A/N: I know my Zutara week stuff is super late, but I haven't had internet in months so this is the first time I've been able to post anything in a while. More to come soon!

Zutara Week 2014 - Day 1- Melancholy

Blue eyes gazed out the window, not really seeing anything. Sighing, Katara stood and stretched. 10 years was a long time, and a lot had happened. The Avatar returned and the war had ended, Sokka had become chief and gotten married and started a family with Suki, and she herself had gotten married and ironically became Fire Lady. It was 10 years ago today that she had lost her mother to the Southern Raiders. Zuko was in the middle of a meeting, but afterward, they would have a private memorial ceremony in the Royal Garden. Katara touched her necklace lovingly, and wondered what her mother would think of her life so far. Would she have let her 14 year old daughter go off with the Avatar? Would she be happy that her daughter had fallen in love with the new Fire Lord and married him? Would she be proud that her daughter, who she had died protecting, had become a Master Waterbender before she had even become eligible for marriage? Tears streamed down her face as she remembered finding her mother's charred corpse just moments after Yon Rah had left their village on his ship. Hakoda tried getting her out of the hut that was their home to protect her young eyes, but it had been too late.

Warm arms wrapped around her as Zuko entered their bedroom and found his wife. He guided them to the bed and he held her tight, stroking her hair and whispering soothing words to her. Though he had found his own mother a few years ago, he knew the pain she felt at losing hers. He remembered learning that she had lost her mother when they were trapped in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se. He remembered his sixteen year old self wanting to run to her and hold her as they both mourned their mothers. He remembered feeling paralyzing fear as he learned of her dark ability to bloodbend while they hunted for her mother's killer, and the rage he felt when he looked in the eyes of the man who had hurt Katara so much. He shuddered to think about how things would be different if Yon Rah had killed the last waterbender as he had intended. The Avatar would still be frozen in ice, his sister would be Fire Lord, his father would be Phoenix King, and the world as they know would have ended in a fiery death.

"Are you ready?" he murmured in her hair. He felt her nod, and they made their way to the palace gardens. He had had a memorial made for Kya in the public palace garden by the pond, and it was to be unveiled today. Katara hadn't seen it or the plans for it, so it was going to be a surprise for her. The designer had suggested fire be incorporated into it, but Zuko refused. He felt it would be disrespectful to his deceased mother-in-law, since she died by the hand of a firebender. Hakoda and Sokka had arrived that morning, to join in the unveiling and see the tribute to Kya.

The garden was silent, save for a couple of turtle-ducklings splashing in the pond. Hakoda and Sokka were already sitting on the stone bench by where the memorial was to be unveiled. The Water Tribe men both stood as the Fire Lord and Lady entered the garden. Katara left Zuko's arms and embraced her father and brother. Hakoda put his arms around his grown children while Zuko stood back and let the family have their moment. Minutes passed, and the family finally ended the embrace. Hakoda kept one arm around the shoulders of both of his children, with Katara on his right and Sokka on his left. Katara extended her free right arm to invite Zuko to join them. Slipping his left arm around her waist, Zuko kissed her temple before nodding to the guard by the cloth covered statue.

On cue, the guard whipped the cloth off of the statue and Katara gasped. It was an enlarged glass replica of the pendant on her mother's necklace. The glass was made to look like ice, and an engraving at the base read "In honor of Kya of the Southern Water Tribe, mother to Fire Lady Katara and Chief Sokka, Wife to Former Chief Hakoda. Loved and missed by many." Hakoda had released his children to drop to his knees and stare at the details of the statue. It was a perfect recreation of the pendant his wife had worn before she died. Tears filled three pairs of sapphire blue eyes at the thoughtfulness of Fire Lord Zuko. They had expected a simple headstone like tribute, not this work of beauty. It would be a place to visit for anybody in the palace, so they could pay their respects to the late mother of Fire Lady Katara.

They remained at the statue for the rest of the day and well into the night. Zuko had servants prepare and bring out a pot of sea prune stew for them to eat. He knew the stew was a favorite of the family's, and they seemed to think his chefs did a good job preparing it. The little family told Zuko stories of the days before Kya died. How she would sing the children to sleep and how their home was open to anybody that needed a place to stay for the night. Hakoda told them about how he met Kya and how he had proposed with her mother's blessing. Stories were shared about the joy that was felt when it was discovered that Katara was a water bender, by the family and the rest of the village. Though the stories were happy, they were touched with a sense of longing and sadness. Many tears were shed as they remembered Kya and the loving woman she was. Zuko wished he could have met her, for she sounded like a wonderful woman.

They eventually returned to their bedrooms in the palace. Sokka and Hakoda would be leaving in the morning. They all decided that this would become a yearly tradition, and the next year, the rest of the family could come and spend the afternoon at the memorial.

Katara finished brushing her hair and looked at Zuko, "The statue is beautiful. My dad loves it." She put her arms around Zuko.

Zuko kissed the top of her head. "I hope you like it, too."

Katara chuckled, "I do." Touching her necklace, she whispered, "I miss her so much, and having the service today meant so much to me. Thank you for doing everything you did for today. I'm sure it wasn't easy to get a fire nation artisan to make that sculpture for you."

Zuko led Katara over to their bed in the middle of the room. Letting go of her for a moment, he climbed in and held the sheets open for her to follow. Once she was nestled in the covers, he wrapped his arms around her once again. "It was worth it. I wanted to make today as special as possible. I know how much your mother meant to you."

"I think I'm going to give my mother's necklace back to my dad." Katara thought out loud. "I can go see the memorial whenever I want, and my dad doesn't have anything else to remember her by."

"That sounds like a good idea. Would you like to wake up at sunrise with me to take it to him?" Zuko played with her hair as he continued holding her. He could tell she was falling asleep as her breathing slowed.

"Yes, I think that would be fine." Katara yawned. She snuggled closer to Zuko and closed her eyes. She was asleep within minutes.

Zuko extinguished the lamps around the room with his bending, before falling asleep with Katara in his arms.