All is quiet within the palace. The entire facade of windows is all black with night and not a single person stirs, save for me, and my one fluttering candle that stays alight near my bed. I pull my hair over my shoulder as I gently comb it, while lazily laying on the window sill and listening to the gentle whisper of the evening wind. Overhead, the near-full moon radiates with a sublime countenance. Each crack and crevasse on its craggy surface, combined with its illuminating specter of white, give it an almost enchanted look.

I smile to myself, reflecting upon the beauty, and gently put the comb into the delicate pouch inside my dresser drawer where it usually resides. I shiver as the fresh air brazenly whisks past my back. I don my previously-discarded undergarments and then my evening cloak. I always thought it out of the ordinary to sit on the window sill to dry after bathing, but then again, I am not the ordinary person. I'm a princess of the fire nation. I am royalty, a blue blood, an aristocrat, a noble, and a demi-soverign, all in one. I rule from on high, so I am above people's opinions. At least, most people's.

There is still Aang, the ever present actuality that seems to be tied to me, interwoven by fate or chance. We are almost acute opposites. He is fun, outgoing, charismatic, self-confident, and chivalrous, whereas I am introverted, prim, uptight, arrogant, and at times, ruthless. And yet, for the 3 weeks I have known him and the 2 weeks he has been here, there has been a force present, a kind of attraction. Not in any romantic sense, mind you, but something is there; an affection. I genuinely care about his best interests at heart, and I am betraying myself in doing it. I breathe a sigh of regret. For all of my seeking detachment, am I really being out-charmed by a 12 year old boy? Or is it a game he's playing, to see if he can toy with me? It all seems quite absurd, yet vaguely plausible.

Suddenly, a strong blast of wind bellows through the window. It causes the candle to tip over and extinguish, leaving the entire room black as the remaining air whistles through the night. I curse as I go and close the window and shutter the curtains. I can't see a single thing in the pitch-darkness that now covers the room. I grope the floor, trying to feel the dislocated fixture. At last, I find it and prop it up, relighting the candle and filling the room with illumination. I pull out my chair and sit in front of the mirror, gazing at myself as I tie back my hair in a ponytail. As I tie the cord, then straighten my bangs, a strange shadow starts descending in gradual spurts. I look over to see if the candle is flickering; it's not. I look back into the mirror as a frightening visage appears. My face seems to rot before me, my cheeks disappear and become nonexistent. Dark, saggy wrinkles appear all around, and my eyes are hollow and pale, outlining a grim cast of my skull. Just as quickly as it appears, it's gone. "Most strange..." I trail in a voice quite unconcerned, when in fact my hands are trembling.

"Hey, Azula!" I scream in terror. My whole body is now in convulsing in frightful tremors as I gaze up to see the high-pitched intruder. "Wow...sorry."

"What do you want, Ty-Lee?" I ask, mildly irritated.

"Just wanted to see what you were doing is all. But, if you're busy, I'll go." answers the bubbly teenage girl.

I roll my eyes, "How did you get past the guards?"

"How do you think?" There is a trail of remorselessness in the way she says this.

"Hopefully, you didn't kill one this time."

"I told you that was an accident."

"Yeah, I know."

"Oh! Are you getting ready to go to a party?"

"No, just a rendezvous of sorts."

"With the Avatar?" I nod, "Oh my gosh! Azula and Aang sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"It's not like that!"

"Sure it isn't, Azula."

"I'm not attracted to him!"

"No, I totally believe you. I'm just gonna go and leave you two to your date. Bye!"

She shuts the door behind her, and moments later I see her through my window, jumping precariously from rooftop to rooftop as she disappears into the night.

"I'm not...", or at least I hope. Am I losing my mind? The sheer audacity that I would be thinking this! It makes me twinge on the inside, and I suddenly feel light-headed. I creep onto my bed and silently slide the pillow over my head, trying to alleviate myself by lying down. I remember his firm muscles and how I grasped them, then imagine them wrapping around my slender shoulders. I shudder again. This can't be natural, this can't be me thinking this.

I look over to the clock whose hands now read ten-thirteen. I sigh a reluctant groan and heave myself up, knowing I will have to confront him and his eyes that seem to see right through me. Oh well, it might not last long. He might want to show me a trick or some kind of bending move he learned. I'm sure it is nothing serious.

I carefully close the door, shutting it softly as not to alarm anyone of my presence. I tip-toe gently down the hall-way, and descend the stairs that lead out to the other end of the palace. I walk through the dimly lit hallways. It's hard to see anything, though really, there is nothing to see. The halls are empty, and all I have to do is make my way to the courtyard on the other side of the building. I had decided not wear shoes, so my bare feet trail cautiously on the cold marble floors. It sends shivers up my spine as the frigid ice of its rock temperament slides against my heels.

I finally reach the wooden door that leads to the courtyard. I slowly open it and close it behind me. The garden is filled with moonlight, sparkling amazingly, as if it is enchanted. All the flora is magnificently radiant and I feel breathless at the sight. He stands there, gazing at one of the bigger flowers on the far end. I approach him and tap him on the shoulder. "Aang?"

"Here, let me show you something."

"Okay."

"Close your eyes." I do. "Promise not to open them?"

"I promise."

A tense moment of nothingness goes by as I keep my hands over my shut eyes. Finally, after an unbearably long minute, he says, "Okay, you can look."

I open my eyes to see Aang perched upon the fountain in the middle of the garden. But all the flowers are a different colour, each perfectly bloomed and ornate. "This...this is incredible!"

"Yeah, I kind of learned that I could change their colours just by bending the air inside of them. Pretty cool, huh?"

"It's...amazing".

He effortlessly propels himself off the fountain and lands directly in front of me, his face only separated from mine by mere inches. "You know what else is amazing? You."

I can't keep myself from blushing, "Aang, I...I don't know what to say."

"I mean, you're a really unique person. And...I really like you."

I feel my heart sink and all the butterflies in the world well up inside my stomach. My heart starts beating faster and I suddenly feel very awkward. "Aang, what do you mean?"

"I mean...I mean..." He suddenly pulls me in so deep our lips touch. I'm swooning as our tongues vie for dominance and he savors my cherry lipstick. I tense at first, but I eventually let go and savor it for the few precious hours that it lasts, or so it seems. The warm passion of our embrace overcomes any sentiment I have hidden beneath me. But I realize as I stare into the night, that I could pull away at any moment, but I choose not to. There is something magical about the moment, something akin to a talisman, that keeps me there, deep in his arms.

After what seemed like ages, we part and he stares at me, his cheeks as violet as mine. He looks awkward and puts his arm behind his head. "Sorry..."

"No," I said brushing it off, "It's alright."

He stares another moment and turns away as if leaving. I desperately grab him by his elbow, "No don't go..."