The Archer [Zuko]

➳ 6 ➳

A soft breeze blows through the little garden area where Azula, Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and I are sitting. The sky is clear and blue; not a cloud dots the vast space. The water in the small pond ripples slightly, sending dark blue wrinkles across the surface. It really is a beautiful day today, with the sun shining down upon us and the sweet-smelling breeze blowing between us. 

The only thing that ruins this nice moment is when Azula and Zuko start arguing about something so very trivial that I don't even remember what it is. Their shouts and hushed voices echo across the raised walls around us, magnifying the noise ever so slightly. The guards who are stationed at the entrances to the palace are acting like they hear nothing at all. The rest of us - Mai, Ty Lee, and me - can't do that.

From what I've witnessed before, this is a sibling argument. Since I don't have any siblings of my own, I've only heard about and seen sibling arguments; I haven't ever experienced them before. But I do know that they are one of the worst arguments out there because siblings know everything about each other and use that to their advantage. I know for sure that Azula would do something like that against Zuko.

The three of us huddle together. Mai has a bored look on her face like she has somewhere else to be that's so much better than the palace in the Fire Nation. Ty Lee looks a little upset that Zuko and Azula are fighting; her eyes keep flicking over to them worriedly. She's the best one out of all of us, Ty Lee is. She actually cares about others and wants what's best for them. She's going to make this job hard for me.

"What are they even fighting about?" I whisper to them. 

"It first started out as something about how Azula thought Zuko used her brush, and now it has escalated to their mother," Ty Lee whispers back. Her voice sounds strained like their fight is physically hurting her. "I wish they would stop before it gets ugly. Don't they know that all this fighting will give them wrinkles early in life because of the bad aura surrounding them?"

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. I doubt that they're worrying about getting wrinkles, especially Zuko. That scar did a number on his face, so I bet he doesn't worry about physical appearances anymore. Though, he doesn't look that bad with the scar; it makes him look more rugged and handsome. 

"If they don't stop soon, I'm going to leave," Mai announces. Her voice is louder than what Ty Lee and I were trying to do. Zuko glances over at us once he hears what she said, a frown on his handsome face. "There's no use in me spending my time with them if they are going to act like this."

"Act like what?" Azula asks while gliding over to us. She has an easy look on her face, but her eyes tell a different story. They are crackling with lightning, ready to strike anyone who comes near her. 

"Oh, nothing," I tell her, waving my hand through the air. I nearly flinch away from the intensity of her eyes, but I don't budge. "It's nothing."

Her mouth twitches like she wants to say something. She must think better of it and remains silent. Zuko finally decides to join us. He stalks over here before sitting down in between Mai and Ty Lee, as far away from Azula as he can get. I guess it's harder to keep his anger a secret; it's written all over his face, telling the full story of how much he was actually hurting inside. That means that he's probably the easiest to sway since he doesn't really know what he wants to do or why he's even here. A small pang of guilt races through my heart, but I ignore it. If I focus on keeping other people happy, I would never get anywhere in life.

Here we all sit, under the shadow of the apple tree next to us. Everyone is looking at something else; no one looks at the same object together. The tension that is growing between all of us is so thick I bet I couldn't even cut through it with my sharpest arrow. Ty Lee, Mai, and I are all trying to ignore the fight from earlier while Zuko and Azula are trying to ignore each other. 

My hand grazes over the blanket I used to cover up my bow and arrows. Maybe a bit of practicing will lighten up the mood. That way, I could get Zuko and Azula out of their fight. 

Without bothering to look at my things, I grab them and stand up. All at once, everyone's eyes flicker over to me. I give them a quick, innocent smile, and then head further away from the tree they are sitting under. I plant my feet in the tall grass, shielding my eyes away from the sun. It doesn't matter if I can't see; my father trained me better than that. Instead of struggling with the sun, I screw my eyes shut, nocking an arrow in the bow. In my mind's eye, I could see the apple tree with the little people sitting below it. Since it's nearing summer, the apple tree is in full bloom, which is a good thing for me. Setting my mind's eye on one of the apples, I raise my bow and arrow, letting the sharp object fly through the air. 

A chorus of screams and yells echo, but I hear the satisfying crunch on my arrow landing in the apple. A proud smile appears on my face as my eyes flash open. Ty Lee is staring at me, her mouth wide open. Azula has a passive face, but the lightning in her eyes is still crackling. Poor Zuko has a dumbstruck look on his face, like he couldn't believe that I just did that. And Mai . . . she has an angry look on her face. I knew she would be a little upset, but I didn't think that she'd be downright angry. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Azula asks me. 

"Practicing."

I place another arrow against my bow, aiming at one of the other apples in the tree. Before I can let go, though, Mai says, "How did the guards let you bring in your bow and arrows?"

"Uh, no one stopped me?" I say with a slight frown on my face. I lower my bow and look at her. "Why?"

"They wouldn't allow me to bring in my knives."

"Oh, that's strange." I could kill Xalen right now. He should have told me that we're not allowed to have weapons here. If I knew that, then I would have put my bow and arrows away until I needed them. "None of the guards told me that they couldn't be here," I continue. I look at Zuko and Azula and ask, "Is it alright if I have my bow and arrows here?"

"If you don't hurt anyone with them, I think it's fine." The corners of Zuko's mouth lift slightly, making me smile as well. He turns his gaze to Azula. "What do you think?"

"I don't really care," she says, crossing her arms over her chest. "We get to practice our firebending, so why can't she practice her archery?"

"Well, if that's the case, then someone go get my knives," Mai says grumpily. She leans back on her hands, letting out a sigh. There's a funny look behind her eyes, and she quickly grabs something from her ankle. I realize it's a stiletto knife, and it's pointed edge is very sharp and thin. "They couldn't get all of my knives, though."

"We shouldn't have our weapons out now!" Ty Lee cries, jumping up. Her eyes are wide, looking almost scared. "I don't want our auras to be ruined!"

"I'm not using my bow and arrows in a bad way," I say gently. "I'm practicing, just like you do with your stunts. Your aura doesn't get ruined when you practice, right?"

"Are you sure?"

"Completely." I continue looking at her. She still looks a little nervous, so I set my bow and arrows down on the ground, covering them back up again. I'm not really sure what's up with her, but I don't like seeing her like this. "I'll put them away for right now, okay?"

"Thank you."

It goes quiet again. Everyone is silent. This was not what I had planned would happen when I got here. I thought there would be more excitement here since all of us were back together again. I thought there would be more meetings that Zuko and Azula had to go to. Apparently, I thought wrong. It's just as boring here as it was back home. It's still just as stifling here as it was back home. But I know that there's something here that is calling my name. I can feel it in my bones.

And when I finally get my hands on the jeweled bow, I will be free from everything.