Chapter 17 – Promise of Eternity

Snow fell softly in the same color as the young woman's hair. Yue, in a white dress, a white parka, and a tiara of silver joined hands with her new husband at the dais. Behind them poured the waterfalls cresting from the palatial terrace, between them swirled the snow, which muted the crowd watching the celebration. She was beautiful and looked miserable. As the princess stepped forward, giving her final address, the charm on her necklace caught the light. It was a pure, creamy jade, so pale it was almost colorless. Jade was said to represent joy and fortune. The stone was blanched of nearly all its color and, while exquisitely valuable, retained nothing of the rich, vibrant green full of life that it was renown for. Two hours of daylight was all the grace they had, and the ceremony started and ended in darkness.

Her brother and Suki held hands while they watched the wedding and he whispered something to her. She pulled his arm closer. Aang was called to the front, congratulated the newlyweds, and bowed to the chieftain, then returned to his seat. He saw nothing amiss. She wondered that, since the Air Nomads lived apart, forming no nuclear family, living men separated from women, children separated from parents, if he understood what a marriage really meant to the rest of them. Of the four nations, Air seemed the most alien to her. Strangers from abroad had arrived for the ceremony, but, with the busy activity, they hadn't yet been introduced. Beside her, Zuko watched the events without remark. Snow flecked his parka and black hair, and his cheeks were flushed with the temperature. Of everyone it would be he who understood most what an arranged marriage meant and how ambivalent an affair it was.

They watched the bride and groom pour each other rice wine. The guests, then, poured for each other, and she watched Zuko fill her cup with the creamy-white liquor and pass the bottle to her to reciprocate. Together they lifted their cups and drank bittersweet sake.

That night she pushed the blankets back in the darkness and slipped from the bed. In the living area she pulled the furnace door open and tried to relight it by stirring the lingering embers, which glowed strongly but did not take. "Do you need help with that?" Zuko asked, having come from the hallway. He knelt beside her and lit it for her. She envied the convenience, and her cheek lit with gold from the close fire of the portable furnace. He shut the grate and sat down nearby on the pile of furs. "Can't sleep?"

"She looked so sad. Yue, I mean. It kept bothering me."

"She doesn't love him. Arranged marriages are like that."

"Doesn't it bother you? I mean, if circumstances had been different, wouldn't your father have arranged a bride for you?"

"I was thrown out at thirteen, before I had thoughts about it, and since then it hasn't been a problem. No one would sign over their daughter to a man in disgrace. I'd like to say they would learn to love each other, eventually, but I haven't seen that necessarily to be the case. My mother never did. I want you to meet her, one day; I want to find her. She's what the Fire Nation should be—warm, loving. Not like my father."

"Do you hate him?"

"It's difficult for a child to hate their parent, even when they have more than enough reason to. Resentment might be the better word. It's a cruel, one-sided relationship. When something goes wrong, it's always the child who suffers the most, and then they can't even be awarded the clarity of mind to feel the hatred they need without guilt washing it out. I'd like to rip all my memories of him out and throw them away. At the very least, I hope my mother hates him the way he deserves."

"We'll find your mother, when this is over," she promised. "Do you know where she might be?"

"No, I don't." He kept his eyes to the fire as it flickered between the cast iron slats. She was awake with thoughts of the misfortunate princess, but her companion seemed a regular to insomnia lately. Katara was used to the difficulty of a polar region, but for a foreigner it must have been arduous to endure the number of changes in required in lifestyle to survive the climate. He said the words as if afraid of them, "If I said I liked you, what would your answer be?"

"Words wouldn't be an appropriate way to answer." As he avoided looking at her, unsure what she meant by it, she moved to him, placed a hand on his cheek, and pressed her lips to his.

He reciprocated. The rugs were warm, the fire was warm, and he was warm.

The next day they sat in a reception hall at the palace. Pakku and Arnook were there, Yue was not, and a group of newly arrived visitors were seated at table. In the dim lighting of the previous evening and at their distance she hadn't realized they were Fire Nation. Now they were introduced as Jeong Jeong, Piandao, and Chey. Zuko recognized the first two, the former being a man with his face on wanted posters, a prodigious firebending master, and a deserter. The sullen man, in response to the attention, simply pulled a lotus tile out of his sleeve and held it up. Piandao, a non-bender but a famed swordmaster, said, "It's good to see you again, Prince Zuko."

"You know him?"

"He was my swordsmanship instructor when I was younger. My uncle introduced us. I haven't seen you since I was thirteen, Master Piandao." His voice was fond and he bowed politely to him. The man's skin was deeply tanned from the sun and his eyes, unlike other members of his nation, were grey. At his side was a jian straight-sword sheathed with leather, and the gold trim of his high collar showed through the separation at the neck of the fur-lined coat, dyed a dark grey. The jian's pommel was stamped with a lotus insignia.

Piandao began the discussion. "Avatar Aang, it's good to meet you and see you well. I think it's time for a cooperative effort. In four days you and your group should make ready to return to the continent."

"Wait, we're leaving Agna Qel'a?"

"I'm sure you have enjoyed the weather for six months, but your location has become known to the Fire Nation." He nodded respectfully to Zuko. "They think you are trapped here with us for the winter, as the seas are dangerous. Indeed they are, as we found out on our journey here. Luckily Chey is an excellent sailor, and Jeong Jeong can terrorize even a giant lamprey-shark into hiding. However, they will attempt a blockade of the North Pole in spring. We had intelligence within the Fire Nation confirm this. When that happens, you shouldn't be here, because while it happens you will have your best chance to face the Firelord as the greater part of his navy and military powers direct their attention here. During the blockade you will enter the Fire Nation and find Ozai. I believe you already have a friend at hand who is familiar with where to look."

"He isn't ready to face my father."

"Prince Zuko, it would be best not to underestimate the prowess of the Avatar. When in need, the Avatar can activate a state of heightened ability by borrowing the wisdom of his past lives. I also trust you've been giving him sufficient training in firebending, and certainly Master Pakku has not slackened. Additionally, you can rest easy that the naval blockade force will not interfere. We've contacted the Earth Kingdom and struck an agreement. They want revenge for the destruction of Gao Ling and have agreed to send a large fleet upon our signal. They will intercept the blockade from the south as we hold them in battle from the north. After the recent scandal of Princess Azula being discovered infiltrating Ba Sing Se itself, they were in the mood for cooperation. I believe we have you to thank for that as well, Prince Zuko."

"Sorry."

Piandao laughed. "Well, don't get me wrong, I think it was a charming affair. You'll make an interesting Firelord. I am glad you're working with the Avatar now, though. We had been hoping at least one of the children of Ozai might be a good candidate for us, and we've been well rewarded with such a polite young man. I don't need to tell you that confronting the Firelord will be difficult, even with the bulk of his martial forces redirected."

"I understand. I wanted to ask, has my uncle… Do you know if he's well?"

"He's aware of our plans. Even if he cannot walk, he can write. He's in the countryside for now, recovering at a health resort. You need not worry."

"Thank you."

Aang spoke next. "If we're leaving now and the blockade won't be until spring, where should we go in the meantime?"

"Wherever you like. We'll make sure the Fire Nation continues to think you're in Agna Qel'a, so go in peace that they will not search for you."

At that point a servant to Piandao entered the room carrying a hawk on his forearm. Sokka pestered and cooed over the animal and was elated to hear it was being gifted them. Unable to sit still he had a leather brace put on his arm and they eased the hawk to rest on him, its eyes hidden in blinders. Her brother fawned over the bird incessantly. "We already have Momo and Appa, both of whom can fly," remarked Katara.

"But we don't have a messenger hawk."

Jeong Jeong stood up roughly, spooking them, and shouted at Sokka, "Boy, this is serious work here. That animal is not a pet. It was trained in Agna Qel'a and will return here if released no matter where in the world from. You can attach one message to the leg of it and it will be delivered to us. Also, it bites," he said, too slowly, and her brother yowled and sucked his finger while Suki suppressed a giggle. The white-haired man retook his seat with some satisfaction. "In spring look towards the northern shore of the continent. When Zhao launches his attack, inform us of your position and status. The bird will outpace even their fastest ship."

"Understood," said Sokka.

Chief Arnook stood up and drew out a package wrapped in navy-blue velvet. "Katara, this is for you." She took it and unwrapped a small vial of water bound with a leather cord. "This is water from the spirit oasis—it has special properties. As an esteemed healer you'll be able to bring out its full potential. Keep it with you."

"Thank you."

At their end of the table sat, side by side, Fire Nation and Water Tribe, both united by the symbol of the lotus flower and acting in friendship. Unseen below the table, Katara reached over and took Zuko's hand in her own.

#

Artificial clouds swirled around Appa. The pair of waterbenders generated a large, natural-looking grouping and they were pacing with it, traveling with the wind direction. From below they would not be discernible. By Zuko's direction they kept from flying directly over any settlement. In three days they passed the northern coast, where they could rest in the forest and let Appa recover his strength. In a week they were over a small island, unoccupied and covered in woodland, with a large crater collapsed along a ravine. The others didn't know what they were approaching, but he and Aang did, though they'd been there a hundred years apart in far different circumstances. They stood on an arid cliff overlooking the canyon which, from their viewpoint, was markless. Sokka looked around warily. "It would have been easy to show you the quick way down on Appa," said Zuko, "but there are two secret staircases that descend as well. Since only one of us is an airbender we thought it might be important to demonstrate so the rest of us have a way to get around."

"Down? Down where?" Sokka walked to the edge and peered over.

Aang was a century out of date, but Zuko had visited only six years ago, and he knew where the overgrown paths were and what it looked like in its current condition. The stairs were well hidden and followed a dark corridor with a steep, winding staircase. He held a fire at his palm and walked before the group as Aang took the bison around to meet them. Littered on the stairs were remnants of weapons, and he knew the three must have noticed. "Watch your step," he said. "The stairs are damaged in some areas."

"You've been here before?"

"With my uncle, once. Not long after I was banished. This is the first place I checked for a sign of the Avatar, though obviously there was nothing here."

Katara kept the lemur on her shoulder, and his green eyes adjusted to the darkness well, with a spark of reflection of his fire held in them. The staircase led to a narrow corridor and a gateway. On the other side they understood. "Welcome to the Western Air Temple." The space opened before them at the side of the canyon to a wide, sheltered arcade connecting pathways and bridges across the expanse. A dozen green-tiled pavilions descended from the roof of the overhang like stalactites. They walked past a waterfall descending off the cliff above into a reservoir and channel at the patio garden beside the nearest inverted building. The area was entirely in shadow from noon onward, and only in morning would golden light achieve an angle to enter, but when it did, he assured them, they could see the artistry of what the monks had built as it was meant to be experienced. Aang brought the bison down and docked inside, then ran to meet them. "It's just as we left it."

Zuko replied, "The Fire Nation had a hard time getting down here. The staircases became a bottleneck strategically impassable. I'm told they starved the Air Nomads out. Any time one ventured out to the canyon to escape, they shot them down, one by one. Sorry, I know that's not something you want to hear, but it did spare the architecture. None of the soldiers were able to touch this place."

The pavilions reached downwards as delicate as if they might drop at any moment, but the stone structure was as solid as could be. It was carved out of the canyon wall in one piece. Sokka wondered if the rooms would be upside down as well, and when he found them normal and upright said he felt sick. "Shouldn't it be the opposite?" asked Suki. "The inside looks completely normal. Why are you—ugh!" Her boyfriend dry heaved, coughed, then said he was going back outside for a while and muttered something about damned monks and their stupid airbending.

As they ventured into the first pavilion, they lost sight of Aang. Katara coaxed Momo and held him out, directing the animal to find him, and they followed the lemur through the corridors and staircases. The young Avatar was on the floor of one room hugging his knees. Nearby were two skeletons in faded yellow robes embracing each other across the ground. Any resident who hadn't fled to be shot from the sky had chosen, instead, to go hungry remaining where they were, a longer, far more agonizing death, but the more dignified path. "These two were brave," said Zuko. "Their choice took immense courage, Aang. You should honor their achievement. Would you like us to make a grave?"

"No, I want them to stay here. We can close this building off and keep it just for them. I want everyone to know what they did here, what their resistance looked like. They were in love."

It was clear that he was right in that assessment. The two, unable to escape, had chosen to die in each other's arms. In the evening they laid flowers at the entrance and tied a crimson rope across the doorway. Between his morning lesson with Zuko and his evening session with Katara, Aang found the time to carve their story into a stone tablet set on the entryway, and finished the eulogy with, "Let no one forget these nameless lovers."

Katara pulled him aside. "You were here before. Did you see them at that time, Zuko?"

"I did, but I didn't make the connection. Aang recognized what must have happened instantly. I feel so stupid, like I must have been blind—I walked right past them and thought nothing of it. Agni, I've seen too much death if a scene like that hadn't even fazed me. Is he okay? I mean, these are people he probably knew."

"It isn't his first time. He saw someone he knew dearly, his guardian, in a similar state at the Southern Air Temple."

"Even if I become the next Firelord, how can I ever fix this? Half the world is an ossuary. Why does something like this have to be our only legacy? Katara, I grew up with stories of the previous era. Firebenders first taught mankind to cook, we pulled humanity out of the mud and established the first civilization, and against the night full of terror and beasts we protected them. Now look what it's become. What good is a world that forces lovers to hold each other as they die?"

"Zuko, it took three generations to create this. You weren't responsible. We'll solve it together."

"I want to show you a better face to us than this."

Nights slowly grew warmer. Dayspan lengthened. They were near to the Fire Nation and he recognized the same flora growing in the forest above the canyon as did back home, and heard the same birdsong he'd listened to as a child. The same flowers laid down for their grave grew in the royal gardens back home, where he'd sat with his mother at the edge of the pond and the shade of the yew tree.

Sokka announced to them one day a month after arrival that he intended to go scouting, and he pulled along an ostrich-horse he'd found in the forest. It was clearly domesticated but looked ragged, and with no owner around, they figured it had been separated and living wild for a year or two. His sister argued against it. "If you're spotted and we aren't there, just you and Suki wouldn't be able to escape Fire Nation soldiers."

"We'll be fine. I'll be back in a few days—it isn't that far to the coast. I want to check if the Fire fleet has passed through yet."

"Can you tell just by looking at the shoreline?" asked Aang.

"Of course my brother can. Sokka, shouldn't we go with you?"

"No, just stay here. The ostrich-horse can barely seat two as it is, and we can't risk taking Appa out and being spotted."

The next morning he and Suki departed. Aang had despised the hawk ever since it and Momo got in a tussle a few weeks previous, so Zuko was the designated hawk-carer while Sokka was gone. It needed daily exercise, and, luckily, the open-sided subterranean structure of the temple made for the perfect aviary. He let it loose and watched as it flew to the reservoir to drink and bathe, then ruffled its feathers out to cast off the droplets. The wingspan was wide and the tail plumage crimson. It preened for an hour, and then fluttered up to a perch in the stone rafters supporting the ceiling of the park structure, and there it watched for sign of prey. Katara wandered over to watch with him and commented, "We're basically just hawksitters now, aren't we?"

"Pretty much. Turns out your brother actually is useful. We used these at the royal palace, but I never had the chance to learn how to work with them."

"You seem to be doing a good job. On the bright side, if my brother was willing to leave you here and go off for beachside sweetie-time, he must trust you a lot now. Don't take it personally—he hated Aang at first, too. Initially he lied to us about who he was. When we were in the Southern Air Temple neither of us even knew he was the Avatar yet."

Zuko's stomach twisted up and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am really, really sorry about that, by the way."

She giggled and did an impersonation of him. "Yes, isn't my scar magnificent, little Water Tribe peasant? I, Prince Angsty-pants, shall—!"

"Shh, please don't," he said, and took her hand off her face.

"Your hair is a lot better now, by the way." She leaned against him and ran her fingers through. "It's getting so long."

"I want to be able to put it up again in a top-knot. My mother liked it that way."

She scooped his hair up and bundled it at the back of his head. "I would like it, too." Hesitantly, he moved his own hand to her hair and gently pulled it into different styles. As he brushed a hand against her cheek and bent down, suddenly the hawk returned from somewhere making a commotion with its wings. It had a book in its talons and began shredding the paper. "No, no, Hawkie, don't play with that!" she said, and tried to shoo the bird from the partially destroyed volume. "Oh, no. Aang is going to be mad. Was it an important book?"

He could no longer read the title, but it looked rather valuable. "Let's not tell him. I think he wants a better nest than what we gave him." They had been using shed Appa fur for nesting material at a makeshift cage for the bird, but apparently it wanted something less fluffy and bison-scented. "You know, we may as well just let the hawk have the rest. We can tell him that Sokka found it with the ostrich-horse and gave it to the hawk to use."

"Will he buy that?"

"Honestly, yeah, I think so." He pulled out a scrap of the cover, which had a prominent air bison painted on it, and took the illustration aside to burn off.

"What are you two doing?" asked Aang, and they both leapt up wide-eyed. Zuko hid the burnt drawing behind his back. The airbender leaned on his glider-staff looking at them curiously, then squinted at the book the hawk was tearing apart. He had a bag slung across his shoulder.

"Aang! How great to see you again," Katara stumbled out. "We were just teaching the hawk how to hunt."

He looked doubtful but didn't say anything. After another suspicious glance at the mostly destroyed book, he replied, "Well, great to see you, too. I just got back from scouting the bottom of the canyon. I figured out what happened to the owner of the ostrich-horse." He took off the bag and handed it to her. "He wasn't an airbender, I guess."

They kept mum and turned their attention to the bag, which she opened and sifted through. "He was some kind of playwright? These are drafts for a story." She pulled out a sheaf of pages and flipped through, set them aside, then took out a metal flask which held some sort of liquid. She uncapped it, sniffed, then passed it to Zuko. "I guess that explains how he ended up in the canyon."

"Have you had fire whiskey before, Aang?"

"You know, I don't think I want to try it."

Zuko had let his other hand drop while investigating the liquor, and Aang had glimpsed a corner of the page. He tucked it back further. "I bet these pages would be great to help the, uh, hawk learn how to hunt, so how about I just keep them here," he said, then bent down to gather them and hastily shoved the illustration between the pages.

Aang stepped forward and extended his hand out. "I wanted to read them, actually."

"Oh? You probably don't, they're pretty bad."

"But you haven't read them yet."

"I think I've seen this play before, actually." As Aang tried to grab the sheaf, Zuko held them up higher out of his reach. "Oh no, look at Momo, he's gotten into the chili oil again." The younger boy turned around to look, and Zuko incinerated the entire stack of pages instantaneously. Having not seen the lemur, he returned his attention to him, and Zuko feigned a sneeze. "Oh, shoot! I hate when that happens. Sorry, Aang."

He frowned. "Alright, well, I'm going to go start dinner. Flameo, Mr. Hotman, Miss Falconer." Aang gave a dramatic bow and unfurled his glider. Behind them, the hawk continued happily shredding the book.

When they were alone, Katara asked for the fire whiskey. "You know, I don't think he bought it."

#

The pair returned a few days later. Katara had been seated trying to get honey out of Momo's fur and looked up at her brother's sudden entrance. Suki fished through the hawk's cage picking out curious scraps of bookpaper, trying to discern the writing, while Sokka pulled a charred stick out of the campfire and began drawing on the stone floor with it. "We have a problem. Look, here is the map of the area." In soot-marking he represented their current island, the mainland, and a separate island formed between the seachannel and the river, which had its southernmost tip south of their current position. "If we stay here I can't be certain whether the Fire Nation fleet has passed or not, because we're on the seachannel, but they could also take the river north instead. If they take that path I won't be able to tell from here."

"So what should we do?"

"I want to go here." He scribbled the continental line out further east, then tapped the end of the stick against it. "Do you remember that resort town Zuko mentioned? That would be our ideal hideout. If we're lodging there, travelers can bring us news of whether a fleet has been spotted or not. I think they might even stop there to resupply before launching the attack on the north. It's the perfect location." It wasn't far from where they'd been camped before heading to Agna Qel'a, and the resort was on the delta of the Su Oku River. "How has Hawkie been?"

"Great," intoned Aang flatly. "Okay, I see your point. We can go to the resort. Look, I've even grown my hair out again." He smoothed his hand through the dark hair. "When should we leave?"

"With the next storm."

"You want to go out flying in the middle of a storm?"

"Yes, I do. How else are we going to disguise Appa? And, unless you've been being a lazybones, we have two proficient waterbenders who can keep us dry."

"I was more worried about getting electrocuted than getting wet," muttered Aang. "Fine, if Sokka says so, we'll wait for the weather."

On the last morning before departure, as the rain began spotting in, Aang returned to the inverted temple tethered by the crimson rope and deposited an armful of daylilies.

White cliffs descended through the valley towards the river delta, peppered in burning bush shrubs and eastern barberry, which had a darker mauve leaf and cream blossoms between its thorns. The group paused at the top of the mountain pass into the resort town wrapped in the last of the mist from the storm and grounded Appa. "Sorry, buddy," said Aang. "You stand out too much. Zuko, can you take him into the forest? We'll check the town to see if you have a wanted poster up and someone will come back tonight to meet with you." He agreed and stepped down to take the reins. Positioned in front of the bison, he received a huge lick just before the animal began shaking himself dry. As the group was heading down, Katara lingered behind to waterbend him a little cleaner and dry off the bison, then she waved goodbye and caught up to her brother.

Aang said, "I'm worried about leaving Appa in the woods so close to where the Fire fleet might come by, so we'll all take turns watching him, okay?"

They walked down carrying only their personal bags along the staircase that had been built into the hills, crafted long ago by earthbenders out of the same white stone in the area. The path was bordered in cherry trees at the peak of their bloom, which reflected on the clear surface of the river in the last of the raindrops. Dew covered over the mountainscape as they made their way down. A wide river was bridged with a wooden boardwalk hosting a complex of buildings atop the piers, and they were wrapped at all times in the music of the flowing water. Not far past the boardwalk, the river poured into a wide cascade, making it seem like it had been built at the very edge of the world. The forest and paths to either side were dotted in hotsprings and wrapped in coral foliage.

"Wow, this place is beautiful," said Suki. "Can we really afford to stay here?"

"We still have a lot of money left between what the Earth Kingdom and the North Pole gave us, so yes. You should enjoy your time here and not worry about it. Once we have the suite booked we'll be able to get Lee in and out without being seen."

They were assigned a small cottage at the edge of the resort, with its back to the grove of pink-blossomed trees. The air was fragrant and the river's flow came gently as they were set back from the wide band of the waterfall. White-washed and framed with a cherry-colored tiled roof edged in gold, the cottage blended in with the scenery. A bronze-cast lantern hung above the entrance under a surrounding porch. The organizer left them four robes of rose-beige trimmed in currant and laid out extra towels and accessories, then bowed and departed. The floorspace was enough for four beds, set between mahogany folding screens, open under a high ceiling, and the walls were paneled in flax-color trim.

The remaining hours of the day were spent at leisure in the hot pools and, over dinner, satisfied that no one was on the lookout for their firebender, they began discussing who would take over watching the bison for him that evening. Sokka, on cue, produced a die and began counting off their members. "If it lands on five or six we'll just re-roll. Ready?" Aang took firm hold of Momo and agreed, and her brother tossed the die onto the table. "First shift will be Katara. We'll trade off every twelve hours. See you at sunrise, Sis."

She frowned and shouldered her bag, ruminating over how soft the bed had looked. It was late evening as she climbed back up the hills into the overlooking forest, following the river upstream. Other than the current the forest was quiet, which made her all the more sleepy. She found where they'd touched down and looked into the trees for the trail, indicated by an area subtly trampled and framed in snapped twigs. She found Zuko curled asleep resting on Appa's leg. Dusk was red-orange and pink behind the treecover, lit through all the remaining rainclouds which had slipped from the area to rest at the far horizon, and the bison was also happily asleep after his long flight. His saddle was off and all the gear piled under a willow tree growing along a stream, where the draping leaves partially concealed it and nothing would get wet in rain. She called Zuko's name but it wasn't enough to wake him. He looked, after all the difficulty and let-downs he had suffered, at last peaceful, and she didn't want to disturb him. Instead she bedded down adjacent to him, nestled into the warm fur. She watched his side rise and fall with his breath in the last remaining light, and Katara fell asleep as well.

By the time she awoke the sun was already up and Zuko was seated nearby with a pile of collected fruit laid out on a large green leaf. "Good morning."

"Morning." Water from the stream was crisp and cool against her face. She'd slept with her hair loose and had tucked the hairpin for the time being through her waist sash, and quickly ran a brush through to fix it up. They shared breakfast seated on the forest floor. "I didn't want to wake you, so I hope you didn't mind sleeping here. You seemed really tired yesterday."

"It was a long trip. Rain isn't my thing." Appa, released of his slumbering bedmates, rose and went to forage for himself. "It's already spring again. I came to this resort before, with my uncle, a few years ago in spring. He was fond of it. I hope Suki's eyepatch is enough cover for me, since the same people might still work here."

"Honestly, you don't look anything like you did when we first met. Your expression is different."

"Different how?"

"You actually look happy." He fumbled the plum. "Are you okay with this? Aang is a pretty good firebender now. We could complete the mission ourselves, if you don't want to see him again. Your father, I mean."

"No, I need to guide you, and there's going to be enough resistance as it is. If you had ten of me it might not be enough. Besides which, I want to see my father's face when Aang defeats him. There's no way I would miss that chance. I don't know what the outside opinion is, but he's always been a prideful man. Losing a fight to a little bald kid might be enough to kill him from sheer embarrassment. Katara, it might be dangerous. If you and your brother want to stay behind I would understand. I'll take Aang myself."

"I'm not leaving you."

He smiled softly, then tried to hide his face by looking down at the fruit, rubbing a spot on the plum.

She put her hand on his and guided him to set the fruit down. Face to face, they looked at each other, and she pressed her lips to his gently. He abandoned the plum and ran his hand through her hair, holding the back of her head tenderly. He tasted like the fruit, and his eyes held fondness.

Around nine her brother arrived, looked the two over, and said, "Well, well, well, it seems like someone was up here having her own sweetie-time." He grabbed the apple she threw at his head and took a bite out of it with a smug look.

#

The pair returned to find the cabin vacant, and they sat their bags down on the open beds. Zuko changed and tugged at the eyepatch, which he still resented needing to wear, and they sat down to a quick snack of leftovers their friends had reserved from last evening's dinner, which had been covered over with a bamboo-wood bowl on the table. He looked at the light-toned wood of the ceiling panels and the sea of cherry blossoms outside. "Would you like to go to the hotsprings or the beach?"

"How about the beach first, since hotsprings are better in evening?"

They headed down a nature trail at the edge of the resort. Where the river cascaded over the cliff was a sharp, vertical drop, and the delta was in a demi-circle of erosion, damaged by an ancient tsunami. The landscape the storm had left behind was unique but incongruent to the gentleness and peace of the resort. The season was still early, and the water frigid. Opposite the shore two hundred miles away lay the Northern Polar Region, and, while the resort staff had made sure to keep a sand beach in good repair available by a walkway for guests, it was unoccupied out of season. No one wanted to brave the chilly water and the orientation wasn't quite at a good angle for sunbathing. Near the cliff remained partially shaded alcoves where crabs took refuge from the gulls by wedging themselves between tight rock clusters. Tidepools lit with anemones and tiny fish. Katara reached down to prod one, and it leapt from the water onto mud, fluted its throat like a lizard, and pulled itself in halting strides. It sank lower into the wet sand and before long was again submerged and hidden from sight. The anemone frilled out its pink tentacles when submerged in the tidepool, but elsewhere, where their water reserve had already fallen short and dried out, their petal-like extensions were contracted in, and the two forms of the animal were hardly recognizable as being the same creature.

In a sharp gust they heard the chime of a bell. When it resided, they searched it out. Tied to a treeroot that arched over the beachside cliff was a slim rope with five copper bells in a line, and between each was tied a semiprecious bead of carnelian.

There were no ships on the coast they could see in either direction. Zuko sat cross-legged in the sand in a patch of sunlight while Katara looked for starfish, although she found none. Petals blown down from the grove were intermixed into the sand. A short distance from them the river finished its journey to meet the ocean. Silver-scaled fish leapt from the water chasing the insects, which fed on dead sealife and scraps left by gulls in the cool, dark recesses of the rocks. The area where a river met an ocean was always particularly abundant as the sediment brought by the river was heavy in minerals and organic matter which the fish sought. Seashells and fragments scattered through the golden sand. Partial clouds rolled slowly across the sky, shifting the earth between patches of shadow and sunlight.

She took a seat beside him. Spots of golden light flecked her hair, and her eyes were brighter than the northern ocean.

#

Aang was enlisted the next day for Appa-watching. He took his own bag and some provisions, surrendered his bed and robe for Suki's return, and went to relieve her. He saw his two teachers thread their hands together and speak in close words. In the forest he watched the day pass by leaning against Appa. He ran his hand through the dark hair on his scalp, unused to it, and let the headband rest discarded beside him. The two pairs of lovers were enjoying the resort, and he felt like an outsider. Aang considered boarding Appa and leaving like that, letting them stay there happy and safe, and going to the throneroom of the caldera by himself.

He remembered paisho with Monk Gyatso, only now realizing that their set had one extra lotus piece and finally understanding why. His mentor's gentle voice and gracious smile were still vivid to him—to Aang it had been a year and a few months previous that he'd been with him, that the temples still teemed with life, that his bison had only been one of many and herds were raised on the snowy mountaintops, but to the world it had been a century and his life's experience was a long forgotten story.

He thought of the words of Piandao ensuring that his past lives would not leave him without company in times of crisis. Aang ran his hand along his glider-staff, feeling the smooth teak carrying the subtle fragrance of an ancient tree. The forest was silent and peaceful as he stood up. Walking a short distance off, he took a seat under the willow and let the glider rest across his thighs. Waving lengths of soft green branches draped around him creating seclusion, and Aang shut his eyes and remembered a special meditation technique that Monk Gyatso had taught him, which he never had time to master before they were separated. The crisp air met between the shore and the mountains and borrowed perfume from the flowering grove, and he could smell the richness of the soil, the fragrance of the grass, and the soft mineral scent delivered by the stream. Sunlight broke through the canopy in soft round patches diffusing gently in mellow hues of gold.

Aang concentrated and fell into a type of trance that felt soothing and affirming. The forest had shifted around him into a strange but wondrous place, with brilliant lighting and vivid colors, and the plants grew wild with shapes he'd never seen. He was seated in lotus position over a calm flooded grotto. Before him, standing on the water's surface, was a man with white hair and crimson robe who seemed somehow familiar. The man smiled at him.

#

The five stood at the top of the pass, their hair still treated with minerals from the hotsprings and salt from the ocean, Appa prepared nearby, and the resort in the distance. The sea glistened in golden noon light. Suki finished the leather tie of the note and Sokka, his face set hard, lifted his arm. Tawny feathers spread across its wingspan as the hawk lifted up and made north. It would cross the brilliantly lit waves with swift surety.