Her hair was neatly pulled back from her face in a half top knot, letting the rest cascade down her back. The powdery makeup on her cheeks was fresh, and she felt radiant. Her maroon floor-length dress glowed dark and rich like a summer sun on the edge of complete sunset. The crowd was silent in anticipation, and the man standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside her smiled in awe, the glint in his good eye facing her.
Katara knew that political marriages didn't usually have fanfare or mirth. But this one was different. What was once a stringent obligation was now a welcome union. Freedom replaced fear, understanding became the focus, and undying friendship paved the way on this road to partnership. Katara and Zuko did not love each other romantically, but when councilors and sages encouraged them to marry, they were willing to give it a shot. Their platonic friendship would be ruined, but both were hopeful it would blossom into a more beautiful bond.
The Fire Sage in front of them cleared his throat to address his audience. "Fire Lord Zuko, Lady Katara, all other lords and ladies, esteemed guests and friends, you are all here to witness the union between two nations. Today we forge anew traditions of peace and harmony."
Katara felt a timid hand grasp her own. She gave it a gentle squeeze and stole a look at Zuko, who was taking deep, measured breaths.
The sage continued, "You have each previously exchanged, and are now wearing, special tokens as a symbol of your commitment. For Lady Katara, a necklace, and for Fire Lord Zuko, a golden band. These you must keep and protect at all costs, just as you would each other, or you may enter into the wrath of the spirits looking over us this day." Katara couldn't help but give a small nod of acknowledgement. In the corner of her eye, Zuko did the same.
"Lady Katara," the old man turned to her, "if there is any reason you believe you cannot stay faithful to Fire Lord Zuko during your marriage, you may state so now."
Katara shook her head, then suddenly remembered protocol. "None."
The sage then repeated the prompt to Zuko.
"None," Zuko replied.
"Then we will proceed," the sage said as he cleared his throat again to begin his speech. "Marriage and fidelity to that marriage are never to be taken lightly. Two young souls who have committed to spend the rest of their lives together should not be two, but one. You must be mindful, you must be honest, and you must work through any differences or disagreements with honor and respect. As husband and wife, you have the privilege of making each other better people, companions in both mind and body. Do you understand, and will you comply with these requirements, Lady Katara?"
"Yes," she said softly.
The sage turned to Zuko. "Do you understand, and will you comply with these requirements, Fire Lord Zuko?"
Zuko's voice was firm, "Yes."
"Let it be known among the Fire Sages, and all others present in this hall, that these souls under the eyes of the spirits have agreed to the bonds of matrimony. It is my pleasure to pronounce the commencement of this marriage. May it be blessed."
Katara's trepidation finally manifested itself through clammy hands and a nervous smile. She and Zuko were about to share their first kiss, and it was in front of hundreds of people. They turned to face each other and he offered his other hand. The gaze on his face was enough to quell all her fears. His half smile reassured her that he would be with her through thick and thin; if nothing else, she would always have a friend. She returned the smile, hoping to offer him the same assurance.
He gingerly leaned towards her, as if waiting for her to make the final move. She ignored the slight wobble in her knees as she leaned up on her toes and touched his lips with hers. It was a chaste peck, though not as awkward as she thought it would be. Her lips tingled when they pulled away.
Cheers erupted from the crowd. This was a day for the record books.
Katara stirred her dinner of stewed sea prunes, the old memory still fresh in her mind. She had only stayed in the Fire Nation for a few days, and then came back to her home. Apparently, it wasn't unusual for a couple of a political marriage to live separately in their respective countries. It seemed odd to her, but she secretly didn't mind. There was still a lot of work to be done and reparations to be made in the South Pole. In the three years since she'd seen Zuko, she witnessed her tribe grow twenty-fold. With all the returned warriors, waterbenders moving from the North, and new children, the tribe had enough people to make neighborhoods and roads. Katara had set up a little school for the children, teaching them subjects ranging from waterbending to geography to homemaking. She sat in one of the highest positions on the town council, second only to her father and brother. She also helped some older women establish a healing house. Her routine hardly became monotonous, as she had many responsibilities.
Yet, in her heart, she was far from fulfilled.
"You need a break, little sister," Sokka came into the room holding up a piece of parchment, "and I have just the thing!"
Katara subtly rolled her eyes. "Don't you remember the last time you had 'just the thing'? We had to see that dumb play."
"But this one's different. Something I think you'll actually agree to."
"What is it?"
Sokka nearly shoved the parchment into her face, words so close to her eyes that she couldn't focus to read them. "A reunion!"
"Reunion?"
"Yeah!" he replied excitedly. "Zuko invited us to his palace for a reunion to celebrate another anniversary of the end of the war. Everyone's been invited - Aang, Ty Lee, Suki, Toph, the whole bit. According to the invitation, there will be parties and feasts just for us. Do you know what that means, Katara?"
"Um-"
"It means lots of eating and drinking!" he answered before she could respond. "Can we go? Please?"
Katara scanned the invitation. "Sokka, you're a grown man. You don't need my permission. Besides," she paused for dramatic effect, "yes, let's go! It's about time Someone Up North invites me over."
"What a jerkbender," he replied.
"Right?" she added in jest. "When do we go?"
"As soon as we want to. It starts when everyone gets there."
Katara felt a sudden excitement and almost hugged him. "Let's leave first thing in the morning, then. I don't want to wait a minute longer to see everyone again."
Sokka seemed surprised at her reaction. "Maybe we should tell Dad."
"You do that. As soon as I'm done with dinner, I'm going to pack. Remember: first thing in the morning. Don't make me wait," Katara pointed a finger at him.
He responded with finger guns. "No problem."
Four days felt agonizingly long, but that was the time it took to get to the Fire Nation Capital by ship. Once they arrived, Katara and Sokka were led to their own rooms. They were instructed to show up at the dining hall at their leisure, and food would be prepared for them. Katara changed into her simple blue dress, making sure her necklace was secure around her neck.
The palace was a maze of hallways. Fortunately, the dining hall was easy to find in relation to Katara's room, so she had no trouble finding the entrance. The doors were propped open as an invitation for guests to wander in. She took in the view of the large tables, arrangement unchanged from the last time she was there. Fire lilies and chrysanthemums peaked up above their vases as centerpieces, and colorful tapestries littered the walls. The room had a faint scent of Jasmine.
Iroh's doing, I'd bet, Katara thought to herself.
A few dozen people were already seated, snacking on spicy crackers and cheese. Katara spotted Sokka sitting across from Suki, Ty Lee, and Mai, and went to sit by them.
"Katara, I'm so glad you guys came!" Ty Lee grinned and danced around to the other side of the table to squeeze Katara in a hug. "Sokka tells us you have a big city down south now. We need to have a festival there ASAP. I've only seen snow once, and it was freezing, but I'm sure we can all wear big fluffy coats and huddle to keep warm. Do you have a fluffy coat? I bet it's leopard seal skin with brown poofy platypus bear fur. That's so you. Your aura is raging with brown right now. So warm."
"A festival can definitely be arranged," Katara replied with a small smile, choosing to let the rest of Ty Lee's words fly by. She greeted the rest of the group. "Hi, Suki."
Suki stood up and hugged her. "Hey Katara. Thanks for coming to keep your brother in check."
"Well now, that's soon to be your job, am I right?" Katara teased as she gently nudged her in the ribs.
The Kyoshi Warrior's face turned a subtle pink under her makeup. "No," she denied, "of course not. What makes you say that?" She tucked some hair behind her ear.
Katara could only smile back. "Nothing. I'm just good like that." She made her way over to the still-sitting girl with sheen black hair. "It's good to see you, Mai," she said as she bent down to hug her. Mai held up her hand, palm towards Katara, who paused.
"Likewise," Mai said in a low voice, "but you know I'm not much of a hugger."
"I know," Katara finished the act by wrapping an arm around Mai's shoulders. "But I am!"
Mai's near-horrified look and Katara's comfortableness earned a chuckle throughout the group. Mai quickly regained her usual stoic expression. "I trust you're doing well in the South Pole, then? It's been a while since you've come to visit."
"Yes, it has," a husky voice behind Katara entered the conversation.
She swirled around. "Zuko!" She enveloped her arms around his neck, while his arms wrapped around her back. The group at the table began again to talk amongst themselves.
"Thanks for coming," he said into her hair.
"You know I wouldn't miss this for the world," she replied, pulling her head away from his shoulder. Her face only inches from his, she leaned closer-
"Whoa, wait, what are you doing?" Zuko asked incredulously, stepping away from her.
Katara folded her arms together. "You do remember we're married, right?"
His good eyebrow creased. "Um...no?"
"Tell me you're kidding."
"No can do. I believe you are mistaken," he said as he shook his head.
She touched her necklace. "You don't remember this? What about your ring?" She glanced down at his empty hand. "You're not wearing your ring." She looked up at him, face almost solemn.
"Katara," he put his hands on her shoulders, "I've never had a ring, and you've always had your necklace. And, not to insult anyone's intelligence here, but I think I would remember marrying a beautiful woman."
Katara felt warmth rise to her cheeks. He'd just called her beautiful. She quickly chased that thought away. She had an argument to win.
"Sokka," she called out to the table. "Zuko and I are married, right?"
Her brother winked in her direction. "Sure, Sis. Whatever you say," he said smugly.
Ty Lee perked up in her seat. "Even if you're not, you definitely could be. You two would be so good together."
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, his face in a slight scowl. "Not helping."
"Well, Zuko, that's certainly something I didn't know about you," Mai played along in her monotone voice. "But now that I think about it, it has been a long time since your councilmen have nagged you about finding a wife."
"I don't know what you are talking about," he said before he realized it was true. Then a pause. "Have you guys been sneaking into the wine cellar again?"
Sokka came up to him and patted his shoulder. "Zuko. Buddy. You know Toph is the only one who's been able to find that cellar, and she's not here yet. But look at what you're doing to your wife." They both turned to see Katara's disbelieving expression. "She's getting upset. Better kiss and make up before you're sleeping on the couch tonight."
"Just forget it," Katara finally said, dejected. "I'll see you guys at the main banquet tomorrow." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room.
Katara's room housed a bookshelf and a couch in a corner of the room. She picked out a book and curled up in a blanket on the couch, eager for any distraction to take her mind off of the horrid turn of events. She was still in awe that Zuko hadn't even remembered they had gotten married. What was she to him? Some plaything? The runt of the joke? Just a friend, and nothing more? Her fingers turned the pages, but her mind was far from the words. She stopped and nearly choked up in a sob when her eyes rested on an illustration of two people holding hands. That was us, once.
A knock at her door broke her from her reflections. She quickly waterbended away any upcoming tears. "Yes?"
Zuko's head poked through the now open door. "May I come in?"
"It's your house," she said almost annoyed, as if she didn't think the question really needed to be asked.
He walked in and closed the door behind him. "Look," he said as he sat by her on the couch, "obviously there's some sort of misunderstanding here, and it's up to you and me to resolve it." He took out his hairpiece, and his hair fell down around his face.
"You sounded like a Fire Lord just now," she responded calmly.
"It comes with the title." He ran a hand through his hair in resignation. "I really don't know what I'm doing most of the time. Can you explain the problem to me?"
"All I've pieced together so far is that one of us thinks we're married, and one of us doesn't. Therefore, one of us is wrong or egregiously misled. I honestly don't know what to think anymore." Katara pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. "I don't know if I want to be the one in the wrong."
Zuko reclined against the back of the couch and looked at the ceiling. "It sounds like we could use a fresh start, then."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," he thought for a moment, and then glanced down at her. "We could start dating, or courting, as they say in the palace. In the meantime, I can have my sages search the annals. If it turns out we really did get married, then we'll be on the right track, and we can live as husband and wife. If we didn't get married, then we can let it go and at least remain really good friends. How does that sound?"
Katara nodded. "That's better than anything I could come up with. Kind of strange, though, I'll admit."
"You're the one who thought we were married." He chuckled to himself. "It's almost as if you'd dreamed it up one night, and the memory was so vivid you thought it was real. In that case, I don't know if I should be flattered or creeped out."
She laughed. "When you put it that way, I guess it could make sense. Still, I don't like being wrong."
"I don't think anybody does," Zuko smiled, then he held his hand to the back of his neck. "Would you...would you like to sit by me at the banquet tomorrow? I'll make sure to have a seat reserved for you. Normally, it's saved for the Fire Lady, but..." he trailed off, almost looking nervous.
Katara gently placed a hand on his forearm. "I'd love to. Thank you." She stood up, pulled him up beside her, and hugged him around his middle. "Thank you."
The hug was a comfort and solace to both of them, and neither wanted to let go for a long time.
A/N: I originally tried to write this as a crackfic, but I realized at the end that it didn't really turn out that way. Still, try not to take it too seriously. I left the situation ambiguous on purpose: Did they or didn't they actually get married? Did Katara dream everything, or is Zuko just terribly forgetful? I'll let your imagination do with that what it will.
-Sparky1834