Disgraced [Princess Azula]

⚡7⚡

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕊𝕄𝔼𝕃𝕃 𝕆𝔽 𝕋ℍ𝔼 rain was the only thing that lingered from the storm earlier. It remained in the tall grasses around them, reminding them of the moment they shared earlier. Kyan couldn't get that image out of his mind. The feeling running through his body hadn't left since that moment, and neither had her hand in his. 

"We're getting close," she whispered. Her voice rode along the sweet breeze, floating into his ears. "We have to be silent, okay? I don't want us to get caught."

"Okay," Kyan whispered to Azula. At this moment, he fully trusted her. It was like his heart had wings attached to it, and it was flying out of the cage it had been trapped in for the longest time. "I'll try to be as silent as I can be."

Azula pulled him closer to the town they were nearing. The town was deep in the valley of the surrounding mountains. A soft glow surrounded many of the houses from the fires that burned in their fireplaces. It seemed like some of the people were still awake even though it was nearing midnight. 

"You're not bringing me to the Royal Palace, are you?" Kyan whispered to her once he saw the imposing building in the center of the town. None of the soft glows from the houses made it to the palace, leaving it in complete darkness. 

"I thought you told me that you would be silent."

"Sorry."

The two of them ran behind multiple houses. Flashes of color burst across Kyan's vision from each house. The tension in his chest loosened with each color. Everything would be fine. He hadn't seen all of these colors in such a long time, and it was so refreshing to see them again. It seemed like there wasn't color in his life until Azula appeared.

With each step they took, they got closer to the palace. It rose like an imposing figure above them, towering like a giant. The shadows that crawled out from the palace resembled claws that were reaching out toward Azula and Kyan, ready to scoop them up and take them away.

"Why are we going into the palace?" he hissed in her ear. Kyan pulled her closer to him when she tried to reach one of the doors of the palace. Her back was pressed against his chest; she could probably feel how fast his heart was racing. "We want to escape from everything, don't we?"

"We will," she said softly. Her eyes were trained on the top of the palace, never leaving it once. "Can we spend some time here, though? It helps me . . . clear my mind."

"I guess."

Azula stayed in his embrace for another second before pulling him forward. There was something almost tender in the way she leaned into him. Kyan immediately missed the warmth from Azula, but her hand in his was enough warmth to last him for a while. 

She led him through the door and into the palace. Fires burned in sconces along the walls. The hallway they entered was narrow, only a one-person width. There was another door down the hall, but Azula pulled Kyan toward the end of the hallway. Her eyes were scanning the ceiling for something. It all looked the same to him; the same lines ran across the stark white ceiling. The red walls contrasted well with the ceiling, giving the place more shadows than a forest on a sunny day.

He ran right into her back by accident. She had suddenly stopped right in front of him, staring at a direct point in the ceiling. "Can you reach up there and push the ceiling tile away?" she whispered to him. 

"I'll try."

Kyan reached up toward the ceiling, but his fingers couldn't reach it. "Let me get on your shoulders," Azula said softly. "That way, we can reach it better."

Before he could say anything else, she jumped onto his back. His arms went directly around her legs, catching her before she fell. He pushed her up more so she could get on his shoulders. Stumbling to the side, Kyan balanced the two of them against the wall.