I would've had this chapter out earlier, but circumstance called for my attentions to travel to other places. Meaning: I was lazy. So, in this chapter, some of our characters start on their journey.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
"Aang," Yue said and held the map out before her, stretching it taut in order to see it without the wind ripping it from her hands. "Are you sure you know where we're going?" She asked and looked up at the twelve year old Avatar, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Are you certain?"
The child Avatar grinned cheekily, "Of course I know where we're going!" He cried and looked offended. Then, the tips of his ears turned bright red and he averted his gaze. "Okay, just because we don't know where we're going doesn't mean we're lost!" He smiled innocently at Yue, and the Northern Water Tribe princess rolled her eyes.
Yue rerolled the map and tucked it back into her pack, tucking it amongst her other belongings. "As long as we make it to the Earth Kingdom in one piece," She said and peered over the side of Appa's saddle, looking down at the world below. They had long since left the small town behind them, and the sight below Yue had turned into nothing but trees and a thin, snaking river.
From this point in the sky, Yue found that she could see for miles around her. Appa, she had discovered, wasn't so bad and she was even beginning to like the bison even more. And even though they had been flying for nearly two days straight, Yue had begun to accept their predicament. She had nothing better to do.
They were enemies of the state. She was an enemy of her own tribe, a danger to her own society, and if she was found anywhere in her own kingdom, she would be killed. It was twisted and it hurt to think that she had been banished from the very place she called home, and she blamed Katara for it. The Southern Water Tribe princess was behind all of it, because she hated Yue and wanted her gone forever.
Yue grabbed for the amulet that Kya had given her, and held it in the palm of her hand. Would Kya be proud of her, for standing up to Katara and doing what she thought was right, or would she be disappointed that Yue had ran like a coward? Yue had often sought Kya's approval before her own mother's, and she wondered how different she and Katara would have turned out if they had different mothers.
It wasn't Kya's fault that Katara was so disgustingly evil, Yue knew that much. Katara had two parents who loved her and how she had grown up to be so vile, Yue would never know. The Northern Water Tribe princess looked down at the amulet and held it up so that she could see its contents. Kya had told her that the water had special healing properties-Yue knew this-and that she would know how to use it when the time came. She would know how to heal a shattered mind.
But she barely knew how to heal a regular wound, how was she supposed to go into someone's head and fix it? And who had Kya been talking about? Her mind went back to one of her last conversations with the Southern Water Tribe queen, and she found that she could remember it as clearly as if it was yesterday.
"There are too many people who smile in your face, and stab you in your back at the same time." Yue ground her teeth a bit and breathed quietly. Sokka had done just that to her. He had done that to her and Aang when he sided with Katara underneath Ba Sing Se. He had been her friend-pretended to be her friend-and then betrayed her by leaving her to escape from the city by herself. He had sided with Suki and Katara. He had chosen them over her, after they had been best friends forever.
She knew that Sokka was Katara's brother, but it still hurt. She knew that she would always just be Sokka's 'almost-sister' and that Katara would always be his real baby sister, and it was selfish of her to keeping thinking that Sokka would pick her over his own sibling.
Blood before water.
Ba Sing Se, Yue guessed, was probably being ripped up by Katara's frantic search for the firebenders, if she had even believed Yue. If Yue had stayed underneath the city for a just a moment longer, she wondered what Katara's reaction would have been. Would she have lashed out or would she have meticulously planned behind her cool blue gaze?
Perhaps both.
Her thoughts travelled to that night. If the world hadn't known the Avatar was back, the news would have spread quickly. Perhaps even the Earth Kingdom knew of his return now, and she wondered if they would be welcomed, or killed on the spot. She was a waterbender, from the Northern Water Tribe, and she was the tribal princess. If they wanted, that would be enough to kill her without asking any questions.
Her head itched.
The familiar weight of her hair had disappeared when Adanna had cut it, and her head still felt foreign to her in a way. She had cut her hair-her white, spirit blessed hair-and turned her back on her country to travel the world with the Avatar and stop the madness that was the war. The night that boosted every waterbender's power was still a long time away, but they still had no time to waste. Aang had to learn earthbending and firebending before the world was swept up in the wave of change that the Water Tribes were determined to bring.
Yue partially hoped that summer would never come, but she knew that every moment she spent wishing that the inevitable would never happen, it was a moment wasted. The young waterbender looked at the amulet and brushed her finger over the crack before pulling it over her head, feeling the cool ribbon settle on her neck.
"Do you think we'll have to stop any time soon?" Yue asked, sitting up and putting her hands on the side of Appa's saddle, looking over the edge. "We'll have to land, so Appa can rest, and so we can gather our bearings." She said and then frowned. "But where are we going to land?" She wondered aloud.
She only saw trees.
Aang shrugged and looked over his shoulder, down at the earth below them. "We'll camp out in the forest. It can't be that hard, we just have to light a little fire." He grinned and Yue snorted, "It's not that scary once you get past all the shadows. Trust me; I've camped out before…" His smile fell a bit, "A long time ago."
Yue wasn't sure if she wanted to sleep amongst the trees and plants or not. She had been a princess, and though she had left that life behind now, she was still slightly repulsed at the thought of camping in the dirt. She had been sheltered for most of her life, and on the ground there was dirt, and grass.
And bugs…
But she had been banished, and the luxury of living as a princess was behind her now. Yue inhaled sharply and cleared her throat. She could sleep on the ground. She could get used to sleeping near a fire. She would have; too, at least until they reached the Earth Kingdom and Yue didn't know when that would be.
Besides, Yue thought with a chuckle to herself, there were worse things on the ground than dirt and bugs. One of those-she snickered, then-was Katara. Yue would rather face a horde of stinging insects than the ruthless waterbender during one of her bad moods. She knew at least that the insects would eventually leave. But she knew that Katara would not stop until either she was destroyed, or too tired to keep fighting. The younger girl held harsh grudges.
Except, Yue had never done anything to her. Yue didn't recall ever saying an unkind word to Katara, or doing anything that would make her hate Yue so much. She had always tried to be nice to the younger girl. It was something Yue didn't quite understand.
"Wait, Aang," Yue said and straightened, suddenly remembering what Aang had said only moments before. "I just realized something. How are we going to light a fire anyway, when we don't have anything to make fire with?" She asked and Aang turned to her, dropping Appa's reins beside him.
The young Avatar held out his right hand and pointed back to himself with his thumb, grinning broadly. "You forgot, Yue, I'm the Avatar. I can use firebending, so all we have to do is get some wood and then there you go, problem solved."
Yue shook her head, "I think you forgot something, Aang. You might be the Avatar, but you don't know any firebending. And even if you did, you could set the whole forest on the fire and everyone from here to Ba Sing Se would know where we were. It's dangerous, what if you hurt yourself?"
Aang thought for a moment, his face turned downward as he scratched the bush of the black hair on his head. It would be better, Yue thought, for him to stay that way besides cutting it off like she had done to her own. Aang had the tattoos of an Air Nomad and that would make him stand out even more, and all it took was one careless mistake to get them both captured and killed. "You're right," He said and then sprang back to life. Yue could almost guess what would come out of his mouth before he said it, and she sighed. "But it wouldn't hurt from trying, would it?"
Yes. Yue thought, but when she looked at Aang's big gray eyes, she looked off to the side. "Oh, alright, we'll try it."
"I knew you'd say that!" Aang replied, and he grinned.
It was unusually quiet. Azula stood on the porch of the leaning house, her left hand grasping her right wrist behind her back. She could feel the warmth of the sun beaming down on her face and the top of her head, even though she wasn't directly in the sun. The shadow of the division wall was long and stretched almost to the front of the tiny house that they had been hiding in. She shifted her feet and extended her fingers to stretch them. It was quiet.
And warm. It was quiet and warm, but cool at the same time. A zephr had blown and warmed her skin comfortably, lifting her bangs about her face before she smoothed them in their rightful place. Inside the house, it had been hot for her to breathe, even though she was a firebender. She had needed to suck in the fresh air, because she was a firebender and if fire didn't get enough air, it would eventually go out. And secretly, she was waiting for Sanjiv.
The dragon, she thought, would only come when he wanted to, and Azula had no true power over the great beast. He would return to her when he deemed it time, and Azula hoped it was soon. She was sure, though, that the dragon would return only when she least expected. Where the dragon went when he was away from her, Azula never knew. She had almost gotten over the feeling of abandonment that came over her when the dragon was gone.
But not quite.
From the corner of her eye, she saw green. Azula turned her head to fully face the splash of color and she inhaled sharply. In the house adjacent to their own, there were about five men standing in the doorway. They wore robes of dark green and hats that shadowed their faces, and just looking at them made Azula feel uneasy. Something about them screamed trouble, and there was an ominous look about their dark, loose fitting clothes.
As she watched, the tallest of the men placed his hand on the door and rapped loudly. She could hear the sound of his fist from where she stood and she wondered if he was an earthbender. From the earthbenders she had seen in the city, several of them had large hands. And she looked at her own hands, which she decided were perfectly proportional to her body.
The tall man turned back to his companions and shook his head so slightly that Azula would have missed it if she had blinked. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but then three of the green robed men stepped off of the porch and he followed suit, leaving the fifth man standing alone. They turned towards the leaning house and Azula's breath caught in her throat.
Azula pressed herself against the side of the house, daring not to breathe. They were firebenders, in a city ruled by warmongering waterbenders. They couldn't be seen, not now, not when their mission was nowhere near over. She wondered if they would see her before she could slip back inside and close the door, and pretend that no one lived in the leaning house.
Or, she could fight them. She would be outnumbered, but Azula wasn't a coward. She hated cowards. She wasn't a fool, either, though. She knew when to run and when to fight, because she valued her life and her honor. A chip off of her pride was a small price to pay in order to keep her life.
The Fire Nation princess cleared her throat as the green robed men made their way towards the porch of the leaning house, their heavy clothes barely moving with each step. They all had a single thick, dark braid swishing against their back and Azula raised her eyebrows. The taller one looked up at her and Azula thought that she had never seen such green eyes. They were almost the same color as his clothes and she blinked.
"I didn't know anyone lived here," The green eyed man commented as he stepped up on the porch, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He looked pointedly at Azula and the young princess leveled her gaze, narrowing her eyes just a bit. "Did you just move here, little girl? With your family?" He looked at Azula and then at the leaning house behind her. "What's your family name?"
Azula cleared her throat. She didn't have to speak, if she didn't want to because she knew that this man-no matter whom he may be-would never best her even if he tried. Azula didn't know why these men were knocking on doors, but she would find out if she had to. But before she could say anything, the door behind her opened. She knew who it was even before she turned.
"Is there a problem?" Lu Ten said and stepped around Azula, his head lifted high. He stood beside Azula, his hands clasped neatly behind his back. "Is there a reason why you are questioning my poor little sister?" He asked and put his arms around Azula's shoulders, patting her head. "Please don't distress her, she reacts so terribly!"
Lu Ten, Azula admitted, was almost as good of a liar as she was. Almost. The Crown Prince of the Fire Nation looked towards the robed men and his amber eyes were shining cunningly. "If you have any questions to ask, kind sirs, I prefer you ask me directly."
To Azula's surprise, the men seem undaunted by Lu Ten's approach. The tallest, apparently their leader, straightened and his face was a mask of professionalism. "We hate to bother you," He said in a way that screamed the opposite, "If you would please tell your whole family to step outside for just a moment. Don't be alarmed, this is perfectly normal. Nothing is wrong."
Azula knew a lie when she heard one. She was about to summon fire to her fingertips, but before she could exhale, Lu Ten put his hand on her wrist and shook it vigorously, looking down at her from the corner of his eye. Wait. He seemed to say. Wait and see. She nodded slightly.
"Sister," Lu Ten said and patted her shoulder, "Go inside and get Father and the others, alright?" He turned to face the robed men, "We live with our other brother and our cousins, and our father." Lu Ten said and it seemed as if the lies were spinning easily off of his tongue. "Go ahead, Sister!"
The second princess of the Fire Nation dipped her head and reentered the house. As the door closed behind her, she could feel eight eyes-six gold and two gray- fall upon her. "What's going on out there?" Zuko asked, holding up a tile from a board game. He looked up at Azula and then back at the door, "Who is that outside?"
Azula looked at her brother, "If I knew that, Brother Dearest, I would have told you. I'm guessing they are some type of official for the city. Lu Ten said to cooperate," She rolled her eyes at this, "In case they have anything on us that they could bring up." Had these robed officials seen them firebending? Had they seen them scale the dividing wall and capture that white haired girl?
Would it best to silence the green robed men before they silenced them?
"I guess you're saying that we have to go outside." Mai said and wrinkled her nose, putting down the unmarked tile that she had been preparing to hand Ty Lee. The pink clad girl still had her hand extended to receive the tile, her mouth agape. "Ugh, at least it isn't raining."
Azula watched as her companions rose to their feet slowly and deliberately. Ty Lee, the most flexible of them all, arched her legs over her shoulders until they were flat on the floor near her face before she pulled herself backwards with her hands, pushing herself into a standing position with a ground. The acrobatic girl would always best Azula in that field, but Azula had never gotten angry at her. As long as Ty Lee was on her side, she would be fine.
Mai rose to her feet and the black band of weapons strapped to her wrists appeared for a brief moment before she rolled her sleeves back down. She looked at Azula and the lines of her lips twitched in what wasn't quite a smile or frown. Mai had never been very expressive and she was nowhere near as happy-go-lucky as Ty Lee, but she did have emotions.
On day, Azula thought, she would be able to read them as easily as she could read everyone else's. The firebending princess smoothed her clothes and moved back towards the door. Mai followed her, her footsteps quiet and light. She was a quiet presence, so unlike Ty Lee and Azula wondered if that was why they were both her friends. She fell somewhere in between their personalities and in a way, they both orbited around her as though she was the sun. It was only natural.
Lu Ten looked at them as they filed out on the porch behind them. He grinned at the city officials and draped one arm around the shoulder of Zhao, the navy captain. Azula didn't exactly like the man, but he was pleasant enough to work with. "This, kind sir, is my father." Lu Ten said and turned his head towards the Water Tribe men. Azula thought she saw a flash of annoyance in Zhao's eye, but he didn't dare pluck Lu Ten's fingers off of his arm. If he had done such a thing, Azula wouldn't have hesitated to put him in his place-ally or not.
"This is my darling little sister that you met before, and our brother. The two of them, they're twins." Azula shifted her gaze towards Zuko and tilted her lips downward in the makings of a frown. If they had really been twins, Azula was sure she would have been the dominant of the two, as she was now. She would have been the first born, then, and perhaps Zuko wouldn't have been looked down on so much because he was weaker, and softer. Then again, if she had been the first born twin, she would have absorbed all the light before Zuko even had the chance to speak.
Pointing to Mai and Ty Lee, Lu Ten introduced them as their orphan cousins, which couldn't have been further from the truth. They were both daughters of rich, influential nobles. Ty Lee had six other siblings, with another on the way, and Mai's parents had a son not too long ago, if Azula recalled correctly. They weren't orphans, but some of the best lies were so far from the truth that it was as if they could fit in stories.
The tall leader nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you all," He said and pulled his arms out of his sleeves. "But you never told me whether or not you just moved here or not. And your family name. This is merely for a census of Ba Sing Se, this is completely normal." He blinked slowly and when he opened them, his emerald green eyes met Azula's.
"Well," Lu Ten said, "You've taken your count." He dipped his head, but the four Ba Sing Se officials did not move. The Fire Nation's Crown Prince frowned and furrowed his brow, looking just as confused as the others. Except Azula. The princess kept her eyes narrow and her face straight.
Something, she thought, was off about these men. Something was wrong with them and what they said, and if she probed hard enough, she would figure it out. Azula looked hard at the men for a long minute, listening as the taller one spoke, "If you all would just please step off of the porch, just for a moment." The Fire Nation princess's mouth twitched.
Azula was suddenly beginning to question Lu Ten's leadership as he stepped off of the porch. But only fools argue in the presence of the enemy, and Azula was anything but a fool. She followed her older cousin's lead and stepped off of the porch, looking up briefly at the sky.
She saw a flash of dark blue and silver in the sky above the city, a long and sinuous shape that she was beginning to recognize more and more. It wasn't an illusion, she knew that, and she knew that the figure in the sky had to be Sanjiv. The fire wielding princess smiled coyly to herself. Sanjiv, she decided, had an excellent sense of timing.
Zuko and Lu Ten, who had been closest to her, followed her gaze. Zuko let out a tiny gasp, making a sound that seemed as if his breath was caught in his throat. If it had been the time and place for the matter, Azula would have smirked. She could almost taste the envy that was rolling off of her older brother's skin. Now was not the time to gloat, though. Not yet.
"There's been some commotion going on in this part of the city," The leader of the men said and then the fifth man who had been standing on the neighboring porch returned to the group, hands tucking primly in his robe. "And we would simply like to do a test. Don't worry, this is completely normal."
Test?
Before Azula could react-before anyone could react, really-the leader of the Water Tribe men had stepped aside. The man behind him, short and bulky, seeming stuffed into his clothes and hat, leaped forward, his feet slamming hard against the ground. He pulled back his hand and brought it down, causing a slab of earth of rise to his command. He sent it towards the group of Fire Nation warriors.
It happened so quickly. Ty Lee let out a shout and Zhao sent a blast of red-orange fire at the men, shattering the slab of rock before it could strike him down. The earthbender sidestepped and Azula formed fire in her palm. She had known something wasn't right with those men. She had known it! The tall man orchestrating the event raised his hand, a dark smile on his lips.
"It seems," He said, "That we've found our firebenders." He clapped his hands and the other men-apparently earthbenders-came to stand beside him. "The Princess said to kill them should they be found. I think you know what to do."
Azula did.
One of the earthbenders lunged at her and Azula brought her hands up, sending a blast of azure fire towards the man. The ground underneath her shook and split between her feet, threatening to drag her under. The young firebender leaped to the right, regaining her foot just as Zuko sent a burst of orange-red fire in the direction of the man that had tried to end his sister.
For once, Azula was grateful for her brother. She smirked as she sprang into the air, arching her leg in a kick that sent blue fire spurting from her heel down upon the earthbender's wide hat. Below her, Zuko swept his foot across the man's legs, hooking his ankles and dragging him down.
Off to the side, Mai had thrown several blades at the earthbender that had turned on her and Ty Lee. From the corner of her eye, Azula could see Ty Lee springing on her hands and leaping gracefully over the man, smirking in her cheery sort of way. She straightened and crept up behind him, jabbing her small fists into his shoulders and back.
Lu Ten had taken on the leader of the earthbenders, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Azula turned her attention back to the man who had attacked her and she squinted. Zuko came to her side, fire burning in his palms as he stood back to back with her. They were working together for once, even though Azula could have taken him on by herself. Even though they were fighting side by side, it was still a fierce competition between the two siblings.
Breathe. Azula thought and inhaled deeply, sending a disk of flame in the direction of the earthbenders. Firebending feeds off of the breath and emotion. Fury swelled up in her belly. Concentrate. There is no time for distraction. Every moment you waste thinking about others is a moment where the enemy can take your life. Do not lose. Do not stop. Do not fail. She had no intention to.
A winged shadow fell across the sky and the earthbender looked up. Azula smirked, silently thanking her dragon. Both she and Zuko sent twin blasts of fire-one blue and one orange-towards the earthbender, knocking him off balance and singeing the tail of his robe. Azula looked up briefly at the sky. Sanjiv roared and suddenly the dragon descended upon them, baring bone white teeth that could snap a leg in two if a person was ever misfortunate enough to fall between his jaws. He swept his great wings and the earthbender closest to him was thrown backwards against the wall.
The rest of the attackers let out cries of alarm and Azula smirked. "Retreat!" The tall man cried and the ground underneath them yawned, pulling them before snapping shut again. Azula stepped back, slowing her breath as their attackers disappeared into the earth.
"I think," Lu Ten said and panted for breath, his face flushed slightly pink. "I think that means they figured out we were Fire Nation." He looked towards Azula and Zuko, then at Sanjiv. The great beast landed heavily off to Azula's left and the firebending princess moved towards her dragon, putting her hand on his muzzle. "I think it's best that we get you youngsters out of here."
"What?" Azula cried at the same time Zuko shouted the same word, a bead of sweat sliding down his temple. She was surprised and appalled at the same time. They-she-had fought off enemy. She deserved to be in Ba Sing Se, because she had fought off earthbenders and she could fight waterbenders, too. "You can't do that."
Lu Ten looked at his young cousin and shook his head. "I think I can." He said and looked at Sanjiv again. "You and Zuko, and Mai and Ty Lee are going to leave on your dragon." Said beast flicked his tail at the mention of his name. "Zhao and I are going to carry on the mission. It's too dangerous for you to be here."
Azula narrowed her eyes and stepped up to her older cousin, raising her head to meet his gaze. "No it's not. You brought us on this mission and we're going to finish it." She clenched her fists, offended. She had just proven that she could handle everything that was thrown at her. She was needed for the mission. They all needed her.
"I promised your mother and your father that I wouldn't put you two in danger if I had the choice not to. I'm not saying I'm sending you home, but I'm sending you away from Ba Sing Se for the time being." He began to walk back towards the leaning house. "It's what I think is best, Azula, and I'm sticking with that."
It wasn't fair! Azula ground her teeth and then exhaled, willing her skin to cool. She had worked just as hard on the mission as Lu Ten had. It wasn't fair. The firebender followed her allies into the leaning house and she looked towards Zuko, who was just as heated as she.
Lu Ten glanced at her and to Azula, he looked as though he didn't care that he had disappointed his cousins. "Don't look so down," He said in an attempt to reassure them. "I'm sending you into the Earth Kingdom, and you're here sulking because you're leaving Ba Sing Se." The man bent and held up a map that had been strewn across the floor. It was of the world, uncolored but showing the main cities of the world. Holding it against his stomach, he pointed to a part of the world that belonged to the Earth Kingdom, where it hadn't been touched by firebenders or waterbenders. "This," He said and pointed to a city, "Is Garsai. Across from Garsai is the ocean. There's a naval base on an island just off of the coast. I want you," He pointed to Azula and grinned, "I want you young'uns to go here! Doesn't that sound like fun!"
So, Azula thought, they would be doing something worthwhile after all. She looked at Zuko, then at Mai and Ty Lee and nodded. "I suppose," She said, "It sounds like something up to my standards. We'll do it."
"Good girl!" Lu Ten smiled, dropped the map, and ruffled his younger cousin's hair. "I knew that would cheer you up. Now let's get packing."
Katara had forgotten so much. She had forgotten so much about Hama, and it was almost like she was meeting her for the first time again, only she wasn't a little girl who was too shy to step from behind her mother's skirts. She was older and stronger now, but she was still very much the same. Hama made her feel like a child, even when she told her stories of her time in prison. She was a relentless teaching with a biting comment for every mistake, but kind words for every achievement. Her hands were soft, softer than any other hands Katara had felt, except for her mother's. Her mother had the softest hands, ever.
"You've grown so much!" Hama said as Katara poured the elderly woman a cup of tea, grinning wildly. "When I saw you last, you were just a little girl and half your height!" She accepted the cup from the young waterbending princess and held it to her lips before lowering it once more, "And now look at you, a master waterbender and the best princess you could be!"
Katara smiled bashfully and picked up her own tiny cup. Hama made her feel giddy, and for a moment, she could forget that there were firebenders in her city and that Yue was running off with the Avatar, spreading disorder and treason with every word that fell off of her tongue. She looked over the rim of her tea cup at Hama, who smiled back at her with wrinkles under her pale eyes. Katara remembered those eyes, now. She remembered how she had so desperately looked for approval in their depths when she had been a child. "Where have you been all of these years, Hama?" She asked.
The old woman lifted her shoulders. "I've been many places," She replied and met Katara's gaze. "I've been learning, even though I am already a master waterbender. You know, just because you earn a title doesn't mean you stop learning. That's not a master is. I've been polishing some of the arts I've worked on, creating new ones, and then I returned to Ba Sing Se to rest my old bones. And what a coincidence, news arrives that the two princesses and the prince had come to give the city a visit! With the Avatar. Tell me, how did you find him?"
"Don't mention him." Katara said and her pleasant mood was ruined. "Don't mention him or Yue. She was a traitor from the day she was born! She deserted the Water Tribes after trying to steal away my mother and my father, and Sokka! She tried to take what was mine, and she tried to convince everyone that she was sweet and innocence. But I saw right through her. I saw her for what she really was, Hama, a traitor! She tried to take my mother away from me!"
Hama nodded, "I saw her, on the night she left, during the celebration. I even spoke to her." She reached over and patted Katara's hand. "But that's alright, because traitors never prosper. I'll teach you the several moves that you wouldn't learn from any other master living on the ice. One day, we'll travel, and then you'll become the greatest princess ever to hail from the Southern Water Tribe! Speaking of the Southern Water Tribe how is your family?"
Katara tilted her lips up briefly. "They're doing fine. Father is the best chief the Southern Water Tribe could ever have, Hama! I think he might name me as his heir apparent instead of Sokka. He's far too interested in inventing and tinkering with things instead of ruling. But I care about the people, Hama. I care about the people when the Silver Moon comes, I can lead them to victory. I can lead the world into an era of eternal peace. I know I can."
Before Hama could speak-whether to reassure the girl or argue against her, no one would know-the door of the old woman's guest room opened. Katara looked up and narrowed her eyes, but relaxed her shoulders as the person entered. It was Bato, the Southern Water Tribe man that had accompanied them on the way to Ba Sing Se. The man had pretty much left the children to their own devices until Yue and the Avatar had fled. It was he who sent the message of their betrayal to the Water Tribes.
The man dipped respectfully to the princess, even though he was older than her, and nodded to Hama. "The Dai Li agents that were sent out to search for the firebenders have returned." He said and Katara opened her mouth to speak, but he went on before she could get the words off of her tongue. "They were found and attacked, but they got away."
A crack appeared in tea cup that Katara held appeared and she looked at Bato with a look of disbelief and anger. "They did what? How did they get away! The Dai Li are supposed to be the elite policemen of Ba Sing Se, no one escapes them. Just how strong are these firebenders?" She asked and set her cup down, turning towards Hama. Bato had to be lying. The firebenders couldn't have been that hard to capture. Could they? Did she need to go after them herself?
"According to the reports that just came in, the firebenders-or at least one of them-had a dragon with them." Even Bato couldn't keep the amazement out of his voice. Katara had never seen a dragon before, but she had seen pictures of them and it was said that no painter could truly capture the majestic air about the legendary beasts. There was something that was too wild to illustrate. "Once the dragon arrived, the agents retreated in fear for their lives."
Katara couldn't really blame them. She would have run if there was a dragon wanting to eat her, too, though she wouldn't admit it. The waterbender blinked and looked down at her now cracked tea cup, setting it on the tray quietly. "I suppose that makes sense," She said and nipped her bottom lip. "They will most likely flee now that they've been figured out, but there still needs to be careful watches on the city. But now, that is another thing we can cross off on our list."
Bato nodded and Hama smiled. "I'm so proud of you, Princess. You are certainly worth of being Hakoda's heir, in my opinion. You prioritize and rationalize." Katara beamed, basking in the woman's approval. "And you know how to protect and serve your people in the best way you can."
And perhaps the great beings above refused to allow Katara a moment of praise, or maybe it was coincidence, but at that moment, the door opened again and in rushed Suki the Kyoshi Warrior, her face flushed red as if she had ran through the whole palace looking for Katara. Maybe she had.
"Sokka's missing!" Suki cried and skidded to a halt in front of Katara. The young princess turned her head sharply, narrowing her eyes in surprise at the older girl's words. Really, she had heard her wrong. That wasn't possible. She had just seen Sokka tinkering around with that boomerang of his earlier that morning. He couldn't be missing. Beside her, Bato inhaled sharply and Hama made a tsk noise in her throat. "He's not in the palace, we already checked."
Katara rolled her eyes, "Sokka is almost a grown man, as stupid as he acts sometimes. If he's not in the palace, then he must be in the city, Suki. Go check and see if he's there. Maybe he didn't want to bother with an escort. He's not missing. He's probably sulking over…her." Of course. Yue had tried to steal Sokka away from her, too.
Suki shook her head vehemently. "No, we already checked before I came to tell you. No one has seen him since this morning." She clasped her right wrist with her left hand in front of her body, the iron war fans at her hip rattling. "Not even the servants."
Katara's blood ran cold as Bato spoke, "I think it might be helpful to mention that a ship heading for the west pulled out of port just two hours ago." He said and Katara bit her tongue. No, no, no! Sokka couldn't have left her. He couldn't have left her! He couldn't have! They were siblings and they stuck together. They stuck together even though they argued and fought. He wouldn't leave her.
The waterbending Southern Water Tribe princess wrinkled her nose and looked back at Hama and Bato. Hama returned her gaze and nodded slightly, just barely. Then it hit her. If Sokka really had ran from the city, she knew what he was looking for. If he had really hopped on the ship heading west-in the direction of the Earth Kingdom-she knew who he was going to try and find.
Yue.
Leaping to her feet, Katara jerked her head. "Get your supplies ready. Prepare an escort down to the port and tell the servants to hurry up and get everything ready to leave on the next westbound ship." She snapped to Suki and brushed by her angrily before looking back at Hama and Bato. "Bato, stay here and maintain the city. Hama…would you please come with us?" Her voice softened at bit and the elderly woman, not wanting to distress her pupil, nodded. "We're leaving."
Katara couldn't stand traitors. Really, she couldn't.
Riding on a dragon, Azula thought, was the most uncomfortable and exhilarating feeling she had experienced. The dragon's scales were rough against her legs and her eyes were squinted from the rush of air slamming against her face, stealing away her breath. There was nothing like it, she decided.
There couldn't be.
Sanjiv flew through the sky, carrying four teenagers and the supplies that wouldn't weigh him down. The sudden extra weight had surprisingly not bothered the dragon and when Azula had urged him to take light into the sky, he had. Azula had feared that Sanjiv would refuse to let her leap onto his back, she had never ridden a dragon before and she discovered there was nothing that could compare to the experience. Really, there couldn't.
Flying on Sanjiv was like being sick and laughing at the same time, in a disgusting sort of way. The feel of his scales underneath her hands and the sensation that she was going to fall off at any time was appealing, in an odd sort of way. It was something new, and if it hadn't been for Mai's fingers digging into her side, she would have enjoyed it. The pale, lanky girl clung onto Azula and the Fire Nation princess wondered what facial expression she would see on Mai's face if she turned. Would it be fear? Or excitement?
They had left Ba Sing Se behind now, Azula thought, and tried to look back. She only saw Ty Lee's braid flying in the wind, obscuring her view. It hadn't been too long, though, since they had left Lu Ten behind in the city, waving at them with his own pack slung over his shoulder. There were only two of them, now, and they could move more freely than they could with four teenagers following them around.
The journey west, Azula thought, would be a long one and she wondered how long it would take them to reach Garsai. It was a city in the Earth Kingdom, on the coast of the ocean and just off of the coast was their destination. A naval base owned by the Fire Nation, and it was there where they would help the soldiers there. They would fly across enemy territory most of the time-be it Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe-and of course there would be time when they would have to land.
It was perilous and fulfilling, Azula thought, and it was exactly what she needed. She planned to make the best out of her journey by bringing down every waterbender she saw, because even though she wouldn't be there to help destroy their stronghold on Ba Sing Se, she could still crush their army. Her father had always told her to never fail, and she had worshiped those words. She wouldn't fail and she would make him proud, even though she wasn't in Ba Sing Se.
"Are you sure you know how to fly this thing?" Mai asked quietly behind Azula and the princess of the Fire Nation turned her face towards her. Mai's dark hair had been loosened from its style by the wind and several of the dark strands framed her lily white face. She held tightly onto Azula, her hands holding relentlessly onto the princess's shirt.
Sanjiv's wings, leathery and blue, stretched out on either side of time and if Azula stretched her leg out fully, she would touch the scales of his shoulder. "Of course I do!" Azula scoffed, and she lied. She had no idea how to fly Sanjiv, but thankfully the dragon had grown accustomed to the weight on his back and he had taken over for his mistress. "You underestimate me, Mai."
The older girl made a disbelieving sound in her throat. "How far do you think we're going to get before we have to land? There's only dirt and trees down there, and that's disgusting." She looked towards the earth below them, towards the trees and the snaking river that ran through it. Azula agreed with her, but they didn't have the supplies to camp anywhere. "Unless we find a city soon."
"That would be pleasant," Azula said and the corners of her lips turned down. She didn't want to sleep among the dirt like a common soldier, not when she was princess. It didn't suit her and she preferred to sleep in the comfort of a clean room, with closed walls and a roof. She would not sleep on the ground if she had the choice. The map that Lu Ten had given them was tucked neatly into Zuko's pack and Azula hadn't paid much attention to the cities they would passing.
Perhaps, she thought, they would just have to be lucky.
She looked up at the sky above them and saw that the sun had changed position, moving steadily so that it would be in front of them soon. She was Princess Azula, she was bornlucky. She could make it. Mai sniffed behind her. She was born lucky. She could handle anything.
Yue stood a safe distance near the river, biting her bottom lip nervously. Several feet away from her was Aang, his brow furrowed and his nose wrinkled. She was prepared to douse him in water should his attempt would firebending go wrong. The thought of Aang firebending unnerved Yue not because Aang was doing it, but because it was firebending. Yue was a waterbender; hating firebenders was natural to her. "Are you sure about this, Aang?"
"Of course!" The child Avatar said and straightened. "I just, ugh…gotta figure out how you do it." He held out his hand and thrust his palm outwards, frowning. "Um, do you…" He pushed both of his hands out, then, but still no fire appeared. "I don't get it."
The Northern Water Tribe princess wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. "But you're the Avatar; you learned all the elements before. Can't you remember from your other past lives?" She had never seen a real firebending move, except for the night she had been captured by the firebenders in Ba Sing Se, but it had been dark, then, and she had been too stressed out to take note of anything beyond what was in front of her.
Aang shook his head and Yue frowned, waving her hand in dismissal. "Forget it, then," She said and called the water from the river, "Come on, let's do some practice with your waterbending." She preferred to work with the water; it was an element she understood. It was an element that was familiar to her and that she could control.
The young Air Nomad drew the water towards him and Yue stood in front of him, her feet touching each other and her back straight. Waterbending was about flexibility and form, the movement drawn from not only the tides, but from the bender's energy as well.
"Are you ready?" She asked, and without waiting for a reply, she sent a torrent of water towards her younger companion and drew her remaining water into two whips, lashing out with her right hand towards Aang's feet and throwing her left whip towards his head. She wasn't starting simple. Not this time. When the time came, no one would spare him. No one would care that he was a child.
Gray eyes wide with surprise, Aang drew his water up into a shield in front of him and Yue's attack slammed into the wall, splashing onto the ground. The older waterbender narrowed her eyes and sent another wave at the boy. He had good defense tactics, she noticed, and he matched every attack with a shield of equal force. But he wouldn't attack her. Yue wasn't sure if he was holding back.
"Don't hold back!" She called and Aang nodded, pulling the water around him in a wide circle. Before Yue could blink, the water that the Avatar had been manipulating swept towards her and crashed down on her, knocking her off of her feet. Yue let out a cry of surprise as she landed on her back with a gasp, winded. Well, she thought, he didn't hold back.
Aang rushed over to her as Yue pushed herself up in a sitting position. "Are you okay?" He asked, as if he was worried that he had hurt her. Yue nodded and looked up at the sky, seeing that it was darkening. "Are you sure, Yue? I'm sorry!"
Yue shook her head, "There's no reason to be sorry, Aang, that was excellent!" She rose to her feet. "I'm proud of you." The sixteen year old waterbender sniffed, "I think that victory ends our spar. Besides, it's getting dark, and we should set up our camp, even though we don't have a fire. Come on, let's get started."
The tribal princess walked back towards Appa, who had settled on the edge of the clearing. She looked at the great beast and willed a smile to appear on her lips. Learning to like Appa was hard, but she was doing it. She put her hand on the bison's nose and patted it before heaving herself up into the saddle on his back, crawling to where her bag was lying. Her supplies were meager, but they would be enough for the night. They would make it by.
Tossing her pack onto the ground, Yue looked up at the sky again as the first star appeared. It twinkled against the sky, which looked as though someone had taken several brushes dipped in pink, red, and orange and dragged them across the blue sky, painting red and pink clouds amidst a backdrop of orange and indigo. It was beautiful, and Yue felt at peace.
She thought she saw something blue disappear into the trees just off from where they were, but then she blinked and it was gone. Leaping from the bison's back, Yue trotted over to where the grass was dry enough and soft enough to sleep. She was apprehensive about sleeping on the ground, but a beggar couldn't be picky about what they were given.
Aang flopped down on the ground next to her as Yue set down her bag and lay down beside him, putting her arms underneath her neck for extra comfort. The ground was hard, but the grass was soft, and for that she was grateful.
For a long while, they were both silent. Yue looked up through the trees as the sky darkened and more stars began to peek from their hiding places, glittering and shining like bits of ice hanging against a sheet of black cloth. She wondered if they were just as cold to the touch. And she wondered if there was a world like her own out there.
Maybe, if there was, its inhabitants were a peaceful people. Maybe they didn't believe in war, and believed in peace instead. She sighed and turned towards Aang. "I'm wondering what's out there," Yue whispered and looked at her friend. She pointed to the stars, "Is there anything at all out there?" Aang was the Avatar, maybe he knew.
"Maybe." Aang replied just as quietly, resting his head in the cradle of his hands. "We'll have to find out." So, even the mighty Avatar didn't know if there really was a world that was settled between the mortal world and the spiritual one. Then again, the Avatar was human, too.
Yue blinked slowly and looked at her younger companion before returning her eyes to the sky high above her head. "I don't think," She said softly, "I don't think that's possible. I don't think we'll ever find out. But we can imagine." Then again, she had been wrong before.
They fell into another period of silence for a while, and then Aang spoke."Did you hear that?" The boy asked and sat up, looking towards Yue in the darkness. Yue could barely see him, but she heard him well enough. "It sounded like something was moving out there."
Yue was tired. She didn't want to listen to nature now, not yet. "No," She yawned and settled against her bag-turned-pillow. "It was probably just Appa moving around. Just ignore it and go asleep. I'm tired, and we have to keep going, tomorrow." She closed her eyes again and turned onto her stomach. And then she slept.
"Good night." Aang said softly, and Yue murmured a reply. That was the last thing she heard and the moonlight and starlight was cool on her back.