Author's Note: Xenial-(adj.) The act of being nice or friendly to foreigners.
Disclaimer: These characters deserve better...
Xenial
A declaration was sent out to all the kingdoms by the Fire Nation that anyone harboring the former Fire Prince and the Avatar or any of his known associates would be severely punished and have their lands confiscated. This amplified Katara and Zuko's situation tenfold. They would have to tell Zuko and Hakoda about the baby immediately and figure out a plan to protect all of them since they were all the known associates of the Avatar and the Fire Prince.
Hakoda took the news surprisingly well. Almost as if he had already been warned that Katara was making the announcement. Zuko, however, passed out not once but twice. He was thrilled and also terrified of becoming a father. He loved Katara with his life. He only hoped the tribe would see it that way too. Hakoda took a deep breath after they revived the prince for the second time.
"Things just got very complicated," he declared. The council was silent. They would follow Hakoda's lead this time. "My daughter has made it clear that she loves this young man and obviously he is overwhelmed with love for my daughter." He said with a smirk. The council held back snickers and snorts at that. Katara grabbed Zuko's hand when she saw his face redden. She didn't care what they thought as long as they let them be. Hakoda grew serious.
"Under the circumstances of the outside news brought before us, we can't expect this couple to do the wooing as it would be too dangerous right now. My recommendation is that we provide them a shelter in the deep tundra for safety. We can sled in supplies weekly or monthly to protect them in case of Fire Nation "visitations". We must protect our own," He said. Eyebrows raised at that statement, and Hakoda didn't miss them. He explained.
"Though Zuko is Fire Nation and royal by birth, he risked his life to save my daughter's and presumably the life of their child on the day of the comet. He rejected and defied his own country's expectations of him in order to stand up for the right in this war. He is already family to me, and he is worthy in my book. What say you?" he asked confidently. Katara smiled.
Members of the council remembered the retelling of the events that happened during Sozin's Comet. Every member of the Avatar's team performed bravely and did much to slow the tyranny of the Fire Lord and his armies despite the missing Avatar. Yes, the prince was worthy. They all were worthy and should be protected. The tribe happily voted to adopt Zuko as an official member of the tribe. The council and Hakoda gave Zuko permission to marry Katara before their child was due at the end of the midnight sun.