Still don't own LoK or Anastasia!
Anastasia awoke with a jolt the next morning after her fight with Olga, her heart clenching in pain and anguish. She curled up in a tight ball and began to sob, tears flowing freely down onto her hair and the pillow. It didn't matter that things could never go back to the way that they had once been. All she wanted was for her friends and family from the other world, from her home world, to support her, but even then they failed her where the Fire Nation did not.
"Anya," she heard Iroh say as he rapped on her door. "Breakfast is almost over, do you want something to eat?"
"Go away," she rasped out, her voice almost breaking with sobs.
"Anya," Iroh said carefully as he came into her room and shut the door behind him. "What's wrong?"
"A lot of things," she spat, and she felt him sit down at the edge of her bed.
"Please tell me," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I don't like seeing you so upset."
"My family hates me," she said tartly, "my friends who helped reunite me with my grandmother betrayed me, and to make it worse… you don't even want to know."
"Yes, I do," he said calmly. "It's upsetting you, and I want to know what's wrong."
"My own mother thought I was a monster," she said hurt, and both were silent for a few seconds before she continued, "She was right, of course, but it still hurt."
"You're not a monster," he said taken aback. "A little harsh, but all you did was hurt her so she wouldn't fight you again, wouldn't try to take me from you again. They didn't even know it was you, Anya. As for your friends from the other world – they're jealous."
"No, Demitri wants me for himself," she spat. "But I want you, not him!"
"And you have me," Iroh soothed, "Wrapped around your ring finger."
Anastasia looked up at him before jerking up to hug him tightly. He held her to him and put one arm around her waist and the other behind her head.
"I was afraid for you during the fight," he admitted. "I was worried that you would be hurt, that I would lose you forever. I told myself that if she won or killed you, I would stay by your side anyways. I told myself that I would burn her so that she couldn't see very well anymore if she hurt you again."
Iroh sighed as Anastasia pulled away from him at last. He pulled up on her chin gently with his index finger and brought his lips to hers. He broke away with a bright look in his eyes and a soft smile before turning and leaving the room so she could get dressed in peace.
Anastasia stared after him in shock, unsure of what had just transpired. She had spilled her worst fears to him, and he had accepted them and then countered in a way that was to destroy them. She took a deep breath and felt her eyes brim with prideful tears in love for her General. She dressed quickly, but carefully, so as not to disturb her injury or to miss breakfast.
"Momma, when is Anastasia going to be back?" she heard Kimi whine, and then her heart clenched as she realized that she had been searching for the wrong family all along.
"I was blind," she murmured. "I was a blind fool."
"She'll be back soon, Kimi," she heard Ursa soothe. "She's out in Republic City still. You know that Iroh's going to go get her today from where she was spending time with a friend."
"I was a blind fool," Anastasia said shaking her head. "I should have… how could I have been so stupid? During the whole time that I had been trying to get back to mine while in this world, I neglected the one that had done so much for me. How could I have not realized that I had a family in Iroh's family?"
"We are only human," Iroh pointed out as he brought breakfast in to her. "Here, it's not's your fault that you didn't see it before. I remember when a few of my soldiers had done the same thing, and they nearly destroyed their own biological families for it. It's not your fault that your sister is a monster that's worse than Azula."
"so what are we doing today?" Anastasia asked with a raised eyebrow. "I know we're supposed to be out in the city, since your mother said so walking by just now."
"Well, I was thinking that first we could create a design for the new pendant," he said, "I wanted something that could open both music boxes."
"Both?"
"The one that I will give you and the one your grandmother gave you."
"But I don't have that one."
"No, but you will when she arrives in our world. I want it to be something special, something that nobody in your family will like…"
"Fire nation Crest," Anastasia said with a shrug. "Curved on the bottom, so it will work for my grandmamma's music box, and spiked on the top so it will work for ours."
"And it will have a little metal clasp of sorts to hold it in place," he nodded smiling. "That is ingenious, Anya, you should try designing jewelry."
"I'm not laughing."
"No, you're not. What do you want the music box to look like?"
"Surprise me," she retorted. "Isn't that the point?"
"True, very true," Iroh conceded, "As you wish, my love."
As Anastasia ate her breakfast in silence, Iroh contemplated what he wanted the music box to look like on the inside. he wanted it to be special, for it to be something just for them, but also something that would describe both of them, in a way. He finally had somewhat of an idea for the outside design, but not the slightest clue for the design for the inside aside from what he wanted it to be.
"What are we going to do when you're gone at sea?" Anastasia murmured, and he looked at her worried expression.
"We'll think of something," he assured her. "I know we will."
What do you think they'll do? What do you think the music box will look like?
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