Chapter 2:
Thank You
"Lady Katara I'm sorry to interrupt you but your brother is here." Katara looked away from the mirror from pulling her hair up to find one of the guards in her door way.
"Thank you would you please show him to the dinning room so he can join me for dinner."
"Yes my lady." and with a bow the guard was gone as quickly as she had appeared.
Katara looked over to the bed at her sleeping husband and sighed. Two days ago he had developed a headache and a cough and then today the doctor had declared that he needed to stay in bed. After she told him she'd bring him some supper and gave him a kiss, she started down the long hall to the dinning room were two guards bowed and opened the doors.
"Sokka what are you doing here? And where's Ty Lee?" asked Katara as she hugged her brother and sat down next to him and started eating.
"I needed to ask Zuko something and Ty Lee said she didn't feel like traveling." said Sokka as he started looking for a dish with meat. "She's due any day."
"Well Zuko's in no condition to have a meeting with you unless it's in our bedroom. The doctor says he doesn't think it's anything serious but that Zuko shouldn't be up that much." replied Katara as she thanked the servant who'd set the table earlier. They ate in silence until Sokka got his fill of meat.
"Well I'll just ask you than. Fist, would you mind if me and Ty Lee name our baby, if it's a girl, Kanna? And second can I borrow some of your tea for morning sickness?"
"First, I wont mind if you do. Second, I'll see if I can find some." said Katara as she smiled at her brothers concern.
"Thanks."
"No problem." said Katara as she told Sokka she'd find him later and took Zuko's lunch to their room. Katara thought as she watched Zuko fall back to sleep that she was glad she and Zuko's marriage had been arranged.
The next day…..
Katara hummed as she water bended in one of the gardens Zuko had built for her. Soon after they had married four months ago he had built one garden deigned specifically for her bending practices which contained a pond and fountains and another for her to get away from anyone she wanted to avoid. She sighed things had worked out just like Zuko had said they would since she had took his advice and considered this an extension of their friendship. If someone asked her to describe her marriage with Zuko she would've told them that she was falling in love with her husband and that he was her best friend.
"See you still like to play with 'magic water'." said Sokka sarcastically as he sat down on a bench behind her. Katara smiled as she turned to face him.
"And I see your still sleeping in late. Even with a headache Zuko still wakes up before you." fired back Katara as she bended water over his head causing him to duck.
"Well you know what he, says something like 'Water tribe's rise with the moon, firebenders rise with the sun'. Oh by the way I talked to Zuko he said you and him are going to visit Toph and Aang when their baby comes."
"Oh really he didn't tell me that we're going to do that." replied Katara as she bended the water back into the fountain and then sat down next to him.
"He said he hadn't talked to you yet so he couldn't say whether or not ya'll were coming." said Sokka absently as he drew out his sword and started sharpening it.
"Sokka what's bothering you?" asked Katara as she pulled her hair up in the formal topknot that pretty much all fire nation nobles wore.
"Ty Lee's sick all the time so I want to bring something special back for her." said Sokka sadly as he stared at his sword.
"Ok I can help you." said Katara as she smiled at his concern over his wife.
"Well if it helps she likes pink." stated Sokka as he perked up.
"Ok, well go before you leave." said Katara as she noticed something else. "What else?"
"Well I know you're happy with Zuko, but are you mad at me for putting you and him together with out asking you two?" said Sokka as he put his sword up.
"No I'm grateful. I never knew what Zuko went through and to share that with him is sort of cool." Katara smiled at her answer as she realized it was true.
"Well now that I think about it I did sort of ask Zuko but he didn't know it."
"What did you ask him?" asked Katara as her curiosity got peeked.
"Well it was actually five questions to be exact." said Sokka as he looked over at her and smiled the smile that meant that he knew something she didn't. He was baiting her and she knew it but for once she would play stupid and play along to gain an answer to her questions.
"Well what were the questions you asked him?" asked Katara like an actress. He took her bait.
"First question: Did he think my sister was a good bender? Second question: Would he like to be married to a woman from a different nation? Third question: If anything ever happened to us would he help you out? Fourth question: Did he like big families? Fifth question: What's his favorite nation?" recited Sokka satisfied with himself.
"Ok that's nice but what were his answers?" asked Katara almost losing her patience with her brother.
"First answer: Yes she was a great bender. Second answer: He didn't think he would mind being married to a woman from a different nation. Third answer: He would do his best but that he thought she probably wouldn't need much help from him since she was so tough and level headed. Fourth answer: He liked small families since he was raised in one but that he didn't think it would matter if he had a big family. Fifth answer: He had two; fire and water since they're opposites." answered Sokka as he pulled his sword back out to inspect.
Katara thanked her brother and left him to go check on the person that they were just talking about. She opened the door to find Zuko standing next to the bed looking sick, well sicker than he already did.
"What are you doing out of bed?" asked Katara as she walked over to stand in front of him and crossed her arms.
"I thought I was feeling better until I stood up then I knew that I just feel better laying down." said Zuko as he sat back down on the bed and looked up at her with a weak smile.
"Well don't do it again or you'll never make it out of this bed." fussed Katara as she returned to the door to close it and helped him back in bed. She was just about to leave when she remembered something. "Zuko thank you."
"Can you tell me for what?" asked Zuko as he opened his eyes to look over at her.
She shook her head and smiled and said "Just thank you."
And with that she closed the door before he could ask anymore questions.