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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 34026 -:- 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 34
Katara watched as Zuko opened a set of double doors with a pattern of fire. There were another set of door behind them. These were separated into four parts and required a different sequence. They opened to reveal a large room filled with gold and several smaller doors. Zuko was shaking when he wrapped his arm around her and led her to one of the smaller doors. This time Zuko blew his breath at the opening before emitting a third sequence of fire.
He led Katara inside and walked to a chest of drawers. He removed a key from around his neck and stood behind her, “This room is my personal vault. As my concubine, everything in here is also yours.”
“I may have put on an act while in front of your father, but that was only so I wouldn’t be separated from Sokka and Aang. I am not some whore you can buy with shiny objects. You took something precious from me. You will pay for it with your life,” Katara growled attempting to get away from him.
She wasn’t expecting him to dejectedly whisper, “I know that. I know you’re not a whore. I’m not trying to buy or insult you. Virginity is sacred. The contents in all of these vaults can never come close to its value.”
Katara stilled as grief replaced her anger. Zuko moved so that he was standing to the side of her and pulled her into an embrace. He looked around before positioning his mouth next to her ear. He cupped her face with one hand and nestled his scarred cheek against her hair. He made sure his lips were completely hidden before speaking where only she could hear him, “A first time is precious Katara. I was saving myself for my wife just as you were saving yourself for your husband. It wasn’t what I imagined or the way it should have been but it was still our first time. What we shared was special; is special.”
Zuko moved to stand behind her again, “I know these are just material belongings but I don’t know of any other way to show that I am not a monster and you will always be cherished.”
Katara slumped back against him. Zuko had said again that he was saving himself for his wife just as she was saving herself for her husband. He had said that it wasn’t the way he imagined. He had thought about it. He had thought about lying with her even thought he was saving himself for the woman he planned to marry. Lady Sakura had revealed Mai was the fiancée his grandfather had chosen for him but he had selected her for himself.
Maybe this was some ass-backwards Fire Nation way of confessing he had feelings for her? Maybe the North Pole wasn’t the only place where cowards used force instead of words or where public rape was a way to obtain a preferable marriage arrangement? She was still trying to puzzle it out when Zuko placed a key in her hand.
“This is where I store my most precious belongings,” His breathe tickled the hairs on the back of her neck making her shiver as he placed his hand over hers. His hand was gentle and warm as he taught her the correct number of turns and pauses to unlock the bureau. He allowed her to open each drawer and explained the contents. Some of the sentimental items such as his baby teeth, pictures, and childhood toys were valuable only to him but others held great worth such as a golden rattle he’d played with as a child and an infant sized crown.
After Katara had closed all of the doors, Zuko showed her where to knock on the wood to get the hidden panel to open. A ring tray popped out and each slot was filled with the same ring in different sizes. It was his royal signet. Zuko picked up the largest and showed it her, “Every member of my family has their own seal. This is mine. It was designed by my mom, Ursa. Both mine and Azula’s both have a bear to symbolize her and a dragon for my father, but their positions and the backgrounds are different.”
Katara took the ring from his hand and Zuko asked her if anything seemed familiar about it. She studied it then exclaimed, “Is this the turtleduck pond?”
“It is. When I was younger I was bitten by a mother turtleduck for throwing a loaf of bread at her baby. I wasn’t trying to be cruel only to show my Mom how Azula did it. Mom told me that was what mothers did when someone hurt their babies. They should expect to get bit. There are two turtleducks on the pond, a father and son to represent Uncle Iroh and my cousin Lu Ten,” Zuko said pointing them out.
“Who is Lu Ten?” Katara asked.
“Uncle Iroh’s son. He was killed during the Siege of Ba Sing Se. He taught me how to care for Korhi and so many other things. He was the big brother I never had,” Zuko lowered his voice and whispered into her ear, “Just as Uncle is the father I never had.”
He pointed to large dragon curled around a bear beneath the tree; both of their faces were turned towards a rising dragon and soaring phoenix flying towards the sun. “I am the rising dragon meaning that I am still growing and my potential is unknown. The border of the ring above the sun is missing to show there are no limits to how high I can go. The phoenix represents Azula. She’s more naturally gifted at everything, but Mom always believed if I continued to work hard I’d surpass her one day. That is why the snout of my dragon is lifting above her wings. We’re so close together because she wanted to remind me that we are siblings and no matter what happens I shouldn’t leave her behind or completely shut her out of my life.”
Zuko lowered his voice again and whispered in her ear, “The dragon representing my father is sleeping. That is for a few reasons. The first is because when I was young our family would vacation at our home on Ember Island. We would spend at least one night sleeping on the screened in porch as a family with my father watching over us. The second is because he never acknowledged my abilities. Mom always said that he’d wake up one day and the clumsy little boy he didn’t make time for would be gone.”
Zuko spoke in his normal voice, “There is part of the bottom border missing too. It is directly below the sleeping dragon. The ring is a circle just like the world. If a dragon flies north and continues to fly eventually it was circumnavigate the globe and come back to the same point but from the opposite direction. If I fly up as a rising child, this opening beneath the sleeping dragon represents the man I will become. One day I will be the one to watch over my family and encourage my children to soar.”
“Look at the bear. It has one eye opened and one eye closed; the paws on the side of the closed eye are extended. That was her way of telling me that she’d always be looking out for me and watching me to make sure I’m not misbehaving. When I needed her the most for whatever reason, she would appear out of nowhere to save me whether it was from an enemy or from my own stupidity,” Zuko exhaled heavily and laid his head against Katara’s, “I miss her so much.”
“It’s worse now that I’m back in the palace after being banished. On the sea, I wouldn’t see something that reminded me of her every place I looked. Here she’s everywhere. Often I can feel her presence as if she’s standing right beside me and I turn around expecting to see her. Some days makes it me happy because I know she’ll always be with me. Others it hurts so badly when I turn around but she isn’t there,” Zuko rasped, his voice breaking slightly.
Katara pulled Zuko’s arm not holding the ring around her waist and trapped it with both of hers, “I felt like that at the South Pole and sometimes when I look at Sokka. He’s more like my Dad, but sometimes he’ll do something that reminds me so much of our Mom.”
Zuko’s cheek brushed against her as he nodded, “Azula looks like Mom, but her personality is all Father’s. Sometimes I wake up and Azula will be standing over me. I’ll get so happy until my mind kicks in and I remember she’s most likely trying to figure out the best way to kill me while I’m sleeping.”
Katara tilted her head back against him, “I suppose I really don’t have to worry about that with Sokka, unless I’m on the ground and his feet are nearby. My biggest fear is that is he will do something that will make me try to kill him.”
Zuko laughed then angled his head to press his lips against her temple. They looked at each other as if remembering it was something they shouldn’t be doing. Zuko cleared his throat, “The bear also represents the type of woman she hopes I’ll marry; someone who’ll always look out for my best interest and those of my children. The night Mom disappeared she told me to never forget who I was no matter how I grew and changed. This tree represents that. No matter how it grows, its roots remain the same.”
Zuko whispered again. “I just found out not too long ago that Avatar Roku is Mom’s grandfather.”
“What?” Katara shrieked turning to face him. At least that explained why she thought she heard him say send a message by Roku to the new Avatar.
Zuko nodded, “Both mine and Azula’s rings have all four elements even thought the background for hers is our home at Ember Island. Mom would always tell us that one cannot live by fire alone. I think that and the rings were her way of telling us about our forbidden heritage. Growing up we were only told about Fire Lord Soizin even though Father would sometimes mention his other grandfather General Khan. He supposedly wiped out an air temple.”
Katara frowned. She thought she had dreamed that Ozai had mentioned something about a Grandfather Khan this morning and Zuko being like him. She tilted her head, “Supposedly?”
“Supposedly. You heard my father say he brought some home as pets for his children. Decades later after both of his sons were killed in the war one of them became his second wife and bore him four children,” Zuko eyes were fixed on hers. By his expression alone she knew that he had just revealed a secret he probably shouldn’t have.
Katara stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him to get closer to his level. Her voice was hopeful when she whispered in his ear, “So Aang isn’t the last?” She let the question hang in the air and leaned back to look at him.
Zuko licked his lips nervously and whispered in her ear, “Step-grandmother Nima is 104 years old. As far as anyone knows, none of her descendants can Airbend but they are all very acrobatic and spiritually attuned enough to master the arts of aura reading and chi control.”
Katara’s jaw dropped and she gasped. Zuko kissed her full on the mouth the moment she realized what he was telling her. He couldn’t afford to have her blurt that out. He doubted that even Ozai realized that Zuko had picked up on what he’d revealed to him. Katara wrapped her arms around him and tangled her tongue with his until she calmed down so she wouldn’t jump, scream and shout.
Aang wasn’t the last Airbender. There was a surviving female hiding among Fire Nation nobility. She had four children and Ty Lee was one of her descendants. Ty Lee was part Air Nomad. She broke the kiss and rested her forehead on Zuko’s chin.
“How? Why? What happened to the others who came with her?” she asked excitedly.
Zuko clamped his lips back down on hers. He broke the kiss again to whisper breathily, “I don’t think I’m supposed to know about her or the others, but he slipped up this morning. It was the first time I’ve heard of it. People have been killed for less, Katara. I’ve been banished once. I don’t think next time I’ll be so lucky. You or anyone else certainly won’t.”

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading, voting and reviewing.

CultofStrawberry: Thank you for the review. Victorian romance novels + cheesy porn = “My phoenix is thirsty, it wants to drink your dragon’s milk.” Who knew anything good would come from such dubious origins? I hope you continue to enjoy this chapter and its successors.
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Borealis: A Zutara Story