Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

34

"Here you go," the old man walked into the room with a fresh pot of tea resting in his grip, "after you boys had that tiresome journey, I hope that today's work wasn't too heavy of a burden for you. Still, I appreciate the help."

Lei accepted the tea politely with a nod. "Our journey was long. Thankfully, our sister's map helped to guide us to the White Lotus. With your connections, we were able to make it here before winter. Working at your tea house is an honour, if not the least we could do in return."

The other brothers nodded along in agreement with their sibling, their faces stuffed with the delicious left-over pastries from the tea house. Lei's formal words were well-received by Iroh, who smiled and put an extra pastry on the stoic teen's plate. Lei accepted it with surprise, his eyes sparkling with delight as he took a bite of the sweet confection.

"Yeah! Your fwiends fwom the Misty Palmfs Oafis were really cool." Kanak added happily with bits of pastry flying from his mouth.

Hun punched the kid's shoulder in response. "Swallow your food before you speak." The eldest brother grumbled, but his face held nothing but amusement.

Iroh clutched his stomach and let out a boisterous laugh. "Ha! You boys must have surely been a handful growing up. It's no wonder that your sister is so patient with my nephew."

With that comment, the room suddenly got quiet. The three protective brothers turned to their sister, expecting an explanation. Keya dropped her broom and let out an awkward chuckle. "Heh, yeah... Lee and I bickered a lot when we just met."

"It was my fault, really." Zuko defended her hurriedly. "Your sister's been nothing but nice to me."

"Of course it was." Hun smiled, but his aura was threatening.

Lei lifted his attention from his pastry for a moment to voice his own queries on the matter. "Just how 'nice' are we talkin', exactly?"

"Yeah, Lee!" Kanak added. "Do you think you can take this?" He grabbed his daggers and flexed his arms, but Zuko looked rather unimpressed.

Keya rolled her eyes and stepped forward. "Stop it with the intimidation, you three. Lee doesn't need to prove-"

"You call that a weapon? I'll show you a weapon." Zuko smirked as he walked over the counter. Keya and Iroh watched with surprise as he unhooked a new set of dual swords from underneath the tabletop. Since when had those been there?! Zuko unsheathed them with lethal precision and presented them to the three brothers. "I got these at the local market a while ago after your sister was almost attacked by some rogue gangster."

"Really?" Lei stepped forward and inspected the weapons with a critical eye. "These are dual oxtail swords, often used by rebels and gangsters. Kind of strange for a tea server to own, don't ya think?"

"Keya was attacked?" Hun frowned and turned to his sister. "Why didn't you mention this in your letters? What happened?"

"Nothing happened! I was fine, Lee protected me and fought the guy. He's in prison now... I think."

Zuko rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I was lucky that there were city guards present. I used their swords to fight the guy off. Obviously," Zuko nodded to his swords that Lei was currently holding, "I didn't want to count on my luck next time."

Kanak walked up to his brother and started asking questions about the sword. Lei turned to the boy as the two quietly started discussing its build and quality. So it always went when the elder brother found a new weapon to analyse; Kanak would never be far behind to ask him all about it. Having grown up without being able to bend, both boys enjoyed studying ways that they could use to defend themselves. Especially since their father died, Lei and Hun had taken it upon themselves to protect the rest of their little family. And although Hun had his talent for earthbending to fall back on, Lei had not been so lucky. As for Kanak? The two brothers had had no chance to test the boy up until recently, so Lei had given him some basic training in swordsmanship just in case.

Hun smiled at his two younger brothers as they discussed the art of swordsmanship among themselves, before turning his attention back to Zuko. That guy bought swords to protect Keya and managed to defend her against some gangster idiot? He walked over to Zuko and slapped an approving hand on his shoulder.

"Perhaps you're not so bad after all, punk."

A relieved expression passed through Zuko's eyes. "Thanks."

"Still," Hun held up his hand, "Keya's my sister. If she ever sheds a tear on your behalf, you'll learn what it feels like to get your butt handed to you by three-" He looked over just as Kanak accidentally pricked his finger against the blade. The boy quickly stuck his finger in his mouth as Lei scolded him for 'being an idiot'. "-or two-and-a-half Earth Kingdom men."

Zuko swallowed thickly, but his motivation to prove himself was clearly present. "I'll prove to you that I'm honourable enough to be with your sister."

"Don't prove it to me," Hun tsk'ed, "but prove it to her. Be a man."

Before Zuko could ponder his potential brother-in-law's words, a man wearing the official palace uniform walked up to the door. He entered without knocking and immediately set his eyes on Iroh. He walked up to the old man and handed him a scroll. From what could be seen, it was clear that the scroll held the Earth King's official seal.

"A message from the royal palace!" The messenger announced with a bow. He then stepped back to let Iroh read its contents. The tea maker gently unrolled the parchment and held it out at a reading distance. His eyes swept up and down as they took in the formal ink lettering. Tears welled up with astonishment and humility, such happiness that both Keya and Zuko had only witnessed a handful of times.

"I... I can't believe it!" Iroh exclaimed.

"What is it, uncle?" Zuko walked over to peek at Iroh's letter and to see the message for himself.

Iroh closed the letter and smiled. "Great news! We have been invited to serve tea to the Earth King!" He raised his letter triumphantly and immediately ran off to prepare his portable tea set.

Keya clapped happily. "Congratulations!"

The three brothers smiled and congratulated him as well. "It seems like we'll have to wait to discuss our next plans." Lei spoke softly.

Hun nodded in agreement and turned to Keya. "Yeah, you're probably going to help him, aren't you?"

Zuko stood near the entrance of the shop quietly, waiting for Keya's answer. The girl smiled softly at him, before turning back to her brothers.

"If it's alright with you? This is Mushi's dream, so I want to be there with him."

Hun wrapped his little sister in a big bear hug (as was his specialty). Lei and Kanak quickly joined them. "You've taken care of us for so long, Kay-kay. You only ever think of what other people want. All we want for you is to enjoy your time now. We're big boys, we can hold down the fort here while you join your old friend to serve the King. We'll be there for you when you get back."

"Yeah! Did you know that the Earth King has a pet bear? Maybe if you do a good job, he'll allow you to pet it! You have to tell me all about it when you get back!" Kanak rambled enthusiastically.

Lei ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "She'll be too busy for that, I think, but I'm certain that our sister will do a good job."

She couldn't stop the tears from falling after hearing her brothers' sweet words. She smiled through her tears and chuckled softly. "Thank you. I don't know how I survived all those months without you guys. From now on, I never want to be parted from you ever again."

❃

A/N: I love the brothers, some of my favourite characters to write <3 What do you think of Hun, Lei, and Kanak?

Also, I've been busy so sorry for the late updates!