They talk so much more than they used to and this means so much to the both of them. They have been apart for years; not a single letter written to either party; all they feel is excitement with their relationship suddenly taking a turn for the better. Just a month ago Katara was lying on a bed barely conscious and completely lost in a puddle of misfortune. She felt sorry for herself but at the same time grateful to the man who was steadily by her side. He was someone she thought she never knew, his skin fair as snow and that scar disturbing and yet beautiful all at the same time.
She had never understood why he was with her almost every single moment of the time she was conscious and yet not want anything from her. She'd hate to admit it but she had thought he was some perverted man with strange and dangerous demands of her. And yet all he was was a friend who loved her and wanted the best for her. She hates it but there was a time in her life during the month of lost that she thought that he was out to harm her until she saw what was in his eyes; his tears.
He cried every time he thought she was asleep. She never really slept until she was sure he'd left the room. She is now ashamed to think of it this way but she had honestly thought ill of the man who was her benefactor. He never touched her; instead, he fed her and tried his best to make her as comfortable as he could possibly. From the moment that she saw his tears fall, she knew that he was someone who loved her and someone whom she loved; loves. When she was empty and lost, he was there for her and when she had finally allowed him into her life, she'd fallen in love.
It wasn't quick and swift like the kind of love you see in the theatres of Ba Sing Se or Ember Island, this love developed when her hand maiden first fed her and she flung the bowl of porridge onto the carpet floor just as the young man stepped into her quarters. Zuko never said a word, instead, he excused the maid, headed to her bathroom and came back with a cool, wet towel for the portion of her arms that got scalded. And when the hand maiden brought another bowl of porridge to them, he fed her, scoop by scoop; grain by grain until he was crying so much he nearly choked.
She started to trust him then. And from there they talked and he fed her and then they ate together until they became friends again. She smiles softly at the irony because even in her confusion, she had found a friend in the man who once took a bolt of lightning on her behalf. And then slowly but surely she began feeling for him. It started out as pity which turned into trust, which turned into friendship which ultimately turned into love.
She sighs softly as she stares at the care less turtle ducks swimming in the pond.
And then there is Aang, the husband who fought so hard to have her hand in marriage, who loved her until her could no longer. The man who lost his love for her to his love for the world; the man whom she used to love. Katara finds herself in a conundrum; to love or not to love, to be the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom. Katara scoffs at the irony, how did she manage to find confusion the moment she found her history?
She smiles as Zuko approaches her with bread in his hands. This is their favourite activity ever, they are going to feed the animals, Katara liked to imagine that they were doing this as a family; with their children and then Katara's smile fades. There was a girl, her daughter, whom she lost; she shared this with Aang how could she lose that bond with him?
Katara wakes from her stupor, there is no future between Katara and Zuko, there is only Katara and Aang, and this is what is meant to be. Katara touches her hand to her necklace. This is Aang's not Zuko's.
She looks at Zuko and smiles as he hands her a piece of bread. And then she knows that the time to decide has come.
xxx
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