His sleep far from restful, Zuko woke in the morning feeling slightly seasick from his lack of sleep. Not quite spinning, his head rocked unevenly and he rubbed his face vigorously to get it to stop. Before many of the men had even left the room, a guard showed up for Zuko.
They were Fire Nation men, still wearing the metal masks but thankfully unarmed. Sokka was left behind and Zuko felt a panic as he remembered Yue's words.
He was taken to his mother's room where servants were tasked with getting them ready. Against Ursa's pale face, the circles under her eyes looked like the curve of ripe plums. For her own reasons, she too had a sleepless night.
Breakfast came in the form of sliced smoked meats and dried fruit; not ideal but required so much chewing that Zuko didn't have to ask Ursa any questions, nor did she of him. There was so much he needed to know, like what everyone meant when they talked about him staying in the North Pole. But with something so obvious, he knew it wouldn't look good on him.
After getting dressed, more guards came for them. This time, they were the palace guards and neither of the two men required shoulder pads to fill out their bulk. Trying to stand up tall, Zuko was painfully reminded of his adolescent body, once again being not quite enough.
"Yeah, well you're just a teenager." Aang's voice rippled from his own past, from his own timeline. Had they really been so young?
Looking over at his mother, Zuko wondered how he was supposed to overcome so many adults all at once. Especially since he wasn't as angry as he used to be and no longer felt like he could burn the world down in his fury.
Moving into the palace, the overall emotion was tense. What caught Zuko's attention wasn't the grumblings of the poor match between the bride and groom, but of the possibility of displeasing the spirits.
As they were escorted further along, Zuko knew where they were headed. Everyone seemed to be heading to the oasis, and the guards made sure to keep them separated from the Water Tribals as they moved along.
"Is the wedding going to be in the oasis?" Zuko asked.
"Of course." Ursa said with a laugh half caught in her throat.
When they made it to the oasis, torches made a glittering ring around the area. While it was morning, the moon was still heavy in the sky. It was lower than when Zuko had stood here just a few hours prior, so he knew some time had passed.
Yue was absent, though he wasn't sure why he expected her to be there. The oasis was empty and everyone moved to stand on the ice that ran as a ring around the moat.
People kept pouring into the oasis and Zuko was ushered with his mother over to a small pocket of red. Fire Nation guards flexing their hands at their approach but Ursa glided forward with a smile, moving to stand next to Iroh. Lu Ten and Zuri had their head close together, talking softly to one another. With a sigh, Zuko stood a few steps away from his mother, watching the pair at the pond.
They were some of the youngest in a sea of adults. In fact, as Zuko turned his head around, Katara was the youngest person in attendance. There were no children and not a single cry gave away an obscured infant.
It made him feel small and terribly young.
It didn't take long for the crowd to settle and they all took their seats. Kneeling quietly, Zuko only turned when he heard the rhythmic susurrus of something being shaken. Coming through the doorways, a line of shamans marched to the sound of shell rattles and hide drums. They wore masks with grotesque faces on the front and back of their heads. As they went over the bridges, they started to wail.
Standing on the grass, the shamans turned and raised their arms, shaking or banging their instruments louder. From both of the islands that led to the two bridges, one more person walked out.
Closest to Zuko was clearly Zhao. He wore his admiral's uniform but he had also donned a large mask. Tusks the size of a man's hand curved upward from a slavering jaw and darkened eyes looked haunted.
On the other island was a smaller figure, her hair pinned up with beads and painted bone. She too wore a large mask with a blood red frown that seemed to be dripping in its freshness.
The two walked over the bridges as the shamans continued in their noisemaking. When they met at the pond, most of the shamans quieted, though were not silent. Their chanting became less chaotic and Zuko could hear the ceremony performed.
It was quick, with short oaths sworn between the two. The call for children seemed to be more important than anything about marriage, as only two oaths were made to each spouse while five were about fertility.
Once the oaths were completed, Zhao turned and lifted Yue's mask. She then did the same and a loud cheer erupted from the crowd. Even Lu Ten, easily caught up in the energy, whooped, not understanding the importance.
Neither Zhao nor Yue so much as smiled.
Zhao took Yue's hand and led her over a bridge, coming down the one closest to the Fire Nation group. He glanced over and Iroh nodded, making Zhao clench his jaw and face resolutely forward. Yue didn't turn her head at all but Zuko still watched her as she walked away.
The rest of the day was for feasting.
The crowd had a frenzied energy, which made it easier for Zuko to break away but left him feeling vulnerable. Moving quickly, Zuko found the group of loud, single men and started looking for Sokka.
"Stop." Sokka demanded as Zuko felt a hand land heavy on his shoulder.
With a jump, Zuko turned around.
"You kept weaseling through the crowd every time I got close to you." Sokka added and Zuko shook his head.
"Sorry. There's a lot going on." Zuko said.
"Yeah, that ceremony was something." Sokka replied with a frown.
"Do you know what it was about?" Zuko asked.
"Apparently Avatar Kuruk's bride had her face taken by a spirit. So now, for every wedding, they wear false faces in case the spirit comes back." Sokka answered.
"That is terrifying."
"That's why we don't hunt in the dark season. You never know what lurks on the ice." Sokka paused and looked around. "Come on, let's go find Katara."
The wedding feast was not as segregated and they found Katara with relative ease. Finding a place to sit was a bit harder.
"We can go sit with your family." Katara said. "I'm sure they'll behave."
"I don't know if it's them we have to worry about." Zuko replied. Katara set her shoulders, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She questioned.
"Yue didn't want me to leave you both. I don't know what she has planned, but I can't imagine it going well for my family." He explained.
"Didn't you want to warn them?" Katara asked, dropping her anger and rushing straight into worry.
"I don't think she's going to kill them." Zuko said, then stopped to look over at the head table. Yue sat with her same stony resolve. "I hope."
As the feast went on and nothing happened, Zuko fluctuated between sweat inducing anxiety and relaxation. Iroh and Lu Ten brought up their tribute - or dowry, Zuko was not sure which - and Yue gave them a tight lipped smile.
Nothing came.
Zuko relaxed, leaned back, and smiled at his friends. They all turned to watch as Arnook stood and the crowd quieted.
"As we give thanks for the union between my daughter and Admiral Zhao, the Fire Nation also wishes to show their respect for our spirits. We will be taking our leave to return to the oasis." Arnook paused as Iroh, Lu Ten, and Zuri stood. He then turned and looked directly at Zuko.
"We will also require the presence of our lost brother and sister." Arnook added.
Zuko could neither swallow nor breathe. Katara and Sokka slowly stood up and Zuko could feel his blood rush through his ears. It crashed in his head like Yue's waterfall voice.
"I'd like to go." He blurted as he scrambled to his feet.
His mother frowned.
"I would like to also honor the spirits." Zuko went on hurriedly. Arnook looked mildly displeased but Yue touched his arm lightly.
"Let him join us." She said and Arnook nodded.
Iroh only stroked his beard, leaning back onto his heels for a second before they all started to walk out of the hall.
It would happen now, whatever it was.