Chapter 24: Minna and tang hua

Ming hua's POV

"where am I?" I groaned as I slowly tried to get up and use my water arms to rub over my head but I couldn't bend my water arms into place like I usual could.

There's no water around…

I thought as I sat up and looked around. Everything around me was pitch black and no sign of the others. Even worse, when I looked down I saw my prostethic legs were tied together.

How did I get stuck here?

I thought as I looked around, vaguely remembering being struck, but nothing beyond that.

Got captured. Just my luck

I thought as I looked around for a way to escape. I was alone and the door would obviously be locked.

Gotta get myself outta here

I thought as I closed my eyes and concentrated, hoping I would be able to conjure up a gust of wind to straighten myself. Nothing. Maybe they chi-blocked me.

"It seems she has woken up." A man dressed in blue with a mask called as he and a few others entered the small room I was in.

"Good! We have arrived." Another man said as he looked at me with a smirk on his face while two others raised me onto my legs then untied my them. Big mistake.

"She's still dangerous so look out." One of them said, which made me smirk as I pulled myself away from them and make a run towards the door. However, I missed one of the men that was standing in a corner of the room and before I could react I was on the floor.

"What is going on here?" I heard a voice call above me that sounded familiar but I couldn't remember from where. My head must have been hit really hard for me to forget things like.

"She was trying to make a run for it." One of my captors apologized. He sounded scared. Good.

"Your orders were to not harm her." The familiar voice said as two arms were wrapped around me and I felt a body against mine.

"It was just a little bump on the head. Give her some rest and she'll be fine." A female voice, also sounding very familiar said, it was close. The person holding me.

Why is she cuddling me?

I thought annoyed while I tried to open my eyes. they were refusing to obey me fully so I could only see two vague figures above me. A little grey one with a beard and one with a similar hairstyle to my own.

"Mom? Dad?" I whispered when I recognized them right before I passed out again.

Ghazan's POV

After a while of traveling on Juicy, we managed to reach the coast where a friend and member of the former Red Lotus was with a boat that would be able to get us to the North Pole and hopefully to Ming.

"There it is!" Xai Bau smiled as he walked to the small harbor port were our friend Lee Tong was working, who looked up quite surprised as we walked towards him. Figures, he must have thought we were dead.

"Good to see you again, Lee." I called to the older man like it had been yesterday I had seen him, not three years.

"Good to see you, you people aren't dead any more." Lee Tong smirked as he looked at us, his eyes resting om Femke, who was standing next to zaheer.

"Who's the newbie?" Lee asked with a raised eyebrow.

"This is Femke. She joined us three years ago in the midst of our second attempt to finish the mission." Zaheer smiled."Saving us more than once before we all quit. Our mission was doomed to fail and probably right in the first place."

"I see." Lee smiled as he shook Femke's hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Lee Tong, Red Lotus sailor."

"I'm Femke." Femke smiled as she shook his hand.

"He is also the one that got us to the North Pole when we went to get P'li back." I added.

"Why do you want to cross over this time?" Lee asked as he looked over the team gathered.

"Ming was captured, we believe she's taken to the North Pole." Xai Bau said.

"I can bring you to the other shore right now." Lee smiled as he patted an old rusty looking boat bobbing in the water behind him, I remembered it from our last travel the North Pole to save P'li.

"We have the layout of her prison. I can easily get to the roof and get her out." Ming Hua smiled as she pointed the place out on the map. "No need for all of us to go down."

"Good, we will stay up and make sure no one will be able to get to you." Zaheer nodded.

"We're always there if you need backup." I offered, which made Ming look up at me firmly.

"I can handle myself." She said.

"Okay, let's make sure we have enough rocks with us for Ghazan and keep cover until the very last moment." Zaheer said. "Ming and I can create a snowstorm for cover."

"All set to go." I said. Everyone looked worried."We covered up every flaw. We're ready" I added firmly.

"I will go over the plan once more and call if anything else comes up." Zaheer smiled, at which both Ghazan and Ming Hua nodded before they headed off. That mission thankfully succeeded and we got P'li back with us.

"The sooner we're there the sooner we might be able to help Ming if she needs it." Zaheer said, bringing me back.

"Really? If i know one thing it is that that woman can defend herself." Lee Tong smirked.

"Those people are taking her back to her parents." Xai Bau said. "There might be some trauma there that might impede her."

"She'll pull through." Lee said before he went to start the boat.

I will rest a lot easier when she's back with us. I miss her wit

I thought as I looked out over the ocean to the place were we hoped Ming was.

Ming hua's POV

"Ming? Wake up." A voice called above me, which made me groan as I my head was throbbing.

"Can you hear me?" A female voice asked this time. Which made me look up at the owner of the voice with an annoyed face.

"You should know better then to be worried about me." I started but stopped when I saw it wasn't femke who looked at me but my mother Minna. Oh no.

How did I end up here? All i remember is a hit on the head and some idiot getting screamed at for it

I thought, as it crossed my mind what must have happened.

As soon as night falls, I'm out of here

I thought as I looked at my parents sternly while they appeared worried. I knew better. They fooled me once when I was a child and that will never happen again.

I gave my parents a small smile.

"Mom, dad, good to see you again." I said.

"Sorry for the way to get you here. We heard a lot happened and we wanted to see you again so badly. We have been so worried." Tang Hua said as he looked at his daughter sternly, while my mother put a hand on my cheek.

Nice try. You don't give a damn about me. You made that clear last time I saw you.

I thought as I tried to keep myself from rolling my eyes at them.

"You're so skinny. When was the last time you had a proper meal?" My mother asked me as she traced my cheekbones with her fingers.

"I was going to, until I got abducted." I replied coldly, not at all believing their act.

"You know what I mean." My mother said me as she gave my father a stern look over my shoulder.

"Well enough. I have people who care now." I said.

"Then how come you're so skinny?" My father asked sternly.

"I've been in prison for thirteen years and I don't have to tell what happened before that." I said coldly, which made my parents look at each other sadly, nodding before they hugged me.

"We know dear. That caused us so much pain and guilt after you left us." My mother said as she looked at me with tears in her eyes. "We are so sorry for what we did. We just wanted to make you stronger."

And Bear Pigs can fly

I thought as my both parents embraced me, something they hadn't done since before I learned I was a waterbender.

"We never wanted to harm you. Please believe us." My father begged as he held on to me, for once not to harm me. This made it harder for me to distrust them. I also needed them to believe I was going to stay if I wanted to make sure I could get out of here on my own. I nodded and let them hug me for a while before my mother went to make dinner and my father stayed by my side and wanted to hear everything about the adventures I had. I gladly did, leaving out most of the needless details. He didn't have to know about everything. Only the things I had done ever since I had managed to get away. No need to tell them about the Red Lotus. I was no longer that person anyway.

"And that's how I ended up back here." I ended the story a few hours later.

"What a tale." My mother smiled.

"If that femke hadn't been around our little girl had been dead. And fairies? Who knew." Father said.

"That was my reaction as well at first but in time I learned magic." I said.

"Who knows. We might meet them someday." Minna Hua smiled as she got up. "How about we go to sleep now? It's rather late."

"You might meet them sooner than you think. They're on their way here as we speak." I said. "They're probably worried sick about me."

"Why? You've always been able to handle yourself." My mother smiled at me while we entered what used to be my room. which was exactly like it used to be.

"That doesn't mean they can't be worried. That's what people who care for you do. " I said as I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"If they come they're welcome to stay for a while. That way we at least get to meet the people that helped you get through the things we did to you." My mother smiled as she unrolled my sleeping bag for me after getting it from where I had stashed it before I had left, together with a note.

Hey Mom and Dad

I'm sorry I turned out to be such a disappointment.

I will leave and not come back before I'm sure you will be proud of me

Love

Ming Hua

The note was gone, though. Running away was something I will never regret, it made me much stronger and had given me friends that cared about the real me. Something that couldn't be said about my parents. No matter how hard they tried, I could still feel they're not proud of me. They're just acting.

As long as I manage to get away

I thought as I allowed my mother to tuck me in, which was something she had never done before, and handed me a bucket of water.

"Good night, dear." My mother smiled at me as she stroked over my hair. "Sweet dreams."

"Good night." I said, not wanting to let on what I was planning but as soon as I lied down and pretended to fall asleep, a drowsiness came over me.

They must have put something in my food. Why didn't I notice? Why wasn't I more…?

I thought, but I couldn't even finish that thought before I fell in a deep sleep.

I was all alone in my old family home. I could hear my parents outside talking to somebody else, which I saw as a chance to look in a drawer my dad always kept locked. As quickly and silently as possible I opened the drawers lock by using a little ice in my water arms, which resulted in a soft 'click' very soon.

Finally. Now what were they hiding?

I thought as I opened the drawer and peeked inside. In it lied a locket. All alone and forgotten about.

Why is a locket lying in here all forgotten?

I thought as I opened it and looked inside, gasping at the beautiful picture of a man and a woman with royal clothing that held a baby on the arm at which they looked lovingly. Like they really loved the baby. The strangest thing was; the baby had no arms, just like me.

"Gallor and Ami are the names of the former leaders of our tribe." My aunt Ting had once told me when she had visited me.

"Were they nice?" I remember asking.

"Yes they were. Did you know they had a daughter as well?" My Aunt replied with a mysterious smile on her face.

"Really?" I had asked with a smile on my face.

"Yes, but she was taken away right after she was born. That was three years ago." My aunt had answered.

"Did they find her? I asked.

"She was never found." Aunt Ting said, strangely enough with a smile on her face.

Could it be she was trying to tell me that I used to be the daughter?

I thought I suddenly saw a woman with grey hair stand in the doorway, looking at me sadly after which the locket appeared before my eyes again and I could hear a song;

Polar Bear Dogs play in the sun, happy and carefree

someday you will know how the world became, just like me

I will be here to love and guide you as the sun will rise high

I will always be there until the day I die

Polar Bear Dog, Polar Bear Dog, play in the sun

Growing up and having fun

You're so small and you're so young, unaware of what's around you

But you will be saved and you will be loved, by those who stand around you

I sat up and looked around when that dream had ended. That was one crazy dream.

Why would I remember that nonsense about a lost princess? Royalty. While I spent my adult life being an Anarchist. That would be rich

I thought as I bended my water arms in place and got up. When I entered the living room I saw my mother was making breakfast and my father was reading the newspaper.

"Hey." I yawned as I walked to the door and looked outside; it was clear, but on the North Pole that meant nothing. One moment the air could be clear and the next you could be in the midst of a snowstorm.

"Good morning. Breakfast is almost ready." My mother called, which made me do a double take. Breakfast? She hadn't made me breakfast in forever. What was going on here?

"Right." I replied before I walked out the door and looked around. The village of Hanuda hadn't changed one bit since I had last seen it. There were still only a few igloos with children running around them. The biggest one in the middle I recognized as the school. For the rest there was not much here. Except for all the criminals.

"Good thing I'm used to it." I smirked as I walked around the village, inspecting wares at a local market before I returned home just as my mother served some breakfast.

"Just in time." My mother smiled as she served me a bowl of breakfast.

"Breakfast?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow, not used to them being this kind to me.

"We're sorry and want to turn over a new leaf." My mother smiled, but it was a clear fake.

Like I trust you

I thought as I sat down and started to eat. It tasted awfully good but I was on too them. I wasn't falling for it as I pretended to enjoy the food my mother made me I thought of a few ways to get out. I knew the village well enough. Or I could use the tunnel I dug last time.

"Someone's hungry." My father commented with a smile on his face as ate my food.

"I barely ate yesterday, thanks to you." I commented dryly. After which my mother gave me a second bowl of food. She never did that before. What was going on here?

"You should eat some more, then." My mother smiled.

That was weird

I thought as i ate my second bowl of food slower. While doing so noticed how my parents looked at me. They were… happy?

Did they drug it? Too obvious.

I wondered as I sniffed it. Nothing. Good.

What's their plan?

I thought as I got up after breakfast was done to take a stroll around the village, maybe train a little. Anything besides being with my parents. I had to escape.

"Want to go for a spar?" My father asked, coming out of our home.

"No thanks." I replied as I turned and looked at him. "Can I go for a walk? A realone?"

"Let me join you. I haven't taken a walk with you since you were a little girl." My father smiled as he wrapped a arm around my waist and started to walk along with me. Great, now I couldn't plan my escape.

Gotta shake him off

I thought as we walked.

"You had your reasons." I said, smiling, hoping he would fall for it. "I won't be a bother. I just want to take a walk around the outside of the village. I'll be back in a little while."

"Your mother will understand. I want to show you a few improvements made to the village." My father insisted, holding on to me firmly as we walked.

After the walk and we had a sparring session in which my father didn't yell at me one my parents tucked me in. Must've drugged my food again.

That's what I get for being distracted...

Were my last thoughts before I passed out.

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And with that I end the chapter. I hope you all liked it!

Thanks for reading and thanks Paranoidgirl for doing such a awesome job as beta reader and advisor.

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