queen in the north.

He lets out a long, drawn-out breath; a chill racing his spine.  

Here, in the depths of the South Pole, he’s never felt such a cold, never seen his breath escape in a cloud of white, rather than a cloud of heat. Standing there on the bank of the ice-cold water, he recalls the last time he’d been in this place- back when he had been someone else entirely. Back when he’d been searching for his so-called honor and the love of his father. In the end, he had found so much more than that; it just took him a little bit longer.  

“Zuko?”  

He turns at the voice, a smile slipping into place upon his face at the sight of her standing there, well wrapped in her blue parka and furs. “I wondered where you’d wandered off to,” she continues, her smile as radiant as the rising moon that hangs overhead, her sapphire eyes glimmering as she slips her hand into his. Even between the thick layers of their gloves, he can feel the warmth of her hand.  

“Just sightseeing.” He replies, turning around so they might both face back out the way he’d once been looking, their memories one and the same in that moment. “I never thought I’d come back here like this.” He admits next, softer now, that feeling of guilt, of remorse, never far behind when he thinks back to those days. The grip of her hand on his tightens, and he glances right, only to find she’s already looking back at him, her head tilted ever so slightly. Those eyes... They see right through him, as they always have, as they always will.  

“Me either,” she confesses, turning back to stare out at the twilight that falls all around them. The stars suddenly seem brighter than they were seconds ago, and she tilts her head back to watch them closer, not wishing to miss a single moment. “I never thought the war would end and we’d find our way back to a normal life.” Back then, even if the war did end, who could say what the world would have been like? What would life have been like? There was no coming back from the horrors they experienced, not even just them, but all of the nations. Peace was not an easy thing to achieve they learned, even in the aftermath of that final battle. “I wasn’t sure my home could ever be my home again.” Here, where she was born, where she was raised, where she met Aang, hell, where she met Zuko... How could such a place ever be the same after she lost her mother... After she lost her sense of self to a war so much bigger than herself?  

Yet somehow... She had.  

They all had. 

It’s Zuko’s turn to squeeze her hand, the warmth of his touch as familiar to her as every breath she takes. Their eyes meet, and he leans in, capturing her mouth with his, a long, sweet kiss that fills her to the brim with a feeling stronger than anything she’s ever felt in all of her life. “I love you, Katara,” he says, as if to remind her, as if she doesn’t know, and she giggles, one gloved hand reaching up to touch his scarred cheek. His other hand comes up and over hers, and she’s once more struck by the warmth of his touch, despite the layers between their skin.  

“I love you, too, Zuko,” she murmurs softly, staring into his golden eyes, knowing there was nowhere else she’d rather be than right there with him. “Look,” she breathes next, her gaze turning out towards the darkened sky, for now that night has fallen, they both can see the beautiful colors the sky has become. “The aurora borealis,” she breathes, for it’s as beautiful as she remembers from childhood, stunning in its streaking green and purple shades of color. “Have you ever seen something so beautiful?”  

Zuko looks away from the magnificent sight of the sky to look at her and nods, knowing there was only one thing in the world more beautiful than the aurora they gazed upon. “No,” he lies, and she turns to him, smiling, laughing, as if she knows what he means without another word. They both turn back to the sky, and it takes but a moment more for her head to rest upon his shoulder, hands between them entwined, the moment forever etched into their memories. 

When Zuko was young, he had dreamed of regaining his honor, and thus his father’s love.  

He had hoped, with all of his heart, that he might earn back the respected place of a prince, that he might stand at his father’s side and that all of the Fire Nation would look upon him with pride. He would have his family back, and he would have a life that would mean more to him than any other life ever could.  

Looking back, he isn’t quite sure when that dream changed, but change it did.  

He heaves a sigh, leaning forward onto the railing of the balcony he stands on, peering out into the darkness. Glimmering stars are the backdrop to the night sky, and he can’t help but to smile as the clouds shift, revealing the moon, and for a moment he basks in its warm, white glow. It glows far brighter than any of the stars, and he’s reminded of her, of the one person in the world who had changed his life... Who had changed his dreams.  

Even now, all these years later, Zuko can recall each and every intense moment between them; as enemies they’d fought fiercely, as friends they’d become the best of duos, and as lovers... He chuckles, reaching up to run a hand through his loose hair, thinking of that first day so long ago... The one where she’d returned to the Fire Nation after five long years apart. I need to take care of my family; she had told him the day she left. The war was over and it had stolen so much from her, from all of them. He couldn’t blame her for wanting even just a day of normality.  

But peace proved to be easier said than done, at least in those first few years.  

Zuko, and Aang, had done their best to abide by her wishes, to do without her, but after five years they had no choice but to call upon her when rebellion spread through the Fire Nation, threatening everything they had worked so hard to achieve. And so, she’d shown up at his door without hesitation, taking charge of the effort to squash the rebels and keep their nations safe.  

And in the end, when it was all over, she just never left.  

“Zuko?” 

The sound of her voice draws him out of his memories, and he turns around, smiling at the sight of her standing there, dark hair unbound, blue eyes gleaming in the starlight. She’s like a dream come to life. “I woke you...” He murmurs, thinking of how carefully he’d slid from their bed; he should have known better. Just as she had known his every move in battle, she knows his every move in everyday life. As she slips into his arms, he inhales her sweetly scented hair, a scent he would know even in the most crowded of rooms.  

“No,” she assures him softly, tilting her head back to look up into his golden eyes, which shine so brightly in the summer moonlight. “A dream...” One of a beautiful sunset sky and tiny little hands holding tightly to hers. At that moment, Zuko’s hand falls into place over the swell of her belly, the single sign of the tiny life she carried within her. “Come back to bed...” She draws away, but reaches for his hand, tugging him along with her. Zuko chuckles and follows after her, entwining his fingers through hers, trading the moonlit night for the darkened walls that was their bedroom.  

A short while later, Katara sleeps soundly beside him once more, but Zuko finds that sleep still yet eludes him. So, he watches over her, mesmerized by her beauty, by the sheer fact that she was his, and he was hers. Long ago, he never would have dreamed of a life such as this one, but somewhere along the path he took, he found a family in her and the others, and he had learned that love was far greater than honor.  

Zuko closes his eyes and slips a hand over the swell of her belly, to feel the slight flutter of their child beneath his palm. He had not earned back his honor from his father, it was true, but he had earned something far better.  

“Let’s stop here before we get wet.” 

She heaves a weary sigh, nodding, glancing towards the cave in which her companion points towards. It would be a perfect accommodation, even if for just the night, though when the thunder rumbles loud and low overhead, she wonders if they might stay trapped longer than just a single night. “Come on,” he says next, reaching for her hand, which she takes willingly, but just as he takes the first step, the sky overhead opens up, and the rain begins to fall. But it isn’t just a sprinkle; it’s a torrential downpour, one which soaks through their clothing long before they have the chance to run and take cover beneath the shelter of the cave.  

The sound of her laughter bounces off the darkened walls as they reach the driest space; their fingers still entwined. “So much for that,” she giggles, dropping her knapsack to the ground, her blue tunic dripping. “Let me...” She gestures towards his equally wet clothing, meaning to remove the water from their garments. But he grins, shaking his head, taking a step back to kneel down, igniting a fire between them without a word. She eyes him skeptically, though the smile never falls from her lips as she watches him rise back up, shrugging from his shoulders the first layer of his clothes.  

Now she understands.  

Turning her back to him, she unties the waist of her pants, allowing them to fall to her ankles. She kicks them away, closer towards the warmth of the fire he’s built. Behind her, she can hear him shuffling, and she’s hyper aware of his every movement, of his every breath. She slips free from her tunic then, discarding it so she stands there naked, cold and trembling, the long length of her dark hair plastered against her wet skin. Before she can speak, she feels his arms come around her, palms enclosing around her breasts, his skin fiery hot against her own which was still so chilled. “Zuko...”  

She utters his name so softly he thinks he’s not even heard it at all.  

But then her arms come up, the feeling of her fingers threading through his hair as he presses his body against hers. “You’re cold,” he murmurs, lips pressing down upon her arm, inhaling the scent of the rainwater which clings to her body. His hands tighten their hold on her breasts, and she shudders, her nipples caught between his fingers, the rush of pleasure sending more shivers down her spine. 

“Then keep me warm,” she whispers, turning around so she might face him instead, blue eyes staring intently into gold as her hand brushes across the length of him.