Chapter 4 Saying Yes
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading still everyone. I don't know if you guys do this, but when I see a new comment my heart has a mini heart attack and it takes me... 5 minutes? To click on the 'review' button. xD I always think it's going to be bad... does anyone else does that? I'm trying to get into a one chapter a day kind of thing until it goes more heavily into the plot, but we'll see what will happen!
AN part 2 : moonsunearth and angelonearth4life There is a note for you guys at the end. :3
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these character!
"How could you assume I would use a concubine?" Zuko whined as he looked up toward the sky.
"Well, I don't know," Katara said, "It's been a while and you are 20... plus you're a man with a country,"
"But a CONCUBINE?" he blurted as he exaggerated the word loudly.
"Why else would they think I'm one?" she inquired.
Zuko rolled his eyes. That was something about her that didn't change. She always argued back. He had never used a concubine before, in fact, he detest the idea of making woman sleep with men for money. Giving out a loud sigh, he saw through the corner of his eyes a stream of water floating through the air. Katara was waving the thing back and forth in loops.
"Maybe they thought you were a concubine... because you're too beautiful in that dress," Zuko smirked, "You should go change."
"You implied I looked nice," Katara stated dropping the water from the sound of the word 'beautiful.'
"Now I'm saying you look too sexy, go change."
"You can't just tell me to go change!" The water bender yelled as she crossed her arms and marched in front of Zuko.
"It's just too sexy, Tara, that dress is way too short," He said looking away from her face.
"It's Floor Length, Lord Hot-Head,"
"Than it's way too thin,"
"It has a layer of cotton and then a layer of silk and then MORE cotton,"
"Obviously, it is too red,"
"Then obviously your whole nation is too red!"
The two benders bumped heads. It looked as though Katara was about to drown Zuko in a water bubble when they heard a throat clear in the air.
"My, my isn't it lovely to hear such love in the air,"
The two benders looked toward the direction of the sound and saw Uncle Iroh walk onto the deck. He had a small circular tube in his hand and insisted both of them joined him for a tea party by the sea.
"Uncle, we are not bickering lovers," Zuko said bluntly.
"He's right, Uncle Iroh, and on another note, I think Zuko needs to get some glasses for his poor vision," Katara mumbled, "He thinks a floor length dress is too short."
Iroh laughed as the two sat down at the table the soldiers had set, "Well Katara you are certainly a vision in red, perhaps Zuko is a little jealous that you look that beautiful in front of others. You really should just say that Zuzu."
"Shut up!"
The water bender looked at the Fire Lord who was currently staring out at sea in the opposite direction. After a few inaudible comments from him, everyone settled down and a friendlier atmosphere came back.
"Its been a while since we had a female on our ship. Normally we transport spoiled brats or rude men," The general said.
"I'm glad I can change the scenery," Katara replied, "It has been a while since I've traveled."
"Uncle," Zuko suddenly said while getting up, "because Katara has your company, I am heading back to the office. I might as well try to get some work done so that tomorrow is clear for me. When you're done with your tea party come get me,"
"Are you sure Zuzu that you do not wish to stay? The ship band is going to preform later on tonight!"
"I'm fine," Zuko said, "Katara, I'll get you for dinner if I finish early, enjoy the tea."
He gave her a small smile, hoping it would rebuild the bridge to their friendship once again. As she replied back with a smile of her own, a wave of relief rushed over his body and he turned around to head back down.
"Have fun being king," The water bender laughed as she saw Zuko's figure retreat into the darkness of the ship.
"How's your tea, Lady Katara?" Uncle Iroh asked after noting that Zuko was finally gone.
"It's wonderful, Uncle Iroh, but please call me Katara,"
"Don't mind if I do," The old General replied, "And how about your other tea?"
Katara looked at him for a moment and realized he was referring to Zuko and the talk they had earlier that day, "My other cup of tea... is still a little too hot to drink, but I'm sure it'll cool down soon."
A moment of silent passed through the air before Iroh and Katara began to talk about the things they did within the 4 years of peace.
"Zuko was always busy after that..." Iroh said as he finished his thought.
"Really? I guess that's the price of running a country. Actually, I was surprised to see that I was going to marry Zuko," Katara said as the topic focused on the fire bender.
"Why is that?"
"Well, I use to hate Zuko... or was it that I hated fire benders," Katara thought for a moment, "Its just hard to imagine the change from enemies to friends and now lovers,"
"Things change everyday, Katara. Take the leaves on a tree for instant. We have hundreds and thousands of trees in the Fire Nation, but no one takes the time to appreciate them anymore. If you look closely at their colors you see that they change from green, to yellow, to nothing, and back to a soft red..."
"We don't have trees in the South Pole," Katara said softly.
"Yes, but you have seen them in your travels," Uncle Iroh said smiling, "The matter is not that you use to hate each other or that you two are just friends. My nephew is someone who has been through a lot, but something he knows well is love."
"Really?" Katara asked as she wonder if he was talking about a previous girlfriend.
"The love I mean is the one his mother gave him. Zuko may have been a hot headed teenager, but he was full of anger. He wanted desperately to show his mother that he could shower her with the same amount of love she had given him, but because she was no longer there he wanted to give it to his father. I think we both know how that went," Iroh stated with a serious stare, "But... what matters now is that you two can grow into love, just like trees grow into their colors. You just need to observe and pay attention to one another and you'll notice all the stages that comes with this new journey. Don't walk pass it like others do. They'll be fun moments, calm moments, and bad moments, but labels like enemy, friends, lovers...they are merely words. What matters is the heart."
Katara smiled. It felt like she was talking to her Gran-Gran. Uncle Iroh was such a gentle soul and it was hard to believe that his brother was such a tyrant.
"You're a wonderful talker, Uncle Iroh, I'm glad that I can call you my uncle," the water bender said softly as she took in the words of wisdom.
The two began to drink some more tea when one of the younger solders came on deck.
"General Iroh! Can we set up the equipment now?"
"I will fire a flame ball at you if you didn't," He laughed
Bang. Clinks. And 'I'm Sorry"; Filled the air as the deck began to transform into a stage.
"Do you..." Katara began to ask, "Do you think me and Zuko can be a good pair?"
Uncle Iroh looked at the teenager in front of him and smiled warmly, "Katara... If I did not think you two were good for one other, I would not have left the coast to come get you."
As Katara was about to say something else, Zuko and 6 other men came on deck.
"Tara, dinner is ready," Zuko called from the other side.
She looked around and had not notice that the sun was starting to set. She saw a line of men bring out drums, mics, and liquor. Uncle Iroh, who was just sitting in front of her, had already gotten up and insisted that they bring the lotus board out to play chest. He called it Iroh's Tournament of War.
"Is it always so festive?" Katara asked as she walked toward Zuko.
"It's music night on the ship," The fire bender replied, "They're always excited about it. The crew men and women get to dress down and play songs, drink, and behave like regular people. If you like we can go see it after dinner."
"That would be nice," She replied, "Oh and Zuko?"
The Fire Lord looked at her, "Yes?"
"Sorry I said you slept with concubines,"
"Sorry I said your dress was too short, but it does beautiful on you,"
"It's still floor length you know,"
"Yeah, but it's still way to cute,"
Katara took the comment as is and blushed. Giving a small nod, her and Zuko went down into the hallways. The commotion upstairs was beginning to get louder as the men set up for their annual music festival. Going down the halls, Zuko lead Katara to a dinning room that he had set up for dinner.
As they entered the room, Katara took in the usual red décor and noticed the unlit candles. As Zuko pulled out Katara's chair and sat her down he lit a small flame at the end of his finger and snapped it. Suddenly all the candles lit up and created a glow throughout the room.
"Wow..." Katara said as she clapped in shock.
"Being a Fire Master, you tend to invent new tricks as you go along,"
"Do you do this for all your old girlfriend," Katara asked quietly as she lifted the lid of her dinner plate.
"Actually, besides you and a few casual dates, I had no time for girlfriends," Zuko replied joining her at the table.
"Really? There was no one who caught your eye?"
"Well, when you're in my position you really never know who loves you for you and who likes you for your title,"
Katara could see the small shot of pain that ran through Zuko's eyes as he said that, but chose not to push it any further, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I had no time for dating either. After the war, Father allow me to travel to other bending tribes to teach them water techniques."
"I'm glad to hear that," He said smiling noting that he would be one of the few to capture and keep her heart.
Minutes pass as the both of them chat and ate. They didn't have that much to catch up on because they were frequently sending mail off and on, but they did talk about their accomplishments and goals. Zuko told Katara about a project he wanted to start when they got back to help the poorer community and Katara jumped at the idea. She had mention how it seemed similar to a project she accomplished in the North Pole and therefore got the position of leader.
"Katara," Zuko said as he touched his pocket.
"Yeah?"
"Uh..." he mumbled, "Do you have room for dessert?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"It's a Fire Nation speciality," he smiled as he got up and left the room.
"Breathe Zuko..." he whispered to himself.
The fire bender was nervous. It was now or never. The only thing he ever got from his father were a few life lessons and one of them was: Make a good impression the first time because it matters the most. He had to do this perfectly or else she will never remember it the way he wanted her too.
Walking back into the room, he held a plate of pastries.
"These are called Fire Mail," he said putting one in front of him, "It's kind of like soft mochi- except only fire benders can create these perfectly."
"Why is that?" she asked
With a flick of Zuko's hand a small flame came out and he threw it toward the ball. The outside began to brown as the fire cooked the cake.
"Can't you do this with a camp fire?" Katara asked skeptically
"Yes... But you can't do this,"
As Katara stared at the ball in front of her she moved back slightly, fearing that the ashes would burn her and suddenly realized that the flame was changing shape. Instead of the wild flames that cooked the treat, a small heart began to appear and burned the shape on the top.
"Only fire benders can make the shapes," Zuko said smiling, "The fire comes from the cooking, but the mail comes from the message that the bender wants to say. Skilled benders, like me, can burn words into the cake as long as it is big enough."
Katara smiled and took a small bite of it. It was both warm and chewy which made it delicious.
"mmmm!" she exclaimed.
Zuko watched as she ate. It had been a while since he ate with someone other than Iroh or a royal guest. Taking a deep breathe he decided to man up.
"Katara," he said as he looked at the water bender.
"Yes?" She responded, finishing the last piece of her sweet.
"I know that you're only here because of an agreement... and that's no way to even start off a marriage. You're suppose to meet, fall in love, court one another, and then when the moment is right ask for the girl's hand in marriage."
"Yeah, but under these circumstances... I suppose we need to do everything out of order," she said smiling.
Zuko got up and walked around the table. Katara followed him with her eyes, but he took a spot behind her chair, using his hand to keep her eyes fixed on the empty chair in front of her.
"5 years ago, I found this necklace in a shop and decided that I would use it to lure the avatar out," the fire bender said, clipping katara's mother necklace off, "But I didn't know it was important to you. Therefore when I saw it again on the floor in the earth kingdom I naturally picked it up."
"Luckily you did too... I thought I would never see it again,"
"I know this is a bridal necklace that belong to your mother, therefore I would never want you to go without it," he said softly as he took the stone and clicked it into the bracelet, "But I also don't want others to think that I made such a wonderful thing, when I had no part in it."
"Oh it's okay, I assume that you don't take many hands on jobs anyways..." Katara said ignoring the fact that Zuko was basically right on top of her.
The fire bender clipped the necklace back around her neck, except this time it was the one he had made for her. Taking the chance he turned the chair around and kneeled down so he was eye level to his fiance.
"Katara, I know we didn't start off as friends. In fact, you probably hated me the most until we went on that little mission, but I want you to know that I'm going to try my best to make you happy. I'm going to try my best to make this worth your while. I'm going to try my best to make you fall in love with me," He said as he placed the bracelet on her wrist.
Katara had looked down and saw her mother stone in the middle of the large bangle. She was confused. If that was there, what did he put back on her neck. At that moment, Zuko pulled out a small mirror, holding it up to show her the reflection of his own creation.
"The heart will be a symbol of my love for you as both my friend, my ally, and my wife,"
"zu..zuko..." Katara said with soft eyes.
"I know this marriage is to keep the peace, but I'll make you fall in love with me because you are my Fire Princess. Even if it takes weeks, or months, or years, because" He said while getting up and leaning toward her ear, "I am already becoming quite fond of you..."
Katara's eye slightly blurred as she realized she was was beginning to cry. One moment she was eating cake and the next she was crying. Zuko was worried. Did he say something wrong? Did he mess up taking the necklace off?
"I- I'm sorry," he blurted out.
"It's not that... you didn't do anything wrong, I was just surprised," she said as she wiped her tears, "you thought of everything. You knew that I would want to keep my mother's necklace..."
"I know it's important to you, Tara."
"Did you make this?" she asked pointing to the stone on her neck.
"Well, we both know I could never produce something so amazing... But I drew the entire thing." he said smiling, "There's just one thing I need to ask you."
"what is it?"
"Will you marry me, Katara of the southern water tribe?"
The water master looked at the Fire Lord. She smiled and then blushed. Frowned and then laughed. Covering her face she nodded, "Yes."
Zuko pulled her up to a hug, "There was one thing I did to the necklace," he whispered.
"paying for it does not count," Katara replied softly
"That's not it," he stated, "on the back of the necklace is today's date, August 5... so when we're older, we'll always remember what day you said yes. Today will be the day we start our lives as an us."
The two of them stay in a hug for a long time. Katara didn't really know what to say and she certainly didn't want him to see her blushing. Zuko, on the other hand, was mentally gloating about how smooth he sounded and made a mental note to pat himself on the back later.
The fire lord looked down, moving his upper body slightly away to see Katara's face.
"Are you blushing?" he asked with a smirk.
"No, I'm not!" She responded shyly
"Someone's a horrible liar," he mocked
"It's the candle light," The water bender groaned.
"It's your face,"
"Maybe it's your horrible eyes!" Katara exclaimed as she tried to move away.
Zuko tightened the grip on her as she began to wiggle and protest. As the two of them stood next to the table, he lightly pushed her against the edge, trapping her from moving away. For a long moment it was silent. The two of them looked at one another and suddenly, Zuko moved his face a little closer.
"k..k...kiss?" Katara thought as she saw him slowly close the distance.
Her eyes shut themselves and she stood still, waiting for the scent of cinnamon to intoxicate her, however, just before their lips touch...
"Zuko!"
The Fire Lord stopped and glared, "Uncle Iroh..." he whispered as he noted that he must kill the old man.
"Oh Zuko," Iroh sung, "Open the door,"
"GO AWAY!"
"That's no way to talk to your Uncle," Iroh protested.
"Go. Away"
"After I raised you, and traveled with you..."
"UNCLE"
"loved you, and looked after you..."
"IROH"
"bathed you after you had that-"
Zuko's eye widen as he ran toward the door, "NOT ANOTHER WORD!"
Katara soaked in the moment.
"If Uncle Iroh didn't interrupt..." she thought, "We would have..."
Her heart skipped a beat as her hand touched the necklace. She smiled, eyes focused on the bickering pair.
"Music Night, Music Night, music Night!"
"Uncle ,for the last time we will come later on,"
"You're missing everything now though!"
"FINE!" Zuko screamed as he stumped out the door forgetting his former engagement.
He could hear the sound of Katara's laugh as he heard two different pairs of feet behind him.
"So close..." he thought as he replayed the scene in his mind.
Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I decided to do a treat and bang out a couple of chapters today. I have work at the end of the week and I know that I won't be able to write as much then. I wanted to thank moonsunearth for all the time she takes to read and review. Also thanks to angelonearth4life for pointing out that I forgot to change the status when I posted the story!
