Zuko stared at the dead body of his father. He felt physically ill, but he forced himself to hold it together. He laced his fingers with Katara's to ground himself and took a harsh breath.
He was now Fire Lord. He forces that thought in his head. He forced on the fact that that was why his father's death was important. He wondered why now of all moments he remembered his whole family at their beach home on Ember Island happy together. He pushed that thought out of his head.
It took a while for him to realize that the crowd was chanting, "long live Fire Lord, Zuko!"
He blinked and mentally shook himself. He knew it was now time to take action.
It was Avatar Szeto who fully snapped him into action. The man bowed and said, "I have triumphed at Agni Kai, Fire Lord Zuko."
Zuko wasn't sure when the Avatar had gotten back to himself, returning from the Avatar State, but he was sure it was while he was trying to pull himself together.
Zuko nodded in acknowledgment and announced, "Council meeting in thirty minutes. Those of you I have told I was adding to my council are to be there too." He wanted it clear he had been planning how to proceed already, and he was already prepared. He then added, "Avatar Szeto, I'm pleased that you will be out of hiding now. Your room is to be moved into the main wing of the Palace." And he knew that would show everyone he had been working with the Avatar.
Szeto gave a wry smile, "it has been an honor to collude with you, Fire Lord. And we have seen each other win at Agni Kai. It's an odd thing to have in common." He, too, was making a point to help Zuko. He wanted everyone to know he was around when Zuko was in Ba Sing Se and to let them guess how long before that, they were working on the same side.
Zuko walked into the council room and smiled at the evidence that Nazumo had already been busy working. The chair for the Fire Lord was moved to one side at the head of the table with a matching chair right next to it. He took Katara's hand and squeezed it. She, unsurprisingly, kept her word. She hadn't left his side the whole time.
By the time they had arrived the table was already full of councilmen, that was a change. Enough of them had been killed or thrown out by Ozai that there had been large gaps. Now, those were all filled with Zuko's picks. He knew he'd add some councilwomen eventually, but he felt one woman at the head of the council would be a big enough change for them for now.
"Katara will become my wife before the day is over. I have already signed the document removing the ban on marrying from the harem." He looked around and noticed everyone seemed completely unsurprised. He smirked, that would change soon.
"I am also announcing the official end to the Fire Nation's aggression against the other counties. That said if they insist on fighting us anyway, I will go after them with the full force of our nation. I want peace, but I don't want them confused as to the Fire Nation's intentions. Signed official announcements are going out as I speak."
He paused and looked at Katara. He then added, "anything to add, future Fire Lady?"
The harem was already in flux, but she knew that wasn't necessary to bring up in the meeting. What did the men care about who was sent to them from the harem as long as they got to keep having sex? Many women choose to stay. They got to be pampered and live in the palace in exchange for their bodies. Although about forty percent of those who had remained had another reason for staying. They were being taught to read and write and use code. They would be spies in Katara's service. The Madam had really loved the idea of being the commander of a spy network.
And for that matter, many of the councilmen in the meeting would have a spy ready and willing for them tonight. They wanted to know what the council was thinking now. particularly with all that would be revealed.
What she did say was, "you want me to announce my own position?" She playfully shook her head at Zuko.
He shrugged, smiling, "I meant about the sex dinners."
"You can end those," she replied, smiling. She then turned to the council, "I will be at the council meetings at his side. And I will be helping him to work to make other countries believe he wants peace. I will be the contact when they come to discuss peace treaties."
She then smirked at Zuko, she had announced her own role, and she was challenging him to make his own statement. She loved the playful banter.
Zuko nodded and added, "and no more sex dinners led by the Fire Lord. What you choose to do in your own time is up to you." He knew some would keep up the dinners. He was changing enough that he figured if being able to participate in private dinners like that kept them "happy" that was to his benefit for now.
He squeezed Katara's hand. This next part made him nervous, "any questions?" He knew what was coming, after all.
One of the more frequent users of the harem spoke first, "the harem, will it still exist?" He was one Zuko knew would be hosting sex parties for sure.
It was Katara who said, "of course, it will remain open to our loyal councilman and their families. In fact, I will personally ensure you personally have a woman sent to you tonight. Would that please you?" In fact, a woman was already scheduled to go to him –one of her spies. He nodded, unmistakably pleased, and sat back in his seat. He didn't comment again the whole meeting.
Another next asked Zuko, "we've never had a woman on the council. How do you expect us to accept her?"
He replied, "I may not be the walking psychotic nightmare my father was, but I am the Fire Lord, and my decrees will be obeyed unerringly! Don't mistake me in this. Do remember that I took the head off of a man who threatened her. Also, know that I didn't decide to go through with killing my own sister until she tried to hurt Katara. You better believe that if you refuse to follow her, I will remove you from your positions and find someone who knows their place!" Silence fell in the room. Even those who were fully in the know were surprised by Zuko's tremendous furry.
The man who asked cleared his throat nervously. "I didn't mean… I'm sorry if I offended you, Fire Lord." He bowed his head in respect. "I just meant that it was a –new thing…." Katara knew he would be having sex that night, too, again, already planned.
And that was the relief so far for Zuko. He was aware of her plans and her spy network, and here they would be spending their evenings for the next week at least. But still, so far, the immense time they put into trying to figure out where everyone stood was dead on. No surprises were a very good thing.
Haru spoke up, "well, I'm getting married soon, so I'm just thrilled about how things are progressing. I'm all for the new Fire Lady and her power."
"What?" another councilman asked.
"Aya, from the harem, I've been in love with her for years. Now I can finally marry her with the marriage ban on the harem lifted, Katara knows she's supported us, and now I will marry the woman bearing my child."
That was the moment it finally dawned on everyone that those on the trip with Zuko to Ba Sing Se would all be on his side and know about the Avatar. That meant to them that Mai and Ty Lee would know too. Mai, the woman Katara stabbed and embarrassed, was now on her side.
"How much do you plan to change the council?" another asked. "You have added quite a few of your own men."
"What I have done is to restore the council," Zuko responded. "I filled the positions that my father emptied. I have no intention to change any of those currently serving on the council unless otherwise provoked. Serve well, and you will have no reason for concern for your position."
That brought reassurance to more than a few of the long-standing councilors. Zuko's message was clear, to fall in line and they could keep their wealth and status.
"Ummm…" a tentative voice went up. "I am not challenging or critical at all." He wanted that stated from the beginning. He liked the power he had very much. "I'm just merely curious. How will Katara be better than our own Fire Lord at negotiating peace?" He then hastily added, "other counties will just be used to the Fire Lord being the final word….."
"Good question." Zuko smiled and looked at Katara. "Know that I said she would negotiate, not have the final signature on the treaties. You are right, counselor. The other counties have centuries of belief that the Fire Lord makes the final decisions, and they won't trust anything less.
"That said, she's exceptionally gifted, and I and those that I have consulted believe that will help other countries to trust us more."
Katara stood, and everyone fell exceptionally silent. Haru knew he was the only councilman fully in the know. He watched the others, knowing what would happen. When it did, their stunned faces didn't disappoint.
She moved in a foreign-to-them bending style and shocked them when water rushed forward, and she formed a Fire Lily out of ice. After a moment of silence, gasps of shock went up around the room.
Zuko was sweating because this was what really made him nervous. How would they all react?
She then said, "I am the proof of his desire for peace, Zuko loving me and making me Fire Lady, that he respects other nations and bending styles."
Haru decided to break the silence coming from the council. "And how long has he known that you're a bender?"
"Since our very first night together."
"Good," he replied. "We all knew you were from the Southern Water Tribe. Isn't it better if you're a powerful bender? You are, right?"
"She's a Master Waterbender," Zuko replied proudly. "Uncle Iroh declared her as such."
Katara blushed. She was still standing, and she added, "I'm more than that. Ozai will never know how well his plan against the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe worked. I'm no Water Tribe peasant. I'm the daughter of Chief Hokoda and sister to his heir, Sokka."
"Wait!? I thought the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe was killed! Ozai ordered their death and…." the councilman trailed off when he noticed Zuko's mood darken quickly. "I didn't mean to offend, Fire Lord!"
"It's not you," Katara replied reassuringly. "He's upset over what happened. It's another reason he believes other nations will listen to me –my forgiveness. The woman who was killed back then died, hiding the fact that I was the last Waterbender. My mother died in my place."
One of the older councilmen burst out laughing, getting everyone to look at him in shock. "Don't misunderstand me," he said, leaning back unconcerned. "I'm not laughing over the death of her mother. I'm thinking about how Ozai's worst fear came true –fool. He ordered the murder because of the prophecy that said the last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe would sit on the Fire Nation throne. Then the nitwit gave you to Zuko himself, causing that very thing to happen. That's hilarious!"
Another older councilman said, "thus ensuring it's stupid to go against Katara being on the council. After all, by trying to stop that very thing, Ozai ended up dead."
Zuko wanted to shout in relief. He knew the council had to come to their own conclusions over the prophecy. But this was just too perfect. They brought it up themselves and then came to the conclusion already. Well, some of them did. But that gave them all something to think about if even the Fire Lord couldn't prevent the prophecy.
He decided it was time to move on and let them all ponder that for a time. "Any other questions or comments?"
One man said, "I'm coming to believe with these new revelations that Katara wasn't surprised to have a Metalbender come to her aid?"
She sat and shook her head, "no, I was not. She came here with us from Ba Sing Se. If any of you are acquainted with the underground fighting ring in the Earth Kingdom, she is undefeated and known as The Blind Bandit. Oddly enough, she's also among the Earth Kingdom nobility."
Zuko nodded, "she's not the only among those I trust from other nations. Sokka, Katara's brother, heir to the Southern Water Tribe, has been here for quite a while and will have a member of my bodyguard that is a Kyoshi Warrior. My actions will show other nations I desire peace and not pure nationalism.
When the council meeting was done, Zuko felt incredibly strange. He had kept so many secrets for so long, and now many of them were out in the open. Now, his network, which he hadn't revealed the existence of, had their work cut out for them to find out how all news was received. Of course, he expected Katara's spies to discover the most information.
He walked down the hall with Katara by his side –right where she belonged.