Duty over Destiny
Aang was no expert on women but he'd found himself believing he was an expert on Katara.
They'd been together 15 years and known each other for 16. Surely that means he knows her inside and out. He's watched as she shifted from an awkward 14 year old with no training into a waterbending master into a 30 year old mother with beautiful curves, a refined manner and a 'mum voice' perfected over a lifetime.
They've been married four years now, so he kind of figured he knew all there was to know.
He lingers by the archway to the royal gardens in the Fire Nation Palace. They're vast, lush, green and full of native flowers. There is a crystal blue pond filled with mouse-koi and golden batfish. A family of turtleducks live in the reeds and the hummingbird-frogs eat the spit-dragonflies before they hurt you. A pregnant Katara is sitting by the water's edge, bending bubbles that are chased by the various fish.
He can't escape the sense of masculine pride he gets when he looks at her. She always criticises him for being possessive, "I love you Aang but that doesn't mean you own me", but in the comfort of his own mind (and in conversations when she's not around) he likes to brag about how beautiful she is and that she's his, carrying his child for the second time.
Rolling in the dirt somewhere and digging for worms was Bumi, 2.5 years old with tan skin and uneven sprouts of brown hair (Katara had tried to fix it but he's a restless child and even when sleeping wouldn't stay still long enough for her to cut it) because he hacked at it with scissors that were left lying around a few weeks earlier.
"He could've poked his eye out Aang, don't try to make light of it!"
"But he didn't Katara, he's fine. I mean, he has you to take care of him"
"Yes, but when I asked you to watch him for an hour so I could finally have a relaxing bath I'm interrupted after 15 minutes because you left him to his own devices while you played a game with some Air Acolytes. That's right, I know you weren't on the toilet at the time, I can't believe you lied to me…"
Despite the little arguments Aang was incredibly happy. He had his forever girl.
And nothing could take that away from him.
His eyes went to the orange ribbon around her neck; the blue stone engraved with an iceburg design to signify the day they met. He didn't propose for the longest time. When Katara got to marrying age he had been irate (going into the Avatar state on more than one occasion) when he heard of other men asking to wed her. She, obviously, rejected these suitors, assuming that once Aang was marrying age that things would become more serious between them. Aang turned 16, the Water Tribe marrying age but, unfamiliar with Air Nomad tradition she assumed that it was older, perhaps 18 as it is in the Fire Nation.
However he was a monk and monks don't marry. In his culture, children were conceived during fertility festivals once a year (meaning everyone's birthday is around the same time) that brings together two of the temples. Often times, the biological parents weren't known precisely, offspring are raised by the community.
When Aang explained this to Katara after she asked him to marry her (he was 21 by this point and by her people's standards she was an old maid - unmarried and unengaged at 24), she was highly unimpressed. After a huge argument he realised that Katara would not accept the ways of his culture. She would not want him laying with air acolytes even if it was purely for reproduction purposes. He ran off to his home temple for a few days to think about it. The culture that was lost to the world without him. He gave up control of the Avatar state for Katara he'd give up this element of his heritage.
He decides to propose before she turns 25, carving her a necklace and prefacing with the fact that it was completely unheard of in his culture to marry but he was going to because he loves her and it's what she wants.
"It isn't 'what I want' Aang. I mean I do want to get married but it's more than that. It's the tradition of my people and the rest of the world. Since the loss of the Air Nomads all of the societies have cruel judgements that fall upon unmarried women with children, which you've presumed we'll have for the past decade. Especially if the man who fathers said children is fathering children with other women also. I refuse to be ridiculed and more than that to bring children into the world that will be received with cruelty."
When he presented her with the necklace she cried. She was so excited she ran away with it before even giving him an answer. She disappeared off for a while and he found her later on with her Grandmother, evidence that she'd continued crying on her face. She'd accepted and Aang insisted to clasp it for her.
Gran Gran told her she looked beautiful.
Katara would never tell him that she doesn't like to wear orange.
Over the years they'd attended so many events together. Sometime he'd lose Katara among the masses of people but she was always good at finding a friend. Oftentimes he'd find her outside, she'd get claustrophobic after a while, by a fountain or in a garden with Zuko. Aang wasn't sure what his best friend and girlfriend talked about, sometimes she'd be upset and he'd ask Zuko and he'd give Aang a vague, non-committal responses.
So Aang figured she was mothering him, making sure he was sleeping enough, and he was concerning her with his lack of concern for himself... It would happen more frequently after Mai left him and consistently before his wedding.
Despite Zuko being his best friend Aang knew surprisingly little about him on a deeper level. He wasn't sure what had happened with him and Mai, Zuko would get weird and defensive so Aang would drop the matter.
He did know that Zuko gets great presents for people. This would create some problems from Aang's perspective, though he'd seldom bring that up with Zuko.
Every year on Katara's birthday she and Aang would have a fight. He'd run off for a few hours after getting mad and then return spouting the word sweetie and covering her with kisses.
The fight was always about one thing.
Zuko.
Zuko always got Katara the best birthday presents. They'd always have some kind of special meaning to her that seemed to evade Aang. Every year, Aang would bring her a bunch of Panda Lillies and something recommended to him by her brother or the woman in the shop.
"Your girlfriend would love this vase; we also have a matching set of coasters and tea cups…"
"Katara likes cooking, I don't know maybe get her a new cook pot"
She would always smile, kiss him on the cheek and say thank you.
His present was never a real problem.
When she received Zuko's (which would arrive, without fail, on the morning of her birthday regardless of where in the world they are) her entire face would light up and she'd be rushing about to find some paper to write him a thank you letter. She always wrote them with a glass pen her gave her for her 15th birthday (it was hand crafted and, if Aang wasn't so bitter about how much she loved it, he'd admit that it was beautiful). Aang got her a glass pen the following year, it was yellow and blue and fancier than the one Zuko had gotten her and yet her response was nowhere near as excited as it was the year before when it was from Zuko. He barely sees her use the one he got her… only after he asks about it really.
Her favourite summer dressing robe was light blue silk with cherry blossoms embroidered on it. Zuko gave her it for her 17th birthday when she was travelling the world with Aang. She'd barely wanted to take it off for the week after she got it. Even all these years later she still has it and despite Aang giving her a replacement one with a single Panda Lilly embroidered on it she still favours her original one.
Every time she'd open the presents she'd be thrilled without fail. It was almost always one thing. Aang would get her multiple things. Half the time Zuko's weren't anywhere near as expensive as what Aang would get her. Generally Aang would point this out and fault the gift on something, Katara would defend it and they'd have a rather dramatic argument over nothing. It was Aang's insecurity, how dare another man make his girlfriend and now wife so pleased.
Despite how beautiful she looks in it, seeing her in that blue robe makes him feel slightly sick.
She had always loved visiting the Fire Nation. There had been some hesitance from her before she and Aang were engaged and after Zuko's wedding (it was a world stopping event, planned by his Uncle). She'd always say that she didn't want to encroach on the newlyweds' privacy. Zuko would always tell her that she was always welcome in the Palace, Aang piped up a "what about me" and he'd be satiated with you're the Avatar, even if I told you not to come in you have four kinds of bending to break down the door". They all laughed and Katara and Zuko exchanged a strange expression. Aang paid it no mind.
Zuko's wife, Ezme, was from a merchant family in the southern Fire Nation and had worked as a nurse's assistant during the war. She was around his age. They'd met during a hospital inspection. She was taller than Katara by a head, kind, strong-willed and compassionate. They married at 23 despite getting engaged when he was 20, (Zuko had insisted he was putting it off so prepare the nation beforehand).
Katara had delivered their daughter, Izumi, 7 years ago.
They weren't ever very close though, Katara and Ezme, they'd chat, so Aang kind of assumed they were friends but there was an overall reluctance from both parties to get to know one another really well. It wasn't bitter but there was an unspoken understanding and jealousy of the other woman.
There had been times over the year when he wasn't sure if Katara was happy. They'd be away from the south for long periods or he would refuse to settle anywhere for too long. Times where he'd unknowingly trivialised her problems, contributions or emotions. A few times (though more than he could probably count) he'd run off afterward fights and not contacted her for a few days then returned apologised and begged forgiveness talking about how much he loved her and not having her around breaking his heart.
15 years later and she's still by his side.
Fresh out of a meeting, Zuko walks into the gardens where Katara is relaxing. Aang isn't sure why, but he hides in a nearby tree.
"…Hey" The Fire Lord is always faintly awkward when he speaks to Katara. Aang believes it's because she used to hate him and despite their friendship, she is foremost his best friend's wife. He can hear the smile in his voice.
Katara looks up and beams at him. Her whole face lights up and she stands.
"The pin looks nice,"
"It's my favourite."
Aang looks at the hair pin she's wearing, another Zuko gift; it's simple, elegant and useful - white gold with a single purple-blue Fire Opal.
Aang bought her a bunch of more elaborate pins but she always wears this one.
Bumi toddles to Zuko's side and the Fire Lord drops his thick outer robe, bends and picks up the child who cuddles into his neck.
When Aang looks at her face at that moment everything hits him.
The look on her face is just for Zuko; A warm smile straight from the heart.
It reminds him of the look on her face the moment she first saw Bumi, but different.
While Aang knows Katara loves him, she's his wife, he can tell he wasn't her first choice.
She loves him. Zuko. Katara is in love with Zuko.
He thinks back to when he saw her the first time after defeating Ozai. She was healing Zuko, speaking to him in hushed tones and he was smiling and laughed. Zuko never laughs.
He thinks about the anger in her confusion when Mai reappeared in his life. He figured she was yelling at him because Mai was an enemy. She was yelling because she was in love with him… they couldn't be together if he was with Mai…
Zuko… he was in love with her too.
Aang almost falls out of the tree.
When she'd cry in gardens before and even after he met Ezme it was because he was probably asking her to be together.
When she would avoid public displays of affection in Zuko's presence he figured it was because she was shy. It was because Zuko was gritting his teeth and clenching his fist under the table as Aang tried to kiss her between courses.
"I wasn't even meant to be in this time period…" Aang thinks to himself as he watches them talk. All he saw was himself and interpreted everything in a way that would benefit him unless it was blatantly obvious. She was so kind and felt a duty toward him. She hadn't been mothering Zuko outside parties. No. She'd been mothering Aang every day of her life.
They aren't touching. They're standing a friendly distance from each other; perfectly rehearsed. Two friends married to other people. If a servant walked passed they'd have nothing to gossip about. If either of their spouses walked out it would be far from incriminating.
It's the looks on their faces and the sound of their voices that give away the intimacy.
He'd brought bread to feed the turtleducks and shows Bumi how. They look like a little family. Bumi has her complexion.
While Bumi throws food to the birds Zuko turns to her. He's a man now, his hair is long and glossy but he didn't have time to shave his beard that morning; Katara comments, poking his stubbled chin and he laughs. He laughs more when he's with her.
"Yeah Ezme hates it, says it's scratchy…"
"Really? I think you look hot."
He blushes like a teenager… so does she.
"Get it? Because you're a fire bender…" It's a clumsy recovery. They've clearly been trying to monitor their attraction.
"Well you look beautiful. I'd say you're the most graceful pregnant woman I've ever seen but I think I'd be skun if she ever found out."
Katara laughed, "it isn't her fault, I hear when the baby is going to be a firebender they raise your body temperature a few extra degrees. She was full term anyway."
They're silent for a while. Watching Bumi play and avoiding looking at eachother.
"I got you a present…"
"Zuko you've already given me something for my birthday… The earrings are beautiful, and they were your mother's! I'm surprised your wife didn't want them."
He scratched the back of his neck, "I may have not shown them to my wife…"
She lightly slapped his arm. "Zuko" she admonished teasingly
"She has one of my mother's scarves and her crowns. I wanted to give the earrings to you."
She glanced around, no one was there (people don't tend to look up trees). When she deemed the coast clear she shuffled over and rested her head on his shoulder. "Can I tell you a secret?"
She was speaking softer now, the wind was blowing towards Aang, carrying her words with it.
"Always"
"I'm glad you didn't give them to your wife."
He smiled at her grazing a kiss against her temple.
"I am too. They suit you…"
She sits up and he hand goes to where his lips were.
"So what is it you wanted to give me?" she asks, pulling Bumi's head out from under the water where he was making faces at the fish.
Zuko produces a monogrammed handkerchief and dabs the boy's face lightly to stop the pond water going in his eyes any further.
"Why don't you go play in the flowers sweetheart," she says to Bumi and he replies with an "Alrighty-o Mummy" and pounces into the Ash Violets.
"Trying to ruin my garden, waterbender?" He raises an eyebrow at her, Aang realises that the Fire Lord's crown wasn't being worn throughout this encounter.
"I brought my best garden ruining weapon,"
"Who knew flowers' nightmares were so cute?"
She swells with pride. They look back out across the pond.
"The drawings of Izumi's you've sent me are up on the walls in my sitting room on the Island."
"They're great aren't they? I particularly like the one of the three of us in an underwater palace with Aang as an apple and Ezme a mermaid."
"Me too, we all looked like potatoes with arms." Aang remembered the drawing, it was done a couple of years ago not long after Bumi was born.
"Anyway…" Zuko passes her a small red box. She opens it. Aang can't see inside. Tears come to her eyes.
"Zuko, what is this? I can't accept this."
"It's the ring I was going to propose to you with… That's what we do here… propose with rings. Without making marriage sound like it's just a favour to satisfy someone being 'unreasonable'. Besides, I wouldn't have wanted to replace your only memento of your mother." He scowled and Aang felt like everything he'd done and believed was false. All he felt was remorse. He'd never realised how selfish he was. He also felt guilty for watching… He was a 27 year old man, up a tree stalking his wife.
"I've had it over 12 years now… It was in my pocket the day Aang came back from his particularly long soul search. I was going to talk about how I felt about you and ask you to marry me. I didn't care what my council said. Then he came back and was announced before I had a chance. I want you to have it. I always wanted you to have it. Even if this isn't the way I wanted it to be…"
She squeezed his hand then looked at it again. "It's really beautiful Zuko."
"I had it especially made for you."
"It matches my hair pin,"
"That was actually meant to be presented to you with this that day…"
"Zuko…" He looks coy and blushes.
"You're such a wonderful man. It's so romantic. Ezme is so lucky."
"Aang is too, far more so."
She stands. There is steeliness in her gaze that Aang recognises as her concealing tears and trying to calm herself.
"I'd better be going… I should find Aang. His discussions should've finished over an hour ago…"
"Of course,"
She picks Bumi up, propping him on her hip his leg resting over her large stomach. He clearly longs to help her but they're returning to reality now. He's remembering his place.
For a moment Aang considers plopping down from the tree and carrying his son for her but that would be highly problematic afterwards.
"Katara."
"Yes?"
"I'm glad you learned to love him."
"I'm glad you found her. She makes a wonderful Fire Lady... She's good for you."
She leaves and Aang watches Zuko sit alone in the garden. He feels so sad for him; the man that would've married her in his place and loved her just as much… perhaps even more than he does. Zuko's head was in his hands for a moment, his top knot becomes loose and messy. Aang watches silently as his best friend cries quietly. It isn't violent instead it's bittersweet and accepted. They're familiar tears, like he does this regularly to the point of them almost being comforting.
He gets up, redoes his top knot, puts his outer robe back on and gets his crown out of a pocket in it. Ezme comes out from the archway, the strong scent of sugar plums following along with her.
"Hi Honey, I just got out of an education assembly and they loved it! My suggestions about involving family and curriculum about the history of the other nations were really well received!" She sounds so excited. Zuko has wiped his face and smiles with only the faintest sadness still present. She runs to him and he lifts her and spins her around. She giggles and kisses him.
"I'm so happy for you, you worked very hard on that pitch." He puts her down gradually, with care.
"I did, didn't I? Lucky I had the best Fire Lord in history to help me with it." She winks at him
"Considering the last few Fire Lords waged war against the rest of the war I think I probably could accept that title." She laughs; it's full of mirth, full of life. She wraps a slim, pale arm around his and walks with him out of the gardens.
"I think we should celebrate. Perhaps if you're free in the late morning we could have a family picnic brunch. Izumi would love that! The Avatar and his family can come too if you'd like, I know they're very dear friends of yours and they're leaving the capital soon."
"No, let's celebrate just the three of us. I think I'll announce your accomplishment at dinner tonight as well. I'll clear my late morning." He kisses her on the cheek and they disappear into the palace.
Aang gets down, straightens his clothes and stretches his back and legs. He sneaks into the stable to pet Appa. Moments later Katara is at the door calling his name.
She smiles when she sees him and kisses Appa on the nose. She's holding hands with Bumi.
"Bumi has agreed to have a haircut as long as it's the same as his daddy's"
Aang laughs and whisks his son up onto his shoulders. Katara laughs. She picks a leaf out of his robe, confused for a moment but dismisses it as unimportant.
"Ready to come in? Iroh recommended a blend to me in his letter and said he left some in his room. Apparently it sooths swelling and I could go for that."
They walk inside, the Avatar only slightly quieter than usual.
That night, as Katara changes, a small box falls out of the pocket of her gown.
Aang picks it up, "hey Katara, what's this?"
She blinks, "Oh, I got it today…"
He opens it and looks at the ring; It's white gold with a beautiful purple fire opal with specs of reds and blues encircled with small colourless diamonds. It's perfect.
"Go on, put it on! You'll have to show me which stall you got it from… It's beautiful." He smiles at her. She cries.
"I'm sorry… pregnancy hormones," he rubs her back and says it's okay. He tells her to sit down and he rubs her sore feet despite her objections.
"No Katara, I never do this sort of thing. That my little airbender you're carrying in there. I want you to be comfortable".
She snorts but smiles broadly, "Or waterbender"
"or waterbender," he agrees. There is silence for a while, comfortable silence that is few and far between with a 2.5 year old.
"I love you Aang,"
"Love you too 'Tara,"
He does. So much. He regrets being so blind for so long. He feels like he stopped her from being with her soulmate. He swears he'll dedicate the rest of his life to being a better husband. The kind she deserves. The kind Zuko would've been.
As sorry as he is, he's also happy. Everything worked out in a way. Maybe not the way it was meant to be but there is always the next life. This time around he gets everything he wanted.
A/N That's day 7 done. 1 week down and I'm already behind (This is the longest one yet though). Hopefully you guys are enjoying these. I'm trying not to write too OOC (let me know how that's going if you'd like). They're getting less and less proof-read so let me know if there are any glaring problems there.
When LoK started I tried to be charitable to Kataang, (read as: their grandkids are cute). Then season 2 and Aang is revealed to have been a bad father to his non-airbender children and I'm pissed again. Bloody Bryke haha. I kinda think Aang was a man-child with good intentions.
If you're at all interested in seeing some really cool stones look up 'Dragons Breath Fire Opal', they're beautiful and some kinda look like the Eye of Sauron.
Where-ever you are in the world, have a great day/night, until next time xx (I know it's meant to be tomorrow... we'll see haha, I really am trying)
A/N (4/2017) Day 21 - Unravel is a prequel to this chapter. I'm a sucker for a bittersweet romance.