A/N I'm sorry this is late! I was exhausted the day I was intending to upload this and out all of yesterday. I normally try to reread a few times to edit but this one has only been read through about twice (I think it's the longest of these yet). I'd also like to point out that the rating is going up from K+ to T (for the next chapter in particular). You'll be getting both Day 5 and Day 6 at the same time (yay).
Cold Feet
When the 100 Year War ended a new era of tentative peace began. One of the early priorities of this peace had been improving international relations around the world.
Fire Lord Zuko negotiated compensation to be paid in instalments over the span of a few decades and promptly trade routes were opened.
To the Southern Water Tribe steel, wood, fresh produce and new technologies were shipped with 6 Fire Nation vessels that had been best suited to the frosty conditions sent as non-monetary reparations.
Trade ships would go to and from the South and the Fire Nation with the liquor, carvings, cured meats and embroidery they'd trade, finding a surprisingly eager market.
These trade ships forced interactions between people of the two nations. When, in the recent past, a black metal ship chugging towards the village was a beacon of war, it was now a means to the continued flourishing of the redeveloping Southern Water Tribe and its economy. It wasn't unusual for the ships to stay over a night or two in the tribe and while many of the crew would stay in the comfort of the ship some would venture onto the tundra, walking the growing number of icy streets and eating the amazing street food found nowhere else in the world. Bato, as Hakoda's best friend and second in command, was often involved in trade negotiations, quality checks and other proceedings It was at one of these meetings, when a Fire Nation ship bringing metals, red wines and fresh fruits, that Bato met Natsumi, the captain of the vessel, a fire bender and the woman he would later fall in love with.
It was well over 3 years after the war had ended. After Sokka's engagement party, as Katara got onto a ship to take her to Ba Sing Se, Bato gave her a letter, "I was going to send it to you at the embassy but I heard you were coming here..." He waved the ship off; she read the letter in her cabin.
"Katara – You are invited to the Southern Event of the season (because, as you know, Sokka's wedding is coming up and would take great offence to me offhandedly undermining that). Anyway, I'm getting married Squirt! I know you're probably very busy but it wouldn't be a party without you, you're like the daughter mine never had the chance to be...
If you can make time in your busy schedule oh great Ambassador Master Princess and will be attending you can travel with the bride and her family. Or you could probably convince the Fire Lord to lend you another boat if a revamped trade ship isn't enough; I hear you two are very close friends.
You're welcome to bring a plus one; you know the women of this tribe love making way too much food for these kinds of events.
I wish to Tui and La you can make it and arrive safe.
Love, Bato"
Natsumi was one of the traders that would brave the cold; she was taken by the hospitality of the southern people and their unfreezing liquor. She was raised in a poor northern village of the Fire Nation; her parents had never been particularly patriotic, disagreeing with the ruling regimes. She'd hidden her bending as a ploy to be kept off the front lines of the war. Kind but spirited, she demanded excellence of her personnel and similarly, in her relationships.
The ceremony was to take place 4 months later, at start of their summer in the Southern Water Tribe. Although surprised, Katara was delighted. In the Water Tribes, weddings are huge deals. Traditionally people marry within the tribe so everyone knows everyone and it's a big family affair. This will not be a traditional wedding. Still, there were always fests and festivities for up to a week, depending on the season. Now, thanks to trade agreements, food was plentiful and Katara was foreseeing an increase in her clothing size upon her return to the Fire Nation.
A tradition in the Fire Nation is that the Bride and Groom are kept apart (even if they lived together already) with the Bride staying with her family for the whole month before their wedding.
So that's what was going to happen.
Katara had met the woman on a few occasions while she was living in the south but never had the chance to really get to know her before she moved.
After a year of seeing each other for a few days at a time with months apart, Natsumi started staying on the ice for three week periods between trade ships. It was at this point that her relationship with Bato began to blossom; first as an interest in each other as friends, then in a romantic sense. Natsumi had apparently been working which was why she'd been unable to attend Sokka's engagement party.
Katara was only due to be in the Earth Kingdom for two months and would be returning to the Fire Nation after that. She sent Zuko a messenger hawk asking him to maybe be her plus one… if he wanted… maybe.
The next few months flew by. Zuko had been delighted by the invitation (he had to literally write that as a P.S. because his writing style was so formal) and said he'd reorganise his schedules and accompany her.
It wasn't much longer before Katara was back in the caldera and they reunited in a very awkward public encounter made up of do-I-hug-you-?, Where-should-I-put-my-hands-? conversations in purely facial expressions (They ended up having an uncomfortable high five).
Zuko commissioned new, formal, parkas from the Southern Water Tribe despite Katara's complaints about it being unnecessary as it was her family.
"Yes it is your family. In the Fire Nation you must wear new clothes to a wedding if you're family, something about a clean slate and starting a new life together…"
They decided not to argue over it.
The night before they're due to depart (they'd chosen to travel with the bride's family) Katara is set up in a room in the palace to save any confusion in the morning. Well that's what they told the servants and his assistant.
He sneaks out of his room and into hers stealthily. The thrill of it all makes him feel so alive… she always did call him an adrenaline junky. Once he retorted saying he's a Katara junky, she'd laughed called him an idiot and asked him to please not to say that again before kissing him.
When he finds her she's on her bed reading a scroll in her nightgown by candlelight. It's coming close to their winter now but it's still warm by most of the world's standards. He knocks awkwardly on her wardrobe as he emerges from shadows.
"Hi…"
"Hi"
They smile at each other, affectionate, innocent smiles.
He kisses her.
It gradually descends to affectionate and not-so innocent. His hands tangle in her hair, hers pull at the collar of his black turtleduck neck and he moans softly into her mouth.
She stops. He looks at her, confused and heavy lidded.
"Zuko…"
"Yeah?"
"What are we doing?"
"Well… I thought I was kissing you," He scratches the back of his neck bashfully.
"No. What is this?"
"I wanted to make the most of our last private moment before we're on the ship and surrounded by other people for three weeks."
"Not what I'm asking Zuko. What is this?" She gestures between them frantically and looks at him, clearly frazzled.
"I don't understand…" He places a hand on her clothed knee.
"We've been sneaking around for 6 months Zuko and nothing has changed."
"I like things the way they are," His fingertips graze from her knee to her waist, where he strokes soft circles with his thumb.
"Attitudes aren't changing Zuko..." She crosses her arms around herself and shuffles away, turning away from him.
"Are people disrespecting you?"
"Not purposefully… once they find out I'm a diplomat…"
"Katara…"
"The rumours haven't gone away. The words they use to describe me are getting increasingly vulgar too… I was declined service in two shops today because I'm not from here, Zuko. They'll never accept me."
"Katara…"
"You know it's true Zuko... Maybe we're just kidding ourselves…" She picks up her scroll, which had fallen from her bed so satisfyingly as they'd embraced earlier, rerolling it at placing it on her night stand. She looks back at him, biting her lip, "it was nice while it lasted…"
Zuko gets up. He composes himself, swearing that he won't cry.
"It's not really like we were actually dating…" She's curling herself up and she keeps talking, each line more heart breaking than the last.
So much for her being the hopeful one…
Regardless of how awkward she feels on the walk to the docks her mood is predominantly irritation.
How dare he be ok.
Zuko is behaving cordially, like a perfect gentleman. Like the Fire Lord.
His stone cold manners make her miss when he'd have huge temper tantrums and attack people (Aang) to make a point about laziness.
Despite being 'in disguise' (they're both in casual, average, everyday Fire nation clothes) Zuko was rather recognisable and was quick to admonish people as he got onto the ship and inform them that he's just an ordinary man these next few weeks, and therefore there is no need for "my lord" or dropping to the floor to bow whenever he walked through a door.
The former trade ship was one of the 6 that were given to the South. It had been redecorated in a colour scheme resembling a sunset over the ocean and had various Water Tribe banners hanging around despite the mostly Fire Nation crew who were, in fact, the regular crew of Natsumi's trade runs.
Katara found the bride's paternal grandmother in the galley having tea and was invited to join her. The woman was ancient, the wrinkles that folded her skin almost covered her eyes and her overall appearance reminded her vaguely of an old inedible potato… a very kind, cute, old inedible potato. She insisted on everyone calling her Grammy and had oversize square glasses that enlarged her squinty brown eyes. Her skin was rather brown for a Fire Native, likely from a long life of hard work.
Grammy was thrilled that her granddaughter was getting married. She stated that in the month before the wedding Natsumi had to ask her superiors to be swapped onto the Earth Kingdom trade ship because she didn't know the Northern route. Apparently whenever she wasn't on a trade vessel she was anxiously pacing the small home they all lived in and secretly putting her veil on in the mirror when she thought everyone else was asleep.
"ol' Nat is the last of my grandbabies to get married" Grammy said, readjusting her bulky spectacles and squinting at Katara, "we all thought she'd never find somebody - imagine 36 and unmarried. I'd just about given up on that child…"
At that moment, Natsumi walks in, looking stressed. "Grammy have you seen my- - Oh, Ambassador Katara, forgive me, it's a pleasure you're travelling with us, your majesty." Katara blinks before breaking out in giggles.
"What is it?"
"Captain Natsumi, not only am I not THAT kind of Princess, you're marrying the man who is practically my uncle in about a week. You're family, none of this 'your majesty' nonsense, just Katara."
The woman blinked then laughed, "You sound like your father," she states and then scurries about looking for something.
"Your glasses are on your face dear," Grammy teases. The captain merely pokes her tongue out at the cheeky old woman.
Zuko walks in with a black haired, bearded man. The man is broad shouldered with a long thin scar running down the side of his face close to his hairline and has two fingers missing. It's been a while since Katara had looked at the Fire Lord and marvelled at how young he looks. The man is ranting about this and that and Zuko is looking on with a child-like pensiveness.
"Qiang. Have you seen my comb?"
"Why would I have taken your comb, sister?"
"I wasn't saying you took it!"
"Well, why else would I know where it is?"
The Bride-to-be huffs and storms out of the room.
"Normally she's very mild mannered," Grammy muses.
Katara looks mournfully at Zuko and he merely turns back to the raving gentleman. Grammy is more perceptive than she seems, mumbling about the joys of youth and cute bi-racial babies.
The comb is found three days later in the mouth of Qiang's 2 year old daughter, Lan, by his wife, Jing.
Natsumi's father, Shota, had retired from his job in a munitions factory 4 years before the war ended and had passed away only a month before it ended. Natsumi had been in the Fire Navy as border patrol at the time, missing out on the chance to say goodbye. Her mother, Jian, was a seamstress and had made her daughter's wedding gown. Despite her parent's disagreement with the war, it was impossible to not be involved in in some way. Qiang, her younger brother and only living sibling, had also worked in munitions (loosing fingers to it) and had been out of work since the end of the war. Jing is a nurse and works in a small make shift hospital. The family is small but tight-knit. Katara wondered how they'll get used to one of them moving to the South Pole for 3 seasons of the year…
She thinks about the news scroll she was reading and the young couple that eloped. She was the rebellious daughter of the Northern Water Tribe, claiming Katara herself as inspiration for coming to the Fire Nation, and he was the son of one of Ozai's lieutenants.
They were both disowned by their families when it was discovered. She was beaten to death by her father-in-law. Her devastated husband decided that, to respect her and her family, he'd take her body to her homeland… where her family blamed him and he was currently incarcerated in ice without a blanket. What made it worse was the fact that the news scroll painted it as a justice and was sent to the embassy anonymously...perhaps as a threat.
She spends most of the journey's days sipping tea and listening to Grammy's stories or playing with Lan and it's nights alone in her cabin, crying for herself, for Zuko, for that poor couple and her fears.
It would appear that a lot can change in the span of a day.
They'd arrived to the Southern Water Tribe on schedule; Natsumi was given the hut that would become her home to hide in with her family while Bato stayed with Katara's family in their stately home. The Fire Lord was offered residence with them also and he accepted graciously, his endearing awkwardness nowhere to be found.
Gran Gran would watch the pair intently.
When Grammy came to meet Bato's surrogate family, she and Kanna bonded by watching them at the same time and commenting to each other under their breath. When asked about it they merely said that at their age one becomes apt at reading body language. That was all.
For women of, what were, warring nations more of their similarities were clear than their differences.
It was on the day of Bato's wedding that Katara's perspective changed.
She was in their igloo straightening the groom's warrior garb, wearing the parka Zuko commissioned her grandmother for.
"You never met Dyani." He says simply. Katara looks up, confused.
"My first wife was best friends with your mother. In fact she claimed to be in love with your dad as well when we were teenagers. I wore her down though." He chuckled, "Dyani was a water bender, just like you. We married the moment we could basically, it was her 16th birthday… she died in a raid before you were born, along with our two daughters. I never thought I'd love again. I never thought I could forgive the fire nation for what they took from me. Then I met Natsumi. I saw the way your Team Avatar worked together, loved each other and were blind to the nation. It gave me hope. It opened my eyes and I believed that peace was possible. I found a friend in Natsumi, and then we fell in love."
Katara cries. She told herself she wouldn't.
When they're standing in a stupidly fancy ice ballroom (the Northerns' theatrics when rebuilding their sister tribe weren't appreciated by the young princess) surrounded with ice flowers and real ones shipped from all over the world, she cries.
When Natsumi, tall, pale, raven haired, straight nosed, bespectacled, proud Captain Natsumi cried as she pledged unending love, acceptance and dedication to the relationship and making it work, Katara cried with her.
The festivities occur around her; she has wine in her glass but isn't drinking it. Her eyes search for Zuko. There is a tap on her shoulder and he's there, holding one of the table decorations in his hand. It was a glass ornament with a sun and moon design inside; both equal, both beautiful. He's staring at it.
"You asked me what this was, Katara. This is it. Sun and Moon. Water and Fire. Opposites that balance each other."
He is slightly winded by the sudden impact of her wrapping her arms tightly around him. He relaxes and envelopes her trembling form in his arms, his head drooping and back stooping so he could rest his face against the juncture of her neck. No one's paying attention to them, they're all caught up in the revelry of the wedding.
"I'm so scared Zuko."
"So am I," they reluctantly separate, "but I'm more afraid of losing you. I can't Katara. You were the one that wanted a big secret…"
As the two young adults made up and quietly agreed that being together wasn't impossible, stealing glances at the happy couple that share their respective heritages, a pair of old women clinked their glasses and smiled knowingly.
"I think your granddaughter will be next"