A/N:
I'm back!
Chapter 31:
It had only been a few weeks. No one expected him to get it right away but it didn't stop him from growing increasingly frustrated. Maybe it was the constant falling or just the overall feeling of helplessness that had plagued him in the few months he had been trying to get himself together but he was expecting too much from himself. Ozai would get so upset that things caught fire whenever he found he couldn't do what only he expected himself to do. Katara put out all the flames while the male servants picked him up after he had fallen again.
"I think we should take another break." Katara suggested it to the servants. "If you all could break for lunch, I'll calm him down."
They all bowed and hurried off.
As she wheeled Ozai to the patio table of their private courtyard, Katara sat on the stone stool in front of him and ran her hands along his knees. "You're doing good. Okay. This is all a great progress. No one is expecting you to walk more than a few steps at a time, Ozai. You have to be more patient with yourself."
Ozai shook his head as he was still upset, "I...don't…want to...b-be hel-helpless." He bit out in his raspy voice.
"I know." Katara gave him a soft smile. "But with patience you can get there. If you rush things, it may take even longer."
Rubbing his temples as the servants returned with his midday meal and shook his head, Ozai was really trying to be patient. He was. But patience was a virtue that he did not possess.
"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" His wife asked him.
Ozai shook his head, "You….do...enough."
And she did. Ozai had been very fortunate to have her at his side and she did everything she could to accommodate him, making him feel more at ease. However, he wasn't going to make her do more than she was already doing.
The rest of the day they took it easy and only allowed him to walk but so much, stopping him when he tried to go further. When he was done for the day, Katara massaged his legs and treated the soreness he had been feeling from not being mobile in recent. She used the heat from the bath water to help soothe any part of him that was in discomfort. Once they got to bed, the waterbender cuddled up against him and drifted off before he did.
It was usually at this point where he would lift up her nightgown in order to run his hand over the bare skin of her small belly and try to see if he could make any connections with his unborn child. Ozai was counting on it being a girl. He really wanted a daughter after losing Azula to madness. Not that he ever told Katara or anyone besides Zhao, but he did visit the asylum where Azula was often before he ended up like this. She often rambled on about her mother and Zuko. Uttering nonsense sometimes. She didn't seem to have a stable mind to even realize he was there as she would keep begging for him even though he was right there with her. It broke his heart. But now, maybe he'd get a little girl that wouldn't descend into madness.
Shifting his gaze from the waterbender's belly to her resting face, Ozai figured he needed to go see his sons and see how they were doing.
In the morning, Ozai told her he wanted to see the boys.
"Really?" Ozai saw his wife's sapphire eyes shot open and light up as she was combing her hair at her vanity.
Nodding his head as he went on to tell her that he wanted them to spend more time with the boys since he had more free time.
"Should we go visit the gardens with them?" Katara looked over her shoulder at him.
Ozai shrugged, "Wha-whatever y-you want."
The waterbender beamed at him as she got up to sit in his lap, cupping his face before kissing him on the lips repeatedly. She caressed his face and clung to him.
"You keep this up and I'm going to go crazy for you." Katara said suggestively.
Smirking, Ozai couldn't think of anything he wanted to hear more from her.
…..
The next few weeks had been quite the surprise for the young Fire Lady. She had spent each morning waking to the servants bringing in a newly made hanfu dress as well as having breakfast with her husband and sons. Katara would go onto spend the entire day with her family and she had to say, it was all she could have ever wanted. Then, in the evening, she'd have Ozai's undivided attention. He'd let her talk about anything and he'd tentatively listen while rubbing her belly. Before going to bed, the two would get caught up in one another's embrace and fall asleep holding each other. Things were the best they had ever been for the waterbender and her family.
"You're getting a lot better, dad." Kai commented as his father was using his cane to walk, approaching the table.
Katara helped Ozai into his seat and kissed his temple before sitting beside him.
"All thanks to your mother spending all day and night making me all better." Ozai replied and shot his wife a smirk.
Playfully rolling her eyes, Katara picked up her chopsticks and resumed eating. She quietly enjoyed seeing her son and husband bonding. In all her life, she never thought she'd ever end up having a family with the tyrant Fire Lord but here she was. While Kai and Ozai discussed the new instructor he would be meeting with for advanced firebending training, Katara fed Soji in his high chair. The family was absorbed in one another when Zhao barraged in urgently.
"Your majesty, Consort Himiko is threatening to take her own life." Zhao knelt down in front of the Fire Lord's dining room table.
Ozai had to pause his conversation with his son and turn a hard gaze onto his subordinate. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Ozai." Katara placed her hand on his arm and got his attention. "She's pregnant with your child. You should go see her."
Snorting as he returned his attention to Zhao, "Have the physicians look her over and the guards keep watch of her."
Katara stood up and walked over to Zhao, "Take me to her. I'll check on her."
Zhao exchanged looks with Ozai and Ozai gestured for him to take his wife to his consort. Nodding his head, the nobleman led the way to the consort. Zhao noticed the Fire Lady was holding her head rather high as they traveled through the halls towards the harem. He figured with the woman fixing up her husband and their marriage that she had far more confidence in her role around here. He would agree. The people of the court had looked at her in a different light, knowing she had been dealt a terrible hand but she overcame it. Regardless of race, the Fire Nation appreciated resilience, prosperity, power, and authority. All things that the waterbender held. She had far more supporters now than she had before.
Reaching the harem, the nobleman showed Fire Lady Katara where Consort Himiko's chambers were. As they reached them, Katara could smell the perfume that she would occasionally smell on Ozai before his injuries. Himiko was definitely a favorite of Ozai's. But not more favorable than me.
"Your majesty." Himiko and her assigned servants bowed to the Fire Lady.
Katara saw Himiko look up in disappointment as she was helped by her servants to a standing position. She knew Himiko was expecting Ozai to be here but Ozai had become rather cold towards the woman that dared become pregnant with his child and not be his wife.
"Zhao reported you were wanting to take your own life, is this true?" Katara asked in an impassive tone as her expression was equally as indifferent.
Signaling for her servants to leave them and the Fire Lady did the same, asking Zhao to leave them.
When alone, Himiko showed the Fire Lady to the balcony that overlooked the harem gardens. As they sat at the patio table, the consort sighed and looked tearfully at the Fire Lady.
"Your maj-"
"Call me, Katara. You're pregnant by my husband, as am I, I feel weird hearing you be so formal." Katara stated.
Himiko nodded, "Katara. I did make the threat but I wasn't entirely serious. I just wanted his attention."
Furrowing her brows as she tilted her head and clasped her hands together on top of the patio table. "Ozai is still recovering, Himiko. He's only just stopped using a wheelchair and is finally able to speak without stuttering. His attention has been on recovery."
"And none of that has stopped him from having you." Himiko pointed out.
Sighing as she rolled her eyes, "I'm his wife and I've been the primary one taking care of him. Of course, if he's feeling up to it, I'd be the one he'd have."
"Well I just wanted to see him and instead, you show up." Himiko said bitterly. "You may be his wife but he has plenty of other women."
Katara shrugged, "I am aware that he has others but it doesn't change I'm the one he married. Also, Ozai was going to send physicians and guards to look after you because he couldn't be bothered. I came here out of a courtesy to a woman that's as pregnant and round as me."
Himiko looked at the Fire Lady doubtfully. "You're just saying that. I'm Ozai's favorite. He wouldn't abandon me."
The Fire Lady decided to say nothing. She wasn't going to go and ruin this woman's mood any more than she might have already done. But as someone who was claimed to be loved by the man, Katara could say being a favorite or not meant nothing in actuality. Ozai could still be cruel at times.
Leaving the harem and returning to the private sanctum of the palace, Katara saw her family in the private gardens with the new instructor. Ozai was holding Soji in his lap while watching Kai train with his new firebender teacher. She smiled and made her way over to where Ozai sat and took a seat beside him.
"How was she?" He asked her.
Watching her son doing some pretty difficult forms of firebending at his young age, "She was trying to get your attention but I let her know you're only just recovering and she needed to be more thoughtful of your condition than her own loneliness."
"Her selfishness is unattractive." Ozai commented. "She could learn a thing or two from you."
A small smile formed on her lips as she leaned her head against his arm.
…..
The palace was quite busy for the past month. After the Fire Lord made a great recovery, his favorite consort went into labor and gave birth to a baby boy, Benimaru. It was great news for everyone but the Fire Lady. Many felt that with this boy being of pure Fire Nation blood that he was far more legitimate than the half blood prince's by the legal wife. Katara stressed over this for weeks as it was all anyone would discuss. Ozai tried to tell her that Kai had more claim than his son with Himiko. As much as Katara wanted to believe that, others thought differently.
Along his recovery, Ozai was elated from the news that they were definitely having a girl. Somehow Katara was able to tell the gender of the child she was carrying. It was exactly what he had been hoping for. The two of them had decided to have the nursery placed in their chambers as a princess didn't have to be raised outside of the parents. It was the one thing that made it worth it for Katara.
At the moment, the Fire Lord has his wife in his lap looking through a catalog of wardrobe to pick for their daughter.
"I like Yukino." Ozai told her as they were bouncing names around to find one that they liked the most.
Katara flipped through the catalog and rolled her eyes playfully, "I never confirmed if she was a waterbender or not, Ozai. Do you really think it's appropriate to name her that?"
"I don't doubt it's a waterbender." Ozai stretched his arms and leaned back in the chair as his eyes roamed down at where his wife was sitting in his lap.
Swatting his hand away when he ran it down her side, "Stop! I'm too round for that!" She laughed at his fourth attempt to seduce her.
"Didn't stop us last night." He purred in her ear as his arms pulled her against him.
While the waterbender protested his advances, Zhao interrupted them causing the Fire Lady to remove herself from her 'playful' husband and swat his hand away when he tried to pull her back. Zhao raised a brow at the two.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Yes."
"No."
"Ok…" Zhao figured he would get on with it, "Consort Himiko has asked for an audience with you, your majesty."
Ozai scoffed and rolled his eyes, "That woman doesn't bother showing any concern for me while I've been through hell. All she cares about is advancing herself and her family. Why else would she have gotten pregnant?"
Katara gave him a stern look and told him not to be so cold.
"What?! If she cared so much, she could have sent flowers or some shit." Ozai spat.
Zhao tried hiding the amusement he got from the remark while the waterbender snickered to herself.
"You're being silly." Katara said as she collected the catalog off his desk, preparing to leave. "Let her see you. You've only seen your son once in the last month."
Ozai rolled his eyes as his wife pecked the side of his face and left him alone to speak with Zhao. When the two men were alone, Zhao places a scroll on his desk and glances over his shoulder at the door the Fire Lady walked out of.
"You two finally look like a genuinely happy couple."
"Only good thing that's come out of the attempt on my life."
Zhao nodded as the Fire Lord took the scroll and looked through it, "Seems while her allies want you dead, yours want her dead."
The Fire Lord furrowed his brows as he looked over the details in the scroll. Apparently, some of the noble class have been having private meetings with Fire Nation puritists. It was highly likely that the assassins had been hired through the purists, though one couldn't assume all the nobles meeting with the group were responsible. The purists weren't a small group of like minded folks. There were plenty of purists and nationalists throughout the Fire Nation. Decades of doctoring the idea of their superiority didn't just go away after losing a war. Even those that were more accepting to the new age were still prideful in their Fire Nation roots. Even Ozai, whom had a waterbender for a wife, still felt his people were generally superior to all others. With a few exceptions of talented individuals like Katara and others, Fire Nation people were just better in many ways if you asked him. However, Ozai couldn't say he necessarily hated other groups of people. He didn't really care about them enough to hate them.
The problem was that some purists were more extreme than others. It could be easy for many of the nobles that were making contact with these purists to simply be discussing personal beliefs, could be family or friends, could be a coincidence. There was no telling. They couldn't just assume.
"Have those with relations to the harem investigated." Ozai ordered. "Katara is due in just a few short days and I want nothing befalling my wife and daughter, you hear me?"
Zhao bowed his head, "as you wish, your majesty."
…
With her due date around the corner, Ozai was reluctant to allow her to leave their chambers but she insisted on being at his side if he needed anything. He didn't argue with her as she had proven that her loyalty and devotion to him regardless of her perhaps lacking the feelings he wanted her to reciprocate. But honestly, he couldn't believe she didn't love him. Everything she had done said otherwise. If this wasn't love, he was excited to see what it would be like once she did return his feelings.
Glancing over at her as she signed off on some documents that he allowed her to oversee, Ozai tried thinking of a way to repay her for all she had done for him despite how cruel he had been leading up to his assassination attempt. She not only protected him and got him to safety but she helped him make a full recovery. He couldn't be more grateful to have her in his life. Anyone else would have let him die or allowed him to remain in a helpless state. Katara had heirs by him. She could rule as regent for her sons until they were of age, securing power for herself or being able to live as she pleased. But she didn't look at the situation as an opportunity. Instead, she sought only to save him and to get him back to his proper state. She was unlike any woman he knew and he felt there was nothing he could do to repay her for all she had done for him. He owed her his life.
Noticing her husband staring at her, Katara chuckled and looked up from her work to stare back at him.
"Something on your mind?" She asked him.
Ozai shook his head, "Nothing. Just finding it hard not to admire you."
Blushing at him, Katara looked away and smiled to herself. "I told you I don't want to induce labor that way. Don't try sweet talking me."
"Your loss, dear." He smirked.
Finishing his work in record time due to the assistance his wife gave him, Ozai walked side by side with his wife with his cane and her holding to his other arm.
"I think I'll rest tomorrow." She told him as she laid her free hand on her belly.
"Oh, now you want to rest?" He raised a brow at her. "I thought you were trying to go into labor in my office."
Laughing, "No! I was just trying to be useful to you before I have the baby. I won't be much use for a while after."
Ozai told her she had been more than useful over the last few months. She needed to focus on her health, the baby, and recovering so she could work with him soon. He watched her light up at the last part. She had only ever wanted to be his partner in all things and not just the woman he kept in his chambers that waited on him all day. It was something he didn't quite understand due to many women not having a place in their society that wasn't being a wife or concubine. He wanted to force the notion on her as a way to assimilate her but she was so much better the way she was and she was happiest this way. Ozai would not deny her any longer.
The day Katara had wanted to rest was anything but a day of rest. Ozai had been woken out of his sleep before dawn by his wife's pained screaming. He thought someone had attacked her from the way she was screaming. However, when he looked over at her she was lying in blood and looked frightened.
"Ozai! Get the physicians!" She begged him.
He wasted no time going to get help. They made him wait outside his bedroom while they tended to her. It made him a bit nervous as he had a total of five children and he had been present at four of their births. Never once was there blood involved in the beginning parts of labor. It made him worry for his wife and for their daughter.
Hours and hours went by before he finally heard a baby's cry but it was so weak and hoarse. He heard a bunch of commotion and the physicians shouting to save them both. Panicking, Ozai barged into his bedroom and demanded to know what was going on only to see his wife unconscious in bed looking ghostly pale. And then there was his daughter, small and wailing with a hoarse voice.
"The hell happened!" Ozai demanded to know.
The physicians bowed, "Your majesty, Fire Lady Katara's body is weak. We don't know what's caused it but it's safe to assume she has been very focused on strengthening her body for this day. Even the child is frail because of her neglect." One of them stated.
Ozai narrowed his eyes, "You're blaming her?! How about none of you have been doing your damn jobs! I should have you all hung!"
"Forgive us!"
"Either of them dies, you all die!" Ozai shouted.
"Yes, your majesty!"
Due to the difficulty of long labor and the loss of blood, Katara remained catatonic. She had an all around nurse and physician treating her. Ones that Ozai trusted. As for their daughter, Ozai looked after her himself with the help of a wet nurse. He didn't seem to trust anyone with his frail daughter. She was everything he had been wanting. Had her mother's looks through and through. Even more, she was a waterbender like he had hoped.
"Have you named her yet, your majesty?" The wet nurse asked.
"Nanami." He said. "Spelled with characters for beauty."
The wet nurse smiled at the infant girl, "She is definitely beautiful. Just like her mother."
Ozai couldn't agree more. He had himself another princess. Hopefully, one not driven by madness but compassion like her mother. One to look after him when he was old and gray.
Days continued on and Katara was still not awake. The physicians began to worry that if she did not wake soon, there would be nothing they could do to save her. They gave her two more weeks. Ozai was distraught over the idea of losing his wife. He didn't want to go back to being a single father. His children needed their mother. And most of all, he didn't want to lose the only person that was compassionate and selfless enough to be there for him when he was hanging on by a thread. How was he to save her?
"Healer from either poles." Zhao suggested.
Zhao has been the person that Ozai sought for answers on his quest to save his wife. He knew his former admiral was well educated on the Water Tribes and knew much about their people, culture, and abilities as benders.
"Your wife's healing abilities saved you from death's doors and built you back up. We just need to acquire a healer. They are far better than any physicians we have here when it comes to life threatening conditions."
"Then what are you doing wasting your time talking to me?! Go get a healer!" Ozai shouted.
"Already done, your majesty. The healer should be arriving by airship this evening."
"Good."
Ozai sat at the bedside of his wife and until the healer came, holding her hand in his. When the healer finally arrived with his palace guards escorting her and two of her male tribesmen. The healer bowed to him as he rose from the side of the bed and walked around to greet her.
"Your name." He eyed her.
Lifting her head, "Rin."
"Rin, my wife just had our daughter. She's on the verge of death. I need you to see to it she does not, understood?"
Rin nodded her head.
"Now get to it." Ozai ordered as he walked around her and left her to work her magic.
…
Kai marveled at his little sister as did little Soji. The two were happy to finally had a little sister and the eldest of the two asked to hold her. Ozai carefully handed Nanami to her older brother and showed him how to properly hold a baby.
Sitting with her in his arms, Kai smiled. "She looks just like mom."
Ozai could only nod.
Looking up at his father as he handed back his little sister, " Is mom gonna wake up soon?" He asked.
"Yes." He assured him.
"It's sad mom didn't even get to meet Nanami yet. She would be so happy." Kai said. "She'll finally have a waterbender like her."
Ozai almost forgot that Soji and Kai looked nothing like Katara. Nanami would be the first of her children to take after her. Blue eyes and brown skin. Mid-brown curls. She could finally teach waterbending to one of them. All he needed was for her to wake up and he'd feel complete.
Let the boys return with their caregivers, Ozai went to check on his wife's progress and found the water healer had undressed her down to her bindings in order to be as thorough as possible.
"Any improvements?" He asked her.
Rin sighed, "She's finally stop bleeding but something is keeping her in this catatonic state. Could I look at a history of things she's consumed before and after delivery?"
"What for?"
"Something isn't right." Rin stated. "Your wife didn't fall unconscious due to labor. Someone intentionally made her like this."
Ozai didn't know why it never dawned on him before but this made plenty of sense. They were currently looking into those of the harem that wanted Katara dead as an attempt had been made on her life and a few families of the harem had been meeting up with purists as of late. Of course, this couldn't be so simple as Katara falling unconscious due to anything else but poison.
Having the kitchen staff and the physicians present during the delivery investigated, Ozai personally oversaw the questioning. A few physicians stood out as several of them tried blaming his wife's lack of care for why she was so weak and the kitchen staff might have something to do with it as Katara had woke up bleeding before she went into labor.
As he saw to it that those responsible were found and punished, Rin managed to get a hold on stabilizing the Fire Lady's health. She estimated that the Fire Lady would be awake in a few days.
…
"Is that so?" Ozai sat at his desk and listened to the information his most trusted confidant told him.
Zhao had been on his way to report that he hadn't found anything out of the ordinary with his investigation when he heard a concubine speaking with a nobleman about the Fire Lady. It was in poor taste, of course. Calling the Fire Lady out for her relationship with the previous Fire Lord and her tribal heritage, believing Himiko's son was more legitimate than either of her sons.
Having ordered all his harem ladies to be brought to him, Ozai looked over all of them, as they stared at him from their kneeling positions. His eyes were trained on Himiko most of the time. He felt she was behind it. She had the most to benefit from it all. Katara's death, the death of another royal child, and the talk of her child being a true Fire Prince due to his pure blood. He could think of no one who would benefit more than her by that.
Infuriated, Ozai went and snatched up Himiko by her hair and flung her to the floor. "Why did you poison my wife?!"
The Harem ladies all panicked and moved away from him, squealing.
"Your majesty, I've done nothing!" Himiko was hysterical as the Fire Lord continued to yell at her.
Many of the harem women were not very fond of Himiko but did feel awful witnessing the Fire Lord cruelly accuse her of poisoning the Fire Lady. They all knew she didn't do it. Himiko had been too busy caring for her infant son, the son that he refused to see. But none of them said a word. They were terrified. They knew how the Fire Lady was often treated and didn't want to become like her. Himiko should have never openly spoken against the Fire Lady. Not only because now it would make her look responsible for all bad things that befall the woman but because the Fire Lady was not to be envied in the first place. Not when the Fire Lord was a callous selfish man.
"You did!"
"I did not, your majesty! I swear it on our son's life! I would ne-"
Ozai slapped her and crouched down to her as she cried even louder, all to the shock of everyone around them.
"A cruel woman like you doesn't deserve to raise my son. I'm demoting you to the status of a concubine and our son is to be given to the caregivers." Ozai declared. "Until I know whether you are behind my wife's poisoning or not, you will remain this way!"
"Your majesty, no! Not my son!"
"He's my son!" Ozai shouted at her. "You did your best to get pregnant with my seed! The boy is mine!"
Himiko shouted back at him in anger, calling him evil and everyone stood still as the Fire Lord's hand lit with fire. He was about to burn her when his arm was caught Zhao. The nobleman led the Fire Lord's gaze to Rin, who brought good news."
"Her majesty is awake."
Ozai retreated from the concubine and gave his friend a look to having the women return to the harem.
Sitting down across from his wife, Ozai finds she's been up for a few hours trying to gather her bearings. He sees their daughter in her arms as she stares in disappointment at him. All he could do was sigh as he hadn't seen her upset with him in months and he really didn't want things returning to the way they were. However, he knew she didn't like the side of him that came out when he was upset but she had to realize he was doing this for her.
"Are you angry with me?" He asked, dropping his gaze as he really didn't like how she was looking at him. He felt like a boy being scolded by his mother.
Rocking her daughter in her arms, Katara wore a flat expression as she stared in displeasure at her ruthless husband. She goes unconscious for a few days and this asshat goes and torments the other woman he had a child with. What the hell was his problem? He couldn't even keep it together long enough to be there when she woke up. As soon as she noticed he wasn't at her bedside and found he wasn't in his office, she knew it wasn't good. Luckily, she caught him in time. Hitting Benimaru's mother in public or even in private was dishonorable. Did he want to face the wrath of her prestigious family?
"Do you get off to hurting women, Ozai?" Katara asked in a stoney voice.
Shifting his eyes back to her, "No, what gives you that idea?"
"For one, our history alone makes me think it turns you on to hurt the woman you're involved with. Second, Himiko is the mother of your son. A son that is favored by the court for being pure blooded. Yet, you disregard all of that to punish her without proper evidence!" Katara glared callously at him as she slammed her fist on the table.
As their infant daughter welled, Katara handed her to a servant and continued lecturing Ozai on how he had behaved. He had wanted her to be his equal, the one to help him change his image, and be vocal enough that he didn't feel like she was a doormat. Well, here she was, giving him the lecture of a lifetime. Usually, he'd lash back but things had been going so well that he felt he deserved her anger at him for disrupting their peace. Even if Himiko was the 'other' woman, Katara didn't believe in cruelty towards anyone. He learned that first hand on several occasions.
"Tell me, Ozai, are you just going to go back to the way you were before?" Her face finally didn't look furious and instead her expression was replaced with a look of sorrow. "You've been amazing these last few months and I haven't been this happy in my entire life but if you're going to just turn back into a cruel sociopath, I can't do this anymore."
Suddenly, feeling a need to stop her right there, "I'm not going back to being that way. I assure you. I've changed. You changed me. I mean it. There's no need to start worrying. I just got carried away because I thought I was going to lose you and that frightened me."
Katara averted her eyes from him and folded her arms, "You need to make it up to Himiko and go spend time with her and Benimaru. You owe them both."
"You want me to go be with another woman?" Ozai was confused.
No, she didn't. But a marriage to any monarch was basically signing up for a polygamist relationship whether you agreed with it or not. Besides, at the end of the day, Katara knew it would be some time before she could let her husband have her again. He'd need someone to distract him and who better than a woman desperately wanting his attention so much that she claims she wants to take her life.
"I may be your wife but you have other women, Ozai. You shouldn't neglect their need for you just to satisfy my desire to be the only one." Katara replies in an impassive tone.
Seeing that this was probably the most honest thing she's said on the topic of his harem, Ozai got up to walk around the table to her and planted a kiss on her forehead.
"I'm sorry."
Swatting him away, "Don't be." She said in a slightly irritated voice.
"I still love you." He told her.
"I'm sure you do." Katara scoffed and pushed herself out of her chair to leave the dining room.
Ozai could only sigh as it was clear his wife had her reservations about him again. He fucked up again but at least, it wasn't her that he hurt. However, she made valid points about his mistreatment of Himiko. It was dishonorable and could weaken bonds between him and her family. He'd go make amends with Himiko and spend a little more time with their son.
….
While Ozai spent a couple of days with Himiko, Katara was still being treated for the poison in her body while spending a lot of time with her children. She had her sons come see her and their sister each morning after their meditations. The waterbender was happy to have her children with her during her recovery. Even more, having Rin really put Katara in a good mood. Ming was let go of as Ozai didn't like her and had unspoken feelings of jealousy towards the closeness between her and Ming. But he didn't seem to care about her bonding with Rin.
"I was honestly surprised." Rin smiled at the Fire Lady. "Who would have thought the Fire Lord was in love with his Water Tribe wife so much that he would request a healer to save her life."
Katara nodded, "Yes, well being loved by him isn't always a good thing. He can be jealous, overprotective, unrelenting, selfish, and a whole lot of things I don't even want to discuss."
Rin giggled at the Fire Lady, "But he's shown he cares, hasn't he? Why only focus on the negatives?"
"Because if I forget what he's done, it'll hurt like the first time when he turns on me again." Katara says as she looks down at her daughter in her crib. "My youngest son and daughter were sort of forced on me by him. My son was kind of unexpected on both our parts but our daughter...she, her father made sure she'd come into existence regardless of me not wanting any more children."
Understanding what Katara was saying, Rin sighed. "It's not much different than being a wife in the North Pole. But my husband got rid of me when I couldn't have children. Now, I'm just a tossed away woman that no one will even look at." Rin looked down at her twiddling fingers. "Sucks how awful men can be to us."
Katara agreed. The men in her life had not always been the best to her. Her father pretty much abandoned her and her brother after their mother passed. Zuko used her and then tossed her aside when he was done. Her brother made her feel like a whore and was every bit as mean about it as some asshole at a tavern would be. Ozai was probably the worst despite him being in love with her. And Zhao along with the men here at court just straight up didn't like her for no reason. Hopefully,her sons would be different. But there was one man that she had to say she could say was truly always good to her.
I wonder what Shinji is up to. A small smile pulled to her lips as she thought about going to see Shinji some time soon.
When Ozai returned, he saw his wife and the water healer chatting. He took a moment to watch them before making his presence known. The last few weeks his wife and Rin had become friends which was a nice turn of events. He didn't like Ming but he didn't mind Rin. She was a better fit for her. Plus, Rin was young and beautiful like Katara. Honestly, he found Rin to his own liking as he found the idea of having two tribeswomen to be quite the accomplishment. Maybe Rin could stay.
Seeing her husband approach, Katara stood from the lounge chair and greeted her husband with a kiss on the lips before seeing his eyes turn to Rin.
"We were just having a little chat, Ozai." Katara said as if to defend her actions though she did nothing wrong but knew Ozai wasn't keen on her having friends.
Placing his arm around her waist as he looked to Rin, "Not planning on leaving anytime soon, are you?" He asked.
Katara was surprised by this.
"I was thinking about leaving in a week. Your wife's recovery has been completed." Rin assured him.
"She may not need to be healed but having someone I trust with her health is important to me. Stay. Besides, she needs a friend."
Taken aback, the two tribeswomen looked utterly shocked. Rin went on to agree and Katara happily hugged Rin. Ozai eyed the two women and wondered if he could have them both at the same time. One riding his face and the other on his d-
"Thank you, Ozai!" Katara hugged him, cutting off his perverse thoughts.
Sure, he inwardly grinned as he hugged his wife back and looked Rin over. Ozai wondered if the two were friendly enough to share him.
…..
A/N:
After everything Katara has done for him, he's still looking for additional women. Wonder what Katara's response is going to be.