The ferry sailed smoothly through the lake at night and the newly formed alliance set off to liberate food from the captain of the ferry. Once the night guard had passed, Smellerbee, Jet and Zuko emerged from the lower deck and ran stealthily to the kitchens.
Smellerbee stood near the railings as a look-out while Jet jammed his hook swords right in the door jamb where the lock is located. The door swung free and they started collecting all the food in sight. They worked fast and quiet until Smellerbee signaled that the night guard was coming. They used the back entrance where Longshot was waiting and he fired an arrow lined with a rope at the railing. They slid back down to the lower deck and disappeared out of sight.
They reached the common area where the refugees where and they started doling out the rations so that everybody could eat. The refugees gratefully accepted the warm meal, thanking the young ones profusely.
They sat back down with Uncle Iroh who was heartily slurping up a bowl of noodles. "So... Smellerbee, that's an unusual name for a young man."
Smellerbee glared at the old man. "Maybe it's because I'm not a man. I'm a girl!" She stood up and walked away, Longshot following her.
"Oh, now I see! It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!" Iroh tried to correct his mistake, calling out after her.
Jet took her place and sat in front of Iroh and Zuko. "From what I hear, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall."
"It is a magnificent sight." Iroh agreed.
"So you've been there before?"
"Once..." He closed his eyes as he reminisced his days as a general of the Fire Nation. "When I was a... different man."
Jet could certainly relate about being a different man from the past. "I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se. For a new beginning, a second chance."
"That's very noble of you." Iroh looked meaningfully at Zuko who remained silent. "I believe people can change their lives, if they want to. I believe in second chances."
The group resumed their journey through the Serpent's Pass as soon as the sun rose. Everything was going well until they reached a portion of the pass completely submerged underwater.
Katara ordered everyone to form a single file, taking a stance. With a deep breath and focus, she waterbended the lake water to part, revealing the submerged path. Aang handed his glider to Toph and helped Katara maintain the path. The deeper they traveled, the harder it was to bend the water apart, so Katara and Aang decided to maintain a bubble that encapsulated all of them as they walked.
A few minutes into the deepest part, the group saw a large, dark figure pass by the right side. "W-what is that?" Lily clutched Kai's arm, looking for the figure as it disappeared.
Without warning, the bubble burst as a giant serpent-like creature tore through it, sending the lake water crashing back down on them. Before the water could fully claim them, Toph stepped on the ground hard and raised her arms. The ground beneath them shook and they were lifted up back to the surface of the lake.
The serpent resurfaced, opening its giant maw and revealing several razor-sharp teeth. "I-I think I just figured out why they call it the Serpent's Pass!" Sokka stumbled back as the giant monster released an ear-splitting screech. "Suki! You know about giant sea monsters! Make it go away!"
"Just because I live near the Unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!"
Sokka picked up a dazed Momo. "Oh great and powerful sea serpent! Please accept this humble and tasty offering! Thank you!"
Katara hit her brother in the head. "Sokka!"
The gigantic serpent screeched once more and dove towards them to attack. Aang moved forward and used his glider to deliver a stroke of wind that sent the monster aback. "I'll distract it! Katara, get everyone across!" He opened his glider and flew away from the group, the serpent's mouth following his heels.
Katara ran and froze a pathway on top of the lake, connecting the land that Toph had erected to the original pathway of the pass. After making sure that the ice bridge was stable, she ran off to help Aang. The group hurriedly crossed to the other side, but Toph was left on the small island.
"Toph, come on! It's just ice!" Sokka called out.
She felt the ice with her bare feet, quickly reeling back at the cold. "A-actually I'm gonna stay on my little island where I can see." With Katara's attacks, the Serpent fell back on the island where Toph stood. "Ahhh! Okay! Okay! I'm coming!" One foot in front of the other, she slid slowly towards the group.
"You're doing great!" Sokka called out to her, knowing that she cannot see over on the ice. "Just follow... the sound... of my voice!"
"It's hard to ignore!" Toph clapped back. Suddenly, the serpent's tail hit the ice bridge, causing it to collapse and sending her onto the water. "HELP! I can't swim!"
"I'm coming, Toph!" But before Sokka could begin removing his boots, Suki had jumped head first into the water and swam towards Toph.
"Lily!" Kai gripped her arms as she shook. Lily watched as Toph drowned in the lake, fighting to keep afloat and suddenly flashes of memories came to her. Memories of a large storm. Memories of a huge wave bringing her down from a ship, sending her into the black sea. Memories of the current keeping her away from the ship, even as she tried to swim back to it. Memories of struggling for breath as seawater filled her lungs. "Lily!" he took her face in his hands, gently tapping her cheek to get her attention.
She was jarred back to the present when Aang managed to get a critical hit on the serpent, sending it back against the jagged rocks and down the lake where it retreated to its depths. "A-a ship..." She whispered to Kai. "I-I was on a ship... and there was a s-storm... I-I was d-drowning..."
He pulled her in a tight hug to calm her down, running a soothing hand on her back. "It's okay, Lily. You're safe now. You're safe..." He willed her to calm down. "I'm here..."
Katara and Aang landed back on the pathway after defeating the serpent and the group resumed their journey. They finally reached the end of the pass by noon.
Sokka pointed at the distance. "There's the wall! Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se!" As if on the universe's cue, Ying clutched her stomach in pain. Her husband and sister held her up. "What's wrong?"
"T-The baby's coming!" Ying gasped as another contraction surged through her womb.
"What?! NOW?! Can't you hold it in or something?!"
Katara approached the lady. "Sokka, calm down. I helped Gran-gran deliver lots of babies back home.
"This isn't the same as delivering an arctic seal! This is a real human... thing!"
"It's called a baby... And I helped to deliver plenty of those, too." She then proceeded to instruct everyone in getting the needed supplies like rags and water. Toph earthbended a stone tent around the family and Katara to give them some privacy.
Zuko stood from the deck and looked out at the lake. There on the horizon stood the great walls of Ba Sing Se. His thoughts wandered back to what his uncle had said to him during the night when everyone was asleep.
"Zuko..." Iroh approached him after dinner. He was standing at the far end of the deck, away from the other refugees. "I meant what I said about people changing their lives and second chances."
"I know." The prince simply responded.
His uncle took a deep breath. "We should have a new beginning as well in Ba Sing Se. We can be Lee and Mushi, two refugees in the city-"
"No uncle... I have to get back... And I have to find Chiyo."
Iroh decided to speak the obvious hard truth he knew. "Zuko... Chiyo is as good as... dead..." He cringed at his own words, but he continued. "No one could survive being lost in the stormy high seas without a capable ship. And if the storm hadn't taken her, imagine all the dangerous creatures that lurked beneath the sea—"
"NO!" he turned to his uncle, his rage evident, even through the tears that somehow escaped the corner of his eyes. "She is not dead!"
"Let her go, Zuko..." Iroh gripped his nephew's arms as the latter felt the strength leaving him. "She wouldn't want to see you like this..."
"I barely saw her..." Zuko let his uncle envelope him in a hug and he cried out for Chiyo. "I barely saw her on the ship. I...I never got to tell her how sorry I was... I never got to tell her that I... I love her..."
Iroh cried silently for the pain of his nephew. If only he could take it all away, he would. He held him as he finally let himself be vulnerable. "She knows that you love her, Prince Zuko. She knows how sorrowful you are for your actions in the past. Why else would she go after you that night you were banished? Why else would she join Azula willingly on a trip if not to look for you?"
"Chiyo..." He called out as he closed his eyes, wanting to see her one last time even in his memories.
"She is in a happier place... She is free to dance among the fire lilies of the spirit world." Iroh comforted his nephew with the thoughts of her freedom. "She might even meet my son there..."
Zuko pulled out the poster with Chiyo's sketch once more. As much as he tried to deny it with every fiber of his being, the possibility that she was... gone... was undeniable. He stared hard at her face, burning every detail in his memory. Her eyes, her hair, her smile...
"That's a pretty girl on that paper..." Jet approached him. "That your girlfriend?"
The prince sighed. "Yeah..." He didn't bother telling Jet his life story.
Jet took the poster from him and examined it. "Missing person... Fire Nation... So y'all running away as fugitives, huh?" Zuko nodded. "Then what happened to her?"
"She's..."
The prince breathed out a heavy sigh as he turned away from Jet to look over the horizon. Should he really do as his uncle says? Should they have this new beginning in Ba Sing Se? Should he really let her go? Could he let her go?
"She's dead."
Ying gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl that they named 'Hope'. From there, Aang had journeyed ahead to Ba Sing Se, with renewed vigor and hope, to look for Appa. Suki headed back to Full Moon Bay. She had joined the journey to make sure that the group passes through safely. And now she must head back to the other Kyoshi Warriors.
The rest traveled on foot. Lily and Kai trailed behind with the refugees. He helped Tan carry his wife while Lily assisted the sister in caring for the newborn. And though it was a long arduous walk, they finally reached the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.
After paying for their tickets, they boarded the monorail that would take them to the inner walls of Ba Sing Se and settled on the seats. Hope was handed back to her mother and she tucked her in the blanket.
Lily sat next to Kai and leaned her head on his shoulder. The stress and lack of sleep from their journey had finally caught up with her and she fell asleep almost instantly.
He smiled and tucked a lose strand of her hair back behind her ear. 'Even in her sleep, she looks beautiful.' He caught himself in his thoughts and shook his head. He once again reminded himself that all he had to do was help her get back her memories, and that's it.
"Here," Tan offered him an extra blanket. "The lady seemed a bit cold."
"Thank you..." Kai bowed his head in thanks and wrapped Lily in the blanket, covering her shoulders and tucking her in.
In response to the warmth, she snuggled closer to him, burying her face in his neck. He couldn't help the dark blush that painted his cheeks at the closeness of the girl.
"So? Mr. Lee and Mr. Mushy, is it?" The large woman at the ticket booth scrutinized their passports.
Iroh corrected the lady. "It's pronounced as 'Moo-Shee'."
"You tellin' me how to do my job?" She raised a thick eyebrow at the pair.
"Uh, no! No!" Iroh approached the counter, "But may I just say you're like a flower in bloom. Your beauty's... intoxicating."
This line worked with all the ladies of the Salinja Troupe all the time. And the woman behind the counter was no exception to Iroh's charms. "Mmm... You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome..." She winked and imitated a cat, clawing at Iroh. She stamped the tickets and handed them to him. "Welcome to Ba Sing Se..."
Zuko snatched his ticket from his uncle. "I'm going to forget I saw that."
They settled in the waiting area and Jet walked over to them. "So you guys got plans once you're inside the city?"
"Get your hot tea here!" A vendor called out as he pushed his cart. "Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!"
Iroh's ears perked up and he called for the vendor. "Ooh! Jasmine please!" The vendor poured him a cup and he paid him a bronze coin. He excitedly took a sip and spat it out almost instantly, cringing. "Coldest tea in Ba Sing Se more like it!" he complained. "What a disgrace!"
Jet pulled Zuko aside and he began to tell him his offer. "You and I have a much better chance of making it in the city if we stick together. You wanna join the Freedom Fighters?"
"Thanks, but I don't think you want me in your gang."
"Come on! We made a great team looting that captain's food. Think of all the good we could do for these refugees!"
"I said no." Zuko turned away and walked back to his uncle who now had in his hand a steaming cup of tea.
Jet followed Zuko with his eyes, disappointed. "Have it your way." But something else caught his eyes. The previously cold cup of tea was now steaming and Iroh was happily sipping away. That could only mean one thing.
'Firebender.'
Zuko slapped the cup from his uncle's hand. "What are you doing firebending your tea?!" He whispered angrily so no one else could hear. "For a wise, old man, that was a pretty stupid move!"
Iroh looked down at floor. It's been a long while since had a decent cup of tea, and he only had a few sips before it went tumbling onto the stone floor. "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but," He sniffled. "That's so sad!"
"Last call for Ba Sing Se!" The conductor called out for the last passengers.
They boarded the monorail and looked for a couple of empty spaces. Iroh saw one next to a lady and her husband. He sat next to her followed by Zuko who was still angry at him for firebending.
Iroh turned to the wife who was holding a newborn in her arms. "What a beautiful baby!" he smiled and tickled the sleeping baby through his swaddle.
The woman returned the smile and thanked the old man, gazing happily at her little Hope.
The monorail started to move by sunset and off they go towards the inner walls of Ba Sing Se.