Aang and Katara - A Wedding Tale

Chapter 5: Ba Sing Say

Katara's Point of View
It was 3am when we arrived in Ba Sing Say. We were both shattered, after flying all night, and Aang's nightmare. Safe to say as soon as we landed, Appa got a barn stocked with hay and we slept in the room above (all kindly provided for by Iroh) not to wake up until past 11am.

Yawning, I began to stretch, only to realise I could only move my left half. Aang had his arms tightly wrapped around my chest, his head laying on my shoulder. He looked like he didn't want to let go.

He still hadn't told me about that nightmare, all I knew was it was about the storm 106 years ago, but the way he woke up... It was definitely one of the worst for a very long time. Usually, they were brought on by stress, anxieties, or just reminders of the past: but what could have triggered this?

He seemed so happy and peacefully last night. Possibly the happiest he's been in such a long time.

Was it reuniting with everyone bring back painful past memories? Looking down at Aang sleeping, nuzzling closer to my side, no he was so excited to reunite with everyone. He'd wake up each morning with a smile on his face and announce how long it was until we were setting off.

He started to stir. A red blush spread across his face as he realised where he was sleeping. I kissed him on the forehead, "Morning sweetie. How did you sleep?"
"Oh. Hi. Yeah, much better than last night." He added that last bit on much quieter but I caught it. "I guess the company made a difference." He added with the little crooked grin. Aw. It was now my turn to blush.

I gently cupped his cheek with my hand, as we both moved closer. His cheeks flushed with warmth as we kissed.

The sun poked through a window in the top of the wall. "Oh, spirits what time is it!" Aang blurted.
Spying the clock on the closest wall, "Quarter past eleven, why?" I said a little down heartened that he was ruining the moment and avoiding more conversations about his dream. "We were meant to meet everyone at 10!" He said in a panicked tone.

I bolted upright, accidentally hitting Aang's back. "Ow!" He winced.
"Oh sorry. Sorry. Are you okay?" I hurried reaching for my water pouch "Do you need a healing session?"
"No." He replied flatly, then hearing his own voice "Sorry, it just..." He began, he sat himself down and curled back down into a little ball.

His dream. "It's okay, you can tell me anything, or nothing at all. But I will always be here for you." I said trying to sound comforting.
"We're okay, right?" He blurted out. He looked so lost, and sad. "Of course! Why did you even need to ask? What was in that nightmare?" I replied puzzled and a little angry at whatever could twist his mind to think such a thing.
"I know. It's just in my dream - nightmare - we were in a storm. You were just sitting there. Blankly staring into the storm. You, you wouldn't respond. But when you did-" his voice went shaky, and he seemed to shrink.
"Take as much time as you need, we are already late, what's a little longer anyway."
He paused and after a minute or so sighed. "But when you did, you were mad. You said I was a coward for running away, you said you didn't love me. With so much hate, I, I believed it." He hung his head lower, I wanted to intervene but he kept going. "You said you blamed me for the death of your mother." What, did he really think I could ever blame him for that? Poor Aang - this must be why he is so upset. I need to say something. But before I could he began again. "Then we went under the waves and then you drowned, and then 12-year-old-Avatar-State-me turned up and stopped me saving you and froze us in the ice again. Then I woke up and you know the rest..."
"Oh Aang." I said in a comforting tone. "I am so sorry about what dream-Katara said, but you know I - the real me - could never blame you for that, and would never not love you. It's you and me against the world, always has been always will be."
"I know, it just it was so real, and it is true that if I didn't run away, the raids on the southern water tribe wouldn't have happened, and then well you and Sokka..."
"Oh Aang, you can't think like that. If you had stayed you would have been wiped out with the other air benders, and them the raids would have continued regardless, and I would never have met you, and then who knows what could have happened to the world." I said reassuringly, "everything happens for a reason. And I can't imagine a world without you, you have done so much good, brought balance to so many people. We need you now, not 100 years ago."
"Thanks Katara." He smiled, released himself from the little ball, and embraced me in a hug. "I mean it. I couldn't be the Avatar I am today without you."