Letters From Iroh

Epilogue: Home

"Are you ready?"

I was the farthest thing from ready. I couldn't imagine ever, ever doing this, letting the world know where we'd be for it, when it happened, but I was going to, and my family, everything and everyone I ever lived or cared for, would be better off because of the choices I was making, or, we were making. We'd change things. We'd ensure an open, transparent monarchy, a new way to rule that honored the opinions and ideals of the everyday person. I was average once, or at least, led an average life. I wasn't born into the world in which I now lived, or better yet, thrived. How I could ever have thought that I was beneath it is presently beyond me. Though, I was right about the perpetual nature of fear. I'm terrified now, and nature's on my side, in one way, yet also not for the same reasons. How proper.

I screamed. This was not going to be easy. It hurt already, and this wasn't even the start of the worst parts. "How long until we get there?"

"Not that long." I looked up, picking up on the slight apprehension in the voice of a typically unshakable force, his arms around me. He massaged my back, lying me across his lap, and I noticed we were moving. I was slightly more relaxed. "The reporters will slow down the car, though."

"Can we take the plane, then?"

"No, Mat." Someone else shot down my brother so I didn't have to.

"B, please? Come onnnnnn."

"NO!" I lifted my head up only to have it be coaxed back down. I didn't need to waste my strength yelling at my sibling.

"Well. Someone's cranky."

"Iroh! This is not what I signed up for!" I turned to face him, about to blame him for my misfortune. Youuu did this to me! I held my tongue.

My mother leaned over the front seat, as she held up a radio. "Say hello to your mother-in-law, darling. She'll be arriving shortly. She wants to know if you'd prefer her to wait outside or come in to watch with the rest of us."

"Rest of you." My brother grimaced. "I don't want to see that. Ky's was enough." He was right. He passed out.

Kyaala's bell-toned laughter soothed me as always, if only momentarily this time, as a smaller, miniature version accompanied hers. She shushed the source of the noise, and it, being too young to act like Mat quite yet, nestled up to her, falling asleep at her gentle touch.

"Good kid." Sidka stuck her head around my father's shoulder, as I heard her say goodbye to whoever was on the other end of the reciever of yet another call to our car. It was big, sure, but it seemed like the whole wolrd was inside it. "That can't possibly last."

"Shhh." Mat hissed back, giggling at the woman who he proudly called his wife as she turned her face upwards, offering a silent plea to the spirits we all were wrong, that her son would stay the little peaceful monk-child he was. None of us felt that way, so I changed the subject, for selfish reasons all the same.

"Who called?" I cluthced my side, thankful that my mother recognised that I needed a moment to compose myself. Iroh talked to his for me. "Bolin?"

"Nope. My uncle. He said some of his friends are coming, too, and I know you'll be excited to meet them. It's a surprise." She winked, knowing the next thing I'd do would be to ask who they were. "Korra knows one of them quite well."

"Thanks for the enigmatic retort, Sid."

"Sure thing, Mommy."

"B." Iroh nudged me; my family's presence made him use my nickname more, but I never cared what he called me. "Tell her what you want." I sat up more, and took the reciever.