The Imperial Wedding and Coronation (Open to ALL Royalty and Nobility from ALL Nations and ALL Imperial Military Only)

Leihsing smiled as she saw gliders souring around the balloon. Some servants were scrambling around her, readying the landing gear and pulling out bits of coal to smoothly land in the Northern Air Temple. From a distance, the temple looked ancient, yet perfectly preserved. The architecture was beautiful and very big, making Leihsing feel a little daunted. However, as Onao placed his hand on her shoulder, she smiled and leaned into his chest.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” He asked, his voice giving Leihsing chills. She had heard it so many times in the past, but it was still as if it was fresh and new, like the crisp air around the hot air balloon.

“It really is,” she whispered, reaching up and giving Onao a kiss on his cheek. Sparks erupted from the contact, making her smile in blissful joy. She was never happier than when she was with Onao, and now they were spending a whole wedding ceremony together! Sure, it wasn't their own, but it still made her very happy.

“Heading down!” The captain yelled, and Leihsing braced herself for the impact. It came before long, and many young air nomads gathered around the hot air balloon. They shouted out for the Earth King as he waved, making Leihsing smile and grip his arm tightly. As the hot air balloon finally ground to a halt, a servant opened the door, and they stepped out to a large crowd of excited airbenders.

“I thank you all so much for welcoming us!” The king shouted, making the airbenders cheer even louder. They settled down as Onao lifted his hand so he could continue his speech. “I am here with my lovely guest, Leihsing Sho!” Leihsing raised her hand and waved, making the crowd go wild once again.

“How can you stand this?” She whispered.

“It takes time and energy, trust me.” He sighed and raised his hand again for quiet. “We're only staying for a little while, but we'll be here if you have any questions.” Naturally, the entirety of the group surged forward like a torrent of water breaking through an iron dam. Servants tried to keep the people back, but they were nearly unstoppable with their boundless piles of energy.

“What happened at Seven Nation Summit?”

“Who is the new war minister?”

“What plans do you have for the war against the magicians?”

“Will you both do a bending battle against my friend and I?”

That last question sparked Leishsing's interest. “Excuse me, who said that?” She yelled, trying to settle the crowd down. It worked, and two boys walked up, one slightly older than the other. They both looked to be in their late teens, and they had the arrows of airbending mastery.

“I did!” The younger boy said, bouncing up and down like he had had faaaaaaar too many sweets. The older boy sneered, showing a large amount of arrogance and confidence. Leihsing and Onao looked at each other for a moment, then looked back.

“What kind of battle?”

----Later---

“And now, I present, the air extraordinaires, Mun and Soo!”

The two boys walked out, the younger (Soo) bouncing around and waving, and the older (Mun) strutting towards the center of the ring, a cocky grin on his face. The crowd cheered for the two; they were obviously very skilled and had done a bending match before.

“And now, in all his honor, Earth King Peng, along with his guest, the beautiful Leihsing Sho!”

The couple walked out, arm in arm. Earth King Peng wore a fighting gi. It was green and had the symbol of the Earth Kingdom on the sleeves and on the front, right above his heart. Leihsing wore a tight yellow shirt and dark green pants. The shirt had the symbol of the Light Bender State over her heart, and the pants had the Earth Kingdom symbol on the sides. As they made it to the center of the ring, they disbanded and shook the two boys's hands. An announcer in a monk's robe came out, bowing and holding up a horn that seemed weaved with various sturdy plants.

“These four will be battling in a two-on-two bending battle! The teams must try to knock both of the other team's players out of the ring! The match begins on the gong!” The announcer stepped back, signaling a man to bang the gong.

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

The gong sounded, loud and clear, and the two teams jumped at the loud boom. The two airbenders took the opportunity to form a first attack: a vicious gust of wind aimed at the lovers. Onao braced himself by earthbending a pair of rock “shoes” that held his feet firmly to the ground. Leihsing, with her trained grace and poise, jumped into the air, using the wind as a cushion as she somersaulted and landed with no trace of fatigue.

“Our turn,” she said, smiling as she began to build up a ball of light in her hands. Onao was planning a different kind of counterstrike. He dislodged his feet from the earth and promptly dived in, as if the rocky floor was a pool of water. Leihsing couldn't even tell where he was, as he left no dirt trail in his wake. She gathered still more light for her sphere, then launched it at the younger boy, causing him to fall on his back. A searing mark that looked like sunburn formed on his chest, and he yelled out in anger and pain.

“No fair!” He yelled, twisting his hands around. He formed a tornado under him, which lifted him away from any earth attacks from the king. He laughed in triumph from his high-up spot, then aimed an air-bullet at Leihsing, who stood defenseless. She began gathering another bit of light for another strike at the boy, then got a better idea. She waited, loosening her stance and preparing to dodge any strike. The air-bullets that coursed through the air were dodged with ease, and the one that did hit her was small and barely moved her. Leihsing began to feel cocky. This cockiness nearly cost her the match.

Unbeknownst to her, Mun (the cocky one) was forming his own attack. He used an air tornado too, but a much thinner and taller one. He had gotten to his peak as Leihsing launched her attack as Soo, and now jumped into the air, diving with perfect accuracy at a raised point in the ground.

Leihsing noticed, but almost too late. She raised a shield of light, trying to block the air that would rush toward her in the form of an air-bomb.

Then everything exploded into movement.

Onao, who she had forgotten about, rushed from the point that Mun was aiming for. They collided, a rush of air and earth that nullified all other sounds and actions around them. For a split second, they were locked in an age-old battle: the sky vs. the earth. Then, out of nowhere, Onao gathered another slim bit of energy and surged forward, throwing Mun from his air-powered dive and out of the arena. He seemed dazed and confused, but not injured, thankfully. The gong sounded as he hit the ground, signifying that one player was out.

Meanwhile, Soo looked in helplessness as his brother flew from the arena, then turned to the king in rage, yelling very un-peaceful-airbender words. That distraction was all Leihsing needed. She aimed a well-placed wall of light towards the young boy and fired, knocking him off his podium of wind and sending him toppling right onto his brother.

The gong sounded three times, and the announcer jumped down and yelled, “The newcomers win! The winners are King Onao Peng and Leihsing Sho!” The crowd went wild, yelling and cheering for the winners, who joined hands. They were covered in sweat, and Onao looked like he had bathed in dirt, but they were happy. They held up their hands and bowed, making the crowd cheer even louder.

“Great match, huh?” Leihsing asked, savoring the applause.

Onao just laughed breathlessly, which she took to mean yes.

One thing was for sure: they would always remember the Northern Air Temple.

The king and his guest didn't have much time to change into normal clothes after the battle, so they opted to stay in them. They did, however, get a chance to bathe, which was good, because they had sweated a lot during the arena match. The airbenders went crazy when they were announced as the winners, and the servants mentioned how much more popular the king would become after news of the arena battle reached the nobles. They boarded the airship, waving goodbye to the Air Nomads with exhausted, but happy faces. Next stop was-

“Sweetheart, are you alright?” Onao walked up behind her, snapping her out of her memory. She nodded, staring out at the clouds. They were turning bright colors, like pink and purple and orange, as the sun began its decent to the horizon. Leihsing was already feeling very tired, but luckily, they were about to land at their lodging in the Light State.

They landed with barely any bumps, which was nice, because Leihsing forgot to brace herself. She nearly tumbled out of the basket, but Onao kept a strong hold on her.

“None of that now,” he said, smiling. “You're not getting away that easily.”

“Why would I want to go away?” She laughed. “This is the best thing that's ever happened to me.”

“Really?”

“Really.” She gave him a quick kiss, savoring his soft lips, then held his hand as he lead her to the simple, yet elegant home.

It was very small, with only a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom, but the lovely designs on the wall looked handmade. The furniture was bright yellow to represent the Light Nation, but the rugs and wallpaper were a forest green, probably because this was the designated building for the Earth King to stay in every year when he visited or stopped here. The kitchen was medium sized, and servants began to swarm it, bringing out knives and containers of food to create a dinner for the couple.

Leihsing looked up at her lover. “You know, I'm not very hungry. Would it be okay if I just went to bed?”

Onao smiled. “I'm not that hungry either,” he said, gesturing towards the room. “I'll be right in, after I tell the servants to stop making us dinner and to relax until morning.”

She nodded and walked toward the bedroom. The sleeping quarters seemed to make up half of the house, the room sporting a small table with a fresh teapot (in case the king wanted some morning tea), a small basin filled with water for face-washing, and a queen-sized bed. Leihsing tilted her head. There was only one bed, so...they would have to share it. Despite how awkward that seemed in her head, she smiled, thinking of feeling the king's arms tightly around her and listening to his soft breathing as they both fell into a deep sleep.

A servant walked in, holding a large bag with a tag that said, “For Leihsing Sho.” The mentioned guest quickly ran over to help the poor man, who thanked her and scuttled off. She opened her bag and was shocked to see how many belongings the servants had packed for her, even though they barely had time to take her measurements. Two pairs of pajamas, one white and lacy, and one thick and bright green, rested on top. Beneath were piles of more clothes than Leihsing had time to examine closely, but they were in an array of greens and yellows that merged beautifully onto one another. She was awestruck by how much the servants had sewed, and made a note to thank them for their service.

She grabbed the white lacy nightgown (because it wasn't that cold out, and she didn't want to be too sweaty) and quickly changed, hearing a knock on her door just as she put her fancy dress on a hook that read, “To be washed.” She would probably need to wear that later, so she hoped the servants would wash it quickly.

“Come in,” she said, smoothing her dress. Onao walked in and smiled brightly when he saw her. He was wearing a thin tan shirt and dark brown pants, which shouldn't have matched, but seemed to anyway.

“You look dazzling, love,” he said, causing Leihsing to blush a bright red. He gestured toward the bed, and she walked over, pulling a blanket on top of her. The sky was dark, and as Onao blew out a candle, the room was as well. He snuggled in next to her, and Leihsing rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. She could feel his breaths get slower as the minutes ticked by and felt exhaustion hit her as well. She put her hand over his, and he tugged back before relaxing into a deep slumber.

She couldn't help but do the same.


She woke up to the bright sun rising. Stretching, Leihsing looked over and saw the beautiful dress she wore yesterday folded neatly on the edge of her bed. She smiled, reminding herself once again to thank the servants.

As she slid out of bed, she saw that Onao was already up and preparing tea. He poured steaming water into his own cup, and, seeing his beloved, poured more into another cup.

“Good morning, my dear,” he said, taking a sip of tea. He cringed a bit. “I was never good at making tea. I suppose I just don't have the gift.”

Leihsing laughed. “I don't really like it anyway.” She noted that Onao was still in his pajamas. “Are we up early?”

“No.” He grabbed the teapot and dumped its contents out the window. “We're just about to leave.”

“Then why aren't you dressed in your formal robes?”

“We still have one stop to make. That's when I usually change.”

Leihsing smiled. “Then...” she spoke quietly. “Do you think I could change there as well?”

Onao's eyes seemed to light up with an understanding gleam. “You like spending the mornings in your pajamas as well?” Seeing her nod, he nodded as well. “Of course you can change there.”

She rushed forward, hugging the king tightly. “Thank you,” she laughed, releasing her grip and leaning in to kiss him. The kiss was long and very romantic, and they lingered in the moment for as long as they could. She looked into his dark green eyes, and he stared back, his face a picture of joy.
“I love you.” He said suddenly, pulling her close. They kissed again, but this time quickly, and Leihsing whispered into his ear,

“I love you too.”

WIP