Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Bryke and Nickelodeon, not me.
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"You look beautiful, Poppy. Like a porcelain doll."
Poppy anxiously touched one of the heavy hair ornaments. "It's not too much, is it?"
Her oldest sister, Mei, adjusted the toddler on her hip. "It's not at all," she reassured. "You are absolutely beautiful."
"Besides, you're marrying a noble," Sakura added. "You have to look lavish." She stroked her firm belly, round with her coming child, and sighed. "Leave it to the youngest of us to marry the wealthiest."
"At least you two knew your husbands before you married them," Poppy said, staring in the mirror again. "I barely know Lao."
Mei patted her shoulder. "It's going to be all right," she said. "You'll marry him, and have dozens of babies, and be happier than you can ever imagine." She kissed her sister lightly. "Come on, Sakura. Let's let her have a moment to herself." Poppy accepted Sakura's kiss, and the two older girls left.
Poppy stared at her reflection. The poised, well dressed young woman in the mirror couldn't possibly be her. She was only Poppy, the youngest daughter of the Gaoling tea merchant. Her father had been fortunate enough to marry Mei off to a rival merchant-uniting their companies- and Sakura to a captain in the royal army. But with Poppy, he struck the best match. She caught the eye of Lao Bei Fong, the youngest son of a noble. He asked for Poppy's hand in marriage, thinking that it would do well to marry a fairly well-off merchant's daughter. But after his old father died and his older brother turned down the title, Poppy suddenly found herself betrothed to a young lord.
It was a happy ending straight from a bedtime story, but Poppy was anxious. The man she was about to marry was a stranger, despite his kindness and wealth. She took a deep breath, smoothed the skirts of her gold and red wedding gown, and stepped out of the little room.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur. Poppy recited her memorized responses perfectly, in the sweetest and meekest tones imaginable. Lao's long fingers wrapped lightly around her hand. The priest droned on and on. The ceremony ended and moved to the wedding feast. Poppy greeted as many guests as she could, picking at the food on her plate when the chance arose.
The moon was high in the dark blue sky when Lao escorted Poppy from the hall. She stayed silent as he guided her to the room they would now share, her knees trembling and her head buzzing from the sips of sake.
Lao closed the door, lit one of the lamps, and reached for the closures of his jacket. Poppy blushed crimson. He paused. "You are coming to bed, aren't you?" Lao asked.
"Oh, yes," she murmured. "Of course."
Lao smiled. "You're nervous," he said. She nodded. Lao stepped closer and drew one of the heavily ornamented sticks from her hair. The long black strands, unused to the elaborate style, spiraled over her shoulders. "It's all right." He pulled out another stick; Poppy's hair tumbled down her back.
"My…my sisters explained to me…" she stammered. Lao drew her gown over her shoulders. "They explained…"
"It's going to be all right," Lao repeated. Poppy closed her eyes and nodded.
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"Madam would like the lilies in the alabaster vase or the jade jar?" the maid inquired.
Poppy rubbed her forehead. "The alabaster," she said. "And put the vase on the marble-top table in the entry, Wei."
"Yes, madam," the maid said, bowing as she left.
Poppy sighed deeply, rubbing her hand over the soft swelling of her stomach, and turned back to her ledger. The running of the household was left in her charge, and a coming baby was no excuse for slacking. Poppy dipped her brush in ink and marked a change in the dinner menu. She'd been married to Lao for only a month when it became obvious she was pregnant. It had been up and down for the past few months, with morning sickness, mood swings, and cravings. Poppy stroked her belly absently. "You'll be worth it, little one," she murmured. "You've been awfully quiet today. Maybe you'll just be quiet like me."
As if in response, her belly tightened. "Are you kicking, little one?" she smiled. Another sharp tightening. "It's all going to be worth it when I hold you in my arms."
Poppy sat at her little desk, writing as her belly twinged periodically. An hour passed. The pen felt heavy on her fingers; she set it down, dripping ink onto her neatly scripted page. She pushed herself up from the desk. Her body ached.
Poppy took a step, then stumbled, catching herself on a chair. Her belly tightened, and with a dull sickening twist of her heart, she realized that the baby was not kicking.
"Wei!" she called. She clutched at her stomach. "Wei!"
"What is it, madam?" Wei asked.
"The baby…the baby is…" The room spun. Poppy collapsed. She heard Wei gasp and shout for help. Poppy stared at the careening ceiling. Faces crowded her vision. The strong hands of the housemen lifted her up and carried her down the hall to her bedroom. She sank into the soft coverlets, fighting the clutches of pain and the cloudiness of unconsciousness. "My baby. Is my baby all right?"
"Has the physician been called for?"
"He's on his way."
"Tell Lord Lao!"
Poppy tried to focus on a face. "My baby," she whispered. "Is my baby-"
"The physician is here!"
"I don't think she fell, sir, she just felt ill all of a sudden-"
Cold hands moved aside the skirts of her gown without any kind of preamble or pretense of modesty. "She's bleeding heavily."
"My baby," Poppy whimpered.
Lao's face thrust into her line of sight. "Is she going to be all right?" he demanded.
"Keep back, Lord Lao," the doctor warned. His cold practiced hands prodded and poked Poppy's stinging body.
"My baby, my baby…"
The room wobbled. Servants clustered in the doorways, pressed against the walls. The doctor stared at her, intent on his work. Her husband stood at the side of the bed, helpless and useless.
"My baby!" Poppy thumped her fists weakly against the bed. "Is my baby all right?"
The doctor pulled back. His hands held a small, bloody, misshapen lump. He turned quickly as Poppy let out a loud cry.
Her baby was dead.
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Author's Notes:
I bet you were expecting that would be Toph, right? Oh, no. I'm mean like that.
Toph's parents fascinate me. I really want to know what was behind their decision to keep Toph locked away from the rest of the world. I mean, sure, they wanted to protect her, but what was the chain of events that brough them there?
I'm also fascinated by the Avatar mothers in general: Ursa, Kanna and Kya, Aang's parents. This one is sort of the trial run; I have got a poll running on my profile to help me decide who's going to go next. Let me know what you think!