Chapter 5
Daughters of Kyoshi
A/N I just want to apologize for updating so late I've really been struggling with this chapter. Also I am working two part time jobs currently so I barely have any time for writing because if I pull my writing tool I have the kids in the summer camp begging to play on it and beat me at fruit ninja (some of them have got awfully close. I better start working on that as well.) Anyway I finally figured it out and fixed the issue and now I am continuing on. I hope you like this chapter. (It's a bit longer to make up for how long it took to write)
Princess Kassie out.
The southern airtemple was beautiful. Intricate designs and carvings. Soft colours that reminded me of a sunset. Why was the wind picking up? I spun from where I stood. Suddenly there were bones all around me... airbender bones. In the centre was a huge whirlwind. Aang.
"Aang, I know you're hurting." That was Katara's voice. I couldn't tell where it was coming from.
"I know what it is like to lose everything, what it is like to be alone but you're not alone." My voice.
"Pala's right Aang, the airbenders may me gone but you've got a new family. Sokka, Pala and I are your family now."
I jolted upright. Gasping I looked around, taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart. This was hardly the first time I had woken up from a nightmare. Ever since the southern airtemple, five days ago, I had been having nightmares more often then not.
"I was wondering when you were going to wake up, you don't normally sleep in this late," I turned to see Sokka looking at me. I quickly assessed my surroundings and was astonished to find that he was right, it was close to midday, probably close to ten or eleven o'clock from what I could see.
"Yeah, well my sleep schedule's been funky ever since I was at the pole. No offence but daylight for the entire summer isn't what I'm used to. I had to use Katara as-" I cut myself off, shoot I nearly said alarm clock.
"As a rooster" I supplied, "for pretty much the entire Summer. Well, summer for you guys, winter for the rest of the world."
"Wow," Sokka, king of sarcasm said, "you managed call us backwards at least twice. I'm so hurt."
"Shut up Sokka." Katara and Aang laughed. Sokka pouted, it didn't last long before he broke into a big smile.
"So where are we going Aang? Do you know?" Sokka asked, changing the subject. Aang turned his head to look at us from Appa's head.
"Well, I know it's over water." Both Sokka and I looked at Aang, completely deadpan. The only thing we could see for miles was water. I scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of Kyoshi island. As far as I could see the water stretched on forever. There was a chip above me and something landed on my head. I laughed and pulled the owner of that weight down onto my lap. The lemur looked at me, chattered then took off again. I grinned as I watched Momo fly, he was a funny little fellow but I was glad we had picked him up.
"There!" I turned to look in the direction Katara was pointing. In the distance on Appa's right side was a pale brown smudge. Land. Aang twisted the reigns on Appa's horns, shouting the usual phrase.
Kyoshi island was barren at this time of year. It was covered in snow and dead branches and plants. Waiting for spring to come. The air was cold and I agreed with Sokka on this one, yes he did need pants here. I was silently wondering if Aang was crazy. There was still snow outside and yet he was stripping himself to go for a polar bear swim in a bay that held a giant coy eating monster.
"Aang maybe-" I had no change to finish as Aang dove into the water. He then shot out of the water with a scream of "COLD!" Before vanishing back into the waves. I groaned and flopped onto the cold sand.
"Will he ever listen?" I murmured, staring at the giant fish. Since I had arrived here I had become accustomed to seeing strange sights, koi fish the size of skyscrapers were no big deal. At least I was trying to convince myself of that. Katara shook her head as though laughing at how ridiculous this whole situation was. I couldn't disagree with her. Aang had been flying us all over the place. Luckily we hadn't gone to ride the hog-monkeys or whatever other animal he had intended to burden with our weight. We had simply gotten lost, twice, because we decided to take a longer route, worried about some thunderheads in our direct path. I kept a nervous eye on the water. Part of me was screaming to get Aang out of the water, images of him losing a limb or two dancing before my eyes. The other part of me was repeating that he'd be okay and it was Sokka's big mouth I needed to worry about. I shifted my weight alternating which foot most of the weight landed on. I did my best to stay alert. I wanted to know when the Kyoshi warriors were going to arrive.
My attention was distracted by a panicked shriek from Katara. Running over to my mocha skinned friend I didn't even have to ask what was wrong. A huge dorsal fin, if you could call it that, had suddenly appeared in the middle of the bay. The elephant koi where nowhere to be seen. A stream of white water suddenly appeared. Aang, using airbending to propel himself as far as he could across the water. He was moving so fast that he ploughed right into Sokka, both hitting a tree enough that the trunk shook.
"Ow." Sokka groaned before sitting up, rubbing the back of his head. Aang of course sprung up as though he hadn't felt a thing. He opened his mouth to speak and I heard a slight rustle above me.
"Well we should probably get going." Sokka stated.
Several green figures dropped from the trees. I cried out as one grabbed me by the wrists. I tired desperately to remember the self defence classes my mother had put so much effort into getting me to learn. I couldn't remember how to break a hold like this so I improvised. I completely sagged, relaxing my body so that the Kyoshi warrior was supporting my weight entirely. Not expecting this, but braced for a struggle she simply dropped me. I shot to my feet, the other Kyoshi warriors had already taken Katara and Sokka down. Aang was almost completely taken down which meant that all the Kyoshi warriors were pretty much looking at me. I quickly raised my hands.
"Were not here to cause trouble!" I cried wanting to make sure that they listen to me. The warriors paused, fans still at the ready but now less guarded.
"Then why are you here?" A Kyoshi warrior with short brown hair, pale brown eyes and golden tassells hanging from her 'hat' asked. I recognized her as Suki.
"Listen, we're travellers, trying to get to the North Pole to get these two," I gestured at Aang and Katara, "a water bending master. We probably wouldn't have even stopped here if someone hadn't wanted to ride the elephant koi." I shot a pointed look at Aang, momentarily forgetting that he couldn't see it. Of course all three of my companions started blabbing, agreeing with me and trying to get themselves out of their situation. Of course that only made it seem like they were guilty of something.
"Ride the elephant koi?" One of the Kyoshi warriors I didn't recognize asked in astonishment, "we always have some in the bay, but why would you risk your life for something like that? No one ever knows when the Unagi will feed." I frowned internally. Suki had told the gaang that the people of Kyoshi island would feed them to the Unagi. If no one knew the Unagi's feeding pattern then the whole 'we'll feed you to the Unagi' was a bluff. Suki shot a pointed glare at her friend before adding, "How can we believe you?"
"Would the fire nation waste time riding elephant koi?" I replied.
"They would if they knew how-"
"Aang! The fire nation would know better then to risk their lives over a joyride." I replied to my bound companion.
"Listen," I turned back to Kyoshi warriors, "you may not believe it but my friend here," I gestured at Aang, "is the Avatar. He was stuck in an iceberg for a hundred years so he didn't age. Of course that also means he's only the master of one element so far so we need to get him to the North Pole. Preferably sooner then later." The Kyoshi warriors looked at each other, indecision written in all their faces but one. Suki. She was going to be a tough but to crack. I tried another tactic.
"Listen our group is compasses of a pair of water tribe siblings, and last I checked the water tribe wasn't friendly with the fire nation. An earth kingdom girl who was adopted into the water tribe and a young apprentice monk from a race that is supposed to be extinct. Do you honestly think the fire nation has enough creativity to make something like this up?" Suki glared at me then turned.
"We'll take you to the chieftain, if you can prove you are who you say you are then we'll let you go."
"And if we can't?" Sokka asked.
"We'll throw you to the Unagi. Even if it doesn't eat you drowning isn't the nicest way to go."
"I can't believe that we're getting desert for breakfast!" Aang exclaimed looking at the feast of sugary foods spread out in front of us. Katara and Aang sat on one side of the table, I sat on the other. There was a single empty cushion where Sokka would have been seated if he wasn't grumbling in the corner. Aang already piling his food high on his plate looked at Sokka expectantly, waiting for the older boy to come and eat. Sokka didn't move.
"Don't mind him Aang," Katara comforted, "he just can't believe that he was beaten by a bunch of girls."
"Sneak attacks don't count!" Sokka cried. I sighed and took a bite out of a fresh bakery bread bun, naturally sweetened with honey. I groaned in delight. After a month or more of eating fish and sea creatures, bread tasted like heaven. After I came down from my cloud of bliss I turned to Sokka.
"They've been trained well and sometimes, women make the best warriors because no one expects them to be. Being underestimated is a pretty powerful weapon." I pointed out, remembering what I had learned about female ninja and how they used their gender to become the best assassins. No one expected a woman to kill someone, especially a lady. Sokka glared at me. I took this moment to add, "In fact, I think I'll ask Suki and her girl's to train me."
The look on Sokka's face was priceless.
"Wh… what?" He stuttered.
"You heard me," I replied, "Sokka, I have no bending abilities, I need a way to defend myself. I can't rely upon you guys always. All it will take is me getting separated from you guys and bang!" I clapped my hands together. After a second I continued "I don't want you guys to have to worry about protecting me all the time. I'm the oldest in this group. I need to be able to care for myself." I looked around. This place was beautiful, a perfect place for guests of honour. I shrugged, grabbed a biscuit of some sort and delighting in the jam filling walked out of the room. Sokka was three steps behind me. I stepped out of the door and was nearly knocked over by a mad horde of fan girls. I growled, enough was enough. They could stalk Aang, they could antagonize Katara. They were no allowed to sit outside our house until Aang came out.
"Go!" I barked, causing a few to jump, "don't you have something important to do like… I don't know… chores?" The girls scattered. Pleased with myself I licked my fingers and headed towards the Kyoshi warriors' dojo. As I walked down the road I window shopped at the various stalls set there. These covered everything from fruit, to cloth, to goods and based upon the sign on one woman's stall fortune telling (and a lot of gossip). My eye was caught by a jewellers stall, filled with colourful trinkets. One in particular caught my eye. A large gold coloured medallion with copper work, it was pretty and very noticeable but it wasn't the size or how much it probably would cost that caught my attention.
"Excuse me," I walked toward the woman who was tending the stall, "how much is the medallion?" The woman looked up. She was pretty and looked to be about the age of my own mother. She was wearing a plain beige dress and a green handkerchief to keep her hair back.
"The medallion? It's…" she looked at the piece I had been pointing to then back to me, as though assessing how much money I could own.
"It's five gold." I frowned trying to calculate that amount into my mind. Giving it up I remembered that we had a good amount of money. Still I didn't want to spend it on a trinket, no matter how much or how little it cost. Still… I wanted it bad. Noticing my hesitation the sales woman levelled with me.
"You one of the girls with the avatar right?" I nodded, looking away from the hanging medallion.
"You don't have a lot of money?" This time I shook my head.
"No. We have money but I don't want to spend it on jewellery. Food and supplies are more important." The woman nodded, looking at me with an assessing gaze.
"Look, this item has been giving me trouble since I got it. With the war going on this necklace is barely more then a joke. It is quite valuable but the inscription on it guarantees no one will ever buy it. To sell it at less then five gold would be a crime." She admitted, "but even as cheap as that is no one will touch it." I gently traced the copper designs on the medallion, Air, Water, Earth, Fire. The medallion looked just like the design Iroh had drawn in the sand for Zuko in… I struggled but realized quickly that I couldn't remember that episode. All I could remember was that it was in the second book and after Toph had joined the group because Iroh was injured.
"Why?" I asked, gently fingering the beautiful item, "what's wrong with it?"
"It has the symbols of a long extinct race, and the symbol for those who are the reason everyone's life if a living hell." She replied as easily as discussing the weather, "Who would buy it at all?" I looked at the woman for a moment in silent contemplation. Most people would look at it that way but for me, this necklace represented my point of view for this world. There was no good side and no bad side. This war was no different between the Israeli and Palestinian war going on at home. It was humans, killing humans with thousands of innocents caught in the crossfire.
"I will." I replied without thought. I checked in the pocket of my parka and brought out a handful of coins.
"This is all I have," I admitted looking at the small pile. The woman looked at it then looked up at me. She counted out the money then handed the necklace to me. I gently took it in my hands. The cord that held it was thick, black and coarse but I couldn't bring myself to care particularly. I held the necklace with reverence, grateful for something to remind me that this war was as pointless as the ones at home. The sooner Aang learned all forms of bending the better.
I gently fastened the necklace around my neck and let it hang. It was heavy but the weight was good, it reminded me that I had the necklace on. I turned to walk away when the woman called to me. I turned.
"My son and daughter have left the house," she explained, "but they left the clothes that didn't fit them any more with me. If you'd like you can try them on see which ones fit you." I smiled. That was really sweet.
"Sure, tomorrow maybe? Same time?" She nodded. I continued on, gently fingering the necklace.
I walked into the Kyoshi warrior's dojo just in time to see Sokka get trounced by Suki. I groaned then ran inside. Catching the poor guy before he hit the ground and untying the strap. Sokka glared at me but I ignored the pointed look, instead focusing in on Suki and the other Kyoshi warriors.
"I'm sorry for intruding and I apologize for this guy over here," I nodded towards Sokka who was trying to somehow regain his damaged pride, "but, I was wondering… if you'd be willing to teach me how to fight." I caught a glimpse of Sokka sneaking away but ignored him.
"I'm a quick learner and I know some ways to protect myself if I'm attacked. I'm also not a bender." As I expected Suki told me that they don't usually teach outsiders but she was willing to teach me. She was also curious about the little but of self-defence I had learned so I agreed to teach her the little I knew but warned her that most of it was dirty. I was paired off with one Kyoshi warrior, a girl named Jing.
"I'm Palartok," I explained, "just call me Pala." She looked at me curiously. I was worried that she was comparing my appearance to the water tribe siblings and then to the others on Kyoshi island. If she did realize I looked earth kingdom but had a water tribe name she said nothing, instead, lunging out at me with her fan.
I spent hours in the Kyoshi dojo, getting increasingly more and more frustrated. I was learning but it wasn't quick enough for what I wanted. After another failed attempt I took a step back.
"I'm sorry," I admitted, looking down at the green outfit I was wearing, "I don't think this is working." Suki stopped what she was doing and walked over. She placed a hand on my shoulder and turned me to face her.
"You're doing fine," she comforted, "but you're still too tense. You're not relaxing. You're acting as though every move you make is going to hurt." I nodded tersely and tried to relax. It didn't work. Suki sighed.
"Close your eyes." I did, "now imagine yourself at a time when you felt safe or happy in a position similar to this." I focused. An image of two brunette girls smacking thick sticks against each other appeared in my mind. My sister and I.
"Good, now lunge as I showed you." I did. I felt Suki parry the blows. I stuck out again, trying to remember the blows I had been taught. I felt my arm brush by something. Something tapped my shoulder and I opened my eyes. Suki had her fan resting there lightly.
"Good job," she praised, "you're improving. You at least weren't tense this time. Let's drill it again."
I flopped on the straw mattress, not bothering to change or even put my sleeping bag on top. I was stiff, tired, hungry, sore, and unbelievably happy. I had worked straight through dinner, determined that I would have improved somewhat. My hard work had bore fruit and while I could not hope to even match the weakest of the Kyoshi warriors currently in the rankings I was further along then I had started out. I knew a few basic blocks and attacks, I knew how to hold the fans and more importantly… I had finally figured out how to fight in a dress. I felt a blush rose up on my cheeks remembering at least four times I had tripped over my own skirt when taking a step forward. One time I went sailing into my opponent. I had been beyond humiliated but Suki and the girls had ignored the slip-ups most of the time and continued on as though nothing happened.
A knock on the door distracted me. I sat up slowly, groaning. If I hurt this much already I couldn't imagine how much pain I'd be in by tomorrow. I was truly beginning to regret that I had been a nerd instead of an athlete.
"Come in." I called. The door creaked open slowly. A familiar soft face peeked in.
"I brought you some tea." I smiled as Katara sat beside me, holding a tea cup in her hands. I took the cup, having learned that you eat what you're served. Besides the smell of tea was always a good way to get comfort. I took a whiff of the delicious mixture letting the scent wash over me.
"What type is it?" I asked, leaning back against the wall, the hot tea warning my hands.
"Jasmine." I started. The tea sloshed over the edge of the cup and onto my knee but I didn't care. I was frozen in a memory.
"Pala? Are you okay?" I looked up.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine." I replied, putting the tea to the side. I looked at it a moment before turning away. Katara didn't look convinced by my answer. I brushed my braid off my shoulder but after a second pulled it back. Slowly I untied to leather strap and ran my fingers through it. My hair came out wavy and with a lot of volume. Having a natural wave in my hair meant that when I braided it not only did the braid stay in longer but my hair remained super wavy for almost an entire day. It felt strange for my hair to be this loose after a month of it staying in a braid except to wash. I felt another set of hands weave themselves into my hair and relaxed as Katara gently combed her fingers through the brunette mane.
"So what is it about Jasmine tea that made you tense?" She asked softly. I shook my head and pulled away, turning and taking a good look at Katara. She was ready for bed as well, dressed in underwear, her hair loopies pulled out of her bun so they fell down to her chest. My heart ached.
"It was my boyfriend's favourite tea. We met while he was drinking a cup actually." Katara perked up, curious.
"How did you meet?" I laughed softly allowing myself for a moment to taste the bitter sweet memory.
"I was on a… on my way home after staying at an aunt's home for a couple of days…" "Can I sit here?" I looked up. A young man, about my age was pointing at the seat next to me. He was rather short for a guy, standing around five foot six to my five foot seven. His cheeks and chin were rough with a light dusting of curly brown hair. His hair fell to his shoulders in perfect ringlets. His eyes were a beautiful blue. I nodded and moved over allowing him to take a seat beside me. He was dressed causally, a red and black plaid shirt and black jeans. In his hand was a blue thermos. He took off the cap. Most people I had seen used it as a cup he didn't. Instead he placed it on his lap and drank right out of the thermos. I watched in awe as his Adan's apple bobbed. He sighed then screwed the lid back on. There was silence for a moment before I caught a whiff of whatever had been in the thermos. I expected coffee or hot chocolate. The air around him smelled herbal, not gritty or sweet like coffee and hot chocolate did. It didn't even smell strong and pungent like alcohol.
"What are you drinking?" I asked curiously. He looked at me then held out the thermos.
"I don't want to drink it." I rolled my eyes, "I want to know what you're drinking."
"Tea, Jasmine tea." He replied with a shrug then with a guilty grin, "I could drink a full milk jug of this stuff." I laughed then. The image of him chugging a milk jug full of tea, seeming hilarious.
"So you two became friends after that?" Katara asked, dragging me from the memory.
"Yep, we both ended up with a mutual crush that day." I chuckled then looked at Katara thoughtfully.
"Alright off to bed with you. I need to go to sleep myself. The daughters of Kyoshi will be waiting for me."
Katara stood, leaving the tray of warm tea on my bedside table. She stopped just before the door.
"Daughters of Kyoshi?" I nodded.
"Yeah, the Kyoshi warriors call themselves that in private. Since their entire style of fighting was created by Kyoshi and they wear the same clothes as she did as a sign of honour they call themselves her daughters. Personally I think they deserve that right and Kyoshi hasn't struck them down yet. I think it's all good. Still, don't go around calling them that. It is supposed to be a secret." Katara nodded and walked out of my room. Closing the wooden door with a firm snap.
