Sorry, I don't know why it repeated on chapter 2...I had to finish this real quick so I could fix that problem. Don't worry, it gets better! I don't know if I'm good at this or not...
--
When Katara reached the palace, theguards allowed her to pass without question. Somewhat puzzled, she turned and went back to them.
"You aren't even going to ask who I am?"
The taller guard said, "The Fire Lord was expecting you, my lady. He told us what the representative looked like and gave us strict orders that you were to be obeyed without question for as long as you were here."
Katara tried not to smile. Same old Zuko...
"Very well. Although anyone could have overheard Fire Lord Zuko giving this order and simply dressed like me, could they not?"
"I doubt that, my lady. The Fire Lord described you as the most beautiful young lady in the Water Tribes, and if you'll pardon me for saying so, there are no Fire Nation women with such radiant blue eyes as yours."
Katara was embarrassed about what Zuko said, but hid it as well as she could.
"Well, I can see you're quite clever. Sharp vision is a good quality for a guard to posess. What is your name?"
"Han Shu, my lady."
"Han Shu...I'll see that Fire Lord Zuko rewards you."
"Thank you, my lady."
The guard bowed and Katara went into the palace. He was a young man around 18, and very handsome...Katara pushed that idea out of her head and entered the throne room, unaware that the young guard stared at her until she was out of sight.
To Katara's surprise, Zuko wasn't there. The throne room was empty. She asked a passing maid where he was.
"I assume he must be in the garden, my lady. He said he needed some time to prepare himself before you arrived, and that he was not to be disturbed."
"Thank you, but I don't think he'd mind much if I disturbed him. Well, he won't start shooting fireballs at me, anyway."
As Katara went off to the garden, the maid stared after her, shocked that an outsider would talk that way about their beloved Fire Lord.
Sure enough, Zuko was in the garden, admiring his mother's rosebushes and feeding a family of turtle ducks. Katara leaned against the wall, observing him quietly for a moment. She didn't know whether to laugh at his feminism or admire his sensitivity.
"I know you're here." Zuko said suddenly. "And just because I like pretty things and baby turtle ducks it doesn't make me girly."
"I never said that."
"But you were thinking it."
"Well it's true. You do have a girly streak."
"Blame my mother for that."
"I thought it was because your older girl cousins used to dress you up like a girl when you were a baby."
"That too."
He stood up and they stared indifferently at each other for a few seconds. Finally neither of them could hold it in. Katara started laughing and ran into Zuko's arms. She realized how much she'd missed being held by him.
"Gosh, it's been such a long time!" Katara said. "You haven't changed a bit - but you do need a haircut."
She ruffled his long hair playfully.
"Well, you've changed a lot. You hardly look like the same person." Zuko said. "And I have to have long hair, I'm the Fire Lord."
"Exactly. So you can cut your hair all you want, cause you're the boss of everyone."
"I'm not the boss of you."
"You got that right, mister. And I haven't changed that much, have I?"
"Yeah, you have. That outfit makes you look like a queen."
Katara blushed a little. Then she remembered what would happen when she got home...
"Actually, it's funny you should say that..."
"Why?" Zuko asked.
"...It's customary for a Chief's daughter to marry the year she turns 16. When I get home, Dad'll probably have a husband picked out for me."
Zuko was quiet for a moment, as if he was deep in thought.
"Why not Aang?"
Although it was kind of a serious discussion, Katara laughed a little.
"First of all, he's not old enough. You gotta be 16 or older. And apparently nobody's told you that he's with Toph now."
"Oh. So what are you going to do?"
Katara got an idea...
"Well...I'd have to live somewhere else...and this place is pretty roomy..."
"Are you crazy? Everyone knows you're here! If you stay here too long, they'll start to think...well, it just wouldn't be a good idea."
"Is the big, powerful Fire Lord afraid for his reputation?" Katara said teasingly.
"No, I'm afraid for yours. They'll be calling you a whore!"
"But I'm not a whore. And you can just get up there and tell them that- 'Hey all you people, Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe IS NOT A WHORE! She's the sweetest and prettiest girl in the world!' "
"Come on, Katara, be serious. It won't work."
"Yes it will. Trust me."
Zuko sighed, knowing he wouldn't win this argument.
"Fine. Now where did your retarded lemur go with that peace treaty?"
--
Haha, retarded lemur...I crack myself up. If Zuko said 'retarded' in real life, I'd die out laughing. I always picture my stories happening in my head while I'm writing, and Zuko just melted when Katara used her puppy dog eyes on him. She's become such a flirt! No wonder she doesn't want to get married-she's too busy checking out every guy who talks to her, haha. I started laughing when I wrote that she called him girly. Zuko's a mama's boy, and Katara's a daddy's girl. I might write something where they're little kids, too...that sounds fun.
