A/N: And so, only two weeks (yikes, it's already been two weeks?), I present you the next installment of this story :) Truth is, this weekend I wrote a list about the story I really should write still this year – they number around seven (I say 'around', since I am not sure how many more chapters for this story will be written this year), so I'd better hurry up – and I do, since this little one was written in one day :) (proud of her little one :P), which is pretty good, considering that I didn't even write a sketch beforehand this time. But that's enough of my rant, read and enjoy!
…Oh, one more thing: this chapter takes place before the first chapter of this story, so, once again, I am turning chronology upside down :P
Word Count: 2408
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: [Insert funny text here that tells you I don't own Avatar – the Last Airbender]

Tea pot in hand, Iroh glanced at his nephew sitting stiff and nervous at the opposite end of the table, drumming his fingers against the wooden surface. The old man smiled; he was easier to read than an open book.

"Maybe this'll help you calm your nerves. It's my own blend, and if I may brag a little, I find it rather efficient when I need to calm myself," he said, pushing a cup full of tea towards Zuko, who grabbed it and drowned the tea in one great gulp. Iroh only shook his head – so much for teaching his nephew to appreciate tea. But then again, in the state the young Fire Lord was currently in, Iroh could be happy he didn't manage to accidentally boil the tea and then pour the whole cup on himself.

One more reason why the Dragon of the West was dying to find out what was going on with his nephew, even though he already had a very good guess.

Zuko's coronation was only a few days previously and ever since that the two men hardly see each other outside the council chamber. There was always an ambassador or a nobleman to meet, a contract to sign or a peace meeting to attend to. And on the top of it all there were Zuko's 'secret' nighttime rendezvous with Miss Katara (Iroh had eyes and ears all over the palace; there was no way he wouldn't have found that out, not that, as half of the palace already knew about this courtship, it was a big secret), a new habit of his that endlessly amused his uncle. And Iroh had a feeling that the girl was the key of everything. And as the day of Katara's departure was inching closer, Iroh was only slightly surprised when his nephew came to him that morning, asking for help, but not stating right away what kind of help.

When Zuko finished drinking Iroh took the cup back from him and poured again, but didn't hand over the filled cup, but waited from him to say something, looking into the younger man's eyes, willing him to speak. When he didn't, Iroh decided that he needed a little nudge to the right direction.

"Now, Fire Lord Zuko, I can't help you unless you give me at least some kind of pointer," Iroh said, still smiling softly, still keeping the cup hostage.

Zuko hesitated a little. He swallowed – Iroh could see his Adam's apple bobble –, then spoke in a clear, determined voice.

"I want you to speak with Hakoda for me," he stated, without beating around the bush. Iroh only nodded; it was start.

"And about what, if I may ask? What is it that you can't discuss with him?"

Zuko answered right away, without even missing a beat.

"I want to marry his daughter," came the curt reply.

So it was about Miss Katara, even though Iroh couldn't say that he wasn't surprised by his nephew's intentions. The boy who wouldn't even go on a date without a little push to the right direction only half a year ago was now considering marriage. No, not just considering it – he seemed rather adamant about it.

"I would do it, but tradition says that it should be the fathers, who–" Zuko continued, but Iroh cut in.

"And you want me to do it?" he asked, touched by Zuko's words, completely forgetting the whole proposal part for a moment. Yes, he knew that Ozai was out of the question, but it still warmed his heart that his nephew wanted him to take his father's role in the situation.

"Of course," Zuko replied without thinking, maybe even a little annoyed that his train of thought was interrupted. "As I was saying, according to tradition it should be the groom's father who asks for the bride hand, and I think that Hakoda would approve if I went with the traditions. So, will you do it?"

Iroh looked into his nephew's eager, excited, amber eyes and mentally shook himself. As much as he wanted Zuko to be happy and help him – and initially, he wasn't even against the idea –, right then he had to be the responsible one, the one who isn't lovesick, who considers everything and makes the right decision, even if it's not the decision Zuko would want. Right then, he had to keep the Fire Nation's best interest in mind.

"Why is this rush?" he asked, leaning a little closer while trying to see the reason behind Zuko's haste. "She is not pregnant, is she?" Well, it did fit into the time frame, and he really did know very little about the time His nephew had spent with the Avatar and his friends.

Zuko's expression – eyes dilating in horror, cheeks aflame by embarrassment – answered his question before his nephew did.

"No! Of course not! We are not… We haven't even…" he stuttered. Iroh couldn't help but chuckle.

"Then why is this rush?" He repeated his earlier question, the smile leaving his face at once. It was serious matter. "She's not even of age, as far as I know, and according to you, there's no… urgent reason for marriage. Then why now? Have you considered everything?"

Zuko let out a heavy sigh, his shoulder slumping. When he spoke, he seemed much calmer.

"I have considered everything, believe me. I've changed, you know; I am much less impetuous than I used to be," he said softly. "And why's the rush? You are right, she's not of age yet and I could wait, but what's the guarantee that she'll be still there if I wait?"

Iroh was puzzled by his words.

"Are you not sure of her feelings for you?" he asked cautiously. If the girl didn't feel the same way for his nephew as he did for her, if she wouldn't wait for him, it was less of a good idea, not only for the Fire Nation, but for Zuko as well, than he'd originally thought.

"I am – I love her, Uncle, and she loves me, I know that." He sighed. "It's just… you should know better than anybody that marriages aren't always for love. And Katara… she's a good catch. She's beautiful, smart, powerful, the daughter of the chief and sifu of the Avatar, nonetheless. Whoever's marrying her is making a good match, and I can't be the only one who' realized that. So if I wait and let her go home now without a promise that her hand is mine, who can guarantee that her father won't get a great offer for her that he can't refuse? Who can guarantee that by the next time I meet her she won't be engaged?"

Iroh nodded, seeing his point, but not really agreeing it. He'd talked with Pakku and knew about his and Kanna's story and knowing that Katara was Kanna's granddaughter, he doubted that the girl would succumb to an arranged marriage.

"Zuko, I don't think that Miss Katara would–" he started, but this time it was Zuko who cut in, already guessing what his uncle was about to say.

"Yes, she would. I know her better than you, Uncle. If she was convinced that it's for the greater good, that with it she'd help her people, she would do it, without hesitation. It would break her heart, but she would still do it."

Iroh considered it for a moment. He handed the still full cup back to Zuko – who, this time, only took a small sip, a sign that he was calming down –, and then poured for himself as well.

"I see your reasons, and they even make sense," he said, considering the amber liquid in the cup. "But still, there are other factors we have to take into count. Have you thought about your council?"

Yes, the council was a tricky question, and Iroh was aware of that. He could only hope that Zuko was aware of it as well.

"I have," the younger man nodded, putting down his cup. "This issue has been keeping me awake for days, Uncle. I have already told you, I have considered everything." He took a short pause. "As I have already said, Katara's a great match. If I married her, the Fire Nation wouldn't only earn the benevolence of the Southern Water Tribe, but the Northern as well, since she has links to there, too. And the rest of the world would also be content, seeing that I am willing to work together with other nations, even going as far as taking a bride from one of them. It hasn't been done in centuries, Uncle. I have looked it up."

"Even if they initially agree with your choice – or at least they pretend to agree – what about the question of heirs?" Continued Iroh, bringing up the next problem they had to face. "You know that they – and now I am talking about the whole nation, not only the nobility – would only accept a firebender on the throne. What if your waterbender wife never bears you firebending children?"

Zuko seemed to be really troubled by this idea. He plucked his crown from his topknot, freed his hair and buried his fingers in the ebony locks.

"I… there's a fifty-fifty chance for having a fire- or a waterbender, right? …Okay, maybe not, since a non-bending child is also possible. But even then, bending is strong in our bloodline, is it not? Katara's the only bender in her family. If we had… let's say, four children, there's a great chance for at least one of them being a firebender, right?"

Iroh took a sip from his tea.

"Right, but what if none of them is?"

Zuko shrugged, but his shoulders remained rigid with tension.

"Then we'll keep trying," he stated, not sparing more words on this topic. It was clear in his head: if you don't succeed on your first try, try again. "And anyway, I think we have time before we have to worry about it."

"You are right, nephew," Iroh nodded. "But there are other issues as well; for example, the people. Do you think the citizens of your cities could accept her?"

This time, it was Zuko who reached for his cup, taking a sip of the slowly cooling tea.

"The people love her, uncle. I've seen her in smaller towns, and even here at the marketplace. She communicates easily; she's kind, easy to love; she always wants to help. Of course, I know that there'll be people who'll be unhappy with her, but most of the citizens want somebody who can heal the scars the war caused, and Katara's the best person for that." He took a brief pause there, only long enough to collect his thoughts, but too short for Iroh to say anything. "And before you'd bring up another issue, let me be a step ahead of you: I know that she's not that well educated; she hasn't studied history or calligraphy, and that she's not familiar to most of our costumes. But the key word here is study – she might be a little bit behind all those noble girls who have been learning all of this since they could talk, but I know her, and I know that she'll make it up. She also managed to learn waterbending in mere months; you saw it, I saw it. I have faith in her. And even with her lack of formal studies, she has way more common sense than any noblewoman. And who do you think would be a greater aid in ruling?

"And Katara's also a person I can rely on, somebody I can trust – when unknown number of councilmen is less than happy with me for dethroning my father and ending the war, councilmen who would be more than happy to see their daughters by my side and have her influence me, have me dance as they whistle… We would never have to worry about it if Katara was my wife. And, as I've already mentioned, by this marriage the Fire nation would get two great allies: the two Water Tribes. New trade routes could be opened, with healers coming from the Northern Water Tribe we could improve our health care system, and we could pay them in exchange with steel and… and vehicles, and, Agni forbid, if a civil war broke out, we could count on military help as well.

"So, everything summed up, everything put together, everything taken into account, I think there are more reasons for me to marry Katara than there are against it," he concluded his speech, the stiffness in his posture replaced by pride and maybe a little stubbornness.

Iroh watched at his nephew, amazed and proud of this young man who'd matured so much in the past year. Who'd grown into his role as Fire Lord. Who was ready to take whole world just to be able to do what he really wanted. The old man found himself smiling again.

"And you love her, let's not forget to add this little fact to the pros as well."

"More than my own life," Zuko confirmed sighing, a dreamy expression on his face. "I have the scar to prove it."

Iroh wanted laugh and cry and hold his nephew close at the same time.

"Then alright," the Dragon of the West said at last, sipping the last of his tea from his cup. "I'll talk with Hakoda, first thing tomorrow. I'll make him see that this is the best decision that could be made and that you are serious about it and have the best, purest intentions." He smiled mischievously. "I'll get Miss Katara's hand for you."

Zuko's face instantly lit up, a brilliant smile illuminating his features.

"Thank you, Uncle, thank you so much, you're–"

"Wait a minute!" said Iroh, interrupting him mid-sentence, waving his upraised forefinger at him. "Before I do anything, you have to promise me something. Or more precisely, two somethings."

"Anything, Uncle."

"First of all, you'll love her. Love her in a way no man has ever loved any woman, every day, until you die." Zuko didn't say anything, only nodded; he didn't find it hard to promise, not at all. "Secondly," Iroh continued, "I want to be made grandfather. Not right away, of course, but the earliest convenient time, am I understood?"

Now, it was a little bit harder to promise.