Second chapter's up! Hope you guys like it! It's longer and chapters will get longer as the story progresses!

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Katara POV-

The first thing I felt was warmth, comforting warmth. I was lying on the most softest material and I felt as if nothing could take it away.

Wrong.

My right temple began to throb and the haunting images flooded my head in seconds. Sokka. The last time I saw him was when he tried to save me but got knocked out. Dad. He went off to fight with the other men and he probably doesn't know what happened. And Mum. I saw her get burnt alive right infront of me. She's most certainly dead.

Tears were starting to streak my cheeks but I stopped and wondered, where am I? I slowly opened my eyes and took in what I saw. The walls were cold metal and stuck on the walls were the Fire Nation insignia. The soft material that I was sleeping on was a bed. I have never seen a bed in my life, only pelts. My head was wrapped in a bandage. The room shook abit and I straightaway knew I was in a ship.

Immediately, I felt terrified. What were they going to do to me? Before I could do anything, the metal door swung open.

In stepped a 2 Fire Nation Soldiers, one of them was familiar. His cold, golden eyes were piercing through me. He was the man that killed my mother. Instinctively, I backed up against the bed.

"Ah, I see that you are awake. You may address me as Admiral Yon Rha and this is General Jee. We are heading towards the Fire Nation in 3 weeks and we expect you to be in your best behavior. We will serve you your meals and you are only allowed to go out of the quarters accompanied by General Jee for a maximum of 2 hours. You are allowed to practice your waterbending but only under supervision and if you try anything funny, there will be consequences." With that, he left the room along with General Jee, who gave me a look of sympathy before exiting the room.

Then, it hit me. I'm going to the Fire Nation. Alone. Surrounded by people who hate my Nation. I laid back down on the bed and began sobbing myself to sleep.

I was woken up by a gentle nudge on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and was greeted by the man called General Jee, who was holding a tray of food. I cringed and started to back away.

" I won't hurt you little one, I promise." His tone was gentle and his face wasn't cold. There was something about him that made me trust him. I sat up and he passed me tray of noodles and broth.

"Eat up, you must be hungry," and with that I took a bite of the food and tried to slow down. The food so rich in flavours and delicious. After a few minutes, I set the empty bowl down with a content stomach.

" What's your name and age, little one?" "Katara and I am 6 years old, General." General Jee was looking at her with guilt, "Katara, what a beautiful name. And please, just call me Jee. Would you like to take a walk around the ship?" I nodded and slipped off the bed. Jee took me around the ship to familiarize it for the next 3 weeks. We passed by some soldiers and they gave me a disgusted look, as if I was a pest. I suddenly felt uncomfortable but Jee laid a gentle hand on my shoulder to reassure me.

Jee led me to the deck of the ship and for the first time since I left the Southern Water Tribe, I saw sunlight. We were surrounded by the vast ocean and I felt the push and pull of the water almost immediately.

"You are allowed to waterbend, Katara, if you wish. " I nod and stood at the edge of the ship. I began breathing in and out, focusing on the water. Push and Pull. Push and Pull. I began to conjure a big orb of water. I twirled it around my head and then froze it, before leading it back to the ocean.

I turned to Jee and his eyes were filled with awe. "Wow, Katara, you are really good for your age! Tell you what, we have some old waterbending scrolls on the ship that you could learn from, since we can't use them. How about we go get them?" " Really? Thank you, Jee," I smiled, and without knowing, grabbed onto his hand. He didn't flinch at my grip, but just smiled down at me. At that moment, Jee became my friend.

For the next 3 weeks, I grew closer to Jee. I rarely saw Admiral Yon Rha but whenever I saw him, he gave me chills down my spine. I tried not to think about my family but when I did, Jee comforted and soothed me, which I was grateful for. The waterbending scrolls were a great help and I learnt a few waterbending techniques, from the "octopus" to "ice ball".

I learnt to ignore the other soldiers and just focused on my waterbending. On some days, I would watch Jee do his firebending training. The ferocity and focus in his firebending got me interested and curious. I felt this strange connection to the fire, as if I could bend it, but I brushed it off, because that was impossible.

"Katara, we're here." I stopped my waterbending and looked towards the oncoming land. The Fire Nation. I closed my eyes and prepare for what was coming for me.

I stood in front of the Palace, eyes wide, where the ever famous Fire Lord and his family resided in. Jee knelt down beside me and said, " Katara, I have to leave you now, Admiral Yon Rha will take you in. Be in your best behavior ok?" I nodded and he patted me head. I wanted to hug him goodbye but Admiral Yon Rha was a few metres away.

Admiral Yon Rha ushered me into the Palace while I gave Jee one last look. The Palace was more grand inside. Red cloths were draped on the walls and there were intricate carvings on the pillars. Before I knew it, I was standing right in front a huge door.

" We are about to face the Fire Lord. Do not speak out unless told and don't look at him straight in the eye," Admiral Yon Rha warned me. The doors opened and we stepped into the room.

I slowly took in the surroundings. On my left, was elderly people while on my right, was a woman, a man, 2 children and an older man. I assumed they were the Royal family from their crowns. Right at the top of the room, was a man sitting on the throne. Surrounding him was fire. The man was the Fire Lord.

I walked past the Royal Family towards the Fire Lord, feeling all eyes on me as I looked down.

"I see the raid was successful Yon Rha. You may leave now." Yon Rha bowed and left the room, while I stood infront of the Fire Lord. I felt so small and powerless. " Now what should we do with you? I could kill you right now in just a second." My knees began to wobble as I fought to stand up.

"Father, instead of killing her, we could keep her and use her against the Water Tribes. She is the last waterbender of her tribe," the older man from the Royal Family voiced out.

"Yes, Father in law. I could take her and raise her along with Zuko and Azula, the Fire Nation way," the woman from the Royal Family said.

The Fire Lord thought for a minute before making his decision, " Very well, Iroh and Ursa. She will be under your care, Ursa. If there's any trouble, you will face the consequences of her actions." With that, the Fire Lord stood up and left. The elderly people left as well as the Royal Family approached me.

"Hello my dear, my name is Ursa. This is Zuko and Azula, my children. My husband Ozai and Uncle Iroh. What is your name?" Ursa asked.

I looked at the family, Ursa and Iroh looked at me with sympathy and Zuko looked at me curiously. Azula and Ozai just looked disgusted at me and left us within seconds. "Katara," I managed to squeak out.

"What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl, Katara. I can see you will get along with my nephew. Zuko, why don't you take Katara to the room next to yours? " Iroh said.

Zuko took hold of my hand and led me to the corridor. I blushed but I didn't know why. "So Katara, how old are you?"

"I'm 6. How about you?"

"I'm 8. You must be tired from your trip. "

I immediately took a liking for Zuko. He hasn't been mean to me and he didn't look at me as if I was a piece of dirt. Also, he was really handsome. His golden eyes were what intrigued me the most. I mentally slapped myself. The Fire Prince wouldn't like a peasant like me.

Soon, we arrived to the room. It was humongous! It was bigger than my igloo home, anyways. I ran up to the bed and began jumping on it, letting giggles of excitement escape from me, while Zuko just grinned at me.

I stopped and sat on the edge of the bed. "My room is next door, so if you need anything, just come see me. There's night clothes in the closet. Have a good sleep, Katara.' The door clicked shut.

I changed into night clothes and laid in the middle of the bed, letting sleep overtake me.

I was back in my snowy fortress. Sokka and I were playing tag while our parents stood nearby, smiling at us. I was filled with happiness. Our lives were back to normal. Then, we were engulfed in flames . My family was disintegrating into the air as I was pulled back into the darkness, yelling for them.

I opened my eyes and found myself in the arms of Prince Zuko. " You were screaming and kicking. It really was a bad dream, wasn't it?" I didn't answer, but cried silently as Zuko held me and murmured soothing words to me.

That night, he and I made a bond, a connection, that couldn't be severed or broken.

So how was it? Please review as it gives me motivation!

Thanks!