And an Elle woke up suddenly inside a badly decorated and lit room. The only source of light came from a lit candle on a dresser across from her bed. She sat up, got out of bed and looked around. The walls were a sandy brown, and there were no windows in the room. She noticed Tania sleeping in another bed in the room, and gave a huge sigh of relief. She reached into her pocket, and found nothing. Someone had taken her dagger. She reached down to wake up Tania, when the door to the room, concealed in the darkness opened up. A stubby, plump woman entered the room carrying a basket full of green and brown clothes.
"Oh, you're up, how are you feeling?" her voice was kind and large, just like her body. "You know, the boys wouldn't want me to say this, but thanks for saving their skins back there" she smiled.
"Where are we, and who are you!" yelled Elle, waking Tania.
"Elle, what's going on, oh my head hurts," she frowned and sat up in bed.
The old lady moved in closer to Elle and Tania, but stopped and turned towards a wall. She put the basket down near Tania's feet in bed, and twirled her right arm, resting it on her waist. She then punched at the air, and a square in the middle of the war was pushed out into the village, and fell on the ground gently. "It was much to dark in here, O' I do hope those Fire fools still don't pay attention to people's windows. Oh, I'm sorry dears," she stared at Tania and Elle, "I guess I should have chosen better words."
"Who are you?" demanded Elle.
"Oh, I'm so terribly sorry. Well, my name is Pan Tai, and you already met my two boys and my little girl. The boys are Ma and Sonja, and the girl is Tuchi. From what Tuchi tells me, you were ambushed by Fire Soldiers, and they helped you escape. Tuchi says that they were in a hurry, and that's why they knocked you out. You must forgive them. It's been hard these days."
Tania joined in the conversation, "What's been hard?" she asked.
Pan sighed, "Being Earth Benders of course. Ever since Gui Sa Dan was captured by the Fire Nation, bending has been outlawed. It was so sad the day they came. The defending army, our army, was huge and fresh. You see, Gui Sa Dan is the largest city of the Eastern Cost, and we were the second city to be attacked. But the Fire Nation soldiers out numbered us, and crushed us. We waited and waited for Earth reinforcements, but they never came. Well, that was a long time ago, way before I was born. You see, the elders, our parents, our grandparents, they all tell us of the battle. They try and make our forces seam great and powerful, but we all know the truth. It was a massacre.
Elle looked puzzled, "Wait, if earth bending was outlawed, how do you and one of your boys know it?" Elle sat down on her bed and listened to the story.
"Oh well," began Pan, "just because something is illegal, doesn't mean it won't be done. My father taught me everything he knew before he was killed, and I taught Sonja, since he was my first born. I would have taught Ma and Tuchi, but the Fire Nation has turned this into the Eastern command post and I couldn't risk it. They get mad at me sometimes, for not teaching them, but it's all right. Tuchi is fabulous with a spear, so she really doesn't need bending. And Ma is tremendously swift and strong. Oh my oh my, I've been talking so long, haven't I." She picked up the basket of clothes and placed it on a table in between the two beds. "Here, these are some of my old clothes. They look like they should fit you, and if anyone asks, you're my sister's children." She walked out of the room.
Elle quickly began to change, when Tania began to protest, "Elle, why should we change our clothes? I like my fire nation outfit." Tania looked down at her long red skirt and baggy shirt. The metal braces below the shoulders and on the wrist were rusted and turning yellow in some areas.
Elle rolled her eyes and continued to change, "Tania, didn't you hear her? This place is filled with Fire Nation soldiers, if they saw us wearing our Fire Nation clothing, they'd get suspicious. Remember, if you haven't realized, we're traitors.
"Right," sighed Tania. She changed too.
A few minute later, the girls emerged out of there room, and discovered a small, crowded room filled with chairs, a table, Pan Tai, and her three children. "Great fire bending!" shouting Sonja with a large smile on your face. "I mean, I've seen fire bending before, but, never protecting me or anything. That was amazing!" Tania blushed and sat down at the table.
"An excellent tackle!" laughed Tuchi, "I still hurt all over." Elle sat down on the floor and sighed. Ma stared at Elle and then at Tania.
"Why are you two hear, you're a long way from the Fire Nation's mainland," his voice was filled with untrust.
Tania sighed, and interrupted Elle as she shouted some nasty comments at Ma, "Well, it's kind of hard to say. My parents are in the military, dad's a general, mother's a strategic planner: so I've seen some of the things they've done, and I hear there stories, and it makes me sick. But, that's only part of the reason. Elle's the main reason, but hell would probably have to freeze over before she tells you." They all giggled.
"I guess… I guess I can tell you. None of my parents are in the military, just my brother, but he's just a lonely soldier. My reason is, I know the war is wrong. Even though I can't bend, I've always been interested in the spirits, their world, and the four elements and cycles. My uncle is a priest at our island's fire temple, and he let's me read the scrolls and everything. One night, when I was looking through some scrolls I found in a fire place, they were badly burnt, I came across a particular one that interested me. It had the four symbols, the wave, the rock, the flame, and the gust, and it talked about the balance and spirits of each nation. From what I could make out, each nation is like a pull on each other. As long as each nation is pulling, the nations, and nature, don't move. Each tribe, each kingdom, each nation remains strong and balanced. But the Fire Nation is pushing to hard, and it's killing the other three. The Air Nomads are supposedly all dead, so the nations were already straining each other. But with the conquest of almost half the Earth Kingdom, and the harsh destruction of the South Pole, it seams nature is going to crumble. And, I've already seen signs of it. The average temperature in the Fire Nation has risen by seven degrees, and from what merchants tell us, the Earth Kingdom is under serious drought. And I can only guess what's happening to the Water Tribe. We came, we came to stop this, and to get the honor of our Fire Nation back!"
The room fell silent for a long time; they all stared out the windows and at each other, under Sonja muttered, "Sweet." Everyone started to laugh.