Chapter Six

On a secluded beach, somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, Moria dug her toes in the sand and stared out at the orange sun dipping below the horizon. The glorious sunset shades of pinks, reds and purples reflected on the gently lapping ocean, turning the blue sea into a watercolor masterpiece.

Appa rested nearby, his massive head cradled in his front legs. They had been travelling for two days, and if they did not find whoever it was Katara was searching for by the next nightfall, they would have to pack up and go back to the Western Air Temple. Moria had to admit she was feeling a little disappointed.

"Come on, let's eat!" Katara called from behind Moria. Two large, juicy fish were cooking over a spitting fire.

Moria turned from the endless sea and took a seat beside the fire, pulling her long silk skirt over her knees. "You know, if you would tell me who we're looking for, perhaps I could help."

Katara shook her head. "You'll just have to wait."

"Our time is almost up. Even we do find this person, I don't see how they could help me-."

"Hush," Katara interrupted, passing a roasted fish over to her. "Just eat and don't worry about it. Okay?"

Moria gave her a skeptical look but accepted the food. She glanced at Katara's necklace as they ate. "I've been meaning to ask, who is your betrothed? Zuko?"

Katara nearly choked on her fish. "W-what?"

Moria raised a brow. "Your necklace. It's a betrothal necklace, isn't it?"

"Y-yes, but…" Katara's cheeks burned a deep red. "It's a family heirloom. It's all I have left of my mother. Why…why would you think I'd be betrothed to Zuko?"

"He just spoke so highly of you the other day." Moria casually removed a bone from her fish. "I thought that any man who spoke so proudly of a woman must truly love her."

"When?"

"A few nights ago. It seems neither of us sleep so easily. We chatted for a while, and he assured me that whatever you have planned is for the best."

Katara looked down at her lap, her dinner momentarily forgotten. "I see."

"Is something wrong?"

Katara chewed her lower lip thoughtfully for a while, her eyes cast down at the sand. Finally, she said, "Sometimes I just have a hard time trusting Zuko. He wasn't always on our side, you know. And right when I thought I could trust him; he betrayed me and went back to the Fire Nation. I guess I just worry that it's going to happen again."

"When you came to my island, you said that he could be trusted."

"And I meant it. I just…" She sighed heavily. "The Fire Nation killed my mother. It's not that easy to forgive and forget. Zuko would have only been a child at the time, but still…"

"Bearing a grudge towards him helps nothing," Moria stated wisely. "But perhaps he may know exactly who was responsible for your mother's death."

Katara straightened at this, mouth dropping open in a surprised O. "I never thought to ask."

"See what he knows when we get back. Maybe he can help you close that hole in your heart."

Katara kept her eyes down, fingering the charm on her necklace as she thought about it. Moria finished her share of the fish in silence and got up to give Appa some fruit. As she came back, Katara looked up with a faint smile.

"I never asked you about your necklace."

Moria's hand immediately went to the palm-sized cockle shell around her neck. "You want to know if it's a betrothal necklace?"

Katara nodded sheepishly.

With a gentle smile, Moria turned the necklace over, revealing the concave side. Katara gasped as she took in the mosaic of colored glass inlaid within the shell. Shards of deepest blues and indigoes created a night sky. White specks made up a scattered array of tiny stars. The biggest star sat squarely in the middle, a vibrant pink aura trailing behind it like a comet. In the fading light, the glass sparkled as if it were alive.

"His name was Taka," Moria explained, her finger brushing over the middle star, "and he said my heart shone brighter than the biggest star in the sky."

"He made this for you?" Katara breathed in awe.

Moria nodded. "It is customary for my people to make a unique mosaic on a cockle shell for their intended."

"Why don't you wear it so the design faces outward? It's too beautiful to keep hidden."

"The point of the mosaic is to keep it close to our heart. It's a personal thing, not meant to be shared with everyone."

"He must have been very skilled to make something so special."

Moria swallowed thickly and glanced downward, tears brimming in her eyes. "He was very skilled. He worked with leather. He made those shoes…" She glanced at the sandals sitting beside her bag and cleared her throat. "He was very skilled."

"I'm sorry." Katara reached out and gently touched her arm. "I didn't mean to bring up any memories. I can't imagine how hard this has been…"

But Moria continued to talk as if she hadn't heard. "He was very quiet though. I always pestered him to talk more. He rarely spoke of what was on his mind and I always wanted to know what he was thinking. He called me his pestering star." She turned her head to look at Katara and smiled. "The good memories are not so bad. I want to keep them even if they make me cry. It's the future that upsets me. I should have been married. We should be happy right now on our little island in paradise, watched over and protected by our precious Guardian. Instead…I am here. I am grateful that you found me, I just…"

Katara squeezed her arm. "You don't need to explain yourself. This is a huge change for you. But once the war is over, we can figure out the right path for everyone."

Moria offered her a faint smile and looked up at the dark sky. There was no moon to light the beach, only the dwindling fire. "I would like that."

Katara pulled her sleeping bag from her pack and snuggled up inside. "We should get some sleep."

Moria left her own bag rolled up in her pack and drew her knees up to her chin. "If only I could," she whispered into her skirt. "If only the nightmares would stop plaguing me." She looked over and saw that Katara was already sleeping soundly. Moria sighed and rested her cheek against her knees, listening to the lapping waves and taking in the wonderfully salty air. It was all so familiar, yet the sights and sounds were slightly off. She closed her eyes and focused on the sounds of the ocean.

As she listened, she wished, not for the first time, that she could use her miraculous power to help herself.

The sound of a distance lute stirred Moria from her hazy slumber. She sat up slowly, brushing the sand awkwardly off her back, and saw that Katara was standing at attention, looking in the direction of the music with a coy smile playing on her lips.

"What is it?" Moria asked, quirking a brow.

"Your Sifu."

Moria blinked in surprise. A group of three adults came into the view. In front was a man with shaggy black hair wearing brightly colored clothes similar to Moria's. He wore a chain of flowers around his neck and plucked at the lute as he walked. To his right, a beautiful woman with a floral headwrap and loose strands of deep brown hair shook a tambourine and hummed along. On his left, an overweight man with a long mustache and straw hat danced to the rhythm.

Moria turned to Katara in disbelief. "You're joking."

"Not at all. If anyone can you become more at one with music, it's these three." Katara raised her hand and called out, "Hello!"

The man in front stopped, recognition dawning on his face. "Hey, it's the water girl!" He sped up his pace and closed the gap between them, his companions following close behind. "Where's the airhead?"

Katara snickered. "He's learning some new tricks. I actually have a new friend with me today." She motioned to Moria. "Moria, meet Chong, Lily, and Moku. Chong, Moria is a soundbender."

"Radical," Chong mused, unfazed.

"That's, like, so out there," Lily agreed and Moku nodded vigorously.

Moria gave Katara an incredulous look, but Katara continued speaking to the nomads.

"See, Moria is very talented, but she wants to sharpen her skills. We don't have much time, but do you think you can help her?"

Chong nodded, stroking his chin. "I'll see what I can do." He offered his lute to Moria. "Let's hear you play."

"Oh, I have my own." Moria bent to retrieve her lute from her bag.

"Whoa," Chong gasped.

"Awesome carvings," Moku added.

Moria flushed and cradled the instrument against her. "Thank you. It was made for me." She got no response, so she began to gently strum, humming along softly. She worked to create a soothing atmosphere and soon everyone was swaying to the sound of the plucked strings.

Once the vibration had faded from the air, Chong nodded in approval. "Did you come up with that?"

"Oh, no," Moria blinked in surprise. "It was a traditional song of my people."

"Play something you created," Chong instructed.

"Oh, I…" Moria looked down at the lute and furrowed her brow. "I don't write songs. I only play our traditional music."

"And that's the problem," Lily put in, coming up behind Moria and placing her hands on her shoulders. "If you don't write your own songs, you can't get better as a musician or a person, man."

Chong and Moku nodded sagely in agreement.

"I've never tried writing a song before," Moria said apprehensively.

"It's easy!" Chong began strumming his lute and jumped from foot to foot in an oddly unbalanced dance. He opened his mouth and began to sing.

"Well a just met a girl on the beach, been told that she bends sound.

Ain't so easy as bending the water or the ground.

She wants some help, she wants to sing, but doesn't quite know how.

I tell her it's as easy as can be. Look at me, I'll take a bow!"

Lily added her tambourine to the mix as she and Moku danced happily around the deeply bowing Chong. As he continued to strum, Moria looked at Katara and scrunched up her face.

Katara only shrugged and mouthed, "Trust me."

Moria stared at her skeptically a moment longer before turning back to Chong.

"Okay," he declared, "your turn!"

"Wait, I can't just pull a song out of thin air," Moria protested.

"Sure you can. I did!" Chong patted her back encouragingly.

With a frown, Moria began to strum, struggling to create a unique melody. She groaned as she realized she was playing another soundbender folk song and started over. After several failed attempts, she let out a frustrated sigh and dropped to sit on the sand. "I really don't think I can do it."

"You can't just give up," Lily scolded, although with her dreamy voice it sounded more like a request.

Chong nodded in agreement. "You have to relax. Let the music flow through you, you know?" He took a deep breath, indicating that she should do the same. "Let the peace flow through you like a river. Let the love surround you like an ocean. Let the joy spring forth like a fountain." He tapped his chin in contemplation. "Hey, someone should write a song about that."

Finally, Katara decided to step in. She crouched beside Moria and offered an encouraging smile. "All of the songs you know are about life on the island, right?"

Moria nodded.

"So why don't you think about how you felt when you left the island? Or how life is for you now?"

Moria nodded slowly. She chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. "You know, my Guardian…the lion turtle – how strange it feels to call him that – was viewed as our protector. I couldn't imagine being away from him. But when we left, he spoke out loud to me for the very first time. He told me that his duty to me was done. I felt so sad…like my Guardian was just letting me go without a fight. But, I also felt at peace, because the Guardian knew that…that I could make it and I would be okay."

Katara nodded and squeezed her shoulder. "Good. Sing about that."

Moria let out a slow breath. After a few moments of contemplation and strumming a random chord here and there, the song came to her so suddenly that she just had to let it out. The words flew from her mouth as naturally as her breath.

"Though I've had to leave my home, please remember me.

Though I've been called on to roam, please remember me.

Though I can't return to you, please remember me.

Dear Guardian, remember me.

Though we cannot meet again, I'll remember you.

Though a new life for me begins, I'll remember you.

Though we must remain apart, I'll remember you.

My Guardian, I'll remember you."

The roaming musicians clapped as Moria caught her breath. She had never experienced such an incredible sensation. Her body was racing with an electricity so strong it was nearly ecstasy. A restrictive chain she hadn't even known was there had broken and she suddenly felt light as air. Overwhelmed, unable to speak, she only stared at her lute.

"That's what we're talking about!" Chong cried. He threw an arm over the stunned Moria's shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. "How do you feel?"

"Are you okay?" Katara asked, concerned.

Moria swallowed and cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm fine. I've just…never felt anything like this."

Lily smiled encouragingly. "Now that your mind is free, you can do everything you ever wanted."

Moku nodded in agreement. "The things you thought were too hard are going to be easy now."

"Well, I don't know about that," Moria traced the intricate carving on her lute with the tip of her finger.

"It's that kind of self-doubt that limits you," Chong said sagely. He gave her shoulder a squeeze before letting go. "Free your mind and you can do anything."

Moria glanced at Katara and smiled lightly. "I guess I can try to learn how to make that explosion."

"Do you think there are instructions in one of the books you brought?" Katara asked.

"It's possible. I never had the talent or the ambition to become a master, so I never studied those sections."

"Maybe you'll become a master after all." Katara glanced at Appa. "Do you feel like you got the help you needed here?"

Moria looked at the wandering musical nomads, admiring the way they swayed freely to the spontaneous music they created. She smiled. "You know, I actually think I did." She cupped a hand over her mouth and called out to the already departing group, "Thank you!"

Chong raised his hand in a wave and called back, "We come when we're needed and leave when we're not!"

Moria turned back to Katara and snickered. "I guess I have something new to teach the avatar, too."

Katara couldn't help but laugh as she climbed onto Appa's back. "You've really got your work cut out for you!"

The ride back to the temple was long, surrounded by nothing but ocean. Moria rested her chin on her hands and stared out at the vast blue sea, wondering where her Guardian was now. Was he relieved to be free of the burden of protecting the villagers? Has in, in his ancient age, finally passed on now that his duties were done? As she stared at the horizon, just beginning to take on the golden hues of sunset, a rush of inspiration washed through her. Her eyes remained locked on the place where the ocean met the sky and, softly, she began to sing.

"We had to say goodbye, but we are under the same sky.

Guardian, be with me 'till we meet again."