Avatar: the Last Airbender does not belong to me, and I do not make any profit off this or any of my other fanfictions. This is a sequel to 'Four Seasons', my original Zutara drabble collection. To understand this, it is recommended that you read said piece of work. I hope you enjoy this as much as you do the original. Crit and feedback is more than welcome!
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The winter was long. The Palace was filled with all sources of heat, from the lamps to the blazing hearths, to the fire that raged within himself. Though it never snowed on the islands that were the heart of the Fire Nation and parkas were laughable in this clime, the Fire Lord sometimes felt as if he was still at the North, where the cold had nearly suffocated him.
But there had been a certain warmth in the cold North, and the memories of her haunted him while he lay in his large and empty bed. The memories of the warmth he had once had only made him feel colder.
He was not the only one who missed that warmth. The Waterbender lay in her pile of furs in her igloo, cocooning herself against the bitterly harsh winter that beat at the walls of her shelter. The War was over, her family was reunited, her Tribe was rebuilding itself, yet here she lay all alone.
She was back with her people, and noticed and courted by Water Tribe warriors who would make her a good husband. And of course, the Avatar felt the same, she saw it in his eyes. But as she lay alone in her pile of blankets and furs, she regretted letting him take her from the Fire Nation. It was going to be a long winter, indeed.
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The spring was welcome, for along with it came the Water Tribe woman that he had given his heart to a long time ago. She had come with the Avatar for a visit, both as ambassadors, and as friends.
Of course, he didn't miss the way the Avatar looked at her. Like before, Aang seemed to hover around Katara, gaining her attention with small and sweet gestures which set the Fire Lord's jaw tight. There was a time that he himself had given her attention, and how she had welcomed it. Like so many things after a long winter, his heart and loins stirred anew.
Whenever she was around him, her heart always seemed to skip a beat, and she always prayed that no one would notice her blush. The memories of another spring brought warmth to her that had been absent all winter.
When she saw Mai seek the attentions of the Fire Lord, she felt jealous, even though she had been the one to leave him to go with a child. She had used the excuse of seeing her family, of seeing her home, to leave him. This was what she deserved, for abandoning him when he had asked her to stay at his side. But when the Fire Lord fixed his eyes on her, again she felt that warmth. And spring offered its promise of making way for summer.
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The days were filled with heat, and the Fire Lord burned for the Waterbender. The more Mai sought him out, the more he grew impatient with her. No one could make his loins ache like the blue-eyed girl that he had once shared this very heat with. He would observe her as she walked through the Imperial Gardens, and with delight, he noticed her fondness for the firelilies.
With a bouquet of them in hand, he approached her as she meditated next to the pond one day, not long after summer had started. The smile that blossomed on her face brought a smile to his own.
With memories of a summer past, they had no problem with embracing the heat inside of them. It was this heat that she had missed dearly, and this heat that she welcomed freely.
The nights were short and the days long, but this served only to make them even more heated for one another. Fireflies would buzz around lazily at night as they lay together, murmuring to one another as hands slid along heated flesh and soft sighs of pleasure escaped their lips.
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Fall in the Fire Nation wasn't as forbidding as it would be in colder parts of the world, but still, the Fire Lord did not look forward to this season, remembering his loss all too well. Would the autumn winds sweep his Waterbender away once again?
They had the whole summer to get to know one another all over again, but summer could not last. It never did. When the Avatar returned, taller and leaner, the Fire Lord loathed the sight of him, for what the Airbender would take away.
Summer seemed too short to the Waterbender. Where had it gone? Why did autumn have to come so soon? She had the entire summer to spend with the Fire Lord, working on diplomatic arrangements, traveling with him, showing the world that Fire and Water could coexist peacefully. When the Avatar returned, he had a necklace for her.
But she could not wear it. No. This time, autumn would not be victorious. She refused to let go of summer, and would not go another winter without warmth.
The Fire Lord stood on the steps to the Palace as the Avatar prepared to make his leave. Already he had pleaded with Katara to not leave. He had said nothing the first time, and was determined to not make that same mistake.
Appa waited patiently as the Avatar spoke to Katara. The Fire Lord could not make out his voice, but he did see pleading in these youthful yet angular features. There was something in Aang's hand, and he tried to offer it to Katara. It was apparent that he had done so before, and when Katara shook her head, it was also apparent that she had rejected it.
When she turned back to him and started to walk up the steps, he almost could not believe it. His heart thudded in his chest as she approached him But he lifted his arms, and she went into them. He hugged her tightly, whispering vows into her ear, making it clear to her just how happy she had made him.
Summer was triumphant, and winter would welcome its warmth always.