WHOA!

Reviews, favs and follows from that last chapter flooded my inbox. Thank you, peeps. I love you all to bits. Without much ado, here is a fun chapter.

Chapter 30

Katara's day began with Zuko getting up at the crack of the dawn, as usual. Katara glanced at him through sleep laden eyes as he went to the adjacent bathroom to freshen up. The next thing she knew was a loud knock, coupled with someone calling for Zuko. Katara sat up on the bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to rid the last remnants of sleep from them. She was about to answer when Zuko's voice sounded, "Coming."

Realizing that she was not likely to sleep any more, she got off the bed, and was donning her overcoat when she heard Mizu's polite yet panicked voice, "Milord, apologies for disturbing you, but Mari says she cannot find the Fire Lady."

"What?"

"The Fire Lady, Milord. She is missing."

Huh? Confused, Katara walked over to the chamber door just as Zuko said, "Umm no."

"Mizu?" she said, her voice still heavy from sleep. It took her a moment to realize that Mari was standing next to him, gaping at her. Mizu stared at her for a moment, then at Zuko and then, the pale man took on a shade of bright red.

"A… Apologies Milord, I… I didn't…," the poor man looked ready to pass out

Katara could almost hear the laugh Zuko was struggling to hold back. She too had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from guffawing. "Don't worry about it," Zuko said.

Mari bowed low and said in a small voice, "It was my fault. After yesterday… with the princess…. I panicked."

Katara smiled, "It's okay. You both were looking out for me. Thank you."

The two of them bowed, muttered another apology and all but ran from there. Closing the door behind him, Zuko turned to look at her. One look was all it took and the two of them erupted into peals of laughter. Nothing about the beginning of the day told her how the rest of the day was about to unfold.

Zuko looked at his schedule for the day and suppressed a groan. Most of the day was fine but the dinner was what had earned the reaction. He really was not looking forward to spending an entire evening listening to Councilman Sorma and his family. He debated on whether to go and meet Azula, since he had some time in his hand. She had been at a bad place yesterday. Maybe it would be wise to give her some time to, hopefully, regain some coherence before she saw him again. He dropped the idea of meeting his sister and instead, looked at Mizu, who was carefully avoiding his eyes. Zuko suppressed a smile and said, "Send a message to Jion that I want to talk to him."

The man bowed and left. He decided to use the little time he had in his hand to meditate, something that he had not done in a while. He would later be grateful that he had chosen to do that.

When he walked into the dining room that morning, he was surprised to see that the children were nowhere to be seen. "Where are the kids?" he asked as he sat next to Katara.

She shrugged, "Sokka said he has something serious to talk about. And apparently, it would be better to have only the grown-ups in the room."

Zuko raised his brow and took in the other occupants, trying to gage the mood of the chamber. Most of the people in the room, namely, Uncle, Hakoda, Gran Gran, Toph, and Ty Lee, all seemed normal. Suki's mouth was set in a tight line, something he knew meant bad news. Then there was Sokka. He could almost see the dark cloud that was hovering over him.

"Okay," Zuko said, frowning. "Is this private?"

"Preferably," Sokka answered.

"Then let's go to my study. It's more secure."

As he walked down the corridor, leading everyone to his study, he had a mental picture of himself as a mother turtleduck leading her brood to the nest. He smiled to himself at the silly image as he opened the door, and ushered them in. Once everyone else was inside, he closed the door and leaned against it and said, "Go on."

"Sit please," Sokka said, as he leaned against a wall and crossed his arms.

Ty Lee climbed on a table, while Toph sat on a chair, with her feet firmly on the ground. Iroh, Hakoda and Gran Gran claimed separate chairs while Suki stood behind her father-in-law. Katara sat on the cushion at the writing table, propping her elbow on the table. Zuko remained where he was.

Sokka waited till everyone had taken their positions, before he turned to look at Zuko and then to Katara, before turning his gaze back to him. He licked his lips and said, "Zuko, Katara, can I start by saying that I am very happy for the two of you. You both seem to be at peace now, and that is something I can't begrudge."

"Come to the point, Sokka," Katara said, a frown lining her forehead.

Sokka took a deep breath and looked at Suki, who refused to meet his eyes. An action that struck him as odd, but Zuko was unable to dwell on it further as Sokka straightened his shoulders and turned to Katara.

"I have been thinking," Sokka began.

"Never a good sign," Toph interjected, earning a pointless glare from Sokka and a snort from Ty Lee.

"Moving along," Sokka said through gritted teeth, "I have been thinking and I realized something."

"What?" Iroh asked.

"There's more to the story than you are telling us, isn't there?"

"Like what?" Gran Gran questioned.

The smile playing on Zuko's lips disappeared as he cast a look at Katara who was staring at her brother with a pinched look. He pushed himself off the wall, walked over to her, and stood with his hand on her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

Sokka's blue eyes flicked to where Zuko's palm met Katara's shoulder and then he looked back at them, "Zuko, Katara, will you tell me… tell us… the truth?"

"Truth?" Zuko asked slowly, his fingers digging into her skin slightly. "What truth are you talking about?"

"What I am about to ask, I… I hate myself for even thinking this, and I feel like I shouldn't even be talking about it."

"Then maybe you should shut up," Toph snapped.

"No, I want to hear this," Katara said in a strangely flat voice. "What is this truth that you are talking about, Sokka?"

Zuko watched the warrior's Adam's apple bob up and down as his mouth set into a firm line. "I'm looking at you now, Katara. Do you know what I see?"

"What?"

"I see mom's necklace on your arm, Lady Ursa's bracelet and Zuko's necklace. You know what I don't see? Aang's necklace. Why is that, Katara?"

Katara's eyes narrowed to slits as she said, "What are you getting at, Sokka?"

"The Northern Water Tribe were not wrong, were they? You both… you did have an affair back then, didn't you?"

Instantly, Zuko felt his inner fire flare. He was only vaguely aware of the smoke curling from his nose. He ground his teeth and took a step towards him. Before he could react, however, Katara shot to her feet and flung black ink on Sokka's face. She did not even use her bending. Simply picked the bottle and threw it at his face. She did not even wait to see his reaction, as she almost flew out of the room, leaving stunned silence in her wake.

Zuko turned to Sokka, a muscle throbbing in his jaw. "You idiot," he said through gritted teeth. "You absolute fucking moron! You want to know the truth? The truth is that you crossed a line today. The truth is that you have no fucking clue what you are talking about. The truth Sokka is that you are so far off from it that you might as well be on another fucking island."

"Zuko –" Uncle began but he held up a finger, eyes still on Sokka.

"I'm not done," Zuko took a couple of steps towards his friend, his entire body thrumming with sheer rage. He knew he looked menacing, but he didn't care, "You have no idea what you have just done. Don't you remember what she was like at North Pole? Do you have any clue what I have had to do at Ember Island to get her to where she is today? And now, with one sentence, one fucking sentence, you have torn it all down! Next time you want to mouth off bullshit, Sokka, do not direct it at her, or I shall forget that you are her brother and my best friend."

Zuko spun on his heels and was about to storm out, when he stopped, turned to look at Sokka, "Oh, and since you asked so nicely, I will say this once. Just once. No. We did not have an affair. Ever. We were both completely loyal to our respective spouses. No matter what the cost."

Saying so, he began to march out. Before he slammed the door shut, however, he heard Toph say, "He isn't lying."

Zuko did not wait to hear what Sokka or anyone else had to say. He found Katara at the training arena. When the guard had informed him about her whereabouts, Zuko had expected to find her bending ferociously. Or crying hysterically. But he she was doing none of that. Instead she stood straight, her muscles taut, with water forming an orbit around her waist, spinning rapidly. He paused, marveling at her control over her element. She was controlling it without moving a muscle. She sensed his arrival before he could even speak.

"How could he?" she asked in a voice that was cold and empty. "How could he?"

"Katara… I'm so sorry."

She shook her head and let the water splash on the ground. She looked at him and Zuko had to take a step back. The blankness on her face took him back to the Tribunal room. Why? Why? In less than eighteen hours, both his sister and his wife had regressed. What was he going to do now? Swallowing the pain that lodged in his throat, Zuko simply held his arms wide. Katara's face crumpled and she flew into him, burying her face into him.

"Why?" she asked in a trembling voice. "Why? Why did he do this? The Northern Water Tribe, random council members, Ren… I can understand. I can deal with that. But… Sokka? How could he say that?"

Zuko tightened his arms around her, "No. Katara, no. Don't. You and I know the truth, right. It doesn't matter what anyone else says."

"But he is not anyone else," she sobbed, clutching his shirt. He could feel her tears soaking through the cloth. Even when he had been chasing them all around the world, Zuko had never wanted to hurt Sokka as badly as he wanted to do now. "He's Sokka. My brother! He never asked me how I was when I was with Aang. Not one member of my family was worried. I was married to the Avatar, after all. The guy I had chosen. So naturally, all had to be fine and dandy. They didn't even see when I was dying on the inside. They turned a blind eye to my pain and suffering. They never even thought to ask me the kind of questions they have been asking about you. But now, now that I am happy, suddenly my relationship is everybody's business? They keep asking me hundreds of questions. And… Sokka downright accused me of adultery? The very thing that almost got me killed! Wasn't Sokka the one who came to get you? Wasn't he the one who said that he was certain Northern Water Tribe was dead wrong and that I was innocent? Then how could he say this now? How? And dad? Gran Gran? None of them objected? What… what…what…"

When her words trickled off, Zuko shook his head and gave a small kiss on her forehead. "You want me to talk to them? You want me to tell them?"

Katara shook her head, "No. I don't want them to know."

"Why? Don't you think they should know the truth, especially after what Sokka said? Don't you want to clear your name?"

Katara stepped back and wiped her eyes, "Clear my name? This is not a tribunal where I must clear my name. This is my family. People who are supposed to know me. If my brother cannot have this much trust on me, on you, whom he calls his best-friend, then what's even the point?"

Katara sat in front of the dresser as Mari worked her hair into a low-hanging bun, tucking a ruby and diamond comb above it. Over the days, despite the rather disastrous beginning to their relationship, Mari had warmed up to her. When she had headed to Ember Island, Katara had given her maid a holiday. Mari had only returned two days ago, which explained why she had hit the panic button when she had not found her in her chamber this morning.

After her outburst at the arena, Zuko had suggested she take the day off court proceedings and go to the market to cheer herself. But Katara had categorically refused. Instead, she attended the court. Concentrating on politics had helped her immensely.

In fact, a project had caught her interest even. With the rise in population and the surge in the economy, the council had been contemplating a dual-crop system. But the irrigation minister, Councilman Sheng, was having trouble with finding ways to direct the river to the fields, without disrupting the various settlements. Katara, being a Master Water Bender, understood water better than anyone in the court. She could plot out and even direct water in ways that the Fire Council could not even think of. She had spent the better part of the day with Councilman Sheng, a polite, well-spoken, pleasant man in his forties. The two of them had poured over the maps of the Fire Nation, trying to plot out the canal ways. Lost in her work, she had finally managed to calm her frayed nerves and left her only mildly angry.

Finally, when it was time for their dinner with Councilman Sorma, she had taken leave of the minister and made her way to her chamber. She could still hear the nasty words Lady Sorma had said at her coronation gala. That coupled with Sokka's words from the morning meant that the thought of the dinner brought a bitter taste in her mouth. Pushing the disturbing thoughts aside, she stood up and cast a look at herself.

In a fit of rebellion and anger, Katara had chosen a red low-cut gown that might have been considered downright improper in Water Tribe but was very fashionable in Fire Nation. The gown sat snugly on her body, highlighting her figure down to her mid-thigh, before flaring out widely. A golden edging ran along the neck, through the front, right down to her feet. Golden flames were embroidered on the gown, lining the front and the base of the skirt. The full sleeves ended in golden cuffs. A long red gauze scarf was pinned to her cuffs. A part of her was sad that her mother's necklace would not be visible on her arm, but she always wore these three pieces of jewelry. Just knowing that she still had it on her arm was enough. Satisfied with her appearance, she nodded and slipped on her golden shoes. She was just about to step out of her chamber when someone knocked at the door connecting her chamber to Zuko's. She exchanged a glance with Mari whose eyes gleamed with mischief. Mari leaned over and said, "The Fire Lord would not be able take his eyes or hands off you, Milady."

Despite her rotten mood, Katara chuckled. "Open the door, Mari," she said sniggering.

Mari opened the door and let Zuko into the chamber. He walked in, buttoning the cuff of his sleeve. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Come, let's –" his words and steps faltered as his eyes traveled over her, studying her with a slack-jawed expression. Behind him, Mari raised her brows a couple of times, as if to say, told you!

Fighting the blush that was coloring her cheeks, Katara walked up to him. "Let's go?"

"Y-yes, sure. Let's…let's go."

He held out his arm and she looped her own arm through it. Once they stepped out, he bent down till he could whisper into her ears. "You're looking gorgeous."

Her previous gloom had dissipated to a degree that Katara found she could smile. "You're not looking too bad yourself."

Garbed in the dressed down version of Fire Lord's attire, he really looked breathtaking. The two of them walked into the formal dining room, where the family of Councilman Sorma sat waiting. The dining room attendant introduced the family. The Councilman, Koza Sorma, his wife Rozui Sorma and her niece, a pretty girl named, Orula. Koza and Rozui were dressed in the usual Fire Nation fineries. But it was Orula's attire that was rather bizarre. The girl, who Katara guessed was in her early twenties, was dressed in an off-shoulder red gown that ended somewhere in mid-thigh. A slit on the skirt ran almost up to her groin. As surreptitiously as she could, she stole a glance at Zuko, who was looking at them with an expressionless face.

The formal dining room held a round table, so as to give everyone equal footing. Following a nod from Zuko, everyone made their way to the table. Katara took her place to Zuko's right, not entirely surprised to find Orula taking the seat to his left. The girl tossed her hair, touched her bare shoulder, and batted her eyes at Zuko. She had a smile on her face that stoked the simmering coals of Katara's rage, making her want to smack the girl on her face. Koza and Rozui took their seats next to each other, making sure to keep as much distance from Katara as they could. She saw Zuko's eyes narrow slightly at the obvious snub but Katara pressed his knee gently, silently asking him not to react.

"Milord, thank you for giving us a moment from your busy schedule," Koza said in the most disgustingly oily voice.

"You are welcome," Zuko replied.

At that moment, the servants walked in with the dinner of fired Parsin fish (Katara's favorite) and flavored rice, with an assortment of sauces and vegetables. Once they walked away, Rozui smiled, "I must apologize for bringing in my niece, Milord, but she begged to be brought here to be reacquainted with you. My brother was, after all, a friend of yours."

"Reacquainted?" Zuko turned to study the girl whose blood red lips drew into a simpering smile as Orula touched the swell of her breast.

"Yes, Milord," she said in a husky voice, clearly meant to be a seductive purr. "My father was Admiral Zhao. You fought together I've been told."

"Zhao?" Katara was unable to keep the surprise from her tone. "I met him."

Orula stared at Katara, looking aghast. Rozui turned her head up a bit and looked at her as though she were something stuck under her shoe, "That's Admiral Zhao for you."

"And that's Milady for you," Katara allowed ice to creep into her voice.

"Of course, of course, Milady," she replied, looking chastised.

Zuko interjected with his observation, "I don't know what you have been told, but Admiral Zhao and I were not friends."

"But you both fought in the siege of the North, didn't you, My Lord?" Orula said in that same whispery voice.

Katara did not miss the usage of My Lord instead of Milord. The unabashed flirting was setting her on fire.

Oblivious to Katara's anger, Rozui added, "I hear you were there when my brother was martyred."

Zuko lowered his chopsticks, started at Koza, and said in a flat voice, "I was. I saw him die. We did fight at North, but against each other."

"But he spoke very highly of you, My Lord," Orula said, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

Katara could only gape. Hadn't Zhao tried to blow Zuko up? From the little that she knew of him, Zhao had not seemed like the kind of person that would praise his enemy. She looked at Zuko to see if he would counter the words, but he was sitting very still, his face blank.

"I do have a proposal for you, Milord," Koza said.

"And what might that be?"

"Milord, you ended the war, rocking a lot of boats. You ended several taxes, increased some more. You changed a lot of things about the Fire Nation."

"I did," Zuko acknowledged.

"This upset a lot of people. And then, your marriage to… Lady Katara…also was a little bit of a… surprise."

Katara's teeth ground in fury while Zuko's expression remained carefully still. Taking his silence as cue, the other man continued. "I was proposing that maybe, as an appeasement to the masses, you should reinstate an old custom?"

"Old custom?"

"Yes. Your great grandfather, Sozin, may he rest in peace in Agni's arms, was the one who set aside this custom to focus on the war. If you reinstate the custom, especially in current circumstances, would earn you support from a significant chunk of people."

"And what custom would that be?"

"You see, Milord, we understand why you had to do what you did at North Pole and we respect you for it. But being a Fire Lady is not an easy task. It requires someone who has been trained for a very long time. My proposition is that you should consider reinstating the old custom of polygamy. That way you can have a proper Fire Lady."

Something hot and nasty roiled within Katara. She could taste bile in her throat, and it took all of her will to stop herself from upending the contents of the gravy boat on the heads of the family members. After thirteen long years of burying her feelings, denying herself, trying to do what was expected of her, Zuko was now, finally hers. She would freeze anyone to the ceiling if they suggested she should share him. Hell no! She was not going to share him, with anyone. Zuko was hers. Period. Katara glared at the woman who was being dangled in front of her husband. To Orula's credit, she met Katara's icy stare with a steady one of her own.

Keeping her eyes on Orula, Katara said, "Too bad you are stuck with me as the Fire Lady."

Koza gave a smile that looked like he was severely constipated. "And we are happy to know that our Fire Lord possess such a warm and charitable heart. And we would not dream of suggesting that the Fire Lord abandon you and the poor children. We are merely suggesting –"

"That I marry your niece and thereby strengthen your political position," Zuko said conversationally.

Rozui beamed, "Indeed, Milord. Who better than my late brother's daughter to take up the mantle? But I can assure you, we have no ulterior motives. We just have your and the nation's best interest in our hearts."

"I see. Unfortunately, the mantle of Fire Lady is already taken by the most eligible person," Zuko replied. "And, even if it weren't, your niece would not be someone I would consider. Now if that is all, I think we can call the dinner to an end?"

As one the family's expression soured. Zuko gave a nod and stood up, effectively bringing the uncomfortable and annoying dinner to an end. He held his hand out and when she took it, he brought it to his lips giving a very obvious and pointed kiss on the back of her hand. He gave a nod to Sorma and the two of them walked over to Zuko's chamber.

Once inside, Katara grabbed Zuko's arm and turned to face him. The rage and frustration of the day mounted, and she stared at him, "Polygamy? Really?"

"It was a thing back in the day," he responded.

Katara grasped his collar and pulled him down a bit, "Just so you know, if you so much as even think about it, that girl will die of frostbite."

Zuko chuckled, "Jealous, are we?"

"I'm not sharing you. If that makes me jealous, then yes, I am jealous."

He ran a finger along the neckline of her gown, lingering on her cleavage. "No. You don't share me. I'm yours."