Apply the usual disclaimers please and I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 9
The air was cool and crisp now that Aang was in the mountains. He and Appa flew over the mountain peaks heading towards the Northern Air Temple. Appa seemed to be much more at home now that they were near the temple. The bison flew with a bit or whimsy and Aang could have sword he heard small grunts of content.
As they approached, he could see the silhouettes of several gliders looping in the sky. As always, there were small puffs of smoke coming from the temple due to the Mechanist's works. They looked so happy and peaceful in their mountain hideaway. It was so hard for people to reach them and they could almost entirely ignore the world.
Forgetting for a moment that he had grim news, Aang slapped the reigns. "Let's go join them," he said to Appa.
Appa sped up his pace and raced towards the gliders. There were faint yells on the wind. People had noticed them and were waving for them to join. This only encouraged Aang and Appa to go faster.
"Hi!" Aang yelled to them. "We're…whoa!"
Appa had been caught broadside by a large gust of wind. The bison rolled wildly in the sky with Aang holding on tightly to the reigns. Aang saw ground, sky, ground, and then finally sky again. He dangled under Appa's chin by the reigns and a bit of Appa's drool dripped onto his bald head.
"Ah Appa, yuck, we've got to have a talk about this later," Aang complained.
Appa seemed to not care. He continued towards the temple with Aang kicking his feet frantically trying to swing back onto of Appa's head.
"Avatar Aang, that's a new technique I have never seen before," someone said as they flew their glider up next to Appa.
"Yeah, you'll have to teach us that one sometime," someone else said.
Aang rolled his eyes. He kicked up a gust of wind that blew him back onto Appa's head. The bit of drool that Appa had dripped onto Aang's head then slid down between his eyes and onto the tip of his nose. Aang groaned and wiped it off.
"Bison drool, yummy," the peanut gallery jested.
"Is the Mechanist in?" Aang asked to avoid anymore embarrassing conversation.
"Yeah, he's tinkering away in his workshop. Just to warn you, he's burned off his eyebrows again," the first one said.
"And they were just beginning to grow in evenly," the second one commented.
"I don't think I've ever seen him with a full set of eyebrows," Aang muttered. "Thank you. I'll just let myself in."
"Suit yourself," they said together and flew away.
Aang glanced over his shoulder as the two gliders tossed and dipped in the sky. He shook his head at how carefree they could be.
"If only life could be that simple for us," Aang muttered to Appa.
Appa did not reply to which Aang was grateful for. They continued towards the temple where they could here the clangs and pings of the gears that the Mechanist had put into place. People waved at them from the ledges and balconies as they flew by. This was so much more relaxed and pure than the Fire Nation and even Omashu.
Aang steered Appa towards a large landing area that they used for the gliders. As soon as Appa's feet touched the ground, several of the children rushed towards Appa and buried their faces into his soft fur. Appa seemed to thoroughly enjoy the attention especially when the children started to comb through his fur with their fingers.
Aang hopped down from Appa. He smiled as he watched the children coax Appa over on his back so they could jump on his stomach. Appa's legs were sprawled everywhere as the children played on his belly.
"Well, I guess you found something to do," Aang said to Appa.
There was a low grunt from Appa. Aang watched Appa and the children for a little longer. The mothers were starting to congregate around him and so he started to move away. He moved through the bustling corridors of the old temple. Several people passed him and bobbed small bows to him. He had taken to visiting the temple whenever he could. Since it was a temple, it felt like home. And since it was inhabited, it wasn't so lonely.
He came to the great doors of the old sanctuary. There was no one around probably due to the inherent danger of the Mechanist's line of work. Aang looked up at the great doors and listened to the loud tinkering on the other side. The door was cracked and Aang guessed it was for an easy escape in case something went awry. Aang pushed the door opened and stepped in.
"Hello," he called out as a greeting and as an announcement to not let anything fly in his general direction.
Aang looked around the sanctuary and saw no sign of the Mechanist. There were the usual assortment of equipment, tools, and widgets. Some machinery and a boiler were left running. There were a few unfinished projects as well as several unfinished bowls of noodles. The noodles had solidified and not even Sokka would eat them now.
"Hello!" Aang called out louder.
"Aang, is that you?" he heard a faint voice call out from above his head.
Aang looked up at the ceiling. He scanned the ceiling for several seconds until he saw something strange up against it. Aang shook his head when he realized what he was seeing. It was the Mechanist who had somehow crawled up onto the ceiling and he was now waving at him.
"It is you!" the Mechanist said. "How are you doing?"
"Uh...fine I guess," Aang replied. "Can you come down? I need to talk to you about something."
"Sure, just give me a minute. These things don't quite work as they…AHHH!"
The Mechanist suddenly began to hurdle towards the ground. He screamed and frantically flapped his arms as he free fell from the ceiling. Aang immediately bent a gust of air to cushion his fall. The air current carried him down to the ground and plopped him firmly on his behind.
Aang rushed over towards the Mechanist. He slowly rose to his feet rubbing his sore behind. The Mechanist let out a small groan as he stood bent over his feet. He arched his back and rapid popping noises came from it. Aang's face construed into a strange expression as the Mechanist popped his shoulders, neck, and then finally his nose. The Mechanist then let out a satisfied groan.
"That's better," he sighed.
"Glad of it," Aang muttered. "What were you doing up there?"
"I was testing a device that allows me to crawl up a wall and across the ceiling like Earthbenders can."
"Why?"
The Mechanist shrugged. "It just seemed like a good idea at the time. My people can fly like Airbenders so why not scale walls like an Earthbender."
"What's next?" Aang asked. "Will you have some thing that shoots fire?"
"Someone has already beaten me to that," the Mechanist muttered.
The Mechanist took a seat on a stool next to his work table. He mindless started to rearrange things that Aang was sure he would be able to find later on.
"So, what did you say you needed to talk to me about?" he asked.
"Well," Aang began, "I'm not sure if you have heard of what happened in the Fire Nation yet."
"We don't get a lot of news up here."
"I don't know how to say this then but I guess there is no point in dancing around it. Princes Azula has escaped from the mental institution that Zuko placed her in and of course she tried to kill him. Now she's running loose out there somewhere."
The Mechanist looked at Aang with a bit of confusion. His eyes were wide and slightly glazed over.
"Really," he finally said in a drawn out fashion.
"Yeah," Aang replied.
"Well, I guess that she will do whatever she is going to do," the Mechanist pointed out calmly.
Aang paused and raised his eyebrow in confusion. "You don't sound too concerned about this."
The Mechanist casually shrugged. "The Earth Kingdom has survived the obsessions of Fire Lord Sozin, the ruthlessness of Fire Lord Azulon, the fortitude of Prince Iroh, and the cruelty of Fire Lord Ozai. Please don't take it the wrong way but we survived 100 years without you. One princess will not make the difference that you think."
"This princess was proclaimed Fire Lord by her father before he set out to scorch the Earth Kingdom," Aang remind him. "And there are powerful men who will follow her."
"Those men are probably broken from the lack of war and will follow whoever will fill their treasuries. But if she does come, there is nothing you or I can do to stop her."
"Well, maybe you but I can try to stop her."
"Is that what you are doing?"
Aang opened his mouth to respond but promptly closed it. The Mechanist meant nothing of it but the truth burned through him to the core.
"Sokka is out looking for her," Aang decided to say.
"Well, I feel much better knowing it's Sokka than some random mercenary," the Mechanist chuckled in good humor.
Aang bit is lip at the Mechanist's comment. "I'm trying to prevent everyone from going to war again."
"That is a noble task. The Avatar's duty is to keep the world in balance, not to act as a mercenary for hire."
"I wouldn't be for hire," Aang said. "The Fire Lord is my friend. I do whatever I have to in order to protect my family."
The Mechanist nodded as he surprisingly neatly stacked some papers on his work table. "I did the same thing years ago during the war. I created the very device that led to the capture of the invasion force. Good intention," he shrugged, "yes, the best decision ever made, probably not."
"Are you saying that as the Avatar that it is probably best that I do not get too involved in this?" Aang asked.
The Mechanist let out a short laugh. "I am just a humble inventor. I am no one to advise you on such things."
"You are the leader of everyone living in this temple. You brought them from devastation to safety. I respect you as I respect a Lord, Chief, or King."
"Now you flatter me too much," he muttered.
They were quiet for awhile. The Mechanist filled in the silence with the ruffle of papers and the small clangs of odd objects being moved about. Aang contributed to the quiet noise by drumming his fingers on the table. They were both avoiding speaking of what was inevitable.
"What happens if they don't catch her in time?" the Mechanist finally asked.
Aang sighed. "I don't know. I'm not sure if this is about finishing what Sozin started or just the same vendetta that she and Zuko always had."
"Is there anyway I can help?"
"Have you noticed anything strange going on around here? Any strange movements of people?"
The Mechanist paused and stared down at the table. "There have been strange occurrences but I do not know if they related to the princess."
"What kind of strange occurrence?"
The Mechanist continued in a slow but steady tone. "There are many who believe these mountains are haunted by the ghosts of your people. At first, everything could be explained when we first found the temple. There were damaged sections of the temple that could explain loud crashes. The pipes that I installed were not as reliable in the beginning and so they explained the drafts. Lately, there have been strange happenings that I cannot explain."
Aang furrowed his brow. "I don't understand."
He dropped his voice to a low rumble. "I believe I am the only one to have seen this. If there are any others, they have not spoken of it to anyone. One night, when I was adjusting a pipe, I could have sworn that I saw someone perched on a nearby cliff. He was crouched and staring down at me."
"What did he look like?" Aang quickly asked.
"I don't know. It was dark and his face was covered."
"Did he bend earth or fire?"
"No, he did nothing but stared." The Mechanist stopped and took in a breath. "My footing slipped. I looked down for a second and when I looked up, he was gone."
Aang quickly recalled the stealth and agility Zuko displayed while he was disguised as the Blue Spirit. If the Crowned Prince was trained in such tactics, then anyone in the military could be tapped for such training too. The mountains could be crawling with Azula's scouts. He could not think of why they would be interested into the Northern Temple though.
"Is there anything else?" Aang asked.
The Mechanist shook his head. "I'm afraid that is all I have to offer."
"Ok," Aang replied. "You should warn the rest of your people and set up guards around the temple. I do not think she will attack the temple but let's not take any chances."
"I agree."
"I guess I should continue to the Northern Tribe," Aang said and held out his hand. "I hope to see you once this is over."
The Mechanist smiled and took Aang's hand. "I'm sure you will be here again."
Aang and the Mechanist exchanged quick bows before Aang turned on his heel to leave. He walked briskly through the temple with determination. Balance was his responsibility. Did Azula threaten the balance of the world? Surely she did since she would upset the peace that was still being nurtured. Then there was the question on how much he should intercede on behalf of the leaders of the world.
Kyoshi had acted to prevent Chin the Conqueror from conquering the entire continent of the Earth Kingdom. She created Kyoshi Island and it ultimately cost Chin his life. But there was the uprising in Ba Sing Se. Kyoshi refused to put down the peasants for the Earth King. The compromise that they had brokered resulted in the Dai Li and Aang did not wish to remember them.
Avatar Roku did not act strongly enough against his old friend, Fire Lord Sozin. The world suffered for 100 years and Aang is apparently still picking up the pieces. Is this Chin he is battling or is this a matter for the Fire Lord? Zuko seemed to believe that it was his own problem. Captain Inara was commissioned to handle the situation and Aang was playing diplomat and politician.
Aang found Appa relaxing in the warm sun. The children had apparently found something more interesting to occupy themselves and left the bison in peace. Aang rubbed Appa's nose before he jumped onto his back.
Aang said, "Yip yip," and Appa lifted off the ground and flew away. They passed several gliders. The people enthusiastically waved at them as they passed. Aang waved back still struggling with his roll as the Avatar.
Instead of heading immediately north, Aang steered Appa into the mountains. He had to think. He had to relax. Katara was not there to talk to and seek counsel with. Appa was his longest standing friend but he could not get much advice from a bison.
Appa gleefully weaved around rock formations and flew through different passes as Aang's thought processes failed to come to a logical answer. Aang was not even steering. He just let Appa fly freely through the passes. He was too wrapped up in the case of Azula. Everyone knew she would want revenge against Zuko. She had been allowed to touch the throne and then had it ripped from her along with her sanity. If she is partially sane, or at least lucid, that must have left a bitter taste in her mouth. But did she want Zuko or the world?
The glare of the sun caused Aang to actually pay attention to where they were going. He quickly yanked on the reigns to stop Appa. He looked around. They were some place he did not fully recognize. They were surrounded by mountains in almost a perfect circle. It was almost like a strange canyon or valley.
Aang's ear twinged at the sound of falling rocks. Aang jerked his head to his left. He saw a few rocks slide down the face of a mountain but he thought he saw something else. Then something else caught his eye to his right. Aang stared all around him wondering what was happening in these mountains. Were there truly ghosts or possible spies?
Then Aang heard a faint laughter. Laughter, it couldn't be. He slowly turned Appa to look behind him. Perched on the cliff, he thought he saw a young girl. She was dressed in a red robe and she beamed at Aang. Aang smiled as a cold gust of wind chilled him to the bone. It seemed to carry a voice a word on it. "No," in a very faint whisper or was it "Go." He could not tell.
Another rock fell from its place. Aang's eyes shifted for a second but he immediately drew them back to the girl but she was gone. A girl could not disappear as quickly as a trained soldier or spy. Aang flew over to the cliff where the girl once stood. There was nothing there. There was no way for her to escape or hide. Was she a ghost?
Appa seemed to be realizing that something wasn't right. He started to move back from the cliff. He tried to fly out of the canyon. Aang pulled on the reigns fighting the bison's will to leave. The canyon was becoming colder and colder by the second. The wind tore through Aang's clothes and Appa's fur.
There was another rock slide behind them. Aang turned Appa to face it. It was much larger than the ones before. Rocks shifted and moved and Aang saw something orange and yellow beneath the rocks. Against Appa's better judgment, Aang forced him towards the cliff side. He had to see what was beneath the rocks. Slowly, Appa flew towards the cliff. Aang strained his eyes to see. At first, all he could make out was the orange and the yellow. Aang then could make out the beads of a master.
Appa suddenly reared up and darted straight up into the sky. Aang held on tightly to the reigns as Appa fled into the sky and then towards the north. Aang had already seen it though. It was a sight that he had never wanted to see again. The image of Monk Gyatso, his old friend and mentor, as a lifeless skeleton swam in his mind. He never wanted to see another Air Nomad like that. He never wanted to go back to the Southern Temple because he knew that Gyatso was still there.
Aang did not react tearfully. He steadied Appa and steered him towards the Northern Tribe and stared blankly ahead. He felt hollow inside as he tried to forget about what he had seen but knowing he never would.
***
"That is unacceptable!" Mai yelled at a young guard.
Iroh watched the young man. The guard was accustomed to his superiors but he had never met the fury of a noblewoman before. Mai did not sit on the throne of the Fire Lord nor did the hold the title of the Fire Lady yet. However, everyone in the court respected her for her position at Zuko's side.
"There is no reason for that volume of ships to be passing by the Boiling Rock in that vicinity," Mai continued to berate the guard. "Edo's ships and others have been using that route for what reason?"
"I apologize milady but I am unable to answer that question."
"Is my uncle incompetent or just that lazy?" Mai demanded. "For months he has been monitoring such movements and never once sends a message to the palace. And then after the Fire Lord is attacked, he sends you to report this to me."
Mai put a very mean emphasis on "you" as she scowled down at the man. She crossed her arms and Iroh saw his niece in her for a moment with her fury. Iroh was relieved to not have seen the coldness that Azula possessed. Mai's anger emanated from her love for Zuko. She expected her own family to be just as loyal to the Fire Lord as she was. The anger was not at the guard but rather at the Warden but her uncle as not present for her to beat.
Mai slowly walked closer to the guard and stared into his scared eyes. "Go back to my uncle and tell him this for me. Tell him that I will never forget that he is family but he should never forget whom he serves."
The guard nodded.
"Get out of my sight," she growled in a low voice.
The guard leapt to his feet. He bowed hastily to Mai and then to Iroh before he rushed out of the throne room. As concerned as Iroh of the news, he was slightly amused by the way that Mai handled it. He watched as she crossed her arms across her body and stared down at the ground. As a younger man, he wished for his wife to command such power when she was the Fire Lady. He was not sad that she never became Fire Lady but he did miss her terribly.
"We probably should send patrols to the area," Mai said turning to Iroh.
Iroh nodded. "You're right. I'll order the admirals to ready their ships."
Mai never dropped her harsh exterior but Iroh could tell that she was melting on the inside. Her eyes were not as harsh and her fingers were entangled in her robes.
"Should we tell Zuko?" she asked.
Iroh wanted to say no but he knew that word would get back to Zuko. He knew nothing would cause Zuko to lose faith in Mai but he did not want anything to chance it. "I'll tell him. You should go meet with Jeong Jeong and inform him of what is happening. He will need to gage whether or not the other counselors or ministers have heard this as well."
"I should probably have Toph be present when he speaks with them," Mai decided.
"Some of these men are very well versed in lying," Iroh said.
"They are not Azula. They are just men who dress up in expensive robes to hide what cowards they are underneath," Mai said spitefully. "My father was the same way. He had no backbone. Maybe one in the entire group can lie to the demons but the others will dress up lies with silky words. They do not know how to control their bodies like Azula did."
Iroh found himself chuckling at her words. "My dear, you are ready for a crown. Go before the news become useless. I will deal with the Fire Lord. You deal with the ministers."
Mai nodded her head and they left the throne room. The guards clicked their heels and acknowledged them as they passed and they went their separate ways.
