31.- Jewelry

(A/N: I’ve realized that a lot of these drabbles are coming from Zuko’s POV. Not that I’m complaining, just noticing.)

If he’d known just how hard it’d be to sneak this around Mai, then he might not have done it in the first place. No, that was a lie. For Katara, Zuko would do anything, including facing the wrath of his soon to be ex-fiancee. The fire lord wasn’t too familiar with Water Nation traditions, but he’d hopefully studied enough to do this right.

His cloak fluttered slightly in the wind, but he still held it close. If a guard was to see him, they’d haul him back to his bedroom ‘for his own safety’. So long as he looked like another person wandering the courtyard, with other servants and civilians, then they’d leave him be.

The little necklace felt smooth in his hand, but he wasn’t too sure. Zuko had been working on the betrothal necklace for at least a month now. There was a certain finesse that came with carving the little pendants with waterbending that firebending or even traditional carving could not replicate. The most dedicated and educated craftsmen couldn’t replicate the smooth elegance of a Water Nation betrothal necklace.

Just a little further now, the moon was getting overshadowed by towers more frequently now. It wouldn’t be long before he reached the bridge they’d agreed on meeting at. His heart was racing, the beat thick in his throat. His legs were just below running, he wouldn’t risk the noise. Then, before him was the cloaked figure of the woman he’d fallen head over heels for, “Katara.”

Katara turned to face him, but not all the way. Her profile was elegant, but somehow, sad. Zuko rolled the pendant around in his hand for a moment, stepping closer to her. As he pulled it out of his pocket to give it to her, she put a hand up to stop him, “Zuko, no.”

She turned around completely, undoing the tie that held her cloak closed. It fluttered open suddenly, the gust of wind catching Zuko unguard, what lied beneath caught him even more.

A betrothal necklace. And a beautiful one at that. It wasn’t her grandmother’s, there was a distinct arrow down the middle of the intricate design.

“Wha..” Zuko was stunned, “What?”

“I know why you asked me to come here.” She said, “I want to accept your proposal and I can’t imagine the kind of struggles you’ve had to get through to get here, but you have to understand my position. I do care about Aang, alot. We’re going to change the world and I want to be by his side.”

“Am I not changing the world?” Zuko snapped, “Did I not pull back my father’s troops, go on peace mission with Aang, invite nation leaders into the palace for peace talks? Have I not done my share?”

“You have! Stop acting like a child about it.” Katara shook her head, “Aang and I were destined to be and I cannot change that.”

Zuko stood there, gripping his pendant tightly. No doubt he appeared fiercely selfish right now. The word ‘destined’ swirled around in his head like a pig-viper that came back to haunt him, “What do you know about destiny?”

Katara gasped, “Well, I…”

“Exactly! Nothing! Whereas I have fought with my destiny and sought it out; I didn’t just let it be shoved in my face!”

“That might be so.” She replied, tensing up, “But this is a completely different situation. You were on the wrong path, a path of destruction. I’m on a path to better the world.”

“As am I! What makes the Avatar’s path so much more righteous than mine?”

Katara shook her head, “I can’t talk to you like this.”

“Then don’t talk to me at all!” He threw the pendant down. Turning on his heel, the Fire Lord was gone into the night; with only the flustered flutter of his cloak signally his departure.

Katara knelt down to pick up Zuko’s betrothal necklace. It was warm; his anger had gotten the best of him. The little charm was jagged on some edges. Had he attempted to carve it with firebending? Or by his own hands? The swirls and waves of her grandmother’s betrothal were mimicked here, but in a different formation, and at the bottom was etched a small flame, colored in with some kind of red paint. She held it to her heart, “What do I know about destiny…?”

END: Jewelry