Dragon At Heart

Chapter 24

"Please don't tell me you actually thought you could just casually turn into a dragon and still fly under everyone's radar?

One way or the other, something strange was definitely going on.

Juva and Li weren't liars, and they weren't known for exaggerating either. The looks on the men's faces after returning with Iroh and Zuko had been very... emotional. If they were lying about what they had seen, they were both such good actors they could easily join a traveling circus and perform on Fire Festivals.

Personally, Jee hadn't made up his mind yet. He trusted that Iroh would give them an explanation soon, and if Iroh said the rumors had no foundation, Jee would believe him.

Lieutenant Jee opened the door and stepped in. He bowed deeply at the old man sitting by his nephew's bed, wiping the teenager's forehead with a wet cloth.

Iroh looked Jee in the eye and nodded, but then he turned his attention back to the young Prince.

Zuko was in restless sleep. Jee could see that the Prince's left shoulder had been bandaged thoroughly.

"Sir. How is the Prince?" Jee started.

The question wasn't just about being sensitive or polite: several crew members had come to Jee to ask how Zuko was, and since everyone knew he'd gone to see Iroh, the Lieutenant wanted to have some answer to give to the men when he returned.

Also, Jee would've been lying if he'd said he wasn't personally quite attached to the Prince as well. So asking how Zuko was had nothing to do with manners, really.

"His shoulder has taken quite the banging, but Sergeant Cho patched it up", Iroh said, "It's the illness that really worries me. He has a high fever."

The man's voice was even despite all the concern it held: "There isn't much I or anyone else can do for Zuko right now, other than be here for him. Still, my nephew is a fighter, and I believe that he will fight his way through this."

"Do you know where this illness has come from?" Jee asked, "If it's the same one that's been going around, we have medicine for it..."

But Iroh shook his head: "I fear this isn't a natural illness."

Jee gulped. He didn't want to upset Iroh with questions, but he had to now: "Is it... is it to do with this... dragon... thing?"

That question seemed to startle Iroh a bit. He looked at the Lieutenant again, but looked more surprised than angry.

"... No. I don't think it is", Iroh finally said, his tone unreadable.

Which was as good as conforming that there reallywas a dragon thing going on but the disease just happened to be unrelated.

"When I say this isn't a natural illness", Iroh went on, "I mean that it is an illness of spirit, not body."

His words worried Jee: "I didn't know an illness of spirit could manifest in such a... tangible way."

"Body and spirit are tightly connected. When one is suffering, it always affects both", Iroh's logic was hard to argue with.

"I suspect that this isn't an entirely new wound but an old wound that has reopened. Why it has happened now, after all these years, I do not know", Iroh's voice was resigned.

"Wait. You mean that you know exactly... oh. Right. You suspect that this is to do with... what happened three years ago", Jee put two and two together.

Iroh nodded: "An assault like the one my nephew was put through wounds a man on a deeper level than just flesh."

Jee nodded. He understood.