ATLA Little Bender

Your Reality vs Mine

A/N 

To be honest, it feels like its been too long since I've sat down and typed. So I decided to enjoy the solace of the very early morning to publish this soon. Although I wonder how many night owls live in these hours. Thank you to all the new readers and for your kindness. I'm in denial that LITTLE BENDER has reached number one rankings in both tags of Aang and AangxOC so this is shocking and a blessing. I'm grateful that together we're approaching 3K reads and after personal news- this is dedicated to all the people who have lost their pillars from COVID 19. I'm thinking I might leave more updates on my profile but for now, let's dive into the world of Avatar together yeah?

ON WITH THE STORY.

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'Just like they took his father.' The voice of Haru's mother echoed through Elaria's mind. She withered away at their words. They aren't thugs, these people just don't understand. They only see their lives but not our own. Would they ever try to understand the twilights that Uncle Ozai ran through in the War Room? The pain of Great Aunt Rina passing? The gaping loss of Ursa, the death of Lu Ten? 

Is there any room for compassion when bitterness corrodes kindness? 

War had casualties on all sides. It was just the way the world worked. 

The rest of the world simply didn't dive below the surface. They only see their own trails, never that of others. If Elaria could look back on this moment; she would wonder about the laughable nature of her journey, she had the chance to see all their trails, she witnessed them, and yet her own mind remained locked. Favored in a dream. 

That fire nation soldier is vile and cruel but he doesn't represent all of them. Elaria would get his name and hunt down any further corruption when she returned to the capital. Aang had told her she always had the power to choose. Yet her choice is blindly driven by the guilt that enslaved her. Haranguing her to do something. 

She decided that she would better the lives of the people under the Empire while serving as Empress of the Fire Nation. It would take years but the world can acclimate and better itself under the Fire Nation. 

"Looks like Katara has a boyfriend," Sokka joked about his sister to Aang. The boys are following Haru and Katara as they talked. 

Elaria lagged behind, before slipping away from their reaches. She went back to the shop where his mother stood at the counter staring blankly at the floor. Her tears had dried but the rim of her eyes are swollen red. Her heart nearly wept for the woman who lost her husband. Guilt stabbing her. She couldn't bring her husband back not if he already died on his side of the war. Yet Elaria could comfort the woman and cease her suffering from the vile soldier. 

That soldier who dishonored both their nations; Her hands clenched. 

Haru's mother looked up as she re-entered the shop; the door closing gently behind her. "Did you get separated from Haru and your friends?" The mother asked concerned to the younger girl. She couldn't be older than fourteen but she already looked as though everything was falling apart around her. The girl's face was discolored, gray eyes metallic, and she walked as though her legs would give way. But the girl raised her chin and tensed, and suddenly it looked as though she had hidden her pain all her life. 

A mask made of china, luster, perfect, and inanimate.

A doll dressed in green. Haru's mother is taken aback by the sudden disposition from Elaria.  She exuded strength and commanded attention even in the simple robes she wore. 

To bend the will of the people requires more than words, it demands an illusion of glory. 

"I asked you a question, the one about the name of that... tax collector?" Elaria said the words with carefully veiled contempt. Haru's mother frowned.