A/N: I'm trying desperately to make up for the months and months that I've gone without updating. So… here!
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Sokka helped Katara back to her room, murmuring soothing things to her, frowning deeply as he got her to sit and poured her some chilled tea. She wasn't exactly crying, but she was clearly upset.
He sat next to her, giving her a serious look. "All right, what did she do?"
"What?" Katara sniffled a little.
"The crazy princess." Sokka folded his arms. "Am I going to have to hurt her?"
She half-laughed, shaking her head. "No. It's just… it's complicated."
"So? I got all night." He poured himself a cup too, sitting back down. "Talk to me."
Katara let out a deep breath, tucking her hair back just a bit. "I… I miss home. I miss Gran-gran and the cold and not feeling so…"
Sokka's eyes widened in just a touch of panic, seeing tears well up in Katara's eyes. Oh no. She wasn't allowed to cry! He hated when she did that! He quickly abandoned his tea, moving closer to her and pulling her into a firm hug. "Hey."
"Hm?" She sniffled, wiping at her cheeks, more embarrassed-seeming than anything.
"I'm here, you know."
"Well that much is obvious…" Katara's voice was shaky and Sokka frowned, pressing a light kiss to her forehead.
"No, I really mean it." He waved his other hand expansively. "I know things are complicated… I'm training and seeing Suki a lot and… everything. But none of that is more important than my sister." He nodded firmly, glad that his voice didn't waver on the mention of Suki.
She let out a deep breath, relaxing slowly against him. "I know. It's not like I haven't been distracted too." And her cheeks were red at that, quite obviously blushing.
"Yeah." He shook his head, still a bit thrown by that. He really did think Katara had more sense. "You should just kick her ass. I could help!" He tried to keep the hope out of his voice.
"No." She said it sharply. "That's the problem. She found out… about the bloodbending."
He blinked slowly. "How? What happened?"
"I… used it against her." Her voice dropped to a near whisper and he could hear the anger and the shame in it. His lips twisted, thoughtfully.
It took him a long moment of blinking and staring. "Waaait. It's not the full moon. It's nowhere near the full moon."
She shuddered a little, pulling on the ends of her hair lightly, a habit she had in childhood, when she was trying not to be upset or angry. "I know."
"Then you've been able to bloodbend… just regularly?" He wasn't sure if he should be impressed or not, honestly.
"Yeah. I guess… I guess I'm just getting more powerful." She twisted her hair a little more firmly. "Who knows, maybe someday I won't even need the moon."
"Oh." He frowned, looking down at her. "Well. Even so, I'm sure you'll be fine… you know how to control yourself."
"Except that I don't." Her voice broke softly, a sound not unlike a sob. "I used it against her, and I certainly didn't need to."
"What exactly did you do?"
"I… just pushed her back." She grimaced. "And then I left. She told me to wait, but I couldn't. I can't believe I did that!"
Sokka sighed deeply and just hugged her tightly. "Hey. There's nothing to blame yourself for."
"Liar."
"I'm not." He shook his head, petting her hair a little. "You didn't hurt her, and I'm sure you were really upset."
"But I…" She trailed off, looking confused.
"Hush. Go ahead and have a good cry, Katara. It'll look better, after that."
-----
Sokka had been right. She did feel better now, after a night of crying and getting angry and a bit of alcohol mixed into their tea. Not too much, of course – they had another meeting to attend and this time she was required to be in attendance.
She had gone early to meet with Zuko and sat in a study with him before, having some breakfast as she looked over the trade agreement that Zuko had been working on, ignoring the faint headache between her eyes.
"It looks good, actually." She looked up at Zuko, who was making tea himself, instead of asking the servants to do it.
"Oh good." He smiles. "Let's just hope the Earth Kingdom delegation feels the same way." He handed her a cup and then picked up a pastry, breaking a piece off.
"Well, it has all their demands. I can't think of anything they'd have a problem with." She rolled her eyes. "Of course that doesn't mean we won't be stuck in the room arguing about the agreement for the next several hours anyway. They just like being contrary, I think."
"True enough." Zuko laughed wryly. "By the way, Azula wants me to exile you." He drawled with a smile.
Katara blinked, rolling up the parchment in her hands slowly, thoughtfully. "Exile?"
"Well, she didn't say it in so many words, but she really wants you out of the country."
She tried not to flinch, tying up the scroll, not meeting his eyes. "Because she thinks I'm dangerous?"
Zuko shrugged, swallowing a bite of pastry. "Hm. Well, I'm sure that's what she would say. I'd guess that she's actually jealous and just won't admit it."
Katara blinked. The thought that Azula would be jealous of her hadn't actually occurred – though in retrospect, it should have. After a moment, she half-laughed. "And what did you tell her?"
"That she was nuts, of course." The hand on her shoulder startled her, making her look up. "We all trust you, even when you don't trust yourself."
"Zuko…" She sighed, deeply. "I'm sorry about all of this."
"There's nothing to be sorry for." He shook his head. "So… to change the subject to something a little lighter, do you remember The Boy in the Iceberg?"
"Wh..what?" Sometimes Zuko's mid-conversation changes gave her whiplash – it was a habit he must have learned from Aang.
"The Ember Island Players. They've… updated their dramatization of the story of the Avatar. Aang thought it would be interesting to see it again."
"Aang has… an interesting idea of interesting, doesn't he?" Katara snorted, dryly. They were terrible. Why she would want to go to a performance by them again rather escaped her.
Zuko grinned. "That he does. But at least we probably won't die in this version of it?"
"I guess…" Katara said, uncertainly.
Zuko shrugged. "I've requested they come perform for us tomorrow evening. It'll be fun. You can get dressed up…" He actually almost smirked. "And I'm sure Azula will be there."
"I'm not sure that's helping." Seeing Azula was the last thing she wanted to do at the moment, honestly.
He grinned. "Trust me. You going and looking pretty will drive her insane. You won't even have to speak to her. Besides, you really should see the hall – it's only opened for special performances and it's really quite impressive."
Katara sighed deeply. "Fine, I suppose."
-----
It had been two days and Katara had not changed her routine one whit. That is, of course, except for the fact that she had not spoken to, looked at, or acknowledged Azula in the slightest. It was like she didn't exist.
It was absolutely maddening.
How the girl had gotten it into her head that she was allowed to ignore Azula was beyond her. Azula was royalty! She wouldn't stand for being ignored by some silly little waterbender, no matter how over-powered she might be.
When Zuko announced that there would be a command performance of the Ember Island Players (a group that she couldn't stand, despite their mother's sentimental attachment to them), Azula had seized on it as an opportunity to show Katara just how impossible she would be to ignore. She had donned her most decadent robes – ruby red, bright and daringly cut, flames embroidered along the edges in gold thread. She had left her hair down, fine gold chains weaving through it, tiny diamonds and rubies catching the light. She looked, dare she say, positively regal.
Still, Azula sat rigidly in her seat in the royal theatre hall, acutely self-conscious. It didn't matter how good she knew she looked, how not a single hair was out of place – She couldn't calm herself down.
Perhaps that was because Katara had just entered, slim and willowy and more graceful than Azula remembered. She wore her hair up, wreathed with deep blue topaz in a golden ring, looking more like droplets of water than stones and matching her eyes perfectly. Her robes were deep brick red and sky blue, fine, thin silk that clung to her dark skin, highlighting every firm curve. Even her makeup was perfect, enough to call attention to her features without seeming anything but natural.
Damnit, Azula had done her job too well, she realized sourly as she watched the girl. She looked more like a princess herself than a peasant. From her clothes to the way she carried herself, there was not an inch of her that spoke of her humble birth.
She stubbornly ignored the way her conversation with Zuko hovered in the back of her mind, narrowing her eyes as she watched the waterbender.
Katara paused to speak with some courtiers that Azula had not cared enough to remember their names or even the slightest detail about. She snorted under her breath until she saw Katara sliding her arms around one of the other women in a brief but firm hug, laughing and Azula positively saw red.
The chit was making a fool out of her – and in public, no less! This could not be happening. She wouldn't allow it to happen.
----
Zuko had been right, Katara decided as she walked into the hall, already full of throngs of people. The were all familiar, of course – courtiers from the parties she and Azula had been to, the teas that Iroh occasionally hosted.
She smiled softly as she took her seat in the hall. In the front row, practically on the stage there were two rows of plush chairs, obviously reserved for the royal family. She had actually been taken somewhat aback when she was directed there.
Azula, of course, was sitting not far away, almost facing her. Katara didn't let herself make eye contact.. instead she lifted her chin to look up.
The performance hall was quite simply amazing. A huge ancient cave formed by lava, the walls arched far overhead, glossy and black and smooth, reflecting the reds and blues and purples of the ceremonial fires.
It seemed like it should have been dark, but it sparkled. It was almost blinding, the reflection off the walls that turned them almost white, the reflection from the jewels the entire court wore as they found their seats.
She let herself smile, then grin as Sokka dropped into the seat next to her, and Aang and Zuko on her other side. This was so familiar and so different at the same time.
The Ember Island Players had changed their script since the end of the war, Katara noted with amusement. Of course they would have had to, wouldn't they? She laughed at something the actor Sokka said, relaxing. It seemed that he had refined his script even further.
Of course she was conscious of Azula's eyes on her through the whole performance, the way they greedily took her in. It was uncomfortable for a moment, but then it made her smile, just a touch dangerously.
It wasn't until she was leaving that Azula made her move, just as she stepped out into the night air.
"We need to talk." Azula said it darkly, standing in front of her, looking deceptively relaxed.
Katara hesitated a touch, but then mentally cursed herself, keeping her eyes off Azula's as she stepped to the side, intending on passing her by without a word.
Fingers slid around her bicep, cool against her skin, holding her firmly. Katara turned her chin, keeping it stubbornly up, looking at Azula with as much disinterest as she could muster.
"Do let go of me." To be honest, she was shocked that Azula was forcing this sort of interaction, especially at night.
"Not until we have a discussion." Azula hissed it under her breath, fingers tightening.
Katara let herself smirk slowly. "Do you feel safe enough for that?"
"I'll take my chances."