Chapter 7: Undying Love
Responses to Reviews:
Javier: Yeah, I'm sorry that I kind of left it off at a bad cliffhanger, but I promise, you'll see just why I did it that way. You've read enough of my works by now to know that I won't do anything to come in between Kataang unless I have a plan for something that I think is going to be beautiful. Hopefully it's worth the bad cliffhanger.
KatMora606: Agradezco el voto de confianza. Logré que calificara a M más como un reflejo, pero supongo que para el epílogo podría hacer algo.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Aang watched as the sun started to rise over the horizon. He hadn't been able to sleep, as much as he tried. He knew that today was an important day, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't do it. His heart ached like nothing else before. Not even when his parents had died had he felt such pain.
He loved Katara, as ridiculous as it seemed. They had only known each other for a few days, but he was absolutely sure of it. He was in love with her. And now because of a stupid decision, she had to be forced out of the competition, ending all his hope for his reign at once.
The other girls were nice and he liked them, save for Azula that is, but Katara was always the one he had in mind for being his queen. She was beautiful and strong, yet also kind and compassionate towards others. From the little time that they were able to spend together, he had seen just how much she cared for others. She had one of the biggest hearts he had ever seen in a person, and he had hoped that she would be able to be his queen.
But Aang knew that rules were rules. If he started throwing rules out the window because they were inconvenient for him, then how could his subjects ever treat him seriously? If he was going to be a good leader, he needed to show that rules need to be followed, even when the consequences hurt himself in the process. So as much as he wished that he could have revoked the rule, he knew he couldn't.
And that killed him inside.
Because he was deeply in love with Katara. He wasn't in love with her looks. Nor was he just in love with how such a good person she was. He was in love with everything about her. And now, when he took a chance and made a new rule to allow her a chance to compete, it all went down the drain as he was left with a broken heart.
He could see on her face that she regretted it, but he couldn't take it back now. He owed it to the world to stand by his rules and be the ruler that they deserved. Even if that meant that he would have to marry someone he didn't love.
And even if that meant he didn't ever love again.
Because he knew he would never love anyone like he loved her. She was perfect in every conceivable way. No one else in the world would ever even come close to comparing to her. But he supposed it just wasn't meant to be. She had made her choice, even if at the moment she hadn't realized what the consequences would then bring. But she wouldn't be the only one suffering.
Letting out a long sigh, he leaned against the railing. Life seemed to be a lot duller now that she wasn't going to be a part of it.
"Aang?"
The young Avatar looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see Gyatso there, concern etched deeply onto his face. "Yeah, Gyatso?" he finally answered as he turned his attention back to the slowly rising sun.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently, already knowing the answer but not wanting to be too intruding in case Aang wasn't in a good mood.
Aang was silent for a few moments, making Gyatso all the more worried before he finally decided to answer. "Yeah, Gyatso. I'm fine," he answered emotionlessly. This just made Gyatso worry all the more.
Because he had never heard such a dull, lifeless tone in Aang's voice before. No, Aang was usually full of life and laughter and happiness. And to hear what Gyatso could only assume was the hurt and pain inside of Aang coming out through his words… it nearly broke his heart to know that his pupil was in such hurt that the joy was taken out of his words.
Though he knew it wasn't necessarily the best idea to "poke the Platypus-Bear", he knew he couldn't just stand by and watch the young man he had always thought of like a son drown himself in his misery. He wouldn't allow Aang to go through this alone.
"Aang, I'm sorry about what happened, but maybe this is for the best. If she got into two fights, maybe she had too much of a temper to be queen."
Aang silently shook his head, refusing to look at him. "No, Gyatso. She would have been the best queen the world had ever seen. She's kind and compassionate, she cares for others like no one else, and she always puts others before herself. She's beautiful inside and out." A long, defeated sigh escaped his lips. "She would have been an amazing queen."
Gyatso was silent, wondering how to approach this now. He had tried to reason with him, but it was clear that Aang wasn't going to accept that what had happened was for the best. And Gyatso realized that maybe it really wasn't for the best after all. The whole ordeal had caused Aang to be broken, and if he was being honest with himself, Gyatso wasn't entirely sure if he would ever be whole again.
Because he understood what it was like to lose the one you love. Though he supposed that at least Aang actually had her love him back. His love never felt the same, and he would carry that burden every day for the rest of his life.
But still, he understood what Aang was going through. And if there was one thing he knew, it was that he was still very much broken, so he could only assume that Aang would be, too.
With these thoughts in mind, he decided to just let Aang be, knowing that would likely be the best course of action for his young pupil. It would take time for Aang to piece himself back together, and if his love for that girl was anything like Gyatso's love for the woman he loved, then it would take a long time.
"Okay, Aang. I understand. Just know that if you ever need to talk, my door is always open," Gyatso finally said, choosing his words with great caution, knowing that even one word would be all it took for Aang to lose it.
"Thank you, Gyatso. I'll see you in a little bit." Gyatso could hear the sadness break through his emotional barrier, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it. If Aang wanted to talk about it, he would come to him.
Shaking his head sadly, he left the balcony to go make preparations for the big event of the day.
"Katara."
Katara's head snapped up in surprise. She was in the middle of a beautiful mellow, surrounded in a sea of black and white flowers. They were beautiful, but something seemed different about them. Then she remembered. These flowers were called Panda Lilies.
"Katara."
There was that voice again. She looked around, but she couldn't see anyone. She was sure that the voice wasn't just her imagination, and she knew just who it belonged to. It was the one she wanted to hear most right now.
"Aang! Aang! Where are you?" she called out, looking around everywhere, but still unable to find him. All she could see were the endless waves of Panda Lilies that were surrounding her.
She was met with complete silence. The only thing that could be heard was the rustle of the breeze blowing the little flowers gently. Her desperation was only growing worse. She needed to see him, to hear his voice. Even if it was only for one more time.
"Aang!" she called out again, desperation apparent in her voice. "Please, talk to me!"
There was no response, making her start to cry. What if she never got to see him again? What if she never got to hear his voice, see his face, anything? No. She needed to at least see him one last time. She absolutely needed to.
With all the resolve she could muster, she called out one last time. "Aang! Please, talk to me!" She started crying, feeling her heart break all over again. "Please," she whispered brokenly.
The wind shifted and spun around her, concentrating onto a single point until it was in front of her. The wind chased itself until a bright flash of light blinded her, making her cover her eyes before the light subsided and she looked to see…
She gasped. "Aang?"
He smiled at her. The warm, loving smile that she had come to adore and want to see every chance she could get. "Katara."
Not wasting a second, she ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck. "You're here. You're actually here." Happy tears started falling down her face. She had been worried that she would never be able to actually see him again. But he was there, and now she could hold him close. Feel his skin against her skin. Savor the scent that could only be his.
She wanted this moment to last forever.
But this unfortunately wasn't the case, as not long after she hugged him, he disappeared. She looked around wildly, hoping that he had just moved somewhere else so she could hold him again.
"Why did you do it?" his voice whispered to her through the passing wind, reminding her of her stupid decision.
"You could have been my queen. We could have been so happy together."
Tears started flowing down her face. "I didn't-" She was cut off by a loud roll of thunder from the skies. She looked up to see the sun quickly overtaken by a dark cloud, sending the area around her into darkness.
"We could have had everything," his voice thundered, making rain drop from the sky. The rain was not normal rain, however. She watched as the first drop hit one of the Panda Lilies and melted it into a puddle of black and white.
"No! Aang, please!" The rain came pouring faster, making the meadow melt all around her. She sunk to her knees, her tears mixing with the acidic rain as the thunder rolled. What have I done? She thought brokenly as the storm encompassed the sky until all was dark.
Katara gasped as she sat up in her bed. Looking around frantically, she was relieved to see a familiar sight. She was in her room.
After the debacle that was the night before, she couldn't bring herself to even stay the night at the palace. It would just have reminded her of him, and she didn't want any of them to see her like she was. Least of all Azula, who was the cause of all of this. If that stupid, snooty, Fire Nation rat…
She took a deep breath. This wasn't her. Even if Azula had set her up, she wasn't going to let her temper over take her. Not this time. She had learned from her mistake, and she wouldn't allow it to happen again. The lesson she had learned had come at too great a price.
"Katara, dear? Is everything alright?" her mother's voice came from the other side of the room.
Katara sighed and nodded. "I'm fine, Mom. Don't worry." Even she could hear the hesitance in her voice, and she was sure that her mother could hear it, too.
"Okay, dear," Kya finally responded after a few moments of awkward silence. "Let us know if you need anything." Katara could hear her footsteps as she finally left her alone.
Laying back down, small trickles of tears started falling down her face as she buried it in her pillows. She just wanted to forget everything that had happened. Oh, why had she agreed to go to the competition? If she hadn't, then maybe her heart wouldn't be so broken like it was now.
Another knock on her door sounded. "Katara? It's Gran-Gran." Sighing a little, she knew that her Gran-Gran wasn't going to leave her alone, and decided it would just be best to let her in.
"Come in," she called wearily, hastily wiping the tears off of her eyes. Even if she knew that they knew she was crying, she was going to do everything she could to look strong, even if she felt so weak without him.
Kanna opened the door gently and came in, still in her parka that she had been in since the day that she arrived at Republic City. That day seemed so far away now…
"Oh, my dear. I'm so sorry," she said sadly as she came in and wrapped Katara in a hug. Katara couldn't help but cry more as she hugged her back, feeling a new wave of pain roll off her. "I know this can't be easy."
Katara didn't respond, just kept crying as quietly as she could into her shoulder. She didn't trust herself to speak at the moment. That dream had messed her up quite a bit.
"It's going to be okay, darling. Everything will be alright," Kanna murmured in her ear. "You'll see."
"No it's not," Katara gasped through her sobs. "It's not, Gran-Gran. I love him so much." Kanna just gently rubbed her back, letting her get all the tears out, knowing there wasn't really much else she could do for her. This wasn't what she had been hoping for her granddaughter. She had thought that they would have gotten through it, but now it wasn't the case.
But she realized that it might not be over for them just yet.
Pulling back from her, she looked her granddaughter in the eyes. "Katara, you love him, don't you?" Katara sniffled and nodded. "Well don't just give up. You're a fighter. You always have been, ever since you were a child." She gingerly wiped the tears away with her fingers. "If you love him, go fight for him."
Katara looked down at her knees and realized she was right. She couldn't just let Aang go. Not without a fight. She had never been a quitter before, and she sure wasn't going to start right now. "You're right," she said as she stood up. "I love him, and I'm going to make sure he knows it." After all, what did she have to lose?
Giving her grandmother one last quick hug, she wiped the tears from her face, fixed her hair as quick as she could and ran out the door, leaving a bewildered looking Sokka who was walking through the hallway at the time.
Kanna smiled a knowing smile. "I'm proud of you, Katara," she murmured to herself as she went to help her family.
Aang let out a long sigh as he watched the crowd of people filter through the gates of the palace, making their way towards the large courtyard that stood before the balcony where Aang would announce who his queen would be. With Katara gone, he had no choice but to choose someone else. And if he was being truthful, the decision had come easily with her and Yue gone. Azula was never truly in the running, even if he felt guilty about it. Ty Lee was nice and pretty, but he just couldn't see her as being queen, so he had decided to leave her out. Katara was obviously his first choice, but Yue and Jin were tied for second, so with Yue gone, that left Jin as the winner.
He hadn't told her about it yet, as he didn't want her to brag about it to the other remaining contestants before the kingdom knew. But even if she wasn't Katara, she was kind and compassionate, and he supposed she would be a good queen. But he knew that she would never compare to Katara.
To the girl who had stolen his heart with something as simple as a smile.
He supposed he should have known it would come to this. He had never really wanted to rule the world, but because of his duty, he decided to embrace it. But it was a bit ironic that it was his duty that was holding him back from being with the girl that he loved.
And as much as he wished he could just forsake his birthright, he knew he couldn't. Because he knew he needed to do what was best for the world. Not for himself, but for his people, and he knew that if he didn't step up to take his duty head on, the world might suffer because of it. And he wouldn't allow that to happen.
Even if it killed him inside to be without her.
"Aang?"
Aang once again glanced over his shoulder, being reminded of the morning a few hours ago where Gyatso had tried to console him. He appreciated that Gyatso cared about him, but there wasn't much his oldest friend and for all purposes a second father could do. He was about to announce his upcoming marriage to a girl he didn't love, knowing full well he was madly in love with someone else.
"Yeah?" he finally decided to respond, but even he could hear the sadness in his voice. Bitterness edged it, taking himself by surprise. He had never heard himself so unhappy before.
Gyatso reluctantly put a hand on his shoulder, obviously hesitant to do something that might upset Aang more. "It's almost time. Are you ready?"
Looking away from his mentor, he chose to face the quickly gathering crowd of people that would soon learn of his engagement and took a deep breath. "Yeah. I guess I am."
Smiling sympathetically, Gyatso awkwardly patted him on the back. "Okay then, Aang. You'll be making your announcement in five minutes." He turned around and started walking off the balcony when he stopped himself, looking over his shoulder. "Just so you know, I am very proud of you, Aang. You have turned out to be an amazing young man. I'm proud that you are putting the world before yourself, and I know that you'll go down in history as one of the best Avatars the world has ever seen."
Aang smiled a little at this and simply nodded his thanks before resuming looking at his people who were gathered at the palace grounds below him. Even if he wasn't the happiest about the situation he found himself in, he was happy to know that he still had people who cared about him.
As Gyatso walked out, the three remaining contestants walked out in their finest clothing. "Good afternoon, ladies. You all look lovely today," he smiled and bowed to them. They all smiled and bowed back to him. "If you could just stand over there," he gestured to an open spot to the right of Aang, "then we'll begin in a minute or two." They nodded again and all lined up at where they had been told to stand.
Azula was confident. She was absolutely sure that Aang would pick her. Why wouldn't he? She knew she was the strongest of the four, and would be the best leader. To be a good queen, one would need to be able to show leadership and strength, things that she found her so-called "competitors" did not have. And it was because of that reason that she truly believed that she would win.
Ty Lee was excited. She had managed to get through this whole thing with only getting in one fight. If there was one thing she thought would happen, it was that she might have gotten kicked out for fighting with Azula. But somehow she had managed to rein herself in just enough to stay in the running, and she felt like she could win this thing. She and Aang got along pretty well, and they both had a strong optimism for life. And even if she lost, at least she had a good time competing. She had to admit, she did like him, but she would understand and be happy anyway if he picked someone else.
Jin wasn't entirely sure if she was going to win or not. Aang didn't seem to like Azula very much, but he and Ty Lee seemed to have gotten along well. Though she supposed that even if she didn't win, she was just happy that she got to know Aang. He was a really nice, funny, and charming guy. If nothing else, now she knew what to set her standards for in a man. But still, she would certainly be happy if he decided to pick her.
The large crowd of people had finally finished gathering around the palace grounds and were awaiting word from their soon to be king, wondering what he had to say. There weren't many official announcements made by an Avatar, but each one was vastly different than the other, so they had no idea what it would be.
Aang pondered how he would go about doing this. Today he was going to be crowned, but first he needed to introduce his second in command. Looking behind him, he was more than a little relieved to see his friend in his best robes standing to his left. Bumi gave him a knowing smile and cackled a little, his eye twitching ever so slightly.
The young Avatar rolled his eyes. He was laughing because of the situation to his right. Though he supposed he would likely do the same thing had the positions been reversed, so he decided to just let it go.
Gyatso came back out and made his way to the edge of the balcony, clearing his throat so that all would be able to hear him. "Silence, please! Let us all be quiet, please!" After a few minutes of the guards that were placed by the crowd urging people to be quiet, they finally ceased all talking, leaving the entire palace at a quiet hush. "Thank you," he told them with a smile.
"As you all know," he continued. "Today, Avatar Aang will officially be crowned king of our kingdom." The crowd cheered loudly at this, making Aang smile. At least his people seemed to like him. He silently made a promise to himself to be the best ruler that he could be for them. "But before that, he has a couple announcements to make."
Stepping back, he gestured for Aang to step forward. With one last deep breath, Aang took his place on the balcony and began what was going to seal the rest of his life.
Katara was already out of breath. It was rather funny, actually, this situation. It was just like the first day that she had run to get to the competition. And here she was, running again to see if she might have a chance to be with the man she loved.
Even if he rejected her, she had to try. She would never forgive herself if she didn't put herself out there. Katara wasn't one to hold in her emotions. She wore her heart on her sleeve and made it clear whether she was angry or sad or happy or mad. Everyone who knew her knew that she didn't hold anything back. Well… almost anything.
There were a few times where she did hold back. For instance, when she was young and her mother was very sick, Katara had been worried. Her mother was her favorite person in the world, and she was scared to death at the thought of losing her. But, for the sake of keeping herself together, she didn't allow anyone to know how scared and worried she was of losing her mother. She buried it so deep that only she had known about it. And thank the spirits that her mother had survived.
But this couldn't be one of those times.
Aang needed to know how much she loved him. He needed to know that she was sorry for jumping in on the fight, and that she would do whatever it took to be his queen. She just needed to put herself out there and hope for the best.
Because her Gran-Gran was right. She was a fighter. She fought for what she wanted and never gave up. Not just what she wanted, but what she needed.
And she needed Aang like nothing else before.
Finally reaching the gates, she was both annoyed and disgruntled that the gates had been closed, keeping her from getting inside. Walking up to the two guards who were guarding it, she prepared to ask them politely if she could just squeeze in when they spoke up.
"Halt! No more people may come in. The Avatar is making his announcements!" the one on the left barked.
Katara put on a pleading look. "Please, sir, I just need to-"
The man on the right spoke up. "We're sorry, miss, but no one else may enter. Even if we were allowed to, there's simply no more room for anyone else."
The young waterbender was not happy about this. She had come this far, already. She certainly couldn't give up now. No, she wouldn't. She had to find another way.
Looking around, she was relieved to see a large pond to her right. With a smile on her face, she bent some of the water from it and used it as a moving ramp to get over the gates, making the guards gasp in surprise. They certainly hadn't been expecting her to do that.
The frozen water brought her closer and closer to the balcony where she knew Aang would be. But what would she say? It was at this moment that she realized she would be doing this in front of a lot of people, but she shook her head at herself. It didn't matter. She would do this in front of the whole world if it meant that she could have Aang.
Within a few moments, she was just a few feet away from the balcony as Aang had finished announcing who his second in command would be. And now for the part he was dreading: announcing his future queen.
Somehow, he hadn't seen her as he looked down at his people. It seemed a bit ironic to him to look down at them, actually. Truthfully, he looked up to them. Everyone there were once enemies, and because of his ancestor, that was no longer the case. But he looked up to them because, although they all had their differences, they still chose to be friends and work together to have a good life. And he loved knowing that his people could work together.
"And now, for my final announcement, I am in need of a queen. We held a competition to see who would be the best fit, and I have decided that the winner is-"
"Wait!"
Aang's eyes snapped up in surprise as he looked at none other than the girl who had stolen his heart skating to him on a moving rink of ice. The crowd gasped in surprise and watched as she made it the rest of the distance and landed on the balcony, only a few feet from the man she loved.
"K-Katara?" he stammered in utter surprise. He was certainly not expecting this to happen, but he couldn't deny that his heart was pounding at seeing her again. She looked tired and out of breath, but she was still so beautiful.
"Aang," she panted a little, still out of breath from running from her home to the palace. After allowing herself a moment to catch her breath, she finally looked up into his eyes. "Aang. I… I know I messed up when I got in that fight last night, but… I love you, Aang." The crowd gasped below them, and there was a resounding echo of "Aww"s from a group of ladies below them. Katara looked at him right in the eyes, unable to read any emotion on his face other than surprise. "I love you so much, Aang. And I know that I don't deserve you but… I need you, Aang. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
There was utter silence as everyone waited to hear what he had to say to that. He was frozen in utter shock at this. He knew that she loved him, but he didn't think she loved him this much.
Katara waited anxiously for him to say something. To say anything. After a few moments of his silence, she took it to mean what she feared. He wasn't going to marry her. A few tears rolled down her eyes, but she hastily wiped them off and looked away. "It's okay. I… I understand. I just had to put myself out there. I-" she was cut off as he stepped up and grabbed her face with his hands, bringing her insistently into a breathtaking kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise at this, but after a few moments of shock sunk closed in bliss as she kissed him back with everything she had.
The crowd below them roared their approval, making the once quiet palace come alive with their cheers. Jin smiled. She could see that they really loved each other, so she was happy for them. Even if she had liked Aang herself.
Ty Lee smiled as well. She had hoped to win as well, but she was happy that she had made it this far, and after seeing how unhappy Katara had been at thinking that Aang didn't want her, decided to just be happy for the two.
Azula, however, was furious. With a snarl of contempt at Katara, who was far too busy to notice, stormed off of the balcony in an obvious rage, knocking over a vase along the way. Not that either of them noticed, they were both too lost in each other to notice anything else around them.
After a few more moments, they reluctantly pulled apart and smiled at each other. "I love you too, Katara," he whispered to her. She smiled widely and kissed him again as the crowd once again made its approval known, reminding them that they were in public as they split apart, blushing heavily as they did so.
Gyatso couldn't help the wide smile on his face. His pupil had gotten the girl he loved, after all. It seemed that Aang would be just fine, after all.
Despite his obvious blushing, Aang turned back to Katara and smiled warmly at her, the smile that she had been desperately wanting. He knew that by going against his own rule it was wrong, but he didn't care anymore. There was no way he was going to let her go again. He loved her too much.
"So… is there any chance you're interested in being my queen?" he asked jokingly, making her blink in surprise and then laugh with him before she once again kissed him.
"Of course I am, Aang," she whispered against his lips. "I have been ever since you asked me." He smiled against her lips and kissed her again before taking her hand in his and addressing the crowd.
"May I introduce to you all my future queen, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe!" he yelled to them with a wide smile on his face. The crowd roared once more, making them both smile as they looked at each other.
Gyatso, however, knew this was the perfect time to finish the announcements by officially making Aang the ruler of his kingdom. Moving up to him with a crown in his hands, he gestured for Aang to kneel before him. Aang did so and bowed his head while Katara respectfully moved out of the way.
"Do you, Avatar Aang, swear to respect your people's wishes and to do everything in your power to make the world at peace for the rest of your life?"
"I do," Aang replied, full of confidence now that he had his love at his side.
Gyatso nodded and placed the crown on his head. "Then I now name you, Avatar Aang, as the official ruler of the kingdom. May your reign be long and prosperous."
Aang stood up and faced the crowd who had erupted into more cheers. "All hail Avatar Aang!" they chanted, making him smile as he looked upon his people. Katara walked back to his side and took his hand, feeling content knowing that he had chosen her. And she would be grateful for that for the rest of her life.
