Chapter 6: The Fire Lady

Someone knocking on her door woke her up the next morning startling her into almost falling off the bed. She was glad Kiriko was having a sleep over with Ursa and Azula because otherwise her daughter would be cranky all day. Her headache told her she had probably slept too long so with a groan she sat up planning on opening the door in a second. The man behind her door was too impatient though because next thing she knew Zuko had opened and then closed her door and was looking at her. By the way he was dressed she was certain he had just rolled out of bed too considering his shirt was wide open showing off his chest and he was wearing low hugging pajama pants. His hair was also mused since he had just gotten out of bed, but if anyone came into her room at that moment they would think they had been up to less innocent things.

"What do you want Zuko?" she asked him whispering because she was afraid of drawing attention to the Fire Lord being in her room. The logical part of her knew that once it got out that they were married and had been for five years that it wouldn't matter. However the part of her that had spent those five years thinking she was a fallen woman was making her nervous of him being found in her room. Heavens knows that the servants of the palace loved their gossip and always let new rumors fly after seeing the most innocent of things, seeing this would have them saying that they were in love.

"I just want to talk Katara," he told her his voice still husky with sleep although it was the same huskiness she remembered he had when he was aroused.

His tone of voice and state of dress were making Katara want to drag him into bed with her and spend the next five hours getting reacquainted in that way. A part of her was even disappointed that she had fallen asleep in her clothes last night wishing she could have been in sexy nightwear to make him want her just as much. Obviously the attraction was still burning as high as it had five years ago and even worse since that kiss last night. Most likely if she hadn't ran away from him they would already be doing what she was thinking about.

Yet she also knew that it was a bad idea to complicate things further by adding a more physical part to their relationship. It was best to ignore it for now and concentrate on gaining back Zuko's trust, and that couldn't happen when they were alone because she would constantly feel the need to jump him. Maybe after she convinces him to leave she could make it so she and him were never alone together again. Him being so close was making it hard for her to think properly.

"I don't think that's such a good idea right now Zuko," she told him her voice squeaky with terror. Not from fear of him, but fear of herself and her lack of control over her feelings. The darkening of Zuko's eyes though told her that he knew exactly why her voice was so high pitched.

Smirking at her Zuko came closer to her spot on the bed hovering over her, but not sitting down. Instead it was like he was caging her in, so that she couldn't run not that she would be able to run at that moment because her legs felt like jelly. If she had been standing Zuko would have known exactly how much his nearness was affecting her because she would have collapsed since her legs were no longer capable of holding her up. Knowing Zuko if that had happened he would have seen that she still wanted him and would have thrown caution to the wind and kissed her.

"What are you afraid of Katara? I don't bite, much," he said huskily his breath blowing across her lips teasing her. He was trying to challenge her so that she would kiss him first, but she wasn't going to give in. Not now when they have so much they have to work through and discuss especially with their friends. Who would end up thinking they had hid their feelings for them feelings that she still didn't understand, and if Zuko had deeper feelings for her then friendship and lust wouldn't he be more upset instead of wanting to kiss her again?

Her throat was dry from his nearness and she wished he would give her space. Him being so close to her made her heart race and she could feel butterbees buzzing in her stomach from nerves. No man except for Zuko had ever made her feel so nervous in his presence, but she told herself it didn't mean anything. Most girls would be nervous around a guy they had a one night stand with only to find out later that they had actually gotten married. Wouldn't they? It didn't have to mean that she felt something more than friendship and lust for Zuko, right?

Lying through her teeth she answered Zuko, "I'm not afraid of anything. I just thing considering your lapse of judgement yesterday that it would be better that we not be alone together after all despite our being married I had never meant to marry you. To me it was just an itch to scratch."

Instead of looking devastated and reprimanded like she had planned Zuko just got that look in his eyes that she remembered from when he was chasing them. The look that told her he loved the challenge and he would succeed. Seeing that look after she basically told him that she had only gone to him because he was the option at the time seemed to have flipped a switch. A switch that told her things were going to get more complicated when she had wanted to make everything less complicated.

"I don't believe you Katara, so why don't you prove I do nothing for you," he told her.

Without giving her a chance to digest and understand his words Zuko was laying on top of her with his lips pressed against hers. All it took was his tongue lightly licking her bottom lip and she gasped allowing him to deepen the kiss as he pressed himself closer to her making her feel how much she excited him. Knowing she could make the powerful Fire Lord feel this way had her kissing him back with just as much abandon forgetting that she hadn't wanted to complicate things. His lips were hot and the feelings he was igniting in her were just like fire and if it was possible even more intense then the first night they had been together.

Her hands were sliding over his chest and she was glad that there was no barrier to her wandering. Gasping for breath his lips left hers and he started pressing light feathery kisses to her neck making her moan from the sensations. Everything just felt so good and he made it feel even better when his lips latched tightly to the spot where her neck and shoulder met and he began to suck.

"Katara I'm..." a very familiar voice began to say bringing her to see that the door had been opened well she was distracted. Looking at them in complete anger was her older brother, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" he shouted at them making Zuko jump off of her and a blush to spread across her face and ears.

"Sokka I uh," she began like a little kid being caught sneaking a snack before supper. For a moment she ended up forgetting that there was nothing wrong with her making out with her husband even if Sokka didn't know Zuko was her husband. Instead she felt guilty forgetting that she wasn't doing anything wrong.

Glaring at her Sokka turned his eyes to Zuko and if it was possible to murder someone with the look in your eyes Zuko would be dead by now. "What were you doing to my baby sister?" he asked his voice deathly quiet making a shiver go down Katara's spine. She had never heard her brother use that tone of voice and it scared her. What if Sokka didn't accept the fact that she had married Zuko and wanted them to get a divorce? Could she live with her brother not accepting her accidental husband? Because she knew that no matter what she wouldn't hurt Zuko again by leaving him a second time even if it meant losing her close relationship with her brother. Then again that relationship was already on the brink of disaster from her secrets and not telling him about his niece.

Zuko never got a chance to answer though because her father was at the door laughing at them making Sokka turn betrayed eyes at him. Not that Katara could blame him she was a little upset that her father was laughing at them as well. Then again laughing was better than him hating Zuko and if he was laughing then he had to accept him. Maybe it was a good thing that he had taken Sokka off the warpath.

Her father's words though made her blush and want to hide away in the blankets, "trying for another child already? Guess you two do have a few years to make up on after all," his smirk made her want to throw an ice dagger at him. Her father knew exactly what he was doing and was revealing their secret to Sokka in the worse way possible. Her brother would now think she had lied when she had told him she wasn't married because they both knew her father wouldn't be calm about this if she wasn't married.

"Another child dad what are you talking about?" Sokka asked turning to look at him then looking back at her and Zuko. It seemed that well she had been gone her brother had grown a few more brain cells because a look of betrayal came onto his face as he looked at them. It was even worse than before since he now believed that both his sister and one of his closest friends had been lying to him.

"Zuko is Kiriko's father? I thought you said her father didn't know! Heck I thought you said you weren't married yet Zuko told us years ago that he got married the night we defeated Ozai, and he isn't the type to cheat Katara. How long have you two been lying to us?!"

Holding back the tears as she looked at her brother she tried to explain, "Sokka, no it isn't like that! I wasn't lying, well not intentionally anyway I never knew about the weird freaky blessing his family had, and that the act itself would end up with us married. Zuko only found out yesterday, and that was because of Kiriko. Not that I wasn't planning on telling him, but I really didn't know how I was going to do it. I was just so afraid of everything changing and everyone's reactions and I ran instead of facing it head on."

Taking a deep breath as she ended her rambling she looked at her brother afraid that he would hurt Zuko. She hated when Sokka was mad at her, but she deserved his anger. Instead of seeing just her brother's heartbroken face she also ended up seeing Aang's betrayed face, and oddly enough laughter on Toph's. If Katara had been further along when she left the palace she would have ended up wondering if Toph had already known, then again it could very well be that Toph knew Katara had gone to Zuko. Who knew where Toph had been when she went to Zuko and since Toph could feel the vibrations it wouldn't really surprise her if Toph had 'seen' her go into Zuko's room that night.

"If you loved Zuko why didn't you just tell me Katara, I would have understood," Aang said looking at her with such a pained expression that she wished that the earth would swallow her up. Hurting Aang in all his naivety had been the last thing she wanted to do, heck she was still surprised that Zuko wasn't angrier at her. Then again he could just be trying to seduce her for revenge, although she really didn't think that Zuko would do something like that to her.

"It's not that... I don't... Ugh what I'm trying to say is," Katara kept trying to put how she wasn't in love with Zuko. Or rather she didn't think that she was in love with Zuko which made this situation ten times worse. Plus she still had to tell them that Zuko truly hadn't known that she was his wife until Kiriko had decided to tell him that he was her father.

Zuko put a hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner before he took over gently squeezing down which oddly enough calmed her slightly. "What Katara is trying to say is that she didn't know until yesterday that we were married and I didn't know she was my wife either. She believed that Kiriko was born out of wedlock and had left to avoid forcing me into marriage not knowing that we already had been married through a blessing on my family. The same blessing that makes any child of our blood holds the same birthmark to prove they are a member of this family."

"Good then Zuko that means you can finally get the council off my back by introducing them to their Fire Lady. Oh we have much to do nephew and not much time to do it. A ball to introduce the Fire Lady and heir to the throne has to happen quickly," Iroh's voice said he was also standing at the doorway behind everyone else. When he arrived Katara had no idea, but she could see a teasing grin on his face.

Katara hadn't even really thought about what it meant to be Fire Lady everything she would have to learn, but at least she had Ursa with her. She was afraid however of starting a true relationship with Zuko because she knew marriages that were blessed could not be abandoned, Ursa informed her of this last night before taking Kiriko, meaning she and Zuko were married until one of them died. Now that she knew she was the Fire Lady she couldn't hide any longer and it was time for her to start doing her job, even if she had unknowingly been helping her people since she left.

Everyone still looked like they didn't quite know how to take the news that two of their close friends were married and already had an almost five year old daughter. Yet Sokka no longer looked like he wanted to kill Zuko, and Aang didn't seem to hold such a strong look of betrayal. She knew however that it would take her older brother and her friend a long time to forgive her for her lies. She was actually surprised that Zuko seemed to want to make their relationship into a real one instead of focusing on the anger he must have felt when he learned she had kept their daughter from him.

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Hours later after everyone had left not sticking around for further information Katara was panicking. When Iroh had mentioned that she needed to be introduced to the council Katara had thought that she would at least have a few days to prepare and learn more about the customs of the Fire Nation. She hadn't thought that she would be pulled away by Ursa and Azula to be dressed into clothing that signified her position in the Fire Nation. Even putting in the hair piece that told anyone who saw it that she was the Lady of their Nation, and they spent the time telling her a small amount of information that should hopefully help her face the council.

She was worried that the council wouldn't accept her since she was born in the Water Tribes then again they might see it as a good thing showing that the Fire Nation was willing to change. If it wasn't for the fact that she was the one who had gone to him in the first place and if she didn't know Zuko would never do such a thing, she might have believed he had orchestrated it this way. Yet she knew Zuko had too much honor for this sort of thing which quelled some of her nerves, but not all.

Even Kiriko was getting ready so the council could be introduced to the heir. Zuko having made a story up to tell them saying that it was because of the unease around the Fire Nation at that time Katara couldn't formally announce the birth of the heir. Only their friends and family knew the truth behind the reason that the Fire Lady had not been around until now, and Zuko had sworn to her that it was staying this way. Her daughter looked gorgeous in her clothes wearing the old hair piece that Katara had seen on Zuko so many times when they were younger. She had to force herself not to cry when she finally saw her daughter ready to take her proper place in her nation.

"It's time to go Katara," a nervous looking Zuko told her coming into the room. He held his hand out for her to take his other one already holding onto Kiriko tightly. He truly was a good father even if he had only just learned about his daughter Katara could see just how much he loved her.

Swallowing tightly Katara felt if she tried to talk she would just puke, so she wordlessly took his hand trying to ignore the shocks that went up her spine as his hand encased her own. Putting on a mask worthy of the Fire Lady that she now was Katara acted like she wasn't a quivering mess of nerves inside. Instead she held her head up high and walked down the hallways with Zuko ignoring the gazes they were getting from the servants, as they walked through the halls of their Palace as a family to meet with the council. Only Zuko could tell just how nervous she was and he was rubbing soothing circles on her hand slowly making her give him a bright smile. She just didn't understand why he was so understanding with her when she had done so much that he should be furious about.

By the time they reached the rooms of the Council Katara was fairly certain that the gossip of a woman dressed as the Fire Lady and a young girl were travelling with the Fire Lord. The doors of the room were wide open inviting them in, but no one was waiting for them instead sitting in their spots with three cushions at the front of the room reserved for them. It was the Council's only sign that they had heard the rumors already.

"Honored Council it is my pleasure to finally introduce you to our Fire Lady, Master Water Bender Katara once Princess of the Southern Water Tribe and my wife of five years. I would also like you introduce to you the Heiress of the crown Kiriko Crown Princess of the Fire Nation." It was the first time Katara had heard Zuko speaking so formally. He didn't offer any explanations about where they had been only here for the moment to announce their existence, since it wasn't really Kiriko's place to hear what they would say. Not to mention the fact that their daughter might end up ruining their cover story if she was around when they gave it.

The council bowed down deeply to Katara and Kiriko not voicing whether they were displeased or not. Instead one spoke for them all, "we of the Council are pleased to find that you were not lying about having been married my lord. It is good to know that the crown of the nation will be passed on if anything happens to you, that is all the council has ever wished."

After that Kiriko and Katara were introduced to each council member who each expressed their pleasure at finally meeting their Fire Lady and Crown Princess, not that they knew the second one even existed. Some of the council members even had the nerve to suggest to Katara that now that she was back in the Fire Nation that she and Zuko should be trying for another child. She wasn't sure whether to blush with anger or embarrassment at that, and was only glad that she was able to keep her mask up.

Finally Katara was able to leave before she would have lost her temper at some of their suggestions. She was just glad that Zuko hadn't heard them suggesting that Katara and he have a second child, although she was fairly certain he wouldn't mind trying for another one. Not after how he had acted towards her this morning she really did have to figure out if Zuko was only attracted to her or if he felt more for her. Katara also had to figure out what exactly her own feelings for Zuko were before they could go on. Either way they had to stay married but whether it would be a marriage as friends or a true marriage she still had no idea which option they would choose.