Too Far Away

Chapter Five: You Were Glued to That Telescope

The Third Letter

"Even in exile my nephew is more honorable than you," said Iroh to the defeated Captain Zhao. The contempt was easy to pinpoint in his voice, and Zuko stared at his Uncle, eyes wide and the words echoing through his mind. 'Honorable' was usually the last word someone would use to describe him. "Thanks again for the tea. It was delicious."

They left Zhao where he was. Zuko had just bested him—an adult and a supposed firebending master—in an Agni Kai. He had won. He had won, and in the back of his mind, Zuko wished his father had been there to see it.

As the two of them made their way back to the ship, Zuko worked up the courage to ask, "Did you really mean that, Uncle?"

Iroh smiled. "Of course. I told you ginseng tea is my favorite."

It was precisely at that moment that Tongyi landed on his shoulder.

With the victory against Captain Zhao still fresh on his heart, the sight of Tongyi made him smile freely. He told himself that he didn't care his Uncle noticed, but his shoulders sagged with relief when Iroh said nothing of it. He practically ran back to the ship, hardly able to wait and tell her all about it.

Prince Zuko,

I give you my thanks for neglecting to set Tongyi on fire. If I could speak Falcon, I am sure that he would tell me he would not like that. In reality, because I cannot speak Falcon, I am not certain whether he likes getting set on fire or not. I do not wish to find out.

I did not see the beacon of light you wrote to me about, but I know of it. Many of the men at the naval base saw it, and my father has been even busier with reports on it. I have read all of them, and I find myself fascinated. It is truly remarkable what they can think of, even though it was obviously not a natural occurrence. I have told no one of your suspicions that it may be the Avatar, however, though I am tempted to correct their theories about the beacon.

I am unsure whether you meant that I am unforgettable in a kind way or in an insulting way. It is hard sometimes for me to tell.

I do not know all there is to know about your journey, but I do not think that you need to regain the honor I believe you already have. You have never treated me as if I were mad, like most boys do. I do not pretend to be an expert on honor, but I find it curious that you think so lowly of yourself, especially because I think very highly of you.

Zuko didn't know how to react to that, so he just kept reading, even though his thoughts kept turning back to it.

I very much enjoy reading about your adventures, and I look forward to your every letter. There is little to do here during the day, especially because I can only study the stars after dark. I would enjoy it a great deal if you did end up arriving on the basis of arresting the cook. I still have the remnants of his kitchen attacks on my ear and head, did you know that? I can never get cake for Tongyi without risking yet another repetition of the event.

In terms of my theories on celestial lights...

Song Lee had a lot to say on the subject. It was easily the longest letter he had received from her. She had multiple theories; she thought that the celestial lights were a result of magnetism (like the kind that made compasses point north) between the atmosphere and the surface of the world, or the reflection of sunlight, specifically off of the Poles, or the temperature of the atmosphere, or a combination of those and many other factors. Zuko could barely make sense of it, but he really enjoyed how passionate she was about the subject. She called the beacon an "atmospheric anomaly," and even though he knew that it really had been the Avatar that had caused the beacon, her theories seemed plausible. She also mentioned the belief held by the Water Tribes that the lights were caused by the spirits, but she didn't seem to take those beliefs seriously.