Zuko and Katara spent the next couple of days in a silent agreement not to mention their accidental sleepover. But a tension had grown between them, and they had both struggled to push away the new feelings that were suddenly overwhelming them. Zuko found himself unable to push Katara from his mind, and he often caught himself staring at her, admiring the way her hair fell softly around her face, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, the way firelight danced across her bronzed skin, casting a glow about her… he had begun to notice every little detail about her and it was driving him crazy. He valued his friendship with her more than almost anything, and he didn't want to lose her just because his feelings for her had changed.
Other than the awkwardness that had arose between Katara and Zuko, the days past rather uneventfully, and they day before the ball had snuck up on them. Dignitaries from the other nations had begun to arrive, and the palace was bustling with all the new arrivals. Zuko managed to distract his mind somewhat, as he was expected to greet and entertain the most important arrivals, but he had arranged for he and his friends to spend a couple of days on Ember Island at his family's beach house after the ball. Aang had practically been non-existent as the guests began to arrive, but nobody held it against him this time. Both Iroh and Hakoda had found themselves constantly meeting and greeting people, and even Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Toph got cornered occasionally by someone who wanted to meet the famous war heroes.
The afternoon before the ball, Suki and Ty Lee cornered Katara outside of her bedroom on her way down to breakfast, yanking her down a side hall and down a less used staircase.
"Wha- what's happening?" Katara asked in confusion.
"What are you wearing to the ball tomorrow?" Suki replied, dragging her through the hallways.
"Um… I'm not sure, why?"
"You don't know?!" Ty Lee exclaimed, aghast.
"Uh… no. I hadn't really thought about it, to be honest."
Suki frowned at her and shook her head. "Well, Sokka and everyone from the Southern Water Tribe are wearing their warrior gear, and Ty Lee and I are wearing our Kyoshi Warrior armour. You however, have the benefit of choice. So… we thought we'd go shopping and find you a jaw-dropping gown to wear."
Katara made a face at her soon to be sister-in-law. She had assumed she would just wear one of her nicer Water Tribe outfits, but she supposed wearing a lovely gown wouldn't be at all terrible. The eagerness with which Suki spoke however, made her wary. "What are you up to?"
Suki and Ty Lee grinned at each other mischievously and led her out of the palace.
"What about Toph? Why don't you play dress up with her instead?" Katara protested, her unease growing.
Suki snorted. "We asked Toph if she wanted to come, and she said she'd rather attend naked than be forced into a frilly party dress."
"So why are you forcing me?"
"Because you have someone to impress," Ty Lee said slyly.
Katara groaned and cast a glare at Suki. "What have you been telling her?"
"Only that you and Zuko are perfect for each other, even if you won't admit it yet."
"We aren't… we're just friends!" Katara exclaimed, growing exasperated.
"Then why does he keep staring at you like you're the most magnificent thing he's ever seen?" Suki replied, raising an eyebrow. "And why do you blush like crazy every time you catch him?"
Katara gaped at them, at a loss for words. Since their nighttime adventure she had noticed that his eyes lingered on her more often than they had before, and every time she turned and met his gaze she couldn't help but remember how it felt to be tangled up in his limbs, or how badly she had wanted to kiss him. But she refused to act on her sudden desires and ruin her friendship with her best friend. She wasn't even sure if what she was feeling was real, or just the product of everyone's speculation finally starting to seep in to her mind.
Suki and Ty Lee took her silence as consent, and half-dragged her through the palace gate and into the Caldera City that surrounded it. Katara resigned to her fate, though she had to admit that she was looking forward to wearing a beautiful gown. She rarely got the chance to doll herself up, and a royal ball was definitely the best opportunity to do so.
Together they wandered into the shopping district of the city, and headed towards a dress shop that looked promising. They had several lovely gowns in the window. And from what they could see from the outside, they specialized in garments from Water Tribe and Earth entered the shop and began perusing the gowns.
"Oooh, look at this one!" Ty Lee exclaimed, holding out the skirt of a soft pink gown decorated in a floral design.
Suki frowned. "It's pretty… but I think it's more your style."
"True… maybe I'll buy it then. I can wear it to your wedding!"
Suki laughed and returned to the dresses before her. She pulled out a dark blue dress with white fur trim that reminded Katara of the styles she had seen in the Northern Water Tribe.
"What about this?"
Katara wandered over to take a closer look. It was a lovely dress, but it had long, sweeping sleeves and was made of thick material and fur. It would be far too warm to wear.
"It's nice, but I don't think it will work. I'll melt in this," she said.
They looked through every dress in the store, but Katara found something she didn't like about all of them. She appreciated that the store sold clothes in the Water Tribe style, but the truth was that the Fire Nation was just far too hot for them. They left the shop empty-handed, and continued their search. Suki found another dress store not too far from the first, though this one looked to mostly have Fire Nation style gowns. Katara shrugged and suggested they at least look, so they went in.
The moment they entered they knew the gowns in the shop were probably worth more than they could afford. Everything was made from beautifully embroidered silks and lace, and every last detail on every gown was perfect. Ty Lee picked up the sleeve of a nearby gown and inspected the detailed embroidery on the hem.
"This is real spun gold," she breathed, in awe of the garment.
A finely dressed woman wandered over to them, eying them all in turn, obviously wondering if they had entered the store by mistake. "Can I help you?" she asked, her expression doubtful.
"Yes actually; we are attending the Anniversary Ball tomorrow evening and my friend here is in need of a gown," Suki said, pushing Katara to the forefront.
The woman raised her eyebrow at her, her judgemental eyes peering at every inch of her, from her thick, wavy hair to her casual Water Tribe tunic and pants.
"You three are attending the ball? At the Royal Palace?" the shop woman asked, sounding incredulous.
Suki's eyes narrowed, and Katara grabbed her wrist to keep her from flattening the woman.
"We happen to be guests of honour, and close personal friends of Zuko's," Suki remarked, glaring daggers at the woman.
"You are friends with Fire Lord Zuko?" she replied, emphasizing his proper title.
"Yeah, we are," Ty Lee said, jumping in to back up Suki. "This is Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, hero of the Hundred Year War, master Waterbender, and the reason why Azula is behind bars."
Katara flushed at Ty Lee's words, feeling as though all these titles made her sound far more impressive than she really was. But a flicker of recognition crossed the shop woman's eyes, and her attitude swiftly shifted as she realized that Ty Lee's boast was not a lie. Katara had to admit, it felt good to be recognized.
"Oh! Oh my… I recognize you from Fire Lord Zuko's coronation." Her gaze fell on Suki and Ty Lee once more, and her eyes widened. "You two as well… I see… my apologies. I did not realize…"
Katara exchanged amused looks with her friends, and for a moment they enjoyed watching the woman squirm. But Katara's empathy took over and she stepped forward, speaking kindly.
"I would really appreciate it if you could help me find a gown worthy of a royal ball."
"Y-yes! Of course, I would be honoured!" the woman said, bowing slightly. "Come."
She brought Katara over to a rack of dresses and began pulling out several that she thought would suit her colouring and shape. After she had gathered an armload, she let Katara over to a changing room, handing the dresses to her one by one as she tried them on. Each dress was more beautiful than the last, but this time it was Suki and Ty Lee who were the picky ones. Every dress was either too formal, too conservative, too plain, and Katara began to think she would never find a dress.
Katara was losing hope as her options. She put on a dress with a silk underlayer in deep red that flowed loosely around her legs. Overtop was a gossamer overlay in shades of light red and orange, that made the fabric look like a flickering flame. The overlay draped over her shoulders and cascaded down the underskirt, cinched at the waist by a gold belt. The back of it was cut low, showing off the tanned skin of her back, and the neckline draped gracefully over her bust. It was sleeveless, but had golden bands that she had secured on her upper arms that tied the whole garment together. She had slipped on a pair of silk shoes in a deep red to match the underdress. Comparatively she thought it was rather simple in design, as it lacked the same elaborate embroidery and patterns as the other dresses, but as she caught her reflection in the mirror, she realized that this was the dress she wanted to wear. It didn't need golden embroidery or elaborate patterns; She looked like flame come to life, and the way the garment cinched and hung in all the right places made her look like a radiant goddess.
She tentatively stepped out of the change room, hoping her friends wouldn't verbally destroy this gown too, but instead she was met with silence. Everyone in the shop, including the other customers, had stopped to stare, awe etched on all of their faces. Katara felt her cheeks go red, and she looked to her friends for their opinions. Ty Lee seemed to be close to tears, and she had her mouth covered with her hands. Suki was staring at her with her mouth agape.
"Well?" Katara asked timidly.
"Sooooo pretty…." Ty Lee whispered, causing Katara to giggle.
"Katara… I mean… WOW. If you don't wear this dress, I will break up with Sokka," Suki said, looking her up and down.
Katara laughed, casting her gaze back to her own reflection. She barely recognized herself; she was mature, graceful, beautiful, and sexy all at once. She had worn lovely dresses before, but this particular gown seemed to have been made for her.
"What should I do with my hair then?" she asked, confirming her intent to purchase the dress.
Suki clapped excitedly, and the saleswoman rushed off to a jewelry counter, returning moments later with something in her hands. She quickly twisted the top layer of Katara's hair into a knot on top of her head, similar to the Fire Nation style, and slipped in a delicate hairpin into the knot. It was gold, shaped like a flower with pointed petals, and had tiny, sparkling beads of red cascading down from the base of the flower. The woman then split her remaining hair into two equal parts, quickly braided each chunk, and then casually draped the braids forward over her shoulders to keep her hair off of her back.
"If you wear it like this, it will show off the back of the gown, and the red beads in the pin match the dress," she said, moving aside so Katara could inspect her work.
It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. She inquired after the price of the gown, shoes, and hairpin, finding that, while absurdly expensive, she could actually afford it all. Though Katara suspected the woman may have given her a discount to make up for her rude behaviour when they walked in. After Katara changed and paid for everything, she thanked the shop woman profusely, and promised to return the next time she needed a gown. Once they were done, she, Suki, and Ty Lee headed out of the shop and back up to the palace.
Katara immediately returned to her room to hang the gown and lay out everything she needed for the next day, then strode over to the door and rang the bell to call Akame. After several minutes there was a knock at her door, and Akame entered, bowing slightly.
"How can I help you, Ma- um, Katara?" Akame asked, catching herself before she used Katara's title.
"I was just hoping that you would be able to help me get ready tomorrow evening. I could use some help styling my hair and maybe a bit of makeup," Katara replied.
"Oh! Of course, I would be happy to. Do you have everything picked out already?"
"I do! Come see."
Katara led her over to the wardrobe and pulled out her dress. Akame gasped softly, then reached out and ran the gossamer through her fingers before catching herself and pulling her hand away.
"It's beautiful my Lady… er, Katara. You will look radiant in it, I am sure," Akame said as Katara hung the dress back in the wardrobe.
"Thank you, I hope so! I will be wearing that hairpin as well."
Akame's eyes fell on the vanity table where the hairpin lay, and she smiled warmly. "It's lovely. I cannot wait to see it all put together."
"Honestly, I'm kind of nervous," Katara confessed, crossing her arms over herself.
"Nervous? How come?"
"I don't think I've ever worn anything quite so grand, and I'm certainly not used to people staring at me. I just hope that I can pull it all off, and not end up making myself look like a fool. A lot of the people who will be there tomorrow night are diplomats, royalty, and people who are far more accustomed to a lavish lifestyle than I am. I mean… the ballroom is larger than my entire village. I'm just a girl from the South Pole who happened to be swept up in an epic adventure to save the world; I'm not even in the same league as some of these people."
Akame gave her a curious look, then reached out and patted Katara's arm gently. "Trust me Katara, you are better than most of them. The common folk, people like me who only ever see these grand people from a distance, we don't care about their fancy clothes or titles. We respect the ones who are just and kind, and actually care about their people more than their luxuries. That is why the people of the Fire Nation love and respect Fire Lord Zuko so much, and it is why the common folk will love you. Who cares what the 'grand' people think. They are only a tiny fraction of the world, isolated in their little bubble of finery and ignorance. You are the kind of ruler people want. Someone who came from a small, unknown village and made a name for herself by helping people and making the world a better place. You are the kind of person who will actually care for the people you rule."
Katara was moved by her words, and she smiled gratefully at Akame. "But… I'm not a ruler, or anything like that. I just train new Waterbenders."
"Aren't you though? You are a hero of the Hundred Year War. People around the world know your name and tell stories of your deeds. Even if you aren't ruling a city or a nation, your word still carries influence."
"Akame… thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate your kind words."
"I only speak the truth," she replied with a grin.
Later that night Katara lay in bed, feeling restless. Akame had made her feel more confident in herself, but what she hadn't told her was the fact that she was also nervous about how Zuko would react when he saw her in the gown. She couldn't figure out why that would make her nervous, yet she kept finding herself hoping he would find her as beautiful as she had felt wearing it. No matter how hard she tried, she could not stop thinking about the night they had spent together or the way her stomach dropped every time he was near. Despite her best efforts not to, she had started to believe that her feelings for him were stronger than merely friendship.
She rolled over, pulling the blankets up under her chin. Suki, Iroh, and now even Ty Lee all seemed convinced that she and Zuko were more than friends. Aang too, now that she thought of it. She had seen the pining looks he had given her, and the jealous glares he had sent towards Zuko. If everyone else seemed to see something there, was she just fooling herself into believing they were wrong? She sighed, willing herself to push the thoughts from her mind. Tomorrow would be a long, eventful day.