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The Price of Peace	By : Looneyluna Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 19165 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Summary – Katara recalls a conversation between herself and her father. She and Toph relax.

A/N – Thanks again to MonCapitan for finding my mistakes.

Interlude Seven –

“Trust me!” Katara called out to Toph as she climbed the steep trail to the hot springs. “This is just what you need. A nice long soak.” It’s actually just what she needed after yesterday.

“But you said I had a choice!” she entreated, following behind her father.

Hakoda entered the garden, making his way toward the serenity of the Koi pond. “You do.”

“I do not want to marry Fire Lord Zuko,” Katara affirmed sharply. “I want to go home.”

Walking onto the bridge, her father stopped and searched the water. “Do you love him?”

Katara blushed. Not only had she been caught in a compromising situation, she had enjoyed Zuko’s attentions. “I-I admire him. He was horrible at first, but he kind of grows on you.”

“You haven’t answered the question.” Her father reached into his pocket and produced a pouch of fish food. He sprinkled some onto the water, calling the Koi to feed.

Studying her hands, Katara bowed her head. “I don’t know.”

“An honest answer,” Hakoda whispered, “is better than no answer at all.”

“I don’t belong here,” she confessed as she leaned on the railing of the bridge and watched the Koi.

Grasping one of her hands, Hakoda pointed at the waterfall in the distance. “Look at the water. Watch the way it moves. It falls into the pool and waits.”

She listened to her father’s words, hoping for some of his strength to rub off on her.

“It waits for the sun,” he continued solemnly. “The sun calls to the water, carrying it into the sky. The water, too heavy for the air to hold, falls to the earth. It is the natural way of things, Katara. Water can go anywhere. It can be anything, liquid, solid, steam…

“Just like you, my daughter.” He squeezed her hand reassuringly. “You belong everywhere. Do not be intimidated by the trappings of this nation. Its people may have technology and science, but their souls are adrift. They float in a sea of uncertainty, wondering what each day will bring.

“Fire Lord Zuko is a noble leader, but nobility only goes so far.” Her father sprinkled more food on the water and sighed. “He has isolated himself, afraid to let anyone get too close to him. The people look to him to carry on the once-proud traditions of long ago. Marriage and procurement of an heir is… Well, you understand what it is. I am surprised he has not taken a concubine for this task.”

Inwardly, Katara cringed. The thought of him with another woman stirred jealousy within her.

“When General Iroh approached me with this…idea he was painfully honest. He told me of your travels, their pursuit, and the eventual alliance between Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang. He told me of the begrudging ‘respect’ that was forged between you and Fire Lord Zuko.”

Katara blushed, hoping that Zuko’s uncle had skipped the part where they had kissed for the first time.

“He also cautioned me before…encouraging you to accept.” Hakoda’s solemn gray eyes met his daughter’s. “He warned me of the threat to the throne. ‘How the shadows conspire against the light.’ It has been that way since the rising of the sun. You will have comforts beyond the wildest imaginings of our people, but you must constantly be on guard.”

“I understood all of that when I agreed,” she mumbled.

A companionable silence settled between father and daughter. Hakoda tossed crumbs into the water and they both watched the Koi.

“When you were born your mother cried. Her tears were what she called bitter joy. She loved you and was happy to have you. I asked her why her joy was bitter and she said it was because you would leave us. Not only have I lost my wife to the Fire Nation, I have lost my daughter as well.”

Wrapping her arms around him, Katara squeezed her eyes shut to stem the flow of tears. “You haven’t lost me.”

Brushing the thick foliage out of the way, Katara shoved her worries to the back of her mind. For now she would enjoy the hot springs and Toph’s company.

“I can see it!” Toph called out excitedly, running her hand along a large boulder next to the edge of the steaming pool. “It feels like a big bowl of jelly.”

Katara smirked as Toph described how she “saw” the hot spring. Stepping into the water, she hissed. It was hot and a little on the uncomfortable side. She cooled the water with her bending and eased deeper into the pool.

A large splash disrupted the surface of the water as Toph jumped in. The young Earthbender came up for air with a sour look on her face. “The bottom is all mushy. It makes things look fuzzy.”

“You don’t need to see anything,” Katara sighed, leaning against the edge of the hot spring and closing her eyes. “Just relax and enjoy.”

Toph puffed her cheeks out and dog-paddled in a circle, trying to find her way to ground.

Katara stifled a giggle. Her friend looked like a deranged Koalter. “Over here, Toph. Swim toward the sound of my voice.”

Instead of doing as Katara said, Toph swam away. “I know where I’m going. I just thought you could use a good laugh.”

Katara tossed her head back and giggled. “Thanks, Toph.”

The water settled around them, soothing aches and pains away and lulling them into a lazy silence. Worries and fears melted away as steam rose from the water.

“So,” Toph sighed. “When did you and Zuko hook up?”

“W-we haven’t,” stammered Katara.

Kicking off from her perch, Toph swam to the middle of the small pool and floated on her back. “Yeah right. You’re marrying him and you’re sitting there telling me that you haven’t had sex with him.”

Taking a deep breath to answer Toph, Katara gasped as something grabbed hold of her ankles and feet and yanked her beneath the water. Darkness surrounded her. There was no light. The moon was new. She could not draw on its power to defend herself.

She struggled to breathe, exhaling precious air as she cried for help. Clawing at her ankles, she tried to free herself. She was immersed in water, clawing the liquid and slicing through it angrily.

Katara barely heard Toph calling for her. Trying to call for help, she expelled more air. Her lungs burned. With the last of her air, Katara focused on the water surrounding her. Someone meant it to be her grave. She exhaled sharply, turning the water into an icy slush.

In freezing the liquid around her, the muddy earth cracked and released her. She broke the surface of the water, gasping and dragging precious air into her aching lungs.

“Katara! Katara!” Toph cried, her teeth chattering as she crawled out of the icy water. “Are you okay?”

Managing to swim to the edge, Katara collapsed on the shore and vomited the water she had swallowed.

“I heard them!” Toph exclaimed, feeling her way to her friend and making sure she was okay. “I heard them bending. I couldn’t find them! I tried, but I couldn’t see in the water.” She threw a handful of dirt into the water to emphasize her frustration.

Rolling onto her back, Katara looked at the stars through the thick fog. She wheezed, tears of fear and anger rolling down her cheeks.

--

TBC
- 13
- 14
- 15
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The Price of Peace