Spark [Prince Zuko - Book One]

❃Chapter Eight❃

Asake brushed her hair with the red comb, staring at herself in the mirror. Her bright eyes shone against her dark hair, the bangs pushed to the side pleasantly. Asake had changed a lot from two years ago. Her hair grew longer and darker; she wasn't as short as she was when she left the Fire Nation; she had matured greatly. However, the only thing that didn't change was her eyes. They had the same spark they did when she was little. No wonder Father called her Little Spark.

She sighed and set the comb down, pulling the top layer of her hair back. She tied it back with a piece of string, struggling to keep her hair within her fingers. She never learned how to do her hair because Lady Taiku did it for her; she hadn't had to worry about what her hair looked like because her governess was so skilled at it. She finished putting her hair back, and it didn't look quite as good as when Lady Taiku did it.

With her eyes still locked on the mirror, she pulled her robed dress away from her side, revealing the flesh wound she received from the Water Tribe boy. Her nimble fingers brushed against the serrated skin. Healthy pink flesh grew alongside the wound, and she was on her way to a healed side. She quickly closed and retied her nightgown just as a knock sounded at her door.

She frowned. Who wanted her at this time of night? She didn't have time to think about it because the person knocked again. She stood up, and Asake pulled open the door. A loud squeal rose up from the hinges on the door, and she winced again. She would have to do something about that soon. She was sure that Daza would help her fix the squeaky hinges.

Asake shook her head and glanced out into the corridor. A frown settled on her face when she saw Iroh standing right outside her door. It was nighttime, and she was getting ready for bed. What was he doing there at that time of night?

"Hello, dear Asake," Iroh said, a kind smile on his face.

"Hi, Iroh," Asake said, her brow furrowed. "What are you doing here? Is there news about the Avatar?"

"No," Iroh said. He shook his head. He must have seen her confused look and said, "I want you to distract my nephew."

"Distract him? From what?"

"He's pacing the floor again, worrying about the Avatar." Asake nodded slightly. She knew that he was pacing in his room because she could hear him. His room was down the hall and around the corner from hers, and she could hear every footstep he took. Last night, she was tempted to go into his room and murder him, but she thought better of it. "He won't listen to me."

"What makes you think he'll listen to me?" Asake laughed and shook her head. She pictured Zuko with a sigh. They hadn't really spoken to each other since his agni kai with Zhao. "We're not that close, so that doesn't mean he'll listen to me."

"He doesn't listen to anyone besides himself," Iroh said, chuckling. Then, he flashed her a confident grin. "I believe in you, Asake. You can distract him from the Avatar."

Asake glanced down at her clothes. She wasn't dressed to go out and see other people. She wasn't sure if she was even fine with Iroh seeing her in her pajamas. "I was getting ready for bed," she said, but her voice faded when Iroh kept smiling. She blew out a sigh, ruffling her sharp bangs that curtained her face. "Okay, fine. I'm assuming he's in his room."

"Correct." Iroh moved out of the doorway to make room for her.

"Can I at least get changed first?" Asake said, gesturing to her nightgown.

"If you want to cover up, you can."

"Thank you, Iroh."

Before she left her room, she grabbed a red robe that was draped over her bed. She quickly tied it around her body and followed Iroh to Zuko's room. Asake took a deep breath and looked over at Iroh. "You just need to talk to him, Asake," he said, his eyes widening in worry. "He's my nephew, and I want to make sure he's okay."