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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 33555 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, any historical figures or events, or easily recognizable persons, places or things. I make no profit from this work of fanfiction

Chapter List
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Chapter 209
Katara continued to lie on her side contemplating Zuko’s words while staring at him. She finally spoke when she noticed his slow blinks were becoming more rapid and his eyes were starting to wet. She yawned, “Finish my story. You never told me if we were able to survive without shelter.”
Zuko’s voice trembled but he began talking to her, “We had food for the first day so there weren’t any issues. I was determined not to disappoint my people or shame myself before Agni so I sent you away that night in favor of setting up my own camp. The next I was able to forage for food but my hunting efforts were unsuccessful. When I went to get water I saw you had a fish and got jealous. Instead of offering you the use of my cookware and Firebending I taunted you about eating it raw.”
“You asked why was I so concerned considering how I’d sent you away the night before and left. My behavior bothered me a little so I decided to follow your wet footprints to your camp. You had been successful at foraging too and had a real meal cooking on top of your armor. When you saw the way I was drooling in your direction you laughed and asked if I didn’t think it was odd you suddenly accepted the armor after refusing it for six months.
“You used your unfamiliarity with it to hide the face you’d packed extra gear in it including a sleeping mat, rice, a knife, rope, fish hooks, a second medical kit, needles and thread,” Zuko stopped speaking and rolled over to face Katara while chuckling, “Even when I’m plotting the scenario you outsmart me.”
Katara smiled sleepily back at him, “That’s because I’m smart enough to think with my brain and most of the time you think first with your temper.”
“Yeah you are smart; that’s why you ate everything and didn’t offer me a single leftover. You let me stew in my stupidity for days before throwing a rabbit you’d caught at me telling me to clean it if I was hungry. I ran off with it as soon as your back was turned. You were still berating yourself for trusting me when I brought it back fully cooked along with the rest of my meager belongings. You aren’t from the Fire Nation and you were surprised to see how many edible plants I’d put in the stew pot with it.”
“We worked together from that point on and our friendship grew stronger. The two months passed. My cousin and the sages came for us and found us asleep in our tent. They realized that we had snuck extras supplies past them so they took everything from us and left us for another month. It was the beginning of the rainy season and we didn’t have anything but the clothes we were wearing, one pot that contained leftover stew, your waterskin and my swords. They’d left them in with in hopes one of us would finally decide to kill the other.”
“That month was almost up and we started seeing signs of other people on the island. They never approached us but we could tell they knew which cave we’d moved into and that they’d sometimes set off our traps on purpose. They revealed themselves the night before the sages were to come for us. My father had sent the other champion as insurance since I was proving to be incapable of winning,” Zuko said bitterly.
“Azula was the other champion wasn’t she?” Katara asked and Zuko nodded while yawning at her. “Please tell me you let me kick her ass without interfering this time?”
Zuko nodded again, “We tied her up and the people who were with her. When the sages found us this time they took us back with them. My uncle was furious when he learned what my father did. Sending others to interfere violated the rules of warfare; since Azula was the other champion it also forfeited her victory. He turned my father over to the sages for punishment knowing he’d be punished for blasphemy against Agni. He placed Azula under house arrest. He declared the war over between the Fire Nation and Water Tribes based on our survival. He exempted us from the fate of surviving champions provided you took an oath of secrecy and never told of what you’d seen.”
“You went back home to the Water Tribes and I returned to my normal life. A year later rumors began to surface about dishonorable deeds during my fight and the cover up hide it. After an investigation they learned Azula’s group wasn’t the only one of the island. A group of Earthbenders were upset about their leaders’ choice of champion. They learned where we were staying so they decided to even the odds in your favor. As punishment Uncle Iroh requested that their true champion be returned to the Fire Nation for the duration of the six remaining years.”
“Is Toph the Earthbending champion?” Katara asked snuggling against Zuko’s shoulder.
“Yes she is. The Earth King knew he was taking a gamble sending someone so young but he knew the experience she gained would be a benefit in the upcoming years. She might lose the first time but she would be more likely to win the second and third. Uncle and Lu Ten immediately took a liking to her. They spoiled her and let her run amok in the palace much to the dismay of my mother.
“Everyone was happy; well everyone but Azula was happy. I moped around the palace in the usual manner. Lu Ten got tired of my brooding so he used his Crown Prince status to send me on a quest. I had to find the Avatar, a dragon and my happiness. I could take anyone or anything I wanted but I had to leave within three days. I knew there was no such thing as the second or third so I decided to search for the Avatar.
My first stop was the Southern Water Tribe, I knew I would need someone I could rely on who was handy in battle so I went to find you. Your people were upset especially the Chief because he thought Uncle Iroh was going to enforce the stipulations set forth when he learned the Water Tribe champion was to be a female.”
Katara interrupted him, sleepily making a revelation that neither of them caught, “Did my Dad think you were coming to claim me as your bride and properly unite our countries? We used to select a champion to do battle as well. Males and females champions were forced to marry regardless of outcome but the victor decided which village they lived in and who claimed the children.”
“Yeah, he did,” Zuko replied huskily. “He didn’t know of the bargain you’d make with Uncle to keep our nation’s integrity intact. He was relieved when I told him I needed a partner on a quest. He laughed outright and told me to go to the North Pole when I told him I was seeking the Avatar.”
“Why did he laugh?”
Zuko smiled drowsily at her and caressed her cheek, “Because you had already found the Avatar. Uncle declared a temporary amnesty and sent out the change in war tactic notification two years before the actual battle to give the other nations and ours time to locate and train their representative. You were angry because you were your country’s only Waterbender but no one considered a young girl fit to be champion; that is what triggered the temper tantrum that freed the Avatar. The Fire Nation emissaries had already left so no one knew the Avatar had been located except the Water Tribes.
“Since you were the one who found the Avatar your people decided perhaps it was the spirits way of appointing you their champion. Chief Hakoda is a very sly man. He sent a message to the Fire Nation with the names of the champion that would be fighting for them, the people who would be participating in the exhibition matches, and those expected to attend as spectators. No one really paid any attention to a young warrior in training whose name was Aang of the Southern Tribe.
He explained that there was only one Waterbender in the south so they would be going north so you could receive proper training and he asked for safe passage through Fire Nation waters. My cousin Crown Prince Lu Ten commanded the escort ships. When he met the Southern Water Tribes champion he arbitrarily decided that I would be the one fighting you and he would personally train me.”
Katara raised her head when Zuko began to laugh genuinely, “What’s funny?”
“I had forgotten that Lu Ten was such a slave driver. I didn’t know it was possible to be that sore in places I didn’t even know I had until he started showing me how to care for Korhi. Toph’s lucky she can’t Firebend; he inherited that trait from Uncle. Knowing him she’s carrying everything plus rocks to build up her stamina. I wonder if he’ll make her carry him like I had to?” Zuko posed in all seriousness.
Katara giggled then asked for him to finish telling the story.
“Chief Hakoda introduced the Avatar to my cousin as one of his sons the night he introduced him to you. He smuggled the Avatar and his bison right past the Fire Nation with their crown prince as his escort knowing we’d spent the century looking for him and that the war would have a very different outcome if they found them. He left the Avatar at the North Pole to complete his Waterbending training after our battle to end the war. Everyone was astounded when I returned home three months after leaving with the Avatar.”
“Zuko you didn’t,” Katara gasped in disappointment as she slid away from him.
“The Avatar was listed as a member of the Southern Water Tribe and one of the Chief’s sons. He was in no danger otherwise Uncle would dishonor himself and our country for breaking the brotherhood pact pledged between our countries to end the fighting between us. Besides he’d already mastered air and water. The Earth Kingdom’s best Earthbender was in Soizin City and so were a gazillion Firebenders. Where else was he supposed to learn the other elements to become a fully realized Avatar?”
“That makes sense,” Katara murmured cuddling against him once more. “So what happened next?”
“Everyone lived happily ever after,” Zuko yawned.
“But they can’t,” Katara whined. “You were supposed to find your happiness, a dragon and the Avatar. The war had only ended between the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes what about the Earth Kingdom. Who was Aang’s Firebending teacher?”
“Lu Ten married Toph when she was three years past the age of consent in the Earth Kingdom. She was still their champion and one of his engagement gifts to her was a permanent peace treaty. Azula was Aang’s Firebending teacher and they got married too. We found four dragons, two were babies and the other two were their parents. We knew if people knew they existed they’d try to hunt them so we decided to keep it a secret from the rest of the world. I returned to the Fire Nation and you returned to the Southern Water Tribe. The end,” Zuko yawned again.
“But you didn’t find your happiness,” Katara protested.
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Borealis: A Zutara Story