099. Wedding

Out of the three of us, I had always expected to be married first. I had expected to be married off to some disgusting admiral three times my age the moment I turned sixteen. That was just something that came with the princess perk package. I wasn't even a teenager anymore, though. I had just turned twenty this past summer.

Mai had gotten married a few years earlier, to Zuko, of course. They had a son now. Today, however, was Ty Lee's big day. There was pink every where, much to my dislike. I know weddings are supposed to be happy days, but this was just ridiculous. I didn't even think having this much pink in one place, at one time was possible. Mai looked nauseous at the sight of it all. Zuko could only snicker to himself.

After the boring ceremony, there was of course, dinner. As I daintily ate mine, I watched those who surrounded me like a hawk. It seemed like everyone had a significant other here, all except me. I was fully convinced that I'd never get married. I'd be doomed to live my life completely alone. At this point, I would have gladly married Admiral Three-times-my-age. In another respect, however, not having a husband could be my way of showing off the fact I'm above such trivial matters. I know I'm a habitual liar, but that's just not a lie I want to tell myself. Maybe when I'm thirty. For now, I'm still like any other woman of my age. My fantasies may be filled with more pain than most, but they are still there and not to be ignored.

I am a princess, and a princess gets whatever she wants, when she wants it.

After dinner, the real festivities began. As usual, I simply clung to the wall. Men rarely came to speak to me, and I didn't see any who were worth speaking to on my own. Not that I'd take the chance of making a complete and utter fool of myself.

As I watched all the dancing around me, I simply sipped at my drink, minding my own business...When that stupid, insolent Water Tribe boy...Though he was hardly a boy anymore.

I could tell he was drunk. If it wasn't the way he was walking that gave it away, what he did next surely did.

"Hey, Princess," he slurred with a sly smile.

"Evening, Sokka...I see you're enjoying yourself," I replied, trying to melt myself into the wall. Even if he was completely inebriated, it was still only a matter of time before I'd say something foolish.

"Of course...Azula?" He called my name. I raised an eyebrow, staring at him, trying to read him. It was hard to read drunks though.

"What?" I answered.

"...Did you know...that that there dress you have on there...is really sharp? Like, so sharp you could sink a battleship?" He paused for a second, "...Because its so sharp?"

I looked up at him, my eyes wide with shock. Shock wasn't something I expressed very often either. I just couldn't believe...he said that to me.

"...Would you like to dance?" I asked him, setting my drink down on a table. Sokka held out his hand with a goofy smile. I slipped my hand in his and we danced the night away. By the end of the night, both of us had been so drunk we barely remembered a thing. Zuko told me, though, that Sokka and I had been the last couple on the dance floor, oblivious to the fact the music had stopped playing.

About two years later, we ended up being the last couple on the dance floor again. Just this time neither of us were drunk

I hope the grammar and such isn't too horrible on this... rawr.

--frerak