The Tale of Fire and Sun | Zuko x OC

Chapter 11

Yara's POV:

I groaned in annoyance as I rolled on the bed. I have been doing this for Agni knows how long! My mind has been constantly battling with what I did today. I helped a person, whom my best friend was dying to capture, to escape!

I came all this way, left everything behind, to help Zuko. But recently, I've been experiencing some conflicting thoughts. It really stressed me out since I didn't know which was right.

The Avatar was wanted by the entire Fire Nation since he posed a great threat to their plans. I personally wanted him to take down Fire Lord Ozai and restore balance in the world. Ozai had to go down, at least for the sake of the Fire Nation. The actions made by him and his forefathers have made the world lose respect for the Nation. I wanted to feel proud being a firebender but I just couldn't.

Above all, the Avatar was just a kid! I couldn't possibly imagine capturing a kid who was just a few years younger than me! Well, Zuko could...

The Zuko I knew three years back would definitely not do something like this. But the story was just not the same now... He had to get the Avatar to restore his honor and claim his place as the rightful heir to the throne. His three years of wild goose chase has come to an end and he was just a few attempts away from succeeding his quest. He thought his life depended on capturing the Avatar.

To be honest, I was afraid to question him about it but also felt the need to talk to him about the whole thing. Ahh! Why does this had to be so complicated?! Then I sat up straight as an idea hit my head! Well, this might really help...

I knocked the door twice and waited, holding a tray with a pot of freshly brewed ginseng tea.

"Come in..." The voice called.

"Hello, uncle... I hope I'm not disturbing you." I smiled nervously as I greeted him.

"Yara! You could never tend to disturb me, dear, and..." He inhaled the aroma of the tea. "With a cup of my favourite tea... I am more than happy to have your company!" I grinned at him as I set the tray on the table.

"I brewed it myself, uncle! It's been a long time since I've done it, so I hope it tastes fine." I said as I served him a cup. I watched uncle anxiously as he took a small sip and nodded... appreciatively.

"You brewed it well, Yara! With some more practice, you could become as good as me!"

"Really?! Thank you uncle!" I grinned widely, feeling proud of myself. The Uncle Iroh said my tea was good!

We had our tea in comfortable silence until I cleared my throat nervously. "Uncle I have a lot going on my mind now and I hope you can help me with it."

"Tell me, Yara." He turned his attention to me.

"Well, earlier today... During the encounter with the pirates, I did something that I actually shouldn't..." I took a deep breath. "I helped the Water Tribe girl escape."

"I know..."

"What?!" I nearly choked on my tea.

"I saw you burn the ropes, Yara." He said calmly.

"But-but you didn't tell Zuko about it?" I asked in disbelief.

"I didn't... and I won't."

"But... why?"

"Because you did the right thing, Yara." He nodded and took a sip from his cup. I blinked a few times to make sure the conversation was even real.

"What you did was right because you trusted and followed your instinct and did not divert yourself from your morale." Uncle explained, making his point clear.