Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, duh. But I so DO own this plot!
BACKGROUND: Princess Katara? Yes. She is royalty of the northern water tribe, along with Princess Yue, and Prince Sokka. Here's the tricky part: Yue and Sokka are sister and brother, but Katara is their half-sister. How's that? Well, Gran-Gran stayed to marry Pakku, so Katara's grandfather is the well-known Master Water Bender! Let's see… so Katara's mother's first husband died, so she married Yue and Sokka's dad, leader of the water tribe. THEN she had Katara. Do you understand this complicated mess? Lol So in essence, Katara's mom, let's call her Shira, is still alive and well. Her dad, leader of the water tribe will be called, Nasu. They have NOT discovered Aang. That is a major key to this. They are just living normal lives, wondering when the Fire Nation will attack. Here comes Zuko into this fic. His mission IS NOT to capture the Avatar. He is Iroh's son, and his cousin Zula is heir to the throne, so basically he is second-rate royalty. His mission is to find out as much as possible about the water tribe and report back, but really he is banished because he attacked Zula.
One more thing, everyone is a year older, so Zuko- 17, Katara- 15 (she will turn 16 later on), Sokka/Yue- 17. Right off the bat, I'm going to tell you that their personalities are different.
This first chapter is mostly Katara based, but there is some Zutara, no worries lol
CHAPTER 1The soft rippling of the water against her feet was so comforting. Sunshine glistened upon the waves and it warmed her from the inside out. She was outside of the Northern water tribe's entrance. It felt so free to be outside of the towering walls, she was never allowed to step foot outside of them, but today Katara found a way to pass by the guards. Suddenly she stood up and stretched out her arms. Longingly she looked at the water; she wanted so badly to practice her bending, but her grandfather warned her not to do that. It was forbidden for women to learn how to water bend, but he had seen the potential in her when she was just a little girl, so he trained her secretly at night. Katara sighed, but smiled to herself as she soaked in the beauty of the morning sun.
Her fun ended.
"Princess Katara!"
She rolled her eyes, as she turned around to see two guards coming towards her.
"Princess Katara, you mustn't wander out here by yourself. It could be dangerous for you."
"Sure. Dangerous," she responded sarcastically.
The two guards walked her back towards the wall. Not known to them, a pair of golden eyes had watched the whole thing.
The two guards bowed to her, as she dismissed them back to their original guard keeping duties. Everyone was already out and about, tending to their daily businesses. Some were selling food, others were selling toys, and others were shopping for the upcoming annual ball, which so happened to be around the day she turned sixteen. Up ahead, she saw a group of little kids trying to water bend. Katara smiled, and she went up to them. Automatically, the kids recognized her, and they jumped at her knees.
"Katara! Play with us!"
She smiled warmly. These kids were what made her life here somewhat bearable. They didn't treat her like royalty all the time, just another ordinary girl they could play with.
"Sure, why not?"
So she spent about an hour just chasing them around the markets, and across the bridges, all the way until they reached the small palace, which she called home. On the steps was her father, Nasu, leader of the water tribe. For some reason, she had never liked him, and he hadn't like her. This was most likely because he favored his other two children, Sokka and Yue. They were twins, but not identical, they were fraternal. Yue was beautiful; everyone knew that. Sokka was handsome you could say, and he was built as a tough warrior by Nasu. Their mother died when they had both turned one year old. Right after that, Nasu married Shira, and she had Katara. They didn't like her either, but that didn't matter, because she didn't like them at all either.
"Katara, where have you been?" Nasu asked sternly, and coldly.
"Father, I was just showing these children around. It seemed as if no one was watching them, so I decided it would be best if…"
"Well, it seems as if you've forgotten all about your duties, and instead, you have decided to escort somebody's children around their already familiar home. Go get changed; lunch will be served soon."
Katara looked down at the ground sadly.
"Yes father."
Nasu left Katara standing there, with all of the children standing quietly in a huddled group behind her. She turned around to them, and attempted to sound cheerful.
"I'm sorry you guys, but I have to go."
"But Katara! We were just playing with you, and the game won't be the same without you!"
"I know," she patted the little girl's head, "I promise I will come back as soon as I can."
All of the kids cheered at hearing this, and she smiled broadly. It felt nice to be loved by someone; even if was just a group of little kids.
Katara walked up the steps, and two guards opened the doors for her. She walked on with a depressed air about her. The distance from the doors to her room wasn't far at all. Another way she figured her father had something against her. Just as she was about to go in, two of the people on her 'Most Hated' list popped out from out of nowhere. They gave her an exact same pair of smirks, and she rolled her eyes.
"What do you guys want?"
"Oh Katara, what's the matter?" asked Sokka innocently with a hidden cruelness that wasn't really hidden.
"Yeah, are you sad you can't be like the little kids outside?" chimed in Yue with a chuckle.
Katara growled at them, but they laughed even more. She pushed them aside, and opened the door to her room forcefully.
"Well don't worry Katara, you are already like them, you're beneath us."
She sent a death glare at the twins, and she slammed the door into their faces. Their laughter was still heard, and Katara let out an angry yell. Finally she heard their voices disappear down the hall. It seemed like everyone hated her. She sighed and decided that she should go change. Nothing really mattered to her, so she just picked a simple outfit, nothing too special. Then again, she never had anything that special to begin with. She mostly got Yue's hand me down's. Each day she felt how inferior she was. Yue's mother was of actual royalty. Her mother, Shira, was only special because she was the daughter of Pakku, the master water bender. So Katara could be considered half-royalty, if you could even call it that. Because of it, she didn't have any servants that helped her, but she didn't want any. Katara believed that it would be cruel of her, to have someone catering to her every need.
When she was ready, she stepped outside of her room, only to hear the gong ring throughout the palace. Inside, she cursed herself; she was late once again. The only thing to do now was run. So she did, and as she did, all of the guards looked at one another curiously, and then they shook their heads. Katara burst through the doors to the room, to find everyone's eyes on her. First she saw the grinning faces of Sokka and Yue, then her father, frowning, and angry. Her eyes wandered down the table to her grandfather and grandmother. Their eyes showed sympathy, but the look that her mother gave her was like torture. Shira's eyes sent a chilling message to her; I love you, but couldn't you just for once be on time? Katara looked away, and walked to her empty seat slowly.
"Looks like you're late once again."
"Yes father. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Katara's head shot up as she heard the stifled laughter come out of Sokka and Yue. Nasu looked at them sternly, and they fell silent immediately.
"It better not."
Three words, but they were so powerful. He was warning her. But of what? Would he punish her for something as simple as being late to lunch? Everyone was quiet as they ate. Katara didn't have much of an appetite, but she had to eat something. Once she was done, she stood up, and again all eyes were on her.
"May I be excused please?"
Nasu nodded his head. Katara was out the door as quickly as was possible. She closed the door to the room she had left, but it was opened again. Katara spun around when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up into her mother's face.
"Katara…"
She couldn't help it. She wrapped her arms around her mother, and Shira returned the embrace. Out of everyone in her family, only her mother, grandmother, and grandfather actually loved her. So whenever she wasn't around anyone else but them, the whole royalty thing faded away. Her mother was just mom to her.
"Oh mom… why does everyone hate me?"
Shira patted her daughter's head, and then lifted her chin up so that they were looking into each other's eyes.
"Sweetheart, I love you. You know that."
Katara smiled, and wiped away the tears on her face.
"And your father loves you too," Shira added quietly.
Katara chuckled, but fell silent when her mother gave her a look.
"Be strong Katara. You are more than anyone else in that room is. Remember that."
She nodded. "I'll try to."
"Good."
Shira smiled, and went back into the room to join the rest of her family. Katara could always count on her mom to make her feel better. It was late in the afternoon already, so she didn't feel like going out of the palace again. Instead, Katara just went back to her room, which again was conveniently far away from everything in the palace.
When she got to her room, she fell onto her bed. It felt like her room was somehow her get away from everything that would bother her. Suddenly she sat up straight, with a wide smile on her face. Quickly, she got to her window, and opened it. Her windows were more like glass doors, and on the other side of them, was just a small pond of frozen water. Using her bending abilities, she created a warm relaxing hot tub within the snow. She would do this whenever she felt like the world was on her shoulders. Katara slipped off her clothes, and stepped into the warmth of the water. Bit by bit, all of worries began to dissolve away into nothing. The sun began to set as well, and she could see the warm reds, oranges, and yellows mix together in the sky. Everything was so soothing, that she almost fell asleep. That is, until she heard voices coming from the hall. Two voices she remembered distinctly. It was Sokka and Yue.
Her mind began to race. When she looked at her doors to her room, she saw that she had forgotten to lock them. Katara bit her lip, and looked around everywhere. How could she have been so stupid to forget to lock her doors? If they came in, and saw her in a pool of water, that was never there before, she would be in the prisons within a second. Just because of her water bending, she wouldn't even be allowed to be a person anymore. But wait… that was it! Her water bending could help her now. Quickly, Katara pushed her hand towards her door, and a blast of water shot at it. Just as Yue was going to pull the door open, the water hit it, and froze the two doors together.
Yue pulled on the doors, but she frowned when she couldn't open them.
"Katara! Open up!"
"No. Go away!"
Yue pouted, and Sokka just waved a hand.
"Just forget it Yue. We can get her another day."
Her eyes began to sparkle.
"Oh really Sokka? Do you already have something in mind?" she asked enthusiastically.
"Well, no not right now. But I'm sure an opportunity will be presented to us soon."
Katara heard their mumbling voices drift away for the second time that day, and she sighed with relief. She looked up to the sky, and saw that the sun had already set, and it was dark out now. That must have been the reason why they had come to bother her again, was because she had missed dinner. Katara rolled her eyes. Did it really matter anymore? What was it to her father, if she was there or not? Well maybe there was some little feeling inside him for her; after all she was his daughter.
Katara got out of her warm bath, and wrapped herself up in a towel. She waved her arms flawlessly, and the bath disappeared. In its place was the ground covered in snow. Pakku had showed her this trick a couple of years ago, and now she couldn't help but smirk at the fact that she could do something that Yue could never do. Unfortunately, she could never brag about it.
Katara let her mind free itself of all negative thoughts as she caressed herself in amazingly soft lotion that her grandmother had given her. Her tan skin shined with more beauty than before, and when she ran her hands down her arms, Katara smiled to herself. She let her wet hair down, and she combed it through until it was sleek, shiny, and not wet anymore. To sum it up, her hair was combed to its utmost beauty. Finally, she walked to her closet, and took out a silver silk nightgown. It had thin straps, and it shaped her chest in a V. It was trimmed with a small amount of lace, and when she slipped it on over her head, it snuggly fit her every curve. Katara looked at herself in her mirror, and couldn't help but smile. Her mother was right; she was better than the rest of them. She was beautiful, inside and out.
Suddenly, she shivered. Katara looked to her left, and saw the curtains from her windows blowing in the breeze. She quickly walked over to them, and closed them. Next, she pulled back the curtains, and breathed in deeply. Slowly, she turned around, and when she did, she could have sworn her body and mind went into complete shock. Standing there in front of her, in her room, which she had locked, was a man. Someone she had never seen before, but she felt so drawn to him somehow. His golden eyes diverted her attention to him, and only him. He wasn't smiling, just standing there in a white outfit. She finally realized that around his left eye, he had a scar, probably from a fire bending accident. Wait, how did she know it was because of fire bending?
They stood there, feet away from each other, for what seemed like forever in silence. Finally the trance was broken. Zuko's lips curled into a small smirk.
"Are you sure you're not a fire bender, because you are damn hot."
Katara's eyes widened. She looked down at herself, and only then did she realize she was standing there in her nightgown, which showed off her best features. Her cheeks instantly turned bright red, and she put up her arms around her shoulders. It looked like he was going to take a step towards her, and everything inside of her went off like an alarm. Naturally she screamed her lungs out.
Instantly, what seemed like a dozen guards bulldozed their way through the frozen doors, and into the room. In a second's time, Zuko was surrounded, and his hands were cuffed behind his back. They led him out of the room, but before he was lost from her gaze, his golden eyes locked into her blue ones. His lips weren't curled into a smirk anymore, instead he looked somewhat frightened, and his eyes called out to her. Help me.
They were gone, and Katara's rapidly beating heart couldn't keep up with her. Her eyes slowly closed, and she fell onto her bed, wondering who on earth that man had been.
A/N: Good start? I hope so! This fic is gonna be longer than my last one, for sure! I'm planning on 10 chapters… maybe possible 11, and most will be long, or longer lol I know most of you probably hate my guts now for making Yue and Sokka so evil and mean… but I need it for the story. And no, Zuko is not gonna be all "smooth talker" I just thought that line was funny, so I wanted him to say it lol
NEXT: Katara can't stop thinking about that guy, and what will happen to him. Looks like she is worried about a complete stranger! lol