Katara stroked the fabric of her robe reverently. Mr Yan, the tailor, truly was a marvel; the embroidery seemed to glitter in the light and the cut of the fabric felt positively decadent. Everyone looked wonderful; most of the women had spent the day at the spa getting pampered ahead of the evening's festivities with the exception of Mai and Ty Lee, who were getting ready with their families.

"You look lovely," Katara looked up to see Suki smiling at her warmly. "How are you feeling?"

"Nervous," Katara admitted, casting a shy glance over to where Ursa was fussing over Kiyi. The little girl was protesting against the idea of missing the party. "Zuko was going to announce our courtship to the council today and I have no idea how it's gone."

"That's exciting!" Suki enthused, grinning and taking hold of Katara's hands. "Isn't it? Everything's falling into place."

"Yeah…" Katara smiled back, though the uneasy feeling didn't abate. Most of the council members seemed to like her well enough, certainly the ones she'd worked with on the war veteran social projects were friendly enough with her in their own ways but she felt nervous all the same.

It didn't help that Azula seemed… well, she was sat at a vanity, staring intently at her own reflection and muttering to herself. Ursa shot her eldest daughter a concerned look and Katara tried to reassure herself that they were in a room full of trained firebenders and doctors who would be on hand if Azula got overwhelmed (or even if she decided to lash out at someone) and mitigate the damage.

"Jeez, calm down Sugar Queen," Toph punched her in the arm. "Your heartbeat is enough to throw us all off balance," Katara pouted at the smaller girl as Toph grinned back at her. "You look great."

"Very funny, Toph," Katara bit out. "You look great too."

She did, annoyingly. Toph had been primped and preened to more closely resemble the little lady her father had wanted her to be, with delicate hanging decorations in her hair and fine, Earth Kingdom style robes. With a smirk, Toph lifted her dress to reveal her somehow-still-muddy feet. "Thanks Sweetness, I like the set-up here. No one even tried to force shoes on me!"

Suki and Katara exchanged a raised eyebrow at the sight of Toph's grime-encrusted toenails. "Didn't they bathe you?"

"Sure," Toph shrugged. "But I still didn't let them touch my feet."

"Hey guys!" The door opened and Aang surged into the room in a blur of orange and yellow. "Are you excited? I'm so excited! This is gonna to be so much fun."

"Yo," Sokka followed, though with nowhere near the same limitless energy levels as Aang but finely dressed in deep blue robes. "Everyone done getting pretty?" He strode into the room and gawped comically at Suki. "Suki! You're so beautiful!" He gushed, hurrying over and sweeping her up in a tight hug. Suki laughed heartily and swatted at Sokka's back.

"Stop!" She cried. "You'll mess up my hair!" But she kissed him soundly anyway.

"Ugh," Toph stuck her tongue out. "Sweetness, don't you and Sulky Lord start acting like this, alright?" She jabbed a thumb towards Sokka and Suki for emphasis.

Katara laughed awkwardly. "I doubt we'd get away with it at court."

"Good, it's basic manners not to tongue each other's faces in public."

"Since when do you care about manners?" Sokka scowled and Toph bent a paving slab over to land on his toes. "Ow!"

Katara looked up, smiling, to see Azula watching them from the mirror. Her smile quickly faded and she straightened, squaring off against the girl. Azula's eyes scanned her appraisingly.

Azula looked as precisely beautiful as she ever had- her hair tied up neatly with a tiny golden flame holding it in place, dark red lips and black-lined eyes made her look dangerous, unnervingly similar to the princess that had struck Zuko down with lightning.

Then the golden eyes shifted and Katara could breathe again. Azula turned to look at Kiyi, who was giving her mother a final goodbye hug before the nanny took her away for the evening.

"I'll see you in the morning, my darling," Ursa promised. "You'll be fast asleep by the time the party ends."

"I won't!" Kiyi declared, pouting. "I'll stay up all night."

"We will check in on you before we go to bed, then," The Dowager Fire Lady cradled Kiyi's chubby cheeks and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Be good for Gee, okay?"

"Okay." Kiyi allowed the nanny to take her hand and bowed messily to the room before leaving. Katara glanced at Azula, who watched the departing girl's back with an air of disinterest, though her eyes were sharp and calculating.

The knot of tension in Katara's chest tightened. "Azula-"

"Good evening, everyone," Iroh greeted gently, knocking on the doorframe, and entering, followed closely by Ikem who looked very uncomfortable in his fine clothes. "I trust everyone is well and ready?"

Ikem tugged at the neckline of his robes and Ursa smoothed her hands over his shoulder, whispering something to him that made him smile down at her in clear adoration. "Where's Zuko?" Aang asked and Azula shot him a sharp look.

Iroh's eyes slid to Katara and she frowned at the clear discomfort on his face. "Fire Lord Zuko will be joining us momentarily… He's had a slight issue with the council and has stayed behind to discuss some matters in further detail."

Azula's lips curved into a smile and Katara strode to the door, feeling sick. "Is it me?"

Iroh's mouth opened to respond and he paused, thinking carefully. "Come with me," He said after a beat too long. "I'll take you to him."

He bowed to the room and offered his elbow politely for Katara to take. Once they were clear of the room, Iroh's voice dropped low.

"I thought you'd perhaps rather not discuss this in front of Azula."

Katara grimaced. "What happened?"

Iroh lifted a hand to cover hers on his arm as they walked down the corridor together. Distantly, the hum of conversation and music drifted through the otherwise still air as the early arrivals congregated in the public wing of the palace. "There were a few council members who objected strongly to the idea of Zuko officially courting a foreigner, I'm afraid. They were well prepared for his request and had found precedent for a forced abdication if the courtship resulted in marriage."

"What?"

"Fire Lord Danzo. Many hundreds of years ago. Apparently he abdicated in order to marry his Air Nomad bride, leaving the throne to fall to his cousin. It's not a well-known story… I, myself, only learned of it within the past year."

Katara swallowed hard. "What should I do?"

Iroh turned to smile at her. "My dear girl. For tonight, all you have to do is smile, dance and enjoy the party with your lover," He stopped outside the heavy doors to the council room and lifted her chin with one hand. "You are young and in love. Marriage isn't something to be rushed into at your age and there will be plenty of time to worry about it in the future- who knows? They may change their mind."

"But…"

"Does the water of a river worry about its course?" Iroh's eyebrows rose in emphasis. "Master Katara, you learned waterbending without a teacher, you found the Avatar after a hundred years, you fought against my brother's regime and you won. I would be shocked if you let a council of old men like me decide your fate."

Katara's heart swelled with affection for the older man and she blinked away the tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you."

She might have said more but the door slammed open and Zuko stormed out of the council chamber, face dark like thunder and nearly running into his uncle. Iroh released Katara and put a heavy hand on the young Fire Lord's shoulder.

Zuko tensed and glared at Iroh in silence. Behind him, the council members slowly filed out of the room with stony faces and deep bows that went unacknowledged as Zuko and Iroh stared each other down.

One or two of the ministers noticed Katara and bowed deeply to her as well. She dragged a smile to her face and bowed her head respectfully in return despite the bitterness welling up inside her. These were the men who would rather Zuko lose his crown than see a foreigner become Fire Lady. These men who had worked with her, bowed and smiled to her face, had all but proclaimed Azula would be a better choice than Zuko if he married a Water Tribe Woman.

The righteous anger was clear on Zuko's face, burning in his eyes..

It wasn't until the last of the ministers had disappeared from sight that Zuko's demeanour changed. The fight deemed to drain from him and his shoulders slumped. Iroh stepped close and gathered his nephew in a tight hug. "It's alright, nephew," He said lowly, in the same tone he'd used with Katara moments earlier. "Have patience- they may yet change their minds."

"And if they don't?" Zuko muttered darkly.

"Never give up without a fight."

Iroh and Zuko shared a long, significant look. Zuko didn't get the chance to reply as Lai rounded the corner and bowed deeply to them all, a serious look on her face. "Fire Lord Zuko, the guests have begun to arrive. It's of utmost importance that you prepare."

Zuko let out a long, controlled sigh and shot Katara an apologetic look. "I'll see you there?"

"Of course," Katara attempted a smile but it trembled weakly. Zuko looked at her, concern clear in the furrow of his brow and quickly stepped forwards. He took her hand and dropped a light kiss to her lips.

It was chaste, barely anything more than a quick press but the fact it was out in the open, with Lai, Iroh and the palace staff around them… When he pulled back Katara couldn't help a slow grin. Zuko responded in kind. "See you later."

He squeezed her hand and turned to follow Lai to his rooms. Katara risked a glance to Iroh who smiled indulgently. "Well, we should rejoin our friends, should we not?" He held out his arm, every inch the courtly gentleman.

Flushing, Katara tried to force her mouth to stop grinning like an idiot but she couldn't; it wasn't over. The council had told Zuko 'no' and he still wanted her. It was wildly selfish of her to be happy about it but Iroh's amused smile and warm eyes reassured her; theirs wouldn't be the romance that destroyed a nation.

She wouldn't allow it.

.

The way Fire Lord Zuko carried out announcements was different to the way Fire Lord Ozai had done so, according to Mai and Ty Lee. Ozai had announced triumphs and news by proxy, through the theatrics of an elderly pair of twin emissaries who would stand on a balcony and declare the propaganda-heavy speeches in tandem to the gathering of nobles and commoners alike beneath them.

Under Ozai, the palace had been a fortress of silence, open only to war ministers and the royal family's close confidantes. Under Zuko, court was a monthly social affair to which an array of nobles and "commoners of exemplary character" were invited. It was at these events that announcements were made to the people, and the Fire Lord was always the last to arrive. This evening, Zuko would enter with his mother, stepfather and sister in a demonstration of harmony and unity.

"Yeah, because Azula is exactly the type to play along with what Zuko wants," Suki muttered darkly. Ty Lee and Mai exchanged a look, clearly sharing the sentiment.

Katara cast her eyes around the gradually filling reception hall, trying to keep her own sense of trepidation at bay. "Maybe it will be okay," She said with a forced lightness to her voice. "Azula has been doing better- her doctors…"

"If she really is better, then that's cause for concern, not complacency," Mai pointed out, drinking slowly. "No one can scheme like Azula can."

Ty Lee twisted her hands nervously, pretty hair jewels blinking in the candlelight as her head turned to Suki and Katara. "What would she want? I thought she'd given up on the idea of usurping Zuko."

"We don't know that for sure," Suki pointed out. "But I can't imagine she's the type to simply sit back and let Zuko rule unmolested."

Katara privately agreed, and her eyes scanned the room for familiar faces. The boys and Toph were hanging around the door to the kitchen, where the attendants would emerge periodically with canapes and drinks giving them the first choice of the various offerings. Iroh was entertaining some older nobles on some low settees in the corner and a few familiar noblewomen were chatting to each other in the middle of the room.

Fei and Mina, who had so disgraced themselves at Katara's last court appearance, were stood alone against the wall. It didn't escape Katara's notice that the other women frostily kept their backs to the mother and daughter pair, keeping them on the outside. Mina's fan tonight was plain, with a simple criss-cross embroidered pattern across it. No imitation Fire Lady sigil tonight then, Katara thought. How could she? The true Fire Lady was back.

The young girl's eyes caught hers across the room and darted away with a blush of embarrassment. Fei, beside her, eyed the other women in the hall with a frown of disapproval. "Rumour has it that Mina's marriage prospects are particularly dire."

Katara turned to Mai, snapping open her own deep azure fan to hide her mouth politely. "Poor Mina," It seemed cruel that the social misstep of a fifteen year old girl had sealed her fate. Even with her lessons from the royal tutor, Katara knew if she wasn't already a war hero she'd have made several unforgivable mistakes in the eyes of Fire Nation nobility.

Mai shrugged, eyes scanning the room. "It's her own fault."

"What did she do?" Ty Lee asked.

"Brought a fan with the Fire Lady sigil on it," Mai explained boredly. "To her debut."

"Oh," Ty Lee's face softened sympathetically. "Oh dear."

A bit fed up with the unfairness of it all, Katara snapped her fan closed and strode across the reception hall to where Mina was glued to her mother's side. "Hi Mina," She said, ignoring the fact that she wasn't exhibiting proper courtly manners. "Do you want to get something to drink?"

Mina ducked behind her fan and Fei opened her mouth to, most likely, object but Katara scooped her arm through Mina's and pulled her away, not looking back. "Lady Katara…" Mina started.

"Master Katara," Katara corrected. "Come on, you look like you could use a drink."

Mina said nothing as Katara dragged her across the room, earning a couple of odd looks from the gaggle of future-Fire-Lady-hopefuls in the middle of the room. As they passed an attendant Katara swiftly lifted two cups of plum wine and handed one to Mina before taking her by the arm again and continuing to drag her toward Aang, Toph and Sokka.

"Hey Katara!" Sokka enthused through a mouth full of dumplings. "Have you tried the satay skewers?"

"No, Sokka, none of them have made it past you," Katara smirked. "Everyone, this is Mina. Mina, this is my brother Sokka, Toph Beifong and Aang, the Avatar."

"Hi Mina," Aang smiled welcomingly and Toph grunted in acknowledgment. "It's nice to meet you."

Seeming to regain some semblance of control over herself, Mina bowed politely, her fan in front of her face. "It's an honour to make your acquaintance, honourable guests."

Toph barked a harsh laugh, making Mina flinch slightly. "Ha! You too. Sugar Queen you always find the prissiest friends."

"Toph!" Katara hissed, mortified on Mina's behalf. "Don't be so rude!"

At that moment an attendant emerged from the side door with a platter of sea prunes, at which Sokka and Katara exchanged a look of winder and pounced. "Oi, Mina!" Sokka enthused. "You ever had sea prunes?"

Mina's fan dropped distractedly as she stared at the platter shoved into her face. "What are they?" She asked, mouth open in horror.

"Southern Water Tribe delicacy!" Katara announced proudly. "Try one."

Mina turned to look for her mother, seemingly caught between a deep-rooted wish to be polite and an equally fierce wish to not try the smelly grey slug-like food being offered to her. Unable to locate Fei (who, Katara noted with the advantage of a little extra height over Mina, was being distracted by Iroh) Mina turned back to the plate and hesitantly lifted a sea prune to her mouth.

"You don't have to-" Aang started but Mina popped the whole thing in her mouth and chewed quickly with her face scrunched in determination.

Victorious, Sokka threw three sea prunes into his own mouth and passed the platter back to the attendant. "What do you think?"

Mina snapped her fan over her mouth, eyes watering. "It's very… unusual."

"You can say it's gross," Aang said earnestly but Mina's wide eyes flicked to Katara and back before shaking her head.

"No, it's just saltier than most Fire Nation food…" She said weakly. "... and I've never eaten anything with that... Texture before..." She took a long sip of her plum wine.

"It's really gross," Aang said firmly and Mina's cheek twitched behind her fan as though she was fighting the urge to smile.

Feeling rather pleased with herself, Katara looked back over towards Mai, who was watching the exchange with a blank expression and folded arms. Suki and Ty Lee were mingling with the girls in the middle of the room but Mai's glinting eyes screamed disapproval as she watched Mina. Katara tried to catch her eye but without a hint of acknowledgement, Mai turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

Disappointed, Katara took a long, slow sip of the sweet plum wine, letting it fall over her tongue like velvet. She and Mai were probably friends- sometimes it was difficult to tell with the older girl and Katara wasn't entirely sure Mai wasn't simply helping Katara in order to make Zuko's life easier, but the two girls had very different worldviews.

To someone like Mai, the societal rules and niceties were a matter of course; something one learned to be worthy and to earn your eventual lifestyle. Katara and the others could be forgiven their social missteps in light of their other achievements but Mina, who had grown up in the capital…?

Katara's attempt to make Mina feel more comfortable probably offended Mai's sensibilities somewhat, but it wasn't in Katara's nature to leave someone out in the cold, so to speak. That wasn't how things were done in the South Pole.

It wasn't how their little group operated. If it had been, then Mai and Ty Lee would have been left behind at the Boiling Rock, or Iroh might not have teamed up with Aang to rescue Katara and Zuko in Ba Sing Se, or Katara might not have ever offered to heal Zuko's scar…

No, Katara would never turn her back on anyone who needed her. Even if it was just to make a long evening of festivities a little less awkward.

"Esteemed courtiers," A clear, deep voice rang out causing the hall to fall silent and turn towards the large double doors that led to the family wing. "Please welcome Fire Lord Zuko, Fire Lady Ursa, Ikem of Hira'a and Lady Azula."

The room all fell into deep bows as the doors opened, revealing the royal family in all their splendour, Ursa and Ikem on one side of Zuko, with Azula on the other. All four were dressed in rich red silks with gold embroidery, and Zuko's crown glinted brightly in the firelight. They were altogether the very model of a calm, serene noble family.

In unison, they all bowed their heads to the room and walked forwards, releasing the attendees from their bows. Katara caught Mina's slightly starry-eyed expression as Zuko and Azula spoke to each other. "I had no idea Lady Azula was so beautiful," She breathed and Katara fought the urge to scoff. "They look so alike."

"Well, that's a creepy thought," Sokka interjected. "Katara, I didn't know Azula was your type."

Mina looked up at him in confusion. "Her type?"

Up at the head of the room, Zuko placed a hand on Azula's shoulder and asked her something. She shot him a self-assured smile and stepped out of his reach, bowing her head to an older man she clearly recognised and stepping forward with outstretched arms. Look at me, she seemed to be saying. Risen from the ashes. The true phoenix of the Fire Nation.

Zuko watched her go for a heartbeat, two, before turning and catching Katara's eye. With a smile, he began to make his way across the room. Somewhere, a band started playing gentle background music. "Oh, good! Music!" Aang whispered to Mina.

Katara's heart seemed to lodge itself in her throat. They weren't going to hide, but she didn't know how courting worked in the Fire Nation. In the South Pole there wasn't a specific courting period; everyone knew each other and one day you agreed to marry but it seemed like the Fire Nation had a pre-engagement stage.

She just didn't know how it worked.

Zuko stopped in front of her and bent into a low bow. That seemed to be enough to cause a stir amongst the attendees but then he straightened and offered his arm. Katara fought the urge to pull a face at him and slid her hand through to rest in the crook of his elbow. "I meant to say how beautiful you looked earlier," He said quietly. "Sorry, I was a little preoccupied."

She grinned. "Thanks. You look pretty great yourself- very handsome."

"Aang, what do you think of the music?" Zuko turned to look at his friend in a swift change of subject but the tips of his ears were pink with the compliment. "There'll be dancing later, I'm using Mother's love of music and theatre to introduce it back to court."

Aang's smile was wide enough nearly to split his face in two. "That will be great!"

Sokka rose onto his tip-toes and scanned the room. "Do you think Suki would want to dance with me?"

"If she doesn't mind getting her toes stepped on," Toph elbowed him, nearly sending him falling into Mina who was watching Zuko with a kind of silent awe.

Zuko looked back to Katara with an awkward, shy smile. "How about you? Do you mind getting your toes stepped on?"

Katara eyed him speculatively, feeling rather brave in spite of the countless eyes burning holed in her back. "I'm too quick for you. You wouldn't land a hit."

He smirked and lifted his chin in amusement. "I'll take that challenge," Sokka pretended to gag and slipped into the crowd, heading towards Suki. Mina was now openly staring at Katara and she wasn't the only one; a few members of the court were watching the exchange with interest, though for many their own conversations were gradually pulling their attention from the Fire Lord and the Waterbender.

"How's Azula?" Katara asked and Zuko turned to where Azula was chatting to the Financial Minister, seemingly at ease in the busy room.

"I had a word with her before coming out," Zuko said quietly, catching Mina's eye and bowing his head politely before guiding Katara away from inquisitive ears. Aang and Toph, thankfully, seemed to pick up on his intentions and pulled Mina towards the band, insisting on showing her some 'cool dance moves'. "She seems… fine."

"Fine?"

"Calm," Zuko's eyes sought his mother and Ikem, who were speaking with an older couple in simpler robes. "Mother thinks talking with new people will be good for her…" He trailed off, looking uncertain. "But she's got letters in her room."

"Letters?"

"Yeah, I-"

"Fire Lord Zuko!" A small, balding man in maroon silk robes bowed. "I am very glad to see that you and your family are doing so well. When you left during the Harvest Festival there was quite a to-do."

Zuko nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Master Katara, have you met Lord Daisuke?"

Katara smiled and bowed her head, trying not to worry about the way Lord Daisuke's eyes flickered over her and fixed on her arm in Zuko's.

"Katara's been helping Minister Sorai with the Social Welfare Committee, working on ways to reintegrate war veterans in the outer islands," Zuko continued, lifting his other hand to rest on Katara's. Daisuke looked up at him in surprise.

"Oh, a very worthwhile endeavour. My own estate is on Black Sky Island, where we've had bad luck with a rise in petty crime recently." He turned to Katara. "As you may be aware, Master Katara, Black Sky teas were once a favourite of the noble classes in the Fire Nation."

"Oh really?" Katara glanced to Zuko. "We've been looking into some work programmes for war veterans who've fallen on hard times, or displaced colonials… We should schedule a meeting to discuss whether your tea plantations might benefit."

Lord Daisuke blinked and smiled. "What an excellent proposal, I will be in the capital for the rest of the week to discuss…"

"We're holding a committee meeting on Wednesday. You should come and see whether your plantations are suitable."

Lord Daisuke bobbed his head in eager agreement and as they discussed timings, Katara noticed the way Zuko was smiling at her.

So this was they meant when they talked about courting, Katara thought as they toured the room. Zuko continued to make conversation with the courtiers with Katara at his side, making introductions where she was unfamiliar. In front of his court, he was demonstrating a clear preference, making no secret of their closeness and simply allowing conclusions to be drawn.

Nothing said outright, but suddenly Katara was at the centre of the room rather than stood on the sidelines with her friends.

"How are you doing?" Ursa asked as they grabbed a quick breather and a refill.

Katara raised her eyebrows, looking back out at the hall. "It's a lot."

"It is," Ikem agreed, drinking deeply from his cup. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

"At least Azula seems to be having fun…" Katara said wryly, watching the former Fire Princess prowl the room like a tigress; elegant, terrifying. Laughing at something an older woman said, Azula caught Katara's eyes and lifted her drink in a mockery of a toast.

Zuko's hand ghosted over Katara's shoulder. "Don't let her see she's getting under your skin," He said, a quiet voice in her ear. "She's trying to provoke you."

"I know," Katara said, raising her cup to Azula in turn.

Ursa made her way across the room in direction of her daughter, but Azula made her excuses and disappeared into the crowd. Ursa faltered in her step and turned to speak with the group of young women in the middle of the room instead. The young women were practically tripping over themselves to flatter and make a good impression on the returned Fire Lady.

"Poor Ursa," Ikem said softly. "It's not going to be easy." Zuko gave him an odd look and he shrugged helplessly. "Azula's too jealous to let her in."

"Jealous?" Zuko asked, looking confused. "Of who?"

Ikem's eyebrows furrowed and he looked between Katara and Zuko disbelievingly. "You, Kiyi… She was Ozai's favourite, her life was dedicated to making him proud of her and now she has to share her mother with not one but two siblings."

Zuko frowned out at the crowd, eyes scanning for his sister. "Someone's been writing to her," He said softly. "She was reading letters in her room."

Katara and Ikem exchanged a wary glance. "How? I thought she wasn't allowed any communication with anyone outside of the palace?"

He nodded, turning burning golden eyes back on them. "I'd like to know that as well."