Chapter 7: Assimilation
Half a decade has passed.
Half a decade since I last saw my family, half a decade since I met and promptly said goodbye to the Lieutenant, half a decade since I started training under the Sword master Piandao. It has not been a swift journey, nor a particularly fun one at that. In fact, I've been training every day since arriving.
Memorization, intellect, motor skills, communication… I've spent every day in the fire nation working to achieve perfection in all of these categories while training with Piandao. Even when he is off doing work, I train during every waking hour.
I open my eyes, and the sun is about to peak above the eastern horizon, so I sit up from the bed in the inn that I have spent five years, to the day, living and training.
After eating breakfast, I walk briskly to the courtyard for today's training. Although as I open the door, I spot that my sword master is wearing battle armor, which would be less unusual, except for the fact that he hadn't notified that he had to go out on any official business.
I close the door behind me and stand two paces away, completely parallel to him, waiting for some sort of command or another form of dialogue to come from his mouth.
"Ready your sword".
Sokka obviously did as he was told, retracting his sword from its scabbard on his back, grabbing the hilt with both hands. Once out, his blade stood like a line in front of his face.
"Begin".
The first few moments consisted of complete stillness, despite this, they were not doing nothing. Both of them observed each other carefully for any signs of the first movement to determine whether to strike or block. Piandao's sword moved a fraction of the width of a pen stroke, but that was enough movement for Sokka, and he stepped forward and slashed from left to right, which was met in the middle by the other swordsman's sword. They retreated back a step each, holding their swords as they had done before, but now walking equidistance from each other in a circle.
Now it was Piandao's turn to be the aggressor. He left forward with a strike down the center, and the two blades met again. Piandao tried overpowering Sokka's block, but the kid had been trained into peak physical condition which made the sword master more vulnerable than Sokka in this position and he'd known it the moment Sokka blocked his attack. Piandao pivoted his sword more vertical to quickly block any attack Sokka could and certainly would make as he distanced himself. But Sokka surprised him before he could retreat when he grabbed the handle of Piandao's sword since it was now within reach of his free hand. Before he realized it, Sokka had both of the swords, leaving him defenseless and ending the match.
They bowed to each oher, both mimicking the same angle because now, they were equal.
"I have to say," Piandao started, "you will definitely go on to be a great sword, but I have taught you everything that I know and you have even started creating your own techniques, now, I have a favor to ask of you".
"Of course".
He walked toward Sokka and told Sokka in a hushed tone, "I need you to infiltrate the palace".
Sokka's eyes widened upon hearing that.
Wait, he's works for the fire nation military but he is asking me to sneak into the palace and spy on who I could only assume is the fire lord himself, why would he ask me to do something like this unless…
Traitor.
"Alright, but how exactly am I going to do this?"
"All of the things that I have taught you over these past years of training should help, just make sure to observe the royal family, and definitely keep track of anything unusual that happens, also, this is our goodbye".
"Goodbye", Sokka said simply, for that was all he could say while contemplating the shear effort needed to accomplish this new task, and in the back of his head, he realized yet another person who helped guide him through his life was about to disappear, first his family, then the Lieutenant even though that was in brief passing, and now his sword master.
As Sokka opened the door to the courtyard and passed through it, he thought he heard Piandao shout out to him "Remember the White Lotus", although he figured he had just been hearing things.
He walked the streets toward the palace, with each block he passed, both the houses and the people became increasingly ornate. He was heading to the very center of the capital, the palace.
The structures around him became taller and wider, while the quality pavement under his feet became better maintained and smoother. Occasionally he would see an entourage guards walking by, protecting the high ranking official they were assigned to. At one point the streets became so crowded that he was accidentally shoved into one of these entourages that was walking the same direction as him.
They stopped.
"Hey!" One of the men cried out in surprise and anger, "You're not supposed to be in here". They all surrounded him, pointing their bladed staffs at him near his feet, ready to slash up and through him if need be.
"Wait!" He heard a girl cry out, the same one who the group of guards were assigned to protect. "It's okay, calm down". The guards reluctantly eased themselves while letting the woman in. She was unlike other people in the fire nation, her eyes were brown unlike the seemingly generic gold. Her hair was also brown and braided, yet somehow it was still long enough to travel all the way down her back.
"He just got shoved in here because it's so crowded, there's no need to kill him, he's harmless".
Oh, the irony!
"Besides, he's kinda cute". Sokka blushed intensely at her statement.
"Alright, then move along kid". He was nudged briskly by the guards, clearly wishing to be more forceful if the lady wasn't watching. Then, suddenly her hand jutted out and clasped his wrist.
"Hey, I never told you guys to shoo him away so soon". She said in a happy-go-lucky tone.
"B-but?" a guard stuttered.
"But what?" the woman was becoming frustrated.
Silence
"That's what I thought, now you are dismissed". She said promptly.
"But the royal family decrees that all nobility going to the royal palace be delivered safely to their house".
She came from the palace?
"And you don't think he could do it?"
"Didn't you just say he's harmless though?" said one of the guards. Then another pitched in, "Yeah, and you didn't even ask him if he would be willing to take you either".
She stood confused, unable to comeback with any retorts.
"While you do bring up valid points gentlemen," Sokka started in, "I am quite capable of defending her and I am willing to escort her. Besides, have you even thought about the possibility that she may report you to royal family because you didn't do as she requested?" He could only imagine the looks of horror they were making under their mask at just thinking about getting charged with treason.
"There is no need for us now, good day ma'am, take good care of her". They said promptly, if not grumbling under their breath, before turning away on their heels and breaking into a fast walk.
"Thanks". She said.
"No need, they would have just served to annoy you more for not listening anyway".
"Well, they left me with you, but I don't even know your name".
"It's Sokka".
"Hmm… that's a unique name. Mine is Ty Lee by the way".
"Also unique, but why exactly do you need protecting anyway, this is the capital, literally the most fortified place in the world".
"Well, I'm going to let you in on a secret," she came close to him and cupped her hands between her mouth and his ear as if it would funnel everything she said into his ear, "I'm the princess's best friend".
"Oh, I guess that explains a lot". Sokka said, baffled by this turn of events.
She nodded her head in agreement.
"So then it's off to your palace then, let's go", Sokka announced.
"There's no need to rush", she said.
Oh right, I'm not on a specific schedule anymore.
"let's just take our time", she said. And that's when he realized how stressed of a person she must have been since she was the fire nation princess's best friend, he had heard horror stories from palace maids on vacation about how picky and cruel she could be. Granted, they weren't supposed to talk about what they did in the palace, but still.
"Alright, I'm in no rush either, so don't worry, but this street is too busy for taking our time".
"Agreed".
So they filtered into an alley that had a noticeably smaller amount of people in it, with Sokka leading the way.
"So…", Ty Lee started, "What brings you to the capital?"
"Huh?" He became confused, "I've lived here for several years".
"Oh… then why are you wandering the streets?"
Hmm… Do I tell her the truth or do I lie? Eh, I guess I have nothing to hide, so let's hide in plain sight.
"Well, I have been training with a very highly regarded sword master for several years and now that training is done, I need to find something else to do and somewhere else to live".
"Oh, sword master Piandao, right?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"That's the same guy who trained Zuz- I mean Prince Zuko. I guess you were training while he was also teaching him". Ty Lee said, almost as if it were common knowledge.
She led him into a quaint and peaceful tea shop just off the alley they were walking down. They sat down and both ordered a jasmine tea.
"So I have to ask you, why is your aura nonexistent?"
Sokka's right eyebrow shot up instantly, "My what? Aura? Do I need one?"
"It's colors that I see radiating off of people to tell what they're feeling, but I don't see anything from you, it honestly a little disconcerting".
"So did you notice that when we first met?"
She nodded.
"Well I don't know anything about aura's so it's not like I could give a definitive answer to your curiosity, but being able to see emotions radiating off of people is intriguing".
"I don't really know how to explain it, I've just always had it, people around me were confused at first thought I was crazy, but I've read up on it to and it is much more common and normal than you might think".
"But you haven't ever seen anyone without one?"
"Nope, and the strange thing is, in all of the research that I have done, and I can assure you that I have done a lot, I have never, ever heard of something like this".
"I bet that makes you curious, huh?"
"Well you're not wrong".
"So…" He said, knowing that she was about to start probing him for information about his backstory, but he didn't have anything to hide about it… except for being the chief of the southern water tribe's son and hitching a ride on the southern raiders' ship that he then escaped from with the help of a soldier who could, in this instance, be best described as a traitor, snuck into the capital to find a sword master who I then trained for years with and once I completed the training, was then asked by him to sneak into the palace and spy until the time is right… yeah, nothing to hide.
"Where are you from?"
"I, actually don't really like talking about my backstory".
"Oh, is it because you're from the Southern Water Tribe?"
Well, that went downhill fast.
He sat there in silence, unsure of how and if he should respond.
"Don't worry though, he and I are on the same page", she said.
"What?! Does everyone I run into just happen to know each other?"
"Pretty much", she replied smugly.
"Well I take it you know what's happening now, right?"
"Yup".
"Well then why did you go through a whole lie about not being able to see an 'aura' around me as an excuse to show why you took interest in me?"
Her face distorted into one of disdain. "That wasn't a lie, I'm telling the truth… one-hundred percent".
He felt guilty and he definitely showed it, "I'm sorry about that".
"Okay, well don't do it again, anyway, if you couldn't tell, I'm your ticket into the palace, and you will be acting as my love interest".
"What?" He blushed as he awkwardly snickered. "I don't mean to offend but we kind of just met and this is going to fast".
"Well, you see, 'this' is a lie".
His self-esteem visibly dropped.
"Sooo, I guess we just act…casually romantic?"
"Whatever work for you", she said, only half paying attention.
Well, this is sure to be a pleasant hell.
