Blue eyes. Brown hair. Brown skin. Blue clothes. That's what Iroh saw.
Swirling ocean eyes. Soft chocolate locks. Sweet coffee skin. Sapphire threads spun like silk. That's what Zuko saw.
The one thing they saw in common?
A girl so beautiful, it put every other female to shame.
"Uncle, who is she?" Zuko spoke with no shame about his admiration for this girl who stood by an older man's side. She was something fierce if her expression was anything to go by.
Iroh smiled at his nephew, the wheels in his head turning rapidly, "That there is Yue, Princess of the Northern Water Tribe. Beside her is her father Chief Hakota. They rule this tribe and are the ones who were kind enough to take us in when our ship crashed." He paused briefly, "If you are to be Fire Lord, you should really consider getting close to them. They could be a really powerful ally in bad times."
He saw his nephew nod his head, but he wondered if the boy was actually listening to him. Zuko's eyes were only on the princess. Physically, he was right next to Iroh, but mentally and emotionally, Iroh knew Zuko couldn't be further away.
He nudged his nephew slightly, "Time to start the introductions, nephew."
Zuko reluctantly moved forward with his hand stretched out, "I am Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation and heir of the throne. This is my Uncle Iroh, general to our army. We are most grateful for your hospitality and your help."
The dark haired girl placed her hand in his light skinned one. He picked it up and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. He meant it to be chaste, but when he felt the tingles race up his spine, he knew that it was something more.
He looked up once and met the cerulean eyes of the princess. She either didn't notice their connection or was a great actress who gave nothing away. "A pleasure to meet you, Prince Zuko. I am Yue, I have a title, but I prefer to just be called by my name. My title doesn't define who I am."
Her voice…
It was like silk across his skin. It was the most melodic thing he'd ever heard. It was like a song played only for him. Agni, he was hooked. But how was that possible? He'd only barely met her and yet, he wanted more of her. Wanted her for himself.
He stepped away from her, needing to take in her full appearance. "Miss Yue, you are truly a beautiful sight." She blushed prettily with a coy smile on her face before looking away.
As if the words that he'd spoken just registered in his mind, he snapped his eyes up to the Chief Hakota. "I apologize deeply for my forward words. I meant no disrespect. We are most humble for your help and we would most appreciate it if we could form an ally while we're here, if that's okay?" he tried to talk with confidence, but the chief's unsettling stare, and the nearness of the princess had him on edge. He worried it would make him seem weak and the chief would write him off as a child.
Hakota only smiled, "I have never in my life seen my daughter smile this way. You have shown no disrespect, only a way to make my daughter happy. And in turn have gained my respect. But heed this warning, Prince, if you hurt her you will have the full wrath of the Northern Water Tribe on your head." His eyes matched his tone, hard and fierce.
Zuko gulped nervously and took his warning in stride, "I'll do my best, sir." He bowed his head respectfully. His gaze went directly back to the princess without shame. "I realize that I am the prince of the Fire Nation and should be the one taking care of the diplomacies with other nations, but other more pressing matters have come up," he was talking to Hakota, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the blue eyed girl.
There was a pull there that he'd never felt with anyone else. It was intoxicating and yet he knew it could be poisonous to him. But he couldn't seem to pull away from her. Couldn't take his gaze from her face. Couldn't remove his hand from hers. Couldn't withdraw his mind from his thoughts of her.
Anticipation sung through him.
This girl was something else.
She'd be the one to make or break him.
And he couldn't wait to find out.
Without hesitation, she pulled her hand from his, "And what, pray tell, is more pressing than an alliance between two of the strongest nations?" she raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him.
Zuko's eyes widened, she had a brain and a sharp one at that. Intelligence had always intrigued him. It seemed that at the rate she was going, she'd never stop intriguing him. And that was just fine with him. Just fine indeed.
"Why, Princess, the courtship of you of course. That is, if you'll have me," he bowed his head again before lifting his head and awarding her with a debonair smile.
She looked down at him and the tiniest hint of a smile appeared on her lips, "If that's what your plans are then you have quite a lot of work ahead of you, Prince Zuko." With that she turned away from him, leading him and his uncle into her kingdom.
He followed her without hesitance, nor did he wait for either his uncle or Chief Hakota to trail behind him. His eyes followed the sweet sway of her rounded hips as she walked over the long ice bridge that lead to the giant castle made up of entirely ice.
For but a moment, his attention was diverted from the girl in front of him to the ice buildings around them. He was in awe at the structures, the solidity, and the foundation of the buildings. These people were proud ones who would not appreciate him or anyone else for that matter who would hurt them.
"Prince Zuko? If you are done admiring our kingdom, I wish to invite you to dinner with the Chief and our family." Her eyes were burning into his and he could only nod his head at her request. She didn't know it yet, but he would do anything for her if it meant she was happy.
Another small smile touched her lips, "We're happy to hear that. Now, if you will excuse me, I must change. I'll leave you to your flattering of our kingdom." With a slight nod of her head, she turned away and walked down the hall into a room.
He watched as she went, never letting his gaze leave her until she was hidden behind the door. Agni, give him strength to win this woman's heart. He felt he was going to need it and so much more…
I closed the door tightly behind me and sagged against the oak. I couldn't keep pulling this off. I just couldn't anymore. That prince that probably still stood in the hallway was going to somehow find out I wasn't the real princess. My name was Katara and yes, like the princess I was a Waterbender. But I wasn't her.
I covered her face and took in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down as much as I could. I almost hated this gig my mom got me. I laughed bitterly thinking about how I even got myself in this situation…
I was thirteen when the Chief first saw me. At first he thought my mom was a witch who had done evil magic to make me look like his own daughter who was also my age. But after he sat down with my mother for what seemed like days, but in reality was only a few hours, he decided that this was a blessing in disguise. And after he saw the way I behaved with my mother and the other people in our tribe, he settled on making me his daughter's understudy.
She was too delicate around the people of our tribe and he needed someone who could be an ambassador to them. One knew how to discipline and be a sensitive leader. No one knew about me. It was almost fool proof. No one could tell the difference between me and Yue unless you looked oh, so close.
But I noticed the differences between us. Yue's hair was starting to light around the edges, almost a white color coming over her hair. Her eyes were darker than mine, almost purple rather than blue. I was slightly taller than she was. And whereas she was slim, and almost board like, I had more curves than she did.
Those were only the physical differences!
I snorted. If anyone had gotten the two of us together and we were able to be how we really were, anyone would be able to tell us apart immediately. She was more prim and proper than I was. She looked delicate and flower-like. Almost fragile. She had more manners and knew exactly what to say at all times.
I, on the other hand, just winged it most of the time. I used all the training they gave me and pretended I knew what I was doing. Truth is I was surprised no one had noticed me as an imposter yet. A lot of the time, I fumbled over my words and was clumsy in more ways than one…
I sighed before standing up and walking into Yue's closet. The fabulous princess would be so much better at this dinner stuff and normally, she would be the one to do this all, but she was on a vacation with her girlfriends. Apparently, she needed to rest because her life was so stressful.
Rolling my eyes, I pulled out a light purple gown and threw it over my head. Unsure of how to tie this damned thing up, I rang the bell and only waited a second before a team of maids bustled in to help me. Normally, I'd hate all this attention. But when it came to dressing, I needed more help than my brother, Sokka needed help with life in general.
This dinner was going to be one of helluva event…
Prince Zuko sat at the head table next to the Chief and waited for the princess to grace them with her presence again. He looked around the room, taking in the people who he would soon be making allies with and, he hoped, would also soon be more than that. Hopefully they would be a family to him. He knew right away that he wanted the princess as his wife. It would be for the better for everyone if he could join the two more powerful nations together in matrimony.
Not to mention, he thought he was falling more in love with this princess the more he was away from her. Her absence upset him and he was missing her terribly. He didn't understand how this could even be possible, seeing as how he hardly knew her, let alone should need her this badly.
He shook his head at his absurdity, maybe he was just madly in lust with this woman and her beauty. That could very well be it… But he needed to be around her more to know exactly what he was feeling and if it was real or just a fascination with her exotic beauty.
His resolve hardened, he picked up his goblet and began to drink when the bells rang, announcing Princess Yue's entrance. He looked up and once again his breath fled his lungs at just the sight of her. Her skin glowed dark and enticing under the low lit lights and it took everything he had inside himself to resist taking her back to his guest chambers right then.
He stood up like any good gentleman would have done and offered his hand for her. She took it graciously, that same small smile on her lips and sat down beside him. In honor of the Fire Nation's visit, the Waterbenders performed an intricate dance for them.
Zuko was fascinated by the beautiful dance and when Yue, herself, got up in front of them to join in on the dance, his attention was solely focused on the woman. He had no idea she could bend water as well. She was becoming more and more fascinating to him the more he learned about her.
After the show, she came back and sat beside him. He turned his attention back to her, losing himself in her eyes, "Why, Princess, you are a most wonderful dancer."
He wasn't sure, but he thought a small blush stole up her neck and it made her skin positively inviting. "That's very kind of you, Prince. But I've asked you before, please… call me Yue." She gave a small nod and turned back to the food that was being placed before them.
"As you wish pr- Yue, but I must insist that you call me Zuko then." He smiled and looked over at her, "Deal?"
A smile, a fraction wider than the ones she usually gave him, graced her lips, "If you insist, Zuko."
He couldn't help but smile at the sound of his name on her lips; it sent a ripple of pleasure through him that he couldn't explain. Turning his attention to the food, he tried to keep his mind off of her small hands and the way they worked.
His trance was broken when the Chief called his name, "Prince Zuko!"
He looked up quickly, "Yes, sir?"
The older man grinned, "I was just wondering what your opinion on all this Avatar nonsense. Do you think he's really back or do you think he's a myth and the people of the world are looking for a fairytale?"
Zuko thought about his answer for several seconds, blaming the delay on chewing his food. He had to answer this question correctly. The right answer would get him good praises with the Chief and the wrong answer would make the Chief's opinion of him go down tremendously. "I, personally, think that the Avatar could be back and that would be just wonderful. But it's also a possibility that the people just need something new and the myth of the Avatar is definitely new and refreshing. Only time will tell." He bowed his head respectfully and went back to eating.
The Chief clapped him on the back and smiled, "A fine answer from a future Lord. Brilliant, Zuko." He looked around Zuko to his daughter, "And what say you, daughter? What are your thoughts?"
For a second, Zuko thought she had choked on her seal meat. But when she beatifically wiped her mouth and looked up, her blue eyes dancing she spoke competently, "I have to agree with the Prince." She gave him a small secret smile, informing him that she would never be so casual in front of her father, "The Avatar is a pillar of hope and magic to the people of our world. If they need him, then he will show. Either in fact or fiction." She gave a small sweet smile and took her cup in her hands gracefully, pressing her full lips the lip of the cup.
Zuko couldn't pull his eyes away from that small gesture and he felt his blood catch fire. Even the smallest of movements she made had such a huge effect on him, it amazed him entirely. "A very acute observation, Princess." He gave her one of his own secret smiles and she returned it with a tilt of her head.
Taking another bite of his seal meat, he continued to listen to the conversations of the Chief and his uncle. They were deep in discussion of something probably important to the nations, but he didn't care right now. His thoughts were only on Yue and everything about her. She was beauty in its purest form.
Deciding to take a big risk, he reached over and with a finger, wrote in the ice using his Firebending. Meet me on the bridge we first met?
She barely glanced over and her eyes widened at his blatant desire to see her alone. For far too many seconds than Zuko would like to admit, she was quiet, probably thinking it over. Weighing the pros and the cons of seeing him alone. It was a scandal in and of itself, a prince and a princess of two different nations meeting on their own. But it was a risk worth taking.
Finally, she nodded her head a miniscule of an inch and continued eating. His heart soared at that thought that she was actually doing this. Before anyone else saw evidence of their rendezvous, he felt the ice back to its normal flat surface.
Tonight was going to be great.
Tonight was going to be terrible.
I just knew it!
Why had I agreed to this?
Was I out of my damned mind?
I had to have been that was the only logical answer!
While I and the prince would be alone, he was bound to figure out that I wasn't really a princess!
I was much coarser than he was and I could only pretend for so long…
No else had been able to tell, but that's because they had seen me from afar and I rarely ever talked unless it was rehearsed.
This was the biggest mistake I could ever make!
Tui, I was the biggest fool possible!
Taking a deep breath, I decided that I would meet him, tell him it was a mistake and leave.
He would want to court me still, but all that could wait until the real princess came home. She would love the attention from the handsome prince…though…she might be turned off by the scar. But honestly, I thought it to be most sexy. It definitely gave him an edge and it made me crazy…
Dammit! There I go again. A princess didn't use the word sexy. I was going to fail so hard this meeting. I had to get it over with quickly. Tell him, I was too embarrassed to do this. That it wasn't ladylike. That it frightened me. I would just have to play the damsel card and then everything else he did could wait until Yue came back.
Perfect. That would work out perfectly. I dressed in one of the Princess's more casual gowns and tied my hair back. Slipping on my slippers, I took the only way I knew out of the palace without being caught. Climbing out the window.
Tui… I was so unladylike, I was surprised no one had found out I wasn't the princess…
I ran across the roads and the ice bridges until I came up to the one where I was first introduced to the Prince. I was determined to stop this thing before it got too bad. Well… I was until I saw him standing on the bridge, his hair down and shaggy instead of up high on his head.
As soon as I saw him my resolve melted and I knew I was in trouble…
