This chapter will be shorter. I wanted to keep it nice and simple.
Tahno had found peace. He thought he had some semblance of it when he was with Korra. Some semblance of calm and happiness when he was with the love of his life. But this was true peace. He had come to terms with himself, with the aid of his mother, about what had happened fifteen years ago. He felt lighter than ever. He felt stronger, better. He felt like he might actually be worthy of a girl as amazing as Korra. Which was why he had waited until now to reveal to the others what Mako had learned by accident.
Bolin smiled hugely, and actually hugged his old rival. Asami actually screamed in excitement, both of her hands flying to her lips. Iroh was more reserved, more collected, but he did offer his sincerest good wishes. Mako stood at the back of the group, smirking in a self-deprecating sort of way. Tahno did not really understand what Mako was feeling, but he could still feel for the Firebender. Losing somebody that you love, to a person that you could barely tolerate, was a real bad day. And Mako did love Korra. But he had failed to act. Tahno would not make the same mistake.
"So, how are you going to ask her?" Asami said excitedly, one hand still clasped in General Iroh's.
Tahno shrugged. "I don't really know. Haven't thought about it much."
"Well, start thinking!"
~…~
Somehow, Tahno had already managed to make most, if not all, of the wedding arrangements without alerting Korra. Pema and the Airbenders all knew. Tenzin insisted on acting as the minister, and everyone agreed that Meelo should be the ring bearer. Ikki and Jinora would be the flower girls.
Korra's parents had been contacted, Tahno first asking for her father's blessing. When the man granted it gladly, the second question was asked. Would they be able to come? Unfortunately, Korra's mother was not in a fit state for travel—Korra had a little sibling on the way—and they could not afford it in any case. That left the biggest question, other than Korra's response, of course. Who would give her away?
~…~
She said yes! Upon the krew's return to Republic City, a flock of reporters and interviewers mauled the young Avatar as she left the ship. Tahno slipped one of them a piece of paper and twenty yuons, and waited patiently.
Finally, the reporter made himself heard, being very obvious about reading it from the piece of paper.
"Avatar Korra, you visited the swamp on your journey, is that right?" he said loudly, fighting a grin. Korra nodded. "While you were there, did the swamp show you a vision?"
She nodded again, frowning.
"Did you understand it at all?"
"Not really, no," she said after a moment. "What's this all about?"
The reporter could not hide his grin as he continued. "It seems that one of your companions understood your vision perfectly. Now your companion would like you to turn around."
Raising a bemused eyebrow, she had, and her aquamarine eyes rested at once on the kneeling Tahno. More specifically, she caught sight of the necklace in his outstretched palm. A length of midnight blue silk ribbon. An intricately carved, bright blue pendant. Tears filled her eyes, and she covered her mouth with her hand.
It took her three tries, but she said yes. She said yes.
~…"
"What do you mean they can't come?" Korra said incredulously. Tahno frowned. He'd just informed Korra that her parents couldn't make it to the wedding.
"They said that she wasn't fit to travel…"
"Why in Spirits' names not?"
"They…they haven't told you yet?"
Instantly he knew that he should have phrased his words differently. Korra had assumed that something horrible had happened, he knew it. Her eyes began to shine.
"They're fine, Korra, everyone's fine," he said quickly, moving forward to set his hands on her shoulders. "It's just…Korra, you're mom…She's pregnant."
Korra blinked stupidly, the moisture clearing from her eyes.
"My mom's…pregnant?" she repeated. "She's gonna have a baby?!"
"Yeah, that's generally what pregnant means," Tahno said with a smirk.
"But then…Then who's gonna give me away?" she wondered.
Tahno smiled, and took one of her hands in his, raising it to his lips.
"I think…" he said softly. "That we both already know the answer to that. We've still got one brother that doesn't know what we need him to do in the wedding."
A slow smile crept across Korra's face, and her eyes lit up.
"Mako."
They said it together.
~…~
The music started. The small congregation rose, turning toward the beginning of the aisle. Tahno was standing at the other end, the one nearest to the altar, dressed in a vibrant navy blue tuxedo and a white rose pinned to his lapel. The dark suit was a stunning contrast to his pale skin, and brought out flecks of blue in his eyes that normally went unnoticed. On the outside, Tahno looked as self-satisfied and confident as ever. On the inside, however, his stomach was doing all sorts of gymnastics. There was no going back from this. He loved Korra. Loved her enough that he would die for her, and he was perfectly happy to live for her as well. Would she feel the same way? Surely she did. But what if she changed her mind in ten years? What would happen if she decided that he was too much for her, and she demanded a divorce? Would they have children to worry about?
Stomach churning, Tahno also turned to face the double doors, through which Korra would be coming. First he saw the little Airbender girls, dressed in brilliant white dresses, sprinkling rose petals over the ground. Jinora looked calm and collected, but was still glowing with excitement. Ikki was…well…Ikki. But they both made it to the end of the aisle despite Ikki's zealous flinging of the flowers.
Next, the bridesmaids and their partners came out. Asami and Iroh first, then Bolin and Pema.
His palms were sweating slightly.
Then, finally, the bride entered. The crowd gasped. Behind Korra, clothed not in her police uniform, but in a modest white jersey dress, was Lin Beifong, holding the young woman's train with a surprisingly authentic looking smile on her face. Korra herself wore floor length ivory silk, in a style extremely uncharacteristic of traditional Water Tribe dress. The material was supple, not so much falling down her lean frame as flowing. It was high necked, and had long sleeves that widened at the ends, until they nearly brushed the floor. Intricate navy embroidery embellished the edges of the sleeves and dress, and it twined gracefully around her throat. The bouquet was white lilies and baby's breath, as though someone had made flowers out of pure snow. But there was a single drop of red in the center of the arrangement, as though a person had pricked their finger on the thorn of a rose, and a single drop of blood fell onto the snow. A brilliant, crimson rose seemed to burst from the bouquet. A filmy white veil obscured the Avatar's face partially, making it difficult to judge what she was feeling.
One hand rested on Mako's outstretched arm, clothed in rich black silk. Ruby cufflinks glinted in his sleeves, and a dark, blood red silk collared shirt stood out beautifully against the tuxedo. His hair was slicked back, and while it looked clean and sophisticated, something about it just felt weird. Maybe because his hair was always spiked and mussed. The most startling feature on Mako was the apparent lack of his scarf. He was never without it outside of the Pro-bending arena. But he was now. Where was it?
Even without his scarf, Mako looked…happy. Really, truly, he did. His amber eyes were warm, if a bit resigned, as he looked down at Korra. Tahno had worried that Mako might be sad, or even angry, to give Korra away at the wedding. In every sense, Mako was giving her away, and no one was sure how he would feel about that. Korra had been sure that he wouldn't even want to be at the wedding. But he had accepted the request graciously, even excitedly. He really was the best friend Tahno could ever wish for Korra. Mako was a good man. He was just a little confused sometimes.
Yes, Tahno had time to think about all of this, because that aisle was damn long! He couldn't stand how long he had to just wait there, watching Korra walk slowly toward him, without running to her. Just like that, his anxiety was gone. What happened in the future was up to them to decide. What happened in the past had led up to this moment. But what happened, right here, right now, was what he cared about. And right here, right now, he was at his wedding, the wedding he never thought he'd have, watching the most amazing woman in the world approach him.
Finally, Mako and Korra reached the place where Tahno stood. Mako took Korra's hand from his arm, and gently placed it on Tahno's elbow. His smile was a little sad, but nonetheless, he squeezed her hand, and gave Tahno a quick slap on his shoulder before retreating to his designated spot.
The rest of the wedding was a blur. Pictures were taken, words exchanged, and tears were shed. But no matter how fast it might have gone by, Tahno and Korra would never forget that day. Not for as long as they lived.
~…~
"Mommy and Daddy are doing it again!" the little girl said in a loud whisper, blue eyes screwed up.
"Eww, cooties!" cringed her brother. His dark hair flopped over into eyes identical to his sister's, right down to the horrified expression.
The little girl's tiny hands grabbed two handfuls of her own raven hair and pulled it over her eyes like a frizzy mask.
The children's parents laughed and leaned into each other on the park bench, their hands clasped on the man's thigh. They were older now, almost forty, but they could pass for their early twenties. The woman's dark skin was not yet lined by anything but old scars, though her body and facial structure had matured fully. The man's skin, while still pale, had at long last absorbed a little bit of sun, and was no longer glaringly white. There were light lines around his eyes and at the corners of his lips, but they didn't make him look older.
Their eyes were still young and bright and full of life. Hers, stunning, electric blue, and his a shocking, unreal silver. They hadn't lost any of their previous animation. If anything, they were more alive than ever as they watched their children play in the grass.
The necklace around the woman's throat gleamed in the afternoon sun of Republic City. It could have passed as brand new because of the exceptional care she took of it, despite wearing it every day since the wedding. A thick ring gleamed from the man's fourth finger on his left hand—a new tradition, but a popular one in the city, one that his wife had insisted upon. She had made it herself.
"You've got some silver in your hair, Korra," Tahno murmured, plucking at the offending strands.
"And you're trying awful hard to get a spare tire," Korra replied with a laugh, poking his stomach.
"If I had known aging was gonna be like this, I never would've done it," he said with a chuckle.
"I like it," she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You have to admit, it's nice being able to slow down now."
"Yes, because the kids really give us time for that," Tahno said sarcastically. She laughed.
"I love you, Tahno," said the Avatar quietly. Her husband squeezed her hand gently, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"I love you too, Korra."
Well, that's that. I know this chapter's a little different, but I couldn't really make one full chapter for each individual moment, and I kind of wanted it to be more of a vague collage of thoughts and memories. I really hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading, and R&R please! Oh, and also, with the reviews, I love constructive criticism. I believe it makes me a better writer. But be respectful while giving it, please. If you're going to be mean and nasty, don't bother. All I ask is that you are considerate while telling me what you did or didn't like. Thank you, and I promise I'll update ASAP!
