A/N: The author has noticed a problem where does not acknowledge the punctuation used to indicate thought. From now on all mental thought: memories, dreams and verbal will be in italics. One italicized word in a regular sentence just means the word is emphasized.I'm still learning...
Shattered
Chapter Three
"Whoa," the driver pulled back on the reins, stopping the mule driven wagon as it emerged from the shady forest path into the light. The farmer blinked, allowing her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. Stretched out before them were gently rolling fields and pastures that made up the majority of the valley, beyond those lay the harbor village of Yopoko. The reins giggled across the mule's back. "Step on, Max." The mule moved on with a snort, the heavily laden wagon bouncing along behind him. The path they descended on could hardly be described as such, as the ill used trail only consisted of their own two wagon tracks winding through over grown weeds. The mule's stride lengthened from a walk to a pace, the wagon rattling behind it.
It wasn't long before they reached better, more frequently traveled roads and then the town. People looked up as the noisy wagon traveled down the streets, but it wasn't the large mule that made parents pull their kids close, nor the speeding wagon that made them glare. The driver slowed the mule down to a walk, knowing full well it wouldn't make a difference. The townspeople of Yopoko didn't much care for Anko, and the feeling was pretty much mutual. Of course, there were a few exceptions.
Anko turned Max onto the main street, heading towards the harbor. She tucked an errant strand of her straight salt and pepper hair back behind an ear as her eyes, already narrowed from years of working in the sun squinted further. Out on the bay, the usual number of fishing boats bobbed in the sunlit waters. Fish mongers and traders hawked their goods along the harbor side street, the various sounds and smells causing the mule to snort, long ears turning this way and that. She hardly needed to guide him; Max knew where they were going. "Portside Harbor Inn" a well worn wooden sign declared proudly as it swung above the entrance. Never mind that it was the only inn in Yopoko, portside of the harbor or otherwise. The two story building, crafted of both stone and wood sat right next to the bay, docks extending out into the water to invite the occasional traveler there. It was these docks that attracted Anko's attention as Max circled towards the back of the inn.
There, past the familiar local fishing boats, at the end of the longest dock, was an unmistakable vessel. "Fire Nation," Anko muttered darkly as she halted the wagon next to a hitch. She scanned the bay again; a ship that small would have to have a mother ship somewhere, but she saw nothing. She leaned back in the seat with a thoughtful frown, idly scratching the back of her left hand. Yopoko's relatively shallow harbor prevented all but the lightest of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation cruisers from entering and since the island had little to offer strategically, solders from either were rare, although certainly not unheard of.
Anko stared again at the boat, this time spotting a small figure sitting next to it at the very end of the dock. The mule snorted loudly and pawed the ground with a big foot, as if to tell her to get on with it. Anko gave a half smile as she descended the wagon, looping a rein over the hitching post and strapping on a feed bag for Max. She gave the figure on the dock one last long look before shrugging her shoulders. "Well, it's none of my business anyways."
Zuko sat huddled at the end of the dock staring at the water just beyond him. The bright sun reflecting off the waves made his eyes water and burn, but he didn't alter his gaze. He just sat, hugging his knees to his chest and resting his chin on top; he sat and stared.
The prickle of his eight day old beard stubble dug into his knee. I should shave, he thought, but he didn't move. I should shave, clean up, eat, walk into town, something, anything! Still, his body didn't stir. He felt heavy, languid, as if his limbs were lead. It had been like this for days now. Even small tasks left him worn out; often it was hard just to roll out of bed. He had to remind himself to eat and drink too, a large lump that seemed permanently lodged at the back of his throat made swallowing difficult.
Zuko swallowed hard, tearing his gaze from the mesmerizing waves to the letter scroll sitting beside him. He had read it over so many times that the words seemed permanently etched on his brain. "You are a disgrace to the Fire Nation." He could hear his father's voice in the words and they all but drowned out the comforting voice of his Uncle. Zuko turned back to the sea. He had never been this alone before.
What if Uncle doesn't come back? He pushed the rebellious thought away. Iroh had promised and Zuko would be waiting, even though he knew it would take well over a month for his former ship to travel the distance round trip. One thing his Uncle had been right about, this island of Yopoko was quiet enough. Although Zuko could feel the eyes of the villagers staring at him from time to time, for the most part no one had bothered him. He let his thought grow blank as he stared at the water. All he could do was wait.
As Anko pushed open the door to the inn, the soft murmur of conversation stilled. She looked around; this time of day the dining area wasn't crowded, just some locals scattered here and there. "Anko!" a bright, cheerful voice greeted from behind the bar. "It has been so long. Come in and sit down."
Anko smiled in spite of herself. "Hello, Saki." She greeted the Innkeeper. She had known Saki since childhood and the former Innkeeper's daughter was born for this job. Saki was short and somewhat plump; her round face was constantly being pulled wide by her easy smile. Anko, in contrast, was tall for a woman, her build lean and muscular, her face sharp. Where Saki had a ready smile, Anko had a ready frown.
"Sit, Sit" Saki told her as she came from around the bar to attend to a far table. "I'll be back in a moment." Anko sat at the well worn wooden bar, drawing a sour look from the only other patron there. "Ain't been long enough if you ask me," he muttered.
"Lo Genzo," Anko drawled. "Your wife know that you're here swilling down sake when you should be out on the bay working?"
"No, she does not!" Saki's cheerful voice replied as she bustled back to the bar. "Mari girl, you get out here and start washing tables." Anko watched as a tawny head popped out of the kitchen. Saki had seven or eight younglings ranging from apron clinging age on up; Anko had lost track of who was who a long time ago. "Now then Anko, would you like something to eat? Let me get you some of the good stuff from in back." And with that the Innkeeper was gone again.
Anko settled down on her stool with a sigh as the murmur of conversation started up again. Genzo set down his cup to stab at the beef in his beef bowl. "Now look here, there's no sense in me wasting my time fishing, not with his ugly face scaring all the fish away." Anko arched a dark brow at this declaration, but didn't ask the obvious question. She knew Genzo needed little excuse for drowning his sorrows. Saki saved her by coming back, carrying a plate filled to the brim with pork, rice and veggies.
Genzo looked on with envy. "Hey Saki, how come Anko here gets the good stuff when a regular customer like me has to eat slop?"
"Because Anko doesn't have a thirty-five copper tab," Saki retorted. "If you don't like my food, go home and eat."
"He's just afraid his wife will put him to work." Anko said with a half smile.
"I told you, there's no sense in it!" Genzo snarled, "Not as long as he's cursing the waters."
Anko rolled her eyes and turned back to Saki. "All right, I'll bite. Who's this "he" he keeps talking about?"
"The Fire Nation soldier; didn't you see him at the end of the dock? He's been sitting there for five days now."
"Five days huh?" Anko thoughtfully chewed her meal.
"That's right! Five freaking days!" Genzo's fist pounded the top of the bar. "Someone ought to do something; stupid Fire Nation thinks they can just show up and do whatever, something should be done!" His dull eyes lit up with an idea; he turned to Anko. "Hey Anko, you've always hated the Fire Nation, haven't you? Why don't you do something useful and take care of him for us? It wouldn't be nothing for someone like you to do, would it?"
Anko sighed and laid down her chopsticks, but before she could respond Saki jumped in. "You just pipe down and eat quietly Genzo, or I'm cutting you off for the day!"
"I'm just saying something should be done, that's all." He shrank beneath the twin glares leveled at him. Picking up his meal, he moved to the opposite end of the bar.
Anko resumed eating. As much as she disliked the company in the bar, Saki's food was too good to waste. "So," she asked between mouthfuls, "what's the story behind the Fire Nation soldier anyways?"
Saki leaned forward conspiratorially; if there was a job she liked more than that of town innkeeper, it was that of town gossip. "He just sailed up out of the blue one day. Parked himself at the end of the dock there, just like that. Hasn't come into town, hasn't talked to anyone; he just sits there all day long. I went out there once, you know, just to see if he wanted some food or something, but he wouldn't say anything but "Go away". Saki's voice dropped lower. "Thing is, he's just a boy too. Can't be much older than sixteen or seventeen, and he has a terrible burn." Her hand drew a line from the bridge of her nose to her left ear. "It's just terrible."
"So he just sits there, huh? I can see why the town would be so upset." Anko commented sarcastically.
"Well you have to admit, it is odd, Anko. So do you want to hear the popular theories?"
"Suit yourself," Anko sighed.
Saki's bright brown eyes twinkled as she made a few cursory swipes of a rag on the bar. "Well one is that he's the only survivor of a great sea battle, and he's waiting for an allied ship to come and pick him up. Another is that he is actually an Earth Kingdom spy and he was found out, burned and marooned. And there has been talk that he's sizing up Yopoko for an invasion."
Anko snorted at the last one. "Come on; don't tell me people actually believe that."
"It could be true," Saki said a bit defensively, "although I prefer the first theory myself."
"What about this "curse" business? Is Genzo the only fool talking about that?"
Saki shook her head. "Fishing has been way down this week. Course the old timers say it's just that the cooler waters are coming down from the north, but others say that it's him. And that's not all; the lowland farmer's crops of snow wheat got hit with a blight too. People are talking. I almost feel sorry for the boy."
"Humph. If the people of Yopoko worked as much as they talked, they wouldn't have near as many problems. My snow wheat came out just fine; in fact that's why I'm here." Anko pushed her now empty plate away from her. "Speaking of, I should get back to business. How much do I owe you?"
As Anko's hand reached into her front tunic pocket, Saki's waved her away. "Go on Anko, you know your money is no good here."
"My money may not be good…" Anko said with a smile as she produced a jar filled with a golden liquid. "Honey!", an excited high-pitched voice squealed. Anko found herself surrounded by the three littlest of Saki's youngling. She surrendered the jar with a grin.
"Mari, Shinta, Kino; you thank Anko-san properly," Saki commanded. The three complied before disappearing into the kitchen like a flash. Anko gave her friend a half smile before producing another jar, "One for you too."
"Anko, this is way too much," Saki protested half heartedly.
"Nonsense," Anko dismissed the innkeeper with a wave. "On my farm the honey is plentiful. Good meals on the other hand, are hard to find."
"Well at least stop back on your way home and I'll give you a nice dinner too."
"If I have time," the farmer promised with a wave as she departed the inn. And if she paused to notice that the Fire Nation soldier was still sitting at the exact same location on the dock, well that was merely a passing curiosity and nothing more. Anko had real work to attend to.
"Snow wheat, huh?" The portly miller wiped his dusty hands on his apron as he sized up her loaded wagon. "Sorry Anko, but you're late. My warehouse is already filled to the rafters with the other farmer's yields. I can offer you three silvers for the load of it, but that's all."
Anko crossed her arms in front of her chest. It would be an insulting offer even if it wasn't based on a blatant lie. "You'll give me twenty silvers for the load; otherwise I'll just take it to market myself."
The miller scoffed at her. "You don't have time for that. Five silvers and I'm being generous."
Anko leaned against her wagon with a half smile. "What I don't have time for is being cheated. Why don't you show me this great big stock of snow wheat that you have?" She leaned forward. "You know, I can always sell it to one of the trader ships."
The miller scowled at her. "Fine, twelve silvers and that's a fair offer."
Twelve silvers is a fair offer, but you'll pay me fifteen for trying to cheat me and you'll throw in four bags of milled oats and two bags of rice as well. Take it or leave it." Anko leaned back with a smirk as the miller fumed. Then, with a shrug she made as if to mount her wagon and drive off when the miller caved.
"Fine," he snarled "but you can bloody well unload the thing yourself!" He stomped off to get her payment as Anko sighed and grabbed a fifty pound bag. "Gee Max, only three more stops to go." The mule flicked a disinterested ear at her.
Three stops later and the wooden wagon was loaded back down with a different assortment of goods. Anko fingered the few remaining coins in her pocket. The day had not gone well. Apparently informed ahead of time that Anko had brought in a bumper crop of snow wheat, the other traders had haggled fiercely and a bit unfairly for her money. The negotiations had taken way too long; now it was dark and she was once again parked outside the Portside Harbor Inn.
She blanched at the sounds emanating from the place, it was obviously crowded in there and Anko had had her fill of humanity for one day. I'll just pop in, say goodbye to Saki, and leave. She dismounted, tying Max to one of the front hitches this time. Just as she was about to push in the swinging door, it pushed out the other way. Four young men in their twenties exited, shoving Anko to the side in the process. They stunk of liquor and chava weed.
"About time someone did something." "…teach him a lesson." Snippets of their conversation came back to her as they grabbed a lantern and headed towards the docks. Anko paused, watching. Sure enough, the lantern light proceeded down the longest dock, towards where the Fire Nation soldier was docked. "Tch, four on one, such honorable odds," Anko muttered to herself sarcastically. Fools, she thought with disgust, like as not, that boy's a fire bender and even if he isn't, he's at least a trained soldier. Those four probably don't stand a chance. "Not that I care," she muttered again. "Time for this farmer to get herself home."