First burn

Breakfast

"Are you okay?"

Katara saw in the reflection of her mirror Zuko standing the the doorway of her room as he leaned against the frame with his shaggy hair down.

"Which part?" She ran the golden comb through her dark hair as she had on a red silky robe for pajamas.

"Mostly earlier from Azula," he shrugged. "Can I come in?"

"What, trying to be civilized?" Katara frowned turning to him. He gave another shrug. She sighed and nodded.

"I know Azula can be a pain in the ass, I've dealt with her first hand," Zuko stepped in pursing his lips.

"But don't trust her, Azula always lies," he warned looking at Katara seriously. "That should be the first thing you learn if your going to live here,"

"And I should trust you? What if it's the other way around?" Katara leaned against her desk with the mirror as Zuko was three feet away.

"Azulas like our father, just as vial, intelligence, strength, if it wasn't for my birth rights it would be Azula to my fathers choice of being the next fire lord," Zuko explained looked down a little frowning.

"So your not your dads favorite, so what? Your mom has to knock some sense around then," Katara raised an eye brow... in fact she hasn't seen the firelady yet today.

"She did, kept Azula under control mostly," Zuko laughed lightly.

"Where... where is she?" The water bender paused for a moment and Zuko glanced up at her.

"I don't know," he sighed and Katara touched her necklace softly.

"I just wanted to make sure your okay, I'll leave you be then, but I'm in the other room if you ever need anything," Zuko turned away as he walked to the door making Kataras eyes widen. It must've been sensitive subject.

"Good night Katara," he looked at her with no emotion in those golden eyes she'd soon be stuck with.

But he walked out as Katara said nothing. The doors closed slowly.

She sighed and reached under her bed to pull out her bag she brought from home to help with some homesickness. She pulled out some water tribe clothes and slipped the red robe off and pulled a blue shirt dress over her head as it ended at her knees and had short sleeves.

Her tan legs crawled onto the bed as she held a knife made out of an animals bone with fur and a blue fabric as the handle with some leather tied around it. She slipped it under her pillow hoping it would keep her safe or at least help.

Katara sighed pulling her blankets over her body, feeling her home tribes clothes comforting her as she let her eyes drift close from the exhausting day.

——————

Azula always lies.

Katara gasped away as her hair flung over her shoulders with wide eyes as she gasped for breath. Looking around wide eyes seeing she's still in the fire nation hell she was basically sold too. It was warm not freezing like home, she use to desire warmth in order to survive but now that she was in a place with warmth and life rather than snow... it wasn't home.

She heard the bird chirping through the window and got out of bed to go see how her mornings would look now every day. Katara moves the curtain out of the way and saw the warm sun shimmering over the garden as she saw the turtle ducks in the pond and saw Zuko under the cherry tree.

Why was he always there?

He was sipping tea as he kept it warm on his own and had a loaf of bread, he tossed little bits of bread to the turtle ducklings as the mother watched. Katara narrowed her eyes seeing a paper on the ground he wrote on while sipping the tea.

He rolled up the paper and tied a red ribbon around it as he finished his tea and threw in the rest of the bread crumbs for the babies and got up to leave the garden.

Katara frowned at the prince not understanding his motives, what was that prince up to? She's heard hideous stories of him burning down homes, using people as captives to get to the avatar, taking down ba sing se with his sister. Yet they hated each other.

Katara thought to herself as she combed the snarls out of her thick hair, if he kept this up maybe she'll follow him to see what he's hiding, he wasn't close to his family so who could he be writing to? Why does he spend so much time reading or at the garden?

She braided her hair over her shoulder keeping on the blue sleeping dress from home and walked out of her room with her smooth bare legs and bare feet showing as she didn't care who saw, she was use to her tribe as one big family, she just didn't think much of it. She's delivered babies and helped the elderly, dealt with worst things than a short dress in a big palace, it was finally warm enough to do so.

"What is that monstrosity your wearing?" Katara heard Azula as she walked into a dinning like room as yesterday Lo and li said she's had meals at every day.

"Oh it's just something I sleep in..." Katara flushes embarrassed all of a sudden as Azula had her hair down and was sitting at the head of the table with a plate of fruit, she had no make up on and her hair was down, it was weird.

"Yea keep it that way," Azula scoffed biting into a strawberry.

"Um is anyone else coming? You mentioned your uncle... or your father?" Katara gulped taking a seat on the side awkwardly. She didn't feel comfortable with Azula that much.

Azula always lies.

"Dad never eats breakfast with us, there's a war meeting usually, and uncle? Ha, that old fat bastard is rotting in jail," the princess giggled at the statement and Katara raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you said he and Zuko..." Katara trailed off.

"Him and Zuko have more of a father son relationship unfortunately, dad hates it and uncles a traitor," Azula smirked as Katara poured herself a glass of water as a servant girl placed a plate of fruit for Katara.

"Where's the meat? You know protein?" Katara asked confused.

"Not for breakfast, we're not barbarians, I'm surprised your not fat from what you eat," Azula rolled her eyes taking a grape.

"I guess we didn't have enough to get fat," Katara grumbled.

"When will your people start helping mine?" She perked up remembering the only reason she was here.

"After the wedding so in six months," Azula yawned boredly.

"Oh..."

Suddenly Zuko walked in and Katara tensed as he snatched a vine of grapes and went to leave but Azula grabbed his wrist and he grunted when her nails dug into his skin.

"Where do you think your going brother?" Azula hissed.

"Father wants me for something," Zuko frowned at her.

"Yet you haven't taken your lovely fiancé to any sort of dates, let alone get to know her," Azula smirked more looking up at him.

"It's about the avatar," he glared down at his sister and she released him.

"Very well, I'd love to keep my sister in law company then," Azula tilted her head to the side glancing at Katara who stiffened.

"Fine. Katara would you like to join me?" Zuko grunted out as Azula pouted.

"If you think-" she paused seeing the look in azulas eyes.

"Sure..." Katara gulped standing up and saw some meat jerky on the table and quickly snatched it as she followed Zuko out the door.

"Do you want to change?" Zuko asked and Katara stopped, she looked down realizing she was still in her pajamas.

"Shit,"