Chapter 2: A Long, Long Way to Ba Sing Se Part 2

6 years later

Located in a quaint corner of northwestern Earth Kingdom territory was an abbey run by one Mother Superior. Within the sanctuary chimed the delicate cries of a newborn baby girl, who was currently being cleaned from the aftermath of a lengthy birth. The baby's mother, a Water Tribe woman of dark hair and burdened eyes, lay against the sheets of her dormitory; her shaking hand was held by her younger sister, another Water Tribe youth whose hair was as white as the gleaming Northern tundra, long and wavy like a waterfall of milk, and whose eyes were soft sapphires of baby blue.

"She's healthy, right?"

The white-haired woman smiled at her sister, brushing the exhausted woman's dark hair out of her face, "Yes, she's perfectly healthy." And upon hearing the coos and whimpers of an infant, she turned to the entrance of the room, "Here she comes!"

A midwife brought in the baby, having swaddled the infant in warm blankets. The midwife headed toward the dark-haired woman, prepared to hand over her child, but the tribeswoman merely gestured to her sister, "Yue can hold her first."

It had been far too many years since Yue felt eager or elated for anything, but here she was, her arms outstretched, a soft beam on her face as the midwife placed the child in her arms. Yue held the child close to her bosom, her smile widening. With a choked voice, "She looks like you, Umaani."

Umaani gave her a weak smile, "Seems to me she looks more like you, sis. The world is more willing to believe you're her mom."

"I'm basically her second mom. And I'm not letting you make any decision in her life without my input." The bitterness of the past melted away for the moment as Yue gently rocked the infant in her arms, "Shh, it's okay…it's okay, ommatiga…" My heart.

Umaani's sullen gaze, slowly being drained of life, rested on her sister, guilt ripping away at her as their lives flashed before her. It was hard to think that ten long years ago, they were the wealthiest family in the Northern Water Tribe, daughters to a successful businessman who loved and protected them to the best of his abilities. Umaani was set to be Arnook's successor in his business while Yue was well on her way to pursuing astrophysics at Ba Sing Se University. Their troubles began when Arnook's health came to a rapid decline, resulting in Umaani temporarily taking over the family business and Yue abandoning her studies and racing back to the North.

Arnook insisted on getting his oldest daughter married off, believing his demise was near. By then, the monster called Hahn had entered their lives, posing himself as a gentleman to win Arnook's approval, and Arnook, fearing his life would end any minute, rushed to fulfill his immediate responsibility of making sure Umaani, who was well past marrying age, was provided and cared for. It proved to be a horrible mistake, especially when Hahn's status as the Red Fang— the leader of the Snake-Bloods— reared its ugly head along with the fact that the man had been married thrice before, having abandoned his formerly-wealthy wives after taking over their assets. Umaani, too, was a pawn for him.

Umaani, despite Yue's protests, insisted on keeping these dark secrets between herself and Yue, being cognizant of Arnook's fluctuating health; the truth would consume the man as a whole, and he was all whom they had left in their lives. Yue abandoned all intentions of going back to Ba Sing Se, keeping in close proximity to her sister to protect her from Hahn's abuse and working along with Umaani to keep the company alive. Meanwhile for many years, Arnook improved his health by living in a false sense of security, believing his daughter and son-in-law were in a happy marriage and were working together to keep the company thriving. Unaware of Hahn's true nature, the old man eventually came to the conclusion that his son-in-law should have a legal say in business decisions. He was convinced that Hahn, being a man, would be the head of the family one day, and in a whim, the businessman transferred absolute powers to Hahn without consulting Umaani and Yue, believing they, too, would be elated with the decision.

It was then that a furious Yue, no longer bound by any emotional chains in the wake of her ripened bitterness, revealed the truths about her brother-in-law in a fierce effort to protect their father and his business, but by then, Hahn had used his influence to take over Arnook's entire business, no longer having any incentive to act as an obedient son-in-law. He filled Arnook's offices with fellow gang members, all of whom hoarded the proceeds of Arnook's hard work. A horrified Arnook, regretting all of his decisions, spent the rest of his days loathing himself; there was nothing he could do to undo his decisions and seek legal action with Hahn threatening to kill Umaani and Yue if any higher authority became involved. The old man battled with a failing heart that the healers struggled to keep alive. With the closing down of Arnook's failed company and the realization that Hahn swallowed up the last of his daughters' main assets, the man breathed his last.

What remained untouched, however, were some of Arnook's personal proceeds left long ago in the names of Umaani, Yue, and any children they would have in the future. Yue voluntarily gave her shares away to Hahn in exchange for her sister's safety, and with Umaani subsequently falling pregnant, Hahn made absolute certain that she had nowhere to run until their child was born. It was not until later in the pregnancy that Umaani realized Hahn's true intentions, which the ditz himself blurted out in a drunken stupor: following the child's birth, he planned on eliminating the child and Umaani if it meant he could receive the proceeds as a widower and grieving father. And as for Yue's fate, she would be forced to be an object of Hahn's enjoyment, a plaything for the Snake-Bloods.

Umaani, seven months pregnant at the time, found herself helpless, but the tension culminated one tense night. Hahn and his cohorts sought to collectively force themselves on Yue, who in a fit of adrenalin, desperation and rage, lit the manor aflame. As some of the drunkards escaped and others rushed to put out the fire, Yue seized the chance to flee the manor with her sister, the two barely escaping Hahn's wrath. Knowing their miraculous freedom would be short-lived, they decided to seek refuge in the Earth Kingdom. They traversed the North and tumbled into the Earth Kingdom, surviving by pawning off the jewelry they had on them. Yue left no stone unturned, no corner ignored to provide her sister with safe, temporary shelters along the way, but their run from the Snake-Bloods was constant, demanding. Following a month of inconvenience in ships, trains, and streets, they reached the abbey a mere thirty minutes before Umaani went into labor.

And now, Umaani lay against the sheets, bereft of energy. Ten whole years of struggle and anguish, and she could do nothing about their situation. Every bit of strength she had, she had used it to keep Arnook alive, and when he left this world, she had used her strength to keep her baby alive. Having blamed herself every day for her sister's tarnished career, having regretted her decision to keep Hahn's hypocrisy a secret, she found herself exhausted beyond repair. She had no energy left in her, no strength to assume the responsibilities of the bundle of life she had brought into this world…and to think that…that innocent life suddenly held much greater weight than her sister's well-being…

"She's worth every struggle, Umaani."

And that became the final straw. Umaani bit her lip, feeling as if she was a horrible sister, and she felt she was about to be even more of a horrible sister by impeding on Yue's right to build her own life, even more so as she continued to stare at the tears that rolled down Yue's face, infinite love and joy ebbing in the young tribeswoman's eyes as she stared at her niece. But Umaani was too sickly to be selfless, having yearned for peace for so long now. She relaxed against the sheets, letting out a long sigh. "You love her that much, hm?"

"Of course," Yue refused to break her gaze away from her niece. She leaned forward, planting a long, gentle kiss on the infant's head, the tribeswoman's warmth and care soothing the whimpering baby. Umaani took in the sight to her heart's content; her hand reached for Yue's. "You'll take good care of her?"

"We're protecting her with our lives, that goes unsaid." Squeezing her sister's hand in reassurance but still not turning away from her niece, "We'll all go somewhere safe. Where Hahn won't ever find us. We can leave as soon as you have the chance to recover. I'll find a job. You can work if you want, but if you want to watch her, that's fine, too…and… A-And we need to start saving up for her school and everything… There's so much we need to start planning!"

And this moment, Umaani knew, was peace.

"But to do all that, we need to give her a name…" Yue dried her eyes as she finally turned to her sister, "So what's her name going to be? I'll let you have full discretion on this one…"

But Umaani only stared back at her, completely still, her lips frozen in a loving, hopeful smile.

"Umaani?" Yue said, horror creeping over her face when she realized her sister's hand grew limp against hers. "Umaani! Umaani, what's wrong?! Sister Maana! Someone, please, help! UMAANI!"

Yue's shrieks eventually died down with the blur of white robes, the chaos of resuscitation attempts that followed. A nun looked her in the eyes, shaking her head. Mother Superior whispered a prayer for departed souls. Yue trembled in the corner, her grip around her niece tightening.

"Are you able to do this, Miss Yue?"

Yue looked up from bottle-feeding her niece to the approaching midwife, who had lingered out of sympathy for the young tribeswoman. "Do what?"

"I'm just saying…There are plenty of couples who are in desperate need of children, and there are plenty among those couples who would love nothing more than to adopt a child. Your sister often lamented about how you had to quit your studies, and…I was wondering if…maybe…"

Yue furrowed her eyebrows, a flash of possessiveness shooting through the layers of her grief.

"Foster care is also an option. If you still want to be her caretaker, but you need some time to get settled—"

"I swore I would protect my sister's child the moment I found out she was pregnant," Yue said with firm conviction. "From now on, this baby is my daughter, and I'm her mother. That will never change. I won't tolerate being away from her."

"I understand. It is not my intention to separate the two of you. I just…I was trying to suggest that…maybe you can finish university while she's under someone else's care, and once you get a nice job, you can come back for her. It will be easier for you—"

"I will use all the sweat, blood, and tears in me to make sure my baby is provided for, but I'm not abandoning her. So what if I didn't finish university? It's not the end of the world, is it? There are plenty of people who are able to find jobs even without that kind of education." Swallowing the burn in her throat as she went back to feeding her niece, "University was only a dream, but she…she is my heart."

"If you insist on raising her yourself, you need to find a safe place to stay first," Mother Superior said as she and a few other sisters of the abbey approached her, "We would've been happy to let you stay here, but it is not safe for you here. The Snake-Bloods regularly stop by this village, and it would only be anxiety-inducing for you to try to raise the child here."

"The Red Fang will come for his daughter with a vengeance," another sister warned. "If he sees you, he won't spare you."

A third nun stepped up front, handing Yue a large, amply-filled travel bag, "Here, take this. It has all the essentials you and the baby will need for at least two days. There is a path through Makapu Village that will take you to a transport station. From there, you can buy a ticket and take the monorail to Ba Sing Se. It's free for infants."

"Ba Sing Se?" Yue said, a flood of memories rushing forth.

"Your sister tells me you've been to the university there. It should be somewhat familiar territory. At least, parts of it."

"I'm familiar with the upper ring only. That's where the university is," Yue said. "But I can't afford the upper ring right now. I can't even afford the middle ring… Is there really no other place?"

"Ba Sing Se is not without its problems, but you will be safer in a walled city than out in the open," Mother Superior said. "The lower rings are high-crime areas, but if you have no other choice and find yourself unable to get into the upper and middle rings, I recommend you stay in the Gansu province."

"Yes, yes," the midwife agreed. "Gansu is the safest. It is the hub of the Night Wolf."

"The what?"

"The Night Wolf. He's the leader of the Hounds."

"The Hounds…" Yue frowned, remembering the name to belong to the group that opposed the Snake-Bloods.

"Gansu and its four bordering provinces come under the heavy influence of the Night Wolf, but Gansu is the center and has greater protections."

"I'm not setting foot anywhere near the Wolf Knight—"

"The Night Wolf—"

"Whatever," Yue glared. "I'm not exposing my daughter to this crap. I'm trying to escape a gang, to begin with. I can't run into another one—"

"But it's the safest area that you can afford until you get a nice-paying job," the midwife insisted. "And sometimes, protecting yourself from one predator means hiding by the predator of that predator."

"It's like saying hiding from a hyena by holding onto a wolf's tail—"

"But the Night Wolf is no predator. He's a mystery, and he's violent, and he probably is a hell of a complication, but no matter what you think of him, he's still well-known for being a benefactor for the innocent. He chooses his targets carefully. He's not like the others—"

"That's what they all say. They're all the same." Comforting the crying infant, "I'm not staying anywhere near him or his deluded imbeciles."

"Believe me when I say it's the best option. The Hounds' activities never reach your doorstep. The Night Wolf keeps a close watch. Now I will admit that many times, they take the law into their own hands and handle disputes between individuals, but the Dai Li never gave a shit about the lower rings, and someone needs to step in to keep the peace, so this is necessary. I know it may seem counter to the environment you want to provide for your child, but you will be the safest there."

Mother Superior sighed, "I don't know about all of this gang nonsense, but I do know that Gansu is safe. There are significantly less muggings and such in that area. You will have better opportunities of finding work there as well. I hear there's even a popular location in the area that provides self defense lessons."

"Yes, yes, the Women's Center overseen by Lady Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors," the midwife confirmed. "She and her fellow warriors provide self-defense, security and babysitting services."

Yue sighed, relenting, "It all sounds fine…except for the part about the Hounds…"

"That's only until you save enough money to move into the middle ring in the very least," the midwife said. "I tell you what. I have a childhood friend who runs a bakery in Gansu. She is looking for someone to help her out. If you want, I will recommend you for the position. She also told me she has a separate room available in the bakery if anyone is having trouble finding a place to stay nearby; I'm sure she will be happy to rent it out to you at a discount price. At least for a little while, it will be of use to you."

Yue held back her tears, nodding. "I…I would really appreciate that…"

"You need to hurry," Mother Superior cautioned. "Once you miss the monorail in Makapu, you'll have to wait again until next week. By then, one of the Snake-Bloods groups will surely make at least two stops here."

"I understand. And I can't thank you all enough for everything." Yue then reached into the pocket of her cloak, pulling out her sapphire earrings that she had saved to trade in for money upon emergencies. She handed one of the earrings to the midwife and the other to Mother Superior, "Please, keep these with you. Trade them in. They're real sapphires. I don't have very much other than this."

"No, child, these are of no use to us," Mother Superior began, but Yue shook her head.

"I don't take anyone's help for granted. Please, this is all I can do."

"ALL ABOARD FOR BA SING SE!"

Yue, with her noticeable hair hidden beneath the hood of her sweeping cloak, kept her arms wrapped around her newborn as she approached the two women at the ticket booth, "I need a ticket please."

"One ticket?"

"Yes. Commoner compartment."

"That's going to be seventy-five copper pieces per ticket. Are you sure it's just you and your baby? What about your husband?"

"I don't have one."

Both women shared a look at the comment. One of them, clearly not trying to hide her mocking smirk, nevertheless tried to turn away. The woman beside her sighed, pretending to sieve through a few papers for a moment longer before shaking her head, "The commoner compartment is full. I'm afraid I can't offer you a seat."

"But you were just willing to—"

"That was before I checked the availability."

Clearly seeing through the lie but declining to address it, "Please, it's an emergency. It's just for the two of us."

"Emergency tickets are one hundred fifty copper pieces," the woman next to her said.

"But you just said seventy-five!" Yue rasped, "I only have seventy-five, I…"

"I saw that you had a copper note for a hundred. If you're that desperate, then give me the hundred, and we'll give you a discount."

"I'm saving some for my baby's milk—"

"It's yours, isn't it? Can't you feed it yourself? You're a woman for a reason, you know."

The other woman laughed at the quip. Yue took a deep, patient breath, "Please, I don't have time. I need a ticket, it's important. I can only pay you seventy-five as you asked. I need the rest for my own emergency expenses—"

"Well we can't do anything about that."

"I need a ticket, please!"

"LAST CALL FOR BA SING SE!"

Seeing that the women wouldn't budge and witnessing them turning to the person beside her to serve them next, she took a helpless look at her hairband holding her braid together, at the sole reminder she had left of her father. She took off her hairband, letting her braid unravel in the wind. She placed the hairpiece beside the ticket booth, attracting the women's attention to the glimmer of amethyst stones embedded in the band.

"If you trade this in, you'll get at least twenty gold pieces. Is that enough for you?"

The women's eyes lit up. One of them snatched the hairpiece, gawking at its luxurious sheen as the other woman, pretending to not be interested, rolled her eyes at Yue before sighing, "Fine, keep your copper note." Grabbing a ticket slip, "What's the name?"

"Yue. Yue Taqqiq."

"And your daughter's name?"

"I thought it's free for infants—"

"It is. We just need it for documentation purposes."

Yue looked into the baby's eyes, at the seas of blue that drew the tribeswoman in, the waves of cerulean that wrapped around her heart in a fierce grip. "Ummi."

Yue was able to finally breathe when she got inside the monorail and secured a seat in the farthest corner. Little Ummi was nestled against her bosom, her tender face settling against the blanket wrapped around her.

"Says she doesn't have a husband," one of the women's voices could be heard from outside, "I'm telling you, whores like her make millions selling themselves. Then they act all helpless and shit."

"Especially with that face of hers. By the Spirits is she beautiful, no man would want to leave that face alone," the second woman followed. "That's why I snagged this luxury piece."

Yue leaned back in her seat and pretended as if she didn't hear them, waiting for the rail to depart. Ummi cooed, her small fist brushing against the tribeswoman's black string necklace, which held a tiny metal pendant bearing the engraving of a boomerang.