Chapter 15: To Ba Sing Se

Isla kept her eyes on Iroh as they made their way. The old man fake-moaned a few times, causing Zuko to become somewhat irate and somewhat concerned.

"Maybe we should make camp," Zuko suggested.

"No please, don't stop just for me," Iroh groaned.

Isla found it to be amusing. Zuko pulled at the reins, annoyed by his uncle's behavior. They dismounted in the middle of nowhere. The ostrich horse was alarmed by something. Zuko and Isla immediately took on their fighting form, ready to defend each other.

"What now?" Iroh was annoyed, swinging his shoulder a little bit to fix his shoulder.

A firebending team called Rough Rhinos rode through and circled them. Isla froze in surprise. Zuko kept up his defensive position, looking at the men that surrounded them. Mongke, the leader, pulled back the reins, staring down at Iroh. Iroh stood up and held a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Colonel Mongke! What a pleasant surprise!" Iroh greeted them.

"If you're surprised we're here, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps," Mongke said.

The Rough Rhinos prepare themselves for battle, readying their own weapon of expertise.

"You know these guys?" Zuko looked surprised.

"Well, they go way back…" Isla explained.

"Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapon specialist. They are also a very capable singing group," Iroh explained.

Mongke raised his first, ready for firebending. "We're not here to give a concert. We're here to apprehend fugitives!"

Iroh glanced up at Isla. She heaved a sign and moved to hide out of their sight. The old man kept on rubbing his shoulder.

"Would you like some tea first? I'd love some. How about you, Kahchi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?" he muttered.

Mongke was not amused. "Enough stalling! Round 'em up!"

Ogodei swung his ball and chain at Iroh, who kicked it away. The chain wrapped itself around the leg of Kahchi's rhino. Iroh tumbled over the ground, dodging two fire blasts coming at him. He rose back up and hit the rhino in the rear, making it dash away, yanking Ogodei off his rhino and dragging him along. Iroh waved goodbye as he watched them go.

Vachir shot a lit arrow at Zuko. He quickly reacted by knocking the arrow away and releasing a fire blast, burning a hole in the surprised archer's bow.

Mongke joined the fight by directing some fire blasts at Iroh. Iroh deflected each and every one of them. As Mongke was busy with Iroh, Zuko ran up and jumped on the back of the Rhino. With two spinning fire kicks, he sent Colonel Mongke flying.

Isla came to get them on the ostrich horse. Iroh jumped on and they rode toward Zuko, who was still standing on the rhino of Colonel Mongke. As he jumped on, Yeh-Lu immediately started the pursuit. He threw a grenade at the fleeing ostrich horse. Isla covered them with a large water bubble. They made it through the explosion.

"It's nice to see old friends." Iroh chuckled.

Zuko retorted, "Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you."

Iroh hummed, "Hmmm ... Old friends that don't want to attack me …"

Isla laughed. "You don't have any!"

A cup of water was placed in front of Isla. She looked up to see it was Zuko who passed it over to her.

"Thanks…" she replied.

They were in the tavern at the Misty Palms Oasis. Isla looked around.

"No one here is going to help us. These people just look like filthy wanderers." Zuko complained.

"We're not any different," Isla mumbled.

"Ah, this is interesting. I think I found our friend," Iroh pointed at something.

Isla and Zuko turned to look at what he was pointing at. An old man was sitting at a Pai Sho table. They approached the table.

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko asked.

"I don't think this is a gamble," Iroh smiled.

Zuko wanted to say something but Isla held his arm and shook her head. Iroh greeted the man behind the Pai Sho table, Fung.

"May I have this game?" he asked politely.

Fung nodded and gestured to Iroh to sit down. "The guest has the first move."

Iroh placed the lotus tile in the center of the board.

"I see you favor the white lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways," he cupped his hands towards Iroh.

"Those who do can always find a friend," Iroh copied the old man, cupping his hands towards him.

"Then let us play," Fung smiled.

The old man placed a tile on the board, quickly followed by a tile placed by Iroh. Seemingly without even looking at what the other person was doing, the two men quickly placed their tiles on the board. Zuko and Isla sat down and watched intently as the two men placed one tile after the other. When they are done, their tiles form the shape of a lotus flower. Isla, out of excitement, clapped her hands but Zuko held them before she could continue. She pulled away immediately.

Fung said, "Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

Zuko was fuming up. "What are you old gasbags talking about?"

Iroh explained, rolling a tile over his knuckle, "I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game."

"It's over! You two fugitives are coming with me!" a voice was heard, as a man stepped closer to them.

Fung stood in front of the three. "I knew it! You three are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"

"I thought you said he would help!" Zuko whispered to Iroh.

Iroh placed a hand on his shoulder, "He is. Just watch."

Fung said out loud, "You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?"

"Gold?" a voice was heard.

As the tavern was in havoc, Fung escorted them out. Isla heaved a sigh of relief. Zuko glanced up at her. He has concerns in his eyes.

They came to a small village at the edge of the desert. Fung brought them to a flower shop.

"It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets." he said.

Zuko was annoyed, "Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is someone in this club going to offer some real help ?"

Iroh sighed. "You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts."

The Pai Sho player led Iroh toward a door with a peephole in it. He knocked two times. A man slid open the small window in the door and peeked through.

"Who knocks at the garden gate?" the florist asked.

"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh replied.

Iroh smiled as the door opened to let him and the Pai Sho player through. When Zuko attempted to follow them, the door slammed shut in front of him. He looked at the door with a pout when Iroh opened the small window.

"I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here." he said to his nephew.

Zuko was irritated. He crossed his arms and rested against a nearby table. He leaned over to sniff the plant on the table. When he opened his eyes, he caught Isla in his line of sight. She was busy admiring a few potted plants. She looked so carefree and cheery, even after all the troubles and problems she had faced. He wondered what was in her head.

Isla caught him staring. "What's up?"

Zuko looked away immediately. "N-Nothing… Are you okay? You've been in the Deserts for quite some time," he changed the topic.

The girl nodded. "I'm okay…" she approached the young teen. "Thanks for your concern…"

Few hours passed, and the door squeaked open. Zuko and Isla were startled. The girl stood up straight when she realized she fell asleep on Zuko's shoulder. Zuko rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Is the club meeting over?" Zuko asked.

"Everything is taken care of. We're heading to Ba Sing Se," Iroh looked happy.

He and Fung exchanged a bow in respect of each other.

"Ba Sing Se? Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?" Zuko questioned.

Fung calmly explained, "The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice three more."

"We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even I couldn't break through to the city." Iroh shrugged his shoulders, satisfied.

A bell signaled that someone had entered the shop. A young man approached the group, holding up some papers. "I have the passports for our guests, but there are two men out on the street looking for them."

Fung thought of something. He readied three large pots and told them to hide in each one. Isla could feel the pot shifting. She could only pray for wherever they were going to be taken.

A ferry departed. Isla, Zuko and Iroh were on board.

"Who would have thought after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace …" Iroh muttered and then turned away for a second only to turn back with a floral hat on his head, "...as a tourist!"

"Look around. We're not tourists, we're refugees," Zuko sipped his food and spit it out, "Ugh! I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt. I'm tired of living like this!"

Another teenage boy approached them. "Aren't we all? My name's Jet and these are my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot."

Isla looked at him, full of questions. Zuko was indifferent while Iroh tried to enjoy his food.

"Hey," Smellerbee said and Longshot nodded to them.

"Hello," was all Zuko said.

Jet said, "Here's the deal. I hear the captain's eating like a king while the refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"What sort of king is he eating like?" Iroh chimed in.

"The fat, happy kind." Jet said, earning a drool from Iroh. "You want to help us "liberate" some food?" he asked Zuko.

Zuko tossed the bowl of rotten food into the water. "I'm in."

Iroh caught Isla staring at the ocean. He smiled at her. "Why don't you go for a dip?" he suggested.

"Are you serious? It's an ocean…" Smellerbee remarked.

Isla looked at Iroh with sparkling eyes. The old man nodded to her.

"You better avert your eyes…" Zuko sighed.

Jet, Smellerbee and Longshot were confused. Isla climbed up on the edge of the ferry. With her waterbending, she created a cannon and jumped into it. She came out of yhe waters on an ice surfing board she made herself.

"She looks like she's having fun," Smellerbee said.

"We've been in the Deserts too long," Zuko muttered.

"It has been a while since I've seen a waterbender," Jet muttered.

"She can't be separated from her bending, it's the one thing that keeps her happy…" Zuko formed a small smile.

"You seem to know her very well, nephew," Iroh remarked, making Zuko feel awkward.

Isla landed back on the edge of the ferry. "That was a nice dip," she exclaimed happily.

Iroh chuckled. Zuko heaved a sigh at her behavior. He walked away with Jet and his gang following behind. They were going to discuss their plan. Isla looked concerned.

"Isla, dear, let's go get some rest," Iroh gestured to her to follow him.

"Okay…" she took one last glance at Zuko before following her father.

The next day came. Isla was resting her head on Iroh's lap when Zuko came and passed them the food they had stolen the night before. She sat up and took her part of the food. She started to eat with content. Smellerbee and Longshot joined them. Jet was passing the food to the other travelers.

"So, Smellerbee. That's an unusual name for a young man." Iroh muttered.

"Maybe it's because I'm not a man ... I'm a girl!" Smellerbee stood up and walked away.

"Oh, now I see. It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!" Iroh called.

"Real smooth, father…" Isla rolled her eyes.

Longshot went to catch up with Smellerbee. Jet approached Isla, Zuko and Iroh.

"From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall." he started.

"It is a magnificent sight." Iroh remarked.

Jet turned to the old man, "So you've been there before?"

"Once. When I was a ... different man." Iroh shut his eyes, looking back at his past.

Jet looked down. "I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se: for a new beginning. A second chance."

"That's very noble of you. I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances." Iroh muttered.

Isla glanced up at Zuko. He was not eating his share of the food. He set aside his bowl and excused himself. Jet stood up and followed him. Isla turned to Iroh. He gave a nod to her. She rushed to pursue them. She kept herself hidden and listened in on their conversation.

She heard Jet's voice, "You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were. You're an outcast, like me. And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's backs. Because no one else will."

"I've realized lately that being on your own isn't always the best path." Zuko muttered. Isla's smiling face flashed in his mind. "Having support is not so bad…" he mumbled.

Isla smiled when she heard that. "I'm glad you feel that way…" she whispered.

Isla got off the ferry. People were pushing arpund. She almost stumbled her steps, but Zuko caught her in time before she met the ground. He was not entertained by her behavior.

"Sorry…" she said.

"Stick close," Zuko whispered to her.

They knew that Jet was still on their trail. They went to line up to get their tickets inspected. Isla handed the tickets to the lady in charge.

"So, Miss Isla, Mr. Lee and Mr. ummm … Mushy, is it?" she asked.

"It's pronounced Mushi," Iroh corrected her.

"You telling me how to do my job?" The lady was annoyed.

Iroh went closer to the counter. "Uh, no, no. But may I just say you're like a flower in bloom. Your beauty is intoxicating."

The lady giggled and flirtatiously said, "You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome. Rawwrr~! Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

Zuko grabbed the tickets after they were stamped. Isla went to his side. Iroh trotted behind them.

"I'm gonna forget I saw that," he groaned. Isla giggled.

They went to find seats while waiting for the train. Isla stared into spaces, memories of the past started to flood her thoughts.