A/N: So here it is, chapter three of this story that was only supposed to be a one-shot for the Zutara Eternity contest on dA. Tada! Sorry that it took so long, but school was consuming my life during all my waking hours for the last 2 weeks. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. Too bad for me. :(
It had taken Katara less time to put all of her belongings away than she had thought it would.
The dresses that Iroh had bought for her were now hanging in her closet, surprisingly wrinkle-free for the most part after their two week journey from Ba Sing Se. She was amazed to find that there was still room to spare in the ample closet; she couldn't imagine how anyone would have the need for that much clothing space. Just how many outfits did one person really need? After all of the time she had spent travelling, she was used to having everything that she needed shoved into a small satchel. The opulence seemed almost ridiculous after living that way for so long.
After her clothes were put away, she unpacked and arranged everything else that she had brought with her. Sitting down on the bed, she felt a sense of satisfaction now that everything was in its place, both new and old items alike. She looked out the window, and by the position of the sun, it was clear that not much time had passed since Iroh had left. She sighed, trying to think of what else she could do until dinner was served.
She went back to the closet and arranged the dresses by color in order to kill some time. Iroh had insisted on expanding her wardrobe beyond the blue Water Tribe colors that she was partial to. Now she had garments that were resplendent with dark crimson silk, deep emerald velvet, and of course, ocean blue satin. She noticed absently that there were no colors representative of the Air Nomads, but wasn't really disappointed by this. She had never thought those colors would be attractive on her anyway.
Another glance out the window told her that she still had plenty of time to spare. Katara decided that she had better change into something that would be appropriate to wear to dinner with the Fire Lord. She laughed to herself at this thought. Less than a year ago, the idea of having dinner with the Fire Lord would have been absurd. She was still a little awestruck when she considered how much things had changed. Ozai, the man who had terrified and traumatized them all, was now powerless and imprisoned. In his place stood Zuko, her awkward and endearing friend Zuko, who was trying desperately to undo all of the evil that his father had created. Katara knew that he must be overwhelmed by it at times, but she was proud of him and the progress he had made so far.
Katara picked out something to wear and proceeded to get ready. She styled her hair, and deliberated on some accessories for awhile (Iroh really had gone overboard). With a last glance in the mirror and a few minor adjustments, she determined that she would be acceptable for the royal table.
However, time seemed to crawl, and she still had about an hour until dinner. She tried lying down on her bed to take a short nap, but quickly dismissed this idea, not wanting to wrinkle her dress or mess her hair. As luxurious as the room was, there really wasn't anything to do in it but sleep and dress, and restlessness was creeping up on her again.
Peeking out the door to her room, she saw a guard posted outside of her doorway. Katara was a little surprised by the guard's presence, after all, she was perfectly capable of defending herself. She decided that it was probably just protocol and chose not to take offense. She stepped out of her room and addressed the guard, asking him to tell Iroh that she had gone for a walk if he came looking for her, but that she would return soon.
At first, she had no real destination in mind. She walked the halls of the palace aimlessly, just enjoying the late afternoon sunlight and mild ocean breeze that found its way inland. The weather was mild that day for the Fire Nation, and she was glad for this. On her previous visit, and during their travels before the end of the war, it had been unbearably hot on some days, causing her to feel sticky and uncomfortable. After growing up on the icy tundra, it was still hard for her not to feel drained in exceptionally warm weather.
As she rounded a corner, she caught sight of the path that led to the turtle duck pond. Excited to see how her little friends had been, she followed the stone walk that would lead her to them.
She sat down on the grass near the edge of the pond, trailing a finger in the water. It felt cool and refreshing to the touch. The animal inhabitants of the pond perked up at the disturbance in the water, and began to swim toward her. Katara smiled as she saw the turtle ducks swim in her direction, quacking loudly. She felt slightly guilty because she had not thought to bring anything to feed them with, but she had not intended on ending up here. She interacted with them briefly, petting the ones that would allow it, but soon they realized that she did not have anything to offer them and they began to drift off to other parts of the pond.
She moved away from the water to sit on the bench nearby. She figured that she shouldn't get her dress dirty before dinner. She leaned back, hands supporting her on either side, and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the fragrant blooming bushes that were scattered around the pond. She felt herself relax a bit, enjoying the little bit of nature that the palace had to offer.
It was relaxing, but it wasn't perfect. It felt a bit strange to Katara that she was sitting here alone, without Zuko. This was their place. She missed him then, wishing he were here right now. At the same time, however, she was worried that what they once had was gone. Perhaps the Fire Lord would be too busy to have nightly walks with her now. Maybe he wouldn't want to anymore.
She was pulled out of these thoughts by the sound of footsteps coming down the stone path. She was suddenly worried that her walk had taken too long, and that she was going to be late for dinner. She turned, expecting to see Iroh coming to retrieve her.
But it wasn't Iroh at all.
Instead, standing about ten feet away, gaping, was His Royal Majesty, Fire Lord Zuko himself.
Zuko could not believe his eyes. He had composed himself a little, but could still not think of what to do besides stand there after he uttered her name.
The fact that she looked amazing did not help his thought processes one bit.
He had never seen her dressed like this. The most elegantly he had ever seen her dress was in that Earth Kingdom robe that she had been wearing at Uncle's tea shop just a few weeks ago. Ordinarily she was never seen in anything but the comfortable, casual blues of her nation. Now, here she was in a form fitting sleeveless gown done in the vibrant reds of the Fire Nation, hair exquisitely styled and accented by some tiny things that made her practically sparkle. Zuko was dumbstruck. Why was she dressed this way? What was she doing here?
Wait. Really, what was she doing here?
Zuko shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts, and was about to ask this very question, when she stood up and came toward him.
The excitement that Katara had felt at finally being able to see Zuko subsided when she saw the look on his face. He wasn't smiling, he wasn't moving. He was just staring at her as though she had grown a second head. She suddenly felt stupid. Stupid for being here, stupid for wearing this dress, stupid for not telling him that she was coming. She knew it was a mistake not sending that messenger hawk in advance! What was she thinking!
A bit disheartened, but still happy to see him, she got off of the bench and started walking toward him. She stopped a few feet away, and looked up at him, studying him. She had not had much chance to be with him at the tea shop before his abrupt departure. He had grown taller in the last six months since the end of the war, and it seemed that his hair had gotten longer. She was still unaccustomed to seeing him in the royal regalia, even after the time she had spent at the palace after the war. Whenever she pictured Zuko in her mind, she always imagined the young man who had traveled with them before the comet came, shaggy hair and simple clothes. While she knew that it was still the same Zuko underneath the crown and pomp, his appearance was still striking. She flushed a little and smiled at him.
"Hey, Zuko. Um, surprise?" He continued to stare at her blankly. She looked away, embarrassed. Surprise? That was all she could come up with? Stupid!
Suddenly, Zuko seemed to come to life. His eyes refocused and he grabbed her by the shoulders, inundating her with questions. "Katara! What are you doing here? How long have you been here? Why wasn't I notified? Has something happened? Where did you get those clothes?"
Katara stared at him for a moment, blinking a few times, before bursting into laughter. She gently removed his hands from her shoulders, while he continued to look confused. "Calm down Zuko. Nothing is wrong. I arrived this afternoon with your Uncle Iroh. He didn't tell you I was here?"
Zuko rolled his eyes, but a hint of a smile could be seen on his lips. "Obviously not. He came to my office after one of my meetings to, uh…discuss something, but he never mentioned that you had come with him. What are you doing in the Fire Nation?"
Katara was about to answer, when they both heard footsteps on the stone path. They turned, and saw one of the servants approach. She bowed to Zuko, and said "My Lord, General Iroh requests your presence in the dining hall. Dinner is now prepared."
Zuko thanked her and she bowed again before taking her leave. Zuko looked over at Katara. "Well, we shouldn't keep my Uncle waiting. He can be like your brother sometimes, I swear." He motioned for her to follow.
She laughed and started walking beside him. Together they made their way to the dining hall.
General Iroh sat in his place in the dining hall, patiently waiting for his nephew to arrive. The more he stared at the food before him, the more he disliked the rule that no one could eat until the Fire Lord arrived. Living in the Earth Kingdom he rarely had the chance to have authentic Fire Nation cuisine. Sure, there were restaurants that had recently opened that claimed to have real Fire Nation food on the menu, but they never could get it quite right. Whenever he went to those places, he secretly brought his own spices with him in his sleeve, so that he could make the food taste a little more like home. He had half a mind to pull the chefs at these restaurants aside and show them how it was done.
But back at the palace, there was no need for such precautions. The chefs here knew exactly what he liked and exactly how he liked things prepared. Such was the benefit of living in the palace for so many years before.
Just as his stomach growled for the third time, he heard footfalls in the hallway outside the dining room. A servant stepped through the doorway, and announced the arrival of the Fire Lord and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe.
Iroh smiled and stood up to greet them. He was surprised to see that Zuko seemed to have found Katara. When Iroh had gone to her room, the guard had informed him that she was out for a walk. When he went to Zuko's office, he was nowhere to be found as well. It seems they must have run into each other on the way to dinner.
Zuko sat at the head of the table, with Katara to his left and Iroh to his right. Iroh glanced briefly between the two teenagers, and could sense a little tension in the air while the food was being served. Zuko seemed uncomfortable, and Katara was twisting the end of a lock of her hair. Feeling the need to break the silence (and pry a little) Iroh spoke up.
"Katara, I see that you are wearing one of your new dresses. I must say, it looks absolutely stunning. Don't you agree, Lord Zuko?"
Zuko almost choked on the water he was drinking. He shot a glare at his Uncle, who was smiling benignly at him. He chanced a glance at Katara, who was blushing furiously, and looking at her hands in her lap. Zuko cleared his throat, and while looking down at his food, mumbled "Yes, Uncle. Katara does look very…nice."
"Nice? Is that all, Nephew? Surely your time as Fire Lord has expanded your vocabulary a bit more than that."
Zuko could not believe his ears. What was his Uncle thinking? He turned to his Uncle, eyes wide, mentally pleading for him to stop all of this. After all, Zuko thought, this girl already had a boyfriend, it would be inappropriate for Zuko to make those types of comments and make her feel uncomfortable. If she was too embarrassed, she might not come back! He needed to derail his Uncle from whatever he was thinking.
"I'm sorry, Uncle, the documents I tend to everyday are tragically not filled with flowery language. Tell me, how was your journey to the Fire Nation?"
His Uncle answered him, but he wasn't paying attention. He looked at Katara, who seemed to relax a bit now that there had been a change of subject. But she also looked a little…sad? Why would she be sad? He had said that she looked nice. What reason would she have to look despondent?
The dinner continued without further incident. By the time it had ended, the sun had long since retired for the day. Zuko was relieved and thanked Agni that his Uncle had decided to refrain from making any further embarrassing comments. As the plates were being carried away, Iroh excused himself for the evening, saying that he had to be up early in order to make some trade agreements with the local tea merchant. Zuko stood and bowed to him as he left. He remained standing, still looking toward the doorway that his Uncle had just exited from. He was suddenly painfully aware that he was now alone with Katara, and he had no idea what to say now. So, how have you been? How's your boyfriend? Why didn't anyone tell me that the two of you were involved? He could not think of anything remotely appropriate.
Instead, he figured that he would try to escape and deal with all of this tomorrow. "Well, I guess I should follow my Uncle's lead. Goodnight, Katara."
He started walking toward the door, when he felt fingers curl around his wrist. He turned, and saw Katara looking up at him expectantly. When he gazed back at her questioningly, she immediately dropped her eyes to the ground and dropped her hand back to her side.
"Zuko, wait. I was just thinking…well I wasn't really ready to sleep yet…and there's nothing really to do in my room…so I was wondering…would you like to take a walk with me?" she bit her lip a little and looked up at him again.
Zuko's face softened a little at this. He was a little surprised, but happy to accept the offer. Of course he wanted to take a walk with Katara. He had missed this ritual after she had left the palace. But he had been unsure that she would want to continue the tradition, now that she appeared to be in some sort of romantic relationship with the Avatar. In the social circles he was familiar with at the palace, it could appear scandalous. But this was Katara after all, and as he had thought before, if she wanted to interact with him as though nothing had changed, well she was bound to do it. Katara was not one to obey social convention if it interfered with what she wanted to do.
Zuko smiled at her. "Of course, Katara. Where would you like to go?"
Katara was relieved. She had been so worried that he would be too busy, or that he just wouldn't want to spend too much time with her. She had kind of just barged into his daily routine. It wasn't as though he were required to accommodate her.
"Well, why don't we go back to the turtle duck pond? We never got to finish the conversation we started there."
Zuko nodded. They exited the dining hall and walked down the hallways of the palace toward their destination. It was a beautiful night. Yue shined brightly in the clear sky, and the ocean breeze from earlier had died down to an occasional whisper. They walked on in silence, enjoying the night air. When they reached the bench, Katara sat down. Zuko followed suit, but sat as far away from her on the bench as was possible. He didn't want her getting any (correct) ideas, nor did he wish any passing servants to see them and start rumors. Perhaps Katara wasn't concerned with her reputation, but Zuko was. He would not have anyone speaking ill of her around him.
Katara was a little disappointed by Zuko's lack of proximity. Maybe things weren't just as they had been the last time that she was here. She sighed a little to herself, but ever the optimist, thought that maybe he just needed a little time to warm back up to her. After all, it had been almost six months since they had really talked. She supposed that they had a lot to catch up on.
She looked over at Zuko out of the corner of her eye. To anyone else, he might have looked at peace. He was gazing at the pond in front of him, face blank, hands folded in his lap. But Katara knew better. There was a twitch to his jaw that gave him away. Something was bothering him.
"So, Zuko, how's life been as the almighty Fire Lord?" She laughed weakly at this, suddenly feeling awkward around him.
"It's been fine." Zuko kept staring ahead, not wanting to look at her, not wanting to give himself away.
Katara turned and looked at him skeptically. "Fine? That's all you have to say? Surely your time as Fire Lord has expanded your vocabulary more than that, hmm?" She joked, reaching over and nudging him with her elbow.
Zuko flushed a bit at the reference to his Uncle's ridiculous comment at dinner. He was glad for the darkness, hoping that she couldn't see the color rising in his cheeks. Instead of answering, he reached up and pulled the royal emblem out of his hair and loosened his top knot so that his hair hung in his face a bit. He held the piece in his hands, turning it over a few times, watching the moonlight softly reflect off of it.
He sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "It's exhausting. And intimidating. And boring. And overwhelming. It's everything I expected it to be. It's also nothing like I expected it to be. Is that better?" He turned his head and gave her a wry smile.
Katara smiled back and took the crown from his hands. She too turned it over in her hands a few times, considering it. "So much responsibility for such a small thing, isn't it? But you're doing well. I've heard of many of the great things that you have done since your coronation to make this a better nation."
Zuko watched her play with the emblem. "I suppose. I have a team of advisors who help me, as well as advice from Uncle. The paperwork is the worst part, to be honest. But enough about that. What are you doing here Katara? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but it is a bit unexpected."
It was just like Zuko to get straight to the point about things, Katara thought. She handed his crown back to him. "Well, I was going to talk to you about that back in Ba Sing Se, but you just sort of disappeared on us. What was so important that you had to rush off without saying goodbye?"
Zuko panicked a little. He hadn't really thought of a specific excuse to tell anyone, and he wasn't sure if she had gotten any information from his Uncle. He chose to be vague. "It was just something that had to be taken care of immediately here at the palace. Some papers that needed to be signed that couldn't wait until my scheduled return. What were you planning to discuss with me?"
Katara wasn't entirely convinced, but chose to let him off with a mild chiding. "Well, you still could have said something to us." She gently nudged him again. "Anyway, as you know, I have been travelling around with Aang for awhile, helping with the reconstruction effort all over the Earth Kingdom. We finished with phase one of the plans, and I thought that maybe my help might be needed elsewhere. I was planning on asking you if I could be of service to the Fire Nation." And I wanted to spend some time with you because I missed you. But she wasn't about to reveal that just yet.
Zuko looked at her and shook his head in amazement. "Don't you ever rest? I'm certain that I could find something for you to do if you wanted it. However, it might take some time to figure out where you could be of the most help. How long were you planning to stay?" Zuko realized that he absurdly hoped that she might say 'forever.'
"Until I'm no longer needed. I don't have any immediate plans for the future. I'm ready to stay in one place for awhile. The constant travelling is exhausting in its own way. I think it would be nice to stay in the Fire Nation for awhile."
"You are more than welcome here, Katara. I'll speak to my advisors and see what you can do." He looked back at the pond, and was silent for a moment. Before he could stop himself, he suddenly blurted, "Won't you miss Aang?"
Katara was a little confused by this. What was that supposed to mean? "Of course I'll miss Aang. I'll miss all of our friends. Why do you ask?" She looked at him in bewilderment.
"No reason," Zuko muttered, feeling ridiculous. He wasn't sure how to interpret this answer, but it didn't appear that she was partial to the Avatar in any way. But nothing was certain. He knew what he had seen on that tea shop patio.
Zuko stood up and stretched a little. "It's getting late. I have meetings to attend early tomorrow morning. May I walk you back to your room?"
Katara smiled and stood up. She bowed in an overly dramatic fashion. "It would be an honor, Lord Zuko." She giggled and watched him roll his eyes. He held out his arm to escort her back through the palace. She entwined her arm around his, happy to finally have some sort of physical contact with him.
They reached her room, and Katara bid him goodnight. As she was about to shut the door, Zuko stopped her. "Katara, wait."
Katara looked up at him expectantly, those large blue eyes catching him in a trance momentarily. He wasn't sure what had made him stop her, but it was too late now. "I'm sorry for what I said at dinner tonight."
Katara made a face. "What are you talking about Zuko?"
Zuko inwardly kicked himself. What was he doing? But there was nothing left to do but continue on, he supposed. "At dinner, I…I said that you looked nice."
Katara frowned at him, putting her hands on her hips. "What do you mean? Are you taking it back? What – "
"Katara." He cut her off, holding up his hand to silence her. He looked down the hallway for a moment, gathering his courage. He took a deep breath, and looked back into her eyes. "I said that you looked nice. What I meant to say is that you look beautiful."
She looked at him for a moment, blinking, her face unreadable. He was certain he had said the wrong thing. What had compelled him to do something so stupid? He was hitting on the Avatar's girlfriend! Now she would never want to spend time alone with him again, for fear of more uncomfortable commentary! She would probably just leave and then go back to Aang and tell him how ridiculous Zuko was, and they would laugh, and—
His thoughts were cut off abruptly as his arms were suddenly full of Katara. She had wrapped her arms around his neck and was holding onto him tightly. He tentatively returned the gesture. He felt her breath on his ear as she whispered "thank you, Zuko." She slowly released him, and smiled up into his face. He looked back at her, a little stunned, and he swore that he could see some color in her cheeks before she spun on her heels to go back into her room. She called out a brief goodnight as she was shutting the door.
Zuko remained outside her door, staring at the space she had just occupied. Did that really just happen? He shook his head, unsure what to think about her. He certainly couldn't complain, but he didn't want to get his hopes up either. Katara was famous for her mood swings. And she had that motherly side to her as well. Yes, that had to be it. She was just happy to see him, and apparently very susceptible to compliments. Everything would go back to normal in the morning. He chanced a quick glance around to make sure that no gossipy servants had witnessed anything. He wondered vaguely where the guard was that should have been posted outside her door, but counted himself lucky that the guard had taken an unauthorized break.
Despite all of his negative thoughts, he couldn't help but feel that his steps were a little lighter as he walked back to his room, posture relaxed, arms crossed behind his back. And he couldn't keep a little smile from creeping onto his face. Things might actually be looking up. That night, he slept soundly for the first time in weeks.
That same evening, in a small fishing village in the northern Earth Kingdom, the owner of a combined tavern and inn was getting ready to close up shop for the night. The village itself was small, but the tavern managed to bring in plenty of customers, mostly travelers. The village was located near trading ports that often accommodated the Northern Water Tribe, making it a very lucrative point among the trading route that ran along the coast. The locals enjoyed the frequent visitors to the town, and most didn't cause any trouble. The tavern owner certainly didn't mind the travelers, as they translated into a healthy wage with which to care for his family.
He surveyed the barroom, and saw that most of his customers had left for the evening. A local man occupied one table near the center of the room, head resting on his folded arms, half a glass of ale resting on the table next to him. He was always one of the last to leave, and often needed to be woken up and told to go home to his wife and three young children. At another table near him, a couple of young men were standing to leave, finishing off what was left of their glasses and depositing some coins on the table. He watched them leave, and then went over to the table to collect their money and dirty mugs.
The tavern owner moved back behind the bar and began to clean the glasses. As he wiped out the inside of a mug with a rag, he glanced at the only other customer that still remained in the tavern. In a dusty corner of the bar, a woman sat alone with her back toward him, staring blankly out of the window to her right. He couldn't imagine what she could be looking at, darkness had fallen hours ago.
She was an odd one. She was here more nights than not, and always occupied the same lonely table in the corner. She never brought anyone with her, nor did she ever interact with the other customers. She had become a silent fixture in the tavern. For almost three years she had repeated this same pattern. The locals were so used to her being there that on occasion he had seen them encourage travelers to sit elsewhere if they tried to sit in her spot.
And always tea. She never indulged in any of the ale or whiskey that he had to offer. It was always the same blend of tea. As he continued wiping down the bar, he watched her as she raised her cup to her mouth. Her movements were always deliberate, and when she wasn't in motion she sat perfectly still, with excellent posture. The tavern owner could not determine her age. If he had to judge by her face, then she seemed young, but her hands betrayed her and provided clues that she was older than she looked. Her hair also gave her away, for while it was dark and shining, a few strands of white were starting to appear at her temples. Her clothing was nondescript, perhaps a little threadbare but still meticulously taken care of. She was an attractive woman, but forgettable: it would have been easy to pass her over without a second look in a crowd.
Not much was known about this woman although she had been a resident of the village for several years. She had a name, but most people had forgotten it and instead referred to her as the Seamstress. She occupied a small hut at the edge of the village, and made her living repairing the villagers clothing or creating pretty new dresses for special occasions. She was friendly to customers, and charged a fair price for her work, but other than that she kept to herself. It seemed the only time she was seen outside of her home was to come to the tavern a few nights a week.
The tavern owner watched as she gracefully stood, and carefully placed a few coins on the table. She half turned and gave the tavern owner a small smile before making her way out the front door and into the night.
The Seamstress walked the short distance to her home, the only sound in the night coming from the gravel road crunching underneath her feet. When she arrived at her destination, her home was dark just as she had left it. She entered and closed the door. Surveying the dark room around her, and seeing that all of the curtains were shut tight, she lit a small fire in the palm of her hand.
The fire illuminated her modest belongings that were placed about in the three room hut. In the front room, she kept her sewing equipment and a simple chair that she used to work in. The room to the left was her kitchen, and the room in the back was her bedroom. After lighting a lantern in the front room, she made her way to the bedroom.
She sat down carefully on the single bed, and looked across to a mirror on the wall. She studied her reflection for a moment, and then lay back on the bed, feet still flat on the floor. She reached up and rubbed her temples.
There was no new information tonight. But then again, tonight had not been very busy, the large trading vessels weren't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow. She could always count on travelers to supply information on the outside world. She had sat in the tavern for years, quietly, while various merchants and traders drank their ale and loudly shared stories about the comings and goings of the other nations. But tonight the tavern had been occupied by mostly locals, and they rarely had any information except mindless gossip about their neighbors. She was much more interested in what was happening on a global scale.
No, there had been no new information tonight. But she wasn't sure that she really needed any more information than she already had. She had just overheard two nights ago from some rice peddlers that the Fire Lord and the Dragon of the West were both back at the palace. Through bits and pieces of information, she had learned that the Fire Nation had finally secured its peaceful place among the nations, and the new Fire Lord was slowly bringing prosperity back to the war torn country. Ozai was weakened and imprisoned, and the ex-Fire Princess had been taken care of almost directly after the war had ended. Azula had been imprisoned like her father, but the fact that she still had her bending had made the people nervous. It had taken little more than a week before one of the servants had slipped a slow acting poison into her food which first paralyzed and ultimately killed her. The Fire Lord had commanded that the physicians do whatever was necessary to heal her, but they were unsuccessful. Or at least that was what was said. There were rumors that the physicians hadn't tried their best in the matter. While deplorable, if true it would have been just as unsurprising as the poisoning itself. Many of the nation's citizens were more afraid of Azula than Ozai himself. Many attended her grand state funeral, but it was noticed by some that while everyone was somber, no one cried. The culprit behind the poisoning was found and promptly executed. The criminal's last words had been "cherry pits," which had made sense to absolutely no one. Many times she had overheard drunken men in the tavern joke that the culprit should have been given official commendation instead. She always bristled at this, and found that she had to struggle to keep her face neutral at such comments. But there was nothing she could do about it now. All in all, however, things finally seemed to be coming together. After all of these years, it seemed like the time was finally right.
She sat up and moved over to a desk in the corner, preparing to write a letter. She pulled out a brush and a fresh piece of paper, deliberating over exactly what she wanted to say. There was so much to be said, and so much of it deserved to be delivered in person. But no matter. A brief synopsis would do, she could explain all of her actions in detail later. What was necessary right now was simply to establish first contact. Things would flow from there.
She signed the document and sealed it, preparing it for delivery by messenger hawk. Although it was late, the delivery service was open in the village at all hours in the case of important trade announcements. She stepped outside of her home and made the short trip to the aviary.
She spoke briefly with the boy who was in charge of the night shift. He quirked an eyebrow at the letters destination, but made no comment. He tucked the document inside a leather cylinder and set it aside, telling her that it would be sent off first thing in the morning when one of the hawks returned. She thanked him and returned home.
Back in her bedroom, she sat down on the bed once more. She felt happy for the first time in years. She reached underneath the mattress and pulled out a scroll. The edges were a bit frayed, and it was a bit faded from the sun, as she had taken it off of a community message board that was placed in the center of town. She had removed it and taken it home with her one night after she left the tavern, vigilant about making sure that no one was watching as she did. She often looked at it before going to sleep at night. Tonight, however, instead of returning it to its place underneath the mattress, she tacked it up on the opposite wall. After she had finished, she sat back down on the bed and admired it.
It was an announcement that depicted the new Fire Lord, celebrating his coronation six months ago. He looked handsome in those robes, she thought, so different. But she would recognize him anywhere.
She extinguished the lantern with a flick of the wrist, and reclined into her bed. She looked at the scroll once more and smiled softly at it before closing her eyes. "Good night, my son. I will see you soon."
It was time for Ursa to come home.
The boy at the aviary jerked his head up for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. He was hunched over the front desk, head supported by his hands, trying desperately not to fall asleep but failing miserably. He was sure that this had to be one of the worst jobs in the whole of the Earth Kingdom. Sure, it paid alright, but these hours were just unnatural. He envied everyone who was sleeping comfortably in their beds at this moment, as people ought to be doing at this time of night. He sat up and blinked his eyes a few times, trying to figure out what he could do tonight to keep himself occupied.
As he thought, his eyes drifted about the room aimlessly, until they fell on the stack of scrolls that were to be sent out when the morning shift arrived. Curious, he stood up and shuffled over to the pile, yawning and stretching as he approached. There were plenty of scrolls to be sent, but most of them were strictly business, and he could care less about the trading vessels or the price of grain. But there was one letter than piqued his interest, only because the destination was unusual, as was the sender.
Since the end of the war, communications between the northern Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation had increased, but not by much. Any trade that was done between the two was generally handled by those who came along the coastal trading route, which was slow going. There was rarely any trade news from the Fire Nation that was so important that it had to be delivered by hawk. But the boy knew that this letter did not contain industry news.
The Seamstress rarely communicated with the villagers, and she had never been known to communicate with anyone in the greater Earth Kingdom, let alone anyone outside of the continent. And no one in the village had ever had any reason to send something directly to the Fire Nation palace, addressed to the Fire Lord himself.
Time spent at this job had taught the boy very few skills, but one thing that he had become good at in the creeping hours of night had been removing seals. When he was particularly bored, he would find letters that were addressed to villagers family members in other parts of the Earth Kingdom, and he would occasionally pry these open, if just to entertain himself and learn a little gossip. It was amazing what neighbors would say behind each other's backs when the information was sure not to get back to them. The first few times he tried this trick it was a disaster, but over time he learned that just a gradual heating of the wax would break it free, and a gradual heating of the wax would seal it once more.
Maybe there was nothing important in this letter to the palace, but his curiosity was too strong. After all, how many of these letters would he get a chance to read in the future? His mind made up, he carefully opened the scroll.
His eyes quickly scanned the short note and the character at the end symbolizing who the letter was from. He glanced back up at the night, eyes unfocused, certain that he must be asleep at the desk, pleasantly dreaming. This was impossible. He looked back down at the scroll and read it twice more, slowly, making sure that he was not misunderstanding a single word. But the words and their meaning did not change. This wasn't just a letter to the palace. This was a letter to the palace from a Fire Nation royal. A member of the royal family that had been missing for years.
The boy knew of the Fire Lord's search for his long lost mother. Gossip was prevalent in the village, and he always kept his ears open, supplementing his knowledge with the scrolls that he would read during the night shift. He knew that the Fire Lord had sent out a special team of people to gather information about where his mother might be, if she was still alive. And to think that she had been here in this tiny village for the last three years and no one even noticed.
This information was too good. Sure the job he had paid him decently, but just imagine what someone might pay for this type of information. Someone like the Fire Lord, with his palace and servants and processions.
He carefully rolled the scroll back up and put it with his things, and anxiously waited for his shift to end. When the time finally came and he was relieved from his duties, he raced home. Upon arrival, he flung open the front door, not bothering to shut it behind him, and ran to the back room where his older brother was still sleeping.
He crouched by the side of the bed and shook him awake. "Wake up! I have news! You won't believe this!"
His brother sat halfway up on one elbow and ground the sleep from his eyes with his knuckle. "What is so important that you wake me up at this hour? The sun hasn't even risen yet! Go to sleep."
"No! You must listen! The Seamstress came to the aviary tonight and gave me a letter to send to the Fire Nation palace. In the letter it said– "
"You opened it? Why would you – "
"Shut up! That's not important! The letter is addressed to the Fire Lord himself. The Seamstress claims that she is the long lost Lady Ursa, and that she plans to travel home to him in a week's time!"
The older brother sat all the way up at this. "Do you have the letter?" His younger brother nodded and pulled it out of his bag. "Let me see it." He read it over carefully, and then slowly met his brother's eyes. "Do you know what this means?"
"Yes! I'm sure the Fire Lord would pay a handsome reward for this information, and – "
"No. I think I may know of some people who would grant us an even greater reward. Give me the letter. You've done a good thing, brother. I know of some people who live not far from here in the woods. I will speak with them later today. In the meantime, don't tell anyone about this. Understood?"
The younger brother nodded and bid his brother good day. He found his way to his own room, and lay down in his bed. He wasn't sure who his brother had been talking about, but he had never done wrong for them in the past. This could be their ticket out of this town, and into the riches and splendor of Ba Sing Se. No more long hours at the aviary, no more gossipy village, just the life of luxury in the city. Yes, that was the way to live. He had every confidence in his brother. Now all he had to do was wait. What could possibly go wrong?
A/N part II: oooohhhh intrigue! So in this chapter we finally get some Zuko/Katara interaction, both awkward and fluffy. Hope you enjoyed their little scene outside of Katara's room, it may have been a little cheesy, but I couldn't help myself.
As for the second part of the chapter: yep this is turning into a post war Ursa kind of thing, but with some twists that I don't think have been used before. Oh, and don't mind the random non-characters. I don't think I could see myself creating any OC's, so don't worry about them. Sometimes I guess I like to see things from stranger's perspectives. But I won't name them or give them concerte personalities or anything. I have my hands full keeping the real characters in character without making up my own!
So who are those people inhabiting the woods? And what would they want with information about Lady Ursa? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks for reading! Please review, it makes my heart giggle with joy. ;)