SHE SHOULDN’T BE SURPRISED to see azula there. she’s just as much as princess as glimmer is, but she seemed more the type to ... skip out on an event like prom. then again, scorpia had also showed up, so she supposes anything is possible. “ hi, princess azula. ” her voice is MEEK, something she hates, something she’s cursing bow and perfuma for. half of glimmer’s gaze is still trained on them in the corner as she attempts to grab some sweets from the table and leave. “ are you ... uh, having fun ? ”
i. he doesn’t like making promises anymore. being with her had reminded him of all the ones he had broken when she was a child and it sits, uneasy, with his long list of wrongdoings.
they’re both older now and trying to make things right, both still fumblin their way through learning from past mistakes that they made and the ones their family had made over the last century. once he’s sure zuko is comfortable and safe at home, he tries to spend his time in the earth kingdom, traveling, as he had before, and offering a hand when he could ( as lu ten of the fire nation; there was no way to properly help if he kept hiding behind the shen mask he had worn for so long ).
so, they sit. enjoying each other’s company in comfortable silence and sipping tea.
“ i lied to you and your brother a lot when you were little. ” he says, he doesn’t look at her, his gaze is fixated out, but he reaches up to brush back the grey hairs that hang loose. if he looks at her, he wonders if he would be able to say what it was he wanted to. “ not everything, of course. i would never lie about how much i love you or how much i want you to be happy. ” his head drops and he stares at the cup in his hand. “ i always thought i was doing the right thing. that it was my way of protecting you from the world. i thought that if i could make you happy by promising things that you wouldn’t be sad about your parents or our grandfather. ”
finally, he looks up, eyes soft. “ it doesn’t make it right or okay, but i am sorry. so sorry for ever hurting you. if i could do it again, better, i would. ”
ii. he does not beg or plead, does not want to push her to do anything she doesn’t want to, but he and his mother were planning another trip to the temples of the sun warriors. to visit family and for her to fulfill her role as priestess. and he wants azula to come with them. he knows reiko had already offered, but lu ten wants her to experience it too. it is all still new to him, the culture, their family; but it is his and he wants to share that with her.
he and his mother both think it would do her good. they were her family too, something good and soft and better than what the royal family had probably ever been.
“ it would be nice to have you there, but only if you want to make the journey. ” his fingers are weaving carefully through her hair to braid it and keep it off her shoulders and out of her face. He smiles and ties her hair off at the end. “ my mother’s brother is funny--i think you’d like him. you should see the way he teases bàba when he tries to dance. ” he finds himself chuckling at the thought.
“ does the trip sound more appealing if i promised we could make fun of my father together ? ”
iii. “ you’re not really going, are you ? ”
news spread fast; he had hoped to have the opportunity to talk to azula and zuko before they found out. the prince’s gaze softens and he takes a seat beside her. “ where did you hear that from ? ” he licks his lips and shakes his head before she can answer. it didn’t matter. “ we won’t be leaving until sometime after my birthday. that is still months away. ” five months, to be exact. his throat feels dry at the thought of the date creeping up. the great general iroh had much to plan and lu ten, too, would be wrapped up in meetings in the following months.
their time together was already growing short.
he still feels uneasy at the thought of going but knows he must. his father and grandfather have not forced him to join the army, but he isn’t sure he can face them or his people if he stays home. his hand rests on her back and he leans his head against hers, a small smile pulling his lips up. he is sure she’s mad at him, and he only wants to make her happy, to put her at ease even when he can’t put himself at ease.
“ i’ll be back soon, before you know it, i promise. when i come home, the war will be won and we’ll have all the time in the world to spend together. ”
iv. the question takes him off guard. he isn’t sure if she’s joking ( it can be hard to tell with her, azula, too, had mastered a straight face at a young age just as he had ). had no one told her the proper order of their birthright for her to question if she would one day be fire lord ? he wasn’t sure how the thought had come to her to begin with. lu ten could not imagine azulon allowing his only granddaughter to be seen as a true heir to the throne, nor could he picture uncle ozai, or even his father allowing such a thing. It had been unheard of, even further back than sozin ( though their family history before their great-grandfather was rarely discussed in anything but whispers ). it had been so long since a girl had even been born into their family.
“ fire lord azula does have a wonderful ring to it, don’t you think? ”
he did not want to be the one to upset her, to have to explain the harsh reality that she would remain a princess and only that; that it would be his future children sons ( and grandsons and great-grandsons ) who would sit on the throne. ( a thought passes through his mind : would he allow a daughter to sit on the throne ? ). lu ten rubs his chin in thought, appearing to seriously contemplate the question before he kneels before her in one quick movement. “ all hail fire lord azula ! long may she reign; mighty and powerful ! ”
with a smile, he quickly scoops her up into his arms and stands, lifting her over his shoulders. “ i will tell grandfather at once that i have promised the position of my next-in-line to you, princess, as long as you promise me to be a fair and wise ruler. ”
v. they’re in the same position, lying flat on their stomachs, but lu ten’s legs are in the air, kicking behind him. he’s laughing and making faces for her, his baby cousin, just over two months old. the prince’s eyes flash to where ursa sits with zuko, watching over the pair, searching for approval that he was doing a good job playing with his new cousin. hands cover his eyes and he peeks out at her after a moment. her gaze doesn’t waiver---until it does. he gasps as her little face lights up and bounces to his feet. “ aunt ursa ! she smiled--she smiled at me !! ” ursa stands, clearly thrilled at the news but lu ten has stopped listening, quickly sitting on the grass again, and he pulls her into his arms with care. it’s the first time she’s smiled, for him at least.
he holds her close, grinning ear-to-ear, as her mother and brother approach. “ i love you, ‘zula. ” he plants a kiss on her chubby cheek and on the top of her head. “ i’ll love you forever, i promise. ”
@prdgys asked : 🌺 / send 🌺 to hear what my muse likes about yours
❛ you get me. the others are pretty great and all, but you actually get me. they don’t really get what it’s like, you know ? plus you’re not nice. i’m sick of everyone being so nice. i’m glad you’re not nice. ❜
🔥 @prdgys said: azula runs up to her cousin as he begins his departure, grabbing at his sleeve. “i’m coming with you!”
it takes him a brief moment to compose himself when he hears her call out to him and he puts on the kind smile that was reserved solely for his cousins. lu ten turns and scoops her up into his arms and he feels suddenly overwhelmed by the simple fact that she could, one day, not want him to pick her up anymore. by the time he returned, even. the siege had no end date; they only knew it would not be a quick or easy victory. “ i wish you could, princess. you would be the fiercest fighter on the field. it wouldn’t be fair to the rest of us. ” he pauses, almost immediately finding his attempt at lightening the mood unfunny. if they could take down ba sing se, the war would be over. he would never have to worry about either of his cousins seeing a battlefield.
" i’ll miss you, azula, but i need you to be here. i know i can trust you to look after the family while i’m gone. ” he places her feet back on the ground and kneels next to her, pulling the bag from his shoulder. for a moment, he rummaged through the bag until he finally finds what he’s looking for: a picture that she drew for him a few years ago. he shows it to her, unfolding it carefully. “ i’m taking this with me, that way it’ll be like you’re there, too. and how about this--- ” he places the parchment back into his bag and places a gentle hand to her cheek. “ i left my crown on the desk in my room. you’ll hold onto it for me until i get back, right ? ”
BALLROOM PROMPTS! accepting! / @prdgys
AZULA SAID: you fear for the constancy of your lover’s affections?
“ THAT’S NOT QUITE IT...” glimmer finds it hard to meet the other woman’s eyes, the idea of being vulnerable to ANYONE ( let alone a former adversary ) difficult for her. “ it’s more like, i KNOW bow loves me, but ... taking on every responsibility that comes with actually being on the queen’s arm is really daunting. ” and that’s to say the least. now that the war is over, she notices etherians everywhere searching for comfort in the most trivial of things, gossip being one of the BIGGEST of those vices. that’s what makes opening up to azula possible for her at all; the fire princess doesn’t seem to care about mindless chatter, empty words. what glimmer needs is a straight shot. her newest friend ( could she call her that ? ) wouldn’t sugarcoat words, wouldn’t raise her voice a few octaves in an attempt to spare her feelings. she LOVES adora, perfuma, the entirety of the princess alliance— but they’ll tell her what she wants to hear rather than what she needs.
“ I MEAN, LOOK AT ALL THIS ! ” she sweeps an arm out, gesturing to the party ( sparkling lights, gorgeous ballgowns, champagne flutes. ) around them. to find a moment of actual intelligent conversation during such an event is a feat in itself, and the queen can’t imagine how bow must be feeling, as he’s no doubt absolutely SWAMPED with questions regarding their relationship. “ what if he realizes that he’s just not cut out for court life, no matter how much he loves me ? ”
@prdgys asked : is that the way you see your life? as a human doormat?
the anger in her veins spreads the more azula speaks. she’s tired of having the princess around, tired of azula being the one in charge when it should have been her. azula was a princess for etheria sake, how had she managed to top catra herself, a solider who had been nothing but loyal. claws unsheathe, but catra keeps her distance. after all, she knows what azula is capable of. ❛ watch it, princess. you don’t know who you’re messing with. ❜
