now or never || an atla fanfic

𝔣𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔪𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔰

Just a fortnight after the Day of the Black Sun, a golden embossed scroll was delivered to his desk.

This was no ordinary message.

He broke the seal and unfurled the scroll at once, his eyes flitting over the invitation. It was an invitation to an upcoming wedding, despite the war-torn state of the four nations. Quite the inopportune timing for a wedding, clearly.

But what shocked the prince the most was the two names in the middle of the invitation, connected by an ampersand and etched in exuberant gold-lettered calligraphy:

Hahn & Katara.

"It looks like we are going to a wedding," Azula drawled, leaning against the doorway of Zuko's room, drawing him out of his thoughts.

The prince sighed, meeting his sister's gaze. "I can't believe they're hosting a wedding in the middle of a war. And inviting us, nonetheless."

Azula shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe they're trying to make amends. You know the Northern Water Tribe has been cozying up to us since they've lost significant military arsenal. They know they're playing a losing game."

"Right," he agreed with a certainty that masked the underlying trepidation of his emotions. On the contrary, nothing had felt right since the Day of the Black Sun.

The Fire Nation had covered up any mention of the invasion, labelling it as a "momentary lapse of domestic security" and leaving it at that.

But that certainly wasn't what it felt like for Zuko. He felt trapped between two worlds, and on that day, he made the choice to join one, with the intention to remedy the situation when the chance was right. It was all part of Azula's master plan, after all.

So why did it feel like he was failing?

On the contrary, it felt like he was falling into a world of mistake.

- ♚ -

Whatever remained of team avatar fled to the Western Air Temple, in their attempts to recuperate and recollect in isolation after the recent events.

For days they stayed within the hidden walls of the temple, save for small excursions to retrieve food and supplies.

Aang, specifically, spent copious amounts of time in the meditation space of the temple. After his avatar state was triggered days ago, he thought his mind would be filled with his torrential, whirlwind thoughts.

But it was silent. Eerily silent, as if to symbolize the void left behind from Katara's absence.

Her absence lingered with Sokka in a way it didn't for the others. He felt powerless against the world, as if being a prince meant nothing to the fate already predestined against them. His title, power, and knowledge seemed to mean nothing in a situation where there was no clue, no trace of her whereabouts. The only hint to her absence was Hama--and yet she too disappeared.

While Suki and Sokka were preparing a stew together over a fire, Toph came back from her routinely patrols. While the Western Air Temple was beyond desertion, there was an underlying sense of paranoia in their minds for fear of being trapped once again.

Aang too returned from another meditation session. He was quiet, a neutral expression on his face as he walked back to the rest of the group. He sat cross-legged near the fire, staring at it in contemplation.

"We ought to go out and investigate," Aang suggested in a low voice. It was about time they went out and did something. Any progress was better than moping around like they have for the past three days.