A/N: This chapter, originally I don't even think I was going to do, but then it kept on coming back to me and I figured I might as well, and it ends up setting a few of following events in order, so here we go. I really hope you enjoy and continue to review. I'm also participating in Kataang week, and have written two pieces so far for it, so if you would like to read those I have posted them to my profile!
Disclaimer: I don't own "Avatar: The Last Airbender" or "Legend of Korra".
The Princess was twirled on the tips of her toes gracefully into the arms of the young recruit whom kept a tight hold on her hand. His arm wrapping around her tiny waist as the music ceased then picked up in a slow song, the two sharing a slight smirk before Bumi let go of Ursa.
"Well, I guess that was my dance."
Ursa rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around her childhood friend's neck, watching as the couples around them did the same. Bumi grinned cheekily as his arms wrapped around her waist holding her close.
"No," Ursa murmured as she laid her head on his shoulder, feeling the scratchy red material of his jacket rub against the delicate skin of her face, "I'm the Princess and I order you to share another dance with me, and then another, and another..." She trailed off, a hand sneaking up and flicking the wolf tail at the back of his head playfully. "You look more Water Tribe every time you come here."
"That's funny," Bumi chuckled a bit, swaying with the music and naturally taking the lead, "Because every time I come here, I feel like I'm more and more Fire Nation."
Ursa looked up at him curiously, "Really?" the young man nodded, and the Princess had to giggle a bit, "Well I guess despite your hair, your attire is certainly fit for our culture," she ran a hand along the collar of his jacket, fixing it a bit for it was slightly askew.
"I don't think it really has anything to do with the clothes I wear," He tightened his hold on her, "In fact, I know for sure it's probably more so the people I feel such an attachment to."
The Princess smiled for a second, before her amber eyes looked to the side shyly, "Kya told you we were talking about you, didn't she?"
Bumi chuckled a bit and shook his head, "She told me that you two had conversed about the subject," his eyebrows waggled at this, "But she didn't tell me what was said between the two of you."
"Good."
"Well, considering the subject is me," Bumi smiled down at the bashful girl dancing with him, "I really do feel like I have a right to know what you were talking about."
Ursa sighed, shaking her head as her gaze drifted to the side yet again, "It's not anything you don't already know."
Bumi frowned a bit at the girl's response. Their was something she wasn't telling him, and he could feel it in the way she was holding herself, in the way her arms had suddenly tightened around his neck.
"I think there's more to it than you're choosing to share, Princess."
The girl looked up at the young man, his grey eyes gently questioning her own as she released herself from his hold and grasped one of his warm, tanned hands, pulling him through the dancing couples around them in the direction of the doors leading to the hall outside the room.
She nodded respectfully to the two guards who stood beside the doors, and they opened them at the Princess's command. She pulled her companion through them and the guards closed them behind her.
Bumi watched as she let go of his hand, bringing both of her own up to her face and turning her back to him to look outside the window to the outdoors, to where the moon shone brightly on the couples dancing under it.
"You've always been able to tell when I was hiding something," She removed her hands from her face, laying them daintly on the windowsill as her warm breath left fog on the glass, "Just like when you saw my throwing knife."
The recruit walked up to stand beside her, a hand resting comfortingly on her shoulder, "Well, you're pretty bad at hiding things."
She giggled slightly, turning her face towards him as he admired the way her golden eyes positively glowed in the light of the moon, "I was asking Kya if she thought my proposition was a good one."
Bumi's dark eyebrows scrunched together, "Proposition?"
Ursa sighed, nodding with a small smile on her face, "After I returned that day you had breakfast with us, I spoke with my father," she looked up hopefully at her companion, "And he proposed an alternative to fighting in the rebellions."
Bumi's grey eyes turned curious as her words sunk in, "What would that be?"
The Princess grasped one of the hands by his side, within her own, eyes shining, "He offered to make you an honorary member of the guard, that way you could be both effectively serving, but also staying safe at the same time."
The young man allowed the idea to sink in, trying to look away from the girl's hopeful eyes staring so determinedly into his, "Ursa, I don't -"
She stopped him, a hand on his shoulder, holding onto him desperately as she tried to reason with him, "Bumi everyone is already so proud of you," she let go of him, gesturing to the gardens, "You should hear the way your family has been talking about you, their impressed because you made it through training. You excelled. There is nothing left for you to prove to anyone, and if you want to prove something, prove your loyality to my nation and it's royal family instead of participating in raw violence."
The Princess spoke so passionately of her ideal, her clear voice was persuasive and it caused Bumi's eyes to soften at just how hard she was trying to think this all through.
"Ursa," Bumi murmured as he lay his hand on her shoulder again, a sad smile on his face, "There's nothing more I would like to do then to join you in the Fire Nation, to actually get to see you every day, to be able to actively protect you from any danger that may arise here," the young man sighed as the Princess's eyes filled with tears, "But I'm meant to be somewhere else. I'm meant to fight. That's why I'm so good at it, because that's what I'm suppose to do."
Ursa pulled away from his grip, turning her back toward him, the ends of her dress scratching against the carpet and resounding off the walls and into the air of the silent hall, "Bumi, you don't understand," she whispered, letting a tear escape from her amber eye, "I heard the General talking to my father and yours, he was telling them what amazing progress you have made. They are going to send you to the forefront soon, Bumi. You don't have much time before you are going to be thrown into the face of danger, you can't just accept that."
Bumi huffed a frusterated sigh, silently breaking as he watched the girl's tears fall down the side of her pale cheek in the soft moonlight, "Ursa, this is what I came here for. I realized the danger the day I signed up."
The Princess turned to him, her eyes sad as she gently tried to whipe the tears collecting on her cheeks, "Bumi, don't do this," her voice turned quiet, she sounded like a terrified child, "Everyone is scared, Bumi. Their scared for you. I listened in at the meetings, these rebellions involve both nonbenders and benders alike, either trained in weaponary or in their bending style. They have been planning this for years, every single one of them. Their ready to fight, Bumi. We aren't."
The recruit threw his hands up, his voice rising as he denied the urge to comfort the girl in front of him, "That's why it's a fight, Ursa! I have been training since I could hold a sword in my hands, I'm ready to face anything that comes my way."
The Princess was quickly becoming frusterated, crossing her arms defiantly across her chest, "I'm beginning to wonder if what you really are fighting for is honor," she sneered at the word, "Or if it's just an excuse to make yourself feel useful."
Bumi's mouth opened wide at the accusation, "Are you kidding me?" he was growing angrier at the Princess's words, "Of course it's for honor! Why does anyone go into a battle for any other reasons?"
Her amber eyes were ablaze with raw emotion as she ticked the reasons off on her fingers, "Money, Violence, Escape, all of those are valid reasons." she continued, "Fame, Heroism, the Upperhand," she threw her palms up frusterated before putting her hands on her hips, "Their are many reasons people make the decision you do."
Bumi narrowed his eyes, "If there are many people who make my decision, what makes me so special that the Princess of the Fire Nation, personally requests that I be a part of the royal guard?" he stepped a little closer to her, his grey eyes watching her carefully, "Why not do the same for my friends Mako, or Ling, or even Lee?"
Ursa let out a frusterated groan, "Because this is you we are talking about, Bumi!" her voice rose an octave, "You are the Avatar's son! Whether you believe it or not, you are a very important person in this world."
Bumi shook his head, "That isn't what this is about."
The Princess looked up at him, her golden eyes gazing into his own, "You're important to me," her voice was quiet as it shook slightly, "Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Actually, yes it was."
He walked up to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and holding her close in a tight embrace, "Ursa, I promise you I know what I'm doing. I promise to always return to you."
He pulled back and was leaning closer to her face, when a pale finger rested forcefully on his lips. He opened his eyes and was met with hurt amber eyes in return.
"Bumi," her voice was barely above a whisper as she broke away from his grasp, "Don't make promises you don't intend to keep," she turned away from him, to the direction of the party as it continued on, the lively music still playing softly behind the doors, the friendly chatter drifting over the sounds of plates and glasses clanking,
"It just hurts me more."
The Princess looked back at him again, a sad glint within her usually bright eyes. The blush on her cheeks had disappeared, along with the Ursa he had been dancing with just a few minutes before.
As she walked through the doors, and entered the party, he hit himself in the face harshly, "Ugh!"
He couldn't deny that this made things more complicated, it made his decision harder to follow through with. He could not deny any longer how tight of a hold the Princess had on his heart.
As his hand reached up his back, he was saddened by the fact that a dagger was not sticking from the fold in his jacket.
He was saddened by the fact that he may of just choosen honor over something much more valuable.
Love.