A Marriage of Convenience, Chapter Two: Surprises
Zuko was instantly awake and alert, a survival technique he had perfected during those months on the run when he didn't have the luxury of waking up slowly. The angle of sunlight through the curtains on the far wall indicated that it was still early in the morning, and he was disappointed to find himself alone in his bed. He had woken several times during the night, Azula tormenting him in dark dreams that ended in either lightning or ash. Each time he had jerked awake to find Katara tucked warmly against his shoulder with an arm or a leg – or both – stretched protectively over him. Her presence soothed him like nothing he had ever known. To his surprise, he had managed to get a decent amount of sleep despite the nightmares.
He stretched carefully, feeling the pull of newly healed skin across his chest. As he washed and dressed he mentally reviewed the list of things he would need to accomplish immediately, if not sooner. It was a long list. Meetings with the generals to begin withdrawing the army. Communicating with his people to soothe their fears – and head off any possible riots. Appointing ambassadors to initiate peace treaties with the other nations. He would need to review almost every part of the government as soon as possible, from prisons to schools to markets. And to top it all off, Azula had scared off all the palace staff, so he'd have to fix that too.
"Thanks a lot, sister," he groaned.
"Who are you calling sister?" The doors to his room burst open and Katara blew in like a sudden summer typhoon. "It's about time you got up, lazybones," she teased. "First day on the job, there's no time to sleep late!"
He smiled as she crossed the room and came to a halt in front of him. Her gaze traveled from his eyes down to his waist where he had tied his morning gown.
"Let me have a look," she demanded, reaching out to pull his gown open and trace her fingers gently across his wound.
He couldn't think of another person in the world who would have been so casual about touching him. Anyone else would have found their fingers crushed before they reached his robe, but it felt strangely right to have Katara fussing over him. "Are you always this bossy first thing in the morning?"
"No, Zuko," she smiled. "I'm this bossy all the time." She withdrew some water from her waterskin and he felt the last vestiges of pain ease as the blue healing glow spread across his skin. Katara had closed her eyes, her lips parted slightly as she concentrated. The glow faded but her hands remained braced on his chest, and he was in no hurry end the session. All too soon her eyes opened and refocused, and a delightful blush stained her cheeks. "There, you're, uh, all good now," she said, patting his stomach and then backing away.
She turned around and began pacing alongside the bed, speaking quickly, almost nervously. "I've rounded up about half of the staff and got them back to work. Breakfast will be ready soon. I also tracked down the head of the Royal Guard and he'll be here shortly for orders. A few of the Ministers seem to have avoided Azula's banishment spree, so I got them started recalling all the others. Hopefully you'll have an actual government to run by lunchtime."
He had to admit it, he was impressed. "Didn't anyone object to taking orders from – "
"A peasant?" Katara challenged.
"A stranger," Zuko corrected. "The idea that someone could walk into the palace and start ordering the Royal Guard around worries me."
Katara shrugged. "They're used to following orders, and they were lost without anyone to lead them. Besides, I told them everything was by command of Fire Lord Zuko." Her playful smile was followed by an exaggerated bow.
He gave her a regal nod of his head which, as he expected, provoked a laugh from Katara. "If you're so willing to help, I have a long list of things to do. Maybe you could take over a few for me?"
"Of course, Zuko. You can count on me," Katara said, with a strange knowing smile that Zuko couldn't quite decipher.
They shared a working breakfast, redeploying the Royal Guard and sending out summons to all the generals in between hurried bites of steamed rice and nattō. Zuko was just beginning to feel a sense of accomplishment when the fire sages entered the dining hall. He watched the Great Sage approach with a confident stride, his face smug, and knew things were about to get ugly. He decided to take the offensive immediately.
"Great Sage, I trust you are not interrupting my breakfast without good cause. Report on the results of your search of the secret histories," Zuko ordered, watching with satisfaction as the sage's superior expression wavered a bit.
"We have indeed found a solution. There have been several cases in which a third person was attacked during an agni-kai and struck back. Tradition accorded that person the same rights as the original contestants in the duel."
Surely it couldn't be this easy. "Then the matter is resolved?"
The Great Sage nodded, but his arrogant smile made it clear he held another trick up his sleeve. "Precedent is clear. If a sitting fire lord is killed during an agni-kai, the winner is declared the new fire lord."
Zuko quietly let out a breath he hadn't know he was holding. "Make your preparations, I want the coronation tonight. I need to be ordained Fire Lord officially as soon as possible-"
"Not you, Prince Zuko. You didn't defeat Azula. According to tradition, the new Fire Lord is her." The Great Sage nodded scornfully toward Katara.
"Fire Lord? Me?" Katara gasped. "That's impossible!"
The Great Sage finally faced her. "It was you who defeated Azula. You are royalty, are you not?"
"No!"
"Her father, Chief Hakoda, is ruler of her tribe," Zuko pointed out. "As his daughter, she could be considered a princess." He wasn't sure where exactly the Great Sage was going with this, but he decided to let the old man play his games a little longer before choosing a counter-strategy.
Katara threw up her hands. "The Southern Water Tribe doesn't have royalty! And besides, it doesn't matter. I'm not even Fire Nation!"
"We discovered many precedents in the secret histories. Hundreds of years ago, it was quite common for royalty of other nations to make political marriages within the Fire Nation."
"But no one would accept a waterbender as Fire Lord!"
The Great Sage smiled confidently now. "You're right, it would probably lead to civil war. The best thing would be for you to abdicate the throne."
"And then Zuko would become Fire Lord, right? He's still heir to the throne."
"He has been banished, branded a traitor. According to the law, he cannot inherit. He shouldn't even set foot on Fire Nation territory," the Great Sage said with a hard glance at Zuko. "However the next in line is a descendent of Fire Lord Sozin and a fine -"
Zuko almost laughed. "You mean cousin Mori? He spends his days painting landscapes and making teapots. He can't run the Fire Nation. But perhaps that's been your plan all along, to put a puppet on the throne?"
Katara pushed up from her seat and stalked around the table, stopping in front of the Great Sage and pointing her finger in his face. "Your laws don't mean a thing to me! Zuko has to be Fire Lord. He's the only one who can end the fighting in the Fire Nation." She turned, looking back at Zuko across the table, and her voice softened. 'Without him, the world won't have a chance at peace."
The Great Sage was unmoved. "I don't make the laws, but I cannot allow them to be ignored."
Shyu stepped forward from the knot of sages and cleared his throat nervously. "Perhaps there is a way. I found a most illuminating scroll last night." He pulled a roll of parchment out from his sleeve.
"What is that?" the Great Sage demanded.
"This is a list of all the consorts in the first thousand years of the Nation's history." Shyu looked at Katara. "Forgive my impertinence, My Lady, but is it true that you are only fifteen years old?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Fire Nation law permits a consort to take over temporarily when the throne is inherited by a child. The Royal Consort can rule as Fire Lord until the true heir turns sixteen."
Zuko was shaking his head before Shyu finished speaking. "No, there has to be another way."
"What's the problem?" Katara asked. "They can appoint you consort and you can rule right away. That gives us the six months until I turn sixteen to figure something else out."
"There's only one way to become a consort," Zuko warned.
"My Lady, consorts are not appointed," Shyu explained. "If you choose Prince Zuko as your Royal Consort, then you have no choice. You have to marry him."
Zuko watched Katara's eyes widen in shock as the truth set in. When she looked at him, he nodded to confirm the sage's assessment. She backed away and then whirled suddenly, bolting from the room.
"That's the best you can do for me, Shyu?" Zuko growled. "Banishment or marriage?"
Shyu bowed apologetically. "These are unusual circumstances, My Lord. But if you want a legal claim to the throne, this is the best route."
"Let me see that scroll!" barked the Great Sage, pulling it abruptly from Shyu's grasp.
Zuko tapped his fingers unconsciously on the dining table, weighing his options while the sages argued. He was meeting with the generals that afternoon to order troop withdrawals, which was not going to go over well. If the sages refused to crown him Fire Lord and supported his idiotic cousin instead, there would be a full-blown revolt against him by nightfall. The idea of a political marriage didn't disturb him at all. It was expected when you were born into the royal family. But he balked at thinking of Katara in such a callous way, as a pawn to be maneuvered for his gain. Someone like her, so full of passion and heart, could never be happy in a marriage of convenience. She deserved better.
Not that she would ever agree to such a proposal anyway. Aang should be arriving soon, and while he wasn't entirely sure where things stood between them, it was clear they had a long history with each other before he had joined their group. And then there was Jet, and the earthbender Haru, and that waterbender Bato…Katara had a long list of admirers, and plenty of other options.
Still, now that it had been brought up, he couldn't stop himself from imagining what it would feel like if Katara chose him. Married him. What a wife she would be! Strong enough to win an agni-kai, bold enough to face down the Great Sage, yet with a kind and compassionate spirit that would win over his people if given a chance. There was so much work to be done, and with a partner like her by his side, he might have a shot at success. Of course, since the mere suggestion of marrying him had sent her running out of the room, he probably shouldn't get too attached to the idea.
"I'm going to talk to her," he announced, ignoring the debating sages and striding from the room.
Where would she have gone? Back to his quarters? If there's one thing he was good at, it was chasing down his quarry. He tried to put himself in her mindset. Where would an upset waterbender instinctively flee to in the palace? She would go somewhere quiet, but with plenty of water. He smiled, and turned toward the palace gardens.