A Match of Ice and Fire

Chapter 1: Zuko

Its been three years since I was last here, but admittely I'd been obsessed with capturing Aang by any means nessecary, so sight-seeing wasn't really top of the agenda. There was also the small fact n I'd almost been assinated by pirates at the time  and frozen to death on the icey tundra. I can't help but grimance at those years. So much has changed.

Shards of diamoud rise from a sea of sapphire, I still can't quite comprend the North Poles beauty. Closing my eyes in the in the sparkling morning light, I Inhale the pure crisp scent of The North...

Stretching on the deck of the royal vessel, i remove my over robe and I start my train routine. Beginning with some basic fire breathing excises, I try to clear my mind.

Sleep elluded me last night and the thoughts that kept me up seemed to have followed me into this morning.
I have no reason for my reservations. The fire sages ordained the match. They called it 'an alliance to mark the mending of the 100 year war, celebrating a new era of peace'. Katara approved of the decision, she thinks it will mean a lot to waterbenders from both tribes. Even Aang believes the arrangement could restore balance to the nations and the avatar never been about wrong about the spirity stuff before. They all support it, 'so long as I'm ready to get married,' which is what Aang always seems to prefix his opion with. And I am. I'm the firelord, it's to be expected.

Now, me and Mai are over I have to choose a bride. There was a time where I would done anything to make her my FireLady, but we were on different paths. Mai made it clear this summer she didn't want to be defined by me, which being the Firelords wife she inventivably would be. And as much as she might have loved me, Mai couldn't bare to be locked into another relationship like that; like she'd been with her family, her overbaring, father as the Omarsu guvnor and with my sister, trapped in a toxic friendship. And then under all the scrutiny of being the Firelords girlfriend...
Mai wanted freedom to do what she wanted for a change. So we broke up, and she went travelling. The last I heard she was visiting Ty-lee on koyishi Island. She seems... Happy, for once, which was never a word I thought I'd use to describe Mai. But she did. She seemed happy. And i'm happy for her. I tell myself that as I blast a five foot wide fire ball over the prow, melting off part of the railing.

"You seem distracted newphew..."

I can't help but smile. "How could you tell..." I fire another this time with my right foot.

Uncle iroh doesn't look up from his game of Pishow with the deckhand.
"Marriage is no small thing, Zuko. You are entitled to feel anxious. After all, you haven't even seen this Princess yet."

"Chieftan Arnook sent me multiple paintings, I know what she looks like." Dark brown rolling hair, crystal clear sapphire eyes... If princess Yue looked half as beautiful as her cousin, it's no wonder sokka fell so hard for her. The portrait of Princess Kaya Arnook of the Northern Watertribe is...serene.

"Paintings can be deceiving..." iroh comments, cryptic as ever.

Turning my back on my uncle, I give way to the racing rhyme of my fire bending. "You know, i don't care what she looks like, uncle." I chide.

"And you don't care about what she's like as a person?" Iroh finishes destroying the deckhand at pishow and ends the game, collecting a siezable amout of coin from his winnings.

I roll eyes, knowing full well he can't see.

"How do you know you will even love this girl?"

I fire round after round of molten flames. "How many times do I have
to tell you uncle, I don't have to!" I keep up the assault, letting the heat pour over my face. "It's an arrange marriage, I don't expect too."

"And her? What if she wants love?"

Suddenly, My old wound from Azula's lightning strike twinges. I'm forced to stop. Hugging my Abodmen and trying to surpress the pain. Iroh is at my side in secounds. "-I'm fine!" I interject before he can ask.

"Perhaps you should sit a while..." Iroh suggests, gently handing mea a robe and guiding me to one of the upturned crates  around his pishow table.

I ease myself onto the stool as lroh watches. "I am sorry." He apologises out of nowhere. "Marriage is for life. Please understand nephew, I just want to make sure you're making the right choices for the right reasons, and not rushing into anything because of other... emotions."

'Mai.' Is the unspoken name between us.

I shake my head, taking my hand in his. "I know, uncle, and I am. This is what is expected of me, I'm the Firelord. After all my father was enaged to be married to my mother at fourteen." At that Iroh grimances. On reflection it's probably not the best example to use. My uncle opens his mouth to say somthing but I interceed confidently. "I'm ready to do the right thing for the Fire nation. I want to restore honnor to our family." I add determined, "and I want to marry princess Kaya Arnook of the Northern Watertribe."