Wandering Firebender

Sixty Two: Catching Up

Elio couldn't help but find a funny kind of irony in the position he was in. He almost felt like he was in someone else's body right now.

Elio was given a nice inner guest room within the Fire Lord's palace to stay in. He was given good food and new clothes to wear: robes nicer than anything he'd ever seen his father wear. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, and Elio couldn't believe that it was all for him.

Elio stood in front of his mirror, fixing his collar and his sleeves. He brushed his hair back the way he liked it, taking a moment to feel his white streak of hair before brushing it back into place. Then he smiled and nodded in approval.

"This is it." He said to himself.

Then there was a knock on his door, making him flinch.

"Elio? Fire Lord Zuko wishes to speak with you!" A guard called through the door.

"Okay! I'm already ready," Elio said. He went to the door and opened it up. "Where is he?"

"In the inner courtyard. I will take you to him." The guard said before turning around and making his way down the hall. Elio quietly followed behind him.

Elio was brought to the inner courtyard, which turned out to be outside. Walkways covered by beautifully crafted metal canopies were paved all around an exposed large, flat arena in the center. He was led to Zuko, who was strolling down one of these walkways with the arena to his left.

"My lord. I've brought Elio here as you asked." The guard said, bowing respectfully before taking his leave. Elio nodded to Zuko.

"Hello there. Would you like me to address you as 'lord' also?" Elio asked politely.

"Only when it's formal – that's the tradition anyways. When we're relaxed, just my name is fine." Zuko answered. Elio nodded.

"Okay...feels a little weird but if you insist." He replied with a chuckle. Zuko nodded, smiling a little bit and gesturing for Elio to walk with him.

"It's nice out today. Clear and bright." Zuko commented as they started walking.

"Yes it is." Elio agreed, keeping in step next to him.

"My uncle had this way of always knowing what the weather was going to be like. Somehow, it felt like he could always connect the weather with things we were dealing with at the time. I used to think he was just looking too deeply at clouds...now I think it was all part of his spiritual connection." Zuko said.

"Your uncle...he helped me out a lot during the day of the eclipse. Without him, I would've never made it to the North Pole." Elio brought up.

"You met him? Oh that's right! You two escaped together that day, didn't you? I didn't realize it at the time, but now it makes sense." Zuko recalled.

"Yeah. He's...incredibly wise. He taught me a lot, and it ended up saving my life." Elio said.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." Zuko said with a fond smile.

"How is he?" Elio asked.

"He's doing well. He's gone back to Ba Sing Se to reopen his tea shop." Zuko said.

"I remember the tea shop! What was it called again...?" Elio asked, trying to remember.

"The Jasmine Dragon." Zuko answered.

"Right! Man, I'm not even that big on tea, but the tea there was unlike any I've ever had." Elio recalled.

"Tea is one thing my uncle knows best...I know I'll be writing to him often for advice." Zuko said seriously. Elio nodded in understanding.