A/N: Well I never thought that I would get around to publishing this. One: because I thought I would never finish and two: I wasn't sure if anyone would like it. I mean come on, out of all the zutara fics how many of them are one-shots of an arranged marriage. I checked and all of them are full length, multi-chapter stories. There's reason number three: I have enough on my plate right now, so i really don't have the time to write and publish a story that several other people have already wrote about. As good as all those stories are I don't like to write stories with overused plots. But I hope that this one-shot is an exception. I've always liked the concept of Zuko and Katara being forced into an arranged marriage by their nations after the war to ensure peace and along the way they fell in love. Well this is my rushed take on it. By the way I apologize in advance if it seems rushed. This idea came to me a few months ago when i figured i needed to work on my ability to write short stories. So I wrote this and it didn't come out very short. But its the closest I could get to one. It is told from Katara's POV. First time I have ever done that, since I always write in the third person. So go ahead and read, comment and let me now what you think of it all. Anything at all will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading, thanks a bunch for reviewing!!!

Arranged

The whole point of the assembly was to ensure that peace would prosper after a century of war. No one thought that they would reach the decision that they did. While everyone happily agreed to it, my insides where screaming for them to reconsider. But yet I remained silent, as I was told to do. I was merely an observer at the assembly, so my opinion didn't count, even though it was my livelihood and future that they were talking about.

I knew where the whole meeting was going and I didn't want to sit and listen as they altered my future. I stood from my chair and left the room, ignoring the rude looks people were shooting me.

I stood outside of the room for mere minutes, until the delegates and the spectators came pouring out of the meeting hall.

The meeting was over.

My father found me amidst the crowd and approached to tell me the news. I didn't listen to my father's words, because I already knew.

My fate had been decided.

I, Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe was as of this moment betrothed to Fire Lord Zuko of the Fire Nation.

The months leading up to the wedding, or more officially 'union', passed too quickly. The entire time the date of the union rang in my head like a constant reminder, "On the eve of the anniversary of the ending of the Century War, The Lord of the Fire Nation will wed the daughter of the Southern Water Tribe Chieftain."

After hearing it for the fifth time I wanted to barf, because this was all decided without my consent, not to mention the time span between the two dates was only six months.

I felt like I was some kind of bargaining tool, being given away for my father's profit. He was a poor merchant, and I was a jewel that he sold to a wealthy noble. I know my father didn't think of it like that. He even told me that he demanded the delegates at the meeting to ask for my consent before they finalized it. But some of the delegates were too adamant and dismissed my father's demand.

But what was done was done. After all, this was for the benefit of my tribe, my feelings didn't matter. My feelings were obviously the least of anyone's worries.

Even if I did have a say in the matter I would still have to go through with it. As the daughter of the chief it was my duty to my tribe.

I hated those people at the assembly for rushing me into things. I was eighteen; I wasn't ready to be married. I wasn't afraid of committing the rest of my life to one person, that I had no problem with. But I was marrying the Fire Lord, one of the Lords of the Fire Nation who absolutely needed to have a legitimate heir before they could step down from the throne.

That was what scared me.

First I was forced into a marriage to ensure peace, and then rushed into it. Then after the whole ceremony and everything I would be pressured into bearing the Fire Lord's children.

If the whole thing happened a few years later I probably wouldn't have been freaking out as much. But I felt that I was too young. Too young to be married and too young to be a mother.

Gran-gran spent those six months consoling me, reminding me again and again that I was luckier then most girls who were forced into a marriage. Day after day she reminded me whenever I would start freaking out about the subject again.

"You know the man; he was your friend when you traveled with Aang. He helped you and even saved your life once."

She was right, I did know Zuko. But I only saw him as a friend, or so I thought at the time.

When we were younger and he joined the gang, he was always nice to me, even though at first I was a bitch to him. But he forgave me for that, like I forgave him.

After the war we went our separate ways. I started dating Aang and he started dating Mai, but for personal reasons both of our relationships dissolved after the first year or so. Aang is still my best friend and Mai won't speak to Zuko.

We actually ran into each other prior to the assembly. He looked slightly taller then when I last saw him a few years ago. His shoulders also looked broader, and his golden eyes looked brighter. I didn't know why I felt my face heat up when he started talking to me.

The assembly was soon called and we went our separate ways. Before the delegates at the assembly reached the conclusion that a peace treaty through marriage was the key, Zuko as the Fire Lord stood and said, "I'm fully aware of the suffering that my country and forefathers have caused and as the new ruler of the Fire Nation I am prepared to do whatever necessary to ensure that peace between the nations ensues for generations to come."

Once when I recalled those words after the assembly I knew that he had only agreed to marry me for political reasons, not because he had feelings for me, or so I thought at the time.

I avoided him after the assembly ended. I didn't know what I was going to say to him now that we were betrothed. All I could think about was what lay ahead for the both of us. In full honesty I could only assume the worst, because I had no idea what would happen in the time span of six months.

The day of the wedding snuck up on me. One minute I was home healing the sick in my village. The next my belongings were packed and I was on a Fire Navy ship heading to the Fire Nation.

I spent the entire journey with my heart pounding heavily in my chest and an ill feeling in the pit of my stomach. Even a stranger could tell that I was scared out of my wits of what lay ahead of me.

The minute we landed on Fire Nation shores I was swept off the ship and into the palace, where I was heavily pampered and prepped for the union by fussy maids. Personally, I found them very irritable, but when they stepped away so I could see myself in the mirror, my jaw dropped.

I had never seen myself all done up like that. The makeup was in neutral tones, making it look natural, instead of fake and gaudy like I was expecting. My hair was plaited so my subtle waves looked like curls. They even added in my hair loopies, except with fancier ornaments more suited for the occasion. My wedding gown was tailored in the Fire Nation style, except the fine fabric was in various shades of blue instead of red.

For a second I almost forgot how nervous and scared I was. But when they placed the sheer white veil over my head and ushered me to the door, the nerves returned.

The ceremony was beautiful and I would have noticed how beautiful it was if my knees stopped shaking and my mind relaxed. But my body wouldn't obey me. So I had to stand straight up on that alter, in high heels, for roughly a length of two hours going through with the ceremony trying to look as poised and relaxed as possible, and maybe even cheerful.

Zuko looked quite handsome in his ceremonial garb. Throughout the entire ceremony he tried to keep eye contact with me. I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said that I held his gaze the entire time. But I will admit that when I did keep his gaze I did find some kind of solace in those golden orbs of his. It made me wonder if he was as nervous as I was.

Then came the part in the ceremony when Zuko and I had to join hands. I was afraid that he would feel them trembling. Oddly enough they didn't shake as much as I thought they were going to when Zuko held them. I could feel my heart start to beat inside my chest even harder. I blamed it on my fear stricken nerves.

Minutes later the two hours finally ended. It amazed me how one Fire Sage could go on and on with blessings for a married couple for two hours.

I wasn't quite sure if the ceremony ended with the groom kissing the bride or the bride kissing the groom. But either way, Zuko answered my question when he pushed aside my veil and kissed me softly on the lips. I was taken slightly by surprise and felt blood rush to my cheeks. Just when I was about to return the kiss he pulled away.

My new husband gently squeezed one of my hands as he led me to the reception area, while the rather large audience of our wedding applauded. I felt my face heat up again. I wasn't sure if it was the fact that a hundred pairs of eyes were on me or it was the way that Zuko held my hand that made me blush like a young girl.

Suddenly it occurred to me why I was blushing. I never had problems with crowds so I figured that wasn't the reason. Nor was it how Zuko held my hand. It was Zuko. I didn't think I had feelings for him in the past but now, just right after we got married, it all made sense to me. Why I blushed whenever he held my hand, spoke,…and kissed me. Why my heart beat inside my chest whenever he was close.

I was still scared of what lay ahead of me, and now my revelation only added another fear. I had feelings for Zuko. But did he have feelings for me?

It was late when the reception finally ended and Zuko and I left for our bedchamber. Part of me wasn't ready for that yet; yet another part of me wanted it, mostly because I had never experienced it before. I convinced myself that if he wanted it as well I would give in, after all we were married and the Fire Lady was required to produce an heir.

When we reached the room the first thing I did was take a bath. The thick material of my dress and the humid climate of the Fire Nation made me sweaty and uncomfortable and I couldn't stand it a moment longer.

Once I finished with my bath I emerged from the bathroom clad in a silk night gown and matching silk robe to find Zuko standing out on the balcony of our chamber looking out onto the capital city. I could tell from where I stood that he wore just his trousers and one of his simple undershirts.

With my heart thumbing wildly in my chest I approached him, unsure what kind of mood he would be in. Standing next to him on the balcony, I awkwardly began, "Beautiful night isn't it?"

"Yes it is," was his only response. He kept his gaze out onto the landscape of his country. I could tell that he was deep in thought.

Few moments of silence passed, till I decided to make my way back to the room. A few steps away from the door I turned back and said, "Are you coming to bed soon?", figuring that I should at least attempt my duty as a wife and Fire Lady.

I heard him sigh. Then he turned to me and said, "You know that you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

I didn't want to sound desperate and tell him that I wanted to. But I had nothing else to say so I just remained silent. A few more moments passed and Zuko sighed again and turned back around to face his country.

At first I thought I had just insulted him and felt bad. I took my place next to him at the railing once more and said, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you if I did."

"It's okay, I understand," he said in a rather dismal tone while refusing to meet my gaze.

"Understand what?" I asked confused.

"I understand that you don't want me and this isn't something that you wanted," he said still refusing to make eye contact with me.

I looked down at my hands on the balcony rail thinking I should just tell him how I felt about our situation. "Your right, if I was given a choice this wouldn't have been my first, but I realized a long time ago that you're a good man Zuko and I'm more then willing to do whatever necessary to make this work, if you'll meet me halfway," I said with surprisingly much ease and softness in my voice, although my heart was pounding in my chest.

His tense and focused facial expression seemed to soften a bit. I felt a small sense of pride in myself knowing that I could ease his tension with mere words.

His golden eyes finally met my gaze, I could feel my heart start to pound harder and harder with every passing second.

"But are you doing this because it is your duty or because it's what you want?" he asked, his golden eyes piercing through me.

I thought about it for a few moments before I answered. "At first, at the assembly, it seemed like it was for duty, for our nations, but now that I'm here it doesn't feel like that anymore," I said rather shyly. When he didn't say anything I continued, "When we meet before the assembly began, I was more then happy to see you and for some reason I found myself blushing like a young girl. At the time I didn't know why and after the assembly I completely forgot about it because I was worried and scarred about what lay ahead for me. Personally I felt I was being rushed into things. But now that I think about it, if the assembly never reached the decision that they did and we went on with our lives, something might have steadily grown from that. I don't know about you but it might have for me."

I found myself blushing again, embarrassed by my own words. For few moments I considered going back into the room, but Zuko changed my mind when he said, "I was happy to run into you too and your right. We were rushed into things; maybe if an arranged marriage was never agreed upon we might have been standing here a few years from now."

I let out a small sigh of relief knowing that at least part of my feelings for him where returned. He suddenly placed one of his hands on mine. Then said, "You know that I looked for you after the assembly, but…I couldn't find you. So… where were you?"

I blushed once more and broke his gaze, muttering an apology, though I still felt his eyes on me. "I'm sorry about that. I was scared at the time. I wasn't quite sure what lay ahead of me. I still kind of am scared but…"

I was suddenly cut off when I felt his lips press against mine. It was slightly more passionate then before, when he kissed me on the alter, but this time I did kiss him back fully before he pulled away.

I stood there slightly shocked, not expecting him to kiss me so suddenly. But the look in his eyes told me that he was satisfied. "You weren't the only one who was scared about this whole ordeal," he said, gently squeezing my hand. "Except I was afraid that you were doing it for your people and this marriage would become a cold one, like most arranged marriages are," he finished.

I let out a slight giggle at the irony. "Well I can't really say that this was my choice, the delegates at the assembly never asked for my father's opinion, let alone mine. But in the end there is a great possibility that I would have chosen you in the end, assembly or no assembly," I said calmly, watching a small smile begin to etch at the handsome features of his face. I smiled back at him.

It wasn't long before he was kissing me again. Except this time it was much, much more passionate then before. One of his hands was nestled in my hair, the other around my waist holding me close, while my arms were wrapped around his neck. After several blissful minutes he pulled away. He said nothing but I could see the question he wanted to ask me in his eyes. I nodded my head and with his arm still around my waist he lead me back inside toward our bedroom. Legally I was already his wife but that night in that room he physically made me his wife.

Several Years Later

I awoke to find myself blinded by the morning sunlight. Cringing from the brightness I rolled over in bed hiding from the light, trying to go back to sleep. I was without a doubt exhausted. The duties as a Fire Lady took a lot out of me, especially nowadays since I was with child. I managed to get a few more hours of sleep before the babe inside me forced me to get up and go to the bathroom. It was our bi-annual vacation at Ember Island and it relaxed me knowing that I could go back to sleep if I needed to. Back at the capital I would normally have to start getting ready for the busy day ahead of me.

Once I had done my business I crawled back into bed, curling up to my husband's sleeping form as much as I could. With an eight month large pregnant belly I couldn't curl up as much as I used to be able to. Within moments I was asleep again. Sometime later in the morning I felt my husband stir beside me and wrap one of his strong arms around me.

Then ever so slyly he moved his arm so his hand was resting on my belly feeling the child kick with all its might and do somersaults in my stomach. The babe's activity caused me discomfort but after putting up with it for several months I had grown accustomed to it.

I found it hard to believe that several years ago I was scared out of my wits of this, now I am a happily married woman and approaching motherhood. I realize now that I was only scared of what I didn't know. I didn't know what was going to happen to me and I wasn't quite sure what lay ahead. If I had known what would happen, that is I found out that I was in love with Zuko, he was in love with me and that everything would be alright, I wouldn't have been scarred at all. I would have been excited.

But there is no telling what the future holds even now. For instance I don't know if my child will be a boy or a girl or what kind of person he or she will be. If this child will be my only child or my first of many. The possibilities are unending. Yet from what I could tell a happy bright future lay ahead of me.

I placed my hand on top of my husband's hand that rested on my swollen stomach and gently squeezed it. "Good morning," I heard him say through tired eyes. "Morning," I replied.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, slightly sitting up and looking down at me with his bright eyes.

"Oh just fine except this baby of yours kept me up most of the night pretending it was partaking in an Agni Kai," I said with a slight yawn.

"Well you do have the rest of the day to rest. So…" he said mischievously which earned him a small slap across his chest.

"Well at least I know that this baby is just like its father: keeps me up most of the night," I said, slightly rolling my eyes. Zuko lay back down and pulled me close. "Katara are you happy?" he asked. I was surprised by the question but said, "Of course I am."

I heard him sigh in contentment as he squeezed me close to him and kissed me once, then several more times. "You just don't always seem happy," he said in between kisses.

"Don't be silly Zuko I'm always happy especially when I am near you, sometimes I just unintentionally not show it," I said wrapping my arms around him. Running his fingers through my hair he whispered in my ear, "I love you Katara."

"I love you too Zuko," I said as he began to pull down the sleeve of my nightgown, exposing my shoulder. I smiled as he kissed me on the lips and on my neck and collarbone. I truly was indescribably happy.

The End