Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Duty Versus Love ❯ The Feast ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter V: The Feast

 

Eventually, Sokka came to find them. “Hey, you two.” He said, walking up to them on the street. “The feast is going to start really soon. Dad says to get back to the Palace.”

The couple stood up from their place on the ground. They had found a semi-private street, and had been kissing passionately for some time. “Okay.” Katara sighed, a little disappointed. She could never seem to get enough of Aang's kisses.

Together, the three of them walked back to the Palace. They were lead right away to the banquet hall. Upon their entrance, the room erupted into applause.

The servant leading them directed the threesome to the seats at the head of the hall with Hakoda. Hakoda was in the middle of the table, and to his right were three empty seats, with Suki seated four seats away.

Sokka sat down next to his wife without complaint, but Aang and Katara remained standing, wondering which of the seats left was for them.

“Avatar Aang,” the servant whispered. “Your seat is here.” He gestured towards the place at Hakoda's immediate right.

Aang hesitated before sitting down. He had just been made the most important person in the room, aside from the Chief, and the center of attention. Katara quietly took the seat between Aang and her brother.

Once everyone was seated, Hakoda stood up. “Welcome, friends, and thank you for joining me on this happy occasion. As you might know, this afternoon, I received the Avatar's Blessing to become the new Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.” Everyone clapped. “And, furthermore, we are here to celebrate a joyous event within my family. My only daughter, Katara, has accepted a betrothal necklace. Let us celebrate the upcoming union between my daughter and Avatar Aang!”

Surely the thunderous applause made it possible for Toph to see even in this icy structure. Apparently, the Avatar's engagement was a big deal. Probably because it only happened once a century at the most.

Aang and Katara blushed slightly as they accepted the applause.

“So, I suppose without further ado, let the feast begin!” Hakoda said, sitting down.

Servants began to serve large slabs of meat on everyone's plate, except for the Avatar. A servant had presented Aang with his own specially prepared vegetarian meal.

Aang was pleased to see that the Water Tribe Chefs managed to pull off his vegetarian meal perfectly. There wasn't a piece of meat or Sea Prunes anywhere on his plate. And it was all delicious; every bite reminded him of the sea.

One by one, the high ranking families stepped forward, first to congratulate Hakoda on being made the Chief, and then Aang and Katara on their engagement.

“So, Katara, when do you want the big day to be?” Hakoda asked.

“As soon as possible.” Katara said. “We have to be at Ba Sing Se next week for the Spring Equinox meeting there.”

“Very well. How does the end of the week sound? That will give you five days. That should be enough time to prepare for a wedding, and then get to Ba Sing Se just before the meeting.”

“Perfect.” Katara said happily.

Aang was glad that the Water Tribe was like the Air Nomads in that their wedding ceremonies didn't really take a whole lot of preparation, even a royal wedding. The only thing he remembered from Zuko's wedding years ago was the never-ending headache that he seemed to have for weeks because of all the procedure. In a Fire Nation wedding, every step was planned, even for the guests. With a Water Tribe ceremony, he would only have a week of headaches.

“Very well. We'll begin preparations tomorrow.” Hakoda said.

The rest of the feast went very well. Everyone agreed that the food and company was enjoyable, especially with the festive attitude. Sokka took the time to tell everyone the story about how he faced the Firelord himself at the end of the Century War. (“If I remember correctly, Aang was the one who faced the Firelord.”)

Hakoda noticed that both Aang and Katara had finished their food. “Aang, Katara, you are excused. I'll have a servant show you to your room.”

Aang chocked on the last of his water and nearly inhaled it. “Room?” He repeated.

“Yes, of course.” Hakoda said, looking concerned. “Are you all right, Aang?”

Aang nodded desperately. They were going to be led to his and Katara's room. Room! As in a single room, and probably a single bed too.

Despite their relationship, they had never even slept in the same bed. Things really have changed in the last one hundred years. Aang thought to himself. When Aang was growing up, it was the job of the bride's father to make sure that the groom didn't disgrace his bride before the wedding. And now here was Hakoda practically encouraging such activities!

Katara seemed to notice his plight, but did not help. “Thank you, Dad. I think we'll do that.” Katara coaxed Aang to his feet, and they began to follow the servant away.

“Katara, are you sure we can… do this?” Aang asked a little nervously.

“Of course.” Katara said. “You were raised by monks. I'm sure you have stronger will power than that.”

“True.” Aang commented. “But, lately, I've been finding it harder to follow some of the precepts set forth by the monks.” Aang smirked. “Years of discipline and meditation swept aside by love. But you know, the Airbending Avatar before me said that many Air Nomads had detached themselves from the world and achieved spiritual enlightenment. But, as the Avatar, I can never achieve that because I am too deeply connected to the world. I have… accepted that.”

“Then why do we still deny what burns in our hearts, Aang?” Katara asked.

“Because it's the only thing I have left.” Aang said.

The servant left them at the door, probably pretending that he hadn't heard their conversation.

Katara stepped in first, with Aang following behind slowly. They both stared at the bed, which was just several layers of fur on the ground.

Aang recognized it as the room where he usually stayed upon his trips to the South Pole. He could tell by the fur bed. Water Tribe furs usually came from skinned animals. But the Air Nomad monks did not condone this practice. Air Nomads weaved their cloth from the massive amounts of fur shed yearly by the Sky Bison. Not a single animal suffered or died for the monk's comfort. These blankets had been made from Appa's fur, left by Aang last year. The servants must've set them out again, knowing the Avatar disliked their traditional blankets.

It went some way towards making him feel comfortable. But not all the way.

He jolted slightly when Katara wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek between his shoulder blades.

“If you feel uncomfortable doing this, than we won't.” Katara said simply.

“It isn't about you. It's about me.” Aang assured her. “You deserve more from me than lust-driven romp. You deserve more than I could ever give you, because I am the Avatar. I can't even promise you my body. But I can promise you this: our first time will be when I am finally yours, our wedding night.”

Katara's grip on him seemed to grow tighter. “I understand.”

She moved away from him and Aang released the breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding.

She moved behind a changing screen that was set up in the corner of the room. Aang was glad that they, at least, had that sort of privacy. He could still see her shapely silhouette through the screen and his mouth went dry. He quickly averted his eyes and distracted himself by beginning to untie the complicated knots in his clothing. Once the robe and his shoes were off, he lost any desire to get undressed further. That would leave him clothed in his pants, which seemed good enough.

He made his way over to the window and settled down in his lotus meditative position. Katara stepped out from behind the changing screen and noticed his meditative position. “Are you going to visit the Spirit World?” Katara asked, adjusting her nightgown.

“Not this time.” Aang replied with his eyes still closed. “Only if it pulls me there.”

“Well, be careful. I don't want you to go into the Spirit World and miss our wedding.”

Aang found that a weak excuse. “I've never stayed in Spirit World for more than a day.” Aang said. Of course, time didn't really exist in the Spirit World. One day could seem like a minute long in one trip, and weeks the next. But Aang tried to never stay for long, if only to put Katara at ease.

He had told Katara about the Spirit World, about the deadly spirits that lived there, like Koh, and about the lack of Bending powers there. That turned out to be a bit of a mistake. Now she worried about him every time he went there.

Aang was probably at his most vulnerable while in the Spirit World. In the physical world, he was completely defenseless. Katara was vividly reminded of Aang's Spirit World journey at the North Pole, when Zuko kidnapped Aang while he was completely helpless. And since he couldn't use Bending in the Spirit World, if an evil spirit attacked him there, being the Avatar wouldn't matter. He'd just be a completely normal and unremarkable human, albeit one skilled in Martial Arts. But Martial Arts were about as useful against spirits as trying to hit smoke with a stick.

He was technically most vulnerable in the Avatar State. If he got killed in the Avatar State, the Avatar would cease to exist. But at least the Avatar State could fight back, and fight back extremely well. The Avatar State made his spirit most vulnerable; and a Spirit World journey made his body most vulnerable.

Katara couldn't help but worry every time he entered the Spirit World.

“I'll be safe, Katara.” Aang promised. “Even if I do enter the Spirit World, I know how to get out of it at any time.” He took a deep breath, and Katara could tell that he had entered a state of meditation.

Katara moved quietly over to the bed, being careful not to disturb his meditation. Her only consolation was that if he entered the Spirit World, she would know instantly. It was kind of hard to miss his tattoos starting to glow with divine light.

Katara sighed and settled down on the furs, knowing that Aang wouldn't join her until he was reasonably sure that he could control himself.

~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours later, Katara was stirred from her sleep by the feeling of a warm body joining her under the furs. The sensation was so foreign that she was roused from her sleep.

“Who's there?” She whispered quietly, turning over to face the warmth.

“It's me.” She recognized Aang as he lay down next to her. “Go back to sleep, Katara.”

Katara realized that he must've meditated until she was asleep before joining her to reduce temptation. She turned to face him completely, gently touching his face. “Nothing's going to happen. Relax. We're not children anymore.”

“Exactly. We're not.” Aang said.

“We are going to be married in less than a week. We need to learn to be comfortable with this.” She scooted closer to him until their bodies were pressed together, with her head resting against his chest.

Aang stiffened, but relaxed when her fingers began to trace the lines of his chest. “Katara…” Aang whispered, pressing his nose into her hair to inhale her scent.

“I've dreamed of being like this with you for a long time.” Katara whispered, kissing his chest. “I love you.”

Without a word of warning, Aang shifted their bodies until he was draped across her, pressing a passionate kiss to her lips.

As if they had a mind of their own, Katara's hands drifted. Her left hand cupped the back of his head to stop him from pulling away prematurely. Her other hand drifted down to his side.

Aang used his lips to open hers and pushed his tongue inside her mouth, coaxing her tongue to duel with his.

She answered eagerly, her fingers moving from his side to his back. Aang moaned against her mouth as her fingers slid against his skin. She loved that sound and longed to hear him make that noise again.

She bent her knee, rubbing her leg against Aang's thigh, lightly pressing her hips against his.

Aang moaned again, pressing his right hand against her thigh. His fingers travelled up until he cupped her clad cheek.

Katara broke their kiss to moan loudly at his bold contact. She nipped at his chin lightly and started to kiss his neck.

Aang sighed loudly, closing his eyes, and resolving to simply enjoy this pre-wedding gift.

He didn't notice or register that she was subtly rubbing her covered sex against his. But he definitely did notice when he started to get hard under her touch.

He pulled away swiftly, rolling away from her. “Aang?”

“That's… that's enough for tonight.” Aang said, still trying to calm down his erratic breathing. Even Airbending couldn't help him with that.

Katara wanted to argue, but she remembered their conversation from earlier. “Okay, Aang. Good night.”

“Good night, Katara.” Aang whispered. He felt her snuggle up against his back and slowly fall asleep. Aang sighed, but it took him some time to join her in sleep.

 

LES: Well, some more heavy petting for your enjoyment. I debated for a while whether or not to have Katara give Aang an HJ, but eventually decided against it. Oh, and by the way, if you are too young to know what an HJ is, you are probably too young to read this fic. It will have a Lemon in it, which is much more graphic than a limey HJ. Peace out!