"What took you so long?" Princess Azula sat up in her bed and scowled at me. "You didn't honestly expect me to dress myself, did you? Don't mistake my kindness for weakness. I didn't have to allow you to live." I didn't reply. I grabbed her robe from its hook and held it up for her to put on as she climbed out of her massive bed. "Are you ignoring me? I don't like this attitude of yours."

I turned and bowed, dryly saying, "My apologies, Princess Azula. I'm simply tired, that's all."

"I don't want to hear your pitiful excuses," she waved dismissively. "Where is my breakfast?"

I grabbed the hairbrush from her vanity and began to brush through the knots in her hair. "The cooks are preparing it as we speak."

"You seem incapable of understanding your situation," she said. "You serve me. If I demand anything, you should have it done before I even complete my sentence. I will you mercy this one time, but should you mess up, I will not hesitate to banish just as we did Zuko. Do you understand?"

I nodded. "Absolutely, Princess Azula." The knot in my stomach only grew larger. I was riled up from my argument with my once-best friend, and all I wanted to do was scream. It just wasn't fair. None of this was fair. Why was I forced to come here? Why was I the one that had to cater to someone that made my childhood insufferable?

Azula snatched the brush from my hand and glared at me. "You idiot! How dare disrespect me so much as to pull out my hair!" She was right. In the bristles of the brush was a good chunk of her hair, no longer connected to her scalp. "Get out! Get out!" Her face was as red as the decor of the palace. I hurried out of the room as quickly as possible. As much as I wanted to feel guilty or wanted to fear whatever consequences she would bestow upon me, I only felt relief. Even if it was an accident, it felt like a victory to enact some sort of revenge. 

I walked to the garden with a faint smile on my face. I sat by the turtle-duck pond and watched the water. I watched how it rippled as the turtle-ducks swam around after their mother, how the reflections distorted with every movement. I began bending a fraction of the water in a crystal-clear orb in the air in front of me. I stared at my reflection in silence. Same blue eyes, same dark skin, even darker hair. I looked the same, so why did I feel so different? Before I traveled with the Avatar, I never would've yelled at Zuko like I did. I never would've caused a scene like I did in the kitchen with the rest of the palace's staff. I never had the feelings of resentment and loathing towards myself and others like I did then. The orb suddenly shattered into droplets, showering down into my lap. Only inches from my head, the tree had a scorched spot. To my right, Azula and Mai were coming towards me with furious expressions.

"You continue to defy me!" Azula yelled. 

"What are you talking about?" I asked, scrambling to my feet.

Mai held a fan of blades between her thumb and index finger. "You know exactly what we're talking about," she said. "We warned you to stay away from Zuko."

"How did you—"

"Gossip spreads through the palace fast," Mai frowned. "You should've listened." She rose her hand to fling the blades and make me into an over-sized pin cushion. Azula's fingertips sparked with a blue lightening bolt. I bent the water from my clothes and prepared to fight back, only for Zuko to suddenly come running in between us.

"Leave her alone," he commanded.

Mai's expression didn't change. She looked at me, then at Zuko, then at me again. 

Zuko repeated, "Leave." 

There was a long pause before Mai and Azula finally stood down. They gave me a final look of warning before leaving me and Zuko alone in the garden. I didn't say anything to Zuko after the girls left, not even a Thank You. I'd nothing to say to him anymore. However, he seemed to have something to say to me.

"I've been thinking about everything you said," he told me as I sat back down. "I'm sorry. For bringing you here without giving you much of a choice. You hated it here, and you still do— I know that. I just... I wanted you to be here with me. I thought things could be how they were when we were kids."

"We aren't children anymore, Zuko," I replied. 

"I know," he said. "I know... I just want us to be okay..." He looked at me. Are we okay?"

Maybe I should've said no. Maybe I should have yelled and reinforced the fact that he was being selfish for bringing me here just for the chance of things being how they were almost four years ago. Instead, for the sake of finally having peace between us, I said, "We're okay." He gave a small smile and reached over to hug me, but I put my hand on his chest to stop me. "Your girlfriend wouldn't like that."

"Right..." He looked disappointed.

I stood up and rested a hand on his shoulder. Seeing his somber expression, I bent over and kissed the top of his head before walking back into the palace.