Summary:
After the betrayal of Jet, a polished rogue in the King's Guard, Katara of the Watertribe refuses the affection and offer of any man. Due to rising rebellion in the Earth Kingdom's Island Colonies, and its capital of Ba Sing Se, Chief Hakoda strives to protect his daughter and his people's way of life. Firelord Iroh pushes his nephew to marry Katara, whilst they struggle to have nothing to do with the other. Meanwhile Jet comes to win Katara to find an angry Waterbending Master, that refuses his lies and casts his true self into the light in the high society of the Earth Kingdom. Humiliated he seeks his revenge on not only his parent's murderers, but the country of their origin, and a prize he failed to gain, a blue eyed waterbender called Katara.
A.N
Hmph. Yes I know its been a while, but I have to remind you all of some things. 1) It's not been even two weeks. 2)Some writers take months to update. 3)I had exams. Now onward! I like my diction is this chapter. :) I also must stress, while this is not a very active chapter, is is VITAL to the plot. On a different note, let's talk reviews. :( I am lucky to get twenty a chapter. That hurts. As much as y'all insist this is good and insist I update, I think it's really unfair that you leave me so little feedback. Not only do more reviews make me write faster, they make the story as a whole better. Positive enjoyment makes my confidence and thus my eloquence and pace grow. Questions keep me on my toes and ensure I'm putting as much effort into my writing as my faithful readers deserve. If the review rate doesn't start to increase, I see no need to keep posting. After all I don't get much out of this. I know what's going to happen (most of the time). Sorry for being harsh, but I'm feeling very discouraged. Questions, as always, are welcomed. Please
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Disclaimer: I do not own avatar, nor do I make any profit from this story
Arc II
Rating: T
Chapter 22: Love and Horror
Katara, Iroh, and Zuko
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Zuko lay quietly among their- his- sheets.
The council had not taken well to news of Katara's sudden departure. Her excuse of a loved one's health meant little to men accustomed to treachery and deceit.
Not that Zhao's 'concerns' were helping matters.
The look in his eyes betrayed not only the usual arrogance, but a gleaming knowledge that made Zuko clench his fists. The best Zhao could have would be a theory, illogical and founded only by his own desire for trouble.
And yet…
His child lay completely unaware, warm beneath its mother's hand.
The thought had yet to fully sink in. The fantastic idea of a family was something that his mind was struggling to cope with.
His wife was just shy of her sixteenth birthday, and he himself was barely eighteen!
Zuko rolled to the empty side of the bed. He hadn't been able to bring himself to sleep in the middle, still able to envision long, smooth locks spread across silky pillows.
The thought of Katara, round with his child, was so foreign he nearly laughed. He only had the hazed memories of his mother's second pregnancy to compare to.
As a child he had registered that his mother couldn't hold him anymore, and that she wanted smelly foods. Beyond that he was hurt and upset that she wouldn't run with him, playing tag and whatever struck his fancy.
Azula had not been a quiet child. She had come into the world screaming, demanding things the sages could only guess at. Her birth had been highly auspicious, some alignment with some star. Zuko only remembered a smelly bundle that pulled his hair.
He pushed thoughts of his sister away. With the blood of Katara strong within his child, it was illogical to fear another little evil princess.
A child.
He wondered how his Uncle had come to terms with it. When Iroh had been told, he had watched his nephew sadly before clasping a shoulder and telling him to meditate often.
Finding the advice far from useful, Zuko had taken to brooding. He pondered Katara's actions, why he had been left uninformed, and lastly, but quite ridiculously, what they might name the babe.
It really seemed someone else's child, a small being with little impact. Its reality was hidden from Zuko by distance and harsh times. The child would remain such. It could never be real until he felt the babe, saw the steepening slope of Katara's stomach.
For now his efforts must focus on the situation at hand.
Clearly, fleeing was his wife's way of ensuring he had no power to affect her condition. It was a subtle, but damaging gesture that left a highly bitter taste in his mouth.
Try as he might he could not help the resentment creeping within his heart. He was far from blaming the child, or even Katara, but more than once had the spirits heard his curses at them.
Zuko smirked without humor or satisfaction. The one time he felt close to his wife, the only time he was with her intimately had led to their downfall.
He couldn't help but have a sudden vision of his father laughing at him.
Zuko sighed through his nose, smoke drifting to dance with the moonlight above his solitary figure.
He turned his thoughts to Jet's flight. He and Long Feng had left, not even a day after the…confrontation…he prince had shared with Jet.
The sudden semblance of retreat was intriguing, not to mention out of character for Earth Kingdom representatives, who frequently prided themselves on their resolute and 'stone-like' ways.
Their departure, of course, was due to 'negotiation reports' to their kings. The thought made Zuko snort. They were licking their wounds whilst trying to save face, the practice of all proud men.
It suddenly came to him that he couldn't exclude himself from such a grouping.
Zuko had noticed Katara's distance and odd mood, but had been to proud to humble himself. He had been purely convinced he had done nothing wrong and thus creating an issue where there had been none. Katara had merely needed his support and council, and his refusal to investigate closer had obviously created the impression that he couldn't be depended on.
I suppose that's why she didn't tell me.
At least, that's how it appeared before Zuko.
Zuko, like many good souls, had the tendency to pile useless blame. In this case in was directed inward. His wife had left for reasons that he still couldn't comprehend, but at the very least her flight had bought them time.
Zuko's breath released in a sigh.
It still rankled him, the whole situation with Jet. Katara's descriptions of him (however few they were) had created a picture of a stubborn, proud, bastard, who would rather cut down twenty men then die himself.
The sudden retreat to the shelter of higher powers was beyond what Zuko had expected of him. Long Feng, perhaps, possessed enough sickly guile to hide behind larger players, but it was so against Earth Kingdom tactics that it left Zuko wondering how they had no qualms in their decisions.
From what he had seen prior to this mess, the far more probable outcome would be the victim of such a 'confrontation' to demand a fight, or at the very least the one responsible sorely punished. Fleeing went against the very grains of the earth.
It was too convenient.
Katara leaving, then the Earth Kingdom 'officials' scurrying away like the rats they were. It had occurred to Zuko that they may have plans to follow his wife, but the tail he had set after them reported a steady course for Ba Sing Se.
The destination aroused his and his uncle's suspicions.
Bumi and Omashu were South, leaving the ship to bypass the city and head to the capital. Jet's first act should have been reporting to his superior, not playing tag team with Long Feng.
Zuko's eyes narrowed.
Unless Bumi was in Ba Sing Se?
The standard spies in Omashu had sent no word of this, though. It really was off. Nothing added up well, except for the convenient timing.
It almost seemed….planned.
The careless hints dropped by Jet, the ship, ready and waiting, to escort the men home, bypassing Omashu. It all seemed very deliberate, all falling into place after Katara's descision to run.
It was as if they expected it.
No.
It wasn't possible for two men, sly as they may be, to so closely predict every action as it unfolded. Neither man was that intelligent. Or lucky.
This was executed by a strategic genius, able to consider each outcome and push the pieces to their will. It was chillingly familiar.
Of course, it is was all planned.
If it was…
Zuko shuddered at the thought of another power, higher and faster than him, playing.
It was the first rule in any game.
Know your opponents.
Jet.
Long Feng.
?
Know your opponents, ZuZu.
Zuko's eyes widened in horror and shock.
No.
Iroh sighed as he sank into his favorite chair.
It had become a beloved pastime, greeting the moon as she rose, beautiful and graceful as any well bred lady.
The usual tea sat like a bird in a nest, snug between two palms worn with age. Iroh flinched at the creak of his knees as he leaned back to situate his bulk in the chair. Age it seemed, was kind to no man.
His faded eyes tracked the glowing orb, pristine and bright against a background of darkest silk. It was the sort of picture a poet would remark favorably upon.
Iroh hummed to himself, whilst tapping out a good rhythm against his lap.
Crystalline and bright,
Lady of purest white.
Hiding behind silk gloves,
The sun, the soul she loves.
He smiled. His wife had loved any verse he scripted, as horrid as some of them were. He felt closer to her as the moon's draw. She had loved the night, unusual for a firebender, but still. Her spirit was the breeze that caressed his cheeks.
He had long hoped for his nephew to find such a woman.
Katara, it seemed was perfect. Iroh adored the little waterbender, remembering former times and meetings when he had seen her, pure and tiny, wandering through the legs of the great men of politics. His nephew too seemed quite taken by her. The match was a very well-set one indeed.
Iroh's content smile faded at the thought of current events.
Katara had felt for the sake of what should have been her most joyous time. He himself had seen the shock and sadness adrift his nephew's face, and could only wonder the affects on his poor niece in such a messy situation.
He and Kanna too, were very much deprived. They had been scheming names as soon as the letters between them began.
His musing were cut off suddenly by the door bursting open.
His nephew's face was frantic, looking horrified at whatever demon slayed him within his mind, for it very much looked like Zuko was having no luck overcoming the terrors.
"Uncle?"
His voice was sharp, betraying a wary urgency.
Iroh did not stand, sensing it best to try and keep the atmosphere as calm as it may be with his nephew's fear.
"Yes?"
Zuko had only barely left the doorway, but it was enough for the glow of the moon to strike him, making his skin take on a deathly pallor. His voice was very tense, strained by anxiety, terror, and worry that only a father and husband could know.
"When was Azula last sighted?"
The teacup shattered against the solid floor.
The crisp air over the Arctic seas was much colder than Katara remembered.
Soon, their ship would pull into the South Pole's harbor, where she would be forced to make excuses for the unexpected arrival.
And then find her grandmother's arms to sob into.
There would be no fooling Kanna, who had been a midwife for decades. One look at her granddaughter would reveal the cause of her visit and of her distress.
Toph stayed beneath the decks, miserable from the rocking waves and unmerciful blindness of the water. Aang had gone to coax her out, a daily habit that always failed him.
It was at such times that Katara was alone.
They had rarely left her be, anxious she would sink into despair of guilt.
La knows she carried it everywhere, in solitude of not.
It was a heavy burden, pulling down her hopes and strength of will. Thoughts of Zuko did little to ease the burden. The memory of his warm arms fleeting and lovely, before reality set in, leaving her aching and colder than before.
He had not come after her which, while she was glad, made her feel unwanted. It was irrational and childish, but the sentiment remained the same.
Unhealthily, her thoughts constantly strayed back to a warmer climate. She wondered at what Zuko was doing, how he was, how he was dealing with the court and Jet. She thought of Iroh and the turtleducks, and of the gardens that would be thriving on this, her sixteenth birthday.
Aang and Toph had woken her to a feast, and asked if she wished for her gifts then, or if she was inclined to wait to celebrate with her family at home.
Only her family wasn't together as they once were.
Her husband and Uncle were away, and her mother dead.
It was enough to make tears fall into mix with their salty brethren, the waves sliding against the wood of the ship.
Damn hormones.
She only wanted to be in bed, warm and safe with Zuko holding her and her mother in her dreams.
Instead, she stood alone, out to sea with her first child in her womb. Her husband was ignorant, and the babe itself was a dagger pressing against its parents back.
Such a horrible way to be thought of, and Katara ached for the hardships the babe would know. Even if she couldn't feel the babe, being only a two months, she would gladly take any wound.
While thoughts of her situation filled with despair, the fantasies of her child left a lasting warmth that helped chase away the biting gap where her husband should be.
She missed him.
She loved him.
Loved?
At once her thoughts halted within her head. 'Love' had brought only pain before. It was a mere fondness she felt, growing keener as the distance between them grew.
But no.
She allowed herself to embrace the thought for a moment, only a moment, and she felt so full she nearly laughed.
Damn.
The man was arrogant! And proud! And cynical! And…
Concerned. Supportive. Protective.
Katara groaned aloud.
Her grandmother would be thrilled.
The thought was cheering, and unbidden she thought of him, kissing her tenderly as he had that night.
Katara wondered if her mother would have approved.
A.N: Actionless chapter, but hopefully Katara's confession and Zuko wising up made up for it. Yes, I wrote the poem. I'm pretty good at writing verses. Hope you liked. REVIEW!!