Chapter 14

Aang drifted through the Northern Tribe's grand palace. No one bothered him much. They were all busy with the preparations of impending doom. Fishing parties and various merchants have carried the news to the north that Azula was on the rampage. The entire city was in a calm state of panic. Patrols regularly went out in case she decided to bring an army. Hunting parties were on the look out in case she came by land. Guards were increased around the Spirit Oasis.

That was where Aang found Chief Arnook. He stood vigilantly over the pool in which two koi swam. There was all that remained of Princes Yue. She would never know the ruin of age or the pain of death. Yet she would never know the joy of life. Forever she will stand apart from those she loved. From her post in the sky, she will watch the boy she loved and perhaps still love grow old in the arms of another woman. And she will also watch her father's continual sorrow.

Arnook heard Aang's approach. He turned towards him with his most convincing smile. Aang could see straight through it. There was sorrow and fear mixed all together. The sorrow never really went away. The fear came and went with the changing tides of the world. This was such a time that everyone could use a bit of fear. It kept people grounded and alert. It made everyone realize what matters in life and how far they can push themselves.

"Avatar Aang, it is good to see you even in these dark days," Arnook said warmly.

Aang and Arnook bowed to each other. Aang slowly came up to the chief's side and looked down into the pool. The fish swam in circles around each other. They did not mind the living too much attention. They were just guests there.

"I am glad to see you too," Aang replied. "I must say, visiting here is much more relaxing than Omashu."

"Really, I thought you and the king were old friends."

"I couldn't meet with King Bumi. I had an audience with his niece."

"Oh, her," Arnook grumbled. "I have heard stories from my ambassadors."

Aang let out a long sigh. "Chief Arnook, I'm sure you've heard the whole story on how I'm not chasing the princess down. I've been to Omashu, various cities in the Earth Kingdom, the Northern Temple, and then here. When I am finished here I am to go on to Ba Sing Se to have an audience with the Earth King."

Arnook nodded. "Yes, I have heard. Sokka is with this Captain Inara I keep hearing of."

"Do you know her?"

"I know the name but not the woman."

Arnook turned and started to walk away from the pool. Aang followed him out of the oasis and into the palace. The guards were still pacing through the halls. Several chieftains were gathered in a corner whispering frantically about something that was of much importance.

"There is a young man of fortune who does business with her now and then," Arnook continued. "This young captain also has ties to the Southern Tribe. Now and again I hear of a small dispute between him and her. It usually doesn't cost me a wink of sleep but sometimes it spills over into other merchants and fishing parties."

"Can you tell me more about this Captain Inara?" Aang asked. "Sokka is with her."

"And you are worried," Arnook quickly surmised. "Sokka is a capable young man. He can take care of himself. But going back to you, I am concerned on your plans to go to Ba Sing Se."

"Why?" Aang asked.

Arnook pulled Aang down a small hallway that was off the beaten track. There were only a few women walking side by side carrying linens and furs.

"I understand why the Fire Lord did not wish for you to hunt down his sister," Arnook began.

"I believe I do too," Aang replied.

"That is good. But I see a flaw in your reasoning to travel to Ba Sing Se."

Aang's eyebrows gathered together. "Why?"

Arnook stopped walking and settled in front of a window. Aang looked up into Arnook's quickly aging face. The wrinkles gathered together in his deep thought like every wrinkle held a tale to tell.

"I don't think the princess will go to Ba Sing Se. At least not yet," Arnook added quickly.

"I'm not following."

"I never met the Fire Lord's sister but I have heard enough stories. She is a clever woman. She knows that the key to the East is to first conquer the West."

"What about war? Do you think the Earth King will have enough power to hold the provinces back?"

"I do not believe that there is enough stability to allow an attack," Arnook answered. "They are so divided and after 7 years they are still in shambles. The Earth Kingdom was able to be invaded and colonized because of how fractured its political system is. Some will want to hide behind the walls of their cities while others will want to take more proactive measures against danger."

"They will bicker and feud while Azula is off overthrowing her brother," Aang realized.

Arnook nodded. Aang wanted to bang his head against the wall. It felt like a never ending story with the travails of the Earth Kingdom. Of course Zuko had his own problems. He had the doubt of his own right to the throne to contend with. But with an Earth King who will probably never be secure on his throne, Aang's always felt weary whenever it came to the Earth Kingdom. There was only one Fire Lord and one Chief per tribe. However, there were several princes, dukes, marquises, lords, and a couple of kings to deal with in the Earth Kingdom.

"I should get back to the Fire Nation," Aang said quickly. "That is where this war will be won."

"I agree," Arnook said and pulled a small bottle from his robes. "This is water from the Spirit Oasis. I understand it once saved your life in the hands of Master Katara. Take this. It might come to use."

Aang took the bottle and clasped it tightly in his hands. His mind quickly went back to more dangerous days and he began to wonder what time will be seen as more troubled when everything was over.

"I hope we never have to use it," Aang said.

"Me too."

"I am sorry that I cannot stay any longer but I must leave now."

Arnook bowed. "I agree."

Aang bobbed quick bow and turned on his heels. He started out at a brisk walk. Then the fears and worries began to flood his soul. The old nightmares crept back into his mind of the world falling back into chaos and they always ended with him losing Katara. His pace quickened as he saw her eyes fade in his mind. He broke out into a full run knowing how fragile of a bridge between war and peace that they all stood on.

***

It was nice to have ostrich-horses for once. It was beginning to get old hauling all of their supplies on their backs as they trudged along on the unbeaten path. But now that they had ostrich-horses, there were no supplies. Inara had left all of the supplies in the able hands of a boy who never made it to Orso. In fact, he really didn't have a chance to slip out of the bar before the fight broke out. He appeared at the ostrich-horse farm with a black eye and empty handed begging for forgiveness. Inara had no time to hand out forgiveness. She only glared down at the boy and they rode away into the night.

They all rode swiftly but quietly 2 by 2 down a narrow road. Inara and Orso took up the lead with Sokka at the rear with the spare ostrich-horse. They were dead silent when they made their escape from the town. They had no idea how many of Azula's supporters could be hiding there. But when they were in the clear they still did make much conversation.

Inara could tell that the silence was wearing on the usual jovial Orso. He boasted a large crew of 8 mean under him and one woman who paid a good lease to tag along. There was always someone to talk to. In the present company he could not force either of them to talk if they wanted to.

"Are we making good time?" Sokka finally asked from the back.

"Yes," Orso replied.

Inara could feel Orso waiting for more conversation. But alas, none came. Sokka became mute after the short answer from Orso.

To create some amusement for himself, Orso began to hum. Inara glanced sideways at him and saw a smug smile on his face. It was irritating to see that smile. It usually meant that he was formulating some absurdity in that mind of his. The humming became louder and more distinct.

"I like to go swimming with bow-legged women an swim between their legs…and swim between…"

"Shut it Orso," Inara snapped.

"Aren't we touchy?" he mused.

Orso looked over at Inara but she ignored him. She looked straight ahead with a stone expression chiseled on her face. She knew he was still staring at her though. He could feel his curious eyes burning her ear. Finally, she chanced a glance over at him and was awarded with a knowing smile.

As soon as Orso had the privilege of seeing Inara's annoyed face, he turned his head to Sokka. Inara rolled her eyes and looked straight ahead once more.

"What?" she heard Sokka asked.

Inara's teeth gritted when she heard Orso chuckle.

"What happened in town last night?" Orso asked.

Inara and Sokka did not answer. She had no issue with the innocent kiss from the night before but Sokka did not make matters feel neutral. He avoided her all night and rode behind her to avoid eye contact. The one time that she did look to speak with him earlier in the day, he looked straight down at the back of his ostrich-horse.

Inara went back to the reliable feeling of guilt. She knew that he was involved with some girl from the Earth Kingdom. Information on these matters was well known in the circles that she ran in. He did not talk of her much. In fact, Inara was not sure if he had even muttered her name in her presence before. But in times like this, she would not want anyone to know the names of people that mattered to her.

"You guys are no fun," Orso complained.

He slowed his ostrich-horse and dropped back to ride along with Sokka. Inara's irritation increased ten-fold by this. Orso was almost as bad as an old woman gossiping while she wove thread. He was hardly an example of any member of the Merchants Guild.

"Sokka, man to man, what happened?" she heard Orso try to whisper.

"Nothing," Sokka said in a gritty tone.

There was silence then. Inara let out a slow breath and mistakenly looked back at them. Orso's eyes lit up immediately as a sickening smile became the predominate feature on his face.

"Oh no, you two didn't…?" he asked holding in a good round of laughter.

"Nothing like that," Inara snapped and felt the color in her cheeks rise. She could not stop it and Orso could not help but to notice. He exploded into laughter nearly scaring the spare ostrich-horse to death. It jerked at its reigns with Sokka growing very annoyed at it.

"It was just a kiss," Sokka confessed awkwardly and immediately realized his mistake.

Orso howled even louder in laughter. Any scouts would have easily found them but he did not care at the moment. He was too busy basking in whatever he was trying to bask in.

"You need to mind your own business," Inara said acidly tiring of the laughter..

"Me," he howled. "But you cannot avoid making your business public."

"It is not by choice."

Orso stopped laughing for a moment and tried to have an innocent look on his face. "That is not by my own fault. Your past history has paved a very public road for your escapades."

"Well, he's not one of them," she growled.

"Not yet," Orso said.

"I'm involved with someone already," Sokka protested.

Inara rolled her eyes and turned back to watch the road.

"What do you mean by her past?" Sokka asked tactlessly.

Orso let out a low chuckle in the depths of his throat. "She has a very notorious love life," he answered.

"Shut it," Inara warned.

Orso ignored her as usual. "When she and the Fire Lord were children, there were talks of an engagement between them. Her father was very powerful and she was a very able bender. The talks continued until they came to a screeching halt when the Crowned Prince was humiliated and banished from the Fire Nation."

"Betrothal," Sokka said skeptically.

Inara pulled her ostrich-horse around and stopped the entire procession. "Never officially," she added curtly. "There is rarely courtship and love where I come from."

"Except for Zuko and Mai," Sokka said.

"It helps that she is from a powerful family," Inara stated.

"So, are there any hard feelings?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know. You tell me. I am a woman of my own fortune and I answer to no man. Then again, you wouldn't understand being that you were fortunate in birth to be born with the ability to piss standing upright."

Her words stung Sokka. She had a small satisfaction in seeing him recoil a bit.

But they did not completely silence him. Sokka had an impish look about him. He glanced at Inara and then over to Orso.

"Would it be safe to assume that your attentions were diverted to Orso for awhile?" Sokka asked.

Inara puffed a bit of smoke from her nose. It was humiliating; not Orso's loose tongue but her showing of her irritation. She glared at Orso knowing who to blame for this comment. He only looked back at her innocently and shrugged. She narrowed her eyes at him and spurred her ostrich-horse ahead. It trotted at a faster pace to where she would be out of earshot. She could not keep the two men from gossiping like two old biddies but she did not have to listen to them. Then again, most of the world knew of various points of her romances.

The Fire Nation court seemed so far away now. It felt like another life time. She was a child growing up as a playmate to both the prince and princess. They were royalty but not of the utmost importance like their uncle and cousin. She found them both entertaining in their own ways. Zuko was friendly and good natured. Azula could always find trouble but Inara was smart enough to avoid any fingers being pointed at her.

But with all of the joy came the constant worry and dread. Court life was not always safe. Azulon had a fierce temper in his old age. His rickety bones did nothing to help his mood. Everyone feared that the death of his grandson, Lu Ten, at the walls of Ba Sing Se would put about a long dirge in the court, but Azulon did not live long enough for him to cover the court with a black shroud. Ozai soon ascended usurping the Crown Prince. Inara was there when he was crowned. She was there for Azulon's cremation. It was an extraordinary day that no one really talked much of. Of course the usual tokens of goodwill were always given to the day but it never felt right to anyone.

Perhaps it was the conspicuous absence of Princess Ursa. She had mysteriously disappeared. No explanation was given and after a few people were sent to prison for over-speculation, the court was hushed. All that was left were her children. Not even Azula walked away untouched. Her quiet war against her brother intensified without their gentle mother to intervene. Azula would pass Inara in the courtyard or the hallways of the palace and call her "She-Demon," and Inara would always respond, "Dragon Lady." Azula seemed to be quite amused with this moniker. Zuko withdrew for a month in sorrow.

Life went on almost as normal as before. Ursa's name was not even whispered in the court. All of the children in the court continued their usual studies and training as Ozai continued to wage war on the rest of the world. The Fire Lord's Fools tried to keep the court in a happy mood with death still lingering.

A small memory of her youth resurfaced then. It was a day she found Zuko feeding the turtle-ducks in the pond. They were near 12 she imagined. He was quiet and calm; two things he rarely ever was in his life. Inara had very few recollections of the Crowned Prince as anything but boisterous. But his quiet demeanor lured her over towards him. There they sat for several moments watching the ducks swim and neither of them realized what this one moment would set into motion.

Unbeknownst to them, two formable men were watching them. Fire Lord Ozai and Lord Kito had been meeting privately on unknown matters. They happened upon their children and they both had their own eyes on different prizes. Even a fool knew what Kito wanted. He wanted to advance his family through a favorable marriage. Ozai, however, saw this as a grand opportunity to receive a king's ransom as a dowry from the rich Kito lands along with a forceful daughter-in-law whose temperament rivaled his own daughter's. He hoped that this young bride would toughen his son's resolution for when he took the throne.

Thus they were then thrown into a political upheaval, Inara more than Zuko. She was dragged down the long road and everyone knew how it ended…disgrace. Being of the "weaker" sex, her fortune rose and fell with the man she was attached to. That horrid day of the Agni Kai, Zuko came to her boasting of how he would defeat the general. Inara's stomach still churned whenever she thought about that day. She heart twanged as the image of Zuko cowering at his father's feet floated in her mind. And the memory always ended with an empty arena. All that remained were Iroh comforting Zuko on the floor and Inara silently crying at the very top.

Inara wiped a stray tear from her cheek as she rode away from Sokka and Orso. That day was the end of her life at court. No one would touch her after her grand fall. So she was set to sea to seek her own fortune with Kerak and Genji.

Perhaps it was the residual stings of her childhood romance that thrust her into the charismatic arms of Captain Orso years later. When they met, she had been met with a small disaster and he was available at the time. He was everything that a Fire Nation courtier was not. He was open, delightful, and entertaining. He treated her as a fellow captain and not as a subservient woman.

"Well met captain," Orso would always say to her when they in private or in public. They traveled a bit together. There was a time that Orso spent a season on her ship. That did not work out as well as they had planned. There was some trouble but it would have come with him on or off the ship. It was unavoidable.

But like everything else, the romance withered away. Neither of them knew exactly what it was. It could have been the distance that their occupation forced them to endure or just their own nature. Two captains on one ship was one too many. Whatever sort of love that they shared just fizzled and cooled into a friendship. She wasn't sure if it was more satisfying. Orso definitely seemed to take more liberties as a friend such as revealing half-truths of a woman's secrets.

They went their separate ways. Orso had his own romance now with a woman that Inara chose to not pull to mind. The very thought of her wrinkled her nose as if she was a bad stench. Then again Orso really did not approve of any of her following flings as he would put them. They were in a quiet state of animosity when it came to their love lives.

Orso would always say, "You can do better."

"It seems there is never anyone as good as you," she would return with a hint of boredom. It was the game that they played to keep from tearing each other's throats out whenever they were in vicinity of each other for more than 3 days.

"Hey, wait up," she heard Orso call out to her.

She glanced back and saw a steady trail or dust behind her. She pulled on the reins of her ostrich-horse to stop it. They waited as the steady drum of feet became louder and the dust cloud larger. Orso and Sokka soon emerged from the brown cloud looking rather amused. Sokka still did not look her in the eye and she could only imagine what Orso may have told him.

To avoid any kind of impropriety, Inara focused on their lack of supplies. "There is a town up ahead. We can get supplies from there."

"Ah, Captain Prudent," Orso teased.

"Someone has to be," she retorted.

Orso looked around and she saw that all too familiar scowl form over his face. "We're near Yat-Sen."

Sokka even noticed Orso's tone. Orso had become withdrawn in the blink of an eye. He did this whenever he was concerned.

"Give me the money and I'll go get what we need," Orso said.

"Why?" Sokka immediately asked.

Inara casually replied, "Fire Nation citizens are still not welcomed in some parts of the world. Yat-Sen is no exception."

Sokka looked aghast at first and then he silently calmed down. He pulled his hand over his head and let out a slow groan and looked up at the clouds. "Sometimes this world just makes me want to puke."

It was an absurd and honest statement. Inara snorted out a short laugh and quickly jerked her head away from Sokka and Orso. She then slowly deteriorated into a series of giggles and hiccups.

"I agree," she finally answered and showed them an honest smile. She pulled out a purse of money and threw it at Orso. "You know what we need. Don't drag your feet. We're in a hurry."

"Trust me, I don't like lingering in this area," he said cautiously as he looked around in the trees and took the reins of the fourth ostrich-horse from Sokka. Orso nodded to them and then galloped away towards the town. Inara did not dismount from the ostrich-horse. She unsheathed her sword and looked ready for an attack. Sokka did the same and looked closely into the trees and surrounding bushes.

"You really don't think we will be ambushed," he said.

"As heavily armed as we are, I doubt it. But there are fools in this world."

Sokka grumbled something under his breath. He did not bother to say what was on his mind loud enough for all to hear. Inara imagined he was on the look out for something foul. The ostrich-horses moved about uneasily wanting to stretch their legs and keep moving.

Coming up the road from the direction of Yat-Sen, they could hear voices. Several men were singing and sounded a bit drunk. Sokka glanced over at Inara warily. They sheathed their swords hoping it would help avoid a conflict. It was not long until the drunken gang of men tottered into sight. A number of 4 really wasn't a gang and they were not completely drunk. They were just more cheerful than drunk until they saw Inara's red clothes. They became more serious and tried to walk with more pomp.

"Well, what do we have here?" one asked his fellow men. "It's a Fire Nation whore."

Inara let out a small groan. "Is that the best you can think of?" she asked.

None of them seemed to have heard her. Their attention was then drawn to the blues of Sokka's clothes. They glanced at him and then to her.

"This is peculiar," the same man who acted as the de facto leader mused. "A Water Tribe peasant and a Fire Nation whore traveling together. What has this world come to?"

"Peace and prosperity," Sokka retorted tartly.

"Peace and prosperity," the leader said acidly. "Tell me, do me or any of my friends look like we are benefiting from peace or prosperity?"

The truth was that none of them enjoyed prosperity and they seemed to suffer from too much time on their hands. Their clothes were the color of muddy grass and the hems were frayed and tattered. None of them had the prominence of discharged soldiers so they were probably men displaced during the war and had yet to find their way home. One could only imagine what they were doing meandering about so far out of town.

The ostrich-horses became uneasy and began to stammer and throw their heads. The drunks found this amusing. They made loud sounds and lunged at the beasts. Inara sized them up. They were pathetic excuses for men. By the way their clothes were torn and the remains of old wounds, she deduced they had lost more fights than won.

"You certainly don't suffer a lack of drink," Inara snapped as she pulled her ostrich-horse back around.

The men started to laugh. "Ooh, she does have a bit of bite to her," the leader mused. "Is there anything else to her?"

Inara quickly sprung from the back of the ostrich-horse. She landed behind the leader and knocked him down to his knees. She then immediately put two flaming fingers in front of his eyes. He shook a bit from drink and fear. Sokka tactfully positioned his ostrich-horse in front of the man's friends. He drew his sword daring them to make a move.

Inara leaned into the leader's ear. "There is always more to a Fire Nation Lady than just her looks and her tongue."

The man struggled to get away but Inara was too experienced than him. She clung to him tighter like he was her lover.

"We are trained to be much more," she breathed in his ear. "Our bite is worse than our back."

The flame then exploded in his right eye. He screamed in pain and fell forward to the ground. The other men shrunk in fear and ran away abandoning their leader.

"My eye! My eye!" he screamed over and over again.

Inara had no remorse. She climbed back onto her ostrich-horse and did not spare a second glance at the man. She did catch sight of Sokka. His blue eyes had turned cold with disapproval but he did not verbally repute her actions.

"Gold-Eyed Demon," he finally said.

Inara pulled her ostrich-horse right up to his. She leaned in so close that they could feel each others breath. It was an intimate moment soaked with heated tension. There was no sexual tension though. It was the tension of two senses of morality colliding upon each other but not entirely fighting the other.

"Ten years at sea," she reminded him. "You know the moral code of the sea. You know how fluid it is like the rolling waves."

Sokka did not say a word. He glanced over at the man still wreathing in pain. The man kicked up dirt as he scrambled aimlessly on the ground. There may have been a hint of pity in Sokka's eyes but Inara wasn't going to bother to ask. He finally looked up at her in almost a sad look.

"I lost my mother to the war," he said. "I lost my identity when we ended it. My honor is all I have left."

"You never lost your identity," Inara corrected him. "But you will win no honor in our present occupation."

Her worlds silenced him. They had nothing left but to move on. They wanted to be out of earshot of the man's painful cries. There was no conversation to mingle in with the screams so they moved on. The rope that kept them together was beginning to stretch again. Both of them could feel it but they still held onto it.

"This will end soon," Inara finally said.

"But what will take its place?" Sokka questioned with a world-weary tone.

"Something," she answered. "Something always will."