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A Truth Universally Acknowledged
[ The time it takes to get from the Southern Water Tribe to the Fire Nation by boat is, as it turns out, significantly longer than the time it takes to get there on Appa's back. Katara knew that going in, of course, and there was no way she'd be able to borrow the flying bison for this trip--Aang had flown off almost as soon as he'd found out the reason why Uncle Iroh had come all the way down to the South Pole for a visit.
Katara was just as surprised, of course--flabbergasted, even--but she didn't really have the option of flying away this time, did she? The request being presented is beyond anything she could have anticipated. She knows for certain that it wasn't Zuko's idea; he'd never even think of asking her something like that.
The White Lotus coming up with the plan, on the other hand, is totally believable. Iroh laid out their wishes in the most logical, methodical way possible, reasoned calmly with an obstinate Hakoda, and asked Katara for her thoughts.
She thought it was insane that they were asking her, of all people, to marry Zuko, but more importantly, she thought it was something she needed to talk directly with him about before making a decision that would fundamentally change the course of the rest of her life.
So, she'd packed a bag and embarked with Iroh on his Fire Nation ship.
Zuko was advised not to meet them at the docks, since the point of the visit was to allow them to talk without raising too many eyebrows, and the Fire Lord arriving to greet them would have done just that. Katara was given a red sarong to wear so she'd blend in with everyone else as much as she could with her dark, warm skin, and eventually, everyone was settled in around a low table in one of Zuko's private chambers just drinking tea (at Iroh's insistence) waiting for him to arrive. She's tired, but listless, too. What did he think of all of this?
When the door finally opens to admit him, Katara is on her feet in an instant, excited and anxious and even a bit afraid. In the past she might have hugged him, but that hardly feels appropriate in this particular instance. ]
Zuko! It's... been a while.
Katara was just as surprised, of course--flabbergasted, even--but she didn't really have the option of flying away this time, did she? The request being presented is beyond anything she could have anticipated. She knows for certain that it wasn't Zuko's idea; he'd never even think of asking her something like that.
The White Lotus coming up with the plan, on the other hand, is totally believable. Iroh laid out their wishes in the most logical, methodical way possible, reasoned calmly with an obstinate Hakoda, and asked Katara for her thoughts.
She thought it was insane that they were asking her, of all people, to marry Zuko, but more importantly, she thought it was something she needed to talk directly with him about before making a decision that would fundamentally change the course of the rest of her life.
So, she'd packed a bag and embarked with Iroh on his Fire Nation ship.
Zuko was advised not to meet them at the docks, since the point of the visit was to allow them to talk without raising too many eyebrows, and the Fire Lord arriving to greet them would have done just that. Katara was given a red sarong to wear so she'd blend in with everyone else as much as she could with her dark, warm skin, and eventually, everyone was settled in around a low table in one of Zuko's private chambers just drinking tea (at Iroh's insistence) waiting for him to arrive. She's tired, but listless, too. What did he think of all of this?
When the door finally opens to admit him, Katara is on her feet in an instant, excited and anxious and even a bit afraid. In the past she might have hugged him, but that hardly feels appropriate in this particular instance. ]
Zuko! It's... been a while.