Flames Of Fate (Zuko X Reader)

Chapter Thirty Six: A New Azula

As Zuko was escorted into the grand palace, the reactions of those around him were a mix of astonishment and relief.

They bowed lower than usual, as if he had been away for an extended period. The palace servants, while diligently tending to his cuts from the previous day, gazed at him in sheer awe. Their words echoed with happiness, expressing their relief that he had returned safely.

It felt as though he had been absent for days, even though it had only been a single day. This peculiar sensation lingered within him.

After an hour of meticulous grooming by the servants, Zuko took it upon himself to go find Azula and annoy her to lighten his mood. As evil as she may seem sometimes, Azula really was the only true companion he had.

She could burn the world down and he’d still love her; of course, he’d knock some sense into her first but he’d still forgive her somehow. She was his sister after all.

As he strode through the palace halls toward the west wing, he struggled to keep his thoughts from (Y/N). While he was being attended to, all he could think about was the hurt expression that briefly crossed her face when he corrected her. It was as if a tight rope had coiled around his stomach, and the more he dwelled on her, the more it constricted, suffocating him and stirring his emotions. His jaw clenched with unresolved thoughts.

There were so many unanswered questions, so many things he wished to say to her, but there never seemed to be enough time. The moment she had smiled and looked up at him in her temple, he had felt like he had his (Y/N) back. However, that euphoric moment had prevented him from asking the real questions—questions about why it seemed like Scylla was an entirely different person, questions about her mysterious disappearance...questions whose answers he knew he would dread.

He felt like a coward for not asking those questions, but now they hardly mattered. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why was (Y/N) like this? Did she truly want nothing to do with him? The problem was, despite everything, he still cared about her more deeply than he should have—probably more than a friend should.

The moment he walked into Azula's room without invitation, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He found her sitting by her elegant dresser, facing the mirror, and holding what appeared to be a delicate porcelain doll. She was pretending to brush the doll's hair with a real brush, even though the doll was made of soft cotton.

"Hey, dork," Zuko chirped and casually plopped onto her luxuriously soft bed. "I'm back. I bet you missed having someone to push around yesterday."

He bounced lightly on the bed.

Azula continued to brush the doll's hair, her attention focused solely on the small doll in her hand. For Zuko, seeing a doll in Azula's hand was as unfamiliar as witnessing his father cradling a duckling. Yet, her touch was surprisingly gentle, as if she had a hidden fondness for it. It was strange since Azula had always shown a strong dislike to dolls; he would even go as far as to say she hated dolls.

"Was Father upset when (Y/N)'s dragon flew away with us? I'm going to apologize when he summons me. Hopefully, he doesn't chew my head off," Zuko said, wincing at the thought of getting yelled at.
His question was met with silence.

The eerie silence lingered in the room, making it feel increasingly awkward. Usually by now she’d turn around and hurl a fireball his way or at least berate him with her high-pitched voice and daggered words. Instead, she was unusually calm and focused on fixing the dolls hair into a high bun. But instead, she remained oddly calm, meticulously styling the doll's hair into a perfect bun.

"Earth to Azula, did you grow deaf while I was away?" Zuko called out, his confusion mounting.

He wasn't accustomed to his sister being so disturbingly tranquil and quiet in his presence. There was none of their usual playful and annoying banter, leaving Zuko stunned that she wasn't launching into endless teasing remarks about his absence with (Y/N).