Happenstance
The Sun, shimmering a fiery orange in the summer heat, began its slow descent below the horizon. Inside the halls of the Fire Nation palace, servants were bustling about the corridors; Sokka was sneaking off with Suki; Toph had challenged Uncle Iroh to a surprisingly close game of Pai Sho, which Aang observed eagerly; and Mai and Katara remained Ty Lee's captive audience as she animatedly recounted her bonding experience with the Kyoshi Warriors. For the first time in one hundred years, the world seemed almost right.
Zuko smiled softly, glancing through the crack in the door as he passed Mai's room where the girls were chatting and laughing amongst themselves. It was an odd picture at first glance: elegant, if not impassive, Mai sharing tea with Katara, the fierce healer, who, in turn, listened with rapt attention as the ever-bubbly Ty Lee reenacted a particularly fearsome incident at the circus. Funny how these girls, so different from one another, could come to coexist relatively peacefully, even become friends.
Katara caught Zuko's gaze; she offered him a bemused smile and a slight shrug of her shoulders. It's weird to me, too.
Zuko smirked and continued on his way, tucking the small loaf of bread he had pilfered from the kitchens under his arm. The garden with its sweeping lawn and serene pond beckoned to him. He settled under the weeping moon-peach tree and began absently tearing the bread into bite-sized pieces. The turtle-ducks, long accustomed to the new Fire Lord's presence, paddled toward him, quacking happily in greeting.
Perhaps it wasn't so strange, Zuko mused, tossing the crumbs into the water. After all, if Katara and I could be friends, anything is possible.
He leaned back against the trunk, lost in thought. His uncle had told him many times over the past four years that destiny was a funny thing. Looking back, Zuko found he had to agree. Everything about his journey seemed carved into his very makeup. The conflict between his great-grandfathers came full circle in him. Finding Aang, envying Aang, and eventually joining and befriending Aang—it was always meant to happen that way. Of that, he was certain.
Then there were things he was less certain about—events that could be chalked up to destiny, but could just as easily be attributed to chance. Things like Katara.
He had not noticed her back then, had scarcely acknowledged her existence. He had noticed her grandmother, her annoying brother (now one of his best friends), and Aang, but not her. It was not until he found her necklace lying on the ground that he even gave her a second thought. However, from that moment, she seemed as inextricably linked to his fate as Aang. In his moments of greatest weakness, she was his greatest obstacle, his greatest ally. At times, it felt almost as if he were following her as much as Aang. Yet, unlike Aang where he felt a constant pull towards the Avatar and his greater destiny, there was always an element of choice with Katara. He could have chosen to side with her against Azula in Ba Sing Se and they could have skipped all the hostilities that followed. When he finally joined the Avatar, he could have disregarded her opinion and just focused on helping Aang master fire bending. He could have let Azula's lighting strike her, as horrible as that would have been, and taken his sister out himself.
So was meeting her destiny or a happy accident?
"Are you okay?"
Zuko stiffened, roused from his reverie. Katara stood a few feet away, blinking her wide blue eyes with concern.
"Of course. Why?"
"You're clutching your wound and a second ago, you looked like you were in pain."
Zuko glanced down and saw that he was in fact gripping his robes just above the fresh bandages Katara had applied earlier. The wound was mostly sealed but Katara had warned him to take it easy so as not to reopen the wound, a souvenir from his battle with Azula.
He dropped his hand and met her gaze. "I'm fine. I was just thinking." The water bender dropped down onto the grass next to him, her head inclined. "About destiny," he added, answering her silent question.
She surprised him by taking his hand. "You did it, you know? Fulfilled your destiny—trained the Avatar, saved the world, regained your crown and all that."
Zuko smiled, glancing down at her hand clutching his. "You were ready to end my destiny. Permanently, if memory serves me right."
"Only if you pissed me off," she said, nudging his elbow playfully.
"Well, by that definition, you should have killed me every other day. At least."
"Probably."
They both broke out into a fit of laughter. It amazed both of them how lightly they could discuss such topics when mere weeks before it would have set both their teeth on edge. Zuko met Katara's gaze as the laughter faded away. She was smiling at him, her blue eyes sparkling softly in the dying light of the Sun. He squeezed her had gently. "I was always destined to find the Avatar; meeting you was something else entirely."
The air around them seemed to shimmer. Katara's eyes widened and a blush bloomed on her cheeks. She's really pretty, Zuko noted for perhaps the hundredth time in his head. He swallowed thickly.
"Zuko, I—"
"Guys, you'll never believe what just happened!" Aang's voice rang from the window. The air bender waved his arms excitedly, trying to draw their attention.
Whatever spell had them in its grip moments prior had shattered. Both glanced away from each other; Katara withdrew her hand from Zuko's grasp. She stood, dusting off her tunic. "What is it, Aang?" she called.
"Toph just beat Iroh in Pai Sho! I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't seen the whole thing!" From his place on the ground, Zuko could see the boy practically bouncing with excitement.
"That's great, Aang. We'll be right in."
Katara turned to Zuko, extending her hand. "Come on, Fire Lord. Let's go see what all the fuss is about."
He sighed, accepting her offer and stood. He held her gaze a moment longer than necessary and followed her back inside the palace.
AN: Hey, everyone and happy Zutara Week! I hope you enjoyed my first drabble and I'd love to hear your feedback. Also, for anyone wondering, I have not abandoned An Arrangement or Begin Again. I fully intend to finish both of those in addition to the Zutara week prompts. I just find myself in the midst of a life transition so I haven't been able to write as frequently as I would like. Anyway, please let me know what you think!
