Finding a peaceful spot, away from the watchful guards, the clamoring public and even his friends was a job in itself, almost as challenging as that of Fire Lord. Zuko had tried the turtle duck pond, sneaking out of his rooms in the evening, creeping along garden paths, pressing himself against trees until he reached the water. It didn't take long for guards to find him. And why wouldn't they? It was an obvious choice, and the hungry creatures always squawked, giving Zuko away.

Mai and he made a running joke out of his search for a place to simply be.

"What about the bathroom?"

"If I take too long, someone's always banging on the door."

Mai smirked. "Do they think you've drowned?"

"I don't know. Maybe I should be grateful everyone is so worried about me. I am grateful. But it drives me crazy."

"You can order everyone to leave. You are the Fire Lord."

"Yeah, I suppose. But I know the guards would be somewhere nearby anyway. It's their job. I can't fault them."

Mai sighed, before twisting her face in thought. "We'll try a disguise. I'll come up with something."

The next day, she handed Zuko a guard uniform, complete with face covering helmet.

"Where did you dig this up? No one wears these creepy things anymore."

"I know people." Mai gave him a poke. "Change. I'll distract the guards outside your door. Meet me in the gardens, under the apple tree."

Zuko flashed his lover an impish smile. "This idea might just work."

"It might. Hurry up."

He tugged off his robes, stuffing them into a wardrobe, and pulled off his crown, placing that reverently into his bedside table. The uniform was a bit large, but the Fire Lord made it work.

Zuko stuck his head outside the door to his rooms. An empty corridor greeted him and he grinned beneath the helmet. He sweated too and wondered how anyone had endured wearing one. Looking only forward he made his way through labyrinthine halls toward the gardens. Guards he met made strange faces, as though he were an apparition from the past, but let him go. That was good, but perhaps bad too. What if he was an assassin? Zuko shrugged. He would worry about that later.

He spotted Mai beneath the apple tree, increasing his pace, eager to be with her again.

"You I don't want a break from," he muttered to himself. "I had years without you once. I couldn't bear that again."

Mai waved him over. "Just follow me...at a discreet distance."

Feeling naughty, like a child skipping out on school, Zuko did as he was told. Mai led him through the gardens, past the pond , through a tight little copse of trees and out the other side.

"I used to hide here when I was little, to get away from Azula. I'd forgotten about it until today."

"It's perfect," Zuko breathed, taking off his helmet. And it was. Wildflowers bloomed amongst long green grass. Birds sang. Insects buzzed and hummed and clicked. And there was no sign that anyone had ever been there. "Thank you."

Mai flushed a bit. "You're welcome. I'll leave now, so you can enjoy the tranquility."

"No." Mai hesitated. "Everything is better with you, tranquility included. Please stay."

She answered with a kiss, long and slow. It spoke better than any of her words ever could.