Steam Will Rise

3 Shattered

Zuko slowly opened his eyes and looked up. When he didn't see the familiar deep red drapery of his canopy he started before remembering that he was not back in his room in the Fire Nation Palace he was in his beach house in Hira'a with Katara. He looked across the expansive bed to see if she was still asleep, but somehow Katara had drifted towards him in the night and now she was snuggled up underneath him like a limpet. He could tell from the way her chest rose and fell that she was still asleep so he just lie there afraid to move in case he woke her up.

Katara told him she was a night owl so it came as no surprise that she was a late sleeper, or at least she was compared to him who always woke up before the sun rose. He hated sleeping in it made him feel as if he was starting out the day one step behind. The Fire Nation was a country full of early risers. They were a punctual, practical, and disciplined culture. Lying in bed and relaxing was not his milieu. The guilt and tension was building inside of him. He would have to wake her up soon because they had a busy day ahead of them and every minute they weren't being productive was a minute wasted.

Katara seemed oblivious to that fact. She made soft purring moans and snuggled closer to him. Zuko suddenly decided that it wouldn't kill either of them if Katara got to sleep in a little while longer, and besides he could hear the servants bustling around downstairs getting breakfast ready the smells would soon wake her up if nothing else did.

As he predicted when the smell of komodo sausage and scrambled eggs wafted upstairs Katara began to stir in bed a few moments later she opened her eyes and yawned.

"Good morning sleepy head." Zuko greeted.

Katara's eyes doubled in size and she shrank back from him. "Zuko! Uhh sorry I must have moved closer to you when I was sleeping. I'm kind of a heat hog because it's always so cold in the South Pole. I'm just naturally used to finding the warmest thing around me and in this case it's you."

"I don't mind." Zuko said huskily.

"I ah smell b-breakfast."

"That would be the servants."

"I'm still not used to that back at home my Gran gran and I did all the cooking."

"We should get going. All of the servants have been waiting to meet you. Once you become Fire Lady you'll be in charge of overseeing them."

"Me?"

"Well, yeah. I mean that's the way it's always been done. You'll come to be thankful for them eventually. I know my mom certainly was. Her duties as a Fire Lady kept her so busy she didn't have time for much else."

"Why do I get the feeling I've got a lot to live up to." Katara said.

"My mom was an amazing Fire Lady. The servants loved her. When she left it felt like someone had drained all of the life out of the palace. I don't think anyone ever recovered." Zuko touched his scar. It wasn't long after his mother had been banished that his father had given it to him. It was meant to teach him discipline and respect and punish him for lacking honor, but all it did was teach him to hate himself. He was only now learning that he was not the image that his father tried to literally burn him in.

"Zuko are you all right?" Katara asked and took his hand in hers.

There was something about the concern in Katara's voice and the soft imploring look in her eyes that made Zuko want to pour his heart out to her. The only other person he'd been able to do that to in his life was his uncle. Katara was his wife and if there were anyone else in the world he should have been able to spill his heart out too it was her, but he cared what she thought about him and what she thought about his country and didn't want to risk alienating her anymore than she already had been. In the typical fashion of a Fire Nation arranged marriage Katara, the outsider, was the one who was expected to make the most sacrifices.