When her father-in-law is slaughtered in his sleep, Princess Ursa of the Fire Nation escapes the tyranny of the palace with her 13-year-old son Zuko, the victim of a burn to his left eye at the hands of his father, and her brother-in-law, the retired General Iroh. They plan to take refuge in the Southern Water Tribe with the aid of Chief Hakoda. However, when an illness takes Ursa's life and Iroh is called back to the Fire Nation, Zuko is left to grow up under the watchful eye of Chief Hakoda.

Years pass and Zuko finds that he has unintentionally caught the eye of the chief's daughter, Katara, a beautiful and sassy waterbender reluctantly being pursued by a childhood friend. Suddenly caught up in an unorthodox romance, Zuko finds that maybe love isn't so bad…if not a little messy.

Ships: Zutara, one-sided Kataang, Sukka, possible Taang

Rating: T

Genre: Romance

A/N: All author's notes are important! I recommend you read them before every chapter. For all of you who are reading Shaping Destiny don't worry! It will be updated regularly, as will this story. However, I have just entered my senior year of high school and I am taking three AP classes the first semester. My schedule will be a little hectic for a while, so please be patient with the gaps between updates. I certainly have not forgotten my stories, nor will I forget them. I'm just a little busy now. Matters of the Heart (aka the story you are reading now) is a slight AU and is not related to Shaping Destiny in any way. I do like the concept of this story a little more than that of Shaping Destiny, but I am pleased with both. I hope you enjoy this prologue. It might seem a little rushed, but I liked the way it turned out. It's the prologue anyway; it's supposed to be shorter than the rest of the chapters. And the chapters will be longer than this. Enjoy!

Matters of the Heart

By RupertLover09

Prologue

Ursa sighed as she paced the deck of the small Fire Nation ship, worry over being captured and taken back to her tyrannical husband never far from her mind. The sun had long since set on the eighth day of their journey to the Southern Water Tribe and safety; the ninth day was just beginning. On the opposite side of the deck, Ursa's son, Zuko, had fallen asleep with a book open in his lap. His hair had slipped out of its topknot at some point, and the raven locks brushed across his forehead as if trying to conceal the scar that covered the young boy's left eye. He had gotten so tall entirely too fast. Right before her eyes, Ursa's baby boy had turned into a young man. His slightly calloused fingers (calloused because he was a firebender) clenched his cloak tight around his body.

Ursa sighed as she watched over her son, wishing that she could have saved her daughter as well. But Azula was more than safe at the girls' academy far from the palace and Ozai's influence. It was a shame she had not had more time to get to know her daughter, to try and protect the girl from the evil that lurked within her own soul…

A cloak was draped around her shoulders, and General Iroh, Ozai's brother, melted into Ursa's peripheral vision. He was a short, rotund man nearly fifteen years Ursa's senior with a heart of gold. He smiled up at her pleasantly, the crow's feet at his eyes deepening at the action.

"You are ill, sister. Perhaps you should rest some before we reach our destination."

"You don't need to worry about me, Iroh. I'll be fine. Zuko is the only one who needs to be taken care of." Ursa glanced back at her son again, her eyebrows knit with worry.

Iroh hummed thoughtfully. "He is a strong young man."

Ursa's hands tightened on the railing of the ship and she stared resolutely at the water. "He was forced to grow up far too soon."

"One could not possibly deny that."

Silence reigned supreme for a while as the pair watched the first tints of the sunrise grace the sky. Fatigue finally registered in Ursa's mind; she had not slept in the past two days, she was ill, and it was all finally catching up to her. She cleared her throat, an action that led to an immediate coughing spell, the likes of which she had not experienced for the duration of her illness.

"Perhaps you should go below decks where it is warmer," Iroh suggested. "You could catch up on sleep. I would be glad to waken you when we reach our destination."

Ursa shook her head stubbornly, her long, black hair swishing against her shoulders. "I won't be able to rest until we get there; and I can't leave Zuko."

Iroh frowned but did not push the matter. "We should be there in little over an hour."

"They are aware of our arrival?"

"Yes. Chief Hakoda is a friend of mine. He will be greeting us there personally," Iroh replied. "He has made room in his house for us and says we are to stay however long we need."

"That's very kind of him."

"It is."

Ursa let a pause enter the conversation during which she coughed violently again before speaking. "Are…are there any children Zuko's age in the village?"

Iroh smiled. "There are. Hakoda himself is a widower with two children: a son exactly Zuko's age and a daughter not much younger."

"Their names?"

"Sokka and Katara."

Ursa let a small smile steal over her pale face. "How very Water Tribe."

"That is our destination."

Ursa laughed, her throat aching. "I suppose it is," she said. "Chief Hakoda's children…are they benders?"

"I must say that I do not know. I have never met them myself. They are said to be very fortunate-looking children. Katara is said to look very much like her mother whose beauty is said to be legendary."

The lady stared at her hands solemnly, worry over her son stealing into her mind and heart once more. "Will they welcome Zuko?" she whispered, her voice coming out rough from her coughing.

"I've no doubt that they will. The people of the Southern Water Tribe are kind and open-hearted. I do not doubt they raise their children with the same notions."

Ursa sighed. "I worry about him, Iroh."

"You are a mother, my dear sister. It is only natural."

"Sometimes I wonder if I sheltered him too much."

"You have done everything in your power to do what is right for him, Ursa. There is nothing wrong with protecting those you love; especially your children."

She coughed again, worse and more prolonged. Streaks of pink and orange were filtering into the sky now. Despite the fact that it was summer, the air in the southern hemisphere was dry and cold, reaching into Ursa's bones. The temperature probably would not be good for her condition.

"When will you be leaving?" she asked her brother-in-law.

"As soon as you are settled in with Hakoda. Two days at the most; I cannot afford to be gone long," Iroh replied. "I regret that I cannot stay longer, but my leaving at the time of your disappearance is bound to bring about suspicions." "I understand." Ursa smiled and squeezed his hand gently. "Thank you for getting us this far, Iroh."

"Mom?"

Ursa turned to see her son blinking at her through sleepy eyes. She smiled and beckoned to him. He rose from his spot and crossed the deck to her and she wrapped him in a hug.

"Good morning, darling."

"Morning, Mom, Uncle Iroh."

The retired General nodded jovially to his nephew. "Now that you are awake, perhaps I shall go see the cook about some tea." He shuffled through the doorway that led to a flight of stairs that took passengers of the ship below the deck and into the cabin.

"How did you sleep, Zuko?" Ursa asked.

He shrugged, golden eyes searching the horizon. "Okay, I guess. It's a little uncomfortable to sleep on the deck of a ship."

Mother smiled fondly at son. "We'll be arriving soon."

The young prince (because he was a prince now that Ozai was Fire Lord) nodded, his shaggy hair sweeping across his forehead. He watched as the ship passed floating chunks of ice and snow-covered islands. "Is it like this all year round?" he asked, gesturing at the scenery.

"Of course."

"Will I be able to bend?"

"I don't know. It might be hard at first, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

"I'm not a master like Azula, Mom."

"Azula is far from being a master, darling. And even she would have trouble bending in such an environment."

Zuko scowled and changed the subject. "Where are we staying?"

"We'll be staying with Chief Hakoda; he is an old friend of your uncle's."

"Uncle is friends with a Water Tribe man?"

"Your uncle and your father a very different people, Zuko. It would be best for us if we kept our prejudices to ourselves."

"I'm not prejudiced, Mom. I just don't understand how Father and Uncle Iroh can be so different; they're brothers!" He looked up at his mother. "Are Azula and I like that?"

"You have your differences," Ursa assented, "but that is to be expected. No two people are alike."

"I don't want to be like Father."

Ursa smiled sadly at Zuko, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and marveling at the fact that they were nearly the same height. Was he really thirteen years old? "You are nothing like your father, darling."

Zuko stared around as the ship docked at the harbor in the Southern Water Tribe. The land was nothing but a vast, snowy landscape. Bathed in the colorful sunrise, the snow sparkled like a sea of the diamonds Zuko had once seen in the vault at the palace. The buildings were constructed of ice and there was a wooden street leading through the village. Really, it wasn't so much a village as it was a city like the one he had just left; only this one looked like it was made of delicate crystal instead of coals and brick.

On the dock, a tall, tanned man waited their arrival. Zuko noticed two children near his age flanking the man and turned to his uncle. "Is that Chief Hakoda?" he asked.

Iroh nodded. "Yes, he is."

"And who are the others?"

"His children, Katara and Sokka."

Zuko nodded thoughtfully. Making friends was not exactly a talent of his, but he supposed he could make an effort for Uncle and Mother if they were to be staying with the chief and his children. The family of three was dressed in warm parkas and seal skin boots. Zuko felt very out of place with his Fire Nation clothes. He wondered if these children would judge him for his heritage or his scar.

He watched the family closer as the crew prepared to lower the gangplank. On Chief Hakoda's right side stood his daughter, Katara. She was tall and willowy with long chestnut-colored hair that was tied back in a braid. A thin band of blue fabric was wrapped around her slender throat. Like her father and her brother, she had tan skin. What struck Zuko most about her was her vibrant blue eyes; he could see them even as he descended the gangplank beside his mother.

The son, Sokka, was slumped over and yawning, rubbing his eyes tiredly. His hair was shaved mostly, except for the top which was pulled back with a piece of leather. His sister would glance at him sharply every time he would yawn. He just shrugged at her, indifferent to the situation. There was a boomerang in his hands. Zuko wondered if the boy was a warrior.

Uncle Iroh and Chief Hakoda exchanged greetings, and Uncle began to make introductions that Zuko did not care to pay attention to.

"-And this is my nephew Zuko."

Zuko looked up as Uncle Iroh said his name, offering Hakoda a tense smile that the chief did not return. His mother had placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You must be tired from your journey. If you will follow me, we can get you settled into your rooms," the tribe leader said. He was a fierce-looking man with the same blue eyes as his daughter.

"Perhaps it would be nice if we let the children get to know one another," Iroh suggested.

Zuko blanched. So soon? He had been hoping to be in this strange land for at least a week before he went around making friends. He prayed silently that Chief Hakoda would not agree.

"That is an excellent idea, Iroh. Sokka," Hakoda turned to his son who snapped to attention immediately. "I trust you and your sister to make Zuko feel at home here."

The boy nodded. "Yes sir! We'll take him on the grand tour!"

The young firebender groaned inwardly. Of course Hakoda would agree. Zuko had never had good luck.

Sokka's sister suddenly looked very stiff and cold. Her eyes narrowed as she shot a glance at Zuko. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. What was it that he could have possibly done already that the girl was looking at him so coldly?

The adults walked off, Zuko's mother squeezed his shoulder and gave him a supporting look before she trailed behind the men, coughing roughly into her hand. Zuko frowned. Mother's sick and she's been trying to hide it this entire time. She'll need to see a doctor.

Before Zuko could think any further, a parka-covered arm was slung around his shoulders. He looked at the owner, startled. Sokka was grinning down at him clownishly. Zuko promptly stepped away. He certainly was not one for close contact unless it was with his mother or his uncle.

"I'm Sokka," the Water Tribe boy held out his hand and Zuko shook it.

"Zuko."

"So I heard. How old are you?"

Zuko scowled. Already, the situation was too personal for him. "I'm thirteen."

"Hey! Me, too!" Sokka suddenly looked at his sister. "That's Katara," he said, jabbing a finger over his shoulder in her general direction. "She's twelve. We ignore her."

Katara snorted and walked on ahead of them, her head held high.

"Does she hate me or something?" Zuko asked, hardly giving thought to the fact that he was allowing for conversation.

"What?"

"She was looking at me really odd just a few seconds ago. Like she hates me."

"Who? Katara? Nah! She doesn't hate. She doesn't like to put it out into the universe," Sokka's tone was mocking. "No, don't worry about her. She's just a little…frosty." His face split into a smile and he howled with laughter, jabbing Zuko in the side with his elbow. "Frosty! Get it?"

Zuko edged away from the boy, wondering if he was slightly off his rocker. "…No."

"You mean nobody told you?"

"Told me what?"

"About Katara."

"Nobody really told me anything," Zuko said, shrugging.

"Oh. Well, observe for yourself." Sokka pointed to his sister.

Katara was twirling around in the snow, not unlike the ballerinas his mother had made him see with her once upon a time. She held her arms outstretched, and snow was trailing after her fingertips in thin diamond-like ribbons. A smile had broken out on her face, lighting up her entire being.

"She's a bender," Sokka said somewhat condescendingly. Zuko wondered if Sokka was jealous about his sister's abilities. If the boy carried a boomerang, he clearly was not a bender.

"A waterbender?" Zuko said.

"Yep. Dad and Gran Gran were so proud the day they found out she could do it. She's the only one in the whole South Pole. Well, besides Gran-Pakku." Sokka stared at his sister. "It's cool and all, but it's not nearly as cool as being able to wield a weapon."

Zuko concluded that Sokka was, in fact, jealous of Katara's bending abilities.

"What about you? You a bender?"

Zuko nodded. "Fire."

Sokka actually looked impressed. "That's so awesome! Way cooler than Katara's sissy magic water!"

A handful of snow promptly smacked Sokka in the side of the head. Katara was glowering at her brother a few yards off, her arms crossed over her chest. Zuko didn't doubt she had bent the snow in her brother's direction.

"I heard that, Sokka!"

The boy rolled his eyes, dusting the snow off of himself.

"For the thousandth time, it is not 'magic water'! It's waterbending!" She was stomping over to them now, her blue eyes ablaze with irritation. Snow melted into puddles under her feet. Zuko instantly took a step back. A pissed off bender was not something he had been looking to encounter here in the Southern Water Tribe. Especially not during his first day when he wasn't sure he could protect himself!

Another blue figure was running toward the trio now. Squinting, Zuko saw that it was a bald boy much younger than himself.

"Katara! Katara!"

Katara looked around as the boy rushed up to her, panting from his run. He hunched over, placing his mitten-covered hands on his knees, pulling air in through his mouth desperately. There was a blue arrow on his bald head; it disappeared down the back of his parka.

"Katara, you-you gotta get to the village and-and help Master Pakku!" His gray eyes were wide with terror as he looked up at the waterbender, tugging on her hand. "That lady collapsed!"

"What lady?" Katara pulled her hand from the young boy's.

"I don't know who she is. Master Pakku just told me to come find you and that boy."

The moment the boy's finger pointed in Zuko's direction, the young prince's world went silent. He was vaguely aware of the horrified look Katara gave him before grabbing his hand and tearing off through the snow. He followed her half-heartedly, stumbling over his own feet every few steps.

Sokka was following behind them shouting things that Zuko did not hear.

Mother… No. She can't be that ill. She can't possibly be that ill. It's just a cough! We've hardly been apart five minutes! Mother never gets ill. It's nothing to worry about, she said so herself! It's just a cough! She can't be… She can't!

But when he stumbled into a large room in Chief Hakoda's house behind Katara, his hand still clamped firmly in her smaller one, he could no longer believe himself. His mother was lying deathly still on a bed covered with furs and blankets. Her pale skin looked waxy and blue in the light from the candles.

Zuko's stomach reeled. Uncle Iroh was in the corner, his hands pressed to his eyes. There was a tall man in robes of royal blue gesturing to Katara who was crying and shaking her head.

"I can't heal illnesses, Pakku!" she was insisting, the beads in her hair tinkling as she shook her head vigorously. Tears streamed steadily down her cheeks. "There's nothing I can do!"

Zuko's world went black.

He did not cry as he watched the ship disappear into the distance. He felt like his tear ducts were all dried up like one of the Fire Nation canals in the peak of summer. Uncle was leaving to return to his post in the palace, Mother was gone…and Zuko was left to live with Chief Hakoda and his children here in the South Pole.

His mother's body was on the ship. Uncle was taking her back to the Fire Nation for a proper burial. Zuko had watched as Katara tried to cure his mother with hands encased in glowing water. But she was only twelve; her bending was not yet strong enough.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help," he heard her whisper beside him. She dug the toe of her seal skin boot into the snow.

"I don't blame you," Zuko replied, his voice no louder than hers. "You did all you could."

"If my training was more thorough I could have done more."

"You're hardly any younger than I am. You did all that was in your power and more. I've never seen water glow like that before."

"I was taught to heal." Katara was wringing her hands together, her head was bowed. "But even a healer can't cure an illness. We called for a physician but he didn't know what your mother had. My father was going to write to an Earth Kingdom woman."

"Your father is a very kind person."

"He wanted very badly to help in every way he could. Ever since my mother died he's been doing his best to protect everyone."

"Your mother died?" Zuko asked, turning his head to look at the girl next to him. She touched her necklace, the thin piece of blue Zuko had seen wrapped around her neck from the deck of the ship hardly three days ago.

"Yes. Just over a year ago."

Zuko nodded. He was equal to this girl; they had something in common. They could be friends, he thought. If he tried hard enough, he could be friends with this Water Tribe girl. Her brother…maybe. But he could be friends with Katara.

She wrapped her arms around her ribs, hugging herself. "When you got off that ship three days ago, I was very jealous of you. You had a mother who cared about you. I had nothing but my father and brother and Gran Gran and Pakku. That's why I was mean and angry. But I want you to know that I would never wish this on you. I did everything I could to help. I did my very best, but….I suppose my best wasn't good enough."

He frowned. "Your best was good enough, Katara."

She stood there hugging herself until he placed a hand on her shoulder. Then, she looked up at him, her blue eyes vibrant and shining against her tanned skin. Zuko cast her a crooked smile. "I think we should be friends," he said.

Katara nodded. "Me, too."

Okay! Please, please, please review! I take questions and comments but not flames. If you do flame I'll just laugh at you…a lot. I should have chapter one up soon, depending on the amount of homework I get over the course of next week. I will try to update every Friday or Saturday, but no promises.

Anway…Review!