An: I'm pretty annoyed because my 1st chapter decided to delete after I spent hours at it but sure it's grand (I'm Irish) I'm not annoyed or anything. Please drop a review I'm really open to constructive criticism.
Summary: Zuko is a prince and has a nasty habit of getting what he wants but when marriage negotiations are on the table his life gets far more complicated. Katara is a common peasant and just wants to be taken seriously. She'll do anything to overcome her station, even if it means making deals with a certain irritating prince. ZUTARA (Rating subject to change)
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or its characters (unfortunately), but I like to think I own the plot to this story
Ps: I couldn't find the ages of the characters so I left that up to my interpretation.
Prelogue
Katara was six.
She was only a young Waterbender.
But that didn't stop the Firebenders from taking away the women and children as slaves in the Fire Nation.
The men of the village had been missing in action since she was four. The oldest man left in the village was her own brother, Sokka, who had just turned nine.
"Katara, RUN!" He yelled.
That was her last memory before a pair of hot hands wrapped around her petite frame and her world descended to darkness.
When she awoke she was in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by people she didn't know.
The room was small and cramped and looked as though at least 20 people slept in there if you counted the sleeping bags on the floor. There were no decorations in the room just small open windows at the top of the walls with clothes hanging out, probably to let them dry. It was warmer than at home.
The people around her all had pale skin and dark eyes. They still hadn't noticed that she had woken up.
She sat up and quickly brought her hand up to her head only to feel a huge bump that wasn't there before.
"Don't touch it." She heard someone in the back of the room say.
Katara turned around.
"What happened?"
The woman walked towards her, slowly sat at her side and took her small hands in her own.
"The soldiers raided your village and brought you here. They weren't very careful mind you." She looked sadly at the young girl in front of her,
"You are going to be staying here from now on, ok?"
Katara didn't understand that this was a turning point in her life.
She didn't understand who this woman was and why she was saying all these weird things.
She didn't understand that from this day on she would be training to be the perfect maid.
"I want Sokka." She said simply.
"Who's that sweetie?" The strange woman asked.
"My brother."
There was a moment of silence before the woman replied.
"Your brother is playing a big game of hide and seek, for the moment you can stay with all the girls here and when you're older we will go looking for him."
She looked at Katara with tears in her eyes, "I'm so silly, I haven't even asked you your name."
"Katara"
"Well Katara, I'm Ishani. Why don't we go meet the girls and get you started on some small jobs."
Katara slowly rose from her sleeping mat and followed Ishani through the strange building.
All around her women were running around making food, serving it, cleaning dishes, washing clothes and ordering people about. They all seemed between the ages of ten to eighteen.
The smell of food wafting through the kitchen made her realize how hungry she really was, but she didn't want to get in the way so she just kept walking.
Ishani brought her through a series of different doors and passages but all Katara noticed was that there was no way outside for her to go and play.
Eventually they reached a room full of piles of unfolded green robes. The woman picked out the smallest pair she could find, that was still two sizes too big but Katara was not one to complain.
"Okay, here is your uniform" She handed her a pair of loose green trousers and a top that crossed over at the front secured tightly with a thick ribbon belt.
"You can run in the dressing room to get changed and then come back in here so I can give you your first task." Ishani smiled encouragingly to Katara pointing her in the right direction.
Katara took the uniform and toddled over to a small cubicle, once she closed the curtain she sat down on the wooden floor.
This was the first time she had been alone.
She might have been young but she wasn't stupid.
She knew that Sokka wasn't playing a game of hide and seek.
All she could do was hope that he wasn't dead and that he had managed to escape the Fire nation soldiers.
She let a lone tear make its way down the side of her cheek.
As she put her uniform on more and more tears started to fall and by the time she was dressed she was having a full breakdown.
"Katara?" She heard Ishani call.
Footsteps neared the curtain.
"Katara I can hear you crying. Sweetie it's going to be okay. Life is just changing a bit but soon enough you'll be used to this. I know all this must be hard for you, and trust me when I tell you I know how you feel. Everyone here does. Just come out here and we will all help you. We can give you some work to distract you."
So many thoughts were going through Katara's head. So many things she couldn't understand.
Ishani heard the curtains open and turned to look at katara.
"Wow. look at you. Now come on and follow me back to the room where we got your uniform, I've got some folding for you to do."
8 years later
Katara was now fourteen.
She was no longer the small child she was when she first arrived. She had grown to be a fine young lady with a good education as the women who took care of her wanted her to thrive amongst their community.
She was a fast learner so it didn't take long for her to get the hang of things.
To any man from the Water Tribes she would be pretty but to people from the Fire Nation she was exotic and that, was what made her so popular.
There was one thing about her that worried Ishani, her attitude.
Katara was one to stand up and rebel against what is wrong.
Over the years she managed to create a mask that hid her emotions that she wore whenever there was injustice because she knew that a lowlife peasant like her would never be able to change anything from where her social status lay.
She had spent eight years training to be a personal maid and waiting to be bought at an auction, and this, was her first auction.
Katara POV
I tied my hair up in a classic half up, half down making sure that my Water Tribe pearls were still tied in.
I put on my normal green outfit, and made sure my mother's betrothal necklace is secured tightly on m upper arm where no one can see it.
As I'm about to walk out I stop and look at myself in the mirror.
"You better make it out of this shithole today. This is your chance. Don't screw it up by saying something stupid." I tell myself.
I walk through the door to where all the other women being auctioned off are standing.
I'm nervous.
Not for me.
For the girls around me.
I have seen so many of them grow up the same way I have and I pray that none of them end up two doors down from where we are now. In the brothel.
I can handle rowdy men but these girls deserve better.
Best case scenario they are asked to work for the royal family or at least one held in high regard.
A large unpleasant man walks in and eyes us all from top to bottom.
"Let's see what we have here. Five girls being auctioned off never to see eachother again."
His eyes fall on me. He moves close enough that I can smell his fishy breath.
"You are a pretty one, may I ask for a backstory for when I'm selling you, just to add a bit of excitement."
I look at him directly in the eyes.
His smile was enough to make my stomach sick.
"Your breath smells like a decaying body so please step back." I answer back.
His smile turns into a nasty smirk.
"Thanks for volunteering to go first." He said whilst forcefully grabbing my upper arm and dragging me behind him.
He dragged me through the front door where I was met by the sound of thirty men shouting. Some with approval and some with disgust.
I turn and look helplessly towards where I came from only to be greeted with the sight of the Auctioneer.
"I'm going to get you the right owner for that sharp tongue of yours and maybe then you will learn to respect your superiors." He whispered in my ear.
I face the crowd.
All eyes are on me.
Panic ensues.
'This isn't what I wanted.' I think to myself.
"The betting commences." I hear him say.
In my moment of weakness I do the one thing I do best.
I put on my mask of no emotions.
All the background noises zone out and all I see are hands going up raising the price. Overtime people stop raising their hands, probably because they don't want to waste their money on a peasant Water Tribe girl.
After a few minutes there are only two people left.
One that I know and I am praying it's not him.
The owner of the brothel is here and he's making the prices sky high.
I zone out.
'What if this is it?' I think.
'I have to get out of here.'
I look around, all of the exits are guarded by soldiers.
Correction,
All but the one that is nearest to the stage.
I make a split second decision and sprint towards the door.
There is no one in the way.
I'm almost there, almost free.
I hear the chairs screech as people try get up to block my path.
Nothing can stop me.
There are people yelling "Stop her!" and "Don't let her leave."
I finally reach the door.
"Ahhhhhhh." I scream as fire scorches my back,
I fall to the floor.
A strong pair of hands lifts me up and throws me back into the room. My lower back burns and I let tears fall out my eyes.
I feel someone helping me stand up and supporting me. They put on a chair and I just about make out their figure walking up to the fat man auctioning us.
"I'll take her for one-thousand gold pieces, no questions asked."
An: You guys are not stupid you've probably figured out she's going to end up in the Fire Lord's Palace, but who do you think bought her at the auction?
Do you think the chapters should be longer or are they ok?
If you guys think this is shit please just tell me and I'll think of something new, I'm open to suggestions.
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