The Unpredictable Fire Queen [Fire Lord Zuko x Reader]{ATLA}

... and the stomachache

"She what?!" Lord Zuko exclaimed, his eyebrow twitching as he attempted to hold back his anger.

"She cannot fight. She has a stomachache, Lord Zuko," your newly appointed maid repeated, albeit weakly since she did not want to further disappoint him.

Zuko began his breathing exercises that his uncle had taught him to calm his temper. Of course, he was empathetic to the fact that you were experiencing common bowel troubles, but all the meticulous planning and preparation for the fight was going down the toilet... along with the contents of your stomach.

Yes, he had to prepare himself quite thoroughly for the upcoming fight with his soon-to-be wife. There wasn't any precedence to a Fire Lord physically fighting his wife in a public setting, so he had to proceed with caution. Ultimately, he and his advisers had decided to entertain your request and fight without the intention of winning. It was going to be a light sparring match that a four-year-old could enjoy.

It might be an insult to your so-called 'skills', but he just couldn't be out there (in front of many nobles and friends) beating up his fiancee. What would the public think? He didn't want them thinking you two hated each other! That could cause serious damage to the public's trust in him.

Even though you were in pain, he was relieved with the results of your overeating. He was able to avoid the conflict that he had lost sleep over. With a brighter expression, he returned his attention to your maid. "Can I see her... alone?"

The maid bowed, "Of course, Lord Zuko."

When the maid was out of his sight, he entered your room and closed the door behind him. His golden optics landed on your weakened form as you sat in the middle of your spacious bed, hair lazily pulled back into a bun and your face sickly pale. You noticed his presence and waved. "Zuko, long time no see."

A small chuckle rolled out of his mouth as he seated himself beside your bed. The tension in his muscles began to soften, and it was then that he realized how he hadn't been able to stop and relax for quite a while. He had been working tirelessly for years now with Aang in restoring peace; moments like these where he could sit and talk had been hard to come by.

"It seems that our fight has been canceled," Zuko casually brought up.

"You mean rescheduled," you corrected him.

He made no effort to dispute your statement, hoping it all to be smoke and mirrors. "Well, I thought that maybe we could... talk."

"Sure, I have all day."

"Oh... Uhh... So what have you been up to?" 

"Hmm, nothing really. Just teaching firebending to the kids in my village," you responded, "but other than that, I've just been practicing."

His eyebrows knit together. Women your age were usually out looking for a husband, so it was certainly odd that you weren't mentioning your escapades with men. Instead, you were talking about firebending. "What reason do you have for practicing so much?"

You tilted your head to the side in confusion. "Well, it's because I love firebending," you answered honestly, "and the reason why I want to have that fight is because I want to be sure that my husband loves firebending too."

"And you're a good judge of that?"

"Yes, I am."

Zuko smirked as he folded his arms. He relaxed into his chair as he began thinking how maybe he was wrong about you. Maybe you were just misunderstood and that you were actually a normal girl.

You noticed his softening expression and sent him a grin, "Plus, I want to kick your ass."

Zuko's smile faded.

Yeah, you were weird.