Chapter 1: Katara

"When I was younger, my mother would tell me stories of ruthless rulers and wars. She said that the fight was still alive, but the youngest ruler in centuries was turning things around. He wanted peace among the people, trade to come back to life, everything to go back to normal. He was Lord Iroh of the Sozin Kingdom, the grandson of Lord Sozin himself.

"When I turned thirteen, I became too old for storytelling. Instead, I worked with the women and received and gave gossip. I remember the most raved about thing that year: Lord Iroh is dead. Most people said he died of heart failure, but everyone agreed he was far too young for that. There was speculation that he was poisoned, but that was never proven.

"Anyway, the question then became, who would take over? Being so far away from the Sozin Kingdom, it was hard to know many things; all we had known was that Azulon, Sozin's son, had two sons of his own: Lord Iroh and Prince Ozai. What we didn't know was that Lord Iroh had a son, Prince Lu Ten–"

"Katara!"

Looking up from the children, I stared at a frantic looking Yue. She was sweating, her clothes misplaced; she had obviously just come running from her shared home with Sokka. Yue was huffing and puffing, like the polar bear and 3 little seals story, and seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Yue? What's wrong?"

"Didn't you hear the calls?"

"What calls?" I stood from my wooden stool and stepped around the curious children to have a more private conversation with Yue.

"The men who were hunting, some of them came back, said that they were attacked by some noble-looking men from the Kingdom. They want all the children sent home and all maidens to tend to the wounded."

Yue helped me to round up the kids and send them home and then accompanied me to where the injured men were. Before I entered, I turned to Yue.

"Sokka will be fine; he's a natural born leader."

"You're worrying over my emotions, when you're fiancé is on the battlefield himself. When are you going to stop being so selfless; it's okay to worry over yourself sometimes, too, you know."

Her eyes, so blue that they are almost white, shine with a look of sympathy for me, but I know that behind all of the sympathy is fear. Fear that her husband, my brother, won't come back from battle. Fear that she will be alone once again (and at her age, one year my senior, it's considered taboo to be unwedded). Fear that when her unconceived child comes into life, she will have to raise without a father. Before the tears that are forming can fall, Yue blinks and rushes away; since she is married, she is not considered a maiden and has to set up her home for Sokka when he comes back. She is to make their tent as comfortable as possible for her husband and afterwards, she is to go around to all the tents to check on the elders. If she had children, she would stay inside and watch over them to make sure they didn't go running about.

I, on the other hand, am to care for all the wounded warriors that somehow make it back to the territory. If I had my way, I would be out there fighting and not here. As much as I love helping people, and I do seem to have a knack for it, I would rather be helping my entire tribe by fighting for our safety.

The first battle I remember had been a couple of days after the winter solstice, which just happens to be around my birthday; I had just turned ten. Seeing all the adults rushing around had terrified me at the time and I had just wanted to find my family. I started running around to, pushing and forcing my way through the crowds, trying to find someone, anyone. I had finally stumbled upon Tatkret, who was twelve (the same age as my brother), and she seemed to be the first person to notice that the princess was running around freely. At that time Tatkret was only a family friend, given her age, but two years later, when the two of them were fourteen, she and Sokka got engaged.

Tatkret, not knowing much more than me about the situation, quickly led me to where my father had been. He was giving orders to the men as they strapped on the pelts and weapons, we could thank the Kingdom of Kuei for introducing newly developed metal weapons. Tatkret had stopped at the back of the room, knowing better than to get in the way, but I had surged forward. I was so relieved to see someone from my family and I needed to touch him. I ran into his legs, and wrapped myself as tightly as I could around him and in doing this I had earned myself more than my share of wide-eyed glances. Tears had started pouring from my eyes as my father pushed me away and knelt in front of me.

"Katara, what are you doing here? Where is Kya? Sokka?" His questions came out at rapid-fire speed and it only made me more flustered. Seeing that I wasn't answering, he looked around and seemed to spot Tatkret, "Tatkret, what are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry Chief Hakoda, but Princess Katara was running around wild outside and this was the closest place and I didn't know what to do," she bowed her head in respect and submission.

"I see, do you know where Kya and Sokka are?"

"No, sir."

"Bato, please escort your daughter home, I'll see to Katara. Men, move out, these foreigners don't know who they picked a fight with."

There were shouts and exclamations at the last line from the warriors. Before I could cover my ears, I was yanked into the arms of my father who took off in a sprint to our home. I was being jostled and his grip was almost bruising and when I made a sound of protest I got nothing in return. Deciding it was better to stay quiet, I stilled in his arms and road it out.

We reached the tent in record time and my father deposited me in my mother's arms. My mom was in tears and was mumbling things that didn't make any sense to me. Sokka came rushing out and started berating me for not coming home when I was supposed to. My father started berating Sokka for not knowing where I was and taking me home. Then when my father started walking away and talking about going to defend our territory, I started screaming. My whole family looked on at me as if I were crazy.

"Katara what's wrong? Hakoda, is she sick?" My mother's hand moved across my tear streaked face, checking for a fever.

"No, no, I don't think so," father comes back to me, grabs my chin and stares intently into my eyes. "No, she doesn't look sick."

"Stop, no, I want to defend, too."

"What?" Mother.

"Our tribe, I want to defend it." Me.

"Don't be silly Katara." Father.

"I'm not being silly." Me.

"Kya, take them both inside and explain it to her please, I've already wasted enough time." Father.

My mother ushers Sokka inside, and carries me. She carefully sits me down on the pelt covered floor. Sokka sits beside me sling-shot, a gift from Lord Iroh, in hand, I hate the thing, and he takes it everywhere. Mother sits in front of us and looks at me with the most nurturing look I've ever seen.

"Katara, you can't fight."

I give her what ought to be the most indignant look she's ever seen, "Yes I can."

"No, sweetheart you can't."

"Why not?"

"Well, for starters you're a girl."

"Sokka, did I ask for your input?" Mother sets her gaze on him and he suddenly finds his lap appealing.

"No, ma'am."

"Hm, thought so. Why not start cleaning up, huh?"

"But-"

"Sokka."

"Yes, ma'am," Sokka gets up and moves to clean and I look back at my mother.

"Is it true?"

"What sweetheart?"

"That I can't fight because I'm a girl."

"Well, kind of, yes."

"That's a stupid rule."

"Well, if you can grow up and prove that you are a good enough fighter, you may be able to fight later."

"What are the other reasons?"

"You're too young. Even Sokka can't fight and he's two years your senior."

I assumed 'your senior' meant 'older than you' and moved on, "What else? If I was old enough and good enough a fighter, what else would stop me from fighting?"

My mother went red for a minute, "If you were pregnant."

"Then I won't have kids."

"Katara, it's your duty, not only as a woman but as the princess, to have successors."

"But I want to fight."

"Yes, but you can't if you have children."

"Then why does dad fight? Why does Bato fight? They have children, so they shouldn't be allowed to fight!"

"These rules only apply to females Katara."

"Well that's stupid!"

"Katara, I understand that, but-"

"MOM! Where does the porcelain from King Kuei go?" Mother looked scared for a moment before she stood and ran towards Sokka. I followed and watched as mother carefully took the plate from my brother and placed it with the others just like it.

That was the last memory of my mother. She had wandered outside later that night to go to Gran Gran's tent to check up on her and neither Sokka or I saw her again. The next day, Gran Gran had come to watch us and hadn't said anything when we asked where our mom was. When my dad came home, Gran Gran left with a hug to each of us and a whispered conversation to my father. He told us that night, with tear filled eyes, that we would never see our mother again. He told me that she was dead and gave me her betrothal necklace. He told Sokka that she had been raped and viciously murdered by the foreign attackers of our tribe; I only know these things because Sokka finally caved and told me when I had turned twelve.

Sokka was given a boomerang that night. It had been picked up on the tribe leaders last trip to the Kingdom of Kuei and my father was going to give it to Sokka the day they got back, but my mother wanted to wait until his birthday. It somehow took the place of the stupid sling-shot. Since that incident, I had promised myself that I would one day be able to fight.

My fighting skills are great according to Sokka. I train with him, Hahn, and my father whenever I can, but the only person who gives me any kind of feedback is Sokka. Hahn hates sparing with me, mostly because he ends up on his back due to the lack of trying. Father is just getting older I believe so Sokka is the only one who is actually a challenge to beat. If I'm being honest, I've only beaten him twice and that was because he had pulled all-nighters with Yue.

I snapped myself out of my thoughts and started rushing around preparing medicines for the wounded and getting the bandages ready. There were only two men here at the moment so there was no real hurry. Well, unless you were caring for the injured, then you were running wild, trying to heal them as best as you could before any infections start to set in.

When I've done everything I can possibly think of doing, I sit on a pelt and wait. It's the only thing there is to do at the moment. Minutes later, Pukiq, a girl who I grew up with sits down in front of me.

"Crazy right?" She asks, moving to sit crisscrossed.

"What do you mean?"

"The Sozin Kingdom attacking and after all this time, too." She shakes her head and places a hand on her neck where a pretty, translucent stone sits engraved with the symbol meaning smart. Pukiq had run to me the day she received it and pointedly made it clear that her name had also meant smart.

"I believe that it was inevitable." Pukiq looks at me with shock, "What did you expect? Everyone knows that Prince Ozai would have ruined the world if he had taken over. We also know that he was the one that poisoned Lord Iroh. Then there's also the fact that everyone in the Sozin Kingdom seems to ignore that fact so Ozai proceeds to live in the palace with the royal family. For all we know, he has a greater influence over Lord Lu Ten than we had hoped for and now he's finally gotten them to take action against us."

"How far have you thought this out?"

"Up to the point where the entire population is wiped out and Ozai no longer has anyone to rule over."

"Well, okay then," Pukiq looks a little unsettled, but after a moment seems fine, "You know, you've always been a dreamer Katara."

I must look confused, "Huh, what do you mean?"

"I mean, you are the only girl I've met who wants to go out and fight. You're also the only one who subjects her fiancé to wrestling with her. When we were about seven, I think, you were the one who introduced us to sledding. Then when we were thirteen, you took the blame when Yakone broke his arm because you had just wanted him to know what it was like to fly."

"I pushed him off the cliff."

"There was water below."

"Yeah, but I had really just wanted to push him. He was being such a baby about wanting to go in the water but not wanting to jump."

"You told him that it felt like flying."

"Well, yeah, but that was because I thought that it might make him jump."

"So, you…you actually pushed him out of contempt?"

I squirmed uncomfortably, "Well, yeah, I guess I did." Pukiq stares at me with awe for a moment before we are interrupted.

Five men waddle into the infirmary, each hanging to another. They all have their separate injuries, but the man in the middle seems to be the worst off. I quickly rush to over to assess injuries. The men on that are outer-most have less severe injuries, one or two deep cuts and a couple of scratches. The men beside them have a harder time walking, one has been stabbed in the stomach and is probably bleeding internally, the other has multiple stab wounds to one side of his body and a large bruise on the side of his head and will most likely suffer head trauma. The man in the middle though, he really terrifies me. He's bleeding from what looks like every pore on his body; he has a knife still lodged into his thigh and what looks to be a broken arm and leg. The men are distributed to different pelts and each one has about five women surrounding them, the eldest women screaming demands of bandages and medicines.

It isn't until all the men have been healed except for the one in the middle that I realize who he is. I almost puke and clutch Pukiq like she's my lifeline.

No.

"Oh, Katara."

No. No, no.

"I'm so sorry, Katara."

NO!

The older women tell Pukiq to take me outside they don't want me to have to see what's happening. I want her to stay, I want to scream and cry, but she has to leave. She has to go back. I don't know how much time passes, but I can see more men coming when Pukiq comes out to get me.

"He wants to see you." I've never ran so fast in my life, when I reach his bed, I cling to him for dear life.

"You idiot, never do that again."

I expect him to laugh in reply but he just looks at me sadly, "Katara."

"What, what happened? Please tell me dad is okay."

"…"

"Sokka, you have to tell me dad is okay," I'm pleading now.

"Yeah, dad is okay."

"Thank the gods."

"But Katara-"

"No, no 'but's you're fine and dad is-"

"Katara, Hahn is dead."

No, not Hahn.