Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did, I wouldn't have to write fanfics.
Katara woke to the sound of voices. She didn't open her eyes. She just wanted to keep sleeping.
"Katara?" That raspy voice. It sounded familiar, but she was too tired to think anything of it.
"Your Highness?" Who was that? Maybe she should get up; this voice was unfamiliar.
"Let her sleep. She is fine otherwise. She is strong." Something touched her right cheek, so she opened her eyes and found someone slightly hovering by her right. She couldn't immediately identify who it was in her grogginess. But the haziness of sleep was slowing disappearing to reveal… Zuko.
She immediately whipped him with the water from her waterskin. He fell to the ground and looked up at her, wiping water from his face.
"Katara, it's me," he said.
"I know exactly who you are!" She leapt out of bed. "Where's Aang? What did you do to him?" She should just attack him right now, but that wouldn't help Aang. Zuko needed to be in one piece but she won't go easy on him - again.
"Wha-"
"Katara! Thank Tui you're alright!" Sokka stormed into the room and rushed to her side. Wait, where was she? Toph and Sukki followed after him, none of them noticing Zuko. "What are you doing?" Sokka sounded incredulous.
"Ahhhhhh" The shriek came from a toddler in Sukki's arms. What's going on? The toddler lunged forward into Katara's arm, a huge smile on her face. She started cooing.
"Sukki, where did this baby come from?" What was a toddler doing alone in these dangerous times?
"Why, that's your daughter, Your Highness. Do you not remember?" Katara did not notice the elderly man standing somewhere behind her. The unfamiliar voice she heard earlier belonged to him. There was a bed between her and him. When did she sleep in a bed? The words he said just registered in her mind.
"Wait, what? My…daughter?" Was she hallucinating? She didn't recall having anything weird. Maybe the Fire Nation heat was getting to her.
She looked down at the child in her arms. This had to be a joke, this couldn't be her daughter. Katara was too young to be a mother. And this girl, she wasn't from the Water Tribes. She could be from the Fire Nation…only she was slightly darker than their typical pale complexion. But her eyes, those big blue eyes, were exactly what Katara saw in her own reflection. And the girl's cheekbones resembled Sokka's. Stranger yet, this little girl was clearly familiar with her. The toddler rested her head on Katara's chest, cooing…contently? How could she be her daughter? The only time she remembered having anything close to a child was when she pretended to be Aang's mother.
"She missed you. You slept through an entire day." Zuko spoke softly. The only time he spoke softly was in the catacombs…right before he…
"Don't talk, liar." Zuko looked at her warily.
"What's with the hostility, Katara? Zuko didn't do anything." Sokka said. Why was he defending him?
"Zuko didn't do anything? Did you suddenly forget he's been hunting us across the world?"
"Wait, what?! That was so long ago…wait! What's the last thing you remember?" Sokka was being weird. Everyone was actually. Where was Aang?
"Is Aang safe?" Sokka wouldn't like being ignored, but he'd let it slide if involved keeping Aang safe.
"Aang? Of course he is! He is a grown man, he can take care of himself." And with that Katara realized everyone did look older. What was happening? This must be a dream. "He is in the Earth Kingdom swamps, trust me. He is fine. But what do you remember?"
Katara didn't register all of that, but if Aang is safe she can relax a bit. But she didn't like having Zuko there. Who knew what he would do? Her friends didn't seem too concerned though.
"Please excuse me, Chief Sokka. We should proceed with caution. I believe the Fire Lady might be suffering from some significant memory loss." Memory loss? Fire Lady? Wait? They couldn't be talking about…
"Sugar Queen lost her memory?" No. No, no, no, no, no. It can't be. This must be a nightmare. She was ready to wake up now.
"Yes, Lady Beifong."
"Shouldn't we discuss this elsewhere?" Zuko began. "Won't Katara be overwhelmed? Shouldn't we take Kya elsewhere?"
"Don't you dare say my mother's name!" That vile, conscious-free monster had no right to utter her mother's name!
"He wasn't talking about mom, Katara." Sokka said calmly. "He meant your daughter." He paused, then added "both of your daughter".
"You heard him, Sugar Queen. Your daughter," Toph "clarified". Then she spoke the cursed words that had Katara's world crumbling to the ground. "With Zuko. Your husband."
A/N: So, I'm not exactly happy with the prologue and may edit it at a later time, but I just needed to get this out. The following chapters should be a bit better and convey the tone that is in my head. Until then, this will have to do. As usual, R&R. :)