Hello dear readers! I'm so sorry for the late update. My mother's health issues and other things made it a little difficult to focus on writing. But things seem to be getting better, so I was able to finish the chapter. I hope you like it!

Many thanks to PurseMonger for her awesome help as always!

AtLA does not belong to me, sadly.

Chapter Seven

In Which the Dragon Realizes Some Truths

A little over a month had passed since he had discovered Katara at the base of his mountain and a week since he had revealed his secret. Zuko felt better now that he had finally talked about his burden to Katara, especially because she seemed so sympathetic to his predicament. He had never had anyone care about him except for his mother and uncle. And he never cared about anyone but them. Now it seemed he cared about Katara as well. And he wasn't sure how he felt about that. After all, she would be leaving.

He shook his head, telling himself not to dwell on it. He let out a low growl when he remembered what Katara had told him that night. He was still shocked and angry at what Azula had subjected the Fire Nation to for so many years. He was even more appalled that she planned to declare war against the rest of the world. Was she insane? Yes, the Fire Nation was a powerful country thanks to its advanced technology and its powerful military. But it was impossible to win a war against three other nations. What was her strategy?

He frowned as he tried to figure out what her plan to accomplish such a feat could be. More magic? Had she found another mage? Could magic even accomplish such a victory? Or was it something else? Katara had mentioned that there were rumors Azula planned on burning the Earth Kingdom to the ground. How? As he thought it over, something nagged at the back of his mind. What could be so powerful as to destroy such a large continent?

He mentally calculated the time that had passed to see what year they were on now, trying to see if there was anything specific. His eyes widened. It couldn't be, could it?

Sozin's Comet.

If his calculations were correct, the comet would be arriving in the summer. The last time it had passed was centuries ago. It was said the energy from the burning comet would make all firebenders' bending ability more powerful. Was that Azula's plan? To use the charged firebending to conquer the world?

If only he could stop her, but he would be immediately killed upon arriving in the Fire Nation in his dragon form. Plus, what could he do in his current form? He growled angrily, once again cursing his fate and that horrible day that changed his life forever.

The sound of Katara's soft humming dispersed his dark thoughts and his eyes once again became riveted on her lovely form. The snowstorm had lessened a bit and they had taken advantage of the relatively mild weather to venture outside. He mentally chuckled when he remembered Katara's exuberance at leaving the dark cave and how deeply she breathed in the fresh air. She had enjoyed the moment before she began to search the area for any possible herbs that had survived the winter.

He, at first, had been hesitant with Katara venturing outside since she could get sick and he wouldn't be able to help her. He smirked when he recalled her huffing at him that she was no delicate flower and that she felt cooped up in the cave and needed some air and sunlight (as limited as it was with the clouds hiding it). He had mentally chuckled, easily relenting when she gave him a pleading look with her large, blue eyes. He had carried her down the mountain in his clawed hand soon after that.

He had to admit that there was a part of him that had been afraid she would leave as soon as she had a chance. But, she had surprised him when she remained at his side. After spending more time with her, he learned many things about her, such as how she would prank her older brother when they were children, and how much she used to love penguin sledding before her father made her stop so she could focus on her studies and lessons as a princess. He had finally learned that she was making her way to the Northern Water Tribe to visit her grandparents, with the hope to convince Pakku to teach her to use her waterbending for combat and not just for healing. He could not help but admire her for her determination to improve her skills. However, he had a feeling she had still not told him the real reason she had left her home.

Even though she was a princess, she did not act haughty or spoiled like the noblewomen he was used to back in the Fire Nation. Instead, she was kind and considerate. Although she did have a temper that she did not bother to hold back. She was stubborn as well, almost as much as him, and because of those traits they shared they would clash once in a while, usually over going outside and finding her friends.

He had to admit that he did not want her to leave him. He enjoyed her company—more than he ever had anyone else's—and he did not want to be alone again. Yet, he knew he would have to let her go one day. She was not his prisoner and he did not want her to stay against her will. He wanted her to be happy and he didn't know how she could be stuck here with only him for company, away from her friends and family.

"I found some herbs and a few berries," Katara's voice made him focus back on her. "We can head back now. The wind is picking up again."

"I will take you back," he said as he reached for her. It still amazed him how easily she stepped into his clawed hand, trustingly letting him wrap her within his large talons. "I will go hunt for some food before the storm hits again."

A few minutes later, while Zuko was out hunting, Katara washed the berries and herbs she found in the small pool. The glow from the crystals in the ceiling provided enough light for her to do the task. She remembered Aang telling her these kinds of berries were edible, so she planned to look for more.

Her thoughts once again returned to the events of the past few weeks she had spent with Zuko, and once again, she was saddened by what he had revealed. It must be horrible finding your life changed so drastically and she could not imagine the pain and suffering Zuko had gone through being held captive for months, being constantly attacked, and living alone for years. But it must have been worse knowing it was your own sister who caused all those misfortunes. And that same sister killed your mother and father just for her greed to rise in power. It was terrible.

She was surprised that her need to find Sokka and her friends was becoming less urgent and the need to find a way to help Zuko break his curse became more crucial. She did not want to leave him because then he would be alone again because it seemed she was the only one who could hear him.

But, how could she help him break his curse?

Besides, she had come to enjoy spending time with him. After much persuasion, she was able to make him open up to her. She found that he was naturally a quiet and reserved person. And though it was sometimes annoying, she found she was beginning to appreciate his taciturn character and their companionable silence the more time passed. He challenged her mind and constantly asked about the world and the changes it had gone through since his curse. He was surprised and amazed at the things that have progressed, but she could sense it sometimes upset him to know he had missed so many things over the years.

She still found it incredible that he had survived for forty years, both as a dragon and alone. Which made her wonder—would he be an old man if his curse was broken? That would be sad since then he would not have much time left to enjoy his life as a human again. She shook her head from such sad thoughts. She could only imagine what he felt at such a possibility.

She had also learned that Zuko was terrible at telling jokes, which amused her greatly when he became indignant when she didn't find them funny. He was really great at telling scary stories though, that made her skin prickle and her hair stand on end with fear.

Although his childhood was unlike that of other children since he was always training and studying to become the next Fire Lord, he did have some fond memories about his mother and of them sitting at the turtle-duck pond in their garden, going so far as to recount the time he was bitten by an angry turtle-duck mother. She had laughed hard at the pout she could make out from his tone. He also talked about his training with his uncle and about the sage advice the man used to give him. It was not difficult to sense how much he missed them. And it was sad to know the only people he had cared for were gone. She felt they understood each other, having both lived through their mothers' deaths. That connection made her want to help him more.

Zuko was different from the men who had wanted to court her. They had been shallow and fake, vying only for her title, wanting her only for her looks. They did not bother to listen to her or know her as a person the way Zuko did. Most of them were very vain and arrogant, while others had been boring or uninteresting. Some even became cruel and hateful when she rejected them, which she was glad to find out before she made the mistake of marrying one of them.

And then there were some who were too forward and wouldn't take no for an answer. Those she gladly slapped or water whipped before they were chased away by Sokka or her father. And then there was…She frowned and quickly shook her head. If it wasn't because she knew it was her duty to marry well to bring honor to her family, she would have decided to have no more suitors.

Zuko treated her with respect and she could not help but appreciate him for that. Why couldn't any of her other suitors be like him? She again—as she had for weeks now—started to wonder what Zuko had looked like when he was a human. If she remembered correctly from her history lessons it was said he had been considered a handsome man. She could not help being curious. She shook her head of such thoughts since it didn't really matter.

Sounds coming from the bigger chamber alerted her to Zuko returning from his hunt. She quickly gathered her things and walked back. She could see that snow was melting from his back, which meant another snowstorm had appeared.

Zuko dropped the piece of caribou-elk he had caught and looked at Katara when she walked in. She gave him a small smile and he nodded since he couldn't return her smile. He lay down on his grassy bedding while Katara began to clean and cook her meal. They were silent for a moment as the sound of the meat cooking and the firewood popping echoed in the large cave.

"How did you learn to cook? It's not something princesses usually learn," he spoke up curiously.

"Sometimes my mother used to cook in the kitchen and it fascinated me when I watched her as a child. She was just teaching me the basics when…she passed away," she paused for a moment, a catch to her tone, before she continued, "I later begged Father to allow me to learn and our cook was more than happy to teach me. And I'm glad for it since it has come in handy."

She laughed quietly before she looked up to grin at him.

"Did you ever want to learn?" she asked teasingly.

"No," he replied amusedly, "All I wanted was to excel in firebending and martial arts. I never gave it a thought since we had excellent cooks to make our meals."

The waterbender rolled her eyes.

"You're a prince, alright. A spoiled one," she said with a laugh.

He growled and snapped his fangs at her, which only caused her to laugh more loudly and made him chuckle.

Katara could hear his rumbling laughter from his chest as well as in her mind.

"Being a dragon doesn't seem so bad," she added after a moment. "You can breathe fire and fly! And you're practically invincible!"

Zuko shook his head and glanced briefly into the blazing fire.

"Being a dragon has its perks, but it's horrible. I can't do the things I could before and I can't communicate with people, besides you. And the worst part is that everybody fears me, so I'm always alone and hated."

Katara's amusement quickly vanished at his words. She berated herself for making light of his situation. She stood up from where she was sitting next to the fire and approached him. She watched as he looked at her curiously, but she did not say anything and instead sat down next to his head. Slowly, she reached forward and touched his face.

"I don't fear or hate you," she said firmly before she more softly added, "And you don't have to be alone anymore."

Zuko's eyes widened at her words. His heart started to pound at the hope that she would stay. With him. He could feel that pull, like a magnet, toward her becoming stronger, more demanding. He stared into her blue eyes, unable to look away, and wanted to get closer. But he quickly shook himself from the sudden spell and glanced away.

No. He should not get his hopes up.

It was impossible a woman like her would love someone like him. He needed to stop being a fool.

"We should rest," he said instead.

Katara frowned and moved her hand away, curling it on her lap. Did she upset him? She had only wanted to make him feel better. Feeling confused—and admittedly, upset—she stood up slowly. Just as she walked back to her bedroll, she heard him in her head again.

"Thank you, Katara."

She smiled.

"You're welcome."

When the waterbender was safety nestled in her sleeping bag and sleeping soundly later that night, Zuko allowed himself to think back on her words. He wondered once again what that strange pull toward her meant. It felt as if a string attached him to her and it kept getting shorter, pulling even tighter.

What did it mean? He had a vague recollection of his uncle explaining about something like this, but he could not really recall since at the time he had been too caught in his tragic situation to listen to him. It did not matter. She would leave and he would probably never see her again.

He would enjoy the time he had with the lovely waterbender as much as possible before he was once again left to live his life in solitude.

He just hoped he could survive the loneliness this time.

The following day, the weather was holding up, even the sun could be seen through some gaps in the clouds, although it was not strong enough to chase away the cold. The dragon and the princess were outside, enjoying the mild weather. However, the climate change reminded them that winter would pass and they would have to part ways soon.

As Katara gathered more berries and herbs, Zuko watched from a distance, although his mind was focused on other things. Once it was safe for her to travel, Katara would want to leave a freak like him and find her brother and friends, and eventually return to her home. And there would be nothing he could do to stop her. What would he do then? She would live her life, find a man to settle with and start a family, while he wasted his days in a cave. A low growl left his throat at the thought of her being happy with some other man. He focused back on her to see that she was walking further away from him through a cluster of tall bushes.

"Be careful," he warned her.

"I'll be fine," he heard her grumble in his mind before she laughed, "Don't worry your pretty, dragon head."

He let out a loud snort and mentally smiled when he heard her quiet giggles as she disappeared through the bushes, collecting berries as she went and placing them inside her pack. His amusement disappeared as he once again worried about the fact that she would leave and he won't ever see or hear her again.

He snapped his head up when he heard a loud cracking sound from the direction Katara had gone before he heard her shocked cry and then a splash.

"Katara!" he shouted as he jumped to his feet and raced forward.

Snow and branches flew in every direction as he crashed through the cluster of shrubberies and trees. He paused when he saw that Katara had wandered to the edge of the lake which had been covered in snow, and had fallen through a weak spot. There was a hole in the surface and pieces of ice floated slowly in the water.

Why had she not resurfaced? Panicking, he was about to dive in when he finally saw her pull herself onto the slippery surface of the ice with her waterbending.

Katara gasped for breath as she weakly struggled to keep herself from losing consciousness. She had struck her head on the edge of the ice when she fell and had become a bit disoriented. She could feel a thin line of warm blood trickling down her temple. It had taken her a moment to force herself to waterbend since the pain and freezing cold had made her limbs numb. She opened her eyes when she felt herself being gently picked up and she looked up to smile weakly at Zuko.

He placed her carefully on the snow, away from the lake's edge, and looked worriedly down at her, seeing the blood seeping from a small cut. He once again ignored the pull at the scent of her blood as he watched her use a bit of water to heal her wound.

"Are you all right?" he asked anxiously.

"I-I'm fine. Just a bit s-shaken up…and c-cold," she replied with a shiver.

She used her waterbending to extract the moisture from her clothes and hair. She felt foolish. She should have paid more attention to where she was going, but she had been distracted with searching for more herbs and berries to stock up on before another storm hit, while wondering how her father and friends were doing. Another shudder racked her body. Her skin felt very cold and her limbs were still numb.

Zuko felt his concern deepened when Katara began to shiver uncontrollably. Wanting to get her warm as soon as possible, he did not say anything else as he picked her up with his talon and took flight. He barely heard her gasp at the sudden movement and the sharp wind his wings created.

Once in the cave, he immediately rushed toward the small room with the pool, intent on preparing a hot bath for her.

"N-no," she stuttered, "I can barely m-move."

Zuko moved quickly back to the main cave and set her down on her bedroll while he grabbed pieces of wood from the pile he had collected before. He arranged them and then lit them on fire to create a strongly, blazing campfire.

Katara sighed softly and shuddered as the warmth touched her cold skin. She just needed a few more minutes for her body to adjust to the change of temperature until she was back to normal, she was sure.

"Take off your clothes."

The waterbender slowly looked up to gape at the looming dragon.

"Um, what?"

Zuko almost smirked at her shocked expression.

"You need to disrobe and put on some dry clothes," he explained.

"Oh," she uttered, feeling her cheeks warm at her misinterpretation of his words. She must have hit her head harder than she thought. "I left my pack outside. Sokka's extra clothes are in there."

"I'll look for it later," he replied, "But for now you need to warm up quicker."

He snatched the blanket she had folded next to her hours before with his teeth and draped it over her.

"You still need to disrobe. Your clothes must be cold and stiff. Wrap yourself in the blanket and move closer to the fire," he ordered.

Katara wanted to snap at him that she already knew that—the sharp cold and the ache in her head were making her cranky—but instead she muttered for him to look away. Once he did, she shakily took off her clothes and threw them to the side, making note that she needed to wash them later. It was a bit more difficult to remove her boots with her stiff fingers, but she finally managed. Once finished, she wrapped the blanket tightly around herself and scooted closer to the warmth of the fire. She tried to ignore the blush that threatened to surface at the fact that she was naked beneath the blanket.

Once he was sure she was done and covered, Zuko turned back, observing that she was still shivering even though she was sitting close to the fire. Not wanting her to get sick, he lay down next to her and carefully nudged her into the crook between his arm and chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Keeping you warm," he replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh, right."

Zuko watched as a red blush settled on her cheeks and she seemed to clutch the blanket like a shield around her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied quickly.

"That's a lie," he huffed.

"It's nothing," she said stubbornly.

"I don't believe you."

Katara spluttered for a moment before she huffed at him, although her blush seemed to deepen.

"I, uh, I never…" she trailed off before she mentally continued, "I've never been almost…naked with a man—er, male close by before…"

Zuko stared incredulously down at her. Did that mean she was…?

"You've never…been with a man?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Why do you say it like that?" she snapped at him. "What kind of woman do you think I am?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any insult," he quickly apologized when she glared at him.

"Why do you seem so surprised then?" she grumbled. "Do I look like a whore or what?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed before he carefully added, "It's just a bit surprising since you're a beautiful woman and many men must have been eager to…uh, jump into your bed."

I know I would, he thought to himself before he berated himself for thinking that. He scowled at the feeling of jealousy that beset him at the thought of other men being able to touch her.

"Oh, okay," Katara muttered, trying to ignore how pleased she felt that he thought she was beautiful. She wrapped the blanket closer around herself and shrugged. "Many have proposed such things, but I refuse to be sleep around with random men."

She paused and then in a quieter tone, she continued, "I…want my first time to be special and with the man I love."

Ah, so she was a virgin, he mused. He could not understand the euphoria he felt at that fact, so he ignored it for now. He did not reply for a moment and thought if only he could be that man she could love. He would gladly show her the ways of carnal pleasure—at least from what he knew from the few sexual encounters he had before he was cursed. The rest they could learn by experimentation and many, many tries. He quickly shook his head for fantasizing such things when he knew it was impossible.

Katara's laugh—a little self-conscious and awkward—snapped him from his thoughts.

"I must sound stupid," she said with another shrug.

"Your views are not stupid," he replied firmly, "Everybody thinks differently."

"Thanks," she muttered before she quickly added, "But I've kissed a couple of men before. Although, they always ended up being jerks," she grumbled.

She did not want to seem that naïve or inexperienced.

Zuko again felt that flare of jealousy, but could not blame her curiosity since he had done much more.

"When you were a man did you…?" Katara began to ask before she trailed off meaningfully.

The cursed prince shifted uncomfortably at her question.

"Why do you ask?" he asked evasively.

"I'm curious," she replied before she exclaimed, "Besides, you basically made me confess I'm a virgin!"

Zuko mentally chuckled when her eyes widened at her outburst before she tried to cover her mortification with a hard glare. He shifted uneasily once again. He was normally a private man and he did not like to talk about such private things. But admittedly, he did not want Katara to think he was some kind of womanizer or something like that.

"As a prince, I had the…privilege to…know women," he worded carefully.

Katara felt a pang in her chest at his admission, but she stubbornly ignored it. But he was her friend. She had begun to care a lot about him in the short time they were together. And she was always protective of her friends. That must be it. It wasn't like she liked him or anything. They barely knew each other! She didn't even know how he looked as a human. But then why did it bother her?

"Were there…many?" she asked tentatively. She did not know why it even mattered or why she wanted to know.

"No," he replied truthfully. "Only a few and only when…the need was too great. I was too busy to think much about it. Besides, I never made use of the brothel once I got…engaged."

Katara's eyes widened. He had been engaged? She didn't remember reading about that in her lessons. A strange, tight feeling settled on her chest and she frowned. Wait. Was she jealous? No, that couldn't be it. That would be ridiculous!

"Oh, uh, your…intimate moments with her must have been special then," she said, for lack of anything else to say.

A snort escaped the large dragon.

"I never touched her," he replied.

"Why not?" she asked curiously. Wasn't it normal for an engaged couple to become intimate? At least, that's what she had heard some of the tribe's young women from the nobility giggle about when they thought she wasn't listening.

"To be honest I was not attracted to her," he explained bluntly. "I was also afraid that if we were intimate, we would've been married quicker than I'd wished."

Katara frowned as she wondered why he wouldn't want to marry the woman he had chosen as his wife as soon as possible.

"After it was declared that I had disappeared, my uncle told me that Mai had married a young nobleman named Ruon-Jian."

"That's horrible!" Katara gasped. She slipped one hand from within the blanket to gently pat his arm in sympathy.

Zuko looked down at her quizzically, but found comfort in her touch, nonetheless.

"Did you love her very much?" she asked softly. She knew she would be devastated if she found out the man she loved married someone else.

"Love?" he said slowly before he shook his head. "I…cared for her as a person, but love…? No. I did not love her."

"But you were going to marry her?" she asked with a frown.

"Love had nothing to do with it," he replied. His words reminded him that he had said that same thing to his uncle all those years ago. "It was a political marriage meant to unite two powerful families."

The princess' frown deepened as she thought over his words. Even Zuko thought that way. Was she perhaps too naïve and childish to hope for a marriage based on love, trust, and respect just like her parents' marriage? Should she just accept the man her father chose for her as her husband?

"You're upset," he stated worriedly as he scented her distress.

"It's not your fault," she told him. "You just made me question my own ideals and plans. And if I should maybe stop running away and accept my responsibilities."

"What do you mean?"

Zuko watched as she inhaled and then exhaled deeply, tightening the blanket around her, a small frown marring her brow.

"Many suitors have approached me for my hand in marriage ever since I turned sixteen," she began. "It's tradition for the Water Tribe princesses and noblewomen to be married by then, but luckily, my father was in no hurry to marry me off. Yet, I still had to deal with suitors as is tradition. My father and brother forced away the ones I didn't like, which were almost all of them. So I began to think that I would be safe to choose my own husband when I was ready. But it all changed a few months ago."

She paused and Zuko saw her bite her lip uncertainly before she stopped and narrowed her eyes.

"When word reached us that Fire Lord Azula was planning to wage war, everything changed," she hissed.

The cursed prince wondered once again what secrets she was keeping. What was the truth about why she had left her home? Would she finally tell him?

"Because of the threat of war, Father thought it was imperative for me to marry as soon as possible in order to keep me safe," she continued softly before her tone hardened. "Then one day the Earth King's son came to visit and wanted me as his bride."

"Is he ugly or old?" Zuko asked curiously, wondering at the dislike in her tone.

"No, quite the opposite, he is young, handsome, and charming," she replied with a sigh.

Jealousy once again assaulted Zuko before he crushed the unwanted feeling.

"But you didn't want to marry him," he stated after a moment of silence. "Why?"

"Honestly, I was thinking about it at first," she admitted before she muttered, "I even began to like him, thinking that one day he could be a man I could learn to love. But that only lasted a few weeks. I soon found out he was arrogant, rude, and sometimes even mean."

She paused and Zuko could sense her anger growing.

"I also found out that he was…using the female servants to…service him," she growled, "But when I confronted him about it, he denied it and said they were lying, stating that he only had eyes for me." She rolled her eyes.

"But when he saw that I was not falling for his charms anymore, he…" she trailed off.

Zuko could see her hands clenching the blanket tightly. He felt his stomach drop at what the man could have done to her.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked, barely able to stop the growl forming in his throat from manifesting.

"Not physically," she answered quietly before her ire once again resurfaced, "He began to corner me whenever I was alone and said lewd things. Horrid things describing what he would do to me once we married. He went so far as trying to kiss and touch me…intimately one day."

He had cornered her in an empty room and pushed her against the wall before she knew what he had planned. Then he had tried to kiss her while at the same time he tried to strip her of her clothes. She had been too shocked at what was happening to react quickly, but when his hand slipped beneath her dress, she had become angry and lashed out.

"A punch to the face and a knee to his groin made him rethink his moves," she said darkly. She had cursed at him while he grabbed himself in pain before she angrily stormed from the room.

At her words, Zuko was unable to stop his growl as his anger increased at this unknown man's actions. He sounded like the type that had no honor, no man at all.

"He began to pressure my father for my hand," she continued. "I tried to tell my father what he was saying to me and what he was doing, but he has such a way to him that makes people believe everything he says. He denied my claims about what he tried to do and said that I was just saying such things because I didn't want to marry and because of my maidenly fears," she scoffed angrily.

"He stated the urgency for my safety and proclaimed his undying devotion to me, which began to sway Father," she hissed furiously. "He assured Father I would be safe behind the walls of Ba Sing Se and that I would always be happy.

"When I realized that Father was beginning to prepare for a compromise on my marriage with the prince and that he wouldn't believe me, I decided to leave. I asked Sokka and my friends to help me." Her eyes narrowed. "I refuse to marry such a cruel, dishonorable man. I believe my grandparents would give me shelter and help me convince Father that he's making a mistake. I hope I can persuade him to give me the choice to choose my own husband, a man I love. Or at least one I respect."

She shook her head.

"But perhaps I'm being silly. Perhaps it's best I return home and do what is expected of me," she murmured with a frown.

"Most of the time that would be the best choice, but sometimes you have to choose what makes you happy," Zuko spoke up, remembering such words his uncle had once told him. "Although I find the idea of love difficult to believe, I admire you for fighting for your beliefs."

"Why do you find it difficult to believe?" she asked curiously.

"I sometimes wonder if love really exists," he replied honestly. "I've seen many hurt the one they claim to love. My own parents married for political reasons, as well as my sister, and they were miserable. The same thing would have happened to me if I had married Mai. She did not mourn me for long before she married someone else, despite claiming she loved me."

"Does that make you sad?" she asked softly.

Zuko snorted.

"No, but it did annoy me to be replaced so easily," he rumbled.

Katara giggled as he huffed haughtily.

Zuko inwardly smiled before he became serious once again.

"Knowing how this man is, it would be foolish of you to accept him as your husband," he told her.

"You're right," she agreed with a smile. "Thanks. Now I don't feel so horribly guilty for leaving home like that. I just hope Father can forgive me and understand why I had to."

"I'm sure he will," Zuko assured her. He did not like the thought of her being sad so he wanted to make her feel better. "He sounds like he only wants your safety and happiness, so he would at least wonder why you would go to such lengths so as not to marry this man."

"I hope so," Katara murmured as she idly played with the hem of the blanket with her fingers. "You know," she began as she glanced up to smile at him, "I've never talked to anyone about such things before. Thank you…for listening."

"I should thank you for the same courtesy," he responded as he stared down at her, "Except for my mother and uncle, no one has ever listened to me this way before when I was human."

The waterbender could not look away from his golden, reptilian eyes that seemed to glow from the light of the campfire. His quiet confession only made her want to help him out more, to be his friend.

"I like to hear you talk about yourself," she admitted with a smile, "You're interesting."

Zuko felt warmth in his chest at her soft words and the sincere smile she gave him, once again feeling that magnetic pull toward her. What should he say? What should he do? He hated feeling so unsure of himself, but he did not know what to do with such strange feelings since he had never experienced them before. Instead, he carefully brought her closer to him.

"You should rest," he said. "Are you still cold?"

"No, I stopped being cold a while ago," she responded with a soft yawn. Now that he mentioned rest, she did feel a little tired.

She wrapped herself comfortably in the blanket and snuggled closer to his warm body. The hard scales had discomfited her the first few times he had grabbed her, but she found the warm touch to be comforting.

"Goodnight," she yawned before she softly murmured, "Thank you for helping me today."

"Goodnight," Zuko responded as he looked down to see her yawn again before he added steadfastly, "You're welcome. I won't let anything harm you if I can help it."

"The same thing goes for me," she responded sleepily, but looked up to smile at him so he could see she was sincere.

She was once again mesmerized by his glowing, amber eyes. She drowsily thought about probably going to check to see if her clothes were completely dry—which she was sure they were—but she was feeling sleepy and did not feel like moving from the comfortable place she had made close to Zuko's arm and chest. Perhaps it was because she trusted Zuko that she did not feel alarmed that she was nude beneath the blanket. Would she feel the same way if he was human?

Suddenly, his reptilian pupils transform into human ones, though still glowing and intense, as she imagined a human Zuko leaning down toward her. He reached for the blanket and tugged on it slowly so it slipped from her hands, while his face moved closer to hers. She could just feel his warm breath on her lips, feel her breasts ache at the thought of his hands on her, feeling a warmth grow in her lower stomach. What would it feel like to be touched so intimately?

She blinked and human Zuko was gone and dragon Zuko was looking curiously down at her. Her eyes widened in mortification. Did she just have a fantasy about Zuko? While he was just inches away from her?! La, her imagination and her body's reactions seemed to be more intense than usual. What was wrong with her?

"Are you okay?" Zuko asked when he heard Katara's heart pick up speed and she gaped up at him.

Her scent had changed into something spicy yet sweet, a scent that seemed to make his mouth water, which only confused him because he could not identify it and did not know why it made him react in such a way.

"I'm fine!" Katara squeaked before she cleared her throat and repeated more calmly, "I'm fine. It's nothing. We should go to sleep."

"Alright," Zuko replied distractedly as that spicy scent pleasantly tickled his nose. It was all he could do not to shove his face onto Katara's body so he could take big whiffs. He was sure he would alarm and upset her if he did such a strange thing.

It was a long moment later when sleep finally claimed the blue-eyed princess, too tired to keep feeling embarrassed.

The red dragon alternated between watching the fire and the sleeping waterbender. The only reason he took his eyes off of her was because he felt guilty for staring at her while she slept. His ears perked when he heard her murmur something before she rolled over onto her back. He looked down to see the blanket had slipped a little with her movements. His eyes widened at the small glimpse of the top of one tempting breast. He felt that almost dead lust resurface, stronger than before, but he forced himself to look away and calm himself down.

He had told her that he would do anything to keep her safe and he would do so even if it was from himself. He cared for her and he wanted her to be happy, to be safe.

He should stop lying to himself. It was becoming too obvious that he felt more than just simple affection for her.

He…was beginning to fall for her.

He closed his eyes and clenched his fangs.

It was going to hurt when she left.

The Chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe stared worriedly out into the ocean. The setting sun made the water sparkle and the sky turn to fire, but he did not pay any attention to the stunning visual nature was providing. He was worried for his children, constantly wondering where they were and if they were all right.

He had been angry at first when he discovered Katara's letter stating that she was leaving because she did not like his choice for her future husband. He did not understand why she refused to marry the Ba Sing Se prince? He was handsome and he was such a nice young man. He could only agree that Katara was just refusing to marry and was using any excuse. But it was her duty! As a Water Tribe princess she had to bring honor to their family and country by marrying well. And not only that, he just wanted her to be safe and protected if Fire Lord Azula's threat of war came to pass.

But she had disobeyed his order about not leaving the protection of the city. She had left her home. And it only made him even angrier to know his son had gone along with her plan instead of coming to him with the issue. They knew how dangerous the world was. What if some pirates had captured them or killed them like they did to his precious Kya?

He felt his throat constrict at the memory of holding her bleeding, unresponsive body in his arms. Even after all these years he could not forget that horrible day nor could he forget her. She had been his everything and in just one brief moment she had been taken from him. He could not let the same thing happen with his children. They were all he had left.

He had thought that they had perhaps gone to his father-in-law for shelter in the Northern Water Tribe, so he had sent a letter to ask Pakku to immediately send his wayward children home. But to his growing worry, Pakku had responded that his grandchildren had not arrived in the Northern Water Tribe. Where could they be?

"Hakoda," the sound of his name made him look behind him.

He watched as Bato made his way toward him. Bato and he had been friends since they were children and had gone through many things together. His friend had even suffered severe scars on one arm for saving his life when one of their ships had caught on fire and they had been trapped, which Hakoda would always be grateful for. Which was one reason why Bato was the only one who called him by name and not his title.

"A message from Ba Sing Se has arrived," Bato told him as he handed him the bound scroll.

The chief took it and quickly broke the seal, unfurling it impatiently. The short missive was from the prince stating that he was also searching for the Southern Water Tribe princess and hoped to find her soon so they could marry. Hakoda hummed as he finished reading. It was obvious by the young man's writing that he really cared for Katara.

He would appreciate the prince's help in locating her. Maybe he would even find her quicker than Hakoda would with the help of the Dai Li. Perhaps by spending time together Katara would come to love the prince.

"I can't understand why Katara is so against marrying the prince," he said as he looked up to frown at his friend. "He's so nice and proper, not to mention good-looking. And he's so infatuated with Katara. He would protect her and make a good husband for her."

"Perhaps," Bato spoke up calmly as he watched his friend and chieftain frown at the sea, "But that might not be what Princess Katara is looking for in a husband."

"She needs a husband that could keep her safe and protected if it's true Azula means to wage war against the world," Hakoda grumbled.

"Yes, but would she be happy with a man she does not love or want?" Bato replied softly.

Hakoda frowned as he thought over what his friend had said. His frown deepened as he remembered his daughter saying the prince had tried to impose himself on her. He just could not imagine such an honorable young man capable of such a thing, especially since it was so obvious he loved Katara, but he also knew his daughter was not a liar. He realized that he had dismissed the possibility since his whole focus was on making sure Katara would not be harmed if the Southern Water Tribe was attacked. Ba Sing Se had the strongest defenses of any place in the world.

But Bato was right. What would be the point if Katara was safe, but she was miserably married? To a man who could hurt her? And it would be all his fault for ignoring her concerns. No, he wanted her to be happy. He wanted his children to have the same kind of happy marriage Kya and he had.

Perhaps he should hear Katara out and take her concerns seriously instead of thinking about them as the distresses of an unexperienced young woman. Katara was no longer a little girl and she knew her mind. He should have listened to her. He frowned. Perhaps they could talk over her dislike of the prince and he could investigate more about her accusations toward the man. Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding and he could convince her to at least give him a chance. But if what she said were true, he would punish the prince, even if it meant war with Ba Sing Se.

He would just have to hope a better man appeared for his daughter to keep her safe, to make her happy. Because that was all he wanted for his children. Their happiness.

A/N: Uh oh.

Thank you for reading! Please don't forget to leave me a review :)

~alwaysZutarian