Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA

Thanks for the reviews everyone! I love all of them, it's so nice to see that people are following my fic and interested in it. I know this story is a bit of a slow burn, but it'll speed up after this chapter lol also I still don't have a power cord yet, so I got drunk and typed over half of this chapter on my phone!

Anyways, please enjoy this chapter and I always welcome reviews!


Katara held her breath, accustomed now to the tight binding that her dress team always did when they stuffed her into these fancy formal gowns. This one was exceptionally elegant, a white satin dress trimmed with deep blue and studded with valuable sapphires. Definitely one of Yue's old gowns, possibly for formal international events. Like this one.

White ribbons criss crossed across her back, woven together until they met in a lush bow over her hips. She felt like a tightly wrapped gift, but as she glanced at the mirror she couldn't help but admire the smooth lines of the cut.

This meeting was with Chief Arnook and her father, and it was regarding the trade agreement with the Fire Nation. Her father had spoken with the Northern Water Tribe Chief last night, who had been eager to follow up with their entire family as soon as possible. That had to be a good thing, right? Her father had come by her suite immediately after the meeting and told her to come to the private office in the throne room for breakfast the next morning with him, Sokka, and Chief Arnook.

So here she was, dressed in a beautiful gown, Akatsa weaving a beautiful silver headdress into her hair, brushing her eyes with silver paint. She looked like a princess. A real princess, a warrior of the south. The intensity of the silver against her blue eyes made her feel strong.

So she stood tall, thanked her team, and left to meet the two chiefs of the Water Tribes.

When she entered the room, she was surprised at how many people stood gathered together. Her father, her father's head of council, Chief Arnook and five of his elders, and...Sokka, Suki, and Aang. She'd sort of thought that the meeting would be more private, but the company made sense. It was a big decision, definitely one that the avatar should be aware of. Even if King Kuei wasn't.

"Welcome, Katara," said Chief Arnook, bowing low. Katara returned the bow. "The dress looks lovely on you. I'm sure that Yue would have loved to see you in it." Katara smiled sadly, knowing that the older man still suffered the loss of his daughter.

"Thank you, and it's good to see you too." She remembered her time in the Northern Water Tribe, remembered that he'd been very good to her during her time training there. And she hoped that now he could put his prejudice behind him and learn to trust again.

"We have much to talk about. Please sit."

Katara sat at the table. Her family and friends also sat, making this feel much more formal of a meeting than she'd anticipated. Even Aang looked serious, though he only had a rough idea of what this was about.

"Your father and have spoken about the treaty," said Chief Arnook, his expression serious. "It's interesting, and the logic behind it is understandable. I'm sensing that General Iroh has a strong hand in the decision making here, which isn't a bad thing from what I've been told."

Katara nodded, anxious to hear the fate of her village.

"I spent the night in thought. I want to trust the Fire Nation. I want to trust Fire Lord Zuko. But I have no reason to. You ask for much. My tribe is also recovering, and ours is even larger than yours. You need a lot to get through the winter; I understand your pain. But my tribe has needs too, and few of them trust the Fire Nation to uphold a promise. Not after what we've all been through."

Shocked, Katara could do nothing but stare in disappointment. So coming here, crossing the ocean to get an audience with the Fire Lord...all for nothing. And no hope for the winter. She turned to look at her father, but he didn't seem defeated. If anything, he looked confident.

"You can persuade your people for more. You just need something to benefit you as well...an excuse," said Chief Hakoda knowingly. Chief Arnook didn't reply, but he smiled slightly. Katara relaxed as she understood. He couldn't just send them excess goods on the word of a new and fragile Fire Lord. He needed a guarantee of some sort. "So, what do you want?"

"I think you know." The Chief stared straight at Katara as he spoke now, and she felt a drop in her stomach. He couldn't mean...did her father...agree to this?

From the look on everybody's faces, ranging from her father's dark surprise to Aang and Sokka's confusion, it didn't look like Chief Arnook had shown his hand early.

"You mean...you want me to marry Zuko?" Her question was soft, almost a whisper, but the response was absolute chaos.

"How dare you!" snarled her father, standing and slamming his fist on the table. Aang and Sokka looked to share the sentiment, both leaping to their feet, but her father thundered over whatever they'd been starting to say. "This is not our tribe's way! This is my daughter, and I won't stand for her being used like this!" His anger stunned Katara. Was that really all this was about? Chief Arnook looked unfazed, sitting back and letting the collective anger wash over him.

"She's my girlfriend!" yelled Aang loudly, his face red with surprise and rage. "She can't...that's awful! How can you demand that someone marry against their will, and intentionally withhold support from a tribe? Your sister tribe!" Sokka bolstered this point with angry, albeit incomprehensible, shouting.

Chief Arnook rode out the pandemonium with cool composure. Katara sat in silence, partially horrified and partially curious about what he had to say about it. Clearly he had something further to get into, but needed them to actually listen. He met her gaze and a small smile quirked the corner of his mouth.

Finally it died down. Chief Arnook spread butter over a roll, taking a small bite before clearing his throat. Everybody except Katara stared at him with expectant anger.

"First of all, political marriages are not outside of your culture. It's older than any generation you've experienced, but your tribe and mine used to send princes, princesses, dukes, duchesses, and noblemen and women for hundreds of years before our time. Katara would be the first in a long time, that is for sure, but she wouldn't be the first." Her father looked ready to argue semantics, but Chief Arnook gave him a hard look. He wasn't through yet. Eyes narrow, Chief Hakoda settled back to hear the rest.

"Secondly, I see few other options for us. My nieces are making no progress with the Fire Lord. One of them is even asking if she can allow a minor lord here to court her, so it's suffice to say that she's no longer interested. Katara, meanwhile, not only has his attention, but as I hear it he is more invested in her than he lets on."

Aang looked at Katara in surprise, but she staunchly kept her eyes on Chief Arnook. Now was not the time to handle this with him.

"Your village needs resources. I understand. I don't have a reason to take from my people and give to yours at the moment...but should our sister tribe bind to the Fire Nation through a marriage, my people would recognize the political advantage that it gives us, and surely we could send gifts of more than sufficient quantity to get your tribe through the next few years. There is also the dowry to consider. It currently stands at 250,000 gold, plus silver, fine wood, and priceless jewelry. No doubt valuable to anybody who secures it, but your tribe in particular could benefit from the excess."

Katara listened hard. This deal could be the difference between life and death for people, her own people. And honestly, if you looked past the emotional aspect of the proposition, it actually made sense. Similar to Zuko's situation, Chief Arnook couldn't just send money around, especially not during this time of both tension and peace. And he was right too. Her father knew...they had stories of their ancestors, legendary tales of kings and queens joined through arranged marriages. There was even a duchess who went to the Northern Air Temple to join hands with a nomad to secure a trade alliance.

It was asking for a lot. After hundreds of years of love marriages, it would be difficult to go back to political ones. And there was the unspoken resentment between the chiefs, that the only reason that Chief Arnook even demanded this was because he didn't have a daughter to offer, nor was there any faith that he would have offered her at all if she were here. But that would have been unspeakably tasteless to bring up.

So he asked Katara for a marriage to forge faith among nations. And...as the daughter of the Chief, as a player in this newborn political playing field, was she not responsible to use every resource available to her to ensure the continuing success of her tribe? Wasn't that more important than her own comfort?

Katara liked Zuko, sure. Maybe she even had untested interest in him. But this was skipping every single step in between, jumping straight to marriage. An agreement to bond for life, to bear children with him...everything that that entailed. Katara flushed hot red. Yes, it was asking a lot.

"Maybe," she said slowly, and at the sound of her voice every face turned to her. Mouths dropped open, but silence reigned as she spoke. "Maybe...it would be for the best."

There was dead silence. The entire table stared at her as she stubbornly glared at the table. Then, like before, yelling erupted.

"Katara, you are in no way obligated to do this," barked her father. She flinched at the hard tone in his voice. "You are not to be held responsible for the situation that our tribe is in. The Fire Nation did this to us, and they will not take my daughter as compensation for undoing their war." There it was. The resentment, the hatred towards the Fire Nation. As far as her father had come, he still bore deep scars from his losses during the war. And although he was glad to work with them to reestablish peace, the idea of giving up a child to them was too much. Katara knew that he was justified in his anger. She hated to see him like this. But she was starting to understand what she had to do.

"What happened has happened," she said quietly. She couldn't look at Aang, at Sokka. Suki stared in disbelief, her eyes darting back and forth but revealing little. "The war happened. It's over now. I'm entitled to the same anger, but the things that we do now will determine the future for us. Maybe I have to put my anger behind me and look forward too."

Her father didn't speak, just stared at her in disbelief. She felt heavy gray eyes on her, and she knew it was time for her to talk with Aang. She stood, towering over the seated table. Katara turned and nodded to Chief Arnook.

"I'll think about it," she said, barely returning his smile. "Me and Aang need to talk."

She stood, and nobody stopped her as she left the room. Aang stood and followed her.

They wove through the throne room, through the offices until she found an empty one. Aang shut the door behind him, and for the first time ever Katara was afraid of him. Not because she thought he'd strike out at her, but because she dreaded the hurt that they were going to do to each other.

"So...you're really going to think about it?" he asked her in a low voice, the emotion behind it masked. Katara cringed.

"I have to. I have an obligation to my people." She turned to face him, wishing that this could be easy. Aang nodded, looking sharply at the floor.

"But that's not the only reason," he added, still avoiding her eyes. Katara flinched, wondering if he knew. If he suspected. "If you were in love with me...really in love, I don't think this would be on the table at all." His voice wasn't accusatory, just flat, like he was stating a fact.

"I'm sorry Aang," she whispered, wishing she could hug him. "I...I don't love Zuko. It's not like that. But I don't feel like we're in love either. We were so young when this all started. I think we need time to really grow up."

"You're taking that time away from yourself," he replied, his voice pained now. She nodded, feeling hot tears sting her eyes. "For your tribe."

They stood in silence, close but not touching. For a long time neither said anything.

"That's what I loved about you," said Aang finally, rubbing his eyes. "That you'd do anything for your tribe. You're a great person Katara. This isn't my choice to force onto you. I just...I need some time alone."

She nodded, and he left the room. Katara felt a deep emptiness break into her as he shut the door behind him, and she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face.


"What's this meeting for?" asked Zuko irritably. He was hungry, he'd missed breakfast because his training had gone over time, and now he had this emergency meeting with his council. And nobody had even told him what it was about.

"We needed to speak with you, esteemed Fire Lord," said Lord Hyazi, bowing deeply. "Some new information has emerged, and we have met several times to discuss the significance of it before making the decision to bring it to your attention."

"Information regarding what?" he asked, wanting to just get to the point. "A treaty? An assassination? Some noble visiting?" They all exchanged unsure glances. Zuko took a seat at the table, and they all followed.

"It's in regards to your future engagement," replies Lord Hyazi. "We've been speaking with Chief Arnook, and we believe that a better investment may be in order."

"You told me not to choose someone outside of the Fire Nation," said Zuko. "It made sense. Why change your minds now?" It wasn't that he was opposed to the thought, but it had made sense. Why shake the boat like this when whispers of uprising emerged strongly every day?

"Well, we have discussed other options. If you marry into the Fire Nation, the standard dowry just goes into the pockets of another minor lord here. One who was likely already allied to you, one who offers little besides a daughter and a lineage."

Zuko shrugged. That didn't seem outrageous of a price for the security of the throne.

"There may be a superior option. Marrying a lady from another nation would bring us not only an alliance, but also an investment. That dowry isn't free, in a sense, because trade agreements become available. The Earth Kingdom may be a poor choice. They have the best economic standing, and have little to offer. The Northern Water Tribe stands to gain a bit more from a marriage...but the Southern tribe would gain the most. We think that a strong relationship with them could bolster both nations substantially, both making a powerful ally and bolstering our own nation as well."

That meant...marrying Katara. Zuko's mouth suddenly felt dry, and the memory of her bathing in the courtyard rose unbidden to his mind. He forced it back down, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"What exactly would we gain from that? They have nothing to offer us. They're a poor nation." She was beautiful, definitely. But he had a responsibility to think like a Fire Lord, not like a common man. Married to Katara...

"Yes, their resources are limited," said Lord Hyazi. "But they have expansive untapped mountains that we believe to be rich with coal. Our own supply of coal is dropping every day; the reunification effort requires as much travel as the war did, but we have lost ownership to the coal mines in the former Earth Kingom colonies. The Southern Water Tribe, however, has not expanded into mining. They lack the equipment to mine it, which we have in over abundance now. So we can offer to mine it, bringing more jobs to the south, and providing cheap and abundant coal for both nations. They rise together."

He sat back proudly. Zuko's eyebrows raised; they had clearly put a lot of thought into this. And it wasn't bad. The wealth to be gained from mining would likely be a decent cushion to protect him and his council from national lash back. But would it be enough?

"Are you sure that we won't lose public support over this?" he asked. The council exchanged significant looks.

"Well...we may," said Lord Azuma reluctantly. "This part depends on you. Political marriages aren't uncommon in our nation. But it's unheard of for a Fire Lord to marry outside of the nation, so we have no precedent for what to expect. However, what we do know is that historically, a tragic or forbidden romance has garnered support from the general population. We think that the best way to convince the nation to support your potential marriage would be to stage a romance. A secret courtship that becomes obvious, which will be forbidden by us in order to gather support from the people. If it goes well, it may even boost your public image."

"That sounds like a dangerous game," said Zuko. "You're turning yourselves into the enemy. That could compromise your own jobs. And it's dependent on none of us letting the information slip. If the public found out that it was staged, they could riot."

"Yes. A lot of this relies on trust. We have to trust that you'll support us throughout this, and you have to trust in our silence. But, we've never failed you before."

Zuko nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll have to think about it. And talk to the chiefs."

"We've spoken with Chief Arnook already. He's confident that he can convince Chief Hakoda. But it's up to the princess Katara, and we will have to leave that to you."

Obviously he'd need to be the one to talk to Katara. He swallowed hard. She was an old friend, he trusted her, but they'd never had anything between them. At least, not until very recently. And to know that she was considering him in that light...

"I'll speak with her," he said. "Nothing is decided yet. It makes sense, but I'm not sure that she'll be willing to sign her life off for an alliance."

He hated to think it, but as much as he knew Katara loved her tribe, he wasn't sure if she'd be so ready to sell herself for them. And he also hated to admit that it was embarrassing to have to ask her to do so.

But just like her duty would be to her people, he owed his at least the will to try.

"Sina. Send an invitation to the lady Katara to meet me in my private tea room tonight for dinner."


"You can't be serious. You're not really going to this dinner, are you? Is this really happening?" Toph grimaced as Katara threw herself onto her bed. "You broke up with Aang?"

"I don't know what else to do," said Katara, her voice muffled by the pillow she pulled over her face. "It makes sense, politically. It would do more for my tribe than I could do in years. I could make sure that trades were fair, I'd have a say in the progress of peace and culture. I could keep everything safe, forever."

"At what cost?" asked Toph gently. "If we're trading people for peace, is it even peace?" Katara looked up. She hadn't expected anything philosophical to ever come from Toph, but the girl had really grown into a young woman.

"I'm not being traded. If I do this, it's because I agree to it." She felt the weight of her role on her shoulders.

"My lady, your brother is at the door. He wants to talk to you." Satori bowed low as she spoke. She'd knocked courteously before opening the door to Katara's private room, aware that formalities had to be strictly adhered to now that the full entourage was here. Katara frowned. She didn't want to talk to Sokka yet.

"Tell him I'm...I need time alone. I'll talk with him tomorrow." Katara hated to turn her brother away after he'd just arrived, but she knew that he was only coming to talk her out of considering the proposition. And she already knew all of the arguments from both sides; her head was running an endless stream of them as if her life depended on it. It's a bad idea. You don't love him. What if he turns bad again? What if you realize you did love Aang? What if you forget your heritage? What if you hate your life? What if somebody assassinates you? What if Zuko is dethroned?

Katara closed her eyes and forced the bad thoughts away. Nothing was decided just yet, and she had the freedom to make the final choice.

"I have to do this. And it's just dinner."

"You said that about the tea date, and now you're talking to him about an engagement." Toph's arms crossed. Katara winced.

"I know. Look Toph, you can't tell anybody else. This is family only, alright? Not my own servants, not even Roraima. I've just always considered you to be family, so don't make me regret telling you about this." Katara sighed in relief as Toph shrugged noncommittally. She knew that meant that her friend wouldn't say a word about it. "Thanks. Sorry, I know this is weird and everything. But it's like I said, nothing is decided."

"Is that what you're going to wear?" asked Toph, her eyebrows raising. "I might be blind but I can feel a floor length gown. Seems a little bit formal." Surprised, Katara looked down at herself.

"It's a political thing. Shouldn't I? It's sort of a big deal, I'm coming at this as a representative of a nation." She felt a mild deja vu as she reconsidered, yet again, what she should wear to this.

"I guess so. It seems more personal than that though, since he's a friend and everything. Right?" As Toph asked the question, Katara knew what the answer was. She stood, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"He's a friend, but not the same friend that we knew him as. He's the leader of a nation now, nothing is simple anymore." She would need to bring all of her bargaining power to the table here. Toph nodded.

"You know him better than I do at this point," she said mildly. "I'll feed Ka while you're gone. Don't stay out too late sugar queen."

Katara sighed at her old nickname, smiling at her old friend.

"It's not like that. It's just dinner, to talk about the possibility of an alliance."

"A marriage alliance."

"Goodnight Toph!"


Katara wasn't expecting anything special. She hadn't been to this room before, but a tea room didn't sound romantic to her. It sounded like just a quiet place to talk, maybe have a little food. And it was in the same hall as his other offices, so she couldn't expect it to look much different.

But when Sina opened the door for her, she was surprised by the intimacy of the room. There was a small fire burning in a stone fireplace, warming the area as darkness cooled the palace. A lovely fountain decorated with exquisitely carved birds generated the soothing music of trickling water, and carefully placed candles lit the room. Zuko sat at a low table in the center of the room, a traditional layout with thick red cushions on the floor to sit on. As she walked in, he stood to greet her. Katara was grateful to see that he wore his royal robes, matching her formality. This was a meeting between friends, and at the same time it wasn't.

"Welcome," he said after a moment of hesitation. His hand came up as though to rub the back of his neck, as he'd done when he was younger, but he caught himself and forced it back down. Katara felt a mild pain at how strictly he'd trained himself to be a Fire Lord. "Please, sit."

She sank gracefully into the cushions, her feet curling to the side as she surveyed him over the dark table. A beautiful teapot steamed in the center, and he poured them two cups of white lotus tea.

"Sina, leave us." The assistant bowed deeply before closing the door with a quiet click. He looked up and handed Katara the cup, fingers touching hers briefly as she took it. She felt her heart beat in her throat.

"This is beautiful," she admitted, looking down at her hands as he watched her. For the first time, she was at a loss of words. She had no idea what to say to him, and from his hesitation, he didn't really know either.

"I'm sorry," he said, laughing lightly. "This is really awkward. I know you've been put in a bad place, but I'm still your friend Katara. We can talk about this."

"Yeah. It's just talk." Though she repeated his words, it didn't feel like just talk to her. But he smiled and she felt that her mouth go dry.

"So, marriage. Sort of a big deal, I know. I talked with my council, they said your father and Chief Arnook had already spoken with you. I know you're with Aang, and it's really an unusual proposition. I'd never expect you to go along with this against your will, so I do want to hear what you think." Zuko looked at her expectantly. Katara felt herself blush as she realized that he was looking for an answer.

"Um, well, I um..." she cleared her throat, wishing that she'd had some sort of training on what to say, what to do as a political leader. She looked down and took a deep breath. She wasn't sure exactly what to say, but she knew that one thing had to be cleared up, and since she wasn't sure how to say it, she really had to just say it. "Aang and I broke up."

Zuko stared at her in shock, processing what that meant. He desperately wanted to know if it had something to do with this, but obviously now wasn't the time to ask.

"It's been a long time coming. And also, I want to consider the proposition." She couldn't look at him, focusing on her own knuckles as heat flooded her face. The proposition, the marriage proposition, the children proposition...she pushed herself past it. "It's intriguing. It can be beneficial to both of our nations. It could be great for them." He nodded, frowning slightly.

"I know. You know I have no intention of taking advantage of your tribe. And...I meant what you think about...us." As he spoke, his eyes dropped, and a light blush reddened his neck. Katara was stunned. Despite his cool royal exterior, this was apparently ground that he rarely tread.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I mean, you're a good friend. I sort of also feel like I don't know you very well anymore though. I guess i don't know how I feel about this. Us." She didn't dare admit that she'd been thinking about more than the politics of this situation. Not yet. If she'd learned anything from her father, it was not to lay her cards on the table too early.

He sippped at the lotus tea. It was light, airy, a pleasant drink. Sina knocked at the door, interrupting them to bring in a tray of covered plates. Katara stopped to look with interest as she revealed dishes of succulent braised rabbit and roasted fire peppers. Sina bowed deeply and left the room again, leaving them to their dinner.

"Wine? It's pretty good, the vineyard for it is just outside of the capital walls." Zuko held up a large glass decanter filled with dark red liquid. Katara began to shake her head, but reconsidered after a moment and held out her glass. After today, wine was more than welcome. He poured it for her and handed it back.

For a few minutes they ate in silence. The food was incredible, tenderly cooked with butter and rosemary. The wine was dark and dry, but with a blackberry undertone that made her wish she could down the glass. At any rate, it helped her to feel more comfortable with this conversation.

"Alright. I know this is weird and it's been a long time since we've talked. But I need to lay some things out," said Zuko, leaning onto the table. "You know I need to establish a royal family, and I've told you before that I'd prefer it to be somebody that I know. You're a popular choice. My council likes you, you have good international standing, and you're a strong bender."

"M-hm..." Katara sipped at her wine again, already knowing much about why she mad a good marital candidate. She wasn't ignorant of her appeal as a bender and as an heiress within her own rights.

"B-but," Zuko stammered briefly before clearing his throat. "Also...you're smart, and kind, and responsible. You're regal even when you're not trying to be. Especially when you're not trying." Katara's eyes widened, mouth opening slightly. "You have all of the qualities of a good queen. Or Chief, if that's what you want to do. But I just want you to know that this offer isn't just my council to yours. I also...find you an exceptional woman."

Katara stared blankly while Zuko studied his crystal glass, his face humbler than she'd seen in a long time. Ever, maybe. It was oddly attractive, seeing a side of him that few ever saw. Katara fought the sharp flutter in her stomach.

"I...don't know what to say," she murmured, honestly at a loss for words. "I mean, I'm really flattered. Who wouldn't be? But I'm just not sure. I think I have to talk to my dad again first. If I was going to go through with this, I'd really need his support. And I'm...I'm still not sure that it's what I want to do."

Zuko reached across the table abruptly, his hand closing around Katara's. She jumped but didn't pull away; his grip was incredibly warm.

"Look, I just need you to know. Everything can wait. If you wanted to do this for our nations, everything else...we can wait. Until you're comfortable." As Katara realized what he was talking about, her lungs lost their air. Was that...was he seriously talking about...?

She sensed that he wasn't quite done yet, but before she could respond, a loud knock echoed from the door.

"Fire Lord, I'm so sorry, but the Avatar is here. As well as the lord Sokka, the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, and the lady Toph Bei Fong. They...they're demanding an audience."

Zuko frowned. "Looks like the gang is all here. Let them in, Sina."


The plot thickens! Lol I was dying to reach this chapter. Please enjoy it and let me know what you think in the reviews! I know the Zutara has been limited in the last few chapters, but looks like we can finally start moving forward!