Day 7: Element Swap

VII: Dawning

"Katara, you need to wake up," Zuko's voice rang around her. Her shoulder was being prodded, and she opened her eyes to gather her bearings. She was lying on top of a bed in an unfamiliar room. Brushing hair away from her face, she sat up.

"Where…?" Katara looked around and finally caught the gaze of the firebender before her. "Oh."

"Good morning," Zuko replied, hovering over her with his hands behind his back. He suppressed a laugh. "Or should I say, 'Good Afternoon'?"

The waterbender slapped her hand to her forehead and stared blankly at the floor. "What time is it? How long was I out?"

Zuko helped her off of the bed. "It's midday. You were fast asleep the whole morning." He folded his arms together in consternation. "Do you know how aggravating you've been all week? First, you won't come to the palace to eat or sleep or bathe, and all of a sudden you come by in the middle of the night last night and pass out on my bed?"

"I know, I'm sorry. I was just…" Katara fought her sleepy brain for something to say. "I got carried away bloodbending and just got so tired. I wanted to see you, and the bed looked so comfy…"

Zuko dropped his head and sighed. "Katara," he brought his head back up, resting his hands on her shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes. "I care about my people just as much as you do. But I also care about you. You need to take care of yourself."

She nodded before falling into his chest in a hug. "I'll try."

"Thank you for coming back to the palace," he said as his hand reached up to massage the back of her head. "And just so you know, I'm instituting a new ground rule. You don't get to sleep on or in my bed unless you're wearing that necklace I gave you."

She pulled back and pouted at him. "You're no fun."

"Yes, well, you know Uncle would simply go berserk if he saw anything," he replied, kissing her forehead.

"Is he here?"

Zuko shook his head and pursed his lips. "No, but he will be soon. I wrote to him in Ba Sing Se, and he'll be here in a few days. I was worried sick about you, so I asked him to come knock some sense into you."

"Zuko, I'm fine," she put her hands on her hips. "I got plenty of sleep last night and—" the sound of her grumbling stomach cut her off. She groaned in resignation.

Zuko grabbed her hand and led her to the door. "Let's get you some food."

They sat quietly in his office. He was attending to paperwork, and she was reading a book she'd found in the library. They'd been following a routine for the past two days. She would wake up, be beckoned for breakfast, go with Zuko on his daily stroll through the city, and come back and sit in his office until nightfall. She got the impression that he was simply trying to keep tabs on her, stopping her from exhausting herself as she had the week before. It was frankly restricting, and she got frustrated at the lack of freedom. She did enjoy the books and histories she was reading about, but she felt completely useless.

After a few hours, she'd had enough. "May I please visit the infirmary?"

Zuko put down his pen. "You can do what you want, Katara."

"Apparently not, since I've been nothing but mothered for the past two days," she mumbled.

"Katara," he snapped, his voice harsher than normal, "you're not my prisoner here. You're my guest."

She huffed and picked up her book, getting ready to get out as quickly as possible. "Fine. I'm leaving, then. I'll be in the infirmary, making a difference, and not in here being a waste of space."

"Fine!" he retorted. "Wear yourself out. But don't come crawling back to me when you're passed out from working yourself too hard."

She gave him one last rigid glare before stomping to the door. She opened it, and was surprised to see Iroh standing there patiently. It was obvious in his face that he'd heard the outbursts coming from the room.

"Former General Iroh," she strained. She avoided his gaze.

"Miss Katara, how convenient you're here. I need to speak with you." He glanced at Zuko. "Both of you," he said while ushering her back into the room and closing the door.

Iroh pulled up two chairs to Zuko's desk. Katara sat down, focusing on the stone beneath her feet.

"I understand my nephew has offered you a precious token?" he asked her as he sat down.

Her hand instinctively reached for the bulging pocket in her dress. "Yes." The floor was still fascinating to her eyes.

"And have you not accepted it?"

She shook her head. "Not yet."

He grumbled, not in anger, but in slight disappointment. He glanced at Zuko and back at her. Everyone was clearly tired and not in the mood for this conversation. Zuko was tired of never finding solutions for his crumbling nation. Iroh was tired from his trip. Katara was tired of sitting around being useless.

"Why don't you two go out of town for a little while? You could go to Ember Island. You both need a break," Iroh finally suggested.

"What?" Zuko and Katara spoke at the same time.

"Uncle, I can't just 'take a break' from being Fire Lord."

Iroh scoffed. "Of course you can. I'll be here to watch over things. Your councilmen are capable people. Besides, they need your written permission to do anything, anyway." He leaned over to whisper to Katara. "But between you and me, they probably won't get anything done," he snickered. He was just loud enough for Zuko to hear.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I could probably use the extra space," Katara commented. "It might help me destress."

The Fire Lord looked at her softly. Fighting two-against-one, he knew he wouldn't win this battle. "Okay," he resigned. "We'll head out first thing in the morning."

Iroh clapped his hands together. "Excellent. I'll inform the captain."

Katara sighed before she got up, nodded at Iroh and Zuko, and left the room. She silently prayed that this "trip" wouldn't make things worse than they already were.

The boat ride only lasted a few hours before it met with the shore of Ember Island. Katara found that being out on the open ocean really lifted her spirits. She would bend shapes in the water as the boat sailed forth. The smell of the ocean is what she missed the most. She was finally in her element, and she took comfort in the sea before her.

When they landed, Zuko and Katara waved goodbye to the captain and hauled their luggage to the Fire Lord's beach house. The sand was warm and welcoming in Katara's toes. The weather was perfect. It was Spring in the Fire Nation, and the beach was littered with flowering trees and sparkling waters. Katara was already grateful she took up Iroh's offer to come to the island.

They got to the house and set their things inside. Katara picked a room across the hall from Zuko. They exited their rooms at the same time. "I'm going to the beach. See you there?" Katara asked.

Zuko nodded. "I'll be right there."

Katara left the house and trampled through the sand to the water. She slid out of her dress and entered the water in her wrappings. She floated on her back and spread out her arms, relishing in the cool water around her.

"Katara," Zuko called to her. She spotted him shirtless near the water's edge, holding a small bucket. He had also brought a pile of firewood. He waved her over. "I want to show you something."

She swam to the shore and gazed at the bucket. "What's that for?"

He grinned and sat down, shoveling handfuls of sand into the bucket. "There's this thing we used to do when we took summer vacations here." He patted the bucket's contents tight and flipped it over. He lifted the bucket away, and out came a smooth plateau of dense sand.

"Neat," Katara said as she sat next to him.

"Want to help me build a sand castle?" he asked.

"I feel like that's a job for Toph," she teased.

He smirked at her and filled the bucket again. "It is. But you'll have to suffice."

"Hey," she scoffed, "give me that. I'll show you the best sand castle you've ever seen."

"Prove it," he challenged her while handing her the bucket.

They spent a good half hour building their castle, perfecting its parapets and smoothing out a moat around it. The sky started to darken while Katara was forming little sand people with her hands. Zuko arranged the firewood and started a small campfire, then made his way into the water. The waves gently threatened the castle every few seconds, but Katara would protect it by whisking the water away.

An unusually large wave caught her unawares and sunk the castle, making it collapse under the water's grasp. "Aw, crud," Katara mumbled. She stared at the campfire for a short while until she got an idea. She grabbed two logs on their non-burning side and started swirling them around. "Hey, look Zuko," she called to the floating man in the water. "I'm a firebender."

She practiced swordfighting motions with the flaming logs, jabbing this way and that, fire trailing behind each gesture. She made 'whoosh' sounds, and she realized she was beginning to sound and act like Sokka. She didn't care. She was having fun.

Zuko ambled out of the water and grabbed the bucket. He dipped the bucket into the water, and when it was full, grinned maliciously at her. "Yes, and I'm a waterbender," he said as he lurched the bucket within his grasp, causing the water to fly in an arch towards her and extinguish the flames of the logs she was holding.

She gaped at him. "Jerkbender."

"Peasant."

They couldn't stop giving each other smug looks. Zuko stepped closer to her. His golden eyes bore down on her. "Fight me," he provoked.

She dropped her logs and crossed her arms about her chest, her heart racing at the sudden proximity. "Maybe I will."

"Do it." He held out a palm and produced a small flame. He gave her a sly smile.

"I would," she started as she found herself tiptoeing even closer. His warmth was persuasive. "But I wouldn't want to embarrass the Fire Lord by upstaging him."

He finally grabbed hold of her waist and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Trust me. Fighting isn't something I'm weak at."

A shiver went down her spine and heat flowed through her body at the same time. She wrapped her arms around his neck and copied his whisper. "I bet I can guess one of your weaknesses." She pulled back and shoved her lips onto his.

The passion in the kiss was maddening, and the buildup was absolutely worth it. Zuko returned the kiss, adding even more fervor in the contact. She felt his hands trailing up and down her waist and all around her back. She reciprocated by gripping the back of his head and caressing his cheek. Excitement coursed through her, and she couldn't stop kissing him.

"Let's go inside," Katara was finally able to gasp.

Zuko cupped her face in his hands. "All right."

They quickly picked up their dropped clothes and aimed for the house. Katara headed to the room she was staying in, and Zuko followed her, stopping her in the hallway. "You know my rule about my bed," he noted, "but that doesn't mean your bed is off limits."

"That's true," Katara replied, grinning. She rummaged through the dress in her hands, searching for the pockets. Her fingers eventually found the necklace. She slowly lifted it up and dangled it in front of him. The crystals refracted green light about the hall. "But not if I wear this."

His eyes widened in caution. "Are you sure?"

She assured him with a smile as she handed him the necklace and held up her hair. "Put the necklace on me, Zuko."

He hesitated, but gently brought the necklace to her neck and fastened it. "Thank you," he said before kissing her cheek. "For everything."

She dropped her dress to hug him around his torso, and he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Zuko. It's only appropriate that I help you restore your nation to its full potential."

"You're not just saying that to get into my bed?" Zuko asked.

"No, I'm telling the truth," she said as she pulled back and got on her tiptoes to touch her forehead to his. "But that's definitely a plus." She smirked and kissed him.

Zuko stepped back into his door. His hand fumbled for the doorknob, and the door opened up behind him. They entered his room, stuck in their embrace.

They would wake up together the next morning, the first of many brand new days – the dawn of a long and happy reign of the Fire Lord and his Fire Lady.

That's a wrap! Thank you to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed. I'll be honest, this day's prompt was trickier for me to implement, and it's pretty subtle, but I still had fun with it! And I hope you all had fun reading my contribution to Zutara Week. It seriously means a lot to me that this story even got views in the first place. You guys are awesome readers in an awesome fandom. Thanks for coming along this journey with me.

Take care, everyone. Long live Zutara. ;)

-Sparky1834