Maintaining the Balance: Ch. 21

(A/N: Happy Holidays.)

In the days following his encounter with Ethuza, Kahn didn't catch her spying on him a second time. The only time he would encounter her was on his way back to his room, specifically near the place of their previous conversation.

Though they ordinarily talked about books and other educational topics, the subject of the conversation would periodically shift to likes, dislikes, and feelings in general. Ethuza hadn't been joking around when she said she wanted to know everything about him, so, over the course of several days, Kahn casually recounted much of his story for her.

Since her mother and grandfather had already informed her of Kahn's identity even before his birthday party, Ethuza wasn't surprised to learn he had been created by a being known as the Sage Dragon Emperor. If anything, she found it incredibly fascinating. It was almost like he was a character out of one of the books she read, a Hero compelled by fate and duty to save the entire world.

The problem with Kahn's story, at least from Ethuza's perspective, was that there was already a prominent Heroine. Kahn went on and on about Korra, and while she understood the reason was that they had grown up together, Ethuza could feel her prospects decreasing the more she heard about their time together.

While it was pretty obvious that Kahn had no interest in romance, the way he described Korra's behavior created a clear picture in Ethuza's mind. As far as she could tell, Korra was head over heels for Kahn even before their separation. The five years they spent apart might be enough to diminish a normal relationship, but promises made during adolescence had a habit of persisting a lot longer.

As a woman herself, Ethuza knew that the moment Korra started puberty, Kahn would be at the forefront of her thoughts. Girls that age developed an obsession with the future and constantly thought about relationships. Guys were much the same, but instead of thinking about the future, they focused on the present or, more accurately, competing against others for a chance to 'claim' the best girls for themselves.

Though boys were bound to have competed for her attention, Korra's promise with Kahn and her status as the Avatar made it impossible for them to sway her heart. If anything, boys fighting over her would make Korra apprehensive about spending time with any of them. After all, the usual social dynamic didn't really apply when the woman being coveted was exponentially more powerful than her would-be suitors.

The kicker for Ethuza was the pendant Kahn had carved for Korra and the jacket she had made for him. Korra may have 'forced' him, but Kahn didn't have to engrave the pendant if he didn't want to. He could have continued refusing until the end or put his foot down near the start by explaining the significance of the pendant. Korra may not have understood fully, but she was bound to relent if he explained it clearly or provided an alternative.

Unfortunately, Kahn was an extremely awkward boy, and when it came to people he cared about, he was a big softie. He wouldn't have wanted his final moments with Korra to become a bad memory, so even if he knew it was bound to create problems, Ethuza could easily imagine him relenting and carving the pendant just to make the parting easier.

Kahn would never admit it, but he was a bit of a pushover when it came to the people he wanted or felt obligated to protect. Thus, unless he thought it was necessary to protect someone, Ethuza speculated that Kahn would remain a bachelor for the rest of his life. He just didn't see any reason to invest time and effort into something that would invariably get in the way of the things he actually wanted to focus on.

By talking with Kahn, Ethuza was able to get a better grasp of his nature and, more importantly, his peculiarities. She had prepared for a fight even before relocating to Air Temple Island, so, even if things looked dire, she wasn't going to give up. If things with Kahn didn't work out, she was fated to marry for purely political purposes. Thus, unless Kahn outright told her she didn't have a chance, Ethuza was determined to continue fighting till the end...

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During one of their afternoon discussions, Ethuza decided to change things up a bit by asking, "How are things with Jinora? She is no longer avoiding me, but I can tell she isn't very enthused by my presence."

Nodding his head, Kahn explained, "I say this about most of my students, but Jinora is particularly brilliant. I believe her awareness of her parents' plight and the circumstances with the Air Nomads as a whole are forcing her to mature much too quickly. She believes she bears a responsibility to help restore her people, so she allows her head to fill with...unnecessary thoughts."

Understanding what Kahn was too uncomfortable to say, Ehuza muttered an, "Oh my..." before shifting her attention to the Air Temple. She was well aware of the circumstances of the Air Nomads, but she had never actually considered what it must be like to bear the burden of restoring a culture...

"Hmm...it seems to me that everything could be resolved if Master Tenzin simply took multiple wives. The original Air Nomads never had a tradition of marriage, and polygamy was common in the Earth Kingdom until 99AG. His hesitancy is going to make the lives of his children very difficult..."

Hearing Ethuza casually reference polygamy, Kahn gave her a 'you aren't sneaky' kind of look before answering, "Tenzin is a man of principle. While his duties as Councilmen hinder him, he cares deeply for his family. Pema may be willing to accept such an arrangement, but Tenzin would never be able to live with himself if he caused her emotional pain or duress."

Undaunted by Kahn's gaze, Ethuza playfully poked her tongue out at him before saying, "That doesn't mean it's a bad idea. At this rate, his children are fated to become brood stallions or baby factories. You said it yourself. Jinora is only seven years old, and she's already thinking about the future of her people. That kind of mentality isn't exactly healthy for a young girl, especially one as prodigious as your precious student."

Catching Ethuza by surprise, Kahn shook his head before plainly stating, "It won't be an issue. By the time Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo reach adulthood, there will be plenty of other Airbenders. If she focused her attention on her training and stopped letting her emotions cloud her judgment, she would be a lot happier. It would be one thing if she were on the verge of adulthood, but she's just a little girl. She shouldn't be concerning herself with things like romance when it isn't even an option at her present age."

Though she was 'very' interested in asking about the circumstances that would lead to more Airbenders being created, Ethuza decided to focus on the subject of the conversation, Jinora, stating, "As I said before, women, even young girls, have a propensity for looking towards the future. More specifically, we're always searching for a destined or, at the very least, a desirable partner. Just as boys greedily attempt to claim beautiful women, girls have a heartfelt desire to be 'chosen' by strong and capable men. So long as the option remains, we would never settle for 'second-best' when it concerns the potential father of our children..."

Turning her eyes up at Kahn, Ethuza made her intentions very clear. If he didn't end up with someone else, she would never give up trying to claim him for herself. She also didn't mind being his second, third, or even tenth girl. So long as he eventually settled down and chose her, she didn't care if he philandered around for a few years. Such was the right of attractive men and women.

Exhaling a sigh, Kahn closed his eyes and began looking for ways to end the conversation. Fortunately, Ethuza was remarkably perceptive, so the moment she realized Kahn no longer wished to continue, she suggested, "If what you said about there being new Airbenders is true, you could try sharing it with Master Tenzin and his family. If nothing else, I'm confident it would alleviate some of the burden placed on Lady Pema. I can't speak from personal experience, but I can't imagine it's pleasant being pregnant all the time."

Blinking in surprise, Kahn opened his mouth to speak but found himself at a complete loss for words. Ethuza's suggestion was pretty much a perfect solution; he just hadn't considered it since he generally did his best not to discuss events to come.

Amused by Kahn's reaction, Ethuza remarked, "You look cute when you're baffled." before rising to her feet and appending, "Good luck. If things go well, feel free to reward me. I accept kisses and candies. If you're feeling especially grateful, you can feed them to me mouth-to-mouth."

Feeling pretty confident she had 'won' this particular conversation, Ethuza practically skipped away before Kahn could reply. She had developed the habit of assigning a positive or negative value to her communications with Kahn. So long as she exceeded a certain value, Ethuza was confident that Kahn would feel obligated to repay her favor. It was fairly underhanded of her, but Ethuza believed in the saying, "All's fair in love and war." She was already at a disadvantage due to Kahn's duty to protect Korra, so she had to do something to level the playing field. It wasn't her fault Korra just so happened to meet him first...

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Following his rendezvous with Ethuza, Kahn waited until after dinner to reveal the truth to Tenzin and Pema. He didn't reveal any of the specifics, but he did tell them that an event would occur that caused the Spirit and Mortal Worlds to connect. In the wake, countless people would suddenly awaken as Benders. This included Airbenders by the hundreds, so, rather than focusing on increasing the size of their family, Kahn advised them to prepare for the dozens, if not hundreds of people that would be looking to them for guidance.

Having developed a considerable amount of trust towards Kahn, Tenzin didn't press him for too many details. Instead, he was equal parts excited and terrified by the possibility of hundreds of Airbenders appearing out of thin air. They weren't even remotely prepared to deal with such numbers, so, immediately following the conversation with Kahn, Tenzin contacted the Order of the White Lotus to ask for help. As for Pema, she breathed a sigh of relief, as, despite feeling as though it was her duty to help rebuild the Air Nomads, giving birth to three children over a six-year period hadn't been easy. She was only in her late twenties, but she was already finding strands of grey within her hair.

Now that she knew her services were no longer absolutely necessary for the restoration of the Air Nomads, Pema decided to focus all her efforts on raising the children she did have. The complications she had endured during her pregnancy with Meelo had already given her reason for pause, so Kahn's revelation couldn't have come at a better time. If her next child had been a stillbirth due to her declining health, her heart wouldn't have been able to bear it.

Fortunately for Kahn, one of the first things Pema did following the news was sit her daughters down for a heart-to-heart discussion. She wanted to assure them that they were free to love and choose their own path in the future. If living within the Air Temple wasn't something they wanted, they would be allowed to freely explore once they turned fourteen. After all, what was the point of being an Air Nomad if they were forced to stay in one place?