Fire Queen

Chapter 17

"So fill me in kids, how was your trip around the world" uncle Iroh asked as they sat around the table for tea with fresh baked sweets.

"Successful" Zuko replied.

"Dramatic" Sokka added in, earning a hit on the head from Katara.

"Dramatic?" Uncle Iroh asked, looking at Ryu who hasn't even looked up since they have arrived, in her heart she fears, she may start crying and tell her uncle all about his nephew's torments.

"Yes, little childish drama, but it is all resolved now, we need to move on" Zuko replied, making Ryu take a deep breath, trying to keep in the words that are threatening to spill.

"It looks far from resolved to me" Uncle replied, looking at Ryu. She finally looked up with little tears in the edge of her eyes, she have never been this exhausted before, this trip took the life out of her.

"Uncle there is nothing to worry about, just acted out under a lot of pressure, it is nothing to be concerned about, apologies have been made, and it will be made sure to never happens again" Ryu replied with a little smile.

"Really, and were apologies made from both sides, were attitudes corrected from both sides?" he asked, taking a sip from his cup.

"There was no need" Ryu sighed, "When did the crown start to take any kind of blame, one thing living in fire nation you should know, the crown is always right"

"Crown is just an object, normally has a human underneath it," Uncle said stocking his beard.

"I see no difference," Ryu said staring at the cup in her hand, as everyone sat there awkwardly.

"Or maybe only one side is wrong this time" Zuko broke the silence.

Uncle shook his head in disapproval, "one thing I have learned in this long life I have lived, is that it is never one side's fault, it always takes two rocks to spark a flame"

"It doesn't matter uncle, what's done is done, and now we can do nothing but live with what is the outcome of that spark," Ryu said standing up,

"There is always something you can do to ease a burn"

"Perhaps, but why does it matter, since it always leaves a mark" Ryu took a bow, "Please excuse me, I am exhausted" walking away from the conversation, knowing too well if she stayed there too long it will turn ugly.

"You said you guys were okay," Sokka said taking a seat next to Ryu on the roof, where once Zuko and Ryu sat looking at the lights of the bright city as far as the eye goes in the dark of night, the night he promised to always believe in her, in them, where is that believe now?

"Define okay? if okay means that we both will manage to live under the same roof, and put a play in front of the whole world, then we sure are okay." Ryu sighed.

"Hmm, we all expected something but thought it will pass by like you guy's every fight in the past," Sokka said, passing Ryu a pouch filled with boose, the one he always keeps on him.

Ryu took it, chugging it, till Sokka took it away "Take it easy, you getting drunk will only make the situation worse"

"Worse, this cant get worse, he already did the worse he could, and now all he can do is kill me" Ryu taunted.

"What do you mean by the that, what did he do to you that was so bad, you can't be seriously be still stuck at the little situation back in the southern tribe?"

"I wish that was it" Ryu stood up and stretched her arms, reaching up in the air, "Sokka have you ever thought, about what it feels like to be a bird flying up there in the sky, so free"