"Then, if everything goes according to my- I mean our- plan, you two will married,"
Spirits it was a hot day. And it was only morning.
Katara groaned as she saw that the sun and been up of two whole hours already. She hated that Zuko woke up with the sun. Literally. She hated that he had also insisted that, despite having been sleeping in his bed every night for the last month, they spend this night in their own beds. She really hated it. Really, he was never going to sleep in a different bed than her ever again. Once they were married, she would wake up to his face every single morning. No matter what.
Katara shot up from her nest of covers and pillows. She was getting married. Today! To the man she had only realized she was in love with for two months. That's it!
To think, only a few short weeks ago, she was engaged to Aang. A few before that, she was crying herself to sleep at night with the idea of Zuko getting married to someone other than her. Now it was her that he was marrying. She felt giddy excitement tingle through her veins at the realization.
I'm getting married to Zuko today.
Zuko's mind was similarity occupied with thoughts of the coming day. How in the world had he gotten so lucky? Granted, his friendship with Aang was on the verge of collapse, but he couldn't bring himself to let it drown his happiness. Never in his life had been so happy with the council. He still couldn't fully believe that they had agreed to the engagement and subsequent wedding on the solstice. Really, he couldn't.
Which was why he sat in his study in nothing but his sleeping pants, hands in his hair, head between his knees. Not that he felt terrible for stealing the Avatar's fiancée (because she had already decided to break it off with him anyway, and Aang would never be made aware of The Plan), but because he was nervous. And sick to his stomach, if he was being honest. His body felt as though they were streamlining ice and fire at the same time, over and over again. His back was slick with cold sweat, his palms and face burning with apprehension. If Katara were here he wouldn't be feeling like this. No, he would be just fine.
But, she wasn't here. She was probably still sleeping in her nest of furs that she constantly surrounded herself with. She was probably nice and comfortable as she slept through whatever dreams that surrounded her unconscious mind. He could only hope that they were dreams of him. He hoped that she was indeed sleeping. He sure as hell hadn't had much sleep last night. It hadn't taken long, but he had grown so accustomed to falling asleep with her in his arms and waking up to her peaceful face that nightmares and cold had haunted his dozing mind until he simply couldn't stand to be in his room.
Which was another reason why he was only in his sleeping pants in his study. A fire roared within each of the four fireplaces, the windows shut tight and the curtains drawn. If no one knew he was in here, no one would come looking for him. He had originally intended to get some work done, but he simply couldn't focus. And the fires that had been intended to help soothe him through meditation were too high and hot to be sustained by anything other than his own nerves.
Honestly, he hadn't even been this panicked before his coronation.
He was pulled out of his worried musings by the sharp knock on his study door. Maybe if he was real quiet, the person would just leave and assume he was elsewhere.
No such luck, it appeared as the door was roughly thrown open by none other than two men he really didn't think he was ready to face. As Hakoda shut the door gently, his uncle walked over to run gentle circles along his back.
"You are getting yourself all worked up, Nephew." Zuko only snorted, returning to rocking back and forth on the cushion.
"Perhaps a nice cup of jasmine tea will help calm your nerves," the old general mused softly, sparing the Water Chief a brief glance. The man seemed to understand and quickly sat down beside the distressed twenty-one year old.
"What if I fuck up?" Zuko finally asked, his voice hoarse with fright, once his uncle and future father-in-law had sipped one cup of tea each and had coaxed the young man to a regular sitting position.
"What do you mean, Nephew?" Iroh's penetrating amber eyes watched the man intensely. Together, he and Hakoda exchanged looks equal parts knowing and concerned.
"What if I hurt her? What if I can't stop the council or nobles from hurting her. What if I can't save her form an assassination attempt and she-" Zuko choked on his last word, unable to say it. His whole body quaked with suppressed sobs. His whole young frame trembled with shudders of fear.
"Enough of that. If anything, Zuko. You should be more concerned with matters of your wedding. Katara is a master waterbender and has survived countless visits and months within the palace. Not to mention all the attempts on her own life in the Earth Kingdom. The two of you will be more than fine. You are both two of the most powerful benders in our age. You will be fine," Iroh assured. Gently, Hakoda wrapped the younger man's shoulder in his arms.
"All you have to worry about is making sure that she is happy, Zuko." He had never been so grateful for the moment when the young Fire Lord had demanded that formalities only be used in public. The boy had never had a father, but he was thankful to get the chance to be there for him.
"That's the thing," Zuko sighed, allowing the older man's strong arm to pull him closer. "What if I can't. I've been such a failure my whole life."
"You have not." Iroh's sharp declaration cut through the melancholy that Zuko began to sink into. Shocked, he could only stare at the man and his sharp eyes of amber steel. "You were never given an opportunity to succeed. There is a difference. In the past five years, you have done more than any Fire Lord has done for his people and the world in than the ones in the last four hundred years. You have achieved a state of not only political, but communal peace. Something even previous Avatars failed to do. You will make a fine husband. Just as you make an incredible Fire Lord."
"My daughter is more than lucky to have a man like you love her the way you do. On many occasions I have told her just the kind of man I wished would win her heart. In every way, Zuko, you are more than I ever could have hoped for," Hakoda added, abandoning his tea to hold the now sobbing man in his arms. "I am more than proud to have you as my son-in-law."
"And, I could not, in my wildest dreams, have hoped for you to be so great," the old firebender agreed, his own tea forgotten to the embrace he had accepted of his nephew.
"Thank you," Zuko whispered to the men.
"You look amazing, Katara," the wizened, elderly voice sounded from the doorway. The younger woman jumped at the sound. She immediately squealed at the sight of the other woman, rushing towards her and gently flinging her arms around her shoulders.
"Gran Gran! You made it," Katara exclaimed.
"Of course, my little waterbender. You really thought I would miss your wedding. The instant the negotiations were settled, your father sent for me. Your future husband even gave an air balloon to make the trip faster. I arrived last night. I wanted to see you, but I had assumed you would need any and all sleep you could get for today." Kanna gently brushed the stray hairs of her granddaughter's jeweled hair behind her ear. The beads of her life as a maiden had been replaced by the ivory nets of her wedding day, as was their customs. The long, sweeping blue robes fell in graceful waves from the woman's sleek shoulders. In the poles, Katara would have been dressed in the whitest of furs and brightest of beads. But, here and for this wedding, furs would be far too hot. So, instead, a dress of elegant sky and cerulean blue silks had been constructed to embody the motion of her element and reflect her customs while still keeping her cool. A sash of the white furs and beads she would have worn was wound around the woman's thin torso and shoulders. Her soft hair had been tied back in a loose half tail from which swirls of white ivory hung delicately, coming up to wrap around her forehead in a simple headdress. Her blue eyes sparkled behind bare traces of kohl and rouge colored her already plump lips. Nothing else was used to beautify the young woman.
But, amongst her unusual wedding attire was the presence of a flaming red and gold sash that rested gracefully across her bosom and tied in simple purple tails atop her shoulder. The most unusual was the top knot that rested atop her head, a place for the crown of the Fire Lady. For not only was Katara's marriage to the Fire Lord that day, but so was her coronation.
"You're mother would have been so proud of you, my dear," Kanna murmured to the bride, fingering the engagement necklace her fiancé had carved for her with his fire.
"Thank you, Gran. I wish she were here," Katara whispered, touching the fire opal that rested in the hollow of her neck. She remembered the moment Zuko had given it to her. He had promised that he would make her another, more original stone. The one he had placed inside bore the mark (lined in gold) the supporters of their marriage had made. A joke he had called it. A whim. But she wouldn't give it up for the world. The gold sun as its setting and ivory crescent moons as a frame, she refused to part with it.
"But, she is here, Katara. With you. Right here," the older one explained softly, touching the girl's chest where her heart thundered behind its cage of skin and bone.
"I'm so nervous, Gran. Is this how you felt for your weddings?"
"Yes. For both, my dear. As much as I loved your grandfather, I do believe that I was more nervous for my wedding with Pakku. Tell me, dear. Do you have flutterbyes in your stomach? Tingling in your arms and legs? And your fingers shake?"
"Yes? Oh Gran, what does that mean? Am I doing the right thing?"
"My dear Katara," Kanna laughed, taking the girl in her arms. "Do you love this man?"
"With all my heart, Gran. I don't know what I would do without him."
"Then these feelings you have are signs. Signs that you are doing the right thing for your heart."
"You really think so?" She asked, tears twinkling in the corners of her eyes.
"I know so, my dear," Kanna assured, dabbing her granddaughter's cheeks with the edge of her sleeve to save the kohl. "Now, you are going to go out there and you are going to marry that man who loves you so much he almost made himself sick with worry for you. You are going to go put his mind at ease and show his country that you are the best choice for his wife. You hear me?"
"I do, Gran," Katara chuckled, accepting another warm embrace from the woman.
"You really love her, don't you?"
Zuko had a strange sense of déjà vu as he turned towards the speaker in his doorway. But, where the last time it had been Katara in the door to beg him not to go through with his wedding, it was Aang who stood in the shadows. It didn't surprise him. Not really. This seemed so much more expected. For her former fiancé of a month to try and end this wedding than a simple best friend.
"I do, Aang. I always have. But, I never said anything. She was always yours. I never wanted to loose my friendship with you over something as silly as my feelings," he explained. His voice was stern and masked. The red long tunic that cascaded from his built frame glowed in the bright sunlight, the white furs of his future wife's culture clung to his breastplate in an intricately wrapped sash was a stark contrast to his black, red and gold armor and only defined the blue ribbon trimmed in white waves that tied over his shoulder in purple. In his hair stood the five pointed crown that marked his stature.
Around both bare biceps were ornate bands of gold, symbolizing the beginning of his married life. Upon his wife's, he would also place similar bands to unify their cultures and his hair was prepared for the swirls of ivory beads that would be laced over his forehead for the same thing.
Aang remained in the shadows of the doorway. Zuko was getting tired of people deciding they could just waltz in whenever they felt the need to. He had already had conversations with both Sokka and Toph.
"I believe you, Zuko. Now that I've talked with Mai, Toph and Sokka. They assured me that you had never felt the right to talk to Katara more than as a friend. I also believe that she has always been in love with you, and not me. I just want to make sure you love her the way she deserves."
"You have nothing to worry about, Aang. I will never allow her to be hurt. I love her more than I deserve to."
"Don't talk like that, Zuko. You deserve to be just as happy as everyone else."
"As do you. Until recently, I believed as you did. That Katara loved you, and always would. I never wanted to ruin that for you by admitting my feelings. You have always been too good a friend to me for that."
"You should have," the airbender muttered sourly. "If you had, she may have realized how much she loved you sooner. Saved us so much hurt."
"I didn't have the time. My life was too full of pressing matters to play the 'what if' game," Zuko muttered bitterly, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. "As I said before, I am the Fire Lord. Everyone's time and feelings are more important than-"
"Stop it. You are just as important as everyone else. You are just as worthy of a happy life as I am."
"Aang," Zuko breathed wearily. Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, Zuko began the work of lacing the vambraces over his forearms. "I spent my whole childhood believing I was weak and worthless. No matter how much time has passed, a few years is not enough to change the way I think of myself."
"But-"
"Aang, one day I will think better of myself. Katara is the one who helps guide me along that path. She is the light to my darkness. I feel whole with her. But, even still, I never would have acted on that had she not left you. I didn't in fact. Her father and my uncle sort of began the negotiations for all of this without me knowing." He wouldn't tell Aang of the plan, he wouldn't. But, he wasn't lying. Iroh and Hakoda began the discussions without even asking him what he thought about the match.
"Zuko. You are one of my closet friends. If I had known how you belittle yourself, I would have tried harder to help you."
"I know, and I thank you for that. Now, as my friend, will you please help me put this damned vambrace on?" Zuko growled, proffering his arm towards the air bender. He was given a light chuckle in response as the seventeen year old began the process of lacing the great length of leather chording for the armor.
"Why do you have to wear these?"
"Ceremony. It's stupid, I know, but I have to follow all the rules or the Council might find some way of calling the whole thing void and take my throne from me."
"Not without a fight, they won't," the Avatar grumbled, tying off the mass of chords with a small flourish.
"Aang," Zuko mumbled, taking his friend's arm in his hand. The airbender reciprocated the gesture by taking his forearm. "You don't know how much that means to me."
"Sure I do. I'm naïve, not stupid."
Zuko couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up from his chest. Part of it nerves, part of it relief, part of it because it was the truth. His mirth continued and became infectious. Soon, he and Aang were laughing piles on the floor as they tried to calm down.
"I'm very proud of you, my daughter," Hakoda whispered, taking the waterbender into his arms. They were waiting for their turn in the procession that was walking down the isle. They may only have a few more minutes, but he was not about to let her go without telling her how strong and brave she was.
"Me too, Sis," Sokka murmured, wrapping his own broad arms around his sister and father. Again, the were only. Few more minutes before the Fire Nation became her permanent home, and Sokka would be damned if she had any lingering doubts about how her family felt. It wasn't long before their grandmother and Pakku had joined the embrace.
"Thank you so much," she whispered. She needed this. To know just how much her family supported her. It felt wonderful to know that they had accepted her fiancé into their family so easily. She loved knowing that, soon, he would be hers. They would be married and the world would be set right.
Once they had parted, Katara waved them farewell and prepared herself to wait.
"Katara?"
"Aang," she whispered, she could feel her heart begin to sink at the thought of what she had done.
"I'm glad you found happiness. You deserve this," he told her. Slowly, carefully he wrapped his former love in a warm embrace. "I wish you both many years of peace and happiness."
"I wish for you to find the love that stares you in the face," she giggled. Her strong arms loosened their hold around him as she pulled away. Looking into his confused eyes she explained: "Zuko and I are not the only opposites that can fall in love. One day you'll figure it out. Just, don't make her wait too long." With that, she offered the boy a light punch in the arm and kissed his cheek.
It was her turn to walk down that isle so she could marry her Fire Lord.
The wedding was beautiful. Held for all of Capital Island and and it's guests to witness in the courtyard. The fire lilies and imported snow lotus were arranged in elegant bouquets ringed in the purple wild flowers that lined the islands between the Poles and Fire Nation. Evenly spaced around the rows of seats and isle for the procession to walk along. Torches burned with metal compounds designed to burn all the different colors of the Fire Lord's flames. Pools of water had been built by Toph and filled with water to line the isle. Petals of flowers floated softly in their shallow, clear depths. Drums of the poles played their steady paces, tsungi horns blew soft melodies to the beats.
The procession was long, but beautiful. Men and women of both cultures were chosen to line the way for the the bride and groom to the alter. Upon it, they were bound in ceremonial ropes and chords of union. Greetings were given to the people, sacrifices and prayers were offered to the Spirits and words of love and devotion were exchanged. Their agreement was sealed with the placing of gold bands over her arms, an ivory headdress upon his brow, the tying of the binds and a kiss.
The coronation, set in the same setting, was equally beautiful. Both Fire Lord and Lady kneeled before the sages and swore their oaths of fealty to their people and nations. The deafening cheers from the crowds continued to sound throughout the evening as the couple were taken to their feast, hands still bound. The party lasted well into the night, fireworks sounded and lit the background as toasts and cheers were made to go granulate and praise the newlyweds. Prayers for their health and prosperous future were reverently whispered and gifts were placed at their feet.
The party lasted well into the night, indeed. But, as the summer solstice passed, so did the well-wishers. And eventually, the two found themselves alone in their new suite. The honeymoon would begin in the morning, but they didn't care as they spent their first night as lovers. Their first night as man and wife.
The first night of the rest of their lives.