Archive of Our Own

Chen isn’t new to working in large homes for rich clients. When he was just thirteen years old he started doing any work he could in order to help provide for his family. That work consisted of running errands, cleaning houses, working on yards, and just about any other menial labor that the rich were willing to pay a child very little money to do. 

But, Chen supposes those years of frustrating work have given him enough credible experience for this new job of his. A very well paying and more respectable job at that, too. 

That is to say, Chen has gone from cleaning his rich neighbors’ homes in exchange for little pay, to now working in the palace for a pretty nice paycheck that all but ensures his family’s ability to pay their bills. 

If Chen had been a bender, been a better fighter, been more clever, he could have joined the army when he came of age and supported his family that way. But, he’s not a bender, he’s not a particularly good fighter, and while he’s always had decent grades, he’s not sure he’s clever enough to overlook his other faults. So, he’d had to help his family in any other way he could, which is how he ended up working in houses anyway. 

But, he supposes it’s worked out rather nicely for him in the end. The war is over, times are heading towards peace, and he doesn’t have to feign shame for not being able to become a soldier. Instead, he can reap the benefits that came from their new Fire Lord more or less starting the staff from scratch after ridding all of the die-hard Ozai supporters with a sweet new job that he’s only a little nervous about taking.

(Fire Lord Zuko may be all about peace and ending wars and fighting, but he’s still Ozai’s son. Chen doesn’t think Fire Lord Zuko would be as cruel as his father, but he’s not going to be putting that theory to test any time soon.)

Regardless of his nerves and his parent’s endless warning to be careful in there , Chen thinks working in the palace is a risk worth taking. Even though he’s starting at a low level, the pay is more than he’s ever had, and the thought that his parents won’t have to work as hard, and his little brothers can keep going to school instead of worrying about working, makes his job of walking around the palace grounds and dusting every single painting and tapestry worth it. 

Sure, the sneezing from all the dust sucks, but it’s a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. Who would have thought there could be so many paintings in the palace? Chen is both horrified and kind of impressed. 

Of course, it’s a month into this job, when Chen has found his rhythm, is feeling confident in his place here, and has even made work friends, that everything goes wrong. 

Chen has figured out the most efficient route to take throughout the palace to find all the things he has to dust without getting lost and without having to walk through the entire palace. The first week he was working here, he followed around one of the more seasoned workers, one of the ones who hadn’t quit or was fired, so that he could get a feel for the layout of the palace. The other worker had shown him a few shortcuts and pathways to use that would make getting around the palace a lot easier, and Chen had even found a few of his own to utilize. 

Unfortunately, now that he’s no longer in danger of getting lost or wandering into someplace he’s not supposed to be, Chen’s been doing this route alone. Which of course, only makes it worse when he inevitably messes things up.

Chen had decided on his first day that the long, lone stretch of hallway, home only to a large portrait of Fire Lord Sozin, was his least favorite place in the whole palace. He swore the hallway itself was void of any warmth, all the light being sucked into the torches lining the walls, leaving the hallway feeling cold and dark despite the fire making light. Chen is sure that the eyes of Fire Lord Sozin follow him as he walks, and judge him as he dusts the dead man's portrait. The thing radiates negative energy, the same negative energy he’s sure Fire Lord Sozin had when he was alive.

The point is, Chen hates it, and he doesn’t like to spend any more time than necessary in the same area as it. 

Chen saves dusting this portrait until last for this very reason. He can take his time on the others, which conveniently keeps him away from this one for longer, and because it’s his last one, he can find his supervisor and tell her he’s finished as soon as he rushes through it. He hasn’t dared to skip it, just in case someone finds out and he gets in trouble, but no one has said anything about him rushing through it. 

(Chen thinks the portrait gives everyone the creeps, and that’s why no one has said anything about him spending less than five minutes to clean a portrait that takes up a large portion of the hallway.)

Today is just like every other day Chen has been at the palace. He arrives in the morning, checks in with his supervisor, leaves his things in his designated spot in the servants’ quarters, says hello to the few people he’s talked to more than once, gathers his cleaning supplies, and gets to work. Around midday, his supervisor finds him and tells him to take a break, and he makes his way back to the servants’ quarters, eats lunch with a girl named Maya who works in the laundry room but seems to be there the same hours as him. After lunch, he gets back to work, not reaching The Portrait until late afternoon. 

Today, though, things go wrong while he’s working with the portrait. 

Since it takes up so much of the wall, Chen has to get a small stool in order to be able to reach the top to wipe off all the dust. But, when he’s climbing down the stool, his feet somehow get tangled in the rungs, causing him to fall to the floor. 

While trying to stop himself from falling, Chen had been flailing his arms in a desperate attempt to regain his balance. All his flailing manages to do, however, is smack his arm into one of the torches lining the wall. The force of his arm hitting the torch causes it to fall from its holder. Chen watches from the floor in horror as the torch falls, and somehow, somehow, on its way down, the flame touches the portrait of Fire Lord Sozin. Which then begins to catch fire . Chen feels like he’s watching everything happen in slow motion as the portrait is slowly being eaten up by flames. The portrait of Fire Lord Sozin is on fire holy shit. 

Chen thinks he’s going to faint. 

Instead, he jumps up, still tangled in the damned stool, he swears he’s never using it again, and desperately looks around for something to put out the flame. If he was a bender, he could stop the fire easily, but he’s not a bender, shit what is he going to do? A little way down the hallway, he spots a potted plant that for reasons he’s not going to question, is also here in this lone hallway. Without thought, Chen grabs it and runs back to the portrait that’s still on fire . He takes the plant from the pot, relieved to find some water in the bottom. He’s staring at the fire, trying to figure out where to toss the water that will hopefully put out a majority of, if not all of, the fire. He’s just about to toss it when a voice speaks from behind him. 

“Well, this looks dangerous.”

A startled shout escapes his throat and Chen whirls around to see who’s behind him. The momentum causes the water to fly out of the pot and onto the person who spoke. 

Chen looks from the pot that betrayed him to the face of the person standing in front of him. 

To the face of Fire Lord Zuko. 

The soaked face of Fire Lord Zuko. 

Chen drops the pot in shock, he’s not even sure he’s breathing at this point. He’s panicking, though, that’s for sure. He’s just set a portrait of a previous Fire Lord on fire and then threw water on the current Fire Lord. Chen feels his chest tighten as thoughts of what his punishment could be flash through his mind. He could be fired, he could be banished, he could be arrested, he could be killed. He knows he needs to fall to his knees and start apologizing now to at least try and assuage some of the anger he knows is coming. But, he feels like he’s paralyzed with fear and all he can do is stare at Fire Lord Zuko with wide, terrified eyes. 

“That was a bit unexpected,” Fire Lord Zuko says, wiping water from his eyes. And Chen…

Chen faints. 

When he comes to, he’s very confused. Chen is laying on something soft, what feels like a cool cloth resting on his forehead. For a moment, he doesn’t remember what happened or where he is. He thinks, at first, that he’s at home in bed, and has the flashing thought of oh I’m gonna be late for work. 

And then he remembers. Falling, fire, finding water, and then Fire Lord Zuko. 

Chen shoots up with a gasp, looking around wildly, certain that he’s in a prison cell. Except, when he looks around the room he’s in, he’s not met with the cold and dark walls of a cell, but the warm and soft light of what he thinks is the infirmary. Chen starts when a hand enters his field of vision, catching the cloth that was indeed on his forehead.

“Good, you’re awake. I was starting to get a little worried,” the voice says. Chen recognizes that voice, though, and dread flows through him. No way , he thinks desperately, closing his eyes and trying to will the voice away. There’s no way. It can’t be him. 

Chen takes a breath and steels himself, looking to the side. Only to be met with the sight of Fire Lord Zuko sitting calmly by his bedside. 

Chen wonders if Fire Lord Zuko would take mercy on him if he fainted again. 

“Are you feeling well?” Fire Lord Zuko asks, oblivious to the turmoil happening in Chen’s head. Or maybe he knows and is just torturing him more by playing dumb. “I don’t think you hit your head, but does it hurt?”

Chen thinks Fire Lord Zuko actually sounds concerned, and it’s throwing him for a loop because he should be in trouble. He should be getting punished. Why is no one yelling at him? And why hasn't Chen said anything yet?

“Fire Lord Zuko,” Chen begins, attempting to slide off the bed so he can kneel down, but frankly he’s still a bit lightheaded, so it’s more of a tumble than a slide. He manages to kneel, though. “I’m so sorry for what happened. I’m not sure how it happened, how I managed to mess up that badly, but I’m so sorry. I should’ve been more careful. Please, have mercy.”

Chen forces himself to keep quiet and not keep repeating apologies that he’s sure Fire Lord Zuko doesn’t want to hear. He keeps his head lowered to the floor, not daring to look up into Fire Lord Zuko’s face. He hopes he’s not about to be in as much trouble as he expects. 

Fire Lord Zuko sighs, and Chen cringes at the sound. When he speaks, Fire Lord Zuko’s voice is… soft? Quiet? Chen’s not sure but he doesn’t sound angry. Disappointed maybe, and that makes Chen feel even worse. 

“Sit back down, please,” Fire Lord Zuko says. A hand is placed gently on Chen’s shoulder, and he flinches at first, before realizing the hand is simply urging him out of his kneeling position. Chen feels awkward sitting back down on the bed, but he doesn’t want to disobey either. Chen shuffles to his feet, hesitantly sitting himself on the edge of the bed, ready to slip back down at a moment’s notice. 

“Look, Chen- uh, your name is Chen, right?” Fire Lord Zuko asks once he’s seated. Chen cringes once again. 

“Yes, sir,” he confirms, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Great, uh, Chen could you look at me?”

Looking Fire Lord Zuko in the eye after everything he’s done today is the last thing he wants to do. But again, he doesn’t want to disobey either. Chen slowly raises his gaze enough to meet Fire Lord Zuko’s. 

“I’m going to make one thing very clear, here,” Fire Lord Zuko says once Chen meets his gaze. His voice is solid and serious, and Chen swears all the warmth leaves his body, his hands start to shake, and he wonders if his eyes are showing how afraid he is at this moment. Fire Lord Zuko places a hand on Chen’s shoulder, and Chen freezes, unable to move even if he wanted to. He’s gotten into a few fights before, what young boy during wartime hasn’t? But he’s never fought a firebender, and this is the Fire Lord. If he chooses to hurt Chen right now, there’s nothing he could do to defend himself. 

“You are not in trouble,” comes out of Fire Lord Zuko’s mouth. Chen is sure he’s heard wrong. 

“I- What? I- I don't understand,” blurts out of Chen before he can stop himself. 

“You are not in trouble,” Fire Lord Zuko repeats. “No punishment, no consequences, nothing like that. You’re not in trouble.”

“But- but why ?” he can’t help but ask.

“Because I saw you fall,” Fire Lord Zuko says simply. “I saw you try to fix it. I saw it was an accident.”

“But, I set a portrait of Fire Lord Sozin on fire, ” Chen doesn’t know why he’s arguing about this when he’s just gotten out punishment free, but he’s confused. Fire Lord Zuko looks like he’s struggling to hold back a smile, for Spirit’s sake, what is going on here?

“That you did,” Fire Lord Zuko says, nodding. “But you also tried to put it out, so.”

“So, I’m not in trouble?” Chen asks hesitantly. 

“No, you’re not,” Fire Lord Zuko confirms with a small sort of smile. 

“Besides,” Fire Lord Zuko continues, standing and making his way over to a water pitcher in a corner, pouring two cups and handing one to Chen. “I never like that painting anyway. You did me a favor really.”

Later, when Chen leaves to go home after having a slightly mortifying and almost surreal conversation with his supervisor and Fire Lord Zuko, where the Fire Lord made clear to everyone that Chen was in no way going to be punished, the only clear thought he had was I really wasn’t expecting that. 

Akeno never thought that anything would come from him lamenting his situation while at work. He thought maybe he’d get some sympathy, or perhaps some advice from his peers. 

He’d never thought the actual Fire Lord would hear him and offer to help. 

(In hindsight, perhaps, it’s not the most outrageous thing, considering everyone seems to love Fire Lord Zuko. But at the time, Akeno had never been more surprised.)

Akeno has only been working in the kitchens for a few months now, but he thinks he’s grown close to his coworkers. He and his wife only recently moved to the capital in an attempt to find better work, and Akeno was lucky enough to snatch up one of the open positions after Fire Lord Zuko… cleaned house, so to speak. 

The smaller town they were in previously hadn't held much in terms of options. Akeno had been working in a small bakery, not the best job but also not the worst. His wife, Michi, had been mostly staying at home to take care of their children but took mending and sewing jobs occasionally for some extra money on the side. 

Akeno isn’t quite sure how he managed to snag this job in the first place. He’s sure there were people who had more experience and expertise than him who could’ve gotten the job instead. But, never one to look a gift ostrich-horse in the mouth, Akeno’s not questioning it too much and intends to keep this job for as long as possible. 

Unfortunately, not everything has been so easy since they moved to the capital. Their son, Taro, has had a bit of a hard time adjusting to living in such a different environment. Of course, he’s only ten so some difficulties should have been expected, but he still seems to be struggling months later. Akeno had thought he might be more excited to live in a city where there are more children his age and enjoy the bustle that the capital provides, seeing as the small town they had been in before was often quiet and could be considered boring. 

It seems that he and Michi misjudged how shy Taro actually is. 

And it seems like school isn’t exactly helping the matters either. 

(Actually, school seems to be the main problem, but Akeno has no idea how to fix that. His son is struggling and miserable, and he has no idea how to help, what kind of a father is he?) 

And it’s not like their younger daughter Minji was having the same problems. In fact, she seemed to be flourishing in the new environment, coming home every day excitedly talking about her new friends and what she learned in class. Minji, a sprite six years old, was thriving where her brother was floundering, and they had no idea what to do. 

Since the town where they lived before didn’t have many children, they didn’t have a school. Michi had tried her best to teach the kids from home, giving them the basics of reading and writing, but they both knew that going to an actual school would be good for them. But, it seems that attending a school, and one in the capital no less, is causing Taro to struggle more than they expected. 

The poor kid hasn’t seemed to have made many friends yet, probably due to the fact that the only other kid he’d spent the most time with was his little sister. It didn’t seem that he was completely blocking himself off from others, though, since he occasionally waved to other kids when they were at the markets. But, he never asks to go play with friends outside of school hours, or relays stories of what he and any possible friends got up to like Minji did. 

As if that wasn’t enough to worry about, Taro was also having trouble academically. 

They really should have expected that, considering he’d only been homeschooled before this. When they enrolled Taro in school, the headmaster assured them that they would catch Taro up to where the other kids were and help him wherever necessary. 

Akeno should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.

At first, it seemed like Taro’s teacher and the headmaster were helping, but it’s clear now that their version of helping is not what Taro needs at all. They had started by giving him different work than the other kids in an attempt to catch him up a bit while still feeling like he was involved in class, and then had him start staying after school so he could do even more work. However, the after school work seemed to mostly just consist of giving him reading or problems to do without actually explaining anything. This resulted in Taro becoming ostracized from the other kids with both in classwork and anything to do with after school, and wasn’t actually helping him learn. 

Last month, on his and Michi’s request, they stopped holding him after school and instead sent him home with the work. They didn’t do it willingly, though, and his teacher kicked up a right fuss about it, but ultimately relented. 

(Akeno thinks that he’s been sending Taro home with more work than normal as retaliation. Akeno kind of wants to punch Taro’s teacher in the face for how he’s been treating his son, but Akeno’s holding back.)

So, they’ve been trying to help Taro catch up on his own at home, trying to teach in different ways that the teacher won’t. He and Michi are able to explain things to him in different ways and with different techniques that help him retain the information better, but it doesn’t seem to matter much. 

(“He needs something more engaging,” Akeno had told his teacher once after Taro came home nearly in tears because of another failed test. “This sitting still in a desk, reading silently, and only doing things by the book isn’t helping him. He needs to be able to see what’s happening. Physical examples, not just reading a step by step guide.”

“I don’t see why he can’t just do things this way,” his teacher had argued. “Every other student does their lessons like this and they pass. Taro should be able to do it, too. He must not be trying hard enough.”

“ He is trying as hard as he can.” Akena had growled. “Your methods of teaching aren’t working for him. When we explain things to him at home using different methods, he understands. Then he comes here and has to do it your way and he can’t because he doesn’t understand it.”

“Right, and I’m sure you ‘helping’ him at home mostly consists of you giving him the answers. He does it the way I teach it, and he does it correctly, or he fails. Simple as that.”

Akeno had tried to get Taro switched to a different class after that, but was denied.)

“I just don’t know what to do,” Akeno is saying to Lei, an older woman who works in the kitchens as well, while the two prep for the upcoming week. Lei doesn’t have children of her own, but she’s never given him bad advice before, and she’s an open ear to talk to. Lei seems to be one of those older people who just happen to know everything, despite circumstances. It would be off-putting if it wasn’t so helpful. “Nothing we’re trying is really helping. He needs a different way of teaching, and his teacher just refuses to help him.”

“What is his teacher saying now, my dear? It seems like that man needs to be told a thing or two,” Lei says, furrowing her brow. And that is another thing Akeno likes about working with Lei, she seems like a kind old lady on the surface, but so far as Akeno’s seen, she’s also always ready to start a fight.

“He’s threatening to send Taro back a few years, nevermind that most of these kids have really only been in school for like four years themselves. And it’s not even like Taro doesn’t understand things anymore, it’s just that he has trouble doing it the way his teacher wants. He can do it in his own way just fine, it’s just this stagnant way the teacher is doing things that’s giving him trouble.”

“A right shame, for someone whose pride is to educate children, to not be able to teach children in the way that benefits them most,” Lei shakes her head. 

“I don’t even think I can risk having another conversation with the man,” Akeno says with a sigh. “I lose my temper too quickly, and I don’t want him to take it out on Taro more than he already has. Did I tell you he’s been making Taro sit on his own away from the other kids? He says he did it so that Taro can ‘focus without the distraction of the others’. As if the poor kid didn’t already have a hard enough time socializing.”

“Pitiful,” Lei says. “A person in power who takes out their shortcomings on children is just pitiful.” 

Akeno can’t help but agree.

“We’ve been trying to help him understand things in the way the teacher wants him to learn,” Akeno says. “But it’s difficult. It’s been years since I’ve been in school and so many things have changed since then. No wonder he doesn’t get it, I don’t even get it.”

“Um, excuse me,” a voice says from behind them. “I don’t mean to intrude, but maybe I can help?”

Akeno turns, expecting to see one of the other kitchen workers, and is shocked to come face to face with Fire Lord Zuko.

“Fire Lord Zuko,” Akeno says in surprise. “Is there something we can help you with? Do you need anything?” Akeno’s never even seen the Fire Lord, and now he’s talking to him, what in the world is happening?

“Oh, no I’m fine,” he says, waving a hand. “It’s just, I overheard you talking- I didn’t mean to eavesdrop! I just- I think I might be able to help you?”

If Akeno didn’t know better, he would say that Fire Lord Zuko looked embarrassed. But there’s no way, right? And there’s no way the Fire Lord is offering to help him with his family problems, right? This has to be a trick or something. Some sort of backward punishment for talking about their personal lives while working. Right?

There’s no way Fire Lord Zuko is just going around randomly offering help to the staff. Right? 

Akeno looks towards Lei because if any of them have probably talked to Fire Lord Zuko before, it would be her. Lei looks calm and interested, possibly a little happy. There’s a glint in her eyes that Akeno has learned to recognize that comes with her being proud, and Akeno wonders what that’s about. He does trust her, though, so if she doesn’t look concerned about Fire Lord Zuko offering to help, then Akeno supposed he can maybe give it a chance. He’ll have to test the waters first though.

“I don’t want to be any trouble, Fire Lord Zuko,” Akeno says, bowing his head a bit. “Please, don’t concern yourself with my problems. I’m sure I’ll be able to figure out a solution.”

“I really didn’t mean to insert myself,” Fire Lord Zuko says, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck. “But from what I heard, it seems that your son might have some of the same problems I had as a kid, so I wanted to maybe help. But you don’t have to let me of course! Ah- I’ll just be going then. Sorry.”

What just happened? Akeno thinks. Fire Lord Zuko makes to leave, and yeah he definitely looks embarrassed. This entire situation feels so surreal, Akeno’s not even sure it’s actually happening. Lei nudges him hard in the side, bringing him back to reality. She gestures her head towards Fire Lord Zuko and raises her eyebrows.

“Ah, Fire Lord Zuko?” Akeno calls out, hoping to stop him before he reaches the door.

“Yes?” he asks, turning back around. Akeno might be going crazy, but he thinks the Fire Lord is avoiding eye contact. 

“What advice did you have in mind?” Akeno asks.

“Well, not advice, actually. But maybe a solution?” he says hesitantly. 

“Oh? And what would that be?” Akeno asks, intrigued.

“Well…” 

***

“The Fire Lord offered to what? ” Michi whisper-shouts at him that night. It’s not really late, but the kids are in bed, and when Akeno last peeked in on them, were sound asleep. 

When Akeno had gotten home from work in the late evening, Michi was still helping Taro with his take-home assignments. Minji was sitting at the table with them, seemingly having finished her own work, and was quietly coloring. Akeno had taken over helping Taro, giving his wife a break from the frustrating work. Akeno and Taro worked together for another two hours before the boy was finally finished. He was stressed, and upset, and still confused, and it just made Fire Lord Zuko’s offer ring in his head a little louder. 

“Fire Lord Zuko offered to find Taro a tutor that could help him with school,” Akeno says. 

“Why on earth would he do that?” Michi asks incredulously. “What’s the catch? Tell me everything.”

“Well, I was sort of complaining about the situation to a coworker today and Fire Lord Zuko overheard us-”

“You didn’t get in trouble, did you?” Michi interrupts, full of worry. 

“No, dear, we didn’t get in trouble,” he assures her. “If anything, it seemed that Fire Lord Zuko felt bad for interrupting us.”

“What do you mean?” she asks.

“He seemed embarrassed and kept apologizing for involving himself. It was almost sweet,” Akeno admits.

“Akeno, I don’t think ‘sweet’ is a word that should be used to describe the Fire Lord,” Michi admonishes. 

“No, really,” Akeno insists. “I think we’re forgetting that Fire Lord or not, he’s still technically a child. Barely seventeen.”

Michi hums thoughtfully, not saying anything. 

“Anyway,” Akeno continues. “He mentioned that Taro sounds a lot like how he was as a kid, and that, if we’d allow it, he’d ask around and see if one of his old tutors who actually helped him would be willing to help Taro.”

Michi looks a little overwhelmed as she thinks it over. “We can’t afford a royal tutor to help him,” she says. “I know we’re doing better off here with both of us able to work better jobs, but there’s no way we could afford that.”

“I- ah, might have mentioned that to him,” Akena says sheepishly. 

“Akeno!” she admonishes again. 

“I know, I know,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender. “But I kind of wanted to see how he would react. And he said that we wouldn’t have to worry about anything like that. Said, and I quote, ‘I thought it was implied that you wouldn’t have to pay for anything’,” 

“And what’s the catch there?” Michi asks suspiciously. 

“Honestly? I don’t think there is one,” Akeno says. “He seemed genuine, and like he wanted to help. And one of my coworkers said we should give it a shot, and I trust her opinion.”

“I’m not sure,” Michi says, still hesitant. Akeno understands, he really does. He’s still a bit hesitant himself, to be honest. But, Akeno hasn’t heard a single horror story about Fire Lord Zuko yet, even a rumor, and he’s starting to think there won’t be any horror stories. Also… 

“He also said that he could drop a hint to the headmaster to let Taro switch teachers,” Akeno says, sighing. “Or just speak with Taro’s teacher himself. He seemed keen on that option as well.”

A laugh is startled out of Michi, and Akeno grins. 

“Oh, did he know?” she asks, still laughing. 

“Yes, it seems like he doesn’t like cruel teachers either,” Akeno says.

Michi hums again, “Well, I suppose we can see where this goes. Besides, it’s not like he’s found anyone yet.”

“So we give it a chance,” Akeno agrees. “See where it takes us.”

***

After a few more strangely normal conversations with Fire Lord Zuko, one with Michi present as well, it seems Taro has a new tutor. 

(“Well maybe you were right,” Michi said the night they came home from meeting with Fire Lord Zuko.

“I will treasure this moment forever, but what exactly was I right about?”

“Oh knock it off,” she says, laughing. “Fire Lord Zuko does seem to have good intentions.”

“I really think he does.”) 

The conversation about it with Taro goes much easier than they anticipated it would, as well. 

“You mean I get to go to the palace and learn from one of the tutors there?” Taro asks, eyes wide.

“Well, this first meeting will be at the palace. I’m not sure about any future ones,” Akeno says.

“Cool,” Taro breathes out.

And that’s that. 

The day comes, and Akeno walks to the palace with Taro. His son seems a little nervous, but not as much as Akeno would have expected, which he’s grateful for. Akeno himself is nervous enough as is. He’d wanted to stay with Taro the whole day and observe the session, which Fire Lord Zuko had agreed to let him do, but Taro had refused, saying that it would be harder to focus if he was there, too. 

They get to the palace, nodding in greeting to the guards at the front gate. Taro looks up at them in wonder, and perhaps gets a little more nervous, as he places himself firmly behind Akeno. Akeno places a hand on his shoulder, hoping to offer some comfort. At the doors, Akeno pauses, takes a deep breath, and then opens them. 

He wasn’t expecting Fire Lord Zuko to meet them at the door, though.

“Hello,” Fire Lord Zuko greets them. The woman by his side nods in greeting at them as well. 

“Good morning, Fire Lord Zuko,” Akeno says, trying to hide his surprise and dipping into a bow, which Taro copies, still slightly hidden behind him. 

Then. Then Fire Lord Zuko then kneels down until he’s at eye level with Taro. 

“Hello, Taro,” he says, and that’s definitely a smile on the Fire Lord’s face. “I’m Zuko. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hello,” Taro says back shyly. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Let me introduce you to my friend here,” Fire Lord Zuko says, gesturing behind him. “This is Shi, she’s the librarian here, and she used to help me with my studies when I was younger.” The woman, Shi, nods along with him.

“Hello, ma’am,” Taro says, giving another bow. 

“I used to be terrible with studies,” Fire Lord Zuko whispers to Taro conspiratorially. “Shi helped me a lot. I think she’ll be able to help you, too.”

“You were an abysmal student,” Shi says in agreement. 

“Hey,” Fire Lord Zuko says, almost playful and Akeno realizes that he’s doing this to put Taro at ease. “It’s not my fault that most of this stuff is horribly boring.”

Shi rolls her eyes. “I’m sure Taro will be a much better student than you anyway,” she says. 

“I looked at some past assignments your father brought in,” she says, this time speaking directly to Taro. “You really are quite clever, I don’t know what your teacher is thinking, making you do things just the one way, but I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“Really?” Taro asks, looking up at Shi with wide eyes. “I don’t know if I’m clever, I can never do things right in class.”

“Just because you learn differently doesn’t mean you’re not smart,” Shi says confidently. “I have half a mind to give that teacher of yours a talking to.”

“Oh, I’ll be taking care of that, don’t worry,” Fire Lord Zuko says. 

“I don’t want to cause any trouble, though,” Taro says.

“Ah, you’re not causing any trouble, I promise,” Fire Lord Zuko says, smiling at Taro. “I’ve been meaning to go visit the schools to see how things are going anyway. I’ll just start with your school.”

“Now that that’s settled,” Shi says. “Why don’t you come with me? We’ll head to the library and take a look at whatever work you have with you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Taro says, scuttling to her side but Akeno doesn’t think he looks scared. Maybe a little in awe. 

“Don't worry about a thing,” Fire Lord Zuko says to Akeno as he watches the two walk away. “Shi is a kind person, and one of the only tutors I ever had that actually helped me. She’ll take care of him.”

“Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko,” Akeno says, bowing once again. “We appreciate this so much more than we can express.”

“You’re welcome,” Fire Lord Zuko says after a moment of silence. 

A few hours later, when Akeno gets to the library to pick Taro up, he’s met with his son practically bouncing in excitement. 

“How did things go?” he asks, looking from Taro to Shi.

“It was great!” Taro says. “Things make so much more sense the way Miss Shi explains them. And she taught me some tricks for how to do things the way Mr. Feng does.”

“Really?” Akeno asks, looking up at Shi. “Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure,” Shi says to Akeno. And then to Taro, “I expect to see you back here soon, yes?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Taro says excitedly. 

On the way home, listening to Taro happily explain how things went with Shi, Akeno has the thought: what a pleasant surprise that was. 

A few weeks later, when Taro’s teacher is suddenly replaced, Akeno can’t find it in him to be surprised at all. 

Yoshiro has seen many things in his years as a palace guard, but he has to admit the strangest thing he’s seen yet is Fire Lord Zuko walking around the palace asking random staff members if they know any farmers. 

Admittedly, Yoshiro isn’t sure why exactly Fire Lord Zuko is looking for any possible farmers. He’s only just started his shift, and Lord Zuko was already on his hunt when Yoshiro had shown up, and at this point, he’s not sure he wants to ask. 

And until he knows why Fire Lord Zuko is looking for farmers, he’s keeping the knowledge that his cousin has a farm to himself. Just to be safe.

Yoshiro’s also not quite sure why Fire Lord Zuko is wandering around the palace instead of asking some of the people who work in the gardens. 

“Uh, Lord Zuko, sir, if I may ask a question?” Yoshiro ventures. 

“Of course,” Fire Lord says, stopping and looking at Yoshiro.

“Well, I’m not quite sure how long you’ve been at this, or why exactly you’re doing this, but have you asked the gardeners and such?” Yoshiro asks.

Fire Lord Zuko stares at him for a moment in silence, just long enough for Yoshiro to start to get nervous. Then, he sighs, closing his eyes. 

“I’m so stupid, I didn’t even think about that,” Fire Lord Zuko says. Yoshino thinks he might even be blushing a little. “To the gardens we go then.”

Emboldened a little, Yoshiro asks, “Why exactly are you looking for farmers anyway, Lord Zuko?”

“Oh, I had a meeting today and people want to change the budget allocated to farmers. It seems strange to me, and not very smart, but everyone kept arguing with me. So, I wanted to get some actual farmers’ opinions on it, that way no one can really argue with me about whatever decision I make,” he explains. 

“Oh, well in that case, my cousin has his own farm and I’m sure he’d be willing to help out,” Yoshiro says. 

Fire Lord Zuko stops walking, slowly turning to face Yoshiro again. His eyes are slightly narrowed, but the torches lining the walls haven’t swayed an inch, so Yoshiro thinks he’s fine. Probably. 

Okay, he’s a little nervous. 

At least, until Fire Lord Zuko pouts at him. Like, pouts. Yoshiro almost pinches himself to make sure this isn’t a dream. 

“Can’t believe you let me walk around like a fool like that for so long,” Fire Lord Zuko mutters. “I’m going to my office. Please ask your cousin to drop by whenever he wants so I can show him the proposal. And to maybe bring some others with him.”

And with that, Fire Lord Zuko hightails it to his office, shutting the door in Yoshiro’s face. 

Well, he thinks, that was surprising. 

Yoshiro does end up speaking to his cousin, Han, about it a few days later. The only thing is, it takes a bit of convincing to get the man to agree to show up. 

“I’m not going to the palace to speak to the Fire Lord about anything , Yoshiro, what in Spirit’s name are you thinking?” Han says incredulously when Yoshiro finally brings it up. “And I’m certainly not dragging any of my friends down with me.”

“Oh, come on. What’s the worst that can happen?” Yoshiro asks. However, as soon as the question leaves his lips, he cringes, and a slew of ideas come to mind. 

Han throws his hands to the air in exasperation. “Well, for starters what happens if I end up disagreeing with whatever the Fire Lord wants? I could be arrested.”

“I don’t think that’s very likely,” Yoshiro tries to argue. 

Han continues as if Yoshiro hadn’t spoken. “My farm could get taken away from me-”

“Actually, Fire Lord Zuko seems to appreciate farmers, so I think that’s unlikely,” Yoshiro tries again. 

Han continues, “I could get my funds taken away from me. This is the year I’m not planting crops and letting the soil rest, what if he thinks my opinion isn’t valid?”

“Well, maybe don’t mention that to him, then.”

“What if I say the wrong thing and piss him off? If I’m not arrested I could be banished!”

“Again, I think that’s highly unlikely.”

“I have a family, Yoshiro! I can’t be banished!” Han continues, ignoring him. “Or worse, what if we’re all banished?”

“I sincerely doubt that banishing a family of five is something that Fire Lord Zuko would ever consider.” 

“And bringing my friends into this as well? What if some of us agree and some of us disagree? Then we’re divided!”

“That is a valid concern, I suppose.”

“And what if I’m punished the most because I brought those people to him? What if I’m killed ?”

“Han!” Yoshiro interrupts harshly. Han sighs sharply, letting himself fall down limp onto the sofa. Yoshiro gingerly sits down next to him. 

“Although I genuinely believe that none of those fears would happen, I understand why it’s even a fear at all. I’ll tell him something so that you don’t have to go,” Yoshiro says gently. 

Han sighs again, this time quieter. “You know we all hate that you work at the palace, right? We worry every day about you.”

“I know,” Yoshiro says, gripping his cousin’s arm.

“Especially those last few months of- of Ozai’s reign,” Han continues. “So many people were getting hurt, or banished, or just disappearing . Every day you went back there was a gamble.”

“I know,” Yoshiro says again. “I know. I know I don’t talk about it much, but those fears weren’t exactly unfounded.”

“Can it really be so different already?” Han asks. “People talk, but no matter how many accounts I hear, it’s hard to believe that Fire Lord Zuko could really be all that different from his father.”

“There is that saying ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’,” Yoshiro says. “Though in this case, I believe that Ozai and Fire Lord Zuko are different plants entirely.”

“How can you be so sure? He’s only been Fire Lord for a few months.” Han is looking at him curiously.

“Well, he seems… gentle for one,” Yoshiro starts. “I’ve been on his personal guard since he started, and I’ve never once seen him raise his voice. And he has actual manners, which may seem like a given, but no other royal, or even semi-important person that walks through those doors seems to have manners.”

Han snorts, so Yoshiro thinks at the very least he’s talked his cousin down from an impending panic attack. 

“Not to mention, I accidentally embarrassed him the other day and he--”

“You did what? ” Han asks in shock.

“It was an accident!” Yoshiro defends. “Anyway, you know what he did? He pouted at me, Han. Pouted. And then went and hid in his office for a few hours.”

“Spirits, Yoshiro,” Han says breathlessly. “How could you do something like that?”

“Well, it really was an accident,” Yoshiro says plainly. “I asked him why he was doing things in such a complicated way when there was a simpler option, he called himself stupid for not thinking of that first, and then took my suggestion.”

“Are you serious?”

“Very. And to be honest, I didn’t once think I was in danger.”

Han sighs once again, this one sounding much more put-upon than the others. “I suppose I should give him a chance then, huh? It is my livelihood on the line after all.”

“I don’t see any harm in it, truly,” Yoshiro says. “And I’m sure Fire Lord Zuko would allow me in the room as well if I asked. But, if you don’t want to, there’s no pressure to do so.”

“I’ll think about it, then.”

***

Han tells him he’ll ask around and see if some other farmers would like to come with him a few days later. Yoshiro asks him if he’s sure, and all Han says is, “I kind of want more stories about FIre Lord Zuko, but yeah I’ll ask around.”

Yoshiro tells him about the time he caught Fire Lord Zuko feeding the stray cats that wander around. About the time Fire Lord Zuko started meddling in some gossip in order to get two other staff members together. About the time the Avatar landed unannounced in the middle of the caldera and gave the Fire Lord such an enthusiastic hug, that they both tumbled to the ground and the Fire Lord only laughed in response. 

With each new little story, it seems Han gets a bit more confident in going to the palace, and with each new story, more farmers agree to come. At last, Han asks Yoshiro to get a time and date that would best work for Fire Lord Zuko for all of them to come. 

Yoshiro’s conversation with the Fire Lord goes as such: 

“Fire Lord Zuko, may I speak to you quickly?” Yoshiro asks at the end of his shift the next day. 

“Of course,” he says, looking up from his paperwork. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, everything’s fine. My cousin, the- uh farmer? He wanted me to ask you when would be a good time for them to come and see you?”

“Oh! Oh, whenever they have the time, honestly. I’d gladly drop other things to do this,” Fire Lord Zuko says, not a hint of joking in his voice. 

Yoshiro winces. “Is this new budget really that big of a deal?” he asks.

Fire Lord Zuko sighs. “I don’t know anymore. I think it’s kind of ridiculous and more than a little stupid to want to cut the budget for the people that literally provide the food for our nation. Especially when it’s looking like we’ll have a bad drought this summer and need to be prepared. But some of the advisors are fighting with me on this, and it’s divided enough that me making a forceful decision of my own will just cause more problems.”

Fire Lord Zuko blushes suddenly, “Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to just- unload on you like that. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not a problem, Lord Zuko, I promise. I’ll tell my cousin and the people he’s gathered to come as soon as possible.”

“Thank you,” Fire Lord Zuko says, all quiet now. “Have a nice night.”

“You as well, sir.”

***

The Impromptu Farmer Meeting, as Yoshiro is calling it, happens just a few days later. 

Yoshiro walks to work with a hoard of farmers following him (fifteen of them, Yoshiro is kind of surprised), and Yoshiro is somehow both a little embarrassed but also empowered by it. They get looks as they walk, and Yoshiro can’t help but find the whole situation hilarious. Upon seeing them, the guards at the gates fully break and start laughing themselves. Yoshiro starts to explain himself, but they wave him away. 

“Fire Lord Zuko mentioned you would be bringing some people in soon, you’re good,” Ai says, still chuckling. His partner, Hachi, is leaning against his staff, trying to catch his breath. Yoshiro passes them into the palace with a sigh of his own. They make their way to Fire Lord Zuko’s office, where Yoshiro assumes he is. 

Yoshiro idly wonders how he’ll react, since Yoshiro neglected to warn him that they were coming today. 

Ah, well, he thinks. A little surprise will be good for him. 

Yoshiro nods in greeting to Ming and Rin, the guards currently posted outside of Fire Lord Zuko’s office door. Rin, to her credit, is doing a marvelous job of keeping a straight face. Ming, however, head guard or not, isn’t even bothering to try. 

Yoshiro knocks on the door waiting until he hears a muffled “Yes?” before opening the door. Yoshiro notices that Fire Lord Zuko seems to be in a somewhat heated conversation with two men adorned in military regalia. Yoshiro tries not to wrinkle his nose. 

“Yes, Yoshiro?” Fire Lord Zuko asks. His brow is furrowed and his face is tight, as if in pain. Yoshiro assumed the poor kid has a headache from whatever these men are telling him. 

“Pardon my interruption, Fire Lord Zuko,” Yoshiro says, not really sorry at all. “But the group for your agriculture meeting is here.”

Fire Lord Zuko seems to light up. He turns to the two men in front of his desk. 

“Get out,” he tells them. “This is going to be more interesting than you two could ever be, I guarantee.”

The two men sputter angrily, trying to argue, but Fire Lord Zuko speaks over them. “Ming, you wouldn’t mind escorting them out, right?” 

“Of course, sir,” Ming says, delighted. “If you’ll follow me.” 

The men follow Ming out, however unwillingly, glaring as they pass Yoshiro and the balking at the crown gathered just outside the doors. 

“Thank you so much, Yoshiro,” Fire Lord Zuko says, standing. 

“Ah, don’t thank me yet,” Yoshiro says. “You haven’t even met them yet.”

Fire Lord Zuko walks to the door, opening it a bit wider. “Do you want to come in, or…”

He trails off as he catches sight of the men and women standing in the hall. They stare back at him. Fire Lord Zuko looks back into his office, most definitely realizing that it’s too small for everyone to fit comfortably. 

“Perhaps a meeting room would be more appropriate,” Fire Lord Zuko says.

“Yes, I think so,” Yoshiro agrees. Lord Zuko grabs a stack of papers from his desk, holding them in his arms as he walks out into the hall.

“Uh, hello everyone,” Fire Lord Zuko says, loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I’m Zuko, though I guess you already know that. Um, we’ll head to a meeting room down the hall so everyone can be a bit more comfortable, if that’s alright with everyone?”

He’s met with various nods and grunts of approval. Fire Lord Zuko nods, mumbling a “Right, okay then,” under his breath. “Ah- follow me then, please?” He says louder, turning to start walking down the hall. The crowd follows him, and Yoshiro goes along, sticking by Han’s side. Fire Lord Zuko hasn’t told him to leave yet, so he’s not going to. 

Once everyone is settled into the room, Fire Lord Zuko asks if everyone would like to introduce themselves. He’s met with various reactions, most of them shock, but there is some fear there as well. It takes a few moments, and a few of the braver souls coming forward first, but introductions are made. Fire Lord Zuko keeps his voice much softer than Yoshiro think s it normally is. He also doesn’t sit on the raised dais at the head of the table, but instead, places himself at the same level as everyone else. Fire Lord Zuko gives everyone a few moments to orient themselves and make themselves comfortable before beginning any discussions. 

Yoshiro idly wonders how many times Fire Lord Zuko has tried to make himself appear smaller so as not to frighten anyone. 

“So,” Fire Lord Zuko starts. “I’m not sure how much Yoshiro or Han have told you about this, though granted, I don’t think I’ve explained much either. Well, um, basically, we have the agriculture budget, right? It encompasses how much we invest in farming and food trade and all that, and how much support we give you as farmers in the off-seasons. Essentially, this new proposal wants to cut that budget. I think it’s bullshit, but everyone wants to argue with me, so I want to know what some actual farmers think about it. I have the papers if you’d like to read them yourselves.”

As soon as Fire Lord Zuko finishes speaking, there are various reactions of outrage from around the room. From annoyed mutterings to frustrated sighs to scoffs of offense.

“May I read the papers, Lord Zuko?” Han asks in a moment of bravery. 

“Of course,” Fire Lord Zuko says, already handing the documents over. Han reads in silence for a while before huffing out an irritated breath. 

“I’m sorry, but a proposal like this would absolutely ruin us,” Han says plainly. He hands the papers off to the woman sitting next to him to also read. The documents make their way around the table as Han keeps speaking. 

“Our budget is already small enough as it is. I understand that you’ve cut the military budget significantly since the end of the war, and as wonderful as that is, it hasn’t really done much to help us. And this proposal wants to cut our budget practically in half.”

“It would really hurt us,” May, one of the others, says. “We would most likely lose a lot of farmers, and that would drastically affect us as a nation.”

One by one, various others also speak up, voicing their opinions on the matter. The unanimous decision is that the new plan sucks and the current plan isn’t even all that good, so that’s saying something.

For a group of people who were afraid to even say their names, they sure do get vocal when their livelihoods are on the line. 

“So what I’m gathering here is don’t lower the budget, but increase it instead,” Fire Lord Zuko says. He’s been listening to everyone speak for what Yoshiro assumes is at least an hour by now, and hasn’t really said a word until now. The only times he’s spoken thus far were to clarify something on the documents. 

“Well, ideally, yes,” Han agrees. 

“Perfect,” Fire Lord Zuko says. “I’ll work out a new budget and try to get it passed as soon as possible.”

“Will you really be able to do that?” someone else asks.

“It might be difficult and take some time, but yes, I’ll be able to,” Fire Lord Zuko confirms. 

After a few more questions, it seems that no one has anything else to say. Fire Lord Zuko walks them all to the gates, thanking them once more for coming. He waits until they’re all out of sight, to turn to Yoshiro and say with a raised brow, “And you should probably go to your assigned post now, don’t you think? Just use me as an excuse, I’m sure you won’t get in any trouble with a supervisor.”

Yoshiro blushes a brilliant red, hastily bows, stutters out a thank you, and hightails it to his post. 

A few weeks later, Yoshiro is doing his rounds when he hears yelling coming from a meeting room. Curious, Yoshiro inches closer to the door. 

“Because my people have spoken, and told me what they want. I don’t care anymore what your ‘new budget’ says. I care about what my people say when their entire lives are at stake with this new plan. I’m much more inclined to listen to the people who this actually affects instead of the people that won’t be affected at all,” Yoshiro hears Fire Lord Zuko saying. Or, yelling, rather. 

Yoshiro walks away before he can hear any of the responses, fighting to keep a smug smile off his face. 

A month later, when a new budget is approved in favor of the farmers, the only thing Yoshiro can bring himself to be surprised about is how quickly Fire Lord Zuko got it done. 

Emi and Hikaru are relatively new guards. Emi has been working in the palace for a little bit longer than Hikaru, but not much. After their introductory weeks, and then a few months of working with a more experienced guard at their sides, they’re both finally allowed on their own. Well, they’re partners, but the point is they no longer have other guards and supervisors breathing down their necks.

But also, they’ve both been working as palace guards for less than a year. Which begs the question:

How in the Spirit’s name did they end up guarding the Fire Lord for a day?

In theory, Emi knows how it happened. She and Hikaru had been making their rounds when they heard a sound coming from one of the less used passageways. They went to investigate, on high alert for an intruder, only to be met with the sight of Fire Lord Zuko wearing civilian clothes and attempting to sneak out of the palace. He knew he was caught, because as soon as Hikaru pushed the door open and Emi rushed forward, a fireball in hand to light the dark passageway, Fire Lord Zuko simply sighed and let his head drop. 

“I was so close,” he mumbled. Emi is pretty sure he hadn’t meant for them to hear that. 

“Uh,” Emi had drawn out, not sure what to say. “What are you doing here, Lord Zuko?”

“I don’t suppose you’ll just let me keep going alone, would you?” he had asked plainly. 

“Go alone? Go where alone?” Emi asked in shock. “Of course not! It’s not safe!”

Fire Lord Zuko had sighed again. “Alright then. I guess we’re going on a walk. Outside. Like, through the town. Come on.” Fire Lord Zuko gestured for them to follow him as he continued walking down the passageway. Emi and Hikaru shared a look, but they followed nonetheless. 

Which is how Emi found herself walking with her fellow guard and Fire Lord Zuko through the city. 

What even is her life?

In an attempt at disguising himself, Fire Lord Zuko had left behind the more royal clothes, opting instead for a simple red tunic. Perhaps that may have been enough to not cause immediate suspicion of anyone who saw them, he had also left his hair down. Just long enough to reach the top of his shoulders, it did a wonderful job of mostly hiding his face. 

There was enough bustle around the city that not many people stopped to look at them. A few people did a double-take, seeing two people in military armor walking with a teenager, but Emi supposes most of them come to the conclusion that Fire Lord Zuko is simply the son of a rich aristocrat and not The Fire Lord . 

They walk for some time without speaking, which Emi is fine with since she doesn’t know the first thing she would say. Emi has been in the military for quite some time now, since she was seventeen. Now at twenty-four, she’s seen and dealt with many atrocities. She might not have balked in fear at being offered a guard position at the palace as some others may have, but that didn’t mean she was clueless. She still had a healthy dose of wariness to her. She’s heard horror story after horror story of what Fire Lord’s are capable of. She knows that working in close proximity to one is dangerous, and she should be on her guard at all times. Not just because of her job as a guard, but just in case those in power decide to take their anger out on others. 

Granted, none of those rumors have surrounded Fire Lord Zuko himself, but Emi knows he’s not as good and gentle as he may seem. She knows Fire Lord Zuko has earned his title, not by virtue of being the last one alive and healthy, but because he won it. She’s heard the rumors of the fight between him and Princess Azula. She’s heard the rumors that he was able to fend off Fire Lord Ozai’s legendary lightning strikes. She knows that he is the one who taught Avatar Aang firebending and helped plan the final battle on the day of Sozin’s Comet. 

So she knows, logically, that Fire Lord Zuko is plenty capable of fighting and coming out on top. She knows he has a temper, she’s witnessed him yelling at enough officials to know the young man has a strong set of lungs on him. She knows who his father is, who his uncle is, what his family lineage is. Knows that he’s capable of powerful things. 

The only thing is, Emi is having a hard time connecting that knowledge to the figure in front of her, who is stopping once again to feed a stray with food he must have snuck out with him. 

Emi almost wonders if she should be suspicious. If this is some kind of test to see if he can get them to be unprofessional around him. If they’ll let their guards down when they’re supposed to be guarding him. 

Well, Emi doesn’t plan on losing this job anytime soon. Regardless of the risk factor, and minus the occasional assassination attempt that happens, this is the most cushiony job she’s ever had. Plus, the pay is pretty damn good. There’s no way she’s messing this up, no matter how cute the cat in front of them currently is. 

Hikaru, however, does not seem to have the same reservations as her. He kneels down next to Fire Lord Zuko, petting the cat along with him without a care in the world. Emi tries to remember Hikaru’s credentials, knows he was in the navy, but she can’t recall much else. Emi suspects he hasn’t really been around a strict supervisor before. 

“Emi,” Hikaru says in awe. “You have to pet this cat. It’s so soft.”

“I’m fine,” Emi says, keeping her distance and looking around them. 

“But Emi,” Hikaru whines. Whines , for Spirit’s sake. “It’s so soft and pretty.”

“I’m allergic.”

“No, you’re not!”

“Well, I don’t want to touch the stray cat. It could have a disease, you know.” As soon as Emi says that, the thought really hits her and she says, “Actually, that’s a fair point. Lord Zuko, you shouldn’t--”

“I think I can decide which animals to pet and which to not, Emi,” Fire Lord Zuko interrupts her. “And please don’t call me that out here. I’m trying not to be noticed, ya know?”

Regardless of his words, Fire Lord Zuko stands fully, brushing his hands of fur and crumbs. “I guess we can keep going though. It’s kind of warm today, would either of you like a drink? I can’t imagine you’re very comfortable in your armor.”

“No, thank you,” Emi says at the same time Hikaru says, “Sure, thanks.” 

Emi feels her eyebrow twitch.

Maybe she’s just being overly paranoid, she thinks as she follows Fire Lord Zuko to a stall a bit down the road. He’s having a quiet conversation with Hikaru about animals of all things. Fire Lord Zuko looks calm and content, his shoulders are relaxed, and his body isn’t holding any tension, compared to earlier when they left and he looks as tightly strung as a coil. He’s walking freely, and though Emi does notice he keeps a watchful eye on his surroundings, he’s mostly moving without care. His steps are light, arms swaying as he walks, and Emi spies a small smile on his face as he talks with Hikaru. 

He looks relaxed, and Emi thinks she may be overreacting just a bit. 

(Can you really blame her though? She’s been surrounded by violence since she was old enough to bend, she doesn’t think acting cautious around the Fire Lord is a bad thing.

Maybe there’s a middle ground, though.)

At the stall, Emi stays a few paces back, keeping an eye on the street while Hikaru stands next to Fire Lord Zuko. Emi assumes they’ll return with drinks of water, seeing as it is warmer today than usual. She doesn’t want to admit it, but she is sweating a bit unpleasantly in the armor. 

She most definitely isn’t expecting Fire Lord Zuko to hand her a cup of shaved ice upon his return. 

Emi stares for a moment, looking between Fire Lord Zuko and Hikaru, who’s already enjoying his own treat. Fire Lord Zuko simply keeps holding out the cup, an inviting smile on his face. 

Slowly, Emi takes it. She hasn’t had one of these since she was a little girl. Her mother always told her they were an indulgence, a special treat for small children on blistering hot days, and Emi grew up with that mindset. It’s an expensive treat, certainly not an everyday one, and for a moment, Emi feels a little embarrassed for having accepted such it without so much as a token protest. 

“Thank you, Fire--”

“Ah, nope,” Fire Lord Zuko interrupts her. Right, he’s already told her not to call him that. 

“Um, thank you, Zu- Zu-. Ah, thank you, sir,” she eventually stutters out, unable to call him only by his name. 

“Close enough, I suppose,” he says anyway, shooting her a smile. “We’ll work on it.”

As Emi eats her treat and follows alongside Fire Lord Zuko, she thinks;

This has certainly been a surprise. 

Choi and Minji have a plan, an idea, an adventure complete . 

Now, if only the boys would stop being babies about it. 

Who cares if Choi is only eight and Minji is only six? Both Taro and Liu are ten so it should balance out. Besides, Choi didn’t go through all the work of figuring out which kids in her school also had parents or relatives that worked in the palace for her plan to not go through because the boys were scared. At least Minji is on her side. 

“ Come on , guys,” she whines to them during one of their outside breaks. Choi has the four of them gathered around a table. Liu is sitting on top of the table, because apparently, this is cooler than sitting at the table. Taro is sitting next to him, but on a seat, and Minji and Choi are standing as they argue their case. “This can totally work! We just need to commit!”

“Commit what?” Liu asks. “A crime? Because that’s what you want us to do!”

“It’s not that bad,” Choi insists. 

“If we get caught, we could get in a lot of trouble,” Taro says, looking around to see if anyone else is listening to them. “Or our parents could get in trouble, and what then?”

Choi knows no one is paying them any attention, she’s done her research. Taro, despite being very nice and sweet, doesn’t seem to have many friends. More people have been talking to him lately, and it really bothers Choi that she doesn’t know what changed. Something with his teacher, she thinks. And even though Liu is really cool and people like him, he likes to be left alone most of the time. He’s a good enough firebender even at ten that people tend to listen when he tells them to leave. Choi did not, and now he’s stuck with her, so there. And Minji, like her brother, is also really nice, but unlike her brother, does have a lot of friends. It was a bit difficult to get Minji alone, but once she heard Choi’s plan, she’s stuck to her like glue. 

Choi does have her own friend group that she’s been ignoring these past few weeks, but Choi knows her plan is all going to be worth it. She’s been planning this for what feels like forever, and with this group of kids, she thinks they can pull it off. 

Her plan is to sneak into the palace and find Fire Lord Zuko. What she’ll do when they find him, she’s not sure, but she wants to meet him. 

(Mom always has nice stories about it, and everyone only says good things about him. But she’s never seen him. In-person, at least. She’s seen his picture before, everyone has. But Choi thinks if everyone is going to say he’s so nice and cool and a good Fire Lord, then they should at least get to see him in person!

Besides, Taro has met him, and Choi is jealous.)

See, for eight-years-old, Choi thinks she’s very smart for her age. Her mom says so, her teachers say so, and she says so. Here’s the information she’s gathered:

Taro and Minji’s dad works in the palace kitchen. What exactly he does in there she doesn’t know and it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that he works every day except for weekends from the time they start school until the evening. This means they have to make sure to steer clear of the kitchens when they sneak in so they don’t run into Taro and Minji’s dad. 

Liu’s older brother is a cleaner. From what Liu has learned, or from what he’s relayed to her at least, he goes around the palace and cleans all the paintings and portraits. That admittedly makes things more difficult, since there’s no way to tell where he’ll be and when. This just means they have to be extra sneaky when they’re looking for Fire Lord Zuko. If they get caught by Liu’s brother, they’ll definitely be kicked out. 

As for Choi, her mom works as a seamstress in the palace, so she spends most of her time in the laundry rooms. So, they just need to avoid there and they’ll be fine. Now, Choi doesn’t know where the laundry rooms are, exactly, but she doesn’t think they’ll be hard to avoid. 

Choi has seen the palace and the gates around it before. There’s a section of the gate near the back of the palace that has a small hole dug under it. It hadn’t been filled the last time she checked, and she thinks no one has bothered because the only thing small enough to fit through it has been animals.

They underestimate the tinyness of children. 

After that, all that’s left to do is find a door and sneak around until they find Fire Lord Zuko. Simple, easy, and to the point. If only the boys would agree. 

“No one’s going to get in trouble because we won’t get caught,” Choi insists. 

“Come on, Taro,” Minji says, bouncing closer to him and pulling his arm. “This could be fun! Besides, you said Fire Lord Zuko was really nice when you met him! Do you really think he’d get mad?”

“It’s not him I’m worried about,” Taro says. “It’s the guards, and the workers, and everyone else. If we manage to find Fire Lord Zuko without getting caught, I don’t think he’d get mad, but if anyone else finds us we’ll get in a lot of trouble!”

“I agree with Taro,” Liu says. He jumps off the table and Taro stands with him. “This is way too dangerous. What if we get hurt? What if we get caught and they think we’re trying to hurt Fire Lord Zuko because we’re kids and look unthreatening? People have used kids in assassination attempts before, ya know.”

When it looks like Taro and Liu are going to walk away, Choi steps in their path, pulling Minji with her. 

“Liu, seriously look at me and Minji,” she says. “We’re adorable. No one’s going to think we’re up to no good.”

Liu scoffs and rolls his eyes but Choi continues. A ten-year-old shouldn’t even know how to scoff for Spirit’s sake. “Plus everyone there knows Taro. He goes there every other day and during the weekend to study. If they see us with him they’ll probably just think that we’re there with him to study.”

Taro looks like he might be caving, and Choi should probably feel bad about pressuring him into this, but she also thinks she’s being perfectly logical, so it’s a toss-up. Liu doesn’t look convinced yet, but he doesn’t look as mad as he did a second ago. Progress. 

“If we do get caught, and in the moment we don’t think the studying excuse will work. I’ll take the blame,” Choi says. 

“What do you mean?” Liu says, all suspicious. Choi rolls her eyes. 

“I mean, I’ll tell them I needed to find my mom for an emergency and I was scared to come alone, so I made my friends come with me. I’ll even cry.”

Liu narrows his eyes at her. “There’s no way you can cry on command.”

In response, Choi simply makes her eyes fill with tears until they brim over. She makes her lips tremble and widens her eyes, breathes faster. Liu looks at her in shock. 

“See?” she says smugly, wiping her eyes before any teachers see her crying. 

“Whoa,” Minji says. “Can you teach me how to do that?”

“Spirit’s no,” Taro begs.

“Yeah!” Choi says. 

“Ugh, fine,” Liu groans. “Taro? What do you think?”

“Well, if- if everyone else is gonna do it…” Taro begins. Choi cheers, but Liu shushes her.

“I didn’t ask what everyone else thinks,” Liu says. “I asked what you think. Hypothetically, you have the most to lose here because your dad and your tutor work there.”

Taro groans. “Fine. I’m nervous and a little scared, but I don’t think we’d get in trouble. Especially if we use me as an excuse for being there. It makes more sense that I would bring people to study than Choi would to find her mom.”

“Yes!” Choi and Minji both cheer. Liu rolls his eyes again, but Choi thinks he looks excited.

“Tonight!” Choi says. 

“Tonight?” Liu and Taro exclaim. 

“Tonight!” Minji agrees.

“After school,” Choi continues. “We’ll go after school. None of you can change your minds if we go today.”

“Fine,” Liu sighs. “We’ll meet here at the table after school. If you’re more than five minutes late I’m going home.”

“Fine,” Choi agrees. 

Liu grabs Taro’s arm and starts to pull him away. “Come on, class is gonna start again in a few minutes. We’re doing partner work today and I need a new one because that girl that was my partner only giggles.”

Taro sputters as he’s pulled away, but Choi doesn’t care what they are saying to each other as they walk away, she’s too excited. 

“Minji,” she says, voice an octave higher due to her excitement. “This is going to be amazing.”

***

“This is the worst idea ever,” Taro whispers as the four of them sneak up to the gate that Choi has marked as having the hole. “What if we don’t fit?”

“Then we make the hole bigger, duh,” Choi says.

“How would we make it bigger?” Minji asks. “I’m wearing a new tunic, I don’t want to get it dirty by digging.”

“Minji! You’re gonna get it dirty just by crawling through the dirt,” Taro says. 

“Huh, I guess so,” Minji says, then shrugs. “So I guess it doesn’t matter if I get it a little more dirty by digging.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Choi says. “We won’t ruin your new tunic. The boys can dig instead.”

Both Taro and Liu gives vaguely offended scoffs, but Choi ignores them. They’re so close to their goal. They make it to the gate and Choi breathes a sigh of relief that the hole is still there. It’s the same size as last time, maybe a bit bigger from the animals coming and going. Choi thinks that Minji will definitely fit, though Liu, who’s the biggest out of all of them, might not. 

“Hm,” she says. “I think we should maybe make it a little bigger, just so we have some wiggle room.”

Taro and Liu sigh, but Choi thinks the boys have finally accepted their fate as they begin making the hole bigger. Choi shares a victorious smile with Minji. 

After the hole is significantly bigger, Choi gives the go-ahead for Minji to wiggle through. She makes it through the hole easily, coming out the other side unharmed and mostly dirt free. Choi goes next, and since she’s not much bigger than Minji she gets through easily. Taro struggles a bit, having to wiggle a little more, but after some struggling, he makes it, too. Liu examines the hole again, shifting the dirt around to make it just a bit bigger on the sides. He starts to go through, making it about halfway pretty easily before he hits a snag. Taro starts digging at the sides, making more room for him to wiggle when Liu speaks.

“I had a thought,” Liu says, stopping his wiggling. 

“What?” Taro asks.

“If we’re gonna use Taro as an excuse anyway if we get caught, why didn’t we just go through the front ?” Taro freezes, eyes wide. 

“Huh,” Minji says. “Why didn’t we go through the front?”

“ Because ,” Choi says. “The whole point is to not get caught. The excuses are just a backup plan.”

“This is stupid,” Liu says, continuing his wiggling finally. He makes it through without any more problems and only limited grumbling. When they’re all through and have finished brushing the dirt off themselves because they can’t go into the palace dirty, what kind of first impression is that? They start looking around for doors, only to see one right across the small garden they’re in. 

“Perfect,” Choi says. “Let’s go.”

***

Zuko has just finished his meeting and is looking forward to some nice, quiet, alone time in his office when he hears a commotion down somewhere near him. He stops, and the guards that are with him hear it too because they start heading towards the noise. 

“Perhaps you should stay back, Lord Zuko,” Ming says. “It could be dangerous.”

“Ming, what kind of self-respecting assassin would be making that much noise?” Zuko asks, raising an eyebrow and continuing forward. 

“Never listens to me,” Zuko hears Ming murmur, and smirks to himself. Ming cares, and most of the time Zuko appreciates it, but it’s also just too easy to rile him up. Rin is offering him empty comforts as they move along, Ming walking a little faster to be in front of Zuko. Zuko lets him have it this time.

The closer they get to the noise, the more they can make it out. There are a few distinct voices that stand out, two maybe three of them? The voices sound harsh, like whoever it is is arguing with each other. Zuko can’t quite make out what they’re saying but he can definitely recognize the tones. 

Ming and Rin turn the corner first, and both of them freeze. The voices stop as well. 

“Well, what is it?” Zuko asks as he rounds the corner, only to stop himself once he sees it. 

Standing in the middle of the hallway and slightly smudged with dirt, stand four kids. Two boys and two girls.

Kids. 

In the palace. 

Zuko is confused. 

One of said kids is Taro, who Zuko actually recognizes, giving him some hope that someone isn’t sending their kids out to try an assassination attempt. However, Taro isn’t supposed to be here today, Zuko is pretty sure. 

“Found him,” one of the girls, the taller of the two, says, only to be immediately shushed by the boy that isn’t Taro. 

“Uuuh,” Zuko says. “Taro? What’s going on?”

“Um-” the boy stutters, looking like prey that was just cornered. Zuko immediately feels bad for the kid. “Um- we- I- I brought some friends to come study?”

Even if the poor kid wasn’t so nervous, he’s a terrible liar. 

“I thought you weren’t supposed to be studying here today?” Zuko asks.

“Um- ah- well, I forgot?” he says, though it comes out sounding like a question. 

“Right,” Zuko sighs, taking a couple of steps forward and kneeling down in front of them. “What’s really going on? Tell me the truth, please.”

For a second, none of them say anything. Zuko looks between all of them, and all three of them seem to be looking for the older girl for answers. 

The girl sighs like she’s giving, and takes a step forward from her friends. Accomplices? 

“It was my idea,” she says. “I had an idea to sneak into the palace and try to find you.” The girl dips into a formal bow and the other kids follow suit. “I’m sorry.”

Zuko tries to ignore Ming coming up to stand at his shoulder, always on guard. “Why were you trying to find me?” Zuko asks. 

“I just wanted to meet you!” the girl says. “Everyone’s been saying such nice things about you since you became Fire Lord, but people have hardly ever seen you. So I made a plan to see if I could find you.”

Zuko blinks a few times, trying to process what he’s heard. He looks to Ming and Rin who also look a bit confused. 

“And you dragged your friends along why?” Zuko asks. 

“Well…” she trails off. “I kind of did some… research.”

“Research?” 

“Yeah. I figured out who went to my school who had a relative who worked here, and thought that if we worked together, we could all do it.”

Zuko is well and truly blown away by now. “I- I don’t really know what to say. How old are you?”

“Eight.”

“Eight? I’m kind of impressed, I’m not gonna lie,” Zuko says. 

“Lord Zuko!” Ming chastises. “Don’t encourage this behavior.”

“Did no one see a group of four kids sneaking into the palace?” Zuko asks. “Is our security that bad? Will one of you go ask around and see if anyone saw anything?”

“I will,” Rin says, and immediately takes off. Zuko can hear her laughing from down the hall.

“Well,” Zuko says. “You’ve come all this way, you might as well stay awhile. Wanna see my office?”

“Lord Zuko!” Ming chastises once again. 

“Yes!” both of the girls say in excitement. 

“Are you upset, Fire Lord Zuko?” Taro asks suddenly. “Are we in trouble?”

Zuko blinks in shock. “No, no one’s in trouble, I promise. We’ll go sit in my office for a bit, talk, and maybe have a snack. No one’s in trouble.”

“You told us you didn’t think we’d get in trouble,” the girl in front of Zuko says to Taro. 

“Well, I didn’t think we would but I had to make sure!” Taro says. 

Zuko stops for a second, something in him softening and warming about the fact that Taro didn’t think Zuko would react negatively and punish him and his friends. He knows he should probably worry about giving himself a soft reputation, but Zuko doesn’t care. He doesn’t want his people to be afraid of him, he doesn’t want his staff to be afraid of him, and he certainly doesn’t want children to be afraid of him. 

Let him have a soft reputation, Zuko never wants anyone to feel about him the way people felt about his father. 

“Come on,” Zuko says, standing up fully. “Let’s go ahead and head to my office. I have a sofa in there and some chairs, so you should all be comfortable. I’ll have Ming send for snacks, as well.”

Ming huffs, but Zuko knows he’s just as soft as Zuko himself. Taro had looked about to cry for a moment, and Zuko is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure the kid never cries. 

Zuko leads the kids to his office and watches as they shuffle around to get comfortable. It seems the two girls in this group are the much bolder ones and have taken it upon themselves to explore a bit. Meanwhile, Taro and the other boy have stuck pretty closely together. Zuko knows that Taro is naturally shyer, so he’s not surprised that he immediately goes to the sofa and sits in the corner. What does surprise him is that the other boy firmly sits himself beside Taro. Zuko hopes this means that Taro’s been having an easier time in school and is making friends now that his previous teacher is out of the picture. 

If not, Zuko feels no qualms about going back to have another chat with the headmaster. He has to do a follow up with the schools anyway to make sure they’re making the changes he wanted to implement, it would be all too easy to give the man another scare. 

Zuko not wanting his people to be afraid of him does not extend to the ones that are harming others, no matter which way that may be. 

Zuko takes a seat at his desk, letting the girls get their fill of exploring and snooping.

After all, Zuko is still debating on whether to tell their parents about this. He knows he should, and he probably will, but he wants to have his own conversation with the kids first. 

“Alright,” Zuko says, once the girls have settled down and Ming has brought in a plate of snacks. The kids all squish themselves onto the sofa, the plate of snacks settled in the middle of them.

“Introductions,” Zuko continues. “I’m Zuko. What are your names?”

The kids introduce themselves, as Choi (the leader), Minji (Taro’s little sister), and Liu (only willing to participate because Taro agreed). Zuko also manages to wrangle out of them who their relatives in the palace are. Zuko knows that Akeno is working today, and he passed Chen in the hallway earlier, so the young man should also still be here. Choi admitted that her mother was working today as well, so he’ll have to send for Yuka as well. 

Zuko indulges the kid’s in some conversation for a while, letting them ask some questions and answering them as child-appropriately as possible. It’s mostly Choi and Minji who are asking questions, but every now and then Liu or Taro will ask for more details about something. 

Zuko knows he has to have a Serious Talk with the kids about this, and he knows he’s losing time. The thing is, Zuko isn’t sure how to go about it.

Think about how to talk to kids , Zuko tells himself, but the first thought that pops into his head is of Ozai. Okay, scratch that , he thinks. How would Uncle talk to kids?

“Alright,” Zuko says once most of the snacks are gone. “You all knew this was coming. Time for a serious talk and to let your families know where you are.”

Zuko is met with looks of betrayal from all around, and for a brief moment, Zuko worries about how powerful these kids could be in the future. They managed to sneak into the palace , Zuko is sure if they stay friends they could be a force to be reckoned with when they’re older.

“Come on,” Zuko says. “You all knew this was coming. Don’t get upset with me.”

“But you said we weren’t gonna get in trouble” Choi pouts.

“I said I wasn't going to get you in trouble. I didn’t say anything about not telling your families.” When he’s once again met with cries of betrayal, Zuko sighs. He calls Ming in and asks him to send for their family members.

“Look, let me put it this way,” he says. “You four trusted me, or at least trusted your friend’s opinion of me, to humor you in doing this without giving you a punishment. Your families trust me to keep their loved ones safe and protected. This includes telling them when you’ve done something wrong that could have ended badly.”

When none of the kids try to argue anymore, Zuko keeps going. “Look,” he says. “I’ve done my fair share of breaking and entering-“ 

“You have?” Taro asks, scandalized.

“That’s not the point here,” Zuko says, regretting this already. For Spirit’s sake he’s only seventeen himself, how is he supposed to lecture kids on how to behave? “The point is, this thing you four did was very dangerous. More than getting caught, you could’ve gotten hurt. How do you think your families would feel if something bad happened to you because of this?”

All of the kids are looking down in various levels of shame. Zuko must actually be turning too soft because he feels bad , but he knows he has to have this conversation with them.

“Now, while I’m not getting punishing you for this, I do have some expectations, understand?” Zuko continues. “I expect you to not do anything like this again, okay? It was dangerous, super dangerous, to try and break into the palace. You’re lucky none of you got hurt or got into big trouble. But, if you decide to make breaking and entering a hobby of yours, it’s going to have consequences.”

“I’m not saying that I expect you guys to,” Zuko says in response to their horrified looks. “But not everyone will be as kind to you as I am here. And if you do this again, you’re risking getting in serious trouble or getting seriously hurt, or both.  Do I have a promise from you all to not do this again?” 

The kids all give him quick and enthusiastic ‘yes’s, nodding frantically. 

“Great!” Zuko says. “Because I’m pretty sure your parents and your brother are almost here.”

The kids gasp in horror, and Zuko only revels in it a little, he swears. 

Sure enough, sooner rather than later, there’s a knock on Zuko’s office door. Zuko stands to open the door himself, though he does move out of the way of the angry parents that come through the doors. 

“Um, hi,” Zuko says, painfully awkward. 

“Young lady,” Choi’s mother Yuka says, coming to stand in front of her daughter. “Just what in the world were you thinking?”

“And I’m very disappointed in you two,” Akeno says, hands on his hips. “How am I supposed to explain this to your mother?”

“Oh Spirit’s,” Chen says. “I have to tell our mother about this, Liu! How am I gonna tell her?” 

“Well, you don’t really have to tell her, do you?” Liu says, already wincing. 

“Liu! I absolutely do!” Chen exclaims. 

“We’re really sorry,” Choi says sullenly. “And Fire Lord Zuko already gave us a talking to. We won’t ever do anything like this again.”

“Well, I tried,” Zuko says to the people now looking at him. “I tried to explain how dangerous this was and why to not do it again. And I’m not… angry or anything like that, and they won’t be getting in any trouble with me, so I hope you’re not too upset with them. But, I’m not a parent or anything like that, so…” Zuko trails off. 

“Thank you so much for keeping them safe, Lord Zuko,” Akeno says. “I’m sure you had better things to do than deal with our kids.”

“Yes,” Chen agrees. “Thank you. I’m sure you were busy, it was kind of you to stay with them.”

“Well, this is my job isn’t it?” Zuko says, a little thrown off by the somewhat blase attitudes. “To keep my people safe and take care of them.”

“And you do a wonderful job at it,” Yuka says, nodding once at him. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll take my daughter home now.”

“I suppose I should take the kids home as well,” Akeno agrees. “I hope you two are thinking of ways to explain this to your mother.”

“Can’t believe I have to explain this to our parents,” Chen mutters. “This is gonna be a nightmare.”

“Now, I want you to apologize to Fire Lord Zuko for disturbing him. I can’t believe you snuck in here just to bother the Fire Lord. He has many important things to be doing, you know,” Yuka says. 

Properly chastised, the kids all stand, once again dipping into bows, hands folded in front of them, and say, “We’re sorry, Fire Lord Zuko.”

Zuko can’t help the small smile that takes over his face. “Apology accepted.”

One by one, the kids leave, still being lectured to varying degrees. Slowly, Zuko sits back down at his desk. It feels too quiet now that the chatter of the kids is gone. 

As he pulls a stack of paperwork forward, all Zuko can think is, that was kind of a nice surprise.