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Miraculously, Y/N and Zuko had managed to keep their relationship a secret so far, at least from the court, despite how much time they spent together. Zuko had yet to officially announce their engagement—he said he was waiting for ‘the right time.’ It was understandable, the Fire Lord marrying his maid would undoubtedly cause quite a stir, and so they needed to be cautious about when and how they announced it. But still, Y/N felt like she was going crazy. She didn’t think she could take it anymore—she just wanted to let the whole world know she was his, to wear that gorgeous ring he’d given her on her finger with pride.
Besides, if the incident with that other servant before they got engaged was any indication, people were starting to talk. She didn’t doubt that there were others in the palace who believed she was sleeping her way to the top. It was only a matter of time before those rumors spread to the nobility, and that was the absolute last way they wanted people finding out about their relationship.
She didn’t know what was taking him so long, but she trusted Zuko. And he promised he’d announce it soon, just as soon as he caught the court officials in a good mood. But still, it was hard having to pretend. And they’d been pretending for a long time now.
But luckily, Y/N made to be a fairly decent actress. At least, in this circumstance. So she continued to play the part of the dutiful maid, attending to Zuko’s every desire in public (and perhaps a few more desires in private).
Today was a very important day. Zuko had meetings all day long with the sages and the court officials, and he was even entertaining some dignitaries from the Earth Kingdom. It was a shame that that meant Y/N didn’t get to see him much, but she did get one opportunity to drop by. She pushed a cart carrying a tea set down the hallway, stopping in front of the conference chamber (Zuko refused to call it the war room anymore). With a polite nod to the guards, she entered, finding the council members locked in a heated discussion. They didn’t even seem to notice her presence.
But Zuko did. He looked up from his seat at the head of the table, his eyes softening as they landed on her and a gentle, yet tired smile crossing over his face. Her heart fluttered at the sweet expression. He quickly schooled his features though as he raised his hand, signaling for the council members to be quiet. The room immediately fell silent, and Y/N was once again amazed and a little proud of just how much power her fiancé held. “I think it’s time for a short break,” he said authoritatively. “We can continue after we’ve had some tea.”
Y/N held back a smile—he sounded a bit like Iroh for a moment there. She made her rounds around the table, pouring each of the council members a cup of tea. When she reached Zuko, she allowed their fingers to brush against each other just a little as she handed him his cup, sending an electric shock down her spine. Spirits, they’d been together for so long now, you’d think he’d stop having such an effect on her at some point. But no, she was still left just as giddy by his whispered “Thank you” as she’d been the first time he’d said it to her, probably more so. She didn’t think she’d ever stop acting like a little girl with a crush around him.
Feeling like she was floating, she continued around the other side of the table. She’d just finished pouring one of the councilmen’s cups when she felt a sharp slap on her ass, causing her face to burn red and her heart to drop down into her stomach. “Thanks, sweetheart,” the councilman’s sleazy voice schmoozed in her ear. She heard the man next to him snicker. She stood up ramrod straight, her throat clogged up with anger and shame. But she bit her tongue. It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d been hassled by a nobleman.
But it was the first time she’d been hassled in front of Zuko. She heard him loudly clear his throat, and when she glanced over at him, she could see the barely contained fury in his eyes. “General Hiroshi,” he seethed, his voice cold as ice. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t harass my staff.”
The councilman’s face went sheet white, and he nodded furiously. “Y-yes, Your Majesty, I’m terribly sorry…!”
A little glow of triumph sparked in Y/N’s chest. It was nice to see one of these creepy old men get put in their place for once, and she was extremely touched and grateful that Zuko had spoken up on her behalf.
But the smile was wiped off her face when the man next to General Hiroshi murmured under his breath, “She was asking for it, look what she’s wearing. Cheap whore.”
Shame twisted in her gut. What the hell did he mean by that, she was wearing what all the maids wore! And even if she had been wearing something different, that was no excuse! But she couldn’t say anything about it, all she could do was force a smile while she poured his tea and hope to get out of there as quickly as possible.
But Zuko must have noticed him muttering, either that or the strained look on her face, because he snapped, “Do you have something you’d like to share with me? Speak louder so I can hear you.”
This man wasn’t nearly as frightened as General Hiroshi. He raised his chin haughtily. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, she’s just a servant girl. I see no need to make such a fuss.”
Oh no, that seemed to strike a nerve. Zuko’s eye twitched. His voice came out as nearly a harsh growl. “Just a servant girl?! Miss Y/N is my—!” A panicked look from Y/N and his rage petered off. This wasn’t how they wanted to announce it. Luckily he seemed to come to his senses as he continued, “Y/N is my head attendant. She does invaluable work for me and this palace. You will show her the respect she deserves.”
The councilman blinked, undoubtedly shocked both at Zuko’s outrage and his quick change of tone. He nodded dumbly. “Y-yes, Your Majesty.”
Y/N let out a sigh. Thank the spirits. That could have ended very poorly had he not calmed down in time. Since that seemed to be the end of that conversation, she finished pouring everyone’s drinks and made a swift exit. She just hoped his outburst on her behalf didn’t cause any unnecessary problems.
Later that evening, Zuko had more meetings. Such was the life of the Fire Lord, Y/N supposed, but it was still unfortunate. Though, with official business wrapping up for the day, it became time for the less formal (though still vitally politically important) affair of entertaining the Earth Kingdom dignitaries. Since it was such an important event, the council and other nobles would be in attendance as well. Such an occasion involved the serving of light hors d’oeuvres and sake, so a servant would be required to be in the room. As loathe as Y/N was to deal with the council members and the nobles again after the embarrassing incident earlier that day, she was the only one both qualified and able to fulfill the role for the night, seeing as most of the other servants were busy with other tasks related to the Earth Kingdom dignitaries’ arrival.
It was a simple job: just stand in the corner out of sight and refill anyone’s glass when it got empty. Nothing too difficult. However, when sake got involved, more often than not, hands did as well. Or at very least, tongues wagged more loosely than normal. But she’d grin and bear it, just as she had all those times before. But after Zuko defended her earlier, she felt just a bit safer.
The evening carried on smoothly. They’d relocated to a smaller, more private room, which made it more difficult to hide from the attendees, but Y/N did her best. She did her job and remained mostly out of sight while the dignitaries, council members, and Zuko chatted about banal things. She felt sympathy for her fiancé, though, as she noticed the dull look in his eyes even as he pretended to be engaged. He never was much one for small talk.
She poured everybody another round of sake and disappeared back into the shadows, waiting for it all to be over. Usually she’d at least try to pay attention to what all they were talking about to distract herself, but it was so boring that all she could think about was how badly her feet hurt from standing all day in her uncomfortable shoes. That was, until one of the councilmen made a comment that caught her ear.
“So, Your Majesty… that head maid of yours. She’s… she’s quite the looker, isn’t she?” he slurred. Y/N realized with disgust that it was the same councilman that had called her a ‘cheap whore’ earlier. He didn’t wait for Zuko to respond before continuing. “You wouldn’t mind lettin’ me steal her away for a couple ‘a days, would you? I’m sure she’s reeeeeal good at… ‘cleaning up,’ if you know what I mean.”
Y/N rolled her eyes. What a charmer. But when she looked over to gauge Zuko’s reaction, her mild annoyance morphed into concern and a little bit of fear. He was completely still, which was unusual for him when he was angry. It was honestly a little frightening, since she didn’t know what to expect. He replied coldly, “No, I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean. Care to elaborate?”
The other nobles in the room looked on with terror on their faces, but the councilman went on. “Oh, you know. Maids. They’ve got some—hic—skilled hands. Especially the young ones, like the one you’ve got there. Lemme have her for a while, I bet I could get a loooot done with such good… ‘help.’” Dread settled in the pit of her stomach as she realized he was looking directly at her. He made a ‘come hither’ motion with his finger, like he was summoning a dog. “Why doncha come over here, sweetie? I promise I’ll be nice to ya.” He snickered, the sound of his lecherous voice like breaking glass to her ears.
Y/N squirmed a little under his gaze. But before she could say anything, the sound of a chair screeching across the floor and Zuko’s hands slamming against the table made her jump. All eyes turned to him, filled with shock and fear at the Fire Lord’s outburst. Spirits, he looked furious. His face was red with anger as his golden-eyed glower pierced through the councilman. “I’ll have you know that is my future wife!” he bellowed, his voice ringing throughout the room.
Y/N gasped, her heart pounding against her ribcage. No. No no no no no this was not happening like this shit fuck! Every pair of eyes in the room flickered between Zuko and her, aghast. All the color drained from the councilman’s face, but before he could stutter out an apology or excuse, Zuko turned his gaze to Y/N, his rage dimming only slightly as he looked at her. “Come here.”
And there was really nothing else she could do but do as he said. She scurried inelegantly over to his side, feeling all the eyes boring into her. Once she was close enough, Zuko wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. Her cheeks flushed pink at such a brazen display of affection right in front of everybody. ‘I guess we’re really doing this now, aren’t we?’
His tight grip on her waist loosened slightly, and he let out a quiet sigh. “We… didn’t intend on announcing it yet, but we’re getting married. And you will all treat my fiancée with respect!”
It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, everyone’s shock and confusion evident on their faces. After a long moment of silence, a noblewoman finally spoke up. “You can’t be serious. You’re… marrying your maid???”
“I’m dead serious,” he said, sending the noblewoman a harsh glare. “And she’s not just my maid—she’s my friend and confidant and has been loyal to me all my life. But the nature of our relationship is nobody else’s business. We’re getting married, and that is the end of it.”
General Hiroshi stared up at them in shock and horror. “You really mean to say you’re marrying this… this… this common-born harlot?! Your Majesty, I implore you to reconsider!”
Murmurs broke out around the room, steadily growing louder and louder until people were practically shouting in outrage. Cries of “She’s using you!” and “We won’t have a peasant Fire Lady!” rang throughout the room, along with other similar disparaging comments. Y/N tucked herself into Zuko’s side, as though trying to hide from their judgmental stares. “Zuko…” she whispered to him.
“Enough!” he yelled, silencing everyone. “I will not be reconsidering anything! I don’t care what any of your personal opinions may be! And for the last time—” He scowled at General Hiroshi. “I will not allow anyone to disrespect my fiancée! Say another word and there will be consequences. This meeting is over!”
And with that, the nobles began to file out of the room, obviously disgruntled but silent. Zuko’s arm tightened around her as the last of them left. Once everyone was gone, Y/N turned in his hold to face him and let out a heavy sigh. “Well, that… could have gone better.” She reached up and cupped his cheek, gently tracing his scar with her thumb. “Are you alright?”
“Are you alright?" He placed his hand over hers and pulled it away from his face, intertwining their fingers.
“I’m fine, Zu.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m used to it. But you seemed really upset.”
“You shouldn’t have to be used to it! I couldn’t just sit there and let them say such horrible things to you!” he retorted, just a little too loudly. He sighed, and when he spoke next his voice was much quieter. “I’m sorry. I know this wasn’t the ideal way to go about announcing our engagement. But… I couldn’t listen to him be so disgusting towards you.” His arm squeezed her tighter, a little possessively. “You’re mine. No one gets to treat you that way.”
A little thrill went through her at his admission, but she forced down her giddiness. She sighed again. “You’re right, this certainly wasn’t ideal. But what’s done is done.” A little smile made its way onto her face. “But for the record… I appreciate you standing up for me. Thank you.”
“Of course, it’s a given. You don’t have to thank me.” He let go of her hand in favor of tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His face fell. “And I’m sorry you ever had to deal with that in the past. If I’d had known… I should have been more vigilant. But I promise, I won’t let anyone treat you like that again, or any of my staff for that matter.”
“Thank you, Zuko. That’s very kind of you.”
He scoffed. “I wouldn’t call doing the bare minimum kind. It’s my duty to protect my people—how can I do that if I can’t even protect my staff, or my fiancée?”
“I suppose that’s true.” Her smile widened as he called her his fiancée. It still felt so strange, she didn’t think she’d ever get used to it. And before long, she’d be his wife. Spirits, it made her lightheaded just thinking about it. It all felt like such a dream, like she might wake up tomorrow and find it was all just a figment of her imagination.
But it wasn’t, as was evident by the very real sensation of his impossibly warm hand still on her waist. She laughed softly. “You may not have gone about it in the best way, but I’m glad it’s finally out there. That… that everyone finally knows you’re mine.:
His expression softened as he looked down at her, those bright pools of gold turning into something molten. “I’m glad too. And even if we get some more pushback, I swear to you, nothing will make me change my mind about this. I love you, Y/N. There’s no one else I’d rather spend my life with.”
Her eyes grew slightly misty, but she held back her tears. Curse her for being such a crybaby, but how could she not tear up when he said something like that? To hear him say that he loved her after all her years of pining… it was nothing short of magical, and she didn’t think that feeling would ever go away no matter how many times he said it. She tried to swallow down the lump of emotion in her throat, but her voice still came out a little choked as she said, “I love you too, Zu. So, so much. No matter what happens, we’ll get through it together.”
He gave her one of those charmingly crooked smiles she loved so much. “You’re damn right. And don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you. No one will lay a finger on you.” He leaned down and pressed a sweet, tender kiss to the crown of her head that made her feel like she was melting into a puddle of goo.
And she knew that he meant every word. And though she was still afraid of the consequences that might arise from their announcement, especially given the circumstances surrounding it, she knew that it’d all turn out okay. After all, she had Zuko. And no matter what anyone said, no one could take him away from her.