So the virus has us all homebound with nothing to do. Can't go anywhere, can't meet anyone. So... what do I do to pass time? Write a longass chapter is what. But this was a fun chapter. Jion is my OC.

As usual, R&R.

ALSO ALSO I HAVE 100+ REVIEWS! WHOOOHOOOO!

I wanted to give a shoutout to all my reviewers in this chapter, for crossing 100 reviews, but I'm too exhausted for now. Will do so in the next chapter.


Chapter 16

As soon as Zuko's eyes moved towards the banquet hall, Katara's smile slipped from her face. She had spent the better part of the day, standing in front of the mirror, practicing a bright smile that she could paste on to her face for the banquet. The two of them walked into the banquet hall, her hand featherlight on his elbow. They entered the banquet amid fanfare. The loud sound jarred her nerves, but she had worked hard to teach herself to keep her smile up. All her effort paid off as she managed to hold her expression.

Next to her, Zuko walked, looking as though he was in full control of the surroundings. His posture, his demeanor, his presence – he had imbibed the persona of the Fire Lord through and through. Even though he was dressed in the traditional Fire Lord robes, he had stamped his personality all over it. He had done away with the shoulder spikes and had put an ornate but more practical drape instead. He had also gone for a robe that slit in the front, pairing it with black pants, allowing for freer movement.
The two of them walked, matching their pace, to the stage where two thrones were placed. They turned to the crowd and Zuko waved, resulting a deafening applause.

"Esteemed member of the council," he said when the furor died down, "As you are aware, under some extenuating circumstances, I have married Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. A Master Waterbender, she has been instrumental in ending the Hundred-Year-War. A war-hero, a healer and a teacher, Lady Katara is an inspiration for many. Ladies and Gentlemen, please allow me to introduce your new Fire Lady," he waved a hand toward her.

Knowing it was her cue, Katara took a step forward and waved to the crowd. Her reception was markedly more subdued, with a polite applause. Zuko gave her a small nod and whispered, "The stage is all yours."

Swallowing the lump of cold dread in her throat, Katara took another step forward and cleared her throat. The speech that she had spent the day memorizing had vaporized from her brain and she was now at a complete loss. What could she possibly say? She took a deep breath and began speaking, entirely off the cuff, "Member of the council, I am honored to be in your august presence. I thank you for the warm welcome you have extended to me and mine. I hope I would live up to the high standards that the former Fire Lady, may she rest in peace, has set for me. As I am from a different culture, I may require some guidance from your vast knowledge and experience. However, being from the Water Tribe and a Waterbender, I know how to adapt to different situations, much like my element. I look forward to have an enriching experience amid you all as I take the mantle of the Fire Lady."

She was met with silence. Feeling an inkling of anxiety, her eyes darted around until she found Iroh. The old man gave her a smile and a nod. She was about to have a full-blown panic attack, when two people started clapping. Then another. And another. Eventually the entire hall erupted in applause.

"Well done," Zuko whispered, coming up to stand next to her. "You have always done well with improvising speeches."

Katara nodded, feeling relieved about the response she had received. The fear that had been swirling within her all this while was finally diminishing, allowing her to breathe easy. A genuine smile blossomed on her lips and she turned to look at Zuko, trying to gage his reaction. The look on his face, however, stopped her in her tracks. She had seen it, under the dancing lights of the candelabras, but had dismissed it as her being paranoid and anxious. But there it was again. Right there, in his eyes. The look. It was gone before she could pinpoint it but Katara was certain it was there. She had seen desire in his eyes, blatant and naked.

Desire.

He wanted her. At that moment, however briefly, but he did. And Katara didn't know how to process this. A part of her, the one that had loved and lost Zuko, was ecstatic. At one point, she had craved his attention and now she was getting it. But now, she had no idea what to do with it.

But the bigger part of her, the one that was damaged, wanted to run and hide. Not again. Never again. Never again.

"Katara? Do you need to step out for a minute?" Zuko asked her, "You look…troubled."

Breathe, Katara, breathe.

"I'll… I'll be okay. I'll just grab a glass of wine," she muttered.

Zuko nodded and said, "Just hold on for a bit. The Fire Sages need to coronate you and some people will meet you. I'm right next you."

NO. I need to get away from you. I need time to think.

"Sure," she lifted the skirt a little and lowered down on the ground, kneeling with her head bowed. She heard the swish of robes and saw a figure clad in red approach from her side. The buzzing in her mind did not allow her to comprehend the words the sage said. Soon, she felt a small tug on her hair and then the weight of the gold crown settled on her head. She pushed herself up and did the Fire Nation salute, not bowing too low.

Keeping her eyes fixed at an indeterminate point in front of her, Katara allowed Zuko to guide her to the throne with a barely-there hand on her elbow. The two of them took their seats and Zuko motioned for the revelries to begin. By revelries, it meant that every single Council member was introduced to her. The member, in turn, introduced their family to her. By the end of it, the names and faces were one confused jumble for Katara. It was only when the guests began to mingle among themselves was that Katara found a moment to get what she wanted. She informed Zuko as much.

"Someone will bring it for you," Zuko said, raising his arm a bit.

"No," Katara cut him, aware that she sounded hasty. "I… I'll get it myself. Thank you."

Without waiting for his objection, Katara gave a small, formal bow to him and all but bolted from the stage. As she made her way through the gaggle of people, Katara felt as though a band was tightening around her chest. The mask of normalcy that she had put on her face was slipping away, revealing the nervous, scared and confused person behind. Using the crowd, she managed to duck behind a pillar unnoticed. Concealing herself in the shadows, she breathed deeply, trying to steady her wildly thumping heart. Thoughts clashed against each other as her mind fought with itself.

What are you doing? What are you going to do? What will you do if Zuko tries to –

No. No. This is Zuko. He's too honorable to do anything you don't want Katara.

Are you sure? Can you bet your sanity and future on it?

Zuko is not like that!

That's what you thought about –

A woman's voice from the other side of the pillar cut through her jumbled mess of thoughts, "…don't know what he sees in her."

"Her? Who? Fire Lord's charity case?" Another woman answered.

"Who else?" the first one said. "She's so dark. Uncultured. A widow and the mother of two children. Why would he marry her and not a Fire Nation noble woman? I'll never understand."

"You really don't see it, do you? Maybe because you're both women," a man said. There was a small pause, where Katara could hear the distinct sound of ice swirling in a glass of some liquor. Katara closed her eyes and concentrated on the fluid in the glass. Firewhiskey. "The Fire Lord, may he live long, spent his exile shuttling between the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe. He must have sampled the local cuisine and developed a taste for the… uh… exotic."

The two women tittered, the clinking of ice adding to the cacophony.

"Well, that craving will certainly be addressed," one of them said.

"But then wasn't he already sampling the goods?" the other woman said, "Wasn't that what the whole brouhaha was about?"

"Why nibble when you can have the entire course?" the man asked, much to the amusement of the other two.

Tears of humiliation pooled into Katara's eyes and before she even knew what she was doing, the Firewhiskey in the man's hand gave a particularly wild swish. A cry of indignation followed with the flustered man trying to explain that the whiskey had just jumped out of the glass. He was not drunk. He had no desire to ruin Lady Sorma's dress. The petty victory gave her a moment of savage pleasure, but it was hollow. The bitter taste of disgrace still lined her mouth. Without paying any further attention to the party or the now arguing trio, she marched out of the banquet hall.


Councilman Parus droned on and on about his proposal that Zuko had given up on last night. After his interaction with Katara, worry for her had taken precedence. By the time morning rolled around, he had gotten busy with the preparations of the banquet and amid it all, the proposal had slipped his mind. Thus, when Parus hounded him, Zuko had no idea what the man was talking about. Mercifully, someone tapped his shoulder, distracting him from the barrage of long-winded nonsensical speeches. He turned to find Suki looking at him with a small frown on her face.

"May I borrow the Fire Lord for a moment?" She said, her tone not leaving any room for disagreement.

The Councilman looked annoyed but agreed, nonetheless. With a small bow to Zuko, he walked away.

"Thanks Suki you –"

The Kiyoshi warrior talked over him, "I stepped out to use the restroom. When I was heading back, I saw Katara storming out of the banquet hall, with I think tears in her eyes."

Zuko frowned and looked around the hall. Amid the throng of red and gold, he could not spot her. "Do you know where she is?"

Suki pointed to the door she had marched out of.

"Thanks Suki. Could you inform Uncle I'm heading out for a little while?"

"Yes, sure."

"Thanks," saying so, he walked out of the door. That door opened to one of the pools in the palace garden and Zuko was certain she would probably be with her element. He walked over to the pool and as he had suspected, Katara stood under a gibbous moon with a ball of water swirling above her fingers. She wasn't even looking at the little ball floating over her palm, staring off into the darkness.

"Katara?"

Her posture tightened and she flung the water to the pond with a ferocity that surprised him. But she remained silent.

"Katara? What's going on? Are you having another panic attack?"

"Stop it! Stop it, Zuko!" she snapped, her voice shrill.

"What? What happened?"

She whirled around and Zuko's eyes widened. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her kohl had run down, lining her cheeks. Her breath came out in short, irregular gasps, and rage danced on her face. "Why are you here?" she asked through gritted teeth, "Haven't you done enough?

"Wh… what? What did I do?"

"I don't need your charity, Zuko!" she spat. "I don't need your pity."

Her words twisted his stomach painfully. "Charity? What are you even talking about? What charity? Katara, please, where is all this coming from?"

She scoffed, "As if you don't know!"

Zuko shook his head, confused, "No. I genuinely don't know. What are you talking about?"

"You!" she screamed and marched up to him, poking an accusatory finger on his chest. "Do you think I don't understand? Do you think I don't know what you're up to?"

Anger and hurt battled each other within him and anger won, "Oh yeah? What am I up to? Please, enlighten me."

She ground her teeth and kept her blazing eyes fixed on him, "Just because Aang died, doesn't mean you have a chance now, Zuko."

Zuko reeled back as though she had slapped him. "Chance?"

"Yes! I know what men want. All men are the same. Every. Single. One. You may act all high and mighty, but deep down, you are no different. Fire Lord Zuko! The ender of war. The paragon of peace. The most honorable. What a joke!"

"Enough!" Zuko screamed, sparks flying out of his mouth. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but I won't have you stand here and spout whatever bullshit that comes to your mind. Charity? You think I married you for charity? I married you to save your life."

Katara cried, grabbing her hair in her fists. "Why? Why couldn't you just let me die?"

"Because I am alive because of you, you fool!" Zuko yelled, grabbing her shoulders in a pincer grasp. "The ender of war? Paragon of peace? You think I am the one of who ended the war? You are so delusional. It was you. Not me. Not Aang. Not anyone else. You. Aang and I were the hands that ended the war and changed the world. You, you were the spine. You were the one that found the Avatar. You were the one that made sure he learned the elements. You were the one that trusted me in Ba Sing Se. You were the one that made sure Aang lived. You were the one that defeated Azula. You made sure I lived. I don't know what's going on with you, but this is neither the time nor the place for it. So better pull up your socks and be in the banquet hall for that is your banquet. You are supposed to be there and not wallow here in some freaking self-pity party that you seem to be having on right now."

With that he dropped his hands, spun on his heels and stormed into the banquet, smoke coming out of his nose.


Tears streamed down her face as Katara ran. The noise in her mind was getting deafening, blocking out everything. She had no idea where she was headed to, she just ran to where her feet carried her. She ran till she could run no more, gasping for breath. Realizing she was still in the garden, she stumbled over to a bench and collapsed on it. She held her head in her hands, wondering what she could do. She was hurtling down a dark hole with no way out. She had been perfectly fine, content and at peace just last morning. How had she come to this? She pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes, breathing deeply. She needed to be back at the banquet, but she couldn't get herself together. She wiped her tears, hiccupping slightly. She stood up, swaying on her feet. She knew she looked a fright. Her carefully done makeup and hair were now messed up. She needed to fix her face and hair. But before she could make her way to her room and salvage what she could of the evening, a crack of a twig reached her ears.

Instantly alert, Katara pulled some water from the nearby fountain and armed herself with ice-claws. Her mind painted horrific pictures of an assassin killing her, with Bumi and Kya left orphaned. Izumi left without a mother again. And Zuko! Oh Tui! Would her last words with him be a rage filled tirade? No! She wouldn't let that happen. Gritting her teeth, she whirled around, her eyes scanning the garden. It was a while before she saw the outline of two people walking towards her. Katara steadied herself, ready to launch her ice claws, prepared to attack when the duo walked into light.

"Katara?" Azula looked at her with evident confusion. "What are you doing?"

The man accompanying Azula raised his brows upon realizing who she was. Hastily schooling his features, he bowed in the Fire Nation salute. "Greetings, milady."

Nodding at him, Katara stumbled over to the bench, "Sorry. I don't mean to hold you and…"

"Jion," Azula said. When it became obvious that she was not going to give any further explanations, Jion stepped forward and pointed at the empty place on the bench next to her. "May I, milady? I'm a little drunk and not really steady on my feet."

When Katara nodded, he sat down, tucked his hands behind his head, and stretched his legs in front of him. Azula leaned against the rim of the fountain, crossing her arms. Upon realizing that the silence between the three was beginning to get awkward, Jion ventured forth.

"Azula neglected to mention that I'm her therapist."

That piqued her interest and she looked at him, wiping the residual tears off her face. "So… you're a healer?"

"Sort of," he said, nodding slowly. "I'm a healer of the mind."

Katara blinked. "Healer of the mind? How… how do you do that?"

"Through a combination of medicines and talking."

Katara looked from one to the other, waiting for one of them to say boo. When they didn't Katara said, "Talking? Are you serious?"

"You'd be surprised just how much talking helps. Azula tells me you are a healer yourself."

"I am. Yes."

"Then you, of all people, would understand that ignoring a wound and pretending that it doesn't exist, does more damage than good."

"It does," Katara agreed.

"The mind is no different, milady. The wounds of the mind need healing too."

Katara looked at Azula, whose eyes were fixed on Jion with an unreadable expression on her face. Thankful for the distraction the two had brought, Katara faced Jion, "But I would imagine the mind is tougher than the body. I can see the wound of the body, but I would suspect the mind is much more problematic."

"Which is why we talk," Jion answered with a smile, showing a set of deep dimples. "When a person talks, we get glimpses of who they are. The more they talk, the more we know. And once we know the wound, we can then work at healing."

Katara pondered on Jion words. Talk. That's what Zuko wanted her to do. He wanted her to talk. "That sounds… interesting. And I see your point. Maybe… I should talk?"

"Yes, you should. But, more pertinent question for now is, what are you doing here, Katara?" Azula interjected. "That's your gala in there. Shouldn't you be inside?"

Katara sighed, the crown's weight suddenly feeling too heavy. "I know. I should be there but… I don't think he would be too thrilled to see me now."

"He?" Jion asked. "Who? The Fire Lord?"

"Yes, yes, Zuko."

"Why?"

"I just had a bit fight with him and…" her words petered away as the words she had so unthinkingly hurled at him coming back to her, coloring her with shame.

"And?" Azula pressed.

"You said things you shouldn't have?" Jion asked in a calm and empathetic voice.

"Pretty much," she said, burrowing her face in her hand.

Azula clicked and waved a dismissive hand, "Don't worry about that. My brother isn't one to hold grudges. In fact, I bet he got all shouty right back at you."

Katara gave a weak chuckle, "He did."

"Then you are fine," Azula said. "He might be having a freak out right now. Just go right back in, though, and Zu Zu will be okay."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Azula had a point. This was her gala. She was supposed to be there, not hide out here in the garden. Grinding her teeth at this lapse in her duties, Katara stood up. Instantly, Jion shot to his feet and bowed to her. She thanked the two and turned to walk when Azula called out, "Katara, wait. You can't go in there looking like that."

"Oh? I look that bad?"

Azula gave a small chuckle. "You do. Come with me, I'll fix it."

Katara looked between the therapist and the Princess and realized she had interrupted something. There was a hint of reluctance in Azula's offer. Thinking quickly, she said, "No, no. Don't worry about it. I'll get Mari to do it. Thanks, Azula. And Jion. You both helped me a lot."


Where was she? Zuko thought, his eyes flicking to the door over and over again. She should have been here. Katara missing out on her own gala would not sit well with the council. In fact, he was sure he had heard a few whispers about how irresponsible it was of the Fire Lady to go missing. A part of Zuko knew that she was having a particularly difficult time at the moment and this gala was not helping her any way. But then, a bigger part of him resented everything that had happened in the garden. He knew she was hurting, but then, he had done nothing but been nice and understanding of her troubles. He done everything he could to accommodate her and now, this was how she was reacting. Blaming him, accusing him, abandoning him now when he needed her to be next to him. He knew he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't help but wonder why she couldn't put aside her issues for just one evening and be here when he needed her. Not to sound bitter, but he had signed off his entire life without a second thought, just for her. The least she could do was show up for one evening.

Zuko pressed his thumb against his brow, trying to rein in the irritation that was building up within him, when someone clapped his back. This was almost unheard of in a Fire Nation Councilmember gathering and he knew, without looking, who was next to him.

"Sokka," he said as a greeting.

"You didn't even look! How did you know it was me?"

Zuko looked up with the hint of a smile on his face, "There are three people in the world who can do that to me, one of whom is not even in this room, and the other is in the line of my sight."

Sokka grinned, "One is me. One is Toph. Who is the third?"

"Jee."

"Who? Eh, doesn't matter. I just… never got the chance to talk to you, man to man, since North Pole."

"And you chose this moment?" Zuko said with a small smile. "Not really the place for that kind of conversation. We could talk tomorrow morning."

"Uh, I figured you'd be busy tomorrow."

"Busy? My schedule is going to ne not any busier than usual. I usually have the mornings free."

"Yeah, well, you will be busy," Sokka said with a finality that Zuko would have caught on, had he been in a better mood. But distracted as he was about Katara's absence, he had completely missed Sokka's declaration. "Anyway, Zuk, my bro –"

"Don't."

"What?"

"Don't 'Zuk my bro' me."

"But you've always been my bro. Ever since Boiling Rock, we've been bros. Now you're my brother-in-law now. So… you're more my bro now. Double bro. But I can't call you that can I?"

Zuko sighed, "Is there a point to all this?"

"Point? To what?"

"Sokka, are you drunk?"

"A little, but that's beside the point."

"So, what is the point? What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Oh…um… what was I trying to say again?"

"I don't know."

"Ah yes, I was here to say thank you."

Zuko smiled, finally catching on, "Oh don't worry about it. It was my duty."

"Duty? It was your duty to have so much meat on the buffet?"

Zuko took a deep breath and slapped a hand on his head. "Sokka… Why are… This…You're welcome. Have as much meat as you want."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thanks, Zuk my bro! You're the best!" Saying so, he walked away. Zuko huffed, wondering why the Water Tribe siblings were trying his patience that day. Deciding he needed a drink, he began to march towards the drinks table, when he felt a strange sensation. Like a tug behind his navel. Odd. He placed a hand on his stomach, wondering what he had eaten to have that sensation. But some instinct told him to turn around. He had long since learned to rely on his instincts and he obeyed.

And there she was. Nothing in her face or demeanor showed that she had been an emotional wreck less than an hour ago. Walking towards him with her head held high and a smile on her lips. Unknown to him, his own lips draw into a smile of his own.