Ok, my entry is up on another board, but I'l post it here too...
www.fanfiction.net/s/4009422/1/I_Was_Country_When_Country_Wasnt_Cool~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stealing Cinderella
A Kataang Songfic
I took a deep breath outside of the ice home. As the smell of sea prunes and clean clothes wafted into my lungs and I became even more nervous. It wasn’t too late to turn back now…
“
No! I’ve waited this long. I can’t wait for my nerve to show up. Who knows how long that will be?” I struggled with the inner conflict inside of me. Trying to weigh the options in my head, I swallowed hard.
I leaned down and knocked on the door.
I faintly heard the sound of a glass being set down before a muffled acknowledgement welcomed me inside.
“Come in.”
I came to see her daddy for sit down man to man
It wasn't any secret I'd be asking for her hand
I guess that's why he left me waiting in the living room by myself
with at least a dozen pictures of her sitting on a shelfI walked hesitantly inside of the Chief’s home, closing the door behind me.
“Avatar Aang, I was expecting you to come around sooner or later,” Hakoda stood up, brushed himself off, and beckoned for me to join him at the table.
“Chief Hakoda, sir, there is no need for formalities. I told you that you can just call me Aang,” I tried to ignore the bubbling feeling in my stomach and smile.
“Yes, yes… of course. Would you excuse me for a moment, Aang?”
“Of course, sir!”
He looked me in the eye one more time before leaving the room. My gaze followed him down the hall until he left my field of vision.
I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding and observed my surroundings. The room was simple, but extravagant at the same time. Chief Hakoda’s home was the largest in the South Pole, courtesy of Master Pakku. When Pakku and the other waterbenders from the Northern Tribe came to rebuild the South Pole all of those years ago they kept in mind the simplicity of the South. But that didn’t stop them from bringing the opulent styles of the North to the architecture.
On one wall there was a sitting area with a fire pit and on another there was a kitchen of sorts. The far wall caught my attention the most, though.
It was all memorabilia.
She was playing Cinderella
She was riding her first bike
Bouncing on the bed and looking for a pillow fight
Running through the sprinkler with a big popsicle grin
Dancing with her dad, looking up at him
In her eyes I'm Prince Charming
But to him I'm just some fella
riding in and stealing CinderellaFloor-length animal skins, much to my discomfort, were hung proudly on the wall. Underneath them sat a chest. I checked to make sure Hakoda wasn’t coming down the hall before I opened it.
It creaked.
Smacking myself internally, I started to close it again, but something caught my eye. Two paintings lay on top.
The first one I recognized. It was painted six years ago-the day after I defeated Fire Lord Ozai. Hakoda, Sokka, and Katara were portrayed with large smiles, but the painter couldn’t capture the absolute joy I knew they had that day. I smiled fondly before picking up the other picture.
I could tell this one was older from both the faded colors and the fourth person standing in the portrait. She stood next to Hakoda, a smile caressing her face, as she held the hand of a little girl in braids and hair loopies.
Katara.
I grinned. Next to Hakoda, a younger Sokka stood with a boomerang hanging limply in his arm. Even when he was little he was still attached to the weapon.
I looked back at Katara, the girl I was in this house, and very uncomfortable I might add, for. I trailed my fingers across the painting slowly when a voice rung behind me.
I leaned in towards those pictures to get a better look at one
When I heard a voice behind me say "Now, ain't she something, son?"
I said "Yes, she quite a woman"
and he just stared at me
Then I realized that in his eyes she would always be“Aang?”
I flipped. At what seemed like an unthinkable speed, I put the painting back in the trunk and closed it. I found myself stuttering.
“Chief Hakoda, sir, you’re back…I wasn’t... I didn’t mean to…”
He looked at me. I panicked and started talking faster.
“Katara keeps telling me that I’m too curious for my own good but I never seem to really get how curiosity is a bad thing. But I get it now. I’m really really sorry and I didn’t want to invade your privacy I just saw the chest and I wanted to get distracted from the animals on your wall…”
I stopped.
He was laughing.
“Sir?”
“Aang, I don’t mind. Just tell me, what were you so interested in that you didn’t hear me coming?”
I looked at Katara’s father, trying to see if he was going to attack me when my back was turned. Satisfied he wasn’t, I turned around and retrieved the painting.
Hakoda looked surprised when I handed it to him, and he stared at it for a few moments. I held my breath.
“She’s something isn’t she?” Hakoda pointed at Katara in the picture fondly. Without missing a beat I responded.
“She’s an amazing woman.”
He looked at me questioningly, like I said something in lemur-talk. I looked him in the eye and understood immediately.
The Katara I knew and loved was a different Katara. I saw a beautiful, strong, independent girl that had saved my life on several occasions.
He saw the Katara in the picture.
Playing Cinderella
Riding her first bike
Bouncing on the bed and looking for a pillow fight
Running through the sprinkler with a big popsicle grin
Dancing with her dad, looking up at him
In her eyes I’m Prince Charming
But to him I'm just some fella
riding in and stealing CinderellaHakoda opened the chest, put the picture back, and sat down once more at the table. He stared expectantly at me to start talking. I opened my mouth, but words didn’t come out. My tongue had tied itself without my knowledge and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I twisted my hands anxiously. This was far worse then facing Ozai…
“Chief Hakoda umm… sir, I’ve... come to ask... for... umm…”
As I trailed on nervously, I didn’t notice him sigh and relax.
“Aang, you and I both know why you are here. Just say it.”
I glanced up. My hands, which were previously wringing themselves, stopped when I met his face. He wasn’t interrogating me or glaring at me; actually, he wasn’t even looking at me. Hakoda was focusing on his hands, like I had been only moments before. Taking a deep breath, I spoke firmly.
“I’m here to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Hakoda looked up. His old age caught up with him for a moment. Visible stress lines and wrinkles painted his visage. His eyes were tired, almost downcast.
“Yes, yes, of course you are. I knew this day was coming…”
He rubbed his eyes and then stood up once more from the table.
“And who am I to refuse the Avatar, the most powerful person in the world?”
I continued to say nothing.
“Tell me, Aang. If I said no today, would you still pursue my daughter?”
His question caught me off-guard. The obvious answer was yes, but was that the smart thing to say in this situation? If I said no, would it be dishonest? I sighed and prayed that my answer wouldn’t lead me into a mess.
“Yes.”
“Then why are you even bothering to ask me?”
“Because… because I want your blessing. Katara would want your blessing. Marriage is a life-long commitment, and I- we… would rather not plunge into it without support from you. I don’t want to go against your wishes if I don’t have to.”
He looked at me expressionless. The silence was deafening between the two of us. Thinking of the worst, I opened my mouth to try and help my case.
But I never got the chance to.
There was a knock on the door, and only a second afterward, the very subject of the conversation trudged through the entrance. Katara, who had been on a fishing trip with Sokka for the day, came in flustered from the cold.
He slapped me on the shoulder
Then he called her in the room
When she threw her arms around him
That's when I could see it too“Aang, what are you doing here?” Katara smiled as she embraced me in a tight hug. I returned the gesture.
“Just… talking to your father.”
“About what?”
“Just… things…”
She eyed me suspiciously before embracing her father in a similar hug.
As he held his daughter in his arms, his eyes sparked with the youthful look he had in the painting. He held her close, a look of happiness on his face.
“Catch anything?” He asked conversationally.
“Surprisingly a lot, actually. And speaking of the catch, I remember what I came in here for.” Katara glided to the kitchen, pocketed a knife and other tools, and addressed us once more.
“I should probably go help Sokka before he complains. I’ll be back in a couple minutes or so.”
She left and silence engulfed us once more. I pondered if I should leave now too, but before I could take a step Chief Hakoda approached me.
He slapped me on the shoulder and grinned.
Playing Cinderella
Riding her first bike
Bouncing on the bed and looking for a pillow fight
Running through the sprinkler with a big popsicle grin
Dancing with her dad, looking up at himIf he gives me a hard time
I can't blame the fella
I'm the one who's stealing Cinderella
“Sir?”
The drastic change was slightly intimidating, and I wondered if this was the same man who I was talking to earlier.
“Aang, forgive me for giving you a hard time.”
“There’s nothing to forgive you for.” My eyes trailed to the chest before adding. “I understand where you are coming from.”
He looked shocked, but a smile still graced his face. As we met each other’s gaze, an understanding was reached between us.
I had his permission to marry his daughter. I had passed whatever unknown test he gave me, but it didn’t change one thing. I was still stealing his little girl away from him, away from the old life that they had in the paintings.
And, that I had to expect that he was going to give me a hard time, even worse then the torture I was put through today.
We cleared our throats and stepped away from each other, avoiding eye contact.
“So… I think I’ll go see if they need any help.”
He nodded his head in understanding, and let me pass. I focused on keeping my walk normal as I approached the door. I twisted the knob, opened the door, and was met by a strong gust of wind. I stepped out, preparing to shut the door behind me when Chief Hakoda called out.
“Aang?”
I stepped back inside for a moment.
“Yes, sir?”
“No need for formalities, son. Just… call me Dad.”
I grinned.
*is flattered*