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Brushing her fingers against the pleats at her waist, Azula gripped the charcoal sash that draped down at her side. She knotted it once, twice, and once more after that to make sure it wouldn’t come loose. Even a single snag could be dangerous and get her caught.
The mottled grey and black she wore would blend with the shadows. Tricking the eyes just enough to convince the average observer her movements were nothing more than fabrications of their limited imagination. Azula shook her hair out of its usual topknot. Her dark tresses tumbled down to brush against her neck.
She took her dressing gown down from it’s hook. The burgundy material tightly wrapped around her, overlapping and hiding the rest of her clothes beneath it. Azula gave a brisk nod of approval to her appearance in the polished mirror on the wall. With one last look of appraisal over her shoulder, she slipped from the room and took off down the passageways at a brisk pace.
Azula scrambled behind a tapestry at the sound of footsteps. Her fingers digging between the seams in the wood panels for purchase. The steps receded and she dropped without a sound, padding into the depths of the palace.
Her back pressed against the wall, Azula peered around the column beside her. Two guards stood on either side of the ornate doors of the palace treasury. She forced her eyes to open wide, staring at the light above her unblinking until they watered. Combined with a rapid stream of shallow breaths, the illusion of a helpless, wide-eyed little girl was complete.
All she had to do was sell it.
Azula took one last set of staggered breaths and shot out from behind the column. Running until she collided with an open pair of arms that caught her by the shoulders,“Guards,” she whimpered, “I saw people outside my window on the grounds.” Her window, which was conveniently located on the opposite end of the palace from the treasury, “You have to do something,” she demanded, when neither of the stunned guards moved right away.
“Of course, Princess.” The one answered, dropping his hold on her shoulders, “You should stay here until someone comes for you,” he added as an afterthought before both sentries took off down the passage at full tilt.
Leaving Azula alone, and the treasury unguarded.
Everything was unfolding as it was supposed to.
Fools.
If they returned and she was missing, they’d have to assume she got spooked and hid herself away somewhere. She’d been terrified after all. Rolling her eyes, Azula dabbed them dry with the cuff of her dressing gown. One could only hope that those two guards were closely lipped about what they’d seen. Her reputation didn’t need to be sullied with rumors of weakness.
She supposed she didn’t have much to fear from them. What soldier would willingly admit to abandoning his post? Especially when his post was somewhere as important as the treasury. They would also have to admit that they had abandoned the Fire Princess to fend for herself in the event of a supposed attack on the Palace.
She could handle herself, of course. But it wasn’t as if her father had an abundance of heirs to spare. He wouldn’t be pleased with their proceedings. With any luck, those guards would realize as much and stay quiet.
If need be, she could lie. Get some new banished crew members for Zuzu’s ship out of it. However, she wouldn’t want to saddle her brother with their level of incompetence.
But whatever occurred would be a later problem, she dabbed her remaining tears away and cracked open the treasury door to slip inside. Azula allowed her fingers a momentary brush over a few shining jewels. Tucking a handful of loose gold pieces into her pockets, she turned to leave. But her eyes landed on a stack of finely crafted play masks.
The preservation of culture is one of our nation’s most valuable treasures. That seemed like the sort of thing Uncle might have said if he was still around. Nonsense if you asked her. But their presence was useful for the moment. Azula knelt down. She sifted through the stack of masks, unearthing a slim dragon mask. Dark, with wide eye slits and its features framed in a glossy red. It would do.
Another mask caught her eye and the Fire Princess left the treasury with two tucked in either of her wide sleeves. Safe from sight until she abandoned her dressing gown, stuffing it into an ornamental vase at the end of a passageway. Just before making her escape out one of the windows. Azula slid down a trellis. She landed on her feet in a low crouch.
In the distance, she could make out the sounds of shouts across the lawn. The guards had no doubt raised an alarm against the intruders. She had to get off the grounds undetected. Smirking, she tied the dragon mask around her head and made the proper adjustments. Ready for a challenge, Azula wove through the shadows on the grounds. She scaled one of the outer gates and dropped onto the narrow path beyond.
Padding up to the royal aviary, Azula frowned at the sight of a single attendant leaning against the wall behind him. She had arrangements for that, but hadn’t expected to need them. Who would have assumed the birds needed guarding or attending to at this hour. The Fire Princess straightened herself up and strode up to the lone man.
She stuck a rolled scroll out toward him, silently gesturing toward the hawks.
The attendant was less than impressed. He spat a foaming spray at the ground beside her feet, “Beat it. Don’t have time for baby dragons.” Rolling her eyes, Azula dug into her pockets and shoved a heaping handful of gold coins toward him. The attendant let out a low whistle. His demeanor made a quick shift as he pocketed the bribe, “You want to send a message, little dragon, you’ve got it.”
He took out a hawk, read the name of her recipient with a raised eyebrow, and let Azula tuck her piece of parchment into its message tube, “That all?” he asked. She shook her head, sliding out the other burden for the hawk and passing it over, “Can’t promise that’s going to make it in one piece, little dragon. But Titan here will do his best.”
She stayed long enough to watch the hawk disappear into the dark sky. Tossing another gold piece to the attendant, Azula herself disappeared back into the night. Back in her rooms before anyone was the wiser. She giggled into her pillow in a celebration of her victorious mission as she tried to drift off. Azula finally fell asleep with a smirk on her lips.
Zuko caught the messenger hawk on his outstretched arm, glad for his armor even as the bird’s talons dug in between the plates. He snatched a misshapen bundle attached to the hawk’s harness, tearing away the wrapping to reveal a play mask. The dark water spirit in it’s unmistakable blue.
Perplexed, he snatched the message from the tube before the bird could nip at his fingers. He unrolled the scrap of parchment. His fingers traced the features of the gifted mask, the ghost of a smile on his face, as he read.
Happy Birthday, Dum-Dum.