Hey everyone,

This is my first time trying to follow Zutara Week 2016. Today's prompt is Dragons. This was fun to write and one of the easier prompts for me.

As always, no one belongs to me.


Katara was grumpy this morning. In spite of all these years as Fire Lady, she still didn't like to wake up in the morning. However, Zuko had asked her to meet him in the training arena today. Her husband was well aware of her penchant of sleeping in, so he must have had a good reason for wanting to see her.

Refusing the offer of assistance in getting dressed, Katara just pulled on the closest robe to leave their bedchamber. Her mood improved considerably when she realized that she'd grabbed her husband's robe. It threatened to swallow her as he was so much bigger than her. Still, the robe smelled like him and having put it on, Katara was reluctant to take it off. She decided to roll up the sleeves and fold it up at the waist. It wasn't like she was trying to make a fashion statement at the crack of dawn anyway.

Katara trudged down the hallway and was surprised to see the number of servants she met on the way to the training grounds.

Didn't anyone ever sleep in the Royal Palace?

She realized that the same servants who had taken care of the palace business last night were not the ones that around this morning but it was far too early for rationality. She'd see what her husband wanted with her and then she was going back to bed.

She arrived at the arena to see that Zuko had already worked up a sweat. Katara's lips pulled into a smile at the sight of her husband. Ten years of marriage and two kids later, he still had the power to take her breath away. Time had been kind to him. At 31, Zuko was a powerfully built man. He had always been tall but over the years, he had grown into his frame. Katara watched as his muscles were stretched and pulled with ease to accommodate his exercises.

As Zuko finished his set, he noticed Katara at the entrance to the arena.

"Good morning, beautiful!"

"It's barely morning and I'm not sure if it's good yet."

Zuko grinned at her and walked up to claim a quick kiss. Katara turned her head at the last minute to make it a peck on her cheek.

At his raised eyebrow, she shrugged, "Morning breath."

"I'm sorry to drag you from your beauty sleep but I promise it'll be worth it."

She felt a nudge against her hand. She looked back to see her husband's pet nuzzling her. She supposed that the dragon would be considered a kid in dragon terms. If you can call an eight foot fire-breathing flying thing a kid. Zuko assured her that he really was a kid and that he would be much, much bigger. Katara had to take his word for it since she had never met Ran and Shaw.

"Oh, hello Druk. I should have known you'd be here with him," She addressed the dragon.

Katara swore she saw the dragon smiling at her as she patted his ruby red head.

"He likes you." Zuko said over her shoulder.

"I like him too. I saw him grow up just the same as you. I may not be his kin but I am his adoptive mother. Isn't that right, Druk?"

As if in response, Druk wrapped his tail around her.

"Did you call me here to show off Druk? He is bigger than two days ago."

"Patience, my love, while Druk is spectacular he's not why I called you here."

Beside her Druk huffed. Katara giggled at the dragon who was acting exactly like a child.

"It's okay, honey, he doesn't mean anything by it." She soothed him like she would her own kids.

Zuko rolled his eyes at the pair of them and then said, "Come on, Druk let's show her what we've been working on."

The dragon made no move to leave Katara's side.

"I think you hurt his feelings."

Zuko goggled at her, "Fine. Would you please come with me, Druk?"

This time the dragon followed his master and Katara knew he was smiling.

"You might want to stand back a little." Zuko cautioned her.

Katara raised a brow at him but complied.

At a hand signal from Zuko, Druk let loose flames from his mouth. Katara's eyes watched her husband fondly when a few seconds later Zuko breathed fire as well.

He looked magnificent!

Katara watched mesmerized as master and pet went through the dragon dance. Zuko moved through the postures as Druk followed him. Muscles rippling as he stretched his arms, bent low, and then stretched back out. She had watched him do this many times and through the years had developed an appreciation for it. She suspected that it had a lot to do with the fact that she just liked watching her husband in his element.

At the very end of the dragon dance, Zuko and Druk let out flames from their mouths again and this time Katara was awestruck. Zuko's fire had the same colors as Druk! There were greens and purples mixed in with the reds and yellows. She had been around firebenders long enough to know that what her husband had done was unprecedented.

As soon as they stopped, she ran up to them and jumped into his arms. Vaguely she registered the ease with which he caught her even though she'd been running full tilt.

Kissing him soundly, she whispered, "That was incredible! How in the world did you learn to do that? What is it called?"

Zuko grinned at her, "Thank you! I was practicing with Druk one morning and felt a connection to him like I never had before. We practiced together for a few mornings and this is the result."

"It was beautiful! There are so many colors in it. You didn't tell me what you are calling it."

"I'm thinking of calling it 'dragon's breath.'"

"That's perfect. You looked magnificent out there." At the nudge on her shoulder from the Fire Lord's pet, she added. "You always look magnificent, Druk."

Druk seemed mollified by that and at a nod from Zuko took off to go back to his enclosure.

Katara turned back to her husband and told him, "You were right, this was so worth getting up. You looked like a dragon yourself out there."

Zuko grinned at her and for the first time seemed to notice what she was wearing.

"Is that my robe?"

"Yes, it is."

His eyes raked over her and turned mischievous.

"Well, you better fix it up unless you want to give the palace staff an eyeful on your way back to the bedchambers."

"Oh Agni!"