Author Note: So verdict as followed, I will continue ! I have read some of the comments and took the following into consideration is the chapter length. Before, I was splitting up chapters in order to edit them more efficiently, but since it is summertime and the only thing I do is work and gym, I will be taking more time to write since it is relaxing… which means longer chapters !
TO BE HONEST. at the moment I have no clear direction. I am winging this as I go.
Disclaimer: I Do not own Avatar or any of the bending magic because … I just don't.
Chapter 13 : Opening a Chapter
"A… wager?" The water bender questioned.
Katara tried to sound confident. She was not going to let someone knock her down and she knew that there was enough water elements to her advantage. A part of her told her to strike now while she had the chance, but another part, the more rational part, told it to be was always told to think before she acted. Sokka always whined that she was too irrational and Gran Gran kept making fun of her for jumping to conclusions about everything. However, she did get a strange vibe from General Tai and regardless of how nice he appeared with Zuko around, she could sense a dark aura that followed his presence.
General Tai smiled. It was not a friendly smile, but it was not a smirk. Instead, this little motion held something both dark and happy to it. It was as though she was facing the blood bender again and although she wanted to regard him as a friend, friend was a strong word.
"You cannot tell me that the waterbending master, teacher to the great Avatar is… afraid?"
Katara stared at the man in front of her and stood her ground soundly. If it was one thing she could not stand, it was being taunted by someone else. She did not back down when she wanted to learn real water bending and she would not back down now.
"He's bluffing," She thought, "Zuko just left and there were more servants in the castle then there were people in the water tribe. There is no way he would attack me with so many witnesses."
Yet, the person in front of her was not the same as the General in front of Zuko. This one was more agonized. It was as though at any moment he was going to break or crack, but the direction was skewed. She could sense his inner conflict and knew that something was wrong. He was neither friendly nor angry, but seemed as though his world was somewhere else.
"General Tai," Katara let out, "Don't you think we should… go into town?"
She knew that her approach was cowardly. It seemed like she was backing down from a fight and that was something she would never do. Yet, in the most beautiful garden she had ever seen, she did not want to fight. She most certainly did not want to start a war either. Maybe he had a bad day and she was just getting in the way of his duties. After all, he had many things he had to tend too… perhaps showing her through town was too much. The water bender kept trying to pull excuses out of her head but, regardless of what she said, everything sounded just like it was… an excuse.
"If you like, I can go to town myself. It is still daylight out and like we both said, I am a bending master…I'm sure that if anyone was going to attack me or anything I could always-"
"You remind me of my wife, Lady Katara," General Tai said suddenly as air broke into a chilled silence. It wasn't long until the moment grew until a dull wait between the two adults.
"I didn't know you were married," The waterbender let out as she thought about the sudden statement.
"Yes," He said as his eyes grew distant, "She had hair just like yours… which was not rare for a Fire Nation woman, however, as you seen, most of us have darker hair. It was shorter of course and not wavy like yours, but I still loved the feel of it on my hand. You know, she made me brush it every night… something about the love making it softer with every stroke. Whenever I would make jokes or challenge her she would avoid them with other details. Simple questions like 'what would you like for dinner' or 'how is the Fire Lord today?' She was such a kind soul… she cared about love," He continued with a pause, "Just like you."
The water master stared at the General and was moved by his words. He had never spoke about his personal life and the way he talked about his wife was so loving that it touched her heart. Yet, something was strange.
"Why is he talking in the past…" Katara thought, "Are they no longer together… did she move away? Maybe this was a tragic romance in the end and that is why he is so angry…"
The general didn't appear to be waiting for her response. Instead, his eyes were glazed over as though he was replaying something in his mind over and over again. He was somewhere else and Katara didn't know why, but she felt sad.
"Do you mean that she ended up changing?" She finally asked as the silence began to drag on, "Because you make it seem like she is no longer loving and sweet. If that is the case I'm sure that you two can work it out… I mean it sounds as though you love her very much and if time is a problem I'm sure Zuko will let you have some time off to spend with her!"
"Well," He replied, "time is all she has… because I suppose you cannot love when you are 6 feet into the ground."
Everything in that moment stopped. Katara didn't know what to say or what was even appropriate to ask. Instead, she just looked at the man in front of her who, at the moment, seemed to be looking past her rather than at her.
"I'm so sorry… General Tai," her voice let out, "Was she sick or-"
"It's fine," The bender respond as he turned his back toward the future lady, "I killed her after all."
Silence seemed to be a reoccurring theme in this conversation. Blue eyes stared at the broad back of the man in front of them. Neither alive nor dead, his body looked as though it was at its limit. It had muscle and definition, but no signs of love as its surface was full of scars from the past. She wanted to reach out and touched him, show him that he was not alone like she had always done for anyone in the past, however, a part of her felt as though she shouldn't. It wasn't her place to comfort him and for her stay here, he has done nothing, but sent bad vibes down her back.
Yet, love was such a strange thing. You can love someone so much that you vow to stay with them forever and in one moment, everything can change. She wasn't sure what to say anymore, but one thing she knew was that she did not want to be someone who was looking past thing.
"You…Wait, what do you mean you-"
"We should go," He interrupted, "I was never the gambling type and it seems as though this wager would never benefit me."
General Tai figure began to grow smaller as he took that moment to walk out of the garden. Katara was left alone to think about what just happened, but no matter how many time she thought about it it just did not make any sense. How can you love someone and murder them? How can you casually admit to it and why was he here if that was something he had done?
"He killed her?" she whispered as she tried to comprehend what he meant, "Maybe she was sick and he couldn't afford medicine… or…"
The water master's train of thought was suddenly stopped when a house maid came into the opening, "Lady Katara, we must get you changed and ready for your journey into town,"
Snapping back into reality, Katara realized she should not pry too much. General Tai must not be mad, "Just heart broken…" she mumbled quietly.
"What was that my lady?"
"It's nothing," the water bender replied with a smile, "Shall we hurry then? I'm thinking about dressing more casual for the walk..."
"We must ensure that you look the part of Fire Lady," The maid said
"We shall, but a more… less uptight Fire Lady! After all, if there is too much garments I will have to take them all off for the fitting… and I won't have you guys to help me get back together."
The two ladies smiled at one another. It had taken some convincing, however, Katara had finally manage to get the house staff to be more calm toward her. She was never one to sit back while others handled everything and there was no way that she could ever become use to that life. Instead, she compromised. They treated her like a friend and in return she would do the same. 'Do onto others like you want them to do onto you,' she told them as she remembered all the words of wisdom Gran Gran had taught her while growing up.
Katara had decided to not push too much about the wife situation. General Tai was just a sad man and she knew that no one wanted to be reminded of a love one who was no longer there. Instead, she looked at that moment as a learning experience toward a person she misjudged. She was getting married to someone that she fell in love with. It shouldn't be uncommon for Tai to be upset over the ordeal.
'When I lost mom," Katara thought, "I didn't want to look at any other child and mother either…"
As the two ladies disappeared into the chambers, a shadow stood against the castle pillar. His body language was defeated, but his eyes burned with a hatred so powerful, holes could be carved into the wall.
"Yes, you were just like her," He spit out, "Beautiful, kind to everyone...LOVED. No one could hate you because there was nothing to hate… So why did you make me that 'no one!'"
His hands turned white as they clutched down on his skin, "but just because two people get married, does not mean they're in love… and just because you give someone your entire being, does not mean that it's true love. Saying sorry and apologizing… how stupid can that water bender be. If sorry could change the world there would be no need for laws and hatred between others. "Sorrys" are for the weak. "
He could taste the strong iron of his blood as his mouth bite down on his lips, "love, who needs that? Who needed you… people like you, like her, that stupid water bender… they all deserve to be burned so that those lies never escape their mouths."
General Tai hit the pillar in front of him, a small dent made as he straightened himself out. He had a goal to complete, but for the moment he knew that he had to play the nice guy. As long as he was the nice one, no one would suspect him. If he was pleasant, he could go anywhere. After all, he was the right hand man, the General. Who would suspect something to go wrong with the person closest to the Fire Lord?
"That bender thinks I have a broken heart," he replied, "How can you break something that you don't have."
Taking in a deep breath he closed his eyes. Almost as though he was trying to recollect himself, he looked toward the empty hallway and sighed. He wanted to end everything quickly. Everything about Katara got under his skin and he was never sure why. The moment she stepped down the boat he lost his mind. Was it the color of her hair? Or the way she presented herself? No, it must have been her annoying sense of pride or her motivation to change everything for the better.
His hand grasp toward his heart and he paused.
"I Lost that a long time ago," he whispered quietly as he left to get ready for town.
"Lady Katara," an elder woman called out, 'You look beautiful today!"
"Thank you," the water bender replied lovingly as she got use to the bombarded comments thrown to her constantly, "You look wonderful today as well."
"An old lady like me? No !" she laughed as she walked away blushing, "I just got complimented by royalty!"
The water bender was dressed simple today. She turned down the elaborate robes and dresses because she told them she would have to just take them off to try on the wedding gown. They protested at first, but she mentioned the the staff that they would not want her to get ready by herself. She would tie things in the wrong place and ruin her image forever. Instead, she wore a simple silk dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. Instead of the usual bright red shade, she had on a light blue color that complimented her skin and gave her a small sense of home. Her gown was wrapped around her body and tied neatly into a bow in the front that gave both an elegant, but nonchalant look to it. In the end, it was her in every aspect. Flowy like the water, but simple like herself.
"I'm glad," Katara said to General Tai as she try to make a small conversation, "This gown is much more common! Big dresses and gems are nice… but back home we never had any of these luxuries. I'm glad that the counsel did not change my entire wardrobe to be red, gold, and … red"
"Well," the man replied, "You are going to be the queen one day. Your happiness is important to us and I'm sure Fire Lord Zuko is more pleased with his fiance happy than whatever the Fire Counsel may say."
"Queens and kings are only labels," Katara said, "What matters is what you do."
The bender stared at the water master. He was getting upset over her kind personality and the more he watched her interact with the towns people, the more he wanted to blow a fireball at her heart.
She was going around and shaking people's hand. She was petting children on the head and helping elders with their things. Why was she so nice?
"oomph," Katara let out as she fell forward.
She had been pushed by a pair of children who was currently playing thief. The two of them were not watching where they were going and being so young meant that they did not know people for their status and names, but rather said they were all human beings.
General Tai quickly caught her, his arm holding onto hers as the grip was a tad harder than needed. Most men would catch a girl in their arms, however, it was as though Tai did not want to even make contact with Katara. Even though the spot he grabbed was beginning to hurt, Katara quietly straightened herself.
"Thank you," she said softly as she politely shrugged off his palm.
"You," the bender yelled as he stared at the two little boys in front of them, "Watch where you are going! Do you understand who we are? Where are your mothers?!"
Katara quickly stopped him, "It's my fault," she let out, "These shoes are higher than what I'm use to," she added as she wiggled her left leg that was dressed in a high strappy sandals, "But the General is right… you guys can get hurt if you push one another, be more careful. I'm sure your moms would be very upset if something happened to their Princes"
She pat both of the boys on their head and gave them a small smile. Both of them apologized and ran off. Turning around they stuck their tongue out toward General Tai who did not look amused. It was as though she was near the hot- tempered, 16 year old Zuko again. She knew when people were upset and Firebenders practically painted 'I'm Angry' on their face whenever they were not pleased.
"Sometimes you have to be kind to little kids," The bender said, "They don't know any better."
General Tai looked at Katara, his eyes widening at that sentence as he seemed to remember something from his own past.
Everything was quiet. A small street in a small town with the scent of flowers filling the air. A woman with medium length curls was holding a bouquet of fire lilies as her other hand occupied another. The atmosphere was peaceful and it seemed as though a bubble of love was hugging the two people as they walked. In that moment they were eternal. It was as though time had stopped and no one was going to ruin the bond that they shared. The guy glanced over at the sad looking flowers in his lover's arms.
"I Don't understand why you spend money on that sad looking bunch of flowers,"
"Kids are little Tai, you have to be nicer to them. They don't know any better."
As Katara stared at the general she could see that he was no longer there. Waving her hand in front of his face she tried to call out to him. He was sweating and breathing heavy and she was beginning to worry that he was getting sick. He was too big for her to carry on her own and in this public place, she did not want to use her water bending to heal whatever fever he may have.
"General Tai, we're going to be-"
As quickly as she said something Tai grabbed her hand, his grip tightening as she could feel his temperature rise up. It was a quick pain and shocking to her. Her hand clutched together into a fist as a hiss escaped her mouth. She could literally feel her skin walking on fire as Tai continued to allow his emotion control his bending.
Much like the flow of a water bender, if you allow yourself to be angry the water will not bend smoothly. She understood by watching Zuko that a fire bender had to be very careful with their own emotions. If they were too angry steam would come out of their body. The fire would be untamed, dangerous, and even deadly. The mere touch of it could burn your skin to no end. Water was more forgiving, but no matter how forgiving it was, if you were not calm the water will not bend the way you want it too. Unlike air and earth, fire and water were more unpredictable.
"OF COURSE THEY DON'T" He yelled as though he was talking to someone else, "Of course you would show love to those ankle biters! You always tried to be nice to everyone even when they didn't deserve it, but what about me? WHAT ABOUT ME?!"
Feeling a slight tingle on her wrist, Katara realized that General Tai was slowly burning the surface of her skin. She let out a small yelp and tried to calm down the bender in front of her, however, the more she whispered, the more she realized that the man she saw was no longer in a sane sense of mind. Instead, his firebending was being affected by his mood.
Slowly, people were beginning to gather which made Katara sweat. She did not want to use her water bending in public and most certainly did not want to take down General Tai in front of all the citizens.
"Zuko worked so hard to get them to trust him… to trust in peace," The water master thought as tears begin to pool in her eyes, "But I have to do something quick."
"General- T-Tai," The bender called as the heat grew worse, "I Do not want to hurt you please let go."
Katara's voice was low yet commanding and just as she finished her sentence, the grip on her arm let out. Her wrist were now red, but the pain of the whispers were stronger than the pain on her skin. She had to think of something quick before the entire ordeal became a disaster. General Tai must have realized what had happened because his skin tone began to fade to a ghostly white.
The water bender moved the gold bangle that was on her forearm to her wrist so that the burn was at least covered. Looking around she can see the widen stare of their people and grew a blank on what to do.
"I APOLOGIZE," Tai screamed as his eyes remained glued to the floor.
Katara placed her hand on his shoulder, "It's okay I'll heal it when we get back to the caste," she mentioned as she noted that she needed a body of water to soak in, "lets not make a scene," she replied softly as she tried to think on her feet.
"Thank you," Katara laughed, "for showing me how your dad would react!"
The townspeople looked at one another. The master bender was hoping that they would believe her white lie and if they did not they would still pretend that they did. As she continuously laughed and patted Tai on the back the feeling of worried began to fade from the eyes of the people and a more light expression replaced it. They were beginning to buy the idea of Tai's anger being fake and Katara was going to make sure that they did.
The water bender continued to look around and asked random citizens if they thought it was real too. Laughing calmly with him, everyone eventually began to believe in their future Fire Lady.
"That was quite a show"
"I Almost thought it was real," someone replied.
"No way, who would attack lady Katara?"
"Fire Lord Zuko would have their head!"
"You should go into the arts General Tai!" A woman laughed
Everyone responded positively as they began to walk away and the two benders began their journey once more. It was an awkward silence because no one knew what to say. Katara wanted to ask Tai what had happened, but as she glanced at the man beside her she could see in his eyes the tint of sadness that was lingering in his stare. It stayed quiet and that was how it would remain as they saw Iroh standing outside the bridal store.
"Katara! Tai!" he gleamed as he saw the two, "why the long face?"
"Nothing," Tai replied quickly as he bowed to the old man, "If you are capable, I will take my leave."
" Of course," Iroh replied, "We don't' want you to falling love with our Katara in her wedding gown."
Iroh laughed at his cheerful humor, but Tai was not in the mood for any jokes. Instead he gave a small smile at the old man.
"Yeah." he said softly with one last bow.
They waited for him to walk far enough before looking at one another. Iroh grabbed Katara's wrist to pull her in, but notice her cringe. Taking a pause he lift back her bangle and saw the small red scarring beginning to show. His eyes squared in on the surface that was now a deep red on her tan tone..
"Katara,: he said in a low tone, "What happened? These are fire burns."
"Nothing," The water bender replied, "I can heal them."
"But burns are different…. you said you needed special water to heal Zuko's burn, these will only fade to a dull pink… I believe you'll need to soak them multiple times. What happened? Were you guys attacked?"
Iroh knew that Zuko would not touch Katara in such a way which left one retreating general. Katara explained what had just happened and intensely, Iroh listened, his happy appearance fading to a mere glister. At the end of the entire story, Iroh remained quiet. He was thinking, but he did not want to appear bias on the matter. In every other case, if someone attacked a royal family member they would be fired and worse, possibly banished.
"Are you okay?" The elder man asked.
"Yes," Katara tried to reassure him, "I'm fine! It barely hurts…. I think General Tai is mourning and something I did or said made him remember something painful. We all have those moments..."
"Zuko will not-"
"I know…" Katara said, "I'll explain it carefully to him to…"
"Katara, here in the Fire Nation… we don't give many second chances." The fire bender let out.
"But isn't this a period of change?" The water master said softly, "I don't want anyone else to be hurt by the old rules of our world…"
General Iroh looked at the young lady in front of him. He always had a special spot for Katara and believed that her and Zuko would make the perfect pair. His hot tempered nephew needed a cool bride by his side who would not only support him, but keep him in his place. Patting her on the head he smiled at her.
"That is why you are going to make a wonderful Fire Lady… Zuko's mother would be pride."
The two benders stood outside for a little while longer when a store clerk finally came out. They were shocked and quickly tried to rush the two indoor for they were now late for their fitting. Giving their apologies and smiling toward each other, Iroh and Katara did not want to push the matter anymore. Instead, the water bender was merely worried about how Zuko would react.
Deep in the castle, a man stood against the wall, his body defeated and his head hung down. He was angry and sad, his palms covering his face as a single drop of water made its way down his cheek.
"URG!" He screamed as he began to shot fire in every direction, "I Almost ruined it…"
He wanted Katara to believe that he was merely a sad man. If he could get that to happen, she would be less suspicious of him and therefore allow him to finally put an end to this happy harmony.
"And she still forgave me…." He mumbled with pure hatred laced on his tongue, "How can that girl…. be so similar to Kana?"
Author Note: AND THAT'S THE END OF THE CHAPTER ! Sorry you guys, I'm a tad sick at the moment and I'm not allowed to look at the computer screen for too long due to an eye problem that is currently healing. However, I tried my best to get this out and hopefully it's longer than the last few chapters…. MW always makes me feel like "WOW I did so much!" and then boom. FF tells me I didn't. LOL.
Stay tune for what will happen next:
How will Zuko react to the story? Will he remained his teenage persona or finally grow into the man he always wanted to portray.
What will Iroh and Tai do when they are face to face with a dark past?
Weddng Bells journey?
