Before the story begins, I would like to say thank you to those who reviewed. And I would like to answer a question I was asked.
Ethna, Katara's patron goddess, was actually a young queen in a fairy tale I once read long ago. She had been taken by a Fairy King on the night of her wedding feast. It is a wonderful tale to share around the campfire and I recommend people look it up.
Well, now that I've cleared that up, please enjoy the next part of my first story. And please review if you have any suggestions or questions, I will be more than happy to receive them. Thank you.
Katara watched as the Fire Nation shore drew near. It was just as she had remembered it from her last mission here. She had been 10 and working with a group of spies to find out battalion movements during the war. Though that had been years ago, and the war was over, the city didn't look any different.
There were bright and dark red buildings with black roofs and shutters lining the streets. People crowded the streets and docks, making a bright sea of red, black, gold, and dark orange. They looked like a live, blazing fire in their bustling about.
The ship Katara stood on docked into port and the gangplank was lowered. She smoothed her sweating palms over her red tunic and fiddled with the material of her red trousers. It was ridiculous for her to feel nervous about a mission, as she had been on dozens before this. But very few operative actually got over the feeling that this mission could be their last.
"Miss Katara," the captain said, coming up to her. "We've docked. Now, I know the city is a big adjustment to a Fire Nation Colonial like yourself, but just use common sense and you'll be able to survive."
Katara slipped her messenger bag over her head and settled it on her shoulder. She turned to the captain and said, "Where is the forces station?"
The man looked at her oddly, but answered. "Just down the street three blocks, turn left, and it's the first building on the right. But why would you want to join the forces? A pretty girl like you should think about settling down with a hansom man." He smiled crookedly. "A man like me, for instance."
Katara kept herself from shuddering in revolution at his breath, but smiled kindly. "I thank you for the offer, sir, but I would like to serve my nation to the best I am capable of."
The man snorted. "Then I wish you luck and hope you don't die."
Katara nodded and departed from the ship. The moment her new Fire Nation shoes touched down on the docks, she was no longer Katara of the Southern Tribe. She was Katara of the Fire Nation Colonies, a young woman hoping to enter the Nonpareil; the best of the best and the Fire Lord's personal elite forces.
She made her way through the crowd and up the street. Vendors called their wares and tried to convince her to buy jewelry, scarves, combs, and other trinkets. Katara politely refused, passing the booths. She had only a little Fire Nation money left from her trip.
As she turned onto the street the captain had told her to go to, she noticed a large line of men waiting to get into the station. She scanned the line. There were couple of really young boys, but most were men in their late teens, early twenties. It looked like she'd be standing in line for a while. Her stomach growled angrily at her. She'd skipped lunch on the ship. Gruel didn't really satisfy her; especially sea gruel.
Katara looked around and noticed a booth selling fire flakes. When she had been here last, she had been the only one in her group who couldn't get enough of them. Even though they were hot, she had eaten at least 5 bags before the mission was over. Fire flakes were a popular snack in the Fire Nation.
Katara thought of something and walked over to the booth while the idea began to form in her mind. "One bag, please," she said to the vendor. As she handed over the money, the vendor scooped fresh flakes into a paper bag. "Thank you," she said, taking the bag. She got in the waiting line, and popped a flake in her mouth. Her tongue began to burn slightly, but she only smiled.
A young man man turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. No doubt wondering what she was doing in the line. "Hi," Katara said, popping in another flake. She extended the bag toward him. "Want some? I got too much by accident."
The man took a small handful and dropped some into his mouth. "I'm Katara. I'm from the Fire Nation Colonies," she said, smiling and offering her other hand.
The man returned the smile. "Jack," he said, shaking her hand. "You going into the army?"
Katara shook her head. "Nope. I'm trying to get into the Nonpareil."
Jack whistled. "It's hard enough for the men to get into the Nonpareil squad. The women who have tried, have all failed. I wish you luck."
"Thanks," Katara munched on a flake. "What are you going in for?"
Jack chuckled. "Same thing, actually. I've been waiting in this line for so long, I forgot lunch. Thanks for the flakes. I was starving." He smiled at someone over her shoulder. She was about to turn when a hand appeared over her shoulder and grabbed a handful of fire flakes.
"Hey," she said, turning around. She frowned up at the face of a man that looked exactly like Jack, except he had a freckle above his left eye. Katara felt the impulse to take the flakes back, they were her favorite snack, after all, but just smiled. Being selfish was just plain rude and she needed people on her side.
"Thanks for the flakes," he said. "I'm Gawain, Jack's more sexy and charming twin brother."
Katara looked over at Jack, who rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I'll take your word for it." She put another handful of flakes in her mouth.
"Gawain's gonna try to get into the Nonpareil, as well," Jack explained.
His brother looked down at her with surprised eyes. "You in the Nonpareil?" He threw back his head and laughed, drawing the attention of others in the line. Katara looked at Jack, who read the look in her eyes and nodded. She handed him the bag of flakes, turned, grabbed Gawain's arm, and flipped him onto his back.
The men in the line laughed. Katara placed her foot on his shoulder and said, "I think I can handle myself, Gawain." He nodded and she helped him to his feet.
He rubbed his shoulder and chuckled. "Gives a new meaning to falling head over heals, doesn't it?" Katara laughed.
Suddenly, three large soldiers dressed in red tunics, leather black vests, and red trousers, their hands covered in fingerless gloves, stepped out of the building. Everyone stopped their conversation and watched as the large men walked down the line. Their eyes settled on Jack, Gawain, and Katara. The leader pointed at them and said, "You three are to be tested for the Nonpareil squad. Your first order...run."
Katara didn't need to be told twice. She turned and sprinted down the street. The sound of feet pounding on the street followed her. She ducked down an alley and crouched down behind a barrel. The soldier passed, giving Katara a few seconds to evaluate what was happening. The soldier had said they were to be tested. This must be the test. So, the next question was-How do you pass the test? There were a couple of solutions that she thought of as she swiftly scanned the area.
One, she could turn herself in to the soldiers, which would probably fail her. Two, she could avoid the soldiers. Three, she could turn around and leave the Fire Nation all together. The first would definitely hinder her mission and the third was unacceptable. If she went home empty handed, she would be dishonored and be shunned by her friends and family. No, number three was unacceptable. So, number two was the only solution.
Sighing, Katara stood and looked around before dashing out of the ally. She walked down the street, keeping an eye out for any of the soldiers, just like she use to do years ago. She'd been the look out for most of their operations, and, walking these streets, she remembered all the twists and turns she'd taken. If she remembered right, three doors to her left and one to the right was a tea shop that served the best white jasmine tea in the city.
Katara headed that way and noticed flyers posted on the buildings. Some announced that the Fire Nation Forces needed recruits. That explained the long line. And the flyers that announced the up coming Summer Solstice Fire Festival explained all the vendors and booths along the streets.
Katara stopped and smiled up at the tea shop. The Ginseng Dragon was a sister shop to The Jasmine Dragon in Ba Sing se. The retired General Iroh owned both establishments, traveling between the two for visits to his nephew, the Fire Lord. But the Water Tribe spies never held that against him. Iroh never knew what they truly were. He just saw them as regular customers visiting from the Fire Nation Colonies and would always have time to chat with them over a cup of tea. She wondered if he would remember her.
She walked into the shop and was immediately seated by a hostess in a red robe. Katara picked up the menu and quickly scanned it. Nothing had changed form the last time she was there, so she used her time to look around the shop.
I was still painted in the colors of the Fire Nation, except the walls were now covered in paintings of beautiful landscapes and portraits of Iroh and other people, all smiling happily. One caught her eye, but it was hardly visible since one could only see it from Katara's seat in the back of the tea shop. It was a little girl, her hair pulled into a half topknot, and she was smiling widely, a few teeth missing in her childish grin. The girl looked familiar, but her view was blocked by a wall of dark red.
She looked up into the smiling face of a older aged man with a grey pointy beard. He was carrying a wooden tray holding a tea pot and two cups. Katara smiled back as she realized who was standing there. "Is this seat taken?" the man asked. "I would very much like to enjoy a friendly chat with a beautiful woman."
Katara giggled. "Please, Iroh. I would also like to enjoy a chat. It has been so long since I have seen you."
Iroh set the tray down and sat across from her. As he poured, he said, "I have not seen you for 8 years. You were here with your family, I remember, and you loved my white jasmine tea." He handed her a cup and smiled softly. "You have blossomed into a beautiful young woman. I still remember you as a young girl running around and sneaking into the back kitchen to watch me make tea."
She accepted the cup. "I was always just waiting for you to shoo me out," she said. She sipped her tea and sighed as the heat settled in her stomach. "The one thing I missed most of all about the city is your tea, Iroh. This and the-"
Iroh pushed a bowl forward and finished her sentence, "Fire flakes."
Katara chuckled and nodded. "Yes, fire flakes. They don't make them back at the colonies like they do here." She resisted the urge to flinch at how easily the lie fell off her lips. She'd always hated lying to Iroh. He was such a sweet man.
He chuckled as he sipped his own tea. Once Iroh set his tea down, he looked up at her and asked, "What are you doing back in the main land?"
Katara smiled. "I've come to join the Nonpareil. I've been training hard to get into the squad ever since I returned home." It wasn't a total lie. She had been training hard, just not directly to get into the squad. That she knew of.
Iroh's eyes widened. "The Nonpareil? Are you certain? Not many make it."
Katara met his eyes. "I'm certain, Iroh. I just know I'm suppose to be in that squad."
Iroh nodded in understanding. "Then I wish you all the happiness," he said. The doors to the tea shop opened and the three soldiers walked in. Two of the soldiers were holding the collars of Gawain and Jack. The other soldier was scanning the room, his eyes landing on her. "And it looks as if you are the last to be collected."
Katara finished her tea and smiled at Iroh. "I have enjoyed this visit, Iroh. Maybe if I am still here after training, we can visit again?"
Iroh smiled back, squeezing her hand. "That would make me very happy, Katara." She felt tears form in her eyes. Hearing her name from him brought back fond memories.
She nodded. "Will do, Iroh." She reached into her bag for payment for the tea, but he waved it off. She smiled again and walked up to the soldiers. "I believe you have found me, captain. And I must thank you for taking so long. It gave me a chance to catch up with an old friend."
Katara noticed his gaze dash to Iroh then back to her. She turned and waved good-bye to Iroh before following the soldiers out of the shop. They made their way back to the station, the captain in the front and the two behind him. Jack, Gawain, and Katara walked between the soldiers; Katara walking between the twins.
"You know General Iroh?" Gawain asked.
Katara looked at him. "I use to go to that tea shop everyday when my family and I visited a few years ago. He's a kind man."
"But you know him enough to have tea with him," Jack said.
Katara laughed. "Iroh loves having company and tea with anyone who's good at Pai Sho. That's how I met him. He played against my cousin and we became fast friends." She smiled and said, "How did you guys get caught?"
"We were doing fine," Gawain said, defensively.
"Until we took a wrong turn," Jack added.
"And they cornered us," Gawain put in.
"We fought back."
"But they won."
"Then they went searching for you, dragging us along."
"And we found you in the tea shop."
"Though we almost missed you."
They said the last in unison. Katara had been looking at each twin as they'd spoken and now felt dizzy from going back and forth between them.
"Okay," she said. "Next time you guys talk, don't stand on opposite sides of me."
They laughed, but stopped as they reached the forces station. The line was gone. The small group walked through the doors and to the back. The captain turned to them, leaning against a table, crossing his arms.
"Your test," he said, "Was to avoid us or fight back. Many fail this because they just suck at fighting or they hide like dogs. You boys know how to fight. Just a little more training and you'll be perfect. You, girl," he turned his gaze to her. "You know what you're doing. We posed as a threat and you avoided us. And not just that, but you were in complete public view. That is a hard thing to accomplish." The captain smiled. "Welcome to the Nonpareils." Katara smiled and bowed, her fist under her hand.
The first part of their mission was over. She had gained a position close to the Fire Lord. Now, all she had to do was kill him. Great. Just. Great.
