"Good morning, Katara," Zuko stood and bowed as she entered the Sunrise Courtyard.
"Good morning, Zuko," Katara bowed as well, pleased to find that all her unease with him had disappeared. Just saying good morning felt right somehow, instead of terribly wrong, as it would have only yesterday.
"I hope your first night in the palace was comfortable?" Zuko sat down at a low table.
"Yes, actually," Katara said, joining him at the table. Breakfast had already been laid out, and consisted mostly of a suspiciously red omelet. "Does the Fire Nation favor spicy foods in the morning?"
"It'll wake you up," Zuko smiled a little, "but yours is mild, and if it's still too much there is sweet cream to take the bite off," he pointed to a miniature pitcher.
Katara cautiously took a bite of an omelet. Zuko told the truth, the spices were very mild. She ate a few bites before asking, "So, what are we doing today?"
"We?" Zuko raised an eyebrow, and bit into a pepper.
"That's right, we," Katara mirrored his look, then grimaced at the thought of biting into something so spicy.
"Well, I can come along if you'd like, but you are being fitted for a suitable court robe," Zuko chuckled. "Since there is time, you might as well look like a proper Fire Lady for the ceremony."
"I think I can get properly fitted without you," Katara said, embarrassed, "what ceremony?"
"Oh, you won't have to do anything but stand there. Traditionally, whoever is brought into the Royal Family, or one of the wealthier families, has someone to speak for them. The High Priest of the Fire Temple will do you that honor."
"What is the ceremony about? Just being betrothed?" it seemed like a little too much pomp to Katara, but at least Zuko wasn't fighting to break it off.
"Sort of." Zuko said, "Your representative goes over your exploits, what you will bring to the family, and other such things. The idea is to show the world that you are the most qualified for gaining royal status, although it doesn't really matter since the Fire Lord can marry whomever he pleases anyway."
"Well, I've got exploits," Katara grinned. Between traveling with the Avatar and her incredible healing abilities, her exploits were getting up there in number. But what was she expected to bring? Money? She hadn't seen herself as bringing something to Zuko so much as being sacrificed to him, although now she was more at ease. Why was she more at ease? Perhaps because she had made up her mind? No, that couldn't be it; she had made up her mind to marry him long before she felt comfortable with it. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of the marriage, but somehow she was happier. Katara frowned lightly, trying to remember precisely when she had started to feel better. Katara's frown deepened, when she had argued with Zuko? They had been apologizing to each other, and then they had argued about whether or not to break the betrothal. She had been in favor of their marriage. Or maybe it was the ice cream?
"What are you thinking about, Katara?" Zuko's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Oh, nothing," Katara waved him off, thinking quickly, "just wondering what the betrothal ceremonies for the other Fire Ladies were like."
"I've never been to one," Zuko shrugged, "My mother was the last Fire Lady to have one."
Katara could have kicked herself. Zuko had spent the first year of his rule looking for his mother, only to find her grave. "I'm sorry, Zuko," she touched his hand lightly, and then pulled back.
"It's fine, Katara, I'm over it," Zuko said lightly, but his eyes seemed tight.
Katara didn't push him. She knew he was still sad that he hadn't gotten a chance to see his mother, but he would have to be the one to bring it up if he wanted to talk to her about it. She didn't intend to prod the subject of dead parents.
"So," Katara changed the subject, "What will you be doing today?"
"I have a meeting with the ministers of war about strengthening our defenses in the capital," Zuko replied.
"Do you think our betrothal will stir up trouble?" Katara asked. She hadn't given it much thought before.
"Only for you," Zuko gave her an intense look, "Your popularity will plummet, and the radicals will never forgive you. Can you really deal with that?"
"You said you wouldn't try to change my mind," Katara glared at him, "so quit it with the gloom and doom, I know what I'm doing."
"I'm not trying to change your mind, I'm just telling you the truth," Zuko glared right back.
"Yea, the hard truths. You know what else will happen when we announce our betrothal? Your popularity will go up. Seeing that you intend to marry a water bender, especially since it's me, will foster the idea that you accept that the other Nations have a right to exist." Katara half shouted at him. "We're doing a lot of good here, and I wish you could see it," she tacked on quietly.
"Katara, I can see the good, but I can see you too." Zuko's eyes strayed to the left, "But never mind, Jun will take you to the seamstress now."
Katara glanced behind her and Jun bowed, "My Lady."
Katara stood to follow her, then stopped and turned, "you will keep your promise, right?"
"I never promised anything," Zuko's posture screamed defiance.
"The King's very breath is a promise, Zuko," Katara bowed angrily and quickly followed Jun out before he could reply.
Jun lead Katara through several hallways and then straight out the front gates, where a palanquin and a number of guards were waiting. Katara felt ridiculous riding when everyone else was walking, but put up little resistance and settled into her palanquin with only a few grumbles. She had assumed that the palace had its own seamstress, someone had to keep Zuko and his minions clothed, but the ride into town seemed to prove otherwise.
Zuko was an annoying man. Once he got an idea into his head, he kept at it with the tenacity of a sheershoe. He always managed to get under her skin, although to be fair he always managed to get back on her good side eventually. Katara sighed; she didn't like leaving him the way she had, in anger. It felt stupid now, that she wouldn't let him worry about her a little. She might need to apologize later. With a rattle that jolted her from her thoughts, the palanquin stopped, and was lowered to the ground.
Katara jumped out, and was immediately greeted by a small elderly woman, "I am Chun Hua, Lady Katara; I will sew your betrothal robe." Chun Hua bowed briskly and turned, leading Katara and Jun inside.
The main room of the large shop sported numerous bolts of cloth, most in varying tones of red, and all ridiculously expensive. On the wall behind the counter were traditional Fire Nation renderings of various styles of dress, and above them, oddly enough, was a portrait of Zuko. Katara had seen similar portraits of Ozai in various Fire Nation buildings, and assumed it was a show of patriotism. The rendering was beautifully done, but Katara found the grim face Zuko made to be distasteful. Zuko could look imposing if he chose to, in fact he could look imposing if he chose not to, but the artist seemed to have added just a little extra something that really tipped the scale. There was a harsh cruelty to the face that Zuko simply was not capable of.
"My Lady?" Jun turned to her and bowed, "the fitting room is this way, if it pleases you."
"Right, sorry," Katara glanced once more at the portrait, then followed Jun through an ornate doorway. The room she entered had a large wall-mirror, from ceiling to floor and wall to wall on the far side. Katara could feel her eyes widening, either the Fire Nation had developed a technique for creating mirrors as easily as the Earth Kingdom could, or this shop was beyond prestigious. The Earth and Fire Kingdoms had both developed an easy glassmaking method, which was nice enough, but unnecessary in the Water Tribes and something the Air Nomads hadn't sought after. So far the Earth Kingdom had a monopoly in mirror making, but the Fire Nation almost never lagged behind in technology.
"Here we are then," Chun Hua pulled a heavy looking robe from a tapestry pole, "If you would try this on, Lady Katara." She held up the robe proudly, "It's only the guessing-gown, but I'm told the garment you wore yesterday was a nearly perfect fit, so this one should be close."
"Did you make that robe too?" Katara asked, curious, as she slipped out of her tunic.
"Oh yes, the Fire Lord guessed at your size. He was hopeless of course, but I haven't been around for so little time that I couldn't decipher what he was trying to say," Chun Hua laughed lightly. "You must have made quite an impression on him, he knew your height exactly, and your shape is just as he said," she handed Katara the first layer of the betrothal robe.
"Well I have been here for a full day," Katara smiled at the elderly woman, "he's had plenty of time to memorize my size." Katara pulled the white shift over her head; the first layer of the robe was soft and comfortable.
"No dear, the Fire Lord visited before your arrival, even I can't sew up a garment in an hour," Chun Hua laughed again, this time a little harder, as she handed Katara the next layer.
Katara didn't answer; Zuko couldn't have memorized her size at any other time. She had been to the Fire Nation since the war, but her last visit was nearly a year ago. It was silly to think he was already planning to propose to her. Mai had barely broken it off with him at the time, and he was still hopeful about winning the other Nations over. Their marriage was a very last minute deus ex machina attempt.
When the last layer was on, Katara looked at herself in the mirror. She moved this way and that to get a good look at everything. The outer robe was a blue so light it was nearly white, with darker blue trim along the borders. It was a very simple design, which confused Katara, since the Fire Nation tended toward the dramatic.
"Ah!" Chun Hua exclaimed excitedly, "perfect! A small adjustment in the shoulders is all it needs."
"Is this the design all the Fire Lady's wore?" Katara asked, twisting to see her back in the mirror.
"It is similar, but no." Chun Hua shrugged, "the family symbol is usually displayed more prominently, but you do not have one. Also, the last Fire Ladies wore armor, a symbol of their usefulness in battle. They'd be completely useless in a real battle of course, but the whole introductory ceremony is to present the nobles with a Fire Lady who is with the times. Your robe will look considerably better once the design is painted in." Chun Hua sighed happily, pinching a bit of cloth at the shoulders.
"Painted?" Katara had never heard of painting clothes before.
"Yes, it's more common to embroider designs, but that takes too long, you wouldn't be able to wear your robe for a week at least." Chun Hua drew herself up, "my shop boasts the finest cloth painter in the Fire Nation, Qing Nian."
"Well then, I look forward to wearing this even more, knowing that," Katara tried to be polite.
"Good," Chun Hua nodded brusquely, "let's get you back into your clothes then."
Katara slipped out of each layer quickly and back into her Water Tribe clothing. Despite the surprising comfort of the heavy Fire Nation raiment, her tunic was still her favorite by far.
"Thank you, Chun Hua," Katara bowed, and Jun followed suit.
"Of course, dear, it's not every day I get to make a betrothal gown for the future Fire Lady," Chun Hua bowed and showed them out of the store.
Katara sighed, seeing the palanquin waiting for her, but didn't even grumble when she sat down. She used the ride back to the palace to think. Zuko was sending mixed messages. He had arranged everything for her, setting everything up to make sure she was comfortable and making sure she had a beautiful robe for their betrothal ceremony. At the same time, he insisted on trying to convince her to back out of the marriage, he himself had almost backed out several times. In a way, he did nothing that wasn't considerate to her feelings, but it was confusing the way he seemed to flip flop. Perhaps he was just as confused as she was? Katara wondered what his thoughts were on their marriage. He seemed to dislike the idea only because he thought her unhappy; he had said he wouldn't marry her until she could convince him she loved him. First she'd likely have to convince herself. There was some attraction, and he had been a close enough friend during the final stages of the war, it shouldn't be too hard. There was no blind passion, as she had felt for Jet, but then again Jet hadn't been the best choice for a crush at the time. He had straightened himself out later, but by the time that had happened she hated him almost as much as she came to hate Zuko. Well, at least the two had something in common; she had hated both with a passion for a good long time. Somehow that didn't sound so wonderful.
The Palanquin halted and Katara jumped out, glad to be on her own two feet again. She hadn't managed to find comfort in the rhythm since her first ride. Katara walked briskly through the gates and Jun followed, but once inside Jun took the lead. "Where do you wish to go, My Lady?"
"My rooms, if you don't mind," Katara smiled and Jun led her away. She thought the path seemed familiar, and was proud of herself for remembering at least something about the palace.
Once at Katara's door, Jun glanced at the shadows through the hall windows, "the Fire Lord will likely be done with his audience within an hour, would you like to be informed when he is free, Lady Katara?"
"Yes, please," Katara said, glad not to be alone all day. She entered her rooms, unsure what to do while waiting for Zuko to be free. She wished someone was here with her, a friend she could talk to when Zuko was busy. Aang was always fun, and Sokka was infuriating, but she'd trade her courtyard for a chance to hear one of his stupid jokes again. Katara sighed and wandered into the courtyard in question, once again appreciating the beauty of the fountain. The mist permeated the air, not just around the fountain, but around the entire courtyard, cooling and refreshing the air. If everything hadn't been immaculately clean, Katara might have worried about mold growing on the walls and in between the tiles. The dragon centerpiece would likely wear away over the years, it was made of a smooth white stone, but the careful design wouldn't even be dulled for many years to come.
Katara saw a flash of white in the water and looked more closely. A small white Koi was swimming around in the pool. Upon further inspection, she found a small black Koi as well. Did they represent Tui and La? Excepting the dragon, which was a Fire Nation symbol, the courtyard did have a strong Water Tribe theme.
Katara left the fish alone and more closely inspected the rest of the courtyard. The walls appeared to be made of the same stone as the dragon, and had been sanded smooth. There were short benches, white stone with blue tile, placed periodically around the small space- just far enough from the misty spray to be kept dry by the daytime sun. She hadn't noticed them earlier, but they did blend in rather well with the wall and floor. Now that it was light out, everything came more fully into focus.
The arches along the walls were mostly mock-doorways, although a few truly did have doors as white as the walls. The first one she opened lead to a light hallway, which Katara chose not to get lost in by closing the door, she could ask Zuko about it later. The second led to yet another hallway to ask Zuko about, and Katara left that alone as well, disappointed by her short exploration. She didn't doubt the safety of exploring the palace, she could easily find someone to lead her back to her rooms and might even manage to stumble upon them herself, but she didn't particularly feel like getting lost at the moment. She could always ask someone for a tour, maybe Jun would do it, but then again she'd rather go with Zuko.
Katara sighed, she felt like such a baby. Did she need Zuko for everything? It had only been a day since her arrival, and she already leaned on him for every little thing. She looked longingly at the doors, and then made up her mind; it was an excellent day to get lost in the palace.
"Time to explore," Katara spoke aloud to herself, picking the darker hallway. She wandered its length a few times, back and forth, before choosing to turn at the far end. It was silly, but she felt empowered just choosing where to get lost. Slowly she began to feel even more confidant, no one but Zuko and she lived in the Inner Palace, the guards and servants all had families to go to when they weren't working. Very few slept within the walls, and all the rooms were just waiting to be peeked at. As Zuko's future bride, it was hardly wrong to peek at rooms only Zuko could claim as his own.
The first room Katara looked through had furniture, but everything was coated in a layer of sheets and dust. It appeared to be a bedroom. Katara wondered briefly about the state of the futon, but everything was too dusty to seem worth looking at right then. The next door was larger, and Katara found herself in a considerably cleaner room, filled to the brim with interesting items. It appeared to be a storage room, but everything was well tended. There was a pai sho board leaning against the wall, and shelves of knick knacks. One shelf had several small cloth sacks, filled with differently styled pai sho pieces, and another held old scrolls. Katara unrolled one, curious, and found a painting of Zuko and Mai. It was an excellent rendering, although Mai had dropped some of the gloominess over the years, and the painting was a bit out of date.
Katara sat on a small stool, looking more closely at the painting. It made her sad to look at them together. They had seemed so in love when she had observed them after the war, but they had just grown apart. Katara spent another minute looking at Zuko, then rolled the scroll back up and pulled out another. This one was Iroh, back when he was young. His hair was black, and his facial hair was short. He seemed happy enough, with a goofy smile on his face. Katara liked the odd look on him better than the stern one on the painting of Zuko in Chun Hua's shop, although Iroh's painter wasn't quite as skilled. Smiling to herself, Katara replaced the scroll and pulled out another. This painting was of a man Katara had never met before, but she had seen his likeness, it was Avatar Roku. The parchment was considerably older than the others, and while she'd have liked to look at him longer, to get a better sense of Aang's past, the thin paper felt too fragile and Katara carefully replaced it.
After sorting through several other paintings and a few documents, Katara moved on to the shelf with small statues, and the shelf with dolls. There were a few old weapons, and a few new ones, and a good store of fabric took up a small section. The room thoroughly searched through, Katara's curiosity was sated, and she moved out into the hallway again.
Katara wandered aimlessly, not bothering to memorize her path, looking into various rooms as she went. She passed several guards on her explorations, but ignored them in favor of the many doors she found. There were courtyards, reception rooms, small dining rooms, a pai sho room, locked rooms, and all manner of rooms around her new home. She kept at it until she found a particularly ignored section of the palace. The corners were dusty, the doors not as shiny, and the torches unlit. The atmosphere wasn't welcoming, but it was perfect for exploring. Katara entered a room through a particularly dilapidated door, the paint was peeling, but the knob was shiny with use. She supposed it was a servant's shortcut, and meant only to take a quick glance, but instead found a storeroom similar to the one near her rooms, with a small door on the opposite side. The shelves in this case were filled with cloth bundles, mostly in greens. They were bulky, and Katara couldn't think of what might be underneath. She was about to unwrap one when she heard a noise through the second door.
"Damned lock," someone grunted, and Katara could hear scraping noises.
"At least no one can get in," another voice suggested helpfully.
Seeing that she was obviously not supposed to be there had Katara out in a hurry. She thought whoever it was rather stupid for not locking the door she had gone through, but chose not to dwell as she fast walked into a more used section of the palace.
"Guess I'm not supposed to go everywhere," Katara thought aloud. She walked around, waiting to run into a guard or servant, and leaving the rest of the doors she passed alone. Zuko would be done anytime now, and they could take lunch together or something of that sort. Katara passed a large set of double doors that she recognized. She hadn't been through them, but she had walked past them at some point. She hesitated outside; two large clean doors in a bright clean hallway seemed to indicate a very public area. But then again, she had managed to get herself into a private storeroom not too many hallways ago. Katara bit her lip lightly, and then shrugged. Might as well.
Katara pushed open the doors and found herself in a slightly burnt courtyard. It looked suspiciously like a Fire Bending practice area, especially since there were some burnt piles of something here and there, and a long pool of water along one wall. There were weights and bars placed in one corner of the large area, and sealed behind glass pressed into the walls were Fire Bending scrolls. The movements had a stronger base than water, like Earth Bending, but involved a more fluid movement than earth, like Water Bending. Here and there were some Air Bending-like spins, although the jumps looked suspiciously earthy.
Katara tried out a few Fire Bending techniques. Her form was tentative and weak, but it was kind of fun to try new movements. Maybe she could even invent something for her Water Bending. Channeling electricity was based on Water Bending after all; why not base a water form on Fire Bending? She pulled some of the water from the long pool and let it splash down in front of her, then tried a kick pictured on one of the Fire Scrolls. Nothing happened. She shrugged to herself and tried a few punches, then another kick. This time the kick did something, the water froze in sharp spikes, facing away from her. Not entirely useful, when she could do similar and more violent things without taking her foot from the ground.
Inspired by her light success, Katara tried to picture Toff. She imagined Toff pulling a boulder from the ground. She would stomp once hard and then lift her arms, and a pothole would be born. It wasn't as fluid as Katara was used to, but she thought she might be able to do something similar if she wanted to pick up a chunk of ice, such as the one in front of her. She gave it a try and the firm stomp turned the ice to water. Lifting her arms resulted in some light splashing.
Laughter floated in through the doorway behind her, "the whole palace is looking for you, you know."
Katara whirled, nearly losing her balance, "Zuko! How did you find me?"
"Actually, I just looked everywhere," Zuko said, "surprisingly, you're a lot harder to find than the Avatar."
Katara could feel herself blushing, "how long have you been out of the meeting?"
"Not long, a half hour or so," Zuko shrugged, "and if you'll excuse me for one moment," Zuko exited the crispy courtyard briefly, and then reentered. "I called the search off, mind if I join you?" he gestured to the courtyard in general.
"Feel free," Katara hoped her blush would end soon, "I would have found my way back, you know."
"Eventually," Zuko didn't agree or disagree, as he took off his shirt and shoes.
Katara turned away quickly. It wasn't as though she'd never seen him without a shirt; in fact he'd seen her in her underclothes. Training with the Avatar hadn't been something anybody ever seemed to do fully clothed. She could feel her blush deepening and gave up on the Ice Bending idea she had in favor of something big enough to hide her face. She spun wildly and lifted her arms, pulling herself up in a wave, and then launched an attack at Zuko.
He was ready for it with a large spurt of flame that turned half her water to steam. She regrouped, and sent another attack his way. Neither of them had grown rusty in the years of peace, and the dramatics worked well to hide her embarrassment. Gradually Katara's embarrassment was replaced by concentration and concentration by enjoyment. She had never liked fighting, but she hadn't sparred in a long time, and it was hard to dislike it when everything was as friendly as it was now. It felt good, cleansing, to let out one of the old war cries and shoot ice at someone who would melt it to nothing and shoot fireballs in retaliation.
Katara began to tire soon enough, and she noticed Zuko's hard breathing as well. Time for one last move. She pulled as much water as she could from the pool, draining it dry, and spread it over the yard. Zuko tried to dry a place for his feet, but there was too much water for him to succeed, and Katara quickly pulled everything up to freeze his body in a block of ice. She gave it a few finger wiggles and Zuko's head sprouted ice petals. He made an absolutely lovely daisy.
Katara laughed and sat down, "I'm done."
Zuko melted himself out of his flowery prison and sat down next to her, looking silently at the remains of the daisy.
"Like it?" Katara grinned at him.
Zuko shot a fireball at it and glared at Katara, but his eyes seemed to dance, killing off any fear Katara might have felt at being glared at by an angry Zuko. "I prefer fire lilies."
Katara's grin grew, "I'll remember that for next time."
Zuko snorted, and lay back on the granite floor. After a while he commented, "I can get the pool refilled easily enough, but I don't suppose you could just-" he trailed off suggestively.
"Sure," Katara shoved all the water left in the courtyard into the pool.
"I've never been attacked by the pool before," Zuko commented in a friendly way after a while.
"I bet you've had to jump in a few times though," Katara lay down as well, imagining a young Zuko learning to Fire Bend near an emergency water supply.
"I never jumped in, just dipped a few fingers and toes," Zuko's breathing was normalizing faster than Katara's.
"Huh," Katara huffed in disbelief, making a conscious effort to stabilize her own breathing.
Zuko's stomach grumbled and Katara sat up, "I'm sorry, am I keeping you from lunch?"
"No," Zuko paused, and then sat up too, "are you hungry?"
"A bit," Katara lied, she was very hungry.
Zuko stood and offered Katara his hand, "let's eat then." Zuko pulled her to her feet, then smirked, "think you could find the Jade Room without me?"
Katara snorted, "I could find it blindfolded," then added wryly to herself, "if someone led me anyway."
"I'll lead you," Zuko pulled his shoes back on, and then looked at his dress shirt apprehensively. "I could use a change of clothes though; I'll take you back to your rooms if you'll wait for me."
Katara could easily bend her sweat away, Water Benders cleaned up pretty easily, but she wanted to brush her hair. If he was going to clean up, she wouldn't just go as she was. "Sure," Katara replied, and let Zuko lead her away from the crispy courtyard.