Katara, of the Fire Nation

Chapter 28

Colours swirl in Katara's dreams, music sings out sweetly to Katara as she watches flowers bloom and people dance under the midnight moon.

Katara is woken by her court, they come bustling in and cluck around like a flock of chickens.

For the past few days Katara has been kept separate from Zuko, as per tradition, the couple are not allow to see each other until their wedding day. This tradition is particularly difficult to follow, especially when the bride to be is the groom's chief advisor.

Katara drags herself out of bed and stretches her arms above her head as she yawns.

The ladies that cluck around her room are Katara's ladies in waiting, they are all around her age and come from elite families that live in court and they were given to Katara the day after she and Zuko returned from the waterfall.

As the ladies help Katara get dressed, Katara looks to the two dresses hanging on mannequins, one in typical fire nation style, another in typical water tribe style.

"Have you chosen a dress yet?" one of the ladies asks as she catches Katara staring at the dresses, "The wedding is only a few days away."

Katara purses her lips and tilts her head at the dresses.

If Katara chooses a water tribe dress, the fire nation could see Katara as clinging onto her tribe, they could see her as someone who will but her tribe first.

However, if Katara chooses the fire nation dress, it could upset her tribe; the tribe could assume that Katara is turning her backs on them.

As Katara stares at the fur lining of the water tribe dress, an idea pops into her head and she reaches up to touch her betrothal necklace that hangs around her neck.

Thankfully the wedding is taking place in winter and there is a stiff chill on the air, as Katara starts picking apart her dresses the ladies gape in horror.

"Katara!" they breathe, "My lady, what are you doing?"

Katara ignores her ladies as she unties the sash around the fire nation dress.

For the rest of the day, Katara stays in her room, ignoring all who come to her door. Katara utilises her ladies for the first time since they came into her service, she has them fetch her material, to their credit, the ladies are good, very good, they're able to acquire almost a hundred yards of fabric for Katara in the span of an hour.

Katara, an average sewer at best, is saved when one of her ladies enlists the help of the royal dress maker.

"My Lady," the woman gapes when she enters the room to find Katara up to her elbows in fabric, "What is it you are trying to do?"

Katara explains her plan to the dress maker and the woman pales.

"But... what about tradition?" the woman gapes.

"Lei, it's not tradition for a fire lord to marry a water tribe princess," Katara explains with a cocky smile on her face, "yet here we are, let's start new traditions."

...

Zuko can hear the commotion erupting from Katara's room, and as the sun continues to rise, the commotion keeps building.

"My lord," one of Katara's ladies says, walking into the office through the hidden door.

"What is it?" Zuko asks, though his attention isn't on the lady, he is trying to look around her, trying to catch a glimpse of his fiancée.

"My lord," the lady gapes, she pulls the door slightly shut before Zuko can see anything, "May I remind you that you insisted on this tradition being met."