The Price of Peace

Summary – Plans are made.

A/N – Some chapters are easier to write. This was one of them. Enjoy!

Chapter Eight –

Clutching the crimson robe around her body, Katara shivered as she met Zuko’s furious gaze.

“You are not to go anywhere without a guard,” the Fire Lord commanded softly. “Is that understood.”

“Agreed.” Iroh nodded his head as his sovereign dictated to his bride-to-be.

“She won’t leave my sight.” Sokka stood rigid in the corner of the bedchamber.

“Nor will she leave mine,” her father growled lowly, his fists clenched at his sides.

“She won’t leave my sight either,” Toph affirmed next to Katara.

“This isn’t a joke, Toph!” her brother warned caustically. “Someone tried to kill Katara! You were there, and yet you did nothing!”

The Earthbender jumped to her feet and pointed a finger mere inches from the Water Tribe warrior’s nose. “And just what is that supposed to mean?” she growled.

“Toph,” Katara said.

“The bottom of the hot spring was mush and silt. I couldn’t see them!” she railed, waving her hands in front of her eyes in a rare display of frustration. “I could hear them! They laughed!”

Sokka batted her hand away. “What good does that do us?”

“Sokka,” Katara whispered, fingering the pendant on her necklace nervously.

“Alright, Boomerang Guy!” Toph poked him in the chest. “Let’s take this outside!”

“Okay –” Sokka retorted.

“Enough!” railed Katara. “Nobody is taking anything outside! And nobody is going to be watching me! And I will go where I please, when I please…and without guards!”

“Leave us,” Zuko ordered to everyone in the room, circling Katara.

Iroh followed the order quickly, pulling Sokka and Toph, who were still growling at each other, with him.

Hakoda stood next to his daughter, his hand on her shoulder.

Seeing her father’s resolve, Zuko bowed to Hakoda. “I mean no disrespect, Hakoda of the Water Tribe. Please allow me time alone with my betrothed.”

Hakoda kneeled next to Katara and cupped her chin in his hand. Katara returned the gesture, patting his angular jaw. “I’ll be fine.”

Reluctantly, her father straightened and walked through the door, closing it softly behind him.

Zuko paced the length of the room, running a hand through his already tousled hair. His robe, loose and hanging on his shoulders, billowed behind him.

Averting her gaze from his naked chest, Katara braced herself for his wrath. After several circuits of the floor and no words, she sighed. “Why are you angry with me?” she asked, breaking the silence. “It isn’t like I asked for someone to try to kill me.”

He stopped in mid-stride and stared at her. “I am not angry with you!” He swiped the air in frustration and approached her.

She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “You could have fooled me!”

The flames in the fireplace danced higher, mirroring the Fire Lord’s anger. Grasping Katara’s shoulders, Zuko resisted the urge to shake her. “How could you?” he rasped, his voice thick with emotion.

She shook her head. “How could I what?”

“How could you take such a risk?” He lowered his voice, rubbing his hands along her shoulders and arms.

The concern in his eyes rivaled her father’s and she could no longer keep from crying. “I didn’t,” she sobbed. “I didn’t take a risk! I went to the hot springs with Toph. She was sore and I just wanted to relax.”

Zuko wiped the tears away with the pad of his thumb, softly cursing his handling of her feelings. He kissed her forehead and pulled her into his embrace. Amazingly she did not resist him. “You are no longer free to do as you please.”

She went rigid in protest.

“Do you purposely misunderstand me, Katara?” He stilled her movements with a gentle squeeze. “You are mine. You belong to the people now.”

Zuko sighed in frustration as he tried to explain the hardships she would endure as his wife. “We have not even announced the engagement yet,” he stated with a shudder. “Yet, they know. They will kill you to harm me. I tried, Katara.”

She peered into his tormented eyes.

“Agni preserve me!” he mumbled, crushing his lips to hers.

“I’ve tried…” Zuko peppered her face with kisses. “I’ve tried to protect you, but you won’t let me. She said you would come. She said you would bring happiness.”

Katara stilled. She was confused as he kneeled before her and worked the knot of her robe open.

“She said you would heal us,’ he groaned, peeling the red and yellow material from her skin. His eyes searched restlessly across her feminine curves.

Somehow she resisted the urge to cover herself. His gaze was more intimate than his touch. “W-who?”

Zuko rested his scarred cheek against her midriff and shivered. “My mother. She is trapped. Her soul lingers in my dreams, whispering to me at night. The rumors…” his voice caught and he could not continue.

Katara threaded her fingers through the strands of his dark hair, unsure if she could comfort him.

Clearing his throat, Zuko pulled her closer. “The Fire Sages tell me her soul is trapped between this world and the spirit world. That she killed my grandfather to…save me. She sacrificed herself to save me! They say the only reason her soul lingers is that she seeks to continue to protect me.”

She could feel moisture against her stomach.

“The Fire Sages tell me that Yama judged her crime accordingly,” whispered Zuko. “I’m sorry, Katara. Uncle Iroh had no right to summon you. Your life is now tainted with the ugliness of mine.”

Katara dropped to her knees, gathering her hands in his. “No –”

“I killed Azula,” he confessed with a shuddering breath.

“And saved me in the process,” she reminded him, pressing her lips against the jagged tissue of his scar. “If Yama judges you, he will have to judge me too.”

He closed his eyes and reveled in her gentle touch. No one dared to touch his scar. But Katara was always the exception to the rule. The gentle kisses she placed on the sensitive flesh were like a healing balm. She made him feel whole.

Her gentle lips nibbled the corner of his mouth, hesitantly exploring and seeking permission. Instead of giving into the temptation, Zuko grabbed the material of her robe and covered her. Words would do her no justice. The vision of her draped in the colors of his nation would be forever in his dreams.

He could see the confusion in her eyes. “I want you too much to dishonor you in such a manner, Katara. I burn for you.” For emphasis, he guided her hand to the evidence of his need.

“We will be married before sunset tomorrow,” Zuko decreed, his breath hot against her forehead. “Until then, you will not leave my sight.”

“And what if I have to relieve myself?” she murmured, trying to lighten the mood.

“Then I will stand outside the door,” he retorted, arching the damaged flesh of his eyebrow. He guided her toward the bed.

She gasped as he pulled her down and into his arms.

“Try to sleep, Katara,” he mumbled softly. “We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

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TBC