Chapter Text
Year 102 AG – Year of the Dog
“Do you think that's the best course of action?” General Iroh sat in front of the council, Fire Lord Ozai sitting at the head of the table with a grim expression.
“It would definitely help. I think that perhaps it could not only help root out where the avatar will be but strengthen ties with the North Pole water kingdom. If we improve relations with their sister tribe then the chances of them letting us in multiplies tenfold.”
"But just ten years ago we nearly erased their people, who knows if there even is an eligible bachelorette there?" One of the council members spoke, pushing his glasses up his slender nose.
"There is bound to be someone," Ozai countered, "And if there isn't we'll just snag a nearby Earth Kingdom girl, and she'll do too."
Ozai places a scroll on the table, “All we need to do is sign this paper, then go and find our bride.”
Three years had passed since Hakoda, Sokka and Katara’s dad and southern water tribe chief, had gone on a voyage to defeat any vulnerable Fire Nation ship. He hadn’t been back since.
Sokka had become the make-shift leader of the tribe, standing tall at seventeen while his sister, Katara, took care and taught the children at sixteen. It wasn't the best, but they made it work.
The world had long since lost hope of the avatar reappearing, some even stating that the avatar cycle had broken with the last avatar when the Fire Nation attacked the airbender temples.
“Katara!” One of the children Katara taught ran up to her, a big toothy grin on his face as he held up a fish. “I finally caught one!”
Katara lent down, placing her arms on her elbows with a smile, “That's great! Did Sokka help you?” She examined the fish, it was a decent catch for the nine-year-old, it would be the first of the group Sokka had been teaching.
“Yeah! Norra said I couldn’t catch one, but I did,” The boy stuck his tongue out before scrambling to the tent his mother owned, hopeful she was in there and not at the main hut where the women of the tribe spent their midday.
“Katara,” She turned to see her brother giving one of the little girls a piggyback ride. She was gnawing away at one of the chew toys one of the older women had made for a few of the toddlers. “Did Kye come up to you already?”
Katara hummed, taking the toddler from his grasp, holding her against her hip. “He just went to his tent; he was happier than a penguin seal in water.”
“Good,” Sokka sat at the fire that burnt in the middle of the small village, staring into the flames as he sighed heavily. “I got a messenger hawk last evening.”
“From the Fire Nation!?” Katara exclaimed, clutching the toddler a little tired, “What would they want from us?”
“I’m not sure, they’re sending an ambassador from the Palace in Caldera City first thing in the morning. The elders will also be in this meeting.”
They sat in silence for a while, watching the fire crackle as the toddler giggled to herself in amusement.
“I wish Dad was still here,” Katara whispered. Sokka hummed in agreement, jaw clenching and unclenching a few times before he spoke.
“He’ll be back soon; we just have to have faith. I know he’ll be back.”
Katara stood, “If you say so. What would you like me to do while you and the elders hold the meeting? That's when you would normally do training with the boys.”
“Just have the boys spend a little longer on their letters, then have the girls help their mothers at the hut; they won’t notice an extra hour there.”
Katara nodded, eyes sad as she walked off to go give the toddler back to her mother.
“Sokka,” One of the elders put his hand on the seventeen-year-old, squeezing it reassuringly, “I’m sure all will be okay. They sent a formal note, so they have to be friendly.”
“They don’t have to do anything,” Sokka countered, but nodded nonetheless at the attempt of reassurance. He took a shaky breath and cleared his throat as two men in Fire Nation armor walked through the tent entrance, a tall man entering behind them, dressed in dark red robes and an unpleasant smile.
“Welcome,” Sokka and the elders stood, bowing slightly as the man sat down with a huff. They all sat after them, sitting uncomfortably on their cushions.
“Yes,” The man said, looking nearly disgusted at the sight of the empty cushion they had placed down for him. “Is this where we will be having the meeting?”
“Yes,” One of the men next to Sokka spoke. All of the elders were lined up in a row on the far side of the row, five men in total, Sokka in the middle. “We didn’t have long to prepare.”
“My error, I will correct that next time.” It was an empty statement; they all knew it. “Well,” he cleared his throat, let's get down to business, shall we? We need one of your young women to come to the palace.”
Sokka could feel his blood run cold. “What?”
“His Majesty the Fire Lord has decided that his Majesty the prince needs to wed, and the girl is going to come from the Southern Water tribe.
Sokka sputtered for words, looking frantically over towards the elders for a salutation.
“We mean no disrespect, but wouldn’t you much rather go to the Northern Water tribe for this? Surely his majesty the Fire Lord would want options, we only have three somewhat eligible girls and they’re not of marrying age yet.” One of the elders placed his hand on Sokka’s back, a silent notion to stop freaking out.
“His Majesty has thought of that already. He and the council have come to the conclusion that it must come from the Southern Water tribe.” Sokka thought he was going to be sick at the wording, it was coming from the southern water tribe.
“How old are the three contestants?”
“Sixteen and fifteen.”
The man hummed, stroking his beard that Sokka wanted to tug harshly and tell him to leave the village and never return. “And they're all in good health?”
“Two are…the other has had a series of sicknesses the past few months– the cold season just passed.” Sokka could hear his heart hammering in his throat, watching as the man stuck his hand out to a guard who placed a scroll in his waiting hand, unfolding it for them to see.
“This shows the contract, and this one–” The guard places another in his hands which he also spreads “Shows the preferences his majesty as set. The more met the better, I will be staying on my ship and expect an answer by nightfall. My crew and the girl will then depart tomorrow morning.”
“What do we get out of this?” Sokka rushed out, his lungs felt like they were closing on him, a lump forming in his throat. He wouldn't cry, he hasn't cried since his father had left, he wasn't about to start it now– in front of a Fire Nation ambassador at that.
“I’m sure that something can be arranged– if the five hundred gold Fire Nation coins are not enough. They can be spent in neighboring kingdoms and can get a large amount from five hundred.” The ambassador raised his eyebrow, daring one of them to question it again.
“Alright,” The elder to Sokka’s left spoke, leaning forward in a sitting bow as the ambassador stood and left the tent.
“What are we going to do?” Sokka wheezed, looking over the two scrolls frantically.
“Sokka…I think we can all agree that it’s best if you step out for a minute, we will call you back all in due time, alright? Just wait out there.”
Sokka bit his lip as he stood, wanting to yell at them to get it together. They could take on the few guards they had with him– he couldn't– he wouldn’t let them take her away. He nodded though, exiting the tent and plopping down onto the ground with a huff, placing his head in his hands mournfully.
“Sokka?” Katara stood a few feet away, eyes wide. “There's a whole ship. How…How did it go?”
Katara sat next to him, and he had this oddest feeling that she felt so small in her large robes, her hair in a tight braid down her back. He sometimes forgot that she was the younger one. She was always rushing around doing something.
“It uh,” He cleared his throat, looking up at the sky, “It went well, they're looking for someone to go to the palace with him.”
Katara laughed disbelievingly, “Yeah, sure, and I'm a fish. What could they use one of our people for? There's so little of us anyways.”
“A bride.”
“A what?”
“A bride .” Sokka looked at Katara seriously, “A bride Katara, for the prince.” Her eyes reminded him of the ocean he had seen when he was out fishing with his father as a child, as he went further from the village the water got lighter, and he remembered telling his father just that; it was the color of Katara’s eyes. Hakoda had laughed and nodded, agreeing with him with a bright grin.
“What is going to happen?” Katara asked softly, her eyes glazing over as not focusing on anything. Everything stood still for a few seconds before Sokka cleared his throat.
“You need to run. Pack a bag and- and take one of the canoes, it’s about a two days trip to the nearest earth kingdom village you can make it.” Katara took a hold of Sokka’s shoulders, shaking them slightly as he continued to ramble on about how she could escape.
“Sokka–”
“No one would even know you were gone for hours,”
“Sokka–”
“I could cover for you until this evening when–”
“Sokka!” Katara yelled, finally getting Sokka to snap out of his panicked rambles. “That won't fix anything,” She pressed her gloves hard onto her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying. “Another girl will just be taken, a-and you don't know that it’ll be me.”
“I cannot lose you, Katara!” Sokka shook her shoulders aggressively, his bottom lip wobbling.
“You don’t get to make that choice!!” Katara yelled back, her voice breaking as she started to cry, “You don’t get to make that choice…”
“Sokka,” One of the elders poked his head out from the tent, brows furrowing at the sight in front of him. “We’re ready for you now. Katara, why don’t you go back to your tent dear?”
Katara nodded, standing up as she brushed the snow off of her clothes.
“Katara,” Sokka turned back towards his sister, his hand on the entrance of the tent, “Just think about what I said, yeah?”
Katara smiled sadly, “We both know I won’t, Sokka.”
Later that night, in the solace of what used to be their shared tent, Sokka cried for the first time in three years.