Disclaimer: I do not own AtLA or anything involved with the property. I am just a dude wasting his free time with his first ever (overly ambitious, probably) fanfic. Enjoy and don't get mad, okay?
CHAPTER 1: THE WEDDING, Part 1
One does not usually associate the season of summer with cold air and frequent periods of snow. That is, unless you live at the South Pole. There, the temperature rarely reaches above chilly any time of the year. There, warmth is a rare commodity found only under forests of dense blankets or in the company of loved ones. There, jumping into the ocean at the local beach wearing little more than a pair of underwear is either part of a bizarre rite of passage or just excruciatingly stupid. The lunatic who committed the act claims it was the former, despite his sister's insistence on the latter.
Whatever the motive for that move was five days ago, the point was that this was no land for vacationers at any time. Especially not on this day. Though the Southern Water Tribe would be hesitant to call the weather event a light flurry, a visitor from the Earth Kingdom would think of it as a heavy snowfall. Fire Nation residents would rather use the word "blizzard." The gale-force winds didn't help the argument against that word.
The expanding influx of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation denizens on this day didn't seem to mind as much as they would on any other day. Why would they? The importance of the day's events at the South Pole received priority over the usual inclement weather.
Sure, some of the visitors would not like the snow and the cold wind, despite their avidity towards the event. Some have not experienced much of it in their lifetimes. At least, that's what she said.
"Wind blows," remarked a teenage girl, finding shelter from the polar version of a breeze in the cabin of an extravagant ship approaching the Pole. One look at the vessel would not suggest royalty; it would blatantly spell it out in boldly printed characters. The girl was not a royal, but she traveled with one.
"So I've heard," said the girl's companion matter-of-factly. "We'll be inside most of the time, so you can focus on other things that blow."
"That's a good idea," snarked the chronically glum girl. "Care to narrow that list down to a single book, or do you prefer to sell the whole encyclopedia at once?"
"This weather is nothing, especially compared to that snowstorm up north. I could have died." The companion remembered that day well. The irony of his rescue – by the very person he had tried to capture – echoed through his mind every day until he eventually joined his would-be prisoner in a quest to end a century-long war. This move had ensured the end of his father's reign as Fire Lord – and, simultaneously, the beginning of his own.
"But you didn't, Zuko," said the girl, brandishing a rare smile. "And we won't today, I know that."
"Are you sure, Mai?" half-joked Zuko.
"Come on, how bad could the ceremony be?"
Zuko didn't bother to answer that. He knew that Mai looked forward to it, and she is not the forward-looking type. He knew that he had a condition that would not allow himself to be as enthused, and he called it "being male." He knew that she knew both facts, as well. Instead of opening his mouth, he just embraced his girlfriend and awaited the ship's arrival.
Meanwhile, another vessel had reached its frigid destination. Though this ship was not nearly as lavish as that of the Fire Lord, it commanded just as much respect, if not more. The winged boar emblazoned on the bow was most likely the reason why. At this moment, however, the boar image wouldn't attract nearly as much attention as the girl just above it, one bare foot on the ship's railing.
"Toph, no!" shouted a man emerging from the cabin. His attire and grooming displayed him as an aristocrat that would not even bother of expressing common human emotions such as fear, while his facial expressions revealed him to be a father knowing little else but fear. Seeing as how his blind daughter was about to leap off the ship onto the ground below, one can understand why.
"Oh, for crying out loud, Dad," replied Toph angrily. "I can feel the earth touching the ship. Master earth and metal bending, remember? It's not that far of a jump for me."
"I know, but–"
"You're not afraid that I'm going to run away again, are you?"
"Listen to your father, Toph," said a woman holding an infant with much care. "You can't do this on your own."
"You've got to be kidding me!" The sound of Toph's indignation would have caused an avalanche if not for the relative flatness of the docking site. I thought I proved to you that I'm not a helpless little girl. You said you understood when I came back home."
"Yes, and we've been allowing you your freedom, Toph," the woman said. "Lao and I have apologized many times, but this time we're right that you need our assistance."
"Watch and re-learn," said Toph confidently as she jumped from the ship to the beach below. A chill shook her body from her feet to her head and back again a few times over the course of a second.
"Toph!" cried Lao.
"Okay, so the ground is a bit cold," Toph admitted, as she walked on. "But I can still do thi–" Toph stopped walking and talking the moment she stepped onto the snow. She didn't know what was worse: the harsh coldness of the snow on her bare feet; the covering of the earth by snow and ice that rendered the blind earthbender truly sightless; or the fact that her parents, after so many months of proving them wrong, were right.
Lao rushed to the freezing and (just this one time) helpless Toph, his wife Poppy not far behind, but taking her time with the baby in her arms.
"I know you are not a helpless little girl anymore, Toph," said Lao lovingly. "You helped defeat the Fire Lord's army, after all." Gently grabbing Toph's hand, Lao continued, "But this time, you might need a little assistance." He placed a pair of fancy shoes, part of the upper-class regalia Toph wore for the ceremony, in Toph's hands.
Toph, realizing her folly, placed the shoes back on her feet. She wouldn't be able to see even if there was earth directly underneath, but she wouldn't freeze her feet off, either. "Thank you," she muttered meekly.
"Ready, Poppy?" Lao asked his wife.
"I am, as is Erni," said Poppy rocking the cooing baby boy in her arms.
"Ready, Toph?" Lao asked his daughter.
"Do I have a choice?" said Toph dejectedly, clinging to her father's arm like she never had, or wanted to.
The Bei Fong family made their way through the town to the ceremonial hall. Despite her travels with the Avatar and the rest of his group, Toph had never seen the South Pole. Thanks to the lack of accessible earth, she still hasn't. From what she was told by her friend Katara, it was once little more than a collection of huts and a barely structural wall of snow. The men were all fighting the Fire Nation, which left the women and children behind. The Fire Nation wiped out nearly all of the waterbenders years ago, leaving an unexperienced Katara as the sole waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe.
If Toph could see it, she would have noticed nothing like that dire living situation. Led by Pakku, Katara's master and step-grandfather, waterbenders and other people from the Northern Water Tribe help rebuild the community. Although it was nowhere near as elaborate as the Northern city, this town looked like an actual town with houses, community buildings, and even a few shops. With the Southern warriors all home again and the emigrated Northerners settled in, the South Pole behaved like a long-established community as well.
Plenty of people have already gathered in the hall for the event. Though Toph couldn't sense the guests through her bending, her noteworthy hearing easily recognized many of the voices. She heard the earthbenders Haru and Tyro speaking to an elderly man she did not recognize. Since the man mentioned onions and bananas at one point, she presumed him to be Guru Pathik. Two masters, sword fighter Piandao and firebender Jeong Jeong, chatted casually, never leaking any hint to their connection as members of the White Lotus Society.
A snorting laughter revealed another White Lotus member, King Bumi of Omashu. "One day, old man," Toph said to herself, recalling the day she met the supercentenarian a few months ago. The very old earthbending master challenged the girl, who taught the Avatar how to earthbend, to a battle. Afterwards, he gleefully remarked that she proved why she was more than worthy to teach the Avatar. She not-so-gleefully remarked that he was the first earthbender to defeat her in a long time, vowing a rematch.
She has acquired a strange hankering for rock candy ever since, however.
"I'm not that old yet," a different yet welcome voice said to Toph. She let go of her father's arm to hug the man possessing this voice.
"Good to see you again," said Toph with much admiration in her voice. "Well, you know what I mean."
"I assume the Fire Lord is with you, Master Iroh?" asked Lao.
"No, I came with Li Da," Iroh said, referring to an important looking man surrounded by six very similarly dressed women. "He and the Joo Dee council just declared the Jasmine Dragon the official tea shop of Ba Sing Se!"
"Li Da's a smart guy," said Toph.
Iroh voiced his agreement. "He's an effective leader and a man who knows his tea. Not so good at Pai Sho, however..."
As the Bei Fongs chuckled at this comment, three men prepared for the ceremony in a room behind the main hall. One was dressed very formally, even for the chief of the Southern Water Tribe. As a man of similar age to the chief assisted with the outfit, a teenager peered briefly into the main hall.
"Toph and her family are here now, Dad," the teenager said to the chief.
"Any sign of the Fire Lord or the Avatar?" asked the chief.
"Not yet. I don't have to worry now, do I?"
"I heard someone say they saw the Fire Lord's ship just a few moments ago," said the other man.
"Thanks, Bato," said the chief. "And I'm sure the Avatar is finishing up some business."
"Do we really need all of this, Dad?"
"What do you mean, Sokka?"
"This ceremony, all of these guests... Don't get me wrong. I'm glad to see them all again." Sokka paused for a moment. "Well, most of them. But weddings have always been simple. Boy meets girl, girl loves boy, boy carves betrothal necklace, girl jumps up and down giddily. The end."
"First of all, Sokka, don't ever let your sister hear that. Second, this ceremony was Jayla and Katara's idea. I'm not loving the fuss or especially this suit, but they wanted this marriage to mean more than usual."
"Don't forget about this day, Hakoda," reminded Bato.
"Oh yeah," said Sokka as he remembered. "It was one year ago today that Aang defeated Ozai and ended the war."
Hakoda nodded. "We thought it would be a good idea to celebrate not only our marriage..."
"...but also the anniversary of the end of the Fire Nation's tyranny," said a lovely woman in a house not far from the ceremonial hall. Three younger girls and one elderly woman were busy transforming the woman from lovely to resplendent.
"Yes, yes, the world's welfare is wonderful," said the older woman, "but this is truly your day, Jayla."
"Aww, thank you, Kanna," said Jayla.
"Please, call me Mom." Kanna turned her attention to one of the girls. "Why don't you take a break, Katara? I'll take over."
"I'm fine, Gran-Gran," said Katara, running a warm iron over a increasingly smooth and beautiful light-blue dress. "Besides, it's almost ready." This happily-voiced message did not come without a hint of grief that Kanna picked up on.
"Are you sure you're fine, Katara? I know how much your mother meant to you, and today you will be receiving a new mom."
Katara paused, holding up the iron so it wouldn't harm the dress. "I said I'm fine. Mom is gone, and I've accepted that." She said it in a way that made it hard to believe that Katara herself believed it. "Dad loves Jayla, and I will love her, too." A tear fought its way out of Katara's eye. "I know I will."
"Now, dear. I'm sure Kya is happy for you and Hakoda and Sokka, no matter what happens. She would have wanted the three of you to move on and enjoy your lives." This brought a faint smile to Katara's lips and her left hand to the ironing table for stability. "Now, may I take over, please?"
Katara assented and moved to hand her grandmother the iron. However, the iron's weight and Katara's inattention following the talk caused her grip to break. The iron dropped squarely on Katara's left hand – her little finger, to be precise.
"Are you all right?" asked Kanna with great concern.
Katara, being a master-level waterbender with the ability to heal, checked herself using her bending talents. Wincing in pain, Katara concluded, "Ow, I think I broke my finger."
Hearing this, Jayla arose amidst the protests of the maids attending to her hair, makeup, and manicure. She carefully walked over to her stepdaughter-to-be. "Let me take a look, okay?" Jayla asked gingerly. Katara complied, showing her injured hand.
Immediately, Jayla bent a small amount of water around Katara's finger. "It'll be alright, Katara. I know I will never replace Kya in your heart, and I don't want to. She was a great woman, and you have proven her sacrifice not to be in vain."
The pain of Katara's finger and Jayla's words temporarily overshadowed any feeling of regret in Katara's heart. She remembered how her mother lied to a Fire Nation soldier, trading her life so that Katara could live on. She remembered many of the feats she accomplished in the life following that sacrifice – learning to waterbend under a master that once refused female students, defeating the immensely strong daughter of the evil former Fire Lord, meeting the Avatar, falling in love with the Avatar...
"You have done so much for all of us in the Water Tribes and the world, Katara. I feel honored to be included in your family."
Katara smiled, this time without a single negative emotion tainting the smile. Nearly a minute after Jayla started, Katara's finger was completely mended.
"That's amazing," said Katara. "I still can't mend broken bones at all, let alone so quickly."
Jayla smiled somewhat smugly. "Not that I don't appreciate how you overturned centuries of Water Tribe practices, but a lifetime of learning healing only has its benefits."
Katara smiled even more. "Thank you, Mom."
"Unlike Kanna, I'm not asking you to call me that."
"I think it's appropriate. You'll be a great mother."
Jayla rubbed her rounded belly in expectant happiness. "I hope so."
"I hope so, too," Mai said to Zuko just before entering the ceremonial hall. "I'm hungry."
The couple entered the hall, and a number of guests immediately moved to greet the Fire Lord. "Zuko's here," Sokka said to Hakoda and Bato. He started to leave the back room in order to join the small crowd.
"Say hi for us," Bato requested.
"'Hi for us,'" Sokka replied.
Bato sighed. Hakoda chuckled.
And Sokka stopped walking.
Zuko and Mai were talking to a group of teenage girls. Every girl was wearing a green dress and heavy makeup. Recognizing these girls, especially their leader, Sokka slowly double backed into the back room.
"That was quick," said Bato.
"And those were the Kyoshi Warriors," replied Sokka unhappily.
"Still haven't made things up with Suki, huh?" asked Hakoda. Sokka just replied with a sorrowful sigh.
"Still haven't made things up with Sokka?" Zuko asked the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors.
"No," replied Suki. "I've tried a few times, but he still won't talk to me."
"Can I talk to him?" playfully asked a different warrior popping up from the group. Her wide smile hinted more at an opportunity ready to be seized rather than a request to help a friend.
"No, Ty Lee," Mai replied before Suki could open her mouth.
"Why not? We've become friends over the last year. If he doesn't want to talk to Suki, he could talk to one of us."
"I don't think this is the time or place," said Suki.
"You owe me a tea, Ty Lee," a tall warrior with curly brown hair whispered to Ty Lee.
"I was sure she would say okay, Desuka," Ty Lee replied.
"Do you two have to make bets on everything?" Suki asked Desuka and Ty Lee with a slight tone of exasperation.
"Hah!" Ty Lee shouted triumphantly. "Exact words! Now you owe me a tea."
"We owe each other a tea," Desuka reasoned, "so we're effectively even. For Today."
"So this is your new partner in crime," said Mai to Ty Lee.
"Uh-huh. Desuka and I became friends right after we joined. We do a lot together, including our little wagers."
Turning to Desuka, Mai asked, "What's the tally?"
"After those last two results, 354 me, 202 sunshine supergirl."
"Nice work," Mai said gesturing for a high five. Ty Lee scowled.
"She went for the high five," said Desuka, granting Mai's wish. With a cheese-eating grin, she continued, "Now you'll have to sweep my room."
Ty Lee moaned in defeat. Zuko and Suki moaned in annoyance.
In the distance, a much larger sound not unlike a moan emerged. The guests, the groom's party, and the bride's party all knew what made that sound, and immediately realized that the person atop the noisemaker was about to arrive.
"The Avatar's here," said Zuko.
"I know that sound," chimed Toph.
"About time," remarked Sokka.
"Aang," said Katara. "May I?"
"Go ahead," said Kanna. "We're almost done."
Katara ran out of the house, past the hall, and towards the beach. A large six-legged bison flew ever closer, with a boy in orange robes and a blue arrow tattoo on his forehead holding its reins. The boy, looking cheerful as usual, and the bison soon landed near the town. The boy, along with a flying lemur, jumped down. Katara ran to the boy and gave him a kiss.
"Aang, you made it," said Katara.
"Why wouldn't I?" replied Aang. The lemur flew around for a little while, then landed on Aang's shoulder.
"Hi, Momo," Katara said to the lemur as she gave it a pat on the head. Momo started to shiver a little.
"Don't worry, we'll be inside soon," Aang told Momo. "That is okay, isn't it?"
"Sure," affirmed Katara. "Just as long as no one gets too hungry before the luncheon. And Appa can stay in the new stable." She pointed towards a large simple building in the distance. It was outside the town, but not too far. "That should keep him warm, and there's plenty of hay for him to eat."
"Thanks," said Aang. "This place has improved even more since I was here last."
Katara smiled. "Isn't it great? The Southern Water Tribe is returning to its former strength. The Northern Tribe is still strong, and we've been finding even more swamp tribes."
Aang nodded. "The Water Tribes are definitely back."
"Shall we go? The wedding is about to start."
"Sure."
Katara walked ahead. Aang hesitated a little, but he followed soon enough, Appa and Momo in tow.
All the while, an uninvited figure watched the Avatar and his company from a distance...