Disclaimer: Neither Avatar: the Last Airbender nor its characters belong to me, nor will they ever

The two-week trip went by quickly, although the days were rather routine and not at all like what she'd ever envisioned for her honeymoon. The ship would travel between cities at night while they slept. After breakfast on the ship, they'd disembark only to be greeted by some sort of government official, a governor, usually. In the city center, they'd be presented to the common people, who would bow and cheer and throw parties in the street to honor their marriage. From there, they'd be led to a reception at the governor's house, where other nobles and courtiers and city officials and representatives would be invited to dine with them. This usually involved a lot of food, a lot of wine, and a lot of talking. When the men were done offering her their well-wishes, making sure Zuko could hear them, of course, she would be introduced to the women at the reception, wives and daughters for the most part, who would attempt to draw her into conversations about fashion and palace life and the like. Meanwhile, Zuko would be deeply immersed in conversations about politics, how this city needed more funding and that city needed to lower its tax rates. Katara wouldn't see Zuko until well into the night when it was time for them to depart. They were presented with a gift, usually something signature to the region, like blown glass or rare gems or spice, before Zuko's soldiers would escort them back to the ship discretely. By the time Katara reached their room, the ship was already at sea again, and she could barely keep her eyes open. Once or twice, too tired to change, she fell asleep in her dress. She would wake up to find Zuko had already started his day. Altogether, she saw very little of her husband.

However, the last day of the trip was spent at sea. They had visited a total of thirteen cities, and on this last day, they were heading back to the capital, and Katara was grateful for the break. When she awoke, the sun streaming though the windows was bright, meaning it was well into the morning. Zuko had let her sleep in.

Slipping on her robe, she stepped into the small sitting room to find Jien and Aeza waiting for her.

"Good morning, my lady."

"Good morning."

"Would you like breakfast? Or for us to run the water for your bath?"

"Just tea for breakfast, but a bath sounds wonderful, thank you. Where's the Fire Lord?"

"He's meeting with the captain right now, but he says to join him at your leisure."

Katara nodded. When the bath was ready, Katara dismissed her ladies-in-waiting for the day.

Aeza's eyes popped open in shock and she looked to Jien for guidance.

"My lady, are you sure—"

"Yes, I'm sure. These two weeks have been just as crazy for you as they have been for me. Go eat a big breakfast, take a nap, get some fresh air on the deck. Take the day for yourselves. Please, I insist. If I find I need you, I promise to call for you."

"As you say, my lady," Jien said with a bow, and Aeza followed her lead.

Finally alone, Katara took her time bathing and dressing and braiding her hair. Since the only people she would see today were her husband and the ship's crew, she decided there was little to no chance of offending anyone if she wore a simple tunic with loose ankle-length pants and sandals and, after affixing her crown in a topknot, braided the rest of her hair in a simple plait.

Around midday, she made her way to the main deck, only to find Zuko surrounded by Firebenders. He was shirtless and sweaty and his hair was a mess, and she could see scorch marks on his pants and all over the deck. He had been cornered against the rail, but his fists were up in defense.

"What," she demanded, "is going on here!"

As she spoke, one of the Firebenders had thrown a stream of fire directly at the Fire Lord. Katara's heart nearly stopped. Although she knew Zuko was perfectly capable of blocking the attack, she reached out her hands instinctively and brought a wave up over the side of the ship and across the deck, eliminating the fire stream and knocking all the men, including Zuko, off their feet.

"Katara," Zuko said, standing and wiping water from his face. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? What are you doing? Why are these men attacking you?" She looked around to see the disabled and soaked Firebenders kowtowed around her.

"They're not attacking me. We were sparring. Training." He walked toward her and picked up his discarded shirt from where he had tossed it over a ladder rung.

"Training?"

"Yes."

"But I—I thought—"

"I know what you thought. And I'm sorry it scared you. I should have told you what I had planned for today."

"Yes, well…." She turned to the men around her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted like that. Please, stand."

Cautiously, they did as she bade, bowing to her respectfully.

"It's alright, my lady," one young soldier said. "I'm sure it must have looked bad. I must say, we have all heard of your waterbending capabilities, but it was an honor to witness your power in person."

Katara caught herself before she said, "That was nothing." Instead, she nodded graciously and smiled, and the men returned to their posts one by one.

When they were alone on deck, she turned to Zuko. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean—"

"I know. You don't have to apologize," he said, using his shirt to dry his hair

"Oh, here, let me," she said, bending the water off his body and out of his hair.

"Oh, um, thanks," he said. "So, did you sleep well?"

"I did, thank you." She handed him a water skin.

"Good."

"Well, are you really done for the day?" she asked.

"Done?"

"With sparring."

"Well, you kind of scared my men out of wanting to continue, so…."

"Then spar with me," she offered, arms akimbo.

He choked on the water he had been drinking. "What?"

"You heard me."

"I thought you would want to rest."

"I slept in today. And I could use the exercise."

His eyes traveled the length of her form and he was tempted to argue that statement, but he kept his mouth shut. "Are you sure?"

She hesitated. "I—I don't know…do customs allow the Fire Lord and Lady to fight? I don't want to cause any trouble. Especially in front of your men."

Zuko scoffed. "I'm sure it wouldn't be considered…appropriate if we fought in the middle of the street, but a harmless sparring match on my ship in the middle of the ocean in front of my men?" He shrugged. "Besides, I think it would be good for my men to see you fight. Sometimes old ideas regarding women are deeply rooted."

"Like what?"

"Like they can't fight."

"Oh, really? So, are we bending and sparring? Or just sparring?"

The sun was just about to set when Katara collapsed on the deck, soaked in sweat. Zuko was still standing, but Katara suspected his ego was to thank more than his strength. She knew she had worn him out just as much as he had her, if not more so.

"That was good," she said with a smile.

"Especially after the last couple of weeks," Zuko agreed.

She smirked up at him. "Oh, your wedding and honeymoon weren't relaxing? Don't you feel so rejuvenated?"

His eyes narrowed as he stared down at her and he replied, "Not exactly."

Now serious, she looked down at the grain-pattern of the deck and asked, "Anxious to get back to work?"

"Not exactly," he repeated. "But having some privacy, and not having to dine with nobles every night…."

She looked out at the water longingly. Zuko may be in a hurry to get back to his city, but she was not looking forward to the confining walls of the palace. She liked the freedom of being at sea, despite the cramped quarters.

Suddenly, she asked, "Why did we visit these specific cities?"

He looked at her, his brow furrowing, but said, "Based on location, population representation, and the safest routes. When it came down to narrowing the decision further, I picked the cities whose governors were more tolerable."

She nodded in acknowledgment.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, it's just…." She took a deep breath. "Uncle said we might visit Hira'a, and we didn't."

It was Zuko's turn to study the deck.

Katara started to apologize—she wasn't trying to intrude—but she stopped herself. If they were going to have a good relationship, they needed to be able to open up to one another.

He was silent for a long time. Katara was debating whether or not to go below deck and change out of her sweaty clothes when he finally said, "I haven't been back there since I started my search for…her. I decided…I didn't want to go back. Yet."

She looked up at him, saw his jaw clenched in frustration. Pushing herself up from the deck, she stood in front of him and put her hand on his arm. She didn't speak, though. What would she say? That she would help him find his mother by whatever means necessary was understood.

He looked down at her, his eyes unreadable. Then he placed his hand over hers for a moment before letting go and stepping back. "We should get cleaned up. We'll reach the harbor soon."

Katara could only watch in silence as he walked away from her and disappeared below deck.

Over the next few weeks, Katara settled into her life at the palace. The wedding festivities over and the palace only minimally staffed most days, it was once again quiet, almost eerily so. She could see why Zuko liked it, but it was still quite a contrast to the very social, open life she had grown used to in the South Pole. With Zuko in meetings nearly everyday, Katara took it upon herself to learn as much as she could about Fire Nation law, tradition, and culture; therefore, she spent most of her days in the palace's extensive library. She found there was no shortage of historical or biographical scrolls; the archivists clearly didn't want any aspect of their nation's glory to be forgotten. She also used her studying as an excuse to avoid the prying eyes and wagging tongues of Zuko's court.

Her first week in the palace after the honeymoon, Katara had gone to the main courtyard while Zuko met with his council, which he did once or twice a week. On these days, council members' wives and other nobles were permitted to gather and socialize in the palace—well, certain parts of it. She had decided it would be wise of her to make her presence as Fire Lady not only known but also felt, and that would start by getting to know Zuko's court.

Her first mistake was believing they wanted to get to know her.

Her second mistake was not realizing that, because Zuko was meeting with his councilmen, the remaining members of his court were women—wives and daughters and sisters of the councilmen. And the women of Fire Nation nobility were none too pleased that the Fire Lord had married outside of Fire Nation nobility. When she walked into the courtyard with no one but Jien escorting her, every eye had turned upon her. They appraised her from behind fans and whispered to one another behind hands. A few came up to her, bowing respectfully, and introduced themselves; some even attempted to make small talk; but other than that, no one spoke to her. She could feel herself growing progressively angrier as the day wore on, and finally, instead of flooding the fountain and ruining the women's dresses and shoes like she wanted to, she calmly returned to the family wing of the palace. She had gone to court one more time the following week, but that experience had been no better; the second time around, the women had stopped hiding behind their fans and hands, and she could hear them mock and degrade her with her own ears, calling her dirty, simple, uncultured, peasant.

Jien, who had kept her eyes lowered respectfully in the presence of nobility, had whispered, "My lady, if I may, you do not have to stand for this. This is your home, and you are the Fire Lady. They should not disrespect you so in your own home."

Katara smiled softly at her lady-in-waiting who had quickly become one of her only friends in the palace. She was close to the other ladies as well, but for some reason she and Jien could communicate and interact without her title getting in the way. She was respectful, of course, and still very much saw Katara as her Fire Lady, but she also granted Katara the respect of treating her like she was still human and not some porcelain doll. So she knew Jien's concern for her was genuine. It may have even been warranted. But Katara had not spent the better part of her teenage years on the back of a sky-bison outrunning her now-husband to let some stuck-up women undermine her.

Although she was determined to ignore the women, it was a difficult task when they insisted on speaking within hearing distance of her. Until Zuko had shown up, that is.

When he walked into the courtyard, the women bowed respectfully before their fans began fluttering wildly. His eyes searched the courtyard until they found her seated on a bench in the garden. He ignored the women as they tried to speak with him and made his way straight for her.

She put down the scroll she'd been reading and stood, bowing her head in acknowledgement of her lord's presence. "Fire Lord Zuko."

Although he looked uncomfortable, he addressed her formerly as well. "Fire Lady Katara, we finished early for the day. I came to see if you would like me to escort you to dinner."

Despite the fact that she did not feel the need to be escorted, she couldn't help the smile that lit up her face, and she took the arm he offered gratefully. "I would, thank you."

He nodded, obviously pleased with himself.

But as they made their way out of the courtyard they were stopped by a woman whom Katara had noticed was the source of the nastiest comments in the courtyard. She stepped in their path and bowed low, flirtatiously peaking up at Zuko through her long eyelashes and making sure her ample cleavage was noticeable. "My lord, I just wanted to let you know it has been such a pleasure getting to know the new Fire Lady. She is so charming! What a treasure she is!"

Zuko looked down at Katara like he didn't know what to say.

"Well, you have all been so welcoming and friendly towards me," Katara said, somehow managing to withhold a sarcastic bite. "Especially you, Lady…Man, was it? You've been so kind. Really, it is wonderful to experience such…kindness."

The woman looked like she had just swallowed something very bitter. "It…it's Lady Nan, your…your highness. But…you're very welcome."

Sincerely believing that she would not be able to keep her mouth shut any longer, Katara subtly squeezed Zuko's arm, and he was once again ushering her from the courtyard, pointedly ignoring anyone who tried to stop them again. When they were safely tucked away in the family wing, he released her hand and asked, "What was that about?"

"Nothing I can't handle," she told him, cutting off all further discussion of it as well.

So she had turned to the library. And training. She also made it a point to meet a different servant everyday, learning their names and about their families. Most of them were very open, even if they initially cowered in fear when she managed to corner them in the palace halls or kitchen or stables.

For the most part, she saw very little of Zuko, which should not have surprised her but still managed to disappoint her. He was always gone when she woke up in the morning and usually finishing breakfast when she walked into the dining hall in the morning. He worked through lunch everyday, locked in his office. He was usually present for dinner, but his presence was guaranteed when Iroh was there, too; he seemed to have an invisible pull on his nephew that made dinner as a "family" a requirement. Katara had grown accustomed to Reike surprising her at lunch, and he was commonly accompanied by his girlfriend—a different girl every week, of course—and she found she rather enjoyed both his company and his constant conversation.

Sharing a room with Zuko was more of an adjustment than she had expected. Although she had shared small living quarters with her family in the South Pole, sharing the large room with Zuko was different. Often she found herself running into him awkwardly as one of them entered or exited the bathroom, leaving one or both of them apologizing profusely and trying to maneuver around the small doorway.

But Zuko had, she discovered after a few days, made it a point to ask about her day, about how she was faring and if there was anything he could do for her. She, in return, would ask him the same. Occasionally, he would talk about his meetings with his councilmen, but not with much detail, which frustrated her. When conversation was lagging and they were both lying in bed, Katara would turn away from him and pretend to be asleep, too ashamed to bring up that he felt more a stranger to her than the day they wed.

One morning Katara woke to an empty room, which wasn't all that unusual, but her stomach sank anyway. She had thought….

Pushing her thoughts aside, she bathed and dressed for breakfast and fixed her hair.

Zuko was already seated at the breakfast table, his food half eaten and a scroll unfurled in his hands. He greeted her distractedly without looking up from whatever he was reading.

She frowned but sat. "Good morning. Has Uncle not returned?"

"We received a missive from him late last night. He says he won't be able to leave Ba Sing Se for another day or two."

"Oh."

Her tone must have alerted him of her disappointment for he looked up. "Is something wrong? Did you need him today?"

She just shook her head. "No, I…I just thought…I thought he would be back today. That's all."

He went back to reading his scroll. "He'll just be a few more days."

She nodded and ate her breakfast in silence.

It was mid-afternoon when Zuko felt the palace quake. He was meeting with governors from the outer provinces about grain distribution, and the governor who had been speaking quieted.

"We don't have any Earthbender dignitaries visiting, do we?" Zuko asked a scribe.

"No, my lord."

He sent one of his guards to find out what had caused the sudden shift of the palace's foundation, and the ground rumbled again.

The guard returned a few moments later, looking wary. Zuko motioned for him to step forward so they could speak in relative privacy. "It…it's the Fire Lady, my lord."

"What do you mean?"

"Her lady, Jien, reports that Fire Lady Katara has…shut herself in the training arena and is not to be disturbed. It is her…waterbending that makes the palace shake."

Zuko stood, incensed. "I'll disturb her if I have to. She's disturbing the whole palace. Tell her I'd like to see her."

The guard came back not with Katara in tow, but Jien. His temper beginning to get the best of him, he excused his governors so he could speak with her in private.

"Jien, I asked to see Fire Lady Katara."

"I'm sorry, my lord, but she will not come out of the training arena and has asked not to be disturbed."

"What? Why?"

"She has…commanded me not to tell you."

"She what?"

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I must do as she asks."

"I am you Fire Lord, Jien—"

"Yes, my lord, and she is my Fire Lady. If it were regarding a matter of state, I would tell you, my lord, but it is not, so I will remain silent."

"It will be a matter of state if she destroys the palace."

"Also, my lord…she asks that I tell you to find another room to sleep in tonight for, she says, you will not be sleeping in hers."

The flames in the fireplace burst.

Zuko stormed out of the throne room. It was one thing for Katara to disrespect Zuko; it was another thing entirely for her to do so publically, especially to get servants and his government officials involved.

He found the door to the training room locked and he pounded on it. "Katara! Open up!"

"No! Go away, Zuko!"

There was another rumble.

"Katara! You're going to destroy this place!"

"You'd burn it to the ground before I'd ever waterbend it to ruin!"

"Katara, I swear—open up!"

Water seeped through the crack under the door and froze beneath his feet. He struggled a moment to maintain his balance before he could melt a patch away.

He growled as he stomped away. Two could play at this game, but he would be smart about it. He was on his way to his office to find keys to the training room when he passed Reike.

"Hey—"

"Not. Now," he grit out from behind clenched teeth without stopping.

"Oh, um, all right. Just thought I'd see if you needed any help with the party."

Zuko scowled. "Party? We're not having a party."

"You're not? But I thought…. Did she not want one?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Reike followed Zuko into his office and watched as he tore open drawers and rifled through his desk. "Uh, Zuko?"

"What?"

"Zuko… Did you…did you forget?"

"Forget what?"

"Zuko…today is Katara's birthday."