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A Cursed Blessing	By : Yaoiandcoffeeaddict Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 6939 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar Last Airbender or profit from this story... damn.

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TIMELESS BA SING SE

"Did you hear?" a dark-haired twenty-something-year-old customer whispered to an acquaintance over Smellerbee's head as she stocked the bags of feed onto the shelf. She had no idea why the customer was whispering. The silence in the store was so overwhelming that afternoon that the slightest whisper was loud enough to carry over all parts of the cheap pet store.

"Hear what?" said the other man as he adjusted the small basket in his hands and reached for a small bag of feed labeled- octopus-skunk. Why people liked those things, Smellerbee didn't know… they didn't even taste good when they were cooked.

"Another Blessed One was found less than an hour ago in an apartment building of refugees," replied the dark-haired customer. "I saw the whole thing on my way here. The Dai Li were carrying him… her… whatever you want call 'em… out of the building and into this beautiful carriage. It was like a fairy tale…"

The other customer laughed as he balanced his weighted basket and reached for a can of pet treats. "You and your stories."

"But I'm serious! The poor kid looked so… I can't even think about the word for it. They even had this big burn scar on the left side of its face!" The words made Smellerbee freeze. The only person in this part of the city who fit that description was Li. "Imagine going from a kid who's experienced that and was forced to come and live here in the worst part of the city only to be whisked away to be married to a noble!"

Smellerbee watched them leave the aisle, too weighed down by this new knowledge to move. If they were talking about Li, she would most likely never see Jet again.

The punishment for intentionally harming a Blessed One had been harsh in their village before the Fire Nation had taken over with a minimum of ten years in prison. Ba Sing Se as the strictest Earth Kingdom city would surely have a punishment that was equal or greater in severity for Jet's crime. Either way, by the time Jet was released, she would be grown and probably with a family of her own and she doubted Jet would be able to or want to find her.

"Get back to work Kid!" her boss ordered from behind her. Smellerbee snapped out of her thoughts and returned to restocking the shelf. "If I catch you daydreaming again today, I'll dock your pay," the balding man promised.

This whole 'new life' thing was load of crap. Smellerbee wished the three of them had stayed in the forest.

With a defeated sigh, Smellerbee continued with her work, feeling slightly numb to everything.

Iroh clutched what he could of his nephew's shivering form in his wide arms, burying the injured left side of Zuko's face against his chest in comfort to the unconscious form and himself as the carriage slowed. He eyed the man known as Long Feng wearily. The man looked entirely too pleased with himself in Iroh's mind and Iroh could only hope whatever Long Feng planned allowed him to stay with his nephew.

The carriage door was opened and the light of the afternoon soon blinded Iroh temporarily as he waited to exit the dark, curtained carriage.

Long Feng descended the carriage first, signaling one of the Dai Li to enter the carriage and retrieve Zuko from the safety of Iroh's arms. Iroh's heart broke as he reluctantly allowed Zuko to be taken from him by the young officer before he exited the carriage.

The palace complex's exterior design from what Iroh could see was a fortress in and of itself. The entrance gate was about 50 meters from the palace door and a small moat circled the palace complex with a wide bridge running across it halfway between the two structures, allowing for a small army room to defend the palace if need be. The most impressive structure was the palace itself. Rust-brown walls toward at alarming heights with smooth surfaces mimicking the three walls that protected the city were adorned with large gold and green earth kingdom symbols that would make any enemy soldier cringe at the notion of scaling the giant structure. Iroh guessed there were about five floors above ground and, if rumors were to be believed, three floors below ground. Two structures stood like pillars on either side of the three small main entrance doors.

"Sir, where do you want me to take our 'guests'?"

A small smirk came across Long Feng's face. "Take Fire Nation Prince Zuko to the Jade Suite. Have the healer inspect him while I talk to our friend General Iroh in my office."

Iroh's years of reading people as a General allowed him to see the stoic Dai Li officer was uncomfortable. "The Jade Suite?"

"Are you questioning me?" Long Feng asked dangerously.

The officer lowered his gaze. "No Sir, simply confirming your orders." The officer bowed, adjusted his grip on the prince and left. Iroh watched as the small form of his nephew disappeared into the shadow of the palace, his old eyes memorizing every detail in case it was the last time Iroh saw his nephew. "Follow me, General Iroh. We have much to discuss."

Iroh followed the cultural advisor through the maze of dark green walls with trepidation to large office richly decorated in Earth Kingdom art from modern times to the start of Ba Sing Se. Two large shelves flanked the elegantly carved wooden desk and plush green chairs at the center of the room. A Dai Li officer with a tray of tea and small delicacies was waiting for them.

"Please sit," Long Feng asked politely as he sat down with a slight gesture to the identical chair at his desk, his tone suggested his words were more of a command than a request.

"What exactly do you wish to discuss?" Iroh asked as he sat in the indicated chair and took the cup offered to him, cringing at the taste of the bitter and cold drink the Dai Li was attempting to pass off as tea. He put it down on the saucer.

Long Feng took several sips of his own tea before placing the delicate cup down in front of him. "There is no war in Ba Sing Se."

Iroh was silent for several moments, slightly confused. "And I assure you, neither my nephew nor I wish to make a war."

Long Feng raised an eyebrow. "What I mean is there is no war here because we do not speak of war." Cold eyes bore into Iroh's dark gaze. "With the walls protecting this city and my Dai Li as our protection there is no need for our people or our king to experience the worry of war." Long Feng raised his delicate cup to his lips once more and sipped before continuing. "My great grandfather was the cultural leader before me.

Long Feng placed the cup back on its saucer. "He studied Ba Sing Se's history and changes extensively and what he discovered was that most often the culture of Ba Sing Se changed as a result of war. The Ba Sing Se in the beginning was a very peaceful and open town which traded and cooperated with all nations. However, the people and the city changed drastically when Ba Sing Se as attacked by the Northern Water Tribe. The first of our great walls went up, rituals grew more elaborate and Ba Sing Se no longer traded with other nations. Instead, our people learned to be self- sufficient. Every war since has further isolated and changed the people into more exclusive and suspicious people. When news of war reached my great grandfather he knew it would mean a change in life as he knew it and the possible lynching of innocent people such as a blessed one like my great grandbearer escaping the Fire Nation. So he took control of the city to protect the people and its culture.

"Besides an increase in the population, Ba Sing Se has not changed in the last hundred years. Can any other city in this world say the same?" Long Feng asked him before gesturing to the plate of pastries the Dai Li officer was holding. "Please have some grape-strawberry dumplings. They are a delight this time of year."

Iroh took one and took a bite, savoring the sugary jelly on his tongue before he said, "I will make sure my nephew and I make no comment to jeopardize your family's efforts."

"Oh, rest assured, I have no doubt, General, of that as it would place you and your precious nephew in danger."

"Then why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because you and your nephew are going to help me reinforce this illusion."

Iroh froze. He had a bad feeling about what was going to come next.

Long Feng took a bite of his own pastry, dabbing at his mouth delicately with a napkin once he finished it. "The avatar is here and he wishes to destroy everything my family has worked for by bringing Ba Sing Se into war. What better way I can convince the King that there is no threat from the Fire Nation, that there is no war, if the King's bride is a Prince of the Fire Nation?"

Iroh's stomach dropped. His Zuko was once again a Pai Sho piece on the board. "Please, I know I have no place to ask you of this, but please don't decide my nephew's fate for him. At least not now, not when my nephew has just lost his child and needs time to recover."

Long Feng just raised an eyebrow and asked, "What child?"

The healer had pronounced that Zuko's fever had been broken by the time Long Feng and Iroh entered the beautiful Jade suite. He also stated Zuko was slightly malnourished and the scarring on his face was irreversible but his reproductive organs were fine. When Long Feng asked why no one would know at Zuko's age why he was a Blessed One, the healer had replied it was not unheard of for a female's cycle to be delayed or stopped by malnutrition as the body does not have energy to expel waste and blood under such stressful conditions.

Long Feng had thanked the healer, paid him generously and then ushered the healer and the Dai Li out of Zuko's large bedroom. However, two Dai Li officers remained at the entrance of the suite with instructions to 'protect' their 'guests'.

As he waited for Zuko to awaken, Iroh explored their new living quarters to ease his anxiety. The entrance hallway of the suite was equipped with a small lounge/ dining area and had six doors- four of which led to bedrooms, one led to a large, luxurious bathroom, and the last one led to a small storage closet. A large glass window in the bedroom next to Zuko's doubled as a door to the inner courtyard/garden. Iroh couldn't help but think Zuko should have probably been placed in this room, it was far more calming to one's spirit.

The soft calls of "Uncle" came around sunset.

"Zuko," Iroh replied, relief flooding him as he approached the small form placed on the right side of the large bed. "What do you need?" He checked his nephew's temperature with the back of his hand.

"Thirsty," came the grovelly voice.

Immediately, Iroh sent one of the guards to get something for Zuko to drink. When they returned with some cold water, Iroh helped his nephew sit up and drink slowly before his nephew said he had had enough and then helped him lay back down.

"Uncle, where are we?" Zuko asked as he gazed around the expensively decorated room.

"We're in the palace. Our neighbor must have told the Dai Li about your condition and they came to retrieve us."

Silence echoed for several minutes before Zuko interrupted it. "Where is the… the…"

"They've seen to its burial," Iroh replied, wincing at the slight lie.

"Oh..." Zuko's voice tailed off into silence.

Iroh smoothed back the few long strands of hair on Zuko's forehead. "Get some rest, Nephew," he advised as he moved to leave.

"I…" came the soft whisper from behind him, stopping Iroh from leaving the room, "I remember thinking that if I was leaving my life in the Fire Nation behind, I should stop denying urges that our culture deemed wrong and dishonorable. I was never going to be able to reclaim my honor anyway…" Iroh turned back to his nephew and met the golden gaze, slightly surprised that Zuko was revealing so much to him.

Zuko lowered his eyes and watched his pale hands wring and twist the green silk blanket nervously before calming and then continued, "The boy on the boat… the one who… he told me I was beautiful and strong. He was the only one besides you and Mom who made me feel like I mattered. Like I wasn't worthless." Zuko's whispered words started to break up and Iroh saw the slight shimmer at the corner of Zuko's unscarred right eye.

As much as he wished to, Iroh made no move to go and comfort him. Zuko needed to get this off his chest and Zuko wouldn't continue if Iroh acknowledged Zuko was about to do something as unmanly as cry even in his emotional state. Zuko took a deep breath and continued, slightly louder this time, "I kissed him and next thing I knew, we were below deck in one of the crew's cabins. I didn't know I could get… so I didn't have anything preventing me from… It was my first and only time."

The room fell silent until Iroh advanced to the bed and sat on the unoccupied corner. "Did he hurt you Zuko?"

"No. Jet didn't hurt me," Zuko reassured him. "At least not physically. It probably would have been easier if he had." Zuko sighed and continued, "He was very gentle… but, at the end, he told me he would make every fire bender in the world pay for what they had 'done to us,' especially to his 'Li.'" Zuko choked slightly before continuing. Iroh knew then that emotions Zuko would never confront in his normal state were pushing through- desperation, loneliness, worry, regret and fear. "He hates us Uncle. Do you know what it is like, Uncle, to find someone great and have that hope for a small moment that your life would be better only to realize this person hates the idea of you?" Iroh didn't reply as the pained golden eyes lifted to his and his heart broke for his nephew.

"I knew that if I allowed myself to be 'Li' and be with him that our entire relationship would be a lie. One day, he would find out I was everything he hated and we would break each other's hearts. So when he asked to join his Freedom Fighters I declined."

Iroh gently laid a comforting hand on Zuko's ankle. "Life is never simple, Nephew, and love is the most complicated part of it." He met Zuko's exhausted eyes as he said, "However, you did the right thing. Love can never flourish in deceit." He gave his tired nephew a small reassuring smile.

Feeling guilty for implying Zuko would one day experience the romantic love he craved when in reality Zuko may never know love at all with the Earth King, Iroh turned away as his smile dropped. But at least Zuko and his future children would be protected from his brother and niece and have all material needs met.

"Uncle?" the soft voice inquired.

"Get some more sleep, Prince Zuko," Iroh advised. "You need your rest. We'll talk in the morning." In the morning, Iroh would tell him and he could only hope Zuko forgave him for not fighting Long Feng and the Dai Li for Zuko's own choice of future.

TBC….

PlEaSe CoMmEnT!
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A Cursed Blessing