Disclaimer: If I owned AtLA, zutara would be canon, so we can safely say that I don't.
It was time for a change.
Katara loved Zuko with all her heart - loved him from the minute she opened her eyes in the morning to the moment she closed them again at night (and as cliché as it sounds, it was true), but she didn't love this. She and Zuko had been married for just under two weeks, and already she was doubting if she could really do this. It wasn't the servants constant readiness to tend to her every need, or the expectation to know fire nation etiquette inside and out, or even the food (which, admittedly, wasn't to Katara's tastes). No, it was the people; more specifically, the people's complete, unapologetic hate for her.
Of course, she didn't think that the Fire Nation would just wholeheartedly accept a foreigner into their Royal Family, and Zuko had explained to her that for the past 100 years, the entirety of the Nation had been conditioned to hate all other parts of the world, but she still hadn't really fully grasped how extreme their feelings would be until she saw it for herself - and boy, did she see it. She was constantly called a a 'disgrace to the Fire Nation', whispers of 'peasant' following her wherever she was, paired with names that she didn't quite recognise and, from the anger on Zuko's face whenever they were said, were probably some kind of racial slur. It didn't help that some people weren't fond of Zuko to begin with, and while many were grateful for the peace the new Firelord brought, many others didn't take kindly to the change, and in turn, gave them another reason to dislike the Fire Lady. And while a large amount of Fire Nation citizens were finding that the people of other nations weren't too bad, the idea of a non-native becoming Fire Lady was all too much for most. The nation had never even had a Fire Lady of a darker skin tone, much less one of a whole different race, and the fact that Zuko had to change a whole law put in place at least a century ago stating that the Fire Lord must marry someone of Fire Nation descent (a rule that took a great amount of effort to change) definitely wasn't helping.
And so, within three days of coming back from her one-week honeymoon, Katara had put up blue curtains in her room, and had attained a few beautifully made cobalt-coloured robes by the fourth. She wore both Zuko's and her mother's betrothal necklace proudly around her neck, and made it clear to everyone in the palace that she wasn't going to trade her own culture with the Fire Nation's, and yet she wasn't happy. Of course she was upset at the public's dislike for her, but even more than that, she was angry. And she knew that these people didn't choose to be fed lies by power hungry leaders, but that didn't give them the right to refer to her as a peasant and not even give her a chance as Fire Lady just because she wasn't some rich pale fire nation lady that everyone was used to. But she did understand that many of the citizens just weren't taught to respect other nationalities, and Katara knew that when people are uneducated, the best thing to do is to teach them.
She was usually good with public speaking, but making a speech in front of a huge crowd of people that really didn't like her was more daunting than previous speeches she had made. Pair after pair of harsh, judgemental eyes followed her as she made her way up to the stand, head held high and mouth dry in anxiousness. Although nerves were making her slightly regret that she hadn't prepared a speech beforehand, she knew she spoke best when she was improvising; and so, she took a deep breath, cleared her throat and began.
"Greetings, people of the Fire Nation. I know most of you aren't very fond of me, and I know you all have your own reasons for that, but I am here today because of something we all want - peace. It is something the avatar fought for, it is something Firelord Zuko fought for, and it is something that I fought for too. Yes, the war is over, but its affects are far from gone, and it has left many with a hatred for other nations. I too felt the same way - about this nation - when I was younger, but travelling with the avatar and seeing different cultures, and such good people from each nation, including this one, brought me away from that hatred. I know not all of us get the chance to travel the world, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to fight this toxicity that the war has left us with. And to everyone standing here in front of me, I am sorry, because although your leaders might have started the war a hundred years ago, you are all victims. You were all brought up with the idea that other nations are bad, and even your schoolbooks were full of lies and propaganda, and I know you didn't choose that, but I think we all understand that that is wrong. Don't you want to fight against that - and fight for peace, and harmony? I know having me as a Fire Lady is hard to adjust to, and I never expected to immediately be liked by you all, but now that the war is over, we are in a time of change, and whether you like it or not, I am part of that change. We have a long road ahead to achieve our goals and recover from this war, and I know that it will take time to earn your respect, but I think you should know that no matter how much you dislike me, I am not going anywhere. So maybe, in the future, we can build a path of peace together, and maybe, there will be harmony among the nations again. I, for one, hope that one day, there will be."
There was silence when her speech ended. No booing or insults or an of the sort thrown at her, but no cheering or applause either. However, that very night, Zuko came home with a huge smile on his face.
"What's got you so happy?" Katara asked, making room for her husband as he climbed into bed.
"I heard two women talking today about you, they were saying how they liked your speech, and that they would give you a chance and see how you do as Fire Lady!"
Katara raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Did they really say that or are you just trying to make me feel better?"
"They really said it, Kat, word for word. I'm so proud of you, you're going to be an amazing fire lady - you are an amazing fire lady. I love you so much." Zuko beamed, kissing her on the cheek.
"I love you too," she replied, unable to hide her smile; it would be difficult, but bit by bit, she knew she could win the Fire Nation over.