Chapter 9

She hated it when he got in these moods. A storm brewed within over things he could not control. He had slammed his gloves onto the side table, powdered wig flying into the corner. He had returned to her rooms after a council meeting that lasted nigh all day. He remained tight-lipped of what occurred but whatever it was could not have been good. Katara poured him a glass of wine and watched as the liquid calmed his nerves some. After emptying the glass, he stared at the crystal as though it would provide answers to questions raging in his head.

After moments of silence and another glass of wine, Zuko finally spoke. "The Fire Lord wants to raise taxes again so he can build war ships."

Katara leaned in to refill his glass. "He cannot do that!"

"Can and will. And it is the responsibility of the regional governors to collect these taxes."

"Does he realize that this puts these governors in jeopardy? The people are already taxed to death as it is now. And why does he need to build war ships? There is no war." Zuko looked out the window as the realization struck her. "Oh, heavens! He has plans to war?"

"In time." Zuko snorted and proffered his glass for yet another filling of wine. "Apparently with my marriage to an Earthese woman, there is rumor that I will convert to her faith and, in turn, our children as well, damning our great nation."

"Then why marry to her? Certainly there were better options." Katara mentally rolled her eyes. Political drama never quite making sense to her logical mind.

"I suppose by converting one to our faith will convert them all. You know of our colonies being attacked by Earthese soldiers, yes?" Katara nodded. "By building up our forces, we can save our colonist from the tyranny of these Earthese dogs and in turn spread the glory and faith of the Fireish to their people. As well as gaining more lands, of course. Its win-win for the Fire Nation." He laughed in the most dejected tone Katara had ever heard.

"Your father is mad," she observed tightly, preparing to pour another drink. She motioned to him silently asking if he wanted another. He shook his head "no" and sat back into the chair resting his temple on his fist, watching her movements. Once she finished pouring the wine, taking a hearty drink and placing the cup back on the cabinet, she slunk over to him and placed herself gracefully in his lap as she had many times before. Her arms wrapped around his neck, eyes meeting again and while he tried to control his hands, they found her legs and began tracing little patterns as they made their way from her knees to her hips, pulling her in closer to his body. She was to him a comfort, a salve, for the torture in his head. She knew he wanted to speak against it. She knew he battled what was expected and what he wanted every minute of every day. While she could never fully understand it, she did her best to be that solace. To keep him grounded in reality.

"What do I do?" he whispered, burying his face in the crook of her neck..

"Tell him to stop. Have that worthless finance minister fired. As well as his military counsel. And the sages! The sages have to go too. Pushy bastards, the lot of them. Constantly trying to convert those that do not want to convert," she answered half-joking, lowering her lips to kiss his temple. He lifted his head and smiled at her, tilting his head just so to kiss her once, then more deeply the second.

"Oh yes! It's all so simple. I shall just go in and tell him he's mad and this needless overspending and potential bloodshed is to cease now," he chuckled. He wrapped his arms tighter around her. How she did distract him from serious business. But how needed it was.

"That's a good man," she teased, her head lolling back as his lips descended upon her neck, "Oh."

"Of course, he will fight back. May even banish me," his hands roamed back down her legs and bunched up the robe exposing her to him. Her skin glistened splendidly in the soft glow of the candles and he needed to see more.

"We could go to back to Ba Sing Se," Katara moaned as he suckled on her ear.

"Better yet, the Water Tribe. Get far away from all of this."

"You would leave behind the country you love to that monster?" The both paused in their ministrations. Of course he wouldn't. "Stay and fight."

Zuko nodded, "But not right now. I have other more important matters."

"Such as?" she bit her lip seductively.

Lifting them both from the chair, he ripped at the sash and pushed the robe away from her body. He sucked in his breath as he took in the sight of her nude form. It never ceased to enthrall him. The shade of her skin to those full breasts that had nearly doubled in the past month. She knew most men shied away from the woman in her condition but Zuko seemed to relish in it. "It would seem I need to invade the Water Tribe."

Her devious smile lured him in. She stepped backwards and lounged on the bed, legs parted just enough for him to peek at her most private of places. "Oh no, whatever will I do." She brought her hand to her temple in an overly dramatic fashion.

He breathed deeply trying to control what little possession he had over his body, but this temptress was too much. Sliding what remaining clothes that were left on his body off, he enveloped her with his arms, lips seeking hers, hands demanding too much from her skin. He rolled her on top of him and slid easily within that all so familiar space. Her hair curtained them as body ground against body in a crescendo of pleasure. Not to be outdone, Zuko delicately shifted her to hands and knees, and gripped tight on her hips. Katara thrilled in this position, to be at his mercy as hands wrapped around to pinch and toy. He was still so gentle as to not upset her body yet still moved in long, smooth strokes, as composer with pen to paper, he made Katara sing in harmony. She felt her body build to the sweet moment and Zuko sensing the inevitable, shifted her again so that he could witness her. Soon enough mouth opened in silent screams, the release crashed around both until there was nothing but sighs and caught breaths. This moment was her favorite. Joined in the union only two souls could share, gentle caressing and tender kisses amidst small talk of nothing of import, until sleep slowly made its way to their eyes.

The dawn leaked in from the windows. Zuko spooned behind Katara, hand resting on belly, feeling his child move within her. "You should be in your wife's bed," she whispered, her voice straining to be strong.

"Do you wish me gone?" he asked, eyes still closed as his hand stroked her flesh.

"Never. It's just..." she felt the tears prickle at her eyes. There were no words that needed to be said. He was a prince and he had a duty to his people and that meant he would have to bed his wife and get her with a legitimate child. She knew however of his feelings towards her. It was understandable why he preferred her bed to Lady Star's. The young woman was a spoiled poodle-monkey hardly able to sign her own name. She demanded attention on herself and her ladies yet she refused to speak the native language, refused the local customs, refused to become one of her new people. And so "her" people began to despise her even in such a short amount of time.

"I know, love, I know," he kissed her shoulder, then her neck, moving her to face him. "Let me have this for a little bit longer. Soon I fear I won't be able to see you at all."

oooOOOoooOOOooo

As the months went on, Katara could hardly hide her pregnancy any longer and the rumors spilt over. She was not shamed and neither was Zuko. If anything, it proved the greatness of the royal family to get a foreigner with child "and so quickly!". Zuko thrilled in the occasion, being the doting father-to-be. Even Fire Lord Ozai was proud of his son. Who knew that all it took to gain his approval was to get a woman with child?

The new bride however raged. She was not silent in her contempt of what was happening between the pair. It was known too that she saw priests in futile attempts to fix the situation. Some speculated she was involved in witchcraft to curse the Prince and bless her own loins.

As Katara and Zuko walked down the halls of the palace, arm in arm, speaking in hushed tones and occasional laughter, intimate as a pair could be in public. Star and her entourage approached them. Star brought a cloth to her face and began wailing in pain, garnering much attention from everyone around them.

"He spoke on loyalty and fidelity to me! We took our vows to be one and only. And look at him. Flaunting down the halls of our palace with his whore, fat with a bastard! And we are to trust this liar to one day rule this country? No wonder why the Fire Nation is worthless." Her words though spoken in Fireish, were so heavily accented it was near to impossible to understand her tantrum.

Katara moved to scald the little brat. Instead Zuko held up his hand. "Star, please. Don't cause a stir."

"Why not? You should be ashamed of yourself Parading about like a peacock! Thinking because you got her with child that you are a gift from the gods. I curse the day I was ever betrothed to you." Her dark gaze then turned back to Katara, "And you! Whore! He is my husband, not yours. I hear him cry your name when he grunts on top of me. 'Tis your fault I am not with child. You must have cursed your loins to have cast such a spell on him, witch."

Zuko startled this time. Katara lowered her gaze in anger, "Loins are only as magical as the one wielding them. Perhaps if you exercised them the way you do your tongue, you would be in this condition as well. " With that Katara stomped away. She couldn't be bothered by such a vile thing.

The growl rumbled deep in his chest, he grabbed her arm tightly pulling her in close. "You forget yourself, wife," the word spat out like venom. "If you were wiser than you are, you would mind who you speak to. I am still Prince of the Fire Nation and you are nothing until we allow you to be something. And should you ever dare to speak to Lady Katara with anything but respect, so help me, you will truly curse the day you were betrothed to me." With that Zuko followed Katara's suit, and returned to his suite. He was surprised to not find her there. He found her in her own rooms, motioning the servants about. Her wardrobe was being pulled from bureaus and chests, smaller items Seeing the prince arrive in the room, they curtsied as required and stood waiting to be given his order. He waved his hand dismissing them all. What was this madness?

Katara stood stoically in the middle of the mess she started, trying to hide away tears. "I am going back to Ember Island," she announced, cutting through the silence, "It is unwise of me to be here any longer."

"Katara, please. You cannot go. Not so soon to when our child is to be born. I will find a home nearby."

"Zuko, shhh. It's better that way. I distract you from what needs to be done." She rested her palm on his chest. "I hate to admit Star is correct. You need to be with her. Give her a child. Make her Princess. Do your duty. ."

"All I ever do is my duty," he raged. "To everyone, to my father, to the counsel, to my country." He ran his fingers through his hair, shoulders slumped dejectedly. "You can't leave me. Not now. I need you." The words like porcelain, so fragile to the touch, a single slip would shatter.

She dropped the skirt in her hands and approached him. "I am not leaving for good. Only for a time. Besides, isn't it your culture that forbids a woman out in public in her final month?"

He could not deny that. But he would not let her go alone. "You wish to leave?" he questioned, his mind made up. She nodded in agreement. "Then I go with. If only to see that your journey is without harm."

A tiny smile lit on her face. It was the best he could give her. The vacation palace on Ember Island was his gift to her. Work was underway still to restore the neglect over the years. Several of the rooms were in respectable enough condition for her and her staff to live. The journey by boat was rough on her constitution thanks to the little one nearing the end of its own journey within her. Zuko saw to it that she would have everything she and child could need. He ordered the best midwife in the province to tend to Katara.

Then the messenger came. "Your Highness," the little man bowed, breathless, holding out the scroll, "The Fire Lord sends urgent news."

Katara watched as the great seal was broken and eyes flew over letters. "No. No. No" The scroll fell from his hands.

"I am to lead a small army to the Western front of the Earth Kingdom. We leave next week."

Many apologies for the delay in this chapter. Life and all. It feels a little rusty and for that another apology. I do hope everyone enjoyed. And I will try my best not to wait so long between updates.

Interesting... no one's picked up on the fact the not once have I mentioned a distinguishing physical feature of Zuko's... dun dun duuuunnn...