Fire Queen

Chapter 34

"Ryu?"

Uncle asked walking out of his room, who else could have been in the kitchen so early in the morning that the sun have just started to show up?

"Yes, did I wake you, I am sorry" Ryu replied from inside right after a loud bang of a metal bowl hitting the wooden floor "Shit, Sorry" uncle walked to the kitchen to find the kitchen in chaos with dirty dishes all around, baking powder and egg shells on the shelves and floor and in one corner baked goods in dozen from different types of cakes to cupcakes still steaming hot.

"No, you didn't, I just wanted some water" Uncle walked in and stood in the middle looking at the mess in front of him, he thought to himself what is the bigger mess my kitchen or my children?

 "What are you doing?" 

Ryu turned around with flour on her face and hair, she smiled "Oh I couldn't sleep so I thought why not start baking earlier for the shop, we can eat them in breakfast too" Ryu turned and brought a little piece of freshly baked cake to uncle "Open" she said putting it in front of his mouth.

"Would you like some tea, you know what a  stupid question" Ryu hit her head and smiled "of course, you will like tea, I am an idiot sometimes".

"Ryu" their uncle called out for her again trying to regain from the rampage she is in the middle of. 

"Yes?" she asked trying to wipe the flour out of her face with an already dirty cloth.

"I will make the tea, go wash up" uncle took the rag away from Ryu and put it in the sink, "No, I am not done" Ryu protested taking another egg in her hand to crack. 

"Yes you are, go now" Uncle took away the egg before it hit the metal bowl. 

"But" Ryu took another egg, which was again taken away by  uncle, "No but's, Not another word, go clean up now" 

Ryu tried to use puppy eyes but after uncle stood there not moving she lowered her head in defeat and left him alone in the disaster she created. 

uncle sighed "These kids"

"So? " uncle asked with a cup filled with streaming tea, and cake in front of him.

"So?" Ryu asked eating a spoon full of the cake "I have gotten so better at baking since the first time's disaster" Ryu took a sip to push down the big bite she just took. "I never knew that cake can turn into a stone like that like i thought I broke a tooth trying to eat it"

"Ryu?" Uncle asked again, trying to bring her back to the issue ahead.

Ryu took a deep breath and put down the spoon, "It's nothing, I am just anxious" Ryu cleaned her mouth with a napkin.

"You are traumatized my child" Uncle stated the fact and took another sip.

"It wasn't the worst thing that happen to any woman out there, he didn't do anything but be aggressive, I just don't know why am I being so dramatic" Ryu looked out at the rising sun.

"Don't do that" Uncle ran his hand through his beard.

"It's not a big deal, means we are married after all" Ryu grabbed the fabric of her dress the squeezed it as hard as she can, similar to the screams she sometimes squeezed in so they won't escape.

"That's it Ryu" Uncle put down his cup on the table a little too hard that the tea spilled a little.

"You can not do that, it's just not what he did that was horrifying but what his actions showed," he paused for a second trying to calm himself "his actions have shown that he can't be trusted, and when someone breaks trust in marriage there is not much of the marriage left"

Ryu stared at the spilled tea and tried to keep the pathetic sobs inside.

"What you two have is not a marriage, but just love that is not allowing you to realize the reality ahead of you"

Uncle paused and look at the spilled tea Ryu is starring at for the life of her, "You know what you two have is extremely unhealthy and toxic, but at the same time everyone around you has been forced to accept the fact that no one can convince you two to just call quits"

Uncle shook his head in disappointment "What a shame, your love could have been the healing this nation needed, but the love that exists to burn everything around it can never heal anything"

They both again went into silence, as Ryu looked at the spilled tea and uncle drank the rest that was left in his cup.

"If you are gonna go with him, know this you will never truly trust him again, your heart has been hurt too many times"

A tear escaped Ryu's eye but she wiped it, "We can heal" Ryu whispered.

"You are as stubborn as him" he grabbed a napkin and finally cleaned the spilled tea, "What I will suggest to you is to try not to blame yourself for his actions, if you want to heal then that will not help, you need to forgive yourself before you forgive him"

Uncle finally grabbed a spoon and took a bite of his cake.

"Keep him accountable, and give yourself enough respect drawing a line he can't cross, and if he did then have enough courage to walk out, you both need healthy boundaries, he knows he can do anything and you will stay, and that's not what a healthy relationship looks like"

He took another bite "Make him respect you, or this love will bring you nothing but pain"

"I know," Ryu said starting to pick the dishes,

"The path you are going down will be full of hurdles, I wish you all the luck"

"Thank you"

"Luck for what?" Aang asked standing next to a sleepy Zuko with bed hair. "Morning," he said taking a seat at the table where Ryu was, "Do you mind?" he asked looking at the cake.

"No go for it" Ryu smiled before turning to the kitchen.

Uncle raised his spoon and filed cake in the air, "Ryu, you truly have gotten way better at baking"