Chapter 9: Winning over the crowd.
Author's Note: So I've been having a rough day today and decided to just take a breather and write... but really I am just feeling horrible and I'm not sure what that will do to my writing, so I apologize in advance to you guys. It's just been "one of those days."
oh and toward the zuzu comments, I know Iroh doesn't call Zuko zuzu, however, I feel like his personality is open enough so that I can get away with it every now and then. If you guys hate it though I'll change it. For me it feels repetitive to also see "Zuko zuko zuko..." and there's no way to get around using terms other than fire lord, fire bender, ect. If you have any idea please tell me!
Disclaimer: I Do not own any of these characters! Just the ones I make up.
Zuko woke up suddenly as he looked around his room. It didn't seem like much time had passed since he had fallen asleep and as he stared beside him, he could see the small figure of his water bender next to him. His eyes slowly began to adjust to the darkness and he could hear Katara's heavy breathing echo throughout the room. The Fire Lord slipped out of his bed and made sure he was absolutely quiet. He didn't want to wake Katara up after all the trouble it took to get her to sleep.
As he threw on a red robe, he opened his door and closed it behind him. Making his way down the long hall, he took a right and then a left. His eyes drifted briefly to the windows in the hallway as he noted that the moon was still high in the sky. As his feet began to drag on, his mind began to race around him. What exactly was he doing out in the middle of the night? He felt silly walking around with nothing, but his pajamas on. If someone had caught him, they would question what the fire lord was doing and the news would spread throughout the entire castle by morning. Coming to a sudden stop, his body stood in front of two big, brown doors. He could see the fire light up the room from the glow that came behind the wood.
"Who is it?" A voice spoke called out suddenly.
"It's me, Uncle."
Zuko knew that his uncle slept rather late and that it was probably due to the naps he took during the day after his tea. As the door opened up, he saw his Uncle in his night robe, his armor off and set aside for the day coming up. Iroh would always know when Zuko was near him, in fact, he always knew when anyone was near him. It didn't surprise the fire lord when he didn't have to even knock, Iroh had always had a 6th sense for these type of things. It must have been from all the battles he went through in his younger years.
"Zuko, it's late, what are you doing up?"
"I just came to visit," The fire bender responded as he looked toward the ground.
Iroh had grown up next to Zuko. When his nephew was banished from the Fire Nation, he took no time to pack his own belonging to go along. He was more of a father than his own blood and obviously knew when something was wrong.
"Come in."
Zuko took a few steps inside. It had been a while since he went into the elder's room and it still looked the same as before. Much like Zuko's room, there was a bed in the corner and a carpet in the center. Tables and boxes of items and souvenirs laid around the room as they showcased the places and people that the general had seen. On the wall was a big painting of him and his real son while beside it was a was a portrait of Zuko and himself. He always felt honored that his Uncle cared so deeply about him and therefore developed a close bond to the old man.
"What's bothering you, Nephew?" The fire bender asked as he motioned Zuko to take a seat beside him.
"Me and Katara decided to get married on June 15th," He said softly.
"That's great!" his Uncle replied, "That's a wonderful way to celebrate ones birthday... and much more reasonable. The counsel wanted to do it next week."
"Go figure they wanted to push everything all at once," The fire lord thought as he looked at the paintings on the walls.
Zuko had always been good at hiding his emotions. He didn't want anyone to know his weaknesses because those things can be used against him at any time. However, when alone with his Uncle, a part of that wall broke down.
"Uncle, I don't know about this."
"About what?"
"The whole marriage thing..." He mumbled.
"Zuko, we already brought her so far from home. It would be horrible to send her back especially when she has started to develop feelings of her own."
"I know I can love Katara, but how can I ask her to love me back?"
"You don't have to," Iroh replied, "You don't ask people to give love back, love is given by choice."
"And what if she doesn't chose me?"
"It's unlike you to doubt yourself, Zuko, especially when you have done so much already."
The fire bender looked at his Uncle, "She told me she liked me, Uncle."
"Than what is the problem?" The elder responded slightly confused.
"What if its a lie.."
Iroh looked at Zuko with a shock expression, "Don't you think you should give Katara a little more credit? It may have been a while since I saw her last, but I believe that she is still the same at heart. Even as a teenager she was very expressive toward you."
Zuko slightly smiled as he remembered what the fire master was hinting toward. Katara use to hate him and it wasn't just a small hint of hate either. She was always yelling at him in the group and never took a moment to notice he was trying his best. He could train shirtless and she would go on feeding that huge Air Bison and never once would she take another look.
"I know she is truthful," the fire bender said, "But maybe I just pushed her into her feelings."
"You can't push someone to feel something that they don't, Nephew. When I lost my son a lot of people tried to push me into a happier place, but what I felt was what I felt. It took me a long time to accept it, but eventually when you came along it became easier. If Lady Katara said she likes you than she likes you because she sees the effort you are putting into winning her over. No one came to her and said to love you. No one pushed her onto the ship. It was your friendship and your actions that made her say, 'I like you.'"
"But what am I doing, Uncle..." The fire bender asked softly, "A week ago I could have cared less as to whether or not a female liked me. I never took a look at any village girls and I wanted the concubines in the palace to be fired upon talking to me."
"What you're doing, Zuko" His uncle commented, "is falling in love."
"I thought I did that with Mai, but this feels different."
"Oh no," The elder replied, "I believe Mai was simply someone who gave you a new experience. A feeling that you never had before. Maybe you loved her, but in the end it didn't work out because it wasn't meant to. The love you two shone was never mutual and if it was it was never at the same time. When you loved her she was merely fond of you in vise versa. You two were never compatible! In fact, I rooted for you and Katara since the day you became Aang's fire teacher."
"Uncle, Mai was a... she was... I really!"
Zuko took a moment and quiet down. He really did thought he liked Mai, but as time passed by the two of them spend less and less time together. He was okay with not seeing her and she didn't really seem to mind that he wasn't there either. It was like something was missing, but he never found it with her. It was only natural to break up.
"I don't even know if she'll like the real me. She's like water, calm and carefree, but I'm just fire; hot and ill tempered. We're the spitting image of our bending... how can something so opposite come together?"
The elder bender could see the worry that passed through his nephew's face. It was always rare for Zuko to come and talk to him and the last time they had done so was when he decided to end things with Mai. A part of him was happy that the fire lord trusted him so much, but another part of him was disappointed that Zuko could not see the good in himself. Taking a small lotus chip he handed it to the young boy.
"Do you remember this, Zuko?"
"It's a lotus piece," he answered bluntly.
"Yes, but this is the chip you threw out when we had that grave encounter with the pirates long ago," Iroh said.
Zuko fingered the tiny object in his hand. He had remember that day rather clearly. The entire ship had to stop in a nearby town so that his uncle could buy another lotus piece, however, to his luck the avatar was also in the same village. He wanted to end his travel and capture the boy and therefore made a deal with Pirates in order to get help. Yet, when the trip went down hill and the pirates took off with his own ship, fire and rage ran through his veins as he wanted to burn someone to mere ashes. It wasn't until Iroh had pull the chip out of his sleeve that he had snapped.
"I Thought I threw this in the ocean," Zuko mumbled.
"Well, I had someone go fish it out, but that is beside the point... this chip is very important to me because it completes my lotus board. I've grown old with this chip and every game I've won had this piece on the field. Whenever General Tai wants to play a match I go into my room and get this piece because it's my good luck charm. This is my secret weapon."
"Sorry I threw it..." The fire bender whispered as he realized the importance a tiny object had.
"I've seen you grow up, Zuko. You have always been a tough boy, but I believe me and your mother knew that you were kind at heart. You can show Katara that side or you can chose to hide it, but no matter what you chose, as long as you listen to your heart, you will show her the real you. That is your secret weapon. The sooner you show her, the more power it'll give to you."
Zuko stay silent for a long time. He didn't really know what to say. He had ran a country for four years and was about to turn 21, but next to Iroh he would always be a little kid. Giving his nephew a small pat on the back, Iroh gave him a small grin.
"Thanks Uncle..." The Fire Lord said as he nodded his head.
Zuko left the room a couple of minutes later. Not a lot of time had pass since he left, but he felt like he was gone for an eternity. He didn't want Katara to wake up with him missing because she was in a new environment, but he also didn't want to make too much noise getting his time to walk quietly, he opened the door to his bedroom. He looked around to see if anything was different and heard the soft breathing that came from his fiance.
His feet moved toward the bed as he looked down toward the girl under the covers. Her low ponytail had came undone and her soft locks fanned out around her. Slowly, he slipped back under the covers, the mattress moving slightly as he got back in. The water bender had stirred a little, but went straight back to sleep, her hands next to her chin as she let out a soft sigh.
"mmm... Zuko..."
The Fire bender looked at the water master with slight surprise as his name escaped her lips. Was she having a dream about him or was she simply telling him to go to sleep? He couldn't push the small ping that ran through his heart as his hand fell against his head.
"Just a couple of days and you're making me act like a hormonal teenager..." he said softly.
He leaned down, his breathe brushing against Katara's tan skin. Zuko's golden eyes caught the shine of the bridan necklace as he grinned. He pushed his lips against hers softly.
"Water tribe tradition..." he said quietly as he laid back down to fall asleep.
It took him mere moments to slip into slumber, but as he fell into a world of dreams his mind slowly poked at him, thoughts running through his brain as he tried to relax. Water tribe tradition stated that the man must present his lady with a necklace, but in the Fire Nation, they had a tradition of their own. A lady is only taken when her hand has a stone on their ring finger...
Katara woke up in the morning, the faint sounds of birds ringing through the air. She slowly nuzzled her head against her pillow as she let out a small yawn. Snuggling under the blanket, she could smell the faint scent of cinnamon around her. Opening her eyes slowly, she had a small heart attack as she saw Zuko staring back at her, the pillow she was hugging before quickly became his chest.
"AH!" The water bender yelled as she moved her hand in a quick motion.
She had waited for a water whip to fly out of the sky, but nothing ever came. Looking confused and shocked she stared at the grumpy man in front of her.
"And that is why... I now keep nothing watery inside my room..." Zuko said as he rubbed his ears.
"I'm sorry, Zuko, I guess I forgot where I was... did I wake you up...?" She asked slightly guilty.
"No, I woke up a while ago, but someone was holding onto me so I couldn't really leave the room," He answered nonchalantly, "Although I never been someones arm pillow before."
He gave her a small smirk as she turned a deep shade of red. He admit that he wanted her to see his sweet side, but he couldn't help the small teasing moments that came out naturally around her.
"Is this why you never wanted to sleep next to me when we were teenagers?" The fire lord mocked.
It was way to early for Katara to be dealing with this. As she let out a small huff, she pushed the Fire bender off the bed, her arms crossed as she said, "NO! I didn't want to sleep next to you because you smelled like burnt wood!"
"Liar, your nose wrinkled."
"URG! Shut up!"
Uncle Iroh was currently walking pass the room as he could hear the screams from behind the close door. Letting out a small smile, he ordered a nearby servant to get breakfast ready as he walked outside for fresh air, "Love is a beautiful thing."
x x x
Katara and Zuko took a seat at the table. A maid had came to get Katara ready for the day and as she kicked Zuko out, she mentioned that Iroh had already had food prepare for their morning. Today was an important day because they were going into town and everyone made sure Katara looked the part of fire lady. As Zuko wore his regular ensemble, Katara dressed in a similar, yet more feminine version. They wanted the two benders to look like an adorable couple and therefore got the idea to coordinate their outfits.
Instead of the loose robe that men general wore, hers was more form fitting and sliming. It was red with gold lining as the bottom danced with the image of butterflies and flowers. Her waist had a black sash tied around it to create an hour glass figure and her hair was put up in a messy bun, curls and waves framing her face as the flower piece Zuko had given her laid on top. She wasn't allow to wear a crown until the wedding, but she could still look like a queen. Her lips were painted red as a small hint of blush highlighted her cheek bones. Due to the dramatic effect the lips took on, her eyes were a more subtle aspect and were simply pink with black eye-lining.
"Good morning Zuko, Katara," Uncle Iroh said as he stepped into the room. Following behind him was Haru and General Tai.
"Good Morning, Uncle Iroh, General Tai and Haru," The water bender replied softly.
Zuko gave the group a small nod as he offered the two men a seat at the table. Taking the invitation, the servants brought out plates of fruits and meat buns as they poured warm tea into their cups.
"Lady Katara, you look wonderful today," General Tai said as he stared at the girl in front of him.
"Thank you," She replied.
"You sure do look beautiful in red for someone whose originally a water bender!" Haru commented.
Zuko had an angry look on his face as he glared at Haru.
"Thanks, I was worried that red wouldn't look good.. but it's starting to grow on me."
"Nonsense, with your hair and eye color, anything would look good on you!"
The Fire Lord slammed his fork down as he cleared his throat. The entire table stopped for a moment as Haru looked as though he had killed a puppy on the street.
"General Tai... Will you be joining us today in town?" Zuko said slowly as he tried to change the atmosphere.
"I apologize that I cannot. The counsel is having me run some errands for them, but if you like Haru may go with you three."
"That will not be needed." The fire bender immediately responded.
"Nonsense, nephew, the more the merrier!" Iroh said joyfully.
"Too much people will only cause a distraction," Zuko stated.
"It may be good to have some sort of protection there," General Tai commented.
"I am all the protection we need."
Zuko was very persistent in not letting Haru come, but Katara could see the sad look in his eyes as he poked at his food.
"Zuko," she said softly, "I think it would be nice to let Haru join us... he won't have anything else to do anyways."
The Fire Lord looked at his fiance and his expression went from annoyed to blank, "Fine."
Haru let out a small thank you as he ran off to get changed. As soon as he was out of ear shot, Zuko stated at his General.
"Who hired him?"
"It was a request from one of the counsel member..." General Tai said quietly.
Zuko was a hot head, but he knew better than to defy the elders. Letting out a small sigh he was growing overly annoyed of Haru's carefree appearance. Not only was he over complimenting Katara, but he was ignoring all the glares that was being shot to him. Maybe Zuko was losing his touch, or perhaps the young boy had a death wish.
Taking a last bite of food, The fire bender got up.
"I have to meet with the counsel for a moment," Zuko said while sighing, "When I come back we can go into town."
"What matters do you have with the elders?" Iroh asked curiously.
"I'm going to tell them the date we had set for the wedding. I believe that if I don't give them a day soon they will go ahead with their own plans."
As he walked away Katara smiled a little. She had remember what they said yesterday night and was now poking at her own food. She was distracted as Iroh and General Tai engaged in a friendly conversation. A while had passed and food slowly disappeared from the table. Zuko was taking longer than anticipated and the old men were growing tiered of small chat.
"Katara, I'm going to get the carriage ready," Iroh said while getting up, "Please excuse me General Tai."
As he left the room, the water bender sat alone with the General. She could feel a pair of eyes looking at her, but didn't want to look up.
"You do look beautiful today, Lady Katara."
"Thank you, General Tai." The water bender responded.
"Almost like a butterfly yourself."
"I think they are a much more beautiful creature than myself... sir."
Katara was trying hard to sound proper while still avoiding the awkward conversation between her and the older male. She didn't really have any one on one time with General Tai, but never thought she ever would.
"I must ask, Lady Katara... How does one do it?"
"Do what?" She responded quietly.
"Captivate others with your beauty as well as you do."
Katara looked up toward the General and for the first time she had seen that he was looking at her. For a moment she could have sworn that he was flirting with her, but kicked the thought out of her mind when she realized that he was a General and could have been around her father's age.
"You flatter me, General and I'm sure My fiance would agree that you are too kind with your words."
Before the conversation went on any further Zuko had walked back into the room. The strong atmosphere that was there before disappeared as General Tai stood up and said a quick goodbye to the Fire lord. It appeared that he was trying to get away from Zuko before any awkward matters came up.
"Katara? What's wrong?" the fire bender asked as he noticed the look of confusion on her face.
"It's nothing," she said softly, "just my imagination..."
As the two bender left the room to head outside, they could hear Haru screaming down the hall to 'wait up.' As the sounds of their footsteps grew further away, General Tai walked back into the room, his kind face now angry and distorted. He walked over to the place that Katara sat in and for a while had simply looked at it. Quickly and swiftly, he threw her plate onto the floor and stepped on it, glass breaking as the pieces stay on the red carpet.
"Just like a butterfly... That I'll slowly crush until it can't fly."
x x x
Katara looked out the window as they head down to town. Haru and Uncle Iroh was talking about artifacts as Zuko remained quiet. She could see forest run on for miles and was speechless toward the natural scenery around her. The fire nation was different from the South Pole, but both were beautiful in its own way. As she could see people in the distance, she took a breathe in. She felt Zuko's hand on hers as he gave her a small grin.
"I'm going to find new treasures!" Iroh said smiling.
"You really like collecting things don't you, General?" Haru asked
"It's my greatest hobby."
As they came closer into town, there were small cries and cheers. Everyone had taken notice of the royal carriage and who wouldn't? The carriage hung a huge fire nation flag on the top of it and was made out of the finest wood known to man. Not many people can afford to have vehicles, but the ones that did made sure it screamed money.
"The Fire Lord is here! The Fire Lord is here!"
Zuko gave them a small wave as he went back to his usual, royal demeanor.
"You don't have to be so stiff," Katara whispered as she looked outside.
"It's part of the job description, Tara. If I don't appear tough than the people will walk all over the royal family."
The carriage had stopped somewhere in town and everyone got out. Iroh stepped out first followed by Haru as Zuko jumped onto the ground. He had turned around slightly and held his hand out for Katara as she made sure that she didn't step on the bottom of her robe. People began to gather around the group as many of them came baring small gifts.
"Hi Fire Lord Zuko!"
"Hello."
"You look wonderful today!"
"Thank you."
The water bender almost laughed at the answer Zuko gave them. He wasn't engaging or adding anything, but the villagers were eating every moment of it. She had looked at the fire bender and he stood tall and straight as he generously denied any of the gifts.
"Thank you so much for your consideration, but I rather you keep this trinket for yourself. Your loyalty and kindness is more than enough for me."
Katara looked around and saw that she was really the only person who was standing still. Zuko was having small conversations with village men as she backed away from them. Feeling out of place, she tried to find Uncle Iroh, but noticed that him and Haru had went into a small store.
"This just came in today, General." The shop keeper said showing the elder a small statue of a bird.
"OH! How beautiful! How much is this trinket?"
"5 gold coins!"
"Haru! Carry this to the carriage for me!"
"Everyone's busy," Katara said softly.
She didn't want to appear strange, so she walked down the street. Looking at all the stands, street venders engaged her as she appeared to be a wealthy young lady. Many of them had recognized her from the first day she arrived and came to say hello, but after giving them a small smile they proceeded on to saying hello to the Fire Lord.
As the water bender walked pass a small stand, she could see a variety of bracelets and rings laid on the table. Taking a small look at a couple of them, one in particular had caught her eyes. It was a decent looking bracelet that was made to fit a regal man. As the bangle was made out of red ruby, the entire thing was mashed together with sapphires.
"This looks like me and Zuko," She thought quietly as she touched the stone.
A small lady walked out to great her as she noticed that she was the soon to be Fire Lady. Taking a look at what had caught her eye she had made Katara a small bargain and said that it would only cost her 5 gold coins.
"Is this real rubies and sapphire?"
"Why yes, my husband made it himself a long time ago. It took me a while to get up the courage to sell it because I am quite fond of it myself, however, if it was to go to you and the Fire Lord... I believe my heart can rest soundly."
Katara had a little money on her that she took before leaving the South Pole. As she pulled out her purse she handed the woman 8 gold coins for her generosity and honesty. She walked away with a smile on her face as she held the bracelet in her hand. She wasn't sure if Zuko wore these kind of things, but she knew that she wanted to give him something back for all the gifts he gave her.
"Hello there Miss," A voice said suddenly.
The water bender turned around to see two young men in front of her. They didn't appeared dangerous so she let her guard fall down. As she stared at the two gentlemen, she note that one of them looked like Zuko, only the younger version of him. They were both dressed in common clothing as both of them had smiles on their face.
"Hello there, what are your names?"
"My name is Jin and this is Jay."
"Are you two brothers?" Katara asked as she noticed the similarities.
"We're best friends, but we grew up together..."
The three stood for a while and chat. Jin had the same physique as the fire bender, but his hair was short and brown. He seemed to fade into the darkness next to his friend whose personality was much more open and big.
"No, no I'm only 19," The water bender answered while smiling.
"Really? You were so beautiful that I thought you were older, but then again it must be because you're simply just gorgeous," Jay said smiling.
"Me and Jay are the same age as you," Jin added, "Maybe we can be friends if you get tiered of being Fire Lady!"
"I don't think that I'll ever get tiered of all the new things that comes up, but I would certainly love to have new friends," she replied.
Zuko had noticed for a while that Katara went off on her own. He didn't want to follow her, but at the same time he didn't want to leave her alone in the Fire Nation either. As he looked down the street he could see the three of them chatting on the side. Not wanting to ruin Katara's fun, he took a step back and decided to stay near Uncle Iroh. Debating whether or not he wanted Haru to go over he took a quick look at the guard and realized that bringing him into the mix would only create more difficulties for him later on.
"We know a really good meat bun place," Jay said, "Do you want to go get one?"
"I'm not suppose to stray too far from the group..."
"It's only down the street," Jin commented.
"Zuko would kill me..." Katara thought, "but then again these are his people..."
Nodding softly she gave the two a smile and started to walk down the street with them. Zuko had saw them move and quickly walked toward her, his arm catching hers as she came to a sudden stop.
"F-f-fire lord Zuko," Jin said while giving him a bow.
"We were only bringing your lovely fiance to grab a bite to eat," Jay added quickly.
"We're about to go to another area, so she must decline for today," The fire lord replied calmly.
Katara could feel the small pressure that he put on her arm. As she stared at the two teen and then back at the fire bender, she could see the hint of danger that flashed in his golden, red orbs.
"It's only down the street, Zuko," she said softly.
"We're leaving. Iroh had brought almost everything in this area already. He wants to go into the clothing district now."
"Then... I guess I must decline," Katara said with a small apologetic bow.
The two boys looked a little detached, but Zuko had given them each a few gold coins, "Please do not let our leave ruin your fun, perhaps we can take a rain check."
The two gave their leader a smile as they ran away.
"Sometimes the villagers just need a little money," Zuko said softly, "And their happiness returns back."
Katara took another look at the direction they had ran in and then back to the fire lord. Somehow she had realized that it must have happened a lot and that friendship was probably an iffy topic to Zuko. Walking around, she couldn't help, but feel a tad small.
"Give me your hand," he spoke softly as he held his right arm out.
The water bender grabbed the huge hand before her as the two intertwined their fingers together. She felt a little embarrassed, but brushed it off as she noticed that Zuko returned to his friendly attitude, the one he shown her when they were alone.
"Better?" He asked as he noticed that Katara's face had soften a little.
"You are really wonderful..."
"I try," He answered coyly.
"Zuko! Look at that beautiful robe!" Iroh yelled as he ran into a store.
"Uncle, you have about 6 of those already!"
"But this one is green! It reminds me of our days in the earth kingdom," the old man replied as he talked to the owner.
The fire lord let out a loud sigh when the two benders heard a tiny cry.
"Owwww, MOMMY!"
Katara turned to see a little boy about to cry and she instinctively picked him up in her arms. Spinning him around, she could hear his small groans turn into loud laughs. People had gathered around to see the commotion when they saw the fire bender. All eyes were on him until they noticed that he was looking somewhere else- or more like toward someone else.
"Don't cry!" Katara yelled as she smiled at the boy.
She had stopped spinning him as she dusk off his clothing, "Boys shouldn't cry or else they'll get picked on... but in case they do because it really hurts, I'll preform some magic on you to make the pain go away."
The water bender told the boy to close his eyes and she swung her arm in the air. The moist surrounding they were in allow her to take a small amount of water out of the sky to bend.
"Keep your eyes close, but tell me what is your favorite thing in the world!"
"I love cake!" The boy shouted as he kept his hands on his eyes.
Quickly, Katara moved her fingers, the crowd 'ouing' as they saw the small ball of water take the shape of a dessert.
"Open your eyes now."
The little boy moved his hands as he saw the water cake in front of him. Katara had bended a birthday cake with a little help of her own imagination and had caught the heart of not only the little boy in front of her, but Zuko's.
"Now think really hard of a wish and blow out the candle, okay?"
"but it's not my birthday!"
"You don't need to wait for your birthday to wish for something. We'll call this a special day because today is the day you smile after falling down," The water master commented sweetly.
As the boy closed his eyes, he let out a big, long breathe. Letting go of the tension in her hands, the cake disappeared as Katara's arm fell.
"Yay! You did it!"
The entire crowd clapped as though it was the most amazing thing they had ever seen. As Katara looked up, she had noticed the crowd that suddenly grew. Standing up, she saw Zuko looking at her, his smile bright as he mouthed out, "Good Job."
As the crowd rushed in toward the water bender, Haru tried his best to stop them from getting too close, but fail. Iroh stepped in swiftly and made sure that his future niece would not get hurt.
"That was amazing, Miss!"
"Please do something else!"
"I didn't know water benders could do something like that!"
"No, no! We can do a lot of things," Katara said quickly as she tried to gain composure from all the comments being thrown at her.
She had entertained the town's people with more bending as they awed over her abilities. They must have been use to seeing no one else, but fire benders, that a new element was surprising to them. She had to admit that she had felt the same way as they did before. When she first saw Aang bend air, she was amazed and when Toph created her sleeping tent for the first time, she was speechless. Even Zuko's first training session with the Avatar left her astonished. Fire was much like water because they were both unpredictable and depended much on the flow of the bender itself. As the water master smiled over the excitement everyone had, she had miss Zuko take a step back.
"That girl was amazing!" A shopper keeper said to Zuko, "Isn't she the next Fire Lady, My lord?"
"Yeah," He replied, "She's going to be my wife."
Zuko walked up to the water bender as she was dazzled by the Villagers. Without thinking, he pulled her into a hug and pressed his lips against hers. Everyone looked as though a miracle had happened and many had turned their heads in respect. As he pulled away, he could see the shock look that fell on Katara's eyes.
"ZUKO!" She yelled embarrassed.
"Everyone, I hope you come to our wedding next month on the 15th where this wonderful, beautiful lady will become my bride!"
The entire town clapped as Iroh and Haru exchanged looks. The day came to a quick end after that moment. The villagers were beginning to fall in love with the water bender and the oncoming news was making the fire counsel more than happy. It was almost dark when the four decided to return back to the castle and Uncle Iroh had manage to keep his shopping to two oxes instead of the regular four.
x x x
"The arrangement is going as plan," General Tai said as he stood in front of the entire Fire Counsel, "The fire lord should be returning soon with General Iroh and Lady Katara. I had heard from the town that her appearance had only raised the royal family's name higher."
"As expected of the girl who helped save the world."
"It was a good choice to use her," another counsel men said.
"Make sure nothing interferes with our couple, General Tai."
As the General turn to leave, he took a bow and nodded his head. As he walked down the hall toward the courtyard, he could see Zuko and Katara get off the carriage, their lips smiling as they prepared to eat dinner for the night.
"They look happy," He mumbled, "How sickening..."
Author's Note: I hope you guys liked it because I was really having a bad day. x_x However, I'm already starting to write the next chapter and this time, some familiar faces are going to show up! Until then please review and continue reading. Thanks love !
