Author's Note: Sorry for the wait; school's started again and I'm constantly sleeping, writing, and doing homework and not much else. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the previous parts! Reviews are greatly appreciated!
Sokka, sitting on the floor in front of a mirror, was using his machete to shave around his Warrior's Wolf Tail. The servants had asked if he wanted one of them to assist him, but he politely declined; this was one way he could still be reminded of his home customs. He knew that eventually, when he was older, he would grow his hair out like his father, but for now he wanted to keep the underside shaved. He was used to doing it himself anyways, because in the winter and spring when he was traveling with Aang and Katara, they were always too busy with their bending to help him.
He dipped the blade into the bowl of water in front of him and started on the back. His movements were practiced and precise, the blade smooth and sharp against his scalp. The hair fell easily away, onto the floor where he could clean it up afterwards. As he stared into the mirror, he halted his movements as the door swung open to reveal Zuko.
He was nervous, pacing, just like he did for two days straight, waiting for his uncle to return with his mother. For two days he spent time with the servants making sure that the guest room was perfect and would suit her. He had the cooks prepare an extravagant feast, much like one they had when everyone was leaving, just after he became Fire Lord. He refused to dawn his robes until the last second, saying he was eager to impress his long-lost mother.
"What are you doing?" Zuko questioned him, staring at him as if he grew a second head.
Sokka admitted that with suds covering half of his head he looked fairly strange, but was it really that hard to figure out? He just lifted one eyebrow and shrugged, as if it was obvious, which he knew it was. He turned from the mirror, looking at Zuko as he sat on the bed. "Are you that nervous?" he asked.
He rubbed his face with his hands, sighing heavily. He was worn out, that much was sure. He barely slept, and when he did, it was fitfully. The Water Tribesman would wake up and hold him close, telling him that everything would go fine. But the Fire Lord was worried about what his mother would think of her husband powerless in prison, and her daughter in a mental institution. He shook his head. "I can't help it. I haven't seen her for five years. So much has changed here – what if she blames me for what happened to my father and Azula? What if she…" His words died off, but his unspoken words were predictable: What if she doesn't approve of us?
The warrior had to look away, because he honestly didn't know the answer. He didn't meet his fiancée's eyes in the mirror; he cast his head down and acted like he never stopped shaving his head. He heard the rustling of Zuko's casual robes and thought he was going to leave, but he glanced behind him when his machete was gently taken from his hands. His eyes shifted up to see the firebender on his knees behind him, gently running the blade to remove the unwanted hair.
"I liked your hair like that," Zuko muttered through his concentration. As he finished on the left side of Sokka's head, he picked up the hand cloth resting in a heap and dipped in the water to rub it on the newly bare skin, removing any stray hairs that either of them might have missed.
Dark shoulders shrugged, turning on the floor to wrap his arms around Zuko's neck and bury his face in the black hair behind the scar. "Everything is going to be perfect, I promise. Your mother is going to be so proud of everything you've accomplished."
The Fire Lord nodded and kissed his fiancée's ear in comfort, holding him snugly around the waist. His lips ghosted over tanned skin until he reached the soft lips. "I hope you're right," he whispered.
Just as they started kissing and Sokka moved his legs to straddle Zuko, a knock sounded throughout the room. The warrior laughed slightly as he pushed himself off of the ground and grabbed his tunic from where it was laying on the bed. The firebender released a growl of frustration and spun to open the door, face to face with the servant who had been yelled at two nights before.
Zuko simply glared, a silent way of demanding the man state what he had to say. "S-sir," he stuttered, not meeting the fiery golden eyes, "your uncle's ship has just docked; he and your mother are on their way to the palace."
His eyes instantly softened, and he nodded his understanding. The man bowed and left as the door was shut behind him. The Fire Lord looked anxious as he turned back, all but tearing off his casual clothes. Shaking his head in amusement as Zuko tried to put his hair in a topknot, Sokka walked behind him and tied it for him, then slid the headpiece into place. He held open the detailed robe, then tied the burgundy and gold sash at his waist.
"Everything's going to be fine," he promised.
He held the door open as his fiancée passed him and then walked next to him, reassuringly brushing their fingers together. They finally stood at the main entrance, awaiting the moment of truth. Zuko shifted from foot to foot and almost shook with nerves while Sokka looked at him with sympathetic eyes. He didn't want to say anything and make the other boy even more anxious, but he felt like there was something he should do. Hesitantly, he put his hand at the firebender's lower back and gave him a small smile. He smiled back, and gold eyes silently thanked him for the consolation.
Then, the doors were opened, and two figures, one taller than the other, entered the palace. The pair stopped a few feet away from the two men, and the woman and Fire Lord simply stared at each other. The tall woman was dressed in a light green, slightly tattered, Earth Kingdom dress with dark green trim. The top of her black hair was pulled into a topknot while the rest cascaded down her back, nearly to her waist. Her eyes, matching gold in color, looked tired with age, though the rest of her face and body looked young. To Zuko, she hadn't changed at all.
"Zuko," Ursa said, in joy and amazement. She couldn't believe her son was the Fire Lord; of course, she didn't believe anyone when they told her that Fire Lord Ozai had burnt and banished his son or that Ozai had been defeated by the Avatar. But this made it real, and now she believed it all. She held her arms apart and they both embraced in a hug that seemed too long overdue.
Sokka and Iroh both smiled at the reunited family. Ursa pulled back and looked over son, tears welling in her eyes at the man he had become. Her dainty hand softly skimmed over his scarred flesh as she muttered an apology. "I'm so sorry, Zuko."
He smiled at her, large and genuine. "It's okay. I'm just glad you're home." He turned towards Sokka, who had taken a few steps back to allow him to have his space. Zuko motioned him forward and put his arm around the warrior's waist. "Mom, this is Sokka, my fiancée."
Sokka put his right hand into a fist and pressed his left palm against it and bowed low. "I'm honored to finally meet you."
She smiled, though it seemed forced and slightly confused. He brushed it off as shock that her son was marrying another boy – he figured it was a reasonable reaction. A silence lapped over the group for a short time, until Iroh broke the quiet.
"Nephew," the retired general said as he pulled him by his sleeve, "do you have any Ginseng tea? We ran out on the ship." As they disappeared around the corner with the sound of Zuko complaining, Sokka and Ursa were left alone.
The warrior rocked on his feet, unsure of what to talk about. He was shocked when he was pushed, and was just able to right himself against the wall before he completely lost his balance. Ursa was instantly in front of him, golden eyes fiery and glaring as she roughly poked her finger into his chest. "What did you do to him?" she demanded. Her voice was as enraged as her eyes. She must have seen his confusion etched in his face. "My son, what did you do to Zuko? Why, of all people, is he marrying you?"
His eyes and mouth were still gaping because he didn't know what to say. His mind tried to find the right words, but none seemed to answer her question. "Uh," he thought out loud, "because we love each other…?" It sounded like a question, though he tried his hardest to make it a statement.
"Love each other?" She released a laugh, one short high-pitched bark. "What could he possibly see in you? You're just a Water Tribe peasant." She looked him the entire way over with her nose up, like she was better than him. For a minute, he allowed himself to think that yes, she was right, but he shook his head and convinced himself that she was wrong. She wasn't better than him; they were on even ground. "You're a boy. You can't give him an heir. If anything, he's just playing with you."
What if…no. No, he promised himself that he would never think that. Zuko loved him, he did; they were getting married. He felt like he was going to cry, but he knew he wouldn't let himself. He wouldn't be weak in front of someone trying to break him down. "He loves me," he said as strong as he could, even though his voice still wavered.
They glared at each other until Zuko came back around the corner, smiling at the two of them. "Dinner's ready," he said.
His mother squared her shoulders and smiled back at him, matching his pace as they left for the dining hall. Sokka was only a few steps behind them, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed in anger and concentration. He promised himself that he would ignore her at all costs – from the way she blocked him out of her and Zuko's conversation, to the way she sneered at him as he sat to the right of his fiancée.
Normally, the simple smell of food would make Sokka happy no matter what. But his stomach was in knots to the point that he didn't know how much he wanted to eat, if he wanted to at all. When the servants brought out the large dishes of the steaming meals, he stacked his plate like he normally would. As he thought, he pushed the food around and only took a few bites of the delicious smoked sea slug. He pushed his plate away from him before anyone was even done eating and ignored the story that he had lived through. Zuko started to finish his story with Aang defeating the Fire Lord while he had his Agni Kai with Azula when dessert was served.
Instead of taking a tart, Sokka leaned over to whisper, "I'm not feeling so good. I'm going to lie down." Rising from the table, he quickly exited the room and made his way into the large bedroom. He turned his back to the mirror, clenching his fists against the urge to punch anything. However, he kicked his boots off before roughly pulling his tunic over his head and tossing it into the corner. A growl of frustration left his lips; why did one woman make him see the boy who wasn't good enough for Zuko? He tried to convince himself that she was wrong, but what if…what if she was right? Really, Zuko was just playing with him to let him go whenever it got boring. He was just a toy.
He clenched his eyes shut tightly against the sting of tears over his eyes. He turned towards the bed, but he caught just a glimpse of himself in the mirror. It was enough to make him rip the tie out of his Warrior's Wolf Tail and forced it into a topknot. It looked awkward because of the small space it was in, but he made himself climb into the bed and pull the blanket over his head.
The simple thought of Zuko leaving him made him curl into fetal position in pain. He knew he could never take the heartache of being left alone in the world. It happened too many times in his short life time. He just didn't want to be hurt again.
A few hours after the sun had set, Zuko walked his mother to her room and said his final good night before making his way back to his bedroom. He allowed the servants to take his robe and boots before he waved them away so he could crawl into the bed.
When he was situated under the covers, he pressed his chest to Sokka's back and wrapped an arm around his waist. He thought he was asleep, so Zuko jumped slightly when a hand pressed against his and laced their fingers together. To the warrior, the warm skin was a comfort, but also a reminder of what Ursa said. His cheeks had finally dried from his earlier tears, but his eyes began to water once more.
"She hates me," he muttered in his serious voice. The silence that followed made him start to regret what he said, but he knew that they had to be honest with each other. He felt that if he held it inside, it would slowly find a way to destroy him from the inside out.
The statement shocked the Fire Lord, and he squeezed his fingers to comfort his lover. "What do you mean?" As tired as he was and as much as he would have liked to talk in the morning, he knew that this was serious and not something to be avoided.
"She said," Sokka paused to take a deep breath and swallow the lump in his throat. "She said that you couldn't possibly be in love with a Water Tribe peasant. You're probably just playing with me." His voice cracked and wavered as he spoke, and he shut his eyes against the tears threatening to fall.
"No, Sokka," Zuko said, hugging him closer, "she's wrong. You're not a peasant; you're a brave, amazing, talented warrior. I do love you, that's why I asked you to marry me. I couldn't hurt anyone, especially you, like that." He pulled the tie out of the brown hair, releasing it from the sloppy topknot and buried his face into the warrior's neck, inhaling his scent.
The Water Tribesman bit his lip as tears leaked from his eyes and he pulled Zuko's hand to his mouth to hold it against his lips. "Promise?"
The firebender's breath was warm against the back of his neck. "I promise. I'll talk to her tomorrow." He gently pressed his lips against the nape of Sokka's neck and ran his free hand through the brown hair. "I love you so much."