Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the last airbender

A/N

And zutara won by a landslide! only one person voted Katara/Haru out of 5! BTW, thnx to:

RockStar51509: tank you

brokentrusts: I agree, I love zutara

Monito: zank you...so are you saying it wasn't a suurprise?

Mew Kelcita:Goodygood Haru! ooohhh...thats a good one- no pun intended

darkriver: Go ahead! I'd love Zuko to come after me...though he is strictly for Katara

Narumi-chan: Thank You! I like your manners...

freedomfightersrule: though, I am sad to say, you were vastly outnumbered

Katara slept fitfully that night. Haru had left her to ponder her life-changing answer, his words of parting, I'll leave you to your thoughts, my advisor is calling me. Oh, and Katara? I love you.

The last words echoed hauntingly through her head, burning all other thought, preventing any words to speak. She had distanced herself in her room the rest of the night, her mind a whirl wind. At some time or another, she got a head ache and unsuccessfully tried to banish all thoughts from her psyche with sleep.

Sleep came eventually, after a hard-earned battle, but still, it wasn't at all satisfactory. When Katara woke up in the morning, her headache returned accompanied with nausea.

"Someone didn't get her beauty sleep." Sokka remarked teasingly, oblivious to Katara's turmoil. Sighing, she plopped herself down on the bench as Sokka passed her eggs and crepes for breakfast.

"Sokka, in case you haven't noticed…." She trailed off, losing her train of thought once more. Sokka nudged her to remind her what she was formerly saying. "Wha- oh! Haru asked me to marry him last night." She said simply. Sokka spat out the egg he had in his mouth all over the table.

"What? Katara! Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" He cried, voice cracking like it did when he was younger.

"You're lucky I even told you." She snapped, angrily spearing her crepe with her fork. He gaped at her as she ranted on; she proudly thought she was on a role. "I don't love hi, and he says he loves me! I only knew him for two days! And then there's the fact that I love- somebody else who isn't important at the moment!" She veered off course hastily, seeing her mistake. "Also, he's the prince of the earth kingdom. Apparently King Bumi is his great-uncle! And by marrying him, the water kingdom will prosper, because I'll be the treaty, not some bloody piece of paper!" By the time she'd finished, her crepe was completely mutilated and she was breathing heavily from talking so fast without pausing for a breath.

"Huhjkno jlkadjl I lk" Sokka replied, after he shoved some more egg in his mouth so he wouldn't have to reply in an actual sentence for fear of provoking her anymore. (A/N RUN ON!) Katara, apparently didn't hear because she was storming out the doorway.

"Good morning to you, too! I love you almighty little sister! Thanks for asking about my life!" Sokka called after her. From the hallway her heard her bellow,

"Well, unlike you, Sokka, some of us have more pressing matters than what our next meal is going to be!" Sokka grumbled under his breath and impaled his crepe and thrust in his mouth.

Katara stormed through the hallways of the palace until she got to Princess Yue's room. Composing herself, and taking a habitual glance around, she saw the walls of ice had completely cracked. Shrugging, she knocked on the door.

"Princess Yue, it's me, Katara." She said softly. The door opened and she collapsed into Yue's arms, sobbing. "I don't know what to do! I don't love him!" Princess Yue rubbed her back soothingly, then ushered her into her room. Leading her to the bed, she whispered soothing words. Katara let herself be led by her friend, as she was focusing more on controlling her breathing so she wouldn't sound like a retarded pig with hiccups.

"Now, tell me what this is all about." Yue said gently, wrapping a blanket around her and handing her a cup of sweet tasting, brown liquid. Katara made a mental note to ask her what it was later.

"Well….." She started slowly, pulling her legs to her chest and blowing her nose on a spare handkerchief. "I was dancing with Haru, an Earth Bender, who apparently is now the Earth Prince. Anyway, I…." She trailed off, trying to get her heap of memory sorted out. "He was talking about what he though of me when he first met me. He said I was stubborn, and then realized I was determined." She spat out the last word. "He was saying how I could change anything and more so if I married the earth prince and united the water nations and earth kingdom. At the time, I didn't know he was a prince…." She sighed.

"He asked me to marry him. Before I could answer, he said he loved me! Me!" She said, her voice rising as she talked until it was a squeak. "He left before I could answer. Oh, Yue! I don't love him! What am I to do?" she sobbed onto her friend's shoulder, who held her tightly, if a bit grimly.

"Katara, it is in your duty to do what is best for your people. Even if it means that you are forced to marry an old croon, or in your case a prince. Most girls could only dream of this, Katara!" She said earnestly. Her eyes softened as she saw Katara's face screw up in disgust. "I know how you feel, I don't want to marry my betrothal…I want to marry your brother, Sokka. But, it was an arranged marriage for me to the fire nation for a treaty- a weak one at that! I personally don't think it will work the marriage or the treaty."

Katara's heart clenched in dread. Hesitantly, she asked, "Who is your betrothal?"

"Oh, I don't know, I've never met him. Some prince with a scar or something of that sort." She said vaguely, twirling a piece of cloth in her hands. Katara let out a throttled cry and tore from the room. "Katara!" Yue called in surprise.

Katara ran long and hard through the city. Her world was falling apart. Gradually, the houses thinned out until she was in the open arctic with only her dress of silk on. Falling to her knees, Katara gouged the earth. Ever since she first saw Zuko, she had had a slight- if even there- infatuation with him. Over the years, the feelings progressed until it turned into pure love. Nothing else could explain it. When someone said his name, her heart clenched gleefully, stomach fluttering. Yet, there was always that nagging worry that something horrible happened to him. Now, he had entered her life once more by saving it and ruining it all in the span of five days.

Katara curled into a miserable ball, ignorant to the deadening temperatures. Sobbing inconsolably for what felt like hours, Katara finally felt the cold seep through her heart-aching numbness. Lifting her head, she looked around to see where she came from, only to find that her footprints were covered with fresh snow and, since she was blinded by tears, she hadn't paid any attention to where she was going. Katara let out a long anguished, frustrated scream.

This could prove a problem.

Sokka paced back and forth, his face lined with worry. Princess Yue barged in his room right when he was changing. By the look on her face and her seriousness, something was horribly amiss. As if to support Yue's tale, Katara hadn't been seen since her rampage after breakfast. A few people- water benders to repair the cracks in the walls- saw her sprinting down the halls, perceptibly upset.

Now, after hours of worrying and hoping she'd return, Sokka finally took action. Grabbing his parka, Katara's, a ridiculous amount of food and blankets, Sokka uth Mere set out to find his sister.

Katara looked uncomprehendingly at the dark figure that loomed above her. Struggling up into a sitting position, she realized that she was in a cave with a nice warm fire blazing three feet away from her. The figure was kneeling next to her, perfectly balanced on the balls of his feet. Looking up at his face, she saw in the dim light, not Sokka, not Haru, but the Prince of the Fire Nation.

Well, there you go...RnR! Next chapter sneak peek:

"Zuko! Come on!" Katara hissed, biting back a laugh as Zuko stumbled while they snuck into her room.

"Yue...Katara told me about what you said, and I...want to marry you too." Sokka said, blushing furiously as Yue leaned in...

Don't wanna give away to much! hoped you liked this chapter! Thank You sooooo much for all those who reviewed and all those furture reviewers! you made my day!