Chapter Eleven
The afternoon sun beat down on Katara and she was half-tempted to take a drink of her bending water. She'd spend the morning with etiquette tutors, learning the tasks she would be responsible for as Fire Lady. The old women had been more than a little patronizing and she'd needed an outlet for her irritation after she'd returned to her rooms. It had been a good workout. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and started back to her rooms, her steps faltering when she saw that Azula was waiting for her. Katara hadn't seen hide nor hair of the princess for past few days and had gotten a false sense of security as a result. It didn't help that the smile on Azula's face made her tense up.
"You and my brother seem to be getting along better now," Azula said by way of greeting. "I haven't heard news of the two of you bickering in front of the help and now I hear you made quite an impression in Kitashi."
"Did I? That's nice to hear."
"No one's more pleased than me...except maybe perhaps Zuzu. May I have a word with you, Sister?"
Katara nodded and opened the door. Azula waited to be asked to sit down and when she did, she sat on the edge of the couch. She seemed to be constantly ready for battle, perhaps a battle that only she knew about, and that made Katara think twice about putting her water skin down. After fetching a glass of water, she sat in the seat opposite Azula. The princess had made herself comfortable, her legs crossed at the knee and one arm carelessly thrown on the back of the couch.
Her chestnut brown hair was down, for once, the top half of her hair pulled back from her face. She looked a lot like Zuko in that moment, though Katara was sure she'd never see the half-way sneering smile that was on Azula's face on the Fire Lord's. There was no denying the beauty that ran through their veins and made Katara wonder what their mother looked like. There were no portraits of Princess Ursa but from what she'd seen of Lord Ozai, Zuko and Azula had a strong resemblance to their mother.
"What can I do for you, Azula?" Katara asked.
"I haven't had a chance to really have a chat with you since your arrival," Azula said. "To be honest, I half-expected you to be gone after a week, yet here you are. They do make them strong at the Water Tribe."
Katara ignored the fact that Azula was talking about her as if she were a sled.
"You can't help but stubbornly survive in that environment," Katara said evenly. "Growing up in ice and snow was good training for this."
"Yes, you've proven that. Also, your bending has also become more refined in the past few years. I was watching you practice. If you'd like a sparring partner, I'll be more than happy to step into the ring with you."
Katara had an image of her head being blown off by blue fire. "I'll keep that in mind, but mixing fire and water doesn't tend to end well. I don't want to destroy anything."
"Oh, don't worry. We have training rooms to spare. I need to sharpen my skills anyway. The only people I spar with are my men, and I already know all their moves. Besides, it'll be a good bonding experience."
"Yes, it would be."
"And is your Earthbender friend coming to visit any time soon? She is one of the best I've ever fought."
"Toph's busy with her family's business," Katara said. "I'd like her to visit, but she probably won't be able to make it here until the wedding."
"Ah, yes. I understand you had a lesson with Ling and Ting this morning. Did they walk you through the tea ceremony?"
"Not yet. They just had me walk and kneel for three hours straight."
Azula laughed and Katara was surprised that it wasn't at all unpleasant. There was something girlish and free about it, very much unlike the woman it had come from.
"That sounds about right," Azula said. "I was more than happy to extend my Firebending training to skip their lessons, but us ladies of the court must do our time. Maiko will have her turn soon enough."
"Ceremony is very important here."
"That should come as no shock. Mai and I were good friends you know," Azula said, changing subjects with a speed that had Katara's head spinning. "She'd have been a little shocked that you're next in line to be Fire Lady."
"Why's that?"
"Zuzu, black heart that he is, actually did love her. The time they were together was probably the longest either of them has been happy. You're very different from her, but then again, it's not like you're doing this out of love. How did the Fire Lord put it? Ah, yes, an alliance. Very romantic."
"We work well together," Katara said slowly, unsure how to process this information. "That's all that really matters."
"True. I haven't had the...opportunity to fall in love but from what I've seen, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Mai knew she shouldn't have had Lu Zuo, but Zuko wanted another child and she couldn't refuse him a thing. She was very sick after Maiko was born and the doctors warned her not to have another. Really, it was a surprise that someone so strong in spirit became so weak in body."
At that, Katara's heart ached for the children and also for Zuko. She didn't know much about the death of the Fire Lady and doubted many outside the palace knew. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Zuko to lose his wife in that way.
"That's very sad," she said, meaning it.
"It is," Azula said casually. "Mai loved Zuko since we were children and was well-prepared to be Fire Lady. We were all afraid Zuko was going to lose his mind the first few months after she died, but he bounced back nicely."
"I understand what it's like to lose a loved one."
"He got so clingy with the children," Azula said with mild distaste. "Spending every free moment with them, but he's gotten over there. It's not good for them to get used to having him around all the time."
"Isn't it?"
"I suppose they coddle their children in the Water Tribe but we have to learn how to stand on our own at an early age in the Fire Nation. Mai wouldn't have been pleased with the way he treated the children. She was a firm mother."
"Was she?"
Azula arched an eyebrow at her. "I take it Zuzu hasn't shared much about her, but I suppose that shouldn't be a surprise. You're full of questions."
"Am I? Um...yes, I suppose I have much to learn about Lady Mai besides the fact that she was skilled with throwing needles."
"You should ask Zuzu about her."
Katara seriously doubted her questions would be well-received but she pasted a smile on her face and wished that Azula would leave her alone.
"Did you leave anyone behind in the South Pole, Sister? A beautiful woman such as yourself must have had many suitors," Azula asked.
"No, I was married to my work, my father's work."
"Yes, I understand what that's like, but I take my breaks. I'm sure you understand that sometimes you just need...release."
Azula's wicked grin grew wider at the expression on Katara's face.
"Or don't you?" she added, leaning forward. "Interesting."
"I was raised never to kiss and tell," Katara said primly.
"Well, if you need some companionship, please don't hesitate to ask me," Azula offered silkily. "I know a number of soldiers who would be more than happy to keep you company."
"Thank you but I doubt I'll have use of that particular...service."
"That's fair enough, though it makes things less spicy." Azula looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. "My brother went to a lot of trouble getting this room prepared for you. He didn't have enough time to work on the bedroom, but he might have thought you'd have preferred to do that on your own since it's such a personal space. He was very nervous, as nervous as he can get anyway, before you got here."
"I find that hard to believe. Zuko isn't really a nervous kind of person. If anything, he..."
"He what?" Azula prompted when Katara's words faded.
"He's confident," Katara continued.
"He has his moments."
"I doubt you'd have continued following him if he weren't," Katara pointed out, unable to resist.
"What makes you say that? I am his loyal sister, after all."
"Loyalty is hard to come by these days."
"It's there when it's deserved," Azula said. "I should be taking my leave. I may make it to dinner tonight so I will see you then, Sister."
"I look forward to it," Katara said, lying through her teeth. "Sister."
Azula's smile turned feral. "See, that wasn't so hard was it."
When she was gone, Katara went to bathe and was grateful to find her bath already drawn. She had need for a good washing.
As she scrubbed her skin until it was raw, Azula's revelations about Mai crowded her mind. It would make sense to find out some information about the last Fire Lady, if only to understand the shoes she was going to fill. She also knew she couldn't directly ask Zuko about her, especially if he loved Mai as much as Azula claimed. Katara no longer had difficulty seeing him as a good father, but loving husband was a role she hadn't even considered. For some reason, she'd assumed his married to Mai had been arranged, considering her powerful family
Yet, even if it had been, it wasn't unheard of that an arranged couple could truly fall in love. Maybe it was Mai that helped Zuko open his heart so that he could love his children and become a better leader. She'd only met the Fire Lady a few times, and a good number of those times, they were on opposite ends of the battlefield. One of those times, Mai had also shot Sokka with one of her needles, narrowly missing his heart.
Katara tried to imagine Zuko and Mai together and could only think of hand-to-hand combat. She tried placing them in romantic situations, like sitting outside in the gardens under the moonlight, but every time she did, an irreverent gurgle of laughter echoed in the room. They must have had some moments, as evidenced by the two children they created, but Katara had been around long enough to know romance wasn't really necessary for that. Zuko was a lot of things, but he was no romantic hero. Still...
Silently, she damned Azula for raising her curiosity and as she leaned her head back on the edge of the tub, she wondered how she could get Zuko to talk.