"No. You are not going to test our daughter."
"Katara," Zuko whined, "I have to. I don't want to test Ursa either." Zuko said trying to calm her. He didn't want to test her, but it was required by the noble families, the Fire Sages, and the royal tutors. He himself had gone through it. "Besides," He said placatingly, "its relatively harmless." Zuko watched her as she sat on their bed.
He moved to sit beside her on the soft silk bed sheets. She turned and he removed her Fire Lady crown from the long curling chocolate locks. They did this every night. A routine to help them reconnect from the long days, relaxing together as a normal husband and wife would. Zuko's hands caught in the tangles in her hair, coaxing them to come free he continued. "I'm sorry. I don't want to do this either, but ultimately it could help in training her to be an heir."
His hands were in her hair, massaging her scalp. It wasn't fair, Katara couldn't think like this. "Fine," she relented, "but if I say so the experiment ends. Right then and there."
He mulled it over for a minute. The experiment wouldn't be harmful to his daughter. A little uncomfortable, but she would not experience any pain. "Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way." he replied. Turning away from her, Zuko felt her soft hands smoothing out his topknot. In an effort to differentiate himself from his father, Zuko kept his hair short and shaggy. He knew that Katara loved how it looked when he joined their group, so he kept it. At the end of a long day, like this one, small tufts of silky black hair would fall out of his Fire Crown and frame his face.
"Let's do it tomorrow after dinner. It's more humane that way."
"What? How did you do the experiment?" Katara asked him. Zuko had gone through the experiment, just as Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, and various other nobles had. But only the royal family had Ozai looking over it. His cruel demeanor could have lead the experiment in countless ways.
"I was Ursas age, we all are when we go through this. I don't remember much from when I was five, but I remember the hunger and temptation." Zuko's voice brought Katara out of her internal musings. Still running her fingers through his hair she waited for him to continue. "I knew what was happening, or at least what the experiment was, but he took it a step further. The idea is to see when the child gives into temptation. Before we went into the experiment Ozai began to ration the food, not allowing me to eat anything. Mom tried to smuggle food to me, she got caught and I didnt see her for a couple days. Anyway, the day of, I wasn't allowed to eat. I sat at the same table as them, crowded with food, but I was unable to even touch any of it. Azula, even at three, loved to mess with me.
"That night Ozai put me into a room with a table, a chair, and a wall of colored glass that I couldn't see through. A servant came in and set a sweet bun in front of me. I was so hungry, but I didn't want to anger him. So I sat there, hungry and alone, only my thoughts to entertain my childish imagination."
"You didn't give him the satisfaction of eating the sweet bun?" Katara hesitantly asked him. She knew of Ozais cruelty. The stories were terrifying, as was the carnage he held behind on her husbands face. Even the idea of him touching Zuko again made her stomach turn and ached with sorrow. Every time he would speak about his past, especially in such detail, invisible bands would wind themselves around her. Like tendons of water, or the fire whips she sparred against as the sun rose this morning. She always vowed to protect him from his past, from the cruelty non should have to suffer.
"I didn't eat the sweet bun. After the experiment you are supposed to give the child the treats, but he didn't. The sickly sweet smell surrounded the room, sticking to our clothes and noses. But he made me wait until morning to eat breakfast."
"But Ursa will get the sweet buns?"
"Of course. That's also why I wanted to do it after she ate. She wont feel the need to eat it, just the want. The original reason was to test their want in the form of a snack." He lied onto their bed and held Katara in his arms. Kissing the crown of her head, Zuko drifted off into a peaceful sleep. It was always better when she was around.
"Mom?"
"Its ok my son. I brought you some food. Eat up fast. Your father will be here soon." Ursa hurriedly replied.
"Ursa!" his voice sounded throughout the west wing of the palace. Ozai was closing in on Ursa and Zuko.
The door was thrown open revealing his scowl. His glare settled on the food in Ursas hand. He had, quite literally, caught her red handed with a few pieces of fruit and bread in her hands. Faster than lightning he grabbed Ursas bicep and pulled her out of the Princes chambers.
Zuko watched her throw a look his way. Telling him to be strong. After that, it was a few days after the experiment that he saw her next.
"Ok Ursa, do you understand?" Zuko asked his and Katara's daughter. "Repeat it back to me please."
"If I don't eat the sweet bun in front of me, then I can have another. If I don't eat either of those then I can have four."
"Yes." Zuko said looking relieved. "Did you have enough to eat at dinner?" he asked her. Ursa would undergo the experiment in a timely and humane matter. He would not starve his daughter. She was an innocent child.
"Im ok daddy. I just wanna start."
"Ok. I'll be back in five minutes." He closed the door behind him. And stepped into the room behind the colored glass. Zuko could see Ursa, but Ursa couldn't see him. Zuko looked at Katara, her face scrunched up in anticipation and concern. Age had only increased her beauty.
For the occasion they had dressed down. She was wearing a loose sky blue dress, hair hanging free at her waist. Her tanned arms were crossed over her chest, obviously against the idea of the experiment. Zuko's hair was loose and a red tunic and knee pants replaced his Fire Lord robes. The more personable they were to Ursa the more comfortable she would hopefully feel.
He turned his attention to his daughter, her hair was braided, courtesy of Katara, and she was sitting waiting for something to happen. Ursa had already established herself as a Firebending protege. If she was anyone else's daughter, a Master would have been called upon to teach her for hours a day. Instead, Ursa would spar for fun with her father and mother, picking up stances and characteristics from both cultures. Ursa had mimicked a move her mother commonly employed, redirecting her opponents water onto them with added force and momentum. Ursa had done this to her father when he sent a fire blast her way.
They had been sparring for almost an hour. It was more of a training session than an actual fight. Zuko threw a fire blast her way. Without thinking Ursa threw her hands out and could feel the fire. Taking control of it, Ursa swung her arms in a half circle motion in front of her. The fire followed her motions and circled around her back. Ursa threw her arms out forward and sent the fire back to her father. He cut through it in one clean stroke of his hands, sending it to the dirt on either side of his body.
He relaxed and stood straight up. Bowing to his daughter, left hand straight and right hand resting in a fist below his palm, he congratulated her. His beautiful daughter was just as much Zuko as she was Katara. Employing a traditional Waterbending move, learned from her mother, made Zuko's heart light.
Ursa smiled at him. Obviously excited about the move she used. They talked and tested various moves from other bending and non bending disciplines to use in Firebending as the sun moved lower into the horizon. Pinks and reds adorned the sky, Agni herself looked upon the benders with pride. A world of cuts slowly scabbing over, a generation taught acceptance.
A shrill noise stirred Zuko out of his thoughts. He grabbed another sweet bun and brought it to Ursa. "I'll be back in ten minutes Ursa. Afterwards well do something fun ok?"
"Ok daddy."
The ten minutes passed quickly. The sweet buns were intact and, true to his word, Zuko gave her two more she could eat. For the fun activity Zuko allowed Ursa to choose what she wanted to do. The royal family went to the training arena and Ursa showed her mother what Zuko and her had been working on.
Watching two of the most important people in her life, Katara was thankful. Their daughter, a light in her life, was using Waterbending moves to direct her fire. She knew that soon, Zuko and her would have another little one on their hands. She hadn't told him yet, their anniversary was coming up and it would make a wonderful surprise for him. Even though there was no way to truly know, Katara was sure that their next child would be a Waterbending boy. She knew that their son would learn Firebending moves to use with his water. A beautiful blend of cultures.
A/N: I feel like I shouldn't have to say anything… but I obviously don't own AtLA… If I did then Imbalance would have been a better comic. Anyways, I started writing chapter 2 of CoW (Chemistry of War). I read it over and decided to leave it for a day because I was disgusted with what I wrote. Even though I can understand pre GAng Zuko, I cannot write him. I also needed to get some kind of feels out. I submitted my application to a University on 11-15-2019 and still don't know how I feel. It went from the bodily stress of 'Will this get in on time?' 'Do I have enough time to peer and teacher edit my essays?' 'How am I going to do this with finals coming up?' to a psychological stress of whether or not I'm good enough.
Anyways I decided to become a beta because I can't write for shit but I can edit pretty well. I was 800 words short of the required amount so I wrote this. I might also write a song fic of Zutara as private school kids using Halseys song Colors. But im not a fan of Ozai x Katara. If you have watched the music video then feel safe knowing that won't be happening.