The Dragon Princess and the Wolf Warrior

Chapter 39 [~|~] Princess to Princess

Azara woke up the next morning, wishing Aang and Katara good luck with their waterbending lessons, before walking to the palace to meet Yue. The sun had risen high enough to cover half of the palace in a bright yellow glow. 

Azara started to walk up the stairs to the palace when she was stopped by an older woman by the entrance. "Princess Azara, how may I help you? Is there something you require?"

"Just Azara is fine. And I was supposed to meet Princess Yue. She said to come in the morning," Azara replied, standing awkwardly as the woman nodded and smiled.

"Of course, she's been expecting you. Let me direct you to her quarters," the woman stated, motioning for Azara to follow her. Azara was not surprised to find the interior of the palace as architecturally flawless as the outside, marveling at the intricate designs as she was led through the long hallways. 

"Princess Yue is right through that door," the woman explained, pointing to a large set of double doors at the end of a hallway.

"Thank you for your help," Azara nodded to the woman before knocking on the door. At Yue's confirmation, Azara opened the door and walked inside the room, shutting the door behind her. 

Her eyes widened at the room, which was both quaint and grand at the same time. The ice of the walls and ceiling had been intricately bended into various Water Tribe symbols and decorations. Yet, there was sparse furniture and decorations besides those bended into the foundation of the room itself.

"Azara, so glad you could make it," Yue smiled, standing up from her desk and walking over to greet Azara. "I hope it wasn't too difficult to find."

"No, there was a nice woman at the entrance who helped me," Azara waved off as Yue led her into a side room, a closet Azara deduced by the clothes decorating the walls.

"Did you have any preference?" Yue asked, standing at the back of the room.

"I don't know the first thing about Water Tribe clothing," Azara chuckled nervously as she looked at the various furs and cloths. "Maybe something I can fight in? I'm supposed to spar later today."

"Hmm, definitely leggings then," Yue nodded to herself, digging through a drawer. "Who are you sparring with? The Avatar?"

"Oh, no. Uh, his name's Kesuk. I don't know if you know him," Azara trailed off as she was handed a pair of black leggings. Despite their light weight, a brush of her fingers indicated that they were thick and heavily insulated.

"Of course! He's a good friend," Yue spoke as she rifled through her dresses. "We grew up together. How did you two meet?"

"We ran into each other . . . literally," Azara explained as Yue pulled out a dress. Holding it up against Azara, she thought for a moment, before shaking her head and putting it back. "He offered to spar with me, and I agreed."

"He's one of the better waterbenders here, and one of the more tolerable men," Yue mentioned offhandedly, piquing Azara's interest.

"More tolerable?" 

"I'm sure it's the same in the Fire Nation, but . . . women have many barriers to . . . well, everything here," Yue continued, pulling out another dress. Holding it aloft, she nodded her head and handed it to Azara. It was shorter than the last one, with a longer slit to allow for greater mobility. "Women are not even allowed to waterbend—"

"—Women are not allowed to waterbend?" Azara interrupted, surprise clear in her voice. Looking back, she had not seen a single female waterbender throughout her time in the city. "Katara is going to be pissed, to put it mildly."