Sea and Sky

Chapter 19: The Beauty of Problems

Sea and Sky
Chapter 19: The Beauty of Problems

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Waking up on the beach was a surreal feeling for her. Feeling as if she was trapped within a waking dream, the smell of the smoldering remains of the campfire filled her nose. The waves lapped gently at the shore, the squall of gulls overhead, and smell of campfire clinging to her skin and clothes made her senses swim with confusion.

Rubbing her eyes, Katara propped herself up on one elbow. Next to her, Aang snored softly, chest bare and tunic bunched under his head as a pillow. Surveying their make-shift camp sight, she took note of the empty wine-skins and half-eaten platter of food. Chunks of the food lay scattered over the sand, hazy memories of the night's events slowly coming back to her.

Standing to her feet, she stretched her arms over her head to relieve the tension in her muscles. Sleeping on the sand, while uncomfortable, had been somewhat freeing for her. For so long she'd grown used to waking up in downy bedding and plush softness that sleeping in nature for once seemed like an adventure. There was a certain freedom to waking up on her own, instead of being woken by the harsh knocks of dressing ladies at her door.

Nudging Aang's shoulder with her toes, a small laugh left her lips as he mumbled in his sleep and turned over on the sand, unwilling to wake from whatever dream he was having. Choosing to let him sleep a little longer, Katara kicked the wine-skins and food platter into a small pile before taking stock of the scenery.

The ocean was calm, gentle swells lapping onto the sandy shore. Small clouds dotted the horizon. Even if the cooling season had begun to set in, the morning was balmy and tranquil. A secret part of her heart wished to live like this forever. Fantasies of having a small house on the beach, maybe a child or two, free of the strife of war and politics crept into her mind. She knew her life with Aang would never be so simple.

Sitting up on the sand, Aang let out a low groan as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. Feeling the empty side next to him, panic formed in his chest as he searched for her.

Hearing Aang wake up, Katara padded up the beach, a wide smile of her face. Noticing the panic on Aang's face, her smile faded as she moved to sit next to him.

"Aang? What's wrong?"

Before he responded, Aang pulled her down to the sand and held her close. Pain marred his features as he wrenched his eyes shut, holding onto her for dear life. Sadness welled in her heart as she realized why he had panicked. She knew he thought she had left again.

Resting his head on her chest, he inhaled deeply before loosing his grip on her. "You know what was wrong. Don't do that to me again. Please."

Katara knew it was going to take some time for the wound she'd given him to heal. Even with as happy as they currently were, she knew it was going to be a while before they returned completely to normal. Letting out a sigh, she pulled herself from his arms, eyes focused on him.

"I guess we should head back, we left without telling anyone."

That was it. As the idea formed in his mind, he gather his tunic and shook the sand out if it before slipping it over his head. Leaning down to grab Katara's tunic, he too shook the sand out of it before handing it to her. Summoning a small current of water, he hastily extinguished the remains of the fire before moving to quickly lace his boots.

Watching him move so sporadically left her feeling slightly dazed. What was the rush to return to the villa? Sure, the Vizier and his family would be expecting them, but did they have to return so quickly?

"We're not going back there. We're going to keep going south, I need to get off this island." He huffed, finishing the final ties on his boots.

Confusion furrowed Katara's brows as she listened to him. While she wasn't opposed to leaving the island, shouldn't they let her brother and friends know before they depart?