"Azula" she hears the child sob. gritting her teeth The older Princess runs into her room.
"What is going on here!" she says barely keeping calm. Her eyes glare at the servant.
"Azula" the child sobs reaching her small arms up towards the princess.
Her blue green eyes looking even more like the sea with her tears. Without hesitation the Fire Princess scoops up the child in her arms. The little girl wraps her arms around the woman's neck and cries softly into her shoulder.
"You did this!" Azula yells at the servant resisting the strong urge to send blue flames at the wont's head "I don't know what you did, but you will pay! If you ever hurt this child again I will Burn you to a crisp and throw your ashes to the sea serpent!"
Trembling the poor woman leaves. Azula still holding the child sits on her large plush bed and rubs the sobbing child's back.
"There.. There.." she says awkwardly. In all honesty she doesn't know what she's doing. "You're alright Kari, My Kari, I've got you. You probably think I'm a monster for the way I yelled just now"
"No" Kari's little voice says she wipes her tears and looks up at Azula. "Your not a monster. The lady was. She kept saying how I was nothing and you were gonna throw me out, or kill me. But I like you Azula"
She looks up at the Princess not with Fear or pity. but with admiration and pure unconditional love.
"You do?" Azula asks her voice barely above a whisper.
"I don't remember my Mommy, but if she's alive, I want her to be like you" Kari says hugging the Princess once more.
Tears threaten to fall from Azula's eyes, but instead she hugs the child closer and strokes her hair. She wants to scoff and say something along the lines of "well what do I care what you think" but instead she just holds Kari on her lap.
"Don't cry, Little Flame" Azula says allowing herself a moment of weakness. It was a rear occurrence when she would allow her mask to slip. But when she sees Kari's little face, something strange passes over her, she gets this warm, tingly, feeling in her cheat. They stay just like this for a while, the only sound is their breathing.
"You must eat" Azula says cooly. Her mask back on for now. Kari nods and hops of Azula's lap, and gently grabs the chopsticks.
"Do you know how to use these?" Azula asks standing behind the child.
"no, Will you teach me?" Kari asks.
"here hold them like this,"Azula says holding Kari's hand in her own and holding the chopsticks.
"Yes, exactly" She says proudly watching as Kari gets the hang of it.
"You must be a very intelligent girl" Azula comments looking at the young girl, Her golden brown hair matted and dirty, it hung down to her elbow in tangles. her gown as mentioned before, is tattered and much too small for her, it was once a fine satin gown but now it was full of holes, it's once long sleeves now looking like a tank top that hung down the girl's shoulders, the skirt once long and puffy, now hangs in so many strands it looked like it was made of grass.
"Once you finish your meal, I want to go outside to do a few thets" Azula says.
"tests why?"Kari asks a noodle dangling form the corner of her mouth adorably.
"I just want to see what you know and don't know so i can teach you" Azula assures the child.
Soon the child leaves behind an empty plate and both walk hand in hand out towards the sunset.
