The rising sun shone through the white snow-and-ice walls of the upstairs bedroom in Katara's house. Her anxious anticipation of the day had woken her up an hour earlier than usual, and she quickly swung her legs out of bed and stood up before she could fall asleep again. The soles of her bare feet hit the warm, insulating fur rug, a sharp contrast to the icy air that tickled their tops. For an instant, she saw colors at the edge of her vision as the blood drained from her head, but they disappeared quickly. Such was the price of snapping up out of bed, but it was better than never getting out at all.
Yet, as her vision started to return to her, she noticed that she didn't mind the cold so much today. It didn't sting her ankles, where the pajama pants ended, or quickly freeze her ears. She put on house shoes and glided to her small wooden "dresser/vanity thingy," as Sokka had proudly christened it. It had been a housewarming gift to her after the city was rebuilt. Hm, it might even reach 20 degrees today, said Katara's mind as it tried in vain to shake off the grogginess. Better wear lighter clothing.
Spring at the South Pole was nice. Antarctic winters were so brutal and cold that sleds couldn't slide; the friction wasn't enough to melt the ice even a tiny bit. So after that kind of weather, even overcast spring days seemed cheery. Drowsily, Katara hummed out of tune while she combed her hair, which had grown to reach her thigh. She finished braiding and looked herself over in the mirror, making sure her hair loopies were the same length and straightening a wrinkle in her blue long-sleeved woolen dress.
Sleepily, she noticed that her heirloom necklace was not on the dresser in the place where she normally set it while she slept. I've been so scatterbrained lately. It's probably in some other drawer, but if I looked for it right now, I'd be too tired to notice if it were in front of me. After breakfast, then.She stepped down the narrow staircase of hard-packed snow to the other two rooms in her house: a kitchen and a living room.
A lot had changed since the war ended four years ago. The first year was hardest. The Earth King had to be found, the land the Fire Nation had occupied had to be given back, the different nations all wanted settlements, and Ba Sing Se had to be put back together after the Dai Li were removed. Toph learned a lot about lie-detecting that year, especially since the corrupt Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom nobles had all been grabbing for power as everything was put back in order.
But, eventually, things settled down and Toph had gone back to her parents, where she was restricted again for quite some time. "Having an earthbending master as a kid was a big shock, and they're really strict, but now that they understand me, things are going smoother," she had said in her letters. "Before, I didn't think I needed parents to protect me, since I can fend for myself, but now that I have them, I don't have to fend for myself all the time. I can just be a kid."
The other years had gone by faster. Now, that 'kid' was sixteen years old and much more mature. She was still irritating in a sisterly way, though, as she threw lighthearted insults at everyone and left her stuff in a disorganized heap on their increasingly infrequent group trips. On one of them, Aang actually had his chance to ride the hog-monkeys.
Aang. Their relationship was still a unique romance-friendship combo. He dropped by pretty frequently on Appa as he did his Avatar thing, clearing up strife and bringing peace to the world. Although he was seventeen now, he still seemed the same. True, he was taller (you should have seen the ecstasy on his face when he passed up Katara) and had a deeper voice, but his personality was still the same: boyish fun mixed with seriousness.
He had the same mannerisms, too. He used the same words and inflected them the same way as he had at 13—er—113. He would still scratch the back of his head when he was embarrassed or nervous. He was often rescued from those awkward moments by Momo, who picked opportune times to land on his shoulder.
Aang's face, though his jaw had squared up a bit, was just as readable as before: the way he stared off into the distance and got droopy when sad, the way his eyes lit up with occasional mischievous grins over some idea when happy, the way he became stoic and cold when troubled, and the way his face turned red when she noticed him staring at her.
Often, he felt that he had to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, and trying to do it all alone weighed on him. Last night, when he came on Appa to visit, he was so tired that he was already asleep in the guest bedroom of Sokka's house by the time she returned from waterbending-fishing to welcome him.
Her eyebrows pressed together at the memory of last night's disappointment. If only he hadn't arrived early… What if Aang thought she didn't want to greet him? Katara sighed, dismissing her worries, and set her mind back on breakfast. Figuring Sokka would be too busy talking with Aang to start cooking now, she decided she'd make a bigger, festive meal. After that, she would find her necklace and then go bring some food to Sokka and Aang and have breakfast there. They'd probably thank her, since Sokka was not a particularly good cook even in his own views and probably only had meat to serve Aang anyway.
Katara went into her ice pantry, grabbed some bell peppers and onions, chopped them, and put them with some water in a shallow wok over the blubber-burning stove. They began to sizzle as she put in some potato slices in another pan to cook. Finally, she took a mango and cut that also, putting it in a small bowl. Aang's meal.
Next, she got out some seal jerky for Sokka, put a portion of that on a plate, and cut another mango for herself. She had acquired a taste for fruits and vegetables in the Earth Kingdom, and now felt like something was missing if she ate meat nonstop. Thankfully, the Southern Water Tribe's economy had improved, and the increased trade meant that plant food was more readily available there. A single penguin egg went into the wok that once held the potatoes. For me and Sokka.
She remembered how on his visit to the South Pole two years ago, Zuko had been surprised by how tasty scrambled penguin eggs are, and then proceeded to scarf some down along with Sokka. It was the first time in many years that a Fire Nation ship had ever come peacefully, so upon arriving, Zuko had started to make a diplomatic speech. He wasn't the best at it. But before anyone could feel awkward or bored, Hakoda took advantage of a faltering pause, and said, "We understand what you mean, son. There's no need for formalities here." Needless to say, it had been quite a restful vacation for the overworked Fire Lord.
Twenty-one-year-old Sokka was now switching between living next door to Suki on Kyoshi Island and his ice house at the South Pole, where he was this month. There wasn't just a small village of igloos anymore; the city had recently been rebuilt with a wall and ice houses, like a much smaller and less fancy version of the Northern Water Tribe's city. During Zuko's visit, the city at the South Pole was in a town-like in-between phase, and Sokka had been eager to show him his "new and improved watchtower!"
And there at the South Pole was a cheery nineteen-year-old Katara making breakfast and reflecting on all these things. The war had matured them all: they were adults now, even though only in their late teens.
Of course, Katara had first been considered an adult at sixteen, the traditional age at which a Water Tribe girl became marriageable. But she was just like her grandmother, and not about to accept any arranged marriages. And—well, you know Sokka. With a brother as protective as him, the suitors were scared away before a marriage could even be arranged!
The penguin egg had just finished cooking, so she served up the plates. Then she scrubbed the wok that had held the eggs—you had to do that while the egg stuck to the sides was still soft, because hardened egg was a pain to clean out. She looked at her reflection—her mother's face.
No matter how hard she tried, her own growth and dimming memory were melding Kya's face into her own, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Katara shook her head, suppressing the dark thoughts. Come on. It'll be a great day today. Aang's back, and the weather's perfect.
She looked out the window at the bright Antarctic Sun. I've sure missed you this winter. The Water Tribes had always known the world was round, and as the earth turned, the days grew longer and they were grateful for the warming rays that drove away the bitter winds.
Sokka, however, was not thinking about the Sun's benefits. He muttered under his breath, "Why did it have to be so bright out today? I'm practically blind!" Ducking into the shade of the alleyway between Katara's house and the house next door, he met a certain airbender to carry out a plan.
Sokka's tall frame was upright, rather than hunched over as it would have been if he were murmuring this scheme to his friend a couple of years ago. "I'll stand watch. If things don't turn out, plan B is that I'll go inside, pretend I want to check on her dresser's hinge upstairs, and slip the necklace in a drawer. Got it?"
"You're the plan guy, Sokka." Aang said, deferring to him with a hint of uncertainty.
Sokka held out a silencing hand. "But don't worry; plan A is going to work," he said matter-of-factly. He gave Aang a warm smile, but the airbender thought he could detect a gleam of anxiousness in his eyes. Of course it would work, why wouldn't it? It was perfect. "It is genius isn't it?" he remarked as he folded his arms with an air of satisfaction. Sokka brought his attention back to Aang, giving him a little shove and an encouraging, "Go get 'em, air boy."
Aang took a deep breath and strolled into the ice house. The pelts on the floor in the living room would have been a bit unnerving, if he wasn't already unnerved. "Hi Katara!" he exclaimed a little too loudly.
Surprised at hearing her name, she quickly turned around, and smiled. "Hi, Aang. Why aren't you with Sokka?" She looked at him inquisitively, then knitted her brow. "Don't tell me you've eaten already! I was making breakfast to take to you two!"
"Don't worry, we haven't eaten. That was nice of you," he said positively.
She thought a moment, then asked, "Where's Sokka?"
Aang gave his alibi that he had rehearsed in case Katara should wonder where her brother was. "He said he was working on something really important," he said. "I guessed he was trying to perfect some surprise for me, and I didn't want to interfere, so I left." Normally, lying wasn't too hard for Aang, but today he was already jittery. He had to stare at her nose instead of her eyes to keep from losing his cool and becoming unconvincing.
Not that she noticed. "He did talk about something to that effect. Hmm. I suppose then we'll have to eat without him. Will you sit down, Aang?"
At this point, Sokka was almost in agony; he smelled the aroma of Katara's cooking, but had to wait outside. The Water Tribe warrior muttered softly behind clenched teeth what under normal circumstances would have been a loud, high-pitched outcry against injustice. "Why today out of all days does she have to make breakfast? Does she expect me to wait and keep watch while she and her boyfriend eat and chat? This is insane!"
Katara, however, was not expecting him to stand watch at all; she thought he was back at home making a surprise for Aang, whose plate she set down on the table along with her own. They began to eat. "How have you been over the past six weeks?" she asked him.
Casually, he said, "Oh, pretty good." Normally, he would have talked about his recent travels, not acted as if they were boring. Why is he dismissing small talk? Is there something more pressing he wants to talk about? Every few seconds he would glance somewhere, as if uncomfortable. I know. It's probably the seal pelts; he'll calm down soon. I remember when we stayed with Bato…and off went her brain on another tangent.
While Katara's eyes were no longer focused on his face and her mind was in the past, Aang gulped, searching within him for resolve. Better get it over with. Don't be such a cow-chicken! "Katara?" he weakly inquired.
"Hm?" she mumbled as she shifted her consciousness back into reality.
"I was wondering…if you'd like to be my traveling companion."
She raised an eyebrow playfully. "What world-saving adventure do you have in mind this time?"
He looked down at the table, his gray eyes narrowing as he resolutely said, "That's not what I meant." His low voice was certain, but she could practically hear the knot in his stomach. "I meant…forever." He fiddled with the fabric on his sleeve, but found little solace there. Oh, spirits, here it comes! "Katara, will you marry me?"
She looked like Toph had hit her with a rock wall and knocked the wind out of her. Shocked, she fumbled for words, but couldn't breathe, much less speak.
"Are you okay?" asked Aang with a concerned look on his face.
Heart racing, she finally whispered a weak, "Yes. To both questions." It took him about two seconds to process her answer and its consequences.
Before the smiling waterbender could get her breathing completely under control, Aang had practically flown out of the house and leaped into the air. "Yes!" he shouted in boyish glee, albeit an octave lower. "Sokka! She said yes!"
"Yes!" cried an enthusiastic Water Tribe warrior. Sokka pushed the sealskin door flap aside and came in to get a better look at the unfolding scene. As his dancing eyes met Katara's, she realized how deeply involved he was in the conspiracy, and laughed. Aang caught her attention again as he airbended a very familiar-looking choker out of his sleeve. "I guess you can have this back now."
"My mother's necklace!" she exclaimed, looking questioningly and accusingly at him.
Aang hastily explained, "It's a Water Tribe betrothal necklace, right? I figured you wouldn't want two. If you'd have said no, I would have put it back anyway." He handed the necklace back to Katara, and she tied it around her neck, thinking, Is this the best you can do?
But it wasn't. Aang continued on rather hurriedly in his excitement. "Being the Avatar can be hard. I had to get you four engagement gifts!"
"One from each nation?" she guessed, almost laughing.
"Yeah." His voice was quieter now, as his heart slowed back to normal speed. "In the Earth Kingdom, they make their fiancées a ring like this." He pulled out a small gold ring with an emerald in the center.
Katara took it from him and looked at it. In the inside of the band was written, 'love will bind us in any change.' The text was a nod to the Water Tribe, she supposed, and quite romantic. "You made this?" Katara inquired, admiring the ring.
"Yep! Toph had to help me on the carving, though. Gold is a very pure metal to work with. It isn't too earth-like."
Katara looked at the ring with interest as she put it on her finger. But Toph can't read. How could she have carved this? She imagined Aang carving the characters in a rock and Toph imitating them in the gold of the ring. I suppose that's how. Maybe she would have fit in better in the age of clay tablets, Katara thought.
Aang continued. "In the Fire Nation, you pick your fiancée an orange flower for her hair. It symbolizes the setting and rising sun; an old life is ending, and a new one is beginning." He gave her the tip of a gardenia stalk with several reddish-orange flowers blooming on it, which she promptly put in the bun just above her braid. How thoughtful of him to get a flower that likes being kept cold. I'll find a way to make it stay in place.
She curiously asked, "And what do the airbenders do?"
He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, and then pulled out a yellow ribbon. "They tie a yellow ribbon around one of her bison's horns, but since you don't have a flying bison…" he shrugged his shoulders and suggested, "you could tie it in your hair?"
Katara giggled. "That sounds great, Aang," she said as she quickly unbraided her hair, and used the yellow ribbon to tie a topknot, Fire Nation style. Then she slipped in the orange flower, now secured by the ribbon. "Guess what?" she asked, and without waiting for a reply, remarked, "I'm the world's first Water Nomad." Katara and Aang shared a laugh.
From the doorway they heard a loud guffaw. "I knew you had a sense of humor!" exclaimed Sokka, proud of his sister for making a somewhat dumb joke. "So…can I eat now?"