A/N:
Hello and welcome, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, to the second installment of your favorite Zutara story! (Or at least I fantasize about it being your favorite.)
This is in face the sequel to Time Changes! Let me make some public service announcements!
My writing style has changed, and will continue to change. I'm liking my style at the moment, but just bear in mind that I always change the way I write either to make it more serious or more sarcastic. This particular story is going to have a lot of parentheses in it, I think. I really like the kind of 'oh yeah and that reminds me…blah blah blah'. If that makes any sense at all…However! If you find what I write hard to follow please tell me and I will make a huge effort to not be so confusing!
I will be making a tumblr for this (and maybe other) fanfiction(s). I went to a few museums this weekend while I was in Chicago and I saw fabulous necklaces that I could see as the one and only betrothal necklace, and other royal jewelry Katara might wear hereafter. I think it would be really cool to have references to look at when I'm describing something in the story, and so I'm pretty pumped! I do not yet have the tumblr up, but when I do I will put the link in the next chapter (and all following chapters) and in my profile description.
I have quite a bit of schoolwork this semester, as I am a sophomore in high school taking quite a few advanced classes. This means I write fanfiction in Algebra 2 (which is why I'm currently sporting a C) but that's about it. I'm also involved with the costume department for drama, which takes up 2 to 5 hours of my day. Please do not expect me to update on a regular basis! I love you all and I love this story, but I do have a life. However, I will always respond to PMs with any questions, recommendations, or requests and I will always answer you if you message me on tumblr. I'm always up for new ideas!
(Last but not least) I highly recommend following the fanfiction tumblr, as you will be able to get involved in the story (polls, requesting certain things in the story, requesting oneshots from the same 'verse, having access to the plan of the story) and be able to see visuals of some of the things in the story. If you are an artist I would die and go to heaven if you illustrated a scene in Time Changes or in this second part. Also, if anybody else would like to write in this universe please feel free and send me the completed product! I would love for you all to get involved!
Now, please enjoy the first part of Strong Wills and Synced Hearts.
Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA. The writing is all mine, though (:
Katara and Zuko walked side by side from the dining hall. She wanted to hold his hand, but it was way too risky because it was still fairly early and the servants still roamed, and they were notorious for gossiping.
Zuko was telling her about his day and how he really needed an office in addition to the enormous throne room. "There are loads of things to sign! I didn't have any idea when I started, but there's a lot of paperwork! When did Ozai" – Zuko had taken to calling his father by his name, instead of 'Father' or 'Fatherlord' – "have the time for all this?! He was always in the throne room sitting behind that stupid wall of fire! Did he just declare that he didn't have to sign anything ever? I should do that…"
"Or you could stop sitting behind the wall of fire all day and actually get yourself an office where you can get things done to help your country," Katara pointed out.
"I suppose you're right…do you want to help me design it?" Zuko asked. These days they didn't see much of each other, between Katara's private lessons and Zuko's responsibilities as Fire Lord. (Which he takes very seriously since it is ultimately a question of honor.) But the time that they did spend together was wonderful and they both loved discovering this new…thing.
(The thing that would turn into Katara's life sooner or later because it kind of changed everything, didn't it?)
"Zuko, you know I wouldn't be very good at it, Sokka was the design guy. Besides, it's going to be a place that you'll spend a lot of time in so your personality should reflect on it – not mine," Katara declined the offer. She wanted to spend more time with him, but she also wanted to finish her lessons as soon as possible. They were torturous hours of boredom and the tutor drilled her on Fire Nation history day after day. They hadn't even begun to cover customs and manners yet! It was all "this mighty Fire Lord did this" and "this beautiful Fire Princess did that". On and on her tutor would drone, and after a month of lessons she had only learned the history up to Avatar Roku's point. She was excited to finally get into a time period she knew a little better. But she wasn't eager to finish history – however boring it was – because next would be customs and manners. Fire Nation nobility, Zuko had warned her, had a lot of protocol to learn and follow. Especially the royal family. He'd also told her that while she only had two months to learn it all, most learned it over the duration of their childhood.
This gave Katara some serious anxiety. But Zuko reminded her that she had become a Master waterbender in about the same time, when it took most a good half of their life. (It was odd to think that Zuko had not yet mastered his element, but he was two years older than her. To her, it seemed that he was very capable. When she thought of firebenders she automatically thought of Zuko and compared them to him. (Not counting Azula, she was the crazy exception to the rule.) But after seeing a bit more of Iroh's bending she'd realized that Zuko had a long way to go.)
"Kataaara? Hellooo?" Zuko called, waving a hand in front of her face.
"Sorry, thinking about things," Katara explained, enjoying the way the huge halls echoed Zuko's voice.
"About what?" he asked, interested. "Me?" he asked, giving her a playful grin.
Zuko had been so, so blindingly happy since they had gotten to the palace. (First there was the angst of explaining to her father that she was going to be away with Zuko for a few months, looking for his mother and taking a bit of a holiday at the Fire Nation Palace while simultaneously giving Zuko the boost of companionship that he desperately needed. He took it well, agreeing that she needed a break. Hakoda did not yet know that it would become a bit more permanent than that…) After the initial grief over not finding his mother in the Northern Water Tribe he tried to move past it, and apparently he found that he loved having Katara in the palace. Zuko had really needed a friend to have fun with, to remind him that he was only seventeen. (Soon to be eighteen, but that was beside the point.) Now he laughed all the time (something that still made Katara's heart skip a beat), he gave genuine smiles instead of smirking (a blinding sight that Katara was convinced she'd never get used to), and he joked around and flirted. And, Agni (saying that instead of Tui or La was a habit she'd picked up from Zuko. It just fit so much better and sounded just the right amount of exasperated), flirting with Zuko was honestly the greatest thing in the world.
"Maybe a little at the end," Katara giggled. "I was thinking about finishing the history section of my lessons. I'm glad that I've finally made it to people whose names I actually recognize."
"Hm, you'll have to remind me to tell you everything that isn't common knowledge about Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin. Interesting stuff that they don't teach kids in school, these days!" he joked, and reached for her hand. Katara didn't object. If Zuko thought they were in the clear, then Katara was all for it. She had to take what she could.
"Like what?" Katara asked eagerly. Anything that could add excitement to her history lessons was more than okay with her.
Zuko leaned down and whispered conspiratorially in her ear after making a big show of looking around to see if anyone was there to over, "All I can say is that…I'm related to both of them."
Katara's eyes widened. Being related to an Avatar was pretty big, even for royalty. "Really? Your mom's side, I suppose?"
Katara recognized the familiar flash of pain that shot through Zuko's eyes at the mention of his mother, but she ignored it and so did he. She felt terrible for enabling the repression of some really important feelings, but she was going to be selfish for just a bit longer and keep happy Zuko for as long as she could.
"'Course. They were the same age, you know. Friends, too. Best friends," Zuko told her.
Katara's eyebrows shot up. "What? If they were friends then why didn't Roku talk Sozin out of his crazy plans?"
Zuko shushed her with wide eyes, glancing around for real now. "Quiet, Katara! This is really not a conversation to be having in public."
"This is hardly in public, Zuko. We're in a palace – you're palace, I could add – and nobody is around!" Katara exclaimed.
"I'd feel a lot more comfortable behind closed doors, is all. Some people have been known to hide and eavesdrop. My sister, for example, heard-" Zuko stopped himself and cleared his throat awkwardly, "heard a lot of things when she was young just by sneaking around.
"Well, come into my room and tell me. It's early, we've got time. It's fairly late, nobody will see you coming in," Katara told him. "And what did your sister overhear that was so bad?"
"Another conversation to have behind closed doors…" Zuko trailed off at the look Katara was giving him. "Fine, you can have both stories, let's just hurry up and get in there before somebody sees."
They slipped into Katara's suite of rooms and settled themselves in for a night of storytelling, presented by Zuko.
A/N:
I swear this will be short than the first one!
Whew! Please take time to review this, as it really helps knowing what you guys like and find confusing.
Also, big shout out to Snowstrike6 for the PMs. I received them as I was dragging myself through IKEA, and it really gave me the boost I needed to finish this chapter already and kick of this sequel!