#dribsanddrabs

When Katara’s ship pulled up in the North she was greeted with much formality - which she found quite frankly sickening. Now that the South was back together and stronger she had settled into the informalities of her people, the warmth of their laughs and the generosity of their hearts. She already knew from experience that the North, holed up behind their high walls and imposing structures, lead lives of icy stiffness just like their surroundings. The thought of spending the rest of her life there was sickening to the core, and she almost physically threw up when she spotted Haan dressed as Water Tribe royalty and with his own escort of guards. She could not believe Chief Arnook had taken the odious boy under his wing after Yue had left them.

However, her eyes skimmed over the Chief and landed on Zuko. He, too, was dressed in Water Tribe dress, but his clothes were a different shade to the dark blue of the North; his dye had been mixed with red to create a deep purple, and the fur he wore was exclusively from red fox so had a deep orange tint. On his head he wore his Fire Prince Crown, and his retinue were at ease behind him, signalling no threat from the approaching ship.

As Katara drew closer she found herself thinking that he looked good dressed in Water Tribe. She felt her cheeks blush. Well, it would help the charade if she was at least a little attracted to him. And if she was willing to admit things to herself she would need to acknowledge she had always found him attractive.

As she descended from the ship she decided to forego the North’s formal structure when it came to her crew and instructed her men to act as Southerners; there was no danger, and they could be seen to talk to her and share jokes. She smirked in satisfaction at the frown of distaste on her betrothed’s mouth at her familiarity with the rest of her tribe.

However, when addressing her future family, she would upload the highest decorum, as she knew they expected. Firstly, she bowed to Chief Arnook in Southern Water Tribe style and then in Northern style, appropriately lower than the Chief. That garnered her a half smile of approval. Next, she was expected to bow to her betrothed, but instead she turned to Zuko and again gave him a Southern Water Tribe greeting, offering her arm out to him as equals which he took with a warm smile and a mischievous glint in his eye. She noticed how much more sure of himself he was now, how he seemed relaxed in his position. She offered him the smallest of smiles while bowing Fire Nation style, before moving on to a bristling Haan.

To him she bowed once again in Southern Style, but did not reach out her hand as equals, and hardly bent when greeting him in Northern style. This signalled her expectation that he bow lower than her. She could hear Zuko’s soft cough as he covered a laugh but held her face steady.

The Southern Tribe did not have a royal family as they did in the North, but if they did recognise it as such, she would out rank Haan.

“Princess Katara,” started the Chief softly, “Haan is recognised as my son-in-law here…”

“Oh, apologies, I did not realise. As if he had married Princess Yue?” she asked innocently, but made sure to talk to the Chief and not Haan.

“Yes, indeed. He had been trained to be the next Chief already,” explained Arnook, looking uncomfortable but keeping a confident posture about him.

“Then I am to be his second wife?” She asked sweetly, cocking her head to one side.

Arnook’s lips thinned but he nodded.

Katara turned back to Haan and instead greeted him as an equal. He did not look impressed.

“Sweet Princess Katara, I have made this for you,” he announced, in a well rehearsed voice, lifting two fingers and calling a guard over. The guard opened a box with a betrothal necklace in it.

“That is much appreciated Prince Haan. Noret? Could you please put Prince Haan’s beautiful present with my things?” she called, smiling warmly to one of her guards, who easily bounded over and took the proffered box.

“It is tradition in the North that the betrothed wear her necklace,” Haan told her, steel in his voice.

“And when I become part of the Northern Water Tribe I will see to abide by their traditions,” answered Katara. “It has been a pleasure to meet you again Prince Haan, I congratulate you on your… rise in fortunes…” she said sweetly before moving past him to follow the Chief. She could feel his cold stare boring into her back.

That evening there was an elaborate banquet held in her honour. She sat between Haan and Zuko, since they were all of the same social status according to the Northern Tribe. Her conversations with Haan were polite and short, but those with Zuko were warm, full of laughter and merriment. Katara found that her friend had only grown more into himself during their time apart, and he filled his skin nicely. She had never seen him chuckle so much, and the light in his eyes that she had only ever glimpsed in the latter part of their time together during the war was out in full force. It softened his whole face, allowing him to become as warm as his element.

“Prince Zuko,” started Haan when there was a lull in their conversation, and making sure Chief Arnook could hear them. “Didn’t you visit the Northern Tribe during the war? Were you not here during the invasion?” He said it conversationally, but it was meant to cut.

“Indeed,” replied Zuko, keeping his anger under check but thinning his lips. Katara was impressed at the lack of outburst.

“And didn’t you take the Avatar on that occasion too?” Haan added.

“That is so,” answered Zuko again.

“Prince Zuko,” interrupted Katara, “I do seem to remember this! I believe we sparred quite fiercely while I was protecting the spirit pond. Where were you at that point Haan - forgive me for not remembering?”

“You were a formidable opponent,” said Zuko, smiling at her.

“I-uh-believe… I must have been…” started Haan, looking embarrassed.

“And I think, Prince Zuko, correct me if I’m wrong, that you and your Uncle, the Fire Lord, punished Admiral Zhao for his transgressions on our spirits?” Katara cut across, looking him dead in the eye and telling him silently to not deny it, not tell them it was the Spirit’s own doing through Aang that took Zhao to the depths.

“Indeed what occurred was disastrous, and Zhao had no honour in him,” he murmured in agreement.

“And then, did you not teach the Avatar fire bending while also bringing the plans of the Earth Kingdom invasion?”

“Yes.”

“And I believe you fought against your family for the good of the world, helping to end the hundred year war?”

“Not without the help of some very talented friends,” he replied, looking happier again.

“It is good to talk about the old days, is it not Prince Haan?” asked Katara, turning towards him with a smile and light words but with a warning in her eyes. “It is so fortunate we are all here, three peoples at a table and being able to move forward to more peaceful times,” she added, nodding to Arnook, who was watching them carefully.

“I believe there are only two peoples here, Princess Katara,” said Haan through gritted teeth.

“Perhaps soon. There is much to rebuild between our two peoples, and as it stands we have grown into very different places,” she said sweetly, and turned to the food that had just been laid out in front of her, closing the conversation.

“Where did you learn courtly manner? You basically cut that boy to shreds with your words!” asked Zuko through a laugh later that evening. Both being guests they shared a wing of the palace, and so had a communal area to sit together.

“Aang didn’t like fighting or water bending when we went on diplomatic missions. I needed to get certain things done anyway though, so I sharpened my words instead,” Katara told him, bitterly.

“You would do well in an Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation court.”

They sat in amicable silence for a while.

“So… Sokka told you about his plan?” started Zuko, a light blush spreading over his good cheek.

“Yes. Lets get this over with as quickly as we can, alright?”

“Of course, of course. Wouldn’t want to be pretending for too long… I mean not that it is unpleasant… to pretend… or you… I just meant … lets get out of this place as soon as we can!” Zuko stumbled over his words, blushing as he spoke.

Katara laughed.

“I agree!”

“But, Katara, and I hope you’ll forgive me asking, but why isn’t Aang here doing this? I mean you were together for a while so it is far more…credible?”

“Oh! Um we didn’t actually ever… so you see Aang has a bit of an issue lying… and its still bit strange between us… so I guess Sokka couldn’t convince him to …” she mumbled, looking into the fire burning low in the room. She had gone over this in her mind a thousand times on her ship - why not Aang? She knew things would be odd when she left him but even for merely her friendship’s sake he could help her out!

“Hah! Aang’s a fool!” muttered Zuko. “He should still help you out! But really, you didn’t…”

“No.”

“I thought both the air benders and the Southern Tribe were alright with…”

“They are. We just weren’t ready alright!?” snapped Katara, feeling colour rise up to her cheeks.

“Hey, that’s fine! I didn’t mean to say otherwise, I was just curious! I guess its not my place to be curious…” Zuko suddenly looked unsure of himself like he used to.

“I’d just rather not talk about it alright? And we’re the ones who are supposed to have done it so we should probably get a sort of story straight we can hint at.”

“I’ve got a few ideas,” he said, nodding and shuffling to the edge of his seat.

Iroh paused to sip his tea and looked over at his nephew, more taken with the story than he himself would admit.

“You see, Prince Zuko, the flowers only grew in one field at the top of the mountain, so it happened that both found themselves at the same place.

The first time they met they fought one another fiercely for the flowers and did not even pick one flower! You see, their honour for their town told them to hate the other before everything else… before the welfare of their people.

But as it got dark and they tired of fighting, they ran back to their homes, empty handed. That night people become more sick.

The next day the two agreed a truce while they picked, eyeing one another the whole time.

‘That’s not fair!’ one cried, ‘you have taken more flowers than me! If you take so many there will be none left!’

‘That’s not true!’ the other replied, ‘I’ve taken half as much as you! And my people need the flowers more!’

And so they both tried to snatch up as many flowers as they could before the other, for they did not trust one another at all. They could not see past their hatred to realise they were taking all the flowers and leaving none behind.

That night the towns healed, but more were needed. So the next day, Oma and Shu were sent up the mountain once again to retrieve more flowers. But there were none!

‘You came and destroyed the flowers!’ cried one.

‘Me? No you came and picked them all during the night!’ replied the other.

But the helplessness of the situation dawned upon the two and soon they stopped fighting.

‘I don’t know what to do,’ lamented Oma, ‘my mother is ill and there are no more flowers!’

‘At least she won’t die!’ scoffed Shu.

‘What do you mean she won’t die! My people are dying from the sickness - if I don’t find the flowers soon she might too…’

Shu was silent for a moment.

‘I was told that your town did not die of the sickness, but cursed us to,’ he told Oma.

‘I was told your town cursed us!’ admitted Oma. ‘Are your people dying too?’

‘Yes. My father is ill,’ said Shu.

As he spoke, Oma spotted one last flower at the edge of the field.

‘Look!’ she cried, pointing at it excitedly. Both ran towards it but stopped in front of it, for whoever picked it would save their parent and kill the other.

‘What if… what if we just scrape the seeds out of the centre and plant them?’ suggested Oma, suddenly feeling warmth for her mysterious companion who had not stolen the flower from her.

‘We need water to make it grow, and we must plant them near the surface for them to grow quickly,’ added Shu, respecting Oma for her idea.

They set to work carefully planting each seed at the right depth and dripping water on them. During their work they started looking at one another - really looking.

She is very pretty, thought Shu. He is quite handsome, thought Oma. Soon they were blushing at jokes.

‘My name is Oma,’ said Oma, after they finished their work. It was an offering of peace.

‘I’m Shu,’ he replied.

However, there was another problem! For the seeds to grow quickly, they needed to keep the ground warm. Deciding that leaving the seeds over night would risk them not growing quickly enough, they decided to lie down on top of their plants and spend the night side by side, sharing their warmth with the ground.

All through the night they exchanged stories about their towns - what the towns were really like rather than the propaganda they had been fed from birth. By the time the sun rose on the fourth day since they met, they were friends.

By the fifth day, the flowers had bloomed, enough for both of them! But that is not the only thing that had bloomed. Their young hearts had opened up to one another and it was with great sadness they left to their towns.

The flowers were received with great joy, and both parents were saved! Neither mentioned the other for fear of being outcast by their society, but each wondered how their town would react to knowing the other had saved them. For it was true that without Oma or Shu, people would have died that day - both were needed to grow enough flowers for everybody.

As two people who followed their hearts, however, they decided to continue going up the mountain every day to plant more flowers, knowing that there would be a next time, and enjoying one another’s company.

Now down in Oma’s town there was a young man who wanted to marry her and he followed her around all the time. She was not interested but he persisted. When she continued going up the mountainside after the sickness, he decided to follow her out of jealousy. He was slow and arrived long after Oma had, and peering into the field full of flowers he saw her laughing and falling into the arms of a stranger! When he saw them kiss he was filled with rage: for what had the other town done but steal what he thought was his!

He ran back down to the town and told them all about Oma’s affair, so that when Oma came down in the evening, she was locked up and never allowed to go up the mountain again.

Four days and four nights she was locked away, and four days and four nights Shu waited on the mountain. On the fifth day, the man who wanted to marry Oma went to the field and told Shu to leave. He said he was to be wed to Oma and Shu had disgraced her.

Shu fled, heartbroken.

When the man who wanted to marry Oma told her what he had done, with a cruel smile on his lips, she felt her heart splinter. That night she managed to escape but found her way up to the mountain barred by guards. In desperation she ran along the mountain and hid in a cave refusing to marry anybody but Shu.

As she wept, some curious creatures came to see who had entered their home, and consoled the poor woman. She and the badger moles became friends, and through watching them she learned to move the earth as they did.

A month passed and she tunnelled further into the mountain, leaving a labyrinth behind her. In the utter darkness, however, there would sometimes be light! Green crystals grew and she collected them, curling the stone around them to make a road.

Eventually, she emerged on the edges of Shu’s town.

As these things happen, that night Shu’s heart had called him to the mountain, and as he approached it he saw the figure of Oma, silhouetted in the moonlight. Even muddy and thin as she was, she was beautiful, and he cried with joy that she had not married and she had come to him!

Oma showed Shu how to follow the crystals and come to the heart of the mountain to meet her. She cautioned him not to follow any of the other roads for these would leave him trapped in the mountain. She taught him to learn from the badger moles and bend earth like her so that the mountain would never keep them apart.

When Oma returned to her town her parents greeted her with relief. Where had she been, all muddy and thin?

Mediation, she told them. She had made a spiritual connection and did not want to marry, but wanted to dedicate herself to the spirits.

Spirits should not be taken lightly Prince Zuko, even we know that, and back then they were far more visible in the open world. So if Oma said she was on a spiritual journey, her family could do nothing but oblige.

However, the man who wanted to marry Oma was not convinced, and he tracked her one night. However, he took a torch and so could not follow the green crystals to the heart of the cave - to the heart of the two lovers! He took a wrong turn and was hopelessly lost for a day and a night until he was spat out a few miles from his town.

In anger he mounted a raid on the other town. Shu was with Oma at the time and so did not know it was happening until he emerged from his tunnel and walked into town unarmed. The man who wanted to marry Oma killed him in cold blood.

As Shu’s heart stopped, the crystals ceased to glow and Oma felt her own heart pierced by a spear.

In her great anger and great power she flattened her own town searching for the man who killed Shu, but he was still in Shu’s town, so she bent through the mountain to find him. In her rage she flattened him with a mighty boulder, and then destroyed that town too.

Both her own people and his tried to attack her, but she was too strong and to broken to be defeated, although she killed nobody else. Eventually they decided to listen to her.

She told them of her love for Shu, how both towns were saved because they had worked together. She founded a new city, with people from both the towns, and she built it in two days and two nights with her earth bending.

‘Now you may live together and love each other,’ she told them, and taught some young people how to earth bend. They had to be grounded and firm, they had to listen to the way things were, not the way things were told to them. They had to stand their ground in the open, not as she had hidden on top and below the mountain.

When she completed their truing, she disappeared into the mountain, never to be seen again. They say the crystals started glowing again when she died and finally both hearts were at rest once more. In her honour, the people called the new city Omashu.”

Iroh and Zuko sat in silence for a moment, finishing their tea.

“That was a long time ago,” said Zuko finally, staring at his teacup.

“Perhaps. I find it a most relatable tale still!” replied Iroh, eyeing his nephew critically. “There are not many characters able to defy their own family and bring love and peace to the world, Zuko. To learn about other peoples as if they were your own and unite everybody together.”

“Oma did not unite, though. She destroyed both towns!” protested Zuko, but he still could not bring himself to look at his uncle.

“She did, in a moment of pain and panic. What would you do, Zuko? For the one you loved?” Zuko met Iroh’s gaze then, and watched as his uncle pointedly studied Zuko’s bandages. “In many ways Oma was denied her happy ending, but she rebuilt from the ashes something greater than herself. And her and Shu’s many lives afterwards have tried to do the same. It would be to disrespect them both if that chain were to break…”

Iroh patted Zuko’s arm and gently took his cup from him.

He silently let himself out, grinning to himself, leaving Zuko to whirring thoughts.

“Ah! Master Katara! You look troubled?”

“Hello Uncle! Oh I just had a strange dream about… flowers and badger moles I think? Anyway, is Zuko awake?”

Flows around but deadly drown

Was the water that she brought

Giving life but burning flesh

Was the fire of her heart

And oh how the lady wept!

For how would home and love

Live as one

Under our Fire Nation sun

Without melting down?

— Oh Fire Lily Fire Lady

What will you wear?

Born of water, love of fire

With golden flame in hair…

Let us make you a fire crown

Worthy of your love

From fire lilies, fire lady:

Yes a Fire Lily Fire Crown for the Fire Lily Fire Lady

The Lady wept for years and years

Creating ponds and mighty lakes

And the spirits felt her pain

Oh behold! they came to make

The flower of the Fire Lily…

A flame upon the water

Roots diving deep

A resting place, for fish to sleep

Amongst the Fire Lily pond.

The flowers bloomed all at once

Setting water aflame

Agni has Spoken! With Tui and La!

And the Lady would remain!

And the dragons were reborn

In colours red and blue

Sent from Agni

For all to see

The power of the Fire Lily

— Oh Fire Lily Fire Lady

What will you wear?

Born of water, love of fire

With golden flame in hair…

Let us make you a fire crown

Worthy of your love

From fire lilies, fire lady:

Yes a Fire Lily Fire Crown for the Fire Lily Fire Lady

We remember, Fire Lady

How the Fire Lilies blackened

When you slipped into the spirit world

Never to come back.

But fear not!

For when she was buried

Deep in water

What came to keep her peace?

The Fire Lilies bloomed anew!

And crowd around her tomb

Lest we lose our memories

She lies forever amongst the Fire Lilies.”

“That’s just a silly song grandpa!”

“Do you want to argue with the spirits young one?!”

“What was her name then? The Fire Lily Fire Lady?”

“Master Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe, Fire Lady with Fire Lord Zuko. You might not know this but many of our songs are about them… Would you like to hear another one?”

“Yes.”

“Come, sit closer. This one is called Eternal Lovers - “

“Isn’t that about Oma and Shu?”

“You think somebody is trying to harm you?” he guessed. “You can tell me Katara - I can deal with them…Why are you so on edge?”

He walked towards her, trying to read her expression in the moonlight, but Katara had it tightly under lock and key. Right. She would focus on the easier of the two things she had been thinking about - her would be assassin.

“No. But if there were - and there is no guarantee that there isn’t - then they would do it tomorrow night, during the lunar eclipse.”

“Oh.”

They stood in silence for a while.

“You will stay with me tomorrow night,” he murmured finally, nodding his head to himself. “I don’t want you separated from the guards and the palace. We won’t tell anybody but I’ll make sure to stick by you during the day as well. Then come to stay in my rooms at night.”

“Until the eclipse is over?” She asked, half hopefully, half bitterly. Zuko shot her a look of mild confusion.

“Yes. Until its over.”

The next day flew by in a whirl of duties and tension - clearly palpable from the Fire Lord and Master Katara. Their meetings were full of half spoken sentences and furtive glances into dark corners of the room, their easy manner from the previous trips gone completely, They dined together and staged Katara’s exit to her room, doubling back to go to Zuko’s instead.

And so they found themselves sitting across from one another sipping chamomile on silk cushions, listening carefully to the sounds of the night. It was not unfamiliar, but other times there would be laughter between them and an easy atmosphere. This time, Zuko’s dao swords lay by his side, and he wore his training gear, ready for action. Katara thought it was a little odd he kept the same clothes he had joined them in - he was the Fire Lord now, he could have any clothes he liked. But instead, he insisted on having these ones patched up over and over again. She tried to stifle a laugh at the memory of the painfully awkward boy who appeared to ask for their forgiveness at the Western Air Temple.

“Why do you keep them?” asked Katara finally, startling him out of his pensive silence. She motioned her hand to his outfit.

“Oh. This outfit… it reminds me of why I am here… who put me here… what we fought for.” He shifted uncomfortably, as he always did when he was being honest or revealing in anyway. Usually he had no issue opening up to her but something was… off… between them.

“And what did we fight for Zuko?” she asked quietly, feigning not to notice his discomfort.

“Peace,” he replied simply, locking eyes with her and allowing her to look into his heart. He was being honest. He sighed and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sometimes, when I practice, I can forget why I’m doing all of this, who I’m doing it for. The long nights and the infuriating councillors sometimes make me want to burn everything down! But I need to stay calm, stay ready. We all lost in the war. We also won, but I don’t want to forget what we lost either…” he trailed off, flashes of the horrors he had seen during the war flashing through his mind. One particular flash that was not meant for him, one that still had the power to wake him up in the middle of the night sweating and shivering like a child. The fear for his uncle. The refugees… The voice of his mother before she left.

Katara’s hand reached up to touch her own mother’s necklace, the familiar pain of loss coursing through her body.

“Mine too,” he murmured, bowing his head.

Katara instinctively reached out to hold his hand, giving it a little squeeze. His fingers followed hers as she pulled away, and were consciously pulled back.

They sat in silence again, listening to the sounds of the palace and both secretly savouring the short contact they had just had.

Suddenly, Katara sucked in a breath.

“Its starting,” she said, bringing a hand up to her head. She tried to bend the tea from her teacup and it fluttered pathetically before stopping all movement at all. She let go of the breath she had been holding - there was no gut wrenching pain, she didn’t feel any part of herself die like she had at the North Pole. She just felt… a little odd…a little on edge with all the adrenaline. Somehow, bolder.

Zuko, however, was on his feet, pacing the room. He paused at the windows, looking out at the dark sky now that Yue had been covered, and again at the door, listening for the steady step of the guards as they patrolled the corridor outside.

“Zuko!” burst Katara finally, “Please just calm down! We don’t know anybody wants to harm me, its just a hunch! Nothing is going to happen alright? You’re really putting me on edge!”

“Well good!” he snapped back, resuming his patrol with renewed ferocity. “Maybe next time you warn me of these things so I can put proper precautions in place instead of this ad hoc madness!”

“Proper precautions?? Are you that convinced somebody wants me dead?”

“There have been uprisings,” he threw over his shoulder. “In support of Ozai. What better way to prove their power and start another war than assassinate the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador - the War Hero, the Avatar’s friend - while she is under my protection? So yes, they could very well want to kill you - to get back at me!” His voice had been steadily rising, a small reminder of a Zuko of the past.

“I didn’t know there were uprisings,” said Katara quietly, looking down at her hands.

“Yeah not exactly doing to advertise that to the international community am I? You think the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes are about to make trade deals with an unstable Nation?”

“Zuko STOP!” cried Katara, jumping to her feet and grabbing him by the shoulders, forcing him to pause his march and look at her. “We can help Zuko! If you’re having trouble, we can help!”

“I don’t need your help,” he growled, trying to push past her. The situation felt to incredibly familiar it boiled her blood.

“Yes you do! Why are you being such a … such a stubborn idiot?” she growled back, exasperated, banging her fists on his chest in frustration.

Zuko easily caught her hands in his own, holding them firmly in place.

“You almost died once because somebody wanted to get to me. I can’t let that happen. Ever.”

“Zuko…” she breathed, eyes wide. She felt a sensation of falling as things seemed to click into place - the looks, the touches, the way he always pulled away, never let it get too far, the rough formalities of goodbyes but the genuine greetings…could he feel the same way? “Is that… is that why you didn’t stop me leaving? Last time?” Her voice wobbled but didn’t break.

Zuko dropped her hands and turned his head away. She could almost see him counting his breaths.

Katara raised a hesitant hand and placed it on his scarred cheek, gently turning him back to look at her, waiting for an answer.

“Its too dangerous here for you Katara,” he told her finally, voice thick with an emotion he usually kept buried. He brushed a strand of her from her face and offered her a wistful smile. “Its better to know you are safe somewhere else…”

“I think thats for me to decide, don’t you?” he looked down at her, bewildered by her response. “If I stayed… would you… would we maybe…would you like to…” She was blushing furiously, but refusing to break eye contact.

“No. Katara. No.” He looked pained, she thought.

“Is that what you feel?”

“It doesn’t matter what I feel! What don’t you understand about that! And… and it doesn’t matter how you feel either… Yes, I want… I want to court you properly, I want you here by my side every day, so much it h-hurts… but it would put you in so much danger … even if you did decide to … even if you did want to… and you really shouldn’t want me and you probably don’t so….AHHHH” Zuko was propelled into the nearest wall by a jet of water and frozen there unceremoniously.

“Oh, look, my bending is back!” exclaimed Katara, smirking and turning to bow to Yue. The moonlight was growing through the window, sending energy through her veins, heart hammering with power.

She sauntered over to him, glad to see that the shock had stopped him thinking of melting himself free.

“I disagree. I think it does matter what I want, and what you want, and quite frankly your Nation will have to get used to it. In fact, let them come to me! You’ll capture them and root out the Ozai supporters… although you’re not particularly good at capturing people,” she giggled, setting him free with a flick of her wrist.

Zuko’s shoulders sagged and he groaned, opening his mouth to say something but startled as he felt a warm finger on his lips.

“Don’t Zuko,” she whispered, tantalisingly close to him. He couldn’t help looking at her lips - lips he had dreamt about tasting for far longer than he remembered, lips closer to his than they ever had been…

A loud knock ran through the room, pulling a curse from his own lips as Katara winked at him and pushed him towards the door.

His Head of Guard walked in, dragging two men in chains behind him.

“Fire Lord, we found these two men climbing into Master Katara’s room but she was nowhere to be … found,” he stated, the last word leaving his mouth as he set eyes on the very alive water bender standing behind Zuko.

“Thank you. Take them to the dungeons, they will be interrogated later,” commanded Zuko in his Fire Lord voice, eyeing the two assassins with utter disdain. The two glanced at one another with barely contained fear at the force in the Fire Lord’s voice, and glanced back towards the stoic monarch with no pity in his hard gaze.

The door swung shut, the clang echoing around the room.

“Huh, I guess I was right. The plan is going fantastically, don’t you think? Already two down!” came Katara’s voice from behind him, striking a note of false positivity.

“Katara…”

“No Zuko, I can’t do this anymore, I need to be with you alright? I go downright crazy every time I leave…”

“Katara please…”

“And I am strong! You can teach me to sword fight if you like, I’ll learn! But I can protect myself and…”

“For Agni’s sake Katara!”

“I’M NOT LEAVING!”

“KISS ME THEN!”

Katara blinked, finding Zuko right in front of her, holding her hands tightly in his, a look of defeat drawn on his face but his eyes more alive than she’d seen them in a long time. A smile spread across her face as she leaned towards him and their lips, finally, met.