Rewrite, Rewind
Chapter 36
It was a warm spring dusk on Hirahara Island, the day of foreign merchants still thriving in the spiraling prosperous city. Iroh and Seneca were exchange stories on Ursa's porch, apparently having met before their retirements, Seneca's friends and a few of Iroh's companions were also there, either listening to their elder's stories or entertaining Ursa's twins. Ursa snickered as she set Kiyi down in her highchair, having heard Iroh spot a particularly cheesy line to a woman in his story. Her father was already at the table and perfectly ready to start feeding the one-year-old. Her mother was in the living room with her sowing away and chatting with Yang at her side. Ikem was finishing up their dinner at the stove. Xiulan was sitting on the porch with Azula in her lap, both enrapt with the story Iroh and Seneca were weaving about how they first met. Zuko was carefully listening to a few instructions from Seneca's friends, trying hard to keep his kite in the air. Every time it dropped either an earth bender or one of Iroh's fire bending friends created an air pressure difference below that kept the kite in the air.
"Children, time for dinner!" Ursa called from the doorway from to the back yard. "you too gentlemen and ladies," the group of earth benders and retired fire nation soldiers each chuckled and laughed, some more sheepishly then others. Ursa wondered what story the sheepish soldiers were telling but the red faces of the earth benders sitting closest to them said she didn't want to know.
"Alright princess, hope down so we get her up 'ere," one of the earth benders called as he moved to help Azula out of her sister's lap. Hopping down from her sister's wheeled chair, she looked for her brother before bursting out in laughter. Zuko's kite crashed into the ground in his moment of distraction, prompting the adults that were helping him to laugh as well. Azula hurried towards the kite and picked it up, she was still snickering at her brother as she steadily walked back to Zuko. Zuko himself started chuckling too, thanking his uncle's friends as they each filed into the house for their share of food.
"Some of you guys are gonna have to eat outside," Ikem forewarned as he set stacks of dishes onto the counter. "The table's not big enough for all of ya!"
"but of course dear brother," Iroh chuckled, "you missed out on some spectacular stories!"
"Pretty sure I could live without them sir," Ikem retorted, much to the amusement of everyone else.
"Mom?" Ursa called, taking the pot from Ikem to set it on the table between her father and her eldest daughter. "Do you need help?"
"I'm coming love," the old woman chuckled as she set her things down.
"Why don't we all eat outside?" one of the earth benders asked, "We can make a fine dining set for all of us!"
"And its plenty warm out," another agreed quickly.
"No you are gusts and I will not have you working unpaid—" Ursa started, only to be interrupted by Seneca's men.
"Whoop! Let's go!" off the grown men and woman went, running and laughing like children.
"hahahaa, they sure are enthused!" Iroh laughed
"Can't be helped," Seneca chuckled, "That team of mine sure do love ya Princess!" Ursa blushed at the compliment.
"Since we're eating outside I'll grab my shawl," Ursa's mother called, turning at the stairs and began heading up.
"We're eating outside?" Azula and Zuko asked together, "COOL!" the twins went running out of the house, eager to watch the earth benders at work.
"Oh come on! Wait for me!" Xiulan called, struggling to turn her chair around to follow.
"Xiulan, won't you take Kiyi?" Ursa asked, "I gotta help dad out there."
"Sure mom!" Xiulan's face split into a big grin at the prospect of holding her youngest sibling. With one hand wrapped around the giggly mush of a toddler, Xiulan struggled to turn her chair. "Stupid chair," Xiulan grunted as her hand slipped and the chair jerked in place.
"What's wrong Little princess?" Seneca asked, moving carefully around the dining room table to kneel at the cripple's side.
"It's my wheel," Xiulan huffed in agitation, "it's got a flat spot in it. The wood must've chipped when I was in town."
"Yah know if this was stone it'd be really easy to move about," Seneca said thoughtfully. "And it wouldn't chip like this here wood."
"I'm an earth bender?" Xiulan gave Seneca a bewildered expression, "Since when and why don't I know about it?" Seneca stared at Xiulan for a moment before getting the joke and erupting into laughter.
"Your sarcasm sure runs deep!" Seneca praised
"I had to learn from someone, uncle," Xiulan giggled.
"yes?" Iroh questioned, looking towards Xiulan expectantly.
"He's uncle too," Ursa giggled.
"What? How dare you take my place!" Iroh declared in mock offense, dramatically putting a hand on his chest as if he were injured.
"He's here more than you!" Azula laughed, prompting her brother to burst into giggles
"What? Not you too!" Iroh turned to the twins, "I'll show you who's the better uncle."
"You need to be here for that," Zuko laughed, then started running for the back door.
"What?! Come back here!" Iroh laughed as he gave chase to the twins.
"Alright, I'll just carry you there," Seneca chuckled as he moved to lift Xiulan and Kiyi out of the wooden contraption.
"And how are you going to get there?" Ursa asked, turning to look at him as she supported her father. "if you stand up you'll hit your head."
"True but that's why we've got knees!" Seneca laughed, cradling Xiulan close while she held Kiyi. He flattened the soles of his feet to his back and turned, scrambling on his knees for the back door. Seneca may have been laughing loudly but Xiulan and Kiyi's amusement sounded like shrill bells echoing throughout the house.
"Such a character," her father chuckled as they carefully made their way around the dining room table. "You've got good friends Ursa." He smiled at her, his wrinkled face splitting in amusement and affection.
"I know," Ursa smiled at her father, her face still pink from the smiling and laughing. "The spirits sure did bless me in this life."
"I'll say," Ikem said as he kissed her brow then left ahead of them, a big pot of food in his hands. Those who didn't leave to set up the new patio moved to help bring out supplies, laughing and joking all the way. Outside the earth benders were having a grand time, throwing jokes at each other as they designed the patio for Ursa and her family. They created a big table, big enough to feed the fifteen people present, supported by eight legs spanning down the center of the table. They made another smaller table for the children, a big round table that looked similar to a mushroom, much to the twin's amusement. Several earth benders created stone torches so surround the patio, a few fire benders filled it with some dry grass from nearby and some charcoal from inside and then lit it.
It's beautiful, Ursa thought, watching the earth benders stoop before each stone seat and start carving away carefully with their fingers or tools. Beautiful dragons twirling amongst stars and what looked like islands, each chair appearing different to its neighbor. The giant table Seneca carved carefully with three others, each taking up a section and carving carefully the map of their world.
"How are we supposed to eat on such a masterpiece?" Ursa asked, looking at the beautiful craftsmanship.
"We brought glass," one of the carvers chuckled. "it's safe in town so we'll put it on it in the morning!"
"You planned this didn't you?" Ursa asked the group, smiling widely at the benders in her home.
"I told you Seneca was a crafty bugger!" Iroh laughed from where he was making tea.
"Says the dragon of the west!" Seneca laughed back.
"hey! Who gave me that name?" Iroh asked, passing out the steaming teacups to those who wanted them.
"I did," Seneca replied proudly, "right after you took my foot!"
"Hey, you sank my entire fleet!" Iroh laughed back, his grin just as big as Seneca's.
"Did anyone die that week? No," Seneca retorted
"Everyone was sick," Iroh snickered, "Oh that was a fun one to explain to father."
"I'm sure," Seneca chuckled, "I'm suddenly glad I'm not a prince!"
"you'd be a routine one!" one of the others laughed, making everyone else laugh at Seneca's misfortune.
"ya traitors," Seneca scoffed at them, ignoring Iroh's consoling patting on his shoulder.
"You know what would make this easier?" The group turned to look at the one struggling to carve the south pole, "if the map was actually round like it's supposed to be." Seneca and the others looked down at their map, nodded their heads and then moved the rectangle slap around to a perfect circle; thus moving the map into its proper proportions. It looked a litter thinner now, with its eight legs merging into one large stump, and it's surface smoother despite its integrate carvings. Ursa walked forward and sat her father down at one of the completed chairs at the table, turning she moved to stretch her hands out over the table, finding it quite easy to reach the center.
"Good, I was concerned it was too big," Ursa smiled playfully at Seneca as she straightened and moved out of the way of the others bringing out the food. "Children, did you wash up?" Ursa asked her children, all of whom gave her sheepish looks.
"Oh come on princess," Seneca laughed, "one night without hand washing isn't going to kill them!"
"Fine," Ursa shook her head in amusement, relenting for the special occasions that it was.
"Zuzu, look it a ship!" Azula laughed, pointing out at the shore, drawing her sibling's attention.
"Cool!" Zuko lifted his baby sister into her arms and hurried over to the edge of the patio with his twin pointing out at the strange sight.
"I wanna see!" Xiulan struggled to turn her seat towards the view.
"A ship?" Doctor Lee questioned, He moved away from setting the children's table to the edge of the patio and property. "There's no docs here." Two of the earth benders followed him out of curiosity, their heads tilted to the side in confusion as they stared at the ship half-hidden behind the distant cliff face of the island.
"Should we make them a dock?" one of the earth benders asked, "maybe they're lost?"
"I don't know," the other frowned thoughtfully, "That's a bit big to be a 'lost' ship."
"Where is madam?" Yang asked, looking about the crowd as the last of the benders finished the table setting.
"Mother should've gotten her shawl by now," Ursa frowned, rising from her seat beside her father. "I'll go—" Ursa was interrupted as an explosion shook her house, followed by her mother's flying body crashing into the patio. "MOM!" Ursa screamed, running towards the down woman. Her house was burning, the earth benders were making shallow pots and the fire benders were pulling the flames from the house into the shallow pots to die out on their own. "Mom!" Ursa pulled her mother up from the ground, staring at the thick arrow shaft in the woman's chest.
"G-g-got 'em," her mother smiled weakly, "one… d-d-down…." Ursa looked up, seeing her father standing without his cane between her and the house. He took a deep breath, raised his hands, all the flames seemingly pulsing towards him like a wave, then he swung his body forwards and the flames burst from her house, converging on some unseen people beyond it. Her father collapsed, gasping with the effort of his fire bending.
"You… you're fire benders?!" Ursa gasped loudly
"Hah, were," her father chuckled weakly. "Sometimes benders are born from none-benders and vice versa. We… we left the capital to protect you…"
"n-n-no pre-press are," her mother coughed wetly, a mouth full of red blood spilling past her lips.
"We need to go," Seneca ordered, "emergency exits, now!"
"Dad! Let's go!" Ursa urged her father, moving to lift her mother higher.
"N-no," her mother wheezed, "go."
"What? No!"
"They're coming!" one of the soldiers shouted.
"Oh spirits," another gasped
"There are dozens…" an earth bender breathed in terror
"That's an army Iroh," Seneca scowled at the mass preparing to attack again, marching closer to the house.
"Seems like dad was right," Iroh snarled furiously, "Ozai is making his move."
"Your mother is right Ursa," her father crawled himself next to his wife and daughter. "We're too old and wounded to make it with you," he smiled bitterly as he took his wife from Ursa's arms. "Go protect your babies."
"Ursa!" Ikem was tugging at her shoulders, pulling her away.
"Get out of here," her father was ordering, "if you leave all together without fighting back then they'll think that its just us here! Now go!"
"Dad!" Ursa cried, struggling weakly in her husband's hands, "Daddy!"
"GO!" her father ordered, cradling his dying wife close. "Its time my love." His wife only smiled into the warmth of his embrace, her life leaving before his dared to end.
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