The old wood of the dock groaned under Zuko's shifting weight. He was a nervous wreck and couldn't stop pacing incesintly. His uncle stood just a few paces behind him infuriatingly calm as always. The ships from the Southern Water Tribe were expected to arrive any moment now. It would be the first time he'd see Katara in months. He hoped it would go better than their last interaction. Zuko had replayed the moment he last saw her again and again and again in his mind on the long trip back to the Fire Nation.

He had known Katara was avoiding him since the engagement party. He had been relieved that she had come to see them off but the entire time she had an obviously forced neutral expression firmly in place. And then, well then the crowd had started chanting for them to kiss and it was hard to miss the look of disgust that crossed her face. He hadn't known what to do. He just stood there panicking internally. He didn't want to force anything on Katara, and she clearly did not want to kiss him, but Zuko knew if the crowd were disappointed they could turn hostile. He finally decided to kiss her hand. It was a bit old fashioned and formal but it seemed to be enough to quiet the crowd and it had caused Katara to blush prettily. She had quickly turned her face stoney again when he looked up to catch her eyes though. The way she had called him my lord in that tone of voice, it made Zuko's skin crawl everytime he thought of it. He had wanted to say something to her, but Uncle called him onto the ship. Four months, two weeks and two and half days had passed since then. The memory of her face and her voice that last day made him worry for when they would see each other again. Now that day was here and Zuko didn't know what to do..

He was so caught up in his pacing and over-thinking that he almost missed the Tribe's arrival. Only noticing when the rest of the Fire Nation's welcoming party fell silent as the first ship dropped its anchor. Thankfully he could only see people he didn't recognise so far. He hopped Chief Hakkoda and Katara hadn't seen his nervousness. He joined his uncle, took a deep breath and put what he hoped was a calm and welcoming smile on his face. Naturally they were on the last ship to dock and even he could tell that his smile had turned into more of a grimace. Hakkoda and Sokka disembarked first and Katara followed close behind. As they made their way off their boat and towards him the rest of the men and women of the tribe fell into a loose band behind them. It was a rather impressive and, if he were being honest, intimidating sight. Zuko took the time as they approached to steal glances at Katara between her family.

She was dressed differently to how he was used to seeing her. With the Fire Nation being in the height of spring it was considerably warmer than her home in the South Pole. When he had chased her around the world all those years ago no matter the climate she had still worn her simple blue dress that had clearly already been well worn. Now she was dressed in an ornately patterned hanfu. The fabric was such a pale blue that he had thought it was white until she was right in front of him. The silk was soft and draped delicately from her arms in long elaborate sleeves. Zuko was surprised to see her hair done up in a Fire Nation style all sleek and neat atop her head. It was beautiful but off putting to see her in such a way he missed her little loops. Clearly either herself, or maybe the other water tribe women, had gone to a lot of effort for her arrival. The smile on his face was genuine again.

Hakoda and Sokka's faces were stoney, the group stopped just short of himself and Uncle Iroh. Uncle didn't seem to notice the tension in the air beaming as he stepped forward and bowed low to greet them. "Chief Hakoda it is a great honour to welcome you and all you tribe to the Fire Nation." Hakkod did not smile in return but did make a cursory bow to the Fire Lord.

"It was a long journey. We are pleased to be here for such auspicious celebrations but I must be honest. It will be a great sadness to be leaving without one so precious to all of us in the Southern Water Tribe." Iroh's smile didn't falter but his eyes hardened just slightly. "You remember my daughter Katara of course." He and Sokka parted to reveal Katara had dropped to a deep bow on her knees folding her hands demurely in front of her, her forehead touching the ground. Not looking up she said

"It is an honour to be here Fire Lord, Prince Zuko." She didn't call him my lord again thank agni but Zuko could not stand to see her prostrate herself like a peasant. Without even thinking he stepped forward and offered his hand to help her to her feet. She looked surprised but took his hand with no protest. On the pretext of still helping her catch her balance Zuko remained close to Katara and breathed out so only she would hear

"Don't do that Katara. Please don't do that again." Katara took a sharp breath in and tilted her head to face to look him in the eyes, her mouth moving but no words coming out. It would be easy to lean down and press his lips to hers Zuko realised. Agni her lips looked soft. But that would be a very bad idea despite how tempting it was. So Zuko stepped back and said in a louder voice for all to hear "we are so pleased to have you all here. I am sure that you are tired after your travels. Allow us to show you to your accommodations." He held out his arm to Katara to escort her down the dock. She took it wordlessly to his surprise but had a strained look on her face and refused to meet his eyes. Overall he thought to himself this first meeting was going better than he had anticipated. He should have known better than to think such things.

Just at the end of the dock was a set of palanquins to take the tribes men and women to the house assigned to them for their stay in the capital. Katara was obviously uncomfortable with the idea of being carried but didn't make a fuss. Hakoda on the other hand.

"Don't be ridiculous I'm a grown man I can walk just fine."

"Please sir, it is normal in the Fire Nation. We meant no disrespect" one of the servants valiantly tried to explain to the indinent chief.

"Well that's fine for the Fire Nation but us Water tribe people are more than capable of the short walk up to the city" Hakoda's face was growing red but his voice was dangerously calm.

"Yeah" Sokka chimed in "we're warriors. Right dad" he said, attempting to spin his boomerang and fumbling it. Zuko rubbed his brow and tried to think of a way to end this standoff.

"Why doesn't my uncle, who has bad knees and cannot walk so far ride with Katara and the other Water Tribe women and I will walk with the rest of the men?" he suggested hoping that would be an acceptable compromise.

"Why Prince Zuko, what an excellent idea" Iroh quickly added before Sokka or his father could disagree. "It will give me a chance to get to know my new niece-in-law better."

"Yes" Hakoda also agreed with a deep frown turning to eye Zuko down directly, "we would also enjoy the chance to get to know you Prince Zuko." Was it a family thing the way both he and Katara managed to say his name like a curse word. This was going to be a long walk.

He was right. The men of the water tribe set a blistering pace and after the first serious incline Zuko was struggling to keep up. He had considered himself in shape but since his return from exile his fitness regime had fallen by the wayside. Coupled with the deeply personal questions Hakoda was throwing at him it was shaping up to be a deeply unpleasant afternoon.

"So, Prince Zuko. Was my daughter the first person you proposed to or was she merely the first to agree?" Zuko blanched at the idea that these men thought he had just worked his way around the three nations proposing to any woman he could. He felt uncomfortable at the idea that maybe what he and uncle had done was only a short step up from it though.

"No sir." Zuko took a deep breath and hoped he didn't sound as winded as he felt "Katara was my first choice and it is a great honour for myself and my country that she agreed." It was the truth. She was the only one he had seriously considered. He hoped this was good enough. Hakoda just hummed noncommittally.

"There were no Fire Nation women you deemed acceptable?" Hakoda didn't look at him but Zuko got the impression he saw every expression that crossed his face.

"There are many women who could take on the role" he replied cautiously.

"So there are many young Fire Nation noble women you've had previous dalliances with that will resent being passed over?" Hakoda's voice was smooth but Zuko could see his hands clenched in tight fists. Zuko was careful not to show too much on his face when he thought of Mai. He had not considered that she might feel passed over. He doubted it. Mai had never been the type to want more responsibility.

"No, there are no Fire Nation ladies who should have serious claim to Katara's position. I may have had previous relationships but they were all finished well before our trip to the South Pole. It was agreed that this would be an ideal time to show our commitment to harmony and peace. A marriage is an excellent way to do so as both a symbolic and a practical merging of two cultures."

"So my only daughter will be paraded around as merely a pretty figurehead?" Zuko sent up a prayer to agni, was he going to have to try and explain this to every member of the Water Tribe?

"No sir. I would not have asked Katara to leave her home and family to simply be a pretty statue for the Fire Nation to gape at. I had hoped that her presence here would help to improve the Fire Nation going forward. To encourage us all to embrace and understand all cultures and move on from the war."

"And you can assure me Prince Zuko that she will be accepted by your country. She will not face ridicule and exclusion for her heritage." Zuko paused to think about this. He had not seriously contemplated if Katara would personally face any backlash for her Water Tribe background. Hakoda and the rest of the small group halted as well and the chief turned to look at him directly. Zuko gulped and decided honesty was the best policy.

"Honestly sir, I can't guarantee that it will be smooth sailing or that Katara will be welcomed with open arms by everyone. There has been too much animosity drilled into our culture for too long. I can promise however that I will do my best to prevent this from being the case going forward." Hakkoda was frowning deeply and his hands twitched at his sides as if resisting reaching for his weapons.

"So you will personally ensure that my daughter will be safe in this country?" The chief's voice was low and full of an unspoken threat. Zuko's skin crawled and he had to fight the urge to drop into a fire bending stance.

"Chief Hokado. I swear that I will do everything within my power to keep your daughter from all harm and ensure her happiness."

"Well Prince Zuko, you better or there will be serious repercussions." The look on the chief of the Southern Water Tribe's face left no doubt in Zuko's mind he was deadly serious. The group resumed walking, thankfully there was not much further to go until they reached their destination. It was only when Zuko was safe in his own suite in the palace that he noticed the absence of Katara's brother.

To mark the arrival of Katara and her family there was a large celebration planned at the palace. It would be the first real interaction between the Water Tribe and the Fire Nation socially in over one hundred years and Zuko was stressed about it to say the least. If his talk with Chief Hakoda today was anything to go by the night would be long and tense.

As his manservant Yuto helped him dress Zuko imagined the many ways this evening could go wrong. The worst case scenario he supposed would be an all out brawl between the two groups. There was a no weapons rule as standard procedure for these types of events in the Fire Nation but he knew most nobles carried some kind of secret weapon on their persons anyway he assumed this would be the same for the Water Tribe. Not to mention the many benders who would be in attendance. Of course far more likely was that the Fire Nation nobility would be snobby, stuck up and rude to their foreign guests. Zuko could not picture the proud Water Tribe not responding in some way to the disrespect. Nor would he blame them really.

Yuto flitted around him doing the multitude of tiny buttons that closed the formal robes required for such an event. Zuko was always reluctant to wear these ones and Yuto had basically forced him into accepting them as his outfit for this evening. They were physically heavy, weighed down with real gold threads and small beads made of precious gems each hand sewn, but they were also a stark reminder of his unpleasant homecoming. Arriving with Azula and the news of the death of the Avatar Zuko had expected to be jubilant and at first he had been. The robes had been commissioned by his father for the official celebration to mark his return and that evening was the most time he had spent with dad since he became Fire Lord. Deep down however he knew something was wrong. Azula, while friendly at first, had quickly resumed her taunting and mind games and his father had returned to his usual cold and disapproving distance. Eventually Zuko had to confront the fact that he was sure that the avatar had survived but also that he wasn't sure that the Fire Nation were the ones in the right anymore. Mai was no help despite their new relationship pushing him to be the same person he had been before he was forced to leave. Coupled with the intense guilt from his betrayal of Uncle Zuko's mind and heart were heavy. Despite his father's arrest, the end of the war and his new outlook overall even now three years on, wearing these clothes took Zuko back to being that confused, angry and hurt teenager.

Trying to push the memories of that time down Zuko eyed himself critically in the large mirror as Yuto expertly manipulated his hair into the traditional top knot and positioned the golden crown, shaped like flames, firmly in place. He always felt a little ridiculous in such elaborate clothing and with his hair pulled back his scar was unmissable. He turned sharply away from his image in the mirror making Yuto jump at the movement and tried to control his breathing. He reached for an abandoned cup of tea now stone cold and let his inner fire bring it back to steaming hot. The taste was bland and leafy as usual but the heat and the feeling of doing something was calming. As Zuko sipped his drink he saw Yuto bow to his turned back and leave silently in the reflection. He would have to apologise to the man later he made a mental note. As the warmth from the tea seeped into him and he relaxed just a little he let his mind wander to Katara.

He wondered if she would change for this evening. If she had travelled for long in the hanfu she wore earlier then she would likely want to. He hoped she would be impressed with the hot running water in the house. It was a uniquely Fire Nation invention with the metal pipes heated from within the country's volcanos. He could imagine her delight at having hot water at her fingertips. He smiled to himself at the mental image of her in one of the big bathtubs filled with bubbles and flower petals and all those girly things. At first focused on her happy face without his conscious effort the image changed. The bubbles were gone and Katara was rising from the water. Zuko was mortified but couldn't look away. Facing away from him she was lit by only a handful of candles throwing her into mostly shadow. He could see the curve of her hips and waist and just the edge of one of her breasts. This imagined Katara turned her head and caught him staring and Zuko flushed for real at the idea of being caught. She just laughed and said "Prince Zuko"

"Prince Zuko … Prince Zuko?" after the third time he heard his name he realised he could actually hear somebody calling his name, and knocking on the door. He coughed and felt his cheeks. They were burning even to his own touch and it was uncomfortable to walk to the door of his chambers. Outside was a young serving girl, Hana maybe?

"Forgive me Prince Zuko" she said bowing low "Fire Lord Iroh sent me to fetch you. The guests are arriving and you are needed in the ballroom." Zuko nodded his head

"Thank you Hana" the girl beamed so he must have been correct "I will be there shortly please let my uncle know." Hana bowed and left quickly a large smile still in place. Zuko closed the door and rested his head on the cold wood. How could he face Katara after what he'd just been imagining? Resisting the urge to bang his head against the door he straightened his robes and headed for the ballroom.

The ballroom was impressive on an average day. With intricate wooden floors and tall marble pillars leading to large ornate windows with a view of the harbour it was an imposing sigtht Tonight it was magnificent. The servants had outdone themselves. Elegant tables were placed around the room each covered in mountains of food that looked gorgeous as well as smelled delicious and on every spare surface there were flowers. The smell was intoxicating even for Zuko who had been attending such events from a young age. He walked to his Uncle who was dressed in similar fashion to himself but who seemed much more comfortable in such splendor.

"Prince Zuko I am glad you made it in time. The first of the guests are arriving. It would have been disappointing if you were not here."

"Sorry Uncle, I uh, lost track of time" the way his uncle smiled mischievously at him made Zuko blush again but there was no way Uncle could know what he had been imagining. He hurriedly turned away to face the doors just as they opened to allow an influx of Fire Nation nobles. Each was dressed in resplendent fashion in shades of red and gold and soon they all blended together for Zuko. He let his mind wander and his body take over, bowing to each guest in turn and exchanging pleasantries. He only focused again when a distinct clump of blue entered the hall.

The Water Tribe would have been easy to spot even without the distinctive shades of blue of their attire. While to Zuko's eyes he could tell that the men's clothes were much finer than their everyday wear and likely made from lighter materials than usual he knew that to the rest of the Fire Nobility it was still very foreign and remarkably close to clothing worn in combat. Zuko was just grateful that there were no weapons on obvious display. The women had made an effort and were dressed in an approximation of Fire Nation clothing but with clear adjustments to make them less elaborate and more practical. He had to admit that it was refreshing to see the blue in a sea of red. He laughed to himself at the bad joke.

He couldn't spot Katara at first. He scanned the faces of the women as they entered but none were her. He grew slightly panicked that she might not come after all. Just as the band were preparing to begin the first dance he saw her. Arm in arm with Hakoda they entered the hall with all eyes on them. She was radiant. Dressed in a hanbok of pale gold with, from what Zuko could just make out, some kind of floral pattern in tiny red beading she glowed in the remnants of the setting sun. The assembly of people naturally parted to give them a straight path to where Zuko and Iroh were standing. Zuko dropped into a deep bow at her approach. As royalty and especially as the crown prince he rarely had to do so and he heard the gasps in the crowd at the action. Katara bowed deeply as well thankfully not dropping all the way to her knees as she had earlier. He could not have stood it if she had done so in front of the nobles.

"My lady" he echoed her formality from so long ago. Her cheeks reddened but a small smile played on her lips. Gosh she had nice lips. Despite her attire and the fancy hairdo Katara had forgone the heavy makeup favoured by women in the Fire Nation. It left her face open and Zuko had a hard time looking anywhere else. He did so only long enough to motion to the band to resume. "Would you like to dance?" he asked softly, giving her room to decline without embarrassment of the whole ballroom hearing. To his surprise she took his hand and led him to the centre of the dance floor. Standing together Zuko paid no attention to the handful of other couples who joined them. With the first note he pulled his fiancée close and they had their first dance.