𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎

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The palace was heavy with silence in the dead of night. Only the faint sounds of the crackling torches lining the walls covered La'kea muffled footsteps as she quickly but carefully slinked through the halls.

Azula had long since fallen asleep, making sure to keep La'kea occupied with demands until she couldn't keep her eyes open. But now the hour was late and the handmaiden was free to do as she pleased.

Her heart was hammering with the anticipation of what she was hoping to do. This wasn't the right circumstance, in her bones she really didn't want to do this. But hopefully it would be worth it. Especially since another, slightly desperate, part of her had wanted this so badly...

La'kea steeled her nerves as she reached a massive pair of ornate doors, the second time she had stood before them.

The first was the night the trajectory of her path was altered forever.

She pushed open the door to Zuko's chambers and slipped inside.

The darkness was thick inside, staved off by a single flickering candle at his bedside. La'kea stepped around discarded pieces of his armor spread throughout as she tiptoed closer. His bed was absolutely massive, dwarfing the shape of the young man passed out on top.

When she finally reached the side of his bed, her hands shook slightly as she beheld the sight of his hair falling across his peaceful face. Zuko was so undeniably handsome, her heart physically ached.

Taking one more fortifying breath, La'kea reached out to gently brush his face, bent down to be at eye level. She had undone the hair knot, and by late evening the ends of her hair were beginning to curl again.

Ever the light sleeper, he quickly blinked awake, starting slightly when he processed La'kea leaning closer. She tilted her head, keeping her expression calm with a faint smile. "Hi..."

"La- La'kea," He croaked, voice raspy with sleep as he sat up shirtless. "What are you doing here?"

The islander made him scooch his legs over so she could sit on the bed and face him. "I needed to talk to you, it's not safe to do it anywhere else."

Finally waking up a little more, he seemed pleased to see her. "You can always talk to me, whenever."

She gave him a vexed look, lips pinched tight. "Zuko. You know Azula is breathing down both of our necks right now. Do you want to give her a reason to kill me?"

"I-"

La'kea reached out to grab his hand gently, "This is why I had to pull away... It's not safe otherwise. For now..." She trailed off, sliding a bit closer to hold their hands to her chest. They were sharing a breath space now, Zukos eyes were half lidded as he leaned in on instinct.

"Zuko," She murmured. "I've missed you..." And there was truth in that, without question. She had missed him so dearly, but not the man he was right now. Which is why-.

"Your hands are shaking," He said with quiet concern, wrapping his other hand around theirs. "La'kea, what's wrong?"

She sucked in a breath, eyes squeezed shut. "I want you, Zuko..." She had killed several men before, but in this moment she had never been more conflicted with herself.

The prince gave a sharp intake of surprise, as it sank in he leaned closer ever so slightly.

"You have me."

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"I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island!" Ty Lee leaned over the rail of their boat beside the princess. "It's going to be great to hang out on the beach and do nothing."

La'kea, standing with her head bowed silently like she was supposed to, breathed in the fresh spray of the sea discreetly. Part of her despise being forced on this trip, knowing the princess wouldn't let her enjoy being near the water. Another part was still shocked she had been allowed, or ordered, to go in the first place.

Sitting beneath the open roof next to Mai, Zuko leaned forward angrily, "Doing nothing is a waste of time. We're being sent away on a forced vacation. I feel like a child." La'kea didn't look up at him, and he didn't acknowledge her presence, but both felt the tension in the air, taunt enough to cut it with a knife.

"Lighten up," Azula scoffed. "So Dad wants to meet with his advisors alone without anyone else around. Don't take it personally."

"Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?" Ty Lee inquired cheerfully.

The princess looked over at her friend with a rare smile that wasn't conniving, "We used to come every summer when we were kids."

"That must have been fun."

Zuko looked over the side of the boat to the water below with a faint frown. "That was a long time ago."

As their small boat pulled up to the beach docks, two identical and old woman greeted them in unison. "Welcome to Ember Island, kids." While everyone else grimaced at the sight of the small house on stilts, La'kea was wrinkling her nose at the sight of the ashy grey sand. Grief washed through her at the memory of her islands beaches, and the way the sparkling water washed over the pale sand.

Walking inside the house, the group blanched at the sight of the overzealous beach themed décor. Having hauled everyone's bags, La'kea huffed as she finally set them down in their separate rooms. Underneath her heavy dress, the islander could feel herself starting to sweat from the heat.

"It smells like old lady in here," Zuko pointed out in slight disgust as they walked around.

Mai rolled her eyes, intoning flatly, "Gee, I wonder why."

Walking farther in, Ty Lee observed a painting of two young women in yellow swimsuits posing. She pointed to it as Lo and Li appeared at her side, "Who are these two beautiful women?"

"Can't you tell?" One of the twins asked as she mimicked the pose with her sister. "It's Lo and me." "It's Li and me."

Ty Lee and La'kea blinked in disgruntlement while Mai and Azula just started flatly. Zuko retched in disgust.

The acrobat fell back onto her bed in the guest room with a bright smile, stroking the pillow. "Oh, I just love the seashell bedspread." La'kea fought back a small smile, although she was the least intimidating of the group and the most bubbly, Ty Lee might have been the most dangerous. But she didn't let that stop her from being as positive as humanly possible.

"Are you serious," Mai intoned. "It looks like the beach threw up all over it."

"We know you're upset about being forced to come here this weekend," Li started in a gentle but croaky tone besides her sister as their guests observed where they would be staying.

"But Ember Island is a magical place," Lo added on smoothly, and La'kea watched in mild fascination at how the twins seemed to speak from the same mind. "Keep an open mind."

"Give it a chance."

"And it can help you understand yourselves and each other."

One of them held up a smoothed stone, "The beach has a special way..."

"Of smoothing away even the most ragged edges."

La'kea shuddered but Azula yawned in boredom, seemingly used to their cryptic speeches. The elder twins clapped their hands in unison, and with a flourish threw off their pink robes, revealing their sagging bodies. "Time to hit the beach!".

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The beach was so much more crowded than the islander anticipated, scowling at the ash colored sand that felt course and rough beneath her feet. La'kea trailed behind the princess closely, saddled with a beach towel for her and an umbrella. Looking past Azula, she noticed a handful of people surfing out on the waves and her heart ached painfully.

As the princess led their group, looking for a suitable spot from the water, La'kea couldn't help but compare the princess to the way a lion-tiger stalked. Azula set her sights on a spot already occupied by two children happily building a sand castle, and quickly staked her claim by slamming her foot into their creation.

La'kea noticed the people around them quickly scooting away as the children ran with a cry. "La'kea," Azula snapped, pointed a hand to the damp sand, "Dry this spot out for me."

The islander gave a curt nod, and slamming her foot down into the sand, thrust her arm forward. The water evaporating from the area, and she quickly laid out the princess towel, planting the umbrella at a position to provide her shade.

"Hey," A scrawny boy their age appeared at Ty Lee's side, "You need some help unpacking?"

The acrobat shrugged with a cheery smile as she dumped it into his arms, "Sure." The boy toppled to the ground under its weight, "Thanks."

The boy just grinned up at her as he dug through the bag, throwing aside random objects that La'kea had to scramble to pick back up again, until he finally found her towel and laid it out for her.

Witnessing this, Azula turned her head to the side with a small frown, glancing over at her slave that was kneeling beside her in the sun, waiting for her next order. "La'kea," She snapped, and then rolled her eyes with a wave of her hand. "Go get me something to drink."

At the princess words, La'kea quickly bowed before getting to her feet, dusting the grey sand off her legs and grabbing a small pouch of coins. Walking towards the snack bar set up at the back of the beach, she was uncomfortably aware of the eyes that followed her. Boys nudging each other as she passed and she vaguely wondered if they were pointing out the odd wraps covering her tattoos, or the various scars littering her limbs.

Zuko's eyes certainly hadn't left her since she had walked out of the beach house in swimwear. La'kea couldn't bring herself to finish what she started that night she visited him. It wasn't right. He hadn't pushed her, just gave her a soft kiss before she left, but his attention was caught now. Which she supposed was the goal.

La'kea was waiting in line patiently to place her order when the back of her neck tingled. Shuddering, she looked over her shoulder to see the prince standing just a few feet behind her in line. Blinking as she made eye contact, he opened his mouth slightly, but she quickly turned back around, trying her best to ignore him.

He cleared his throat, "You look nice." She inhaled sharply, folding her arms across herself as she kept facing forward. Footsteps shuffled forward in the sand behind her and she tensed her shoulder as his hand ghosted against her back. Turning her head to the side ever so slightly, as the world around them fell away and his warm breath fanned out across the back of her neck. A chill clawed it's back up her back.

"La'kea..." Zuko reached out for her but she stepped forward.

"Not here."

Quickly paying for the princess' drink, the islander sped walked past the prince, avoiding his eyes. Zuko rubbed a hand over his face. While nobody had said anything outright yet, the council was obviously vying for an heir from him produce with Lady Mai. Who was the most eligible woman at court. And while Mai was lovely, his heart was already in the hand of another.

La'kea bowed curtly as she arrived back at Azula's side, but the princess was standing on her feet, eyes trained on the kuai ball court. She took one sip of the drink her handmaiden had retrieved for her and set it aside. "Hey, beach bums, we're playing next. Ty Lee, get over here now!"

The acrobat rolled into a seamless handstand, walking towards the princess on her hands with ease and leaving the boys surrounding her in awe. A few feet away, Zuko got up from the underneath the umbrella and tossed aside his robe. Causing a group of girls nearby to giggle, ogling as they blushed, La'kea felt heated at that.

As they gathered around Azula, the princess turned towards her, "La'kea, since there are already four of us, you are going to referee."

She blinked, looking over to the boy already standing at the side of the net, "But... Someone's already there." The princess quickly solved that problem as they walked over to the court, scaring away the poor boy and allowing her handmaiden to take his place.

La'kea waited for both teams to get into their positions, she lifted her arm in the air and brought it down sharply, signaling the start of the game. Azula tossed the ball into the air with ease, leaping up and kicking it down at the opposing team. Who could only watch it slam into their side of the court in shock.

When the other team served it back over, Zuko rushed forward, sliding across the sand to kick the ball into the air. Allowing his sister to sprint towards it and knock the ball across the net with the back of her hand. It bounced off the sand on the other side, and the spectators had to duck to avoid getting hit with the rebound.

The islander ran over to go retrieve it from where it rolled to a stop in front of two teen boys, lounging idly on the sand. As she bent down to pick up the kuai ball, she could feel their eyes on her, they both flashed coy smiles. Her face felt warm under their gaze and quickly trotted back over to the court where the game commenced.

With a bright smile, Ty Lee leapt into the air, kicking down the ball before it had a chance to cross over, and landed on the top of the net gracefully. When the ball was served again, Mai ran forward, slamming her knee upwards to intercept the ball. Zuko leaned forward as Azula spring boarded off his back, rising into the air high enough to swing her leg around. Hitting the ball with such force that it left a smoking trail behind it and collided with the sand hard enough to make a considerable dent. La'kea gave the game to the princess.

Azula curled her hands in front of the burning net with a triumphant grin, "Yes, we defeated you for all time. You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation." She looked over at the group as her handmaiden handed her a drink, "Well, that was fun."

La'kea watched uneasily as the two boys from before approached them. The taller one spoke first, "I'm having a party tonight. You should come by."

"Sure," Ty Lee chirped with a dazzling smile. "I love parties."

The other boy, with hair of similar length to the prince, jerked his chin towards Mai and La'kea, "Your friends can come, too."

Azula finally walked forward, folding her arms across her chest, "What about me and my brother? Aren't you going to invite us?" Her eyes narrowed when they remained silent. "You don't know who we are, do you?"

"Don't you know who we are," The taller one retorted. "We're Chan and Ruon-Jian."

The princess held her arm out as her brother started stomping forward dangerously. La'kea glanced over at Mai tensely and was startled to find the noblewoman looking back at her. Panicking internally for a moment, she just shrugged in bewilderment, and Mai went back to staring off into the distance boredly.

Chan quirked a brow, "Fine, you're invited. Just so you know though, some of the most important teenagers in the Fire Nation are gonna be at this party so... Try and act normal."

"We'll do our best," Azula replied lowly, in a tone that made La'kea think she was plotting something evil. But the islander was starting to realize that was just her default tone.

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"Why didn't you tell those guys who we were," Zuko inquired from across the table where the group was eating dinner. La'kea circled the table, setting down various dishes of fruit and fish. She leaned down to refill Mai's glass with water with an easy smile.

Azula shrugged, "I guess I was intrigued. I'm so used to people worshiping us."

"They should," Ty Lee inputted.

"Yes, I know, and I love it." The princess agreed, "But for once I just wanted to see how people would treat us if they didn't know who we were." Her brother just looked down at his food and scowled.

"Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand," Li droned.

"Ember Island reveals the true you," Lo finished for her sister. The twins stood to their feet with a clap of the their hands. "To the party!"

Ty Lee giggled, rising to her feet, "Azula, can I borrow your handmaiden?"

The princess waved her hand, not even looking at them, "Fine."

The acrobat seized La'keas wrist and dragged her up the stairs, for such a small little frame, the lady was of surprising strength. She sat before the vanity after laying out her clothes on the bed, and started undoing her braid. "Could you help me brush my hair out?"

La'kea nodded silently, clumsily struggling to help her undo the braid with fingers that wouldn't quite bend right. Ty Lee noticed this as she passed the brush behind her, "What happened to your hands?"

The islander swallowed thickly, choking as she found the right words to say. "My wrists were damaged... I can't heal the muscle."

"Oh," The acrobat looked mildly somber, a peculiar expression on her normally happy face. "I'm sorry to hear about that... Why did Azula chose you to be her handmaiden?"

It was startling to hear someone, even a noble, speak of the princess so casually. She worked the knots out of her hair gently, watching them come out much easier than her own hair. "I helped them, Prince Zuko and the Princess, take down the Avatar in Ba Sing Se."

"Ooh, I heard about that!" She handed back a ribbon for the islander to secure her new braid. "Is it true you spent three years with Zuko during his banishment?"

La'kea hoped Ty Lee didn't notice her wince, "Yes."