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Betrothal	By : hyperoo Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 14587 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not Avatar the Last Airbender. It is property of Viacom. I make no money or tangible profit off of this. Only ego boosts.

Chapter List
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Katara sighed; Sokka had left his stuff out again! Not only did Sokka leave it out, but he had left it everywhere!
She knelt down and started picking everything up, grumbling as she did so, one of these days, Katara was going to let them deal with their own messes and then laugh when they got buried in them.
Katara was shoving everything into the green leather sack, not caring what got broken or bent.
Boomerang, odd monocle detective hat, The Boulder’s autograph, package addressed to Katara from the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe.

Really, with as many times as they had been attacked and forced to abandon campsites, she just didn’t understand how he managed to keep so much ju-.

Wait a minute, package addressed to me from the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe!?

Quickly, Katara dumped out the bag and rifled through everything until she found the package. It was small, wrapped in blue dyed seal hide and bore the moon and oceans crest of the Northern Water Tribe. Katara reached up to her necklace, she always thought it odd that her grandmother’s betrothal necklace had the crest of the Southern Water Tribe carved into it. Almost as if a part of Master Pakku had known.
Katara shook her head out of a past she didn’t know nor really understand and concentrated on the package in her hands. It was so odd, Chief Arnook had no real reason to contact her, and yet he had found one. Not only that, Sokka had kept it from her!
How dare he! Katara thought as she ripped off the sewn on crest/patch that sealed the package, If Chief Arnook wants to talk to me over him he should just deal with it instead of sneaking around and-

Katara’s thoughts were suddenly cut short as she took in what the letter said. Her hand flew to her mouth as tears sprung to her eyes.
How could they! She thought. How could they do such a thing?

“Katara? Have you seen my green bag? You know the one I bought in the Earth Kingdom?”

She looked up as Sokka walked out of the temple and into the courtyard where she was cleaning.
“Katara?”
Katara sat next to his pile of random stuff, a letter in her hand, and tears in her eyes. Anger reached Sokka, whoever had upset his baby sister to the point of tears would pay! Then he looked at what she held.
Sokka’s face went white, Katara wasn’t supposed to find that letter at least not until after the war had ended. His father had given him strict instructions that it not be mentioned in anyway.
“How could you?” She demanded
Sokka said nothing, truth be told he hadn’t really known how. The offer had arrived when he and his father where getting ready to attack Fire Navy ships while the coup was being planned in Ba Sing Se. Of course realizing what this meant for the tribes, Sokka and Hakoda had agreed to it, they figured Katara would be so happy with the fall of Fire Lord Ozai that she would never argue with such an amazing opportunity.

“HOW COULD YOU?!” She screamed.

Once again, Sokka said nothing. He didn’t have anything to say.

“What’s going on?” Toph called, obviously curious about Katara’s sudden lack composure.

Aang and Zuko followed her, they had all been sparing and the scream had disturbed them even through the bending.

“Katara,” Aang said “what’s wrong?”

“Ask Sokka” Katara spat, “after all, he’s the one who married me off!”

A stunned look crossed the benders faces, married off? It didn’t make sense! Katara was from the Southern Water Tribe, a tribe founded by female Waterbenders who had wanted to fight but had been refused! Women chose whom they married in the Southern Tribe, the men of a woman’s family had almost no real say!

“Sokka,” Aang said “what does she mean married off?”

Sokka sighed; he had never wanted to tell her under such conditions. Actually, he had never wanted to tell her under any conditions, he had wanted their father to tell her while he was a safe distance away.

“When I was with dad at Chameleon Bay, an envoy from the Northern Water Tribe arrived, and Chief Arnook’s nephew was with them. He said he had traveled all the way to Chameleon Bay so he could personally ask for Katara’s hand.”

Sokka stopped and looked over at his sister; angry tears fell down her cheeks. Katara looked as if she was debating between breaking down and crying or strangling her older brother.

He opened his mouth to continue the story to the rest when Katara interrupted him.

Dearest Katara, She read. It has been many months since I saw you fight Master Pakku and yet I still can not forget you. Your graceful, yet wild and untrained stances, the determined and deadly look in your eyes; they haunt my memories and my dreams. Never before had I thought a maiden of such beauty could posses such a wild and untamable spirit and yet there you stood, refusing to yield even after Master Pakku had obviously defeated you. As I think back to that day, the anticipation becomes almost unbearable, I long to hold you in my arms and call you my wife. The day your father and brother agreed to our marriage was the happiest day of my life and I long to show you how it will become the happiest of yours. Never again will you have to sully your hands in battle or risk wrinkling your beautiful face with thoughts of politics. You will spend the rest of your life in comfort and happiness and want for nothing.

Until the day I tame your wild spirit,
Prince Hai

No one uttered a word; they were to stunned to speak. After the letter they weren’t sure who they pitied more, Katara for having to go through with and endure this idiot, or this Prince Hai whom obviously thought he could tell Katara what to do and survive.

When no one spoke-up for her, Katara lost her temper, crumpled the letter and threw at Sokka’s head.

“How much did you get for me?” She demanded “One barrel of fish? Two? Did he at least sweeten the deal and throw in some squid?”

The last comment finally brought a response from Sokka. An angry one.

“Is that what you think?!” He yelled “That we bartered you like the catch of the day? This marriage will bring the tribes together, it’ll help strengthen us and keep both tribes protected in the event of another war in the future. Did you think about that? Did you ever think there was more to this then just you?!”

“So you sold me off to an arrogant, sexist jackass whom I get to spend the rest of my life lying still for while you get to love and marry and live with whoever makes you happy!”

What little spine Sokka had grown quickly shriveled up. He had never really thought of it that way, but she was right. The worst part was that Katara deserved so much better, she had fought so hard to become a Waterbending Master and prove herself to everyone, and now, it would all be taken away.

“Katara,” Sokka said “I’m sorry. We didn’t think –“

“No,” She snapped “you didn’t!”

At that Katara shoved past everyone and stormed into the temple and towards the bathhouses. She needed to clear her head if she was going to get out of this without causing a civil war.

Zuko stood there, not speaking. He had never seen Katara so angry, not even when she had threatened his life. To betroth her to someone she had never met without even discussing it with her first, such a thing would never happen in the Fire Nation, at least not someone as important as Katara was. That would be like arranging a marriage for Azula or himself without their consent. Yes, it was more than common for peasants to practice such things, but Katara and Sokka were the children of Chief Hakoda, in a way they were a Prince and Princess and you didn’t insult the Princess if you wanted to live. This Prince Hai obviously had no respect for the customs of Katara’s tribe and merely thought of her as a pretty face. A part of Zuko wanted to see the attempted marriage just to laugh at this idiot and the other wanted to beat this Prince for taking a warrior of Katara’s ability so lightly.
Zuko followed Katara into the Temple bathhouse, he was going to offer to heat the water for her. It was the least she deserved.

“Katara,” Zuko called through the door, “I could heat the water for you. I mean, I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to right now, but if you need anything. If I can help in anyway-“

“You can!” a grateful reply came “Come in here.”

Zuko hesitated, wasn’t she in the bath? He didn’t need to heat the water from inside, he could just light the fire pit underneath it.

“Please?” Katara called.

Please! Zuko thought. Did she just say please? To me?!
If she was willing to sound so desperate then he really must be able to help somehow. He walked in and found Katara sitting in the bath, water p to her chin. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Zuko couldn’t believe it, everytime he had seen her cry, there had been anger in her eyes, but not now.
No, this time there was no strength, no determination, just sadness and vulnerability.

“What can I do to help?” Zuko said, finally finding his voice.
Katara took a deep breath and stood up, her wet, naked body glistening from the small amount of sunlight that came in through the tiny window near the ceiling. Zuko’s mouth went dry as he took in the sight of her naked form. He wanted to swallow, but there was nothing to do it with.

“You can join me.”
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Betrothal