"Did you hear? The Fire Lands prince is getting married. And to the Water Land princess," said a peasant. "She's agreed to it as well and with it, all the land she possess will belong to the fire nation. A shame that is. And just when the water tribe had hope."

Aang went in the other direction, not wanting to hear it. Over the last few days the rumors spread and they all ended with Katara marrying Zuko. He didn't want to hear it, not at all. His best friend marrying his worst enemy? He knew that Katara didn't agree to it, she was forced. They kid-napped her after all. That had to be it.

He'd gotten over his crush on her, he knew she was too old for him. He really just thought of her as a sister now, but that was just it. He didn't want his sister to marry Zuko as much as Sokka did and he really didn't want him to.

He got to their camp, where his friend was using a tree marked with an X for target practice. Sokka was mumbling to himself. Every other word was 'kill', 'Zuko', 'hurt', 'Katara'. It would've been comical actually, if he didn't feel the same thing.

Aang came over with a sack, dropping it at his friend's feet. Still grumbling, Sokka dropped to the ground and opened it. He took out a piece of bread and bit into it like it was the thing causing his anger.

Momo came over for his dinner, Aang giving him a piece of fruit that he accepted eagerly. Appa waddled over as well, looking for something to eat. But the air bender just sat down and didn't eat any food and didn't even look at his companions.

Sokka looked up from his rambling and over to his friend. "You alright?" he asked. "You're not eating."

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten in two days. You have to eat something soon."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not." Sokka sighed. "Look, I don't like this either. But, at least we know she's alive and well. That's better than she would usually have it. I mean, hey, I hate the fact that she's marrying Zuko. It's not like I like it that she'll be his wife and if he touches her...oh, that's another reason for me to hurt him!"

"Calm down, Sokka," Aang replied. "I know. She's like a sister to me too. I want her back as much as you do."

The older boy sighed. "Yeah, I'd like that too. Still, we can't really just go into the fire nation and take her back. That's suicide."

"Maybe not," came another voice.

They both looked up in shock. The voice came from the trees. Instantly they shot to their feet and where in battle stances. "Who are you?" Sokka asked.

"Do not be startled, I bring you no harm," said the voice, before it came out of the trees.

Katara looked around the room she was given. It was very large and was more than just a bedroom. There were cushions everywhere to sit on, tables and nice trays to put food and tea on, and a number of places where you could fall asleep. There were actually four rooms in the suit and the one she walked into was just the one.

The second one, that was to the side was the wash room, everything in it that a bathroom had, except for the bath part. The third one, adjoining the second, was the bathroom. The tub was very large and looked more like a pool than a tub. The room was lined with marble and it was obviously expensive.

She went back into the main room and into the next one, where her actual bed was. It was low to the ground like most, but a canopy around it came down from the ceiling. The curtains were pulled back at the corners so she could see the bedding. The sheets and blankets were all red, and a deep one at that. The pillow was a long cylinder and when she touched it, she knew she'd sleep well with it.

"Princess?" came a voice.

Katara looked up to see who it was. The person standing there was a young girl, maybe a year younger than herself. She looked timid and plain, wearing an apron and her hair in no particular way. Her red dress was short and she wore pants underneath, like Katara used to when she'd travel.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I was told to be your personal servant. My name is Nira. It's an honor, my princess," she said, giving a small bow.

Katara almost burst with joy. Finally, a female companion that didn't hate her. She smiled and stood up. "Oh, thank you," she replied. "What does a personal servant do?"

Nira looked up with a little surprise, but answered her question. "I assist you with anything you might need, like preparing your baths, helping you to dress, doing your hair and serving you meals. That's what I do for visiting ladies."

She nodded. "Alright."

"Would you like me to draw your bath this evening, princess? You did have a long journey."

"Oh, no, I just want to go to bed."

"Then I'll get you a nightdress," she said. Again, she bowed and then went over to another door. She went inside and then came out a moment later with a piece of clothing in her arms. "Should I undo your hair first?"

She sighed. "Why not? Go ahead."

When she didn't move, Nira cleared her throat. "You have to sit down for me to do it, my princess," she said, looking down with a blush.

Her eyes widened. "Oh!" Katara replied. "Right."

Katara went over to the vanity standing at the wall and took a seat on the stool. After Nira laid out her outfit on the bed, as she saw in the mirror, the girl came over and started to remove the items from her hair. One by one, the combs and clips fell out and Nira carefully put them on the vanity, picking up a brush.

"Should I brush it and put it up for the night?" she asked.

She nodded in reply, and Nira began to brush through her already perfect hair. "You have such beautiful hair, princess. And you are very beautiful. It is no wonder the prince chose you for his wife."

Katara looked to the ground, and didn't reply to that the wa she wanted to. "Yes."

"Have you known him long?" she asked.

"Two years, about," Katara replied. "He just asked me a few days ago."

"That's when his highness received news about it," Nira continued, pulling her hair back into a simple bun. "You are very lucky. You'll be the queen of two nations. And just think about your heirs. They will be most powerful, water and fire benders..."

Katara blocked out her voice after the last comment. Her eyes widened and she realized something she shouldn't have forgotten about. Heirs? That was right, she'd have to have children, Zuko's children and that mean... Her face flushed at the thought of it. But, that's what she would have to go through on her wedding night, wouldn't she? She was pretty sure that royalty liked to have children as soon as possible after marriage and she was in line for it.

Oh, she really had a few things to sort out.