Katara stared at the paint that covered her face and arms, at the broad woven hat with it's light veil that rested next to her on the grass, half perched on her right thigh. She'd caught her reflection in a glassy pool and was sitting on the soft grass that grew next to the water. When she dressed as the Painted Lady she wore a purple robe and the paint on her face and arms was a deep red, the paint that covered her face and arms in the same pattern she'd emulated was a deep purple. The upturned crescent moon was a familiar pattern that she couldn't name, but she knew she'd seen before. The purple trails ended at her eyes and the blue eyes she'd known for all of her life, matched the paint on her face. Instead of the purple robe she was bathed in scarlet and the light veil of the hat was a luminescent gold, instead of the misty silver.
As she stared in to the calm water, the spirit form of the Painted Lady super imposed over her own face. The spirit touched voice said, "help my people daughter."
Katara sat bolt up in her furs, shivering from the clarity of the voice that echoed in her awake mind. Her blue eyes took in the familiar whites and blues of her home, as she steadied her breathing and calmed her nerves. She thought for a moment about returning to slumber but, the clarity of the Painted Lady's plea for help and the detailed costume remained in her mind.
Katara was determined to ignore the dream, the South Pole was her home; her people. She rose and dressed, then with a grin opened a door to the village from her room and disappeared from her father's house. She wandered the shopping district sipping tea from the tea house Iroh inspired during his last ambassadorial visit, the Ice Dragon. She smiled and spoke with all the vendors as she meandered.
"Tui take you!" A woman's voice yelled from a stall down the ice path, "What am I going to do with this? A waste! An absolute waste! Take your useless wares out of my stall!"
Katara watched as a young woman suddenly appeared in front of the stall, picking up the scattered containers. One rolled to a stop near her feet and a deep purple liquid seeped from a crack in the bone bowl. Katara could only watch as the ice around her feet absorbed the color, she was transfixed for a moment.
With a flick of her wrist, she brought the cracked bowl up to her hands and closed the crack with a layer of ice. She moved forward to return the bowl to the woman. As she moved closer she could see the tears fall from the young woman's face and froze to her cheek.
"Do you have more of this color?" Katara asked the woman, surprising both of them.
The other woman looked at Katara and nodded, as she indicated another three bowls.
Katara smiled, "Are you from the Northern Tribe?"
The woman blushed and glanced to the side.
"The blues of the southern tribe are lighter than those of the north," Katara smiled as she set the cracked bowl next to the others. Ours are more like the colors of the sails of our ships and the blues that form in ice."
The woman's light eyes glittered in the early morning light as she said, "This was an accident, I was mixing the pigment when Helio jostled my arm as I was adding the final color to the last of the rendered oil."
Katara's eyes widened, "You know how to make rendered oil?"
The woman smiled, "It's the way I make my paints."
Katara bowed, "Oil maker, I am Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."
The woman stared at the younger woman, "Lady Katara!"
Katara shook her head, "My father rules the Southern Tribe as Chief, we are not noble's such as you have in the North." She glanced at the paint, "it has been to many years since we had a talented oil maker."
"I'm Yoshira, my brother Helio and I migrated after Master Pakku came to the Southern Tribe." The woman smiled.
Katara stared at the three containers, "I'll purchase these, I know just how to put them to use."
Yoshira considered the younger woman, "Katara," she paused, "for an introduction to the sail makers under direction of your brother, you may have those containers of painted oil."
Katara grinned, "Done." She slipped the three un-harmed containers into the pockets of her parka and carried the fourth. "The caverns are this way."
Yoshira walked next to the younger woman as they passed through the village. Helio had lived here for almost a year now, he'd moved because Master Pakku had offered him a place as one of the prominent benders of the Southern Water Tribe. He'd helped in the construction of the village residences and the tribal buildings. She'd come after he'd written and told her of the opportunities here in the south. She'd been un-successful selling her painted oil to any of the merchants in the shopping area. The people of the Southern Water Tribe were very, self-sufficient. It took some getting used too.
Katara waved to Bato, as they approached the ship caverns, "Bato!" she called out.
Bato smiled at his friend's daughter, his light eyes dancing with enjoyment of the morning. "Katara, you are up early this morning."
Katara blushed, "Bato, this is Yoshira she's an oil maker."
Bato's surprised gaze landed on the woman next to Katara, he bowed, "Welcome to the Southern Tribe," he smiled warmly.
Yoshira smiled politely as a small flush bloomed over her cheeks.
Katara grinned, "Could you take her to meet the sail makers? She creates the most vibrant painted oils from rendered oil, we really need to have her skills available to our warriors."
Bato stared at the woman and nodded to Katara, "Of course, tell your brother the test sail worked well in the frozen caves."
Katara nodded and smiled at Yoshira, "See you around the village."
Yoshira bowed to the younger woman, "Thank you Katara."
Katara left the ship caverns holding onto the cracked bone container, her blue eyes twinkling madly in the early morning light. She'd have to tell her dad about Bato and Yoshira. She glanced down at the container in her hands and stopped walking. The amused twinkle in her eyes shifted and became something deeper. Her head bowed as she considered the painted oil in her hands, the color was an exact match to the one she'd dreamed of.
This was as much a sign as finding Aang in the ice berg.
She opened an ice door into her room and closed it behind her. Once back inside the quiet of her room she hid the undamaged pots of painted oil and emptied the forth into an undamaged pot. She removed her parka and hung it in her wardrobe. She moved out of her room and deeper into her father's house, moving quickly. She came to a stop when she heard elevated voices.
"Dad, you can't." Sokka said seriously.
"I have to Sokka, she hasn't given me any hope that she's even thinking of marrying any of the men who have asked for her hand. The war has been over for almost two years, she's had plenty of time to decide upon a husband." Hakoda's voice was strong and uncompromising, "She will be wed by summers end."
Katara froze in the hall of her father's house, her mind a blank.
"Dad, let her choose." Sokka replied softly.
"I can not Sokka, I will not loose her to the Avatar or to Earth Kingdom," Hakoda replied.
Ice curled around Katara's fingers, he had no right to force her to wed. Her eyes flared as a part of her mind said, 'he's your father, he has every right.' The part of her that challenged Pakku retorted, 'he lost that right when he left me.' Her practical voice replied, 'No one will accept that. If you stay here, you'll be some warrior or bender's wife by the end of summer.' Her fighting mind growled, 'then we will leave.' 'To do what? To go where? Everyone will return you to your father. If he knows where you are, you will be wed,' her practical voice yelled. 'Then he can't know!' her fighting voice replied in a low growl.
Katara retreated to her room, her first instinct was to fight for her freedom. Her practical side overwhelmed her confrontational temper and she retreated to her room. Closing herself off from the rest of her fathers house with an ice door. She sat down on her bed of furs and stared at her wooden wardrobe. Before she could come to terms with her father's decision or her instinctual flight, she heard Sokka from the other side of her ice door.
"Katara! Come on, time for breakfast!" he yelled through the ice door, "since when do you ice your door?"
"I'm not hungry!" she yelled back, even as her stomach grumbles for food.
"Come on!" he yelled again, "Dad hates it when you miss breakfast!"
Katara didn't reply, she was too busy curling into a small ball and weeping over her father's decision. She slowly returned to sleep, exhausted from the emotional turmoil. She woke several hours later, still starving. Leaving her room via an ice door, she returned to the shopping area to find a food vendor.
After purchasing battered and fried fish, she retreated to the highest peak of the glacier and looked out over the ocean. The closest Fire Nation was the islands of the Southern Raiders, the home of the Water Ravens. Her blue eyes danced in the afternoon sun. That was the symbol she recognized from her dream, the Water Raven. She closed her eyes as she sorted through her memories, the last news she'd heard was just before the end of the dark days, almost two months ago.
Iroh had mentioned the Southern Raiders in passing, as still being a problem for Zuko and the rebuilding of the Fire Nation. As the islands of the Water Ravens were the farthest from the Palace and so much needed to be done closer, they hadn't been attended to yet.
The islands were a three day sail from the South Pole.
Katara opened her eyes, a courier from the Fire Nation was due to arrive with in the next few days. She could stow away and force the ship to the islands for repairs, giving her a chance to get lost on one of the islands. She touched the pendant and her lips pursed, she'd have to leave her mothers necklace; no one believed that she'd ever voluntarily leave the last piece of her mother behind. She wouldn't be able to take anything with her, other than the painted oil and what ever silver and gold pieces she could scavenge or earn before she left on the currier.
She moved quickly to her feet as the plan formulated, on her descent to the village she'd thought of something she could do for coins. Armed with only a smile and her bending she approached the first vendor and said, "Master Tanner, can I interest you in a service?"
The master looked at the young water tribe maiden, "Spotted something that took your fancy did you?"
Katara blushed, "Several somethings, how would you like to be the first stop on the new water lane to the shopping district?"
The man stroked his beard, "I ain't heard nothing about a new water lane/"
Katara grinned, "Of course you haven't, what would it be worth to be able to load and unload your goods directly from a ship?"
The man stared at her, "a good deal miss," he finally replied. Man power was expensive in the South Pole and often trade ships waited days to get their goods to their vendors. Because there were no shipping lanes with-in the Southern Water Tribe, yet.
Katara glanced around, "If you will consult your fellow vendors this afternoon, I will return this evening for your decision and," she paused, "to hear what you think the value of such an addition to the shopping area would be."
"If we paid you," he paused and smiled, white teeth showing through his beard, "it would be split between us and we'd control the access."
Katara bowed.
"Go young bender and return after your evening meal," his gravely voice amused. He watched the Chief's daughter leave the shopping area, with a grin on his grizzled face. Noting his lack of customers and overage of fur and hides he moved from out behind his stall and spoke with the weaver to the left of his stall.
Katara moved confidently through her village to Master Pakku's training area, if the vendors agreed to pay her to create a shipping lane for them she'd have a nice purse to get lost with. Her father had been telling her to find out what the village needed and to help as she was able. She entered the practice grounds with a light step and an easy smile. Bowing to Master Pakku she slipped into formation to practice with the other benders.
Pakku nodded to her and continued on with his lessons.
After training all day, Katara returned to her father's house with Master Pakku.
"It was good to see you in practice today Katara," Pakku said, in his normal acid filled tones.
Katara bowed her head as she replied, "I enjoyed it as well, it's very soothing running through familiar forms isn't it?"
Pakku inclined his own head and they walked in companionable silence.
Hakoda greeted them as they entered the house, "Master Pakku," he smiled at the older man. "Katara," his voice was laced with concern, "what happened to you today?"
Katara smiled as she moved closer to her father and hugged him, "I had trouble sleeping last night, I was up early and once I returned to the house wanted only to return to sleep. As I had no fixed engagements, I did so. This afternoon I spent with Master Pakku at the bender lessons."
Hakoda held her shoulders and looked into her eyes, "You are well?"
Katara nodded, "I'm fine, this close to the full moon my energy runs high at night and I find it hard to sleep."
Pakku grinned at Kana, who swatted him as she saw his pleased expression.
Hakoda glanced at the grinning and smirking master bender and relaxed his hold on his daughter, "Come, dinner smells excellent."
Katara sat between her father and brother as all the other people settled themselves at the low tables. Knowing what it was that her father was thinking, she realized what was being conveyed to all present, she was a single woman of marrying age in her father's house. She was a prize. She kept her eyes focused on the people around her as she listened to the debates of the warriors and the gossip of the healers. She kept her conversation light and her smiles bright.
After diner the men remained, with three of the young warriors making a show of seeking her out and making themselves known to her. She smiled and laughed with each one, making certain she didn't favor anyone over any other. Then Kana and the other older women escorted her out of the main dining area and back to the house. Once she was settled in her room, she opened a temporary door to the outside and stepped out into the cold night air.
She moved confidently through the village toward the shopping area under the almost full light of La. She was relaxed by the time she reached the vendors stalls. As she approached, the Master Tanner moved out of the shadows of his stall and set a bag of coins on the empty table.
The Tanner said, "Master Katara, all of the vendors of our avenue, have agreed to the shipping lane." He bowed his head and his blue eyes twinkled, "come tomorrow." Then he disappeared into the dark lanes of the village.
Katara moved quietly behind the rows of stalls as she considered the walkway, the wide lane and access from the port below them. For two hours she considered designs and the flow of the sea. If the water was to remain fluid, the sea current would need to be considered.
The guard change brought her back to the present.
With a deep breath she began bending the large blocks of ice and shifting a part of the sea under them. She worked tirelessly until hours before dawn. Once she finished her project she made her way to her father's house, avoiding several patrols and guards on the way. She moved quickly to the back of the house closest to the glacier and opened a door to her room once more.
She hid the bag of coins next to the pots of painted oil, then gratefully surrendered to sleep.
She slept until she woke.
Moving contentedly through the house she wolfed down breakfast and enjoyed a leisurely luke warm bath. Once she redressed she ambled her way out into the village only to find that most all of the village was staring at the ships rising to the shipping lane and moving easily to the tie-ups nearest the vendors they serviced or had export contracts with.
Katara watched the upper most level of the shopping area bustle with more life than it had yesterday.
She leaned on the ice wall with other villagers and smiled and cheered as trade vessel after trade vessel was moved from the harbor to the vendors.
She smiled as she walked across the bridges that spanned the shipping lane and ended up on the outer wall of this tier of the village. Her blue eyes sparkled with laughter as she watched the children run over all the new bridges and wave to the sailors of the merchant vessels. Slowly she made her way to the tanners stall, seeing too many people to fight she investigated the weaver's stall.
She was pleased as she listened to the voices of the people of the village, they were happy with the shipping lane and wondered when the other levels were going to be connected. The Master Tanner and all the vendors of this avenue shrugged their shoulders and said, "When ever the ruling council gets around to it, this was a surprise to me."
Katara's fingers rested on a soft fabric as she slowly started to ignore the voices around her and focus on the fabric she felt. She smiled as she caught the luminescent gold. Curious she separated the gold diaphanous fabric from the rest of the woven fabrics. It was one of the softest weaves she'd ever felt. With a soft sigh she set it back down on the other fabrics and nestled it back under the others.
The weaver had seen Katara's appreciative touch of the fabric, with a smile she removed it from her stock and wrapped it in a small roll. She caught Katara two stalls down and handed the young water bender the wrapped material. When Katara moved her hand to her coin purse, the other woman shook her head and returned to her stall.
Katara carried the rolled material as she wandered through the vendors avenue. She spent hours wandering the now bustling shopping area, watching the people of her village more than she appreciated the wares of the vendors. Her father was right, it had been almost two years since the end of the war and her people were quickly turning into a thriving tribe. She let the activities of daily life fill her mind, this was how she wanted to remember her people, filled with life on a clear spring day.
She descended to the Ice Dragon for a cup of tea-to-go and was handed a steaming cup of her favorite, Oolong. She continued her meandering journey around the village, smiling and waving at villagers she recognized.
"Katara?" Yoshira asked as she passed the blue eyed water bender.
Katara smiled, "Yoshira, how are negotiations with the sail makers?"
Yoshira smiled as she hooked her arm into the other woman's, "Very well, I just finished painting my first commission. Would you like to see it?"
Katara nodded.
They walked arm in arm down to the ship caverns and Katara smiled as she saw the deep blue sails of the newest ship, of the tribes fleet. "It's beautiful," Katara said with a smile.
Yoshira laughed, "You inspired the color, your eyes when you laugh are this color."
Katara blushed, then said slyly, "It has nothing to do with this blue being Bato's favorite color then?"
This time Yoshira blushed, then she smirked in return, "Lucky coincidence."
Katara joined the other woman in laughter as she watched the deep blue sails dry in the evening wind.
"Yoshi!" a masculine voice called out.
The woman next to her turned her head and waved, "Come see my first commission Helio!"
The young man jogged to a stop next to his sister and sighed, "I told you to approach the sail makers."
Yoshira rolled her eyes at her brother, "This is Katara, she introduced me to one of the shipwrights yesterday."
Helio glanced at the young woman and bowed his head, "Katara, thank you for helping my sister." He raised his gaze to the young woman's face and lost himself in her eyes for a moment. "Would you care to join us for diner, I think this is cause for celebration." His light blue eyes entranced by deep blue ones.
Yoshira smiled slyly, "Yes do come Katara, if only so we can make fun of Helio as he flirts with the waitress Anyo at the Ice Dragon."
Helio blushed then glared at his sister.
Katara smiled as she glanced around, it was almost sun down, "I would be honored."
The trio ascended to the middle tier and made themselves comfortable at an open table.
Katara smiled at the Master Tanner as he passed their table, he returned her silent greeting with a bow of his head.
The three laughed and told stories of their exploits as children. The tea shop's customers narrowed down to their table of three as well as a large party of vendors from the third tier.
Katara smiled as she sipped at her fifth or sixth cup of tea of the evening, it was nice, spending time with people closer to her age; who weren't her brother. Her blue eyes danced with laughter when Yoshira told a particularly embarrassing story about Helio as a young boy.
"Hey!" he exclaimed with pink cheeks, "how was I supposed to know that other people could make water and snow do what they told it. Dad wasn't exactly supportive of me learning from Master Pakku!"
Katara smiled and tittered until she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard a deep familiar voice, "Katara, what are you doing? You should have been home hours ago, for dinner with your father."
Katara let the cold radiate from her body and the hand was removed from her shoulder, as she said, "I didn't know I was under house arrest?"
Yano blinked at the icy tone of the Chief's daughter, "It's not safe for you…" he stopped speaking, because he was suddenly faced with an irate young woman.
"Not safe for me?" Katara growled, "how is my village not safe for me? Isn't that what all of our warriors risked their lives for, isn't that what Sokka and I bled for? How in La's name can you expect me to believe that I," she thumped her chest, "AM NOT SAFE IN MY OWN HOME!"
The entire tea house stared at the young master bender.
One of the carvers made to stand and defend the girl when he was stopped by both the Master Weaver and the Master Tanner, who shook their heads.
Yano was about to open his mouth, when a young warrior named Isho said, "No one in the village would harm you for political reasons Princess."
Katara hissed, "I am not a Princess, get that through your thick hog-monkey skull; we do not have royalty in the Southern Tribe." Her arms crossed and her eyes spit ice daggers at the young warrior, "If I am not at risk, why were you sent to fetch me?"
The young warrior blinked for several moments then said, "We're to keep you from a different kind of harm!"
Ice formed on Katara's fingers, "Do you really believe that I would allow someone to take those kinds of liberties with me?"
The warriors blushed.
"It's not you who we are concerned with," Yano said in an even tone.
"Then you believe I could be over powered and taken against my will?" the ice dripped from her, "that surrounded by my own element I could be forced?"
"There are unscrupulous men everywhere," Isho replied with a frown, "a more powerful bender could capture you."
"Really," Katara smiled, "now you believe that one of Master Pakku's students or even former students would dare attempt that with his granddaughter? The only possible way that they could get away with it would be to drug me, rape me and then leave my body out in the tundra for the frost-dillos to scavenge."
Yano's head dropped as he said, "Katara your father instructed us to find you and bring you home."
Katara stared at the three men, one of whom was a strong bender, "by force if necessary it looks like." Suddenly very tired she faced Yoshira and bowed, "thank you for inviting me to your table, I will probably not be seen out in the village again until my father has married me off." She faced Helio, "Bender Helio." She faced the table of vendors with a sad smile and bowed her head to them as well.
Then she left the Tea House and using the snow and ice moved quickly to her fathers house and through the ice into her own room. She iced the door, the windows and triple coated every joined wall. No one was entering her room with out her permission tonight, she was angry and if forced to confront her father would loose her temper and risk her freedom.
She didn't sleep at all. She rolled the bag of coins into the golden material and the four pots of paint oil in a water resistant skin. Next to those she placed the water skein that Sokka had made for her 16th birthday, the hair pins Toph had given her for her 17th birthday and the water bending scroll that Zuko had sent her, because it reminded him of her. She sewed a small pack out of non-descript hide and once it was finished, she hid everything she was taking with her in the ice, behind a hanging of the Southern Water Tribe symbol.
The next morning she meet everyone for breakfast and patiently sat between her brother and father as warriors and benders were subtly paraded before her. She pretended not to notice when the older women escorted her deeper into her fathers house and kept her at meaningless tasks for the rest of the day. She even smiled and laughed at Sokka that night at diner as he argued with Bato, while both were slightly drunk on saki. She kissed her fathers cheek good night and retired to her room.
Once in her room she noticed the slight disarray of the items in her trunk and in her wardrobe. Holding her breath she moved the hanging aside and sighed as she saw that her pack remained. On her desk was a box from the Master Weaver and a sealed scroll.
Curious she opened the scroll all it said was, "I'm fine Sugar Queen." Katara smiled at the scroll, Toph hated that someone else had to write her letters for her; so they tended to be short. Laughing she opened the box and her laughter stopped, several small bags of coins were nestled in yards of scarlet material, along with a hide necklace that looked exactly like the one she wore when she pretended to be Sapphire Fire. A carved black stone dangled from the necklace in the shape of a water raven.
She stared at the finely detailed carving and her fingers traced the outline of their own accord. Moving quickly she put the coins as well as the necklace into her pack and hid that back behind her wall hanging. She returned to her desk and slowly removed the material from the box.
"Hey sis," Sokka said as he entered her room, "what's with the red?"
Katara ran her hands over the soft material, "I thought I'd make Iroh a fur lined cloak in Fire Nation colors, you know how he's always complaining of having to work to hard to keep himself warm when he visits."
Sokka laughed and flopped down on her bed, "Yeah," he grinned, he always thought it was hysterical that a major powerful firebender suffered from the cold.
"Was there something you wanted?" Katara asked as she refolded the material and packed it in the box.
"Have you heard from Toph?" he asked as he stared at the ceiling.
Katara's eyes narrowed as she continued to fold the material, "Not lately."
"Really?" he asked surprised, "I thought dad said you got a scroll from Earth Kingdom today. I don't know why they refuse to use the messenger hawks," he sighed. "It would be faster and we wouldn't have to have that Fire Nation ship in the harbor every month."
"Oh, is that time already? They have anything interesting to report?" she asked, lightly.
"Toph is missing," Sokka sighed.
"What!" Katara yelled as she turned quickly and faced her brother. "What do you mean she's missing?"
"She disappeared, her parents agreed to her marrying Bumi's heir and now she's gone." He said with a frown, concern knitting his brow for his friend.
"Did Toph agree?" Katara asked as she sat next to her brother.
Sokka shrugged, "Don't know, Bumi and her parents have asked that if anyone have news of her whereabouts that they be informed and she be escorted back to Omashu."
Katara laughed, "Toph escorted, yeah I can see that happening."
Sokka sat up and said, "Don't say things like that Katara!"
Katara looked at he brother in surprise, "What?"
"She could be hurt or worse, she's been missing for six weeks now!" he yelled at her then his eyes opened wide.
Katara moved away from her brother, "So you've known for six weeks, that she was missing and decided only now to tell me?" her voice was a growl.
"We couldn't tell you before!" he replied hastily.
"Before?" she yelled, "before what? Before I was put under house arrest? Before my beloved father decided that I needed to be married off to some Water Tribe man! Before I was treated like some hapless female of the Northern Water Tribe!" her voice echoed down the hall. "Is that the before you mean Sokka?"
Sokka fell off her bed.
"I suggest you leave, brother," the ice swirling around her, "before you become a permanent part of the decoration of my room."
"Katara," he said in his most placating tone.
Katara snapped a water whip at his face and he just barely moved out of the way in time, "I may have no rights according to my family," she hissed at her brother, "but this is my room, my place of peace, get out."
Sokka left her room with his head bowed, only to come face to face with his gran gran.
Kana looked into her grandsons eyes and saw the truth of her Katara's accusations, "You should let her cool off before you apologize." Then she turned and left, while she was speaking, Katara had blocked her door with a seamless wall of ice.