The Dragon Princess and the Wolf Warrior

Chapter 73 [~|~] The Tale of Azara

Azara followed quickly after her sister, their small feet barely making a noise against the red carpet below them. They pressed their backs against the wall, looking around the corner at the back entrance to the kitchens. "Okay, I'm going to go in, you stay back here and act as a guard," Azula whispered to Azara, who frowned at her sister's suggestion.

"I was the guard last time, you be the guard this time," Azara snipped, grabbing her sister's arm, and tugging her back. Azula huffed in frustration as she turned around to face her sister.

"Well, it worked last time, so obviously you're the better guard and I'm the better thief," Azula insisted, but Azara shook her head.

"I'm not being the guard again!" Azara argued, crossing her arms over her chest. "You do it!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"What are you two doing out of bed?" a voice asked from behind them, causing the two sisters to whip around, identical innocent smiles on their faces.

"Nothing, Lu Ten," Azara spoke softly, causing her cousin to quirk an eyebrow as he sent a knowing smirk at his two youngest cousins.

"So, you two just both happen to be out of bed by the kitchens for no apparent reason at all?" Lu Ten inquired, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's correct," Azula lied, still smiling up at Lu Ten.

"And it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you know that the kitchen is preparing mochi as we speak for the festival tomorrow?" Lu Ten prodded, a knowing smile on his face as Azara and Azula shot each other a look.

"Please don't tell our parents!" they suddenly choked out in unison, causing Lu Ten to chuckle before he squatted down to their level.

"I won't tell your parents," Lu Ten promised, causing Azula and Azara to sigh in relief. "And I believe that I have a solution to your other problem." Azula and Azara turned to look at each other, before smiling and nodding at Lu Ten.

Azula and Azara hid behind the door to the kitchen as Lu Ten strode in confidently, his normal kind smile plastered across his face as he greeted the kitchen staff. "Prince Lu Ten, to what do we owe the pleasure?" the head cook, a woman about Uncle Iroh's age, asked as Lu Ten inspected the kitchen. His eyes landed on the mochi, which were placed in the corner of the room.

Smiling at the cooks, Lu Ten discretely pointed in the direction of the mochi with his hand that was hidden behind his back. Azula and Azara crept forwards in the direction of the mochi as Lu Ten conversed with the kitchen staff. "I was just passing by on the way to my quarters and I couldn't help myself from coming to see your wonderful cooking before the festival tomorrow," Lu Ten replied smoothly as Azara and Azula reached the boxes of mochi. Grabbing three boxes each, the two girls shuffled out quietly as Lu Ten continued to talk with the kitchen staff.

Spotting Azara and Azula slip out with the mochi boxes, Lu Ten widened his smile and bowed lightly to the kitchen staff. "Thank you for your time, but I'm afraid I must be going. Big plans tomorrow, you know," Lu Ten spoke, causing the kitchen staff to bow to the prince as he slowly walked out, blocking any sign of Azula or Azara. Lu Ten nodded to the kitchen staff again before he closed the door slowly behind him.

Confident that no one was going to follow him out, Lu Ten turned to his cousins, who were already munching on some of the mochi they had stolen. "How did we do?" Lu Ten asked, bending down as Azara handed him two boxes of his own.