Chapter Fifteen
Zuko stood frozen in shocked silence, staring at the face looking back at him in the mirror. "It can't be…" he whispered, his fingers shaking as he gently traced the skin where his scar had been only moments before. Slowly he forced himself to look away from his unfamiliar reflection to stare at Katara.
"What did you do?" he whispered, still shaking with disbelief. "How-"
"I don't know. I'm sorry! I should have asked you first. I was just so excited to see if it would work." Katara glanced down sheepishly.
Suddenly Zuko grabbed her in a giant huge. Katara gasped in surprise. She had thought he was mad at her for not warning him of what she was going to try. "Thank you!" he said breathlessly, dancing around the room with her. "I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am!"
Katara laughed as he continued to twirl her. Despite everything that had happened she couldn't help but smile at the Prince's ecstatic face as he examined himself again in the mirror. He was like a little kid on Christmas, and though Katara would never admit it out loud, he looked very handsome with it gone.
"Prince Zuko, we've-" Uncle Iroh started to say as he poked his head in the door but when his nephew turned to face him his jaw dropped in surprise. "Prince Zuko!" Uncle Iroh cried, rushing in to look at him. "You're scar!"
"I know!" Zuko replied happily. "Apparently our friend here is a very powerful healer."
Uncle Iroh turned to look at Katara and smiled. "I always knew that there was more to you then meets the eye." He said pleasantly. "Thank you for what you have done." He turned back to Zuko while Katara blushed at all the attention she was suddenly receiving.
"We have reached the fire nation." Iroh said.
Zuko sighed. "This isn't going to be easy." He looked up at Katara again. "But we'll give it all we've got." He took her hand and they followed Iroh out the door. "Let's go rescue your friends."