Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor do I own Tangled.

Katara took off running the second her boots crunched onto the icy shore of the Southern Water Tribe once again.

Before, when the ship had neared the tribe, the waterbender had commanded a member of the crew to release the people that Hama had taken as prisoners. She had wanted to speak with them, wanted to apologize for the horrific actions of her late master, but when they were docked she decided it would have to wait.

Now, she sprinted through the tribe, breathing hard and hoping she wasn't too late.

The igloos and tents were forebodingly empty as she passed them. Katara ran toward the large igloo at the tribe's center, where it seemed every tribes person had gathered in a semicircle. As Katara neared the scene the silent crowd was a wall between herself and whatever was causing the people's curiosity.

As she pushed her way through, stepping on toes and tripping on legs, she heard an authoritative voice speak, cutting through the harsh wind as it addressed the people.

"- the crimes of this man are great, and cannot be overlooked. However," the voice paused and Katata kept shouldering her way past the people of the tribe, and she could just barely see the top of the head of the man who spoke. "He has not committed any criminal acts against our tribe, or on our soil, as far as we know."

As the last few words were spoken, Katara managed to see over the shoulders in front of her, and her heart lurched in her chest.

She saw Zuko, on his knees in the freezing snow and bound to a wooden pole behind him. His clothes had little slices all over, littered amidst burns and scorch marks. She sighed in relief; Katara had seen him looking much, much worse. The feeling was short lived, however, as she heard the next words from the tall man standing a few feet away from the firebender.

"Therefore, he will be transported back to the Fire Nation, where his people will decide his fate accordingly."

"No!" Katara cried. She lunged forward, breaking through the blue wall. No one stopped her as she ran to the firebender's side. His golden eyes instantly flashed with recognition as she fell to her knees in front of him.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she reached a shaky hand out to him. "Zuko," she whispered. Seeing him again brought a warmth to her chest despite the freezing air.

As her hand landed on his good cheek, he started in a gruff voice, "Katara, I'm-"

"I know," she assured him, whether his next words could have been an apology, a confession of his identity, or something else.

"And you're-"

"I know," she said once again with a smile. "I know."

His eyes, which had softened when he first saw her, now became hard stones of amber. "I can't let you do this," he told her. "I can't let you interfere."

A quiet sob racked her body as she brought her other hand up to cup his face, her cool, smooth fingers caressing the hard skin of his scar. "And I can't let you die," Katara softly responded.

The waterbender heard various murmurs of "Who is she?" and "I've never seen her before," around her, but she only paid attention when the man who appeared to be in charge moved forward. "Step aside, girl. This man is wanted by the Fire Nation, and he will be sent back to his homeland to be dealt with."

Katara stood, making herself a barrier between this man and Zuko. She shook her head. "I won't let you," she told him as she met his blue eyes with a cold gaze.

She had expected the man to be furious, to have her taken away from the scene, but instead his eyes clouded with intense curiosity. "What is your name?" he asked after a moment.

The waterbender opened her mouth to respond, but someone else beat her.

"Katara."

It came from behind the tall water tribe man, and soon a familiar, lanky figure stepped forward. Katara recognized him as Aang's friend, the man who had brought her to the tribe the first time around. Sokka, she remembered.

"Is that your name?" asked the older man, still staring at her intently. "Are you Katara?"

She didn't miss the way his voice shook with desperation. Looking questioningly between the two men, she responded, "Yes, I'm Katara."

Slowly, the man walked to her, studying her. He looked at her hesitantly, like she was a ghost, and as if she was going to disappear any moment. The man tentatively reached out a hand, lifting her chin up slightly with two fingers and locking eyes with her.

Katara realized that she knew these eyes. In her memory, they had looked down at her so much love and affection. Now, she watched as the blue orbs filled tenfold to the brim with those same emotions.

She was then pulled into a tight embrace by strong arms, and the word home rang through her head as she returned the gesture. She noticed, too, the warmth of this hug had never been present in any of her embraces with Hama. When they pulled apart, one large hand cupped her cheek as the other smoothed down her hair a few times as if making sure that she was indeed real. "Katara. My daughter," he said with a thick voice.

"Dad?" With wide eyes she spoke the word slowly, experimentally, not used to saying it aloud but only in her head.

He smiled and nodded. "You probably don't remember much of us," he said, gesturing to himself and to the younger man that moved to stand next to him. "You were so young when you were taken. My name is Hakoda, and this is my son, Sokka. Your brother," he told her.

"My… brother?" Katara said as she gazed into Sokka's all too familiar eyes. It made sense now, the connection that she had felt with Sokka when they had first met. Tears began to well up in her eyes again as she realized that this was her family. "I remember you," she told him earnestly. Both of you."

Sokka pulled her into another hug, and Hakoda soon joined in. The murmurs of the tribespeople became louder as they knew their lost princess was finally found.

Her father and brother began to pull her away from the scene and into the large igloo. They each had a hand on her shoulder as they guided her, and Katara constantly snuck looks at her family. It was strange to think those words in her mind, father and brother and family, but it was not unwelcome.

Once inside the snow structure, the waterbender's breath caught. The inside wasn't extravagant; it wasn't filled with ice chandeliers or carpeted in expensive furs as she had seen depicted of the Northern Tribe in one of her books in the tower. Instead, there was a small sitting area around a fire pit, and off to the side was a curving hall where every few feet were covered entrances to smaller rooms. It wasn't lavish, but it was humble and cozy, and therefore, in Katara's eyes, it was perfect.

She followed Hakoda into a room to her left, pushing aside the soft furs to see what looked like a study. It was decorated with simple chairs and a desk ladened with papers. As her father set down his sword sheath and her brother stowed away his boomerang, her eyes found the only decoration covering the white walls- a portrait of a beautiful, smiling woman. Katara's gaze traced her familiar features, sparkling eyes and a radiant grin, but when she saw the carved stone around the woman's neck she instantly knew. This was her mother.

The waterbender felt a warm hand on her shoulder as it gave her a squeeze. "Kya, my wife and your mother, passed away many years ago," she heard her father's solemn voice say. "You would have been eight years old." He paused, then said, "You look just like her."

Katara's cheeks hadn't completely dried from the last bout of tears, and the fresh ones began to pour onto her clothes. She couldn't deny the ache in her chest from learning that she would never truly meet her mother. However, she also knew it would do no good to dwell on the fact, or pity herself for it, because she had a father and a brother who were both very much alive.

Slowly, she turned around to face the two men. "Did you look for me?" she whispered. The question had been burning on her tongue from the moment she saw the memory of her real family.

Sokka stepped forward, grasping her arms with both hands to emphasize his point. "We never stopped."

Before she could respond, Hakoda chimed in. "I have something for you." He went to the desk, pulled out what looked like a ribbon from the drawer then made his way over to her with a look Katara could only describe as proud.

"This is yours, now," her father told her, and passed her the object.

In her hand Katara held the necklace she had seen in her memory and in the portrait that hung behind her. She cupped it preciously with both palms, thumbs smoothing over the engraved image. "Thank you."

Her body had seemed to move on its own before, as she was entirely shocked by the surrealness of the situation, but now as she spotted two glinting swords propped up in a corner on the room there was a tiny voice in the back of her mind that reminded Katara that Zuko was still bound outside.

"Wait," she froze. "You have to let Zuko go."

"Katara," Sokka admonished, "he's a criminal. The most wanted man in the Fire Nation!"

She clutched the necklace tightly in her hand. "He's only reason I'm here." Her father sported a dubious expression. "Zuko brought to the Southern Water Tribe." Katara met his hard gaze with one of her own. "He saved me."

Hakoda's jaw worked, thinking, while Sokka spouted multiple objections. "I will consider it," he finally concluded. "But there are conversations to be had, and questions to be asked, before that can become a possibility."

Katara nodded. "I understand."

"Sokka, go have the men release the prince, but have him be brought inside."

"But-"

"Now," her father stated, holding up a hand to stop him. Arms crossed, Sokka walked away mumbling something about "already annoying little sisters," and Katara laughed behind her hand.

As Katara smoothed out the blue ribbon on the necklace, Hakoda asked, "Would you like to come meet the tribe?"

"Later, if that's all right. If you don't mind, I'd like to have a moment alone," she responded, looking from him to the jewelry in her open palm.

With a knowing look, her father said, "Of course." Before he took his leave, he came to her, stooped and gave her a light kiss on her forehead, and Katara was touched beyond words.

Alone now, Katara caressed the stone for a few more moments before lifting it to her neck to put it on. However, it wasn't as easy as it seemed, for the clasp was small. She huffed and made a face.

Movement was then heard from behind her as the furs were pushed aside from the room's entrance. She turned, expecting it to be her father or Sokka, but was met with Zuko's stoic face.

"Hi," Katara said with surprised eyes, lowering her arms.

"Hey," the firebender responded, stepping toward her. Katara didn't know what to do with her eyes as he crossed the room, looking at the white snowy walls, then down as she wrung her hands. She expected him to stop in front of her, but he moved behind her person, swiftly taking the necklace from her grip. He swept aside her thick hair and hooked the small clasp on the piece of jewelry while Katara's cheeks heated from his warm fingers against her neck.

She spoke first. "So," she quirked a smile as he came around to now stand face to face, "this is a bit of a surprise."

Zuko's eyes took a quick sweep of the room. "Looking back, the signs were there all along. I just never put them fully together," he said, then paused, golden orbs now landing on the blue stone laying against her throat. "It suits you."

Katara mumbled her thanks, and after a moment of silence she softly asked, "What happened to you, Zuko?"

His shoulders slumped slightly, but she could see that it seemed more from relief than defeat. "My sister, Princess Azula, had been tracking and following us, more specifically me, for some time. I confronted her, we fought, and from now on she won't be an issue." The pregnant pause answered Katara's question about what exactly he had done with his sister. "But what about you?" His stare pierced into her. "You seem… shaken up."

Katara took a long, deep breath, then recounted what had transpired with Hama after he left, from thinking he betrayed her to her revelation to defeating Hama at her own game. When her story finished, he gave her one of the most shocked expressions she'd ever seen on him, but quickly remedied both of their consciences by saying, "But, it's all over with now. I'm finally free of her, and am where I'm meant to be." She smiled, but it contained a bittersweet edge. "We both got what we wanted; I now get to see the lights every night, and you have your crown."

Zuko shook his head, and looked away bitterly. "The crown is gone. I gave it to someone who deserves it more than I do."

The waterbender's grin faded, and an indignant feeling rose from her heart. "But, Zuko, that crown was your dream," she exclaimed. Her chest ached knowing that after all they had been through, after all he had done for her, Katara came away with more than she could have ever dreamed of and Zuko came away with nothing.

He took a deliberate step closer. "I've told you before, Katara, that people find new dreams."

Her breath caught, because now he was so close and so warm and looking at her like that once again. Zuko reached for her first, his hand coming to rest on her cheek, but it was Katara that closed the gap between them and met his lips with a quiet sigh. She inevitably melted into him, her hands coming up to grasp his shirt as his lips moved gently against hers.

They pulled away, panting for air, but his arms wound around her waist to keep her against him. She met his gaze with a smile that rivaled the sun, and he surprised her by returning it with a small, but very, very real, smile of his own.

"Ahem."

Both of their heads turned, the moment broken, and Katara hastily pulled away when she saw her father and brother in the doorway, mouths gaping and eyes blazing with fierce protectiveness.

Her father strode back into the room and came to her side, putting a strong hand on her shoulder while Sokka swaggered over to flank her other side and gazed challengingly at Zuko. The message was clear. And while Katara quietly scoffed at their overprotective nature, she also reveled in the feeling of having a family that cared for her.

While Zuko eyed her family's defensive statures with understanding, Hakoda took a seat at his desk, gestured to the seats across from him and said, "Why don't we sit down and hear about how you and my daughter met, and everything after?"

The next few hours were filled with Katara retelling the story of their journey, as well as her years in the tower with Hama beforehand. Zuko occasionally chimed in, but Katara told most of it. The two benders then suffered through countless questions, most as innocuous as Sokka asking what the Kyoshi Warriors were like, others more difficult, such as inquiries about the many times they were injured or in danger. But when Hakoda turned to the firebender and blatantly asked him how he was going to make up for his crimes he committed, Katara had had enough.

"Dad!" she exclaimed, but Zuko just shook his head and started to speak.

"I've asked myself the same many times, Chief Hakoda," he answered seriously. "All my life I have held honor as being the most important aspect a man can have, and though it will take time, I plan to fully restore my honor and my name amongst my people."

His answer hit Katara with unexpected force. He was talking about leaving already, about going back to the Fire Nation. She frowned; Katara knew this was to be expected. He wasn't going to stay in the Southern Water Tribe, but she was, as it was her home now. So where did that leave them?

She turned to her father, who was nodding, seemingly satisfied by his answer. "One more question," the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe then said. "What are your intentions toward my daughter?"

"Spirits," Katara groaned. She leaned forward in her chair, hiding her red face with her hands as Zuko coughed, clearly uncomfortable.

"Your daughter has saved my life countless times," the firebender slowly, cautiously, responded in earnest. "For that I am forever grateful for her, and our… connection… is important to me."

Katara peeked at her father through her fingers. He was sitting back in his seat, saying nothing, simply taking in the answer.

"Well," her father eventually stood and said. "While I'm not fond of the many charges that I've heard against you, Prince Zuko, the Southern Water Tribe has always prided itself on being merciful and forgiving. I cannot dismiss all that you have done for my daughter, and therefore for myself and my tribe as well. For now and for as long as you reside in my tribe, you will walk a free man."

Hakoda then extended his hand, and Katara contentedly watched as Zuko stood to grasp it. As they shook hands, her father held the firebender's gaze and said, "Thank you for bringing my daughter home to me."

…

The sun had just started to set when Katara found a chance to breathe.

After the long talk with her father and brother, she had been presented to the tribe. Her people received her with an overwhelming amount of acceptance and love. Adults hugged her, telling her how much she'd grown, how much she looked like her mother, while children tugged at her skirts, excited to meet the girl they had grown up hearing about, the girl who had been featured in every bed time story. And Katara could tell that everyone breathed a bit easier, now that their Lost Princess was finally home.

Hakoda and Sokka kept a close eye on her all the while. They didn't hover, but frequently checked in as she explored her tribe and met with its people. It was a joyous occasion, to have her back, and Katara supposed they feared that somehow, she would inexplicably be taken from them once more.

The only person who didn't smother her was Zuko, and she was beyond grateful. He wasn't by her side every second, but made himself a comforting presence standing off to the side or in the corner.

She hadn't had a single moment to speak to him alone since that morning, and after filling up on a traditional water tribe feast, the first of many, she brought Zuko outside the tribe's walls hoping to find some quiet peace.

They stopped by the shoreline. Katara turned her head up to sky, waiting for the southern lights to show themselves while an impossible question sat on her tongue.

She couldn't hold it in for long; she had to ask him. "What happens next, Zuko?"

The waterbender kept her eyes trained on the sky, but his tone told her his expression, brow furrowed and eyes serious. "I don't know," he responded. "I must return to the Fire Nation, and deal with my father, eventually. But I have no clue when the right time for that will be," he told her. "I'll just have to wait."

Katara turned to him finally. "I was stuck in a tower for eighteen years until you found me, so I know a thing or two about waiting," she gave him a dry smirk, which was soon replaced with a yearning expression. "What I'm saying is that, if time is what you need, you can have it here, with the tribe. With me," she said slowly, looking up at him unsurely through her lashes.

When he said nothing, fear began its slow course through her. But when he reached out and pulled her to him, Katara chided herself for being silly, because she'd come to know Zuko as a man of actions more than words, and his lips meeting hers was all the affirmation she needed.

Whether it was fate or destiny that caused Zuko to stumble through her tower window, from that moment on their lives would become irrevocably entwined. And as the southern lights began their slow, glorious crawl through the sky above, Katara held onto Zuko, knowing with complete certainty that whatever came their way, they would face it together.

A/N: And they all lived Happily Ever After... Maybe. Perhaps. It's possible.

The end!

With both sadness and relief I post this final chapter. The story was long in its making, but I hope it was worth it! I know it was for me.

Hopefully, the ending wasn't *too* cheesy. Being based off of a Disney movie, there has to be some corniness, but hopefully it was an appropriate amount. Speaking of Disney movies, basing this off of one was definitely a challenge, but an incredibly enjoyable one. So enjoyable, that I'm thinking of writing another. Anyone have any suggestions of Disney stories that they would like a Zutara spin on?

Lastly, I would like to thank all of you, darling, lovely, amazing readers. Thank you for supporting my story, whether you stuck with it from the start, or whether you tagged along at any point after.

And, thanks for reading!