Hey everyone,
I'm still working on the next chapter of Crystal's journey and hope to be done soon. Until then, I wanted to write a small chapter on how Hakoda feels about the news, and introduce you to Areto. I wanted to give a face and voice to the dude she's been arranged to marry.
Quick note: Hakoda hasn't received word yet that Crystal is with the gaang.
Thanks! And I hope to be done with the next chapter very soon.
Faithy Waithy
Third Person (Southern Water Tribe Base Camp: Earth Kingdom Eastern Sea Shore)
A man in his late forties, with dark brown hair and tinted skin walked into the large blue tent that was set in the center of the camp. The camp had about ten other tents dispersed around the main, and off shore four southern water tribe boats were anchored. Thirty men were seated or walking around the camp, their ages varying from the youngest being nineteen up to the oldest who was in his late fifties. Other men were on the boats off shore, making repairs to sails and preparing for travel.
Inside the tent, the man stepped up to another who was cross-legged on the floor covered with fur pelts; he was analyzing a few maps sprawled out before him. He appeared in his late forties, some of his dark brown hair tied back in a high ponytail while the rest hung down. He had two strands on the right side with beads at the end. A short beard decorated his face.
"Any word from the group yet?"
The man seemed anxious as he waited for his chief to answer. Hakoda looked up at his good friend with serious eyes. "They'll be here soon, Bato. I know you're worried about your son being sent off on his own, but Kona is a strong young man. He is one of the strongest warriors apart from his brother."
Bato sighed, and then sat down in front of him. "I know… I guess I'm just freaking out too much… It's his first venture out alone."
"Jaka is with him, and Hoka and Ruja went to meet up with them. They're some of the youngest, but they are wise young men. You know I wouldn't send them out on their first venture without concerning myself over their safety."
He nodded. "I just expected them back by now."
"They'll be here. Just be patient."
"Yeah… You're right…" Bato met his friend's gaze, and then asked, "On another note… How are you holding up? I heard you received word from the Northern Water Tribe about Crystal…"
Hakoda let out a heavy sigh. "Guess gossip is still a problem…"
Picking up the scroll beside him, he handed it to Bato. As Bato read it over, Hakoda crossed his arms with concern.
"She managed to escape from the Fire Nation briefly…" Hakoda spoke, remembering everything he'd read. "She was captured again by the Fire Lord's son. She's still being held captive and is who knows were… Or so that's what the report says," Hakoda shut his eyes. "Sokka and Katara are still traveling with the Avatar."
Bato finished reading the report, and placed it down beside him. "It says Crystal fought hard to try and stop the Fire Nation though… She's still got some spunk in her."
"My daughter hasn't had spunk since her mother died, Bato… I still will never understand what she was thinking when she attacked the Fire Lord's son at the South Pole. I told her not to be rash… She already has one scar from the enemy… I can't imagine her receiving another…"
"I know you've been worried about her ever since I told you what Sokka and Katara told me… She'll be okay, though. She's stronger than we know. Obviously the Northern Water Tribe was impressed with her strength to emphasize it so much in the report."
Looking back down at the maps, Hakoda frowned. "I know she's strong… But I also feel terrible for not being there to protect her. I should've been there when the Fire Nation came… I didn't protect her…"
Bato seemed uncertain. "Are we talking about this year, or are you referring to that awful day so long ago?"
Chief Hakoda's fists tightened. "We should've never left them so vulnerable… I never thought the Fire Nation would actually come back to our shores."
"How could you have? We made sure we were undetectable… The Avatar's arrival changed everything…"
"Father!" A sudden voice shouted from the entrance of the tent. The two men jumped at the intruder's call.
The young man at the entrance was tall and lean, and was the youngest of the group. However, for being the youngest he had some muscle that was visible through his long sleeves. He had his father's chin, skin tone, and dark brown hair color. He kept his hair tied back in a long ponytail, and wore similar blue water tribe wear to that of his father. His eyes were a deep blue like his father's, and but his mannerism was softer.
Bato stood and turned to his youngest son with concern. "Areto… What's wrong?"
"Kona's returned," Areto spoke, trying to catch his breath. "He and Jaka said they have something urgent to tell the Chief!"
Hakoda's eyes widened. Immediately he stood. "Where are they?"
"Right outside. They're resting from their journey, but desperately need to speak with you."
"Tell them to get their butts in here."
Areto nodded, disappearing from the tent entrance.
Bato looked uncertain. "Do you think the Earth King refused our request?"
"I don't see why he would," Hakoda stated. "We're offering assistance to defeat the Fire Nation swine. How could he refuse?"
Only a second later, Areto entered the tent once more with his older brother Kona and Hakoda's nephew Jaka. The two looked exhausted from their long travel, but also appeared anxious to get what they had to say off their chest.
Hakoda was quick to the point. "Jaka! Kona! What's the urgent message? Did the Earth King deny our request?"
Kona shook his head. "No Chief… We have permission to make camp at Chameleon Bay. The report is here." He pulled a scroll out from where it was wedged between his belt and waist. Handing it over to Hakoda, he met the man's eyes with guilt. "That's not the urgent news…"
Areto, Bato, and Hakoda waited for either Kona or Jaka to speak. Kona stepped back and sighed heavily. He shot Jaka a look, and the other frazzled young man nodded.
Jaka looked at the two men to speak for Kona. "It's about Crystal, Uncle…"
Hakoda's skin turned a shade paler. Thoughts of his daughter came flooding to his head. His eyes went wide. "Wha- what about her?"
Jaka seemed unsure if he should continue. He nudged Kona in the side, and hissed, "You're the one who found her. Tell him."
Kona looked over at Jaka with a glare. "You're his nephew! You tell him!"
Hakoda's patience was wearing thin. "Tell me what?!" His fists tightened. "What has happened to Crystal?"
Areto showed signs of worry as well. "Is she okay?"
The two young men glanced over at Areto, and then back at the chief. Kona let out a heavy breath. "You may want to sit down, sir… You're not going to like this."
Hakoda said nothing, but he did sit down worried his strength would leave him at the message he was about to receive.
"Don't tell me… She's-"
"No Uncle! She's alive," Jaka quickly reassured. "I mean… We were worried she drowned at first, but a couple of travelers told us they had run into her and she was okay."
Kona grimaced. "Yeah… Those annoying singers…"
Jaka continued. "She's still with the Fire Lord's son…" He paused, dreading what he was about to say next. "She made sure of that…"
His last words struck a wave of confusion through the other men in the room. Bato spoke this time. "What? What do you mean?"
Kona finally jumped in, although he showed no comfort in doing so. "You see… I ran into Crystal on my way back from the Earth Kingdom city. At first I saw her with these two travelers disguised as Earth Kingdom nomads… I quickly understood though that they were the Fire Lord's brother and son. I tried to get Crystal to come with me, but she refused… She told me she didn't want to leave them…"
Hakoda's mouth dropped. Kona wasn't done though.
"I didn't have much of a choice but to leave. I knew if I tried to drag her off in the daylight then prince boy and his Uncle would gang up on me. I made the decision to come back for her that night. I managed to follow them to their camp to see where they were. Once I had their location, I headed to the meeting spot where Jaka was waiting for me. I told him everything, and the two of us returned to their campsite in the night. We managed to snatch up Crystal without alerting the other two men…. She fought us the whole way though…"
Jaka finished the tale, seeing Kona didn't want to go on. "She was dedicated to escaping us and returning to her captors… She kept spewing out nonsense about loving the Fire Lord's son… She wouldn't listen to reason and jumped off a cliff to escape us… She fell into the river, and that was the last we saw of her… We tried to get her, Uncle… She was too determined to escape though…"
Bato was amazed. His youngest son Areto was bewildered. Chief Hakoda was horrified.
The chief looked pale as he asked, "Are you telling me… she went with her captors because…" He stopped, his breath shaking. "My daughter… In love with the Fire Nation prince… This can't be…"
As Hakoda thought over something he never thought possible, Bato decided to speak.
"She's been with the Fire Lord's son for months, Hakoda… He's probably been deceiving her about us. She may be terribly confused."
"Or actually in love," Areto suddenly muttered. Everyone looked over at the youngest in the room who had his arms crossed and didn't look thrilled with the conversation. He shut his mouth when he saw the attention he grabbed.
Bato clamped a hand on Areto's shoulder in reassurance. "Don't worry, son… We'll find a way to get her back. You haven't lost her."
This part irritated the man. He yanked his shoulder from his father. "Dad… I told you already… I'm not marrying her because of some stupid arrangement you two made. I've argued this so many times."
Hakoda remained silent. Jaka and Kona were surprised by Areto's words.
"Areto… We've been over this," Bato said. "We need you and Crystal to marry… A strong union will be promising for the tribe who has lost so much."
"She's like a sister to me… I don't feel for her any more than I feel for other women in the tribe. Besides… I don't want us to be forced to marry if she loves another..."
Hakoda let out a heavy breath. "Areto… She knows what's best for this tribe. I'm not sure what's going on in her head right now, but I'm confident she'll realize her fancies for this prince are false and try to escape again."
Areto shook his head, and looked out of the tent to avoid everyone's gaze. "I don't think so… If what Kona speaks is true, Crystal seems to really care for this guy…. I don't want to force her into marrying me… Besides… I don't really think I want to get married…"
Jaka and Kona decided it was time to make their leave.
"Well… I think Kona and I are going to finish unpacking with the others," Jaka muttered. He grabbed Kona's sleeve and the two men departed.
Areto was left alone in the room with Chief Hakoda and his father Bato, both men looking at him with bewilderment.
"What do you mean you don't want to get married?"
Areto met his father's eyes. "Just that. I don't want to marry Crystal… I want to be a master swordsman. I've already decided after the war I'm going to go train at the North Pole."
Hakoda sighed heavily. "Areto… you have to understand. Our tribe has lost so much. A marriage between you and Crystal will be a sign of hope for the future."
Bato added, "The elders of the tribe agree that you and Crystal are a perfect match."
"Elder Kanna doesn't…" he argued. "And neither does mom. They both think Crystal and myself should have a say."
Hakoda sighed at the mention of his mother-in-law, Kanna. He wasn't thrilled that she had encouraged her grandchildren to chase after the avatar and journey with him. "We'll discuss this another day… For now I need to decide what to do about my daughter…"
Areto frowned. He said nothing more to Hakoda or his father. Turning on his heel, he walked out of the tent with defeat. As he went, he recalled a discussion he had with Crystal three years ago. He and the warriors had gone home for a few weeks to be with their loved ones. Areto had just been leaving the campsite when Crystal ran up to him.
"Areto!" A familiar voice brought the eighteen-year-old to a halt. His hair was in a high topknot, and he was covered from the neck down in furs. The night air was freezing, so when he turned to see a thirteen-year-old Crystal running towards him with nothing but boots and her thin clothes he was shocked.
Her face was red from the cold licking her skin, but she didn't seem to care. Instead, she came to a stop in front of Areto. She looked to have been crying, which took Areto by surprise. He couldn't help but glance at her scar which decorated her face. He could remember the day she got it. He could remember how they all thought she wasn't going to survive the night.
"What are you doing? You're going to get sick?" He went to take off his coat to put it over her. She grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Did you know?" Her voice trembled as she spoke. "Did you know about the arrangement?"
Her question took him off guard. He was puzzled by her sudden question. However, he quickly knew what she was referring to.
"Yeah… I've known…"
She ripped her hand away as if he burned her. "Tell them to forget about it! Tell them you don't want to do it!"
Her pleas made him frown. "You don't think I haven't tried…? I don't like this anymore than you do."
"They'll listen to you! I know they will!"
Areto felt awful for having kept the truth from Crystal for so long. He felt there was nothing he could do about it though.
"Crys… I'm not thrilled about this, but I can't go against my father."
She shook her head. "You can!" She looked up at him with desperation. "I don't see you that way, Areto! You know you don't see me that way either! We're friends… We're not meant to marry one another!"
"Crys… I know what you say is true… but it's not that easy…"
"It is!"
She shut her eyes and tightened her fists as more tears fell. Ice suddenly formed between them. His eyes widened when he saw this. Looking at Crystal, he saw she didn't even seem to notice. He knew though… At that moment he understood… She was a waterbender. He decided to keep this knowledge to himself. If she hadn't told others, she definitely wouldn't want him spreading it around.
"Crys… Your father feels this is best for you… After everything you've been through, he wants to make sure someone's there to protect you in the end…"
"I don't need protection!" The ice spread to the point where it formed beneath his boots.
"Calm down…" He reached forward. "You need to calm-"
She hit his hand away before he could touch her shoulder. Her blue eyes looked at him with betrayal. "You're just like them all…" She stepped back. "You all think I need someone to protect me… I'm not weak… I don't need you to marry me! I'm not some broken and damaged girl who needs someone to direct my future!"
He dropped his hand to his side. "No one thinks that way."
"Yes they do! That's all anyone thinks!" She covered her face. "I'm so tired of everyone looking at me as if I'm a memory of the past! I'm so tired of being defined by my scar!" She turned to the side, trying to hide her face. "I wish you all would just leave! Go back to your damn war and leave me alone!" She turned on her heel and ran.
"Crystal!" He went to race forward, but stopped. A hand grabbed his coat sleeve.
"What did you do to my sister?!" Sokka's voice snapped from behind him. Turning, he met Crystal's overprotective twin Sokka, who was just starting to grow past his chin.
Jerking from him, Areto defended, "I didn't do anything to her. I'm not to blame for any of this."
He was surprised by Areto's defense. He narrowed his eyes. "If I find out you're to blame though, I'm coming back for you!" He took off to follow after his sister who had disappeared into the dark shadows of the night.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Areto sat on a large piece of driftwood beside the lapping waves. His whale-tooth sword rested in his lap as he paused his sharpening. He wished his father, Hakoda, and the other elders would listen to him. He wished people would respect him and Crystal's wish.
Something deep inside him knew that Crystal was truly in love with the Fire Lord's son. He wasn't upset about it though… He didn't love Crystal the way his father and Hakoda wanted him too. He didn't want to marry… He wanted to train and fight… He wanted to travel and see the world on his own…
"Areto… There you are."
His older brother Kona headed over to him. He was wearing a fresh set of clothes and looked to have cleaned up in the last hour that had past.
"Go away, Kona," he snapped, running the stone against his sword again.
"Don't be bitter…" Kona muttered. He stepped over and crossed his arms. "I know you're not thrilled with this, but you shouldn't let it damper your mood… We'll get her back one day."
Areto sighed heavily. Standing, he dropped the stone and sheathed his sword. "Crystal's not the girl you all think she is. She may look weak, but I've known her for a long time. She knows what she wants." He turned and looked at his brother with hard eyes. "I know what I want too. Dad and Chief Hakoda can't force the two of us together just because they want to unite the family. I'm not going to marry a girl who is in love with another. I want to find someone who actually wants to be with me."
"She'll change her mind once she-"
"She hasn't been brainwashed," he interrupted Kona. "You all act like she's doing everything against her own will. I know Crystal. She fights for what she wants. If she jumped into a river to escape you and her cousin, then it's pretty clear she has genuine feelings for this guy."
Kona sighed heavily. "Even so, she's in love with the enemy. It's a futile romance." He turned and went to walk away. However, he stopped and looked back at his brother. "Marriage isn't the end of the world. When we get Crystal back, you'll see it's not that awful…" He turned and walked off into the woods.
Areto scowled. "You're not the one who has to get married," he muttered. Standing and crossing his arms, he stared at the setting sun. "Don't worry, Crys… I'm not giving up…"