Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Nalia
Chapter 1- A Scream at the Door
Green caves, huge armies, and a terrifying young lady with an evil smirk in her eyes…then finally the blinding flash…
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Nalia screamed. She awoke with tears in her eyes and an unprecedented amount of fear in her heart. Aang heard this scream from downstairs, and ran to his daughter.
"Nalia, what's wrong?" Aang asked as he bursted through the pink and purple room with firm determination in his eyes and panic in his heart. He stared at the lump under the bed covers, and heard his brave little warrior trying to fight back tears.
"Nalia, what happened?" Aang asked more patiently. Nalia finally peeked her head out from under her sheets and stared at her father. Aang could not but feel completely vulnerable when he looked at his daughter. Aang kissed his daughter on the forehead, and stared at her beauty. It was amazing to him how her hair was exactly like her mothers: a beautiful dark brown, flowing and shiny. Then he looked at the eyes that were staring right back at him, her 'silver oceans' he called them, because they were exactly his eyes, but with the faintest trace of blue in them. Nalia was the most beautiful and precious thing to Aang than anything in the world. How he hated when there was the slightest thought of harm towards her, and yet these midnight visits were becoming more frequent.
Nalia stared into Aang's eyes and asked innocently, "Please don't go Dad." How could Aang resist?
"Alright, alright." Nalia let out a squeal of delight and lifted her little body to hug her father, as if she never wanted to let go. "Did you have a bad dream again?" Aang asked quietly. Nalia barely nodded her head, her arms still held tightly against her father's chest. She felt so helpless, so little.
"Nalia, please tell Daddy what happened in your dream." He felt her head shake, and knew that she would not tell him. This has been the fifth time in the past month Nalia had woken up screaming in the middle of the night, and she has yet to tell him what her nightmare was about.
"Alright, fine. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep. Deal?" Aang asked.
"Deal" said the little voice.
Aang stayed with Nalia until she was fast asleep. He checked her window to make sure everything was locked and fine. (You can't blame a parent for double checking.) After assuring Nalia was safe, Aang went downstairs to Katara.
Katara was still in bed, sleeping. She really could sleep through a lot. Aang looked at her face, and an overwhelming feeling of love and passion swam over him. He kissed her and went to his side of the bed. Once he was comfortable, he put his arms around her, where they belonged. At his touch, Katara barely whispered "I love you." This gave Aang the most satisfying feeling, and he fell asleep next to his wife.
Aang woke up early the next morning to talk to Katara about what had happened the night before. He nudged her shoulder, whispering "Katara, I have to talk to you about last night. Katara…Katara…wake up."
Katara turned around in Aang's arms, and gave him a kiss. "What happened?"
"Nalia had another bad dream. I don't know what to do about it."
"I'll stay with her tonight; I know you are too busy to be up in the middle of the night. I'll sing her to sleep."
"It's not her getting to sleep that's the problem though, she keeps waking up screaming. It terrifies me every time. I really can't take that kind of fear."
"I'll stay with her tonight, don't worry honey."
Katara knew exactly how to calm her child down, and knew exactly how to calm Aang down. "Okay. By the way, I love you too."
Katara just smiled and laid in Aang's arms. This had been the most intoxicating setting Katara could have ever imagined herself in: the gorgeous house, the sun's rays at dawn, and the most handsome man and the love of her life in her arms, the only thing missing would be to have Nalia…
Katara was shaken from her thoughts, as was Aang, as an unfamiliar voice screamed at their front door. "Open up! Please!"