Again, this chapter is a bit skimpy, but I've decided that this is just the way I write. When I try to make longer chapters, it take me quite some time to get around to actually writing them. So, I've decided that it's better to give you something every now and then than having months in between updates.
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Katara jerked awake at the noise of someone knocking loudly on her door. Groaning, she sat up. "Yeah?"
"Time for training." Katara recognized Zuko's voice, slightly muffled by the door. "If you still want to do it I'll meet you in the mess in ten."
"Okay," she called, fighting a yawn. She took a few seconds to ground herself, blinking at the wall. With the nightly sparring sessions she'd been having with him, Katara was used to sleeping late. Her body didn't want to get up.
"Well, you asked for this," Katara muttered to herself as she got up.
Ten minutes later she arrived in the mess hall. Zuko already had a place set for her, breakfast waiting. He was just finishing his own meal.
Katara glanced at his head as she sat down, noting that already his hair (though only barely) was beginning to grow back. That was a good thing, because she was having trouble keeping a straight face while looking at his bald and shiny head.
"Those are your training clothes?" Zuko asked, eyeing her outfit, which was her usual dress over pants.
Katara shrugged as she ate, and after swallowing her food said, "I don't have anything else. It didn't occur to me that I might need them." She glanced at his own loose and light clothing. "I'll have to buy some at the next port we stop at."
Zuko fell silent and waited for her to finish her food. Thoughts of the previous night were in the front of his mind. He didn't like that Katara reminded him of his mother. It brought up feelings that he didn't want to deal with. He was just going to have to treat her like any other soldier under his command—admittedly, he had never had to train any of them—and not like a woman. Because that was obviously the connection he was seeing. He just wasn't used to women, that was all. He had only truly known two. His gentle mother Ursa, and his fierce sister Azula. He had fought alongside female soldiers before, but had never gotten to know them. So now that he was faced with a third girl in his life, it made sense that he was trying to categorize her.
Except, the more he thought about it, she didn't closely resemble either of them. Katara may be a fighter like Azula, but she didn't treat him like a rival. And she may be gentle towards him like his mother, she wouldn't stop herself from strongly opposing him when she disagreed. If Azula was yang and Ursa was yin…Katara was somewhere in between. He had felt the fire she had inside her as she sparred with him, but had also seen her in a deep calmness as she practiced her waterbending. He had seen her strong and downright violent with the soldiers on the docks of Yi Chang…and had also seen her at her most vulnerable, helpless and scared at the hands of Zhao.
One thing she undoubtedly shared with his mother, however, was the identity of her betrothed.
Zuko's mind quickly turned from whimsical musing to much darker place. He wished that fact would stop jumping out at him. He didn't want to think about it. At all. Because if he did, that would mean he would have to accept what that meant.
Zuko knew, of course, what he was doing on this ship, what his mission was. He was to bring Katara to the Fire Nation. He had no illusions. He may doubt what his father was doing, and wonder what on earth was going on in his head, but he would do what he was ordered to do.
But that didn't mean he had to think about it and pull it apart and analyze it. He didn't have to think about what came next. Because, as surprised as he was, he liked Katara. He enjoyed spending time with her. Zuko, who had never been particularly close to anyone his age, may have actually come across someone he could call a friend.
So who could blame him for not wanting to think about the future, about what happened in a month's time when they arrived at the palace? He didn't like thinking about how he was happily escorting her from her home, away from her family and people, to a future full of uncertainty, which couldn't possibly hold any joy for her.
He was being selfish. And Zuko didn't care. He was powerless to change the circumstances they were in, so he was going to try his damned hardest to enjoy himself for once. And if Katara wanted him to train her, he was going to do it to make her happy.
He lead her up to the deck when she was finished. The ship had left port at sunrise, and the deck rose and fell gently with the motion of the sea. Telling Katara to copy him, Zuko began to stretch out his arms and shoulders.
"Before I let you anywhere near a blade or any sort of weapon, you're going to learn how to fight with your bare hands. It's the way I was taught, and that's how I'll teach you."
"Makes sense," Katara murmured, grabbing her thumb with her other hand and carefully stretching her wrist.
"Sine you're a bender, this probably won't be hard for you. You're already comfortable with your body and are used to using it." Zuko began to slowly windmill one arm, then the other, loosening his shoulders. Katara mirrored him. "Still, I'm going to take it slow. You're going to want to go faster, but I'll set the pace, and until I'm satisfied we won't go forward." He shook out his arms. "All right, come here."
Katara stepped closer to him, facing him squarely. "First thing you're going to learn is wrist escapes. Chances are, someone is going to try to grab you in a fight—at least, a non-bender will."
He grabbed her wrist with a firm grip. "Without using your bending, or hitting me," he said with a smirk, "try to get away."
Katara tugged. Zuko held on. She tugged again, startled at how much weaker she was. As a bender, she had very little physical contact with an enemy. Another tug, and Zuko was forced to move with her or topple, but he still held on.
Zuko saw the surprise in her face. "Exactly. You can't just tug." He let her go. "Grab my wrist."
Katara did, holding on tight. "Now, I'm physically stronger, so I probably could just tug, but that wouldn't teach you anything. You expect me to go back, just like you did, right?" Katara nodded, watching him expectantly. "So what if I do the opposite?"
Suddenly he stepped closer, shoving his arm out. Katara tried to hold on, but her arm was twisted awkwardly and she was forced to let go, stepping back to keep her balance.
"See? Easy. When someone grabs you, it's usually to pull you closer. So do what the attacker won't expect—go with them. You try."
He grabbed her again. Katara copied his movements, and was foolishly pleased when it worked. "Again." This time he put up some resistance, forcing Katara to work harder. "Once more." She moved, but this time Zuko used his other hand, tapping her cheek with his knuckles. She blinked at him. "Why would someone be pulling you closer?"
"To hit me," she said, looking at his fist.
"Exactly. Keep that other hand up. Always protect your face. Again."
Once Zuko was satisfied, he showed her another technique. "Sometimes having a single tool is good enough, but it never hurts to have several ways to get the same result." He showed her some more wrist escapes. He made her do them several times, often correcting her feet or her hands.
Iroh and a crewmember ended up standing on the deck, watching them. Katara mentioned this to Zuko, embarrassed. He told her to focus and not pay any attention to them. Silently, Katara thought that there wasn't much to focus on, the things he were showing her were all quite simple. But he had said that he was going to start slow, and it was good that he was showing her something she could handle and nothing too difficult. So Katara kept her mouth shut and continued doing as he told her.
However, when Zuko stopped some time later and said that was enough, Katara couldn't stop herself. "That's it?" she exclaimed, disappointed.
Zuko frowned at her. "Look, I know it's nothing special. At first you're going to be bored. But I'm teaching you the basics. And you can't learn more until you master the basics."
Katara didn't argue. He was right. Waterbending was the same way—you couldn't create a tidal wave before learning how to create a ripple. Of course she couldn't leap into the advanced things without learning the foundations.
Seeing that the two of them were finished, Iroh walked forward. "You two looked busy," he said.
"I asked Zuko to show me how to fight without bending."
"Every lady should know how to defend herself," Iroh said approvingly.
Katara smiled at him. "It's nice to hear you say that. At home…" she trailed off, looking away.
"At home, what?" Iroh asked.
Katara shrugged. "No so much in the South…but the North Pole. They don't like it when the women fight."
"You mentioned that," Zuko said. "Didn't you tell me that you fought Pakku for the right to learn?"
"Really?" Iroh asked, raising his eyebrows. "I met him once…can't say that it was an enjoyable experience, with us being on different sides and all. But he was a masterful bender." He chuckled. "I would have paid to see that fight."
Katara shook her head. "Oh, goodness, no. I was a mess afterwards. I think the only reason he didn't thrash me was that I was the granddaughter of the girl he loved. He and my Gran-Gran were sweethearts when they were young."
"Oh ho, nothing better than a love story," Iroh mused. "What happened?"
Katara grinned. "Well, she wouldn't bow to the stupid rules of the Nothern Water Tribe. She was fed up with the men of her tribe trying to run her life, so she left and joined the more open-minded tribe in the South."
Iroh grinned. "Not exactly a romantic love story, then. She must have been a very strong woman. See, Zuko, let this be a lesson to you. Never force a lady to be something she isn't. She will never appreciate it."
Zuko sputtered. "This is not the time to be giving dating advice!"
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Lunchtime passed, and then Katara and Zuko sparred. They were no longer meeting at night, as Zuko no longer had the night watch, and they still wanted to get their daily (or, what had previously been nightly) practice.
Katara reveled in finally being able to go at the pace she wanted, and was happy to have her waterbending back. While their morning practice hadn't been fast paced or dangerous, Katara didn't like not being able to use her number one go-to tool.
The crewmembers that weren't occupied with their duties stood on deck and watched the couple's mock fight. This time Katara didn't even notice their presence until she and Zuko had stopped, and was startled by the applause. She frantically waved away their clapping, while Zuko merely scowled at them.
"That's one way to stay in shape during a long journey like this," Captain Jee said, walking up to them. "I myself wouldn't mind some exercise. I'm sure some of the other crew feel the same. Would you mind if we joined you on occasion?"
Katara beamed. "I would love that! I think it'd be great for me to practice with different people. Having a different partner from time to time would only help."
Zuko fought the sudden urge to argue. No, he wanted to say. She only works with me. I don't want her fighting with other people. He kept his mouth firmly shut, however. It wasn't his decision. And she was right, she should practice with others.
That didn't stop him from being jealous, however. Which was ridiculous. It was silly of him to think that he had the right to keep Katara all to himself. But that was just it. He didn't want to share her.
He tried to push these thoughts away as he entered his quarters later, still annoyed at how quickly Katara had jumped at the chance of a new partner. Wasn't he good enough? Was she bored? Now more than ever he wished he hadn't agreed to give up night watch. At least then it was only him and Katara, no interruptions.
As he prepared for bed, something caught his eye. He turned to his dresser and saw Katara's necklace. Picking it up, Zuko ran his thumb over the pattern, then turned and left his room.
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Katara opened her door and looked at Zuko. "What is it? I was getting ready to sleep, if we're getting up at the same time tomorrow."
"I forgot to return this to you last night," Zuko said, leaning against the doorframe and dangling her necklace by the ribbon. He offered it to her. "Here."
Katara blushed, staring at the pendant in his hand. Even though it was her grandmother's…Katara had never been offered a marriage necklace by a man before. While she knew he had no idea of her traditions, she felt as if he was holding out a bouquet of flowers to her. "Zuko…"
"Why are you getting red like that? What is it?"
She looked up at him, embarrassed. "I never told you what that was. It's an engagement gift." Blushing deeper, she continued, "In my culture, when a man offers a woman a necklace like that, it means he wishes to marry her."
Zuko blinked, then glanced at the necklace in his hand. He quickly closed his fist around it. "Oh, uh. Well, obviously, that's not what I'm doing. Because, you know." He went to give it to her again, then pulled his arm back. Mortification crept up his spine as he felt his face heat up.
"Obviously," Katara agreed, looking down at her feet.
"Not that I'm saying I wouldn't—," Zuko rushed to say, worried he had offended her. "Because you're—you know what, never mind." He strode past her and dropped the necklace on the bed. "There. No proposal." He cleared his throat. "I'll see you tomorrow then," he said, then left.
Katara stared at the door for a few moments after he had gone, then turned to her bed. She carefully picked up the pendant, then turned to the mirror and put it on. If she hadn't been so embarrassed, she would have been amused by how flustered Zuko had gotten. But she wasn't anyone to talk.
As she climbed into bed, Katara mused over the situation. Not exactly the proposal she had imagined when she was a little girl. A firebender, offering her a marriage necklace! A smile crossed her lips. Oh, her father and brother would be spitting mad.
But then again…Zuko actually wasn't so different than what she had imagined. Eyes closed, Katara recalled the fantasies she used to have as a little girl, before the conflict between nations had really begun to affect her life.
She had always imagined that her warrior—because of course he had to be strong like her daddy!—would be tall and dark and brave. He would come home after a victory, and rush over to her and sweep her off her feet, and kiss her in the way naive and innocent little girls would imagine. Then her handsome fighter would set her down, and out of his pocket he would hold up a necklace, one he had painstakingly crafted himself, and offer it to her. He would whisper, "Katara, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I want to marry you and have you as my wife." And then they would live happily ever after, with her husband away fighting for their country and hunting with the men while she stayed home and raised their children.
Of course, that fantasy seemed so foolish now. Katara would rather now be called strong than beautiful. And she didn't fancy the idea of man saying he wanted her as his wife, as if she was an object to covet. And Katara was no longer interested in keeping house while the men were away fighting. Ever since her mother died…well. She had long since outgrown that fantasy.
But she would be lying if the image of Zuko standing in the doorway and offering her an engagement gift hadn't made her heart lurch a little. Half asleep, Katara mused that Zuko wouldn't be so bad. He was smart, and respected her—which was an extremely important trait, with her coming from a culture that thought women who wanted to fight where strange and foolish. And he was a superb fighter, an attraction that Katara had never grown out of. Even though he was a firebender—something that she would have been horrified by when she was little—all the conversations they had had together showed that there was more to him than met the eye. The fact he was a prince…well, that would have made little girl Katara squeal with joy and jump at him. Big girl Katara wasn't quite as enamored with the idea, but hey, no one was perfect.
It was too bad, she thought sleepily. While she wouldn't have been thrilled with the idea of marrying the prince of the Fire Nation, now that she had gotten to know him she thought that perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. They could have been friends, at least. Perhaps better than a marriage she could have had amongst a Tribesman.
It really was such a shame.
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Zuko leaned against the watch tower's base, knees drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped around them. They had put some distance between themselves and the South Pole, but the nights were still chilly.
After lying on his bed for an hour, completely awake, Zuko had given up and walked up to the deck. He wished that he could completely blame his insomnia on the fact that for the past few weeks he had the night watch and usually didn't go to sleep until much later. But that wasn't totally true.
His face still grew hot when he thought about it. Damn the Water Tribe and their strange customs. Really, how was he supposed to know about their weird proposal traditions?
The surprised look on her face was still in his mind. And that blush that had covered her cheeks. As if, for one moment, she had thought he meant it. And why on earth had he been so embarrassed? He had gotten so flustered, when really, it shouldn't have bothered him. Zuko dropped his face against his arms. He had acted so…like a flustered child! He was supposed to be calm and collected, damn it. His uncle would have had a field day with his reaction if he had seen it.
"It's an engagement gift," her voice echoed in his head. "In my culture, when a man offers a woman a necklace like that, it means he wishes to marry her."
Zuko jerked his head up. If it was meant as an engagement gift…who had given it to her?
Zuko glared at the moon above him, a lopsided circle now. He wasn't getting any sleep tonight, apparently.
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Zhao stared at the wall of his cell. His mind had been whirling ever since they had closed the door on him.
The Fire Lord had ordered him to make that stupid water bitch look like she wanted to break the marriage contract. He was supposed to make her look like the villain in the eyes of the Fire Nation people, disgrace her…when all he had done was disgrace himself. She had even demanded that he be thrown at the feet of her soon-to-be husband as a wedding present!
Zhao knew how that would be received. The Fire Nation people would love her. She—the sympathetic, young, beautiful girl—had been attacked by a man the people thought was hero, a man who was supposed to be a great role model. And not only had she survived, she demanded that he be tried for treason against the Fire Lord. The people of the Nation would love her for her fire and tenacity.
Ozai was going to be furious.
Zhao had no illusions. Ozai would see him as a failure. He would not protect him.
So Zhao had to protect himself.
He had few options. He could escape, and go on the run. He would never be able to return to the Fire Nation if he did, and that would leave the Earth Kingdom…which he had spent his entire career attacking. While not many people knew his face, it would only take one veteran soldier who had survived a battle against him to bring everything down. Even if he escaped enemy detection, he had no money to support himself, and would forever fear Fire Nation assassins. The Fire Lord never took kindly to deserters.
His other option…
He still might be able to disgrace the Water Tribe girl. Or…better yet, kill her.
Zhao liked that idea. He could already imagine his hands squeezing the life out of her. Ozai would be pleased, wouldn't he? If Zhao got rid of his problem? He would have to do it quietly, of course. Make it look like an accident…or perhaps like an earth bender did it? An enemy to the Nation?
Yes, that could work. He would have to get rid of Iroh and the Prince, though. Couldn't have any witnesses left to what he had done. Zhao smiled as he imagined killing that damn excuse for royalty. Their Agni Kai had been a fluke. The next time Zhao wouldn't lose…
Iroh would be a problem. He didn't have the name Dragon for nothing. But he was aging, and flabby, if their last meeting gave any indication.
The Fire Lord had never seem inclined to either of them. Surely he wouldn't mind if they died in a tragic accident that took out the entire crew of their ship. It would make the girl's death look even more believable!
Nodding to himself, Zhao grinned. Ozai was sure to reward him. His plan was perfect.
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So, in case you couldn't tell, Zhao's gone off the deep end. I think the fear of having the Fire Lord wanting him dead would make Zhao unable to think clearly.
I forced some more Zutara action in this one, but it felt a little flat to me. I have this concrete idea of how I want their relationship to be, and since it's not there yet I'm struggling a bit. And if the slow pace is annoying me, it must be terrible for my readers. Sorry about that.
As a side note/question for your opinion…I had Zuko act a little, dorky, I guess is the word, with the necklace scene. And while this is how I'm going to keep his character, I was wondering my readers' take on this. Because I felt like whenever we did get to see him being romantic, he sometimes ended up being a doofus or a screw up. I've read fics where he's slick and flirty and girls would jump at the chance to be with him (and I'm not complaining, I read those fics with joy!), but I don't get that vibe from him. He actually kind of reminds me of Draco Malfoy with how the fandom treats him, because the fandom makes Malfoy out to be the sex god of Hogwarts…but in canon he didn't really live up to it. Your thoughts?