Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Avatar characters. I only have Aya.

When I awoke the next morning, I felt revitalized in such a way as I had never felt before. The first thing I saw was Kiku, laying out my clothes for the day. She smiled hesitantly and when I smiled back at her she let out a quiet sigh.

"Good morning, Lady." She said cheerily as she placed a beautiful red dress on the chest at the foot of my bed. Humming something, she bustled about as I got slowly out of bed. Yawning I looked around my room, one that I would no longer spend any more nights in after my marriage to Prince Zuko. Letting out a sigh of emotion, I stood and brushed the dress Kiku had set out with one finger. It had been another gift from the Fire Lord, most likely the most expensive one he had ever given away. I had never owned a dress as beautiful as this one, and from what the Prince had talked of, there were more wonderful things that I could not yet have seen.

Because they were upstairs, in the royal family's quarters.

Involuntarily, I shivered, thinking about living with the Fire Lord. I knew, though, that I would see him only rarely. I let out another sigh as Kiku finished making the bed and walked over to fix my hair. She ran a brush through it quickly and then began to braid it.

"Ah, Aya, I am so happy for you." She said softly after a moment of silence. I smiled but my thoughts kept returning to the night before. With a shake of my head and a pat on the back of my head from Kiku, I banished them from my mind. Kiku began to wrap my long hair up and formed it into a graceful bun. Standing, I slipped out of my nightdress and Kiku handed me the red one to put on. She stepped behind me and began to tie up the back.

"Lady, what does the palace look like?" She asked suddenly. I opened my mouth to reply, but found I couldn't. Had she never been into the palace before?

"It's…it's beautiful." I said eventually. "The gardens there are very…exotic. And the detailing on the walls and arches are exquisite." I looked at her curiously as she came to stand in front of me, making sure that I was looking appropriate.

"Have you never been inside?" I asked. She shook her head and smiled. I though I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"No Lady." She said softly and patted my hand. "But I wanted to know before you left." I looked at her strangely.

"Kiku, you're coming with me when my quarters change, as well and Aki and Sokka." I said in disbelief. She sighed and looked at me.

"No, Aya, we are not. In fact, you are the only one who is going to live in the palace." Kiku sighed again and motioned for me to get down stairs. I was going to be late. My head clouded in even more thoughts, I glided over to the door and stepped out unwillingly. Walking down the stairs, a normally easy task seemed somehow difficult as I thought about what Kiku said. I could hear her faintly as she began attending to the other rooms upstairs in the house.

No, Aya, we are not.

I sighed and rested my hand lightly on the staircase railing. Looking down, I noticed Aki and Sokka waiting patiently below. The look on Sokka's face was murderous and Aki's was solemn. I smiled slightly with a hint of sorrow.

"Please don't look so sad." I whispered to Aki. He shook his head.

"Aya, it's not your fault." Aki said to me, placing one hand gently on my shoulder. It was warm and reassuring, something I needed at the moment. He grinned.

"Besides, we'll always be here."

Sokka grumbled something incoherent behind Aki's back. He turned to look at Sokka, an inquiring eyebrow raised.

"Would you like to say something?" He asked slyly. Sokka's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms sullenly.

"No."

I smiled uncertainly at him and his eyes flicked away, staring at the front door.

"They haven't found the Avatar." I said. He looked back at me, a strange look on his face. Aki watched him with curiosity.

"Oh?" He said quietly. Though he may have thought his face was unreadable, I could tell what his thoughts were turning towards. I sighed quietly.

"Don't try to find him." I said as Aki opened the door for me. Sokka's beautiful blue eyes rested on me, a sullen look on his face.

"At least, not yet."

Walking to the palace felt like walking into a place of judgment. Surrounded by not less than three guards, I was as noticeable as the Avatar. If one hair was out of place, it would be like I had just committed some heinous crime. However, seeing the prince waiting for me cheered me up somewhat. He had become something of a friend to me in the past few weeks, albeit the confusion. Today, he was talking to a soldier, a general by the looks of his armor. As he saw me approach, he broke off his conversation and came to greet me.

"Lady Aya, how are you today?"

I smiled politely as the guards dispersed, leaving me and Zuko by ourselves.

"Perfect, today actually." He grinned, a much nicer change from his old sullen character from before.

"What are we doing today?"

He sighed and took my arm gently.

"Wedding gowns I think." He said in a dull voice. "I won't be there of course." I nodded, not looking foreword to the hours I would spend dressing and undressing; trying on this and that while the seamstresses poked needles here and there.

"I can't believe the wedding is only in two days." He said quietly, his eyes fixed on the hall in front of him. I nodded again and began to wonder what the Fire Lord planned to do after Zuko and I were married. My thoughts continued along this track and his, I'm sure, were along similar lines. After a few minutes of silence, we found ourselves in front of a pair of doors. Zuko stopped here and dropped my arm from his.

"This is it." He stated, his golden eyes resting on my face for a moment. It sounded as if our lives were over. We stood there for another moment until the door opened and startled us both. A sharp woman poked her head out and spotted me.

"Lady Aya?" She questioned severely. I blinked and nodded in surprise. The lady motioned for me to come in with small slender fingers.

"Well hurry up we haven't got all day!" She cried and disappeared behind the door once again. I turned back to Zuko and gave him a slight smile. He returned it with a larger grin.

"Have fun." He said with a teasing note in his voice. I shook my head and leaned in close to him. His eyes opened wide in surprise as I gave have a light kiss on the cheek.

"You try to have fun too."