Tale of Lu Ten

Broken

Zuko traversed the markets of Ba Sing Se as he looked for his uncle.

Where is he?

After he had left Lu Ten in the apartment he scoured the upper ring, making sure to avoid the house the Avatar and his friends were staying at.

After he came up with nothing he traveled back to the lower ring where the old tea shop was, once again coming up with nothing.

Did he get lost?

Zuko only knew of two places his Uncle liked to visit in Ba Sing Se, and he had already been to both of them. Now he was walking around the busy marketplace without a clue as to where his uncle could be.

Where else would he go? He's only been to those two places...

Zuko froze as he remembered another place his Uncle liked to frequent, one that Zuko had been to only once since they arrived at Ba Sing Se.

Lu ten's grave...

...........

When they arrived his uncle wasn't able to make an official grave. That was in the Fire Nation, in the gravesite reserved for the royal family and exonerated generals of the past.

But his uncle said he wanted a quiet place in Ba Sing Se to be the gravesite, so he could be closer to his son.

Why is he here?

Iroh was sitting against the tree, an empty bottle of sake in his hand as he murmured an old song.

"Come marching home..."

Zuko shook his head as he approached his uncle, wondering why he was still singing that funeral song.

Lu Ten's alive, he shouldn't be mourning anymore...

Zuko sat down in front of his uncle, gently taking the sake bottle from his hand and placing it away from him.

Iroh blinked as he recognized Zuko in front of him, "Oh Nephew... What a wonderful surprise... Did you come here to enjoy the view... It's a lovely time of year after all..."

Zuko looked at his uncle worriedly as he slurred his words, hiccupping from the excess alcohol.

How much did he drink?

Zuko shook his head, "That's great Uncle, but why are you here? Lu Ten is waiting back at the apartment. I bought us food to eat when we get back."

He held up his bag from the market, getting increasingly worried as his uncle hiccuped and shook his head.

"No No No... Lu Ten doesn't want to see me now... I failed him, how could I go back to him after that..."

Zuko's eyes widened as tears streamed from his uncle's eyes, overflowing as he buried his head in his hands.

"How could I call myself his father when I left him there... When I left him alone for all those years... How could I..."

Zuko set down the food and brought his uncle into a hug, ignoring the tears dripping down his eyes as his uncle balled.

Iroh spoke brokenly, "I failed him... My son... I failed him... How can I ask for his forgiveness... How can I..."

Iroh broke down as his nephew held him, lamenting the fact that he left his son all alone. That he dragged him into a war he had never wanted to fight in. A war that Iroh was able to escape from while Lu Ten never was.

I failed him... No wonder he hates me...

Zuko held his uncle, "It's not your fault Uncle. You didn't know he was alive.."