THEME-Write the Toph/Sokka/Zuko triangle

THEME : Write the Toph/Sokka/Zuko triangle

HERE is the final installment of the supposed-to-be-one-shot-turned-three-shot, Intersections. The style is different from the first two chapters, and I know the inconsistency might be a disappointment, but the first two had a distinct pattern that paralleled them, and with a third I felt that I'd have to make a fourth to even it out. So it ends like this, and you'll see what I mean when I say it's actually totally random er--yeah. I hope it's still ok, though I feel I've strayed a bit from the actual prompt o o; I just kept writing and writing and it ran away with me.

ANYWAY, here it is, hope you like, see you at the end C:

INTERSECTIONS

Long ago, there lived a prince, and he was banished from his homeland because his father didn’t see him fit to rule the throne. The poor prince was devastated, and did whatever he could to regain his honor, to be welcomed back into the palace. At the time, the Avatar was still at large, and so he set his sights on capturing the Air Nomad. But as he journeyed after the boy, he found something so much more than honor along the way.

Love.

And it was with a beautiful waterbender from the south.

Their love was forbidden, not only because of their opposing elements, their heritages, or the fact that the waterbender was destined to marry the Avatar. They understood the complications of their love and did nothing to pursue their hearts.

Despite their unspoken vows, he married the Lady Bandit, an esteemed earthbender from Ba Sing Se who was said to have won a thousand earthbending brawls, and had the face to start them. They made a good pair, uniting the Earth and Fire Nations at last, making amends after everything that has happened between the flourishing countries.

And for awhile, their marriage prevailed, and the Avatar and his waterbender were married…

But when the Lady Bandit gave birth, old conflicts arose.

It seemed that the healthy baby boy was, in fact, not the Fire Lord’s.

It caused turmoil and chaos and distrust to run between the two Nations, finally merged together, and the couple was at a loss as to what to do. She came clean, revealing the father to be a Warrior Swordsman from the Southern Water Tribe, and to everyone’s surprise, the Fire Lord was not angry.

He laughed.

Laughed and laughed and said he understood.

Three long years of peace and harmony, threatened by scandal, but it was fine. They both knew that their marriage was loveless, that their hearts belonged to another, but there was nothing they were able to do. Even if the Lady Bandit left to join her love, the prince would be alone and without an heir…so she remained with him.

The waterbender from the south was happy for them and the revelation. Then an aunt, she visited the palace often to keep watch over her little nephew, however old feelings surfaced once more. She knew she could not be with the Fire Lord, and it saddened her more and more each day to be so near to him…

The Avatar saw this and ordered her to leave him.

She would not.

He begged and pleaded for her to leave him.

She would not.

He threatened her to leave him.

And still she would not.

When he asked her why she would not leave him, she confessed that she did not want to break his heart. And he only replied that she already had. And when she cried, he consoled her, telling her to leave him.

“Why?” The waterbender asked through her tears, “Did I hurt you so that you no longer love me?”

The Avatar shook his head. “I just know you will be happiest not with me, but with him.”

And even after that, she refused to leave him, because she loved him and cared for her husband.

Everything seemed to settle back down after a few months, until word of a rebellious group in Ba Sing Se emerged, a group that believed their Lady Bandit was being held in the palace against her wishes, that she was a prisoner in her own home, and this uprising reached across the Earth Kingdom, spurring up cruel rumors of the Fire Nation.

And soon, another battle was looming.

It exploded before either the Fire Lord or Lady could protest, and they were in the dawn of a new war. They tried to end it, through diplomacy and negotiations, but neither side was willing to listen. They refused to fight, to be a part of the war, but it was the only way to end it, and so the pair did what they could to protect both nations from the other – which proved a difficult feat.

They listed the aid of their comrades; the Avatar, his waterbender, the Swordsman of the South, the Kyoshi Warriors, the Freedom Fighters…they all arrived to help, to calm the fighting.

During a particularly brutal civil war, a firebender shot lightning and aimed to kill the Lord who was distracted in fending off his own people from harming Earth Kingdom civilians.

The Avatar took the fatal blow and fell.

His wife rushed to his side, trying to heal him, trying to save him, but he knew his life was finished and he only gave her a smile, as she knelt there, weeping, with the Fire Lord crouched beside her, telling her that he’d see her again in another life.

“Why?” She asked of her dying husband, “Why did you do this?”

The Avatar only took a deep and strangled breath, closing his hand around hers. “Because I could not take breaking your heart.” With those passing words, he left his friends, to ascend into a spiritual world beyond any they could even imagine, and he looked down upon them as they picked themselves up, as they cried and pleaded for him to return, refused to accept his passing, and it was painful at first, to let them go, but he knew it was for the better.

His death incited a passionate response not only from the Fire Lord whom he saved, but the waterbender, and the Lady Bandit, and the warrior, and all protectors of peace and balance.

And the war was ended as they threatened to destroy both nations once and for all, in reprise of the incident of Omashu, and the warring ended and peace was restored.

With the Avatar’s passing, the waterbender was free to do as she wished, but she felt obligated to him, even in his death. The Fire Lord urged the Lady Bandit to go with her son’s father, and she did so, able to raise the boy with the man she truly loved.

It took another few years before the waterbender and her prince allowed themselves to finally be together, but on the day they each said ‘I do’ they were filled with so much happiness…

The Fire Lord, so grateful to his dear friend, wanted to forever commemorate the Avatar’s unmatched loyalty, friendship, and love, and so made the day of Avatar Aang’s passing a national celebration:

Avatar Day.

“Is that how it really happened?” A young boy inquired, wide golden eyes curious. His hair was a rich brown, long and unbrushed, his round face curious and filled with child-like innocence.

A young girl, barely five with pale skin and eyes as blue as the water she bent, huffed. “Well duh, Fire Lady Katara wouldn’t lie.”

A chuckle emerged from the doorway and the Fire Lady (along with the little children listening to the story) turned to see the Fire Lord, grinning in amusement. “Now who told you that lie, Miss Bei Fong?”

The girl wrinkled her nose, folding her arms across her chest, and fixed the Fire Lord with a stare that could only be mimicked by her mother. “Well, her story makes more sense than you saying that it’s actually about you. I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.”

Katara grinned, standing to put the book away. “Well, you know Zuko,” she said in jest, giving her husband a teasing smile, “The politician – he’s a born liar.”

“Alright, enough about me lying,” he said in earnest. “Aang, why don’t you show your guest back to your room?”

The little boy pouted, “Aww, dad, it’s a mess! And we were just about to go to the gardens to play!”

The young girl giggled. “Aang. Like Avatar Aang. You don’t deserve that name, you’re not a hero!” She said, prodding the boy in the forehead.

Aang scowled, snatching at her hand and missing, “How do you know?” He protested, chasing after her as she raced around the library.

“Can you airbend?” She challenged with childlike mockery.

“No, but I’m getting better at waterbending!” He countered, "I'm better at it than you are!"

“C’mon, let’s go to the gardens before mom and dad come back to pick me up!” She said, “First one there is the next Avatar!”

Katara laughed, patting her stomach, round now, and due in a few weeks.

Zuko moved over to her, placing his hand over her tanned fingers.

“Ursa, please be a firebender,” he teased.

-
-

Lady Bei Fong of the Southern Water Tribe arrived approached the gardens, grinning as her daughter, third-born, just barely five years old, ran about the gardens with Fire Prince Aang. Her eldest son was training in Ba Sing Se to become a swordsman. And their middle child, another son and proven earthbender, accompanied the eldest. They didn’t have more children on the way, but that was fine, she was just glad they had three healthy kids, all of whom she would make certain would excel in whichever field they pursued.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she knew who it was even before turning to greet him.

“Yue,” he called to the girl, “Are you ready to go?”

“No!” The little waterbender cried, dashing away with Fire Prince Aang in tow. “We’re playing Avatar!”

Toph blinked, “How do you play Avatar?”

Her daughter peered out from behind a tree. “Whoever makes it to the fountain first wins!” She exclaimed, and without so much as a warning, she charged towards the turtle-ducks. Aang complained that she cheated and as the girl danced of her victory on the fountain’s lip, he pushed her in.

“Mom!” Yue spluttered, pointing at the offender, “He pushed me! Did you see that? He pushed me, mom, did you see?”

Toph rolled her eyes, “No, I didn’t see. But I know he pushed you.”

Yue scowled at the prince through her drenched tresses, “I’m still the Avatar.”

-
-

And she still was, eleven years later.

FIN

ANYWAY, I'd still definitely appreciate some feedback and such and hope it was at least somewhat interesting C: