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Chapter One: The Letter and the Arrival
A letter from Uncle Iroh could mean one of three things: a, he wants me to visit; b, he wants to know when Zuko and I will give him grandchildren or c, something has gone wrong in the Fire Nation. In the case of this letter, it was the last. The letter, penned in such nice calligraphy, brought some of the worst news I'd received in my life.
Ozai escaped. It was true that the previous Fire Lord had no bending. That didn't disillusion any of us. We all knew what Ozai was capable of, even without his bending. The man would simply recruit benders to his cause in return for a promise of power once he regained his throne. After all, there were plenty of people in the Fire Nation who resented Zuko and longed for Ozai's return.
Immediately, I penned letters to Sokka and Aang: they would explain what was going on. I ran from my home on the far end of the village, where the healer's sector was being developed, to my father's home where the warriors were stations. Normally, even the chieftain of our village would live with his family; however, neither Sokka nor I lived with him anymore. None of his family lived with him, so Dad chose to live by himself with the warriors.
I ignored the appreciative glances I received from some of the younger warriors. If Zuko was here, they would be frightened right back into their huts. If Sokka was here, they'd just be beaten. In other words, neither of the two needed to know about the looks.
I found Dad in the middle of a training session. The session was an entry level test for some of the younger boys of our tribe. I smiled. It'd been a long time since I saw this type of training. Sokka never really got this experience.
"Katara!" My father's happy greeting brought the attention of everyone within fifty feet. I grinned and returned his greeting with a simple acknowledgment of "Dad." I gestured for him to come over to me. We needed to talk; he wasn't going to like this.
"Yes, Katara?" Dad asked. I looked around, making sure that we were far enough from the others so that we wouldn't be overheard.
"There are some things that need sorted out in the Fire Nation. Zuko and Uncle Iroh need my help. I'm going."
I didn't ask for his permission. I didn't need to. I might've still been under the control of my father by the laws of our tribe, but we both knew he didn't have that kind of power over me. I helped the Avatar defeat the Fire Lord by the time I was sixteen. Now, three years later, my father didn't understand the full extent of my maturity. He did; however, understand the full extent of my independence.
That's why he didn't argue with me.
Six weeks later, I arrived at the Chun Shui Port. This was the Fire Nation's most prominent port and therefore was an active site of trade and travel. Unfortunately, it was also the site of much thievery and other criminal acts. That reason alone is why I felt immense relief upon seeing Uncle Iroh standing there waiting for me along with Sokka.
I rushed off the boat. A member of the ship's crew sent my luggage down after me but I was too distracted by my brother to care. It'd been six months since I last saw Sokka as he spent most of his time with Suki on Kyoshi Island.
My brother picked me up, swinging me around in a hug. Briefly, I was aware of Uncle Iroh retrieving my luggage and walking away to give Sokka and I some privacy.
"I've missed you, Katara," Sokka told me. I nodded, burying my head in the spot between his neck and his shoulder. As annoying as my brother was, words could not express how much I'd missed him. He might be an annoying jerk, but he's my annoying jerk. Even if I do have to share him with Suki now.
"I've missed you too, Sokka, but where is Aang and the others?"
"I sent them ahead up to the Palace. Zuko and the others are waiting for us there. Are you ready to go?"
I nodded. It'd been almost nine months since I last saw Zuko. I couldn't wait to see him. Nor could I wait to see any of our other friends.
After Sokka released me, I hugged Uncle Iroh. The man was just a tea-obsessed, teddy bear who happened to have an excellent grasp on matters of State. He was also Zuko's only father figure and his closest advisor. That meant that the man was incredibly important to me- something that could never change.
"I have also missed you, Miss Katara. I believe my nephew has as well."
I ducked my head, knowing my cheeks were flushed bright red. "I should hope so, Uncle Iroh, as he intends to marry me." I touched the necklace that rested around my neck. In keeping with true Water Tribe traditions, Zuko insisted on carving me an engagement necklace. Now I wore my mother's necklace as the choker it had always been, while Zuko's necklace rested a little farther down my neck.
"He doesn't just intend to marry you, Miss Katara. Not a day goes by that my nephew fails to mention you. He simply glows when he speaks of you. I have no doubt that come Hell or high water, my nephew is going to marry you. It's not an intention to him. It is a necessity."
I smiled. "Good. It's a necessity to me too."
In reality, I know the trip to the palace only took a couple of hours. In fantasy, it felt like a much longer period of time. Of course it did! I was on my way to see my fiancé, my fiancé who I had not seen it many months! It would've felt like triple the time to anyone.
I did not know how Zuko would greet me. We were both very private people. We also tried to consider everyone else's feelings. While Aang was happily in a relationship with Toph, we still didn't want to rub our relationship in his face. I also didn't think Sokka really wanted to see his little sister kiss a man who once tried to kill her.
Uncle Iroh maintained polite conversation between the three of us as we made our way to the Palace. Never once was the fallen Fire Lord brought up. It was like an elephant in the room however, and I knew it would be seen before the night was over. After all, that's why we were all there, wasn't it?
When the carriage pulled up to the very front of the castle, there was a small crowd waiting outside. The crowd consisted of Suki, Toph, Aang, surprisingly Ty Lee and Momo. I looked for Zuko and smiled when I saw him hanging back behind our group of friends.
Sokka got out first in order to help both Uncle Iroh and myself out of the carriage. I was being smothered in affection by the time my feet brushed the ground. I found myself gasping for air after several seconds. I didn't like crowds, and I certainly didn't enjoy being suffocated. The combination of the two was enough to bring on a panic attack.
The sound of a throat clearing made the world still. "I would appreciate it if you didn't squeeze my fiancé to death, thank you."
I felt the easy smile slip onto my face that always seemed to come out around Zuko. Nothing else mattered. I was here. Zuko was here.
We were together.
We would prevail.