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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 62
Katara frowned in confusion as Zuko retreated from her. This time instead of going back to the desk and chair he took off his shoes and laid on the bed on his stomach with his feet propped up on the pillows. She pondered his words and turned her attentions back to the book. He was echoing what Sokka had told, her but it made no sense. Why would he tell her not to trust anyone but that he trusted her? To make things more puzzling it seemed as though he was asking for a temporary alliance.
She was three quarters of the way finished with the book when the steward came by to ask if someone should bring their dinner or if they would be joining the others in the dining room. Zuko asked that it be brought to their room.
After they finished eating he took Katara out on deck. Appa was still sleeping and there were several crewmen out so she couldn’t go near him. She sat beside Zuko on one of the catapault stands and prayed to La, Tui and Yue for guidance. There was something going on that she was missing and her family would not be safe until she discerned it. The night air grew chilly so Zuko took her back in.
“What book are you reading?” Katara asked when she noticed Zuko had begun rereading the book he’d just finished.
“It’s a book my father gave me. It’s supposed to help firm my resolve about making difficult decisions. He and Azula live by this philosophy, but I find it too extreme. I agree there are times when such actions are necessary, but I prefer to avoid such thinking. I want to find an alternate to my current actions,” Zuko said tiredly.
“What’s the name of it?” Katara rephrased perturbed.
“The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli.”
“I’ve read that,” Katara sighed rolling onto her back on the loveseat so her feet dangled off. “I wish I didn’t understand necessity of the decision making process he advocates but sometimes being a despot is the only way to accomplish a goal. The key is finding balance and knowing when, where and how to apply pressure as well as when to ease up so you don’t end up breaking the one thing you’re trying to support.”
Zuko jerked upwards. She had just answered the question he’d been rereading this much hated book for in an offhanded comment. “You’ve read this? And The Art of War? And you understand them?”
Katara peered at him over the book she was reading, “Is the Water Tribe peasant supposed to be uneducated as well as stupid just because she grew up in a tent?”
“Yes-No…no, of course not, I mean…It just that we’re taught the people of the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom are uncultured savages who are all brawn and no brains. I know you are intelligent; I’ve fought you enough times to realize that part wasn’t true. I just wasn’t expecting you to be so well read or to have such a deep philosophical understand of military tactics,” Zuko blurted.
“The people of the Southern Water Tribe are probably the most educated in the world. Our cities were destroyed in Fire Nation raids, but we took great pains in attempting to save every book in our libraries. There isn’t much to do during the winters so we read. Most of the time we end up discussing the books that we’ve read,” she said lowering the book to study his face. He seemed perplexed.
“All my life I was taught the Fire Nation was superior to the rest of the world; that even the least educated and most uncouth commoner was more cultured and refined than the greatest scholars in the other kingdoms,” Zuko noticed her looking at him so he waved her over.
She frowned but decided it was too good of an opportunity to get insight on the thought processes of Fire Nation soldiers to pass up. She removed her shoes and lay down beside him.
Zuko voice was barely above a whisper, “All citizens are taught that Soizin started the war to share Fire Nation peace and prosperity with the rest of the world. I believed that for the first year of my banishment, then Uncle started taking me to parts of the world that weren’t completely under Fire Nation control or had recently been conquered. That’s when I began to question those teachings.”
Zuko flopped onto his back, “After we left the North Pole, Uncle and I were declared traitors and fugitives. We were hunted like animals; no matter where we went we didn’t feel safe. I didn’t understand what Uncle had been trying to show me until I was on the other end of the Fire Nation war machine.”
Zuko stopped and smiled sadly, “My Uncle is the most honorable person I know. He’s the true Crown Prince of the Fire Nation and should be Fire Lord, but he begged and played the fool just so I would have scraps to eat. I’d seen it countless times during our travels but thought the people were shiftless, unintelligent or lazy; it reinforced my prejudices and justified my stereotypes. It never occurred to me that was their last resort to feed their families.
“I didn’t like seeing Uncle that way; I couldn’t stand knowing that he was degrading himself for my sake so we separated. During my travels I saw what the war is really doing to the other nations and that peace and prosperity is not what my nation is sowing. I want to-” Katara raised up on one elbow making Zuko realize what he had been saying and what he was about to reveal to her, “I want to go back in time and change so many things.”
He shifted subjects, “Did your brother really plan the invasion?”
Katara’s eyes widened in surprise but she quickly schooled her features, “Where did you hear that? A fifteen year old planning such a large scale operation? It’s ridiculous.”
“So he did,” Zuko sighed. “Azula said that during the meeting I was called to this morning. Katara, you know your brother, would he tell her he did to increase his worth as a prisoner? She didn’t have that information when we were in the Fire Nation. If she did she would have told our father and he would have executed him very publicly.”
“Why are you concerned? I thought my brother was just a non-bending oaf to your people,” Katara said defensively.
“Because if he planned it and didn’t admit to doing so, it means the Kyoshi prisoners have been broken or Azula’s spy network has improved,” Zuko said gravely.
“Whether he planned it or not, saying that he did is both brilliant and foolish. He knows that he’s not the Avatar or the Avatar’s Waterbender or Avatar’s Earthbender, he’s just the expendable tagalong. If he planned the invasion he’ll become a valuable prisoner and be cared for until we get back to the Fire Nation. He’ll be executed the day after arrival, but it buys him time to escape until then,” Zuko added.
Katara frowned, “Yeah well, Sokka’s mastery of battle plans and military tactics far exceeds mine, but do you really think he could have planned that?”
“Wait, you said the Kyoshi prisoners have broken? Where are they? What have you done to them? Where are Suki and the others?” Katara demanded.
“I don’t know. I didn’t even know they were on the same ship when we left Ba Sing Se until we were back in the Fire Nation. Azula has never trusted me and my father has never had faith in me. I was on house arrest the first two weeks after I returned. My father had to make sure my betrayal wasn’t one of Uncle’s plots to sneak back in the country and regain the throne,” Zuko confessed.
“So I’m a means to prove yourself to your father. That’s why you were so insistent that I be brought to your room; so you’d have the bragging rights of defiling the Avatar’s Waterbender and splitting the resistance,” Katara said angrily.
Zuko tilted his head, the room beside his was empty but he thought he heard a noise from it. He flexed his ears, there, he heard it again. He answered Katara flippantly to be certain, “That and other things. There are definite benefits to having a beautiful prisoner to cater to my desires.”
This time the snort from the other room was unmistakable.

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

Mimi Feye: Thank you for the review. Katara definitely will not forgive him easily. So far it’s 617,000 words and it’s still in progress. The end is also written but there are very large gaps between here and there. It would take a massive amount of edits to post this anywhere other than here. I’ve posted a link at the Zutarotica Community on Live Journal but feel free to post links anywhere you’d like.
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Borealis: A Zutara Story