A/N: This is a prequel to my other fic, Fire Nation Eyes, about Zuko and Katara's daughter. It is Zutara, so if that's not your cup of tea, turn back now! hahaha This is about the winter they spent together when their daughter was conceived. This chapter is pure fluff. But it won't all be fluff. Please review! (The first part of this prequel is actually the prologue of Fire Nation Eyes, but I will be explaining things again further on.)

"The Fire Lord and the Waterbender"

1 1/2 Years After the Comet

It had only been three days since Katara had joined him at the palace. And within that time, his country suddenly needed him more than it had in the past year. There were rumors of groups gathering, calling themselves Ozai Loyalists. And that these Loyalists wanted to return the Fire Nation to it's 'greatness'. Zuko had been in meeting after meeting, trying to find some way to infiltrate these groups before they became an actual threat. He had seen his guest about a total of six times in the past two days, not having the chance to locate her today.

As he left the throne room with a sigh, he noticed a quick flash of brown hair jump in front of him. He jumped back a step with a shout. Katara's blue eyes were looking at him, her lips curled into a bright smile.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I was going to see if I could get something to eat..." Zuko's brow lifted. It was a little past noon and he hadn't eaten thing all day. "...Why?"

"Oh good." Katara said. She grabbed the sleeve of his robe and pulled him towards the courtyard. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Zuko asked, almost tripping over himself.

"You'll see!" Katara laughed.

"Come on Katara... I'm tired." Zuko grumbled. She stopped, whirling around to face him. Zuko's good eye widened.

"I came all this way to spend some time with you. You expressed multiple times to your Uncle how lonely you were." she poked him in the chest. "I'll leave if I'm not wanted here."

"No!" he almost shouted. "No... It's nice to have you here. I'm just really overwhelmed right now."

"Well, hopefully this will help you relax." Katara sighed. She led him out into the covered open-air hallway that surrounded the turtle duck pond. Right by the water there was a blanket with several plates of various foods.

"A picnic?" Zuko asked.

"It's so nice out." Katara said. "I thought it was a nice change for you." Zuko looked down at Katara as she smiled kindly up at him.

"Thank you." he smiled back.

Katara threw a piece of her roll into the pond, giggling as two turtle ducks swam over to it, both dunking their heads under the water at the same time. Zuko took another bite of dumpling as he watched her.

"These are so cute, what did you say they were called again?" Katara said.

"Turtle ducks." Zuko said between chewing.

"Fire Lords don't talk with their mouth full, Zuko." Katara frowned. His face scrunched up, and his hands flew around in the best 'what the hell' motion he could manage with chopsticks in his hand. "I'm kidding..." she said.

Zuko rolled his eyes. He was too tired for joking around.

"This is really nice though." Katara sat back, having given all of her roll to the turtle ducks. "I was really lonely eating in that big dining room of yours by myself..."

Zuko swallowed his food. "Sorry." he looked down at the blanket they sat on. "Everything is an emergency these days."

"Being Fire Lord everything you hoped for?" Katara gave him a pitiful look.

"And so much more." Zuko grumbled, itching the back of his neck.

"So do you have to wear that get up all the time?" Katara asked, eying his royal robes.

"Why, you don't like it?" Zuko said.

"Oh no, it's great." she said unconvincingly. "But do you hang around in it?"

"I don't really hang around these days." Zuko mumbled.

"Okay, but if you did... What would you wear?" Katara asked.

"I guess I would wear something less... spiky." Zuko shrugged, looking at his shoulder spikes.

"Good."

"Good?"

"I would hate wearing that all the time." she said.

"I don't wear it all the time."

"Besides when you're sleeping." Katara frowned.

Zuko smiled, suppressing a small laugh. Katara looked at him oddly. "What?" he asked.

"I barely ever see you smile, let alone laugh." she said.

"Maybe you're not as funny as you think you are." Zuko grinned. Katara opened her mouth to speak, but closed it quickly. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Zuko nibbled on bread as Katara snagged a dumpling, eating it quickly in two bites. He stared at her wide eyed. She looked around, wondering if he was looking at someone else besides her.

"Now what?" she asked.

"No—nothing." Zuko went to run a hand through his hair, quickly remembering it was still in it's top knot. "You ate that awfully fast..."

"They're good. One of the few non-spicy dishes you people have here." Katara mumbled.

"Have you ever tried our ice cream?" Zuko asked. From the look the waterbender was giving him, he figured she hadn't.

"No. What is it?"

"It's what it sounds like." Zuko shrugged. "It's considered a dessert. It's frozen cream I guess, with different flavors available..."

"What kind of flavors?" Katara's eyes brightened.

"Uh, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, leechi, peach..."

"Can we go get some?" she grinned.

"Well we have some here..." Zuko pointed over his shoulder to the rest of the palace.

"Oh come on, Zuko. You've been stuck in the palace since I got here. Don't you ever leave?" Katara sighed.

"Not really." Zuko grumbled. "Certainly not for ice cream..."

"When is your next meeting?" Katara asked.

"There isn't a scheduled one for the next three days... But that doesn't mean one won't come up out of nowhere."

"Please?" Katara looked at him with the most ridiculous puppy dog eyes he had ever seen.

"I-" he looked away for a moment. Ice cream did sound nice. It was warm out today for winter. It couldn't hurt... "Alright."

"Yes!" Katara jumped up happily. "One request though."

"What would that be?" Zuko asked before standing himself. Katara walked behind, and he felt a tug on his head before his vision was hindered by his black hair.

"You go as Zuko. Not the Fire Lord." Katara said, handing him his crown.

"But I am the Fire Lord." Zuko said, standing.

"For the rest of the day, you're just Zuko. None of this..." Katara pointed at him, his crown still in her hand.

"You just pointed at all of me." Zuko frowned.

"Change into something less... as you say, spiky." she smiled.

"But I-"

"Come on, that can't be comfortable to wear all the time." Katara crossed her arms across her chest. Zuko's shoulders slumped, though no one would have been able to tell that with his shoulder piece. She was right. They were heavy and he still bumped them into doorways and things like that. But he couldn't go out without them, could he?

"Let me go change." Zuko said finally. Katara's grin grew, if that was even possible.

"I'll meet you at the front gate!" Katara said happily, running off in the opposite direction.

Zuko nodded, and walked towards his room. He alerted his guard that he would be going out with Katara to get ice cream in town, and that he only required two of them as escorts. They looked at him like he was nuts, but they obliged.

Katara looked up at the large palace in front of her. It seemed so much bigger to her now that she knew Zuko lived there, practically alone. Not that it wasn't big to begin with, but it just seemed so much bigger with one man living in it. He must feel ostracized from the rest of the world, even if he didn't tell anyone.

"Katara?" she heard his one of a kind voice beside her. She didn't even hear him approach her. She looked at him, examining his new outfit. It was still dressy, clearly stating his royal standing. It looked like a more formal version of his clothes he wore when he joined them at the Western Air Temple. There was more gold trim, and the fabric was higher quality. He had kept his hair down, thankfully. It was a bit longer than she remembered, hiding more of his scar.

"Perfect." Katara nodded her approval. She eyed his two guards.

"I need to have someone, Katara." Zuko said. "Shoulder spikes or not, I'm still the Fire Lord."

"Alright." Katara said. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "No palanquin?"

"I figured you'd say no anyway, with all this tradition breaking going on already." Zuko rolled his eyes in good humor.

"You're smarter than I thought, Fire Lord." Katara lifted her eye brow.

"Thanks." Zuko said. "I think."

"Come on, lets go!" she grabbed his hand innocently, pulling past the opening gate. Outside the palace was a place he didn't go often anymore. People crowded the streets, going about their business. Some turned at the noise of the gate opening and two figures dashing out of it, followed by two guards doing their best to keep up. Zuko stopped himself from being dragged behind his friend by keeping pace with her. She certainly liked to run. He saw his people as they sped past them. Most of them seemed unsure whether to bow quickly to their Fire Lord, or if he was even the Fire Lord in the first place. It was actually nice not to have people bow down at the very sight of him. He looked much less Fire Lordy in his current outfit, and much less intimidating.

"Do you even know where we're going?" he asked Katara, out of breathe. But he kept up with her, amazingly.

"I asked one of your guards about where to get the best ice cream. He told me about a shop not to far from here." Katara smiled, pulling him along. "Come on, this way!"

As they ran, the two guards falling farther behind them, Zuko thought to himself that he had never seen someone so excited about ice cream. He had also never mentioned it to someone who had never tasted it. He quickly snapped back to reality when he rammed into Katara's back, causing him to stumble backwards. Brushing the hair out of his eyes, he looked around. Katara was staring at a small ice cream parlor. The same one his mother brought him to on his eighth birthday.

"It's still here?" Zuko mumbled. He didn't care that people passing by were whispering to each other, confused about whether to bow or not. He never liked it when people got on the ground in his presence, so he didn't push it here.

"You know this place?" Katara said.

"Yeah, it was my mother's favorite." Zuko said softly.

"You ready?" Katara smiled.

"I think so." Zuko nodded.

As he watched her take her first bite of pomegranate ice cream, he took in every noise and face she made. She had convinced everyone in the parlor to stay seated, even though their Fire Lord was feet away. He was going to tell her that it was tradition that his people stand for their Fire Lord, but he had promised her it was going to be 'casual' today, so he let it go. She was the same stubborn, take charge girl she had been when they first met. She was happier now, but so where a lot of other people.

"Zuko, you okay?" she asked, looking up from her cone. A small dollop of ice cream sat on her nose and Zuko suppressed a soft laugh. "What? Is there something on my face?" she wiped her lips with her fingers, missing her nose completely.

"Stay still." Zuko mumbled, grabbing a napkin off the outside table they sat at. He wrapped the corner around his pointer finger and wiped off her nose. "It was on your nose..." Katara's hand flew up to where the ice cream was seconds before, her cheeks becoming a rosy pink.

"Oh, thanks." Katara looked away, quite embarassed.

"Clearly you liked it." Zuko said.

"I did! It was delicious!" she said enthusiastically.

"I think we should probably head back..." Zuko said.

"Yeah, probably."

They made their way back to the palace at a slower pace. Katara wasn't dragging Zuko behind her, and the guards were finally able to keep them in their sights. It was beginning to get chilly, and Zuko felt a shiver go up his back. He looked at Katara, who was only wearing her short sleeved Water Tribe tunic and pants.

"Are you cold?" Zuko asked.

"Are you kidding?" Katara giggled. "It's perfect out! Why are you cold?"

Zuko looked around awkwardly, doing his best not to hug himself for warmth. "No." he lied. He quickly exhaled fire while she wasn't looking, warming his body.

"This was nice, Zuko." Katara smiled as they reached the palace gate, walking onto palace grounds. "We should do it again."

"Yeah, maybe." Zuko shrugged.

"Well, I'm exhausted. Good night, I guess." she looked at the ground.

"Good night." Zuko said, as she hurried up the stairs into the east wing. He watched her until she disappeared. It was nice having someone closer to his age around, he finally felt like he could relax a bit.

A/N: That was fun to write. I'll be going more in depth as this goes along. Right now their just friends. Don't forget to review!