#screams externally

And it’s not that I think they wouldn’t be accepting or anything. I’m just awkward and bad at talking to people.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16

Katara walks out into the gardens, she looks up to the now blue sky and smiles, she remembers training outside with Iroh, she remembers him being patient with her as she tried to bend water from the pond.

Katara stands by the pond, her arms wrapped around herself as she stares at the water, trying to figure out what she is supposed to do now.

She doesn’t get the chance to think too far; a sound catches her attention and she turns her face back to the sky. A fire nation war ship flies overhead, rumbling sickly.

Katara’s heart leaps into her throat as she races to the landing field. Katara’s arms become covered in water that she bends from her pouch, as she reaches the field, Zuko is already there, but he doesn’t seem as panicked.

“Woah,” Zuko says, catching Katara before she can run past, “They’re friends. A messenger hawk came in, it’s the avatar.”

Katara watches as the ramp lowers and Toph basically flings herself out of the ship and falls to her knees, kissing the ground.

But then Katara sees Suki step out, escorting the Phoenix king.

Katara’s blood runs cold and the water that covers her arms, hardens into ice, forming deadly spikes at the end of her hands.

“What is he doing here?” Katara asks, her voice shaking as Ozai’s eyes find her’s, “Why is he alive?”

Zuko tightens his grip around Katara’s waist, but he too is shocked at the sight of his father.

“Did you know?” Katara asks, looking up to Zuko.

“No,” Zuko responds, his eyes fixated on his father, “No, I didn’t.”

Katara looks back and Ozai is closer, her ice turns back to water and falls from her hands as Ozai’s lips curl into a twisted smile.

Zuko can feel Katara’s fear, it rests in the palm of his hands and causes her to shake, he changes his grip and then pushes Katara behind him, drawing Ozai’s attention to him.

“Why is he alive?” Zuko asks, looking to Aang, “Why did you bring him here?”

“I took away his bending,” The avatar declares, “he can’t hurt anyone.”

Katara can’t tear her eyes away from Ozai, she doesn’t even notice her brother, who’s arm is in a sling and has to lean on a crutch to keep himself standing.

“Don’t underestimate me, boy,” Ozai snarls, his voice sends a bolt of fear down Katara’s back, making her scars throb.

Zuko feels the fear too, he keeps his hand back on Katara’s hip as he looks to one of his guards.

“Take him to a cell,” Zuko commands, stepping aside as Katara’s hands clench on his shoulders.

The guard steps forward and takes Ozai by the arm and escorts him away, Suki follows the guards, making sure Ozai doesn’t try anything sketchy.

“There’s more than one way to burn someone alive!” Ozai calls back, earning him a thump from Suki.

The words resinate through Katara, her heart beats fast, too fast, she presses her forehead between Zuko’s shoulders, closing her eyes tightly as she tries to catch her breath.

Zuko doesn’t even flinch, he keeps his hand on Katara’s hip, squeezing it reassuringly before looking back to Aang.

“Why did you bring him here,” Zuko asks, his eyes flick to Sokka and then he calls for one of his men to help him to the infirmary.

“I’ll take him,” Katara says, speaking up as she let’s Zuko’s shoulders go, her voice is breathless as she slips out from behind Zuko and goes to her brother’s side.

Zuko watches as Katara leaves with her brother, he felt her fear, he could literally feel her trembling underneath his palm.

“Why didn’t you kill him?” Zuko asks, once Katara disappears into the palace.

“I couldn’t do it,” Aang says, “I cannot take someone’s life.”

“He isn’t a person,” Zuko snarls, his fists clenching at his side, “He’s a monster, Aang.”

“Zuko,” Aang sighs, “He’s still your father.” Zuko scoffs at Aang’s words, “Besides, he could help you find closure over your mother.”

Zuko’s heart stops for a second as he looks back to where his father was being dragged away, the opportunity presents itself and Zuko realises that Ozai’s life may still hold use.

The next morning is Zuko’s coronation, he sleeps little that night, staring at the gap under his door, where he can see the lights flicker in the hall, and he wonders if Katara is also awake, he didn’t get to see her again that afternoon and he wish he could have. He wants to know if she is okay after seeing Ozai, he knows that he isn’t, Zuko is still shaken at seeing the way his father looked at them, with fire still flickering behind his eyes.

The next morning, Zuko rolls out of bed, his heart pulling him towards Katara, he needs to see her before the coronation.

As Zuko tries to pull on his robe, someone clears their throat behind him, Zuko turns around, hoping to see Katara, but instead he finds Mai, leaning on his door frame.

“Mai,” Zuko gapes as she strides into his room, “You got here quickly.”

“Of course,” Mai simpers, helping Zuko put his other arm in his robe, “I pulled a few strings; I wouldn’t miss my boyfriend’s coronation.”

A lump forms in Zuko’s throat.

“So does that mean you don’t hate me anymore?” he asks numbly as Mai stands in front of him.

“It means that I kind of, maybe, like you,” Mai leans up, and presses her lips to his, kissing him softly, “But don’t ever break up with me again.” Mai adds, poking Zuko in his shoulder and causing a jolt of pain to echo through his chest.

Zuko forces a smile on his face, hiding the fact that he secretly fears Mai.

Zuko can’t go to find Katara, he stays with Mai, letting her talk his ear off, mostly to complain about anything and everything, from the sheets in his room, to the ‘big fuss’ of the coronation.

Meanwhile, Katara has found her father in the large crowd that has gathered in the palace courtyard, the same yard where she watched Zuko get electrocuted, the smell still lingers in her nose.

Katara watches the coronation with her family and ‘tribe’, her eyes watching as Zuko accepts his crown and then welcoming the avatar to his side.

After the coronation Katara is pulled aside by her father before she leave to find Zuko, he insists that they need to talk about something important. So Katara follows her tribe back to where they camp outside the palace walls.

“Sit,” Hakoda says, gesturing to the bear skins, his voice is tight and troublesome.

“What’s going on?” Katara asks, sitting down on the fur and looking to all of her father’s councilmen.

“The fire lord and I met yesterday,” Hakoda says, sitting with Katara, “He has informed me that he plans on using ambassadors like his forefathers once did. He will be sending an advisor to the southern and northern water tribe as well as to the earth kingdom, but we must also have an ambassador from the tribes to represent us here as well.”

“My daughter, Kiki will be ambassador to the northern tribe,” Bato supplies.

“And Bato has suggested that you should be the ambassador for the south,” Hakoda finishes, letting out a ragged breath.

Katara’s eyes widen in shock, she looks to her father and his council.

“As the daughter to the chief, you are a logical option,” Bato says, “You know your way around the fire palace and I believe you’d have the tribe’s best interest at heart.”

“You don’t have to accept,” Hakoda adds quickly before Katara can say a word, “You can come home, return to your tribe.”

Katara looks to her hands and bites her lips, the sound of the ‘tribe’ being her home doesn’t sit well with Katara. Katara hasn’t thought of the tribe as her home for years, not since she was taken from betrayed by them all those years ago.

“I’ll have to think about it,” Katara says, looking up to her father, “I haven’t thought about what I’m going to do now that the war is over.”

“Of course,” Hakoda says with a smile, “take as much time as you need. The position is yours if you wish, but we all understand if you just wish to return home.”

Katara forces a smile onto her lips, ignoring how her stomach twists at the word ‘home’, she stands and then leaves the tent, promising to have an answer soon.

Katara lets out the breath she was holding and walks back into the palace, needing to find Zuko, she doesn’t know why.

Katara find out he’s in his office, she tries to enter but she is stopped by the guard outside.

“Um, is Zu- I mean, the Fire Lord, in there?” she asks the guard.

“Yes,” the guard answers, rather sharply, “He is occupied.”

Katara steps back and leans on the opposite wall, she has nothing better to do.

A minute later, Mai emerges from the office, a tight scowl on her face, she throws a glare at Katara and then walks away, and as it turns out, the guard is with Mai, he follows after her when she snaps her fingers.

Katara didn’t know Mai was back, she hoped she had more time, Katara pushes her feelings aside and then knocks on Zuko’s door.

Zuko looks up at the sound of the knock and forces a smile on his face.

“Zuko?” Katara says, opening the door and stepping inside.

Once Zuko sees Katara he lets out his breath and then leans back, his smile becoming more natural.

“Hey,” he greets, standing as Katara closes the door behind him.

“I’m sorry,” Katara sighs, “I should have greeted you properly,” Katara bows at the waist, “My Fire Lord.”

Zuko’s eyes widen at the sight of Katara bowing.

“You don’t have to bow,” Zuko says, walking out from behind his desk, “not to me.”

Katara straightens and feels her heart racing, goose bumps cover her skin and she clears her throat.

“Is there something I can help you with?” Zuko asks, his eye brow raising as he gestures for Katara to sit.

“Yes,” Katara says, taking a seat, “No, I don’t know,” Katara sighs and then leans forward, putting her face in her hands, “I don’t know what I’m doing. The war is over, but I still don’t know my place, where I belong or what I’m going to do.”

Zuko leans back on his desk as Katara sighs, she looks how Zuko feels, utterly exhausted.

“I just, wish I knew where I belonged,” Katara says, she looks up to Zuko as he watches her, “I’m sorry,” she laughs hollowly, “I shouldn’t be unloading this onto you, I’m sure you have your own things to worry about.”

“It’s alright,” Zuko says, putting a hand on Katara’s shoulder, “I’m here for you.”

Katara smiles, her skin tingling under Zuko’s touch.

“I see Mai is back,” Katara says, changing the subject before she says something stupid.

“Yeah,” Zuko sighs, he runs a hand down his face and then walks back behind his desk, “And so is her father, they came in this morning. Her father is pushing for an audience with me, he was a trusted advisor to my father, now he wishes to continue in his old role, I’ll just be glad when we leave.”

“Leave?” Katara echoes, “Where are you going?”

“We,” Zuko smiles, looking to Katara, “Are going to Ba Sing Se, uncle has reclaimed his tea shop and has invited everyone to the city. And while I’m there I have been granted an audience with the Earth King. I’m hoping to broker a treaty of peace.”

“Well look at you,” Katara simpers, “All Fire Lord-y and stuff, aren’t we a big boy now.”

Zuko laughs and then runs a hand through his hair.

“Yeah,” Zuko sighs, “I’m hoping that he will agree to setting up ambassadors.”

“Mmm, I heard about that,” Katara smiles, “My father and his council think it would be a good idea for me to be the Sothern ambassador.”

“Oh,” Zuko says, pursing his lips, “I hadn’t thought about that.”

In truth, Zuko had been thinking about how he could get Katara to stay in the fire nation, he hadn’t even considered asking for her to be the ambassador.

“What if I don’t want you to be an ambassador?” Zuko asks, leaning his elbows on his desk.

“You don’t want me here?” Katara asks, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

“No, wait, yes, I do want you here,” Zuko scrambles, noticing the look on Katara’s face, “That just came out wrong. I don’t want you to be an ambassador… what I’m trying to say is, that I want you to be my advisor,” Katara’s eyes widen as Zuko lays his offer on the table, “Not just an advisor, but my trusted advisor.”

Katara’s heart races, Zuko wants her to be his trusted advisor, his right hand man, so to speak.

“Are you serious?” Katara gapes, shocked that he would ask her.

“Completely,” Zuko says, leaning forward on his elbows, “I can’t think of anyone I trust more. But if you’re not sure, take you time to think about it, you don’t have to say yes, if you want you can just be an ambassador, or you could be neither, you could go home.”

“Home,” Katara echoes with a laugh, “I don’t even know where that is anymore.”

“It could be here,” Zuko offers with a smile.

The smile awakens the fire in Katara’s heart, and it consumes her; the thought of the fire nation being her home, it used to make her blood boil, but now, now it sound right, like it is indeed her home.

“Like I said,” Zuko says, sitting back in his chair with a ghost of a smile still lingering on his lips, “Take your time to think it over.”

Two days later, the gang, and Mai, are in the earth kingdom, sitting in Iroh’s tea shop and drinking tea together.

Katara watches the group as they laugh together, even Mai seems… happy?

Before they left, Katara had made up her mind.

“I’m turning down the position of ambassador,” Katara had told her father, “But I’m not coming home either.”

Hakoda frowned at Katara’s words as she informed him that she is going to accept Zuko’s offer to become his advisor.

“You’re going to turn your back on your tribe?” Hakoda seethed, angry at his daughter’s decision.

“I’m not turning my back on anyone,” Katara sighs, “I’m just… Zuko needs me.”

“And what about your tribe?” Sokka added, though he wasn’t as mad.

“What tribe?” Katara asked, “I haven’t felt part of a tribe since they gave me up. I know you’re all ‘sorry’, but the thought of returning to the south makes me feel sick. What is it you expect me to do?”

“We want you to come home,” Hakoda sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“And do what?” Katara asks, “Become a tribeswoman?”

“You can be anything you want!” Hakoda shouted, “you could open your own healing hut, teach others. The northern tribe has agreed to help us build and expand, you could be a part of that.”

“I could be a part of something more here,” Katara said, “I can be a part of peace, I could help heal a whole nation.”

“Katara, you are water tribe,” Hakoda argued.

“And I’ve spent almost half my life in the fire nation,” Katara responded, “Dad, I know you want me home, but this, the fire nation, is my home too.”

“How could you say that?” Hakoda snarled, “They took you away, they tortured you.”

“Zuko isn’t his father,” Katara defended, “he would never hurt me.”

“You can’t know that for certain.”

“Yes, I can!” Katara snapped, her anger rising, “You can’t change my mind or make my decisions for me.”

“I am your father!”

“Not for the past seven years!”

“Because of them!”

The argument went on and on, eventually Sokka decided to step in, surprisingly, he agreed with Katara and took her side supporting her one hundred percent.

“I just don’t want to lose you,” Hakoda finally sighed, once he realised that he would not win, “Not again.”

“You won’t,” Katara responded, taking her father’s hand, “I’ll come and visit, often. And I’ll write letters.”

Hakoda yielded to his daughter and now she sits in the tea shop, wondering when she should tell Zuko.

Katara wanted to tell him immediately, but he was preoccupied with Mai, it was never the right time.

But now, everything is quiet and peaceful, Katara approaches the Fire Lord and touches his arm.

“Can I talk with you?” Katara asks, nodding her head to the balcony outside.

Zuko nods his head and follows Katara out of the room, ignoring all the eyes on them.

“What’s up?” Zuko asks, as Katara leans on the railing.

“Does your offer to be advisor still stand?” Katara asks, her hands clenched nervously in front of her.

“Of course,” Zuko says, smiling as he looks to Katara’s hands, “Are you still considering it.”

“Not anymore,” Katara says, Zuko’s eyes flick back up to her as she smiles, “I accept.”

Zuko smiles, it’s so brilliant and bright that it’s contagious.

“You do?” he asks, Katara nods her head and Zuko laughs as he picks Katara up in his arms and spins her around, so ecstatic that he doesn’t care about acting like a reserved Fire Lord.

Katara laughs as Zuko spins her around, her heart flutters in her chest as he plants a kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you!” he beams.

“I should be the one thanking you!” Katara laughs as Zuko sets her down again, “You’re the one who offered the position.”

Zuko smiles at Katara as a weight is lifted from his shoulders, with Katara by his side, Zuko knows that he can do anything, and he isn’t so afraid to be the Fire Lord anymore.

All too soon, Zuko realises that they have an audience, he looks over to where the group stare at them, save for Toph, who is staring in the completely opposite direction.

Both Aang and Mai seem to share the same facial expression of unbridled rage. Sokka keeps his emotions beneath his skin, his face neutral and nonchalant, while Suki and Kiki both look at the couple fondly.

Iroh’s face is the brightest of all, with a wide smile and big, loving eyes.

“Well,” Zuko says, breaking the awkwardness as he looks back to Katara, “I suppose we should go meet with the king, then.”

Zuko busies himself by getting ready so he doesn’t have to face Mai, but it’s not that easy.

“What was that?” Mai asks, walking into Zuko’s room without knocking.

“Mai,” Zuko hisses, scrambling for the pants he just removed.

“Oh, I’ve seen it all,” she scoffs, shutting the door behind her, “What the hell was that?”

“Katara has agreed to be my advisor,” Zuko says, ignoring his pants and going for his fire nation garb.

“What?” Mai gapes, “You gave a water tribe girl the highest position on your council, the position my father has been fighting for?”

“She’s my friend,” Zuko says, pulling on pants, “And I trust her a lot more than your father.”

“She isn’t fire nation,” Mai grumbles.

“She doesn’t have to be,” Zuko shrugs, “But even so, she’s lived almost half her life in the fire nation.”

“And that makes her qualified?!”

“No,” Zuko sighs, pulling on his tunic, wincing as the movement pulls at his chest, “My trust makes her qualified.”

“You’re too excited about this,” Mai says as Zuko ties his sash around his waist, “Like you have feelings for her.”

Zuko pauses, his back is to Mai so she doesn’t how his eyes widen.

“Of course I have feelings for her,” Zuko sighs, leaning down to pull his boots on, “She’s my friend.”

“I was talking of romantic feelings.”

Zuko doesn’t respond to Mai, he’s afraid to. He winces again as he pulls his cloak and chest armour over his shoulders, the movement pulls at the blister on his scar and he makes a note to ask Katara to help him later.

“I don’t’ have time to talk about this,” Zuko says, looking at Mai as she stands, still waiting for a response, “I have to go see the Earth King.”

Mai just huffs and then leaves as Zuko pulls his hair up into a bun and slides his crown into the bun, pinning it to make sure it will stay in place.

“Are we ready?” Zuko asks, walking out of his room.

He finds Katara already waiting for him and his eyes widen as he takes in his attire.

“I thought the advisor to the Fire Lord should look the part,” Katara says, smiling mischievously as she turns around, letting Zuko take in her red, black and gold clothes, “Iroh helped me pick them out.”

Zuko’s jaw hangs slack, Katara wears traditional fire nation boots, complete with the pointed toes, over black leggings. She wears red, wrap tunic, which has short sleeves and is trimmed in gold. Katara has tied the outfit together with a gold sash around her waist and deep red arm guards.

“Are you ok?” Katara asks, looking to Zuko as he finally picks his jaw up off the floor.

“Yes,” Zuko says, clearing his throat, “yes.”

Zuko and Katara leave the tea shop and walk to the Earth King’s palace.

“You know, you don’t have to dress like fire nation,” Zuko says, his eyes flicking to Katara and the gap in her tunic’s skirt, which shows off her thighs, “You could have just worn blue, or even the green you were wearing before.”

“I know,” Katara says, she pulls her loose hair over her shoulder, even her hair is styled in fire nation style, “But someone once told me that I look better in red.”