"Two weeks later, in the living room stressin'
My father's stone-faced while you're asking for his blessin'
I'm dying inside as you wine and dine
And I'm trying not to cry 'cause there's
Nothing that your mind can't do.
My father makes his way across the room to you.
I panic for a second, thinking, "We're through."
But then he shakes your hand and says, "Be true."
And you turn back to me, smiling, and I'm
Helpless!"
("Helpless," Hamilton)

A maidservant discovered Katara loitering outside the palace's main hall, where her father met with General Iroh. "My lady, what are you...?" Katara put a finger over the girl's lips to shush her. She couldn't miss a word about the conversation in the main hall. It concerned her the most of everyone involved.

The sliding screen doors had been open enough to let in some cooler air. It was only the middle of spring and already twice as hot as Katara's home in the South Pole at the height of summer. Dad and General Iroh fanned themselves between moves in a game of pai sho. And while the General would drink hot tea even if he were inside a volcano, Dad had chosen chilled sake instead.

"A toast to this night.
The outlook is rosy.
The future is bright.
Our children will marry,
our kingdoms unite."
("Skumps (Drinking Song)/The Royal Argument," Sleeping Beauty)

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General Iroh moved one of his pai sho tiles across the board. "Wisteria season would be the best time to have the wedding, don't you think, Chief Hakoda?" he said.

"So soon?" Dad put down his sake cup and raised an eyebrow at the General. Wisteria season was only two months away, and a royal wedding would surely need more planning time. "Why the rush?"

"Frugality, of course. A small, private wedding and a joint coronation will be easier on the nation's coffers."
Dad nodded. "Why make the young people wait, eh?" He clapped General Iroh on the back. The General lowered his eyes.

Katara put a hand on her belly. Her bump didn't yet show underneath her court robes' heavy and complicated layers. Two months from now, it still wouldn't be visible to those who didn't know to look for it. It will cause a scandal when an heir to the throne arrives sooner rather than later, but by then, the opinions of Caldera's busybodies and gossip-mongers wouldn't matter. She would be their Fire Lady.

General Iroh took a sip of tea. "And we want the baby to be born legitimate," he said.
"The baby?" Dad furrowed his brow.
Katara took a step away from the door. Ever since Dad arrived in Caldera, she'd been trying to find the right moment and way to tell him he would be a grandfather, and the General had to go and spoil it. But the old man shouldn't be blamed. He must have assumed that Katara had already told her father.
"Katara, I know you're hovering out there." Dad stood up and faced the door. Listening in doorways had been a habit of Katara's since childhood. "Get in here, now!"

Picking up the hem of her robes, Katara entered the main hall and stood before her father and the General. Dad looked Katara over, specifically her waist and belly. In keeping with the summer fashions of the royal court, Katara had belted the outer layers of her robes around her waist and tied the sleeves behind her back so that they resembled a butterfly's wings. The heavy layers hid any visible signs of pregnancy.

Dad gestured to Katara's stomach. "When did this... happen?"
Katara looked down at her feet. "The night before Sozin's Comet," she said. That was when she'd lost her maidenhood to Zuko, the first of many times since they'd made love. Her Shining Prince promised they would be married if they survived the battle, which proved to be the decisive moment of the war. Katara had rejoiced at the prospect of being Zuko's wife, the greatest honor she could think of, even greater than being Fire Lady.
"At least that Zuko kid is doing the honorable thing." Dad folded his arms. "But I still owe him a kick in the balls."
"I'm sure Gramp-Gramp said the same thing about you." Katara smirked. It was common knowledge that Mom had been pregnant with Sokka when she and Dad married.
General Iroh bowed to Katara. "Congratulations, my dear," he said. He produced a long, narrow box from his sleeve. "This is for you. Lord Zuko picked it out."

Katara opened the box. It contained a silver hairpin shaped like a crane. She smiled. "It's beautiful," she said. She kissed the dear old man on the forehead.

"Now General, tell me where that nephew of yours is," Dad said. He cracked his knuckles, making Katara's teeth clench. "I have a bone to pick with him."