Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Nothing But Your Servant ❯ Jewled Eyes ( Chapter 2 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or any avatar characters. The only one that I do own is Zenaida because I made her up.

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~Zenaida~

I woke up the next morning feeling extremely exhausted for some reason and found my pack on the floor with it's contents spilling out. What had happened? I quickly cleaned up the mess and set my pack aside before gathering up a fresh robe and headed over to the bathing area for servants. Yao had shown me yesterday and it was a small secluded part of the west wing of the palace. There were no barriers in this medium sized room since the servants were mostly women and the men had a seperate one in the east wing. I tried not stare at the naked bodies as I undressed and stepped into the large tub with all the other servant women. I knew those perverted guards watch so I faced the wall that had no entries or windows and washed myself like that so all they could pretty much see was my bare back. After I finished up with that, I immediately reported to Zuko's room.

~Zuko~

After I okayed it, she came into my room in the same outfit as yesterday except her hair was still slightly damp from her bath. I was still debating whether to see Mai today or not, but Mai made the decision herself when she barged in the room right after the servant girl, making the door hit the servant's head and stumble forward. The servant girl...what's her name again.....oh, Zenaida got back on her feet and looked down again. Mai simply glared at her and walked over to me with a smile on her face.

" Your new servant girl needs to quicken her reflexes." Mai remarked as she sat next to me on my bed and kissed my cheek. Her lips were cold but I enjoyed it still enjoyed her touch. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled her up with me as I got up myself from the still warm bed.

" Servant, go get my bath ready and after that get some tea for Mai." I said and Mai leaned her head on my shoulder, her sigh making her body melt against mine. The servant girl gulped awkwardly and nodded before shuffling out of the room, her hair swaying across her back as she did this. As soon as the door shut, Mai scoffed and looked up at me.

" That girl's eyes are freaky." she said and glanced over her shoulder at the closed door as if Zenaida were still there. Looking back up at me, she placed a tender kiss on my lips and circled her arms around my waist. Even though I found her eyes too cold and emotionless to feel anything, I could feel her care and love for me. " So what are we going to do today, Zuko?"

I smiled and kissed her forehead before gently pushing her off and looking out of my window that had a view of the palace's garden and courtyard. I watched the servants trim bushes and water the flowers while others swept the courtyard. I cared for Mai deeply, but I didn't want to spend every wake moment with her or her by my side all the time. I feel like she's suffocating me. But I forced a warm smile as she held on to my arm and looked up at me for an answer.

" I have some training to do today then I have to go to a few meetings. I won't be able to do anything until tonight and maybe we could go for a walk if I'm not too worn out." I explained to her and I could see her look away and force a smile.

" Alright then. But we can still go to breakfast together?" she looked up at me eagerly and as much as I hated doing it, I nodded . All I really wanted was some space, but I wasn't cold-hearted like my sister and father, and I wasn't ever able to turn Mai down since she had been there for through thick and thin.

The servant girl came back in with the tray of tea and fruit and set it on the table with a thud. Standing up straight again, she folded her hands in front of herself and smiled.

" Would you like me to get your clothes, Master, or do you prefer retrieving them yourself?" she asked, her eyes still aimed down at the floor. I glanced down at Mai who was looking at the servant girl like trash and I seen the servant glance up for a second before looking back down, still waiting for my answer.

" I guess it's a necessary question since your new. You are to get my clothes and bring them to the bath after you set it up." I instructed her and she gave a quick nod before scurrying off. Mai chuckled and let go of my arm before walking to the table and drinking tea. I bent down to give her a quick kiss on the forehead and walked into my personal bathroom where the servant girl was hauling in pails of water for the bath through the window. I watched as the toned muscles on her thin arm flexed when she picked up the pail and pour it in the tub. She did not let her eyes drift over to where I was but kept it on her work. Once the final pail was poured, she tossed the bucket out to whoever was filling the pails for her and she quietly made her way past me back into my room.

~Zenaida~

I could feel Mai watching me intensely as I bent down into a chest and retrieved the prince's clothes. I really don't understand why. I was just his servant after all and she could have his grumpyness and meanness. Plus, did she really think she was going to lose her Fire Nation prince to his personal servant? No, I don't think so. As I began to walk to the door again, she called to me.

" Servant girl, what is your name?" she asked blandly and I turned around to her, but still kept my eyes down. I cleared my throat before I replied.

" Zenaida." I said and waited for her to dismiss me, but she got up from her spot and walked over to me, my heart thudding loud enough to ring through my ears. She stopped in front of me and lifted my face with tip of her pointer finger. Her dark eyes dug deeply into my light ones and I became scared that she was beginning to see things I didn't want her to see or know. As her lips pursed and her face began to move closer to mine, the bathroom door behind me flung open and I quickly swung around to look up into Prince Zuko's golden eyes.

~Zuko~

I'm not lying when I say this, but the servant's eyes were scary when they were this close and opened this big in her horrified expression. She gulped and quickly averted her eyes from mine to the floor. Mai was smirking and staring at the back of the servant's head as if she was ready to say something that would jepordize Zenaida's existence.

" What's going on?" I demanded irriated since it really didn't take a whole 10 minutes to retrieve my clothes. I could hear the servant gulp before doing a quick bow.

" I'm sorry. I had trouble finding your clothes." she said and walked past me into the bathroom. I knew something had happened since Mai was standing there with that little grin on her face. She rarely grins like that.

" What happened, Mai?" I asked and heard the servant shuffing around behind me as she fixed my things. Mai shrugged and let the grin fall the her usual pursed lips and looked away.

" I just asked her her name and looked into those big sparkly eyes of hers, Zuko. Don't worry, I didn't hurt your little pet." Mai scoffed and left the room before I could say anything back. I was a little relieved that she wouldn't be accompanying me to breakfast this morning. She probably won't cool off until tonight so I can breathe freely today. Turning back around to the servant, I seen that she had put my folded clothing on the nearby table and my towel was folded neatly over that pile.

" Out." I said, but didn't need to since she was already on her way out. I shut the door behind her and undressed before I slid my hand into the tub and warmed it up. I slipped in and relaxed in the warm water, enjoying the steam around me. I could finally relax from this hectic schedule that conisisted of tactics to find and kill the avatar, but each one that was presented came out with our efforts wasted because he always seems to manage to get away. Convincing my father to leave the palace once again in pursuit of the avatar was useless since the answer was always a firm "No". So now I'm chained to this palace and town that I'm getting sick of. I enjoyed it much better when it was me and my uncle traveling freely. These thoughts and memories suddenly ruined my relaxing bath so I quickly finished up and got dressed. Walking back out into the room, I seen that the tea Mai had been drinking was gone and Zenaida was standing patiently to the side still staring at the floor.

" Why does the ground interest you so much?" I asked coldly and I could see her flinch a little before looking up at me with those light violet eyes of hers and soon regretted that I had said that. They were beautiful. They were those eyes people fanatasized about but know would never come true. Her pale cheeks began to turn a light shade of pink as I hid my awe in her eyes. She shifted uncomfortably in her spot but she didn't take her eyes off of me. It felt like there was a silent challenge going on between us, but I quite enjoyed it. A challenge different from capturing the avatar. It bothered me that ever since I returned home that everything seems to be handed to me on a silver platter. I needed a new challenge and this servant girl was providing it perfectly. It gave me a great satisfaction when she was the first to look away and I chuckled. Without a word, she followed me out into the courtyard where I would be sparring with some guards. She stood next to a pillar under the overhang and watched me walk into the middle of the courtyard, my three sparring partners already have created a triangle around me.

The man behind me threw the first ball of fire and I quickly sidestepped to dodge it. I let the fire gush out through my closed fist to the man and held out my free palm to the side where another guard was rushing toward me and I shot him a quick fireball as well. My two hands curled into fists and I turned around to shoot the fire at the last man. My fire had not gone to waste on any of the sparring partners and the fight was over in less than 30 seconds.

" Is that it!?" I called, irritated at the fact that I had once again no challenge. One guard lay on the ground motionless while the other two limped to the side. You gotta be kidding me! I barely spit any fire at any of those fools and they're already on the brink of death!?

~Zenaida~

Did it occur to him how large his blasts were that they nearly filled the whole courtyard? They shouldn't place the garden this close to the courtyard because the trees and bushes that kept it secluded were burnt. I'm not quite sure if it was from right now or previous sparring matches, but the rims of them were black. It didn't go quite well with the light colored garden if you ask me. I could hear Prince Zuko growl in irritation and hold out both curled fists over his head and shoot out flames that rose high and full. A cloud of fire covered the open area and I could smell something burning. But I wasn't quite fazed by this show because I could do more. I know I could do much more. But I'd keep my mouth shut and only speak when I'm spoken to. Everyone quickly evacuated the area as the flame began to thicken but I kept my place and watched.

" He can do much more than that as well, Zenaida. Your not special." a powerful voice said in my head and I quickly shuck my head to rid of the memory that was slowly flooding back into my clear mind. I could hear the voice laughing and taunting me, but I covered my ears and shook my head.

" Leave me alone." I hissed in my head and began to hear this screeching noise like a little girl screaming echoing through my ears.

~Zuko~

I withdrew my raging fire when I seen the servant girl crouched down on her knees, her hands over her ears while she shook her head.

" Zenaida!" I called as I walked toward her. Her eyes flew open and filled with shock as she stood up straight once again. Her eyes flew first to the ground, but something flashed in her eyes and they came right back up to meet mine in time that I came within a foot of her. " What's wrong?" I asked, sounding more harsh and mean than concerned about what was going on.

" Nothing, Prince Zuko. I am fine. I should be asking you if you are alright, Master." she said with a warm smile that I knew was forced. Examining my form, she blushed a little and brought her eyes back up to mine.

" I'm fine." I said and tried to search those eyes that seemed to mirror what she thought for the truth in her behavior, but found nothing except the special color in her eyes. Her lips pursed and her eyes looked away again, but not down. Somewhere beyond where we stood. Before I could turn around to see what had caught her attention, I heard some laughing and a scoff behind me.

" Zuzu, is this your new servant girl?" Azula walked past me and grabbed Zenaida's chin roughly. Zenaida grabbed the pillar to keep her balance as Azula tilted her chin up violently and glared into her eyes. " Mai was speaking about her eyes after you made her upset this early morning, Zuzu. She made such a big deal about them that I had to see them myself." Azula's face leaned in closer to Zenaida's and she waved a hand over to Ty Lee who was looking at the burnt trees. Ty Lee bounced over and got even closer to Zenaida's face than Azula did, almost threatening their lips to touch so Zenaida leaned back a bit.

" What pretty eyes! They're like jewels!" Ty Lee exclaimed as she marveled over her eyes. The servant girl looked from Azula to Ty Lee, fear completely dominating her eyes. Ty Lee giggled and tilted her head a little as if something would happen if she looked at the eyes from a different angle. Azula scoffed before throwing the servant's face away, causing Zenaida to slam against the wall, but she was able to stop herself from falling. Ty Lee approached Zenaida once again and cupped her hands in her small palms. Pulling her face closer to her own, Ty Lee smiled and said," You know, your sooo pretty. Can I trade eyes with you?" Ty Lee giggled and for the first time I seen the servant smile herself.

I could hear Azula growl unapprovingly and she turned to me.

" Is this who your sleeping with, now? Are you cheating with Mai?" Azula demanded, and for a woman who only expressed anger or annoyance, it seemed uncomfortable that she was showing her care for Mai. I instantly began wondering if she cared for me like this, but quickly dismissed the thought. Azula is a cold-hearted, selfish woman who cares for no one but herself.

" I'm not sleeping with anyone, Azula. And if I did, why would it matter to you. Your not the one I'm dating." I shot back and was already prepared for Azula to lash back when a guard entered the courtyard and walked over to us. He bowed and waited for permission to speak. When Azula gave it to him, he stood up straight from his bow.

" Princess Azula, the Firelord wishes to speak to you." the guard said and Azula shot me a hateful look.

" We're not finished here, Zuzu." she said menacingly and turned around to follow the guard back into the palace, Ty Lee soon trailing after her in little flips and skips.

I hated my sister. No, if I said that, I'd be lying. I hate the way my sister acts. But I guess I do truly love her because she's my sister. Ty Lee was a wierd girl who knew nothing but happyness and I found her more emotionless than Mai because Mai could show more than one emotion. I turned my head to the servant girl who was dusting her robe off.

" Prince Zuko, do you mind if I ask a question?" she asked politely as she brought her eyes back up to mine and I could've sworn if they were just a tiny bit lighter, people would think she's blind. But the color her eyes held were perfect and exactly like Ty Lee had described them. Like Jewels.

" What is it, servant?" I asked, finding that her speaking out was quite irritating. I sat on the steps in front of her and lit a flame in the palm of my hand.

" Please try and not find me out of line when I ask this, but I only wish to feed your hunger for a worthy opponent..." I sat quietly to let her know I was waiting for to continue, and I have to admit that I was quite shocked when she did ask, " Would you spar with me?"

I stood up and faced her, still suprised by her bold offer. She had always been silent and obeying in the past. Why would she ask of something that might kill her?

" Are you crazy? I can't spar with my servant." I insisted and began to walk inside the palace. I was not the type of person to put a woman in danger of my wrath unless they truly deserved it and had tried to meditate to keep my temper down, and so far, it has improved. But not improved to the point where I can control my fury and think straight when I get angry. Our footsteps were the only things in the empty hallway that made sound as we made our way over to the dining hall. Well, as I made my way to the dining hall. She bowed to me before retreating to the kitchen where the servants ate after the waiters served us.

I sat at my usual position at the table; right next to my uncle and across from Azula. My father sat between us at the head of the table and we were quickly served. The usual silence took over until Azula looked up at me and smirked.

" Oh, Father, have you seen Zuko's new pet?" she said, her evil cold eyes still on me, that icy and menacing smile plastered across her face. Father looked at me, but I kept my eyes on my bowl of noodles, believing that the commotion with Zenaida this morning was enough for the day.

" What about his servant?" My father asked Azula curiously, his eyes still on me so I finally put down my bowl of noodles and glared at Azula.

" It's just her eyes. That's all it is, Father." I said, finally looking at him with a sigh.

" Yeah, they're real pretty Firelord Ozai! Like jewels!" Ty Lee exclaimed once again with a huge smile on her face. Father glanced at Ty Lee and smirked. I caught Mai glaring down angrily at her bowl of soup and I suddenly felt guilty for inwardly gawking at Zenaida's beauty.

" Guard!" My father called as he rest his head in the palm of a hand that was propped up on an elbow. The smirk on his face did not disappear as he instructed the guard, " Go and fetch my son's servant." The guard bowed an quickly made his way to the kitchen. What was all of this about? Why did he need to see her?

I glanced at Uncle who glanced at me back with two cocked eyebrows. I had this aching gut feeling that something was going to go wrong, and it felt even stronger as she walked over to the dining table. Everyone stared at her, but she kept her face to the floor. An eeri silence fell over the table as they waited for Zenaida to raise her head. I'm gonna get in trouble if she doesn't obey what my father says.

" Look at us, servant." My father commanded and her face slowly rose, her eyes looking directly into my father's. I could hear Ty Lee squeal in glee at the sight of her eyes. Azula chuckled and eyed me out of the corner of her eyes to watch my reaction. But I really didn't have a reaction. How was I suppose to react? I wasn't going to stand up for this wierd woman and tell them that they can't look at her eyes. So I just looked at Zenaida along with everyone else, ignoring the dirty looks Mai were giving me. " Yes, very beautiful eyes....." my father also said in astonishment. Everyone knew that there was something different in Zenaida's eyes. Something....something very different. Something that you had to dig deep for to find it. Something that made you think of her eyes all of the time. " Tell me, what is your name?" my father asked.

I wasn't quite sure if everyone had seen what I seen, but I saw something flash in her eyes and I could hear people shuffle around uneasily as something about her changed. She held her head up with a small smile and she pushed back the hair that was beginning to put her face in the shadows. She seemed more confident and sure of herself when she said, " Zenaida, Firelord Ozai." with a deep bow, she stood straight back up and put on a smirk. After a moment of unsure silence, my father chuckled and shook his head. " What element are you from?" he asked, trying to search those eyes like everyone else. But she flipped her hair over her shoulder once again and sighed.

" That's such a frequent question I get asked Firelord Ozai, but I don't have the answer to that question yet." Wth a deep breathe, she examined the large dining hall and smiled. Everyone but Mai, who had decided to pay attentiong to her soup instead of Zenaida, had watched her deep breathe change the air around her again. She allowed her hair to fall forward but she kept her face to us so her hair wouldn't curtain the eyes and face everyone marveled over.

" You are dismissed, Zenaida." my father said and she bowed before turning back around and walking to the kitchen without waiting for the guard's escort. My father turned to me and smiled. Not a welcoming smile, but a mischevious one which made it quite diffuclt to read what he was thinking. " What do you make of this girl, Prince Zuko?" he asked menacingly while keeping his eyes on the grape that he placed in his mouth.

" She is nothing but a servant." I replied, also keeping my eyes down at the noodles that I couldn't touch anymore due to the wretched feeling in my gut.

" A servant, yes. A servant for now, Prince Zuko. Keep your eyes open." and then he stood up and breathed a light smile as he looked at the table who looked up at his masculine prescence as well. " All of you. Keep your eyes open for this girl. She could prove to be very deadly to us in the future if not handled and taught correctly." this is where he eyed me with a stern look before leaving the dining hall. Azula chuckled the moment he was out of the hall.

" What do you thinks up with that girl?" Ty Lee asked and looked from Mai to Azula, each of them not meeting Ty Lee's look. But that didn't stop her from talking. " She did seem kind of creepy, huh? Like when something kind of made her look kind of dangerous while she was talking to the Firelord."

No one said anything, but there seemed to be a unision of silent agreement between the people at the table. The meal was quiet from that point and I left the table with my noodles barely touched. Once I was outside of the dining hall's doors, I motioned for one of the guards to retrieve my servant. I waited impatiently as Zenaida finally came, a warm smile plaster on her pale face with thos jeweled eyes slooking at me. The hallway was pretty dark, but her eyes still seemed to shine and sparkle. I ignored the little twinge of flutters at the top of stomache and began to make a mental list of the things I'd need her to do as we walked back to my room in silence.