Not a slow burn when it comes to Katara and Zuko having sex –a lot of sex(starting in chapter 2). She's from the harem and behaves in the way that she is supposed to. One, because it will be verified that she is no longer a virgin, two, she discovers she enjoys sex, and Zuko has zero complaints about that. There is a lot of smut in this story. It also has a lot of plot. I intend for this to be a fun, sexy fast-moving story. If you don't like a story with a lot of smut, this isn't for you. A lot of plot and dialogue happens during the sex scenes, making it hard to skip. You are warned, or you're welcome, depending on what you enjoy reading.

Where is the Avatar? This AU doesn't have Aang. The Avatar is old and from the Fire Nation. Aang was killed in the raid against the Airbenders, and the next Avatar was born in the Northern Water Tribe, she was hunted down and killed. Since she was from the northern tribe, she wasn't well protected. The Fire Nation wanted to ensure the current Avatar was Fire Nation born. The trouble for them with Avatars is their strong moral code. The current, old-aged, Avatar is hiding out, waiting for the war's end so he can't be used by Ozai. He dares not kill himself since that would cause an Earth Kingdom child to be hunted down.

The rest of the differences in the plot from the show can be gleaned from the story. Or send a review and ask a question if something is confusing. That's not intended.

Also, in this, Ozai is still a horrible person, but he's a sexual deviant too. It references that, but doesn't get into detail of his sex life. He just likes throwing wild parties, not orgies. I don't write those.

That said, this story is about two people crossing the borders of prejudice and finding something worth fighting for.

Life had become a living hell for Katara. She had been captured in a raid against the Southern Water Tribe by Fire Nation troops, and they deemed her "pretty." That one word got her sent to the capital, next to the Palace, and finally to Fire Lord Ozai's harem. That was where the doctor examined her and found her to be a virgin. She was stripped, washed, and groomed. She was then placed in expensive Fire Nation clothing and given schooling. Not the kind she had as a child. No, the kind where she has to learn how to be good at sex while remaining a virgin until she was "plucked" by some Fire Nation noble.

"Training" was humiliating. She had to act out all sorts of sex acts with a pillow or by sucking on fruit in front of everyone, which was graded. Even her competitive side couldn't get over her embarrassment so that she could enjoy her good marks.

She hated it all. She hated the Madam and the simpering virgins with her. The ones that seemed to quickly forget where they were from. The ones, when asked, would say they belonged to the Fire Nation. In her mind, they cared too much for the convenience of the Palace.

She knew she didn't have a hope of rescue. Her mother was killed in her place long ago, and her father, he had abandoned his family and his tribe to deal revenge against the Fire Nation. At least, that was how Katara saw it, and she suspected her brother agreed. She bitterly thought about how his abandonment meant she would become a Fire Nation whore.

She hated what had become of her life, and she hated what she had to do. She didn't want to learn how to sexually please a member of the Fire Nation. She resisted as silently as she could.

And then, a week into everything and she stopped resisting and started to act submissive. She realized she could be chosen and then use that time to escape. She had exhausted all of her options there in the harem, it was too heavily guarded. She hoped that wouldn't be the case with the bastard that wanted to have her. She was wishing for an estate in the country. She was good at hiding out, and she firmly believed she could disappear without a trace.

Katara had just over a month of training and primping. She was washed and scrubbed and trimmed and plucked into what the Fire Nation considered beauty. All for the ultimate goal of looking pleasing for a man she knew she would despise.

The other virgins were all a twitter that the "selecting" was coming up. It would decide which rich man got to take their maidenhead and the men's order of choice had to do with being in the Fire Lord's favor. Then her hell got worse. Not only was it complete with flames, but the devil himself was to pick one of them. One of them was to get her virginity taken by Fire Lord Ozai.

She stood in line in the throne room on the evening of the celebration as Ozai stalked the line of women, eyeing them lustfully and rubbing his groin.

He stopped in front of her and roughly grabbed her jaw in his big hand. "What are you, girl?!" Ozai asked, shaking her a bit.

"Southern Water Tribe!" She hissed at him.

He laughed at her, "wrong. Now you're just a Fire Nation whore. If you're fortunate, you could get with child and carry a Fire Nation bastard."

She tried to pull her chin out of his grip, and he held tighter. "Now, whore, you look like you want to slit my throat. You'd fail, but it would be fun to watch the spark in your eyes die out as you realize you're my whore to have as I want. I think I really like the idea of fucking you." He didn't take his gaze off of her when he said to Zuko, "maybe I can give you a bastard half brother. Usually, I'm more careful, but I bet it would destroy her to carry my child."

She heard movement and then saw Zuko, the burned Fire Nation Prince, step from behind the Fire Lord. The other women in the harem had a lot to say about him. They gossiped more than the old women of the Southern Water Tribe. They talked about his disgrace and how he got his scar. Mostly the newest talk was that he had just been accepted back into the palace. He had been banished for a while, and he went with The Dragon of the West. A name that struck fear in all nations except one. Katara was terrified of him, but the Fire Nation laughed at him. They thought he was weak. After all, he lost his crown and didn't even fight to try to get it back.

"She's pretty, Fire Lord," Zuko said. And there was that word again that she hated "pretty."

She watched Ozai sneer at Zuko and snap, "I wonder if you even know what to do with a woman! I could explain where your dick goes."

"I would do anything to please you, Fire Lord," he replied evenly.

Ozai rolled his eyes. "Most men wouldn't take it as a hardship. I'd think you'd want a woman in your bed."

"A willing woman would be better."

Ozai laughed again, "it's less fun." He then spoke to Katara. "I like it when they fight back. It makes the fucking all so much more of a satisfying victory."

He then shoved two of the fingers from his other hand in her mouth, "suck!" In response, she bit him as hard as she possibly could. He released her and backhanded her so hard she fell to the ground. He then reached down, grabbed her by the hair, and pulled her up to face him again. Not releasing his hard grip on her hair, he smirked in her face. "You'll do nicely. I'm getting so damn hard already." She replied by spitting in his face. His response was to slap her and send her head spinning. "Stop all this foreplay in front of my men, whore."

"I see what you mean, Fire Lord," Zuko said. "It is hot. Any chance you'd give her to me? I find her exciting and it would be a good way for me to show that I'm a man."

Ozai looked over at his son, releasing Katara's hair and turning his back to her. "You couldn't handle her, don't be ludicrous."

"And if I prove I can? If I get her to submit to me and not try to murder me in my sleep?"

"You'll be dead before morning."

Zuko shrugged, "that would take care of your biggest nuisance."

"And what is my biggest nuisance?"

"That I'm heir and not Azula."

Ozai chuckled, "have her. And I will have a doctor check to make sure she's fucked. If you make it to breakfast, I'll be impressed."

Katara tried to steel her nerves. She didn't know if she should feel relieved that Zuko would bed her or not. It wasn't the Fire Lord, but it was a demon's spawn who would have her. And there was the fact that she wouldn't be escaping from the palace. But if he was a virgin like the Fire Lord implied, at least he wouldn't have some horrible sexually transmitted disease.

She felt the strong arms of a few guards grip her on either side of her and start dragging her off. She guessed it was Zuko's room she was being taken to.