Author's Note: The wedding vows that Zuko and Katara exchange in this story are both "traditional" wedding vows of Hindu culture and Apache culture. I put traditional in quotations because they do not have traditional vows like that in a western christian wedding. I picked these vows because I wanted something that was authentic and I felt these vows were both representative of the characters cultures on the show and in real life. No intent was made to disrespect or undermine anyone's religion or culture.
When Katara was younger she'd often dreamed about her wedding day. As a princess of the Southern Water Tribe thinking about marriage was inevitable. Marrying and marrying well is what royals did. She was only eight years old when negotiations for a marriage contract between her and Hahn were being talked about. She had met the young prince several times before and he had always seemed nice enough.
They had a lot in common both being Water Tribe and they liked a lot of the same things. To eight year old Katara Hahn was perfect. He liked penguin sledding and ice skating. In snowball fights he could hold his own against Sokka. He was funny and always shared his candy with her. What else could she ask for in a potential husband, and she was sure that he would become her husband.
She had no way of knowing that while she and Hahn played together her father and his father were hammering out the details of their marriage alliance in the throne room of the Northern Water Tribe palace. Two years later she would find out for herself just why it was that her father didn't want her to marry Hahn or become a royal family member.
While her father and Pakku were still trying to hammer out the details of their marriage alliance she, Sokka, and Hahn were in the royal courtyard having a snowball fight. As usual she and Hahn were on one side and Sokka and Hahn's cousin Kumaglaq were on the other side a huge pile of snow lay in between them.
"Face it Hahn you're never going to win with a girl on your side." Sokka had taunted them.
"Yeah! You two are going down." Kumaglaq said siding with her brother.
It was the wrong thing to do. Using her bending Katara formed the biggest snow ball that she'd ever formed in her life from the snow that made up the huge mound in between the two groups and dropped it on top of Sokka and Kumaglaq.
"No fair using your bending." Sokka cried out when he'd dug himself out of all the snow.
Hahn and Kumaglaq looked at her as if she had grown a second head.
"You waterbend?" Hahn asked.
"Yes." Katara said but she didn't like the tone in Hahn's voice.
"You're a girl. Girls are forbidden from learning waterbending."
"Says who?" Katara wanted to know.
"Says my dad and he's the Chief."
"Well my dad is a Chief too and he says girls can waterbend."
"Not in the Northern Tribe. If you're a healer that's O.K., but girls bending is stupid they can't bend as good as boys and that's why their the healers. Girls take care of benders they don't become them."
"You really shouldn't have said that." Sokka warned him moments before she buried Hahn in an avalanche of snow.
It was the last time she visited the Northern Water Tribe and she and Hahn never did speak to each other again. Not long after that the negotiations between the two tribes broke down completely and the marriage was off. Katara hadn't been upset in the least bit she didn't want to marry Hahn or go to live in any place as backwards as the North Pole.
Her father told her not to worry that now she was free to marry whoever it was she wanted.
"What about Chief Pakku? She asked. "Won't he be mad at you because I don't want to marry his son?"
"He might be at first but he'll get over it. I'm sure he'll find someone else to marry that misogynistic little twerp.
So Katara had put Hahn and his father out of her mind, but when she woke up the next morning and went outside their town was surrounded by ships from the Northern Water Tribe. At first she couldn't figure out why they were there, but it wasn't too long before she found out why. Pakku hadn't gotten over the fact that the South had broken the marriage contract. It was just another thing for her to feel guilty about, and she felt guiltier still when she found out why it was that Chief Pakku had sought so hard for his son to marry her.
It was a conversation that she was never meant to hear. Her father and her Gran gran had been discussing her when they thought she was in bed, but she'd come down stairs for a glass of milk. When she heard her Gran gran mention her name she stopped outside of the kitchen to listen even though she knew eavesdropping was wrong.
"Does Katara know the truth?"
"About what?"
"About why you wanted her to marry Hahn in the first place."
"No. I couldn't tell her and I never will. She feels bad enough about what happened to her mother."
"It still doesn't make what happened to Kya Katara's fault."
"I know that and you know that but she won't."
"It's not your fault either son."
"Maybe not, but I am the one who encouraged Kya to get her fortune told when we were visiting the Earth Kingdom. If I hadn't of done that the Fire Nation soldier would have never overheard Aunt Wu's prediction about a waterbender of unmatched power being born in the South Pole, and for that matter Pakku probably wouldn't have found out either and he would have found some high ranking girl from the North to marry his pompous spoiled brat of a son."
"Even without Aunt Wu's prediction the Fire Nation would have found out about Katara, and eventually so would Pakku."
"Doesn't matter now. There's nothing we can do to change the past all we can do is make sure Katara never finds out."
Katara never told her father or her Gran gran that she knew the truth about why the Fire Nation and the Northern Water Tribe sought her out, but on that day she vowed to become the best waterbender in the world so that one day she could find the Fire Nation soldier who killed her mother and get her vengeance.
Helping the people of her town was a huge part of the reason she'd agreed to marry Prince Zuko, but the real reason, the one she didn't like admitting to herself, and couldn't admit to her father or her Gran gran was because it would put her one step closer to finding her mother's killer. When Zuko became Fire Lord he would have a lot of power; surely he would have more than enough power to find out who it was that raided her town that day.
It was all the motivation she needed to put on the white peplum dress that Li and Lo had laid out for her marriage ceremony. After Zuko left to be dressed for their marriage ceremony neither Li nor Lo would speak to her which was fine because she didn't want to talk to the meddlesome old biddies anyway. Instead of helping her get ready the twins had hired local women, Akane and Chiyo, from the village to help her get ready. Another thing to be thankful for. Spirits only knew what kind of hair and make up job those two would have done on her. Akane did Katara's make up while Chiyo did her hair in an elaborate updo secured by white fire lilies.
"You look so beautiful." Akane said when she was finished applying Katara's makeup. "Just like a proper Fire Lady. I can't wait to see your wedding in the Fire Nation. I just know you'll look stunning in your shiromuku."
"Thank you."
"Are you nervous?" Chiyo wanted to know.
"Yes. Things might be different if my family were here with me, but everyone thought it would be better if Zuko and I focused on getting to know each other first."
"That sounds so romantic." Chiyo said dreamily.
"Not really. Zuko and I still hardly know anything about each other. I'm basically marrying a stranger."
"Yeah, but what a stranger." Akane said and fanned herself and then giggled.
"As far as arranged marriages go I guess it could have been worse." Katara admitted thinking of how she could have been married to Hahn instead. Whatever else she had to say about the Fire Nation at least they weren't the misogynistic nightmare that the North was. They were only bloodthirsty warmongering genocidal colonizing maniacs.
"I'm telling you, Chiyo said as she helped Katara into her shoes, you're wedding is going to be like a fairy tale. I've never seen a more handsome groom or a more beautiful bride."
Katara turned to look at herself in the mirror she did look every bit the beautiful bride even if she felt ugly inside for marrying the enemy.
Zuko turned the hairpin his uncle had given him as a wedding gift over and over in his hands. He wondered not for the first time today why his uncle chose to reveal to him on his wedding day that he was Great Sage Roku's descendant. He supposed there was some comfort in knowing that his bloodline wasn't one of pure evil. Great Sage Roku had done a lot of good for the world and that meant that same good was inside of him somewhere.
He took the old hairpin out of his hair and set it on his dresser drawer. Out with the old and in with the new. He gathered up his freshly cut hair and pulled it into a top knot and after securing the top knot in place with a ribbon he placed the new hairpin in his hair.
He was all dressed up with no place to go there was nothing more for him to do but sit and wait until the carriage came to take him and Katara to the Fire Temple to be married. Sitting all by himself was more nerve wracking then sitting with someone else and he wished that he hadn't of dismissed his uncle's offer to help him get ready. Now that he was all alone he realized just how much he hated being alone.
He wished that his mother was here with him she always had a way of calming him down and making him feel at ease. She saw the good in him even when he couldn't see it in himself and now he realize that was probably in part to her being Roku's granddaughter. Katara had also seen the good in him when he'd gotten her mother's necklace back and she even kissed him once again giving him hope that his marriage would not turn out like his parents.
Zuko wondered if right now Katara was wishing that she could see her mother. It cut at him like a knife knowing that his family was responsible for her losing her mother and also knowing that there was nothing he could ever do to make it up to her. Even defending the Southern Water Tribe from the North was of little consolation. How were either of them ever going to be able to forget all that history?
The door to his bedroom had been left open and his uncle stepped through it. "Prince Zuko your carriage has arrived."
"Already?"
"Yes. It is time to go."
Zuko stood up but his knees gave out and he promptly and unceremoniously fell back down into his chair. His uncle swiftly came to his side and pulled him up to his feet.
"I think I'm going to be sick." He confessed.
"You will be all right Zuko. Just breathe."
He had to lean on his uncle to make it out of the house. The warm night air made him feel a little better. He sat back in the carriage and looked out of the window but wasn't able to concentrate on the scenery going by all he could think about was the next day and the next day and the next. He had never been good at taking things one day at a time.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like the earth is about to open up and swallow me whole." He answered truthfully.
"Today is only one moment in time that will soon be over. Relish this day do not hasten it away.
"Yes, but this marriage will be for the rest of my life, or it should be."
"It will be."
"How do you know that?"
"Because you are not your father. You are capable of love and of loving. You have always been an idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor."
Zuko didn't say anything but swallowed hard at the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. He may not have had his mother at his side but he had his uncle who was and always had been his real father.
"Thank you uncle."
"If you really want to thank me you'll have lots and lots of children."
"Uncle!"
His uncle let out a belly laugh that shook the whole carriage and Zuko couldn't help but laugh himself.
The carriage pulled to a stop and he realized that they had arrived at Katara's house. The nervousness that he had been feeling before came back tenfold.
"We are here." His uncle said unnecessarily.
The footman opened the door and his uncle stepped out and Zuko followed him. The night air was balmy and carried the sent of fire lilies a scent that he had always loved. Up above the stars were all out in all of their glorious brilliance as if they'd all come out to witness this unprecedented union.
He walked up to Katara's front door on shaky legs. As he stepped up onto the porch the front door opened and Li and Lo stepped out.
"May we present to you your fiancee." They said in unison.
Katara came out of the house slowly and Zuko thought that he had never seen anyone more beautiful. Her hair was done up in fancy curlicues and swirls that were held in place by white fire lilies. Her white dress fitted her perfectly and made her brown skin seem to glow in the moonlight.
"Hi." He gulped out. "You look beautiful."
"So I didn't before?"
"No! I mean yes." He shook his head. "That's not what I meant." He stammered then looked up at her face and saw that she was teasing him.
"You look very handsome yourself Prince Zuko."
He grinned widely. "Thank you."
"You two will easily be the best Fire Lord and Lady the world has ever seen." His uncle said.
The small party made there way to the carriage and were off at once. Zuko wanted to say something but he didn't know what to say. Katara was sitting next to him and she reached out and took his hand and smiled at him. He let out the breath that he had been holding and relaxed a little. The ride to the fire temple felt both too long and too short. Zuko got out of the carriage still holding Katara's hand and it gave him the courage to walk the long walk up to the temple.
"It's beautiful." Katara said looking up at the building.
"Wait until you see it from the inside." His uncle told her.
Unlike the wedding that was to take place back in the Fire Nation the marriage ceremony was to be a low key affair. Just his Uncle, Li and Lo, and the Fire Sages would act as witnesses. After the ceremony there was to be no reception just a intimate dinner back at his house on Hira'a where he and Katara would stay until they traveled back to the Fire Nation palace.
"In a traditional Fire Nation marriage ceremony we vow the six steps to each other over the sacred flame. This flame has been burning for thousands and thousands of years." Zuko explained. "Then after we exchange the six steps of marriage the Fire Sages will bless our rings in the eternal sacred flame."
"That's very different from a Water Tribe wedding."
"I know." Zuko said. "That's why I brought in a Southern Water Tribe Chieftain so that we could also exchange Water tribe vows as well."
"Oh, thank you Zuko."
"You're welcome."
"Shall we start the ceremony?" One of the Fire Sages asked.
"Yes we're ready." Katara said.
"Good then let us begin. Each of you stand before the sacred eternal flame."
Zuko stood on one side of the flames and Katara stood on the other.
"I shall now tell you the six steps and you shall repeat them to one another." Zuko already knew all six of the steps but the Fire Sage repeated them clearly and slowly for Katara and once she was sure that she had them down she looked into Zuko's eyes and the two exchange the steps out loud.
"Let us take the first step to develop physical, mental and spiritual powers."
"Let us take the second step to increase our wealth by righteous means and proper use."
"Let us take the third step to acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust."
"Let us take the fourth step so that we are blessed with strong, virtuous and heroic children."
"Let us take the fifth step for self-restraint and longevity."
"Finally, let us take the sixth step and be true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock."
The Fire Sage held their rings over the sacred eternal flames while saying an inaudible prayer before handing the rings over. Zuko and Katara exchanged rings. Zuko's hand shook as he slid Katara's ring on to her finger. Katara's hands did not shake as she slid his ring on to his finger. The rings were still warm from when the Fire Sage had passed them through the flames to bless them.
After they had exchanged their Fire Nation vows the Fire Sages stepped back and the Water Tribe Chieftain stepped forward. Just as the Sage had done with Katara he repeated the Water Tribe Wedding vows and when Zuko was sure that he remembered them the two exchange their vows.
"Spirits we honor all you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together. We honor Mother Earth and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons. We honor fire and ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts. We honor wind and ask that we sail through life safe and calm as in our father's arms. We honor water to clean and soothe our relationship that it may never thirst for love. With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony as we grow forever young together."
When the vows were exchanged the chieftain drew the mark of the bonded upon their foreheads and then they drank water from the Spirit Oasis.
"By the powers vested in the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe we now proclaim you husband and wife to be bonded unto one another for life." The Fire Sage and the Water Tribe Chieftain said in unison.
Katara looked into Zuko's eyes. He didn't look any different to her than he had before she was married to him and she didn't feel any different than what she had before she was married, but everything in her life had just changed. She was now not only a citizen of the Fire Nation she was also princess of the Fire Nation soon to be their Fire Lady. None of it felt real to her. She felt like tomorrow she would wake up in her own room back in the South Pole and all of this will have been some very vivid and very bizarre dream. She didn't know how to feel about Zuko who was now her husband. She was catching feelings for him that she didn't want to catch. She was not ready to forgive the Fire Nation, but Zuko was turning out to be nothing like she thought that he would.
When she felt his face coming towards her she automatically closed her eyes. She knew that the two of them would have to exchange a kiss but she was not ready for it nor was she ready for the way she felt when she felt Zuko's lips on hers. The kiss was just a soft light feathery kiss but some how it still manage to touch every part of her and make her feel as though she were falling heedlessly through the starry midnight sky. There was something in the sincerity of his kiss that made her pulse race.
After they broke their kiss Zuko was still staring into her eyes and she had to turn away from the intensity of his burning gaze. She felt suddenly shy around him when before she had felt as if she had all the power. What was it about him? He washed away her defenses like water eroding a shoreline. She would have to be careful. It was true that she didn't want to be trapped in a loveless marriage but she didn't want to fall head over heels either. She looked down at the pink sapphire wedding ring on her hand and it made everything just a little more real.
"Are you ready to go home, Katara?" Zuko asked softly in her ear.
"Yes."
Home. It was no longer the South Pole and it was no longer with her Gran gran, Father, or her brother. From now on her home would always be with Zuko. Wherever he went she would go with him. As the Sage and the Chieftain had said they were bonded unto each other for life. On the carriage ride home Zuko took her hand. She could feel his wedding band on her fingers and that somehow made the hand holding feel different it felt more intimate if that were possible.
"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." Zuko said. "Thankfully a wedding day dinner has already been prepared for us. I had the chef make Fire Nation and Water Tribe cuisine. I hope he got the Water Tribe dishes right."
There he went being thoughtful again. He was trying so hard to impress her and she wondered if he would always try this hard or would he stop after they had been married for awhile? Her own father was always doing things for her mother just to make her smile. Growing up with two parents who were totally in love with one another had been a part of her childhood, but she knew even without having to ask that it had not been a part of Zuko's.
Zuko's beach house, no their beach house, was twice the size of the one she had stayed in with Li and Lo and the inside was tastefully decorated. The good smells of the wedding dinner wafted out to greet them as soon as they stepped inside of the house. Katara's stomach growled.
"Let's not waste time." Zuko's uncle said patting his ample stomach. "Let's eat!"
Katara laughed. If Sokka were here he would have had the same reaction. She wondered what he was doing now. Was he thinking about her? Was the rest of her family thinking about her? She hadn't had a report yet on how the Fire Nation was doing against the Northern Water Tribe. She would have to remember to ask Zuko for a full report, but right now she just wanted to sit down and eat. She was starving.
Dinner was pleasant enough. Zuko's uncle did most of the talking. He certainly had the gift of gab. He told them many funny stories that made Katara laugh until her sides hurt. Some times Li and Lo would chime in with stories of what Hira'a was like years ago. Katara noted that they were all too careful not to mention anything about the war. After dinner she started to collect the dishes.
"Actually we have servants for that." Zuko said.
"Oh." Katara said and put the plates back down. That was something she would have to get used to. Even though she was a princess she'd never lived in a palace like they did in the North and she never had servants either. The Southern Water Tribe Chief being the head of state was something that was still relatively new in the South Pole. All of the time they were under Northern rule the role of Chief had mainly been that of a figurehead and he just dictated the will of the Northern Chief, but after the war the South won their independence referendum and the Chief of the South became a fully fledged ruler. She understood now why her father and Gran gran had lectured her so much about Fire Nation customs. Suddenly she felt in over her head. She was to be a Fire Lady.
"What do you want to do now?" Zuko asked. "We have a busy day tomorrow. There's brunch with the mayor and then we'll be touring the theater district. Oh and we have to make an appearance at the local schools. We probably shouldn't go too far away from the house, but I thought we could have a bonfire before we have to go to bed."
Katara felt her cheeks burn. Go to bed?
Zuko looked at Katara blushing and blushed himself. "We don't have to sleep in the same bed." He quickly amended. "This house has more than enough rooms. We don't have to you know do anything but just speak to one another. Or we could just sleep if you don't feel like speaking. I'll understand."
"I think it would be O.K. If we shared the same bed if all we did is sleep in it." Katara said. As daunting as the thought of sharing a bed with Zuko was she would rather sleep in the same room with him even if it meant sleeping in the same bed rather than sleeping alone in this huge house in a strange country, beside sooner or later they were going to have to share a bed.
"Of course! Just sleeping is fine." Zuko said. He sounded relived and that made Katara feel better. He was just as nervous as she was. She never thought to ask him if he'd been intimate with a girl and she was too embarrassed to ask him now. She knew all the world was expecting them to produce an heir, but if they were expecting them to produce one right away they were going to be sorely disappointed.
"Shall I go and start the bonfire that way you can get ready for bed."
"That sounds great." Katara said.
Zuko shot a flame into the pile of wood that had been gathered up for the bonfire in the backyard of his house, no the backyard of his and Katara's house. He had a wife now. A wife! He shook his head and wondered if he'd ever get used to the idea. From now on whatever he did in life he would have to consider her too.
He was surprised that she wanted to share a bed with him, he had expected that she wouldn't want to. He thought for sure that she would jump at the chance to sleep in her own room, but he was both happy and terrified that she wanted to share a bed with him. He was also relieved to know that all she wanted to do was sleep. He was no where near ready to do anything else. He was still trying to wrap his head around being married. There would be great expectations placed upon him to produce an heir to the throne but he didn't care about that. He wasn't going to do anything that he or Katara wasn't ready for. Besides he'd gone eighteen years without having sex he could wait.
"It's a beautiful night." Katara said stepping out into the backyard. She was wearing a beautiful silk robe with the print of parrot-peacocks on it. She'd taken her hair out of her updo and it hung lose around her shoulders. He still thought that she was the most beautiful girl that he'd ever seen. "I love the sound of the waves." She sat down next to him on the blanket that he had spread out near the bonfire.
"Me too." Zuko said. "My mother grew up here and she always talked about how beautiful the sea was."
"I can't wait to meet your mother."
"I'm afraid that will never happen." Zuko said. "My father banished her from the palace when I was just a kid. I haven't seen her since. I don't even know if she's dead or alive."
Katara's hands flew up and covered her mouth. "Oh, Zuko I'm so sorry."
Zuko picked up a pebble and tossed it into the fire. "It's all right you didn't know."
"Do you know why your father banished her?"
"Yeah, because he's the worst father in the history of fathers." He spat bitterly.
"Sorry."
"Don't be I'm not." Zuko said and lie on his back with his arms resting under his head. "He's in jail now where he belongs. What about you? I'll bet you miss your father. In the few times that I met him he seemed like a really nice guy."
"He is. I miss him a lot."
"I look forward to getting to know him."
"Do you know how things are going with the Fire Navy forces?" Katara asked.
"No, sorry. I didn't even think to ask, but I'll find out for you first thing tomorrow."
"Thanks."
"It's the least I could do." He said and yawned.
"Ready for bed?" Katara asked.
"Yes, if that's OK with you."
"It is besides I'm tired myself it's been a long day."
Zuko extinguished the fire and the two of them walked in the house together.
"You can go ahead and get into bed I just need to change first."
While Zuko was getting ready for bed Katara snuggled into the bed burying herself deep deep down under all the covers. The bed was amazing it felt like she was sleeping on a cloud and she almost forgot for a moment that she would have to share it with Zuko. When the door to their bedroom opened and she saw him standing their shirtless she remembered all to quickly that he was her husband now, and for the rest of her life she'd be sharing a bed with him.
He had a body that looked as though it were carved out of marble. She had thought that he looked handsome in his dress robes, but now with his hair down and being shirtless he looked like some kind of warrior god.
"Is everything all right?" Zuko wanted to know.
"Yes. Everything is fine!" She squeaked. She pulled the covers up til they were under her chin but she really wanted to pull them over her head. She felt her cheeks burning it probably shouldn't be embarrassing to be caught ogling your own husband only it was.
"I'm going to get into bed now. You know to sleep just to sleep." Zuko said and a second later he climbed into bed.
Katara scooted away from Zuko even though there was no need the bed was huge enough to fit two more people in without anybody touching.
"Are you ready for me to turn out the light?"
"You don't snore do you?" She asked.
"I don't think so."
"Then I'm ready."
Zuko turned out the light and they were engulfed in total darkness.
"Goodnight Katara."
"Goodnight Zuko."
The lights might have been out but Katara's brain was still on. She couldn't see Zuko in the darkness but she could feel him moving around trying to get comfortable.
"I can't sleep either." Katara said into the darkness.
A second later Zuko turned on his bed side light. "Is it O.K. That I turn the light on?"
"It's fine." Katara said and turned on her bed side light and sat up.
"What does aaga mean?" Zuko asked.
"What?"
"Earlier when you were upset about the necklace you mentioned that it was your aaga's necklace. I thought maybe it meant mother, but I don't want to assume."
"It does."
"How do you say father?"
"Aapaga."
"I should have asked you how to say uncle since my uncle has always been more of an aapaga to me than my own aapaga has."
"That would be akkaga in water tribe."
"Is there a difference in the Southern and Northern dialect?"
"There is, uiga. That means husband, and before you ask agnaga means wife."
"Agnaga." Zuko said testing the feel and the sound of the foreign word on his tongue. "My agnaga."
"Stick with me uiga and I'll have you speaking my language like you're native born."
"How do you say fire?"
"Ignik."
"I'm sorry am I bothering you with all of these questions?" Zuko asked.
"No. I'm glad you're interested in my language and my culture. It's nice that you want to learn how to speak Southern Water Tribe. I was actually expecting the exact opposite from you."
Zuko turned on his side so that he could better look at his agnaga. Really? Why is that?"
"Well the Fire Nation isn't exactly known for respecting any other nation's culture but it's own."
"I know. We weren't always like that it started with my great-grandfather Sozin. The comet corrupted him or maybe it revealed him for who he truly was." He let out a deep sigh. "Either way he perverted the true meaning of firebending."
"So if you don't mind my asking what is the true meaning of firebending?"
"Life and energy." Zuko created a small flame in the of palm his hand. "You need to have power behind your firebending." He made the flame grow bigger. "But without control and without a life force behind that control all you're really bending is your own anger." He made the flame grow smaller until it was almost out. "I had to learn that lesson the way I've learned most lessons in my life; the hard way." He made the flame bigger once more before he extinguished the flame.
"At least you learned." Katara said. "Some people never do."
"I hope I've learned enough to turn things around for my country."
"I do too, but don't worry if you ever forget I'll be here to remind you."
Zuko laughed. "I don't doubt that you will my agnaga."
"A very wise assessment uiga."
They both laughed and then Zuko's laugh turned into a yawn.
"Sorry. I'm not much of a night owl."
"Sorry I am, but we probably should get some sleep since we have to get up so early."
"You rise with the moon and I rise with the sun. I guess that's something we'll have to get used to about each other."
"There's a lot we're going to have to get used to about each other." Katara said.
"I know, but we can make it work. I can be pretty stubborn I don't like giving up or in." He gave Katara a shy smile. "You strike me as pretty stubborn yourself."
"You're not wrong." Katara admitted. "Hopefully that will work for us and not against us. We've got enough people against us already."
"I didn't want to tell you this, but there were protesters outside of the Fire Nation palace when I left to sail out to meet you. There are some people who don't want a Water Tribe Fire Lady." Zuko turned to see the expression on Katara's face. If she was shocked she didn't show it. Then again why would she be shocked? The Fire Nation's xenophobic reputation was written on most people's brain in indelible ink.
"Most people in the Southern Water Tribe weren't too happy either. They aren't happy that we have to turn to our enemies for our salvation. They consider it the ultimate slap in the face."
"I'm sorry. I wonder if my uncle or your father gave more than a passing thought to how this marriage would bring up painful memories for the both of us. Everything about me and my family probably opens up fresh wounds for you."
Katara turned over on her back and stared up at the ceiling. "My father did what he had to do just like I'm sure your uncle did. I'm doing what I have to for my people and their survival. Sometimes I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place, but I don't want to feel this way. The way my parents were with each other the way they loved each other I always thought that I would have that kind of marriage, but I don't know if you and I will ever have that, so all I want for the two of us is not to hate each other. I don't want to spend my life in a loveless marriage." Expressing her fears out loud made Katara feel somewhat better. She had never been the type to bottle her feelings up.
"I don't want that either. I'd like to think at one point in their marriage that my parents loved each other, but I honestly don't know if they ever did. I mean if my dad loved my mom then how could he banish her? My dad doesn't love unconditionally, but I'm not like that. I would never banish you. I promise you that, and if we can't find away to love each other we can at least be good friends who respect one another."
Katara didn't say anything she continued to stare up at the ceiling. Good friends who respected one another. What if that was the best either of them could do? She didn't want that she wanted love, true love, but the problem was she still didn't know if Zuko was the person she wanted to fall in love with. If he'd been anybody else she could see herself falling in love with who he was. She turned over again and looked into Zuko's face. He was so handsome he was easily the most handsome boy that she had ever laid eyes on, and he was kind and thoughtful. Her heart, mind, and conscience were all warring with in her and she didn't know which one she should let win. In a situation like this she didn't even know if she could win.
"Are you ready for bed now?" Zuko asked.
"Yes." She said though she knew she wouldn't be going to sleep anytime soon.
"Well, goodnight for real this time agnaga."
"Goodnight uiga." She turned her light out and enveloped them both in darkness.
So this is what it was like to be married to her enemy. It was not at all like she had expected, but this wasn't even the real test of their relationship. The real test would begin when they went back to the Fire Nation to rule as Fire Lord and Lady.