Three months in the Fire Nation palace has been … different, to say the least.
Sokka kept to the shadows of the gazebo in the Royal Gardens, still not quite used to the all-consuming heat of the Caldera. He waited patiently for a task as he watched Lady Ursa and her son feed the turtle ducks, Princess Azula further off playing with her new friends, Mai and Ty Lee.
He had to admit being a servant here was not as bad as he had thought. His captor was not all that wrong when he claimed he would be lucky to hold this position compared to others he had heard slaves being assigned to.
Lady Ursa was very kind though he stayed wary. Zuko was incredibly annoying. He was not mean, at least. Just your average spoiled royal. But Sokka had found that they were able to have some fun together as long as his little sister was not around.
Azula. Sokka watched as she attempted to repeat the cartwheel Ty Lee had done. She was fun. Zuko and he wasn't able to get along when she was around because Sokka simply couldn't stop himself from laughing at all of her jokes at Zuko's expense. She was funny! And nowhere near as annoying as Zuko. And the way she treated him …
Sokka could admit that when they found out Katara was a waterbender, he was jealous.
There hadn't been a bender in so long yet his little sister was the one blessed with the ability and not him? He loved her, of course, but it was still hard knowing that she had something he could only ever dream of having.
He felt useless as a nonbender, and having to be stuck in a castle full of benders he thought for sure that feeling was only going to get worse, especially with firebenders that would hold their abilities over his head every day.
But Azula never did.
The Princess was royalty and a firebending prodigy yet she never mentioned him being a nonbender or her being superior because of it. And now, here she was with new friends. New nonbending friends.
She treated him like he was somebody. He appreciated that.
"Sokka."
The boy startled at Ursa's voice from behind him. So lost in thought, he did not realize she had left Zuko at the pond and approached him. She smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry to scare you. I just wanted to ask what you were up to over here. Do you not wish to play?"
Sokka blushed at the question, embarrassed for being noticed. Though she had suggested trying to befriend her children before, he was too scared to. Yes, he felt comfortable with the siblings on their own but out here in the open …
He had his first run-in with Fire Lord Azulon a month after being their servant.
He was already intimidated by Prince Ozai but nothing had prepared him for the feeling of dread upon coming face-to-face with the actual Fire Lord.
Carrying Zuko's dirty dishes back to the kitchen, Sokka was so focused on trying not to drop the expensive dishware that he almost didn't notice the royal approaching, two guards framing him from behind.
He was startled when a man's arm suddenly appeared in front of him and quickly looked up to see a masked soldier looking down at him, and behind him, the Fire Lord. Azulon was glaring down at him causing him to swallow hard and quickly drop his head into a bow. He was unsure of how to address the man, or if he even was supposed to address him, so he stayed silent, something he learned quickly was favorable to the elites within the castle.
"So," Sokka kept his head bowed though he winced at the obvious disgust in the man's voice. "This is the savage slave my son picked out to be associated with his children? I have heard a lot about you."
Suddenly, a hand gripped his chin and dragged his face up to lock gazes with Azulon. Sokka gasped and it took everything in him to hold onto the tray of dishes. The Fire Lord's eyes narrowed and his grip tightened on his chin.
"That's not a good thing, boy. Servants are not to be known. Having you here is a disgrace to this castle and this family." He ripped his hand away. "If I ever hear of a single complaint against you, no matter how small, do not think for a second that I would hesitate to throw you in prison to rot." He raised an eyebrow at Sokka and folded his hands back in front of him. "Do I make myself clear, savage?"
Sokka was shaking as he responded. "Y-yes, sir."
He never saw it coming. Never even thought something like it would ever happen to him.
The slap sent him flying back and left him sprawled out on the cold stone floor. His breath hitched at the clattering of shattered dishes. Tears welled in his eyes at the stinging pain in his cheek but he dared not move.
"Servants do not speak." The growling voice was accompanied by a harsh kick to Sokka's ribs causing him to yelp in pain and curl up to grasp his side. "It will do you good to learn your place quickly. We would hate for you to have an accident because of it, would we?"
Sokka nearly broke at the sound of Azulon's feet crunching over the dishware. "Make sure to clean up your mess. Do not let this happen again."
Then he was gone.
Sokka cried there on the floor of the deserted hallway for an unknown amount of time before finally forcing himself up. He cleaned up the shattered dishes, hissing at the many cuts he accumulated from them, and hurried away.
When he made it back to his quarters he raced to his mirror. His jaw dropped at the giant mottled bruise forming on his dark skin. He had always been a rambunctious kid and was fairly used to accumulating an assortment of small injuries from his misadventures, but never anything like this.
He had no way of hiding the injury so when Zuko inevitably asked about it the next day when Sokka dropped off his breakfast, he lied and claimed he had simply fallen and the Prince accepted it. When he repeated the answer to Azula later he knew she hadn't accepted it like Zuko had. Instead, her brows furrowed and she walked away. He tried his best to avoid Ursa, knowing there would be no way he could convince her of his lie.
However, when she approached him the next day, he knew Azula had been the one to tell her. She was furious but even he knew there would be nothing she could do about how the Fire Lord treated him. So, she sat him down on his bed and healed him the best she could, even providing some powder to help cover the horrible bruise.
For just that moment, he had felt like he was back in his mother's arms …
Ursa's delicate hand resting on his shoulder shook him out of his thoughts.
"I understand you are still wary of us, Sokka. You have had many bad experiences with our people, more than any child should have to suffer with. But you are still a child and I wish to give you the best life I can provide to you while in our positions." She smiled down at him and gently brushed her hand along his jaw before pulling away and pushing lightly at his shoulders. "Now go play." She pointed her finger at him. "That's an order." Her smile ruined the serious effect she had been going for but it worked either way.
Sokka gave her a sheepish grin and a quick nod before racing down the steps of the gazebo. Zuko was still trying to persuade a turtle duck closer to pet it with bread so Sokka decided to make his way to Azula and the girls. He knew very little about the new friends, only that they both came from wealthy families and that Mai was a few years older than Azula.
Ty Lee was the first to notice him, a bright smile on her face. "'Zula! Look who decided to join us!" She giggled before cartwheeling over to him. He was startled when she quickly jutted out a hand towards him. "Hi, Sokka! Azula has told us a lot about you! I'm Ty Lee!"
He hesitantly took her hand and shook it, not used to being around someone so … energetic. "Umm, hi?"
She giggled again. "She mentioned how quiet you were, too. But that's okay! I can talk enough for the both of us!"
"She isn't lying either." Azula shared as she and Mai appeared beside Ty Lee. "I can't believe you came over, Sokka. You always stay in the shade."
Sokka shrugged and kept his gaze downward. "The Lady Ursa asked for me to come over here."
"And do what?" The girl raised an eyebrow. "We don't need you to do anything for us if she thought –"
Shaking his head, he interrupted her. "No, not to work or look after you guys." He hesitated for a moment. "She asked me to … make friends?"
Ty Lee giggled and grasped his arm, the boy letting out a small sound of surprise as she squeezed his bicep. "Oh, silly! We'd be more than happy to be your friend! Oh, I have so many questions!" Her smile seemed to grow even wider though Sokka had no idea how that was even possible. "We're going to have so much fun!"
"Oh, let him go, Ty." Azula approached the two, her face tinged red as she threw Ty Lee's arms off Sokka. "You're scaring him! Besides you shouldn't grab a servant like that."
Ty Lee pouted at the Princess. "But he's our age! We shouldn't have to treat him like any other servant!"
Mai hummed at her statement. "She has a point. Besides, Ursa told him to come over here and play with us herself."
"Well okay then!" Azula huffed and turned to Sokka. "What do you want to play?"
With three pairs of eyes suddenly on him, Sokka grew uncomfortable at the sudden question. He didn't know any Fire Nation games. He barely knew any Water Tribe ones as children were scarce back home. He looked off to the side to avoid their gazes. "I don't know …" He blushed and found himself wringing his hands and wrists out of nervousness.
Ty Lee forced herself in front of him. "That's okay! What kind of games did you play back home?"
He looked at her before glancing back over to Azula and Mai, Mai tilting her head to the side as she waited for a response and Azula with her arms crossed and acting disinterested. Sokka couldn't help the small pang of hurt at the Princess's reaction.
"Not much, really." He turned fully back to the girl in front of him. "My favorite was always penguin sledding and snowball fights when I was a kid …" He hesitated. "I haven't done that in years, though."
Mai twisted her face in confusion. "Those are new. I've never heard of such games."
Ty Lee smiled brightly at her. "I haven't either!" She turned back to Sokka. "It sounds super fun, though! You could tell us all about those games and maybe we can try to come up with our own versions or something! What do you think, Zula?"
Sokka turned to see said girl staring back at him, her face unreadable. Without looking away she replied. "Sure. Probably not today, though. We should focus on something simple for him to learn before we start coming up with new games."
"That's okay!" Ty Lee turned back to Sokka. "Oh, you have so much to learn! We're going to have so much fun! You'll see!"
Sokka gave her a hesitant smile, his face heating up at all of the attention and kind words.
"Why do you keep staring at him?"
Sokka quickly turned to look at Azula who was now focused on a blushing Mai. He watched as Azula placed her hands on her hips and looked back and forth between Mai and Zuko, who was completely unaware of them from his spot at the pond.
"Why won't you at least say hi to Zuzu? I know he's totally weird but even Ty Lee has talked to him. Unless you just really find him that annoying, I wouldn't blame you. I know he drives Sokka mad. Right?" She turned to him with a raised brow. She was very demanding.
Sokka grimaced and quickly glanced back to make sure the said boy and Ursa weren't paying them any attention and saw neither of them paying the group any mind. He hesitated before nodding in agreement. The Prince could really be a handful.
"See?" Azula turned back to the girl. "Sokka agrees. So if that's your reason just say it!"
Mai sighed, her heavy bangs obscuring her eyes as she slouched in on herself and turned her head away. "I just don't want to talk about it, Azula."
The Princess huffed unhappily at the girl and crossed her arms. "Fine! I'll do it myself!" She grabbed the girl's arm, who yelped in surprise and dragged her towards the pond. "We have officially been friends for a month now and I demand that you at least say hi!"
Sokka and Ty Lee cringed as the girls walked away before exchanging a look and hurrying after them. Sokka wasn't quite sure what Azula was going on about but he knew when she got something in her head she wouldn't stop digging into it. Even though he had only known her for three months, this trait of hers was a constant. It was also the driving factor for annoying Zuko, much to Sokka's enjoyment and Zuko's displeasure.
"Zuzu!" Azula marched up to her brother and mother, both turning to watch her approach. "Quit playing with those silly animals and talk to Mai!"
Zuko's expression immediately turned into a frown. "You're not the boss of me! I don't want to talk to anybody!"
Ursa gently rested her hand on Zuko's arm to calm him before turning to her daughter. "Azula. Leave your brother alone, please. Your friends came here to play with you. If Zuko does not wish to join you, let it be."
Azula huffed and stomped her feet. "I just want him to say hi! If anything it's rude that he won't talk to my friends!"
Her mother sighed in exasperation. "Azula, calm down. Just go back to playing. Sokka is even there to be with you girls. You don't have to bother Zuko."
The Princess wasn't listening, her anger only building as her mother denied her again. She would never let Azula do anything. Yet Zuko got everything all the time!
Azula didn't even notice the flame appearing in her hand or her arm launching it at the pond. It wasn't until she heard the panicked squawk of a baby turtle duck and her mother's gasp that the fog receded from her vision and she realized what she had done.
She stepped back as she stared at the steaming pond. Zuko had managed to grab the turtle duck and was holding it close to his chest looking it over for injuries.
Suddenly, her arm was grasped harshly by Ursa's hand. "Why won't you ever listen to me, you stubborn girl?" Her brows were furrowed and Azula was sure she had never seen her mother this angry before. "Hurting that poor animal? You're a monster of a child."
Azula's breath hitched, and for the first time in a long time, she felt tears well up in her eyes. She and her mother always struggled to see eye-to-eye but to have Ursa call her a monster?
Ursa threw her arm away before pointing back to the palace. "To your room. Now! We'll discuss your punishment later."
The Princess had no words, only nodding her head quickly before lowering her head and racing back to the doors.
The rest of the children were left in silence for a second before Ursa finally spoke. "Sokka? Could you please escort Mai and Ty Lee to the front doors?" Sokka nodded hesitantly before she turned to the girls. "I'm sorry that your day with Azula was cut short. I'm sure Azula will arrange another time together soon."
Ty Lee looked between Mai and Sokka before giving the Royal a nervous smile. "Of course! Thank you for having us, Lady Ursa. You have been very kind!"
Ursa tried to return the smile but the anger was still too evident on her face. "You are welcome anytime, girls. Have a good day."
She gave one more nod to Sokka before turning back to Zuko, but before he even realized what he was doing, Sokka reached to grab her arm. Ursa shot him a look with a raised brow, the boy never before daring to touch her. It was quite surprising to see a look of sadness on his face as he stared up at her.
"Yes, Sokka? What do you need?" The girls were already making their way to the doors of the palace and Zuko was caring for the turtle duck so no one was able to hear their conversation.
Sokka hesitated before screwing his face into a look of sudden confidence. "That was very mean of you, Lady Ursa. Why did you have to call her a monster? I would do anything to be with my mom again. It would hurt really bad if she ever called me that." He opened his mouth to say more but quickly shut it and let go of her arm.
Then he hurried after the girls and left Ursa standing there, watching the trio disappear into the shadows of the palace.
She would never have expected the quiet boy to say anything of the sort. Yet he was right.
So, with a heavy heart, Ursa turned back to her son, knowing she owed her daughter an apology.
oOo
"So, Sokka." Ty Lee came up beside the boy as he continued to lead the way to the front doors of the palace. "How are you liking life in the palace so far? Is it a lot different where you come from?"
Sokka gave the girl a side-long glance. She seemed very nice, and honestly, he thought she was the nicest person he had met yet in the Fire Nation, surpassing Ursa and Azula. She was very excitable, though, which left Sokka unsure of how to respond to her. "Umm, yeah, it's different. I guess it's okay, though …"
Ty Lee nodded her head excitedly. "That's great! It really is nice to meet you! Azula has told us all about you, right Mai?"
Mai had stayed incredibly quiet behind them, almost startling Sokka when she responded. "Yeah. If she's not complaining about her brother or mom she's talking about you."
Ty Lee hummed in agreeance. "That's right! I guess she has asked you a lot about the South? She tells us all about what she has learned from you! Like, you live in ice houses and you use spears for fishing! It's pretty cool learning about a whole new culture."
The boy gave an awkward smile. He wasn't sure what to think about these two knowing things about his tribe he had only shared with their friend. "Yeah, I guess …"
He supposed it wasn't a bad thing that they knew. He only shared with Azula because she asked and wasn't annoying about it like Zuko. Still, this was only his first time meeting the girls and they already knew so much about him.
They lapsed back into silence, or as silent as they could be with Ty Lee humming a jaunty tune to herself beside him. When they finally made it to the front doors, the girls walked out, only Ty Lee turning back around to wave goodbye with a toothy grin, and despite himself, Sokka smiled and gave a small, shy, wave back.
Once they disappeared and Sokka closed the doors, he made his way back to his room. He figured Ursa would be staying out with Zuko a while longer and Azula probably wished to be alone after the fight, so maybe he could squeeze in a quick nap or just have a moment to himself before someone called on him.
He was not expecting to open his door and be greeted with the sound of crying.
Sokka walked further into the room to see Azula sitting on the floor by his bed with her face hidden between her knees.
"Princess?"
At the sound of his voice, her head shot up to look at him and Sokka had a clear look at her blotchy face and tear streaks down her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped at her eyes and sniffled.
"Sokka!" She cleared her throat and tried to save face, scrambling to stand up. "I didn't think you would be back for some time! I figured Mother would keep you busy or something."
Sokka opened his mouth to respond, unsure of what to do to help her, and slightly wondering why he wanted to help her.
She interrupted him. "Sorry for being in your room. It wasn't intentional or anything. But I'll be going so you won't have to worry about me. I promise I didn't touch any of your stuff!"
I don't even have any stuff, he thought morosely as she straightened her clothes before making a beeline towards the door he was still standing in front of. He quickly stepped back and closed the door instantly being greeted by a puzzled stare from the girl.
Their eyes locked for a moment. Sokka realized this was the first time they had ever taken the time to look at each other. They have had several encounters since his arrival seeing as it was his job to serve her and her brother but all those instances had other people around while he was doing his job. Sure there were times she would bombard him with questions but her brother would typically be around or they would only have a few minutes to talk before they were called to do something else.
They had never actually talked before. They had never actually been alone before.
He swallowed hard. "I-I wanted to talk t-to you …" His slight stutter made him blush in embarrassment and pull his gaze away from hers.
Her eyebrows narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips. For being only ten years old, the girl was very intimidating. "Really? It couldn't possibly be about me being here, because this never happened. I was never here."
Sokka quickly nodded to assure her that he understood before rushing into his thoughts. "I talked to your mother after you left."
The girl froze and her eyes widened for a split second before she shook herself and folded her arms in front of her chest and turned her gaze to the wall. "What on earth would make you do that?"
His eyes narrowed. "She called you a monster. That was wrong."
Azula flinched at the word. "So what? I'm sure she thought it was deserved …"
"She's your mom!" Sokka huffed and leaned fully against the door, gazing at the opposite wall. "No matter how mad my mom would get at me, and trust me, she would get mad, she would never call me a monster." He moved his gaze down to the floor and scuffed his foot on the ground. "A mom is supposed to love you. Not call you names."
The princess stayed silent causing Sokka to finally look back up at her. She was staring at him, fresh tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. Their eyes met again as a corner of her mouth pulled up into a slight smile.
"You never speak of your family. I wish my mother loved me as much as yours loved you …"
Sokka was speechless for a moment caught off guard by the comment. He cleared his throat and turned away.
"What made you come here instead of your room?"
Azula shuffled her feet. "Not sure." She looked at him, her face now soft with an unknown emotion. "I guess I thought Mother would never come here looking for me. I figured this would be a safe place."
They locked eyes.
"That's good." Sokka cleared his throat. "I mean, I'm glad you feel safe here." He blushed and let his eyes wander away from hers. "I just mean, you can come here whenever you want. I don't mind. You are the Princess after all. Kinda get to do whatever you want, heh…" He trailed off with a nervous chuckle, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck.
"You're wrong, you know?"
Sokka froze. "Huh?"
Azula looked down at her feet. "I don't get to do whatever I want. As a Princess, I have a duty to my country and people. Certain things are expected of me. I've always known that." Her face turned sad and her voice got quieter. "Sometimes, I wish more than anything I could've been born normal …"
"… like me?" Sokka whispered, hesitant. He feared saying something like that to royalty could somehow get him into trouble.
The girl looked back up, a smile returning. "Sometimes, yeah. Asking you about your life has made me realize just how different people's lives could be. You had a home. A family. I have a cold palace and parents. They are not the same."
Sokka had never thought of that before. In his three months here he had only been focused on the wealth of these people, not taking into account emotions and lifestyles. Looking back, he realized just how much he ignored when interacting with the royals. No. He could never live like this. He would take being back home with his family in their hut any day.
He looked down. "I'm sorry for judging you."
"I don't blame you. Everyone does." Her smile brightened. "I never realized how good it would feel to talk to someone. Thank you, Sokka."
The boy gave a small smile. "You're welcome?" This girl will never make sense to him. "Why do you do that, by the way? Call me my name. Talk to me. I'm just a slave."
Azula's brows furrowed and her cheeks turned a light shade of rose. "Oh, I don't know. Just something about you…" She shrugged. "You feel safe."
They looked at each other and smiled.
Sokka knew things between them were different now. He wasn't sure what exactly had just happened but he knew it was monumental. It felt like a weight had lifted out of his chest and he could finally breathe. He had her to thank for that.
His shoulders sagged in relief. "So, do you have any more questions for me? About the South?"
She hummed in thought. "Oh, I am sure I could come up with quite a few."
"Then I suppose I am at your disposal, Your Highness." Sokka fell into a mock bow causing the girl to laugh.
"Why thank you, my humble servant." She faked a curtsy.
They both doubled over in laughter and found themselves seated on the floor. Neither of them paying any mind to the passing of time as Azula asked the boy question after question.
oOo
Ursa made her way down the hallway to her daughters' chambers, quietly lost in thought as she tried to go over her apology.
She knew that Sokka had been right and that she had been far too harsh to the girl. She just never truly knew how to handle her. They had never been close. Never having been able to form a bond with her daughter like she had done with Zuko the moment he had been placed in her arms.
Laughter.
Ursa's head rose as she was thrown out of her thoughts. She had heard laughter.
She took a few steps further and sure enough there it was again.
Her head tilted in confusion as she walked further along the hallway, the noise growing louder.
Ursa found herself at Sokka's door.
A girl was laughing behind that door. She spoke. Ursa was not able to understand what she said but she at least knew her daughter's voice well enough to know it belonged to her. Sokka's voice replied and Ursa was shocked to hear them both return to a fit of laughter.
She would have never thought anything like this could ever happen. Her daughter purposefully chose to befriend a slave and said slave was coming out of his shell and openly laughing with royalty.
Ursa knew that, professionally, this was wrong. She should throw the door wide open and put a stop to this. She hesitated. They seemed happy. That was few and far between in this palace.
The mother took a step back. She had already done enough harm to her daughter this evening.
She continued down the hallway.
oOo
As you guys can already tell, this will have slow updates. However, To make you guys feel better, I will tell you that I already have a plot summary for every chapter in this story and can confirm that this will be 12 chapters long with plans for a sequel. You just have to be patient with me because I do have a full-time job.
Love you guys!