howlingplayground | Arranged Marriage

It's a trope near and dear to our hearts. Arranged marriage.

Maybe it's for the family. Maybe it's for a friend. Maybe you know the person and have been expected to marry them for years. Maybe it's the wedding day and you have no clue who it is you'll be tied to for your natural life. Maybe you've been married a while, and you're just now starting your life, away from the expectations of others. Or maybe, the "others" are watching, waiting, making sure this marriage sticks.

Prompts for those who need them:

Reasons:

1. Station → You come from a royal, noble, or otherwise distinguished family who has chosen a suitable spouse for you.
2. Feud → You are being married to put an end to the bitter enmity between your two families.
3. Economics → Your economic state and/or your station will improve through the union, though one of you may be marrying down.
4. Empire → You and your spouse are merging your businesses and/or property to create something more influential or profitable.
6. Tribute → You have been offered as a gift or appeasement, alternately you're the spoils of war.
8. Bloodline → Carrying on your distinguished family name has fallen to you and the equally well-bred spouse of your family's selection.
7. Disapproval → Your marriage has been arranged to keep you away from the person with whom you truly wish to be.

Scenario:

1. First meeting → This is the very first time you're meeting your future spouse.
2. Courtship → To get to know each other and encourage affection, your family has approved of you going on dates.
3. Engagement party → Be it a huge, formal affair or a small, intimate get together, you're celebrating (or pretending).
4. Wedding day → The big day!
5. Reception → The big party!
6. Wedding night → Every meme needs a smut prompt, right?
7. Honeymoon → Where will you go with your new spouse and what will you do there?
8. Been at this a while → Just starting to get to know the other person

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She's beautiful in the morning light, her damp hair glistening in the sunlight. He wants to say so many things, whisper things to her, about how it will be alright, how their marriage doesn't have to be only political.

But he doesn't. Instead, he just smiles a goofily ridiculous smile. "Hi." He says, a little surprised that he sounds normal.

He offers her his arm. "Ready for breakfast?" He asks. There's been some laid out for them in the Fire Lady's former quarters. Quarters that Katara is going to take over, eventually, he hopes. Then... he'll finally stop dithering and take his father's former quarters. He just wants to gut them first and remove all traces of Ozai.

With a brighter smile, she nods and loops her arm with his, holding on as they make their way down the hall.

"How did you sleep last night?" She'd been worried that whatever had called him away had kept him up for most of the night.

He smiles, when she takes his arm. It's nice to have a partner who is willing to step up beside him.

"Not badly." He admits. "The minor emergency didn't take long. I don't have enough intelligence to make a decision about it yet." He leads her down hallways that sparkle with a new cleaning. Finally, he comes to a doorway that has a flame on it. "These rooms were my mother's." He puts his hand on the door. "I hope," He says not looking at her, "you can bring life back into them. You can change anything you want, but I was thinking of adding a water feature in here for you."

He opens the door, revealing the light, airy rooms of the Fire Lady. They do lead out toward the garden. Birds call to one another just outside the room, and there's the soft quacking of the turtle ducks in the distance.

Katara is about to ask about what the emergency was, until they reach the door that he reveals had been his mother's. Looking up at him, she then looks into the room as she steps inside, glancing around.

While the rooms themselves are open and pleasant, she can't help feeling something...stifling about them. Maybe it was the weight of who they were meant for - the wife of the Fire Lord - or maybe it was knowing that Zuko's mother had once resided here. But it somehow left a bit of pressure that she wasn't sure she could ignore.

Still, she had promised to that she would be there to help him, that this is what they were doing...that they were in this together. And she isn't going to back down now.

So she turns back to him with a smile. "Thank you," she says when she manages to find her voice. I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out." Turning back to the room, she looks around thoughtfully. "Maybe a little pool somewhere? Or a waterfall, leading to the garden, that might be nice."

He leans against the doorjamb, remembering good times in these rooms. His mother had protected him in here, as much as she was able to do. He plans on his children never having to hide from him. (Besides, not only would Katara, rightfully, hand him his ass, so would Sokka, Mai, and a few others.)

He smiles a little. "I don't see why we can't do both?" He says. "I'm sure the engineers would love a chance to help you plan anything you desire." He knows for a fact they would. People around the palace are coming to know that Katara will be their Fire Lady. And, they're excited about it, for the first time in a long time.

He steps up next to Katara, his hand slipping into hers. "I want you to do anything you want in here. Turn it into anything you want." He says, softly. "This, like the garden, is now yours."

"That'd be really nice," she says, thinking more on it. Having a few more sources of water would definitely make her feel a bit more comfortable.

Even if the thought of changing the room was still a bit daunting, somehow.

Glancing up as he takes her hand, she smiles. "Thank you, Zuko," she replies, hesitating for just a moment before reaching up to cup his cheek.

The wedding preparations take most of a year. Then, the renovation of her new rooms take almost as much time. He presents them to her, the day before the wedding, wanting her to have a place away from everyone, should she so choose.

His prewedding present to Sokka had been the space sword. Someone had found it and turned it in to an outpost. It had finally made its way back to its owner, after more than a year.

And then, he and Katara are married, according to both fire tradition and water tradition. She'd been utterly beautiful. The wedding night had been special as well.

Now, he awaits his new wife, ready to begin traveling. Jun and Nyla had found a lead on his mother, after a year of searching. He looks up and smiles, seeing her coming his way. "Good morning."

All things considered, the wedding had gone a lot better than Katara had expected. Somehow blending the traditions of the two nations had worked surprisingly well. And, in all honesty, she had kind of enjoyed the ceremony...and the night after as well.

But now that the wedding was over, they were on a mission. While she's dressed in something appropriate for around the palace, she's pulling up her hair in something more suited for adventuring when she meets with Zuko.

"Good morning."

Even though the others are watching, he leans in and kisses his new wife. She deserves that and so much more. Sokka and Toph have agreed to go with them. Leaving his uncle in charge of the Fire Nation means that he can focus on his mother possibly being alive.

Taking her hand, once she's done with her hair, he helps her up onto the eelhound and climbs up behind her. He nods to Sokka and then, off they go.

This kiss surprises her a bit, but it's not unwelcome. In fact, she gently returns it while she can. Little shows of affection like this are becoming easier, making the marriage feel less arranged and more genuine.

Once she's finished, she mounts the eelhound and holds on to the reigns, and when Zuko's situated behind her they take off. The air whips around them as the eelhound moves quickly, and she's kind of glad that Zuko is naturally warm.

He wraps his arm around her, sorry that Aang couldn't be here to help them. He's off being Avatar somewhere. He hopes Aang joins them eventually. But he's not holding his breath. While Aang had been at the wedding, he hadn't been happy about it.

He points toward the correct trail, knowing that Katara will guide the eelhound well. As noon approaches, and both Sokka and Toph start making noises about eating, they find Jun and Nyla's camp. It's unoccupied, but it's a good place to stop and eat, resting the eelhounds as well. She'd left signs telling them the next way to go.

After lighting the fire for food and tea, Zuko goes to study the map, looking at the symbols Jun had left for them.

She guides the eelhound in the direction that Zuko indicates, keeping an eye on Sokka and Toph as they travel. When they finally break at camp, Katara gives some food and water for the eelhounds first before cooking something for the four of them.

She lets Zuko go over the maps for a bit as she chats with Sokka and Toph while cooking, but eventually she wanders over with some tea, sitting beside him. "Here," she says softly.

Arranged Marriage

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