Thanks everyone for the kind comments! They really mean a lot to me :)
2.
Nothing brings a smile to my face more than seeing my old letters. I take them out of the old dusty box, with their faded yellow parchment, and lightly trace my fingers over my childish handwriting. They bring me back to those time that my old mind is straining to remember. Times when I believed that boys were too smelly to play with, and when my older cousin was the most important person in the world—next to my mother and father of course. Times when I was just a little girl from the Southern Water Tribe, and I would have been happy to stay that way forever. I find the first letter I ever wrote to her and I feel myself being whisked back all those years.
It was ten days after Yangchen left with the other airbenders and three days after the Winter Solstice. I always enjoyed the Winter Solstice. It was such a joyous time of year, despite the fact that the weather was nearly unbearable. However, that day we were stuck inside due to a terribly raging blizzard. Naturally, Arin and I were practically dying with boredom. We sat in our room silently, with nothing better to do than to play a guessing game, taking turns guessing what the other had in mind. When we had exhausted our minds of everything we could think of, we both laid on our sleeping mats staring at the ceiling and listening to the wind whooshing against the sides of the palace. It was oddly comforting and distracted me from the chills running up and down my spine from the cold. I felt my mind drifting off and I felt as if my relaxed body was sinking down into my sleeping mat.
"You know what?" murmured Arin sleepily.
"What?"
"When I'm the queen, I'm going to have a pet poodle-monkey that I can play with if we ever are snowed in with nothing to do."
"It's too cold for poodle-monkeys down here. They only live in the Earth Kingdom."
"Well, then I'll make a sweater for it." She yawned. "But now I'm so bored, I feel like I'm going to faint."
"Me too." I rolled over on my mat so I was facing her. She was still staring at the ceiling imagining poodle-monkey sweaters I guess. I rolled back over onto my back and closed my eyes.
"I wonder what Yangchen is doing now…" she asked breaking a silence that had lasted at least ten minutes.
"Why don't we write a letter to her?" I suggested.
"But, the monks are not coming for awhile."
"So? We haven't got anything better to do." I sat up. "I'll go get the parchment and pen and ink." I stood up stretching my limbs. I grabbed the necessary things from a room down the hall and ran back eagerly. Arin snatched them out of my hands.
"I'm writing." She said spreading the parchment out on her mat and opening the ink jar clumsily.
"Why can't I?" I protested.
"Because your handwriting is like a baby's. Yangchen won't be able to read it." I pouted. "I'll let you tell me some stuff to write." She added.
"Okay," I conceded reluctantly.
"Yangchen," Arin said aloud as she wrote, "We are writing to you because there is such a large blizzard outside now that we have absolutely nothing to do. There is so much snow that we cannot even see anything outside." She paused to look at me.
"Tell her about the Winter Solstice!"
"Okay, Last week was the Winter Solstice. We had such a big feast and after the feast Mother let us go into the middle of the village for the festivities that last all night. Luckily it was clear that night! Anyway, we hope to hear from you soon, though we don't know when you will get this. From: Arin and Rika." She looked at me expectantly. "What do you think?"
"It's kind of short." I said truthfully. "And why does your name go first?"
"Because I'm older and I'm the princess." She blew on the ink to help it to dry, and then rolled up the letter.
"What-cha gonna do with it?" I asked.
"I'm gonna keep it here until the monks come," she said going to the side of her room where her small wooden wardrobe stood. She opened the bottom drawer and put the letter in carefully. And that was that.
A few days later when the storm finally cleared out, I woke up with nothing to do. Arin, I learned from Auntie, was out practicing her waterbending, something that I could not take part in of course. I would have followed Auntie around as she did some household errands for she was a very interesting woman—much more interesting than I always found my own mother to be—but she, Mother, Father, Uncle, and several other adults who I recognized but could not name were in a special meeting. I looked for Kaito. Sometimes, when he had nothing else to do, he would take me out ice fishing but he was not around either. He was at warrior training. I wondered why he was there, for he never showed any interest in being a warrior in the past. I moped around the palace dragging my socks against the cold palace floors.
Eventually, my sulking found me back in Arin's and my room. I paced around my room counting my steps and imagining myself somewhere far away. I suppose what made me think of writing to her, was how envious I became. Envy…that was always an attribute of my personality that I could never be rid of, and I only came in terms with recently in my old age. I was jealous that she could fly all over the world with the other airbenders, and I was condemned to the bottom of the earth with nothing to do. I kicked the wardrobe angrily and sat down as tears sprang to my eyes from my soon-to-be-bruised foot. I knew I was being childish, but I still felt bad for myself. I plopped down onto the ground and stared straight ahead at the old wooden wardrobe drawer where Arin's letter sat. I opened the drawer quietly and removed the letter. I unrolled and read through the few short lines Arin had written. I found the whole thing disappointing. Arin—who had not even let me write!—had barely written a thing. I was sure that (even if my handwriting was bad) I could write more.
In new spirits, I ran down the hallway and grabbed some more parchment paper. I dashed back into my room and sat down on my mat spreading the parchment the way I saw Arin doing it. I grabbed the ink bottle and pen out of the drawer and put the end of the pen to my lips thinking.
Yangchen,
Before, Arin wouldn't let me write anything. She said my handwriting was bad, but I think it's pretty good. Today was the most boring day ever which is why I'm writing. But don't think of yourself as just a distraction from my dull days! I'm also writing because I thought that Arin wrote too little on her letter. She didn't even begin to tell you the real details about the Winter Solstice…
The weather was bitter cold and we had to wear so many layers that our fancy dresses were not even visible. The Winter Solstice has become extra important in the Southern Water Tribe because it also mark the day we celebrate the birthday of the last avatar to come from the South Pole—Avatar Ahnah. Of course, she lived more than six-hundred years ago, so her exact birthday is not quite known, but we celebrate it during the Winter Solstice anyway, to make two celebrations into one giant one. It was the first day I had been out of the house after many dull days indoors and I was eager to feel the biting winds against my nose.
Surprisingly, I did not get to go into the main part of the village much. My parents worried incessantly and normally I was restrained to the palace, and palace gardens (so to speak, there was not much growing in them!). I held Mother's hand as we walked out of my prison, the palace, and into the bright lights of the town. People bowed as we passed and we nodded in acknowledgement or waved. Arin ran ahead as if to show that she was too old to still need to hold Auntie's hand. Mother seemed to be happy that I still chose to hold her hand for she bought me a delicious and warm snack from a vendor.
Every year, in the center of the village, some of the older children that are finishing their schooling, but on a short play about Avatar Ahnah. It's the same play every year with minimal changes, but it was still enjoyable anyway. I loved how the avatar was always portrayed as beautiful and adventurous; traveling around the world doing good deeds for those in need. Maybe one day when I'm older, I'll be able to play the role in the play even though I did not go to schooling with the other children in the village. Arin and I were taught privately within the castle.
After the show was finished, there were the fireworks, brought all the way in from the Fire Nation just for the occasion. Bright bursts of flame in color in the sky were the most magnificent things I had ever seen. I covered my ears as they exploded up from the ground to sparkle and shine against the backdrop of a million different stars. I felt the heat from the torches fighting away the frigid air and I felt more content than I had ever been. Despite the daylong darkness, winter is my favorite time of year.
…Next time you come, you should stay for a longer time. I'm sure that even though you've traveled all around the world, nowhere can compare with the South Pole when it comes to Winter Solstice Parties! Do you do anything where you live for celebrations? Anyway, I hope your travels are going well (though you'll probably be home again by the time you get this) and don't forget to write back!
--Rika.
I finished my letter. I did not know much about letters but something told me that that was how a letter should be written. I rolled it up and placed it underneath my mattress and sneakily replaced the ink bottle and pen.
I ended up writing many letters before we were visited by Air Nomads again about two weeks later. Some days I would have so much to write about, and other days I would just sigh at a blank roll of parchment feeling sad. I wanted to schooling to start again, because then I, like everyone else so it seemed, would be busy. My parents, and Aunt and Uncle seemed to be busy in meetings nearly everyday, and Arin was getting annoyed with me. She said I was too much of a baby to keep hanging out with her, and she would spend many days alone practicing her waterbending, or with a small group of other girls her age down in the village. I did not have very many friends. It was not that I was shy, but more that my parents were over-protective, and like I said earlier, would not let me out very much. Many days I found myself curled up with a book in my room. I had never had any interest in reading in the past, but something had woken up inside me creating an intense craving for reading. The reading helped me, increasing my vocabulary and my writing abilities which improved drastically over the years as I grew older and wiser.
Yangchen,
I wonder if I'm boring you with the amount of times I've complained of boredom. Your life must be so exciting, traveling around the world! However, I'm writing today because finally I've had an opportunity out of the house. Mother got Kaito to take me with him fishing…
"What is everyone talking about in the meetings?" I asked him as he paddled the small canoe out between icebergs. He took a break from paddling and the boat glided silently.
"I'm not entirely sure." He answered. I was shocked.
"But, you're sixteen, you're practically an adult!" I exclaimed.
"Practically, but not quite." He smiled and handed me my fishing pole. I had not fished in awhile, but I always considered myself to be good at it. We sat in silence for several minutes waiting for the fish to bite.
"Well," I finally broke the silence, "do you have any idea what it's about?"
"My you're persistent!" he laughed. "I do have a hunch…"
"Oh! Tell me!"
"You know the Northern Water Tribe, right?" I nodded eagerly. "Well, that's where the Air Nomads were before they visited here last month. After you and Arin left with that girl—"
"Yangchen,"
"Yes, after you, Arin, and Yangchen left, they made me leave as well, but I stuck around to listen." My eyes widened.
"You were eavesdropping? But, but you could have gotten in so much trouble!"
"I nearly did. I was so worried about it, that I did not hear much."
"Oh." I said with disappointment. "Then, what did you hear?"
"All I heard was that the chief of the Northern Water Tribe was angry at Uncle." He replied.
"And you don't know why?"
"No. I think they knew I was outside so I had to run for it." I did not want to sound pushy but I felt that there was more to the story than what he was telling me. I wanted to ask him if all the warrior training had something to do with it, but, I could see that he was not going to say anymore so I fished in silence.
…You were just at the North Pole so maybe you know something…? I am absolutely dying with curiosity! Also, in case you want to know, we both caught four fish each. I know that you don't eat meat, but they were delicious. That is one of my favorite things about living at the castle, we have an excellent chef, and I have people to clean my room for me, not that I'm very messy in the first place though. Arin is though. Sometimes she's such a slob that I can't stand it, and both her mom and I beg her to tidy up just a tad before the maid comes. Well, that's all, and I know I've written this a million times but: don't forget to write back!
--Rika.
The day the Air Nomads came for the first time was a relatively warm one. Arin and I were outside. The sun had finally begun to return and we were enjoying one of the few daylight hours. We joyously pelted snowball at each other as the sun beams twinkled off the ice crystals surrounding us. Arin had an advantage because if ever she was unable to duck away from the snowball, she could waterbend it away from her whereas I had to stay on my toes unless I wanted a mouthful of snow. Her waterbending was improving, I noticed. I was actually quite impressed. She had never shown any real prowess at it, but she always gave her best and it was finally paying off.
We scampered across the sides of the palace hiding behind pillars and columns and laughing as we dove into the powdery snow. I could feel my toes getting wet and my mittens were already soaked. From my hiding place, I formed a ball with my numb fingers and peeked around at Arin. She was staring straight up at the grey sky with a confused look on her face. It was a perfect opportunity to catch her unawares! I hurled my snow-missile at her and watched as it soared through the air and hit her right on the buttons of her jacket.
"Yes! I got you, Arin!" I shouted punching my fist into the air, but she did not even seem to care. She wiped the snow off of her parka and continued staring. I approached her.
"Whatcha lookin' at?" I asked.
"There was something in the sky." She answered then dashed off. "It must be the Air Nomads!" I tore after her. We darted into the palace with our wet boots sliding on the sleek floors.
"Where are we going?" I called as I skidded around a corner.
"To go get our letter." She called behind over her shoulder. I paled. If Arin opened the drawer, she should see all the extra letters I had written. I knew she would not be happy when she saw that I had written so much without her. I finally caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder
"Wait," I panted. "How about you go get your mom and dad and tell them about the monks, and I'll get the letter." She stared at me for a moment then nodded. I sighed with relief. I ran the remaining distant to our room.
When I got there, I peeled off my wet mittens. I grabbed all of my letters and shoved them into my jacket. Then I took Arin's letter and folded it nicely. I paused for a moment to catch my breath again then set off. I nearly knocked into my parents, Auntie, Uncle, and Arin when I rounded a corner into the main atrium. Arin snatched the letter out of my hand.
"See? This is my letter." She waved it in the air. Auntie nodded.
"When did you see them fly over?" asked Uncle.
"About five minutes ago." Answered Arin. Auntie nodded again.
"They'll probably land in a half hour or so." She said. "They like flying over the glaciers. From my understanding, glaciers like the ones here are not found anywhere else in the world! Did you see how many there were?"
"Um…" Arin faltered. "Not that many, I think. Maybe two or three?" She glanced at me.
I shrugged and replied. "I didn't really see 'em."
"Well, girls, I think you should calm down for now." Said Uncle. The other adults agreed. "Why don't we pause to have a bite to eat in the meantime." It was not a suggestion, it was a nicely phrased order. I was tired out from playing in the snow and from the excitement about the monks, so taking a break to eat seemed nice. As a group we all walked into the informal dining room. That was where we usually ate. The dining room with the female Air Nomads was only for special occasions. Mother went and got Chef.
I always loved Chef. She was very old, almost like a grandmother, and always so amiable. She lived with her daughter and grandchildren in a small house nearby. Most of the time she was just sitting around the kitchen waiting eagerly for us to request a snack. Sometimes I would go and talk with her on my more boring days.
She quickly whipped up some warm stew and we all sat to chow down. The adults, sitting at one end, chatted amongst themselves quietly. I was not really listening. The letters bunched up in my jacket kept rustling and I hoped no one could hear them. They were also very itchy. I slurped my stew, ignoring the glares from Arin. It was very tasty. Like I said, Chef was the best.
"Father, Uncle, some men are here to see you." Kaito said, opening the door. Immediately Arin jumped up excitedly causing the table to shake and her half eaten stew bowl to tip. The two Air Nomads who stepped into the room were practically bowled over by her.
"As you can see, Arin is excited to see you." Chuckled Auntie as she helped me mop up the stew. The two Air Nomads looked bemused. They both seemed fairly young, one with a short dark mustache and both were bald. They had bright grey eyes and smooth tan skin. They carried wooden staffs with them that were similar to the ones that Yangchen and the others had.
"Well, I'm flattered." The Air Nomad with the mustache said grinning. Arin waved her letter like a flag.
"See this?" she inquired. The two Air Nomads nodded. "I know you guys travel around a lot so my friend Yangchen at the Western Air Temple said if I wrote her a letter you guys could take it to her so I wrote one and now I'm giving it to you." She said it all quickly without breathing. The two Air Nomads nodded for a moment, processing all that Arin had thrown at them.
"Wow." Said one. "And we just came down here to observe the glaciers, didn't we, Bae?" Bae, the Air Nomad with the mustache nodded.
"And to get a quick free meal," added Bae and the two laughed at their private joke.
"Come sit, our lovely chef just made stew of seaweeds." Said Uncle. "It's nothing fancy, but it's warm and delicious." The two Air Nomads glanced at each other for a moment then went to two of the open seats at the table. Chef fetched two bowls for them and poured them some soup.
"Do you two live at the Air Temples?" I asked. Bae shook his head.
"Nah, Bansi and I don't live anywhere." Said Bae. "We're Air Nomads," he emphasized the word 'nomad' "travel is in our blood."
"We were raised at the Northern Air Temple, though." Said Bansi.
"We're twin brothers." Continued Bae. "It's something that's very rare in the Air Temples…"
"Because everyone is raised as a huge family." Finished Bansi. "We could have other brothers, or even sisters, but the monks never let us know."
"They let us know because they have a funny superstition about twins or something. I don't remember. Do you Ban?"
"Nah, I barely remember a word they taught us back then." The two brothers laughed.
"This excellent soup, by the way." Said Bae and his mustache seemed to twitch when he smiled.
"I'll be sure to tell the chef that you liked it." Said Uncle smiling. "My nephew mentioned that you wanted to see me."
"Yeah, because we've got news from the North." Said Bansi. "The Chief of the Northern Water Tribe has become ill."
"Has he really?" commented Father. "Well, what goes around comes around." Uncle gave him a sharp look but the Air Nomads laughed.
"They had just diagnosed it when we were leaving." Added Bae. "It's nothing like the healers have ever seen."
"Is it a plague?" asked Aunt.
"No, more like a sort of long lasting thing." Bae answered. "But they don't know how long exactly, it'll last."
"But they know it's probably going to kill him in the end." Bansi put in. "Whether he's got two months or two years is what they're unsure about most."
"How horrible!" exclaimed Auntie.
"You mustn't forget that this is the man who wants to disrupt centuries and centuries of peace between the two Water Tribes." Uncle contradicted her gravely.
"He's probably got a wife in family who will be so sad without him." Said Auntie.
"Actually, from what we could understand, his wife died awhile back." Said Bae.
"And he's only got one son, and one grandson." Said Bansi.
"Did you two go meet with him?" asked Father.
Bansi answered, "Nah, we were only there for a few days, he was kind of busy or something."
"We didn't really want to anyway."
"But boy does he hate you guys doesn't, Ban?"
"Yeah, there were rallies and everything."
"We didn't stick around for much though, how many days were we there?"
"Only two or three, I think. We heard about the diagnosis the day we were leaving."
Uncle hid his annoyance and the brothers' tendency to tell the same story at the same time with a look of contemplation. Father looked amused. We sat in silence as a maid took away the empty bowls. Arin took this as a signal that the meal was over. She hopped up from her chair and asked if she could be excused. Uncle consented and she dashed off. I wanted to stay and listen to them talk. I was itching for information that no one wanted to tell me. However, I did make use of the moment away from Arin to address the two Air Nomads.
"Um, excuse me, Mr. Bae and Mr. Bansi?" my voice was high and nervous as all the adults turned to face me.
"Yes?" Bae's mustache seemed to stretch across his entire face when he smiled.
"Well, you know how Arin had her letter, but I have some that I wanted to give to you to give to Yangchen at the Western Air Temple." I mumbled.
"Where are they?" asked Bansi? Embarrassed, I let all my letters tumble out of my jacket which amused all the adults. Bae stood to take the letters from me, and placed them in his pocket.
"You sure have written a lot." He commented. "I'll be sure to take them to her. Remember her, Ban?"
"Yeah, she was quite a character." The two laughed.
"But incredibly talented."
"A true prodigy."
"Really?" I asked. Yangchen had never mentioned any real talent. Then again, we had not had much time to talk.
"Last time we visited there, the women there had some of the students perform so new moves and such," explained Bansi, "she was practically the star of the show."
"And such a little, scrawny thing!" put in Bae. The two laughed. "I'm sure she'll be delighted to hear from you." In unison the two brothers stood.
"But I think it's best that we be going." Said Bansi.
"Thanks for the stew!" both bowed and Uncle and Father bowed in return. Seeing them leave filled me with renewed excitement that temporarily masked my biting curiosity. My family and I—with the absence of Arin, obviously—sat in silence for a few moments after they left until Father spoke,
"Well, that was something, wasn't it?"
We all laughed in response.