Lotus Blossoms: A short story for my Friend's 18th Birthday
The firebender stirred and woke up from yet another haunted nightmare. By now he has come to accept these tortures that wait for him at night, but his unconscious mind still propelled fear into his heart every morning. He slowly stood up, stretching his arms over his head. Old, sore bones rubbed together, sending nerves of pain to his joints. Years of fighting and soldier's wounds had left their mark on his body. Silver hair hung around the contours of his face. Any other morning he would have rolled over in bed to try for another hour of sleep. However, today was not like other days so the firebender threw on an old, warn cloak and started out for the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se.
Though decades had passed, the Earth Kingdom capital was just as busy as it had been when the firebender had been a younger man. He could clearly remember the times he had come here, under a different flag and as an enemy of the nation. Today you could hardly tell a war had touched the land. Children ran happily through the dusty streets and parents bartered with the merchants for a fair price on today's meal.
What caught the firebender's attention was the scent of a fresh pot of ginseng tea boiling in the café up ahead. After deciding he could not resist the opportunity, the firebender shuffled to the business where he bought a teapot full of tea and two small teacups, which he stashed in his cloak along with the rest of his money.
"He will enjoy this." He muttered to himself as he kept toward the outer edge of the streets. After all these years, he still felt ashamed when people recognized him. All the damage he had done to the Earth kingdom may have been forgotten by the common citizen, but he remembered and that was all that counted.
The firebender stopped in front of a kiosk to his right. The merchant, a young woman of twenty, was selling hundreds of bouquets on her cart. One that caught his eye was a large bundle of lotus blossoms, the last one available. The firebender started over in her direction thinking to himself how perfect they would be on the-
"Excuse me sir." The man looked down to see a young child, clothed in rags standing by his feet. So much dirt covered the kid's face that it was hard to determine whether the child was a boy or a girl. "Please, could you spare some change for me and my daddy?" The firebender saw a skinny man crouched in an alley. The father, too ashamed to look at the transaction, kept his eyes on his starved son or daughter.
Still, the firebender couldn't help but look at the kiosk. Just as he pondered if he had enough money to split between the flowers and the child, a young man bought the last bouquet of blossoms from the merchant, handing them to his sweetheart who blushed profusely.
"Here." He dropped his entire change purse into the child's hands. "Tell your father to buy some food, something that will last a while."
"Thank-you!" The kid dropped into a Fire nation-style bow before scurrying back to his father, who looked at the firebender and nodded his head in thanks. The man decided to leave before anyone else noticed him.
The firebender took care as he knelt by the grave. This resting place, located on a tall hill and residing under a small willow tree, was hard for an older man to get to. As the firebender caught his breath, he noted the two weary headstones that dotted the ground beneath the tree. The characters carved into them proclaimed their nobility. While it was extremely disgraceful for members of the Royal family to be buried on Earth kingdom soil, one of the deceased had requested this spot. The other had died here.
Zuko poured two cups of tea, placing one on the grave.
"Thank-you Uncle." He whispers, while a warm fall breeze ruffles the leaves in the tree. From the ponds and valleys below, a single lotus blossom sours through the air and lands by the teacup.
"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile, tiny shells drifting in the poem. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home…"
**You'll find yourself one day looking back on your past, both the good times and the bad. In those moments you will rejoice and regret, love and hate. Emotions and memories will rush through you, causing a piece of your soul to quiver. In those moments you'll remember the people who made you who your are and who kept you on your feet. I hope you remember me.