chapter: musings & announcements
setting: the fire nation, six years after the end of the war.
disclaimer: I own nothing.
author's notes: in which katara decides being stubborn isn't worth it anymore.
Toph sat by the window.
She did very little sitting, these days, finding herself infrequently still. She kept herself busy by helping Zuko with his tenacious relationship with the Earth King by day; and by night, running an underground fighting ring where she amused herself as the Blind Bandit once again.
King Kuei liked her.
The Fire Lord liked her.
That made things simple for the girl. She kept her thoughts restricted to her tasks; to making quipped, snide remarks and jokes that were slightly in bad taste. She was fond of mud puddles and her ragged hair; plain green shifts that were often cut jaggedly just below the knee, exposing bare, dirty feet. She was now in her late teens, and she had grown taller as the years had progressed; not that she had particularly noticed.
Toph Bei Fong needed to stay busy to keep her mind from wandering; to keep her head from spinning. She tried to stay focused so that the images of orange fabric and blue tattoos stayed far from her mind.
But the letters that she had received from her friends over the past few months, with varying frequency, had disturbed her.
She scratched at her head, mouth pursed, her feet leaving little dusty footprints on the velvet, forest green footstool in front of her.
The latest letter was from Zuko.
"Okay, Hotpants. Let's see what you have to say about all of this mess." She mumbled to herself, the old nickname dusty in her mouth. It had been almost a year since she had actually seen the Fire Lord; and longer since they had spent any real time together.
Sliding her fingers under the seal to open the piece of parchment, she caressed the paper with the roughened pads of her fingertips. Zuko had come up with a coded system of writing letters to the blind girl after she had expressed slight - distaste- at having people read her letters for her. He engraved small dots onto thick parchment, and each series of dots stood for a character. She could feel the raised bumps with her hands, and in doing so, could 'read' what he was saying to her. As she was most familiar with the Earth Kingdom's way of writing, Zuko had learned it and they communicated with little to no issue.
Toph,
Many things have happened since I last saw you. I hope you're still getting into trouble. Agni knows the palace could use some humor right about now.
To provide you with some clarity: Katara is here, that's true. She's been staying with me for several months. I can at least tell you that what Sokka has written you about is all true; Aang left Katara nearly a year ago after some... complications.. arose. My advice to you would be to come visit her and talk to her yourself. She misses you.
At this sentence, the blind girl hesitated, her finger hovering over the word 'miss'.
I don't think I've been this happy since you were all here, Toph. She makes me feel alive again.
Zuko.
"Oh, Sparky, you've got it bad." She whispered to herself, letting her fingers wander over the last sentence of his letter a second time. She swore under her breath at this new development. This made things even more complicated then they already were.
The girl stretched, letter crumpling slightly in her sweaty fist. Truthfully, she had avoided Sugar Queen ever since she'd heard about the breakup.
She was somewhat ashamed to admit that she hadn't been able to believe Aang capable of such things; ashamed to admit that she had been angry at Katara for months.
She was especially ashamed to admit (to anyone, let alone herself) that she had nursed unrequited feelings towards the airbender for years, now, and it stung every time she thought of him. It was for this reason that she hadn't seen the Waterbender since the end of the war.
"Damn those feelings." Toph often cursed to herself before bending rocks at something expensive and breakable, which usually was accompanied by high pitched squeals from the household of the Earth King.
It was because she couldn't bear to feel how the older girl's heart didn't flutter, didn't stutter, didn't anything when Aang came around; because Toph knew her secret. She knew that Katara didn't love Aang.
She probably never had.
In Toph's eyes, that meant that she didn't deserve Aang's love; and it made her all the angrier that the boy cared so much for her and so little about anyone else anymore.
Especially her.
His letters were infrequent, his visits rare. She couldn't remember the last time she'd talked to him in person, let alone sparred with him or even got in a few jokes.
Even Zuko, who had been his best friend towards the end of the war and into the fragile peace they now nursed, hadn't seen him in years.
Her expression crumpled, all of a sudden, as she reached for the other letter in her lap. This one she could not read on her own, but she had ordered it read to her so many times that she had practically memorized it by now. It was from the beginning of the summer, and the edges of the parchment were softening with wear.
I'll be returning to the South Pole to reclaim Katara, Toph. I know that I can't go on without her. She's always been my forever girl.
"But she's not in the South Pole." Toph mumbled to herself, pressing the letter to her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut, screwing up her whole face in indecision.
I made a mistake leaving her. I know that now. But if she can't help me recreate the Airbending population, I can't marry her.
Selfishly, when Toph had heard those words, a thrill had raced down her spine and quivered in the pit of her stomach.
The girl had a choice to make.
She had to choose between the boy she loved (damn) and the friends that had shaped her; the Waterbender that had practically raised her as her own or the wide-eyed boy she had fallen hopelessly in love with.
She had to make the decision to reveal Aang's plot to Katara or to expose Katara's true location to Aang.
He would be furious, she knew. She remembered his recent insecurities about Katara's fondness for the Fire Lord.
He would hate the Waterbender.
He would turn to Toph for solace, then, perhaps, turn to her for guidance and affection. He would hate Zuko, too, a thought that made Toph cringe and curl into herself.
Toph cried, then, letting both letters flutter to the floor as she pictured the betrayal that would bubble in their hearts, the hurt that would tinge their voices.
But she knew what she had to do.
It was not quite sunrise, but Katara stirred, feeling the discomfort of the pebbles under her back. She hadn't slept well; fitfully, rather, having cried herself to sleep. Her dreams had been filled with flames that licked at her heels; and somehow, she felt winded, as if she had been running.
Her muscles were sore, and there were the reddening imprints of rocks on her legs and her cheek. Groggy and somewhat stunned, she stared at the pond for a long moment to gather herself before standing. She sighed a little to herself. Part of her understood what Zuko's outburst was about; knew that he had been hurt enough in his life that sometimes, his awareness of others dimmed when he felt challenged.
But part of her was furious that he had jumped to such utterly incorrect conclusions without so much as considering her feelings. She kicked at the pebbled beach half-heartedly, her hands fumbling until they found her pockets.
But wasn't she wrong, too? A small voice in the back of her head echoed, reminding her that while she had come so far, there was so much more to learn.
She crossed her legs and straightened her back, letting her palms rest face up on her knees. Okay, universe. I'm open to what you have to say to me, she seemed to be saying, tilting her head so that she felt the breeze on the apples of her cheeks.
It was blessedly silent, this early in the morning. Not even the birds had begun their songs yet; there was a hush over the world that calmed her frayed nerves. Taking a long, rattling inhale through her mouth, Katara let her eyes shut lazily as she envisioned the push and pull of the water near her.
Before she knew it, she was standing; poised and ready.
The familiar poses ghosted through her body, and she let them claim her for a few moments before dusting herself off.
Yes, she, too, had overreacted.
She imagined that in a few hours, people would come looking for her. They would wonder where she was; they would probably jump to conclusions. It made her feel trapped. But she wandered back up the path even so, taking her time in the darkness of early morning to let her anger fade. Katara let herself into her room through the open window, slipping to the floor with ease. It was just as she had left it; the bedclothes rumpled, pillows astray, a haphazard pile of discarded blue fabric on the floor.
Katara blew a heavy exhale from her nose, then, feeling her anxiety ease. Nobody would know she had been gone all night; rumours would not circulate, she told herself, shutting the window behind her and turning to face the empty room.
It was quiet; save for the small, trickling fountain Zuko had gotten her last week. It sat unassumingly next to her bed, and she glared at it.
This was all his fault. Why did he have to have such a bad temper? It was so irrational.
The room was darkened, and she moved forward awkwardly, bumping into her bed frame as she did so and cursing softly to herself.
All of a sudden, a series of candles lit around her, throwing a shadowy figure she had not spotted in the corner of the room into sudden - and jarring - light. Katara nearly jumped out of her skin, immediately flicking open her flask to pull water into her hands.
The figure stood with some difficulty, and lit their own hands with flames to illuminate their face. Katara huffed in irritation and bent the water back into her flask, crossing her arms over her chest tightly and ignoring her stubbed toe.
"What do you want, Zuko? You nearly scared me to death." She quipped, staring at him with her lips pursed. He shifted his weight around for a moment in silence before answering, looking stiff.
"I thought you left." Thinly, Zuko massaged his neck with one hand, and she realized he must have been sitting there all night waiting for her to come back.
"Well, I didn't," She snapped, her stance territorial and harsh. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to apologize," He spoke, woodenly, playing with the little flame in his hands to avoid looking at her. Raising an eyebrow, Katara waited for what he had to say.
"I knew almost immediately after you walked out how rash I'd been; careless, even. I'm sorry for pressuring you. It's just that... I've been pushed to marry someone for years, now, and now that you're here, everything seemed as if it would be made right again..." Zuko's expression was weary, and he closed his eyes in defeat for a moment. She could see the outline of his scar, the puckered, wrinkled edges around his squinted eye, and for a moment, she saw him as the young, careless Prince she had once known.
"I guess I just didn't consider how it would affect you. I'm sorry, Katara. My words to you were out of line-"
"And incorrect." Katara huffed, glowering. He eyed her with exasperation, his lips pressed tightly together.
"-and I'll throw away the engagement announcement. We don't have to move forward with anything until you feel ready to do so. Or at all, if you've changed your mind." He extinguished his flame then, smoothing down his tunic and preparing to leave her room. Katara's face softened.
He hardly expected her to say anything to him; a part of him envisioned that he had damaged their fragile, fledgling relationship beyond repair. Casting his eyes downward as she remained silent, he turned to face the door, sighing hollowly.
He should have expected this, he always ruined everything-
A pair of cool arms flung themselves around his middle, preventing him from leaving the room.
"Don't leave," A muffled voice mumbled against his back, thick with tears that hadn't been shed yet. Zuko's chest constricted tightly with pain as he dared to hope that she might still- could she still- want him?
"I need to apologize, too." Katara said softly, and he turned so that he could face her. Golden eyes regarded her balefully, and she swallowed, hesitating.
"I shouldn't be afraid anymore. I shouldn't hide from him any longer, and if anything, I should just prepare myself for what happens down the line when he finds out." Her eyes flitted to one side, lower lip catching in her teeth with worry, distractedly playing with the ends of her hair.
Zuko slid his roughened palms under her jaw, cradling her face and tilting her gaze up to meet his.
"You forget, sometimes, that I, too, am a powerful bender. Though it took me some years to see it," He said quietly, one corner of his mouth quirking. A ghost of a smile crossed Katara's face.
"And I'm not nearly as strong as you are. You are a Master Waterbender, Katara, and you could drown an entire city in your wrath should you desire it." Zuko pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Though you hardly need it, I do promise to protect you. Haven't I always?" Zuko's voice was a whisper, now, their faces mere moments apart. Katara's eyes pooled with tears, then, as her hand lifted to rest on the lightning scar on his chest.
"Zuko!" He was dead, he had to be dead- his body, singed and scorched, smoking faintly in the glow of blue flames-
"And I will protect you." Katara said softly, letting her cheek curve into Zuko's palm as she remembered how he struggled to breathe, the air catching raggedly in his chest. She remembered his eyes squeezed shut in pain until she managed to crawl to his side, and how he had stared at her with a burning agony, a fever, his eyes raking up and down her body as he searched for injuries on her body.
Her fingers traced the outline of the star-shaped scar on his chest through his robes.
Their mouths met in a slow kiss, foreheads tilting together as they made silent promises to each other, lips moving against each other achingly. Zuko's hands fell from her throat to wind around her waist, pulling her tight against his chest until she could feel his heartbeat thrumming against her palms.
Push and pull. Inhale, exhale.
"Agni, Katara, you know I love you, don't you?" He murmured against her skin, lips at her throat, tasting her pulse. "I would throw myself between you and Azula's lightning a thousand times if that's what it took to keep you safe."
Oh. Oh, Zuko.
Her body quavered with emotion, tears spilling from her eyes now. Somehow, a part of her had known; a part of her had always known. Her fingers tangled in his hair, now, holding him close to her for a moment before pulling back to meet his gaze with her own. Slender, pale fingers swiped the tears slipping down her cheeks away.
"I love you, Zuko. I think I always have," Her voice broke at the end of the sentence, and she let her fingers trail through his hair for a moment, her eyes searching the endless expanse of gold before her, how his eyes warmed, how his lips parted with an exhale, a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.
He was silent, and she could feel the pulse of his heart quickening beneath her flattened palm.
"And you don't have to throw away the announcement. I'd like it- us - to be official. Even if it took your Uncle and part of your council to demand it, I'm proud to be your partner." Katara's stammered words surprised the young Fire Lord, and he stumbled through his next sentence, cheeks pinked.
"Are... are you serious?" The words were clumsy, mumbled through numb lips. Katara's answering laugh was shaky.
"I'm terrified, Zuko. Really, I am. I grew up in a war, and sometimes, I'm not sure if I know how to be a whole person without some form of conflict in my life,"
At this, Zuko nodded pensively, and her fingers traced the outline of his scar, the ridges of burned flesh, the puckered red lines that separated smooth, white flesh from scarred. She knew he understand what she meant. He closed his eyes lazily and let himself relax into her hand, because the scar was a part of him. It was constant reminder to him now, of all that he had been and all that he would be.
"I'm afraid that Aang will want to reinvigorate the violence if he finds out, because he, too, has a war inside him." She whispered thinly, straining against a lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. Zuko's hand covered hers, all of a sudden, the calloused palm cupping her much smaller one.
"Then we will face it, together, as we always have." He said gently, and she believed him.
"How am I going to tell Sokka?" Katara moaned over breakfast, as Zuko poured over reports from the nearby villages and cast scathing glances at his advisors. Zuko shrugged, at first, almost missing his mouth with a spoonful of fire flakes.
"Watch it. You'll be furious with yourself if you spill something on those," Katara motioned to the reports with her free hand before letting her face fall into it with exasperation.
"Not to mention your advisors are literally watching our every move. Why are they in your breakfast room, again?" Katara narrowed her eyes at the chubby Advisor Pu, who was staring at her with dark, beady eyes.
"They insisted." Zuko muttered, directing his own glare at them. Katara suddenly flicked her hand, and Zuko glanced down, realizing that she had stopped a dribble of milk from his breakfast from dropping onto his reports. She bent it carefully back into the bowl, and he smiled at her gratefully.
"I already told him, by the way." Zuko said off-handedly, scooping another bite carefully into his mouth. He shuffled the papers on the table around a little, frowning deeply and humming under his breath.
"You what?" Katara exclaimed, shoving herself to her feet, her eyes wild.
"And he let you live?" She screeched, and several of the advisors that were floating impatiently about the room winced. Zuko rolled his eyes.
"Really, Katara. It's not like your brother was totally opposed. I think he was rooting for me."
"-rooting for you?! My brother?" Her face was red, now, and Zuko lifted his gaze from his breakfast and his reports to stare at her.
"Listen. It went like this:
Zuko walked Sokka to the end of the pier, his expression mixed with emotion.
"Zuko, she really seems to care about you. You'll... look after her, won't you?" Sokka noted, his face tinging with embarrassment. Zuko offered a brief smile in return, turning to face the water.
"There's something I have to discuss with you, Sokka." He said quietly, playing with a small ball of fire in his hands to ease his anxiousness. Sokka frowned deeply.
"Is something wrong, buddy?" He clapped the older man on the shoulder lightly, trying to gauge what it was that was wrong. Zuko shook his head, letting the fire splutter out in his hands before facing the Water Tribe boy.
There was no easy way to ask this, was there? Katara was everything to Sokka. She had looked after both of them as children, saw to it that he was made a member of the tribe even when the other warriors and their children laughed at him. She had protected him; and in turn, he had done so for her, as well.
"I'd like your permission to ask your sister to marry me." There, he'd said it. He'd practically spit the words from his mouth, cheeks ruddy and ears aflame.
Sokka's eyebrows shot up before he erupted into mirth, clutching his stomach as he rumbled with laughter. Zuko merely stared at him, lips a thin line of seriousness.
Sokka's laughter died in his mouth as he noted that his friend wasn't joking.
"Holy ostrich-horses, you're serious? You and my sister? La, that's a funny pairing. Did she freeze you to the wall? Or into an ice block? I'm surprised she hasn't killed you yet, to be honest." Sokka's laughter returned to his eyes and he grinned, clapping him on the back again- harder this time- and brandishing his boomerang. Zuko flinched away from the weapon, looking very confused at Sokka's range of emotions.
"I trust you, Zuko. You've been a good friend, not only to her, but to me and the rest of our group as well. You might be a little uptight sometimes, but I'm sure that's nothing a little stewed sea prunes and some sake can't fix!" Sokka chuckled to himself, glancing at his boomerang wistfully.
"So I give my permission. But if I so much as see you put your hands on her- I'll slice you from naval to nose. Got it, hotpants?" He waved the weapon in the direction of the Fire Lord, who merely blinked at the blade before nodding morosely.
"Katara's my baby sister. She's all I had for such a long time- and things just haven't seemed to work out well for her, you know, after Aang- just, please promise me you'll take care of her." Sokka's tone was quiet, now, and he seemed to shake off the sentiment by shouting-
"Tell her I beat the crap out of you for this!"
-and jumping on the boat that would take him to the Southern seas, laughing raucously. Zuko stared for a moment at Sokka's reaction before shaking his head, his shoulders quivering with chuckles as he realized there was no other reaction Sokka would have possibly had.
"Your father agreed with the treaty that I had sent to him a few weeks before your arrival."
"Of course he did," Katara murmured, casting her eyes downward, the merriment that had glistened there from Zuko's story about her brother fading.
Standing, he moved to her, eyeing the advisors that were now speaking to each other in low voices. Zuko paused, eyebrows furrowing together, pressing his hand into the small of her back to try and reassure her. The apples of her cheeks colored slightly at the contact.
"He knows I'm of no real use to any other man. He knows that any marriage at this point is a good marriage; that it's better to send me off somewhere far away than to face the fact that I was sullied before he could make an acceptable match for me." The words heavy with sadness, Katara's eyes dimmed in the candlelight of the room.
The flames on the candles suddenly flared high for a moment as Zuko's eyes burned with frustration. Katara flinched away from the abrupt heat, startled.
"You are not sullied," He hissed between his teeth, eyes narrowed, shadows falling across the scarred half of his face in a particularly menacing way.
"You're fine just the way you are. I can't believe your own father-"
"Zuko-"
"-how could he possibly think that, after all you've been through-"
"Zuko!"
"What?" The Fire Lord snapped, realizing that he had started to pace. Katara sighed, quietly sinking back into her chair.
"Sit down. I'll explain." She motioned to his chair, and he bristled before sitting stiffly, mouth pursed with frustration.
"My tribe is ancient. Not to mention cut off from largely all of modern civilization. It's rare that we ever engage with other Nations, even our Northern cousins. Because of this, unfortunately, our society is fairly sexist. Women are expected to be seen and not heard; to assist the men, to cook their meals and wait patiently for them to be done before we even get a chance to eat. We are heavily steeped in tradition, and the daughter of the Chief is typically paired off with either someone of noble blood from the Northern tribe or the best hunter among our own ranks." Katara pushed at the pieces of fruit on her plate and shrugged to herself.
"It's just the way it is. It's the way it's always been. So because Aang forced me into having intimate relations with him before we were married, in the eyes of my tribe, I am no longer of marriageable quality. And unfortunately, the entire tribe knew about it because I bled so often and because he left me very- uh- loudly." Katara's eyes glazed slightly, memories in her gaze.
"Loudly?" He echoed, his tone lifting in a question.
"He accused me of being in love with you in front of everyone, and there is no higher crime in a relationship in my tribe than infidelity." She said softly, folding her hands.
"Why would he-"
"I screamed your name in my sleep, Zuko." Katara's gaze met his fiercely, and even though her cheeks were colored with embarrassment, she looked every bit the Water Tribe warrior that she had always been. Zuko nodded to himself.
"Ah. I can see how that would cause problems." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, glancing away from the girl.
"Yeah. Kind of an issue."
"I see. So your father just recognized that socially, this was the best chance for you." He said quietly, stirring at his fire flakes again. Katara nodded, the bones in her hair clicking against each other as she did so.
They ate the remainder of their breakfast in quiet, flicking their gazes between each other every so often.
"Today we'll release the announcement. And you'll have your first public appearance." Zuko commented lowly, his lips curving in the slightest of smiles. Katara could have kissed him right there for the boyish joy that was tinging his expression, but she settled instead for reaching across the table to touch his hand with hers.
"Oh, exciting." She grinned, tossing her head so that the bones and beads jingled merrily.
"I have a feeling like this particular day is going to go very well. They'll love you, you know." Somber all of a sudden, Zuko lifted her hand to his lips to ghost a kiss across her knuckles before rising.
"You think so?" Katara asked, her voice cracking in the middle of the question. Zuko's eyes crinkled pleasantly around the edges and he ducked his head to her.
"I know so."
"My Lord has risen." One of the advisors called, and they all stood at attention, staring at the Water Tribe girl with hateful eyes until she rose, as well.
"I'll have it sent out this morning. Wait in your chambers until I send Iroh to come get you- don't leave, not under any circumstance. There could be many who won't like the news." Zuko bowed deeply to the waterbender, then, and a gasp rose from the advisors.
"Did you see that? My Lord bowed to her." Scrambling, they all echoed his movement, and Katara dimpled joyfully.
"Oh, I like this." She whispered conspiratorially, curtsying. Zuko chuckled.
As she swept out of the room in a flurry of deep blue skirts and silver bracelets, the advisors remained bent at the waists, only straightening when the door closed behind her. They then muttered amongst themselves again.
"Concubine-"
"Water Tribe trash-"
Zuko had to restrain laughing at loud at their comments as his eyes raked over the engagement announcement in his lap. Oh, how that would change.
It was mid-afternoon when Iroh came to the Lady Katara's quarters, and he found her practicing her bending on the back balcony of her suite. Her caramel skin warmed by the afternoon sun, she had pulled her hair up and was holding a particularly difficult pose when he entered her chambers.
"My Lady, it's time." He said softly, his hands folded into his robes. Katara nearly fell at the sound of his voice, but recovered, laughing at little at her appearance.
"I'm sorry I'm not more presentable, Iroh-"
"Katara, please. Uncle. You're my niece, now, so I hear! Not that I didn't already know it would happen." He chuckled, his belly rumbling with laughter and his eyes crinkling kindly at the sides. Katara flushed, suddenly focused on picking at her nails.
"Well, no, not quite-"
"Nonsense. You're family. My nephew has always had a soft spot for you." He was pleased to see that she blushed even further at his words.
"Yes, Uncle, could you help me-" She gestured to her outfit helplessly, and Iroh opened his arms to her, embracing the slight girl.
"Your wardrobe needs some particular attention, my Lady. Not that you aren't already magnificent, but, well- they might think you a different sort of woman in this manner of dress."
He grinned peevishly, then, and Katara laughed.
"I've sent for your gown and your hairdresser. And for a pot of Jasmine tea. It would do us both some good, I think."
Zuko was pacing again.
The whole of the capital city of the Fire Nation had flocked to the main square at the mention of a special announcement from the Fire Lord, and he could hear them from behind the door; the bubbling of the thousands of voices, the tittering of laughter, of excitement, and he took a quiet few moments to pray.
Agni, let them love her as I do.
He was early, so he couldn't blame the girl for not being ready yet. She had to be even more nervous than he was. He leaned on the door to the balcony, his gloved hand trembling slightly.
"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but..."
"I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there. Permanently."
"Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now."
"I'll never forgive him. But I am ready to forgive you."
Flashes of Katara spiraled through his mind, of the many years that he'd known her. He'd watch her grow from a girl into a woman, blossom from a child into a warrior. He'd been by her side during the most pivotal moments of her life, watched as the pain in her eyes became acceptance and maturity.
Zuko could remember the first time he'd seen her in Fire Nation dress- even if it was a disguise, his heart had almost stopped to see the flash of red against her caramel skin.
He could remember the first time she'd embraced him; the first time she'd talked to him. He could still feel the sting of her enmity and the warmth of her eventual affection, the burn of her lips on his and the saltiness of her tears.
He'd fallen in love with her somewhere between the lines, somehow, along the long, winding road of their journey together.
"Fire Lord Zuko?" His attendant spoke quietly, peering around the door. Zuko glanced up, a half smile on his face, and the attendant nodded to him.
"She's ready, my Lord."
A woman stepped into the room, then, and Zuko had to catch his breath.
Her hair was a tumbling mass of curls, braided intricately with shells, bone, and silver beads. Her face had been painted gently with blue swirls of color and the slightest lining of kohl around her wide, ocean eyes.
She stood tall, her gown a waterfall of blue silk and white furs, her arms tattooed with the curling, curving symbols of her tribe and wrists singing with her warrior bracelets. She glittered with pride, with confidence, and with regality, and he knew, then.
She had always been the only choice for him.
He knew that she was the only woman he would ever love; the only woman he would curl around at night, the only woman he could ever call his.
But she wasn't his. Not really. She was a child of the moon, of the roiling tides, of the blood that burned in all of their veins, and she could never be tamed.
He reached for her hand then, and she smiled, bright and trusting and warm, and he thought he might die.
No, she could never be tamed. And he would never try.
"It's you." Zuko murmured, dressed in all the glory of his Nation. Katara's smiled widened, moonshine and salty sea air.
"Of course. Who else would it be?"
"It's good to see you looking like yourself again. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Zuko's voice was soft, and kind, and she faltered a little at his words.
"Yes, it really has," She pressed a kiss to his shoulder, knowing how long the years had been, knowing how many days it had taken for her to be comfortable in her own skin once more.
Ironic that she had found her home in the Fire Nation.
"But I have you to thank for it." Her fingers gripped his a little tighter, and she straightened. His answer was a long, lingering press of his lips against her forehead, his golden eyes flickering playfully in the light.
"Are you ready, Fire Lord?" Katara's tone was teasing, edged with nerves. Zuko laughed quietly.
"For anything, with you, Katara. Do you trust me?"
"Irrevocably." Katara answered immediately, and his face cracked in a grin before he smoothed it into a cool, stoic expression. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye; tall, broad, his long raven hair swept up into a top knot and crowned with gold flames. His jaw was angled, his cheekbones high; he was proud.
He had stepped into his role as ruler almost overnight, and he wore it effortlessly.
When they opened the doors and stepped into the bright sunlight, a silence fell over the crowd.
The attendant read their engagement announcement, and Zuko lifted her hand into the air before turning and placing the lightest of kisses across her knuckles. But Katara hardly felt it, hardly felt anything but the hammering of her heartbeat in her ribcage and the sweating of her palms, the tightness of her smile.
And then he bowed neatly at the waist, one arm tucked behind his torso, the other folded onto his chest. Mutters buzzed around the crowd- The Fire Lord was bowing, Agni.
This was not part of the ceremony.
For a moment, Katara's heart stopped in her chest as the silence pulled taut and thin about her.
But then, slowly, aisle by aisle, the people of the Fire Nation got to their knees and bowed for the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe, Master Waterbender, and their future Fire Lady. They were bowing to a woman with dark skin, clad in blue silk and furs, a woman that had mastered an element different than their own.
Zuko raised himself to his full height again, a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth as he glanced over at her.
"Zuko..." Katara cautioned, seeing the dangerously rebellious gleam in his eye that was usually there before he did something rash.
"Trust me?" Zuko said in a low murmur, and when Katara nodded, he turned to face her, gently winding one arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her mouth.
And the crowd applauded.
Cheered, rather, with some whoops and hollers from the men. Katara's face flushed a deep shade of red, but she tipped her head back when they separated and laughed in his arms in front of his people, her people- their people.
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nightfall26