Drifting Lanterns

[POV: Lieutenant]

I turned to blow the candle at my bedside. But the sight of the flame made me hold my breath. It awoke something within me. An old memory I had never revisited. It had been buried deep in my mind, forgotten for years. And now, it came alive again. Sleep would have to wait. I lay on my back with my head to the side and watched the quivering wax melt, as I slowly departed into the past.

I went back to the beginnings of the revolution. When my leader and I were still looking for skilled people to join our ranks.

We had just heard about a man who lived in a small town, near the abandoned Pohuai Stronghold, beyond the mountains of Republic City. He was a martial arts teacher who trained his students in the art of self-defence. More precisely, in the art of chi-blocking. Benders were not welcome at his school, for his sole objective was to give non-benders the tools that they needed in order to defend themselves in an unbalanced world. Master Guiren - that was his name - had once suffered at the hands of benders himself.

When news came to us of the existence of such a person, we believed he could be of great use to our revolution. We needed capable men and women who could teach our soldiers how to chi block. Amon and I could certainly not do all the work by ourselves.

My leader soon decided that we should make the journey to Guiren's school, so as to personally seek his adhesion to our cause. We packed very few things and left early one morning. We rode at the back of a Satomobile with some field workers who had agreed to take us as far as the edge of the valley. The rest of the trip, we made on foot.

Amon had remained silent for most of the way through the mountains. It was like a shadow had come over him. A quiet desolation I only now can understand. The peaks reminded him of the wretched days he had spent living with Tao.

Once in town, we had no trouble finding Guiren's school, which was also his home. It was large, and it stretched out on a wide, flat piece of land. At first apprehensive, the master did not wish to see us. But Amon called him our brother, and this intrigued Guiren. He changed his mind and welcomed us inside.

It took Amon only twenty minutes to obtain the man's allegiance. He spoke with such clarity, such conviction. He gave him one of his speeches, though it did not seem like one at all; it was like a conversation, a one-way dialogue in which Amon had answered all of Guiren's unspoken questions. I was reminded of that fateful night at the bar, when Amon's words had managed to pull me out of the fumes and stupor of my drunkenness.

Guiren said that he would come to Republic City as soon as he could make the journey. He had a broken ankle that still needed time to heal. He would choose his best students, and take them with him so that they could join the Revolution as well. Amon thanked him and gave him the address of the building we had just purchased, the building that was to hold our headquarters.

Then we bid him farewell, but the master was rather surprised at our plans to leave on the same day.

"Why don't you stay the night? Surely, you can afford to delay your journey a little. You must be exhausted. And besides, you don't want to miss the festivities tonight," he said.
"The festivities?" Amon inquired.
"Yes. It's a tradition in this town. Each year, we celebrate the fall of the Pohuai Stronghold. There's music and food, as well as lanterns and fireworks. Worth seeing at least once in a lifetime. Our town is modest, but on this special day, it wears its brightest colours."
"I suppose we could remain here until morning. I think the Lieutenant would prefer that," Amon said, turning towards me.
"We did walk very far," I concurred.
"Then it is settled. You can sleep here at my house, if you wish. I have many guest rooms, for students coming from far away. There should be at least two empty ones at your disposal," Guiren said.
"Thank you," Amon nodded.
"And go out into town this evening. You won't regret it, I assure you," the master concluded. "I'm only sorry that I cannot accompany you. What with this broken ankle of mine, I am, sadly, homebound even today."

We left our things in the rooms Guiren had offered us, and set out into town. The master had not exaggerated. There were colours everywhere, such as I had not seen in a long time. I was used to the gloom and filth of Republic City. Bright lanterns filled the streets, and confetti floated in the air. Musicians walked through the town and played, while joyous crowds followed them in circles. Some people wore variations of the Blue Spirit mask, which had probably payed a role in the history of the Pohuai Stronghold. I almost made the remark to Amon, thinking it would make him feel at ease with wearing his own mask amongst strangers, but it occurred to me that it was a foolish thing to say. I was afraid of offending my leader.

In the town center, we stopped at a tea shop that had a terrace on the street. From there, we could admire the festivities and have something to eat and to drink. We sat down and ordered a plate of Màshu and tea, which the waitress promptly brought us. She even offered us a complimentary glass of rice liquor, but Amon declined it. I would have accepted, but I did not want to disappoint my leader.

"Guiren was right, it was worth seeing all this," I said, taking the cup of tea in my hands.
"I agree. We never rest, do we? I mean, have diversions like this," Amon replied.
"We have much to do."
"Yes, but it is good to take a break now and then."
"That's true. I guess we could say this is our first vacation."
"Indeed it is."
Amon was about to remove his mask, as he always did when he ate, but he changed his mind and simply lifted it a little to take a sip of his tea.
"Everything around us is so beautiful. I don't want to spoil the atmosphere," he said, laughing.
But I did not laugh. I could see no humor in my leader's affliction.

After a few minutes, I noticed a man who was sitting across us at the next table. He stared at Amon as he struggled to eat the Màshu with his mask on. It was too much for me to bear.
"What are you looking at?" I snapped, glaring at him. "Can I help you with anything?"
"I ain't looked at nobody." he replied. "'Cept your friend there, he's got the wrong kind of mask on. What's he trying to hide under it, anyway? He that ugly?"
I was ready to jump him. My fists curled and my body became tense. I almost sprang out of my chair, when I felt Amon's hand on my arm.
"Stop it, Lieutenant."
"I won't let this man insult my leader," I replied.
"Sit down, my friend. If you think that I can still be offended by the mockery of fools, you are greatly mistaken. I've had my share of anger, but I've let it go. Learn to let is go as well, for rage is madness. Here, have another Màshu."
He handed me the plate, and I took one. The man at the other table had already moved on to teasing the waitress.

A little later, people had started to leave the centre of the town, to gather elsewhere. We asked the girl who served us where they were all going.
"To the riverbank. It's time for the floating wishing-lanterns," she said. "Every year, we send them down the river. Each person makes a wish, and pushes a lantern away, on the water. You must make a wish, and it is said that if your lantern reaches the other side of the shore, where the Pohuai Stronghold once stood, it will come true. It usually just follows the stream towards the ocean. At any rate, it means good luck for it to go as far as possible. The farther it goes being lit up, the more luck you'll have in the future."
"That is very beautiful," Amon said.
"You should go see it. The river gets all illuminated. Like a river of light. I never get tired of it. In fact, I'll be going there as well, right after I clean a few more tables."
The girl glanced over at me and smiled. Then she wiped her hands on her apron and left.
"I think you've caught her eye, Lieutenant," Amon said.
"Oh?" I chuckled.
"Come. Shall we go see this river of light?"
"I would love to."

The sight was indeed one worth beholding. Solitary lanterns floated off into the distance, the black horizon, and the dark water reflected the yellow flicker of the candles like a shifting mirror. For a moment I wondered if Amon was bothered by the sight of so much fire, no matter how beautiful it all looked. But my leader seemed perfectly serene. He lead the way towards the shore.

We lined up to buy our lanterns and prepared to send them onto the river. The firebender who sold them to us offered to light our candles, but I refused. In my pocket, I had some matches, which I used for both our lanterns.

A woman hummed an ancient melody as people watched the river take their lanterns. Soon, it was our turn. Staring blankly at the water, Amon seemed absorbed by his thoughts. I suggested that we send them out together, so that we may both prosper as we carried on with the Revolution. I had one wish, and one wish only: victory for the Equalists.

I closed my eyes and spoke the words. My wish was no secret to anybody. I was proud of it; I wanted it to be heard. Amon said nothing. When he was ready, we placed the lanterns on the water and quietly watched them wander off into the night.

But a gust of wind or the laugh of a spirit extinguished Amon's candle.
His lantern stopped glowing, and it was lost in the blackness of the water.

It didn't feel right to let mine go on alone while his had already died. While it was still close enough, I dipped my hand in the river and quickly tried to kill the flame of my lantern by covering it with water.

Once again, Amon put his hand on my arm.

"Don't," he said. "Don't do this for me."
I backed away, unsure of how to interpret his gesture. I had thought that he would admire my devotion, accept my loyalty. I felt upset, uneasy at the thought of my lantern going on without his. As though I had become leaderless. But I did not question his decision, and we returned to Guiren's house.

That was the end of my memory. Everything after that was shadows, and I returned to the present.

Oh, but now, I knew. Now I understood everything. This memory had not come back to me in vain. As I lied awake in bed, I finally knew what Amon had meant. I'd been doubting myself, wondering if I had taken the right course. All those men, dead. By my hand. Amon's disapproval. His accusation that I was perverting our principles.

But I was no traitor. I had made no mistake. All I had done was obey the will of my master. In stopping me from extinguishing my lantern, Amon had meant that if he ever faltered, I was to continue. That if one day, he lost the flame of the Revolution, it was for me to carry it on until our victory.

No matter what happened to Amon, I had to keep the fire alive.