The party and festivities had dwindled a bit by the time Katara found her way back to the main courtyard. Lamps were blazing and most of the non-dignitaries had left. With a tired sigh, Katara looked around the sea of orange and red for anyone she could recognize. She finally spotted a section of blue and white- the Water Tribe men along with some of the White Lotus members. Iroh waved over to Katara and she smiled weakly back.
She walked up to them, ignoring the sight of a bald and blue head a few yards to her right, lurking in the shadows. "Hello Iroh, Dad." Hakoda wrapped an arm around his daughter and pulled her close.
"Katara let me say just how proud I am of you today," he said, his eyes shining bright.
Iroh nodded, smiling as well. "Yes, your daughter is undoubtedly a very strong young woman. You are lucky to have such strong people in your tribe, Hakoda." He chuckled softly, joking now. "The Fire Nation would do well to take a leaf or two from your family's book."
Katara yawned widely, trying in vain to hide it behind her hand. "Well if I get anything more taken from me right now I'll fall over. I think I'm going to head back to my tent before I embarrass the Water Tribe by falling over asleep!" she exclaimed.
Hakoda frowned slightly. "Are you alright Katara? I don't want you to be sick after all of this." He pressed a hand to her forehead which she promptly batted away.
"Master Waterbender, Dad. I can't be sick," she grumbled. "I'm just tired. That's all."
Iroh extended his arm to Katara. "I would be honored to escort you back to your lodgings. After all, it is always better to leave a party in the company of others. That way, no one can say that you're a bad guest!"
Katara took his proffered arm and waved to her father. "Why thank you for offering, Grandmaster Iroh."
Iroh chuckled. "It's my pleasure, Master Waterbender Katara. Now, I really think you should be moved inside the Palace. We can't have Water Tribe emissaries living out in a tent in the front yard while there's plenty of room in the Palace." Iroh led Katara through the sliding side doors into the halls of the Palace.
Katara became flustered, stammering, "Well, I mean, we're not really emissaries. We're, or I'm just a friend of the Avatar, actually I don't even know about that anymore but really Iroh! I don't have to stay in the Palace. I mean I'm not even Fire Nation a-and it's just not necessary."
The old man simply ignored her, leading her past a few closed doors and through a winding series of halls. "I insist, Miss Katara. And I'm sure my nephew would agree. He wouldn't stand to stay in his rooms if he knew you and your friends were sleeping outside."
Katara couldn't think of anything to argue against Iroh's logic so she resigned herself to her fate with a small scowl on her face. It wasn't until Iroh finally stopped in front of a door (that looked practically the same as all the others to Katara) and fished a key out of his voluminous sleeves. He fiddled with the lock for a few seconds before the door finally opened.
The room was huge. Katara's hand reached up and touched her mouth as she gasped quietly. There was a massive four poster bed with carved posts in the designs of dancing dragons and a stylized headboard of the same dragons intertwining around a lotus blossom. To her left was a second door, this one open to reveal what looked to be a washroom entirely tiled along the walls and floor. A massive dresser that matched the bed-stand was against the wall on the left as well. On the right was a writing desk stocked with paper and quills. The lamps on the walls burst into flame and Katara could see that the ceiling was painted with intricate scrollwork, quite possibly with gold foil.
Katara wandered over to the bed and reached out a trembling hand to touch the wood carving. She finally torn her eyes away and looked over to Iroh. "There's no way I can accept this room. It's too much Iroh. Really."
Iroh shrugged. "So far, the only other rooms I have to offer are the servant's quarters and I simply cannot bear to think of how my nephew would react to that. Rest assured Miss Katara, though you may be content with less than this, the Fire Nation must repay you for the great deeds you have done for us." He placed the small key on top of the dresser. "If you require anything, Miss Katara, simply pull on that cord by the nightstand and someone will come to assist you."
Katara stood nearly dumbfounded, still resting her hand on the spines on the carved dragon's back. Iroh gave a small bow to her, saying, "Good night," and leaving. He closed the door behind him and on the back of the door was a full-length mirror. Katara stared at her reflection- a blue eyed girl in gray surrounded by red and gold. Only the bed, which was a dark wood, looked natural behind her. Katara stared at her reflection for a while before finally moving to the washroom to clean up for bed.
When she got out of the washroom, she was surprised to find on the bed her bag of traveling goods, as well as a note pinned to it.
Dear Miss Katara
I am Lin Shu, a servant of the Firelord and his direct family. It is my honor, per the Firelord's request, to be your personal servant as well. Should you require anything during your time here in the Fire Nation in the Palace, you may call for me at any hour and I shall be happy to be of service.
These are your belongings brought from your previous lodgings, per Grandmaster Iroh's request. Should anything be missing, please inform me or any of the wait staff and we shall diligently recover the missing item or items.
Agni watch over you,
Lin
Katara tossed the note onto the writing desk, committing Lin's name to memory. She peered inside her bag and was delighted to find directly on top of everything was her normal Water Tribe dress and waterskin, both of which had been nowhere near her bag in the tent. A small corner of paper caught her eye and she pulled it out. Her brother's messy handwriting instantly was recognizable.
Katara- some Fire Nation girl barged into our tent and said she needed your stuff. Hope you're happy you successfully interrupted Suki and my conversation. Without even being there. Anyways, I made sure she got all your stuff. Supposedly Suki and me will be getting rooms in the Palace too. It's nice to finally be appreciated!
With a roll of her eyes Katara chucked the note with the other one and put her bag inside one of the dresser drawers. She didn't have a clue how long she'd be staying in the Palace and she was too drowsy to unpack everything. She quickly changed out of her formal dress and hung it over the back of the chair. Feeling significantly cooler in just her bending garments she slipped into the massive bed. Oh great gods. It was a feather bed.
She threw off nearly all the covers to the bottom of the bed and pulled up just the sheet to stay cooler. Katara then scowled at the lamps. If she put them out, there'd be no way to re-light them. She'd have to ask for spark rocks tomorrow, she thought to herself. With a wave of her hand, the little bit of water left in her waterskin flew out and doused all but the lamp in the washroom. Satisfied, she dropped the water into the washbasin and promptly fell into a contented sleep.
Someone was brushing her hair out of her face. Katara rolled over to her other side and mumbled, "Thanks Momo." She stretched out an arm from beneath the sheet and touched not soft fur but a silky fabric. "Eh?" she muttered, squeezing open one eye. Across from her blue eye were two bright gold ones. And a tiny flame cupped in a large, rough hand.
"I guess you're more tired than I'd guessed," Zuko's low voice murmured. "Here I was making sure I didn't forget about you and you went and forgot about me."
Katara propped herself up and struggled to contain a huge yawn. "I'm not t-t-tired," she said weakly. "And I didn't forget about you. I was resting my eyes."
Zuko chuckled and pushed another hair out of her face that had escaped the loose braid she'd woven before bed. "Well go back to resting your eyes. It looks like you need it." He extinguished the flame and Katara promptly collapsed into sleep again.