So, here it is, my first Avatar fanfic. It takes place twenty-one years from the beginning of the series, so The Duke is 29, Toph is 32, Teo and Ty Lee are 34, Katara is 35, Sokka, Suki, and Mai are 36, and Zuko and Haru are 37, (I'm not entirely sure how old Haru actually is; this is just a guess).

DICLAIMER: I do not own Avatar. I DO own Niella, Haeno, Yue and Kanna (different from the ones in the series, so I own these ones), and Lu Ten and Ta Min. (Same goes for them.)

WORD COUNT: 1320

People in the Southern Water Tribe were waking up early one winter morning. Some rushed about the kitchen, preparing as many festive meals as possible. Others dashed in and out of a huge ice structure, carrying various decorations, all dark navy blue. They moved quickly, excitement in the air. Only one person was still at rest.

A few hours after sunrise, she got up and got ready for the day like usual – getting dressed, putting her hair up, and the final touch: her great-grandmother's betrothal necklace, a family heirloom. Katara came in just as she was pulling her parka over her head.

"Good morning, Niella." She gave her a warm hug. "Happy birthday, hon."

"Thanks, mom." Niella couldn't believe she'd actually forgotten her own sixteenth birthday. She smiled eagerly at her mother. "Hey, remember how you always told me I could finally meet Dad when I turned sixteen?"

Katara's smile seemed to vanish for as second, but Niella was too happy to care. "Mm-hm."

"Well? Is he here already? I can't wait!" Niella had never known her father, and had been counting down to this day since – well, since she learned to count that high!

"S-soon. I promise. Now, come on, everybody's waiting for a certain birthday girl."

"Oh, come on. I'm sure you don't mean everybody in the Three Nations. It's just Uncle Sokka, Aunt Suki, and the twins, right?"

"Actually, we also invited a few others. Including Haeno." She winked.

Niella's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't even remember exactly when she'd first fallen head over heels for him. If only he would just glance at her, once! Of course, today was her sixteenth birthday, a day when miracles were known to happen.

Katara led her into her hand-made – or Waterbending-made – ice castle, a blindfold over Niella's eyes. The entire population of the village stood in silence. Chief Sokka was at the front, Suki at his side, their twin daughters Yue and Kanna in between them. A peppy woman in a Kyoshi Warrior's uniform – the family friend Ty Lee – was on Suki's other side, tugging her long, brown braid in anticipation.

As Niella lifted her blindfold, everybody screamed: "Happy Birthday!" Her eyes were wet with tears of joy as she hugged Katara.

The entire morning passed wonderfully. They enjoyed a delicious traditional Water Tribe feast, with a few delicacies from the Fire

Nation and Earth Kingdom, and some fruit pies – Niella wasn't sure where they came from – and the rest of the time was passed with lively dancing. Niella happily waltzed with Haeno several times. She felt like a princess that day. This was the best birthday ever.

Right before lunch, however, her mother took her by the arm, saying they needed to talk about something important. She led her to a small room off to the side. Sokka, Suki, and Ty Lee were waiting for them. Niella could feel the apprehension in the air.

"So, what's up?" she asked, her happy mood quickly dying.

Katara took a deep breath. "Now that you're sixteen, Niella, it's time you knew. Do you remember the stories I told you about the last Airbender?"

Niella nodded. She'd loved those stories as a child, but had long since gotten too old for such fairy tales. Sure, she knew the Avatar had been real, but she doubted her mother's stories about him weren't.

"Well, those stories actually did have some truth to them. They were based on my own experiences with the real last airbender. He was the Avatar. I taught him how to Waterbend."

"You knew the Avatar?" Niella cried. She looked at Sokka, Suki, and Ty Lee to see their reactions. Surprisingly – or maybe not – they weren't shocked at all. Of course, Sokka was Katara's brother, Suki was Sokka's wife, and Ty Lee was Suki's close friend.

"Yes," Sokka replied seriously, "Katara and I were the ones who discovered him frozen in an iceberg less than a year before the end of the Great War. We set him free, and travelled with him all over the world. He needed to fit decades' worth of training into a few months, and we were beside him for the whole journey. It was actually how I met Suki." He shared a loving gaze with his wife.

"And I started out as the Fire Princess's best friend," Ty Lee added, "but then I finally figured things out and went against her, and after the war, Suki let me join the Kyoshi Warriors."

Niella couldn't believe what she was hearing. Even as a child, she'd never imagined the Airbenders were real. Now her mother, uncle, aunt, and friend were telling her they'd known one – the Avatar, no less – and had fought alongside him in the war.

"Four years after the Great War was won," Katara continued, "Aang got really sick. He was only seventeen, and I was almost nineteen. A couple weeks before he died, he proposed to me." A few tears ran down her face as she fingered a beautiful betrothal necklace, the one she'd always worn since Niella was a baby. "The new Avatar is supposed to learn of their identity on their sixteenth birthday."

With a shock, Niella realised where this was going. "So, w-what are you trying to say? That it's ... me? I'm the Avatar?" She looked at each one of their faces, hoping it wasn't true. As they all nodded, she felt her eyes well up with tears. No. She didn't want that responsibility. She wasn't ready; she never would be. Why her? "No. No, I can't do it."

Katara reached out a comforting hand to her, but Niella slapped it away. She didn't want to be around anyone right now. She turned and bolted away from them, shoving her way through the throng of happy, ignorant partygoers. She didn't even apologise to the man in red she crashed into at the door. This was the worst birthday ever.

Zuko turned to watch the sobbing girl run past him into one of the snowy houses. He had a feeling she was the Avatar, the one his friends had so proudly told him about. Mai squeezed his shoulder in worry; he could tell she was thinking the same thing.

"Niella, please! Wait!" Katara was not far behind. She stopped short of the door, sighing. Most of the other guests had stopped dancing to watch.

Mai went over to comfort Katara, even though it wasn't one of her strong points. "It's okay," she said, "Just give her a chance to think about it. She'll get used to it in time."

Zuko couldn't help but think of Aang, and his reaction to the same news. He'd run away and nearly drowned in a terrible storm. Maybe they should consider having someone keep an eye on Niella until she calmed down.

Lu Ten and Ta Min slipped out of their father's grasp and ran towards the buffet table. Zuko sighed. Those two were so spoiled! Once they were old enough, he would take them out on a trip across the Earth Kingdom, travelling in the same fashion he and Uncle Iroh had twenty-one years ago – on foot. They would learn to appreciate the riches they grew up with, and hopefully develop a little sympathy for others. They'd probably hate him for it at first, but it was for their own good. After all, Lu Ten was the heir to the throne of the Fire Nation. If he didn't respect the people of lesser wealth, then he wouldn't be a very popular Fire Lord.

After all the party guests had been hurried out, and Lu Ten and Ta Min had gone to play with Yue and Kanna, there was the debate on what to do with Niella. It was clear that she'd protest, but she had to begin her Earthbending training come spring. Luckily, they'd already made arrangements for the perfect teacher.

Well, what'd you think? R&R!