Avatar the Last Airbender: The Admiral's Daughter Zuko and OC

Nightmares

Azari waited in Zhao's tent for what seemed like hours, it was cramped in the square cage and Azari would've had to tilt her head down while sitting if she hadn't been so short.

Finally Zhao arrived, he was flanked by two guards that looked young and seemed to quiver when around Zhao, Azari took note of that.

One of the guards, the shorter one, rushed to the cage and used a small key to unlock it. Zhao came over to Azari and grabbed her arm, yanking her out and banging her head on the metal door. Azari saw stars and put her hand to her forehead. Blood.

Azari glared at Zhao and he made her stand up and walk behind him, the two guards holding one of her arms each.

It was sunset now but Azari could hardly pay attention to anything, her head hurt and blood trickled down her forehead. Azari could tell it wasn't a deep cut but it still hurt.

Azari could see Zuko and Iroh ahead, they looked at her with worry and she flinched as she saw Zuko's face tense at the sight of blood on her forehead.

Zuko and Zhao took their positions and began to battle, Azari couldn't watch, but at the same time she had to, Zhao and Zuko battled, fire blast after fire blast. But as Azari watched she began to have hope, Zuko seemed to be evenly matched with Zhao, in fact almost better, maybe she would get out of this mess.

Finally Zuko took the upper hand and Zhao was on the ground with Zuko on top of him, getting ready to give the final blow. Azari would have shouted at Zuko to take him out, but Azari could hardly see, she was getting dizzy from the cut on her forehead.

Azari wouldn't have fallen over if it weren't for the guards holding her, through the blood and dizziness Azari watched as Zuko won the battle. He stood up and began to walk away towards Iroh.

Zhao let out a blast of fire aimed at Zuko, Azari screamed as she waited for impact, but it never came. Iroh had jumped in at the last second and redirected the fireblast, saving Zuko.

Azari watched as Iroh and Zuko yelled at Zhao, Zuko began to walk toward Azari but he didn't make it to her in time, Azari had blacked out entirely.

"I'm sorry Azari, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen, I thought I could protect you," a voice said, the voice was young and full of tears. "I'm so sorry," the voice repeated.

Azari felt her hand being squeezed and then something cold on her forehead. Everything was fuzzy and Azari couldn't see at all.

"This will only hurt a little, but I need you to stay still," instructed an elderly voice different from the first voice.

Azari felt a sharp pain in her forehead and then all was black again.

Azari woke up a couple of days later, she was told her injury was worse than she thought and Iroh had given her a sleeping serum so that she could be healed without feeling any pain.

Azari was fine, her injury had begun to heal and it didn't hurt her much, she had tried to heal it with her waterbending but she didn't have much practice with healing and it didn't help much.

But even though Azari was fine on the outside she was nothing but fine on the inside, Zhao haunted her every dream, and she woke up screaming and crying almost every night.

One night Azari had had a horrible dream, she got up out of her bed and threw on a robe over her nightgown. Azari crept through the halls till she reached Zuko's quarters. She opened the door and entered the room.

Zuko was awake, staring at maps that were strewn across the floor in every which way. Zuko traced them with his finger, marking some paths in red and others in green. Azari was surprised at the mess, Zuko usually couldn't stand a stray hair on the floor.

"Hey," Azari said, giving him a small wave and hugging her arms to herself.

Zuko's head snapped up and he stood up, stepping over the maps that were all over the floor. "Hey, is something wrong?" Zuko asked Azari, taking her hand and pulling her to the bed to sit down.

Azari shook her head, "It's nothing, just another nightmare," Azari said, hugging her arms to her sides. "They just keep coming back, I just don't feel safe anymore, especially when I'm alone."

Zuko wrapped an arm around her, "Well you are safe, because I'm here, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you again," Zuko said.

Azari felt calmer now that she was with Zuko, Azari knew that the only reason she had been captured was because Zuko wasn't there.

"I wish I had a waterbending teacher, if I could protect myself then maybe I wouldn't be so scared," Azari said, leaning into Zuko.

"I can't teach you waterbending but I can teach you how to use my swords," Zuko said, gesturing to the curved swords he had hung up on his wall. "Here, I can show you now."

They both got up and walked over to the wall, Zuko got down the swords and handed them to Azari.

"Don't treat them like a weapon, treat them like an extension of your body," Zuko instructed.

Azari tried to do what Zuko said but she dropped one of the swords and Zuko winced as it hit the floor with a bang.

"Sorry," Azari said, bending down to retrieve it and dropping the other sword in the process. "Sorry," she said again. Azari stood up and held the swords again, looking at them dubiously. "I don't think I can do this."

"Here, let me help," Zuko said, walking over to Azari and standing behind her, he took her hands in his and they moved the swords simultaneously, their breath against each other's cheeks.

They broke apart blushing.

"Now try it without me," Zuko said to hide the fact that he had been blushing.

Azari moved the swords like he had shown her and added in a thrust that Zuko hadn't shown her. She then lowered the swords and looked at Zuko for approval.

Zuko nodded, "That was pretty good, it could use some work but good for your first try," Zuko said, taking the swords and putting them back on the wall. "Maybe you'd do better with a bow," he said thoughtfully.

"Are you saying I'm bad with swords?" Azari asked jokingly.

"No! You just... are kinda bad with swords," Zuko admitted.

Azari laughed and Zuko smiled at her. They both yawned simultaneously.

"I should go back to my room and get some sleep," Azari said regretfully.

Zuko went over and grabbed her hand, "No, just stay here tonight, it won't bother me," Zuko said.

"But what about your maps, don't you have to work on them?" Azari asked, unsure about whether to accept or not.

Zuko shook his head, "It's hopeless anyone, the avatar is impossible to find, I'll just have to wait to hear something," Zuko said, frowning. "Plus I guess I should get some sleep."

Azari nodded, "Okay then, but just for tonight," she said.

Azari let go of Zuko's hand and slipped her robe off, putting it on the edge of one side of the bed.

Azari and Zuko got onto either sides of the bed and as far away from each other as possible, but as the night wore on they slowly moved closer to the middle.

Azari awoke from a nightmare, screaming and crying, she felt arms wrap around her to protect her. 

"It's okay," Zuko said. "I'm here."

Azari's tears stopped and she leaned into him, they slept like that the whole night.

After that Azari didn't have anymore nightmares.

I hope you like this chapter. I wrote it in almost one go. I had so much fun with it. We're starting to get to the romance a little which I think is exciting. Azari is also going to start learning how to use a bow if anyone is curious, also better waterbending skills. Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes!