Katara fixed her blue pearl earrings along the outer rim of her ear. Her fingertips passed over the smooth mineral slowly. Her eyes were closed and she focused on the feeling as she took a deep breath. Opening her eyes she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She wore a blue floor length gown that sparkled in the faint moonlight coming in from her balcony. Silver threads like winter spider silk with beads of ice droplets decorated her visage, falling from her earrings as delicate waterfalls, threading through her thick brown curls which were pinned to her head allowing her to feel the cool breeze on the back of her neck, and cascading down her dress, glittering softly. Her lips were a subtle pink and her blue kohl-framed eyes were adorned with a silver-blue powder. A small silver half moon rested lightly on her forehead where it hung from her hair piece. She was an ethereal vision of beauty, as if Yue herself had created her from the starlight. She looked sadly into her eyes, their ocean blue reminding her of the calm waters and snow tinged air she missed. She looked reflectively at the stark contrast of the shining gossamer thread against her dark skin. She shifted her attention back to the mirror, her own image calming her anxious soul and rose slowly before exiting the room.
Zuko finished talking to another diplomat and looked around at the party. The Fire Nation palace was holding a ball for all of the international ambassadors, to celebrate the continuing peace between the nations. His eyes swept across swathes of green fabric signalling the Earth Kingdom attendees among the red clad Fire Nation officials, their formal robes punctuated by bronze fans, jewellery and ceremonial hilts. Small patches of blue stood out among the sea of green and red, the thick robes of the Water Tribe Ambassadors lined with fur and ivory finishings. There were even a few points of yellow where the ambassadors for the beginnings of a new era of Air Nomads were standing. He smiled softly. This is the way it should be, the way it always should have been. The heavy doors at one end of the hall opened and a startling point of blue entered the room. Zuko's eyes were drawn to the figure who entered and his jaw dropped. Katara stood there, looking somewhat uncertain as he stared, unable to help himself. She was elegant and graceful, her dress clinging to her body in the perfect way, the silver embellishments as delicate as she was in that moment. Her presence gave him crystal-clear clarity, he could breathe freer near her and was drawn to the peace and stillness she seemed to emanate. A small smile graced her features as she looked at him through her dark lashes. He smiled widely before coming back to himself, walking towards her and offering his arm. She lightly rested her hand upon his forearm and he gently guided her into the room, not wanting to take his eyes off her for a moment. He leaned his head closer to her and whispered, "You look unbearably beautiful, my darling". She turned to look at him, his golden eyes holding a spark she knew she'd put there. They brought warmth to her cool demeanour and she gave him a genuine smile, blushing slightly.
The party guests watched as the couple made their way through the crowd. Fire and water; her dark skin, cool blue gown and delicate silver touches contrasting perfectly with his ivory complexion, deep red robes and bold golden embellishments. They separated after greeting a number of ambassadors together and began their own conversations with various officials. Zuko was laughing with a group of guests at a joke told by a jovial Earth Kingdom diplomat when he noticed Katara leaning on the outside balcony alone. His smile faded and he politely excused himself from the group before making his way to the glass doors on the far side of the hall. He slid the door open and closed it behind him, the loud noise of chatter diminishing as if the sound had been sucked into a vacuum. He made his way to the railing and leant against it on his elbows, looking out across the palace grounds.
Katara was staring down at the moonlit courtyard, deep in thought. Her eyes travelled up the landscape to rest on the horizon, before she moved to look up at the stars. She drew in a deep breath of cold air and blew out the stifled heat her chest had been holding hostage. She felt the rough fabric of Zuko's shirt brush her bare elbow but didn't look to the side. She sighed again, closing her eyes, focusing on the feel of the cold metal railing on her forearm, the sharp chill on the tip of her nose when she breathed inwards, and the breeze as it blew across her back. They revelled in the stillness and silence of the night, Zuko staring into the blackness of the sky. The stars scattered in the darkness reminded him of the lights of the Southern Water tribe reflected on the ink-black sea at night and he smiled sadly, breathing in deeply, almost surprised when the faint floral scent of the palace gardens met his nostrils rather than the crisp, icy smell he had grown to love. "You still miss it, don't you," he said. He heard her breathe in and out deeply next to him.
"Yes," came the reply. "I always will."
"I know," he said understandingly. She looked up at the half moon, feeling the pull of it in her blood, acutely aware of the water in the pool below, and the streams that ran under the veranda of the courtyard. She half consciously bent a tendril of water from the pond and snaked it around her arm, simple hand movements changing the shape and state of the liquid. "What's really wrong?" he asked, nose nudging her head affectionately as his arms moved to encircle her waist.
"I don't really know," she sighed.
She turned around in his embrace and placed her hands on either side of his face, looking into his eyes. Her fingers brushed his scar tissue as she looked at his left eye, then his right. She leaned up and pulled him into a long, slow kiss. She broke away and looked back at him, smiling. "I love you," she said emphatically, and he pulled her head closer to him. It was amazing how he always knew what to do; knew what to say and when to not say anything. His presence made her feel incredibly comfortable, she could entirely be herself whatever mood was taking her and it was ok. Her temperament was constantly changing, ebbing and flowing like the tide but Zuko loved every single one of her demeanours. To her, he was a constant flame she could rely on, like the bonfires back at the South Pole that were kept burning all year round as a source of warmth and life. The reminder of home made her cling to him tighter. She missed her home land sometimes more than she could bear but she would never want to give up what she had, not for the whole world. She got to spend her time working to fix nations and piece together the world, making the lives of countless people better. She was an emblem of peace, of unity and by being herself she was helping the Fire Nation make great strides in fitting into the new, integrated world they lived in and she had Zuko, who not only marked the best changes she saw in herself, but was the most understanding and wonderful partner she could ever wish to have. She smiled into his shirt and kissed him again.
"I'll be ok," she said, smiling softly up at him. He kissed her back and she took his hand and they returned to the ball.