Aang waved a hand in front of his friend's face, giving Sokka a confused look. "Um...are you alright?" he asked. They stood in the village, in the major trading center of it. The three stood with the person they'd come to visit.

The older boy's eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped to his feet, but he still nodded his head at his friend's question. In front of them was none other than the female warrior Suki. Only, she didn't look the same as she did the last time they saw her.

She was out of her warrior garb, in regular clothing. But, her dress wasn't like a regular peasant's and she didn't hold herself like one either. Her hair, that was usually up, was let down. It came to her shoulders, where it framed her face nicely. The white make up was taken off, leaving her skin on her face to be seen, which was actually pale to begin with. Her eyes were brighter and the outfit made her look like a higher up lady.

She raised an eyebrow at Sokka. "What? Never seen the granddaughter of the village elder?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"He rules the village?" Rinoka asked.

"Yes, with my grandmother of course," she replied. "Did you need something?"

"Well..." Aang started.

"Have you heard the rumors concerning Katara?" Rinoka asked, adjusting Momo in her arms. "Her being the Water tribe princess?"

"Of course," she replied, waving her hands to the crowds. "It's been all that everyone's been talking about. Come with me. We'll talk while we head to my house," she said, heading in a direction that was farther into the city.

They followed obediently, and Rinoka came up next to her. "What are the things you have heard?" she asked.

"She's princess of the Water Nation," she said. "And half brothers with porcupine here." She pointed her thumb behind her, in the direction of Sokka. "Not only that, she's marrying Prince Zuko. No offense, but the guy's creepy. I don't think she's doing it willingly."

"We figured that one out too," Aang replied. "Do you know where she might be?"

"No," she replied. "But, since the wedding's in two days, I'm thinking that she's in the Fire Nation's capital."

"It's that soon?" Sokka butted in, coming up next to her. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You didn't ask, boomerang boy," she hissed back with a glare, stopping when they came to the front of a rather large building. "And I thought you might know. Why are you coming to me for help, anyway?"

"Well, you're friends with Katara, sort of," Aang replied. "And, we need as many people as we can get to get her back. We wanted to know if you could help us."

"Go with you, and kidnap her back?" she asked. "You do know, that four people, a flying bison and a lemur aren't gonna pass Fire Nation defenses. How do you even plan on getting there? There's no way that you'd get anywhere near there without them noticing."

"We have a plan," he replied. "But we need one more person to help with it."

"I'm listening."

Katara was in the middle of her afternoon tea when there was a knock on the door. She looked up from her conversation with Nira. Actually, Nira was talking and she was listening. But then the door opened without either of them saying anything and she straightened at who it was.

Zuko appeared calm in the surroundings he was in, for a change. He held himself straight, but it was more relaxed. She assumed it had to do with the fact that he wasn't wearing his regular armor, but a traditional outfit of a man.

"Oh," Nira said with a blush. "I'll just be in the next room."

She bowed graciously to the prince before she went into the bedroom area of the room. Her fiance came over and sat across from her. She looked to the table, not daring to look him in the eye. After all the thinking about their wedding night, she was becoming more and more shy around him.

"Did you need something?" she asked, taking a sip from her cup of tea.

"I was seeing where you were," he replied. "You didn't leave your room all day, so I assumed you were feeling ill."

She shook her head. "I've been busy this morning. I was going to head outside to the garden. I wanted to see it before, but I had to head to bed."

"It's alright," he replied. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. "I'm sorry."

The statement made Katara look at him. "What?" she asked.

He sighed. "About my sister. I should have warned you about her. She's...not exactly my best friend."

"I could tell," she replied. "Why does she hate you so much?" With that, he looked up and raised an eyebrow. "I mean, it's obvious. She completely and entirely despises you. What made her that way?"

"It's always been like that, since we were younger. We've been like that since I can remember. The only time I've ever really seen her happy was when I was banished. Now, it's like she hates me twice as much. She doesn't like the fact that I'll rule some day. It's my birthright. I was born first."

"And with you banished, she could take the crown," she finished.

"She knows she really can't do anything to me," he continued. "So when I was freed from my title, she rejoiced. She hates you because you're the reason she's not in line for the crown anymore. If I didn't marry you, she'd get the crown."

"I guess I understand. But I've never hated my brother, I wouldn't know what it's like," she said, looking off to the side. "We aren't even full siblings."

"The one with the boomerangs?" he asked, sounding as if he was trying to remember.

"His name is Sokka," she replied, giving him an annoyed look. "And Aang is our other friend's name."

He blinked in thought. "Oh."

"You don't really like observing your surroundings, do you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and giving him quite the look.

When she did, he gave her an equal one. "No."

"And you don't talk much either. You'll be an interesting husband."

"Ha, ha," he stated. "I also came to talk to you."

"Really?" she asked. "Why?"

"Because, if we're going to be married, we should at least know each other a little better," he retorted, crossing her arms. "It's only right."

"Okay," she said. "I'll start. I'm sixteen, my favorite color is blue and I like colder weather. I love flowers, water bending and practicing my fighting skills. When my mother was killed two years ago, my brother and I left to find a place for ourselves in the world, when we found Aang in a giant orb of ice and freed him. He became our friend and with his bison Appa, we started traveling to the north pole. Well, we were until this whole predicament."

"This is not my fault," he replied.

"Well, it is, sort of," she stated. When he gave her a look, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, why don't you tell me something now?"

"I'm eighteen, and my favorite color it red. I don't really care for fire bending, but I'm good at it and I like fighting as well."

"Anything else?" she asked.

"You know everything else," he replied.

Again, she rolled her eyes. "That got us far," she said. Then her eyes lit up. "You said you like fighting in a duel, right?"