Water Lily in a Sea of Fire

Chapter 44: Voluntary Exile in the Earth Kingdom

"I found jasmine flowers," she said pouring them into Iroh's hands.

"Oh, Princess Chiara...," he said thrilled. "You...you are a treasure. I told you you might one day make it out of the prison alive. You must have a special destiny ahead of you."

"Maybe it was all for this moment of providing you with jasmine tea," she said.

He let out a joyful laugh. "Then I hope there are many more such moments."

Zuko was smiling to himself as he listened to them while he was laying out their sleeping mats.

After having been up all night on the boat expecting to reach land, they were exhausted, and finishing their jasmine tea, they lay down to sleep for a few hours.

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It was late in the morning when the sun's rays began shining down on them through the trees rousing them from their sleep. Chiara started making their tea while Zuko pulled out dried fruit and salted meat from their supplies, and after their small breakfast, they began traveling again.

Hours into their journey, they neared a village with a marketplace.

"We can get clothes there," said Iroh.

They found an isolated spot in the woods nearby where Zuko could wait while Iroh and Chiara went to the market to purchase clothing.

"I'm going to clean up first," she said.

"Good idea," said Iroh.

She went down to the river while Iroh and Zuko sat down next to the ostrich horses and waited for her. When she returned, her clothes looked cleaner despite a few tears and scorch marks, and her skin was clean, as was her hair, the loose curls flowing beneath the sparkling silver of the diadem around her head.

"Chiara, you look like the most beautiful lotus flower among the lily pads," said Iroh.

"You say that to all the girls," she said.

Zuko laughed at her response.

"Only to the most beautiful," said Iroh.

Chiara shook her head at his comment. "I'll need your measurements," she said to Zuko.

"I-I don't know them."

She stood in front of him. "Put your arms out."

He did as she directed. She walked behind him and stood up against his body while stretching out her arms along his taking note of where they reached on him as well as mentally noting his shoulder and waist height. Then she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Hold still; I'm checking your waist size," she said.

His heart started beating faster with her arms around him.

"Really?"

"Yes. I'll have to do this to the merchant too to make sure I get the right size."

"What?!"

She softly giggled as she moved in front of him. "I'm just kidding." She wrapped her arms around him again and rested her head on him.

"Are you still checking my waist?" he asked.

"Nope."

He smiled as he put his arms around her and held her. After she let him go, he gave Iroh a bag of gold.

"Be careful," he said to them. "Keep her close to you, Uncle."

"When we return we'll go back to the village together," said Iroh.