Disclaimer: When I become ruler of the Universe then I will own everything, but until that day I own nothing.
We were enemies. Strangers. Two people from two entirely different lives. He was the exiled prince of the nation that had taken so much away from me. His people had killed my mother, taken my father away to fight, and now that banished prince was chasing my best friend.
When we'd first met I had no idea that his life had been just as hard as mine. He was scarred emotionally and physically. His own father the blame for the world's suffering and his son's own personal suffering as well.
At first I'd tried to hate him, but then later, when he joined our small traveling group he showed me that we weren't that different at all. I found myself spending more and more time with him. In the process of teaching me about himself, as well as myself, I fell in love with him.
'We were strangers
Starting out on a journey
Never dreaming
What we'd have to go through
Now here we are
And I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you'
When I'd first begun my search for the Avatar I met a girl, but I passed her off as nothing extraordinary. I was a prince, I'd seen many girls a lot prettier than her, but as I fought with her I began to admire her for her spirit and envy her for her family.
Then later when we started traveling together, I envied her brother and the Avatar, for her obvious affection for the two of them. I wanted her to care about me as well, care for me the way I cared for her. She taught me about myself, and she gave me something that I'd lost a long time ago, hope.
'No one told me
I was going to find you
Unexpected
What you did to my heart
When I lost hope
You were there to remind me
This is the start'
Now that boy, actually he's a man, and I grew close and started doing things together. We would walk together to go to the market, and hold hands as we walked down the road. He would watch me practice at the river and ask me to teach him some of my moves.
'Life is a road
And I want to keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey'
I'd give my life to keep that girl safe. When I was younger I was selfish, and truthfully I am still, unless it comes to her. What's mine is hers including my life. I've made it my mission to keep her safe. To be by her side when she needs it, and sometimes even when she doesn't.
'I'll be there
When the world stops turning
I'll be there
When the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you'
It's so amazing that we two people are together now. So different and yet we are so similar. We're on an amazing adventure trying to save the world, but at the same time making our dreams come true. The craziest thing is that even if we lose the war, I'll still be with him unafraid of what happens next.
'We were strangers
On a crazy adventure
Never dreaming
How our dreams would come true
Now here we stand
Unafraid of the future
At the beginning with you'
Although our way of travel leaves much to be desired either walking on a dirty dusty road or riding on that giant bison, which truthfully I'm perfectly fine on, I just pretend to be sick, so that she will sit with me and take care of me. When she's with me I feel calm and peaceful, like a river. Honestly I'm still hot headed and as stubborn as a mule-goat, but she always knows exactly what to say to make me calm again.
'Life is a road
And I want to keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey'
He's had a hard life; I'll be the first to admit it. He's had to overcome many obstacles, his banishment, his feeling of worthlessness. The worst part was every time he looked into a mirror and saw the scar on his face he was reminded of his shame. After I healed his physical scar, I then had the task of healing the emotional scars. Unfortunately they will never completely go away, but now he can look past it.
It wasn't easy healing the emotional scars. At first he wouldn't let me in, he and I had many battles. We constantly were fighting and storm clouds seemed to float above our heads, but in the end we ended up standing next to each other at the beginning of something new.
'I'll be there
When the world stops turning
I'll be there
When the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you'
I'd been trapped in my own personal hell. My past made me lose faith in the world. It seemed where ever I turned there was darkness and no way to escape. Then I met a girl, who was trapped in the dark too. She'd lost her mother in a Fire Nation raid and she hadn't seen her father in many years. We were both trapped in the dark, but then together we escaped and found the light.
'I knew there was somebody somewhere
Like me alone in the dark
Now I know my dream will live on
I've been waiting so long
Nothing's gonna tear us apart'
We'd met in secret, by the river. I'd pretend that I was going to practice and then a little bit later he'd make up some pretense and meet me. Sometimes if we were near a town we'd sneak off and go eat dinner just the two of us. Then afterwards we'd walk around the town just holding hands. Eventually everyone else figured it out and we no longer had to keep our relationship a secret.
'Life is a road
And a want to keep going
Love is a river
I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road
Now and forever
Wonderful journey'
I remember the first we ever kissed. Technically it wasn't my first kiss, as it was hers, but I count it as because it was the first kiss I'd ever shared with her. Yeah I know it sounds sappy, mushy and generally un-guy like to mention something like that, but I don't care.
It was perfect; another un-guy like thing to say, but it was if the world and time stood still. That there only existed us two people at that moment in time. Then when we broke apart all hell broke loose. At that moment I seriously doubted that her brother couldn't bend water or lightning, the way that the storm clouds seemed to gather around him. Thank goodness the girl I was standing next was used to her brother's stupidity and soon the clouds went away, but that didn't stop him from glaring at me across the campfire.
'I'll be there
When the world stop turning
I'll be there
When the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you'
I was once told that I would marry a powerful bender, and that part did come true. What I wasn't told that the road getting there would be full of twists and turns. Or that he would be the son of the world's greatest enemy. That I would see the real man behind the mask when he was waist high in a river at my mercy, his mask floating down the river, swords drawn, still refusing to give in. Who would've guessed that one soaking wet fire bender would be the one that I would go on a crazy adventure with? Not me. I never would have guessed that our journeys were intertwined. Life and love are crazy like that.
'Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river I wanna keep going on…
Starting out on a journey
Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river I wanna keep flowing
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you.'
My wife. It's an amazing concept that the girl of my dreams is the very same one that at the beginning was my enemy. It's funny how life and love throw curve balls at you.
Author's note: I've been tossing the idea back and forth to add stories with songs, that aren't specifically Disney songs. Also to add stories from other people POV, but still be Zutara. Let me know what you think!