"Zuzu, get off the bed" his sister commanded as walked into their chambers, her voice startling him a bit as he was already half asleep by that point "Your clothes are going to get wrinkled and it will mess up your hair"
Reluctantly, he got up, trying to fix his hair and crown "You wouldn't have to worry about that if you had been ready an hour ago like I was" he start to complain, growing silent the second he looked at his baby sister. No word could describe how utterly perfect she looked at that moment - even 'perfect' itself felt like too little. She was wearing a long, sleeveless, light red dress and a, semi-transparent, dark red robe over it, both with lots of golden details on them, shining bright when she was next to a flame. Her make up, as usual, had been perfectly applied, accentuating her beautiful, dangerous eyes, as well as giving her lips a bit more color. Small, red flowers, that he was sure had been Kiyi's idea, gave a especial touch to her top-knot. Still, her hair was mostly down, framing her face, the way Zuko preferred it to be.
Azula gave him a knowing smile as he stared at her in awe "Seems to me that it was time well spent. I know we usually take about the same amount of time to get ready, but you must understand I always want to look my best for you, My Lord" she justified as she walked up to him, using a lower, sultrier tone in the last two words, well aware of the effect it'd have on him.
Blushing slightly, especially as Azula started running her hands through his burgundy robe, trying to unwrinkle it, Zuko raised his brow "Oh, so it was all because of me? It had nothing to do with you wanting to show off to the entire court now that we're going to announce our engagement?"
"Of course not" she made a 'serious' face, then smirked and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before taking his hand. The two of them walked through the halls of the palace together, and as they walked into the room where the feast was happening, the people started cheering for the young Fire Lord. He smiled, walking to the table where his friends and family were, turning to the nobles, warriors, masters, guards and servants that were praising him, smiling kindly before silencing them all with a simple movement of his right hand.
Zuko started his speech by thanking his friends for helping him save his nation yet again, then praised his uncle and the White Lotus, then brought up each noble family that aided him either financially or by sending people to fight for him, and even thanked Mai and her mother for letting him know about Ukano's betrayal - while trying to ignore Azula's death glare. He quickly moved on to talking about the guards and the army, as well as the eight Dai Li agents that were now working for him, then praised all the foreign warriors that had come to his aid.
As he thanked the cooks and servants who prepared the feast they were having to celebrate their victory, they all cheered once more, since Zuko usually ended his speeches on these especial events by praising the people who were working on said events. When he raised his hand and all the noise stopped for the second time, he could see everyone at his table, except his sister, becoming tense. They all knew where this was going.
"But our victory isn't the only reason why I invited all of you to the palace tonight. For a long time, I believed I had lost my closes friend, that our relationship had been completely destroyed by our father and by the different choices we made in our lives, and that we would never be able to repair it. But on the day of Sozin's comet, on the very day we thought it was our destiny to fight to the death, I realized fate had given me a chance. A chance to save and protect my sister like my uncle had done to me. It wasn't easy for either of us, but for the past two years and four months, I've seen my sister go from a broken warrior to the woman she had always been meant to be. The woman who I can turn to when I need someone, who I trust blindly and who I love more than I ever thought I could love someone"
He turned to his bride, who seemed to be fighting back tears as she watched him with a spark burning in her eyes and a loving smile on her face. He gently stroke her hair as he continued speaking.
"I couldn't be prouder of her, and I know we are meant to be together until we die" he looked at the crowd, paying no attention to their gasps and whispers "I'm throwing this feast to announce that princess Azula will become Fire Lady in two months, and that she is already carrying the heir to our nation"
Zuko heard Kiyi's excited gasp, his uncle's shocked 'what', the cheers of the few people who were supportive of their relationship, and the absolute chaos that he had unleashed into the room as his guests were all either screaming that this was absurd, telling each other that they already knew this was coming, and even a few people having the audacity of asking him to reconsider his decision.
He ignored it all, taking a seat next to his sister and giving her a tender kiss, not caring who would be scandalized or offended by it, or if that simple act would be the final straw that would lead to the other nobles turning against him and burning the palace to the ground.
He would never hide his love for sister, or be ashamed of it ever again.