Fandom: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Pairing: Zuko x Yue
Theme set: Gamma
Rating: PG-13

01 Ring

Marrying Yue might not have won Zuko back his honor, nor his throne, and definitely not his father's love, but right then, an eternity of banishment with her rang more true to him than a lifetime honored at the palace without her.

02 Hero

Zuko had been called many things in his life, (traitor; coward; fool) but when Yue said his name, the word spoken so soft and delicate, he felt like a hero.

03 Memory

As an old woman, Yue often looked back at her life and wondered how some people managed to find peace in old age; (she certainly hadn't) all the once-beautiful princess of the Northern Water Tribe had now was a broken heart, a bitter past, and a necklace set with a red jewel, given to her by a man who had loved her very much.

04 Box

In her daily life, Yue must always be as stiff and pure as the snow she came from, closed off from any human failings or emotions; her only escape was when she sat with Zuko, and he would tell her the stories of his land—building up a fire to help melt the ice that held her trapped.

05 Run

Laughing; feeling the lush green grass of the Fire Nation between her toes, Yue –with her husband Zuko right beside her- just wanted to throw her arms back and run.

06 Hurricane

One night when a great storm started up outside their home, Yue –unused to such howling winds and lashing rains- ran crying and distressed to Zuko's room seeking comfort; all through the night, he held his shaking princess close, and whispered in her ear, "Everything will be alright; I promise…."

07 Wings

So unreal…she was so unreal compared to the rest of his world; (gentle and forgiving when everything else was harsh and cruel) so accepting…she was so accepting of his mistakes and his faults…so heavenly; he could almost see the wings fluttering on her back.

08 Cold

Waking naked underneath red silk sheets, she turned to the man lying beside her, strands of his ebony hair falling to brush against her cheeks; even in the middle of a hot Fire Nation summer, Yue had never felt so cold.

09 Red

As Zuko watched her try on the red kimono made for her first public appearance in the Fire Nation, Yue turned to look at Zuko, and… -a memory flashed before his eyes, of Yue at their wedding, tears falling down her face even as her head was held high- he crossed the room to her and took her hand, "No," he said, you don't have to do this for me…

10 Drink

He reveled in her beauty every waking moment, he dreamed of it every night; how was it that one so shamed in the eyes of man could be blessed by such a woman as she…?

11 Midnight

After so many failed attempts, near misses, and broken promises, it was a shock to them both that one night their eyes met and they spoke the words -so long ignored- together; "I love you," and that was all they need.

12 Temptation

Zuko couldn't help himself; truthfully, there was no way he could stop himself…she was right there, her neck bare, devoid of the heavy winter furs she had worn when he had first met her, and the skin looked so soft and warm--Zuko leaned down, and pressed a gentle kiss to Yue's collarbone without pretense, for, really, the temptation was just too strong to stop himself.

13 View

For their voyage in the royal ship from the Fire Nation back to the Northern Water Tribe, Zuko gave up his own cabin –the only one that had a window- for Yue, choosing instead to sleep in one of the windowless crew cabins; when asked why, his only answer was that he knew she would want to see the stars.

14 Music

In Zuko's opinion, music was only music when played by a true master; in Yue's, all that mattered was the emotion within it; yet when both the primal tribal drums of the Northern Water Tribe and the elegant sungi horns of the Fire Nation played in concert at their wedding, no one could deny that, together, they made the most beautiful music.

15 Silk

As she ran her hands over the fabric, Yue felt entranced by the feel of the material under her fingers; she turned to Zuko, ("It's so smooth!" she exclaimed) and as he took her hand in his, he whispered that she could have as much as she liked

16 Cover

The first night Zuko spent in the Northern Water Tribe he could never remember feeling so cold; but when he awoke the next morning he found a heavy blanket draped over him, and beside him, a beautiful white haired girl, both of which had helped to drive the chill away.

17 Promise

At their wedding, neither Zuko nor Yue were naïve enough to believe that what the ritual words said, about happiness and trust, would be true for them--but many years down the road and with their assumptions yet to be proven correct, they began to think that maybe the truth was that it was naïve to think that such a promise couldn't be kept.

18 Dream

One night, Yue –an older and happier woman than she had been in the beginning of her engagement- dreamt of her past, of the time when she still lived with her people, and was in love with a blue-eyed warrior from their sister tribe; when she awoke in the morning she found that beside her -smiling gently- was Zuko, "Welcome back…."

19 Candle

On the first night after their marriage, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and Princess Yue of the Water Tribe stayed awake together all night in separate beds, -the command of Fire Lord Ozai for a son looming over both their heads- with one guttering candle between them to help keep the lonely vigil.

20 Talent

For all that could be said for Firebenders in the royal family, (cunning Iroh, cruel Azula, powerful Ozai) it was Zuko whom Yue liked to watch best; he did not force or push the movements, instead, he drew them gently out of him, and it was in this ability, Yue knew, that showed how compassionate he could really be.

21 Silence

They spoke without words, for there were some things that could only be heard in silence.

22 Journey

Their love, so strange and, at times, not love at all, had nonetheless been the best journey both of them had ever taken; certainly, it had been the most educational…for it proved the simple fact that love had no bounds.

23 Fire

Since birth, Zuko had believed that fire was a tool to destroy, (a harsh and single-minded killer) but when he spoke these thoughts to Yue, she simply smiled and said, "But it was fire that provided shelter and warmth to both our ancestors in the early days," speaking a truth that Zuko had all but forgotten.

24 Strength

Like ice, was what Zuko thought of Yue at first, fragile and beautiful as ice; but gradually his views were changed, in simple ways (she never slept in late, she always did what had to be done first, she never gave in without a good reason) and slowly Zuko saw the truth: that while she was ice, she was the kind full of strength, and within that knowledge came his first lesson on the subject of love.

25 Mask

Even on the crowded dance floor, he found her, -the twirling bodies of the other dancers pushing her right into his arms- and as she looked up, though the mask hid his face, instantly she knew that it was him, and a wash of relief came over her, "You came for me…."

26 Ice

When he found her, lying dead by the oasis with no one around her to mourn her passing, all he knew was how cold she was –she had been so warm before- and as he held her close to him, ("Please don't take her from me!") she felt as nothing more than ice.

27 Fall

She noticed the signs gradually, -a sigh from the heart, a blush of the cheeks, a warmth in the soul- until one day she turned to look at Zuko and found an unbidden emotion hidden deep within her--Yue marveled how one could fall in (and out of) love, so easily.

28 Forgotten

While sorting through some of her old things, Yue –a happy middle-aged woman with three beautiful children- found, placed in a priceless jade box, a small, dirty, badly cut wooden fish; alone in her room, Yue thought -bitterly, ruefully even, but all the stronger for it- that she was glad for the time when her past was left behind.

29 Dance

Court intrigue was a waltz of the mind (the smile, a pace outward or in; a narrowed eye or tilt of the head, a spin or twist; the barbed, sinuous, poisoned words a music made of razor blades) and as neither Zuko nor Yue could match their steps with the people around them, they danced solely for each other.

30 Body

In appearance, Zuko and Yue could not be any more different; –one light where the other was dark- and in manner, just as far apart--but in the darkness as they watched the stars together, and could not tell one body from the other, it was clear that surface details told nothing about love.

31 Sacred

His people worshipped the sun…so how was it that he always found himself looking up at the moon?

32 Farewells

When Yue left the North Pole, there were two goodbyes, one public and for their city, -in which she played the role of a dutiful princess protecting her people- one private and for Sokka; –in which she played the role of a woman in love with him- and Sokka, as she turned away from his kisses with a faraway look in her eyes, knew that neither of those roles were the truth anymore.

33 World

He was her world; in his eyes she found hope, and in his arms, shelter.

34 Formal

At the ball after their wedding, Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe and Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation took each other's hands for all the world to see

35 Fever

When Zuko became sick one night (sweating and shaking and crying out in the dark at phantoms of his past) Yue sat with him all night long, thinking of Katara, and how she had the power to heal; right then, Yue would have given anything to have that power.

36 Laugh

Sometimes, Zuko hated himself for taking Yue away from all she loved; then he heard her laugh and knew that it was worth it.

37 Lies (companion to 50 Breathe)

Yue slips into Zuko's room one night, a hand over her belly, ("Is it ours…?" he asks hesitantly; "Yes." She answers) and he knew the lie not from her eyes, but in her voice; no byproduct of their love could ever make her so happy.

38 Forever

In their world, there were many ways to die, and they could happen at any time; yet this did not matter to them, for they had each other…and everyone knows that real love is forever.

39 Overwhelmed

Oftentimes, Yue had comforted Zuko in his moments of despair, and Zuko –considering nothing but the kindness in her touch- thought little of it; but when he saw her crying one night –"I miss it all so much, Zuko!"- he realized he was not alone in his agony.

40 Whisper

In truth, their wedding had been postponed many times, as if the world itself was conspiring against them, and in the beginning they were fine with this, for how could they possibly love one another; yet when the day finally came, the first words that were spoken came from Zuko, whispered quietly into her ear at the alter before the ceremony began, ("I love you, Yue,") and there were no tears that time but those of joy.

41 Wait (companion to 48 Unknown)

"Long ago, there was two lovers, -born royalty of different nations at war with one another- and though they were able to meet secretly sometimes, the war still went on; so the man, a proud prince of the Fire Nation, was called to battle; in a tearful farewell, his ladylove, a beautiful princess of the Northern Water Tribe, passionately told her husband that she would wait for him forever…"

42 Talk

A year had passed, (the unlikely couple spending most of it avoiding each other) but one night they sat down, and tried all too belatedly to set things right; "I'm sorry," he said, but Yue cut him off with an offering of intimacy all too rare between them "When I was born…" she began, and Zuko understood the gift she gave him, and returned it in kind.

43 Search

"I heard that you spent years of your life searching for the Avatar," Yue said just to break the silence, -though the look of remorse in Zuko's eyes stopped her cold- and then he spoke "I wasn't searching for the Avatar; I was searching for home…" he was silent for a time, then, "…and I think I found it with you."

44 Hope

On the day their wedding was announced, Zuko met Yue privately, dressed not in the Fire Nation armor he had worn previously, but in the blue furs of the Water Tribe; looking at him, she smiled -almost despite herself- while new hope flourished within her.

45 Eclipse

At certain times, their position as lovers was overshadowed by their duties as royalty, but, thankfully, those times were few and far between.

46 Gravity

When Zuko and his bride were asked to present themselves to Fire Lord Ozai, the prince himself somewhat panicked, ("I haven't seen him in years and what if he doesn't approve or wants us to separate--") and it was Yue who said, "Calm down; I promise it will be alright," and while the significance of their situation remained, Zuko began to think that -maybe, with her beside me- it would be alright.

47 Highway

Zuko traveled through the Earth Kingdom alone, disheartened by his situation, disowned by his family, and dishonored in the eyes of his people; yet, sometimes he thought he saw a strand of white hair in the moonlight or felt the brush of a cool hand on his face at night, and with each such occurrence, he began to regain his hope for the future.

48 Unknown (companion to 41 Wait)

"…and so she did, lingering in their secret hideaway until the day she died, never to know that her beloved had been killed, many years before; some say that she remains there even now, waiting for her long lost lover to return to her."

49 Lock

There had been a fight: Zuko saying something that, while meaning little to him, tore her heart to pieces, and after seeing her face, how distraught she looked, he had to make things right…but when he tried to open the door to their room, he found that it was locked.

50 Breathe (companion to 37 Lies)

At the first wail of the child –eyes blue, hair brown and skin dark- Zuko drew a sharp intake of breath; from the white-haired woman on the bed there was no answering breath, and the prince of the Fire Nation knew –even as an awful grief welled up within him- that, now, the revenge of a certain Southern warrior was finally complete.