Katara woke up the next morning in her own room. She felt like something was missing, someone should have been next to her.
A knock sounded on the door and Katara padded over and opened it. A second after she started doing so, she realized she might not want to see whoever it was on the other side. Particularly if he was ruling a country of firebenders.
It was Iroh, relief of all reliefs.
They went through the familiar routine of Katara dressing and then the two of them eating while a servant did her hair.
"Iroh," Katara spoke after a while. "This is a little random but… I met this woman, and she's a lady with a title and everything, but I don't think people like her."
Iroh nodded and set his tea cup down. "Zuko told me you had met the Lady Shomlen."
Katara nodded. "What's wrong with her? I mean, when I accidentally brought her to the dining hall, Azula and Fire Lord Ozai seemed… upset she was there. Not just that she wasn't invited, but it was like there was something wrong with Lady Shomlen specifically."
"There is," Iroh told her.
"What?" Katara cried out. "She's a nice lady, even if she doesn't really get what the war's like and she isn't bothered by slaves!"
Iroh leaned back. "Lady Shomlen is from a poorer, southern, noble family. Her father was traveling in the Earth Kingdom when he met a girl there. He claims that she was very beautiful and he fell in love with her instantly. He married her and brought her back to his tiny estate and hid her away. He did not tell my brother his decision and when Ozai found out, it was too late. She had died giving birth to the Lady Shomlen.
"My brother was furious. He stripped Lady Shomlen's father of his estates so the only place they could stay was in streets or under his nose. Within a month of arriving here, he died mysteriously. Lady Shomlen was raised by the lowest of maids until she was discovered to have firebending skills and was sent to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. She is actually quite powerful."
"More powerful than Zuko?" Katara wanted to know.
Iroh rubbed his chin. "I have not seen her train in a while, but I believe she is just as good." Iroh stood and clasped his hands together in his sleeves. "I will be going now, my lady. Prince Zuko wished to start his training a little earlier today than usual."
"Oh!" Katara started. Blushing, she nodded and Iroh left out the door, smiling to himself.
"Um, do you think you could bring me some water, please?" Katara asked one of the maids in her room. She still felt awkward asking them for anything. At first it had been nice having everything brought to her, but now it was becoming a little excessive. It made her feel a little helpless. Like she couldn't get water on her own, or do her own hair, and so on.
The maid bowed and walked off, returning soon.
"Um," Katara shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She wanted them to leave but she didn't feel comfortable just telling them… She settled for politely requesting.
"Would it be all right if I were here on my own? I just need a little space – not!" Katara rushed to correct her mistake. The maids looked startled at her outburst and Katara blushed again. "Not that I don't appreciate you guys, but… um… I just…"
The maid who had gotten her water bowed. "Of course, my lady. And please allow me to say that it has been a great pleasure serving you… Greater than many I have served before." The maid stood up. Her face was kind but determined. "You are a very kind lady, and life will treat you well."
"Oh, thank you." Katara bowed.
All the maids bowed and walked single-file out of the room.
"Takiko!" One chided behind a hand. "You shouldn't have said that! We could get in trouble!"
"It was true," Takiko affirmed. "And if the people of the Water Tribe are half as decent as she is, then they are not the savages we think they are."
"Still…" the other girl said, slipping her hands into her sleeves. "It was just bordering on treason."
"I am pretty sure," Takiko spoke slowly, "that things are changing, Chihiro. Call it intuition, but there are some pretty bad things going around the city that I've heard…"
Katara sighed with relief as the maids shut the door behind them. She walked over tothe pitcher the one maid had brought in and took a deep breath. Drawing her hands upwards, she pulled the water out of the pitcher.
She started working with it, guiding it and controlling it. Water waved across the air, glittering when the sun from the windows hit it, and still as cool and comforting as ever. Smiling, she started playing with it, making it jump around like the little bouncing snow puppies back in her village.
Playing with the water made her think of Aang and Katara slowed the water.
This wasn't right. Here she was, playing with water, bending, and Aang was stuck in that dirty, smelly cage. He was the Avatar.
Katara twiddled the water in little streams between her fingers. They laced in and out as she tried to think of a way to help Aang.
"What we need," Sokka said, "is a way to get into the castle."
Elsie would have pointed out that it was technically a palace, but it didn't seem worth it.
"Now, how could we do that…?" Sokka rubbed his chin. "We could – hey! Is that a whisker? I think I'm growing facial hair!"
Elsie leaned in and looked. "Hmmm…" Elsie reached up and plucked the hair out of Sokka's chin. "Oh. It was a hair." she said surprised."
"Ouch!" Sokka rubbed his chin and glared at Elsie. "That hurt!" His face drooped. "And now I don't have a hair. I might never get another one."
"Why would you only want one hair on your chin?"
Sokka waved a hand. "That's not what's important right now. Right now, we need to figure out a way to get into the castle." He thought. His face suddenly lit up and he held up a finger. "We could dress up as carnies and perform! While we are distracting the Fire Lord and Zuko, one of us gets Aang, gets Katara, and then we leave!"
Elsie blinked.
"Well?" Sokka demanded. "What do you think?"
Elsie blinked.
"Oookay," Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea."
"What about…" Elsie paused. She wasn't sure how well her suggestion would go over with Sokka. He wasn't exactly the understanding type. "What if we asked…Moelij?"
"Who? That thief guy?" Sokka stuck his chin out. "I don't know… do you think we can trust him? I mean, what if he secretly works for the Fire Nation, tricking people into thinking he's good, but then siccing firebenders on them?"
"I think it'd be okay to ask him." Elsie had thought about it all that day. Moelij hadn't shown up at the fish stall, and she'd been a little disappointed, but she'd decided to think about how to help Aang. It seemed Sokka had been thinking the same thing out on the boat, because he'd come home sunburned and ready to plan.
"Fine, then," Sokka shrugged. "But if you're wrong, I refuse to share a dungeon with you."
"Who?"
The old man leaned into Sokka and held his hand up to his ear.
"MO-E-LIJ!" Sokka shouted.
"Eh?"
"Moelij! Moe – oh, forget it." Sokka waved the old man off. The man smiled a gummy smile.
"Well, good luck finding your sweetheart. I'll be off now!" And with that, he began tottering away.
"He's not my sweetheart!" Sokka shouted indignantly. "He's a guy!"
The old man paused. "Well, to each his own, I s'pose." And he cackled and walked away.
"Hey…" Sokka said half-heartedly while Elsie fought down giggles.
"You want to find Moelij?"
Sokka and Elsie turned. A little boy about eight years old and wearing some of the filthiest rags ever was glaring at them. He rubbed his nose on his sleeve and Sokka and Elsie cringed. Sokka broke out of his reverie first.
"Uh, yeah. Do you know where we could find him?"
The boy's nose crinkled like he found the two of them disgusting and not the other way around. "Why do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously.
"I work for Mimsha," Elsie pointed at herself. "I met him the other day."
"Oh," the boy looked less peeved. "Why didn't you say so? Moelij was talking about you." He started walking down the street.
"He did?" Elsie went pink.
"Ohhh," Sokka made an "o" with his mouth and teased Elsie. "Moelij was talking about Elsie. What does that mean? Does Elsie like Mo-"
Whack! Sokka rubbed his arm where Elsie smacked him. "What was that for?" he demanded. Elsie ignored him and followed the boy.
"You know, I think I liked you better when you were a hermit," he muttered.
The boy brought them to a gigantic abandoned building. He crawled through a hole in some planks of wood covering a doorway in the back like it was the most natural thing. He didn't disturb it at all, just slipped through like a cat. Elsie went next, managing to get through, at least, if not so gracefully.
They were walking down a row of crates stacked to the ceiling of the warehouse-like structure when a loud noise and the sound of cracking wood came from behind them. They turned to find Sokka sitting in what looked like what used to be a box, his hand on his head.
"Ow…" he said.
Elsie rolled her eyes and the boy turned around, muttering, "Idiot..."
They walked through what seemed to be a maze of crates. They passed so many different walkways and paths that it almost felt like they were going in circles, except the ceiling kept passing by in an almost linear manner.
Finally, they reached a clearing.
In the middle of the warehouse was a living space. There were chairs and futons and reed mats scattered among tables and living supplies. A haystack stood against one crate-wall, rugs leading up to it and covered with a blanket. A short table rested next to it, with cups and a pitcher on it.
The entire place was empty except for a lean boy with dark hair and eyes, lounging on the haystack like it were a throne.
"Who do we have here, Yami?" the boy raised an eyebrow and smiled slowly. "Intruders coming into our little space?"
"Why does this guy remind me of Jet?" Sokka muttered.
"Who?" Elsie asked.
"Never mind."
The boy in the haystack tilted his head to the side. "Hey there, beautiful. Who'd ya bring along?" he narrowed his eyes at Sokka.
Elsie blushed. "He's Sokka."
"Really." The boy didn't look away.
"Yeah," Sokka stepped forward and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And I guess you're Moelij?"
"Depends on who's asking."
"Well, I am." Sokka pointed at himself with his thumb. "Oh yeah, and she is, too."
Moelij stood up and walked down to where Elsie and Sokka were standing. "Elsie, I've met. You, I have not. What do you want?"
"Mr- Mr. Moelij?" Elsie stepped forward, suddenly more nervous than she'd ever felt in her life. Sweat was prickling down her neck and she was wringing her hands. "Was what you said about- about the Fire Nation true? I mean, do you really not like the Fire Lord anymore?"
"Hey, hey, no need for the mister, beautiful!" Moelij held up his hands and laughed. "But why do you want to know?" he asked, all seriousness again. "Why come here to ask me that?"
"My sister," Sokka spoke up. "She's being held captive by the Fire Lord and we need to get her out. And Aang, my friend. He's the Avatar. We need him, too."
Moelij raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I can help you get the Water Lady and the Avatar out of the palace, with it guards and firebenders and nobles?"
"Please," Sokka begged. "We need your help."
Moelij gestured at Elsie. "I don't know what you are – you look like you're Water Tribe but you firebend – but you," he turned back to Sokka. 'You're definitely Water Tribe through, and I'm not. Why would you ask a Fire Nation for help? After everything that's happened to your people because of a war my people started, why?"
"Because you ask that question," Sokka said softly. "I know I come off as a jerk sometimes, but even I know not everyone's evil. I've met some firebenders that are pretty decent, and some people who weren't Fire Nation who weren't."
Moelij shook his head. "It's just not that easy. Do you think the Fire Lord's going to give up the Avatar like that? Do you think the Prince is just going to give up the Water Lady?"
"Why wouldn't he?" Sokka demanded. "What's so great about Katara that Zuko would keep her after Aang escaped, anyway?"
"Haven't you heard the rumors?" Moelij asked. "I've got it from some inside sources that the Water Lady – your sister, I guess – and Prince Zuko are an item."
Sokka choked.
"WHAT?" he coughed. "What are you talking about?"
Elsie grinned nervously and held up her palms in a sign of placation. "Oh. Did I forget to mention that?" she asked.
Moelij laughed.
"Yes." Sokka glared.
"Well, that's beside the point, really." Moelij gestured them back to his haystack. "Hey, guys! You can come out now! It's safe!" he called out.
Children appeared from everywhere at once. Some as small as Yami and others that looked like they were a year of two older than Moelij himself.
"These are my people," he gestured to the twenty or so kids. "All of them worthless, smelly and great. Just like me."
"Quite a group you got here," Sokka said warily, as he sat down. "You guys wouldn't happen to be a gang, would you?"
"Sure," Moelij smiled. "Why not?"
"Do you rob defenseless, old people?" Sokka asked.
Moelij shrugged. "We're thieves, but I guess we got a kind of honor. We try to go for people who look like they can afford, if just because it's better money. And anybody who's got a skill or something, I try to get them apprenticeships. I know a lot of people. I don't force anybody to stay here, either."
"Interesting," Sokka stroked his chin. Elsie could see this becoming an annoying habit.
"Why?" Moelij poured some water into cups for them.
Sokka rolled his shoulders and tried to look nonchalant (which he painfully did not). "I was just wondering. I used to know this guy. He had a gang, too, and they called themselves freedom fighters. They were really just a bunch of jerks." Sokka looked "casually" over at Moelij. "You ever heard of a guy named Jet?"
"No," Moelij looked genuine. "Was he their leader?"
"Yeah."
"Well, this guy and his group don't sound anything like us." Moelij leaned back. "I don't "recruit" people and we aren't any sort of rebellion. I just pick up stray kids who need my help."
"Well, then what's with all the rebellion talk?" Sokka wanted to know.
Moelij shrugged and took a sip of water. "That's just my personal interest. I don't encourage anybody else to do what I say about it."
"Then you won't help us?" Sokka felt let down.
"I didn't say that. Why don't you let me do some reconnaissance? I'll need to know how things are set up in the palace before I can help you break your sister and the Avatar out of there. I'm starting to think this is a very good idea."
Yay! The page breakers work again so I re-did this chapter too! But from here on out they're all new and all redone/new so they'll be the originals! You can tell the other originals in the fic don't have me speaking in bold. It's all right, whatever! Woo hoo! Almost finished revamping!