I'm late. Again. I know. And I'm sorry, but I just couldn't decide on a fairy tale! There are so many, and how do I know what really counts as a fairy tale? I was tempted to make Zuko bite into a poisoned apple and die, waiting for true love's first kiss to save him, but I chose to go with something else, because I'm a Disney and a musical fan! And what would a fairy tale these days be without songs, hm?

Important: For you to understand the following, you should have watched Disney's Tangled at least once, and it would be great if you knew the melody of "I See the Light", but I guess the song also works without knowing the melody. But if you haven't seen Tangled, you might not get this story's connection to fairy tales. And if you haven't seen Tangled, you should really go and watch it!

And about the song, well, it's difficult to write song lyrics in another language, so please tell me if there are any mistakes.

To make the song in the story more understandable: What is printed in italics below, is the song. If there are no quotation marks, it means the song is in the character's head, or kind of comes from the off, but only one character would be able to hear it. If there are quotation marks, they really sing. And the melody, as well as some word patterns are from "I See the Light" by Alan Menken and Glen Slater. I just wrote some Zutara stuff to that melody.

I hope you'll enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender nor Disney's Tangled.

Day 20: Fairy Tale

Sitting in the courtyard of the Fire Lord's summer house and watching Zuko teaching Aang firebending became a habit.

Zuko watched her strangely, when Katara sat down for the first time, other than Aang who grinned and invited her to stay the whole day. Katara felt a little unsure at how reluctant Zuko seemed, but she still stayed.

She doesn't know why she asked to watch them in the first place. It's not like she doesn't trust Zuko anymore, but after she once came across them training there was just something inside her that told her to stay and watch.

Seeing how Aang is improving is great and makes her proud, but seeing the moves her enemies are likely going to pull is a big help, too.

"Hey, hey, hey! Everyone!" Sokka yells, running out of the house.

Suki and Toph follow Sokka in a slower pace, Toph looking annoyed, while Suki smiles softly.

Aang and Zuko stop their practice, and Aang runs over to Sokka, Zuko and Katara following at a slower pace.

"You've got to see this!" Sokka grins and unrolls a scroll.

"Ugh, not another play about us!" Katara groans.

"And please nothing else by the Ember Island Players," Zuko adds.

Sokka frowns. "What? No! But there's a festival in town!" He points to the poster he just unrolled.

It stands there in bold black characters: Firelight Festival to celebrate the end of summer. Stalls wit games and food, music and theatre. Watch when the lanterns light the entire island!

Katara blinks.

"Oh," Zuko murmurs. "I didn't realise the festival is now."

"You knew about that?" Sokka asks, taking a step closer towards Zuko.

He raises an eyebrow. "I spent every summer of my childhood here. Of course I know about this festival. I just forgot that it would be right now."

"But it's great, right?" Sokka beams. "So can we guys go? Please?"

Aang breathes in, his lips spread into a wide grin, as he wants to answer, when Katara shakes her head. "I don't know, Sokka. The last Fire Nation festival didn't end that well for us."

"You've been to a Fire Nation festival before?" Suki asks curiously.

"Which one?" Zuko wants to know.

Katara shrugs. "I don't remember its name, but the people wore masks. It was back in the Earth Kingdom in an occupied town, close to the colonies."

"It was called Fire Days Festival, and it celebrated everything that had to do with the Fire Nation," Sokka explains.

Zuko raises both his eyebrows. "Never heard of it."

Sokka grimaces. "Well, when you're raised in the Fire Nation it's probably not hard to forget your nation, but in the Earth Kingdom it makes sense to celebrate it."

Zuko shrugs.

Katara frowns. "Okay, but I still think we shouldn't go. Aang doesn't even have to look for a firebender teacher, so there's no reason for us to go."

Aang looks defeated, but Katara refuses to get a bad conscience. She's just saving their group from her brother's dumb ideas.

"Yeah, but we might actually have fun?" Sokka asks sarcastically.

"Leave her alone, Sokka. Katara doesn't know what that is," Toph grins, but punches Katara at the same time, and Katara understand that she didn't mean it.

"Haha."

"Seriously, Katara! I'll make you an Avatar promise that no one will see my arrow, and I won't airbend this time!" Aang presses his palm to his fist, bows, and talks with the voice he used to imitate a noble in Ba Sing Se.

Katara only gives him a deadpan look. She knows what she'll get from Aang's Avatar promises.

"You airbent during a Fire Nation festival? And people saw your arrow?" Zuko snarls, his eyes wide.

Aang grins sheepishly.

"I can't believe you managed to evade me all this time," Zuko murmurs, and Katara has to grin. After she forgave him, she must admit that his jokes about once being evil and chasing them around are pretty funny. She certainly wouldn't mind him chasing after her now.

Her eyes widen at her own thoughts, and she flushes deeply.

Well, like a game of chase. Like tag. What children are playing. Just for fun. With all their other friends. She certainly didn't mean him chasing after her alone, in a forest, and…

"So it's decided!" Sokka yells and throws his fist into the air. "We're going!"

"What?" Katara shrieks. How did this happen? How long did she think about playing tag?

oOo

One thing that relieves Katara a little is their disguises. They're way better than just a hood. Although Zuko only has got a hood for disguise. He could need a mask.

Too bad the Firelight Festival is not about masks, but about… light! Who would have thought?

Thousands of candles are decorating the town, as do thousands of flowers.

To show the end of summer, the flowers will all burn at midnight. Only the Fire Nation can come up with something like that.

Katara becomes a bit sad, watching all the beautiful flowers, knowing they haven't got long to live anymore.

Zuko and Toph wander off by their own after a while, wanting to check out a stall with grilled fish. Katara would have liked to go with them, but Aang already tugs her to a large stage with many people in front of it. The play is The Boy in the Iceberg. Katara drags Aang away.

They find a fruit stall, where all different kinds of fruit are chopped into tiny pieces by broad, tattooed man with sables. Aang is fascinated, while Katara wishes to get away fast.

When they are finished, they find Sokka and Suki again, and after a while also Toph and Zuko.

They stay together for the rest of the evening, playing games at stalls and stopping Sokka from ordering a whole grilled hippo cow.

When it's close to midnight, Zuko clears his throat to get everyone's attention. "They'll soon let the lanterns soar. If you want to see where it starts, we should get back to the market place…"

He's not even finished, when Aang yells "Last one who's there is a lame duck snail!"

"Aang!" Sokka roars and runs after his friend.

Sighing, Suki follows, jogging.

Toph stands between Katara and Zuko, her hands in her pockets. She balances on one foot. "Well, I'm gonna go with them. And you two should really check out the view from up the hill."

Zuko's head whips around to Toph, and Katara frowns. What's this about?

"Zuko told me you'd have the best view up there. You should so there," Toph goes on, nodding up the mountain.

Katara grimaces. "I don't know. I think the others shouldn't be without us. Aang and Sokka are a bit too excited to stay calm…"

"I'll take care of them. Suki and I will manage," Toph puts her off and starts walking backwards.

Katara shrugs and turns around to Zuko, whose cheeks are redder than usual.

He clears his throat again. "Well, uh, we can also go with Toph…"

Katara shakes her head. No, now that she's relatively reassured, she'd really like to see the lanterns from up there where they would have the best view.

"Nope, let's go to that hill of yours," she says and links her arm with Zuko's.

They walk out of town, and across wide fields, climbing up hills, on which some koala sheep are grazing. It's pitch black out here, away from the lights of the town, so Zuko bends a flame to light their way.

He points up a hill. "There is a bench up there. That's where we can watch the lanterns best."

After having climbed the hill, they sit down on said bench, and wait for the lanterns to soar into the sky.

"It's beautiful up here," Katara says. "Even without the lanterns. The lights in the town, the ocean out there, and the stars." She takes a deep breath.

"Yeah," Zuko says softly. "When I was little, we always came up here to light out lanterns. Oh, and that reminds me!" He bends down to reach under the bench.

Katara is curious and leans forward to see what he's doing.

He pulls a lantern from under the bench and lights it.

Katara sits up straight again and sucks in a breath. The pattern on the lantern shows waves. And both Water Tribe symbols are painted on two sides of the paper construction in coral red.

"Where did you get this from?" she asks in awe, reaching out to touch it.

"Bought it."

"But the Water Tribe symbols?"

"Painted it."

"What?" She looks up at Zuko's face, at his smiling eyes, and the only thing she can see is soft- and kindness. How could he ever have been on the Fire Nation's side?

Every day, my friends and I were chased

Every day, I was so afraid

But now it's time to forgive him for all the things he has done

All this time I could only see his rage

The enemy always had his face

But here and now the only thing I can see is a friend

In that moment the first lantern soars up from the town. Gasping in excitement, Katara turns around to watch. She sees how the whole city lights up with the lantern's light. She sits on the edge of the bench, grabbing it with her fingers, leaning forward.

It's so beautiful.

All this light in the night, it's because of fire. There's fire inside these lanterns.

Now I understand his fire

It is warm and it is light

Now I can embrace his fire

It is good and it is life

It is here and beautiful

Maybe things can really change

All this time I only saw the enemy

But now I can see you

Katara looks back at Zuko, who hands her the lantern. She smiles widely at him, gently takes the lantern from him, and slowly pushes it up into the sky.

oOo

Zuko watches with a fast beating heart how fascinated Katara is by this tradition. He hoped she would like it, but seeing her like this is new to him. Like him, she always seems so serious and adult, but he feels glad that she still has this glow in her eyes. He feels warm, only because of her happiness. He wonders how he could ever wish to harm her.

My whole life was dictated to me

My whole life, I was never free

But here I am, going my own way, having sided with them

My whole world had turned upside down

But she is stabilising me alone

And here we are, together as maybe more than friends

"Wow!" Katara exclaims, then turns to look at him. "Thank you so much for bringing me up here! The view is beautiful, and surely better than watching it from town."

Zuko takes a nervous, shaky breath and smiles. "You're welcome. I, uh, thanks for coming up here with me."

His heart almost misses a beat, when she boldly grabs his hand. "No, problem, Zuko! I wouldn't want you to wander around on your own here."

Now I understand her water

It's not harsh and it's not cold

Now I can embrace her water

It runs around me, gently and soft

Splashing waves that are beautiful

Maybe things can really change

All this time I saw you as the weak

But now I can see you

The lights of the thousands of lanterns, soaring and dancing in the sky, light one side of their faces, as they look each other in the eyes, for a long time.

Zuko doesn't know what to say, and Katara doesn't want to ruin the moment. What can they do to express their feelings?

"Now I understand you whole," they sing.

"And your water is gentle and soft," Zuko sings and grabs her other hand.

"Now I can see so much of you," both sing again.

"And your fire is warm and soothes," Katara sings.

"What can we be here and now?" they sing together.

"Maybe things can really change

Chorus repeated:

In times of peace we might be more

Than just allies fighting a war

In times of peace I might find you

To be the one at my side

In the end I'd be there for you

Maybe things can really change."

Zuko raises a hand to cup Katara's cheek and touch her hair. She closes her eyes shortly, as she leans forward.

"Once we were enemies at war

But now we're so much more

That's what I love you for"

Exhaling, Zuko leans forward, ready to finally kiss Katara, when he can see two Fire Nation soldiers walking in their direction. They are far away, but Zuko and Katara have to get out of here.

He quickly retreats, jumps up and pulls Katara with him. "Fire Nation soldiers. We gotta go."

Katara nods, and lets him drag her down the hill, back into town.

Their hands are still tightly connected and they don't let go of each other for the rest of the night.

Thanks for reading! And please let me know what you think, especially of the song...:D