Just under a month this time! I am prone to horrible bouts of writer's block… but lucky for you, I have most of the story finished. It's just this chapter and the next one that weren't/aren't done. But hey, this is longer than the previous chapter, so that should make up for it, right?

As promised, this chapter is dedicated to those who correctly guessed the story Katara was telling at the beginning of chapter nine: The Poisoned Doughnut of DOOM, Daughter of Horus, Mad-Hatter-L-Carol, The Laughing Phoenix, B, Gryffindor Princess, and silver-eyed. Major thanks, of course, goes out to everyone who reviewed.

Enjoy!

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Sense and Sensibility

---Chapter Ten: The Seven Deadly Virtues---

The day of the date of the Fire Lord's Engagement Ball (as Lady Junbi had titled the event on the invitations she sent out to all nearby nobility) was filled with excitement, servants rushing around the palace frantically, and Lady Junbi issuing orders with every other breath as the final preparations were made.

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Katara studied her reflection in the mirror just outside the ballroom. The dress Zuko had given her the night they'd first kissed fit perfectly. The royal blue silk was a richer color than she normally wore, but Katara looked good in just about any shade of blue. She regretted slightly that the high collar hid her engagement necklace, but there was nothing that could be done about that. Vana had helped her arrange her long hair in an elaborate bun, held in place with hair clips shaped like seashells.

Each of the candidates entered the ballroom as their name was announced. Katara was last. She felt like a peasant again as she stared at the elaborate, red and gold decorations, which glowed even more by the light of the multi-tiered chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. Katara was grateful for the dress Zuko had given her, because everyone around her was dressed in finery that nothing else she owned would have equaled. She didn't mind looking bad in her own right, but Zuko would have looked bad when he announced their engagement had she been dressed in something else. She didn't think he would have cared, but it was still better this way.

Everyone stopped chatting and turned to the door when the Fire Lord's entrance was announced. He gestured that they should go back to what they were doing, but no one did. Zuko grimaced slightly. He spotted Katara in the crowd and approached her. The courtiers automatically parted to leave a path for him. Katara curtsied when Zuko approached, smiling as she rose. The corner of Zuko's mouth quirked upward. "May I have this dance, your highness?" he asked, using the appropriate title only for the benefit of those around him.

"Of course, your majesty." She curtsied again. He offered her his arm, and they moved to the middle of the dance floor, right below the chandelier. The musicians began to play.

This wasn't the first time they'd danced together. Zuko had been required to dance at his coronation ball, and he refused to dance with someone he didn't know. Of the few girls present he did know, Katara was the best height match (Toph was too short), so they had reluctantly danced together. This… this was different. It wasn't until their third dance that either of them spoke. By then the courtiers had relaxed again, and several other couples were dancing around them.

"When are you supposed to make the announcement?" Katara whispered.

"In an hour or so. I wish I could just tell someone and have them announce it to the world. It would be so much easier."

Katara smiled. "Did you see Vana dancing with the Earth King?"

Zuko blinked. "No. Is that who she's dancing with?"

"Yes. I think he's quite taken with her."

Zuko smiled slightly. "I don't think Lady Ming-Ming will like that."

Katara laughed. "No, she won't."

"I haven't seen your brother. He's not making trouble, is he?"

"He promised not to after Suki threatened him. They're dancing too."

Zuko sighed in relief. "That will keep him busy."

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At last the time for Zuko to make his announcement came. He was escorted to the specially prepared platform by his uncle and Lady Junbi. The court waited expectantly, and they were let down just a bit when Lady Junbi stepped forward first. "On behalf of the Fire Lord, I would like to thank you all for your presence tonight. I also want to thank the five ladies we've had as guests for the past two weeks for their delightful company. And now, Fire Lord Zuko, son of Ozai the son of Azulon the son of Sozen, will announce his chosen bride." She stepped aside. Iroh nudged Zuko forward.

Zuko really, really wished that Lady Junbi had not included his pedigree in her introduction, but there was little he could do about it now. He cleared his throat. "I have chosen Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe as my…" He swallowed hard. "As my bride and your future Fire Lady." Katara had been standing at the side of the platform, and Zuko helped her up. The crowd applauded, for the most part. Rumors had flown for the past two weeks, and few disapproved of the Fire Lord's choice.

Lady Ming-Ming let out a noise of dismay before turning on her heel and exiting the ballroom, going into the garden. Vana whispered an excuse to the Earth King and followed her.

Zuko and Katara also exited the ballroom, ushered out by Lady Junbi, who insisted that they go into her office to begin plans for the wedding. Iroh was caught in the crowd as courtiers began to congratulate him on gaining such a lovely niece-in-law.

Kanai continued to stare at the now-empty platform in shock. Lani smirked. "Serves you and Ming-Ming right," she said airily before wandering off to the buffet.

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"Ming-Ming," Vana called out as soon as she caught up with the noblewoman.

Lady Ming-Ming turned around with a scathing insult on her tongue. Vana slapped her.

Ming-Ming stared at her. "How dare you!"

"I should have done it long ago," Vana replied. The older girl's brown eyes narrowed, but Vana's green eyes were blazing. She slapped Ming-Ming again.

"What position indeed," she spat, intentionally reminding Ming-Ming of the conversation the girls had had shortly before Katara's arrival two weeks ago. "Princess Katara is twenty times more a noble than you will ever be, no matter who you marry."

Ming-Ming gaped at her. "You have no title or position either, or have you forgotten?"

Vana glared at her. "No, I haven't. I just found that other things are more important. Katara knows, Ming-Ming. She knows what you tried to do to her."

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who paid the servant. I only provided the plant."

"I've confessed and been forgiven, by Katara, the spirits, and myself. No one else knows, but if you do anything to Zuko and Katara besides congratulating them, that can be changed."

"You would bring yourself down with me?" Lady Ming-Ming asked in amazement.

Vana nodded. "I would, because it would be worth it."

"You would risk a good marriage with a mildly wealthy man just to see me suffer?"

Vana laughed. "Ming-Ming, I would risk marriage to the Earth King to see you brought to justice."

Ming-Ming sniffed. "Easy enough to say when it's so unlikely."

"Actually, my dear niece, I was quite impressed by Miss Bei Fong earlier tonight."

Vana curtsied deeply. Ming-Ming turned around to meet the rather stern eyes of her uncle. "Your majesty," she murmured as she sank into an appropriately low curtsey, "you must surely be joking."

Kuei eyed his niece. "I must assure you, Lady Ming-Ming, that I am not. I don't know what secret the two of you share with Princess Katara, and I'm not going to ask. However, I plan to leave tomorrow, and I think it best that you return to the Earth Kingdom with me, Lady Ming-Ming."

Ming-Ming kept her anger in check. "Of course, your majesty," she said as she curtsied again.

The Earth King smiled at Vana and offered his arm. "Miss Bei Fong, I would be most delighted if you would return to the ball with me."

Vana fought the urge to laugh at the expression of ill-concealed horror on Ming-Ming's face. "It would be my pleasure, your majesty."

She did, however, allow herself a small smile when they heard Lady Ming-Ming scream in fury.

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Zuko and Katara, on the other hand, were trapped in Lady Junbi's office while the matchmaker rummaged through several papers. Katara squeezed Zuko's hand.

"Let's see now, we'll have to set a date…" Lady Junbi said.

"Lady Junbi, the match has been made," Zuko said firmly. "Your services are no longer required." And he would be glad to be rid of the meddling old woman.

"I beg to differ, Fire Lord," Lady Junbi replied with a smile. "I am not only the Royal Matchmaker, but also the Royal Wedding Planner."

Zuko sighed heavily. "You would be."

Katara squeezed his hand again and smiled at him. He returned both favors.

Lady Junbi stopped going through her papers and clapped her hands together. "Excellent. You'll be married on the Fire Lord's birthday."

Katara and Zuko both stared at her. "That's in twelve days," Katara said.

Lady Junbi frowned. "Yes, it is. It's plenty of time to prepare if that's what you're worried about…"

Zuko shook his head. "That's… that's not it. It's just… a bit soon."

"Well, it's too late to stop it now, your Majesty. The invitations have already been sent, and some of the local nobles have accepted."

"WHAT?!"

Lady Junbi didn't seem concerned at their shock. "There hasn't been enough time for the reply from the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, of course, but the Avatar should be receiving his invitation soon. The Earth King won't get his until he gets back to his palace; it's horribly common to just hand out invitations to a royal wedding." She continued to go on along that thread.

"Why was this done without my permission?" Zuko interrupted.

Lady Junbi looked innocently surprised. "I don't see why it matters now, Fire Lord. It's too late to cancel. You and Princess Katara will be married on the seventeenth."

They made no more progress in convincing Lady Junbi to change the date. Upon leaving her office, Zuko swore that as soon as the wedding was finished with, Lady Junbi was going to be fired- and he didn't just mean that she would be dismissed from her employment. What good was being Fire Lord if you couldn't decide the date of your own wedding?

--Earlier that day--

Toph could sense Aang's confusion as he frowned at the scroll the messenger dressed in Fire Nation colors had handed him. She didn't have to see the uniform to know where the messenger came from; she could feel the heat of his firebending abilities through the ground. "Well, read it!" she said finally. She knew why Aang was so hesitant to open the scroll.

Aang unrolled the scroll. "It has the Fire Nation seal on it."

Toph wanted to smack him. "I figured that out by the fact that a Fire Nation messenger brought it. Read it!"

Aang cleared his throat. "'To the Avatar and Lady Toph Bei Fong: You are cordially invited to attend the wedding of Fire Lord Zuko to Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe on the date of his twenty-first birthday. Please give your reply of acceptance or decline to the messenger, including the date on which we might expect your arrival so that we can be thoroughly prepared.'"

Toph tilted her head toward him. "Wedding?"

Aang's voice was carefully neutral. "That's what it says."

Toph waited for him to say something more, but he didn't. "Are we going?"

"Huh? Oh! Do you want to go?" Aang asked, blushing for some reason he didn't fully understand.

Toph rolled her eyes. "You know Sweetness would be sad if we weren't there."

"Shall I return with your acceptance, then?" the messenger asked.

Aang jumped. He'd forgotten the messenger was there. "Uh, yeah. I mean, yes. We accept the invitation."

The messenger nodded and left.

Aang looked at the scroll again. Toph didn't like the vibes she was getting from him. "You're not okay with this."

Aang didn't say anything.

"It's her choice, you know. She wouldn't be doing it unless she wanted to."

"I know, Toph. It's just… she said she was only going as a friend. She said she'd be back at the South Pole long before I got back."

Toph sighed as she sat down. "Did you ever think, Twinkletoes, of inviting Katara to come with us during the spring?"

Aang hung his head. He hadn't. He'd known Katara was lonely, but he'd never asked if she wanted to come with him. He'd only thought of the fun that he and Toph would have.

"That's what I thought. So I guess it never occurred to you that our Sugar Queen might have needed something different, and she found it in the Fire Nation? Or rather," Toph amended, "she found it in Hothead. If you look at the past, Twinkletoes, it really isn't that strange."

She was right, of course. Toph was always right. Aang hated that she was always right, and yet it was good to have at least one thing that was. He fell to his knees, dropping the scroll, and hugged her. The earthbender was taken aback by this sudden action, but she tentatively put her arms around him. "It'll be okay, Twinkletoes. You'll be able to face this, because you won't be alone."

"Thanks, Toph," the Avatar whispered.

She gently pushed him away. "No problem. Just don't get all mushy on me when we're in front of people, 'kay?"

Aang smiled. "Okay."

---End Chapter Ten---

Argh, that was tough to finish. I've had my favorite parts of it for ages now, but I just finished the rest last night. If it's seems rushed (and it probably does) I apologize. Thanks for reading, and please review!