CHAPTER 16

ZUKOS POV

It had been two weeks since Zuko and Katara had been married. It was surreal to him that just a couple of weeks ago his sole focus had been putting an end to the war and facing his father. Now he had a pregnant wife who was soon to give birth in just a few short months. His entire life dynamic had changed. He was immensely happy…he had wanted a family with Katara for so long. Seeing her waddling around the beach house with her hands protectively resting on her tummy filled the prince with a joy like no other. But he couldn't lie to himself, the timing of all of this added an extra layer of pressure that he had not been prepared for. Not only was the world counting on him, now he had a wife and child who's lives depended on his victory. He didn't even want to think about what would happen to them if his father provailed. This was why ever sense they had returned from their honeymoon he spent every waking moment training for his inevitable Agni Kai. His father was a cocky bastard and Zuko could bet his entire life savings on the fact that Ozai would want a round two.

He was on the empty backyard pavement that they had been using as a training ground. It was just past dawn and he was already sweating, having been outside for hours repeating the most advanced level of fire katas. They were like second nature to him now. His inner fire had become but an extension of himself. He imagined his father in front of him, his sinister face stretched into a snarl. It was the same look he had given him when Zuko had been just a boy cowering before his sire as he melted half of his face. Zuko roared sending fire blast after blast forward in quick succession. He did a spinning kick in the air, fire erupting from his feet in a wide arch. He had gotten so much better at martial arts over the years, which enhanced his fire bending ten fold. He continued sparing himself until he grew exhausted. He finally sat down on the warm pavement after awhile, crossing his legs in his favorite meditative position.

Zuko had gotten really good at meditating thanks to his Uncle Iroh. He was now at the point in his spiritual journey that he could slip into a meditative state on command without even thinking about it. He closed his eyes, and the world fell away around him. Usually when he slipped into this state his mind went completely blank and he saw nothing. This time was very different. In Zuko's mind's eye he had traveled to some sort of oasis.

Bright glowing light filled the background as he stepped forward onto plush grass. A flowing waterfall stood in front of him, it's rushing water feeding into a small pond. He looked beyond to find miles and miles of forest ahead of him. The tall trees flowed from a wind that he could not physically feel. He had an eerie feeling as he looked up and found no sky…there was no sun or clouds above, just a glowing light that almost blinded him. Zuko looked down at his body, attempting to touch himself, but his hand went right through his torso. It was as if his body was made of vapor. He began to panic. Had he just died or something?

Just then he heard a ferocious roar coming from the forest, its sound shaking the trees and ground around it. If Zuko was able to feel his heart it would have been pounding right then. He backed away slowly as the roar became louder and louder, indicting that whatever was making the sound was getting closer. He turned to start running in the opposite direction. He heard a ear splitting screech causing him to turn his head mid run. Just then he saw a red flying serpent burst from the tops of the trees, it's mighty fangs on full display. It was a dragon…and it was headed straight for Zuko.

"Oh shit" he gulped. Zuko ran faster praying to Agni the dragon didn't like the taste of human. Zuko looked down at his running feet only to notice the beast's shadow lingering right above him. His wings spanned well over 20 feet. He let out another billowing roar above him causing Zuko's knees to go weak. He knew he couldn't outrun him, it was impossible. He dropped to his knees before the dragon looking forward as it descended upon him. It landed directly in front of him, its wings creating a wind that almost knocked Zuko over. The beast's yellow eyes seemed to pierce directly into his soul. For some reason Zuko felt like he knew this scaled being…almost like they were connected in some way. Like they'd met before.

'Hello Prince Zuko' the dragon said without moving it's mouth. Zuko looked to it in confusion not understanding how the dragon's thoughts had just filtered into his head.

"How are you talking to me?" he said aloud in a panic. Zuko continued to back away slowly just incase it decided to devour him.

'I am Druk, your twin spirit' he explained. Zuko shook his head in confusion.

"Twin spirit? What is that?"

Zuko heard another rustling in the trees only to find Aang of all people emerge. He walked slowly towards them, his air nomad tattoos matching the glow of the realm above them.

"Aang? Where have you been? Where are we?" he demanded. The young Avatar smiled at his friend as he stood beside the mighty red dragon.

"We are in the spirit world Zuko" Aang explained.

"Did I…did I die?" he asked in worry. The last thing he remembered he had been training outside. The Avatar gave him a reassuring smile.
"No you did not die. I called you here"

"Aang this is silly" Zuko growled in frustration "we need you back in the real world. My father has planned to destroy the Earth Kingdom in less than a month and you've been missing for over a year now. What the fuck is going on?"

"Remain calm my friend, I will be back soon enough. But in the mean time I have sent an ally for you" he said calmly placing a hand on the dragon's scaled body. Druk stepped forward bowing his massive head towards Zuko.

"Druk is your twin spirit, he is your reflection in this realm. I am sending him to join you on Earth"

Zuko blinked in confusion.

"You're sending me a dragon?" he questioned in disbelief.

"Your spirits are but a mirror of each other in this world, you must learn to connect them in your world…rest well my friend. I will see you soon" Aang said. He approached Zuko placing his hand on his forehead and his other hand on the dragons mighty head.

"But Aang!" Zuko yelled as his and Druk's bodies began to glow "wait-"

Zuko's eyes shot open to a blood curdling scream. It was Katara he realized. Jumping up from his sitting position on the pavement he sprinted towards her scream praying to Agni she was okay. It was too early for her to give birth, which meant she must be in danger. He made it around the house to find her trembling and curled into a ball on the ground, a glass pitcher shattered on the tile near by while a gigantic red dragon sniffed under her skirts curiously.

"Holy shit" he breathed, dumbfounded. He rushed to help her off of the ground while shooing the beast away. She was shaking in fear, iced tea spilled all over the front of her tunic.

"Zu-zu-Zuko it came out of nowhere" she stuttered in a panic trying to pull him away from the dragon.

"I know….I know it's okay" he soothed her walking her away from Druk.

"It's a dragon" she whispered, looking behind her in fear "don't make any sudden movements"

"I know Kat. He's mine"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Excuse me?"

"Aang sent him to me. I know it sounds crazy and I can explain later. Why don't you go inside and clean off" he tried.

"What? You saw Aang?"

"Let's get you inside" he said gently guiding her away.

"I am not leaving you out here with that thing!" she argued.

"Katara please…I need to speak with him"

"Speak with him? He's a dragon for La sake" she said in utter disbelief. He continued walking her to the front door as she protested, ushering her inside. He didn't know how he was going to explain this to everyone. Hell, he barely understood it himself. But he had to try.

"Just give us a minute, I'll be right back" he said closing her inside the house.

He gave a deep sigh, bracing himself against the door. He turned around to find Druk standing right behind him, his giant face just inches from Zuko's.

"Ah! Fuck!" Zuko yelled in surprise, fumbling back into the door behind him. The mighty dragon cocked it's head to the side in confusion, his golden eyes evaluating Zuko curiously. The prince took another deep breath, stepping slowly out of the door frame.

"Let's start with some house rules. No sneaking up on people, especially my pregnant wife!" he berated. Druk's ears lowered in an expression that Zuko could only describe as bashful.

'Sorry…I did not realize she would scream like that. She smelled very interesting…like fire and water' Druk replied in Zuko's mind as he licked his chops.

"No more smelling her!" he said sternly.

'Very well' he relented.

Zuko sighed, not knowing exactly where to go from here. Aang had sent this gigantic animal to him and he had no idea what to do with it.

"Zuko who are you talking to?" he heard Suki call from the side of the house. Zuko saw her turn the corner taking in the scene before her. She stopped in her tracks an expression of shock and fear on her face. She dropped the fans she was holding to the ground wordlessly.

Zuko held his hands out to placate her before she could scream.

"It's okay Suki, it's okay" he shushed her "he's friendly"

"It's a-a-a dr-dragon" she stuttered in disbelief as she backed away. Just then Toph came bounding out of the front door, an earsplitting grin on her face.

"I knew I felt it! I giant snake thing with legs and wings!" Toph exclaimed excitedly.

'Did she just call me a snake?' Druk questioned.

"He's a dragon Toph…and his name is Druk"

"He has a name?" Suki gasped incredulously.

"Aang sent him to me…in the spirit world. It's hard to explain okay?" he said defensively as both girls gave him confused looks.

"Wait so you saw Aang in the spirit world? How did you get there?" Toph asked.

"I'm not sure. One minute I was meditating and the next I was there. Aang said that he called me there"

"So this dragon isn't going to eat us?" Suki questioned, referencing between them and Druk with her finger.

"No he won't. According to Aang he's the other half of my spirit or something. He's even able to talk to me in my mind" he explained.

"Sweet!" Toph yelled excitedly.

"So when is Aang coming back? Has he been in the spirit world this entire time?"

The prince sighed at Suki's questioning.

"I'm not sure, there wasn't any time for questions. He seemed in a rush to send me off…all he said was that he'd be back soon."

"Well that's helpful" Toph said sarcasticallly.

"Whatever, it's not like Aang was included in the plans anyway. It'd be nice if he shows up but we all know we've been in this alone from the start" Suki said, suddenly becoming more serious.

"I think Druk can offer us a real advantage in the war" Zuko offered after a beat.

"What do you mean?" Suki asked.

"If he is as powerful as the legends say he could wipe out hundreds of men with a single breath of fire"

Druk grumbled a deep rumbling in his throat.

"Yeah but the final battle won't happen on Fire Nation main land. It will likely take place when Ba Sing Se attempts to hold its wall after your father tries to take it. The plan was to stay in the Fire Nation to get Iroh out of jail, destroy the bombs, and defeat your dad" Suki said.

"I cannot rule over a kingdom built on ashes and dust" Zuko seethed "Even without the bombs my father has 800,000 men at his disposal…the wall will fall, and every civilian within the city will perish by fire. I should be where I can save the most lives…I can always kill my father later" he said bitterly.

"But what about King Bumi? He is expecting us to be here to destroy the bomb factory" Toph protested.

"We still can. We still have 3 weeks before the bombs are set to drop" Zuko ensured.

"Well…we do have the coordinates…" Suki reasoned.

"We're supposed to wait on the King's signal" Toph protested.

"He's taking too long" dismissed Zuko.

"You don't get to just disobey the King's orders!" Toph argued in frustration balling her small fists to the side.

"Which King do you serve Toph? I will be my nation's leader soon enough…I have to start thinking about what's best for my nation and the people in the world effected by it's tyranny. If you don't want to help me then fine. But I'm destroying those bombs soon, we've waited long enough."

Suki rung her hands together, the discomfort from his and Toph's spat making her fidget.

"We need to have another strategy meeting with everybody today so we can all come to an agreement" the Kyoshi warrior reasoned.

"Fine" Zuko relented "let's have it now."

He turned abruptly to go back into the house.
"Druk, don't fuck anything up while you're out here…and don't go anywhere. The last thing we need is people seeing you and trying to hunt you down" he called behind him.

The dragon obeyed with a huff, smoke billowing from his nostrils. He curled into a ball in front of the house, nestling himself into the sand.

Both girls followed him inside where they found Katara in the kitchen making them lunch.

"What in La's name is going on?" she demanded as she saw them all approach the kitchen table and sit down.

"Come sit. We're having a strategy meeting" Zuko explained. She came to sit down beside him while Toph and Suki sat across the table.

"Aang came to me…well he brought me to the spirit world while I was meditating today. He didn't say much, just that he would come back to us soon. He also sent me a dragon, his name is Druk and he is apparently my twin spirit. We're able to communicate telepathically. I'm not sure how long he will be with us, but Aang said that he is here to be our ally" Zuko explained.

"So…he is you? But the spirit you?" Katara asked in confusion.

"He's not exactly me, but he is my spirit's mirror. At least that's how the Avatar explained it. I'm still trying to figure out our connection, but that's besides the point."

"We're in a bit of a pickle…time is getting away from us. The bombs are set to drop onto Ba Sing Se in three weeks and we still haven't tried to destroy them. We haven't heard anything from King Bumi since we've been here in the Fire Nation" Suki said. Toph remained quiet in her seat with her arms crossed tightly.

"We need to do this strategically. If we destroy the bombs closer to the date of the drop it won't give my father enough time to come up with a back up plan"

"Maybe we should wait until just a week before the drop" Katara suggested.

Zuko nodded his head "I was thinking the same thing. That way we can use Druk to destroy the factory and I can ride him back to the Earth Kingdom and fight in the battle at the wall. If he is as fast at flying as Appa we should be able to make it to Ba Sing Se in a week's time."

"What? I thought you were staying here to fight your father" Katara questioned.

"I'll come back for him." he said "but I should be where the real action is. The Earth Kingdom will need extra fighters at the wall, and Druk can offer a significant advantage."

"Who knows…maybe Aang will be back by then to help too" Suki offered.

"And what about Katara? She can't do all this flying around in her condition" Toph asked. Zuko nodded his head in agreement.

"She will have to remain here with Lo and Li. When I get my uncle out of prison I will send him here as extra protection" he said reaching under the table to give her hand a squeeze. It wasn't ideal for them to be apart at this stage in her pregnancy, but he would rather her be here than in the heat of the battle. Ember Island was virtually the safest place on Earth for her to be right now. His father had no idea that she even existed, therefore keeping her here would be the most logical option.

"What if i go into labor while you're away? I was expecting you to be here…" he could tell she was beginning to panic a little.

"I know and I want to be here too…but I can't just wait here like a sitting turtle duck with a weapon like Druk at my disposal. He can change the tide of the entire war. And my father is just one man, destroying his army is what really matters" he tried explaining to her. She nodded her head silently, but he could see the fear had not left her face.

"Uncle will be here to protect you soon enough" he assured her "Now…let's talk about destroying these bombs" he said, pulling a map of the Fire Nation from the drawer behind him.

2 Weeks Later

KATARAS POV

Katara swam around lazily as the sun began to set on the empty private beach around her. The water looked like liquid gold as it rippled along with the movement of her arms and legs. The day had been so hot that even Druk had been seeking out the shade to avoid the sun's rays.

It was Katara's first time taking a moment for herself in days. She had offered herself up to handle all household chores while everyone else focused on training and strategy. Since she would be sitting the rest of the fighting out she felt guilty for not contributing to everyone's efforts. But this meant that everyone's care fell on her. If she did not cook, they did not eat.

Suddenly a shadow passed over her, making the sky go dark. She looked up to find Druk's silhouette blocking out the sun. She surmised that Zuko was probably up there practicing flying with him, which was no easy skill. Trying to stay upright on a serpent-like giant flying 200 leagues per hour was a dangerous task. It made Katara's stomach drop every time she saw them up there.

Zuko had been spending every waking moment with Druk, leaving very little time for Katara. Although she was disappointed in their lack of interactions over the past couple of weeks Katara had to admit how cool it was seeing them push the boundaries of what they could accomplish together. They had already figured out how to combine their fire to create a flaming tornado. And since they could read each other's minds, coordinating attacks came as second nature for the duo. Druk was like an extension of Zuko's martial arts ability. She had witnessed the fire bender use the dragon as a launching pad to propel himself into the air, creating even wider arches of fire. She hoped that Druk would not have to return to the spirit world once the war was over. She was happy they had found each other. Her husband had been very confident before, but now he practically oozed leadership. It was like his dragon was the physical embodiment of his spirit. The more he harnessed their connection the more he stepped into his true self.

Katara watched as the two of them flew down from the clouds, Druk landing on the shore line and creating waves with his wings that pushed Katara back slightly. She swam to shore to meet them. The water bender emerged from her element, not bothering to bend the water from her form. She wore a red bikini, the only swimsuit that she was comfortable in at this point. Zuko jumped off of Druk, having to use jets of fire from his feet to soften the landing. Katara reached up to pat Druk's scaled body, the dragon leaning his head in so that she could reach his ear.

Zuko landed next to her pulling her close to land a chaste peck to her lips.

"Getting the hang of flying I see…" she said. Zuko smirked while snaking his hand around her waist.

"We're getting better every day. I can't lie, being in the air is a thrill I think I could get addicted to" he admitted.

She gave him a smile back before kissing him sweetly on the cheek.

"I should go make dinner, Toph will be hungry soon" she sighed.

"Okay, I'll be in soon. I'm going to run through a few more drills with Druk."

They parted ways, Katara trucking up the sanded hill while Zuko remounted his dragon with a burst of fire from his feet.

This night's dinner started out like any other. Katara served everyone's food, a meal of fish, lemon grass stir fry, and rice. The four of them gathered around the table eating and debriefing each other on their days. Suki had found a weapon's shop and gotten her fans sharpened, while Toph practiced her sand bending on the beach. Naturally Katara had spent the day washing and mending clothes, and just generally cleaning up after everyone else. She had also spent a good portion of her day knitting baby clothes. Just as Zuko was about to share about his day they heard a high pitched roar coming from the front towards the beach. It sounded like Druk was trying to alert them of something. Katara looked to Zuko and saw him furrow his brows in concentration. He was linking their minds, even though they weren't near each other. It had been something Katara knew that they were working on every day. Zuko would go into deep meditations every morning trying to prob their link. He had only been successful a couple of times. Talking to each other while they were near was one thing, this was a completely different skill.

"There's a boat…it's approaching the house" Zuko said staring out into space. She wondered if he could see what Druk sees.

"Let's go check it out" Toph said.

They all rushed out of the door, jogging to the beach. The water was like black ink and she was barely able to make out the black boat approaching them. It took the small vessel another ten minutes to get to them, steering towards the dock. Zuko stepped forward making his way onto the wooden docks by himself. Back on the beach Druk stood over the three women in a protective stance.

Katara could see that there were two people on the boat covered head to toe in grey cloaks. She could not make out their faces beneath their hoods. One was very tall the other one rather short. The large intruder helped the smaller one out of the boat and onto the wooden ledge. Zuko met them halfway down the strip of panels, stopping them in their tracks with a loud "Who goes there?"

There was a silence in which Katara observed Zuko reaching back to place a hand on his broad sword.

"Well it's nice to see you too old friend" said a familiar voice.

Katara gasped aloud, making a b-line for the dock. She rushed across the water pushing Zuko out of the way to embrace the cloaked stranger. She inhaled his sent deeply, the distinct nostalgic smell of bonfire and ivory filling her nose. He returned her embrace giving a light chuckle. She looked up to see him removing his hood, revealing that charming smile that had always gotten him out of trouble growing up.

"It's been too long little sis" Sokka said pulling back from their embrace. He had grown quite a bit in the two years they had been away from each other. He now stood to almost Zuko's height, reminding her of their father's stocky build. His long wolfs-tail now reached past his shoulders, the symbol of a wise leader in their tribe. Even though he had gotten his high cheekbones and regal nose from their mother, his almond eyes had always shun like Hakoda's. And now that he had a full beard he looked even more like him.

Sokka held Katara at arm's length looking her over. His smile began to dissipate as he took in her form.

"Tara…?" he questioned quietly. She couldn't help the slow tears that leaked from her eyes.

"You're going to be an Uncle Sokka" she smiled with a sniffle. He placed a hand gently over her stomach.

"Who's the dad?" he asked, his blue eyes searching hers. Just then Zuko stepped up from behind her, placing his hand on the small of her back. She watched Sokka's face cycle through a myriad of emotions as his eyes darted between the two of them. First there was confusion, then realization, then rage. "You bastard!" he shouted.

Without warning Sokka lunged at the fire prince connecting his fist to the side of his face.

"Sokka no!" cried the shorter cloaked stranger. They grabbed onto Sokka's cloak the tussle causing their hood to fall back revealing a white haired beauty. Katara's brother calmed almost immediately at her command. Zuko recovered quickly from the assault rubbing his aching jaw.

"Princess Yue…" Katara whispered, staring into her pastel blue eyes. She was even more beautiful than Katara remembered.

"Princess Katara" Yue returned bowing deeply. Katara returned the gesture.

"We should all go inside and catch up" Katara offered.

"Fine" Sokka rumbled pushing past Zuko and towards the house.

"Nice punch Snoozles!" Toph called as Sokka approached them.

"Toph!" Sokka yelled happily bending down to hug the small earth bender.

"Hey put me down!" the blind girl giggled as Sokka twirled her around.

Once they were all in the house they sat around the table with Zuko and Toph left standing. Katara sat next to Suki, while Yue and Sokka sat across from them. Suki had been strangely quiet since Sokka had arrived, often sneaking glances at the northern princess. Katara couldn't blame her, her presence was almost ethereal. Yue's white hair fell in long ringlets with shorter curls framing her heart shaped face. Her doe like eyes were a purple-ish pastel blue that sparkled beneath her silver lashes. She looked other worldly. Katara noticed the pearl betrothal necklace that sat daintily atop her collar bone, held together by purple silk.

"So what's with the dragon?" Sokka questioned once he had gotten comfortable in his seat.

"He is Zuko's" Katara explained "he was sent here from the spirit world by Aang."

"The Avatar has returned?" Yue questioned.

"Not exactly" interjected Toph "he's still up there doing who knows what. Sparky was just able to communicate with him for a short time."

"How come Aang never sent me a cool animal companion?" Sokka pouted.

"Trust me, the Avatar's gift comes with no small burden of responsibility...He sent Druk to gain an advantage in the final battle at the wall."

"Yeah about that, we need to discuss why we're here" said Sokka, surveying the room.

"I heard you have been busy Chief Sokka of the Northern Water Tribe…preparing your troops for battle and sending blood bending spies to the Earth King" Zuko smirked.

Katara gave a small smile as she looked to her brother. She was immensely proud of the leader he had become. Bumi had told them about a fire admiral by the name of Zhao bringing troops to their shores and nearly destroying the Northern Tribe. Yue's father had perished in the fight to regain their tribe forcing Sokka, as Yue's husband, to assume the role of Chief. Sokka had done a grand job at rebuilding their tribe and training their warriors in swordsmanship and martial arts. He had created a rather formidable army in just two short years.

"I appreciate the acknowledgment" Sokka smirked back "it has not been easy recovering from your father's constant onslaughts. His raids and trade tariffs have left the north destabilized. I am doing all that I can to hold us together."

"I am proud of you brother" Katara assured him.

"A couple of months back Yue and I got a letter from the King asking for troops in preparation for Ozai's attach on Ba Sing Se's wall. We packed our things, leaving the council in charge during our absence. I rallied men to give to Bumi. When we got there he told us about how he had sent the four of you to Ember Island in an attempt to free the Dragon of the West and destroy the Fire Lord's bombs. He thought it would be best for us to help you guys" Sokka explained.

"He wanted you all to know that we are the signal" Yue added.

"That's perfect timing" Toph interjected "we were planning to do it tomorrow."

Sokka rubbed his hands together in anticipation "Even better…show me the plans."

Zuko went behind him in the drawer to pull out the map once again.

. . .

It was well into the night by the time they had gone through the plans for tomorrow in detail. It had seemed they had run through it a thousand times before everyone had it burned into their brains. Katara would not be there for it but even she knew the blue print of the factory like the back of her hand. Once they had discussed all there was to discuss their was an awkward silence that began to permeate the room. Yue cleared her throat after a while, locking eyes with Katara.

"Could you ladies show me to the sleeping quarters…I'm awfully tired from travel." Her voice was smooth and warm like a mug of toasted coco milk.

"Sure" Suki squeaked, pushing back from the table and standing abruptly. Toph followed behind her, while Yue and Katara took up the rear. As they approached the stairs Katara looked back at her brother and her husband nervously.

"They will be fine" Yue whispered taking Katara's hand in hers "they just need some time alone to hash it out."

Katara nodded silently, following the girls up the stairs.

They were lead into Katara and Suki's shared room, which had originally been Azula the fire princess's domain. Toph sat in the corner chair while Katara and Yue sat on opposite sides of the bed. Suki remained standing looking at both of the water princesses awkwardly.

"You two can stay in here and I'll go to Toph's room" the Kyoshi warrior offered.

"Thanks Suki" Katara said with a smile.

"Well we've got a long day ahead of us, I'm going to head to bed. You coming Toph?"

The blind earth bender nodded her head as she got up to follow Suki out the door. Katara got up from the bed moving towards the amour to get Yue a night dress.

"You must be weary from travel. I'll go run a bath for you". The northern princess gave her an appreciative look.

"Thanks, allow me to help" she said getting up and removing her cloak. Beneath she wore a simple purple tunic trimmed in white, with black leggings underneath. Katara froze in shock as she noticed the slight protrusion of her belly. Yue had to be at least 5 months pregnant. Katara remembered from their childhood that the princess was only a year younger than her which would make her sixteen currently.

"You are with child too" Katara gasped as she rushed to the other princess and placed her hand over her swollen belly. Yue smiled.

"The elders believe he will be a strong bender" she said quietly. Katara's head spun. Her and Sokka would both have children the same age. Both potential heirs for the highest titles of two opposite nations. This was even more reason they had to win this war. The future of the world rested within both of their wombs.

"Come, let's get you in the bath" Katara said, ushering the other pregnant woman into the bathroom.

Once Yue was in the tub Katara added a canister of goats milk into the water. The white haired beauty sighed deeply and closed her eyes, leaning back into the porcelain. Katara took a moment to admire the woman before her. Her caramel skin glistened in the candle light of the bathroom and her damp silver curls clung to the side of her face. Yue quirked her eyes open and regarded Katara.

"You are even more beautiful than I remember" Yue said.

Katara blushed deeply, flattered by the girl's compliment.

"You as well princess…" Katara offered "…Congratulations on your marriage. I wish I could have been there to witness it."

Yue looked down forlornly.

"Count yourself lucky you were away. Just days after we married the fire nation attacked, killing my father and many more of our men. They practically destroyed everything…they have new technology now that makes their fire more powerful" she explained sadly. Katara nodded in understanding.

"I've seen what that technology can do. I was working as a nurse in Chao when a surrounding town was bombed. The sheer destruction it created was nothing like I'd ever seen" Katara frowned. They sat in silence for a while, both of them in deep contemplation. Katara sat on the floor across from the bathing northerner.

"How far along are you?" Yue asked curiously.

"Eight months" she said "and you?"

"About five. Ever sense Sokka found out I was with child he has been obsessed with keeping us safe. He didn't want me to stay in the North where he could not keep an eye on me" she breathed.

"Sounds like my worry wart of a brother" she said rolling her eyes.

ZUKOS POV

Zuko tried hard not to fidget in the charged silence that had consumed them. Everyone had departed for the night, the only two souls left in the kitchen were him and Sokka.

"Want to go for a walk?" Zuko asked. Sokka nodded stiffly, getting up to follow Zuko out the door. The first five minutes of their walk was filled with the comfortable white noise of the crashing waves. The glow of the moonlight bounced off of the inky waters casting the water Chief in a glowing light. Zuko watched out of the corner of his eye as the young warrior packed a green herb into his whale bone pipe. He stopped walking and gestured for Zuko to come near with a tweak of his head.

"Give me a light" he murmured around his pipe. Zuko flicked a small flame from his finger to the end of the man's pipe, watching as smoke billowed from the end and out of his nose. Once he had gotten his fill he offered a hit to Zuko. The prince took it appreciatively inhaling the earthy herb deep into his lungs. He felt it take effect almost immediately, relaxing his muscles and slowing down his bodily functions.

"So tell me scar face…just where the hell do you get off knocking up my sister?" Sokka's sharp angular face slanted up at him. Zuko took a deep breath, grateful for the drug he had just inhaled before having this conversation.

"Sokka..a lot has changed since you've been away-" he tried explaining.

"You better not be planning to keep my sister as a concubine you piece of shit" he interrupted, poking Zuko hard in the chest "I don't give a damn if she's having your child. She will come back to the north with me before facing such shame." Sokka was visibly fuming, his face slightly red beneath his dark skin.

"I would never disrespect her in such a way. You of all people should know that I have always loved your sister…" Zuko admitted.

"Talk is cheap fire bender"

"Katara and I have already married. She is to be my Queen if I defeat my father" he explained.

"Why does she not wear a betrothal necklace around her neck then?" The warrior Chief had calmed down considerably but he still looked rather skeptical.

"I gave her a ring instead. It is Fire Nation tradition to do so" he said. There was a long silence in which Sokka took a long pull of smoke. He looked the fire prince up and down in intense scrutiny.

"You should carve her a necklace" he said stubbornly lifting his chin and taking another smoke from his pipe. Zuko chuckled lightly, glad to have his friend's begrudging approval.

"I will…" he said patting the warrior on his back and continuing their walk.

"You better keep my sister safe in that crazy nation of yours" Sokka warned.

"You know that I will protect her with my life" Zuko provided, meaning every word he said.

"You and I are in pretty similar positions you know?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked raising a brow.

"My wife Yue is pregnant as well. She is growing bigger every day". The young tribesman looked worried as if the stress of his unborn child had added ten years to his life.

"You don't seem happy."

"How can I be? Our tribe is on the verge of collapse and we've got a war to fight even though we're out numbered. This is no environment for a baby" he lamented.

Zuko understood where his friend was coming from. He echoed some of the same thoughts at times.

"We have even more reason to fight now. It's not just about us anymore" he told his friend.

The water warrior shook his head sadly.

"I man's worst fear is not being able to keep his family safe. It feels like I'm living in a nightmare every day" Sokka confessed. Zuko felt all at once just how heavy the weight of this was on them. They had been shouldering the effects of this war since they could remember and still here it was continuing to take from them. How many more lives would this senseless violence continue to impact?

"I will put an end to my father's madness…even if it kills me" Zuko rasped.

"You won't have to do it alone brother" Sokka assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

END CHAPTER 16