Author's note: This chapter and the next few I'll be working on descriptions during conversation and general imagery. If you are so inclined, I'd love some constructive feedback on those points. General feedback is also welcome.
She screamed. Heavens how she screamed. Everywhere from the highest peak to the lowest valley could hear her voice as she yelled with all her might "Higher, Papa! Higher!"
Kyala surveyed her surroundings with a sense of unease. The simple stone patio, the red stained wooden pergola, and the creeping vines that wound their way up the pergola's pillars looks innocent enough. Fragrant yellow and pink flowers blossomed overhead with a sweet, almost heady, scent. Even the wooden chair was comfortable, if a bit worn.
Piro's home lay less than 15 feet away and she was surrounded by one of the most extraordinary displays of botany she'd ever seen. Bed after bed after bed of herbs, vegetables, fruits, and wild flowers stretched from door of the house to the edge of the grove. Thousands of plants of at least a hundred different species, some extremely exotic and difficult to cultivate in the best of conditions. Kyala watched breathtaking jeweled butterflies float effortlessly through the garden and alight on each flower. The petals bent delicately under their slight weight.
Even in the midst of this beauty, Kyala's eyes never strayed far from Piro's home. Inside, Piro brewed some of the finest tea in the Fire Nation, or so she claimed. Though Kyala didn't understand the game Piro played, she recognized she'd been hustled on her arrival. The bonsai tree was a tile on the board - to force her to move in a chosen direction or did the tree signify some other play? Kyala needed more information. She needed to step back and behold the board in its entirety and, if possible, her opponent. Piro used her father's death against her, Kyala was certain. She wished great uncle Iroh hadn't left them - Kyala could use his guidance right about now.
Piro appeared at the doorway of the house carrying a tray with a tea kettle, two cups, and something that looked like biscuits. Piro smiled brightly, as if she carried a long sought present to a favored grandchild. Kyala smiled and waved awkwardly. She resolved that, when she returned to the palace, she would requisition and lead a full platoon of the Fire Nation's best soldiers back here and put a halt to this game.
The tray clattered softly when Piro placed it on the small wooden table. Aromas of spice oolong wafted up from the tea kettle. Kyala's stomach growled unexpectedly. Traitor. Piro poured a generous cup and offered a small amber nugget to Kyala, "Honey?" Kyala contemplated the old woman. This moment was a gamble: was Piro the kind of person to poison someone they just met?
"Please," Kyala smiled and took both the crystallized honey and the tea cup. Just one sip tasted absolutely exquisite - a complex blend of subtle flavors unlike anything she'd ever tried before. She knew in her heart great uncle Iroh would've loved this tea. Kyala felt no twinge of pain. No sudden relaxation. No spreading numbness. No hint that the tea contained any poison, whatsoever. Piro sat down in the chair across from Kyala with a great sigh of relief.
Kyala took another tentative sip and then asked "How did you know I was Aang's daughter?"
Piro smiled gently and picked the tea cup from the table, "You appear to be an Air Bender dressed in Fire Nation styled clothing. There are precious few in this world that can claim both loyalties." The old woman brought the cup to her lips, took a long sip, then placed the cup back on the table. The old woman smiled warmly. "Your father and I were friends for a very long time. I would be remiss if I was unable to recognize one of his children."
Kyala looked beyond the gardens near the house and gestured to the grove. She needed to change the subject to prevent Piro from using her father as a means to get close. "That's not a sacred grove, is it?"
Piro frowned slightly and followed Kyala's gaze. "Once, yes. Before this land was stripped bare and forced to bear paltry crops for a ravenous army this grove had a unique purpose. One might appeal to benevolent spirits that inhabited the grove to guide the dearly departed in their next life. You would give a heartfelt offerings, no matter the size, as payment."
Kyala looked incredulous. "And you know this, how? I've never heard of such a belief."
Piro smile tightened somewhat. "You would be surprised how different the lives and beliefs of your peasantry are compared to what you might find in the palace. A future-ruler should know her people, don't you agree?"
The jab irritated Kyala. The nerve of this woman. "My brother, Fire Lord Bumi, rules well. On top of that, I don't want the throne."
Piro nodded thoughtfully. "Your father said something similar before he took on the mantle of Fire Lord. With Azula by his side, Aang made a fine and just ruler with Azula by his side. One is often surprised what they can accomplish once they choose to step up."
Bird song filled the silence between the young air bender and the old woman. Kyala weighed her options under the guise of sipping more tea. Her father rarely mentioned his time gallivanting across the world with his friends on the back of a flying bison. He regretted some act, some painful memory. What were their names again? There was Aang, her father, Azula, her mother, Sokka and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, Toph of the Earth Kingdom, Ty Lee of the Fire Nation, and Piro, of the Earth Kingdom.
Kyala decided on a stratagem: if she could keep Piro talking and on the defensive, Kyala might be able to determine the game she found herself in. Perhaps, with some luck, she might even make a few moves of her own. Kyala made a calculated expression and wiped some tears from her eyes.
"So, how did you meet my father?"