Chapter Fifteen: Dreams in Shadow

"And tell Zuko that I'm not wearing a red dress to my wedding!"

"Okay."

"And tell him I want Aang there."

"Okay."

"And--"

"OKAY!" Sokka turned, his face screwed up into a scowl. He opened his mouth to yell at his sister but when she looked at him, her blue eyes tearing, his shoulders slumped and his expression turned sympathetic. "Look, Katara," he said gently. "I'm not entirely thrilled about you marrying Zuko, but you'll be happy, and that's what counts. And even though you're not one of those graceful princesses or gaudy ladies, you shouldn't worry. You have Zuko and the twins. Calm down."

Katara sucked in a breath and then nodded. She was a bit high strung. After all, she hadn't been able to see Zuko for a week now. And it seemed she would have to wait for the Fire Festival to even get a glimpse of him. At the moment, all she could do was pass messages to him through Sokka. And that was beginning to fray on her nerves. Sokka's, too.

"You're right," she said. "I've been so worried about everything, I haven't given myself a chance to calm down and think." And she really needed to think. She and Zuko had been unable to figure out the riddle in the book and she sensed they were running out of time.

As Sokka was leaving, Ty Lee entered Katara's rooms, the twins following close behind. As their aunt's stomach increased in size, the two began to follow her more and more, watching her in an almost anxious way. Now, however, they were smiling, skipping behind Ty Lee, each clutching a handful of flowers.

"There she is," Ty Lee said warmly. When the twins dashed around her, she laughed, eyes glowing. "They're so cute," she said, turning her attention to Katara. "I don't see how you can give them up for even a minute."

Katara chuckled and watched as her children began to place flowers all over her room. "Sometimes, it's good for a mother to part with her children...if only so that they can bring flowers back to her." She looked at Ty Lee. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Ty Lee waved an impatient hand. "I'm doing fine but Sokka..." she trailed off and shook her head. "He's getting more and more anxious every day." A warm laugh escaped her. "It's all I can do to keep him from trailing me like a pup."

Katara laughed with her sister-in-law. "I know what you mean. When I was pregnant, I had to make up stories to get Sokka to leave me alone. He was always hovering."

"Men," Ty Lee muttered. "You'd think we were the only women to have ever gotten pregnant."

"And when it finally happens, they faint!"

The two women tittered conspiratorially. Though Katara had never been really close to her sister-in-law, she was beginning to get to know the charismatic acrobat more. She was, in fact, a very fun-loving person and perfect for Sokka.

After a moment, Ty Lee sobered, frowning. She put a hand to her stomach, grimacing.

Katara stood. "Cramp?" she asked. Ty Lee nodded. "Oh, well just sit down and it will pass. I used to have them all the time when I was pregnant. Here." She motioned to the bed. "Is it your lower back?" Again, Ty Lee nodded. "Well, just lay on your side and I'll rub you for a bit."

With a sigh, Ty Lee waddled to the bed. After a moment of indecision, she lay down on the bed and turned onto her side. "This is annoying!" she exclaimed. "I want to move. I want to dance! I want to do somersaults again!"

Katara chuckled as she sat down on the bed and began to run her sister-in-law's back. After a moment, her children climbed onto the bed and sat next to their aunt, eyes wide.

"Why aren't you using waterbending?" Ty Lee asked after a moment.

Katara smiled slightly, still messaging her friend. "Waterbending can fix the cramp, but it's not as soothing. Besides, this will help with all your restless energy and lull your baby into a quick nap."

"Thank goodness." There was a pause. "Should I be this big?" she asked after a moment, her voice just a whisper.

"I don't know," Katara answered with a sigh. "I had twins, remember? At this point, I don't really know."

"Girls," Mitsuko suddenly whispered, eyes on Ty Lee. "Pretty hair and eyes."

"They move like smoke in water," Sunil chimed in softly.

Katara stopped suddenly, eyes flying to her children, shocked. "How...?"

The twins smiled mysteriously and then curled up, eyes still locked on Ty Lee. Katara frowned and pulled a bit of water from the waterskin secured at her hip. She teased out a ribbon and set it above Ty Lee's stomach. After a moment, the water began to glow and Katara smiled.

"They're right," she whispered. "It looks like Sokka's not going to get a son."

Ty Lee began to move, trying to sit up, but Katara gently pushed her back down. "No, no. Don't move for a moment; I just got the girls settled. Just lay here for a while; get some rest."

Ty Lee took hold of her arm. "Don't tell Sokka. He'll be so disappointed."

A small, gentle laugh escaped Katara. "Don't worry, Ty Lee. Sokka will spoil those girls rotten."

The acrobat sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that." After a moment, she laughed and patted the bed. "Come on, Katara; you might as well take a nap with us."

Katara glanced at her children and found them fast asleep. What oddities they were. After a moment, she nodded. A nap would be good.

"Please don't go."

He placed a hand gently on her smooth cheek. "I have to go; I must."

She buried her face in her hands, her curtain of black hair falling forward. "What will I do if anything happens to you?" she asked tearfully.

He moved her hands away and tilted her chin up to look into the depths of her smoky gray eyes. "I'll be back, I promise you." And then he kissed her sweetly, desperately. Within a moment, he had turned away. "Remember, I love you more than life itself. I will return to you." And then he was gone, leaving her behind in the large, empty mansion. He was off to war, off to fight those who threatened the Fire Nation.

The letter came nearly a year later, when it was too late to follow her love. Though they had loved one another more than life itself, she could not leave her child. She could not leave the happy boy who played blissfully nearby. A single tear began a flood which ceased only when the sun rose. She stood, determined. She would help those who lost their wills, who lost the meaning to their lives. Now, if only she could find hers.

...Katara smiled blissfully at Zuko, her fingers intertwined with his. This, she thought, was happiness.

"Please...please free me."

She frowned, glancing around the darkened corridor. "Hello?"

"I am here."

Katara whirled, only to find herself alone. Fear speared through her, flowed through her veins with every frenzied heartbeat. "Zuko? Zuko!" But no one answered.

"Please, help me."

In the shadows, a man appeared before her, golden eyes so much like Zuko's. He had the tones body of a soldier, but the sould of a poet. He gazed imploringly at Katara. "Please, help me."

Afraid now, Katara backed away, but she felt for this young man, whose life had been cut so short. "How?" she whispered.

"She is trapped," the young man answered, growing anxious. "She waits to be freed." Sorrow flickered across his pale face. "And I wait for her."

"Where?"

The man began to fade. "She waits where she can gaze across molten seas. She waits for me, the soldier who promised to return. Save her, young one. Save her and save the world I left her to protect." And with that he was gone.

Katara lifted a hand, wanting him to return. But it was too late. She found herself in a vast field, lit afire by the dying sun.

"Why?" a voice snarled. "Why do you stay here? Why do you side with the enemy? Do you not remember what was done to your world? To your mother? Why!?"

"Who--?"

Mist began to billow through the field and Katara shrank into herself. A slim figure drew closer, shrouded by the fog. "You have sold yourself to the enemy and you shall pay for your treachery."

As the wind began to glow, Katara caught a glimpse of a blue arrow crossing a scarred hand. "Aang?" she breathed.

A harsh laugh rang out. "A traitor," the stranger hissed. "A traitor to his people." Suddenly, light fell across the stranger and Katara shivered. Blue eyes, as blue as a cold winter sky, stared back at her malevolently. "Who are you?" she breathed.

Another laugh sounded. "I am he who brings death on the winds. I am the one who will destroy the Fire Nation for what they have done. And you cannot stop me."

The stranger lifted his hands and the mist began to close in on Katara. Desperately, she tried to bend the water droplets but found she could not. It drew closer and closer, trapping her in an endless field of gray...She shook her head. There was something...something she needed to remember...what...?

"Katara!"

Slowly, Katara opened her eyes. A fog settled over her mind, bringing confusion and a vague sense of danger. Frowning, she shook her head and looked up. Zuko stood by her bedside, frowning with concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

Katara pressed at her temples, trying to remember her dream. "I'm all right," she murmured. After a moment, she frowned, eyes suddenly clearing. "What are you doing here?"

Zuko stepped back, assured now that Katara was fine. "Mitsuko and Sunil found me and dragged me here," he answered with a small laugh. "They can be quite determined."

Katara sighed and caught hold of Zuko's hand. She brought it to her cheek. "Well, I'm glad they brought you." She glanced around her chamber. "Where are they?"

Zuko nodded towards the twins' room. "They fell asleep almost as soon as I got here; I carried them to bed."

Another contented sigh escaped Katara's lips. "Good."

The two stayed like that for a moment, Katara laying on the bed, hand keeping Zuko's against her cheek, Zuko standing as close as he could. After a moment, however, the Fire Lord reluctantly pulled away. "I should go," he whispered gently.

Katara turned her large sapphire eyes onto him. "Please don't go," she whispered, unconsciously echoing a voice from her dreams.

Her soon-to-be husband smiled and nodded. Without another word, he joined Katara on the bed and pulled her into his arms. "Better?" he asked in a whisper.

Katara nodded. Oddly, she had needed him to stay. She had felt, for an awful moment, that something bad would happen if he left her. "I love you," she said softly.

"I love you, too."

The two slipped into sleep, their dreams pleasant and sweet. They were safe in their dream worlds, never knowing the spirits which called silently in the night.

So did you like this chapter? It was a bit sweet at the end, wasn't it? Well, if you liked it (or didn't, whatever), please review, okay?

Once again: Please review!