Iroh's P.O.V
One week has passed since Saira had told me her terrible story. She didn't like thinking about it and didn't the past few years. It was something, she kept locked, back in her memories and never recalled it, how she said. But then she had to relive everything again when she told me the incident. It was a dark chapter in the story of her life. I had asked her if she would show me the house, she had burned but she only declined and suggested me to visit it when I was fitter. The next morning, I woke up, the other half of the bed was empty. I didn't realize what time it was but I would lay here the whole day anyway so I didn't really care. After a few minutes, Saira entered the room with a tray. She smiled as she saw me awake and put the tray on the bed and sat next to it. The plate was filled with food and beverages. She took a cup and poured black tea into it and then made sure it was cold enough so I could drink it.
"What have I done to get you, woman?"
"Been yourself my beloved Iroh."
"I like the view from here. You know, I always loved your legs."
Saira looked down at her legs and chuckled. I put a hand on her thigh while she was feeding me. I ran my hand up and down it and she gave me a sceptical look:"I thought your arm was broken."
"Well, it is healthy enough to touch you."
"Is it so?"
"The past few nights are the evidences for it.", I whispered. She laughed again and pecked my lips,"When are we visiting the house?"
Saira gave me a worried look and stared outside the window. Something crossed her face and she turned back to me:"As I said, when you are fit."
"Well, I am fit."
"I'm feeding you.", she said and raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I enjoy being fed by my beautiful wife. What else do I have to prove that I'm fine?"
"Alright. I'll shave you then we can go.", she said. She then stood up and looked for her bag while I sat up. As she got the blade, she walked back and sat on my lap:"You know you could do it alone too, huh?"
"Of course I could do it alone but I could cut my face, you know since I've broken my arm. And that would look unprofessional, am I right, Commander?", I said ran and my hands up her thighs to her waist,"By the way, my hands are too busy to do something else."
She started shaving my beard carefully and let out a shaky breath. I got her weak spot.
"If you continue, I can't show you the house.", she said seductively. I knew this was just an excuse so we won't see the place where she had left her worst memories. She knew that I normally wouldn't back but she got me wrong this time. I placed my hands on her waist and asked her to continue. One point for me. As Saira finished, she applied some kind of cream on my face and then gave me my favourite aftershave. She also helped me dressing up since I couldn't do it alone.
"You look tensed.", I gazed at her. She had braided her auburn hair and didn't apply any of those painting stuff called make up. But he still managed to look great and since day one, I met her, she looked fabulous. She didn't need to look like a clown, like some other girls and women did. And even if she applied some make up, it was always minimalistic. As she finished buttoning my shirt and jacket, she looked up at me. My hand wandered under her chin and lifted it up so she could look into my eyes directly. Then she laid her lips on mine and we stood there for a few minutes just kissing. My hand wandered down her arm and I felt something on her wrist. I broke the kiss and looked at it.
"Looks like I have a rival, huh?"
"Oh, yes you have.", she said seriously.
"Fine. Who is it?"
"Guess."
"Is it...Lu Ten?", at that guess, she slapped my arm. I chuckled and continued,"Is he taller than me?"
"No."
"Is he younger than me?"
"Yes, he is much younger than you, old man.", she chuckled.
"Are you serious? You said you only liked men who are older than you."
"My mind changed.", she said innocently.
"I give up. Who is it?"
"Zuko."
"Oh really? My own son tries to snatch away my wife. How traitorous.", I laughed.
"It's your own fault my beloved husband. Someone has to take care of me when you are not at home.", she ran her fingers through my hair. I grabbed her wrist and and pulled her out of the room. It was time to get to see the cursed place.
"Seducing won't help."
"It normally does."
"Not this time, Saira."
After a while we reached the forest. Saira took in a deep breath and started walking.
"You were always the one who said that talking would help to process a trauma."
"Not in my case. I didn't want to think about it. I succeeded until you asked me about it."
"Saira...you know I'm here for you."
"I know. But I didn't want you to live with the consequences of my past. I was afraid, if I told you my story that you would leave me."
"Leave you? Saira please. You are living the life you tried to avoid. You are living with my flaws and my mistakes. Do you really think that I won't? When I proposed to you, I knew that you would have some dark parts in your life. And you knew that I had them as well."
"That day, when you apologized to me and promised that you will marry me, I decided that when you really propose to me that I would reject you."
"But you didn't."
"Exactly. When we were present in front of the Fire Bending Masters, and you were on your knee, my brain told me to reject you but my heart betrayed me and accepted it."
"You didn't want to marry me?"
"I wanted. I loved and still love you more than you can think. I can't describe how much I do. But back then, I just didn't want you to face any trouble because of me. I didn't want you to sacrifice your happiness for me. But when I finally married you, I realized that behind the palace walls, even this family had problems. This picture perfect family that was admired by the whole world. Fire Lady Izumi and Prince Hayao plan to divorce, Medora has a crush on Mako and Lu Ten and Maira are about to split-"
"Wait.", I interrupted her," How do you know all this?"
"I know everything Iroh. I can end or save everything with a single word. But I'm waiting."
"Waiting? What for?"
"How things develop. If I interfere too soon, everything might just fall apart. When I married into this family, I knew that I had to solve problems. It was no problem for me but after a while, my past haunted me. I knew it could be the right time to keep you out of this. You wouldn't have understood my decision to split. But then I found out that I was pregnant and I knew that it was late to back away now."
"I didn't know, you were suffering that much."
She chuckled:"How could you? You were barely home. But I don't blame you. I just couldn't and still can't. You are the reason why I'm still here. If it wasn't for you, I would have been gone years ago."
"If you-"
"Don't say anything, you will regret later, Iroh. You don't have to feel guilty about anything.", she then suddenly smiled," I remember when I first met you. When you were little kids. I still can't believe that you are the one I showed my secret place."
"Did you know that before we dated?"
"No. Not at all. I found it out when we were already married."
She then stopped and looked straight ahead. There was a ruin of a house.
"When we had met in Republic City, you asked me if I was in a relationship. My answer was that I didn't have time. Part of it was true. But after him, I was too afraid to start a new relationship. I was afraid that my next partner might be like him."
"Were you afraid of me?"
"Yes."
"And now?"
"No, of course not. I realized that you weren't a psycho like him after a few days."
I smiled when she her cheeks turned redder than they ready were. We stood, I think like fifty metres away from the ruin and Saira didn't dare to step nearer, so I walked over there alone. I eyed the ruin carefully and noticed that it wasn't that rotten.
"We can go if you feel uncomf-", as I turned around, Saira was gone.
"Saira? Saira!", I called her but no response was heard. I looked around, maybe she found something interesting and looked at it. But she would have informed me if there was something.
After approximately half a day, I got lost in this forest. It was dark now and I lit a fire in my palm. There was still no sign of Saira. Behind me, I suddenly heard something crack and when I was about to attack, I couldn't believe who standing there. Her face was injured it looked like a bear or something like that attacked her. I stepped nearer and placed my hand on her injured cheek:"Saira, what happened?"
"Where have you been?", she cried.
"I was looking for you, I-"
"You almost let me die!"
"I-"
"I called for you! I ran for you but I couldn't find you!"
"Saira-"
"No! Don't touch me!"
"I just want to help you."
"If you wanted to help me, you would have saved me! But you didn't!", she yelled.
I kept staring at her because didn't know what to do or say. Saira was pretty confused and then she did something, I would have never expected.
"You know what? It's over.", she whispered and tears ran down her cheeks. She put off her wedding and engagement ring then she took my hand and placed them on my palm.
"What is wrong with you, damn woman!", I suddenly started yelling at her. Her behaviour had changed and she was not in her senses.
"What's wrong with me? I asked you not to come to this shitty cursed place! But you pushed me to bring you here! You couldn't protect me when I needed you the most! I have enough of you and that curse called life!"
"You have chosen this damn life yourself Saira! I didn't force you!"
"Then leave! Right now! Take your crew and leave Kyoshi Island!"
"Leave Kyoshi Island? Without you? You are my wife and the Supreme Commander of the Fire Nation! You have duties."
"Since we are no longer together Iroh, I'm no longer your wife, nor the Supreme Commander of the Fire Nation. I don't have any duties.", were her last words. She turned around and disappeared into the forest. I just stood there and tried to process what just happened.
My wife and mother of my children just left me.