"Uncle?" Ryu knocked at his door early in the morning, with a tray of tea in her other hand.
"Come in" she heard from the other side, she found him sitting beside the window with a game of Pai sho in front of him.
"Playing alone, mind if I join?" she ask him "I made tea"
"Yes, please my child"
"Tea" Ryu pushed forward the cup she just filled for him.
"Thank you, how are you feeling?" he asked still staring at the board.
"Very well, thank you for taking care of me"
"that's what families do, so?" he asked picking a tile from the board and then placing it right back.
"So?" she asked not knowing where to start.
"Doesn't matter how much I want to know about the past, I will not ask you, what happened is done what I am now concerned about is what we have and what it will lead to" he said running his hand through his beard.
"So tell me, my child, where do you stand?" he asked
Ryu took a sip from her cup putting it down, "I am lost uncle, your child is confused and terrified but she still finds herself standing by him"
He sighed, "Ryu, I have been encouraging you to stay beside him doesn't matter what, and if I am honest I did it keeping in mind this nation and the nephew I love like my own son, I didn't think of you but now I can't look the other way anymore" he took a shaky breath,
"Ryu I call you my child and its time I treat you as such, and as my daughter, I would ask you to leave him"
"Uncle how can you say that, you were the one who told me to stay beside him, to believe in him doesn't matter what, how can I just leave him"
"Listen carefully, being a man and a man who spends his life surrounded by men I can tell you one thing, a man who has it in him to hurt his family once, will always have in him to hurt them again, it's his nature that we shouldn't ignore"
"But.." Ryu was cut off by Iroh, putting his hand on her head.
"Ryu I want you to either stay here with me or return to the island because if you truly consider me as your elder you will not leave with him, I do not permit it"
"Uncle please just listen to me for once" Ryu tried to reason.
"No Ryu, I can not allow myself to let a child I call my daughter leave with a man like him," he said picking up his cup.
"Uncle what do you mean a man like him, we are talking about Zuko your beloved nephew," Ryu asked shocked.
"That's what hurt me the most, I failed, I couldn't taught that boy what it means to be a true man or king"
"Uncle you are being unfair"
"That's it, I said what I wanted to say, you can leave now," he said turning to the board again.
"UNCLE," said louder than she ever imagined herself to in front of the great dragon of the west, who's stories of wisdom and bravery she was raised on.
"Ryu?" He asked in a little shock, she closed the board in front of him with tiles falling to the floor and put it to the side.
"Listen to me, why won't anyone listen to me, can't you hear me, I thought if no one you will hear me, will see my pain, understand me, at least you will"
"Ryu my child..." Ryu cut him off once again.
"Uncle I know I am crossing a line, and I will apologize for it later but please for the love of Agni listen to what I have to say, not just listen but try to understand me"
uncle took a deep breath and pour more tea for himself as Ryu sat there gathering the words.
"Here I am my child, I am listening"
"You know how mad I am at you?" Ryu asked now lower tone,
"Why?" he asked.
"Not because you thought of this kingdom or him first, not that you think you somehow have the power to change the basic nature of a man, even if he is your nephew, but."
"But?" the uncle asked listening carefully to every word she have to say.
"You have no right to treat me like this, you know too well how much you meant to me, so almost one and half-year ago you welcomed me in your house, you call me your child, became the father figure I lost and then you told me to stand by him even if it is the end of the world; believe in him even if no one else does, to learn to love him because he needs it, to stay loyal to him doesn't matter what, so you know what I did, I did just that"
Ryu put a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"And now you sit in front of me once again, calling me your daughter, knowing too well how much power you hold on my soul, and tell me to just like that"
she snapped her fingers and all the candles in the room went out.
"Stop loving him, when I have already fallen in love, stop being loyal to him when all I think about is him, abandoned him when there is no place in the world left for me other than beside that man, yes that man that might be abusive, might be a monster but now it is out of my hands because I can't just undo all this like"
She snapped her finger again and all the candles caught lit again.
"Uncle, I apologize for my tone and the volume of my voice but I do not apologize for the words, I will not leave his side it's too late now"
she ran her hand across her cheek to find tears, she whipped them away,
"It's too late now life or death, pain or happiness, heaven or hell, it's with him"
"I see," Uncle said. "then I guess all I can say is I wish you luck my child, I pray its heaven"
"And if you plan to walk down this path, then I will advise you that what you lack is respect, respect him and make sure he does the same"
"Love loses all its meaning without Respect,"
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Btw I am sure you all have already guessed it, but I don't really know what I am doing any more, just going where ever words take me.
Wish me luck.