The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit

The Lie

When Aang proposed to Katara, she said yes.

Aang was so excited that he jumped around with glee, after sliding the silver ring onto Katara's hand. Katara was excited as well, but her excitement quickly faded when Aang announced that he needed to return to Republic City only two days after the engagement.

Katara had to plan her wedding with Aang, mostly through letters, but they were arguing more than they were planning.

Aang wanted to be married in Republic City, Katara wanted to be married in the Water Tribe.

Aang wanted to break Water Tribe traditions, Katara wanted to keep them.

It's difficult to marry someone of a different nation, Katara wanted to honour Aang's ancestors and traditions, she spent hours researching Air Nomad culture to try and blend it into her wedding.

In the end, the wedding came to be, but Aang did not help much.

Katara stands outside the wedding hall in the Water Tribe, her heart races, it pounds in her chest as fear and anxiety twists in her stomach.

She is dressed in a traditional Water Tribe gown, made from white caribou-bear fur, much to Aang's disdain.

Hakoda stands beside his daughter, offering her his arm as the doors begin to open.

Katara takes a deep breath and then hears music, she watches her bridesmaid walk out, led by little Senna, the flower girl.

Katara then enters the hall, her heart almost falls out of her chest when she sees what awaits for her at the end of the aisle.

Aang was secretive of who he was choosing to be his best man. Katara assumed it was going to be Sokka, Aang was always saying how the best man would be coming last minute from Republic City, that's why he couldn't make the rehearsal. Sokka didn't attend the rehearsal, Katara was certain it was going to be Sokka.

But instead, standing next to Aang, dressed in royal Fire Nation clothes, is Zuko.

Katara's heart kicks into overdrive, racing in her heart making her chest tighten.

'What's he doing here?' she thought to herself as she gripped her father's arm tightly. Katara keeps a smile plastered onto her face as she starts to walk down the aisle.

'Maybe I could turn and run,' she thinks as the people stand and look to her, 'I can't, they've seen me. Maybe I could ask Aang and Zuko to swap places.'

Katara looks to her daughter, now standing at the end of the aisle in front of Toph, Katara's maid of honour.

Zuko's daughter, standing mere feet from her father and not knowing.

Katara feels as if she is being choked by the necklace around her neck, she didn't think that Zuko would be at her wedding, she wanted a piece of him with her. She was stupid and he knows it; Zuko stares at her like the other's do, but his attention is focused solely on the necklaced clasped around her neck, the picture of a broken promise.

Katara is walked down the aisle, slower than expected, she reaches the altar, she takes Aang's hands in her's and she stares into his eyes.

Katara's hands are shaking, Aang squeezes them reassuringly.

"It's going to be alright," he whispers as the minister starts to talk.

Katara wants to look at him, to stare into the eyes of the man she loves and say 'I do'. But she can't, he isn't the one standing in front of her, he isn't the one who holds her hands and he isn't the one Katara can love.