3.
Of the many letters I received from Yangchen over the years, the most memorable was probably the first. I woke up each morning with renewed zeal thinking to myself that today was the day. It had to be! The sun was beginning to shine more as spring quickly approached. We received more visitors than I was used to seeing, and from all over. However, none were the ones I was waiting for. During the wait, I wrote many more letters, but I promised myself that I would not send them until I got her letter first.
I did my best to find out more information on the situation with the North Pole, but I could never find out more than whether or not the chief still lived—which he did. I saw boats from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation come to our icy shores and men and women in such strange clothes look around in amazement at our small city. None of them stayed around for very long before meeting with my father. After that, I would not see them again until they left which was usually the next morning.
Auntie and Mother were not always included in these secret meetings. Whenever they were not, they took Arin and I out into the downtown area to walk around in the frosty sunlight. They showed us the smelly fish market and crowded shopping bazaars which sold furs and an interesting assortment of things. Sometimes Arin would see her friends from waterbending practice and leave me to have Auntie and Mother to myself. I never minded this, though. I always got a special present from them, like a new pair of boots or a new coat because Mother thought I was growing too fast and my clothes were too small. I did not really notice my ankles exposed on my pants or my toes poking my shoes. However, I appreciated the new clothes.
We received Yangchen's letter more than a month after we sent ours. I did not see the actual monks who brought it (which I found disappointing) but I found it on my pillow right before I was about to go to sleep. I started screaming with excitement.
"Is something the matter?" asked Arin walking into the room from the washroom.
"Look! Look!" I squealed shoving the paper into her face. She immediately snatched it from my grasp.
"Where'd you get it?" she demanded.
"I found it on my pillow."
She gave me a look as if she believed I was lying. "How d'you think it got there?"
"How'm I supposed to know? Maybe Dad put it there. Did you see any monks today?"
"I dunno, we've been getting so many visitors it hard to keep track." Arin glanced down at the unopened letter and then up at me. "You haven't even opened it yet." I nodded and she tore it open eagerly.
"Read it out loud!" I ordered.
"Hi Arin and Rika—hah! She put my name first!"
"Just read it!" I snapped.
"I just got home to my room in the Western Air Temple. I'm exhausted! We spent the last week in the Eastern Air Temple and all day yesterday flying across the Earth Kingdom without any stops. The Eastern Air Temple was nice, but I prefer my home. Maybe one day you two could come visit it. I don't know the next time I'll be traveling around though. I hope I do soon!" Arin stopped reading. "Wow, her handwriting is worse than yours."
"Is that it?" I asked.
"No, there's a little bit more at the bottom," said Arin. "PS- I just got your letters, and I can't believe how much you wrote, Rika! I promise to write more next time." Arin glared at me. "What's that supposed to mean?" I stared at my feet.
"I wrote some more letters after we wrote ours." I confessed. "I gave it to Bansi and Bae after you left." She sighed as if she was disappointed in me then handed me the letter. Despite the fact that she had barely written anything, I was still excited to write back. I read over the text for myself reveling in every word as if I could barely believe it was real. After all the waiting, there the letter was, all mine. I put the letter in my same hiding spot where I hid my letters.
Much to my pleasure, Yangchen kept her promise to write more. We received two letters from her about two weeks letter, and I had an opportunity to send my letters. I always kept the letters in the same place and with as few folds or creases as I could manage. Over time, Arin began to lose interest. She still wrote a letter or two, and would read them with me, but she did not have the same eagerness that I always possessed when the newest news of Yangchen's adventures came. No matter how trivial the things she would write about—playing pranks on her superiors or glider races with her friends—it always sounded more interesting than anything I ever wrote to her about.
Time passed and we continued our correspondence. I wrote to her about everything. It practically became a diary of everything I did. I always did wonder whether she really read everything I wrote, for I did write pages and pages of my dull daily life. I opened up to her revealing my innermost opinions that I would never dare to express to anyone else; how I was annoyed at Arin's bossiness, or tired of my mother's patronizing. I told her about my dreams of traveling around the world like her, or wishing that I could go to a normal schooling and meet some other children my age. I was lonely, and Yangchen seemed like my only real friend. It scares me now how little I really knew her.
We received visitors in waves. Some months we would get travelers coming and going nearly every day, and others we would not see anyone new for weeks. Of course, I rarely heard any of this news. What I did know was that, despite his illness, the chief still lived. I wondered what would happen when, or if, he finally died. I had long given up asking Mother for information, too. She knew almost as little as I did. Kaito was nearly always busy with his friends. On extra snowy days, Arin and I would try to guess what the must be talking about in those long secret meetings. We tried to come out with the most outrageous explanations we could think of from people living in a city underneath the ocean, to the Fire Nation attacking! As silly as we loved to be, we both knew that the truth was probably much more serious, and we wondered if it would have any effect on our lives as we knew them. It would, naturally, but it was too early to know that yet.
Despite how many visitors always came to see Uncle, there were always two I could rely on to see me.
By their third visit, Bansi and Bae had completely dropped the pretense of delivering word of the North Pole's status. They came even when they did not have any letters for me. After a year or so of their periodic visits, Mother became more comfortable with them I suppose for she let me roam around the city with them. When we became bored of that, they gave me rides on their gliders over the glaciers and ice bergs. Flying was one of the most remarkable experiences of my life. It was so different from anything I had ever known, I felt dazed as the icy tundra whooshed by underneath me. I was on top of the glider, with either Bae or Bansi below underneath the light wood frame of the craft. I gripped tightly and let my hood fall back onto my shoulders as the icy air breezed through my hair and nipped at my face. Sometimes we brought some snacks and ate a picnic on a high icy ledge, or secluded icy island that I would not normally be able to reach. The two were always entertaining and filled my head with interesting stories of their adventures. Their tales gave me the same feelings of envy that Yangchen's letters always did. I always imagined myself as an airbender, too; being able to fly alongside them. I still wish that I could…
Two years passed in this manner. Nothing really interrupted the blissful continuum until the autumn I was eleven; right after Arin's fourteenth birthday. The days were starting to become shorter, and it was in the middle of one of the times we did not have very many foreigners coming to our home. I was maturing, as every girl does at one point. I had become a bit quieter and less loud spoken; able to refrain from blurting out things I would regret in favor of waiting and giving a more intelligent response. I was still writing to Yangchen of course, like I mentioned before but obviously I had not received one in some time, and my stack of letters to send was piling up.
I was in the middle of a tutoring session with Arin and Mother when Auntie burst into the room. She rushed up to my mother and began whispering in her ear. Our tutor seemed very disgruntled at having been interrupted. He was already uneasy enough with Mother loving to sit in, and now this rude disruption! I wondered what was so important that had gotten Auntie into such a frenzy. She whispered into Mother's ear and I tried to subtly eavesdrop, but I could not hear anything. I glanced at Arin to see if she could pick up anything, but her expression was as blank as mine. Even Tutor looked curious.
"Girls, continue with your lesson," said Mother. She stood up and exited the room with Auntie. I scooted my chair towards Arin's to fill the gap Mother had left.
"We've got to find out what that was about," I hissed from the corner of my mouth as Tutor read out loud from the book. Arin did not respond right away but her eyes were response enough. She disagreed. While Tutor droned on about the history of the Water Tribe or something Arin finally replied.
"Most definitely not." Her lips were barely moving. "If they wanted us to know, they would have told us." Tutor looked up from his reading and we feigned attention. Satisfied, he continued.
"More than four-hundred years ago, the Water Tribe of the South Pole was united by the great chief…"
"Aren't you a bit curious?" I asked looking straight ahead. "This could be big news."
"No, I'm not." I was sure that she was lying. I did not exchange any more words with her until our lesson was over. She strode out of the room and I had to run to catch up with her.
"Please!" I begged. "We must find out." But at that moment, a group of ferocious looking men walked through the doors of the palace and right in front of us. We froze in fear. Then I recognized my brother, Kaito. I called his name. He turned and smiled when he saw me. He took a quick glance at his other soldiers then quickly went up to me.
"Rika, what is it?" he said, peeking over his shoulder again.
"Kaito, what on earth is going on?" I asked. "Why do you and all the other warriors look like…" I faltered trying to think of the right words.
"Like you're ready for battle!" finished Arin.
"Yeah, you scared us half to death." I added. Arin nodded. Kaito looked around again. The soldiers had not moved. They seemed to be waiting for further instructions.
"Well, I'm not sure I should be telling you this…" he trailed off.
"Please!" pleaded Arin and I in unison. And she said she was not even curious…
"Okay," Kaito sighed, "but you can't tell anyone that you know. Especially not Mother and Father." We assured him that our lips were sealed and he continued. "The king of the North Pole has finally passed on."
"Passed on?"
"Yes, Rika, passed on as in died." Said Arin. "Don't be so dumb!" She turned to Kaito. "What does this mean for us?"
"We're not sure yet." Answered Kaito grimly. "We only received word of it a few hours ago, and we don't know how they're reacting. We can only prepare ourselves for the worst." Arin pursed her lips.
"Do you think they're going to attack?"
Kaito shrugged, "Better to be safe than sorry."
"Who're the adults in a meeting with now?" I inquired.
"Probably the Air Nomads who brought us the information, and maybe the head warrior. I'm not entirely sure."
"So, the Chief must have died last week." Said Arin, more to herself than to us, "I mean, if we got the news from Air Nomads. How long does it take to fly down here from there?" But Kaito could not answer. Another warrior was motioning for him to come join the others. With a apologetic expression he bade us farewell.
"C'mon, let's go sit down." I pulled Arin's arm. She looked rather pale and wore a dazed expressions as she stared at the warriors marching away. We headed to a quiet room not far away and sat down on giant wooden armchairs.
"What, what do you think's gonna happen?" Arin asked immediately.
"Nothing. Nothing is going to happen. Arin, breathe." I thought she would tell me that she did not need reminding but she nodded and focused on her deep breaths. She had not had an incident in awhile but the healers told us that it could—and would—return when we least expected it. That was the last thing we needed. What if the North Pole did attack?
I listened to her breathe. It was comforting. Nothing, nothing is going to happen. I repeated over and over in my head. Uncle and Father will not let it. As soon as the panic passed, the curiosity returned. I squirmed in my seat; not wanted to sit, but at the same time, not wanting to leave Arin. Every moment that passed seemed to bring me further and further away from the information I was dying to know.
"Hey, you wanna get something to eat?" I asked her finally breaking the silence. "I'm sure Chef would be glad to whip us up something. And eating will make you feel better." I did not know that to be true, but it sure sounded convincing. Arin nodded meekly and we walked together to the dining room. When we entered the dining room, we were greeted by Mother and Auntie. They were accompanied by two large warriors.
"Rika, Arin, where have you two been?" Auntie looked stressed as she asked us the question. "We've been looking all over for you."
"We've just been sitting around." I answered innocently. "Where have you been?"
"Some very…disturbing news has come from the North Pole." Explained Auntie. Her patronizing tone made me cringe. "We believe that we here in the South Pole might be in some danger." Arin and I stayed silent. Auntie bit her lower lip anxiously and glanced at Mother.
"This next week is going to be very tense." Mother continued. "So, for your best safety, you need to stay inside, and not disturb any of the warriors that are around the palace. Arin will be taking a break from her waterbending lessons, and your tutoring sessions will have to come to a short stop."
"I don't even want you two going into the courtyard." Added Auntie. I nodded taking this all in. I wondered why the death of the chief could lead to a war between the two Water Tribes, especially if the chief died of a sickness, but of course I could not ask.
Father and Uncle joined us for a meal. They seemed twice as stressed. They insisted they could not stay long, and talked in low voices to each other the entire time. The two warriors that had been with Mother and Auntie stood at the doorway of the dining room looking menacing. I wondered if they were some sort of special bodyguards.
The next couple days were some of the tensest days I had ever experienced. Warriors swarmed around the palace, but they did not make me feel safe. They made me feel gloomy, as if they were a bad omen. I did not see Father for nearly two days as he was always in meetings. I wanted to eavesdrop so badly, but I felt as if everyone in the palace was constantly watching me. I was even too stressed to write to Yangchen.
I spent much time staring out the windows to the tempting outdoors, and watching as peopled streamed in and out of palace property. Mostly, I saw men and women from the surrounding city and villages wanting to know what was going on. Occasionally, I would see Air Nomads—men and women as well—delivering more news. None of these caught my attention until on about the fifth day after Kaito told me the news when I saw them.
Warriors from the North Pole.
Despite the fact that they wore blue clothes, and had similar dark skin, they stood out as foreigners. Three of them, with their hair cropped short, long beards, and muscular arms. They did not wear any armor or have weapons so I assumed that they were probably very powerful waterbenders. They were walking swiftly, accompanied by two soldiers who I guessed were from the Earth Kingdom based on their green and brown outfits. Last in the group was a tall, pale man with large black sideburns and a black top-knot. He looked out of place and I guessed he must be from the Fire Nation. Was this the beginning of an attack? The North Pole men did not look like they were prepared for battle. Nonetheless, I was terrified. They approached the palace doors and were out of my vision from the window. I was torn whether to go see them at the door, or stay in the room where I believed it to be safe. My curiosity beat out my caution, and I dashed off.
I reached the main corridor and stopped right in my tracks. Father and Uncle were there greeting the visitors. I did not think they would want to see me there, so I stayed where I was, peeking around the side wall when I thought they would not see. The three warriors, the soldiers and the tall man all bowed to Father and Uncle who bowed in return. Father and Uncle were accompanied by a couple of our warriors who stood menacingly in the outskirts of the room. Uncle was talking to the warriors who were nodding in response. I could not hear them. All at once, they headed away. I counted to three in my head and started to follow them, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Rika!" I jumped and turned to see Arin behind me with her arms crossed.
"What?" I snapped.
"Were you going to eavesdrop on Father and Uncle and those visitors?" she asked accusingly. I hesitated before answering.
"Yes. I was. Don't try to stop me." I turned away from her and started walking.
"Wait!" she called but I did not stop. "I want to come with you." She caught up to me and added, "I have a funny feeling about this meeting. Like a premonition or something." I nodded solemnly. We ran as lightly as we could down the corridor until the group was back in our sight. We hid back around corners and tailed them surreptitiously until they reached the room they were having the meeting in. Mother and Auntie had joined them. When we were sure that no one else was coming, Arin and I sat outside with our ears pressed against the door listening.
I could hear chairs scraping on the floor as everyone sat down around what I presumed must be a table of some sorts. I had never been in this particular room. Finally, Uncle spoke.
"I am very sorry to hear about the passing of your chief," he sounded grave, but there was a small hint of malice in his tone.
"Yes, it was very unfortunate," came the answer. I assumed that this was one of the northern soldiers. "And naturally why we're here." He added. His voice was very sleek and made me think that a warrior was not his normal job. There was silence for a few moments after that. I envisioned Father and Uncle staring down the northern visitors.
"Come on now, we should get down to business," said a gruff sounding voice. "No hostile feelings." That must be the man from the Fire Nation, I thought.
"Our new chief, Mituk, the deceased chief's son, is not in favor of war." Said the man who had spoken before. He sounded like he disagreed. "He has sent us hear to propose a peaceful agreement that can help to prevent any further conflict, at least temporarily until more permanent measures can be taken." He spoke slowly, choosing his words very deliberately.
"Elaborate." Said Uncle.
"Chief Mituk wants a someone from here in the South Pole to come live in the North Pole for a few years as an ambassador." The same man explained.
"Ambassador?" questioned Father.
"Yes, a representative of one place that goes and lives in another. He wants the people of the North Pole to realize that they can live peacefully with someone from the South Pole." Said the Fire Nation man. "I'm an ambassador now, representing the Fire Nation in this conference. I'm also here as an unbiased mediator. We don't want a conflict between you two, because chances are we'll get wrapped up in it as well."
"So, we could send anyone we wanted to?" asked Uncle.
"Well…" the man hesitated. "He requested that you send your daughter."
"Arin?" Auntie's voice sounded disbelieving. "No, she's just a girl. If they want a member of the royal family, why not my nephew Kaito?"
"Kaito would probably love the opportunity for travel." Said Father.
"How old is he?" inquired the man from the Fire Nation.
"Eighteen," answered Father.
"And I assume he's probably a trained warrior." Continued the Fire Nation man. There was no answer so I guessed that Father or Uncle probably nodded. He continued. "Think of the message that would send to the people of the North Pole. A warrior? What would you think if the peaceful ambassador to try to end the conflict between you two Water Tribes was a man ready for war?" The room was silent as he let the question hang in the air. "Now, picture this: they send an innocent little girl. Arin, you said her name is? Arin goes to the North Pole, with a completely open mind. The North Pole see that the South Pole isn't just made of fierce, barbaric warriors like they've been made to believe, but there are little girls, children, there too. It makes the whole thing more…humane."
"That is very well, except, like you said, Arin is a child. Therefore, she is not going." Said Auntie firmly. I looked at Arin. She looked pale.
"We need to get into that meeting." I whispered.
"No, I don't think that's a good idea."
"What about your premonition? It is practically coming true." I stood up. "Play along." Arin looked confused, but I had a plan. I backed away from the door, then took a run at it, opening it at the last moment. I ran through and did not look at anything until I got to my mother.
"Mom!" I whined, "Arin wasn't being nice to me."
"Rika, you know not to disturb us when we're in an important meeting," hissed Mother. I looked around at the table of visitors intending to feign surprise, but the real thing spread across my face. The men seemed so much different up close than they from a distance. They seemed just as surprised to see me until the one from the Fire Nation burst out laughing. I blushed.
"Now I didn't know there were two of them." He chuckled.
"This is my niece, Rika. She's about two years younger than my daughter." Said Uncle. Arin poked her head into the room.
"I didn't do anything!" she snapped, striding tentatively into the room. She looked around at the people with awe and fear at the same time. She ran over to Auntie.
"Now run along, you two." Said Father. "This is a very important meeting."
"No," said the man from the Fire Nation, he had finished laughing, "I think they should stay here. I want to hear what they think."
"Think about what?" I asked innocently. He gave a brief explanation of the ambassador idea and Arin and I nodded.
"Arin, what do you think?" finished the Fire Nation man.
"I-I'm not sure." She mumbled. She glanced at her parents and then at me.
"What if your cousin went with you?" he proposed.
"Hold on, I thought that Chief Mituk only wanted one ambassador," butted in Uncle before Arin could answer.
"I'm sure he probably wouldn't mind. Two girls would probably give the same, or perhaps even an even better message." Said the Fire Nation man. "I'd be escorting them both all the way to the North Pole, so they'll be quite safe on the journey there."
"I want to go." I said suddenly, before anyone else could respond. "Mom, Dad, I want to go. I'm not a little kid anymore. I want to travel the world, I want to make a difference."
"Rika…" started Mother, but I interrupted.
"Please, you've kept me in the dark for so long, I think I have a right to do this." I glanced at Arin.
"If Rika goes, then I want to go, too." She said. I was shocked. This was so unlike her, agreeing with me! "I don't know why there's a war, or anything, but as the princess, I think it's my responsibility to help solve it however I can." Everyone in the room stared at her, and I was afraid she was going to start hyperventilating. As if she read my mind Auntie spoke,
"Arin cannot go because she has a breathing ailment."
"Mom," Arin contradicted, "nothing has happened in months…" she trailed off mumbling.
"And I could take care of her," I pointed out, "I know how to make her calm down after and get back to normal."
"There are healers in the North Pole who could take extra care of her," added the Fire Nation man. "The journey is only about a month and half, so she would not be without care for very long."
"You know, I would feel a lot better if they both went together." Said Uncle thoughtfully. "How long would they be there for?"
"Two to four years at the most." Said one of the waterbenders. "Until all or most of the hostile feelings are eliminated." Four years away from home…that seemed like such an immense amount of time. Nonetheless, I was itching to go.
"Think of the opportunity for the girls," added the man from the Fire Nation, "on the way there we'll stop in some Earth Kingdom ports, and take a short detour to my home in the Fire Nation. Maybe we can even visit one of the Air Temples. It will be such an experience for them."
"Please?" I begged. The idea of maybe being able to visit Yangchen's home was more exciting than anything else I had heard yet.
"I shall think it over," said Uncle, "with my brother, wife, and sister-in-law." The Fire Nation man nodded.
"I suppose this is the end of the meeting?" he asked standing up. The waterbenders and two silent Earth Kingdom soldiers rose from the table. My parents and aunt and uncle did not move and ushered us out of the room. I wanted to speak to that man from the Fire Nation, but he was with the other men, and they seemed to be leaving. Perhaps if I was allowed to go, I would have lots of time to speak to him. He seemed very interesting. Arin and I walked back to our room.
"What do you think's going to happen?" I asked her.
She shrugged, "How'm I supposed to know?"
"I don't know." I admitted. "I hope we can go."
"Me too."
"Why?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, that when you actually agreed with me that it would be great to go, it just seemed so shocking because you never agree with me. And you never seem very…daring." I said, then added, "No offense."
"I know what you mean. But this feeling, it won't go away. I feel like it's my destiny to go. Weird, right?"
"Yeah." We reached our room. "I wonder where the men are staying. I'm sure they probably won't leave until they get an answer, and who knows how long that can take."
"Maybe they're housing somewhere in the village." Arin sat down on her sleeping mat, facing me. I knelt on mine.
"That guy from the Fire Nation seemed interesting." I commented.
"Yeah, he wanted us to go more than the guys from the North Pole!"
"I just hope his argument was enough to convince my mother,"
"Yeah, she's so protective," agreed Arin. We spent the rest of the afternoon making fun of our parents.
I did not see the visitors for three days. During that time, Arin's and my parents debated our fate. I never got to hear any of the debates, but I believed that Uncle wanted us to go to solve the war; Father wanted us to go because that was what we wished; and Mother and Auntie did not want us to go at all. Arin and I were sitting outside when they finally returned. We all went back to the same meeting room. I was so nervous my hands were shaking. Arin looked more apprehensive than me, so I took her trembling hand in mine. There were no seats at the table for us, so the two Earth Kingdom soldiers stood at the door and allowed us to sit. I thanked them, but they did not reply.
"Since you summoned us back here, is it safe to assume you have come to a decision?" asked the Fire Nation man. Uncle nodded.
"After much discussion, we have consented to let Arin and Rika go to the North Pole as ambassadors." He said. I thought I heard Auntie sob quietly but her face was pointedly expressionless. The Fire Nation man stood up and clapped his hands.
"Excellent. I'm sure Chief Mituk will be pleased." He glanced at the men from the North Pole.
"Yes, he will indeed be delighted." Said the man with the sleek-sounding voice.
"When will they be leaving?" asked Auntie. Her voice sounded high and strained. The man from the Fire nation thought for a moment then responded.
"A week or two after the Winter Solstice, so the beginning of the new year. We need to return to the North Pole to deliver the news, and come back here."
"There is one condition," said Uncle. He paused as if waiting for a response but none came, so he continued. "You may be their escort, but you three will travel by a ship that is manned by our men." The men from the North Pole exchanged glances amongst themselves, then nodded. The Fire Nation man spoke for them.
"That seems to be fine." He said. I sighed with relief and grinned at Arin. She returned my smile. It was the beginning of a new adventure, one like nothing I had ever dreamed could happen, or had even been close to experiencing in the past. I watched the visitors go, already full with eager anticipation for their return.
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Next chapter in a few weeks. Thanks for reading :