A/N: I never learned you should stop loving fire because you got burned. Love and be loved. Read… and review!
Agni and Yue
[Fall/Winter 138 AG]
"No! Don't leave! DON'T LEAVE!"
The scream comes from a young girl, trying to keep a pair of older women from leaving. The nearly 10 year old is scared of either of them leaving. She doesn't understand that this is for the best; they just go, so that she can be at ease. All the same, she clings to them and begs them not to depart. In the end, it will always only go one way, just as it has every time before.
"Senna," Rangi tries to reason with her, "We do this every night. Aunt On Jin and I have to go home and you have to go to bed!"
"No! Noooo! Stay!"
The home of Miki and Aklaq is playing host, as it does every night these days, to the defenders of Lonlhai. The Guardian, The Ghost, The Archer, and The Healer, or maybe The White Flame. There was much debate amongst the group on what was the better choice of titles for Meng Shou. In any event, the group comes here every night as a ritual of sorts. They unpack the goings on of the village, they discuss politics and gossip. They eat and are merry and enjoy one another's company. Senna is enamored with all of her female role models and as she approaches her tween years, she is sure to shape her personality around what these women provide for her. Right now though she just refuses to go to bed and let the others all go home to rest.
Miki asks, "Do you want Aunt Rangi to read you a bedtime story? Like she did the other night?"
"No. Bed time stories are for babies!"
"Now who gave you that idea?" Meng Shou crosses her arms. "I loved the bedtime stories my mother told me."
"Aye," Tapisa pipes up, a wicked smile on her face. "We know."
Meng Shou shoves her compatriot's shoulder at the ribbing. They are only two years apart, and while Meng Shou has only been around a few months now, they have quickly developed into the sister-like dynamic that Senna and Tapisa already share.
Rangi gets up and kneels before Senna. She holds her shoulders and calms her. She looks into those cyan eyes with her own wide, grey ones. "It's OK to be soft and quiet. I know it's your nature when you're not here with us."
"No!" She protests, her pouty lips betraying her. "I'm strong like you and Aunt On Jin!"
It is now that On Jin finally joins the fray of trying to convince the child to go to bed. She approaches and stands behind her wife, still kneeling and holding Senna.
"Loud does not mean strong. There's an important strength in silence."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Senna's eyes water a bit.
"Do you want me to tell you another bedtime story?" Rangi asks her, a smile spreading across her lips.
"Nu-uh."
Senna niffles, and then reaches a hand towards On Jin.
"Me?"
She nods her little head. On Jin looks around a little incredulous at everyone else in the room.
"Okay." She concedes.
Senna promptly leads On Jin to her bed and climbs into it, quickly getting under the covers. In the harsh winters, there are always extra layers around. On Jin pulls a few up from the foot of the bed and tucks Senna in, making sure she is comfy and toasty. When she's done she confesses to the girl.
"I don't know as many good children's stories as Aunt Rangi. You're sure you don't want it to be her?"
"No. You're good. I'm sure." Senna replies without hesitation.
"Thanks for the confidence, girl." Azula deadpans, to no avail.
She sits with her thoughts for a moment as she racks her brain on what story she could tell. That exact moment is when she hears the creak of floor boards. Many floor boards. She is certain now that Aklaq, Miki, Tapisa, Meng Shou, and Ty Lee have all come to eavesdrop. She decides to pay them no mind. She comes up with a story she can tell Senna.
"I do have something that should tickle your imagination."
"What does that mean?"
"Uh. Give you fun ideas?" Azula tries to explain.
"Okay?" Senna tries to understand.
"Before we lost The Guru, he helped me to see the beauty of the Moon Spirit, Yue. But all of my life growing up in the Fire Nation, I believed in Agni."
"Are they different, Aunt On Jin?"
"Very. Very much so. Agni is connected with fire, the sun, and light. Yue is more known for water, the moon, and night."
Yawning, Senna asks, "So you must like Agni more than Yue?"
"On the contrary. I prefer Yue over Agni. Agni is a bringer of life, and light. Such a burden. Yue, on the other hand, sacrifices everything for others. One gives, the other sacrifices. It's like life and death, Senna. We all live, and eventually, some day, many, many years from now, we all die. But that's where my story comes in. Are you ready for it?
Senna is glassy eyed and only somewhat conscious. The long speech on fire and water deities has bored her. Nonetheless, she is ready for a story. She bleats out a groggy, "Yes!"
Azula runs a hand through Senna's gorgeous, thick brown hair. She starts slightly above the child's eyebrows and then moves up her forehead, onto her hair line, and then down through her hair. Her fingers, the same ones that can explode with lightning, get tangled in the hair a bit. She extracts them and starts over. The slow petting of Senna's face and hair helps coax her off to sleep. Azula does it absentmindedly as she tells the story she's concocted.
"I believe that Agni and Yue have been in love since the dawn of time. Agni brings a new sunrise every day for Yue, and Yue keeps them forever. She can't give them back, just as we can't make time go backwards. We are who we are. We can only move forward. So Yue gladly accepts these gifts from Agni, cycling through a lifetime of moons, each full moon representing when she is at her most thankful."
She looks down and Senna has passed out.
"Sweet dreams."
She kisses her forehead and leaves the room.
Out on the perimeter of Lonlhai, far from sweet dreams and bedtime stories, a lifetime villager patrols a small alcove of people on the border. Ukiuk is a 17 year old boy, who has been 'trained' as a sentry, but has retained little of his practice. It was his duty as the man of the family to take on this role, to be a warrior, and to eventually die in combat, just as his father did before him.
However, everything changed for Ukiuk the day that On Jin arrived. She rose from the dead and vanquished their enemies. She became the Guardian and alongside The Watchkeeper and the Ghost, ushered in a new era of life in Lonlhai. A death on the battlefield became both more and less possible. With each new villain who came along trying to stake their claim in these holy grounds, and with each one turned away, the chance of living increased. But each new villain meant that another may come next.
Ukiuk of Lonlhai was born in the wrong place and at the wrong time. A few years earlier and he may have died before The Guardian came to town. A few years later and maybe his father would still be alive. As it is, he is a coward, through and through. He has never tasted victory and never stuck around long enough to face defeat. His sister, Yakaro of Lonlhai, was similarly scorned at birth. She could've been a member of The Guardian's most trusted circle if she had felt the right to grow outside of her roots. However, her family dynamics had led to staying at home and learning life skills.
The siblings depend on one another. Ukiuk needs her courage and bravery. Yakaro needs his privilege and clearance to go beyond the walls. Which is where they are headed now, for his nightly patrol along the outer perimeter. He fears for every leaf drop and every twig snap. She likes to see what the world is like outside of Lonlhai. Ukiuk holds a torch up to light the way as they trudge through shin-high snow. They make idle chatter until they arrive at a clearing and find a mess of objects in the center.
"What do you figure?" Yakaro asks, stepping closer to get a better look.
"Not sure. Don't get too close!"
"Oy. I'm not getting any closer than any reasonable person would get." She ignores him and inches closer.
"Looks like animal remains?" He says, examining what looks like a pile of carcasses. "Seems like something has been gathering them?"
"You ever seen a polar bear dog do something like this before?" She asks, reaching the same conclusion as him.
"We should return to the gates. Get on the other side of the wall." He stumbles over his words.
"What's the matter? Dead animals frighten you now too?"
"My orders were just to go inspect. I inspected, time to go back!"
"Don't you think they'll ask how they died?"
"Shut up, Yakaro!" He shouts at her. "Whatever did this to them, could do it to us!"
Yakaro inspects the ragdoll bodies. They aren't human. In the dark light she can tell they are other animals. Some king beast is killing them and bringing the corpses here to draw attention. A live trap. She has gotten too close to the pile when she realizes it. Fresh meat and blood to draw in others, and when they get too close, the beast would strike. Just as they are right now.
Across from her, through the forest and the dark night, she sees two glowing, yellow eyes. Growing, hulking, and huge the beast comes from out of the shadows. It blocks their path back to the wall and gates. They have no retreat path to go home.
"Ukiuk," she mutters, real fear in her voice for the first time in her life. "Run!"
The beast advances. Ukiuk drops the torch. Yakaro stays to fight. From her first breath to her last.
Ty Lee has the nightmare again.
Azula sits in a chair in the kitchen. The wind howls outside, and all of her drawn in window. Her outfit used to be so vivid, but anymore in these dreams it is obtuse. Ty Lee still sees her arms are wrapped in white bandages, starting from her elbow, all the way down to her knuckles. Her hair is short, and as she listens to the wind, her mind wander.
Ty Lee doesn't know how long she's been here. The dream makes it seem like both no time and much time has passed by. Azula is perfectly stationary in her seat. It feels as though no one can find her, or no one is looking for her. Now there is only the wind and the rattling windows.
A sudden knock on her door startles her and jerks her out of her trance. She looks to the front door with surprise and anxiety. She rises, and slowly ambles towards the door.
She comes to a stop as the knocking continues. She pulls it open and before she can react, a dark figure blows her away in a hail of fire. She is engulfed in the flames and within seconds she vanishes from the Earth.
Ty Lee sits up and gasps for air. The nightmare has dogged her for longer than she can remember now. Longer than any recurring nightmare or vision she has never experienced in life. She feels her way around the sheets until she can hold the woman beside her. Azula does not stir, she does not move, except for shallow, rhythmic breathing. Ty Lee knows, once again, that it was just a dream. A real, everlasting, endless nightmare.
The one who knocks had come for Azula, but still only in Ty Lee's dreams.
"Hey babe?" Her husband calls from the other room. "Where are you?"
"Library." Katara calls back, putting her book down.
Aang enters with the rising sun at his back, holding a couple of pieces of parchment. He doesn't look up, but rather continues to read what has been delivered. He looks up briefly at Katara, who has all eyes on him. She wonders what he is about to share with her.
"The Republic Times' is asking for our comment on a story they're about to release." He tells her, still scanning the pages.
Not alarmed, Katara replies, "Okay? Is it scandalous in some way?"
He doesn't reply.
"Aang, you're scaring me. What's this about?"
"It's not, ah, scandalous. It's just, I don't know. It's kind of damning?"
"Damning?"
"It kind of makes me look bad?"
"What's going on? What do you mean?"
"It's probably better if you read it yourself." He says, crossing the room and extending the papers to her.
Katara takes them from him and reads the request for comment first.
Media Outlet: The Republic Times'
Journalist: [Redacted]
Media type: National newspaper / Current Affairs
Deadline for comment: Five (5) Days
Enquiry short summary:
Para-military force defending island independent of Avatar or state backing
Query:
Greetings!
We at The Republic Times' have been working on an expose regarding the entities defending an island along the border of the Southern Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom. Given the scale, and some of the subject matter, we are reaching out for comment from the leadership of the Southern Water Tribe and Republic City. It is our belief that world leaders are unaware of this matter and should be alerted so they can provide statements. A redacted and reduced version of the article can be found attached for your review.
Thank you!
How to reply:
Please send messenger hawks to …
Katara skips the ending parts. She says to Aang, "Okay. Interesting. Is this the article?"
"Yeah. What they provided anyway."
"Alright, let me read what they provided."
A GUARDIAN'S SECRET: INSIDE THE FORT-LIKE ISLAND THAT KEEPS STAVING OFF EXTINCTION
It was a warm Summer night when villagers raised drinks by campfire to toast to their savior. Earlier in the day, a fearsome warrior who had titled themselves 'The Dragon Empress Reborn' had come to burn their homeland to the ground. Named after the late Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, who had ruled viciously as a mobster in the earliest day of Republic City, this teenage girl arrived with a caravan of latter day Kemurikage and Fire Warriors, determined to take the village by storm. Instead, their numbers and massive force was met by an immovable object in the form of a middle aged firebending woman who calls herself 'The Guardian.'
Lonlhai Village on Linlhao Island resides along the northeast border of the Southern Water Tribe, a skip away from Jaohu Island and less than a hundred miles from Gaoling. It is rumored to be a hallowed land, one of the last remnants of spiritual ties between the Southern Water Tribe and their ancestral origins.
But this is a village unlike any other.
The village has high reaching walls all along its land perimeter, and docking stations for trade ships which could rival the great Port of Lanxi in the South Sea. Villagers tell stories of multiple attempts, much like the Dragon Empress Reborn, to destroy the village – all of which have been defeated by this supposed Guardian. The village does not allow outsiders even a day pass into its midst. Only those born or raised on the island, or with a connection to any of its leadership may enter.
The Republic Times' sent a reporter to the village four months ago undercover to learn more about the secret society. The reporter, whose name has been changed in this article in an effort to protect their identity…
Katara stops reading word for word, having gotten the gist of it. She marvels at it as she continues to skim it, saying to Aang, "Wow! This is fascinating."
"I know! I know," he replies, going to look at a map in the library to try and locate the island. As he does so he asks, "Do you know anything about this?"
"Nothing! I have some fuzzy memories of some warrior guy who was defending an island for a while. Maybe it's the same one?"
"The article eventually mentions someone named the Watchkeeper?"
"I think that was it? But no, nothing. This is nuts. This is going to be quite a story."
"I also, as a side note, can't believe there's already copycats of the Dragon Empress. How crazy is that? And they convinced that girl to join them!"
"Wild," she replies. Her eyes scan the page but her mind is turning. She puts it all down and says to Aang, "A fire bender? Defending an island of water tribe spiritualists? She could be the face of a movement!"
Aang agrees. "Especially in the face of the renewed angst between bender supremacists and equalists?"
"So what do we say about this? No comment? Commend the efforts and ask Sokka to look into it some more?"
"Actually, I've got a sort of crazy idea if you want to hear it?" He asks, finally locating the island on the map. He grabs a quill and circles it.
"Fire away."
"They gave us five days to respond. Just eyeballing this, it's probably about one and a half, maybe two days if you take Appa. He's a little older now, probably closer to two days."
"Oh, yes! I love this idea. We could, wait. Wait. 'If you take Appa?' Not 'we?' You're not coming?"
"I can't. I have to travel to Caldera for a meeting tomorrow. I've blown it off already twice, I think Mai will kill me if I miss it a third time."
"Ugh." She groans.
"Plus this island is going the wrong way. So you take Appa, and Tenzin, and Kya, and I'll take Bakunawa and go to Caldera."
"Hmmm," she hums. "I don't know if they'll want to go to the South Pole on such short notice."
"I bet they will! You three have been talking about going on your own little adventure forever now. What do you say? Hop on Appa, you'll be there in two days. Spend a day or two getting to know this elusive Guardian, and then you can write back or even ride back to the Times and give a statement from us that's fully formed."
Katara comes and looks at the map. Her finger taps on where Linlhao Island is located. She smiles and needs no other convincing. She walks towards the exit and yells out their names.
"Tenzin! Kya! Pack your bags! We're going on an adventure!"
It took them until the third sunrise for sentries to finally find Ukiuk. He'd abandoned his post two nights ago and had done a shit job at covering his tracks. Nonetheless, he had such a head start, and simply kept going that it was hard for them to initially make up the ground.
The dismembered remains of Yakaro were found and a hunt was executed for the wolf that had torn her apart. This kind of tragic loss could be explained and dealt with, however sad. What was inexcusable was the desertion by one of their fellow sentries. They had brought him back to the outskirts of Lonlhai, just beyond the walls and the gates. There is a tree stump and two fellow sentries drag him up to it. They position him on his knees at it.
The scene around the stump features On Jin, the Guardian, standing at the ready, both hands on the hilt of Moon's Veil. Rangi, the Ghost, refuses to be present for these events anymore. She has seen enough in her time. Tapisa and Meng Shou flank Senna on each side. Warden Tarlom is present and about half a dozen sentries all stand in silence as Ukiuk is brought to kneel. He is crying painful tears as he takes his spot beside the stump. His hands grab at the roots. He desperately pulls at them, hoping he could lift the ground up like a blanket and disappear under it.
"I know I'm a deserter. I broke my oath. I should've gone back to the gate and warned everyone. But I saw," he breaks down. "I saw that thing tear into my sister and I couldn't stay. I couldn't face it."
The Guardian sighs.
"I understand, Ukiuk. You should've fought with her."
"Don't you think I know that!" He shouts at the ground, unable to look up at her. He gets sad now and cries and begs her, "Please don't. Please! You're supposed to be the good guys! Please don't. Please. Why do you get to decide? Huh? Who chose you? Why do you - WHY DO-"
"We're not the good guys, Ukiuk. That's why we get to decide."
Ukiuk sobs, knowing he can not argue with his fate. Knowing she must fulfill her role and he must pay for his mistake. He makes one last request, and finally looks up at her.
"Please. Tell my family that I'm sorry."
On Jin nods in agreement. Ukiuk finally rests his head on the stump, his neck extended for her. He mutters to the sky, "Please, forgive me, Yue."
The Guardian bows her head over Moon's Veil. She recites a quiet prayer.
"Keep your eyes open." Meng Shou whispers to Senna.
The Guardian uses both hands to lift Moon's Veil high above his head.
"She'll know if you look away."
On Jin decrees, "I, On Jin of Ba Sing Se, Guardian of Lonlhai, sentence you to die."
She drops the blade downward, letting gravity do most of the work. The iron slices cleanly through the neck and severs the head. It is quiet for a few moments, as On Jin stares down at the dead man. A cold wind blows, as everyone sits with the reality of death and mortality. After a moment, she waves her hand. This signals the sentries to move forward so they can complete their tasks. On Jin takes a rag from her pocket and cleans the blood off of Moon's Veil's edge. After a moment she turns to her warrior girls. She motions towards the village and all of them begin walking that way. As they walk she speaks to Tapisa, but really she speaks to all of them.
"Do you know why I had to kill him?"
"He abandoned Lonlhai?"
"Not my question. Do you know why I had to kill him."
She does not answer.
"That is the burden of leadership. Choosing to take someone's life is a difficult choice. If I'm going to make the choice, I must also be the one to do it."
She slows as they enter through the gates, back into the village. They come out the other side and look down upon the valley that is Lonlhai. She waves her arms about and turns back to her first recruit, the first one she was able to redeem.
"Some day, all of this will be yours to protect."
"I hope the sun never rises on that day." The Archer replies.
Azula shakes her head as they walk down.
"No. If I have to bury you, I would never forgive myself. I only pray that you are ready to welcome it when the sun rises on that day."
The girls make idle chit chat as they all venture home. They discuss the goings on of their island and their home. What needs to be done to prepare for the coming Winter. How they can better prepare and ration food. They also discuss mundane things like clothes and the weather. Senna runs home while On Jin, Meng Shou, and Tapisa make their way to the outskirts of town. On Jin bids them farewell just before reaching her door. When she arrives, she shoves Moon's Veil into the ground just beyond the front porch.
It's a force of habit. She knows it's bad for the blade's long term health, but it's what Ganzaya always used to do. So she does it now to pay homage to her old mentor. She stares at the longsword for a few moments and reflects on what Ukiuk said. She will have to make time to speak to the family and relay his final words.
"The burden of leadership." She says to herself as she walks back into her home and closes the door behind her.
It is not long after the group has returned to the village when a darkness sweeps over Lonlhai. A shadow flying across the land. High, up above, a creature floats down towards the village.
Rangi looks up from what she is doing in the center of Lonlhai. At first she is just as bewildered as all the others. Her eyes adjust and try to focus on what she sees.
The shock sets in. The first step is denying it is happening.
A flying bison drops from the sky right into her homeland.
Ty Lee stumbles as she takes off sprinting for home.
Rangi has been called The Ghost for very nearly ten years now. A nickname she earned for being able to avoid blades and fists. The stories told were that she could walk through walls and even through men. At this exact moment, she only wishes those stories were true.
There is an abundance of people gathering due to the arrival of a sky bison. No one alive in Lonlhai has ever seen this, although rumors have persisted for almost forty years now of villagers having seen the Avatar fly past the island. Now it seems those rumors have come home to roost. Ty Lee bumps into people every which way, struggling to fight through the growing crowd. The villagers have an immense level of respect for Rangi, and would normally step aside, but they're so preoccupied they don't even realize she's going against the grain.
She comes out the other side at last and sprints free, racing all the way home, silently praying that she's not too late.
Katara trudges through the snow, keenly aware of the eyes on her. It's a familiar feeling, a reminder of her youth when she traveled the world with her brother, Aang, and Toph. She focuses on the task at hand. Kya and Tenzin are in tow, no strangers to being stared at by the general populace.
The wind blows and the windowsill rattle on the home in front of her. Katara walks up to the door.
She is the one who knocks.
A sudden knock on her door startles On Jin and jerks her out of her conversation with Miki. She looks to the front door with surprise and annoyance. She rises, and slowly ambles towards the door.
She comes to a stop as the knocking continues. She pulls it open.
Katara watches the door swing open. She's surprised by what she sees.
A small, dark skinned, mustachioed man stands opposed to her.
Azula watches the door swing open. She's surprised to see her wife, huffing for air, leaning against the door.
"I'm not too late!"
Warden Tarlom is confused but smiles nonetheless and greets the strange woman.
"Hello! How may I," he notices in the distance what appears to be a sky bison. He trails off, "help you?"
"Hello! Are you the Guardian?"
"Uh, n-no. I'm the warden of this Village. Warden Tarlom. Uh, how, excuse me for asking, but how did you get here? And who are you?"
"Greetings, Warden Tarlom! I'm an emissary from the Southern Water Tribe, sister of the Chief, and wife of the Avatar! These are two of my children, Kya and Tenzin."
The two young adults with her wave and smile.
"S-s-sister of the Chief? Forgive me, no one told me-"
"It's quite alright, this was not planned in advance. And please forgive our intrusion. This building seemed extravagant compared to those around it, so I assumed it was someone of notoriety."
"Oh, this little old thing?" He tries to quip but flops on the delivery. Deciding now is no joking matter he replies seriously, "No, the Guardian doesn't live here."
"Very well. Will you please escort us to her?"
"Actually, Mom, I think I want to check the village out? Learn about the people here and their customs. All we've heard about their spiritual stuff is very interesting."
Warden Tarlom wants to object but he is overwhelmed by all that's going on. Before he can say anything, the Chief's Sister is already replying, "That's a terrific idea, Kya! What about you, Tenzin?"
"I'm just gonna stay with you, Mom." He replies with crossed arms and a warm smile.
"Excellent," she turns back to the Warden, "So how about it? Shall we?"
Ty Lee hurriedly enters the home and closes the door behind her. She looks around, searching for anyone else and quickly spots the cyan eyes and raggedy brown hair of the village leadership's pseudo-Matriarch.
"Miki! Hi! So good to see you! You look lovely!" Ty Lee rambles.
"Hello, Rangi. Is everything okay?"
"Can you give us some privacy? And in fact, can you go get Meng Shou and Tapisa? Please hurry and tell them to come quick."
"Okay? But is something the matter?"
There is very cleary something the matter to Miki.
"Uh. No. No. No. I just, please, I need to speak with On Jin alone."
The mother knows better than to keep pushing it. She hasn't seen Rangi act like this ever, so she concedes, knowing it must be urgent.
"Alright, if you insist."
Miki takes her coat and makes her way for the door.
"Thanks for stopping by, Miki! We'll finish that conversation later."
"Of course."
"Sorry! Thank you!"
"No problem. Farewell!"
The door closes shut and the two Lonlhai Villagers drop the act.
"Ty, what was th-"
"It's Appa. Aang's flying bison. It's here. I saw it."
"Huh? Aang? As in the Avatar? Is here?"
"Yes! He's here."
"That's impossible. He has never been here. In all of their turmoil, in all of the strife, death, decay, he's never come here. Why would he come at a time of peace?"
"I don't know, 'Zula! But he's here!"
"So, I've heard you recently had a run in with someone named the 'Dragon Empress Reborn?' Can you tell me more about that?"
Katara and Tenzin walk with Tarlom. The small man is dwarfed by Tenzin, and even somewhat by Katara. His little legs and little feet carry him hurriedly through the snow and takes them to where they're going.
"Oh, I assure you there is nothing 'reborn' about her. That is just what Meng Shou was calling herself. But the Guardian brought her home to us. We've now had her helping us for four or five months now."
"Meng Shou?" Katara repeats to herself. "What a beautiful name. And your Guardian convinced her to abandon that life?"
"She did!" Tarlom squeaks excitedly. "The Guardian is the greatest protector Lonlhai has seen since the glory days of The Watchkeeper."
'Watchkeeper? Ah yes, I've heard of him and read some more. What an interesting village!"
Katara is enchanted by this whole thing. It's a society with a rich history and spiritual ties. The Southern and Northern Water Tribes had undergone industrial revolutions over the last forty years, and this island was left untouched. She reflects on why she's here and how this fight with the reborn Princess had brought her here with just a smidge of good fortune. She relives her own glory days in her mind and shares with the two men walking with her.
"You know, I defeated the real Dragon Empress when I was younger." She proudly declares.
Tenzin has heard this story ad nauseum. He could probably recite it by heart at this point. The Warden, on the other hand, shows no interest in it.
"Oh? I don't know anything about 'the real' Dragon Empress."
"No?"
"Not a thing."
"Well. Let me tell you, she was a Fire Nation Princess during the Hundred Year's War. In the post-war vacuum of power and evil, she rose to the top."
"I see." Says a man who was probably Katara's age when it was all happening but completely ignorant to it all. Such stories of princess and empresses and war in far away lands was irrelevant to a child of forever war in his homeland.
"So how did your Guardian convince the 'Dragon Empress Reborn' to step down?"
"The Guardian knew Meng Shou's mother and connected with her in that way. Talked her down and such."
"Really! What a small world?"
Their destination is just beyond the bend.
"So what do we do? Do we run or do we stay and fight?" Azula questions.
"I-I-I don't know! I don't think we fight Aang. Not again. Maybe we can talk to him?"
Azula remembers something and heads for the door without warning. Ty Lee panics.
"Where are you going!'
"If we're going to run, I'm not leaving Moon's Veil behind."
She walks towards the front door and adds another note.
"And if we're going to fight, it's better to have it in-hand than in the ground."
She pushes open the door and makes an immediate left. Out to the side of her home is a whetting stone and beside that, Moon's Veil lodged into the ground. She is quick and keeps her head down. She puts both hands on the longsword's handle and rips it from the Earth. She keeps her head down and walks back to her home. Before she can reach the door a voice speaks to her.
"Greetings!"
Azula stops just outside of the front door, her back to the speaker. She hears Ty Lee yell something from inside but can't quite hear and can't reply. However, Azula has just learned something vitally important.
'That voice doesn't belong to the Avatar.'
Kya sips some stew she bought from a marketplace vendor and sits amongst an eclectic group of villagers. Two small children, a girl her age, a married man slightly older than her, and a middle aged woman. She started with the girl her age, finding her pretty and attractive, and thought she'd strike up a conversation. In barely a few moments she's gathered a small group and asked them to tell her about the Guardian.
"Yue protect her, she has been a blessing from the spirits upon us."
"She's really smart and cool."
"Don't know where we'd be without her and the Ghost."
"The Ghost!" Kya interrupts. "I haven't heard as much about her! Can you explain?"
The villagers regale her with tales of the Guardian and the Ghost and how they have saved Lonlhai countless times.
Tarlom leads Katara and Tenzin around the bend and spots the little home on the outskirts of town. What's more, On Jin pushes open the door and turns to her left immediately.
"This is it. That's her!" He tells them.
"Excellent, that will be all." Katara quickly strides past him without another word.
Tenzin offers their gratitude, "Thank you, Warden."
As she walks up to the home Katara watches from a distance as the woman yanks a massive longsword from the earth. She turns quickly to return to her home. Katara realizes the Guardian is going to reach the door before she can get to her. She wants to capture her in the moment and not have to knock on the door. She yells to get their attention as she approaches.
"Greetings!"
The Guardian comes to a sudden stop, just before reaching her front door. Her back is to Katara and she can see she has layered, shoulder length black hair and it's as dark as night. Her skin appears lighter than the average Southern Water Tribe villager, but right in line with what she'd expect from someone from the Fire Nation who has spent a decade living here. She's shorter than Katara expected, a little less than average height. She can't see anything else about the woman's appearance. Katara comes to a stop, thirty feet away.
"Are you the legendary Guardian that I've heard so much about?"
Katara asks but with no reply. She gives her a moment. Her eyes wander to a sign nearby. Faded by the sun and time, it's a placard with a handwritten greeting. She reads it.
"Welcome to where you're going."
She recognizes the words but doesn't place them right away. She turns back to The Guardian. When an answer still does not come, she begins by introducing herself.
"I'm an emissary from the Southern Water Tribe, sister of the Chief, and wife of the Avatar! I'm-"
The front door swings open and a woman comes outside but quickly stops when she sees Katara and Tenzin.
Katara greets her, "Oh, hel-…"
She trails off while staring at this woman. A long, braided, brunette ponytail. Light tan skin like the Guardian's. Her eyes are grey. Her face is familiar. So familiar. It's been a few years, many years, an entire decade plus since she's seen this woman. The girl who walked out the door stops in place and makes eye contact with her. She doesn't say anything, doesn't move. She's paralyzed. Katara tries to reconcile what she's seeing with what she knows. It doesn't make any sense. She does not understand. A new voice speaks to her now.
"Let's not stand on ceremony," she starts with a pause. The Guardian slowly turns around to look Katara in the eyes. She tilts her head slightly.
"Katara."
A/N: Originally, this chapter and #11 were one long chapter, but after discussing it with FMTomiko, I decided to split it. Leaves you with this little cliffhanger :) This chapter's OST is "Enemy" by Imagine Dragons.
Love always. Tyzula forever.
Notorious