Leave my your wake
Prologue
(Takes place 16 years before the story)
-------o-------
Hey peeps! This would be my first ever Zutara fanfic, so I implore of you not to stab me with your ever flowing stream of criticism! I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with Grimm's fairytales, but anyhow, the limbs of this story are based off of Sleeping Beauty.
P.S. Just for the sake of rhythm, I made Hakoda king of the Southern water tribe, and Kya the queen.
Disclaimer: I don't own any form of Avatar the Last Airbender, as you can already guess, my name isn't Brian or Mike. (WISH IT WAS THOUGH!!)
-
-
-
Kya knelt in deep prayer, "Oh great moon spirits, I pray for nothing more than a child."
Day after day, as the moon was rising, the queen of the Southern Water Tribe pleaded with Tui and La, and offered her every service to the spirits if her wish was to be granted.
"A child," She begged, "Please, give me a daughter."
One day, as she was bathing in the springs, a beautiful spirit emerged from the night sky. Her hair, the color of starlight, and her robes were layered in thin silken sheets.
"Queen Kya," The spirit smiled, "I have been watching you, and listening to your songs of sorrow. Your intents are pure, and for that I grant your wish. Within one year's time, a daughter will be bestowed upon you."
Kya blinked away tears of joy, and whispered, "My humble thanks, Princess Yue."
Surely enough, as the moon goddess kept her word, it was no surprise that before a year had passed; a baby girl was born into the tribe. The King and Queen were elated with the birth of their daughter, and prepared a feast inviting all their neighbors, and sister tribe. Crystal streamers were hung all about the palace, and glass lanterns strewn about the city. With special acknowledgment from Avatar Roku, King Hakoda was able to extend invitations to even the spirits of good fortune. But alas, the royal table had only three seats remaining. Knowing this, the King unwisely decided not to invite a single spirit. However, none of the guests seemed bothered by this lack of hospitality, since the spirit was known to be spiteful.
As the day of celebration drew to an end, all the guests departed leaving only the three invited spirits alone with the Royal family and their daughter. As thanks, each spirit gifted the newborn with a virtue.
"I, Spirit of strength, grant your daughter power. She will grow to be an unsurpassed waterbender, and a wise tactician."
The king nodded his consent, and the spirit vanished as the next stepped forward.
"I, Spirit of beauty, grant your daughter charm and grace. Never will she want for companionship, and her smile will soften even the darkest of hearts."
As the last spirit was about to bestow her gift, the room turned dark and wisps of smoke curled up from the ground.
"Why was I not invited?" A thunderous voice boomed. The fourth spirit had come to show its spite, "For this, I will curse your daughter!"
The Queen began sobbing, and the King's face turned pallor. "When your princess turns 16," The spirit continued, "She will be washed away by the darkest waves! Suffering its wrath for eternity!"
Kya gasped and fell to her knees begging in vain for the spirit to swallow its words. However, her pleas remained unheard as the black tendrils of smoke thinned, then vanished. Burying his face in grief, the king sat on his throne with a heavy heart.
"Wait," a gentle voice cooed, "I have not yet given the princess my gift."
Wiping away her tears, the queen spoke, "Oh please mighty spirit, undo the curse your kin has done!"
Shaking her head sadly, the spirit knew she did not possess such power.
"But alas my queen, I can do naught but ease the curse."
She approached the sleeping princess, and spoke, "My child, you will be washed away by waves, but not for eternity. The threads of your future are infinite. I bestow upon you, a single ribbon of luck. One boy will free your body and spirit, but you must first learn to accept his heart."
With those final words of foresight, the godly being whispered, "For I am the goddess of destiny."
-
-
-
The King and Queen, though comforted by the final spirit's blessing, still feared the welfare of their daughter.
"It burdens my heart to know that our only daughter must suffer at the hands of her fate, we must do all that we can to ensure her well being," Hakoda said to his wife. "The South Pole is no longer safe for her."
"No- please! Don't send her away!" Kya knelt, begging.
The king diverted her gaze, masking his own pain. "It must be done. Tomorrow at sunset, I will send for a nursemaid, and our daughter will be sent to live in the safety of the Earth Kingdom forests."
"Then what of our promise? Our daughter has been betrothed to the Fire Nation prince since birth, it is the price we paid to keep our people safe."
"Kya," Hakoda's eyes softened, "Right now, it is our duty to protect our daughter. When sixteen years have passed, I will send for her, and she will be wed, as promised."
Kya turned and blinked away her tears, but nodded in consent.
The following night the Princess left her mother's arms.
"Katara," she whispered to the sleeping infant. "Your name will be Katara."
With her final words, she fastened a silky blue pendant around the child's neck. A betrothal necklace.
--------------
Author's note: Yes, it is rather short isn't it? Well, it is a prologue, much longer chapters to come. Please tell me your suggestions, anything is welcome, especially constructive criticism directed to helping me improve Leave me your wake. By the way, in the title, Wake means a small wave left behind by a boat So no, it doesn't have anything to do with waking up… no pun intended since this story is modeled after Sleeping beauty.
P.S. As many of you know, this isn't the original format of my story. I decided to do some updating/rewriting/revising on this story since I got a lot of feedback on it, and really wanted to improve it. I'm a more experienced writer now, and I'm pretty sure I can improve this storyline tenfold. I actually plan on organizing the plot and laying everything out. Also, thanks so much to my wonderful editor, Luthien!
Thanks for understanding,
-Alicia