A/N: when I do decide to go into Korea's timeline, would you guys prefer a book 2 or a time skip in this book? Please let me know & thanks for reading this :)
Iroh's POV
I scooped Y/N into my arms and Y/N's mother stood up and stopped me,
"Wait, what's going on? Why are you going to the South Pole?"
My grandfather looked over at her and replied,
"We're going to take her to a good friend of mine."
Y/N's mother gently ran her fingers through her daughter's hair before looking up at me with worried eyes,
"Please, Iroh, keep her safe."
"You're not coming?"
She shook her head,
"No, my husband's waiting for me... but, please send word to me as soon as you return letting me know how she is. Please."
I nodded,
"Of course."
I followed my grandfather out of the room and turned to my mother,
"Are you coming?"
"No, I have to stay here to watch over the Fire Nation, and Ursa should stay here, too."
My little sister looked up and pouted,
"But mother-"
"They aren't going on a fun trip to visit Katara and Kya- they're going to try to heal Y/N."
"I know! That's why I should go! Y/N is my bestest friend ever!"
"Ursa, next time."
She hung her head low before facing me and asking,
"Promise me you'll make sure she's all better?"
"I promise."
I turned back to my grandfather who nodded, signalling for me to follow him.
As we boarded an airship, I placed Y/N down on a bed inside and sat beside her. Grandfather grabbed a chair and sat opposite me before informing me,
"Just so you know, Iroh, I don't know if Katara can heal her."
I sighed as I rubbed my thumb against Y/N's and looked over at my grandfather,
"And what if she can't? What do I do then, grandfather?"
He held his chin, deep in thought,
"I don't know, I suppose you could always go to the North Pole, perhaps someone would be kind enough to attempt to heal her with spirit water... I remember Katara using it to save Aang's life once, when we were children..."
I glanced back at Y/N and took a deep breath.
What am I going to do if they can't heal you?
What is there left to do?
"Grandfather... do you think she's going to wake up?"
"I don't know... I'm sorry, Iroh."
I sighed and pulled her hand up to my face and gently kissed it.
Please, Y/N, wake up.
I tried to suppress my worry but it wasn't the easiest considering the love of my life was laying in front of me, unconscious.
Knock, knock.
I turned to the door and there stood my grandmother. My grandfather smiled at her,
"Mai."
"Hey." She glanced over at me, "Hi, Iroh."
"Hi, grandmother."
She sat at the edge of the bed, by grandfather's chair and explained,
"The airship should be taking off any moment now and we'll be at the South Pole in just under a day."
Grandfather nodded before going to speak to the captain and leaving me with my grandmother.
"How is she?"
"I guess... stable? She's been breathing fine."
"Don't worry too much, Iroh."
I looked back down at Y/N's state and felt a tear roll down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away but my grandmother had already noticed and had come over to me, holding her arms out.
I pulled into her embrace and murmured,
"Grandmother, what am I supposed to do?"
She rubbed my back gently and replied,
"You just need to wait, Iroh. We'll get her back."
"But what if we can't?"
"We will."
—
I woke up, my head was resting on the side of Y/N's bed, my grandmother called from the doorway,
"Iroh! We're here, let's go."
I wrapped Y/N in a fluffy coat to keep her warm as I pulled her into my arms and made my way off of the airship.
I followed my grandparents straight to Katara's hut, she smiled and looked up at them,
"Zuko, Mai! What brings you here?"
They moved to the side, revealing me holding Y/N's body- Katara's face dropped and she stood up,
"What happened?"
I explained the situation to Katara and she had me take off Y/N's fluffy coat and place her in a pool of water that she had in the middle of her hut.
She began to move her arms around and the water started glowing.
I sat beside her and watched, hoping that she could help Y/N.
She was working on Y/N for a long time before Kya walked in,
"Hey, mum, do you need any help?"
"Another pair of hands wouldn't hurt."
Kya sat on the opposite side and faintly smiled at me before asking,
"What happened to her?"
I sighed and retold the story again as she assisted Katara.
After that, I turned to Katara and asked,
"What's happening? Why hasn't she woken up yet?"
Katara has worried eyes but she calmly replied,
"I need more time, how about you step outside with your grandparents and go find Sokka? He'll have someone fix you up some dinner."
"What? No, I can't leave her."
Grandfather placed his hand on my shoulder gently,
"Iroh, you need to take a break. We won't be long, we'll get some food and be right back, it'll help relieve your stress."
I protested,
"No, because what if she wakes up and I'm not here? I can't do that."
"Iroh, we won't be gone long. Come on."
Although his tone was kind, it was also very stern. I groaned and stood up,
"Okay, fine, let's go. But we can't be long."
I paced outside and found Sokka, he pulled me in for a hug and told me,
"I heard about Y/N, I hope you're doing okay."
"Yeah, I'm doing okay- Katara told us to come and find you to get dinner."
"Sure, follow me."
He turned to my grandparents and grinned,
"Good to see you both."
My grandfather smiled and replied,
"Good to see you, too, Sokka, I just wish it were under better circumstances."
Sokka took us to eat and I ate as fast as I could before running back to Katara to check on Y/N, leaving my grandparents still eating with Sokka.
I burst into the hut but she was still unconscious, I sighed and sat back down beside Katara and watched as the glowing water washed around Y/N's body.
Please, my love, wake up.