Fire and Flame [Iroh II x OC]

Chapter 69: The old wise man

Iroh's P.O.V

"What? When did you send her?"

"Approximately two weeks ago."

"Two weeks? I'm sorry, Iroh. But she is not here."

"Not there? What do you mean by that?"

"That she isn't here, my son. The zeppelin reached but she wasn't with them-"

"Did you ask the crew?"

"Yes, they said, she wasn't with them."

"That's impossible. I've seen her boarding with my own eyes! How can she disappear?"

"Iroh calm down."

"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down, dad? My wife is gone! Who knows where she is, what trouble she's facing!"

"Saira is a strong woman-"

"I don't care how strong she is! We need to look for her!"

"Iroh, no. That would be-"

"No? How can you say that? She is your daughter in law."

"Son. Even if we look for her, we won't find her. It's not like the world is as small as Republic City. We won't find her that easy. And if the Fire Nation gets to know that their princess is gone, they will panick."

"I just don't know what to do..."

"Just wait. I'm sure Saira is alright."

I let out a sigh:"Why does every woman in our family leave their husbands? Great-grandma left great-grandpa, grandma left grandpa, mother left you and now Saira left me."

I hung up before my father could answer. I sat down on the couch and put my head in my hands. Why was this woman so difficult to deal with? Why did she need to disappear? Suddenly I had an idea. I asked Supriya to come.

"Supriya? Did Saira tell you anything?"

"Pardon me, Sir. What about?"

"Anything. Did she tell you where she would go or something like that?"

"Not that I knew. Maybe she just needs rest. Saira has been very exhausted lately because she tried to be the perfect monarch. You failed to see that due your own work, Sir."

Saira's P.O.V

I didn't know how long I was on this boat. I had no feeling for time. I breathed in the fresh, salty air and felt every small breeze that was tickling my skin. How much I've missed the sea. The calmness. No staff around me. No stress. Just me and the sea. I turned on the motor and drove to the coast of the Fire Nation. I soon reached my goal and stepped off the boat. The warm sand under my bare feet felt so familiar. My feet dragged me to to a giant door. I looked up and saw the huge fire symbol on it. I was at the right place. Even after all this years, I knew how to find them. I knocked on the door and waited a few minutes. Then a small slot opened, and eyes were seen through it.

"Password?"

"Agni meri Zindagi, meri Dil aur meri Saas hain.", I answered.

The person behind the door closed the slot and I heard a loud noise. The door got opened. A small, old woman was standing in the doorway and eyeing my sceptically. Then she nodded and took my hand, carrying me inside the cave-like hall. She brought me to group of women, who were sitting in a circle and meditating. The small woman cleared her voice and suddenly the others stopped their meditation and looked at me. One of them rose and walked towards me. She put her hand on my cheek and then asked the other women to go away. Then she pulled my into a hug smiled. As she pulled away, she looked into my eyes:"It's been decades since I last saw you."