Jaded Petals ↛ Zuko x OC ✔️

04 | Fragments

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Daiyu had been sitting in the observatory for over an hour, unable to find the constellation she was looking for. She had leaned back on the chair, moving away from the giant telescope in front of her. She had looked up at the ceiling, which was quite clear and made of impenetrable glass. They had built it two year upon her requesting it even though Ozai said he did not see the need in it, he thought if she was able to find anything useful than it would be built. As far as she was concerned, the Fire Lord had been quite kind and generous and she was beginning to wonder if had to do with something Zuko had said not too long about the whole concubine ordeal. She was only twelve and she knew that in order to be a concubine, of a man of any age, you had to be at least sixteen. Either way, whether she was able to or not, she certainly did not want to be anyone's concubine. However, if she had wanted a life in the Fire Nation, that was the only choice.

Letting out an irritated sigh, she looked back over notes and began to strike out some observations she made since some of them proved to be false or not written how she wanted it to be. The brush had moved swiftly as she wrote more about the four constellations in myth. There were four constellations that had represented seasons and she wasn't able to find neither one of them. "You're spending a lot of time in here, aren't you?" She sat up and looked over her shoulder to see it was Zuko. He had walked over to her, "What are you doing anyway?" He had asked. "I'm looking for the Summer constellations." She explained, her eyes looking up at the ceiling. "I want to find one of the four symbols, in which one is called the Vermillion bird, and it is in the south of the sky and represents the element of fire. I can't seem to find all the constellations that create it; I've only been able to find the constellations Jǐng (井), Guǐ (鬼), and Lǐ (柳)." She sighed, "I don't think I'll ever be able to find it."

"Why do you feel like you have to find it, what's so special about it?" Zuko had asked as he tilted his head back, looking at the shining stars through the ceiling above them. "Well," Daiyu had perked up a bit, becoming interested in this side of the conversation. "They say that when you find the Vermillion bird, it gives you a test of strength. What that test is, you'll never know. If you pass the test, your bending will become strong like Agni himself. Though it's just a legend, but something worth dabbling into." She smiled at him as he gave her a rather confused expression. "Did my father put you up to this?" He had asked in which the girl shook her head. "No, not at all. I haven't told him any of it, I'm afraid what he would do with such bending power. Iroh told me not to tell him as well." She began scribbling down on the piece of paper. "That's probably the wisest choice." Zuko's voice was somber in which made the Earthbender frown. "What's wrong? You know, you've been acting weird since your birthday. The whole concubine thing, the whole making me avoid Ozai..." She pointed out. "Don't worry about it. Just know that I'm doing you a favor, a big one."

"How can I thank you if I don't know what it is?" She asked as she could tell he was growing irritated by her persistence. "Zuko, I want you to talk to me. It concerns me and if you really care, you would just tell me. I don't need you to protect me." Growing rather irritated herself by his actions and his mysterious behavior, she stood as the Prince turned his back on her and pinched the bridge of his nose, counting down from ten to keep his composure. "Zuko..." She pushed forward, walking over to him and placing her hand on his shoulder just so that he could grab it and pull her towards him. Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him, his blazing with mixed emotions but none of them subtle when it came to his agitation. His face was inches away, his brows knitted together and his voice hard and demanding. "Just listen to me. I'm doing this for you. Stop questioning me." She continued to look into those bright, amber pools that he called his eyes in search for what was the root of all this. He wouldn't let her in as he let go of her arm and turned around, leaving her in the observatory with questions swirling around her head. "Why is he so confusing..." She mumbled, her right hand rising and her fingertips lightly brushing her cheek. "My face feels hot... I might be overworking myself."