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Zuko was nervous. It was Katara’s first birthday as Fire Lady so he wanted it to be absolutely perfect. Still reeling from the pomp and circumstance surrounding their engagement and subsequently, their wedding from both of their respective nations, (Katara argued that they didn’t have this many parties to celebrate the end of the 100-year-war), she made it clear that she wanted something small and intimate for just the two of them with no advisors, Fire Sages, and everyone in between hounding them– which typically ranged along the lines of when they were going to have a heir.
It’s not that they weren’t working on it – if he could have it his way, he’d relinquish his duties as Fire Lord to his uncle so he could stay in bed with her all day, but he was adamant about not being like his forefathers and thus, insisted that it wasn’t solely his decision on when they were going to have a child.
Besides, he was kind of enjoying the newlywed, child-free life. Sokka told him that once you start having kids, any alone time you have is really borrowed time and well, Zuko was a selfish man when it came to his Katara and didn’t feel like sharing yet.
Anyway, whatever his lady, his woman, his wife, wanted (Agni, almost a year later and it still gave him chills to say that), she got. Well, most of the time. If it was in reason. Katara’s requests (more like demands) were very rarely not in reason or beyond his power, but he had a reputation to maintain and didn’t want Toph to know he was that much of a lovesick fool lest he’d never hear the end of it, even though she probably already knew because “girltalk”, so he tried to limit her pulling the “As your Fire Lady, it is your duty to please me” card as much as possible.
So far, his record was 30 to .5 which actually wasn’t that bad considering Katara was gracious enough to give him half a point, so he’d say he was doing a pretty job at reminding everyone who wears the crown in this relationship .
So, what if she had her own and not only was it bigger but also more extravagant? That’s just because he had hers custom-made to represent both the Southern Water Tribe and Fire Nation as a gift for her coronation. In retrospect, she had so much power because he let her have it. Fire Ladies of the past were typically just there to look good and didn’t have much say in anything, but in the early stages of their relationship, he would politely remind naysayers that his girlfriend was not only a skilled healer, but for a very long time, was also the only female Southern waterbending master. In between her ambassador duties, she made trips to South Pole to teach alongside Master Pakku. For good measure, he sometimes added that she challenged Master Pakku who was 60 years her senior when she was only 14 – and won. It was his way of saying that Katara was not to be fucked with.
He started her morning with breakfast (and sex) in bed. Then, she was whisked away for a day of pampering at the hot springs spa getting the royal treatment. Of course, she tried to stay at the palace claiming she had too much work to do but Zuko assured (ordered – see, he still has some control!) her that it could wait. When she returned, she found a beautifully designed dress he commissioned from a seamstress in the Earth Kingdom (Katara always talked fondly of her experience dressing up like noble women during her adventure with her Toph and how much she liked their style of clothing) hanging in front of her wardrobe with a note that read “Meet me in the garden for a romantic dinner for two.” Dinner was prepared by the head chef of the only Water Tribe restaurant in the city and they ate in peace underneath the stars.
He was just waiting for her to finish her bath so he could present her with her final gift. That’s why he was currently obsessing over the medium-sized package he sat in the middle of their bed, adjusting and readjusting the moon peach blossoms and fire lilies he thrown around it.
Katara came out of the bathroom with a bath robe on and her hair up – she was born on the coldest day of the summer, which honestly didn’t surprise Zuko at all when he found out (with her fiery personality yet calming nature, it made perfect sense) – and took to wearing it that way during the warmer months ever since she moved to the Fire Nation to offset the heat.
“You look beautiful, my love.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a kiss on her temple. She melted in his arms at the touch and looked up at him. “Thank you for my day. You really outdid yourself.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his lips.
“Anything for you.” Zuko released his arms and spun her around, taking her hands in his. “But I’m not quite done yet.”
She tilted her head to the side in curiosity. “You mean to tell me there’s more?”
“Why do you seem so surprised?” He questioned in mock annoyance.
“You’ve already done so much. It can’t possibly get any better.”
“Hmm. I believe the gift on our bed would make you think otherwise.”
Katara smirked. “Zuko, we already had sex. Multiple times.”
“It’s not that.” Then he brought one of her hands up to his mouth and kissed it. “But I aim to please if that’s what you’d like.”
She rolled her eyes and playfully smacked him on the chest. She grabbed the package off the bed and sat on the chaise at the foot of it. Zuko sat next to her, eager for her reaction.
“This isn’t something weird or creepy, it is?” She teased.
He huffed. “Woman, will you just open it? Damn, you’re worse than Uncle.”
She swatted at him again, laughing. “Okay, okay. Don’t have a hissy fit.”
As she began to tear off the paper, he could barely contain his excitement. She is absolutely going to love this. He was already the best husband, but he was sure this gift would make him the best husband for generations to come.
Katara finally got all of the paper off and unwrapped the string holding the gift together. She gasped. Then silence. Zuko gifted her with ancient scrolls depicting Southern waterbending style forms and history. He was digging through the palace archives one day and found it. Apparently, the one she stole from the pirates was part of a collection. He figured it was given to his grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon, when he nearly decimated the entire Southern Water Tribe in an attempt to wipe them out and thought it should be returned to its rightful owner so he had it cleaned up and restored to its original quality.
But Katara was silent and this was troubling him.
“I’m sorry, Katara…I didn’t mean to trigger you. I should’ve-I should’ve thought it through.” He begins to apologize, sadness evident in his voice.
Great job, Zuko. All you did was remind her of everything she’s lost.
He nearly falls off the other end of the chaise as Katara practically tackles him with a hug. He can feel her shaking and soon enough, his nightshirt is soiled with her tears and she’s outright sobbing. Instinctively, he rubs her back and smooths down her hair.
“It’s ok. Let it out.” He whispers into her chocolate locks, holding her.
She starts to calm down and looks up at him with tear-stained eyes, an unspoken “I love you” in them. “Thank you."
“Don’t thank me. Not for this. It’s your heritage.” He cups her face with his hands and looks directly in her eyes. “It belongs to you.”
***
Many lifetimes later when both Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Katara have passed and their great-grandson is overseeing the country, a little girl on a field trip to Caldera with her first grade class is looking up at the glass-encased scrolls next to a larger-than-life marble statue of Katara in the center of the Royal Plaza. The statue depicts her in a bending stance and water flows from her fingertips into a fountain at the bottom. At night, it glows a bright hue of blue reminiscent of the color of her healing touch. The statue serves as both a popular tourist hotspot for photo-ops and lighthouse for incoming ships. But most importantly, it’s a tribute from a loving husband, who on his deathbed and unbeknownst to her, signed the order to have it erected.
She points at it and pulls on the new Fire Lord’s sleeve who’s made it a habit to give the tours himself whenever he could to honor his grandmother, Izumi (also known as The 1st Female Fire Lord), who officially designated the Fire Nation as a “neutral” country. “What’s that?”
He smiles and picks her up so she can get a better look. “These,” he tickles her sides and she giggles “are the ancient Southern waterbending scrolls that my great-grandfather gifted to my great-grandmother for her first birthday as Fire Lady. Do you know who they are?”
“Yeah!” The six-year-old squeals. “Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Katara. She was a waterbender, like me.” The child grins, beaming with pride.
“That’s right, she was. And I’m sure she would be so proud of you. You’re continuing a legacy!”
Underneath the statue is an inscription. It reads:
“I once heard a proverb ‘For the sun loved the moon so much, he died every night to let her breathe’. I never knew what it meant, until I met you. To my wife, lover, best friend and in honor of the first Fire Lady to be a Waterbender. The Fire Nation is a better place and the world’s a little brighter because of you. See you in the next lifetime.
With love, from Zuko.”
Katara doesn’t have a statue in Republic City, because she has one in the Fire Nation.