Disclaimer: Neither Avatar: the Last Airbender nor its characters belong to me, nor will they ever


Katara did not wake that morning to clean sunlight streaming through her windows, or birds chirping, or even to the touch of a loving caress. No, instead, Nali chose to wake her by jumping up and down very close to her pillow; but she didn't mind.

"You're a silly child," she told the girl as she reached to tickle her ribs.

"I not child. I not silly," she insisted excitedly. "Kat-ra, you come to party with me. You missing it in bed all day!"

"'All day'? But the sun is barely up," she said, sitting up. She pressed a palm to her forehead and brushed her wayward hair out of her face. "And what party are you talking about?"

Nali grabbed her hand and tugged. "Come see Zuko."

Katara groaned. "We'll see him at breakfast. Why don't we get dressed-"

"No dressed! No breakfast! Zuko now! I want to go to party, too."

"Nali," she warned, attempting to sound stern.

"Zu-ko," the girl whined, her lower lip protruding, emphasizing each syllable with a tug on her hand.

"All right," Katara sighed, pushing back the covers. "But we do need to get dressed...if you want to see Zuko."

Nali crossed her arms across her chest defiantly as she crawled off the bed and exited the room, but when she returned, she was dressed-more formally than usual, which was odd-and her hair was clipped back in a gold barrette. She was followed in, however, by four servants, two who were carrying armfuls of red and gold material. More dresses?

"Pardon, Miss Katara, but Lord Zuko has requested that we present you with new garments for today's reception." The one who spoke, the eldest, motioned for the two to step forward with their burdens.

Katara tried to smile. "Reception? What rec-"

"Thank you, Ming," Zuko addressed the woman as he stepped into her room. All four of them bowed low as he entered and came to stand in front of Katara. "I need a moment with Miss Katara," he stated, dismissing the women. They filed out silently, eyes low, and the door shut behind them.

"What's this about, Zuko?" she asked.

He was in his dress robes, the ones he wore to his meetings with nobles, but he wore armor on his wrists and shoulders and neck, as if he were about to meet with his generals. His hair was pulled back tight, and he wore the royal headpiece. His face was stoic, matching his attire.

Before he could answer her, Nali flung herself into his arms. His facade shattered almost immediately as he lifted the small child into his arms.

"I go to party," she told him.

"Oh really?"

She nodded emphatically. "Uh-huh!"

"Well, then you best go help Uncle pick which deserts to serve. He's sampling them now."

Her eyes lit up as if he'd just offered her the whole kingdom. She squeezed his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "'Kay," she said, and she wiggled to be set down.

The two adults watched the child prance from the room with not a care in the world. Zuko lifted his fingers to his cheek for a moment before recovering; then his eyes set on Katara. She was staring at him, an odd, unreadable look on her face.

"I should have informed you earlier, I'm sorry. To be honest, I've been preoccupied and forgot myself-"

"Forgot what?" she interrupted.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sat on the edge of one of the sofas. "There's this...state dinner. I only allow one a year, if I can help it, but the nobles insist on gathering to...check up on me, check in on their investments, I guess." He scowled. "For a day I have to feed and entertain and inform them on the condition of the nation and my legislative agenda for at least the next year."

"Why do you do it?"

"To keep face. As I've said, the nobles are my biggest supporters."

"So that's why the servants have been scurrying about like worker bees." She paused. "You want me...to attend?"

He sighed and looked into her eyes as he stood. Gingerly, he took her forearms in his hands. "I wanted to ask you myself, before you were drowned in gowns and dresses and jewels, but apparently the help beat me here."

Avoiding eye contact, she shrugged.

"You don't have to; I won't force you. I am asking you, though, to be my escort, to suffer through this awful affair with me and share my burden so I don't have to carry it alone."

She couldn't help but smile as his plea became melodramatic. "I'll go," she said. "No need to beg. Do I...have to do anything?"

He quirked a brow.

"You know, do I have to play hostess or anything?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Just...be at my side."

She swallowed, feeling her face grow warm. "I can do that," she stated quietly.

His hands slid down to hers, and his face suddenly becoming serious. "Katara, there is something else I want to talk to you about, something I think we should have discussed a while ago."

She tilted her head, suddenly curious.

"I-"

Horns blared beyond the palace walls, announcing the arrival of the first noble family. Zuko bowed his head and cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry, Katara."

"Go," she said, understanding.

He hesitated.

"Can it not wait?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "It can."

She squeezed his hand.

He shook his head and lifted her knuckles to his lips. "I promise we'll speak after lunch."

Another horn blared.

"You'd better go."

He looked at her once more, his expression unreadable, before bowing. As soon as he was gone, the servants returned, laden with crimson gowns. They held out their armfuls to her expectantly. Katara tried to smile, but she was afraid it looked more like a grimace. She fingered a gown of blood-red silk gently. "I guess we...better get started."


Ming turned out to be tougher than she looked; beneath her gentle, grandmotherly appearance, she was a Fire Nation warrior at heart, worthy of the front line. Instead, she spent the morning "preparing" Katara to face the dreaded nobles. Her skin was scrubbed raw until every pore glowed, and her hair was pulled and lathered with oils and soaps and brushed until her roots were sore. The women then steamed it dry until it was glossy and straight, not a curl or loose tendril in sight; when straight, it nearly reached her backside. She felt like a doll as the women fitted her with layers of dresses and bracelets. Kohl was applied around her eyes, and they painted a pale rose-pink dye onto her lips. She thought, at this rate, she'd miss the whole event.

It gave her time to think...not that that was a good thing, however. Unable to move, her body gave way for her mind to run off in every direction. She tried not to let panic set in, but if she wasn't permitted to leave the room soon, she would not be held responsible for her actions.

She was to be Zuko's escort for the day; she was to smile and bow and nod in agreement as the nobles complained of their horrid circumstances and their outdated estates. She didn't know which was worse. "Be at my side," he'd said. Easier said than done.

And wouldn't this only add fuel to those awful rumors? There was no way they would be suppressed now, not with her at his side at a state dinner. It would only make things look more official...legitimate.

Only...there's nothing to make look legitimate, she tried to convince herself. Is there?

She was gripping the bedpost, holding her breath and trying not to get angry as the women tightened a silk band around her waist.

"There," Ming said, patting her waist and stepping back. She pushed down gently on Katara's shoulder and as she knelt, Ming gathered her hair and twisted it into in intricate knot, securing it in place with gold chopsticks; they had little dragons on the end, with rubies for eyes.

Ming came up behind her, holding a delicate string of pearls and gold. Katara's hand flew to her neck, her fingers curling around her pendant. "The necklace stays," she said firmly.

The elderly lady eyed her a moment, her eyes narrowed and lips pursed, as if sizing her up, before nodding once, and she put the necklace away.

She went to look at herself in the mirror. The ladies watched her with amused expressions as her eyes caught her reflection. She looked...different; she could tell it was her, but with the dress and the hair and the face paint...she did not look like Katara, a Southern Water Tribe peasant, she looked like Katara of the Fire Nation, a noble. The dress was...pretty, in a Fire Nation way. It reminded her a little of the dresses Azula used to wear, which was unsettling, only this one was a bit more feminine. The collar was high and the sleeves were long, but it did fit beautifully. It made her wonder what the Fire Lady wore. There were no paintings of Zuko's mother in the palace, and there had been no Fire Lady since her.

She reached for her face, to tone down the coloring some, but Ming grabbed her hand swiftly and admonished her. "No, Miss Katara."

She frowned.

There was a knock on her door. As soon as Ming's back was turned, Katara ran her knuckle along her lips, wiping away some of the sticky dye-one of the younger women, Yun, giggled quietly behind her hand before flushing with embarrassment. Katara held a solitary finger to sealed lips, begging her silence; Yun nodded her agreement, and the women exchanged a smile.

Iroh entered, dressed in his own official Fire Nation nobility robes-correction, he was dragged into the room by a very persistent Nali.

"Oh, you look lovely, Katara."

She smiled. "Thank you. You look very handsome yourself, Uncle."

He patted his middle that, despite his expression, wasn't as large as he'd like others to believe. "Haven't worn these in...quite a few years. The attire of a teashop owner is mush simpler. And more comfortable."

"Everything is simpler when you're a teashop owner, isn't it?" she asked with a knowing grin.

"Everything but tea."

Katara reached for Nali despite Ming's protest that she'd wrinkle her dress.

The child's eyes were wide. "You're pretty."

She laughed. "Thank you, sweetheart. And you look like a princess."

Nali smiled and hugged her tightly.

She kissed the crown of the child's head, pushing a persistent ache away and cherishing the moment.

"Are we ready, ladies?" Iroh asked.

"You mean Nali really gets to go?" Katara asked. Not that she did not want the child there, but she did not think a state dinner was exactly child-friendly, neither would it be very fun. She had a feeling Zuko was going to be on edge enough as it was.

Nali leaned back in her arms and looked at her, appearing insulted. "Yes, I go!"

"Of course she does! It's her day, too. She'll play with all the noble children." He leaned close and added behind his hand, in a whisper, "On the other side of the palace, that is."

Katara pressed a kiss to the girl's cheek before setting her down and taking her hand. They walked with Iroh down the hall. Suddenly, her heart began to race. She had bated back nervousness until now, but as they approached the great hall and voices carried like the wind, she had a fleeting desire to turn and run. But then she was back, ready to face anything and anyone in that room.

She took a deep, calming breath, preparing herself to join the nobles, when Iroh put a hand on her arm.

"I will escort Nali to her party. You must join Zuko in his study. It is tradition for the Fire Lord and Lady-or his escort, as it is today-to enter together."

Nali, as if sensing her nervousness, squeezed her hand before turning down the hall with Iroh. "S'kay, Kat-ra."

Katara waved with a smile, but felt as if her security blanket was being taken away. She steered herself past the battalion of guards stationed between the great hall and the throne room, and one of them shot a flame into the pneumatic pipe, opening the door of the study for her.

Zuko was sitting on his desk, facing the window framed by open curtains. He held a scroll in his hands and was reading it intently, face serious.

The door shutting behind her announced her presence.

He held up an unconcerned hand. "A minute, please?"

"Of course."

Her long, tight, heavy dress wasn't the easiest to move in, but she managed. She ran her fingers gently over the mantlepiece, an intricately carved dark marble. She identified a dragon, a lotus blossom, and flames; there were flames everywhere. On top of the mantle was a ceramic urn and a gold bowl. Simple. No paintings or flowers, but this was a man's office, she had to remind herself.

She heard him stand and turned to face him.

"Sorry about that-"

When his gaze landed on her, all the words on his tongue disappeared. She stood in front of the fire, the flames outlining her silhouette, but the sunlight streaming through the window played on her face, her dark blue eyes, her pink cheeks.

Her lips...

Her face flushed suddenly and she averted her eyes.

"You look..." He couldn't find words worthy of her. "Beautiful" didn't come close.

"I look ridiculous," she said.

"What? No." He came around his desk to stand in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "'Ridiculous' would be when you dressed as Sokka's pregnant wife."

Katara laughed, the sound filling the room and driving away her fears. She pressed her face to his chest. "I can't believe I even told you about that. I can't believe you remember!"

"It was a pretty memorable story," he said, a smile in his voice. He cupped her chin, forcing her eyes upward, and she swallowed, realizing how close they were. Their lips were barely a handspan apart. "You look beautiful, Katara," he told her.

Her mouth was suddenly dry. "Thank you," she whispered. "You look quite handsome yourself, Fire Lord."

It suddenly hit her that they were no longer children. It hit her like a speeding monorail, leaving her momentarily breathless. He was no longer the brash, hotheaded, arrogant, domineering teenage boy he had been during the war. Neither was he the newly crowned Fire Lord, feeling out his station and duties while trying to disguise how dithering he truly was, entering adulthood. Now, he was a man, sure of himself and his appellation. And she was no longer a girl.

She wanted to kiss him, and he wanted to kiss her; she could see him staring at her lips. What's more, she wanted him to kiss her. What was this feeling, making her heart race and breathing so difficult? She could feel his breath on her face, she could smell the scent of him flooding, overwhelming her senses: tea and smoke-always smoke. This is Zuko, she tried to tell herself, as if to spurn even the idea, but she found herself leaning towards him anyway. This is Zuko...

There was a knock on the door. The moment, whatever it had been, shattered. Zuko nearly growled. He released his hold on her chin, but his hand slid to her shoulder.

"What?" he snapped.

Whoever interrupted the Fire Lord hesitated, sensing his anger. "M-my lord, they are ready for you."

His jaw clenched. "All right." He turned back to her, and his expression softened. "Ready?"

She sighed. "If you are."

He took her hand in her own, interlacing their fingers. The touch was comfortable, familiar, and she did not pull away. He led her across the throne room and they paused outside the doors that led into the great hall, flanked by a cortege of Firebenders.

He turned to her. "There's still time for you to run."

"And leave you to the vulture griffins?" she questioned, smoothing a nonexistent wrinkle on his robe.

He smiled. "You have a choice in this regard." His gold eyes became intense as he stared down at her. "This is a very public event, Katara," he said pointedly. "Your presence in the palace will no longer be just a rumor."

He was trying to protect her; he was offering her an out. She found she did not want one. "I know," she said, and she squeezed his hand.


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