Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Duty Versus Love ❯ Reconciliation Pt. 2 ( Chapter 45 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Light-Eco-Sage 
Avatar is owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, not me!
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Fantasy / Martial Arts / Romance / Supernatural / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.02.2013 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 575 | Status: Work In Progress
Avatar is owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, not me!
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Hentai / Fantasy / Martial Arts / Romance / Supernatural / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.02.2013 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 575 | Status: Work In Progress
LES: This chapter marks a great milestone for me. Before this story, the two longest stories I had were both 45 chapters long, and now I have matched that record… and there is still plenty more left! Woot! And maybe you guys noticed that I screwed up the Roman numerals last time… that’s because I almost never have stories this long. XD
Chapter XLV: Reconciliation Pt. 2
On the way to Kyoshi Island, Aang filled in the others about what he had discovered thanks to Sho, his memories, and Mitsuko’s memories. The Duke was the only one who did not have first-hand understanding of just how dangerous Azula was, or how far she would be willing to go to destroy her enemies.
“If you think about it, her plan was pretty good.” Sokka commented, ignoring how the others glared at him. “Aang, you were a wreak when I saw you. You didn’t even stop me from almost killing you. If Azula had come after you when you were all depressed, you probably would have begged her to kill you.”
“That’s probably true.” Aang grudgingly admitted. “Her plan was in two parts, first drive me and Katara apart, and then drive me and my children apart using Sho as a puppet. But we also have to consider the fact that I’m not her only target.”
Toph nodded thoughtfully. “Katara.”
“Katara is the one who defeated Azula all those years ago. I doubt that Azula would have forgotten that.” Aang said. “She drove Katara away from me, and away from the protection that I could have offered her. She’s probably go after Katara first, and then come attack me at her leisure, since I’m still supposed to be depressed.”
“Well, then, Azula’s going to be in for quite a nasty surprise when she finds out that you’re not wallowing in self-pity.” Sokka said with a laugh.
~~~~~~~~~~
They reached Kyoshi Island several days later. Aang probably would have forced Appa to fly non-stop until they got there, but the others forced him to stop and make camp, convincing him that Katara was not going to be going anywhere.
They finally did arrive late afternoon; Aang couldn’t even wait for Appa to land properly. He jumped off the Bison’s back as soon as they approached the village.
“Um… Aang, maybe you should wait for…” Sokka began, but Aang had all ready taken off. “… me and Toph to talk to her first…” He trailed off when he noticed that Aang was all ready long-gone. Appa landed and Toph and Sokka quickly ran after Aang as fast as they could, The Duke following closely behind.
Aang spotted Katara in Kyoshi’s marketplace, and in his excitement, he ran over to her, yelling: “Katara! Katara!”
The Waterbender looked around, rage on her face. “How dare you! How dare you come after me after what you did?” She yelled, drawing the attention of the townspeople.
“Katara, I didn’t…” Aang began, his enthusiasm hardly dampened by his less-than-positive reception.
“No! I don’t want to hear your excuses! Why don’t you just leave me alone so I can live out the remainder of my life in peace?”
“Katara…” Aang began to step closer, but was stopped when an earthen wall sprang up in front of him, between himself and Katara.
“Whoa there, Twinkletoes. Why don’t you let me handle this right now?” Toph said, walking up behind him.
“I… Okay.” Aang said reluctantly
Katara glared at Toph as she walked out from behind the earth wall, leaving Aang waiting quietly on the other side. “Are you here to tell me that I should go back to him?” Katara asked coldly.
“You read my mind, Sugar Queen.” Toph said.
“Do you even know what he did to me?” Katara asked.
“I know what he didn’t do to you.” Toph said. “I got to the bottom of this whole thing. Remember, I’m the human lie detector. Twinkletoes never cheated on you. Not once.”
Katara glared at Toph. “Do you really think I’m fooled? You and the Avatar are such good friends, practically brother and sister. Am I really supposed to take you for your word? You could just be lying for him.”
“Okay, then will you take my word instead?” A new voice asked. Katara looked around in shock and saw her brother approaching.
“Sokka!” Katara gasped.
“I went to the Southern Air Temple with the intent of killing Aang for what he did to you.” Sokka said. “That’s because I would do anything for you. I would never lie to you and I would never hurt you. Instead, I witnessed a series of events that prove that someone else meddled in your marriage, made it appear that Aang had cheated on you… all for the goal of your destruction.”
“I… don’t understand.” Katara gasped.
“Both Aang and Mitsuko were brainwashed into believing that they had an affair. The child had gray eyes because the child’s now-deceased father had gray eyes as well.” Sokka said. “And, right on the heels of your leaving, there was an almost mutiny at the Southern Air Temple. Anil was attacked by Sho.”
Katara gasped. “Anil! Is he…?”
“Anil’s fine.” Sokka said. “But Sho was goaded into extreme action. He admitted to it, and he was also able to give the identity of the woman who turned him against his brother, and memories hidden inside Aang and Mitsuko showed that the same woman is responsible for their troubles…”
“That woman’s name… is Azula.” Toph said.
Katara did not say anything for a long time, and then she sighed. “Aang?”
Cautiously, Aang stepped out from behind the earth wall. “Yes, Katara?”
“I think that we need to talk in private.” She said.
“As you wish.” Aang said, taking the lead towards his house.
~~~~~~~~~~
They stepped into the house and Aang closed the door after Katara. She turned to face him. “Please, Aang, look me in the eyes and tell me that what they said is true.”
“It’s true.” Aang said firmly, meeting her eyes confidently. Katara could see it in his eyes this time, he was not lying.
“But… how?” Katara asked. “How did this all happen?”
Aang sighed and began to explain everything, about his meeting with Azula, the existence of another Soulbender, Mitsuko’s encounter with Azula, and everything that had happened between Sho and Anil.
Katara collapsed on the couch. “Oh Spirits… that’s just insane! Just how long do you think Azula has been planning this?”
“Knowing her, since the moment you defeated her.” Aang said. “But, Katara, there is something that I think I deserve an explanation on now. Some part of me deep down inside knew that there was something wrong with those memories. I tried to tell you that something was wrong with me, but you completely ignored me. Why didn’t you give me a chance to explain myself?”
For the first time, Katara seemed distraught and she began to cry softly. “I’m so sorry, Aang. I guess this all goes back to… The Plan.”
“It’s been fifteen years.” Aang pointed out. “And I promised you that I would not be involved with any more repopulation plans like that.”
“I know…” Katara said brokenly. “It just… hurt me more than I thought it would. The Plan left some scars on me that didn’t go away. I was able to ignore those scars for years, but then…” She trailed off.
“What, Katara?”
“I accepted the plan in the first place because I knew that you only saw it as a particularly painful Avatar duty. I saw it from the look on your face… you hated the plan and you found it distasteful, but you could not refuse to go along with it in good conscience. I also remember how you acted when you came back to me after your nights with those other women…”
“The six hardest nights of my life.” Aang said seriously.
“But there was some darkness there…” Katara began. “I wasn’t even aware of it myself. Some part of me was worried that you’d somehow take the Plan as an ‘okay’ to cheat on me.”
“Katara, I would have never…”
“My heart told me that you would never do that to me, but it was still inside me, like a slow-acting poison. When Mitsuko showed up at the Air Temple… I was inclined to believe her story because it fed into all my darkest fears… of losing you. I thought I had lost you and that you no longer loved me…” Katara said tearfully. “That I was just a convenient Air Nomad-making machine…”
“Oh, Spirits, Katara… no!” Aang gasped. “I’ve never thought of you like that. You are the woman I love, and our children are products of that love… not duty. If I did feel that way about you, I would have timed this baby to be a fall baby as well…” Aang said, touching her for the first time, on her lower abdomen.
Katara let out a sob. “Aang… forgive me. Please forgive me for ever doubting you and your love.” She fell into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly with the intent of never letting go.
Aang returned her embrace just as tightly. “I’ve all ready forgiven you.”
They were still holding tightly onto one another as their lips moved together, and meshed together intimately for the first time since Katara had left. Katara sobbed into his mouth as he deepened the kiss, drinking deeply from her as if she were the very source of his life.
“I forgive you… I forgive you.” Aang whispered softly against her lips.
“I love you.” Katara whispered in reply, tightening her hold on him. Katara moaned softly when Aang began to automatically undo the ties of her dress. “Aang…”
“What?” Aang breathed, pulling away from her slightly. “Too soon?”
“No, not soon enough.” Katara replied, pulling the fabric from her body, not caring when it ripped in protest at the rough treatment. “Oh Spirits, I’ve missed you…”
Aang nodded and pulled off his clothes as well. Over the course of their marriage, they had experienced sex of all kinds, but there was something about make-up sex. Neither of them liked that it followed arguments, but there was something wholly spiritual about it… a divine reconnection between two people remembering that they are madly in love, and that petty problems are nothing compared to that.
They moved together and fell upon their couch, completely naked in each other’s presence, both physically and emotionally. Katara allowed him to take the place of dominance, hoping that he would receive the non-verbal message with her submission. I am yours. Her body language told him. I have always been yours and I will always be yours.
Aang kissed her passionately and pulled away slightly. “I am yours too.” He whispered, drawing a smile from her lips.
They wrapped around each other and kissed as they slowly came together, body and soul. The moment of reconnection brought tears of happiness to their eyes, and whispers of wordless adoration as they moved slowly against each other.
The sex was heavenly, as always, but the feeling of reconnection far out-striped the pleasure that their bodies were sending them. This time, it was not about the sex… it was simply being as close as possible to the one they loved the most.
They worked themselves up to a slow climax, both of them voicing their joy as they reached ecstasy one after the other.
As their orgasms faded, Aang dropped his head on her breast and she held him close to her, both of them crying tears of happiness. “I love you, Katara… I love you so much.” Aang whispered, lifting his head and pulling her into a kiss.
“I love you too.” Katara replied. “But there is one more thing we need to do…”
“What?” Aang whispered.
“When I… left the Air Temple, a renounced my marriage to you.” Katara said. “Technically, we are no longer married.”
“Oh.” Aang said, his face dropping briefly. But then he caught Katara’s earlier meaning and looked back at her. “Katara, would you do me the very great honor of marrying me… again?” He asked.
“Of course, Aang… of course.” Katara whispered, embracing him.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kyoshi’s headman was very shocked when he got woken up by the Avatar and his wife late that night, and was even more shocked when they asked him to perform a wedding ceremony for them.
After they briefly explained the situation, the headman consented to perform a vow renewal ceremony for them. It was to happen immediately and quietly. There were only five witnesses: Sokka, Suki, Michiko, Toph, and The Duke.
The headman quickly explained to Aang and Katara how the ceremony worked, and then began.
“Dear friends, we are gathered here today to once again celebrate the love that is shared between Avatar Aang of the Air Nomads and Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. Their love has withstood the test of time, leading to seventeen years of happiness together. Today, they have made the decision to reaffirm the sacred oaths they took on their wedding day. Avatar Aang, what do you pledge?”
Aang smiled at Katara, taking her hands in his. “Katara, my love, from the first day that we met, I knew that there was something between us that was stronger than even the Avatar Spirit. As we traveled together, you proved that our love was stronger than everything, including death, again and again. You were my friend and my protector… but even more than that… you were the person that I loved more than any other in the world.”
“But I am the Avatar too.” Aang continued. “Because of that, I can never escape my calling or my duty to the world. There were times that I chose my duty over your happiness, and the thought kills me. The Plan gave me six wonderful children, and I would not trade them for anything in the world. But it was not about the children. You were hurt, and I was woefully blind to it.”
“I discovered something about myself after you left.” Aang said. “I had thought, as the Avatar, that my duty was the most important thing. But that goes to show that even the wisest and most powerful of us can be wrong. My duty is not the most important thing. You are, Katara… our love is the most important thing. In the absence of love, my duty meant absolutely nothing to me. I could not function, either as the Avatar or as a living being. Duty is nothing in the face of a love such as ours. Katara, my vow to you today is that you will always come first in my mind, for without you, there would be no Avatar. I love you, and my duty to the world will never make me forget that again.”
As Aang finished his vows, Katara was crying tears of happiness. “Lady Katara, what do you pledge?” The headman asked.
Katara hastily wiped her tears away before she began to speak. “Many of the wisest people on earth say that a marriage is a constant work in progress. In my experience being married with you, I find this to be true. Our marriage is not perfect, but neither is any marriage. The one thing that will make a marriage work is the will and desire to work at it, even when life throws tough moments at you.”
“This is a lesson that I forgot recently. Rather than working with you when we had troubles, I ran away from you… away from our greatest strength.” Katara said. “I should have listened to those older and wiser than me, because they do tend to know what they are talking about, sometimes.”
“Aang, my only… today I apologize for forgetting these lessons and for not putting enough trust in you or our love. People say that marriage is made up of three parts: love, intimacy, and trust. I did not trust you enough, and I deeply regret it. Today I vow to put more effort into the success of our marriage and to trust you with everything that I am.”
“The Spirits have heard the vows you’ve made today and are pleased.” The headman said. “May we all bear witness to the eternal love that binds these two together and grow from it ourselves, and may you never forget the love you share for each other. You may kiss your forever-bonded love.”
Aang and Katara gladly followed the headman’s order, pulling each other into a passionate kiss that would reaffirm their love forever.
~~~~~~~~~~
The newly re-married couple specifically told the headman not to wake anyone up for any sort of celebrations as to the renewal of their vows. This was because, once they had repaired their marriage, their minds once again turned to the threat that was looming over both of them.
While they were reconnecting, a Messenger Hawk arrived from Zuko, bearing a troubling message. He had investigated the woman locked in Azula’s cell and had discovered that she was not Azula, but another woman forced into pretending. He also said that he would be happy to take in Mitsuko and her child, but Aang hardly noticed that. Here was concrete proof that Azula was lose and after his family.
“We can’t move on with our lives as long as she’s loose.” Katara said.
“I agree.” Aang said as they snuck back into their house, taking care that no one saw them. “What we need is a counter-plan.”
“We’ll come up with one together.” Katara said, kissing her husband. “And we’ll make Azula regret the day she ever came after us.”
“Yes… let’s work on it together.” Aang agreed.
LES: No more marital discord! Yay! But… now to deal with Azula…
Also, since we are very quickly coming to the end of the story, I thought I’d just let you guys know that I don’t have a sequel planned for this story. It’s not the right time for a sequel, and I’ll leave it at that for now. However, I am not planning on forgetting this DvL universe. There is all ready one published companion fic to this story, and I have another one in mind. But, if there is an idea for a companion fic you’d like to see, just send me a message. The only rule is that it has to fit in with the DvL universe. So it doesn’t have to be an event that I mentioned in the story, it just can’t contradict the story.
Chapter XLV: Reconciliation Pt. 2
On the way to Kyoshi Island, Aang filled in the others about what he had discovered thanks to Sho, his memories, and Mitsuko’s memories. The Duke was the only one who did not have first-hand understanding of just how dangerous Azula was, or how far she would be willing to go to destroy her enemies.
“If you think about it, her plan was pretty good.” Sokka commented, ignoring how the others glared at him. “Aang, you were a wreak when I saw you. You didn’t even stop me from almost killing you. If Azula had come after you when you were all depressed, you probably would have begged her to kill you.”
“That’s probably true.” Aang grudgingly admitted. “Her plan was in two parts, first drive me and Katara apart, and then drive me and my children apart using Sho as a puppet. But we also have to consider the fact that I’m not her only target.”
Toph nodded thoughtfully. “Katara.”
“Katara is the one who defeated Azula all those years ago. I doubt that Azula would have forgotten that.” Aang said. “She drove Katara away from me, and away from the protection that I could have offered her. She’s probably go after Katara first, and then come attack me at her leisure, since I’m still supposed to be depressed.”
“Well, then, Azula’s going to be in for quite a nasty surprise when she finds out that you’re not wallowing in self-pity.” Sokka said with a laugh.
~~~~~~~~~~
They reached Kyoshi Island several days later. Aang probably would have forced Appa to fly non-stop until they got there, but the others forced him to stop and make camp, convincing him that Katara was not going to be going anywhere.
They finally did arrive late afternoon; Aang couldn’t even wait for Appa to land properly. He jumped off the Bison’s back as soon as they approached the village.
“Um… Aang, maybe you should wait for…” Sokka began, but Aang had all ready taken off. “… me and Toph to talk to her first…” He trailed off when he noticed that Aang was all ready long-gone. Appa landed and Toph and Sokka quickly ran after Aang as fast as they could, The Duke following closely behind.
Aang spotted Katara in Kyoshi’s marketplace, and in his excitement, he ran over to her, yelling: “Katara! Katara!”
The Waterbender looked around, rage on her face. “How dare you! How dare you come after me after what you did?” She yelled, drawing the attention of the townspeople.
“Katara, I didn’t…” Aang began, his enthusiasm hardly dampened by his less-than-positive reception.
“No! I don’t want to hear your excuses! Why don’t you just leave me alone so I can live out the remainder of my life in peace?”
“Katara…” Aang began to step closer, but was stopped when an earthen wall sprang up in front of him, between himself and Katara.
“Whoa there, Twinkletoes. Why don’t you let me handle this right now?” Toph said, walking up behind him.
“I… Okay.” Aang said reluctantly
Katara glared at Toph as she walked out from behind the earth wall, leaving Aang waiting quietly on the other side. “Are you here to tell me that I should go back to him?” Katara asked coldly.
“You read my mind, Sugar Queen.” Toph said.
“Do you even know what he did to me?” Katara asked.
“I know what he didn’t do to you.” Toph said. “I got to the bottom of this whole thing. Remember, I’m the human lie detector. Twinkletoes never cheated on you. Not once.”
Katara glared at Toph. “Do you really think I’m fooled? You and the Avatar are such good friends, practically brother and sister. Am I really supposed to take you for your word? You could just be lying for him.”
“Okay, then will you take my word instead?” A new voice asked. Katara looked around in shock and saw her brother approaching.
“Sokka!” Katara gasped.
“I went to the Southern Air Temple with the intent of killing Aang for what he did to you.” Sokka said. “That’s because I would do anything for you. I would never lie to you and I would never hurt you. Instead, I witnessed a series of events that prove that someone else meddled in your marriage, made it appear that Aang had cheated on you… all for the goal of your destruction.”
“I… don’t understand.” Katara gasped.
“Both Aang and Mitsuko were brainwashed into believing that they had an affair. The child had gray eyes because the child’s now-deceased father had gray eyes as well.” Sokka said. “And, right on the heels of your leaving, there was an almost mutiny at the Southern Air Temple. Anil was attacked by Sho.”
Katara gasped. “Anil! Is he…?”
“Anil’s fine.” Sokka said. “But Sho was goaded into extreme action. He admitted to it, and he was also able to give the identity of the woman who turned him against his brother, and memories hidden inside Aang and Mitsuko showed that the same woman is responsible for their troubles…”
“That woman’s name… is Azula.” Toph said.
Katara did not say anything for a long time, and then she sighed. “Aang?”
Cautiously, Aang stepped out from behind the earth wall. “Yes, Katara?”
“I think that we need to talk in private.” She said.
“As you wish.” Aang said, taking the lead towards his house.
~~~~~~~~~~
They stepped into the house and Aang closed the door after Katara. She turned to face him. “Please, Aang, look me in the eyes and tell me that what they said is true.”
“It’s true.” Aang said firmly, meeting her eyes confidently. Katara could see it in his eyes this time, he was not lying.
“But… how?” Katara asked. “How did this all happen?”
Aang sighed and began to explain everything, about his meeting with Azula, the existence of another Soulbender, Mitsuko’s encounter with Azula, and everything that had happened between Sho and Anil.
Katara collapsed on the couch. “Oh Spirits… that’s just insane! Just how long do you think Azula has been planning this?”
“Knowing her, since the moment you defeated her.” Aang said. “But, Katara, there is something that I think I deserve an explanation on now. Some part of me deep down inside knew that there was something wrong with those memories. I tried to tell you that something was wrong with me, but you completely ignored me. Why didn’t you give me a chance to explain myself?”
For the first time, Katara seemed distraught and she began to cry softly. “I’m so sorry, Aang. I guess this all goes back to… The Plan.”
“It’s been fifteen years.” Aang pointed out. “And I promised you that I would not be involved with any more repopulation plans like that.”
“I know…” Katara said brokenly. “It just… hurt me more than I thought it would. The Plan left some scars on me that didn’t go away. I was able to ignore those scars for years, but then…” She trailed off.
“What, Katara?”
“I accepted the plan in the first place because I knew that you only saw it as a particularly painful Avatar duty. I saw it from the look on your face… you hated the plan and you found it distasteful, but you could not refuse to go along with it in good conscience. I also remember how you acted when you came back to me after your nights with those other women…”
“The six hardest nights of my life.” Aang said seriously.
“But there was some darkness there…” Katara began. “I wasn’t even aware of it myself. Some part of me was worried that you’d somehow take the Plan as an ‘okay’ to cheat on me.”
“Katara, I would have never…”
“My heart told me that you would never do that to me, but it was still inside me, like a slow-acting poison. When Mitsuko showed up at the Air Temple… I was inclined to believe her story because it fed into all my darkest fears… of losing you. I thought I had lost you and that you no longer loved me…” Katara said tearfully. “That I was just a convenient Air Nomad-making machine…”
“Oh, Spirits, Katara… no!” Aang gasped. “I’ve never thought of you like that. You are the woman I love, and our children are products of that love… not duty. If I did feel that way about you, I would have timed this baby to be a fall baby as well…” Aang said, touching her for the first time, on her lower abdomen.
Katara let out a sob. “Aang… forgive me. Please forgive me for ever doubting you and your love.” She fell into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly with the intent of never letting go.
Aang returned her embrace just as tightly. “I’ve all ready forgiven you.”
They were still holding tightly onto one another as their lips moved together, and meshed together intimately for the first time since Katara had left. Katara sobbed into his mouth as he deepened the kiss, drinking deeply from her as if she were the very source of his life.
“I forgive you… I forgive you.” Aang whispered softly against her lips.
“I love you.” Katara whispered in reply, tightening her hold on him. Katara moaned softly when Aang began to automatically undo the ties of her dress. “Aang…”
“What?” Aang breathed, pulling away from her slightly. “Too soon?”
“No, not soon enough.” Katara replied, pulling the fabric from her body, not caring when it ripped in protest at the rough treatment. “Oh Spirits, I’ve missed you…”
Aang nodded and pulled off his clothes as well. Over the course of their marriage, they had experienced sex of all kinds, but there was something about make-up sex. Neither of them liked that it followed arguments, but there was something wholly spiritual about it… a divine reconnection between two people remembering that they are madly in love, and that petty problems are nothing compared to that.
They moved together and fell upon their couch, completely naked in each other’s presence, both physically and emotionally. Katara allowed him to take the place of dominance, hoping that he would receive the non-verbal message with her submission. I am yours. Her body language told him. I have always been yours and I will always be yours.
Aang kissed her passionately and pulled away slightly. “I am yours too.” He whispered, drawing a smile from her lips.
They wrapped around each other and kissed as they slowly came together, body and soul. The moment of reconnection brought tears of happiness to their eyes, and whispers of wordless adoration as they moved slowly against each other.
The sex was heavenly, as always, but the feeling of reconnection far out-striped the pleasure that their bodies were sending them. This time, it was not about the sex… it was simply being as close as possible to the one they loved the most.
They worked themselves up to a slow climax, both of them voicing their joy as they reached ecstasy one after the other.
As their orgasms faded, Aang dropped his head on her breast and she held him close to her, both of them crying tears of happiness. “I love you, Katara… I love you so much.” Aang whispered, lifting his head and pulling her into a kiss.
“I love you too.” Katara replied. “But there is one more thing we need to do…”
“What?” Aang whispered.
“When I… left the Air Temple, a renounced my marriage to you.” Katara said. “Technically, we are no longer married.”
“Oh.” Aang said, his face dropping briefly. But then he caught Katara’s earlier meaning and looked back at her. “Katara, would you do me the very great honor of marrying me… again?” He asked.
“Of course, Aang… of course.” Katara whispered, embracing him.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kyoshi’s headman was very shocked when he got woken up by the Avatar and his wife late that night, and was even more shocked when they asked him to perform a wedding ceremony for them.
After they briefly explained the situation, the headman consented to perform a vow renewal ceremony for them. It was to happen immediately and quietly. There were only five witnesses: Sokka, Suki, Michiko, Toph, and The Duke.
The headman quickly explained to Aang and Katara how the ceremony worked, and then began.
“Dear friends, we are gathered here today to once again celebrate the love that is shared between Avatar Aang of the Air Nomads and Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. Their love has withstood the test of time, leading to seventeen years of happiness together. Today, they have made the decision to reaffirm the sacred oaths they took on their wedding day. Avatar Aang, what do you pledge?”
Aang smiled at Katara, taking her hands in his. “Katara, my love, from the first day that we met, I knew that there was something between us that was stronger than even the Avatar Spirit. As we traveled together, you proved that our love was stronger than everything, including death, again and again. You were my friend and my protector… but even more than that… you were the person that I loved more than any other in the world.”
“But I am the Avatar too.” Aang continued. “Because of that, I can never escape my calling or my duty to the world. There were times that I chose my duty over your happiness, and the thought kills me. The Plan gave me six wonderful children, and I would not trade them for anything in the world. But it was not about the children. You were hurt, and I was woefully blind to it.”
“I discovered something about myself after you left.” Aang said. “I had thought, as the Avatar, that my duty was the most important thing. But that goes to show that even the wisest and most powerful of us can be wrong. My duty is not the most important thing. You are, Katara… our love is the most important thing. In the absence of love, my duty meant absolutely nothing to me. I could not function, either as the Avatar or as a living being. Duty is nothing in the face of a love such as ours. Katara, my vow to you today is that you will always come first in my mind, for without you, there would be no Avatar. I love you, and my duty to the world will never make me forget that again.”
As Aang finished his vows, Katara was crying tears of happiness. “Lady Katara, what do you pledge?” The headman asked.
Katara hastily wiped her tears away before she began to speak. “Many of the wisest people on earth say that a marriage is a constant work in progress. In my experience being married with you, I find this to be true. Our marriage is not perfect, but neither is any marriage. The one thing that will make a marriage work is the will and desire to work at it, even when life throws tough moments at you.”
“This is a lesson that I forgot recently. Rather than working with you when we had troubles, I ran away from you… away from our greatest strength.” Katara said. “I should have listened to those older and wiser than me, because they do tend to know what they are talking about, sometimes.”
“Aang, my only… today I apologize for forgetting these lessons and for not putting enough trust in you or our love. People say that marriage is made up of three parts: love, intimacy, and trust. I did not trust you enough, and I deeply regret it. Today I vow to put more effort into the success of our marriage and to trust you with everything that I am.”
“The Spirits have heard the vows you’ve made today and are pleased.” The headman said. “May we all bear witness to the eternal love that binds these two together and grow from it ourselves, and may you never forget the love you share for each other. You may kiss your forever-bonded love.”
Aang and Katara gladly followed the headman’s order, pulling each other into a passionate kiss that would reaffirm their love forever.
~~~~~~~~~~
The newly re-married couple specifically told the headman not to wake anyone up for any sort of celebrations as to the renewal of their vows. This was because, once they had repaired their marriage, their minds once again turned to the threat that was looming over both of them.
While they were reconnecting, a Messenger Hawk arrived from Zuko, bearing a troubling message. He had investigated the woman locked in Azula’s cell and had discovered that she was not Azula, but another woman forced into pretending. He also said that he would be happy to take in Mitsuko and her child, but Aang hardly noticed that. Here was concrete proof that Azula was lose and after his family.
“We can’t move on with our lives as long as she’s loose.” Katara said.
“I agree.” Aang said as they snuck back into their house, taking care that no one saw them. “What we need is a counter-plan.”
“We’ll come up with one together.” Katara said, kissing her husband. “And we’ll make Azula regret the day she ever came after us.”
“Yes… let’s work on it together.” Aang agreed.
LES: No more marital discord! Yay! But… now to deal with Azula…
Also, since we are very quickly coming to the end of the story, I thought I’d just let you guys know that I don’t have a sequel planned for this story. It’s not the right time for a sequel, and I’ll leave it at that for now. However, I am not planning on forgetting this DvL universe. There is all ready one published companion fic to this story, and I have another one in mind. But, if there is an idea for a companion fic you’d like to see, just send me a message. The only rule is that it has to fit in with the DvL universe. So it doesn’t have to be an event that I mentioned in the story, it just can’t contradict the story.