I am so sorry about this, but when I posted this before I had cut it in two parts and just now realized that I hadn't posted the second half. So instead of adding another chapter I tacked it on to the end of this one. Hope you like it.

Katara sat nervously in Prince Iroh's sitting room. He had gone to get some tea from his personal stash because he wanted her to taste one of his new blends.

What was wrong with her? She couldn't stop her legs from jumping all over the place.

Prince Iroh came back into the room and quickly got to work making their tea and starting happy conversation. Once she had a cup in her hand, he finally asked, "Miss Katara, please tell me what is wrong. You seem so anxious."

"Um, well, the thing is that Zuko ran into some trouble during his extended stay in the South Pole." She started slowly before rapidly launching into her story, "He asked Dad for my hand it marriage, but he refused but then Zuko left then came back and tried to win be back but I was told I already had been paired up with this guy named Akhult and he was so not the man I want to marry, which is Zuko, and Zuko and I had a huge fight about it but Gran Gran talked some sense into Dad and Dad let me dump Akhult and I proposed to Zuko because I thought it was only right considering that it was sort of my fault that we were in that mess, but I also have to ask you. So, here I am asking you for Zuko's hand in marriage." She finished breathlessly.

It took Prince Iroh a couple of seconds to process the onslaught of information, "Really, if that is all you are worried about?" He paused for dramatic effect, "You should be."

Katara had started to relax now that she had gotten it all out, but it was quickly replaced by dismay when she heard him say that last part. So he hastily continued, "I have no doubt that you would make a beautiful and accomplished wife for my dearest nephew, but the matter of being Fire Lady might be a different matter all together. Zuko is not the only one who is involved in this decision, nor is it just Zuko and myself. No it is the whole of the Fire Nation that is to decide if you are suitable. The court will want to put you through a rigorous interview that will take quite some time if it is conducted to completion. Although, as Zuko's advisor I do have to ability to make any final decisions. I know that you are both keen on announcing the engagement, so it will be allowed, but if things do not proceed as planed then it will have to be broken off."

"I want to be the everything that he is for me. I will do whatever it takes." Katara swore.

"Then lets get started shall we?" Katara nodded. "You will have to study the curriculum that Zuko had to since he was young. You will be studying law, history, literature, culture, mathematics, astronomy, and how to speak politically. You will be tested on this before any official date can be placed on yours and Zuko's wedding. That is, the country, I, choose to allow it."

Katara was shocked at how much there was to learn just to be queen and the fact that people could stop her from being with Zuko. She figured there would be some kind of training, like etiquette, but this?! "That's a lot to learn."

Prince Iroh nodded quite serious, "My dear, this is just the surface. After the tests that you will have to take concerning each of those subjects, there will be more advanced editions of most of the same books. Also, there is a firebending exam, but that is extremely Stone Age so I think we will have to substitute it with something else. Perhaps waterbending. The point being that the Fire Lady cannot be a weak woman sitting by her husband's side, she needs to be just as strong and powerful as he is. Otherwise, there would be chaos when she gave an order."

"At least I can waterbend." Katara said nervously.

Prince Iroh continued on happily, "Once you have been tested on the advanced topics you will have to pick some specifics on what you might like to study further. There will primarily be the aspects of ruling that you may control if you are suitable."

Sarcastically Katara mumbled, "Oh, if that all I have to do."

"My dear, what did you think you were getting into?"

"True love… marrying the man of my dreams…"

"Yes, but it also has had work involved with it. Zuko is Fire Lord. He rules a country. He is responsible for appeasing the other nations of the world as well as keeping his own alive. Also, there is a marriage that will need to be worked on under the stress of royal life. It's not a pick-nick, as one might say." Prince Iroh said thoughtfully.

"I knew that. But when you say it like that it makes me seem dumb and I am not dumb!"

"I know that, dear sweet Katara, if I didn't think you were not capable of handling the stress and work load I would have sent you away already, like I have the other noble girls who have wished to court my nephew." He added slyly.

"What?"

"Humm, yes. While my nephew was gone they proceeded to disturb my teatime to inquire after Zuko and try to gain an advantage over others. Back to the testing, there will also be rigorous political scenarios that will test your quick thinking and loyalty to the Fire Nation. Once you are engaged to Zuko, you will have no political ties to the Water Tribes. I understand that they are your home and you love them dearly, but they will stay separate from our politics. This is not a political merger so they will not be allowed to have a bias in our court. Is that understood?" Katara nodded, "The court will evaluate you for the final test, but that one should not be as hard as the others. It is basically an evaluation of you as a person."

"Wait. They get to decide if I get to be their queen based on if they like me or not? They can't judge me… that is exactly what politics are. Isn't it?" Katara sighed in realization.

"Test one is passed. You realize now realize that being ruler of a nation is a crappy job and a thankless one at that." Prince Iroh calmly sipped his tea with a glint in his eye.

~_~ Part 2

Katara sat on the kitchen counter talking with Zuko, it was late and they were sneaking some of the leftover dissert. Katara spooned some pie into her mouth and hummed in happiness. "So, what are we going to do about the wedding?" She asked around her spoon.

"I don't know yet."

"Come on you must have some idea!"

Zuko sighed and leaned against the counter, "Katara, I've been thinking."

"Well, that's never good." She joked good-naturedly giving him an affectionate nudge.

"Ha ha, very funny." But Zuko couldn't help smiling, "Katara, really though. I think there are some things we need to work through. Like how easily—"

"Oh, please don't bring that up again."

"Fine, then another thing that has been bothering me. How are you going to help me run the Firenation?"

"What do you mean? I think I would be able to help a lot."

"And you will."

Grumpily Katara pouted, "I sense a but."

"I have no idea how to put this delicately. I think that maybe it wouldn't hurt to learn Firenation law and politics." He cringed waiting for Katara to explode.

"Your uncle already talked to me." Katara said amused at his anxiousness.

"Really? I mean that's great!" Zuko coughed to hide a crack in his voice.

"He said that I have to take more tests than I could ever imagine, but eventually I will become your Fire Lady."

"Well, I don't think they would refuse their Fire Lord." Zuko smirked teasingly.

"But I don't want to be there just because you made them let me rule with you. I kind of want to earn this." Katara leaned against Zuko's shoulder and sighed. "I hope they like me."

"They will. How can they not? You are smart, intelligent, and kind. Plus, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. It is everything they want in a Fire Lady, the person who will be the face of the country."

"Woman?" Katara blushed, "Okay."

They were quiet for a while, content just to eat cake.

"Hey, Katara?"

"Humm?"

"I think it might be a good idea if you went back to the Southern Water Tribe to study and come back here for the tests."

Katara's head popped up and she glared at him, "Not ten minutes ago you just called me stupid in the nicest way possible. Now you want me to leave?"

Zuko took Katara's hand into his own, "I want you to go back to be with your family." He began. "Spend some time with them before you can't go back as often, take some books and study. I want to get this civil war under control before I bring you here for good. I don't want that to be an issue for our marriage because I'm sure we will have plenty of our own problems, other than the ones than our country will bring.

Our time apart at the South Pole showed me that I rely on you too much. I rely on you to keep me a good person. I need to be a good person before our marriage. I know it's good to be able to depend on your loved one, but without you I feel like I'm drowning. I can't see any possible way for that to be healthy. I don't want to come into our marriage some broken person. I want to be someone who you can be proud of."

"Zuko, I am proud of you. You are not a broken person and you are good." Katara responded firmly.

"Katara, thank you for believing in me, yet again, but I have to disagree. My father… abused me. I don't what to even think about what Azula did to me. I put her into a mental hospital, temporarily; my mother was murdered for all I know. People don't go through things like that without getting a few scars." He smiled grimly at his own words.

Grumpily Katara crossed her arms, "I don't think we'll have any problems. But, I give you a time if it will make you happy. La knows I wont be. You have one year to fix our country before I storm back here, all learned up, to claim you as my own. You got that?" She laid her head on his shoulder again.

Smiling, Zuko took another bite of pie, "Yes, my love. In one year's time I will have our nation in a state of peace. Ready to accept you as their lady. When do you want to announce the engagement by the way?"

"Before I leave for home that's for sure."

The next day Zuko was with Katara in the private royal library, trying to gather some of the books that she would need.

"There are so many!" She exclaimed as she placed yet another book on the pile. They had about twenty books already.

"Trust me, compared to what I had to read this is nothing."

"What did you have to read?!"

"Most of this library. It was over the course of my lifetime, but books were hard to come by while I was at sea. So, it was mostly before I was banished."

"Dang, you must have been one smart kid."

"Azula was smarter." Zuko muttered.

Katara placed her hands on her hips as Zuko turned to hand her another book, "Could you just take a compliment for once in your life. It wouldn't kill you. Stop comparing yourself to Azula. You two are different people with different strengths and weaknesses. Where she fails, you may succeed. So just accept that you are really smart and lets move on."

"Thank you." Zuko said quietly as he gazed intensely into her eyes.

"You're welcome." Katara said just as quietly, but blushed under the intensity of his stare and started to play with the book he had just handed her. Suddenly, her bashfulness was replaced with curiosity, "Zuko, what's this?" She asked pointing to a stamp on the book.

He looked closer and recognized the stamp that Azula was so fond of, "That's Azula's personal stamp of approval. When did she come in here?" He wondered incredulously. Her stamp was black that was ringed with blue and had a flame in the center. It also had "APPROVAL" written in silver. They weren't Azula's favorite colors, but she liked the stamp all the same.

Zuko flipped open a few other book covers and found more stamps in every book he pulled for Katara.

Posted 2/15/14

Fixed/Added 4/24/14