They eventually reached the Ember Island, where they disembarked to join the festivities. The two chaperones that Azula used to have around were there to welcome them.
Viteq found the two old chaperone ladies, Lo and Li, quite lovely. The two were young in spirit and loved to have fun. The royal siblings didn't quite like them and Iroh tried staying away, because they flirted with him but they were much older than him and creeped him out.
He had fun exchanging banter with the two and they flirted right back at him. He laughed at their jokes and played along. Overall, he felt that they were good people who wouldn't tattle on Azula and him to the Firelord, because they didn't have a good opinion of him. He might have thought wrong, but he was a good judge of character and trusted his hunch.
He and Azula walked around holding hands. To everyone else it might have been a bit of innocent contact, but Viteq was always guiding the Princesss through his bending. When the two were touching, he could completely control the Princess, if they broke contact, the intensity of control would fade over a dozen meters, where he could guide Azula, but not control her completely. After that, he could feel where she was vaguely, but nothing more.
Viteq steered Azula around, making her flush and bite her lip all the time. He used his bending to tease her throughout the days they were together and Azula loved to reciprocate when they were alone. The waterbender even managed to make the Princess say things he wanted through his bending.
The entourage often joked about Azula being red in the face, but they didn't know how Viteq loved to tease her and how excited she was almost all of the time. to be under his control.
Once they were settled in they decided to walk around and have some fun.
There were a lot of teenagers, none of whom recognised the royal siblings. Zuko has been exiled so he hasn't met any of them in years and Azula was never interested in hanging out with them before. Still, they decided to try and meet a few new friends or atleast have fun with them.
Viteq acted very nice to everyone, helping them set up towels to rest on. Ty Lee and Azula laid side by side with Viteq attending to them. He cooled their drinks for them and offered a few cool snacks perfect for the hot day at the beach, like ice cream.
He left Mai alone, hoping Zuko would take the hint and try to take care of her, but he was moody, walking around and brooding about something. Mai didn't seem all that interested in him either, so when she approached Viteq, he helped her set up an umbrella for shade and laid out her towel as well. He offered treats for her and she reluctantly agreed. Viteq almost didn't see her lips lifting as he attended to her.
Suki was around, but she trailed behind Zuko while avoiding everyone else. Viteq found it funny how she turned into his shadow. She hoped to meet with the Avatar and the Prince was her best bet for that. He noticed her, but ignored her, prefering to keep to himself.
A few guys approached Ty Lee, which angered Azula because she didn't want anyone intruding on her time with her lover and friends. She was about to lash out at them, but Viteq stopped her. He guided her to do something else instead.
Two guys stood in front of Ty Lee and talked to her, trying to one up one another when Azula wrapped her arms around her neck from behind.
"You boys don't stand much of a chance. Ty Lee is mine and you would have to deal with both of us, and unluckily for you, I already have a boyfriend."
The Princess waved her arm towards Viteq, who sat nearby. He waved at the guys. Compared to the dark skinned and buff waterbender, the two didn't seem all that impressive. They quickly retreated, hoping to corner Ty Lee when she was alone.
Ty Lee breathed a sigh of relief as she was left alone and twisted around in Azula's arms to look at her.
"Thank you Azula. Did you really mean what you said?"
The Princess wanted to say that Viteq made her speak, but didn't want to out his capability, so she paused. Her body moved to speak on its own.
"Of course Ty Lee, you are my dear friend, and I don't want to see you hurt. Those guys only had bad intentions for you. I couldn't let them take advantage of my friend, could I?"
Ty Lee smiled at her friend brightly, making Azula flush from all the different things happening at once, the control from her lover and her friend being so bubbly and honest.
"Thank you. You've been a completely different person lately. You are so happy and not at all angry, even your aura is brighter and clearer."
This time nothing guided her and she just smiled at her friend as she spoke sincerely.
"It's all thanks to Viteq. He is a good boyfriend."
She felt heat rise, because while what she said was true, it had a completely different meaning for her, because she meant the control he exerted over her that excited her so much, which nobody knew about.
Later, the Princess pulled Zuko and three girls to play against other teens. Azula tended to be extreme in her interactions, but Viteq controlled her to be better. During the game, she was extremely red, because Viteq used her play and it made her feel his energy running through her.
After the game, two different guys approached Ty Lee and Mai to invite her to a party. Azula felt her lover take hold of her again.
She walked to stand beside Ty Lee and threw an arm around her shoulders.
"Hey you guys, we are a package deal. If you want our little cute cupcake here, you have to invite us as well. Don't worry, we know how to party."
She smiled at the guys toothily, confusing them.
"Eh, Alright, you guys can come too. Just don't do anything weird. There will be some of the most important teeneagers from the Fire Nation at the party, don't ruin it."
"Oh, we won't. Don't worry, it will be a night to remember."
After they came back to their house, Viteq took off to the kitchen. He loved cooking so he wanted to prepare some snacks for the party. The two chaperone ladies helped him prepare their evening meals and the snacks for later. The three had real chemistry going and the old ladies remarked that it was too sad they weren't a couple decades younger. Viteq was their kind of man. He laughed with them and told them they were perfect just as they were.
They served the food to the group as they all sat down on a veranda. General Iroh was still absent, probably avoiding the two old ladies.. Zuko barely interacted with anyone thus far unless he was engaged by someone, mainly Azula. Suki just quietly observed like a warrior in the enemy territory.
Viteq chewed on a piece of poultry as he turned to Zuko.
"So, we are going to a party where nobody knows you are the Firelord's son. How does that make you feel?"
The younger teen glanced at the waterbender and returned to his food.
"I don't know. I don't remember being acknowledged as the Firelord's son at all. This doesn't seem to be different from how I am usually treated."
Azula snorted at his lackluster reaction.
"This is going to be a new feeling for me, mainly me going to someone's party. I never had interest in hanging out with any other teens. They all seemed so shallow. I had to earn my place in the world while they had everything handed to them. Pathetic."
Viteq reached out and booped her on the nose, making her unscunch her eyebrows and look at him in surprise.
"They had parents who spoiled them, while you had a heartless monster for a father. It's hard to relate to people who lived different lives. Now, you can experience what their lives are like, even if only for a day."
The Princess bit her lip and nodded. Ty Lee piped up with a smile.
"You two are so cute, just like a real couple."
Viteq smiled at her widely.
"Well, we are a little weird, what with me being a cook who tamed the Princes, but we are a real couple and love spending our time together."
Zuko snorted, shaking his head in disgust. Mai got curious and turned to her kind-of-boyfriend.
"Do you have anything to add?"
The Princes looked at her and turned to the rest of the group. He signed before speaking.
"I don't get it, how can a person like Azula gain happiness and act all lovely, while I am struggling by myself."
Mai looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Viteq shrugged at the younger teen.
"Man, you screwed up with Mai by tattling on her to Azula to try and get me in trouble, that's not a good thing to do. It's understandable that she would be angry at you, but you haven't tried fixing things at all. You could apologize or try and make up for your mistake, but you just walk around all broody and ignore her. You can't expect relationships to just happen and to fix themselves, you have to maintain them."
The Prince looked at the waterbender with annoyance.
"I've gotten together with Mai somehow. I guess I don't need your advice."
The older man shook his head.
"You didn't 'somehow' get together with Mai. She liked you since you were kids and pursued you once it was appropriate. And you stabbed her in the back to hurt me. That's bad for your relationship and you haven't done a thing to fix it."
"Well, I had more important things on my mind."
"Yes, because we all know how great you are at prioritizing. You spent years chasing down the Avatar and in the end you got none of the things you wanted. You are the Hero of the Fire Nation, but you get the same treatment as your 'treasonous' uncle and me, the captive of your sister. Truly, well spent years to achieve all your dreams."
Zuko got angry again.
"And who are you to teach me? You are a captive, a prisoner who attends to my sister. At least I stand to inherit the title of Firelord and lead the nation in the future."
The waterbender snorted at how naive Zuko was.
"You really think your father would give up his power to give it to you? He pushed his own brother aside and poisoned his father to get where he is today. You think you will somehow make him stand aside to share his power?"
"Well, at last I have my freedom! I can go wherever I want and do what I want!"
"And with all that freedom you are still doing nothing. You brood around all day instead of trying to mend things with your uncle or to become a better bender. Make up your mind and step up. You are the Prince of the Fire Nation and you act just as indecisive as the Avatar, who is an Air Nomad and years younger than you."
"You!"
Viteq sneered at Zuko hiss.
"And for your information I am exactly where I want to be. I have already proved that when I fight with your sister, I come out on top each time." The Princess reddened at that. "And guess what, if I wanted to leave, nobody could stop me. What's more, if I wanted to take Azula with me, I am sure she would give up her position to come with me."
He turned to the Princess and relinquished all control of her, making her stare at him with longing.
"Azula, I never told you but I saved the Avatar and he is still alive and preparing to take down your father. Soon, he will be strong enough to take out the Firelord and to defeat the Fire Nation. And I am going to help him when it happens."
Ty Lee was very surprised and looked at the waterbender with an open mouth. Mai raised an eyebrow and her lips were set into a thin line. The chaperones didn't react, reaching for a dish they liked. Suki and Zuko blinked at his bold admission.
Azula looked at her lover with scrunched eyebrows. She didn't really know what to do with that information. On one hand, it would be treason not to inform her father and to aid the enemy of the nation. On the other…. She had what she wanted lately, and even the idea of ruling the Fire Nation didn't seem so appealing. It would be questionable to keep a foreign national near her at all times. Keeping him as a consort, much less a husband, would make the nobles extremely angry. And what was the point of all that if he wasn't there. It all seemed more like a hassle to her.
She thought for a short while and eventually made up her mind. What's the point of wanting more, if she had to give up the one thing that made her feel loved and happy now? Losing Viteq was not an option.
She reached out with her hand towards him and he did the same. As their hands touched, she felt his control settle over her again and she bit her lip and inhaled audibly.
Viteq turned to Zuko and raised their joined hands to demonstrate the point.
"Unlike you, Azula knew what she wanted and went after it until she got it. It might not be the healthiest thing, but at least she realized what her heart desired and let nothing stop her."
The Prince seethed in place, unable to come up with a reply. His situation was similar to his sister's yet the outcome was completely different. And as Viteq said previously, Zuko chased after something someone else told him to chase, while Azula went after what she wanted despite others' disapproval.
Ty Lee spoke up, trying to calm the atmosphere.
"Guys, we don't need to fight. We have a party to go to. We can dance, meet new friends and have fun. Let's not muddle our day with this anger, we are all friends here."
Zuko turned away from Viteq with a huff and the waterbender smiled at the happy girl.
"Sure Cupcake. Let's have a good time."
Ty Lee smiled at being called that. Zuko huffed again as he crossed his arms. Azula looked at him and smiled evil.
"Oh, come on Zuzu, you can't stay behind while all of us are having fun. Besides if not Mai, my other captive seemed to have found you to her liking. Just look how the Avatar girl follows you everywhere."
Suki widened her eyes at being put on the spot. She looked at Viteq for help, but he smiled at her evilly.
"That's true, it seems Suki found somebody she admires. She is a trained warrior, perhaps she found a lord worthy of her protection and service."
Suki crossed her arms at what the waterbender implied. She puffed her cheeks and turned away. Ty Lee cheered at how the Kyoshi warrior acted and found it cute. She jumped towards the two of them and threw an arm around each one.
"You guys are really cute. All broody and silent, yet your reactions are so funny sometimes."
She stepped back, pushing the two together. Zuko stopped the two from colliding by catching Suki's arm. They awkwardly glanced at one another before looking away. Zuko calmed down and sighed, knowing he would be unable to escape his sister's attention.
Viteq noticed that Mai didn't react to how Zuko acted and furrowed his brow. Wasn't she in love with him? He shrugged, not caring about her love life. He clapped, drawing attention to himself.
"Alright guys, I am packing some snacks for the party and we can go join in on the fun. It should be in full swing right now."
Mai looked at Viteq and snorted.
"You are like a mother hen, worrying about feeding us and giving everyone treats."
The waterbender paused as he processed her joke. He smiled at her and flexed, making all his muscles bulge.
"You see these? It's not all exercise and hard work, it's also good eating. And I pride myself on making my food both delicious and healthy."
The girl rolled her eyes and walked past him to touch up a few details before the party.
Ty Lee drooled a little at Viteq's display and hugged Azula.
"Oh, he is such a handsome guy, I am jealous."
The Princess smiled smugly at her friend.
"You should be, he is one of his kind. You would never find somebody like him."
Ty Lee's smile crumbled slightly.
"Yeah, you are right. I wouldn't."
The group broke up temporarily to get ready for the party.