SPRING FESTIVAL
DAY 11
She was liking the Palace crowded, and the city busy, that way at least she will never get bored, but having too many benders in one place, was having her without much training grounds options.
Most of the training grounds were crowded, again. Earth benders, water benders, and even air benders were practicing their bending.
And after a while trying to find a place to train, she headed towards the only free place she could think of, the Agni Kai chamber.
As soon as she entered the Agni Kai chamber, she got a glance of her father having a session of fire bending training, while her mother looked at him very attentively from the bleachers.
The Fire Lord's movements were sharp, precise, and fast. His technique was close to perfection.
"I guess great minds think alike" she uttered to her mother who was watching her husband fire bend when she got close enough.
Her mother only noticed her when she heard Azula talk.
"Yeah. Actually, I suggested him to practice a little bit, he has been a little rusty lately…" Ursa said, "And also, I have to admit, I enjoy seeing your father fire bend shirtless..." her mother said with a playful smile, looking again at her husband.
Azula could swear, she was not blinking as she watched him.
"Ew, gross…" Azula made a grin of disgust, "Mom, I didn't need to know that." she complained, shaking her head.
Sometimes her parents were like teenagers.
Ursa chuckled at her daughter's grin. It was always fun to annoy their children. "Have you come for a little practice too?" she asked and Azula nodded, before taking it next to her mother.
"Every training ground was busy," said Azula, "So I thought about coming here... I guess I will wait till dad it's done…"
They both stayed there, seeing the Fire Lord do a few combinations and stances. They could feel the intensity of his fire from their places.
Azula studied her father's movements like she always did, and she realized that her mother was right, he was a little rusty, probably one of the consequences of the busy three months before the Unification Movement that keep him really busy and away from the training grounds.
Azula was the first one to get a glimpse of her sibling when she heard steps coming.
"Hushh... Zuko it's coming," she muttered trying to mess with her brother, she knew how much he hated to be left out of something, and she loved to provoke him. She looked away innocently, pretending she didn't see him coming.
Her mother shook her head slightly with disapprovingly but said nothing.
"What's this? A family meeting?" Zuko's voice made them glance in his direction at the same time. He was also wearing his training clothes and scowling as usual.
"Oh, Zuzu," Azula played dumb, "I didn't see you there."
"Why are you all gathered here?" he insisted again, crossing his arms. "And why I wasn't informed?"
Azula rolled her eyes and smirked, "Always the dramatic one," she mocked, "What? We can't meet without the least favorite member of the family?" she teased, and Zuko pouted. The Princess sighed and rolled her eyes away when she felt her mother poking her in the ribs slightly. "Fine," she said, "You didn't get the memo?" Azula asked him.
"What memo?" Zuko asked very confusedly while raising an eyebrow.
Azula sighed dramatically, "Zuko," she said in a serious tone, "I'm sorry that I'm the one who has to tell you this but..." she made a pause, "We voted, and you are out," she told him, "We are giving you in adoption," she mocked, "Probably to a nice Earth Kingdom family."
"Haha," The Prince pouted.
"Don't feel bad about it. We will even let you choose." Azula joked, waving a hand carelessly.
Zuko rolled his eyes, annoyed. "You are hilarious," he said bitterly.
"I know," said Azula with a smile, twisting a strand of her in her fingers.
"Don't be mean with your brother." her mother scolded her, to then return her attention to her husband on the platform.
Zuko sat on the other side of his mother. "But seriously, why are you all here?" he asked again curious, to see them all together in the chamber it was a little odd.
Azula rolled her eyes, "What you were intending to do, also," she said like if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "In case you haven't notice moron, father is practicing, and after that, it's my turn, so you can get in line if your intention is still that," she warned him.
"Indeed, it was," said Zuko, looking at his father fire bend in the platform, it had been a while since he last saw his father practice.
"Hey!" Ursa said, jolting them both, "Here's a thought, why don't you two have a little friendly match?" she proposed.
"Huh?" Both kids raised an eyebrow towards their mother, who smiled at them mirroring each other movements.
"Yeah…" she said with a smile, "Honey!" Ursa called her husband, who stopped his stances to look in their direction. "Get over here!" she said, then turned again to her children. "Why don't you practice with Azula?" she proposed to Zuko. "It's been so long since you two spared together, and I really want to see how much your fire bending has improved Zuko."
Azula smirked, "Mom, I didn't know you missed watching me kick his butt." she said quizzically, looking at Zuko. She had to admit, training with her brother and kicking his butt, it was always being one of her favorite things, and she had a kind of missed it.
"That was before," Zuko replied, "I bet you aren't capable anymore." he dared to frown.
"Wanna bet?" she raised an eyebrow cockily while crossing her legs. "I won't even break a sweat with you, Zuzu," she said smirking confidently and smugly.
It was going to be an interesting challenge. Not only because now, Zuko was taller, and bigger than before, but also for all the training he must have done the past three years.
She wanted to witness if his training had done anything good to him. If he was still that little scared boy, she used to beat every time.
"You are so full of yourself," he said irked.
Azula loved to mess with her brother, and she was about to make him even more pissed. She crossed her legs. "Sheesh… Calm down, it's not that big of a deal," she rested her chin on her hand while resting her elbow on her knee, looking at her other hand nails, pretending indifference at Zuko. "I mean we can always make it more interesting," she smirked maliciously.
"What do you mean?" he asked, curious about what she was going to propose.
"I mean if I win…" she made a pause, to make sure her father was close enough to hear it too. "You abdicate the throne," she said in a serious tone.
Zuko when white, "W-What…?"
She thought her brother might faint.
"Azula!" Both of her parents scolded her at the same time.
She rolled her eyes and snickered, "Jeezz... You can't even recognize a joke anymore?" she smirked, "God. Calm down... I was joking, I don't want the throne." she assured as she saw the faces of her parents while chuckling.
"That was not a funny joke!" Zuko whined, his color almost back.
The Princess shrugged, "That depends from where are you watching it," she said, "For me it was…"
"Young lady, you are going to give me a heart attack one of these days," her father muttered while shaking his head. "Anyways, what is it, darling?" The Fire Lord asked his wife, while he wiped his sweat with a cloth a servant led him.
Ursa glanced at her kids.
"This dumb one wants to get his ass kicked," Azula pointed at Zuko, who rolled his eyes. "So… It's quite an appealing proposal to resist," explained Azula.
"Friendly Agni Kai?" Ozai looked at both of his children, and both nodded.
"I'm not sure about the friendly part," Zuko said making a grin, no longer sure about it. He was still shaken for Azula's joke.
"There, there," Azula patted him in the shoulder, "No need to be so gloomy and serious about it," she said, "I will go easy on you if you ask nicely." she teased him.
Their father shrugged.
"Okay," The Fire Lord agreed, "I haven't seen neither of you spares in a while, so go ahead." He said lending them the platform.
"Wait," Azula stopped her sibling, "Zuko, what about the winner... fights against dad?" she suggested.
He raised an eyebrow, "An interesting proposal. Deal." Zuko agreed without giving it much thought.
The Fire Lord has always been known as the ultimate Fire bender, so for them having the chance to kick their father butt was really appealing.
Azula started to walk, but after a few steps she noticed Zuko wasn't following her she turned to look over her shoulder. "Aren't you coming? Scaredy cat." she mocked.
The Prince rolled his eyes but followed his sister.
They were one at each end of the platform, facing each other.
Azula was pulling her hair in a ponytail, as she remembered last time, where Zuko had burned a few ends of her hair accidentally. Still, she had made a hole in his shirt to get even.
"Kids, just remember, you two still being siblings after all…" her mother shouted at them from her place, as they got in place. She knew better than anyone how competitive her kids could be. "Azula, be easy on him," she warned her daughter, knowing that potentially, from both of her kids Azula was the one that could inflict more harm into the other one.
"Mom!" Zuko whined.
"Sorry, darling!" she apologized, "The habit." Ursa shrugged and Azula chuckled.
But Zuko knew his mother had a reason to worry about, his little sister was competitive and vengeful, whatever harm he could do to her, she might return it ten times worse.
She might have not seen him progress in the last three years, but he hadn't seen her either and by the time he left she was ahead of him in fire bending forms.
He had spent three years training, meditating, being taught by the best benders out there, including their uncle, and the dragons at the Sun Warriors ruins.
And even if he was meant to lose, he was going to lose for the least gap possible.
"So, who are you betting on?" Ozai muttered to his wife as they glanced at their children on the platform.
"Ozai! They are your children!" she scolded her husband, "You should cheer for them equally!" she crossed her arms, pouting.
"So… Azula?" said Ozai, smirking.
"Hushh…"
"In that case, I will cheer for Zuko, let's hope his three years abroad have paid him off," he said hopefully.
He knew both of their children were equally talented, and their no-spoken rivalry had always pushed them to try better. But he also knew that even though it was a `friendly´ match, you could feel the tension in the room, as both siblings looked at each other.
Their competitiveness was at its peak.
It reminded him of his rivalry with his brother in his younger years. He used to believe, he and Azula were similar in that matter, the second child, trying to surpass the first one, but the more the time passed, he realized he had more similarities with Zuko, in personality and bending matters.
"Scared?" Azula teased him, as they both got their stances ready, knowing that he was always the one to give the first strike.
"You wish," said Zuko, before jumping shooting a fire blast at her.
For his bad luck, Azula bender his blames, and after changing them of color, she bends them back at him. He returned the flames to her once more, but this time instead, Azula made sure of dissipating them in the air.
This time, Zuko threw multiple fire blasts as he advanced towards her. Azula was dissipating, each ball either with her first or with kicks. And as soon as Zuko gave her an opening, she fired her first blast, Zuko moved aside just in time to avoid being impacted.
"His reflexes have improved," Ozai commented, as he witnessed his son avoid another attack from Azula.
They kept getting closer and closer to each other. Throwing a fire blast at each other, blue and orange fire were crashing in the center of the room. Radiating heat all over the chamber.
Their forearms crashed a few times as they tried to block each other blows, without any successful strike.
"Should I test your redirecting lighting training?" Azula asked him when they were a few feet away.
She threw a low kick fire blast in his direction, which made him jump even more backward.
"H-How do you know?" Zuko asked curiously.
"Uncle, may or may have not said something about it," she said, remembering her uncle brag about it.
"Sounds good to me," said Zuko cockily, getting his stance ready, as well as Azula.
"No lighting!" Her mother shouted at them when she heard what they were planning, and as she saw her daughter's stance.
Lighting was dangerous. For the one who creates it, and also for the one who tries to redirect it. And she wasn't going to witness her children play to throw lighting at each other.
Both huffed, annoyed.
Azula rolled her eyes, before muttering, "Party-popper." said Azula, before bending down to avoid a fireball from Zuko, and throwing one that struck him in the chest, and sending him a few feet back.
The bursts of orange and blue fire were one after another one, both dogging them or extinguishing them. And when both were at close reach from each other, they coated their fists in their respective fire, which clashed against each other.
The blast of the explosion, when their fist collided, reached every inch of the Agni Kai room, making even their parents stumble a little back from where they were watching.
Azula and Zuko were thrown back due to the explosion at the opposite edges of the platform, almost went out flying off it, spinning in the air.
Azula tried to hold herself with everything she could, using both feet and hands, and Zuko had completely fell on his back, just inches away from the edge.
The commotion lasted only a couple of seconds because, on the ground, Zuko encircled his feet to make a ring of fire, which he sent in her direction.
She dissipated the fire once more, just in time for her brother to get back on his feet, with fire daggers in his hands.
Azula smirked, "Same old, huh?"
"Same old," Zuko affirmed, as he saw her bend daggers on her own.
Their fire daggers crashed against each other, once, twice, and at the same time, they were trying to mess with the other footing, to get the upper hand. Neither was going to give up, neither wanted to lose against the other one.
They were trying to hit the other one, just one strike, like when they were kids.
The fight extended a little while, both throwing punches and kicks until, in a surprising turn of events, Zuko had managed to get behind his sibling. And without thinking about it twice, he got her into a headlock.
"Y-You do... headlocks in girls, now?" she said struggling while trying to free herself, he had a good grip. "That's low from you." mocked Azula while gaining her breath back.
"We both know,..." Zuko began, tightening the grip on her. He wasn't going to let her win. "...you are not just any girl."
Azula smirked, and as Zuko couldn't see her, he didn't see coming what happened next.
"Yeah, you're right." she agreed with him, before using his hold as the impulse she needs it to kick him in the head with the tip of her foot.
Such action gave her the split of a second she needs it to free herself from her brother's grip, and a moment later she had twisted his arms to his back unnaturally.
Zuko winced. His younger sibling had a good grip, as well. Azula kicked him behind one of his knees to make him kneel. "Now, you are not the only one who learned new stuff," she said, twisting his arm a little more. He whined. "In fact, I invented a new technique..." she bragged proudly and cockily.
"R-Really?" Zuko widened his eyes. "Did you...?"
"I call it… " she made a pause and smirked.
"What technique is she talking about?" Ursa asked to Ozai, as they watched Azula submit Zuko.
"I don't know. I had no idea." Ozai replied frowning, not looking away from his children, in case he had to intervene.
Azula smirked, "A hundred years of the dead." she said steading her left foot, and rising her right one, before kicking him... in the groin.
Zuko winced in pain as she released him from the grip.
He felt on his face.
She let him whine for a while, before pinning him to the floor. She was on top of him, a hand on his neck while the other one was in a fist holding a blue flame.
The match was over.
"I guess I win," she said with arrogance, "Huh," Azula tilted her head and made a grin while frowning. "This feels familiar," the flame in her hand disappearing. "Oh, yeah. It's like when we were younger and I would beat your ass," she mocked, "Except now, we are older, but I can still beat your ass."
"Get off!" Zuko snarked at her, trying to shake her off.
Azula chuckled, "I have to admit," she pulled herself up, "You put quite a fight, Zuzu. I'm impressed." she admitted offering him a hand to stand.
"You are?" he asked prying, taking the hand his sibling was offering to pull up, letting out a groan of pain. It wasn't every day that Azula told him she was impressed by his bending.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm still available to beat you. But this time you actually presented a challenge," she said before smirking. "Kind of."
Zuko was more centered and more focused on his bending, which was good and it was making wander to improve his forms.
He wasn't that little wimp she could beat without breaking a sweat anymore; he was turning into a challenge.
"I never thought I will hear you compliment me," said Zuko, brushing his clothes off.
"Don't get used to it," said Azula.
"I did not intend to," Zuko said bitterly, before scowling, "But, did you had to kick me like that?" he winced, his groin still in pain. "Was it necessary?"
"No, and no," said The Princess, while undoing her ponytail. "But it was a kind of payback for burning my hair the last time we spared."
Zuko frowned and crossed his arms, "You are a spiteful woman. You made a hole in my shirt back then and that was more than three years ago!"
"And now, I can move on," said Azula, while redoing her usual hairstyle. "So, you did learn how to redirect lighting, after failing to create lighting. I didn't think you had it in you." she teased him, poking him in the shoulder.
"Yeah. Uncle taught me the technical while I visited him," he said in a proud tone.
"Damn. Now shooting lighting at you won't have an effect," she said, pretending to sound disappointed. "Next time, let's try the redirecting lighting, but without mom present, what do you say?" she whispered.
"Agree," Zuko muttered.
"Anyways, if you keep training like that, maybe one day, maybeeee... you will be available to defeat me."
Zuko's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yeah... If I suddenly lost my bending and my arms you totally could." she mocked.
The Princes rolled his eyes and sighed, "I knew you were being way too nice to be you..."
Azula shrugged. "What can I say? Beating you always gets me into a good mood," she teased. "and I had missed it."
"Well done kids," Ozai complimented them, as he and his wife, reached where their kids were in the platform. "You do have improved Zuko," he said, patting his son in the shoulder with a proud tone.
"Not enough to beat Azula." said The Prince, side smiling. He didn't feel as bad as he thought he would be, because for once in all his life he had been close to actually defeat her.
"Don't feel bad," The Fire Lord said, "I bet, I'm also going to struggle to fight her, after all… her amazing fire bending skills were inherited from me." he said proudly and cockily.
The Fire Lady widened her eyes before looking at her husband with her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?..." she said, "Do I have to remind you WHO my grandfather was?" Ursa raised an eyebrow.
"You are always going to pull out that card on me, huh?" The Fire Lord head hung forward.
"Of course," said Ursa.
"I also have a lineage of powerful fire benders, you know?" Ozai pouted at his wife.
"Sure, darling," Ursa smiled at him, "But, let's remember that skills aren't everything while fighting, a good strategy, and a quick mind also are very important," she stated.
"Oh, yes. Indeed," he agreed, getting a more serious tone. "They are very important. Not only pure talent but also a lot of practice."
"Is this a lesson of some kind?" Azula intervened, raising an eyebrow, "Because I'm getting bored." she mocked.
"Hush, child. But did you get it? What we said?" Ozai asked his daughter.
The Princess rolled her eyes and huffed, "Yes, yes, dad. I got it… " she said with a little annoyance. "The slow one is Zuko, not me..." she teased.
"Hey!" Zuko whined, "We share genes, remember?"
"Excuse me?" Both parent's eyes widened as they looked at them while crossing their arms.
"Point there…" said Azula, ignoring their parents. "If you are slow, it's probably because one of them…" she said nodding at her brother and giving him the reason.
"What did you…?" their father started, but their mother interrupted him.
"Excuse me?" said Ursa a little offended, "Do I have to remind you, you inherit your intelligence from me?" she said.
Both siblings looked at each other, making a grin. "True." they agreed.
"Excuse me?" their father looked at the three, shocked.
"And also, the good looks," Azula added, ignoring her father and his affronted look.
"Ohh, I see, three against one, huh?" Ozai pouted at his wife and kids.
"Dad, you have to admit... We inherit all the good stuff from mom," said Zuko making a grin.
The Fire Lord eyes and mouth widened, "What did you say disrespectful child?!" he snarled at his son.
"Honey…" Ursa said softly, "Don't get mad at the children...for speaking the truth." she mocked.
"The intelligence, the good looks, the fire bending talents, strengths… All that, from mom," said Zuko enumeration each one with his fingers.
"The little patience, the sarcastic smirk, the short temper, Zuko's gloomy and grumpy mood, my sarcastic ways, and much more…" said Azula also enumeration with her fingers. "That's from you."
Ursa laughed for the way their children were roasting their father and at her husband's shocked faces.
"So, are you to imply I'm all the bad and she is all the good?" Ozai inquired. Both siblings nodded. "Whoa….Sheesh. You spoiled little brats," he grunted, "I must be paying something from a past life, with you three." he muttered grinding his teeth.
"Funny," said The Fire Lady smirking, "I used to say the same of you darling when we were younger."
Ursa and both children laughed and the shocked face of The Fire Lord before he joined them to in the laugh.
This was the way their family gatherings always used to be. They would make fun of each other, for one or another silly thing, sometimes it was all against all, sometimes in teams, and a few others sometimes, all against one.
After a while of the Fire Lord being attacked non-stop by his children and wife, it was time to get back on the training.
"Okay, so now you seem rested Azula, or do you need a longer break before fighting me?" Asked her father a little cocky.
"Not at all, father," Azula smirked.
"In that case. Come on kid, like the old times..." he said while taking his place on the platform.
"Come on Zuko, let's take a sit." her mother said, while she and Zuko walked off the platform.
"Father… Are you sure?" Azula asked him, as he was preparing his stance.
"Yeah, I will go easy on you…" said Ozai in a calm tone.
"That not why I was asking," she smirked, "You are not as young as you used to be…" she teased him. "Or as you wish to believe."
"Are you calling me old?" he looked at her frowning, and with an affronted grin.
"No, I'm just simply stating a fact." Azula mocked.
One of her father's weak spots was them making fun of his age, or of him getting older.
Something that Azula and Zuko had found entertaining to laugh about.
"Honey! Go easy! Okay?!" Ursa screamed from her seat.
"Of course, my love," answered the Fire Lord. "I will make sure to not be too harsh with her."
"That great, my love," his wife said, "But, I was actually talking to Azula… You are not as young as you used to be… Even, if you want to believe otherwise…" her father pouted at her mother's comment, as their daughter had said the same a few moments ago. "Just make sure you don't hurt much his ego, okay Azula?" Zuko and Azula snickered.
"You think she will… Whoa… Wicked woman," Ozai grunted, between teeth.
"What did you say?" asked Ursa.
"Nothing!" he shouted back.
Both siblings laughed at her parents discussing.
It was always so funny to see the Fire Lord, the most powerful men in the entire nation, being scolded and scared of his wife.
"What would the other leaders say of the Fire Lord afraid of his wife?" Azula mocked once more at her father being scolded by her mother.
"Ohh. Hush, child…" her father said, "She is quite scary when she is angry." he muttered.
Azula shook her head, amused, "Come on, dad. I will go easy on you." she teased him, smirking, getting her stance ready for the match.
"You wish, spoiled child." muttered her father, also smirking.
Her father's stance was steadier than Zuko's, and his movements were faster and sharper. He wasn't the Fire Lord for nothing, after all.
They had started with a much closer distance between them than in the previous fight.
As they were trying to hit the other one with their blows, they were at the same time trying to block each other attacks; it was so fast that they couldn't even have time to even finish a fire stance; it was more of a hand to hand combat than a fire bending one.
"You are either getting faster, daughter," The Fire Lord complimented the Princess. "Or I'm getting slower."
"Both. You are getting slower, father," she smirked, as she finally was available to throw a kick of fire towards him.
Her father jumped aside just in time, before being hit, and he didn't lose a second to throw a fire blast towards his daughter. Azula caught the blast with a hand and in a quick movement, she encircled herself, as she made it bigger and stronger before firing it back to her father.
The Fire Lord had to use both of his hands to disperse the flames.
When she saw her father taking a deep breath, she knew what it was coming.
A second later Ozai was throwing fire with his mouth. Azula smirked.
Before the Unification movement started, she had been training a new technique with her bending masters Lo and Li. A technique that according to old records, her great-grandfather Sozin had once used to help her great-grandfather Roku to extinguish a volcano. Heating absorption.
And of course, she was going to use it and brag about it.
When the flames were at arm's length, she took a deep breath and made sure to focus and the heat of the flames, and in extinguishing them.
"Heating absorption, huh?" her father asked, once he saw how she had blocked the flames. He was impressed.
"I had to brag," she said smirking cockily.
"Of course you had too." Her father said smirking too, throwing another orange blast.
Azula jumped backward, using her hands as support, and when her legs were in the hair, they kicked one blow each.
If there was something, she had learned, after years and years of training with her family, it was that her father and Zuko's fighting style were more similar than they realized. Both of them were impatient, too eager to fight, and way too hot head.
So, she waited for her father to attack again, to get closer while she will only focus on blocking his blows.
He moved forward, throwing blows over and over; he jumped in the air and kicked a few blasts. Her father was attacking, and she was defending. Ozai could manage every attack she sent at him, and vice versa. It was like watching two furious dragons fighting each other.
Azula saw her father breathing deeply for a second time, but this time when he breathed out fire, instead of absorbing the heat, she bended a wall of fire in front of her.
Orange crashed against blue.
She heard his steps rushing forward, but the smoke from the crashing fires was making a little difficult to distinguish his figure.
At her left, Azula was barely capable of avoiding the fireball he threw at her, when he when through the wall of fire.
The wall disappeared, and they were available to move freely on the platform. She low kicked fire bended at him, her father jumped forward.
Once he was close enough and ready to fire another blast, she caught his fist, and twist his arm back unnaturally, just like she had done with Zuko.
But her father was faster to react than her brother, and as she was behind him, Ozai blew a fire blast from one of his feet, which she had to completely let go of him, and bend to avoid being burned by.
She was at a disadvantage.
Her father looked from above, victorious. "It seems that I win Azula." He said with some fire daggers in his hands like Zuko.
He had the upper hand. Or that, he thought.
"Yeah," she said, before looking up at her father. "Dad... Is that a grey hair?" she asked, frowning.
His fire daggers disappeared.
And that second of distraction was the opening she had needed it.
Azula smirked, and her father's face changed completely when he realized his mistake. The Princess took advantage of her position, and with more strength, than need it, she kicked her father in the legs, making him land hard on his back.
Ozai winced when his daughter used one of her knees and arms to pin him to the floor and aimed at him with her index and middle finger while holding a blue flame.
"Got you!" Azula said smiling proudly as her father was lying on the floor.
The match was over. She had won.
"Hey! Y-You cheated!" he whined.
"I did not. I distracted you, which is different." Azula made sure of pointing out the difference while getting back on her feet again.
"That's cheating!" said her father, standing up.
The Princess rolled her eyes. "Dad, you are a sore loser," she said.
"I'm not!" he pouted.
"Dad…"
"Honey, just accept it," her mother intervened as she and Zuko reached them. "Azula beat you. Fair and square."
"Yeah, Dad. It's not big a thing, she beat me too," Zuko said with a side smile, but with a hit of mockery, "Be a god looser and just accept it."
"But I'm…"
"The Fire Lord, yes, yes, we know." Both of his children said at the same time, rolling their eyes.
"Listen, dad, if it makes you feel better, no one outside this family will never know that you were defeated by your 21-year-old daughter," Azula mocked one more time.
"This child!" Ozai grunted. "I require a rematch," he demanded.
"What? Now?" Azula made a grin. After two matches, she was actually a little tired.
"Yes, now you wicked child." her father commanded.
"Dad no," she shook her head, "I'm tired," she whined.
"Oh, come on…" he insisted.
But this time, instead, Azula pouted and turned towards her mother instead. "Mom…. He is doing it again!" she accused her father.
"Honey… Just let it go…" The Fire Lady patted the back of her husband in a loving way. "You don't want to repeat what happen last month." She reminded him.
"What happened last month?" Zuko asked intrigued, his eyes going from his sister to his mother.
Azula sighed, before explaining, "We were playing Pai Sho, and when I beat him, he flipped the board and burn some tiles…" she said, "Like you, when we were younger and you used to lose, claiming I cheated." she rolled her eyes, remembering how her father had gotten so mad about losing.
Zuko smirked, "Huh, so yeah. We did inherit all the bad from him." the Prince said, looking quizzically at his father.
"I'm going to put you both in adoption." The Fire Lord said.
…
"I didn't know you could do the heating absorption." said her father as they were heading out of the Agni Kai chamber once he was over his defeat.
"Me neither," Azula admitted, shrugging, "I haven't had a lot of time to practice. I was just glad it worked.
"Hey," said Sokka when they run into him in the hallway. He had finished his training, and after asking around, he was heading to the Agni Kai chamber, when he saw the Royals heading out.
"Hey," Azula smiled, "How did your training with Piandao go?"
"Great!" he said with a smile, before looking at her companions. "Were you training?" he asked curiously, as Azula seemed a little tire out and in her training clothes, as well as Zuko and the Fire Lord.
He thought about how interesting would be to see the Royal Family train together. The most powerful fire benders training together.
"Yeah," said Azula, "I beat Zuko and my father…" she said proudly of her achievement, with a smile.
His eyes widened, "Really? Awesome…" said Sokka with a smile as he saw her face full of pride. She was truly incredible.
"Just don't tell anyone or my father will be too embarrassed," she muttered to him, as her parents and Zuko were a little behind talking about something.
"The secret is safe with me," Sokka assured winking an eye to her, which made her heart flinch for a second.
They stood there watching at each other for a couple of seconds until...
"Seriously, you don't see it?" The Princess heard her father say.
"Honey, there is nothing there." her mother assured while looking at some strands of his hair.
Azula chuckled, "Dad, I was just joking about the grey hair." she confessed, crossing her arms and shaking her head, amused.
"And also, in full honestly, you should be more glad about the fact that you still have hair at your age," said Zuko shrugging and mocking at his father.
Azula had to force herself to not let out a loud laugh for her father's expression.
"You beat me for one second," said Azula looking at her sibling, trying to not laugh.
"I think your hair is great, Fire Lord," Sokka commented with a smile, gaining the looks of the four members of the Royal Family.
The Fire Lord smiled softly. "Thank you…. Son, I should have had."
...
The spring festival was celebrated all around the Earth kingdom. A festival about appreciating the beauties of nature, as the trees blossomed all over the kingdom, welcoming the spring.
Of course, as it was already summer, the trees have already blossomed, but the meaning was the same, still.
"Your father really went all out with this festival," Sokka said as they were looking at the cherry trees at the riverbank, as the boat moved slowly with the current help by a little of water bending. It was the first thing he had said in a while.
As soon as they ran into Azula's friends in the festival, Ty Lee had made sure to push him away a little bit, to explain to him her plan.
It seemed like a simple plan, get on the boat, and when they were completely alone, he would find the right moment to tell her his feelings.
Ty Lee had made sure to get them on a boat, the two of them alone, so they could have a little privacy, away from everyone and everything. Not without muttering him something like `man up and tell her´, and wishing them good luck, which only helped him to get even more nervous about the entire situation.
Since the first moment on the boat, when Sokka leaned a hand to help her get on it, Azula had noticed him, a little more quiet than usual, more nervous, she noticed he had been looking at his hands most of the times, and she also realized he was looking everywhere except at her.
He was nervous, his hands were sweating, and his heart was beating so fast, he was afraid Azula could hear it. He had spent the entire evening thinking about the right words, or to distinguish when the right moment it will be.
Every time Sokka thought he was ready for it, he will look at her and get lost in his thoughts about how beautiful she was and will totally forget about what he was going to say. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he could say the first thing it came into his mind.
When he broke the silence, Azula felt relieved that at least now there was going to be a little conversation between them, even if it was totally random.
She could sense him a little nervous but didn't know why.
"Wait till tomorrow," she said. "My birthday it's kind of the event of the year." Azula smiled.
"It's that so?" Sokka quirked an eyebrow, and side smiled instinctively. She looked so pretty smiling, well at any time she was beautiful.
Azula nodded, "Well, I was the first girl born in around 500 years, in the Royal Family." she explained.
"Whoa…" said Sokka with a small whistle of impression.
"The first girl in generations who turned out to be a fire bender, a prodigy and also the first-ever known bender of blue fire," she added proudly. "and also born during the solstice."
"You were born during the solstice which happens to be also the God of the death day festival, right?" Azula nodded, " That's why you wanted me to learn about it the first day on the library?"
"In all honestly, I only wanted you to shut up," Azula confessed making a grin, "And I couldn't think of a better way for you to do it, than learning something new," she smiled, "So, you are welcome."
Sokka chuckled and shook his head. As he glanced at her smiling back at him.
Their eyes collided at each other.
This is it. I have to tell her, Sokka thought. She was looking at him in a way he had never experienced before, not even with his previous girlfriends.
He felt like, if Azula tried hard enough, she could read his heart, his soul through his eyes.
He took a deep breath, before reaching slowly for her hand.
She followed his movements really closely.
"A-Azula…" he began, his nervousness was obvious. "T-There is something I want to tell you…" Sokka swallowed hard, and leaned a little bit forward, he could feel his heart at the back of his throat, his chest was burning, and his hands were sweating.
All he was hopping, it was to not mess it up, to not ramble, and only say the correct words.
Azula noticed his hands were sweating. She looked at him, smiling at how cute he looked nervous, but what was he nervous about? It was only the two of them. Why did he look so serious so suddenly?
"What is it?" she muttered almost as a whisper, not realizing she had been leaning forward in his direction.
They were only inches apart.
Sokka's eyes traveled from her eyes to her mouth and then again to her eyes. He leaned closer. He could almost feel her breathing.
Azula realized of this, and for a moment she thought if he might kiss her.
She wanted him to kiss her; she wanted to kiss him. She froze when she felt one of his hands, tucking behind her ear one of her bangs.
"I-I have been wanting to tell you that… that I…" he began. "I-I…."
And suddenly, the loud roar of his stomach interrupted them.
The moment broke.
They both leaned back, Azula's hand slip between his, as they both came back to the reality, they both tried to regain composure as they looked away before another roar was audible.
"Do you realize how much of your life revolves around food?" Azula joked with an irked brow. "I told you to grab something at the street." she scolded him, crossing her legs and arms.
"Do you realize how much of your life revolves around conflict?" Sokka backfired with a tone of mockery too.
He wasn't going to tell her that as soon as he heard Ty Lee's plan, all his appetite disappeared do to his nerves.
"Yeah, I do," said Azula, "Maybe too much," she uttered with a grin, "But at least, like that, I make sure I leave an impression people will not forget." said the Princess playing with her bangs innocently.
"You're the kind of person no one can forget," he said with a smile, glancing at her.
"Huh?" Azula looked back at him, tilting her head. "I'm not sure if that was a meant to be a compliment, but I'm going to assume it was" she restored.
Sokka chuckled and shook his head. He had known from day one, even at the ball, that she was someone, no one could ever forget, and now, he was one of those people; he knew he will never, -didn't matter how long it passed- he will never forget her, even if he tried to.
"Anyways, what were you going to say?" she looked at him raising an eyebrow, "Before you know, your voracious appetite interrupted." Azula flouted.
"I-I don't remember," he lied with a smile, scratching the back of his neck. "I forgot," he said. Maybe it wasn't the right time, he thought.
"Oh..." she said disappointed, maybe she was imagining things. "Are you sure?" she asked, not very according with his answer, "It's seemed, important." Azula insisted again.
"Yeah... Don't worry," he said trying to unworried, to make her forget about the topic. "It will come back eventually, and I will tell you."
Azula frowned, and crossed her arms, "Are you sure?" she asked him one last time.
Sokka thought of another way of making her let go of the topic, and he smiled looking at her.
"What?" she asked when she realized of the way he was looking at her, but what he told her next completely got her off balance.
"You look beautiful when you're angry," said Sokka.
Azula widened her eyes and mouth slightly. She felt her heart started to race like crazy, and the red colors in her face became evident.
Damn you! she thought.
"Y-You…" she stuttered, and Sokka chuckled. "Tsk!" she rolled her eyes. "Is that why you continue to piss me off?"
"Of course," he joked, "Is there a reason why are you blushing like that?" he asked, he had lately found amusing complimenting her in unexpected moments, to make her blush and nervous. He loved to see her blush.
"Shut up," she said as she splashed him a little water from the river on the face.
"Hey!" he squealed as she snickered.
A/N
Next chapter is Azula's birthday!
Will she get a confession as a present?
Spring festival: The spring festival is a made up festival, originally this was going to be another different celebration, but for plot purposes I had to change it.
I hope you enjoyed this little mostly Royal family training chapter. It's a little of how i picture them, if they had turned out to be a "normal" family. They would have been one of those families, that constantly makes fun of each other, but they enjoy spending time together.
Also I know Ozai, is probably reaaaaally OC, but huh, what the hell? it's an alternative universe, and here he was raised with love, and not in constant comparison with Iroh.
For me, he would have been one of those incredible smart and wise leaders that everyone respects and admire and everyone is so loyal to, because they care about their people, but at the same time, those he is more close to, like family and friends make fun of and tease all the time, and constantly try to disavow just for amusement.
And last but not least, I wanted to clarify why I made Azula a little short.
Firstly: She is around 5'1 and 5'3 which, from the country I am from (Mexico) is a quite standard height for most girls. As Sokka and Zuko according to what it looks like in one of the illustration of the gaang as grownups, they both look quite tall if you ask me, somewhere around 5'9 and 6'1, maybe? And Toph is like a head shorter, soooo probably Azula is a little tiny bit shorter than her.
Second: I found a post on tumblr (which in most cases I use as extra info, or reference) that it was about Iroh's height, which I found really interesting that he was also really short. So, I thought, why not made Azula short too, made her inherit the same height genes as Iroh, which takes me to the third point.
Third: I wanted her to be the "Don't judge by the appearances". She might look short and small but she could kill you, while doing her nails at the same time. Also, it helped her to be faster, and more agile than most benders.
And finally fourth: I loveeee the prompt of male leads resting their chins on the top of the head of female leads, while hugging, or head kisses, and I also find adorable, when they have bend their knees to still a kiss...my heart just can't...