Chapter 19

Katara

Katara groaned in her sleep as light from her window fell into the room and onto her face, bathing the space in warmth. The day had begun, the sun had just risen over the waters in the harbor of the Fire Nation Capital, painting the sky a brilliant purple. There was hardly a cloud in the sky; the night had been clear and peaceful. She had been dreaming again, this one more vivid than the last. She didn't know why she was dreaming so much, but she wished it would stop. The ones that she had been having as of late were strange as can be.

Zuko was in them, he'd practically invaded all her dreams since she had healed Iroh the first time, and any time that she slept since then, caused her to wake up with her heart pounding and chest heaving. They weren't bad dreams, far from it in fact, but they were still unsettling, getting to her more and more.

Katara sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Turning, she threw the covers off and stretched, raising her arms up to the ceiling, letting out a big yawn. She might be tired, but she was looking forward to today. She would do a favor for Longshot and heal a sick person, both admirable goals, in her opinion.

Standing, she padded over to the dresser in the corner of her room, the train of the sleeping robe trailing behind her. Reaching into the first drawer, she held up a simple blue tunic, before frowning and putting that away. If the goal wasn't to be recognized, she couldn't wear blue. The only red clothes that she owned were the dresses and gowns provided by the Hana Matsuri, and they were made of too fine materials to wear in public.

Suddenly, the door to her room opened and Gu Zhi, following by the three girls that often took care of Katara's needs. She didn't really need them to, and made a point to treat them no differently than she would someone from her village, starting with actually learning their names. Una was the first one, short with dark hair and large brown eyes. She was the daughter of a fisherman from the Fire Nation and an Earth kingdom woman who was born in Omashu. Lin was distinctly Fire Nation, with long dark hair and golden eyes. Akasha brought up the rear, only a girl of 15, who was new to the palace. When they entered, out of habit, they went straight for the bed, but stopped short as she wasn't actually in her bed. Gu Zhi's eyes flickered around the room, spying her by the dresser with clothes in her hands.

"Princess Katara!" Gu Zhi exclaimed with wide eyes. She walked over, plucking the garment from her hand with the gentlest of touches. She still looked shocked to the point that Katara wondered if she would faint. "What are you doing awake—?"

Katara held her hands up to placate the old woman. "Don't have a fit, Gu Zhi. I just woke up early…is that such a surprise?" She asked with a smile in her voice, teasing the older woman.

The woman stammered, trying to figure out what to say. "Well…y-yes." She said, and the other servants behind her nodded their heads in agreement. Gu Zhi cleared her throat. "You're nearly impossible to wake up in the morning."

"Not so impossible." Katara muttered under her breath, "I have a lot of things to do today."

Katara moved away from the dresser, smiling to herself. If she admitted it, in the corners of her heart…she was very excited about seeing Zuko today. Just the thought of seeing him again was enough to send butterflies tumbling throughout her stomach.

"If I may ask," Gu Zhi followed her from the dresser to the vanity pointing to Lin to start unbraiding Katara's hair. Lin stepped out of the line and walked forward, undoing the knots from the long brown locks. Gu Zhi frowned, noticing Katara's distant expression as she was talking to her. "What's so special about today?"

"Huh?" Katara asked, blinking. She had not heard what Gu Zhi said. "What were you saying?"

"Nothing, Princess." Gu Zhi shook her head at her mistress, wondering what had gotten into her. She turned to the three remaining maids that still waited in the middle of the room. She said pointed to the two girls still left standing and said. "Una, find Princess Katara something suitable to wear for today. Akasha, pull out some suitable shoes based on whatever she finds." The three girls separated to do Gu Zhi's bidding.

"I don't have to wear the golden sash today—ouch!" Katara asked Gu Zhi, wincing as Lin pulled on a particularly difficult tangle in her hair.

"Forgive me, Princess Katara." Lin apologized profusely, as she always did, but Katara gave her a smile to let her know that it was fine. This is why I should be doing my own hair.

"No, you don't." Gu Zhi told her absently, watching each servant girl with a strict eye, ensuring they performed their duty to the best of their ability. She continued, "To celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Lu Ten, Fire Lady Yun Xi has announced a garden party for this afternoon."

"Lu Ten and Song are getting married already?" Katara asked, blinking rapidly in surprise. "They didn't say a word about it yesterday…"

"No, no my lady." Gu Zhi said, correcting her. "The Fire Lady just wants to celebrate her son's picking of a bride."

"Princess Katara!" Una called as she came over holding the dress that she wore on her last night in the South Pole. "Why don't you wear this to the garden party? You'll look like a true Princess!" Una held the dress up excitedly on its hanger.

"Isn't there something in there…simpler?" Katara asked, turning in her seat. "Something more…Fire Nation?"

All the servants shared a look of confusion, staring at her perplexedly. Gu Zhi was the first to recover, clearing her throat. "Did I hear you correctly? Something more…Fire Nation?"

"Yes, you heard correctly." Katara chuckled, fingering her grandmother's necklace. I should take it off for today. "Something more…Fire Nation. And simple. Like that."

Katara pointed to the others in the room. A red tunic with short, wide sleeves, with a white long-sleeved undershirt with red cuffs around the wrists. Completing the outfit were dark wide-legged pants and dark shoes.

Lin pointed to herself, still confused. "You can't wear what I'm wearing…you're a princess…it wouldn't be right." She gestured to her right shoulder, where a golden flame was embroidered into the fabric. "Besides, these emblems on our shoulders across the bottom of our pants mark us as servants of the Palace. People would think you were running away…or that you've just been fired from Princess Azula." She added with a frown, an annoyed look in her eyes.

"Lin!" Gu Zhi reprimanded.

"Why can't I?" Lin said bitterly. She looked away from Katara and Gu Zhi angrily, crossing her arms over her chest in a huff. "You know that she fires more servants in a month than the rest of the palace does in a year. Yesterday she fired my sister for breaking a vase."

"Oh Lin…" Katara said, turning to place a comforting hand on Lin's shoulder. When the girl looked at her, she offered a smile. "I'm so sorry."

Lin let out a breath. "It's all right. Please forgive my anger."

"There's nothing to forgive." Katara said. "I understand why you'd be angry."

"Yes, but—," Gu Zhi said, folding her hands behind her back, and giving Lin a scathing look. "You do realize that if you worked for anyone else other than Princess Katara and you said that, you would be thrown out of the palace faster than you could blink."

Lin's eyes opened wide in fear. "I-I know that. But Princess Katara wouldn't—,"

"Princes Katara doesn't plan to stay in the Fire Nation for very long." Gu Zhi said, giving Katara a knowing look, accompanied by half a smile. She sobered when she looked back at Lin. "When she leaves, you'll be reassigned. Now that Prince Lu Ten has found a bride, it is likely that the rest of the girls except for Lady Mai will be—,"

"I'm staying." Katara said, giving Gu Zhi a pointed look. She thought about Iroh, still lying in his bed, weakened, unable to walk around. She treated him quickly once more before she went to bed, the Fire Lady watching her every move, trying to repair the weak tissue in his body. There was so much of it, his lungs were practically filled with holes. No wonder he was coughing so much. Then, of course, there was the matter of…Zuko.

Gu Zhi mistook the redness on her cheeks for anger rather than embarrassment, because instantly, she looked ashamed. "A-Ah yes…Fire Lord Iroh. I-I um…" She looked Katara dead in the eyes, something that she never usually did. "When I saw how you healed Fire Lord Iroh…I was shocked. I've never seen something like that before. I'd heard rumors that some waterbenders in the Water Tribe could do such things, but—It really means a lot to the servants that you healed him."

Lin and Akasha nodded as well. Akasha smiled at her, her golden eyes brightening. "Fire Lord Iroh is the only one here who treats the servants with any bit of respect. Everyone else just looks right through us, as if we aren't even there."

"A servant's role is to be never seen, never heard." Gu Zhi said stiffly, "We are here to serve, not make conversation. Akasha you have only been here for a month, you'll learn in time."

Akasha didn't look at Gu Zhi but kept her eyes trained on her toes. "Yes Ma'am."

When Akasha finally did look up, Katara offered her a smile. Akasha's grim look disappeared, and Katara turned back to Gu Zhi.

"Anyway, I'm going out into the city and I'm going to need something a little less obvious, and the clothes that you guys wear are perfect for that."

Gu Zhi narrowed her eyes at Katara with suspicion, reminding her very much of her grandmother. "Why do you need to be so secretive, and why are you leaving the palace? If Princess Ursa or the Fire Lady found out about this, there could be serious problems."

"Please, just do as I ask?" She gave the old woman a determined look, her resolve strengthening. "Or I'm going to have to find a way to get them myself."

Gu Zhi still seemed hesitant, but nodded anyway, turning to Una. "Go to your room in the servant's quarters and bring princess Katara your spare uniform." Una nodded, and after bowing quickly to Katara, left the room. Katara watched her go, and then Akasha brought over a bowl of rose water for her to wash her face. She splashed water on her face and then Gu Zhi handed her a white towel. "If only for the sake of my old and weak heart, Princess, then please just tell me that you're not going into the capital by yourself."

The look on the old woman's face was pitiful. She wore a frown, and her eyes were wide and watery, and she looked as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.

"And what if I was?" Gu Zhi's mouth dropped open. Katara smiled and placed the towel on the tray that Akasha held out and then carried it into the bathroom. "I could go out into town by myself; I don't need an escort."

Gu Zhi's gravelly voice took on that grandmotherly tone that Katara had always heard from her grandmother…particularly when she was doing something wrong. "As I have told you many times before, it is not the Fire Nation way for noble women to be seen in public on their own." Katara practically rolled her eyes at this. "Are you riding in a palanquin?"

"No." The 15-year-old shook her head absently. "I told Zuko that it would be a bad idea."

Oh. Darn. When she said Zuko's name, Akasha and Lin gave each other wide-eyed looks, before Akasha moved closer to Lin and snickered. Lin whispered something in Akasha's ear, giving Katara a curious look. Katara looked at them suspiciously

"Zuko?" Gu Zhi stammered, in shock. "As in Prince Zuko? You're going with him?"

"Yes." Katara said, sitting back down. Lin moved away from Akasha, picked up a brush and started to brush her hair. "Is that a problem?"

"N-No…It's just…" Gu Zhi said, giving Lin and Akasha irritated glances while avoiding Katara's eyes.

"Well? It's just what?" Katara asked, getting impatient. She took a deep breath and then calmed down.

"There are rumors…"Lin started to say before getting nervous and clamming up.

"Rumors of…?" Katara asked, waving a hand in the air for Lin to continue, but Lin didn't respond. After a few more minutes of silence, Akasha spoke up.

"There are rumors that Prince Lu Ten and Princess Song aren't going to be the only ones getting married this summer." She looked at Katara pointedly.

Katara pointed to herself. "And they think that Zuko and I—," She stared at Akasha incredulously. "Zuko and I are just friends.".

Gu Zhi was upset at this. "The rest of the palace doesn't think that way."

"It's true." Lin folded her arms, "Even the girls who work in the Fire Lady's service think that Princess Katara and Prince Zuko are together. It's not a bad thing, honest! You two are cute together!"

Akasha nodded. "It's all around the palace. Even in the kitchens, and you know they don't socialize with the rest of us."

"W-Wait, where are these rumors coming from?" Katara questioned. "Zuko and I are just friends."

Lin and Akasha shared a look. "Well…my friend said that she saw you and Prince Zuko sitting together under the tree in the garden."

Gu Zhi looked positively scandalized. "Spying? Completely against the rules."

"It was only for a second," Lin protested. "And anyway, she overheard you say that you didn't want to be in the Hana Matsuri."

Katara nodded. "That's true. I didn't. Not initially." The inaudible "but" hung in the air as the door to her room opened and Una walked in with the servant's clothes folded in her arms. As Katara stared at them, she thought about what she was going to do today. Spend an entire day with Zuko, not as part of some stuffy ceremony, with rules and people all around them watching. It was frightening, and yet at the same time she was looking forward to it. She sighed and looked at the servants that stared at her curiously. "But sometimes…things change. People change too."

Zuko

She opened the door with a smile, but as she looked at him more closely, the first thing she said was, "You're wearing that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well hello to you too." He looked down at his clothes and couldn't find the problem. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

She rolled her eyes at him and motioned for him to come inside her room. There was a large floor-length mirror in the corner of the room next to her bed and she led him over to it. Gu Zhi and the rest of her maids were still in the room. They were off to one side, staring at them both with curious eyes. "I told you to wear something simple."

"No," Zuko protested, referencing to their conversation before they went to bed. "You said don't wear anything with armor, or anything ceremonial. And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not."

He pointed to his clothes, which were a red short-sleeved shirt with gold trimming around the hem and sleeves, dark brown pants tucked into ordinary boots. He wore a gold belt around his waist, and his red diadem twinkled in the morning sunlight. These clothes were simple, but very exquisitely made.

"You look like you're rich, which wasn't what I had in mind." Katara mildly glared at him. "You don't have anything that isn't made of expensive silk?"

Zuko sputtered. He thought she would say that he looked handsome. "Well…obviously not, Katara. I'm a prince." He pointed to her outfit, an exact replica of servant's clothes. "At least what I'm wearing is better than yours Katara. You look like a servant!"

She did. Her hair was done as a normal Fire Nation girl would have it, pulled up tight with a simple red cord of string into a topknot, two long pieces of hair bound on either side of her face with the rest of her hair left loose and free. Her hair was much too curly, her skin too dark, and her eyes too blue to convince anyone that she was anything but Water Tribe, but she did look very nice in red. As if to illustrate her point, Katara pointed to what she was wearing versus what he was wearing.

"Well…obviously, I didn't want us to be recognized," She said, explaining her logic. She gave him a steely look before sighing, resigned.

Zuko eyed the similarity between the outfits that she had on with the ones that her servants had on. How did she get a replica? But that aside, he thought to point out, "There's a tiny flaw in your logic, Katara."

"And that would be?" She questioned suspiciously, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at him.

"Anyone that sees the two of us would think that you escaped from the palace with me."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "And why would they think that?"

"Because you're wearing the uniform of a palace servant." Zuko said plainly and Katara rolled her eyes. "They'd automatically assume that you'd escaped from the palace to meet me. Servants aren't allowed to have relationships, you'd be arrested and then I'd have to get you out—,"

"Why would people automatically assume that we're in a relationship?" Katara asked nervously, she wasn't looking at him.

"B-Because I—," Zuko stammered, he could feel his cheeks go red. "Because we'd…be…walking around…together…you know…"

Does it really matter Zuko?" Katara asked him, exasperated. She sighed and glared at him. "Fine then, we'll change your clothes to something simpler, and we'll get other clothes for me. But these are the only things Fire Nation that I could come up with."

"And if someone asks about your origin?" Zuko asks.

"I-I" Katara paused for a moment, thinking. "I'll just tell them that I'm an immigrant to the Fire Nation from the Water Tribe."

Zuko scoffed. "Katara, no one is going to believe that. No one is that stupid. Everyone knows that the Water Tribe is almost as insular as the Air Nomads"

Katara put her hands on her hips and looked at him sharply. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"W-Well no…" Zuko said, trying to come up with a cover story for Katara off the top of his head.

She smiled smugly. "Well then, since that's the case, then my story stays."

Zuko shook his head but nodded anyway, stepping closer to her. His tall frame towered over her, and he smiled at her, but she didn't smile back "Listen Katara…I'm sorry," he said, moving closer still, "I was looking forward to today, we don't have to fight."

When he moved closer, Katara backed away from him, her eyes wide. There was a tinge of pink on her cheeks, as she cut sideways glances at her servants, who stood whispering to each other excitedly, while Gu Zhi glared at them in silence. He couldn't understand what the problem was, or why she was being so distant.

Katara's eyes shifted. She didn't look up to meet his gaze. "Zu-Zuko, I-I uh…" She looked directly at her servants, pointing a finger to the door. "Can you guys um, give us a minute?"

The girls stopped their snickering and bowed to both before leaving. The minute that Gu Zhi closed the door behind her, Zuko pounced. He stared her down and asked, "Okay, What's wrong with you?" He backed away from her, giving a little bit more distance between them, like Katara had been trying to do. "This whole day was your idea, you wanted me to come along, and now you're treating me like you can't stand me. What happened?"

"You tell me, you're the one pointing out all the flaws!" Katara sat down on her bed, giving Zuko a tired expression. She leaned forward and held her head in her hands. "I don't know…maybe we shouldn't do this."

"I thought you wanted to help Longshot?" Zuko asked, sitting next to her.

"I do, but…but there are rumors, Zuko." Katara said, her voice slightly muted by her hands. "Rumors that we might be more than just friends and I don't know if I can handle that."

"What's the problem with people thinking that we're in a relationship?"

"Aside from the fact that half of the kingdom thinks you're with Mai?" Katara asked him, pulling her hands away from her face and giving him a scathing look.

Zuko shrugged. He acted indifferent, but on the inside, his heart was pounding, his pulse racing and his mind moving at a rapid pace. This was exactly what happened with Mai the first time around.

But he supposed that was where it was different. He wasn't dating Katara. She was just a girl that he…liked? He couldn't put a name on their relationship. There really was no name to describe the way he felt when he was around her. She always made him think. If not…differently about himself, then very differently about the others around him. She seemed to be open to new possibilities, ideas and adventures, and was determined and strong. When he'd kissed her, he did it because it felt right at the time, not because he wanted her to be his girlfriend. Something was pulling him towards her.

"It doesn't matter." Zuko said stiffly, and Katara looked at him as though she didn't believe a word of what he was saying. "If we say that we're just friends, then that's what we are. No amount of gossip or anything can change that."

"Zuko…" Katara said.

"Katara, ignore the rumors…they'll fade…" Zuko gave her a bitter smile. "They always do."

Not necessarily true.

"Zuko…you…" Katara seemed at a loss for words.

He held out his hand to her, and as soon as she stood, she released his hand as if it burned her. He looked at her in confusion for a moment before smiling again, trying to reassure her. Katara led the way out of the room, opening the door for herself and Zuko. When they walked towards Zuko's room to get him new clothes, they walked separate from each other. It bothered him, and if he had to admit it, if only to himself…he felt something for her. It was affection bordering on like, and it confused him. He should not feel this way for her, he barely knew her, but how else could he explain this?

Ursa

"So why did you want to meet, Ursa?" Yun Xi asked, sitting across from her. "I thought Princess Katara was your usual morning companion?"

"Katara is going out of the palace today," Ursa said as Yan Li poured them both cups of tea. Yun Xi gasped, practically scandalized. "She's going with my permission…Zuko asked me yesterday."

The Fire Lady's eyes widened. "Hm…they're going together?" She leaned forward excitedly, eyes twinkling with untold mischief. They hadn't gossiped like this since they were younger.

Ursa laughed. "Yes, though she says they're just friends." She pursed her lips thoughtfully, "She would make an excellent wife for him…"

The Fire Lady blew on her tea, cooling it. "If you ask me, I think there's something going on between the two of them. Even Lu Ten sees it." Taking a sip, she mused thoughtfully, "The Water Tribe girl is unfamiliar with our ways, as we are with hers, but, I understand that you and Chieftess Kya have a friendship, Ursa, but can you honestly see her having a future here?"

"She would bring some change to the palace, Yun Xi. I told you how she wanted to walk on Kyoshi Island-,"

"I know that, Ursa, but I'm more concerned about her reasons for staying here. Aside from the girls who were in Lu Ten's category, I have received no less than six letters of withdrawal from the Hana Matsuri. Apparently…seeing Iroh was too much for them." The Fire Lady scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's just as well, of course. Those girls would never have survived. We're down to 8 now."

"Make that 7. I do not consider Toph Bei Fong in the slightest. She's a child." Ursa pointed out, sipping her tea. "Mai's intentions are easy enough to understand, she wants Zuko." Ursa said, drumming her fingers on the table. "And now that all of the other girls in Lu Ten's age level are leaving, and the girls in Zuko's age category are too frightened to stay, she thinks that Zuko is hers for the taking."

Yun Xi raised an eyebrow. "But you disagree?" She leaned forward a bit. "You're banking on Katara."

"I don't deny that I want my son to be happy." Ursa shrugged. "And if the person that makes him happy is Katara then yes, I'm in favor of Katara."

Her companion nodded her head in agreement. "I never did like Mai all that much…she plays this game too well, if you understand my meaning. Azula has spent much time with her. " She looked at Ursa quizzically. "I don't believe that Katara is without her motives."

"Katara is staying to heal Iroh, of course…" Ursa explained, almost half-heartedly, but her sister-in-law saw through the explanation.

The Fire Lady looked suspiciously at her. "There's something else that you're not telling me…why?"

She looked around, and then deciding that they were safe enough, with only Yan Li standing in the doorway, she leaned in closer. "I hope that Katara can heal Zuko in another way…"

Yun Xi looked appalled. "Ursa she's fifteen. Regardless of her own tribe's traditions, you can't be serious about Zuko having—,"

"No, of course not," Ursa shook her head, putting her cup down. She sighed, and for once, she felt the weight of all these long years she'd been in the palace. The past 3 years had been hard on her and Zuko both. "Zuko hasn't been able to firebend for 3 years, and during that time it's killed me as his mother to see him suffer. He still has nightmares, and muscle spasms whenever he gets too angry.

"He doesn't know, but I watch him sometimes when he's not looking. I see my beautiful boy lock his pain away because he doesn't want to see me worry. He doesn't want me to think he's weak." Ursa laughed mockingly, sadness in her voice. "Imagine that! I failed to protect my only child, and my long-suffering son is only worried about me! Since she's met him, he's shown…a side of himself that I've rarely seen."

"She would be good for him." The Fire Lady acknowledged, finishing the last of her tea.

"But we can't tell Ozai, no matter what." Ursa said pointedly. "Should they be in a secret relationship, I don't want Katara to get involved with him until absolutely necessary."

Yun Xi signaled for Yan Li to pour her another cup of tea. Once the old woman had done so, she waved her hand for Yan Li to be dismissed. The old woman left the room and waited by the doorway, but she was still within earshot. She drummed her fingers on the table anxiously as she remembered that day. The details were such a blur.

"We didn't know about Zuko until it was too late." The Fire Lady tried words of comfort to little effect.

"What could you have done?" Ursa asked. "Fire Lord Azulon ordered the punishment. Ozai accepted, and so here we are."

"Zuko's done remarkably well." Her friend commented, and Ursa nodded in agreement, but her eyes were sad.

"He has…" She agreed with a quiet desperation, "But I can see him slipping."

Yan Li walked up to them and whispered in her mistress' ear. "Forgive me, Fire Lady, but I have to…excuse myself to the restroom…may I go?"

Yun Xi looked at her maid kindly. "Of course, Yan Li… you may go."