The Tale of Amara

Chapter 4: Wings

Wanted to finish this chapter so much sooner, but my apartment complex caught fire Sunday and things have been so hectic this week... Thankfully I just had smoke and water damage in the attic space above, so I didn't lose anything... I'm finally in a new apartment though, all settled, and back to my writing... This story is following the series, just in a different way. The next chapter will have a few snippets from the Kyoshi Island episode.

Chapter 4: Wings

Three days had passed since I was brought under the guardianship of a retired Fire Nation General named Iroh. With each passing hour, and every added mile away from Zhao, I started to believe more and more that my old life truly was over.

I was starting to heal both physically and mentally.

In the time I had been on Iroh's ship, no one had hurt me. Every member of the crew I came in contact with was kind to me, and careful not to scare me. I assumed that they had all heard my story, and I could tell a lot of them felt sorry for me. I also had a suspicion that their caution around me was Iroh's doing.

As I started to get to know my new guardian more, I found that Iroh definitely did care for me like a daughter. My first night fully conscious on the ship, after Ju had checked my stitches and gave me fresh bandages, Iroh brought me more tea and stayed with me until I fell asleep. He told me stories about his time as a general, and described to me details about lands and animals I had never heard of or seen before. He told me that as soon as he got me some new clothes so I could blend in he would show me around on land and let me see the world in a new light. That night, I fell asleep for the first time without fearing the day to come. Instead, I dreamed about a world that Iroh had described.

The next day, I was able to walk a little better on my own, having gotten some strength back. After some breakfast with Iroh, I was shown to the washroom down the hall, which was a small steel room with a large wash basin and pump. Iroh showed me how to use the pump, and then handed me a rag. He also placed a red shirt that he told me was once Zuko's on the flat steel counter. He left me to wash up, telling me to come out when I was finished so he could walk me back to my room. Once he was gone, shutting the door behind to give me privacy, I started to clean the dirt and grime off my skin. I felt with each wipe a dark mark of my past being cleaned away.

After I wiped what I could, I also wet my hair and rinsed it as much as possible. It was difficult to wash it due to the knots, but I was glad to get some of the sweat and dirt out of it. When I was done getting it as clean as I could, I knew no one would see me and I used my waterbending to pull the liquid out of my hair. I wasn't great at waterbending, not being able to practice much, so my hair was a little damp in some spots I missed... I hoped Iroh wouldn't question it. I still wasn't ready to share my dual bending just yet.

After I had washed up, I put on the long-sleeved maroon shirt that Zuko had once owned. The shirt was definitely large on me since Zuko was a lot taller than me, but I didn't mind: it was clean and warm. When I was finally decent, I stepped out into the hall feeling refreshed. Iroh was waiting for me, and he was relieved to see me in a much better state.

He escorted me back to my room, and I was surprised when he offered to help me comb my hair to get some of the knots out. It took a while, but Iroh managed to work the mess out with a pretty wooden decorative comb.  It was gold and had flower designs. He told me that the comb was once his wife's, and he had held on to it as a keepsake. He also told me that he used to help his wife with her own hair when she got sick many years ago, so he knew what he was doing: I think he was trying to reassure me he wouldn't tear my hair out or something.

As he combed my hair, he told me more stories about his life. He wanted to distract me from my thoughts probably, and also gain my trust more. He told me he once had a son named Lu Ten who died a few years ago in battle. He said that after his son died he fell apart emotionally in the years that followed. When Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation over two years ago, and forced to search for the Avatar, he quickly took Zuko under his wing. He wanted to help his nephew, and also try to fill the small emptiness he felt from his son's loss. He said Zuko was definitely a son to him.