Some info for Avatar fans; I've heard rumors that the season premiere is this Friday, March 19. I can't guarantee it, but it can't hurt to look either. So check the TV guide for that night and cross your fingers!
Chap. 9
The Gathering of Earth Part 1
The ferry to Ba Singe Se was the most visited place in all the Earth Kingdom. With the Fire Nation constantly on the move throughout the vast continent, people were forced to leave their homes at an ever-quickening rate. In their panic and fear, they had all turned towards the one place that they knew would be an impenetrable haven for them- the great walled city of Ba Sing Se. And to do that, there was only one route- the ferry. A hundred years ago, it had been filled with citizens eager to see the great Earth Kingdom capital as tourists. Now it was filled to the brim with the broken, the hungry, and the poor, all waiting for the chance at new life that Ba Sing Se offered.
As he looked over the masses waiting to get inside, Truneo, Knight of Thunder, was grimly reminded of that fact. Everywhere he looked, he saw pitiable, sad faces that had all of their joy and hope taken from them. He saw a family that dragged their wounded father along with them on a tarp, stumps trailing behind from where his legs should be. He saw dirty-faced children hanging around the entranceways, their eyes huge and pleading as they begged for food and sustenance. But no matter how many faces he saw, all Trueno heard was the same mantra- that everything would be better once they were inside the city, that Ba Sing Se would finally bring an end to their suffering.
Don't worry, soon you won't need this place. Soon you'll be able to go home. Truneo thought as he walked through the station, looking at all the refugees around him. Despite his optimistic thoughts, Trueno's eyes still looked out at these people with pity and anguish through his mask. The ram had been doing his job for close to five hundred years, and no matter how many times he was forced to see pain and suffering, he always felt his heart bleed at the sight of it. These people had been driven from their homes, from all they knew and from all whom they'd loved. Some of them had lost those people forever, never to see them until they journeyed into the next world. And the only thing that had kept them going was the hope for rebirth and protection in Ba Sing Se. But none of them knew the doom that would hang over Ba Sing Se if their protectors failed….
That's enough of that. Trueno thought sternly to himself. You're here to make sure that doesn't happen. So you need to get focused and figure out how you're going to find Suki and the Kyoshi warriors. Nodding in silent agreement, Trueno wiped his eyes and kept on walking. The ram truly did have a difficult task in front of him. While the ram had plenty of experience finding people, he was hampered by the fact he had never met Suki and the warriors. He and the other Knights had joined up with the Avatar Gang nearly a month after they had been Kyoshi Island. If it hadn't been for the knowledge of the Architects, the ram would there now, only to discover that the warriors had all left soon after their encounter with the Avatar, wanting to be a bigger part of the war effort.
Thank heaven for that much. Trueno thought. Before he'd left, Oscuridad had passed on that information to the ram, along with the fact that the warriors had been working at the ferry, escorting refugees across to the city. The bat had also advised the ram to keep his presence as low-key as possible, a fact that Truneo had needed no advice on. Trueno knew that this was a very subtle operation, and that for the Fire Nation to remain in the dark, he had to make his presence here completely unknown. Any word that an Elemental Knight was here would send these people into a frenzy, and Trueno knew that word of such things always spread quickly. So to accomplish his task as quietly as possible, he'd masked himself again before entering the ferry, and hidden his rod under the folds of his cloak.
The only problem was that none of his secrecy was helping him to find the warriors. The amount of people inside this place was so vast that it was near impossible to find any one specific person. It was a needle in a haystack times a million. If Trueno was going to have any success, he needed to find someone that was connected with the daily operations of this place. But again, the number of refugees was making that a problem. Still, Trueno refused to let himself become discouraged, and began to try to devise a plan. I've walked through most of the place by now. Therefore, the entrance to the ferry must close by. But which direction do I take?
But before he could further contemplate, a screech suddenly broke through his concentration. Startled, the ram had nearly leapt in the air, but then caught himself as the yelling continued. It was a woman's voice, filled with anger and indignation at something that the ram could only partially make out through the rage. God, why won't she shut up. He thought himself as he covered his ears against her rant, though it barely made a difference. Do we all need to hear about how someone doesn't have a tic… Realization suddenly flowed through the ram's mind, and he smiled under his mask. Moving in the direction of the screech, he soon came upon the main entrance to the ferry. Trueno also came upon the source of the screech; the ticket-woman seated at her booth, who was still berating a young man for not having his ticket.
"No one gets into Ba Sing Se without a ticket!" the woman yelled, as the young man trembled under her gaze. "What kind of organization do you think we are running here? Do you think just anyone can get into the city?" Before the man could answer, a pair of guards suddenly came up and dragged him away. The ticket-woman leaned back and called out, "NEXT!"
"Time to make my move." Trueno said to himself, as he headed towards the booth. Moving quickly, the ram was able to sidestep the woman moving into line and reach the ticket-woman first.
"Do you have your ticket and paperwork?" the woman snapped.
"Oh no, I'm not trying to get into the city." Trueno replied, trying to sound as easy-going and cheerful as he could. "I'm actually trying to find someone …"
"Does this look like a lost and found?!" the woman yelled back. "If you lost somebody, talk to one of the guards!"
"I'm sorry, I couldn't find any." Trueno replied, not changing his voice. "But it's very important I find this person. Her name is Suki, she's……"
"I don't care! Go to the guards! NEXT!"
"Mam' please, she's one of the escorts you have working for you." Truneo looked around quickly, then whispered, "And I was sent by the Earth King to find her."
"Prove it!" the woman sneered.
At this, Trueno actually froze; he had brought nothing with him that would prove his connection to the Earth King, and what he could use to prove himself would cause way too much of a scene. Defeated, the ram shook his head, and walked away. Of course, once he was some distance from the woman, he began formulating another plan. The distance from her loud, screaming voice was quite helpful as well.
But before he could actually think of anything, a hand gripped his shoulder and voice said, "I'm sorry about the clerk, sir. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"Well, I don't know…" the ram said as he began to turn around. But when he saw the person who'd spoken, his eyes went wide. It was a young girl with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, dressed in a tan uniform. She appeared to be around Sokka's age, and Trueno could tell from her grip that she was rather strong. Hmm. It's worth a try. He thought to himself.
"Actually, maybe you can help." Trueno said. "But I need to ask you something. Are you from Kyoshi Island?"
"Yes." The girl answered, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"Sorry, I couldn't tell without the makeup." Trueno said. Leaning in close, he whispered into the girl's ear, "I'm a friend of the Avatar. I need to talk to Suki and the rest of the warriors."
"I see." The girl replied as Trueno moved away. "Do you have any proof?"
"I can tell you that Sokka still has the fan Suki gave him when he left. The uniform too." Truneo said.
"Not bad. But I'll need a little more. What was the name of the girl that called the Avatar, "Aangy?"
"Um… it was a 'c' something,…. Coco?"
The girl was quiet a moment, then replied, "All right. I'll take you to Suki. My name's Ki Tye by the way."
"Trueno. Nice to meet you." The ram said in relief.
Ki Tye led Trueno through the masses of people and into a secret door carved into the rock walls. This door led them into a series of rooms sculpted into the rock walls. They went through three rooms, before Ki Tye knocked on the last door, and said, "Suki, there's someone here to see you. It has to do with the Avatar."
Almost instantly, the door unlocked and Suki walked out, dressed in her escort uniform. She looked over at Trueno and said, "Are you the messenger?"
"That I am. And you must be Suki." Trueno replied, bowing deeply towards the young woman. "I see Sokka did not do you justice with his description."
Suki smiled at that, and then asked, "And how do you know Sokka?"
"My siblings and I have been traveling with Sokka and the Avatar for some time now." The ram replied as he rose back up. "Our fathers and mothers gave us the job of protecting Aang as he fulfills his destiny."
"Fathers and mothers?" Suki asked.
"I'm sorry, I suppose I should explain myself." Trueno looked around a moment, then asked, "Are we alone in here?"
"The other warriors are out helping the refugees." Suki answered. "I was the only one here before you came."
"Good, then I can explain." Trueno said, as he moved his hands to his mask. As he began to undo it, he said, "I gave Ki Tye the name Trueno, but I have another name that you may be more familiar with." As he pulled off the last of the mask's wrappings, Suki and Ki Tye gasped at the sigh of the ram's uncovered face.
"My name is also Thunderer." Trueno said, as he held out his open hand. With a small crack of thunder and a flash of lighting, his rod suddenly appeared in his hand. The two Kyoshi warriors stared in amazement at the sight of the Knight, who reveled in it for a minute, then smiled and said, "Sorry, but I'm a sucker for dramatic entrances."
"Y-you're one of the Elementals." Suki sputtered in amazement.
"That I am. But I'd prefer if we kept that fact to ourselves." Trueno said. "My business here is of the utmost secrecy."
"What is it you need then?" Suki asked.
"I'm here on a recruitment assignment. The Earth King and the Architects themselves have been planning the final attack on the Fire Nation. With their help, Aang will finally bring an end to this war. But to that, he needs a force to get him into the Fire Nation, a force called the Army of the Avatar. People have been sent all over the world to gather soldiers for the Army. I was sent here to find you and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors."
"Why us?" Suki asked.
"I don't know. But it is the will of the Architects, the gods themselves, that you and the warriors come with us." Trueno said. "I've got a way for us to get into the Fire Nation safely, but it'll take a few days before we can use it, when my companions are inside and have set up camp."
"The Fire Nation?! You actually want us to go there?" Ki Tye gasped in shock.
"Apparently he does." Suki answered. Turning back to the ram, she said, "The other warriors are out helping refugees, so we'll have to wait until they return. But I promise, we'll come with you."
"I appreciate that." Trueno said. "Besides, staying with a group of young, strong beautiful women sounds like a good way to spend my time."
"I can imagine." Suki said. "Although you will have some competition."
"Oh?"
"We met a few people on the way here. They came with us and they've been helping us with the refuges. In fact, I think they might be useful in this Army."
"Well, I'll have to meet them, but if you recommend them, I'm sure they're fine."
Just as Trueno said that, the entrance door opened and shut again. Suki turned towards the door and said, "We're in here!"
As footsteps came towards the door, she said, "Actually, you can meet their leader now. He stepped out just before you came in."
"Oh really?" Truneo said, as the door opened behind him. The person behind it walked in, saw Trueno, and stopped in shock. But this time, Trueno stared back in equal shock, at a teenager he hadn't seen since that boy had attempted to drown out the Fire Nation presence in a small town…..