Katara had taken to wearing the long, flowing sleeves that were fashionable among the noblewomen of Republic City. Yards of silk obscured her hands, a feature she'd developed an insecurity about.

The other ladies had soft, white hands with slender, delicate fingers. In contrast, Katara had squat palms and stubby fingers which were covered in callouses. Even a high-status Water Tribeswoman like Katara was expected to do manual labor.
Most improper of all, black tribal tattoos covered Katara's hands and upper arms.

When she wished to wear short sleeved or sleeveless dresses, she had to also wear elbow-length gloves.
"Tell me you're happy," Zuko said. He wove his fingers between Katara's. Her sleeve fell back, exposing the black stripes tattooed on her wrist.
"Of course," Katara replied. She gazed down at the river below her. This time of year, the crab-apple trees on the banks were in bloom and the swirling currents underneath the bridge were clogged with pink and crimson petals. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Zuko plucked a sprig of blossoms from the closest tree and tucked it behind Katara's ear. She felt flushed when his fingers brushed the delicate skin. "You looked stunning at the banquet last night. My sister hasn't stopped raving about  your gown. She's wishes to know who made it." 
Katara and Aang had hosted the Earth King and his wife, Queen Azula, who was Zuko's sister and every bit as lovely as had been reported. For the occasion, Katara had worn a gown of her customary blue, embroidered in gold with plum blossoms and roses-of-sharon, the symbols of the Northern and Southern Earth Kingdoms, as a tribute to their guests. Queen Azula had raved about the quality of the silk and admired the workmanship of the embroidered flowers.
"Just one of my wife's dresses could feed a whole village for month," Aang had said with an indulgent smile. He saw Katara's love of fashion as a vice he needed to treat with forbearance.

"I'll have to ask her over for tea." Katara removed the flower from her hair and twirled it between her fingers. "And we can discuss dressmakers."
What a strange conversation to have with Queen Azula of all people. A young woman, no older than Katara, who'd lead armies and conquered cities. Who'd won her husband with fear of her war machines as much as desire for her beauty, and was one of the world's most revered fire-benders. No, an invitation to spar would be more appropriate.
Katara smiled at her reflection in the river. It would be nice to have a worthy opponent for a change. Aang always went easy on her.
"The gown I wore wasn't my first choice, just the safe one. I had a second one made. It's sea foam-colored rather than periwinkle and similar in style to the one Queen Azula wore." 
Zuko blushed.
The latest fashion from Ba Sing Se was figure-hugging dresses with cutouts that exposed as much skin as only a woman as bold as Azula could think of showing. Katara's was made from scalloped rows of sheer silk and iridescent beads and made her look and feel like a mermaid rising from the water.

"Then why didn't you wear it?" Zuko said.
Katara lowered her eyes. "I was vain and foolish," she said. "Buying it was an unjustifiable extravagance..." Even though the money had come from the revenue of lands that were part of her dowry. She never spent a coin on clothes that wasn't her own. "When it arrived from the dressmaker, I put it on to show Aang. He turned as pink as this crab-apple blossom." The flower Zuko had picked for her was still between her two fingers. "He said, you don't need to show off, Sweetie. You could wear sackcloth and ashes and still outshine every other woman there."
Aang had been right. He was always right. So, Katara wore the other dress.
Servants from the nearby tea house brought a table and seating cushions over to the river-side pavilion where Katara and Zuko stood.

Zuko and Katara knelt down onto the cushions while the servants prepared the tea.
Katara lifted the lid from a bamboo basket to reveal several cakes made from pink-tinted gluttonous rice. "If I recall, sakura mochi are one of your favorite treats," she said.  He'd told her this during one of those long-ago afternoons in the abandoned fisherman's cottage.

"You didn't just invite me here to talk about dresses?" Zuko said. A servant poured Zuko a cup of tea and he took a sip.
The servants hovered around the table, awaiting any further orders. To Katara, they were vipers waiting to strike. She dismissed them with a wave of her hand so she and Zuko could continue talking in private.
Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to answer my question?"
"You asked me if I'm happy and I said of course, why wouldn't I be?" Katara tapped her fingers against the porcelain of her tea cup. She would much rather continue chatting about dresses. "And why wouldn't I be happy when I have such happy news. I'm with child."
"Oh," Zuko replied. He looked down at the steam rising from his tea. "You and Aang have my congratulations."
Katara bit her lip. She told Aang about the baby a few days before. "So soon," he'd said, his eyes lit up with delight. He received the news as a pleasant surprise. Starting a family was something they both wanted, but they weren't in a rush. They'd only been married three months after all.
Katara knew that Aang needed to sire more air-benders but he seemed to genuinely want children. He would be a good father. Aang could have charmed the sun out of the cave she slept in at night, a child wouldn't be that difficult for him. Katara pictured him as the "fun" parent and consequently the favorite one. All the difficult and unpleasant parts of childrearing would be left to her.
It was an idyllic family picture, except...
"The baby isn't Aang's" Saying these words was like digging an arrowhead out of a wound. Painful and difficult but you felt better once it was over.
Zuko's face blanched as the truth registered to him. "You're sure?" He took Katara's hand.
"You need to have a small-death to conceive. I haven't yet had one with Aang." Aang did his husbandly duties as eagerly as a child with a new toy but eagerness didn't always translate into skill. "But I had one with you."
"Then, for both of our sakes, pray that it isn't a fire-bender." Zuko gave Katara's hand a squeeze. His eyes were heavy with shame.

They left the pavilion separately. First Zuko, heading toward the main road to hail a rickshaw. The driver immediately stopped when he noticed Zuko coming. Even with his identity unknown, his presence commanded respect.
Katara watched and waited until he was gone. Under the cover of her pink silk parasol, she slipped out and made her way home.