I am on a roll here! Normally don't post two chapter's in one day, but the block is gone and the words are flowing! I have courrupted yet another Kataang fan and am quite happy to say that while Aang and Katara are still a ship for her, Zutara is in the happenings!
Thank you all for the follows and reviews! Love you guys!
-briar-
Katara's bath was peaceful and long, the young woman soaking for as long as she dared before a maid walked in and told her dinner was about to begin.
The water bender sighed, stepping hesitantly out of the still warm water and wrapping an even warmer towel around herself, gasping loudly as the heat reached her skin, warming her to her very bones. The young maid, a worried expression of her face, turned. "Is everything okay Lady Katara? Nothing's wrong is it?" Katara smiled in reply, nodding. "Everything's perfectly fine, thank you." Then she followed the young maid out of the bathing chamber and into the main room to ready herself.
Entering the grand sleeping chambers, Katara gasped for what must have been the hundredth time since her arrival to the fire nation only mere hours before. In stark contrast to the silvers and blues that spread themselves graciously about the room, a red dress, floor length and decorated in spiraling black thread, rested on the bed, a small note to its side. She looked to the maid for confirmation. The maid, a young girl of perhaps 14 years, smiled up at her shyly. "Fire lord Zuko sent it in for you Lady Katara. He also sends his wishes for you to sport it to tonight's dinner." She said pointing to the note resting casually by the dress. Katara returned the girl's smile before fingering the fabric of the dress, revealing in the feel of fire nation silk beneath her fingers. Oh how she missed the feel of fire nation silk! "Of course he did," she whispered more to herself than to the maid.
"My lord also informed me that you are not one to let yourself be waited on, so I'll leave you to dress and ready yourself. If you need anything though, anything at all my lady, I'm right outside." Katara allowed herself yet another smile as she nodded to the girl, and watched her bow herself out the door, leaving Katara alone with herself.
Laughing weakly, Katara let her towel drop slowly to the floor at her feet and picking up the dress, she slipped it over her body with no regard to her tribal under garments. The fun thing with dresses like the one she now wore, there was no need for breast bindings. Her one thought as she smoothed the dress down her legs, was that if Zuko was the requesting it, she'd gladly wear the dress. The water bender then turned back to the bed which the note still rested and picked up the thin parchment, recognizing Zuko's tidy slanted writing.
"Katara,
I know it's only the first day and as we have already made aware, you despise fancydresses. Yet you cannot hate me for seeing this one and thinking immediately of you. Also, as you're friend for three years, I have an understanding that you have a love for fire nation silk. It would make me happy to see you wearing this one to dinner tonight. Have no fear which why to wear your beautiful curls, I've always found down to be rather eye catching. It saves you the trouble right? Though there is a matching clip to the dress resting in the top drawer of the vanity next to the door to the bathing chamber. It was my mother's and it hasn't been worn for over a decade. (the dress as well as the clip) Please wear them tonight…
Yours always,
Zuko.
Katara stared at the letter with a gaping mouth, unable to function with the words needed to describe it. It was that beautiful. Then again somehow Zuko had always had a way with words when they were placed on paper. For La's sake, Katara was sure that in another lifetime, he could have been a poet. She still remembered his first letter, the one he had placed in her hand before telling her not to read it until she was already on the boat that would take her to the southern water tribe. A simple line yet it was enough.
Like the buds miss the sun's rays and the feral dogs miss the moons light, I miss you
Katara smiled to herself as she walked over to the vanity he had described. Opening the top drawer she found the clip Zuko had asked her to wear. As she fingered the small red rose beads, she couldn't help but feel so out of place. His mother's… the clip she held in her hand now, had been Zuko's mother's…. Why on earth would he want Katara to wear it? Why would he request her to wear the dress? Katara didn't have much time to think on it before there was a knock on the door and the young maid stuck her head in, bowing low.
"My lady, are you ready? Dinner is about to start." Katara smiled as she carefully flipped her hair obscuring her face, to the side and pinned it with the clip. The clip in place she took one last look at her reflection in the mirror of the vanity, and then slipping on a pair of black shoes, followed the maid out of the room and to the royal dining hall.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dinner was about to begin and yet Zuko sat at the head of the long table, boredly entertained by the few noble men and their families. Why he had to invite the nobles to his welcoming dinner for Katara and her family, he still wasn't sure, but the sages had made it known that it was best. Now days it felt as though all Zuko was, was a prized trophy, and it was the sages that ran the fire nation. They told him what to do, how to act, who to invite to parties and dinners… and though he hardly listened to them on most of it, it still got on his nerves.
He silently hoped that Katara was sitting next to him laughing and joking around. Yet she still hadn't shown up. He prayed to Agni, she got his note and would wear the dress and the clip. Though she was water tribe, red, Zuko had found, fit her best in his mind's eye. It brought out her blue eyes and made her lips seem fuller… her lips… lips he had been dreaming of kissing for some reason for weeks now. He still hadn't admitted it to himself that there was anything romantic between him and the water bender. Nothing… just friends. As his eyes trailed to the doorway one last time, he sat upright in his seat, lips slightly parted, eyes wide, pants suddenly unmistakably tight underneath the table.
Katara stood in the doorway of the royal dining hall, wearing the dress he had wanted her to sport tonight and her family's welcoming dinner. Her hair though down, was also pinned at the side in a large wave structure, in place with his mother's clip. The woman was absolutely stunning, so much in fact that it hurt him in more ways than one.
He stood alongside many other men as she entered the room, and he was very well aware of the heated looks that the others threw in her direction. If he didn't have to be nice to the nobles, Zuko would have already had them thrown out, yet he couldn't prove vocally that it was lust in their eyes.
Katara smiled shyly as she entered and took one of the two remaining seats around the table. The one next to Zuko. Talk quickly resumed around the table as the fire lord and the water bender stared at each other smiling like fools. "well fire lord, what do you think?" Katara asked, her question implying the dress and the clip. Zuko's smile only widened and he leaned in so she could hear him over the immense chatter of their fellow dinners. "I think," he whispered, his voice hoarse, his mind racing with unimaginable thoughts, "I think red is your true color water bender." The two shared a smile as he straightened back up in his seat just in time for the doors to open once more. As her eyes went to the newcomer, Katara's heart sank. In the doorway, stood Mai. Zuko's girlfriend, and potential future wife.
The fire nation woman smiled slightly as she made her way to the table, and sat herself on Zuko's left. She never said anything just unfolded her napkin and stared boredly off into space, waiting for her food. Zuko, knowing he would make matters any better by trying to strike conversation with his girlfriend, turned to Katara and offered her another smile. "How was your bath?" The woman smiled releasing a slight laugh. "Perfect. Heaven after not having a proper bath in three days, thank you." Zuko nodded slowly unable to keep a smile from his lips as he stared into the blue eyes of his friend. They didn't have time to say much more before dinner was finally served.
As she slowly ate her food, Mai was not at all oblivious to the way Zuko interacted with the water tribe princess. Inwardly she smiled, because she also saw the look, the gleam that rested in Katara's eyes every time she met Zuko's gaze. As she looked at the two before her, her only thought was, that the water bender was her way out of a promise made between a mother and a daughter years past.
