#when canal plus show this in the corner of their stream and i have to zoom in and it looks like it was recorded on a potato 😤😤

[luchitohamilton]

ok lewis 👁👄👁

[pxnk-velvet]

The Dancing Warrior: Water, Chapter 11

(Sokka x OC Reader)

A/N: I’m so sorry but this is a REALLY long chapter, possibly the longest I’ve written so far...but oh well. If anyone knows how to edit a post so it has the “keep reading” link PLS let me know I’m begging 😭

It had taken them quite a while to finally arrive at the North Pole. There were chunks of ice floating in the water and the air was bitter to Navani. She had been shivering profusely for that past couple of days. She had never been to either of the poles before so she had no reason for owning a thick coat like Katara and Sokka. Katara had given Navani her spare tunic, which was a bit small, but a lot warmer than her own. The only thing she had were her robes, a clear indication that she was Fire Nation. Something they had all agreed to keep secret. Navani vowed to solely bend water for as long at they were there. And she knew she had to keep that promise or else they would all be in jeopardy.

Navani sat at the edge of Appa’s saddle, shivering as she tucked herself as far as she could into her tunic. Her knees were snug to her chest with her arms wrapped tightly around them. How could someone live in the cold like this?

She had been so consumed in her own thoughts that she hadn’t been paying any attention to the conversation going on between everyone else. But then she was brought back when Appa’s smooth sailing suddenly jerked and everyone screamed. He tried to keep his balance but some ice threw him off, causing him to tilt. Everyone one held on with strong grips....well almost everyone. As Appa crash landed in the freezing waters, Navani was thrown over with a scream.

They all gasped as the girl fell into the water, “Navani!”

Her body felt numb as she broke the surface, gasping for air. Her teeth chattered as dozens of boats emerged from behind small glaciers. She moved a fast as she could, which honestly wasn’t all that fast, and hurled her stiff body back onto Appa. They all had rushed to her side, but at the moment were too occupied with Northerners approaching.

===

Everything there was beautiful. There was so much to marvel at. From the beautiful architecture to the people and culture. Navani wished she could’ve enjoyed it more but at the moment she was soaking wet in the freezing cold. Her and Katara had done their best to bend the water out of her cloths and one of the men from the boats had lended her some blankets. Which she was currently tightly wrapped in.

As they rounded a corner, there were people along the sides of the canals and buildings waving down at them. Navani couldn’t help but smile and wave back despite her condition. At least she could enjoy that. Or so she thought.

The warm feeling grew a little as a small canoe drifted passed them, catching both Navani and Sokka’s attention. There on the canoe sat a boy and a girl, side by side, no older then them. Navani watched intently, curious. They were dressed like they were important with their hair decorated with different pieces and jewelry. The girl’s was a stark white while the boy’s was pitch black. They contrasted perfectly. Not to mention they were both extremely good looking.

That definitely didn’t go unnoticed by Sokka. Who sighed and leaned against Navani as a deep blush rose to his cheeks, his eyes glued to the girl as the canoe drifted by.

“Could you make it anymore obvious?” Navani scoffed, removing her support from under him. Laughing as he fell to the ground with a thud.

===

“Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sisters from the Southern tribe. And they have brought with them someone very special. Someone who many of us believe disappeared from the world until now, the Avatar!” Chief Arnook declared, from his seat at the middle of the table, “We also celebrate my daughter and son’s 16th birthday. Princess Yue and Prince Hai are now of marrying age!”

Navani nearly spit out her drink, turning to look but catching a view of the back of Sokka’s head instead. She scoffed, leaning back to see.

“Thank you, father.” Both twins bowed, Yue continued, “May the great ocean and moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times.”

The Prince turned and glanced her way, a blush so hot on her cheeks she thought her face would melt off.

“Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform.”

That was all Navani needed to hear to have her undivided attention. With an excited gasp, her head whipped around to look at the raised platform.

She watched with wide eyes as the three man manipulated the giant barrels of water to create giant streams moving in almost every direction. They moved in a manner she had never seen before, very different to her usual style. She was mesmerized. So much so that she hadn’t noticed someone standing next to her.

“Is this seat taken?” Hai asked politely, gesturing to the spot next to her.

With her attention still glued to the performance, she responded, “No, you can sit if you’d like.”

He chuckled, taking a seat, “I can tell you’re enjoying the performance.”

“Huh, oh.” Navani blushed hard, finally drawing her attention away, “Yeah, they’re really good.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” Hai gave her a warm smile that made butterflies erupt in her gut.

“I, uh- I’m Navani...” She introduced, bowing her head.

“No need, Navani. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His smile never leaving his face. She giggled, breaking their gaze to save herself from anymore embarrassment. As she did she caught sight of Sokka and the Princess next to her.

“I’m thinking, maybe, we could do any activity together?” Sokka asked, attempting to woo the Princess. Navani couldn’t help it but feel angered by this. She knew exactly what he was doing....

Navani turned back to Hai, “So you’re a Prince?” She tried, hoping it wasn’t such a sucker of an attempt to make conversation.

“Yeah...” He chuckled, “I’m a Prince.”

“And...you have a sister?...Who’s your twin?” She wanted to face palm so badly but she resisted, “You two don’t really look alike.”

“Yue was born first and there was something wrong. So my father called upon the moon spirit for help. And it did, that’s why she has white hair. Hence our names as well. They mean moon and ocean.” He answered with not much enthusiasm. Like Navani had pushed a little too much.

“Oh, I’m assuming she gets all the attention?” She glanced over at his twin.

“Mhm,” He hummed with an eye roll, “She’s older, only by a few minutes so whoever she marries automatically becomes chief. Which isn’t fair. It really should be me because I’m the chief’s first son. Plus I’m a water bender!”

Navani perked, an idea popping into her head, “Me too! I’m not that good, though. I could definitely use some practice...” She batted her eyelashes, resting her elbow on the table and leaning on it. And just like that she was in....or so she thought.

“Well, I’m sure healing isn’t that hard.” He said smugly, waving it off.

Navani faltered a bit, pressing, “Healing? What about real water bending? Like actual fighting moves? Or dancing even?”

Hai gave a hearty chuckle, “Well...I guess I could show you a little something but no one can know, alright?”

Her eyebrows knotted in confusion but she brushed it off, nodding and smiling.

“We could meet sometime tomorrow?” He offered, taking hold of her hand and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

She turned away, blush furious on her cheeks. And for a moment she forgot about why she was doing this.

===

She had been out for a walk that morning when she caught sight of a canoe in the canal ahead. Inside was just the person she was looking for.

“Prince Hai!” She called from the walk way, speeding up a little to catch up to him. Both him and Princess Yue were sitting in the small boat as it drifted down the canal.

Just as Navani cleared the corner, she ran right into someone, sending them both into water below. Both the Prince and Princess giggled at the sight.

“Ahhh, Navani!” Sokka yelped, pulling himself out of the water.

She could care less about what Sokka was yelling at her, as she shook her hair out of her face.

Prince Hai had gotten up from his seat and moved to lean over the edge, “Meet me on the palace steps tonight!” He called out as the boat continued to drift, without missing a beat.

Navani swooned as she bobbed in the water, a light blush gracing her cheeks. Soon after she pulled herself out of the water, coming to face Sokka as he watched much to his amusement. He had noticed the way the Prince looked at Navani, like he was head over heels. He knew that feeling, or knows to be exact. Sure he was flirting with Princess Yue but he couldn’t deny that he did feel a pang in his heart every time he thought of Hai and Navani together. He had her first, well, almost had her. Until he screwed it up for himself big time. Maybe Aunt Wu was right...but no. He just needed a distraction for a little bit then he’d deal with that, right?

Navani felt somewhat guilty as she stood in front of Sokka, soaking wet. Like she shouldn’t have made it known that she was going to visit Prince Hai later tonight.

So instead she grounded herself, placing both her hands on her hips, “Yes?” She questioned Sokka’s trained gaze.

He crossed his arms giving her a suspicious glare, “Nothing.”

She exhaled bluntly, giving a huff from her nose, “I’m going back to the igloo. Feel free not to follow me.” She turned sharply, taking off back the way she came.

“I bet you don’t even remember how to get back.” The water tribe boy laughed, watching as she groaned, stomping away. He followed her, doing exactly the opposite of what she said, just to mess with her. He walked a few paces behind her, throwing words of mockery every time she made a wrong turn or went in the wrong direction. Either way, they had ended up in front of the igloo they were staying in.

“Well, would you look at that?” Sokka amused, “We both got what we wanted. You were able to get home and I was able to annoy the heck out of you while doing so.”

“I suggest you shut up before I physically hurt you.” Navani threatened, not even batting an eye his way as she made her way inside.

He laughed, following suit, “You really think you can hurt me? I bet you can’t even pin me to the ground.”

They walked further into the igloo, stopping at the center. Navani shed her big coat, tossing it to the side before wordlessly getting into a fighting stance. Her gaze set sternly on his as he just stood there.

“Come on, tough guy. Since you think you’ve got what it takes, let’s put it to the test.” She stated, dipping low, kicking low and knocking Sokka’s legs out from under him. He landed hard on the floor, letting out a loud groan.

She stepped so she was over him, leaning to look down with her hands on her hips, “What happened? I thought you said you were a warrior?” She taunted, “Get up, I’ll give you another shot. You get the first strike.”

Sokka starred up at her in complete shock. As to why he was shocked, he didn’t know exactly. Of course she could beat him in a fight any day, he was just messing with her after all, right?

Soon after he stood, both of them taking fighting stances. Navani stood with a relaxed, yet steady posture, ready for anything like she had been trained to do. Sokka on the other hand, could fall over with the slightest nudge.

Sokka gave his all with his first strike, deflating a little when Navani dodged it with ease. Almost like it was nothing. He swung a couple more times, watching her move with ease every step of the way, like she had been doing this for dozens of life times.

Sokka tried and tried. He kicked, punched, grabbed, pulled, and shoved. Still nothing. Navani stood strong, barely even breaking a sweat. She giggled at his exhaustion, shoving his shoulder lightly, watching him lose balance and fall only from that little push.

She strutted over to him, placing her foot on his chest, “I didn’t even have to use my bending on you.” She leaned down, towering over him triumphantly. Watching as a smirk curl onto his lips and an idea pop into his head.

“Who’s the warrior now-“ Suddenly her leg was being pulled out from under her, Sokka being able to roll out from under her and pin her down as she made contact with the floor. He sat square on her stomach, using a hand to pin both of her wrists to the floor.

“What the-“ Navani barked from under him. She struggled under his weight, which was almost surprising because he was a little slimmer compared to her trained build.

“Looks who’s on top now! Literally!” He mocked with a big grin on his face.

She hadn’t realized how close they were until then. It all settled in. His weight on her, the way his breath fanned over her face when he talked, his hand holding down her wrists above her head. The butterflies in her stomach matched the intensity of her beating heart. Not to mention she was almost as red as her shirt. Both of their gazes locked on each other, trained so intensely. All those things she had felt for him before over powered the hurt he had caused her. Maybe she had been a bit too harsh, a little too stubborn?...

It had felt like they had been sitting there forever until Katara came bounding into the room.

“Sokka! You’ll never believe it! Gran-Ahh!” She screamed. Both Sokka and Navani yelling along with her as Navani basically launched Sokka across the room. Kicking him off from on top of her.

Katara turned away with her hands over her eyes, “Oh my gosh! Can’t you guys find somewhere a little more private to do that!” She took off.

“Katara!” Navani called, getting up off the floor to run after her, “It’s not what you think at all! I swear!”

They both ran to the door but gave up on chasing after her. They stopped in the doorway, standing close to each other. When they realized it, neither of them jerked away like they normally would’ve. Navani felt....comfortable with their proximity. Something that shocked her, scared her almost.

“I- uhhhh,” Sokka stuttered, trying to ease the tension, “That was fun wasn’t it?”

Navani playfully rolled her eyes, giggling.

===

Later that day Navani was the first to rush out for her...date? Training? She didn’t even know what to call it, with Prince Hai.

For the last hour or two she had spent her time with Prince Hai as he taught her some water bending moves. She was surprised because she already knew a thing or two but his way was so much different from the way she had been taught by her mother. So she was grateful that she was actually able to learn something.

Now they sitting on the palace steps, just enjoying their time together.

“Thank you for teaching me.” She said, leaning back with her palms against the icy step under her, “I really appreciate it.”

He turned to her smiling, “You’re welcome. Thank you for letting me teach you. It’s not everyday a beautiful girl such as yourself gets to spend time with a prince.” He joked.

“I’m sure there are a ton of other girls who would be jealous of me right now.” Navani chuckled, noticing the space between them decrease slowly. Her laughed died off awkwardly as he got closer.

“Yeah, well it doesn’t matter anyways. There would be no gain in a girl marrying me with my current situation.” He sighed, the atmosphere around them shifting.

“Now don’t say that.” Navani comforted, “Any girl would be lucky to marry you.”

He looked into her eyes and Navani saw how bright they seemed to glow under the moonlight, “You really think so?”

Navani smiled, glancing down at his lips and seeing how close they were, “I know so.” She spoke, attempting to keep their distance.

But much to her dismay, he kissed her. She gasped at the sudden contact, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. She felt confused and just odd. It didn’t feel....right to her. It caught her completely off guard. At this, the Prince pulled away quickly with a worried look on his face.

“Oh spirits! I shouldn’t have done that.” He got up hurriedly, leaving Navani on the steps.

She got up after him, “Wait! Prince Hai!”

He stopped at the top of the steps, Navani catching up to him and taking a gentle hold on his wrist.

“I’m sorry,” She began, look up at him, “I’m sorry if it made it seem like we were anything more than friends. And I didn’t mean to hurt you in anyway. But I just think we aren’t destined to have a relationship in those sorts.”

He gave a sad smile, “I understand....you like someone else instead.”

Navani’s eyebrows knotted in confusion, “What?”

“Sokka, is it? I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him. I was foolish for even thinking that we could’ve had something.”

Navani stood silently for a moment. Maybe he was right. Maybe she did look at Sokka a little too fondly sometimes. And maybe she still got butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought of him in such a way.

Navani took a step closer to him, “No you’re not, you were just doing what your heart was telling you to do.”

Hai smiled again, taking hold of her shoulders, “Go. Go do what you heart is telling you to do and find him.” And so she did. Of course she didn’t leave without giving her thanks and appreciation.

Navani walked back to the igloo in hopes of finding Sokka before he went off to do his activity with the Princess. She tried walking without being too loud. Or else her foot steps would echo off the ice walls. She trotted down a couple walk ways, crosses some bridges until she finally turned up at the igloo. With every step her heart grew with anticipation. She felt as though she could do anything. She rushed through the doorway, a smile as bright as the moon on her face.

“Where is he?” Navani exclaimed, out of breath.

Katara and Aang jumped, startled at her sudden appearance, “Who? Sokka?” Katara questioned.

Navani nodded eagerly, almost squealing with excitement. She was finally coming to terms with her feelings.

“He’s mentioned something about a bridge and seeing the Prin-“ Katara wasn’t able to finish her sentence before Navani rushed back out with a thanks.

At this point she didn’t care if she was loud and her stomping foot steps could be heard. She figured she start with the bridge where she sent Sokka and heralded flying into the water. She slowed as she approached the corner. Hunched over, she caught her breathe. She couldn’t help but over hear the conversation going on.

“Hi, Princess Yue. I made you something.” Navani over heard Sokka greet the Princess. She peaked her head around the corner, leaning as far up against the ice wall as she could. It hurt a little to see them together like so.

She watched as Sokka held out his hand to show Princess Yue what was supposed to be a fish carving. When did he have time to make that? Maybe he really wasn’t doing this just to mess around with her...

”I’m sorry. I’ve made a mistake.” The Princess cried, turning away, “I shouldn’t have asked you to come here.” She ran off as Navani stepped out from around the corner.

When she did something hard hit her in the head, “Ow!” She whined, rubbing the sore spot in her forehead.

Sokka stormed off without noticing Navani. She cursed herself for not making it known that she was there sooner. However she did make an effort to rush back to the igloo to make it seem like she hadn’t been spying on him this whole time. She ran through the doorway, startling Aang and Katara once again.

She tore her coat off in a hurry, along with her boots, plopping down on the ground next to Katara.

Not even a second later Sokka stomps right in, clearly upset. He kicked his sleeping bag and slumped down over it.

“How’s warrior training?” Navani asks carefully, making sure her pace was steady.

Aang looks at Navani with confusion. Navani gave him a desperate look and the boy quickly caught on, “That bad?” He played off.

Sokka groaned, “It’s Princess Yue! One minute she wants to go out with me and then the next she’s telling me to get lost!”

It saddened Navani to see him in such a sour mood over what had just went down. At that point she tuned out of the conversation and focused on relaxing. She laid down on her sleeping bag, arms behind her head and legs crossed. She hadn’t noticed Katara and Aang had left until a little while later. Leaving Navani and Sokka alone.

===

The events that occurred the night before greatly contrasted what was happening right now.

That morning Katara had challenged Master Pakku to a fight, which she still lost despite her skill. And now she was taking a walk with Prince Hai.

“You really like him don’t you?” The Prince questioned with a sly smile.

“What?” Navani blushed, trying to play it off, “I wouldn’t say really like him but-“

“Just admit and stop making it harder for yourself.” He laughed as they approached a bridge.

There stood the Princess and Sokka engaged in a kiss. Navani froze. Her whole body going numb. Her heart began to ache in her chest, under all the layers of cloths she had on. A lump grew in her throat, getting bigger by the second.

Prince Hai had done a service by leading her away from the scene as she wept. She knew she shouldn’t be crying. Because if Sokka had seen her and Hai kiss yesterday, would he have reacted the same?

Hai brought her close in a snug embrace, “Navani, don’t cry. It’ll be alright. She can’t even be with him. She’s engaged!” He explained, taking her face in his hands.

But her expression stayed the same as more tears fell upon her cheeks. Her breathing was choppy and all she could do was sob. She didn’t know why she was in the first place. It’s not like her and Sokka were...dating...in the first place. But she knew deep down that she wanted him. Yet she couldn’t have him.

[][][]

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[ahmeddocuments]

Day 1, (Cairo/Amman/Paris), 25-9-2019

Written by Ahmed Hassan, edited and corrected by Aya Ashraf

Well, this is finally it. The moment I've always procrastinated to do. I'm finally documenting my biggest trip to Europe to date!

The trip started from September, 2019 from France passing by Italy, Vatican, Austria, Prague and ending in Germany. The trip raised my travel achievements from 5 cities, 4 countries to 15 cities, 8 countries in a total of 13 months, with a total number of 33 traveling days.

When I'm documenting my trip, I'm documenting personal experience, personal observations and opinions. it also might reflect my passion for Architecture, Art and beauty of how I see things, and how it reflects from my perspective. And to be honest, I've thought a lot about ideas of how I can show my trip well, and blogging somehow was a winner. Blogging sounds like a classic idea of how things should be documented, and I'm someone who's always nostalgic and feels classic about the present and the future.

Well, Where do I start. it's 9:00 PM on a Tuesday, On 24th of September 2019. i just had a haircut and heading home after one of the strangest days of my life. it's the day i had an emotional roller coaster; I'm getting ready to travel a the biggest planned trip ever, just a few hours after knowing I've took a hit in my career. Or at least that’s what i thought at the time. but after a few hours of Anxiety, I've decided to let all of such thoughts stop, I'm going to travel! I'm literally a few hours away from doing my most favorite thing in the whole world! I started double checking my belongings; Passport and tickets, Cash money, devices and luggage.

My plane takes off at 6:45 AM. I made sure i had arrived earlier for documentation. I finished everything around 3 hours before the flight and I'm sitting there at the airport bored and bored waiting for the time to pass, still having glimpses of anxiety from time to time.

The moment has come, I hear the call for my flight. Unlike the past year, that wasn't a direct gate to the plane, but it's a shuttle bus taking us directly to the plane near the runway. It’s my first time on Royal Jordanian airlines, I gotta say the plane looks decently vintage from outside, I liked the color pattern of the fleet because you don’t see darker planes every day. as below, the plane appeared mostly black with mixed colors of blood red and gold yellow.

i picked royal Jordanian because of two factors; their cheap economy tickets (Cairo/Amman/Paris and Berlin/Amman/Cairo for 6900 L.E), their luggage policy  (two 23 Kg pieces + the carry on). But I gotta say, you get what you pay for. As someone who’s been on Air France's Joon last year, all I could do is compare the seats’ quality, friendliness level of the staff and the quality of food. The three weren’t that bad at all on the RJ planes, but yeah, that was something to mention.

So the plane is prepared to take off, flight attendants are giving us instructions about safety and emergency, then we’re taxiing the runway. When people usually describe their point of life when they feel absolutely free of any restrictions, I always think about the moment when the plane is on the runway accelerating, leaving anything behind -even if temporary- and rising above the clouds, above anything that previously caused any kind of insecurity. It’s me feeling superior and feeling good about myself.

That was my first time passing over Sinai by plane, I’ve seen a lot of beautiful scenery, like the gulf of Suez and the Suez canal and its ships lining up one after the other.

Also scenes of Sinai mountains, that looks small but great from above as well

I’m now entering the airspace of Jordan. And I got to see the river of Jordan and glimpses of the dead sea.

Just a few minutes after capturing the above picture, we were approaching Queen Aliaa International Airport in Amman for my transit. The plane was landing, and that was my first time to set foot in another Arab country. My transit was almost two hours long so it wasn’t that big of a deal, the airport was extremely clean with very fast free WiFi service, I didn’t feel bothered at all by the waiting time cause I kept exploring the airport. I wanted to buy a snack or a small meal but it was weird because of my zero understanding about the Jordanian currency in terms of what's reasonable and what's expensive. Minutes passed fast and I boarded the plane for a longer flight to Paris.

Passing over the occupied lands of Palestine gave me a special scene I won't forget, a glimpse of the dome rock mosque and the Aqsa mosque. It’s that glowing gold item in the middle of the below picture.

The flight to Paris lasted about 6 hours, passing over the Mediterranean, central Europe and then finally entering the French air field. It was a matter of time before hearing the announcement that we’re reaching Charles de Gaulle Airport, I’m landing again in my favorite city in the world, one year after saying goodbye back in 2018. Took my luggage and stayed in the airport for a few hours till Islem, the Algerian friend I’m staying with, finishes his work at 6 PM, so that left me in the airport for about 4 full hours.

First things first, I had to top up my French mobile line package so that I can communicate during my trip, then had a McDonalds sandwich at the airport. Also had time for a drink till I received a call from Islem to move to Aulnay-sous-Bois. Meeting Islem became one of Paris’s landmarks for me now, he’s a very nice Algerian, 2 years younger and shows a great hospitality each time I request to stay over. After my arrival at the platform, I found him right there. He guided me to the house, which was like 1 minute walking distance from the station which is a GREAT plus for a tourist. The neighborhood was actually built around the 1940s, and it's all about classic villas and buildings. My building is a great example of how the neighborhood looked.

I was actually staying on the fifth - and last - floor. Anyway it was almost 7.30 and I put my stuff at Islem’s, we're going to have an outing together. Islem suggested I should have like a metro pass to all the 5 Paris districts, which came in really handy for my whole stay, and it included Versailles and Disney which were planned items.

We decided to go over the downtown and launched that plan from Châtelet, stepped out of the station to Rue de Rivoli, passed by Tour Saint Jaques.

Then we passed by Paris's official city center, Hôtel de Ville. The place looked amazing as that was my first time to see it at night all lit

Also had my first look at the seine by crossing Pomt d'Arcole and its beautiful scenery over the river.

I also wanted to check on Notre Dame, as I was really devastated when the fire took place in April 2019, but it looked better than expected. But still it's a great loss to France and Europe.

For those who don't know, Notre Dame was my favorite place to visit in Paris, and it was the place that I've seen first in Paris during my first visit in 2018. I will never forget that feeling of seeing this building in person. Now it is in a really bad condition, only hoping for it to restore its previous glory soon.

I made sure to check the building as much as possible, passed by it from almost all sides. A very important funny part though: it was raining before my arrival and I didn’t notice a small water puddle behind Notre Dame, which resulted my socks and shoes all soaked with water, making me walk like i’m walking on hot rocks for a while till it started to dry out. We later reached Saint Michelle Fountain.

Had the opportunity to see one of the best seine river scenes in Paris, with Notre Dame looking so fine like it was untouched.

We Also passed by Pont Neuf, Paris’s oldest bridge with a construction date back to 1578. The term “Pont Neuf” means the new bridge, because of all the modernity that it embodied in the Middle Ages back then. The building, which spans the Seine at Ile de la Cité, was built during the reign of Henry III but was inaugurated in the early 17th century.  At that time, it was the very first stone bridge in Paris and also the first in the capital to have sidewalks to protect pedestrians from the mud projected by horses and carts.

After crossing Pont Neuf to the other bank of the seine, we’re right in front of the back side of the Louvre museum. Islem thankfully made me enter the Louvre from the back entrance, allowing me to see the famous modern pyramid centering the 18th century old Château from a new angle.

And now with the main stream angle, which I really love by the way because there’s no enough of how beautiful this place looks! I was actually surprised to see that much of people still hanging out there, later i realized the place is open till 9:45 PM on Wednesdays, and it was just 9:15 PM the moment I took the picture.

We were really starving afterwards, and we couldn’t pick a place to have our dinner. So we decided to eat in the first affordable thing we see in our way. We walked down Avenue de l'Opéra heading to the Palais Garnier (Paris’s grand opera house). and as much as it always looked fantastic with its golden statues, it never looked as beautiful as I saw it that night.

We were right in front of the opera when Islem suggested we go for pizza hut since it’s just around the corner, there was no space for me to say no as the last meal I had was almost 8-9 hours earlier. We went inside and we picked a chicken pizza that we shared with a drink and appetizers. and I gotta say there was no much of a difference comparing to the pizza hut we have in Egypt, only cleaner place and more expensive lol.

We were finally full and we decided that I should welcome Paris in the best cliché way possible: watching the Eiffel tower at night. We moved via metro from  Opéra to Trocadéro. For those of you who don’t know, Trocadéro is the best place in Paris where you can actually view the landmark and remain absolutely speechless till you realize you spent a lot of time there and should leave.

It was the most crowded place I visited that night. Needless to say how worthy it was, I’ll just let the below pictures speak for themselves.

After spending some time there, we decided to go home and rest, as Islem is working the next day, and I have to visit Chateau Versailles which I’m really excited about. Using both Metro and RER, we reached home and I was getting ready to sleep before it started raining outside.

I was sleeping right under a roof window which allowed me to see the sky and the rain hitting that window and I instantly started thinking about how lucky I am that:

- It started raining right after I’m back home and right before I arrived, I really felt welcomed :)

- I’m visiting the city I love the most twice in one year! Spending so much time there while having a very good trip planned ahead.

To the next day tomorrow, I’m visiting Chateau Versailles ,La Defance and Arc de Triumph. can’t wait to start going into details about that.

Bonne nuit!

[im-still-writing-out-of-time]

Look At Our Son

Dear Anon,  I FINISHED IT. I hope you like it, I tried to fill your request to the best of my abilities.

Angsty. Get your tissues ready y’all.

Masterlist

Alexander smiled down at his newborn son, his light hair slightly curled, his cheeks round. "Look what we made, Eliza, isn't he just the most perfect thing you've ever seen?" He moved to his wife and kissed her forehead. "You did so well. I'm so proud of you Eliza. So proud," he whispered, his voice cracking. His wife had gone through a long, hard labor that was tiring on all three of them. Philip's head was slightly misshapen from being stuck in the birth canal, Eliza was weak and tired, and Alexander was just tired. It had been a long thirty-nine hour labor.

"Alexander?"

 "Yes, my love?" He sat in a chair be tween Eliza's bed and Philip's bassinet.

 "Can you help me to the bathroom?" The doctor had come in a little while ago and told Eliza that she was only allowed to stand up if someone was helping her.

 "Absolutely. Just let me move the food tray." He moved around the bed and pushed the food tray out of the way before pulling the covers back from her legs. "Eliza, that's a lot of red blood," he said, his voice trailing off.

 "Alexander, darling, I just had a baby."

 "You're right." He was shaking his head. "Of course my dear. I just worry about you, you know." Her legs shook as Alexander helped her from the bed and blood began trailing down her legs. "Eliza?" His voice was shaking and filled with terror as he watched his wife's face get even more pale.

 "The bed, Alexander."

 He lifted her back in the bed and began hitting the nurse call button repeatedly. "Help! Please, someone help us!"  Eliza's face fell to the side and her eyes closed. "Eliza! Please, someone help my wife!" He was sobbing as the doctors and nurses forced him out of the room. "Wait! Where's my son? Where's Philip?"

 A nurse pushed the bassinet out in the hallway. "Come with me, Mr Hamilton." She walked a couple doors down the hallway and pushed the bassinet into an empty room. "Mr Hamilton, your wife has lost a lot of blood, and for whatever reason, she's still losing more. There are doctors in there with transfusions, but if they can't find the bleed and stop it, she might not make it. Please, wait here with your son. He needs his father right now."

 Alexander grabbed his son and held him tight to his chest, sinking down into the recliner, Philip squirming in his arms. "Please god, I know I've never believed in you before, but my wife Eliza, she's hurting something bad and I can't lose her. Philip can't lose his mother. If you could please, please help her." He could hear the loud tone of the heart monitor suddenly drone on steadily. "No," he whispered. "No!" He cradled Philip in his arms, running down the hallway and peering in the room. There was a doctor performing CPR. "Eliza, please. Philip needs you. I need you. Eliza, please." He sank to the floor, sobbing, Philip's tiny form squirming against his. His sobs could be heard through the hall and Philip began crying. A nurse came from the nurses' station and slid the baby from Alexander's hands. Immediately, Alexander's head fell back, hitting off the wall. His hands came up and made fists on either side of his head. "No, no, no, no. Eliza, my love." He sobbed as the nurse tried calming his son.

 "Mr Hamilton, your son needs you. Please, don't let him lose both of you," she whispered.

 "How can I be a father without her? I acted like I knew what I was doing, but it was her! I can't do this."

 The nurse smiled sadly. "You'd be surprised what you could do when it comes time to do it. Come, Mr Hamilton, I'll show you how to do some things. I think, right now, he needs a diaper change. You'll do that, and I'll step in if you need help okay?"

 "Can I say goodbye to Eliza first? Please? She was my one true love," he whispered. The nurse nodded and he turned the corner in the room to see blood on the floor, on the bed, covering the sheets. The doctors were still surrounding her, taking off monitors. "What happened?"

 "There was a tear in her uterus from labor that we couldn't see. When she was laying down, the blood was able to pool in her uterus, and when she stood up, it all drained from her. By the time we caught it, there was nothing we could do. I'm sorry Mr Hamilton." He set a hand on Alexander's shoulder before walking out of the room, the rest of the hospital personnel following him.

 "Oh, Eliza, my love," he sobbed. "Eliza." He took her hand in his and pressed his forehead to hers. "God, Eliza. Why us? Why you? I'd trade places with you in a heartbeat. Philip needs you, I don't know what to do. It was always you. You were always my rock. You hold me down when I start flying too high. What am I going to do without you?"

 The nurse was at the door with Philip. "Mr Hamilton..."

 Alexander pressed his lips to Eliza's forehead, holding her so close he pushed his nose flat against her. "Goodbye, my love. One day, we'll meet again. Keep watch over us, okay?" He kissed her soft lips and brushed his thumb against her cheek before turning away. He grabbed Philip from the nurse's arms and held them close to him. "She was so young. She never hurt anyone and she dies. I have plenty of enemies and yet, here I am. I'm all he has now." He walked down the hall. He helped bring his son into the world and he lost his wife, his true love all in one day. He looked at Philip, praying that he would grow up to look like his mother. He already had her eyes, her lips. "Let's go change your diaper, Philip."

 The nurse watched his every movement as he cleaned Philip and wiped ointment on him. "You did great, Mr Hamilton."

 Alexander smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Call me Alexander."

 "Alright then, Alexander. You're an amazing father, Alexander. You can do this."

 He looked at his son, whose eyes were starting to settle to a close. "Is there anywhere I can purchase breast milk for him? It was all Eliza could talk about ever since we found out she was pregnant. She wanted to be able to breastfeed him until he was at least a year old."

 "Sometimes you can find women who are willing to donate supplies. There's a donor bank where you might be able to find someone from around here, willing to donate."

 A small timid woman walked up to them, coming from the room next door. "Excuse me?" Her hair was a beautiful chestnut, but she bore a striking resemblance to Eliza. A man appeared behind her. "I couldn't help but hear what was going on." Her own eyes were red, as were her companions. "I'm so sorry for your loss. I just lost my baby last night, but maybe I could help?"

 Her companion placed his hand on her shoulder. "Honey, are you sure?"

 "Yes," she said before turning back to Alexander., "I was wondering if I could help. I mean, nurse your baby. I don't have the need for the milk anymore." Her eyes started to well up with tears and her voice became thick with emotion. "I could even pump if you're not comfortable with that. I just- I wanna help."

 Tears freely streamed down Alexander's face as he nodded his head. He drew the small woman in his arms. "Yes, please. Oh god, you're a godsend." He released the young woman and wrapped his arms around her companion. "Thank you guys so much." He stepped back and wiped at the tears on his face. "Come meet him." His voice was thick with tears. "I just changed him, and he was closing his eyes to sleep, but I would love for you to meet him." The couple was following Alexander when he suddenly stopped. "I didn't even think to ask your names."

 The man smiled at him. "I'm Jean-Paul, and this is my wife Christine."

 Alexander smiled at the pair. "Alexander Hamilton. Are you French?"

 "Yes, I immigrated from France when I was in college. I fell in love with Christine and I decided to stay here instead of moving back. I still have a slight accent. I apologize if I'm hard to understand at times."

 "Don't," said Alexander. "I met one of my best friends in the army. He was French and he barely spoke a lick of English when I met him." They stepped into the room. "Meet Philip," Alexander said, stepping around the bassinet.

 "Can I hold him?" Christine whispered.

 Alexander nodded. "Go ahead."

 She lifted the baby into her arms and sat in the recliner against the wall of the room. "Hi Philip, I'm Christine." His curls were dark against her arm. She smiled, but there was still a hint of sadness on her face. "You look a lot like Gabriel," she whispered.

 Alexander smiled and sat on the empty bed behind him. His chest heaved as he sobbed silently. Christine looked so much like his wife and, holding his son, that's all he could think of. "You look just like my Eliza," he choked out. "But her hair was darker." He tried to smile, or make a joke, but he felt nothing but depressed. "You can feed him if you want. He hasn't nursed in a while."  He noticed Philip rooting against her breast and she blushed. "I can turn around if you want, or leave."

 "No, you can stay," she said, pushing aside the breast of her robe. "He's your son, I'm only the milk supplier."

 Alexander didn't say anything, but he watched as Philip latched on as though Christine were his mother. He watched, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He laid back on the bed and began pulling his shirt away from his neck, trying anything to get a breath into his lungs.  He closed his eyes trying to close everything out and his body started shaking uncontrollably.  

 He could feel someone's hands on him, but he couldn't force himself to open his eyes. He felt something being wrapped around each of his wrists but the darkness kept pulling him down. He could feel people poking and prodding at him. Suddenly, a bright light was shining in his eyes. His head felt like it was filled with rocks, but he forced his eyes open.

 He sat up and looked around, his eyes wild until he saw Philip attached to Christine's breast. "What happened?"

 "You had a panic attack. Apparently that, plus your exhaustion, plus being dehydrated made you pass out. It was only for about fifteen minutes though," the nurse beside him informed him.

 "Alexander, Philip needs to burp. Do you want to burp him?"

 He nodded his head and Philip was transferred to his arms. He rested Philip's body against his shoulder and began patting his back until a burp erupted from his lips. He laughed at the burp that came from his newborn son before laying him in the bassinet beside the bed. He looked at his wrists where he wore hospital bracelets, one had his own name, the other held Eliza Hamilton. He smiled sadly at his wrist before looking at his son in the small, clear bassinet tub. There was an IV line in the back of his hand that the nurses must have stuck there while he was unconscious. The IV line was attached to a bag of saline hanging by the bed.

 "You can both go home tomorrow, Mr Hamilton, providing Philip's check up in the morning goes well." She smiled at him, at Jean-Paul and Christine and walked out of the room.

 Alexander looked at the couple. Christine had covered herself up again and was looking depressed. "How did he die? Gabriel. What happened?"

 "No one knows," came Jean-Paul's voice. "It was a textbook labor and delivery but he just- he wasn't alive."

 "I'm so sorry." Alexander watched Jean-Paul's hand find Christine's back and rub calming circles.

 "Come, mon amour. Let's go back to our room." The couple stood up and walked out, and suddenly, Alexander was alone. Alexander pressed the button to call the nurses beside his bed and almost immediately, a nurse walked in.

 "Can you call someone for me? She was supposed to be flying in from London tonight and I just- I could really use her company. Her name is Angelica, she's Eliza's sister. Was. She was Eliza's sister."

 "Would that be Angelica Church?"

 "Yeah, how did you-?"

 "I was coming to ask if you knew her so I could let her in."

 "She's here?" His voice broke as the tears started streaming down his face. "Can you send her in?"

 The nurse disappeared and seconds later, Angelica was walking through the door. "Hello, Alexander." Her arms wrapped around his shaking body. "I'm surprised the two of you are still in maternity, seeing as how..."

 Alexander threw his arms around Angelica. "I was sitting right beside her and I couldn't help her!" He sobbed. "I was completely and utterly useless. I just- She died and I wasn't even there to hold her hand and I- I- I-"

 "I know."

 "I can't be a father by myself. He needs her."

 "Alexander, you're going to be an amazing father to him. I can help you for a little while, until you can handle it by yourself. Do you guys need anything- formula, bottles, diapers?"

 "No, we won't need formula for a while, and Eliza made sure we stocked up on diapers for a while."

 "Alexander, the baby needs to eat."

 Alexander laughed softly. "I know, Angelica. But the woman next door offered to pump milk to feed him. Her baby was born stillborn and she heard everything that went on this morning and offered her services. I just- She looks so much like Eliza, Angelica. Seeing her nurse Philip earlier nearly killed me."

 "You named him Philip? It's a gorgeous name." Angelica sat in the chair between Alexander and the bassinet.

 "Eliza named him." The room was silent, the only sound was the soft breathing of Philip in the bassinet.

 Alexander scratched at the IV in his hands. "It's getting kind of late. Do you want to stay here for the night?"

 "Am I allowed to?"

 "I'll fight the nurse if she tells you to leave. I can't be alone Angelica. I don't know what I'd do to myself."

 "I'll sleep here Alexander. It's okay. I'll help you bring Philip home in the morning. It'll all be okay, Alexander." He waited until Angelica fell asleep before he finally let himself completely break down. He pulled the empty line from the needle in his hand and tossed it away from the bed. He scratched at the needle in his hand and kissed his son and sister-in-law before walking out of the room.

 He walked up to one of the nurses at the desk who gave him a concerned look. "I gotta get out of here. Can I go for a walk or something?"

 The nurse looked at the man on the verge of a breakdown. "Sir, I'm not really sure you should be alone right now."

 "Someone can go with me, I just- I need to go somewhere else. I can't- I can't be here. Not where I lost Eliza. Her sister is in the room with him, just please. I need a notebook and a pen, and somewhere else. Please." Sobs racked his body and he was shaking. "Please."

 The nurse grabbed a notebook from her bag and a pen, ripping a page from the notebook before handing it over. "Go ask Jean-Paul to go with you. His wife is still sleeping, but. He was looking to go up to the roof for a while."

 Alexander nodded and walked down the hall, rapping on the door with his knuckles. Jean-Paul opened the door, dark circles under his eyes. "You wanna go somewhere with me? I need to get away for a bit and they don't trust me on my own because I'm technically a patient. Plus, the nurse didn't say anything, but I think she's worried I'll kill myself or something. So what do you say?"

 Jean-Paul nodded his head. "Let me grab my coat. It is January out there." Alexander nodded and waited by the door. Jean-Paul appeared seconds later, a coat on his back. "Let's go to the roof."

 Alexander nodded and followed him. The January wind was biting, but Alexander welcomed the cold. He sat on the cold concrete of the roof and pulled out the pen before burying his mind in what he did best- writing.

 My dearest Eliza,

How is it that someone as pure and innocent as you were taken away from our son? Did god decide he needed another angel and chose to take you? I find that quite unfair, for I believe that Philip and I need you way more. My dear Eliza, I find it hard to stop the tears, and even now, the pen mark is being smudged as the tears fall to the paper. I had to get away from the maternity floor, I couldn't be there, knowing you died right there, in the room only two doors down from where Philip and I sleep. I don't know why they kept me and Philip there rather than transferring us to another floor. So here I am, on the roof with a babysitter. The nurses didn't trust me to leave alone.

 Angelica came. She's staying with Philip while I sit on the roof. My tears are starting to freeze to my face and the wind is biting my skin. But I can't go back down and just sit there. My mind runs all around my memories, our memories. I think of the first time I saw you, our dating, our marriage, everything up until now. Now all that runs through my mind is the fact that I couldn't save you. We sat there, looking at our son. I was so proud- of you, of Philip. I can only hope that one day, he grows up to be as perfect as you. I hope he looks like you, acts like you, encases everything that I love about you.

 Love? Loved? What tense do I use? You are no longer here with me, so I should, in fact, use the past tense, but my Eliza, my sweet Eliza, I am still hopelessly and helplessly in love with you. There is no one else for me on this earth. Who will keep me grounded when I soar too high? Who will calm me down when I need it? Who will listen to me rant incessantly about Jefferson and what idiotic ideas he proposes?

 I met a couple as I was sobbing in the hallway after you left us. They lost their child and the woman offered her breastmilk to feed our son. Her husband is the one babysitting me currently. Our young Philip was hungry and she offered to nurse him right there and she looks so much like you Eliza. She has the same build, the same innocent air about her, yet her hair is a chestnut brown. She could be your twin despite her hair, but she could never be you. No one will ever replace you. No one could even attempt such a thing for you, my love, set the bar too high.

 I will raise our child as you would, Eliza, I promise. I promise to take more time off work, to focus on him as you would. I will raise him with only the best values. I won't allow him to fight, verbally or physically as I tend to. He will speak French and I will pay for a tutor to teach him piano. I know you always dreamed of our children playing piano.

 My babysitter is looking cold as I write this and, although I have lost all feeling in my body, I feel as though I should say goodbye for now and allow us both to go inside and warm ourselves. Our Philip cannot lose both parents. I have to be strong for him. I have to raise him and love him as you always talked. I know he will never bring you back, and I don't expect him to, but I want myself to live for you and I both. He deserves that much from me. I can't seem to pull myself away from this notebook and pen but I must.

 This is not a goodbye Eliza, for I refuse to say goodbye to the woman who made my life meaningful. So I shall say I'll see you later. I love you Eliza, with every fiber of my being

 Forever yours, Alexander.

 "You look cold, Jean-Paul. Lets go back down. Your wife needs you and my Philip needs his father." Alexander stood and

 Jean-Paul flicked a cigarette over the railing. "Don't tell my wife I had a cigarette, eh?"

 "I won't speak a word of it."  

 The pair walked to the metal door and walked through, the wind pushing it shut behind them as they descended the stairs. Though neither of them said a word, they both walked to the hospital cafeteria, each paying for a disgusting slice of soggy pizza that immediately went into the garbage after one bite.

 "It gets better, you know. Losing your wife? Christine is my second wife. My first wife, Louisa, died in a car accident. I never thought I would ever find love again, but here I am, with my Christine, mourning the loss of our second child. I don't know how we'll explain this to our daughter Katrine, but I know we'll all get through this. You'll get through losing your wife. You'll never accept it, but you'll be okay. She'll always be there in your mind, always. But you'll have other things to look forward to. His first crawl, first steps, walking, and then first day of school, graduations, marriage. You'll get to see those things and look forward to them and know that Eliza is watching over you both."

 Alexander stayed silent as they walked up the stairs, back to the maternity ward. "I can't do it without her," he whispered.

 "You can. You will. You won't want to and it'll be hard sometimes but you will. You will because you know it's what she wants." Jean-Paul stopped in front of his wife's door. "Goodnight Alexander," he said, walking into his room and closing the door behind him.

 Alexander walked into his room and looked at Angelica and Philip, wishing Eliza could be there beside him. He pulled off his pants, the denim soaked from sitting on the icy concrete of the roof and crawled into bed. He spent the night tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable. He had always found it hard to fall asleep without Eliza by his side. That's something I'll have to get used to.

 Angelica began to stir next to him. "What time is it?"

 Alexander looked at his watch. "Eleven a.m.," he breathed. "And I haven't gotten a wink of sleep. I'm so tired, Angelica. Tired of so much. I don't know if I can be what Philip needs. "

 Before Angelica could reply, a nurse walked in with discharge papers for Alexander and Philip. "Are you guys ready to go home?"

 Alexander shook his head, barely enough for anyone to notice.

 "Come on, Alexander. I'll drive you home," Angelica said, stretching her arms above her head. He nodded and slung his feet over the bed, grabbing the jeans he had laid on the floor and pulling them on his legs. He stepped into the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes were bloodshot and the bags beneath them were dark purple. He looked like hell. His chest constricted and his vision blurred as tears his eyes. He was aware of the faint knocking at the door but he couldn't find his voice.

 The nurse from yesterday's morning shift walked in. "I have to take the IV line out of your hand before you can go home," she said, walking to him. "It'll get better with time." She pressed her finger on the back of his hand and pulled out the IV needle. "You've got a beautiful baby. Go home, put him in the crib, lay down and sleep until he wakes up. Ms Christine is out there nursing him before you go home and she's already got milk pumped for you to take home. Enjoy your time with him while he's little. Teach him who his momma was. He's gonna love you."

 Alexander nodded and walked out of the bathroom. He reached down in Eliza's hospital bag and fished out his keys. "Angelica, can you go pull the car around? I gotta sign some papers and I'll be right down." She slipped the keys from his hand and hugged him before grabbing Eliza's bag and walking out the door. The nurse brought the papers in and set them on the table, pointing where to sign as she tried to make small talk. Alexander gave small answers back as he scribbled his name down on the papers.

 He walked to the rocking chair against the wall where his son was staring around the room, his gray eyes wide, latched on to Christine's breast. Angelica had dressed Philip and the newborn was drooling milk out the side of his mouth. Alexander grabbed his son from Christine's outstretched arms and held him against his chest. Philip's skin was tan against his father's and his hair formed dark curls. "Are you ready to go home little monster?" His hand was patting the child's back and he burped, a tiny bit of milk coming up on Alexander's shirt. "That's a good burp," he whispered. "Let's go home."

 The ride home was silent once Alexander got Philip in his car seat. Angelica stared out the windshield as she drove, blinking away the tears as they came. Alexander grabbed Philip from the back seat of the car as soon as they pulled in and trudged in the house, Angelica on his heels. He could hear Angelica break down as he kicked off his shoes and padded into his and El- his room.

 Pulling back the comforter on the bed, he laid down, Philip in his arms, and closed his eyes. The smell of Eliza surrounded him, the smell mixed with baby powder and laundry detergent. He held Philip close, the only living thing he had to commemorate his love for Eliza. "I love you so much Philip. I promise I'll be a good dad for you," he whispered, pressing his lips to Philip's soft curls. He fell asleep, Philip close to his chest.

 Seven months later, sleeping together had become habit. Philip swung his tiny fists, hitting Alexander awake next to him. Alexander opened his eyes and watched his son jabbering to the sunlight streaming across the ceiling.

 "Are you ready to go visit mommy, Philip? You wanna go see her?" Philip smiled a toothless smile and blew split bubbles at his father who smiled back, laughing. "Come on baby, let's go get dressed and go visit momma." Alexander pulled on a t-shirt and jeans while Philip rolled around on the bed in nothing but a diaper. "Come here, Philip." Alexander grabbed his son and threw him above his head before flying him around the room making airplane noises. He set him on the bed, blowing a raspberry on his stomach before pulling on white onesie and dark jeans over a clean diaper. A plaid button up and socks finished his outfit and Alexander put Philip in the stroller before pulling on his own shoes and slinging the diaper bag over his shoulder.

 The walk to the cemetery was warm, a gentle breeze blowing through. They had buried Eliza two months before and the gravestone was set in place the month after. Alexander pushed the stroller up to the gravestone and laid a blanket over the soft dirt of the grave. Philip was lifted out of his stroller and set on the soft blanket, a toy in his mouth. Alexander laid on the edge of the blanket and stared at the sky, imagining Eliza in his arms rather than beneath him. Blinking away the tears, he turned on his side and stared at Philip trying to stand? He pulled himself up to a stand, for the first time, using his mother's headstone to hold his position.

 Alexander laughed, a smile lighting up his face. "You're standing! Look at you, you're such a big boy." He swung Philip into his arms and held him close. "You look just like your mother," he whispered. He laid down on the blanket, Philip on his chest. Philip was still drooling on his toy as Alexander stared at the sky. "Look at our son, Eliza. Are you proud?"