Not Too Far from the Yew Tree (an ATLA fanfiction)

But a Lifetime Burning in Every Moment

Katara put on the borrowed outfit and admired the subdued luster of the silk in the filtered sunlight. She had never worn a red garment before. The maid, who had been waiting respectfully outside the door, led her to the garden. In the tightly built-up center of the royal city, framed in towering pavilions and multi-storied residences in the background, the garden was a restful oasis, spanning a large rectangle framed between walls of stone topped with maroon tile and gilding. Pine and bamboo, regarded as noble plants of the highest esteem, evergreen and persevering through the worst of winter, framed the enclosure, which held a formal garden, a grassy open area, and a small pond bordered with a paved walkway set in the light of a stone lantern. Under the yew tree a figure in crimson sat, staring at the pond and watching the turtleducks glide through the water. When he noticed her arrival, Zuko stood up.

"Is this the place?" she asked. "You spoke a lot about being here with your mother."

"Yes, it is. It hasn't changed at all." He took her hand in his. "It's been so long."

Through the address she hadn't taken her eyes off him, standing before the large crowd upon the dais like he was born for it, with the golden ornament in his hair and the Avatar by his side. Her brother had expected trouble, Suki had kept her reservations, but the miraculous return of the nation's prince, holding his father's murderer captive, transformed from an uncertain boy into a capable and upstanding young man, had won the nation's heart. He'd painted an irresistable story. As a commander in the military had been responsible for the murder of the Firelord, the natural reaction of the citizens was to set aside regard for further warfare. Zuko had announced a new era of peace and kindness.

She had seen it in his eyes that he hadn't expected things to go well, that he was accustomed to disappointment, and that his capability had surprised himself. Between the image of the newly ordained Firelord and his own anticipation of further hardship lay vulnerability, which he was trying to force himself through without drawing attention. Having an idea of what was going through his head, a storm of self-doubt and disbelief carefully hidden, she nuzzled her head against his chest and held him closely.

"It will be summer in a few weeks," said Zuko. "Are you going back to the South Pole? You said you loved the season there."

"My brother is. He wants to introduce Suki to everyone. For now, I have somewhere else I need to be."

"Where?"

"With you."

"You don't have to do that," he said. "I know how important your family is to you."

"My father is staying in Agna Qel'a until next spring. I'll see him there with you in autumn, and return south with him after the winter." Representatives from every nation were invited to a meeting in the North Pole, set for the autumn equinox, to celebrate the end of the war.

"Then, when will I see you again?"

She laughed. "You're coming with us."

He shook his head. "I can't. After what I did to the South Pole, they'll hate me. I'm the last person they want to see."

"I think they'll like you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I like you."

"Katara..." His hands around her waist were warm. "Is it really okay?"

"Yes. Besides which, it will be good for the new Firelord to make a visit. Someday I want the South Pole to be a proper nation again, to have a future again. Let's start it."

"I'll do anything I can to help."

"I know. Thank you."

Quacking took their attention. When Zuko had stood up, he'd upset the bag containing the promised bread, and they had seen it and were impatient. He grabbed the loaf and split it in half, giving her a part and taking his own up. He knelt and tossed small pieces to the gathered flock, then asked, "How long does a turtleduck live?"