The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic)

The Morning Rise

Elle sat at her desk chewing on her lip as she closed her diary.

In the center of her desk sat her art book with her lakeside painting of the princess gazing back up at her.

She smiled with a twinge of redness adorning her cheeks while standing up just before pushing her chair in.

"I...should get to bed. Tomorrow...is going to be yet another great day with Azula-sama." Elle spoke quietly just as she turned off her night light before padding to her bedside now in her night clothes.

She sat upon her bedside with a serene countenance before widening her amber eyes as she suddenly clutched at her chest.

With speed she didn't know she was capable of she lunged for her backpack with a shaky hand.

All the while fumbling for her pill bottle in the dark of her room.

She finally recovered it before she sunk back with a cup of water in hand while quickly swallowing a small tan pill.

Moments later Elle fell back into her bedside holding a hand over her face with the barest traces of pain now visible in her eyes.

Elle moaned quietly with a faint trace of sweat on her forehead.

And sometime later she fell asleep at long last.

In the early morning hours unbeknownst to the now snoring girl a woman now sat before her bedside.

Azula glanced down at Elle with callous amber golden eyes all the while fondly watching her handmaid sleep.

She began to lean over the sprawled-out girl with her palms clasped together in her lap.

Her lips began to purse into a thin line while she turned away from the girl's sleeping face to glare at the closed door.

'Why does this peasant pique my interests? It is not just her tributes...is it? Why did I feel the need to come all the way down here? It's not as if I expected the girl to be awake at this hour.' Azula thought while turning her head to peer back down at Elle laying on her back with her mouth open in her sleep.

That was when she found herself brushing soft golden tresses in an almost affectionate manner.

As her possessive eyes continued to survey her servant's adorable face.

She closed her eyes before releasing a heavy sigh while she inwardly mused that this girl was becoming too great of a liability.

Then her eyes snapped wide open when she heard a faint whimper emanate from the sleeping girl.

Azula glanced down at the small blonde's face all the while frowning when took note of her pet's pained expression.

A flicker of worry began to grudgingly flash in her eyes while she scowled over the girl now leaning even closer as if to inspect her for injury.

"Ooh." Elle groaned in her sleep while Azula lowered her fingers to softly touch her cheek.

'Why is she in pain? The hangover has long since passed...so why?' Azula pondered with her brows furrowed in concern while she stared down at her little admirer's quietly moaning face.

Her rigid eyes continued to sweep over the girl from head to toe searching for any defect.

Anything that would make her cry out in her sleep.

There were no surface wounds...not that she could see above the girl's clothing.

Which only left her with the conclusion that it must be related to the girl's mysterious health problems.