Two years of calm were followed by two years of vicious, all out war. The world couldn't take much more of this brutality, but Ozai was making it near impossible to get closer to the Fire Nation.

"Do not let this discourage you, nephew," Iroh said.

Even he was unable to keep the pain and sadness out of his voice as they watched soldiers go about their grim task. There were forty of them, this time. Forty bodies burned beyond recognition, each impaled on wooden stakes, planted along the edge of the settlement. Anger burned in the pit of Zuko's stomach; Ozai had never reacted like this before. No matter how big his loss, no matter how devastating, Ozai had never been so mockingly cruel. Not until he'd named Katara his Fire Lady. But he would not feel guilty about doing that. He couldn't.

"Do we have any way of identifying them?" Toph asked.

One of the soldiers gave a quiet "no" that was almost lost on the wind. Zuko took a shaky breath, but refused to look away. Their losses recently had been devastating, and he felt like it was his duty to witness the consequences of those losses, to see the pain on the soldiers' faces and do everything in his power to keep them from having to cut down the desecrated bodies of their friends. But they would not stoop to Ozai's level. There was a way to beat him without sacrificing their morals. Soldiers were not toys, they were not playthings that could be broken and replaced. These were real human lives that Ozai had just destroyed. They had families who would mourn them, families who loved them. They couldn't let this continue.

"The council wants to take a vote today," Zuko said.

"I got the notice," Toph said as she absently bent a piece of metal from her armor. "Ozai is clearly trying to provoke us, and they're letting it work. If we go to the capitol now, we're all dead. They need to be smarter about this."

"They are scared." Iroh sighed heavily. "Even I didn't expect this from my brother."

They stood in silence as the soldiers finished their work, wrapping each body in a white cloth, and when the bodies were laid out, everyone bowed, saying their own silent prayers. They kept their vigil as the fallen were loaded on wagons to be prepped for a proper funeral. They did need to get to Ozai quickly, but the irony wasn't lost on Zuko, and he didn't have any doubt that someone would bring up this odd role reversal during the day's council meeting. Many years ago, he'd been part of a push for more aggressive tactics, telling the council that they wouldn't win this war by being defensive. And now, here he was, saying the opposite. They needed to take their time and be careful about the way they approached the capitol, not just shove their way to the heart of the Fire Nation. Some council members might use this to discredit him, and he needed to be ready. He wished that Sokka would be there. Sokka would know how to fight them.

"I worry that they're losing faith in me," Zuko said quietly as they headed back home. "What kind of leader am I if I can't protect them from…that."

"Some people question the course of the river when it flows over the pile of rocks, rather than going around it," Iroh said. "They do not stop to consider that this is the shorter path to the ocean. They look only for the easiest."

"Besides," Toph chimed in, "they're used to winning, and these past months have been hard. We need to give them a decisive victory."

"I wish I could have your confidence," Zuko grumbled.

"Sokka's not here, so one of us has to do it, and it's definitely not going to be you, Sparky."

"And now that you're smiling again, nephew, tell me, how is your lovely wife doing?" Iroh asked.

Zuko felt a bigger smile tug at the corner of his mouth, and he bit his cheek to stop it from showing, hanging his head down so that no one would misinterpret this happiness.

"She's good," he said. "I felt the baby move."

This was the one bright spot in his life, and one of the bigger reasons they hadn't pushed for the capitol as hard. Amidst the fighting and the death and Ozai's brutality, there was life. And this life, they'd created together, and he couldn't be more excited, more anxious for its arrival. It was silly and cheesy, but when they'd found out she was pregnant, he and Katara bought a single pair of newborn socks. She kept one sock and he kept the other, and for them, this was a reminder of everything they were fighting to protect. It was their talisman against dark thoughts, because if he was Fire Lord and Katara his Fire Lady, then this child would be their heir, and there would be a clear line of succession for the throne. Something Ozai was distinctly lacking. If word ever got back to Ozai that Katara was pregnant, no one doubted that he would bring the entire force of the Fire Nation army down on them, just to snuff out this one, tiny life. Over the past few months, Zuko spent many sleepless nights looking at that tiny sock and thinking increasingly irrational thoughts about flying on Druk to the capitol and killing Ozai in his sleep.

Sixteen year old him would have flown to the capitol, challenged Ozai and died. At twenty-nine, he couldn't afford to make such brash decisions. Not that Druk would have let him, anyway. The dragon had barely left Katara's side, fiercely protecting her from anyone who got too close.

"Do you know when the others are coming?" Toph asked. "Or have you not found a way to pass along your news?"

The downside to trying to keep information away from Ozai was that they had a harder time communicating with each other. As much as they'd wanted to stay together, the war had raged on for thirteen years more than they'd expected; it was a hard decision to make, but the South couldn't be without leadership for that long. So, Hakoda, Sokka, Suki, Gran and Pakku all returned, which turned out to be a good thing, as they were finding more and more Fire Navy ships drifting into southern waters. Suki's last report had even indicated that there was a fleet anchored as far south as Whale Tail Island, maybe thinking to cut them off from resistance forces stationed in the Earth Kingdom. This news was too important to trust to any kind of messenger hawk; they had proof that Ozai had intercepted some of their communications before. In the end, he and Katara decided that this would be one hell of a surprise when they finally met up.

"We do need discuss an end to this," Iroh said. "Perhaps they will find out, then."

"And we should probably do that really soon," Toph said, playfully punching Zuko in the shoulder as she left them in front of the estate. "I'll send over some of my metalbenders to guard you guys."

"Toph, I said—"

"Don't care what you said," Toph yelled, waving as she walked down the street.

"Let's go see that lovely wife of yours," Iroh said with a laugh.

It was probably for the best that Toph was sending some of her metalbenders to guard them. Zuko had been determined that he and Katara could guard themselves. He didn't want people seeing them with a guard and thinking that the war might be getting the best of them. But he was tired, and he desperately needed his mind to be free to focus on planning an exit strategy. And as their child grew, there would be no way to hide. It might hurt to admit it, but they were likely surrounded by spies, and Ozai would find out, one way or another. Armed guards might not be a bad thing.

As they rounded the corner to the tiny garden out back, Zuko could hear Katara humming a southern lullaby. Sweet Southern Maiden, she'd said it was called. She was leaning back against Druk as he rested, maps spread out on the grass in front of her. She was beautiful. Radiant. Her crown caught the weak rays of the sun, making the gold and the sapphires glow every time she moved her head. It almost looked like she was crowned with living fire. Zuko felt his heart tighten as she stopped moving for a few seconds, as if she was listening to something, then place her hand on the slight curve of her stomach. She'd taken to belting her tunics just under her bust to make room for the baby. Several merchants and well meaning people tried to tell her that she would be more comfortable in a loose fitting dress, but Katara would always smile and say that for their next baby, after the war is done, she'd consider wearing a dress. So, she'd ordered pants with a looser waist, and some simple shirts, and let out the holster for her tanto knives, and Zuko thought this look suited her more than anything else would.

"Ahh, my lovely niece," Iroh said, going to her as Druk lazily opened an eye. "You grow more radiant every day. Pretty soon we can do away with the sun and bask in your brilliance alone."

"Iroh, please," Katara said with a laugh.

Zuko hung back, just watching her and loving her and every move she made. Everything felt so right. Even though they were still caught in a war, and he knew that, in the near future, he would have to make the decision that Aang couldn't, even though he knew that they weren't able to share this happiness with half of their family, even though he knew the fate of the world was still resting on their shoulders, this moment felt right.

Katara turned and looked at him, her face shifting and softening. Iroh was wrong; she was already more brilliant than the sun, and he'd been basking in her glow for years. She tilted her head to the side and smiled softly at him, and Zuko felt like a lovesick boy all over again.

It was hard to tell just when Ozai found out, but he'd reacted exactly as they'd expected him to react.

Katara paced nervously in the underground cavern, rubbing her stomach and asking the baby to hold on just a little longer. As eager as she was to meet their little pup, there was a good chance they'd have to move again, but they wouldn't be able to do that if she was going into labor. She stopped pacing as something exploded overhead and the ground shook, little bits of dirt and rock raining down on her. She frowned. Months on end, they'd been dealing with this.

"A little longer, pup," she said, going to the table and grabbing her water skins as the ground shook again.

When she and Zuko first mentioned marriage, Suki had warned her that sitting out of the fight when she was pregnant would be harder than the actual labor, and Katara had smiled, never believing that this would be true. She'd held onto that until Ozai began directly attacking Sheyran, forcing them to evacuate the city and pull back further into the Earth Kingdom. They'd fought hard to stay; Sheyran was the perfect launching point to get them to the Fire Nation. Yet, as her pregnancy progressed, they'd been forced to pull back. It was one of the hardest decisions she'd had to make, but she couldn't risk their baby. Still, Ozai pursued them. No matter how far back they pulled, Ozai followed them.

"Your majesty—"

Another blast shook the cavern, and a great chunk of rock came loose from the wall. Katara's instincts were telling her to duck and roll out of the way as she put up an ice wall to shield her in case the boulder fractured. Her body, however, would be doing none of those things. She threw up an ice wall as some of her guards surrounded her with metal and others knocked the rocks out of the way. Katara took a deep breath as another contraction hit her, angry tears burning in the corner of her eyes. Of all the times she had to be alone in a cave underground… When she got her hands on Ozai, she would do more than make him give up his crown.

"Lady Katara, are you alright?" One of the soldiers asked, coming toward her.

"Get my grandmother," Katara said, feeling exhausted and angry, leaning against the wall of the cavern. "And someone check on the fight. If we need to move, we need to move now."

The waiting was probably the worst. She paced, knowing that pacing was only going to get her more riled up, and when the next contraction hit, Katara leaned against the wall again, resting her forehead against the cool stone. They were getting closer together.

"Is it time?" Kanna asked, trotting over to her. "Are they still out there?"

Katara nodded as her grandmother coached her through the pain.

"Am I insane for wanting to be out there even though I'm in labor?"

"Yes," Kanna answered before the sentence was even finished.

Kanna issued orders, sending people running for cool water and towels as she led Katara back to the birthing room. They didn't get far before the rock started to vibrate with a familiar roar, and Katara felt her body go slack with relief as Zuko came running down the corridor, Sokka, Toph and Suki right behind him. That relief drained away when they stepped into the light. They were covered in blood. She waddled over to them, bending the blood away from them, looking for injuries.

"Back off, Sugar Queen," Toph said, trying to duck away from Katara. "We're fine. We're fine!"

"Where are the others?"

"They're cleaning up," Sokka said. "Relax, sis. We won. Gave Ozai a thorough beating. I don't think they expected Druk to be that good in a fight."

Another contraction hit her while she was trying to check Zuko, this one stronger than the others, and it made her knees buckle. Even as the pain shot up her spine, Katara felt a deep pang of jealousy. What she wouldn't have given to see those faces as Zuko soared above them on a dragon, crown blazing in the sun, a ruler fighting alongside his people rather than hiding behind a wall of flame, hundreds of miles away like a coward.

"Are we having a baby?" Zuko asked excitedly, gently massaging her back with heated hands.

"Not for quite a while," Kanna said, leading everyone to the birthing room. "So get comfortable. And you, get back."

Kanna shooed Druk, who was trying to squeeze into the room, and Katara smiled. They'd feared assassination less only because Druk had been so protective of her, only leaving her side to fight with Zuko. Another contraction hit, and Druk tried to squeeze past Kanna, blowing steam at her. She whacked him on the nose with a rolled up towel.

"Tell me how it went," Katara said, trying to distract herself.

Zuko rested his hand on her stomach as he told her about the battle, how Ozai's soldiers threw down their weapons, some of them shaking as he flew Druk overhead. They refused to attack a dragon, the ancestral symbol of strength and power in the Fire Nation. Some obviously feared Ozai more, and those had turned on their comrades, fighting fiercely against everyone, spewing curses like fire. They hadn't called a retreat until there was barely one company of them left, and there were more deserters than they'd seen before. Hakoda and Iroh had taken a few of their own soldiers and went scouting to make sure they were actually deserting and not waiting to ambush. He assured her that the situation was under control, but that it would have been more fun if she was there. Then he made her promise to rest while he got cleaned up, and Katara tried, but it was hard to rest when it felt like someone was trying to carve out your spine.

When Zuko came back, he fussed at her and tried to get her back in bed, but her grandmother had been right—it would be a long time before she was ready to push. So she made Zuko walk with her and rub her back, and Druk followed behind him, blowing gentle breaths of steam on her when her contractions hit. She debriefed her family and some soldiers on the battle and the state of Ozai's forces. She talked with her father and Iroh about the deserters and thoroughly ignored them when they tried to get her back to bed. She took a nap, curled up with Zuko and Druk, and when the contractions were too painful for her to be still, she paced the cavern, looking at maps and talking with the others about how to move forward if they couldn't launch their fleet from Sheyran. She was a warrior and she was a queen, and even the pain of labor wouldn't change that. She only slept when there was nothing left to do but wait.

"Zuko?" Underground, it was hard to tell how much time had passed.

He wasn't usually a heavy sleeper, but she had to shake him roughly several times before she could rouse him. He blinked at her slowly, but when the worst contraction hit and she dug her fingers into his shoulder, fighting to hold back a scream, his eyes flew open, and he barely stopped himself from falling out of the bed. She couldn't focus her mind enough to bend her sweat into ice, and even if she could, she doubted it would work. It felt like she was boiling from the inside out. When one contraction rolled right into the next, Katara couldn't hold back the scream, and if Zuko wasn't awake before, he was then, and he tripped over several things as he ran from the room, shouting for Kanna. Focusing on her breathing, she laid her head down and draped her arm over her eyes.

"Katara?"

Startled, she lifted her arm slightly to see her husband standing in the makeshift doorway, the biggest smile she'd ever seen on his face.

"I love you."

He didn't wait for an answer, just disappearing around the corner. Hours later, they had their little pup, a tiny bundle with a few wisps of curly brown hair and deep golden eyes. The sages had come and blessed their daughter, and she'd been passed from family member to family member, and even Toph held her and said it wasn't so bad when the baby grabbed her finger. Even Druk poked his head in to make his greeting, covering the baby in steam.

Katara hummed as she held their baby, her head resting on Zuko's shoulder, his arm firm around her waist. In the coming days, they'd have two official naming ceremonies and a coronation, the sages formally acknowledging her as Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, another thing the nation hadn't had in well over 100 years. Katara couldn't help the smirk.

"What?" Zuko asked, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Ozai's going to flip."