𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙁𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨 ⚠ slow updates ⚠ *editing*

Loss of a Mother, Return of an Uncle

*edited 7/31/22*

"Goodbye, Hestia."

The ten-year-old girl awoke upon hearing Lady Ursa's soft whisper and gentle kiss on her forehead. Her eyes shot open right as Lady Ursa would turn to leave Hestia's bedside.

"L-Lady Ursa? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" She fought an upcoming yawn as she sat up.

Ursa's cloaked figure stopped. "You needn't worry, Hestia. But, please, promise me that you'll stay with my son, that you'll be by his side...no matter what? Protect him?"

Hestia was confused by her request, she wanted to question it, but instead, she agreed. "I promise. Lady Ursa...where are you going?"

Without answering her question, Lady Ursa quietly exited Hestia's chambers. What was that? Her mind hazed from her sleep as she tried to process what had happened. Did Lady Ursa give her a farewell? For what seemed like hours, Hestia sat in the middle of her bed, replaying what Lady Ursa made her promise.

"Lady Ursa..."

Hestia didn't want to believe that Lady Ursa was gone, and no one knew where she had gone. The talk of her disappearance...she had heard the servants whisper with each other, it was a wildfire, in a matter of speaking. The gossip was strong, and many things were whispered, none that sounded remotely plausible or logical.

Fire Lord Azulon passed away, too. When the funeral was held, it broke Zuko down entirely. There wasn't a second of the day he didn't grieve. Azula was neutral, as far as Hestia could tell. She truly wanted this to be a bad dream, and that none of it was real. But it was. The nightmare was real.

One tragedy after another.

The palace seemed to have darkened clouds over it. From what she's seen so far, Prince Ozai would soon become Fire Lord Ozai, after his elder brother rejected the crown. Though, something inside her made her wish the other brother accepted the crown, Prince...Fire Lord Ozai seemed to have this darkness around him. She worried about the future of the Fire Nation with him as its leader.

The General Iroh who drilled directly through the wall of the great Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se. Being a born Fire Nation citizen, she grew up hearing stories from her mother of how great General Iroh was. In honesty, she admired his achievements. If anything, he deserved to be Fire Lord.

"How are you, my niece and nephew?"

An older voice caught her ears. It was kind and gentle.

She turned a corner, and there they were. Iroh had the features of a kind-hearted man, creases lined his face, defining his age. Zuko, for the first time in some while, was beaming, though he still looked sad. As for Azula...Hestia couldn't read her.

I should leave them and come back later. Hestia went to turn and leave, but the man spotted her before she could flee. His voice nearly sent her soul to the heavens.

"My, who is this charming young lady? A training Lady in Waiting?" General Iroh's voice made her freeze.

"Oh, I didn't know you were there, Tia!" Zuko's grief seem to have melted away with the arrival of Iroh, and now her own. It was scary to have Lady Ursa disappear, and for Fire Lord Azulon to die so suddenly, Hestia was glad Zuko's mind was on other subjects.

Aside from that, she heard Zuko's nickname for her, and she went aflame. Her cheeks burned red. Why? She didn't have that reaction before. Was it because there was a General in her presence? The girl then decided it was.

Reluctantly, Hestia made small steps over to the royals. She felt timid and small compared to them. She bowed to Iroh, which he seemed amused by.

"General Iroh, it's an honor."

The older man laughed, amused. "Ah, please do not call me 'General'. I am retired now. I would like it if you were to call me Iroh or Uncle."

"But I'm not—" Hestia went to protest when Zuko clapped her on the back, jolting her entire body for a second.

"Uncle, this is Hestia, but I call her Tia. She is a guest in the palace." The boy informed the older man.

"Is that so? It is nice to meet you, Hestia." Iroh gave Hestia a small bow of his own.

"Uncle, you shouldn't let peasants greet you in such a manner." Hestia's blush vanished and she averted her gaze to the ground.

"Shut up, Azula! It doesn't matter if she's a peasant or not! Tia's my friend and she do whatever she wants!" Zuko defended Hestia rather quickly.

Iroh seemed slightly surprised to see his young nephew to even have the courage to breathe the same oxygen with a young girl like Hestia. The previous visit he had with his niece and nephew, he was so timid and awkward around Azula's friend, Mai. Though this was his first encounter with Hestia, Iroh saw something between them, she and Zuko. A certain bond, if he thought about it. She must've been pretty special for Zuko to defend her so vigorously.

He wasn't one to fawn over trivial matters like this, but this girl and his nephew seemed mighty compatible, and darling. It reminded him of a story, but from Ursa had told him, well, before she disappeared, Hestia was born in the Fire Nation. She inherited the complexity of her father. Her parents' love seemed straight out of a novel he would be interested in. He grinned on the inside.

He watched Zuko try to cheer Hestia up by speaking out nonsense. It seemed to work, due to the inevitable giggles that escaped her lips.

Yes. Perhaps Ursa was right...they would be an outstanding duo...*ahem* couple *ahem*.