Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. End of that!
Note: I was dissatisfied with the series' ending so I, being that type of kid that wants things my way, am rewriting it so the little plot bunny for it will leave me alone!
He hissed in pain as the robe brushed against his wounds.
"Need some help?" a voice called. He turned to see Katara leaning against the doorway, watching with amused eyes. She walked over to him and helped him get dressed.
"Look," she said as they looked at each other, "I'm sorry about Mai…"
"Don't be, she was a ticking time bomb," he sighed, "I mean how in the name of all things holy did she think she could take on her own uncle and forty-five of his best men on her own?"
"Maybe she thought that because you did she could too," Katara smiled, "You thought you could take on the avatar on your own."
"And your point being?" he smiled as well, "You better go get dressed."
She appeared puzzled, "Why?"
"The Lady of the Fire Nation must be present at the coronation," he murmured, grasping her left hand in his right as his left moved to caress her cheek, "You, Katara, are the only one I'd want to have rule by my side," he paused, "Well except maybe Aang but, y'know, that'd just be weird."
She laughed before sobering, "Aang's okay with us…being an 'us'?"
Zuko dropped her hands and ran a hand through his hair, sighing, "He said if you're happy he's happy, said something about he didn't want your face to be stolen by some sort of spirit…whatever that's about, I don't know what's that's about, said you'd know…"
She laughed again, "That's Aang for you. He was talking about the face stealing spirit, Koh. If you show emotion he'll steal your face."
A couple female servants came to gather her and herd her to her chambers.
Zuko smiled as he turned to lean on the window sill, he delicately touched his scarred eye. It was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that barely a year ago he was hunting the kid that had become his greatest friend, that he had hated the girl who was now going to be the Fire Lady (even if she was a waterbender), that he had restored his honor by becoming a traitor, that his sister then went nuts (though he always knew she was messed in the head), and that his father had lost the ability to fire bend and then was dethroned, and that he, Zuko was about to be crowned the new Fire Lord.
He walked to the balcony before the courtyard, finding Aang meditating, in traditional Air Nomad garb, by the door.
"I can't believe only a year ago I was hunting you," Zuko said, turning towards him, "I can't believe that a year ago I was stuck in an iceberg." Aang replied before they hugged; a manly hug though.
"Ahem," a voice interrupted, they broke apart to see Katara walking up to them with a smile on her face. She was in fire nation colors, though a water tribe bracelet was about her wrist, and she still wore her mother's necklace. She came up and stood between the two young men, "Reminiscencing on old times?" she asked. They royal band began to play.
"Alright," Zuko said, "deep breaths and let's go…"
After he was crowned Firelord and he gave a little speech about the bright future of peace between nations, they descended into the gathering of the rebels of the war.
Hakoda glowered at the young man who had wrapped an arm about his daughter's waist. Zuko cowered slightly under the elder warrior's gaze, he wasn't stupid. He knelt before the water tribesman, taking his crown off, to be seen not as a ruler but as a man. But before he could say anything, Hakoda smiled, saying, "I give you two my blessings."
"WHAT?!" Sokka said shocked, "He's fire nation! He's the FIRELORD!"
"Sokka, your sister is happy, do you not wish her to be?" Hakoda scolded, "Even you must see the political advantages of such a union, an alliance between our peoples."
"If you do anything to hurt her in any way," Sokka growled at Zuko, "I will slice your belly open and feed your entrails to the panther-cats."
Zuko gulped.