AS LOVERS GO;
By Jewell21
It happened accidentally, in a heartbeat.
The events that follow the path of two allies who become lovers, and a man, who desperately tries to deny himself his greatest desire.
Zutara.
Chapter 7: Not Quite According to Plan
When Katara woke, the sunlight was already streaming in through the windows, and she was acutely aware of a few key things.
First, she was still wearing her dress from last night. The strap around her neck was undone, but the gown was still on and uncomfortably wrapped around her, and she knew that it had not been a smart idea to sleep in it. Second, she had a terrible headache, which was odd because she hadn't had any alcohol at the ball. Thirdly – and probably most importantly – she was not in her room.
Looking around the bedroom that she was in, she saw that it looked similar to hers, but very masculine. It was tidy, she noticed, as there was not an item or belonging out of place, and she felt as though someone had been snooping around the place while she was sleeping.
Worst of all, she had a creeping suspicion about whose room she was in. But it couldn't be right, could it? Pushing the silky covers of the bed away from her, she rose from the mattress and made her way across the room to what looked like a closet, in search for a mirror. As she crossed the room, her groggy and throbbing mind began to process the events of the night before. It was the celebration ball, which meant that today was the beginning of the Summit.
She remembered going into Zuko's study and what transpired there. The thought made her blush. They had really entered into dangerous territory that night, and she found that she wasn't at all ashamed by it. Smiling, she hadn't noticed where she was walking and ran her foot painfully into something lying on the floor.
Cursing, she looked down at what she'd hit. It was the outer layer of Zuko's formal robes from the night before. The intricately designed fabric rested on the floor by the bed, along with his damned pointed-toed boots, which she had struck her foot on. There wasn't any question as to whose room she was in anymore. The memory of the previous evening flooded into her sleep-addled mind.
They had snuck into Zuko's bedroom when they were both too tired to sit in his study any longer. It seemed childish, and she giggled uncontrollably the whole way. Blushing at the memory, she sat back down on the bed and put her face into her hands. She had been trying desperately for two weeks to avoid Zuko, and try not to be attracted to him, but it was a futile attempt. And after the events of the previous night, she could no longer deny the desperate need she felt to be with him.
Their relationship may have advanced more quickly than she would have liked, but she knew that her feelings for him weren't something conjured up in the heat of the moment. Zuko was absolutely her best friend and unbeknownst to her, she had been fostering feelings for him ever since they started writing letters to each other. Though she had been dating Aang, she still felt an inexplicable pull towards the scarred Fire Lord. Thinking back, she felt guilty – perhaps she should have spent more energy focused on her actual boyfriend than her best friend.
But that was behind her, and now she had to focus towards the future. Now that she had agreed to try and be in a relationship with Zuko, the hard part began. Neither she nor the Fire Lord had any indication on how the citizens of the Fire Nation would react to the knowledge of their leader dating a foreigner. The medical practitioners who worked in the palace where quite taken with the Water Tribe ambassador and her healing abilities; constantly did they belittle Zuko as to when she would be returning.
The nobles were a trickier subject. High Counselor Ahzan had already agreed to back them fully when they decided to make their relationship public, and Zuko knew that a few of the nobles that he had personally assigned to his council would support him. On the other hand, he had told Katara that the ones who still supported Ozai might be trickier. They had set into their ways that their Fire Lord should marry Mai, and although that time had come and gone, they still held firm.
Katara's musings were interrupted by a knock at the door, which made her head throb painfully. She froze. Nobody was supposed to know she was in here, but if they were looking for Zuko, she wasn't sure if she should open the door to them or not.
Whoever it was knocked again. She heard a woman's voice speaking quietly through the door. "Lady Katara?" The voice was muffled, but understandable. "Are you awake?" Katara hesitantly rose from the bed and made her way across the room towards the door, making sure not to strike her foot against Zuko's boot again. Opening it a crack, she peered out and came face to face with a middle aged servant. She was holding a blue bundle of cloth and a small bag of toiletries. She opened the door wider.
"Is…is there something I can help you with?" Katara asked hesitantly.
"I'm here to get you ready, my lady. The Fire Lord has sent me to make sure you're prepared for the first Summit meeting. It will be starting soon and you're expected to be there...hopefully on time." The woman talked with a comforting, but no-nonsense sort of voice.
Katara looked back into the room at the candle on Zuko's nightstand. She had completely forgotten that the Southern Water Tribe was meeting with the Fire Lord first, and the servant was right, the Summit meeting would be starting soon. "Oh," she replied dumbly. "Well, come in then."
The woman entered the room swiftly and began to peel apart the remaining curtains that shielded half of the bedroom from the already well-risen sun. Katara could only stand stock still as the servant bustled around Zuko's bedroom, seeming to pay her no mind until she finally gathered her bundle of what Katara assumed to be clothing and looked at her expectantly. Katara blushed at the thought that this woman would actually dress her, even though it was obviously her job.
"Um…" The woman rolled her eyes and strode into the bathroom where the waterbender could hear her bustle around. Hesitantly, she walked across the room and peered inside the large washroom. The servant had set all of her supplies out on the surface of the bathroom's vanity when Katara stepped inside. The other woman smiled timidly.
"I've laid your clothes out here," she told Katara, pointing to a chair where one of Katara's nicer blue robes lay. "The Fire Lord has told me quite a bit about you, my lady, and I assume that you'd feel more comfortable dressing yourself." She smiled more kindly as Katara visibly relaxed. "But I am here to serve you. If it pleases you, I will do your hair and prepare you for your busy day."
Katara examined the supplies that the servant had laid out. Her makeup collection was pleasantly basic, which made Katara happy. She also had a lovely assortment of blue Water Tribe hair clips, which she fingered gently. They were smooth and shiny. She smiled. "What is your name?"
Dressed and ready for the Summit meeting, Katara hurried down the corridor hoping that she could make it in time. The palace was unusually busy and noisy with the impending meetings over the next week. All of the delegates and dignitaries from the other nations had already arrived and now whiled away the time around the palace and gardens until their meetings took place.
She smiled at many of the familiar faces she saw along the way, and politely brushed those off who wanted to chat with her. When she finally reached the room where the meeting was to be held, she was happy to discover that she wasn't completely late. Her brother and father were already standing casually by the door, obviously waiting for her.
When they finally laid eyes on her, Sokka looked relieved, while Hakoda looked at her suspiciously through slightly narrowed eyes. Katara sighed. This was obviously going to be a problem. Steeling herself inwardly, she approached her brother and father and kissed them both on the cheek.
Sokka rubbed his face furiously. "Katara that's gross!" But he smiled at her. "Why are you so late? You weren't playing with magic water and forgot what time it was again were you?"
She elbowed him and scowled. "I would have thought by now you would appreciate my ability to waterbend. Actually…I was with this servant who insisted that she help me get ready, and then everyone on the way here wanted to talk." She shrugged. "I'm not too terribly late am I?"
"No," said Hakoda. "You made it in the nick of time. We're just waiting for the Fire Nation nobles and the Fire Lord to arrive, and then the meeting will begin. But you know Katara, you're an ambassador to the Fire Nation, it would have been really bad if you got here late. You may not always be so lucky."
Katara scowled. "Right, lucky. I'm here aren't I? Besides, it's not like I intentionally tried to be late. It was an – accident."
"I'm not pointing any fingers," the Chief replied hurriedly. "I'm only saying. I'm grateful that you made it, but I would have been worried if you didn't."
She smiled timidly. "Well I'm here now. Isn't Aang supposed to be here too? I thought he was supposed to be overseeing all of the nations' meetings."
"Last I heard, he was finalizing some details of the Summit with Zuko. Apparently our dear Fire Lord has been obsessing over every little detail of this whole gathering. I can't really blame him though – this is sort of a big deal," Sokka explained.
Hakoda rolled his eyes. "Sort of a big deal? Son, this gathering is the most important meeting of all four nations – at least what's left of them – in over a hundred years. Not since before Fire Lord Sozin's time have the nations come together like this. Zuko obviously wants to make a good impression by hosting the festivities on his own land, to show that he has a personal interest in the welfare of the world. Of course he's stressed. Could you imagine the devastation if something happened to go wrong?"
"Well then I suppose we can only hope everything goes according to plan," Katara said, smiling at Sokka's scowl.
Her brother opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by the arrival of the Fire Lord, Aang, Ahzan, and Uncle Iroh. Katara felt her face heat up when her eyes locked with Zuko's and he smirked at her. She smiled back and looked down at her feet to avoid the gaze of her father, which she could feel burning a hole into the back of her head.
Iroh clapped once and rubbed his hands together, looking happy to see them. "Ah Chief Hakoda, Sokka, and…Miss Katara. Good morning to you all."
Katara stepped forward and hugged him gently. "Good morning Uncle Iroh."
"Katara you are much too sweet," he told her grinning from ear to ear. Looking around her, he saw Hakoda's amused expression and Sokka, who still maintained his scowl. "Why Sokka, it is not prudent to wear your face in such a way, especially on a day like this." He reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. "Come, let us go inside. I had the servants bring up some tea – perhaps you would like to join me? And you too Chief Hakoda?" The other man nodded and Iroh clapped again. "Very well! Though it might be wise to not let Zuko know," he said in a low voice. "You know how he gets about tea…"
"Uncle I'm right here." Zuko deadpanned.
Aang and Katara laughed, but Iroh pretended like he couldn't hear. "Yes, so…shall we go in? Avatar Aang you must come – I have the most particular brew that I would like you to try."
Aang smiled good-naturedly. "Of course Iroh, I'm coming." He looked back hesitantly at Zuko and Katara as he followed Iroh and Ahzan into the meeting room.
Katara smiled. "See you soon Aang?" Thankfully he smiled back, and waved. Looking back at Zuko, she noticed that he had a mischievous smirk on his face – which only meant he was about to tease her mercilessly. Her smiled fell.
"Oh don't make that face at me," Zuko said gently, reaching up to cradle her face between his hands.
"How could you leave me in your bedroom? And even worse, you send in a servant to wake me up? What are you thinking Zuko?" Though her voice was annoyed, Zuko could tell she wasn't really angry when she grasped his elbows to pull him closer.
He shrugged. "I was thinking that since I had to leave early for Summit preparations that the least I could do was send someone to help you get ready. I thought it was a nice thing to do…" he mumbled, leaning down to touch her forehead with his.
Katara sighed. "It was nice…But don't you worry that what's going on between us is going to get out quicker than it should? I mean, we do kind of have more important things to be worrying about, don't you think?"
"Of course," Zuko replied seriously. "But that doesn't mean I am going to completely ignore our relationship just because things are a bit busy." He paused and looked down at her carefully. "We – we are in a relationship, right?"
She laughed and slapped his arm lightly. "I'm not sure, wasn't last night a pretty good indication?"
"Ah, right." To Katara's great amusement he let go of her, his face slightly tinged pink. He cleared his throat. "I don't care if people know – in case you were wondering. I don't care if people don't think we aren't meant to be together, I believe we are and that's all that matters."
Katara exhaled slowly and smiled. "You're right. It shouldn't matter to anyone else. It just seems that at the present moment we should do everything in our power to not upset your nobles. Getting them to cooperate with us and the other nations is vital to the success of this Summit." She reached up and stroked his scarred face. "I know how important this is to you, and I don't want to make things difficult."
"Once all of this is over, things will get easier," he replied, grasping her hand. He sighed. "Well, shall we go in?"
The entered the room were the meeting between the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation was to be held to find Hakoda, Sokka, Aang, and Ahzan huddled around one end of the long table in the room, all holding steaming teacups in the hands. Katara found that she was highly amused by Iroh's eager face as he watched the others try his new blend, and the others trying to hold back a grimace. It looked like Ahzan was doing the best at hiding his disgust while Sokka was doing the worst.
Zuko leaned down to whisper in Katara's ear. "Don't drink the tea, whatever you do."
She had to work hard to stifle the laugh that threatened to burst worth from her lips. It was easier now, to be around him, now that they had both decided to try and make their relationship work. Katara finally felt the best she had felt since coming to the Fire Nation. She loved the Fire Lord, and he loved her, and nothing else inside the world – well, perhaps the Summit – mattered.
No longer was she uncomfortable to be close to him in public; what did it matter what others thought? The only opinions that mattered to her were those of the people that she loved, and they were usually accepting of the choices she made. She couldn't help but smile as she and Zuko joined the rest of the group, arm in arm.
"My dear Katara!" Iroh cried. "The others have just tried my new blend of tea. Would you care for a sample?" he asked, waving a steaming cup of tea underneath her nose. The scent was curious and a bit odd. She almost couldn't suppress a grimace, which was weird, because Iroh was the best tea maker in the entire Earth Kingdom.
"I couldn't possibly Iroh. I had some earlier for breakfast – having some now would just be too much."
Iroh's face seemed to fall. "Too much tea? How could one possibly have too much tea?"
Katara laughed and left Zuko to pat Iroh on the arm. She linked her arm through his. "I am ashamed to say that I haven't had the time to enjoy the different teas that you have had. Maybe sometime during my stay you can enlighten me." Iroh begrudgingly nodded at this and everyone laughed.
The red curtains of the meeting room were suddenly pushed aside and one of Zuko's personal scribes entered. Iroh excused himself from the group to greet the man, and ask when the Fire Nation nobles would be arriving. Once Iroh wasn't looking, everyone he had given a teacup to promptly emptied it in a nearby potted plant. Katara rolled her eyes.
"Honestly. If he catches you guys, his heart will break."
"True," Sokka agreed, "but if I drink anymore, my stomach will break."
"Sokka I don't think anything could break your stomach," she retorted. Everyone laughed at this, even Sokka himself.
When Iroh returned, everyone had started breaking into their own conversations. Katara looked on as Sokka and her father discussed the pros and cons to the Fire Nation having curtains for some of their doors. Sokka seemed disturbed by the idea. Iroh was trying to coax the scribe who would be documenting the meeting into trying his new blend of tea, and Aang, Ahzan and Zuko were huddled together, whispering in low tones. The topic seemed stressful.
Katara decided to see what was wrong and made her way over to the men. Zuko and Ahzan straightened when she reached them, and Aang looked worried.
"Okay," she said. "What's going on?"
Ahzan smiled. "Nothing at all my lady. We were simply discussing the nobles' lack of decency."
She raised a brow. "What does he mean?" she asked Zuko, who frowned at his counselor.
"He means that my nobles have shown the Southern Water Tribe disrespect by not arriving to this meeting promptly. I have gone over this at least a hundred times with them. But a lot of them are old, greedy men who would love nothing more than the Summit to go horribly wrong and gain support for my insane, neurotic sister to be placed on the throne." Zuko sounded frazzled and angry.
"Were they supposed to have arrived already?" Katara asked, worried.
"Yes," Aang answered, rubbing his forehead tiredly. He seemed older – much older than Katara would have liked. "We have carefully planned the timing and subject of every Summit meeting so that no mistakes could happen. It is hard for us to not worry that the nobles are intentionally sabotaging us."
Katara frowned, and placed her hand on Zuko's arm comfortingly. "Why would they?" she reasoned. "Many of the nobles are ones that you appointed. Sure, there are some that you had to keep because of popularity, but they know – as do you and I – that you will end their careers if they attempt to destroy the progress that you have made. They may not completely respect you or like you, but they damn sure are afraid of you. I don't think we should worry ourselves just yet."
Just as the words came from her mouth, the curtain opened again and Nobleman Jing entered the room. He was alone.
"My lord," he said, falling to his knees, bowing to Zuko. "I apologize for my own lateness and the lateness of the other nobles." He raised his head and looked the Fire Lord in the face. Katara saw that his eyes were kind and unafraid. "We were stopped up by a – well, an odd group of people. Among them was Chief Arnook, King Bumi, Master Pakku, and a man who referred to himself as 'the Boulder'," he explained.
Sokka burst out laughing and Katara couldn't help but smile. Zuko cleared his throat. "Rise Nobleman Jing, and tell me what they wanted." It was obvious that he was amused.
Jing did as he was told. "We were making our way down to the meeting room and they seemed to appear out of nowhere. I…I am still not quite sure what they wanted my lord, but they seemed to be under the impression that you wouldn't be opposed to them inflicting bodily harm upon us if we so much as lifted a finger in opposition to the Summit. Not that I or any of the other nobles would do that, of course, my lord." Now even the nobleman was smiling.
Zuko pondered this, smirking. "I see. Well I hope the nobles take that threat to heart because I may just turn a blind eye to any bodily harm that will be inflicted if such a thing were to happen. Now, go and bring the other noblemen in – we have work to do."
When all the Southern Water Tribe diplomats and Fire Nation nobles had gathered into the newly refurbished meeting room and claimed their seats, Iroh stood and smiled brightly. "Well now that we are all here at last, let us begin." He looked swiftly to the nobles and continued. "Today is the first of many meetings with the Water Tribes and we would like to discuss the issue of trade with the Earth Kingdom. Relations with the Earth Kingdom seem to be well with the Water Tribes, but that is unfortunately not the case for us."
"They don't trust us," added Zuko. "This is to be expected, seeing as we were just at war with them. The problem is however, that they unfortunately seem to trust us far less than the Water Tribes do."
"Perhaps we could negotiate something with them," suggested Katara. "It's crucial that we show them that the Fire Nation isn't their enemy anymore. I suspect that we only have one shot at gaining their trust, so we better do it right."
High Counselor Ahzan spoke up. "What then do you propose we do, Lady Katara?"
She sighed. "This is a delicate situation. I think that a treaty might not appease them, for I believe that it will only hold them for some time, and sooner or later they're going to be asking for more."
The Fire Lord nodded in agreement. "The Earth Kingdom will want real, legitimate proof, not just a piece of paper claiming peace. Many more heads nodded at this.
Sokka spoke up suddenly. "Have all the Fire Nation troops been pulled out of the Earth Kingdom lands?" he asked.
"No," Zuko sighed, shaking his head. "I've sent out all the orders to cease fire and return, but sadly progress has been slow. It's been difficult to reach the troops in the far northlands, but many of our soldiers have started to return."
"We should start there," said Katara. "We need all those troops back so the Earth Kingdom knows that this war is definitely over. I think all they really want is assurance that the fighting and struggle no longer exist."
"If I might say," interjected Iroh, "perhaps the Earth Kingdom might want to trust the Fire Nation if there were a more stable relationship between our allies." He cleared his throat. "What I mean to say is, the Fire Nation is allies with the Water Tribes yes? Well, so is the Earth Kingdom. Perhaps, and this is a far-fetched idea after all, if the Fire Nation was to create a stable base with the only nation that the Earth Kingdom does trust, then maybe in time they will come to trust us too."
Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting the Water Tribes make a diplomatic agreement in the name of the Fire Nation?"
Iroh shrugged, somewhat apologetically. "Not so much in the name of the Fire Nation, but with the Fire Nation."
Nobleman Jing looked at the Fire Lord. "That is actually a good idea. If the Fire Nation were to make some sort of connection, it will show the Earth Kingdom that we can be trusted. Encouragement from the Water Tribes could persuade the Earth King to be more open to trade with us."
"That is a good plan," agreed Nobleman Su. "Though, as the Fire Lord stated, we cannot just make a treaty; the Earth Kingdom won't buy it. We need to do something physical and worthwhile."
Both Sokka and Zuko were watching the discussion through narrowed eyes. The Water Tribe man feared that the negotiations were headed into a more personal direction. He had a small inkling that the nobles had collectively thought of a diplomatic solution even without speaking, and they didn't want to outright share it. The unpleasant smile on Iroh's face made Sokka think that he knew what was secretly going on.
"Then what do you suggest?" Aang finally asked, speaking for the first time.
"Nobleman Jing," began Ahzan, "perhaps you are suggesting the placement of a Water Tribe Ambassador? Because we already have that, and both of the Water Tribe leaders have given us their full support."
Zuko chose to interrupt. "I highly doubt that's what the noblemen are suggesting Counselor. However I think you're almost close to the truth."
"My lord?"
"You see, the noblemen are suggesting something that they have forced countless other Fire Lords and royalty to do before me. It is something that they are planning to do to me now, as we sit here and speak." The temperature in the room seemed to rise as he spoke. "But this is neither the time nor place to speak of such things. I will not have my own countrymen bring forth such disrespect at a time like-,"
The Fire Lord's tirade was interrupted when the doors of the council chamber burst open, and a frantic guard rushed in, looking terrified. Some members of the Royal Guard where trying to restrain him, but Zuko waved them off. Something serious had obviously just occurred.
"What is this intrusion?" Ahzan called out. "Speak guard!"
"My lord," he gasped, still looking frantic. "The most terrible thing – you must come at once…the Earth King…my lord, the Earth King is dead!"
A/N: I know, I know. I'm evil. First, I apologize for not updating in like...forever really. A lot of things have changed for me over the past few months, and I sort of put this story and my other writing to the side. But do not worry, I wouldn't abandon writing. Things might just be slow. Again, I apologize.
So um, finally some Zutara right? And also the plot thickens. I've dropped a few foreshadowings in this chapter as to what will happen in the next, which I am much more excited to write than I was with this one. This one was just - ugh.
Thanks for sticking with me and happy reading.
