Chapter 10

A/N The song that Katara sings is something like Long Way Home by an Inuit artist Sainkho on her album Naked Spirit. Also, warning: lemons ahead

** Edited December 16th, 2019. I tried to make the original lemony bit smoother and by the time I finished there was a second scene. Sorry if you don't like it but it just typed itself. lol

That night the tribe celebrated. It was the last time they would all be together for some months and everyone had been happy to have Katara with them again. Zuko had attended a fair number of royal parties at the Fire Nation palace but they were nothing like this. In a clearing in the forest, a large bonfire was built and three wild hogs roasted over its flames. The atmosphere was joyful and inviting, setting Zuko at ease as he sat watching Katara visit with her Gran gran across the fire. Everyone seemed to be in overly good spirits to Zuko considering they had been forced to leave their home; laughing and telling stories about their lives back on the pole and talking about their hopes for the future. A few of the women he'd seen Katara talk to earlier that day waved at him with guarded smiles as they passed him, always whispering to themselves as they did so. He wondered what they thought of him and his now obvious relationship with Katara. The last time he had seen them he was invading their home as their enemy. Now he was romantically involved with their chief's daughter. He hoped they would be able to forgive him like her father had and accept him in time.

As the sun began to set, Chief Hakoda and someone that looked to Zuko like a priestess or shaman, stood next to the fire. Speaking in what he assumed was the traditional Water Tribe language, they asked for blessings from the spirits for their tribe and their journey. The woman looked ancient and had a mystical air about her that made his hair stand on end. He was certain she was no ordinary priestess.

After the blessings the hogs were carved and food passed around. Katara came and found him with two large leaves full of meat and sat with him to eat. She was smiling and looked the most relaxed he thought he'd ever seen her.

"It's been so long since we've all been together that I forgot how this feels. I don't think I even realized how much I missed everyone." Holding a piece of the meat up in front of her face before taking a bite she added, "I miss Sokka, he'd love this too." Zuko laughed to himself, that boomerang weirdo did love his meat. He said so and she laughed again.

As they finished eating, he noticed that a few people were gathering around the fire. Two men sat together with round frame drums and a third had an upright string instrument of some kind. Zuko watched curiously as they began to play a heavy rhythmic beat that he could feel in his bones. The man playing the stringed instrument opened his mouth as if to sing but the sounds that came out were strange.

"What is he doing? Is he... is he singing?"

Katara laughed as she stood, bending to tug him up after her as she explained.

"It's called throat singing. He is using the muscles in his throat, mouth and tongue to make those sounds. It's particular to the water tribes so it's not surprising you've never heard of it before. This song happens to be a particular favorite of mine."

She smiled at him as she headed for the people now dancing and joined them. Her hands moved about her in practiced motions in time with the others as she too began to sing, her voice a high and melodic contrast to the others who sang the odd breathy rhythm. There weren't many true words to the song so much as drawn out syllables. Any actual words were in the same language the old woman had used before. Zuko was impressed to find that Katara had a lovely voice, whatever she was singing..

He stood watching, stiff backed and arms crossed, as more and more people gathered to join in the dance. As Katara watched him, he prayed to Agni she wouldn't make him dance too. He was Fire Nation. Fire Nation didn't dance. His prayers however, went unanswered. Spellbound by the way Katara swayed in time to the music, he didn't notice what she was trying to do until it was too late. She traced her fingers all the way down his arms until she had hold of his wrists and pulled him towards the dance.

"No Katara! I can't, I don't dance."

When he tried to back away she tightened her grip on him and placed his hands on her hips.

"Oh come on Sparky, don't be so uptight. Dancing is fun." At his continued hesitance, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. When she pulled back again, he looked into her face and noticed the desire in her hooded gaze. He groaned in frustration but relented, allowing her to show him the motions as they moved about with her people.

The moon rose high and the music and dancing carried on into the night.

Zuko had no idea how late it was by the time they finally slipped away. Their blood still rushed from the dancing as she pulled him into a scorching kiss as she half dragged him back to the rows of tents . He hadn't been sure if she would sleep with him anymore now that they traveled with her family, but it seemed like she planned to, if her haste to undress him was any indication. Not yet a month old, his injury ached from all of the dancing. He knew more strenuous activity wouldn't help but just then, he couldn't bring himself to care.

After, as they lay naked and tangled together in the close darkness of their tent, Zuko wondered absently what his father would think if he could see him then. Wound around his Water Tribe peasant women and sleeping in a tent. What would he say if he knew his son had decided to do whatever it took to convince Chief Hakoda to let him marry her? He snorted softly in amusement as he drifted off. No, Ozai would certainly not approve.

oOoOoOoOo

Katara woke before dawn, the restless feeling that had been plaguing her the past few days still affecting her sleep. A strong arm was draped around her waist and she tugged it closer as she burrowed back into the warmth of Zuko's bare chest. He would be awake soon she knew but she was too anxious to lie there any longer. Rolling to face him she ran a finger across his temple, brushing his hair from his eyes. The corner of his mouth turned up as she continued to stroke his cheek and she knew he was awake. She reached up to lay a chaste kiss on his lips but it quickly heated as he slid his arm up her back, pressing her tightly against him. When he finally pulled back to speak, his voice was thick from sleep.

"Good morning." He cracked his eyes open to look at her, taking in the slight frown his kiss had not managed to dislodge. "Are you ok? I am used to always being the first one up but lately you've had me beat."

Not quite sure what to tell him since she had no idea what her problem was, she shrugged and kissed him again before answering that she was fine. One of his always warm hands came up to cup her cheek as he watched her closely. His thumb traced her cheek for a moment before he nodded, satisfied, and leaned down to capture her lips with his. Katara clung to him, willing away the unease and reviling in the safety of his embrace. The next time Zuko drew back, the awed smile on his face was one that Katara knew only she had ever seen. "Spirits, I love you Katara."

She smiled back and responded in kind. Now fully awake, Katara felt a bit better, if not fully herself yet. Arching her back as she stretched, she remembered seeing a river through the trees along the road the day before.

"I think I would like to go practice my bending before everyone else is up and ready to move on though. I'm just feeling a little... restless lately. Probably all the hiding and running and worry finally getting to me." She sat up. "You should come too. A little bending practice would be good now that you seem up to physical activity."

Zuko huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes before sitting up himself and agreeing. Facing away from him in search of her clothing, she did not see his sudden look of nervousness. She did however, feel his eyes on her as she leaned over to grab her bindings. A sly smile tilted her lips and she turned to face him, a blush darkening his face when she caught him staring. He raised his hands in surrender and smiled back at her.

"You know how beautiful you are." He hesitated a beat, running a hand through his hair and reaching for his tunic before continuing. "Katara, will anyone care that we are sharing a bed? I mean... should I expect a confrontation with your father?"

Katara had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at his obvious anxiety. It was striking sometimes, all the differences between their two cultures. Where in the Fire Nation arranged marriage was common and physical relationships were frowned upon outside of those unions, at least for women, the Southern Water Tribe was much more relaxed. While it was true that if she were to become pregnant her father would probably push for her to marry, it was fairly normal for unmarried people to seek warmth and pleasure simply for the sake of it. The south pole was extremely cold after all.

"No Zuko, no one will care, it's not a big deal for us usually. Generally it's considered a good way to keep warm, a lonely bed is a cold bed."

She laughed out right when he gaped at her frankness. He gathered himself quickly, laughing too as they finished dressing and headed outside. As they made their way through the camp in search of the river she'd seen, the older woman they'd spoken to the previous day was out and moving around her own tent. She met Katara's eye as they passed and gave her a knowing grin and winked at them before turning back to her own tasks. Zuko groaned at the gesture and turned red all the way to his good ear.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

Katara could only laugh again as they left the rows of tents behind.

A/N Since it is clear that the water tribes are based loosely off of Inuit culture, I have continued in that vein to flesh out their culture. Throat singing is part of many cultures in Mongolia, Siberia, as well as Inuit and Yupik. It varies across, but the Avatar world has always felt like a distorted mirror of actual cultures and eastern religions so that is how I tried to play it. I imagine the music sort of a tuvan/inuit mix if that helps. I actually ended up down a YouTube rabbit hole learning all kinds of things about throat singing and its cultural history that was rather interesting. Also, arranged marriages were actually very typical in traditional Inuit culture to ensure survival of the people but it is canon that the southern water tribe is lax in this so I just expanded on that.