Falling For The Island Girl (Katara x Reader)

Duty

  I steadied my stance in front of Aang, determined to keep him safe in case the fight got out of hand.

  "It's hard to believe that earlier today was so peaceful," I mumbled, watching the physical dispute between Katara and no other the fire prince himself, Zuko.

 "Hi, Katara," I say, leaning against the railing of the bridge she's on. I was on an afternoon stroll, not expecting to see anyone I knew in the city. "Hey, (y/n)," she replies. I glance at her face, only then noticing what a beautiful profile she has. Bright eyes, thick lashes, silky, dark hair framing her face.

 "Is everything okay?" she asks with a giggle. "Oh, yeah," I babble, just noticing that I'd been staring at her, "I was just admiring your necklace." 

 Liar.

 "Oh, this," she replies, grasping the jewelry piece's pendant, "My grandmother gave it to me. I just learned that it's actually a betrothal necklace." A small laugh escapes her lips. I smile. 

 "Well," I comment, leaning back over the railing, "at least you have a funny story to tell if you ever need to start up a conversation." From the corner of my eye, I see her open her mouth as though to say something, but closes it, looking up. "Oh, no," she whispers. 

 "What is it?" I wonder, looking up to the sky as well.

 And then I see it.

 Ashes.

 Falling from the sky, mixing with the pure snow, creating disturbingly dark flakes of ice. 

  "The Fire Nation," we both mumble.

 Our eyes lock. "How did you know?" she asks. I'm silent for a few moments, not wanting to tell her about the attack. "I was informed that they would attack by one of our spies," I tell half-honestly. She nods, then says "We need to fight them off," she says in determination.

 I grab her hands before she can leave. "No," I say sternly. "But I can't be helpless like the time my tribe was attacked," she says, her eyes threatening to spill out tears. "I understand," I reply because I did, "But that's not what we're meant to do."

 She sighs and admits:"You're right."

 The water bender's body fell to the ground. Just moments ago she was fighting, but now her once conscious body had lost all its strength to a selfish prince's bending and the earth's gravity. 

 I wanted to run to her, hold her close, and wait by her side until she'd finally reawake, but I knew couldn't. I already had a task: keeping Zuko away from the Avatar.

 A  light, patting sound of footprints signaled that Zuko was running in my direction. I turned round to face him, and, without much thought, threw a fist full of flames at him. He stumbled back, failing to regain balance and landed on the grassy ground. Unsatisfied, I threw an orb of fire towards the banished prince. To my dismay and his luck, however, he rolled out of the way just before he was hit.

 Jumping to his feet, he kicked a sash of flames towards me. I stumbled back, caught my balance, and covered my face with my hands whilst I squeezed my eyes shut. I felt the warm flames pass by me as they blocked my vision. 

 When the flames had vanished, the prince seemed to have done the same. He was nowhere to be seen. 

 Then it dawned on me: I'd let him escape, not alone, but with the Avatar.