"How old are you?" he asked, and Zuko was called out of thought.
"Almost 19," he answered. That was when it dawned on him that his birthday was arriving in a month or so.
"19..." repeated the man. "Very young for being a ruler, let alone a husband." Zuko said nothing. "And Jin may be of marrying age by your customs, but to me, she's still just my little girl."
"I understand..." said Zuko softly.
"You're not a parent, Zuko," said her father almost coldly, and Zuko bit his lower lip. He turned to face him and it took more strength than expected for Zuko to look him in the eyes. "I want you to be honest with me now. Why Jin? Why my daughter? You're the Firelord, surely you could have had any rich gorgeous girl you wanted. Why my daughter, a mere peasant?"
Zuko had to think before answering. A part of him hated hearing Jin reffered to like that since she'd come to mean so much more to him. That and the fact that Mai herself had reffered to Jin as a 'mere peasant'. "I chose Jin... because I wasn't looking for wealth," he said after a moment. "I wasn't looking for beauty, though I will admit the mere sight of your daughter takes my breath away..." He turned red. "I... I... chose Jin because..." He closed his eyes, Jin's smile filling his mind and he suddenly felt the strength to say what he needed to. Looking her father in the eye he said, "I chose Jin because she saw in my what almost no one else could. She looked behind my facade when I was 'Lee' and saw pain. I chose her because when she learned who I was... she didn't recoil, though I'm sure she wanted to kill me at first." He remembered their shouting match that stormy night.
"She was able to look past my name and my past and... sir, she was able to love me." A small sad smile appeared on his face and he looked up, unable to keep eye contact. "She knew all about me and she loved me anyway. She knew I was of the Fire Nation, she knew my father was the Firelord, she knew I helped the fall of Ba Sing Se... and she loved me anyway. And at the war, when I lost two people very close to me..." he had to pause. "...at the end of all the chaos and the pain I was able to come to her and rest my head on her and weep... and she wouldn't judge me. She'd only love me." He felt tears behind his eyes but held them back. He would not shed them in front of her father. He could not, so instead he looked him in the eyes.
"Sir, I chose your daughter... because despite it all... she chose me."
Jin's father stared at him for a moment, not appearing to know how to react to this, and turned to the window, glancing at his own wife who was preparing tea in the kitchen. "When I met Jin's mother, we were both young, almost your age. But I knew when I met her that I loved her." He smiled softly. "We were both very poor and didn't have much to build a family on, but we always seemed to have just enough to survive. I married her after knowing her for only 4 months, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I was in love with her and she with me. We saw no point in delaying it and got married right then and there." He turned to Zuko, still smiling. "Neither of us has ever regretted it." Zuko smiled a little. "And now that I see almost the same scenario playing out with my own daughter... I feel nervous, but after hearing what you just said," he half beamed at Zuko. "...I know my daughter's in good hands." He walked over to Zuko and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am honored to have you as a son-in-law." Zuko smiled and bowed his head in thanks.
----
The door opened and Jin looked up at Zuko nervously. Both he and her father were smiling and she knew then that everything would be all right. They all sat together drinking tea, and Zuko and Jin told them of the upcoming celebration, the news seeming to lighten their moods significantly. They spent the night there, planning to leave in the morning for the Fire Nation, and Zuko slept in Jin's room, the two of them having to cram into one bed together.
"So what did you say to my dad?" she asked softly, adjusting her position yet again. They finally settled with him laying on his side, his back against the wall, and she was laying in his arms. The position was surprisingly comfortable and she relaxed.
"He asked me why I married you, so I told him."
"What did you say?"
"That you offered me a large quantity of money that I just couldn't turn down-" She nudged him in the ribs and he laughed, coughing a little in pain. "Ow! Hey!"
"Seriously," she replied. "What did you tell him?" He smiled at her.
"I told him that I love you." Jin smiled a little, knowing there had to be more to it than that, but didn't ask. "You looked so nervous when my brother figured out who you were."
"That's because I was," he chuckled. "It's a lot more intimidating meeting your family than you think!"
"Oh, they don't bite!"
"I know, but still..." He just shrugged and she yawned. "I'm glad I met them though." Jin smiled and nodded.
"I'm glad you did too. And it sounds like we just might make this thing work after all."
"Of course we will," said Zuko, kissing the back of her neck. "Of course we will"
----
The Fire Nation seemed more peaceful when Jin set foot in it again. Both she and Zuko were greeted with very warm welcomes from the soldiers and the servants, and Zuko ran up to embrace his mother. "Welcome home!" she said warmly and Jin stayed back respectfully, her own family right behind her, looking around at the Fire Nation in wonder. They have never been this close to a palace before except for being inprisoned in the Earth King's castle, and Jin noticed her brother, Koji, was practically gaping at the Fire Nation palace in awe.
"I'd like you to meet some people," said Zuko, taking his mother's hand and leading her to Jin's family. They exchanged greetings, her parents seeming unsure if they would be welcome here, but Ursa was kind to them and it helped settle their nerves a little.
"I'll have the servants escort you to your rooms. Zuko, Jin, there's been a master bedroom set up specially for you two. Go now and freshen up from your journey but be at the celebration at sunset, especially you, Jin. You'll be crowned Firelady tonight." Jin felt a rush of excitement and nodded, following Zuko as a servant lead them to their room.
They were taken down beautiful hallways and they passed rooms the Jin made a note to further explore later when she had the time. When they finally approached the door to their room Jin gasped. The doors had golden designs engraved on them with a beautiful dragon twisting around the frame. She quickly reached out and thrust them open and her jaw dropped when she saw the room. A large canopy bed with gold and dark red sheets and designs, beautiful marble floors, a large blacony window and an even larger window with a built in padded window seat, the most beautiful fireplace she'd ever seen in her life, and enough space that it practically felt like two of her houses combined.
"Oh my gosh!" she gasped in wonder and Zuko smiled, signalling the servant that he could got about his business, quietly shutting the door behind him. Jin turned to him with a large smile on her face and half squealed. "I can't believe this!" she cried. "I get to live in a palace!!!" She laughed and spun around and began to scurry about the room, seeing all that there was to see.
"I thought you said that being married to me was enough and you didn't care about the perks?" said Zuko, smirking and raising an eyebrow.
"Oh yes!" she said, walking up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Being married to you is enough-" Her eyes strayed to the side and suddenly widened. "Oh my gosh!" she practically screamed and ran to the massive closet doors, throwing them open. "Would you look at this closet?!" She vanished inside it for a moment then reappeared with a beautiful red and gold dress, holding it up to herself for size. "Look at this! It's beautiful!" Zuko laughed and shook his head.
"Easy there! Don't get over excited!" She looked around, the smile not leaving her face.
"This... this is all ours!"
"Yes," he said with a nod. And she turned to him.
"And... and I'm going to be crowned Firelady... me..."
"Yes you are," chuckled Zuko.
"And... and this is all really happening... I really married you... this isn't a dream..."
"No," said Zuko, stepping up to her and placing a hand on the small of her back. "This is all real." He gave her a quick innocent kiss and she looked up at him with a loving smile.
"Of all the things I've gotten today... you're still the best present I could ever hope for." He smiled at her.
"You really mean that?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered, giving him a more passionate kiss this time. "How long until the celebration?" He smiled, knowing what she was implying and kissed her cheek as she clumsily reached behind her to set the dress down on a table nearby.
"We've got a few hours," he said, his lips trailing down to her neck. She stepped away from him and turned to the closet.
"Good because I want to try on each and every one of those things right now!" Zuko stood stunned as she made her way to the closet door, then ran after, catching her by the wrists.
"Oh no you don't!" She laughed out loud as he caught her and felt something inside her warm up just from the loving look in his eyes.
----
The celebration started exactly at sunset and Jin was crowned when night fell. Her husband stood by her side the entire time, holding her hand, and she knew that as long as she lived they would always be supporting each other like this. The crowning was then followed by a massive celebration filled with wine, feasting, and dancing. The party that had been thrown at the North Pole had been grand enough, but this one surpassed it by far.
Aang and the rest of his friends were all there, Sokka seeming happy that Zuko had kept his word on there being plenty of cake, and Jin's parents really enjoyed themselves, warming up to Zuko's mother as well as Zuko himself. In the middle of it all, as Zuko was pouring himself his second glass of wine he noticed Jin was missing. Katara came jogging up looking out of breath from dancing so much and she reached for something to drink. "Have you seen Jin anywhere?" asked Zuko.
"Uh..." she said, shouting over the music and the scattered conversations. "I saw her head that way," she said, pointing to the left. Zuko nodded.
"Thanks!" He took his wineglass with him and wandered away from the party unnoticed, except by Katara who thought nothing of it, and as he walked he had a feeling he knew where she had gone.
There was a small trail that lead not too far away from the palace, and at the end of it stood a stone monument that had been created in honor of Iroh right after they had left. Standing two feet from it was Jin, staring at it contemplatively. Zuko walked up to her and placed an arm around her waist. "You okay?" he asked gently.
"Yeah," she said with a sad smile. "I just... missed him a lot today. I wish he could have been here."
"I know," said Zuko. "Me too. I know he would have loved to have seen this."
"For so long after he died I couldn't handle anything that reminded me of him, mainly tea. Then, the night I escaped the brothel, I wound up at a farm house of a man who was exactly like your uncle." Jin smiled and turned back to the monument. "It's almost like he was watching over me even then." Zuko smiled at her, and she reached up, pulling a flower that he been tucked into her hair before the crowning, and she set it down at the base of the monument, then bowed her head respectfully to him.
"You know, I think he was here today," said Zuko softly. "I don't think anything would have kept him away from this." Jin smiled and looked at him.
"You think so?"
"Yeah," he said, pulling her close. "I honestly do"
----
A month passed and the day came when Jin's family announced that they needed to be going home. Jin was sad to see them leave, but promised them that she would see them again soon. When they left on a Fire Nation ship, she stood by the docks waving and Zuko was by her side the entire time. "Are you sad to see them leave?" he asked.
"A little," she said softly. "But it's not goodbye forever, and besides I'm too happy right now to be sad."
"Why's that?" asked Zuko with a curious smile. Jin turned to him and took his hand.
"Because... you and I are about to bring another troublemaker into the world." She smiled and Zuko's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull.
"You're pregnant?!" he cried in shock, trying to see if she was being honest or just teasing.
"Yes," she answered, laughing at his reaction. He stared at her in shock, eyes still wide and he struggled to find the words to say. "You can blink now," laughed Jin and he finally broke out into a smile.
"I can't believe it! You're pregnant! You're pregnant!" He lifted her off her feet and spun her around and she laughed out loud, kissing him lovingly. "I love you... so much..." he said, his eyes tearing up.
"I love you too," she whispered. He kissed her again, then took her by the hand, running into the palace with her to shout the news out to everyone. As they ran, Jin smiled to herself. Even though there would still be trials and nothing would ever be completely perfect, she was never more certain than she was at that very moment that no matter what came, they would have a happy ending. As long as they were together, there would always be a definite happy ending.
----
THE END!
(A/N: Epilogue will be up very soon!)