Riding on a dragon is the most terrifying experience of Katara's life. Although she has spent the past few years relying on Appa to get from place to place, it had always been a slow and smooth ride. Druk's flying takes all sorts of twists and turns, not to mention the saddle is the size of one a buffalo yak would wear. She finds herself gripping tightly onto Zuko for support, and she swears that she catches him smiling.
They cross the border into the city and Zuko steers them in the direction of the town square. From above, Katara can clearly make out that the four corners have circular marble slabs, each engraved with the symbol of one of the four nations. The center contains a plaza full of flowers and benches, centered around a large fountain.
Druk lands in the square, circling around the fountain as he descends. From Druk's back, Katara looks around and spots at one end of the town square a grandiose building. It is ornamented with stone carvings of the elements flowing along the walls in a way that complements its shape. There is an imperial staircase leading up to the main entrance with a topiary in the middle depicting the spirits Tui and La intertwined as they swim upward. Bundles of black and white flowers and sprinkled along the base of the koi fish. Despite its elegance, it's modestly sized.
Zuko dismounts Druk and extends a hand toward Katara. She practically falls off of the saddle, legs a little shaky after the journey. Zuko catches her and prevents her from hitting the ground, then helps her stand up straight.
"Woah, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, it's just… that wasn't like riding Appa at all."
Zuko laughs. "Yeah, it's a little staggering at first. I've gotten quite a few bruises from falling." He pulls up his sleeve to reveal a scar running down his forearm. "The mountains are pretty rocky, too."
Katara notices that his arm has become even more muscular and has protruding veins running from wrist to elbow. She looks away to hide her blushing, gesturing to the building.
"So I'm guessing this is the assembly headquarters?"
"You've guessed right," says Zuko as he begins walking toward the building, escorting her with his hand on the small of her back. "It was finished just last week. I wanted you to see it as soon as possible."
"It looks beautiful."
"I had the best architects and decorators in the fire nations design it. A building worthy of a new era."
They ascend the staircase and approach the main doors, made of mahogany and extending up two floors. Zuko opens the doors to the entryway. Katara is greeted by a crystal chandelier refracting the sunlight into a thousand rainbows on the walls and floors. They continue down the hallway to a conference room. There is a large, circular table with an intricate map of the world painted onto the center.
"Most of the furniture is yet to arrive," says Zuko, "but the important things are already here. Let me show you the guest chambers."
Katara follows Zuko to a dead-end hallway off to the right from the entryway. There are five doors, two on each wall and one at the end of the hall. Installed in each door along the side walls is a gold plate detailed with one of the four nations' bending symbols. The door at the end of the hall is much taller and has no gold plate. Zuko and Katara begin down the hall.
"There is a chamber for each ambassador, as well as one for the Avatar, for us to stay in whenever we please. I've gotten them all furnished, so they're ready for the conference later this month. They're primarily for when we're here for our conferences, but cannot be used for other purposes in the meantime. For example, if there were an emergency-"
Zuko notices that Katara has stopped walking, and he turns to watch her. She is in front of the air nation doorway, looking at the gold swirls before her. She remembers back to Aang's comment in the air temple, and thinks about how one of his future children will be the first person to sleep in that room. Potentially, one of her children...
Zuko walks over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Is everything okay, Katara?"
Katara looks at him solemnly as her eyes flutter between his eyes and lips. "No, not really."
Zuko furrows his brow in thought, then he nods his head toward the entryway. "Here, I know where we should go."
They leave the assembly headquarters. Zuko takes her through the streets of the city, describing what each construction site is expected to become. There are already some fully constructed buildings, such as housing complexes and a marketplace. Katara is impressed with his knowledge of the project, and starts to believe he is more invested in this than in his Fire Lord duties.
They finally arrive at a completed building at the corner of an intersection adjacent to a park full of greenery. The front is surrounded by an open patio with awnings and collapsible walls, presumably for the winter. Since it is dark, the lanterns around the perimeter of the fencing are flickering softly. There are seated tables as well as benches and lounging chairs, with potted plants and bookcases along the inner walls. Some of the tables are set up with a built-in Pai Sho board. Katara isn't sure what type of place this is supposed to be; she's never seen something like this before.
"What is this place?"
"It's a 24-hour tea cafe," Zuko points to the sign above the porch that says 'Jasmine Dragon.' "I convinced my uncle to open another location. He only accepted if I agreed to be the manager."
"Oh, Zuko, that's so great! Wait, so now you're the Fire Lord, Fire Nation ambassador, and a tea shop manager? Do you ever have time to sleep?"
Zuko laughs. "Not really. That's why it's open all day and night. Whenever I'm stressed or something is bothering me, a cup of tea helps, and the tea here is really good," Zuko smiles. "Let's go inside."
The pair walk inside the building and take menus before seating themselves at a table on the outside patio. Katara begins to skim the tea selection before she gets to the "specials" section, which contains teas such as "dragon's breath," a chai tea with hints of cinnamon and mint, and "sleeping koi," a camomile tea with ginger and honey. Zuko was right, the teas all sound lovely. She can't help but wonder if Iroh compiled the list himself, what with his exemplary palate.
Katara stops when she reaches the bottom of the menu. Listed as the host special is a darjeeling tea with cinnamon, cloves, and moon peach, named "The Katara."
She looks up from her menu in awe, Zuko looking right at her. He's just sitting there, smiling. "So I see you've found the tea."
"You named a tea after me?"
"Of course I did." Zuko's face begins to flush. "When I tasted it, I was immediately reminded of you. It has a strong impact when you first taste it and it's sweet enough to not need any added sugar; however, the sweetness doesn't detract from the spice. Not to mention it's my favorite."
Katara is in shock at the gesture. Although it's something as simple as tea, she is incredibly touched and doesn't know what to say. She can't remember the last time someone did something like that for her; she's usually the one taking care of everyone else. It was a nice change, and she felt something in her heart flutter.
Zuko sets his menu down and places his interlocked hands on the table. "I know we haven't exactly been in the greatest place these past years. I've done and said things that have strained the great friendship we once had. I almost died for you back then, and I still would today. With all the responsibilities I've assumed, what with enforcing tolerance within the fire nation and organizing an international capital, I see things more clearly now. My family caused significant damage to the world. This is a time when we all need to be more empathetic to one another, accept people for who they are, so that we can all move past the damages of the war. I've realized that there are grudges not worth holding. Especially when those grudges stem from not getting your way."
Zuko pauses.
"I had this idealistic story in my mind that I expected to play out after the war. In all those children's stories I was told growing up, the hero defeats the bad guy, gets the glory, gets the girl, and lives happily ever after. I thought I was the hero of my story. But life's more complicated than that.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. For everything. I've grown a lot these past few years and have had to come to terms with my many mistakes. My treatment of you was one of those mistakes. I'm asking you for your forgiveness."
There's a moment of silence between them. Zuko is looking down at the table, fiddling with his thumbs in anticipation. Slowly, Katara reaches for Zuko's hands and holds one in each of her own, to which Zuko looks back up at her in slight surprise. She's smiling at him, her azure eyes glossy with emotion.
"Of course I forgive you."
Zuko's eyes well up and he raises her hands to kiss them. "Thank you, Katara."
She pulls her hands back and places them in her lap. "You asked for your uncle's help preparing that speech, didn't you?"
"So? You know I'm not good with words."
They both let out a genuine laugh for the first time in ages. Katara is overwhelmed with joy; she's missed Zuko so much. Their connection was unlike any other, and there was a dark vacancy in her heart while it was gone. She can feel that gap close as their conversation continues through many pots of tea. They make it through the entire list of specialty drinks, and Katara comes to the conclusion that her named tea is her favorite, much to Zuko's delight. Their evening is spent catching up on all the things they had missed out on, including the tale of Zuko's crown falling off during his bow to the most prestigious nobles in the fire nation. The exchange of stories only ends when the pair notice the sun begin to rise over the rooftops.
After enjoying one final cup of tea, they retreat back to the assembly headquarters to retire to their ambassador chambers. Zuko walks her to her door.
"Well, I guess this is good night. Or good morning?"
"You're lucky I didn't have plans this morning, otherwise I'd be screwed," Zuko smiles.
Katara reaches up to hug him, and it turns into a long embrace between the two. As she pulls back, their bodies still touching, her hands slide to either side of his face. She grazes her thumb along his scar. Zuko closes his eyes and grabs her right hand, stopping it in its place.
"Katara…" His golden eyes reopen, meeting hers.
"Just a moment longer."
They continue to look into each other's eyes, knowing it could go no further, before Zuko kisses her forehead and tells her to sleep well. He goes to his chambers, and Katara to hers.
Thoughts of confusion swirl in her mind as she falls asleep.