Lien PoV

I stared out over the playground. Most people didn't like me, and those that did were all too busy playing with each other or practicing something to bother trying to talk to me. of course I kept my eyes fixed on one person in particular more often than not.

Princess Azula, the second in line to Prince Ozai's name.

In all honesty, she scared me, and she seemed very controlling in my eyes. She was mean to her friends, if you could even call them that because of how much she used them. No matter how hard anybody tried they couldn't get close to being on a par with her because she was that much of a prodigy.

My parents had often told me to try to interact with her, but I really preferred the very rare but usually insightful conversations with Prince Zuko or Prince Lu Ten. They were almost polar opposites, but I had met Prince Lu Ten a few times and he seemed very kind.

"Lien!" I heard, and I turned around to find a teacher calling for me. "Your mother wants you home early, she and your father wanted to talk to you about something important!"

I nodded, having learned long ago with my one interaction with Prince Ozai that it was better to keep your mouth shut around adults and to let them do all the talking and controlling. No matter how badly I wanted out and to be free, I knew that as a Fire Nation citizen and as a very-high-ranking General's only daughter, that probably wouldn't happen.

I followed her out, hoping that they also had pulled my younger brother, Kuzon, out of class as well. My older brother was off fighting in the war against the Earth Kingdom alongside Prince Lu Ten and even with General Iroh sometimes. As proud as I wanted to be, I missed them and wished that this whole war was over already. It just never had settled right in my stomach, or in any part of me.

"Lien," my mother said calmly, and I looked over at another woman, this one who was tall, somewhat thin, beautiful (very much more so than my mother), and wore a crown of some sort.

"It's an honor to see you again, Princess Ursa," I bowed, and she smiled at me as I looked up at the woman that had somehow become almost like a second mother to me.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lien," she said placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Your mother and I have been talking about some things and there are a few things that we have decided to do that we think you should know about."

I stared up at her, wondering what she meant, not realizing that that conversation would change my life forever.

3rd PoV

Lu Ten and his two comrades in arms were all gathered in the Palace to hear what their fathers, and in Lu Ten's case uncle as well, had to say. To their surprise, all three men were looking at each other warily, and they immediately felt slight confusion.

"Boys, as you know it is a tradition for someone in a position of power to become betrothed," Lien's father began, and both boys paled, not wanting to be married to Azula. "An agreement has been made and we expect you to support this."

"Yes, sir," they chorused, knowing better than to intervene or interrupt.

"We have decided that since she has spent quite a bit of time with him and since they are friends, that Lien and Zuko are to be wedded when they come of age," Iroh said smiling, and all three males breathed a sigh of relief before they realized what had been said.

"Father, do you mean that Zuko is betrothed to be married?" Lu Ten verified, and Iroh nodded. "Does he know? Shouldn't we tell him?"

"I have not told him yet, and I don't intend to until he is almost of age," Ozai said with finality, and Lu Ten nodded.

"Lien," he mused before realizing something. "isn't that your sister?"

"That is," the two other young soldiers paled. "She won't like this at all."

"Lien, do you know what betrothed means?" her mother asked, and she shook her head. Ignoring her daughter's response, the non-bender continued anyways. "Well, regardless of whether you do or not, you are betrothed by your father's arrangement with your future father-in-law."

"Betrothed?" Lien gasped, shocked, and the two nodded. "You mean I am to be married?"

"Yes, to my son," Ursa smiled and nodded gently.

"Th-this year?" she asked terrified, and her mother scoffed.

"No, dear, when the two of you are both of age," Ursa explained gently. "Just try to be kind to him and try to help him, dear. Whether he knows it or not, both of you will become very good friends someday, I can see."

Lien stared up at Ursa before beginning to cry, afraid of being related to Azula and Ozai. Reaching towards the Princess, she is then swept from the room by her mother only to be scolded for 'behaving rudely' towards her. her punishment is for her to do more chores around the house and that she has to tell her father what she did when he gets home, prompting her to run and leave the room in a fit of tears, rushing to Ursa and crying onto her shoulder.

"Dani, do not scold her," Ursa said softly, gently rubbing Lien's back and letting her cry. "She is not used to this, and she is afraid. Not of Zuko, I sense, but most likely to be related to Fire Lord Azulon."

"P-Princess Azula and Prince Ozai," Lien whimpered into her shoulder, and Ursa sighed.

"I don't blame you for feeling this way, Lien," she said gently. "Please don't hesitate to come find me if you ever want to talk about the arrangement or anything else."

Lien was silent, not wanting to invoke her mother's wrath, but nodded into her shoulder and kept crying and whimpering while holding onto her tightly. Gradually, she falls asleep and Ursa smiles gently and carries her away to the bedroom while Dani, Lien's mother, looks on with a scowl.

"Dani, can you be a little gentler with her? She's such a sweet girl, and I can already see that she is nervous about everything around her because of Azula," Ursa said, not wanting to say that she could see how Lien was terrified of her own mother. "For old time's sake?"

"Fine," she agreed reluctantly, planning on only getting stricter and harsher once Ursa was out of the picture.

I, ahm... um...So... What do you think? This is one of the fanfics that I have on my flash drive that I just discovered when I was going through it to clean it off. I, um... yeah... I'm not a very good writer, I'm sorry...

Um... can you review, please? I'd like to know how to better improve my writings, and to be able to make more stories that you all would enjoy...