The Art Of Finding Each Other (Zutara)

Seriusness

It was later that Saturday night. Everyone was already back at the Royal Palace. The mood had clearly gone down by dinner because of the Fire Fountain City news. Zuko hadn't even been able to eat with the others. He had to go into a meeting with his advisors the minute he was back at the palace.

Luckily, the meeting had gone well and the situation at the city was under control, but he still felt uneasy. He couldn't help but think about how much damage his father had done. Well, actually, his sister too. He hadn't visited neither of them since before leaving for Ba Sing Se. It felt like it was ages ago, maybe a new visit was due soon. He wasn't super excited about facing them though, as it was a bit too painful considering the situation.

He remembered the last time he saw his father. "Where is my mother?" he had asked him. Ozai wasn't too eager to respond, of course. He had remained completely silent, hate showing through his eyes. Zuko didn't expect him to handle out that information so quickly, so he stayed calm. After a while, he ended up leaving, not before promising to come back. "Next time, you better tell me. I'm not that helpless kid you scarred anymore. Now I'm the Fire Lord, and you should watch out for him." Then, he left, without looking back. He was going to figure out a way to make his father talk.

He never stopped wondering where his mother was. Sometimes, he felt too tempted to drop everything to go find her, but he knew he had to be patient. He had to take things step by step and, for now, his people were the priority. He couldn't forget about finding his mom even if he wanted too. He knew that rather sooner than later he would be reunited with her. He was going to find her, regardless of whatever it may take.

The Fire Fountain City incident made him realize that there was a lot of work left to be done, a lot of peace and order to reinstall. He was determined to succeed. In all of it.

It was almost midnight. Zuko was still working at his room. He had seen his advisors earlier and they had reassured him that everything was under control. He had a hard time trusting them, as he was used to having to do everything by himself, but knew things were different now. He had already given out the order to arrest the renegades and immediately start the rebuilding of the Post office at the City. The local hospital had sent him a messenger hawk with the information that the patients were well and stable. The whole thing could have definitely been worse. It had been a long day and Zuko was almost falling asleep over his desk filled with letters and paperwork.

Unexpectedly, he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." He said, wondering who could be at those hours.

Katara entered the room. "Hey, how are you doing?"

Zuko immediately started wondering why she was there.

"Good, about to be finished with work for tonight." He looked at her intrigued, expecting her to explain.

"Great, that's... great. I was hoping to talk to you about something." She seemed a tad nervous.

"Is everything okay? Do you need anything?" Zuko felt his heart rate going up.

"No! I mean, yes!" Her voice was rushed. "Everything is fine, Zuko, thanks. I just wanted to tell you an idea that I have to help with the Fire Fountain City situation."

"Oh, right. Sure, go ahead, sit." He pointed towards the empty chair next to his desk.

Katara proceed to sit there and took a breath before speaking.

"So, I think I should go to Fire Fountain City. I could go to the hospital and heal the wounded with my bending. That way, we don't risk them getting worse or dying. I wanna help, please." She had talked extremely fast, determination could be hear in her voice.