The final remnants of daylight dissolved into the horizon, streaking the heavens with deep violet and ember gold. The sparkling sea mirrored the shifting colors, waves rolling in a slow, steady rhythm—calm yet ever-changing, much like the dreams haunting Aguya as of late.
She sat on the open-air terrace of the royal family's beach house, a silk shawl draped over her shoulders to ward off the chilly breeze that carried the scent of salt and blossoming fire lilies. Twilight was always her favorite time of day, a delicate balance between light and dark, hope and uncertainty.
Her husband, Sozin, sat beside her, one arm resting on the back of her chair, the other lazily tracing patterns along the table's polished surface. The firelight from the imperial red lanterns flickered in his eyes, shifting between warmth and shadow. He had witnessed her turmoil over the past several nights—tossing, sighing, periodically murmuring in her sleep. But tonight, there was a rare lightness regarding her.
She turned to him, her expression soft with something like relief. "I had a remarkable dream last night."
His gaze sharpened with interest. "A good one?"
She nodded, exhaling as though the memory itself filled her with warmth. "Yes. A beautiful one. I dreamt of two young lovers." She smiled, fingers absentmindedly tightening around the fabric of her shawl. "A boy and a girl, standing together in the firelight. Just teenagers, but so in love. The kind of love that softens the world that makes even the heaviest burdens feel lighter."
Sozin tilted his head, intrigued by the rare excitement in her voice. "Tell me more," he implored her.
Aguya's eyes glowed with the remnants of the dream. "The boy… he had golden eyes, like firelight. They blazed with intensity, yet when he looked at the girl, they softened—like embers instead of flames. He was kind, but I could see the weight of expectation on his shoulders. He carried so much—too much. And yet, when he was with the girl, it was as if nothing else mattered." She smiled blissfully, remembering how they had been, the love between them so pure and tender. "And she… she had the most striking jade green eyes. Not just captivating, but alive—bright, full of fire and depth. She was fierce, unwavering, but warm. She grounded him just as much as he lifted her."
She sighed happily, a dreamy smile playing on her lips. "And the most incredible thing happened. The boy… he gave her something. A hair comb, shaped like a fire lily—so delicate, yet strong. He told her it was a promise. A promise that no matter what came, he would always be by her side. Their love would endure, like the fire lily that bloomed amidst the hardest storms."
Aguya's voice faltered momentarily, her thoughts drifting back to the dream. "It was a promise of devotion, of loyalty… as if the fire lily itself symbolized their love, unyielding and eternal." She blinked, uncertainty flickering in her eyes for the briefest moment. "But… I don't know. I can't help but wonder if it was a warning, too. Of how fragile love can be… how readily the darkness can devour it."
Sozin noticed the shift in her expression, the subtle doubt she didn't often reveal. "A warning?"
She nodded, but the smile returned to her face, hesitant. "Maybe. I wish I knew whether to hold on to the hope of that love or fear that it might be lost before it even begins."
Sozin smirked slightly. "A promise of devotion, you say?"
She nodded again, her fingers tracing the edge of her shawl, but her thoughts remained on the vision of the two lovers. "Yes. An unbreakable love, no matter the challenges ahead. Just as the fire lily endures even in the harshest conditions, so too would their love—if only they could remain true to one another."
Sozin was quiet for a long moment, his fingers absently brushing against hers. The distant crash of waves filled the silence between them, steady and unbroken. He could feel the unspoken weight beneath her words—the worry she did not voice, the fear that sometimes flickered in her eyes when she looked at him.
"You always choose to see the good," he murmured, his thumb tracing slow circles against her palm.
Aguya turned to him, her smile gentle yet unwavering. "Because I want to believe in it. I want to believe in love like that. In a world where it is not swallowed by war or ambition."
Twilight deepened into night, and the ocean stretched endlessly before them. The tide had not yet turned—but it would. Whether toward fire or peace, neither of them knew. But for now, in the glow of lantern light and the quiet embrace of the evening, love was winning.
And for tonight, Sozin let himself believe in it, too.