CHAPTER TWO

an: Hey guys I'm back and I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate the support and if any other writers want a shoutout hit me up!
Thanks to nephereti, JakeKatie4ever ,ChelC121, Oracle, KataangvsZutara and alexaosornio94 for reviewing. I really like the support.

Summary: Zuko is a prince and has a nasty habit of getting what he wants but when marriage negotiations are on the table his life gets far more complicated. Katara is a common peasant and just wants to be taken seriously. She'll do anything to overcome her station, even if it means making deals with a certain irritating prince. ZUTARA (Rating subject to change)

Zuko

When Zuko was young, he loved being in control. He loved the power it gave him.

He loved the way that people looked at him with a mixture of fear and awe, and in particular, he loved how easily he could get people to do things for him. Wealth and power, what more could any adolescent boy want.

He could usually intimidate servants into doing what he wanted them to.

They were naturally submissive.

All he had to do was tell them what he wanted and they'd crumble.

The power drove him a little crazy, made him do stupid things, especially when Fire Lord Ozai was away.

His uncle was supposed to return from one of his trips today so he decided to wait for him in Iroh's office.
He had been looking for trouble, when he discovered a girl, about his age maybe younger sitting alone inside the office.

He could tell she wasn't from around here, her skin was tanned and her hair was far too long for the Fire Nation customs.

'She is obviously a common water peasant.' he thought to himself as he noticed her robes were well made but bland, reflecting the simplicity of her position

'Why would she be by herself?' he wondered, but he didn't know and didn't really care.

"what are you doing?" He shouted trying his best to impersonate his father's voice.

She turned towards him slowly, keeping her gaze on the ground.

She never said anything.

"Alright peasant." Zuko spat out.
"I'm going to say it again." He walked closer to her so that she was staring directly at his feet.
"What are you doing here."

There was a moment of silence before she answered.

"Iv'e just been hired to help at your palace." She whispered, her voice parched as though she had been crying.

"Well then what are you doing in General Iroh's office." He answered menacingly

"He told me told me to wait."

"When is he coming back?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know."

"Where is he gone."

"he is gone to get some bandages." She answered quickly.

'Why would he need bandages is he hurt? Why would he leave the slave in his office?"

He sneered, there weren't any Water Tribe servants at the palace, they preferred having women from the Earth Kingdom to keep it running, so he rarely got to observe one up close.

"Stand up." He demanded.

But she stayed put. Her eyes defying the order.

"I said, stand up!" He shouted this time.

She slowly stood and but couldn't help the wince that escaped her lips.

'So she's the one who's hurt.'

"Look at me." He declared firmly, still standing in front of her.

She looked up slowly, fighting herself the whole way and the curtain of hair fell back to reveal her plain features marred by a violent red blush. She defiantly kept her eyes directed at his chin instead of making eye contact and Zuko catalogued every detail.

She had cool blue eyes, a delicate nose, a Cupid's bow mouth, long strands of thick, curly brown hair, a dark tan.

She was fascinating.

"Tell me your name." he ordered

"Katara, sir." Her voice trembled as she carefully avoided the challenge of eye contact.

He walked around her, intimidating her.

Only now he noticed the raging burn across her lower back, that only reminded him of the scar across his eye.

He took a step nearer to look at it closer and saw Katara's small frame stiffen.

The only noise that could be heard in the room was her quickened breathing.

"Zuko!" A friendly voice cut through the silence and his uncle stepped into the room.

He stopped once he saw the scene in front of front of him.
His friendly demeanor suddenly gone.

"Prince Zuko you get away from that poor girl this instance, Tui help me you won't sit for a year." Iroh said his tone raised

He casually stepped away, one foot at a time, and the moment he was far enough away she promptly sat back down on the seat.
Even as his uncle grabbed him by the ear and dragged him down the hall to be sternly talked to, he thought that it was definitely worth it.

Katara

As soon as Prince Zuko left Katara let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. That was definitely in the top three worst moments of her life.

The so called 'Prince' was so intimidating it infuriated her.

That had been the only time she had ever truly felt lesser, standing in front of Zuko while the brat humiliated her, using his power against her.

People from either Water Tribe were rare and high in demand as the supposedly perfect slave.

She brought her hand behind her back and felt the burn.
This wasn't her first one.

She had been seared by guards at the orphanage trying to get some extra food for the younger ones.

But this burn was bad.

Every time she moved she felt it.
It was almost like a reminder of what could have been.

"I'm sorry for the delay, I had to have a quick chat with my nephew. I'm sorry that that was your first impression. Once you peel back the layers he is really not that bad. He's only sixteen he hasn't learned to see things the way I see them." Iroh said with a warm smile gracing his old features.

There was a silence in the room.

"Would you like some tea."

The truth was yes, she wanted tea, but the reality was that she should be the one serving his needs, not the other way around.

She politely shook her head to say no but he poured her a cup anyways.

"It's chamomile, my personal favorite." He said as he handed her the cup.

He looked at her for a while before he chose his words carefully.

"I'm sorry about what happened at the auction." He paused,
"I brought some cream and a bandage for after."

"I will ask another of the maids to help you put it all on."

"Thank you." was all she managed to say.

"I'm so sorry that this is the life you must live, and I promise that I will try make this as easy as possible."

She stared at him blankly

'How many times have you promised that to someone, and how many times have you kept your promise.' She thought to herself.

She spent the next fifteen minutes listening to Iroh talk about his interesting tales of how hard it was being general.

All she could do was stare down at her half empty cup of chamomile tea.

"I think it's time to bring you to your sleeping area."

He stands up and I follow two steps behind.

We walk past two guards who smile at Iroh as he passes and into a room full of people.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared for a few seconds before quickly averting their gaze and focusing their attention elsewhere, or turning to the closest person and whispering.

Katara froze on the spot, 'What if they see my scar, I haven't changed out of my outfit since the auction.'

'Too late' she thought as she saw Iroh hand the cream to another maid maybe sixteen years old, before promptly leaving.

"Hey." The girl called

Katara turns to face her, she has short, straight brown hair that was in a half up half down style, and sharp facial features.

"I'm Suki. General Iroh gave me some cream for a burn you got, he said you might need help putting it on."

"Hi." Katara answers, "Thanks for the offer. I think I'll manage the cream myself"

Suki looks at her with a hesitant look before handing me the cream with a smile.

"Have you had a chance to meet anyone yet?"

"Yeah, I saw the prince."

"I meant out of the people working here but, damn, what an unlucky way to start off your first day."

For the first time I let out a small chuckle.

'Well she's not wrong.' I thought.

"Well we are your family now, so let me introduce you to my friends."

She pointed to a small young girl with black hair and grey eyes with a green hair band who seemed to be making a snarky comment to one of the older boys.

"That's Toph, don't get on her bad side. The person she's talking to is Haru." Hearing their names the two of them looked in Katara's direction. All she could offer was a bleak smile.

"I don't know where Jet is, he normally works late in the stables for the extra pay."

"Your friends seem really nice." Katara say absentmindedly

"They are." She says proudly, "Speaking of nice, there are some people working here who are lacking." Suki points towards a group of girls.

"The one in the middle is Asha. She will do everything to make your life living hell just because she wants you to do her work. Don't let her push you around."

She quickly added, "But, don't get on her bad side because she is Azula's personal maid and gets along quite well with her. I would just stay away from interacting with her full stop."

"I'll bare that in mind." Katara answers.

"I'm sorry for not asking earlier but I didn't catch your name." Suki says with and encouraging smile.

"Oh, um, it's Katara."

"Wow, that's a really cool name. Where is it from?"

"Water Tribe."

"I've never met someone from the water Tribes. Is it nice there?"

"I can barely remember."

"So they took you at a young age." Suki says looking at Katara with a sad smile. "That's the same with me. I was born on Kyoshi Island. The Fire Nation attacked when I was seven. I haven't seen my family since."

She pauses

"I miss them everyday." She continues looking right through Katara as she spoke.

'So do I.' She thought to herself, 'So do I.'

"Um, I'm gonna go and put the cream on my burns, would you be able to show me where I'm sleeping so I can go to bed after." She asks Suki to break the awkward silence.

"Yeah sure follow me."

On the way there she showed Katara where the kitchen, dining room, and showers were.

"Here's where your sleeping." Suki said whilst pointing to a mat on the floor.

"I know it's not much but it should do for now."

"It's fine." She replied, "I'm really tired anyway."

"Okay, well if you need anything you'll probably find me in the common room where we met."
and with that Suki left.

Katara sat down on the mat. This was the first time she had been alone since before her run-in with the prince.
She did a bad job at putting the cream on and an even worse job at putting the bandage on.

'It'll have to do.' She told herself.

She took of her clothes and slipped into what was left on her pillow.

She lay down and put her head to the hard pillow.

A fat tear rolls across her face making the blanket wet.

"Happy birthday Sokka." She whispers just loud enough for herself to hear.

an: Sooooo what do you think. I'm going to try my hardest to keep this as a slow burner, so far so good

What do you think is going to happen.

Also I added Asha because I need someone to bring Katara's good side out.

Question for the reader (I'M BORED SO ENTERTAIN ME PLEASE):
Where are you from?

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