Acceptance
Zutara Month: Prejudice
"You promised you'd tell them." Hakoda said quietly. "You've been seeing Zuko for four years now." He and his daughter Katara were standing at the edge of the Southern Water Tribe. The icy ocean stretched for miles before them. Katara dug her feet into the snow.
"I know. I just got… scared." She sighed in response. Hakoda looked at her.
"Why would you be scared Katara?" Katara gave her father a disdainful look.
"Do you even need to ask that Dad?" She cried, frustrated. "Everyone in the whole Water Tribe hates Zuko." The Water Tribe woman buried her head in her hands.
"Katara, you have to understand their prejudice." Hakoda advised.
"I love him." Katara said softly. "And he loves me. Wouldn't that be that enough?" Katara knew she was being naïve about the situation but she'd honestly thought her people would be happy for her. She hadn't told any of them, except for her brother and father about her relationship with Zuko, and her father had been the first to inform her that they would not take kindly to the news.
"He's the same man who came here, manhandled your grandmother and whose people made life miserable for the rest of the world." Hakoda reasoned.
Katara looked hopelessly at the vast water around her. Her element.
"We've been allies with the Fire Nation for six years. Six years since the war ended. But it's not okay when I'm seeing a Fire Nation citizen." She said bitterly.
"You're not just seeing a Fire Nation citizen Katara. You're seeing the Fire Lord! The man who has control over the entire Fire Nation and ultimately, his decisions could affect the whole world."
"I don't see the point Dad."
"The point is, if your relationship goes wrong, Zuko might take out his anger on the entire Water Tribe." Katara's head snapped viciously to look at her father. Her entire body filled with fury.
"Zuko wouldn't do that, Dad! He's not that person! Even if our relationship went wrong, he'd be mature enough to accept that and move on. Without harming anyone." Hakoda raised his arms in surrender.
"I know that Katara! But I also know that's how the entire Southern Water Tribe will perceive that." Katara's eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists in protest.
"Well, I'll have to change that then." Katara said determinedly and stalked away.
Hakoda hurriedly followed her. What was his daughter up to this time? When he caught up with her, she was already in the clearing, stacking boxes on top of one another to stand up on.
"Katara, what are you doing?" Hakoda asked resignedly.
"We are having an entire Southern Water Tribe meeting." Katara declared. "Right now." Hakoda looked up at his daughter, initially about to point out the absolute absurdity of her solution, but one glance at her calm yet fierce exterior told him that her resolve wouldn't falter.
"I'll go gather everyone for you." Her father said wearily, knowing there was no changing his daughter's mind.
In a matter of minutes, the entire population of the Southern Water Tribe were gathered in the clearing. Katara stood on her stool made of boxes, looking down at them. Her stomach was in a knot and her heart was beating so loudly and fast that she was sure Toph could feel it from all the way in the Earth Kingdom. These were her people, but what if they didn't accept Zuko, and worse, what if they disowned her? Katara found her breath coming out shallow and her hands shaking.
'Regain your composure!' She berated herself mentally. 'You need to do this.'
"You've all been called here, because I have something important to tell you." Katara began. Her voice shook as it rang out across the clearing. " I know I should've told you all earlier but I didn't, so I all I can do is tell you now." Her people looked curiously at her. Her grandmother especially, was giving her a queer look. With all her heart, Katara wished Sokka were here. He'd stand unconditionally beside her as he'd done when she's told him about Zuko and she dearly wished he wasn't in Kyoshi Island as he was. "I'm seeing Fire Lord Zuko and he's on his way to live here for a year as we speak."
Her words caused the entire population to erupt in protest.
"You've betrayed us!"
"We don't want any Fire Nation scum mixing with our people!"
"His people reigned terror on ours!"
"Silence!" Katara roared with a sudden ferocity that came from fear. Instantly her people quietened, giving her the time she needed to speak.
"I know you all have your misgivings about him-" She began again before being interrupted by a young Warrior Tribe man.
"His people are the reason we lived in despair for a century!" He argued. "And he personally made it his life goal to capture the only hope for peace in the world! He has no right to court you!" Majority of the people around him nodded and murmured in combined agreement. Katara struggled to control her temper and forced herself to calm down.
"We've worked alongside the Fire Nation for six years now. I know it's different when the situation is personal and although it is the Fire Nation's fault we dwelled in hopelessness, we all owe it to Zuko, because he rebuilt our Tribe and without him, we wouldn't be where we are today." Katara allowed this to sink in, and with no interruptions, she figured she was doing well. "Zuko may have started out to be one our largest threats but without him, the war wouldn't have ended. He left his family and his home, to join us and to teach the Avatar Firebending, which Aang was fairly dependant on when he was battling Fire Lord Ozai. You also have to remember that Zuko was raised to think the world belonged to the Fire Nation, he was taught that we didn't matter and he was a prince. Can you imagine what it must have took for him to leave behind everything he knew to help us?" Complete and utter silence followed Katara's words.
No one really knew what to argue with. A woman, maybe twenty years older than Katara, gathered her wits and stepped forward to confront Katara.
"What you say is true, but nevertheless Fire Lord Zuko can never fully acknowledge the pain he's burdened us with, because he has no idea what it feels like." She claimed in a clear, concise voice. Katara had restrained her anger after the first argument. But she couldn't for one that was so unfair.
"You don't think Zuko's felt any pain, huh?" She questioned, he voice shaking with increasing fury. "You don't think losing your mother because your father plans to kill you is pain? Because that's what happened to Zuko, his mother had to leave when he was ten and he hasn't seen her since. You don't think getting half of your face burned by your own father because you spoke out in a war meeting is pain? He spoke out to defend newly recruited soldiers that were going to be used as a distraction and would be slaughtered. As a punishment, his father decided to challenge him to an Agni Kai. A Firebending Duel. Zuko refused to fight against his father, and for "dishonouring him" his father burnt his eye! You don't think being pitted against your sister like she was your own enemy is pain? Zuko's immediate family wasn't a family to him at all! We have each other! He had almost no one."
Katara witnessed a person try to cut through her speech but she powered through before she was interrupted.
"For his whole life, he was thrown between right and wrong and the only person to guide him was his Uncle. But when he finally regained his "honour" his Uncle was put in prison. Zuko alone, made the decision to help us. He struggled, for as long as he lived, he'd struggled and he'd suffered. But instead of complaining about his own pain he let it change him. He let it shape him and it made him the man he is today."
By the time Katara was done, she was shaking with rage and her breaths came in heaving breaths. No one spoke. No one moved. Instead, everyone looked at her with eyes hiding various emotions. Some held reluctance, some held sympathy, but most of them held absolute shame. Katara knew that their confidence was starting to waver but she hadn't won them over yet.
"Most of you will know my mother Kya." Boy did that get a reaction out of the crowd, their eyes all snapped with sudden wonder. Katara's mother had never been mentioned since her death and was a sore subject in the Tribe. Katara made eye contact with her grandmother, Kana was looking questioningly at her. Katara took a deep breath and continued. "When Zuko joined our group, I hated him, absolutely loathed him, he'd betrayed me and I felt that he was the most untrustworthy and backstabbing on the planet. But he proved me wrong. A lot of you are probably wondering why Chief Hakoda isn't protesting about my relationship. Firstly, it's because he already knew about it, and secondly it's because my brother and Zuko went to the Boiling Rock to break your chief out of it. Sokka knew nothing of the prison, but Zuko did." Katara surveyed the crowd, ensuring that all eyes and ears were captivated with Zuko's story. "He risked his own neck to save my dad's. My father knows Zuko's a good man. But even after Zuko accomplished this task, I still didn't forgive him."
Katara's people looked imploringly at her and Katara was pleased to see that she had them hooked.
"I never knew who killed my mother. I saw the man with my own eyes but I never knew who he was. Zuko found out, and he took me to the man to avenge my mother's death. Zuko, out of all people. Not my brother, not Aang the Avatar, Zuko. And that was how he earned my forgiveness."
Katara waited for the next person to step out against her. Whatever the argument, she was ready to take it. As of now, her temper was under wraps once more, but she couldn't disguise the smouldering ferocity from her eyes. When no one protested, Katara knew it was time to wrap things up.
"The Water Tribe suffered one hundred years of war, and because the Northern Water Tribe had been untouchable, we took all the blows. I know six years doesn't hold a candle to a hundred but I can assure you all, from personally knowing Zuko, that he will be nothing but good to me and to the Water Tribe. You're all my people, the Southern Water Tribe is my home and I was raised here. I don't think you all realise how truly important your acceptance is. I know how hard it is, as I've experienced it myself but I plead you all to be open to forgiveness. I love him, and I hope in time that you will too."
That was it. Now it was their turn to speak. Katara stood there, heart pounding, legs shaking, as she waited for someone to address her. Her father looked nervously at her when no one moved to speak, but she started unwaveringly back at him. Finally, Kana stepped forward.
"I am willing to forgive the Fire Lord for his mistakes and welcome him into our Nation." She said powerfully. Katara's legs almost gave away but she quickly salvaged herself and shot her grandmother a hugely appreciative and gracious smile. Kana's approval had apparently set an example for not a moment later, the young man who had proudly argued against her spoke out.
"After hearing everything you've told us, I can no longer deny Fire Lord Zuko a place in our Tribe." Katara thanked him graciously and no sooner had Bato strode forward.
"Your father and I have always known you were wise and clear-headed. If you think this Fire Nation man is worthy for forgiveness, I trust your judgement."
One by one, people began to stride forward to announce their acceptance of Zuko until majority of them were on Katara's side. The ones who stayed had declared that they were still reluctant but they would be civil to Zuko. Katara's heart rose with optimism and happiness. This was everything she needed, they may have done it reluctantly, but they'd accepted Zuko into their land. And into their chief's daughter's heart. With sudden sentiment, she felt tears well up in her eyes. Katara gratefully thanked everyone for their cooperation and called the meeting to an end. As she stepped down from the stool, she caught her father's eye and grinned.
X X X
When Zuko got off his ship and onto the icy land of the Southern water Tribe, the first thing he saw was Katara. His instinctive reaction was to embrace her. But upon looking behind her he saw the entire population of the Tribe behind her. Zuko hesitated. He already knew that they all had issues with him and he didn't want to put Katara in a worse position than she was already in. Katara had pronounced prejudice on her tribe's part and had promised to talk to them about it in her last letter. But just how much good had that done?
It wasn't until Katara gave him a small nod that he cast all his doubts aside, marched directly to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Katara's arms came desperately around his waist and in that moment, to Zuko, it was just the two of them. They hadn't see each other for six entire months and here, with Katara finally in his arms he had no idea how he'd gotten through it.
"I missed you so much!" Katara cried, with tears stuck in her throat. "Let's not do that again please." Zuko laughed but he feeling far from casual.
"I missed you too." He agreed. "No more long trips I promise and if there are, next time there are you're coming." Katara nodded in his chest.
Pulling away a bit, Zuko looked at the people around him. When he caught the eye of Katara's grandmother, she smiled at him. Zuko was taken aback by the warmth in her expression and hurriedly returned it. Leaning close, Zuko whispered:
"So did you talk to them?"
"I did yes."
"And...?"
"They're willing to slowly accept you." Zuko beamed at her. This was great news! The Fire Nation had been reluctant to take to Katara but they'd welcomed her after a few days of understanding that she wasn't going anywhere, and now Zuko was welcome in her home.
"Is it okay to kiss you in front of them?" He asked. Katara winced.
"Not quite there yet."
Even though this should've made Zuko disappointed, he revealed a small smile. He was staying in the Water Tribe with Katara for a year. He had plenty of time to win them over.