"Lu Ten, I have a favor to ask of you." Iroh looked at Lu Ten with a knowing look on his face. Lu Ten was the kind of person who would do anything for the people he cared about.
"What is it?" Lu Ten smiled more or less at the fact that by the year's end he'll be taller than his father.
"First thing is that you need to stop growing so fast," Iroh laughed. His face got more serious. "Second thing is that me, Ursa and Ozai are going to be gone for the day and we need someone to watch Zuko and Azula."
"Don't tell me, you want me to keep them out of grandfather's hair." Lu Ten said.
"Precisely." Iroh answered.
Lu Ten sighed. Zuko by himself was good when he wasn't on a sugar high, but Azula any day was hard to handle. "I'll be sure to have Zuko help." Iroh nodded in response.
Ursa and Ozai entered the room and walked up to Iroh and Lu Ten.
"So are we leaving yet?" said Ozai in his usual bored tone.
"Zuko and Azula are in our quarters, ok Lu Ten. We told Zuko to help you as well." Ursa smiled her usual kind smile. She than knelt down and gave Lu Ten a kiss on the cheek and to ruffle his hair.
Lu Ten wiped the kiss mark off his cheek and smiled. "Yeah ok, Aunt Ursa I will." Lu Ten looked over to Ozai who stood away from the group. His signature mischievous grin came across his face. He than ran over to Ozai and gave him a hug. "Oh Uncle Ozai I'll miss you so much!!! Please don't forget about me!" Ursa and Iroh laughed at the sight of Ozai trying to pull Lu Ten away from him.
"Ozai give him a hug now." Ursa said sweetly. Ozai obeyed and gave Lu Ten a quick pat on the back.
They all said their good byes and Lu Ten set off to see Zuko and Azula. He opened the heavy doors to be greeted with a shriek that sounded like his name and something grabbing on his leg. Lu Ten looked down to see a four year old Zuko clinging to him.
"Hey Zuko, so are you gonna help me take care of Azula?" Lu Ten kneeled to Zuko's level and ruffled his hair.
"Azula is being naughty and not listening to me. Mommy said that she had to listen to me and you." Zuko pouted and pointed to a three year old Azula trying to pull the covers off of the bed. Lu Ten looked over to see Azula, he sighed.
"Hey Azula, lets play a game that doesn't involve bed sheets." Lu Ten went over to Azula and picked her up off the floor, Azula than punched Lu Ten in the forehead. "Ouch. Azula you don't punch. It's mean." Azula than stuck her tongue out.
Lu Ten than balanced Azula out so he could carry her with one hand and hold on to Zuko with the other.
"So guys what do you want to do? I have to keep you busy until dinner so we might as well start now." Lu Ten looked at Zuko and Azula in turn.
They continued to walk down the corridor looking for something to do when they crossed paths with a servant girl. Azula reached out and grabbed the girl's hair and pulled. She cried out in pain as Azula continued to pull.
"Azula, Let go! Sorry! Azula! Listen to me Azula! Sorry ma'am! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Azula, drop it." Lu Ten tried to get Azula to let go without pulling the servant's hair more. "Maybe if you come closer it won't pull…" Lu Ten instructed. The girl did so and Azula than pulled on her bangs. The servant let out another cry in pain. "I'm so sorry! Azula let go!" Azula started to hit the girl on the head with her free hand. The servant bent over backwards to try to make it easier for Lu Ten to get Azula to let go. Azula let go of the hair and grabbed the servant's cheeks and than bit her nose, than Azula let go. The servant fell to the ground holding her nose.
Lu Ten gave Azula to Zuko. "Here hold her." Zuko let out a cry in protest as she grabbed his ear.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't know! Please forgive me!" Lu Ten than helped the servant girl up to her feet. By that time there was a small crowd. The servant girl ran down the hall crying as Lu Ten tried to apologize. He than picked up Azula and held on to Zuko and moved down the hall.
"Now Azula, that was very mean. You don't do that to people. It hurts." Lu Ten slightly tugged on a piece of Azula's hair to prove his point. Azula shrieked and punched Lu Ten in the face. "Ouch! You – oh forget it."
They made their way around a corner to find one of the many strategically placed couches. Lu Ten put Azula down and lay down on the small couch. Azula tried to take Lu Ten's boot off and Zuko sat on the ground, leaning on the leg of the couch.
"Cousin Lu Ten, when's mom and dad gonna be home?" Zuko asked.
"Not until after dinner." Lu Ten replied. They haven't been gone for an hour and Azula already attacked someone.
"When's dinner?" Zuko asked again.
"Way after lunch."
"When's lunch?"
"Not soon enough."
Lu Ten looked down to see that Azula was chewing on his boot that she pulled off. He sighed throwing his hands over his head. "Why me?" As if on cue Azula through the boot at Lu Ten's face. He groaned and put his boot back on. "Lets go to your rooms and see if you have anything you can do."
They walked down and miraculously with out passing anyone made it to Azula's room.
"Lu Ten it's too girly in here." Zuko cried.
"You want to go in your room with Azula than?" Lu Ten asked. Zuko shook his head vigorously. "I thought so. Go run around Azula. Run and destroy." Lu Ten let Azula go and made his way to block the door.
"So, the plan is that we stay in here and lay low until your parents come back. Sound good?" Lu Ten leaned against the door. "Stay here and watch Azula. I'm going to tell a servant to bring our lunches in here." Zuko nodded as Lu Ten got up and exited the room.
When Lu Ten left the room Azula started throwing stuff at Zuko and tried to leave the room.
"Azula! Stop it or I'm telling Lu Ten!" Zuko tried to hold her down as she was heading for the door. "Azula stop it!"
Azula than knocked Zuko down and opened the door than exited the room. Zuko got back to his feet and tried to chase Azula. He chased her through the winding corridors of the inner palace until Azula slipped into a crack of a door. Zuko skidded to a stop outside of the massive doors. He knew that he, and anyone else was forbidden to go further. It was after all the door to Fire Lord Azulon's rooms. Zuko was pacing outside the doors thinking of what to do, finally Zuko decided to get Lu Ten. He knew what to do.
Lu Ten was in another corridor telling a servant on what he wanted for lunch. "You see we need something that will endue a food coma so they can fall asleep until dinner. Sounds reasonable right?" The servant nodded and went to the kitchens.
Zuko ran up too Lu Ten talking to fast for him to understand.
Lu Ten got down to Zuko's level. "Ok Zuko, tell me. What happened?"
"Azula got out of her room and went to grandpa's room! Mommy said never go in there and she did!" Zuko was trying to pull Lu Ten to Azulon's rooms.
Lu Ten picked up Zuko and ran as fast as he could to Azulon's rooms. If anyone were to find out what has happened and what they were about to do. Either way they would be doomed. They stopped outside the massive doors.
"Ok Zuko, we're going to hide if anyone comes, and if we do hide we have to be very quiet." Lu Ten instructed. Zuko nodded.
The boys opened a door only to flinch whenever it creaked. Lu Ten surveyed the area to see that the coast was clear. They entered the front room and looked under and behind everything. Lu Ten moved the heavy book shelf to see a square opening for any plants or decorations. He heard talking outside the door. He instantly recognized Azulon's voice. Lu Ten grabbed Zuko and put him in the opening, he than pushed the bookshelf back into place, concealing Zuko. Just as the door opened, Lu Ten dove under a couch.
Lu Ten watched from under the couch as Azulon was ordering an unlucky servant around. Anyone could tell that Azulon was in a very bad mood, and that just made things worse, much worse. Azulon was walking around the room, talking about something that's gone missing. He, along with the servant left the room. Lu Ten waited until the coast was clear. When it was he got Zuko out from behind the bookcase and put him on the ground. He was sure to put everything back the way it was supposed to be.
They wandered into the bedroom to find Azula playing with some important papers. Lu Ten grabbed Azula off the ground, and was about to scold her when they heard something in the front room. Lu Ten grabbed Zuko and Azula who still had the papers, and dove under the bed.
"Shush. Be very quiet." Lu Ten hoarsely whispered to them. "Zuko, cover her mouth."
Zuko covered Azula's mouth as Lu Ten grabbed the papers. Azula bit Zuko and Zuko let out a cry in pain. Lu Ten quickly covered both their mouths.
Azulon and a servant entered the bed room. The servant was trying to calm Azulon down as his temper got worse.
"So tell me, you claim that you haven't touched those papers! Then where are they!?" Azulon voice grew louder.
"The last time I saw them they were on your desk. Please, I didn't touch them." The servant sounded as if he were on the brink of tears.
"Those papers are vital to our conquest of the Earth Kingdom! They just couldn't just have waltzed off of my desk! You were the last one in here! Now tell me where they are!" The fire of the candles grew.
Lu Ten looked to the papers that he got from Azula. They were the exact papers that Azulon was looking for. That's just great. He thought. Lu Ten removed his hand from Zuko's mouth and put a finger up to his lips to tell him to stay quiet. He grabbed the scroll and inched himself quietly to the edge to see where everyone was positioned. Once he knew that he inched towards the center a bit and flung the scroll so it could hit the wall on the far corner. It made a thud sound as it hit the far wall, right where he aimed it. He quickly put his hand over Zuko's mouth. Azula started to drool on his other hand. He made a face in disgust.
"There! There it is your highness." The servant picked up the scroll.
Azulon than grabbed the scroll out of his hand and walked toward the door. "Make sure the war meeting has no interruptions." Azulon's voice was cold as ice. He than left the bedroom and shortly left the front room with the door slamming behind him.
The servant than left the chambers as signaled by a click of the outer door.
Lu Ten waited for a few minutes until the coast was clear. He than sighed in relief and let go of Azula and Zuko. Lu Ten led the two out of Azulon's rooms and down the hallway. He than picked each of them up and ran as fast as he was able back to Azula's room.
Once in he put them down and locked and closed the door, soon after he heard a knock at the door. He jumped in fear and opened the door. It was only the servant with lunch. Lu Ten let the servant in to put down the tray. Lu Ten thanked her as she went out.
"Ok guys. We were never in Azulon's rooms. We were in here the entire time. Got it?" Lu Ten hoped that they would play along. The two children nodded. "Ok good. Lets eat!" Lu Ten's voice was lighter now.
Soon after they ate Lu Ten plopped himself on Azula's bed. Azula crawled in next to him and Zuko did the same on the other side. Lu Ten pulled the covers over the three of them. Soon his eye lids felt heavy and he drifted off to sleep.
"Lu Ten, wake up. We're back."
Lu Ten felt Ursa's hand shaking his shoulder, trying to wake him. He groaned wishing for more sleep. "Five more minutes… Dad…" He started to fall back asleep. Lu Ten felt a hard smack on his right cheek. He shot up, holding his face. "Ouch! What'd you do that for?"
"I told you that would work." Ozai stood over Lu Ten now. Ursa smacked him across the head.
"Ozai." She said sternly. She than turned to Lu Ten. "They wore you out didn't they?"
"No kidding." He yawned. "Oh and Azula attacked a servant. After that we stayed in here. I guess we all passed out after lunch." Lu Ten jumped off the bed, to be sure that they didn't wake up. "Well I'll see ya at dinner!" Lu Ten than quickly walked to his own room.
He heard a quick knock at the door. Lu Ten opened it too see that Iroh was there.
"Uh hello dad! Nice to see you here! Well I gotta get ready for dinner!" Lu Ten tried to close the door but Iroh made his way into the room.
"Now Lu Ten, you never rush out of a room that fast unless something wrong has happened. Anything you wish to say?" Iroh smiled and put a hand on Lu Ten's shoulder.
Lu Ten sighed. "Well Azula did kind of get into grandpa's rooms. So we kind of had to get her out." Lu Ten recapped the events from the moment they left to the moment they fell asleep.
Iroh looked at Lu Ten for a long while and than burst into laughter. "In all my years in the military I have never heard of such stealth! If only some of the men could do that." Iroh gave Lu Ten a pat on the back.
"You mean you're not mad?" Lu Ten asked.
"Mad? Of course not. But I will have to tell Ozai and Ursa, but we don't have to tell Azulon." Iroh said with a grin. "I will see you at dinner. Oh and it's formal by the way."
Soon dinner came and they were all seated and eating. Azulon sat at the head at the table and held up the scroll from earlier.
"I'll tell you all now that the meeting was a success, but there was something wrong." Azulon pointed to the scroll. "If anyone can tell me how these odd marks got on the sides, they better do so now." He now pointed to the teeth marks.
Lu Ten stuffed as much food as he could in his mouth to stop from laughing.