Author's Notes:
Disclaimer: ATLA is of course not mine. I'm just borrowing.
Zuko had never been more grateful to be at the command of an entire navel and air force. Perks of being the Fire Lord. It also did not hurt that he was a skilled survivalist, or that he found a helpful family with a fast ostrich horse about a mile outside the deserted Earth Kingdom village. The storm came on them late in the morning, and Zuko managed to get Katara to a port city before dusk, where he was met by his own ship, his hand-selected crew and his best advisers.
Perks.
The minute he stepped back on his ship, Zuko felt like he'd returned home. All the resources he was accustomed to having were available again, and he immediately started organizing emergency measures and taking stock of the situation, putting his best officers and advisers on three extremely important tasks: (1) scour everywhere for signs of Aang; (2) send out rescue crews to every town within a hundred miles of the deserted Earth Kingdom village to recover the Avatar's bison and a group of injured passengers; and (3) take care of Katara.
Except he didn't exactly handle things in that order. Finding and protecting Aang was important, but sometime over the last week (or had it happened five years ago?) Katara had become a trump card. What was the point of anything if she wasn't a part of it? What would Aang say if Zuko found him but failed to save her? What would Sokka say? So when he boarded his ship, with Katara hanging limp and only semi-conscious in his arms, Zuko made a royal scene worthy of Azula. He demanded immediate medical care, refused to hand Katara off to anyone and carried her himself to the ship's quarters.
After that, Zuko jealously guarded Katara, stepping aside only for the nurses and to give brief instructions to his staff regarding their lost friends. Then he alternated between pacing her room and sitting anxiously by her bed for hours, holding her hand and whispering things he hadn't yet had the courage to say. If the ship lacked gossip before, they had plenty to talk about now.
It was before dawn the next morning when Katara finally opened her eyes and looked hazily up at him. "Zuko?" she asked, and he felt like he could breathe again. Her eyes rolled slowly from side to side.
"Hey," he said, running his thumb over the back of her hand. She tried to lift her head, but fell back with a soft whimper.
The nurse tapped his shoulder. "Lord Zuko, she needs more rest."
He frowned and brushed Katara's hair away from her face with his fingers. "Do you think you can sleep more?" he asked.
She blinked slowly, nodded slightly and shut her eyes. The nurse tapped him again. "You should try to get some rest too, sir."
Zuko allowed himself to be ushered out, but headed to his board room rather than his chambers. Yin, his amazing chief adviser, was already there, looking over a map of the Earth Kingdom.
"We'll have the entire force mobilized by first light, sir," Yin promised as Zuko came into the room. Zuko acknowledged Yin with a tired bob of his head and fell into his chair at the head of the table.
"Any word on the Avatar's bison yet?" Zuko asked wearily.
"No sir." Yin handed Zuko a cup of hot tea. "But several of our teams have been out all night. If they landed anywhere near the village you were at, we'll know today."
"The Avatar?"
Yin shook his head.
Zuko sat up and leaned over the map Yin was reviewing. "Tell me again how you got to me so fast?" The family that lent Zuko the ostrich horse had directed him to the port city, but then two of Zuko's own scouts had met him along the way. It had been a helpful surprise to find them. Zuko sent the scouts ahead, and by the time he arrived in the port city with Katara, a whole team had gathered to meet him. Yin was front and center. Zuko never even needed to find a hospital. Yin had already assembled a medical staff.
Yin began fumbling through an apology. "So sorry, sir." He paled. "We've been tracking the bison since you left, sir. I just thought…in case you needed anything…Lord Zuko, sir, my apologies. I know you didn't order it. Just a precaution…"
"Yin," Zuko said, deciding to save the man from himself. "Are you telling me you tracked me so that in case anything happened, you would be there to help?"
Yin hung his head feebly, like he was waiting for Zuko to dismiss him. "Yes, Lord Zuko."
Zuko looked tiredly at his adviser. Yin was the kind of man who had a lot of power but never put it on display. Zuko knew Yin's background. He had grown up in one of the western cities, and though his family wasn't part of the nobility, he had been accepted into one of the military academies for his notable firebending skills. He'd graduated at the top of his class and rose quickly through the ranks of the army. He was conservative and risk adverse, but the soldiers were extremely loyal to him. Zuko had discovered Yin during the Northern Water Crisis and liked him immediately. Uncle's good opinion of Yin solidified the deal.
"Yin," Zuko said. "Thank you."
"I'm so sorry, sir," Yin said emphatically. "It won't happen again."
Zuko raised an eyebrow at Yin. "You won't try to help me again? I find that hard to believe." Yin gulped and Zuko chuckled. "Yin, I'm not being facetious. Thank you. Your precautionary measures may have saved the life of someone who is very important to me. We're promoting you."
"To what, sir?" Yin asked, looking up with wide eyes. "I'm already your chief adviser."
"I don't know." Zuko waved his hand casually while Yin sank into a chair. "Senior chief adviser? High chief adviser? Friend?"
"I don't think that's a position, Lord Zuko," Yin said, still flustered.
Zuko smiled. Good, reliable, trustworthy, Yin. They were, he decided, going to be very good friends. A man could hardly lead an entire nation without support, and Zuko was starting to think maybe the responsibility for creating the friendships he needed was on him. "Guess it'll have to be unofficial."
Yin half-smiled back. "If you would count me as a friend, may I inquire as to Lady Katara's status?"
Zuko sighed. "They tell me she'll be awake in a few hours. I'm supposed to be getting rest."
Yin nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure she'll recover."
"Spirits, I hope so, Yin," Zuko said. "I really don't know what I'll do if…"
Yin gnawed on the inside of his mouth and tilted his head. "Perhaps you should think instead about how you're going to handle the publicity problem you'll have when she does recover."
"The publicity problem?"
"You haven't expressed more than fleeting interest in any woman since Lady Mai. Word is going to get out that you've expressed a rather strong interest in Lady Katara. It would be best if we control the news that spreads."
"What happens if we don't?" Zuko asked.
Yin furrowed his brow. "Lady Katara is an attractive woman. If you try to be conspicuous, the public might think your interest is, ah…" He paused. "…purely prurient."
Zuko choked on his tea. "Purely prurient?"
"It would obviously be preferable to demonstrate a legitimate courtship."
"Why can't I just date her like I would any other woman?"
Yin caught Zuko's eye and Zuko groaned, dropping his head onto the table. The answer was obvious: Katara wasn't any other woman. Not to him. "Did you have to worry about publicity when you were courting your wife, Yin?" he asked.
"Of course not, Lord Zuko," Yin said. "I'm not the Fire Lord."
When Katara woke up again, a light hand was cooling her forehead with a cold cloth. Katara could hear the cloth being dipped into water and squeezed out before it was applied. She was lying in a soft feather bed, her head resting on pillows as fluffy as clouds and her body tucked in with linens and robed in something silky that caressed her skin. Something silky and red.
"Where am I?" she asked groggily.
"Oh thank goodness," a woman said. "You're awake." Katara opened her eyes. The woman had a gentle face and was wearing healer robes. They weren't the blue robes Katara was accustomed to. They were rusty red. Katara frowned, trying to understand what was going on. The woman who had spoken was whispering to someone. The voices were soothing and low. The lights were dim and the room felt dark. Was she rocking side to side? It made Katara want to close her eyes again.
The woman who had been nursing her pressed the cool, wet cloth to her forehead again. "The Fire Lord has had us watching over you every minute since you arrived, dear. He was frantic last night. You were badly injured and you lost a lot of blood. Are you in pain?"
Was she? The back of her head was heavy. She tried to lift it and her head swam. There were other sources of pain too. Her left shoulder and her collarbone. Her right leg. Was her ankle broken or just sprained? It was all a strange sensation. It had been so long since she'd had any injury she hadn't healed herself that she'd forgotten her body could hurt like this.
"Water, please?" Katara croaked.
"Katara?" Zuko appeared above her, taking the wet cloth from her nurse. Even better than water, Katara thought. He sat down in the nurse's chair and gently ran the cloth over her forehead himself. His hand was a soothing touch, cool even, and she said the thing that occurred to her:
"Zuko? I thought you were always hot."
Zuko's stern look fell and he laughed low. "I'm going to remind you that you said that someday soon." Then he looked over her again and the smile dropped. "You, Kitten, need to get in less trouble."
"Kitten…" Katara repeated, trying to sit up. Pain slammed through her. "Water," she moaned quietly. Zuko hummed like he was trying to figure something out. "Please, I need water," she repeated, "to heal."
A look dawned on his face. He turned to the nurses, who were getting ready to pour a cup of water. "She needs more that that. Prepare a bath for her."
"A bath, my Lord?" a nurse said. "With all due respect, sir, we shouldn't move her. She needs rest and time to heal."
Katara tried again to sit up, but Zuko saw. "No." He restrained her with a light hand at the top of her chest. "I'll help you get there." She sank back into the pillows, yielding while he turned once again to the nurses. "She is a healer," he explained patiently. "She uses water. She needs to be immersed in water."
"Oh, of course sir. I'm sorry! I didn't know," the nurse said, wringing her hands. "I've never met a true healer."
Zuko shook his head. "Don't apologize. Healers like Katara are very rare and you've taken good care of her. Now, would you please draw her a bath? Let me know when it's ready." He leaned down to Katara until his face was only inches from hers and spoke low: "Be good." He stroked her cheek lightly before tucking the linens around her. "Don't move until I get back."
Katara nodded drowsily and dozed off. When she woke, she was being lifted by Zuko from the fluffy bed. "Time to fix this," he said. She vaguely registered the feel of him sturdily holding her, but she was nauseous with pain and didn't have the strength even to put her arms around his neck. Her head fell against his chest while he cradled her.
The nurses still in the room looked on with worried, motherly faces. "Lord Zuko, are you sure you don't want us to handle this?" she heard someone ask.
She clutched the front of his robes as best as she could and his arms tightened securely around her. "No," he said, his voice coming out measured. "Thank you. I'll handle this."
He carried her through several rooms, following the nurses to a chamber where a large tub of water waited. He stopped in the middle of the room.
"Sir, perhaps we should help her in?" someone offered again.
The problem became clear to Katara then. It was inappropriate for the Fire Lord to help an injured woman out of her clothing and into a tub. Katara wasn't even sure what she was wearing under the silky dressing robe, and she felt embarrassed at the realization. He didn't hand her over to the nurses. "It's okay," she heard him murmur.
"Okay," she said softly, trusting him.
"Stay by the door, please, and be discrete," Zuko commanded the nursing staff. "Until she can speak for herself, I'll take care of her personally." Katara smiled weakly. Zuko. Always the honorable prince.
He set her down on a chair by the basin and began untying the sashes of her robe for her. It turned out she was wearing something like her normal wrappings underneath, but softer.
"See, just like swimming," he said quietly, sliding the soft fabric of the robe away from her body without so much as a hitch in his breath.
"I must look pretty bad," she said frailly.
His mouth turned into a thin smile, his hands stilling on her arms, and he leaned down over her. She felt his lips barely touch her forehead at her hairline. "You look like a brick wall tried to crush you," he said. "Are you ready for the water?"
She nodded at him and he lifted her into the tub. The water was lukewarm.
"Does it need to be warmer?" he asked anxiously. "They asked, but I told them not to warm it. I thought you would naturally work with a cooler medium. I can make it warmer if you want, though."
Katara shook her head. The water was perfect for healing. She could already feel her body mingling with the soothing power of the water. The nurses were fascinated. She could feel them watching, and she heard one of them let out a short little shriek when she started to slip her head under the surface. Zuko must have kept them away. No one bothered her. The water glowed around her and she felt the pain seeping away. When she came up for air, Zuko was still there, hovering anxiously. She wiped the water out of her eyes. The nurses stared.
"You've been taking care of me," she said to them, still tired but with a stronger voice. "Thank you." She dunked back under the water for a second round of healing. The pain on her body had mostly dulled, but the back of her head continued to ache.
When she surfaced again, Zuko handed her a towel for her face. "Better?" he asked, leaning with his forearms against the edge of the tub. She was better enough to notice his forearms were attractive.
"I think so," she said. She looked around, trying to assess the situation. "What happened? Where are we? Is this a hospital or some kind of spa? Where's everyone else?"
Zuko chewed on a corner of his lower lip.
"Zuko," Katara frowned. "Is this a gold-gilded tub?"
"Probably," he said. "We're sort of on my ship."
"You have a spa with a gold-gilded tub on your ship?" she asked.
"Actually, this is a private suite of rooms," he said. "I don't think all the tubs are like this. I, er, don't really know."
A nurse giggled quietly, but was hushed immediately when Katara looked over to her.
"We were in the Earth Kingdom village..." Her head began to hurt again and she leaned back into the water. "The storm…what happened?"
He shook his head. "It wasn't good, Katara."
"Toph," she remembered. "Toph was hurt. Did we help her?"
"It looked like Sokka got her out on Appa." Zuko fidgeted. "They were gone when the storm cleared, and I haven't had any word from them yet. Rescue crews are looking for them now."
"What happened to Aang?"
Zuko shut his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Katara. I don't know yet. The storm lifted right after you got hurt, but it was just you and me left. I didn't have much time to look for Aang."
Katara's chest constricted. "Then Aang might have been injured too? And we just left him there?"
Zuko grimaced. "I don't think he was injured. I thought I saw him lifted away with the storm itself. But I couldn't just stay and look. You were…" He paused. "There was a lot of blood. You needed help right away. I sent people back to search for Aang."
His voice was raw with exhaustion and fear. He leaned with his elbows against the edge of the tub, rubbing his temples with his fingers. Katara breathed in at a realization. "You thought I might die."
"You did nearly die."
Her throat constricted and she touched his arm. "I didn't." She traced circles lightly on his warm skin. "You were there. You saved me." She made a sound that was half-laugh and half-groan. "Again."
He watched her silently, and she noticed for the first time that his eyes were bloodshot and his face drawn.
"Zuko." Her fingers glided down his arm until she reached his hand. She gave it a light squeeze. "I think you need to get some rest yourself."
"I'm supposed to meet with my advisers for an update soon," he said, turning his hand over and lacing his fingers through hers. She hadn't missed the nearly imperceptible shiver that had seemed to be a reaction to her touch. Now he closed his eyes and let them stay closed a moment too long.
"Your meeting can wait."
"Aren't you worried about Aang?" Zuko asked, opening his eyes again and letting go of her hand.
A pulse of fear shot through her. She quelled it. "Yes," she admitted. "But Aang's the Avatar and sometimes he disappears into the spirit world. Anyway, you're an expert at finding him, so he'll either come back on his own or you'll track him down."
He dipped his hand in the water and splashed it gently toward her. "You're too much of an optimist."
"I'm exactly the right amount of optimist." She dipped lower into the tub and gave him a real smile. "Hey, would you mind warming the water now?"
He smiled back. "I think I can manage that."
Uncle joined them at their next port of call, where he had flown via air ship from his Earth Kingdom-based tea shop. Zuko was pleased to see him, and appreciative of the support. Uncle was abuzz with gossip, most of which related to Zuko.
"I thought you were not going to the North Pole for a date?" Uncle warmed his hands around a cup of tea. "But you've brought back a very pretty girl. What do you intend to do with her?"
Zuko rubbed his eyes. He had agreed to tea. He had agreed to play a game of pai sho to distract himself. He had not agreed to talk about Katara. "Don't let her hear you say that." He set his own cup of tea down and looked away. "We only ended up here because of the trouble we were in." Uncle nodded thoughtfully and set up the pai sho board.
After winning the third game in a row, Uncle sat back cheerfully, sipping his tea. "Is something bothering you, Lord Zuko? You seem to have a lot on your mind."
"Of course I do," Zuko said, agitated. "The Avatar's gone and his air bison flew off with Sokka, Suki and Toph."
"You are worried by the disappearance of your friends. That is to be expected."
Zuko started setting up the pai sho board for a fourth game.
Uncle leaned over the board. "But does your inability to concentrate also have something to do with a certain waterbender?"
Zuko almost tipped the board over accidentally.
Uncle chortled. "You know, Lord Zuko, I'm pretty good with the ladies." He winked conspiratorially. Zuko scowled and tried again to re-set the pai sho board. Uncle watched silently, grinning like a baboon cat. Zuko thought of ignoring him, but…
"Alright," he sighed at last. "If you were interested in a particular woman, what would you do about it?"
"It depends on what I was interested in her for," Uncle said, faking ignorance. "It would help if you could be more specific. Who is this woman?"
Zuko glared at Uncle. "You know who it is," he seethed, gritting his teeth. "And you know what I'm interested in her for."
Uncle smiled smugly, causing Zuko to redden. "Then what is your question, Lord Zuko?"
Zuko sprang up and started pacing around. "Well what should I do?!" he exclaimed. "You always tell me to think ahead, but with Katara I never know what to do next."
"Ahh," Uncle said. He took a long draw of his tea. "It is normal for a man to feel confusion around an attractive woman. But matters of love are different from matters of war. In war, planning is important. In love, you must learn to trust your heart."
Zuko stopped in his tracks and looked helplessly at his uncle. "My heart feels like it's being trampled by a herd of komodo rhinos," he said flatly.
Uncle hid his face behind his tea.
"Come on," Zuko begged, "I need advice. Is this normal? I never felt like this with Mai. What should I do? Get more rest? Drink a particular kind of tea?"
"Nephew," Uncle said slowly and seriously. "I am afraid this is likely to be a life-long condition."
"So what should I do?" Zuko asked impatiently.
"Forget about sleep or tea. What you need is…"
"Am I interrupting?" Zuko and Uncle turned to find Katara at the door. She was dressed in casual red robes. Her hair was loosely tied up. She came straight to Zuko, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek into his shoulder. His heart raced unnaturally while his arms slid quite naturally around her.
"Katara." He held her tightly. "You're supposed to be resting."
"So are you." She leaned away and worry passed over her face as she looked up at him. She touched his forehead anxiously. "Zuko! You were hurt too!"
"It wasn't as bad as-"
But Katara had already drawn water from a nearby jug and pressed her fingertips to the wound across his head. The gash there, which he had barely thought about in comparison to her injuries, closed instantly at her touch.
"Tha-"
"Wait," Katara commanded, pressing her fingertips to a split in his lip. He stood still until she was done. In his memory, he was sixteen again and she was fourteen, telling him she had healing powers in their shared prison at Ba Sing Se. This time, he was going to make a very different choice.
"There," she said. "Better." She stepped swiftly away and went to greet his Uncle.
"Lady Katara," Uncle said, taking her hand and kissing it. "It is good to see you are well. Forgive an old man, but you are beautiful in red. I think it is your color."
Katara blushed and smiled at Uncle. Zuko should have paid attention to Iroh's lessons on women. Uncle walked her to the table with her hand in his and pulled out a high-backed chair for her.
"You do look better," Zuko told her, following behind her and Uncle. It was awkward, but she blushed again, and those little blushes made him want to keep going, so he said: "you look really pretty" and it made her blush even more, which was probably the cutest thing he'd ever seen.
"I have good taste in tea, ladies and fashion." Uncle offered Katara a cup of hot tea. "You should wear red more often." He wagged his eyebrows. Zuko planted his face in his hands, but Katara just laughed.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were looking for a wife, General Iroh!" she said to Uncle playfully.
"Who says I'm not?" He laughed heartily.
Katara sipped her tea and looked at Zuko with eyes full off light. "I haven't said thank you yet," she said.
"For what?" he asked.
"Oh I don't know." She flipped her hand casually. "Bringing me here, taking care of me, saving my life."
Uncle leaned forward. "My dear, if you must be distressed, it is always wise to do so when there is someone powerful nearby who can call his entire navy to pick you up."
Katara laughed again. Zuko decided he loved when she laughed. "Yes. I will try only to become distressed when I'm with Zuko." Her comment, and the way she curled up in the chair, and her eyes shinning as she looked from Uncle to Zuko made him feel warmth curling up inside. He relaxed and watched her contentedly while she charmed his uncle.
She had also, apparently, already charmed the crew. The kitchen staff brought her chocolate truffles on a covered silver platter, courtesy of the head chef. Katara declared the truffles delicious and the man holding the platter – who Katara somehow knew by name – beamed, stepping away like he'd been kissed.
"What a nice surprise," Katara said. "I sent my complements back after lunch too. The kimodo chicken salad sandwich was great."
"How did you know his name?" Zuko asked.
Katara looked puzzled. "I asked."
They were later interrupted by a woman who wanted to know if Lady Katara wished for another warm herbal compress. Then one who wanted to know if she would like her linens changed, and would she prefer silks or cottons? Then someone came back from the kitchen to inquire as to the lady's preferences for fruit. Katara took it all in stride until a woman named Ting Ting popped in to inform Katara that they would be ready to dress her for dinner in the lady's chambers in an hour. Then Katara turned on him.
"Lord Zuko," she said, meeting his guilty glance with mixed touches of annoyance and confusion. "I'm afraid I am troubling your staff."
Ting Ting was startled. "No, Lady Katara! Lord Zuko requested a full lady's staff for you! We are so pleased to be at your service."
Katara raised her eyebrows at him, and he tried not to shrink back from the hint of fire in her gaze.
"I'm the Fire Lord," he responded, faking nonchalance. "I don't know what things a girl needs."
Ting Ting giggled. "Lady Katara, it truly is our pleasure."
She left after that and Uncle tried to help him. "Master Katara, please do not fret. Being hired to serve the Fire Lord is a very high honor and is considered a desirable position. There is no shame, and everyone gets four weeks of vacation each year!"
Katara slumped in her chair. "But General, I grew up a peasant. No one should have to wait on me."
Uncle was empathetic. "In the Fire Nation, powerful bending is highly regarded. You are known to be a master waterbender and a master healer. And anyway," Zuko's crafty uncle continued, "the staff and crew recognize you as worthy of being waited on. After all, the Fire Lord himself carried you onto the ship." He winked at Katara while Zuko cringed. "I hear he made quite a scene."
"Wait," Katara said, putting the pieces together. "Do they think I'm Zuko's girlfriend?"
Zuko's unlordly squirming was interrupted by a man he recognized as the palace tailor. The tailor must have arrived at one of the ports of call, as part of the lady's staff Zuko had requested. He was carrying the blue robes Katara had been wearing when they boarded the ship.
"I'm so sorry for the interruption, sir," the tailor said to Zuko. "But I simply cannot work with these." He held out the robes like they were made of garbage. They looked fine to Zuko.
"You can't work with them?" Katara asked dumbfounded, taking the robes herself.
The man gave Katara an imploring look. "They're torn!"
Katara looked at him like he was crazy. "I can fix these myself!"
The tailor's mouth opened into a shocked "o" of horror. "My Lady!" He snatched the blue robes back from Katara. "There is no need for that! I am always prepared for these kinds of emergencies. We have a beautiful selection of better options for you." Then he swept out of the room before Katara could tell him no, leaving her staring at him bewildered.
Katara turned and scowled at Zuko, who decided that he also loved when she was angry.
"Ha!" Uncle laughed. "I am not the only one who thinks red is your color!"
"No," Zuko said, trying to placate Katara with his best 'I'm innocent, really' look. "You're not."
