Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 35: On Their Way
The Avatar looked thoughtful as the Northern Air Temple finally disappeared from view. Their stop there had been an interesting one and as it turned out, very beneficial to the new residents, those Earth Kingdom refugees who had made the temple their new home. Aang was angry at first to see others living where his people once thrived. He wasn't proud of the feeling but he was honest enough to admit it to himself.
The Earth Kingdom settlers, that was an appropriate word he thought, changed things, changed air nomad things, disrupted the flow of the beautiful temple and made it their own. Aang had selfishly thought those first few hours, that no one had a right to do that. But, he came to realize, they had every right. His people were dead and gone and much as that hurt the Avatar to his very core, he knew that Gyatso and his other mentors would be thrilled that someone was making good use of the temple. What good was an empty, desolate place? A place full of life and love and happiness was infinitely better.
"What are you thinking about, Aang?" Katara peered at the boy with curious and concerned eyes.
Aang smiled. "I'm glad that there are people living at the temple. It makes me happy."
"And what people they are!" Sokka's blue eyes took on a dreamy quality as he recalled the Mechanist and his inventions. "That man is a genius. Can you believe some of the things he came up with?"
"He is pretty amazing," Aang agreed. "But, Sokka, you're just like him. You helped finish that hot air balloon design. You're an inventor too. Those ships might help our side win the war. The Fire Nation doesn't have anything like that."
Sokka stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I guess you're right; I am sort of an inventor. You know, I can picture myself with a workshop somewhere, tinkering all day long, drawing designs. That would be so cool."
"But Sokka, you can't draw." Katara smirked and then gave her brother a nudge.
"I take offense to that; my drawing skills may not be superior but they're not that bad."
"Trust me, Sokka, they're bad." The waterbender was laughing now, clutching her belly tightly.
"Fine; I can get someone else to draw my designs for me. In fact, I just thought of one. If you can have a ship that moves through the air, why can't you have one that moves under the water? I'm sure that it's possible."
Aang and Katara exchanged a glance. They were both impressed.
"Wow, do you really think you could make something like that?" Aang finally asked. "I'd love that."
"Yeah, I think it's possible."
"That's really great Sokka, but we need to stop Zhao before we worry about anything like that." Katara looked serious all of a sudden and she stared down at the blue of the sea that stretched out before them. It was all that separated them from the Northern Water Tribe now.
"You worry about your water hocus pocus and I'll worry about inventions, okay. We each have our skills."
"I wonder what it's like there. Do you think they'll have a big city made of ice? I can't wait to see it." Katara was the one looking dreamy now. She imagined the wonders of their northern sister tribe where waterenders were plentiful and a master easy to find. The girl really couldn't wait. She touched her mother's necklace, briefly thinking about the woman who never got a chance to see anything but her own small village. Katara's heart ached like it always did whenever her mother came to mind. For something that happened eight years earlier, the wound was still raw and gaping.
"I'm sure that it will be really awesome!" Aang replied supportively, positive and upbeat as almost always.
"Yeah, I'm sure too." Katara looked back down at the sea, the cold wind blowing wisps of brown hair into her face. Irritated, she tucked the strands behind her ears and went back to staring.
Mai, being the only female, was given her own tent, while Zuko bunked with Iroh and Jee. She didn't even bother bringing up sharing with Zuko; the looks on the tribesmen's faces said it all. She and the prince might be betrothed, but when they were traveling with the Water Tribe, Mai and Zuko would sleep separately. Sighing exaggeratedly, she slipped into her bedroll and then pulled the deliciously warm fur Hakoda had handed her, over the length of her body. A man's parka, the smallest one that they could find, along with boots that were too big and oversized mittens, all lay piled in the far corner of the tent. Mai chuckled to herself. She would look ridiculous in the get up, like some little kid playing dress up in her father's clothes. But she also knew that the closer they got to the North Pole, the less she would care about that. She would be grateful for the warmth.
Dinner with the Southern Water Tribe men had been awkward at best. While Hakoda was kind and accepting, the rest of the group glared and whispered, pointed and frowned. Zuko had been especially uncomfortable under the scrutiny and his face was red and angry looking all through the meal. The chief took men aside and spoke softly to them and then the outright glares lessened. But the furtive ones continued. Again, Mai couldn't blame the men. Why would they suddenly trust people from the Fire Nation? That would go against everything they had experienced and heard in their lives. Years of conditioning didn't simply go away. Mai understood that more than most people did.
Her thoughts dwindled as she drifted closer and closer to sleep. She dreamt of home that night, hot sun and white sand beaches, white buildings with red roofs, red and orange and gold everywhere, spicy food that could give you a rush that rivaled sex. A loud shout outside her tent ripped her from dreamland and back into reality.
"Breakfast; we set sail in one hour."
It was still dark out.
Zuko fumbled his way out of his bed roll and dragged a hand through his tangled shaggy hair. He hated getting up in the dark; early was fine, he was a firebender after all, but before the sun rose was inhuman. He stubbed his toe on a satchel and grunted a curse before putting on his outer tunic and cloak. Beside him, Jee and Iroh were stretching and yawning inside their own bedrolls.
"Didn't we just go to bed?" the former general asked with a wink.
"Short night indeed," Jee agreed. He stood up and began to dress, folding up his bedroll neatly and packing the rest of his meager belongings.
"Breakfast is now," Zuko reminded them and left the tent, bag and bedding slung over his shoulder.
His eyes immediately sought out Mai and when he spotted her standing awkwardly near the large fire, wondering whether she should help or not, Zuko smiled. Feeling his gaze on her, Mai looked up, giving him an answering smirk. She beckoned him over and they sat down together on one of the many logs that the men used for seats.
The Water Tribesmen were all alert looking and busy, some making breakfast, some taking down tents and some loading up the boats. Zuko felt guilty for not helping so offered his services to the first man that walked by.
"I don't need your help. Ask the chief what you can do?" he replied roughly and continued on with his work.
Zuko looked around the large group of men for Hakoda and when he spotted him, strode across the sand purposefully. "Is there something Mai and I can do to help?"
The handsome middle aged man thought for a moment. "Can you dismantle the tents you slept in and fold them up properly?"
"Um, sure, we can do that."
"Good; quickly then eat. We'll be casting off soon." He watched as Zuko and Mai went about their assigned task quickly and efficiently. That's what he liked to see. There would be no royal temper tantrums or refusals to work when he was in charge.
Less than an hour later, everyone had eaten breakfast, and everything was packed safely aboard the boats. Mai and Zuko wondered then whether they would continue their journey with Bato or with someone else.
Hakoda, as if reading their minds, gave them their boat assignments. "It doesn't make sense to have all four of you together on one boat." Zuko and Mai looked at each other uneasily. "This Zhao bastard wants to get his hands on you and Mai most of all, doesn't he?" Zuko nodded. "Then Mai and Iroh will come with me, and you, Zuko, and the lieutenant will sail with Bato." The prince opened his mouth to protest. Hakoda raised his hand and shook his head 'no'. "You never put all the important passengers on one boat. Should we encounter Zhao or other Fire Nation vessels and they sink one of our boats, we don't want all of you on it. Understood?"
Reluctantly, the pair nodded.
"I'm not unsympathetic to young love; I've been there myself. But the separation is practical and its only for a few days, a week at the most. So say your goodbyes"
The couple looked around for a quiet, private spot. They found one a bit further down the beach, near where the sand ended and the trees began. Hakoda watched, his eyes growing misty. He wasn't thinking about Mai and Zuko, but about his Kya. She'd been gone for eight years now, but she was still the love of his life. He recalled those intense feelings of desire and passion and connection, the overwhelming need to be close to her. He had never given another woman so much as a thought or a even a casual glance. Kya would want him to find someone else, but Hakoda was positive that he never would. She had been his everything. He envied the prince.
"It's going to be so strange not being with you." Zuko looked around furtively and then pulled Mai in for a kiss. It grew heated very quickly and soon their hands began to roam, searching out those private places meant only for each other.
"Damn; I wish we had time and somewhere we could be alone." Mai was aching with want now and her breath was coming in strained little puffs.
"I know." Zuko nuzzled her neck and then broke away, the intensity of his passion almost too much to bear. "But we need to go now."
He looked at her seriously then, and briefly touched her cheek with his fingertips. "Be careful, I mean if we end up in a dangerous situation."
"You be careful too." Mai narrowed her eyes at Zuko. Being careful was not one of his strong suits.
"Time's up," they heard Hakoda call.
They walked back down to the water's edge hand in hand and then went their separate ways. Zuko gave his uncle a smile and a wave before boarding Bato's boat with Jee.
Half an hour later, all the boats were out of the cove and heading north, sailing one behind the other, looking like a string of jewels in the deep blue of the sea.
The Northern Water Tribe was everything that Katara had dreamed about; it looked like a magical city built of ice, with canals and locks and beautifully made building after building. The sheer amount of people wearing blue almost overwhelmed her. They were her people, though not of the same tribe, and they called to her. She wanted to talk with everyone, share experiences and learn what life was like at the top of the world as opposed to life on the bottom.
She and Sokka and Aang were welcomed, after an initial misunderstanding outside the city's imposing outer wall. They asked for an audience with the tribe's chief; they had alarming news to share after all. Their request was granted and Arnook, that was the chief's name, took their warnings very seriously. In fact, he declared a state of alert and posted additional guards on the city's wall immediately, while also declaring the following day one of preparation for the upcoming battle. The city's men would all be ready to fight. As soon as he used the word 'men', Katara's back went up and she blurted her questions out without thinking.
"What about the women? Don't you have female benders?"
Arnook looked at her curiously and then smiled. "I'll let our master bender, Pakku, answer that question."
The guests' eyes turned to the white haired older man who wore a seemingly perpetual stern expression. He looked down at Katara and frowned.
"Yes, we have female benders but we believe here that it's their place to learn healing, not fighting."
"What?" Katara's eyes blazed with fury. "But we came here looking for a master for both me and Aang. I want to learn more. I want to fight, not sit in a tent and do nothing."
Pakku was furious himself now. "How dare you question our traditions? What we do works for us quite well and has for hundreds of years."
"But, you'll need all the fighters you can get when Zhao invades. Don't you understand that? "
"We have enough men to fight our battles. The women will tend to the injured." The waterbending master stroked his moustache roughly as if taking his anger out on it.
"So that means you won't teach me?" Katara looked directly into the man's sharp eyes, her own blue orbs narrowed and questioning.
"Give the girl a prize; she figured it out. I will gladly teach the Avatar. You can go to Yugoda's tent and learn healing techniques with the other little girls."
"Well, if you won't teach Katara then I won't go to your classes either." Aang's arms were crossed over his chest and his chin was thrust outward.
"Fine; have fun teaching yourself." Pakku wouldn't budge.
Arnook stepped in then, trying to smooth ruffled feathers. "Enough; I think our guests are tired from their journey. Let them rest up as we prepare a feast for tonight."
He stood up from his throne of ice then and retreated to the interior of the large ice building that loomed behind them.
"You heard the man." Pakku sneered and then got up himself.
"Geez, what a jerk." Sokka's proclamation, while unsophisticated, hit the mark.
"Aang," Katara said softly. He turned to meet her worried eyes. "It's okay. You take classes with Pakku. You're the Avatar; you have to learn to save the world. I'll give the healing thing a try."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes; now let's go to our quarters and have a rest. I could use it."
As they walked along the canal, a gondola glided past. Neither Aang nor Katara took any notice. Sokka, however, stopped and watched as a gorgeous white haired girl dressed in a lovely coat, her hands warm inside a fur muff, moved past them, comfortably seated in the narrow boat. He caught her eye and she gave him a bright smile.
"Hey," Sokka called and waved. "My name's Sokka. I'm here from the Southern Water Tribe. Maybe I'll see you later."
The girl giggled and waved back.
"What are you doing, Sokka? What about Suki? I thought that she was your girl." Katara looked almost disgusted at her brother's antics.
"I just said hello. What's wrong with that? You're so uptight, Katara."
Come on," Aang encouraged his friends. "Our place is right up here."
All three of them slept soundly until dinnertime.
The wind was in their favor and the sailboats made excellent time. They had to skirt around the northwestern Earth Kingdom before reaching wide open water and making the rest of their way north. Unfortunately, that part of the Earth Kingdom was perilously close to some large outer Fire Nation islands and the chances of meeting Fire Nation patrols great. They stuck as close to the Earth Kingdom coast as was feasible, keeping vigilant watch.
As the group of boats rounded the final curve of Earth Kingdom land, they were greeted by two enormous Fire Nation vessels. Iroh and Mai along with Hakoda and five other WaterTribesmen, spotted the ships first.
"They will launch fireballs from their trebuchets first; I can deflect them." Iroh readied himself. "What I miss, Zuko and Jee can catch. Do you have any form of defense?"
Hakoda grinned. "I'm glad you asked me that. We have a little something I like to call the 'stink and sink'".
Mai looked at the chief quizzically. "The what?"
"Tangle mines; full of seaweed and stinkfish. They are very effective."
Hakoda gave the order and the tangle mines were moved to the front of the ship. The word was passed back to the other vessels and soon they were each prepared.
"We need to get closer." Again, the chief gave an order and everyone moved away from the coastline and headed straight for the Fire Nation vessels.
The fireballs, just as Iroh predicted, came hot and heavy. The former general ably deflected most of the ones that came near, letting the other ones drop into the water. Mai watched as Zuko and Jee took care of the few that made it by Iroh. She felt useless; there really was nothing she could do in a fight such as this one. With a sigh, she sat down on the deck and watched as the drama unfolded.