Chapter 7 The Fire Nation
Author's note: I feel like I leave something important in every chapter... only because I want each one to be important. Thank you so much for reading and double thank you for the people who review! It makes my day, even if it's only a line or a word... or a smiley face.
Disclaimer: I do not own Any of the Avatar Characters, Just the ones that I make up to make my plots work.
Katara looked at herself in the mirror. It never fails to amaze her on what the power of make up could do for a person's appearance. The last time the maid dressed her, she felt like a princess. Now, she looked like a queen, which she supposed made more sense.
The bottom of her hair had been curled a little more so that her natural waves were more defined. The top section was put in a messy bun with cascading curls falling from it. The dress she had on was another floor length dress, she had only hope this time Zuko didn't think it was too short. The dress was strapless again, but the top was a beautiful field of fabric roses. Underneath her breast was a rhinestone belt made from ruby crystals as the bottom of the gown flown out with layers of silk. The entire thing worked together to make her not only look skinnier, but taller. The water bender kept touching the dress, astonished at the simple elegant a piece of cloth could have.
"This is certainly nothing like Gran-Gran's dress..." she whispered.
Katara kept Zuko's necklace proudly around her neck. She got the bracelet with her mother's stone in it and placed it soundly on her right wrist. Catching her reflection on the dresser mirror, she noticed that her face had more make up on than before. Instead of a pink shade, they had applied a softer red tone to her mouth. To balance the rest of her face, they dressed her eyelids with copper eyeshadow and lined her them with dark black ink. The finishing touch was a rosy blush to make her cheeks stand out. The maids told the master bender that it was important for the Fire Lady to look her best.
"Is this even me?" She asked as she tried to get use to seeing herself in red.
There was a sudden knock at the door as Katara went to answer it.
"Afternoon, Katara! You look beautiful, the girls did an amazing job."
"Uncle Iroh, what are you doing down here?" The water bender asked surprised.
"I was wondering if you wanted to join me in some afternoon tea before docking?"
Katara smiled at the old man and nodded her head. Together, they walked down the halls and up to the deck. Some of the crewmen were fixing the sail when they turned their head. A few of their mouths dropped when they saw Katara, but she didn't notice any of them. As the two benders took a seat at a small table Iroh had set, the men debated whether or not they wanted to keep looking at the minx in front of them.
"Dude," One of them said, "She's really cute."
"I Know really! How did the Fire Lord score that?"
"The things I would do to her..."
"Seriously?" A voice mumbled, "What would you want to do with her?"
"Well, If I was alone I would definitely get her out of that dress. I would take my sweet time to lay her down on the bed- or the floor- or even in the woods! It wouldn't matter as long as I got some of that- What's wrong with you guys?"
The crew members froze at they looked at their babbling companion. All at the same time, they took in a deep breathe to point their finger at a figure behind him. Turning around slowly, he saw no one other than-
"F-f-f-f-f-fire Lord Zuko," He stuttered, his life flashing before his eyes.
"I'm sorry," The fire bender said, "I couldn't hear what you said. Repeat it."
"I'M SORRY! FORGIVE ME!"
"FORGIVE US!"
"PLEASE!"
"DON'T KILL US!"
The commotion around them drew in the attention of the benders near them. Katara watched as she tilted her head to the side and rubbed her eyes. She had thought that she was seeing thing, but later on noticed that all men drop down to the floor and shouted inaudible things to Zuko. The fire bender's arms were crossed as he tapped his foot, steam coming out from the bottom on his soles. Looking up from his play toys, Zuko smiled at Katara and Iroh, waving his hand to indicate that there was nothing to see here.
"It's... a nice day today," Katara blurted out as she tried to ignore the fact that a mass murder could be happening right next to her.
"Why Yes," Iroh said eyeing his nephew, "It's generally nice... in the Fire Country."
Iroh poured Katara another cup of tea as he looked around. He had heard a short scream erupt from the side, but just as soon as it came out, it disappeared.
"What happened to all the men," The old general asked himself as he noted that all the sail mates went missing.
Katara was slightly too occupied to think about Zuko killing somebody. They were getting closer to land and the anxiety was beginning to sink it. She had agree to do all of this, but she didn't realized that it would be so soon. She didn't have time to read any books because she had to take care of Zuko and the time that she set aside to learn royal manners was quickly interrupted by sleep.
"Maybe I'm in over my head..." The water bender thought as she fiddled with the rim of her cup.
"What's on your mind, Katara?" Uncle Iroh asked suddenly.
Katara slightly jumped as she had forgotten where she was. She looked up toward the sky and saw nothing but clear blue weather. As she followed the atmosphere, she noticed that there was only 1 cloud floating around; One cloud that was out of place on this cloudless day.
"Uncle Iroh," She said softly, "Have you ever felt like you were out of place?"
Iroh looked at his future niece, "I can't really say I ever had, but I'm not too sure I haven't either. Do you feel 'out of place?'"
"I'm just a little nervous," She continued, "I feel like- like... I'm in over my head. I haven't learned any of the rules and I couldn't pick up any royal manners! I don't know how to run a country, I don't even know how to help run a country! I'm still just waiting to fall in love with-with..."
"Slow down there, you don't have to worry," Uncle Iroh said as he tried to ease her nerves, "Just be yourself. The fire nation needs someone like you, not another voiceless Lady that follows their command. You don't need to change who you are to fit into society, Katara. People will love you for who you are, not because you know which spoon to use for soup."
Zuko stood there for a while as he watched the small table intensely. He was judging from Katara's body movements as to whether or not he wanted to walk over there. Seeing that she was so tense before, he could tell that she was probably thinking another stupid thought like; was she ready to be fire lady. Then her tense appearance faded into a more anxious look. Her straight back was now bent forward as he could tell she was now doubting herself.
"She's as readable as a book," Zuko mumbled.
As he watched the two benders talk to each other, he had wonder why him and Katara never had any deep conversation. Why wouldn't she share her problems with him? Didn't he earn some brownie points from her? As his mind wondered, he could hear the cries of men from below him. Looking into the sea, he could see 3 or 4 men trying to catch up with the ship. Zuko had thrown the workers overboard for their lack of intelligence. At least, that was what he was going to tell Uncle Iroh when he ask what had happened.
"Wasn't there 5 men?" he wondered as he recount the figures in the water.
The fire lord saw the tower men look at him. They both shot stares back to one another as they asked if he wanted anything done. Shrugging his shoulder, he pointed his finger to the side which meant that he wanted someone to go fish their coworkers out of the water. Seeing the people race down the tower, he mentally noted that he had to screen the workers better before hiring them.
His eyes traveled back to his fiance as he let out a sigh of relief. Iroh and Katara was back to their friendly gestures as he figured his uncle had calm down the water master. Walking toward the table, he could already tell that Katara was beautiful in her attire.
"I need to tell the servants to make her ugly," He thought, "But then again she would kill me for controlling her life.
"Nephew, are you going to say something or are you going to stare at Katara with that weird look on your face?"
"Uncle Iroh..." Zuko said while forcing a smile, "Shouldn't you be getting dress by now?"
Katara tensed up a little as she heard Zuko's voice. The moment he was there, she suddenly remembered the kiss that they shared. She was trying to forget about the entire thing, but she couldn't. Something inside her wanted more than just a few moments of Zuko. Trying to shrug it off, an awkward laugh came out and Iroh looked at the young girl skeptically.
"It only takes a man mere moments to get dress, Zuzu. Why not join us for some tea?"
"Sure," He responded as he took a seat across from his fiance.
As Zuko poured himself some tea, Iroh went on about the various places in the fire kingdom that they should visit. The Fire Lord sat there ignoring his uncle's stories as he concentrated on Katara, specifically on her lips. Red. He would have done anything for a kiss at that moment. He wanted to know if the color would come off or would it stay on as he pushed her onto the floor. He wanted to know what sounds would come out of her mouth as bite her soft flesh.
"Zuko," The elder bender said for what seemed like the tenth time.
Realizing that the water bender and his uncle was staring at him, Zuko came back to reality.
"Uncle, Shouldn't you get ready soon? You're still in yesterday's clothing."
Katara had notice that Zuko was no longer dressed casually. Instead, he was in an outfit similar to the one he had on when he arrived at the South Pole. Dressed in a long red robe, Zuko had the fire nation insignia on his back. There was gold strips of fabric at the end of his sleeves as a black shirt peeked through the loosely tied sash around his waist. His hair was in a top knot as the Fire Lord crown stood in the center. The entire outfit was focused on the top of his body as she noticed that he only had a simple pair of red pants on with black boots.
"I can see the flags from the gate," Iroh said as he got up, "I should probably get dress then... Zuko, have someone inform me when we hit land. You know how I like to take my time."
The two benders watched as the elder got up and disappeared under deck. It was quiet for only a moment, but a moment seemed like an eternity.
"You look nice today," Katara said as she tried to act normal.
"You look beautiful as always," Zuko replied indifferently.
Another moment passed as Katara could feel her heart rate accelerating. Everything was different. Before today, she would have been fine with throwing dirt at Zuko's face. Now, they were openly expressing their feelings for one another. Feelings. It was something she had never thought she would develop toward Zuko, but she had to admit that she felt a connection with him. He may be a prick sometimes, but she realized he had his good points.
"Like he's a really good kisser..." She thought as she looked up from her cup of tea.
She could see Zuko staring at her and no matter how long she stared back he wouldn't turn away.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"It's not just nothing, you're burning holes into my face," she replied.
"I'm doing no such thing," He answered, "If I were burning holes in you, you would be screaming."
She had forgotten that he was a fire bender and cursed at her poor choice of words, "What I meant was... you're staring at me."
"Because you look nice today," He said smiling.
She looked at him and turned away, blushing as she tried to calm her nerves.
"You're just missing one thing," He said softly as he moved a seat closer to her.
Katara's eyes stay fix on the sea as she looked at the crashing waves. She could feel Zuko get closer to her and had only anticipated what was going to happen next. After a few moments passed, she decided that it was all in her head and that he would never do anything in the open. He was much to proper for that and would never ruin his tough guy act for a little peck. As she turned her head to speak up, she turned herself right into Zuko, whose face was currently 3 inches away from hers.
"uh..." she whispered as she tried to force something out.
"You're missing something," The fire lord said with a smirk, "Close your eyes."
Katara didn't know what to do- and that was beginning to happen a lot. Before her mind could register what he said, her eyes shut themselves. She waited for something to happen, anything. For the most part she wanted him to kiss her, to push her down against the table and devour her lips with his. Yet, nothing ever happened. Feeling stupid, Katara opened her eyes and saw her fiance drinking tea, looking straight into the sky as she felt stupid for waiting there.
"What was that for?" She asked slightly confused.
"I told you, you were missing something," He responded as he tried to hide his smile.
"But you didn't do anything..."
He looked at her and shook his head. Pulling out a small mirror, he showed the water bender her own reflection. She quickly noticed a red flower piece was placed in her hair. It was a flower comb made out of rubies and diamond that looked as though it would cost her an arm and a leg to buy. She awed over the shine and beauty it had and looked back toward the fire bender.
"Zuko, this is beautiful..."
"Yeah, it compliments you perfectly," he added, "It belonged to my mother. I felt it looked better on you than inside a box."
"I can't take something like this from you," The water bender said as she tried to remove the hairpiece.
Zuko grabbed her hand to stop her. He looked at her for a moment, "I want you to have it, Katara. Besides... you're always going to be with me so there's no need to worry about never seeing it again."
"Always," The water bender thought as her heart skipped a beat.
Ocean blue connected with golden flames as the two benders stared into each other's eyes. The wind softly blew Katara's hair around as Zuko catch a section in his hand, pinning them before her ear as his finger touched her cheek. Closing his eyes, he began to lean closer toward her. All the previous time this had happen, Katara had stood still and waited for him to kiss her. This time, she began to move herself closer, her lips yearning for the same shock that ran through them earlier that day.
"FIRE LORD ZUKO!"
The two benders jumped as their forehead bumped into one another. Letting out a small 'ow,' Zuko cursed at the fact that he was always, always, interrupted. He looked up toward the direction of the scream and saw Haru, the new recruit that kept pissing him off.
"What. is. It?" The Fire Lord asked as he tried to mask his obvious anger.
"General Tai... told me to inform you that we will be docking in 3 minutes!" The teenager stated.
"Thank you," Zuko replied slowly, "Please inform my uncle and get the staff ready."
The boy ran off down the stairs as the fire bender rolled his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh as he mentally debated as to whether or not he wanted to light Haru on fire. He could see that they were reaching land, he was right on the deck! Why on earth would he need to be reminded?
The ship came to a jerk as it began to dock onto the bay. The crewmen and maids were yelling orders as they tried to pack and unload all their things to head home. Katara stood up and looked straight out toward the land.
"You're going to do fine," Zuko said as he noticed the worried look on her face.
"Zuko," Katara said as she grabbed his hand.
The Fire Lord stopped and looked at her, his body mid-walk as he stared at the water bender. She took a quick look around to see if anyone was there. A couple of people passed in and out, but they knew better than to spy on the Fire Lord. When she determined that the coast was clear she leaned up and gave Zuko a small kiss on the cheek.
"Take care of me today, okay?" She asked smiling.
The fire bender laughed, "I was planning on watching you burn."
"How dare you!" Katara screamed taken back by the comment.
"I'm kidding. You're not the only one who can joke."
"Well, your jokes are horrible," She mentioned crossing her arms.
"Fine, I'll take care of you if you give me a kiss later on."
The two of them left bickering as they walked toward the halls. Too captivated by one another, they had missed the small movements in the shadow. General Tai was leaning behind the door and his hands were rolled up in a tight fist. Taking one last glare at the spot the two were previously in he growled softly and began to head down himself.
x x x
Katara's heart was doing flips. Upon getting off the ship, a small group ran up to greet the Fire Lord. They had all looked at him strangely as they noticed the small girl near him. Katara didn't know what to say so she gave them a small wave, however, the crowd took a step back. She was already discouraged and she hadn't even said anything out loud. Before she could get some closure from Zuko or Uncle Iroh, they had to leave right away to address the people.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Zuko said as he stood in front of a growing Crowd.
Katara was told to stand on the side until Zuko introduced her. Uncle Iroh stood close to her as General Tai and Haru stood behind them. The water bender watched as everyone gathered in the middle of the plaza, excited to see their king. She wanted to reach out for Iroh's arm, but realized that it was probably too late and that it would be unladylike.
"As you guys know I was gone for the pass 4 days in order to get a special person. We had previously announced that there was an engagement between me and a young lady from the water tribe. It is my pleasure to show you all today your future Fire Lady, Miss Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."
The entire streets were quiet as Katara took a deep breathe in. Her mind was telling her feet to move, but her legs wouldn't budge. She could hear the growing whispers of the crowds as some of them began to recognize that she was in the Avatar group.
"You can do this," She thought, "If you can save the world... you can certainly handle this..."
Iroh gave her a small pat on her shoulder to assure her that everything was going to be okay. As she gave him a smile back, she slowly made her way up toward Zuko. She could hear 'ous' and 'awes' as she walked passed the faces of people she didn't know. Feeling extremely out of her place, she picked up her feet and arrived next to her fiance.
"This woman is not only my fiance, but she is my companion from 4 years ago. I hope you guys show her the love and respect that you have shown me for the past 4 years. Together, I hope that her kindness and my strength will create a better nation for all of us. I know that this is sudden and that many of you will have to adjust to the change, but I hope you all know that my love for this lady runs as deep as the love for my homeland. Please treat her nicely."
The crowd let out their applauds as Zuko took a small bow. The water bender could see the shine of hope in the peoples eyes as they cheered for the fire bender. She had registered everything that Zuko had said and didn't miss the fact that he used the word love to describe his feelings for her.
"Go ahead and say something," The Fire Lord whispered as he motioned Katara to take the stage.
"I don't know what to say," she answered back frantically, trying to conceal her fear with a smile.
"Say anything," The fire bender whispered, "They're good people and they would never throw anything at you... as long as they know the Fire Lord is in range."
"You didn't tell me I had to talk to them..."
"Katara, dear... you're going to have to talk to them," Zuko said softly, "There I told you."
Katara groaned as she noticed that their bickering was only drawing attention. She didn't have anything prepared and she was never a good public speaker. The last time she talked in front of a crowd was when she snuck into the earth bender camp. Looking around, she could see the faces of people who needed hope.
"People of the Fire Nation... I am honored to have you guys welcome me into your home," she said slowly, "I hope that you can all accept me as Fire Lady because I wish for nothing more than the happiness and prosperity of this nation. Things has happened in the past, but any horrid feelings that use to exist is nothing more than a mere dream now. Four years ago me and the Fire Lord worked hard together to destroy any evil that threatened peace. Now, I want to work hard with him to create a new world where children can continue to run around town carefree."
"She's taking the kid approach," Zuko thought as he tried to conceal his smirk, "Smart idea."
"I may not look like much of a person, but I will always try to help anymore who needs it. I love this land as much as I love my hometown because," The water bender continued, "This too is now my home."
Taking a small bow, katara heard nothing from the crowd.
"Oh my god, they hate me," she thought as she froze in fear.
Suddenly, she heard a small clap from beside her and looked up to see Zuko smiling, his hand reaching out for hers as a roar of noise erupted from the audience. As she took a step back, she can hear cheers and 'Yeahs!' from the people of the Fire nation.
"It's going to be okay, Fire Lady!"
"You're so beautiful!"
"We Believe in You!"
The water bender felt a jolt of happiness and relief rush over her body. She could feel herself falling in love with these people as they opened their hearts to her. Whether or not they truly believed in her or was simply following Zuko's lead... she wouldn't know. Yet, perhaps one day she would.
"I thought that the fire nation people were going to be more... mean," she whispered to Zuko.
"I thought people in the south poles would have penguins as pet," he responded, "but you never really know something until you see it for yourself."
He smiled at her and she smiled back. Uncle Iroh, who was on the side, clapped as he saw the instant success of the pair.
"It looks like the unity agreement is working," Iroh said
"Yeah, the citizens love her," General Tai responded.
"Who wouldn't, she's such a nice lady," Haru answered as he clapped louder for the couple.
Uncle Iroh walked toward his nephew and waved to the public. He had informed them that they must get back to the palace, but would come out tomorrow for a stroll around town. As the group disbanded and the commotion died down Katara let out a deep breath.
"You guys do this all the time?" she asked.
"Everyday," Zuko responded.
"More on Tuesday when we go for walks," Iroh laughed.
Katara had look around and saw nothing, but local buildings. She had figure that the Fire Nation Palace was a big mansion, however, could not find it.
"So where is this palace...?"
General tai cleared his throat and pointed his finger toward a hill 5 miles away, "It's about a 40 minute walk from here."
Katara's smile turned into a frown as she heard that number. She shook her head and laughed, "Oh... how nice..."
"But we have these," Zuko said as he reappeared with a horse, "We don't walk too often to town."
He got on top of a white stallion as he extended his hand out for Katara. She had never ridden on horses, but assumed it was like riding on Appa.
"You're going to have to sit with your legs on one side," Zuko commented as he got off the horse.
Picking her up, Katara let out a small scream that got the attention of neighboring citizens. Quickly gaining her composure she gave them a shaky smile.
"What on earth are you doing?" She whispered to the fire bender.
"Here."
Zuko had picked Katara up to place her on the horse. After getting her positioned correctly, he joined her on top, "Just hold on to me," he said as he grabbed onto the ropes.
Katara had turned her body slightly so that she was clinging onto Zuko's chest. She could hear the screams of girls as they squealed over how sexy Zuko looked. Many of them shot Katara a look of hate, but she could have been imagining it.
"You sure have a lot of fans," Katara said as the horse began to move.
"Maybe, but I never noticed," he answered nonchalantly.
Katara held on a little tighter as Zuko picked up his pace. She could hear the footsteps behind them as Iroh and General Tai followed behind with their own ride.
"Doesn't the horses get tiered?" Katara asked as she could hear the panting of the creature.
"They only come out every once in a while. Normally we either take the horses or we take the royal carriage."
"You guys have a carriage?" She asked as she pictured a royal pumpkin carriage, "Why didn't you use it today then?"
"Well, for one, Haru is using it to take the luggage back to the palace and two... I wanted to spend some time with you where no one can interrupt us."
"So you're just being selfish," she commented as she tried to hide her smile.
"Call it as you wish, but you're still hugging me."
"Because I don't want to fall off!"
"I'll catch you no matter where you fall," The Fire Lord said with a smirk.
Katara groaned, but she had to admit that this was nice. The remaining of the trip was quiet as she took in the scenery and the town. It was different than the south pole. The fire nation had houses and buildings as well as various stores and restaurants. They were made of wood or bricks, nothing like the tents she had back home.
The people on the streets were general dressed in red and there were couples and children sitting around the open spaces. She saw the trees that Iroh had previously mentioned, but never imagined them to look so beautiful. There were various colors packed together which made them seem like a sunset in the sky. As she looked around, she could see a large building come into view and her eyes widen at the sight of the place.
"Who goes there?" The guard on top of the gate asked.
"Fire Lord Zuko," The fire bender responded, "We have just arrived back from our journey. Open the gate."
The men worked quickly to fulfill the fire bender's order and as soon as they got inside the palace, Zuko got off the horse. Dusking his clothes off, he could see that Katara was struggling to get off the horse. His lips turned into a small smile as he reached his arms out.
"Jump."
"Jump where?" Katara asked looking at him.
"Right here."
"I'm not jumping into your arms," she huffed.
"Than I guess you're gonna stay up there," Zuko remarked, "Especially since you have that beautiful dress on... and it's not like you want to ruin it or anything because Iroh picked that one out. He was quite fond of it too. Reminded him of something his sister wore on her days off..."
Katara looked down and realized that she did have a beautiful dress on. Not only was it beautiful, but it looked beautifully expensive. Groaning at the fire bender she rolled her eyes.
"Catch me," she said as she jumped down.
Zuko felt a weight change as he caught Katara in his arms. Twirling her around, he noted that she wasn't heavy and felt rather light. As Uncle Iroh and General Tai arrived to the castle, he adjusted his clothes and returned to his usual serious demeanor. Iroh delegated tasks to the workers as Haru arrived to the gates.
"Tai, can you bring the horses back to get some water?"
"Sure General Iroh."
General tai went to put the horses back in their stables as he saw a note attached to the door. Reaching out for it he recognized the writing on the parcel and growled:
General Tai,
I do hope you do not forget about our agreement.
I ask you do not mess this up.
I'm not sure how happy your Fire Lord would be if he found out what you had plan for his wife.
X
Author's Note: Well this chapter was the opener to the fire nation arrival! Now the real fun can began! I'm already working on the next chapter and most lately it'll be up within a day or two. I got started on this one when I got home and finished revising it in 2 hours. Thank you so much for reviewing guys. Also, when I use to write a lot of fanfictions, whenever I ended a chapter I would post a snipet of the next one for the readers... would you guys like that? Or should I just leave it as a mystery. Let me know okay? : )
