Thirteen Months Later
Katara
I look around our house again, trying to see if there's anything left that needs to be cleaned up or fixed. Nothing seems out of place. All our things are shined and polished and put away, a fire burning in the middle to keep us all warm. Still feeling anxious, I run to the looking glass, a gift from Iroh, and check my appearance. Other than my hair loops, I left my hair loose today. The outfit I'm wearing is a blue Fire Nation silk with a halter crop. It may be too cold outside for it, but inside it's plenty warm and when I go out I'll just grab my coat.
Zuko's coming today. It'll be the first time I've seen him in months. We write constantly, but between him running the Fire Nation and me trying to help rebuild the Southern Water Tribe with my dad, we haven't had the chance to travel to see each other. But last week, I got a letter from a messenger hawk saying it was time that he came for a visit. A diplomatic meeting, of course, between nations. But I was the reason he's coming himself instead of sending an ambassador.
After the Peace summit, We tracked down Zuko's mother We also found he now has another little sister. Ursa had her memory wiped after being banished, because it was too painful to remember Zuko and Azula when she couldn't be near them. While gone, she married another and started a new family. But once she had her memories returned and learned Ozai was dead, she had no trouble returning to the Palace with Zuko, her husband and daughter. And she immediately treated me like another daughter. Her return was good for Azula, too. It took a lot of time, but Azula, now stripped of her Fire Bending and under guard in the palace, is starting to open up to Ursa. Things may not ever get to a good point with her, but they are getting better.
There was also almost another war. Zuko pulled his Fire Nation troops and police out of Earth Kingdom territory over time as promised, but towards the end King Keiu realized that Zuko had no intention of removing his authority from certain cities and islands on the outskirts of the Earth Kingdom. They were historically Earth Kingdom, sure, but had been Fire Nation territories for so long that the people there, even the ones who were Earth Benders, claimed Fire Nation nationality and did not want to be a part of the Earth Kingdom. I had to talk to Aang, get him to see reason and to step in to keep another war from happening. At the end of it all, the people of those islands and cities got to decide for themselves what country they wanted to be a part of. And most of them chose Fire Nation, much to the dismay of the Earth King. But in the end, Peace was maintained.
After that, we went our separate ways. I had plenty to keep me busy in the South Pole, and he still had to rule his nation. I've found other children in the South Pole who are benders, even though they tried to hide their gift out of fear. Once they felt safe, though, I started giving them lessons. We also uncovered a plot for the North to colonize the South. My dad came out on top of that, naturally. We did spend the last six months working with Northern benders to build ice bridges between our two tribes to make travel and contact between us easier, though. With a Polar Wolf-Dog sled team the journey can be made in as little as a week now. And we had a small problem with domestic terrorists who were angry the North was starting to have so much influence on us. I didn't disagree with their message, only their methods. But we got them under control too. Now, everything finally feels…Stable. Maybe we can finally start moving forwards.
The door opens and I get hit with a cold blast of wind that makes me shriek.
"Sokka, close the door!" I squeal in a not so dignified voice. He smirks at me as he lets it close on it's own behind him.
"You do know we're still in the South Pole, right? Not the Fire Nation? You're going to freeze."
"I'll be fine! It's summer, as long as I have a coat on I won't get too cold. Besides, I'm a waterbender."
"Sure." He rolls his eyes. "Cause our summers aren't cold enough to keep the Ice Frozen. Katara, It's not even humid enough for you to bend the temperature around you. At least you're still wearing your boots." He goes over to sit on the pelts by the fire and starts petting Kovu, the Polar Puppy Dad gave him as a gift after the war. He was supposed to be for both of us, but he bonded with Sokka and sure he likes me well enough, but it was clear that he picked Sokka as his person. "Oh, by the way, Zuko's outside talking to Dad." He says casually, then smiles at me.
"What?!" I yell, then run out the door and through the village looking for them. I Finally see them by our ships, the red coat Zuko's wearing making him stand out from everyone else.
"Zuko!" I yell as I crash into him. He laughs as he holds me tight.
"Katara what the spirits are you wearing?" I hear my dad's voice as I burry my face in Zuko's coat. I realize that I forgot to put on my coat, and as if to punish me the wind starts blowing and chills me through my silk to the bone. Zuko chuckles and takes off his coat, wrapping it around me.
"What about you?" I shiver.
"Fire Bender, remember?" He kisses my temple. "I'll be okay for the time it takes to walk from here to your house."
"Then lets hurry up. I don't think your nation would appreciate it if their Fire Lord got frostbite on his trip to the Southern Water Tribe." My dad jokes, and leads the way back to our house.
"You look incredible." Zuko whispers in my ear. I turn to look him in his eyes. Beautiful tan eyes that I've missed so much. They soften as he gazes at me, and after a second he tangles his fingers in my hair and pulls me in to a kiss that I sink into like it's the most natural thing in the world.
"I've missed you, Water Princess." He whispers when he pulls back, resting his forehead against my own.
"I've missed you too." I say, moving to hug him again, nestling close against his warm body. "I love you, Zuko." I sigh. He kisses the top of my head.
"I love you, too." He says. "Now, come on. We both know your dad was being nice giving us a minute but won't give us much longer alone." He says, and I laugh lightly, knowing he's right.
"So what official business are you on, Fire Lord?" I tease as we walk.
"Diplomacy." He winks. "I had an idea to strengthen the relationship between the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation. Let's hope it works out."
"Can't imagine why it wouldn't. Are you going to tell me what this wonderful Idea is?"
"I will." He promises. "Later tonight. Right now, lets get you back inside so I can get my coat back." He laughs as we get to my house and go in.
….
Later that night, after all the official business has ended for the day, Zuko sits around the fire with my family as my dad and Sokka (With Kovu in his lap) tell him all sorts of South Pole tales. I'm washing dishes with my grandmother, because even Zuko's trip to visit from the Fire Nation isn't enough to get me out of Chores. Sokka did them last night, so fair is fair. Yue would normally convince him to help me out, but she's visiting her father right now in the North. I can still see and hear Everyone in the main room, though, and I'm glad to see how easily Zuko is at rest around them.
Once I finish my chores, Gran Gran and I go and join them.
"So Zuko, who's ruling the Fire Nation while you're here with us?" Dad asks him.
"My mother. She has a really good handle on things."
"Makes sense. I liked your mom." Sokka says.
"She told me I could take my time, if there's an emergency she'll send me a hawk, but other than that she didn't want me to worry."
"That's very kind of her. How's Azula doing?" I ask. Zuko actually gives a small smile.
"Better. Not better enough for me to lift the guards. I still don't trust her. But with her bending removed, she's able to just be kept under guard instead of locked in prison. Mom visits her every day. Uncle Iroh spends a lot of time with her on his visits, And she's becoming a lot calmer, and more peaceful. Much less malicious. If she keeps getting better, Maybe one day she can rejoin society. Mai and Ty Lee come to see her almost every day, too."
"Really?"
"Well I hired them to train at least two female guards so Azula's never alone, so they're around a lot."
"Oh. They are?" I ask, not liking the jealousy that flares up in me thinking about Mai being around Zuko a lot. I was happy she and Ty Lee weren't killed for their betrayal, but I'm not fond of the idea of Zuko seeing her a lot when he doesn't see me at all. "How are they doing?"
"Good. Ty Lee decided to leave the Kyoshi Warriors when it proved to be true that she's the descendant of Air Nomads. Her and four of her sisters are taking Aang up on his offer to become an Air Bender next year when the temple renovations are finished. The other three have already settled into marriages and don't want to leave their families."
"That's amazing!" I say. "And Mai?" I ask, trying not to sound jealous.
"She's engaged to a guy we met at Ember Island last year. Her dad set it up, but she's actually happy about it. Or as happy as Mai ever is." He laughs. "Never thought that would be a match that happened. We kinda burned down his beach house when he was being a jerk. That was before I joined the Gaang, of course."
"That's enough babble from the men." She interrupts with a smile. "Zuko, how'd you like to hear the tale of The White Wolf Horse? It's one of our tribe's oldest stories"
"And from someone old enough to have seen it happen." Sokka jokes quietly, nudging Zuko as he does. But Gran Gran hears him and I have to stifle a laugh as she hits him in the back of the head with her walking stick.
"Even I'm not that old, Sokka. This story is two centuries old at least. Eighteen years old and still hasn't learned respect for his elders. I blame you, Hakoda. You laugh at his jokes too much." She says, looking at my dad, who even now is laughing.
"Maybe I just enjoy seeing you hit him too much to stop."
"I'd love to hear the story, Gran Gran. Sokka may joke about your age, but I say it gives you wisdom." Zuko interrupts, smiling and subtly moving to hold me a little closer.
"Take notes, Sokka. This one behaves." Gran Gran says, earning an eye roll from Sokka.
"Yeah, Gran." He sighs.
"Shh. I want to listen. This one's my favorite. Gran Gran?" I prompt. She smiles at me.
"Long ago, There was a brave man in our tribe named Hakoda. That's actually where I got the name for my son." She starts, gently patting Dad on the knee. "Anyways. This was shortly after the split between the North and South Poles, when the South became its own tribe. There was war for our independence. And Hakoda fought in it valiantly. When the war was over, he was made Chief of the South Pole for his leadership and courage. He's the one who set Wolf Cove up as the capital.
Anyways, The time came for Hakoda to choose a bride. He needed to sire an heir to continue the chiefdom. But none of the women seemed to stir his heart. The tribe gossiped for weeks about who he would choose in the end. Some thought it would be Hana. She was thought to be the most beautiful girl in the South Pole. Others thought he'd pick Batoa. She was the best Tanner and weaver. Whoever married her would always be dressed in the best clothes, both in appearance and warmth, and sleep on the best pelt blankets. Still others suspected Palla. She knew where the best places to hide traps for fish. Her husband would never have an empty stomach."
"Who did he choose?" Zuko asks, leaning forward. Gran Gran smiles.
"You're getting ahead of the story. Chief Hakoda knew he had to pick a wife, but despite their beauty and talents, he didn't favor any of these women. Katara, know how I've always taught you that Beauty comes from within? It's not entirely a metaphor. These women's pride and selfishness changed how the Chief saw them. After watching them when they weren't putting on a show, he saw how they really were, and in turn he only saw homeliness."
"So did the Chiefdom pass to another family, then?" Zuko asks.
"No. One day while he was sitting in his home by the fire, wondering what he was going to do, he heard a sweet singing voice outside his tent. It was Talla, singing to a crying infant.
Talla was born late in her family, the youngest daughter by fifteen years. Her brothers had all but one died in the war, her mother in a raid, and no sisters. She she had spent the last several years nursing her father back to health after the war. He had broken his back, and even the most skilled benders had given up. But she didn't, and after years of working as hard as she could with her bending and praying to the Spirits, he could finally walk again.
Hakoda didn't know this, of course, so when he saw a woman in her twenties carrying a baby he assumed she was married. But something told him to investigate her anyway. When he found out she was single and was just babysitting, his heart soared. He didn't want to be rash, so he watched her from a far for quite some time. He found her to be Courageous, kind, selfless, strong, and merciful in every aspect of her life. He learned that even as a teenager she was a battlefield healer during the war and had saved many lives in the tribe. But she was shy and modest, kept to herself, so not many people knew much about her. She was very overlooked. Quite pretty at first glance, but not memorable unless you heard the singing she reserved for children, which Hakoda did.
After seeing how she was from a distance, he took the time to get to know her as well. No one in the village thought he was looking at her as a bride, but taking pity on an unmarried woman who kept to herself," Gran Gran pauses to chuckle. "They were wrong. Anyways, it didn't take long for Chief Hakoda to make up his mind. Talla was the one for him. So, according to our customs, he went to her father to negotiate a Bride Price."
"What's a Bride Price?" Zuko asks.
"It's not something we do anymore." I answer. "But for a long time it was a way to prove to the Bride's father you could provide for her. The grander the gift the groom gave to the father, the greater it was assumed their life and marriage would be. And the father, unless he was an incredibly selfish ass, would usually give it back to his daughter after the wedding."
"Why don't you do it anymore?"
"The war with the Fire Nation put us into poverty for the most part. No one could afford it anymore, so instead now you have to get the whole tribe's approval. The Idea is if the whole Tribe trusts you to take care of your wife, you probably will. Even the best of people can be fooled by a truly devious person. But it would be quite an accomplishment to fool every single person in a tribe."
"And what if there are some who say no? Like if someone were to object out of jealousy, not out of love for the bride?"
"If there's dissent, it's brought to the elders. They hear the side of the groom and the dissenter. They decide who's in the right and wrong." Dad answers.
"Anyways-" Gran Gran says, annoyed at being interrupted. "Hakoda went to Talla's Father, Cato. He asked her what bride price he'd like for his daughter. Cato thought it over. In the end, he said he and Talla had lost so much, already, she didn't need to much to be comfortable. A single Wolf Horse would be enough.
Zuko, I'm not sure you've ever seen a Wolf Horse. They're beautiful and Rare, like my granddaughter." Gran Gran winks at me. "But Wolf Horses didn't used to be as rare as they now are."
"What happened to them?" Zuko asks.
"You won't like the answer." Sokka tells him. "When The Fire Nation started invading, the Wolf Horses caused too much trouble. The ones who had bonded with humans were fierce fighters. It often took three or more firebenders to kill one. They're Water Benders, like how dragons are Fire Benders, Badger Moles are Earth Benders, and Air Bison are Air Benders. So, They were hunted to near extinction. We've got a small heard we captured a few months ago, we're trying to rebuild their population."
"Oh. I see." Zuko looks down.
"Anyways-" Gran Gran clears her throat. "Wolf Horses were what was typically used to pay a bride price, although you'd use something else if the father requested it. The average bride price was four."
"So why'd he ask for so little?" Zuko asks. "If he really loved his daughter wouldn't he want better assurances?"
"Well, for one thing, Hakoda was the Chief. Cato knew the bride price was more of a formality. But, when word got out, the gossip spread through the tribe. Palla, Batoa and Hana were all especially cruel in their rumors, saying they didn't know why Hakoda wanted her in the first place, but it makes sense her bride price being so low. She wasn't valued by her family, and so not much was demanded of her. Who knows if they meant for Talla to overhear? But she did. And Hakoda saw her walking back to her house, trying to hide her shameful tears from those she passed by. So Hakoda went back into his own home to think and pray.
The next day, he gathered the elders of the tribe. He asked them what the highest bride price ever paid in the history of the Southern Water Tribe was. They discussed and argued for a while about it, but in the end they agreed that eleven Wolf-Horses were gifted for Sasha of Polar landing."
"That's another one of the villages within our tribe. We trade with them a lot." Sokka says, and this time Gran slaps his knee with her stick for interrupting, making me chuckle.
"Eleven Horses were gifted for Sasha." She repeats. "Anyways, Hakoda was an amazing wolfman. He had several horses and dogs Alike. It was one thing that gave him such success in the war with the North. And he was known for caring for his animals tenderly. He loved them greatly. He had 8 Wolf Horses already, and one in particular was special. It was a pure white Wolf Horse. That is something hardly ever seen. Black? Sure. Grey? All the time. Mixed coats are more common than anything else. But a pure white Wolf Horse? I've only seen two in my life." She says, then chuckles. "I guess that means we're due another one soon. But anyways, he loved his white Wolf Horse more than anything else in this world. He went to see her every day, speaking gently to her, going on rides with her, grooming her. She was like a daughter to him. But after speaking to the elders he knew what he needed to do. So he traded five of his Wolf-Dogs for three more Wolf-Horses, and spent days carving a new warrior's club to trade for one more. Then, he lead his herd of twelve Wolf-Horses to his soon to be Father in Law's house with the white one in the front.
When he got into the village, there was quite a commotion. Why were there twelve horses walking in our paths? Cato came out of his house and blanched. 'What's This?' He asked. He couldn't believe his eyes. They had agreed one was enough. And Hakoda answered him. "Talla is worth more than any other bride in our history. She'll be taken care of better and loved more than anyone ever was in the history of our tribe. So Here's the bride price I'm gifting: Twelve Wolf Horses, including my favorite."
"I like this story." Zuko smiles, looking at me and making me blush.
"Shh." I say. "Let her finish the story."
"Thank you, Katara." Gran Gran smiles at me. "So Talla heard the commotion and came out of their home, and when she realized what was going on she had the most radiant of smiles on her face. Her grandmother had her wedding dress and coat all ready for her, along with rare and valuable perfume. She and Hakoda were married that evening under the Full Moon and the Celestial lights, and they had twelve children in their life."
"Did Cato give the horses to Talla?" Zuko asks. Gran Gran smiles.
"Some of them. Not all. That was quite a scandal, and didn't paint him in the best light. But I can see where he came from. His whole life he didn't have anything. Suddenly he had more Wolf-Horses than anyone else in his entire tribe. He didn't want to give that up. Some say he traded his honor for them, but he still gave the white one and two other's back. Talla and Hakoda were never angry at him for this, so eventually the Tribe forgot about it. Their descendants are still in our tribe now, one was my late husband."
"Wait, so you guys-"
"I'm a descendant of Talla and the original Hakoda." Dad smiles at him. "As are Sokka and Katara."
"Another reason it's my favorite story." I say.
"Yeah, it's alright." Sokka yawns. "I like the stories of Hakoda in battle a little better, though." Gran Gran smiles.
"It's very late. Everyone get some rest. Summer nights are very short." Gran Gran tells us, putting a metal cover on the fire to keep it from catching on something while we sleep. We all settle on our pelts, Zuko annoyingly on the other side of the house than me. Rules are Rules.
"So where's Paku, Gran Gran? I forgot to ask earlier." Zuko asks. She smiles as she settles onto her bed.
"In Polar Landing. He's doing a waterbending seminar for young benders there. He'll be back tomorrow night."
"Even the little girls." I smile, glad they have the chance to learn under him like I did.
"Oh. Well, good." Zuko says a little awkwardly. My guess is he didn't even notice Paku was gone until now and was trying to not seem rude.
"Let's get some sleep everyone. Long days, short nights." Dad says. I smile at Zuko as I lay down, wishing he could be next to me instead of out of reach. He returns the look, and his small smile is the last thing I see as I drift off to sleep.