Chapter 3: Hurt/Comfort

Knowing that romance is completely off the table, Azula no longer feels the need to impress Sokka or be a perfectionist around him, and this seems to have strengthened their bond. The princess has never had a friendship quite like this before, one where she feels fully trusted and doesn't have to use fear as a means of control. The one minor drawback is the excitement of seeing him has waned as their interactions have become more routine. But today she eagerly awaits his arrival. Sokka's going to teach her something new. She notices he's running late, but she's not concerned about it. It's not the first time he's late to pick her up and she's occupying herself by drafting some contracts at her desk.

Hakoda pops his head into the office on his way back from a meeting. "What are you still doing here? It's late."

"Just working while I wait for Sokka. He's taking me ice skating today."

"Oh," he frowns, "um…" He scrunches his face as he figures out what to say.

Azula looks up at him, trying to discern his expression. She can sense she's about to be delivered some bad news.

"Suki's here… She arrived early. To surprise him. He probably just forgot to tell you."

"I see," she says flatly, her stomach sinking.

"I'm sorry. Please don't be upset with him. They hardly ever get to see each other."

"It's fine, I understand." She sighs. "They probably… have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yes, that's a nice way of putting it," Hakoda chuckles.

"Okay then. I, uh, I guess I'll just wrap this up and head home then." She's annoyed. She's very annoyed. It's not that Sokka bailed on her to spend time with his soon-to-be fiancée, it's that he couldn't even be bothered to tell her that aggravates her. Some friend. Suddenly she feels foolish, that maybe she's more invested in their friendship than he is. She hates that she cares this much.

"Hey… why don't I take you ice skating?" he offers.

"Oh, you don't have to do that." She really doesn't want his pity.

"I know I don't." He smiles. "I want to."

She looks at him incredulously.

"I mean it. What, you don't think an old man like me enjoys ice skating?"

"You're not old, Hakoda," she laughs.

"Then come on! The rink won't be open all evening."

The ice-skating rink is loud and filled with children. It certainly isn't the best atmosphere for Azula to learn a new skill, especially given her current mood. Parents watching from outside the rink all seem to know Hakoda and greet him accordingly.

"Why, aren't you mister popular?" she teases.

"I work in a palace now, I'm essentially royalty," he teases back.

"Sure…" She smiles snidely. "Whatever you say."

He laughs. "Let's get our skates."

She notices some suspicious looks directed at her, and she's not sure if it's because people recognize her or because they're trying to figure out who she is. Even in her new Water Tribe coat, she probably still stands out, especially since she's with the Head Chieftain.

Azula picks up her skates and sits down to put them on, but before she can start to lace them, Hakoda kneels in front of her.

"Here, let me help you with that." He begins lacing her skates. "You want them to be snug."

While she feels like she could have done this herself, she appreciates his subservience. It reminds her of life in the royal palace. "Thanks, Hakoda." He pulls the laces tightly around her feet and she's instantly uncomfortable. "Are they really supposed to be this snug?"

He pushes down on her toes to check that the skates are the correct size. "Yep. You're all set."

"Great." She stands up and almost loses her balance. It's nearly impossible to move. "How am I supposed to walk all the way over to the rink from here?!"

"You'll get the hang of it," he assures as he laces up his own skates.

"Hmph." She begins to walk awkwardly over to the rink.

"I'll help you." He offers her a hand.

"I've got this," she mutters, refusing his help.

They get to the rink and Hakoda steps onto the ice without faltering, as if it were any other surface. Azula, on the other hand, is not so elegant. She takes one step onto the ice and immediately withdraws her foot.

"How," she says, shaking her head and laughing with embarrassment. "There's no way."

"I've got you." He offers her his hand again. "You can do this."

She takes his offer this time and lets him help her onto the ice, where she immediately latches onto the side railing. "I think I can take it from here."

"Oh yeah?"

"I'll figure it out."

"I'm sure you will," he smiles. "You're quite capable."

She scowls as she tries to propel herself forward. She's doing everything she can to keep from tipping over. How children are able to do this so easily is beyond her comprehension. "You… you don't have to watch me." She doesn't want to ruin Hakoda's fun.

"I want to help you."

"I'm fine on my own." She has always been fine on her own, so this shouldn't be any different.

"Okay… just know that I'm here if you need me." He takes off, zipping past novice and experienced skaters alike.

She's impressed, Hakoda is a surprisingly agile skater. But seeing all the commoners enjoying themselves on the ice just makes her feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and humiliated. The day had been going fine up until she learned Sokka ditched her. She really does understand why he'd choose to spend time with Suki over her, but she wishes he had told her himself, that he hadn't forgotten about her. At this point in her life, she's used to the people close to her choosing others over her. Her mother, uncle, and Mai all chose Zuko over her, her father chose power over her, Ty Lee chose Mai over her, and now here's Sokka. The pattern couldn't be more obvious.

She grits her teeth and fights back tears as she struggles along the wall, using the rail to push herself forward. Her skates have not left the ice and every time she tries to rely less on the rail, her legs become wobbly. This is the absolute worst. She hates ice skating and the way this stupid day is shaping out. She just wants to go home.

Hakoda does a few laps around the rink and then stops by Azula to check in. She's made it about three quarters of the way around and still hasn't left the wall.

"Making some progress, I see," he says.

"You're joking right?" She can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not.

"No… you've almost made it all the way around…"

She rolls her eyes.

He looks at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I – " She wants to tell him she's fine and to leave her alone, but she feels like she could burst into tears at any moment. How humiliating that would be. She stops and shakes her head. "No, I'm not."

"What's going on?"

"I can't do this," she murmurs. "I don't get it, I-I'm a skilled fighter, I work out every morning, so why can't I do this when everyone else can?"

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself! This is your first time, you can't expect to be an expert – "

"I'm not used to being bad at something. Everything usually comes so easily to me…"

"Nobody's good at everything. You're lucky things usually come naturally to you! But don't write this off just yet, I really believe you can do this."

She looks down at her skates.

"You know, it's okay to ask for help sometimes."

She's quiet for a moment before sighing dramatically. "Fine. Hakoda, will you help me?"

"I'd be happy to," he smiles, skating in front of her and turning around to face her. "Give me your hands."

Doubtful she can take her hands off the railing, she looks at him with skepticism.

"You'll learn a lot faster away from the wall."

"If you say so." Carefully, she places her hands in his, one at a time.

"There you go," he says proudly.

Hakoda's hands are warm, strong, and calloused. Despite her long fingers, her hands look so small and dainty in comparison. His hands tell a story, a story of a man who fought through the hardships of war, of someone who's loved and who's lost. She fought in the same war and yet her hands don't tell much of a story, only that of a spoiled princess.

Slowly, he proceeds to skate backwards, pulling her along with him. She nearly loses her balance for a second.

"Don't worry, I've got you," he assures.

She's comforted by his words. "I can't believe you can do this backwards," she mutters. "What a showoff."

He chuckles. "Hey, now that you know what it feels like, why don't you try pushing yourself forward?"

"Ummm…"

"I won't let you fall."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She nods.

"One foot at a time, just push off your back foot and transfer your weight to the other."

She follows his directions, and lo and behold, she manages to skate forward. Her legs are still a bit shaky and she's clutching onto Hakoda's hands for dear life, but she's actually skating now.

"Yes, that's it. See? You can do this."

A gentle smile graces her features. She gets the rhythm down before long and begins to push him backwards and she continues to skate forward, picking up some speed as she gains confidence.

"You're really quite the natural," he says encouragingly.

"Please don't patronize me," she grumbles.

"I'm not!" he laughs. "You just needed a little guidance."

She pouts.

"You don't have to be so stubborn you know."

"Clearly you don't know me at all," she smiles, looking up into his eyes. She never noticed how blue they are before now.

He smiles back at her. "Do you want to try skating on your own? I don't think you need me anymore."

"Okay," she nods.

Just as soon as she releases her grip on his hands, an employee comes over and announces the rink is closing.

"Of course," Azula frowns. "Just my luck."

"Let me see if I can get them to keep it open a little longer. I know the owner." Hakoda gives Azula a little wink before skating off the rink. He returns with a pompous grin.

"So?"

"So we all need to clear the ice so they can clean it, but the two of us can stay late as long as we lock up." He flashes her a key.

She smirks. "It's good to be Head Chieftain."

"It certainly is."

Hakoda helps Azula off the ice and the two pick up some hot cocoa from the refreshment stand as they wait for the ice to be cleaned. Azula enjoys watching everyone else pack up and leave. She thinks she can make some real progress without feeling like she's being watched.

"Are you feeling any better now that you're getting the hang of it?"

"Yeah, a bit," she says, shrugging.

"You're upset with Sokka, aren't you."

She doesn't answer.

"He should have told you. He shouldn't have kept you waiting like that. He doesn't exactly think with his head when Suki is around…"

"Whatever."

"I know what would make you feel better."

"What?" She instantly regrets asking because she knows exactly where this is going.

"Do you want to hear a joke?"

"No!" she groans, throwing her head back. "Your jokes are horrendous."

"Oh, come on. Did I ever tell you the one about nepotism?"

"No…"

"That's because I only tell it to my kids."

"Ugh," she groans again.

"What about the one about construction? Oh, right, I'm still working on that one."

"Stop," she laughs. "You and your son may think you're funny, but you're not."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"I'm not," she says, continuing to laugh. "Why are you always trying to make me laugh?"

He shrugs. "I like your laugh."

Suddenly she feels self-conscious. "What, do I have a weird laugh or something?"

"No! It's just… you have a reputation for being, well… let's say tough."

"That's a nice way of putting it…"

"And when you laugh, you just seem… less menacing, that's all."

"Well, you haven't heard my evil laugh," she smirks.

"And hopefully I'll never have to."

"If you keep telling bad jokes, you just might…"

"Okay, okay," he chuckles. "Then I guess I won't tell you my retirement jokes. They never work anyway."

"Don't test me, Hakoda," she threatens through her laughter.

He smiles. "Hey, looks like the ice is ready."

They head back to the rink where Hakoda helps Azula onto the frozen surface once again. This time she's determined to get it right. She starts out slowly. Hakoda stays loyally by her side as she carefully travels around the rink, giving her reassurance and praise along the way. His words of encouragement are near foreign to her. Sprits know she's never had this sort of support growing up. It was triumph or punishment; perfection was her only option.

After successfully making it around the rink a few times, she slows down to a halt. She takes a quick look around and notices all the new marks they left on the ice, the intricate, erratic patterns they created together.

"Ready to call it a night?" Hakoda asks.

"No." She's determined to push herself. "I want to do one more lap, but this time I want to see how fast I can go."

"Okay," he chuckles. "Do you want me to come along with you?"

"No, I don't want you to slow me down," she says facetiously.

He laughs. "I'll be waiting at the entrance then. Don't hurt yourself."

She takes off and starts racing across the ice. With the rink all to herself she can't help but feel liberated as she soars along the frictionless surface. The breeze in her hair, the cold air on her cheeks… it's all so freeing. Who'd have guessed she would actually take to the ice?

She can see Hakoda standing outside the rink by the entrance as she approaches. She panics for a moment as she figures out how she's going to stop at this speed, but she soon figures out that she can just skate into the railing and stop herself. However, as soon as she's about to complete her speed run, she hits a rough patch of ice and loses all control. She's prepared to hit the unforgiving frozen brick, but instead of crashing against the solid surface, she finds herself in Hakoda's arms.

"I've got you," he says, trying to gain a solid footing on the ice.

She breathes heavily as she looks up into his eyes. "Hakoda…" she whispers. "Thank you."

He smiles softly at her. "I told you I wouldn't let you fall."