Fire Boy and Water Girl

The Silver Pond and The New Girl

{AU}

KATARA'S POV

~~~

The hallways of the firelord's palace are bustling with excitement over Azula's arranged engagement. Almost all of the house workers are walking through the hallways straightening banners, perfecting flower arrangements, or hustling to a room that they were told needed to be cleaned.

It seems as though no one ever wants Sokka and I to do anything, though. It's like we're kids who're just there for show.

When I stop and try to fix a flower vase an elderly lady whose hair is the color of snow pushes me aside and says "Go away and do what you were told!" With that I scoot away and head to my chamber where a few others are waiting.

"Hi Sakura," I mutter and collapse onto my bunk. Sakura peers down at me from the top bunk and frowns. "You ok Katara?" Sakura asks. "No," I groan, "There's nothing to do here! It's so boring!" "I know," She replies calmly then grins slyly.

Sakura flips over onto my part of the bunk, and whispers in my ear, "Let's go to the pond." I smile back, and we head to the secret underground pond.

The pond is filled with clear water that sparkles the color silver in the metallic cavern.

The underground passageways are all made completely of steel, some of the ways are blocked by leaky pipes or fallen rocks, but the way from the young servants' quarters to the Silver pond isn't blocked at all.

This pond was how Sakura and I met, she's from the Northern Water Tribe, and I'm from the Southern Water Tribe, so in normal circumstances we would have never known each-other.

I feel as though I look strange in comparison to Sakura who has pale skin, black hair, and eyes that are the color of the sky.

I sit at the edge of the pond, twirling my feet in the water, and making it dance in a series of glowing patterns.

"Do you ever wonder what life would've been like if we never lost the war?" I ask Sakura. She looks at me quizzically. "I never thought about it," she replies honestly, "I was captured when I wasn't even old enough to walk." Sakura looks down at her feet. My eyes widen. "Why?! You're my age and at that time we hadn't lost the war yet!" I exclaim. Sakura smiles solemnly and twirls the water that she has in her fingers.

"Because I'm a water bender," she mutters. I furrow my brows. "But... I'm a water bender too..." I reply, puzzled. "Of course! You're born into a family, a tribe with no master water benders! I was born into a family of master water benders! And of course their precious perfect little girl is going to be a water bender as well! Why not just take her already??!!!" Sakura screams disgustedly and shoots her now frozen water at the side of the silver cave, lodging the frozen water into the metal.

I place my hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry-I didn't know it was like that," I whisper. "It's ok! There was no way for you to know anyway!" Sakura replies, and grins widely, as if trying to put the past in the past.

~~~

When we arrive back at the servant's quarters, Sokka is waiting for us. He eyes Sakura suspiciously. Sakura is now smiling creepily, so she's pretty much giving Sokka the perfect opportunity to be suspicious.

I nudge Sakura in the ribs with my elbow. "Ow," she mutters and rubs her rib cage. "So. Where've you been?" Sokka presses and pokes my arm. "None of your business," I reply and open the window next to Sakura and I's bunk.

"I talked to girl," Sokka trails off. I raise an eyebrow and respond, "That's new." " Her name's Suki," Sokka ignores my sarcastic comment. "I heard my name?" A girl with light brown, shoulder length hair, and dark blue eyes says and stands beside my brother.

Sakura wiggles her eyebrows when Suki and Sokka start talking. I elbow her in the ribs, hard. "Ow," Sakura complains, "You keep doing that and I'm gonna break a rib." Sakura rubs her soar rib and pouts. I laugh and respond, "Probably not."

Sokka then speaks to me, "Suki is actually from the Earth Kingdom." Suki sees my shocked expression and grimaces. "They took me here because I fought back," she hisses,and hand forms into a fist. "But why didn't they arrest you?" I ask. "Something about needing more slaves..." Suki trails off when she sees the sadness on Sakura, my brother, and I's hesitant faces. We've all heard the rumars that princess Azula was sentancing slaves ,who slipped on the job even a little bit, to death. Sadly this rumer wouldn't be all that surprising if it was real, though.

"So..." Sokka said awkwardly, "I heard that Prince Zuko is coming back." "Why?" I questioned. "I don't Know! I've only heard the rumors," Sokka snaps. I look at Sakura who is the 'gossip girl' of the slaves, and raise my eyebrow questionabley, but Sakura just shrugs. "Suki, have you heard anything?" I ask, but she shakes her head, no.

I hear the pounding of a staff in the front of the quarters, and everyone scurries to stand in front of their bunks with their bunkmates. "As you all know, Princess Azula's wedding is in only a few days and we are still unprepared, also we have the issue of Prince Zuko's arrival. I will need a few of you to help unload his ship. Any volunteers?" The Slave Gaurd says (I swear they have a job for everything in the fire nation). No one raises their hands, except for Sakura, who almost always raises her hand for the tasks that the Slave Gaurd requests. "Sakura, come on. Anyone else? No ok, Katara, Sokka, and new girl, come on," the Slave Gaurd says and motions for the four of us to follow. I groan and trail behind the others. I don't normally like doing extra tasks, but whenever he chooses me I try not to complain.

Normally when he chooses you it means he thinks you've been doing an exceptional job- even though they almost never ask us to do house work, we normally do the things that the adults are to busy to be bothered with- ,so I should feel honored, but I honestly don't care what the people who have been controlling me since I was a young girl have to think about me, so when I get chosen I really don't even care.