Twilight Inferno The Elemental Crown

CH 4 Azula - Matter of Union

The servant's words send a ripple of trepidation through me as I make my way down the familiar corridors towards my father's study. Though part of me longs to linger in the tranquil embrace of the gardens, responsibility calls with an insistent tug.

Being summoned again to fathers office isn't a regular act As I draw nearer to the heavy oak doors, I can make out the low murmur of voices from within Father's authoritative baritone mingling with the lighter timbre I recognise as my brother Blaze. But there is another voice as well, one I cannot immediately place until realisation dawns.

King Aeolus Zephyros of Aerylion. My brother's intended...and the man who should have been kin through marriage over a year ago.

A small frown creases my brow as I consider what game could be afoot to draw the Air King here now, after such a prolonged absence being in fighter office twice in one week isn't a normal occurrence. Could it be related to Blaze's dalliance in formalising their union? He has been reluctant to fully commit thus far, insisting on retaining his independence and freedom a while longer before taking a wife.

Perhaps Father has finally grown weary of the affiance being held in such discourteous abeyance. If that is the case, to involve Aeolus directly could portend a diplomatic rift with the Wind Realm especially if Blaze's procrastination extends much longer.

The servant's final words niggle at me as I raise my hand to announce my presence at the door. "It wasn't King Aeolus I was summoned for?" I can't help but wonder who else may be in attendance for this clearly weighty matter.

Only one way to find out.

I rap my knuckles firmly against the thick oak, the hollow sound reverberating within. A few moments pass before Blaze's voice calls out, bidding me to enter.

I steel my shoulders and push through into the study, letting my gaze sweep across the gathered sovereigns. There sits my father upon his favoured leather chair, chin resting upon one calloused fist as he regards me with an inscrutable expression. Beside him stands Blaze, shoulders thrown back in the familiar parade rest stance he has adopted more and more of late.

And situated across from them in a carved wooden armchair, I finally spy the unexpected guest who no doubt spurred my summons Prince Gale, heir to the Zephyrian throne alongside his fraternal twin, the princess Zephyra to whom my brother was originally betrothed.

So they are both here, then...the king and the crown prince. The gravity of this convocation settles around me like a mantle as I cross the plush carpet to stand beside my father's chair.

"You requested my presence, Father?" I intone respectfully, though I cannot quite mask the undercurrent of curiosity beneath my formal tone.

Pyreus's eyes flick up to meet mine, sparks of some indescribable emotion flickering in their depths. "We have been awaiting you, Azula. There is a matter which requires your familiarity before too much longer."

I catch Blaze's subtle nod towards the prince, and comprehension washes over me in a sudden, unpleasant rush.

Zephyros and Gale are to be MY ambassadors to this situation, not simply Blaze's anymore. They are here to...reaffirm allegiances between Pryannon and Aerylion through me.

"It concerns my impending Rites of Awakening, does it not?" I ask, keeping my tone measured even as my pulse quickens beneath the lace at my collar. "And the...necessities that traditionally accompany such a milestone for one of my lineage."

My father's jaw tightens ever so slightly. He knows I refer to the marital obligations imposed upon us by sacred law the stipulation that I must take a consort from one of the other realms upon my assurance as a full-fledged wielder of the flame.

"Among other matters, yes," Father rumbles, his voice tight in that way that hints at immense discomfort. "But we shall cross that bridge upon its approaching, and not before. For now, perhaps you would favour us by making Prince Gale's acquaintance properly."

At that, the striking young man rises smoothly from his seat, his movements lithe and dancer-like in a way that instantly marks his air elemental heritage. I take a moment to study him his tousled coronet of silvery hair nearly white as spun cloud, his eyes a piercing arctic blue that regards me with the same considering intensity I level his way, and as he moves closer to me I can see his sacred tattoo of his spirit animal peaking form his neck and out of his clothes. I squint to catch what it may be but to my disappointment it is covered rather quickly by the prince himself fixing his attire.

After an ponderous pause, he offers me a smile that seems genuine, if tinged with rue. I sense this meeting is likely no more comfortable for him than for myself.

"Your Highness." His voice holds just the barest wisp of an airy lilt, like the faintest zephyr given sound. "We walk the same winds toward similar destinies, it seems. Though I confess the path has seldom been an easy one to accept."

At that, my brows lift fractionally. His candidness is as unexpected as it is refreshing amidst the typically opaque court conventions I've been steeped in.

"Indeed," I find myself replying, holding his gaze steadily. "For those of our stations, obligation often eclipses more...personal yearnings. Even so, I would know better the man my own fate is to be bound to in this new age dawning before us."

Gale's expression shifts, a hint of approval entering his striking features as he seems to size me up anew.

"Then we are alike in another way for I too prefer forthright discourse over the dissembling vagaries of politics," he murmurs. "Let us speak plainly, you and I, Princess Azula, regarding the duties that will soon unite our ancestral legacies, whether we wish it or not."

I cannot help but let a faint smile ghost across my lips at the prince's disarmingly candid overture. For the first time since entering this tension-fraught gathering, I feel a small blossom of reassurance unfurling within my breast.

If the winds of destiny are to bind Pryannon's flame to Aerylion's gusting airs through our union...perhaps having a consort so unflinching in his manner may be a consolation of sorts. One far preferable to the practiced obfuscations typical of the royal court's more tightly wound dandies and philanderers.

Still, even as I incline my head in the barest of regal nods towards Gale's offer, my gaze slides sideways to catch my brother watching our exchanged study intently. A muscle ticks in Blaze's chiseled jaw, his cobalt eyes glinting like shards of glacial ice.

Not even the weight of his own unsanctioned betrothal can fully overshadow the mantle of protectiveness he bears as my elder sibling, it seems. I offer him the most subtle shake of my head a silent reassurance that all remains well and in hand for now.

Squaring my shoulders, I turn back to face Gale fully as a fresh sense of resolve steadies my voice.

"Very well then, Prince Gale of Aerylion. Let the candor between us begin forthwith for I would have you neither dissemble nor prevaricate as we discuss the rites that will shape the fates of our realms in this new age dawning."

The words are issued as both challenge and invitation, two equals meeting upon the field of diplomacy. Let the winds blow where they may...I will weather their gales with the same uncompromising fire that has ever burned in my family's scarlet heart.

For in this coming convergence, Pryannon's flames must burn ever more brightly, lest the spark within be snuffed out entirely by whatever ominous shadow now looms over all our lands.