Prisoner

Summary: AU. When their tribe is invaded, Katara is taken prisoner due to her special ability in exchange for the safety of her family. They take her to the prince and princess, who decide to bring her to their father. Just as she is to be wed as Ozai's 11th wife, Azula announces his death, and Zuko becomes king. He takes Katara as his first wife, and they live in content. That is, until Katara discovers the box of poison in Zuko's dresser and realizes that she had wedded a murderer.

Rating: T, for death.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, only the plot. Although it would be nice to the characters, so if you're looking for a good birthday gift...*wink wink*

Chapter 1: Invasion

The day had started off normally. Katara woke up in her tent alone, as she usually did. Her father was off at war with the other men of the small village, and her older brother always rose at the crack of dawn. She could hear the crunching of snow outside, and knew that others were already up as well. In the distance, the sound of children shouting announced that Sokka had begun the daily training.

With a yawn, Katara heaved herself up. She fluidly moved her hands towards the basin across the room, and the crystal water obeyed her command. The young woman brought her hands to her face, and the cold water brushed lightly against her skin, cleaning it but leaving behind no moisture. Nightmares had plagued her the night before, leaving her feeling drained. She dreaded the coming day, but knew that she needed to set about her chores.

The children were shouting more loudly than usual. Katara guessed that Sokka, her older brother, had done or said something disagreeable. Sokka was sixteen, a year older than she, and was the oldest male in the village. He would have left with the others, but at the time he was too young, and their father had insisted that he stay behind and take care of the women and children. The young man protested, threw tantrums, pleaded, and tried to stow away on their warship, but nothing got past the chief and Sokka was left unceremoniously standing at the edge of the water, shouting himself hoarse. But he got over it.

As Katara pulled on her fur-lined boots, she scowled. The more she listened, the more she realized that it wasn't just the children shouting. And it sounded as though they were moving away. As though to answer her confusion, the flap of the tent was wrenched aside, revealing a panting Sokka, boomerang in hand.

"We're under attack!" he said. Sokka, before Katara could react, grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip and pulled her out. Katara saw the other women, some with their young children in arms, running out into the icy tundra. Sokka pushed her in that direction, ordering her to run. She did, not bothering to look behind her.

She could hear the whoosh of flames as the soldiers who had appeared from seemingly nowhere lit their houses ablaze. Katara knew her brother was at her heels, deliberately staying at the back of the herd in case any of the raiders caught up. He was determined to protect them.

The women ahead screamed and changed direction. Children were screaming and crying, and Katara thought that maybe she was, too, but she was so scared she hardly knew up from down anyway. Sokka was probably the most level-headed of them, but he was the only one who was trained to fight, in any case.

But then they were surrounded. There were far more soldiers than any of them had originally thought, and if they hadn't been so frightened and confused they might have wondered why so many had been sent to take care of such a tiny, harmless village. They had nothing to offer, no leverage. So Sokka tried to fight, tried to find some kind of opening that would give his family some chance of survival.

It was all too easy for the soldiers to knock him down. Each of the red-clad soldiers stood with a sword in their hand. The tiny tribe was going to be slaughtered, Katara was sure. But Sokka's hard blue eyes showed no sign of despair or surrender. He fought his way to his feet again, but then he hesitated just before a killing blow. This gave the soldiers the split second they needed to throw him down again, and this time they pinned him. The pinning soldier raised his sword for the killing strike, the silver blade glinting in the sunlight.

Before Katara even realized she had moved, she had tackled the man to the snow. They both grunted on impact, and Sokka rolled to his feet.

"Katara!" he uttered.

The soldiers each grabbed a tribesmember, tearing terrified children away from their mothers, who screeched in despair. Sokka struggled more than anyone else, but he could not break free. The one Katara had brought down pushed himself to his feet, pulling her up by her hair.

"Let me go!" she cried instinctively. Her fingers scrabbled at his gloved hands (and vaguely she realized that she wasn't wearing hers, as she hadn't had time to grab them) and her feet kicked at his shins. He didn't seem affected.

"Listen," Sokka said loudly, drawing attention. He had given up the struggle, finally realizing that he would not be able to get free. "Let them go, and take me. They are women and children, completely harmless. They can do nothing to you. Please, just let them go."

"No," said the one holding Katara. She froze at his authoritative tone. He was obviously the leader. "We are going to kill all of you. It is a repercussion for the attack your fathers and husbands led on us. They are our prisoners, and when we bring back your heads we'll see just how strong they are then."

Sokka's eyes flashed, and he began his fighting anew.

One of the children was thrown face-first to the ground, and a boot crunched down on his back. He cried out for his mother, who was sobbing and trying to wrench herself free to save her child. The man raised his sword to behead him.

But as he swung the weapon, the hilt came free from his hands. In surprise, the soldier turned and gape at his sword, which was suspended in mid-air. But then he saw that the blade was encased in ice that had risen from the ground, leaving a thin crystal pillar.

"How did you do that?" asked a cold voice.

Katara lowered her hand, eyes tearful. Her mouth moved without prompting from her mind. "I will not tell you," she said in a shockingly clear voice. She stared into the black holes in the face mask of her captor, where his eyes would be. "I will not tell you anything until you let all of them go. You can take me, but leave them alone. If you hurt them, I swear you will never know anything."

"Katara, no!" Sokka growled. He received a winding punch to his gut, and he doubled over, wheezing.

The man holding Katara was silent and still, as though he were thinking. Then he raised his free hand. Every soldier released their prisoner, and the mothers were reunited with their kids. Without speaking, the commander began to drag Katara back in the direction that they had come, and the soldiers followed.

"Katara," Sokka gasped weakly. Despite the pain in his belly, he scrambled to his feet and staggered after them. "You can't take her!"

A soldier elbowed him in the side of his head, and Sokka fell unconscious. Katara turned and looked at her family fearfully as she dragged away, almost hoping that they would come after her. None of them did. The women watched her go solemnly, looking as scared as she felt. Yet they also seemed relieved, glad that they would survive. The village healer moved to help Sokka, who lay unmoving.

"Where are you taking me?" Katara tried to ask, but it came out as a hoarse whisper. No one seemed to hear her, and she didn't bother asking again. The lump in her throat was too thick and wouldn't be swallowed.

Their huge warship loomed up in the distance, almost obscured by the morning fog. That was how they had arrived undetected. The ramps had already been lowered, so they simply walked up it and went into the ship's belly, which was dark and hot. Furnaces and engines lined the walls of the wide room. That was likely what powered the ship.

Katara stumbled as the man holding her pushed her into another soldier, who caught her other arm. "Take her to the holding cells," said the leader simply. Then he disappeared down the hallway, and the rest of the soldiers and she went down another one. Soon enough, after passing identical door after door and making many turns, only she and her escort were walking. The other soldiers had dwindled away to other parts of the ship.

They reached a door that the soldier opened with a key that hung outside of it, then ungraciously shoved the girl inside. She yelped as she landed on her elbows, then hurriedly threw a glance over her shoulder to watch the man slam the door shut. Seconds later, the sound of a lock clicked firmly, and she was trapped.

The room was small and dark. A single lamp flickered lazily in the far corner, casting more shadows than light. There was a single, straw-stuffed mattress in one corner, but that was it. There was no window, no slot in the wall to promote any hope of communication. Katara shivered even though she was not cold. She crawled over to the mattress and sank down onto it, curling into the fetal position so that she could stare at the door. If anyone tried to surprise her, she would be ready.

Katara was scared, of course, but she held onto the hope that they would not hurt her. She would try to make deals to save herself, holding back as much information as she could at a time. She tried to think of ways that would make them think they needed her. Tears stung her eyes at the thought that they might kill her. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to be a prisoner, either. But there had been no other way. At least her family would be okay. Sokka's smiling face brought her comfort for a moment, but then she imagined his despair when he woke to see that their village was in ruins and that his little sister was gone.

At that, Katara's tears finally ran, and she sniffled into her fists. Despite her terror and exhaustion, Katara did not drift off into sleep. Instead, when her eyes dried, she watched the door and waited.

It wasn't long until she heard footsteps. Katara sat up, pressing her back against the wall. Thoughts ran wild in her mind. Were they coming to kill her? Hurt her? Question her? Had they gone back and killed her family despite the deal? What if they were coming to-

The door was unlocked and opened swiftly, and a young man carrying an oil lamp entered. He was dressed quite richly, with deep red designs standing out against the darks of his clothing. His long black hair was pulled up into a bun from a golden hairpiece shone in the light. His amber eyes studied the huddled girl, and it took a moment for Katara to process the burn scar over his left eye.

Similarly to the way Katara noticed him, he took a moment to take in her appearance. Before his vision had been slightly obscured by the mask, but now he could see her plainly enough. Her long brown hair cascaded down her back, and two small loops were beaded in front of her ears. Her blue eyes stood out against her dark skin, but further than her thick fur clothing concealed her body.

The man cleared his throat importantly. "You are now a prisoner," he stated.

Katara narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.

"When we arrive at the palace, you will be taken to my father," the young man continued. With a jolt, Katara realized that he was her age. He took her sudden jerk as a reaction to what he had said. "He is a kind enough man, if you do not anger him." Katara wondered if that was supposed to be some sort of reassurance.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Prince Zuko, son of Ozai."

Katara furrowed her brow. She had heard of him, of course.

"You will explain to my father your ability," Zuko continued. "From there we will decide what is to be done with you. For now, you will wait here until more adequate arrangements are made."

"Arrangements?"

"A room," Zuko said, almost impatiently. "You will be free to walk about the ship, under supervision. My sister will guard you as long as you do." Then his eyes hardened as he caught a flash of hope in her eyes. "There is no chance of escape. We are already out to sea, and there are guards throughout the entire ship. If you try, we will kill you."

Katara's shoulders slumped slightly, but it wasn't too noticeable underneath her coat. "How long will I be gone?"

"Forever."

With that, the prince turned on his heels and left the room, taking the lamp with him. A soldier who had been waiting shut and locked the door after Zuko's departure. Katara's shock was immediately displaced by despair, and she buried her face in her hands. Her sobs echoed across the walls, unheeded. Several hours later, with an aching head, Katara closed her weary eyes and slept.

A/N: My first Avatar fic. Completely AU, though. There is no "bending" of the elements in this story, and no Aang, though if I write a sequel he will most likely appear. But in any case, he's not in this one.

Thanks for reading, and I will update as soon as I write the next chapter. :)