A/N: Sorry for the wait! I just had a hard time with this chapter.
A/N2: THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN UP LAST WEEK BUT I JUST NOW SEE THAT I FORGOT IT. KIMBERLY T VERY GRACIOUSLY IS LETTING ME USE HER VERY CREATIVE SWEARING FOR FIRE NATION PEOPLE (CINDERS). I THOUGHT I PUT THIS UP. SORRY!
Disclaimer: I don't own.
"I can't believe you're not angry that neither Toph nor Aang said anything about being together!" Katara began, for what Zuko assumed was the twentieth time, since they'd received the letter earlier that morning. It was dinner and Zuko noticed even Kiyi was rolling her eyes at Katara's accusation.
"Look," he began as calmly as he could. "I was surprised at the news but I've accepted it and so should you."
"You're not mad that your friends didn't tell you they were dating?" She accused.
Zuko shrugged. "I joined the group last and you kept reminding me of that fact when I did. I assume I get left out of a lot of the gossip."
"You're blaming me for this?"
"How did you even jump to that conclusion?"
"You said it was my fault for reminding you that you joined us last! Clearly you think that no one talks to you because of me! Maybe if you just communicated with us sometimes we wouldn't think that!" Katara yelled.
Zuko took a deep breath and tried very very hard to not lose his temper (something he tried whenever Kiyi was around to try to make her think he was the best big brother ever). "I have some paperwork to finish before bed, maybe we can talk about this later." He stood and calmly walked out of the dining room.
Katara threw her tea cup at the closed door. "He's being such a, a," Katara seethed.
"Pigheaded idiot?" Ursa offered. Everyone looked at her. "He's my son, I can say that. I can tell you that's not from my side of the family."
"I believe you just insulted the royal family Ursa," Iroh said.
Ursa waved her hand dismissively. "I'm still the mother of the Fire Lord, I can say what I want. Remember that, Katara, when you're in my position," she said with a wink.
Katara reached her breaking point with that comment. "Stop it! First of all I'm not going to be Fire Lady long enough to even have a kid. Second if that's all that seems to be expected of me and I don't want any position that thinks all I'm good for is having a kid!"
"That's not all a Fire Lady is supposed to do," Iroh said calmly.
"Well someone better tell me right now what a Fire Lady does or I'll, I'll, freeze the entire Capital!"
"The Fire Lady is in charge of the household staff, as you can guess," Iroh began. "She is, however, also responsible for governing the Fire Nation if the Fire Lord is absent. Therefore she should also be present for any council meeting and be advised on the current affairs of the Fire Nation regularly. She usually has her own pet project she heads, it tends to be either orphanages or hospitals or education but 200 years ago there was a Fire Lady who commanded the armies of the Fire Nation while the Fire Lord stayed in the Capital."
"I don't think Zuko knows any of this," Katara said.
"I certainly never told him and I doubt Ozai did," Ursa replied.
"I never got around to telling him," Iroh added.
"Why?"
Ursa sipped her tea. "He was fourth in line for the throne, until the last few days I was here when he as third. I never thought he'd be Fire Lord."
"I was trying to get him to stop being so aggressive and prideful and to actually look at a girl. What his wife would do was going to be a later lesson." Katara nodded.
After a few minutes of silence Katara stood quickly and muttered, "I have to go," as she walked out of the room. Iroh poured everyone a new cup of tea.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Ikem asked as he looked between his wife and Iroh.
"Oh just trying to get the two of them to realize that they should stay together, that's all," Ursa said.
"But they just seem to fight a lot."
Ursa pat his hand. "Dear I made you eat mud when we were kids. Now, Iroh, I believe you should attend the next council meeting and make sure Katara's there."
Toph had created a monster. A two headed monster to be precise. While at first Aang had balked at any planning for their wedding/engagement party/announcing to the world the Beifong's could count the Avatar as a member of their family, as soon as Poppy asked him what airbender traditions called for Aang began planning in earnest. Now Toph had to sit through not only her mother's ramblings about the decor (like she cared) but also Aang's long, drawn out, discussions about what they could do to incorporate airbender traditions when they really didn't have anything quite like this.
"There were a few monks who had special nun friends, or at least that's what Gyatso called them," Aang said during one of their planning meetings. Toph's elbows were on the table (much to her mother's chagrin) and was earthbending pebbles under the table. "And a few of them did get married to people from other nations. When they left the elders from the temple they grew up in blessed them with something like 'may the wind always carry you forward' but I don't really remember; the only one I ever saw was when I was six and staying at the Eastern Air Temple because Appa was too young to leave his mother."
"That sounds lovely, we'll have to work that in somehow. Toph did you have anything else to add?" Poppy asked sweetly.
Her request for all her fellow Earth Rumble competitors having been denied Toph simply said "I want the badgermoles who taught me earthbending to come."
"We'll see. Aang did you think of anyone else to invite? I already sent invitations to Aunt Wu and those Fire Nation kids you wanted to invite."
"Not that I can think of but can you make all the food vegetarian? It would make me feel included in the family."
Toph aimed the pebbles at Aang's legs as Poppy said "Of course." She was beginning to hate how much fun Aang was having with this whole thing.
Zuko cracked his neck as the last member of his council took his seat. He'd slept in his office after deciding he didn't want to listen to Katara yell at him for not being more upset about Toph and Aang keeping their 'relationship' a secret. Really, it was their choice and maybe they'd done it because, well, Katara was Aang's ex-girlfriend and maybe they didn't want to let her know. He rolled his shoulders again and vowed to never sleep on the floor again.
He looked around to make sure everyone was seated, noting that his uncle decided to come, which wasn't really a surprise as he did this every time he visited. Before he could speak Katara walked into the room. "Cinders," he muttered.
"Sorry I'm late," she said as she marched up to the dais and took a seat on Zuko's right. He moved over a little so she could have more room. "What are you doing here?" He whispered.
"My job," she said.
"We cannot have this meeting with a foreigner here," one of the older members said.
Zuko opened his mouth to speak but Katara beat him to it. "I don't see any foreigners around here and if you're referring to me then let me remind you that when I signed the marriage contract I officially became a Fire Nation citizen as well as Fire Lady."
"That does not mean-"
"That I should be allowed in? Of course it does. I need to stay up to date on the current affairs of our nation."
"This is absurd," one of the other council members said.
"It's not," Iroh chimed in. "She's right and since none of you have ever had a Fire Lady before let me remind you that she's an extension of the Fire Lord and will be in charge of her own sector of the government."
"You are?" Zuko asked under his breath.
"I can," she replied.
"I can only assume she'll want to take over education or some such nonsense," the first council member said.
"My first thought was actually hospitals, since I have some healing experience," Katara began, her tone slightly too nice. "Then I remembered I also have military experience and thought I might be able to help there. Now I believe you were about to begin?"
"You're up to something," Zuko muttered before raising his voice and saying "It has come to my attention that we need to move rice from the stores in the northern islands to the southern islands because of their short crop."
Katara sat through the entire meeting, commenting whenever she could but, she admitted to herself, it was rather boring. She hadn't really been intrigued by anything in particular but maybe she could look into education for something to do (she could be a visionary and add dancing to the curriculum, she mused). She stood and stretched after the last council member left, leaving her, Zuko, and Iroh alone.
"I have to say Katara, I'm very impressed at how still you were that whole time. The first time Zuko sat in on one of these he fidgeted the whole time," Iroh said.
Zuko rolled his eyes. "I was eight and Azula kept poking me." He tried to stand but his legs weren't cooperating. "Uh, Katara, could you give me a hand?" She helped him stand and slightly cringed as he cracked his back.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Fine, just a bad nights sleep." He looked at Iroh. "Is what you and Katara said true?"
"Oh yes, the Fire Lady is responsible for her own little niche, whatever she chooses. Your grandmother's specialty was orphanages."
"You're not going to do that, are you?" Zuko asked.
Katara smiled. "If you apologize to me I'll tell you what I'm thinking but until then assume I'm going to be in charge of your military."
"I'm not going to apologize to you for everything but I will say I'm sorry your feelings are hurt."
"I guess that's a start. Come on," she said as she looped her arm in his. "You're going to tell me about all the hospitals in the Fire Nation and what they need. I'm thinking about causing a stir by suggesting we invite some waterbending healers to help out."
"Are you trying to get the council to hate you so they insist we get an annulment?"
"Why would you say a thing like that? Now you're going to help me pick out Toph and Aang's wedding present."
Iroh smiled as he watched the two of them go.
Again, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED OR FAVORITED, OR ALERTED!