text: “Who was that?” She didn’t think Zuzu was paying that much attention. He seemed much more focused on that sand… sand mound? Perhaps it was supposed to be a palace or castle. That dum-dum has no artistic sense.
  
  “A new friend.”
  
  “Like Mai?” His eyes shimmer with that word. After a moment of contemplation, she decides it’s a shimmer of fear. Poor Zuzu’s afraid of girls, herself included. That’s good.
  
  She nods. “Uh huh, this one’s flexible and jumpy. I’m gonna be so good, no one could shoot me in an Agni Kai, even if I don’t bend.”
  
  “And she wants to be your friend?”
  
  “Of course.”
  
  Actually, Ty Lee, apparently from a family with a surname, seems to do this out of selfish reasons. She has a bunch of sisters, so being friends with a princess would differentiate her. All her actions scream “look at me” anyway. She’ll be easy to control.
  
  Zuzu crosses his arms. “Will that one be heading to the palace?”
  
  She raises her eyebrow. Why would she not? I wouldn’t befriend people who won’t be around. “Yes.”
  
  “Oh.”
  
  She puts her hands on her hips. “It’s not my fault if I have more friends that you.”
  
  He smashes the sand mound with his fists. Mother would’ve yelled at me if I did that. She didn’t even notice her precious son doing it. Even if she did, Mother would coddle him. She doesn’t see regret in his eyes. If it wasn’t for Mother, maybe Zuzu would’ve had a small chance at being a warrior.
  
  “It’s not fair.” He stands up. “How come you have so many friends?”
  
  It’s Azula’s turn to cross her arms. “I have two friends. That’s not much.”
  “More than me.”
  
  She shouldn’t be so surprised. He either flounders in his training or gets coddled by Mother. Is he capable of doing those boy game? Probably not. She should’ve put two and two together. Her brother’s isolated. Azula has broken free.
  
  “Zuzu, how many kids have you ever talked to?”
  
  “Um…” He stares at the sand as if it has become the most interesting thing in the world.
  
  “Let me guess…” She talked to him. Mai… Has Mai? Maybe. It’s hard to tell. “Two.”
  
  He doesn’t say anything, but his fist clench and he takes a quick breath of air. I’m right, as expected.
  
  “Do you even know how to play Hot Rocks?”
  
  “No.”
  
  Of course, you wouldn’t know. I made it up, just now.
  
  “You heat up a rock like this one.” She runs to the edge of the beach where there’s a stone, probably sandstone. She uses her flames to make it hot, but not enough to make it explode. She found out how painful those can be. “Then, we throw it at each other.” I can let the heat flow through me. Can you, Zuzu?
  
  She tosses the rock at him. He caught it and gave a very feminine yelp. Why am I behind him for the throne? He tosses it from one hand to another before chucking it back at her. She catches it and glances at the sun. From that angle…
  
  She tosses it at Zuzu, but she lobs it at a high angle. Her training with Mai will reap some fun rewards. He looks up but can’t see it. The rock is falling in his eyesight to the sun, a blind spot made of light. Of course, a warrior or anyone with common sense would move out of the way, yet Zuzu’s too stubborn for that.
  
  The rock hits his head, and he falls into the sand. Would Mother believe a bird would’ve dropped a stone on his head? Probably not. Did anyone see this? Mother and Father are down the beach sitting on the sand. The guards are back at the house, since it’s safe here. No one else dares come close to part of the royal family, except Ty Lee, but that girl has already wandered off.
  > You sit Down next to Him
  She walks up and sits down across from her dazed brother. Since he doesn’t whine about his thunked head, her dum-dum of a brother must be unconscious. Leave it to him to be the first firebending prince ever to lose a battle against a six-year-old girl and a little rock.
  
  He opens his eyes and groans.
  
  “You should’ve dodged, dum-dum.”
  
  He rubs his forehead and sniffs. Is he going to cry? “There’s no honor in running away.” And now he’s talking about honor?
  
  “The dead have no honor.”
  
  He looks at her if she stabbed him. “But our great-grandfather killed the last Avatar. He beat the Air Nation. He started our war to spread our glory. How can he have no honor just because he’s dead?”
  
  “The war’s still going on. Sozin died before he could finish his work. He failed. No honor, just another power-hungry dead guy.”
  
  “No son of Sozin or any firebender would speak ill of our former Fire Lords.”
  
  “I’m no son, nor am I just any firebender.” She pokes her chest in triumph. “I’m THE firebender.”
  
  Zuzu stares at her, trying to read her expressions. She reads others easier than she can read that awful old poetry Mother likes so much. Zuzu couldn’t tell if she was sad if she was crying, not that she ever would. Maybe he thinks I’m joking, but I’m dead serious.
  
  He crosses his arms. “How come you’re so good at everything?”
  
  “Because I want to. I refuse to allow anything else to happen, so I become the best.”
  He looks away from her. “It’s not my fault if you were born lucky. Dad says I was lucky to be born.”
  
  Ouch. “So? You’re still related to the most amazing thing that happened in over a hundred years. Just don’t die or anything and I’ll let you be an armor bearing or something.”
  
  “We haven’t had a princess in battle for centuries, right? Why would I then bear armor?”
  
  “I will be a warrior. Plus, you’re too stupid to try to kill me, so I could trust you as my underling.”
  
  His demeanor darkens. Ug, that sounds like Ty Lee and those auroras. “I don’t think I’ll ever get to a battlefield. I’d just get in the way.”
  
  “Which’s why you should be my helper. That way, you’d have a purpose. Plus, I promise I’ll try to keep your stupid butt alive when I’m already busy killing hordes of peasants or something like that. I’ll always be on your side when we’re in battle. See? Now you have a purpose. I don’t think you had a purpose.”
  
  They lie there on the beach until sunset. Neither wanted to leave, since both knew what’d happen. They’d revert to their normal ways. They’d fight for their parent’s attention. Azula would scheme. She can’t remember the last time they just… talked.
  
  Both were right. They didn’t have a quiet moment for the rest of the trip. When they got home, they’d either avoid the other of fight. Azula would come out on top. She had to. Only perfection can reach the throne, and she’ll prove she’s perfection incarnate.
  
  However, she didn’t lie, not when making that promise. Even though their daily lives are like a battle against the other, on the real battlefield, she’d be there for her brother. No matter how much she dislikes the dum-dum, she knows it’s the duty of a royal to protect the weaker members of the family. But, that’ll happen years from now, maybe a decade. The Fire Lord will probably be her tea-loving uncle by then.
  
  Even Azula with all her cunning could never predict that the battlefield will come so soon. It’ll come charging towards Zuzu not from assassins or enemy soldiers. He’ll be threatened by his family.