p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a; text-align: center;"strongMourning/strong/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A few days passed by in relative tranquility. There were no Council meetings, as the country was officially in a period of mourning. The palace staff and all members of the royal family still wore white. Zuko and Hanabi took walks through the garden together, or went to feed the goats at the palace's farmland, or sat in contemplation at the edge of the turtle duck pond. Hanabi received firebending training from her father every day, as well as lessons in kris fighting. Although she did not display signs of great talent, she was determined and disciplined, and worked hard. Meanwhile Katara and Iroh worked together to keep the country running. Iroh knew the ins and outs of the political system, and Katara was up-to-date with the various projects that were going on. She'd met and worked with most of the ministers now, and they had found mutual respect. For every decision that could do without the Imperial Seal that only Zuko could use, Iroh's tiny white jade dragon was pressed at the bottom of the decree. br /"I was thinking of inviting Piandao and Jeong-Jeong to the palace, for the End-of-War celebrations," Iroh said to Katara after a meeting with Lady Soo-jin, the minister of Education. "What do you think Zuko would say?"br /"I don't think he'd mind," she said, "as long as the only reason you're inviting them is to drink tea and play pai sho togheter." She raised her eyebrows at him. "And somehow I doubt that."br /"Ah, but tea and pai sho are such delightful pastimes," Iroh sighed. "And they are best enjoyed in the company of old friends… Now that I'm not in Ba Sing Se anymore, I have to miss my daily games!"br /"There are more than enough games for you to play here in the palace, old dragon," Katara teased him. Iroh shook his head and /"Young lady, you say that as if you've never played a game in your life."br /Now Katara fell silent. br /"Iroh… if I tell you something, will you promise not to tell Zuko?"br /He raised an eyebrow, barely hiding his curiosity. "I cannot betray my Fire Lord and country, Master Katara, but as long as it's not treason I think I can keep a secret."br /She sighed. "It isn't, but I'm afraid that some people do think it is."br /"Now you've got me really curious!"br /She turned her ink brush around in her hands. "Well… when I was at Mai's parents' estate, her father very backhandedly made clear that he didn't trust me, and that he suspected I was poisoning Mai."br /"But why on earth would you do that?"br /"Right?!" She pulled up her shoulders. "I think his theories were that I either wanted to ruin the Fire Nation or get into Zuko's bed, or maybe both."br /Iroh blew out through pursed lips. "Surely there are easier ways for either of those things, if you truly wanted them."br /She glared at him. "You're not helping much."br /"I'm sorry, Katara," he said. "But it's a wild accusation!"br /"I'm just scared that he'll start rumours, and that people will believe him."br /"First of all, you are not the only doctor who's treated Mai. Everybody knows she was very ill. Second, you are known to be one of the most important contributors to the Fire Nation's recovery after the war. Even now you're taking care of the country and its people. You may not realize it, but the people here know your name, and they admire you greatly. Thirdly… Lord Ukano has had stranger theories in the past. Don't you recall? He was convinced that Ozai wasn't dead, but escaped and in hiding, for I don't know how many years."br /"I do remember. That was very painful."br /Iroh nodded. He put his hand on Katara's back and smiled at her. "Don't be too afraid of rumours. They are a part of court life, so you'll probably have to learn how to deal with them."br /She looked at him sideways. "So you, too, assume that I'm staying here?"br /"My dear girl," he laughed. "you'd never leave Zuko when he needs you most."br /She shook her head. "I don't get it. He needed me most when I still had a chance of healing Mai. Surely there's nothing he needs me for, now?"br /Iroh's eyes were soft. "You may not have been able to heal Mai," he said, "but you can heal Zuko."br /She kept turning the ink brush round and round in her hands. Then she put it down, looked at Iroh and said: "I'll do my best."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"One of the only good things about the period of mourning, according to Katara, was that the formal dinners were canceled. Instead they had dinner with just the four of them; Zuko, Hanabi, Iroh and Katara, in the small parlor that was usually only for breakfast. However, this didn't prevent Hanabi from breaking out in sobs when dessert turned out to be coconut rice cakes. Mai's favourite. Zuko angrily spoke to the staff and would have run to the kitchens to extract an apology from the cook himself if he hadn't been too busy consoling his /"Hanabi," Katara said, and although the girl kept sobbing, she continued. "Can I tell you something?" She moved closer to them. "My mother's favourite dish was stewed sea prunes. Have you ever tasted them?"br /Hanabi peeked from under Zuko's arm and quietly shook her head. br /"They're soft but chewy and salty. Ask your daddy about them some time, he hates them. I hated them too as a kid. But my mother absolutely loved them. She cooked them at least once a week."br /Hanabi sniffed but kept looking at her. Zuko, too, gave her a curious look. br /"After my mother had… gone," she swallowed, "it was up to me to cook. I wasn't very good at it, but there was one dish that I made more than any other. Stewed sea prunes. Because every time I ate them, I felt close to my mother. And soon they became my favourite dish, too."br /Hanabi had quieted down. She sat up a little more upright on Zuko's lap and said:br /"Auntie, can you bring me to bed? I'm really tired." br /Katara blinked and immediately looked at Zuko. He shrugged. br /"Sure, sweetie." She held out her hand and Hanabi climbed off Zuko's lap. Together they left the room and went to the nursery. br /With the help of one of the maids Katara brushed Hanabi's hair and undressed her. Then the maid left and Katara put the princess into bed. She tucked in the edges of her /"Auntie, your mommy died when you were little too, right? Just like daddy's mommy."br /Katara nodded. br /"And mine."br /"We're not very lucky, aren't we?" Katara said bitterly. br /"Do all mommies die?"br /She bit her lip. Maybe Iroh was better at answering questions like /"Well sweetie, everybody dies eventually. But most people only do so when they're very old. My mommy, and Zuko's mommy, they died because there was a war and bad things happened to them. But there is no war now. Your mommy just had bad luck and became sick."br /"But why did it happen to span style="font-style: oblique;"her/span? Why couldn't someone else's mommy get sick?"br /"We don't control those things, sweetie."br /"Was it because I did something bad? Mommy was often angry at me. Do you think she got sick because I was naughty so often?"br /Katara sat down next to Hanabi's bed and looked into her /"No, sweetie. Your mommy loved you and she was very sad that she had to leave you. She didn't think you were naughty. She knew you are a very sweet, hard-working girl."br /"Auntie… Do you love me?"br /"Of course, sweetie."br /Hanabi pulled up the blanket to her /"Do you love me as much as mommy loved me?"br /After a heartbeat, Katara said: "Yes."br /"Then I'm happy you're my auntie and not my mommy, because mommies die, but aunties won't! So you'll stay with me."br /Katara shook her head while biting on the inside of her cheek. "Yes, sweetie. I won't leave you. I promised, right?"br /Hanabi nodded, content, and closed her eyes. She soon drifted off to sleep, and Katara tiptoed out of the room./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Katara was awoken by a soft knock on her door. After a split second of panic she realized there wasn't any shouting or running, and she stepped out of bed calmly. She wasn't surprised to see Zuko when she opened her /He stepped inside without waiting for her to say anything. br /"I can't sleep," he said. "I can't stand that big, empty bed, but my office feels so cold and lonely, and I don't want to wake Uncle, so…"br /"So you decided to wake me, instead," Katara /"Sorry," he cringed. "I thought…"br /"It's alright," she said immediately. "I don't mean it. Come in."br /He carefully sat down on the edge of her bed. He was barefoot, dressed only in wide trousers and a quickly thrown on nightgown. His hair hung loose onto his shoulders. She sat down next to him and smoothed a strand out of his face. br /"I like it like this," she smiled. "You should have it loose more often."br /"Can't wear the crown then," he /"Good. That thing is heavy."br /"It is… but somebody needs to wear it." He looked up at her. "Maybe you could."br /"Me?"br /"It would suit you. I told you, you'd be a good Fire Lady."br /She shook her head. "You were drunk when you said that, silly."br /"I still meant it."br /He crossed his legs and sat down more comfortably. br /"I realized I haven't even thanked you properly yet," he started. Katara raised her hand. br /"Don't. You don't need to."br /"But I want to. I want to thank you for everything you've done for… for Mai. I want to thank you for taking care of Hanabi when I couldn't, and for always being there for me, and for your assistance with running the country. I truly don't know what I would do without you."br /She pulled up one corner of her mouth. "I haven't exactly made it easier for you."br /He shook his head. "You respected my boundaries even when I clearly was the one out of line. You've never asked questions, you've only supported me. Thank you Katara."br /She blushed. "Are you going to make a whole speech?"br /"No, I'm done. I can't think of anything else to say. If I loved you less I might be able to talk about it more."br /She felt her breath catch in her throat. Her cheeks burned and she stared at her /"You know I love you too, Zuko. Always have, always will."br /He nodded. "I know."br /"But I don't want you to feel like I expect anything from you. I'll stay here as long as you want me to, but I don't want to obtrude."br /"Katara…" He took her hand. She tried to ignore how loudly her heart was beating. br /"I'm not sure when I'll be ready. Please be patient with me. But if you can trust that I love you, please, stay and wait."br /She scooted closer to him. br /"Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to go."br /He smiled. "I know that's not true. But thank you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She leaned her head on his chest and stretched out her legs. He wiggled until the pillow was in his back, and she pulled the blanket over them. br /"Zuko?"br /"Hmm?"br /"Can I kiss you?"br /"…Yes."br /She propped herself up on one elbow and placed her hand on his upper arm for support. Then she leaned in closer, engulfed in the warmth of his body and the blanket, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her nearer, kissing her back. After one kiss on her lips, he placed another on her forehead. She nestled comfortably beside him, one leg over his, and his arms still around her. His lips were soft, still pressed to her temple, and his heartbeat was steady. She ran her hand through his hair and nuzzled her nose into his neck. Slowly, his breath evened out. The Fire Lord had fallen asleep beside her./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A few days passed by in relative tranquility. There were no Council meetings, as the country was officially in a period of mourning. The palace staff and all members of the royal family still wore white. Zuko and Hanabi took walks through the garden together, or went to feed the goats at the palace's farmland, or sat in contemplation at the edge of the turtle duck pond. Hanabi received firebending training from her father every day, as well as lessons in kris fighting. Although she did not display signs of great talent, she was determined and disciplined, and worked hard. Meanwhile Katara and Iroh worked together to keep the country running. Iroh knew the ins and outs of the political system, and Katara was up-to-date with the various projects that were going on. She'd met and worked with most of the ministers now, and they had found mutual respect. For every decision that could do without the Imperial Seal that only Zuko could use, Iroh's tiny white jade dragon was pressed at the bottom of the decree. br /"I was thinking of inviting Piandao and Jeong-Jeong to the palace, for the End-of-War celebrations," Iroh said to Katara after a meeting with Lady Soo-jin, the minister of Education. "What do you think Zuko would say?"br /"I don't think he'd mind," she said, "as long as the only reason you're inviting them is to drink tea and play pai sho togheter." She raised her eyebrows at him. "And somehow I doubt that."br /"Ah, but tea and pai sho are such delightful pastimes," Iroh sighed. "And they are best enjoyed in the company of old friends… Now that I'm not in Ba Sing Se anymore, I have to miss my daily games!"br /"There are more than enough games for you to play here in the palace, old dragon," Katara teased him. Iroh shook his head and /"Young lady, you say that as if you've never played a game in your life."br /Now Katara fell silent. br /"Iroh… if I tell you something, will you promise not to tell Zuko?"br /He raised an eyebrow, barely hiding his curiosity. "I cannot betray my Fire Lord and country, Master Katara, but as long as it's not treason I think I can keep a secret."br /She sighed. "It isn't, but I'm afraid that some people do think it is."br /"Now you've got me really curious!"br /She turned her ink brush around in her hands. "Well… when I was at Mai's parents' estate, her father very backhandedly made clear that he didn't trust me, and that he suspected I was poisoning Mai."br /"But why on earth would you do that?"br /"Right?!" She pulled up her shoulders. "I think his theories were that I either wanted to ruin the Fire Nation or get into Zuko's bed, or maybe both."br /Iroh blew out through pursed lips. "Surely there are easier ways for either of those things, if you truly wanted them."br /She glared at him. "You're not helping much."br /"I'm sorry, Katara," he said. "But it's a wild accusation!"br /"I'm just scared that he'll start rumours, and that people will believe him."br /"First of all, you are not the only doctor who's treated Mai. Everybody knows she was very ill. Second, you are known to be one of the most important contributors to the Fire Nation's recovery after the war. Even now you're taking care of the country and its people. You may not realize it, but the people here know your name, and they admire you greatly. Thirdly… Lord Ukano has had stranger theories in the past. Don't you recall? He was convinced that Ozai wasn't dead, but escaped and in hiding, for I don't know how many years."br /"I do remember. That was very painful."br /Iroh nodded. He put his hand on Katara's back and smiled at her. "Don't be too afraid of rumours. They are a part of court life, so you'll probably have to learn how to deal with them."br /She looked at him sideways. "So you, too, assume that I'm staying here?"br /"My dear girl," he laughed. "you'd never leave Zuko when he needs you most."br /She shook her head. "I don't get it. He needed me most when I still had a chance of healing Mai. Surely there's nothing he needs me for, now?"br /Iroh's eyes were soft. "You may not have been able to heal Mai," he said, "but you can heal Zuko."br /She kept turning the ink brush round and round in her hands. Then she put it down, looked at Iroh and said: "I'll do my best."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"One of the only good things about the period of mourning, according to Katara, was that the formal dinners were canceled. Instead they had dinner with just the four of them; Zuko, Hanabi, Iroh and Katara, in the small parlor that was usually only for breakfast. However, this didn't prevent Hanabi from breaking out in sobs when dessert turned out to be coconut rice cakes. Mai's favourite. Zuko angrily spoke to the staff and would have run to the kitchens to extract an apology from the cook himself if he hadn't been too busy consoling his /"Hanabi," Katara said, and although the girl kept sobbing, she continued. "Can I tell you something?" She moved closer to them. "My mother's favourite dish was stewed sea prunes. Have you ever tasted them?"br /Hanabi peeked from under Zuko's arm and quietly shook her head. br /"They're soft but chewy and salty. Ask your daddy about them some time, he hates them. I hated them too as a kid. But my mother absolutely loved them. She cooked them at least once a week."br /Hanabi sniffed but kept looking at her. Zuko, too, gave her a curious look. br /"After my mother had… gone," she swallowed, "it was up to me to cook. I wasn't very good at it, but there was one dish that I made more than any other. Stewed sea prunes. Because every time I ate them, I felt close to my mother. And soon they became my favourite dish, too."br /Hanabi had quieted down. She sat up a little more upright on Zuko's lap and said:br /"Auntie, can you bring me to bed? I'm really tired." br /Katara blinked and immediately looked at Zuko. He shrugged. br /"Sure, sweetie." She held out her hand and Hanabi climbed off Zuko's lap. Together they left the room and went to the nursery. br /With the help of one of the maids Katara brushed Hanabi's hair and undressed her. Then the maid left and Katara put the princess into bed. She tucked in the edges of her /"Auntie, your mommy died when you were little too, right? Just like daddy's mommy."br /Katara nodded. br /"And mine."br /"We're not very lucky, aren't we?" Katara said bitterly. br /"Do all mommies die?"br /She bit her lip. Maybe Iroh was better at answering questions like /"Well sweetie, everybody dies eventually. But most people only do so when they're very old. My mommy, and Zuko's mommy, they died because there was a war and bad things happened to them. But there is no war now. Your mommy just had bad luck and became sick."br /"But why did it happen to span style="font-style: oblique;"her/span? Why couldn't someone else's mommy get sick?"br /"We don't control those things, sweetie."br /"Was it because I did something bad? Mommy was often angry at me. Do you think she got sick because I was naughty so often?"br /Katara sat down next to Hanabi's bed and looked into her /"No, sweetie. Your mommy loved you and she was very sad that she had to leave you. She didn't think you were naughty. She knew you are a very sweet, hard-working girl."br /"Auntie… Do you love me?"br /"Of course, sweetie."br /Hanabi pulled up the blanket to her /"Do you love me as much as mommy loved me?"br /After a heartbeat, Katara said: "Yes."br /"Then I'm happy you're my auntie and not my mommy, because mommies die, but aunties won't! So you'll stay with me."br /Katara shook her head while biting on the inside of her cheek. "Yes, sweetie. I won't leave you. I promised, right?"br /Hanabi nodded, content, and closed her eyes. She soon drifted off to sleep, and Katara tiptoed out of the room./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Katara was awoken by a soft knock on her door. After a split second of panic she realized there wasn't any shouting or running, and she stepped out of bed calmly. She wasn't surprised to see Zuko when she opened her /He stepped inside without waiting for her to say anything. br /"I can't sleep," he said. "I can't stand that big, empty bed, but my office feels so cold and lonely, and I don't want to wake Uncle, so…"br /"So you decided to wake me, instead," Katara /"Sorry," he cringed. "I thought…"br /"It's alright," she said immediately. "I don't mean it. Come in."br /He carefully sat down on the edge of her bed. He was barefoot, dressed only in wide trousers and a quickly thrown on nightgown. His hair hung loose onto his shoulders. She sat down next to him and smoothed a strand out of his face. br /"I like it like this," she smiled. "You should have it loose more often."br /"Can't wear the crown then," he /"Good. That thing is heavy."br /"It is… but somebody needs to wear it." He looked up at her. "Maybe you could."br /"Me?"br /"It would suit you. I told you, you'd be a good Fire Lady."br /She shook her head. "You were drunk when you said that, silly."br /"I still meant it."br /He crossed his legs and sat down more comfortably. br /"I realized I haven't even thanked you properly yet," he started. Katara raised her hand. br /"Don't. You don't need to."br /"But I want to. I want to thank you for everything you've done for… for Mai. I want to thank you for taking care of Hanabi when I couldn't, and for always being there for me, and for your assistance with running the country. I truly don't know what I would do without you."br /She pulled up one corner of her mouth. "I haven't exactly made it easier for you."br /He shook his head. "You respected my boundaries even when I clearly was the one out of line. You've never asked questions, you've only supported me. Thank you Katara."br /She blushed. "Are you going to make a whole speech?"br /"No, I'm done. I can't think of anything else to say. If I loved you less I might be able to talk about it more."br /She felt her breath catch in her throat. Her cheeks burned and she stared at her /"You know I love you too, Zuko. Always have, always will."br /He nodded. "I know."br /"But I don't want you to feel like I expect anything from you. I'll stay here as long as you want me to, but I don't want to obtrude."br /"Katara…" He took her hand. She tried to ignore how loudly her heart was beating. br /"I'm not sure when I'll be ready. Please be patient with me. But if you can trust that I love you, please, stay and wait."br /She scooted closer to him. br /"Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to go."br /He smiled. "I know that's not true. But thank you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She leaned her head on his chest and stretched out her legs. He wiggled until the pillow was in his back, and she pulled the blanket over them. br /"Zuko?"br /"Hmm?"br /"Can I kiss you?"br /"…Yes."br /She propped herself up on one elbow and placed her hand on his upper arm for support. Then she leaned in closer, engulfed in the warmth of his body and the blanket, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her nearer, kissing her back. After one kiss on her lips, he placed another on her forehead. She nestled comfortably beside him, one leg over his, and his arms still around her. His lips were soft, still pressed to her temple, and his heartbeat was steady. She ran her hand through his hair and nuzzled her nose into his neck. Slowly, his breath evened out. The Fire Lord had fallen asleep beside her./p