A/N:
Thanks for the reviews you guys! They help urge me to write!
I decided to switch things up a bit, so this chapter is from Katara's POV. I think I'll switch off their POV's from now on to keep things fresh.
Review and let me know what you think!
Katara loves story time. It's by far her favorite part of the evening (Sokka's is dinner), but there's something about curling up under her furs and listening to her mother talk about wolves, handsome waterbenders, and the beautiful fish people who live deep within the sea that makes her happy.
Tonight is a very exciting night for Katara. Tomorrow morning they'll leave on a ship just as the sun rises, and that ship will take them across the ocean to the Fire Nation. And then she'll see her friends Azula and Zuko, and Auntie Ursa!
Katara loves spending her summers in the Fire Nation. It's warm there, and there's yummy food (fruit)! And pretty flowers! And the people there can make fire with their hands!
Except, Zuko can still only manage a small flame. But that's okay. Katara thinks he'll be a really grand firebender one day, like his Uncle Iroh.
"Katara, sweetie, are you ready for bed?"
Katara nods from where she is on her pallet, wiggling under her mountain of furs and tucking her bangs behind her ears.
Her mother sits on the fur covered floor beside her. They have a nice home, a little bit nicer than all the others who live in their massive village, Katara notices. Daddy says that this is because they're the ruling family.
Katara doesn't really understand what's so special about decision-making, but she thinks that maybe that's a grownup thing.
"What story did you want to hear tonight?"
Katara stills underneath her furs. That's such a tough question.
"I want to hear about Kesuk and his wolves and how they rescued Princess Nukka," she finally decides. She loves hearing that story. It's her favorite.
Her mother furrows her eyebrows. "You wanted to hear that story last night."
"But….but it's my favorite. Especially the wolves! They're my favorite Original Species." (Sokka's favorite Original Species is the bear. Katara thinks that's boring.)
Her mother laughs, gently tucking more hair behind her ears. "Alright alright." She stills her hand and clears her throat. "There once was a great waterbender named Kesuk, and he befriended a pack of wolves. Together they kept the Southern Water Tribe safe from invaders and evil creatures. One day, the Princess Nukka was kidnapped. So Kesuk, who was in love with the princess, set out with his wolves in order to find her and rescue her…"
"…so Kesuk and his wolves rescue Princess Nukka and they live happily ever after!"
Katara holds out her arms, dramatically finishing her story. She thinks she told it pretty well. She might have lacked a bit in the details (she forgot the name of the evil monster who captures Nukka), but still! It was her favorite story and she just knew her friends would like it.
Azula is clapping for her, her disfigured dolls spread out before her. This reminds Katara than she needs to find a special place to hide her dolls before Azula sees them.
Sokka is asleep, laying out flat on the grass. But that's okay; his opinion doesn't matter because he's just her brother.
Zuko looks like he's thinking over something, which greatly worries Katara.
Katara really cares about what Zuko thinks. She wants him to like her story. She hoped it was neat enough for him, because he is sort of a Big Kid after all, being two years older than her.
"That was a nice fairy tale," he finally says. Then he stands up, and walks away to pick up his wooden sword.
Katara blinks. That's it?
She wants to burst into tears. She had been hoping that he'd say something along the lines of you're the greatest storyteller EVER!
And it wasn't a fairy tale! It was a real story!
Zuko just doesn't get it.
Boys.
Katara sits there and fumes for awhile, her afternoon ruined.
"Hey guys."
Her head jerks up to see a tall, lanky young man walk into the garden.
He was an almost Grown Up!
Zuko drops his sword and runs right up to him and the older boy stoops down and ruffles his hair lovingly.
"Lu Ten!" Zuko shouts with excitement.
Oh, so it's Zuko's cousin!
Lu Ten stands up and walks over to where she and Azula are sitting.
"Tenny!" Azula grins, standing up and throwing her arms around the older boy's leg.
"Hey 'Zula," Lu Ten crouches down and wraps his young cousin up in a proper hug. When he let's go he looks over in Katara's direction.
"You must be Katara," he moves over to her and offers out his hand.
She looks into his face. His eyes are so golden! His hair is so shiny! His skin is so clear! His jaw looks so strong!
"Hi," she squeaks, taking his hand (it's so much bigger than hers!). He gently shakes it. "Did you know you have the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen, little Katara?" He gives her a kind smile and she ducks her head, blushing.
He stands up and walks away, shouting something about a sword fight with Zuko.
Katara sits there, stunned.
Katara is in love.
She watches Lu Ten play fight with Zuko for a long time.
A very long time (despite Azula's constant urgings that they go rip up flowers).
She watches him for so long that she thinks it's time for him to come talk to her again.
But how to get him to notice her?
She wracks her brain, thinking.
Oh! She's got it!
She just needs to be rescued.
She stands up and looks around the garden. It's fairly kid proof, no immediate dangers in sight. Still, if she pretended that she needed to be rescued, Lu Ten would think she was in trouble and then he'd come to save her!
It was the perfect plan!
There's a cluster of bushes on the far side of the garden, and without further thinking Katara runs over to them and throws herself in.
"Help!" she shouts. "Help me, I'm in danger!"
She can't really see out through the bush, so she's not sure if Lu Ten has heard her or not.
She moves her arm and a thorn hooks into her skin, cutting into her and drawing blood. She cries out at the pain, tears pooling in her eyes.
Suddenly she hears footsteps pounding across the garden, and then the sharp branches and leaves are being pulled aside. A worried face peers down at her.
Except it is not Lu Ten's!
It is Zuko's, and a second later Sokka's head appears over his shoulder.
"Katara, are you okay?" Her brother reaches in and yanks her out of the bush, and she starts to cry because more thorns catch her skirt and neck, pulling at her hair.
Her cut arm is still the worse of her injuries though. It stings pretty badly.
"We have to take her to my mom," Sokka says firmly, and Zuko nods.
Then Zuko does something surprising. He reaches forward and gently takes her injured arm, cradling it gently in his own hands. Then he starts to lead her out of the garden and into the palace. Sokka is right beside her, fretting over her and scolding her at the same time.
Both boys watch her mother wrap up her arm in a bandage. Sokka chatters the whole time, and eventually all Katara wants to do is tell him to shut up.
Katara's plan had totally back fired. Lu Ten wasn't even there when she had been pulled out of the bush. He had been called away.
Finally her bandage is done, and mother leaves with Sokka in order to go get lunch and bring it back. But Zuko stays with her. He doesn't say anything for a long time, until finally he moves to sit down next to her on the floor.
"Do you want to hear a story?"
She nods, her eyes watering a little from her still aching arm.
Zuko looks alarmed. "Hey, don't cry! It's a happy story. It's about the first dragons."
Katara perks up a bit. "Dragons?"
He nods. "Yeah! But you can't cry, okay?"
Katara sniffs before nodding in agreement. "Okay. I promise."
Zuko gives her a smile before plunging into his story. "Once there were two dragons, a boy and a girl, and they lived in the sky…"