Full Summery:

This is a look at what would've happened had things happened differently. The Avatar is born at the same time as his friends, and the war has only been going on for about a decade. A water tribe girl and a fire nation prince both lose their mothers had a young age. And because of their deaths were what drew them together. The girl grew up to be a dancer, the boy to be a warrior. When these two eventually meet, their lives and those around them will forever be changed. And the fate of the world may rest upon the romance they will share.

Prologue, Part 1; The Four Nations

Water

“Katara! Katara dear!”

The young girl looked up from where she sat in the snow. As far as the eye could see, everything in the immediate world seemed to be a glistening white. From the glaciers in the distance, to the snow banks around them, the land was coated with a thick blanket of frosty white snow. There were numerous small forms running about, the spot a favorite for children. But although there were numerous children playing, one sat apart from the rest.

The girl stood out from where she sat, her blue clothing in stark contrast to their bleached surroundings. Her large overcoat was padded for warmth, although around the tiny girl it looked as if it might swallow her up at any moment. Her warm brown skin contrasted with the cloth and fur surrounding her face, a long braid of hair coming out from her hood. In her hands she held a needle and thread, although her hands wore mittens. Curious blue eyes stood out as she watched two figures approach.

“Gran-Gran?”

The older woman only showed slight signs of her age, her hair almost completely white. The skin around her face was a bit wrinkled, but in her warm blue eyes was where her true beauty laid hidden. Like her granddaughter, her hair was braided, with a small loop of hair coming around both of her ears.

As she came over, she smiled at the girl who stood up from her makeshift chair and went over to hug the older woman. The girl didn’t jump up like she used to, her grandmother noted. No, her granddaughter hardly ever showed signs of her young age anymore.

Once she released her from the hug, her grandmother pulled her around to face the other woman. “Katara honey, this is an old friend of your grandmother’s,” she said, her voice raspy but tone soft. “Her name is Luli. Show her some respect.”

With her hands clasped together, she bowed deeply bust still managed to wobble a little. But once she stood up straight again she looked to the other woman more carefully, her large blue eyes curious.

She was her grandmother’s age, probably a little older. She held herself tall and upright, her shoulders straight. Although her hair was completely white, she wore it up in an elegant bun with delicate combs with flowers on them. She wore a heavy overcoat like the rest of them, but her clothes were green. Her long skirts flowed down to the ground and trailed out behind her. It looked almost as if she was floating rather than standing there.

The woman smiled at the small girl, her face only wrinkled around her eyes for that brief moment. Her face was painted, green eyes sparkling brightly. The entire time she remained calm and poised, even though smiling. She was truly very lovely, but there was something about her that was mysterious. The girl didn’t know why, but she liked this woman.

She took out a bare hand from a small lump of fur she was carrying in her arms, gently placing it on the girl’s head. “Do you like running around, Katara?” she asked, her voice soothing and as calm as her face. “Playing with your friends?”

She nodded slowly in reply. “Yes, but not right now.”

This time the woman’s smile was sad. “I can see.” But then her expression became happy again as she looked up. “My, what a charming young girl, Kanna,” she said, looking up to her friend. “As I expected, seeing her lineage. Kya must have been very lovely.”

At the mention of the name, the girl’s expression dimmed as she looked to the ground. Her grandmother held her closer for a moment as she looked to her friend. “As you can see, our loss has affected many.”

The woman nodded, her expression softening as she looked back to the girl. She looked to the item the girl wore around her neck. The choker was simple, but the pattern on the pendant was whimsical and lovely.

Slowly, the woman bent down to the girl’s level and pulled down the fur around her neck. She smiled. “You and I have familiar histories, Katara,” she said with a much lower, serious tone.

The necklace around her own neck was green and held another design, but the significance was the same. The little girl stared in awe as it once again disappeared behind the woman’s clothes.

Again, the woman smiled at her. “She is very pretty,” she said to her, but then she looked up to the other woman. “Only a blossoming flower, but she could be so beautiful.”

The grandmother nodded with a sigh. “Yet I fear in this bitter cold she could whither.”

“And that is why you have asked me to replant her elsewhere, yes?” her friend asked.

The girl looked from one woman to the other with a wrinkled brow, not understanding what they were talking about. If she was the flower, what did replanting her mean?

The foreign woman stood up once again, looking as majestic as ever. When the girl looked to her again, she tilted her head to the side. “My dear, have you ever left the south pole?”

This time her reply was a shake of the head. “No.”

“Katara,” her grandmother then said. “Luli here owns a school in the Earth Kingdom. She teaches girls to dance. I’ve asked if she maybe would let you become her student.”

Eyes widening, Katara blinked with wonder to the older woman. “A school?” she asked curiously. “In the Earth Kingdom?”

The other woman nodded in agreement. “And now that I’ve met you, I would very much appreciate it if you came and joined my other students. It has been quite some time since we’ve had a new Water Tribe member.”

“Go to the Earth Kingdom?” the girl echoed again. “But isn’t that far away?”

“Yes,” the foreign woman said with a curt nod. “It is in Ba Sing Se, the capitol. That is where the Earth King lives.”

“Like your daddy, he’s their chief,” her grandmother continued. “It’s a very big city. I was once there myself. That is where I met Luli. Would you like to go with Luli?”

For a moment the girl just stood there and looked between the two women again. She’d always wanted to go and see the Earth Kingdom. And to a dancing school? Where she could spend all day twirling and running about? How could she refuse?

But then she looked to her grandmother again. She was smiling, but in her eyes she saw sadness, something she hadn’t seen in a long time. What did it mean if she went with this woman? Why did her grandmother want her to go? She still had to be here for her brother and father. Why did it feel like there was something her grandmother wasn’t telling her?

“You’ll have lots of fun and meet lots of new people,” her grandmother continued, rubbing her hand over the girl’s head. “And you’d have lots of friends and go to parties every night.”

The girl only stared at her grandmother with a wrinkled brow. “But if it’s so great, Gran-Gran, why are you so sad?” she asked.

She didn’t answer her. Instead, her answer came from the other woman. “You will be with me for many years, Katara,” the Earth Kingdom woman said. “Probably until you are sixteen or seventeen at least.”

The little girl’s eyes widened, her face contorting with sadness. “But, Gran-Gran,” she exclaimed, turning to her grandmother. She embraced her tightly. “But that’s so long,” she muffled into her coat. “I can’t leave you here.”

Her grandmother rubbed her back and head, feeling the girl shake with sobs. “Yes, it is a long time,” she replied. This time her voice went down an octave. “But I will be just fine right here. Your father, brother and I can manage. But this is something you can’t pass up, Katara.” The girl looked up with a sniffle. “You won’t be given this opportunity again.” As she wiped her tears from her face, she held her chin in her hands. “I have not seen you smile for a very long time, Katara, and I think this place is affecting it. I think that maybe if you leave then one day you may smile once again.”

Although she was crying, through her tears a small and unsteady smile came upon her face. “I’m smiling Gran-Gran,” she muttered. “I’m smiling.”

Her grandmother held her to her, rubbing her back. On her face was a matching wavering smile. “As am I, Katara,” a single tear came down her face, “as am I.”

The foreign woman stood with a straight face, staring her old friend in the eye. “She will be in good hands, that I promise.”

“Zuko? Zuko, are you in here?”

The door was opened as it slowly crept along in the frame. As it did, light seeped into the darkness of the room behind it, steadily growing larger as the gap did. A small shadow blocked the light for a moment, standing in the opening. Although only her back was illuminated, the form of a small girl could be made out.

Her dark hair was pulled up into a high bun with a gold headpiece in the band that held it up; it looked a little bit like a flame. She wore a red dress that came up to her ankles, revealing a pair of pants underneath; the outfit was complete a wide golden sash around her waist. Her golden eyes carefully scanned the room until she found what she was looking for.

The room was simple enough, the bed to the one side and dresser to the other. It seemed empty, but on the floor, peaking out from behind the bed was a piece red cloth.

She took a step into the room when suddenly a noise made her head whip around to the hallway behind her. The thundering of feet was soft, but it was firmly getting louder. The girl quickly went inside and shut the door behind her as quietly as she’d opened it. As she held the door closed, she leaned her ear against it softly.

“Princess Azula!” came a cry from beyond the shoji screens. It was then that several shadows appeared in front of the door. “Prince Zuko! Your majesties, where are you?”

“They couldn’t have gone far,” muttered another voice. “They’re still small and the prince is still gravely injured.”

At this, the little girl’s eyes widened, but she stayed where she was.

One shadow’s arm lifted up to point. “Check that room there and I’ll check this one,” the first voice continued. “The princess came this way. We have to find them before the prince’s life becomes in danger.”

She held back a small gasp as she looked around frantically. Just as she ran away from the door, it opened quickly with a snap. The masked guard gave the room a once over, finding the place empty. He closed it again as quickly as he’d opened it, his shadow retreating from view. “They’re not in there.”

The door to the closet opened only slightly, before the girl peaked her head out. The shadows outside were moving once again. She watched them carefully as they disappeared, their footsteps growing softer. When they were finally gone, she still didn’t move. She waited a moment, the entire time her eyes on the door. After a few more moments of silence she came out of the closet the entire way, not bothering to close it behind her.

There wasn’t a second more she waited before she ran over to the other side of the bed. It was there she picked up the cloth she had seen before and was about to proceed forward, when she stopped and looked down. Her hand was sticky. She looked to the cloth in her hands and found it to be spotted with little wisps of white all over. She rubbed it between her fingers and the red came off, sticky just like before. Her eyes widened when she realized something; the cloth was supposed to be white.

She looked up when she heard a stifled gasp from the corner. There was a form hunched over in the small space between the wall and the bed. It looked as though it was shivering from where the girl stood. The small boy was holding something to his face, but at the same time trying to curl up in the tightest ball possible.

The girl glanced up from the cloth to look at him, a frown on her face. “Zuko?” she asked, voice gravely quiet. “Brother?”

The form gave a sob before the boy sat up, but he didn’t turn to her. She knelt down as she came closer, inching her way over on her knees. Her brother’s tunic was jumbled and torn on one sleeve. He wasn’t even wearing shoes, and his hair was falling out of its ponytail. Other than that he seemed fine, but he was trembling uncontrollably. Both of his hands held a larger cloth up to his face, pressing down harshly.

Even as she got closer, her brother’s shakes didn’t cease. The smaller cloth was dropped and forgotten as she finally came up next to him and touched his shoulder. “Zuko, what happened?” she asked, her brow wrinkled with concern and curiosity at the same time.

For a moment they just sat there. Her brother didn’t respond, only held his face as his throat trembled with tears. She watched him fight with himself as he finally swallowed hard and answered her.

“Azula,” he muttered, voice muffled behind the cloth. He tried to sound strong, but his voice was cracked and squeaked. “Azula, Mother’s dead.”

The girl dropped her brother’s shoulder, pulling away with wide eyes. “What?” she asked breathlessly.

Her brother shook his head furiously. “She and Father were fighting and I heard her scream,” he replied meekly. “I went in and she was there on the floor!”

Shaking her head, the girl still looked surprised and horrified as she grabbed her brother’s sleeve. “Then she was asleep,” she determined, her voice almost desperate. “She must have been asleep!”

Again, he shook his head. “No, Azula,” he answered. “No.”

Her grip tightened on his sleeve. “Why not? Mother can’t be dead, she can’t!”

It was then for the first time her brother took his hands from his face, lowering the cloth. She saw the large stain of blood, and her eyes widened even more – if at all possible. “Because,” he said, this time his voice was strangely steady. “I shook her and she wouldn’t move. And.....” Slowly, the boy turned his head to face her. “Her eyes were open.”

The girl gasped at the sight before her, covering her mouth with both hands. There, around her brother’s left eye, was a large gaping wound. The wound was a circle around his eye and all along the side of his face. It was red, oozing with blood that was only then beginning to scab over. His eye wasn’t even open, too hurt to do so. Some of his hair had been singed away and even his ear was damaged. He didn’t even look like the brother she remembered.

But even through the wound, small droplets of tears escaped both of his eyes. “Zuko,” she whispered, half afraid of the image in front of her. “What...what happened to your face?”

His lips began to tremble again, but this time he didn’t bother holding back the tears. “Father... he...”

“Father did this?” she asked before he could finish.

For a moment her brother stared at the floor, before he simply nodded as though he’d been defeated. “Yes.”

The girl bit her own lips as they began to tremble as well. With a sniffle she wiped away the tears before they came, the frown on her face firm. Her head snapped up as she bolted up to a stand, her hands clamped into fists. “He won’t get away with this!”

“Azula, no!”

Before she could go anywhere, her brother grabbed her arm tightly. She pulled away defiantly, but he wouldn’t release her arm. “Let go Zuko!” she yelled with her back to him. “I’ll put him in his place.”

“Please, don’t go,” he begged her urgently. But strangely enough his voice was calmer, much more scared.

She relaxed in his hold and turned around, looking her brother in the eye once again. His remaining eye pleaded with her as he held her there. “He’ll hurt you, just like he did to me,” he continued. “Please, stay here. I don’t want anything to happen to you too.”

The girl steadied as she saw the look on her brother’s face. Brother and sister shared a knowing look, neither of them having to communicate verbally for the other to understand. They remained like that for quite a while, until the girl’s face began to relax. Her frown remained, but the anger in her eyes dimmed. As she slumped down onto the ground in front of her brother, she hugged herself tentatively.

“She’s really ... gone?”

She backed up into the bed as she held herself tightly, her head drooping down so that her chin touched her collar. And then, she let her tears overcome her. Her body was racked with sobs as she shook madly. Beside her she heard movements, but didn’t bother looking up. Slowly she felt a pair of arms circle her form, pulling her closer into an embrace. Without hesitation, she threw her arms around her brother and held onto him tightly as if her life depended on it.

“W-what’s...” she started between loud gasps of breath. “What’s gonna happen now?”

Her brother’s grip tightened around her as she turned her head into his neck. “Don’t worry,” he assured her quietly. “I’ll take care of you, Azula. We’ve got to stick together because we only have each other now, alright?”

She did her best to nod from where she was, pulling away slightly to look up at him. Even now it hurt her to look at the terrible injury on his face, but she smiled at him anyway. “Okay,” she said, her eyes brightening. “And I’ll take care of you.”

When she pulled away this time, she gently took the large cloth out of her brother’s hands. She unfolded it before turning it around, covering the stains with a cleaner piece. She then lifted it up to her brother’s face, slowly covering the bloody area. He winced with pain, but smiled at her. Throughout the entire thing, neither of them noticed the shadows running around in the halls behind them.

But the pair looked up when the door suddenly opened, light shining through to blind them. A figure then stood in front of the light and a gasp was heard.

“Sir!” the man called into the hall behind him. The boy instinctively took a hold of his sister again as he looked to the man as threateningly as he could. “I’ve found them, General!”

The room was soon lit and many men in red and gold armor marched in around the children. Although one tried to approach, the girl timidly pulled away and covered her brother’s form. “Go away!” she exclaimed, just as one took a hold of her arm.

“Gentlemen,” interrupted an aged, calm voice from the hall. “Enough now; let them be.”

Who entered next was an older man. His pointed beard and balding head were grayed, his armored robes more elegant than that of those around him. His face was very serious, but there seemed to be an almost sadness in his eyes. Behind him stood a man a little younger than he, and a little taller.

“Captain,” he continued softly. “I need you to prepare a vessel that will secure their majesties’ safe passage, immediately.”

The younger man blinked with surprise. “Passage, sir?”

A smile cracked the man’s face as he came over to the pair of children. “The royal palace right now is no place for a prince and princess of such ages,” he replied, kneeling down to them. The two seemed to calm in the man’s presence, but they didn’t move. “My niece and nephew are to take an extended trip away for some time, until this matter is over. They must leave as soon as possible.”

The younger soldier nodded before he bowed, excusing himself from the room. The boy looked up to the man. “Uncle Iroh?” he asked softly. “Is...is it true?”

Closing his eyes, the aged man sighed. “I’m afraid it is, nephew,” he answered. He placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I’m afraid so.”

“Uncle,” the girl suddenly said. “What will happen to Father?”

He only shook his head. “I do not know, Azula,” he said, this time he paused to swallow harshly. “But you two must leave here right now. You two are not safe.”

“Will you make things better again?” she asked hopefully.

Her brother looked away from her to their uncle. He already knew that answer.

“Things will never be as they once were, child,” he said as he grasped her face. “I can help, but there is little that I can do. I need both of you to be strong for me, and for yourselves.”

Although hesitant, the boy nodded for both of them. His sister merely looked away, placing her face back in his shoulder.

At the door, the younger captain returned. But as he calm inside he seemed reluctant to say anything. “General?” he asked softly.

The older man inhaled deeply. “Yes?”

“The ship will be ready within the hour,” he answered, tone remaining even. “Their majesties may board awhile if they wish.”

Their uncle turned to the pair and smiled, holding out his hands. “Come now,” he said, voice even more saddened than before. “It’s time to go now.”

Awkwardly, the pair stood up. As the boy pushed himself up, he pulled his sister along with him. The entire time she held onto him, even when their uncle guided them away.

They headed across the room and out the door, where numerous other guards were now stationed. The boy paid them no mind, securing his sister in his arms. Feeling his uncle’s grasp on his shoulder, he looked up curiously. “Where are we going, Uncle?” the boy asked.

For a moment he didn’t even look down at them, but then he inhaled once again; this time it was shaky. “Someplace far away; somewhere where you’ll be safe, my nephew.”

“I do not see why your daughter’s blindness should be any kind of problem, sir. Although it might take a little more time, she should be able to become an earth bender.”

“That is good to hear. I want Toph to be able to have a little self defense. But I don’t want her doing anything too strenuous too quickly.”

“Of course not, Mr. Bei Fong. I will begin with your daughter like all of my other students, with basic lessons and simple stances. They are not dangerous at all.”

“Thank you very much. I look forward to her progress.”

“Trouble stirs in the west, Gyatso.”

“That I know, my friend.”

“It won’t be long before that trouble spreads. In the mean time, what do you think we should do? We only have a few options.”

“And the one you’re thinking about isn’t possible. Aang is much too young and vulnerable right now.”

“It is true that he is still quite young, but there aren’t many other things that we can do.”

“Then we don’t.”

“Pardon?”

“We don’t do anything. When the time is right, Aang will learn of his destiny. We are peaceful people, my friend. We have no army, no soldiers. Even if it is the right time and place, this is no time to be thinking of strategies of war. Until we are directly threatened, we shall remain as we always have. In the mean time, we must let Aang grow up like a regular boy.”

“But he is no regular boy, Gyatso; he’s far from that.”

“That I know, but he doesn’t need know that. Not right now. We shall try to let him remain as innocent and pure as long as he can. I feel that very soon he will have to grow up sooner than he should.”

(AN: Thanks for reading the first part of my story. This is an idea I've had for quite a while now, but I wanted to wait until after the Avatar series finished to write it. As it says in the summery, this is what would've happened had events happened in different orders. It's not an AU, because that implies that this takes place in another universe. This story doesn't – it takes place in the Avatar universe. The only thing that's different are the sequence in events. This also means that I'll be following along the same time line as the series as well, so you'll notice that the chapters are named after the chapters on the show. Also, please don't ask any questions about Azula, because I won't answer. I want her to remain a mystery until I actually introduce her into the story (which won't be until the Earth Book, sad to say). These last two scenes are only dialogue because I wanted to just focus on Zuko and Katara. The scenes are important, but not as much. You can figure out from what they're saying who they're talking about. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review.)