Chapter eight is here and ready to go. I was a bit tired when writing this because I had a very big and emotional day and so therefore, it is not my most favourite chapters. What comes after this I slightly hate myself for because I am just so mean to Anala. I just make her life worse and worse. I'm not proud of it but she'll get over it... maybe. I have a feeling I might get a lot of hate for it but oh well. Spoilers but not spoilers. Tell me what you think of Anala and Meili's relationship if you'd like. I've finished writing all the chapters and I am currently editing them and changing little bits and pieces. I'll probably upload every couple or so days :) Anyway, onto the story...

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Kai had never come to visit her again, and Anala didn't wish to seek her out. She sat on the large branch of a tree looking at the sunset, knowing their paths would cross again soon. The battle would begin and only one of them would survive while the other perished. She dangled her legs over the sides of the branches and stared at the sky.

She'd been sent on two other battles during the two months since her last battle where she'd seen Kai and with each day, she felt herself grow darker and darker. Though she was bitter and despised those around her, there was a part of her that longed to be held again by a friend, someone she could trust. She longed for love. She desired to be in the company of someone who she could trust. But where she was, that seemed impossible. She'd succumbed to the very thing she wished to never become: a killer.

She'd killed more people over the span of a couple of months than she'd ever thought she would. The part inside her, the princess part of her, shook her head in shame at what she was doing but the current Anala paid her no heed and continued to slice and burn her victims, not taking pity. She hated herself for it but, at the same time, she could care less.

Once the sky was filled with twinkling stars and the moon shone brightly, she decided it was time to climb down from her perch and return to her camp before anyone noticed she was gone. At the base of the tree, she was surprised to see Meili waiting for her, smiling softly.

Ever since her return from her very first battle, she'd blocked everyone out. She pushed Lamon away, she stopped taking notice of Meili's attempts to comfort her and became cold, something Lanzo seemed to admire. She acted the same towards Loesan and he acted the same towards her, unless they were around others, that is. If they were in that situation, he'd act as if he actually possessed emotions and was capable of loving.

Meili was sitting on the ground by herself, no candles, no papers, nothing. Just herself. Anala's eyebrow twitched. The old woman patted the ground beside her. Anala was cautious at first but sat beside the woman, staring at the ground as if she'd never seen such a thing in her life. "Was it nice up there?" Meili asked casually, getting more comfortable. Anala rolled her eyes. We're going to be here for a while, she thought.

"A little breezy," Anala said, causing Meili to chuckle.

"Yes, that tends to happen in the afternoon. A slight breeze here and there," Meili laughed. She stopped for a moment but never looked to Anala, just towards the sky. "If they still existed, I would have mistaken you for an airbender. You looked very content up there."

"I like it, I feel free," stated Anala simply and dully, as if all the life had been sucked from her.

Meili was silent for a moment and turned to study Anala. "We all desire that feeling one way or another. I wish to be free of pain, Lamon wishes to be free from the shadow of his brother, you wish to be free, but from what?" Anala glared at the ground, not attempting to say a word.

After a moment of silence Meili spoke once more. "You're hurt. Deeply." Anala's eyes snapped to Meili who was looking at her sympathetically. "I see it in your eyes. Every day you make out to be this tough girl who can take on the world, but your eyes betray you. Things have happened in your past. Things that you can't escape and things you can't let go of. It will get better if you let go. Let go Kaina." That was the moment the tears started to flow.

She tried to hold it in, she tried to suppress it but it became too much and she broke down in a fit of sobs. Meili pulled her into a tight hug and let her cry. There were no harsh comments telling her to stop, just sweet hushes and kind words of reassurance. She leaned into the hug, holding Meili and never wanting to let her go. She felt love well inside her and wished even more for her own mother to be there. She wanted her mother holding her with the same love and care that Meili was giving her. She wanted her mother to be comforting her and reassuring her. "It will be alright." The statement from Meili put her at ease.

Anala had never experienced motherly love, Ursa was kind to her but it wasn't the same. Meili seemed more like a mother to her than she'd ever expected or experienced. She allowed herself to be held by Meili until the crying stopped and allowed herself to stay in the woman's arms, enjoying the feeling of being loved. She'd missed it.

Most of all, she missed her father.

Though, she hated herself slightly for being born, she hated herself for taking this kind of love away from Lu Ten so she could live. She wondered whether he'd ever blamed her for that loss of motherly love.

Your hair will go grey if you keep thinking like that, she told herself. Meili held her in front of her, staring into her eyes almost as if she was staring into her soul. She was about to say something, something Anala knew would be important to her future, but there was a cry in the distance for them and it distracted Meili.

Without another word the two walked back to camp, Meili with her arm protectively around the younger girl and Anala clinging to her side like a child to its mother. The love and respect she held for Meili grew in that moment and she finally decided to let her hate towards the woman go. Though, some things were harder to forget than others.

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Anala spent a lot of time with Meili after that. She was guaranteed to be by the woman's side at all times learning new firebending tricks or learning how to do simple tasks she hadn't needed to do while she was on the run or in prison. Washing clothes for instance, was something extremely foreign to Anala.

"You dip it into the water, rinse it and then squeeze all the water out. It's very simple. Didn't anyone ever teach you this?" Anala shook he head at Meili who just chuckled and patted the girls head. "Here, try," she said cheerfully, placing a sock in Anala's hand.

"You're placing a lot of trust in me by giving me this sock. Are you sure?" Anala asked sarcastically as she dipped the sock into the water, grinning as Meili bellowed with laughter. She swirled it around in the soapy water and then pulled it out, scrunching it up into a ball and hanging it on the rope that was attached between two trees.

"I was almost worried for a second that it would blow up," Meili joked as she continued with her washing after having pushed a small pile of clothing to Anala to do. The young girl and the old woman continued their work in a comfortable silence.

"Meili?" The woman hummed in acknowledgment. "You do know that the rubbish about Loesan and I is just rubbish right?"

The older woman chuckled. "Of course I know. I heard it from Ming's mouth. Nothing that woman says is ever true... well, most of it isn't anyway. I doubted it to start with. I didn't think you'd be one to stand for his nonsense. You deserve someone smarter, who'll treat you nice, someone who doesn't judge you for who you are, someone who will love you as much as you love them. You'll find them one day."

Anala and Meili continued to do chores around the camp for the day, washing clothes and sheets for the soldiers who all greeted Meili with kindness. While they were helping the cook cut up vegetables, Anala felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. Lamon stood there, grinning broadly at her. "Meili, do you mind if Anala and I go for a walk for the moment?"

Meili looks stunned but smiled at him, ruffling his dark hair. "Of course, be back before dark." She gave Anala a hug before letting the two go. Lamon said nothing to Anala but indicated to her to follow him.

They journeyed through the camp and onto a small path in the forest. She'd never been along the path but trusted his judgement. "Close your eyes," he whispered to her. She did as she was told, stumbling forward slightly as she tripped on a small rock. Lamon chuckled and grabbed her and walked her. She hesitated, unsure whether to trust him or not but finally decided it was time to change. Let go, Meili's words rang in her head.

He stopped her in her tracks; she could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin and sighed. "Open your eyes," he whispered into her ear. She peeked and gasped. "I've never seen so many fox antelopes or gemsbok bulls in one place before!" she exclaimed, climbing through the bushes to get a better look at the massive herd of animals in front of them. She'd liked the creatures that inhabited the Earth Kingdom, they fascinated her. She'd only ever seen pictures of animals in books or a few in the circus when she was a child but to see them with her own eyes made her all fuzzy inside.

She thought the reason behind her passion for the animals was that they were able to be free and not have to worry too much about things around them, unlike humans. "It's cool, isn't it?" Lamon said, watching Anala's reaction.

"It sure is. How'd you find this place?" she asked, noting the animals probably weren't just there for one night. They'd been there a while.

"Just wandering around... I actually stepped into some dung," he said, disgust displayed on his face. He cringed and Anala laughed at him. He looked at her in annoyance but soon laughed along with her.

He stopped laughing suddenly and turned to her, looking at her intensely. She tilted her head in confusion and was shocked as he grabbed her by the shoulders and brought her closer, glancing at her lips once and started leaning in. Her face started heating up and she could feel it turn to a red that would have rivalled the colour of her dress. She leaned forward as well, uncertain about the situation but welcomed it. Their lips almost touched when Ming suddenly appeared beside them. "General Lanzo wishes to see Lamon. Now," she stated. Anala glared at the woman as Lamon rushed off. "Loesan has also demanded the presence of Kaina in his tent."

"If I don't come?" she challenged. The nurse looked confused, as if she herself didn't really understand Loesan's urgency to see her and neither did she understand the purpose of the message. "He said that is you said anything like that, he would expose your more interesting side to the others." The nurse tapped her chin as if trying to figure out what it meant. Anala was just as confused as she was.

So, instead of arguing with the woman, she chose to walk back with the nurse in silence, wanting to find out exactly what Loesan was on about and what was meant to be so threatening. She was unsure how to feel about the situation, brushing it aside as him finally having the guts to propose or some nonsense like that. Either way, she was not going to act impressed. She would be especially angry since he'd sent Ming, who was the person who ruined all the good situations in her life like the almost-kiss that she had. Loesan better be prepared for her bad mood.