A: TLA © Bryke

A/N: Edited and grammatically reworked.

Two

She felt the power ripple through her as her left index and middle finger pointed towards the sky, the electricity running through her veins shot her adrenaline to high levels, making her concentration falter slightly, but she held on.

Her father crouched, his copper palms flat on the pale stone ground as he exhaled heavily, his chest rising and falling from exhaustion. Katara smirked as she still managed to stand – her knees slightly wobbly after releasing the lightning into the sky.

Hakoda's face turned up at her, she could see anger and frustration burning deeply in the depths of his eyes, and a sigh escaped her. She didn't like lightning bending, but she had to start the day after the vessel had left for the Southern Watertribe. Now she was into day six – Direction Control.

Her brother hadn't spoken to her since their little argument in the Courtroom, not that she blamed him. He had always been second best in her father's eyes and he hated it; she hated being the heir to the throne because she didn't want to run her father's sick nation. She wanted everyone to feel equal and loved, not hated and wary.

Katara hated what Sozin had done to this world, and she hated that he had wiped out the Nomads and left the water tribes to suffer. She hated world conflict. And when she became Firelady, she would change that.

"Katara!" her father snapped as he glared menacingly at her. "Focus!" She hadn't even realized she had begun daydreaming until her father pointed it out to her. Suddenly, Katara found the wind knocked out of her as her back collided with stone, her eyes widening as the pain shot up her spine until it tore out her throat as a grunt. Looking into the hardened gold eyes of her father, he clamped his forearm down on her windpipe, a smirk flirting with his lips.

She attempted to growl as he chuckled darkly at her, putting extra force into blocking her windpipe. Suddenly, her arm shot out and her nails dug right into his bare rips, the sharp talons implanting into his skin, she dragged them down. A low grunt escaped his throat as blood began spilling down his copper body, landing on her bound chest. Hakoda quickly rolled off her, clutching at his side as he sent an icy glare at her. "How dare you!" His free hand was instantly aflame as he stood up.

"You didn't play by the rules," she said calmly as both her fists burned with embers to burn his blood off of her hand. The irony smell of blood made her inwardly gag, and Katara knew he would've killed her, if not, severely injured her if she weren't his daughter.

She didn't understand him – he needed her to carry on the lineage of Firebenders, yet he was trying to kill her? He bolted towards her, both hands now alive with embers. Katara dove, slim-lining his body with her own as she narrowly dodged his furious attack. The flames disappeared from her palms as she used them to cushion her roll, landing in a crouch with her back to him.

She heard his light footsteps coming towards her, and she pivoted in her crouch, a blade of fire following the swinging foot. The red-hot flames shot towards him at an amazing speed but he dodged with a rapid gambol. His lips suddenly pulled back in an angry snarl, noticing her smirk. He felt the blood and sweat trickle down his muscles, etching itself into the sculpture of his frame. He was about to lunge again when-

"Firelord Hakoda, the vessel from the Southern Watertribe has arrived." The Firelord turned to glare at a soldier, but his masked face was bowed, parallel to the floor. He glanced at his daughter, surprised to see her gone.

"Very well. Get me the doctor." The messenger nodded, quickly scurrying off to cater to his Lord's demands.

Hakoda stood regally, clad in Firelord robes, in front of ship's bridge as it began to lower, his daughter and son standing on opposite sides beside him. He was briefly aware of the murderous looks Katara was receiving from her brother, but she seemed unnerved about it. The thunderous sound of metal hitting the dock reverberated throughout the air as Hakoda stared menacingly into the dark depths of the ship's entrance where a lone figure stood, barely noticeable. So when water suddenly engulfed the Firelord, he was stunned into silence.

The lone figure jumped out of the shadows and Katara's eyes instantly widened.

Zuko's arms rose immediately as he saw the Firelord, and, without thinking, he raised his arms and the evil bastard was instantaneously engulfed in water. He kept up the water with one hand as guards at once, started attacking him, fireballs were being thrown left and right as the Waterbender stood there.

"Stop firing!"

A voice floated throughout the air and the fireballs directly stopped. At first, Zuko thought the command was given to him, but when the fireballs stopped, he knew otherwise. Glancing in the direction of the voice, what he found utterly surprised him. He released the Firelord, who dropped to the floor and hurled up water coughing harshly. Guards and an un-armoured boy rushed towards the man, crouching around him.

The girl, she just stood there, staring at him with a gleam in her golden eyes. His blue eyes widened – she was the Fire Nation's princess? His feet spread, his front leg bent sharply at the knee, his back leg straight as he forced water spheres to hover around his form, ready to attack.

And attack he did. Katara was anticipating it, so when he sent furious and sporadic water spheres at her, she threw white fireballs at him. Surprised by his swiftness, his tactics astounded her as a sudden wave of water skimmed her flexible form, ice-daggers shooting straight after.

She then began to look closer at him. She couldn't make out his form underneath the parka he wore, but she could see the muscles in his thick sleeves. Katara watched as two guards stood and took on firebending stances, about to attack. "Stand down soldiers! This is my fight!" She was impassive with her tone, but her eyes gave her away, the way they were a molten gold radiating a different person to who her father and brother were.

Zuko began to close in on her as his water spheres automatically turned into slithering whips, nipping at her skin as he got close. She forced him back with several fireballs and fire daggers, surprised that he was able to close the distance between them. Her heels unexpectedly hit a stone step leading into the courtyard and she tripped, her eyes going wide as her back met stone, as her father did earlier.

The soldiers stood frigidly as they watched their princess fall, the Waterbender's wrath overpowering her. Their backs were stiff, but they stayed. They knew not to interfere or else Katara would be severely pissed. Hakoda was standing next to the line of guards, watching with secret mirth as his daughter's neck was suddenly threatened with an ice dagger.

Zuko glared down at her, her small wrists were held tightly in one of his large hands above her head, the ice dagger he had formulated itching to pierce the copper skin of her trachea. Her golden eyes were wide as he swiftly brought a leg over her ribs, so he was now straddling her ribcage. He exhaled deeply, his breath escaping him as he tried to attain the energy he had lost from the battle, surprised he had managed to go against a Firebender.

It was his first time against one, hell, it was his first fight period!

His eyes remained steely as he stared down into her molten embers. Zuko could feel the rise and fall of her chest as he stayed still, her breath and heartbeat as quickly as his own. Her copper cheeks were flushed with a deep crimson, the fight wearing her out. "Who are you?" He spoke quietly, his low voice sent chills up her spine. He watched as her gaze kept flickering to the left side of his face, before meeting his gaze again. He wasn't stupid, he knew what she was staring at, and he noticed her eyes soften as she stared at him.

An angry snarl ripped from his throat as he pulled her wrists up, bringing her head up in the process, before slamming her back down. Her eyes went wide before the molten irises began hardening, her mouth opened and suddenly, he jumped back from her attempt of shooting fire into his face. She gambolled backwards, landing in a crouch, facing him. Her crimson skirt ripped at the edges, split from the sudden movement. Growling, she quickly ripped open the fabric and her legs were freer to move.

Water whips emerged from the sea behind him and he lashed them out at her. This has gone on long enough, she thought. Standing and closing her eyes, she brought her index and middle finger in front of her face, exhaled slowly before opening her eyes, flames licking inside her orbs.

Zuko was surrounded by a white dragon, and all he could see was white fire. It only fuelled his anger, she was playing with him! He attempted to extinguish the fire with water, but as it approached the white flames, it just evaporated. He growled and tried again, the heat radiating through his parka and making sweat pour through his thick, black hair. "Surrender." he heard her whisper, he could see the shadow of the figure through the flames. "Please." Another whisper. He could hear the emotion in her voice.

What's going on with her? Doesn't she want to kill me? He was thoroughly confused by her.

"If you don't, I'll be forced to kill you. And I don't want that, Waterbender." She parted the flames, her figure standing in its perimeter, and then closed it behind her. "You're the last Waterbender of the Southern Watertribe. I know someone from the Southern Water Tribe, and you're their last hope. Don't put yourself into a death sentence," she whispered, her arms coming around herself as she glanced at him. His head was telling him it was a trick, an easy way to get him to surrender. But his gut was saying otherwise.

She's serious. She watched him intently, watched as he dropped his water, his knee's buckling beneath him as he fell to the ground. He held his wrists up to her. He surrendered. She nodded and extinguished the fire, chilly air and salt hitting his skin all at once. The icy temperature of the shackles that suddenly encased his wrists had him looking at them as if asking them to warm up. He felt hot hands on him wrenching him upwards, his legs stiff as he was forced to stand.

She noticed that he was actually taller than both guards, which were already much taller than her. But then she looked at him, how he was glaring down at the shackles binding his wrists. He was being dragged across the stone of the dock, his boots moaning in protest, but he didn't struggle, didn't attempt to fight. He just stared at her as he was hauled past; watching as she finally disappeared out of sight.

Katara absent-mindedly traced her finger around the rib of her goblet, staring into space as she sat at the dinner table, oblivious to all of the noblemen's sons eyeing her. She was bored. "Katara." Her eyes blinked, her gaze switching to her father, whose lips were in a tight line.

As usual. She thought grimly, sighing. "Yes?" He sent her a dark look and she sat up slowly, making sure her back was as straight as a board. Eventually.

"The Waterbender?" That caught her attention. It had been two days since the fight; the evidence still littered the dock. Scorch marks littered the area. She hadn't seen him. But she wanted to. To make sure he was alright.

"What about him?"

"The fight. He was a master Waterbender and even you struggled to fight him." Hakoda inwardly took pleasure in hearing the surprised gasps the council made; they were astonished that the undefeated Fire Princess had been defeated.

"I suppose." She rubbed her temples, not bothering to cover up her annoyance.

"You are going to talk to him, Katara." Katara frowned and glared at her father, expectation filled his hardened gold gaze. The expectation of what, she was unsure.

"Why?" He sent her a smirk, a dark smile following soon after. "You want me to torture him? Why!?" She stood up, her knees forcing the chair back with a force. Her clenched fists slammed onto the table, her goblet and her father's tipping over.

"Because he attacked the Firelord." He said it like it was obvious, and she was taken aback slightly.

"Yeah, but so did I! You didn't have me tortured!" Her eyes filled with a determined fire as she stared her father down, but he remained steely in front of his audience, who was awfully quiet.

"You are my daughter. Therefore, you can't be punished."

"Doesn't equality make any sense to you?!" she snapped, the flames around the room flaring wildly, turning to a bright white.

"He is a peasant. He doesn't need defending, Katara." Everyone in the room was eyeing her expectantly; Sokka had a smirk planted on his face.

"And you're a lowlife! But you don't see me complaining!" she growled, her voice rising in volume so it echoed around the large room. Everyone stared at the Firelord as he arose from his seat, glaring with murderous promise embedded in the solid gold depths of his eyes.

"Katara, you are dismissed." She snorted, her arms coming behind her as she yanked the Crowned Princess ornament out of her hair, throwing it to the floor. Her undone locks fell around her, reaching her hipbone. With speed, she gathered the waterfall of her hair and tied it into a low ponytail, hissing as she walked passed every council member or nobleman. The doors slammed with an echoing bang and everyone remained silent.

The fires finally died down after she left.

"I want to see the Waterbender," she growled out. The guards nodded and moved away. Katara scurried in through the doors that opened up to the cells. A row of bars stretched across each wall, wailing and howling emerging from each side. The heavy robe draped over her shoulders covered the large bag she carried in her hand, effectively hiding away the food she stashed for the prisoners.

She stopped at the first cell and glanced inside, surprised to see the woman holding her baby in her arms, silently crying to herself. "Hello Ling, how's your baby?" Katara crouched on her knees. Ling sent her a small smile despite her tears. Quickly the woman rubbed them away, and Katara passed her a loaf of bread and a beaker of water with a small bottle of milk following straight after.

"She's doing fine, thanks to you, Katara." The teenage girl smiled to the woman and shuffled as close as she could, reaching out to brush astray hairs from the older woman's tired face.

"That's good. What have you named her?" Ling smiled again, this time a little wider, gently rocking the baby in her arms.

"I named her Katara." Katara's eyes watered as she looked down at the baby, golden orbs dripping as she beamed.

"Thank you," she whispered, placing a quick kiss on her fingertips and laying them on the baby's forehead. "Goodbye." Ling nodded, her tear-stained cheeks red. Katara scuttled to the opposite cell, smiling at the master Firebender behind the cage. "Je Je, I have tea." The old man turned to face her, a bright smile on his face. He shuffled over to her, quickly grasping the warm cup in his hands and gulping it down greedily. She handed him a loaf of bread.

"Thank you, Princess Katara." She nodded. She continued down the cells, giving each prisoner their own loaf of bread and beaker of water. She would collect them as she went back. But now, she stood in front of a bolted door, reluctance creeping into her veins as she stared at the firelock.

Exhaling, she pulled the robe off her shoulders, revealing a tighter robe being held together by a golden sash, her bindings underneath. The heavy robe was simply just too hot. She gently breathed white fire into the funnel, the opaque coils turning until the seal was open. Katara pushed the heavy door, and it opened with a loud screech, the sound echoing throughout the whole prison, but not reaching through the soundproof walls. She didn't understand why her father never had any guards on the inside, especially since his new 'addition.'

All Katara saw was darkness; nothing.

he couldn't work out any details or shapes, even from the light from the torches outside. Katara quickly pulled in her robe and dropped the bag on the floor to slam the door shut. The door sounded with a click – an automatic lock. She then let the robe slip from her fingers, and it landed with a soft thud. Raising her arms, she quickly sent fire to torches around the circular room, lighting everything in the enclosed space. She gasped at what she saw.

The Waterbender had his head bowed, his wrists chained separately to different sides of the room. His knees were underneath him, and he looked asleep. Katara's eyes widened as she noticed all of the gashed bleedings from him, his chest was bare and his pale skin glistened in the torchlight.

Although his upper body was bare, she didn't care because she was focused on his wounds. Deep gashes ran along his muscular arms, and they were tight and tense underneath his skin. His stomach muscles were covered in blood, Katara didn't know where from, and all he was left in were khaki pants. Her eyes watered at the sight of him, the strong-willed Waterbender that had almost killed her, could've killed her, but didn't.

She ran towards him, skidding on her knees the last few feet, her eyes frantic as she checked for a pulse in his neck.

Phew. His black hair brushed her wrist; it was full of grit and blood, patches of it sticking up here and there. Gently, she lifted his chin up, surprised that they left his face unharmed. Katara stared at the scar covering half of his face, curious about how he got it. Without her even thinking about it, her fingers of her free hand delicately traced the rigid lines of the disfigurement, awestruck to find it quite smooth, but still slightly rough.

Tracing the outer edges of it, the light pink, dusty colour fell prey to her fingertips. Then they descended inwards, finally landing on his closed eye. The shading was much darker than the outer ridges, but it was still the same texture. Her hands stilled as she felt him stir, beginning to wake up. "M-mother," he whispered, his eyes opening.

He blinked and saw gold.

Curious golden eyes stared into his blue ones. His teeth instantaneously bared themselves as he reeled his head back, his scar ripping from her grasp. He growled at her, the sound running up his throat. "I-I'm sorry." Her copper hands shot up in front of her, trying to calm him down. He sent a dark glare at her and she backed away slightly. "I was curious." She didn't know why she said it, but she thought she needed a reason. He watched as she sat down again, shuffling closer so his body was within arm's reach, their knees so close to touching.

"What do you want, Firebender?" He snarled the word like acid. "Here to torture me? Looks like someone already beat you to the punch, pun intended," he snapped, venom practically dripping in his tone. He began to thrash again in an attempt to break free. His shackles were solid.

She watched as he continued to thrash. Finally getting tired, she reached forward, grabbing each of his wrists, her arms spreading across his frame, mindful of his cuts. Her face was only a breath away from his own. His arm span was wider than hers – by a lot – so she only managed to reach halfway down his forearms.

He immediately stopped thrashing, shocked that she was so close to his face. A blush tainted her cheeks as she looked into his eyes, finally realizing she was straddling his lap. "Um, I-I…" She was at a loss for words. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and beamed at him. "Hi! My name's Katara!" Her loud voice bounced off the walls. He winced at the cheeriness in it. "What's your name?"

"Get off me," he said simply. She frowned at him, releasing his forearms, but stayed on his lap. "The entire way little girl," he ushered, moving his hips to indicate what he meant. He almost blushed at the movement, but he cleared his throat and bucked, sending her off his lap and landing on her back with a painful moan.

"I'm not a little girl. I'm fourteen." He snorted.

"Exactly. Little." She growled at him, standing above him with her hands on her hips.

"I have a complex about my size, you know. It's not nice to hurt someone's feelings."

"It's a compliment, given the circumstances." He rattled the chains for emphasis. Her mouth formed into an O shape. Katara quickly moved to one of his shackled wrists, withdrawing a key from around her neck, which he only just noticed. "H-hey! What are you doing!?" She unlocked the shackle, his wrist dropping like dead weight to the floor. Quickly, she shuffled to the other one and repeated the action. Both his arms were now hanging beside him. The chains hit the floor with a resounding clang and she shivered.

She dropped to her knees at the side of him, beginning to work out the tenseness in his muscles with warm fingertips. "I repeat: What are you doing? Do you know who I am? I'm your enemy!"

"No you're not – you're my nation's enemy. I don't hate you," she murmured, smiling when she began to feel his muscles relax. She moved to his other arm, repeating the process. "Massage your arms, Waterbender." Zuko nodded, not even hesitating to follow her orders. The feeling eventually returned to his arms but they still hurt, the bruises and cuts still bleeding from his earlier session with Admiral Zhao. He watched as Katara moved over to a robe in the corner, heaving it up over her shoulder, bringing a bag with her.

Dropping the bag at his knees, she then walked around him, draping the large robe over his built frame, giving him warmth. She opened the bag, watching as Zuko pulled the robe closer to his body to capture the heat. She smiled at him, but his eyes were wary. She pulled out a beaker and opened it, revealing that it contained water.

"You do know I'm a Waterbender, right?" She nodded, handing him the cup.

"Drink what you need and then heal your cuts. You can heal, right?" He nodded, quickly accepting the cup. He didn't understand her. First, she asks him to surrender, or else he would've been killed, then, her people torture her in prison, and now she is helping him gain his strength back? "I have two more beakers in my bag, so just drink all of that and then use the other two to heal." He nodded, gently sipping the water, his stomach and dry mouth gladly accepted the liquid. She sighed and leaned back on her palms, watching him. "So, will you tell me your name?" With the rim of the cup covering his lips, he let a little smile grace them.

"Zuko."

29.05.19: Edited.