Disclaimer: I'm obsessed. But it's not mine.
Takes place during the episode "The Runaway".
"Their engagement is set."
"Already?"
"That's merely city gossip! They're still so young…"
"But meant for each other."
"But she isn't truly royal…"
"She's as close as they're going to get. The best thing to do is to stay inside the Fire Nation. Raise Fire kids. You know how it goes."
"Yes, true… but so young!"
Katara sits at a table alone, sipping a cup of tea as the day turns to night. She doesn't know where the others are. Probably off scamming more people, she thinks bitterly, taking a particularly vicious slurp of tea. Ever since they began their dangerous idea of 'fun', she's been left to fend for herself in the Fire Fountain City.
Not fair.
She tries to block out the older ladies gossiping at a table near her. It's still strange to her that she can walk through town in a Fire Nation and be a Waterbender. It must have been like this in the peaceful days, but people like me probably didn't have to hide. It was a nice, yet depressing thought.
"The prince… how enchanting!"
"I've heard his scar makes him all the more endearing."
"What a horrible thing, to get a scar like that from an accident abroad…"
"Yes, terrible."
Katara nearly spits out her tea. Hastily she sets it down and begins coughing. Scar? 'Traveling abroad'? Were these gossiping hens talking about Zuko? It's true that she's noticed his popularity is large in the Fire Nation. He is often talked about, praised for getting rid of the Fire Nation's biggest threat. She can't help but feel a bit bad for him; he must know that Aang is still alive. He must.
"And the governor's daughter. How beautiful they must be!"
"Mai, wasn't it?"
"Yes, I quite think so."
The three ladies giggle amongst themselves, and Katara sneaks a quick glance at them. They are under the shade of an umbrella at one of the tables, drinking cool beverages with ice in them. Katara still hasn't gotten used to the idea of fruity drinks. They all look delighted at the news.
Katara is not.
Zuko? Engaged? She can't imagine anyone marrying him… or Zuko himself marrying anyone. He had always seemed so angry. Is Katara remembering things wrong? Or maybe getting his life back has made him happier.
I want to see him, she thinks for a split second, and in an instant the thought is gone and Katara even forgets she thought it. She is thinking of how she almost healed his scar, and how maybe things would have turned out differently if Aang hadn't broken down the wall into the cell.
Zuko.
She wonders what he looks like.
Engaged.
To a governor's daughter.
Of course.
She wonders how much he's changed.
Engaged.
She thinks that maybe he's gotten worse; or maybe guilt plagues him. She hopes for the latter, but at the same time she doesn't. She takes a careful sip of her tea. It's too cold now, but she keeps drinking it.
Zuko.
Engaged.
She slams the cup down, drained of all tea. She glares at the three women, whom are all staring at her for making such a fuss over her teacup. For one long second she watches them. Anger boils in her blood.
With a sniff she turns around and stomps down the street, knowing that if anybody had a chance with Zuko it wouldn't be those ugly old hens, but herself.
Not that she was thinking of it like that, or anything. Of course not.