Chapter 14

Zuko was walking to the palace gardens, where Aang, Katara and Toph would be landing shortly. He was so excited to see his good friends again, it had been months since their last visit, and he had missed them terribly. Toph was great for hilarious banter. Katara was excellent if you just wanted to sit and talk quietly over some tea. And Aang, his best friend, was the person who spoke to about all his problems. Fire Lord stuff, personal stuff. Everything.

It was hard when they weren't here. There was no one for him to just talk to. Everyone his age was weird and still immature and just got on his nerves. Some noble family kids invited him to parties and events, and he just wouldn't go, making some excuse about 'his duties'. There wasn't any point, and he was much too busy anyway. He would write to his Uncle almost constantly, as he didn't have anyone else he felt as comfortable talking to in the Fire Nation.

Luckily, Sokka and Suki had kept him company and sane over the last few months with the Supremacists uprising. Izara had helped as well. He got along with her fantastic, almost like they were kindred spirits. It was a little surprising, actually. He always had so much fun with her. Their firebending lessons were intense, but he enjoyed teaching her because she worked hard. Sometimes, he offered for her to eat dinner with him when they finished, just like the first day they met.

He recalled one night, they had sat until almost midnight and just talked about anything and everything. His face hurt the next day from smiling, something he forgot he could sometimes do. Though he understood the seriousness of being Fire Lord, he also knew that he was still young and needed to try and enjoy himself occasionally. If he didn't, he would go mad within a few years. He almost lost it a few years ago and had made a pact with Aang to ensure that Aang would kill him if he lost his way and became like his father.

Obviously, that had not happened, and his temper evening out over the last few years had probably helped that too. It certainly wasn't gone for good, though. He still had his moments, and they were definitely explosive.

He broke out of his reverie when he saw and heard Appa in the distance and wondered where Sokka and Suki were. They were supposed to be here too. Hearing the low growl of the flying bison caused a giant smile to come across his face, excited to see his friends. Soon after, the colossal creature came into sight and landed, and Toph disembarked first, desperate to get back on land where she could see.

"Hey, Flamebutt!" She walked over to him and hugged him, which he returned while he laughed at the new nickname.

"Is that the new nickname?" he asked as he stood back up.

"Yeah, I'm pretty happy with it. I think this one is the best I've ever come up with. Obviously, Lord Flamebutt for official occasions." she put her hands on her hips and grinned proudly.

Katara hopped down next and hugged him as well. He returned her hug tightly, happy to see them.

"Good to see you, Zuko. We missed you!" She greeted him and pulled away with a smile, glad to see her friend.

Aang floated gracefully down and ran over to him. They shared a long and happy hug, and Zuko groaned when Aang ruffled his hair. He obviously couldn't return the gesture very effectively. Momo also jumped on his shoulder to greet him, and Zuko made sure he gave Appa a good scratch. He missed his furry friends, too, and made sure they had suitable lodgings while they were here.

"Ah, we did miss ya, buddy. How's it going?" Aang's melodic tone was practically music to his ears.

"Exhausting. These rebellions are really making my job more difficult than it needs to be." Zuko gestured for some guards to tend to Appa and his friends to follow him inside.

Sokka and Suki came running out, appearing dishevelled, and Katara groaned.

"Could you two please keep your hands off each other for more than five minutes?!" Katara scolded her brother, and Sokka and Suki flushed as they met up with the group.

"Sorry, we did get a little… distracted," Suki admitted with a bashful smile.

They all greeted and hugged each other, happy to see one another after a long time. It was the first time they had all been together in over a year, and Zuko grinned excitedly. He was so glad to have his friends here, especially while he had issues with the Supremacists. Also, he was hoping to ask for more personal advice about a female firebender.

"About the rebellion Zuko. How is everything going?" Katara asked as they fell into step together and began walking towards the Palace.

"Not great. I've heard some reports that they are planning to hit the Capital. Unfortunately, since they're Fire Nation, we have had to change many of our defences. Thankfully, Sokka has been assisting towards that cause to help us change things up." Zuko nudged Sokka, walking on his left, and said the man flicked his non-existent long hair.

"Oh, yes. I am quite the genius." Sokka said confidently, walking with a strut.

"Suki has been incredible and training a lot of our troops with different combat styles. I want to ensure that they understand how important it is to take knowledge from as many places as possible." Zuko strolled inside first and nodded thanks to the guards holding the doors open for them.

As they walked inside, Izara stood guard down the hall, smiling when he saw her. He wanted to introduce her to his friends. With a spring in his step and his best friends behind him, he walked over to her. She bowed respectfully but still gave him a smile as per usual.

"Hey. Come and meet everyone." Zuko gently put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her towards the group. "Everyone, I have someone I want you to meet. This is Izara. Izara, this is everyone." Although she looked like a deer in headlights, she was still her friendly self and smiled.

"Avatar Aang. Katara. Toph." She bowed to them each after saying their names. "It's truly an honour to meet you all." Zuko watched her as his friends bowed to her in return.

"You are looking at the woman who almost single-handedly ended the recent siege against the Supremacists," Zuko put his arm around her shoulders and grinned down at her.

"I barely did anything." Izara flushed but smiled up at him awkwardly.

"She only strategised combat lines, took command, and kept casualties to a minimum on both sides within a few minutes." He was in a great mood with his friends here, but it was great to have Izara meet them. Izara and Suki were becoming closer during their training sessions, so she had an entry into the group, aside from him.

"You must be an amazing firebender!" Aang's broad smile and happy laugh made Zuko and Izara look over at him.

"Not really. But I'm getting better, thanks to a good teacher." She tilted her head towards Zuko, and he grinned in answer.

"What time does your shift finish?"

"I won't finish until late." Izara looked up at him with her big golden eyes, and he sighed. She had moved back to the afternoon shift after Shenzin's replacement, and Juzo had clearance to return to complete duties after three weeks off to heal.

"Can you hang out with us tomorrow? We're going to train." He asked, and she nodded, and he let her go, not that he wanted to. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

Izara went back to standing against the wall after giving everyone a bow. The group walked away, and Zuko turned to wave at Izara before they turned the corner. Suddenly, Aang, Katara, and Toph burst out laughing. Sokka and Suki chuckled along with them knowingly.

"We know. It's been developing for a while." Sokka waved his hand, gesturing in the direction Izara was in, and Zuko raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"What on earth are you all laughing at? What are you talking about?" Zuko stopped walking, and Aang had to stand against the wall to hold himself up because he was laughing hard.

"You are so crushing on her, Flamebutt." Toph laughed and pointed straight at him unforgivingly.

"It's so obvious." Aang said between guffaws.

"It's really adorable!" Katara put her hands over her heart, and Suki copied the gesture and nodded along with Katara.

Zuko sighed and knew that they were right. He had a crush on Izara for a while now, and training together hadn't made it any easier. She had an inner strength that he admired, and he genuinely enjoyed spending time with her. He could forget that he was the Fire Lord, in charge of a whole nation, in charge of repairing bonds and building alliances all over the world. When he was with her, he could be himself. He was just the man underneath the robes, the title and formalities. It was a rare commodity he had come to appreciate more than he could explain.

"Maybe you're right. Just a little." He admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"I knew it!" Toph pumped her arm in celebration. "I felt your heart race when you saw her."

"I think she likes you too, judging by how she interacted with you," Katara added with a happy smile.

"Well, let's just change the subject for now. We've got a lot to do." Zuko brushed them away, and they all began walking toward his office, but it didn't stop them from gossiping the entire way.

Once they arrived, they got down to business. At length, the group discussed everything to do with the rebellion and what had happened so far with the Supremacists. The hope was that with all of them here, they could end it as quickly as possible. They were a force to be reckoned with, basically an army all on their own.

After another hour and a half of discussion, one of the staff came in and informed them that they had made afternoon tea and set it up in the library for them. Sokka groaned about being hungry, so they all went to the library and enjoyed some time catching up and talking about everything that had happened since they last saw one another. It was a lot to go through, and they stayed there for hours, chatting happily. Dinner was brought in, and they continued talking whilst they ate; there was no slowing them down. They had too much to talk about!

Before they knew it, it had been dark for a few hours, and everyone was tired. They all decided to call it a night, and Zuko's staff showed his friends to their rooms after they bid each other goodnight. Instead of going straight to bed, he wanted to see someone first. Casually he walked back toward the Palace's rear entrance, where Izara was stationed.

When she saw him, she bowed like usual, and he sped up as he walked over to her.

"Are you finished yet?" He asked simply and pretended to be impatient by crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm just waiting for my replacement now, actually. Seems like you've been having a good time. I could hear you all laughing from here." Izara gave him a sweet smile, and he remembered what his friends had said to him before.

They were so right. But he couldn't help it. It was hard not to fall for her when she looked at him like that.

"Yeah, we've missed hanging out a lot. Needed to make up for the lost time. I didn't even realise how late it was." He grinned, knowing that he was in a great mood.

Just before Izara replied, her replacement arrived, and she naturally fell into step with him as he headed back towards his chambers. Surely escorting the Fire Lord would come first, over-reporting in to sign off for the night. They babbled about his friends and what they had been up to, but he omitted certain parts of their discussion. He wasn't quite ready to get to that point yet. That would take a bit more mental preparation. A lot more.

Maybe he would ask her to go with him to the festival that was coming up next month. Hopefully, all this business with the Supremacists would be tidied up, and they could go and have a good time. He was excited about the prospect of going on an actual date with her since he could hardly consider their training sessions romantic. He would give some more thought to it in his downtime. Not that he had much of it, but keeping her out of his head was hard.

"My Lord?" She got his attention in a louder voice than he was expecting, and he flinched slightly.

"Sorry, did I space out?" He asked, hoping he hadn't been out of it and leaving her standing there. When she shrugged and nodded reluctantly, he sighed. "I'm sorry. How long?"

She merely gestured to the door of his chambers to show him that it had been a couple of minutes.

"Ugh, I'm sorry," he said, letting his head roll backwards and staring at the ceiling. Of course, she would like him back when he spaced out and ignored her.

"It's okay. I know you've had an exciting day." She laughed softly, but her tone was forgiving. When he looked down at her, she smiled, and he relaxed.

"Hey, I was thinking… We should hang out when you have a day off soon." He tried to be smooth, but he could hear how awkward he sounded as soon as he spoke and mentally groaned at his lack of charisma. Where was his bold Fire Lord confidence now when he needed it?

"Um, s-sure. I'm off the day after tomorrow." Although she seemed hesitant, he hoped that it was just nervousness. Hopefully, she understood that he was asking her out and not just asking to hang out as friends.

"Okay. I'll come and get you when I'm finished with my appointments for the day." Zuko suggested, and she nodded in reply. "Don't forget that we have training tomorrow too."

"I'm excited. I have more questions." She smirked and rubbed her hands together, and he laughed at her. She always asked tons of questions during their training sessions, and it had become a running joke, even though he loved her enthusiasm.

It was the end of the conversation, and he knew he should let her go and get some rest. All he could hear was Toph's voice in his head telling him that he was in love with her, and he chewed his bottom lip before he realised that he was going to space out again if he didn't keep himself in check.

"Goodnight, Izara."

"Goodnight, my Lord. Please rest well." Her voice became professional once more, and she bowed before he went inside his room and closed the door behind him.

Rubbing his hand on his chest where his heart was, he willed it to slow down, lest it burst within him. She looked gorgeous when she smiled at him; he just couldn't take it. It had been a long time since he had been with anyone, and Mai was the only girlfriend he had ever had. Izara was so different that he wasn't quite sure how to talk to her about how he felt, but maybe it would be worth giving it some time. He didn't even know if she liked him back, so he needed to slow down. Like Suki said a few weeks ago 'take your time and feel things out.

Despite this, he tried to slow the thoughts racing through his mind as he bathed and got ready for the night. As he got under the covers, he fell asleep with her face in his mind...