Kanna enjoyed the peace in her igloo, even if she also rejoiced whenever the youngsters were around. After so many years of what felt like a blanket of lethargic melancholy, spreading all across the Tribe, she could only bask in the happiness the newcomers could bring to their home, and nothing could cheer her up as much as Katara's genuine smiles did. She couldn't remember the last time her granddaughter had been so happy.
And as the source of her happiness was quite apparent, Kanna had seen her granddaughter off with a smile, as ever, as she went fishing with Aang and Kino. The two young men in Katara's life were enough trouble to keep the waterbender's hands full all the time, and it kept her from sulking or badgering her father about the imminent rescue mission for Sokka that she still wanted to undertake.
Hakoda had slept in today, and he entered the igloo's central room yawning loudly and stretching, rubbing the back of his neck. Kanna smiled kindly at her son.
"I trust you slept well?"
"I did, Mom," he said, sinking in a cushion before the small fire. "I'm still not sure how it's happening, but I've been sleeping better lately than I have in years."
"Perhaps it is because so many things seem to be going well," said Kanna. "Your daughter is in high spirits, the Avatar has been learning his third element, and our tribe welcomed two new members…"
"Soon to be three," said Hakoda, smirking.
"Oh, yes. I doubt it will be long before their baby arrives," said Kanna, with a dreamy sigh. "It's been some time since a baby was born in the Tribe."
"A few years, yes," said Hakoda. "Won't be much longer, though. And well, who knows… maybe there will be more on the way."
"Ah, and you're looking forward to that?" Kanna asked, and Hakoda smiled and nodded.
"It's always nice to watch love blossom wherever it will," he said. "And if said love brings new brothers and sisters to our tribe, all the better, don't you think?"
"That's very mature of you. I suppose you've grown up quite a bit, my dear," said Kanna. Hakoda huffed but smiled.
"People would think I have been Chief for two days if they go by how you speak of me, Mom," he said, eliciting laughter from his mother. "I want what's best for the Tribe."
"And what's best for your daughter, no doubt."
"Well, yes, but… what does Katara have to do with anything?"
"Why, you tell me. The Avatar has built an igloo, and he does spend a lot of time with her, so when you said more children might be on the way…"
"Wha-…? You thought I meant Katara?" Hakoda asked, eyes wide. "I was talking about Yuro, that youngling… he's starting his igloo today, he's planning on marrying Siku. She's over the moon about it, it seems."
"Ah, and here I thought you meant Katara. What a shame," Kanna sighed. "It seems I truly will die without ever meeting any greatgrandchildren of mine…"
"Don't talk like that, Mom," said Hakoda, scowling. "You're a sturdy woman."
"Oh, truly, my dear," she said, chuckling. "Don't fret, I'm only trying to guilt you into convincing those two to get married, too…"
"Well, I'm quite sorry, Mom," he said, smiling now. "I won't pressure them if they're not ready. But, I will say… if they ever are, they will have my blessing. Even though they keep getting themselves into trouble, they're a good match."
"She's quite taken with him," said Kanna, nodding. "I'm sure she'd be happy to be his wife if he had the courage to ask."
"I'll be waiting for it," said Hakoda, chuckling. "I hope it won't be too long until then, though. Katara could use that sort of happiness, even if she's already happier than she'd been in years."
"Let's hope," said Kanna, sighing.
She decided to return to her sewing while Hakoda sat down to gobble down his breakfast. He ate quite recklessly, a trait he had passed down to his son: Kanna smiled as she watched him, shaking her head while Hakoda continued eating without a care in the world.
"Do you think he's still like that?" Kanna asked. Hakoda raised an eyebrow.
"Who's like what?" he asked. Kanna chuckled.
"Sokka. Like… that," she said, gesturing at Hakoda.
He blinked blankly before processing he had spilled a little of the food on his lap and floor, not to mention many crumbs clung to his face. He smiled guiltily, and Kanna laughed.
"Oh, when you smile like that you remind me even more of him," she said. Hakoda chuckled.
"Well… perhaps we could ask Zuko. It might be he knows about Sokka's…"
The words seemed to invoke the rushed footsteps in the snow right outside the igloo. Both Kanna and Hakoda fell silent and glanced at the igloo's threshold. Brief instants later, Zuko barged in, eyes wide.
"Ah, there you have it, Mom," said Hakoda, smiling. "You can go ahead and ask…"
"Where's Katara?!" Zuko bellowed, surprising them. "Where's…?! Oh, blast it. Damn it all, please don't tell me they went fishing, not right now…!"
"They… might have," said Hakoda, blinking blankly. Kanna stared at Zuko with raised eyebrows, too. "What's going on?"
"Is something wrong with Suki?" Kanna asked, deducing Zuko's outburst couldn't be happening without any motive.
"S-she's… her water broke," Zuko said, staring at them in despair. "Help us. I… I don't know what to do, I…!"
"There, there, young man," Kanna sighed, standing up with some difficulty. "If it only just broke, and it's her first pregnancy, chances are she has a long labor ahead of her. You'll tire yourself out if you start panicking so early."
"I…! What?" Zuko's eyes shifted towards Kanna, who moved around the igloo gathering supplies from different cabinets. Hakoda gulped and stood up too. "Okay, I know you've helped with Suki before, but Katara's the one with the weird waterbending healing powers, right? Don't we need her, in case Suki starts hurting…?"
"Well, perhaps you could fetch her," said Kanna, shrugging. "But I have delivered plenty of babies without any waterbending healing aiding me, young man. I can help Suki just fine."
"R-right, but shouldn't we have all the help we can?" Zuko asked, gulping. "I mean, it's a baby and I… I don't know what's better, I don't know what to do, I…"
"Zuko," Hakoda called him, standing up and making his way towards him.
Zuko glanced at the Chief apprehensively as Hakoda placed his hands on his shoulders. The man's blue eyes were stern but tranquilizing at the same time.
"Breathe. Take it easy," he said, and Zuko grimaced. "You're going to help Suki, and she'll deliver the baby safely. But we must remain calm if we're to make sure of that, alright?"
"I… fine," said Zuko, biting his lip. "But I do think I should get Katara…"
"Then go, while I check on Suki," said Kanna, moving to the door. "Oh, I hadn't done this in quite a while, I'll say…"
Hakoda helped Kanna outside while Zuko fidgeted near them, a bundle of uncontained nerves over Suki's impending birth. Hakoda's words rang true, and he knew it… yet he couldn't calm down. Part of it was euphoria, of course: his child was about to be born, after all. But another part was his characteristic anxiety: everything that could go wrong was playing over and over in his head, and he was determined to ensure his wife would have the perfect labor so none of those nefarious scenarios would come to pass.
"Alright, father-to-be," said Hakoda, patting Zuko's shoulder as Kanna made her way through the snowy village, towards the area where Zuko's igloo stood. "Let's find my daughter."
Zuko swallowed hard and nodded, looking at Hakoda with determination and yet with a hint of fear. Hakoda hoped his calm optimism would be reassuring, but it didn't seem Zuko would be easily appeased that day.
They began the hike through the plains right away, with Zuko outpacing Hakoda, as unadvisable as that was. Hakoda sighed as he tried to keep up, knowing the firebender was unlikely to listen to reason for most the day, if not all of it.
"Save your energies," Hakoda advised him. "My mother will look after Suki well enough while we find Katara, I assure you…"
"I know, I know, but…! I can't just calm down, alright?" Zuko said, slowing to a halt and allowing Hakoda to catch up to him. "I've been working so hard so today can go smoothly, but I just keep feeling that it might not have been enough, that maybe Suki needs more than I could offer, that maybe…"
"That's your fear of failure speaking for you, Zuko," said Hakoda, urging him to keep going as they moved towards the bay. "I know you won't get over that sense of inadequacy easily, but I'll remind you that you actually did a fine job as a husband so far. You gave her a home and you have been providing for her single-handedly for a month. Suki seems happy, you were happy, and that's a result of your hard work. It's not chance: it's because you have worked for it."
"I know," said Zuko, sighing. "And I'm still astounded I could do any of it at all, but… see, I'm just so used to things going wrong that until I know for sure that they're going right I can't rest easy. I know I'm being annoying, and you probably don't want to deal with me in this mood, but…"
"Oh, don't be foolish," said Hakoda, chuckling. "That's not why I'm trying to calm you down."
"Uh… well, if you're concerned about me, it's fine too," said Zuko, blinking blankly. Hakoda laughed louder. "W-well, why is it you're saying all this, then?!"
"Because, believe it or not, I was just as bad as you are now back when Kya was giving birth for the first time," Hakoda said. Zuko's eyes widened. "Yes, I know, you think I'm wise and serene, a man who has everything under control… well, I was a nervous wreck when my wife was having our children, too. And back then there were people who tried to soothe me, just as I'm trying to calm you down. And while on the most part they failed to appease me, once in a while they'd succeed. So, I'm hoping I'll succeed with you at some point today, if just so you can breathe easier for a few minutes."
"Huh," said Zuko, blinking blankly. He swallowed hard before mustering a weak smile "Well, thanks. It never crossed my mind that you were trying to help that way… I should've thought that was it."
"When you're panicking over your wife's wellbeing, it's hard to think properly," said Hakoda, patting his back. "And once you see her again, with the baby in her arms… well, you won't think properly either because you'll be so happy you won't be able to articulate coherent sentences, possibly."
"That happened to you?" Zuko asked, smiling a little more. Hakoda chuckled.
"Kya laughed about it for months afterwards," he said, shaking his head.
Zuko grinned but lowered his gaze as they continued to walk together. It wasn't every day that the Water Tribe's Chief would talk about his past like this: Zuko couldn't remember if he had ever spoken of his wife before, but the smile on his face showed that he still thought of Kya fondly, regardless of how many years had gone by since her passing.
Her death had been an unfairness, Zuko was certain of that. Katara still seemed bitter about it, and the exiled Prince often wondered if Katara would always hold a grudge towards him because he was related to the man who ordered the raids that killed her mother. He hoped otherwise: she wasn't bad company whenever they got along. Still, he was never genuinely at ease around her. Just as he was wary about any tiny thing going wrong at any given moment, he was wary that he would fall out of Katara's good graces over any mistake he might dare make. He didn't want to risk that lately, especially when his wife's wellbeing might ride on Katara's shoulders…
"Aha, there they are."
Hakoda's voice abruptly jerked Zuko out of his ruminations, and he was ready to rush down the bay as soon as he saw Aang, Kino and Katara standing by a small canoe.
"Aang!" he roared, his voice loud enough to make his throat hurt over the strain he put into his scream.
By the bay, Aang had been busy organizing their supplies and resources on the small boat. But Zuko's voice reached him right away, and the hairs on the back of his head rose as he tensed up.
A glance back towards land brought him to notice both Zuko and Hakoda. Katara and Kino had been too busy arguing about the finer points of fishing, about whether it was better to use fishhooks or spears, to notice the sound. But Aang had been alert enough, and that was all Zuko had needed.
"Guys?" Aang called them, gesturing at the approaching shapes. "I think something's wrong."
The ominous words caused Katara to tense up too. Kino didn't make much of Aang's declaration, but he hadn't been born and raised in the South Pole: if something was wrong, it could be something as menial as a child who scraped himself during a simple game to something as devastating as a new raid led by the Fire Lord himself. One could never be too careful in the South Pole.
Katara turned immediately, seeking whatever had caught Aang's eye, and her stomach sank when she spotted her father and Zuko in the distance. Yet… they weren't armed. Hakoda wasn't, at least. If it was an attack, they would've sent someone else while the two of them fought off invaders, right? So…
"What's wrong?" Katara called back to Zuko and Hakoda.
"You have to come back! We need you!" Zuko shouted, rushing towards the bay. "Suki's water broke!"
Katara's dread shifted quickly, as Zuko's despair became easily explained. The impending birth of a child would naturally make him react that way… but Katara found herself easily relieved upon hearing this was what troubled him.
"Oh. I see," said Katara, with a small smile and a sigh. "I think we'll have to postpone your fishing trip, Kino"
"The baby is here?! Already?! That's so fast, so sudden…!" Kino exclaimed, grimacing. Aang chuckled.
"Suki was so heavily pregnant, I don't think it's that much of a surprise," he said. "We'll put away everything, Katara: you should go back with Zuko and Hakoda right away."
"I guess," said Katara, smiling gratefully at him. "I'll probably see you both in a few hours. Birthing can be… a long process."
"I bet," said Kino, gulping. "Can't be easy to, uh… yeah, that thing women do when they push out the babies?"
"Yeah, it's anything but," Katara said, smirking at her friend's squeamish behavior as she climbed off the boat. Aang smiled and waved at her as she started to run towards Zuko and her father.
"Good luck!" Aang said, and Katara turned her head ever so slightly just to grin positively at him.
Katara had never seen Zuko quite this anxious before. They had captured him upon his arrival in the South Pole, threatened him, forced him to build an igloo to prove his worth… and he had braved all those challenges with a determined frown. It seemed his impending fatherhood wasn't the kind of challenge he was used to dealing with, however.
"Alright, let's get going," said Katara, smiling reassuringly as the three started their way back to the village. "How far along is she? When did her water break?"
"I-I don't know, uh, maybe half an hour ago?" Zuko said. Katara's eyebrow twitched.
"Just half an hour?" she said, with a soft laugh. "Births can take a whole day."
"I heard as much, but I didn't want to risk anything," Zuko admitted, gritting his teeth. "If anything goes wrong…"
"It won't be because of your negligence, that much is true," said Katara.
"Let's make haste, though. It's going to help Zuko's nerves if we get back faster," Hakoda teased. Zuko scowled at his jab but nodded.
It took them almost another half hour to get back to the tribe, and by then the whole village was bustling with the rumors of what was happening in the foreigners' igloo. Kanna had been seen heading inside, something unheard of until now. A few lurkers were nearby, waiting to see if Suki was truly ready to give birth, but Katara waved them away easily as she strode to the igloo's door.
But as she was about to head inside, she stopped and turned to look at Zuko. He nearly bumped into her because of her abrupt halt.
"What?" Zuko said, as Katara held up a hand and looked at him skeptically.
"You're staying outside. This igloo is reserved for Suki's needs right now, nothing more. And fathers aren't allowed to intrude during the birthing process."
"WHAT?!" Zuko exclaimed, his eyes wide. "What the hell?! Why wouldn't I be allowed to…?!"
"That is exactly why!" Katara said, smiling with unabashed sarcasm and patting him on the shoulder. "You see, you're stressed, terribly stressed, and Suki is too. Imagine how much worse she's going to feel if her husband is in there, trembling and asking questions and trying to play some part in the birthing process when he has no idea what to do?"
Zuko frowned as Katara raised her eyebrows skeptically. Hakoda took hold of Zuko's other shoulder as the banished Prince looked at him in disbelief.
"Did you know about this? You weren't allowed to be with your wife either?" Zuko asked him. Hakoda sighed.
"No, I wasn't. Which only made me more anxious, but it helped Kya that I wouldn't be there," Hakoda said. "I know it sounds unreasonable, and who knows, maybe that's not how they do it in the Fire Nation…"
"If it's not, they're crazy," said Katara, rolling her eyes. "Not that that's anything new, we've known they are for ages. But anyways, go wait in Aang's igloo, or maybe you can take him to our igloo, Dad, but you're not coming in, Zuko."
"I just…" Zuko said, grimacing, before shaking his head in defeat. "Fine. But tell Suki…"
"Yes?" Katara asked, as Zuko fell silent, trying to decide on what to say. He breathed deeply.
"Tell her I love her, and that I'm proud of her. And that I'll be waiting as long as I have to," he said, lowering his head. Katara smiled unusually gently at Zuko.
"I'll do that, then. Run along now," she said, nodding towards him before closing the igloo's door behind her.
Katara sighed as she filed inside, shaking off her boots and parka while taking in the warmth in the air. Kanna had made a fire, and Suki was lying near it atop several cushions, alert and uncertain of herself right now. Still, she smiled when she saw Katara.
"Hey there," Katara said, smiling and kneeling next to her. "How are you feeling?"
"Weird," Suki admitted. "I thought it'd be, well, different. That I'd feel more changes, maybe that the baby would move a lot…"
"Just you wait for your contractions, dear," said Kanna. "You'll get all the changes you're expecting by then."
"Huh. That's… not very reassuring, but okay," said Suki, with a weak grin. Katara placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It's going to be fine. You're a strong woman," said Katara, smiling warmly at her. Suki bit her lip.
"Say, is… is Zuko coming back?" she asked. Katara's reassuring grin faded immediately. "I think I heard his voice, but I figure you might have sent him to run more errands, maybe…?"
"Well, actually… I told him to stay away from your igloo for now," Katara admitted, with a guilty grin. "Not only is it tradition, but it's just better for the mother if the father isn't around to make things more stressful."
"Oh, thank goodness," said Suki, surprising Katara. She raised an eyebrow.
"Thank goodness? You didn't want him here?" she asked, amused. "Here I thought you'd be desperate to be beside him…"
"I am, but… I'd rather push out the baby first," Suki said, with a guilty smile. "Zuko was already freaking out badly enough when I sent him to get you, so… yeah, I'm glad he's not going to be here to hear me scream when things get painful."
"Yeah, it's probably for the better if he doesn't hear that. Knowing him, he might think we're trying to kill you in here," said Katara, with a skeptical smirk. "Alright, then… shall we check how you're doing?"
Suki swallowed hard but nodded. This process was bound to be long and exhausting, just as it would be lifechanging. The anticipation of holding her child in her arms was starting to feel more real than ever, and she breathed deeply as Katara got ready to work to make sure that the baby would be born safely.
Outside, Zuko breathed deeply repeatedly, still standing near the igloo. Hakoda grimaced and squeezed his shoulder, but Zuko remained unresponsive for a while before shaking his head and looking at him in despair.
"You probably should have warned me about this," he said. Hakoda bit his lip.
"I suppose. I just figured it'd be better if Katara did it, seeing as she's the midwife in charge, so to speak…"
"You just didn't want to piss me off any further," Zuko concluded. Hakoda smiled guiltily.
"At least this way you wouldn't begrudge me for it, or so I thought. I know I resented the midwife who helped Kya, so…"
"Well, I don't resent you," said Zuko, sighing. "Or Katara. I just… wish I could be there for Suki, with Suki, and… and I don't know what I'll do now that I know I can't be. I mean… it's going to be hours before she's given birth, and what am I supposed to do until then?"
"Yeah, the waiting is the worst part," Hakoda admitted, nodding. "Yet… I suggest you enjoy your last hours of peace. As much as you'll no doubt love the child with every ounce of your being, your life is going to change radically from now on."
"Not to brag, but I think I've kept up with plenty of lifechanging events so far," Zuko pointed out. Hakoda chuckled.
"You think you've achieved many things, Zuko, until your child is born. You can't even begin to imagine what a challenge that's going to be," he said. "I didn't, when Sokka was born. Who would think such a tiny, inoffensive-looking baby could be such a troublemaker?"
"Seeing what Sokka is like, even nowadays… I guess he wasn't an easy child," Zuko asked, with a small smile. Hakoda chuckled.
"He was a good one, but yes, not always easy. Yet my mother always made a point to remind me that I hadn't been all that different when I was young."
"I wonder if the one we'll have will be like Suki instead," said Zuko, with a small smile. "I hope so. I… I keep thinking it will be a girl."
"Well, you have a fifty percent chance of being right," Hakoda teased him, making Zuko laugh. "It might just be the case. But all the same, a girl might also resemble you. You never know."
"I'd rather they resemble Suki, whether they're a boy or a girl," said Zuko, with a weak grin. "I'd love to see a kid with that hair color, truly."
"Hopefully you will. If not with this one, then the next baby," said Hakoda, smiling and shrugging. Zuko blinked blankly and looked at him apprehensively.
"The next? Y-you think we should…?"
"I think, if you're anything like me, which apparently you are… you'll be so delighted with the first baby that you'll ask your wife many times about having more," said Hakoda, chuckling. "Anyways, it won't do for us to stand here. We should go someplace else for now, at least to take shelter from the cold…"
"Can it be in Aang and Kino's place?" Zuko asked, grimacing. "I just… think I'd rather be close by, in case something happens."
Hakoda smiled and shrugged, leading the way to the igloo in question. Aang and Kino had accommodated it well enough, though it was still as disorderly as could be expected from the two bachelors: one was an airbender who had channeled his need for freedom by keeping everything messy, the other was a Fire Nation soldier who apparently had discarded all his discipline the minute he had deserted the army. All things considered, it was a true wonder that the igloo wasn't in worse shape.
Zuko sank before the fireplace and sparked it ablaze with the flick of a hand. The warmth offered immediate comfort, even if it wasn't enough to appease Zuko's anxiety altogether.
"Alright, then," said Hakoda, sitting next to Zuko. The firebender glanced at the Tribe's Chief with unease. "I think I have to issue several warnings to you regarding your immediate future…"
"I'd appreciate that, really," said Zuko, with a weak grin. "How is it to… to hold your kid for the first time? I can't help but think I'm going to do it wrong…"
"You might," said Hakoda, with an awkward smile. "I know I did. My mother scolded me for it, told me you're supposed to hold up the baby's head, so yes, make sure to support it properly."
"Alright," said Zuko, smiling a little. "Did you ever, uh… drop Sokka or Katara?"
"I wouldn't say I dropped Sokka, he fell down without anyone's intervention," said Hakoda, chuckling. "Especially when he started to walk. Kept trying to go places just because he could, and even Sokka himself didn't know why he was in such a hurry. I always messed around with him, asking if he had important meetings with the Chief… I asked him that when he was around three, and he nodded so very seriously. Then I told him that I was the Chief and he had the gall to deny it! My own son, dictating what titles I can boast of …"
Zuko chuckled as Hakoda shook his head, smiling a little.
"Really, it took a while for him to understand he had been born to the Tribe's Chief," Hakoda said. "He must have thought I was just his dad, how could I be the chief too?"
"Makes me wonder how I'll ever explain to my kids who I am," said Zuko, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, I'd wait until they're older, but still… it might be a bit of a shock to find out I used to be a prince."
"If they really are old enough once you tell them, they'll probably be stoked about it," said Hakoda. "I promise you we won't indoctrinate them into hating the Fire Nation, so they shouldn't think it's so terrible to be daughters of its former prince."
"That's good to know," said Zuko, smiling a little. "But it's still going to be tricky to explain it all. They might just not believe me like Sokka didn't believe you… was that the kind of trouble he always caused you?"
"Oh, not necessarily. He was very versatile, trouble-wise," Hakoda said, smirking. "The first time I changed his undergarments, he peed himself right after I was done and started crying right away. I couldn't believe it, really…"
"He was hellbent on making things difficult for you, sounds like," said Zuko, chuckling.
"And his voracious appetite… by the time he was around five, he took to stopping at every tent and every igloo in the tribe to ask for some food. As he was my son, everyone obliged. The little jerk still had it in him to eat dinner afterwards, too."
"Well, then he hasn't changed too much," Zuko laughed. "When we trained him for that big fight of his, Ty Lee would have to make tons of food so everyone else could eat. Sokka alone seemed to devour more than half the available dishes."
"Kya always wondered how he processed all that food, where did the energy go," Hakoda said. "I told her he was using all that energy with his mind. The little scoundrel had the most imaginative mind at the youngest age… he used to sneak into tribal council meetings, back when the tribes hadn't yet decided to merge into a single one…"
"Oh?" Zuko asked. "There were multiple tribes, then?"
"Long ago, yes," said Hakoda. "Once the raids began again, after Sozin's Comet, we decided to merge together to survive. Our particular village used to be closer to the bay, but the Fire Nation ships proved they could tear through the ice dangerously. They did once, almost destroyed everything we had."
"And after merging together, you were still appointed Chief?" Zuko asked. Hakoda nodded.
"I led warriors from every available tribe and village to fight in the war. When we decided on the merge, everyone voted I should be the leader. And while we aren't as strong as the Northern Water Tribe, I think the merging has done us a lot of good."
"But before that, Sokka was lurking and sneaking into meetings you held with other leaders from other tribes," Zuko ventured, and Hakoda nodded.
"You could never be careful enough. He'd pop up out of nowhere, pretty much. One time he actually dug a tunnel under the tent…"
"He just doesn't know when to stop, does he?" Zuko asked, chuckling. Hakoda smiled. "Though… well, it's no wonder he gets along with my sister. She always liked to spy on our grandfather's meetings, even if she shouldn't have. And she kept breaking into places she shouldn't have, like the armory… or, well, she said she did, but I didn't want to believe her."
"Is it possible they have more in common than I expected?" Hakoda asked. Zuko shrugged.
"Well, my sister didn't eat half the food on the table on her own, that I can say," said Zuko, smiling weakly. "Though she has a strange fixation with spices, that's for sure. The spicier the dish, the better. Still, as far as their similarities go, they both seemed to have a penchant for annoying me. Not that it's too hard to get on my bad side, but Sokka and I were butting heads since the first time we saw each other, pretty much. It was just weird, seeing my sister with some guy…"
"I bet," said Hakoda. Zuko chuckled.
"She just wasn't the kind of person who made many friends, let alone guys. But as Ty Lee explained it back then, Sokka was using her just as much as she was using him, so… I guess it is true that they have a fair share of things in common."
"It would explain why they might be drawn to each other," said Hakoda, nodding as the sound of footsteps outside silenced them briefly.
Aang and Kino entered the igloo, gaping at the two men sitting at the fire as soon as they crossed the door. The pair of them had their arms full of fishing equipment they had taken with them for their fruitless trip, and they set everything aside while quickly getting on the main topic of the day.
"Is Suki alright?" Aang asked. "Katara's already with her?"
"Y-yeah," said Zuko, gulping. Letting his mind drift peacefully as he talked about his past, and Hakoda's past, had been quite the relief for the moment. Remembering the current situation had given new wings to his mildly appeased anxiety. "We're not allowed in, though."
"But you're the dad," said Kino, aghast. "If someone should be there, it's you!"
"That's would seem to be common sense, yes," said Hakoda. "But it's actually not the case. A man expecting his firstborn can be very unsettled and stressful to be around…"
"What, were you like that?" Kino asked, amused. "To be honest I have a hard time imagining what you must have been like when, uh…"
"When I was younger? Why, do I look that old to you, soldier?" Hakoda asked, raising an eyebrow. Kino yelped and shook his head.
"N-n, I mean, I didn't mean…!"
Hakoda chuckled and waved his hand dismissively, as Aang and Kino took their seats around the fire. But Zuko noticed, even over the flames, that Aang's eyes were sparkling with curiosity right now. The Avatar drew his knees up to his chin, and he smiled at Hakoda.
"If you tell us more about your younger years, Kino might stop saying silly things," he said, with a weak shrug. Hakoda chuckled.
"I doubt that's possible, Aang. It's in his very nature," he said. "But if you truly want to hear more about the good old days, why, how could this old man deny you that?"
"Yeah!" said Kino, beaming. "Let's hear it! When did you learn how to read?"
"What? W-well, I guess I was around seven?" Hakoda mused, scratching his chin. Zuko and Aang glared at Kino who shrugged while smiling.
"Do we really need to know something like that?" Zuko said, turning to Hakoda. "We were talking about your parenting experience, weren't we?"
"Indeed," said Hakoda, but Kino pouted.
"We need a little more context than that, though," he said. "C'mon! There's a story behind how Katara and her brother came to be, isn't there?"
"Uh, maybe he doesn't want to go into that…" said Aang, warily. He knew what had happened to Kya, and he worried that Kino's insensitivity might bother Hakoda. But the Chief smiled and shrugged.
"I suppose I can humor you," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Let's see… well, I wasn't the most popular kid in town, that's for sure."
"You weren't?" Kino asked, eyes wide. "How come?"
"Well, my mother was a northerner, my father a southerner. While both tribes were connected for a long time, eventually the connection ceased. My mother was a bit of a pariah, as she had habits and traditions that nobody else in the south abided by. So, a lot of the kids treated me as an outsider, too."
"Except for your future wife?" Kino ventured a guess. Hakoda chuckled.
"Well, no doubt she was kinder than most, but in truth, I was an outsider even to her," he said. "At least, until we were teenagers. By then I had become an overachiever, and I was renowned for working hard during hunts and battles. I wanted to prove I was one of our own and, at the time, it started to pay off. I became friends with Bato, and some of the younger kids in the tribe looked to us for their warrior training. And thus, one day when we were teaching them, Kya stopped by to see what we were doing."
"Did you like her already?" Aang asked, smiling a little. Hakoda chuckled.
"I had liked her since well before knowing what it meant to like someone," said Hakoda. "She was, by far, the most beautiful girl in the tribe. I was smitten. But even when we spoke that day, and I stammered like a fool, to Bato's eternal amusement, it was clear she was well out of my league. She was the former Chief's daughter, and I was that outsider boy who wouldn't stand a chance. Or so it seemed…"
"But you did stand a chance in the end, didn't you?" asked Aang, smiling enthusiastically.
"Oh, I certainly did," said Hakoda. "When Kya was of marrying age, her father announced it and I dreaded she'd take a husband right away. But so many suitors came forward that the Chief announced there would be tests, to select the best of them all. Encouraged by Bato's teasing, I joined in, if just for the sake of knowing that I'd tried, even if I was fated to fail."
"And you didn't fail," said Zuko. "Or else you wouldn't have married her… right?"
"Indeed," said Hakoda, with a proud smile. "You shouldn't anticipate to the story so much, but yes, I was the one who hauled the largest fish to offer for her meal. I hunted the most prey on a test for capturing as many creatures as we could for her. And when it came to making my igloo… yes, at first it seemed I would fail there, but the others were fast without being efficient. I was methodical instead.
"When we had only a few days to go before the igloo test was finished, a blizzard passed through. Once it cleared out, everyone came out of their homes to fix the village again, and what a surprise: every new igloo had been destroyed by the blizzard except for mine."
"And that's how you won!" Kino exclaimed, beaming. Hakoda chuckled and nodded.
"Trying to be an overachiever had paid off. And to my surprise, Kya actually seemed happy for my victory. We were married within the fortnight."
"How old were you?" Kino asked. Hakoda bit his lip.
"I think… I was seventeen, yes," he said, and the boys' jaws dropped.
"Only seventeen and already married?!" Kino asked. Hakoda chuckled.
"We had several years of getting used to each other. Our time together was cut short," he said, melancholically. "But we did enjoy well over fifteen years with each other. At the very least, we had that."
"I'm glad," said Aang, with a weak grin. "So it took some time before you had Sokka?"
"Yes, several years," Hakoda said, nodding. "A little less than a decade, actually. As you said, we were married quite young, so waiting seemed natural. In fact, we hadn't really decided to have children yet when my mother noticed Kya was pregnant. The whole tribe rejoiced, though, and they helped us prepare… oh, but nothing could have prepared me for Sokka, really."
"Was he that difficult?" Aang asked, eyes wide. Hakoda chuckled.
"I don't know if he was difficult or if we were inexperienced. But when he was born, I wasn't in much better shape than Zuko's in right now. Bato kept trying to appease me and holding me back from rushing into the igloo despite I had been turned away around ten times. I didn't ask anyone for advice at the time, though I realize I should have. It could have helped, though no advice would have taught me how to handle the emotions I felt when I held my son for the first time."
"He was really small, I bet," said Kino, grinning. Hakoda chuckled.
"He was. And who would have thought that one day I would find myself raising my eyes to find his?" he said. "He outgrew me in his late teenage years. Oh, was he proud of himself for it… but I will never forget how small he was once, squirming and crying with all his might. He was stubborn and very strong, even at that age. As soon as he opened his eyes, I could tell he was a clever one. He had sound reasoning early enough… well, as sound as his reasoning could be, that is. He never had much common sense, but his logic worked for him, at least."
"What do you mean by that? No common sense?" Aang asked. Zuko snorted.
"Well, he antagonized a Fire Nation Princess upon meeting her, then antagonized the same nation's prince upon meeting him, got himself in a sword fight with the prince while in someone else's home, asked my wife on a date when he was fighting her in the middle of a Gladiator Arena…" Zuko counted, raising his eyebrows. "Should I go on?"
"He wasn't as dangerous back then, I'll admit it," said Hakoda, smiling. "But he was a magnet for trouble. He had a knack for heading into the dog dens when he was younger, and he tried to communicate with the dogs by barking, growling and howling. At first it was innocent fun, but eventually the younger dogs started to think he was part of the pack too, and followed him everywhere… it caused enough trouble that Nanuk had to ban him from the kennels for several years."
"Woah," said Kino, as Aang laughed. "Well, yeah, he does sound like a magnet for trouble."
"He insisted on going fishing with me and Bato once, when he was young," said Hakoda. "As Kya had to look after Katara, I decided to bring Sokka indeed, get a weight off her shoulders. Everything was going well until he decided he wanted to paddle, but as he was too small, the paddle fell out of its socket and into the water. Bato had to jump into the ice water to get it back, and he was sick for a month after that."
"Goodness," said Aang now, grimacing. Zuko huffed.
"And nothing happened to the troublemaking boy, I assume?" he asked.
"Well, nothing physical, but he was guilt-wrecked for as long as Bato was sick. He kept visiting him and bringing him little gifts. Gifts such as ropes that he had tied into special knots he invented himself, for instance. Or sometimes whalebone knives that weren't his to give… of course, Bato knew better than to take those."
"At least he tried to make amends, somewhat," said Aang, with a chuckle. Kino smirked.
"He was still a troublemaker, though," he said. Zuko nodded.
"Well, definitely. But it's good to know he was just as bad as a kid as he is nowadays," said Zuko, smiling. "So, holding him for the first time was something remarkable?"
"You'll never forget the feeling," said Hakoda, nodding.
"Was it the same with Katara?" Aang asked, biting his lip. Hakoda laughed this time.
"Oh, it wasn't the same, because it was special in its own way. I had to keep Sokka distracted while Katara was being born. I had no idea what to do other than to let him play with my boomerang… I think that might be at the root of why he loved being a warrior so much. He didn't seem to tire of it, even though he must have spent hours holding it. I would have taught him how to use it, but he was still too young for that sort of thing, of course… And then the sound of a baby crying reached me, so I entrusted Sokka to Bato and rushed into the igloo. There she was, smaller and crying even louder than her brother. It almost felt like she was heartbroken to have been removed from her mother's safe environment…"
"Was that pregnancy any different?" Zuko asked. "Did it feel different because she was a waterbender, I mean…?"
"I don't remember anything that could be linked to that," said Hakoda, stroking his beard "But yes, the symptoms seemed to be different. With Katara, Kya was often sick earlier in the day, with Sokka it was the other way around. Sokka's birth lasted most the day, too, while Katara's was around… uh, half the day, I guess?"
"And how did you discover she was a waterbender?" Kino asked.
"Oh, that's a funny story," said Hakoda, smirking. "She must have been two or three, and my mom had made seaweed soup. She hated it, and kept rejecting it, but we always made her drink it. That is, until she lashed out one day and spilled the soup bowl by just waving her hands angrily. We were in shock, but soon enough we rejoiced. She didn't seem to understand at the time why we were congratulating her for rejecting the soup, of course, but she did grasp she'd used waterbending eventually…"
"Did Sokka take that well?" Zuko asked, with a grimace. "I ask because… w-well, I was a late bloomer, whereas my sister started firebending while she was crying after being born. All the praise and talk of her prodigious skills scared me as a kid, and well, why deny it, I was envious of her too…"
"If only I could say my son was a bigger man than that," said Hakoda, with a weak smile. Zuko raised his eyebrows with interest. "For a very long time Sokka treated Katara's bending with disdain, often mocked her for not knowing how to use it, complained about how she only caused him trouble when she did use it…"
"From what you said, though, he got into enough trouble on his own," said Aang. Hakoda nodded.
"He did, but he was experiencing feelings he had no idea what to do with," Hakoda explained. "He was great with his sister at first, I kept encouraging him to be a good brother, and his mother did the same. He looked after her, played with her… but when we discovered she could bend, he took to trying to prove he could do it too. When he didn't succeed, well… he grew frustrated quite easily. He wasn't always nice to his sister after that, and he spent much more time with his friend Rhone than with her. That boy had to leave the tribe after an accident, though, one that Sokka also felt guilty for, even though it wasn't entirely his fault… I guess that situation started building up his sense of responsibility and helped him grow up. He was still jealous of his sister for all the attention she got because she was a bender, but he didn't let that keep him from being a good brother most the time anymore. So, they played together again, and Katara was very happy."
"That was resolved a lot faster than me and my sister, then," said Zuko, with a crooked grin. "It just took us… uh, what, twenty years to start getting along?"
"To be fair, it wasn't always smooth sailing for Sokka and Katara either," said Hakoda, grinning weakly. "When I returned from the war it seemed they were at their wits' ends with each other, but they were happy enough that I'd returned. When they heard what had happened in the war they were disheartened, which I guess brought them closer together again since their petty fighting lost meaning compared to the horrors of our world. But Sokka had grown into quite the sarcastic teenager, so he taunted Katara often…"
"And as she has a short fuse, she always fell for it," said Kino, beaming. Hakoda chuckled.
"I'm afraid so. Most those arguments ended with Sokka drenched in water, slapped by snow, sometimes even with blocks of ice dropped on his toes. I honestly couldn't find a way to stop them from having such silly squabbles," said Hakoda, shaking his head. "But as they grew older and Sokka took a more active role in defending the village, his energies were finally spent on something better than angering Katara. She wanted to join him with that, though, and always begged me to let her, but I'd refuse. She was a waterbender, but she wasn't trained in combat at all. I didn't want her to fight against the firebenders who were installing that settlement, because I couldn't risk losing her. A waterbender would have been targeted faster than any non-bending warrior…"
"Well, you haven't lost her," said Aang, smiling. "And now she's a lot more trained than she used to be."
"Thanks to you, yes," said Hakoda, grinning back. "She's quite grateful for that, as you must know. She's always been a fighter, even if we've confined her to other duties. When she took over after Sokka, she proved she had remarkable leadership skills."
"In short… you're proud of both your kids," said Kino, his hands on the back of his head.
Hakoda chuckled and nodded. The words resounded in his head, and in his heart. He knew Kino was right, even though he hadn't seen Sokka in far too many years. But wherever he was now, whatever he was doing…
"Yes," he said. "I'm a lucky man to have been the father of such extraordinary children."
The three younger men smiled before Aang asked for more information on Katara as a kid. Every embarrassing story made Kino laugh very loudly and promise that he would use those against her. Aang, on the other hand, seemed utterly fascinated by everything about Katara's childhood. Zuko listened intently too, but once in a while his mind and heart would disconnect from Hakoda's stories, and he waited quietly for that cry Hakoda had described, the sound of a baby being born…
But said cries had yet to ring though the Tribe. Everyone was expectantly waiting, and the birth was the talk throughout every igloo in the village, but patience was all everyone could exert. Even Suki, who was starting to regret having agreed to sending Zuko away.
"It hurts…" she groaned, as Kanna wiped the sweat from her brow. "I… I don't know if I can do this. I really…"
"Now, now. You're a very strong woman," said Kanna.
"You have to be, to put up with Zuko," said Katara, teasingly. Suki tried to laugh, but it sounded like a soft cry instead.
"You will endure this," said the old lady, as Suki gritted her teeth.
She tried to hold back the pained scream, but her insides seemed to be tearing themselves apart with each violent contraction. Kanna glanced at Katara warily, who knelt before Suki to assess her progress.
"Well… she's dilating really fast," said Katara, grimacing. "Much faster than usual."
"I-is that bad?" Suki asked, chest heaving after the last contraction.
"Hopefully not," said Katara, with a weak smile. "As far as I can tell, it only means we'll be done with this faster. Just hold on, now…"
"I'm trying, I am, but…" she gasped, shaking her head and shivering. "It's too much."
"Hey… just when I sent him away, Zuko told me to relay a message to you," said Katara. "He wanted you to know he loves you, that he's proud of you, and that he's waiting for you. That he will wait for as long as it takes."
"H-he… he always has," she said, swallowing hard and smiling as tears gleamed in the corners of her eyes.
"Well, the wait won't be that long. He'll be happy for it," said Katara, squeezing Suki's hand. "And no matter what happens, he's a proud and loving husband and father. So, you'll be okay. You and your baby and your silly husband."
Suki laughed more heartily now and nodded. Katara's reassuring grin did appease her now, thanks to those words. When the next contraction came, she was not only ready, but she coursed through its flow readily, knowing what to expect, and knowing that, at the end of this long process, their small baby would be born.
Only, it wasn't all that long. As Katara had told her, her dilation was progressing fast. She breathed heavily and held onto the tough fabrics she had been given to hold and cried out with each rough contraction. The baby was coming, charging through her, and all Suki had to do was let it pass. Even if it was painful, overwhelming, she only had to endure it a little longer and then everything would be over…
A few hours after the group in Aang's igloo had eaten and discussed the differences between the types of snow – a discussion that served no purpose, for Kino failed to identify any of them and always insisted that snow was only ever snow –, Zuko heard the sound he was waiting for. He had been lying across the bamboo floor when that shrill sound reached his ears, and he jumped to an upright position immediately.
His movement alerted the others, and they fell silent. There was nothing else for a tense moment, and all seemed to indicate that Zuko was being overly paranoid, as expected from a new father…
And then the baby's piercing cries sounded again.
He didn't register that he'd stood up, strode out of the igloo, rushed to his own. It felt like a dream, racing through reality in a hastened sort of way, changing into a new environment that felt familiar all the same. Time didn't seem to pass at all, and distance had lost all meaning: everything was irrelevant other than that sound that he could still hear, that voice that beckoned the most loving and protective instincts within Zuko, compelling him to find that child and ensure that both the baby and its mother were safe…
But he stopped at the entrance of the igloo, the door still closed in front of him. Was he allowed in yet? Was Suki alright? Had Katara and Kanna cleaned her and the baby? Was it alright if he dared step inside…?
He knew his life would change forever once he pushed that door open. But now he realized how frightening change could be. What if the baby wasn't alright? What if Suki was in trouble, too? He hadn't been there, he hadn't held her hand through it as he had wanted to, and now…
Again, Hakoda's heavy hand fell on his shoulder, and Zuko found himself staring at the Chief's reassuring smile. He had left the igloo too, followed by both Aang and Kino.
"Don't panic. Stay calm," he said, before knocking on the door. "Mom? Katara? Can Zuko come in yet?"
The silence stirred up Zuko's anxiety. He gritted his teeth, a hand on the door, ready to push it if they didn't answer for the next five seconds. Or maybe ten. Perhaps fifteen then, as they might still be cleaning up, and… a whole minute couldn't hurt, could it? But his palms were drenched in cold sweat, and his chest seemed to grow weak, and his intake of air was rushed and uneven and…
"Okay, okay, let him in now!"
Zuko didn't register whose voice it was. He didn't need to place it. All he could do was push the door open with a strong shove, and he strode into his home immediately.
Katara and Kanna were tidying up the place, stashing cloths away and cleaning up anything that still needed to be cleaned. But Zuko's eyes sought one thing in particular, the red-headed woman who had stolen his heart…
And instead of one head full of red hair, he spotted two of them. His legs weakened.
Suki's forehead was still drenched in sweat, despite she had wiped it several times by now. Her hair was messier than ever, and the way she slumped amid cushions betrayed how exhausted she was. But the smile on her face, as tired as it may be, was warmer than any Zuko had seen before. She spoke softly to the small bundle in her arms, a small child with puffy red cheeks and a fuzz of auburn hair like hers, sprouting on the top of her head.
"Suki…" he gasped, stumbling on his way to her side. Only then did she seem to notice him, and her eyes brightened further when she laid eyes on her husband. "Oh, you're…!"
"Everything was fine, love," she said, smiling warmly and reaching a hand to him. Zuko took it in his, kissing her fingers as he slid to sit beside her. "It wasn't easy, but it was… it was fine."
Zuko didn't process that the sudden burst of laughter that rang in the igloo was coming from him. Everything was still hazy, too hazy, even as he wrapped an arm around Suki's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. His face had broken into the widest smile, and he gazed upon their baby one more time: his fingers trembled as he reached to touch her. Suki smiled.
"You can hold her, you know?" she said, sighing. "I'm afraid my arms may be too tired right now, so…"
"I… should I? Are you sure?" Zuko asked, nervous again. Suki laughed and nodded.
"Come on, dear," she said. "I'm sure she'll love to be in your arms."
Zuko swallowed hard as he sat down beside Suki. He stretched out his arms and took the baby in them, holding her as carefully as he could. She seemed so small and fragile, and only a little restless before she rolled into his embrace and relaxed, a tiny hand outside of the covers that wrapped tightly around her. He laughed again in disbelief, as he heard the rustling sound of his friends approaching to look at his baby.
"She's, she's…" he said, shaking his head while still beaming. Only then did it sink in, though, and he looked at Suki with amazement. "Then… it's a girl after all?"
Suki nodded happily, and Zuko laughed more consciously this time. He heard Aang and Kino laugh too, and felt Hakoda's hand on his shoulder once more. Even Katara smiled more sweetly than he'd ever seen her, as she gazed upon the happy family.
Tears blinked in the corners of his eyes, as Zuko held his daughter proudly. They slipped down his cheeks soon enough, but he didn't mind them. Not as he was leaning down, closer to the child, to press his first kiss on her forehead.
Suki's heart to skipped a beat as she watched them. She smiled lovingly, wishing this moment could last forever. She knew it wouldn't, but their first baby had been born, and everything had been perfect so far. Zuko's happiness upon becoming a father, instinctive and genuine, only fueled Suki's own joy.
The labor had taken less time than expected, which had meant that the pain had been more condensed and abrupt once it had started. But Kanna and Katara had led her through the process expertly and helped her through one of the most difficult ordeals she had endured. Looking back on it now, Suki actually didn't think it had been that bad: she was tired, no doubt, but she felt fulfilled. Her baby had been born safely, and the child's father was crying of joy while holding her against his heart. She couldn't have asked for a better outcome for this day.
The next weeks were a blur for everyone, but most of all for Zuko and Suki. The first days with their daughter had been wonderful for the most part, but complicated whenever the child started crying. They struggled trying to identify the motives behind her loud wails, and often made the wrong assessments – Zuko had changed her diapers far more times than he should have, and sometimes it seemed Suki was guilty of overfeeding her. Still, over time and with the counsel of those who knew the difficulties of being a parent, they managed to understand their daughter better each day.
The tribe's traditions dictated that the baby wouldn't have a name until she was a month old. During that period, she was to stay confined to her birthplace, for it would be the best way to keep her safe from the cold environment outside. The many visitors Zuko and Suki received were taken with the small baby, and most of them were in awe of her red hair. The novelty of their daughter didn't seem to wear off at all, not even after the days passed and turned into weeks, which finally turned into that first month.
Everyone had been gathered by the fire when the happy couple and their child finally left the igloo. Zuko was holding the young girl, and she gazed about herself with gold eyes. She stayed tightly tucked against Zuko, both apprehensive but curious about the new environment she had been brought to.
"There she is, the most famous baby of the tribe," said Hakoda, chuckling and standing up from his place at the fire.
All eyes followed them: children that had been playing stopped to stare at them, and even the people who were eating rabidly had slowed down because of the impending announcement. As the baby had safely braved through her first month, all traditions had been abided by: finally, they'd know her name.
"So, so?" Kino asked, eagerly. "What's she called?"
The little girl recoiled at the sound of his voice. Zuko chuckled and stroked her back gently while Suki smiled.
"We chose Mari," she said. "Our little girl's name is Mari."
Kino's broad grin was matched by those of many other tribesmen: some were more moderate with their excitement, but everyone seemed elated not only to know her name, but to see she was fully healthy. Mari's eyes traveled over all of them carefully, but her apprehensiveness seemed to win out for now as she hid away in her father's neck again. Zuko laughed and kissed his daughter once more.
"Mari it is, then," said Hakoda, smiling approvingly at the shy baby. "Mari it is."