Katara could not help but be intimidated by the opulence of the Fire Nation's Royal Palace. Starting with the high stone walls, each brick perfectly centered on top of the two below, the mortar smoothed to the point that it looked like still water, the palace was an ominous sight from afar, a fortress in the center of dead, ashen plains. The main gates were huge, standing well over ten times the height of the average hut in the Southern Water Tribe. The red flame insignia stood out sharply against the secondary gold layer, glaring down at them so intensely Katara could almost feel its heat.

Past the gates was a long walk to the front entrance, a pair of massive, but simple, redwood doors. They swung open to reveal long stretches of hallways, glossy marble floors reflecting her visage like a mirror. The pillars that stood every twenty or so steps apart had a golden dragon winding around them, the long snouts facing the center of the hall. Lit candles stood at the tip of their noses, casting a shifting glow upon them, causing the shadows to ebb and flow like the arctic tides.

Finally, they came to their destination; another, smaller set of redwood doors. Their escorts, a pair of female servants wearing identical red uniforms with white aprons, opened the doors, and bowed in front of the entrance. The gesture was clear- the servants would not be entering with them. Katara's father, Hakoda, thanked them with a smile and a wave of his hand, then led his family inside.

At the dining table, the family of Fire Lord Ozai was seated, obviously prepared for their arrival. The members of the Water Tribe took their places in a mirror image of their Fire Nation counterparts; stern Chief Hakoda across from the severe Fire Lord Ozai, motherly Chieftess Kya across from kindly Fire Lady Ursa, Princess (of a sorts) Katara across from Princess Azula, Chief's brother Arnook and Fire Lord's brother Iroh, Yue and Lu Ten, and finally, Sokka across from… Nobody? The seat was empty, yet there was still a gap between the Fire Lord and Azula, who was sitting to her father's left. Ozai glanced at the empty chair, and suddenly, the room was charged with tension.

"Azula." Fire Lord Ozai's voice sounded like magma; full of rough, half-cooled patches of rock, but still flowing smoothly. The searing heat was represented by the unmistakable rage that hissed through his teeth, though the Fire Lord did not even look annoyed. "Would you happen to know where your brother is?"

Azula subconsciously sat up straighter, squaring her shoulders as if preparing for a showdown. "Unfortunately not, father. I'm sure he's simply preoccupied trying to properly maintain his hair, but Agni knows that's a lost cause."

The Fire Lord nodded, then turned to his wife. "Ursa?"

"I'm sure Zuko is merely running a bit late; you know how far his chambers are from the formal dining hall," she placated, laying a hand on her husband's arm. The man merely grunted, before turning to the Water Tribe members.

"Chief Hakoda, I must humbly apologize for the disrespect my son-"

Fire Lord Ozai paused, lifting his bowed head to turn and look at the click that sounded behind him. One of the side doors flung open wildly, and a figure rushed in, loose clothes flapping around their figure. All that flying fabric seemed to have gotten caught on the door knob, because the figure was suddenly off their feet, swinging around with their hip hanging off the ground, arms and legs scrabbling at the smooth jade to gain traction. A horrendous ripping echoed through the dining hall, and the figure dropped to the floor, hip crunching against the floor, head cracking off the stone.

"Ow…" the figure muttered, and Katara vaguely recognized it as the voice of a young man. He stood up, rubbing at his side and his skull, limping forward a few more steps, before the hand on his hip seemed to have found a few loose threads. He picked at them, then looked down. "Oh shit!" he cried, stopping his stride to clutch awkwardly at the massive rip in his robe, revealing his equally-crimson tunic underneath. "Mom's gonna kill me…" he moaned, then looked up.

He was a rather handsome young man, though only on half of his face. The other half was a burnt mess, as if someone had held the boy against a stovetop for a few minutes. From the bottom of his nose to his hair-covered forehead, a semi-circular scar ruled the left side of his face, extending back to a shrunken ear, even darker on his eyelids. His left eye seemed stuck in a permanent glare, the lids shriveled halfway shut, only exposing a part of his gold pupil. It was a contrast to his right eye, which was wide as a dinner plate as he took in the crowd at the table.

Sheepishly, the young man, who could only be Crown Prince Zuko, hustled over. However, one look into his father's eyes, and Zuko was taking long strides around the table, taking a seat next to Katara, making her the focus of the Fire Lord's steady gaze. Internally, she was screeching at a pitch high enough to put a dolphin-piranha to shame, but she had the grace to keep her panic locked up. Instead, all she did was lean over to the Prince, who was running a hand through his mess of shaggy hair.

"Shouldn't you be sitting next to your father?" she whispered, despite knowing that everyone could probably still hear her due to how quiet they all were.

"Are you kidding!?" he hissed. "He'll literally murder me!"

Katara glanced at Fire Lord Ozai, who was watching them rather impassively. "He doesn't look that mad."

"What!? He's pissed as fuck!"

Katara blinked, unsure how to respond to the crude language. So, she decided to just ignore it. "What are you talking about? He's not even scowling."

"It's all in the beard," Zuko whispered, pointing not-so-subtly to the Fire Lord's chin. "See how stiff it is?"

Katara looked, and was surprised that the length of facial hair was no longer hanging there, pulled down by its own weight. It was still pointing downwards, but at the table now, rather than the Fire Lord's lap directly underneath.

"Wow," she murmured. To her right, Zuko was nodding slowly, like a wise old sage.

Finally, it seemed like the Fire Lord had had enough. "Zuko," he rumbled, causing the teen to sit ramrod straight. Zuko glanced at the wide-open window to the right, which his seat was, conveniently, the closest to. "I see you have foregone your crown."

"W-well, I don't really have enough hair to wear it properly, you know…" he muttered, trying and failing to not fidget. Fire Lord Ozai raised an eyebrow, but let the subject drop. Instead, the man simply clapped his hands twice, the powerful noise signalling servants to begin flooding in, carrying with them platters and trays of food. Predictably, Sokka was starry-eyed at the sight of the massive meal, and Katara just knew half of it would wind up in his stomach.

Without even waiting for Fire Lord Ozai, Sokka reached for the nearest plate of meat, only to have his hand slapped away by Zuko, who had stretched across Katara to do so. For a moment, Katara was surprised- it seemed like, despite his complete lack of decorum, Crown Prince Zuko at least had a grasp of basic manners. Then, he spoke up, completely ruining the new light she saw him in.

"Careful; those are sea slugs. They're super bitter, and it might ruin your appetite. I've seen it happen. You should start with the komodo rhino sausages." Sokka, who had been moments away from crying out indignantly, merely stared at Zuko skeptically, before taking the Prince's advice. Spearing one of the sausages with a fork, he eyed it, then took an experimental bite. He seemed to have a bit of a struggle chewing, but by the time he swallowed, his eyes were wide.

"Woah! It's pretty tough, but it's super tasty! There's so much flavor in such a small bite! It's crazy!"

"Right? If you liked that, you'll love the komodo chicken. The trick is to wrap it in cabbage- the meat is soft, but the cabbage adds a nice crunch. And then, if you're up for it, you can dip it in the chili sauce. I know most non-Fire Nation people don't like the spice, but if you can get past that, it's great."

Sokka did as Zuko instructed. First, he took a bite of the plain komodo chicken, then of chicken wrapped in raw cabbage, and finally, the wrap dipped in chili. His face turned slightly red, and his eyes began to water, but since Sokka wasn't coughing, it was probably fine. That didn't stop him from taking a sip of his glass of water, but he returned to chowing down with the gusto Katara was used to seeing in the boy back home. His hesitancy at eating foreign food was gone.

Seeing that Sokka was done, Zuko passed the boy another plate. "Now, roast duck dumplings."

"I'd recommend eating those with some of the mango chutney. The duck's pretty gamey, but the sweetness of the mango offsets it well," Lu Ten put in, coming over to sit across from Sokka, next to Fire Lord Ozai. Said man raised an eyebrow at his nephew. "Aw, come on, Uncle Ozai. I can't let Zuko have all the fun."

The Fire Lord merely rolled his eyes, and turned back to his quiet, mature conversation with the leaders of the Water Tribe, who were smiling at the younger generation. Well, Hakoda was. Kya was scowling at Sokka's table manners. It was one thing to eat like that at home, but in front of the ruler of the most powerful nation in the world? Thankfully, Ozai was quite content ignoring it.

"You muscle-heads and your meat," Azula drawled, swirling a glass of red wine in her hand. "Whatever happened to the traditional rice and steamed fish?"

"Wait, isn't fish still meat?" Sokka asked, slightly confused. It came from an animal, so it had to be meat, right?

"Yeah. Plus, they're from the South Pole- they probably eat a lot of fish down there," Zuko said.

"Fish is much more refined than the tough meat of land animals. Less dense, with a more gentle flavor," Azula said in response to Sokka. Then, to Zuko, "And I doubt they have salmon in the South Pole, which you'd know if you didn't spend all day sleeping instead of attending our geography lessons."

"Hey!" Zuko cried indignantly.

"She's got ya there, Zuko," Lu Ten said, causing the teen's shoulders to slump in defeat. "And you should sprinkle some lemon juice on the salmon."

Suddenly, Zuko perked up. He turned to face Katara and Sokka, the latter of which was stuffing his face (which was impressive, considering he was using chopsticks). "Hey, I don't actually know your names."

Azula groaned in frustration, setting down her glass to knead her forehead with the heels of her palms. "Zuko…" she seethed.

"Yeah?" he asked, oblivious to her ire.

Katara intervened, hoping to prevent the Fire Princess from burning her brother to ashes. "Ah, it's fine. I'm Katara, and this is my older brother, Sokka." Sokka raised his chopsticks in greeting, cheeks puffed up with food and grains of rice stuck to his face, then returned to burying his face in his bowl. Katara sighed. "Sorry, he's just… Like that," she finished lamely.

"...Wait, so who's Yue?" Zuko asked, head tilted in confusion.

Katara blinked. "Oh, that's our cousin," she said, pointing to the white-haired girl on the other side of the table, who had previously been across from Lu Ten. "How'd you know her name?" Katara asked curiously. Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, somewhat sheepishly.

"You only remembered because her name is the shortest, didn't you!?" Azula growled in accusation.

"Hey! It's not my fault you came to talk to me when I was half-asleep!"

"You're always half asleep, you dimwit!"

"I remembered Kya's name, too!" Zuko cried in his defense. Then, he leaned over to Katara and whispered, "By the way, who's Kya?"

"That's my mom, the Chieftess," Katara responded quietly, holding back her giggles with tremendous effort.

"Well, I still remembered the name!" Zuko said petulantly, crossing his arms in the face of Azula's wrath. The girl looked moments away from lunging across the table, and Lu Ten was too busy smothering his laughter with his hands to even try and restrain her.

Azula seemed to realize she was making a scene in front of the guests, so she sat back down with a straight back, and cleared her throat. "I suppose I should just consider it lucky that you're able to do even that much."

"Yeah!" Zuko agreed enthusiastically. Then, it clicked in his head that that wasn't a compliment. "Hey, wait!" Azula just smirked, and Zuko's complaints devolved into heated grumbling.

Fire Lord Ozai interrupted them with two claps, and the servants came in again to rid the table of the mostly-empty dishes. There was a bit of a scuffle when a particularly stubborn servant attempted to wrest a half-full plate out of Sokka's grasp, but the Water Tribe Heir gave as good as he got. Eventually, with the help of a second man, they managed to clear the table. A deep bow to the Fire Lord, and they were gone, ignoring Sokka's pitiful whines. Hakoda elbowed his son in the ribs, shutting him up rather effectively.

Lu Ten went back to his original seat, and judging by the steady gaze, it was clear Fire Lord Ozai expected Zuko to do the same thing. Zuko fervently shook his head, and the Fire Lord's eyebrows furrowed into a volcanic glare. The Crown Prince paled, then glanced to his right.

"You think I can make it to the window before he fries me?" he whispered to Katara, still staring longingly at the blue sky. The girl giggled.

"Zuko, I think you should just go back to your seat. It's only gonna be for a little while, right?"

The young man shivered, but with stiff, reluctant motions, did so. It took an entire minute for him to walk around the table, his every move being scrutinized by the Fire Lord's golden eyes, but eventually, Zuko sat in his rightful seat, and Fire Lord Ozai cleared his throat.

"Now, I believe we are all aware of the nature of this meeting?"

"I'm not," Zuko said, raising his hand like a school child, only to lower it under the fierce stare of his father. Azula huffed in aggravation, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Brother dear?"

"Yeah?"
"I've already told you why the Water Tribe is visiting."

"...When?"

Growling, Azula reared back a fist, threatening her older brother with bodily harm. The young man squeaked, holding his palms in front of him as if they would protect him. He leaned away from his sister, until his back bumped into his father's shoulder. A keening whine emanated from his throat when he realized he was trapped between the two people he feared most.

"Azula, enough," Fire Lord Ozai commanded, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, who trembled under his fingers. "Zuko, this is a meeting to discuss an arranged marriage."

"...Oh. But, isn't Azula a little young to be getting married? She's only fourteen, isn't she?"

This time, it was the Fire Lord's turn to express his exasperation, though he did it with a sigh. "Zuko, this is for your marriage."

The boy blinked. "...Oh." The Fire Lord raised an eyebrow, apparently not expecting Zuko to react so calmly to that. The facial hair dropped when his son's eyes widened.

"Wait, what!?"

"We are here to discuss your marriage to Chief Hakoda's daughter, in order to strengthen the bonds between the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe."

"Are you kidding!? Why, in Agni's name, do I have to get married!?"

"Is there something wrong with Chief Hakoda's daughter, my son? Is she not to your liking?"

"Wait, no, I didn't say that!" He turned to Katara, holding up a hand to stall her potential anger. "I didn't say that! There's nothing wrong with you! Seriously! I think you're great! You're really nice, and your voice sounds pleasant, and your eyes are super pretty, and you smell seriously good! Like wood smoke and humid air right before it rains and-!" Finally, Zuko seemed to realize that what he was saying was actually rather creepy, and he clutched violently at his hair, screaming in agony. He cut himself off by slamming his head into the table. The self-inflicted harm served to quiet his ranting, as well as hide the blush threatening to light up even the darkened skin of his scar, though it startled more than a few of the other people at the table. With a few heavy, deep breaths, Zuko seemingly managed to regain control of himself. However, he didn't raise his head, merely turning it to the side to address his father.

"Dad, why do you want me to get married so soon? I only just turned sixteen."

'The future Fire Lady must be sworn in, so that her training can begin as soon as possible."

Zuko sighed, turning to rest his rapidly-bruising forehead back against the table. "Dad, I'm not going to become the Fire Lord."

"You will."

"No, I won't. Let Azula do it- she actually wants to." The girl nodded, signalling her agreement with her brother's statement.

"That means nothing. You are the firstborn, you are the male heir, you are the Crown Prince. You will become the Fire Lord."

"And then what? Let the Fire Nation fall into ruin because I'm too tired to properly do my job? Dad, the Fire Lord does not sleep for over eighteen hours on any given day. I know you've gone days without sleep, to quell an insurrection or create a new battle plan or maintain positive relationships with the other nations, and I can't do that. I can't be the Fire Lord."

"The Fire Nation will never accept a woman as the Fire Lord."

"Who cares about that!?" Zuko shouted, leaping to his feet with such force that his chair went flying back, crashing into the wall with a thunderous crack. "All that matters is that Fire Lord knows what they're doing, and that they can do it properly! If it's a woman that's best for the position, then so be it!"

"Calm yourself, my son- remember what happened the last time you disrespected me so." The pointed look at Zuko's scar was obvious, and everyone present caught it. The Water Tribe members were shocked. How could a parent hurt their child in such a way? Sure, disciplinary smacks were expected, even encouraged, but to permanently main your own son...

Zuko's jaw clamped shut at the abrupt reminder of his weakness, eyes narrowing to slits in impotent rage. However, that had been three years ago. That was in the past. Now…

"I challenge you to an Agni Kai."