Okay, I know I said chapters 7-12 were fully written, but that was before this chapter started getting so long. It's going to take me another chapter to catch the story up to what I'd already written. So that's one more chapter that may take longer than two weeks, but chapters 8-13 should be out every two weeks after that.

Chapter 6

Mai had to stop herself from rolling her eyes when she walked into the room. Zuko was sitting at the head of a richly furnished table laden with what she recognized as all her favorite foods, with a look of eager anxiety on his face.

Zuko, with his inability to hide his emotions, with a complete lack of a filter between his brain and his face - or his mouth, for that matter - had always fascinated her. Was that how she would have behaved if her parents had raised her differently? It was comforting, in a way, to see that this part of him hadn't changed since their breakup when so many other things had.

One collection of glaring examples of things that had changed was staring her down - some of them taking the glaring part quite literally - from one side of the table: Princess Ursa and her new family.

Mai's mouth went dry, the only physical reaction she would allow herself. She hadn't known there would be company at this private dinner, though if her mother was coming it stood to reason that his mother would, too.

She shouldn't complain. A private dinner with just her and Zuko would have been all sorts of awkward, and that was assuming she had the emotional strength to get through it without caving to him. She should be glad he had invited other people.

But the problem was that two of them were complete strangers to her. Ursa and Iroh, she knew, though she hadn't seen Ursa in close to a decade. Noren and Kiyi? She could maybe have picked them out of a crowd - assuming the crowd was full of people who didn't look at all like them.

General Iroh stood from his seat and spread his hands out.

"Please, sit down. We're all family here - or we will be soon."

"General Iroh," her mother gushed. "What a pleasure to see you again. And Princess Ursa! How well you're looking. You know, I don't think we've spoken since your return to the palace."

Her mother was in her element. Ever the proper courtier, she knew how to work a room. She took a seat across from Ursa and began engaging Iroh, Noren, and Ursa in the kind of carefully curated conversation that had once helped her husband to a high level government position.

And which left Mai to quietly slide into the seat next to her and keep her mouth shut.

She refused to look at Zuko, who was seated just to her left, out of principle. That could only end badly. With her mother engaging Zuko's adult relatives in conversation to her right, this left her to stare into the unblinking gaze of the little girl sitting across from her.

Just her luck. She wouldn't have minded if she'd been seated across from Tom-Tom. He was even about the same age as Kiyi. But that was different; he was her brother. Mai did not like children she was not related to.

With a flash of horror, she realized that it wouldn't be long until Kiyi qualified as a relative, too. As her sister-in-law. That thought didn't sit well with her.

She had almost made up her mind to start speaking to Zuko just to get out of the path of the girl's unnerving stare, when Kiyi leaned forward.

"Your father was the one who kidnapped me," she frowned. "Him and Azula. And your brother was there with us."

Mai raised an eyebrow.

"I don't like your father," Kiyi continued.

"You don't have to have any opinion of him at all," she replied in a tight voice. "He's in prison."

Kiyi shrugged. "But Tom-Tom is okay. You can bring him the next time you come visit." And these things said, she began shoveling food into her mouth, no longer interested in Mai.

Zuko cleared his throat, and reluctantly, she glanced over.

"So…" He was smiling, a bit too forced, and holding out a platter of her favorite pan fried komodo chicken dumplings. "Three weeks, huh?"

With years' worth of subjects he could have chosen, he had to pick the wedding? The one thing she absolutely did not want to touch with a ten-foot pole? She pursed her lips.

He nodded towards the platter. "Aren't you hungry? Have something to eat. You do still like komodo chicken dumplings, right?"

Despite herself, her stomach growled. Everything at the table smelled so good. He had remembered all of her favorite foods: dumplings, pan fried rice cakes, fruit tarts with rose petals… It was obvious that he had put thought into the menu tonight.

It was also obvious that he had wanted to put her in a good mood so that they could talk.

But she didn't want to. Their conversation earlier in the day was so fresh and raw. There was no way she could deal with it right now. But as she was hungry, she picked up her chopsticks and transferred a few dumplings to her plate, and then stuffed one into her mouth.

She hadn't had a meal prepared by a professional cook in months, much less from the quality of those employed by the palace. Auntie Mura was a decent cook, and she and her mother weren't half bad for noblewomen with no experience in the kitchen prior to the last year, but compared to what usually passed as a meal in their house, this was bliss. She closed her eyes and gave a throaty "mmmm".

Then she smiled at Zuko as she shoved another one into her mouth.

There. Conversation averted.

Zuko looked at the platter in his hands in confusion, then at her, as if he hadn't expected this turn of events. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, furrowing his brow. He set down the platter, shook his head, and chuckled softly. "You win. We can talk later. Eat up."

Satisfied, she reached for a fruit tart and set to eating her meal with all the gusto of General Iroh.

Zuko collapsed in his bed that night, not because he was exhausted, but because the relief at having things settled with Mai had lifted a weight off his shoulders he hadn't realized he'd been carrying.

The dinner hadn't gone exactly as he'd wanted it to, but he should have expected this kind of response from her. Her first instinct when anything elicited strong emotions from her was to shut down emotionally. There was no need to feel discouraged about it.

In fact, he was more than a little encouraged. She had said yes, she had admitted to accepting his proposal in front of the entire court, and she had even come to the dinner. That was more than he'd thought he could hope for after the meeting this morning.

Had it only been this morning? What a difference a day could make.

And who knew what difference the next twenty-odd days would make? If he played his cards right, they could be back to what they used to be by the wedding.

With those pleasant thoughts on his mind, he drifted to sleep.

The next morning, he woke before sunrise feeling almost back to his normal self. He threw on his practice robes and headed out to his private garden to soak up the sun.

The air was crisp and slightly muggy, the sort of morning that preceded a scorchingly hot midday. The dew was still on the ground. Flutter bats were making their last rounds of the night, lazily sipping nectar from the flowers before heading to their homes to sleep. Mockingmice were starting their morning songs. It was a perfect morning for firebending.

He ran through the forms, relishing the familiar rhythms, the warmth of the fire. Kick, punch, breathe. It focused his brain and centered his emotions, the fire beating like a second little heart inside him, warming him like an inner sun. It felt like a big hug from his uncle.

It was also the first time he'd practiced since his illness, as his body quickly reminded him. Halfway through the second set, he had to take a break. His muscles burned and his limbs trembled as he collapsed next to Hinata, who had shown up sometime after he'd begun.

"I think that's enough for today," he gasped.

Hinata handed him a towel. "It's good that you feel up to practicing again."

He started wiping off the perspiration, willing his breathing to come back under control.

"So what's on the agenda today?"

Hinata began listing them off on his fingers. "Morning meeting with the council followed by an audience with the governor of Yu Dao about the continued transition of power. Then you have time for desk work until lunch. After lunch, the Royal Fire Academy for Girls will have a performance of traditional music in the main courtyard. I believe you're expected to make an appearance. And after that… Well, you'll need to ask Yunah, because I forgot."

"I'm sure she'll show up soon with her list of where and when she needs me, like the good secretary she is." He took a deep breath and heaved himself up off the ground. "I'd better grab some breakfast so I'm not hungry during that meeting."

He took a few steps, then paused. "Hey, Hinata," he said, turning back around. "If you get a chance, see if you can figure out the best way for me to contact Chief Necalli. It occurred to me this morning that I haven't spoken to him at all about that dragon pox stuff. I obviously can't leave the palace right now, but I can't exactly send a messenger, either."

Hinata broke out in a smug grin, looking utterly pleased with himself. "Already done."

"But… when? How? You can't just send a messenger hawk, and you've been at the palace the whole time."

"I had the Avatar stop there on his way home."

Zuko gaped at him. "How did you know Aang had been there?"

"You said so. When your uncle asked you how you caught dragon pox, you said something about going to the ruins with the Avatar. So I asked him, and he took a letter from me to the chief. And as it happens, I got a reply yesterday evening. It's on your desk with your other paperwork to be addressed today."

"Really? What does it say?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "I'm not going to open official Fire Lord mail without permission. It's not worth my job."

He laughed. "But you're willing to send it on my behalf?"

"Anything for your safety, My Lord," he said with a laugh and a mock bow. "Seriously, though. You were awfully sick. I hope I have a bit more leeway when it comes to that."

"Definitely," he agreed. Truth be told, he wouldn't have cared either way. But as it was usually best to keep up with protocol, he didn't say this out loud. Instead he tossed the towel back to him and said, "I'd better get that breakfast."

This was the way to begin a morning, he thought as he made his way through the halls, a rare spring in his step. A peaceful night's sleep, morning firebending in the garden, pleasant memories of the previous day, items on his to-do list already checked off. He felt that nothing could alter this good mood.

It was amazing how quickly a morning meeting with his council could alter a good mood.

"My Lord." Minister Xu shook his head. "Just because you can marry Lady Mai doesn't mean you should."

"Exactly," Minister Ito agreed. "You must think of the Fire Nation, and what your citizens need, rather than your own wants in this matter."

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Then perhaps you should have told me that yesterday, instead of giving me leave to marry whomever I pleased. The matter is settled now-"

"It is far from settled," Ito said gravely. "There are still three weeks until the solstice, and it is our duty to advise you-"

"And it is my prerogative to take or ignore that advice."

Minister Yuzu stood up. "Please reconsider, we beg you. Your Fire Lady should be someone the whole nation respects. Someone with unquestioning loyalty both to you and the Fire Nation, and who has the political acumen to be a benefit to the crown and not a hindrance."

"And preferably someone who isn't capable of murdering a person from across the room," Xu grumbled.

Zuko threw his hands up in exasperation. "I can murder someone from across a room. Why should it matter that she can, too? And all that other stuff is nonsense. She has been in and around the court for most of her life. She has traveled around the world and brokered trades with the Avatar. And she is unquestioningly loyal. How can you even dispute that?"

"She betrayed her country at the Boiling Rock," Ito said. "And her father is in prison for treason."

"You put a nice spin on both those," he snapped. "At the Boiling Rock, she betrayed Azula and Ozai for my sake, because she is loyal to me. In my eyes, that is only a problem for those who are not happy with me on the throne."

Ito gulped and backtracked. "Of course not, my Lord! I only meant to suggest that her loyalties have tended to shift depending on-"

"As to the second." He raised his voice to be heard over Ito. "Yes. Her father is a traitor. Forgive me for believing that a father's crimes should not be imputed to his children."

The ministers shifted uncomfortably.

"She helped me quell that rebellion. She helped me find Kiyi. She told me-" he bit back the word 'eventually' just in time "- that her father was behind the New Ozai Society. What more proof do you want from her?

"But it doesn't matter what you think. Whether you like it or not, I am marrying Mai on the solstice. She is going to be your Fire Lady." He stood up and dropped his voice to its most imperious timbre. "You would do well to remember it."

The council took a collective breath and bowed, their heads bobbing up and down the table like singing groundhogs.

Satisfied with their response, Zuko sat back down.

"With that settled, we should begin all the preparations for the royal wedding. I assume no one objects if I turn that responsibility over to Yunah?"

Reluctant nods and mumbled, "of course not, my Lord"s filled the table.

Good. Now that they were sufficiently cowed, he leaned over to consult the parchment on the table next to his throne.

"It appears there has been a sharp drop in the price of iron this last month. What should our response be?"

As he had expected, Yunah was more than happy to take over the wedding planning. She met him outside his office just after his meeting with the mayor of Yu Dao, her eyes shining with excitement.

"There hasn't been a royal wedding in more than two decades, and that was when your father didn't seem to be in line for the throne. You have to go back before Fire Lord Sozin to find a wedding of a sitting Fire Lord." She smiled encouragingly at him. "This will be a watershed event in Fire Nation history. I am so proud to play some part in it."

"Well, just - I don't know much about these things, so...whatever you need to do. I give you free rein."

She clapped her hands together once, decisively. "Excellent. The time frame is a bit short, so the palace will need to throw itself into preparations immediately. We will begin with a formal banquet at the end of this week celebrating the engagement. Lady Mai will need to be fitted for a new wardrobe, naturally, and the cooks will need to begin preparing their menu as soon as possible.

"Invitations should have been sent a month in advance, especially to other world leaders, but that can't be helped. The scribes need to begin today. I will speak with the ministers of the treasury to get an accounting of what our budget is. I'm sure it will be sizable; these things always end up generating more revenue than they cost."

Zuko's eyes were beginning to glaze over. So much fuss! He hadn't expected it would be anything like this. If this was any indication, this would be more elaborate than his coronation - more elaborate by far. It might even surpass his father's coronation, which was the most ostentatious display of Fire Nation pomp that he could remember.

One thought resonated through his brain: Mai wasn't going to like this.

"Does it have to be quite so… much?"

Yunah's mouth dropped open. "My Lord, this is your wedding! To do anything less than an all-out celebration would be unpatriotic!"

He wanted to argue that as it was his wedding, anything he wanted would be suitably patriotic. But having opinions would mean having to give them at every turn, and he thought he would rather suffer through another banishment than have to sit through hours on end of wedding planning.

He grimaced. "If you say so. Just know that Mai and I aren't very flamboyant people. Keep it traditional and as simple as you feel you can."

She grimaced back. "If you say so, sir. I don't know if I can stomach simple, but since it is a bit of a last-minute affair, streamlining is probably going to be necessary more often than I'd like. And traditional is exactly what I had in mind."

"Good. You, uh, don't need to run things by me or Mai. If you need approval, speak with my mother or Uncle - or Mai's mother, even. Just not us."

She pursed her lips, but bowed and excused herself, leaving him free to go into his office and attack his mountain of paperwork.

The first thing he did was to dig through the stack until he found the letter from Chief Necalli. It was easy to spot, because the writing style was so different. The calligraphy was more angular, and some of the characters were written in a different style that reminded Zuko of some of the ancient texts he'd seen in the dragonbone catacombs.

It was still comprehensible, though, and he skimmed the letter quickly, his heart sinking with every word he read.

To Fire Lord Zuko, regarding the matter of your recent illness:

We are disheartened to learn that you were afflicted with the dragon sickness, though from the report of your guard, it appears that the dragons have deemed you worthy yet again. That is a very rare blessing, indeed. You truly have earned the right to the dragon throne.

It has been insinuated by some that we were remiss in our duties to not warn you of the danger of this disease. Perhaps that is so, but in that case we were also remiss in our duties to our own people.

It has been more than a generation since our last case of the dragon illness, but in the week since your last visit, three of our dragon handlers have succumbed to it. There is no precedent in our people's history for such an epidemic - all other outbreaks were limited to one individual at a time and spread out over the course of years. And there appears to be no end in sight, as another of our handlers came down with the disease this morning.

But Druk has favored you with his power, and you have recovered. You need not fear the plague any more. If you are willing, we ask that you take full possession of Druk earlier than anticipated. Immediately would not be too soon. We will include all the information and supplies you need to continue his training in the Fire Nation.

He is your dragon. You have to but say the word.

We eagerly await your response

Witnessed by the hand of

Chief Necalli

Medicine Man Eztli

Ohtli, chief dragon handler

He crumpled the paper and tossed it onto his desk, only just stopping himself from burning it. Would the sins of his great-grandfather never stop producing fruit? That people were still dying from Sozin's poor choices over a hundred years later made his blood boil and his shoulders slump.

The first baby dragon in a generation, which should have been a hopeful sign for the regeneration of the species, had already caused five people to be struck with a terrible illness. Three had already died.

Those deaths were his burden, the direct consequence of his family's actions.

Still, he had to wonder at how the Sun Warriors, the experts in dragons, were getting so sick. He hadn't known that a dragon bite could cause the disease, but surely the dragon handlers did. What was going on here? Something wasn't adding up.

It was an ominous sign that they were so eager to be rid of Druk. But what could he do about it? There was no one who knew how to care for him in the palace, no place to house him, and no one other than himself who was protected from the pox. It would mean the deaths of his own people if he allowed it.

But it looked like it would mean the deaths of more of Chief Necalli's people if he didn't.

There had to be a better way to thread this needle. If only he could figure out how.

In the meantime, though, he could try to stem the suffering as much as possible. He pulled out a clean piece of parchment and his inkbrush and began a letter to Katara.