Later that evening Zuko walked back in the room where Katara was laying on the bed resting. She picked up her head and looked at him.
"Hey." She said to Zuko. He looked at her and took the blanket from his shoulders.
"Hey." He answered back, and shut the door behind him. Zuko walked to the same chair he had been sleeping in earlier and sat down. Katara looked at him.
"How are you?" She asked him, trying to make conversation. He looked at her and answered.
"Good, but it was getting cold out there." Zuko told her.
"Yeah, it always gets colder at night, and the temperature drops as it gets later." Katara informed him.
"I know that." He told her.
"I know you know that." Katara answered back. Then Zuko slightly smiled, she smiled back. After a few moments of silence between the two of them, Katara decided say something. "How is being Fire Lord working out for you?" She asked him. Zuko thought for a moment before answering.
"Boring, I usually just listen to the generals argue with each other all day. Uncle helps me a lot. Zuko said. "So, how's being Princess of the Southern Water Tribe working for you?" Zuko asked her.
"The first year was okay… until… you know." She stopped and became silent. Zuko looked at her and saw her sadness.
"Oh, right." He said while he looked to the floor. He thought for a while then asked her some thing. "Why did you choose that jerk?" He asked her. Katara looked at him in shock.
"A princess has to choose a suitor before her sixteenth birthday, my time was running out. Sokka told me that you-know-who was a nice guy and that he would make a good husband." Katara told Zuko. "At first he was a gentle man and treated me well, he asked me to marry him and I said yes. I should have never agreed." She told herself and Zuko.
"Oh." Zuko said and was trying to think of something better to say.
"Even Gran Gran doesn't like him." Katara told Zuko.
"At least some one in your family has good judgment." He told her.
"Sokka has horrible judgment." She said. "He still doesn't trust you." She told Zuko.
"Oh." Zuko said for the second time.
"It I could just freeze them some where and leave both of them…" She said jokingly. Zuko slightly laughed. She then smiled at him. "Then they would know how angry I am at them." She said. After a few moments of silence Zuko said something.
"Isn't you-know-who a waterbender?" Zuko asked her. Katara nodded. Then after a long time of silence Katara laid down on the bed again, with her chin on the pillow, she looked at Zuko.
"So…" Zuko began to say. "How is your bending?" He asked her trying to make conversation. Katara thought for a second then answered.
"I have a lot of time to practice, I'm improving." Katara told him. "I practice, outside the palace by myself, it is peaceful there." She told him.
"I practice with uncle in the courtyard." Zuko said.
"It must be nice to have a relative train you." She said.
"Yeah, it is." Zuko said. After a few minutes of silence Katara said something.
"It is getting late." She said.
"Well, I slept all day." He said. Katara yawned. "You should sleep." He told her.
"Aren't you supposed to rise with the sun, not the moon?" She said jokingly. Zuko smiled and slightly laughed. "So what are you going to do? Oh nocturnal one." She said.
"I'll just wait for morning." Zuko told her. Katara rolled her eyes.
"You'll be asleep when morning comes." She told him.
"Oh, yeah." Zuko said. Katara raised her eyebrow, and looked at him.
"Did you forget that?" She asked him.
"No I didn't forget that." Zuko said. "But what can I do about it?" He asked.
"Stay up all night and all day." Katara told him. Zuko thought for a moment.
"I can do that." He said.
"Or can you?" She asked.
"I can try…" Zuko told her.
"If you don't stay up it is going to be a very watery day for you." She threatened. He looked at her confused then he smiled, she rolled her eyes then smiled back. "It won't be my fault if I happen to water bend at you." She said jokingly. Zuko rolled his eyes.
"I won't fall asleep." He told Katara.
"Good." She said. Zuko leaned back in the chair; she laid on the bed and closed her eyes.
The next morning Katara opened her eyes; she sat up and turned around. She saw Zuko asleep in the chair, she rolled her eyes and
Got out of bed she quietly walked over to him and put her mouth next to his ear. "FIRE!" She screamed in his ear. Zuko's eyes snapped open and he looked at her.
"What!?" He asked and looked around the room, Katara giggled.
"You fell asleep." She told him while she smiled. Zuko calmed down and rubbed his eyes.
"Oh, sorry…" He said.
"It's okay, just don't fall asleep." She told him, and Zuko nodded. Zuko stood up and looked at her. She smiled again; he walked up to her and looked into her eyes. She looked back at him.
"What?" She said, Zuko looked at her eyes.
"You have beautiful eyes." He told her, Katara faintly blushed. He smiled at the sight of her blush. Katara thought of something to say in return.
"Thanks." She said after a few moments. "You are very handsome." She told Zuko, and he smiled again.
"Thanks." He said in return. Then he reached for her hand. Katara allowed him to hold her hand and Zuko led her out to the deck. They both smiled but didn't allow each other to see their happiness. Once they reached the deck Katara sees the shore of the fire nation.
"We are here." She said with relief in her voice. Zuko nodded and let go of her hand to bring the ship into dock. Katara continued looking at the shore she saw many people awaiting the return of the fire lord. She recognized a friendly face, she saw Iroh waiting at the dock. The ship stopped and Zuko walked to Katara, he offered her his arm. Katara smiled and held onto his arm. Zuko led Katara down from the ship and saw Iroh standing in the crowd, Iroh waved to him. Zuko smiled and waved to his people. Katara smiled and noticed the strange looks she was getting. She looked at Zuko and he gave her a reassuring smile, she gave him a slight smile in return.
"I thought you were going to be gone longer than that." Iroh told his nephew, as he walked over to the two of them.
"Plans changed." Zuko told his uncle. Iroh was confused.
"What happened?" He asked the fire lord.
"We wanted to come home sooner." Zuko said.
"We?" Iroh said confused.
"You remember Katara?" Zuko said and looked at his uncle questionably.
"Yes I remember her." Iroh said and smiled at Katara. She smiled back.
"She wanted to come with me." Zuko told Iroh, and Iroh became excited.
"That's great!" Iroh said excitedly. Zuko smiled at his uncle's enthusiasm.
"Yeah." Zuko agreed. Katara smiled at Zuko.
"Well, the three of us should go to the palace." Iroh suggested. Katara and Zuko nodded. Iroh turns and leads both of them to the palace. Katara and Zuko follow behind him.
"What are we going to tell your uncle?" Katara whispered to Zuko as they continued walking. Zuko was confused.
"What do you mean?" Zuko whispered back.
"Well… he thinks that we are together." She said quietly. Zuko looked to the ground; he wished that they really were together.
"It doesn't matter." He softly said.
"If he finds out we aren't together he will be upset." She whispered.
"No he won't be upset." Zuko tried to tell her.
"Okay…" She said quietly.
"After all we are just friends…right?" Zuko told her quietly.
"Yeah we're friends." She said in return.
"Good." Zuko said trying to hide his anger, he continued walking. Katara also continues walking. Zuko wished that they were more than friends but he didn't want to rush her into another relationship. The palace comes into sight. Zuko sighed.
"What's wrong?" She asked Zuko. He looked at the floor.
"Nothing, why?" He asked her, despite something really was wrong.
"I know some thing is wrong." She told him, she was right.
"Katara nothing's wrong!" He said, annoyed.
"…well as long as you're sure." She said, sadly.
"I'm sure." Zuko told her. Katara looked around as they walked into the palace. Iroh stopped walking and turned to them.
"Well, I'll see you two later." Iroh said and left to drink tea. Zuko and Katara stood there for a while. Zuko yawned.
"FIRE!" Katara yelled in his ear. Zuko quickly turned to her with an angry expression on his face. Katara gave him an innocent expression. "It's still day, you can't fall asleep." She told him. He sighed, while trying to hold back another yawn. After another moment of silence Katara asked him something. "Do you have fire lord stuff to do today?" She asked him. Zuko thought for a while.
"Probably, do you want to come?" He asked her. Katara nodded and followed him to the throne room. Once they reach the throne room Katara looked and saw the throne and a shiver went up her spine, she still couldn't believe that Zuko was the fire lord. After a few moments Zuko asked her something. "Do you want to sit on the throne?" He asked her, he hoped she would say yes.
"No thanks." She said confused. Zuko was disappointed.
"Okay." He said. Zuko walks to sit on the throne. Katara rolls her eyes and sees a general come in the room. The general walks to Zuko and bows.
"Lord Zuko there is a soldier here." He told the fire lord.
"What does he want?" Zuko asked then sat on the throne.
"He has a complaint." The general told him. "He says he wants Zuko gone." The general said. Zuko rolled his eyes, Katara was confused.
"Send him away." Zuko commanded the general. The general bowed and left the room.
"What was that about?" Katara asked Zuko.
"I don't know." Zuko said.
"Maybe he doesn't like you as fire lord, or wants you banished again." Katara said.
"I told you I don't know." Zuko said with anger in his voice.
"I know you don't know." She said.
"Well, then stop asking me…" Zuko said, he was getting annoyed.
"It was just a question." She said defensively. Zuko ignored her. Katara sighed. "I know you are upset about something." She said.
"Don't worry about it." Zuko said and looked away. Katara sighed and began to walk away. He was very tired, he hadn't got much sleep. He noticed her leaving the room. "Where are you going?" He asked her. Katara stopped she realizes those were the exact words Yukio said to her a few days earlier. She took a deep breathe.
"To find something to do." She told him.
"Okay." Zuko said and Katara left the room. Zuko stayed in sitting on the throne and closed his eyes and fell asleep.