She thanked the spirits when she saw the Fire Nation in view and almost collapsed with relief. The journey had not been as comfortable as she had hoped it would be. Gran-Gran had foreseen this and given her some medicine for sea-sickness. When she had refused Gran-Gran gave it to Sokka to carry for her. She was happy her grandmother had had the foresight to do so.
She had told Katara before she left that with the impending child her body would not react naturally to some things anymore and sea sickness was apparently one of them. Being a waterbender, the sea had seemed as natural to her as her own skin, but this voyage had not been kind to her and she yearned for the refuge of land.
The ship went into port smoothly and after another while of waiting they were finally allowed off. She had expected to see Zuko waiting for her but when he was not there to greet her she had been disappointed. She had taken the time to prepare her hair and clothes and then he wasn't even there. Confusion swept over her but Sokka was already walking with her to the palace.
They walked into the main chamber and Uncle Iroh was waiting patiently with tea already prepared.
"Princess Katara, welcome back. How was your voyage?" His smile made her feel at ease but he still noticed her eyes looking around as if hoping someone else would be there.
"I'm afraid Prince Zuko will not be joining us for tea today, but come and sit. You look awfully pale, drink some tea, it will warm you." Warmth. That's what she needed right now. She felt cold even though Iroh regarded her warmly. She drank the tea and it did warm her but not enough. Only one thing would warm her right now and she had betrayed herself into thinking he had wanted to see her.
"Prince Sokka, please feel welcome to stay in one of the guest rooms for as long as you wish. We will also resupply your ship as well." She listened to her brother talk to Iroh gently. After refusing the guest rooms twice he finally accepted and the Fire Lord was pleased he had finally gotten what he wanted. Katara just looked down at her cup of tea and sipped it slowly entranced by her own thoughts.
"Katara, you have hardly touched your tea. Are you not feeling well? We received your father's letter about your unfortunate illness, maybe you should not have risked the voyage here so quickly." She waved away his suggestion that she was ill.
"No thank you I'm fine, but I am tired from a long day of traveling. I think I had better rest." Iroh nodded and Sokka looked at her worriedly. She smiled to him reassuringly hoping it would ease his thoughts. He stood up with her and stopped her for a moment.
"Tomorrow morning I'm leaving early and I want to say goodbye in case you are not up by then." He wrapped her in a tight hug and she hugged him back. She was going to miss her brother terribly. They had been together all their lives and here he was leaving her and going back to their home without her. He bowed to the Fire Lord and excused himself to get an early night's rest. She felt tears well up inside her eyes as she turned to head to her room.
Somehow she didn't think it would be this hard to let go again. As she undressed and slipped on her robe she felt tired. She crawled into the bed slowly and was asleep in moments.
Zuko returned much later that night. He did not know why he was avoiding her. He had missed her so much, but he had been angry at himself for missing her and he had been angry that she had been gone so long. Most of the palace was already asleep and he wondered if Katara was too, but as he opened the door to their room he saw she was already peacefully asleep.
He looked over her sleeping form uneasily and traced his fingers lightly on her cheek. She was so lost in sleep she did not even stir. He smiled down at her fondly and lifted a stray lock of hair away from her face. Gathering his courage he bent down and brushed his lips across her cheek. When she still did not move and he was satisfied, he undressed to his trousers and crawled in next to her and wrapped his arms around her and dragged her closer to him.
She stirred in his arms managing to move closer to him and, in a more intimate matter, adjust her position to be comfortable without even waking. He smiled lightly to himself and fell asleep with her in his arms.
She awoke later than she had planned on and lifted her head to the other side of the bed. Obviously he had slept there the night before but he had always been an early riser, rising with the sun. She got up out of bed feeling a little groggy still. After a warm bath she dressed and went out about the palace. She looked at her red wardrobe once again, suddenly missing the serene blues. With a bit of encouragement to herself she dressed in red but wore blue garments underneath. She wanted to be proud of her heritage and she wanted others to know she was proud.
Furthermore, she decided to satisfy her promise and find a training room for her waterbending. There were still many places for her to explore. She looked around for the better part of the morning with no luck. The firebending palace had not intended its use for waterbenders.
"Princess Katara!" she jumped in the air and turned only to see Iroh's happy smile.
"What are you doing in this part of the palace?" He asked. She smiled back at him.
"I was looking for a place to practice my waterbending." She said truthfully. Iroh cocked his head and pursed his lips in thought.
"Well I don't know of any formal places for waterbending training but if you would like to see where Prince Zuko trains, I would be happy to show you."
"Would he still be training so late?"
"He might very well be, let's go find out." She followed silently, every step grinding the nerves in her stance. They went out to a place she had never been before.
First, they passed a ring with lit torches hung around a metal fence. There was no one around at this hour, making her feel less embarrassed. Then they reached a concrete dome. She stared at it. It loomed before her and she saw smoke rising up from a circle cut out in the top. There was a lot of dark smoke.
She saw Iroh stop and look at the amount of smoke coming from the top as if silently calculating something to himself.
"Usually he does not practice in here. This is only for the utmost rigorous training. The dome traps in the oxygen and forces benders to regulate their bending based on the limited amount of air. Many benders do not like it, because while they bend with no air, they must also regulate their breathing. It can be a hard lesson to learn." She felt her heart beat escalate. She went to the door and Iroh moved the slate over.
She sighed, relieved to see him still standing but he was struggling. She could tell his breathing was harsh. He had only his trousers on leaving his chest bare, the deep scar snaking its way up his side. His long hair had been pulled back and out of his face to leave his neck bare. Every inch of his skin glistened with sweat and his muscles flexed and formed. She saw him stumble slightly and felt her body move forward. She felt a hand on her shoulder.
"He is fine, he has only one more form. Let him catch his breath." She looked at Iroh's eyes which were hard. He followed Zuko's every move as he moved in a complex form. The fire was a part of him and it was an extension. She was breathless and she watched the flow of the fire rush over and through him. Always she had pictured water to be a miraculous element but the way he moved made her think differently. When they had been young she had never really thought of how wonderous and dangerous an element it was but now she had a new found interest in it.
The fire was everywhere and contained. Like water it was wild but it required so much more control. She watched his body move in accordance with it. He flexed and turned his punches hard and quick, his kicks ere fluid. It was a very complex form, where not at any second was their no fire around him. When he finished his form slowly, she found herself sweating for him. His breathing was hard and painful. She wanted to rush to him and help him and heal him.
Iroh placed a weary hand on her.
"Leave him be, in about an hour or so he will come out. Come let us go have some tea." Katara looked at Iroh, she was positive he must drink tea every hour. With one look back to Zuko, she let the old man drag her away reluctantly.
"Why do we have to wait, shouldn't we let him out?"
"No, firebending is as much the mind as the body. The air in that room would have been too thick for us to breath. He will stay in there until the air filters itself out." She nodded and walked away with him.
They waited having some tea and he talked to her of various things and then his chatter stopped and she caught him eyeing her curiously. She shifted uncomfortably.
"Is everything alright?" He asked. She gave an unsure smile.
"Yes, I'm fine." His brows furrowed and he took her hands in his and frowned.
"You are so cold." She moved her hands back and felt them herself.
"Maybe a little, but I really am fine." His frown deepened.
"I think you should go to bed early tonight Katara, I do not think you have completely recovered from your illness. Now I won't hear any of it. I'll have dinner brought to your room." She had started to protest and was silenced. She excused herself wearily and left to retire to her room. She suddenly felt tired after staring at her bed but she refused to sleep, she was going to wait for Zuko.
Zuko had gone to see his uncle and had been upset to learn Katara was still not feeling well. He had not gotten a chance to talk to her the day before and he wanted to see if she was alright.
He opened the door to their bedroom and walked in. Katara was sitting in front of her mirror brushing her dark tresses. She turned and looked at him and he saw her for the first time. Her face was paler than he remembered her and she even seemed thinner.
"Where were you last night?" She asked softly.
"I had some things to do, I got in pretty late. You were already asleep so I didn't wake you." Her lips thinned and he just couldn't believe how much she had changed. She suddenly felt uneasy as if he was scrutinizing her with his stare.
"I saw you training today." She said and watched him visually stiffen.
"Why do you train so hard? Isn't the war over?" He gave her a hard look and came over to her and bent down putting his head close to hers. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Fire Lords rarely die of old age." The way he said it so coldly made a chill run up her spine. She finally understood what he was so afraid of. Fire Lords were often murdered, his own father had been. She had even heard rumors that Fire Lord Azulon, Ozai's father had also been murdered. He turned his back on her rigidly and began to undress. She watched him and stood up and went over to him.
"Then I will make sure you will be one of the few Fire Lords to do so. Zuko, please let's not fight. I've missed you." He looked at her again and saw how sad she was. He put his hand on her cheek and felt how cold her skin felt.
"Katara, are you sure you're all right." She furrowed her brows together.
"Yes I'm fine, why does everyone keep asking?" She shouted at him unable to bear his scrutiny. She turned away from him angry and felt his arms wrap around her. He was so warm she felt like melting.
"Katara please, I just care about you and you worry me." She whipped around to face him and stared at him indignantly.
"Zuko, do you love me?" She saw the surprise in his face but she also saw his true feelings. He did lover her, but he was afraid of her rejection. He was afraid she did not return his feelings and that she loved another. Finally he gulped.
"Yeah, I do." She almost saw him brace himself and then she smiled. She wrapped her arms about his neck and he saw the color begin to warm her face.
"Good, because I'm pregnant." She saw his eyes widen, even his scarred eye widened perceptively. She giggled at his expression. He hugged her closer to him and kissed her passionately and then swept her off her feet and on to the bed.
"So, does that mean that you love me?" He whispered into her ear. His hand worked its way up her thigh and she felt the heat of his passion warming her further.
"Yes!" She gasped to him. He grinned at her and kissed her again. This time he undid her robe and wrapped his hands around her sides. He bent down and kissed her stomach.
"So who else knows?" He asked, stalling their love. She bit her lip a little.
"Possibly both the entire Northern and Southern Water Tribes by now." His eyes narrowed in annoyance and he grumbled a little under his breath. She pouted a little and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close.
"You don't know how hard it is to hide these things from Gran-Gran." She teased him. He gave a slight smile and kissed her some more. Then he seemed to back away and groan. She gave him a questioning look.
"You do realize we are going to have to tell Uncle Iroh." She grinned at him and laughed.
"Is that so bad?"
"Not if you really like tea." She giggled at him.
They stayed awake for a little while kissing and snuggling but eventually Katara's eyes shut and she began to sleep peacefully. With Zuko's arms wrapped around her she was very warm and able to sleep with ease.
Zuko stayed awake, his face buried in her hair. He had many things to think on and thus could not sleep easily. He thought of how his life would change. He had barely just gotten to know Katara and now they were having a baby together. If it was a son and an heir he would become Fire Lord. Even though he did most of the duties for his uncle he did not want the weight of the position on his shoulders. Many people looked to the Fire Lord and he would always be judged by every action he did. He had thought that finally he would not be judged anymore and for the past five years he had not been. It had given him the relief of hiding in the shadows as he had as the banished prince.
His arms unraveled from around his wife and he left the security of her embrace and went to the small balcony to look at the moon. He was there for a while before he heard someone behind him. Lazy arms wrapped around him.
"What are you doing out of bed?" She whispered as if the stars could hear her. She sighed in exhaustion.
"Nothing. Get some sleep." She was too tired to argue and left him. He took one last look at the moon and sighed. The bed was so inviting and he returned to the arms of his wife. Her skin was once again cold and he wrapped his arms around her feeling the need to warm her.