s over then. Get back to work.” She rolled her eyes at the lazy lot as they reluctantly stood and started to clear away their plates. “I know you're all excited about heading back home, but the quicker we leave, the quicker we'll be there. There isn't much left to be loaded on, anyway. I promise we'll get going the moment we're ready.” There were still a few grumbles, but Suki could see them working just a bit faster. In less than a minute, they were all back out in the courtyard, helping the other soldiers, all except Ty Lee. “Comfy?” Suki asked, looking down at the girl lying down on the now empty bench.
“Yep. Thanks for getting rid of them.”
“You know that order included you too, right?” Ty Lee gave a shrug and closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath before pouting as her legs were pushed off the bench. She heaved herself up when Suki sat down next to her, and eyed her leader for a moment.
“Everything okay?” she asked quietly, shifting closer to her and leaning forward to catch her eye.
Suki glanced at her friend and gave a slight frown. “I'm fine. Why?”
“I mean, are you okay after everything?” The acrobat checked that there was no one near before continuing. “I was just wondering if you wanted to talk after what happened. We could have talked more a few nights ago, but someone chased me out of the room.” She smirked at the look Suki gave her.
“You're lucky that someone didn't catch you.” The Kyoshi leader sighed and scratched the back of her neck. “I'll be okay. I'm going to use this holiday to help clear my mind. I'll take your advice, and try to spend some time away from Zuko.”
Ty Lee pursed her lips, but held her tongue. She had suggested that, but that wasn't exactly what she would have advised her friend to do.
The pair stayed quiet for a few minutes, watching the others work. Suki began to scan the courtyard.
“You'll give yourself wrinkles if you're always frowning like that,” the girl next to her told her.
“Shut up,” she said, but relaxed her face slightly. She turned back to her friend, who was resting her head in her arms. “You remembered to wake up Zuko this morning, didn't you?”
Her grey eyes widened slightly and looked away from Suki's gaze for a moment. “No... I thought you said you were going to wake him.”
“I strictly remember telling you to...” She spotted the corner of Ty Lee's lips turned up in a wide grin, the rest hidden by her arm. “Sometimes I wonder why I allowed you to join us.”
“It's because you love me.”
“That is just not true.” The two shared a quiet laugh. “Where's Zuko, anyway?”
“Is that him?” The comfy girl pointed with her eyes while keeping her head rested in her arms.
Suki saw her liege, standing at the end of the platform on the front of the airship. “Thanks, Ty Lee.”
“Happy to help, hun. Don't say or do anything stupid.”
“I won't,” Suki gave her friend a look as she stood and walked away.
“Good girl.” Ty Lee smiled and buried herself deeper into the nest.
“By the way,” Suki said, stopping and looking over her shoulder, “go help your sisters.”
Ty Lee let out a long groan before hauling herself up. Suki smiled as the acrobat trudged her way to the working warriors, dragging her feet with every step.
***
Suki carefully slid the door open and stepped onto the platform, keeping her eye on Zuko leaning on the railing at the end of the walkway. Lost in his thoughts, the Fire Lord didn't react as she walked towards him. He was staring out across the city; the airship was just tall enough to see over the buildings. The Kyoshi Warrior was just about to call his name when he glanced over his shoulder, a smile coming to his face. She gave a nod before wrapping one arm around herself and pulling the other close to her side, causing him to raise an eyebrow.
“Still feeling nervous about Kyoshi?”
A moment passed before she responded. “A bit. I'm probably being silly about the whole thing.”
“Trust me, you are.” His grin widened when she rolled her eyes. “You'll probably feel worse once we get travelling.”
“Thanks for the confidence boost,” she muttered, crossing her arms across her chest.
“No problem,” he said through a small laugh. “You'll be fine. You've spent how much of your life on that island—about sixteen years or so?” She cocked an eyebrow and gave a slow nod. “Exactly. Sixteen years following those traditions. That's not something that you'll just forget. You might make a small mistake at first, but I'm sure it'll all come back very quickly.”
The Kyoshi Warrior looked away from the Fire Lord, out into the city. She stayed silent for a few moments before her head dropped and she quietly laughed. “You still make it sound like I'm worrying over nothing.”
“Maybe you are.”
She looked back at him and let out another laugh. “You're a pest.” He shrugged in agreement and grinned, then took a step to the side and gestured to the free space beside him. She waved away his offer and shook her head. “I should get back to the girls. They wouldn't be happy if I didn't help a bit with the loading. I just wanted to give you this. I forgot to return it a few nights ago.” She pulled out the golden headpiece, held in small white cloth. “I thought Ursa might like it back.”
Zuko reached out to take it, but stopped himself. His brow furrowed for a moment and stepped back. “Keep it.” Suki's eyebrows shot up and brought the headpiece back closer to her body.
“Are...are you sure?”
“Of course. It's a gift.” Zuko frowned slightly at the way her body tensed up. “I’m sure my mother would approve. Besides, I did say you deserve something after all you've done for me.”
Suki didn't—couldn't respond. There were a hundred different thoughts running through her mind. She searched his golden eyes for some hidden meaning in his actions, but she didn't find it. She looked down at the headpiece in her hands, the engraved Fire Nation insignia facing towards her. A thought stood out from the rest, and she smirked up at the Fire Lord.
“Thank you, but don't think this gets you out of getting me a carriage.”
Zuko seemed shocked for a moment before he burst out laughing, making her giggle. “Damn, you caught me,” he said jokingly. “Don't worry. I'll make sure to find a good one for you.”
“Seriously, though, thank you.” Suki brushed a few loose strands of hair off her face. The pair stood there for a couple of moments, holding each other’s gaze until Suki coughed and looked away, her face heating up. She glanced at the other Kyoshi Warriors and half turned away. “I should get going. Don't be on here during take off, it's dangerous.” Zuko nodded and gave a small wave as she hurried back along the platform, the original meaning of the gift ringing in her mind.
Welcome to the family.