Nobody's Listening
Chapter 17: Matrimony, Part 1
By KirariSoldier
When it's early in the mornin-
And my heart is feelin' lonely-
Just thinkin' bout' you baby got me twisted-
Don't know why I take it, just know it's drivin' me crazy-
Don't know if it's right, got me tossin' n' turnin'-
When it's early in the morning, it's makin' it so I can't sleep-
Just thinkin' bout' your beauty, it makes me breath-
Hopeless in my home-
Don't know what to do I think I'm in love-
Then what am I fellin-
What am I doin' wrong-
Frankie Jay (feat Baby Bash), "Obsession"
She had recieved a proposal of marrige, and the love of her life back all in one day.
Katara sat on a chintz chair infront of a tri-fold mirrored vanity. Her asorted cosmetics lay askew in front of her. A small jade container holding liquid eyeliner, a small brush to apply it with, several other containers holding facial powder, cheek colour, lip colour.
She looked into the mirrior, gazed upon her relfection and sighed.
Her reflection was that of a 15 year old girl turning into a sixteen year old woman. Shiny, auburn colored air that flowed down to her thighs, fair skin tone, deep, ocean colored orbs that enchant any person that gazes into them. She closed her eyes and took a deep sigh. "Married?" She questioned herself as she picked up a wooden brush and ran it through her locks. "Me, a wife?
Cooking and cleaning? Caring for children?" She asked herself.
Aang stood outside of her door, listening intently, drinking her every word. "But it would be nice to have a normal life..." She trailed as her strokes with her brush became slower. "Mebey it would be best if we where married..." She convinced herself. Her brush strokes slowed until they slowed. She sighed and dropped her brush as Aang quickly opened the door.
"Katara..." Aang said quietly as she slowly walked to her. "Oh, Aang... It's you..." She said as she bent over the arm of her seat to retreve her brush. "I needed to see you again..." He said as he came up to her, wrapped his arms around her from behind. Katara giggled. "Aang..." She said playfully. "Happy Birth, Katara..." He said as he presented her with a small box. She took the box in her tiny hands, slowly opened it, and gasped at it's contents.
"AANG! OH MY GOD!" She said in disbelief as she almost dropped the container. Inside it held a golden ring, with a giant diamond in the middle. "Where did you get that!" She almost screamed.
"Chill... Chill..." He said as he took the box from he posetion. "It's a gift, for your birthday. Happy Sweet Sixteen!" He said as he took the ring out of the box, and slid it onto her engament finger.
"I - I can't accept this. It's too much." Katara said as she tried to take the ring off her finger. "No,
Katara, you deserve it!" Aang said. Then suddenly a mail courier burst through the door. "Miss Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, I have urgent news! Three rolls of parchment from the head of your village and his mother!" He said in a panic. "From Father and Gran Gran? Father came home!" She said, with much exitement. "Yes! Now please, take this parchment, I must be on my way!" He said as he took the rolls out of his messanger bag and handed them to her.
The man bowed, and left as quickly as he arrived. Katara hurridly unraveled the parchment, slid her cosmetics off of her vanity, and rolled it out onto the surface. Her eyes scanned the first scroll. Then the second, and finally the third. And by the third she was in tears. "Katara? What's wrong!" Aang asked as placed an arm around her shoulders. She snatched up the roll, threw it at Aang to read, and then ran to her bed, and covered her head with her pillow to muffle her sobs of agony.
Aang's eyes widened in fear, and the parchment slipped from his hands in shock. He too fell from his standing postion, and leaned on a wall for support. Niether of them spoke. Aang simple regained his compousure, stood,
and left the room with out a word of good bye. Katara reemerged from the pillow, gave a scournful look that the rolled up parchment, and fell back onto her bed.
The sun was slowly setting, her room steadily darkened. She watched the shadows dance accross the ceiling,
waiting utill the sun was completely beyond the horizon. She then fell into a trouble ridden sleep.
That folloing morning, every one, including Suki, had mounted Appa, and they had left Elysion. The trip back to the South pole was going to be a painfuly silent one, Katara thought. Katara just sat, staired out into the vast nothingness of ocean, and let her mind slip away... She dreamed she was free. Free from worries, free from danger, free from Zuko... Free from Zuko? Where did that come from? She thought to herself.
It was a three day long trip back to the South Pole, and when they arrived, they had been greated by a giant Fire Navy warship at her village docks. When Appa had finally landed, Katara was taken away by her father, grandmother, and five other men from the water tribe. She was lead to a newly pitched tent, that looked extavagent.
"Your Majesty, her is your bethrothed." Her father, a well built man in his early thirties, greeted Prince Zuko.
"You! You are my bethrothed? The girl who helped the Avatar almost destroy me!" He spat, his words spittle on Katara's face. She backed away in disgust, but was no sooner pushed foward by her father.
"Your Mejesty, I am very sorry for any injury that my Daughter may have inflicted on you or your navy,
but if we are to seal this alliance, and you to gain your father's place on the throne, this is the only way."
Katara's father gave a deep bow, along with her grandmother. Katara clenched her teeth, anger seering through her viens. "Very well. Take her away, I wish to see her no more than I have too." He said, spittle once again ejected from his mouth. Katara gave a mental sigh and walked away with her father, grandmother,
and the Water Tribe gaurds.
Katara's father, Isamu, walked into his tent, an elegant quaters fit for a king. Katara soon followed her father.
She slowly walked into the tent, scared, frightened. "Katara, it's been so long." He said as he greeted his only daughter. She looked down, her bangs sheileding her eyes from view, and silent tears leaked from her azure eyes. When she did not answer, her father took her chin in his hand, gently pulling her face to look up at him. Only to be greeted by a teary eyed face of a waterbending princess. "Katara, why sheed tears? You knew this day was coming since you could remember. And remeber how you dreamed of it. Always talking of how you would live in a giant palace, servents tending your every whim." He said as he whiped away her tears, only to have more fall from her eyes.
"I remeber... " She said as she whiped her face with the cuff of her sleve. "But I have fallen in love..." He father froze.
"Love? What are you talking about?" He asked, anger slowly surging. "With who have you betrayed you bethrothed for!" He spat. "Th- The Avatar, father." She said, lowering her eyes. "The Avatar? Are you kidding me! You know you are to marry Zuko and yet you go ahead and flownce the duty to your people, to your nation! Like you are just some common girl of the streets!" He yelled as he pushed her into a chair. "I'm sorry father!" She sobbed loudly as she covered her face with trembling hands.
"Tommorow, by Decree of law of the Southern Water Tribe, you are to be wed to Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. Then he will escort you to the Fire Nation capitol, Shinji Fukai, and you will become the Fire Nation's new Empress!" He snarled,
and Katara gave a frightened yelp. "Do you understand me!" He demaned as he grabbed a handful of her hair. "Yes"
She said, pain over taing her body. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" He demanded more fiercely this time, tightening his hold on her hair, ripping some from it's roots. "YES!" She screamed in pain as she was thrown to the floor.
"Now, to your quaters!" He yelled. And with that, Katara ran out of the tent, and to her own quaters. When she got there,
Suki was sitting on a bed opposite hers, and was combing her hair. "Hey Katar-" He stopped as she saw her state. "What happened?" She asked, concern in her tone. Katara did not answer, but simply threw herself at her bed, and sobbed herself to sleep.
To Be Continued...