A/N:
I'm back!
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Chapter 28:
"Any day now." Katara said as she sighed and looked away from her reflection. Her hand rested on her belly.
It was any day now. This baby was going to come and she was going to be faced with Zuko in a dispute of him wanting to take the child for himself. La, she wished it hadn't been discovered that the child was Zuko's. It was killing her the closer it got to her having this baby. Fortunately, Ozai told her he wasn't letting Zuko near the child unless she told him otherwise. Which was comforting in a sense but Katara wasn't going to stop Zuko from seeing his child. He just couldn't take the baby from her.
"Mom, you okay?" Zhiar asked as he saw her exit her bedroom.
Nodding her head, "Yes, I just feel heavy."
Zhiar glanced at her belly and then back to her, "So the baby is almost here?"
Katara nodded her head.
"I'll let a servant know. Stay here." Zhiar said as he dashed off.
Katara took a seat in the lounge of her chambers and laid across it. She shut her eyes. Drifting off.
A little while later, Katara was startled awake by a hand over her forehead. Her eyes opened wide and she saw the Phoenix King crouching in front of her as she laid across the lounge chair.
"Your Maj-"
"Please, stop calling me that." He told her. "We're well beyond formalities."
"Umm, okay…Ozai…what are you doing here?" She asked him.
"Three days." He told her as he stood up and looked down at her. "Three days from what I deduce. Hama says tomorrow night but I have my suspicions that three days will be when my grandchild decides to come."
Sitting up, Katara looked up at him. "Are you all making bets?"
Smirking, "Yes."
"I didn't know you gambled."
"I don't but Zhiar and Kya started it so the rest of us pitched in. I say three days, Hama says in the next night, Zhiar and Zuko say not for another week, and Kya says two weeks."
Rubbing her belly, Katara scoffed and told him she was 'happy' they could all get a kick out of what was a miserably painful time for her. Her back hurt, feet hurt, she was annoyed, spaced out a lot, couldn't think for the life of her, and was constantly awoken by the baby kicking her all night. This was not fun. Not fun at all but yes, the rest of them could just go on to enjoy their little bet. Her money was on Hama's bet. Let it be just one more night.
Ozai told her he had offered for her to sleep with him to which she pointed out while she knew what he meant, he needed to rephrase himself. So he did. Offered for her to share his bed. He could easily make her feel a little more at ease.
The waterbender eyed him. "I doubt I'd be at ease in another man's bed while I'm married." Katara felt like half the time she was talking to someone who just didn't get that some shit was just unacceptable when married.
"Goodie goodie." He scoffed.
"Yeah! Well how'd you like it if we were still married and I slept in some other man's bed, huh?!" Katara yelled. She says getting tired of that damn insult.
The look on his face and his silence told her all she needed to know, "Exactly, asshole! Think before you speak!" She said as she got up and stormed out of her chambers.
…..
Later that day, Katara made sweets and apologized to Ozai for getting snappy with him. She told him she was just moody and knew he didn't mean any harm by his comment. Brushing it off, Ozai said she's done worse when she's moody so he thought nothing of it. He petted her head and told her to go lay down. He didn't want her going into labor in the middle of his office.
When she was about to leave, she saw that Hama was entering. Her eyes narrowed at the woman as she turned her nose up at her and marched off.
As Hama entered, she saw Ozai eating those treats that were making him a little pudgy in certain areas. She swore if she didn't know Katara wasn't the kind of woman to have a hidden agenda, she'd think the woman was trying to make Ozai fat.
"Your waterbender just turned her nose up at me. Any reason why?" Hama asked with her hand on her hip as she looked at him.
Simply eating one pastry after the other, "Well maybe she doesn't like the smell of a slut."
Hama scoffed, "Call me what you will, Ozai. But if I wasn't so bold a woman, you'd be finding more comfort in one of your hands." She said walking up to his desk and stopped as she placed her bottom on the edge. "Besides, you know and I know that it takes multiple concubines to please you the way I do."
Ozai eyed her as he held a pastry to his mouth, "What do you want, Hama?"
Smirking as she leaned forward, "Same thing I've been asking for over a year now."
"I told you I'm not increasing your allowance." Ozai dropped his gaze.
Tilting her head as she grinned even wider, "What if I told you I could easily get our lovely Katara to choose you over Arnook?"
"I'd say you're a nut. That's not possible. You know it and I know it." Ozai said.
Hama begged to differ. She told Ozai that Katara was a jealous woman. Reminding him of how dramatically things shifted in his favor when she became a factor. But her reminding him of this made only one thing clear, it wasn't Katara that brought his fall. It was the chaos that Hama caused that did.
"How about this Hama? Since you love causing chaos and ruining people's lives, how about you go with Katara to the North Pole and prove that Arnook is an unfaithful man?" Ozai told her.
Narrowing her eyes, "You think I'd sleep with him?"
Grinning, "I think you'd sleep with anyone if the price was right."
Hama snarled at him. "Then you had better come up with a price greater than what I'm asking for if you want me to sleep with some beta-male of a Chieftain!"
"If it comes to that, I'd make you an offer you wouldn't dare refuse. But I'm confident that playing the game fairly might benefit me more at far less the cost." Ozai said wittedly. "Now I'd advise you to leave before my mood turns sour."
….
Kya was in the garden, bending and twisting flowers into a crown. She wanted to make her mother something pretty. Something that might put her in a better mood because at the moment, her mother looked like she was going to pop any moment now.
As she continued to make her mother a crown, Kya saw her older brother enter the garden and stood up to approach him before he reached them.
"Zuko, you know what dad says. You can't be near mom unless he's around." Kya said.
Patting his sister's head as he looked to Katara, "Can I speak with you, Katara?" He asked.
Katara looked up at him and she didn't know if it was fear or curiosity but she agreed to speak with him. He walked up to her and helped her up on her feet.
"Dad's not going to like this." Kya said as Zuko walked off with her mother.
"Then don't tell him." Zuko said over his shoulder. "I'll bring her back."
Kya swore it was times like this that made her wonder what was wrong with her dumbass brothers. It's like they wanted their father to kill them. Sighing, she shook her head. She was going to be an only child soon.
Taking Katara to the veranda of the garden, Zuko sat her down as he stood in front of her.
"My father and Hama think I'm being too hard on you about what happened. I don't think I am but you tell me, do you think you were fair to me from what you know of the situation?" Zuko asked her with a hard look in his eyes.
Katara looked at him. She really looked at him and saw that his anger was just hurt. She hurt him. She knew that when she woke up being married to Arnook and children that were Fire Nation and he wasn't their father. Because before anyone told her anything upon waking up, the last thing she remembered was her and Zuko holding hands watching the stars in the sky. Talking about the future. Their future. And here they were, in the future that they were supposed to have together.
Casting her gaze from him, "We were supposed to be together." Katara started. "We didn't tell anyone about seeing each other because we knew they would be angry and they wouldn't accept us. But we knew that once we won the war that we would make it known. But...I woke up a few months ago only to learn soon after that that never happened."
Feeling tears form in her eyes as she looked back at him, "Zuko, you were the only person that comfort me when I was scared or listened to what I had to say. Even before I had feelings for you, you were my person. The person that I could be myself with. I could be human with." She sniffled as the tears shed. "And yes, it's breaking my heart to see you look at me like this. Like I'm the person that ruined your life. But I try to imagine that this hurt I feel is nothing compared to how I made you feel, so I'm not mad nor do I blame you. What makes me any different than the people in your life that hurt you?" She started sobbing. "We were supposed to save each other. That's what we were trying to do and now all of this-"
Katara was cut off by Zuko reaching to embrace her. On his knees, he embraced her. Burying his face in her hair as he held her to him.
"I'm sorry, Zuko." She cried as she hugged him back. "I'm sorry I did this to you."
Running his hand over her hair as he shut his eyes, "I forgive you, Tara. I forgive you." He told her.
Kya sensed her father's presence and turned around to see him standing there with his eyes on the veranda. She watched him look away and then walk off. Seemed he didn't much care to say anything to Zuko. At least not about breaking the rules.
There goes being the only child.
…..
Katara was a little restless and sits up by her firepit, poking the flames with a metal rod. She wished she could sleep but there was a lot on her mind. Maybe she should check on her husband and see how he was. Or perhaps, he wasn't going to be happy to see her as he had slapped her the last time she saw him. Besides, it had been three months and she hadn't as much as received a letter from him or wrote him one herself.
But...at least she and Zuko had made up. Which put her in a much better mood now that it was any day now that the baby would be here. La, she just wished the baby would come now.
Groaning, I'm annoyed. She stared at the fire.
"Isn't it a bit late to be creeping up on me?" Katara said as she laid her head on the armrest.
The flames burned white and Katara watched a black bird shaped figure take form. It had red eyes, small details to its feathers, and a long tail feathers. A small grin swept over Katara's lips as she giggled.
"Is this what you look like as a Phoenix?" She asked. "You're so small."
The flaming bird then shaped into the Phoenix King but remained a black flame. "I can be whatever size I want. I figured if I was smaller I'd be less intimidating."
Smirking as she raised a brow, "Your majesty, you don't intimidate me. You never have."
"Is that so? Then why are we back to not using my name?"
Rolling her eyes, "You're my superior."
"You're a Chieftain's wife. I'd say you have some grounds with me."
Katara scoffed and explained that she was in no way stupid to believe her being a Chieftain's wife made her an equal to this man. First of all, a Chieftain of a small, developing country was in no way on the same level as a king. If you asked her the closest person in the world to the Phoenix King's rank was the Earth King and even he couldn't be considered his equal. So she was in no way near him in comparison.
Sighing, "Plus, I'm a woman."
"And what does that have to do with anything?" Ozai tilted his head, taking his human form.
"A lot." Katara said sitting up. "While I've seen women in your army and fought your daughter, I know the Fire Nation isn't much different than the North Pole when it comes to how they view women."
Folding his arms, "I don't disagree but I, myself, have seen plenty of women prove to me they're even more capable than their male counterparts. I'm not a sexist."
Chuckling as she heard him say that, Katara shook her head. "No but your not very nice to us."
"I'm not very nice to anyone."
"You seemingly hate Hama but I heard you two a few times. Not to mention spotted you with your concubines on the other side of the palace." Katara said as she tilted her head up at him and wore a mockingly sad faces. "But I thought you wanted me?"
Two things with what the waterbender said had him about to have an aneurysm. One, being that she heard him having sex with Hama which wasn't something that happened often. And two, is she flirting with me?
Katara burst out laughing as she saw his eyes widened. She quickly told him she was just kidding. It didn't bother her if he was sleeping with Hama. That wasn't any of her business. She just wanted to tease him since he always seemed to be teasing her. She was just getting even.
Standing up as she held her belly, Katara smirked at him. "You should probably find a girlfriend or something. Maybe someone a little less promiscuous than Hama."
"I'm not very interested in other women outside of the bedroom." He told her, eyes slightly narrowed at her.
Shrugging, "Well, speaking of bed, I'm going to my bed, your majesty. I will see you in the morning."
As Katara walked by him to her bed, Ozai caught her arm and she paused.
"Hmm?" She turned around to look at him and her eyes widened as in the next second, he kissed her.
Both her upper arms were in his grasp as he leaned down to kiss her. Katara fell incredibly stiff. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stared with disbelief. When he pulled away from her, staring into her eyes, Katara had tears in hers.
"I'm sor-"
"My water broke." She managed through her clenched teeth.
Ozai's eyes widened as he looked down and saw the puddle. "Shit!"
…
With Katara in labor, Hama and the physicians tended to her. As for Ozai and his children, he forced all three of them to wait in his office until the baby was born. His eyes on Zuko the entire time. Kya laid on the sofa with Mr. Fluff, asleep. Zhiar rest with his arms folded on the sofa opposite of the one his sister was laying on.
It wasn't until the sun rose that a servant knocked on the doors and came in to announce that the child was born. A baby boy. Ozai saw the way his eldest son's eyes light up and he immediately crushed his joy.
"Wonderful. Chieftain Arnook will be pleased to have a male heir." Ozai told the servant and watched as they left.
Zuko stood up and glared at his father, "What the hell do you mean Arnook's heir?! That's my son!"
Tilting his head as he didn't much give a fuck, "Seeing as I'm the head of the family, I say you're not ready to raise a child yourself."
"Who the fuck made you the head of the family?!" Zuko hissed.
Ozai looked at each of his children and then back to Zuko, "I think I did when I didn't have your mothers swallow you and now I'm wishing I did."
"Fuck this! I'm going to see my son!" Zuko yelled.
Still not giving a fuck, Ozai shrugged. "Go right ahead. But you're not taking the child, Zuko."
"Fuck you!" He said as he left the office.
Zhiar looked at his father and narrowed his eyes. He wondered why his father seemed so against Zuko taking their mother's baby. He would think he of all of them, would be okay with this. Keeping the firebender in the family.
Holding her baby, Katara gazes down at the small boy and smiles widely. Is this how she felt when she had her first two children? Was she this overjoyed? La, she knew she had to be. There was no way she could have looked at a child this cute and small and her heart not swell.
Hama grinned at the waterbender, "He looks like our people. Even more than Kya does."
"Yes." She noticed the same. Her twins looked more like their father and his people than they looked like her. Kya had her complexion but everything else screamed Fire Nation. Which was fine. She didn't care about that sort of thing. But this one. This little guy, he looked Water Tribe without a doubt. She could take him home and no one would know the child wasn't her husband's.
As the two women cooed over the baby, they looked up to see Zuko had entered and was looking at the baby from across the room. Hama was about to go in defense mode in order to protect Katara and the baby. But Katara laid her hand on her shoulder to tell her it was fine. Hama stepped aside as Katara looked to Zuko for him to see their son.
When Zuko approached her side to look down at the baby in her arms, his eyes widened at the sight of his son. Right away, he knew this was his son. While he looked Water Tribe he had a spark in his eyes.
"Do you want to hold him?" She offered a weak smile. Giving birth had exhausted her and she wanted to rest.
Taking the little bundle in his arms, Zuko held one hand behind the baby's head and then cradled the rest of him with his other hand. It couldn't be helped that he smiled when his son's eyes bore straight into his.
"He looks like you." Zuko chuckled as he gazed down at his son. "What should we name h-"
Zuko turned to look at Katara and saw her eyes were shut. She had fallen asleep. Hama came over and placed another warm blanket on her.
"So...this is my first grandchild." Zuko heard his father's voice and turned to look at him.
Ozai looked down at the child his son was holding, "As if I wasn't already feeling old, you go and make me a grandfather. How wonderful." He said sarcastically as he approached. "Let me take a look at the little runt you planted in my waterbender."
Zuko rolled his eyes at how annoyingly annoyed his father could get when it came to things that would put a smile on anyone else's face. He was such a downer. For no reason at all.
"Looks like you if your mother was a savage." Ozai said.
Zuko narrowed his eyes at his father, "You'd think you would stop being racist since you're obsessed with one of those 'so called' savages."
Smirking, "I was referring to your mother being stupid enough to cheat on me." Poking the baby on the nose. "See, your father is the racist not grandpa." Ozai mockingly cooed it the baby.
"I swear it's times like this that I remember why I hated you." Zuko hissed.
Not phased as his attention went from his grandson to Katara, who was asleep. "And you think I don't bear a grudge or resentment towards you for impregnating my woman?"
Scoffing, "She was mines first. You took her from me."
"Hush hush, you didn't even touch her. She didn't belong to you." Ozai rolled his eyes and went to the waterbender and sat by her side. "Doesn't belong to either of us now. The damn old weasel has her. We can fight over her when he's dead."
Zuko shook his head, "I'm done fighting, dad. I rather just let whatever happens, happen. We have a real enemy on the prile."
"And I will look out for this family. None of you need worry."
"Because you're the head?"
Grinning as he held his hand at Katara's cheek, "Yes. Because I'm the head."
…..
For two weeks, Zuko stayed at Katara's side and helped with the baby. He even slept on the sofa in her rooms as he didn't want to be away from her or the baby. As soon as the baby cried, he was up and ready to assist. Katara couldn't really move around much after having the baby so he would take the baby to her.
At the moment he was helping Katara bathe the baby in the sink. Washing his short black hair, Zuko chuckled as his son looked at him dead in the eyes with confusion. Katara poked his little nose and giggled.
"He looks so confused." Zuko laughed.
Giggling as she rested against Zuko's arm, "I think that's how babies are." She said.
Zuko smiled lovingly at his son as Katara went to grab a towel to dry the baby off with. When she dried him off and they wrapped the baby in it, Katara looked at how Zuko couldn't keep his eyes off the baby boy. She swallowed hard and tried changing her thoughts as they walked back to the bedroom.
Katara took their son from Zuko so that she could feed him before he fell asleep.
"Will you be okay if I leave for a few hours?" Zuko asked her.
Smiling up at him, "Yeah, I'll be fine."
"You sure cause I can wait and stay here." He told her.
Nodding, "Yup. Besides, he's falling asleep and I'll probably join him."
"Okay, I'll be back soon." He said before kissing her forehead and leaving.
Closing her chamber doors behind him, Zuko turned around to head into town but found his father standing there with his arms crossed.
"Do you think it's appropriate for you to be sharing living space with a married woman?" Ozai looked his son over.
Closing his eyes for a moment as he needed to get himself together before he replied to his father. Because lately, they were bumping heads and with all the progress they had started making, he didn't want to risk losing it. His dad was forever an asshole but at least they had started seeing eye to eye.
Pinching his brow, "Dad, if this is one of your 'I don't know how to express my feelings of jealousy properly because I'm a manchild' moments, please don't. I'm simply looking after Katara and helping with the baby. It's my duty as a man and as a father. As for anything else that you might be thinking is going on, it isn't. You know it isn't but you don't like the possibility and I don't blame you. But just try to focus on Arnook as your rival. Right now, I just want to take care of my son and help out an old friend. Don't make it more than it is." Zuko told him.
For a minute, Ozai wanted to say something along the lines of an insult. But with his son talking to him like he was instead the child, he really didn't want to play into this role of being a manchild as his son pointed out. Ozai wasn't a fool. He knew he could be jealous and expressed it in not so healthy ways. It was just no one ever tried to stop him until now and until now, he never seemed to care.
So he sighed and dropped his defense pose to ask Zuko where he was going.
"Wanted to get my son something." He said as he looked down. "If Katara's taking him back to the North Pole then I want him to have something to remember me by."
Ozai groaned and rolled his eyes as he slapped his hand on his son's shoulder. It wasn't easy what he was about to say. It exposed his vulnerability and insecurities as a father but with his son being a father and in a similar position as him, another man taking his place, he thought it was worth having a human moment with his eldest son.
"I don't want this for you, son. You're a good man, Zuko. Better than I was. Better than I am. You'd be an outstanding father and I don't want that Northern trash raising my grandson let alone my own son. But you'll have to accept that that is how things are." Ozai looked Zuko on in the eyes, "I wish I could tell you it'll be easy but it's not. You'll feel like strangling the shit out of someone. Then you'll want to hang yourself but trust me, I haven't given up. Don't you do so either."
Zuko looked at his dad and smiled. Before Ozai could stop him, his son hugged him. "Thanks, dad."
Ozai was stiff. Only other man to hug him was Hakoda and that shit felt weird as hell. Still felt weird as hell but at least he was able to return a little of the sentiment and pat Zuko's back hoping that would be enough for the man to let him go. But when he didn't budge, Ozai pulled him off and shoved him.
"What the hell do you think I am? Some faggot?!" Ozai hissed.
"Sorry." Zuko sniffled as he wiped his eyes a little. "It just felt nice to hug you after all this time."
Ozai cringed as he saw Zuko was getting emotional. "Please don't. I can't deal with that."
"Sorry." Zuko said. "Did you by chance put on some weight? You feel a little-"
"You have half a second to get the fuck out my face before I end up having you for lunch." Ozai said as his eyes turned red, fangs revealing themselves. "And I am starving."
Zuko took off after his father's fangs emerged. Yup. He forgot his dad had a cannibalistic appetite. He was out.
Ozai mumbled something under his breath about Zuko being too damn soft. Faggot.
…
It was three hours after Zuko had left and Katara was feeding the baby in her chambers when Zhiar and Kya came to see their new brother/nephew...it was complicated but Ozai said that they would acknowledge each other based on the father's side. So the baby was to be considered their nephew.
Kya looked at the baby, latched to her mother's breast and thought he was cute immediately. He had chubby cheeks that were to die for.
"Can I hold him?" Kya asked.
Zhiar looked at the baby and eyed him funny. "Why does he look so squishy?"
"He's a baby. They all are squishy." Katara chuckled.
As the twins tried to get a good look at the baby and take turns holding him, their father entered the room. Causing the twins to hand their nephew back to their mother and jet out the room.
Katara looked up at Ozai as she held the baby to her, "This is the first time I've seen you since I went into labor."
"I suppose I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." He told her.
Giggling, "About what? You kissing me or my water breaking on both our shoes?"
"Both."
Shaking her head as she looked back at her son, "I'm not mad if that's what you think. Just confused." She said as she saw her son greedily trying to get to her breast.
Sitting across from her, Ozai watched the waterbender hold the child to her breast and his eyes managed to linger there until she looked at him again. He tried to play it off and look somewhere else but her burst into laughter made it clear she caught him.
"You're such a pervert." Katara laughed.
"I'm not a pervert." Ozai spat.
Scoffing in laughter, "Then what the hell do you call looking at me feeding my son?"
Ozai didn't say anything. Just narrowed his eyes at her. He wasn't a pervert. At least not in his mind. He was just observing. Besides, what was she confused about? He kissed her and she knew why. What was there to be confused about? He made it very clear his feelings for her.
"Tell me, what have you to be confused about?" He asked her as he saw her stand up to carry the baby to his crib and lay him in it.
Katara sighed as she pulled the silk blanket over her son. "You wanted me to marry Arnook. I didn't want to but you insisted I would be better off with him. And now...now, you regret it. I'm confused."
Ozai looked at her strangely. "What are you talking about?"
Turning around, Katara eyed him back. "I married Arnook because that's what you wanted me to do, now you want me back. Why?"
Standing up, Ozai walked towards her, slowly. She stood there, not taking her eyes off of him as he approached her.
"You remember?" He asked as he stood a few inches from her.
Katara nodded her head, "But only bits and pieces. Not everything. Not yet."
"Then what do you remember?" His voice was low and like a whisper.
"Enough to know that you baffle me." She told him, looking directly up at him. "But I don't really care for the memories. They don't mean much to me. Or is it that I don't connect with them. I don't feel the same as I did then."
Ozai looked her over and studied her expression. She didn't look away from him. Just stared back. He couldn't help but smirk at her and then reach to caress the side of her face.
"Is that so?"
Katara nodded. "I only care about what's happened since waking up. The past is the past."
"You're making it very hard to want to give you back to Arnook." Ozai told her.
Placing her hand on his as he cupped her face, "You're making it hard to want to go back." She lowered her gaze as she pulled his hand away from her face and stepped back. "Ozai, I think we need to-"
Pulling her back to him, Ozai captured her lips again but this time to shut her up. He didn't want to hear another word. It was obvious from her statement that she was falling for him again that or her old feelings were manifesting. Whatever it was, he didn't want to hear another word. Words were futile. At least at this moment.
Just when he felt her lips move against him and her hand placed over his chest, the two were caught by surprise when a knock came at the door. Katara immediately pulled herself away from him and held her hand over her mouth as she stared wide eye at him.
Annoyed at the interruption, Ozai hissed between his teeth as he saw Zuko entering with several boxes in his hands. Somehow it seemed to register with his son that he had walked in on them when he saw Katara's face was beet red and her hand was over her mouth.
"Uh...what-"
"So! What's in the boxes?!" Katara hurried and cut Zuko off before he could ask a question that was going to make her very uncomfortable.
Zuko eyed his father before setting the boxes down and showing her what he had gotten. Pretty much a bunch of things for the baby. Like silks to be made into clothes for him. Baby satchel for her to carry him around hands-free and even a few things for her like a few dresses for her to wear now that she had lost her pregnancy belly.
Katara hugged Zuko and thanked him. When Ozai left in order to give them their space to shower the baby in his gifts, Zuko looked at Katara.
"So what happened before I walked in?" Zuko asked.
Katara froze.
…
The next day. Early in the morning, Katara had gotten up early and scurried to the training yard she had seen a few times. She was dressed in a green crop top and baggy pants. Her long wavy hair was pulled up high in a ponytail. She wore just a few strands out behind her ears. Her plan was to do a little working out to get herself back in shape.
After spending the last few days looking at the flap that was her belly, Katara wanted it gone immediately. She didn't feel herself already. Last thing she wanted was to not look herself.
So, upon arriving at the training yard, Katara did a few of the warm up exercises she remembered doing while in the group during the war. She remembered getting away from everyone else so she could practice. It made her feel vulnerable when being watched while training herself. When she let herself go and became one with her element, she was no longer Katara. She was water and that's how her body moved.
Summoning water from the moist air of a dawning morning, Katara enveloped herself in a watery cocoon. She then raised her arms straight above her head and clasped her hands together. Next, she let go and allow the water to have it's way with her. Her hips moved side to side as nothing above her waist moved except her arms. They moved to the flow of the water. Her eyes shut. Becoming one with her element.
"Your majesty, you truly are captivating." Katara heard a pair of hands clap and her eyes opened to the sight of the Phoenix King's cousin, Shin Yong.
Rolling her cocoon of water down to her feet, Katara froze it into a slab of ice.
"Haven't seen you around." Katara said as she walked up to him. "Where have you been?"
Grinning at the lovely waterbender, "His majesty had me on a task. Wanted me to find out where those bastards that attack the palace went?"
Standing just a small distance from him, "Did you find them?"
"Unfortunately, I did not but I do have an idea where they might be." Shin told her as he stepped closer to her.
"And that would be?" Katara asked as she watched him as he began to circle her.
Smirking as he looked her over, "Private information, your majesty."
Shrugging, "Well, I'll just ask Ozai later. I'm sure he'll fill me in on those bastards." She said. "But I'll get going if you're about to workout."
"Why don't we do so together?" Shin offered.
Chuckling as she shook her head, "No, I'd prefer to do it when no one's around." She said.
"Are you sure?" Shin bended the frozen slap of water she had left on the ground to wrap around her like a ribbon.
Katara's eyes widened as she looked at him. What the-
"I thought you were a-"
"Firebender?" Shin summoned a flame to his hand as he continued circling her with the stream of water. "I'm a dual bender. Fire and water are my elements."
A dual bender? I never even heard of them existing. She thought to herself. But then again she never heard of people being Phoenix, Sirens, Dragons, or whatever else there was out there.
Shin smirked wider as he saw the waterbender was utterly fascinated by him. "My father was a Fire Nation noble. A ruthless and cruel man. My mother was one of the waterbenders that Azulon ordered to be captured before deciding to annihilate them. She had been under abuse at a prison. The prettiest of the female waterbenders they caught. My father didn't want to share her and so he took her home with him. He allowed my mother to have me as his wife couldn't bear him any children."
Katara looked at him with wide eyes. Wow! She seemed a little speechless. Seemed she got a little lucky with her situation. From what she figured, her life wasn't as terrible as it could have been. While she could imagine she went through a lot of hell, she was grateful that some good came out of it. Her two children and a not so bad Ozai.
"Well, maybe another time." Katara said. "I should get back to my son before he wakes to feed."
Bowing his head, "As you wish your majesty." Shin smirked as the waterbender ran past him.
When she was gone, Hama stepped out of the shadows and glared at him.
"Did I not tell you who that child is?" Hama hissed.
Still grinning as he turned to his mother, "My dear little niece. Yes, you've told me I've had one for some time and wait till after I have my fun with her to tell me who she is. Some grandmother you are."
"Watch your mouth, Shin. I say one word of you even being in the same room as her to Ozai and it will be your head." Hama warned.
Shrugging, "I won't touch that poor girl. She's much too fragile. Even her power has dimmed." Shin said as he brushed past his mother.
Hama turned to watch her son leave. She didn't know what he was planning but she was sure that her eyes needed to be on Shin for the time being.
….
A/N:
Ozai is making moves! Wonder what Katara's going to do. Zuko finally forgave Katara and they're rekindling their friendship! Yay! Big hopes for the family...maybe ;)