Chapter Text
Ember Island is Azula’s favorite place. According to Zuko, they had gone there every summer, so this is now her fifth time going, even though she doesn’t remember all of the previous visits. But she knows with certainty that it is her favorite place. She loves running around the beach and finding sea shells. She loves the bonfire that roars higher and higher as Ozai and Ursa tell stories. She loves the salty air, and the spicy food that the servants bring from the market. And she loves that she has her family all to herself, without the demands of the palace and the war.
Most days on Ember Island are the same, except for the few days when Ursa takes Azula and Zuko to see the Ember Island Players. Today is a usual day, which means that Azula and Zuko are on the beach, running around under the supervision of a couple of servants. Ursa is usually with them, but she and Ozai were called away in the morning.
“Find me some special shells today, my turtleducks,” Ursa had said, kissing each of her children on the head before she walked out the door. Now, Azula looks around the beach. She’s already picked this area clean of good shells, over the last few days, so she’s going to have to go further.
“Come on, Zuzu,” Azula says, jumping up. “Let’s look for shells!”
“Okay, Azula,” Zuko says, following behind her as they walk down the beach. The servants trail behind them, falling out of view fairly quickly as the two children jump around and slide down sand dunes. Azula isn’t sure, but she thinks Ember Island might be Zuko’s favorite place too.
“Watch this, Zuko!” Azula shouts, and jumps off the top of a sand dune, shooting fire out of her hands and shoving herself back onto it with the force. She lands on her back, laughing. Zuko looks down at her laughing. “You try!” Azula calls out.
“Okay,” Zuko says. He looks at the hill, and then jumps, his fire blasting out of his hands a second later, and he falls besides Azula, the sand puffing around him. He frowns. “I didn’t go as far.”
“That’s because you’re bigger than me, silly!” Azula says. Zuko’s frown fades. She jumps back up to her feet. “Let’s look for shells!” She runs towards the water, and Zuko follows at a more moderate pace.
“Be careful, Zula,” he calls out. Azula flaps her arms at him and jumps into the edge of the surf, bending down and looking for the signs of shells in the water. Zuko joins her, a few feet away, also looking. They are five and seven, and shells are easy to understand, easier than wondering why their father has become more aloof over the past months, why their mother has grown more worried, why Uncle Iroh has been away for so long. Their cousin Lu Ten went off to war only a year ago, and playing in the water makes more sense than wondering why he hasn’t come home yet.
Zuko is focused on the sand beneath his feet, feeling the water come in and out beneath his toes as he looks for the pale shells against the glimmering sand. A shriek catches his attention, and he looks up to see Azula is no longer beside him.
“Azula!” Zuko shouts. He looks around, she’s nowhere on the sand. Another yell, and he sees that she’s floundering in the water, the rip current pulling her away. Even at age seven, Zuko has never been known for his forward thinking skills, so he jumps into the water after her without a second thought.
Azula has only just started learning to swim, but Zuko has been practicing swimming for two more years than she has, and not just when they visit Ember Island, so he reaches her easily, tugging her up and supporting her back to shore. She is coughing as they sit back on the sand, but breathing well.
“You have to be careful!” Zuko admonishes his sister, as soon as he catches his breath. “The rip currents can pull you away so quickly. What were you doing in the water?”
“I saw this,” Azula hiccups. No tears for this girl, not over something so simple as nearly being swept out to sea. She holds out a shell, a complete spiral, unbroken and shimmering iridescent purple.
“Wow,” Zuko breathes, leaning over to look at it. He sits back. “That’s the best shell.”
“It is!” Azula nods emphatically. “Mom’s gonna love it.”
“She will.” Azula hiccups again. Zuko frowns at her. “Are you okay? That was scary.”
“I’m okay,” Azula says. And then she clutches the shell tightly in her two hands, looking at the water. “It… it was scary.”
“I’m always going to look out for you, okay?” Zuko says. “You’re my sister, and I’m always gonna protect you.”
“Then I’m always going to protect you!” Azula counters, eyes wide, looking up at Zuko. “Because you’re my brother.”
“Let’s pinky promise,” Zuko says, sitting up on his knees and holding out his hand, and Azula mirrors him. “You and me, we’re always going to take care of each other.”
“Pinky promise,” Azula says, and their hands meet. She grins at him. “Last one back to the house is a rotten turtleduck egg!”
“Hey!” Zuko says, laughing, as Azula scrambles to her feet and takes off running. He starts running after her. “No fair, you got a head start!”
“It is too fair,” Azula shouts back to him. “You’ve got longer legs!”
They make it back to the house, where the servants chastise them for their wet clothes and sandy hair and make them wash and change. The purple shell remains clutched firmly in Azula’s small hands, until dinner, hours later, when they are seated with Ozai and Ursa. The servants bring in the food and leave them.
“So what did you two get up to today?” Ursa asks. When Zuko remembers this night years later, he will realize just how tense her voice is. For now, though, he is happily eating his noodles.
“We looked for shells,” Zuko says. Azula looks like she wants to jump out of her seat, but their etiquette training keeps her firmly seated.
“Look, Mom, we found this for you!” Azula reaches out and hands Ursa the purple shell.
“Well, look at that,” Ursa says with a fond smile. “That’s lovely, dear.”
“I found it,” Azula says. Zuko nods. He isn’t going to mention the near drowning incident, and he thinks Azula won’t either.
“Well, it’s a beautiful shell, isn’t it Ozai?” Ursa holds it up so that they can all see it shining in the firelight.
“It’s very nice,” Ozai says condescendingly. “Pity Zuko couldn’t find you a shell too. I guess Azula is better at finding them.”
“Zuko helped!” Azula counters. Zuko elbows her, and she falls silent.
“I’m sure he did,” Ursa says gently. “Thank you, dear.”
They don’t stay much longer at Ember Island this year. Zuko remembers it as the last good summer they had as a family. Azula only remembers finding the shell, and her pinky promise with Zuko.