Title: Prince Charming, in a Way
Rating: K
Characters/Pairings: Katara/Aang
Summary: Gran Gran told her the stories when she and Sokka were very little…
A/N: Written for 31days, theme "for I offer my worship only to you".
She knows the legend - Gran Gran told her and Sokka when they were both very young, when their mother and father still laughed together and when Sokka's boomerang was just a practice one with a blunt edge.
The Avatar, born of all four nations. The Avatar, the bridge between worlds. The Avatar, the one who stood tall and stood against the evils of the world. Gran Gran's stories were huge and epic and most nights Katara fell asleep feeling like her heart was too big for her chest just from the grandness of it all.
Once the Fire Nation raided and their mother died, Sokka and Katara suddenly grew up, and Gran Gran no longer told them stories about the Avatar. On the occasions when the subject was brought up, the Avatar was no longer a gallant hero but one who had left the world, who had abandoned the people who needed him.
Still, that picture never left Katara's head. Even as she assumed more responsibilities for what remained of her tribe, that thought never diminished, never tarnished. Someday the Avatar would return, and she would be there, and everything would become safe and wonderful again. Sometimes Katara had to blink back passionate tears just at the thought of it, nearly overwhelmed by her own hope at the idea of the tall, handsome, broad shouldered, all powerful Avatar returning and bringing the world back to rights.
So when she meets the boy in the iceberg, who's silly and fun-loving and who needs to be taught how to catch penguins, she has no idea why he reminds her of Gran Gran stories, and she has no idea why, as she drifts off to sleep that night, her heart feels too big for her chest.
Originally posted 08/06/2007