Katara was very pleased with the table setting for the luncheon she was hosting. She smiled at Aki, Kei's mother, and said, "this is just perfect. The dragons are the perfect scale for everything."

"I'm glad it pleases you, Katara."

"Now, will you explain the seating assignments? I'm curious about your reasoning and any insight you can give me on the women."

"I would be more than happy to. And if I made any incorrect assumptions and you want them moved, I would be glad to do that."

She pointed, indicated Katara's chair and said, "I placed Aya to your right side. I assumed you wanted this to be a power move."

Aki was devoted to Katara and had said as much to her earlier. Kei was not only quickly getting noticed by Katara, but others were catching onto how smart she was. She felt she owed Katara for her daughter's new success. And her romantic life. One of Katara's own guards was courting Kei, and he admitted to having needed Katara's encouragement to dare ask her.

"I do. Well done."

She then continued down the table, pointing out the relationships and the backstories of each woman. She pointed at one name card and said, "she was rude to you, so I wanted to put her in her place." She then indicated the name card next to hers. "I put her by her and in her line of sight every time she looks at you. The husbands don't only sample the harem. Sometimes they have another's wife. And it would be good for her to be reminded of finding them in bed together multiple times."

Katara gave her a big smile, "you're wicked. I really like you."

Lunch was a massive success for Katara. She knew she wasn't close to making friends with the women, but she didn't care. That wasn't the point. They were shocked to discover she had gotten Ozai to agree to a Ball so quickly. That was the point of the lunch.

She had a great turnout. She figured boredom and curiosity were the most significant reasons for that. It all worked in her favor, though.

At the end, "drunk with a different beautiful necklace" said, "I could use your help, Katara."

Internally groaning, Katara forced a smile and said, "and what is it?"

"Well, since I'm not lucky enough to have my husband's cock fall off, I need a woman. A sexy one who can fuck him for me and convince him to take me to this Ball. He doesn't enjoy them."

Silence reigned in the room. Aya saved Katara by asking, "what are his preferences?" Katara heard someone near by her mumbling, "someone sober who isn't fucking his younger brother." Katara almost lost her composure at that.

The drunk woman replied, "he likes a nice round ass."

Katara replied, "it's an interesting request." She ran through the women in her mind and smiled. She had a great idea. "I know just the woman. She will be easy to convince to help you. She hates hurting the wives of the husbands that choose her and take her to their beds. This will be a relief for her." And there it was. She found a way to tell the women that the harem women were being used and didn't have a say in who they had sex with. That they were even more powerless than the wives in all of this.

After lunch, Katara didn't waste time. She went right to the harem.

"You're doing this now?" Aya asked, walking with her as Katara's guards trailed them. They would follow only up to the main harem door.

"I want a reputation for working quickly. And this will be a piece of cake."

They arrived at the harem, and Katara made a beeline for the woman she had decided on. The woman looked at her in horror.

Katara said, "this isn't for the Fire Lord. Relax."

"That wasn't…" she couldn't even get the lie out.

"Don't worry. I know what you are and aren't into. And I have a request. From a wife."

"What?!"

"She doesn't like her husband. They were betrothed before she was even born. She was the firstborn girl, and that made her his wife. She wants to go to the Ball, meaning he has to escort her. She would appreciate it if a woman convinced him to take her. She believes it will need to come with sex, and she really doesn't want it to be her."

The woman said, "you're telling me I could have the comfort of knowing I wasn't hurting her?"

"She would have a glass or ten of wine in your honor. And keep this in mind, I think the trend will be shifting, and more of the councilmen will be taking on Official Mistresses. If you become his, you would have a pleased wife on your hands. You would be able to know you weren't hurting anyone."

Fifteen minutes later, Katara was introducing the stunned but pleased councilman to who she hoped would be his long-term mistress.

"Are you getting the whole palace laid?" Zuko asked her later in amusement.

"No, I'm protecting those women the best I can. He's not a harsh man, and she hates hurting men's wives. I assured her she wouldn't be hurting his wife. She's relieved. I do wish I had ways to help out that didn't involve sex."

He pulled her into his arms. "You are. I spared with Uncle today. I learned a lot." He refrained from mentioning her promise to sexily tend his wounds. He felt that wouldn't help her right now. "And you had that successful lunch with the wives. Aaaand, you're throwing a Ball."

"Who told you it was successful?"

He rolled his eyes at her dramatically. "Experience. When have you ever failed to do something you wanted?"

"I got captured during a raid!" she said, laughing.

"We won't count that," Zuko said. "It got you here in my loving arms." She smiled and rested in his embrace.

"What the hell is going on?!" They both turned, shocked to see a water tribe member standing in their room and furious.

Zuko released Katara and pushed her behind himself, and firebent balls of fire to his hands, ready for an attack. "She's not to be harmed!" he threatened back.

He felt Katara's gentle hand on his shoulder. "Zuko, that is my brother."

"Sokka?" he asked.

"You know about me? You know my name?" Sokka asked, confused.

Zuko merely said, "tell your father it's still no."

"Dad? What does he have to do with this?"

Katara laughed and replied, "he knows I'm here. He objected to my choices. Do you?"

Sokka shrugged. "I don't even know what's going on. I don't even know who that guy is," he said, pointing at Zuko, who still had fire at the ready. "I just know I overheard someone mentioning you were in this room, Katara."

He then frowned, "I discovered you were taken, and I've been fighting and struggling to get to you this whole time."

Zuko let the fire go out as Katara ran to Sokka and embraced him, crying. "Thank you. You went through so much to help me!" She then chuckled, "you might regret it when I tell you what happened."

"Are you happy?"

She cried harder. "So happy. Yes."

Sokka said, "Then I'm glad I made it here to find that out. This is so much a better outcome than I feared." Zuko instantly liked her brother –a lot.

When she got done telling him the whole story, he was wide-eyed. His first audible response was to say, "well, I'll need a palace servant's uniform. I'm staying to help you and keep an eye on my future brother-in-law. You could use someone undercover. We won't tell them my real name."

Zuko smiled wide and said, "you have no idea how glad I am to have met you. Thank you for accepting me as the man she loves."

Sokka said, "I raised her to fight for what she wanted. And that's what she's doing. What more can I ask for? I'm proud of her." He shrugged and added, "and I think dad reacted out of his shame at not realizing his daughter was not in the South Pole. Can you imagine how embarrassing that must have been in front of his men? Not that you should feel bad for him, but let that be the context for his actions."

Katara raised an eyebrow at him. "When did you get so serious?"

"When my sister was stolen away by the Fire Nation, and I was in fear for her life."

Then showing more of the guy she knew, he said, "by the way, could you get me someone from the harem?"

As she rolled her eyes, Zuko pointed out it wasn't for the servants to make use of. Katara then smiled and said, "but once Zuko's Fire Lord and you're my acknowledged brother, you can take your pick."

"Seriously, you're the best sister ever," Sokka replied.

Later that night, in bed, Zuko said, "you had a big day."

Her brother was already established among the servants. Iroh had seen to it all, so there wasn't a connection to them.

"I have. The two men I love are here under the same roof now, and you get along. It's really nice. And I'm so glad he knows I'm safe."

Zuko said, "and I'm glad to see how much he values you. It matters to me that you were always loved well."

He then cupped her cheek and kissed her lovingly. "Your life should always be filled with love."

"And intrigue," she added. "I'm finding it exciting."

"I'll give you anything, Katara. Ask, and it's yours. Anything I have is at your disposal. My life is worth living because of you."

They kissed passionately, and no more words were spoken. She moaned as he slid his cock into her and grabbed her breasts, and they made love.