Chapter III
The awakening had taken more than one kind of toll on the Demitar, but that didn't lessen the desire of Fire Lord Ozai to meet with her. She was led to the palace, and Rai Jin was left to the care of the fire sages. They gave her their word that the dragon would be well kept until her return later in the day; she reluctantly agreed.
The palace had changed only slightly in the hundred years that she had been absent. The spring flowers were blooming, and the ground was littered with sakura blossoms. The ones that still clung to the trees didn't have long before their fate would be that of those already fallen. It was incredibly beautiful, none the less, and Raya tried to appreciate it.
She thought she was going to be taken directly to the Fire Lord, so she was more than surprised when she was led instead into a chamber that housed a large tub filled to the brim with steaming water. Around her were three serving maids that smiled politely at the Demitar, encouraging her to follow them. The décor of the room was all splendor, and she realized that she was going to be groomed before her audience with the Fire Lord.
"Tsk, these clothes simply won't do," one of the older waiting maids observed. She picked at a piece of Raya's clothing – a simple nomad robe from the temples – a remnant of the night she was frozen in time. She blushed without being sure why she suddenly felt so insecure. The women scrutinized her and one even took her measurements. They were a whir of hands around her body and then suddenly they were finished.
"Ah, yes, fit and trim. I'll bring you back something splendid." And with that the oldest woman was off, through a door on the other side of the chamber and into the unknown parts of the palace. That was the signal the other two women had been waiting for, and as soon as the oldest woman was out of sight, they began to disrobe the Demitar.
"Er - no, wait a second," she said, trying to find her voice. The women paused then and looked at her as though she might be daft.
"Forgive us, Demitar, but you wish to bathe, yes?"
"Well, I guess so," she said, but her arms remained wrapped tightly around her body. "I can do that myself."
"We are only here to serve, Demitar," they said, inclining their heads toward her and backing away to the corners of the room.
"You can just call me Raya," she allowed, removing her robes until she was in her under wraps. She left them firmly in place as she climbed into the steaming hot water. Feeling the steam sink into her pores sent a wave of pleasure through her. She had to admit, the heat and water was unbelievably welcome after everything that had transpired that morning.
The tension began to melt out of her muscles. Raising one hand, she let out a slow deep breath from her nostrils and steam erupted from them. The tub climbed in temperature and she nestled into the water, content.
"May I tend to your hair, Raya?" one of the women had stepped forward now with a comb set on a silver tray. The Demitar nodded tentatively as the woman walked to the back of the stone tub where the Demitar had been reclining. She took the white locks in her hands and began to clean and comb.
"Your hands, Raya?" the other waiting maid asked, and in her hand sat a tray full of manicure hygiene tools. Raya lifted her hand absently to observe her nails, as if she were suddenly reminded of their existence. The waiting maid took this as permission and gently grabbed the Demitar's hovering hand. Figuring there wasn't much harm that could come of it, she let the women continue to pamper her until the decisive click of a door sounded at the back corner of the room.
It was the same door through which the older waiting maid had exited only thirty minutes earlier. She had returned, only now she was baring new garments for the Demitar. She waved a hand, asking the Demitar to take her leave of the water. Raya obliged, standing and swinging her legs over the tubs edge, and back out onto solid dry stone.
The other maids in waiting stepped up with large white drying cloths, but the Demitar held up a dismissive hand, and instead pressed her fists together. Air coiled outward from her center and the water that had been on her landed haphazardly on the other three women in the room. Raya laughed awkwardly and raised her hands and shrugged her shoulders in apology.
The two younger maids looked almost awed and simply took advantage of the unused cloth in their hands while the older woman, who had shielded the clothing just in time, looked less amused by the airbending.
"Now then," she said, pulling the Demitar into her reaches. Raya allowed the woman to fit her into the traditional formal fire nation attire while the other two women detangled her hair and pulled it into a traditional style. Her hair flowed down her back, and the hair from her temples hung freely. The top portion of her hair went into a small bun, and a simple ornament was placed in her hair.
"Don't you look stunning," a cold voice echoed through the room. Raya turned to see all of her waiting maids bowing down to a steely looking woman that carried herself powerfully.
A cold sweat had beaded along the demitar's forehead and she sat bolt upright out of the sleeping role she had been placed on. She looked around, confused at first. She couldn't remember anything at all that had happened before she fell asleep. It wasn't until her eyes slid past her peacefully sleeping dragon that she began to remember everything.
Her eyes slid over the sleeping people around her and she recognized each and every one of them. She paused when her amber eyes passed over the sleeping body of the air nomad, his posture peaceful and his mouth slightly slack. She took a deep breath, and turned her eyes toward the rising sun. The horizon cast crimson and gold shadows out over the landscape and Raya pushed herself up from the ground.
Silently, she padded over to Rai Jin. She patted his scaled side and then walked down along the outer edge of the outcrop, looking for a solitary place for morning meditation. It felt so strange to assimilate herself back into the routines she would have carried on in daily life should she not have been imprisoned. She sat down finally, just far enough away from everyone that she could focus on her own breathing. The crevasse walls faced her, solid and ancient.
In. Out. In. Out. In. O-
"Raya?" The familiar voice was a bit tired sounding but also concerned. Raya relaxed her pose and turned to look up at the Avatar.
"Join me?" she offered, unsure of what else to say. Things felt more awkward than they should for someone you supposedly shared a soul with. He obliged and took a meditative seat beside her. They stayed that way for quite some time, until the sun had climbed into full view.
"Can I ask you something?" Aang said once they had finished meditation, and were both simply staring out at the rocky ledges.
"Anything," Raya said genuinely.
"Would you ride air scooters with me?"
"Wh- A what?" Raya was completely unprepared for the avatar to say something so random.
"Like this," he said, and he grabbed her wrist, not unkindly, and pulled her to her feet. She watched as he swirled air into a ball and then tossed it out in front of him. In that same instant he jumped on and balanced himself like a top, riding the air ball erratically around her. An involuntary laugh escaped her lips and she felt a pang of mourning in her chest.
The brilliant smile, the genuine joy, and the air temple that surrounded them transported the demitar back to a world where the air nomads still existed; in that moment it was as if nothing had changed in a hundred years. This could have been their first meeting, and the war may not even be happening, if she pushed out all the other memories she had collected since her awakening.
"Hey, don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you," he said, rushing up to her as the air scooter dissipated. Raya looked shocked and lifted her hand to her face. Her cheek was damp and she wiped the remaining wetness away, smiling reassuringly.
"Ah, sorry, I don't know what came over me." Raya ran an absent minded hand through her white hair and shrugged.
"I'm just so excited to know another airbender again."
"As am I," Raya said, reflecting his genuine air. She was about to delve into a deeper conversation when a familiar voice rang out.
"Aang? Where are you guys?" the water bender girl was awake and in search of her companions.
"Katara," Aang said, motioning for the Demitar to follow him back to their camp. The smell of rice and other various fixings began to waft through the air. Her stomach growled and she looked for the source.
"There you are, I was a little worried." Katara was divvying out portions of food. Other children from the invasion were there too. One in a wooden chair raced passed Raya and Aang as another smaller child in a steal helmet chased him.
"Sorry, morning meditation," Aang said with a smile. Katara handed him a bowl that was air nomad friendly and then looked up at Raya.
"I'll have what he's having. Please," she added quickly, unsure of how the dynamic would work yet. Katara seemed to be the motherly figure of the group, and the master of distributing food. Raya hoped she hadn't given the girl the wrong impression, but after a moment Katara handed the Demitar a bowl identical to that of the Avatars. "Thank you," Raya said, bowing deeply and then taking a seat next to Aang.
She barely knew anyone yet, and that included the Avatar. But the fact that he was an air nomad, sharing the tattoos and abilities she did, made her feel more comfortable beside him. She was more than ready for their 'powerful bond' to kick in, but she feared that while the bond was there, there was no substitute for building a true friendship.
"So, there are some things we need to talk about now that we are all here, rested, and ready to kick some fire bender tail," Sokka said, a piece of jerked meat hanging carelessly from his mouth. He tugged at it, ripping off a hunk and chewed it vigorously.
"I agree," Katara said, taking a seat in the circle. The other kids played around them and were soon disappearing back into other parts of the temples. "First I think we need to make proper introductions. I'm Katara, and that's my brother Sokka," she gestured toward the meat guy. "This is Toph," she said, directing Raya's attention now to the earth bender. Raya took this opportunity to notice that she was blind.
"And of course, you know Aang," Katara said finally, not needing to point the Avatar out. Aang waved happily before taking another bite of his food.
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you," Raya said, bowing low and smiling.
"All right, all right, we all know each other. Now, back to those evil, slimy fire benders," Sokka said, making a fist in the air.
"Fire benders are not inherently evil," Raya piped up, trying to remain steadfast. Sokka realized that she, as a firebender herself, may be taking offense to his words and recanted quickly.
"I mean, you know, besides the Demitar. You are one of the masters of good."
"The Fire Nation has brought war down upon all the nations for a hundred years, and while we know they aren't all bad, the war has left a bad taste in our mouths," Katara said, explaining her brother's lack of eloquence on the subject. "It's brought nothing but death and destruction, to all of us. In one way or another."
Raya looked down at the ground and sat her bowl aside. Aang searched what he could see of her face for a clue as to what she was feeling before she looked up again.
"I don't understand how everything in this age has become so skewed. Fire can be dangerous, and that means benders must maintain a healthy respect for it," she agreed with the group, before continuing, "but it's also life; warmth. From ashes come new life, and from our breath comes fire."
"You know, it's kind of hard to believe that a fire bender is also an air bender," Sokka observed as he took in her wisdom.
"How so?" she asked, looking genuinely confused.
"Well, fire benders are all, you know, rah rah rah," he added a scary face and claw hands to the sounds, "And air benders are all like, peace, love, air, woosh, woosh, woosh." For this final statement he added waving arm movements and a happy face.
"Air and Fire are actually great compliments," Raya said, standing. "Allow me to demonstrate. Aang, would you help me?"
"Of course," he said excitedly, standing with her.
"Okay, I'm going to make an air tunnel and then I'll need you to fire bend into it," she said, taking a bending stance.
"Oh, well, I- I can't fire bend yet," Aang admitted, looking at bit dejected.
"Lucky for you, we can reverse those roles," Raya said with a comforting smile, not wanting to see his face crestfallen anymore. She was going to have to change his inability to fire bend, though. Pushing that thought aside, she took a bending stance again, and let Aang create a large funnel of air that swirled out into the open air of the crevasse.
Raya took a steady breath, and slowly released it as she bent fire out into the air tunnel. The two of them bending together sent jolts of energy prickling along Raya's tattoos, and the group gasped as they watched what was happening. The air fueled the fire into a massive spiral, and a myriad of colored flames began to appear. Raya smiled with appreciation for the beauty they could create together.
After another moment, Raya ended the fire bending, and brought her hands down in a releasing motion. Aang cut off the air current then, and the fire tunnel dissipated before their eyes.
"Okay, I'm not a fire kinda guy, but that was cool," Sokka admitted.
"I thought it was amazing," Toph said suddenly. Aang looked toward her with a grateful smile, and then it fell as he realized he'd been tricked once again by the blind girl.
"It was actually kind of, beautiful," Katara admitted. "But you're the demitar, and Avatar. The rest of the firebenders don't bend that way. They bend with the intent to dominate," she said closing her eyes as if she were experiencing an acrid taste.
Raya looked down again, wishing she could fully understand the extent to which her people had ravaged the world.
"I need to know," Raya said suddenly, rejoining the circle and taking her seat.
"Raya?" Aang said with a bit of confusion.
"Tell me what has happened in the world. I need to know what the Fire Nation has truly done, from the beginning."
It took hours. Each member of the group took their turn explaining different parts of their journey, and how the Fire Nation had touched each of their lives for the worse. She learned of how Aang was discovered in the ice, how Zuko had chased them endlessly across the globe. She learned of the battle for the Northern Water Tribe, and how Sokka's first girlfriend had turned into the moon. They told her about their journey through Wan Shi Tongs Library, and the professor they had to leave behind. Aang told her about discovering Monk Giatso's final resting place, and his journey's into the spirit world.
Every word began to weigh on her as though she were physically carrying them. By the time everyone had told her everything they could think of to get her up to speed, she couldn't find words to give them in return. The thought of her people committing an atrocity as unforgivable as destroying the air nomads was almost more than she could bare, but the fact that there was so much more to add to that horrible event made her soul heavy.
"Thank you all, I appreciate you revisiting these memories for my sake." Raya raised her hands to her face and held them there. She was shifting through a myriad of emotions; the weight of her nations atrocities made her feel as though she were the perpetrator of these wrong doings. The fact that she was absent from the world when the war stared made her feel as though she may as well be the one responsible for everyone's suffering.
"Where were we," she said suddenly, clenching her hands into fists at her eyes. A comforting hand rested itself against the Demitar's back. Suddenly she felt herself being pulled into a gentle embrace, her face pressed into the young Avatars shoulder. "Where were we," she said again, the words muffled by his clothing. He held her patiently.
"It's my fault," he said, reminding her of what he'd said earlier.
"Aang, we've talked about this. You know it's not your fault. Running away may have been the only reason you survived," Katara interjected. Her blue eyes were sincere and still held the pain of her retelling the loss of her and Sokka's mother.
"But we're here now, and we're together," Aang said, attempting to soothe her. She realized she had been crying lightly as she finally pulled her face away from the Avatar. She sighed deeply and looked up into his somber gray eyes.
"I miss them," she said softly, wiping some of the wetness from her eyes.
"Me, too," Aang said gently, wiping some of the tears from her cheeks with the loose cloth of his robes.
"Sorry about your robe," She apologized.
"Sacrificed to a worthy cause," he replied, smiling encouragingly. Raya returned his smile, but her heart wasn't in it. She still felt the sting of her, and the Avatar's, loss as well as the guilt she associated with her absence. She wondered if it would ever truly recede.
"When I found Monk Giatso . . . I lost it. I went into the Avatar state, that's how out of control I was of my emotions. I understand your pain, Raya; deeply." He placed a caring hand on her arm and looked into her amber eyes, trying to console her. She couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to see someone you loved dearly in the state Aang had described previously.
Rai Jin nuzzled her back and grumbled with concern. She placed a reassuring hand on the dragon's snout and heaved a sigh.
"Well, I think that's enough depression for one day," Sokka said, extracting himself from the circle and gathering his club. He sheathed his boomerang and did a few warm up squats. "Time to search for some meat creatures."
"Sokka, can't you at least try to be sensitive," Katara said, glaring at her brother.
"I'm with Sokka, that's enough sad to last for the entire month," Toph agreed, stretching her feet out in front of her and picking a few pebbles from between her toes.
"They're right." Raya moved to stand, her body a bit stiff from sitting for so long. "It doesn't do to dwell on the past. And," She added, looking down at Aang, "I think it's high time we got started on firebending."
Suddenly, as if summoned by the universe, there was a rustling behind them, and the animals began to make a commotion. They all turned to see Zuko being attacked by the affectionate kisses of the sky bison. Rai Jin was also excited to see the young Fire Prince, his nostril's emitting thick clouds of black smoke as he nuzzled the boys back.
"Uh, hey. Zuko here," he said awkwardly with a wave toward the group.