Even after a night together with the Airbender she loved most, the Earth Kingdom noblewoman refused to leave Katara's mind. Katara wasn't sure what had gotten under her skin the most. She wasn't sure if it had been the woman's demeanor, boldness, or the gray of her eyes. Gray that almost seemed to mirror the same tone and hue of the Airbender that slept next to her.
Several things about Rana Bai-Sha could have gotten under her skin. The way the noblewoman clung to Aang at the dinner, the way she'd regarded Katara with cold indifference altogether.
While Rana Bai-Sha had the same outward appearance that most Earth Kingdom noblewomen seemed to carry, her eyes... their color haunted her. Katara hadn't ever seen that same shade of steel possessed by anyone else but Aang.
As Aang snored softly and moved in his sleep, Katara smiled and kissed his cheek. Moving soundlessly from the bed, Katara's hands moved mindlessly to the new pendant secured around her neck. They would all know instantly what it was. That was if any of them - her brother and her friends - took notice of the new necklace at all.
Quickly, Katara dressed. Slipping out of her nightclothes and pulling on a casual lounge set, the soft lavender color of the clothes complemented the hue of her skin. Typically she wouldn't have chosen purple, but the set of silk and cotton lounge clothes had caught her eye at the weekly bazaar a month prior. The top was a little oversized, just skimming her navel. The pants, cuffed at her ankles, billowed softly as she slipped on her sandals.
Taking a moment to study herself in the mirror, she liked the reflection that looked back at her. The soft lavender lounge set was out of sorts for her normal clothing, but she appreciated the change of pace. Slowly, over the years after Black Sun, trade had resumed between the Nations.
The increase in trade allowed for an explosion of cultural exchange and trade. Outside the walls of the palace, the once monochromatic color palette of the Fire Nation public had slowly grown into a palette of all colors, including the soft purple she now wore. However, inside the walls of the palace and Fire Nation court, red and gold still reigned supreme. It was only tradition, of course.
Stepping away from the mirror and her reflection, Katara craned her head to look at Aang. A small part of her felt guilty for leaving him, but should could only imagine how much he needed to sleep. Writing out a quick note on a small edge of parchment, Katara left the note on the bedside table. What she needed more than anything at that moment was knowledge.
Quietly and quickly, she slipped out of the room and paced down the long corridor. Just up the hall, her brother and Suki's room wasn't far. Within a few paces, Katara found herself in front of a door similar to the one that led to her own set of rooms. She rapped her knuckles against the door, waiting for an answer from inside.
After a few moments, the door clicked open. Rubbing the sleep from one eye, Suki greeted her. "Good morning... It's early."
Indeed, the sun had barely peaked. "I know. Sorry. But I just couldn't wait. Do you want to go to the library with me?
Suki perked an eyebrow. "Say less." She chirped, her blue eyes fixed on Katara.
Katara winked as she watched Suki retreat into the room to change. Situated on the far end of the palace, the library was a place that was seldom visited by anyone, let alone the Royal family. During the past months the group has spent at court, Katara and Suki had taken to retreating to the library in times of boredom. It offered them a place to speak freely and in private, while also providing them with boundless tomes and volumes to research.
Between the mysterious statue in the garden and the obscene behavior of Rana Bai-Sha the previous night, Katara had questions. She was on a burning quest for some sort of clarity or answers. The group's time at the palace was quickly dwindling. With a meal scheduled for later that morning, their opportunity to escape one last time to the library was quickly melting away.
After a few silent moments, the door clicked open again. Suki stepped out, dressed in a lounge set fashioned like Katara's. Her hair had been fashioned into a short, casual braid. Closing the door silently behind her, Suki smiled at the Waterbender.
"What sort of mysteries are we researching this time?"
Katara gave a small laugh. "Oh, the usual. Mysterious statue in Zuko's garden and..." She trailed for a moment.
The warrior maiden kept in step with Katara, whose pace was a little quicker and more hurried than usual. "Rana Bai-Sha?"
Katara cocked her head to the left, giving a vague nod as they traveled the corridor together. She didn't offer a response. Over the years of traveling, battling, and rebuilding nations together, the pair of women had become close. It was as if the warrior maiden was the sister Katara never had. When the time did come and Sokka proposed marriage to Suki, Katara would celebrate and welcome the woman into her family with enthusiastic arms.
Katara's silence spoke volumes to Suki. She knew better than to pry for more information. In time, the warrior knew, Katara would spill her guts. The past years had worn on the Waterbender, who at one time had been extremely vocal about her feelings on many situations and had worn her feelings casually on her sleeve. However, with the political entanglements of Aang as the Avatar, Katara quickly learned to keep her thoughts and opinions to herself. Even from her closest friends and allies at times.
It was as if Katara had become an island unto herself, only truly expressing herself in times of privacy and seclusion. Neutrality, Suki noted, was what Katara had come to embody. Just as the stance that the Avatar had to keep outwardly for the world to see.
As the pair reached the library, they sat at a long wooden table nestled in a curtained-off alcove. Picking through a large stack of books, Katara set a few of the tomes aside and focused on a large leather-bound volume. Opening the volume, Katara leaned forward into the table as her eyes scanned the characters laid out before her.
Next to her, Suki too leaned forward in her set and picked up one side of the volume to read the title. "A History of Earth Kingdom Ruling Families and Nobility?"
Katara's face warmed as she looked up from the page. "Rana Bai-Sha..." She repeated, almost to herself as she flipped pages further into the thick volume.
"She certainly thought a lot of Aang last night," Suki murmured as she opened her book, a small novel.
While her eyes focused on the page before her, Katara's face again heated as she focused on Suki's words. After the Earth Kingdom General had falsely announced the expected betrothal of his daughter to the Avatar the prior night, Katara wanted nothing but answers. And to maybe freeze Rana Bai-Sha into a block of ice and drop her into the South Sea.
Finding the section that listed out the Bai-Sha lineage, Katara turned her thoughts from the previous night to the page in front of her. The family's history went back centuries, almost as far back as the founding of the current Earth Kingdom royal family. Records of marriages, births, and deaths followed short entries on illustrious battles and the rise of the Bai-Sha family.
And then, it was as if their history was cut short. Just after the fifteenth generation, no mention of General Kuyu Bai-Sha, his wife, or his daughter. The last entry - blank but for a name and date of death - Iris Bai-Sha, deceased aged 21, 1 child, unknown name.
"Look at this-" Katara breathed, slapped the tome loudly.
Closing her novel, Suki slid closer to Katara and studied the page. Her eyes widened slightly as she spoke. "A noble family with an incomplete record?"
Katara pursed her lips and pushed the volume away from her. "This is just bizarre. Even normal citizens of the Water Tribes keep their family lineage. Why does it cut off like this?"
Suki leaned back into the cushioned chair. "It's the same for us. We keep all of our records in Kiyoshi's temple. Everything is recorded. Births, deaths, marriages. I can't imagine why the Bai-Sha history just... ends."
Katara felt as if she might jump out of her skin. She pinned her hands under her thighs to keep from fidgeting. It was almost as if the family didn't want something recorded, or that they had stopped providing public records altogether. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked back towards the volume, Rana's gray eyes haunting her.
What noble family wouldn't want their rich and illustrious history to be public knowledge? Lone lineages and centuries-long traditions had been what most nobles wanted the public to know of them. Unsmeared reputations, unsullied and unbroken bloodlines. It was almost too much for Katara to absorb at that moment.
"Maybe Zuko's record is outdated?" Suki questioned, resting her novel on the table.
Katara shook her head. Since Zuko ascended the throne, knowledge of the surrounding Nations had become paramount for him. He had a constant feed of information from his sources, a near-constant flow of messenger hawks coming into and leaving the palace at all hours of day and night.
"No. That's not it." Katara bit her lip as she copied the entries from the volume onto a blank sheet of parchment. Her elegant, concise print flowed over the page as she read and reread the information for accuracy.
"I could reach out Kamlai. She might have some sources..." Suki offered.
Shortly after Black Sun, Suki left Kiyoshi to attend to Zuko at his court. In between guarding the Fire Lord, Suki joined their group to travel between the nations in the name of peace brokerage and to help mend ties between the people and ruling classes. Kamlai, once second in command over the Kiyoshi Warriors, had assumed Suki's position as leader of the troupe.
While Katara had never met Kamlai outside of dire situations, she was aware that Suki and her protégé still kept in constant communication. Perhaps Kamlai could source some of the missing information.
"If it's not too much trouble..." Katara trailed as she gave the parchment a final once-over.
Suki gave a stiff smile. She didn't like to take Kamlai away from her normal duties, but this was different. "No problem at all. Kamlai likes to snoop from me anyway."
The Waterbender folded the paper in half and then again before slipping it into her pocket. Casting a glance towards the windows, Katara noted it was just past mid-morning. "Breakfast should be starting soon. We should go."
Silently, the pair cleaned up their mess, returning books to shelves and pushing chairs back to the table. As the pair left the room, Suki noticed a book under Katara's arm.
"Just some more light reading?" She teased, motioning towards the girthy tome.
"This? Oh, yes. I wanted to read some on the statue in Zuko's garden. He said it was a 'Tennyo."
The term was foreign to Suki. "Let me know how that goes for you."
Katara rolled her eyes slightly, a smile creeping onto her lips. The pair moved in comfortable silence. Before finding the dining hall, Suki placed a hand on Katara's arm, stopping the Waterbender in her tracks.
"So... when did he ask you?" Suki asked, her voice low as she tried to hide a brilliant smile.
Katara raised an eyebrow as she considered her friend's question. "Who, ask what?"
Pursing her lips together in an attempt to further hide her growing smile, Suki pointed to the new pendant that adorned Katara's neck.
"The new pendant? Oxuan Lapis sourced from the Patola mountain range, carved with care by the Avatar himself?"
Katara's jaw tightened slightly. She offered the warrior a smile that was more of a cringe than anything else. "Spirits above, Suki. Did everyone know it was coming but me?"
Suki halted for a moment, placing a hand on the Waterbender's shoulder. "We all helped him. Zuko sourced the Lapis, Sokka traveled to meet the merchant, and Toph helped Aang with the etching and details."
Katara was stunned into silence. For weeks, she had been so withdrawn into herself over Aang's habitual absence that she hadn't noticed her friends working around her. Hadn't noticed them planning, them meeting without her. She had withdrawn not only into herself but into her rooms, hardly leaving to eat and only to practice bending formations and to bathe.
Katara's eyes watered as she wrapped her arms around Suki. "I... I'm sorry I haven't been all here lately."
In return, Suki wrapped her arms around Katara and returned the warm embrace. "It's okay. Court has been hard on all of us. He just wanted to make it special for you."
Leaning out of the embrace, Katara replied. "Make what special?"
"The proposal. He wanted to ask you last night at the banquet, but the Bai-Sha duo made that almost impossible."
Again, Katara's mind whirled back to Rana Bai-Sha and her father. How pushy the noblewoman had been, how she had physically attached herself to Aang's side. Katara wasn't even sure how or when Aang had been able to excuse himself from the dinner. Or if he had announced his departure at all. Knowing Aang, he might have silently bended himself out of the room altogether on swift currents of air.
Katara knew that Suki's explanation was as much for her benefit as it was to distract her from the previous night. Shaking the thought from her mind, the Waterbender linked one arm with the warrior, both heading towards the dining hall.
"Thank you," was all the Waterbender offered before leaning her head against Suki's shoulder.
As the pair entered the grand hall, Katara's eyes swept the table to find Aang. Seated at the head next to the Fire Lord, Aang sat directly next to the General and his daughter.
Eyes locking with Rana, Katara watched as Rana's face brightened with false mirth. "Good morning, Lady Waterbender."
Katara offered Rana Bai-Sha a small smile as she took a seat next to the noblewoman. Normally she would have been seated next to Aang, but with their late arrival, the pair of women had been seated further down the long table than normal.
"Good morning, Lady." Katara offered stiffly, taking a measured sip from the teacup in front of her.
Leaning into Katara's ear, Rana whispered. "Are you ready to face the consequences of your departure last night?"
Katara's back straightened, refusing to cast a glance or even acknowledge the noblewoman seated next to her.
"I wasn't aware my personal business was any of yours." Katara offered back, calming and delicately placing down the teacup.
At the head of the table, Zuko cleared his throat. He could almost sense the simmering tension between the Waterbender and noblewoman just mere seats from him.
"Right. Good morning all. Please break your fast and enjoy. I thank you all for enjoying this meal together with me today." Zuko announced, providing the cue for them all to start eating.
Plopping a few pieces of moon-dew melon and other berries onto her plate, Katara picked at her food. She had only taken a few small bites before the General began to speak.
"Fire Lord, as you know, my family has a long history as an ally to your family and this nation. Even during times of war, your father knew he could call upon and count on my family's allegiance."
Katara listened quietly as the General droned on and on about his family's strange history and alliance with the Fire Nation royal family. Finally, some color had been added to the strange gray cloud that seemed to hover over the background of the General and his daughter.
"Of course, General Bai-Sha. However, given the circumstances," Zuko was cut off as Kuyu raised a hand.
"I do not ask for your assistance regarding my standing with the Earth King or the Five. What I now call upon is our family's mutual friendship regarding my daughter's marriage prospects."
Zuko let out a low sound of affirmation, angling his head towards the General but his gaze focused on Aang. "There are plenty of sons ready for marriage within the families of my court. A match with one of them may pay advantageous for your family."
Kuyu Bai-Sha gave a low growl as he considered the Fire Lord's offer. "I'm sure the sons of your nation are well met. However, that is not what my daughter seeks."
Katara leaned back into the low-backed dining chair as she listened to their exchange. Without skipping a beat, Katara knew what the General was about to ask.
Out of the corner of her eye, Katara watched as Rana Bai-Sha seemed to practically lean out of her seat.
"If it is the hand of the Avatar your daughter seeks, I must tell you she will be disappointed."
Zuko and Aang exchanged glances, waiting for the General's response. Instead, the General smiled and pulled a tightly bound scroll from his armor.
"You see, Fire Lord, Avatar," Kuyu started, unfurling the scroll over the plate in front of him. "It is not public knowledge and it is something we guard dearly, however, my family has Airbending lineage."
"I'm sorry?" Zuko questioned.
The General offered a smug smile as he pointed to a small portion of text on the scroll. "Right here, five generations back. My ancestor, Lady Iris Bai-Sha was coupled with an Air Nomad, Aki."
Stifling an outward sigh, Zuko swallowed his growing panic. He took a small sip of tea before addressing the General. "We all have colorful family histories, General. What is your point?"
Further down the table, a chill slithered down Katara's spine as she listened to Kuyu continue.
"Oh yes, colorful family histories indeed. However, if your friend the Avatar wishes to continue on his own lineage and sire children to carry on his own abilities, it may be best to have the mother be of Airbending lineage herself."