A/N: Y'all rock! That is all!
Secrets and Satin
Chapter 4
"I've been trying too hard
With one pretty song"
His almond eyes stared straight into her soul.
It was one thing she both loathed and loved about him.
He used those eyes to his advantage. They were the only thing about him that was truly and utterly expressive.
If he was angry, his eyes would scald like flames.
If he wanted her, his eyes caressed her like the gentle hands of a lover.
If he was sad, his eyes would focus on a blank point far away. They would become cold and hard. His eyes would freeze like ice.
He was a brutal man. Tough. Harsh. Violent. Stubborn.
But as she stood on that stage, him the only member in the audience, she realized how deep this had progressed. She realized the depth of the situation.
She realized she was scared of him and swept off her feet by him.
That terrified her.
He leaned forward. The spotlight that shone on her skin also pierced through the darkness, slightly illuminating him.
The circular burn that orbited around his left eye no longer jarred her. It was a part of him.
And she-
"Sing for me." He demanded, interrupting her thoughts before he settled back into the chair.
Katara drew in a shaky breath.
When she sang for him, he felt the closest to Heaven as he would ever be.
He knew what he was.
He knew what she was.
She was his angel.
Now he wanted to hear her voice.
"Prince… I…" Katara faltered.
She knew his real name of course, but his name that was whispered throughout the country in scared hushed voices was his respected one so she tried to call him that more often than naught.
His dark hair fell into his eyes, making him even more handsome as he brushed it out of his face, highlighting his strong cheekbones and jaw. His large rough hands.
"Sing." He demanded, grasping a cup of whiskey that sat on the table beside him.
Katara opened her mouth.
She didn't even have to pick a song.
The words flowed like water from her full lips.
"I've been out on that open road
You can be my full time, daddy white and gold
Singing blues has been getting old
You can be my full time, baby
Hot or cold
Don't break me down
I've been traveling too long
I've been trying too hard
With one pretty song"
And she was trying… harder than she ever had before.
They both knew why.
Katara closed her blue eyes as she sung.
Her husky voice was strong and rich. Like velvet her words covered the lyrics.
The man was lost in her voice. Her eyes. Her body. Her soul.
He was lost in her.
When she was finished she drew in a deep breath.
She always sang with all she had and after every song she felt empty yet fulfilled. It was a torturous feeling.
Singing was what she loved and singing was what got her here.
It was a blessing and a curse.
She smiled as the Prince clapped his hands together slowly.
They shared a moment then, the two of them.
At least until her phone went off.
She had left it in her purse, which happened to be sitting right next to the Prince.
He pulled it out of the handbag and plopped it on the table in front of him.
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"It's Sokka."
Katara felt her heart drop.
Aang sat there.
He held his tattooed head in his hands and was draped over his knees.
Slowly, he raised his head and stared at the person in front of him.
"I can't keep doing this to her. She deserves to know the truth!" Aang protested.
He was a calm man.
Raised in a monastery he tried to remember his teachings. All the things that he had been taught and raised to be.
The person in front of him remained silent.
Their eyes cold.
"This is the best option for her." They said, crossing their arms.
"What are you so scared that she'll remember? Do you know how far I'm sticking my neck out here? I could lose my license, my house, my-!" Aang started but the person interrupted.
"Your wife?" The person finished and Aang's jaw dropped.
"You're doing this for selfish reasons, Doctor. I'm doing this for her own good. I don't care about your family or your history. I care about her. So you do whatever it takes to make sure she doesn't remember!" The person ordered as they slammed their hand onto the table.
Aang flinched. The truth was evident. His secret was just tossed out in the air like nothing. The truth suffocated him.
He really thought he knew who he was and yet… hearing someone else say the truth out loud made him reevaluate everything.
"I can't keep doing this for much longer. Everyday it's like she remembers a piece… she's going to piece it together and then what?" Aang asked.
"Then it's the end for you. We made a deal. I have documentation of that deal. Let Katara start a new life. Let her be healthy. Let her be happy. And protect her. That's our deal. If you break that, I will break you. I will ruin your life." The person warned.
Aang lost the color in his face and wanted nothing more than to fight back. Stand his ground. He just wasn't made that way.
The person stood and left, leaving Aang to wonder if he was doing the right thing.
He was in so deep now.
With a sigh he stood.
He walked towards Katara's padded room.
His gray eyes welled with compassion as he unlocked the door and opened it.
Aang saw her curled up, tears were falling down her face.
What was she remembering?
He didn't know what was right or wrong.
The monks always told him that the truth lied in not hues of black or white but in shades of gray.
That's what Aang told himself as he injected some more medication into her petite yet toned arm.
It was for her own good.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed! There will be a new chapter soon!