Faded
"Gran-Gran?" Katara called from the doorway. "Are you home?" There was a brief moment of rustling, and then Gran-Gran emerged on the threshold.
"Yes, Katara?" Kanna smiled at Katara, taking in the sight of her only granddaughter absent-mindedly worrying her bottom lip while keeping her hands hidden in the pockets of her parka.
"I–I have something to tell you," Katara said haltingly, shifting her eyes from Gran-Gran to the snow beneath her feet.
Kanna's brow creased and her smile faded. "What's wrong, Katara?" The young woman looked incredibly ashamed, and Kanna could only grow more alarmed at the possibilities as the silence stretched on. Just as she was about to demand to know if she needed to tell Hakoda to have words with one of the pushy young men who had been pursuing Katara since she had returned from the war five years ago, her granddaughter gently tugged her right hand out of her pocket and unclenched her fist.
"I've ruined it," Katara blurted out miserably, her gaze darting between the ground and Kanna's face. "My mother's necklace–your necklace–I've ruined the ribbon; it's completely faded."
Gran-Gran looked at the necklace resting in Katara's palm, then at Katara's nervous and unhappy face. Katara was at first surprised and then irritated when Gran-Gran burst into loud, happy laughter that lasted for several moments.
"Oh, Katara," Gran-Gran chuckled, reaching up and placing her hands on Katara's cheeks, "you are the smartest, bravest, and kindest young lady I know." Katara started to smile faintly, but then her grandmother continued. "But sometimes you can be very silly."
Katara pulled away from her grandmother's hands and began to scowl. Gran-Gran watched placidly as Katara's expression grew darker, her eyebrows drawing together and the right corner of her mouth curling down further than the left. With the ease of many years of practice, she cut Katara off just as she opened her mouth to retort.
"Katara, that necklace has been in our family since I was a very young woman, myself. It has seen decades and decades of this world, and has been on the necks of three generations. Of course it is going to become worn!"
Katara opened her mouth again, and again Gran-Gran cut her off. "And if you had asked any of the other women in this village, they would have also told you that betrothal necklaces tend to need replacement ribbons about every ten years."
The waterbender's cheeks began to burn in embarrassment. She hadn't even thought of asking anyone else about the necklace, though since the war's conclusion, the population of the South Pole had grown greatly with an influx of people from the Northern Water Tribe. Dozens upon dozens of families had traveled to the south in order to help rebuild her village and then expand it into something worthy of being called the southernmost city in the world. Even as she stood in front of her grandmother outside of the home Gran-Gran shared with Pakku, Katara was suddenly painfully aware of the countless betrothal necklaces she could see around the necks of busy women.
"Oh," Katara muttered, glaring at the snow while her cheeks stayed flushed. Gran-Gran chuckled one more time before patting Katara on the cheek.
"You see? I've replaced the ribbon before; your mother replaced the ribbon. Now, you just go and get a new ribbon to switch out with that one. I'll see you at suppertime."
Just as Kanna turned to go back into her home, Katara spoke again. "You're really not upset, Gran-Gran?" she asked uncertainly. Kanna smiled gently at the young woman.
"Katara, I'm really not upset. Honestly, by the way you were acting, I was expecting something much worse than what you actually said."
Her blush finally fading, Katara raised her eyebrows in question. "Like what?"
"Oh, well, I was rather worried Hakoda was going to murder Kiue for getting you with child out of wedlock, or something of the sort," Kanna said musingly.
Katara squawked in outrage, her face rapidly regaining a red hue. "Gran-Gran!" she hissed, looking around to make sure that none of the the bustling villagers had overheard. "I don't even like Kiue! As if I would–er–as if I would...with him!"
Kanna shrugged and ducked through the doorway. "At least then, maybe I'd be getting my great-grandchildren!" she called back.
As it turned out, Katara didn't have time to look for a new necklace ribbon in the market. Moments after her conversation with her grandmother, an envoy from the Fire Nation arrived with an invitation to the first major gathering to be held among all of the nations since the peace talks had concluded. As members of the Southern Water Tribe chief's family, Hakoda, Gran-Gran, Pakku, and Katara were all invited, though Katara also received an invitation of her own. She told curious onlookers at the harbor that the special recognition from Fire Lord Zuko was in deference to her status as a war hero, but as she hurried to her room in her father's house, she knew it was more than that. Tucked into the folds of the elaborate invitation, the handwritten letter from the Fire Lord himself confirmed her thoughts, and she hurried home to read it.
Katara dashed into the house, glad to have beaten her father and his friends back from the harbor. She loved him, but being required to live in the same house as Hakoda due to her status as an unwed daughter chafed the sense of independence she had developed during the war and then had never quite lost. Thankful for at least a few moments of quite and privacy, Katara flopped onto her low bed and plucked the letter from its place between the folds of the expensive parchment. The invitation itself was tossed onto the furs folded neatly at the bottom of her bed; she would read the details of the event later.
Katara,
I'm sorry I haven't written very often lately. But at least my excuse is that I've been planning the...party? Gathering? Festival? Honestly, I have no idea what to call it. My advisors named it something like The First Ever Celebration of the Culture and Strength of the Four Nations, To Be Continued Indefinitely on an Annual Basis In An Attempt to Avoid (More) War and Destruction...well, I'm not sure that's the exact name, but I'm sure your invitation says it somewhere.
Katara snorted, her lips involuntarily turning upwards as she glanced at the invitation sitting a few feet away. From what she remembered from her brief perusal of the invitation, Zuko's interpretation wasn't that far off.
I hope you'll come. I know you're busy with all of the little waterbenders that've been born since the war ended, but it's been so long since
Here, he had blotted out a few words before starting over.
since all of us have been together. I sent an invitation to Kyoshi Island, so Sokka and Suki should be coming (and didn't you say a few letters ago that you kind of missed your bonehead brother?). Toph and Aang were somewhere in the eastern corners of the Earth Kingdom, so they were harder to get an invitation to, but the messenger hawks of the Fire Nation have always been the best in the world.
Er, pretend that didn't sound snobbish. I know you're thinking that.
Katara grinned. He knew her well.
So you and me, Sokka and Suki, Toph and Aang, Momo and Appa. It'll be just like old times. Except less camping and squatting in abandoned summer homes. And more food. And maybe some more dancing (though I do remember Aang telling me something about a dance before I found you in the Fire Nation? Oh, and I don't dance).
Here, Zuko had blacked out some more words, though these Katara could make out: Do NOT comment on the whole Dancing Dragon thing. Katara giggled helplessly, burying her face in her arms until she could breathe again and concentrate on the letter. Zuko commented on a few changes he had convinced his advisors to make to the public schools in the Fire Nation and inquired after her class of tiny waterbenders before the shade of the ink and the subject abruptly changed. It was clear to Katara that Zuko had taken a break from writing the letter and returned to it after a busy day.
I have a favor to ask. I know you're really busy, but this whole, er, festival thing has gotten really huge–I'm not sure how well it'll turn out if I'm left to get the whole thing ready. Would you consider coming to the Fire Nation early and, well, helping me finish sorting the whole thing out?
I'll understand if you can't.
Katara rolled her eyes, already creating a mental list of the things she needed to pack for the much warmer country. Zuko hadn't asked for a single bit of help since the end of the war. He seemed to think it was his duty to atone for the sins of his forefathers by shouldering the burden of the restoration of the nations all on his own. It didn't stop any of his friends from giving their help anyway, but if the gathering was making Zuko anxious enough to actually ask for Katara's help, there was no way she would turn him down.
Well, if you can, I'll see you soon. If not...well, I can wait.
Zuko
Katara almost folded up the letter before noticing a tiny note jammed into the bottom margin of the parchment.
PS, it read. A crew member from the envoy's ship is waiting outside your house just in case you can come early.
Katara laughed aloud, shaking her head as she tucked the letter in with all the others he'd sent her over the last five years. In a matter of moments, she was packed and ready to go. She dragged her trunk behind her as she walked into the house's main room. Surprisingly, her father was still gone. Katara shrugged and left a note for her father, telling him where she was going and assuring him that she would see him, Kanna, and Pakku in a month while also asking him to assign Kiue her classes with the little benders. A quick word with Fire Nation sailor and her trunk was toted off to the harbor, Katara hurrying behind him.
As the ship docked in the Fire Nation harbor, Katara was thankful for a quick trip. Thanks to fair winds and clear weather, she had made it to the Fire Nation three days earlier than Zuko would be expecting her.
Well. There was a slight possibility that one certain master waterbender had helped speed things along every now and then. Perhaps.
Katara's gaze swept from the busy docks and harbor over the sloping city, noting that the marketplace seemed to be bustling and that the palace, or at least what she could see of it from her position, looked magnificent. All of the damage done during Sozin's Comet had been repaired.
She already knew those things, of course–Zuko had mentioned all of the transformations of the Fire Nation in his letters. It was just interesting to see with her own eyes.
Katara realized that her fingertips were resting on her necklace and she closed her eyes, humming in contentment as the ship was finally readied for unloading. Maybe she could finally find a new ribbon in the capitol's marketplace. Her lips quirked. Maybe she could even drag Zuko away from his duties to go shopping with her.
Within a few more moments, she was bundled into an open-air carriage drawn by a pair of ostrich-horses and was moving swiftly toward the palace. Though she had wanted to surprise Zuko, the ship's captain had sent a runner ahead, and a slightly flustered Zuko was pacing when Katara finally arrived at the palace.
"Katara!" he blurted out when she stepped out of the carriage, smiling at him. "You're–you're early!"
Katara raised her eyebrows. "Yes, I am. Is that a problem?"
Zuko looked even more flustered and shook his head, waving his hands frantically. "No, no! It's great. Great."
Katara looked at him skeptically.
Zuko took in a long breath, held it, and then slowly let it out before smiling slightly at her. "I'm glad you're here, Katara," he said, holding his hands slightly away from his sides. Katara didn't need any more of an invitation and promptly flung herself into his arms, squeezing his sides while his arms came up to gently wrap around her back. Katara started and looked up at him, wide-eyed. And it was a big up.
"You're taller!" she exclaimed, and then blushed when Zuko laughed out loud and gave her a gentle squeeze before releasing her. When they had last seen each other, Zuko hadn't been that much taller than she had been, but since the end of the war he had grown, and she...hadn't. She barely came up to his collarbone now.
"Yeah," Zuko chuckled, rubbing his head as he continued to blush. "You're..." he paused and his eyes swept up and down her form, lingering far longer than he probably meant. He cleared his throat and started over. "You're, er, not."
Katara ignored the small blush that had warmed her own cheeks, rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. "Come on, Fire Lord. Show me to my room so I can get settled in and help you with this festival thing."
Katara had come early to the Fire Nation fully prepared to roll up her sleeves and get to work. Well, figuratively. The few clothes she had that were light enough to wear in the Fire Nation heat didn't have sleeves, nor did any of the clothes she found hanging in the wardrobe of her room. (She had raised her eyebrows at Zuko upon seeing the wide selection of garments in her approximate size; he had ducked his head and muttered something about the heat.)
But though the entire premise of her early trip was to assist Zuko with final preparations, there didn't seem to be that much to do. There were a few menus that she consulted on, room arrangements she helped make, and her input was definitely needed regarding the entertainment for one of the nights (Katara didn't care if it was "traditional"; she wasn't about to let her brother anywhere near a Fire Nation food eating contest. He would refuse to lose and in the end would at best simply make himself sick for the night, and at worst he would be bedridden for the entire festival).
Other than those few consultations, however, there was very little left to do. Zuko's myriad event planners had worked together with the Fire Sages to create the best possible celebration of the nations and their cultures. Zuko seemed to have a rather light workload for the Fire Lord, too. After the first few days of pestering Zuko about the lack of work, however, Katara gave up on it and instead took advantage of having the Fire Lord available to tour the capitol with her.
They were in the middle of the market when Katara spotted a silk vendor and remembered her necklace. She tugged at Zuko's arm. "Come on, I need something over here!"
He trailed after her as she perused the selection of blue ribbons. The marketplace in the Fire Nation capitol was massive, and the number of different shades of blue was greater even than the Southern Water Tribe's almost exclusively blue merchandise.
"What are you looking for?" Zuko's voice startled her out of her intense contemplation of the merits of cerulean versus royal blue.
"Oh," Katara said distractedly as she handed over the coins in exchange for the vibrant cerulean ribbon, "I need a new ribbon for my necklace. The old one is faded, see?" She turned toward him so he could see the damage for himself, and then started walking through the market's crowd back toward the palace.
Zuko walked silently beside her until they reached the palace courtyard, where there was finally enough empty space to pause and take a break without worrying about being in some busy citizen's way. Katara thrust her new ribbon at Zuko. "Hold this, would you?" she said, not bothering to wait for a response as he scrambled to catch the fluttering silk before it dropped to the dusty flagstones.
She quickly untied her necklace before carefully unthreading the carved stone from the pale cloth. Plucking the new ribbon from Zuko's hand, she slid the carving onto the silk and admired to stark contrast between the pale blue stone and the deep blue of the ribbon. After a moment, she noticed that Zuko was staring strangely at the older ribbon, now bare of the charm, resting in her hand.
"What?" Katara asked, made somewhat self-conscious by his intense gaze.
"Oh," Zuko said abruptly, shaking his head. "It's just that...er, well, I was wondering what you were going to do with that one."
"Huh?" Katara said, confused.
"That ribbon." Zuko cleared his throat.
"What...what are you going to do with it?"
"Oh..." Katara trailed off, looking at it. "I'll probably just throw it away, I guess."
Zuko cleared his throat again and looked away from her. "Er, could I..." he mumbled something she couldn't make out.
"What was that?"
"Could I have it, then?" he said loudly, and abruptly turned red as several of the guards surrounding the palace courtyard involuntarily glanced over at him. He turned even redder as Katara looked at him with a skeptical expression.
"Er, sure, I guess," she said slowly. "Um. Why...why do you want it?"
A couple of guards were now watching them with outright interest. Zuko gritted his teeth. "Can we talk about this in my office?" Katara shrugged and followed his quick stride out of the hot courtyard and into the slightly cooler palace. Once ensconced in Zuko's office, Zuko turned to her. He seemed hopelessly embarrassed as he struggled to find words.
"Zuko...?" Katara prompted after a moment was spent with Zuko blushing while silently glaring at the ground.
"It reminds me of you," he said abruptly. Katara stared at him, dumbstruck.
Zuko rubbed his head again, betraying his embarrassment as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, remember that time when I, um, found it on the prison ship and then, well, didn't give it back to you?" Katara nodded silently, picturing the much younger Zuko who had taken her mother's necklace. "I, um, kept it around my wrist the whole time. And...I guess I kind of missed it once you had it back. So," Zuko said quickly, looking anywhere but at her, "if you're just going to throw it away, I was hoping I could have it..."
Katara looked from the faded ribbon in her hand to Zuko's averted eyes. "Yes...?" she said slowly, and was rewarded by the release of tension from Zuko's shoulders as he lifted his eyes to hers.
"Thanks," he said quietly as she handed him the ribbon. She watched curiously as he wrapped it around his wrist; his fingers were fast and deft as they tucked the ends of the ribbon in, and Katara never would have guessed that it had been years since he had performed the action.
She was startled from her thoughts by Zuko's voice. "What was that?" she asked. Zuko gave her that small smile of his and the same fingers she had been admiring plucked her necklace from her hands.
"I asked if you wanted me to help you with your new ribbon," he said, and she turned her back toward him and lifted her heavy mass of hair up and over her shoulder so he could see. The carved stone of the necklace felt cooler than usual against her warm skin, and the new silk ribbon felt as smooth as her element.
Katara waited patiently for Zuko to tie the ribbon in place, but became concerned as his hands lingered unmoving on either side of her neck. Just as she was about to question him, she heard his breath hitch, and seconds later felt his warm breath upon her neck. She drew in a deep breath at the sensation only to release it in a shuddering sigh as she felt the warmth of Zuko's lips press against the skin just below her nape.
His fingers flexed against her skin as she felt more than heard his lips say her name with a tone of painful longing. As she turned around, finally, finally able to face him with all the emotions she had hidden under the facade of their friendship, the necklace and its new ribbon fell forgotten to the floor.
It was a hot Fire Nation noon on the day Hakoda, Kanna, Pakku, Aang, Toph, Suki, Sokka, and all of the other delegates arrived from the different nations for the festival. Hakoda searched the group waiting for them at the harbor, eager to see his daughter after she left without a farewell a month previous. His eyes skimmed over the various dignitaries, absently noting the young Fire Lord and the beauty standing next to him before doing a double-take and realizing that the lovely young woman in Fire Nation garb next to the ruler was his daughter.
Raising his eyebrows, Hakoda led the way off the ship and over to the welcoming committee, bowing to the Fire Lord. "Fire Lord Zuko," Hakoda said gravely, and then grinned, slapping the younger man on the shoulder. "Good to see you!"
Zuko gave Hakoda a slight smile and bowed back. "You as well, Chief Hakoda." He straightened and waved at the rest of the group behind Hakoda, his friends waiting none-too-patiently to see him and Katara.
"Now, young lady," Hakoda said, turning to Katara with a mock frown. "You know better than to leave for foreign countries without saying goodbye to your father in person!"
Katara beamed at him for a split second before throwing her arms around him. "Sorry, Dad!" she said, squeezing him around the middle. "I just couldn't wait."
Hakoda hummed in amusement as he gave her a squeeze in return before gently pushing her away. "You look lovely, my dear daughter," he said, though he kept his thoughts on the more revealing style of Fire Nation clothing to himself.
Hakoda found his gaze drawn away from the plethora of reds garbing his daughter to the darker splash of color around her neck. He reached out, gently touching the silk ribbon. "You replaced the ribbon," he commented. The difference between the faded color of the previous ribbon and the new one around her neck was obvi...
"Wait a minute." Hakoda looked sternly up at Katara and Zuko, both of whom suddenly looked rather sheepish. "Why is the carving different, too?"
Katara and Zuko looked at each other nervously and clasped hands. Their prepared explanation was derailed by Kanna's voice triumphantly crowing about "Great-grandbabies, at last!"
Author's Note: Clearly, this story disregards anyKataang in the final moments of A:tLA. A:LoK, too. Aang went on his Avatarly duties with Toph, Mai ran away with Ty Lee, and Katara returned home to the Southern Water Tribe to help get her people back on their feet...and to train all of the bending babies born after the war. No aangst over Zutara, okay? Thanks.
For Zutara Week 2012: Faded.