She had always known it was wrong. She might have been whisked away in the moment; any guy is attractive when he saves the world. She didn't fight him; she let him kiss her. She had reasoned, as she did so well, because it was true they had been close, they had shared a deep bond. It was wrong though, so wrong.
She should not have walked down the aisle to a waiting man who she sees as a brother, a younger brother. His smile had been so big though, how could she break his heart, the savior of the four nations. Her stomach should have been full of butterflies that day, but instead she was plagued with a pit in her stomach, and a throbbing headache. She had forced each step down that aisle way, but in the end she made it and she was soon a wedded woman. She cried when they kissed, but they were not tears of joy. She was the four nations' sweetheart, and so she had to turn to the crowd with a huge smile for she had married the Avatar, the savior, redeemer, and liberator of the people.
She always had to fight the bile that rose when he wanted to sleep with her. And he frequently did so, but how could she refuse. He only wanted her happiness, something he couldn't give her, but she never let him know that. She always won out against nausea, and eventually gave in. She had to; it was her duty as a wife whether she loved him as a husband or not. She, as always, reasoned with herself, he was the last of his kind and it was her job to bring them back. The water, earth, and fire benders waited in anticipation for the day her pregnancy would be announced for they loved her, and she was married to the Avatar, the last of his kind, the last of the airbenders.
She cried when her first baby was placed in her arms. It was a boy. He had her hair, it was brown, and with little light it sometimes looked, to her, like black hair. He was pale, something from his father, he was big, not fat, just big, and his eyes remained shut concealing their color from his mother and father. They would not know if he would bring back the airbenders until he was older, much older. Her husband eventually left to tell their friends and family, and in that quiet moment she stared lovingly at her new baby, imagining that he was really a son of an emperor, and not the son of an Avatar. It was wrong for she was married to the Avatar, a peacekeeper, not a ruler.
Years later she was given a glimpse of something she missed out on. Her husband had taken her son to watch their blind friend fight in some tournament. Her boy was only four, but when her husband gave her his pathetic, whiny face she decided to let them go; she needed the time alone anyway. With the years passing, and no more children, she had grown bitter. She sat on the balcony, feet elevated, leaning back, watching the night sky.
Her body tensed when she heard the rustling of leaves on the tree that reached the balcony; there was no wind. Her hands slowly went to her water that still hung at her waist. Suddenly her hands were covered by gloved ones, and her mouth opened to scream at the intruder, that was until she saw a familiar blue mask. The firebender quickly removed the mask with a chuckle; she swatted at him but offered him a seat beside her. They talked for a long time, for there was much to talk about, seeing as one was a monarch and the other was the spouse of a powerful leader. Their voices soon softened and faded into the night, until he opened his mouth and asked a question that no one had ever been curious about or had never dared asked. "Why did you marry him so quickly?" Her immediate, practiced answer, "I love him." The firebender turned to her with a raised eyebrow, not completely believing her. She returned his stare, with a shrug, "What isn't there to love? He's the Avatar, remember?" His eyebrow furrowed, "That is what everyone else was saying. I want to know what you were thinking." She stayed quiet, her chin set, not wanting to let go of her biggest secret to a friend of hers but also a friend of her husband. He stared at her though, he was not leaving until he got an answer; something they both shared, stubbornness. She was too tired to fight him anymore though; her husband's pacifist ways were wearing on her she feared. "I didn't love him okay? I mean I do, like a brother. When we traveled together I was always taking care of him, like a mother or sister. We shared a bond, but a sibling bond, at least that's what I thought. He made his feelings clear though, that is most definitely how he didn't see it. How could I say no, how could I crush him? We were in the middle of a war, I couldn't, I just couldn't. We would have lost you know? If I had said no. Afterwards I should have said something, should have told him he was a brother to me. He was so good to me though, and there is something attractive about being with someone who saves the world, but that feeling soon wore off. By then it was too late, if I left I would have shattered him, shattered the people, and everyone would hate me. So I married him, and had a son. He's still a brother to me; I'm still a caregiver to him." She quickly closed her mouth, eyes wide, as she watched the firebender mull all the information over in his head. She closed her eyes, keeping tears, which had been there so long, closed in. Suddenly though there were soft lips against hers, and for the first time in a longtime she was being kissed without suffering from pure nausea. She returned the kiss, pushing all guilt aside. He pulled away, and she wrapped her arms around his neck burying her face into his neck and crying. When they met they had been enemies, they were two people struggling with the same thing for a moment, and then enemies again; she had hated him for so long, and he had done so much. A friendship had somehow sprung from that twisted mess; she had chosen to go with him to confront his sister, which had left her husband alone with the enemy. This firebender in front of her could be the most infuriating person; he would fight with her but would eventually make up. Her husband would simply whine or give in to her, like some child, because he needed her. This scarred man in front of her didn't need her, he only wanted her and that made all the difference in the world for her.
They sat there for much time, not saying a word. They both knew she would never leave her husband and child; they knew he could never leave his throne for her; and they knew it was wrong, the moment, the timing, their kiss. She cried because nothing could ever be right, something was always wrong. She fell from his embrace when they heard the clatter of her husband coming home, and in a blink her firebender had scaled down the balcony and was gone. That night, after her son was in bed, she walked to her husband and kissed him, trying to forget the loss of her fire. For her husband was a pacifist; there was no fire for he was the Avatar, the last airbender.
She gave birth soon after, to another son, another hope for the air benders to live on. She knew, she just knew, that he would not carry on his father's bending. He had hair like his brother, dark, though he was smaller and his skin was tan like his mother. When he opened his eyes, she nearly cried. Her baby's eyes were gold, and full of fire. She explained to her husband that she had read of previous avatars' children inheriting any bending because of the avatar's talent to do all four. Her husband believed her; he blindingly believed every word that fell from her mouth. It was so wrong, but she could do nothing else for he was the Avatar and who would dare break the Avatar's heart?