The Forsaken Hero

Flowers to choose? With some uncertainty, my eyes skittered over the overwhelming display of blossoms For a second, the vibrant splashes of color swam together, making my head spin, blurring until I felt panic well up in my chest. The expectant gazes of my friends weighed heavily, and I felt my tail swish nervously behind me. Was I bound to disappoint them already?

Suddenly, like a ray of sunshine, a single flower came into focus, a small, unassuming pile in the back. My hand hovered over the dizzying display of color, hesitating but for a moment, and darted forward, selecting a white blossom delicately balanced on a thin stem. The petals were soft and round, with a hint of pink at the heart, like a shy blush.

"This one?" I asked hopefully, the stem twisted between my anxious fingers.

Korra’s smile was instant. "That’ll be perfect. Looks like there’s enough, too." She gestured at the small pile of flowers I had selected from.

The muted weight of their expectations and my anxiety faded away as we began to work in earnest. Holding my breath, I delicately wound the fragile stems around the larger red flowers of the frame, trying to mimic their dexterous example. It was exactly like working with mana, only here I was forced to use my fingers instead of my imagination, and the craft refused to come as easily. My lips curved into a frown as I gazed at one of the flowers, its stem broken between my fingers.

A thrill of panic raced through me. Had I just ruined everything?

Noticing my distress, Tana folded her hand over my own, smoothing the flower into place. "It’s alright, Xiviyah. The flowers have already been picked, so they’re going to wilt eventually. All we can do now is enjoy their beauty," she said, almost wistfully, her hand rising to brush my cheek. Her piercing green eyes stared deep into mine, filled with something I didn’t quite recognize, and there was a catch to her voice. "Even if they’re broken, flowers can still be beautiful and bring joy to those around them. See?"

I followed her gaze, looking at the half-finished wreath. No matter how hard I looked, the damaged flower was nowhere to be seen, fitting seamlessly in with the rest.

"If they’re tightly wound together, the flowers work to support each other. Even though a stem is broken, it won’t fall out as long as it stays close to the others. Every flower has a place, and a purpose to fulfil. Without any individual piece, the entire wreath would fall apart."

I nodded, swallowing a lump in my throat, and she returned to her own wreath. I stared at the circle of white flowers for a long time before picking it up and returning to work. For some reason, Tana flashed Korra a grateful smile.

The evening wore on quickly, and soon, even the most faithful patrons had left the inn. I let out a relieved sigh when the final flower finally slipped into place, completing my wreath. Korra and Tana had finished several different decorations, ranging from wreaths to bouquets, their work far more deft and delicate than my own. I gazed longingly at their beautiful creations, then down at my own wreath, my eyes inevitably drawn to the crumpled petals and torn leaves.