War of Change | Book 3

30: A New Era

Art: Artist Not Found

3rd Person

Birds chirped and the wind brought a cool breeze through the royal city.

Zuko stood alone in a long chamber within his new palace. The golden rays of the morning sun shimmered through the wall high windows that covered one whole side of the room, bathing the young prince in light.

Prince. He wouldn't be a prince for much longer. His father and sister had been defeated. The earth was still alive. Tomorrow had come.

From this place, the burned rooftops of several buildings could be seen – their wooden frames protruding through the charred shingles. They were the last remanence of one of the most devastating Agni Kai's to take place. That day would certainly go down in history.

The scarred man struggled silently, trying to pull on a red, silk robe over his shoulders. His mid torso was wrapped in bandages, covering an injury that was the result of that same duel. Lifting his arms was pulling painfully on the wound.

"You could ask for help," a smoky voice danced to his ears.

Zuko instantly straightened. He tried his best to conceal his smile before turning towards the sound but it only resulted in a twitching smirk. "I didn't want to wake you..." His voice trailed off as his jaw became slack at the sight in front of him.

Kida leaned against the doorframe of the room. It was obvious she had just woken up. Her brown-black hair hung in loose waves over her shoulders, some of the strands nearly completely covering one of her heavy-lidded, crystal eyes. She was dressed solely in one of Zuko's dark red, gold-trimmed tops which reached her mid-thigh. A gold sash was wrapped temptingly loose around her waist – one little tug and the whole thing would fall apart.

Her eyes rolled, a sly smile forming on her plump, pink lips as well. A sigh fell from her mouth and she pushed herself off the wall to make her way towards the soon to be a former prince. As she got closer, the sun caught her russet skin and gave it a golden tint that he imaged would rival the precious metal's shine.

When she got to him, she lifted the sleeve of his robe, allowing him to slip his arm through. "The bed was too cold alone," she claimed. She reached around his waist to wrap the belt over his hips before tying it neatly behind him.

"Trust me," he turned towards the girl, placing his knuckle under her chin to tilt her face up towards him, "if I could, I would have stayed in bed."

A smile danced across her mouth. She lifted her chin higher, already preparing herself as she felt him beginning to lean down. "That pesky coronation of yours is really getting in my way."

He nodded, hovering only an inch from her lips. His mouth cracked into a large smile of its own. "It's not easy being the Fire Lord's girlfriend, huh?"

"Mmhmm," her lower lip jutted out in a faux pout.