Chapter Text
The hawk arrived first. Sokka spotted it when he was out hunting, a small dot on the horizon that he watched until it was close, saw the human and collapsed in his arms. A fire nation messenger. He was honestly surprised the cold hadn’t killed it. But it was spring, so that had given it a fighting chance. “Hey there, Hawkie,” he gently ran a finger over its breast, and the bird leaned against him. He looked at the tube attached to its leg. He didn’t know a lot about the fire nation, but he knew enough to recognize the royal seal. He pulled it gently off the poor bird. “Let’s get you to Dad.”
He walked back to the village, the bird content to be carried after its long journey. Sokka didn’t have a full days hunt with him, but enough. He gave the seals to the gutters, and went to the center of the village to the community hall, where Hakoda would be hearing grievances. He walked in, and there were people arguing. Sokka stepped forward, “I apologize for interrupting, but we have a message from the fire nation.” The half dozen in the room quieted as this was a rare event.
The Southern Water Tribe had spent most of the war ignored. They were simply too small to bother with, little trade to take over. There had been a few raids but they hadn’t attacked the fire nation outright when they came, instead used the location against them, hid, laid traps. It was decided the south wasn’t worth the trouble. They had known that strategy would only last them so long, they had been debating going to war, when their circumstances changed greatly, and then it was done. Rumours eventually made their way south, of a coup, aided by rebels from the earth kingdom. Kyoshi warriors, and stories told of an earth bender so strong, they could bend metal. But they just kept going, ignored.
Until now, it seemed.
“Pass it here, Sokka,” Hakoda said. He opened the scroll and Sokka almost laughed the way that everyone in the room leaned forward as if they could magically see what was on it, though Hakoda had it angled well away from everyone. People thought Hakoda had a neutral, calm face. Sokka could see the heartbreak written all over it. He didn’t know what it said, but he wished he had thrown it in the ocean. “Thank you, I am sorry but that will be all today.” He gestured for Sokka to follow, him and they quickly left the hall. “Go, find your sister, and Aang.”
“Dad?”
“Now, Sokka.”
“What do I do with the Hawk?” It had settled on Sokka’s shoulder.
“Eat it for all I care, find your sister!”
His dad seldom raised his voice, and Sokka had never feared him, never would fear him, but he was scared in general. He gave the hawk a nudge and it flew away, and he wondered if it was headed back home. If it would make it. But he didn’t have time to think about that. He ran outside the village to the east, to the caves that Katara and Aang liked to explore. He gave the whistle they shared, to call to each other, and eventually there was a call back. He went into the cave and Katara and Aang were sparring, her with water, him with air. He took a moment to watch how they moved together. It was so beautiful. “Dad needs us. Now. Something has happened. With the fire nation.”
Aang stopped his air. “Really? Are they coming here? I really want to see fire nation people.”
“Sokka?”
“Dad yelled,” he knew he sounded younger than the nineteen, almost twenty that he was, but he couldn’t help it. “Katara,” he said and it was all he needed to. They hurried back, Aang chattering away and they ignored it. When they reached their igloo, Hakoda was inside reading the scroll again. The three settled on the ground near him, waited.
“The southern water tribe has been given a great honour,” Hakoda said slowly.
“A great honour is a good thing,” Aang replied.
“Fire lord Zuko, is twenty now, and to be wed.”
“A wedding, are you invited as a representative? That’s how formal weddings work.”
“Aang, hush,” Katara urged. Sokka watched her reach out and they held hands. He smiled a bit, he had been helping Aang learn to carve so that in a year he could ask Katara to marry him. They had been in love for years now, almost since they had found Aang really. Though Katara insisted it was only the last few months. “Dad?”
“To promote unity in the world, to show that the fire nation wants to cement the peace, and to show that the southern water tribe will not keep to its isolationist practices, someone from the village will be betrothed to fire lord Zuko.” Hakoda looked at them. “They offer in exchange for the spouse, trade vessels, fuel, technology. More wealth than we’ve had - ever.”
“That is…” Katara frowned, “I mean it isn’t great, but it isn’t bad is it? There will be someone willing to do their duty by the village.”
Sokka understood though. “Fire lord basically means king or chief, and it would have to be someone of equal rank.” Hakoda nodded. “They are saying, Katara has to marry the fire lord.”
“They are,” Hakoda agreed.
“And if we refuse?” Katara asked.
“We are welcome to, this is not an order, but the world will take our isolationist attitude very seriously. The northern tribe will no longer exchange with us, no one will.” Hakoda was looking at where Katara was clutching Aang’s hand. “The hawk was to inform us of this. A ship from the fire nation will be arriving in three or four days, to bring you to the fire nation.”
“Dad,” Katara pleaded.
Sokka had never known his dad could look helpless. Katara sobbed and ran out of the igloo, with Aang quickly following. Hakoda sighed and Sokka pretended his didn’t see his dad wipe away a tear as he excused himself and went behind the furs. He had left the scroll behind, and Sokka went to the bench to read it carefully. He read it a few times and it seemed really clear, and that Katara was fucked. Because as much as she loved Aang, she would agree to it, for the sake of their people. What was on offer was too good to pass up. They were suffering, the northern tribe furious they hadn’t done more in the war. As if they hadn’t sacrificed, as if his mom hadn’t died. But if they had joined as much as the north wanted them to, there would be no southern tribe left. They had been smart enough to know they were meant to be nothing more than cannon fodder.
And then when they were ready to go, they had found the avatar, and the whole village went into protect mode. Then it was all done. But grudges lingered and they hadn’t told anyone oh gee sorry, but you know we were a little busy keeping the avatar alive.
He read the contract again, and paused. One word, one simple word, but if they were clever, it was just enough.
They would have to be very clever, and he was making a choice that could in the end have him executed. But for Katara, it was worth it.
*
“What do you mean, I have to marry?” Zuko stared at the council, at his uncle in shock.
“Your majesty, you have been on the throne for three, almost four years now, and have done tremendous work,” Iroh began, “but it is now time, to create bonds in the world.”
“I have made bonds. We’ve created reparations, trade routes, changed laws, education reform, a million things.” A million hours of lost sleep, a million decisions that weighed on him unbearably. A million times he was mad his uncle had installed him on the throne instead of taking it for himself. A million times he was grateful for it, to heal the damage his father and sister had done.
“You have,” Iroh agreed, “but culturally, pain lingers. If the fire lord weds someone from another nation, it creates an impact. Do you know that Ty Lee and Suki wish to marry?”
“They have my blessing,” Zuko said immediately. “I would perform the ceremony myself.”
“Yes, but it will be judged, marrying into another nation,” a councilman said. “Unless the fire lord were to do it first.”
“I hardly think this would be the first inter-nation marriage.”
“In the outskirts of course,” another explained, “but people of consequence do not feel free to.”
“All people are of consequence,” Zuko muttered. He understood the point though. “Toph,” he blurted out. “I could marry Toph?” He didn’t have a romantic thought in his body for her, but he loved her deeply, and at least then it wouldn’t be a stranger.
“Unfortunately she is not eligible for this situation,” Iroh said delicately, “her family is important, but it is an importance of wealth, not nobility.”
Zuko tried to think of any nobles from the earth kingdom of an appropriate age with him, and there were only a couple, and they were all already engaged or near enough. “Who then?”
“We sent an envoy to the northern water tribe,” the minister of trade said, “but actually, well -”
“They talked circles around the team and we ended up with a robust trade agreement that hinges on you not marrying their princess,” Iroh explained. “If it wasn’t so frustrating, it would have been impressive.”
“They did present another option though,” the minister quickly interjected, “the southern water tribe, their chief has an eligible daughter.”
“The southern water tribe is still alive?” Zuko hadn’t heard any word about them in any of his million reports.
“They are,” the ambassador from the northern tribe spoke. There was a derision in the man’s voice. “They chose to mostly sit out the war for the last thirty years.” There were murmurs of disgust among those gathered, as it was deemed dishonourable to have hidden, even if you had been perceived as the enemy. “Their numbers are small, maybe a few hundred people. They argued that they could not provide enough aid that would not devastate their whole region.”
“That is not quite right, ambassador,” Iroh had that voice that Zuko knew meant he was disappointed. “I have some very interesting reports. From ships that went to seek resources, make potential raids.”
“They found nothing! Because the cowards hid, while we fought!” the man shouted.
“Seven ships,” Iroh said. “Four ships were sent in the last fifteen years of the war. Only one ever came back and that with only one third of its crew.”
“Scout ships or war ships?” Zuko asked.
“The first few were scout, the others full command,” Iroh said. “The last, was lead by Admiral Zhao.” The whole table went quiet. “It crippled our navy quite a bit to lose his leadership, delayed a major attack on the north. I do not think they sat out the war as much as you believe, Ambassador. It is likely the north owes its life to whatever it is they did.” The table was quiet. “You say there is a daughter?”
“There is,” the ambassador’s bluster is gone. “Chief Hakoda has a daughter, she would be seventeen? Maybe eighteen. And she is a waterbender.” There were pleased noises around the table. “Chief Hakoda is a handsome man, and his wife before she passed, was considered a comely woman. The child would not be ill formed.”
“Uncle,” Zuko looked at him. “Is this really the best path forward?”
“It is,” Iroh didn’t look happy at forcing this, but it really was a way to continue to help heal the world. “We will send a hawk with a generous agreement, and a ship to bring them back to the fire nation.”
“I could go, present the case myself,” Zuko said, it felt wrong to not give it the personal touch.
“Your majesty, you are needed here,” a minister said, “we have too much on the table.”
There was always too much on the table. He would have protested, but his uncle offered to go on the ship to bring the girl back, and that at least was better than a random envoy. “Very well, send word, but make sure they know they have a choice in this,” he insisted, “If they do not want to, we will think of something else.”
“I will help write it, to make sure the points are clear,” the ambassador said.
“Very well then, I will betroth myself to the southern water tribe,” Zuko swallowed, there was a weight in his stomach. But he would do his duty.