A Stranger's Fantasy

Chapter One

Ursa couldn't breathe. Her heart was pounding in her throat. She shifted uncomfortably in the seat of the carriage. A hand reached out to grasp hers in the darkness, and she looked down to the sudden and unfamiliar connection. She had done it. She had married a prince.

The night had come on their marriage day, the sky bled black and the moon hung low in the sky. Everything had been a blur: the ceremony, the coronation, the dinner. Saying goodbye to her family. It was all over. The only thing that was left was, well, the marriage itself.

Ursa looked up, finally, when Ozai squeezed her hand gently in his. When her gaze caught his expression she only then began to comprehend that he truly seemed happy about this. This arranged marriage. She had arranged a different marriage, after all, with Ikem. Her childhood love. But that was all forgotten. Washed away and never spoken of. Now there was only Ozai and the new 'royal couple'. Her parents had forbidden her from speaking Ikem's name. She tried, desperately, albeit unsuccessfully, to put him out of mind. Ozai, the young and handsome prince, he was her husband now. And she had been ushered into his world of glittering parties and sparkling jewels. Aristocrats and politics and intrigue. This was her new life. The quiet town of Hira'a was not to be mentioned. Her husband didn't want her stressing the fact that she had been raised with peasants, he had made that much clear. Not that they had a chance to truly speak to one another before the marriage. Only a few times, and never in private. He was virtually a stranger.

"How are you feeling?" Ozai asked from the shadows of the carriage. Ursa stilled. Out of all he could say, she would never expect that question from him. It startled her in a good way. She didn't think he would care much at all.

"I'm feeling many things. So much has changed today. It's hard to put it all into words," she answered, truthfully. Ozai blinked, and then he nodded, facing forward again.

"Yes, of course. Words can only express so much. Although, I would hope, you are at least partially excited about the future… About our future." Ozai's face was unreadable in the darkness, his voice firm and clear.

"Oh. Yes, of course I am! I am," she repeated, as if she had to say it more than once to convince herself. Ozai smiled then, a smile that meant many things, things she could not fully comprehend. He slid his arm around her waist and drew her closer to him.

"I am as well," he breathed, his hot breath fanning over her exposed neck. She wondered if he might kiss her then, in the back of the carriage, but before anything could happen the car came to a stop. A servant boy opened the door, and Ozai stepped out, offering his hand to Ursa as she followed. Nervousness was consuming Ursa's conscious thought. The palace looked, in every sense, like a beautiful spear - a weapon that had pierced the ground in some sort of rage. And it was to be her home. It was all too much. Too strange to believe.

Ozai escorted her inside, and all Ursa tried to focus on was breathing. In and out. In and out. She just had to get through the night, she told herself, she could figure out the rest later.

"I'll show you my chambers," Ozai said, perhaps to clear the silence that Ursa had grown fond of, and he placed his hand on her waist. She nodded, trying not to think of Ikem, at home, miserable. It was easier when they entered the main sanctum of the palace. The magnificence of the palace easily distracted her. The walls stood some twenty feet high. Their height caused the light to be cast into shadow near the top, perpetuating the idea that they went on forever into the night. Massive portraits and brilliant frescos lined the walls. Onyx sculptures, scarlet rugs, and mahogany tables decorated the hallways. It was more money than Ursa had ever seen in her life. Ozai was talking, explaining the layout of the main palace wing, but his deep voice seemed distant to her. She was floating in some unknown world. Everything seemed like a dark dream.

Finally, they came to a set of breathtaking doors, inlaid in real gold. The surface portrayed fire breathing dragons and men fighting, side by side. When the doors were opened she wondered, briefly, if this was the gate to hell.

"This is the entrance to the royal family's private chambers. My father lives at the top of the palace, of course, but the rest of the family lives here. My brother's family resides in the west wing. You will live with me, in my quarters in the east wing." The huge center chamber split into two hallways, and Ozai took the one on the right. Ursa tried to remember her way, but it was difficult memorizing the layout of the massive building. When they arrived at another pair of doors, again inlaid in gold, Ozai spoke again.

"These are my chambers- or, rather, our chambers now. You will be free to go anywhere within these doors. All of these rooms are available to you." They stepped into a beautiful antechamber where silken cushions lay on the ground surrounding a low mahogany table for tea service. Other tables and statues decorated the walls of the room, interspersed between the large windows. Moonlight poured into the large room, casting a pale light on its clean surfaces.

"The bedroom is through here," he said, turning again to the right. Through another set of doors, this time mahogany, they finally came to his bedroom. It was a large room, as well. Easily five times as large as her old room had been. Candles shined from almost every surface, encompassing the room in a warm glow.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, startled by the amount of light in the room. She stepped forward. His room was set up as a square, with the large four-poster bed against the back wall. The sheets and pillows were covered in rich burgundy silk, the finest she had ever seen. She turned to Ozai.

"Is it too much?" He asked, meaning the candles, "I thought it might be... romantic." Ursa sighed, turning away from him. He was really trying to please her, she realised that.

"It is. It's very romantic." She tried to calm herself with even breaths. Her wedding dress dug into her spine, claiming her, grounding her.

"I'll send for the maids to take you out of your wedding dress. I would do it, but I wouldn't want to risk damaging the silk." Ozai said. Ursa bit her lip.

"I understand. It's quite alright."

When the maids had stripped her of her gown and removed her headpiece and jewelry, they brushed through her hair and rubbed sweet-smelling oils all over her body. They removed makeup, applied lotion, and brushed on rose-infused lip salve. All of this treatment made her wonder what the Firelord himself received at night. But she was thinking little of that. She was consumed with thoughts of what was next, after her and Ozai would be alone together. Finally, the maids dressed her in a simple silk night robe and left her alone in the room. She had a moment or two before Ozai would rejoin her, and she used it to try and ready herself best she could. She wanted to run. It wasn't for fear of Ozai, but rather her guilt for leaving Ikem behind to accept this man's hand. This prince's hand. In reality, she didn't have much of a say in it at all, but it still left a sinking feeling in her stomach whenever she thought of her old flame.

Ozai was her husband. She breathed deeply through her nose. Everything would be alright. Forget Ikem, she thought, Ozai is my husband. He has every right to be with me. I married him.

When Ozai opened the door Ursa realized that he too had disrobed and taken out his hair. It was brushed back away from his face, but he still looked different without the golden crest in his bun. He looked entirely handsome, the smooth planes of his face illuminated from the multitude of candles in the room. Ursa exhaled. This is my husband. She needed to face reality. This was not a dream. He locked the doors.

"That's much better, isn't it?" He muttered, walking over to join Ursa, who was standing by the bed. He was still smiling. For a moment, Ursa wondered why. Then she had to remind herself that most people are happy on their wedding night. She was one who was strange.

She tried her best to smile for him. Ozai wrapped a muscular arm around her and pulled her to him. With his other hand he began to stroke her hair gently, running it between his fingers. Up close he was even more handsome, she realized. She could clearly see the bright gold of his eyes, the elegant arch of his brow, the shape of his soft lips. Ozai was taking his time looking her over, and so she had no qualms doing the same. She pressed her hands against his silk-clad chest, startled by the hardness of him. He was in excellent shape. She slid her hand down his chest and found hard abdominal muscles, perfectly defined.

Ursa realized, briefly, that this would be a fantasy to most girls her age. Marrying Prince Ozai on whim. Being escorted to the palace by the Fire Lord himself, becoming a princess, making love to a handsome prince. Most women could only ever dream of such things. She wondered if, had Ikem never existed, this could have all been like a dream come true to her. If she didn't love Ikem, would this have been her happy ending? Perhaps it would have. She tried to hold on to that. She needed to pretend Ikem didn't exist, and then maybe she could be happy. When Ozai leaned down to kiss her, she assured herself that this was the man she wanted. She was an actress, after all. She needed to act. For him, for herself, and for the nation.

A/N: Please review!