more than words, a prompted drabble compilation
Ozai pivots, shifting his weight to his right half of his body as a flaming fist connects with solid concrete with a crack, pieces of rubble falling to bits around him. He punches the block rapidly, knuckles reddening with heat and irritating, sweat dripping from his face, down his shoulders, across his muscled chest — anything to distract him from that infernal noise he keeps hearing around the palace.
Sure, he spends all of his spare time training rather than with Ursa, but they have children now. He expects things to change but in his eyes, they have stayed startlingly the same. He can't drown out her melodious voice any longer, but it causes something dark and bitter to seize his chest.
Ozai knows the song that Ursa sings so frequently around the palace. It is some sort of reprise ending to that dreadful play, Love Amongst Dragons, which she holds so dearly to her heart. It is bits and pieces that he fits together that lead him to knit together the facts; her common boyfriend was the lead, a Dragon Emperor who is cursed to live amongst mortals and she was a mortal, whom the Emperor falls in love with. She sings the song that solidifies their love for one another.
It's simple, really. Every time he hears her crooning those notes when she tucks their children in or when she walks around the palace or sits out in the gardens, he feels something stabbing in his chest, a pain he can't identify with anything other than jealousy, rage, and a nagging sensation that she'll never love him.
Which is a shame, because he's starting to fall in love with her.
She's beautiful and bold and as much as Ozai tries to remind himself that this is a marriage arranged in all facets for convenience, that there is still something that draws him to her, more than just what his necessary duty is towards her. He mutters curses under his breath as he wraps his knuckles gingerly, pulling on all of his patience so he doesn't burn the bandage right off of his hands.
When he steps out of the training area, Ursa is there. She's holding Azula, who is fascinated with the bright torches on the wall, singing gently to her. She nuzzles her face against her daughter's and it momentarily distracts the toddler as she giggles, burying her face in Ursa's hair, but her eyes dart back towards the fire casting shadows along the hall.
"Daddy!" Azula spots Ozai first and Ursa turns with a gentle laugh; she is beautiful and Ozai hates it because he has never wanted anything that wasn't his completely; this song that she sings will forever mark her as someone else's lover.
She spots the blood seeping through his bandages before anything else. "Are you all right, my love? What's happened to your hands?" She shifts Azula in her arms, reaching out a delicate hand to run the tips of her fingers over the bandage.
He withdraws his hand with a hiss. "Stupid woman," he says, turning on his heel, dark hair swaying, "why would you do that, why would you touch my wound?" He starts to walk away, grumbling under his breath when he can hear Ursa following him, Azula babbling in her arms.
"Hey!" She says, defensiveness lining her voice, "I'm just trying to see if you're all right." She catches him by the shoulder and is surprised when he whirls around on her the second she does it.
"What's it to you? You've been singing your love song all day without any regard for what anyone else might be doing." It seems childish and wrong that he's picking at her over a song, but he is. He's spoiled and he wants this to stop, he wants to stop feeling things for her when it's clear to him that she doesn't return those sentiments.
Ursa only snorts, putting her free hand on her hip. "That's my favorite song," she points out backhandedly, "I sing it because it reminds me of you."
Well, now he just feels foolish. Shock takes over his features and he stares at his wife dumbly, his lips parted slightly as he tries to comprehend, tries to dial back all of the assumptions he's made about her. "I…but you and…the Dragon Emperor…"
His heart thuds in his chest, partially from shame and partially from bashfulness, when she steps forward, moving her hand over his cheek gently. "You're a Prince," she says with a soft smile, "and I am just…some girl, some mortal common girl. I didn't choose this life, you know. It just fell into my lap this way. But it doesn't mean I don't love you."
Ozai stares, ignoring his daughter as she makes grabby hands towards him, kicking and fussing in Ursa's grip. He's still unable to wipe the dumbfounded look off of his face, as if she has just reversed everything he thought he knew about her.
In essence, she has, and the smirk on her face tells him that she's aware of it. The fact that she can even manage to turn the tables on him that way is enough to make him admire her even more deeply than he had before. She leans up to him and presses her lips to his nose. "After all, one should count themselves to be so lucky as to wed a Dragon."
Gently, she kisses him on the lips, and pulls away as Azula starts to whine. "Please," she says with a nudge of her hips against his as she walks past, "see to it that your hands are properly bandaged. Those bandages are, uh," she stifles a slight giggle as Ozai looks down at the now singed material and flushes. He glances at his wife, ready to berate her for getting the best of him, but she starts to sing that song — her song for him.
And he finds himself falling deeper in love with her.
notes: along with korra smut week, i am also participating in urzai month, because i really, really need it after the search comics. if you want any info on participating in that, you can PM me or head over to tumblr where i will be actively posting drabbles and things for it!