"You're joking. You have to be."
"Does it look like I'm joking, Prince Zuko?"
His jaw dropped. The Tribe Chief raised an eyebrow slowly, daring him to show defiance, and Zuko dared indeed, despite he realized the matter had been settled without him saying a word to make it so:
"Are you out of your mind?!" he exclaimed, standing up brusquely. Fortunately, this room in Hakoda's igloo was tall enough to prevent him from clashing with the ceiling if he stood at his full height.
"That's not a very nice thing to say to your host…" said Hakoda, folding his arms over his chest.
"My host or my captor? Every moment that goes by I feel more and more like a prisoner! Now you want me to build my own cell? Are you serious here?!"
"Did you hit your head when you fainted the other day, by any chance?" Hakoda asked. "Or are you really expecting us to let you live with us without abiding by our rules and laws just because you're 'not from around here'?"
"Well… yes! I mean, I know nothing about your culture, your way of life!" Zuko said, his eyes wide. "I never meant to be part of your community, so there's no sense in you trying to force me into it, especially when we both know you don't want me here either!"
"True, to a fault," said Hakoda, sighing. "But you're not entirely right: now that you know Aang is the Avatar, and that he's here, I need you someplace where I can keep an eye on you. So, I do want you here, in our community, whether you're here willingly or not."
"How could someone be part of a community unwillingly to begin with…?" Zuko grumbled, his brow furrowed as he glared at Hakoda. "I won't do this. You can't make me. You can't force us apart!"
"I am not forcing you apart in any way. I'm, in fact, doing the entire opposite of that," said Hakoda. "You were reckless, and you got Suki with child. She deserves a man who proves he's not only capable of making a baby but of raising one in a healthy home. Are you saying that you refuse to be that sort of man?"
"I… no!" Zuko exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Of course I want to be that man! The problem is I don't want to be that man here! This is not our home, it's not where we should raise our baby, it's…!"
"It's too challenging, I take it? Too complicated?" Hakoda asked, studying Zuko carefully with his gaze. "Does it mean working harder than you ever have, maybe, and that scares you?"
"It… you know nothing about how much I've worked through my entire life," Zuko said, glaring at Hakoda. "Stop pretending you understand me, because you don't."
"Well, I certainly don't," said Hakoda, nodding. "You and your girlfriend are stuck in our tribe for the foreseeable future, until we can believe that you won't run your mouth and spread word of the Avatar's location as soon as you have the chance. The two of you had indeed agreed to marry, and in our tribe, couples can't be married until the man has built an adequate home for them. Until you build that igloo, you will be staying elsewhere while your future wife stays in my house, where she will be taken care of by my daughter and mother, who have wide expertise in regards of pregnancies and childbirth. Yet, knowing all this, you just protest and waste your breath telling me you plan on disregarding our customs because you don't know anything about our culture…"
"I don't!"
"And yet you're here, and not in the Fire Nation. If the Fire Nation would allow you to father an illegitimate child with Suki, you should have probably stayed there and had the baby in your old home. But you are in my Tribe now, and you will do as I say. There is no way around it."
"But I…!"
"If you won't build the igloo, you aren't worthy of marrying her. You won't live with her, you won't raise your child with her, you will be left on the sidelines watching what you could have had but won't have because you chose to protest against our customs rather than at least giving them a try," said Hakoda, his hands on his thighs. Zuko gritted his teeth, fists clenched. "Not to mention, you don't really have a home as you are. You have a frozen boat, a dream of reaching Kyoshi Island and nothing more. Why would it be so far-fetched to build one here?"
"Because we don't belong here. We stick out like sore thumbs!" Zuko exclaimed. "This is not our nation, not hers, not mine…!"
"And it's not Kino's, or Aang's. They're still here."
"Well, did you make them build igloos, so they could stay, too?"
"They didn't get any girls with child out of wedlock," said Hakoda, shrugging. "Had they done such a thing, I wouldn't hesitate before pressing them to build an igloo just as you must. So, are we clear yet, or do you plan on wasting more time arguing with me? The sooner you start working, the better."
"I don't…! Ugh!" Zuko grunted, throwing his hands up in exasperation. He stormed out of the room, unceremoniously pushing aside a pelt that served as a doorway for Hakoda's room.
Katara, Kanna and Suki sat in the center of the igloo, by the hearth. Kanna was dozing off, Katara was sewing some clothes and pretending to be uninterested in Zuko's plight, but it was clear she had overheard the conversation between her father and the exiled prince. Suki looked at Zuko anxiously, for she as well had heard every word spoken between them.
"So… he won't change his mind?" she asked him. Zuko huffed and shook his head.
"I think he just enjoys making things unnecessarily hard for me, is all," he said, filing towards the front door. Suki didn't hesitate to follow, not caring for the judgmental blue gaze that followed her as she left the igloo.
The tribe was bustling with activity in the morning, if this was what counted as a morning, of course. As he was, Zuko had lost all notion of day or night after arriving in this place. Sometimes it grew a little darker, but the sun hardly hid in the horizon at all. Despite that, Zuko was always cold when he left the warmth of the igloos and braced against the icy weather in the pole. He had no idea how these people could endure these conditions, and he knew that once the next half of the year began, the cold would only get worse.
Still, the resilient and stubborn tribespeople were as devoted to their lives in the ice as ever: groups of hunters and fishermen left in what could be considered the morning, while other men busied themselves with working on crafting weapons or fixing rundown houses and tents. Women frequently chased after reckless children, others would be found sewing or knitting by the central fireplace of the village. Everyone had a task, everyone had something to busy themselves with, but that still didn't stop several, if not most of them, from staring at Zuko with threatening glares or fearful glances. He wasn't sure whether they feared or hated him more.
He stood outside Hakoda's igloo, frowning heavily when Suki's muffled footsteps came to a halt beside him. Her hand moved to find his own.
"It can't take that long, can it?" Zuko grunted. "Building a blasted igloo…"
"I don't know. I hope not," said Suki, grimacing. "But… he really won't let you stay in his house anymore? Isn't that a little, I don't know, drastic?"
"Does it look like these people don't want to be drastic?" Zuko asked. "I mean, yeah, I'm not exactly blameless myself, but they've been as hostile to us as they could be even if we've done nothing to them. They've ruined our plans and yet it's like they expect us to be grateful for it…"
"We just have to bear with it for a little while, Zuko," said Suki, sighing and dropping her head on his shoulder. "This will all be in the past before we know it, I'm sure…"
"I can't wait for that to happen, honestly," said Zuko, shaking his head and surrounding her shoulders with an arm. "They make no sense, you know? How is it we can't get married when they know you're already pregnant, just because of a damn igloo? And what's worse, why is it any of their business if we're married or not? It's… frustrating."
"Well, they're trying to make us do things the right way, according to them," said Suki, as she led Zuko through the village. "I think that's all there is to it."
They had been loaned some spare Water Tribe clothes to cover themselves with, but Zuko couldn't quite appreciate his attire. The furs were heavy, and the coats were colored blue: it didn't seem the right color for him to wear, not at all. It certainly suited Suki nicely, though, but Zuko had yet to find any outfits that didn't look just right on her.
They drew stares wherever they went, something that threatened to drain what little patience Zuko had left. If it weren't because he was hand in hand with Suki, the temptation to ask what they were looking at would have overcome him.
"Where should we have our igloo, though?" Suki asked, smiling encouragingly at him. "Maybe somewhere close to the wall? I doubt you want to be all that near the center…"
"Yeah, we should be by an entrance. That way we'll be closer to the exit, so we can leave whenever we want," Zuko grunted. Suki giggled softly as they walked that way.
"Not like we can go far yet, but sure," she said, intertwining their fingers.
The sound of her laughter appeased his raging heart, Zuko found, even when he was as irritated as he had been all day. He smiled a little, caressing her hand as they walked together, and he dreaded the moment when they would have to part for the day. He wasn't sure he'd be able to endure the trials Hakoda was forcing on him without her loving support.
"You know, I wonder if this isn't some sort of revenge because my sister's alleged corruption of their dear Sokka," Zuko mused. Suki sighed. "I mean, it would explain why they're being so awful, right?"
"I certainly hope not. They would be very cruel if that were the case. Whatever happens with them is hardly your fault," she said, as they stopped at a rather clear space near one opening of the tall ice wall. "How about here? Do you like it?"
Zuko sighed and shrugged. It was far enough from the other igloos and tents, so it was good enough for him.
"Come on, Zuko," said Suki, looking at him pleadingly. "We can do this together. We'll get by, even if it's hard right now…"
"No, I don't think we're allowed to do it together," said Zuko, lowering his gaze. "I wouldn't mind having your help, but… you're pregnant. You shouldn't put yourself through this much strain."
"What? That's ridiculous, Zuko. I can help, you can't expect to build an entire igloo out of nothing all on your own," said Suki. Zuko grimaced.
"How much do you know about building igloos?" he asked. Suki froze. "Not a lot, then?"
"I… never had to build one, but that doesn't matter. We could figure it out together," she said. Zuko shook his head.
"Hakoda probably would kick me out and lock me in the freezing settlement for making you work. He thinks this is some kind of initiation, from the sound of it… Some rite of passage where I'll prove I'm man enough to marry someone."
"That sounds stupid," said Suki, grimacing. "I'm just as capable of working hard and providing for our household as you are…"
"Sure, but… it's better if you don't do it when you're pregnant, at least," said Zuko, breathing slowly. "I'm sorry if I sound like a jerk, but I just…"
"You don't want me putting myself in danger, I get it," said Suki, shaking her head. "But I want to help you somehow either way, Zuko. I can't just leave you here working while I ask Katara to braid my hair, can I?"
"Well, your hair would look nice braided, but I don't think asking her for any help will be good for you," said Zuko, raising his eyebrow. "She's… not exactly fond of me."
"She's nicer to me than she is to you," Suki said, with a small shrug. "I suppose she's the one who feels most strongly against the Fire Nation here…"
"Yet she gets along with the soldier just fine," said Zuko, shaking his head. "She just hates me because I'm the Fire Lord's son and my sister's brother. She probably thinks you're too good for me, and…"
"And?" said Suki, raising her eyebrows. Zuko lowered his head.
"And unless I can do this, they won't ever believe otherwise," he whispered. Suki froze. "Maybe I won't believe otherwise, either."
"Oh, come on, Zuko," she said, approaching him and taking both his hands into hers. "I love you, you know I do. You've always showed up in my life when I was at my worst, and… and you always make things better even if you don't know how. So, don't think of yourself as unworthy of me or anything like that, okay?"
"I'll try," said Zuko, looking at her apprehensively. "But you do realize you're a catch, right?"
"Please…"
"I mean it. All these guys keep looking at you, and it's obvious that they are completely smitten," said Zuko, frowning sternly. "Hell, they already like you without even knowing just how talented a warrior you are…"
"Well, maybe I ought to show them," said Suki. "They are so old-fashioned with their weird male and female tasks that they might stop liking me so much if they see how I subvert their expectations."
Zuko actually smiled at that, and Suki imitated him. He leaned close and kissed her lips softly.
"Okay, okay. I'll do this, then," he said. "If you'd like to help, well… maybe ask around for how I should do this. You'll probably be more successful in gathering advice than me."
"Huh. I can do that," said Suki, smiling and nodding. "We have a deal, then."
She leaned close and kissed him again, longer and more tenderly now. Zuko sighed in bliss, feeling a lot lighter thanks to her gesture of affection. He wasn't happy about the circumstances at all, but he felt stronger knowing that Suki would stand by him through all of it.
"I'll be back soon," said Suki, squeezing his hand before turning and taking off through the snow, her auburn hair flowing behind her as she walked.
Zuko watched her go, dazed and relaxed. Being stuck in the Southern Water Tribe still sucked, but Suki gave him all the motivation he needed to see this through to the end. For now, they just needed a home so their child could be born safely. They would leave the South Pole sooner than later, but while they were stuck here, they had to try to live in the best conditions possible.
He noticed gazes on him once Suki was almost out of sight, though. He frowned, noticing the many tribespeople sending uneasy and disapproving glares at him. Were they annoyed because he was kissing Suki publicly without having married her? Or was it just because it was him? He shot a few glares at them too before turning around pointedly and staring at the clear ice in front of him. All he needed to do was focus on building a house for himself and Suki. How hard could it be, truly?
But the more he stared at the ice, the less he knew what he had to do. Was he supposed to go out and gather ice elsewhere? There were steps that led into Hakoda's igloo: it seemed as though the igloo was somehow encased in the ice, so he'd have to dig a hole first and then build the whole thing? He was slowly but surely growing confused. He had no tools for this, to begin with, and he doubted his firebending would do much good right now…
Though at least it would be helpful in clearing the initial hole he needed to dig into the ice, he realized. He raised his eyebrow and pondered the idea before deciding to do that, if just as a test. He breathed deeply, gathering his power before casting one fire blast at the ground.
Unsurprisingly, the people who saw him doing as much ran off, terrified of whatever he might be doing. He didn't pay them any mind, choosing to focus in producing fire instead. He shot several other blasts, making the hole grow wider and wider…
Only, the mighty hole he had created was full of water now. All the ice had melted, for sure, but it was still there, now in liquid form. His eyebrow twitched and he scratched his head. Alright, maybe that wasn't the way to go, but with no tools he had no other choice…
"What's going on?! What are you doing?!"
Zuko stiffened and turned to glare at the source of the accusing voice. He felt the blood slowing in his body as the Avatar came rushing towards him, followed by that Fire Nation soldier Zuko still was confused by. The two of them seemed worried, and Zuko realized rather quickly that the people nearby had likely alerted them of what he was doing, while not understanding what his intent was…
"I'm just trying to do what Hakoda told me to. It's not your problem, Avatar," Zuko snapped, before turning to his hole of water again.
Aang and Kino reached his side only to wind up absolutely confused by the hole full of water in front of them. Kino blinked blankly.
"Did… Hakoda ask you to build some hot springs?" he asked. Zuko blushed in embarrassment and shot him an angry glare.
"That would be so weird," said Aang, his eyes wide. "Hot springs in the South Pole? I mean, it sounds fun, but…"
"That's not what I'm doing!" Zuko bellowed. "I'm trying to build an igloo here! He said I can't marry Suki until I do that, and I don't see any sense in it, but if that's how it is, I'll play by his rules! So I…! What? Why are you looking at me like that? Stop it!"
The Avatar's face was a mix of disbelief, sympathy and confusion. Zuko's irritation only grew as he glared at him until Aang actually broke out in laughter. And that prompted him to huff and shake his head in frustration.
"Stop laughing! This is serious!" he exclaimed.
"It is, but… that's not going to help you make an igloo," said Aang, smiling awkwardly.
"Oh, yeah? And you know so much more about how to make one than I do?" Zuko asked, glaring at Aang.
"Well, yeah. I have been living in the South Pole for, uh… over a hundred and eight years, give or take?" Aang answered, teasingly. Zuko looked at him in disbelief. "I've seen people do it before, and you can't do it by melting the ice. That's just… completely counterproductive"
With a quick and elegant stance, his hands stretched out in direction of the water, Aang began to bend. It took bare instants for the water to become solid ice once more, to Zuko's disappointment and irritation.
"You just have to dig out the ice, see?" said Aang, smiling. "You use the same blocks you dig out to build the walls and ceiling. The top is the hardest part, but if you're smart and careful you can do it properly…"
"I have no tools for this sort of thing," Zuko grunted, and to his surprise, Kino jumped before offering him a long knife.
"Here!" he said. Zuko blinked blankly. "I-it might not be perfect for the task, but it's the weapon they gave me, and um, I'd be honored if you used it, Prince Zuko!"
Zuko stared at Kino in confusion before clasping the Water Tribe makeshift weapon. Kino gasped in excitement, thrilled that the Prince would have taken his offering after all.
"Would this do?" Zuko asked Aang, looking at him skeptically. Aang smiled and nodded. "Wait, though… why are you helping me?"
"Why?" Aang repeated. "Well, the rest of the tribe is actually a little, uh, apprehensive of you, you could say. I figured I'd stay near you, so they'll be reassured that you're not doing anything you shouldn't…"
"They seem to trust you a lot, huh?" said Zuko, skeptically. "Perks of being the Avatar. You're not going to get shunned by the Water Tribe and you don't need to build a damn igloo for that…"
"Well, the whole igloo thing isn't really necessary for me…" said Aang, smiling awkwardly. Zuko shrugged as Kino looked at Aang in confusion.
"It's not?" Kino asked. "Isn't it like a rite of passage to prove you are ready to take a wife?"
"Uh, yeah," said Aang, blinking blankly.
"Huh. So that's why you haven't asked Katara to marry you, you're not ready!" Kino exclaimed, beaming as he came to such extraordinary revelation.
Aang's eyes widened as his cheeks flushed, and Zuko almost stumbled over the snow before turning to look at the Avatar, puzzled. Aang's embarrassment shifted into defensiveness now, as he scowled at Kino.
"W-what are you talking about?! That's not…! I'm not…! Don't say that sort of thing so easily, Kino!"
"But isn't it true?" Kino said, cocking his head a little to the side. "You did always like her…"
"That's neither here nor there!"
"You… like her?" Zuko asked, staring at Aang in confusion. "Can I ask… why?"
"What? Why?" Aang said, his eyebrow twitching. Zuko's face betrayed his genuine confusion regarding the concept of someone, anyone, liking Katara. The Avatar's jaw dropped. "Y-you really don't see it?!"
"See what? She's bitter, full of grudges, angrier than me and that's saying something. She's not exactly a nice person, is she?" said Zuko, looking at Kino for backup. To his surprise, Kino straightened up once he noticed the Prince's eyes were on him.
"U-uh, she's really bitter, yes! And really angry too!" Kino agreed, nodding approvingly. Aang huffed, his face turning redder but no longer over embarrassment. "But she's… not a bad person, though I guess you couldn't know that since you've only met her bitter and angry side, haha!"
"So there really is supposed to be more to her? You're sure of that?" Zuko asked, just before Aang stormed up to him, poking his chest with a finger.
"Don't talk about Katara that way! She's been through a lot, and she has lost so much, and she has been more considerate and compassionate towards you two than I ever thought she could be because of how much she used to hate the Fire Nation!"
"Huh, so she was worse?" Zuko asked, almost amused now. Aang's irritation grew, and his hair seemed to stand on end with that.
"Stop saying that!" he exclaimed. "You don't know her like I do!"
"But you don't know her as well as you'd like to either, since you haven't built an igloo and haven't married her," said Kino, beaming teasingly. Aang gritted his teeth and scowled at him again before shaking his head and turning around.
"I'll show you…" he grunted, stepping away from where Zuko and Kino stood.
The two Fire Nation men watched as Aang rolled up his sleeves and started to bend the ice in another nearby empty space of the tribe's enclosure. He cracked the ice with his movements, shattering it quickly before mixing water and airbending to move the blocks out of their spot.
Zuko was left to gawk at him, his mouth open, as Aang fit every single block of ice in place perfectly, with next to no efforts. His arms were as good as flowing in the air, every stance so smooth it was nearly flawless. Zuko could barely contain his amazement: this was the Avatar. He was bending water and air at the same time. And he was, without a doubt, one of the most talented benders he'd ever seen.
But his amazement was easily replaced by bitterness and irritation when Aang's construction was finished within brief moments: it was an igloo, it was perfect, and the Avatar had built it in a matter of instants. It was everything Zuko needed, and what he couldn't possibly achieve no matter how hard he tried.
"Y-you did it! You actually did it!" Kino exclaimed, his jaw dropping as he gawked at the building in disbelief. Aang huffed, puffing up his chest.
"And now I am a man who can take a bride," he declared, beaming.
"Alright, I'll tell Katara!" Kino said, turning to the Chief's igloo but Aang grimaced and seized the hood of his friend's parka.
"W-what do you mean you'll tell Katara?! There's nothing to tell!"
"But you just built this thing because you wanted to…" Kino started, frowning in confusion as Aang blushed and shook his head.
"I'm not going to run to ask her to marry me just like that, though!" Aang exclaimed. Zuko snorted and shook his head.
"Well, we're set, huh?" he said. "The guy who can make an igloo doesn't have it in him to ask the girl he likes to marry him. And the guy who even has a baby on the way can't even figure out what to do with the ice…"
"But you just saw how I did it, right?" Aang said. "That's how you'd do it! Just, slower, of course, but it can be done! I can help…!"
"You're not going to help any more than you already have. No one will," said Zuko, turning to his building site again. "Thanks, though, for the lesson on how to make an igloo. It was enlightening, at least."
"But…" Aang said, grimacing. He bit his lip. "S-say, uh, maybe you're just an honorable guy and that's why you want to do it on your own…"
Zuko was startled by that. He glanced over his shoulder at Aang, who was scratching the back of his head nervously.
"So how about, uh, I help you and you help me? That way it sounds fair, right?"
"Help you?" Zuko asked, frowning. "Help you with what, exactly? You want advice on how to woo your crazy waterbender? I'm not the best guy to ask, I still have no idea what Suki sees in me…"
"That's not…! No, that's not it," said Aang, grimacing. "I meant… well, y-you're a firebender, huh?"
"Yeah?" said Zuko, turning to face Aang, his arms folded across his chest. "What of it?"
"Well… I'm the Avatar, but I've only gotten close to mastering two elements so far," said Aang, smiling awkwardly. "So I was wondering if you could, you know, maybe…"
"Teach you firebending?" Zuko finished, his eyes widening. Aang looked at him hopefully.
"I promise I won't impose a lot! Just, maybe one hour, maybe two a day? Less than that? And I'll help more with the igloo, I promise, I…"
"Forget it."
Aang froze, noticing Zuko's face wasn't that of confusion anymore. He seemed disbelieving, along with outraged.
"But… why?" Aang asked, somewhat hurt by Zuko's immediate refusal. "Why not? I'm not going to be a problem, I just wanted to…"
"Don't you think it's utterly ridiculous for a guy who's been chasing after you for half his life to end up teaching you how to firebend?" Zuko asked, raising his eyebrow. "It's not even ironic, it's just…!"
"Actually, it is ironic…" Kino mused behind Aang, but Zuko didn't listen.
"I can't help you. I'm sorry, but this is just… I can't do it," he said, shaking his head and turning to his igloo spot again. Aang frowned heavily.
"You just can't do it, then? Why?" Aang asked. Zuko huffed.
"Because as I said, I'm not supposed to be teaching you how to fight," he grunted.
"How do you know what your destiny is?" Aang asked. "Why would you be so sure of it, huh? You might just be wrong, you know!"
"I doubt it," said Zuko, shaking his head. "I'm sorry I can't be of any use, but I won't do it. Besides, you're supposed to learn earthbending before firebending, aren't you?"
"I… yes, but there are no earthbenders around, so I thought…"
"You can't skip the cycle order," Zuko said. Aang huffed.
"Even when we're in the middle of a war? Even when skipping it might mean I'll save lives someday, somehow?"
Zuko fell silent. Aang shook his head and glared at his back.
"Well, fine then," he said. "Have it your way. I'll just… get to furnishing my igloo, huh?"
"Oh, oh, oh, can I live with you, Aang?!" Kino asked, his eyes bright. "Two bachelors, living the life! Wouldn't it be nice?"
Aang's frustration receded briefly as he looked at his friend. He glanced one more time at Zuko, who kept his back towards them. The Prince refused to say another word, and it didn't seem he'd be sorry to watch Aang go. The Avatar turned to Kino and smiled weakly.
"Well, fine. I don't mind," he said, and Kino hooted.
"Yeah! I'll gather my things and move in right away!"
Zuko gritted his teeth and glanced over his shoulder as the two of them disappeared, surely on their way to Hakoda's igloo. He sighed, wondering if he was nothing but a proud fool for rejecting Aang's offer. But it wouldn't be right: he had to build this place from scratch. He couldn't ask the Avatar to help him with it, or else it would be Aang's second igloo rather than Zuko's own. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it the right way.
So, he held out Kino's knife and he got to work. The sooner he started, the better.
Suki had promised she'd ask people for advice on how to build igloos, but she found herself facing a natural predicament for a newcomer in a foreign land: she wasn't sure how to approach anyone. Most men looked at her with interest, and she felt awfully self-conscious about that. Women weren't impolite, but they were busy, and she didn't want to bother them. She guessed men would know more about building igloos, but she didn't dare ask them, dreading that any of them might ask her to explain what she knew all of them were confused by: what was she doing with the Fire Nation prince, of all people?
So, she chose to go back to Hakoda's home, despite she hadn't originally planned on doing that. She sighed, wishing Zuko could finish building that igloo soon: they hadn't spent any nights together ever since they had reached the South Pole, as Hakoda had kept Zuko confined to Sokka's old room until he delivered today's ultimatum – Aang and Kino slept by the fireplace, bundled in their sleeping bags, and Suki had been left to bunk up with Katara. The remaining rooms in the house were Hakoda and Kanna's: all in all, Hakoda's home was certainly privileged, for it was the largest igloo in the entire village.
As Suki returned, hoping to find the ever-helpful Kanna sitting by the fire, she found the igloo's larger room empty. One peek into Kanna's room revealed Katara was helping her grandmother to bed for a nap: Suki was out of luck, then. Kanna had been Suki's best hope for fulfilling the task Zuko had suggested for her, so maybe she'd just wait until the nap was over…
"Suki?"
She stiffened when Katara called her name. The waterbender raised her eyebrows as she left her grandmother's bedside, closing the drapes into the room behind her as Suki stood in place nervously.
"What's going on?" Katara asked. "You'd left with Zuko, I figured you wouldn't be back so soon…"
"Well, he's determined to build the igloo on his own, but he has no idea how," said Suki, with a guilty smile. "I said I'd help him by asking people about how to build them."
"Huh," said Katara, raising an eyebrow. "That's not building it on his own, though, is it?"
"What…?" Suki said, frowning as Katara moved to rekindle the fire. "How exactly is he supposed to know how to do it if he wasn't born here and knows nothing about your culture? It's one thing to expect someone born and raised in the Water Tribe to know, but that Zuko doesn't isn't his fault. There's no ice or snow in the Fire Nation."
"But he's down here so… he'll have to make do," said Katara. Suki frowned and folded her arms over her chest.
"That's really unfair, you know?" she said, as Katara settled on pillows on the bamboo floor. Suki sat across her, staring at her with disapproval. "I've been as patient and understanding with you guys as I could be, but at this point I can't stand it anymore. Zuko is trying, he's accepting your conditions, he's not doing anything wrong anymore! What else could you possibly ask of him?"
Katara frowned, avoiding Suki's gaze. She wasn't sure how to answer that question. Was she truly being unfair? Maybe she wasn't supposed to make the Fire Nation Prince pay the price for his father's wrongdoings, but it was hard to help thinking this way. He wasn't only the son of the warmonger who had destroyed most chances of peace and balance in the world, but he was the sibling of the woman who had ripped her brother away from home. Foolish as it might have sounded, she felt entitled to take out her frustrations by mistreating Zuko.
"I don't really know," Katara said, truthfully. "Maybe… okay, maybe we did go overboard but you do understand, right? I mean… the Fire Nation attacked your island too, didn't they?"
"They occupied it. We fought back at first until our own people begged us to stop," Suki admitted, lowering her head. "Our village's leader decided to capitulate, choosing that course of action over risking the lives of his fellow villagers…"
"That was very noble of him," said Katara.
"It wasn't as bad as what you guys have endured, I understand that," said Suki, raising a hand. "But I swear, Zuko has had nothing to do with any of what happened to you guys. He's a good man, far too good considering who his father is."
Katara looked at Suki with uncertainty. The former gladiator sighed in disappointment and Katara grimaced.
"Listen, I want to believe you, okay? Fact is, the only reason we didn't outright do anything worse to Zuko is because… because you're swearing constantly that he's a good man. So, it's not like we don't believe you," she said. "The thing is, I have a hard time wrapping my head around living alongside a man who's related to the Fire Lord who… who commanded the raid that killed my mother. It's devastating."
Despite herself, Suki lowered her gaze too. She wanted to make them warm up to Zuko, but she understood their plight all too well. The Fire Lords had caused too much damage, and unfair as it would be, the new generations were paying for it. The cycle of hatred and violence seemed never-ending.
"I get it. I wouldn't be that forgiving of people who caused me so much pain either. I mean, I've… I've been through many bad things myself, and I can't imagine I'd be too forgiving if I ever encountered… w-well, some awful people from my past. But Zuko isn't directly responsible for anything you've been through, Katara…"
"I know that, but… frankly, I don't know how to be forgiving the way you are," Katara said, shaking her head. "I mean, I have no idea what you went through exactly, what you claimed the Princess saved you from? But maybe it wasn't as bad as…"
"Uh, seriously?" Suki said, raising her eyebrows. Katara blinked with uncertainty. "You think getting thrown in a slave market and being sold to a pair of scumbags without a single bone of goodness in their body, to be used as their sex slave, was so much nicer than what you've endured? Really?"
Katara's eyes were wide now as she looked at Suki in disbelief. The former slave swallowed hard. She hadn't explained her circumstances before this, but she wasn't going to endure more of Katara's entitled behavior.
"Y-you mean… you were…? Was that what you were saved from?" Katara asked. Suki nodded.
"What the Princess saved me from," she said. "Yes, the men who tormented me were Fire Nation, but so was she. So was the friend she tasked with finding me. So is Zuko, who helped me recover after all that happened. I have every reason to hold a grudge and assume the Fire Nation at large can't be forgiven, but I have every reason to believe there's still good people there. They've helped me, they've saved me…"
"But that person who saved you doomed my brother," Katara said, gritting her teeth. "It's almost like we're talking about two different people."
"Maybe they are," said Suki. "Maybe she has changed more than you think, thanks to him. I know it's hard to believe, but it's not impossible. I don't think I could have forgiven someone who ripped me away from home unfairly, but I also didn't think I'd ever fall in love with a Fire Nation Prince, or that he'd be one of the kindest men I'd known…"
"Well, he's not kind enough to teach me firebending, that's for sure."
Aang's voice broke through their conversation as he entered the igloo and sank carelessly into a seat next to Katara. His face was contorted in a frustrated grimace, his eyebrow twitching. Kino followed, troubled by his friend's uncharacteristic bad mood.
"You… you asked him to do what?!" Katara exclaimed, all thoughts of Suki's previous explanations about Zuko forgotten quickly. Suki grimaced.
"Come on, I've got to learn the last two elements at some point," said Aang, pouting. "And I thought if I helped him build his igloo by showing him how it's done, he'd want to teach me! But no, he thinks it's just ironic in a bad way or something and just refuses to do it…"
"Heh, well, oddly enough I agree with him for once," said Katara, frowning at Aang. "I have no doubts you can take care of yourself, Aang, but can you really trust him so quickly with something as important as teaching you how to firebend?"
"Hey, he's been here for like two weeks," said Aang, raising an eyebrow. "It only took you one day to accept my offer to teach you waterbending."
"That's…! That's neither here nor there," said Katara, crossing her arms over her chest. "You are the Avatar, why wouldn't I have trusted you…?"
"Well, I just want to know why he wouldn't trust me!" said Aang, pouting and looking at Suki. "Do you think you can convince him to teach me…?"
"I… don't know. I mean, I can try, but I can't guarantee anything," said Suki, sighing. "All this is taking a toll on him. He never expected any of this to happen."
"I know, but he could still teach me to firebend…"
"Isn't earth the next element you should learn?" Katara asked, looking at Aang pointedly. "You can't skip…"
"Well, we're in the middle of a war and there's no possible earthbending teacher around, as far as I can see," said Aang, raising his eyebrows. "Unless Suki is an earthbender and forgot to tell us, then I can't learn earthbending for the time being. But finally, there's a firebender around, one who's not going to betray us…"
"Only because we scared him out of doing it…" Katara muttered.
"And yet he refuses!" Aang exclaimed, ignoring his friend. "I mean… why? I don't get it!"
"Give it time," said Suki, biting her lip. "Maybe… maybe in a few days he'll see that he loses nothing from doing this."
"I hope you're right," said Aang, sighing and shaking his head. Kino patted his back.
"Come on, come on, cheer up! We should start thinking about how to furnish our igloo, right?"
"I… guess?" said Aang, still pouting. Katara jumped.
"Wait, what? Your… igloo?" she asked. Aang smiled a little.
"I showed Zuko how it's done by building one myself, but there's nothing in it, of course," he admitted. "We'll have to find sleeping bags first of all, right?"
"Maybe Katara will let us take the ones we've been using here…?" Kino asked, with an innocent smile. Katara huffed and shrugged.
"I don't mind. You can ask my dad, but do keep in mind that he's not going to let you borrow everything we have over here. You'll have to make many things from scratch yourselves," she said. Aang and Kino looked at her in chagrin.
"U-uh… but you'll help us figure out how to make those things, right?" Aang asked, smiling weakly. Katara shrugged and the Avatar pouted again. "Katara…"
Suki frowned, deep in thought. Kino and Aang had their igloo, but nothing to put in it… surely this was the part where she would be able to help Zuko. She smiled, realizing she wouldn't be left doing nothing through the next months after all. It didn't matter how long Zuko took to build that igloo, she would slowly but surely craft everything they'd need to live properly in there. From sleeping bags to kitchenware, there was much she could do for her future family's sake. Their story was only just beginning, and while she knew Zuko was in no mood to enjoy it, she wasn't quite as disheartened as he was.
The Prince's hard work wasn't paying off as he had wished. He had spent hours trying to follow Aang's lead, but the work with the ice blocks was trickier than he had thought. How was he supposed to make the entrance? Where? Did he have to cut out blocks of ice to make steps for access? What about a ramp instead…?
"The kid would fall through it when it starts walking, though…" he reasoned, sighing as he sat cross-legged before the chosen spot for his igloo.
Muffled footsteps in the snow startled him: he wasn't alone anymore.
He didn't have a chance to glance at the new arrival before a large blade dropped on the snow right next to him, a sharp, long weapon that might just prove perfect for his endeavor with the ice blocks. Zuko stared at it in confusion, and Hakoda's voice nearly sounded foreign now as the man spoke to him.
"The first few ice blocks are always the hardest ones. You'll find it gets much easier after that."
Zuko frowned as he glanced up at Hakoda. The Tribe's Chief remained stoic.
"According to Aang, the top is the hardest part," said Zuko, raising his eyebrows. "Besides, I… I think the igloo will be too small, the way I'm doing it. Or the way I meant to do it, anyhow…"
"You wanted to craft bigger accommodations?" Hakoda asked. Zuko shrugged.
"I just want her to be comfortable. I don't want us cramped in a tiny space where she can barely move," he admitted, with a sigh. "But I really don't know what I'm doing…"
"You've started trying. That's already a good sign," said Hakoda. "You just need better tools for it. Also… here."
Zuko was surprised when the chief handed him a fur blanket. He looked at it in bewilderment before lifting his gaze towards Hakoda again.
"This is so I can sleep comfortably out here?" Zuko asked. Hakoda shrugged.
"If you can sleep at all, of course," he said. "I'd suggest asking someone to take you in for the night, but…"
"How about you?" Zuko asked, with a sarcastic smile. Hakoda smirked and shook his head.
"Your bride is staying at my house. You can't do the same or else we'd risk, well, misbehavior on your part."
"Misbe-…? Oh. Uh, well, I don't think that'd happen," said Zuko, blushing. Hakoda snorted.
"As far as I can see, it already did. She's not pregnant by the magical will of some spirits, now, is she?"
"N-no, I mean, we wouldn't be so risky and do anything in the middle of your house…" Zuko explained. Hakoda laughed.
"Well, I certainly hope so," he said. "But it's still not right. You cannot share a house with her…"
"But nobody else would take me in for the night," Zuko said. "I'll have to… set up a tent or something."
"That's a thought. Some people do it," said Hakoda. "Those whose igloos have crumbled and who need to start from scratch, and those who never managed to piece their igloos together, tend to resort to tents and huts instead."
"Huh. I guess I know where I belong now," said Zuko, with a dry grin. Hakoda shook his head.
"Not if you want to marry your girl, you don't," he said. "Though of course, I could take you in at my house if I send Suki elsewhere. Perhaps with Kattan, he was fascinated by how pretty she is…"
Zuko's eyebrow twitched and he glared at Hakoda threateningly. Hakoda smirked.
"She'll be better off sharing rooms with my daughter, I'm sure you agree," he said. "Have a good night."
"Good what? It's still broad daylight!" Zuko exclaimed, as Hakoda walked away.
"It may seem so to you, but if you keep waiting for dusk to take a break, you'll spend weeks without getting any rest," Hakoda said. Zuko grimaced as he watched the man returning to his own igloo.
Zuko sighed, placing the folded blanket on his thighs. Maybe later he'd be able to get some sleep, but for now, regardless of how worn out his body was after all this fruitless struggling against the ice, he had to try again…
But another attempt to pull out ice, now with the tool provided by Hakoda, proved ineffective. Zuko cut, Zuko pulled, Zuko struggled, but the chunks of ice he managed to procure were thin, soft, they came undone so easily he wanted to scream. What was he doing wrong?
He heard less voices by now, and he noticed that people were heading indoors. How the blazes did they measure day and night in a place where you only had one of either for as good as six months? He shook his head, trying to focus on his endeavor again and hoping that sleeping out in the open wouldn't result in a bad cold…
It was around half an hour later that Kino and Aang started to bring over their few belongings to their brand-new igloo. They were chatting through the chore, talking about what sorts of things they would furnish it with, and Kino headed inside to arrange everything when Aang noticed Zuko was still out in the cold, sitting before the cracks and blocks of ice.
He approached silently, glancing down at him furtively to find he was dozing off. Aang raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms behind his back. Zuko's breathing was even, but his body was shivering ever so slightly. The blanket on his lap might have helped him brace against the cold if he had just wrapped it around himself, but Aang knew that wouldn't be enough to help him fight the cold.
"Hey… it's not a good idea to sleep out here."
Zuko jumped to his feet, startled by Aang's voice. He brushed the underside of his nose hastily and forced himself to his feet.
"I wasn't trying to sleep, it just… happened," he said, shaking his head. "I'm fine. I won't go to bed yet, I still have to…"
"You should stop working for today. You need a break," said Aang, sighing. "And although I'm still not happy that you refuse to be my teacher… you could still come to my igloo, with Kino and me. We can fetch the sleeping bag you were borrowing at Hakoda's place, if you'd like"
Zuko frowned. Aang looked at him with frustration.
"Seriously, I'm suggesting this for your own good. You're not going to build that igloo any faster if you're exhausted," he said. "This isn't about me doing you more favors to make you teach me firebending, okay?"
"Right," said Zuko, sighing and shrugging. "Well… thanks. I could use a better place to sleep."
Aang froze as Zuko rubbed his eyes with the hell of his hand. Had he just agreed to it? Was the cold weather really so bad that it had frozen Zuko's pride? Well, if that was the case, he'd make the most of it while it lasted. He smiled and shrugged.
"Not a problem. I hope you get plenty of rest in my igloo!" he said, ushering Zuko to follow him into it.
Aang raced off to get Zuko's sleeping bag while Kino settled the sleeping arrangements. Zuko frowned as he eyed the empty igloo with confusion.
"You have nothing to burn? We can't get a fire going?" he asked. Kino grimaced and shook his head.
"I don't think so. We don't have a fireplace yet" he said. "I'm so sorry about that, Prince Zuko…"
"You know, you don't have to be so… uh, formal?" Zuko said, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips. "I'm not much of a prince anymore, in case you didn't hear."
"Well, now, you can't not be a prince! You're the Fire Lord's son, so you're a prince," said Kino, matter-of-factly. Zuko grimaced.
"The Fire Lord would rather I weren't his son. I wish it were the case, too," said Zuko, his eyebrow twitching.
"But… you can't do anything about it. You're related by blood! That's not something you can discard even if you… u-uh, are you mad? Should I stop talking?" Kino asked, after seeing how Zuko's demeanor had changed into irritation quickly.
"Yeah. Maybe you should," he determined, just as Aang returned with Zuko's sleeping bag and a bright smile.
"It's been a long time since I had a sleepover like this, hehe," said Aang, smiling as he handed over Zuko's bag. "How about you guys?"
"Uh… if you count my time in the settlement, I guess I had one relatively recently, but that wasn't much of a sleepover," said Kino, smiling sadly. "It was like being a stowaway on a sleepover, rather…"
"Why?" Zuko asked, raising his eyebrow. Kino grinned and shrugged.
"I guess because they just always pretended I didn't exist? Or… they didn't realize I did? I don't know for sure," he said, as he slid inside his sleeping bag. Zuko's eyebrow twitched.
"Does the army always act that way?" he asked. "It's messed up. Why would they treat their fellow soldier like he doesn't exist?"
"I guess because they found me annoying. That's what Katara says anyhow," said Kino. Zuko grimaced.
"No surprises there. I guess she'd excuse anyone who hurts anyone else from the Fire Nation…"
"She's endured a lot," said Aang, swallowing hard. "And she's very bitter for everything that's happened. But she'll come around in time. Suki was trying to get her to warm up to you today, so maybe someday…"
"Heh. I'm not holding my breath," Zuko said, opening his sleeping bag and sinking inside it. It was warm, just like the igloo – despite there was no fire, this was a considerable step-up from languishing in the snow outside.
"And what about you, then, Prince Zuko?" Kino asked. "When was your last sleepover?"
"Hmm. About two weeks ago on a ship, with a pregnant girl who got up to vomit and made me panic about her worsening illness," Zuko confessed. Kino grimaced and Aang sighed.
"Before that?" Aang inquired.
"Before that, with said pregnant girl on a larger ship when she still wasn't sick, I guess," he said, and he allowed himself a little smirk. Kino and Aang blushed.
"Y-you're really smooth, I bet," said Kino. Aang jumped. "I-I mean! Since he got a girl to fall in love with him and all…"
"Smoother than us, for sure," said Aang. "Though it's not hard to be."
"Smooth?" Zuko repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I'm… not. At all. Fact of the matter is, I have no idea why she likes me"
"But she does!" Kino exclaimed. "Likes you enough to… t-to sleep with you, right?"
"I guess. I still don't understand why, since she could do a lot better, but… I'm happy," said Zuko, with his most earnest smile since he'd arrived into the South Pole. Kino and Aang exchanged glances.
"And, uh… any sleepovers without Suki?" Aang asked. "Just with your friends, maybe?"
"What friends?"
"Well, I mean, you were a prince, you must have had lots of friends… right?" Aang asked. Zuko's smile waned.
"Uh, no. Actually… no. Most my friends were, well… my sister's friends. And since they were girls, slumber parties with them would have been awkward."
"So, not even with Sokka?" Aang asked. Zuko sighed.
"You know, I've already said everything I could to illustrate what our relationship was like. Does it sound like we had a personal relationship at all?" he asked. Aang shook his head and shrugged.
"It's just… I'm sure you have more stories than you've told. You two trained together, right?"
"Right, for a time," said Zuko. Aang bit his lip.
"And even then, he was never your, well, your friend?"
"I… don't know. Was he?" said Zuko, raising an eyebrow. "All we were ever good at was bickering and arguing. Is that enough to consider someone a friend?"
"What did you argue about?" Aang asked, his eyes brightening. Zuko sighed.
"I don't know. Anything and everything," he said, rolling on the sleeping bag. "Usually about my sister, or about how he thought I was an inept because she told him so… heh, we had a pretty bad fight the second time we met. Damn near tore up Mai's house…"
"Who's Mai?" Kino asked. Zuko bit his lip.
"She was a, uh, friend. Another of my sister's friends."
"What's with the hesitation?" Aang asked, smirking knowingly. "Don't tell me you've had more than one girlfriend…"
"I-I…!" Zuko started, blushing. Kino gasped, his hands to his mouth.
"You really are that smooth!"
"Oh, please…" said Zuko, and to his own surprise, he laughed. "Smooth? In what world…!"
"Hey, I'm the Avatar and no girls fall for me, you have a gift, Zuko!" Aang declared, laughing as Kino looked at Zuko in admiration.
"You have a very weird perception of what that means…" said Zuko, smiling and shaking his head. "Go to bed already. My love life isn't as fun as it sounds."
"Well, it's way more fun than mine," said Kino. "The last girl who talked to me said she'd sew my boots together if I kept annoying her."
"Katara has no sense of moderation, does she?" Zuko asked, knowingly. Kino smiled guiltily as Aang sighed.
"I do wonder what she thinks of me, though…" he said, surprising both Kino and Zuko.
"Other than 'oh, wow, he's the Avatar, he's the coolest guy in the world'?" Kino asked. Aang blushed.
"W-well… am I just the Avatar for her? Does she just see me as my title, or does she see me as, well… me?"
"Hm. Good question. You should ask her," Zuko said, teasingly. Aang jumped.
"I could never!"
"Then I'll ask for you!" Kino exclaimed, giving Aang the thumbs up. Aang shook his head and looked at him accusingly.
"Don't you dare!"
The three men continued to chat for a while, until finally Kino and Aang fell asleep. Zuko was the one who spoke the least, but he found himself watching as Aang dozed off quietly, as Kino drooled on his pillow: when was the last time he had made any friends of his own?
He didn't remember it. Even though he had found Suki by himself, and their bond had been unique, the attraction between them had always been romantic. Their initial friendship, thus, was marked by something different than what was brewing here and now.
Why didn't Aang hate him? Why did he offer him this much kindness in exchange for nothing? Everything had made more sense when he had wanted Zuko to teach him to how firebend. But even though he knew Zuko refused to teach him, he still offered him his igloo. He still talked with him and was intrigued by him. Kino, as well, was quite interested in him. He couldn't remember having conversations like these with any other men before, for even during his travels, the crew had always been its own thing. They were people who worked for him, who were loyal to him… but they weren't his friends. Were Aang and Kino his friends, then? Were they going to be?
Strangely, the idea wasn't all that disagreeable. Maybe he could use new friends, despite everything.
"It's weird that Sokka's room is empty again," Katara mused, as she and Suki lay on opposite ends of her bedroom, both safely tucked in their sleeping bags. "But I guess the birds leave the nest at some point, huh?"
"Isn't that what mothers say?" Suki asked, smiling a little. "Are you mothering those two, by any chance? Because I doubt you're sad about Zuko being elsewhere…"
"Heh, well, I don't mother them…" she said, softly. Suki chuckled.
"Maybe you do it without noticing it," she said. "Though I guess you're not trying to mother Aang, are you?"
The question brought blood to flush Katara's cheeks. She glanced out the window from where she lay, trying to avoid Suki's question.
"What's the story with you two? Other than, you know, that you broke him out of the iceberg and all that…" Suki said. Katara sighed.
"I… guess he's been my waterbending teacher. And a good friend, too," she said. "He's the first person to ever show me some of what's outside the South Pole. We went to his old home, in the Southern Air Temple…"
"Oh? You did?" Suki asked, surprised. "That sounds like a fun trip… Zuko has visited the Air Temples too, actually. You know, when he was…"
"Trying to find Aang, I guess," said Katara. "The Southern Air Temple is a long way from your home, right? From Kyoshi Island."
"Well, the Fire Nation is certainly further away," said Suki, sighing. "But who knows? Maybe I can get Zuko to show it to me before we go to Kyoshi Island. It could be fun, right?"
"As long as you don't look at all the skeletons, sure," said Katara, sighing. Suki's enthusiasm waned immediately.
"Oh… that's awful," she said. Katara nodded.
"Aang didn't take it well, but… but he's such a good man. Even when the Fire Nation did so much harm, he still couldn't believe they were completely corrupted even when I kept telling him as much. I can't imagine what it would be like to be in his place sometimes, you know? To be… out of your time, in the same world but a hundred years later. For all your friends and family to be gone, for your culture to have been vanquished… and yet he holds onto hope so tightly, he's so sure that nothing is lost for good. I just wish… I wish I could be like him."
"He looks and sounds like a wonderful man," said Suki, smiling a little. "No wonder you like him."
"Though I guess at times I wonder if… well, if it's just me being wishful," said Katara, with a weak grin. "He cares about me, but maybe it's just because I was the one who found him. Or because I'm a waterbender and he's my teacher? I just…"
"You have no idea if he feels the same way about you," said Suki. Katara sighed.
"What would he see in a girl like me?" she asked. "I'm so unforgiving… I don't think he likes that about me. It's landed us in enough trouble as it is. I guess I'm just… not that good for him. Am I?"
"I think you're better than you think you are," said Suki, smiling. "I had doubts too, believe it or not. Why would the Fire Nation Prince take an interest in me? In fact, for a time I thought he would just enjoy anything romantic that happened between us, or the sex, and that when the time came, he'd take another wife and I'd be a long-gone memory. I never thought that… well, that he'd be building an igloo so he could take me as his wife. It's a future I didn't expect at all."
"You must be happy for it, though," said Katara. Suki's smile brightened as she closed her eyes.
"He's the best thing that has happened to me since I left my island," she said. "I doubted that he'd be genuinely interested in me, but… turns out I wasn't all that wrong when I read those signs the way I did. He loves me. And… well, I can't say for sure, but maybe Aang could love you too, and you just don't know it yet."
"Hmm. Wouldn't that be lucky," said Katara, sighing but smiling. "You know, you're a lot like Aang. For someone who's been through so much, you really can believe in the best of everyone, huh?"
"I guess," said Suki, shrugging. "I suppose that after some time, you realize the world isn't as simple and black and white as you were raised to think it was. In Kyoshi Island we hated the Fire Nation, even though the war hadn't touched us. By the time I became a gladiator, a lot of what I used to think changed. There are so many evil practices there, there's no denying it… but there are good people, too.
"I had a neighbor, she was so sweet… she often watched me in the Arena, cheering me on and sometimes she even made dinner for me to celebrate when I'd fought well. She was Fire Nation, though. So is Zuko. So were Mai, Ty Lee, Princess Azula… and in their own ways, all of them showed me kindness. No doubt they make mistakes, but who doesn't? I guess… in the end, I'd rather judge a person by their character and their beliefs than by where they were born. It's not like they had a say in that, right?"
"I guess," said Katara, sighing. "So, I suppose you judge me an extremist of sorts?"
"I didn't say that…" Suki said, with a weak grin. Katara smiled too.
"You know… maybe that's what happened to my brother," she mused. Suki raised an eyebrow. "Maybe he learned the same things you did. And maybe that's why… why you and Zuko think he doesn't hate the Princess, despite it all."
"Yes. That's probably the case," said Suki, smiling.
"Though I still refuse to believe he fell in love with her. That's too much," Katara said. Suki laughed.
"Fine, fine. We don't know for sure either way," she conceded. Katara sighed and turned on her side.
"Good night, Suki."
"Night, Katara."
The waterbender didn't fall asleep right away, merely staring off through the window again briefly as she pondered what she'd just concluded about her brother. He had always been outspoken about hating the Fire Nation, but maybe his experiences had changed him, just as they had changed Suki. Maybe the Sokka she remembered was gone… but she only hoped that was the case because he had made a conscious, free choice to change. If he had been broken, brainwashed… she wouldn't stand for it. She never could.
She was only starting to doze off when she heard a whimper. She frowned, noticing it was more than just a whimper. Words, a string of words, incoherent ones. She sat up, glancing at Suki as she recognized her voice. She was shaking, from the looks of it…
"Suki? Hey, Suki…" she called her, crawling out of her sleeping bag towards her.
"N-no, no, don't touch me, don't touch me…" she gasped, frantically. Katara's eyes widened, and she stretched a hand towards her.
"Suki…?"
"Go away, go away, go away…"
"Hey, you're having a nightmare, you're…" Katara said, clasping her shoulder, not expecting Suki to attack. Her hand struck her forearm so hard Katara gasped and pulled away. "Suki!"
"Get off me, go away! L-leave me alone, don't touch me…!" she was saying now, her voice louder by the minute. Katara grimaced and pulled away.
Suki's eyes were still closed as she rolled on the sleeping bag, seemingly fighting with the covers, with her memories, with everything around her. Katara had never seen anything quite like it, and she grew fearful with every one of Suki's mumbles. She had to get help. Someone had to wake Suki up…
She raced out of the igloo within moments, carried by despair and impulses rather than rational thought. She had no idea how to deal with his… but maybe someone else did.
"Zuko! Zuko!" she cried out, as she made her way towards his igloo building site. She found Aang's igloo and slid inside it, hoping he'd be there. It was dark, and she had trouble figuring out which one of the three shapes would be the prince, but no doubt, he had to be one of them. "Zuko! Wake up!"
"Woah, woah, what's going on…?" she heard Kino say.
"Katara…?" Aang said next. The last one to speak was Zuko, sitting up on his sleeping bag.
"What's this…? Why're you calling me?" he asked, confused. Katara gritted her teeth.
"Something's wrong with Suki. She's, well, having some nightmare, I guess? She hit me, she's mumbling, she's…!"
Katara didn't need to say another word before Zuko jumped out of the sleeping bag and headed outside again. He didn't hesitate, didn't ask more questions: his reaction convinced Katara that it wasn't the first time this had happened to the young woman. Her only relief, though, was that Zuko's immediate response probably meant he knew what to do.
She followed him, without answering any of Aang or Kino's questions, and the two of them rushed towards Hakoda's igloo. She only hoped Suki's voice hadn't risen much more than it had, or else her father and grandmother would be woken by her…
Zuko made his way to Katara's room without any hesitation, dropping to his knees beside the restless Suki. She was still gasping, now begging for it to stop, whatever it was…
"It's over. Suki, it's over. You're not there anymore," Zuko said, his voice firm and steady. "You're not there, Suki. You're not there."
An attempt to touch her shoulders received another aggressive response, but Zuko clasped her wrists and held her in place before she could reject him any further.
"You're not there! It's over! They're gone! Nobody will hurt you anymore!" he said, louder now. "I'm here, Suki! It's me, Zuko! I'm here…!"
As the words finally reached her, her restlessness started to drop until her eyes opened with a start. She looked up at Zuko, at first fearfully, but her eyes grew gentler as she noticed it was him. Zuko's hold on her hands weakened, as he stared at her in concern.
"Suki?" he said, softly now. She gritted her teeth, tears blinking in the corners of her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I… d-did I hurt…?" she asked. Zuko shook his head, releasing her wrists altogether and cupping her face.
"You didn't hurt me. You didn't hurt anyone," he said. "You're okay, dear. You're okay. They're gone, and you have nothing to be sorry about. Bad dreams aren't your fault…"
"B-but I… I'm still sorry, Zuko…" she whispered.
"I'm sorry you have them, too," he said, lying down beside her and cradling her in his arms. "But it's gone now. You're safe, Suki. You're safe."
She cried softly, holding onto him tightly. Katara was left to stand by the doorway, watching them with wide eyes. Their relationship was far more complex than she realized… Suki needed Zuko. The darkness of her past still chased her, and Zuko was helping her keep the nightmares at bay. Even though Suki wouldn't despise Fire Nation people anymore, her worst sorrows were probably ever-present. It was lucky that she had found a man who knew how to help her deal with them.
Katara swallowed hard and, for the time being, sat on her sleeping bag, watching the couple before her. Maybe she wasn't supposed to, but she would allow Zuko to sleep by Suki's side if that was the only way to help her calm down and to help her sleep soundly.
"So… apparently what I have to do is crack the ice and use the pieces I break to create the igloo," Zuko explained to Suki by the next morning, gesturing at his chosen building site. "Only… now I think it should be a bit larger than I'd planned."
"If you say so" she said, smiling fondly at him. "But… won't that be more work?"
"Probably," Zuko conceded, with a guilty smile. "But I'm sure it will be worth it."
They stood together in the snow, his arm wrapped tight around her shoulders. He had spent the night with her after all, holding her to make sure her nightmares would no longer plague her. He proved to be the perfect remedy for her woes, although he wasn't sure Katara approved of it. She had fallen silent after Zuko had appeased Suki and spoken no words to either of them after that.
By morning Zuko was forced to rush to Aang and Kino's igloo again, so Hakoda wouldn't catch him where he wasn't supposed to be. Nevertheless, the three men still returned to Hakoda's igloo for breakfast later. Once the meal was done, Zuko had wanted some private time with Suki to make sure she was feeling better. Their walk had led them back here, where Zuko was sharing his ideas for their future home with his future wife.
"I mean, think about it. A small igloo would mean that we would have to sleep in the same space as our daughter, and don't you think that'd be a little inappropriate?"
"Inappropriate? That's how a lot of people do it here, from what I understand," said Suki, smiling. "Also… daughter? Really?"
"I just have a feeling it will be a girl," said Zuko, smiling and shrugging. Suki raised her eyebrows.
"Well, that's very nice, but… what if it's a boy?" she asked, amused.
"It will be a girl. I know it," said Zuko, proudly. She laughed and hugged him, burying her face in his neck.
"Whatever you say. I hope you have your way, then," she said, caressing his chest. Zuko smiled. "Say… Aang was, uh, complaining yesterday about how you wouldn't teach him firebending. Is it true?"
"U-uh… yeah. Why do you ask?" Zuko asked. Suki shrugged.
"I'm just curious. Why didn't you want to teach him?" she asked. "I think it'd be good for you to have a firebending training partner. I mean, I guess firebending will be harder down here than in the Fire Nation, but it might be good training anyways. You shouldn't let your skills dull with time, right?"
"Uh, huh," said Zuko, grimacing. "I'm not sure, Suki. I mean…"
"You think it's too ridiculous for you to teach Aang when you'd been chasing him all your life?" she asked. Zuko shrugged but then shook his head.
"Truth be told, I just… I don't think I'm worthy of teaching an Avatar," Zuko said. Suki raised her eyebrows. "Shouldn't an actual firebending master teach someone like that? Someone who knows for sure what he's doing…"
"Someone like you, then" said Suki. Zuko frowned.
"Suki…"
"Darling, we both know you've been through a lot, which makes you look down on yourself and second-guess your skills," said Suki, stroking his chest. "You kept comparing yourself to your sister and, because of that, you always thought you weren't good enough. But I say you should try, Zuko. It won't hurt you, or anyone else, for you to try to help the Avatar. If anything, getting him started with firebending is quite a noble purpose, don't you think?"
"Noble?" Zuko repeated, swallowing hard. "Oh, Suki, I don't know…"
"Just think about it. He's not going to find a better firebending master, I think," she said, placing her head on his shoulder. "Besides, it should be good practice for you to prepare yourself for our firebending daughter, huh?"
"Oh?" said Zuko, biting his lip and smiling. "I guess… she would be a firebender, huh?"
"I hope our predictions won't bite us back later," said Suki, giggling and looking at him warmly. "You can make your own destiny, love. If you're afraid this will turn you into an irredeemable enemy to your father, well…"
"It's not like I'm not one already, aren't I?" Zuko said. "I guess you're right. I should stop being so fearful. Maybe… maybe I can teach him the basics, and some intermediate forms. At least that's something I should be able to do…"
"You will be. I know it," said Suki. "Aang will be so pleased to hear it, I'm sure…"
"Yeah. Hopefully he'll be an easygoing student. I don't know how to be a teacher, after all," Zuko said, with a weak smile. Suki smiled too.
"Don't worry, I'm sure he won't be imposing at all. Just look at him…"
Zuko turned his head and found Kino and Aang were standing in front of their igloo with Katara, holding out long fabrics and pondering if they would work for what they needed in their igloo. Suki smiled.
"They let you stay with them last night, right?"
"I didn't spend much time there, though," said Zuko. "Still, it was weird. Felt like… like I was their friend, somehow. It's a weird feeling. I guess they're just too nice, huh?"
"It's a good thing, making new friends," she said, caressing his arm now. "I'm sure they'll be happy about this. And you will be happy too, eventually."
"Well, for that matter, I just need you to be happy," he said, prodding her nose with his and kissing her lips softly. "Everything else is an added bonus."
"That's sweet," she replied, cupping his face before taking his hand in hers. "So, shall we tell them of your new decision?"
"I… guess," said Zuko, with an awkward smile.
As they approached, they overheard Kino complaining about how blue everything was in the Water Tribe, and how he wanted their house's adornments to be of multiple colors. Aang seemed to be fine with the notion while Katara huffed in irritation. She only held back from scolding them for their fickle request when she noticed Zuko and Suki were next to them.
"Feeling better after that walk?" Katara asked. Suki smiled and nodded.
"Thanks for getting Zuko last night, really. And for not protesting against, uh, well… us breaking the rules," she said, with a guilty grin. Katara shrugged.
"I'm just glad it worked," she said, with a weak smile of her own. "You deserved to get proper rest, regardless of rules."
"Well, then… since we're breaking rules we might as well continue doing so in other regards too, right?" Suki said, looking at Zuko. He swallowed hard and looked at Aang before Katara could ask, confused as she was, about what Suki had meant.
"I've… thought about it. I still think there's other people who'd be better for the job, and it's still true you should have learned earthbending first, but…" he said, biting his lip. "But if you really want me to teach you firebending, I'll do my best."
Aang's eyes widened before his face broke into a full smile. His celebratory exclamation saw him shooting around ten feet in the air, after airbending in delight. His friends watched him go, most of them with smiles on their faces. Katara seemed to remain apprehensive over the idea, but she looked at Zuko and remembered what had happened last night. She remembered how gentle he had been, how he had proven, just then and there, that Suki hadn't been wrong to insist on what a good a man he was.
"Yes! Yeah! Oh, you're not going to regret this, Zuko, I promise!" Aang said, beaming. "I'll be the best student…!"
"Yeah, well, as long as he doesn't get distracted by penguin sledding he will be," said Katara, smirking a little and looking at Zuko. "You'll have to drag him to practice before you know it. I know I've had to do the same."
"Oh, really? A difficult student, then?" Zuko asked, regarding Aang with interest. He expected the Avatar to retort to his friend's assessment, but instead he was smiling brightly. "Something on your mind?"
"Yes! Katara, that's a great idea! We should all go penguin sledding!" he exclaimed.
"We should!" Kino agreed, beaming. "I mean, it has nothing to do with you learning firebending, but we should!"
"Oh, don't get carried away…" said Katara, as Aang whipped up his air scooter and beamed.
"First one there gets a head start!" he exclaimed, before dashing off on his ball of air. Kino gasped, indignant.
"Hey! You're cheating with that air scooter!" he exclaimed, chasing after Aang stubbornly as they left the Tribe's walled territory and headed towards the west.
Katara chuckled and shook her head, before looking at Zuko and Suki. They still seemed confused by the very concept of penguin sledding.
"It's a tribal tradition, or a game for children, really," she explained. "The otter-penguins are friendly enough to let us ride them, if we bribe them properly with fish, that is."
"Sounds weird," Suki said, amused. Zuko bit his lip.
"You probably shouldn't do that, though. I imagine people have had accidents, right?"
"Oh, sometimes," Katara admitted. "It is better that a pregnant woman doesn't penguin sled, yes."
"Well, then I can still watch," Suki said, smiling. "That way I'll know how to ride one after I give birth, right?"
"I'll stay with you," said Zuko, his arm still tight around her shoulders. "We'll join the fun after the baby is here, together."
"Sounds like a plan," said Suki, smiling brighter yet and placing her head on his shoulder.
Katara sighed but smiled. In a sense, she envied them. They were a young couple, and despite the hardships they'd endured, they truly loved each other. She still had a few reservations left towards Zuko, but they were disappearing slowly and surely as she saw he was a better man than she had given him credit for, all along.
Life had often proven her wrong, she realized. First, she had believed all hope was lost, and that was when she found Aang. Afterwards, she had assumed all Fire Nation people were corrupted beyond salvation, but Kino, and now Zuko, proved otherwise.
As she guided Zuko and Suki towards the otter-penguins' mountain, she found herself hoping that the world would continue to prove her assumptions wrong this way. If it did, maybe the future wouldn't be as grim a destination as she had thought it was: maybe it would mean that restoring balance and harmony in the world was still possible.