A/N: thank you to UnknownAvatarFan and annelise311 for you reviews! They were the first reviews I have gotten for any story that don't say 'Aww cute'. Not that those reviews are bad, and I'm definitely not complaining about those, but it was so great to get feed back!

UnknownAvatarFan: Thank you so much for pointing out my mistake! I went back and fixed it immediately. I don't know why I thought Aang was found in the North Pole, I guess I just wasn't paying as much attention those first few episodes.

yes I know that I just published this story a few hours ago, but I just got so exited that I had to post chapter 2


Katara

Katara saw the fear in the firebender's eyes when her brother asked him to swear by his fire.

" Sokka! How could you ask him to do that?" She asked.

"What? It's the only way we can tell he is sincere!" Her brother exclaimed.

Katara looked at the boy standing across from Sokka. His mouth was agape and fear was evident in his widened eyes. She noticed how the burn over his left eye kept his eye squinted, and she wondered how he got it.

"Look at him Sokka! Does he look like he would even hurt a fly?" She watched as her brother opened his mouth to argue, but as if to prove her point, one of the smaller children ran up to the boy and hugged his legs. The little girl ignored her mother's calls and looked up at the boy, who was staring down at her in shocked silence.

"See Sokka! Look at that!" She said. Sokka stared at the child and the boy in front of them.

He turned to Katara, pointing an accusing finger at the boy and the old man. "Katara, do you know who this is?! This is the retired Dragon of the West and the disowned and banished Fire Prince! How could they not want to attack us?"

"All the more reason to not attack! Look. At. Him. Sokka!" Pity laced her voice, and she glanced at the boy. She was surprised that he didn't get angry when he heard the pity, but he just continued to stare evenly at the bickering siblings.

Sokka was silent. He looked at the former prince, then at Katara, and turned to stalk back towards the center of the village, taking the little girl with him.

Katara turned and welcomed the two firebenders into the village.

"Hey Katara, while you're at it, why don't you let Aang back in too!" Her brother yelled grumpily. Even though she knew he was being sarcastic, she said, "Okay, I will!"

"Who is Aang?" Katara was startled by the voice of the former prince, and it took her a moment to figure out who had spoken.

"Oh, Aang is the avatar's name. You said you wanted to speak with him, right?"

"Yes." He said quietly. He didn't seem to be much of a talker.

She showed the general, who said his name was Iroh, to her hut because they had no spare hut. The boy offered to build one, but Katara told him that they could do it later.

She walked through the frozen tundra with the former prince in silence. Finally, she asked for his name.

"My name is Zuko." That was all he said.

"I am Katara. So, how long have you been on that boat?"

He looked away, out towards the sea, and when he turned back to her, he said "Three years."

"What! You were banished three years ago!"

"I was thirteen. I had nowhere to go. I still don't have anywhere I call home." He responded quietly. Why was he so shy? Katara thought that when he left the Fire Nation, the prince was arrogant, selfish, and commanding. What changed so much that he was now like this?

"That's horrible Zuko! You must have been so lonely!"

"I got used to it."

They were interrupted by a loud voice calling out Katara's name.

"Katara! Why are you back?" Aang exclaimed.

She felt Zuko's presence drop, and she turned to see him kneeling on the icy ground with his head bowed.

"Uh, Katara, who is this and why is he on the ground?"

Zuko pressed himself further down towards the ground, and Katara could tell his forehead was almost touching the ice.

"Um, this is Zuko, the former Fire Prince, and he said he wanted to ask you a question." She paused before adding, "I have no idea why he is on the ground."

"Isn't the war with the Fire Nation?" Aang questioned. Before Katara could answer, Zuko spoke up in a pleading voice.

"The Fire Nation has wronged the world many times over. They have robbed the Airbenders of life, and they have robbed me of family and purpose. My own father disowned me and banished me. I have wished only to find purpose in life for the last three years. Aavatar Aang, I ask for your acceptance to help you in your mission to defeat my father, Fire lord Ozai. I ask you to forgive me for the wrongs my family has done to the world. I-" Zuko faltered.

Katara was stunned by Zuko's words. Was this really the former prince of the Fire Nation saying these things? Did he really just ask Aang to forgive him for what his ancestors had done? Her thoughts were cut short when Zuko continued.

"I swear by my fire that I will go until my last breath to serve you as a servant would a master."

Aang and Katara stared at him in shocked silence. Finally, Aang spoke. His voice rang with voices of past avatars, and his eyes and the arrow on his body glowed. Katara watched as Aang reached down and lifted Zuko's chin so they were facing each other.

"Zuko, I do not wish to have you as a servant. It is not the way of the avatar to hold a grudge against someone for what their ancestors have done. I willingly accept you to aid me in my journey to bring peace to the world. I accept you as a friend, and as an ally, not as a servant."

Aangs eyes returned to normal, and he grabbed Zuko by his shoulders and pulled him off the ground. Katara saw the wide-eyed expression of wonder on Zuko's face, and she smiled at the two. The three of them stood in silence for a minute, but the moment was interrupted by Sokka. The teen was running up the them, panting.

"What just happened? All I could see was Aang with glowing eyes," Sokka pointed an accusing finger at Zuko, "and you were bowing on the ground like Aang is a god or something."

Zuko opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. He seemed lost for words.

"Oh, leave him alone Sokka. He's not going to do any harm. He just tried to swear by his fire that he would be Aang's servant!" Katara scolded her brother.

Sokka's jaw hung open and his eyes widened. "WHAT!" He screamed. Katara saw Zuko flinch.

"Calm down." Aang put a hand on Zuko's shoulder as he said this. " He wanted to help me defeat his father, and he said that he would 'serve me until his dying breath as a servant would a master'. I told him I would accept him as an ally and a friend, not as a servant."

Katara saw joy flash in Zuko's eyes, and she smiled at him, hoping that maybe soon he would open up to them.