Lives Forgotten

Hurting

Father,

I am sorry. I am sorry that I was not born an airbender. I am sorry that I couldn't hold your marriage together. I'm sorry that I will remain forever tied down to this wretched earth. I am sorry that we don't speak. I am sorry for frightening the children you had with that Air Acolyte Lady. I hope I didn't hurt the little arrowhead's wrists in my fury. I'm sorry for destroying their gliders with my metalbending. I shouldn't be angry at you. I should be proud of you. I understand the world is bigger than our family would ever be. I should congratulate you and thank you for all you have done, for the city, and for the Air Nomads. I want to congratulate you on being able to rebuild your nation. I just wish we could be a part of it instead of on the fringe, watching...

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Huifan scratched out the last line then crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it blindly in the direction of the massive fire place in her luxurious bedroom. Then she took the pen that she was about to use to draft another letter, and threw that into the stone beside the blaze with enough raw power to lodge it into the grey brick without her bending. She ran her fingers through her washed hair that hung loosely down over her shoulders and back and leaned her head on the desk and cried.

"My love, just breathe," Lin said enveloping her eldest daughter in a hug for a moment before carrying her from the desk up a few steps to a large four poster bed fit for a Fire Nation Princess, but covered in gold and green. Lin lied down beside her daughter and tucked her long hair behind her ear and stroke her head.

Huifan rolled over and took a framed photo off her bedside table. It was the one she had taken from Jinora.

"How could he hate us so much to keep this around?" Huifan asked her mother.

"I don't think it was out of hate that he kept the photo. I think he missed us greatly. I know Tenzin. There is nothing on his desk that he doesn't need immediately, or use every day. He must have just looked at the photo often enough to not feel a need to put it away," Lin replied as calmly as she could in an attempt to ease her daughter's pain.

Tears formed in the young woman's face as she examined the figures in the photo. "I still can't believe how happy we were. And you were pregnant, and then everything just- ended," Huifan said sadly.

"I know, it was hard. I know it is hard, but life goes on," Lin replied holding the young woman until she fell asleep.

Before she left, she stopped to pick up the crumpled letter that Huifan threw at the massive fire, and replace the pen from the stone, back on her daughter's desk.

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The next day, Lin returned to Air Temple Island, wearing her police uniform looking as authoritative and composed as ever. One would never believe the woman was even capable of shedding a tear let alone screaming and crying as Jinora and Opal saw her doing on the beach the previous night.

"Lin," Tenzin began to say, intercepting her as she marched towards the main house. She merely shoved him aside with one arm and and erected a rock wall between them and continued into the main house.

"Lin, you're back!" Pema said nervously spotting her from the kitchen.

"Forgive me, Pema, I have some unfinished business to attend to," Lin growled marching straight back into Tenzin's office.

The desk was cleared save for five photos of Lin each with a different baby nestled in her arms. The photos were around a rather blank piece of paper on which Tenzin wrote "Please, I am sorry, may I see them again? Forgive me." Lin's hand flew to her mouth and she started shaking, feet frozen in place.