Of Oceans and Stars
stormwaterwitch
Author's Note: I have incorporated an English translation of a Persian poem in this chapter. The author is currently unknown but deserves all the credit in the world. Thank you for the inspiration for this chapter.
Chapter 2
Katara's breath hitched in her chest as she watched the Avatar search the folds of his cloak and tunic. Scarcely able to breathe as she watched him search, her dinner turned to lead in her stomach. She wasn't sure if her reaction was out of long-realized anticipation that he might finally propose marriage to her, or something else.
The band inside of the grand hall changed tune, another cheerful song bleeding out around them. A woman's soft voice picked up over the happy instrumentals somewhere inside the hall. Finally, the Avatar produced a small piece of neatly folded parchment. With a soft smile, Aang dropped the note into Katara's waiting hands.
"What is it?" She asked, one eyebrow raised in question. It wasn't the carved pendant attached to silk that she'd been expecting.
"Where's the fun if I tell you?" He offered, giving her a wink.
The note of mirth in his voice made her pause. Katara's heart quickened again as her slim fingers maneuvered the letter open.
Breaking the red wax seal, her eyes scanned over the elegantly scrawled characters that lined the page. The letter droned on and on and seemed to be addressed to her father, Hakoda. Eyes scanning further down the page, her breathing hitched again for a moment.
'Katara is the center of my world. What a beautiful being she is. With all my happiness, I request your permission to propose marriage to your daughter.'
Joy briefly flickered over her face and then dimmed, replaced with a questioning look. "I... Wow, Aang."
Katara's eyes flitted between the letter in her hands and Aang's face. The Avatar practically beamed as he watched her read and consider the words on the page. Opening her mouth to speak, Katara was interrupted before she could respond to him.
The look of joy on Aang's face dimmed as the knob on the door next to them jangled. A female voice chirped from behind the thick wooden panel. "Avatar, are you out here?"
Sighing sharply, Aang offered Katara a look of apology as he dropped a kiss onto her forehead. "It's the General's daughter. I've been dodging her all night."
Katara fought the immediate heaviness that overtook her at that moment. She said nothing to him but offered him a small, wry smile. "Go ahead. I'll see you later."
Aang nodded stiffly and dropped another kiss onto her forehead. The Avatar cursed under his breath as he pushed the wooden panel aside and stepped back into the grand hall.
Gently, Katara folded the letter neatly again, hiding and obscuring the words it held. If not for the broken seal, the letter looked entirely untouched. As she grazed her fingers over the seal, Aang's seal, she noticed a second smaller piece tucked neatly under the first. The second letter did not have the same seal and looked like a quick note usually sent between nobles.
Opening the small, second piece of parchment, Katara read the characters.
'Life is yours, death is mine
Peace is yours, stress is mine
Happiness is yours, sorrow is mine
Everything is yours
But you are mine
I love you.'
A
Katara's face heated, a deep flush overtaking her cheeks. In his adult age, Aang had developed quite a sense of wordplay. During their long periods of separation during Spring seasons past and even shorter stints of absence, they had taken to exchanging short letters with each other. The letters mostly served as updates to each other on current events. Despite this, the pair had developed their shorthand to truly express their feelings and longing for each other.
This letter was no different. The more Aang worked with scholars and learned the ways of the world and different courts and cultures, the more creative his words and letters became. Even if they were together, he still sent her small notes. Notes that made her toes curl inside of her boots with the thought of him. Of just him in general.
Returning to the gathering inside by herself was pure torture. Slow and seemingly unending torture. Katara slid the wooden panel aside and entered the grand hall. She wanted nothing more than to leave the banquet altogether and to return to her room. Even if she left the gathering alone and without Aang, at least she would have some peace.
Without even taking five steps inside, Katara found herself face to face with an unknown woman and the Avatar himself. Aang shot Katara a look of apology as he stepped back from the still-unnamed woman.
"As I was saying, Avatar, my father greatly respects what you have done for our country. Without you," The woman practically purred the last word before continuing. "We simply wouldn't exist."
Aang shot Katara an amused look. "The honor is all mine, Lady Bai-Sha." He offered the woman, taking a step back to allow Katara room to pass.
Leaning a broad shoulder against the wooden panel next to him, Aang crossed his arms. "Lady Bai-Sha, have I had the pleasure of introducing my betrothed?"
The woman's pretty features twisted slightly as her eyes scanned Katara from head to slippered foot. "A pleasure, to be sure." Lady Bai-Sha offered, her voice neutral. "I was unaware that you had already declared your intentions."
Katara did not mistake the light in the woman's bright green eyes for anything but slyness and cunning. Imitating the woman's dry affect, Katara returned the greeting. "Oh but Lady Bai-Sha, the pleasure is all MINE."
Rana Bai-Sha did not attempt to hide her reaction, her eyes rolling slightly as she turned back to Aang. "Avatar, will you be joining my father and me to break your fast before leaving the capital?"
Aang cocked his head slightly, looking down towards Katara. "We have a meal planned with the Fire Lord tomorrow morning if you and your father would like to join us."
Katara winked at him before withdrawing from the conversation. With the brief interaction she'd just experienced, Katara now understood Zuko's wariness of the Bai-Sha family. Rana Bai-Sha had been described as odd by Zuko, but Katara could see the truth behind his somewhat diplomatic description of the woman. Lady Bai-Sha was nothing short of a normal Earth Kingdom noblewoman. Cunning, crafty, and scheming to make her ends meet.
Where was the senior Lady Bai-Sha? Surely, Katara thought, that it was the mothers of noblewomen who bartered and bargained for marriage matches. The fact that Rana had been escorted to Zuko's court by her father was strange by itself.
Setting that thought aside, Katara drifted through the party. Her face was trained in serene emptiness as she took a seat at one of the empty banquet tables. During her tenure at the Fire Nation court, Katara had learned to keep her face neutral, bored even. Lest anyone see through to her true feelings.
Knowledge was power in the inner realms of any court, least of all the Fire Nation court. A passing server offered Katara a goblet of wine. Gratefully, Katara accepted the goblet and set it on the table. She sniffed at it slightly - white jasmine wine - and pushed the goblet away from her. She knew even a single sip of the wine would give her an instantaneous headache.
"I don't care for this particular vintage, either." A warm female voice sounded from behind the water bender.
Drawing her focus away from the goblet, Katara moved and looked up to the source of the words. Two paces away, a woman approached her. Breathtakingly beautiful, the woman maneuvered one of the chairs from the table and sat next to her.
Crossing one leg over the other, the woman's hair - rich brown and knotted in tight braids - fell over her shoulders. A cascade of fragrance overwhelmed Katara. The woman radiated royalty.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure we've met..." Katara drifted, unable to draw her eyes away from the woman's face.
Offering a bejeweled hand to Katara, the woman replied. "Ceren el-Hiba."
Taking the woman's hand in her own, Katara was filled with warmth and flooded with images. There was something slightly unearthly about the woman, Ceren. Ceren reminded Katara of something she'd once studied in Zuko's library, but that particular subject eluded her at that moment.
"el-Hiba? Any relation to Vizier el-Hiba?" Katara asked as she released Ceren's hand.
Ceren's eyes crinkled with mirth. "Kane is my husband. You know your court officials, to be sure." Her voice was amused as she took a small sip of her white wine.
Katara flushed as she regarded Ceren. "Some things are public knowledge, some are not. I've seen a few of the other viziers at court, but your husband is a rare sight." Her words were quiet and slow, attempting to keep her voice low.
"Well, it is a joy to be back, that is for sure..." Ceren replied, her voice slightly sarcastic as she reached towards a small platter of food.
"I apologize, I didn't mean any offense." Katara began to panic, her voice slightly shrill.
Offering the water bender a charming smile, Ceren spoke. "Nothing to take offense over, my dear. I do enjoy these banquets, however. Our guests tonight are especially entertaining."
Ceren trained her gaze across the room, toward where Aang and Rana Bai-Sha currently stood. Even now, the Earth Kingdom noblewoman would not leave the Avatar's side. It was as if she'd affixed herself to him, clinging to him for dear life.
"What a relief to know that the Avatar is betrothed," Ceren said with slight curiosity, moving her gaze back to Katara.
"Betrothed?" Katara breathed. The letter he'd given her earlier was still folded neatly in the pocket of her dress. The Avatar's letter of intention hadn't yet been sent to her father, so it was seemingly impossible that the news of their impending engagement should be known so publicly.
"General Bai-Sha just announced it," Ceren motioned back towards the Avatar and his wayward companion. "the Bai-Sha girl and the Avatar are to be wed?"
Katara had gone utterly still in her seat. "That is utterly ridiculous."
"Oh?" Ceren replied, lips parting in question. She looked at Katara, waiting for a response.
Breathing deeply, Katara again trained her face in glorious boredom. She let out a stifled laugh. "It's been a pleasure, Lady el-Hiba."
Without another word, Katara stood from the table and retreated out of the great hall. Silently, navigated the winding corridors until she found her room. Appointed in deep red and hues of gold, the room was centered around a lavish lounging area.
A massive sigh escaped her lips as she flopped onto one of the empty loungers. Across the room, an animal clicked excitedly towards her before gliding down from the wooden beams above.
"Momo..." Katara mumbled, bringing the lemur to her face. Momo purred happily, snuggling into her embrace.
The night had been a complete disaster from the very start. Between her brother's endless posturing about returning to serve the public and Aang's continued absence, Katara had endured almost more than she could handle.
She wanted to be angry. Thoughts simmered in her mind as she recalled and replayed her interaction with Ceren over and over. It was a political stunt, this she was sure of. The General and his daughter were playing a game of fourth-dimensional pai sho.
Katara couldn't be mad at Aang, no matter how angry the entire situation made her. This event wasn't the first time a noble or even well-off merchant family had thrown their daughter at the Avatar. It was part and parcel of his position. A position, he mentioned time and again, that Aang really did not want.
Behind the lounger, Katara heard the door click open. Leaning up, Katara watched as Aang silently slid into the room. The top of his tunic had been unbuttoned, revealing the dark turquoise lines of tattoos that ran over his shoulders.
"Congratulations, Avatar. She will be a lovely bride."
Aang laughed at Katara's words and he moved to sit next to her on the lounger. "I've realized one small problem..." He replied, words drifting as he maneuvered himself to lay next to her.
Katara melted into the contours of Aang's body, his warmth seeping into her. His large hands slid under and over her, pulling her close. One of his hands laid flat against her stomach, pressing closer to her further. Katara tried not to smile as her legs tangled with his.
Aang's breath caressed her neck, "...my problem is that I am wholly bound to another, body and soul."
The heat of his words sent shivers down Katara's spine.
Usually, the arrogance of men played at her very frayed nerves and annoyed her to no end. It was different with Aang. His arrogance was rare, something she rarely saw, only when they were alone. It was an arrogance he saved solely for her, an arrogance that allowed him to show her how he truly felt.
Finally, she spoke. "I suggest..." She murmured, twisting in the embrace to face him. "...that you swiftly make your intentions known to your beloved. I hear she grows weary…"
Aang tried not to smile as Katara traced the tips of her fingers over the lines of his tattoos. Comfortable silence fell over them as Katara moved back to rest on her side, Aang pressed firmly behind her. Something hard pressed against the small of her back. Heat flooded her and pooled in the pit of her stomach.
Biting her bottom lip, she hesitated for a minute, waiting for the Avatar to speak.
His fingers began to draw lazy circles against her stomach, slowly pushing at the fabric of her qi pao. "I love you..." He breathed into her ear, hot breath washing over her neck.
At his words, she arched backward into him, feeling the pressure of him further. Katara let out a small sigh as his hands brushed against her thighs, squeezing slightly.
"I... I want..." She breathed, hardly able to catch her breath. She wanted more, to have all of him. It had been so long.
Aang smiled and placed a kiss on her hair. "Soon... but first,"
He pulled back from her, leaving her a breathless mess on the lounger. Sitting up next to her, Aang pulled a small sachet from his tunic and placed it next to her on the cushion.
Sitting up, it took Katara a moment to return to reality. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the small lavender bundle of fabric he'd presented her. This was it. Reality came crashing down on her like a cold wave.
Eyes sliding between the Avatar and the sachet, she too sat up. Katara tried with all she could to hide the tremble in her hands as she untied the bundle. The lavender silk fell in delicate layers around her hands to reveal what she'd been waiting for.
In the center of her palms lay an intricately carved stone attached to a delicate slip of blue fabric. "...Aang."
Before she could respond, Aang removed the necklace from her hands. Moving to sit behind her, he pushed the hair from her shoulders and secured the necklace around her slim neck.
"Ever thine, ever mine..." He whispered, pushing at the collar of her qi pao. He placed a trail of kisses down her bare shoulders.