Chapter 13: Crossing Paths

Shiyan paused before the door leading to the general's quarters in the Imperial base on the southern edge of the former Earth Kingdom and looked over her shoulder at Cheng. "Be silent," she said. "I will do the talking here."

Cheng bowed her head. "As you wish," she murmured. Shiyan nodded approvingly and thrust the door open, striding inside. General Yi was sitting in a chair in the room beyond, apparently engaged in a game of Pai Sho with one of his colonels. He looked up angrily to see whoever had the nerve to simply barge in on him announced, and then his face went white as he took in Shiyan's painted face and black armor. Quickly he stood and bowed stiffly at the waist, the colonel following suit.

"It isn't often that we see the Chosen here," the general said. "How can I serve the Empress?"

"We are tracking an escaped prisoner- a spy we believe to be in the service of some rebel group or other. He fled to the mainland, so we are requisitioning your troops to aid us in our search." Shiyan kept her tone carefully even, her eyes never leaving Yi's. The uniform of the Chosen would hide her youth, or at least make it irrelevant- he would see only a messenger of the Empress's will who even a general must obey.

Unfortunately, it seemed that General Yi really didn't see Chosen very often, if his next words were anything to go by. "It would be my honor to lend you a small force," he said, "but I think it's rather excessive to devote all of my resources to chasing after one-"

Shiyan held up a hand for silence. "It seems, General," she said quietly, "you have forgotten with whose voice I speak. The Chosen are the instruments of the Dragon Empress's will- to question us is to question her. The penalty for either…" She allowed her voice to trail off menacingly, while from behind she could hear the ring of Cheng drawing her sword. At least the younger girl knew how to take a hint and add a dramatic flare, Shiyan thought.

General Yi bowed. "Forgive me," he said. "I did not mean to doubt."

"You are forgiven," Shiyan said. "The spy escaped our island in a small boat. He is somewhere along this coast, but we do not know where. Send out your search parties to comb the coastline, looking for any sign of a one-person vessel, Water Tribe make. When they have found it, they are to report to us here. We'll take over the tracking from there."

"As you wish," the general said. He motioned to the colonel, who hurried from the room, apparently to begin organizing the search parties. Yi then turned back to the two Chosen. "Now then- I shall have my servants fetch you both food and refreshments at once, and-"

Shiyan cut him off. "Unnecessary. We are warriors, not pampered court ladies. We've already eaten and don't need any of your comforts. Now leave us."

"This is my fortress!" General Yi snapped. "You can' just-"

"Leave," Shiyan said, slowly and clearly. The General bowed and backed out of the room, muttering angrily. Shiyan sighed and sank down into one of the chairs at the Pai Sho table. "Soldiers," she muttered. "Ha! Is this what the Imperial Army has come to?"

"I don't think we should be using them at all," Cheng said. "This is our mission, not theirs! Will we sit back and let them take the glory?"

" 'The bravest warrior fights all of her own battles," Shiyan quoted, "but the wisest knows when to have others fight her battles for her'. There is much wisdom in the words of our Empress, if you care to pay attention to them. There are two of us, one ship, a handful of our own soldiers- hardly enough to cover all the territory where our runaway spy could have gone. General Yi and his soldiers may be inept, but there are a great many of them- let them cover ground for us, and when they've pointed us in the right direction, we can move in for the capture."

/

Kanoda trudged along the dreary plateau, head bowed. It was still raining, though mercifully it had slackened off some since last night. Now it was little more than a drizzle from an overcast sky, and still something the Water Tribe boy was sure he'd never get used to. Where he came from, when water fell from the sky it had the decency to be solid, not some wet mess.

He'd hidden his boat back along the coastal cliffs. It was difficult leaving behind the thing that most connected him to the Southern Water Tribe, but Kanoda knew that if he wanted to find a way to fight the Fire Empire and avenge his father, it would be among people who lived under the oppression, not on the open waters. Besides, he could always find the boat again when he returned.

Finally he came to a feature that varied the landscape- a river, flowing from the distant mountains down towards the cliffs and the sea. Kanoda adjusted his course to match the river's, knowing that it was more likely that he would find people by following it than not. He continued walking uneventfully for several more hours, the rain ultimately quitting and the clouds parting somewhat to allow weak sunlight through. Finally, as the sun was beginning to sink towards the horizon and Kanoda was exhausted, he saw the lights of a village up ahead.

He needed the rest, but before he entered the village he knew that he had to take precautions. His weapons marked him as foreign, and if there were any soldiers in the village they would descend on him in a heartbeat if they thought he didn't belong. Kneeling beside a bush, he used his knife to dig a long, narrow hole in which he placed his spear and boomerang, then covered it over. The knife itself didn't look exotic enough to give him away, and Kanoda had already left his outer furs in his boat. He wasn't sure he'd be able to pass as a Fire Empire peasant, but he was fairly certain he was no longer immediately recognizable as Water Tribe either.

Straightening up, he walked purposefully towards the village. Up close, he could tell that it was drab and run down, as if the people who lived here either couldn't be bothered to care for it or, more likely, didn't have the time to do so after simply ensuring their survival. As he stepped under the entry arch, Kanoda could see faint traces of green on some of the nearest buildings.

There were a few people still on the streets, looking as beaten and tired as their home. Kanoda approached one, a middle-aged man who didn't look too beaten-down. "Excuse me, sir," he said, "I've been traveling all day and I need a place to rest. Do you have an inn?"

The man looked up at him. "Traveler," he snorted. "Been awhile since we've had one of those. Well, we've got an inn up the road, though there's not been a lot of business lately." He pointed off towards the north side of town.

"Thank you," Kanoda said, bowing. He hurried off in the indicated direction and soon found himself standing in front of a large building that seemed in somewhat better shape than the rest. He pushed the front door open and stepped inside, finding himself in a large room filled with tables, around which sat what seemed like half the people in the village, engaged in low conversation.

"What do you want?" an old woman demanded as she walked towards him from across the room.

"Well, I'd like a room, if that's not too much to ask," Kanoda said.

"Room, eh?" the old woman asked. "Haven't had anyone ask for one of those in a while. Well, boy, that depends- how much can you pay?"

That threw Kanoda for a loop- the Southern Water Tribe didn't use money, as they were too small to really need it, and he'd had no way to acquire any since arriving in the Fire Empire. It hadn't even really occurred to him that he might need some here. "I don't actually have any money," he admitted, "but I do have something I could trade." Reaching into his tunic, he pulled out some pieces of carved bone and held them out in front of him. "These are genuine Water Tribe carvings that I - er- found. I'm sure they'd be worth a lot around here."

The old woman picked one up and eyed it closely, then smiled. "Very well," she said. "This is acceptable payment. I'll show you to your room." She put her hand around Kanoda's shoulders and led him to a staircase in the back.

He didn't notice her shoot a cold look at the man behind the bar, who quickly set the cup he was cleaning down and slipped out a back door.

/

Captain Jiang prodded the strange boat his patrol had discovered poorly hidden at the base of a cliff with his boot. "Definitely Water Tribe," he said. "I've never seen one before myself, but I've seen pictures of this design. Besides, it's far too primitive to be one of ours, and who else is there?"

"Do you think it's the spy we're looking for?" his lieutenant asked eagerly.

Jiang scowled. "Of course it is- unless you think there's a rash of Water Tribe savages running around here? Wait- don't answer that. I'm not sure I want to know what you're thinking."

"Well then, we should return to the base," the lieutenant said. "The Chosen want us to report back to them when we find the spy's trail. Now we have- they'll deal with him."

"Chosen," Jiang spat. "A gang of silly girls playing at being warrior." He wouldn't have dared say anything had Shiyan or Cheng actually been present, but putting powerful people down in their absence made him feel important. "No, lieutenant, we're not going to do that. We've got him in our sights- why let them get the glory? He's not down here, so there's only one place he could have gone- up! So that's where we're going, too. Up the cliff and after the spy, so that the glory belongs to the hardworking soldiers of the Imperial Army, not some club for noble daughters with too much time on their hands."

The Captain stalked over to the base of the cliff and began to climb. The lieutenant and the four other men of their squad followed closely after him.

/

Kanoda woke refreshed in the small but not entirely uncomfortable room the innkeeper had given him. Standing up, he opened the window to let sunlight stream through. He stretched, then pulled his shirt on and splashed water on his face. Tying his hair back in a wolftail, he made his way down to the ground floor to see what was for breakfast.

He stopped dead at the base of the stairs. Six men and women in red Imperial armor sat around the tables, leering menacingly at him. The old innkeeper woman and the barman stood behind them, counting coins and looking quite pleased with themselves.

"Well, spy," the lead soldiers said, "I'm Captain Jiang, and you'll be coming with me. You can go quietly and make this easy for all of us, or you can fight and force us to break your limbs. Your choice."

Kanoda spoke not to them, but to the innkeeper. "You sold me out!" he spat.

The old woman chuckled. "Nothing personal, dear," she said. "But you didn't have any real money, and I figured the soldiers might be willing to pay for information on a dark-skinned boy with Water Tribe artifacts. I sent my son to find them, but he crossed their path in the middle of the night. Seems they were already after you and really did appreciate the tip. So it all worked out for everyone."

"Everyone except me, you mean," Kanoda said. The old woman just shrugged nonchalantly and went back to counting her money.

"That was a fascinating little talk," the Captain said, "but we're on a tight schedule, so- come with us. Now."

Kanoda ignored him and made a headlong dash for the door. Before he was even halfway there, his arms were caught from behind and pinned against his back. Captain Jiang stood and walked out the door, motioning for his soldiers to follow him with their captive.

"I don't know what you did, spy," Jiang said when they were outside, "but you've really got the Empress's Chosen angry at you. Wouldn't want to be in your boots, my friend. They don't normally go for torture, the Chosen, but when you really make them mad- brrrr. I've heard stories. Wouldn't want to be you when that girl back at the base gets a hold of you."

"Girl at the base?" Kanoda asked. "Shiyan! She must've followed me."

"Shiyan," Jiang said. "Yeah, that's her name. Real spooky thing, I'll say that- looks at you like she'd kill you in a heartbeat if she thought the Empress wanted it."

"Yeah," Kanoda said. "That's her."

"Well, I hope you two enjoy your reunion!" The Captain laughed. "Come on, boys, let's take our spy here to meet his girlfriend!" Amid Kanoda's protests that Shiyan was in no way, shape, or form his girlfriend, the soldiers dragged him through the streets. Some of the villagers appeared at their windows and in alleys to watch, but although many looked hateful, none acted. Living within a day's hard march of the fortress on the cost, these people had lost the will to fight.

Or at least, most of them had. As the soldiers and their captive approached the arch that marked the entrance to the village, they found their way barred by a tall figure wrapped in a concealing cloak. Kanoda couldn't recall seeing someone like that in the village last night- the soldiers too looked confused.

Jiang swaggered forward. "Out of the way, fool," he said. "We're on Imperial business. Move, or we'll make you."

The figure spoke, its voice calm and clear, but underlain with strength. "Release him now," it said. To Kanoda's surprise, it was a woman's voice.

"We don't take orders from peasant scum," Jiang said. "Out of my way, now!" He raised one hand, and sparks crackled from it.

"I will not move," the woman said. "Release him now. I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, we don't really have a problem with hurting you, and we've warned you enough." Jiang thrust his fist out, and launched a blast of fire towards the stranger. Kanoda looked away, not wanting to see her die- but then something in the corner of his eye caught his vision, and his head swung forwards again. The woman seemed to reach into a pouch at her side, and from it emerged a long rope of water that struck the fireball in midair. Both vanished in a puff of steam.

"Not possible," Jiang muttered, stumbling back. "It's not possible!"

"A waterbender," Kanoda breathed, equally bewildered, but overjoyed rather than afraid. The arts of waterbending lived after all!

"I will warn you one more time," the stranger said. "Let him go."

"Take her!" the captain ordered. He and the four soldiers not directly involved in holding Kanoda lunged forward, preparing to unleash blasts of fire, but the woman was quicker. Both cloaked arms came up and pulled, and from the river there arose a wave of water that surged through the air, grazing the tops of some of the taller buildings before slamming onto the stunned soldiers. The waterbender then exhaled, slowly and deliberately, and the water turned to ice encasing Jiang and his men up to their necks.

"You'll be able to break out of that before long," she said. "But I hope you'll not follow me. I don't want to have to fight you again, but I will if you make me." Jiang nodded weakly, and the waterbender turned to the two unfrozen soldiers holding Kanoda. "Release him." They let go of Kanoda's arms so quickly that he collapsed to the ground and then ran off into the village and presumably out the other side.

Kanoda pulled himself to his knees, and saw a slender hand holding itself out to him. He took it, and the waterbender pulled him to his feet. "Come with me," she said. "We need to be away from here before they thaw out."

"I'd agree with that," the Water Tribe boy said. He followed the stranger out of the village and across the barren landscape, heading north. "That sure was lucky that you showed up when you did," he said after a long silence. "Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome, but it wasn't luck," the waterbender said. "I saw in my dreams several weeks ago that you would need my help, and I've been traveling since then to get here."

"Saw me in your dreams?" Kanoda asked. "Who are you?"

She reached up and cast back her hood. Kanoda stared at her for a moment, because at first glance she seemed only a few years older than he himself- until he saw her eyes. They were a clear blue that seemed somehow brighter than even the eyes he was used to among his own people, but more than that, they seemed old and sad. They were not the eyes of someone who was roughly his own age- they had more in common with his grandfather's. Her hair, too, was unusual- it was white and thick, bound up in a braid down her back. He'd never seen hair quite like it, certainly not on someone so seemingly youthful.

He realized he was staring. "Sorry," he said.

She laughed quietly. "I get that a lot. Apparently I make an impression on people, which is why I wear the cloak. If the Fire Empire got a good description of me- well, I wouldn't be hard to find. As for your question, my name is Yue, and I think we can help each other."

/

Kanoda's story has just hit a major turning point, it would seem. Yes, this is the same Yue from the show, and yes, I know she wasn't a waterbender there. There are some very, very odd things going on here, and I promise that there is an explanation for them- unfortunately, an explanation which will have to wait until the next Kanoda chapter. Suffice to say, this is the canon character appearance I've alluded to in some of my earlier commentary, and I'm extremely pleased with where I was able to take her.

Shiyan bullying the general was also a fun scene to write, and I think it provides a good illustration of how screwed up the Fire Empire's internal dynamics can be. Shiyan is a teenager who's hardly ever left her isolated home island, but because of who and what she is, she can threaten any Imperial citizen with death and commandeer any military or government resource she wants, and unless a senior Chosen or Azula herself steps in, she has full legal right to do so. Captain Jiang's character exists, in part, to show how the ordinary military really resents the Chosen in a lot of respects, both because of the amount of prestige they get and the way they exist completely outside the chain of command- picture your average Imperial officer from Star Wars's opinion of Darth Vader, and then imagine that instead of one Vader there's a couple dozen of him, and you have what the average soldier thinks of the Chosen. Of course, sooner or later Shiyan may run up against someone who isn't just going to roll over for her…

-MasterGhandalf