When Nations Collide (p2)



As he prepared the water for the tea, Zuko glanced up.  Tai Lee was seated on the bench closest to the counter facing him, hands in her lap and her head angled toward the ground shyly.  Just seeing her made Zuko smile for the first time since Azula and the Dai Li took his Uncle Iroh away.

At first when he heard her insane request for tea, he was inclined to blow her head off with a fireball, believing it to be some stupid ruse his sister was using to capture him.  But instead of that, he cautiously agreed to make her the tea.  After seating her at a nearby table, he got to work; vigilantly looking outside every now and then to make sure Azula wasn’t sneaking up on him.  

The pot heated quickly as he boiled the tea with his Firebending.  Knowing a pink porcelain cup would be her favorite, he poured her the tea and placed the teapot back on the stove.  Once done, he walked over and placed the tea on the table in front of her.

Tai Lee looked up at him and smiled cheerfully as she reached for her cup.

“Thanks, Zuko.”

“Just so you know, Tai Lee, my tea-making skills aren’t nearly as good as my uncle’s… So… just know that I won’t take offense if you can’t bring yourself to drink it…”

Giggling as she brought the cup up to her lips, she responded to his remark.

“I’m sure it’s not all that bad, Zuko…”

He slightly smiled back at her before walking back to the back of the store to clean up the the stove.  It was true, he still hadn’t mastered the art of tea making, like his uncle had, but he was getting better at it.  According to Iroh his tea was now, to some extent, suitable to drink.

As his thoughts lingered on his Uncle, a profound wave of guilt crashed over his head.  He stopped what he was doing and stood mutely over the sink, lost in thought for about five minutes until Tai Lee walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.  Since it was an unfamiliar feeling for him, he jumped slightly at her touch.

“Look, Zuko, I know your upset about your uncle, and I don’t blame you.  Trust me, I would be too.  It’s just that, well, some things are out of our control, sometimes.”

She leaned against the sink, dipped her cup in the soapy water and cheerfully began to wash it with the rag Zuko wasn’t using.  

“You know, tea isn’t exactly what I came here for… though, don’t get me wrong, it was pretty good.”  

He looked over at her and smiled slightly.  She glanced over at Zuko and smiled sweetly, as she always did.  He put his rag down beside the sink and turned around, leaning his lower spine against the counter.

“Well, what is it that you came here for then, if not for my amazing tea.”  He teased her.  

He was enjoying this.  Zuko hadn’t talked with anyone but his uncle for so long that he had completely forgotten how enjoyable talking to an old childhood friend could be.

Tai Lee smiled at him, but an ominous seriousness overcame her.  When Zuko detected her sudden mood change, he became concerned.

“What’s wrong?”

Tai Lee looked over at him; an uncharacteristically upset look seemed to shimmer in her eyes.  She took a deep breath and sighed.

“Azula’s going to kill me if she finds out I told you this, but Zuko, she’s sending Iroh back to the Fire Nation to be executed for treason.  And she’s going to do the same to you if you don’t get out of Ba Sing Se fast.”

Prince Zuko’s heart sunk.  Not only had Azula lied to him, again, but she was also going to have their uncle executed.  Iroh was like a father to him and was the only member of his family who stood by him all during his exile.  He couldn’t loose him.  Not now, not ever, and especially not because of Azula.

“No…”  

All of a sudden the whole shop became bathed in an unnatural heat, emanating from the Firebender himself.  Tai Lee looked upon the distraught Prince.  Her eyes nearly welled up from seeing Zuko in so much pain.  She put her hand up to his face, and gently ran her fingers across his scar to try and comfort him slightly.  At that, Prince Zuko pulled away from her in alarm, a shocked expression on his face.  This was all new to him as well.  

“I have to go.”  He stammered abruptly.

“Wait!”  She called after him.

He stopped and looked back at her.  Though he had apparently trained himself to never show weakness, she could read right through him through his eyes.  His fear, anguish, confusion, failures, conquests, everything, it was all reflected through his blazing, golden eyes.  She walked towards him, picking up his wide conical hat along the way.  As she stood in front of him, she gently placed the hat on top of his head and tied the straps under his chin.  

“Be careful.  Promise you will.”

“I promise.”

“Good, now get out of the city.  Get as far away as you can, as fast you can.” Tai Lee whispered to him as he turned to step out the door.  

As he began to walk away, he twisted around and addressed Tai Lee one more time.

“Before I go, I need you to teach me something…”
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TO BE CONTINUED...