The Avatar
"Prince Zuko, there you are!"
Zuko turned to meet the servant that approached him hastily, and he eyed him expectantly among the golden lilies that littered the courtyard. Lately with the announcement of his coronation it seemed there was always something that needed his attention, or someone that wanted it, and he never got much time to himself anymore. So, with slightly jostled nerves from the night before, he made a quick escape for the beautiful courtyard in the early morning hours, enjoying it's calming affect however short-lived it had now become.
The older gentleman stopped just short of him, maintaining his composure despite the small wheeze in his voice as he said, "Sir, your father has called for an immediate meeting in the council room, and he is awaiting your presence there to begin."
Zuko simply nodded in understanding and followed the servant, fighting back a scowl at the thought of returning to the stuffy room that occupied most of his time yesterday. While apprehension should have been his first reaction to the sudden interruption given that his father hadn't called an urgent meeting since his sister went insane, he couldn't help the swell of annoyance that began to build as they walked down the long hallway. The bright light of the day soon disappeared along with the windows, and he mused what could be of such pertinence that no one spoke a word of it to him until now.
His mind drew up nothing as they found themselves at the entrance of the council room, the ornate doors looming over the two men with an air of superiority, and the servant opened one of them with a respectful bow to the prince. Zuko gave him a slight nod before entering into the room, but he nearly doubled back under the immediate stares he received from the men who sat at a long table in the middle of it, the air being eerily heavy as if they were holding their breath.
Ozai sat at the head of it, his body poised authoritatively as he turned to give his son a muted glance, his voice carrying some of the same feelings of disdain Zuko saw in it as the man remarked, "It's not very slightly for the future Fire Lord to be late to a critical discussion. I hope you won't make a habit of it, Prince Zuko."
Zuko clenched his jaw after noticing the grave look on his father's face and tried to keep the indignation out of his voice as he replied, "I apologize father, I was not aware that a meeting was called and I came as soon as I was alerted by one of the servants. It will not happen again."
He gave a bow out of respect and swiftly took his seat across from the Fire Lord, trying discreetly to observe the rest of the council as he did so. It took some restraint to keep his mouth shut after his apology, one that he felt wasn't rightfully needed given that it was not his fault no one cared to inform him of the urgent matter, but he knew that his father would not tolerate anything less and secretly braced himself should the older man latch on to his ill-informed arrival.
Whether Ozai did not care to continue his scolding, or the matter at hand was more important than Zuko realized, Ozai did not address him any further as he looked back to the council, turning his attention to the subject of their meeting.
"Councilman Lee, it was by word from the Northern Water Tribe that we have been called together so relay the information from Chief Arnook," He commanded without another hesitation. The man in question, Tou Lee, nodded and stood as everyone's gaze turned to him expectantly. Hearing that one of the water tribes was the reason for their meeting caught Zuko's attention unexpectedly, and he leaned imperceptibly closer to the table.
"Yes sir. The letter reported that a messenger pigeon from the Earth Kingdom was received two moons ago by the Northern tribe, and it held details of an undercover operation the king is running within its capital city of Ba Sing Se. Unfortunately, that letter only contained enough information to give some insight that King Kuei is harvesting iron and various other metals in large loads to the city. Arnook's letter also stated that Chief Hakoda of the Southern tribe received a carrier pigeon as well, though it was mentioned to be empty when it arrived," Tou explained before turning his words more towards Ozai.
"It was last reported that Chief Hakoda was on his way to the North Pole to discuss options between the tribes, but Chief Arnook has made it clear that he does not believe the intentions of King Kuei to be innocent and wants confirmation of what the Fire Nation's plans are should we see the Earth Kingdom make any advances towards the water tribes—" He paused a moment in thought before adding, with a touch more caution to his otherwise level voice "—if I do say so sir, it seems to me that stepping in earlier than is needed may be best warranting that if the king is really planning a big siege then it would be imperative to stop it sooner rather than at the foothold of the North Pole."
The dead silence that followed lasted but a moment before the golden ring that shaped the boxy room lit up in a fiery blaze suddenly, and Tou widened his eyes at the scowl that came over Ozai's face after he finished speaking, the air abruptly becoming heavier in the room as it warmed in response to the glow of the fire.
"Lee.." The man started disturbingly calm as he shifted his gaze to the spark of flame he lit on the tip of his finger. "What was it that I asked of you?"
The councilman glanced around in a moment of confusion and slight panic, his nervousness only gaining momentum by the uneasy stares he was getting by his fellow councilmen and the prince, and continued with much more apprehension in his voice this time. "I—uh—You asked that the information received by Chief Arnook be reported to the table, s-sir—AH!"
Before he could barely get all the words out of his mouth, the Fire Lord turned to him in a flash and hurled a small fire ball straight at him, launching the poor man out of his seat and behind it to evade the sudden attack. The rest of the table gasped in shock and reflexively moved away from the council member before they too were singed, the only one to remain planted being the prince that just looked on at the scene in antipathy.
"Very good," Ozai's sardonically commended him before he frowned. "Then, since you are so intelligent, inform me as to why you thought I requested your own opinion along with it."
"Well—I—um.." Tou was at a loss for words as he fumbled them out, feeling stressed that if his answer wasn't satisfactory then it would be him burning instead of the seat next to him. He swallowed hard at the sight of it.
Zuko could feel his anger starting to boil, and he quickly interjected on the man's behalf. "Father, that is their job. They come to these meetings to help consult on appropriate action when it is needed." He felt somewhat ridiculous pointing out the obvious since he knew his father knew this, but he couldn't understand what the man was after in his heat of the moment onslaught.
Ozai narrowed his eyes at his son, and his frown deepened. "Their job is to provide consultation when, and if, it is requested by me," He spoke darkly before addressing the rest of the council present, nearly all of them trembling to a degree in their seats as they tried to retain their composure. "Unfortunately it seems that everyone here misinterpreted your coronation announcement as my resignation, and it is my job right now to remind those sitting here that until my last breath I will be addressed, and respected, in a manner befitting to a Fire Lord, and will spare no action to make sure that my respect is held. Even if my successor lacks the strong ruling of a Fire Lord, and you treat him in such a way, I will not stand for it as long as I am still ruling this nation."
Thick, bated silence laced the smoke in the room before an instantaneous chorus of shaken apologies came from the men around the table, all of them bowing before taking their seats once more once Ozai was sated. Zuko only gritted his teeth to hold his tongue. As mad as he was, his father's words only served to remind him of the disrepute that burned in the back of his mind, and it dissuaded any comeback. Ozai seemed pleased enough with the intended response as he put out the fire that lined the room.
"With that settled," He began, his tone reverting to the command in which he had spoken in prior. "I think it would be interesting to hear how the future Fire Lord would handle this—" His tone shifted as he met Zuko's eye "—would it be in the best interest of the Fire Nation to proceed as Lee said?"
Zuko caught the smirk on his father's face and eyed the man precariously for a moment. His father had asked for his input enough times in the past, but never on an issue this demanding, nor in such a way that makes it seem he is taking some sort of sadistic pleasure in it, and it made the young man feel the heat rise once more as he tried to keep his posture.
But, nevertheless, he nodded his head compliantly, not taking the bait of the older man for an angry outburst like he had done in the past, and spoke with an impressive level of authority in his voice. 'I guess these past few weeks with Katara are starting to pay off,' He absentmindedly thought to himself.
"I would disagree with councilman Lee. Based upon the little information we have, sending a fleet into the Earth Kingdom, and potentially giving rise to a war, would be a rather ignorant plan of action. As far as we know the king is simply importing goods into his capital and there is no other evidence that suggests he is using it nefariously. I understand the water tribes have expressed concern over him, but by waging war on one piece of parchment, we could, in effect, be putting many lives at risk based solely on a presumptuous claim." He paused and turned to Lee. "Who exactly sent the message regarding the Earth King's activities?"
"According to Chief Arnook, it came from two spies they've had stationed near the inner ring of Ba Sing Se for the last year."
Zuko raised an eyebrow at him as he pressed further. "Then it seems trivial that we're having such an urgent discussion about this seeing as though we can continue collecting intel that will solidify the chief's suspicion instead of jumping the fire for negotiations of war."
Tou Lee frowned. "Nothing has since been received from them, and the carrier pigeon has returned exhausted, leading everyone to believe that the two were compromised and taken captive by the king's elite force, the Dai Li."
Zuko hummed disappointingly before turning his gaze back in front of him, casting it more towards the table than to his father as he took the moment to muse.
He had been to the Earth Kingdom with the avatar some time ago, and knew of the Dai Li well since they had the misfortune of running into them on a couple of occasions while in the capital city, and he had some semblance of the king's notably pretentious persona, given that he was the only ruler that Zuko knew of who was not a bender. But, still.. something seemed to be missing. It still seemed rash to him to take any offensive stance towards the formidable kingdom, but should they actually be using the metals to devise contraptions for war then it would mean that action must be taken sooner rather than later.
He became so engrossed in his thoughts that he almost missed his father's voice when the older man spoke up in wake of his silence.
"With as much time as you spend thinking, it may be wise to start learning." It was a neutral remark, void of any emotion, but with it Ozai took the attention off of Zuko and back onto himself as he commandeered the rest of the meeting. The young prince opted to withhold his own conclusions of the matter by letting him. Something seemed off about the situation, and he decided that silence, for now, may be best.
He half-heartedly listened as the hour drew on, piping in a response or two as the time saw fit, and soon enough his father adjourned them after reaching a complacent spot in which to reply to the chief of the North Pole. Though he was more than ready to leave, Zuko still courteously offered for the council to leave first out of the room and they happily obliged with Lee leading them out, visibly shaken still from the ordeal at the start of their meeting.
After watching them exit, the prince made for the door as well.
"I was being serious, Prince Zuko."
At the sound of his father's voice, Zuko halted and turned back to him with a guarded curiosity.
Ozai continued without a glance towards him as the Fire Lord peered at some of the parchment in front of him. "While this situation is rather unexpected and provoking, I realize soon enough I will be handing this nation over to you, and that I cannot expect to deal with these matters as privately as I used to. This is your chance to prove to me that you are capable."
Zuko's eyes widened as he simply stared at the man before him. The statement was strangely vulnerable, and to anyone looking in on it, it wouldn't have seemed like much. But, he knew his father rarely showed this kind of softness to his tone, and moreover, it was even rarer that it was ever directed towards him. It caught him off guard to say the least, and his mouth dropped open slightly as if to respond, but his voice was lost in his throat.
He wanted to savor it, but the internal conflict of his emotions kept him from doing so. It was nice, but yet there was a small part of him that kept its reservations about the sudden behavior change. Perhaps it was from the years of perpetual disdain his father showed him, or the inherent mistrust that snuck its way into Zuko's heart after his mother left, but he solemnly took Ozai's words in and gave a deep bow.
"Don't worry father, I will see to it that all essential aid is given where needed." He stopped and contemplated his words before adding resolutely, "I will not fail you."
"I expect you won't," Ozai responded, his tone unexpectedly harsher than before as it served more as a warning to his son than a reassurance. "Because if you do then you will have brought dishonor to our family and to your next heir."
Zuko clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes as his father finally glanced over at him, an intense look set upon his face, and the prince could have sworn he saw a slight upturn to the corner of his mouth, though, it was gone as quickly as it came. Zuko gave him an acknowledging nod before turning on his heel for the door.
"I know how much you rely on the input of others when making decisions—" Ozai's voice once again caused him to halt, though this time he didn't turn back around "—so, I took the liberty and invited the Avatar to the palace. He should be here sometime after midday so I hope you will see to it that he is welcomed."
'At least something good came of this meeting,' Zuko thought to himself, giving Lee's burnt chair a sideways glance before leaving.
Nothing.
"Where is he?" Zuko wondered aloud as he searched the cloudless sky. It was officially three hours past midday and there was still no sign of the avatar anywhere. He put a hand up to shield his eyes from the unforgiving beam of the sun, squinting them as if to see better, and he scoured the air around the courtyard once more to remove any doubt that maybe he hadn't missed the gigantic furry beast the kid rode around on.
Realizing his eagerness to see his friend wouldn't produce the boy in front of him, he dropped his hand with a sigh and sat down on one of the benches that were scattered in the garden around him.
It was the largest of the three, extending more lengthwise than width, and it was the one he used to frequent with his mother when he was young. It was the only space large enough for the sky bison to land comfortably. Comprised mostly of grass, it did have a quaint area off to the side with a pond and a beautiful tree that leaned towards the water, and from where the fire bender sat, it gave him the perfect view of it.
A half-smile found its way onto his face as he took the sight in, but the stillness of the air didn't last long as his attention was called back to the sky with the distinct grumble of a roar that echoed through the halls. His smile widened instantly, and he squinted his eyes to see the familiar tuft of white coming in for a landing. He stood as the bison landed gently on the ground, a rather impressive feat considering his size, and he waved to the young man that sat on his head.
"Aang, it's good to see you again!" Zuko called coolly, though his grin rivaled the avatars as the boy used a spurt of air to propel himself off the bison's head and cushion his landing onto the ground. Aang quickly closed the distance between them and gave him a quick, but friendly embrace.
"It's nice to see you too, Zuko," He beamed before letting go of the prince abruptly as he stepped back, and gave him an almost frightened look. He quickly bowed and continued in a deadpanned voice: "I'm sorry, soon to be Fire Lord, Prince Zuko."
Zuko chuckled as the airbender cracked one eye up to him, a playful smile finding its way onto Aang's face. "Please, if you start bringing the formalities back then I'll have to start calling you Avatar Aang or something—" He reached out and tapped the airbender's bald head for emphasis "—and I don't want to make your head any bigger than it already is. I think I might blind half of the Fire Nation with that reflector of yours."
Aang raised his eyebrows with a feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about, as a monk I've been trained not to take pleasure in embellished titles or make it a practice to be prideful in one's self." The airbender spoke sagely with a finger held in front of him and Zuko rolled his eyes.
"You do know that lying isn't allowed either, right?"
Aang's eyes widened, asking in mock offense, "Who said I was lying?" before shrugging and cracking a mischievous smile. "I said I was trained; never said anything about putting it into practice all the time."
The prince just shook his head with a breathe out of his nose, appearing disappointed though the small smile on his lips gave him away. He found his muddled mood already being lifted in the company of the avatar and it made him a little reluctant to address the reason for his visit. It'd been a little while since he last had a close friend to talk freely with.
Zuko took a good look at him and smirked, noticing the way the avatar had filled out and grown since the last time they'd met. "It's either been too long since I've seen you, or this is a nightmare, because I don't think I can call you 'kid' anymore."
Aang caught his gaze and chuckled self-consciously. "Yeah, Toph worked muscles I didn't even know I had, and I guess I grew a little taller—wait." He raised his eyebrow, this time actually looking offended. "Why would this be a nightmare for you?"
Zuko snorted lightly and waved a passive hand to him. "It doesn't take a genius to see that you aren't exactly the ugliest guy around Aang."
The airbender's eyebrows scrunched together. "Um… thanks, I guess?" He slowly said, his annoyance increasing in his face though he still looked puzzled. "I'm not sure how insulting me is some sort of clue though."
"It's not an insult, it's the opposite actually." Zuko rolled his eyes and crossed his arms before a sly smirk tugged at his lips. "Do you know how much harder it will be now to go anywhere with you? It was aggravating enough dealing with that little fan girl of yours in the North Pole when you were still that chubby faced kid, but now you'll have herds of girls after you—" He paused, noticing the faint blush that spread across the airbender's cheeks, and his face dropped "—don't tell me you never noticed all the looks you got. It's hard for a girl to resist a guy who is sickeningly nice, but it's especially hard when he's the avatar."
Aang rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and sighed. "Yeah, heh… I've kinda already had this talk with Sokka after he was nearly trampled by a fan club when we found Toph." His admittance was dry and he shrugged, his tone becoming increasingly desperate as he continued.
"I mean, I see it when people look at me, but I guess I just remind myself that it's not really me they are seeing but the avatar" —He let out a groan and took a seat on the bench Zuko had been sitting on— "I don't know. There were never any girls at the air temples when I was training so it's hard for me to respond the right way when they show me all the extra attention; I suppose that's why it's so easy to just let if brush off me. With all the training I've had to go through after being gone for so long, and the fact that I still need more, there really hasn't been any incentive for me to take better notice of them except to be polite."
The prince gaped humorously, and sat beside his friend as he remarked, "You really haven't interacted much with women to be able to say that." And Aang rolled his eyes.
"I do interact with them, but it's kind of hard to have a decent conversation with any one girl—let alone talk to a group of them—when half of them are practically undressing me with their eyes, and the other half is being very vocal about their willingness to help me repopulate the Air Nation," He said, grimacing at the memory of a few instances in particular, after Zuko had left, where they almost got their wish. He let out a deep breath and took on a distant gaze ahead of him. "If this is a nightmare for anyone, it would be me."
The firebender raised his eyebrows, biting back the laugh that trickled up his throat. He knew that for Aang this problem may actually be something close to a nightmare, but he couldn't help to find the humor in its irony seeing as any other guy would fight Azula if it meant they were in the same situation that he found himself in.
Try as he might though, he couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice as he pointed out, "You do know they have a point though, it's not like you can do that on your own."
Aang snorted and flashed him an impish grin. "I'm well aware of that Zuko."
Zuko resisted an eyeroll as his face fell. 'Of course he is,' He thought dryly to himself.
The airbender just laughed at his reaction before continuing: "Look, that ties into my avatar duty since it's now my responsibility to make sure the avatar cycle isn't broken with me. I know that I'll have to pick one at some point, but none of them have really stood out to me, and I'm still young that I don't have to rush it just yet. So, don't worry about me. If anything, it'll be you to find someone soon, and I'm sure I could spare the time to help you out." He nudged the prince with a smirk.
This made Zuko laugh, and he shook his head, pointing out, "First off, with the title of 'prince' and 'soon to be Fire Lord,' I'm not exactly hurting for help Aang." But, as the words left his mouth, his arrangement with a certain hot-headed waterbender came to mind, and his expression grew more serious as he continued: "But, I never really meant what I said in that way because… I'm already engaged to someone."
Aang's eyes widened, and Zuko dismissed his surprised stare as he explained. "It happened over a month ago and it wasn't exactly by choice; more of a political arrangement by my father. Since it wasn't the happiest of occasions, I didn't see the need to let anyone know of it more than those who heard the formal announcement."
"Oh, I see…" The avatar began quietly, and Zuko was caught off guard by the tinge of hurt in the boy's voice. "I'm not sure if any kind of message would have gotten to me easily anyway, since I haven't been staying in one place for too long lately." After a moment, a small smile graced his face. "Well, I guess my congratulations are in order then!"
Zuko returned his smile, even if it was strained. "Thanks, even though it's really not necessary," He commented, and shifted somewhat uncomfortably, not liking the heavier mood that settled on them. "So, what have I missed in the avatar journey?"
Aang's face lit up instantly, and he beamed the same goofy grin Zuko remembered seeing the day he agreed to teach him firebending as the airbender began spouting off the many adventures he had been on in the prince's absence.
Zuko relaxed into his seat as he listened, the light-hearted reunion between them being just the break he needed. He still found it somewhat amusing how easily it was to befriend the avatar, having heard about him through stories within the palace walls and every once in a while on his trips into town after it was discovered that he was alive. It wasn't as though he held anything negatively towards the airbender, but their first meeting was less than innocent when the prince's beach house on Embers Island was nearly burnt to a crisp because of him and another guy who was always eager to eat.
Aang came to a resting point in his storytelling by the time the sun traveled further down the Western skyline, and he sighed contently. "It's been fun," He said, giving Zuko a smile. "But we've missed you."
The prince could feel a warmth spread through his chest at the sincerity in his voice, and he returned the smile briefly before looking out to the garden in front of them, reluctantly letting it slip off as now was as good of time as any to address the reason for his friend's visit. Appa had since been taken to one of the stables to be groomed and fed so the place was fairly quiet save for their own voices. Zuko supposed Momo had passed out somewhere after having spotted one of the fruit bowls being transported in a neighboring hallway, the monkey lemur wasting no time in following after it.
He cleared his throat as the air around them shifted with his mood to a more serious atmosphere. "Well, I'm sorry the reason for your visit isn't on the best circumstances," He expressed with a hint of regret. "Has my father informed you on many of the details surrounding the North Pole?"
Aang shook his head somewhat sheepishly. "I'm afraid he only gave me enough to say that there is a problem between the Northern Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom."
Zuko nodded with understanding and recounted all the information he knew from the beginning suspicions of the water tribes to the meeting that morning. He watched as Aang took it in with a straight face for the most part, but the latest revelations from Chief Arnook had produced a rather puzzled look on his face.
"I don't get it," He stated, a frown appearing on his lips. "I've been in the Earth Kingdom for the last few months now, and I've never seen any of this happening."
"Well, according to the message received in the North Pole, everything is an underground operation so the likelihood of anybody hearing about it is pretty slim; hence the reason why it's called an underground operation," Zuko quipped, his words carrying a hint of sarcasm. "And I'm sure that if the king was planning something big then you'd be the last person he'd want to know so, it's no surprise that you never caught on to it."
The airbender's brow furrowed a bit more. "But I've been with the king plenty of times myself, and I've learned enough from Toph during our training to know that he wasn't lying or withholding information from me. Not to mention that if they were curtailing the amount of metal that those spies claim he is, Toph would have noticed and said something. Ever since she figured out how to metal bend, she was always complaining there was nothing for her to practice with."
"I guess even a pompous guy like Kuei knows when to stay quiet sometimes," Zuko offered with a slightly musing voice.
"That's part of my point, have you even met him before?" Aang asserted while shooting the prince an unamused look, in which Zuko simply shook his head. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he glanced around the courtyard, taking note of some servants busying themselves. "I don't really understand why everyone here thinks of him like that. I remember hearing some people in town one of the times I was last here talking about king Kuei, and they said the same thing. Even my waterbending teacher, Pakku, said something similar while I was there with him. But, the earth king isn't like that at all."
"That's just what I've heard of him. People say that he relies more on a flashy political stance to gain respect from the other nations because he can't bend."
Aang turned his attention back to the firebender at his voice, and Zuko could see that the information wasn't fitting well by his expression. "The earth king may not be a bender, and he may be a little out there, but he's definitely not flashy. He's probably more clueless than anyone I've met, but yet, is also one of the most grounded. To hear that he is planning something that could lead the nations to war is unbelievable."
Zuko scoffed lightly. "I know, it's unbelievable that this would happen in time for my coronation as well," He remarked sourly before noticing the unsettling look that came upon the avatar's face, and Aang shook his head.
"That's not what I meant. I mean, it really is unbelievable. I may not be very close to the earth king, but I know him well enough to say that something doesn't seem right about this."
Zuko didn't respond right away, scanning the grounds for prying ears. "The truth is, I've already been thinking the same thing," He finally said after a few moments of bated silence, and Aang's eyebrows shot up faster than he was expecting.
"Look, I haven't told anyone else and I really haven't figured out what to make of everything. I only heard it all for myself this morning," He admitted quickly, keeping his voice low. "I just know that this whole thing isn't sitting right with me, and I think there's more to it than anyone is admitting. In any case, this needs to be kept quiet for right now. My father is pushing forward with some precautionary plans and he would give us both a run for our lives if we interrupted anything based on feelings and speculation."
The look on Aang's face suggested he wanted to say more, but he nodded in agreeance and the two put some distance between them as they leaned back. Silence enveloped them as they both sat in contemplation.
Their musings were interrupted mere minutes later when a few of the younger female servants slowly strode by them, the girls taking a few stolen glances at the avatar as he remained oblivious to them, lost in his thoughts. Their actions and the light giggles that escaped from the three managed to attract Zuko's attention quickly and he followed their gazes to the boy next to him, inwardly rolling his eyes as his point was proven from earlier. He nudged the airbender beside him with a little more force than necessary, and the boy nearly fell over in surprise with a yelp, unceremoniously catching himself before he made contact with the ground.
"What was that for?" He demanded as he straightened himself up on his feet, shooting the firebender an annoyed look. Zuko just smirked at him and pointed behind him, nearly laughing at the blush that stained his cheeks once he caught the gaze of the three girls who were giggling even louder at his near blunder. Zuko came up beside him with a solid clap to his back.
"Look, all I'm saying is, you don't have to worry about me now so let me help you," Zuko inclined ever so smugly, echoing the same offer from the airbender from earlier. He could see the protest in his friend's face, but he quickly moved the two of them forward before he could vocalize any of it. He approached the ladies with an air of command and kept his face serious after stopping in front of them, motioning to the younger man beside him who looked ready to run. The girls eyed them nervously.
"It's not very dignified for servants of the palace to be gawking at one of the Fire Lord's guests, and I'm not very appreciative of you three doing so to my friend." As he spoke the girls immediately went silent and straightened up, a look of embarrassment resonating between their three faces at the scolding, and Zuko met the incredulous look he was getting by the airbender. Zuko winked at him and had to bite his cheek to keep from bursting out into laughter at the desperation on Aang's features.
'Maybe I shouldn't,' He pondered with the slightest bit of sympathy given the pleading look the avatar's gray eyes. He pushed the thought away only moments later before speaking up once more, a smirk now on his lips. "I suppose I could overlook it if you three will see to it that the avatar finds the guest quarters well so that he may freshen up from his travels."
The girls looked as though they could hardly contain their excitement, and enthusiastically nodded with a resounding, "Yes Prince Zuko!"
The look of betrayal that seized Aang's face as they took hold of him and led him away caused Zuko to finally laugh and he gave the boy a flippant wave goodbye as he called after them, "Someone will be by to get you for dinner!"
He could hear the airbender's polite protests all the way down the hall, but the girls paid no mind to him at all, and Zuko turned away with a self-satisfied smile as he started towards his room. "He's going to kill me for this," He quietly reminded himself, though the amusement overwhelmed any guilt he felt for it.
Coming up next... Meeting the Avatar
