Chapter 25
4 Years after the Hundred Year War
Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se
Not long after Zuko and Ty Lee had left them alone, Katara managed to come up with some vague pretense to leave Azula's company for a while. There were no urgent matters for her to attend to, like she had told the princess, no… but there was the matter of Azula's upcoming birthday, and that had filled Katara's head with a very specific idea. She wanted to procure a birthday gift for the princess, but not just any old gift. Katara was desperate to find something that would convey the depth of her feelings towards the other girl. This was the reason why Katara was currently walking the streets of the Upper Ring, perusing the select few luxury stores, set up to cater to the refined needs of the Ba Sing Se elite and their guests.
Deciding on Azula's gift was no easy task, but Katara had developed a good enough understanding of the other girl to make an informed decision. Azula definitely enjoyed luxury, but it seemed that she still preferred things to have some practical purpose instead of simply being shiny and pretty. Katara spent a while at the two jewelry stores, wondering if anything there would strike Azula's fancy, but eventually decided that a gift of jewelry would be too unimaginative and obvious. It had not escaped Katara's notice that during her house arrest, Azula had been reading a great deal, and when she spotted a store boasting of a large collection of rare books and manuscripts, Katara knew that she had found the winner.
There were no other patrons inside the store when she entered, not surprising for these exclusive places catering for the richest of the rich. She immediately found herself subjected to the full attention of the store's owner, a slightly chubby middle aged lady with a happily purring cat resting in her arms. "Welcome, welcome!" the woman smiled at Katara as she entered the store. The shopkeeper squinted at her a little before gasping in surprise. "Oh my, you're that young war hero, aren't you? Master Katara!"
Katara smiled at the amiable looking woman. "That's right," she replied kindly. "I was hoping you could help me."
"Nothing would delight me more than being able to help you, Master Katara," the shopkeeper gushed. The cat seemed to be far less thrilled about it all and actually began hissing at Katara. The owner of the store set the disgruntled cat down and then shooed it away. "Now, how can I help you?" the woman asked.
"I am looking for a birthday gift for a friend," Katara explained.
"Books make for wonderful presents, it is the best choice you could make, Master Katara," the shopkeeper readily agreed. "Now, what kind of literature does this friend of yours prefer, poetry or prose?"
Katara frowned, having trouble deciding. She had seen Azula reading both, long novels and poetry compilations. Poetry seemed like the more romantic gift, however. "Poetry, I believe," she replied.
"A splendid choice! We have a wonderful selection of poetry right here," the woman gushed as she led Katara to a pair of heavy bookshelves, groaning under the weight of all the books crammed into them. "Now, let's see if we can narrow down our selection. Perhaps if you would tell me more about your friend and their tastes..."
"Well, perhaps... something Fire Nation themed?" Katara ventured hesitantly.
"Fire Nation, lovely," the woman smiled. "Please don't be surprised, Master Katara. Merchants cannot afford to play politics, and many of my most valued customers are diplomats from the Fire Nation embassy. Besides, I know that you are good friends with the young Fire Lord. Dare I presume this gift is for him?"
"No..." Katara blushed lightly. "But it's for someone close to him," she added, not quite willing to mention Azula's name. Sure, the shopkeeper appeared open minded, but it was one thing to be accepting of the Fire Nation in general, and another thing entirely to be forgiving to the girl who had conquered the capital for the Fire Nation.
"I see," the shopkeeper nodded, starting to examine her vast collection. "What else can you tell me about the preferences of your friend? Would they prefer something romantic, or something deep and tragic?"
"I think she is actually something of a secret romantic," Katara chuckled to herself. "She is very interested in history, military history in particular. And I think she has a flair for the dramatic."
"Oh! In that case, I know just the thing!" the shopkeeper's eyes lit up with joy. "I have been keeping this book for a special occasion, as it is very rare! This is 'Night of Cleansing Fire' by the legendary poet Huranga."
"Hmm... what is it about?" Katara asked, feeling uncertain.
"It is an epic set during the Camellia-Peony War, a fascinating love story between two girls from rivaling clans," the woman explained. "It is very highly regarded for its historic accuracy, and strikes the perfect balance of history, politics and romance."
"Sounds good," Katara smiled at the shopkeeper, admiring the beautiful looking book, bound in soft and expensive looking leathers, the pages made from thick and coarse parchment which felt very pleasant to the touch. For added feeling of luxury, the words had been committed to the pages with gold ink. "Hmm... does it have a happy ending?" she suddenly thought to ask. She didn't really fancy giving Azula a book in which two girls in love perished tragically, that would send all the wrong signals.
"Well, it depends on what you consider a happy ending," the shopkeeper shrugged. "They fail to stop the war between their clans and are renounced and exiled by their clan leaders, but their love survives through it all, and their relationship thrives in exile."
Just like what that fortune teller told me, that my family would renounce me, Katara swallowed uncomfortably, but her mind was already made up, despite this grim sign. "It sounds perfect, I'll take the book," she managed a smile at the shopkeeper. "How much is it?"
"Oh... I could not possibly ask for a payment from our beloved war hero," the shopkeeper shook her head vehemently, as if she had been personally offended.
"But this book is extremely valuable, as you told me," Katara did not relent. "I have to compensate you for it, somehow."
"Well, there is a way, Master Katara," the portly owner of the store smiled at her. "You could write down an endorsement for my store, which I could then hang in the window. It would draw more and more customers to my little old shop!"
"Oh, I would be glad to!" Katara grinned, holding on to her newly acquired present as she followed the excited looking shopkeeper, producing a large piece of parchment, ink and a quill for the young waterbender. "What would you like me to write down?"
"Hmm... how about, 'I'm Master Katara and this is my favorite store on the Upper Ring'?" the shopkeeper asked hopefully.
"That sounds wonderful, and it is also the truth," Katara laughed as she quickly scribbled the words down on the parchment. "Are you sure this is enough recompense?"
"It is more than enough, Master Katara," the shopkeeper smiled at her. "Thank you so much for allowing me to help you! And I hope that your friend enjoys her gift!"
"I'm sure she will... and thank you so much!" Katara smiled as she bid farewell to the shopkeeper and then hurried back to the Royal Palace, hoping that Azula would not have become too anxious about her absence. There was a definite pattern of the princess not reacting well if she didn't know where Katara was and what was keeping her, some sort of insecurity that Katara knew they would need to get to the bottom of.
Once she got back to her quarters at the palace, she gently secured the book in the drawer of her desk before setting off to spend more time with Azula. Later in the evening, she hoped to compose a few verses of her own to add a personal inscription for the princess, also to make it perfectly clear how she felt for Azula. Katara knew that she was no poet, but she was most definitely in love, and being in love supposedly made everyone into a poet... not necessarily a good one, but still.
As a final touch, sometime during the night, she planned to sneak into the room of the sleeping princess and leave the gift on her pillow, where she would find it upon waking up the following morning. Truly, Katara had it all figured out.
Azula woke up on the morning of her nineteenth birthday with the distinct sensation of her nose pressing up against something hard. She reared her head, blinking her sleepy eyes when she noticed a large object about the size of a book resting on her pillow. All sleep was immediately gone from her eyes when she realized that it had to be her birthday gift, and the sea blue wrapping paper made it clear as to from whom this gift was.
Eagerly, Azula sat up cross legged on the bed as she tore off the wrapping paper, revealing the leather bound tome underneath, the princess gasped as she read the author's name and the title. It was Huranga's 'Night of Cleansing Fire'! Huranga was her favorite poet, and she had grown up reading his amazing military epics, a source of much national pride for the Fire Nation, but there was one of Huranga's books that she had never managed to get her hands on, and now Katara had gifted it to her. She remembered having spotted a copy of the book in her father's private library, but she had never been given access to it.
With trembling fingers, Azula opened the book, blinking when she noticed that Katara had left an inscription on the first page which had been left blank for that very purpose. Astonishingly, it... was a poem. Katara had written her a poem. She eagerly read through the lines, her cheeks reddening as she did so.
Powers volatile at her fingertips
Lightning awakes in a rising storm
Emotions kindled in her burning heart
Behind those golden eyes, a fire
Underneath it, Katara had signed the poem by intending to write 'Yours, Katara'. The waterbender's handwriting was rather atrocious, which was not a big surprise to Azula. Katara had been illiterate for most of her life, having learned to read and write only well into her teens, and thus her handwriting still left a lot to be desired. She had done an admirable job to keep the poem itself readable, but when it came to signing the poem, her hands had clearly started to tremble. The letters r and s had merged into one, and a larger ink stain had swallowed the last three letters of her name, and Katara had then turned the blot into a smiling cat face. As a result, the words underneath the poem said 'Your Kat'.
All in all, it was the sweetest, most thoughtful thing that anyone had ever done for Azula in her entire life. As she sat there cross legged on the bed, tears began to well in her golden eyes as she clutched Katara's gift against her chest, allowing herself to cry freely.
The meaning of the gift did not escape Azula. Katara was opening her heart to the princess. This was Katara's way of telling Azula that she liked her. Perhaps even... loved her? And now the question was... did this finally give Azula the courage to make her own confession?
That was the big question on Azula's mind, and she still hadn't found the answer to it by the time the birthday party in her quarters was well underway. It was an occasion that Azula might have enjoyed if it was just her and Katara, perhaps with the inclusion of Zuko and Ty Lee, but unfortunately, the Avatar had also somehow managed to invite himself, as had Katara's brother and his bossy Earth Kingdom girlfriend. Having to deal with all these people, some of whom were clearly suspicious of her, while still struggling with her overflowing emotions regarding the waterbender, all made for a rather exhausting and frustrating experience for Azula.
With Katara overseeing the proceedings like a hawk, at least everyone acted with a degree of civility, even Aang and Sokka, the two who seemed to be the least trusting of her. They were also the only guests who had showed up without any gifts, not that Azula wanted anything from those two. Azula supposed that she would eventually have to learn to tolerate Sokka, after all, he was Katara's family. But at the same time, Sokka was such an annoying blockhead that she couldn't figure out how Katara could be related to someone like him. She also couldn't believe that he had somehow managed to hold on to his girlfriend who was clearly at least several leagues above him.
Suki, the leader of Zuko's guards, clearly did not like her one bit, but Azula could understand that, she had done the Kyoshi Warriors very dirty during the war. As the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki had been forced to deal with many of Azula's escape attempts. During their many encounters, Azula had learned that the girl from Kyoshi Island possessed a very mean right hook, and when she engaged in chi-blocking as taught to her by Ty Lee, Suki always made sure to make the experience particularly painful and uncomfortable. Azula could respect that approach.
Together with Ty Lee, Suki had also brought her a gift, a collection of scented candles and burning incense, something to remind her of the homeland while she spent months away in the cold and drab North Pole. It was clear that the whole gift had been Ty Lee's idea, but at least Suki had gone along with it, probably with Ty Lee's, or even Zuko's urging.
Aang was probably the one person that Azula wished to be rid of the most. He wasn't even being hostile to her, but the princess was simply getting annoyed by all those lost puppy stares Aang was shooting in Katara's general direction, clearly still hoping to win her back. Of course, it made Azula bitterly jealous, and of course, it made her more determined to confess her feelings to Katara, once this damnable birthday party was over and done with.
Frowning, as she watched Aang trying to get Katara's attention again and again, the princess could not figure out what in the world had attracted the waterbender to this snot-nosed bald brat. At least Katara had possessed the good sense to end their relationship with the last airbender... although judging by how often Aang discreetly stepped aside from the group, perhaps it was more accurate to refer to him as the last windbreaker.
Azula was glad for her brother's presence at the party. While in many ways, he was still the same old awkward turtle duck, she could not deny that he had truly grown to become a respected and charismatic leader of people. It still didn't come naturally to him, the way it had come to her, but he was getting better and better at it. And Zuko had given her an amazing gift, one that almost made her excited about going to the North Pole so that she could make use of it. The gift in question was a traditional thick Water Tribe parka, but in the bright red and orange colors of the Fire Nation. Even Katara had gushed about how beautiful it would look, admiring the remarkable craftsmanship.
And finally, there was Katara. Azula could not stop thinking about the waterbender's gift and the poem she had written. It still amazed the princess that the waterbender's poem was actually really good. It must have taken Katara a lot of effort to come up with something that fit Azula so well. Azula wasn't even certain that she could do better, but... hmm, now there was a thought! Maybe she should answer Katara's gift with one of her own, also a book with an inscribed personal verse. Yes, that seemed like a good way to impress Katara.
However, Katara's gift had also created a certain tension in the air between them. Azula actually felt relieved for having other people in attendance, because whenever she had to speak with Katara, she would find herself stumbling and stuttering, completely unlike herself, and Katara seemed to be suffering from the same problem. The waterbender seemed very anxious, almost as if she was worried whether Azula had enjoyed her gift. Couldn't she see that Azula was absolutely delighted by it? All those cautious little glances they cast at each other, those shy smiles when their eyes met... couldn't Katara just tell the way Azula felt about her? Did she really have to go through with this public declaration of her feelings? Surely they could dispense with it. Even when the chance of rejection seemed to be shrinking, Azula still could not quite find the courage to open up completely to the other girl.
But, as the party slowly drew to a close and the guests began to depart one by one, with only Katara lingering behind, Azula knew that there was no chance of her avoiding the imminent conversation. Once they had been finally left alone, Azula forced herself to face Katara, finding the waterbender standing close by and looking at her with uncertainty in her large cerulean eyes as she wringed her hands nervously.
"Azula?" Katara finally spoke up, her voice trembling slightly with hopefulness. "Did you… did you like my gift?"
Azula swallowed heavily. Damnation, why was this so hard? "I... it was... good," Azula managed lamely, then cursing herself when she noticed that Katara appeared a little disappointed about her lackluster response. Why couldn't she just say the truth that it was the best gift she had ever received from anyone?
"I was so certain that you would love it," Katara sighed, looking saddened. "Perhaps I could still trade it for something else that you would enjoy more," she offered.
"No!" Azula exclaimed sharply. "No, I... don't..." she managed, but the rational part of her brain seemed to have bailed on her, and regardless of what she was trying to say, the only thing that came past her lips was incoherent babble.
"Azula, is there something you would like to tell me?" Katara asked, more directly, as she took a step closer, giving the princess her best encouraging stare. Azula could not hold her gaze, turning away. The princess found herself in a state where she couldn't say much, if anything. Fear and all of her other hidden insecurities had induced a near paralytic state that rendered her close to irresponsive. "Azula, please..." Katara whispered, pleadingly, tears welling in her eyes.
Something broke within Azula at the sight of Katara's tears. Maybe she couldn't say the words that Katara longed to hear, but... she could instead show Katara how she felt. A shudder ran through Azula as she surrendered to her instincts. She moved like lightning, grabbing Katara and tackling her to the ground, landing on top of the stunned waterbender. Without giving Katara a pause, Azula slammed her lips over the other girl's in a heated, blazing kiss, channeling all the emotions pent up in her.
She had no idea how long the kiss had lasted as time seemed to have lost its meaning. Still, when Azula realized that Katara was kissing her back, and doing so with equal fervor, the reality of what was happening suddenly hit home, and it hit her very hard. With a gasp, Azula pulled away and jumped up to her feet.
"Azula, I-…" Katara tried to say something, still lying prone on the floor, but Azula could not hear. Her temples were thundering with the onset of another panic attack, triggering her instinct to flee, and she did so as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the waterbender's desperate appeals for her to stop.
A/N: I am not a poet, so the best I could do for Katara's poem was to steal some song lyrics and slightly rearrange them. The song in question is 'Lilac & Violet' by Miracle Of Sound. It's a song I've listened to extensively while writing this story.