Hope you enjoy. Be sure to read my other two stories.../end shameless self-endorsement.
An almost-tangible feeling of contentment and peace hung in the air. Aang strolled down the hallways of the Fire Nation royal palace, the first Avatar to do so in well over hundred years, a small smile playing on his lips. The only reason it wasn't a full-blown grin was because of a certain Waterbender he had on his mind. After arriving by airship an hour ago and checking on his animal companion Appa, he had scoured the vast royal complex for any signs of Katara.
Maybe Zuko knows where she is...he knows this palace better than I do. But how do I find him?
At that moment, a palace servant came running breathlessly past him and Aang called out after him.
"Uh- excuse me, Sir!"
The servant turned around slowly with a apprehensive expression written all over his face.
He bowed deeply before speaking. "Yes, Lord Avatar? How may I assist you?"
"Just call me Aang. Also," he quickly added, "do you know where Zuko is?"
"The Fire Lord is - uh..."
The servant, an old man named Lai Ren, was suddenly more unsure of his next actions than he had ever been, even during the eccentric and brutal reign of Firelord Ozai.
"Er...The Firelord is currently...'occupied'..." he hiccuped nervously and turned away before the Avatar could see the embarrassment on his face.
"Ok...do you happen to know where Katara is?"
The servant froze mid-step and gulped nervously. "She is...uh...I need to go! I am needed elsewhere. Good day, Av-Aang!" He hurriedly bowed again and scurried away before Aang could digest what his strange behavior meant.
What? That was really weird. And what could Zuko be doing now? Aang frowned slightly as he continued to explore the inner sanctum of the Palace.
As the servant briskly walked away from the confused Avatar, he wouldn't say that he was surprised at Zuko's current tendencies, given those that he had seen in his father, but he was somewhat disappointed. Even though he hadn't gone into the Firelord's bedchamber himself, he had recognized both of the voices within instantly, and the groans the Firelord had been making were more than enough for his experienced ears to guess their current activities.
He only felt a lingering sense of pity for the boy Avatar. Despite the impression given by Pu-On Tim's atrocious performances, the Avatar's love for his Waterbending Master was already moving from being a well-circulated rumor to a well-established fact. From what he had heard about him, he was slow to anger and undeniably fair to all he encountered. A heart so pure certainly did not deserve to be broken so young.
As he turned yet another corner and came face-to-face with Lady Mai, he knew that he should've pretended to be sick that day. The Agni Kai between Zuko and his sister had been amazing to watch, and it was an honor to meet all the heroes of the war, but he felt his loyalties and sense of morality pulling him in opposite directions...a sensation that had become eerily familiar to him in his line of work.
Mai merely raised an eyebrow as he approached her nervously.
"Is something wrong? You look like you've seen-"
He cut in suddenly. "Apologies, Lady Mai! I am needed elsewhere!"
Without even bothering to bow. Lai Ren raced away from his second close scrape that morning, feeling a rising sense of panic clawing at him. He had a suspicion that something terrible was about to occur, and he wanted to be as far away from it as possible.
Mai shook her head at his retreating figure. Despite Lai Ren's assumptions about his own discreet nature, most people could read him like an open book. There was a reason that he had been assigned to be one of the Firelord's personal attendants. Besides the apologetic personality that would placate the egocentric man, the other servants could rely on him to unwittingly relay any of the Firelord's new conquests. Mai had been reading this particular book for a while, and she recognized the telltale expression immediately. For a moment, she relaxed and rolled her eyes at the absurdity of the entire situation. Ever since she had become Azula's 'friend', she had come to expect certain things from the princess' insatiable father.
However, she suddenly gasped when she remembered the humiliated, bent-over figure she had just seen outside the palace only several minutes ago. If it wasn't Ozai, then what was the servant trying so hard to hide?
She began to walk briskly in the direction the servant had come from before accelerating into a full-blown sprint.
Uh oh!