Darshi brushed the crimson sleeve across her face, bowing low to the noble that passed her. They ignored her. After all, a servant was invisible unless they weren’t being subservient. It was something she had learned on Seokjin’s fire ship all those moons ago.

She smirked, clutching the tray tighter to her chest and adjusting the scarf wrapped around her hair. Seokjin was able to get her inside the castle walls just as he told her. After that she thought it would be easier to blend in with the palace staff. There were not many hidden passageways here, not like in the Earth Kingdom. The walls were too thin to hide them, the style much different from the thick stone walls of the castle.

She pressed her hand against the brass necklace hidden beneath her shirt, bringing it to her lips to kiss and placing it back daintily where it rested against her heart. King Shichiro’s gift was always with her, and she hoped it would give her strength once she managed to find the Fire Lord.

Seokjin had explained how the palace was built, the way rooms adjoined to one another and the floorplan; which paintings to look for in order to find the Fire Lord’s room. She had to have an excuse for going in that hallway, so she nicked an extra pair of servant clothing and a tray from the kitchen.

The clothing was a bit nicer than her traveling clothes, softer to the touch. Nowhere near what the nobles and royals wore though. She nodded towards a guard, keeping her eyes low and demure. She hadn’t been in the capital very long the last time, so she doubted many would recognize her dressed like this.

bobbed, nerves ticking as she turned at the portrait of Seokjin’s grandfather. He was the man who began it all. She hesitated, examining the picture. He was depicted as a bit older in age, more than the current Fire Lord at least. There were a few age spots on his face, brows severe and thick as he appeared to stare down anyone who dared look at him. His hair was a salt and pepper grey and he had the same eyes and nose that Seokjin had, the trait being carried down all those generations.

She pulled away before she could draw attention to herself, twisting down the next hall. She wondered if Jungkook would listen to her and keep far away from the palace as she had told him. It had been her one demand the entire trip. The only reason she allowed him to come. She could not even make Seokjin stay with him to ensure he kept where Darshi left him. He was needed for a different part of the plan.

It was here Seokjin’s instructions began to get a bit confusing. It was the most complicated part, with so many twist and turns. Seokjin had tried his best to get Darshi to remember, but unease was making her forget everything. She gnawed on her lip, divided on whether to turn left or right. Her eyes strained down each hall for the telltale portrait but could not make anything out. She took a deep breath in, forcing herself to go left when she heard footsteps. It would be clear she wasn’t from here if she was so troubled about which way to go. She would have to hope she was correct, and if she wasn’t she would still have enough time to backtrack without someone making a big fuss over the missing clothes.

She stopped in front of another picture, noticing Seokjin despite his youth. His lips and eyes were still the same, his most defining features. He couldn’t be more than seven here, with little Taehyung clinging to a beautiful woman that had the same lips as Seokjin. The four of them were dressed lavishly, the Fire Lord bedecked in gold with the woman wearing soft makeup and detailed embroidery in her silk dress. Even here Seokjin wore the crown prince emblem, his chest puffed up as if attempting to be serious like his father whose aura spilled though the portrait. Dominant. Unforgiving. Immovable.

Cruel.

The Fire Lord’s face still terrified her. Even then he had the same look in his eyes, the lack of any warmth or empathy for the world. She would have to bottle her fear if she wanted to get through this.

“Adarshini.”

Darshi stiffened, cursing in her head as she turned around with the tray clutched tightly in her grasp. Before her was a soldier, someone she could not recognize. Before she could drop her items and attack the man opened his mouth.

“The Fire Lord is waiting for you.”

For a moment Darshi could only think about those words, what this could mean. bobbed and the soldier began to walk and she followed. Twisting and turning so many times she knew she would not be able to get out of here easily. He stopped in front of an ornate double door with fire bending forms carved into it. Darshi wet her parched lips, wondering what would greet her inside. Would it be a whole army? The Fire Lord Himself?

Crown Prince Seokjin.

Perhaps she made a mistake in trusting him. He could have betrayed her. He told her he felt a kinship towards his people. But she had thought….

It no longer mattered. This was her reality. She placed her tray on the ground, gathering herself before pulling the door open.

Dirt was on the floor, although the room was enclosed. It was large with a dome ceiling, places to sit at the corner of the room that was raised a bit for each row behind the last so that the person behind could see. The crackling of flames lit the room, torches spaced every few feet apart to light the enclosure. She paused, seeing a man tied to a stake in the center of the room. She raced towards him without a thought, recognizing the form.

“Jungkook!”

She gripped his face, pressing his hai