Water Lily in a Sea of Fire

Chapter 40: Everything You Want

The day before the wedding, Chiara was helping in the tea shop since they would be closing early to prepare it for the ceremony. While she was working in the kitchen making tea, Zuko stood off to the side watching her. As he stared at her, he realized how lucky he was that by the following afternoon she would be his wife. He had always expected it to happen one day despite being told it was impossible, but when did that ever stop him from trying. And now it was possible, and soon it would be real and forever, and he could not wait. Unfortunately, his contentment was not without worry. His father's words echoed in his head, you were lucky to be born. He felt his life had been filled with failures: failure to live up to his father's standards as a firebender; failure to be strong like Azula; failure to capture the Avatar. Maybe this happiness was just a dream. Perhaps he never made it out from beneath Lake Laogai, and he was currently a prisoner of the Dai Li and just hallucinating a better reality where he could accomplish the impossible. He wondered if he would wake up in a cell the next morning unable to make it to his own wedding or even return to the dream from which he did not want to wake.

He walked up to her and took her hand in his. She glanced up at him as he leaned down and kissed her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Just trying to figure out if this is real."

"If it's not, I hope we don't wake up," she said.

His lip curled, and he kissed her again.

"No fondling my tea maker," said Iroh as he entered the kitchen.

Chiara started laughing, but Zuko playfully sighed.

"Kissing my fiancee can hardly be considered fondling your tea maker."

"Go," said Iroh shooing him out of the kitchen. "Serve the customers."

He stood at the doorway lost in thought as he watched his nephew.

"I haven't seen him so happy since before his banishment," he said thoughtfully.

Chiara smiled at him. "I've been thinking the same thing lately."

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On the day of the wedding, Zuko was up early just as the sun was sending its rays towards the balcony where he sat quietly meditating. It was part of his daily routine, but this day he found focusing especially difficult. Iroh joined him while Chiara was making his breakfast. She and Zuko had opted for a lighter breakfast, and she had been up before the sun making banana bread. They never found it as good as her ash banana bread, but the Fire Nation fruit was impossible to get in Ba Sing Se, so they settled for regular bananas. When the men were finished with their morning meditation, they knelt around the table that Chiara had set for them.

"You two are quite quiet this morning," said Iroh as they ate. "Are you nervous?"

"We might be less nervous if you hadn't invited so many people," said Zuko.

"It's a joyous occasion," he said. "It should be celebrated."

"But if someone sees the ribbon ceremony, they might get suspicious," said Chiara.

"No one will see it," Iroh assured them. "You will be far enough away from the guests that no one will notice. And I will stand behind you and block their view just in case."

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After breakfast as Chiara began cleaning the kitchen, there was a knock at the door that Iroh answered.

"Welcome, Lady Taya," greeted Iroh.

Taya was an older widow who had been daily patronizing the tea shop since it opened, and whom Chiara had secretly suspected might have her eyes on Iroh. She was more than willing to help when Iroh had asked her to assist Chiara and escort her to the tea shop for the ceremony.