Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

The Price of Peace	By : Looneyluna Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 19166 -:- 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
- 27
- 28
- 29
Interlude Fourteen –

The snow and ice crunched beneath his boots as he was pulled toward the small village.

“You have nothing to worry about,” Katara assured Zuko. “Gran Gran and the others are going to love you.”

Looking over his shoulder, he glared at the horizon and scowled. He should be able to see the black smoke of a Fire Nation ship chugging toward him early evening hours, but there was nothing. Had Uncle Iroh outwitted him again? Will that man never stop trying to protect him?

The sky was clear, cloudless, and a dull blue, highlighting the stark white snow that surrounded him. Katara’s home. Katara’s people. This is where she belonged, not seated beside him in the path of constant danger and espionage.

Closing his eyes, a vision of her with a suckling babe danced through his mind. Their child. The thought sent a cold shiver down his spine. How could he have been so stupid? He had taken her without thinking, the lust clouding his normally stoic reasoning. Even now, he ached for her.

“Katara! Katara!” a young child cried out as it ran across the snow. It was dressed in the manner of her people and Zuko couldn’t tell if it was male or female. He watched as his wife dropped to her knees and opened her arms wide. Her generosity of spirit drove a warm spike through his heart, causing a swell of jealous pride to consume him.

Mine, he chanted over and over in his head, relinquishing thoughts of their impending separation to the back of his mind.

Katara laughed as the momentum of catching the child threw her off balance and onto her backside. Other children swamped her and people gather around them. Zuko could feel their curious stares -- familiar gazes that recognized him. The villagers did not look pleased.

Straightening, his wife stood next to him and grasped his hand in hers. She looked so peaceful and happy.

A frail older woman made her woman toward them, her shrewd icy gaze settling on him. “What is he doing here?” asked Katara’s grandmother, recognition dawning in her expression.

Wrapping her arm around her husband, Katara pressed her hip against his. “He’s my husband, Gran Gran,” she stated simply and with very little fanfare.

The laughter in the children’s voices died, many of the older ones recognizing him as the banished Prince who attacked their village so long ago.

The old eyes studied him skeptically, making him uneasy. Putting his right fist in the palm of his left hand, Zuko bowed in respect.

“Fire Lord Zuko,” the old woman tossed the name around as though he wasn’t in front of her.

“Gran Gran…” Katara’s voice held a note of warning in it.

The gathered people watched the interplay with interest. Somehow Zuko knew that they would take their lead from the matriarch of the village. Kneeling, he kowtowed to the woman – the leader of the Fire Nation showing deep reverence to the old woman. “Please accept my deepest apologies,” he mumbled to the ground.

Katara’s grandmother stared at the demonstration with a skeptical eye. She extended a reluctant hand and tapped his shoulder. “We don’t stand on much ceremony here, your Highness. I don’t know why you’re here, and I don’t care. But while you’re here, you’ll be expected to do your share of the work.”

Kana walked away, her attitude dismissive. The rest of the village followed suit.

Straightening, Zuko placed his hands on his thighs. “Well, that could have gone better.”

Helping him up, Katara smiled. “I can’t believe you bowed.” A small frown claimed her lips. “I wonder what’s wrong with her.”

“She doesn’t like me,” he answered easily.

“Gran Gran likes everyone,” replied Katara, guiding him toward an igloo.

--

It didn’t take him long to figure out why Kana of the Water Tribe did not like him. With the arrival of her granddaughter with husband in tow, the woman had to find a new place to live. Unlike the palace, the living conditions here were small and harsh. Igloos offered very little privacy. In offering so little privacy, a newly wedded couple was given an igloo. Essentially, Kana had to find another place to live.

Zuko was still trying to figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing. The sun had set and Katara and he were alone. He did not meet her gaze over the fire. One look would destroy his resolve. He still intended to leave once it could be arranged. He could not let Iroh face Qiang alone. So much time had been wasted already. The journey had taken longer than he had anticipated. This added delay didn’t help matters either.

“This is ridiculous, Katara,” he stated solemnly, standing to leave. “I’m going to go find your grandmother and bring her back.”

Covering her smile with her gloved hand, Katara laughed, the sound husky and alluring. “It’s tradition. Trust me, Gran Gran has found a place to stay. Knowing her, she has already started construction of her own igloo.”

She meant for the words to placate him, but they didn’t. He needed a buffer between him and Katara and the old woman would serve that purpose well.

His wife inched closer to him and he stood. “If she has started to build her own dwelling, I should go and help her.”

Katara threw her head back and laughed. “She and the men of the village are perfectly capable,” she replied, standing up and wrapping her arms around his midsection.

An unbridled flash of lust ran rampant through him. Yes, lust. That’s all it is. I should take advantage of this moment and sate my thirst for her. Before the thought was complete, he knew it was a lie. Grabbing her wrists, he pried them from his body.

“This is wrong,” he mumbled, walking to the small entrance and kneeling to crawl through it.

“What?” Katara looked confused and frustrated.

“Never mind.” Zuko left the shelter of the igloo and walked among the icy trails. Ethereal lights danced in the sky, illuminating the land around him. Katara was right. Some of the men were packing snow while others dug into the permafrost layer to start the matriarch’s new home.

He approached her grandmother, watching the display. “It isn’t going to be finished by tonight. You should come back inside.”

The old woman eyed him skeptically. “What are you doing here?”

She was abrupt and to the point, something that he rarely came across in his dealings with people. “I’ve come to bring you back.”

“You treat my granddaughter with respect and kindness,” Kana stated solemnly, ignoring his statement. “But you hold back. It is as if you are only half a person. I cannot believe Hakoda would ever agree to such a match.”

Her observations caused him to pause. She was obviously not feeble with age. Her power of observation reflected brutal honesty.

“I… love your granddaughter,” the words stuck in his throat. It was painful to admit, but someone other than he needed to know. The burden of his emotions was almost to great to carry.

Scoffing, Kana pinned him with an icy glare. “Really? Then why aren’t you inside making passionate love to your wife?”

Zuko looked away, focusing on a distant spot on the darkening horizon. She knew. Somehow the old woman knew that he was leaving as soon as he got the chance. “I’m not staying.”

“Oh?” Kana’s one syllable question opened up a floodgate.

“I brought her home where she would be safe,” replied Zuko. “Those who wish her harm think her dead. It is better this way.”

She arched a silvery-gray eyebrow and continued to listen to him.

“I must go back. The people need me. I must go and face the danger. My uncle needs me. You wouldn’t understand the complexities of my life. The shadow of death clings to me.” Zuko crossed his arms over his chest to ward the chill of the air off.

“I can’t imagine the Dragon of the West needing anyone,” she replied.

“I won’t desert him,” Zuko stated swiftly. “He is all that I have.”

A silence stretched between them, speaking words that were understood but not heard.

“When are you leaving?” the old woman questioned him softly.

Shifting uncomfortably, he called upon his inner fire to warm his limbs. “As soon as the ship arrives.”

“And my granddaughter is all right with this?” Kana scowled.

“She doesn’t know,” answered Zuko.

Kana cleared her throat. “So her love means nothing to you.”

Turning, he glared at the Water Tribe Matriarch. “I will cherish it more than any treasure known to mankind!”

“So, you’ll lock it away and never look at it.” Her words stung as she walked away to supervise the construction of the packing of the ice.

Clenching his fists at his sides, Zuko didn’t know who to be angrier with – himself, Uncle Iroh, or Katara’s grandmother. One thing was for certain. He needed to tell Katara.

--

TBC
- 27
- 28
- 29
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Price of Peace