BUTTERFLIES! ━ prince zuko

𝖎𝖎. Can't Fake

𝖈𝖆𝖓'𝖙 𝖋𝖆𝖐𝖊
can't fake
volume i, chapter ii

( another smile )

❄️🦋💦

PRINCESS AKIARA DOESN'T UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THINGS. Like why women are deemed the weaker sex (like, what?). Or the words lackadaisical and flummox, she definitely doesn't understand those. But right now, Akiara doesn't understand how the Avatar - the most powerful bender in the world, the only one who can stop the Fire Nation - is a scrawny, bald-headed little twelve year old monk-boy. Like, no offence, but he's so... tiny. And he's supposed to save the world?

She whispers this to Yue at the feast, who quickly shushes her with a scandalised "Akiara!"

Then Yue proceeds to remove one of the bread rolls from her plate, telling Akiara to eat more vegetables. Akiara is beginning to seriously consider shoving some of the bread rolls under her dress, y'know, for a midnight snack...

All around, there's hushed chatter, people discussing and laughing all sorts of things, but mainly the Avatar. Akiara doesn't really care. Wait, that sounds rude. Akiara does care, she's just not that interested. Like, the Avatar is going to save the world. Good for him! Really, that's great. She's sure he'll do a really good job. It's just that that's his whole Avatar thing, and Akiara's got her whole Akiara thing. Which doesn't involve saving the world. Obviously. So she'll do her Akiara thing and leave the Avatar and friends to do their whole Avatar thing and that's that. (That's not mean, is it?)

(Wait, Akiara, does that even make sense?)

Her father stands up, spreading his arms, and everyone falls silent as he begins to speak. "Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe." Avatar and friends. They're a cute little team, Akiara thinks. A girl and her older brother, Sokka. Both with chocolate-y hair and bright, blue eyes. "And they have brought with them someone very special. Someone who many of us believed disappeared from the world until now... "

Dozens of heads swivel to where her father's gesturing. The little Avatar boy, who sits a few seats down from Akiara. He does have a cute pet monkey. Or... lemur? Wait, does it have wings? Well... whatever it is, it's cute.

"The Avatar!" Her father announces dramatically.

There's a lot of clapping and cheering. The little Avatar boy - Wait, no, Akiara, that's mean. She makes a mental sticky note to refer to him as Aang, not the little Avatar boy - and the little Avatar boy - wait, no - Aang, looks sheepish as he waves.

"And," her father continues. "We also celebrate my daughters sixteenth birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age!"

"Thank you, father," says Yue softly before turning to the crowd. "May the great ocean and moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times!"

"Wonderfully said," says her father. "Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!"

This is about the time Akiara stops paying attention. Not to be disrespectful, because Master Pakku is good at what he does and she does respect him. But, uh, she's still feeling too nervous to look him in the eye after the incident. Also Hiro's up there and she really doesn't want to see him. And also, once you've seen the cocky, arrogant, water bending boys bend water droplets once, you've seen it a thousand times. And Akiara has seen it a thousand times. They're always showing off, it's so annoying. (And, privately Akiara thinks she could do so much better. Not to like, brag or anything.)