Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Zuko had been on the throne for just about five years now. Time had passed in a blur and many things had changed: relationships, laws, seasons, even Zuko himself.

It was a heartwarming, haha Zuko, to see that at least one thing had not. The council.

“Your majesty.” The Minister of Finance spoke again, his words finally registering in Zuko’s brain as he looked up from the stack of petitions he’d been making his way through during the meeting. “Please, this is a matter you have been avoiding for over two seasons.”

Had it been two seasons since they had first started this ridiculous campaign to destroy his sanity? “Fine.”

He tried not to growl as the men and women seated along the room visibly perked up, almost in unison. There were a few exceptions, sure, like the minister of education that he had appointed himself. However, one or two friendly faces was almost moot point in this situation. Lord Huzon, Finance Minister, spoke again, seemingly spearheading this particular conversation. “Your majesty, it has been a few years since you took the throne and things have begun to settle. As previously mentioned, the line of succession will not be stabilized until you marry and have an heir.”

This time Zuko could not help it, a low growl did leave him as he tried not to think back to his failed relationships. Jin, Mai, there had been that one girl from the North Pole Sokka had introduced him to, and Haru. None of his relationships had seemed to last. “I hope there is a point to this, I don’t like my personal life being discussed like this.”

Quickly, the minister dipped his head in apology, however it didn’t stop him from talking. “My lord, we would never seek to impede on your personal choices or to meddle, unless it was needed. You have been developing into a wonderful leader—“

Zuko could almost taste the ‘but’ of the joke coming and he scrubbed a hand over his face, bracing himself. “Let your ministers help you in this matter. You do not have to marry the lady we recommend, however, we ask that you give her a chance. Even just two seasons at your side, we believe she will match you well. Let our experience, if not our age, guide you.”

There was a pause and Zuko pondered, all things considered this was not horrible. They had not left him with no options, he was free to say no at the end of the time allotted…

It wasn’t as if Mai was going to return, she was clearly happy with her current boytoy, and none of his exes were pining after him. He wasn’t sure if it was by design or coincidence but, Zuko had little better to do. At least it would ease his ministers’ worries for now. “I… don’t see why I wouldn’t say yes to this. Who is this lady?”

Huzon finally lifted his head again and smiled as the rest of the ministers started to relax, some even talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. “Her name is Lady Zhara of Shuhon Island. Would you like to meet her?”

There was something almost poisonous in the elder’s gaze, however Zuko could not prove it. He was forced to nod his head and sit back, his hands clenched into fists as they braced against his knees. “I suppose I should.”

Huzon nodded at the minister of agriculture, Zuko believed his name was Feng Yu, a younger addition. He scrambled out of his seat towards the doors, peeking outside before he cleared his throat and closed them again.

“It is my honor as Agricultural Minister Feng Lu—“ Well Zuko had been close. “To be presenting for his Majesty, the royal suitor…” Zuko’s eyes were trained on the doors even as the minister slowly opened them. It was with measured, silent footsteps that this new entry made her first steps into his life.  “Lady Zhara.”

Well, to say the least, she was pretty.

Chapter Text

Zhara had been standing outside of the doors to the war— no, planning room for over half an hour now. It took every bit of her training not to shift. She stood stock still, her trained eyes angled slightly downward— just high enough to watch the doors handles for movement.

Even the guards, one of them being Lady Suki of the Kyoshi warriors, were starting to become just an bit apprehensive. They kept exchanging glances with each other and looking her way, quite obviously listening into the conversations happening beyond the doors. Zhara said nothing, she remained standing, her hands clasped in front of her loosely as she counted the minutes in her head.

Her family’s shortcomings had taught her one thing for sure, patience.

As per usual, she was rewarded when the door opened. One of the ministers that had previously come to retrieve her from Shuhon Island, Feng Lu, opened the door and looked at her. He cleared his throat nervously as he looked from her to the guards, before shutting the door again for just a moment. Zhara inhaled, knowing that was her cue, straightening her shoulders and steeling her nerves.

“—suitor, Lady Zhara.” The doors opened and she began to move forward, the ending of Feng Lu’s words reaching her ears. It was with practice that she entered the room silently, her skirt not even rustling as she moved forward. Stopping at the edge of the table as the door shut behind her.

She sunk onto a knee, posture correct as she finally opened her mouth. “Your majesty, it is my honor that you would even consider allowing me to become your consort.”

There was a pause and a few murmurs, but Zhara did not dare move from where she was. Even as the sound of some shuffling and footsteps reached her ears, she kept her breaths even. Though she was thankful no one would could feel how sweaty her hands were. There was pressure from all sides and no returning now that she’d presented herself to the Firelord.

All of her thoughts screeched to a stop as she was taken by the shoulders and pulled back up to her feet. Her eyes popped open widely as she gasped and she found herself face to face with her to-be. Zuko had walked across the table itself, even if it was a low one, that was beside the point, who even did th— “Zhara, was it?”

She nodded as her heart skipped a beat, her eyes drinking in the sight of him before she looked down again, blushing at her own folly. “Y-yes your majesty.”

He clicked his tongue, releasing her shoulders even as a pit formed in her stomach. Before she could even think on where she had erred, he grasped her chin with a calloused hand and again brought her eyes up to meet his own, now cooler amber gaze. “Is my face that bad to look at?”

Who was this man? 

“N-no, that wasn’t it at all!” Again, her eyes widened and she shook her head, accidentally dislodging his fingers in her haste. “I-“

Oh, she had broke decorum again. Her face flamed with shame as the ministers muttered between themselves. She swallowed and stilled, dread pooling in her very core as she managed to whisper out. “I just did not wish to offend you, I am just a deceased sailor’s daughter. Etiquette dictates that I s—“

“I’ll stop you right there.” He cut her off, though his tone was much softer now as he looked at her. “ If you are to stay with me for two seasons, I must warn you now. I do not care for proper etiquette. You must be prepared to put that aside.”

She blinked in confusion, before nodding slowly as the knots in her stomach slowly unwound. “If you’re willing to give me of all people a chance, I will do my best to be your Fire Lady.”

He tilted his head, clearly weighing his options before he turned from her and walked back down the table to his seat. He looked down at a scroll in front of him and signed it, before again pinning her with his gaze. “I agree to your proposal, Minister Huzon. Lady Zhara will stay beside me for two seasons and we will discuss again at a later date how this turns out. She will stay in different quarters than I, but beyond that she will fulfill the role of Fire Lady.”

Zhara exhaled as everyone around her burst into chatter. She had a chance .

Chapter Text

The leaves almost looked like they were dancing in the wind, different shades of greens and yellows mixing together. No reds adorned the trees in the royal palace’s courtyards yet. In stark contrast to the constant movement in front of her brown eyes and behind her back, Zhara was still.

It was almost as if she were a statue carved of earthen clay, draped in robes of the softest pink cottons. It wasn’t until one of the palace workers behind her cleared his throat that she finally turned away from the window that she’d been staring out of. Zhara looked at the man in front of her, bowing her head in respect to his age as he began to speak. “My lady, I’m one of the Firelord’s personal guard, he’s sent me to assist with organizing your staff.”

“Staff? I—“ She blinked in confusion, before realizing that being Firelady was several steps up on the social ladder. She calmed and spoke slowly, trying to remember back to her training at the academy. There had been several roles the teachers had listed that the women might fall into. “I don’t require much. Perhaps access to a stylist for any formal events I may have to attend, a lady, and a maid or chef to assist me.”

She smiled gently for the first time all day, some of her tension fading as she fell into things she knew. At least begun to smile until she saw the guard’s shocked expression. “I- am I overstepping? I do not require all of that assistance.”

The man shook his head swiftly, promptly bowing to her. “No, my lady. I expected you to ask for more was all. Sorry for misjudgin’ you.”

A small ‘oh’ left her lips as she frowned, again out of her depth. She still did not understand why, out of all the ladies that had attended the private academies, the ministers had chosen her. She swallowed back a sigh before speaking again. “It’s of no matter, please stand properly. May I please have the honor of knowing your name and title? I would prefer to address you properly.”

“My name is Jee, I was a naval captain and now am head of the Firelord’s guard. Call me Captain or Head Jee, whatever suits you.” The man rose as soon as she spoke, obeying her without question. She smiled in turn as she saw him relax just a bit. “I heard your father was a sailor, so I’m sure you’ll get along just fine here, my lady.”

If only he knew.

“I can only hope to fair better.” Zhara chuckled, before she looked around her quarters. Then a thought struck her and she turned back to Jee, her eyes widening. “Would you mind showing me around? I would like to see the library and the kitchen. Maybe the way out to the courtyards if we have time?”

Where did Fire Lord Zuko usually spend his time?

She muttered to herself as she hastened to move closer to Jee. “I should align schedules.”

Then aloud she asked. “When does Firelord Zuko eat?”

She was not prepared for the guard to snort as he turned away and led her out of her quarters. “If you figure that, let me know. I think he snacks between meetings mostly.”

Well she supposed that was as good a starting point as any. “Tell me more.”

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 

There was a nasty sneer on his face as Minister Huzon watched the Firelord’s guard guide Lady Zhara down a perpendicular hall. He waited until their footsteps had long faded before he spoke to the others standing nearby. “Now we just have to wait. There are very few outcomes from this play that will not favor us.”

The voice that answered was gravelly, almost too deep to be human. “And her?”

“What about her?” Huzon scoffed, turning away and beginning to walk down the hall. There was no care in his tone as he spoke, clear in what he said. “She only asked one thing when she was selected and it was the wrong thing to ask.”

Chapter Text

The wooden planks of the floor were nice and cool against Zuko’s back. He almost looked like a normal person if one was looking at— you know— his good side. A grunt left him as Ty Lee dropped onto his stomach with a laugh. Well, there went his relaxation.

“Zuko, I can’t believe you!” Zuko looked up helplessly at Suki, who was sitting like a normal person on the couch for visitors and eating some sort of fruit. Apple slices? Dragon fruit? Whatever the servers had dropped off. She waved off his silent plea for help with a single finger, clearly on Ty Lee’s side for this conversation. “The others barely left a few weeks ago and you adopted a random maybe-wife!”

“Firstly? Her name is Zhara.” He grunted again as Ty Lee cooed before she elbowed his gut, prompting him to shove her off of him completely. Finally clambering to his feet and straightening his clothes with a huff. “Secondly, I think she’s harmless enough. I’m not sure about the ministers though.”

Ty Lee quieted for a moment, exchanging loaded glances with Suki— and he would not be unpacking those, Agni damn it— before she gracefully rose and graceless plopped next to her to steal a fruit slice. “Zhara, huh?”

“Her father was navy.” Suki tacked on, a bit of wry amusement in her tone even as her expression did not change. Ty Lee let out a drawn out ‘oh’ and stole another fruit slice. “Jee is giving her a tour.”

“Jee is?” Zuko was half tempted to lay down again, however he just huffed and walked over to his desk, plopping into his own seat. He had just picked up the glass of juice on his desk and brought it to his lips, when Ty Lee asked far too cheerfully. “So she’s super pretty or something, right? Or he’d have sent one of the lower ranking guards! You know, one of the young buff ones!”

— Hopefully the documents he just spat orange juice on weren’t that important. “Ty Lee!”

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 

Elsewhere in the palace, Jee had finally left Zhara unattended. “I’m gonna head out to figure out your staff. Have fun with these grumps.”

Well, if you could call being surrounded by a majority of the royal chefs and servers ‘alone’. Zhara stood behind one of the older chefs, quietly observing as she chattered about Zuko’s likes and dislikes as they prepared what would ‘probably be another wasted meal for that blasted boy’. Their words, not hers.  She had a small scroll out and was jotting down little bits of commentary she was picking up from the chef. Hesitantly, she asked after seeing quite a large amount of spice go into the preparation. “T-the Firelord eats that much spice?”

The woman snickered and added a dash more of the seasoning. “More than this even. He has guests today, one from the Earth Nation so he’ll have to behave, not that I’ve ever seen the brat behave when it comes to food.”

There was an old wives tale about how the stronger the firebender, the spicier they liked their foods but…

“Now I got somethin’ to tell you. Don’t think I’ll accept a Fire Lady who’s jus’ one in name!” Just as she had started to space out, the older woman turned at leveled her spoon at Zhara. Which caused her to let out a little ‘eep’ as her eyes crossed. “You better start taste testin’ his meals and taking them to him when he works! We have enough to do without running ‘round after that terror, ‘s a burden the size of that bison!”

Bison? What—

Zhara was already nodding however. She had known tasting and preparing his tray, fetching his food when they were not in formal settings, things like this were just to be part of her routine. “I want to learn. I can do it.”

She had survived the past half decade, what was a few fire flakes?

Chapter Text

A few hours had passed and the sun was quickly setting in the sky. However Zuko was still working, much to Ty Lee’s irritation. At some point, Suki’s shift had ended and one of the other guards had replaced her— another one of the former sailors from his crew that had survived Zhao’s takeover and following failed siege on the North Pole— though he stayed positioned outside the door.

“Zuzu!” Ty Lee whined, though she quickly winced at the answering snap as Zuko broke the brush in his hand at that particular nickname. “No go on that?”

“No. Never. Azula calling me that is enough.” He sighed and dropped the pieces of the brush on the already ruined scroll, knowing he’d have to start that letter over. Ty Lee shrugged as she rolled around on the couch. “Listen, if you’re bored you can leave. There’s plenty of guards in the inner palace, you know that.”

“That is not the point!” Ty Lee rolled over again and pointed at him with a sock covered toe— over-dramatically, in his opinion. She finally stood up and placed her hands on her hips as she walked over to his desk, looking down at him. “If I wasn’t here to keep bugging you, you’d keep working endlessly! You’ve been working since before sunrise and barely ate breakfast. Suki told me, don’t even open your mouth to try to lie.”

Zuko groaned and scrubbed his hands against his eyes, feeling pressure start to build behind them. The headache that was building was not from hunger,— thank you very much— but from frustration. “Ty Lee!”

“Zuko!” He understood that Ty Lee cared, but he was the Firelord! He couldn’t just stop working randomly throughout the day and he did eat, he had eaten with Suki just a bit ago. He opened his mouth to argue back with just that— and probably lose that fight, when a knock sounded on the door.

“Your majesty,” That was Tatsuo at the door, a hint of warning in his tone that caused both Ty Lee and Zuko to return to proper sitting positions. “You have a visitor— or, um… Lady Zhara, actually, is here to see you. With dinner.”

The warning look Zuko shot Ty Lee was positively venomous, though he just ended up sighing while she whispered teasingly to him ‘I like her already’. Well, he couldn’t leave Zhara out there in the hall. Or he could, but that would kind of defeat the whole ‘giving her a chance’ thing. “Send her in, Tatsuo.”

The doors slid open and again, there she was. Zuko took the opportunity to really look at the woman as Zhara entered with the over-filled tray in her hands. He couldn’t quite place what it was about her facial features that was familiar, however considering her father had been a part of the nation’s navy? It was possible he had known him, if only in passing.

He noticed that her hair was tucked behind her hair with long, golden rods. Those fancy clips that were all the craze now, thanks to Mai, but that had never truly gone out of style in upper society. The brown locks did seem A bit frizzier than they had been, but if she had been in the kitchen that made sense. Her pink robes looked soft to the touch, though he was more interested in how she had rolled back the sleeves. Huh.

“—pleasure to meet you as well, Ty Lee.” He refocused on the conversation the other two were having as Ty Lee leaned over the lady, watching her uncover the various dishes. “The chefs had guessed his majesty would still be working so they made extra, if you would just allow me to test—.”

“What?” Zuko flinched even as the word tumbled out of his mouth. Ty Lee looked at him with a bored expression, rolling her eyes. “Test?”

Ty Lee flapped a hand in his direction, even as his sleep deprived brain began to catch up. “Ignore Zuko, the servers or us usually just do that without saying anything. You know, since he didn’t have a lady before and all of that, but you’re here so go for it.”

Zhara looked a bit stunned, though guilt was quick to work its way onto her face. “I didn’t mean to make it uncomfortable, forgive me.”

“You didn’t.” Zuko muttered, quietly standing from behind his desk and stretching his limbs out. She had begun to take a piece of this meat or that noodle, making quick work of testing for poisons. A bit of redness had crept onto her face by the time she tasted the bowls of soup and fish , though Zuko wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or the spice. “I just never really paid attention to what I was signing you up for when I gave you the role of a trial Fire Lady.”

“Oh.” He walked over and settled on Zhara’s other side, causing her to twitch slightly in surprise. She stilled with a few fire flakes clutched in her chopsticks, the last dish she had to taste, turning automatically to look at Zuko even as her reddened lips were still slightly parted. “My Lord?”

It was probably the spice.

“Don’t call me that in private please, it gives me indigestion. I guess this would be our first meal together.” Zuko spoke as leaned in to eat the fire flakes, raising a hand behind Zhara’s back even as Ty Lee opened her mouth to protest. There was no sense in burning out her tastebuds if she couldn’t handle spice. He chewed and smiled as Zhara ducked her head, clearly flustered at being this close. “So let’s eat. Did they make noodles or rice today?”

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

There was something strange about the Firelord. To be fair, Zhara had already figured that would be the case from how extreme his laws and actions seemed from a distance, but he was even stranger up close. Zhara had expected suspicion or disgust, maybe even anger, but here they were.

“This is my third time in the capital.” She responded to a question Ty Lee had asked, even as she fed Zuko another spoon of cabbage soup with some form of poultry added in. As he ate that, she placed the utensils down and picked up the other set she had brought, carefully picking up some noodles in the chopsticks and holding them up for Ty Lee. “The women’s academy did not allow for many trips or holidays, as you probably remember.”

“That’s why I left.” The girl hummed in agreement and braced her head against Zhara’s shoulder as she chewed. It was with poise that Zhara switched utensils again and picked up a piece of fish with the hand of her other arm for Zuko. As she held it up for him, she found him watching her with an amused smile and again felt heat creep into her expression.

No one had warned her that he was such an intense man, let alone that he was so—. Don’t finish that thought Zhara.

“You must have graduated, what did you do after being at the academy?” Zuko asked before eating the piece of fish, taking the chopsticks from her and beginning to eat by himself as Ty Lee wrapped her arms around Zhara. The woman used her newly freed hand to gently pat the girl’s head in a fashion that was far too practiced. “One doesn’t just get selected by the ministers for something like dealing with me for no reason.”

“I was helping at the academy as a teaching assistant for a year or so.” Maybe it was the fact that Zhara had been expecting the question that allowed her to not freeze up, her tone stayed steady a dm soft so as not to disrupt Ty Lee. “I had gone home for about six months when we received the ministers’ request. Minister Feng Lu had come with the proposal and my grandparents thought it was the best way to serve the nation.”

Ty Lee’s arms tightened around her for a moment before she relaxed again. “So it was for family?”

That was the simplest way to put it.

“In many ways, yes.” Zhara did not dare to look at either of the others in the room. She still had not stopped the soothing patting motion against Ty Lee’s head even as she softly explained, not sure if they would understand. “For the Fire Lord, he has the nation to think of. For me, it was always my family and I did not have any set dreams so…”

“So why not?” Zuko’s voice was a bit bitter even as he chuckled, causing Zhara to quiet again. “Ironic that both of us went into this with the same thought.”

Zhara smiled a bit sadly to herself, finally daring to look back up at the Fire Lord. He didn’t seem angry, but there was no real way to tell as she did not know him. “My story and life is simple, nothing that they have not told you. Maybe someone known and bland was what the ministers was best.”

“Well, they can shove it.” Zuko looked up sharply and huffed, a little puff of smoke escaping him. Zhara blinked in surprise as Ty Lee snorted and muttered a small ‘here here’, not understanding what he was talking about even as he scowled at her. “Simple doesn’t have to be bland, we’ll figure out what our dynamic is on our own.”

Zhara smiled hesitantly, not sure what to say, before the Fire Lord looked away. They stayed like that for a moment, before Ty Lee took it onto herself to break the silence. “So, did Jee figure out your staff yet?”

There were other, much less heavy, topics to discuss.

Chapter Text

Zhara carefully dragged the ornate, wooden comb through her hair, staring at herself in the mirror as she went over the day’s events in her head. Some of those events she could hardly believe, even now.

Fire L- Zuko, she would eventually have to get used to calling him that and she might as well start in her thoughts. He was strange, extremely strange in comparison to the former Fire Lord and what she had read of the one before as well. He was kind, caring and… not overwhelming.

Her hands twitched as she recalled the one of the trips she had taken to the palace, a field trip in her second year at the academy. She couldn’t have been even sixteen at that time, what was that— five, six years ago? It had been before Zuko had taken over, when his father had ruled with fear and pain.

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

“Remember.” Came the voice of the languages instructor, sharp and harsh as he glared at them. “There are very important people that walk through these halls, including the Fire Lord himself. So stay close and do not get in anyone’s way. Second years, lead the first years. This is not a game.”

Zhara stayed silent along with the other second, and above, years. They remembered the trip from the year before and obeyed without questioning it, even as the first years buzzed with barely contained energy. The instructor sneered, turning to chat with one of the palace guards about their itinerary.

Zhara turned, using the opportunity to look at the first year that had been left in her care. Unsurprisingly they had given her Zoya, her cousin and one of the brightest troublemakers in the class. “Zo’.”

“Zhara! This is great! What if we see the princess? What if we see the Fire Lord?” The girl grinned brightly down at Zhara, extending a hand that Zhara promptly took in her own. A huff escaped her as she squeezed it, gently rubbing soothing circles onto the back of Zoya’s hand. “I can’t wait! How can you be so calm?”

“Shh!” Zhara squeezed her hand again, earning a small pout from her cousin that quickly disappeared as the conversation continued. “Zo’ you know it’s wartime, people are… stressed out. Please don’t talk out of turn or draw attention to us today.”

The girl pouted again, before cheekily smiling. “I’ll try my best, but you know my luck. Everyone loves me.”

She pulled her hand away and went to chat with a few of the other first years, unaware of the pit that was forming in Zhara’s stomach.

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Zhara gasped as the edges of the wooden comb raked against her thumb, stopping her ministrations. After she stared at her hands for a moment she placed the comb down and gently pulled her hair back with a silk tie. Zhara looked down at the vanity in front of her, carefully arranging the few things on there.

To one side lay the golden rods that she used to hold her hair back daily and her comb, along with a few more silk ties. Nearer to the center sat a glass bottle of cocoa oil from her island, a bottle of mango wash, and a more delicate orange peel face soap. A small, faded jar of pinkish skin paint sat by itself for true cosmetics. Oh— and a jar of burn cream, front and center, a staple in any fire nation inventory. To the other side sat three thin charcoal pieces wrapped tightly in what appeared to be ripped cloth and a few unassuming papers. One was a map she’d sketched after Captain Jee’s tour, another held the tidbits she’d scrawled down about the Fire Lord’s tastes, and beyond that were a few official documents. Education certificates, her birth certificate… it was sparse.

She knew it was not a ‘typical’ lady’s set up, but Zhara wouldn’t truly call herself typical either. She rose from in front of the mirror and walked back over to the window that overlooked the private courtyard she’d enjoyed earlier that day, pointedly ignoring the closed door that linked her suites to the Fire Lord’s. That was a mental battle that she did not have time or energy to deal with currently, even if it was only against herself. Instead, she sat on the loveseat that had been placed in front of the window, carefully examining the rose bush that was growing outside of it. “The moonlight makes your petals glow.”

The wind picked up slightly, shaking the flowers slightly along with all of the other plants. Zhara sighed and curled up, pulling the silky night robe tighter around herself as she thought of tomorrow. Jee had apparently selected trustworthy staff members, so she would meet them and her time would be even less her own.

No, that was no way to think.

She shook her head and focused on the night in front of her. Thinking too much had always been her issue, hadn’t it? It wasn’t as though she’d been wrong to be careful in times that had passed, but there never seemed to be any reward for it, while others flourished without putting half the effort.

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Zhara looked frantically around, her breath escaping her unevenly as she looked back towards where everyone else was eating in the cafeteria. Thankfully, no one had noticed she had walked away or the other missing girl. Her grandparents would never forgive her if—

Focus Zhara, focus. “Agni, guide me.”

Zhara lifted her skirts slightly and bent over, slipping off her flats. She grabbed them in all in one hand and ran forward, her socked feet silent as she entered the second ring of courtyards. It was with the ease that only came with adrenaline that she ran through the trees and toward the second layer of rooms, only one thing on her mind and one whispered name on her lips. “Zo? Zo! Where are you Zo?”

Zoya was the most beloved and beautiful of all the cousins in the family, but with that came the fact that she was just slightly spoiled. Zhara often ended up dragging the girl away from situations or taking punishments when she stumbled into trouble, always willingly of course. However this was the palace and Zhara could not help her if she stepped into something.

“Agni.” She muttered another prayer as she approached a corner, wondering how far Zoya had wandered. Her head was starting to pound as she continued on, peeking around the corner. Thankfully, just two doors down she saw her cousin. Zhara sprinted toward her as she was distracted, looking into whatever room had caught her attention.

Zoya gasped, opening her mouth to speak or scream and only finding Zhara’s hand clasped over it. She was pulled away from the door by her cousin’s grasp on her arm, back toward the courtyards. The girls had almost reached the relative safety of them when Zoya pulled out of Zhara’s grasp and glared down at her. “Let go of me! I was trying to see what that meeting was about! What if I could’ve seen the Fire Lord? What if—“

“Stop.” Zhara cut off the outburst as she glanced back towards the open door, still far too close. “We need to go. Don’t you get it, Zoya? The Fire Lord kills people, you could hear something that—“

“That what?” The girl scoffed and flipped her hair, crossing her arms even as she deflated. Thankfully she’d begun to speak quietly. “It’s not like I’m an orphan like you or stupid like your father was. I know what I’m doing, but whatever.”

“Zoya…” The girl ignored Zhara and stomped past. Thankfully heading back through the courtyard and towards the rest of the academy, oblivious to the way that she’d caused her cousin to pale. Zhara’s hands shook and she swallowed noisily as she tried to calm down. She carefully crouched down to place her flats back on the floor so she could slip them back on and set her skirts back down properly. As she rose, her expression had returned mostly back to normal.

She followed Zoya back to the cafeteria, unaware of the eyes that had been on them. Unaware of the fact that their conversation had been overhead and noted by two people that she would have ran in the opposite direction of, had she known they were there.

“Find out what clan they hail from. They will be of use to me in the future.”

“Right away.” Minister Huzon smiled nastily, already having recognized the robes they wore. “I shall have all of their information to you within the fortnight.”

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

The next morning, when the first rays of Agni’s light started to shine down, Zhara woke up with a blanket thrown over her on the loveseat. She blinked down at it, unsure of when she had grabbed it or how it had gotten there. Still, she pulled it closer as she enjoyed the first few minutes of her day in silence.

At least, she enjoyed it until a knock sounded on her room’s door. She sighed and closed her eyes tightly, before opening them again. It was time to get the day started.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, Lady Zhara.” The sound of turtleducks quacking in the distance was the only sound as the servants in front of Zhara bowed low, their heads almost touching the floor as they were introduced to her by Jee. For her part, Zhara sat on the stool in front of her vanity, her hands clasped together in her lap as the Captain spoke. “Let’s get your staff introduced.”

“This is Tatsuo, you met him yesterday evening. He will be your personal guard and in charge of your security.” The younger guard straightened up, he was dressed much like Jee, in heavier armor that was reminiscent of the active troops she’d seen around the grounds. He looked to be about her age, if not a few years older. There was nothing that stood out about him to her, apart from his— almost obnoxious— height. “If you need me feel free to find me, but he can help you with almost anything.”

“Thank you in advance for your service.” Zhara offered him a smile after nodding at Jee, which he briefly returned before Tatsuo schooled his expression. “My safety is in your hands, Tatsuo.”

“Next is Lady Reena.” Jee gestured to one of the two women, who straightened at the mention of her name. Zhara looked her over, unsurprised to find that the girl seemed to be a bit younger than her with two plaits that fell to her waist. “She’s been to be a good apprentice seamstress and is a decent scribe, I’m sure she’ll do well.”

“I look forward to seeing your designs and thank you for time in the days to come.” Zhara directed her smile to the girl and received a shocked, if not nervous, grin. Usually seamstresses were discovered sooner rather than later, and their talent honed. “I am sure you have plenty of ideas I cannot wait to see.”

“And lastly, this is Ruka, she was actually Zuko’s pick. A water nation bender.” The woman straightened casually, clearly older and more weathered. Zhara would have guessed the woman was in her late thirties and could clearly tell she was not from the fire nation. Both from the way her hair was pulled back into a severe bun that had already become littered with streaks of white and the way she dressed. Her clothing style was fire nation, but in a deep purple that Zhara couldn’t remember seeing worn. “She’s travelled with us and is a good chef, plus there’s a lot more she can do.”

“I am honored that you would choose to assist me and that Zuko sent you to me.” On that note, Zhara stood up and again smiled at each of them. Speaking further as she approached them. “I hope I live up to your— all of your— expectations as a Fire Lady in the days that come.”

The three exchanged glances and again bowed slightly to her, before Ruka spoke up. “My Lady, we are excited to see the place you carve for yourself. Please, tell us how we can assist you.”

The woman just continued to smile, Agni’s rays starting to light the room up fully as they spoke. “For now, I think Agni is letting us know that we have a Fire Lord to feed. Reena, take some time to look through my things and see what you think should be altered. Tatsuo, or Jee, since you’re both here, could you figure out the Fire Lord’s daily schedule for me? The rest we shall figure out as we go.”

Zhara bowed slightly to Jee after saying all of that, dismissing the meeting effectively. “I thank you again for your assistance, Captain. Ruka and I should be on our way to the kitchens.”

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Zuko stifled a yawn as Lee, his personal attendant, brushed his hair out. He had another proposal in his hands, one that had been delivered by one of the ministers’ couriers not long ago. Lee clicked his tongue and pulled Zuko’s head back as he began to style his hair into the topknot that was customary for the Firelord. “It’s not even time for the gardens to the watered yet, Fire Lord. Let me finish getting you ready properly before you start working.”

“Sorry Lee.” A sheepish smile blossomed on Zuko’s face even as he rolled up the scroll that the proposal was written on. The attendant just rolled his eyes as he finished with his hair, swiftly moving onto righting Zuko’s robes and applying small layer of anti-burn cream onto his un-marred skin that was still exposed. Completely ignoring how Zuko grumbled and began to scowl at the greasy feel of it. “That’s so pointless, I’ve already been severely burned Lee. I don’t need that. Ugh, it’s sticky.”

Lee stood back up and folded his hands behind his back, his expression still stern. “It is not, it is hydrating, but regardless. You are ready now. Shall we make our way to the dining area or would you like your food brought to you today?”

Lee knew the answer even before Zuko looked at the scroll in his hands.

“Have them bring it to my study and send Suki or Jee to meet me. I need my schedule for the day as well.” Lee bowed to Zuko as the Fire Lord stood and stretched, hiding his displeasure at that order. He backed out of the Fire Lord’s suites to complete what was asked of him, even as Zuko called. “I’ll be out in a moment.”

Lee was unsurprised to find Jee already waiting just a bit down the hall, the white carved stone calendar Toph had made for them in his hands. He had just wiped off something from the schedule with his fingertips,— the heathen, they had cloth for that— and scribbled something else in. The guard looked up and nodded at Lee, before looking back down, carefully adding a detail onto the new addition. “He headed to the study?”

Lee just sighed and nodded, his tired shoulders slumping as he spoke defeatedly. “Unfortunately. It’s his usual orders.”

“Stubborn brat.” The older naval captain growled out, obviously far too used to Zuko’s schedule. He looked up at Lee and shrugged, having finished reading over the calendar. “Looks like a typical day, he has nothing until his usual meeting with the ministers when Agni reaches peak, then he has a trip to the new hospital and he’ll probably visit the school that’s there. Oh.”

Oh? ‘Oh’s never boded well in the palace’s routines. It was why Lee disliked— because who could truly hate the Avatar— when the Fire Lord’s friends came to visit. There were always plenty of ‘oop’s and ‘oh’s to handle.

“I need to go speak to Suki about the Fire Lord’s plans, can you head to the kitchen and inform our Lady where to take his food?” Lee blinked, wondering if he had misheard. He was getting older, he had kids now and was pushing sixty—. “Lee? Is that okay? Lady Zhara should be almost done preparing his tray.”

The man inhaled and his gaze sharpened, lines appearing around his mouth as he scowled at Captain Jee. “Lady who?”

Jee rubbed at the back of his neck with one of his hands before he finally spoke one syllable. “Oh.”

Lee definitely hated ‘oh’s.

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Zhara and Ruka were just placing the tasting spoons in the basin of dirty dishes when the door to the kitchens slid open. Tatsuo’s voice rang out from the hallway as another person entered. “Fire Lord Zuko’s personal attendant, Lee, is here to deliver a message to the Fire Lady.”

“How wonderful, just give me a moment more.” Zhara carefully covered the tray they had just finished taste testing for poisons, intent on keeping it warm. Looking it over once more before she straightened up and looked toward Lee. She bowed her head to him slightly as she wiped her hands clean, a smile on her lips. “My greetings Lee, you were searching for me?”

“Yes, my Lady. I apologize for my delay in meeting you.” She waited as the attendant carefully looked her over from head to toe, only stiffening slightly under his scrutiny. He finally met her eyes, blinking a little in what seemed to be surprise as Ruka clicked her tongue in displeasure from where she was standing a bit further back in the kitchens. He quickly bowed deeply to her, which Zhara couldn’t help but frown at for a moment— he was an elder, it seemed so unnecessary. “I did not know of yesterday’s events, however I want to assure you I will do my best towards you in the coming moon cycles.”

“I see. I do appreciate your sentiments and it is no fault of yours that our greeting was a bit delayed.” Zhara narrowed her eyes slightly, before she plastered a smile back onto her face. She seemed to not have the ease she had exhibited with the others, however she was trying to regain her footing. “I thank you for your efforts to serving the Fire Lord. I do not want to keep you from attending to him for too long, you had a message for me?”

As Lee stood straight, he again met her eyes and she could feel him searching. Looking for something that she could not identify at this moment, nor wanted to. “Yes, of course. Captain Jee just sent me over to update you on the fact that Fire Lord Zuko is having breakfast in his study.”

“I thank you for the information.” She turned slightly and lifted the tray, slowly walking forward. She stopped just short of the door, well aware that Ruka and Lee were following just a few steps behind her. “Oh, if you would Lee. I am guessing that you know of the rest of his schedule, would you be so kind as to share it with Tatsuo? I would like to get his meal to him before it cools or I would ask for it myself.”

“Well thought, I can walk with you until they finish their conversation.” Ruka finally voiced her approval and moved closer to Zhara, offering her support. The brunette relaxed slightly, a tinkling laugh escaping her before she nodded and continued on. Leaving after she said simply. “Thank you again.”

She could feel the eyes behind her, but chose not to stop. Simply moving forward, as always her way, the only way.

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Tatsuo had waited a couple of minutes after Zhara and Ruka walked away, expecting Lee to come out of the kitchens. When the attendant didn’t, the guard walked over himself and cleared his throat. “Lee?”

“Hm?” Tatsuo really looked at the attendant, blinking in surprise at his expression. Lee’s eyes had glazed over and his cheeks were just a bit red, but he soon snapped back to attention. “Right, his majesty’s schedule.”

“Yeah, that’s a bit important.” Tatsuo drawled slowly, watching as Lee scrambled to copy something off of a white stone tablet Tatsuo had often seen Jee carry around onto a scroll. He let a bit of time pass before his curiosity forced him to drawl out. “So… what do you think of her, old timer?”

The attendant stopped scribbling, sighing slightly before he tucked away the stone tablet and looked over at Tatsuo. “I think she is blessed by Agni and that might be dangerous, mostly for her.”

A chill ran down Tatsuo’s spine, even as he bared his teeth in some semblance of a smile. A harsh chuckle left him as he took the scroll Lee offered him and rolled it up, tucking it away for now. “Good to know someone else sees it. Zhara’s cool, but she’s too cool.”

“You’re going to have your hands full.” Tatsuo just nodded, saluting Lee loosely before he turned to walk away as the attendant called out. “May Agni bless us all.”

Tatsuo just sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

Right. Agni and his blessings.

Chapter Text

Zuko was already three scrolls deep, with four proposals signed and another tossed into the ‘maybe I’ll review this later’ pile that was forever growing in the corner of the room. At some point, Zhara had joined him and placed his usual tray of food down— right on top of his work.

She was learning fast. He would give her that, though he really did not need another person nagging at him for working. At the moment he was mostly ignoring the conversation that was ongoing, carefully working his way through the roll of egg and sipping on his soup. The sooner Zuko finished, the sooner he could get back to work.

“— and there was a rumor that Zuko swam under the North Pole to capture the Avatar back then.” He choked a little on his soup, scowling at the knowing smirk Ruka had on her face. “I thought it was seal shit at the time, but after getting to know him…”

Zuko sighed and placed the bowl of soup he’d been cradling down, a bit noisily. “You have no room to talk Ruka. You would’ve swam to the ship and stowed away soaking wet if I hadn’t helped you sneak on.”

Zuko was distracted from what was quickly escalating into a petty argument by a snort that escaped the quietest member of their group. His gaze fell onto Zhara just as she ducked her head and bit her lip, clearly trying to hide her reaction if the way she shoved a piece of mango from her plate into her mouth indicated anything.

Interesting.

Zuko looked back at Ruka, unsurprised to find the soft smile that was on her face as she looked at her new Lady. That was about what he’d expected when he had placed Ruka with her, though he had not spent much time with Zhara. There was something much softer about her than what a lot of the Fire Nation’s capital was used to. “I knew it.”

He sighed as both of the women looked back at him, Ruka openly quirking a brow. He carefully lifted the tray that Zhara had placed on his desk and stood, carrying it over to the small table that was in between the guest seating. He then placed his hands on his waist and scowled. “You two are already teaming up on me, no fair.”

Ruka rolled her eyes and scoffed, even as he turned away and walked back to his chair. By the time he sat and looked back up, he was surprised to find that Zhara was not showing any sign of amusement, but rather seemed a bit horrified. Before he could address that, the doors to his office slid open and Jee walked in, with Tatsuo at his heels.

“Fire Lord, Lady Zhara, Ruka.” Jee greeted them all individually as Zhara rose from where she’d been sitting, freeing up the space for him. The older man smiled at the woman as she bowed slightly to him and moved to stand to the side of the room, closer to the pile of rejected proposals than he liked. Zuko focused on Jee as the man continued to speak however, filing away the rest of what he was observing for later. “I have your schedule here Zuko, so far we just have your usual meeting with the ministers and that trip to the new hospital.”

That meant his whole morning was free. Zuko closed his eyes and rubbed at the back of his neck, releasing a low smoke-filled huff before he spoke. “Okay, what about the school? Can we stop there as well?”

Maybe he could finish all of his paperwork for the day before seeing the ministers, then after the trip outside he could actually relax. That would get everyone off of his back too. He was just calculating out the minutes in his head and how much work he’d have to power through when Jee ground out. “Already figured that, you’re gettin’ predictable, Zuko.”

“Whatever.” Zuko grumbled and sent a halfhearted glare toward the captain, who just smirked like the jerk he was, before he randomly grabbed at an unopened scroll on his desk. He ran through his mental checklist for day trips as he worked through the requests listed on the scroll, settling into his usual silent rhythm. The only thing that was notable was that one of the earth nation outposts were having a bit of a problem with their crops and were requesting aid. He’d have to look into seeing specifically what was needed and if they could get some of the local earth benders to check the soil…

“— right, Zuko? Zuko.” He jerked a little and looked up as he realized he had three set of expectant eyes on him. He nodded absently, trusting Jee enough to just agree, even as he shot him a confused look. Of course, Jee didn’t clarify but just keep the conversation rolling. “And thanks for the food Lady, it’s nice how you brought enough for all of us.”

Well, clearly his input was not needed anymore, Zuko grabbed a blank sheet and began drafting his plan for dealing with the outpost’s issue.

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Zhara was not sure what to do. So far, she had managed to get one clear task and that was food. Although— she wasn’t sure how much of that was actually accomplished when the Fire Lord wasn’t even eating half of what the others were. She’d have to figure something out to deal with that.

As the conversation continued in the room and the others chattered, she had found herself glancing around. Finally when she spotted the pile of discarded scrolls, she thought of something else to do.

She silently crouched and began to quietly read through them, one by one. Or rather— Zuko’s notes that were on them. Some said denied, some said revise, some stated they needed further discussion. She carefully rolled each of them back up and divided them by his commentary. Soon enough she had made three little pyramids of scrolls in the corner. When she stood up, she found Ruka looking at her with what could only be described as a fond smile.

She smiled timidly, taking that as a sign of approval and moved closer to the other woman. Jee had moved closer to Zuko himself, discussing something or another with him. Which left them free to talk. “Ruka, we should head to the kitchens and pack two baskets for his afternoon trip.”

The woman tilted her head and examined Zhara, her smile only growing as she answered quietly. “We should also see to letting Reena know about your schedule.”

Zhara found herself blushing slightly as she nodded, before she schooled her expression and looked toward the Fire Lord. She carefully lifted the emptied food tray and spoke a bit louder. “My Lord, with your permission, we shall take your leave for now. Would you like some tea before your meeting?”

Zhara chanced a glance up and froze as she was met up Zuko’s knowing gaze. She could not read him yet, but he did not seem upset at the interruption. “No tea, I don’t care for more tea until late in the afternoon, maybe just some fruit.”

She bowed her head in understanding and backed away. “I will see to it.”

She turned and walked out of the room, flanked by Ruka and Tatsuo. She heard the door close as she started down the hall towards the kitchen. When she had almost reached she paused and stared in an almost absent tone. “Ruka, can you handle informing the kitchen about the outing and to organize a platter of fruit? There’s something else I should attend to, before I start organizing the picnic baskets.”

The Ruka exchanged a look with Tatsuo before walking forward and taking the tray from Zhara. “With pleasure, I’ll even have them let you know if he eats.”

Zhara’s lips twitched upwards as Ruka walked away, before she turned to Tatsuo. “I shall head to the gardens. I have a few things to attend to before we prepare for the trip this afternoon, you should join me after you inform her of everything.”

Chapter Text

Tatsuo had not yet figured out what to think of his new Lady. Zhara. The Fire Lady— in training? On trail? On loan? Zuko’s life was weird, sometimes Tatsuo missed being out at sea, at least things were simpler.

Instead here Tatsuo was, holding up a spool of cloth of some kind with more of it draped over his shoulders. He had started staring at the ceiling and contemplating his decisions in life about ten minutes ago, but had yet to find any answers. “Tatsuo! Turn to the left! Come on, I only have a few hours left and this is our Lady’s first public appearance, she has to look good! I can’t believe she didn’t have any new robes in her wardrobe, it’s almost a sin. How could anyone send their daughter over to be for our Fire Lord with n-“

Tatsuo found himself spacing back out as Reena prattled on, sighing a bit. That was the question, wasn’t it? It was not that Zhara was ugly or anything of the sorts, but she was not what one would expect of a court-approved suitor. The woman had scars on her fingers and arms that indicated that she did work, even if it wasn’t hard labor. Not to mention— she had a good amount of lean muscle, if the way she lifted the fish and poultry in the kitchens was anything to go by. Yet, she seemed, outwardly, to be a proper lady.

“Reena.” He said after a few more minutes and a headache began to blossom behind his eyes. The seamstress paused and looked up at him. “Y’need to… not say things like this so freely, especially without knowing much about Lady Zhara. It’s only her second day . We have to… be careful.”

For her or of her, he couldn’t clarify yet, but caution was warranted. The seamstress frowned deeply at his words and stayed quiet as she mulled them over. “You’re right, I should take more care…”

He could taste the ‘but’ lurking beyond her statement even before she continued quietly. “I just felt she’d feel stifled in the palace if everyone treated her like glass.”

Tatsuo had been halfway to opening his mouth to close out the conversation, when he felt himself freeze at that. Right, that was important too. While a contender to be Fire Lady and royalty, Zhara was still another human.

“Point.” He sighed and carefully placed everything that Reena had draped over him on the— untouched, he’d noticed that too— bed. “But others will not see it like that. Just keep it in mind, Reena. Now, l need to go check in on Zhara.”

He made it about ten meters down the hallways when he heard Reena’s voice trail after him. “Wait! Who’s going to hold this up for me?”

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Zhara had, at some point, returned to the kitchens and was busy packing away treats and drinks into the two large baskets. The rest of the kitchen staff was busy prepping for lunch for the rest of the palace.

By the time she had finished what she was doing and closed the baskets, she realized she had several people staring at her. Zhara carefully wiped at her face, straightening her robes and clearing her throat. “Was there something you required of me?”

Finally, Ruka cracked a smile and moved closer to her, fixing the hairs that had strayed onto her face as she spoke. “Now you look more like a Lady.”

Zhara’s eyebrows raised, before Tatsuo placed a rather light tray into her hands. “There’s little time before the Fire Lord has to go to his meeting, I think it’s a perfect time for this.”

Zhara couldn’t control the way her cheeks flushed at their obvious attempt to give them more time together. The cook from yesterday that had warned her to keep Zuko fed chimed in. “Tha’s right, g’on before you ready yerself for the trip. Oh! And dress up! Give us common folk some’in to gossip over! Go on!”

Zhara gaped, floundering for something to say as her staff just chuckled and gently directed her out of the kitchens. As they shut the door on her, she heard Tatsuo tack on. “Oh yeah, don’t forget to go to Reena after you drop that off.”

Zhara turned around and stared at the door as they closed it in her face. “… but wait.”

Was she supposed to go and meet with the Fire Lord alone? Wait!

Chapter Text

Zuko massaged his forehead as he finished the last bit of paperwork that was on his desk. Now there was only the abandoned scrolls that he had tossed into a corner to be dealt with later.

He took a moment here to lean back in his seat and sip at the water that he’d slowly been drinking throughout the morning. At some point Lee and Jee had both left to tend to their other duties, Suki had stopped in for a bit but he was alone for now. It was strange, all things considered, to have this sort of lull in activity.

The last time there had been a large lull, Zuko had ended up having to visit the Sun Warriors one afternoon to quell their anger because some troops had accidentally destroyed an ancient relic. He shuddered just thinking about that week that had followed.

“No, just keep busy Zuko. That’s the best thing.” He muttered to himself, stretching as he sat back up before he reluctantly looked over to the corner of the room— only to find a surprise. All the scrolls he had tossed haphazardly were organized and rolled back up. Zuko blinked stupidly for a minute, before rubbing at his good eye and standing up to examine the scrolls. Everything was organized by their potential for revision, discussion, and the flat out denials.

Fighting back the urge to set the denials on fire and rid himself of one more job, he hoisted that pile and added it to his ‘completed’ workload pile. He then picked up the pile of scrolls that had been left for revision and started to work his way through those.

While he worked, his mind wandered and played the day back. There was only one person that had even showed vague interest in his messy corner of scrolls and— while he couldn’t say he was surprised from what he’d seen of her so far— that was Zhara, who was too quickly taking to meddling. He’d have to put a stick in that sooner rather than later, at least until he could be completely sure of her intentions.

Zuko scratched at his jawline and sighed as he rolled another scroll up and tossed it into the completed pile, another denial. Just in time for one of his guards to knock on the door and slide it open, with a simple announcement. “Fire Lord, Lady Zhara is here to see you.”

Speak of the fire serpent. Zuko quickly schooled his expression and leaned back again, setting his quill back into the inkwell as he watched her walk in. This was a perfect opportunity.

“Fir-“ As the door slid shut, Zhara approached his desk with a— thankfully— light tray of assorted fruit, catching herself as she spoke. “Lord Zuko, it is almost time for your meeting with the council, do you have time for a short break?”

He waited, purposely not answering until she finally looked up from where her gaze had sat on the desk. His lips quirked up into a smirk as her cheeks turned a little rosy. “Hi there.”

“H-hi.” He leaned forward, holding her gaze as she stammered out the reply. It was interesting to see that it was less fear and more just something naturally awkward in her strange reactions. Truly, it was such a contrast to his past lovers like Mai or even Jin who had known their worth, to see someone that looked as Zhara did… simply not realize it.

“Sit, leave the tray on that table next to the seats.” He chuckled and stood as she carefully backed away, setting the tray down before she sat as instructed. Zuko walked around the desk and took his time passing her, before he took the other seat that was there for guests. “I hope you brought enough for two.”

“I brought enough for four.” Zhara confirmed as she risked a glance at him, before looking back down and beginning to careful arrange a plate— probably for Zuko. “The guards probably have not had lunch either.”

That made Zuko pause and raise an eyebrow, before he made a calculated risk. He wrapped his hand loosely around her wrist. “And you?”

“M-my Lord?” Zhara looked confused, which shouldn’t have made Zuko scowl as fiercely as he did. Especially considering he was very much similar in caring for himself.

It was the way she seemed to not realize what she was doing that made it so… frustrating.

“Have you eaten at all, my Lady?” Zuko emphasized her title and again noted she seemed surprised that he’d even asked. She quickly started to look away when he pointed out her use of his title. He simply sighed at her response and let go of her wrist, grumbling out. “I thought not, make another plate.”

She did as told, trying to sneak— what seemed to be— confused glances towards at him. She carefully lifted the two plates toward him in a clear, unsaid question. He simply huffed and took them both, before he called out. “Guards.”

The color left Zhara’s face as they quickly walked in. She looked up at them in mute bafflement as Zuko continued not to speak, waiting for them to come closer. He eventually pitied her and elaborated, holding the plates out to them. “Take these, your Lady brought some fruits for you also.”

The guards looked surprised, something that Zuko was in turn a bit surprised to see . He’d have to check that his guards got normal breaks, even if he was working constantly, but that was a thought for another time. He watched as the guards muttered something in thanks and bowed clumsily to Zhara, who’d schooled her expression again, before they returned to their posts.

“Did you expect them to  drag you out from the palace, my Lady?” He asked softly after the door slid shut once more. Zhara picked up a fork with a, surprisingly, steady hand and speared a piece of mango.

“I expect nothing, Zuko.” Her breaths were even as she held out the slice of fruit toward him, an almost painfully honest note in her voice that couldn’t have been faked. Her words came slowly and steadily, careful even as she still refused to meet his eyes. “You would have been in your rights to do much worse to me the second you met me. You are… far kinder than anyone else has been to me in life, much kinder than I could have expected.”

Zuko carefully ate the fruit as he watched her, chewing as he waited for her— in vain— to continue. He took the fork from her and speared a slice of apple, holding it out to her as he prompted. “But?”

Zhara could only smile and take the slice of fruit in her mouth, the expression not hiding the lack of emotion in her eyes. As she chewed, Zuko felt a chill run down his spine. “But nothing, Zuko. There is nothing else and no one else, only whatever you bring to the future.”

Now that— that was a scary thought.

𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Reena fussed about the room, a stark contrast to the still figure of Zhara. The woman had returned just a bit ago and been pushed toward the baths. When she returned, she was sat on a plush stool in the center of the room with just her towel around her. The others told not to move an inch.

So she stayed.

As Reena muttered to herself,— sewing a delicate golden pattern onto the material that would make up Zhara’s outfit— Ruka stood behind Zhara. She was carefully bending all the water out of her hair, making sure not a speck was left. The last thing anyone wanted was for it to turn frizzy if it was humid out.

After she finished that, Ruka walked over to the desk and picked up Zhara’s comb. Thankfully not noticing how the woman tensed for a moment as she returned to her position and began combing through Zhara’s hair with it. 

”Reena, can we talk yet?” Ruka asked after a few moments more, handing the comb to Zhara as she carefully began to pull her hair back into its usual hairstyle and secured it with the customary golden rods. “How’s the outfit coming?”

Reena was quiet for a moment, furiously sewing at the borders still. Her back was turned to them and there was no sign she was even listening.

Ruka sighed and continued to ready Zhara, who still had not moved apart from when she’d opened her hands to take the comb from her. She carefully applied the pinkish skin paint Zhara had brought with her onto her eyelids and lips.

”We have to invest in some proper tools and makeup for you, my Lady.” Ruka muttered quietly as she smudged some of charcoal she had on her person onto a finger, using it as a crude way to line Zhara’s eyes. “Usually the richer ladies have much more at their disposal, luckily you don’t need much of this.”

Zhara could only look at Ruka in disbelief as the woman wiped her hands clean. That had to be a joke.

Her? Zhara knew she needed as much as possible and desperately.

Soon enough, there was a knock on the door from Tatsuo. “We should leave soon ladies. We can’t keep the Fire Lord waiting.”

Zhara again tensed, before she looked toward Reena. The girl had gone still, holding up silken robes that reminded her of the pink desert roses that her uncle had once brought back from the Earth Kingdom for Zoya. Zhara watched— just a bit mystified— as the seamstress turned to her and smiled. “My Lady, it’s my happiness to be able to say I made this for you. Let’s get you dressed for the Fire Lord and the nation.”

Zhara exhaled slowly, a timid but true smile appearing on her face as she stood up. It was time.