Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire [Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic]

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Another night, another night shift. Izara was pacing out the front of the Fire Lord's bedroom door, as she had been posted to the previous 3 nights. She had trained with him early this morning before she had left to go and rest after working. Smiling at the memory, she recalled that she had completely lost her footing as they went through an advanced set and fallen flat on her back. He had raced over to her to make sure she was okay, only to find her laughing madly at herself. After a moment, he had joined in her laughter, and they had ended up lying down on the ground and staring up at the clouds together. They had spent some time pointing out some of the shapes of the clouds and what they looked like, and it was the most fun she had had in a long time. She felt that he felt the same, and he had patted her shoulder with a smile before she left to return to the guards' rooms.

During her time here, it was almost like they had become friends, rather than a Fire Lord and one of his many guards or staff members. There were times when they had discussions about the world, their lives, and their pasts and got to know one another. Although she wouldn't say it outright, she hoped their bond was a friendship.

She heard sounds from his room, signalling that he was having a nightmare. He hadn't told her what they were about, but he had said that if she was on guard, he wanted her to come and wake him up if he was having one. Calmly, she opened the door to his room, closed it behind her, and then approached his bedside.

Reaching out, she nudged his shoulder gently as he flinched and moved in his sleep. Her touch woke him, and his eyes found hers immediately. Giving him a smile to make sure he knew he was safe, he exhaled and relaxed. Not sure if she was going too far, she sat down on the edge of the bed and let him catch his breath, allowing her presence to remind him where he was and that he was okay.

After a minute, he sat up, and he took in her appearance for a minute. He shuffled towards her, and she stayed put, not quite sure what he was doing. Once he was close enough, he leaned forward, his forehead resting on her shoulder. She didn't allow herself to physically react but freaked out internally, not expecting him to do that.

"Just for a minute." He mumbled, breathing slowly to calm himself down.

Empathy surged within her, and she felt bad that he struggled to sleep some nights because of his horrible dreams. She knew all too well how hard it was to stay awake for days at a time, all because she was too afraid to go to sleep and see the terrifying images her mind summoned. Cautiously, she brought a hand to his back, moving it against his bare skin to further comfort him. She had to pointedly ignore the firm muscle under her fingers, which threatened to distract her from her original purpose.

True to his word, he straightened up after a moment, and she pulled her hand back to her lap. Not quite ready to make eye contact with him, she spaced out, looking at the sheets.

"Thank you."

"Are you sure you're okay?" She replied evenly.

"I'll be fine." Although he spoke confidently, she raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "It was just a bad dream."

"For you to react like that, it must have been more than just a bad dream." Her tone was soft, letting him know that she was worried, but she regretted it when he grimaced. "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me."

Instead of replying, he just gave her a half-smile. She nodded, understanding what he meant, and didn't push any further. Since she thought she might have been going too far sitting on his bed, this was much more than she expected.

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do?"

Adjusting his position once again, he turned to face her squarely. His gaze told her he was thinking about what to say and how to say it, so she simply waited patiently until he sorted it out.