disclaimer - I don't own ATLA

In the village of the Southern Water Tribe eight years ago, a young waterbender woke up from a strange dream. She knew that dreams were meant to be strange but this one seemed stranger than other dreams she had in her life. She had been having the same dream for many nights. Battles raging around her, an inexplicable pain in her heart as if she was dealing with loss, and...the feeling of someone's lips against her's. She had no idea how she could have possibly known what that felt like. She had never kissed a boy in her life. She never even had a boyfriend, though many of the boys in the village tried courting her. She had always turned them down without giving them an actual chance. As stupid as it sounds, they just didn't seem like the one for her. She never felt anything towards the boys who tried to court her, not even the charismatic Jet or sweet Haru.

Katara yawned and stretched her arms over her head. She heard a loud snore and looked down next to her to find her friend Toph in a deep sleep. Katara smiled; the young earthbender was snoring so loud it was a wonder the waterbender was able to sleep at all. She stifled a giggle and got out of bed to get ready for the day.

She put her long, wavy hair in a braid. She left a strand of hair loose on either side of her face; she pulled them back and pinned them loosely to the bun above her braid. She smiled when she saw that her hair loopies were pinned to the bun and put on her parka. She left the still snoring Toph to sleep; years of facing the wrath of the blind earthbender when she was angry taught the waterbender to never wake her up before at least midday. Katara left the bedroom silently. She slowly closed the door behind her to keep it from shutting loudly.

She left the palace she, Toph, Aang, and her grandparents lived in. Cold air hit her face almost immediately. The snow crunched beneath her feet as she walked toward the healing hut. While she walked, Katara looked around at the walls the surrounded the village. The walls were large, high, and made of thick ice. The people of the Southern Water Tribe had no enemies that they knew of but there were rumors spreading that the Fire Nation prince planned to expand his nation by means of war. Katara herself had helped the waterbenders of the village build the walls and could only hope that if there ever was a war, the walls would be strong enough to protect the village. The people of the village had begun doing their daily chores. The children played while the elderly or some of the women watched with smiles on their faces. The men worked on their weapons or homes or were getting ready to go hunting. The villagers bowed to her as she walked past and she bowed back to them. Being the princess of the Southern Water Tribe, she was used to this treatment but she wished that the people wouldn't act so formal around or towards her.

Katara smiled as she watched two young children run across her. She remembered the happy times she spent with her friends when they were at that age. Oh how she missed those carefree times. She also missed her brother Sokka so. He had married Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe the year before and since then they had lived at the north pole so that they would help Chief Arnook watch over the people. As she reminisced in the good old days, the walk to the healing hut didn't seem to take as long as it usually did. She approached the healing hut door and knocked on it, entering when she heard Yugoda's voice inviting her in.

The healing hut held a dozen cots, half a dozen on either side of the room. Yugoda was putting new blankets on the cots when Katara had entered. The old healer smiled at the young waterbender.

"Well hello, Katara." she said walking to Katara, "So good to see you."

Yugoda and Katara hugged each other. They broke the hug and Yugoda inspected Katara's face, smiling even wider.

"You're looking more like Kanna every day when she was your age." she said affectionately.

Katara smiled at the healer. Gran Gran and Yugoda had been best friends for many years. Yugoda was like another grandmother to her.

"What brings you here?" Yugoda asked as she started working on the blankets again.

"I need some help understanding something." answered Katara. She began helping Yugoda with the blankets, "For the past few weeks I've been having the same dream over and over again and I think it's-"

"Oh! A dream!" interrupted Yugoda, looking interested, "Tell me all about it!"

"Well, in my dream, there's this never ending battle raging around me and I keep feeling pain in my heart as if I'm dealing with a loss of someone I care about."

"You must be feeling anxious, Katara. It's the rumors of the upcoming war is what it is."

"I suppose so." said Katara, feeling unconvinced.

"I recommend taking a few days off from waterbending training. Maybe that will take your mind off of the war and will maybe help you stop having those dreams."

Katara didn't want to keep herself from training, she enjoyed it a lot. But she knew that Yugoda meant well and agreed to take a few days break from training.

When she finished helping Yugoda getting the beds ready for anyone who comes in, Katara left the healing hut and started walking back to her home to see if her friends were awake. Maybe spending some time with her friends will help clear her mind.

When she made it back to the palace, she saw her grandfather Pakku kissing Gran Gran goodbye before he left to teach the waterbenders of the tribe. As Katara ascended the steps to the palace, the elderly couple saw her.

"There you are, Katara." said Pakku, "I need you to come to my class to do some demonstrations for the students today."

Katara gave Pakku an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Pakku, but I can't. I went to see Yugoda to ask her about this dream I've been having lately. She told me that it was anxiety about the upcoming war. She suggested that I take a break from training."

"Very well." said Pakku, "I'll just have another student demonstrate." He gave Gran Gran a quick peck on the lips and left the palace.

"What kind of dreams are you having my little waterbender?" Gran Gran asked as she and Katara walked into the palace.

"I keep seeing battles around me and I keep feeling this pain in my heart as if I'm dealing with a loss."

"I think Yugoda might be right when she said that it was anxiety."

"I don't know if that's right. It just feels like it's supposed to mean something."

"It means you're training too hard. I think spending those free days doing chores and being with your friends might help stop those dreams."

Katara sighed.

"I hope you're right, Gran."

-TIME SKIIIIP!-

"Sthee? Now my tongue ith thuck to my sthaff."

Katara and the kids watching laughed as Aang got his tongue stuck to his glider/staff. Toph smiled and rolled her eyes.

"You know, I'm really starting to wonder why I hang around with you guys." she said.

"Becausth we're the mosth awesthome people ever." said Aang, pulling on the staff. It was still stuck to his tongue.

"Wrong Twinkletoes, I'm the 'mosth awesthome persthon ever'" Toph made fun of how Aang was currently speaking.

"Toph, take the staff," said Katara, wrapping her arms tightly around Aang's middle. He blushed but she didn't notice. "When I say go, pull hard."

"Wait, guysth don't-"

"GO!"

Toph yanked the staff hard and it ripped off of Aang's tongue.

"AAH!" yelled Aang.

"You'd think you'd learn better than that by now, Aang." said Katara, smiling and shaking her head. "Especially since you've done that who knows how many times."

Aang with his tongue out and covered in ice, glared at Katara but the corner of his mouth curved upwards slightly in a smile.

The benders suddenly heard a loud Gong! and looked up at one of the city's buildings. Two men were beating the gong that had the moon and ocean symbols on it. Katara, Aang, and Toph ran to the palace where Bato stood giving orders to some men.

"Bato!" called out Katara as soon as she reached him. The men Bato was talking to quickly bowed to her and hurried away. "What's going on?"

"A ship is coming towards us." said Bato. He had a smile on his face. "Water Tribe."

Katara's surprise was replaced with hope when she thought of who it could be. Aang and Toph smiled with excitement.

"Could it be...?" Katara trailed off hopefully. Bato nodded. Excitement filled the young waterbender and she hugged Bato. Aang whooped (or at least tried to because of his tongue) and he and Katara hugged.

The villagers gathered at the front gates of the village. They were all filled with happyness and excitement that their prince was returning to them. Katara, Aang, Toph, Bato, Gran Gran, and Pakku were at the front of the crowd. Katara was almost bouncing with excitement and impatience. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the gates opened. The guards of the Northern Water Tribe palace entered the village first. Though the guards knew that there was nothing to fear in the Southern Water Tribe, they had to keep a constant vigilance because of the rumors of the upcoming war. Following the guards, hand in hand and looking very much in love, were Prince Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe and Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe.

"SOKKA!"

Katara, Aang, and Toph rushed forward and pounced on Sokka, causing them to fall in the snow. Yue covered her mouth and giggled as she watched her friends suffocate her husband with their hugging.

"We missed you so much!" said Katara.

"Say something funny!" said Aang

"Choking...not breathing..." gasped Sokka.

Katara and Aang laughed and they and Toph got off the warrior and helped him up.

"Thanks." he said, massaging his sore ribs.

"Hello Sokka." Bato said as he approached the teens. He and Sokka clasped arms in greeting. He placed a hand on the young prince's shoulder. "You're looking more like your father every day."

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" asked Gran Gran as she hugged her grandson.

"We wanted to surprise you." said Yue, accepting a hug from the waterbender.

"SURPRISE!" Sokka yelled unnecessarily.

Katara, Bato, Gran Gran, Pakku, and Toph rolled their eyes and Yue giggled again.

"You have your father's wit." said Bato.

"Hey GrandPakku!" Sokka greeted the old waterbender with a big goofy grin on his face. The latter did not look amused.

"I told you to just call me Pakku." he said.

"So what brings you here?" asked Gran Gran.

"My father sent us here for our protection." answered Yue. "He would have sent us to the Earth Kingdom but the rumors of the war happening say that the Fire Nation prince might start the war there first."

"I assure you, Princess you will be provided the best protection here." Pakku said, bowing. "The walls around our village have been created by the most mastered waterbenders in the South and North Pole." He placed a hand on Katara's shoulder and they smiled at each other.

Sokka hugged the young waterbender "Nice work, little sister. I always knew you'd be a great master."

Katara smiled and returned the hug tightly.

Sorry that this chapter didn't have much. I've been working on it for hours and I'm ready to get started on the next chapter.

and btw, before anyone asks, no Aang is not the Avatar, he's a regular Airbender. There won't be any Avatars in this story