Fall of the White Lotus [Zutara/Taang]

8 | Loser

Music: Reconciliation, The Track Team (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

                     The afternoon was drawing to an end when Zuko and Katara reached the Plains Village. It was a poor little town, dusty, but not as bad off as Zuko remembered it. The little wooden houses had recently been painted and, freed of the paralyzing fear holding the town captive back then, the village had become a lively place - one where villagers were busy going around their daily chores and children played tag around the watchtower, only to be shooed away by the merchant who had once sold Zuko feed for his ostrich horse.

Zuko checked his ostrich horse, lingering at the town entrance as he heaved a deep sigh. He dreaded going into the village. Although it had been three years, he clearly remembered the villagers' rejection of him. Especially from that little boy - Lee.

The sound of Katara's voice next to him made Zuko turn around, her tone thoughtful with memory.

"You know, they promised never to tell anyone, but the villagers of Jang Hui discovered my identity as well. And they all turned against me at first, even the little boy whose mother I had healed and had given a fish to eat. It didn't matter what I had done for them, they considered me the enemy for being a waterbender."

"They did?" Zuko's voice was even raspier than it normally already was as a familiar but long-unfelt sensation of gratitude went through him. He realized he'd missed Katara's quiet understanding over the past couple of years. Did his uncle know, before he chose Katara to be his traveling companion?

"Yes," Katara nodded, feeling his intense gaze resting on her. "The difference between you and me back then and our visit to this town now..." She met his eyes. Her choice of words, underlining they were in this together, didn't go by unnoticed. "...was that I had friends who stood up for me back then, just like I will stand up for you now if necessary."

A strange warmth started to spread from the pit of Zuko's stomach as Katara looked at him pointedly, and he knew that she meant it. 

He gave her one of his rare, genuine smiles that made his whole face light up, and despite herself, Katara felt something stir inside of her.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, and they quietly entered the little town square, not noticing the pair of candid green eyes studying them from the dark.

Zuko and Katara dismounted and looked around, heavily aware of the curious stares that followed their every movement. Apparently, not a lot of strangers put in at the village. Letting some of his hair fall over his face to cover his scar, Zuko stayed inconspicuously in the background as Katara approached the food merchant.

From the dark, the pair of glistening green eyes flashed from Katara to Zuko and stayed to rest upon the young man.

"May I buy some feed for our ostrich horses?" Katara asked with a clear voice, her big smile and shining blue eyes drawing all of the attention to her.

The merchant nodded. 

"You're not from around here, are you?" he inquired, curious but not unfriendly, as he cast a swift glance at Zuko standing in the shadows of the ostrich horses. "You and your husband are from the Water Tribes, I see."

Katara flushed at the impudent hint toward their marital state and involuntarily cast a look at Zuko from the corner of her eye. Her husband. Her Water Tribe husband. He had his gaze averted, looking around with those amber eyes of his, and a nervous giggle threatened to escape her at the thought of Zuko being Water Tribe. 

But the merchant's gaze was resting on her, and she decided it safer to play along and cleared her throat.

"Yes, we are," she then intoned with an indulgent smile, ignoring the weak fluttering of her stomach when she confirmed their marital state and pleased by his own perceptiveness the merchant continued piling up her orders.