His position was deeply awkward now.
The Fire Nation, where Azula was, and the White Lotus Society, where Iroh was-his lover was on one side, his family on the other. He could not let go of either.
Fortunately, Iroh understood his difficulty. He neither tried to stop him nor asked him to choose, only hoped he would stay a few more days.
Because Zuko would be back soon.
Kahn gladly agreed. He wanted to see Zuko too, not only because of their bond, but also because Zuko faced the same problem he did. He wanted to ask how Zuko had resolved it.
The next day, Iroh and the others continued their meeting, but they did not invite Kahn, leaving him on the sidelines.
Although Iroh had not said it, Kahn knew what it meant. His stance remained uncertain. Until he confirmed that he would side with the White Lotus Society, he certainly could not attend the elders' meetings anymore.
That suited him just fine. Kahn enjoyed the free time and could not even be bothered to visit the White Lotus Society's base. He stayed in the hills behind it, discussing Spiritbending with Guru Pathik and playing with the four little ones, East, South, West, and North. It was very pleasant.
Inside the meeting room, however, Kahn's absence struck Aang and the others as rather odd.
Aang asked:
"Where's Kahn? Isn't he coming?"
Iroh said with a smile:
"Whether Kahn comes will depend on his own wishes. Until then, please don't tell him what we discuss in these meetings."
Aang and the others were baffled, but Iroh offered no further explanation and began the day's discussions.
First, they would explain their counteroffensive plan to Aang and the others and continue discussing it.
Second, they would arrange Aang's bending lessons.
With severe