A/N: This story is based upon the ancient Indian custom of Swayamvar. According to this custom, princesses got to select a groom from various different princes. These would often include a challenge or a difficult task. I have chosen not to include a task for this. Instead I'm going with a situation where Katara gets to know these guys one on one, which in my mind is more in keeping with the ATLA universe.

A few cliff notes:

The fire nation is not evil.

Aang is not the last airbender.

Katara is a princess in her own right as the daughter of the chief of the Southern Water Tribe. As such, she is aware of the important people in the world but has never met them.

I've upped the ages of all of the characters:

Zuko, Sokka and Jet: 19

Katara and Suki: 17

Toph and Aang: 15

I guess all these changes makes it an AU story after all. I hope you all enjoy. Please let me know what you think.

Katara knew that further argument with her father was pointless. She was to be married and that was that. Katara supposed that she had been lucky that her father loved her as much as he did. She'd been able to delay the inevitable for almost a year.

Today, however, Hakoda had laid down the law. She was to marry before the year was out. Since Katara had been expecting this for a while, she'd asked him to resurrect the old custom of "Bride's Choice." The eligible nobles and princes from around the world would be invited to spend a month in the southern water tribe. Katara would spend some time getting to know the 'candidates' and make her choice by the summer solstice.

Hakoda would never know that Katara had had every finger crossed in the hope that her father would agree. She made a mental note to thank her brother, Sokka, for talking to their father on her behalf. Admittedly, He did have a vested interest in the plan succeeding, since it was his suggestion to begin with. Sokka had argued that resurrecting the old custom would also give the Southern Water Tribe a lot of goodwill and show the rest of the world how far they had come.

Then came the argument of where to actually host the event. Having the guests at the Southern Water Tribe meant that the healers would be dealing with a bunch of sick and therefore cranky people. Making furs for all those people was more work than Hakoda wanted to take on. Fortunately for the siblings, Sokka's wife, Suki, came up with the perfect solution. Kyoshi Island was not affiliated with any of the nations and as Suki's home would provide the perfect setting for them to host the event. It being Suki's home only added to the allure.

So, invites for the event were sent out to all the eligible princes and nobles across the world. It was only when the responses came back that Katara knew that her brother's plan might not have been the best one. She had no idea how she was supposed to sort through so many contenders in just one month! Panicked, Katara immediately wrote to her friend to ask for help. After all no one could cut through bullshit faster than Toph Beifong, Earthbender extraordinaire and the human lie detector.

All too soon for Katara's tastes, they were in Kyoshi Island. It seemed like they had barely settled in before the candidates had started arriving. Katara knew that she was to meet all the candidates at the same time during a feast held in their honor but her curiosity was killing her. She was wondering how to sneak a peek at the arriving delegates when one of the younger Kyoshi warriors burst in.

Wide-eyed, the girl reported that the Avatar had just come as one of the contenders. Katara was stuck speechless. She'd not seen his name amongst the people who had responded. She wondered if she should be flattered that the Avatar had graced them with their presence or apprehensive that he wanted to marry her. In the end, Katara decided to be cautiously optimistic. After all, a marriage with the Avatar would be very beneficial for her tribe.

Katara came awake with a start, bending the drool from her chin in disgust. She had fallen asleep on the chair in her room and now had a crick in her neck. Thanking the spirits for her healing powers, she quickly fixed the cramp. Having no idea how long she had slept, she looked over to the markers and groaned. She was really late and had to hurry if she wanted to make it to her own banquet on time. On cue, Suki came into her room. The smile on her sister-in- law's face turned into a frown as she took in Katara's disheveled appearance.

"I fell asleep," Katara forestalled any comment from the clearly displeased Suki.

"Great! We can go make a fabulous impression on the visiting dignitaries," Suki's sarcastic comment was accompanied with a wave of her hand towards Katara.

"Are you going to help me dress or stand here and be sarcastic?" Katara was already down to her under wrappings.

With a sigh, Suki quickly helped Katara into the long sleeved blue gown which had darker blue accents around the waist.

"I'm not sure I can get the tangles out of your hair in time," Suki sounded frustrated.

"Just do the top layer no one will know that the underside isn't brushed. OUCH!" Katara yelled in pain as Suki ran the brush through a particularly bad tangle.

"Sorry, sorry."

Katara just sighed in defeat. If she hadn't fallen asleep, she would have had a long time to get ready leisurely.

"That's …" whatever Suki had been about to say was interrupted by Sokka's voice.

"Are you girls ready to go?" He asked.

Suki gave Katara a quick hug and walked out to meet her husband.

Taking a deep breath and touching her mother's necklace, Katara steeled herself.

The banquet was being held in one of the main halls in the center of town. The circular seating arrangement allowed for easier conversation and provided Katara a chance to look at the all the 'prospective grooms' from her seat between Sokka and Toph. She allowed her gaze to flit over the assembled men when something caught her eye.

Is that a bear? Katara was flabbergasted. Blinking rapidly, she sought to clear her vision certain that her eyes were deceiving her.

"That's definitely a bear," Toph murmured.

"Do you read minds too now?" Katara whispered back.

"No, Sugar queen, everyone seems to be taken aback by it and it is decidedly odd to bring a bear to this."

What was even stranger was the fact that the dude kept petting the bear. She chanced a glance at Sokka but quickly looked away before she burst out laughing. He was unabashedly gaping at the bear guy with his mouth hanging open. She nudged her brother and brought him back to earth. A look around the table showed many of the other people around the table had similar expressions of incredulity. Another glance at the bear guy revealed him now talking to his bear.

"Just when you thought he couldn't get any stranger," Sokka leaned over to whisper in her ear.

Katara couldn't control her snicker any longer. The sound seemed unnaturally loud in the hall and earned her a look from her father. She would have sobered under the glare except for the fact that his lips were twitching. The small laugh, however, served to snap several of the men from their trances.

The meal ended without further incident mainly because Katara resolutely kept her gaze on her dinner. After the last course was cleared away, her father stood up.

"Good evening to the esteemed guests. I, Chief Hakoda, of the prestigious Southern Water Tribe, welcome you all and offer my deepest gratitude to you all for gracing us with your august presence. We have all assembled here to reinstate an age old practice of "Bride's Choice" both as an effort to honor the old traditions and to find a suitable groom for my beloved daughter. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that this is the Bride's Choice and I would request you all to honor my daughter's decision, whatever that might be. Please allow me to introduce the members of my family, who, along with me, will be your hosts for the duration of your stay here. Seated to my right, is my son and the Chief-in-waiting, Sokka. On my left is his wife and leader of the Kyoshi warriors, Suki. We express our gratitude to Lady Suki for allowing us the use of Kyoshi Island for this event. Please feel free to let us know should you need anything. As our guests, your comfort is of paramount importance and we would do our best to make your stay here as pleasant and comfortable as we can. And now, please join your hands to welcome the Bride, my daughter and Master Waterbender, Katara."

Katara stood up to the applause of the gathering, bowing to acknowledge her father and their guests.

"During the next month, all of you will be given a chance to meet with my daughter so that you may get to know each other. During the first few meetings, my daughter will be accompanied by either a Kyoshi warrior or our friend, Lady Toph Beifong. At the end of the month, on the auspicious day of the summer solstice, my daughter will make her choice. The person whom she chooses will be told in advance of her decision to provide him an opportunity to back out should he feel uncomfortable with the match. The order in which you will meet with Katara was decided earlier when you drew numbers from the bowl as you walked in. The first meeting will begin tomorrow morning. For all the rest of our guests, we have bending and practice arenas around the island should anyone want to make use of these. Once again, I thank you all for coming to my daughter's 'Bride's Choice'"

With that the party broke up. Katara was standing with her family when a young man came over. Bowing to her father he said, "I'm Avatar Aang. Please accept my apologies for showing up unannounced. I was out of the temple when they received your message. By the time I got it, well I figured I would get here faster than a messenger hawk."

"It's our pleasure and honor to have you here, Avatar Aang. No apologies are necessary it is understandable that your Avatar duties keep you from your home for long periods."

Katara was a little shocked. This kid was the Avatar? He barely looks old enough to shave. Speaking of, does he even have anything to shave?

"You're staring!" Suki whispered to her, breaking Katara out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Ummm, sorry," Katara apologized and then turned to Hakoda, "If I may be excused, Father? It's been a long day and I'd like to get some rest before tomorrow's busy day."

"Me too," Suki and Toph said simultaneously.

Hakoda narrowed his eyes at the three ladies but gave in, "Of course. Good night!"

The Avatar and Sokka bade them a good night and the three friends escaped the party.

Sleep, however, was a long time coming as the three of them talked about the weird guy with the bear and the Avatar.

Fire Lord Zuko was furious. He vowed to have some very strong words with his uncle when he got back. He could not believe that Iroh would do this to him. Zuko was under the impression that he had come here to attend a 'very important international event.' Instead this was a marriage mart and Zuko was one of the products on display. He had had no idea what he had signed up for till Chief Hakoda's speech. He felt like an Ostrich horse for sale in fire nation markets.

On top of that, he had to spend a month, one whole month, taking part in this Agni forsaken ceremony. To top it all, his companions were people like King Kuei. Who the heck brought a bloody bear to an international event?

Who comes to a marriage mart without having any idea what they are here for? His inner voice taunted him.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and took a calming breath. At least, King Kuei and his bear (Bronco? Plinko?) had saved him from an embarrassing display of temper earlier today. He was seated next to the smelliest person he had ever come across. The guy was wearing leaves in strategic positions but that was it. The incident happened when the meat was served.

"What's that, you reckon? Possum Chicken?" the dude had asked him.

"That's Arctic Seal meat, filth" Zuko growled.

"You think the meat is filthy?"

Zuko's chopsticks were ashes in his meat.

On top of being furious, Zuko was also hungry having been unable to eat his ash laden meal. He wondered briefly if he could avoid this entire show and go back but realized that there was no way he could do that without deeply offending his hosts. He resolved to give it a week before writing to Iroh and threatening him to come up with an 'emergency' requiring the fire lord's presence. Satisfied with this idea and feeling calmer, Zuko walked back to meet the rest of the Ostrich horses.

Zuko's morning started off pretty good. He had gotten up early and was able to do his meditation and then get some morning exercises in. He was well into his third set of exercises when he was interrupted by a particularly grumpy voice.

"Can't you wait till a reasonable hour before making so much noise?"

Zuko froze in shock. Who had dared to address him in this manner? Especially because he knew he was not making a sound. He spun around to see a diminutive girl in a green outfit standing there.

"Who are you?" Zuko asked, flames already in his palms.

"The name's Toph"

This chit is the legendary Toph Beifong?

Zuko put out the flames and bowed in the fire nation salute.

"I apologize for disturbing you, Lady Beifong but I wasn't aware that I was being loud enough to wake anyone."

"Maybe not, but I sleep on the floor."

Zuko was astounded, "Why would you sleep on the floor when there are so many rooms with beds available?"

"I'm blind and I see with my feet. I don't like to be separated from my element."

Zuko thought that this girl might keep him constantly surprised.

"I apologize for being curious, Lady Beifong, but how does one see with their feet?"

"It's Toph. Lady Beifong is my mother," she huffed. "You can ask how but I don't have to answer. Just know that when I'm with Katara I'll be able to tell if you're lying."

With this statement the girl started to walk away. After a few steps, she stopped, "Do your exercises a little further from here tomorrow."

Zuko gaped after her. The Fire Lord was unused to being commanded to do anything.

He realized he did not have the time for any more exercises as more people were waking up.

"Good Morning, Zuko!"

Zuko sighed and turned to face the only person besides his mother who called him by his given name.

"Avatar," he acknowledged.

"Zuko, I do have a name."

"Good morning, Aang," Zuko was beginning to regret getting up.

"Do you want to spar in the arena before we go in for breakfast?"

Zuko mused that sparring with the Avatar would allow him to finish his morning exercises and nodded.

The spar had definitely been a good idea and Zuko's morning was looking up again. He changed his clothes and headed for breakfast. As soon as he left his room, however, he was confronted by a guy about his age.

"You're Fire Nation!" the dude accused him, speaking around a stalk of wheat in his mouth.

Zuko wondered if he had walked into a party of lunatics. The guy was still looking like he expected Zuko to deny it. "Yes."

"I hate Fire Nation people!"

"Umm. That's nice?"

"Do they know?"

"I assume they realized that when they invited the Fire Lord." Out of patience, Zuko stepped around the now gaping guy and went to get some breakfast.

Katara was as ready as could be to face her morning. She was to meet her first suitor, a guy named Due.

She was a little baffled by this guy as no one seemed to know who he was or where he was from. She couldn't refuse to meet with him either since he was the very first person she had to spend time with. Feeling the need to reinforcements, she asked both Toph and a Kyoshi warrior to accompany her for the meeting.

She had just taken a seat next to Toph when a voice spoke up behind her, "May I join you ladies for breakfast?"

Katara turned in her seat to see a smiling Avatar. Unsure about seeming too friendly, she looked at her father for guidance. At his nod, she gave her permission. With a huge grin lighting up his boyish face, the Avatar took the seat next to Toph. Before anyone could say a word in greeting, he called out to the newest person entering the tent.

"Fire Lord, Zuko!"

The man in question turned to face the little group and Katara's breath caught in her chest. The Fire Lord was a handsome man! He was dressed in his nation's colors with his crown in his top knot. As he started walking towards them, Katara noticed that he was about Sokka's age yet he carried himself with an assurance that she hadn't seen in men far older to him. This was every inch a man born to rule.

"Breathe, Sugar Queen," Toph nudged her.

Katara swore under her breath. She was going to be black and blue from all of the nudges she was getting from her 'friends'.

The Fire Lord had now approached the table and bowed to the group.

"Greetings, Avatar Aang, Lady Beifong and Lady Katara."

Katara was in trouble. The Fire Lord's voice send shivers down her back and all he'd done was greet them. She barely remembered to dip her head in acknowledgement.

"Why don't you join us for breakfast?" Aang offered.

The monarch seemed to consider this for a moment before taking the seat next to the Avatar.

Her Father joined them momentarily and breakfast was served.

Even though he was sitting a good distance away from her, Katara was conscious of the Fire Lord throughout the meal.

Soon enough breakfast was over and it was time for the 'suitor parade' to start.

"Hello, sunshine!"

Katara was startled 'sunshine?' Beside her Toph snickered.

She turned to look at him and felt her mouth drop open. The guy was wearing leaves around his waist and had on a leaf hat and that was all. What in name of spirits is going on? What is that godawful stench?

Recovering her composure as best she could, Katara ventured, "Good morning, Nobleman Due." Her voice was wobblier than she wanted.

"Nobleman? Shoot! I'm no nobleman."

"Lord Due?" Katara ventured.

He started laughing uproariously.

Katara looked over at her companions but they both appeared to be as clueless as her.

When he got his breath back, he spoke, "I ain't a lord either. I'm Due, just Due, a swampbender."

Katara put both her hands on her hips and scowled at him, "Well, just Due. If you are not a lord or a nobleman, how did you get invited to this event?"

"Invited?"

"Yes, invited. Who invited you?"

"No one invited me. I was out of the swamp minding my own business when I hear some guys talking about this 'Bride's choice' thing on Kyoshi Island. I'd never heard of such a thing, so I decided to come check it out."

"You decided to come check it out?" Katara's voice took on a sharp edge and the water nearby started to freeze.

"Easy, Sugar Queen. You don't want to kill anyone on the very first day, though you may have justifiable cause here," Toph put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "At least, he's telling the truth."

"Get. Out. Of. My. Sight"

The swampbender seemed to recognize the danger he was in and scurried away.

Katara pressed a hand to her temple and groaned. Less than ten minutes into the first day and it was already a disaster.