Started: 5/11/2010
Completed: 6/30/2011

Author's Note: Inspired by Technoelfie's Mirror of Dreams on Deviantart.


She hadn't believed when she heard of the mirror of dreams. Sure, she'd been through a swamp that showed you what you needed, but that was practical. Why would a mirror show you wanted? If it showed what was going on half-way round the world, she might've believed in that.

"Sugar Queen, that's not what I said; I said it shows you what can-be, should-be. What you want."

"That's not the same thing at all!"

Toph shrugged. "Whatever. It's not like it's any use to me."

Katara clenched her fist and hissed, eventually throwing her arms up.

Curious though, she did look. After everyone else had gone to sleep, she snuck out to see this mirror; she made sure it was before the sun rose though; there was no way she was going to endure Zuko's egging if he saw her doing something so girlish.

She crept up the rocks, and dug through the dry moss, looking for the hole in the earth. She found it, threw a rock in to see how far it went, and then climbed down.

Glad she brought a lantern, she lit it, and made her way. Of course, right as she saw the end and saw a mirror wreathed with roots, she tripped. The fire went out as she bent whatever water was there to douse the light, afraid the lichen might catch fire.

As she scrabbled to her knees, the morning sun began to light up the room enough to see the mirror. She was just about certain all she'd see was her own reflection.

She was wrong.

She was certainly in the reflection, but she was older; dressed in fine white linen and red ribbon. Her hair was loose, something that worried her; at that age, most women of the water tribe would only do so in the presence of family or close friends. Her hair was wild and curly as it was when she woke up. She reached for her reflections' hand. The surface of the mirror rippled and someone else appeared.

The hands appeared first, pale fingers retying her necklace.

Zuko.

It was undeniably him, just as aged as her reflection was. His hair had grown long again, and the Fire Lord's hairpin was thrust through his topknot. She watched with fascination as his hand lingered on her hair after finishing tying her necklace. Both the other her and Zuko seemed so content.

It made sense to her, then; the loose hair, the necklace – Fire Lord and Lady, Tui and La. The Zuko in the mirror turned his head to stare right at her, and frightened, Katara turned around to see if Zuko was there. He wasn't. She turned back to the mirror, but there was no one there then but herself, thirteen years old, and tired.

She returned to camp, and when no one questioned her absence, she was relieved.

Toph of course, meandered her way towards her. "So whaddya see Sugar Queen?"

Katara couldn't help that she squeaked out a "What?"

"I felt you stomping around all night! You gonna tell me what you saw or what?"

"Nothing," she replied sheepishly, turning red.

Toph gave her a look, that said she didn't believer her, but walked away anyway.

Katara glanced at Zuko and wondered.