This chapter is dedicated to Ghost_Guard_13
A/N
If you're wondering if there will be a time skip soon the answer is not until a three more chapters. The reason is because of the plot, these next few chapters are important. Also there's no reason to rush the process. I don't write rushed fanfictions (if you've read my Tokyo Ghoul fanfictions you'll understand why), I prefer putting effort into gradually shaping the story. So yeah lol, this is gonna be one long ass fanfiction 😂
And right now you and Zuko are just close friends, although he does have a small crush on you, you're both still 11 so no romantic stuff until later, have some cookies in the meantime
*offers cookies*
So far I've been updating once every two days or so, I'll try to keep this momentum up. Two updates per week.
Thanks for reading, please don't forget to vote, votes and comment's motivate me to get new chapters out faster
🤝🏽❤️👑
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"Again." Li and Lo ordered in unison.
(Y/N) felt sweat trickling down the corner of her brow. She wiped it and got into a basic firm stance. She had been attempting this form for an hour but still wasn't near the impeccable movements that were acceptable to Li and Lo. They taught her etiquette as well as bending. Although (Y/N)'s skills were already far more advanced than most bender, Li and Lo pointed out that she lacked control in her movements that were otherwise erratic and ferocious.
Her hair was tied up into a messy bun, chubby cheeks rosy, breathing shallow. She was dressed in simple red sparring attire.
It was midday and the sky was clear. They were outside in a clearing that was used for training, the floor was covered in concrete slabs in a large circle, Li and Lo stood by the pillars surrounding the training area.
There were soldiers all around the vicinity, each within a one meter radius of each other. During her training that was when security was buffed up, she noticed. They watched her closely, mesmerized by the sheer amount of flames she could wield. Her bending was different. The flames she produced were large and extending 6 meters before her even though she was just practicing forms. Her movements had grace but were strong and resolute; like a dragon. It made them both respect and fear the girl.
Her bending flames were light yellow, as pure as gold and as hot as the burning sun. The guards watched her bend with awe, they'd been guarding her for three weeks and two days now, although rumors had spread beyond the palace walls of a powerful deadly fire bender ordained be Fire Lord Azulon himself dubbed the Dragoness, there was nothing dangerous about the girl, she seemed harmless and peaceful most of the time.
They all watched as she clenched her fist. It didn't matter how many times she did this stupid form, it seemed basic enough but her body was heavy when she spun to finish the form. (Y/N) knew every universal form of fire bending by instinct, it was in her nature. This technique was different; fire bending techniques had evolved over the last hundred years.
She spread her hand out and thrust her right fist forward. A massive wave of fire extended from her fist, making the guards at the receiving end inch back from the heat. She whirled and kicked, feeling energy pass from the center of her head to the base of her foot, just as Li and Lo had instructed. Turning around she swiped her hand in a circular movement, creating a large ring of fire twice her width.
Li and Lo nodded in approval.
(Y/N) then swiped her hand between the circle of flames, directing them to her right and left hand before whirling around and finally spreading her palms in a firm stance where her right knee was bent and her left leg extended; the flames raced out of each palm, like extensions of her arm.
"Good." Li said.
The young girl grinned widely, turning to the two elder twins. She was panting by now, her body felt sticky from all the sweating.
"But not good enough, Young Dragon." Lo added.
(Y/N)'s grin dropped and she stifled a groan.
The exercise continued for another half an hour before the twins were even remotely satisfied.
Later in the afternoon, after a shower she walked through the royal courtyard, four guards trailing behind, with Li and Lo who were telling her stories about how bomb they were in their youth. (Y/N) paled, struggling to imagine these two elders being younger than they looked now.
"We were considered the most beautiful duo." Lo reminisced.
"Not just in the Fire Nation only." Li quipped, smiling with her eyes closing shut.
(Y/N) chuckled. "I bet."
When they weren't being stuck up perfectionists on cutlery and bending forms, they were comforting to be around. Their aura was strong; they weren't outwardly good, but they weren't bad like the Fire Lord either, they simply served their nation and were loyal to the Royal Family.
They walked through a pathway leading past the royal garden. (Y/N) shot her eyes across the green landscape, hoping to spot Zuko, or anyone so she could escape this verbal torture.
"Our youthful days were quite promiscuous, Young Dragon." Lo nodded.
"So many boys and men wanted us," Li said.
"Women too," Lo added cheekily, giving her a playful side look.
The both sighed as if thinking about their past brought bittersweet memories.
(Y/N) died on the inside.
Luckily she spotted a figure in the distance by the pond; definitely Zuko.
"It was great talking about uhhh, all that we've been talking about but- wait what's that," she turned around as if hearing something, "I think I hear Zuko calling me so I will be going now."
Li and Lo smiled identically at her.
She bowed respectfully, "Thank you for the training."
Then she dashed towards the garden, a wide smile etched on her face.
Li and Lo watched as she ran over, slowing her pace behind the contemplating Prince. He looked deep in thought as he stared at the petals of the nearby cherry blossom fall onto the small pond. (Y/N) stayed behind him and covered his eyes.
He grinned instantly and said something. She giggled and released her hands, jumping next to him revealing that he was right with his guess. He smiled at her like she was the only star in the sky; full of wonder and awe.
(Y/N) plopped down next to him on the grass, pulling her headband off so her (H/C) hair could finally breathe. It scattered behind her and fanned around her small frame.
"I had the craziest conversation with the elders Li and Lo." She shuddered at the memory.
Zuko chuckled. "Don't pay attention to anything they say, I bet you 5 gold pieces it's all made up."
(Y/N) snorted. "I would take you on that bet but I don't have any use for 5 gold pieces."
Taking out a piece of bread from his pocket, he turned to her quizzically. "Everyone has use for money, I heard ring daggers cost 15 silver coins."
(Y/N) scrunched her brows in confusion. "What would you do with ring daggers?"
He shrugged and handed her half of the bread. "I dunno, more than you can do with 5 gold pieces apparently."
She chuckled and sat up, taking the bread he offered. "I'm only saying that because I don't need money. I only ever travelled here once a season, and usually I don't stick around longer than a week."
They started breaking their breads into tiny pieces.
"What if you get hungry?"
"I'm usually always in the Spirit World and I don't get hungry there, I mean I can eat if I want to but I don't need food to survive. I eat here because, virtually, I'm a human when I'm stuck here."
"Whoa." Zuko uttered.
They both gathered the pieces of bread they broke off and tossed them into the pond. The ducks swam up to the two, the water surface under their feathers rippling as they bit the pieces of bread.
The two smiled intently, watching the ducks pick out the bread pieces. The afternoon sun shimmered across the water, piercing through the petals of the cherry blossom tree next to them.
After that dinner two nights ago, neither had spoken about what happened. It wasn't something Zuko wanted to talk about and (Y/N) certainly wasn't going to make him relive that devastating moment by bringing it up again. So they silently agreed, almost telepathically, that when he finished crying and when she leaned on his shoulder, that that was the last solace on that subject.
"Where'd you go if you had freedom?" (Y/N) asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
Zuko turned to her, confused by her question. "What do you mean?"
"If you could go anywhere, where would you go?" She asked with clarity.
"Anywhere," he answered almost instantly, "I'd travel the world. Even to the furthest parts of the South Pole."
"Aaand the perfect answer goes tooo Prince Zuko of the fire nation!" She announced loudly with the energy of an Earth Bending ring master.
Zuko stood up and bowed towards the ducks.
(Y/N) laughed.
When he sat down she said. "They have penguins in the South Pole, I used to go penguin sledding seasons ago."
"Is it fun?" Zuko asked eagerly.
"Of course it is! There is no feeling that comes close to penguin sledding."
"Sounds awesome! What about you? Where would you go if..." Zuko's voice trailed off and he instantly regretted it the moment the words came out of his mouth.
The life in (Y/N)'s eyes disappeared in that instant. Zuko immediately lowered his head to apologize.
"I-I'm sorry (Y/N), I didn't mean to."
"Oh no it's okay!" She said sheepishly, smiling cutely. Strands of her (H/C) hair flew against her cheeks, stirred by the wind.
"No I was a jerk for asking I'm sorry, I just-we were talking and it just came out I didn't mean to-"
"Zuko." She said sternly, stopping his somewhat adorable rambling.
His eyes met hers. She didn't look at all offended, but he still felt like a jerk.
"To answer your question," she continued, "I would first go cliff-diving before returning home to the Spirit World."
"Cliff-diving? What's that?"
"It's where you jump off a cliff." (Y/N) said slowly, blinking.
Zuko looked even more confused. "But isn't that dangerous?"
(Y/N) smirked. "Not if you have dragon."
"Hisashi, right?"
She paled. She hadn't told Zuko about Hisashi.
"I just figured because you named the dragon I made for you Hisashi." Zuko quickly said, cheeks turning red. From a jerk to a creep in less than five minutes. Great.
She seemed impressed. "Pretty good deduction skills. And you'd like Hisashi, I think you'd both get along well."
"What's the spirit world like?" It was a question that he had been curious about for weeks.
"It's free. Unrestricted, it's home. It feels different from this one. Some spirits are territorial and dangerous, others are beautiful and welcoming." She explained.
His gaze softened. "It sounds beautiful."
She smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. It was a small pained smile and it disappeared as fast as it came, replaced by a more cheerful one. If Zuko wasn't paying attention he would've never caught it.
"I'll take you. We could go cliff diving and maybe even see the Spirit World if you want, but only if you let me come with you on your journey around the world." She added.
Zuko grinned and extended his hand. "Deal?"
She shook his hand, "Deal."
A promise was made here, between a Fire Nation Prince and a Child of the Forest.
A gust of wind blew by, tousling her long (H/C) hair against her rosy cheeks and scattering cherry blossom petals at its wake.
Two petals separated from the group, swept by the wind as they swirled around each other, in a playful elusive dance. They whirled around, chasing each other before the wind split their journey into two; one rushing East towards the Palace gates joined by a flurry of dry leaves and cherry blossom petals, and another towards the West. The wind carried this lone petal towards two onlookers who were watching this scene unfold.
Lo and Li were certainly not being less than creepy, standing in the distance by the balcony area near the garden. They had been watching the young prince and the spirit, in turn witnessing a pact that both of them knew would never reach fruition.
"They are so innocent and pure." Lo said.
Li nodded, "But things will change when they get older,"
"They are like oil and water."
"Destined to separate."