Courting a Prince: Book 1 (Complete)

ch. 19 Figuring it out pt. 2

"Remember that day we were just playing in your room and Azula barged in?"

Zuko rubs the back his neck. "Yeah, it was the first time I've ever seen you scared, and panic."

"I-I was not scared!" My fold my arms and turn away from him.

"You screamed and hid under my bed." He says as if it's a fact.

"T-that's....." I trail off

"You were shaking like a leaf."

"Uh, that was..." I bring my hands up to my now burning cheeks.

"You nearly passed out when she left."

"Okay I get it!" I cover my face in shame. Yeah, okay, I was terrified that day, so what! That girl could've ended my life with just a word to her father!

We talked like that for a little while before I had to go wash Kai. We didn't talk about his mother at all though, neither of us are ready for that mess.

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I slowly pluck off Kai's old feathers, they do fall off naturally, but it makes a mess so I pick them off every so often. I don't mind doing it and he seems to like the attention he gets from it.

"I just don't know Kai, he's like, a kid."

He makes strange bird noises that I can understand, for whatever reason. I don't get it at all, but I just get it.

I roll my eyes, "Okay, okay! We're both teens, but still it's like.. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel!"

He taps his tail on the floor and coos.

"Doesn't change the fact that he is my friend. And not just any friend, my best friend!" I start plucking the feathers from the base of his neck.

He grumbles, at least I hear it that way.

"Wha-!? I am being serious Kai!" I water bend to clean away the dirt that hides underneath his feathers. " I only see Zu as a close friend, nothing more."

He narrows all three of his eyes and crosses his arms.

I sigh, "Come on, I'm not in denial. Lower your head please."

One he does, I start plucking the old feathers from his fluffy face and he makes more bird noises.

"I get what you're trying to say, but you don't have to worry. What happened the other day was probably just my nerves anyway." I laugh while finishing the last part of Kai's grooming.

Its such a quick and simple process that usually only takes around an hour to complete. Now he looks like a whole new griffin owl-thing...... Still never established that.

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We walk up on deck and of course, Zuko is training shirtless, with his Uncle.

I don't really know what kind of face I'm making but my cheeks feel so warm I might just explode.

Kai is basically cackling behind me, saying something along the lines of "See?" And "I told you so!"

Why the hell is this happening to me! >////////<