Sea and Sky

Chapter 2: One Last Night

Sea and Sky
Chapter 2: One Last Night

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Ember Island Royal Palace
Banquet Hall

A pop of a cork brought her out of  the silent torment that tugged and gnawed at her heart. Her pulse quicked and breath stopped as a cascade of cold fizzy liquid sprayed over her and the Avatar. As if time stopped, Katara watched as the masses of people around her celebrated and congratulated her on the impending nuptials. Katara wiped the champagne spray from her face with the back of her hand, slight annoyance coloring her face.

Offering a soft smile, Aang wiped a few errant drops of the golden liquid from her face as he leaned down to place a chaste kiss on her lips. Noticing her mood, Aang offered a sincere compliment. "You look beautiful, Katara."

Katara gave a half-smile as she smoothed a few errant strands of hair behind her ears. Before she could speak, Sokka bowled into the pair and dropped his arms over their shoulders. "Congrats you two!"

Feigning another smile, Katara hugged her brother before bowing out of his embrace. "Thanks Sokka." Her tone was flat as she took a step back from the crowd.

Katara's attention drifted away from her brother and onto the mass of people around them, his words of congratulations and praise of their union fading. She studied the room, the chaos of the party overtaking her. She felt as if she was drowning in a sea of statuesque women covered head to toe in glittering jewels and sumptuous silks. For many women being a part of this world, the world of elegant women and noble suitors, was a long sought after dream.

For Katara, what was once a dream for her was now a nightmare brought to life. A constant feeling of inadequacy and doubt seemed to sit at the back of her mind. She knew she wasn't part of this world, the inner circle of the world's noble families. Feeling every bit the pretender she thought herself to be, Katara downed her flute of golden fizzy liquid before handing it back to Sokka.

"I'm going to step out for a moment..."

She wasn't sure what overwhelmed her the most. The fact that she was engaged to her long time love, or the flurry of activity that moved around her. At the moment, Katara wished for nothing more than to retreat to her room and to bury herself deep into her plush comforter and sleep.  The need to retreat back into a private sanctuary was new to her. Feeling as if she might collapse inwards on herself, Katara took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Silently, she reached for Aang's hand. At feeling her grasp, Aang looked at her, a wide smile on his face. Katara bit her bottom lip as she motioned towards one of the doors, silently pleading with him to follow. Aang nodded as they bowed away from the crowd. As they made their escape from the chaos, Aang reveled in the thought they may share a private moment together to celebrate.

Once outside, Aang followed Katara to the edge of the veranda. Katara found the wooden railing and leaned into it, her fingers grasping it as she tried to steady herself with deep breaths. At noticing her shift in demeanor, Aang moved to stand next to her. Taking her left hand in his, he placed a soft kiss on her knuckles before speaking.

"Are you okay? You seam uneasy tonight." He listened as she drew a deep breath. Slowly, he drew his eyes up to meet hers. A strange pain stabbed at his heart as he registered the fear and regret  in her eyes. Katara was silent as she dropped his gaze, her eyes wrenching shut as she turned from him.

For every thought that raged in her mind, words seemed to fail her for a moment as she looked outwards onto the inky black horizon the stretched out before them. The forest was dark, far off in the distance she could hear the gentle lapping of waves upon the rocky shore of the island. The waves seemed to call her, luring her into their cool and comforting embrace. She fought the urge to slip out of her constricting outfit and to disappear under the waves of the South Sea.