ARC 1: The Promise of Peace
DAY 2: Sleep
It's raining outside in thick heavy sheets, thunder rumbling across the sky every so often. The air is humid, Zuko is sticky with sweat and restless. He tosses and turns, kicking sheets off. His left arm throbs with a burn from Azula (she's half his age and twice as good at firebending). His eyes burn, but Zuko is a prince and so he swallows the lump in his throat and buries his head in a pillow (he won't think about the look on his father's face when Azula won the fight).
Lightning flashes and there is a squeak of terror.
"Who's there?!" he calls, leaping out of bed.
He imagines taking down an assassin and how proud Dad would be if he did. Instead, Princess Katara appears at the foot of his bed.
She's dressed in a white shift that makes her look more like a little ghost than a girl. Under one arm, she clutches the stuffed turtle-duck from his mother (it's singed on one wing because Azula was the one supposed to be giving the gift).
"What are you doing here?" he demands (he's rather tired of little sisters right now).
"I'm scared." She says and crawls into his bed.
"You can't stay here!" Zuko cries, "You're a girl!"
He pulls her out of the bed by her skinny ankles.
"I'm lost!" She says, turning those big blue eyes on him, "I can't find Sokka and the halls are too scary."
Zuko sighs, rooting around for his tunic (he's not even going to try arguing with her right now). He pulls in on and then lights a tiny flame.
"Let's find Sokka." He tells her.
He makes sure to take her hand (Azula sometimes ends up in his room, terrified of a monster or a dream or Dad, and she likes to hold hands). Katara seems to appreciate it too and doesn't burst into tears this time (Zuko never wants to see that happen again).
They pad into the hall and he guides her past various rooms. Her grip grows weaker and weaker until he realizes that she's asleep on her feet. Zuko puts out his flame and lifts Katara in his arms. She doesn't smell like Azula, but rather, a lot like rain. And cookies. Even so, she hugs him around the neck (just like Azula) and he carries her to Sokka's room.
It takes five minutes for Sokka to answer the door, but he doesn't seem surprised to find the two of them waiting there. The eight year old yawns, tucks his boomerang back in his belt, and tells Zuko to bring her right in. The prince navigates the various piles of clothing strewn about (and sharp weapons) and deposits Katara on the bed.
"Does she do that a lot?" he asks.
Sokka shrugs, pulling a blanket over his little sister.
"There was a storm for a week after our mom died," he says, "She's been scared of them since then."
Zuko can't imagine what it be like to lose a mother (dad says the loss of his wife is why Chief Hakoda accepted the treaty). He touches Katara's hair and looks at her brother. Sokka glares at the ground, arms crossed. The princess wakes up before they have a chance to say anything else.
Sokka hops in bed and pulls her close.
"It's okay, polar bear breath," he says, "Big brother is here."
Katara smiles faintly and then reaches for Zuko too. The Water Tribe siblings pull him onto the bed and before he knows it, he's tangled in little legs and arms. It's too warm and Sokka snores like a borqupine, but it feels right. Without a protest, Zuko buries his face in Katara's hair and drifts right off to sleep.