Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and Nickelodeon, not me.
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Her entire soul ached with longing. She was twenty-four years old, and she had been married for seven of them. But she was barren.
Hanne rubbed her elbows. She hated festivals. All around her were other women who cradled their children in their arms or held their little hands or kept tight loving grips around small shoulders. It stung, but nothing hurt more than the sight of the young married girls with their softly rounded bellies. Their husbands kept careful watch over them, hovering almost. Hanne looked over at her husband. He sat quietly next to her, seemingly absorbed in the sights around them, but she noticed his eyes catching the same things she saw. Mikkel sighed heavily.
Hanne got up from her seat. He looked up. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to get a drink," she said. "I'll be back." He nodded. Hanne disappeared into the crowd. Her husband was a good man. He was kind, and clever, and good-natured. It hurt her that she could not give him a child.
Hanne wandered through a small side street. She lost track of where she was going in her daze, and therefore she was completely surprised when she smacked straight into an elderly gentleman.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Sir, I am so sorry. Did I hurt you?"
The old man straightened his robes. "There is no harm done, my dear," he said. "And you are so small, child, I don't think you could hurt me if you tried." His eyes scanned over her slight frame, from the top of her white-blonde head to her small feet in her terra-cotta colored shoes. "But, judging by your tattoos, you could."
"I am not the best airbender, sir, but I work hard at it," she said. She studied him back. He was extremely tall and clad in the dark red robes of a firebender.
"What is your name, my child?" he asked.
"Hanne," she said.
The old man smiled. "Why is your heart so sore, Hanne?" he inquired.
She twisted her fingers together. "It's a personal matter to tell a stranger," she said.
"You can trust me," he said, his voice quiet and grave. "What is it that weighs upon your shoulders?"
Hanne looked down. "I cannot bear a child," she whispered. "I have been married for seven years, and I cannot give my husband a child."
"Why is it you wish so dearly to have a child?" he asked her.
"It is what I feel led to," she said. "I can't explain it. My arms ache without a child to hold."
The old man placed his hand on her head. "You have a strong soul, my child," he said. "And a strong soul is what a child needs to guide them." He placed his other hand atop her head and pressed his forehead against his knuckles. "Be at peace, my dear." He stepped back, patted her cheek, and walked away.
Hanne stared after him. "Wait!" she finally called. "What is your name, sir?"
He didn't turn around. "Roku," he said, and he disappeared into the crowd.
She watched him for a moment, then turned around and ran back to the festival and her husband. Hanne hugged Mikkel impulsively. He turned to her, smiling. "Well, what was that for?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said. "I'm just happy."
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Author's Note
I have always wanted to know about Aang's parents. We know about him and the monks, and it's all very nice, but unless airbenders are just weird, he must have had a mother. Hence, this story.
I was heavily inspired by the story of Hannah in the Bible. She was a barren woman who wanted desperately to have a child. One day she went to the temple and prayed so fervently that the priest thought she was drunk. Hannah promised God that if he gave her a child, she would dedicate him to God's service. Her son Samuel became one of the greatest prophets and priests of Israel. The full story's in the first chapter or so of I Samuel if you want to see how closely I paralleled the real story with my pale imitation.
And in case you wanted to know, the name "Hanne" is going to (most likely) appear again in my Avatar stories, but as a different character. Bwahaha.