Chapter 6 Realization
Light entered in through the window in the room Zuko and Katara were in. Zuko felt something very warm and soft against his bare skin, he could also smell some sort of perfume and it also felt like something was on him.
He opened his eyes and tried to adjust to the light. When he could see again he noticed that Katara was sleeping peacefully on top of him, her head on his chest. What's going on… he thought to himself why is she… wait, do we have clothes on! Oh my gosh! Finally he began to realize what was happening, but before he could get up, she woke up and analyzed the situation as well.
She obviously understood what happened much quicker, because she jumped off the bed, wrapping the sheets around her. "ZUKO!" she screamed at him, "I can't believe you!"
"Katara! Please, I swear, I don't know how this happened!" he begged her, wrapping another blanket around his waist and stood up to face her.
"You have ten seconds to figure this all out!" she yelled at him.
He quickly began trying to remember what happened the night before. The last thing he remembered was getting a drink and…
"Three, two, one…" she was about to attack when Zuko held up his hands.
"Wait, I know what happened…" he took a deep breath, "We were both drunk, we obviously have no recollection of what happened last night, we weren't ourselves."
"Oh, that makes it all better now!" she yelled sarcastically, raising her hands in the air for emphasis.
Zuko then noticed the glint on her finger, "Katara, do you have a ring on?" he walked over to her and took her hand in his and then noticed the ring on his hand, "Oh, Agni." He said under his breath.
"Zuko, please don't tell me we're married." Katara said politely.
"About that…" he tried to start.
"WE'RE MARR…" she tried to scream before Zuko put a hand over her mouth.
"Quiet! Do you want the whole world to know!" he said in a whispered tone.
"We're married!" she said, this time much more quietly.
He looked around and saw a couple of papers on the nightstand. He walked over to them and picked them up reading them both, "According these papers, we are married." He held them up to show her.
"We have to destroy them and the rings." She said harshly, taking hers off, looking at it disgustedly.
"This is just our copy, we have to get this whole thing canceled so all the paperwork is destroyed and it will be like none of it ever happened." He said to her.
"Fine, let's get dressed; we have a mission to complete. Let's find your mother, then take her back to the fire nation and then we will get this thing canceled and finished." She suggested to him.
"Good idea, the faster the better too." He agreed.
Within the hour they were washed, dressed, packed, and riding off to the Earth Kingdom Coastal city of Thyber where Zuko's mother was thought to be.
They had been riding for hours stopping only to eat and rest. They barely said anything to each other since the inn the silence between them seemed to be deafening.
When nightfall came, they still rode, but Zuko felt Katara's grip on his waist loosen and tighten again as she slowly feel asleep and woke up again and again.
He figured it would be best to stop and rest for the time being. He set up camp and made a fire for supper. He handed Katara her bowl of food and as they had done for most of that day, they ate in silence.
"You know," Zuko said thoughtfully, breaking the silence, "I never actually thought I'd get married, one way or another. I never had any girl experience since Mai, but since we mutually broke up, I wondered if I could continue the royal family.
"I also never thought" he continued, "that I would ever, well you know, have that kind of experience with a girl before. I guess I just want to almost thank you for both, even though this is just becoming a huge mess." He then waited for her reaction,bracing if she would strike.
She put down her bowl and chuckled, "Well, back in the South Pole when I was growing up, we, the girls, were taught to want to marry a man who could provide for us and become great warriors. The ones who could hunt, fight, and even pass their ice dodging ceremony the first time with outstanding success. Except when I heard about the stories of the earth kingdom nobility and royalty, of princes and princesses, I wanted to marry one them instead.
"Well I suppose I got my wish and actually did marry royalty. Even though I had no intention of it or to be with you, maybe I should thank you for that." She looked at him and he looked at her. They both made half smiles.
"You should get some rest, I'll clean up." He said to her. She nodded and got in the tent. After her put out the fire and clean and put away the bowls he got in the tent and looked at Katara with a sad face. He leaned over and gently kissed her, "I'm sorry." He whispered and then went to the other the other side of the tent and fell into a nightmare induced sleep.
A/N hope you liked this chapter. It shows a little bit more of a different side of a zutarian marriage and relationship. Apologies for the shortness, I always seem to have trouble making long chapters. Hopefully I'll get better at that.