The Forsaken Hero

Despite my misgivings, my curiosity got the better of me, and I crept closer, drifting just behind the pair. They were at the same gazebo Elise and I usually shared tea at. For some reason, Korra was frowning at him, her blue, aqueous aura flickering with hints of her eighth-level strength. Luke had his eyes lowered, hands clenched in his lap.

After a second of awkward silence, Luke cleared his throat and said, ”R’lissea said you’re the only one who has any idea what Xiviyah’s life was like before this world. Please, tell me.”

The request came as a shock, sending my tail out stiff as a board. Me? Why was he asking about me? And what could he possibly have been talking about with R’lissea, which brought up my previous life? To be honest, so many of my memories as Rachel were jumbled and blurry from the teleportation incident that I wasn’t even sure I could have told him many specifics, and it made me wonder just how much Korra knew. We’d gotten close in Heartland, but how much had I actually shared?

Korra hesitated, letting out a long breath. ”I’m not sure that’s appropriate,” she said slowly, ”It’s taboo for heroes to discuss their previous worlds, as it reveals a lot about their character, and the reason their god chose them. And that exposes weaknesses.”

”Trust me, if I were looking for a weakness to exploit, I wouldn’t need to dig this deep,” Luke said with a snort.

Korra smiled wryly. ”I suppose that’s true. I myself have only heard fragments, but from what she shared, that part of Xiviyah’s life was dark, darker, maybe than her time in Enusia.”

”...how old is she?” he asked suddenly, his tail twitching.

”She died young, so... twenty, maybe?” Korra said, tilting her head. ”Yeah, that sounds about right. A little older than her current body, but not by too much.

Luke relaxed, wearing a soft smile. ”Still younger, then. Given her...personality, it would be kind of weird if she were older than me.”

Korra chuckled, taking a swig. ”You’re telling me. Then again, I’ve only got a year or two on her.” She set her glass down, leaning forward. ”So what brings you to ask about this? What happened with you two, anyway? You’ve been kind of weird the last few days. Don’t tell me that was just because you took her into the sky.”

”Ah, that...” Luke rubbed his horn, staring at the table. ”It was...Well, I almost...kissed her?”

Korra stiffened, her eyes widening. ”You did what?”

Luke held up his hands defensively. ”I know, I know. But I didn’t do anything–at least, not after we watched the sunset. And you already got mad at me about that.”

”To hell I did. I should kill you right now,” she growled, scowling at him, wisps of her aura leaking.

”I’ve never kissed anyone before,” Luke said quietly.

Korra’s aura died as quickly as it rose, curiosity sparking in her eyes. ”You haven’t? Anyone? I kind of thought that’s what demonkin did when they conquered cities. Get their pick of the spoils.”

”I’ve never cared,” Luke said, folding his arms. ”That kind of thing is ridiculous. A waste of time better spent training or sparring.”

”I don’t know, it’s a different kind of battle,” Korra said, chuckling lightly, before her eyes narrowed. ”But you don’t think that now?”

”I don’t know what to think anymore, and that’s why I ran,” Luke admitted.

”So how’d it happen?”

He hesitated, then sighed, his shoulders drooping. ”We were standing on the balcony, about to go in, but I grabbed her wrist, not because I meant to, but I, well...and then I saw her eyes,” he breathed. ”She was so pure, and innocent, bathed in starlight...”

”I get it already. Skip to the good part.” Korra’s voice was sharp, but good-natured.

He swallowed hard. ”Right. Well, before I knew it, I leaned toward her, and well...then I panicked. I didn’t know what to do, so I just left her and ran inside, with my tail tucked between my legs. Hilarious, right?” He shook his head, rubbing his horn. ”Me, the Apostle of the Descent, leader of the horde, scared because of a little feeling in his chest.”

”You said it,” Korra said, raising her drink to him. ”Coward of the year. And good thing, too, or I actually would have killed you. A few days ago, Xiviyah was too scared to ask you to hold her hand, much less actually hug her.”

”I know,” he said, hanging his head. ”But I...I’ve never felt like that before. Never, not even when I held my sister. The worst part is, it hasn’t stopped. Every time I think of her, my heart aches a little. I’m...scared, to be honest.”

”You’re surprisingly honest,” Korra said, frowning. ”It makes it hard to tease you. Men like you should try and bottle up all your feelings instead of talking about them like a normal person.”

He chuckled darkly. ”Trust me, I do. But Xiviyah...I can’t hurt her again. I won’t. So here I am.”

He spread his hands helplessly, and Korra smiled, reaching over and patting his shoulder. She opened her mouth, but her words came out garbled, the vision shattering into ribbons of light.

I awoke with a start, jumping directly from the garden to my bedroom, missing my soul space. The transition was sharp and abrupt, like the shock of cold water, and I sat up, my chest heaving. When I rubbed my eyes, heart slowly calming, my hand came away wet with unshed tears.

A kiss.

Hearing Luke say it...the word echoed in the silence of my room, a word I hadn’t dared let myself even consider before. But he’d actually said it.

I whimpered, curling on my side on the silken sheets, clutching my pillow to my chest as if it could steady the tremor in my hands. I’d kissed hundreds of men, thousands, maybe. So why? Why did the mere thought of one more make me feel like this? Why did my heart race? Why did my cheeks flush warm and my tail twitch against the mattress? It was just

a kiss, and it hadn’t even happened!A soft knock at the door made me flinch. I scrambled to sit up, rubbing at my eyes with the back of my hand.

”Xiviyah? Are you awake?” It was Elise, her voice muffled by the door.

”Yes!” I squeaked, my throat tight. I took a breath. ”Um, yes. I’m awake.”

The door opened, and she peeked in. She was already dressed for the day in a beautiful, green riding dress. ”Good. I was worried you’d be half dead today. R’lissea said you guys danced for like an hour. I take it you enjoyed it?”

”Very much,” I mumbled, hugging the pillow tighter.

She came over, sitting on the edge of the bed. ”Glad to hear it. If you liked it that much, you two should keep learning while we’re here. I also wanted to tell you we were having a meeting in a bit. Just between us, to figure out our plans for the last few weeks of the Tribunal’s break.”

I nodded, trying to smile. ”Alright.”

She stared at me for a second, her golden eyes narrowing. ”You seem...distracted. Did something happen?”

”No!” I said, way too quickly, my tail sticking straight out. ”Everything’s great!”

Elise raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a knowing smile. ”Right. Well, take your time getting ready. But try not to be too long. We’re waiting on you.”

She gave me a wink before getting up and leaving. When the door clicked shut, I flopped back onto the bed with a frustrated groan. The thought of facing Luke after everything, after hearing everything he’d admitted...

No, I couldn’t get distracted. There was too much going on, too much at stake, to worry about something as silly and unimportant as a kiss. Or, a non-kiss. We were at war, and my feelings, whatever they were, had to wait.

After bathing and dressing in a red elvish dress, I left the manor and headed into the gardens. Elise hadn’t specified where they were gathering, but she didn’t need to. And, sure enough, I found them under the gazebo. Elise, R’lissea, Korra, Gayron, and...Luke.

Our eyes met, and I froze. There he was, sitting exactly where he had been in my vision, in the exact same chair. His gaze dropped immediately, but rose again a moment later, sweeping over my dress. His eyes linger on my chest and hip for a heartbeat too long, a flicker of disappointment that he quickly smoothed away. I gripped my skirt self-consciously, a hot blush crawling up my neck.

”Morning,” I squeaked, my gaze falling to the floor. My tail swished anxiously against my legs.

”Morning,” he mumbled back, turning away.

My stomach twisted into a knot. The others were watching us, their amusement burning into me. I wanted to say something, anything, but the words caught in my throat.

There was a seat between Elise and R’lissea, but my feet moved on their own, carrying me to Luke. He stiffened as I stopped beside him, smoothing my long, flowing skirt and sitting beside him. My tail brushed against his, and we both flinched.

As everyone’s gaze fell off of us, I reached across the gap between us, my fingers trembling as I searched for his hand hanging limply at his side. His hand twitched as I brushed him, and he turned, a question in his violet eyes. I met his gaze, offering a small, shy smile. His breath hitched, and slowly, gingerly, he closed his fingers around mine, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, leaning into him just a little as my tail swished, accidentally curling around his. This time, neither of us flinched.