Convenience
Convenience
It was a cold day, but not unpleasant. Their parkas were zipped up tight, and their hands wrapped warmly in thick gloves. The two guests from the Southern Water Tribe stood outside the palace steps, chatting with their friend.
“So, how is the reconstruction going?” Yue asked, as they enjoyed each other’s company.
“Well, you know how it goes. We men do all the work, and the women sit and complain,” Sokka joked, which earned him a laugh from the Water Princess.
“What work?” Katara scoffed. “All you do is show off with your sword.”
“Hey, it’s called training,” he responded. “I have to make sure I-“
“Yue! There you are!” A loud, arrogant voice drowned out the rest of the boy’s sentence. “I was looking for you.”
Yue smiled somewhat apprehensively as her husband approached; Sokka growled, and Katara watched, a tad anxious.
“Hahn, I’m sure you remember Sokka and Katara, right? From the South Pole?”
The dark-haired youth looked over the two with a condescending eye, sneering when his gaze met that of the warrior. “Of course,” he responded, and then turned to his wife. “Come, let’s take a walk along the bridge, I want to show you something I learned with waterbending.”
The princess seemed taken aback at his abruptness, not to mention the complete lack of manners towards their guests. “What? Now?”
“It’s okay, Yue, we have to get going anyhow, it’s going to be nightfall soon,” Katara said kindly.
“Oh, well, in that case,” the princess’s eyes locked with Sokka’s, before she turned away with a sigh.
“It was nice seeing you again,” Hahn had the proper courtesy to say that, at least, before he led his wife away.
Once they were out of earshot, Sokka couldn’t contain himself. “She doesn’t even love him, and he doesn’t love her! What are they doing, married to each other?!”
“It’s an arranged marriage,” Katara responded quietly. “Maybe they’ll learn to love.”
Sokka snorted as he turned away. “Yeah, right. ‘Learn to love’, that’s what they say. They don’t really give a darn that they might love other people.”
“Like you and Azula?” Katara asked quietly.
Sokka sighed and buried his hands in the pockets of his coat. “It’s all the same, isn’t it? Arranged marriage, bah! I don’t love her, and she doesn’t love me. We’re just a bunch of conveniently placed props.”
“I’m sure she loves you…at least a little bit. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to the marriage.”
This earned her a laugh from the warrior. “I doubt even Azula can stand up to her father,” he muttered, turning to walk up the steps. He seemed somewhat cheered though.
“Oh, c’mon, she can love. I’m sure the rumors about her aren’t true.”
“You know, I think you’re right,” Sokka turned to look at his sister. “She does love someone…herself.”
“Sokka!”
He laughed, recognizing his sister’s efforts to make him feel better about the whole situation. He was grateful to her, really. Putting an arm around her shoulder, he gave it a light squeeze. “Don’t worry, Katara, I’m sure it’ll turn out good in the end.”
But as they walked away, he cast a glance backwards. He could just barely descry the princess’s outline in the distance, and he heard his own words echoing back to him, now with a hollow ring.
“It’ll all turn out good in the end.”
It was a cold day, but not unpleasant. Their parkas were zipped up tight, and their hands wrapped warmly in thick gloves. The two guests from the Southern Water Tribe stood outside the palace steps, chatting with their friend.
“So, how is the reconstruction going?” Yue asked, as they enjoyed each other’s company.
“Well, you know how it goes. We men do all the work, and the women sit and complain,” Sokka joked, which earned him a laugh from the Water Princess.
“What work?” Katara scoffed. “All you do is show off with your sword.”
“Hey, it’s called training,” he responded. “I have to make sure I-“
“Yue! There you are!” A loud, arrogant voice drowned out the rest of the boy’s sentence. “I was looking for you.”
Yue smiled somewhat apprehensively as her husband approached; Sokka growled, and Katara watched, a tad anxious.
“Hahn, I’m sure you remember Sokka and Katara, right? From the South Pole?”
The dark-haired youth looked over the two with a condescending eye, sneering when his gaze met that of the warrior. “Of course,” he responded, and then turned to his wife. “Come, let’s take a walk along the bridge, I want to show you something I learned with waterbending.”
The princess seemed taken aback at his abruptness, not to mention the complete lack of manners towards their guests. “What? Now?”
“It’s okay, Yue, we have to get going anyhow, it’s going to be nightfall soon,” Katara said kindly.
“Oh, well, in that case,” the princess’s eyes locked with Sokka’s, before she turned away with a sigh.
“It was nice seeing you again,” Hahn had the proper courtesy to say that, at least, before he led his wife away.
Once they were out of earshot, Sokka couldn’t contain himself. “She doesn’t even love him, and he doesn’t love her! What are they doing, married to each other?!”
“It’s an arranged marriage,” Katara responded quietly. “Maybe they’ll learn to love.”
Sokka snorted as he turned away. “Yeah, right. ‘Learn to love’, that’s what they say. They don’t really give a darn that they might love other people.”
“Like you and Azula?” Katara asked quietly.
Sokka sighed and buried his hands in the pockets of his coat. “It’s all the same, isn’t it? Arranged marriage, bah! I don’t love her, and she doesn’t love me. We’re just a bunch of conveniently placed props.”
“I’m sure she loves you…at least a little bit. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to the marriage.”
This earned her a laugh from the warrior. “I doubt even Azula can stand up to her father,” he muttered, turning to walk up the steps. He seemed somewhat cheered though.
“Oh, c’mon, she can love. I’m sure the rumors about her aren’t true.”
“You know, I think you’re right,” Sokka turned to look at his sister. “She does love someone…herself.”
“Sokka!”
He laughed, recognizing his sister’s efforts to make him feel better about the whole situation. He was grateful to her, really. Putting an arm around her shoulder, he gave it a light squeeze. “Don’t worry, Katara, I’m sure it’ll turn out good in the end.”
But as they walked away, he cast a glance backwards. He could just barely descry the princess’s outline in the distance, and he heard his own words echoing back to him, now with a hollow ring.
“It’ll all turn out good in the end.”