Sea and Sky

Chapter 2: One Last Night

Ember Island Royal Palace
Banquet Hall

A pop of a cork brought her out of the silent torment that tugged and gnawed at her heart. Her pulse quicked and breath stopped as a cascade of cold fizzy liquid sprayed over her and the Avatar. As if time stopped, Katara watched as the masses of people around her celebrated and congratulated her on the impending nuptials. Katara wiped the champagne spray from her face with the back of her hand, slight annoyance coloring her face.

Offering a soft smile, Aang wiped a few errant drops of the golden liquid from her face as he leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her lips. Noticing her mood, Aang offered a sincere compliment. "You look beautiful, Katara."

Katara gave a half-smile as she smoothed a few errant strands of hair behind her ears. Before she could speak, Sokka bowled into the pair and dropped his arms over their shoulders. "Congrats you two!"

Feigning another smile, Katara hugged her brother before bowing out of his embrace. "Thanks Sokka." Her tone was flat as she took a step back from the crowd.

Katara's attention drifted away from her brother and onto the mass of people around them, his words of congratulations and praise of their union fading. She studied the room, the chaos of the party overtaking her. She felt as if she was drowning in a sea of statuesque women covered head to toe in glittering jewels and sumptuous silks. For many women being a part of this world, the world of elegant women and noble suitors, was a long sought after dream.

For Katara, what was once a dream for her was now a nightmare brought to life. A constant feeling of inadequacy and doubt seemed to sit at the back of her mind. She knew she wasn't part of this world, the inner circle of the world's noble families. Feeling every bit the pretender she thought herself to be, Katara downed her flute of golden fizzy liquid before handing it back to Sokka.

"I'm going to step out for a moment..."

She wasn't sure what overwhelmed her the most. The fact that she was engaged to her long time love, or the flurry of activity that moved around her. At the moment, Katara wished for nothing more than to retreat to her room and to bury herself deep into her plush comforter and sleep. The need to retreat back into a private sanctuary was new to her. Feeling as if she might collapse inwards on herself, Katara took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Silently, she reached for Aang's hand. At feeling her grasp, Aang looked at her, a wide smile on his face. Katara bit her bottom lip as she motioned towards one of the doors, silently pleading with him to follow. Aang nodded as they bowed away from the crowd. As they made their escape from the chaos, Aang reveled in the thought they may share a private moment together to celebrate.

Once outside, Aang followed Katara to the edge of the veranda. Katara found the wooden railing and leaned into it, her fingers grasping it as she tried to steady herself with deep breaths. At noticing her shift in demeanor, Aang moved to stand next to her. Taking her left hand in his, he placed a soft kiss on her knuckles before speaking.

"Are you okay? You seam uneasy tonight." He listened as she drew a deep breath. Slowly, he drew his eyes up to meet hers. A strange pain stabbed at his heart as he registered the fear and regret in her eyes. Katara was silent as she dropped his gaze, her eyes wrenching shut as she turned from him.

For every thought that raged in her mind, words seemed to fail her for a moment as she looked outwards onto the inky black horizon the stretched out before them. The forest was dark, far off in the distance she could hear the gentle lapping of waves upon the rocky shore of the island. The waves seemed to call her, luring her into their cool and comforting embrace. She fought the urge to slip out of her constricting outfit and to disappear under the waves of the South Sea.

"Have you ever felt... aimless, lost?" Her voice was just above a whisper as she spoke, trying her best to draw her attention away from the sounds of the ocean.

Aang shook his head and wrapped his arms around her small form. "Never. Not since I found you." As he took in her question, his mind whirled. A pang of fear stung at his heart as he held her close, wishing to push away what ever doubts plagued her mind.

At many points during their journey, he had indeed felt lost, as if he'd been living an aimless life. During their battle against Ozai, he hand spent countless sleepless night staring out into the night sky, his mind numb with fear. Many things in his life caused him to be scared. But even in his most hopeless of nights, the thought that he had Katara close to his side brought him comfort and peace.

She was his anchor to the physical world, the very being that held him to the Earth when he wanted nothing more than to slip away into the spirit realm.

Katara sighed as she returned his embrace, closing her eyes as she inhaled deeply. She clenched at the soft fabric of his robes and dug her fingers into the strong muscles of his back. The heady cedar and citrus scent of the incense he burned during meditation clung to his robes, overtaking her senses. There was little in life that brought her as much comfort as his embrace and scent did. He smelled masculine and steady, peaceful and strong.

She had so much to say, but she knew her words would break his heart. She knew she wasn't ready to be married. Aang had laid his heart out to the world when he asked her to marry him in front of the world's royal gathering and their friends. If she backed out now, she would shatter him.

"Do we have to go back?" Her voice was small as she buried her head into his chest, wiping away the tears that pricked at her eyes.

Aang nodded his head sadly before placing a small kiss onto her forehead. "Only for a little while, it wouldn't be right to disappear so early."

Katara sighed as she withdrew from his embrace. She was silent as she let him lead her back into the banquet hall, her head down as the door opened. Once again she found herself engulfed by the sound of music and laughter. Inside her heart of hearts, Katara felt like doing anything except celebrating.

The banquet had lasted long into the early hours of the morning, the last guests leaving well after midnight. Katara was sure that if the food hadn't grown cold and the wine gone, the celebration might have never have ended.

Once she and Aang had bid their friends and allies good night, the pair had retired to her room. For the first time the pair was truly alone. While they had slept in the same bed or sleeping sack together, they had yet to sleep in the same room together, alone and undisturbed. Her face grew hot as she moved towards her dressing table. The attending ladies had long gone to bed, leaving Katara alone to undress herself.

Aang lingered in the doorway, swaying slightly and unsure of how to proceed. While he normally wouldn't consume alcohol, he'd had a few goblets of the spiced wine offered at the party. His limbs felt heavy and his mind fogged as tried to steady his gaze on Katara. She stood across the room, back to him as she fumbled with the clasp of her bejeweled collar.

Drawing a deep breath, Aang mustered all the courage he could as he approached her. Taking the silver clasp in his hands, he unhooked the heavy necklace for Katara. The necklace slid down her chest and into her waiting hands as she looked at him in the mirror.

"Thank you..." She breathed as she gently set the necklace onto the dressing table. Back turned to him, she stood up and took in her appearance in the long mirror. Makeup still perfect, hair styled as pristine as it had been earlier that night. Katara felt as if she wasn't looking at her own reflection, but of someone she couldn't recognize.

She pulled at the bejeweled cord that held the gauzy cloak secure to her, loosened the ties that kept her restricted. The fabric pooled at her feet as she moved to step out of it, uncaring to pick it up. The first layers of her elaborate costume left her feeling free.

Aang bowed his head to place a series of kisses on her bare shoulders. She shrugged out of his embrace before turning to place a chaste kiss on his lips. "I'm going to take this makeup off, why don't you lay down?"

Aang's face flushed at her suggestion, he nodded his head silently as he moved towards the bed before flopping into it's plush softness. Katara giggled softly as she watched him melt into the covers.

She moved towards her robing room, trying her best to slid the thin wooden partition as quietly as she could. Once seated at the dressing table, she adjusted the oil lamp brighter. The silence of night was comforting as she drew a damp cloth over her skin, removing as much of the lip color and eye paint as she could. A few errant flecks of the kohl liner rimmed her blue eyes still.

For the first time in hours, she felt almost normal. Unable to stand her reflection any longer, Katara stood from the table and quietly moved back into her sleeping quarters, noticing Aang had fallen into a deep sleep. She knew this was her only moment to seize, to leave without breaking his heart.

The thought of disappearing into the darkness had worked its way into her mind a number of times, but she'd always dismissed it was cowardly and callous. She knew leaving was going to hurt him, and she was unable to face him. The lure of the unknown called to her like a siren, beckoning her like a small light on the horizon.

She wasn't meant for this life, or the role he wanted so badly for her to play. What she wanted more than anything was to be free as they had been years ago, during a time when it seemed like the world was going to end. Katara bit her lip as she unfurled a small piece of parchment, unsure of what to write.

She steadied her hand over the parchment, small droplets of ink seeping into the linen grain from her quill. Without further hesitating, she scrawled a few hasty characters onto the page, blowing onto the ink to hasten it's drying.

Aang-
I love you... I just need time.
I will be back soon, I'm going to visit Gran Gran.
Please wait for me.

The letter was short and unrefined. Even the promise of visit her grandmother at the South Pole was a lie. What she needed was to be alone, to see the world, to experience it on her own terms. To see what was beyond the horizon without the looming threat of war or the smother court politics that seemed to dominate their daily life since the war had ended.

While the war had been over for a number of years, it seemed the world truly hadn't found peace or balance yet. The world was still plagued with evil and troubles, their life now seemed more turbulent than ever. Following him from town to town, from palace to palace as a peacemaker was exhausting.

She just needed a short break, a small reprieve. She would then come back and be ready and prepared for the mantle that was to be placed upon her shoulders as the Avatar's wife.

Katara folded the note neatly before removing his necklace from her throat. She placed the pendant on top of the note and whispered a silent "I love you" to Aang.

Quickly, she moved as quietly as she could. She tore the pins from her hair and uncoiled the stiff braids, letting her hair flow down her back before securing it in a loose plait. She slid out of the silk robes and pulled her cotton tunic on, reveling in the softness against her skin. Without hesitation, she pulled on her sturdiest boots and tightly laced them.

Like an apparition, she slid out of the door leading to the gardens, sadness welling in her heart as she melted in the darkness of night.