AtLA Rewritten: Edition 1

Chapter 70

The next day, it was time for business, meaning that Athlea would have to go see her mother, and Dai would start telling Sokka the rules of Royalty. Athlea had bags under her eyes; she appeared to have not slept well. Sokka was a bit moody, as well; though he had slept in Dai's bed, she had only teased him, nothing more. Dai was the first up, and Sokka still in bed; Southern Water Tribe representative of Republic City or not, he was still Sokka.

Everyone else had gathered in the dining room to eat breakfast. Athlea was late, her morning sickness being rather bad. She took a seat by Zuko as she arrived, her eyes on the table. She ran a hand through her hair, pouting.

Zuko looked as tired as Athlea. He was dressed fairly neatly today. He greeted Athlea with worried eyes. "Are you alright?" He glanced at the food; the Fire Nation cooks were to arrive before lunch.

A small smile crossed Athlea's face. "...Hey." She kissed his cheek, adjusting her gray scarf and coat.

Dai pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry we can't find something better for your stomach. Would you like some mint tea?" She stood. "If you need anything, let the servers know." She smiled happily at Athlea before turning.

Athlea turned to her, smiling and nodding. "That's fine, Dai. Thanks for the help. And yeah, I would love some. Thanks." She reached forward, putting three steamed dumplings on her plate. Glancing at her husband, she added, "Looks like your child is making me throw up too much," she said jokingly. A worker brought her tea, bowing her head before returning to the kitchen.

Zuko smiled at Athlea, eyes shining. "Oh, are they? Just my child now, huh?"

Athlea giggled. "Oh, hush, you know what I meant." She tilted her head, glancing down at her plate, brows furrowed, turning over the fork in her hand awkwardly before eating.

Zuko chuckled to himself as he finished his food. "I see how this goes. When they're kicking or moving, they're your child, but when they're making you sick, all of a sudden they're mine." He tilted his head. "I wonder when we'll know if it's a boy or a girl."

"We could use another hot-headed Fire Prince." Katara snickered, and Zuko shot her a look.

Aang chuckled. "Or maybe he gets a little princess like Athlea," he teased.

"Sounds about right," Katara spoke up. Zuko glared at her again. "Can't you all just see Zuko picking dresses for his daughter? Pretending he doesn't like it, but we all know he would."

"I do not like dresses!" he protested.

Aang chuckled. "I can definitely picture him doing that." Zuko groaned.

Athlea glanced at Zuko, smiling. "You would spoil," she pointed out. She kissed his cheek, then sipped her tea.

He pouted at his wife. "I would never." He glanced at her jewelry and cleared his throat, tugging the collar of his shirt.

Athlea giggled. "Exactly."

Dai returned to the table, looking stressed but playful as she waited for Sokka. "He is gonna be a handful..." she muttered.

Katara cackled. "You have no idea."

Dai massaged her temples. "Unfortunately I do." She glanced at Athlea. "Good tea?"

Athlea raised an eyebrow. "Mmm..." She nodded. "It's good."

Sokka joined them, sitting. "Mmm... Food, I smell good food." He grinned, putting food on his plate. Dai glanced at him, biting her lip.

Athlea glanced at Zuko. "Should we visit my mother?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed.

Zuko huffed, blowing hair out of his face. He glanced at Athlea, nodding. "I'm ready when you are."

Dai nodded to Thea. "Canoes are always waiting outside. Go as you please." Zuko stood, offering Athlea his arm. Dai called after the Fire Royals. "Oh, we're having a small private party tonight! Sokka is gonna choose his Helpers. See you there!" Zuko nodded and they left the room.

Aang glanced at Dai. "What do you mean, Sokka is choosing his Helpers?"

Dai looked a bit frustrated. "He's dating--courting--a Royal. He gets Helpers." Katara blinked at Aang, then her brother.

Aang looked at Dai, then Katara, eyes wide. "Weren't you guys just dating?" he asked, concerned. He glanced at Sokka, who was focused on his food. "Does he know? Because he seems unbothered by it. This is kind of... fast."

Dai bit her lip. "That's how it works with Royalty. Someone who started dating a Royal should be aware of that."

Aang tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "We're talking about Sokka. He might be a representative but it doesn't mean he's aware of everything going on."

She pressed her fingers against her temples and suddenly stood, her chair sliding back behind her. She walked away quickly, one hand lashing out. Ice spiked out from the wall.

Sokka glanced up, his mouth full and an innocent smile on his face. "Mm? What did I miss?"

Katara smacked her brother. "You didn't think to look into dating a Royal before you dated a Royal?" she snapped. "You're an idiot." She shook her head.

Sokka's eyes widened. "Hey! What's your problem?!"

"Sokka, you know you're going to be a Royal, right?" Aang asked.

Sokka blinked and laughed. "Yeah, ahaha, in a few years, that is. Gotta propose to her first."

"Sokka," Katara said more gently, "once you start dating someone, Royals consider it courting. Not dating, but preparing you to be a Royal." She bit her lip. "You want to be with Dai forever, right? Because if you don't, you have to end it soon. You should have looked into it and realized how fast Royal couples move. Remember how Zuko proposed to and married Athlea within a month or two after he was crowned King."

Sokka put down his fork and knife. "But Dai would have told me so..." He glanced away for a second, then turned to Katara. "Didn't Zuko and Athlea have time to properly date, though? Wasn't it six months after their engagement that they got married?" he asked, his voice slightly panicked. "I mean, I love Dai, but I wouldn't want to rush into such a decision yet," he admitted innocently.

"You should discuss it with Dai, then," Aang responded simply.

Katara nodded, shrugging. "They got longer to date, but were engaged pretty much as soon as Zuko held the throne. The only reason they weren't before then was because he wasn't Fire Lord." She tilted her head, looking down. "This is still Dai. Give her a few days to think before you ask her about it." She put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Remember, you're not engaged to her or anything. They just have to get you Helpers to treat you special because she likes you, and this could be your life now. That doesn't mean it is. You still have time."

Sokka sighed. "I guess..." He took a deep breath and leaned back into his chair. Then he glanced at Katara, smiling. "Yeah. Thanks, Katara."

Katara nodded and stood. "Yeah," she said. "Aang and I are gonna hang out with Toph now, maybe see if Dai or Athlea need our help--when Athlea comes back, that is. We'll talk later." She patted his head and walked to her room.

Ah Cy, Dai's right-hand, joined Sokka in the dining room and bowed her head. Now that there were just the two of them, it was easy to observe her. She was in her early 20s with dark skin and black hair to her hips, as well as blue eyes. She wore a light blue bracelet on her left wrist and loose light blue pants. A white wrap was tied around her waist that hung between her legs, separating her bottoms from a dark blue top with gold swirls and trim on the chest. She had a white collared shirt on underneath with a crease in the middle. A black sheath on her left hip held a short sword. "I have been told to inform you that tonight's party has been canceled due to a... mistake in the schedule." She bowed her head again and walked away.

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A/N i lost my pic of Ah Cy but... that's close enough to her as the image!!!