Flame of the Heart - Book 1 // Zuko

Chapter 7

"SLAVE!" Azula yelled the moment she entered her room.

Shira looked up from where she was sitting on the floor at the end of the bed. It had been almost two years since she had been enslaved into Azula's services and since then, some things had changed. She and Zuko still met whenever they could but since that night that Shira gave Zuko the diary, nothing had passed between them other than the things of two close friends. After some persuasion on Ursa's part, Azula was instructed to not tie Shira up unless Shira was in trouble. However, now Shira had to sleep on the floor but that was better than being tied up. Also, whenever Azula wasn't in the room, she had to sit cross-legged at the end of Azula's bed until needed.

"Get my hair all dolled up! There is going to be an Agni Kai today!"

Shira flinched at the mention of the gruesome dual, but she obeyed, getting up and situating the hair materials as she began to brush Azula's hair.

"Aren't you the least bit interested?" Azula snapped, "Not even going to ask me what it is about?"

Shira bowed her head in apology, "Forgive me your highness. What started this dual?"

Azula smirked evilly into the mirror, "My brother."
Shira knew that if she stiffened or froze that Azula would suspect something, so she didn't, but she clenched her toes inside her sandals. Zuko! What happened?

"He was in the war council room and spoke up against one of the general's ideas."

Shira bit her lip, glad that Azula was too busy looking at her nails to notice. Of course, Zuko would do something like that. She expected no less of him.

"Who do you think will win the Agni Kai your highness?" Shira inquired.

"Probably not my brother. What do you think?"

Shira shrugged, "I do not know the strength of your brother, nor of the man he must fight against... I wouldn't know."
Azula nodded, "Rightly so. You wouldn't know."

Shira bowed her head and just managed to remove her hands from Azula's hair before the girl tried to singe Shira's hands by catching her hair on fire.

After Azula had doused her hair, Shira continued. When she finished, Azula changed into a clean outfit before heading out of the room. She paused in the doorway to give Shira an evil smirk.

"He's fighting against my father. Don't be surprised if you are called to help bury him!"
With that, the princess left, leaving Shira shaking violently in fear.... The king! Zuko was going to get killed!

On the other side of the door, Azula smirked before looking up into a pair of golden eyes who smiled evilly down at her. Azula smiled, "It's done. She knows."

******

Zuko sighed as he knelt in the ring, waiting for his opponent. He wished it would just be over with so he could go visit Shira that night. They had agreed to meet on the roof, one of their favorite meeting spots. Suddenly, he heard the faint footsteps of his opponent behind him and turned to face him, the towel falling off his shoulders.... But he froze.

The man standing at the other end of the ring was not the general.... But.... His father?

"Father?" Zuko asked, shocked.

Meanwhile, Shira had managed to escape Azula's room and was rushing as quickly as she could towards where she knew the Agni Kai was being held.

She only hoped that she got there in time to warn Zuko... before he faced his father. She knew Zuko wouldn't go up against his father but she also knew that Lord Ozai was not a forgiving man, therefore she knew he would no doubt not pardon Zuko even if the boy begged forgiveness.