Chapter Two : Prenuptial
The next morning just after dawn, Aang, Zuko, Iroh and Appa left Ba Sing Se for the island of Kyoshi.
Aang was having more than a little bit of trouble controlling his enthusiasm. "Suki and the Kyoshi warriors are gonna be so happy to se us," he was saying, as the flying bison approached the island's shores. "Katara and Sokka, too." Zuko noticed that when Aang mentioned Katara, his cheeks turned ever-so-slightly pinker. "I haevn't seen them since they left for the betrothal ceremony a week ago, and it's pretty weird. I guess when you spend so much time with someone, after a while you forget what it's like not to be with them."
"Betrothal ceremony?" Iroh raised an interested eyebrow. "That young waterbender girl is getting married?"
Aang turned even more red, and shook his head violently. "No, of course not, that's ridiculous. Katara's not getting married, Sokka and Suki are. I wanted to come and wish them well, but apparently the last few days before the wedding are supposed to be…uh, well, private."
Iroh and Zuko exchanged a knowing glance, and Zuko made a disgusted face. "Oh, sure, the young couple needs some alone time to get to know each other," murmured Iroh.
Aang looked puzzled. "They won a world-wide war together after Sokka rescued Suki from a fire nation prison. I guess they know each other pretty well already, right?"
Laughing, Iroh put a hand on Aang's shoulder and shook his head. "Not well enough for marriage, young avatar. One might argue that you can never know a woman well enough to really be sure what you're getting into."
Zuko chose not to get involved in this particularly awkward conversation. Instead, he kept an eye out for the first glimpse of Kyoshi island, where his former friend and enemy, Ty Lee, was now living as an honorary Kyoshi warrior. He had mixed feelings about seeing her again, especially since she and Mai hadn't spoken since they'd parted ways in prison. Apparently when Mai's uncle had pulled strings to free her, Mai hadn't chosen to speak up for Ty Lee, and that gesture had driven a rift between the two women which made recent encounters more than a little uncomfortable.
The Kyoshi warriors were, as expected, waiting for them when Appa landed on the beach. Katara, flushed and looking delighted, was there among them, ready to throw herself into first Zuko's arms, then into Aang's with a wealth of welcome in her eyes. To former General Iroh, she gave a formal but friendly bow, which he returned with a twinkle in his eye.
"I'm so happy you're here," she told Aang, while escorting them up the beach towards the village. "I got your messenger hawk only a few minutes ago, and I barely made it in time! It's been so boring here without you!"
"It's been pretty boring at home, too," muttered Zuko, remembering the grueling hours he'd spent recently trying to re-organize the fire nation army into the peace-keeping force it had once been meant to be. Supervising training and re-structuring policy may have interested his power-hungry father, but was a real tax on Zuko's patience.
Katara made a sympathetic grimace. "I'll bet," she agreed, patting Zuko on the arm. "Still, at least you're accomplishing something. All I've been doing is listening to the soon-to-be-newlyweds fight about everything from guest lists to rock décor. Sokka spends most of his time brooding and looking downtrodden, and Suki's been taking her warrior training to heart – she's a real order-giver. If this is what marriage is supposed to be like, then no wonder Gran-Gran took off!"
"I'm sure it's not all that bad," muttered Aang, staring fixedly at the sand. "Where is Sokka, anyway? I wanted to say hi."
When Aang left to go track down Sokka and Suki, Zuko pulled Katara aside. Together, she, Iroh, and Zuko sat down on the beach and let the waves wash over their ankles while Zuko explained his predicament. Katara listened for several minutes to the Fire Lord's description of the pilgrimage he wanted to make, and her eyes lit up when he mentioned making a personal apology to the people of her tribe.
"I think it's a wonderful idea," she told him. "It'll really mean something to people like Gran Gran, who have heard all about the way the world is changing, but who haven't had a chance to see any of it for themselves. I'd love to go with you, if you'd like an escort. That way I could introduce you to the tribe elders."
"That's great." Zuko smiled. "I really appreciate that, Katara. Aang will be with us as well, to um…make sure that we get our message across."
"We should bring Sokka. You know, for crowd control, and comic relief." Katara gestured at the village. "He could probably use a break from all of this pre-wedding stuff anyway, and I know he'd be thrilled to see dad and Bato again."
"Actually…" Zuko bit his lip. "I was hoping Sokka would be willing to do something else for me, while we're all away at the South Pole. See, there's nobody really managing the fire nation palace right now, and having an empty royal chamber doesn't look so good, only a few weeks after my father's overthrow. I was thinking, maybe Sokka and Suki wouldn't mind sitting in for me. After all, the people know them, they're war heroes."
"And besides," interjected Iroh, "it would be a wonderful opportunity for the young couple to practice living together."
"Sokka running the fire nation…" Katara frowned. "That, I'll admit, is a pretty scary thought…but I'll ask him. Maybe you're right, General Iroh. Getting away from the pressure around here might be good for the two of them. I know it'll be good for me."