25. WE'RE HERE. Those are pretty much the only words I can think, almost the only words I can even form. Over and over again, they ring out inside my head like a bell. We're here. The words consume me, leave me almost vibrating with anticipation in a way that a small part of me can't help but find rather nauseating. We're here. I stand at the railing, tapping my fingers absently on the cool metal. We're here. I bounce up and down, chewing on my lip. We're here. The shoreline approaches at a pace I can't help but find excruciating. We're here. The wind blows in my face and ruffles my hair and the smell of the sea becomes mixed with the scent of trees and dirt and grass and I'm nervously shifting my weight and tapping my foot and humming mindless tunes to myself and my heart is running wild in my throat and the crew is cheering and someone in the bridge is yanking on the ships whistle over and over again and I'm pretty sure it's my uncle and I'm almost certain that he's laughing at me but whatever because it doesn't matter because we're here.

We're here…

We're here…

WE'RE HERE!

Summer has finally bled into early fall by the time we arrive. The world is awash in the colors of autumn, a riot of browns and golds. There's a chill in the air, the first harbinger of the southern winter to come. There's a palpable sense of excitement, the closer we get. I can barely sleep, and I can barely eat. I lay awake at night, staring at the ceiling, listening to the ship creak and moan around me. My face burns with a smile that I'm doing my best to contain. My heart hammers away in my chest, creeping slowly up my throat. I can't sit still. At one point, Toph threatens to tie me to a chair. I just laugh and ignore her, up until she actually ties to me to my cot in the middle of the night. I suspect my uncle is involved, though I can't be sure. I really don't care. When I wake up, all I can do is laugh, giggling to myself as I burn the ropes away.

Ropes…

The ropes!

The crew is bustling about on deck, and out of the corner of my one good eye, I see one of them (it looks a lot like Fukada, but I don't have enough brain power to spare to make sure) balancing on the balls of his feet, holding the starboard mooring line in his hands, and I can sense someone else (probably Gato, that's typically his job) doing the same at port, and the point of contact is getting closer and closer and people are beginning to swarm towards the shore and I can see them smiling and shouting and some are crying and I'm pretty sure I see Sokka there, striding up towards the docks, and from behind me I can hear horns being blown and the cheers bursting out on the Water Tribe ships and I can almost picture the warriors, grown men, hardened by war and battle, jumping and down like little boys and I look down and see that I'm gripping the railing so hard my knuckles have turned right and then…

A faint scraping sound comes from below, and I sense Fukada and Gato tossing the lines off, and the anchor chain rattles as it drops, and when the ship does its final roll from one side to the other before settling down at its berth, my heart actually does a little leap, threatening to burst right out through my throat. I try not to laugh, I really do. It's ridiculous, I know it is. Who is this person? I try to imagine myself, right there at that moment, and I can't. I really can't. He's new to me, this man, this person I never really thought I could be. But it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter…

Because the gangplank is going down and I'm doing my best not to run off of it and all along the shore, the other ships are sliding into place and I can see warriors practically leaping onto the beach and hurling themselves into the crowds and there's screaming and shouting and chanting and singing. Drums are beat and horns are blown and someone (definitely my crazy loon of an uncle) is wailing on my ship's whistle for all that he's worth but I'm really not paying the least bit of attention. I'm walking into the crowd, or at least, I try to, but they come to meet me, they start gathering around me. People are hugging me and shouting my name and suddenly one of the warriors has appeared beside me and thrown an arm around me shoulders and is telling everyone that I'm the one to thank, I made this possible, but I just shake my head, because that's just not true, but no one will hear any argument. Instead, they start hugging me harder, slapping my back and old women (and some not so old women) start planting kisses on my cheeks and ruffling my hair and hugging me so hard I can barely breath.

All thoughts of joy and happiness fly out of my mind. The crowd is pressing in and I can see the warriors joining it and I can hear Hakoda's voice booming out over the chaos, commanding people to let him through, let him through so he can thank me himself, and my head is spinning and my mouth is dry and my heart is sinking into my feet and down through the very earth itself. My hands are shaking even worse now, only through fear instead of joyful anticipation, and my chest feels tight and heavy and warm, and my eyes are burning, and I feel like just falling to the ground and crawling away to go hide under my bunk. I hate being the center of attention, just fucking hate it, I want to get away, I have to get away. I feel the panic rising up from my core and I'm trying not to cry but no one notices, they just keep jostling me and growing louder and the horns and the whistle and the drums and the…

It stops…

The world just kind of…

Stops…

I had just turned nineteen when I first noticed her. We had stopped at the village to trade for supplies. I had wanted to press on, but we needed fresh meat and even sailors can only eat fish for so long, so my uncle insisted and we stopped. The protocols for coming to shore were already beginning to grow lax, even then. Of the group of us that went ashore, I was the only one wearing a helmet, and even that was only because…well…my scar wasn't full a scar yet. My uncle talked to the elders and I just kind of…shuffled about behind him, impatience and annoyance welling up inside. I longed to get back on the ship. I felt angry, frustrated, furious. Why did my uncle insist on dragging me to this meeting? Why couldn't I have just stayed on board? No one stared at me on the ship…

No one hated me on the ship…

Then I saw her, just out of the corner of my one good eye. She standing at the edge of the crowd, next to a tall boy who bore a faint resemblance to her. She looked not much younger than me, about seventeen or so, and she was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. And she was…she was…

She was watching me, and there didn't seem to be hate or fear in her eyes…

I found myself experiencing this mad urge to go up to her, to talk to her. I found my mind wandering, while I watched her out of the one corner of an eye that remained to me, and I felt my heart speed up, and blood and warmth rush to my face. I really wanted to talk to her. She didn't look scared of me, and she didn't look like she hated me. I really wanted to know why.

A voice that sounded an awful lot like my sister crept into my mind.

A prince wouldn't care about such things. A prince, if anything, would be angered at the lack of such emotions in the eyes of those beneath them.

That was the first time I had the Thought. It was the first time I allowed a voice that sounded even remotely like my own to echo within my soul and offer the first piece of dissent I'd ever even fucking imagined.

Well, maybe I don't want to be a prince then…

Yeah, that's pretty much when it all started, my second life, my real life, the long, hard, winding road to this moment, right here.

Because she's here…

The most beautiful young woman in the entire world has just burst from the crowd, long, dark hair billowing behind her as she cries my name and hurls herself into my arms. Without even thinking, I wrap my arms around her and pick her up and swing her around and I'm fucking laughing. That's right, laughing.

I know. I find it hard to believe myself, but it's true. The once-upon-a-time Crown Prince of the Fire Nation is standing in the middle of a rowdy crowd of Water Tribe peasants, swinging a girl around and around in his arms and laughing like a freaking loon.

And it's awesome…

Finally, I set her down. The crowd has taken a few steps back, or maybe it just feels that way, because suddenly, the reason I'm having difficulty breathing has nothing to do with an attack of nerves, but, rather, with the woman in my arms. She's beaming up at me, tears in her eyes, and she looks like she has nothing to say, she just stays there, arms linked behind my neck, shaking her head, looking positively ecstatic, and I'm just standing there, looking down at her, no doubt looking like some love-struck idiot straight out of some gods-awful play, and then insanity takes full possession of my being and I'm grabbing her face and I'm pulling her to me and she's not resisting at all.

Not one. Little. Bit.

My lips meet hers, and the crowd lets out a cheer. She tightens her grip on me, practically molds her body to mine, and she's smiling and giggling under my kisses as I chuckle and grin under hers. Her fingers start winding her way through my hair and my hands get tangled in her hair and the crowd starts chanting our names and laughing themselves sick.

At least until there's a very clear, very strong, very heavy clearing of the throat, and the fun stops for a few moments.

Katara and I leap apart from each other as if we'd been scalded. There, standing before us, is good ole' Chief Hakoda, standing next to a very bemused-looking Sokka. Sokka's just shaking his head, clucking his tongue and looking like he's about to die of hysterical laughter at any moment, while Hakoda…well…

Hakoda just arches an eyebrow and waits…

After a moment's confusion, Katara jumps away from me, hurling herself into her father's arms and burying her face in his chest. If Hakoda had intended to play another little mind game on me, his plan seems to die a very quick death, as he tightens his grip on his daughter and kisses the top of her head. He makes no attempt to stop or hide the tears rolling down his face, and he looks, just then, like the happiest man who ever lived.

I just kind of…well…feel a little uncomfortable, while I shift around on my feet and try to undo the damage Katara has just done to my hair. The crowd holds their breath, waiting in anticipation. I don't feel ashamed or anything, just…well…embarrassed, and not even by the fact that I just got caught making out with the chief's daughter by…well…the fucking CHIEF. No, it's just…

Well…

Happy families make me uncomfortable…

They always make my scar twitch a little…

But I swallow my discomfort and try to focus on happy thoughts and start praying to all the gods that Hakoda doesn't forget that he had admitted not too long before that his daughter was right about the prediction she made in her letter, that he actually did, indeed, like me. I look from the happy domestic scene before me to Sokka, who just keeps shaking his head and smiling. He catches my eye, and throws me a wink, and instantly, I feel a lot better.

Finally, Hakoda and Katara untangle themselves. Hakoda ruffles his daughter's hair, causing her to squawk and swat at his hands, while he just laughs and points in my direction. "So, sweetheart," he says, a smile on his face as wide as the ocean and not a hint of malice in his eyes, "who's this?"

She rolls her eyes and clucks her tongue. "Now, Daddy, you know full well who this is."

He shrugs, an innocent look in his eyes. "Oh? Do I?"

She sighs. "You're ridiculous, Daddy, you know that?"

He laughs. "I know. Now, if you don't mind…"

She rolls her eyes one more time, then strides over to my side and, without the slightest bit of hesitation, takes my hand and threads her fingers through mine. Her other hand she places on my arm, and squeezes my biceps in encouragement. I swallow hard and smile. It's not that difficult to smile. How could it be?

Everything's going to be alright…

"Well, Dad, this is Zuko." She gives my hand a squeeze. "He's going to teach me how to read and write and, when we have the time, he's going to take me out on dates."

"Ah, I see." Hakoda makes a big show of reaching up and rubbing his beard in a manner that is obviously supposed to evoke contemplation. "So, what you're saying is, this is your boyfriend?"

Katara nods. "Pretty much."

"Uh huh…and do I have to anything to say about it?"

Katara shakes her head. "Not really, no."

He heaves a sigh, focuses his gaze on me.

"Then it's a good thing I happen to like the young man. Though," he takes a step forward, "him and I are going to have to have a talk at some point."

I laugh, and bow my head. "With all due respect, sir, your son already took care of that."

Hakoda turns on his son with a smile, while Sokka does his best to throw his chest out and beam. "Oh? Is that so?"

I nod with gusto. "Absolutely. Sat right on that stump outside of your house and sharpened a knife while making thinly veiled threats." I bow my head once more. "He was surprisingly intimidating."

Hakoda laughs, throwing an arm around his son and squeezing his shoulder. "Well, I'll be!" He socks his son in the arm, then pulls Sokka in for a quick hair ruffle. "Looks like I did something right!" He turns to regard Katara, beaming with pride. "Seems my children took care of themselves just fine." Finally, he turns his gaze upon me. "And, well, I suppose I'll let you hang around."

I resist the urge to bow again. I don't know why, but whenever I'm surrounded by the Water Tribe, the amount of bowing my people consider polite just starts to feel…well…a little absurd. "If you don't mind. Katara and I have lots of grammar to catch up on."

Katara rolls her eyes and huffs. "Oh, joy."

Hakoda chuckles. "Well, now that that's all settled, I see no reason why we can't go right into the party." He turns to his people, raises his hands in the air, and shouts, "How does that sound?!"

The entire tribe raises their voices in a deafening cheer, and suddenly I notice bottles of something that brings a foul sense memory to my tongue being passed around the crowd. Everyone's laughing and shouting and smiling and it sounds like the music as already begun, but all I can think are two plain, very simple words.

Oh boy…

See? Fluff. I told you. Also, I'd like to take a moment to think my lovely reader, storyoftheunknownfangirl, who kindly request that I not go through an "Odysseus shit," which inspired me to cut right back to the fluff. Also, the kindly BeakerPD, who was perceptive enough to notice that I've managed to cut down on the typos. In answer to your question, yes, I do have someone looking over my shoulder. My fiancée, you see, is an English teacher, and she kind of got sick of my typos. It only takes a few days of the love of your life gleefully calling out each mistake as she reads your work to encourage oneself to take a stronger interest in what one types.

So, yeah, we're going to spend some time in Fluffville for a while, since this is mostly what I started this story to do. Don't worry, though; I'll try my best to make it entertaining, enjoyable, and moderately well-written fluff. Hope you like it!

Also, today's my birthday! If one of you guys gets a poorly written message reply tonight, I apologize! I can guarantee that, past six or seven, I will be completely shit-housed. Woo!

In the next chapter, Sokka and Zuko sit on a roof, and while they can't quite explain how they got there, they do know that it's going to be a cinch to get down, because, after all, they got up there, didn't they? See? Easy. Stay tuned!