A Hand to Hold (Zuko x Reader)

6. Rules

You remained sitting in silence, you weren't sure how long it had been but it felt like an eternity. Now that you were here, you felt less nervous and more bored. No one told you it was going to suck this much, there was literally nothing to do but sit there and wait for the Prince to ask you to do something. Otherwise, you weren't allowed to look at him or speak to him without him saying anything first. You wondered if this was some kind of Fire Nation torture they were subjecting you to after figuring out that you're from the water tribe.

You heaved a quiet sigh, ensuring that the Prince wouldn't hear it. And with your eyes focused on the ground, you tried to zone out. Hoping that you could daydream and not feel as bored anymore. But that became difficult after noticing that someone was staring at you and that someone could only be Prince Zuko. You didn't know why he was doing it but it made you extremely uncomfortable. But that ended quickly after he spoke, increasing your discomfort to the max.

"Hey, can you turn around so I can get changed?" he asked, catching you off guard. Hearing that sent alarms off in your head.

"Uh yes!" you answered, quickly turning around to face the wall. You listened as he shuffled around for a while, the sounds of drawers opening and closing being all you could focus on. But that didn't last long, Zuko finishing quickly.

"You can turn around again," he said, taking a seat on his bed to return his attention to what he was doing prior. Nodding, you turned back around to face him, ensuring to keep your head down. But you did briefly glance up at him, wanting to see what he looked like whilst dressed properly.

You noticed that he had tied his hair up in a bun, a stray strand hanging over his forehead. This confused you, making you unsure of what to do. You weren't allowed to initiate conversation but you needed to fix his hair. There would be a possibility that if he went outside like that you may get punished. You weren't sure how strict they were but didn't want to take any chances. You had only just started and were about to break one of the rules.

"Um, Prince Zuko?" you called, hoping you wouldn't get into trouble for this. Hearing your voice, he lifted his head to look at you.

"Yes?" he answered. You began to panic, needing to take a deep breath before you could continue.

"Well, it's just that some of your hair has come loose at the front. Would you like me to fix it for you?" you offered, not knowing if this was appropriate or not. He gave thought to your question, glancing up at the loose piece of hair on his forehead.

"Uh, yes please," he agreed, standing as he waited for you to come over and fix it. You were surprised that the boy had manners, initially thinking that the son of the Fire Lord would be a brat. You had a few siblings like that and your family's wealth was nothing compared to the Fire Lord's.

Standing from your seat, you hurried over to the Prince in a quick yet delicate pace. Xiaoli had mentioned something about needing to be fast with your orders, but also appear graceful about it. You hoped you came across that way, not hurrying too fast in case you tripped. Stopping right in front of him, you quickly shifted your gaze to his forehead, avoiding eye contact. Reaching forward, you gently pushed the loose strand back and out of the way. Once finished, you took a step back.

"Thanks," he said quietly, taking the time to properly take in your appearance since you were now right in front of him. Not having any other reason to say anything, you quickly bowed your head before turning to return to your seat. But just as you looked down, you met Zuko's eyes.

Damn, that's a second rule broken.

Not paying it any mind, you acted as if it hadn't happened. Maybe he hadn't even noticed it, perhaps he was looking at something else. Returning to your spot, you sat down in your usual position and lowered your gaze to the floor once again. You had expected him to remain silent longer, forcing you to be bored out of your mind once again. But you were surprised when the Prince didn't return to his bed, heading towards the door instead.

"I'm going on a walk," he called out to you before opening the door and leaving. Hearing the door click shut, you heaved a loud sigh.

"I didn't think it was going to be this stressful," you grumbled, changing your sitting position so your legs were crossed. Looking around the room, you noticed that it was a little messy with a few things on the floor, the bed unmade. You had learned that cleaning the Prince's room was one of your jobs and now was the perfect time to do it since he had left.

Getting up, you paid your attention to the bed first. First straightening up the sheets and then the duvet, finishing by fluffing the pillows and placing them nicely on the large bed. As you finished the last pillow, you caught a glimpse out the window. From it you could see the palace gardens and beyond that, the town and the ocean. It reminded you of how far from home you were.

Not wanting to think about it again, you distracted yourself by collecting the dirty clothing left behind, gathering it in a basket for collection by another servant.

Scanning the room, there was no longer anything to do. You contemplated laying on the bed, missing your old one badly. But decided against it, not wanting to risk getting caught. Returning to your spot, you obediently waited for the Prince to return.

You're not sure how long you waited, but it was a while. The wait making you feel drowsy to the point where you eventually started drifting off to sleep.

Oop, what's gonna happen when you wake up? Had this chapter ready so decided to put it out, was writing for another one before but it was too long to edit now. These chapters are a lot shorter so they don't take long, pretty good since it's 2.30 am right now.

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