change of fate

South Seas

Fine!FINE! You win KhadijaGhani7 with your commenting. How dare you shower me with love and support. Scoundrel. Now I have motivation and its all ur fault. Jokes on u tho. I'm gonna make this a filler chapter with no relevant plot to be pushed through. Ha!
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Its frigid when Katara wakes the next morning. Cold in a way she had all but forgotten about in the thin luxurious silks of Fire Nation weather. The metal walls and floors only seemed to amplify the morning chill.

She had done what she could to make her room at least somewhat warmer when they cast adrift. Hung up scarves and silks from the walls in a way reminiscent of her rooms at the palace. Furs decorated the floor along with a variety of pillows around her table. She had acquired everything at port markets so it all had the distinct handmade homey touch she wanted.

But all that effort was all for naught as Katara shivered.

Zuko didn't bother to knock as he let himself in. He's a morning person, or if he's not he's at the very least a good actor. Up every morning at dawn to start his day, exercise, bathe, boss the crew around, the works. When everything is ship shape he drags her, kicking and screaming, out of bed and forces her to have breakfast with him.

Katara is not a morning person. She cannot fathom why anyone would wish to watch the sun come up every morning instead of sleeping. She's a night owl. So when he places the platter on her table and turns to her expectantly, she burrows deeper into her bed.

Prince Zuko is not known for his patients, he is well known for his stubbornness. He rips the blanket away. The cold solidifying into little ice shards and digging into any exposed flesh.

'Nooooo', she groans, trying to bat him away with a pillow. The very motion making the bed sway beneath her and bile rise in her throat.

Zuko catches it easily. 'If you had listened to me you wouldn't be so hung over. Now get up and eat with me or I'll eat all the jelly tarts myself.' He threatened, throwing the pillow back at her head for punctuation.

Katara's face twisted into a pout but she complied slowly. Wrapping the blanket around her as she hobbled to her bathroom for what was likely going to be a cold shower.

Zuko has everything set up when she exits the bathroom pulling the last bit of water from her hair. Jelly tarts, crescent rolls, smoked salmon. He even had her tea poured just the way she liked it.

As they eat Katara decides she doesn't have the patients to wait out the aching drum in her head. She reaches a glowing hand to her temple relief floods her as soon as she does. Iroh would chide her, water bending has never been a selfish art, give and take, push and pull. 'To fully master one must practice temperance', he'd say acting like he didn't keep his tea warm just by holding it. Hamma believed that the spirits gave their people bending as a gift. To not use it to the fullest extent would be a dishonor. Katara herself steered clear of either extreme on the matter. She didn't like to entertain thoughts of spirits and fate as much as Iroh did. Of course she considered herself an academic, she just didn't have time to muse on big ideas all day every day.

With out thinking Katara offers her hand to Zuko once the majority of the pain has eased. He might like to act all high and mighty but he drank more than her last night. Visible relief blooms on his face and he quickly makes his way to her side of the table with his plate and cup. Katara snorts in amusement of his boyish anticipation. By the time they finish their meal Zuko's head rests in her lap with Katara's healing hand still gently pressed to his temple as they read.

A knock at the door ends the quiet peace of breakfast. 'Come in', Katara calls marking her place in her book.

Private Lee enters and bows. 'Lady,' he says by way of greeting and Zuko perks up at his voice.

'Lee, what is it?' He asks, sitting up and straightening his uniform.

'The Captain would like a word with you on deck Prince Zuko.' Is all Lee says.

Zuko nods and dismisses him standing to leave. 'I would wager that means we've crossed into the South Sea. A day or two until we see land if all goes right.' Katara bundles further into her dressing robes as the idea of being this close to her homeland sends a shiver down her spine. Zuko notices and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. 'We'll only stay as long as we absolutely need to, then I'll have the Captain take us to Kyoshi Island, its not far off.' He reassures, he had brought Kyoshi once or twice before in passing, said that its home to the biggest Koi in the world. Katara guessed she could look forward to that if nothing else.