Katara stared down at the vast ocean below her, mesmerized by the soft light reflecting off its surface
Katara stared down at the vast ocean below her, mesmerized by the soft light reflecting off its surface. She always liked the sensation of flying on Appa. The feeling of the wind licking at her face and the occasional spray of water rising from the sea stirred an exhilarating sensation in her.
Aang hopped back onto the saddle with her, content that Appa was flying in the right direction.
"Are you cold?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Not terribly," Katara responded, shivering slightly.
Aang smiled, warmed his hands up, and began to gently massage her arms. She smiled dazedly, closing her eyes and feeling the subtle heat Aang was generating from his hands.
"Do you think my father will approve?" Katara asked, touching the betrothal necklace around her neck, feeling the recesses and curves Aang had painstakingly carved.
"I'm sure he will" Aang said, still massaging her. In truth, Aang had been worrying about this since he had asked Katara to marry him. He knew Hakoda fairly well, and hoped that the wise warrior would accept Aang as a son-in-law. Still, he had lingering doubts that Hakoda would bluntly refuse. "Katara accepted, so will he," Aang thought, "and plus, you're the avatar, if you're not good enough, who is?"
This notion reassured Aang, and he shrugged off his worries.
"I love you, Aang," Katara whispered silently, as if to give him further strength. She opened her blue eyes halfway, gazing longingly at Aang.
"I love you too Katara," Aang said back to her, kissing her gently on the lips. He began to pull away, but Katara pulled him back towards her, continuing the kiss.
They pulled apart after a minute. Aang had ceased his massaging and proceeded to wrap his arms around her waist. Katara, now sitting across his lap, arms around his neck, looked up at the bright blue sky, thinking about whether or not her father would approve of her and Aang as well. "He approved of Sokka and Suki," she thought to herself, "he should be fine with Aang and me."
"I can see the Southern Water Tribe, Katara," Aang said, bracing himself for his encounter with Hakoda.
Katara gulped and continued to reassure herself that it would be fine as Appa began descending.
Appa touched down and Aang slid down his back, Katara in his arms. Setting her down lightly, they greeted the many people who had assembled at the sight of them.
Hakoda emerged from his home at the sound of the commotion outside. Seeing Aang and Katara, he smiled and walked forward to greet them.
Seeing her father coming toward them, Katara rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"Dad, it's so great to see you!" Katara exclaimed.
"It's great to see you too Katara," he said. "And you as well, Aang," he added as Aang walked over. "Why are you two here, though?" He asked, confused by their unannounced arrival.
"Dad, we need to talk to you about something," Katara said, keeping her voice slightly lowered.
"Of course," he said, a little worried by his daughter's secretive behavior. "Come inside and we can talk about it."
The inside of Hakoda's ice hut was heated by a roaring fire, making it much warmer than the frigid weather outside, and Katara and Aang relaxed a little with the heat. They both sat on a couch near the doorway, Katara gripping Aang's hand in hers tightly.
Sitting down opposite his daughter and the avatar, Hakoda prepared for the worst. He knew Katara and Aang had been together for more than seven years already, and that they weren't the innocent kids they used to be, and all manner of situations went through his head.
Katara sat silently, nervously fumbling with the hem of her dress and gripping Aang's hand tighter still.
There was an awkward silence in which the three of them looked at each other. Hakoda looked confused, Katara looked nervous, and Aang kept glancing around the room, avoiding Hakoda's gaze. "You had something you wanted to tell me?" Hakoda asked, trying to break the silence.
"Chief Hakoda, I've asked your daughter, Katara, to marry me," Aang said quickly, exhausting a heavy breath. He sat in anticipation of Hakoda's response.
Hakoda remained silent for several seconds eying the two of them carefully. Then he began to laugh heartily, understanding why they were so nervous. After a few seconds of laughing, he regained his composure.
"So you two want me to approve of your marriage?" he asked, a joyful look dancing in his eyes.
Katara nodded, biting her thumb and wrapping her other arm in Aang's.
"Of course I approve," Hakoda stated. At this, Katara threw herself onto him in a tight hug, tears of joy starting down her face.
As she pulled away, Hakoda took her new betrothal necklace in his hand and examined it carefully.
"It's supposed to be air and water in harmony, I know it's not that good," Aang said, assuming Hakoda's silence was a sign of disaproval.
"This is very well done, Aang, don't be so modest," Hakoda returned, handing the necklace back to Katara.
"Now, let's get to planning this wedding," Hakoda said.
He went into an adjacent room to get paper and ink. Aang looked lovingly at Katara, and Katara at him, both of them sharing the same thought. "We're going to get married Katara," Aang said, and with that they kissed each other, noticing that Hakoda had closed the door to the room he was in, giving them some privacy.