The sun was barely rising when she entered the dragon's refuge. Xin Long groaned in complaint, his tail sweeping towards her, to keep her at bay. Azula snorted and regarded him with judgmental eyes.
"You're unreasonably lazy, dragon," she said, sorting through his tail's movements as Xin Long groaned. "Come now, you've slept for almost twelve hours. The sun is rising."
Only the last phrase compelled Xin Long to stop resisting and squirming. He would sleep in a little more, usually, but he rather loved to bask in the first rays of sunlight that touched the earth, and Azula knew it. She smirked as he turned around, yawning and scratching his mane clumsily.
"Do you have another stick in there?" she asked, teasingly. Her dragon simply shrugged. "What a mess you are, dragon. No wonder you're bonded to me…"
Xin Long snickered and scurried around the refuge, fetching the saddle so she could put it on him safely. She did it quickly and settled on his back, stroking the dragon's hair affectionally as he took off: while there were no twigs in it, it wasn't perfectly clean either, but Azula would have to groom the creature properly later, if she had the chance.
The brightness of the sun was almost blinding, but for the two airborne firebenders, it was delightfully refreshing. Azula breathed deeply, as the cool morning air seemed to cleanse her body. Xin Long purred in his usual reptilian way, before doing a few loops for the sake of it – Azula smiled and allowed him to fly playfully, without complaint. She held on tightly to the saddle, throwing her head back to enjoy the breeze that made her hair dance in the wind.
The city was only just waking, and businesses were opening here and there. The streets remained calm so far, but Azula could see some people moving quickly, already immersed in business and duty at such early hours of the day. She smiled down at them and stroked Xin Long's hair.
"Alright then, troublemaker: let's go," she said. Xin Long groaned and obeyed his rider's request, diving towards Sokka's house.
The dragon rolled on the grass after Azula climbed off, despite the saddle hindered his movements. Azula watched him questioningly for a moment before smiling and shaking her head.
"You can go back to the refuge, get something to eat. I'll call you if I need you," she said, waving a hand towards Xin Long. The dragon hooted, obeying her right away and taking to the skies: he did want his fill of meat for breakfast, and the Palace never failed to provide it for him.
Azula made her way upstairs as quietly as possible. She opened the door to Sokka's room just before Song opened her own, heading downstairs to start working on their meals for the day. She was rubbing her eyes: the Princess didn't notice her, just as Song failed to see Azula.
The Princess smiled as she gazed upon Sokka's lazy sleeping figure. He was spread over the bed, his mouth open, a small trail of drool dripping down his cheek. She shook her head.
"How graceful," she commented. "One would think you'd try to look more dignified in your sleep…"
Azula stepped towards the bed, sitting by his side and admiring her lover. She stroked his hair gently, and his chest continued to rise and fall peacefully. She sighed, pleased that the sight of his breathing, while comforting, was no longer something she was frantic to see every time. He truly had helped her in many ways, guiding her towards the right path to appease her worst trauma yet. Still, she wasn't here to think about that…
"Wake up, lazy man," she said. "I know it's way too early for your standards, but seriously, get up. Zhen can arrive at any moment, and you'll give him a terrible impression if you're in bed when he does."
He didn't respond at all. Azula raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had fallen asleep at a late hour. It was rare for him to be so deeply asleep.
"Hey, Sokka?" she said, tapping his shoulder. "Up with you. Seriously. If you get up, you'll get a kiss. No? Really? Then you get no kisses whatsoever today, how does that sit with you? Huh, you won't wake up even with that? I guess you're hibernating? Is this something savages do, perhaps?"
She bit her lip. None of her provocations were paying off. She smirked, though, thinking of something better now.
"Alright… so we'll do this the hard way," she said, shifting closer and hovering with her lips right above his ear. "The crime you committed was unforgivable. You have disgraced yourself, and everyone you love… and now, your punishment? You will spend six years… eating an exclusively vegetarian diet!"
She raised her eyebrows and looked at him expectantly… and at last, he moved. He groaned and shifted on the bed, grabbing his pillow and burying his face in it.
"N-no veggies… they stink…"
She blinked blankly and huffed. She gazed at him, shaking her head. There had to be a way to wake him up.
"Honestly, you have a sleeping problem," she said, placing a hand on his bare shoulder and shaking him gently. "You're so lazy, so hopeless… get up, gladiator! Time to fight!"
Nothing seemed to work, not insulting him, not scaring him, nothing. She was tempted to shake him more violently, but the wounds he still sported on his body worried her, even now. She didn't want to be too aggressive, but something had to work…
"Ah, I know," she said, smirking. "Well, if this is how it is… you know, Princess Azula is really a terrible, terrible person. She's actually a subpar bender, not smart at all, all talk, no action, there's really nothing to her…"
Sokka stirred, but she didn't stop yet. She needed to keep going until he was truly awake, then.
"Seriously, what a failure of an heir for our Fire Lord, she's going to be pathetic once she takes the throne. I only hope she marries a great husband who can be efficient at things, most unlike her," she continued to ramble. "And worse yet, she's just hideous, physically hideous. Who'd ever think…?"
"What are you doing?"
Azula blinked and looked down at him. Sokka rubbed his eyes drowsily, an irritated grimace on his face.
"Ah. Finally," she said. "I was running out of bad things to say about myself."
"You shouldn't have had any to begin with," he grunted, pushing himself up and leering at her. "Troublemaking, lying Princess…"
"Lying? Come now, I was only…"
"Lies, lies, lies!" Sokka exclaimed, hugging her and bringing her down on the bed with him. She laughed as he did. "You're amazing and you're not going to make me think otherwise! And if you marry someone, it'll be me, and I won't be that efficient compared to you anyways, so everything you said was a lie!"
"Sokka, I was trying to get you to wake up, that's all," she said, laughing. "Don't take it that seriously…"
"And you're the most beautiful woman to ever walk this world. Don't forget it," he pouted before kissing her lips softly. "Hi."
"Hey," she said, smiling. "You wouldn't wake up any other way."
"Yeah, well, I was having a nightmare about vegetables…" Sokka said, grimacing and shuddering. Azula smirked.
"Yeah, maybe that was my fault…"
"Huh?"
"Or maybe it's a coincidence? Who knows," she said, shrugging. "At any rate, good morning."
"Morning to you too," said Sokka, smiling and kissing her again. "We should just get back to bed… it's so early, damn…"
"There's a reason why I'm here at this hour, remember?" she said, raising her eyebrows as she sat up on the mattress. Sokka sat too, his arms wrapped around her waist. "The kid you're supposed to train could be here any moment now."
"Ugh, right," said Sokka, grimacing. "Here I thought you were just visiting for other reasons…"
"As fun as our escapade to the hot springs was, I'm still not risking taking our encounters as far as we'd like to," she said, kissing him. "But soon, I suspect."
"Very soon. I'm sure you won't resist me for much longer," Sokka said, with a proud smirk. Azula smiled.
"How cocky," she said, taking his hand and jerking her head towards his closet. "Stop wasting time. I'll even help you dress up."
"You should help me undress, instead," Sokka teased, smiling, but he closed his eyes lazily right afterwards and fell completely silent. Azula watched him briefly before snorting.
"Alright, and then I'll do all sorts of unspeakable things to your sleeping body. Sounds like fun," she said. It took him a moment to register what she'd said, and he blinked himself awake before scratching his head.
"Yeah, okay, would be more fun if I'm awake for it," he said, with an apologetic smile. Azula smirked and moved to the closet.
"I'd be willing to test it, though, mind you. I could even tie you down, you said you were interested in trying that…" she said, pulling out clothes for him. Sokka chuckled and looked at her with amusement.
"I thought I was the eager one, but going by what you're saying, it really isn't just me…" he commented, watching her with amusement as she pondered the combination of clothes she'd selected. Azula raised an eyebrow.
"What could ever make you think that it's just you, huh?" she said, handing him a long, blue, sleeveless changshan. Sokka smiled approvingly. "This ought to look nice on you. Might actually help you look like a respectable master and everything."
"Heh, that's flattering," he said, smirking as she offered it to him while gathering the rest of his clothes. "Still… I guess this is not going to be so easy, is it? Will this kid train with me once a week at this unreasonable hour? Please say no…"
"I have no idea," Azula said, smiling at him. "But alas, you told Zhen you'd do it…"
"I did it for your sake," Sokka pouted. Azula nodded.
"Which is all the motivation you should need to get up early once in a while, right?" she said, smirking with malice. Sokka's pout now was accompanied by a frown.
"Sure, but do tell, then, what shall be my reward for helping you out in this way?" Sokka asked.
Azula sighed, handing him the rest of his clothes. She stood in place for a moment, eyeing him with uncertainty as he climbed off the bed, pushing down his sleeping pants and putting on fresh ones. She shrugged soon enough.
"I don't know, truly. What do you want from me, gladiator?" she asked. "That is within my ability to offer you, of course…"
"Oh, so I get to choose?" he asked, smirking as he pulled up the pants and fastened the belt around them. Azula picked up the changshan again. "Well, let's just say that the one who gets tied up isn't me…"
"Ah, sure thing," she said, skeptically. She had thrown the changshan around his shoulders before he could elaborate further. "I will not lower my dignity to such shameful levels for your sake, gladiator. Absolutely not."
He smirked, sensing her voice tone was far from serious. He knew by heart how to tell apart whenever she was messing around and whenever she wasn't. As she smirked back at him, it was clear which case this was.
"Really, now? So, it turns out there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, but you do have limits for what you'd do for me?" he said, as she fastened his changshan while caressing his strong chest as much as she could in the process. She raised her eyebrows.
"Well, do excuse me for having standards…" she said, looking at him playfully. Sokka laughed.
"Standards? No, what this really means is that I've always been right when I say that I love you more. Ha!"
Azula certainly did not expect the conversation to take such an unexpected twist. She looked at him indignantly for a moment, as he savored his triumph happily.
"You dare make such false claims…" she said, leering at him. "You deserve to be punished, you shameless savage."
"Oh, now, I'm a convalescing poor man who needs his rest and his… hey!" he exclaimed, laughing as she pushed him down on the bed and climbed atop him, towering over him on all fours. He snickered. "Seriously, how competitive. Is it that hard to accept the truth, Princess?"
"The truth? You are twisting facts into whatever is most convenient to you, and yet you claim you speak the truth?" she said, clasping his wrists to hold him down and poking his nose with hers. He chuckled.
"If it's not the truth, you should prove it," he said, smirking.
Azula sighed and looked at him skeptically. They both knew what this was really about, and truthfully, she could use indulging in his company in the best way they could for now. If the kid hadn't arrived yet, maybe his father hadn't meant to bring him over all that early. Maybe they'd gotten lost, maybe they'd slept in…
Whether her hopes were founded on reality or not, she still succumbed and kissed him gladly. Sokka sighed and responded joyfully. His stomach scarcely hurt even when she was pressing a little on it, and all he wanted was for her to stay close to him. He smiled in bliss, his tongue brushing against hers in teasing, swirling motions that she corresponded with her own. Her hands left their place on his wrists just to intertwine their fingers, and she kept kissing his lips until they were both breathless.
Their chests heaved together, and they couldn't seem to stop smiling at each other. Azula sighed and rolled on her side, caressing his cheek as she held his gaze with hers. His lazy, rugged appearance only made her wish they could truly stay inside his room all day, doing all the things that would still be irresponsible to do…
"You need to tie up your hair," Azula whispered. Sokka raised his eyebrows.
"Here I thought you liked it best when it's down," he smirked. She shrugged.
"I do, but for reasons unknown you always tie it up," she said. Sokka chuckled.
"Well, the wolf's tail is a cultural thing. But it's not just that…" he said, with a malicious grin now. "I'd rather not have you embarrassing yourself by swooning over my good looks in front of my student."
"Ah, because I have no self-control, do I?" Azula asked, looking at him defiantly. Sokka laughed.
"Not when faced with my manly handsomeness, you don't," he said.
Azula laughed and playfully pushed him down again, climbing atop him and pressing countless kisses to his lips, not only because she longed to do so, but because this way she'd keep him from teasing her more. He had definitely woken up with a lot more sass than usual, and he already had plenty to spare on any given day.
Song overheard the laughter and voices in Sokka's room as she was busy preparing breakfast. She left the counter and made her way to the bottom of the stairs, from where she glanced at the second floor with uncertainty: Sokka's door was open. If the sounds and sights were any indication, it seemed the Princess was here, after all…
"Very early," she remarked, before shrugging and returning to her work.
Guessing Azula had yet to eat, Song had just decided to prepare extra food when she heard knocking on the front door. She rubbed the drowsiness from her eyes again before making her way to open the door, hoping it wouldn't be someone looking for the Princess or her gladiator…
To her surprise, it was Rui Shi, but it was the most casually dressed Rui Shi she had ever seen. Her eyes widened, taking in his simple clothes and the lack of uniform: she couldn't remember ever seeing him in a different getup until then.
"Rui Shi?" she said, her voice soft and shrill. He blushed and gulped.
"I hope I'm not too early," he said. "I just… well, the Princess did offer to give me a day off. I figured maybe it's a good idea to use my vacation time now, to make up for yesterday's disappointment, right?"
"Well, of course!" said Song, smiling and welcoming him inside. Rui Shi smiled warmly at her and entered the house.
"If you haven't eaten yet, I thought we could go to a restaurant I know," he said. "We can eat there before we go to the museum, or the lake, or…"
"Woah, wait, do you want us to see the entire city in one day?" Song asked, laughing. Rui Shi blushed and grinned too.
"Well, maybe not all of it, but the worthwhile places in it, yes," he said, nodding. "Is it too much?"
"It's too sweet," she said, sighing and hugging him. Rui Shi smiled and rubbed her back gently. "Thank you. You're sure you're free to do this today?"
"Well, I'd better be," he said, pouting. "The Princess did interrupt us yesterday…"
"So, she owes it to you?" Song asked, amused. Rui Shi chuckled.
"In a manner of speaking," he said, with a careless shrug.
"Well, if you didn't tell her that you'd be taking a break today, you can do it now," said Song, smiling. "She's here, seems like."
"Wait, what? She is?" Rui Shi said, frowning. Song shrugged.
"I heard voices upstairs, so I figured she was. Unless Sokka is talking to himself, which would be rare, especially at such early hours… though, maybe he's talking in his sleep?" she reasoned. Rui Shi snorted.
"Would he?" he asked, glancing towards the door to Sokka's room. He sighed, having the feeling Song was right. Despite he hadn't heard any sounds yet, something told him the Princess was there. "Well, if she's around then maybe I'll take you out for breakfast at another time. But I'm definitely taking you away for the rest of the day."
"Wonderful," said Song, smiling and kissing his cheek. "Want to help me with the food?"
"Don't I always," he said, smiling back and taking her hand as she directed him into the kitchen.
Sokka and Azula had around half an hour of leisure time before breakfast was ready. By the time Song called them, their situation had reversed somewhat, as Sokka was the one atop Azula, kissing her devotedly, her fingers tangled in his still loose hair.
"I think… Song's calling," Azula mumbled against his lips. He grunted and kissed her again.
"And here I was having so much fun making up for yesterday…" he sighed and kissed her one more time before sitting up.
Azula did the same and smiled somewhat groggily, ever overwhelmed by Sokka's passionate ways. While she sure enjoyed being in charge of most things, letting Sokka do as he pleased with her in bed was one of the truest pleasures she had discovered in life. She liked being dominant with him, but it was far too enjoyable to lose herself in his delectable kisses and strong arms just as well.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Sokka asked, leaning close and pressing his face to her neck. Azula smirked.
"No, I hadn't. And if you keep doing that sort of thing we'll never get to the kitchen, you know?"
"I'm just making the most of the fact that the kid isn't here yet," he said. "We'll have to be boring and professional when he arrives, won't we?"
"Pfft, you, boring and professional? Especially professional. Don't make me laugh," she said, smirking and standing up. His jaw dropped with indignation.
"Hey!" he squeaked, as she laughed her way to the stairs. He didn't hesitate to follow her, a playful smile on his face.
Finding Rui Shi in the kitchen was a surprise for the two lovers, but not an unwelcome one, even though his casual apparel startled them. Still, after having traveled with him while disguised, they were considerably less surprised by his getup than Song had been.
"So, did you fall off your bed?" Rui Shi asked, smirking at Sokka. "First time I ever see you up so early."
"More like Azula shoved me off it," said Sokka, chuckling. She rolled her eyes.
"You know, maybe I really should do that the next time I drop by to find you're still asleep," she said, looking at him menacingly. Sokka cringed as she smirked. "Your reaction would be priceless."
"Meanie," he said, pouting.
The four of them sat at the kitchen table to eat together, enjoying the meal Song had prepared with Rui Shi's help. By now, they were almost used to eating this way, as it had been happening more often lately, and all four of them found it to be an agreeable arrangement, despite Rui Shi wouldn't be likely to admit as much.
"So, going by your attire, I take it you're taking up my offer for a day off, Rui Shi?" Azula asked before taking a bite of crab. Rui Shi blushed and nodded.
"We were hoping to see more sights in the city," said Rui Shi. "Song has been here for so long but hasn't seen most of what the Capital offers. So, we figured it might be a good way to spend the day."
"Huh, you should go see all the good restaurants. Then you can recommend the best ones to me," said Sokka, beaming.
"You'll only want to go to the ones that exclusively serve meat, though," said Song, smirking. Sokka chuckled before gobbling down more food.
"Why are you here so early, though?" Rui Shi asked Azula. "It's not like you to arrive at this hour. Isn't it suspicious…?"
"It's not when a Lieutenant decided Sokka would make a fine sword master for his son and promised to bring the kid over bright and early," said Azula, sighing. "I wanted to be here because, as my gladiator's actions reflect on my own, it's quite inconvenient for him to make a mess of this and I hoped to make sure he wouldn't do that…"
"So, you're here to keep an eye on me? Really?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Well, that and I had to get here early to make sure you'd be awake once the kid arrives," said Azula, shrugging. "As we both know, you weren't exactly willing to get out of bed. I even had to induce your vegetable nightmares and it still didn't work…"
"You did what?" Song asked. Azula smirked as even Sokka looked at her inquisitively.
"I really did hope it'd be enough to wake him up, but saying he'd be punished for six years by eating nothing but vegetables only gave him nightmares about them instead," said Azula, chuckling.
Sokka yelped in indignation as Song laughed and Rui Shi smiled a little. The Princess seemed quite satisfied with herself even as Sokka ranted about his terrible nightmare, which included being eaten by the vegetables on his plate, amongst other things. His explanations only brought everyone to laugh harder yet, as he pouted and ate with irritation, scowling at Azula all the while.
Rui Shi and Song took off briefly after breakfast, bidding them goodbye and good luck with their training of the boy. Sokka and Azula watched them go from the door, Sokka's resentment over the vegetable incident already forgotten.
"Must be nice, going out on dates like that, huh?" he said, raising his eyebrows. Azula looked at him with unease.
"I know, but… you know we've gotten away with too much as it is," she whispered. Sokka chuckled and nodded.
"Yeah, I guess we have," he said. "Still, maybe we could do it someday. Pretend to be completely ordinary people, just head into some town we've never been to, and have… a date."
"I have the feeling you'll just want to find a bed for most of it, though," Azula teased him, smiling. Sokka chuckled.
"Heck, I always do when I'm around you. Date or no date," he said, winking at her.
"Honestly, I'm just glad they can have something somewhat normal, even if we can't," said Azula, shrugging. "In the world we live in, it's a true miracle a slave and a Royal Guard could be together as they are."
"It's a miracle that a gladiator and his sponsor can, too. Especially when the gladiator is a slave, and the sponsor is a princess," said Sokka, stroking her hair. Azula sighed.
"Especially when we had all the bad blood we did, too. How did we ever get over all that, huh?" she asked, smiling at him as she led him away from the door, which he closed behind them.
"Oh, through unhealthy doses of reality mixed with loads of pining, a pinch of lust, then all of it got mashed together with trust and…" Sokka started listing off, and Azula smiled at him with amusement.
"That's one simplistic way of looking at it," she said. Sokka smiled guiltily and shrugged.
"You really didn't want me to recount all of it again, did you?" he asked, chuckling and leaning close to her.
"Maybe I did," she whispered. "That way, once you reached the parts where we were at our worst, we'd stop wanting to kiss and touch each other, and we'd be as aloof towards one another as we could be once the kid arrives."
"Oh, come now, nothing can make me stop wanting to kiss or touch you," he said, chuckling and leaning close to steal a kiss indeed from her. Azula sighed. "It's true."
"Alright, truthfully, we'd best make the most of being alone while we can. I doubt we'll get away with this for much longer," she whispered, locking her arms around his neck and pulling him down with her as she sat on their usual red couch.
"Woah!" he exclaimed, as she laughed and smiled at him.
"Will you make every moment count, my dashing Water Tribe warrior?" she asked, with a teasing, sarcastic smirk. Sokka huffed but smiled back, kissing her fiercely.
"Of course I will, you'll see!" he exclaimed as she laughed. "And there was no need for sarcasm: I am dashing! And a warrior! And from the Water Tribe! And yours!"
Azula smiled as they fell sideways on the couch. Sokka hovered above her as usual, looking at her defiantly. Her hand moved to his chest.
"True enough, you really are," she said, smiling before leaning in to kiss him. "Mine, that is."
"And everything else too!" Sokka squeaked. She laughed and kissed him deeper.
They didn't stay cuddled together for long, even if they would have gladly done as much. Time kept ticking by, and the child surely would show up sooner than later; they would do best to avoid being caught in a compromising position.
"He's really got a weird concept of bright and early, doesn't he?" Sokka said, sighing as he lounged across the couch. Azula had been sitting on his lap, but she had climbed off him to fix her make-up to perfection, standing near the backdoor that led to the garden, her hand mirror in one hand while she worked the lipstick over her mouth. She shrugged.
"Might be Zhen was busy with something. It's not impossible," she said, glancing at the door.
"Maybe he's not coming at all," said Sokka, smirking. "Maybe we'll have the whole house to ourselves, for the whole day…"
"And of course, we'll make the most of it if that's the case, won't we?" Azula asked, looking at him skeptically. Sokka bit his lip and laughed mischievously.
"I can't see any reason not to," he said. Azula snorted. "Really, though!"
"Of course you can't," she said, rolling her eyes. "I suppose you've worked out and regained your strength. Maybe going for it isn't the worst idea…"
Sokka's eyes lit up and a smile broke out over his face, but Azula raised her chin proudly.
"But I'll make sure you have more endurance before we try anything risky," she said, and his smile fell. "I wouldn't want you fainting after finishing while I'm still unsatisfied, now, would I?"
"You're just making excuses," Sokka pouted. Azula laughed.
"Yes, yes I am," she admitted, walking towards him and cupping his face. Sokka sighed and dropped his head on her lower belly, his arms around her legs. "Is it that hard to believe that I don't want you blacking out because of too much excitement?"
"You'll think it was a waste to wait so long when we get back to it," Sokka said. "I guarantee it, Princess…"
"Better to waste time than to push you beyond your limits," she said, encircling his neck with her arms and holding him close. Sokka groaned and buried his face in her belly.
"As you'd have it…" he mumbled.
They were still holding each other when a knock sounded on the door. Azula pulled away from Sokka, who let her move away while pouting in disappointment. Yet he stood up and breathed deeply, gathering himself so he could play the sword master as best as possible…
"Well? You're not expecting me to open the door, are you?" Azula asked. Sokka blinked blankly and smiled awkwardly.
"Right. Right. Oh, damn, here we go," he said, wiping his lips cautiously one last time before moving to the door.
Zhen was indeed at the door this time, with an apologetic smile. In front of him stood the child Sokka had seen with him in the Ball the year before, a boy with curly hair and large, brown eyes. He looked to be around eleven years old, and his eyes betrayed an innocence Sokka hadn't expected, going by the stories Zhen had shared during their hot-air balloon trip. He smiled warmly at the child, hoping to look encouraging.
"I'm so sorry we're so late, and after I said we'd be early, too!" Zhen exclaimed, bowing at the Princess remorsefully. Sokka smiled and shrugged.
"Oh, well, it happens to some people…" he said, waving a hand carelessly, but his reassuring words were cut off by his companion:
"You really should have been here on time," Azula said, bluntly. Sokka's eyebrow twitched, and he glanced at her with unease. "What kept you so busy, Lieutenant?"
"Uh, well, I actually have to run to get my paperwork in order right away," Zhen explained. "The Admiral agreed to give me a recommendation letter, so I can be one of the head officials in the new Air Force. But there's so much to do, and I got caught up with all that… but don't worry! I'll sort everything out and return to fetch Huiwen by sundown! Before sundown! Promised thing!"
"I do hope so, Lieutenant," said Azula, smiling a little and nodding. "Very well, do go on. I'll oversee the training session between them, take care of your business as you must."
"Thank you, Princess!" Zhen said, smiling back before turning to his son. "I'll be back before you know it, Huiwen, just you wait!"
"I'll be a swordsman when you're back, dad, you'll see!" Huiwen replied, excitedly. Zhen chuckled and messed with his hair gently.
"That's what I like to hear," he said, before smiling at Sokka and nodding. "Good luck."
"Likewise," said Sokka, smiling too as Zhen walked out the door again, rushing to the carriage that awaited him in the street.
Huiwen stayed at the threshold of the house, waving at his father. Zhen smiled and waved back through the window as the carriage rolled away.
Once he was gone, Sokka cleared his throat, and Huiwen jumped at the sound. He turned to look at Sokka with uncertainty, as the gladiator stood tall and strong before him, his arms folded across his chest.
"So, Huiwen," said Sokka, smiling a little. "You want to be a swordsman, is it?"
"Yeah!" Huiwen exclaimed, smiling too. It seemed Sokka's full height and menacing position didn't daunt him all that much. "I've seen you fight in the Arena before, some time ago! The bad guy, uh, kicked you in your goodies down there."
Sokka blushed and grimaced as Azula snorted behind him. Yes, they both remembered that occasion quite well…
"Uh, that was far from my most graceful fight, I'll admit…"
"You also beat that other bad guy in one punch!" Huiwen said, beaming. "And you fought the Blind Bandit, but you didn't win…"
"So, you've really been in the crowd for many of his fights," Azula said, raising an eyebrow. "Are you a fan of his, by any chance? You could join the Blue Pack, in that case…"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's too young for crazy fan clubs," said Sokka, shaking his head. Huiwen still looked at him with a wide smile.
"I've always looked up to the strongest non-benders, even when they lose," he said. "I always lose when I fight in school, so…"
"Oh? You get into fist fights?" Sokka asked. Huiwen shrugged.
"Yeah, I start them," he said. Sokka's jaw dropped. "I've won a few times! But never against Chen Mei, she always beats me…"
"She?" Sokka asked. Huiwen pouted.
"She's a bender and she's really strong!" Huiwen exclaimed. Sokka chuckled.
"Must be like the Princess over there, then," he said, smiling at Azula. She raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse you, I didn't get into fistfights in school," she said, pointedly, before lifting a hand and calling forth a plum of dancing blue fire. "Doing this would have been enough to scare away any challengers, though I still got none anyways. Exclusively female schools tend to be quite strict when it comes to these things."
"I go to a mixed school, Dad thinks it's for the best," said Huiwen, smiling. "Though he said I might find a wife sooner like this, but I don't want one!"
"Oh, of course not. Girls are weird, aren't they?" Sokka said, beaming. Huiwen nodded.
"Yes! Very!"
Azula rolled her eyes and shot Sokka a sharp glare. He snickered as he moved to pat Huiwen's shoulder.
"Alright, alright, young man," he said. "I get the feeling you'll be quite a receptive student. Yep, it's always better to start once you're a little older…"
"Have you taught other kids before?" Huiwen asked, as Sokka led him to the backyard.
"Uh, well, I did teach kids, but not swordsmanship," Sokka said. "I taught the Princess how to use swords, though…"
"Stop boasting about it," Azula said, as Sokka snickered.
"She's quite talented, though, so I don't think you'll be training with her yet," said Sokka, taking a chance to glance back at Azula and wink at her. She huffed.
"Then I'll just train with you?" Huiwen asked, stopping in the middle of the backyard, his eyes wide as he took in the surroundings. "What are we going to do?"
Sokka frowned, a sudden realization hitting him now. While he had done quite a bit of emotional and psychological preparation for this, he had neglected one detail…
"Uh, well, first off… you have to start by stretching," he said, with a smile. "Can you do that, or do you want me to tell you how?"
"I can do it myself!" Huiwen said, nodding proudly.
As the kid warmed up, though, Sokka walked slowly towards where Azula stood, at the steps that led inside the house. She raised an eyebrow as he looked at her uneasily.
"What are you doing?" she asked. He gulped.
"Um, I was thinking we need training gear, you know, wooden swords and such…"
"Of course, so?"
"So, I may have only just realized I have nothing of the sort in the house…?"
Azula's jaw dropped as she looked at him in disbelief. Sokka swallowed, feeling an embarrassed blush coming up on his face.
"I've always used my actual weapons when we train, remember?" he said, gulping. Azula huffed and sighed.
"So, I suppose you come to me because you want me to fix your little mishap, isn't that right?" she said. Sokka smiled guiltily. "Oh, you're impossible."
"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "I really didn't think about this, but I mean, he could've brought a wooden sword and he didn't, so neither of us were prepared!"
"Yeah, because the kid should've brought a wooden sword so you could slice it in two with a single swing of Space Sword," Azula said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, whatever. There's bound to be wooden swords in the guards' armory at the Palace… you should've said something about this sooner, though. Careless gladiator."
"You're too nice," Sokka said, sighing and bowing his head gratefully at her. "Whatever would I do without you…"
"You'd be even more hopeless than you already are, that's for sure," she said, with a small smirk. "Keep the kid busy while I'm gone, and the next time you need me to bring something for you, give me a heads-up beforehand, maybe?"
"Thanks, Azula, really," he said, sighing as she moved to the backyard too.
Huiwen was performing common stretching exercises, moving his body in repetitive motions, but his eyes were glued to Azula's back as she stood amid the uneven grass in the backyard. She could feel his gaze upon her, and it drove her to grimace a little. She never did enjoy being stared at so insistently, unless it was by a certain someone…
"Focus on your exercises," Azula called out. She heard the kid gasp, and she smiled a little. The uncomfortable sensation disappeared quickly.
But even though he had wanted to obey her command, Huiwen couldn't focus at all once a large, dark shape appeared overhead. He gave out a little shriek, and Azula didn't know if it was out of fear or admiration. Sokka made his way to where Huiwen stood, hoping to keep him calm regardless of whether the boy was scared or thrilled.
Azula raised an eyebrow as Xin Long landed before her. The child's eyes were wide as Xin Long looked at him, his reptilian gaze stern, and deep…
"As much fun as you may have by scaring children, we do have an errand to run," Azula told her dragon, stroking his hair. He groaned and his serious façade disappeared instantly, replaced by his usual lively nature. "Don't worry, you can scare him more later."
"It's… it's her dragon!" Huiwen exclaimed, a huge smile breaking out on his face. "It is, and it's so big! I…! I can't believe this! I can't wait to tell everyone in school that…!"
"You saw the big scary dragon, yes, you did," said Sokka, smiling as Azula climbed on the saddle.
She would have taken off without further ado, but Xin Long took his chance to chuckle at Huiwen and allow a stream of smoke to pour out of his nostrils. Huiwen gasped again as Xin Long laughed and took off. The little boy watched his flight in amazement while Sokka smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"Say… a swordsman shouldn't get distracted so easily. Or for that long." he said. Huiwen jumped.
"O-oh, I won't do it again!" Huiwen exclaimed, blushing and returning to his exercises.
Sokka snickered as he watched the kid work, but he finished stretching shortly afterwards, and Azula wasn't back yet. Sokka was forced to improvise, first sending Huiwen to run laps around the house, but when the young boy couldn't keep going, he had to think of other alternatives.
"When do we start to train with swords, sir…?" Huiwen asked, grimacing, as he sat on the living room floor with a glass of juice in his hand. Sokka huffed and shook his head.
"You will learn that, as a swordsman, the most important lesson you need to learn is patience. Yes, patience!" he declared. Huiwen gazed at him with curiosity. "I know it sounds awful, and truth be told I'm not all that patient myself, but that doesn't mean it's not true. So, young man… first of all, we'll hold a few exercises for you, so that I can know whether or not you have potential to be a swordsman."
"Like what?" Huiwen asked, cocking his head sideways. Sokka gulped.
"Like…"
He left the child hanging for a moment before returning to him, with a long sheet of paper and a tray with ink. He dragged Huiwen to the sitting room's table, and placed the paper and ink before him.
"Alright, this is something my master taught me," said Sokka. "You're supposed to mark your identity on the paper, you see…"
"How do I do that?" Huiwen asked. Sokka shrugged.
"That's up to you," he said. Huiwen frowned.
"Am I supposed to write my name? Is this like calligraphy class?" he asked. Sokka chuckled.
"You don't need to do that if you have any better ideas," he said. Huiwen's frown deepened.
"Better ideas than writing my name? Such as?"
"Uh, that's really up to you and your creativity," said Sokka, with a shrug. Huiwen blinked blankly.
"That's… vague," he said, looking at the paper with confusion. What was he supposed to do, then?
He picked up the brush and remained in deep thought briefly, but his eyes lit up with an idea soon enough. Sokka smiled when he saw the boy's creativity was flowing, and decided to find more ways to work on Huiwen's training while they didn't have swords yet. He didn't have any Pai Sho boards, practically as a form of respect for Azula, so that part of Piandao's training wasn't going to happen. He couldn't take the kid fishing either, the proper fishing pond of the Capital was at the other end of the city. Garden rearranging would be possible if only there was anything worth rearranging in his garden, to begin with…
But just as he was trying to think up different methods for training, the wind rose and he gazed outside in relief. There it was, the dark dragon, and the beautiful princess carrying quite a large bag with her.
"Oh, goodness you're back," said Sokka, smiling and rushing to help her with her bag. "I was running out of ideas on how to keep Huiwen busy…"
"Well, considering it's lunch time by now, you can distract him with something else now," Azula said, entrusting the bag to Sokka. His eyes widened when he caught the scent of food. "Song and Rui Shi took off quite fast, I don't think she prepared anything preemptively for us. So, I fetched some lunch at the Palace… and that's hardly something to cry over, is it?"
"Y-you…" Sokka pouted, sniffing. "You are so thoughtful. Thank you, Azula…"
"You can thank me properly after Zhen fetches Huiwen, if you're that grateful," she said, smirking and heading inside. "The wooden swords are in there too, before you assume everything in the bag is edible…"
"I won't eat those, I promise," Sokka said, smiling proudly.
He made his way to the kitchen with the large bag, beaming with satisfaction. Song's food was great, but the Palace's meals were lavish and delicious just the same: they were going to enjoy quite the banquet, that was for sure.
But as he made up his mind to tell Huiwen he could take a break, he found the child was quite busy working on his sheet of paper, while Azula watched from behind him.
"What… did you tell him to do?" she asked, looking at Sokka with confusion. "You told him to express his dreams or so?"
"U-uh, no, his identity…" said Sokka, looking at the paper with uncertainty and being blown away by what Huiwen had done with it.
Huiwen had neatly folded the paper into a sword shape. It wasn't too big, but it was large enough for him to write his name on one side of the blade, and the name of his presumed sword on the other.
"'Steel Nightmare'?" Sokka read aloud, as Huiwen smiled at him. "That's the name you'd give it?"
"Isn't it cool?!" Huiwen exclaimed, but his excitement froze upon glimpsing Sokka's confused face. "I-is it a bad name? Did I do this wrong?! Am I not cut out to be a swordsman after all?!"
"I… didn't say that," said Sokka, chuckling. "I'm surprised, that's all. You do have quite a lot of determination, though. You'll stop at nothing to be a swordsman, right?"
"Yeah!" Huiwen said, his eyes bright again. Sokka smiled approvingly.
"Well, then, if that's the case, you should know there's something else you need before we can start training for real," he said. Huiwen gulped.
"I'm ready for any challenge," he said. Sokka smirked.
"Are you now?"
"I am!"
"You're completely sure of that?!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then… let's have lunch!"
"Yes…! Sir?"
Huiwen was left blinking blankly as Sokka chuckled. He patted Huiwen's head.
"You'll be too weak to hold your sword if you don't eat. It's lunchtime, Huiwen!"
The boy blinked again, but he smiled and shrugged. His appetite sat well with Sokka, who led the way into the kitchen. Soon enough, the three of them were eating together while Huiwen recounted the many gladiatorial fights he'd seen and asked Sokka about the techniques he could teach him. Sokka mostly shrugged enigmatically but smiled approvingly at Huiwen. It appeared the boy's enthusiasm translated into an acute attention to detail: his retelling of every fight was so thorough that it was somewhat uncomfortable to eat to the stories of guts spilled, flesh burned, and extremities slashed off their bodies.
"Is the kid really a suitable apprentice?" Azula asked, as Huiwen returned to the backyard, to meditate as Sokka had commanded him to, after he was finished eating.
Sokka was busy cleaning the dishes, something he wasn't too experienced at, but he was doing his best. Azula would have offered to help, but if someone was even less experienced with chores than Sokka was, it was her.
"You ask because of how giddy he was about fighting and blood?" Sokka asked, with a weak smile. "I know it may sound like he's violence-happy, but truth be told, he's a kid. A lot of kids think the life of a warrior is a lot more glorious than what it really entails. I mean… I was like that too, back in the day. I kept wanting to join battles rashly, even though I wasn't supposed to…"
"Well, that's not really the same as glorifying carnage, as far as I can tell," said Azula, with a lop-sided smirk, before sighing. "Though I won't deny I didn't bat an eyelash over blood or violence when I was younger. I even…"
"What?" Sokka said when she fell silent. Azula grimaced.
"I wasn't all that… bothered when my father burned my brother, is all," she said, looking away. "As far as I could see, my father was teaching him a lesson. If Zuko wasn't going to fight back, then he had to lose the Agni Kai the proper way. You're not allowed to quit a fire duel, after all. The winner is the one that burns the loser, that's how it works, and he wasn't going to get off easy…"
"Plus, your father really wanted to punish him," said Sokka. Azula bit her lip and nodded.
"He would have gone easier on him if he had fought back… well, that's what I thought," she said. "But truth be told, maybe he wouldn't have gone easier on him at all. Nevertheless, my uncle stopped watching while I couldn't tear my eyes away. I was eleven, too."
"Your society is also rather violent, so I'm not all that surprised," said Sokka, sighing. "I've seen even smaller kids than this one in the Arena's stands, after all. When you're led to think violence is how the world works, you don't really question it."
"Not to mention I always did want to be stronger than everyone else," Azula said. "Most girls in my academy were horrified at the sight of blood, something I took as weakness. I refused to be daunted so easily. But… I suppose it was all bravado in the end, considering all the nightmares I had over the last few weeks."
Sokka looked at her with uncertainty. Azula smiled a little at him.
"I've barely had any lately," she said. "You don't have to worry too much."
Sokka sighed and focused on the final plates. His frown didn't recede, though.
"I'm glad to hear it, but… there's something we haven't talked about yet that we should discuss," he muttered. Azula raised an eyebrow.
"What's that?"
"I've been building up my strength, I've worked out, I've been getting back into shape," Sokka said. "But the thing is… we haven't said anything about going back to the League yet. And the sooner we do, the better, right?"
Azula lowered her gaze. Sokka glanced at her sideways, unsure of how his words would sit with her.
"I know it's not something you want to think about, but…"
"You'll be fighting a weakling," Azula determined. Sokka's eyes widened. "And we'll take a few more weeks to make sure you actually can fight. I won't be happy if you lose, you know…"
"Heh, of course not," he said, smiling a little. "You're okay with me returning to the ring, then? Really?"
"I can't say I'm fully comfortable with it," said Azula, folding her arms over her chest. "The risk is always there, and I'll never feel at ease about it… but if you don't go back, heh, you'll have to start from scratch. I'm not about to make us repeat all our accomplishments all over again. We've come very far in these two years, and I'd be a fool if I allowed all that effort to go to waste just because I'm paranoid, right?"
"Well, I wouldn't say you'd be a fool, but I wouldn't want that to happen either," Sokka nodded. Azula breathed out through her mouth.
"Then it's decided. We'll head to the Dome tomorrow, check out whatever pending challenges we have…" she said, tapping her arm with a restless index finger. Sokka smiled as he wiped his hands with a rag.
"It'll be weird, going back… but we really need to," he said, nodding. "Don't worry, though. We'll do as you said and set the date within a few weeks. We're still about a month away from our dropout deadline, aren't we?"
"We are," Azula said, nodding and looking at him. "You'll likely be completely back to your typical self by then. Bigger muscles, better agility, endless recklessness…"
"Heh, I think I've proven my recklessness hasn't changed because of my health," he said, smirking. Azula laughed.
"No kidding. You've made absurd decision after absurd decision in the past few days," she said. Sokka snickered. "Not that I haven't enjoyed them, but still…"
"It's good to know you have, I'll say," he whispered, leaning close and kissing her lips softly.
Azula smirked and fisted the fabric of his changshan to pull him closer to her. She kissed him again, and Sokka complied by embracing her and deepening the contact. If things carried on like this, if he was ready to fight soon, then surely…
The sound of footsteps alerted them right away. Soft, quick footsteps.
Azula shoved off Sokka just as easily as she had pulled him closer, but she put too much strength in the gesture: the gladiator toppled over and fell on his butt just as Huiwen entered the kitchen again.
"I've meditated! I'm ready!" he exclaimed, proudly, before taking in the scene in front of him.
Azula looked at him with an awkward smile, as Sokka sat on the floor with wide eyes. Both adults stared at the child, who stared back in confusion.
"Is it you don't know how to bow to the Princess?" Huiwen asked, looking at Sokka in confusion. Sokka gulped.
"Y-yeah, I tried but did it wrong so she pushed me as punishment…"
"A master swordsman shouldn't fall over so easily," Huiwen pouted. "Are you sure you're one?"
"I… hey!" Sokka exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Azula grimaced apologetically. "If you're so doubtful, then I guess I'll have to show you what a real sword master is like!"
"You will?!" Huiwen said, eyes lit with admiration again. Sokka smirked.
"Get ready, boy. We're about to get serious here."
Huiwen smiled at Sokka, determined not to disappoint him: in no time, the two of them were in the house's backyard, holding wooden swords.
Azula sat by the steps that led to the house again, with Xin Long's head on her lap. She smirked, listening to Sokka's speech about the sword being an extension of a swordsman's own body. Huiwen held onto every word he said, though his frequent questions about the matter made it clear he was taking everything too literally.
"Should I tie my sword to my hand, then, sir?!" he exclaimed. Sokka grimaced.
"That shouldn't be necessary, at least not usually," he said, scratching his head. "Though no doubt that could be useful in some fights, but still…"
"Then… you mean I should be able to use my arm as I would a weapon!"
"Sure, go on and polish it, sharpen it too so you can slice people in half with the wave of a hand!" Sokka said, smirking and waving the sword. Huiwen gulped.
"I'll do my best!"
"That was sarcasm," Sokka said, chuckling. Huiwen blushed.
"Oh. Uh. Of course."
Azula listened to Sokka's long speech to Huiwen, still caressing Xin Long's hair absentmindedly. She smiled a little, remembering her own first lessons in swordsmanship with Sokka. Her dragon had helped her make her sword, turning it into a unique weapon without their awareness. It had been a long but enjoyable day nonetheless, and the outcome had made everything worthwhile, despite Sokka's frequent foolish comments…
"It's hard to believe it's been that long since then," Azula whispered, poking Xin Long's forehead softly. "We've been together for quite a while now, haven't we, Xin?"
Xin Long groaned happily and rubbed his head closer to her stomach now, startling Azula. She smiled and patted him gently.
"There, there. It won't befit us to have a loving scene in front of such public, right?" she said.
Xin Long chuckled and relaxed again. Azula continued to stroke his hair as she watched the swordsman and his apprentice taking their stances.
Sokka took the first chance to attack and Huiwen struggled to block his approach, but ultimately failed to do so. He had dropped his sword before he knew it, left powerless before Sokka.
"I… I'll do it better next time," Huiwen said, gulping and lowering his gaze. Sokka smiled.
"You can cut yourself some slack, it's only the first round," he said. "Parrying an attack is not that easy, especially if it's too strong, so let's practice that specifically, shall we?"
"Oh, yes," said Huiwen, surprised that his master hadn't been harsh about his shortcoming just now. Not a lot of Fire Nation teachers were this easygoing.
The parrying practice took them quite some time, and it helped Huiwen get the hang of a few stances. He flowed through them quite quickly, even though his uncertainty made him waver at times. But Sokka continued to encourage him, recognizing and acknowledging the child's eagerness to become a warrior. He wasn't too different from himself as a kid, though he definitely was very different from the children Sokka had taught in the Water Tribe. Only when they were well into their teenage years had they started to take the work of a warrior seriously, after all.
Huiwen was determined to learn, but just as he was passionate, he was holding back. Sokka did his best to guide him through sequences of movements, showing Huiwen how to perform them, and afterwards playing the part of the enemy whenever Huiwen seemed to have gotten the hang of the motions, but whenever Sokka had taken his chance to put Piandao in a tight spot during these training sequences, Huiwen didn't dare do the same to him. Was it he respected Sokka too much to do that? Or was it he was, in some way, afraid?
"You have potential, and you can move fairly well," Sokka said a few hours later, as they sat on the ground with their wooden swords beside them. "But you're uncertain over something, and that's holding you back from finishing me off when you have the chance to. What's the matter?"
Huiwen grimaced and lowered his gaze. Sokka raised an eyebrow.
"I just… I've seen a lot of gladiator fights," he said. "If I finished the sequence, I could have hurt you…"
"Hey, now, I've been hurt plenty as it is, you don't have to feel bad about that," said Sokka, smiling. Huiwen gritted his teeth.
"It's still not right, though. You're… my master. And you're teaching me how to be strong enough so I can fight and protect others… so hitting you would be wrong."
Sokka blinked as the boy swallowed hard. The gladiator chuckled soon enough and patted the boy's shoulder. Huiwen glanced up at him with uncertainty.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Only that I'm pretty sure my old master would have deemed you worthy of learning swordsmanship with what you just said," Sokka said. Huiwen blinked.
"Your old master was Piandao, wasn't he? Was he really the best swordsman ever?"
"Oh, that he was, that he was," said Sokka, with a bitter smile. The memory of all those White Lotus symbols, but also of that feeling of abandonment, had definitely soured his pristine opinion of his former master. Yet there was a part of him that still held admiration for Piandao, after all this time. "He kept saying he was getting old, but heh, you'd have never known it, judging by how fast and strong he was. Truth be told, I'm not sure I'll ever be as great as he was, but the road of a swordsman is one that lasts a lifetime, Huiwen. Never make the mistake of thinking you've reached your full potential. You might just discover otherwise when you least expect it."
Huiwen was in awe as he heard those words. Sokka smiled, hoping his advice would serve to motivate the child further on his chosen career path.
"Do you think I can do it, then?" Huiwen asked. "I can be a real swordsman?"
"Well, you're already using a sword, aren't you, Huiwen?" he asked. "I'd think that qualifies you as one, doesn't it?"
Huiwen gasped and Sokka chuckled.
"Still, don't get too cocky. We have a long way to go to shape you up properly," he said, encouragingly. Huiwen smiled and nodded.
"I'll do as you say, sir!"
The day continued to pass them by, as the swordsman and apprentice practiced many stances. Huiwen was adept to learning, and held onto every correction Sokka made, trying to avoid repeating the mistakes Sokka pointed out. By the end of the afternoon, they had a quick sparring match where Sokka went easy on the boy, hoping to see how well he would do against a mediocre opponent.
"Alright, alright! Faster!" Sokka exclaimed, as Huiwen stepped forward and swung his wooden sword on his. "Move those feet or I'll turn the tides, Huiwen!"
Huiwen gritted his teeth and obeyed, stepping quickly to press Sokka back. His arms trembled with each blow, for he was already overwhelmed with exhaustion, yet his pride and determination were strong enough for him to continue fighting until the last moment.
"Find the openings, don't let the enemy catch you unawares!" Sokka called, swinging his sword to Huiwen's left. The boy jumped away, for it was too late to parry the blow. "Good call, now, use those reflexes to hit back!"
Huiwen snarled and lunged forth, raising his sword and striking Sokka's again repeatedly. He stepped forward with each blow, forcing Sokka to back down. If he interpreted the gladiator's smile for what it was, it seemed his master was pleased with his performance.
"You have to keep going, now, you've almost got me! One more push!" Sokka exclaimed, but Huiwen whimpered as he tried to hit him harder.
The blows were actually weaker now, and Huiwen's hands were no longer as firmly set on his sword's handle as before. Sokka gritted his teeth and struck back: it was enough for the weapon to fly out of Huiwen's grip. Sokka bit his lip as Huiwen fell on his knees, his head low.
"Alright, don't be hard on yourself. We've been working all afternoon," he said, with a weak smile. "A kid like you? You've done great so far, don't you think?"
"I'm… so tired," Huiwen said, looking at Sokka with defeated eyes now. "Can we take a break?"
"You need one, clearly," said Sokka, smiling and ruffling his hair. "Don't sweat it, kid. You can practice all you learned once you go home, and when you return for another lesson, we'll see what else I can teach you, alright?"
"Okay…" said Huiwen, sighing in relief. "Being a swordsman is exhausting."
"Yeah, it definitely can be. That's why we jog so much, got to build up resistance!" Sokka said, smiling and offering his hand to the boy. "Now, let's call it a day, shall we?"
Huiwen finally smiled again and nodded. His grip was weak, but it no longer trembled once he accepted Sokka's hand.
The pair returned to the house and found Azula still sitting by the steps, watching them with curiosity.
"I'm surprised you could still win in the end, gladiator," she said. "It was apparent that the child was pummeling you. Maybe I really should change fighters after all…"
Huiwen snorted and laughed loudly afterwards while Azula gave Sokka a meaningful smirk. He chuckled too and shook his head.
"Now, look at what you've done, Huiwen. I'm going to get fired because you're more talented than I am," he said. Huiwen wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
"I have to finish school before I can get a job, though," he said. Sokka chuckled and shook his head.
"And you're making plans to replace me and everything, you're even more shameless than I am," he asked. Huiwen laughed mischievously.
Before the conversation could continue, though, a knock on the door surprised them. Sokka went to check on it as Huiwen sat on the steps, gazing at Xin Long with admiration.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" he asked. Azula stroked Xin's hair as he released his reptilian sounds which startled Huiwen.
"A boy. And a troublemaking one too, at that," said Azula. "Don't take his threats too seriously, he just likes scaring people."
"He's really cool," Huiwen said. Xin Long seemed to smirk at the compliment, lifting his head off Azula's lap to flip his hair proudly.
Sokka opened the door to find Zhen on the other side, as he had suspected he would – Song and Rui Shi would have simply come inside without a hitch, after all. The Lieutenant smiled and looked at him anxiously.
"Hey. I'm back," he said, biting his lip. "So? How did it go?"
"Heh, your kid has proven well worthy of training," said Sokka, smiling and nodding. "Though I can't train him every day, of course, but…"
"But he's good for it? Yes!" Zhen exclaimed. The loudness of his voice alerted Huiwen that his father was back. He smiled broadly.
"Dad!" he exclaimed, running quickly through the house and extending his arms to hug him. Zhen caught him in an embrace when the boy reached him and spun him in a circle before setting him down again.
"My boy, you smell like you need to shower urgently!" said Zhen, chuckling. "You'll have to tell me all about your training, Huiwen!"
"It was awesome, Dad!" Huiwen exclaimed, beaming. "I trained with wooden swords, and he thinks I have potential, and the Princess thought she could take me as her gladiator instead…!"
"My, my, that's quite an opportunity," said Zhen, eyes wide. Sokka chuckled as he heard Azula's footsteps approaching behind them.
"I'll give it more time before I decide whether to hire him or not, don't worry," said Azula, smirking teasingly. Zhen laughed.
"As you wish, Princess," he said. "Thank you, though. You have really made us both very happy by helping Huiwen like this… we won't forget it!"
"Woah, you sound like you're not going to bring him back," said Sokka, smiling awkwardly. "Won't you?"
"Well, perhaps only for the next few months…" said Zhen, grimacing. "As it turns out, being one of the lead officers of the airship fleet means I have to relocate completely. There's an island not too far from the Western Colonies, and the training for handling the airships will take place there. From what they said, it won't be long before I have to move with my family to Garsai…"
"Do we have to go?" Huiwen asked, a sad grimace on his face. Zhen smiled weakly.
"Not forever, though. We'll be back sooner than you think, but for now… I'm afraid my little dreams of flying may cost us more than we thought. Still, we can discuss this at leisure at home, right?"
"I guess," said Huiwen, pouting and looking at Sokka. "Thanks for teaching me so much. It was the best day ever."
"Just keep practicing, kid," said Sokka, smiling encouragingly. "If you do, you'll surpass me in no time. Heck, who knows? Maybe there will be another sword master for you in Garsai."
"Yes! We can find another one, yes we can!" said Zhen, proudly. Huiwen didn't seem too convinced, and he sighed in defeat. "Well, anyways, we'll still talk about this later… and of course, thank you very much for today, Princess, gladiator! We're both very grateful for your help and your lessons. I hope you defeat your next enemies at the Arena!"
"You and me both," said Sokka, smiling and nodding. "Thanks for bringing him. It was fun teaching a kid who did want to learn from me, for a change."
"Is it alright for me to bring him again next week?" Zhen asked, and Sokka nodded.
"That ought to be fine. We'll make the most of the available time while we still can," said Sokka, and Zhen smiled before turning to Azula.
"Thank you for allowing him to teach my son, Princess," said Zhen, bowing his head to her. Azula nodded.
"Good luck with your new career path, Lieutenant. If you do well, you may yet acquire a new rank by the time we meet again," she said, smiling. Zhen smiled back and nodded.
"Let's hope so! Well then, Huiwen, off we go!"
"Yeah…" said Huiwen, sighing before smiling at both Sokka and Azula. "Bye."
"See you, Huiwen," Sokka said, smiling proudly as the father and son returned to their carriage.
The vehicle pulled away and the Princess and her gladiator watched it leave, standing by the door again, just as they'd stood earlier that day. Azula raised her eyebrows and shrugged.
"I guess it is for the better that you won't be teaching him for too long, or too often," she said. "You do need a lot of time to train properly so you can fight in the ring as you should…"
"Indeed. Still, training calmly with a kid for now is better for my current health than training with you," said Sokka, smirking and closing the door behind him. "You're too tough and oh so merciless…"
"Merciless, really?" she asked, smirking at him. He snorted.
"Yes, yes you are," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and looking at her mischievously. "Don't worry, though. I like that about you."
"As you should. You're the kind of man who thrives off real challenges," she said, caressing his chest. "So I can't offer you any mercy, or else you'll be bored, won't you?"
"Oh, terribly," he said, sighing and shaking his head. Azula's smirk widened as Sokka chuckled. "But alas, I've never had a second of boredom by your side. I wonder why that is?"
"Such a mystery indeed," she said, cupping his cheek and kissing his lips fully.
This time there was no risk for a child to interrupt them, fortunately. The only potential witness was Xin Long, who merely groaned in the backyard and rolled his eyes at their bold affectionate exchanges before focusing on chasing bugs all over the grass. Azula smiled at the dragon's exasperation, and Sokka smirked while kissing her neck. She glanced at Xin Long and shook her head.
"I'm afraid he's going to start regretting bonding with me over all this," she whispered. Sokka snorted.
"If he does, I'll flick him," he said, before sucking her neck softly. Azula moaned. "You're the worthiest rider he could have found."
"Hmm, and speaking of riding…" she whispered, biting her lip. Sokka raised his eyebrows.
"What, you do want to finish what we started in the morning?" he asked. She laughed.
"Why wouldn't I want that?" she said, caressing his face. "You did fairly well against the boy, maybe you can handle a little more action already after all."
"If the Princess wills it…" Sokka said, smirking before kissing her again.
Her body was closer to his, his arms were ready to lift her, her legs eager to straddle him, even standing up as they were…
… And the sound of voices outside the house brought them to stop immediately, for Song and Rui Shi had only just returned.
"So much for not being interrupted by the kid," Azula sighed, dropping her head on Sokka's shoulder. He smiled sadly and hugged her.
"We can try tomorrow…"
"We have to go to the Arena tomorrow," she said. Sokka grimaced.
"Once we're back?"
"You'll have to train," she said, smiling and pulling away. "Never mind. When the chance is right, we'll take it."
"That's a depressing prospect, you know?" Sokka pouted, as Rui Shi and Song finally entered the house. "Hey, guys! How did it go?"
"Oh, you were just… there?" Song asked, upon noticing they stood merely a few steps away from the door.
She blinked blankly as Rui Shi closed the door behind him. Despite her confusion, Song smiled at them, as Sokka and Azula took in the number of bags the two of them were carrying.
"Yep, we were seeing off the kid just now," said Sokka, smiling too.
"How did that go?" Rui Shi asked. "Didn't lose your patience, did you?"
"It may surprise you to hear it, but I actually am quite trained to handle children," said Sokka, smirking. "This one didn't even ask for potty breaks. That alone made him the perfect student compared to the nightmarish ones I had to train back in the South Pole."
"Potty breaks, even now…?" Azula sighed, shaking her head and holding back the urge to laugh. "Anyways, how about you two? Had a good date?"
"We did, yes…" Song said, smiling and blushing a little. Rui Shi nodded shyly.
"Good to know. Looks like you bought quite a lot of things, huh?" Azula said. Sokka smiled brightly as he looked at the bags.
"Song said we had to buy some extra food from the restaurant we had lunch at, for dinner," said Rui Shi, shrugging. "So, I suppose we'll have you staying a little longer, Princess, whether you like it or not."
"It's really great food," said Song, beaming "You can stay, can't you?"
"Well… there's no harm in it, as long as I do go home eventually," said Azula, nodding. Sokka gasped happily.
"Lots of food and you'll stay for dinner? This is brilliant!" he exclaimed, hugging her. Azula smiled and patted his arm.
"There, there, it's not the first time it happens," she said, as Song and Rui Shi made their way to the kitchen to set up dinner.
"You do realize I woke up absurdly early because you showed up, and now you'll be here late into the night? We've been together all day! As it should be," Sokka said, beaming and burying his face in her hair. Azula laughed and wrapped an arm around his waist.
"And you'll have to deal with me tomorrow morning too," she said. "We're off to the Dome, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah" said Sokka, nodding and breathing out slowly. "That's probably going to be weird, feels like it was a thousand years ago since we were there."
"It was about time we returned, I guess," said Azula, kissing him softly. "Now come along, or else they're going to get started without us."
"No need to say that again!" Sokka exclaimed, smirking and guiding Azula to the kitchen.
Their gladiatorial career would resume within a few weeks, and despite it was a worrisome matter in some regards, both Sokka and Azula surprised themselves by looking forward to it: the time had come to return to the long, steep climb through the Gladiator Ranking.