They took a gondola, poled by a young Water Tribe man who looked rather impressed to see his passengers, through a canal that had most definitely not been there when Katara and Sokka had left. Their boat was not the only craft plying the new waterway; Katara saw barges piled high with goods being drawn up and down the canal by teams of elk yaks. They poled past new buildings being put up on all sides; waterbenders were raising masses of water into position, holding them in shape, and freezing them to form floors, sides, walls and roofs of new construction.
"Wow, it's changed so much!" Sokka exclaimed, looking at all the growth around them.
"I know, I can't believe all this," Katara said, trying to take it all in.
Bato smiled slightly. "Yes. Our Northern cousins have been most helpful, with material and also with people. They sent down a hundred waterbenders to help us, and that was just to begin with."
Master Pakku nodded with a trace of smugness. Katara saw Bato's eyes flicker sideways, and she sensed a tension in the air.
"Many of their female waterbenders have come down here as well," Bato continued. "They find the South Pole slightly more congenial toward those who wish to be less constrained by tradition. So their loss is our gain."
Pakku shifted. "Some traditions are worth keeping. They are what make us civilized."
Bato looked like he was going to respond, but Hakoda interposed firmly, "Don't start this argument again, I ask you. Katara and Sokka are back, and I am sure they do not want their trip home to be spoiled by bickering."
"And it's such a lovely day, after all," Iroh added sunnily, from his position in the back of the gondola, drawing everyone's eyes. "The sun is more or less out, the sky is only mostly overcast, and it must be all of—what do you think the temperature is?"
"Twenty below," Pakku said, his mouth quirking.
"That warm! Can you believe it? Why ruin such great weather by arguing?"
All three of the other adults chuckled, and the tension was gone; Katara glanced at Zuko. "Your uncle's really great," she whispered.
Zuko glanced sideways at her and nodded. "Yeah. He is," he whispered back.
"Speaking of 'civilized,'" Sokka put in, leaning over the side, "that couldn't be—"
He was pointing toward two men who were passing in a boat carved out of wood, one man, large and heavy, reclining in the back while the other, tall and skinny, stood in the front and propelled the boat with odd waterbending arm motions. They were paler than normal for the Southern and Northern tribes, and their black hair was long and lank, oily. They had foregone their usual loincloths for the heavy fur robes worn by their arctic cousins, but they still wore the distinctly odd-looking leaf hats Katara had first seen them in. When they caught sight of Katara and Sokka in the boat they started yelling and hollering. "Hey! Howdy, kinfolks! Can't believe we're meetin' you here! Quick, Due! Pull up the boat longside!"
"Stop the boat," Hakoda ordered, gesturing to the pole man, and the gondola drew to a stop at the side of the waterway.
"I don't believe it!" Katara gasped in surprise.
"Who are they?" Zuko asked in an undertone, looking down at her.
"Due and Thoc," she answered. "We ran into them in Foggy Swamp—I told you about them, right? It was the swamp where Aang first learned about Toph and where I learned to bend plants."
"They don't look so bad," he said uncertainly, watching them approach.
"They're powerful benders, just….kind of strange." She glanced back up at the two swampfolk approaching; Sokka was leaning over the side, calling to them.
"Hey, Due and Thoc! Long time no see! What are you doing down here?"
"What are we doin' down here?" Thoc asked, straightening from his recumbent position. "Does kin need a reason to pay kin a visit?" He grinned. "We heard all about how y'all here down south got wasted in the war, so a bunch of us thought we'd all come on down and see if we could lend y'all a hand. Hue sent us," he added. "There are more of us on the way."
"Wow, it's great to see you guys! You got any more of that possum chicken?"
"Naw," Due drawled in reply. "They don't have no possum chicken down here, just this arctic hen."
"Basically the same thing," Sokka said happily.
"Master Pakku," Thoc said, offering a seated bow from his boat to that of the waterbending master. "Hue told us ya might be down here—he said to say howdy to ya. And to y'all, Katara and Sokka."
Pakku looked somewhat put out. "Thank you. Say 'howdy' to him too for me," he added, looking faintly queasy.
"You know Hue?" Katara asked incredulously.
"I've never met him, but I've heard of him," Pakku explained. "At the North Pole, he is known as the 'Enlightened One.'"
"Hue of Foggy Swamp?" Iroh asked, straightening up. "Yes, I have heard of him too. I think there are very few bending masters who have not heard of him. He has an excellent singing voice," Iroh added, smiling.
"You've actually met him, you old flamethrower?" Pakku glanced back at Iroh, who nodded, smiling slightly. "You'll have to tell me about that one of these days."
"Hue says," Due put in from the boat bobbing alongside, "that you an' Sokka an' the little Avatar can come on back to see him whenever ya feel like—course, kinfolk's always welcome, far as me an' Thoc are concerned," he added, smiling. "You too, Master Pakku."
"Thank you. That's nice to know," Pakku said, still looking queasy.
"Now, Katara," Thoc said now, rising up from the back of the boat, "what's this Hue's been tellin' us about your gettin hitched?" He fixed her with an eye.
"Hitched? Sounds painful," Zuko whispered into her ear, and Katara had to bite back a grin.
"That's right," she said, offering a smile back. "This is Zuko, my betrothed," she continued, gesturing to Zuko where he knelt by her side in the boat. "Zuko, this is Due and Thoc."
"Congratulations!" Thoc cried and lunged out of his dugout canoe to clasp Katara in a huge bear hug; the gondola rocked dangerously until Pakku steadied it with a few waterbending motions. He released Katara, who was left slightly breathless, and turned to grab a very surprised Zuko; Katara saw him stiffen reflexively against the embrace. "You's family now, you know? Any kin of Katara's is kin of ours!" He pounded Zuko on the back, so that the firebender struggled for release, choking a bit.
"Thank you," he managed, when he had extricated himself from Thoc's grip. "I…uh…appreciate that." Iroh was chuckling in the background.
"We've got some stuff fer your weddin', little Katara," Due added, grinning; he gestured at the crates in the boat. "Some good ol' swamp cookin'—Hue sent it all the way from Foggy Swamp. You're gonna have an excellent weddin' feast!"
"Well, that's great, Due, I… really appreciate it." She whispered to Zuko, "I just hope they didn't bring any bugs." He turned to look at her in alarm.
"Bugs?"
"On second thought, don't ask." She kissed him lightly under the ear.
"But where's the little Avatar an' that flying bison and that lemoo of his? He with you?" Thoc frowned, looking at the boat. "I was thinkin', Katara, when I first heard you was gonna tie the knot, that it would be him…."
"No," she said graciously. "Aang is involved with an earthbender, actually."
"Well, that's great." Due and Thoc smiled, and Katara smiled back. "We've got to get movin' along now, but it's always nice to see kin again! Come on by—the door's always open!" Due stood up and began to bend again; the dugout canoe quickly drew away from the gondola, moving further down along the canal.
"Good people," Iroh commented contentedly from his seat.
"Where is Aang, anyway?" Bato asked as the gondola started again. "I thought he would still be with you."
"Yes, I had hoped I would have a chance to meet the Avatar," Hakoda told Katara and Sokka.
"He's in the Earth Kingdom with his earthbending sifu—her name is Toph," Sokka explained. "They're visiting Toph's parents, trying to clear up a few things. But they should be down here in a day or two." He paused. "Dad, when they come, they will be bringing someone else that…I would like you to meet."
Hakoda raised one eyebrow, smiling slightly. "Ohh?"
Katara grinned at Sokka's discomfiture, taking Zuko's hand again, as Sokka shifted. "Yeah. Her name is Suki. She's from the Isle of Kyoshi—"
"A warrior woman," Hakoda said, raising his eyebrows even further; Katara could see the twinkle in his eyes that indicated he was teasing.
"You know—?"
"The warrior women of Kyoshi are famous for their prowess in battle," Bato put in. "Many times they fought beside us in the war. They saved our lives more than once."
"Yeah! She's the most amazing—" Sokka began excitedly. "I mean, if you'd ever seen her—She's incredible, the way she—"
"I don't know, Sokka," Hakoda said, shaking his head regretfully, but the mirthful twinkle in his eye was strong as ever. "A woman warrior would be a serious breach of Water Tribe custom and tradition…."
"Not that anyone in the Southern Water Tribe ever goes against tradition," Master Pakku murmured, smiling slightly.
"Why don't women in the Water Tribe learn to fight?"
Zuko's question silenced the discussion as all eyes turned his way; Katara saw her betrothed flush in embarrassment. "I—I mean, in the Fire Nation, it's—" He stumbled to a halt, perhaps realizing that bringing up the Fire Nation might not be the best thing to do in this party of veterans, perhaps just discomfited to be the center of attention. Katara took his arm, as Iroh again stepped in.
"I have to say, I have often wondered the same thing. Looking at young Katara here, it has occurred to me on more than one occasion that to face an army of women such as her would be enough to chill even the bravest heart," he added with a wink at his soon-to-be niece-in-law.
"Well, there's your answer," Bato said after a tiny silence. "Water Tribe women are fierce enough already—if they were trained in weapons and combat, we'd all be in trouble!"
Everyone laughed, and the odd pocket of tension was broken, although Katara saw the distance did not leave Bato's or her father's eyes. "Don't I know it," Pakku muttered wryly. "You are a very brave man, young Zuko," he added, glancing at the firebender with a bit of humor. "Although I'm not sure you know entirely what you are getting into. Sometime you should ask your intended to tell you about the waterbending duel she challenged me to. It might shed some light on your fiancée's temperament…just like her grandmother's."
"You won that duel," Katara reminded him.
"Not by much," Pakku replied, beaming at his favorite student.
"I think I already know, sir," Zuko replied, looking somewhat surprised at his own daring.
There was a bit more polite laughter as the gondola slid through the icy waters, then nudged itself to a halt against the side of the canal. "Here we are," Hakoda announced, standing. "The Great Hall," he said, indicating the two-story ice building behind him. "It will be warmer inside. Shall we go in?"
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Zuko had never been inside a Water Tribe building before, and under other circumstances, he would have taken the time to thoroughly examine his surroundings; as it was, though, he was too apprehensive to give them more than a cursory examination. The large semicircular room inside took up the entire front half of the lower round building; the floor was ice, but roughened with grit to make it stable for walking, with ice columns arranged around the outer edge of the building. Special blocks of crystal clear ice spaced near the ceiling admitted light from the outside to wash the interior, and an ice dais covered with animal pelts was against the far wall. Zuko was distantly surprised at how warm it was inside, and with relief, allowed his internal temperature to subside; it wasn't until he released the energy, staggered, and was swamped with a tremendous wave of fatigue that he realized how much effort it had been taking to keep himself warm against the bitter cold.
"Snow insulates," Katara murmured, squeezing his hand—then dropped it, as an aged woman who had been sitting on the dais rose to come toward her and her brother. "Gran-Gran?" Katara gasped.
"Did you think I was going to drag these old bones of mine all the way down to the dock in this weather?" the old woman—Katara's grandmother—asked, smiling to take the sting off her words. "I knew your father would bring you here—and you," she said, turning to Master Pakku scoldingly. "Did you not think to send a message telling me they had arrived? All that talk about the Northern Water Tribe being so civilized—where were you raised, a penguin roost?"
"They're here now, aren't they, old woman?" Pakku raised an eyebrow. "Why bother to send a runner when we'd've probably beaten him here anyway?"
"You could have sent a message through waterbending, you splash-brained fool," Katara's grandmother replied. "Surely that should have occurred to the greatest waterbender of the Northern Water Tribe—a simple nudge with ice or a ripple in the pond, and I would have known they were on their way. Some Water Master you are."
"Grouse, grouse, grouse, Kanna, that's all you do," Pakku replied, but he gave her an embrace, and the two of them shared a quick look of such deep affection that Zuko realized all their words were just for show.
Kanna gave a hug to both Sokka and Katara, along with a few quiet words—"You did it. You brought back hope, not just to us, but to our tribe," which brought tears to Katara's eyes and a look of quiet pride to Sokka's face. Then she turned toward Zuko.
"So you are her young man." She peered at him. "I remember you. Your ship crashed its way into our village," she said sternly. "You scared the children and broke our houses, and handled me very roughly. You showed a great deal of disrespect to one who is your elder."
"Gran-Gran," Katara began, going to Zuko's side; Zuko took a step back, feeling himself flush with shame.
"I'm—I'm sorry," he fumbled, trying to find something he could say. I didn't mean it? That wouldn't work; at the time he had meant it. I wish I hadn't done it? Well, he did, but that wouldn't help. Katara's hand, steady on his arm, made him feel a little better. "I hope…I hope I didn't hurt you," he came up with lamely.
"I thought you were a very rude and arrogant boy," the old woman told him. "I still do." As Zuko swallowed over a sinking sensation in his chest, Katara squeezed his arm hard. Iroh started to say something, but Kanna said grudgingly, "However, perhaps you have not grown into a rude and arrogant young man. I do not think my Katara would bring home anyone who was. Come sit on the dais with us, and we—" she gestured to the assembled party "—will discuss this marriage of yours."
Zuko looked over the assembled party—Hakoda, Bato, Pakku, Kanna, Sokka, and Iroh. "All of us?" He glanced down at Katara, who shrugged with a confused expression.
"There are many complicated matters to arrange," Hakoda said. "It is best that we all do it together."
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They took tea first, seated cross-legged on the lush furs underneath them; Zuko recognized none of the pelts, and wondered if they were all South Pole animals. Of course they are, what else would they be? The elders conversed, as did Katara and Sokka, while Zuko stayed silent as much as possible; he felt acutely out of place even with Iroh seated by his side, and Katara throwing him warm looks. The conversation was determinedly light; it circled around the seal hunts, the weather, the reconstruction taking place around them. Hakoda mentioned there that he was now chief of the Southern Water Tribe—"What happened to Dumaq?" Sokka asked.
"He didn't survive the war," Bato said shortly, his eyes narrowing a bit. Iroh looked appropriately grave, while Zuko shifted uncomfortably, sensing the veiled hostility behind that gaze.
"He caught a fever in the Earth Kingdom," Hakoda explained more gently. "The tropical jungles didn't agree with him. Since he left no heirs, after our return the Tribal Council elected me the new chief, and chose Bato as my second."
"Dad, I'm so proud of you!" Katara exclaimed.
"Wow, congratulations," Sokka said. "Mom would be proud of you too, I know it."
"Thank you, Katara, Sokka," Hakoda said, smiling.
The conversation turned to whether the Four Nation games would be resumed now that the war was over. "I think I know who the Earth Kingdom would nominate as their champion," Sokka said. "Did you know Aang's earthbending teacher is the Blind Bandit?" That garnered exclamations of surprise all around, and led to tales from Katara and Sokka of some of Aang's more amusing exploits, most of which Zuko had not heard.
"So you're telling me," he asked once, so incredulous that he forgot his discomfort, "that all that time I thought Aang was trying to throw me off, he was just—"
"Wandering around lost," Katara said, nodding to the combined laughter of the entire group. "Either that or looking for animals to ride. Hey, that was the entire reason we went to Kyoshi Island in the first place."
"I thought it was to visit the Temple of Kyoshi," Zuko exclaimed, baffled. "That was the only reason I could come up with for why he would go there—"
"Nope," Sokka said, grinning. "Aang had to go there because he just had to ride the elephant koi. He didn't even know that Avatar Kyoshi had been from there until we were captured by the Kyoshi warriors."
"And then he tried to ride the unagi and almost drowned," Katara said in exasperation, rolling her eyes. "After I told him not to—That little escapade took about five years off my life, I'll tell you…." She trailed off.
"This actually explains a great deal about the Avatar," Pakku said, smiling wryly. "It's a good thing I didn't know this beforehand—I doubt I'd even have bothered to try training him."
Katara said nothing; she sighed and dropped her eyes to the thick furs underneath them. Sokka was looking pensive; Zuko swallowed, guessing what they were both thinking. And then I showed up and my men burned the entire village. Katara looked up at him and seemed to guess his thoughts; she offered him a loving smile that made him feel a little better.
With that, the informal tone seemed to vanish from the gathering. Hakoda put his teacup down and faced Zuko and Iroh. "So, Fire Lord Zuko," he said quietly. The use of his title fell between them like a steel wall. "You wish to wed my daughter."
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The statement hung there. Abruptly, Zuko became aware of the spacing of the people on the dais. The Water Tribe members were seated close to the wall, drawn up in a deliberate line almost like a council of judgement; Hakoda and Kanna were in the middle, with Bato to the left of Hakoda and Master Pakku to the right of Kanna. Sokka was at the end of the line next to Bato. Hakoda, he thought, looking down the line uneasily. Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and head of all its warriors as well as Katara's father; Bato, Hakoda's second in command; Kanna, Katara's grandmother, who from what she told me as Katara's oldest female relative must give her consent to any match of her bloodline; Master Pakku, the most powerful waterbender of both water tribes and Katara's own master; and Sokka, Katara's brother and the oldest male relative of her generation. Since Katara had been positioned to one side, facing off against this formidable array it was just him and Iroh. Me, the as-yet-unconfirmed Fire Lord of an enemy nation who up until a month ago was a banished exile, and Iroh, the former Dragon of the West who retired in disgrace after losing his nerve at Ba Sing Se. Great. Zuko's mouth was suddenly as dry as an Earth Kingdom desert.
"I do, sir," he managed to say. His voice did not noticeably tremble, and for that he was distantly grateful.
Hakoda folded his hands before him. That distant resignation was in his eyes. "You are not of the Water Tribe, yet you wish to take a Water Tribe wife. This in itself is a difficult thing, for our people have many customs surrounding marriage with which you are unacquainted and which you may not be in a position to readily fulfill."
"Dad—" Katara began.
"Katara—be silent." He also held up a hand interrupting Zuko as he started to speak. "Simply listen, both of you."
"Listen, Zuko," Iroh murmured. He was sitting forward, and Zuko could see that he was paying close attention.
"On its own, perhaps these difficulties could be overcome. The customs could be set aside…ignored, perhaps, or done without. However, in your case, this is not possible. For you are not just any man who is not of our nation….and Katara is not just any Water Tribe woman."
"How do you mean?" Zuko and Katara asked together, glancing at each other.
"You are the Fire Lord, boy," Kanna said now, irritably. "You are of an enemy nation that has caused our people untold misery and suffering—and not just any man of that nation, but you are its ruler. The war is over for now…but there are those among us, both South and North, that still bear much hatred for your people in their hearts, and will look for any excuse, however slight, to start it up again. What better excuse than that the arrogant leader of our enemy nation has offered us serious insult and disrespected our ancient traditions? It might not take much more than that to bring on an outpouring of wrath—and who among our leaders would be able to withstand such a raging flood?" She raised an eyebrow. "Especially if that insult was offered in the midst of negotiations for Katara."
"For me?" Katara spoke now, looking baffled. "You mean….because I'm the daughter of the chief?" She looked at her father. "But, Dad…." She trailed off, seeing something in her father's expression.
"Katara," Hakoda said quietly, "do you not know how you are spoken of among our people? You and Sokka both?"
"Sokka—" She turned to stare at her brother, who looked as baffled as she did; he held up his hands, shaking his head.
"The two of you have been away a long time, and just arrived back today," Bato said, looking first at Katara, then at Sokka. "So perhaps you have not had a chance to hear what is said of you. Yes, you are the daughter of a chief, Katara, but there is more. To our people, both South and North….the two of you are national heroes."
"Heroes!" Katara and Sokka exclaimed simultaneously; Sokka looked like he had been poleaxed, Zuko observed, while Katara seemed faintly queasy.
"Heroes," Hakoda said, nodding. "Katara the Mighty and Sokka the Brave are known across the length and breadth of the Southern and Northern Water Tribes for their famous deeds. Think of it: You are boon companions of the Avatar himself. Together the two of you managed to single-handedly reunite us not only with our Northern cousins, but with our lost kin in Foggy Swamp. With the Avatar, the two of you managed to overthrow Fire Lord Ozai and bring an end to the war, saving our people from what could well have been their destruction. Katara, the tales of your untrained duel with Master Pakku are widely known, as are the stories of your many battles, and it is said that you are the greatest waterbender of your generation—"
"I may have had something to do with that," Pakku murmured, smiling slightly.
"—while Sokka, our people say that you are a warrior so bold as to win the heart of the Moon Goddess herself."
The Moon Goddess? What…? Out of the corner of his eye Zuko could see Iroh nodding to himself. Sokka looked no less baffled than Zuko felt, but then said something Zuko didn't understand.
"Princess Yue? But that's not—"
Who's Princess Yue? He shot a glance at Katara, but she was pensive and didn't see.
"That is what they say, Sokka," Hakoda continued gently. "That you are Sokka, Beloved of the Moon, one of the ruling spirits of our tribe." He paused, looking at both of them. "People seek heroes, Katara, Sokka," he said quietly. "Especially when times are difficult or uncertain."
"The war may be over," Master Pakku said, jumping in, "but the road ahead is not an easy one. Despite what you may see around you, rebuilding will be long and difficult; reconciliation even more so. In times such as these, symbols are necessary. The wedding of Katara the Mighty to the Fire Lord could be one such symbol, and a very powerful one….but in order for it to be so," he continued, eyeing Zuko and Iroh closely, "our people must seem to come out of it as equals or even ahead, at least from our side. If it looks to our people as if the Fire Nation offered disrespect to our great hero…." He trailed off.
"I see," Katara murmured, crestfallen. "I didn't think of that."
Zuko drew a breath, thinking of Katara's blue eyes, her bright smile. "Tell me what I have to do," he said, setting his jaw, "and I'll do it. Sir. I'll do anything you say. I don't want to offer any disrespect to your people."
"It's not that simple," Hakoda replied, shaking his head.
"It would be better," Kanna put in, "if your father or mother were here. In the Southern Water Tribe, marriage negotiations are a matter for the family elders to decide."
"I will stand for young Zuko," Iroh said at once, reaching out to put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "I am his uncle and his teacher, and I am definitely his elder," he added with a small smile. "I also know something of your customs, as Master Pakku can tell you, though I may be a little rusty."
"Excellent. That may make it a little easier," Hakoda said, nodding. Again, Zuko thought: Thank Agni for Uncle Iroh.
"Then let us begin."