The sound of others breathing made it easier to fall asleep, but Zuko was still a light sleeper. As men got up in the middle of the sleeping hours to relieve themselves, he woke each time. Finally, after the most recent man returned and settled back on his bedroll, Zuko dislodged himself from the tangle of bodies.
It had been warm, and Zuko shivered as the body heat left him. As he started to regulate his internal temperature, he carefully picked his way around the bedrolls to the exit.
Tiptoeing through the palace at this hour was probably not the best idea, but he was restless. And, for the first time, Zuko was without a guard. The potential to roam was too alluring to resist.
Once again, with the halls empty, Zuko found himself feeling both the expanse and the claustrophobia of the ice corridors. The torchlight was caught in the clear blue ice and Zuko let himself stare into the phantom rooms as he walked. They were not truly reflective, so only the faintest of shadows crossed with him. It reminded him of the fog in the Spirit World.
With that, he stopped and touched a wall with a hesitant hand, partly expecting to pass through it.
"Must we always meet like this?"
With a jump, Zuko turned and found Yue at the head of a small cohort of guards. Zuko relaxed at her smile and he rubbed the back of his head.
"There is something enchanting about an ice palace. It's only fitting to meet a princess in such a fantastical setting." He said. Her startled face made him freeze and his pulse thrummed as Yue turned her face away.
"Are you," She started and then faced him again. "Having trouble sleeping?"
"Through no fault of your hospitality, I assure you." Zuko replied.
"Always so courteous. Are you trying not to offend me?" Yue asked.
"Years of training unfortunately." Zuko said with a sigh and Yue laughed.
"Well, prince Zuko, if you are truly looking for friendship, would you like to join me?" She asked.
"Of course princess." He said.
Yue walked up to him and he fell in step with her as she continued down the hall.
"Why are you awake, if I may ask?" Zuko inquired.
"You know that I am bonded to the ocean spirit?"
"Yes."
"Well, when the moon is full, I often feel a calling. I can't sleep and I spend my time at the oasis." Yue glanced at him. "Have you been?"
His first answer leaped into his throat and Zuko had to force it back down.
"I have not. But I've heard a lot about it." He said.
"It's lovely. But then again, I'm biased." Yue laughed briefly, but her eyes looked tired. "I've never seen any other greenery in my life."
"You've also never had allergies. They're miserable."
"I'll have to take your word for it." Yue said, looking a bit happier.
"Will you be travelling to the Fire Nation?" Zuko asked. He continued after seeing Yue snap to attention. "After the wedding?"
"Travel?" Yue repeated, sounding momentarily dazed. "No. No, I don't think I will be."
"Princess." Zuko started and shied away when Yue looked at him. "I'm sorry."
They walked in silence, but it was an easy quiet. Behind them, the many footfalls of the guards were muffled; their hide boots making soft thumps on the ice floor. It wasn't quite a march, but they were all in time. To be fair, falling out of synch would be discordant in such a quiet environment.
It was the body's natural lean toward comfort, to falling in with the group. It was what Zuko had been trying to do this whole time but couldn't find the right tempo.
Yue was someone he knew of but didn't know. He fell in step with her easily.
The sound of the waterfall broke the silence, long before they reached the entrance to the oasis. Yue's step quickened without a thought and Zuko smiled to himself as he recognized her happiness. The guards at the oasis parted before her, eyeing Zuko suspiciously. Zuko ignored the looks, distracted by the scent of wet earth.
"Wow." Zuko breathed the word out, taking in the sweet air of the oasis when the syllable left him.
Yue said nothing but when he turned, Zuko found her watching with a smile.
"What?" He asked cautiously.
Yue shook her head, tossing the loops of her braids.
"Neither the crown prince nor my bridegroom saw this place with as much awe." She replied.
Her words made him uneasy in more ways than one. Of course, he hadn't seen much of the oasis when he had visited in his timeline. And now, he was showing Yue exactly what kind of treatment she was about to be tied to.
"It's a beautiful place." Zuko said.
"I've always loved it." Yue remarked, looking now over the lush space. Wordlessly, she began to take off her flowing coat and Zuko helped her out of the deep sleeves.
"Before, I thought I might've wished you were my bridegroom for your youth. Now I think it would've been better as we could be friends." Yue said as Zuko gently pulled her coat off, taking the bulky thing into his arms. He stared at it, watching the thin ermine hare fur wave under his breath.
"We usually don't have much choice in the matter." Zuko said softly and handed the coat to a guard.
"Is the Southern girl your intended?" Yue asked. Zuko felt his face warm but shook his head to dispel a blush.
"No. The necklace was her mother's." He said.
"She's pretty." Yue said.
"So are you." Zuko replied. He gave her a quick grin. "What good is youth if it isn't pretty?"
Yue smiled but the tired look returned to her face, drawing it down. She said nothing as she walked on, heading toward the pond. Zuko didn't move, only watched her.
She moved slowly over the bridge, a dark figure that looked solemn.
No, she's lonely. Zuko thought.
When she made it to the pond, then he ventured over. They stood side by side, looking down at Tui and La.
"Did the Fire Lord tell you to befriend me?" Yue asked.
"I think he expected it of me." Zuko said. "But I wasn't ordered to, no."
"Then why do it? Why seek me out?" She asked.
"I've," Zuko laced his fingers together, turning his hands over to expose his palms. "Become entangled with the spirits. I thought you might understand."
"Do you owe a life debt?" Yue questioned sardonically.
"Not quite." Zuko answered with a laugh in his throat.
"Then I'm afraid I can't offer you much insight."
"Like I said princess, I'm looking for friendship. Not insight."
Yue looked shocked at his words and turned to face him fully.
"Are you serious? You actually want to be friends? No other machinations?" She asked.
Perplexed, Zuko nodded. "Of course."
Looking pained, Yue took his hands into her own. She was chilled and the warmth of his skin made her squeeze.
"Will you do me a favor then?" She asked.
She sounded so serious that Zuko straightened, setting his shoulders.
"Of course." He replied.
"After the wedding, you must stay with your friends." She said.
"I had intended to." Zuko replied.
Yue squeezed his hands harder, shaking them as if they were reins.
"Promise me. You will not leave their side." She said.
Uncertainty draped over Zuko but he nodded.
"I promise." He said.
Yue sighed in relief and released his hands. Shaking her head, she turned back to the pond.
"You were offered up as tribute Zuko, so I trust that you were meant to be a token of goodwill." She said. "Seeing you like this, I don't want to be another person that ruins something good."
"Princess…" Zuko drifted, looking at Yue's face in profile. "Yue."
She turned. Her eyes were black as flint and a ring of blue ice glowed at the outside of her irises.
"We'll be friends." She said.
Her voice was like a crashing waterfall.