Hi all! Thank you for taking the time to read my fics. Also, I love hearing from you guys - feel free to message me or drop something in my Ask Me Anything box!
Anyways, here’s a masterlist of all my fics/drabbles.
Your idea for Destiny is really an amazing one. I love how solid reader's background was. I also like how it really aligns with the main story. I can't wait for more! Can I be on the taglist for destiny? Thank you so much!!!
>< thank you so much! 🥺🥺 I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I've added you to my taglist!
Author’s Notes: Hi! yes, sorry for the way, but here is chapter five. I really enjoyed writing this one - I hope you guys enjoy it <3.
Chapter Preview:
You stare at Iroh with surprised look. “Wait, so when you said ‘one who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries’…you weren’t kidding? You’ve actually eaten fruit and tasted its mysteries?” You gulped at the fruit, even more worried.
[Previous - Chapter Four]
You uncomfortably shift on the ostrich-horse for what it seemed like the hundredth time the past few minutes and you cringe when the beast squawks in return. Behind you, Zuko growls in frustration and you feel the vibrations against your back, sending warmth to your face and cringing even more.
The knuckles on Zuko’s hands turn white as his grip on the reins tightens. “Will you stop moving? It’s making the ostrich horse uneasy.“ Zuko seethes lowly, his breath warm against the back of your neck as it sends shivers down your spine. You thanked the Spirits that Zuko couldn’t see your face as you feel your face heat up even more. Taking a breath, you feel the fatigue of traveling all day seep in making you feel more frustrated.
Glaring over your shoulder, you meet Zuko’s narrowed amber eyes. Lips in a tight line, you mutter harshly in reply, "I will if you stop breathing down on me.”
Summary: Zuko is suffering from nightmares and it’s affecting his duty as Firelord. You finally do something about it.
Author’s Notes: This is part of my Kyoshi Warror! Reader X Firelord!Zuko drabble series) Hope you guys are having a great weekend.
The air was particularly chilly tonight, the wind whipping all around you as it howled and played with the tendrils of your hair. As the tassels of your Kyoshi headband whip at your face for the hundredth time that evening, you sighed in annoyance blowing it out of your face one more time. You leaned against the palace wall, the stone digging into your back as you glanced around the perimeter briefly before allowing yourself to relax completely. There was no starts out tonight - just the dark inky night sky while the moon hid behind some clouds. The palace grounds was unusually quiet that evening only adding to the tension that's been building for the past few days.
You quickly glanced over your shoulder and through the balcony doorway where Firelord Zuko slept in his bed. There had a few more break-ins this week and, unfortunately, it had been happening outside of your nightly shifts. Frowning as you recall back to the other Kyoshi Warrior's reports you read this afternoon, they all reported similar things - Zuko was being unusually short-tempered with them, he was falling asleep in meetings, and he was constantly not paying attention. You chewed on the inside of your cheek deep in thought, wondering what could be causing his moodiness - more than usual, that is.
Pushing yourself against the wall, you turned to patrol the rest of the balcony that wrapped around the wall. As you were about to spin on your heel to turn around, you hear it. It’s a hushed sound, almost like a whisper. You paused mid-step and waited to hear the sound again.
Silence.
'Probably just the wind,' you thought. Even so, you kept your senses on alert in case you heard the sound again as you continued to pace around the balcony. As you were about to walk away from the balcony, you hear it again.
A whimper, followed by a stuttering breath. The sound came from the bedroom and your eyes trail to the bed and the faint online of Zuko's body. Even from where you stood, you could see him toss and turn, the sheets tangling around him.
You hung your head, cringing when it suddenly dawns on you.
Zuko was suffering from a nightmare - and he had been every night for the past few days when he would go to sleep. You deduced that these nightmares were probably fueled by the recent break-ins. It would explain his recent behavior - his lack of sleep led to feeling more tired and stressed more than usual. That would also explain why he's been falling asleep during meetings with various subjects and definitely his increased in moodiness.
You sigh and untie your cloth belt, placing your sword and Kyoshi fans against the balcony door as you entered Zuko’s bedroom. As you walked around Zuko's bed to his side, you watched his features, illuminated the by single candle by his bedside table. He looked peaceful while he slept, but the crease between his brow and the light perspiration on his forehead told you all you need to know that he was far from peace.
Kneeling by the edge of the bed, you placed your crossed arms on the mattress as you watched the Firelord sleep. You frowned when you felt the slight tug of guilt blooming in your chest. Tonight was the third night in the row you've observed Zuko suffering from nightmares. You haven’t brought it up to Suki yet, figuring that maybe Zuko could handle it on his own. After all, nightmares were personal matters.
But after piecing the things together, you felt guilty for not bringing it earlier. Some strands of hair had slipped over his face and covered part of his face, almost like a half-hidden mystery for you to discover. Gingerly, you lift your one of your hands to brush some of the strands away, a small smile tugging at the corner of your lips. You then let your hand trace his features delicately - over his brows, down his nose, across his jaw.
You stared at him for a moment longer, your cheeks flushing at the sudden realization of how close you were to him as your hand hovered over his face. Spirits, you thought, he was so handsome.
Zuko looked so peaceful while he slept, his face unmarred by the stresses of the day. You often forgot he was young for a Firelord. You couldn't imagine the weight he carried on his shoulders let alone try show the world that the Fire Nation has changed. If there was anything you could to lessen that weight, you would do so in a heartbeat.
Since starting your new position as a nightly guard to the Firelord, your relationship with him bloomed rather rapidly but deeply. He was very quick to open up to you, some nights he would spend sitting out in the balcony with you as he talked about his day or vent about things that were bothering him. You would sit next to him quietly as you listened to the timber of his voice and offered advice when he asked.
But there was always some kind of tension though. Your friendship teetered on a fine line between friends and being more than friends. Jokes that were a little too suggestive, eyes that lingered longer than should have, touches that seemed more intimate...Not to mention, every time he was near, you felt the flip in your stomach and when he catches your eyes, your mind was sent reeling. You weren’t sure if the feeling was mutual, but you certainly knew how you felt about the Firelord.
What you felt for him was definitely more than what a friend should have, but you refrained from ever taking it any step beyond that. After all, he was your superior and the Firelord. It was precisely for that reason you didn't know how to deal with see his nightmares. It seemed like a very personal matter and you didn't want to overstep your boundaries, fearing that it might ruin what you two had. Simply put, it wasn't your business.
“No…please.”
Zuko’s mumbling pulls you out of your thoughts and you watch Zuko as he continues to toss and turn around the bed. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't have gotten involved, but his nightmares was impeding on his ability to be an effective Firelord so you have no other choice. You stood up from your kneeling position and leaned over to gently shake him awake when he suddenly whispered before swinging up his arms as if getting ready to send a fireball.
“No, please! Don’t…don’t hurt her."
Your eyes widened at the sudden realization that Zuko was about to firebend so you quickly forced his arms down to his sides and put your weight on him. Awkwardly maneuvering so that you can face him, you reached to cup his cheek as you whisper softly, “Zuko...shhh...hey, it’s ok. Wake up, Zuko.”
Zuko slowly blinks his eyes open, his golden eyes connecting with yours, dazed. His eyes were heavy with sleep, but when he suddenly realizes the position you're in his eyes widen as he asks lowly, “(YN) - what’s wrong?”
He sits up and you let him after making sure he was fully awake. He tilts his head at your frown and brings to brush his thumb on your jaw when you don't reply right away. You blink up to him and you give him a reassuring smile as you slip your hand onto his, noting that his hand was still shaking.
“Zuko, you were having a nightmare…Is everything ok?”
Zuko's eyes widen briefly as he stares down where your hand was brushing his knuckles before reluctantly pulling his hands away to rub his eyes out of sleep. He knows he should tell the truth and tell you he's been having nightmares. But he wasn't ready to share the contents of his nightmare with you yet. It ranged from his father breaking out prison and reclaiming the throne, to Azula escaping the asylum and hurting everyone he loved and cared about - including you. Tonight, he had dreamt he saw Azula take you as a prisoner and use you against him. Azula was about to use her signature lightning to hurt you when you had woken him up. He remember feeling so shaken at the thought of not reaching you in time.
Zuko had woken up to your worried face, your hand stroking his cheek softly. He had to force himself not to pull you into him and press those worries away, but he instead sat up against his headboard. He didn’t want to make you more worried or make your job harder as it is; so he simply just pats your hand and reassures, "It was nothing. I'm fine now."
You sigh as you hang your head with a shake. It was now or never. Whispering lowly, you looked up back at him with a raised brow, "Excuse me, my lord, if step out of line. But I know you've been having nightmares. After all, I'm supposed to look after you. Not to mention, I keep hearing complaints about your irritable mood from Suki and the rest of the warriors.”
Zuko shakes his head with a smile on his face, laughing through his nose, “Nothing ever escapes you, huh?”
You laugh easily before squeezing his hand again. “No, it doesn’t, Zuko.”
The easy way his name rolls out your tongue makes him inhale sharply. It was always “sir”, or “my lord”, or “my king.” So anytime his own name came out of your mouth, it made him crave it just a bit more. Zuko briefly trails his eyes over your face noting how the candle on his nightstand made your features glow - from your striking eyes to the curve of your soft lips that looked so tempting.
“I did have a nightmare, but I’m fine now. I’m actually wide awake now,” Zuko sighs as he brushes his hair with his fingers as his sigh turns into a yawn. He blushes as he covered his mouth with the back of his hand.
You smirk at him and Zuko feels his stomach twist at the sight of your painted lips. He wondered how soft it would feel under his own? Zuko inwardly shook his head at his thought.
He was awake right? Right.
Snorting at him, you reply “And I’m a platypus bear. You need sleep, my king. Suki mentioned that you will be meeting with the Earth King today so you need all of your energy.”
As you move to stand from the bed, however, Zuko’s hands shot out and tugs at it, making you tilt your head at him. “Did you need anything?” You ask.
Zuko shook his head. “I...I just feel wide awake. I don't think I can go back to sleep at this point.”
You put a finger on your chin as you wrack your head with ideas to help the Firelord sleep, before a blush spreads across your face. When you were younger, you often had problems going to sleep. Anytime that would happen, your mother would read out lout to you and, as if magic, you would fall right asleep. Her gentle, soothing voice would always lull you back to sleep. You meet Zuko’s eyes expectantly and you sigh with defeat.
“Alright, I have an idea." You rose from the bed as one of Zuko's brows raise in curiosity.
Zuko crosses his arms, an amused smirk spreading across his lips. "An idea? That's a first..."
You turn sharply at him to glare playfully, "Oh shut it. Anyways, when I was younger, my mother would always read to me whenever I had troubles going to sleep. Wanna give it a try?”
Zuko hums in thought and says, “Doubt it’ll work for me, but how can I pass up such a great opportunity. It’s not everyday the Firelord gets to have someone read them to bed.".”
You laugh through your nose, shaking your head as you walk up to the bookcases that adored the wall. Zuko watches as you look through his bookcase with a lazy smile. He almost felt delirious from the lack of sleep and wondered if he was truly still sleeping. As you continued to look through the books, Zuko let his mind wander back to his nightmare.
He still felt some of the traces of anxiety from his dream lay heavy in his chest and he clutched at the sheets when a flash of your face in pain hits him. A slight wave of protectiveness washed over him. He understand that in your line of work, you could get hurt anytime. Even worse is that he knew you would put your life on the line for him.
And that frightened him.
You would do anything to protect the Fire Lord. He felt the fine line of their relationship, always teetering to something more. But the fear of you getting hurt because of him was the only thing preventing him from pursuing the relationship even further. No matter how much he wanted to.
Oh, how he thought about being with you. Zuko would wake up every morning with you in his bed, instead of by his balcony as you guarded him all night. He wanted to eat dinner with you, instead of watching taking a bite from his plate before giving the plate to him. He wanted to take you to the Jasmine Dragon and have tea with his uncle instead of you reading over his itinerary and checking the tea shop's perimeter. He wanted more.
But for now, Zuko decided to just admire you from afar and hoped that you would stay by his side until he was ready to tell you his true feelings. He watched fondly as you turn and cock your head at him, brows raised, “I didn’t know you liked fairy tales, my king…”
Zuko rubs the back of his neck with embarrassment before sharing, “Actually, I found it among my mother’s things. I wanted to keep everything that was here in tact.”
Your heart tugs at hearing Zuko talk about his mother and you smile tenderly. “Lets read it then."
As you make your way to his bed again, Zuko scoots over a bit and makes room beside him on the bed. Warmth spreads across your cheeks when Zuko pats the space next to him. You were about to refuse when you finally gave in to that part of you that so desperately wanted to throw caution to the wind and just openly express your feelings for him. It took a lot of willpower to keep your composure as you kick off your boots and remove the Kyoshi armor, leaving you to your green dress uniform. You sit next to him shly, before Zuko sighs with exasperation and wraps his arms around your shoulders to pull you in closer. He puts the blankets over both your laps and looks at you expectantly.
You breathe through your nose with amusement before clearing your throat, “Comfy?”
Zuko looks at you with a tired, lopsided smile. “Yes. Well, come on, let’s get on with it.”
Shaking your head, you flip to the first page and start reading.
“Once upon a time…"
------
Zuko was fighting to stay awake as your soothing voice lulled him to sleep as you continued to read out loud from the pages. He had somehow scooted so that his head laid on your lap as you stroke some of his hairs away. You would occasionally stop to flip the page before going back to your ministrations. You were so warm that it made him feel safe. He finally surrendered and let his eyes, that were heavy with sleep, drop.
You stop the mid-sentence as you hear a slight snore coming from Zuko, his eyes closed with sleep. Brushing your hands through his scalp, you hear a slight groan and your cheeks flush at the deep sound. You shook your head out of stupor and leaned over to whisper in his ear, “You need to sleep, m’lord.”
Zuko just hums as he cuddles more to your side. “Mmhm, you’re comfy.”
You laugh quietly, as you slowly pull yourself out of his grip, Zuko curling into your previous spot. Your heart tugs at his peaceful expression, glad that his nightmare seems to no longer plaguing his mind - at least that’s what you hoped. Carefully marking your place in the book, you place it on his bedside table before pulling the blanket under Zuko’s chin and tucking it around him, before staring at the Fire Lord with a soft smile.
You smile as you brush some of his hair away as Zuko mumbles something incoherent under his breath as you lean over.
Zuko was on the brink of sleep when he feels the brush of your fingers through his hair and a smile tugs at his lips. He sighs when he feels your soft lips on his forehead, your lips brushing against his skin as you whisper, “Goodnight, my lord. May you sleep well tonight.”
And Zuko falls into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.
------
The next morning, Zuko finds himself alone in his bed. He swore you were with him last night but shook his head and concluded that it must have just been a dream. He looks over at the balcony door where he sees you standing up straight as if you haven’t moved all night. He yawns as his arms stretch upwards, finally feeling rested for the first time in days. The nightmares that he had been having were truly taking toll with his sleep. Zuko stretched his arms up high as he let out of satisfied groan when he felt some of bones crack. He wondered how he was able to get such good sleep until he sees a familiar book on his bedside table, and the memories of last night comes rushing back.
Zuko remembered you waking him up from his nightmare and then reading to him. He must've fallen asleep after that. He glances over at you again and notices that you’ve shifted your weight a bit. He knows that you know that he’s awake. Grabbing a robe by his bed, he put it on as he walks out of the chilly air of his balcony.
He stands beside you as he looks over the palace grounds and then up at the sky. Feeling the energy from the morning sun waking him up. He glanced over to you and greets, “Good morning.”
You glance over at him and give him a small smile. “Good morning, my lord. Should I get the maids to get your breakfast now?”
Zuko ponders briefly before smiling over you. "That would be great, (YN)."
You politely nod to him, glad to see he looked more rested than the previous day. As you were about to turn on your heel to go back to the main hall to find a maid, Zuko's hand on your arm stops you. Glancing down at his hand, a blush reaches your cheeks. With a questioning brow, you ask, "Is there something wrong?"
The Firelord looked sheepish, bringing a hand behind his neck and rubbing it nervously. He wanted to take that firs step and this was his chance. It was now or never. A pink tint rises up to his cheeks as he Zuko shyly suggests, "Actually, I was hoping you can come and join me for breakfast."
Your cheeks redden even more as your insides rush with excitement. Biting your lip, you look up at his through your lashes before replying, "I would love that."
Adventures of Water Tribe Boy and Archer Girl - 001
Author’s Notes: Sokka needs more love. T_T I’ve been wanting to write a series of Sokka x Reader drabbles so I hope you guys enjoy.
Pairing: Sokka x Reader
Summary: When you decide to leave the Yuyan archer clan to help the Avatar bring balance to the world, adventure ensues. What you weren’t prepared for is becoming best friend with a certain water tribe boy - nor falling in love with him either. These are your adventures with Team Avatar.
001 - Let’s go Hunting
Sokka’s stomach grumbled and he clutched it as if in pain.
“It’s ok buddy. We’ll have dinner soon.” He pats his stomach and continues to slash the tall trees in front of him so he could make easy path for you both.
Speaking of which, where were you? Sokka paused his slashing and glanced around, slumping his shoulders before letting out a sigh when he lost you…again. You weren’t missing or anything - you just liked being stealthy while you two hunt. After all, you were a Yuyan archer. Or former, Sokka corrects.
When he and Katara had gotten sick, Aang had come back with you in tow, carrying frozen frogs in your pack. You had help Aang escape from the other Yuyan archers, having defected the clan just days prior. As Sokka mindlessly slashed more grass in front of him, not really paying attention where he was heading, he thought about how much things were easier now that you were part of the team.
You were a non-bender like he was, and Sokka found some comfort in that. You were a warrior like him too — he was always awestruck at ease you looked when you pick up your bow, load the arrow, and shoot like it was second nature. The first time he complimented you on this, you had laughed it off, saying how you were taught to be an archer at very young age. You talked very little about your past, only revealing how you came to be an Yuyan archer and why you decided to leave.
The Yuyan archers were once revered as elite archers, especially in hunting. The Yuyans had a sharp keen for hunting, known for their tracking abilities and their deadly accuracy with a bow. Over the years, they slowly became tools for war, used by Fire Lord Ozai. The clan had become drunk with greed from the Fire Nation’s gold and the once elite techniques used for hunting were, instead, used for assassination.
You told that soon after you got your Yuyan tattoo, you were given an assignment to kill an Earth Kingdom dignitary. When it was time to kill him however, you became disgusted with yourself and told the dignitary of the plans to assassinate him. He quickly left the village after that and left the clan soon after.
Sokka admired you for that.
And that’s why you two became so close so quickly. You had an inner strength that he looked up to, a pillar of strength when he needed it…though he would never admit it out loud.
A snap of a branch pulls him out of his thoughts and his back goes rigid. Sokka quietly listened to the forest but the only sounds he heard were the chirps from the birds and slight rustle of the trees from the wind. He glanced around the area - nothing.
He turned to face the path ahead of him again when...
THUUUNK!
“Oh, Spirits!” Sokka squealed when he feels the rush of air pass his right shoulder as something hard embeds itself to the tree right next to him.
A burst of laughter came from somewhere among the grass as Sokka tried to calm his palpitating heart beat. With wide eyes, he slowly turns his head towards the tree, jaw slackening when he sees your familiar arrow pinning some sort of animal on the tree.
He gasps at the sudden realization, following the trail of where your arrow came from. When you and Sokka first started hunting, you were so good at being stealthy that he had lost you in this hunting trips multiple times. It had become a simple game between the two of them - you would go hide and count how long until Sokka found you. The first time you played, Sokka couldn’t find you for hours. It was only when you accidentally fell asleep and slipped off a branch that he found you.
Today, Sokka was lucky. He quickly found you among the grass, spotting the signature red tattoo across your face.
“You almost killed me!” He shouted at you, hand on hip. “A little warning next time would be great.”
He hears your light scoff and he has a smirk on his lips, his demeanor light. He sees you emerge out of the tall grass, a satisfied grin on your lips as your readjust your quiver on your back.
“And where’s the fun in that?” You chuckled at him as you approached the tree.
Sokka’s eyes follow your form, admiring the smirk on your lips as you pull the arrow out of the tree and handing him dinner. Your fingers briefly his palm and he shivers at the soft touch. You look up to him with smug expression as you tap his nose with the tip of your bow and he flinches at the sudden contact. You let out a chuckle and he replies with one of his own soon after.
“Come on, let’s go back to camp. I’ve starvin’,” You tell Sokka with a smile, nudging his shoulder this time with the tip of your bow before turning to head back towards camp. Sokka’s eyes were still on you as you walked away from him and he couldn’t help but let his gaze slip for a second to admire your back.
With cheeks red, he mumbles behind you, “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”
You stick your tongue at him over your shoulder and Sokka just rolls his eyes, but he couldn’t help his smile widen when you turn back around to continue walking.
Sokka was definitely glad you had helped Aang that day. He shakes his head with a slight laugh and jogs after you.
Okay, I love the way that you decided to include the reader in the Order of the White Lotus as an initiate. I don't think I've ever read a fic with that storyline and I love it! It's such a new take and it's refreshing to see something different. I can't wait for the next chapter, thank you so much x
I was actually watching Legend of Korra when the idea struck me and I really liked the idea of having a strong character be part of the White Lotus haha. Thank you for reading. I'm glad you're liking it so far!
Author’s Notes: Hi! yes, sorry for the way, but here is chapter five. I really enjoyed writing this one - I hope you guys enjoy it <3.
Chapter Preview:
You stare at Iroh with surprised look. “Wait, so when you said ‘one who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries’…you weren’t kidding? You've actually eaten fruit and tasted its mysteries?” You gulped at the fruit, even more worried.
[Previous - Chapter Four]
You uncomfortably shift on the ostrich-horse for what it seemed like the hundredth time the past few minutes and you cringe when the beast squawks in return. Behind you, Zuko growls in frustration and you feel the vibrations against your back, sending warmth to your face and cringing even more.
The knuckles on Zuko's hands turn white as his grip on the reins tightens. “Will you stop moving? It’s making the ostrich horse uneasy." Zuko seethes lowly, his breath warm against the back of your neck as it sends shivers down your spine. You thanked the Spirits that Zuko couldn't see your face as you feel your face heat up even more. Taking a breath, you feel the fatigue of traveling all day seep in making you feel more frustrated.
Glaring over your shoulder, you meet Zuko's narrowed amber eyes. Lips in a tight line, you mutter harshly in reply, "I will if you stop breathing down on me."
Both of you send each other daggers before you huff and cross your arms in irritation. Since the start of your travels, every step the ostrich horse took, Zuko's arms would brush against your sides or the top of your thighs as he held the reins in front of you. And with each accidental brush, your skin would tingle and make you uncomfortable.
You had tried your best to avoid touching him and creating more awkwardness between the two of you but you could only do so much considering you were on a strich-horse. The constant adjustinh on your part only added to the animal's agitation and to Zuko's. Looking up at the sky, you pleaded silently to reach your destination soon. Else, the idea of going back to your village and facing the wrath of everyone seemed more and more tempting as the day wore on.
The beast squawks and it pulls you out of your thoughts. How you got to this situation in the first place was beyond you. But the silence from Iroh was all too telling. Every time you would glance over at him, he would avoid your gaze and would continue to smile at nothing or hum a song, feigning innocence. You shot Iroh a glare every chance you could.
Meanwhile, Iroh silently watched (YN) and Zuko ahead of him, a small smile crossing his features. It was so nice to have you around again and just having both you and Zuko as company made his heart swell. He thoughts travel back to when he found you alone in the woods after helping the orphanage. You had changed so much since then and Iroh couldn’t help but smile fondly as he closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the memory.
Iroh smiled over his noodles, drool leaking from the side of his mouth as he readied his chopsticks to dig in. He was about to take the first bite when the village bells went off, startling him and making him drop his noodle on the floor. He looked at it with sadness before he heard a crowd of people run by him, shouting, "Fire! Fire! There's a fire at the orphanage!"
The former General looked around, seeing panic fill in the villagers' faces. Pushing the bowl of noodles away, he follows the crowd as he sees the smoke ahead and quickens his pace as he hear panicked cries. When he arrives at the house, his eyes fill with worry as flames licked the sides of the building and the heat made it unbearable. Without second thought, Iroh runs into the fiery building, the villagers shouting in fear.
Iroh sees a group of children by the corner of the room, the fire not having reached them yet. He looked overhead and saw the flames make its way over to the corner and he breathes deeply before swinging his arms ahead and redirected to the opposite side of the room. Iroh runs over to the group, ushering them to a nearby exit, checking in each rooms on the way out to make sure he got everyone out.
As he exited the building behind the children, the house collapses and the villagers gasp in horror. Many people approached Iroh and thanked him for his fearlessness. The headmistress of the orphanages walks over to Iroh with tears in his eyes, bowing to him, before he turns the mistress turns back to the children as hugs them. He sighs in relief and he turns to leave and go back to his bowl of noodles when the mistress screams,"(YN)? Where’s (YN)?"
At her panicked tone, Iroh spins around as the mistress frantically examines all of the children before asking worriedly, “Has anyone seen (YN)? Please don’t tell me she was still in there…”
One of the children sniffles and wipes their teary face, “I think I saw (YN) run to the woods…”
Iroh places a hand on the mistress’ shoulder and nods to her, “Let me help you find her…”
The mistress just nods at him with tears in her eyes as she turns and starts yelling your name. Iroh walks over to the woods and starts looking for any kind of trail. He starts calling out your name as he walks between trees, looking above at the branches and low under the roots to see if you were hiding. He was about to turn when he hears a slight sniffle.
Iroh gingerly walks towards the sound and find a small child at the edge of the river, their knees bent and head tucked in as if to hide. The child’s shoulder trembles as another sniffle escapes them.
“(YN)?” Iroh whispers and, as he cautiously approved you.
You stop your sniffle as you stiffen. You slowly bring your head out of your tucked position to look over at the stranger. Immediately you recognize him and you flinch away. Iroh gasps when he realizes who you are. You look a little older than your 8 year old self, but Iroh recognizes your amber eyes and his eyes soften. The little servant girl that he met years prior sat by the river, wiping away her tears. The same girl that invited him for tea after he had conquered Ba Sing Se. The same girl whose mother was burned to death as punishment for the death of Firelord Azulon. The same girl whose family was banished in consequence.
Tears sprung out of Iroh’s eyes as he cooed at the child.
“General Iroh?” You sniffle as you stood up to greet him, tears still falling down your face.
“(YN)? The headmistress of the orphanage is looking for you -“
You wail as you rub your eyes, tears falling more freely down your face. Iroh shuffles closer and kneels down to your level, “What’s wrong?”
You look up at Iroh with guilty eyes and showed him your hands that were riddled with black soot. Iroh immediately understands and holds your hands to his, your skin hot. “You’re a fire bender aren’t you?”
Snatching your hands off of Iroh’s, you start bawling again, “I-I don’t know how to control it and I lost my temper and—and…I don’t want to be a fire bender!”
You scream as you wipe your hands on yourself, as if you could wipe the fire out of it. Iroh pulls you into a hug and he feels his shoulder get wet from tears. “It’s alright, my dear. Why don’t you come with me?”
You pull away from Iroh and he wipes some of your tears away with the pad of this thumb, his heart wrenching at your pained expression. Trembling, you mutter, “You mean I’m not going to be alone anymore?”
Iroh brings you into his embrace again, feeling your shaking form. “You will never be alone.”
Iron’s smile widens at the memory, chuckling to himself when he hears you and his nephew continuing to bicker. How strange it was that he happened to stumble upon you that day. And now you were reunited with him and his nephew…
Zuko sighs tiredly behind you and you feel his hot breath hit your neck making you stiffen. You see his hold on the reins tighten as Zuko whispers harshly against your ear, "Can you stop being so tense? You're going to spook our ride."
His voice sent shivers down your back. You grumbled and begrudging let out a pent up sigh, your body sagging and leaning against Zuko's chest, ignoring the way your cheeks heated when you feel the muscles there.
Zuko wasn't faring any better than you as he stared down at your head with irritation. When the three of you left your village that previous evening, Iroh had managed to persuade both you and Zuko that he would ride with their pack while you and Zuko ride on another ostrich-horse together. They had both begrudgingly agreed and, since then, Zuko was stuck riding with you. It was hard enough trying to give you enough space with his arms wrapped around you to carry the reins, but when you leaned against him, the scent of your soap and your natural scent sent his head swimming.
He wasn't sure if it was because he'd been on the road for too long, but he reluctantly thought you smelled nice. He had to refrain himself from leaning over and press his face to the junction of your neck and shoulder. Your hair was braided to the side and the exposed skin of your neck was enticing. He was growing more and more on edge.
Zuko looked overhead at the sky in an effort to clear his head. He sensed that they were close to the Misty Palms - the sky was beginning to turn into array of dusty pinks and oranges. He glanced over at his Uncle who seemed more pleased that usual and mulled over what he said the previous night about being refugees at Ba Sing Se.
Was his uncle being serious? Why Ba sing Se of all places? This seemed more of Iroh’s plan than anything else. Zuko wasn’t sure if this was the life he wanted. It didn't sit well with him when he thought about a life of a refugee. It wasn't his destiny. His destiny still waited for him at the Fire Nation.
He silently hoped that his uncle was just pulling his leg with his idea of being refugees hiding in ba sing Se for the rest of their life.
Even you had questioned his uncle, your words echoing in his head, ‘Just live out your lives in hiding?’
Would a life in hiding be fulfilling? Is that what he wanted? He shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued focusing on the task in hand.
It was a short time after when you see the outlines of a familiar town. You let out a excited gasp and pointed at the village in the desert haze, “There's the Misty Palms. Finally."
At the sight of the village, Zuko and Iroh quickened their ostrich horse’s pace; the promise of rest and food making you restless and forget the way your back was pressed against Zuko’s chest. The found some fencing that would be a good place to rack-up their ostrich horse. When Zuko was near enough to the fence posts, he dismounted with ease and led you and the ostrich horse the rest of the way before securing the lead.
As you swing your leg over to one side to dismount, you momentarily forget how high up you are from the ground as your balance wavers while your hand desperately tried to find something solid to hold onto to. Your heart flutters when you feel Zuko’s warm hand slip under yours to steady you as he helps you to the ground. A blush creeps up your neck and Zuko clears his throat as he yanks his hand out of yours and pretends to brush something off on the ostrich horse. You clear your throat and mumble a quiet thanks before walking over to Iroh, who still has that sickening sweet smile on his face.
“Alright, to the Misty Palms!” Iroh exclaims with excitement as you giggle at his enthusiasm, arms linked as you both walked towards the small town. Zuko sighs, looking up at the sky with exasperation.
As you made your way through the town, you feel the gazes of several people that made you feel wary. Upon further observation, you realized that this town was filled with lots of travels. Some that looked like they were here on a vacation while others looked like they were asking for trouble. Your hold on Iroh’s arm tightens as he leads you through town before he leaning over to you.
“You seem tense. Everything ok?”
Iron’s concerned voice breaks your thoughts as you tear your gaze from a couple of men that were staring at both Iroh and Zuko. “Hm, I don’t understand why they call this place an oasis. Not much of an oasis here if you ask me.”
Iroh chuckles, bemused. “No, I guess it doesn’t.”
Zuko keeps a narrowed gaze ahead, ignoring the way some the men were eyeing them. On top of that, the way some of the men that were looking at you had him on edge. He shuffled closer behind you, close enough to hear his uncle tell you how much he was craving a good cup of tea right now as they neared the tavern door.
You glance over your shoulder and meet Zuko’s gaze with a small smile before turning back to Iroh and shaking your head incredulously. Iroh’s love for tea was unparalleled sometimes. “How can you want hot tea in this sweltering heat right now?”
Iroh simply laughs at you as he slips his arm from yours to open door for you and Zuko. Once you three were inside, you note the weary looks you received from the patrons as Zuko led you towards table at the back of the tavern. Taking another quick look over at the tavern, you start to wonder why you were here in the first place.
Zuko must have been thinking the same because a few seconds after, he whispers harshly to Iroh, "No one here is going to help us. These people just look like filthy wanderers."
Iroh looks at Zuko incredulously and replies dryly, “So do we…”
The former general trails off as he sees something over Zuko’s shoulder. Iron’s expression changes from slight worry back to calm before pointing at something behind Zuko. "Ah, this is interesting. I think I found our friend."
You follow Iroh’s finger as he points to a man at the other side of the room and next to him - a Pai Sho table. You hung your head and shook your heat at Iroh. Pai Sho?! That’s why he brought us to Misty Palms?!
Zuko has a baffled expression on his face as he turns to his uncle with a raised brow, “You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?"
Iroh moved to stand up and walked over to the man. You looked over at Zuko and shrugged, just as confused as he was, before following Iroh towards the Pai Sho table and where a man sat with a cheerful smile.
Iroh motions to the table and asks man, “May I have this game?”
The man introduces himself as Fung and motions at Iroh at the chair before gesturing over to the Pai Sho board. "The guest has the first move."
The former General digs into his arm sleeves and reveals a White Lotus tile before placing it in the middle. You and Zuko exchange looks before you flit your attention back to Fung who strokes his chin and grins over at Iroh. Fung tucks his hands inside his sleeve, staring at the tile with care before cupping his hands towards Iroh, " I see you favor the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways."
In return, Iroh holds his hand outs towards the Fung and bows his head lightly, "Those who do can always find a friend."
"Then let us play."
Both Fung and Iroh place tile after tile on the board, making some sort of significant design. Meanwhile, Zuko pulls a chair over and stares at the table quizzically. You glance back at the lotus tile and wonder about its significance before you pocketed your hands into your robes and feel the familiar smooth tile between your fingers. What did it mean? Jeong Jeong gave you this piece before you left, his words echoing in your thoughts, ‘In case you run into trouble, a game of Pai Shao and this white lotus tile will be your friend.’
Was that what Iroh was doing? You glance back at Fung and his demeanor seems friendly. Was the White Lotus tile a means of asking for help in secret? Looking over at Iroh, you combed through bits and pieces of your memory for anything about the white lotus until you remembered the first time Iroh introduced you to the game.
"So what's this game again?" You sat between Iroh and Piandao, both men looking at the board intently. Piandao looks over at you and hushes at you playfully. pointing at the brush in your hand.
"Focus, little one. I told you to keep practicing your calligraphy," Piandao looks back at Iroh who finally makes his move after a few minutes of stroking his chin. The swordsman releases a frustrated sigh before palming his head when he realizes he's made the wrong move.
Iroh pats your shoulder and compliments you on your writing with a warm smile, “This is Pai Sho! A game of strategy."
Piandao laughs loudly and slaps his knee, thumbing over at Iroh, "Please! Pai Sho is a game of chance and it's meant to be played fast. But your man here is just old!"
You giggle as you place the brush back on its stand and push your pad of paper away, swinging your legs excitedly under the table. "Can I play too?"
Both Piandao and Iroh share a look before laughing together heartily. The master swordsman slides a tile over to you with smile on his face, "What do you think of this tile?"
They looked at you expectantly as you grab the tile from Piandao's hands and pull it closer to your face to examine it. Your face breaks out into a toothy smile as you trace the flower etched onto the wood. "Oohhh! This one is obviously a flower. It's pretty! Are all the tiles this pretty too?"
Iroh slides a cup of tea over to you and Piandao before sipping some from his own cup. "One day you will learn, but for now, what do you think of this one?" He pulls a tile from his sleeve and displays it to you.
You nod enthusiastically at Iroh before grabbing the tile from his hand and tracing the etchings with a fond smile, awe in your eyes.
The sound of the last tile being placed on the board pulls you out of your thoughts and you examine the design on the table before you, a smile tugging at the corner of your lips — a lotus.
Fung opens his arms wide at Iroh, "Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."
Zuko growls over at both the men before settling his irritated gaze at his uncle, "What are you old gasbags talking about?”
“I always tried to tell you that Pai Shao is more than just a game.” Iroh smiles over at Zuko, rolling a piece of tile between his fingers before clutching it and sending you small, knowing wink. Zuko glances over his shoulder in time to see you turn your head to side with a bashful smile.
You were holding something back from him,’ Zuko gazes turns cold before snapping his attention back to his uncle and was about to retort until a gravely voice yells from across the tavern.
“It’s over! You two fugitives are coming with me!”
Your gaze snaps to a man who looks to be an earth bender and another man behind him who just shakes his head in disbelief. A flash of panic washed over Zuko’s face before its replaced with a determined one, his hands hovering over his broadswords. Before Zuko could even pull his sword out however, Fung places himself between the bounty hunters and you.
“I knew it! You are all wanted criminals with a giant bounties on your heads!” Fung pointed at you and you narrow your eyes at him. What game was he playing at? You glance around you, feeling more eyes on you as some patrons watched in interest.
Zuko glared over at Iroh, seething, “I thought you said he would help!”
Iroh turns to his nephew and places a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, “He is. Just watch.”
You and Zuko share a glance, this confused and concerned gaze matching your on. He felt somewhat reassured when he saw you go in your fighting stance as your gaze went around the room. If it was just him and Iroh, he would have felt out-numbered, but having you nearby gave him the extra boost of confidence that you three could get out here without anyone getting hurt.
Fung turns to the two men, wagging his finger at them, “You think you’re going to capture them and collect all that gold?”
At the mention of gold, more tavern patrons became interested at your group. Some of them put their drink down, standing up and pulling out knives to attack. You shuffled closer to Iroh and Zuko, a small tinge of fear settling in the pit of your stomach, as you stared around at the patrons with a small glare.
After a beat of silence, two men jump at the initial bounty hungers. The earth bender throws a kick at them and bends some rock from the ground and pushes at the incoming men.
Fung tugs at Iroh’s sleeve quietly and points over at the door as you, Iroh, and Zuko follow Fung and sneak out of the tavern as the patrons continued to fight amongst themselves. When you exit the tavern, you notice the sky has already darkened considerably and the stars were out twinkling above you. You ran behind Zuko who quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure you were still following. Fung guides you to the outskirts of town and ushers you into a flower shop, the floral aroma hitting your nose pleasantly.
Once you were settled indoors, Fung bows to Iroh with respect and says, “It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets.”
Order of the White Lotus? Grand Master? What’s going on? You thought as you looked around the flower shop. Fung leads you to the back as you pass rows and rows of various types of flowers.
Annoyed, Zuko quips, “Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is someone in this club going to offer some real help?”
You roll your eyes behind Zuko. He’d been clearly not been paying attention at all. You racked your brain as you started to connect the dots. Piando, Jeong Jeong, Iroh…they all played Pai Shao at some point. Were they all part of this club then?
Iroh apologies to Fung, “You must forgive my nephew. He is not an imitate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts.”
You giggle behind your hand but quickly cover it with a cough when Zuko turns around to throw a glare at you. However, as you glance around the various flowers nearby, you smirk at Zuko and suggest, “Zuko, why don’t you try relax and smell the flowers?”
Iroh throws a chuckle over his shoulder while Zuko clenches his fists and snaps his head away in annoyance. Fung leads them to a door with a peephole and knocks on it twice. The small window slides open and a pair of eyes looks at them suspiciously. “Who knocks at the guarded gate?”
Iroh replies without a beat, “One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries.”
The window closes and the doors open as Fung enters and motions Iroh in. Zuko approached the door but Fung places a hand on his chest and shakes his head. Iroh turns to his nephew who raised a brow in irritation, anger swimming in Zuko’s eyes. “Zuko, I’m afraid it’s members only. Wait out here.”
Iron’s gaze turns to you before nodding at Fung. “(YN), do you still have that lotus tile Jeong Jeong gave you?”
Puzzled, you nod and reach into your robes as your hand wraps around the wooden tile piece. Zuko looks at you quizzically. You were definitely hiding something.
Fung’s brows raises with sudden realization. “Ahh, an initiate. Please come in.”
Your gaze moves from Fung to Iroh, and then to Zuko who still had a puzzling look on his face. “I-initiate? Uh..I don’t remember signing up for anything…?”
Iroh just chuckles and nods his head over. You shrug as you enter the door but not before stealing a quick glance at Zuko whose faced had hardened with annoyance. Entering the dimly lit room, the door shuts with a soft click behind you.
Zuko grunts in irritation as he leans against the wooden post, glancing over at the flower next to him and taking a quick sniff at the fragrance.
Tch. What were you hiding? How did you know about this secret order? Zuko mulled over his thoughts as his mind flits back to your earlier expression. You had looked as confused as he was so he began to wonder if you were truly hiding something from him or if you were lying.
“Ugh!” Zuko quietly snarls as he starts pacing around the room, his patience growing thin. He plops himself down on the dirt floor and sighs.
Inside the room, there was one other man who was lighting up some more candles. You turn to look at Iroh who watches you carefully, “I don’t understand, Iroh. What am I doing here?”
Iroh touches your elbow reassuringly, his eyes kind. “Business first.”
You nod to him and follow him to sit around a table. Kato, the man who first opened the door, looks at you with a wary eye before looking at Fung who clears his throat. “Kato, this is a Grand Master. He seeks our help, brother.”
Kato nods curtly and looks at Iroh expectantly. Iroh begins, “We are on the run from the Fire Nation and, with a bounty placed over our heads, traveling has been extremely difficult. We seek your help.”
Fung and Kato look at each other before Kato speaks up, “What kind of help do you need?”
You glance over at Iroh who pauses momentarily and strokes his beard. “We need safe passage to Ba Sing Se.”
Wait…Iroh was actually serious about Ba Sing Se?
“Ba Sing Se? Are you sure, Iroh?”
Fung interjects calmly, his eyes boring into you, “Ba Sing Se is filled with refugees. It’s a perfect place to start over without anyone asking.”
You tilt your head in understanding and while concern was still heavy in your gut, you trusted Iroh’s judgement. Kato nods in agreement as he sits back on his chair in thought. “We will need to get three passports. You will need to travel to Full Moon Bay and from there, you will use these passports to get a ferry across to Ba Sing Se. We will give you safe passage out of the Palm Springs, but unfortunately, you will be on your own from there.”
Iroh nods with appreciation. “I think that will work, yes. We appreciate all the help we can get.”
Kato turns to Fung and says, “Tell Kanna to get three passports ready by the morning - I will pay him double.”
Fung nods and moves to stand from the table. He respectfully bows to Iroh before turning to you, “Good luck.”
Your eyes widen in surprise. Why was he saying good luck to you?
You turn to Iroh with a puzzled look and he nods over to Kato. Perplexed even more, your whisper to Iroh with a shaky voice, “Iroh…what’s going on?”
Iroh doesn’t answer you and instead focuses his gaze to Kato who turns his body to face you and says, “I see that you carry a Lotus tile with you. May I ask where you got it from?”
You look down at the tile in your clenched palm and reply, “Jeong Jeong gave it to me.”
Kato strokes his chin thoughtfully, “I see. And Iroh, you agree?”
Your gaze snaps over at Iroh who leans back against his chair, deep in thought before replying, “Yes.”
The former general turns to you as Kato stands up and moves towards the back of the room that’s full of cabinets. It’s filled with various bottles and boxes as Kato opens a grand cabinet that’s obscured from your view. Iroh touches your arm gently and with a reassuring smile, says, “It’s time you know. It’s time you know about the Order of the White Lotus.”
Your eyes widen at the name as you start connecting the dots. “The Order of the White Lotus?”
Kato politely interjects as he continues to shuffle around the room. “Yes, the Order of the White Lotus is an ancient secret organization that transcends the borders of the four nations. We are about philosophy, beauty, and truth. Our job is to keep order and protect the world from those who want to start chaos.”
Piando, Jeong Jeong, Iroh…who else was in the Order?
Iroh reaches over to place a hand over yours, “I think you’re ready. What do you think about being an initiate?”
You? A part of the Order? You weren’t even sure what that even meant. You were puzzled as you mulled over Iroh’s words - You’re ready.
Kato walks over to the table holding what it looks like a plate of cut fruit. “You don’t have to give your final answer tonight, but we will need to open your mind first to see if you are ready.”
You looked at the fruit on the plate warily before turning your gaze back to Iroh. “I…Iroh..I don’t know, but if you say I’m ready…I trust you.”
Iroh smiles and puts a hand on your shoulder reassuringly as he slides the plate of fruit to you. “Good, because this part you won’t like. This is called the Lotus Fruit and is said to have many magical properties. It allows the person to get closer to their spiritual spirit and more in touch with the Spirit World.”
You stare at Iroh with surprised look. “Wait, so when you said ‘one who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries’…you weren’t kidding? You've actually eaten fruit and tasted its mysteries?” You gulped at the fruit, even more worried.
Kato leans over the table, his arms crossed. “I must warn you - it’s not very pleasant. If you can get through its effects, then we know you are ready for the next step.”
You pondered over their words carefully as you recall Kato’s words as he describe the Order.
We are about philosophy, beauty, and truth. Our job is to…protect the world.
You’ve always had a strong sense to protect the ones you love. After witnessing your mother’s death, you’ve never felt more helpless to protect anyone. Traveling with Iroh and training under Jeong Jeong, you slowly learned that the source of your fire’s strength didn’t come from your emotions or from your anger. But the idea of using your fire for good, to protect, fueled it. And in that sudden realization, you knew your answer.
A wave of determination washes over you as you release a determined breath, “Ok - I’ll do it.”
You reach over to grab a piece of the fruit, its flesh white but the fruit inside was a slight pink color. Bringing it up to your mouth and taking a bite, you grimace at the fruit’s bitter juice and it makes you gag slightly as you swallow it down. The taste lingers in your mouth as you smack your lips at the after taste before taking gulping down the rest of the fruit.
Nothing.
Iroh and Kato look at you expectantly and you shrug, “That wasn’t so bad. I don’t feel -“
In that instance, Iroh’s face morphs and you blink in surprise. He sprouts a third eye on his forehead and his ears begin to drop on the floor. With widened eyes, you glance to Kato whose mouth has turned sideways and you gasp. You look around the room and it spins, making you groan as you break out in cold sweat. The colors morph together as you see stars behind your eyes, while the room continued to spin. You feel like hurling, but you hold back as you grip your arm chair tightly trying to find something to ground you.
A white blinding light flashes behind your eyes and gasp. The light fades to a dull glow and you open your eyes, tears streaming down your face at the pain. You expected to see Iroh’s concerned face, but instead, you find yourself in a middle of a field covered by colorful fauna you’ve never seen before.
Wherever you were - it was beautiful.
An aura of peace and tranquility surrounds you like a warm blanket and you feel safe. The trees sway with the wind, your hair flying around you. Bright butterflies flit by you, some landing your shoulders while others danced around. You felt so free.
Somewhere in the back of your mind, you hear a deep voice, “What do you see?”
You kneel to the ground, surrounded by an abundance of bright, vibrant flowers, as you splay on your back. The sweet scent of the flowers and the wind calm your mind as look up at the bright pink sky, feeling tears in the corner of your eyes.
“It’s beautiful here.”
But a dark cloud suddenly blocked the sun and you stare up at it, feeling dread instantly wash over you. The once pink skies turn dark and purple, as a storm rages above you. The butterflies that were once soft and beautiful turned into monster bugs, snapping their tiny jaws at you. You scream and you start to run, tears falling down your face as you see the landscape turning dark and empty.
You scream, “No!”
The voice from earlier repeats itself, “What do you see?”
You fall to your knees as the landscape morphs again, this time the ground is scorched with fire and trees burn violently. The once cool and vibrant landscape had become hot and empty.
“No…it’s all gone. It’s gone!” Tears continued to stream down your face but a light ahead catches your attention. It was the only spot in the landscape that was still bright and vibrant. The ground in that circle was untouched, but darkness slowly crept in, the circle becoming smaller and smaller.
“Wait! I think I can save it!” You run towards the circle, determination filling your chest. You had to protect it - save it.
When you reach the circle, a bright light illuminates and you bring your arms up to shield yourself, as you shut your at the intensity. After a couple of seconds, you blink back and are surprised when you realize that you’re back in the flower shop. The plate of fruit in front of you was gone and replaced with a Pai Sho board, both Iroh and Kato laughing while they exchanged jokes.
It was like nothing had happened.
Iroh turns to you when he realizes that you’ve come to and smiles warmly. Kato laughs and pats your shoulder, “Ah! You’re finally awake! Your passports should be ready by now - you should leave soon.”
You blink at Iroh in confusion. “But the fruit…? Wait..how long was I out?”
Both Iroh and Kato stand up from the tables as they both turn to you. “The whole night, unfortunately. And yes, there is much to discuss, but now is not the time. You still have a lot ahead of you and we will be watching you - from afar."
Head still swimming, you followed both of them to door and Iroh steps through it. You catch Kato’s gaze who presses a small pouch to your hands, “For your headache.”
You nod at him quietly and pocketed the pouch.
Somewhere beyond the door, Zuko asks, “What’s going on? Is the club meeting over?"
Iroh nods and says, “Everything is taken care of. We’re heading to Ba Sing Se."
Zuko’s eyes widen with disbelief, his jaw slackening a bit, “Wait, you were actually being serious about Ba Sing Se? Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?”
Iroh sees you waver on your feet and steadies you by holding your shoulders, you blink up at him still feeling lightheaded from the fruit. Zuko mouths to Iroh with concern, “What’s wrong with her?”
Fung calmly reasons, “The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice three more.”
“We can hide in plain sight there. And it’s the safest place in the world form the Fire Nation. Even I couldn’t break through the city.” Iroh shrugs, happily, holding on to your arm for support. You felt like hurling whatever you ate as the floor shifted underneath you.
“Uncle, what happened to (YN)?”
Fung and Iroh exchange looks before Iroh smiles sheepishly, “She accidentally gotten to some spiked drinks.”
Zuko seems to buy the excuse because after a few moments, he sighs and just shakes his head, “Of course she did.”
A bell interrupts their conversation as a young man enters the flower shop, flashing three pieces of paper at them. “I have the passport for our guests, but there are two men out on the street looking for them…”
Zuko and Iroh looked at each other before glancing over at you, on the verge of passing out. You felt so dizzy and weak, barely noticing the worried glances that Iroh and Zuko shared — and then you feel it. The familiar twist and clench in your stomach, and Fung seems to have predicted it as well because when you turn around to try to find a bucket, he pointed towards the back without a second thought. You run over to it and hurl whatever was in your stomach, the taste of the lotus fruit lingering in your mouth it makes you hurl again. The pat on your back is comforting as Iroh whispers over to you, “Don’t worry, every initiate goes through the exact same thing.”
You grumble at him, but now that the awful feeling was gone in your stomach, you felt much better - though the ground still occasionally shifted and it made you want to hurl again. Fung starts talking to Iroh about how to get out of the shop when Fung points over to the tall pots in the corner. Zuko looks at you with a tight lip, eyes filled with concern. “What happened to you?”
The taste of the fruit was still bitter in your mouth, but that sudden feeling of protecting something or someone rushed through you and you blink back at the sensation. You gulped at Zuko, his stare making your cheeks redden. “I’m not sure, to be honest. One minute they were talking about Ba Sing Se, and the next, I woke up with the biggest headache ever and with them playing Pai Sho.”
Zuko doesn’t seem to like your answer based on his raised brow, but lets it go when Iroh motions them over. Zuko slaps a hand on his forehead when he realizes the plan, “Please don’t tell me we're going to hide in that thing?”
Iroh just smiles at his nephew toothily.
Fung walks up to you three and says, “Kanna will guide you back out of Misty Palms. We’ve readied some provisions for you - enough to last you till Full Moon Bay.”
Iroh bows to Fung, “Thank you for your help. It is much appreciated. I hope we cross paths again in the future."
Kanna looks over at you, Iroh, and Zuko, as he hands the passports to Iroh. After he led you out of the flower shop, using the flower pots to hide, he had dropped you off where your ostrich-horses were waiting.
“There’s some extra food and water in these packs. The travel to Full Moon Bay should only be two days from here. One and a half if you travel through the night. I hope you have a safe journey.”
Iroh nods at the boy and thanks him as Kanna turns back to the Misty Palms.
You help Iroh and Zuko load up the ostrich-horse with the new packs. Like the day before, Iroh mounts the ostrich horse by himself while Zuko helps you mount before jumping in behind you with ease. You scoff, “Show off.”
Zuko actually grins at you and it makes your stomach twist in a different way. You feel different. Instead of feeling that dread and anxiousness you felt when you rode with Zuko the day before, you felt calm. And when you feel his chest against your back, you felt instantly safe. Instantly relaxing, you let yourself sag against Zuko’s chest.
“Still feeling sick?” Zuko whispers softly next to your ear as he leads the ostrich-horse towards their destination, Iroh just a few feet ahead of them. Your head lulls against his shoulder and you nod quietly, his warmth making you drowsy as your eyes start to slip. “Yes.”
Zuko would never voice it, but when you had left the back room earlier, looking pale and dazed, he was worried. Seeing you in such a state of distress felt like a punch to his gut. And when he saw his uncle pat your back after throwing up, Zuko wished it was him. So when he felt you lean on him just now, he felt warmth spread through him. The feeling felt so foreign that it slightly scared him but hearing you groan in pain pushed those thoughts away. He wrapped a protective arm around your waist to keep you from falling.
You almost miss the way Zuko snakes his arm around your waist and pulling you closer to him as his other hand grip the reins. His hold tightened on you briefly and he mumbles softly, “Try to get some rest.”
You nod against his shoulder, as you squeeze the hand that’s around your waist and your eyes fall shut to a dreamful sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~
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Summary: You hated the Moon because Sokka loved looking up at her. (One-sided Sokka x Reader drabble.)
Author’s note: So, this isn’t the Sokka x Reader drabble that I promised earlier, but I was thinking about this for a while now and wanted to write some angst.
Warning: Angst
Since Yue's death, you hated the Moon. You used to look up at it with wonder, with it's beauty - big and bright. You used to wish on the moon and it's stars, whisper your dreams and fears.
But ever since Yue's death, you would look up at it with disdain, with a glare and a frown. You hated the way it illuminated the night sky. You hated how big and bright it was.
Because instead of telling you his dreams, his fears...he would whisper it to her instead.
You hated it because he loved her. Because Sokka loved her, Yue, the Moon spirit.
He would look up at the Moon and he would tell her about his day with a big smile on his face, eyes shining with love and wonder. He would tell her what he did that day, what he ate, what was troubling him. And she would listen, and listen, and listen.
You would just scowl up at her and look away, jealousy eating away at your heart.
You would watch him as he would just stare, and stare, and stare up at her like she was the most magical thing in the world.
No matter how beautiful the Moon was, you hated it. You were jealous of her, because even though she was gone, she wasn't really gone. She would always protect him, watch over him, listen to him. Be his light in the dark.
And he could never open up like that to you. And it hurts.
You watched Sokka from afar, his chin resting on his palm as he stared up to the sky. You, Katara, Sokka, and Aang were on your way back to Omashu, ridding on Appa as you flew through the night. The moon was full tonight, and the stars twinkling down at you.
You scowl and look away. Katara notices your darkened mood, and nudges you lightly. "What's wrong?"
Shaking your head, your turn away from Katara who frowns solemnly when she notices your glance at her brother. Her heart clenches for you as she watches her brother sigh up to the Moon and Katara finally understands.
She sighs and her shoulders sag. She finds your hand in the dark and grips at it tightly. You flinch, but you find comfort in Katara's warmth and the water gathers at the corner of your eyes. You squeeze back her hand in return, silently thanking her for simply being there.
You glance back at Sokka who catches your gaze under the night sky and smiles at you. Your eyes linger on him before blankly blinking and turning away.
Sokka's smile falters, seeing your pained expression. He moves to shuffle closesr to you, but the sharp look at he receives from Katara was enough to stop him. She shakes her head and his heart clenches when he sees your hands intertwined with his sister.
You weren't normally the one to be affectionate, so seeing you clutching her sister's was enough to worry him. His frown deepens as he watches your features. It's blank and his heart clenches.
You've been more distant with him lately, and it hurts him. You used to tell him everything, but ever since leaving the Northern Water Tribe, you've been so quiet and...so far away.
It stung.
Sokka looks back up at the moon and he silently prays, "Yue, please help her. Please give her the same strength that you've given me."
You watch Sokka from the corner of your eye as he stares up at the moon again before he lets out a sigh, leaning against the saddle with his arms crossed.
Your jaw clenches as you look up to the moon, resenting it's light.
ya'll my dog might go to surgery tomorrow and idk why but I'm so scared 😫 I know she will have the best care but I just can't ughhh I wish I was with her right now... 😭😭
Author’s notes: Hi! Thank you again for reading <3. I’m actually a bit hesitant about putting this out there…but I hope you guys like it. As always, enjoy!
Hi there! I just wanted to say that I love your writing so so much, I think Destiny is one of my favorite Zuko fics on here. Thank you so much for sharing your writing with us, I can’t wait for more chapters to come out and I especially can’t wait for your Sokka content to come out too!! x
oh my.. thank you for your kind words T_T.
Ugh, I’m still sitting on that Sokka fic. *pulls hair* I have parts of it written out, but I keep doubting it cuz I want it perfect. I’m such a sucker for Sokka and I just want to get it right and it’s not feeling right yet. But the fact that you guys want to read it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and motivated so thank you <3
Author’s notes: Hi! Thank you again for reading <3. I’m actually a bit hesitant about putting this out there...but I hope you guys like it. As always, enjoy!
Chapter Preview:
You shook your head pinching the bridge of your nose as you wagged your finger at Iroh, “No, no, no, nooo - you don't get to do that to me. You don't get to pull the 'destiny is a funny thing' on me like you used to when I was younger. I can't believe..."
“No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are...."
Zuko jolts awake, still hearing his mother’s words ringing from his dreams. He blinks back the fogginess as he stares up at the ceiling. Pushing himself out of the makeshift bed, he glances over at his Uncle, only to find his side empty. The blankets and pillows that Iroh used the night before was now neatly folded and pushed against the wall. Zuko looks over at the window to see the sun that peeking through it and grumbles when he realized it was already nearing noon.
Why didn't anyone wake him up?
Zuko looks over to your room and also finds it empty. Where was everyone?
Rolling out of bed with already a scowl on his face, he asks, “Uncle?”
Silence. A bout of panic rises through his throat. Did something happen?
Zuko goes to open the front door and sighs with relief when he finds both you and his Uncle outside. The two of you were in deep concentration as you both slowly moved through fire bending forms. He leans against the door frame, crossing his arms across his chest as he watches his uncle, shirtless and already sweaty, move in unison with you. Meanwhile, you moved through the forms almost at an ease. Zuko usually hated practicing forms and drills, he didn’t have the patience for it and would rather just spar.
“Ah, Zuko! You’re finally awake!” Iroh stops mid-form to greet him with a smile.
Zuko pushes himself from the frame and released an irritated sigh, “Why didn’t you wake me? I thought we were going to leave in the morning.”
Iroh just raises his arms at him, “Come on Zuko! Let’s watch (YN)’s last tournament and then we can travel through the night - it would be easier with the cooler air anyways!”
Zuko glances over at you, but you just gave him a shrug. You were a lot more quiet this morning and he wondered if it had something to do with what he said last night. A flash of guilt hits him, but pushes it away when you glance away before adding, “Your uncle made some jook. There’s some left overs in the kitchen…"
“Fine, Uncle. We can stay, but we will leave right after.” Iroh just nods at him before turning back to you to continue the forms. Zuko turns back to go inside your apartment, but not before catching your gaze briefly, your expression unreadable.
----------
Somewhere in the village....
“I’m telling you, b-boss, I saw them...Fire Nation criminals! I saw the the girl take them to her house. She's harboring them!" The short man wheezed as the hand on his throat tightened, hands clawing at the assailant.
“Xi, if we find out that you’re lying, you’re dead!”
Sud loosened his grip on the Xi's neck as he collapses to the ground, coughing. Sud then whispered over to the figure next to hi, “So what’s the plan, Scorpio? If she’s harboring Fire Nation criminals, maybe she’s a fire bender. We can use it to our advantage?”
The Scorpion’s lips curl maliciously as he stroke his chin, “If she is a bender, we need to force it out of her. Sud, see if we bribe the organizer about changing some rules...”
Both men left the alley, smirking.
----------
You sat on the floor by your kitchen table as you got ready for your last fight, while Iroh sat across for you, his back against the wall, and Zuko made his sure their packs were ready to go for tonight. The blue dragon mask you previously wore to the matches laid on the table, split in half. Saddened by it, you sigh as trace your fingers over the details.
“We’ll find you another one.” Iroh seems to pick up on your demeanor and comforts with a small smile. You look up at him and nod, as Zuko sits down next to you, his packing finished. He stared the the blue mask, realizing how similar it was to his.
“It reminds me of the Blue Spirit mask I have.”
You blink at him, trying to imagine what the Blue Spirit mask would look like, before shrugging your shoulders at him, “You should show me next time you're ever around."
For a moment, Zuko forgot that after tonight, he'll be leaving you - his childhood friend - behind. He cursed at himself internally for treating you so unfairly. Years of wondering where you've been and what happened to you, and now that he found you, here he was trying to leave as soon as possible and basically spitting at your hospitality. He quickly glances over at his uncle who laughs at something you say and he wonders that maybe his uncle was right, maybe it was right for you to come along.
Zuko chewed on his Uncle’s words from last night. Was it right for you to spend the rest of your life scraping by while you fought just to have money? Were you happy?
His fist clenched at his predicament - part of him felt anxious about the thought of you coming along, but there was another small part of him that wondered what it would be like to have you around again. It made him feel less lonely - to have someone that he knew from his childhood who went through a somewhat-similar experience. But it was a small part of him and Zuko pushed that thought to the back of his head as he observed you as you start to wrap your hands with cloth.
Trying to break the silence, Zuko curiously asks, “So what made you want to join the fighting ring in the first place?"
You glanced at Zuko with surprise before responding with a shrug, "I needed the money."
Zuko tilts his head at you as if urging you to continue and you elaborate, “But I also wanted to learn different fighting forms. To be frank, some of the fire bending forms can be…” You trailed off as you wrack your brain for the perfect description.
“Rigid?” Zuko offers and your face lights up before nodding with agreement.
“Yes! Rigid…fire bending forms can sometimes be restrictive. It's all about control and showing strength so it doesn’t allow for much flexibility, not unlike water or air bending.” You finish wrapping main hand before starting the other, grumbling when you fumble awkwardly with the other.
“Here…let me.” Zuko offers as he takes the cloth from your fingers and grabs your wrist, not sure what prompted him to help and ignoring the rising temperature of his cheems. Unbeknownst to you or Zuko, Iroh smiled behind his tea cup as he listened.
You look up at him with curiosity, trying to quell the flutter in your stomach as he holds your wrist gently, his callous hands bought against your skin. While Zuko wraps your wrist, he says with a nod,”I think I can understand. Sometimes you can’t think about how your form looks when someone’s attacking you.”
You couldn’t concentrate on the words he was saying; you were too occupied watching Zuko wrap your hand. As he wrapped your hand slowly and almost delicately, his fingertips would brunch against the inside of your wrist and palm, your skin tingling where he touched.
Clearing your throat, you nod in agreement as you glance up at Zuko who catches your gaze briefly and looks away back to your hand with a blush. “Forms can only do so much. Don’t get me wrong - the basics are fundamental to master, but sometimes it’s good to look beyond just fire bending teachings to learn, you know?”
You rambled as you watch Zuko finish wrapping your hand and tying it securely. You flexed your hand around, testing the tightness and support before nodding with satisfaction. Zuko blushes when you suddenly grab the sleeve of shirt and say your thanks, your eyes genuine. Iroh continues to smile behind his tea cup.
A smirk spreads across your face as you stand up and ready to leave for the tournament, “Alright, let’s do this.”
Zuko just rolls his eyes at you, a smirk tugging at his own lips.
----------
You cursed - not only were you surrounded, you were backed into the edge of the ring. One step backwards and you would be out of the ring - disqualified. Glaring at the three opponents in front of you, they smirked with as they inched closer to you.
When you had arrived earlier that evening for the last rounds of the tournament, they quickly announced the change of rules in the “spirit of the competition” and for “entertainment.” You had shrugged it off when Zuko gave you concerned glance, saying that they would often change rules so it wasn’t surprising. However, you weren’t sure what that meant until you entered the ring and three opponents you previously fought walked up the stage. They looked at you with a smug expression, the Scorpion stretching his limbs to warm up and intimidate you. You glared at the ring leader who just flashed you extra coins.
How was it the ‘Spirit of the Competition’ when it was a three-on-one match?
“Give Up, Blue Dragon! You’re no match with us three.” The Scorpion sneered at you, his arms out ready to strike. Zuko felt tense as he watched you slowly back yourself to the edge of the ring.
Why did they suddenly change the rules? He thought. He also found it odd that despite the rule change, you were the only fighter that had to fight more than two opponents. Either they know something or they were very adamant about not getting beat up by a girl.
“You seem worried, Zuko.” he looks over at his Uncle, who seems to be actually enjoying the match.
“Yeah, and I can tell you are too,” Zuko adds sarcastically. His uncle just bit his nails in nervousness as you dodge a punch. Zuko looks back at the ring and pushes his worries away.
Whatever. You act so strong anyways, you could take on thee people. He bitterly thought, before glancing back at the ring with worry.
You knew that they were the the ones responsible for changing the competition rules just so they can have an unfair advantage - what a bunch of cowards. The Scorpion lunges forward and you barrel towards him, duck from his hook, and put all of your weight onto you right elbow as it connected to his shoulder. However, you had no time to react before another opponent, The Leaping Beetle (as he liked to be called) kicks high up in the air towards your head. Narrowly missing, you grab his leg and flip him to his back ducking when another kick was thrown to you.
You tried flipping back to step away, but the Scorpion managed to grab your foot before tossing you aside. Your back hit the ring on impact and knocks the air out of you, not to mention your ankle started to throb as you pushed yourself back up, and the three opponents stood together before shouting and lunging all at once.
Zuko’s eyes widened as he realizes that you had no chance to avoid all three opponents at once and he leapt from his chair, “Watch out!”
A blast of red fire burst out of his palms before Zuko could stop it. You see fire erupt from Zuko, shooting out to the rink as it made way to the closest enemy - the Scorpion. Your eyes widened at the flames - the Scorpion either ignored it or didn’t see the incoming flames because he continued gaze at you smugly. Even though he was your opponent, the Scorpion didn’t deserve to be burned and your frowned at your predicament.
Growling in frustration, you squared your stance and swung your arm in front of you. You feel the heat from Zuko’s fire become your own as you moved it away from the Scorpion and morphed it into a shield, Zuko’s red fire changing and transitioning into a bright purple hue as the flames. All three assailants stopped dead on their tracks as a wall of purple fire erupted, their eyes widening at the height and stepping back as they felt the heat of your fire.
Zuko’s eyes widen at the sight of bright purple fire erupting around you as it created a wall. He had never seen fire in that color before…he wasn’t even aware that the color of fire existed. The only other person to produce a different color of fire Azula - and he thought it was she was a child prodigy. (YN) wasn’t a prodigy, was she? He turned to his Uncle who watched the fire distinguish and turn into smoke with a finger on his chin with a perplexed expression.
“Uncle…h-how?”
Iroh sighs as he wracks his brain for an explanation, “Jeong Jeong mentioned (YN)’s potential in one of his letters, saying something about her mastery of fire but I brushed it off at that time. I’ve only managed to have purple fire once, but I was still young and at my prime then! It requires a certain level of concentration and discipline to keep that fire that way.”
You felt the heat dissipate around you, not that it ever bothered you, but the look at the Scorpion’s smug smirk was enough to tell you everything you needed to know. A murmur went through the crowd as they suddenly realized that you have been a fire bender all this time.
“You’re disqualified!”
You glare at the Scorpion, then at the ring leader before whipping your head to look at Zuko angrily. If he hadn’t intervene, you wouldn’t have gotten disqualified in the first place.
This was the Scorpion’s plan all along. Their plan was to corner you into using your bending (how they found that out was beyond you) and get disqualified since it was “illegal” in the ring. While bending was considered illegal, changing the rules and having extra fighters on the ring at the last second seemed to be fair.
You fumed as you felt the anger bubbling in your chest. Your fists ignited into a flames, but instead of the purple that Zuko had just seen, it was bright red just like his. Interesting. From where he stood, he could see the anger in your facial expression, but as quickly as he saw it, it disappeared just like the flames on your hands.
The anger dissipated as quickly as it came and you felt a wave of relief wash over you. You wanted nothing else but to throw fireballs at them and teach them a lesson, but you knew that it wasn’t worth your effort. They weren’t worth your effort.
“Tch, whatever.” You shrug and spin on your heel go down the stairs and leave the rink. The three opponents looked at each with surprise. “Hey get back here! We have a fight to finish.”
“Come here you coward. Aren’t you going to fight?” The Scorpion shouts at you, fuming that you just walked off so easily.
Zuko watched, perplexed. You weren’t going to fight them? Weren’t you mad at them? They had cornered you and rigged the rules just so they could win.
You walked down the steps and shouted over your shoulder nonchalantly, “Nah, you’re not worth my time. If you can’t beat me when I don’t use my bending, how are you three supposed to beat me when I do?”
As you walked toward their direction, Zuko could see the opponents angrily talked to each other. They didn't take in account if what would happen if you surrendered. He saw the Scorpion seethe before pushing his way past the other two fighters and running towards you, angry. He left high in the air, his arm drawn to drop a punch from above.
As if sensing his retaliation, you turn quickly, as bright purple flames erupted from our hands hand as you create another fire wall for protection. The Scorpion dodged it at the last second, snarling.
"You think you're better than us just because you're Fire Nation?!"
He lunges again but this time, you were ready. You draw your arm back and used your fire to propel your arm into an uppercut punch, your fist connecting with the Scorpion's jaw with a loud crack.
The Scorpion stumbles backwards, confusion written on his face before his eyes rolls to the back of his head and falls to ground.
Zuko blinks back and tried to stifle a laugh at how easily you manage to knock a guy, twice your size, out cold. However his eyes narrow quickly when whispers from around the crowd grew noticablely.
"Fire Nation?"
"Wait - they look like the guys from the wanted poster."
"Down with the Fire Nation!"
"Uncle...we need to leave."
"Way ahead of you Zuko," Iroh was already on his feet and halfway running to you when the shouts increase. Zuko ran towards his uncle.
"Get out of our village, Ash Maker!"
"Those guys have bounties on their heads! Get them!"
As the crowd lunges for them, a wall of purple flames erupt from the ground behind Zuko, successfully blocking the mob from getting to them.
You over to them and grabbed Iroh by the elbow as you led through the arena. "Let's get out of here. There's another way out."
Iroh makes a path from your fire as you direct them to the exit doors. Right before you leave the area, you turn back to the and breathe deeply before swinging your arms over head as the fire dies down into small embers, the crowd finally noticing where you are as they point at you.
"Let's go!"
You ran through the market, Iroh and zuko closely following behind as you made way to your apartment. They would be here in no time. You ran between buildings and avoided the main street as you three ran towards your apartment.
When you got in front of your door, you harshly turned around at Zuko, your eyes flashing before you angrily pushed at him. Zuko’s eyes widened with surprise, not used to see your anger directed at him.
“Why would you do that!?” You push Zuko hard at the chest.
“I had everything under control!” You shoved him again and Zuko stumbles backward at te force.
“I don’t need saving, especially from a prince!” You pushed him harder and he falls to ground with an scowl on his face.
“You should be grateful - I saved your life.” Zuko spat.
“I got disqualified because of you.” You seethe at him, throwing your arms up in exasperation.
And it clicks. Iroh was right. You and Zuko were more alike that he would like to admit. Now as he watches the anger in your eyes, your face contorted with rage...you reminded him of himself. He got up from the ground, his hands up in surrender.
You sigh, as you shook your head in disbelief before you looking at the distance. With lips curled in annoyance, you look at Iroh dead straight in the eyes with a guarded expression. Iroh just looked at you with a softened, albeit pained expression. “What do you want, Iroh? What are you doing here?"
Iroh chuckles before tucking his hand into his sleeves and says nonchalantly, "I don't know what you mean."
The way you shook your head in annoyance while your eyes flashed with rage made Zuko blink in surprise. The rashlesness, the anger... It was like seeing a mirror of himself every time he blew up at his uncle. He watch you shake your head in disbelief at Iroh before you glanced his way.
He hears you release a long sigh as if releasing all that pent u panger was well, before adding, "You don’t write back to me for months, you come out of nowhere with Zuko AND with a bounty over your heads, on the run from Azula, and then you ask me to come along with you, I say no, and next day I'm getting kicked out of my village?”
You shook your head as you pace before them, in total disbelief.
Zuko did find it rather other odd at the string of events. But could only scoff at you, “It's not like we knew you lived here. Believe me, I would have happily passed your village if it wasn’t for our ostrich horse and our low supply. We just happened to come to stop along on our way to Misty Palms. Sorry to ruin your life."
You roll your eyes in response, incredulity written on your face.
Iroh nods at you seriously before breaking into a fit of chuckles and saying, “Maybe it was destiny for us to-"
You shook your head pinching the bridge of your nose as you wagged your finger at Iroh, “No, no, no, nooo - you don't get to do that to me. You don't get to pull the 'destiny is a funny thing' on me like you used to when I was younger. I can't believe..."
You hang your head in defeat as you trail off. Zuko couldn't believe his uncle used that same line on her. On him!
Iroh clapped his hands together, "So will you be joining us or what?"
You look over at Zuko with a brow raised, almost as if you were asking his permission. Zuko shook his head and scowled. “Not like you have much of a choice."
"Ok - just give me few minutes then,” You say quietly as you go into your apartment to start gathering some essentials.
Zuko and Iroh stood side by side as they looked to the distance, silence coming over them. Zuko chews on his lip as he asks in a low voice. "Did you know Uncle?"
"Know what, Prince Zuko?"
Was his uncle truly going to keep playing this act? Zuko growled, “That she lived here."
There was a moment of silence before Iroh speaks softly. “No, just a gut feeling. The last letter I received from Jeong Jeong, he mentioned how (yn) had just started mastering the purple flame when she decided to travel on her own. He did mention how adament (YN) was to see the desert but I didn't know she would actually be here."
There was another pause before Iroh shrugs and says, "Like I said, destiny is a funny thing!"
Zuko groans as he slaps his palm on his forehead in exasperation, “Uncle!!"
Author’s Note: I couldn’t get this out of my head last night so I spent all day on this. I wanted to build on Under the Moonlight so I wrote a prequel for it. I hope you enjoy it!
Summary: With the rise of insurgents and the recent break-in in his room following his coronation as Firelord, Zuko agrees, at Suki's recommendation, to increase security around the palace and hire a Kyoshi warrior guard at him at night. Good thing Suki knows the right person for the job - you.
At first, you weren't sure how you felt when Suki asked you to babysit the Firelord. When she first told you, you scoffed at the idea. Babysitting the firelord? How boriiing. You wanted where the action was! You wanted to chase down people and chi-block them...not watch over some Firelord while he slept.
But after some begging from Suki (and maybe a bribe of extra vacation day or two), you agreed.
The Firelord was a lot more handsome than you first thought when Suki introduces you to him. Zuko stood in front of you with a sheepish smile, before giving a small wave, "Hello, uh, I'm Firelord Zuko, but uh..you can just call me Zuko."
Beside him, Sokka guffaws and elbows Zuko, whispering, “Nice one, sifu hotman. You sounded real smooth there.”
Suki, who stood next to you with some notebooks against her chest, playfully throws a glare at Sokka, “Sokka, be nice."
Zuko turns red as he elbows Sokka back and glares at him before glancing back at you. A small smile tugs at the corner of your lips as you properly bow to him, your gold Kyoshi headband glinting from the oil lamps that were lit around the room.
"Its an honor, Firelord Zuko. I'm (YN) from Kyoshi Island."
Somewhere behind Zuko, Sokka snorts at the word honor. He walks past Zuko, who looks at Sokka with a perplexed gaze, and greets you warmly with a small hug, “Hey, (YN)! Mind if I whisk my girlfriend away now? I have this whole date night planned for tonight and we're on a tight schedule!"
Zuko blinks back in surprise. Sokka knew you? He watches you laugh warmly as you before patting Sokka’s shoulder, “Nice to see you too, Sokka. Have fun Suki, I can take it from here."
"Thank you again, (YN). I owe you one. Bye Zuko!"
Both Suki and Sokka leave the room, ther laughter echoing down the hallway as they talk over their date night plans. You glance back at Zuko who looks like he doesn’t know what to do next and you briefly think he looked rather cute when he was lost. You look over at his attire, his red and gold robes fitting him very well - the chest piece accentuating his shoulders and the gold bringing the color of his eyes.
'Definitely more handsome,' you think.
A beat of silence seem to stretch before Zuko cleared his throat to break it and asks, "So...uh...do...you need anything?"
Zuk mentally kicks himself. Why am I being so awkward?
You grin, one hand on your hip and the other motioned to the room,”No, but…do you mind if I take a look around?" Zuko nods in reply as he watches you slowly make your way around the room.
Zuko decides to lean against his desk and asks, “So.. you know Sokka?"
You were in the midst of inspecting his bookcase that shelved some books, trinkets, scrolls when you hear his question. Touching the at the dusty scroll on the shelf, you looked over your shoulder to meet Zuko’s gaze, wrinkle your nose at him as you replied with an amused tone, “Yes, he's kinda dating our team leader."
Zuko flushes with embarrassment and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, “Right! Suki..."
He watches you disappear outside of his balcony before coming back in to inspect the area around it, moving some of the curtains around that framed the door. His eyes furrow in confusion, “What exactly are you doing...?"
You look over at his direction again and motioned to his balcony, “I’m just checking for any weak areas. Your balcony is high up along the wall which is good, but there are some blind spots below that might be a potential risk. I'll let Suki know to increase security around those areas after my shift."
All he could do was nod at you before you turn around again to look at the rest of his bedroom. You were thorough, Zuko gave you that and, instantly, he felt a little bit more at ease knowing you were doing your best for him.
Zuko quietly admitted that he felt unsure about having a Kyoshi warrior that he didn’t know guard him while he slept. He hoped Suki would take that task, but he knew that he asking too much from her and her busy schedule. But she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and recommended you instead. Praising your strength and loyalty. He agreed hesitantly. However, as he watched you examine his room closely, his concerns vanished. He was actually looking forward in getting to know you better.
Zuko pushes himself off the table and moves over to a shelf containing a tray of tea assortments that his Uncle gave him. While he poured some water into the pot, he wonders what kind of tea you would enjoy before grabbing the Jasmine.
"Would you like a cup of tea?” Zukko offers.
You peek from his walk-in closet and a easy smile tugs at the corner of you lips, “That would be lovely."
-----------------
Your friendship with the Firelord quickly grew after your first night at the palace. And, just like you promised, you had let Suki know about the blind spots by his window the following day and Suki thanked you graciously.
The more time you spent with the Firelord, the less you were thinking of your assignment as babysitting. In fact, you were day dreaming about him more and more, especially during the times when you weren’t working.
Was he safe?
Did he eat lunch yet?
Was his advisors too demanding again?
…Was he thinking of you too?
When you were working, you tried to stay professional but amicable towards him, but you longed to get to know him in a more intimate level. It didn’t help that you would melt in a puddle every time you glanced over at him while he slept peacefully.
Other than that, watching over Zuko was an easy job.
For the most part, Zuko kept to a routine, whether he knew that our not. You would arrive at your post just before sunset, and by that time he was either wrapping up his last meeting with his advisors, or he was already in his room, reading some official documents or signing proclamations before dinner. He would then drink tea, making sure to pour you one as well. Then he would retire for the night as you took your post against a pillar in the balcony.
So when you had arrived for your post that evening, you were surprised when the guards directed you to the palace gardens. And even more surprised when you saw the Firelord leaning over a pond, as he played with the turtleducks. Zuko greets you with a nod and goes back to to observing the ducklings.
You quietly took your post, placing your hands behind you, one hand grabbing the opposite wrist. You made sure you were were far away enough to give Zuko some privacy, but close enough to reach him if danger arose.
The setting sun lit everything with an orange glow, and you couldn’t help but close your eyes at the warmth, the winds picking up briefly and causing your your tassels to sway lightly. You peeped over at Zuko and the gentle curve of his smile makes your heart flutter with fondness. He lightly strokes the head of one of the ducklings as he coos at them sweetly. You couldn't help but let a smile spread across your face as you looked around the grounds for any threat.
When you first agreed to look after the Firelord, you thought it was going to be some boring assignment. However, being his guard gave you a glimpse behind the curtain and see Zuko on a more personal level.
For the past few days, Zuko kept surprising you with his commitment to maintaining peace among the nations, the way he listened to the problems of his people before jumping into action, and the way he stood firm on his convictions and values. He was a man of honor and it made you that much more loyal to him.
But, as you watch him pet his turtleducks, you realized that you would do anything to protect Zuko. The way his eyes gleamed with affection when he watched the turtleducks, the way he cooed at them so sweetly, and the way he carefully petted them as of if they would break under his touch. Despite the pain and abuse he faced from his father and the personal trials he went through to get where he was now, you concluded that Zuko was just a gentle dragon with a heart of gold. And you would do anything to protect that.
With great interest, you watch him grab some feed from a bag as he approached one of the ducks. However, one of the ducklings accidentally nibbles too hard at Zuko’s finger, mistaking it for feed. He yelps in surprise, scaring the turtleducks away as they scatter and before you could control it, you snort in before turning your head to the side to stifle your laughter.
“You think that’s funny?"
Your eyes widen at Zuko’s voice, embarrassed at being caught you laughing at him. You shift uncomfortably, trying to come up for a excuse while silently thanking the spirits for the white face make up you wore that was currently hiding your red cheeks.
Clearing your throat, you reply, "Uh, it was nothing, your majesty. Just something in my throat." You lie quickly, your face back to it's stoic expression.
Zuko stood and dusted his robes before smirking, "Right, so what I heard was coughing just now? Not laughing?"
Your cheeks burn with embarrassment, “Uh, yes sir.”
Keeping your eyes trained in front of you, you maintained a straight face.
He hums in acknowledgement before adding, “Lying considered a criminal offense in the Kyoshi code, is it not?”
You braved a glance his way, catching his eyes before looking straight ahead. His tone was serious, but his gaze was soft and playful.
A smirk tugs at the corner of your lips as you stood your ground, shoulders rolling back straight before replying, “Yes, Firelord Zuko, that’s correct.”
Zuko crosses his arms as if trying to look intimidating, but you knew better, “So, let me ask you again, (YN), did you think that was funny?”
Your smile at the teasing. Instead of responding to him, however, you break from your post to walk over to him by the edge of the pond. A puzzled look came over his face as he watches you stand near him, his eyes catching yours before crouching down. He watched with curiosity as you bring your hands together and place it in front of you your mouth before releasing air through it and creating a series of sounds resembling that of a turtle duck call.
Zuko’s eyes widened at the sound but gasped when he saw the baby turtleducks swim over with excitement. You playfully twirl your fingers around them as they swam happily before extending your hand out to him. But Zuko just blinks at it with a blank stare, confused.
You laugh lightly at his expression, bringing Zuko’s gaze back to your face. His heart quickened at the slight smirk of your red lips. “Can I have some feed, my lord?”
A flush of embarrassment rushes to his face as he coughs nervously. “Oh! Uh…yes, here some feed.”
You grab some from his hand, trying to not think how your fingers tingled where they touched his warm skin. Bringing it to the pond, the turtleducks quack with delight as they swim closer. You let out a squeal of delight when they pushed their beaks into your hand, tickling the palm of your hand.
A smile breaks across of Zuko's face as he feels his insides flutter at the sound of your laughter. He quietly observes you with a lazy smile as you continued to kneel by pond, the sun setting behind you. The orange glow made you look more radiant that evening and he couldn’t help but feel a tug towards you.
Zuko chest tightened as he observed your more tender side. He honestly thought that you took your job a little too seriously. You were always on edge, as if ready to pounce at danger at any given moment. You were always thinking about his safety. Always checking and double checking the area to make sure it was clear before he could walk in. Always looking through his room in case someone was hiding within the curtains or under his bed. Always making sure he was safe. He hope to see this side of you more in the coming days.
But ever since you took up this job, Zuko noticed his sleep improving, even if they were minor improvements. Just knowing that you were there to protect him was enough to quiet his nightmares and worries. He smiles fondly above you, mentally making a note to thank Suki later. After all, she was the one who recommended you for the job.
As Zuko watches you observe the turtleducks fondly, Zuko realizes that he, too, would do anything to protect you.
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