Author's Notes: Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter - there's a lot of character work in here, and I hope you like it as much as I liked writing it.
…
The Fire palace was alive with activity when Zuko returned. Several servants were waiting at the stables to take his luggage and did so in an orderly, efficient fashion, adroitly weaving their way around pages running errands, stable hands entering in and out of the stables and doing various chores, gardeners arguing loudly about whether or not the rose-petunias would better near the fire lilies or the forget-me-pleases and house servants going about their business. Everyone passing by was far too focused on their given task to notice that Zuko had brought along an unexpected guest.
With a hand on his mother's arm, he accompanied her to the wing of royal apartments, where he had ordered several servants to make his mother's rooms ready to be lived in once more. That order had garnered him a few confused looks, but the task had been completed well. Fresh clothes of varying sizes were in the wardrobe, the bed linens had just been laundered, and blooming flowers were in vases scattered around the room. There would be time to customize the rooms later, but for now, it would do.
His mother stopped him before he could excuse himself and leave. She studied his face seriously and asked him the question he had hoped he wouldn't have to answer.
"Zuko, what happened to Ozai and Azula?"
He turned to leave, unable to meet her gaze as he answered, "Both are in prison. Azula's insane, and the Avatar took away Ozai's bending."
His reply was curt, but his remorse was evident, and yet, he refused to refer to Ozai as his father. If he distanced himself from that reality, his fear was lessened that he would become just like his ancestors.
Ursa watched him leave with a compassionate, sorrowful gaze, mindful of the fact her son was now full grown, and had lived through enough horrors to last several lifetimes. But she remained hopeful, because Zuko had Katara. As long as that did not change, there was hope for Zuko to heal.
However, Zuko's thoughts were not on himself.
He immediately headed to his office, and barked orders that Ji and Daiki would be summoned as he stormed down the halls. As he walked the corridors, knowing Katara was far away, he was splashed with reality and he was filled with the old, familiar resentment of not being happy at all, and he was brought back to the issue of Katara being targeted, and he would not let her return to a place that was not safe, and he wouldn't allow her to be so vulnerable. It was his responsibility to protect her in his own home and in what he hoped would become her home too.
Zuko nearly gagged when he saw the amount of paperwork that had piled up on his desk. There was a sudden temptation to light himself on fire.
However, he managed to quell his sudden urge to vomit and resigned himself to the task. The first group of documents were on recent changes in the southern islands, the rising and falling costs of rice, beans and vegetables, and, his personal favorite, monthly censuses to chart the population growth from its all-time low after the war.
With all of these tedious tasks, it was tempting to fall into despair of all of the work that had to be done and all of the meetings that had to be conducted and all of the official royal decrees with all of the words that made his head spin, but he simply had to remember this was his sworn duty and somehow, the cramp in his hand lessened.
Zuko managed to read and sign off on three bills that would repair different government buildings before his door opened and his Head Advisor and the captain of his guard stepped in.
"Fire Lord," Daiki greeted him, bowing deeply. Ji saluted smartly.
Zuko nodded in return to their signs of respect. "Thank you both for coming so quickly. Please," he gestured to the seats in front of his desk. "Sit."
As the two settled themselves into the sinfully comfortable chairs, Zuko collected himself and his thoughts. In front of him were the two men who knew him best, outside of his family, and he was relying on them and their honed skills.
Daiki, he knew, had spent most of his life learning how to read people and how to keep a leader leveled. Ji was a trained protector and could walk into a room and immediately know who he could trust and depend on to be a guardian and who was not trustworthy. Both were brilliant, and if anyone had the capabilities to aid a Fire Lord, it was them.
"I want the would-be assassin found," he began quietly. "I don't care how many people it takes, I don't care what you have to do to achieve that goal. I want that person found before Lady Katara returns. I will not, under any circumstances, allow her to return and be in danger. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, my lord." Ji inclined his head gracefully.
Daiki, too, nodded. "It was none of the servants, Fire Lord. I interviewed every single one of them while you were vacationing, and they all profess great love for you and Lady Katara, and I believe them."
He fell silent for a long moment, and Zuko watched him carefully as he struggled to find words. "I have… reason to suspect… that it might be one of the nobles."
Zuko raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ji before looking back. "Oh?" he prompted, interested.
"Yes," Daiki finally admitted. "My sister was one of Ozai's most vocal supporters, as was her lover, Nobleman Kei. I am not sure of the specifics, but Kei was given many of the secret matters Ozai needed him to attend to, and promised both royal status if they did as he wished. One last plan went wrong, and… hence, you are Fire Lord, and they are still lowly nobles."
His fingertips played with the hem of his well-fitting, expensive shirt, the only outward sign he would allow anyone to see of his anxiety. "I believe that she is more than capable of… doing such a thing, or finding someone who has the knowledge of herbs."
Daiki knew she had done it, and he also knew that the beautiful, delicate and intriguing Lady Aiko was her accomplice. But he wouldn't say anything, at least not yet, because he knew Aiko and Haruka were two different people. Haruka was unnecessarily cruel and manipulative, and she thrived on her schemes and plots.
Aiko was sweet and endearing, and almost always had a kind word to say about everyone. She was easily captivated by the simplest of things and found the most pleasure in simply sitting out of doors with an engaging novel. Her interests spanned from firebending to sewing to calligraphy, which she did exceedingly well.
No, Aiko was not like Haruka at all, and though he should confess to the Fire Lord of her involvement, he could only hope Zuko would understand when the truth came out. Daiki had always seen a few similarities between Ty Lee and Aiko. Aiko was sweet and caring and because of her nature, she cared too much for Haruka and would do much of what she asked.
It pained him to defy the Fire Lord's wish to know all information, but he was beginning to believe he loved her, and he would give her a little more time to prove herself worthy of his trust.
Zuko only had to glance at Ji.
"I will order it, Fire Lord, she will be followed and watched at all times." The guard responded. "Also, upon Lady Katara's return, I will double her guard and have one of them taste whatever is to be served to her first. Though I don't believe an assassin would try the same method twice, it is not a usual assassin who would attempt to kill a child."
"Good." Zuko nodded. "I believe that she is five and a half months pregnant now, gentlemen, and I want her protected." Emotion tightened his chest and bubbled up his throat, but he swallowed his fears for her safety. He dragged in a few breaths to contain himself; after being so close to her for an entire week, now she was so far away, and he couldn't protect her.
"Yes, my lord," the two men agreed.
Zuko was glad they saw it his way. "Thank you, gentlemen. You may go." He dismissed them and immediately turned his attention to his paperwork.
The door opened and then closed, but Zuko could still feel Daiki's eyes on him. The young Fire Lord looked up and met his Head Advisor's eyes squarely. "May I help you, Daiki?" he asked evenly.
"You know," Daiki began casually, tracing the edge of Zuko's desk with one finger. "I was reading some old historical texts while you were away, and I discovered that there was an odd rumor that was going around the palace, many, many years ago. Some of the court ladies believed that there were secret passages that went from the Fire Lord's bedchambers to almost every room in the palace."
Daiki chuckled slightly, shaking his head at the very notion. "The ladies hoped that the Fire Lord would visit them sometime during the night, impregnate them, and force them to become the Fire Lady."
The Head Advisor turned to leave, still chuckling. "The very idea…" he muttered as he left the office.
Zuko blinked, stunned by what Daiki had just said. It was an odd thing to merely suggest in conversation, but then again, Daiki never said anything he did not mean to say, and he never said something that was always exactly what the words suggested.
It was odd, but Zuko thought Daiki had just told him several things: he knew very well what was going on between himself and Lady Katara, and he expected that the two would wish to continue their relationship in secret until all doors were open to them. His tone and words said nothing of his opinions or his intentions, but Daiki had just suggested a way for Zuko and Katara to further their relationship in complete secrecy.
Which left Zuko wondering why he hadn't thought of that sooner.
A tentative knock came at the door, and Zuko looked up. "Come in," he called.
Xiang, the girlfriend of the man Zuko had suspected for Katara's almost-poisoning, stepped in and bowed deeply. "Fire Lord, the second order of clothing arrived for Lady Katara. The seamstress sent her bill as well," she said softly, handing Zuko the piece of parchment.
He didn't even glance at the price as he signed off on it; price was not an issue when it came to Katara. "Give this to Nobleman Tashi's secretary for him to file."
Xiang nodded and accepted the bill back. "Thank you, my lord." With that, she quietly left and closed the door softly behind her.
Zuko let out a long sigh as he began to ache for Katara's presence. She was comforting to have near, and she was so many miles away. Seven days was beginning to seem like an eternity, but luckily, there was much to do before she would return. All of the paperwork, for example, and the entertainers were due to arrive any day, and he would need to oversee the decoration as it began. His birthday was a whole three weeks away, and guests would not be arriving until a week before, but his worries were beginning to pile up.
At least he had not allowed his uncle to plan the party, or guests would be crawling all over him already.
The door opened once more, and Zuko nearly ordered the person out, because at this rate, none of his paperwork would ever be finished, but he saw it was his uncle, and he welcomed the distraction.
It wasn't like he was going to admit that, though. "Uncle, I'm busy," Zuko drawled.
"I know, my nephew, but I have heard rumors that you brought a guest with you," Iroh said conspiratorially. "And I would like to be the first to know."
Zuko met his uncle's eyes and saw, deep within them, a trace of hope. He was suddenly struck with guilt; all of his thoughts had been in Katara, and he had not even thought of checking in with his uncle, thanking him for the information, or even telling him he had succeeded in his quest.
He wordlessly stood up and embraced his uncle, burying his face in Iroh's shoulder. His uncle returned the embrace as Zuko trembled slightly with unshed tears and unexpressed emotion.
"I found her, Uncle, and she's here," he mumbled into Iroh's robes.
Iroh exhaled heavily. "Agni…" He slowly pulled away from his nephew. "You stay here and work… I must go see her."
Zuko nodded dumbly and watched his uncle leave in a hurry. He rubbed his chin with a hand, and set back to work, unable to make any sense of his conflicting emotions: confusion, elation, resentment, fear, and even worry. In his work, though, there was some semblance of order and peace that his private life contained none of.
…
Captain Ji of the Fire Lord's guard had just finished putting in his orders for more protection for Lady Katara when she returned, and saw, from the position of the sun in the sky, that his duties had been over for at least an hour. He had accepted a half-shift, though he had only returned himself, but found he was all the more glad to have downtime until the next morning. His feet took him to the guards' room, and he entered, silent as always.
Raucous laughter greeted his ears and he paused before turning the corner and entering into the open room. He made sure the door made no sound as it closed and then listened.
"Zian, didn't you just return from the Fire Lord's vacation? What was that like?"
"It wasn't boring, if you know what I mean." More laughter. "As you all know, the Fire Lord and Lady Katara went to the Treasurer's summer mansion together, and well… let's just say their interactions weren't entirely innocent."
"Did you see them, actually, you know? All in the sand?" one of the youngest members of the guard asked excitedly.
The others laughed in return. "No, mostly because I didn't want the Fire Lord to see me and then burn my head off, but Lady Katara isn't quiet, if you know what I mean."
Yet again, more laughter, and Ji decided this was the right moment to step in.
"Yes, yes, Zian, we all know what you mean," Ji drawled as he walked around the corner, folding his arms across his chest as he stared down his soldiers. "Have a care, friends…" he warned them as he walked to his shelf, where he stored his armor and turned back around, "If you do not speak of Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Katara with more respect, I will beat you so far into the ground you will not know which way is up."
The entire room crackled with the power of his authority. He was the captain because he was the strongest, fastest, smartest and best fighter. Each of them had their esteemed position because of his good favor, but that could change in a moment, and each and every single man in the room knew that. The guards, particularly the younger ones, ducked their heads in shame, while the older ones averted their eyes.
"Is that clear?" he asked, his voice deadly quiet.
"Yes, Captain," came the general answer.
Zian stood up and bowed. "Captain Ji, I apologize for my crude behavior."
Ji eyed him and knew he was sincere. "Make sure it does not happen again, Zian. The Fire Lord will reveal his relationship with Lady Katara when the time is right, and it is not our duty to allow anyone any knowledge they are not supposed to have. Gossip does not become a royal guard."
"Yes, Captain," Zian answered and bowed once more.
Ji turned away, deeming the conversation over, and changed into civilian clothes, very much looking forward to returning to his modest home only a few yards from the palace and finding his way back into his wife's arms. He had missed her, but he was lucky that she understood his duty and his inherent responsibility for the Fire Lord's wellbeing, his state of mind that went well beyond his physical protection.
Yes, it would be good to return home for supper.
…
Ursa wandered through the extensive royal apartments her son had ordered to be prepared for her, marveling at how strange it felt to be back in such opulence, when her entire world for several years had been that cell in Kei's mansion. Being with her son had done her good, as had being in Katara's presence. Between the two of them, there was so much life and happiness and joy that it had put her short suffering into perspective. She had saved her son's life, and now Katara was healing his heart, and it made everything worth the struggle.
Still, she wondered how Ozai was. She loved him, though he was wicked and twisted. He had not always been so. She could remember the times his world seemed to revolve around her, and many hours were spent in laughter and in each other's arms. Their early marriage had been blissful, though Ozai had had a tendency to allow his stress overtake him. She had always known he was ambitious, but as the years passed and after Zuko was born… he changed.
He drew away from her, and began taking mistresses. He threw himself into his work and into his duties, and all he could say to her was how he hated Iroh for being the firstborn, as he believed the Fire Lordship was his right.
Ursa remembered her horror when Ozai had been nearly doubled over with happy laughter, a letter in his hand. She remembered reading the words and her heart breaking as she read Iroh's words: her nephew was dead. And yet, Ozai had laughed.
Despite everything, she loved him, still, as she loved Azula. It saddened her that everything had turned out so badly, but she knew there was nothing she could have done, and all things had turned out as they should have.
Zuko was Fire Lord, she remembered with a slight smile, and that counted. He would heal their country and the world would come together.
Not all was lost.
Ursa looked up as a knock came at the door. "Come in," she bid whoever was on the other side.
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw it was Iroh, and she froze. He was still so much the same. He was a bit plumper and grayer than she remembered, but the light in his amber eyes was still glowing and he looked happier than she had ever remembered seeing him. She ran to embrace him tightly.
"I cannot believe it," he whispered fiercely. "All this time, I thought you were dead."
"I am so glad you are okay," she said, her eyes closed. "Thank you," She finally stammered. "Thank you for caring for my son when I could not. Thank you."
"He is very easy to love, Ursa," Iroh reminded her, a smile in his voice as he ran a hand up and down her back. "And he has done well. But you are welcome. I have missed you."
"I missed you too." Ursa pulled away to brush a few unbidden tears away as she stroked her dear friend's cheek. "Ageless, Iroh," she teased him with a fond smile, "You are absolutely ageless."
Iroh chuckled and walked with her to the nearby table. "I believe it is you who is untouched by time. I think you have only become more beautiful." He shook his head at her. "I cannot imagine…"
This time, Ursa shook her head. "No, I don't wish to speak of it. My imprisonment is over, and now is a time of freedom. For all of us." She smiled happily as Iroh absently poured them both tea. "Have you ever thought of opening a tea shop?"
Iroh's eyes lit up as he set the teapot down. "In fact, dear Ursa…"
…
Zuko shifted awkwardly as he pulled at the uncomfortable collar of his formal, receiving robes. He wore them to greet new guests to the palace and this was not the first time he seriously considered pulling them off and burning them. He really needed to speak with the Palace Seamstress about new designs for his formalwear, but with everything he still had yet to accomplish, his clothing was not his first priority.
"Fire Lord, which tablecloth do you think will suit the mood best?"
Zuko turned his head slightly to see the Decorator at his elbow. He didn't even look down at the three fabrics and pointed to the middle one listlessly. Being the prudent young man he was, he really didn't care what tablecloth was used. It was important, yes, but not as important as the fact he had been standing near the front doors for the last five minutes since the word had come that the circus performers had arrived in the capital. Really, he was the Fire Lord, and he was being forced to wait.
Was he the only one that saw anything wrong with that situation?
Next time, he was making Daiki do this…
His thoughts were cut off as the doors finally opened and a blur of sugary pinkness flew at him. He caught the giggling acrobat, and somehow managed to stay on his two feet.
"Ty Lee?" he asked incredulously. "I thought you had run off with the Kyoshi girls."
Ty Lee beamed at Zuko as she pulled away from her exuberant hug. "Oh, I did, but after two months, I was totally bored, so I caught the first boat back to the Fire Nation and joined the circus again. It's much more exciting," she told him matter-of-factly. "How have you been? I heard you and Mai are getting married."
"It's not official." He responded neutrally.
Ty Lee cocked her head at him. "What do you mean? She's had a crush on you since forever."
Zuko's neck flushed. "I'll tell you later," he lied. He really had no intention of telling her before he announced it to the senate or she'd get so excited she'd explode. "Well, it's, er, nice to see you," he stammered.
"Good to see you too!" Ty Lee squealed as she hugged him again, and then bounced off to join her circus friends and help them begin setting up in the ballroom. The entire process would only take a few days, but they needed the rest of the time to rehearse in the new location.
Zuko rubbed his head. He would need more of whatever tea helped with headaches. Really, Ty Lee was nice, but she was entirely too happy. It annoyed him when someone was too happy.
He stalked off to his office to throw himself into his work once more, so he wouldn't miss Katara as much.
It only annoyed him when someone else was too happy when he was completely miserable. The next seven days could not pass quickly enough.
...
Author's Notes: Again, Merry Christmas everyone! And please, push to button just below this message to review. I love to hear what you have to say. Ideas, comments, criticisms are all appreciated; truly, I want to know what you think!