The Fire Lord's Ward // MakoxOC

Minister Eri

It was the day of Jinora's ceremony. Eri was wearing one of the fancier gowns she owned. Her hair was tied back in the signature bun of the fire nation. She was staring at the girl in the mirror. The lines of stress that had been on her face of late had faded. The anger behind her eyes was only calm. Her scar was a lighter shade, thanks to the techniques of the healer that had tended to her. It was a welcomed side effect of ten days in a healing pool. Straightening her collar she sighed and left the room.

Eri had heard Zuko arrived the evening before as a sign of solidarity with the air nomads as well as to check on his ward. She was nervous to see him, unsure of what he would want her to do, now that the mission was over. Would her life just be a glorified errand runner for the fire nation?

She walked to her room and saw Zuko waiting outside her door.

"Zuko?" Eri called softly so she wouldn't surprise the man.

"Eri!" Zuko disregarded any royal protocol, ran to the girl, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I don't know what I would've done if we'd lost you."

Eri hugged him back and stepped away, "I'm fine Zuko. Better than ever actually."

Zuko smiled at her comment and nodded, "We have much to talk about. Would you care to chat in the garden before the ceremony?"

Eri grabbed his arm lightly, "Lead the way."

-

Once they sat in the garden, hot tea in front of them, Zuko finally spoke. "The Fire Nation thanks you for the fulfillment of duty."

Eri scoffed, "Is this you dismissing me from the family?"

Zuko shook his head, "Of course not. You are my ward, there will never be a dismissal from my love, child. This is me officially welcoming you as a Minister to the Fire Nation."

"Minister of what?" Eri asked, completely taken aback. "I thought my duties to the Fire Nation were fulfilled. Or was me nosediving into a mountain not enough?"

Zuko shook his head at her stubbornness. "Eri, this is an optional position. You owe nothing to me or anyone else. Even if Zaheer had escaped, you should know that your ultimate mission was to come home safe. You have brought me light and happiness through everything. You bring honor to our Nation every day. This was never about you completing a mission as a payment to me, that is not how this family works. I would be saddened if you thought my love was conditional. I gave you this mission for closure. To realize that revenge is not the road to follow, but to act out of necessity. That your strength comes from your ability to overcome hardship, not how many battles you've won."

Eri stole a moment taking a sip of her tea and mull over his words. "So, what would you want me to do?"

"I want you to find the remaining members of the Red Lotus. We have operatives ready to serve you and work under cover. You are too well known within the organization, you wouldn't be fighting the front lines but instead the hub of all operations as we assist the nations in their fight for functioning governments. Especially now that there is a power vacuum in the Earth Kingdom we don't need a Lotus member secretly destroying everything." Zuko looked at her sincerely, "I've asked those brothers to aid you with the task as they carry out their own duties. They jumped on board immediately but I wanted to check with you and see what you thought of the idea?

Eri nodded, "They'd be a great help I'm sure, but is it such a good idea to lead such a task force without Korra's involvement?"

"The Avatar needs to heal in her own time. The Red Lotus is easy to strike now and we must act quickly. Iroh has ships ready to take you in two days time." Zuko reached across the small table and grabbed her hand, "If you are ready, that is."