Chapter Three

Zuko lay silently on his temporary bed. The icy palace was brimming with light, and he found it hard to sleep from the glaring white walls. His mind was also drifting to that princess. She was captivating. His father always told him that the people of the Water Tribes were savages who wore animal bones and painted their faces with blood. He said they were uncivilized brutes.

But the girl who had sat so properly before him earlier today was the polar opposite of what his bigoted father had described. She was the picture of beauty and innocence, with her wide, crystal blue eyes and snow-white hair. He'd never seen any one as unique and pure looking. Had he been imagining her looking at him?

She probably is afraid of you, he thought to himself, frowning.

"Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked as he entered his sleeping chamber, "The Chief is holding a celebration in honor of the war's end. I would like for you to join me."

Zuko blinked, sitting up, "Okay," He mumbled, gruffly.

Iroh was talking excitedly to Zuko about how beautiful this icy fortress of a city was. Uncle loved snow. Zuko had never seen it before. It was alright, he supposed. This entire city was freezing, even in the summer months. The sun never set until well past midnight, which kept him energized throughout the night and caused him lack of rest. Pretty strange for the sun to hang around so long in a civilization that worships the moon, the prince noted to himself.

Outside, in the palace's courtyard, hundreds of people were gathered in the square. People were dancing to the beat of pounding, rhythmic tribal drums. A banquet of meats and fish was stretched out on one side, while the royal family and noblemen sat on a platform, elevated over the commotion.

"I assume they would want us to sit with them," Iroh said, "Why don't you try to talk to some people? I think you might make some friends up here."

Zuko tried to hide his sigh or distain, and followed his uncle towards the cluster of highly-ranked individuals. There were two spots left for the fire benders to sit, but they were not next to each other. One spot for him to seat was next to the sour old water-bending master, Pakku. The other empty seat was next to the Princess. Zuko felt his heart rate triple as he watched Iroh settle down beside Pakku.

The prince slowly made his way over to sit beside the white-haired girl. She was silently watching over the swirling crowd with a lonesome serenity. Her lips had a sort of placid smile as her cool blue eyes shifted over the throng of people. She seemed lonely, but at peace with herself.

He awkwardly filled the gap between the princess and an elderly gentleman covered in beads and furs. He just kind of sat there, staring off into yard, at the dancing. He was completely caught off guard when he heard this voice. A soft and languid voice that startled him.

"Hello," Yue said, looking up at him.

Zuko turned to her, glancing behind him to make sure that she was actually speaking to him. "Oh… hi, Princess."

She smiled, "We haven't been completely introduced. I'm Yue."

Zuko felt the blood pool in his cheeks at her smile, "I'm Zuko."

"Very nice to meet you, Zuko." Yue replied, her eyes sparkling. She settled back into a silence, almost a quiet signal to Zuko for him to say something.

This is why Zuko hated socializing. It was too much work to try to keep up a conversation with someone. He liked talking to Yue, of course, but he didn't exactly know how to keep the tête-á-tête with her going.

"Um…" He started, awkwardly twirling his thumbs around in his lap, "It sure is cold here. For the summer…"

Yue stared back at him, beaming softly, "It's never really warm. I presume you're not used to summers like this. Is it really hot in the Fire Nation?"

Zuko wracked his brain for the words to say. Agni, why is this so hard? "Uh… yeah, but I usually spend my summers by the ocean, so it's not that bad."

"I've always wanted to see the Fire Nation, I heard it's beautiful." Yue sighed, taking a sip of water from her glass.

This perturbed Zuko. He assumed that she would think that his homeland was full of factories, flames, and smoke. "Some parts are, I guess… not everything is beautiful there."

Yue nodded thoughtfully, "I understand… I don't love everything about the North Pole either."

"Like what?" Prince Zuko asked, his brows knitting. Everyone here seemed so happy.

"The winters are absolutely dreadful," The princess stated, scowling. "Feet of snow clog up the streets, houses cave in, people get buried in drifts of it. Snow is a major problem here in the winter months. The sun is also present only for a few hours of the day. Winters here are mostly spent in darkness, but the winter solstice festival is really wonderful."

"What's the solstice festival?" Zuko asked, mildly curious about the customs of her tribe.

"It's the most sacred day of both Water Tribes. Our brothers and sisters from the Southern Tribe join us for a week of celebrations. People exchange gifts, feast, fall in love…" She looked up at the moon dreamily, "It's a day where we honor the Spirits who gave our people life, the Ocean and the Moon spirits. It's a day when the Spirit World and our physical world are intertwined. Magical things can occur."

Zuko wasn't raised to honor the Spirits, or even believe in them. He was taught that the spirits were false phenomena, used to strike fear into the hearts of those gullible to believe in them. He was told that there was no group of beings stronger than the Fire Nation. Uncle Iroh, on the other hand, reverently worshipped these spirits, and claimed to have traveled into their world on a mystical, life-defining journey. Azula constantly mocked the man for his beliefs. Zuko didn't know whom or what to believe, exactly.

"Hmm… we don't have celebrations like that back home." Zuko stated, avoiding eye contact with the princess, "We don't acknowledge the Spirit World."

Yue blinked and looked down at her plate, white eyebrows knit in thought, "Oh. Why is that?"

Zuko merely shrugged, "I guess its part of our culture. My uncle is religious, though. One of the few in our land."

"You're uncle is a wise man," Yue said, smiling fondly at the new ruler, who was laughing and talking with some commoners of the dance floor. "He will do your country a lot of good. He has given the world such a blessing…"

Zuko nodded again, watching his uncle mingle. "Yeah… I suppose so."

The evening passed, idle talk passing between the two teenagers until it was time for Zuko to leave. The celebration had ended, and Zuko was feeling drowsy. The sun had finally set upon the North Pole, and he was close to falling asleep on the banquet table.

"Goodnight, Princess," Zuko stood and bowed solemnly to her, "It was a pleasure."

Yue grinned, "You too, Prince Zuko."

He started walking away, his eyes almost closing as he followed his uncle back into the palace.

"Prince Zuko?" Yue said, her voice sounded more shy and diffident.

"Yes?" He turned around, stifling a yawn.

She was standing behind him now, staring at her gloved fingers, "I was wondering if you'd like a tour of my tribe tomorrow."

"A tour?" He asked, quizzical. "Why?"

She looked up at him, her aquamarine eyes colliding with the fiery warmth of his amber ones. "I just thought… since you know, you and your uncle might be staying her for a while… you might want to get to know the city a little better."

His stomach had this strange, dropping sensation, as if he was falling through the air. "Uh… sure."

Yue's expression brightened. "Great! Meet me on the front steps tomorrow morning at sunrise!" She turned and began walking the other way, away from Zuko. He observed how gracefully she moved, as if she was a figment of his imagination. Dream-like. Enchanting.

"See you tomorrow," He said quietly, almost to himself, "Yue."