A/N: So, this is going to be my Round 1 entry for the Pro-Bending Circuit.
My challenge: Write about the first time someone went swimming/on vacation.
Additional Prompts: Include; "Just hold me", Ember Island, The Cabbage Merchant
Warning: This is ZUTARA. That being said this is an AU where Katara and Zuko are married and have a daughter.
Zuko's POV:
"Are you excited?" I asked my four year old daughter Azaria, she was running all around on the deck playing with the ball Katara had packed for her. The three of us were on our way to the royal beach house on Ember Island for a much needed vacation from our regular home.
"Yes Daddy!" She sang, rolling the ball to me. "Will you play with me?" She asked, I smiled at my little girl.
"Of course sweetheart." I rolled the ball back to her, ignoring the looks many of the crew members gave me for sitting on the ground playing with a ball. Fire Lords deserved to have fun too didn't they? Azaria rolled the ball towards me again and I sent it back to her.
"Mommy!" Azaria let the ball roll by her as she ran to meet Katara at the stairs. I got up and retrieved the ball so that nobody would trip over it.
"Hi Zari." I heard Katara answer. "Are you hungry? I made lunch."
"Well I know I'm starving. What did you make?" I kissed my wife's cheek, making her smile.
"I made your favorite Zuzu, roast duck and rice." She was so thoughtful, I told her all the time that the Fire Lady didn't have to prepare her own meals, but she insisted, saying that only she would put the time and effort in to make the food taste just right for her family.
"I like that too Mommy!" Azaria smiled, Katara picked her up placing a kiss on her head.
"I know you do baby girl, that's why I made it."
"Well then, let's go eat." I took Katara's hand and she laced her fingers with mine, together the three of us went to the kitchen below deck to eat our lunch. As I helped Azaria cut up her food I looked over to Katara, she smiled at me knowingly.
"So Azaria, where we're taking you is going to be so much fun. You know how you like to splash around in the pond in the backyard? Well, we're going to the beach." Azaria's blue eyes grew big as Katara told her the news.
"You remember what the beach is right?" I kissed the top of her head. "Like the stories me and Mommy tell you about before bed? With all the sand and lots of water?"
"No way! Mommy says the ocean is at the beach! That's like this big!" Azaria spread her arms as far as she could. "Think of all the fishies that live there!" She giggled at the idea, I laughed and placed her lunch in front of her, finally taking a bite of my own.
"I suppose a lot of fishies live in the ocean." Katara smiled, running a hand through Azaria's dark hair.
"Yeah. Probably five or something." My daughter smiled, holding her hand up. "That's this many Daddy!"
"Very good, that's five." I praised her. I was so proud of her, she was becoming such a smart little girl. All through the rest of lunch she talked about how excited she was to go to the beach and see all the fish that the ocean had to offer. Katara didn't want to believe me because Azaria looked exactly like me with the exception of having Katara's eyes, but I was sure that our daughter would turn out to be a waterbender.
"Pardon the interruption Fire Lord Zuko." One of the crew members bowed to me, I granted him permission to continue. "I was sent to inform you that we have docked and that all your luggage has been taken care of for you."
"Perfect!" Katara jumped up from her chair, not giving me a chance to properly respond to my guard. "Let's go get ready and head to the beach!" Azaria followed her mother's lead and ran out of the kitchen.
"Beach! Beach! Beach!" Zari sang. "Hurry up Daddy!" She ran back in the kitchen, pulling at my hand so I'd run with her. My guard watched in disbelief, if I'd ever done this to my father I would've been banished long before I was thirteen. I actually liked it when my daughter pulled at me or when Katara interrupted to kiss me in front of a guard, it made me feel loved, like I was finally wanted.
"If you'll excuse us." I smiled at him as I scooped Azaria up. "Beach time! You ready?"
"Yay! Beach!" She clapped her hands together and I carried her off the ship before putting her back on her feet so she could run to Katara who had waited for us on the dock.
"I'm so excited!" Katara smiled at me, the smallest things made her happy, that was one of the things I loved about her.
"I know. I am too. I'm so glad I get to spend the day with my two favorite girls."
"Aww, Zuzu…" She wrapped her arms around my waist, leaning up to kiss me. I pressed my lips to hers gently before pulling away and looking down at Zari who was watching the water under the dock, mesmerized.
"Look! Look a fishy!" She screamed with excitement. Katara smiled, using her waterbending to surround the fish in a bubble and bring it up for Azaria to get a better look at it. "Look at it!" She watched it swim around in Katara's little bubble for a few minutes before Katara gently returned the fish to the water.
"Let's go to the beach now." Katara held her hand out for Azaria and she in turn took my hand. The three of us made our way to the beach house and changed quickly, wasting no time in heading to the beach afterwards. We all hurried through the market, using it as a shortcut to the beach. After a few minutes of walking our destination came into sight.
"Look!" Azaria pointed at the beach and ran a few feet ahead of us, turning back to look at us as she did. "It's the beach!"
"Azaria watch where you're going!" I shouted to late, I watched as she collided with one of the merchants, sending him flying into his cart. Cabbages flew everywhere and I sighed.
"Uh oh! I'm sorry." Azaria frowned, running over to me when the man glared at her.
"MY CABBAGES!" The poor cabbage merchant wailed as he rushed to pick up his vegetables.
"Zari…" Katara shook her head and stooped to help the cabbage merchant clean up. "I'm so sorry about that sir…"
"Wait a second! I know you!" The man turned and put his finger in her face. "You used to travel with the Avatar! Why is it that every time you're around my poor cabbages have to suffer!?"
"I…" Katara stammered, not knowing how to respond. I picked Azaria up and walked over to the merchant.
"It would be wise of you to stop yelling at my wife." I dug around in our bag and pulled out enough gold pieces to cover the damages to his stand and then some. "Here, now leave her alone." I pulled Katara along with me, not looking back at the peasants from the market.
"Thank you Zuko…" Katara blushed slightly, not looking up at me. I laughed.
"You two are quite the little troublemakers. What do you have against cabbage?" I teased both Katara and Azaria, making them laugh.
"We're here!" Azaria interrupted just as Katara was about to answer. I smiled and put her down.
"Don't go too far Zari." I warned her. Katara took the bag from me and laid our blanket out, putting the umbrella up quickly. Azaria excitedly took the bucket we brought her and filled it with sand.
"Let's go play in the water!" Katara jumped up and down, almost more excited than our daughter. I smiled and kissed her cheek.
"Zari, do you want to learn how to swim?" I asked, knowing that was part of the reason we'd brought her here. My daughter jumped up, knocking her little castle over in the process.
"Yeah!" She took one of my hands and one of Katara's and walked with us to the water, suddenly she looked a little nervous, I crouched down in the sand beside her.
"Why don't you watch me first?" I kissed the top of her head and waded up to my waist in the warm water.
"Well go on Mr. Firebender, show her how it's done." Katara laughed, using her bending to splash me from her place in the sand.
"Hey! I'm going!" I laughed, letting myself fall back into the waves, swimming a few strokes to show Azaria that the water wouldn't hurt her.
"Mommy…" Azaria held her arms out for Katara to pick her up, cuddling into her once she did.
"There's nothing to be afraid of. This is just like the pond in the backyard, only bigger." Katara reminded her. "Let's just go in a little bit, if you don't like it I'll stay on the sand and make a pretty castle with you."
"Okay…" Azaria hesitated, tightening her grip on Katara's arm. They walked out to meet me and I smiled, flicking water in Katara's face as payback for waterbending me earlier, she laughed.
"Do you want to go to Daddy?"
"Yes." Azaria reached out for me, digging her little fingers into my skin.
"Come here. It's alright." I took Azaria in my arms so Katara could enjoy the water. "Let's go in a little bit so it's not deep for you." I walked us back in a few steps before kneeling in the water.
"Daddy no!" She shrieked when her feet touched the water. "Just hold me!"
"Azaria, it's okay. Just trust Daddy… I have you." I let her stand up, still holding onto her. The water only came up to her stomach, her blue eyes pierced my golden ones as she looked at me. "You don't have to be afraid, I won't let anything happen to you." I tried to reassure her. Katara walked over to us then, kneeling in the water beside us.
"Look at you baby girl! You're in the ocean!" Katara smiled. "I'm so proud of you!"
"It's scary." Azaria pouted, clinging to my arms.
"No… it's fun. Watch." Katara picked up a few tiny balls of water and levitated them over my head before releasing them, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle. Zari laughed.
"Me too!" She carefully let one of my arms go and reached down into the water, splashing me in the face. "This is fun!"
"Why is it that whenever you two have fun I always end up soaking wet?" I splashed Katara back, but let Azaria get away with the splashing, not wanting to scare her.
"I don't know. You're an easy target." Katara laughed, splashing me again. Azaria smiled and let my other arm go, standing in the water on her own as she used both hands to splash me. After a few minutes she started jumping around in the waves, having the best time until one wave knocked her off her feet. Katara hurried to her side and helped her to her feet.
"Ahh! It got me Mommy! It got me!" She wrapped her arms around Katara's leg.
"Hey, go easy. You're alright." Katara told her softly. "The water won't hurt you. I promise."
"You promise?" Zari looked up at her mother.
"Yes, I promise you." Katara smiled when she won Azaria's trust and her leg was released. "Okay. Are you ready to swim for the first time ever?!"
"I'm ready!"
"Alright." She took Azaria's hands. "I want you to lay on your stomach. Good! Now kick your feet…"
"You're a great teacher Sifu Katara." I teased her, watching as my daughter perfectly mastered the motions. She smiled at me.
"Better teacher than you Sifu Hotman." She teased back. I laughed, not expecting that comeback.
"Nobody says hotman anymore." I knew it wouldn't stop her from saying it, but I couldn't help myself. "That looks good Zari. Do you think you can do it all by yourself now?"
"I don't know." She stood up, turning to look at me.
"Aww, come on! You can do it!" I took a few steps back. "Swim to me." I held my arms out for her.
"Let's see what you got!" Katara kneeled in the water beside her. "I'll be right here with you the whole time."
"Okay! Yeah! I can do it!" Zari jumped into the water, giggling happily when her head came above the water again. She layed on her her stomach in the water, reaching out with her arms and kicking with her legs.
"You're doing it! Keep going!" Katara smiled up at me, beyond proud of our daughter learning how to swim.
"I'm telling you, she's going to be a waterbender." I held my hands out for Azaria to grab, when she did I lifted her out of the water, twirling her around in my arms. "You did it baby girl!"
"I did it! I did it!" She clapped, a huge smile spread across her face.
"You did! I'm so proud of you!" Katara hugged us both. "You're a natural born swimmer!" Katara beamed, I knew she was happy our daughter loved the water almost as much as she did.
"I want to swim again!" Azaria reached for the water, I put her down so she could.
"Have fun."
"I will!" She smiled. I put my arm around Katara, watching our daughter swim. I couldn't have asked for a better family than these two. They made me so happy just with their presence alone. Katara leaned her head on my shoulder and looked up at me.
"I love you." She kissed me gently, I kissed her back.
"I love you more." I smiled.
"Mommy, Daddy, come play with me!" Zari splashed at us. We both laughed and followed her lead, splashing around in the water for the rest of the afternoon. I hadn't told them, but I was hesitant to take Katara and Azaria to Ember Island at first because of all the bad memories that this place held for me. I was glad I chose to bring them though, I was ready to rewrite the bad memories with good ones, starting with how we taught Azaria to swim.