Zuko
I'm genuinely surprised when I wake up that I had slept through the night. When I look over to the woman who is sleeping peacefully with her head on my chest, all my worries disappear. Katara has a curtain of hair covering her face, and the sun shines upon what little of her face I can see. I brush it out of the way, and kiss the top of her head. She stirs, and looks up at me.
"Good morning," she murmurs.
"Good morning, my love," I say.
"Well, let's wake the others," Katara says. "It's gonna be a long day of searching."
"Agreed."
We get up and get dressed before heading out the door. We find Suki and Sokka's door open, and Katara gently knocks on it to alert them of our presence.
"Good morning, guys!" Suki exclaims. "You ready to go?"
"Yes," I say. "But first we've got to wake the lovebirds."
Suki chuckles. "Yeah."
She and Sokka get up out of their sitting position on the bed.
"So how long have you guys been up?" Katara asks.
"Not long. Suki and I were just talking wedding arrangements," Sokka says. "What about you guys?"
"We just got up, got dressed, and got going," I say with a shrug.
We find Aang and Toph's room and knock on the door. A tired-looking Aang answers the door.
"It's way too early," he says. "Give us a few more minutes."
"Aang, the sun is already up," I say. "Come on. We need to get going if we're going to get to see my mom before sundown."
He grumbles in agreement and then wakes Toph. "We'll meet you near the front desk in a few minutes."
"Okay," I say.
If I thought hated waiting and anticipation before, I certainly was wrong. This was taking forever. Finally, though, the dynamic duo known as Aang and Toph come up to us with Momo riding on Aang's shoulder.
"Are we flying or walking?" Toph asks.
"We'll fly," Aang says. "Is that okay with you guys?"
"Yeah," Sokka says. "We can eat in the air. I don't want to spend too much money."
"Good idea, Sokka," I say.
We board Appa after bidding the innkeeper goodbye, and begin eating. It doesn't take us long, though, to reach the next town. My heart starts beating at a scarily fast pace. When we get there, we find stables for Appa, and while we're there, we ask about my mother.
"Aye," the man at the stables says. "Ursa is one of the shopkeepers at the market. Though if she's your mother, Fire Lord Zuko, you should be able to recognize her fairly quickly."
"Thank you for your generosity, sir," Aang says. "Take care of Appa for me."
"Will do, Avatar Aang," he says. "Good luck on your journey."
Katara takes my hand in hers and smiles at me. I return the smile as we walk through the market. But then, I see the face of the woman I'd been looking for. She has graying hair and a few wrinkles, but other than that, she still looks as stunning as she once was.
"There she is," I murmur to my companions, gesturing to my mother in the process.
"Want us there with you?" Aang asks.
"You've come with me this far, you might as well come further," I say.
"Hello, kids! How may I help you?" my mother asks.
"Mom, it's me," I tell her.
"Zuko?" she asks.
"Yes," I say. "It's me."
She is dressed in a simple dark red tunic and pants as she comes over from behind her fruit stand to look at me. She puts her hand on my scar.
"Who did this to you?" she asks.
"The man I once called my father," I tell her. "But that's not important now. What's important is that we're together again."
I let go of Katara's hand and hug my mother. She hugs me back and we are both crying like crazy. I'm taller than her now, but not by much. She was always quite tall.
"Tell me everything," she says. "From the stories people have told me, you helped save the world, and are now the Fire Lord. Come. Let's go to my home. I'll close up shop."
She does just that before we all follow her to her home, where we sit down on the floor of the living room.
"Mom, this is Katara," I say, gesturing to the woman who has since taken my hand. "I'm in love with her, and her me. She's the woman who helped me defeat Azula, and helped me, and everyone here today win the war for the greater good."
"It's an honor to meet you all. You all have helped bring peace to a world broken and scarred by war," my mother says. "And Katara, it is especially nice to meet you. I can see that you've brought much happiness to my son."
"Thank you, Ursa," Katara says.
"It's not a problem," she says.
"Mom, Avatar Aang is sitting beside me, and his significant other, Toph, and beside her is Sokka, Katara's brother, and Suki, his fiancée," I say.
"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Ursa," Aang says.
"Please," she scoffs. "It's an honor to meet you. You're the Avatar! Savior of the war-torn world."
"Thank you," he says shyly.
"So, Mom, I was wondering if you would like to come back with Katara and I on Aang's sky bison to the palace," I say.
"Zuko, my love, I would like nothing more," she says. "Just give me a few hours to say goodbye to the friends I've made here and to pack my things."
"Okay," I say. "Meet us at the stables in a few hours."
"Sounds good," she says.
We explore around, and eventually, my mom is meeting us at the stables, and we're boarding Appa. She smiles at me as I help her onto the sky bison before helping Katara do the same.
"We'll be in the Fire Nation in a few days," I tell her. "I brought an extra tent for you just in case."
"Thank you, Zuko," she says. "It's greatly appreciated."
"Okay, is everyone onboard?" Aang asks.
"Yup!" Sokka says.
"Then we're off. Yip, yip!" Aang says to the bison.