"I have greatly enjoyed posting new material so far, and I offer this novelette to those who care to read. I thank you for your eyes and your heart, as I try to put my heart into whatever it is that I write." -Sean A.
A young man emerges over the hillside in the distance from the South, looking over the grasses of the valley. He stops, marveling at the gorgeous mountaintops, crested with glacial embellishment. The grasses were lighter than he had seen in quite some time. He dropped to his knees, running his hands along the tickling fibers protruding from the ground, feeling them wet with the morning dew. He had travelled farther from home than he had experienced in a long time, and it was quite rewarding to observe such a sight.
He wore a white, round, rice hat, and he was cloaked with a shady cloak around his body, shaded a dark green. He carried a large walking stick, a satchel, and a canteen to aid him in his journey. His feet were clad in old, torn, dark green shoes that appeared to have seen better days than these. They were sewn in all different parts with thread from furs and wool.
He was a relatively muscular man whose veins stuck out of his arms and legs, and his skin was dark. His hands were rough and meaty, calloused all over the surface. The trousers he wore were raggedy, and he wore nothing for a shirt, finding the shade of his cloak sufficient. His hair was greasy and long, and his body shiny from having sweat so much from the beginning of his journey.
He seated himself at the top of the hill, crossing his legs and drinking the remainder of the water as he marveled at the sight of the city. He had heard rumors of its shining glory as the greatest of the cities of the Southern Earth Kingdom, but they were only words and texts within books. To gaze at the vastness of it in person, even from a distance, gave him chills to witness.
He stood again to begin walking the remainder of the way, and soon enough he came upon the path, laden with bricks. He stopped to marvel at the sight of the careful craftsmanship of bricklayers on such a wide, welcoming, and smooth road. He stepped on almost reluctantly, taking the remainder of the path to the city.
As he walked he gazed at the trees which carefully encompassed the path. He saw tree trimmers along the way, sculpting the trees in their image to create a perfectly shaded archway of foliage. He came upon woodland animals that stopped briefly to observe him, and he them, before skittering off back into the forest again.
It came upon the path, a junction of other roads whereupon he witnessed traffic of people, likely headed in and out of the city. The people walked to and from the city, delivering messages, pulling carts with animals, some even riding on machines. The noise of these clunking, clamorous beasts of metal captured his eye as he stared at them pass. People of all classes walked by him, both farmers and nobles. He could tell who they were by how they were dressed.
As a party of nobles passed by him, they scanned his appearance briefly before rolling their eyes and moving on. He briefly lapsed into a state of self-consciousness, only for a second before taking a deep breath, and smiling as he set upon the new road.
The new brick road was different from the former, in that it had been completely and meticulously cleared of any debris, moss or leaves, unlike the former, whose pavement was covered with life and nature throughout, the birds descending down to pick out bugs, twigs, and flowers from between the cracks of the bricks.
He soon saw the great gates, rumbling and crashing as they opened to allow the passage of automobiles through, and glimpsing for just a moment, he witnessed the sparkling beauty of the interior behind them. He stared for a moment.
He jumped suddenly when he heard the roar of a horn behind him, coming from a truck driven by a visibly impatient man who stuck his head out of the window to spit and curse at the young man. He quickly made his way off to the side of the road to allow the trucker through, and continued his way to the gates from there. He approached two of the guard who conversed between each other as they kept a watchful eye over who passed through the gates.
"'scuse me sir," he stated, removing his hat to reveal his shiny, sweaty countenance, "am I 'llowed to pass this way?" he inquired. The guards whispered to each other as one of them stepped out to meet the young man.
"We will need to see a form of identification," the guard demanded. The young man turned and rummaged through his satchel, removing a small leather wallet. He briefly dug through the wallet to pull out a card with his picture and name on it, handing it to the guard with a smile. The guard took the card with a raised eyebrow, reading his way through the details.
"What… is this?" he asked, squinting at the card.
"That was my university ID; it's a few years old, but I figgered I'd use it again one day," he said. The guard looked back up to the young man, returning his card.
"Please state your business… sir," the guard demanded.
"I've to meet with Suyin Beifong," he stated, "I've been sent to deliver a message in person," he said. The guards looked at one another, flustered for a moment.
"Who sent you?" the guard asked.
"Toph Beifong, she wanted me to hand this to her personally," he said, producing a letter, rolled and sealed with a Beifong seal.
"Let me see that," the other guard said, approaching the man, running his thumb along the thick seal. He looked back at his partner.
"It's real," the man said.
"Alright, come with me," the guard said, leading him through an admissions office, and through the door of the wall again.
He soon stood upon the steps of the palace, witnessing the complexity of its design before him with an open mouth. He couldn't find a door to enter, and began to look around for an entrance. A young man wearing lenses emerged from around the corner with his arm locked with that of a young, dark haired lady. He removed his hat, and with this, they noticed him.
"Who's that?" she asked.
"I don't know," the young man shrugged.
"Excuse me sir, can we help you find something?" she asked delightfully, approaching the man with a smile. He was timid at first in his response.
"Umm, yes actually," he said softly, "…I'm looking for a lady by the name of Suyin Beifong, I have to meet her in person," he stated.
"Oh! She's my mom! I'll tell them to let you in!" she stated as the two of them skipped away. Soon enough he felt the ground rumble. He widened his stance for stability and looked all around, as the walls of the palace itself opened up to welcome him. The guards beckoned as he stared awfully at the enormous door.
"Is everything alright sir?" one of them asked.
"Oh! Yeah, sorry…" he said, making his way into the lobby. The young lady emerged again with the man and a servant in tow. The servant approached the man.
"May I take your hat, cloak, and walking stick?" he asked. The man looked taken aback for a moment by the gesture.
"Don't worry, we'll get it back to you when you leave, we just want to look after it," the young lady interjected.
"Oh," the man said, removing these things, "Thank you sir," he uttered timidly.
"My name's Opal, I'm Suyin's daughter, this is Bolin, my fiancé," she said gesturing toward the young man who smiled joyfully and waved.
"My name's Huu," he said.
"Right this way," she directed.
"Thank you very much, ma'am," he said, following her.
The three of them travelled down many long corridors together as the man looked all around, gazing to the top of tall ceilings in awe.
"So where are you from?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm from the swamp," he said.
"Oh hey! My grandmother Toph lives there!" she stated excitedly. His path stopped suddenly. He looked up at her for a moment.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"I'd like to speak to your mom very soon… please," he said softly. She looked over to the side of the hallway.
"We're here," she said, gesturing over to the door. He opened the door gently and slipped through as Bolin and Opal stepped in behind him shutting the door. The servant from before approached a pair of middle-aged women sitting at the end of a long curve of tables, awaiting service for what must have been lunch. She turned her gaze to him and nodded to the servant.
"Hello," she said, smiling delightfully, beckoning him forward. He bowed his head and entered among them.
"My name is Suyin, and this is my sister Lin," she said smiling sweetly. Her daughter was the spitting image of her smile, "These seven are all my children," she said, gesturing to those beside her. Even Bolin was referred to as a son of hers which made him smile.
"My name's Huu," he said softly, nodding to her and bowing to her children.
She stood up with her husband beside her to meet him and shake his hand, "What brings you here today?" she asked delightedly. He paused for a moment, reading the room now with all eyes on him.
"May we… have the room?" he asked softly.
"Of course!" she said, gesturing that the children leave for a moment. Soon, there only remained Lin, Bataar Sr., and Suyin herself.
"Ma'am," he began, looking down and away from her. The three wore a concerned look back and forth to one another.
"Is everything alright, young man?" she asked softly. There was a pause as he took a deep breath. He shook his head to her.
"I'm here to deliver a message… from the swamp," he said.
"What? Is my mother okay?" she asked. He raised his eyes to look at her.
"…We think she'd been sick with an infection; we sent fer a doctor," he said.
"…Wh-… what?" Suyin asked, looking to her husband and back over to him.
"…I held 'er hand," he said.
At first, there was no reaction at all, just looks between the three of them. Suyin returned her gaze to him as her eyes welled and one of her hands covered her mouth, the other her heart, as she was embraced by Bataar and Lin, who shed tears on top of her. The young man shed some of his own, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He had rehearsed this the whole way from where he had travelled.
She sobbed into her husband's chest. Lin approaching the young man, looking down to the ground.
"I'm sorry," he uttered beneath his breath.
"Thank you for letting us know," Lin said, "What… Where," she began.
"Per her request, we have laid her to rest among our own… We always considered 'er one of us," he told her softly. Her own eyes glistened as she looked back up to him. She nodded, returning to where Suyin stood.
"I'll take my leave," he said to them softly.
"Please, wait," Suyin said, catching his wrist before he left, "Stay here for the night… let us take care of you," she said as she looked to her husband; Bataar nodded.
"Okay," he said.
"Call in the others, they'll want to know," Suyin said as she began to calm down.
Bataar Sr. called in the remaining of those who had stepped out into the hallway before as a servant escorted the tired young man to the room that was offered to him. Opal stopped him.
"Hey… what, what happened?" she asked softly, pulling him to the side as Bolin joined the two of them. He placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.
"It'd be best you hear it from yer mother," he said softly in response, leaving the two of them to fall into the room, watching as the young man walked away.
Suyin stood in the center of the room accompanied by her beloved as she announced the news. Some of them wept, breaking down for others to join in gradually. Others didn't feel anything, being they had scarcely ever met their grandmother. Either way, they all held a somber silence within the room.
Kuvira sat next to Bataar as he looked over to her. She leaned forward on the table before her, biting her lip, with her fists clenched. She looked down for a moment as Bataar looked over to see her. She stood to excuse herself, joining Opal in the hallway.
Opal tore herself away from Bolin for a moment, who was in pieces himself. She took Kuvira before she could get away. She turned around on the verge of an episode. Bataar Jr. observed from behind, having followed her out into the hallway. Opal leaned against her, Kuvira wrapping her arms around her for a moment, kissing her atop her head. Bataar was stoic, seemingly unaffected. Kuvira knew him better; she looked up to him, inviting him over. He embraced his sister, and his lover together.
Bolin had moved off to another room for a moment alone. The young man approached the open doorway, seeing him with his head in his hands for a moment. He approached where Bolin sat down on a couch, placing a hand on his back as he sat down. He didn't speak, just setting a hand on his back to let him know he was there.
The evening gradually set in as the news itself spread through the guard, and eventually across the city in its entirety. The city gradually got quieter and quieter out of reverence for the matter. Cars no longer made their way in and out of the city. Storefronts and shops closed their doors, and people made their way home very early for the day.
The man settled again into his room. He felt along the surface of the bed, not having felt one so soft before. He had showered, having trouble with the mechanics of the shower at first. One of the servants extended the offer of new clothing, which he happily accepted. He felt clean again. He laid down on the bed, descending for a nap in that moment. He thought about his neighbor, headstrong, but still loving in nature. He took deep breaths again, his face pointed to the ceiling.
He had once taken the offer of sparring with her reluctantly, not wanting to hurt an older lady, especially not one so close to his heart. He was in over his head, grinning at the memory of being bounced off a couple of tree roots and thrown around in ways he had never quite experienced before. She truly was a bending genius.
It was the day that suddenly she called out to him for help, feeling her way around the forest that they knew something was wrong. He ran and threw a coat around her, inviting her inside his own home, where his wife laid her on the bed. She was shivering as they found her, having walked through rain.
"Darlin' what's wrong?" he asked.
"I can't see," she said.
"What-… aren't you?"
"Yes I know I'm blind!" she spat back, sitting up to him as his wife coaxed her back down, "But my senses… they're gone! I can't…" she uttered helplessly as she began to cry. His wife looked over to him where she sat. He coated his hands with water and felt at her feet.
"What-… what are you?" she suddenly stopped and curled up, hacking away, spitting up red and grey.
"Can you feel this?" he asked.
"Feel what? I-" she paused laying back and breathing heavily. His wife felt the top of her forehead and looked to him with desperate eyes.
"She's got a fever… it's bad," she said.
He looked over to her feet and recoiled for a moment. They had been nicked. His hand went to his forehead and then to his mouth as he shook his head.
"It's an infection," he said.
"We've gotta get her some antibiotics," he said.
"I'll go get the doctor!" his wife stood and said, "you stay here with her… she needs you right now," she said to him. He nods looking down at where she lay, weakened. She took her cloak and stick and made her way out the door. He went over to the side of her bed.
"Huu? Are you still there?" she muttered gently.
"I'm here, Toph," he said, "I'm not going anywhere," he said.
"Wh-" she began. He lowered himself, gently taking her hand. He knew she didn't like to be touched, but she still held his hand tightly.
"I don't feel good," she said softly and breathily, "…I'm scared."
"I know, sweetheart, we're goin' to get you some help, okay. I'll be here," he said softly. Her head began to slowly roll to the side where she laid.
"Toph?" he said, placing a hand gently to the side of her face where she rested. She took a deep breath and sighed.
"Toph, I need you to stay awake," he said, but the room had grown quieter as he spoke.
"Toph," he pushed again, as the grip on his hand tightened… and released.
"Toph…" he whispered, shaking his head, shedding tears, "Stay w-…" his voice halted in the middle of what he was saying. He still held her hand, kissing the back of it as she lay. He began to sob for a moment, weeping next to her. The neighbors overheard the commotion within his hut and checked on him to witness a tragic scene. His wife returned, making her way, parting the curtains of people and cloth, covering her mouth at the sight, and falling to her knees. Huu held her tightly as they knelt beside the bed.
He was in pieces as he laid on the bed, having lost someone so dear to him. There was a knock at the door. He took deep breaths and showed up to answer it. Lin appeared on the other side.
"Hi," he said to her, nodding.
"We would like to invite you to dinner this evening," she began, sniffling slightly, "We know that, she knew you… and we would like to know you too." He took a moment to think before nodding.
"I'd be happy to join you," he said.
He entered the room of saddened faces, some still present from earlier, while Kuvira and Opal had opted to stay together in the chamber. Suyin smiled at him, inviting him to sit among them. He pulled a chair next to Lin as she sat down, and soon they were served, and they ate well, him being no exception. He soon finished his meal and quietly sat among them.
"One of my guards noticed you attended BSSU," Suying prompted. He nodded.
"I did just a couple of years ago. I am a double-bachelor in Earth Kingdom History, and Swamp Biology, with a minor in Anthropology and History of the Swamp people.
"Wow! That's a lot of work," Lin stated wide-eyed.
"Oh… it was quite a time alright," he said briefly smiling.
"What was it like?" she asked. He paused and look down to his bowl which had once been filled.
"It was easily the hardest four years I've ever had to stick through," he said, "And it wasn't just the work that made it tough for that matter."
"What all made it difficult, may I ask?" Bataar Jr. inquired. The family began to lean into the conversation, breaking the silence.
"I had… a lot of people, professors and students, who looked down on me for coming from the swamp. My parents wanted me to go and get an education, and the university promised to pay for it, and that's all it took for my mom to swat me out the door," he snickered.
"But when I got there, the people were so much different than the swamp, and they lived so differently," he said, "Everyone's always busy, they all spend more time studying and working than they do with the people they love. For me, that was a change I had to just stick through."
"The Stress really hurt me… I couldn't go to the latrine or eat some days because of how much pressure they put on me every day. I was tired all the time," he elaborated, "But I had some pretty good moments, and met new people that helped me out a lot."
"Who all helped you?" Lin asked, continuing with her meal.
"I had a few friends, one named Lee, which doesn't exactly narrow it down much," he spoke shaking his head, "I swear there'r a million Lees in Ba Sing Se," he poked as they snickered around him.
"He was the only one who never thought less of me for being from the swamp. That made me happy. We went out on the town and did the stupidest stuff together, it was fun. I just remember hearing from a couple of people that… the Dai Li got a hold of him, and we didn't see him for a few weeks." His facial expression lowered thinking about it.
"He wouldn't talk to me after that," he uttered softly.
"That's… I mean, I knew the Dai Li was awful… but that's…" Lin said, shaking her head.
"I tried to become a teacher… but they barred me from continuing with my education career," he stated, "After I graduated," he began again, "I felt I had learned everything I needed to know about the university, and the city, and the Dai Li, and the rest of the world, and that… I didn't want any part of it. I went back to the swamp, and I don't plan on living anywhere else. I don't know how I could." He shook his head as he thought more about it.
"But I'm thankful someone else felt the same way," he said.
"Who's that?" Suyin asked. He continued.
"When Lee and I went out to mess with some folks we knew, I ran into a young lady, as in, accidentally, knocking her over. I told her I was sorry and that I didn't mean to hurt her, but she just kind of stared at me a moment, and asked me where I was from," he spoke, "I didn't want to tell her, at first anyway, so I just told her I was from down here actually," he snickered raising a glass as the others grinned.
"She told me I had to take her out for the evening… and she was awfully pretty I gotta say," he stated, the others grinned at this, "I did just that. Turns out she was actually one of the daughters of a big banker in the city… and she showed me to her house, and I ha'nt seen somethin' bigger 'til I walked up the steps here."
"How did you tell her you were from the swamp?" Huan asked, the others nodded.
"Well, that's… kind of a long story," he began, "I took her to the dorm one day and she noticed, I didn't really… own anything. The room was empty and cold, and I just slept on the floor. I think she started to get a bit wise, because she asked me if I was really from Zaofu, and I had to tell her I was from the swamp. I liked her… a lot, and I didn't want her to think less of me… I told her I knew she came from money and reputation, and that I didn't really have anything to offer in either of those respects, but I asked her if there was any chance in the world that she would let me take care of her in this life." he said. Everyone was leaning into the story to listen.
"I'll never understand why she said she would," he said.
"When I brought her home to show my momma to her… it's like she fell in love with my home," he stated, "I told her that we could stay a little while, and she just… made herself at home in with everyone else. I showed her to my family and my village, and I took her to meet my longest friend, and that was your mother."
"What's her name?" Suyin asked sweetly smiling.
"Her name is Mai, and she is my wife now." The others smiled deeply at this.
"I know it's not Zaofu, but if any of y'all would like to; I think we would be happy to have you in my village and around where she had lived. We have a memorial planned for tomorrow evening, and we would love to see y'all."
There was chatter among them, "I know Lin and I would be happy to go," Suyin affirmed. He smiled and nodded.
"What about the young lady, Opal?" he asked.
"I would have to go ask her I'm afraid," Suyin said.
"When do you think we'd leave," Lin asked.
"I planned on heading that way tomorrow morning, just to avoid the midday sun," he said. Lin nodded as she looked to Suyin who nodded in agreement.
"We can do that," Suyin agreed.
The three of them set off for the morning, packs over their shoulders, when the call of two voices halted their trek. Opal and Kuvira followed soon after.
"We're coming, I told Kuvira she could come, is this okay?" she asked. Suyin looked over to Lin, who shrugged her shoulders.
"It is a family emergency, but I don't want you by yourself," she said. Kuvira nodded. They soon set off again as the young, cloaked man guided them down the path. Soon they reached unpaved land, breaking off into the brush of the valley. The man's eyes scanned the area around his feet.
"Watch for snakes, we don't want nobody gettin' bit," he poked to the others.
The edge of the swamp stood, bordered with brush and trees with a small opening out the side.
"That's the path to my village," he pointed as they stood atop the hill. It was midmorning, and thus it was still cool, and humid. The group smiled, the wind gently disrupting their hair. They began the walk, but Kuvira paused a moment, Opal looking back to her.
"You coming?" Opal asked.
"This… swamp, Is it going to," she began.
"Stink?" Opal poked, "Probably." Kuvira grinned and shook her head, following Opal.
They stood at the edge, entering the shade of the trees overhead. The noises of the swamp suddenly silenced as they entered. Huu looked up and observed all around.
"Is that normal?" Suyin asked. Huu looked back at Suying as the rest of the group stepped in.
"Do you know anything about this swamp?" he asked in a low tone of voice.
"Nothing much other than the fact that my mother lived here," Suyin said.
"There is never anything normal about this swamp," he gestured with his pointed finger, "There is a good chance that we will be separated in time, and when we are, it's important that you trust in the swamp, and just try to listen to what it's trying to tell you," he said, turning to continue guiding them.
"Wait, what do you mean, 'tell us?'" Lin inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"This swamp is alive," he said, "You see all these trees," he gestured.
She nodded in response.
"You'd think that this swamp was an ecosystem of thousands of different breeds of trees," he said. She nodded again, "But the reality is, it's all just one organism," he elaborated.
"All of these trees and vines are one great being, and they aren't limited to the swamp either," he said.
"Do they have other places like this across the world?" Lin asked.
"No, this is the only one, but the vines themselves run across the entire world. Toph liked that about this place," he said.
"That's… that's impossible," Lin stated with disbelief. He looked over to her.
"You're Lin aren't you?" he asked. She nodded. He approached her with his walking stick in hand.
"When you had that heart attack… she felt it in the earth," he said. Lin recoiled for a moment.
"She could connect to the tree through her feet, seeing everything across the entire world, and she was watching you that day, she said you were on the third floor of the police building. It used to be her office," he said.
"How-…" Lin stood wide-eyed with awe.
"She felt it through the earth when your heart stopped, and she was very scared for you," he said, looking over to her again.
He approached a tree, and placed his ear against it, embracing it for a moment and shutting his eyes. Lin leaned over to Suyin.
"Are you sure we can trust this guy?" Lin asked. Suyin looked over to her without a response.
"Something's wrong," he said, "The swamp its… upset," he said turning to look at them with a look of trepidation.
"Wait… what? It's a swamp how-…"
"Lin!" Kuvira shouted, being quickly dragged away by the vine. Lin sprung into action to combat the vines with a lash of her Metallic whip. Vine quickly descended on her, coiling their way around her face and hands and dragging her into the darkness.
"Wait you don't wanna-!" he shouted, cut off by vines wrapping their way around his mouth.
"MOM!" Opal shouted, being buried into the brush. Suyin reached to grab for her, leaping to reach her as she was snatched away by the trees into the canopy above! Huu struggled, and wiggled his way to freedom to be tackled against a tree.
"You tricked us! Why did you bring us here?!" she demanded, extending the blade on one of her bracers to him.
"I'm sorry, I promise I didn't mean for this to happen!" he said immediately putting his hands up, "I don't know what's wrong! I've never seen the swamp act like this!" he said.
"We've got to find them," she said.
"Su," he said, she turned to see him, still against the tree, "This swamp is alive, and sentient," he began.
"I think it has something to tell us here," he said somberly.
"What… it's a swamp!" she spat back at him, "It doesn't do anything!" she said, seating herself on a vine. He sat next to her.
"I don't know why this happened, but I promise you they'll be okay," he tried to assure her.
"How can I trust you?" she asked, "You brought us here!" she pointed. He gently took her hand from the sides of her face as she looked over to him. He placed her palm firmly against the root upon which she sat.
"Close your eyes and listen to it… the way she taught you," he whispered. She hesitated, before turning into the vine, placing both of her hands against it. She took a deep breath… and listened.
The walls of roots and vines spat her out into the shallow waters of a dark bog where she further struggled with the vines on the floor of the swamp. She quickly cast them off as they withdrew back into the waters. She visibly shuddered, shivering for a moment. The waters were cold, and she'd been separated from what she had carried so far. She looked around for anything recognizable.
"Opal!" she cried out, her voice echoing and being mimicked by the creatures which filled the air with calls of all sorts. There was no answer of any human voice. It was dark and she tripped, trying to find her way to a dry root to sit on perhaps. She found the edge of a tree to seat herself upon and took deep breaths trying to imagine that she had not just been violated by vines in a swamp. She shuddered again thinking about it.
She shivered in the freezing cold for a moment, thinking of how the swamp may have recognized her… from before. She looked around, trying to find a way out, and as she looked down the darkness of the bog, she saw the way, illuminated by lightning bugs. It was as if it were a corridor. She slowly stepped back into the waters.
She softly snuck forward, pacing herself. As she moved, enthralled by the image of the lightning bugs, she noticed the noises in the swamp gradually intensify.
"Hello?!" she prompted, her voice echoing down the hall of roots. She continued, stepping into the waters, now warm, and up to her hips. She waded very lightly, adrenaline pulsing through her system so that her hands shook. Her breathing was erratic, and her eyes scanned everywhere. The lightning bugs did not illuminate the waters but were just bright enough to show her where to go. The waters became deeper, and she felt tugs on her feet as she lost her boots and gloves to not sink into the waters. The fireflies gathered, illuminating a small island within the pond of water she was now swimming through. She dragged herself onto the shore. It was barely enough to keep her out of the water. She raised her knees to her chest and sulked for a moment.
"This is what I really deserve… isn't it?" The creatures of the swamp intensified as she spoke.
"And I'm going to die here… aren't I?" she said, lowering her voice as she continued. The swamp made its calls louder now as the roar of noise around her became overwhelming, before coming to a screeching silence! She looked around in shock, taking deep breaths and shutting her eyes. The vines slowly crept toward her. She heard them creak inward from all directions and shivered again. She became lightheaded, breaking into a cold sweat…
"Just… get it over with," she winced. She waited a few minutes in her position, before opening her eyes to find a light, emanating from behind her. More of the bugs, but in a swarm behind her. She slowly made her way around to look upon a pair of feet, standing on the waters before her. She knew this face, that of a dark-haired woman, medium height, clad in earth kingdom clothes. She rubbed her eyes to try and counteract the illusion, turning back around to witness her again, in the burst of light which suddenly shined down into the bog. She was startled by the apparition's reappearance. She shut her eyes and stomped on the ground, placing her hands to the sides of her head.
"By that… I meant kill me… not show me… this," she said, rubbing her temples. She sighed before opening her eyes again. The figure was gone, and the light had disappeared, or rather, relocated behind her. She held her breath and turned around for a few seconds… before falling to her knees.
Before her played the image of a middle-aged man and the woman from before… but with a child in tow, only this one with brown hair and a wide smile. They were happy together, she curled up over herself.
"Stop it!" she shouted, her voice echoing, and like the calls of creatures and critters calling back to her, voices she recognized echoed back to her.
"This is for your own good, Kuvira," one of them stuck out.
"Suyin will take care of you… maybe she can knock some sense into you," another stated. She covered her ears, but the noises still worked their way in as she wept profusely.
"Please!" she begged aloud. Soon the voices subsided, and another light appeared. She was afraid to open her eyes, her chin trembling, when she felt a gentle hand reach beneath her chin. She jumped backward, startled, too terrified to register what she witnessed. She was no longer in the darkness of the bog. The light shined down through the canopy of the swamp.
"Kuvira!" Suyin said, kneeling down to her where the light broke in as she shivered.
"…mom?" she asked in a whisper.
"It's me sweetheart, are you okay?" she asked. Kuvira still sat within the waters of the dark bog, only black around her, no lights shining in.
"I… I can't-" she began.
"What's the matter sweetie?"
"I can't see!" Kuvira said, reaching out to the voice. She felt Suyin's face before her.
"What do you mean?" Suyin asked.
"I can't see anything… I'm-I'm-I'm" she stuttered a moment.
"She's blind, su…" he said from behind her.
"But… how?" she turned to ask.
"Let me see your eyes, Kuvira," he knelt to say. Kuvira broke out of her tense wincing to reveal her irises and corneas, glassy and glazed over, much like Toph's once were. Suyin gasped at the sight.
"Let's help help her up, we'll have her sit over on this root over here and we can find the others from there," he said, taking Kuvira up. He didn't seem to have much trouble carrying her.
"Do you remember what to do?" he asked. Suyin nodded, reaching over to a tree gently and taking a deep breath. Kuvira whimpered for a moment, panicking at the sudden loss of her sight, and she began to quietly weep again.
Lin awoke, stripped of her armor, boots, and gloves. She groaned, rolling over in the mud where she laid. She held her head in one of her hands, aching briefly before it gradually resolved. Her eyes were sore. She was surrounded by fog, unable to see but for a few feet.
"Kuvira!" she shouted, "Su!"
Her voice echoed in the distance in the form of the ambience special to the swamp.
"Oh boy," she said taking a palm to her face.
She walked through, her feet imbedded into the mud. She bent a platform for her to be seated as the fog began to grow thicker… and dim.
She laid back on the ground to rest for a moment, remembering to not panic or struggle so much in these kinds of situations. Her feet were still planted in the ground.
Suyin gasped, finding her shut out.
"What?!" she quarreled.
"What happened?" Huu asked.
"It's like I was forced out!" she stated, "It won't let me see Lin!" she growled.
"Then perhaps there are some things the swamp doesn't want you to see," he said calmly. He placed a hand on Kuvira's shoulder who at this point was still blind, but now calmer than she was before.
"And for whatever she is about to witness… it may be for the better," he said, approaching her where she stood, "Have you looked for your daughter?" he asked.
"I still can't find her," she said, seating herself and crossing her arms. There was a pause for a moment. She began to sniffle a moment as she turned away from him.
"I'm sorry things haven't gone the way that we expected. I wanted you to experience something good here," he said somberly, "I love this place, and she did too." She began to cry again, her eyes going down in one of her hands. He sighed, one of his hands reaching to the back of his head.
"Huu?" called a voice. His ears perked and his head turned.
"Mai!" he called back. She ran out atop one of the roots, a woman with long, black hair, braided down the middle of her back. Suyin turned to look, Kuvira turned as well. She stood in the sunlight breaking through one of the openings in the canopy. She jumped down and ran over to him, embracing him.
"I thought something might've held you up, so I went lookin' fer you," she said, smiling sweetly.
"Aww, thank you darling," he said, drawing her in. She looked over from his chest.
"Who is this?" she asked, Suyin now standing where she had been seated.
"This is Suyin."
"You mean Toph's daughter?" she asked, looking back over to him.
"That's her," he beckoned Suyin over. She jumped down to the earth to meet them. Mai took her hand and smiled dearly at her.
"She talked all about you… it's wonderful to fine'ly meet you," she said softly, she held Suyin's hand between the two of her own, "We want you to know that you're welcome here," she said sweetly. Suyin looked up to witness her youthful eyes, sparkling in the light that broke through. She looked over to Huu with glistening eyes.
"She's even more beautiful than you had described," she smiled.
"Have you been tellin' people 'bout me again," she turned and asked.
"All good things sweetheart," he said, "Would you mind showin' her back to the village?" he asked.
"Not at all, come on sweetheart, lets get you somethin' to eat," she said, beckoning Suyin along. Huu found his way back over to the root, stepping in the mud underfoot. This startled her as he approached. He gently took her hand for a moment.
"I promise you'll be alright, we're gon' take care of you. Can I carry you? I just don't want to trippin' over nothin'" he said. She nodded lightly as he sweetly took her up in his arms. He made his way around and over roots with her in his arms, careful not to jar her. Soon enough she heard other voices around her. Her hair was now disheveled and wet, and she still shivered as she was carried.
"Bring 'er on in here, Huu, We got room!" said a man's voice.
"Would that be okay?" Huu asked.
"Absolutely!" the man answered. He entered into the warm hut, setting her on top of a hammock in the corner of the room. She found the equilibrium and relaxed her way into the fabric, her eyes sinking.
"Don't fall asleep just yet sweetie, let me get you some water," another woman's voice said, audibly pouring water from a vase into a tall cup. She laid still on the hammock, still in a state of shock. A delicate hand took one of hers and placed it around the cup. She took it back, nearly drowning herself in it.
"Hey, Easy now," the lady moderated, "We don't want you hurtin' yourself." Her hands tilted the cup to make sure she wouldn't overwhelm herself and she soon finished the glass. The delicate hands coaxed her back down into the hammock, the fabric smelling of fresh grasses and lavender. There chattered people just outside of the doorway that she could hear, and the air was cool, but not cold. It would have been refreshing had she not suddenly had her sight stripped away from her. She took deep breaths, attempting to calm herself as she allowed the tension in her body to be relieved, sinking into the hammock itself. The light rocking lulled her out of her unease, but everything still felt somewhat claustrophobic.
Suyin entered the small hut. The floors had been neatly packed with clay, leaving no residue over the surface. There remained a stove in the corner, but due to the temperance of the weather, it was not lit. Suyin laid a hand gently on her knee.
"Su!" she jumped, having been startled by her quiet entrance.
"It's me! I'm sorry," she said, announcing her presence.
"What-… Why is this happening to me?" she asked, rolling onto her side to face Su.
"I-… I don't know, Kuvira; We're going to figure this out together, I promise," she said softly, "I'll stay here with you," she said. She sat on a chair next to where the hammock had hung.
"Did you manage to find Opal?" she asked.
"No… I tried, but I couldn't find her," she said.
"How did you find me?" she asked in a lowered tone of voice. Suyin placed a hand back onto Kuvira's knee where she rested.
"I'm not sure; I listened into one of the vines… the way that my mother taught me to listen to the ground. I saw you in the cavern," she said.
"What… what else did you-," Kuvira stuttered, "-see, I mean?"
Opal raised her head from the pool in which she now laid, soaking wet. She gasped for air as she woke in the misty darkness. Fog covered the ground and the waters beneath her feet. She looked around where she had found herself.
"MOM!" she shouted. She heard a giggle of a little girl, seeing a silhouette cross her line of sight.
"Hey!" she shouted as she made her way after the apparition in the distance. She carefully waded through the knee-deep bog as she sought after the child. She heard the girl again, but as the image crossed her vision, she noticed that it almost walked atop the waters themselves, leaving neither splash nor ripple in its wake. She turned her head and squinted for a moment. She started again, traversing small obstacles and keeping her feet close to the ground lest she trip and hit her head.
She waded until her vision gradually became more reliable, as the fog began to ease. She saw the young girl, very short, and in fine detail this here, her visual uninhibited by the fog. She sat atop what once appeared to be an enormous root, until the fog continued to recede, and in place of what she thought the trunk of a tree, she witnessed the image of a winged boar, huffing at her presence. She recoiled at the sight, gasping in its presence as the little girl dismounted from the back of the beast, dropping down to Opal's level. Her eyes were fixed upon the floor, glassy and glazed over in appearance. The little girl turned and began to run into the swamp
"Hey! Wait up!" Opal shouted, dashing after the little girl, who was now hopping between branches, giggling as the Opal raised herself up with bursts of air. Opal arrived upon a platform of a massive tree branch where she thought for a moment that she had lost track of the little girl, where she turned to realize that a blind girl now stood before her. Opal froze for a moment, nervously. She knew how to work with children from volunteer work with the air nomads, and thus she knelt to be on her level, keeping an eye on the girl as she stood there.
"Hey," Opal stated softly, "Are you lost?" she asked. The little girl smiled, placing her hands on her hips for a moment. Her hair was down to her hips where she stood, and as Opal blinked another figure took her place.
"You're the only one that's lost here," she sneered.
"… Toph?"
Lin raised her head up again from the swamp floor, looking around as she groaned, helping herself off the floor and stretching her back for a moment. She popped a couple of bones, and cracked her neck.
"Ugh," she groaned, beginning to walk through the fog. She had napped for a moment, having lit a flare, believing Suyin would have come to find her and would likely see the smoke emerging from it, however when she bent down to pick it up, the flare, she found that it had been stolen from its original place. She scrounged around to look for it, only to find the indention in the ground where it had been planted. The indention had been filled with the mud and the grime that the swamp secreted.
"Great," she grunted. She couldn't see but a few feet before her as she slowly proceeded. The noises in the swamp continued to ambiently surround her, chirping, cackling, cawing, and such. She jumped at the sound of the occasional screech, one which could easily have been that of a human. Her feet soon met solid ground, and she shut her eyes to view the environment.
"Oof!" She fell back to the ground, hitting the dirt with force, wheezing from being hit in the gut. She hacked for a moment, standing back to her feet and breaking rocks from the ground, tossing them in all different directions. She was pelted by a small pebble, tossed up the side of her head. She turned that direction with a look of malice, tossing a large boulder in return.
"Show yourself!" she demanded. A silhouette dashed in the distance of the fog prompting her to shotgun smaller rocks in that general direction. She received one of the rocks in return into her shoulder. She groaned with frustration, now holding her bruised shoulder. She grunted and moved in on the source, receiving multiple rocks and being tossed away as the floor beneath her folded like an envelope. She tumbled back and curled over herself. She took a few deep breaths, her eyes unable to help but shed tears. She implanted her hand deep beneath the earth, probing the entire area. She found multiple apparitions, planted into the ground. She grunted, keeping her eyes shut, wincing as she raised herself from the dirt again. She trudged forward kicking a wall of earth before her and hearing an impact. She felt movement in the ground and her eyes went wide. She dropped into the earth, narrowly dodging boulders flying over her head.
She snarled, tossing rocks in both directions as she twisted back up to her feet. She beheld with her feet as a wall came longways to her from before her, turning sideways as it brushed the bangs hanging over her forehead. She leaped to the ground before her and with a howling strike, she crumbled the entirety of the earth forward of her, dragging the apparition out from the fog! As soon as she got wind of the silhouette, it disappeared, fading, and crumbling to mud in her hands.
"Wh-… What?" she uttered. Her chin trembled in that moment, the palms of her hands digging into her eyes, "What is this?!" she howled. Her face and neck had been gashed and bruised in the fight. She clawed at her hair as her tears fell into the mud below her.
"Let me out of this! I want out of this hole!" she demanded of the swamp, standing part way to her feet. She felt something resonate within her, as if she had heard it spoken, but without having heard it at all
"…What do you want more?"
She fell back to her knees, looking all around through the fog, her eyes red and bloodshot, the tears greater welling up in her eyes and running down her face. She stopped and winced, clenching her teeth.
"… I want my mother," she said softly, pathetically, her arms wrapped around her stomach as her voice began to tremble, "…I want my mom," she said in a near whimper as she began to sob, curled over herself in the middle of the fog. The fog dissipated around the spot where she knelt.
She raised herself after a moment, to witness a chest of earth kingdom colors. She stared at It for a moment, dragging herself through the mud to touch it.
She gently opened it, revealing a number of items within. She held two of them in her hand. They were figurines, carved from stone, one's often carved for the blind to in a way… see their loved ones. She found old hairpins, bracers, and necklaces, many bearing the family insignia, and below this… she found a brief note. She pulled it from the beneath the chest. Light shined in over her head, illuminating the letter.
"I have employed the help of a friend in writing this letter for me," it began…
"I will never be able to tell you of how proud I am of you… Lin, but If you are reading this, then the chances are, I have passed on from this world.
I have always continued to watch you two grow in all that you do, and I'm proud of you both, but to have overcome all that you have seen, and emerged so strong, I am especially proud of you. I have watched you become all that I never could have been myself. I watched you from where I live here, and I fall in love with my daughters for every second that I do.
I am not gone; know that I am still with you and will always be. I am alive anew, and I hope that in time we can see one another again. Please tell Suyin of how much I love her, and remember to rest. I know you, and if you're anything like your mother, you don't do that enough.
-Toph Beifong"
Her tears rolled off the parchment, waterproofed to sustain itself in the swamp. She took deep breaths and placed the parchment back into the chest, gently and slowly shutting it. She stood, painfully, carrying the small chest beneath one of her arms as the light opened up above her, shining down on her tear-stained face, still running. She limped over to help herself and the chest atop a root, where she witnessed a village.
"'Scuse me ma'am," raised a voice. A young man, not Huu, spoke to her from the ground below.
"You look hurt purty bad, can I help you out any?" he asked, placing his hands onto his hips as he looked up. She tossed him the chest which he caught as she dragged her way downward.
"I'm looking for Huu," she said, somberly.
"I know just where to find him," he nodded, smiling, "Here, lean on this," he proposed, handing her a walking stick which she accepted.
"Thank you," she said, her expression raising just a slight bit.
Kuvira woke after a brief while in the hammock, unable to make out anything in her surroundings. She had been sweating profusely. She stepped out on to the floor, moving her arms around to feel her surroundings. She moved around clumsily bumping into things in the process.
"Kuvira! You shouldn't be up walking around like that sweetie," Suyin said, approaching her where she stood in the middle of the hut. Suyin gently took her by her forearm, leading her to be seated on a bench where she leaned over herself. Kuvira was red in the face, gripping her hair with her hands.
"Hey," Suyin assured her, "take it easy, everything's going to be alright. Take deep breaths." Her softened voice eased her into comfort. She still wore a look of worry on her face despite this.
"Ho… How?" she raised.
"We will find that out soon enough," Suyin told her, "for now, I need you to stay calm," she said, taking Kuvira's hand. Kuvira steadily nodded in the process.
"Let me get you some water, I don't want you getting too dehydrated," Suyin said to her, leaving the room. Kuvira continued to sit perfectly still, her gaze fixed at the wall, with her eyes wandering the room.
Lin sat down next to Opal in the middle of the camp as she arrived back among them. They sat next to the fire as the sun began to enter it's evening phase, the swamp itself beginning to cool just slightly in response. The fire crackled and sizzled the wood, smoking and bubbling from within as the two of them watched. Suyin stepped out and looked to them and sighed in relief, running up to both of them as they sat down and embracing them around their necks.
"I'm so glad you two are okay!" she raised. They looked at one another, both in awe of the things they had seen that day, nodding at each other then.
"Where's Huu?" she raised, "And where's Kuvira?!" Lin asked, wincing as she stood to her feet.
"Are you okay? You look… hurt," Suyin said.
"I'll be fine for now, just got banged up a little by the swamp," she assured.
"Huu has been communing with the swamp, trying to find you two for the last hour now, and Kuvira…" she paused for a moment, looking back into the hut.
"Is she here?" Lin asked.
"Yes she is here, but… something's wrong," Suyin's tone dropped. Opal gave a worried look, glancing between her mother and Lin.
"She's… blind," Suyin said to the two of them. Lin tilted her head in confusion.
"Wh-… What?" Lin raised.
"I… don't know what happened," Suyin said, seating herself on the log beside the fire.
"What… why is all of this happening? To us? Now?!" Opal asked the others. The two of them shook their heads.
"I'm sorry," a man's voice said to them from behind. He was averse to eye-contact for that moment as they turned to him, giving him a few glares and raised eyebrows, "I… didn't know the swamp could act like this… I've never seen something like this happen before in my whole life here," he said, turning his head up to them.
"I didn't mean to lead you all through so much trouble today," he said to them. Suyin turned to the others.
"We know you didn't mean to lead us through this today; This is just… a very frustrating time for us," Suyin said as she approached him.
"Where is the other one? The dark-haired young lady?" he asked. Suyin stopped, mid approach.
"She's still over in the hut over there," Suyin pointed him. He moved directly from there into the hut, sighting her, still seated still on the bench.
"Su?" she inquired to the room.
"It's me," he responded, "The swamp recognized you," he said. She directed her face in the direction from which she heard his voice.
"I figured it would… I was so afraid it would hurt the others," she resigned. He shook his head, kneeling before her.
"You really did a number on the swamp then… but you oughta know that the swamp has a very forgiving nature; I don't reckon what happened to you was revenge," he said. She squinted, wearing a very confused look on her face as the other three entered the room to see the two together. Huu looked over to them as they entered into the hut.
"Wha-… Why would this happen to me?" she asked.
"I don't know if I could answer that," he said, seating himself on a bench, "But I just know it's not retribution… the tree here… it's alive, and sentient, and it's benevolent," he said, looking off into the distance.
"Toph could connect to it, listen to what it told her… she was always special like that, and I always liked that about her. I made it a point to be around her often. She was a cranky old lady at times… but I made sure she knew she was welcome."
"How…" Lin began with a flustered appearance, "How could something like that exist?" she asked. He thought for a moment.
"I wondered all about that in my college years…" he said, moving into the next hut to grab a very thick tome, and as he returned he handed it to her.
"The Mystery of the Great Swamp Tree: Research, Folklore, and Scientific Study on the Physical and Metaphysical Nature of the Southern Swamp of the Earth Kingdom
-Huu of the Swamp"
"This is quite a bit of information," Suyin said, turning through pages, tightly packed with words.
"I'd theorized that the swamp itself is like a giant brain, and all these trees are like clusters of neurons… cells that are all talking to each other, the same way the cells in our brain do, but… far more massive," he stated, "The vines stretch all across the world, and since before the dawn of the age of the lion turtles, thousands of years ago, it's been watching and listening to humans, spirits, and animals."
"That… that's insane!" Opal remarked.
"It is… but in wisdom," he began, turning her way, "there is often madness, and in madness, often wisdom," he responded.
"I've never thought of it this way. I always thought it was just a big old… tree," Lin said, seating herself by Kuvira. He shook his head at the response.
"It looks like that doesn't it… but you live here a while and… you see things you can't explain," he said turning to her, "I used to talk to it, when I was a boy. I always thought it could hear me. I stopped doing it so much now that I've gotten older, but… now I've learned that if I quiet my soul… I can hear what it says to me. It gives me visions… teaches me about things, and gives me new wisdom, far beyond what I could ever find at the University," he said. There was a silence among them as his wife stood in the corner, smiling to him. Opal turned to see her.
"Is this your wife?" she asked softly. He beckoned her over and she approached, taking one of Opal's hands into her own.
"My name is Mai," she said. Her accent was formal, much unlike that of those who had lived in the swamp for their lives.
Opal turned to him, "She's beautiful," she said, smiling lightly.
"In't she though?" he raised, looking at her with loving eyes. She blushed for a moment and smiled at him.
"What…" Lin raised, "Why have we been seeing these things?" There was a pause for a moment as Huu wore a sagely look, thinking deeply and stroking his chin as his wife embraced his other arm.
"I was named after my great-grandfather, who lived in this swamp long before any of us were alive. I'm told he even met Avatar Aang himself once, fighting for him in the day of black sun," he began. They all zoned in for a moment, leaning toward him as he spoke, "He told my dad a lot of things when he was growin' up, but… he always told me one stuck out to him about the swamp."
"The swamp shows us… people that we think are gone, people we think are lost, people that we've loved, but the swamp tells us they're not gone. They live on in our hearts and in our memories, and in our love for others, and it tells us that we are still connected to them," he uttered.
"Time, is an illusion… and so is death," he said to them. There was a profound silence among them as they sat, processing all that he had just spoken.
"But… what about me?" Kuvira asked. Huu knelt down to where she sat.
"I believe in your case, the swamp has read through your heart and your mind and has turned over the contents within that were once buried deep within you…" he gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "I believe the swamp sees something very special in you, and it will come out of the broken heart you carry with you now," he said to her. She looked to him with confusion.
"It's okay to be confused," he said, "it's okay to not understand what's happening; you don't right now, but I believe you will one day." There continued the silence among them as he looked outside to see the sun lowered into the sky.
"It's gettin' rather late, and I'm aware y'all are low on supplies. I would like you to stay the evenin' after the memorial, if that's alright with you; Jun over there's serving cat-gator steaks for, and we think you'll like 'em," he said rather proudly.
Suyin looked among the others, Lin and Opal, who nodded, "Thank you," she said. He nodded politely in return.
The six of them trekked a mile or so, boarding a gondola to ride through the rivers and estuaries deep into the swamp.
Each of the waterbenders moved gracefully, pushing the boat through the wide rivers without kicking up too much waters. They were each advised to raise scarves to their faces, least a swarm of insects befall their faces. The humid winds blew through each of their hair, and after a few minutes, a few miles into the journey, they witnessed it on the horizon.
They each beheld the great tree in all of its magnificence and size, each of them with wide eyes.
"It's so much bigger than I'd expected," Lin spoke.
"It always is," Huu added softly as he called out to the gondoliers to slow their approach.
They lightly trekked the remainder of the way to the great tree. He brought them to a patch of earth as the sun had touched the horizon in a misty, orange haze. Together they gathered around her burial place, where a number of families had met together prior to the memorial, many of which were clearly in mourning. They passed in between them, Huu raising his hand to request a part in the crowd for the family of the deceased.
"Who are all of these people?" Opal asked softly.
"These are all people that knew your mother very well. They deeply loved her in life, and they are here to commit their love to memory forever," Mai responded.
Opal watched while she led Kuvira steadily, Kuvira trying not to trip over vines of all sorts. As the crowd fully parted, they witnessed the mound beneath which her body had been offered to the great tree. Upon the mound, flowers had been planted of native origin. They all beheld the scene on their knees as Huu uttered a testament.
"May your spirit live on… Toph," he began, "May our memories and those of our children, neither fade nor corrupt," he said as Mai began to tear up, "Our love for you persists even as you have gone, and thus, may we always keep you close to our hearts. Your life and your being have inspired and moved us all, and your passing has also inspired us."
He spoke with a grand voice, "We commit your spirit to the new world, your bodily essence to the use of the Great Tree, and your love…
...Into all of eternity…"
Two earthbenders parted the earth beneath the mound into the swamp's waters, deep beneath the soil, as the mound itself, sank until it reached the waters below. Tears were shed across many families as the sun had then set. Bright torches were lit for the return journey, and the procession moved onward toward the village, many removing their hats, and placing their hands upon their hearts in reverence for who had now passed. Lin held Opal, Suyin giving solace to Kuvira as they rode for the return journey, Huu now manning the position of gondolier for the group.
The night came soon after dinner, at which many of them had eaten very quietly, and a drizzle soon fell over the swamp, dousing the land, and smothering the remnants of the smoldering fire from the camp. Huu showed the group to a nicely prepared hut with clean flooring made from crushed hazelnuts. One of the housewives burned a small roll of sage to smoke out the house, and thus it was actually quite delightful, adding to the sweet petrichor of the swamp. Lin shut the curtains and closed the door, and the three of them settled in for the evening. Suyin sat outside in the rain for a little while, until the drizzle gradually subsided. She was soaking wet, her hair hanging down.
As she had begun to shut the door for the evening, Mai looked out from where she had propped the door, noticing Suyin still seated on a large root in the distance, with a much downtrodden appearance. Mai made her way out from her home, approaching her as she sat, eyes into the distance of the forest.
"May I sit with you?" Mai asked, her hands folded in front of her. Lin turned her head to see Mai, and gently nodded, taking some of the dampened hair from her face. Mai seated herself, beside Suyin. They sat in silence before Mai took one of Suyin's hands and placed it between her own.
"My sincerest condolences," she said, "She was such a wonderful woman," she spoke softly. The rain had calmed slightly, leaving the swamp ambient with creatures calling to one another.
"Thank you," Su whispered in return; her gaze turned downward as she wore a thoughtful look for a moment, before rotating to face Mai.
"Can I ask you a question?" Suyin inquired.
"You may," Mai smiled.
"Huu has told me you came from the upper tier of Ba Sing Se, may I ask where you lived around there?" she inquired.
"I lived half a mile south of the palace with my parents. My father owns the Qing-Tokuga company." Suyin's eyes went wide with surprise.
"Qing-Tokuga?" she raised. Mai smiled and nodded.
"I am Mai-Qing, his firstborn daughter," she said proudly. Suyin appeared taken aback by this knowledge.
"I'm sorry, this is just… such news to me… That has to be one of the largest financial firms in the world!" she emphasized.
"It is certainly one of them!" she raised enthusiastically.
"How…" she paused thoughtfully, "What made you want to move on to live here in the swamp?" Suyin asked, "I'm sorry, it's just… so… astounding I just-"
"You know your mother and I got along so well," Mai began, "We both came from such rich and noble families," she said. Suyin nodded in acknowledgement of this.
"In these families, there is so much pressure to behave and act a certain way… and with time, I grew very depressed. I was given everything I could ever want… except their love. The time came when I bled for the first time, very late, and they began to search for a husband for me…" she looked down and the emotion grew in her voice as her tone wavered, "and it was as if I became a pawn, or a prop for them to use… or sell," she said. Suyin's head tilted with sympathy as she began to sniffle.
"They wouldn't allow me out of the house without a chaperone, but sometimes I would sneak out and tour the town in disguise… and that's when I ran into him," she said with a smile.
"Huu?" she asked.
"Yes, he was out with his friends in the upper ring, and he helped me up and apologized so sweetly, and he was so…" she began, "Tan, and strong, and handsome," she said rather excitedly. The two of them lightly giggled together. "The man that my parents found for me to be engaged to was… less so," she said with disdain.
"He was old… much more than I… and he had a horrible temper," she began, "He sent his guards one day to break the feet of all of his wives, and to fold them as they healed, so they would never walk out from the house," she said. Suyin's eyes went wide.
"They still allow that in Ba Sing Se?!" Mai nodded in response.
"I was so scared of him… but when I met Huu, he was so, different," she stated with a change in her tone, "I asked him to take me out somewhere nice in return for accidentally knocking me over, and he took me to a beautiful opera. We went to eat at a very decent place and we talked to each other, and it felt like for the first time in my life…" she paused, "I was allowed to have fun… to be alive," Suyin smiled warmly hearing this.
"He told me some very funny stories, and I laughed so hard that day, not a giggle to impress anyone, but laughter I couldn't help," she said with delight, "he told me he was leaving one day; he had graduated with a degree. He told me the truth; he was from the swamp. I was never allowed to talk to people from there, but Huu was so good to me, and I couldn't bear the thought of living without him… so I asked him to take me with him. He was reluctant to do so without marrying, and reluctant to marry without parental consent, but I begged him, and told him who I was, and about the engagement that my parents had planned for me," she said. There was a moment of silence between the two of them as Suyin leaned in to hear the story.
"He told me he would take me to his home village, and that we could escape my family together. My family sent agents after me, but Huu chased them off… and the swamp did too," she said.
"I felt so relieved to live here. I could eat with my hands, and we could marry whomever we loved, for love alone," she said, "I've always wondered how one could live their entire lives in Ba Sing Se or Zaofu," she continued. Suyin perked up at this thought.
"What do you mean?" Suyin asked of her, tilting her head.
"When I was a little girl, I was always told not to talk to swamp people. I was told that they were very poor, and constantly starving, living in unsuitable, miserable conditions, but ever since I arrived here… I've felt like I was the only one who had been starved," she said, turning her head to Suyin.
"When we are hungry here, we eat plentifully. We have roots, fruits, nuts, berries, Cat-gator, Fish, and plenty of spices, but the kind of hunger they know in Ba Sing Se is different, especially in the upper ring," she said with a low tone of voice, "Their hunger is not of the flesh, but of the heart. They eat plenty, but they spend no time with their loved ones. They always have more than enough money, but they never use it to love their neighbor. They like to adorn themselves with beautiful gowns and robes, and jewelry, but they are hateful, spiteful, and they have gossiping tongues," she said. Suyin draped her head a moment, listening to this.
"I'm sorry you had to endure so much; I'm glad you're doing better," Suyin said.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm not sure… today has been one of the most confusing moments of my life," she said, standing to her feet.
"I won't pretend to understand, but whatever I have to offer is yours. You are welcome in my home as family of my own, always," she said, placing a hand on Suyin's shoulder as she stood to meet. Her. She was shorter than Suyin by a few inches, fair skinned with long, braided, black hair. Mai respectfully embraced her with gentle arms in regards to her state, and after a moment, Su returned the gesture, tears running from her face.
"Thank you," she whispered, unable to produce a full tone of voice.
As the morning came, everyone found their luggage, having been returned, placed neatly in the center of the camp, and they set their minds on heading home.
"Its brought us joy to have had you in this time, Mrs. Beifong," Huu said. She turned to look at him, "You are welcome to return and stay for as long as you feel comfortable. I know the swamp is awful scary looking, but within it, I think beautiful memories are held up, that it would like to share with you before you go… I've heard it speak as much to me," he said, his rice cap around his neck. She looked around and quit her pack for a moment, placing it on the ground.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Huu and Mai looked at one another. Mai took her wrist gently as she led her over to a root protruding from the ground, winding through the village. Mai gently placed Suyin's hand against the surface of the tree root, placing her own hand over it.
"Close your eyes, and listen," she whispered. Suyin shut her eyes and took a deep breath as new memories flashed by before her like time itself. Images of her mother, refuging from the outside world into the swamp. She witnessed her connections and endeavors into the spiritual, in harmony with the energy of the swamp. She watched her practice new forms taught to her by the tree itself, and she watched her smile, at the images she witnessed of her children, sharing eyes with the tree itself.
Suyin smiled again and began to laugh at the sight, tears down her face as she opened her eyes again, taking up Mai with an emphatic embrace. Mai laughed for a moment after gasping. Suyin paused for a moment.
"Thank you," she said through a tearful smile, "both of you, so much!" she stated as she sniffled a moment.
Their travel back to the city gates was filled with stories told. With the comic nature of stories, Kuvira smiled and laughed with them, taking her mind off of her newfound condition. She held fast to Opal's arm, which Opal happily lent to her, forewarning her of rocks or roots from the ground. As they arrived to the bricked path they turned to one another in silence for a moment.
"Blessed be the path that each of you walk upon; may the memories and spirit of your mother guide you and bring you joy and new love in this life, and may the spirits of the earth and the great tree be with you, and keep you for as long as each of you live, for your destiny's each hold new things, good things, and with this… they are far from over," Huu prayed over them. The four of them each smiled reverently with this.
"Thank you," Lin spoke with a low tone of voice. Huu smiled with a nod, as they watched the group travel back again, down the path from whence they had come.
