Fire Queen

Chapter 24

"You two are getting close?"

Uncle asked clearing the table as Ryu sat on the stool drinking tea, with a towel on her head. She came in trenched getting a long lecture from her uncle about getting sick and forcing a cup of tea in her hand.

"There is nothing like that, I am still married to him" Ryu replied little taken back by the question

"I am not questioning your loyalty to your marriage, just simply asking about your relations with Hiroto"

"I am sorry, I just don't want Zuko or anyone to believe that just because I am not with Zuko right now means I am not loyal to my husband or his crown" Ryu sighed putting the cup down.

"I am rather afraid of this loyalty end up hurting you," Uncle said pulling out a chair to sit down. This is the first time Uncle Iroh has to bring up this topic after Zuko left, Ryu was fully aware of how much he wanted to talk about it.

Ryu was also aware of the painful fact the uncle is feeling the burden of everything that happened wrong between Ryu and Zuko. He believes that he is the reason why Ryu remained silent and faithful to all the Zuko's abuse.

And all this guilt has started to affect his health, sometime Ryu wakes up in the middle of the night to find Uncle sitting by the window smoking his pipe, or he goes on long walks at strange times of the day, sometime Ryu finds him in the middle of the rush hours just sitting in the kitchen staring at nothing.

Ryu slowly walked to him, sitting on the floor by his feet, "I am okay, I will be okay, I promise I will make sure that I am safe and hopefully happy"

"I hope my child," Uncle said putting his hand on Ryu's head, he got up to go upstairs to start dinner as Ryu finished cleaning the rest of the shop.

As Ryu stared at the warm soup in her bowl she gather her strength to finally say something, anything to make it all better, to make him feel better.

"You know," Ryu said putting more soup in her bowl and then in Uncle's bowl, as he patiently waited for Ryu to continue.

"Now that life has seemed to slow down from the fast life of the palace and royal court I can't stop myself from reminiscing" Ryu paused to drink her soup.

"You know every night we use to find ourselves sitting on the bridge between the King's and Queen's chambers, we will sit there and talk about anything and everything under the sky, we would talk about the past, present and what future of the fire nation" Ryu looked up to find uncle focused on every word she was saying with hand holding the spoon still in the air, so Ryu decided to continue.

"I remember one day we found ourselves sitting there all night in comfortable silence, and finally I had enough I broke down and told him how much I miss my home at the island" Uncle smiled at Ryu encouraging her to continue.

"He held me for hours till I fell asleep in his arms, that evening a servant came to me in my office to take me to the little forest in the south of the city, there he was building a bone fire similar to the one we would sit around every evening"

By now uncle had a huge smile on his face as he ate another spoon full of soup.

"From time to time he shocked me with how kind he can be" Ryu put down her spoon being done with her meal.

"It was his mother, her kindness in face of my brother's cruelty always surprised me, I have great respect for that woman, she is strong and kind" Uncle put the whole bowl to his lips finishing his soup.

"I am sure it was just not his mother, I find your influence greatly in his kindness" He smiled putting his hand on his heart; he stood up to gather the dirty dishes.