Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire [Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic]

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Zuko had finished most of his paperwork but only had one more meeting for the day. Izara had arrived at a good time, as it was right when he was free. Still, he had unfortunately forgotten to eat, so his stomach was growling angrily within him. The meeting was with builders and planners about creating a park with lots of greenery and plants in a free space in the city. The building used to be there was an orphanage, but he planned to rebuild it to join with the park. It used to be one of the only orphanages in the Capital City, but they were more spread out now. Refugees of the war and their children were well looked after, but things were much better now.

The Fire Nation was genuinely prosperous. The people were much happier without the feeling of soldiers breathing down their necks. It had been tough to change such a strongly ingrained culture, and it clearly wasn't perfect since extremists had emerged. A few in the military still had that war-like state of mind, but most were pleased to see the war ended. Trade was incredible, with merchants coming from all across the four nations and their own being sent elsewhere. The best exports were spices, as some plants in the Fire Nation could not be found anywhere else. There were also types of alcohol produced here that have proved a fine export, particularly popular in the larger cities in the Earth Kingdom. In his first two years as Fire Lord, he had made a point to go personally and visit each significant town in the Earth Kingdom and the North and South Water Tribes. He had hired many new diplomats whose job was to maintain the trade routes and upkeep any other necessities demanded by the agreements. Since trade was so good and improving every day, the economy was also good. Small businesses were also profiting, which allowed him to put more money back into caring for the refugees, making new homes and buildings that would benefit the populace.

As a result of all of this, people were happier. He had increased the wages of people working in the palace, which was bustling. There were plenty of guards in both the palace and the city, and guards posted across the islands and the colonies. The colonies were no longer under military rule but by a friendly hand. Zuko had worked to send aid and supplies to everyone who needed it as quickly as possible once the war had ended. He worked incredibly hard to achieve all this and couldn't remember the last time he had slept in or had a bath for longer than 15 minutes. Things were improving, and he was gradually finding good people to work with that he could delegate tasks and trust that they would get it done to his standard. Once the overhaul of those in charge was complete, he could relax more. He was getting there, slowly but surely.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose even as Wen opened the door to let him know his next appointment had arrived. She waited a moment until he took a breath and nodded before she let them in, enough time for him to plaster his business face. Although this project was significantly more light-hearted than many others he had worked on, he still found it hard to focus. He stood up to greet them and moved from behind his desk to the plans on the wall. They discussed and reviewed for roughly 40 minutes before Zuko had struggled enough and suggested they reconvene at another time to finalise everything. He was mentally exhausted and just wanted to zone out for a bit.

Once he was finished and the men left, he told Wen to go home and thanked her for her hard work. One kitchen staff was in sight at the end of the hallway, and she shuffled quickly to him.

"My Lord, shall I bring your meal to your chambers?" She asked after stopping abruptly and bowing.

"Yes, please. I would appreciate that very much." He replied with a tired smile. Even if he was exhausted, it gave him no reason to not be grateful.

"You're very welcome, My Lord. Won't be long." She bowed again and shuffled off at what seemed to be light speed, probably because he was so wiped out.

Slowly but surely, he made his way back to his chambers. Once he got there, he sat at his small table and simply waited for his food to arrive. Some days, when he was feeling okay, he would personally make his way down to the kitchens and sit with whoever was in the cafeteria. But he wasn't up for it today.