Ash covered the sky.

They never stood a chance.

"No! My baby!"

"Guard the children!"

"More ships are coming in! Fall back! Hold your ground!"

The small collection of huts was burning in the chaos. Women screamed as they tried to drag their children to safety from the soldiers, some unable to avoid the flames.

Men fought as hard as they could, but there were no longer benders in the Southern Water Tribe. They could only do so much when facing the Fire Nation soldiers flooding their shores.

"Katara!" An elderly woman grabbed a small girl by her arms, tears flooding her eyes. "Katara, child. Where is your brother? He needs to get inside!"

Katara, only a four-year-old little girl and terrified of the chaos around her, was already crying, her grandmother's frantic voice only adding to her panic. She didn't know where Sokka was. She didn't understand what was even happening. She just needed everything to stop.

"Oh, child." Kanna gasped as a Fire Nation soldier was thrown close by. Scrambling to her feet, she grabbed Katara by her hand and dragged her away. "We must find your brother and get you both to your mother. It's too dangerous out here!" She looked around their small village in despair, desperately searching for her small grandson. "Oh, where can he be?"

She spotted her son, the chief, fighting valiantly against a firebender, keeping his body close to the soldier to keep the man's limbs knocked out of the way and preventing flames from being thrown at him. However, there was no small, troublesome boy near him. Only bodies littering the ground.

Kanna would continue her search on the battlefield but it would be of no use. The child in question was indeed in trouble. And there was no way out for him.

Sokka had rushed out at the sound of the horns. He had never witnessed a fight before but he was old enough to understand the concept. Even at ten years old, he knew about the war. He understood what it meant when a crew of men came back on their ships with defeated looks and carrying boards covered in sheets, wives and children rushing to them, crying in despair.

Only a year ago he had snuck his way into the hut hosting a war meeting being led by his father, Hakoda. He knew he shouldn't have been there and that his father would be angry but he always let his curiosity get the better of him. The things he heard were never meant for such small ears and his parents would be concerned for weeks afterward when they would have to rush to his bed after hearing his screams from the nightmares.

He knew of war. That didn't mean he was ready to face it.

Sokka let out small battle cries as he hefted his boomerang above his head, running determinedly at the legs of soldiers. The boy would put all his strength into hacking away at the armor but was only ever kicked aside.

This caused him to turn to snowballs.

"Beat it, Ash-makers!" he cried while launching his ammo at soldiers attacking the tribesmen.

When he ran out he sprinted over to the next mound of snow to try and make more. However, in the corner of his eye, he managed to see a soldier shove his way into his family's hut. Immediately dropping the snowball he was making, he realized that his mother had stayed in the home, his father pleading with her to stay inside. To stay safe.

Rushing over, he pulled out his boomerang once more and didn't stop to think twice before entering. Once inside, he heard cries followed by the sound of clattering dishes. He continued forward to see a tall man bending over his mother, his fingers wrapped in her hair and tears streaking down her face as he forced her to look up at him.

"I will not ask you again, woman." His hand seemed to tighten in her hair as he jerked her face up. "Where is the waterbender!"

Kya sobbed as she reached up to scratch at his armor. She was no match for this man. There was no way for her to call for her husband due to the chaos outside. She had no idea how she could possibly get out of this, not without revealing the truth about her own daughter.

However, she in no way expected to see her small son turn the corner, a fierce look on his face and boomerang in hand. She gasped, the sound causing the soldier to turn. Another sob tore from her. "Sokka! Sokka, my boy. You need to leave! Please! Leave and get – " She screamed as the man jerked her head back and slammed her against the wall of the hut.

"Quiet, woman!" An evil smile crept onto his features as he now set his sights on the small boy in the doorway who flinched at the sight of his mother being thrown aside. He didn't let it stop him, though, as his grip tightened on his weapon and he held the man's stare. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He chuckled lightly as he stepped closer to the boy. "You're awful brave for being so small, son. What? Trying to play hero?"

"Leave my mother alone." It took everything in Sokka to try and keep his voice from shaking. He was terrified but he knew better than to let this bully know that.

The soldier laughed this time, deep and loud. "Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it, kid?" He smiled and suddenly his hand erupted into bright red flames. This caused Sokka to startle backward, the flames far too close for comfort.

"I'm –" he swallowed hard as his gaze was transfixed on the flames before him. "I'm not afraid of you! You're nothing but a big bully!"

"No!" The sight of the man's fire so close to her child was too much for Kya. Flinging herself towards the man she grabbed the upper part of his arm to not get burned and pulled him back to face her. The man snarled at the contact and swiped at her but she fell back and out of his reach before he could land a hit.

Looking up at the cruel face before her she held his gaze as she pleaded. "Leave him alone. Please! He's just a boy!" She bowed her head in defeat, a sudden realization flooding her mind. She had no choice. "I'll tell you what you want to know. I'll tell you who the waterbender is."

His interest peaked, the man sneered at her, his flames dying down only slightly as he readied himself for her words. "It's about time. Speak."

Kya allowed one last tear to fall down her cheek as she looked back up into his eyes. "It's me." Barely a whisper but it seemed to echo throughout the room. Sokka stepped forward as he heard her words. He couldn't understand what was happening, now. Why his mother was lying to this man. What he was going to do to her. "I am the last waterbender."

The soldier smiled down at her, a wicked glint in his eye. "Ah, so you've just been a coward this whole time, huh? Trying to save your own hide." The fire in his hand lit anew leaving Kya to stare at him with fear and knowing. "Well, I'm afraid I have orders."

These words seemed to spark a knowing in Sokka as he saw the fire burn brighter. "No!" He leaped towards the man, his boomerang swinging. The soldier was not expecting the attack which allowed Sokka a single kick to his groin causing him to yell out before he was able to regain awareness and give the boy a hard kick to the chest causing him to fly into the wall across the room.

Sokka groaned as he sat up, his gaze slightly blurry as he looked back up to the man. "Get out of here, kid. For your own good." His voice was emotionless as he turned back to Kya who only looked at Sokka with such heavy despair.

"Go on, Sokka." Her voice was shaky with tears. "Go on, baby. I'll be okay."

His own tears were falling now at the pain in his back, at the sound of her voice. He nodded weakly before scrambling to his feet and turning the corner into the hallway.

But then his mother screamed. He always was too curious for his own good.

She was lying on her side now. Her eyes were closed and the room smelt of burnt flesh.

And her murderer stood above her, his hand still smoking from the blow.

"I told you to get out of here, kid."

Sokka screamed at his words and rushed towards him, his boomerang winging much more violently than before. He was no longer thinking like the warrior he always wanted to be. Now he was just a boy who lost his mother.

The soldier barely reacted to the attacks, merely flinching when the boy hit hard enough to leave a bruise. Sokka continued to scream, sobs coming out in between blows, the fight and adrenaline rushing out of his body.

When he finally realized the boy was almost done, the man bent down and grabbed him by his hands. Sokka struggled in his grasp but he knew there was nothing he could do.

"You got quite a bit of fight in you, boy." Sokka cried out at his words and tugged harder at his hands. "The Fire Nation could use more kids like you." He paused as if in thought before grinning down at him. "I think I could find a good use for you after all."

The next thing Sokka knew he was being dragged out of the hut and away from his dead mother. He cried out at the sight of all of his fighting tribesmen but most were far too busy fighting to notice the cries of a small boy. The few who did rush towards him and his captor only to be fought off by surrounding soldiers who fell into step behind them.

Once the soldier reached the bridge to the ship he turned back to look towards the fighting in the village, his grip never loosening on Sokka's arm. "The mission is complete! Fall back!" He shouted over the chaos.

Immediately, Fire Nation soldiers started rushing toward their respective ships leaving the tribe in confusion. That is until they caught sight of one of their own in the soldier's clutch.

"No! Sokka!"

Sokka cried out at the sight of his father shoving his way through the crowd, pain and disbelief flooding his face.

"Let my boy go! He's just a child! Let him go!"

The man only grinned. "I'm afraid he's Fire Nation property now."

Then Sokka was dragged into the darkness of the ship, never to see his family again.

oOo

His time on the ship blurred together. He had no way of knowing what time of day it was in his tiny, windowless, closet of a room the soldier threw him into.

All he could remember was the hunger, the tears, and the nightmares.

"Mom!"

So many sleepless nights. Scared to death that any time he closed his eyes would be his last.

Sokka had no idea how much time had passed when his captor finally threw open his door. His slumped head shot up at the noise, his half-lidded eyes now forced to close from the now unfamiliar light shining from behind the man.

"It's time to wake up, boy." The soldier came closer, grabbing hold of Sokka's thin arm. "You've finally made it to your new home, savage."

The boy whimpered as the man harshly lifted him to his feet.

Sokka's arm stayed in the man's grasp as he was drug through the hallways of the ship, occasionally soldiers passing by and staring at him, most with humor and some with pity.

"You know, boy." The man chuckled as he stared ahead while addressing him. "You might just get lucky."

Sokka was shocked at his statement. Lucky? How could he ever have luck on his side after being ripped away from his family? After having to see his mother's lifeless body lying on the floor of his home? His small body burned with anger. No. There was no such thing as luck. Not for him.

Through parched lips, the boy managed a whispered "What?" in response to the man's strange statement.

The man finally looked down at him, an evil smirk spreading across his rough face.

"There's a rumor that the Fire Lord is looking for child servants. I plan on presenting you to him and his family." He shrugged carelessly. "Who knows? Maybe you'll be chosen to work there. That would be quite the upgrade for a savage like you, wouldn't it? To go from small huts of ice to a castle?" He chuckled again as they finally appeared on deck, the bright midday sun completely blinding Sokka, causing him to hiss and struggle against the man's grasp uselessly in an attempt to cover his eyes. "If you think of it that way, boy, well," he grinned down at him. "I guess you could call me your hero!"

Sokka couldn't fight the pressure building behind his eyes but managed to muffle the sob trying to escape his lips. So, with tears in his eyes and a deep pain in his heart, he hung his head in defeat as he was led off of the ship.

oOo

"Mom! Tell Azula to leave my stuff alone!"

Lady Ursa sighed in exasperation towards her daughter. The young girl had once again taken her son's dagger gifted to him by his uncle. She silently berated an imaginary Iroh in her mind for being the one to instigate this rivalry between her children.

While the siblings beside her squabbled, she turned towards her husband on her opposite side. As stoic as always, the brooding man kept his eyes forward, solely focused on the doors and ignoring his children fighting beside him, more than happy to leave Ursa to care for them. She scowled at the thought.

"Dear, are you sure about this?" She kept her voice steady while addressing him, knowing he had been in a mood since his meeting with his father days earlier. "I think it is a great idea to find someone to care for the children, but I doubt your father would agree and I'm just not sure how he would react if we –"

The Prince's hands gripped his throne at her remark. "It does not matter what my father agrees or disagrees with, Ursa. This decision regards our children, not his." He finally looked her way, if only briefly, before nodding his head to the young prince and princess still fighting beside her, Azula now pressed up against Zuko's back, her small hands reaching out in front of her to try and grasp the dagger from his outreached fingers, both yelling into each other's ears. "Make them presentable before they arrive."

Ursa harrumphed at the suggestion. "Fine. But, just remember that their opinions matter in this, too. The final decision will have to be approved by them. You agreed."

He scowled and hesitated before giving her a sharp nod and turning back to the doors. "You have my word."

"Children, quiet now." At her commanding tone, the siblings at least managed to pause their roughhousing, Zuko sporting a look of pure innocence while Azula openly glared at him. The mother turned her focus solely on her daughter. "It was gifted to your brother, Azula. Not you. You cannot take what is not yours, child. Now leave him alone and take your seat."

The princess turned her glare to her mother, her hands turning to fists beside her. "But it's not fair! He gets a dagger but I'm stuck with a stupid doll? I should have gotten something just as cool!"

Ursa glared right back at the stubborn girl. This was the same argument they had to sit through nearly every day. "Enough, Azula. Life isn't fair. Now leave your brother alone and sit down."

The girl shouted angrily before finally returning to her seat and slumping down to glare at the door. Ursa lightly groaned as this action caused her son to turn to his sister, his tongue stuck out and his dagger clutched close to his chest.

The two of them were exasperating and Ozai never was any help with dissolving their arguments as he opted for the complete opposite and instead, pitted them against one another. One of the many reasons Ursa was led to suggest to him that the children may do well with someone else around. She was not too sure what exactly she was looking for, to be honest. She could only think of her dear son, always isolated from others his age while his sister was much better equipped to do whatever she could to get what she wanted. She had wished for a hired caretaker but Ozai insisted the Fire Lord would fight against any demands they made for hired help. So, much to her dismay, they had turned to inspecting newly captured prisoners of war in the hope of finding someone who would be a good fit for the family.

After many of these meetings, she had, unfortunately, become well-adjusted to the dirty and worn faces of enslaved women brought in to bow before her. However, she was not prepared for the small, tear-stained face of a young boy bound in cuffs being dragged behind the line of new slaves, three young and ragged women.

Ursa was unable to hold back her small gasp at the sight of the boy, her hand quickly coming up to cover her mouth before an intense anger erupted within her. The boy had deep-brown skin with piercing blue eyes, and with blue winter clothes engulfing his small frame, it was quite clear he was from the Water Tribes. Add to the fact that she was fully aware Azulon had sent a small fleet South in search of waterbenders, his story was quite clear.

Quickly turning to look at her husband, Ursa was dismayed but not surprised, to see a blank stare at the poor people before him, not even giving the child a second glance. An angry scowl made its way onto her face as she decided to take the matter into her own hands.

"What is the meaning of this?" Her focus now rested fully on the Master of the group standing at the front, his hand grasped tightly onto the rope linking the slaves together. The squat, older man seemed confused at her questioning, an eyebrow raised and hesitant to speak. She could see his eyes quickly flicker to her husband who she noticed was now looking at her, still void of emotion.

The man cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, My Lady. I am afraid I am unsure of what you are addressing in your question?" His eyes continuously flicker to Ozai beside her, obviously worried about saying something wrong, though, to Ursa, he was already in deep water just for daring to enslave a child.

Ursa took a deep breath, infuriated at the audacity of the man before her. "What is the meaning of bringing a young boy here, today? And in cuffs no less! What? Scared such a small little thing is going to hurt you?"

Taken aback, the man let his jaw drop slightly at her question. It took him a second to regain his thoughts as he huffed in indignance. He straightened and raised an eyebrow at her. "I am sorry that you are concerned for the boy, My Lady, but he is nothing but a savage!" He closed his eyes and shook his vehemently as he continued. "From experience, savages are not to be trusted! They're tricky things, and fight with demons inside! Believe me, My Lady, if you heard the tale his captor had of him and his village you would find no issue with these circumstances!"

She highly doubted his tale, fully aware of the stories that followed the Tribes within the Nation. "If this is the case, sir, why bring him here to the palace? Where you are fully aware we are looking for caretakers for our children?"

He puffed out his chest indignantly. "Well, he is just a child. Very malleable minds at such an age, you know? His captor, a soldier, actually suggested it to me. With the young Prince and Princess being around the same age, maybe he would be of some help as their servant?" He shook his head slightly as if in disagreement. "Of course, this was his own suggestion, not mine. I knew such an idea would be a stretch but for him, I was willing to at least bring the boy along."

Ursa grounded her teeth at the statement, her husband still simply observing the conversation, as stoic as ever. "Of course. Only reasonable."

Sokka flinched at the conversation the adults were having. His new 'Master' had already made it quite clear that the boy was nothing but dirt under his shoe, however, even with the harsh words addressed to the man, he was unsure of how he felt about the regal woman sitting on the throne. Her argument seemed to come off as kind, at least, kinder than every other person he had come to meet in this Nation. But, seeing her on that throne with her stiff posture and beautiful dress, Sokka could not help but believe that something was off with her.

However, the small girl beside her was even more of a mystery. Her amber eyes locked with his, a curious look etched on her face. The boy beside her, whom he assumed to be her brother, was also staring at him, though it was quite clear by his raised eyebrow and deep frown he only saw Sokka as a curiosity, most likely never before seeing someone from the Tribes.

Sokka was quite startled when he went to turn his gaze back to the girl only to see her not in her seat but, instead, right in front of him, face to face, eyebrows furrowed and examining him as if he was an unknown specimen. Somehow, he was able to hold back his yelp of surprise. His 'Master' had made it quite clear that he was not to make a sound before entering the palace. Nevertheless, he could not stop himself from jolting back from the girl, unsure of what she was planning.

But then, she spoke.

"What is your name?"

The adults immediately halted their conversation at the unexpected words, neither of them even noticing the girl getting up to approach the slave, and turned to look at the two children.

"Azula!" Ozai's sharp voice cut through the throne room as he narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "Back to your seat. Now!"

It was very rare for the Princess to act out against her father but today she seemed to be in a rebellious mood. Ursa was at a loss for words as she watched Azula stand before the boy, disregarding her father's rising annoyance with every second that passed.

Azula huffed as the boy simply stared back at her with no response. She placed her hands on her hips and shoved her face closer to his, annoyed at being ignored. "Are you mute or something? I asked you a question!"

"Azula!" Ursa finally found her voice, guilt filling her at her daughter's rude questioning. The poor boy had gone through enough without her daughter treating him so harshly.

She wasn't expecting the boy to actually answer.

"Sokka … My name is Sokka."

The words were spoken so softly that Ursa was almost unaware he had even spoken. Before she knew it, Zuko had raced down to shove his sister out of the way, an indignant yelp spilling out of her as she struggled to regain her balance from his push, pressing himself close to the boy.

"You look weird. Does everyone look like you where you're from?"

"Zuko!" The mother reprimanded quickly. Sokka was unsure what exactly was happening, these two strange kids questioning him. However, he was very quick to notice over the boy's shoulder that the man sitting on the throne was staring him down, their eyes locking and causing Sokka to swallow hard nervously.

"Children." The man's eyes never left his as he spoke to the kids, the little girl now trying to shove her brother away and take over the spot in front of him again. His voice managed to get their attention, and both turned to him. "Back to your seats. That is an order."

The boy instantly pouted, his hands fisted beside him and a pout on his lips. "But you told Mother we would be able to choose!"

The man finally looked away from Sokka, much to his relief, and trained his gaze on the boy. "Yes. You would get to choose a caretaker. Not another child."

"Dear, hold on." Ursa raised her hand slightly towards his hand on the armrest of his throne. "Maybe this man," she quickly shot another glare at the slave master who only continued to be bewildered by her with his mouth slightly parted and brows furrowed, "has a point about the boy."

"Ursa," Ozai slightly raised an eyebrow towards his wife, clearly annoyed over the predicament. "You said you wanted a caretaker to look after the children. What possible use would we have for a savage child?"

Ursa ignored his jab at the boy and continued. "I stated I wanted someone who could keep them entertained, too. As royalty, it is hard for them to get proper socialization. Why couldn't this boy serve them while also getting them used to others their age?"

It was clear Ozai was still unconvinced. "You did say they could choose, dear." She turned to the children still standing in front of the boy, Sokka. "How do you two feel about him?"

The siblings gave each other a quick glance. Azula quickly opened her mouth to respond to her mother but Zuko was faster. "I want him!" He stomped his foot and grabbed Sokka's arm who gave a small shout at the unwanted touch. "If I get to choose then I choose him! I want him to be my servant!"

Azula harrumphed beside him as she folded her arms against her chest. "Jerk." She mumbled, glaring at her brother intensely.

"Well?" Ursa turned fully towards her husband. "We can at least give him a try, couldn't we? If things don't work out we'll get rid of him. Simple as that." She winced at the words but knew it was the only way to get him to agree to take the boy in.

Ozai said nothing in response to her. Instead, he rose from his throne. Surprised, Ursa was quick to rise behind him as they walked down to stand by their children. She could see the fear on Sokka's face as Ozai kept his eyes trained on him. She tried her best to catch his eyes to give him some comfort but the fear prevailed as Ozai took control of the situation.

Sokka swallowed hard as he stared up at the very scary man towering over him. The fear this man was causing him on top of the boy yanking on his arm was a bit too much for him to handle.

"Boy." Sokka completely froze at being addressed. "If you make one wrong move while in employment here, there will be consequences." Ozai paused to let his words sink in, the fear only growing inside of the boy. "Do you understand me, savage?"

Sokka was so scared he could barely register the question. The man repeated himself. "Do you understand, savage?" His voice became deeper, annoyance creeping into his voice. "Yes or no. Answer me."

The boy jolted at the words and quickly nodded his head. Ozai gave a single nod back before turning back to the near-forgotten slave owner still standing awkwardly by the three completely ignored women still bowing their heads.

"We'll take the boy."

The man cleared his throat and stood up straighter at Ozai's statement, nodding his head. "Yes, of course. Now about price …"

Ozai left to join the man in discussion leaving Ursa and the children surrounding Sokka. Finally, away from watchful eyes, Ursa crouched down to speak with the boy.

"Sokka, was it?" A nod in response.

"Tell me, Sokka. How old are you?"

The boy hesitated at her question before replying. "I'm ten and a half."

"Oh." She smiled kindly at him. "The half makes a big difference doesn't it?"

He gave a nervous smile and a slight nod. "Yeah, it does." He whispered.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Sokka." She pressed a hand against her chest. "My name is Ursa." She waved her hand at the siblings, both carefully watching the both of them. "These are my children, Zuko, who's eleven, and Azula, who's almost ten herself." She reached to gently grasp his small hand, noticing his small flinch at the contact. "Welcome to the Fire Nation, Sokka. We'll take care of you. There is no reason to be afraid anymore."

At her kind words and gentle smile, Sokka couldn't help but believe her.

oOo

After a trip to the bathing chamber and a set of new clothes, unfortunately, with fire nation designs, Sokka was sure he was the cleanest he had ever been.

His dire situation was looking up, even if he was still aware of how dangerous it was for him to be stuck in the palace of the enemy. But at least he was given a moment of peace.

He just wished the 'peace' didn't include the Prince and Princess having full access to his room and the Prince insistently asking him questions.

"What are your houses like in the Tribes?"

"Do your people hold annual sacrifices to your spirits like the stories?"

"Do you actually have to hunt for your food?"

"What is snow like?"

At first, Sokka tried to answer Zuko's questions but quickly realized the boy actually didn't care about the answers. His sister, however, simply stayed put on the small bed and watched him. It was as if she was observing every move he made and took notes on everything he did and said.

She was weird. And a lot less annoying than Katara.

A sharp pang in his chest.

He hadn't thought of Katara in a while. His Gran Gran. His dad. His mom.

He cringed inwardly and shut his eyes tightly. His moment of peace was ruined. He missed them.

"Hey, Zuzu!"

Sokka opened his eyes to see Azula had grabbed her brother's attention, finally stopping his tirade of questions.

"Did you forget that Uncle wanted to play Pai Sho with you today? He's probably waiting on you right now."

Zuko paused and seemed to think for a second before screwing up nose at her. "Liar! He never said that!"

Azula played with the hem of her shirt, pure innocence radiating off of her. "Sure he did! He asked you last night after dinner. You were just too busy shoving that mochi you stole down your fat face to notice!"

"Hey!" Zuko was flustered by his sister's name-calling but gave the statement more thought. He did remember running into Uncle last night …

"Fine!" The boy huffed and lifted his chin. "Maybe I did forget! But that doesn't mean you have to be so mean about it!" He turned back to Sokka, standing awkwardly in the middle of the small room, still unsure how to act around the royal children. "As my servant, Sokka," he glared pointedly at his sister who simply stuck out her tongue in response. "I expect to see you bright and early in the morning! You better be on your best behavior!"

His absence left the two children in silence for only a moment before Azula finally succumbed to a fit of giggles. Sokka watched her warily, unsure of what was going on.

After calming down, the girl leaned in conspiratorially towards him, a hand coming up beside her mouth for effect. "Zuzu didn't actually have to meet Uncle. He's just so easy to mess with!"

She let out a small laugh again before turning her full attention back to Sokka.

"You looked pretty annoyed by him, too." She gave a big grin. "Don't worry! He's always like that! He's the most annoying person I know!"

This actually caused Sokka to give a small laugh. It sounded like something he or Katara would say …

"Oh! Let me talk about me, though! I've barely been able to talk to you since we got you!" She lifted her gaze to the ceiling in thought and raised her hands to count things off. "So I'm a Princess, right? I'm also a fire-bending prodigy! Look!" Without warning, a flicker of blue flame appeared in the palm of her hand.

Sokka yelled out and found his butt on the ground, his arms reaching out behind him trying to get away. It was the first time he had seen someone bend since he was brought to the ship. All he could think about was …

"Oh no! I'm sorry!" He jerked back as Azula suddenly jumped from the bed to crouch in front of him, stopping herself short of touching him. "I'm really sorry. I guess I should've warned you. Mother always tells me not to just throw it around …"

Sokka tried to control his breathing. He had no reason to fear this girl. She had not made any threats against him. She was even apologizing. But she was still an ash-maker. He stayed silent.

She hesitated. "You should know that I chose you first, not Zuko. And mother and father said you were to serve both of us so don't worry about being stuck with Zuzu all the time. I'll make sure to rescue you!" She giggled again before standing up. "I guess I'll leave you alone now, but I'll see you tomorrow! There's so much to get used to around here but don't worry, you can take your time!"

She gave him a smile on her way to the door and Sokka couldn't help but give a small one back.

He may just be ok.

oOo

A/N: Hey guys! So this is my first absolutely serious attempt at a fic so I will just go on and say that if there are any discrepancies or grammatical errors I'm sorry! I've read through this like five times but the words seem to blur together after so long haha.

Anyways. About the plans for this story:

I have full intentions of making this a 2-part series. This fic is going to be more of a 'prologue' fic to the second book and will have the main focus being on Sokka's time in the Caldera and bonding with the Fire Siblings.

Also, as noted in the chapter, the kids are around 10 years old. This is completely accurate to canon as I have read through all of the character pages on A:TLA Wiki. However, that also means I have to write the characters as if they are that age and that can be kind of hard sometimes seeing as I am not 10 years old and I can't remember exactly how I behaved 11 years ago. So, if they are acting a little off, I am sorry. Most of my characterization is going to be based on my cousin about that age so I am at least trying.

I also want to note that there will be graphic depictions of violence and angst (which you have been thrown into right out of the gate with this first chapter haha) though I promise to give you plenty of fluff and laughter along the way.

And just one more thing! Before people get upset about my characterization of Zuko as a whiny, spoiled prince, this is canon! He IS a whiny, spoiled prince! But then he grows up and has his incredible redemption arc we all know and love and I definitely plan on showing that. I love Zuko and I just want you guys to know that I have no plans of doing him or any of the characters dirty.

I love you guys and seriously appreciate all of y'all taking the time to read my little story!

Don't be afraid to leave reviews! I'd love to hear from you guys!