Bangle

In Pema's village, men gave their wives bangles. The more bangles she had, the more well-off their family was. Even the poorest of women had a few bangles in a variety of colors.

Pema's father had died before she was born. Her mother only ever had two bangles.

And so when Pema turned twelve her mother gave her one of the bangles, a beautiful red thing with gold paint that matched its companion, gold with red paint. They were very old bangles, her mother had explained, and very precious. It wasn't the number of bangles, it was the love behind them, and no man had had more love in his heart than when her father had given her mother those two bangles.

If she had been smart, Pema would have given her mother back the red bangle before joining the Air Acolytes. Everything she came with, they told her, was to be donated to charity. She begged to keep the one bangle, that was it, but they told her no. That was not their way.

For days she cried over losing her mother's bangle.

Her guru comes to tell her her mother has died, Pema collapsing into Tenzin's arms. At sixteen she had been young to join the Air Acolytes, but at eighteen she is not yet divorced enough from the world to let her grief go. Awkwardly, she'd later recall, Tenzin holds her, hushes her, tells her it will be ok, that this was the natural order of things. We're born, we die, and life carries on.

When he says her parents will be together now, Pema meets his blue eyes and wonders who told him.

He kisses her cheek and returns for days as she cries over losing her mother.

She tells no one how much she admires and adores Tenzin because he is Lin Beifong's and one shouldn't covet.

Yet after the Avatar's death Bumi sends her to bring his younger brother tea, and she finds Tenzin in his room laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. Something in her tells Pema to sit beside him, to take his hand. He babbles on about nothing and everything and Pema listens for hours. When she confesses that she thinks she loves him, Tenzin hugs her.

Then Lin comes to the island and forces Tenzin out of bed. Part of Pema wants to scream that he doesn't need to be up, he just needs to be heard, but that part of Pema falls silent when she sees how he wraps his arms around his girlfriend, how easily those lips kiss Tenzin's chin.

Pema had never even had a chance. For days she cries over losing.

Today is a lazy day, sitting with Oogi and letting the sky bison tell her where to scratch. She doesn't hear anyone approach until a twig snaps, turning suddenly to see a very dejected looking Tenzin standing there, stunned.

They say nothing for a long time.

After what seems like an eternity the airbender comes forward, scratching just above Pema, too high for her to reach. Oogi practically purrs.

Tenzin looks at her with those blue eyes of his mother's and smiles. Pema dares to wrap her arms around him, the man hugging her lovingly.

For days she cries.

Now she rests in bed, alone, a hand running over her small bump and wondering just how big she'll get. She's always been a tiny thing; Pema can hear her mother teasing her that she'd be a tiny woman with a big belly, having many children once she found a man worthy.

Tenzin enters the room slowly, holding a small pouch in his hand, before coming to sit beside his wife, kissing her then her stomach.

"How are you my love?" Pema shrugs, smiling.

"Better now that you've returned to my side." That makes her husband grin.

"I brought you something." He places the pouch between them. When Pema reaches out to open it his large hands grab hold of hers, stopping them. "First, let me explain."

Pema nods.

"This, I know, was not your way of life. You were an Earth Kingdom girl who chose, willingly, to sacrifice everything for our traditions, our rules." He strokes her cheek. "I remember when you came here, watching the sisters start in on instructing you immediately. I remember–" At this his eyes take on a sad look. "I remember you pleading to keep just one thing."

"My bangle," Pema breathes. Not a day goes by she doesn't imagine it on her wrist again, how light it was, how precious it was. Her only consolation was that maybe, somewhere, whoever got her precious bangle loves it just as much as she had instead of using it to make a fire.

Lifting the pouch Tenzin pulls it open, revealing two bangles: one red with gold paint, the other gold with red paint.

To say she was shocked is an understatement.

"What– how did– but–" Her husband chuckles.

"It's good to see I can still leave you speechless." He slips the bangles onto her wrist and Pema starts to cry, staring at them. Her mother, her father, their love, now once more on her wrist. "Pema?"

"I'm sorry–" she starts lamely but Tenzin hushes her, lifting her forearm to his lips to kiss, the bangles clanking as they slide down towards her elbow.

"Don't ever think," the man whispers, "that I've forgotten what sacrifices you've made, for me. That I don't remember the Earth Kingdom girl with a fire in her eyes who crossed that bay of water to become an Air Acolyte."

He holds her, and she cries.