Chapter Text
Happenstance
Definition: Something that happens by coincidence
The palace was in a fury of bustling servants and Zuko had no idea what the fuss was about. He peered from around the curtains of his room and watched as servants carried another dresser across the courtyard. Zuko honestly didn’t know what all the commotion was about. It was just a Wednesday, but maybe something was going on today. The vibrant red dress of the Fire Lady swished across the courtyard and towards his direction. Zuko’s heart dropped to his stomach as her gaze seemed to scan in his general area.
Zuko ducked behind the curtains. He wasn’t sure if he’d been spotted or not and swore that he had hidden before his mother saw him. The anxious tingle of discovery fluttered through his abdomen. ‘Silent as a night breeze’ as Lu Ten had instructed, he let his left foot slide out first and stepped out from hiding towards his destination.
“Oh, Prince Zuko! My Lady he’s this way!”
So much for a sneaky escape.
“Zuko, I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Do you know what time it is?” From her graceful yet exasperated look, he assumed she was about to tell him. “The Chief and Ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe have just arrived and you’re still in your day clothes!” She smudged some imaginary dirt from his cheek. “We need to get you cleaned up and presentable before they see you. Come with me quickly! Cretia!” A maid from across the courtyard turned towards his mother, her arms seemed to be overflowing with laundry of some sort.
“Yes, My Lady?”
“When you’re finished please meet me in the Prince’s room to help get him properly dressed for the welcoming ceremony. It’s going to take two pairs of hands to get him cleaned fast enough.”
“Mother I’m not even tha−”
“Silence Prince Zuko, we’re running behind schedule enough as it is. My Gods, Kya is going to laugh at how much of a mess this place is in.” Fire Lady Ursa turned to her son, he watched a small smile creep onto her face. “Well!” She clapped her hands, “let’s see if I can find my son under all of that grime!” She let out a bubble of a laugh and Zuko couldn’t help the smile come onto his face as he followed her to his room.
“Ambassador Kya, it’s good to see you again.” Zuko watched the woman in fancy blue clothing give a small bow, it gave the feeling of anything but friendly. Zuko couldn't help but doubt in his mother's description of a "close friend".
“My Lady, you have a beautiful home as always.” His mother gave a stiff bow in return. Zuko’s father gave a slight nod, almost as if he were approving the conversation before he and the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe had started to walk towards his father’s main office. Their deep voices echoing against the walls as they talked about some business. Zuko couldn’t help but be jealous that Azula got to go with their father while he had to stay behind with his mother and this woman in weird blue clothes. He started to shift his weight from foot to foot in boredom as the men and Azula walked down the hallway, the soft click of the office door seemed loud compared to the lack of conversation in the hall. He huffed at his lack of good fortune. Azula was always lucky.
He jerked his head back to the blue clothing as a swish of movement caught his eye.
A small girl he hadn’t noticed before peered around the edges of the Ambassador’s blue dress, her sudden appearance taking him by surprise. Lu Ten would be disappointed if he ever found out. Zuko’s eyes widened as the girl finally looked at him only to disappear again when they made eye contact.
He looked to the ground when he felt his cheeks start to heat up. He didn't know it was possible for someone's eyes to be the color of a summer ocean.
What a weird person.
“I think that’s good enough. Oh! He is so handsome Ursa!” The sudden outburst startled him. He looked up to see the Ambassador looking at him with a new light in her eyes. Funny...he didn't notice before that she had the same water colored eyes as the girl. “And Azula has grown so much since the last I’d seen her.”
His mother smiled, “oh Kya, I’ve missed you! It’s been too long since the last we’ve seen each other!” Zuko quirked his eyebrow when he heard them squeal at the same time before hugging each other. He had never seen his mother do something so normal. “And you young lady, you have grown so much in only a few years.” Ursa bent over so she was almost to the small girl’s height.
“Say hello to the Fire Lady, Katara.” Kya pushed the girl out from behind her. She staggered towards Ursa, looking at her with awe. He almost didn’t hear the small voice that came out.
“Are…are you the Queen?” Ursa gave a big smile.
“I’m the Fire Lady, but I guess that does make me something like a queen.” Katara’s eyes widened.
“Woah…Mom, she’s really a queen!” Katara pulled at Kya’s skirts in excitement.
“I know, I know, stop pulling on my clothes.” Kya laughed and looked to Ursa, “she was really excited on the flight over here to see a 'real live queen'. She looked like she was ready to explode with happiness when we got within view of the palace. It's almost a miracle she didn't.”
“I’m just so glad you’re here. It’s so nice to see familiar faces.” Ursa and Kya began to walk towards the courtyard. It wasn’t until they were close enough did Zuko notice a little umbrella and table set out with tea and a few bites of food out on the grass. He tried not to let the boredom show on his face. Lu Ten wasn’t joking when he said this was going to be a slow and painful death!
He had just gotten through shredding his tenth blade of grass before he looked up. Everyone was staring at him, a lump of charcoal clogged his throat as he swallowed, apologized and looked away. Ursa gave him a smile.
“Prince Zuko, why don’t you take Katara over to the fountain. I hear she just started waterbending lessons, I’m sure she could show you a few cool tricks.” He looked over to the girl and saw her gaping at his mother in horror.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea. Katara dear, why don’t you show the prince the move you just learned last week?” Katara’s ears turned red as she nodded her head and slowly stood up, not bothering to wait for the boy.
Zuko moved to get up but stopped when his mother shot him a warning look. “Remember what we talked about.” He hung his head in annoyance.
“Yes Mother.”
Kya tried to hide a laugh behind her hand but Ursa only huffed at the noise. “What was that about?”
“He’s got it in his head from someone that girls are, and I quote, ‘girls are crazy.’ And has been avoiding Azula and her friends thinking he’s going to catch it like it’s contagious.”
Kya snorted into her hand. “Sounds like something Sokka would say.”
“And where is he, by the way?” Ursa watched Katara try to demonstrate a move with the fountain water. The look of determination only exaggerated with her tongue sticking out. She could see on her son’s face that he didn’t want to be there, but the subtle curiosity in his gaze as he watched the water move like a snake in front of his face let her know more than enough that he was pretending.
“He’s back home with my mother. He had fallen through the ice a few weeks ago and is still recuperating.”
“Oh Agni! Is he really okay?!”
The water tribe woman let out a small laugh. “He’s perfectly fine. Falls through the ice about once a month at this rate.” Kya rolled her eyes before continuing. “You should have seen how upset he was when he found out he was still too sick to come. He’s been wanting to visit the Fire Nation again for so long.” Kya saw the worried look on Ursa’s face, “he’s doing okay now. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s back home wearing a hole into the ice from his pacing.” Kya shook her head and laughed. “Some days I wonder if he copies his father on purpose of if I just created a Hakoda 2.0 clone.”
Ursa giggled at the comment. “I know what you mean. Zuko’s been hanging out with Lu Ten so much this summer. And with Lu Ten off to join the army at the end of autumn, he’s starting to act as if he’s becoming a soldier and is about to be shipped off just like his cousin.”
Kya hummed softly, “I remember when we were growing up, always pretending to be like our mothers and wanting so badly to be a grown up. And then you stop to blink and realize you spent your entire childhood as an adult without really being a child. And even with the fragile way things are right now, I feel blessed by the ocean spirits that we’re still able to meet like this still.”
“One of my few pleasures in life is definitely the feeling of happiness, peaceful happiness.” The two women sat and watched as Katara demonstrated another waterbending move and watched as Zuko tried to do the same with his fire.
Kya cleared her throat before continuing. “So how is life with the husband? Have things−”
“It’s not like that! MOOOM! Zuko’s being STUPID!” Kya choked on her tea.
“Young Lady!”
“I’m not stupid! You’re just being dumb!” Zuko yelled.
“I’m not the dumb one! Dummy!” Katara yelled back with equal force.
“Well you’re just being crazy then!”
“Prince Zuko!” Ursa made a motion as if she was about to stand up and the two children quieted immediately. Ursa leaned back into her seat. “Prince Zuko that is no way to treat a lady, now apologize.”
“But I didn’t star−”
“Irrelevant, apologize to her.” Zuko hung his head and looked like he mumbled something under his breath.
“When you apologize you have to mean it!” Katara seemed on the verge of yelling again.
“Katara, you need to apologize as well.” Katara looked to her mom as if she suddenly grown a second head.
“But−”
“Katara…” Kya said warningly.
“Sorry Zuko.” She said with a little more malice than appropriate but at least the words were out there.
“There! That wasn’t too hard now was it?” Ursa stood up gracefully as she spoke. She didn’t miss Zuko mumble something else but decided to ignore it. “Well I think that’s enough bending practice for today. Prince Zuko, why don’t you show the young lady around the palace since she’ll be staying with us for the next week.” Zuko’s head was still hung over as he nodded.
“Yes Mother.” He sounded as depressed as he looked.
The children shuffled out quietly as Zuko started pointing to random objects. Kya couldn’t help the snort come out when she heard Zuko’s depressed mumbles of “that’s the torch that sits on a wall…that’s the rock in the garden, it doesn’t move much.”
Kya and Ursa let out a laugh as soon as the children were out of earshot.
“At least he didn’t get his sense of humor from his father.” Ursa tried to cover up her snort at the comment but from the look she got from Kya’s face, the two quickly burst into fits.
The women sat in the garden catching up for what had felt like only minutes. It was almost dusk when a servant had come around announcing that dinner would be served within the hour. Kya and Ursa opted to go retrieve the children who had last been seen heading towards the library.
Just outside the doors, Ursa held up her finger and slowly cracked the door open. As promised, Katara and Zuko were sitting in the library, book strewn out over the large table and paper and pots of different colored paint were laid out. It sounded as if Katara had been trying to draw her version of a tigerseal while Zuko had been drawing out what he think they should look like.
Kya smirked as she continued to watch the children through the crack. “It seems like the spirits are on our side, I think they get along very well.”
“For now at least.” Ursa covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. “How do you think they’ll react when they find out they’ve spent the afternoon with their future spouse?”
Kya quirked an eyebrow. Katara looked positively furious at Zuko’s rendition of the tigerseal. “Just promise to have a photo taken of his face when you tell Zuko. He makes the funniest faces when he’s surprised.”
“He does, doesn’t he!” The two let out a small laugh and froze when two small heads popped up to glance in their direction.
“Mom? You outside?” Of course it would be Zuko to catch them.
“Guess we’ve been caught.” Ursa straightened up before opening the door fully.
Zuko narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What were you guys laughing about?”
Kya and Ursa held their hands behind their back, crossing their fingers as they said “nothing,” in unison.
Zuko only narrowed his eyes further.