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I tilted my head to the side, uncertain whether the faint rustling of his heavy robes truly echoed in my ears or was nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Then I noticed my most trusted advisor placing a foot upon the ground. Deliberate, measured. And the world trembled, its delicate balance shattered.
Around us, crystalline structures fractured, exploding into a dazzling storm of shards. Like stars, some cascaded to the earth, while others lingered in the air, glinting with intent as they seemed to aim toward me—as though Long Feng sought to remind me that I had forced him to the very edge of possibility, dangerously close to losing complete control.
The words I had shouted still echoed in my ears, while with every shift of my chest, the weight of my mistake grew heavier. It was like a quiet whisper—steady, unrelenting, impossible to ignore. I should have held my tongue, should not have acted like a spoiled child, so convinced they knew better than everyone else. Better than him.
To claim that I could survive in this cruel, war-torn world without him—the one person capable of shielding both me and my position—was an act of sheer arrogance. Again and again, I questioned why I could never bring myself to obey his commands. Was my pride truly such a burden?
As so often, Long Feng would be proven right once more.
If I were to leave today, I would be far from the heart of the violence, sheltered within the splendor of Omashu. Refuge would find me there, cloaked in the pretense of studying ancient texts—far from the chaos, long before the Fire Nation’s army, led by General Iroh, could reach Ba Sing Se.
Unwillingly, my steps retreated until my back met the cold, unyielding wall. Its surface offered neither solace nor support. Instead, it dragged me deeper into the abyss of despair. My lips quivered as I parted them, but no sound came forth—only a ragged, uneven breath that vanished into the oppressive silence.
That seemed to be enough to dissolve his final vestiges of restraint.
With fluid motion, the turquoise-gleaming crystals surged forward. Lithe yet merciless, they tore through the delicate embroidery of my garments. The fabric surrendered, binding me in an intricate web that held me captive against the unfeeling stone.
As the tendrils of dread coiled tighter around my chest, a shiver coursed through me, and my thoughts clawed desperately at the edges of reason—yet my body refused to answer the call. The attack had stopped, but a weight settled over me, as though it sought to extinguish me.
Gradually, my wavering gaze lifted, and before Long Feng, a single shard floated, radiant and rotating slowly, its point unwavering, poised to strike my soul.
Eyes closed, I braced myself for what was to come.
An eternity passed before the crystal grazed my skin. Air poured into my lungs, jagged and rasping, each exhale a defiance. My heart, battered though it was, had not broken.
Almost tender, the tip traced the curve of my cheek with a precision that felt deliberate. Not reckless, not hurried, but exact—unyielding in its intent, its purpose unmistakable.
The sting itself was fleeting. Scarcely more than the prick of a careless needle.
From the broken skin, a curious warmth began to flow, winding a quiet path down my face. Soft at first, almost imperceptible, it soon wrapped itself around my chest, each gasp growing tighter as a thread of panic unspooled, slipping beyond my control.
The fine golden silk of my collar drank it greedily, the ornate embroidery stained with vivid crimson.
Shuddering, my frame surrendered to instinctive resistance. I fought, futile though it was, against the crystalline bonds that held me. Each movement betrayed me, pressing their edges deeper, their icy grasp carving into my skin. A restless tremor stirred in my chest, turning every breath into a reluctant concession.
Eventually, footsteps thundered—purposeful, composed, dismantling the chaos within me with each resounding step. Commanding, his voice followed, reverberating off the stone, biting with the cold of a winter wind.
“Enough of your foolishness!”
Something in his tone pierced through my haze, forcing me back to awareness. Pride stirred within me—not subdued or timid, but bold and defiant, rising up to guard me against humiliation.
His eyes bore into me, promising to allow no escape.
“Well then, my dear Princess, let’s see how long you can continue behaving like a stubborn child. If that’s truly what you want.”
A smile, sharp and unflinching, tugged at my lips, bold enough to deflect his remarks with ease.
„As long as it takes for me to prove your arrogance wrong, Your Excellency.“
The words escaped my lips before I could contain them, yet they appeared to stir neither his wrath nor his resolve.
Long Feng remained silent. No anger, no trace of approval. His expression held its usual hardness, unyielding and distant, seeming impervious to any trace of vulnerability. Yet in his eyes, there was a flicker. A contradiction, so brief I questioned if it was real or merely imagined. Perhaps it was a whisper of regret, a momentary hesitation, too transient to grasp.
Before I could fully process the thought, he stepped closer. Heat emanated from him, slowly unraveling the cold that had wrapped itself around me with such merciless tenacity only moments before.
My breath faltered, a quiet hitch in the rhythm of my lungs, as his hand rose once more. As if by instinct, I closed my eyes and turned my head aside, as though awaiting when my very heart would be torn from my chest.
Instead of pain, I felt the roughness of his hand, its touch caressing as it traced over the fresh wound on my cheek, offering solace where it had no right to. Slowly, it moved beneath my chin, firm but careful, tilting my face upward so that I could not avoid his gaze.
When our eyes met again, the flicker I had noticed earlier resurfaced—stronger now, a spark that broke through the mask of calculated composure he so often wore. Beneath it lay something untamed, something raw and unguarded—almost aching to behold.
Oh, how I savored leading him to this edge. And yet, perhaps it was not I who brought him there, but rather he who yearned to stand upon it.
Who yielded first was beyond knowing—whether his lips sought mine, or my own head tilted to meet him, both drawn by an unseen force neither of us could defy.
Barely more than a whisper, the first kiss came as a fleeting caress, so delicate it might have dissolved into nothingness, vanishing as swiftly as it arrived. Yet something broke between us—a wall, a silence that had persisted far too long.
His lips claimed mine with a fervor that caught me off guard, igniting a warmth deep within, blossoming like life breaking through frozen earth, reaching hungrily toward the light. A low, raspy sigh escaped his throat, gentle but weighted with meaning.
Around my body, the crystalline bonds began to tremble, their rhythm growing stronger.
Almost regretful, the tender gesture softened, holding on as though it sought to preserve the moment before he withdrew. For a heartbeat, he remained close, his breath warm against my skin. He seemed on the verge of speaking, yet no words came.
Then, the crystals fractured with a faint crackle, crumbling into shimmering dust that fell around us like a gentle rain.
My feet found the ground, though his hand kept its grip.
„I believe...“
At last, in a voice scarcely above a whisper, the words slipped from my lips: „I believe the time has come to bow to what has been asked of me.“
To obey his command now felt like taking flight… perhaps it was.
Slowly, his touch faded, dissolving like the final rays of sunlight sinking beneath the horizon, leaving nothing more than a warm and heavy trace that remained long after it had gone.
With quiet, measured strides, I moved forward, as though the very act of walking might scatter the weight of his presence still clinging to me.
Long before the end of the winding paths revealed itself, I came to a halt. The emptiness around me grew oppressive; the silence felt suffocating, treacherous in its stillness.
Unavoidably, I wondered if Long Feng could still sense me—through the ancient powers of this land, denied to me but coursing through him like an unrelenting pulse—or if he believed I was already far away, unaware of the storm he unleashed.