AtLA Rewritten: Edition 1

Chapter 83

A few hours later, they were gathered in the ballroom, ready for the dance. Dai had personally found the ceremony really boring, except when she had crowned Sokka King of the Northern Water Tribe, and when he had given her the ring. Sokka had kneeled in front of her to receive his crown, which was the ultimate sign of respect, hence why it was involved in the ceremony to begin with. She had given him a crown made of thick, blunt, tall fake icicles. They met between his brows at a point, curving over his ears and back to the crown of his head. The ring he'd given her was silver, splitting on the front into two bands. The top band held two large diamonds with a crescent moon in between them, the bottom holding several smaller diamonds. If Sokka had been given the time, he would've given her a necklace instead, but the ring would do for now.

Now, though, they were listening to the chatter of their guests. Sokka and Dai were seated on their thrones. Both we ice. Sokka's had a short back and was shaped rather stockily with harsh edges, while Dai's was made of strong, tall icicles with a tall back. Zuko and Athlea sat just below, a single step down them, on simple, smooth, high-backed ice thrones, the Republic City citizens below, and the others gathered in tables here and there. Ah Cy and the other Helpers at one table, along with Sokka's new workers, her cousins at another, visitors everywhere. The party was public, after all.

Athlea was silent, eyes forward. Nobody had yet risen, sitting at their tables instead; they would wait for the newlyweds to rise to do so themselves, and for them to dance before they did the same. Dai glanced at Sokka, her eyes shining. He turned his attention to her, a smile on his face. "What is it?" He raised an eyebrow. "Happy, huh?" He chuckled, looking forward. "I am too..."

Dai bit her lip, tilting her head at Sokka. "Maybe a little," she teased. She glanced around, seeing that nobody else had risen yet. "Are you going to invite me to dance?" She looked back at him, a hand extended in front of her, adorned with a silver metal glove-like hand piece.

Sokka stood, chuckling. "Of course, Your Majesty." He took her hand, giving her a charming smile and led her to the floor. There, he placed his free hand on her waist. The music began, and he started leading her in the dance. The lights lowered into a light blue, a faint spotlight on them.

She leaned her chin against his chest, talking to him as they danced. "Now I can call you Your Majesty as well. And you can't tease me. Nor can you use it to piss me off when we fight." She smiled against his neck.

Sokka chuckled as they swayed around the room graciously. "I can and will always tease you," he responded, smirking. "Forever." His gaze turned forward, then back to her, a smile across his face. "You're not getting rid of my teasing, Your Majesty."

Dai huffed, pouting. "I got you this awesome crown and you still tease me." She adjusted his crown with one hand, frowning, and gently kissed his collarbone. "Careful, if you're gonna keep teasing me, I might do the same to you." She looked up at him mischievously.

He looked away from her for a second, cheeks red, before looking down at her again. "You've been doing that too much. Not fair."

She giggled, her own cheeks red. "I think it's plenty fair, Your Majesty."

"Speaking of this crown, I've been meaning to ask why you got it for me." He blinked. "I could stab someone with it, or throw it at someone. No weapons needed. It seems heavy enough to throw."

Dai giggled. "Maybe that's why. A backup self-defense weapon. Or maybe because it's a sick ice crown."

Eventually the slow dance came to a stop, replaced by a more upbeat song, and people began freely roaming, standing and walking around, mostly to the bar, dance floor, or back to the dining room. The pair continued dancing nonetheless.

Sokka's eyes moved to Athlea and another woman before he looked at Dai and raised an eyebrow, "By the way, who is that spy you kept talking about?" he suddenly asked. Nearby, Zuko had taken Toph to dance with them. Zuko was stopping at the edge of the floor, letting Toph feel the rhythm of the dance before they began.

Dai smiled, spinning around and leaning onto her toes, her arms over Sokka's shoulders. "If I told you, they wouldn't be a spy," she teased. She followed his gaze. "Oh, come on, you think Thea is my spy?" She laughed, throwing her head back. "Don't be silly. She's just doing her duty as Fire Nation Lady. She has to be polite and socialize." She pulled him over to Zuko and Toph. Zuko widened the circle as Dai took Toph's hands, dancing with her.

After a while, Athlea broke away from the other woman. Dai managed to spin away from everyone, and she stopped in front of Athlea. "That's her," she said, giggling despite how much meaning the words held. "I have no doubt." Her face finally went serious. "What'd she say?" The woman glanced over her shoulder, and Dai gently grabbed Athlea's wrist. "Quick, talk while we dance." She led her onto the floor.

"It's her," Athlea agreed, a forced smile adorning her features. "She's got a lot of hate for you because you were the one who got the throne instead of her, who trained for it while you were gone," she said with a shrug. "Really, Dai, her acts are out of jealousy, which doesn't surprise me. She looks like the kind of person that would do anything possible to achieve full power--or anything she wants, really."

Dai spun Athlea, her eyes shining. "I know. Did you notice that she's the same shape as our attacker? The short, lean shape." She narrowed her eyes. "I realized that it was her the second you approached her. The way she appears and disappears using the snow? I taught her that. She was always jealous that I was such a good bender--like Azula and Zuko--but when Yue died and I left, she finally got the attention I always took from her." She shook her head. "I'll go speak with one of my staff and have her arrested tonight." Her eyes were cold.

"Yes," Athlea agreed. "Her jealousy isn't hard to notice. She kept avoiding my eyes and picking her nails, too. She seemed selfish. Self-centered." Athlea sent a quick glance toward the woman before turning back to Dai, eyes wide. "She's gone."

"She's a bratty, spoiled little kid," Dai agreed. She followed Athlea's gaze and narrowed her eyes. "Let her run. I'm going to enjoy my wedding night.' She shook her head. "I'll be back. I need to notify Ah Cy of what's going on. I'll have her send out a search mission, but I'm not going to be part of it. Not tonight." She let go of Athlea.

"Makes sense," Athlea agreed. "Let's hope she doesn't attack when one of us is alone." She watched as Dai moved to her Helpers' table to speak to Ah Cy, who nodded and walked off. After a moment, Avitus suddenly grabbed Athlea, dancing her closer to Zuko, Toph, and Sokka.

"You know, I realized I never got to dance with you at your wedding, and I didn't get to walk you down the aisle," the man said regretfully.

"I don't blame you for that. You didn't know and weren't there," Athlea responded.

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A/N Dai's dress thooo! and poor Avitus