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Chapter 35:

It had been two weeks. Katara was fully recovered. We all lived in the estate together. Nothing had really been decided, except I was crowned King. But there was one thing that was certain, I knew it was time for the certain ring in my pocket to be placed on a certain finger. I kissed her forehead before blindfolding her, "Trust me," I said to her.

I didn't need to see her eyes to know she rolled them.

I smirked and then took her hand, "Come on!" She followed me while I led her up the large staircase. She took her sweet time, and although I didn't want to rush this, nervous energy pulsed through me and I just wanted to get upstairs, "Hurry up."

"Zuko where are we going?"

I laughed, "Don't you dare take off the blindfold.

"I wasn't planning to." She said, exhasperated.

"Well then hurry up, Sapphire!" Throwing her nickname here and there during conversations had become a routine for me. And it earned me a smile from her that I loved seeing. I turned my head just in time to catch glimpse of it. Spirits, I would never get tired of seeing that smile.

She sighed and stopped, "How far away is this?"

I turned around to face her. Although she was fully recovered, I knew she tired easily now and I knew her wound still had to hurt like hell at times. "It's not far- oh for Godssakes, I'll just carry you."

She opened her mouth to say something but I scooped her up in my arms and she sighed, placing her head on my chest. I ran up the remaining steps and then sprinted down the hallway, making her laugh float behind us. I contemplated turning around to catch the laughter.

"Where are you taking me?" She finally demanded.

"Patience," I said as I gently let her down to her feet. She straightened out her dress and then reached for the blindfold, "No! Not yet!" I said to her. She sighed and dropped her hand.

I turned the knob to her old bedroom and took her hand again. I waited for a moment, if that assclown Sokka hadn't remembered- The piano began playing and I smiled. It was the same lullaby I had heard Katara singing that one day so long ago in the piano room.

"Are we...are we in the piano?"

I smirked, "Damnit Katara, you ruin everything."

That earned a laugh from her and I smiled. I pushed her forward a little and opened the doors to outside. The wind was cool. Just right. She pulled off her blindfolds and I watched as her eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went luminous. She leaned out on the railing, her smile wider than I could imagine. She breathed in the cool air and looked at me as her hair flew back.

I could tell she was taking everything in. I shut the door behind us and drew the curtains, so Sokka couldn't see anything. I knew he's be nosy about this so the curtains were a smart idea. It seemed weird for Sokka to be playing piano right next to us but the door and curtains were enough privacy.

"It's so beautiful, Zuko." She smiled at me. I slowly walked behind her and wrapped my arm around her waist. She leaned into me. I stood with her for a while until I i finally grew some and stepped away from her. Nervousness ran through me as I stood in front of her, "Katara?" She didn't look at me.

Her eyes were still taking everything in. I held in a laugh, "Katara? I need you to look at me?"

She looked at me completley oblivious to what I was about to ask her. I cleared my throat "This Kingdom is finally free of my father's ways of ruling. For years we have passed on the ways of fear and threats, but that will happen no longer…" I started but realized there was something missing. I looked at her left hand and grabbed it, pressing my lips to it.

She raised an eyebrow, "Katara, together you and I, we can create a new Kingdom filled with peace and kindness. I understand there is so much to do, and this is just the beginning, of the Kingdom, of us. But I definitely don't want any of this to end. Katara, it will take work but together we can make this Kingdom strive how it should be. And I need you,"

I took her other hand in mine and the wind pushed her hair back off her shoulders and neck, so it flew behind her softly, "I love you so much Katara. Sapphire. And I want to spend every living moment with you, by your side, with you, together," I rambled on and stopped myself.

I looked into her eyes, searching them, "Do you love me, Katara? Do you imagine spending your life with me, the rest of your life?"

She looked up at me and slowly nodded.

I grinned and grabbed her forearms, "Good. Then marry me."

Her eyes widened and in that moment, my fingers fumbled in my pocket for the ring. I held it out in front of me. She just stared at me. I bit down on my lip, maybe I should have given the proposal more thought. Maybe she liked to be asked?

As I opened my mouth to speak, she tackled me to the ground. We both fell to the ground, me on my back and Katara on top of me. She wrapped her arms around me tightly. I laughed, "Is that a yes?"

She pulled back for a moment and gave me a playful look, "Well..." She bit down on her lip and spirits, I couldn't take it any more. All the resistance in my body collapsed and the walls I had built collapsed around me. I grabbed the sides of her face and pressed my lips against her. She gasped against my lips.

The slowly, ever so slowly. She eased herself on top of me, the weight causing me to sigh against her lips. She kissed me back and I wrapped both arms around her waist, holding her tighter than I had ever left her before. My heart was pounding a million beats a second, each one saying her name over and over again. And I handed my last piece of my heart to her and just like that, she was mine. All mine.

I kissed her back, my lips working with hers. She was so beautiful. God, she was so beautiful. She wrapped her arms around my neck and she moaned as I kissed her top lip. I had never heard a more beautiful noise. We finally released each other and I stared up at her, into her blue eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips red.

Out of everything I expected her to do, she flopped down next to me and laughed. I shook my head, "Spirits..." Was all I could say. She grinned and rolled over so she faced me. She pressed her lips to my cheek. I shook my head and laughed, remembering I still had a proposal to get through.

"Will you let me finish?" I asked her. She laughed again and then cleared her throat. She stood up straightening her dress and smoothing back her hair. She smiled, "Very well then, your highness, you may proceed." She looked at me nervously suddenly. God, she was so cute.

I crouched on one knee and picked up the ring from off the floor, brushing off the box. I held her left hand in mine as I opened up the box and held it out to her. She wiggled her hand out of my grasp.

"Katara Tryon," I said in my most serious voice, "Will you marry me?"

She smiled and spoke, "Yes- Yes," Her voice was breathless. She held out her hand. I took out the ring and slipped it onto her finger. A perfect fit. I kissed her hand and then each of her fingers. She watched me, blushing slightly.

"Are you done?" She asked me.

I smiled, suddenly remembering, "Almost." I stood up, holding her hand and walked over to the edge of the balcony. "NOW!" I bellowed. Katara gave me a look and I stared into her eyes until the reflection of the fireworks filled them. There was a loud crack and then a boom. I didn't even bother to look back, I just stared into her eyes. The reflection of the red and blue fireworks filled her eyes, just the colour I had wanted.

God, I owed people a ton of thank you cards. I wrapped an arm around her waist, "What do you think?" I asked her.

She finally looked at me, "I love you so much, Zuko."

I smirked, "I know."

She smacked my arm and I leaned in and kissed her cheek, "I love you more sapphire."

We stood watching the fireworks for the rest of the night. Finally the sky was clear of any color other than a very dark blue that resembled black. Faint traces of smoke lined the sky. I grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her towards the bench that was at the edge of the balcony. A certain book sat next to the blanket.

I gathered Katara in my lap and pulled the blanket over us. She shuddered and I kissed her cheek before grabbing the book and plopping it down on her lap, "Read it to me."

She gave me a look, "What? No way!"

I opend the book to the front page, "It's the only reason I've held onto it for so long."

She stared at me for a while. She finally sighed and flipped to the first page, "A charming introduction to a hermit's life!" She read the first line. I couldn't help it, I laughed a bit. "What?" She demanded.

"It sounds much better when you read it."

"Zuko, I only read the first sentence…" She said in disbelief.

I nodded knowingly. Her face flushed and she cleared her throat as I nudged her to continue reading, "Four weeks' torture, tossing, and sickness! Oh, these bleak winds and bitter northern skies, and impassable roads, and dilatory country surgeons! And oh, this dearth of the human physiognomy! And, worse than all, the terrible intimation of Kenneth that I need not expect to be out of doors till spring!"

I brough my head down next to hers to read the next paragraph, "Mr. Heathcliff has just honored me with a call. About seven days ago he sent me a brace of grouse-the last of the season. Scoundrel! He is not altogether guiltless in this illness of mine; and that I had a great mind to tell him. But, alas! how could I offend a man who was charitable enough to sit at my bedside a good hour, and talk on some other subject than pills and draughts, blisters and leeches?"

She smiled then continued reading, "This is quite an easy interval. I am too weak to read; yet I feel as if I could enjoy something interesting. Why not have up Mrs. Dean to finish her tale? I can recollect its chief incidents, as far as she had gone. Yes: I remember her hero had run off, and never been heard of for three years; and the heroine was married. I'll ring: she'll be delighted to find me capable of talking cheerfully. Mrs. Dean came."

I kissed her ear, unable to contain myself. She leaned back against me, "Keep going," I said. She tried reading a line and I kissed her jaw, she stopped and set the book down, frowning, "I'm exhausted."

I frowned at her. She pulled back, just enough so I could stare into her eyes, "Last night, I was on the threshold of hell. To-day, I am within sight of my heaven. I have my eyes on it: hardly three feet to sever me!" She said, quoting one of my favorite lines from 'Wuthering Heights'.

She had no idea what that did to me. I groaned softly and pressed her closer to me. Maybe too close considering her brother was still in the room next to us. But I dind't care. I didn't care about anything but her. She was asleep in a few minutes flat and her body grew limp on me. I wrapped my arms around her and took a deep breath.

She was my Sapphire. She was my life. She was my love. She was my family. And it would always remain that way.