29. Eloped
A/N: I don't think this one needs any explanation. Very short. Consider it a follow-up to the last one. ;)
"Zuko! Let's go! The boat's waiting for us! We want to get away before the palace wakes up," Katara whispered to her fiancée, standing in the doorway of his bedroom impatiently.
"Just a minute," he answered as he carefully penned the letter, paying minute attention to every stroke of the calligraphy, just like he'd been taught as a boy. "I don't want Uncle and Mother to worry about us disappearing without an explanation."
Katara sighed and leaned in the doorway, waiting for him to finish. At last, Zuko rolled up the parchment, tied it up neatly, and left it on the bed for the servants to find. And with that, the young couple slipped away in the night, giddy in their excitement and deeply in love.
The next morning…Iroh sat there reading the letter that had been left, chuckling to himself and shaking his gray head.
Dear Uncle and Mother,
Katara and I couldn't wait any longer, so we've decided to elope. We'll be back in two weeks. Take care of things while we're away, okay? I promise we'll have a proper ceremony when we return.
Love, Z and K
Iroh handed the letter to Ursa and she read it over, and she shook her head in gentle amusement, "Young love," she said wistfully.
Iroh's grin widened as he took the note back. "You know what this means, Lady Ursa?"
The former Fire Lady tilted her head curiously, indicating that she was listening.
"This means that I can collect on that bet I made with Toph that they would elope!"
