Chapter Text
Katara is more than happy to skip whatever meeting Sokka’s been pulled into with her father, Chief Arnook, Princess Yue, and the important-looking Fire Nation man.
She’s happy to see her father, of course, after his two-month absence, and she knows Sokka must be ecstatic to see Yue— he’s been carrying a betrothal necklace around with him for the past few months: a length of rich blue ribbon hung with a delicate metal-work moon that he’d fashioned from the blade of his first sword.
She’s less enthused about the Fire Nation man, though he seemed nice enough when he introduced himself. She hates how the colors of his robes stand out like a bloodstain against the white expanse of her home. It hasn’t been that long since the war ended, after all.
Aside from Yue, Arnook, and the Fire Nation official, her father was accompanied by a motley delegation of refugees and immigrants; some returning Water Tribesmen, and some mixed-race children of war… including another female waterbender descended from the Southern Water Tribe.
Katara’s been dying to meet her ever since Gran-Gran recognized her name at supper.
She finally spots the girl’s hunched figure at the top of a glacier, and hurries over to introduce herself. Picking her way up the snowy hill, she frowns as she crosses several patches of dead ice plants, all black and shriveled like they’ve been sucked dry of life.
“Your name is Hama, right?”
The girl turns, and Katara sees that she’s standing over an otter penguin. Her not-quite blue eyes are expressionless.
“That’s a pretty name,” Katara offers, when it appears no answer is forthcoming. She offers a smile and sticks out a mittened hand to shake. “I’m Katara!”
The other girl regards Katara’s hand for a moment, and then hesitantly grasps it. She’s not wearing mittens; her hands must be freezing. Behind her, the penguin flops to the ground.
“Hama,” she confirms quietly.
“You’re named after your grandmother, right?” Katara asks, not deterred by the reticence. “My Gran-Gran told me she knew her when they were younger!”
Hama’s expression is still unreadable, but she nods slightly.
“That’s so cool!” Katara says excitedly. “Imagine— in another life, we could’ve grown up together! We could’ve been best friends!”
Hama looks at her carefully. “I’m Fire Nation,” she says, in apparent disagreement.
“But you’re Water Tribe, too,” Katara insists, squeezing her hand. Hama’s got straighter hair and paler skin than Katara, but there's a trace of blue in her eyes, and she's a waterbender. “I’ve never met another Southern waterbender before!” Katara tells her. “Wanna show me some moves?”
Hama tilts her head slightly. “I’m not very good.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Katara says brightly. “You should’ve seen me before I found a master! I was awful; Sokka will tell you! And besides, it’s a full moon!” She points up at the big white moon hanging over them. “And Gran-Gran told me that your grandmother was one of the best waterbenders she’s ever seen!”
Before Hama can answer, there is a commotion from below, from the Chief’s tent.
Katara turns and looks just in time to see her brother running out of the tent at full speed, his head down like he’s fighting tears. Princess Yue emerges from the tent moments later, looking distraught.
“Sokka, wait, come back!” Yue calls after him. There are tears running down her face.
“Sorry, excuse me,” Katara tells Hama distractedly, already jogging down the glacier, her eyes on her brother’s disappearing back, “I’m just gonna check on my brother.”
She meets Yue near the base of the glacier. “Yue, what happened? What’s wrong?”
Yue turns her ice-blue eyes on Katara. She even looks regal and beautiful when she’s crying .
“I swear I didn’t know,” Yue sobs. “My father arranged it without telling me. He didn’t know about me and Sokka.”
“Arranged what?” Katara asks, already dreading the answer.
“The Fire Lord is seeking a bride for his nephew,” Yue says softly, and Katara’s stomach drops. “That’s why the emissary’s here. He wants a match from outside the Fire Nation to promise peace and unity—”
“And you said yes?” Katara interrupts, outraged on her brother’s behalf. “But what about Sokka!?”
“I didn’t want to say yes!” Yue says sharply, looking stung, even through her tears. “Of course I’d rather marry Sokka! But I didn’t have a choice.”
“That’s not true,” Katara disagrees, shaking her head. “You always have a choice.”
“I’m the chief’s daughter,” Yue says, and even though her face is streaked with tears, there’s a quiet dignity to her. “I don’t get to be selfish. I have to do what’s best for my people. What I want doesn’t matter.”
“There are tons of other people the Fire Prince could marry—”
“Like who?” Yue demands tearily. “The Earth King’s daughter is two years old!”
“Well, I don’t know what it’s like in the North, but here we fight for the people we love,” Katara snaps.
Yue recoils like she’s been slapped.
Katara closes her eyes, trying to rein in her temper. She knows that she shouldn’t be mad at Yue, but she can’t help it.
Sokka looks at Yue like she hung the moon and stars. He had spent months making the betrothal necklace. He’d gone through twelve different ribbons, and had pricked his thumbs raw trying to sew the pendant on himself, refusing to let Katara do it for him.
She’s never been in love, but she knows how much Sokka loves Yue—a blind man could see how much Sokka loves Yue—and until today, she’d always thought that Yue felt the same.
“Look,” Katara says tiredly, fighting to keep her voice calm and non-accusatory. “I’m gonna go after Sokka. I think you should stay here.”
...
She finds Sokka by an ice fishing hole, knees pulled up against his chest and chin tucked over them. He’s been crying, and she hates it. The tear tracks are incongruous on his perpetually smiling face.
“Hey,” she greets him quietly.
Sokka doesn’t look up as she settles down on the ice next to him. “I feel like an idiot,” he mumbles into his knees. “Of course she’d rather marry Zuko. He has a six pack.”
Katara has never met Prince Zuko and cannot attest to the veracity of the six pack, but Sokka’s done a fair bit of traveling since the end of the war, meeting other leaders in preparation of eventually stepping into their father’s role of Chief, so it makes sense that he knows the Fire Prince.
“You’re not an idiot,” Katara says firmly. “Apparently Arnook arranged it without her knowing. And I’m sure she prefers however many packs you have,” She assures him, poking at Sokka’s middle. “She told me she’d rather marry you, but she feels like it’s her duty to her people.”
Sokka’s head raises slightly, “Oh.”
They’re quiet for a few moments.
“He’s a good guy,” Sokka says at last, voice begrudging. “He’s a bit of a grump, but he’s a good guy. He’ll respect her, treat her right.”
Katara slides an arm around Sokka and leans against his shoulder. “Well, you’re the best guy,” she tells him.
Sokka extricates his own arm from between them and puts it around her, hugging her to his side. “Thanks, Katara.”
“Sokka!” A girl’s voice shouts from a small distance behind them.
Katara whirls.
It’s Yue. She’s panting, her face pink with exertion.
“I told you not to come!” Katara says, irritated. She stands up. Katara has always liked Yue, but the girl has just broken her brother’s heart, and the least she could do right now is give him some space.
“Shh, Katara, it’s okay,” Sokka says, getting to his feet as well. He looks at Yue, face wary. “Yue?” He asks cautiously, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat.
“I love you, Sokka,” Yue says breathlessly, wringing her hands. “I’m so sorry.”
Sokka squeezes his eyes shut, and then opens them again. “I love you too,” he sighs quietly. “It’s okay, Yue.” He opens his arms, “C’mere.”
Yue launches herself at Sokka with such force that he lets out an “Oof,” and stumbles back slightly, thankfully not into the ice hole.
Sokka stabilizes them both, his hands around Yue’s back, and then Yue is pulling him down by the neck and kissing him.
Katara crosses her arms and looks away, unsure how she feels about this occurrence, given that Yue’s about to be engaged to someone else.
She considers leaving them alone to kiss and talk and sort out whatever they need to sort out, but it’s getting dark and it will be safer for everyone if they walk back in a group. Sokka knows the terrain, but Yue doesn’t, and the ice is thin out here; if someone falls, Katara’s waterbending will come in handy.
Sokka and Yue break apart.
“I want to— I want to fight for you,” Yue says. Her voice is trembling, and she's cupping Sokka’s cheeks so hard that his lips are slightly puckered. “You’ve always fought for me. And I love you, and I want to fight for you, Sokka. We could, we could run away…” She suggests, her voice small, trailing off uncertainly.
Katara feels a twinge of regret for throwing that in Yue’s face. It’s clear Yue does love her brother.
But running away is definitely not practical. Sokka’s a Chief’s son just as much as Yue’s a Chief’s daughter, and as much as he loves Yue, Katara cannot see him abandoning his people, just as she knows Yue would never abandon her duty.
But surely, there’s a way— Yue can’t possibly be the Fire Prince’s only option.
Sokka is shaking his head, peeling Yue’s hands from his face and clasping them tightly in his own. “We can’t run away, Yue,” he says regretfully. “You’re right, we have responsibilities. I’m the son of the Chief, and you’re—”
“The Chief’s daughter!” Katara shouts triumphantly, interrupting them. Her mind whirs.
Torn from their bubble, Yue and Sokka turn to stare at her, wearing identical expressions of confusion and surprise.
“Uh, yeah,” Sokka says, dropping one of Yue’s hands to scratch his head and giving Katara a strange look. “You’re the Chief’s daughter.”
“But she’s not the only Chief’s daughter,” Katara says insistently, taking a few steps toward them, half out of disbelief and half with intent. Is she really about to suggest this?
They look at her, perplexed.
“I don’t have any sisters, Katara,” Yue reminds her, frowning elegantly.
It’s Sokka who understands first. “Katara,” He says, and there's a dawning realization on his face. “We could never ask you to—”
“Ask her to what— wait! You’re a Chief’s daughter too!” Yue realizes, her head whipping around in shock, her eyes comically round. “Katara!”
“No,” Sokka shakes his head firmly, and Katara can see him stifle the hope in his eyes. “I would never make you do something like that for me.”
It’s an out. They haven’t even broached the topic with the elders, or with the pointy-robed Fire Nation emissary, or, Spirits, her father. She can back out now. Her heart is racing. Maybe she should back out now. She hasn’t committed to anything yet.
But then she sees the way Yue’s dainty hands are clenched so tightly in Sokka’s, like he can’t bear to let go for fear she’ll disappear. Katara’s never loved someone like that, like how her father loved her mother.
It would be cruel to separate them.
As far as reasons to get married go, World Peace and her brother’s happiness are not the worst ones she can think of. And Sokka had said that Prince Zuko was a good guy, even good enough for the love of his life. Maybe Katara can grow to love him. And she’s always wanted to see the world outside of the Poles.
Decision made, Katara looks up. “You’re not making me do anything,” she says. “I’m offering.”