#with the daughter of the fire lord and ambassador of the southern water tribe

[rllymilerlly]

Would one of the dunebabies have a romantic relationship with either a steambaby or a beyblade?

Yeah! I have Tae having a relationship later on with Kya, Zuko and Katara’s oldest u_u

They are very in love and truly the power couple™️

[the-badger-mole]

Father of the Bride

Hakoda swallowed hard against a lump in his throat. He had imagined this day so many times since Katara's birth. The details were different, though. She wasn't marrying a proven warrior from among their people. That was fine. She had spent so much time traveling the world, expanding her horizons, creating her own paths. Hakoda didn't think there were one in a thousand men at home who could keep up with the woman his daughter had become, and he had resigned himself to the fact that she might not end up with a Southern Tribe man years ago.

But he hadn't considered that her marriage might take her so permanently from home. A foolish oversight on his part, he admitted. And at least she would have the means to visit her family a few times a year. Still, he felt a pang. Same one he felt when he left his children behind with Kanna to go fight a war too big for him. Now that pang was tempered with bittersweet happiness as he watched the final preparations being made on Katara's wedding gown-a stunning piece of art even to Hakoda's untrained eye. All silks and linens in shades of blue and silver that recalled the bridal outfits of her homeland. Furs and leathers would be too hot for the climate, but Katara wanted to tell everyone up front how she would bring her own culture to merge with her new people. Her groom-to-be not only supported this decision, but had come to Hakoda and Sokka to ask them how he, too, could incorporate the Southern Water Tribe into the wedding on his end. That had been a long night, with strong drinks and stronger emotions, but at the end of it, Hakoda had decided that despite his initial misgivings about the marriage, he couldn't have picked a better son-in-law than Zuko.

Fire Lord Zuko. Fire Lord Zuko was going to be his son-in-law. Sometimes the thought made Hakoda chuckle. Sometimes it sent a chill down his spine. Not that he was worried about Zuko himself, but Katara's proximity to his throne. The crown. She would be coronated the next night in a ceremony as lavish as the wedding. She would become the Fire Lady. Co-ruler of the country that had spent a hundred years ruining countless lives with a war over something as silly as imperialist pride. Hakoda didn't think they deserved his daughter. If Zuko had earned his trust and respect, the rest of the Fire Nation certainly haven't. Not the nobles, anyway. When he brought them up to Katara, she laughed, though it didn't reach her eyes, which were flint hard and grimly determined. She told him no matter where she went in the world, she would have to fight for any respect she got. At least here she would have Zuko fighting beside her. Hakoda wasn't sure he agreed that was a worthy trade off, but he knew better than to try to talk his daughter out of it.

The Fire Nation had already benefited from her presence. As a foreign advisor, she had fostered trade and exchange agreements between the Fire Nation and all of the Water Tribes, Omashu and Gaoling. As an ambassador, she'd helped negotiate reparation packages that have helped the parts of the world hit hardest by the war recover. As one of Zuko's most trusted counselors, she'd helped him work the Fire Nation's budget so the government could provide for education, health and services for returning soldiers. The same kinds of programs she'd helped Hakoda and Sokka build in the Southern Water Tribe. It suddenly struck Hakoda that she had been acting as Fire Lady for a long time. Before she and Zuko had even realized they were in love, maybe. Today and tomorrow would just make it official. Hakoda still didn't think the Fire Nation deserved a Katara, but any chance he had of talking her out of it had long since slipped by him. And he now he wasn't sure he would talk her out of it, even if he did have the chance.

The final touches were done. The maids stepped back in a flurry of excited chatter. Kanna stepped forward, moving stiffly in her old age, smiling up at her granddaughter through tears. She had had this moment with Kya years ago, and Kya should be standing in her place now. Kanna reached out and ran her fingertips over the necklace she had passed to her daughter, and her daughter had passed on to Katara. Kya was here, Kanna assured herself. And Kya would be here with Katara as she made these next steps, first as a wife, then as a queen, then someday as a mother and grandmother herself.

"She would be so proud," Kanna told Katara. The two women embraced. Then Katara stood up, head high and looking as regal as any queen in any nation ever had, and turned to Hakoda.

"Are you ready, Dad?" she asked. Hakoda shook his head.

"I was never going to be ready for this," he confessed. "But it doesn't matter. You are ready."

[marymary-diva17]

A marriage for peace and political

zuko x water tibe reader x male mai

This is story had been published on my wattpad, and I decide to bring it over here.

The war of the nations had been going on for 100 years and the fire nation kept on gaining ground and power, all over all the other nations. There had been a time of peace that came in the war and that peace was made through a political marriage or arrange marriage. That marriage was your marriage the second daughter of Hakoda of the southern watertribe you had been given away in marriage. As you were not just marrying the fire lord son, but also another Nobel man that is an ambassador. All the other nations and everyone thought this will be for the best as no wanted anymore war to happen. 

Y/n " dad" 

Hakoda " listen I know you must hate this idea but it need to be done" 

Y/n "......" 

Hakoda " I can't send your brother or sister they are to much of value and importance to all of us ... they are part of avater team we can't lose them" 

Y/n " i know that dad but have you heard about the stories of the fire lord he cruel and scary man ..." 

Hakoda " yes I have heard them y/n but sacrifices have to be made and this is one of them you are one of them" 

Y/n " please father o will do anything for my people but I'm scared" 

Hakoda " think about your people think about all the all other nations and all innocent lives that will be lost of you don't do this .... You can't be selfish" 

Y/n "  father ..." 

Hakoda " leave now I need to speak with my council and elders Wes most think for battle with three other nations, a war will come and war " you wish to say something else but your father had you escorted away from his office once words got to your siblings and their friends it didn't get better. 

Katara " please y/n we need this war to end we can't have aang go he not ready he hasn't master fire yet" 

Y/n " I'm just overwhelmed and scared that all this major decisions" 

Sokka " don't you think we all feel that you haven't been doing anything but stay here and healing, while the rest of us have been risking it all" 

Toph " I can sense many emotions right now" 

Sokka " if we don't have an answer by the end of week the war the fire lord wish for answers" 

Y/n " I ...." 

Aang " y/n I make a promises as an avatar and air bender if anything happen I will come help you, as you have my oath as avatar and all those that came before me" 

Y/n " I just need some time alone" 

Katara " fine go while we stay here and think about a back up plan" you could feel you were not welcome so you had soon taken your leave right away. As you were walking you had been getting cold shoulder from many people as they were all in fear. 

Gran gran " my dear" 

Y/n " hey gran gran" 

Gran " I came to see you I have heard the news" 

Y/n " I want to say yes for my people and everyone else but I'm scared" 

gran gran " it okay to be scared my dear whatever decision you make it will always love you and be with you in personal and spirt" you had hugged your grandmother as your cried, you had made your decision that night. 

Y/n " father I have made my decision" 

Hakoda " what have you decided my father" 

Y/n " I will take the marriage for safety for my family and everyone" everyone was happy about the news a hawk had been sent, and I'm days a fire nation ship had come with your future husbands. 

Iroh " lady y/n I will love to present my nephew prince Zuko and mister mao" 

Y/n " hello it good to meet you both and I hope our lives together will be good" 

Mao " hello it good to meet you"

Zuko " yes what you have done is honor and we hope to show you were are not that bad" this marriage will not be bad after all as you had thought, as the others around were either good and bad. Maybe you should give your future husband a chance and see their true selves. Celebrations had been held in your tribe you had tried to speak with your sibling and friends but they were with everyone else. You had been given the opportunity to get to know some of future family better. That next day you had left your home. 

Y/n " take care everyone I hope to see you soon" 

Katara " we will meet again" 

Y/n " yes and now we have peace life will need to be rebuild" 

Fire nation solider " lady y/n we are rests to leave" 

Y/n " coming goodbye everyone and please take care all of you" you soon got onto the fire nation ship, looking down to everyone and waving goodbye. You soon saw your home getting smaller and smaller as you head toward your new home. 

Iroh " I know you have heard bad stories about the fire nation and my family, and I don't blame you for being scared but we are all not that bad ... my nephew and mao might seem a bit scary but he a good young men and I have raised taught and many other well to be good and not to, follow their parents path"'

Y/n " thank you iroh I'm happy to know I will have friends there for me I, hope I can be a good addition to the royal household and ambassador household as well" 

Iroh " you will be amazing"

Zuko " uncle may I and Mao have some words with our wife" 

Iroh " yes" Iroh soon left the young couple to talk together, knowing it was going to be a long trip home.

Mao " we know you fear what life will be like in the fire nation but we will not be living there"

Y/n " huh why you are royalty and noble born"

Zuko " yes but I made a deal with my dad will be living on ember land it will be good for us all, and we get to know each other and live the lives we want if that fine with you"

Y/n " I'm fine with that if can keep bending and healing, and keep some cultures I have"

Mao " yes it will be good as we all should keep what we love most close to our hearts" this marriage was not going to be bad after all, you had been able to get to know your husbands better and their created famiky good as well. Life is going to be hard away from the water tribe but you know you will adapt to your new life and home.

[stardust948]

do you have any zutara or atla fic recs?

Oh yes! I have plenty!

Fluffy fics

Questions & Answers by @gemgirl28

Kya and Lu Ten learn about the Hundred Years War, and Kya has a lot of questions for her Father about his role in the war. Or The Steambabies learn the origin of Zuko's scar.

A Month of Sundays by ok_boomerang

Fire Lord Zuko is desperately trying, and continuously failing, to successfully propose to Ambassador Katara. She's oblivious; everyone else is entertained. Meanwhile, Zuko is giving weekly Sunday speeches to the Fire Nation in an effort to help his people feel closer to their government. This effort was not supposed to include telling the entire Fire Nation about his plans for a future with Katara before even she knew about them. But it's fine! They promised not to tell!

Even Dragons Need Hugs by EKWolf2020

Zuko is missing his wife while off for business. While she is gone, he can't help but feel prickly and clearly misses having her near him.

Fire Dance by HomeAgainRose

Zuko goes with the gang following the events of Crossroads of Destiny. This is what happens when they're first in the Fire Nation and Aang ends up at the Fire Nation School. Katara wasn't exactly prepared for the feelings that come out.

little rays of starlight by JasmineTeaLatte

Izumi had been a mere babe during her first and only trip to the Southern Water Tribe, back before Druk had even joined their family or the twins were even born. She remembered freezing white snow flurries and huddling in her father’s arms for warmth, but little else...   Or, the Fire Lord and his wife take their infant daughter out on a trip to see the Southern Lights during the crown princess' first visit to the Southern Water Tribe. Takes place in the timeline of "The Phoenix and the Dragon" but can be read as a standalone.

vitamin z by thetasteoflies

Katara has a cold and there's only one person in the world she wants to see.

Angst/More Mature Fics

Incendiary by Anon

Bizarrely, the first thing Katara felt was a wave of relief. Zuko. Not Ozai. They just wanted her to marry Prince Zuko. And then the horror of it washed over her, cold and harsh and insistent; an iron grip on her heart.

Past the World's Horizon by Mauve_Avenger / @the-badger-mole

When Katara finds herself with an unwanted secret admirer, she and Zuko end up on a frightening adventure.

The Scourge of the Mo Ce Sea by ajstyling

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and with one look at her face he understood the truth of her words. She would kill him and not lose a minute of sleep.

i'm still here by owedbetter

"You see me."

And somehow, that makes all the difference.

thicker than water by akaiiko

Zuko tries to pick up the pieces of Katara.

AUs/Slice of Life fics

The Worst Prisoner series by @emletish-fish

What if Sokka was there during the events of the Blue Spirit? What if he accidentally kidnapped Zuko? It's not a poor life choice of it's an accodent, right?

The Prince of the Fire Nation by HarrisonHolmes2014

Zuko was raised in the Fire Nation royal family alongside his sister Azula. He has never known any life outside the palace, his family, or his homeland. But when two slaves claim that he is their brother, Zuko must face a destiny he never asked for.

The Fire and the Flood by @badlucksav

Katara has lived in the same town with the same people her whole life, and since the death of her mother, she feels like her life has been on hold. But then she meets Zuko, an intriguing stranger, and everything changes.

what you want is what i want by zelzenik

Katara isn't alone. She has Bumi and Kya. The three of them are family.

Zuko isn't alone either. He has Izumi. The two of them are family.

But maybe... just maybe, they can all be family together.

It Runs In The Family by Anon

Katara and Zuko were a lot of things. War heroes. Master benders. Fire Lord and Fire Lady. Their favorite occupation? Parents. They'd managed to find each other again and had children, who are part of a brand new world and mixed nations family. While isn't exactly easy, as shown through a repeating series parent teacher conferences.

Or basically, steambaby shenanigans because they have Sokka as their uncle and how could they not be wreaking havoc?

Shameless Self Plugs

They have stolen the heart inside you; but this does not define you series

At a young age, Katara is taken to the Fire Nation as the first candidate in an experiment to assimilate the 'savages' instead of wiping them out. She grows up alongside the Royal Family before eventually escaping. Years later, an oddly familiar Fire Nation solider shows up at her village looking for the Avatar.

Kintsugi series

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with gold. It treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. Zuko is tortured by Ozai after helping Katara and Aang escape Ba Sing Se.

Head Above Water

While running away from home after the Agni Kai, Zuko befriends a curious mermaid. He later learns how protective merfolk are.

Dead Hearts

Ozai is a mass serial killer who forces Zuko to lure his victims to him. It’s the same drill for as long as Zuko could remember until his father sets eyes on the new girl who just moved from the Southern Water Tribe.

Let beauty come out of ashes

Zuko is done with Spirit tales. Everyone knew worthless nobodies like him didn’t receive happy endings. He wasn’t even allowed to go to the ball to see his love, a veiled waterbender he met in the woods, in person. Zuko lost all hope until a mysterious dragon helped him with a bit of magic.

Always With Me

While moving away from the only home she’d ever known, Katara finds herself spirited away to a strange in between realm. There, she struggles to ink out a living with the help of a mysterious masked boy who promised to get her home.

Are There Still Beautiful Things?

Katara befriends a lonely boy and they spend the summer together until he suddenly moves away. She doesn't learn the dark truth about why he left until years later.

[zukkaart]

4 and 18. I like that this one could be going in either direction lol

Couple #4: Zutara

Prompt #18: “Do you ever shut up?”

From this prompt game!

~~~~~~~

Two years after the war ends, the ambassadors and rulers of the nations gather in the Earth Kingdom to discuss progress in rebuilding.

“Chief Hakoda, what does the Southern Water Tribe require to rebuild?” The emissary from the Earth Kindgom enquired, still visibly confused that the Chief brought his two young children to the meeting. Sokka was almost 18 now, but that meant nothing to a room of grumpy old men. Although, none of them dared to minimize what those Water Tribe children had done for the world.

The emissary thought to himself that he shouldn’t think much of it considering the Fire Lord barely just reached 18 himself a few weeks ago. Said emissary had been very diligent in voicing his opinion this entire meeting. He considered it his duty to place the people of the Earth Kingdom in the highest priority considering how large their population was compared to the others. Because of the Earth Kingdom’s size it also had sustained the most damage during the war, and he only thought it fair that he have a substantial stake in the rebuilding allocations.

It was a long, dreary process that would probably take decades more, but luckily everyone in that board room was dedicated to making things go as smoothly as possible- at least for the most part. It’s sometimes hard to be civil when your people are hurting, but you must remember that others are hurting as well.

Chief Hakoda nodded to his daughter at his left. She straightened her back along with her scroll before standing to address the room. It was obvious to anyone in the room that this particular question was her area of expertise. Well…almost anyone.

“Thank you ambassador, the Southern Water Tribe is making real strides towards establishing a thriving independent economy again, but-“

“Excuse me, but shouldn’t your father be handing this discussion girl?” That same Earth Kingdom man spat the last word like a curse. “Sit down”

Now, it is worth noting that this man would not have been so bold had he not been so absorbed in himself that he did not take note of the Fire Lord slowly losing his composure with every word he spoke. It was not until Zuko himself stood that the green-clad man realized his mistake.

“Do you ever shut up?” Zuko looked as poised as his portrait but his words were laced with an unmissable venom.

“Lord Zuko I-“

“Enough, how dare you speak to her that way?”

The man tried to open his mouth once more but was quickly silenced.

“Do not interrupt me. I do believe you have advocated the needs of your people quite thoroughly. Would you agree?” The man nodded in agreement with Zukos statement

“Good, now sit down. And let her speak,” The young Fire Lord then turned to the Water Tribe emissary. “I apologize ambassador Katara, please. Continue” Zuko returned to the floor as if nothing happened, and sipped his tea contentedly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour after the meeting ended Zuko was reviewing his notes. His robes were abandoned on the floor and he sat hunched over his candle lit desk in only a pair of black trousers, his hair pulled half up with a wooden pin.

He was just about to abandon the seemingly endless scrolls in lieu of maybe getting a good nights rest for once when his door slammed open.

“What the hell was that about?!” Katara stormed into his room, nearly tripping over the layers of fabric strewn across the wooden floor.

Zuko jumped to his feet, startled. “What are you talking about?” The look of genuine confusion on his face almost gave Katara pause- almost.

“In there! With that Earth Kingdom emissary! You know, I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, I can defend myself just fine! Might I remind you that I held my own against much worse months before you even cut that stupid ponytail off!?”

“Katara I’m sorry I was just trying to-“

“I don’t want to hear it! You completely undermined me!” She was pacing about the room now, Zuko was sure she hadn’t even glanced in his directed since starting her rant, he began to look around frantically for a shirt to throw on to no avail. “They have to learn that I am my own person and I don’t need some man to defend me”

Finally, she sat on the edge on his bed and placed her face in her hands.

“I didn’t do it because you’re a woman, I did it because I am the Fire Lord and you are an emissary and friend to me. I would not let someone disrespect you. I would have done the same if it was Sokka. I was looking for an opportunity to tell him to shut up hours before, you just gave me a perfect opportunity. I guess I should be thanking you for that.” At that moment, Zuko noted a red silk scarf on the edge of his desk, he quickly pulled it over his shoulders to cover his chest and stomach.

Katara finally raised her head, and looked as if she was about to speak for a moment. She closed her mouth and cocked her head to the side quizzically. She then let out a laugh.

“So, do you just casually wear silk scarves around your room?” Zuko blushed.

“No, I-“

“Oh come on Zuko, it’s just me,” She strode over to him and gave one end of it a sharp tug, causing it to fall freely to the ground. She gave a satisfied smirk at the slightly embarrassed look on Zukos face. Katara was just about to leave, happy with the verbal berating and light embarrassment she had just filed out when her eyes drifted slightly south.

Her gaze landed on a dark twisted scar taking up a monopoly on Zukos skin. The large burst where his ribs met arcing out down his stomach and across his chest in thin lines. Azulas lightning.

Lightning that had been meant for her.

Zuko sucked in a sharp breath, barely moving. It wasn’t until then that Katara noticed that she had placed her hand upon it. Before she could process what she was saying she asked.

“Did you keep seeing the healers like I told you to?”

“I-Uh, of course I did” Zukos blush reached his neck that time.

“So no then. At least let me help while I’m here. Lie down,” If there was one thing Zuko knew at this point, it was that there was never any use fighting Katara. So he obliged as she collected the bowl of rose water left on the night stand.

“You haven’t been treating it so this might hurt a little,”

“It’s okay, I’m used to it” It was Zukos turn to speak without thinking, but he didn’t need to explain. They had all felt their fair share of pain over the last few years. His companion simply nodded and hummed lightly as the water began to glow.

“Agni have mercy” Zuko found himself murmuring. That hurt way more than he thought it would. Okay, no more skipped healers appointments. He felt like he was going to pass out at any second. Suddenly, the glowing stopped.

“Woah, woah, hey. Are you okay? All the color just drained from your face” Zukos next words were entirely incoherent, no better than if he had way too much fire whiskey. “Okay, that’s enough for you.” Katara then soaked a cloth and cooled it with her bending before placing it across his forehead. “There, you’re gonna be just fine.”

Zukos entire world was spinning, but then again- it tended to do that whenever Katara came around. He forced his eyelids open to look at her. There was so much worry and care painted across her face, and his head was too foggy. He said something, but neither of them had any idea what, so he tried once more.

“I love you, Katara”

The last thing he saw was her shocked expression, a dusting of pink across her dark complexion, before darkness claimed him.

[awanderingmuse-ficrec]

Zutara: Just Tell Him

Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender

Author: @incorrectfanfics​

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Sexual Content, Alcohol

Word Count:  2,657

Pairings: Zutara

Characters: Katara, Zuko, Sokka, Hakoda

Summary:

The Fire Lord visits the Southern Water Tribe for the Glacier Spirits Festival. But his true objective is to find a way to tell the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe that he's in a relationship with the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador: his daughter, Katara.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

How does world diplomacy even work in Zutara headcanons btw? I mean you’ve got the Avatar refusing to speak to the Firelord because the Firelord is with the girl that the Avatar is in love with. In some headcanons, he actively tries to STOP their marriage. You’ve got the Firelord ditching his responsibilities to go hang out with the Southern Water tribe Ambassador to the Fire Nation. The Firelord seems predominantly occupied with restoring the relationship between the South at the expense of the rest of the world. And Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Iroh are far more preoccupied in getting Zutara together than they are in world affairs. Surprised the 100 year war hasn’t broke out yet again.

Even if we are VERY generous and assume Katara's break up with Aang was totally mutual and amicable and she only got together with Zuko much later, or even that they never dated at all, and thus there's no conflict with Aang, and that Zuko is doing EVERYTHING right as Fire Lord, meaning both his nation and the others are happy with his political decisions.

His nation is still very racist. It is still filled with people who not only supported, but PARTICIPATED in genocide - genocide against Katara's tribe.

If he marries her, there will be outrage. There'll be riots. Possibly a civil war even, with people trying to stage a coup. And even if Zuko and Katara win, it'd still be A LOT to deal with, lots of risks taken, and, yes, innocents getting killed. Obviously it would not be their fault that people are intolerant, but the point still stands that Zuko marrying a foreigner would lead to several politcal complications.

Not to mention, Katara is the daughter of the Souther Water Tribe's chieftain. Her children could very easily have claim to it. This could lead to anxieties that Zuko is trying to take over the whole world like the previous Fire Lords, only he is doing it through political schemes and marriages that are meant to benefit his interests instead of open hostility and war.

That's why I always find it RIDICULOUS when Zutarians try to claim Katara would totally be in the highest position in the list of potential brides once it was time for Zuko to get married and have heirs. My guy, she's not on the list. At all.

If Zuko were to ever marry a foreigner - and that's a BIG if that would still likely have serious consequences - it likely be someone like Toph. From the Earth Kingdom, that was likely seen as more "civilized" than the air-nomads and water tribes. Noble, rich, and influential but not royal.

But chances are, if Zuko and Mai were to break up, the safest option would still be for him to marry someone of the Fire Nation. His children would probably need to do the same, or at least just the heir. Once it's time for one of his grandkids to rise to the throne, and all the imperialism is a thing of the past since most of the people involved in it are dead, THEN it'd be safe for a Fire Lord to marry someone of a different nation.

Too bad most Zutarians are too focused on empty Water/Fire, Sun/Moon "symbolism" to actually do something interesting and have Zuko and Katara decide to be apart for the greater good, or be together in secret, or come up with some insane but brilliant tactics to deal with the inevitable backlash to their union. It has to be a forced "They get married and everyone is happy about it because it will magically fix all the years of war and racism."

[incorrectfanfics]

Zutara: Just Tell Him

Summary: The Fire Lord visits the Southern Water Tribe for the Glacier Spirits Festival. But his true objective is to find a way to tell the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe that he's in a relationship with the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador: his daughter, Katara.

CW: Some references to sex and alcohol.

I asked @the-badger-mole about Zuko/Hakoda interactions and then I remembered I'm not so bad at the whole keyboard typing thing myself so I'm pulling a Thanos and "do[ing] it myself."

Enjoy.

Black soot fell on the Southern Water Tribe. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for the Hakoda, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe to take notice. He called for his top advisors and and a squad of soldiers. They raced towards the docks and waited. They watched as the large metal ship sailed into their waters. The intimidating vessel towered over the horizon. It looked like a warship with a red palace on top. Hakoda knew it could only belong to one man, the Fire Lord.

The ship docked. The ramp came down. Soldiers in red spiked armor marched down and made way for the man himself. He stood tall with a scowl on his face. His long hair pulled back to show the scar that marked almost half his face. The two leaders stood face to face, looking each other in the eyes.

"Chief Hakoda," Zuko said, giving a quick little bow.

"Zuko, my boy! How are you?" Hakoda pulled Zuko in a big polar bear hug so tight he lifted him off the ground. Hakoda let go and let Zuko drop to his feet. Before the Fire Lord could regain his composer, Hakoda gave him a big slap on the back so hard that Zuko almost fell over.

"You look thin. What? Do they not have meat in the Fire Nation?" Hakoda laughed. Zuko could hear snickering coming from his royal guard, but he paid them no mind.

"No, no, we do. It's just...I've been busy," Zuko said, trying to reclaim some dignity. "As a sign of good will, I'm here to attend the Glacier Spirits Festival."

"Then you're early. The festival isn't until this weekend. Where's Aang? I thought the avatar was coming with you," Hakoda asked. Zuko fidgeted uncomfortablly.

"Avatar Aang will not be joining us. He's...on a spiritual retreat," Zuko said.

"Makes sense. He is the avatar. But hey, I've got work to do and I won't keep you long. I know who you're really here to see."

Zuko's head perked up with a blush.

"Really? I didn't-" Zuko was interrupted by a tackle hug from behind, that again almost knocked him off his feet.

"Zuko! Hey, buddy," said Sokka. Sokka wrapped his arms around Zuko's neck pulling him down into a headlock that Zuko playfully tried to get out of.

"Sokka?" Zuko said.

"Hey, it's been it a bit. Where's Aang? He didn't come with you?" Sokka asked.

"He's on a spiritual retreat," Hakoda answered.

"That makes sense. He is the avatar and all," Sokka nodded. "We should catch up. Who's up for lunch on the Fire Lord's tab?"

"Sounds great, son," said Hakoda. "But I've still got some business to take care off. I'll see you all for dinner at the palace. Sound good?"

"See you there, dad," cheered Sokka. He turned with Zuko still under his arm. "Come on, Zuko."

"Sokka, seriously, let me go. It's not funny."

--

Katara worked at her desk and sighed. After traveling the world and defeating the world's strongest benders, looking over legislation seemed really boring in comparison. Her head perked up when she heard a commotion outside her office. Only one person could be this loud in the palace. Sure enough, the door was kicked open without even a knock.

"And then my dad shot her," said Sokka.

"That story gets weirder every time you tell it," said Zuko.

"Hey, Katara, look who's here," said Sokka.

"Zuko!" Katara rushed out from behind her desk and pulled Zuko in for a tight hug. She pulled back as the two locked eyes.

"It's been so long," she said.

"Yes," Zuko nodded.

"No, it hasn't," Sokka interrupted. "She just got back three months ago. And weren't you in the Fire Nation for, like, a year?"

"It's been a long three months, Sokka," said Katara, shooting her brother a quick scowl.

"We were gonna catch up over lunch. Wanna come?" Sokka asked.

Katara cleared her throat and tilted her head at Sokka for a second. Luckily, Zuko got the signal that Sokka missed.

"Yes, I brought gifts actually," said Zuko, "They're still on my ship but I brought some spiced wine for the festival as well as some fire lilies."

"Great," Sokka sarcastically replied, "Because nothing says eternal peace like a flower that's probably gonna die in three days."

"Sokka!" Katara scolded. "That's very sweet, Zuko. Sokka, please make sure the gifts are unloaded safely."

"What? Me? Why do I have to do it?" Sokka asked.

"Because I don't want to and it's you're job," answered Katara, "Mister-in-charge-of-domestic-affairs."

"Well the gifts are from the Fire Nation," Sokka shot back, "Miss ambassador."

"On our shores," Katara said flatly.

"Fine. Whatever." Sokka hung his head in defeat. "Thanks for the booze. I'll meet you at the restaurant, Zuko."

"Sure," Zuko nodded.

Katara waited until she could no longer hear Sokka's grumbling or his footsteps. She locked the door and turned to meet her lover in a tight embrace. Their lips met. The couple kissing as they ran their fingers through each other's hair, reluctantly breaking off to catch their breaths.

"I missed you," whispered Zuko. A tear falling from his eye.

"I missed you too," Katara said. "But you're here earlier than I thought you'd be."

"Your last letter gave me...ideas," Zuko said, blushing.

"Did it now?" laughed Katara. The couple kissed a few more times before taking a seat in the small couch in her office.

"How are things in the Fire Nation?" Katara asked.

"Going well," Zuko answered. "Jee loved the retirement gift you sent him."

"I was his favorite captain after all," Katara boasted.

"So he keeps telling me. Repeatedly," said Zuko. "To be honest, a got a little nervous coming in. I thought your father had found out about us."

"He still doesn't know," Katara said.

"You haven't told him?" Zuko asked. "Why?"

"I don't know. Nerves, I guess," Katara explained. "After the way Aang reacted when he caught us together, I didn't know if anyone else would feel the same way. What did you tell Sokka about Aang?"

"I told him Aang was on a spiritual retreat," Zuko answered.

"That makes sense," Katara nodded. "He is the avatar."

"Katara, what happened with Aang was not your fault."

"I know," she replied. "It was yours."

"What!?"

"I told you to lock the door," she said.

"That's not what I meant," said Zuko.

"I know, but still," Katara sighed. "I don't want to be put in that kind of situation again. Maybe you could tell him. My dad likes you."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Katara cupped Zuko's face in her hands and kissed him.

"Please," she said. "For me?"

"Okay," Zuko relented. Katara pinched Zuko cheeks and shook them a little.

"So pouty," she teased.

"Please stop." Katara let go and giggled.

"So, I hope Sokka takes his time unloading those gifts. What will we do until then?" Katara asked, leaning back against her couch. She raised her arms and put her hands behind her head. Zuko leaned forward over her.

"I remember your last letter. Something about it getting hot in the south pole."

Katara giggled as Zuko leaned in for a kiss. His arms propping himself up on the couch. Katara's hands finding their way down the to sash of his royal garb and then his belt, undoing them the way she had done a dozen times before.

--

The dinner table was a long, fancy layout fit for any palace. Still, the chief's family sat close together at one end of the table. Their food laid out between them with the Fire Lord sitting close by.

"So Zuko," Hakoda asked, "How do you like Water Tribe food?"

"It's different," he answered politely. "Good, but different."

"I'm glad you like it. I didn't know if our humble cuisine would be fit for his lordship," Hakoda chuckled.

"Dad, he's not like that," Katara said. "Here, Zuko, have some more noodles."

"Hey, those are my noodles!" Sokka whined.

"You already had three bowls!"

"Kids," Hakoda interjected. "Not in front of our guest."

Hakoda sighed and shook his head with a smile.

"Some things never change, heh? Sorry about that." Hakoda said to Zuko.

"No," Zuko replied. "It's nice. This is nice. My meals aren't usually this...lively."

"Speaking of meals, sorry I had to miss lunch. But I'm glad you two were able to catch up with the Fire Lord," Hakoda said.

"Actually, it was just me and Zuko," Sokka corrected. "I had to make sure Zuko's gifts for the festival were unloaded from his ship. When I went back to Katara's office she was asleep on her couch, so it was just me and Zuko at the restaurant."

"Really?" Hakoda arched a brow at Katara who blushed.

"I was tired from...work," Katara said.

Hakoda turned to Zuko who looked down at his food as soon as their eyes met.

"Huh," Hakoda mused. "Interesting."

"What? What's happening?" Sokka asked.

"Nothing." Hakoda cleared his throat. "You know, Lord Zuko, it is customary to bring a fresh kill for the village before the festival. Perhaps you'd like to join me tomorrow for a hunt."

"But dad, we already have enough food," Sokka said.

"I know, but it's tradition." Hakoda smiled at Zuko while Katara nervously looked on. "How about it? You'd get to experience a little bit our culture before the festival. As a sign of good will, of course."

Zuko looked around the room before looking for a sign from Katara. She gave a quick albeit nervous nod.

"Of course," Zuko stammered. "I'd be honored to, Chief Hakoda."

"Good man." The tension lifted from the room for a moment. "Now how about some of that spiced wine the Fire Lord brought?"

"Put some fire in your belly, as they say in the Fire Nation. Right, Zuko?" Sokka chuckled.

"Yup," Katara muttered. "That is what they say."

--

The next day, Zuko was tying the knots on his armguards. He'd never been hunting before. Or at least, not successfully. But he was earnest in the attempt. Katara approached him with a fur coat under her arms.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" she asked.

"I'll be fine. Unlike my father, your dad is an honorable man," he replied. "I'm sure he won't try to do anything to me while we're out hunting. Alone. In the middle of a frozen tundra while I try to tell him that I'm sleeping with his daughter."

"Well aren't we confident?" Katara threw the fur over Zuko's shoulders and patted it down, making sure it fit. "This should help keep you warm."

"Thank you," Zuko said. Zuko leaned in, letting his forehead rest on hers.

"No matter what happens," Katara started, "I love you."

"I know." Zuko kissed Katara's forehead. "I love you."

Katara watched as Zuko left the hut out into the bright day of the Southern Water Tribe. The heat from the indoors replace by a cold gust of wind. As his eyes adjusted, Zuko could see Sokka and Hakoda.

"Hey," Sokka greeted as they approached. "Isn't that Katara's hut?"

"Uh..." was all Zuko could say, trying to think of a good answer.

"Never mind that. We're burning daylight," said Hakoda. "Let's go, Lord Zuko."

"Him? What about me?" Sokka asked.

"Sorry, Sokka, but I'm gonna need you to watch over things while I'm gone." Hakoda put his hand on Sokka's shoulder. "It's just for today. A cultural experience for the Fire Lord."

"Fine. I guess," said Sokka. "But I'm going to the next one."

It was quite the walk for the two men. First reaching the limits of the city. Then going out far enough to find wild arctic caribou.

Hakoda taught Zuko the basics. How to track, how to stalk your prey without them noticing, and how to pick your target. Zuko attentively listened and absorbed all of Hakoda's instruction. After a few hours, the two men found a small cave.

"Let's take a break here," Hakoda suggested. The two sat inside the cave. Hakoda reached into his pack and pulled out some firewood and arranged it between them.

"Do you mind?" he asked, gesturing at the wood. Zuko nodded and with a quick punch set the wood on fire. Zuko watched the wood crackle and enjoyed its warmth. Hakoda pulled out a small piece of meat from his pack and offered a piece to Zuko who politely declined.

"We'll be able to see the caribou from here. When the come back around to graze, that's when we'll make our move." Hakoda looked out into the distance. Zuko simply nodded. It was a few more moments before either man said anything. Hakoda was the first, feeling it was the right time.

"Lord Zuko," he spoke up, "I wanted to start by saying thank you for taking care of my daughter while she was staying at the Fire Nation."

"Yes, I mean, yes sir. It was no problem at all," Zuko awkwardly stammered.

"I would hope not. You being the Fire Lord," Hakoda said. Zuko, not knowing how to answer, just coughed.

"So were you supposed to tell me or was Katara going to?" Hakoda asked.

"What?"

"About the two of you." Hakoda crossed his arms and looked right into Zuko's eyes. Zuko, after failing to find the right words, hung his head.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"It wasn't too hard to figure out," Hakoda answered. "Katara is my daughter, but she's also become a beautiful young woman. You're a young man. She lives in the Fire Nation for a year and her letters back home become less and less frequent. Then when she gets home, all she can talk about is you."

"Wow," was all Zuko can say.

"My question is, why did you all try to keep it a secret?" Hakoda asked.

"When Katara was in the Fire Nation," Zuko sighed in the middle of his sentence. "Aang saw us...together. He didn't react well."

"Which would explain why he's not coming to the Glacier Spirit Festival, even though he's the avatar."

Zuko nodded.

"Apparently, he had feelings for Katara but she didn't feel the same."

"I figured as much," Hakoda shook his head. "I thought it would have been better not to say anything at the time."

"Aang was one of our closest friends or at least that's what we thought. So I guess she...we were afraid that if he was so against us being together maybe everyone else would-"

"The Avatar has his own feelings that he has to work through. It has nothing to do with you two," Hakoda interrupted. "What matters is you make each other happy. You make my daughter happy. That's what's important."

"Thank you, sir," said Zuko.

"Besides if you hurt my daughter, you'll have me to deal with," Hakoda warned.

"If I hurt your daughter, I don't think you'll get the chance. Katara can probably take me out herself."

Hakoda laughed so hard he almost fell backwards.

"She does have her mother's temper."

"Yeah," Zuko agreed. "She's pretty amazing."

The two men sat in the cave watching the arctic caribou slowly return from the horizon.

"We should probably take something back," said Hakoda.

"Thank you for talking with me, sir," said Zuko.

"Don't worry about it, son. You've done more than enough right by me. Sokka, on the other hand, good luck."

--

Katara paced back and forth.

"They should have been back by now. I should go look for them."

"Relax," said Sokka. "See?"

Sokka pointed out to two small figures in the distance. It was Hakoda and Zuko, dragging a caribou behind them.

"Wow, I can't believe they actually did it," Sokka said. "I thought dad was gonna catch Zuko with his pants down or something. Ew, now there's a sight."

"I've already seen Zuko with his pants down," Katara smirked.

Sokka blinked.

"Wh-what?"

[never-ending-fanfic]

Some of my Atla headcanons nobody asked for part 8:

Fire Nation had a very pro-war and pro-dictatorship anthem forced upon the people by the past three Fire Lords, but they had a much nicer and more beautiful one before the war and Zuko made sure to go back to it as quickly as possible

(I just refuse to acknowledge the canon that Iroh simply gave up the chance to see his son again and chose to live alone in the Spirit World so) Iroh met his son and probably wife after his death

Katara and Aang had a little bit of a problem choosing the perfect names for their sons, but they knew Kya would be the name of their daughter even before she was born

Sokka became a Southern Water Tribe ambassador and took every chance he got to attend some very formal meetings and offer some of his wisdom (and on-point jokes and comments to help bring down the stiff atmosphere) and he did this especially during Zuko's very first meetings with other leaders after the war

Katara, after Zuko convinced her other Fire Nation theatres were a lot better than the Ember Island Players, went to see some plays and fell in love with theatre

Chit Sand was a member of the 41st Division, the very one Zuko defended in the war meeting and for which he got his scar

Every member of that division knew what Zuko's done for them and as they went into the battlefield they all proudly swore their loyalty to him. The soldiers who lived through the massacre started spreading the word that the Fire Lord didn't care for his people and they got arrested (hence why Chit Sang might have been in prison)

Izumi calls Iroh "grandpa"

[cynical-mystic]

ZKMonth22 Day 21: Ambassador Zuko

When Zuko arrived in the Southern Water Tribe to be its ambassador from the Fire Nation, he expected to experience culture shock. As much as he’d tried to prepare for his new role by studying the Fire Nation Royal Library’s collection of literature about the Water Tribes, when he docked in the South he realized that all of the books he’d read had been about the North. The South was completely different.

For one, the books he’d read had told him women were only allowed to learn how to heal if they were waterbenders. In the South, they learned how to fight alongside the men and the men learned how to heal alongside the women.

The books he’d read told him that women didn’t have a choice in who they married, that their fathers chose for them. In the South, they had all the agency to choose their spouse.

As such, Zuko wasn’t surprised when all of his expectations were subverted, as apparently the Fire Nation needed to update their literature.

He was met by the Head Chief and his family: Hakoda, his wife Kya, their son Sokka, and their daughter Katara. Sokka was a year younger than he and Katara two, but once they were out of the stuffiness of formalities and Chief Council meetings, the three got on like a house on fire.

Sokka taught him everything he needed to know about how to navigate the political sphere of the Southern Water Tribe, while Katara exposed him to its culture. He found there was a certain charm in this place that was so different from his home, and found he preferred wearing Water Tribe clothing than expending unnecessary energy keeping himself warm with firebending.

Katara was a waterbender, and once she learned he could firebend she demanded he spar with her. They found each other to be a decent match, and sparred regularly.

Zuko wrote to his uncle, Fire Lord Iroh, telling him of everything he was experiencing and learning, and more than a little bit about Katara.

As such, when Fire Lord Iroh received a letter asking for his permission for Zuko to court Katara, he wasn’t surprised, and immediately gave his consent.

[liliesforeveryfandom]

Ever since his mom disappeared, Zuko hated living in the palace.

He loathed how cold and empty it felt. It’s reds and golds looked dull. Ozai and Azula taunted him more and life felt bleak. The flowers in the garden started to die and the halls seemed to get bigger.

Even after the war, when all was said and done, there was still no peace. The assassination attempts, the metal of the guards, the anxiety. There was nothing left.

It no longer felt like home.

But then Katara came along.

When Zuko appointed her as ambassador and she came to live with him for a while, Katara couldn’t believe how such a grand palace could look so gloomy.

So, she decorated it with little hints of blue and some Southern Water Tribe decor. It felt nice, Zuko thought, put some life back in the place.

Katara gasped when she saw how unkempt the garden was. She bended water into the stems and soil and started taking care of them. Eventually they grew into the prettiest fire lilies that Zuko had seen in a long time.

Katara also teaches Zuko how to cook her cultural food. The warmth of blubber soup and beef jerky was enough to fill Zuko’s tummy.

Katara was the perfect light of his life.

So, it was no surprise when the two fell in love and got married. He look her as his Lady and she took him as her Lord.

Their first heir came soon after and Zuko was estatic. He couldn’t wait for the sound of a child’s laughter to fill the lonely rooms again.

Katara was endeared by Zuko’s adoration of their unborn daughter (he cried when she told him.) It’s only pure joy for the 8 months that Katara is pregnant.

She then gives birth and they named their little princess Kya.

In time, Kya starts running across the halls of the palace with a huge laugh. She never gets tired of it. The palace now feels like how it felt in the simpler days, where Zuko and his family were once happy.

Kya feeds the turtle ducks and starts making her own tea. She helps her mom cook and helps her dad finish writing letters.

It is spring and the cherry blossoms fall of their dark branches in the garden. The family decides to have a picnic in front of the pond, where Kya shows off her backflips instead of eating.

It finally feels like it’s heart has begun beating again. It feels like it’s been reborn. It is now full and energetic, just like Zuko’s love for everything good in his life. It’s a new beginning, just how like it is for him and Katara and the entire world.

It’s a blissful peace.

[llamalpaca]

prompt #28 for #zutaramonth - NoWarAU

Zuko had not been thrilled when his uncle, Fire Lord Iroh, first appointed him as the new Fire Nation Ambassador in the Southern Water Tribe. But, as with everything, Zuko was determined to make it work and bring pride to his nation. The chief’s waterbending daughter might possibly be the best thing that has ever happened to him.

[burst-of-iridescent]

Have you ever come across an idea in a Zutara fic that you enjoyed but sadly just wasn't used enough should totally be explored more?

Any tropes you love and just can't get enough of?

hi anon, thanks for the ask! sorry it took me a while to get to it!

three words: single. dad. zuko. i've been obsessed with this trope since i read evergreenonthehorizon's fic partners in learning (a modern au featuring katara as izumi's teacher, which i cannot recommend enough). i know children in fic is a bit of a contentious topic, and i'm not a huge fan of it myself, but there's something about the thought of zuko and izumi realizing katara is the missing piece of their family that just does it for me. katara stepping in as the mother izumi never had, and zuko falling even deeper in love with her seeing her interact with his daughter? *chef's kiss*

also the comedic potential of izumi embarrassing both zuko and katara by innocently (or not-so-innocently) pointing out their feelings for one another? unmatched.

another trope i can't get enough of: fake dating zk!!!! i've only found 2 fics with this premise (the proposal and souvenirs we never lose) but god they're SO GOOD. fake dating in general is such an amazing trope, but when you pair it with zk???? GOD-TIER.

as for other tropes i adore in zk fics:

- the fire lord and southern water tribe ambassador mutually pining for one another!!!! especially if it's slow burn adkfkdfldkf

- toph being the first one to realize they have feelings for each other, closely followed by suki. they go mad because no matter how much they assure zuko and katara their feelings are reciprocated, these two idiots just refuse to believe it

- iroh being the number one zutara stan. teasing zuko about his feelings!! embarrassing him in front of katara!! pushing him to confess!!

- modern au tea shop zk!!!! this trope is just so sweet and i love fumbling tea server zuko trying not to get all tripped up over the pretty girl who soon becomes a regular

- the sparring that ends up with them just conveniently a bit too close to one another and their gaze drops to each other's lips- (god, i live for this trope)

- travelling together!! i love any fic where they end up separated from the gaang and have to navigate their way across the four nations with only each other for back-up, especially if it happens when they're still enemies (either book 2, or book 3 post-DOBS). enemies to reluctant allies to friends to lovers slaps every fucking time. the color of the stars by bluenebulae is based on this premise, and i don't have enough words for how good it is.

and yes, this is an invitation to drop any and all fake dating/mixed family zk fics. i will be forever grateful.

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

A collection of fics I’ve read (/reread) and thoroughly enjoyed in the past week-ish from all kinds of fandoms and genres.

ATLA

Fire Lily Oil by mindbending                

There’s an assassin in Sparky’s bedroom. It’s the only explanation for the extra heartbeat. The sounds of exertion. The ominous thumping of furniture. Fueled by both duty and friendship, Toph crashes in, ready for battle-

Only to get smacked by a faceful of Sokka’s new perfume.

Ambassador Sokka and His Very Bad (Turned Very Good) Idea by gaydaractivate04

Part 1 of The Adventures of Ambassador Sokka    

The war is officially over. With Fire Lord Ozai and his daughter dead, Fire Lord Zuko now takes the throne.

He takes the throne, and sets to fixing the destruction left over from the war, starting with his own people and ending with everyone else's.

That was how Sokka found himself, the next chief of the Southern Water Tribe, negotiating new treaties in the heart of the Fire Nation with the new Fire Lord.

Who, if he must say, is really good looking for a guy who spent the last few years in the cells beneath the palace.

BNHA

For The Greater Good by Cornflower_Blue       

Of course, from the moment he knew One For All was passable, Izuku had carried a quiet hope that All Might would pick him. But until that moment in the sunset, it had always been more like a far off fantasy, a bedtime story he would tell himself at night. How could he hold a candle to someone like Kacchan, who had the perfect heroic quirk that would only add to One For All.

But All Might had seen something in him, and Izuku had promised himself he would never let his hero regret giving him that chance at his dream.

He did kinda wish he had agreed to let All Might’s team install the panic button in his phone back when his name had been leaked though.

Harry Potter

the end of being alone by rexcorvidae                

When Harriet Potter asks Hagrid questions about her parents that he doesn't know the answers to, he directs her to one of their old friends, and in doing so changes the course of history.

The Happy Smiles Recipe by MayMarlow                

After Sirius's death Dumbledore is ready to send Harry once again back to the Dursleys. Molly Weasley is not about to let that happen.

Untamed

Five Dogs, One Cat by ryfkah (+ podfic)     

If you’ve ever believed me in anything, believe I want what’s best for Jin Ling, the first line of the letter reads.

Jiang Cheng has to stop and take a moment before he continues on to the next line:

 You must come to Carp Tower as soon as you can and lavish praise on the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen.

  scatter and sunder by silversshadow               

When Wei Wuxian dies at the Burial Mounds the backlash tears his soul apart.

The cultivation world is left to watch the pieces.

TMA

nor any more youth or age than there is now by Ravenesta    

The local Primary school has a new teacher. He is, to say the very least, odd.

A series of statements regarding the interactions of the townsfolk with one Jonathan Sims, never formally given.

"Have You Tried Turning It Off And On Again?" - How the Magnus Institute learned to embrace the IT ticketing system, upgraded their antivirus, and still found the time to teach one old man how to copy and paste by shinyopals

Part 2 of The Magnus Institute vs the 21st Century: a series of emails and IMs

I hope you find your new role as Head of the Institute as rewarding as captaining the Tundra, wrote Elias Bouchard, to Peter Lukas. There are so many people working there: all with their own interesting lives, and all desiring your attention and support. I'm sure you will relish the challenge it will bring and enjoy every moment spent with the fine men and women of the Institute. In time I'm confident they'll become like a family to you.

The Magnus Institute has a new boss. The Magnus Institute also has a new tech support technician. These two facts are unrelated, except they both happen at the same time.

Meanwhile Jon's woken up from being dead for six months and for once he's trying his best. He just wishes Martin would stop avoiding him and answer his messages...

TMA/TUA

just stopped believing in happy endings by  chahakyn              

“I know that. I’m just…” Sissy frowns, biting her lower lip. “I just wonder whether staying here would hurt less than going out there.”

Vanya covers Sissy’s hand with her own, turning to kiss the inside of her palm.

“It’ll hurt equally either way. Does it matter to you, as long as we’re together?”

-

The Archivist Vanya Hargreeves goes on a journey to hunt down her Avatar siblings in their respective Fear Domains post-Watcher's Crown.

(A Magnus Archives AU)

[today-only-happens-once]

clarity

Word count: 5463

Summary:  Hakoda had been hearing rumors about the Fire Lord's son for years. That doesn't mean he is ready when the truth finally comes to light... especially when the truth only confirms the worst. Companion piece to “out of focus” but can be read separately. 

Warnings: injury/burns, angst, some mentions of trauma and PTSD, canonical child abuse/mutilation, Sokka gets angry protective and yells a little, blink-and-you-miss-it mention of nausea, please let me know if I missed anything. 

A/N: Turns out, I really wanted to explore Hakoda’s POV of the events in “out of focus”. So much so that not only did I write this, but’s longer than the original. Woops. Hope you enjoy it!

Read on AO3.

...

His son is good at many things, Hakoda thinks, but his poker face is not one of them. 

He’d had never been particularly good at it, if Hakoda is being honest. He’d usually been able to tell with one glance when Sokka was at fault for something breaking and would blame Katara, and Kya had been even better at reading the micro-expressions of their son. Sokka is older now—and in more ways that Hakoda is comfortable with, he carries those extra years around like a weight on his shoulders—but he still hasn’t quite mastered the art of subtlety. It was something he’d need to work on if he wanted to be chief of the Southern Water Tribe one day. 

Sokka shifts in his seat across from him, his brows pinched slightly in evident annoyance. Hakoda sees the shared glance between his son and the Fire Lord. Zuko’s mouth twitches in something like amusement. 

“I want immediate release of all war prisoners,” the Earth Kingdom ambassador, Bashi, beside Sokka demands.

Hakoda inclines his head. “I second that. I have men in those prisons that haven’t seen their family in a decade.”

Hakoda couldn’t imagine what that would be like. Two years apart from his children had caused him to feel like he’d already missed out on so much of their lives. The idea of going five times that without any news from the outside… Suffice it to say that Hakoda did not envy those men.

“Of course,” the Fire Lord says, but his voice is nearly swallowed by the loud demand down the table, “Absolutely not!”

The hard glare that Fire Lord Zuko sends down the table at the Fire Nation Admiral makes Hakoda grateful that he is not on the receiving end of it. “Admiral, people who were arrested as prisoners of war have no need to remain so after the war has ended.” Zuko meets Hakoda’s gaze, the heat in his glare lifting at the redirection of attention. “I’ll draft that mandate tonight and will ensure its circulation as soon as possible.”

The Fire Lord—dressed in the traditional royal robes and his hair pulled into a top knot—is a stark contrast to the first time Hakoda had met him back in Boiling Rock. At the time, Zuko had been Fire Nation public enemy number 2 behind Aang. The tattered red tunic of Fire Nation prison uniforms had hung off his thin, borderline-malnourished frame. He looks better now, a little. Zuko is still lean, but not quite as gaunt as he’d looked in the Fire Nation prison. Hakoda’s biggest concern when it came to the Fire Lord’s well-being these days was the dark circles around his eyes that, though he tries to hide it, indicate too many sleepless nights.

“This is an outrage!” The admiral slams his fist against the table, leaping to his feet.

Hakoda feels his jaw clench in frustration. He has little patience for men who try to assert themselves through aggression and yelling rather than calm rationality. Even so, it doesn’t surprise him, exactly. Hakoda had been around long enough to know that Fire Nation men had long been taught there was power through anger, and to wield it as they see fit.

Zuko rises to meet his feet, slowly and deliberately. “Admiral--”

“Where is the justice for the Fire Nation families whose sons and daughters were slaughtered by those criminals?”

Hakoda presses his hands together to keep them from curling into fists. Did the Admiral not realize just how many Fire Nation soldiers walked free after slaughtering  innocent people, let alone soldiers? Even the person who killed Kya--

“Admiral.”

“I remember a time when you cared about Fire Nation soldiers! And it’s hard to believe you’ve forgotten, seeing as you ought to be reminded every time you so much as look in the mirror--”

Hakoda frowns. The comment rings vague bells in his head, though he can’t remember why…

“Enough!” Zuko snaps sharply. “You will watch your tongue or you will be escorted out. You approach insubordination.”

“You are a child,” the admiral says, spitting the word child like it disgusts him, “though one that ought to know a thing or two about insubordination, given your father’s attempts to brand you with a permanent reminder of its consequences--”

“Warriors!”

“Then again, he always was twice the leader you never will be. Long live the Phoenix King!” 

Sokka is suddenly on his feet. “Zuko—!”

“Sokka—!”

Hakoda leaps up just as the admiral punches a fireball at the space between his son and the Fire Lord. His heart jumps to his throat, but Zuko is fast. He shoves Sokka’s shoulder down with one hand and dispels the fireball with the other. Hakoda leaps over his chair as he sees the glint of his son’s boomerang hook through the air. 

The admiral’s gaze locks onto him for a moment and Hakoda instinctively ducks, diving underneath a bolt of scorching flames. He feels the ground tremble, hears the roar of dying flames above him. Hakoda risks a glance towards his son just in time to see Zuko step in front of him, bending the burst of flames to split on either side of them, rather than hit Sokka straight on. 

The door ricochets open. Two Kyoshi Warriors spill into the room, and in a flurry of quick strikes, the admiral drops to the floor. Limp.

Bashi unbinds his feet with the bending from earlier—it’s only now that Hakoda realizes that tremble in the ground a moment ago had been earthbending—and the admiral hurls insults at Zuko as he’s dragged unceremoniously through the doors. 

The silence that follows echoes in the room. 

Hakoda takes a quick, calculating sweep of the room. Kovrik, the Northern Water Tribe ambassador, is wide-eyed but appears unharmed. Bashi is panting but standing upright. Sokka is hidden behind Zuko who shifts awkwardly in the silence.

He clears his throat. “Apologies for the, uh, disruption. It won’t happen again.” He looks, for all the world, genuinely apologetic. Embarrassed, even.

Which is foolish, Hakoda thinks. Zuko couldn’t reasonably be expected to have weeded out all of the Ozai sympathizers in a month. Ozai may have been one person but there was an entire ideology and system that allowed his tyranny in the first place. A sixteen-year-old couldn’t be asked to single-handedly dismantle it all, and certainly not so quickly. 

“It’s not your fault, Fire Lord Zuko,” he tells him. 

“I appreciate that, Chief Hakoda,” Zuko says. Behind him, Sokka sucks in a breath through his teeth and Hakoda feels his chest twinge in concern. He had fought in a war long enough to hear the pain laced through the noise. Zuko turns around to look at him, then turns back around sharply to address the room. “We will adjourn the meeting for today. We will reconvene tomorrow.”

Zuko hides it well, Hakoda thinks, but there’s an urgency to his words hidden behind a carefully constructed mask of stoicism that leaves no room for doubt in Hakoda’s mind. Sokka is hurt.

“But Fire Lord Zuko—”

“I think we could all use a breather, Kovrik,” Hakoda jumps in, not eager for another argument to break out. “Coming back tomorrow with a clear head is a good decision.” Besides, the sooner he can clear the room of other people, the sooner he could check on Sokka who Zuko was—almost protectively—keeping from view. 

“Yes,” Kovrick acquiesces, though Hakoda can tell he’s still not pleased. “Yes, I suppose that’s fair.”

Zuko nods his appreciation. Kovrik, Bashi, and the few other dignitaries that had been in the room bustle out the door. Hakoda waits until it’s latched shut behind them before he turns his full attention towards his son. Zuko has already turned his full attention to him, saying something in a low voice. 

Hakoda can sees the clench of his son’s jaw and the slight wince as he places his hand in Zuko’s. Hakoda steps up behind the Fire Lord, peering over his shoulder. His chest tightens a little in sympathy when he sees the blistering, angry red skin on the back of his son’s hand.

“Do you have anything that can help?” he asks of the Fire Lord, frowning. He thinks briefly of calling Kovrik back in before he remembers that the Northern Water Tribe’s men, even when benders, didn’t typically learn its healing abilities. 

“Yes, sir,” Zuko replies, not taking his gaze from Sokka’s hand as if he could heal it by staring at it hard enough. “Though it’s not quite as immediate as waterbending healers. But it should help with the pain and prevent infection. Follow me.”

Hakoda follows as Zuko guides Sokka by the elbow out the door of the meeting room and through a network of hallways. There’s something almost jarring about it to Hakoda. The image of the Fire Lord leading his Water Tribe son through the palace to get him help, rather than as a prisoner, has a part of Hakoda’s mind reeling. Sokka’s blue clothing stands out against the dark reds and blacks that adorn the walls and pillars around them.

How quickly times had changed.

Hakoda thinks back to the conversation in the meeting a few moments ago as he watches the back of Zuko’s head, moving quickly down the corridor with Sokka in tow. Rumors and propaganda about the Fire Nation, and especially about its leader, flew quickly amongst the ranks of soldiers in the war. It had been difficult to know fact from fiction, especially as it related to the royal family. 

A year ago—the memory comes crystal clear to Hakoda now—one of the men on his crew named Horrak had told him what he’d been certain was an exaggerated, hyperbolic story. Something about the Fire Lord and his thirteen-year-old son. On Tui and La, I swear it’s true. Heard it from the mouth of a Fire Nation soldier myself who was actually there.

He’s a tyrant and cruel, Hakoda had said, rolling his eyes because the idea was just… incomprehensible, but there’s no way Ozai would do that to his own flesh and blood. He’s too proud of his bloodline anyway. 

Zuko glances over his shoulder at Sokka, and Hakoda sees the angry scar across half of his face. The words of the admiral in the meeting whisper in the back of Hakoda’s mind in a way that makes his stomach turn. Your father’s attempts to brand you… Hakoda had thought that surely, surely, even Ozai had a line in the sand when it came to his own family. 

He’s less confident of that now.

Zuko says something to two of the guards stationed at the set of double doors that Hakoda doesn’t quite catch, and then slips through the door. Hakoda follows close behind. 

“Wait here,” Zuko says, and then vanishes through a door on the far side of the room.

Hakoda glances around the room. It was a bedroom, but Hakoda had a hard time believing it was Zuko’s. It seemed too simple of a room to belong to the Fire Lord. Then again, Zuko had been full of surprises from the very first time Hakoda had met him. 

He looks to his son, noticing the tight grimace to his face and the very slight sway and grabs the chair beside the bed to get his son to sit before he falls face first into the floor. 

“You had good reflexes in there,” Hakoda says. He’d dealt enough with injured Water Tribesmen to know that distraction was usually the best way to help them deal with the pain of a burn. He had no doubt that his son was no exception to that. 

“Lots of practice,” Sokka replies, obediently taking a seat. He hisses out another breath as his grip around the arms of the chair stretches the skin across the back of his hand. He swears under his breath.

“Easy,” Hakoda says softly, bracing a hand on his son’s back. 

The comment from his son makes his chest twist, but he can’t very well deny it. His son had seen more combat in the past year than he’d hoped he’d have to in his lifetime. Hakoda knows that it was an unreasonable expectation for his son to somehow be the exception to generations of pain. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Sokka would be able to handle the fight—Sokka always been able to hold his own—but could you blame a father for wanting to spare his son the experience of waking up from nightmares, haunted by the people he couldn’t save?

Hakoda dealt with that enough for the both of them.

“Wish Katara was here,” Sokka says. 

“I know,” Hakoda tells him. “Unfortunately, I don’t think she’s coming to Caldera for a while. She’s still in Ba Sing Se with Aang.” She and Aang were working on their own negotiations of reparations and treatises. Caldera was only one location of many that were in the middle of such conversations.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Sokka sighs. “Her magic water comes in handy, though… Get it? Hand-y?”

Hakoda snorts. That’s the kind of joke he used to make to get Kya to smile.

The door across the room opens again. Zuko emerges with his arms wrapped around a giant tub of water, several vials and rags gripped in his hands. He’d also pulled his hair out of the top knot so that it falls into his face, shaggy and unbrushed. It makes him look younger somehow. 

Spirits, he really is only sixteen, isn’t he?

The Fire Lord seems to be studiously avoiding both his and his son’s gaze as he crosses back to him and sets the washbasin at Sokka’s feet. The realization twists uncomfortably in Hakoda’s stomach. 

“Can I see your hand?” Zuko says in what is perhaps the softest voice Hakoda has ever heard come from the teen’s mouth. 

Sokka blinks. “Yeah. Sure.” 

Hakoda crosses his arms over his chest and watches as Zuko examines his son’s hand. The Fire Lord handles it with care, mindful of the injury even as he inspects closely. His brow is furrowed in concentration and there’s a long beat of silence. Sokka is almost uncharacteristically quiet, but Hakoda doesn’t miss the very slight way his shoulders seem to ease. There’s a familiarity between them, Hakoda realizes, and it makes him wonder in the back of his mind if maybe this wasn’t the first time they helped each other. 

“I don’t think it’ll have permanent damage,” Zuko says eventually. “But I still need to treat it so it doesn’t get infected. It… might hurt a little. But then it should feel better.”

Hakoda sees his son swallow. “No permanent damage. That’s good.” He nods, evidently steeling himself. “Okay.”

Zuko looks for a moment like he’s about to say something else, but seems to change his mind. Instead, he busies himself with wringing a cloth in the basin of water, into which he had emptied the contents of the vials. Hakoda’s gaze flickers again to the scar on his face and wonders if he might be so intimately familiar with the care of burns from his own experience. 

Hakoda wonders if there was someone else to help him and teach him. Perhaps that uncle that he and Sokka had mentioned. Iroh, Hakoda thinks his name is, though that would mean the uncle was General Iroh, as in the Dragon of the West. That seemed unlikely to the chief. No way this “wise old guy” who apparently spent his free time giving advice and making tea was also the same person who laid siege to Ba Sing Se for six-hundred days.

He watches Zuko press the rag gingerly to the back of Sokka’s hand and Sokka yelps, yanking his hand back. 

“I’m sorry,” Zuko says immediately with a bit of a grimace. “This part is painful, but it’ll stop hurting in a minute.”

Hakoda listens to the strained breathing of his son, taking a step towards him before Sokka manages, “Right. Right, sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” Zuko tells him. “I know it hurts.”

Hakoda watches from behind Sokka as his son places his hand back in Zuko’s, who slowly but gingerly presses the rag back to his hand. There’s a casual intimacy to the way that Sokka willingly gives over his injury to the Fire Lord. An assured immediacy to Sokka’s movement combined with the extraordinarily careful way in which Zuko handles it that surprises him. He’d known, intellectually, that his children had become close with the Fire Lord. But the moments in which Hakoda got to be witness to that friendship sometimes still caught him off guard, even all these months later. 

It even folded into the way they fought beside each other. Hakoda had gotten very fleeting glimpses of it back in Boiling Rock, but he’d seen it more clearly in the meeting room a few minutes ago. They watched each other’s back, protecting one another without getting in each other’s way, like it was a rehearsed dance. Hakoda had watched the way Zuko stepped in front of flames to protect his son and had seen the way Sokka had timed his boomerang through to ensure the next fireball directed at Zuko would be kicked wide. 

For a long moment, the only sound heard in the room is the quiet splash of water as Zuko submerges the rag again and wrings it out. Hakoda glances at the Fire Lord’s face and wonders if Zuko had always had a habit of facing flames head-on. 

“What did the admiral mean,” Sokka blurts out suddenly, breaking the silence, “when he talked about insubordination?”

Hakoda’s lips press into a thin line, his gaze flickering briefly to his son before flitting back to Zuko. Zuko’s eyes had gone wide, the rag in his hand frozen half-out of the bowl. He blinks. “What--uh. I, uh.” Hakoda sees his hand clench around the rag and the way he takes a careful, intentional breath. “When I was younger, I spoke out at a meeting.”

Zuko busies himself back to tending to Sokka’s hand. Hakoda, however, feels something sink like an anchor in his stomach. He goes very, very still.

“After the stuff at Ba Sing Se? When you went home?” Sokka asks, and Hakoda realizes that he hasn’t heard the same rumors he had. Rumors that were at least a little bit true, but surely not all of it. Surely--

“No, I uh.” Zuko coughs a bit. “Before that. Before… yeah. Earlier.” 

“What happened?”

Hakoda stays quiet but he keeps his eyes on Zuko, who looks for all the world like a wild snow leopard caribou that had been cornered. His shoulders tense and Hakoda wonders, very briefly, if he might make a run for it. His jaw clenches, and he shifts to the balls of his feet.

Zuko doesn’t run.

Instead, he seems to focus even more on the administrations he’s giving to Sokka’s injury, as if healing something else might be able to protect him from his own old wounds coming under scrutiny.

“My uncle allowed me to attend a war meeting,” Zuko begins after a long beat as he wraps a fresh bandage around Sokka’s hand, “where they were talking about some battle strategies to use against an Earth Kingdom battalion. There was a general that wanted our newest fleet to serve as a distraction while we mounted an attack from the rear.”

Hakoda feels for a moment like he’s standing on cracking ice. He heard about that attack. The few members of that battalion spoke of how victorious they’d felt, decimating an entire fleet of rookie Fire Nation soldiers only to be attacked from the rear. Hakoda had spoken two years ago with one of the Earth Kingdom soldiers that had escaped, had listened as she recounted the bloodbath it had been. 

They must have known, she’d been saying with a haunted, far-away look to her eyes, that we’d win against a bunch of newbie soldiers. It was like they were served up as goat-dogs for slaughter. Just a… distraction. Ozai doesn’t even care about his own people. 

That conversation had been two years ago. Which meant—

“That’s not fair,” Sokka says. “Your newest recruits? They’d be slaughtered by an experienced battalion like that.” Hakoda feels a brief flicker of pride through the growing tightness in his chest. His son is far smarter than he gave himself credit for. 

“Exactly,” Zuko sighs, bitterness dripping from his voice like venom. “And that’s what I told them. I wasn’t thinking. I just… yelled at him.” Zuko secures the end of the bandage to Sokka’s palm slowly, as if reluctant to be done with the process. “My father didn’t… take it well. I was challenged to an Agni Kai, and I thought I would be facing the general in it, so I accepted.”

The steadily growing tightness in Hakoda’s chest snaps around his lungs like a steel band. So even the worst rumors—the ones he’d been certain couldn’t possibly be true, not about that, not even Ozai—had been true. And it was all because he tried to save people’s lives. 

Hakoda does not have a weak stomach, but it rolls with the lead weight of realization. 

Zuko still doesn’t look at either one of them. Unable to keep his attention on helping Sokka’s injury, he turns his attention instead to gathering the basin of water and the empty vials and used rags. Something to keep his hands—his attention—busy. Hakoda had seen some of the men he fought with do the same thing when talking about stories they mostly tried to forget. 

“No…” Sokka says in a low voice, and Hakoda knows from the horror in his voice that his son is starting to put the pieces together too.

“It wasn’t the general,” Zuko confirms, his voice quiet and heavy in the silence around them. “It was my father.”

“You faced your father in an Agni Kai?” Sokka asks.

“Not exactly. I…” Zuko stares down at the bowl, his gold gaze looking a thousand miles away. “I couldn’t fight my own father. Instead, I begged him for forgiveness. I was met with a fist full of flames.” Zuko waves a hand towards his face. 

I begged him for forgiveness. 

Hakoda thinks of the version Horrack had told him. I heard the kid was kneeling in front of him when it happened—

“He--” Sokka also sounds at a loss of words, his voice choking off. 

“I was banished after that,” Zuko continues and his voice is hollow in a way that ricochets like shrapnel. Hakoda watches him meet his son’s gaze. “I was told to bring the Avatar back and all would be forgiven, or to not come back at all. That was before you and your sister woke Aang up from the iceberg.”

He hears what Zuko won’t say.  It was before there’d been confirmation that the Avatar was still around at all. He’d been banished from his home and told to chase a ghost. It was an impossible task. Ozai didn’t want his son to come home at all, Hakoda realizes. And from the tight way Zuko swallows, he’s pretty sure Zuko knows it too. 

Hakoda clenches his grip into a fist to mask the tremble to his hands. Zuko had done the right thing at that meeting—had tried to spare lives—and had still asked for forgiveness. Begged for it. And Ozai had lit his hand on fire and… and… painfully mutilated his own son and then kicked him out, telling him to chase a legend. In some ways, Hakoda thinks, it was crueler than telling him not to come back at all. 

Zuko is sixteen. But he is still a child, though saddled with the weight of righting a century of conflict on his back. And Hakoda knows that the Agni Kai had been three years ago. 

“How old were you?” Sokka asks tightly. 

Spirits above, he was only—

“Thirteen,” Zuko says, and Hakoda sighs, shutting his eyes against the confirmation. 

“Thir--” Sokka cuts himself off, his voice strained. “Thirteen. Tui and La, when I was thirteen--” he breaks off again.

Hakoda knows what Sokka is thinking about. Sokka was thirteen when he’d left to join the war effort. He’d tried so hard to keep Sokka as safe as he could. Protect his childhood from being stolen more than the war and the loss of his mother already had. He’d seen the stubborn set to Sokka’s jaw when he’d chased after him onto the ship gangplank, and Hakoda knew that Sokka was just as protective as he was. He’d asked him to look out for the village, for Katara. 

Hakoda would have done anything in the world to keep Sokka safe. He still felt that way, despite all the ways that Sokka had proven he could hold his own. He couldn’t help it. He wouldn’t want to. Sokka was his boy. Not so little anymore, not so innocent. He’d seen and been through too much, and Hakoda had missed most of it. But he’d tried. He’d tried to keep him safe for as long as he could manage. 

At thirteen, Zuko had been hurt by a person he’d loved and then thrown out into the world with barely a second thought. The Fire Nation had robbed him, too, of so much. Too much. 

Sokka takes a sudden step towards him and Zuko visibly tenses as if expecting a blow. Sokka freezes in place. “Zuko…”

Zuko shakes his head quickly, and there’s a small part of Hakoda that uncoils when he sees the way Zuko’s gaze doesn’t look quite so distant anymore. “Anyway. That’s--that’s what the admiral was talking about.”

“You…” Sokka sounds close to tears. “You were his kid.”

“Yeah, well.” Zuko looks at Sokka again. “He spent most of my life wishing I wasn’t.”

Hakoda’s jaw tenses. He looks at Zuko who looks, for all the world, like a sixteen-year-old kid, with his shaggy hair falling into his face and in Fire Lord clothes that are maybe just a touch too big for him. At thirteen—barely a teenager—he’d spoken up out of an intense desire to keep more people safe. To save lives. In Hakoda’s eyes, Zuko was a hero. Just for that. 

How anyone could look at him and not be proud was far beyond Hakoda. 

“Zuko,” he says, and Zuko’s gaze flashes over to him almost like he’d forgotten Hakoda was there in the first place. “I… hope you understand that you didn’t deserve that.” 

The words fall short of what he wants to say, of what he means. But they feel important to him. Zuko deserved better from his nation and especially from his own father. Hakoda doesn’t know very much about the former royal family, but he doesn’t get the impression that Zuko heard that a lot. And if nobody else was going to make sure Zuko knows that he deserves better, Hakoda will at least try. 

Something softens a little in Zuko’s gaze. “I know, sir,” he says. “It… I didn’t at first. It took me a long time to understand that it was wrong of my father to do that. But I know that now.”

Hakoda inclines his head. It is a small mercy against the tremendous pain the kid carries on his back, but it’s something. And as far as Hakoda is concerned, it’s not a small thing, either.

“Where is he?” Sokka demands in a near growl.

Zuko blinks, looking far more surprised by Sokka’s outrage than Hakoda is. “Where’s who?”

“Ozai.”

“Sokka, what are you going to do? Fight him?” Zuko looks completely bewildered. “He already lost.”

“Against Aang, not against—did Aang even know?”

“Um, I guess I don’t know. I never told him. I… never told any of you.”

“Yeah--and what’s that about, huh?” Sokka takes a step forward. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Hakoda takes a step towards his son. “Sokka,” he warns. 

He wants to explain to him that sometimes things are hard to talk about. Spirits know there were things Hakoda had seen in his days involved in the war that he didn’t want to talk about and hoped he never would have to. He wanted to explain that events like that, things that linger on the edges of your nightmares and follow in lock-step with your shadow, had a nasty habit of strangling in your throat so that the words don’t come. That it is easier to carry those things close to your chest rather than lay them bare for the world to see. 

But Sokka is fuming and cuts his father off. “What, did you think we wouldn’t care? That it wouldn’t matter?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Zuko hurls back at him, waving a hand towards the bedroom window. “My father already lost to the Avatar, Sokka. The war is over. The fighting is over. Aang took his bending. And that—I don’t know about you, but that’s the best, most justified end to his legacy I can think of.” 

There’s a long, heavy moment of silence. Hakoda watches the way his son’s shoulders heave with angry breaths, his non-injured hand curled into a fist. Sokka had always been fiercely, desperately protective. It runs in the family, Hakoda thinks idly. But this wasn’t something Sokka could protect Zuko from. The damage had already been done. 

Hakoda thinks, perhaps, that such a truth only makes it harder for his son to deal with. 

“Wherever he is,” Sokka growls, “I hope he rots. He deserves worse.” 

Zuko blinks, his eyes wide. Hakoda wonders briefly if Zuko has ever had someone be angry on his behalf, rather than angry with him. 

Sokka evidently doesn’t understand his surprise. “Don’t tell me you disagree—”

“No,” Zuko says quickly. “I just… nothing.” He offers the barest hint of a smile at Sokka. The reminder of the familiarity between them relaxes some of the tightness in Hakoda’s chest just a fraction. 

There’s a long beat as Hakoda hears his son suck in a deep, slow breath. Zuko’s gaze falls from Sokka’s, drifting back to the basin of water beside him. Zuko’s fingers twitch at his side. He looks suddenly uncomfortable, Hakoda thinks. Nervous, almost. 

“Thank you for helping Sokka’s hand, Firelord Zuko,” Hakoda says suddenly, and maybe it’s a foolish way to convey to him that this didn’t change their opinion of him. At least, not for Hakoda… and from his surge of protective anger, he’s pretty sure the same goes for his son. Zuko was still Zuko. And if maybe he made sure to call him Fire Lord as a quiet reminder that Hakoda did not think him less of a leader either, then maybe that was okay too.

Hakoda sees the slightly pink tinge to Zuko’s cheeks as he meets Hakoda’s gaze. But he reads the understanding in those gold eyes as well. “Oh. Uh, of course, sir. And… just Zuko is fine.” Thank you, is the unspoken words that flit across the teen’s gold eyes.

Hakoda smiles a little, inclining his head. “Understood.” He turns his attention then to his son. ”I should draft a letter to Bato tonight to update him on the treaty. Will you be okay without me?”

Sokka rolls his eyes, but the corner of his mouth is tilted up in a half-smile. “Yeah, dad. I think I can manage.”

Hakoda gives Sokka’s shoulder one last squeeze and a nod to Zuko before he ducks out of the room to give them both a moment to talk more. He closes the door behind him, pausing long enough to take a breath. 

Generations of conflict had been ended a few months ago by a bunch of kids with too much weight on their shoulders and too many shadows clinging to their edges. But at their heart, they were good people trying to do good things. Spirits know they all had plenty of reasons to be otherwise. War had a nasty habit of bringing out the worst in people, of demanding sacrifices to who you are. It could latch onto the darkest parts of you and pull until it was all that remained. He’s grateful that the group of kids that ended the Hundred Year War managed to keep the best of themselves despite everything, and that they continued to do so.

Hakoda had learned a long time ago that goodness is a choice. And he’s grateful that the world was in the hands of people like his kids, like Aang, like Zuko. Kids who, despite everything and all the ways people tried to pull their darkness out of them, continued to make that choice.

[thevictorianghost]

ZUTARA WEEK 2021 - MEND

Zuko has been born a Prince; it isn’t his job to mend. And yet he learns to cook, to sew, to work. When he joins Team Avatar, he is the first to help - especially Katara; it’s Katara who has to live with burdens - when others won’t. Even as Fire Lord, on visits to the Earth Kingdom or the Southern Water Tribe, he works. He cares. He cares enough to mend.

Katara has been born a Chief’s Daughter; it isn’t her job to mend. And yet she learns to cook, to sew, to work. When she forms Team Avatar, she does the bulk of the work - until Zuko comes; it’s Zuko who releases her burdens - without being asked. Even as Ambassador, on visits to the Northern Water Tribe or the rebuilding Air Temples, she works. She cares. She cares enough to mend.

Eventually, they mend together. They mend each other’s hearts.

@zutaraweek