Two Dreams as One
Once in the dream of a night I stood
Lone in the light of a magical wood,
Soul-deep in visions that poppy-like sprang;
And spirits of Truth were the birds that sang,
And spirits of Love were the stars that glowed,
And spirits of Peace were the streams that flowed
In that magical wood in the land of sleep.
Lone in the light of that magical grove,
I felt the stars of the spirits of Love
Gather and gleam round my delicate youth,
And I heard the song of the spirits of Truth;
To quench my longing I bent me low
By the streams of the spirits of Peace that flow
In that magical wood in the land of sleep.
Sarojini Naidu
The sun beamed as if to warm in her presence. The water swayed as she walked pass, as if to surrender to her every command. The red roses beautifully bloomed as if to welcome her with open arms. The grass parted as she walked through the garden as if to bow at her ankles. And there under the white, lily-carved gazebo was a bench.
She sauntered over to the white wooden bench and sat with flawless posture. She finger combed her long flowing hair with her long bony fingers, and let her wide bright eyes wonder. As her eyes glazed past the wooden floor there in the corner was a flower and it immediately caught her attention… it was as if it was calling out to her as a baby would call out to its mother. She reached down and picked up a lotus flower and held the object to her nose. The smell was sweet like honey, a smile graced her lips. She pushed her hair behind her round Carmel ear and wedged the lotus in between. She continued to brush her soft hair until she herd a giggle. She quickly turned around. She then stood up with faultless motion. She wondered beyond the gazebo. And headed to the bushes, there the giggling grew stronger it sounded like a little girl. The girl knelt beside the bushes in her white robe and grass stains grew around her knees. She placed her slender hand in between the branches, and the giggling stopped.
She reached her hand farther in, "Who's there?" she smiled, "I'm not going to hurt you." She was answered in silence.
A strong wind started to blow and the girl felt a chill run up and down her spine. She squinted past the wind. As the wind whistled it made a peculiar sound …as if it was talking to her. She just stayed on her knees unable to move and the wind blew stronger as if it were angry. The girl sat back onto her knees and heels of her feet and grabbed her arms in attempt to warm them. And slowly the grass began to crunch, and soon she recognized the crunches as footsteps. They neared her in slow anticipation, she squeezed her arms tighter. And the wind still blew harder. Clouds began to fill the sky, and the sun shined no more. The roses closed as the wind passed. The water became distilled despite the rapid winds. And still knelt by the bushes was a girl no more than 12, she had tan skin, and long charcoal hair, and round green eyes that were full of tears.
"Please go away…" she managed to say between sobs, as her eyes were glued to the ground in front of her. Tears fell from her eyes like a waterfall and only fueled by rain. In response the wind only grew stronger and it strength was increased still- knocking her to the ground with its force. A light drizzle began to descend to the Earth.
"Not again, no more I won't do it anymore," she closed her eyes. The footsteps stopped and with it the wind.
The girl slowly stood from her spot and gradually turned around. An ear piercing scream echoed through the garden, followed with a jumble of other incomprehensible words. A man pulled her charcoal hair and ran a knife up the side of her arm. And the chills and wind returned. His face was pale and his teeth were yellow and he grinned, "This is not of my doing, you have offended a higher authority." The man sheathed his knife in his boot and clutched her arm. The girl struggled to get away; she fell to the ground at his feet and cried, "I'll be good! I'm sorry!" The man kicked her away. The girl grasped her stomach where she had been hit.
"I told you this is not my decision!" The mans pale and clammy face warped into an emotion of utter and sheer disgust. The girl still lay in the grass panting and sobbing holding her stomach watching the horror unfold.
"You have disgraced him, girl!" The mans face distorted into a dragons face. His eyes were round and a dark gold and his face was red and his wide mouth showed his sharp vicious teeth. The girl trembled and the wind persisted.
The wind then started to swirl around the pair like a whirlpool in the ocean.
The water was no longer a glowing blue and rather a dirty brown. The grass withered away and died around her. The roses drooped and snapped when met with the fury of the wind. And the sun was still covered giving no light.
The little girl began to lift off of the ground while the dragon flew around her along with the motion of the wind.
"You should respect your elders, Zhy," The dragon moved closer to her, "You should respect me." He lunged for the girl.
Another ear piercing scream rang through the gardens.
Katara jolted awake. Beads of sweat trickled down her Carmel forehead. She quickly wiped them away. She was out of breath and panted heavily to regain it.
That dream was exactly the same as yesterdays, last weeks, and last months. It was eerie; it bothered her that little girls fear bothered her. The same little girl with the black hair and green eyes saunters through a garden to meet her fate.
Katara crawled out of her sleeping bag and slowly and groggily stood up. She picked up a flint and restarted the distinguished fire. The fire cracked and popped on the wood and the glow emitted from the flame illuminated part of her face.
The sound of a fire awoke Aang. He rose from appa's saddle and wiped sleep out of his eyes. He looked around the camp and saw Katara staring off into space, sitting in front of the red fire. He ambled over to her. Once there he crouched to her level and tapped her shoulder.
Katara jumped in surprise, "Oh, Aang I didn't know you were up." She placed a hand on her small chest as if to slow her heart.
"This dream has been happening a long time." Aang replied not acknowledging her first statement.
The waterbender nodded in agreement, " I thought after a couple of days it would stop, but it doesn't, and each time I have the dream more is revealed to me…its almost like a vision."
"What's different this time?"
"A name…it was Zhy." Katara threw a stick off the ground into the fire.
Aangs grey eyes drifted in thought for a while. He fidgeted with his hands and scratched his bald head.
"Doesn't ring a bell, but we can visit a dream doctor or someone to help out a little."
Katara smiled at Aang, "That's a great idea," she then bended water onto the fire and crawled back to her sleeping bag.
Aang followed close behind and past her to step onto Appa. Katara watched his retreating back, "Thanks Aang, you're always there for me."
Aang was thankful it was dark because his cheeks grew so red that you could mistake his round cheeks for cherries. "You're welcome," was his bashful reply.
"You're like the little brother I never had," Katara snuggled deep into her blanket and closed her round blue eyes.
Aangs face fell and the blush dissipated, "yeah" he leisurely climbed to the saddle and laid his head down. I'm nothing more to her than a brother, he thought silently to himself.
The gang was rolling up sleeping bags and loading appa. They were heading to Chen Pow, an earth kingdom city close to their camp. The ride was an hour long, and was mostly silent. Sokka was sleeping as always and Toph was hanging over the side of appa, nauseated, Aang was manning the reins and Katara was stuck on thinking about her dreams. They landed onto a beach and traveled on foot into the city.
They decided to split up, the gang was in desperate need of food while Katara still needed to have her dreams cleared up. They also needed straps to better hold down appa's saddle, the old ones were warping.
"Toph and I will head to town for food, and Sokka you can find straps for Appa," Aang looked at Katara and gestured to her, "Will you be okay finding the doctor by your self?"
"Yeah, there are a lot of signs leading to her." They all looked up and arrows and signs led to a small wooden house by a lake, and the signs were titled "Dream Interpreter"
"Oh, I'm surprised I didn't notice it…haha" Aang rubbed the back of his head and walked off, "We'll meet back up in an hour, the same place," he called over his shoulder, he then waved his tattooed hand and strutted off, Toph close behind him.
Sokka waved to Katara and strode away leaving Katara in the middle of a bustling intersection.
Katara dusted away invisible dirt on her robe and patted her hair back and strode down the south rode following the signs…which led her to a more secluded place, an secluded alley. The water bender felt a chill up her spine and grabbed her arms and rubbed them vigorously to warm her. A slight breeze blew. She followed a stone path that led to a rice sliding door. A tree bearing white flowers stood on the right side of the door. Every time the slightest breeze would blow small white flowers would fall to the ground which covered the ground like snow. The waterbender stepped forward and knocked on the maple paneling of the rice door. An old woman slid back the door.
She had red lipstick and white hair. It was pulled back into a bun and she had grey eyes. They had bags under them and her attire was a simple green kimono. She greeted her in.
"Have a seat," the old woman pointed her whole hand to a pillow in the corner. The hut had dark yellow walls and a tatami floor. The smell was strong and powerful of jasmine.
Katara did as she was instructed. "My name is Shale of the earth kingdom, welcome, how can I help you?"
Everything was said so fast it took Katara a little time to register it. "I keep having a dream, for the past month."
"I see, what is it about?" Shale rubbed her chin and sat on a pillow opposite of Katara.
"A girl, she is about 12," The old woman interrupted Katara, "Would you like some tea?" Shale stood and grabbed a steaming pot and poured it into two cups. She then handed one to Katara and she reluctantly took it.
"Continue, my dear," Shale took a long sip of her tea making an irritating slurp noise.
"Uh," The waterbender thought back to where she left off, "…she is in a beautiful garden with roses and glowing waters and lush grass, her hair is black and she had green eyes." Katara sipped some of her tea, " She goes to a bush…for some reason…and then everything dies and turns to a storm and a man is there his face distorts into a red dragon with gold eyes after a while. Then an ear piercing scream rings through the forest and then I wake up."
"Hmm, repetitive dreams can predict the future or retell the past. Or it can be further interpreted into a deeper meaning, but this dream is more like a vision."
The old woman stood and placed a red wooden pipe in the side of her mouth and puffed it. Katara coughed a little, "I almost forgot, I found out her name is Zhy, in my last dream."
The pipe in the Shale's mouth fell to the floor and she rushed to her bookshelf. She skimmed through books and picked a certain book from a corner. All the time her tea cup was flawlessly placed in her hand and a drop never spilled.
"You are the girl!" Shale grabbed Katara's shoulders lifting her off the pillow and kissing her forehead. Tea cup still in hand.
"You will free me from this torment!" She opened the book and dust flew around the room in a captivating motion.
Shale pointed to a sentence which started the tale of Zhy, "About 70 years ago, a firenation woman was unable to bear sons and daughters…" Shale started to cough and wheeze, "She lived in a palace and her prized possession was her garden…" the old woman began to breath heavily. Katara placed a hand on her back, "Are you alright?" Shale's cough continued and she began to speak into the sky, "My time is limited and so is yours, save Zhy before it is too late," Shale coughed profoundly again with one of her wrinkled hands placed on her chest as if to ease the pain.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Katara frantically tried to relieve her pain. Shale bent over and held her chest. She then weakly pointed to the book.
Katara removed her intense, watchful eye off of Shale and glanced at the book. Oddly the characters seemed to morph together and some were erased and when they finally stopped, written in big bold Chinese characters were the words, "Solve the mystery and you will find happiness," and on the next page in smaller letters it said, "with the help of a friend,"
A loud shattering noise rang through the small house and right behind it was a thud. Katara sharply turned around; Shale lay there on the floor motionless. The waterbender rushed to her side and knelt beside her.
"Shale," Katara hysterically shook her, she then placed two slender fingers to the old woman's creased neck. There was no pulse. Katara conjured up water and surrounded it around her pulsing hands and placed them on Shale's chest, unsure of what to heal. Her hands gradually began to glow but quickly turned to ordinary water again.
Katara began to breathe harder.
She repeated the process several times over, and again and again. Finally Katara sniffled and gave up, something that was foreign to her. She hesitantly took the book off the table even though the information was futile. She stepped outside still sniffling. And fortunately a young man with a white suit on and white headband was outside sweeping dirt onto the grass on the side of the house. He saw Katara approach him from out of the house, "What are you doing in there?"
"Getting answers, but I think the woman…. Shale…. in there… is….she is, dead," hot tears stained Katara's Carmel cheeks. She never experienced death so close to her.
"Are you crazy!?" the boy placed the broom on the side of the house, "No one has lived there for years maybe even decades!"
Katara held her head in confusion, "No, I swear, a- a woman was in there, her name was Shale…"
The boy looked bewildered and scratched his dusty brown hair.
Katara lunged for the boys arm, he flinched, Katara pulled him into the house, "She is in here…she is dead…on the floor!"
She pulled back the rice paper door with unnecessary force. Particles of dust rose blocking their view for a bit. Inside there was no smell of jasmine and it was empty…no pillows, no books, no shattered tea cups ….no dead woman.
Katara was utterly confused and her facial expression showed it, "No, I was in here and there were books…lots of books and tea…and the smell was sweet, like jasmine!"
The boy slightly tugged at Katara's blue robe, "It smells of mildew and I don't see any books." He placed a hand on the back of his head. He was nervous, he thought Katara was crazy!
"No, she was just here…wait," there in her hands was a burgundy book with gold framed pages, it was frail and raggedy, "this book, I grabbed this book on my way out!" Katara held the book in front of the boy's face. His face recoiled a bit.
"Um, are you sure you didn't bring that with you?" he slowly backed out the door.
"Yes!" Katara advanced towards him
He slowly backed away, "Do you need me to bring you to the doctor?" the boy stopped and grabbed her hand, "Follow me, I'll bring you to the best doctor in town."
The waterbender snatched her slender hand away and clutched it with her other, "I'm not crazy!"
"Okay, just follow me," the boy grabbed her hand again
She snatched her hand away and with it her whole figure, "Just leave me alone," Katara tucked the book under her arm and she began to run off.
"Wait, I can help you!" the boy slowly jogged after her with a hand in the air but stopped after she stepped on the stone path.
Hot tears began to fall down Katara's face. She knew what she saw, the house was so alive and in a matter of minutes it was so… dead. Maybe she was crazy, her dreams and now reality weren't making sense.
The stone path soon led to the secluded alley, she still ran, coughing and panting and crying. The book rubbed against her rib cage furiously, she guessed it would leave a minor rash, but she didn't care- she lost her sanity…she was crazy.
The alley led to the intersection, and she stood there crying, and panting, she looked around worriedly, looking for the gang. People shoved past her and she jolted from side to side with the force. There in the far distance Sokka pointed to her and looked to his right. The gang was soon behind him and his face was fuming. And still Katara didn't care, she was insane.
Sokka marched toward her, "We said to meet back up in a hour!" he further studied her face and she was crying. Aang stepped in, "Are you okay?" he placed a hand on her shoulder. She gently pushed it off.
"I got caught up that's all," Katara began to walk off and the gang followed, they figured it was best to leave what happened up there alone.
"Where did you get that book?" Katara had long stopped crying and she opened the book.
"From the woman, it will help me solve a mystery," her voice was soft and scratchy; "if there is one…" the last statement was incoherent to the others.
"Cool! A mystery!" Aang sped up to reach Katara.
"I have no idea, how to even get started, it just says," she quoted, "Solve the mystery and you will find happiness, and in smaller letters, "with the help of a friend,"
Aang squinted his eyes in thought. "Maybe I'm that friend," he grinned brim to brim.
Katara giggled, "Maybe,"
"Zuko, don't you think its time to get moving?" Iroh scratched his back on the side of the cave, which was serving as their temporary home.
Zuko looked out at the sky, from the entrance of the cave. He leaned on the stone wall, resting himself.
"I said," Iroh got closer to Zuko and repeated himself, "Don't you think we should get moving?"
"Oh, uh," Zuko faced his uncle, his face showed he wasn't listening, "What did you say?" and apparently his words.
Iroh gave him a questioning look, "Where has you mind been lately?" Iroh jokingly knocked at Zuko's head.
Zuko raised his voice he didn't think it was so funny, "Where it's always been!" he retorted
"Alright," Iroh raised his hands and moved his hands in a 'patting' motion like he was giving in to submission, "I just want you to know if anything is troubling you nephew, you uncle is here." Iroh stepped further into the cave and began to pack. There was a few pieces of bread, and a tea pot.
"Well," Zuko opened his mouth, but quickly closed it, "Never mind." He helped his uncle pack there few belongings that the "blue spirit" seemed to be generous enough to give them.
"You can tell me anything, Zuko," Iroh smiled widely as he wrapped the bread in a burlap cloth.
Zuko eyes darted toward him, and he began to speak hesitantly, "I've been having the same dream night after night,"
"Hmm," Iroh stroked his beard, "About what?"
Zuko sat down and Iroh sat across from him, "A girl about 12, in a garden, it looks firenation. She hears giggles and looks in a bush and when she turns around a man morphs into a dragon in front of her. A freak wind starts to blow and it turns like a tornado. Then all of the garden dies…and I hear one last scream and I wake up, but for some reason last night he said her name, Zhy,"
"Zhy," Iroh wrinkled his nose, "Lets get moving," Zuko slowly got up, he thought his uncle would have more to say, a lot more to say.
Katara thought she was crazy, but as the day progressed and she told Aang and the gang her story, that thought became less and less until finally she was sure she was sane.
"I saw a river back behind the trees, I'm going to rinse off, and practice some bending," Katara started off into the woods, "Coming, Toph?" The pair had become closer, after the palace and facials.
"Sure," Toph strutted toward Katara and they set off.
They passed through the trees and bushes until they heard the slight patter of the flowing river. They neared it. Katara stripped to her white underclothes. She stepped in, "C'mon Toph, it's so refreshing!" she called to Toph who just stood at the edge of the river.
"Me n' water don't mix well, I think I'll pass!" she called back to Katara who was now waving her arms and hands to begin to bend.
"Alright, you don't know what you missing." Katara's voice was high and she drawled out her words. The blue water glowed and shined in the setting sun. It was tempting, but Toph didn't think so.
"I think I do," Toph mumbled under her breath and played with three earth balls she conjured up from the ground.
Zuko and Iroh left the cave and in a few minutes were passing through woods. The trees swayed every time the wind would blow and whistle past. The green leafs frequently rocked to the ground like it was following a baby's lullaby. And soon they could here rushing water, perhaps a stream. However, unusually, Zuko could hear laughs and giggles of girls.
He didn't notice Iroh was talking to him and quite frankly didn't care.
"Shh," Zuko placed a finger to his lips and stopped dead in his tracks.
"What is -"
"Shh!" Zuko peered over some bushes
"Katara!" Toph rushed to Katara careful not to fall in the water, "We have visitors," she whispered loudly.
"Tell Aang and Sokka this is girls only." Katara still continued to wave her hands and wrist bending the water. She then turned her back to Toph.
"I would, but I don't think it's them!" she still tried to shush her voice
Katara quickly stepped onto the grass and grabbed for her clothes, "Fortunately, I'm by my element,"
The both stood into fighting position.
"It's the girl!" Zuko whispered to his uncle
"Who?"
"The girl who travels with the avatar!" Zuko parted the bushes slightly and placed a foot through.
"Zuko…" Iroh's voice had a warning tone to it. Before Iroh could warn Zuko he was on the other side of the bushes in a fighting position. Iroh ran through the bushes and held his hands up in surrender.
"Please girls, we mean no harm." Toph lowered to an ordinary stance, Katara looked befuddled, "Toph, this is Zuko here, c'mon, fight!"
"And this is Iroh, an old…friend of mine." Toph slightly smiled Iroh did the same
"Zuko," Zuko glared at Katara as her lightening blue eyes did the same.
"Zuko," Iroh called again just in case he didn't hear him the first time which he was sure he did, Zuko reluctantly put his arms down and stood straight.
Katara looked around and noticed she was the only one in a fighting stance, she quickly stood down.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Toph asked, "I owe you, if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't be here."
"Actually," Iroh smiled, "Oh no, I couldn't ask you…"
"Then don't ask her," Zuko neared his uncle
"Its okay, anything, except for the avatar," Toph and Iroh began to laugh hysterically; however, Zuko and Katara didn't think it was so funny.
"Well," when Iroh regained his breath he spoke, "A warm meal, and shelter for a few nights?"
"Uncle, I don't think that's such a good idea, let's just leave,"
"Well, Katara, what do you think?"
Zuko placed a hand on his forehead. He expected her to be rude and laugh at the idea, but she did the opposite.
"We brought some more supplies today, and actually I have a few questions to ask Iroh about this…Zhy girl anyway, I think she is firenation."
Zuko's attention was quickly caught, "What name did you say?"
"Zhy," Katara's blue eyes stared directly into his and excitement was conspicuous on her face, "Why? Do you know something about her?" Her eyes grew bright; maybe the girl Zhy was actually real unlike Shale.
Zuko's eyes were wide for a bit and quickly her turned his head to his uncle as if to look for answers, "Uh," Iroh shrugged, "No, I don't know her,"
Iroh was determined to help his nephew fit in if they were going to stay with the gang
And the best way to do that was to find a connection, "Why do you ask about this girl, Zhy?"
Katara looked down and she sat by the rivers edge and dipped her feet in the water, "She's been in this dream I've been having, for about a month now, and just last night I found out her name…I visited a dream interpreter but all I got was a book and the book doesn't say much either it's weird, all the pages are empty except two, and they say something about "solve the mystery and you'll find happiness and with the help of a friend" well, anyway its probably stupid anyway…so…"
Iroh looked to Zuko and nodded his head to the side as if to say, 'go over and figure this thing out.'
Zuko neared Katara and stood behind her and a little far back away, "I've, ah, had a dream too," Katara quickly looked, "With a girl in it?"
"Yeah, and she is in a firenation garden…then a man turns to a dragon and the wind starts blowing harder…then a scream wakes me up." Zuko stared off into the sky, the sun was red and it gave the sky an appearance of pink clouds and an orange sky.
Katara quickly stood up and faced him, "So I'm really not crazy…" she placed a hand over her mouth in disbelief.
"Miss Katara, you said the book says something about a friend. Do you know who the friend is?" Iroh came closer to them the grass heavily crunched under his heavy foot.
"Actually, no, its funny cause Aang thinks its him and I think its Sokka cause, I mean, he is my brother," Katara kept going on and on, not catching Iroh's hint, but Zuko, unfortunately, did.
Zuko started to back away careful not to fall in the water, "That's impossible, I can't be her friend…I don't even like her, she's my enemy."
"Oh yes Zuko, she is your enemy, yet she is letting eat a warm meal and have shelter…that is not your enemy." Iroh sounded more like he was scolding Zuko, which Zuko was not to fond of.
Katara was still talking and stopped when she heard the word enemy, "What are you talking about?" Iroh nudged at Zuko and Katara finally caught up
She laughed, and then pointed to Zuko "He can't be my friend…"
"Well, a friendship takes time, but think about it Miss Katara, isn't it odd that you and Zuko have been having the same dream repetitively?"
Katara looked off into the sky the moon was up and it was dark. The stars showed through the peaks of the trees and it was barely enough light to illuminate the river let alone their path to camp.
"We need to get back to camp, it's getting late," Katara motioned to the rest and they followed. They passed through the wilted trees and traveled behind Toph because unlike them Toph uses her sensitive touch to see not her white filmed eyes.
Iroh smiled in satisfaction, he knew she knew he was right. And Iroh was willing to mold the friendship if they weren't.
A/N: First chapter do you like it? It was kinda long but yea good review equal more chapters. And this story takes place before Crossroads of Destiny and after Tales of Ba Sing Se…please tell me if the characters seem OC kk And reviews that help me to improve my story are greatly appreciated…all review are reviewed oh and sorry Zuko doesn't have a big role in this chapter but there will be A LOT more Zuko in the future