CHAPTER 35: Riding air
"We can only fly with two wings and two wings can only stay in the air if there is a balance. "
Nii did not know what to do.
She sat on her bed with her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her gaze fixed on her palms.
Her heart pounded with uncertainty in her chest as she contemplated the weighty decision that lay before her.
Aang had asked her to accompany him and Katara to the Fire Nation palace.
Appa's sudden appearance had not only brought them happiness from being reunited with their furry friend, he had also brought back a handwritten note from the Fire Lord.
Aang and Katara had to leave as soon as possible.
And Aang had asked her to come with him.
Nii twisted her hands nervously in her lap.
The Fire Nation.
She shivered.
Even though she liked Zuko, and she knew that Aang trusted him with his whole heart, a sense of unease gnawed at the back of her mind like a persistent ache.
The prospect of journeying to the Fire Nation filled her with a deep-seated fear that she struggled to wrap her mind around.
The scars and burn wounds still lingered in her heart, haunting her like shadows in the night.
As she looked out of her windows to see some villagers walk past, memories of the destruction wrought upon her village by the Firebenders flashed before her eyes.
The charred ruins of their huts, the cries of her friends, the smell of smoke and ash - they were all too vivid on her mind, a painful reminder of the horrors she had witnessed.
But it was not just the memories that held her back.
It was the fear of the unknown, the uncertainty of what awaited her in a land that had once been her enemy.
She had never been anywhere outside the jungle and the Air temple.
And could they ever really be truly safe in a place that had once been the source of so much pain and suffering?
She felt paralyzed by fear.
As she let her gaze wander around the room - her room - she recalled the first night she had spent in here.
Her eyes fell to the spot on the floor where Aang had laid, unconscious and almost unreachable, and she remembered how determined she had been to help him make his way back from the Spirit World.
She recalled the feelings of uncertainty and almost overwhelming fear that had rushed through her entire being when working with Aang, and when she had reached the heart chakra with him.
Back then, there had been no doubt that she had to accept the fear and overcome it, but now…
It was like the journey loomed before her like an insurmountable obstacle.
Her mind drifted to her fellow villagers.
The people who relied on her.
The thought of leaving them behind filled her with guilt and uncertainty, her heart heavy with the weight of responsibility.
Of course, she knew that they were not dependent on her.
They would be perfectly fine without her, but that somehow scared her too.
With that thought lingering in her mind, Nii took a deep breath.
Deep down inside she knew that the only way to conquer her fear was to face it head-on. To journey to the Fire Nation not as a scared victim, but as a heart warrior, determined to find healing and reconciliation in a land that had once been the enemy of the innocent.
Suddenly, Katara came rushing into her room with haste.
Caught off guard by the sudden intrusion, Nii blinked in surprise, her eyebrows arching upwards as she felt the air of urgency about her.
"Hey Nii," Katara breathed, and she slowed down when her eyes landed on her sitting atop the bed. "Um… Before we go, I just wanted to make sure that…"
"I'm coming," Nii whispered.
A wide smile spread over Katara's lips.
The journey to the Fire Nation was horrible.
As Appa soared through the skies, Nii's stomach churned with an uneasy sensation that grew stronger with each passing moment.
The gentle sway of the bison's flight, combined with the vast expanse of open sky stretching out before her, left her feeling increasingly queasy and disoriented.
She was used to having both feet on the ground.
Always.
With each dip and sway of Appa's tail, her stomach lurched unpleasantly, and waves of nausea washed over her, as she clutched onto the saddle with a white-knuckled grip, willing herself to hold on despite the dizzying sensation that threatened to overwhelm her.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Aang and Katara's concerned glares at her.
She also noticed them looking at each other from time to time.
Nii wondered whether they never got airsick.
Of course, Aang did not.
Flying was his thing.
And the Waterbender Katara, always flowing with the waves of the water. Of course she did not mind the motion either.
Nii furrowed her brows.
It was embarrassing.
She did not want them to see her like this.
Especially not Aang.
What if she threw up?
Just as the thought traveled through her mind, the discomfort intensified, and her breaths started coming in shallow gasps as she fought to keep the contents of her stomach at bay.
The once-clear skies now seemed to blur together in a dizzying haze, and she closed her eyes tightly, hoping to find some relief from the overwhelming sensation of motion sickness.
But that did not help.
It did not help at all.
As their journey ended, Nii had thrown up about five times until her stomach was empty.
When she finally felt Appa begin his descent towards the Fire Nation palace below, she was more embarrassed than she had ever been in her life.
And it was not until she stepped off of Appa's back and settled her feet onto the ground below that she could take a deep breath of relief as she sank down on the ground, reaching for the cobblestones below with her hands to feel the steadiness of the earth.
Her stomach finally settled down.
She closed her eyes and sighed out deeply.
"Wauw, don't you look well, Nii?" Zuko winked at her after he had welcomed them to the palace.
Nii did not open her eyes to look at him.
She was too exhausted.
"Babe, cut it out. She's had a really rough time on Appa," Katara chimed sweetly.
"What?" Zuko rasped. "I thought she was all about riding Airbenders?"
Nii widened her eyes in shock at his statement and her mouth fell open in pure horror while her cheeks immediately flushed crimson.
"Oh my god, stop!" Katara snapped at him while slapping his shoulder, and he grinned with eyes full of mischief as he looked over at Aang.
Aang looked just as mortified as Nii, and he just stood there staring blankly at Zuko, unable to form any coherent words in the wake of their shared embarrassment.
Nii prayed for the ground to swallow her whole.
"Welcome to the Fire Nation," Zuko said with a grin. "I prepared rooms for you, so feel free to take a load off. And Nii, if you need anything to settle your stomach, my uncle makes a mean cup of ginger tea."
Later, when Nii had finally settled in her room after that promised cup of ginger tea, she sat down on the gigantic bed that was meant for her.
It could probably fit almost half of the village back at the temple.
At first glance, the bed appeared to shimmer like molten gold, its frame carved from a deep dark type of wood and polished to a lustrous sheen. Intricate patterns danced along the headboard and footboard, their golden tendrils curling and twisting in a mesmerizing display of craftsmanship.
But it was the bedding itself that truly stole her breath away.
She waved her hands gently over it.
Woven from the most luxurious silk, it was soft to the touch and shimmered with a subtle iridescence in the flickering candlelight. Each thread had been spun with such care, each stitch sewn with precision, until the fabric seemed to glow with an ethereal radiance all on its own.
As she sank even further into the plush embrace of the bed, she felt like the silk sheets draped over her like a gentle caress, their smooth surface cool against her skin.
Pillows stuffed with the finest feathers provided support for weary heads, ensuring a night of restful slumber fit for royalty.
Nii bit her lower lip.
She had never experienced such luxury in her life.
After she had showered off the remnants of their journey there, she could not help but to open the door to her chamber and peep out into the corridor.
She was in awe.
The polished marble floors, the intricate artwork adorning the walls.
She had never seen anything like it in her entire life, and the sheer scale of the palace left her feeling small and insignificant in comparison.
She suddenly felt like a fish out of water, as she looked down on her clothes, acutely aware of her own rustic appearance and simple way of life amidst the sophistication and refinement of the palace.
Nii could not help but feel out of place, like an intruder in a world to which she did not belong.
Despite her apprehension, curiosity tugged at her heartstrings, urging her to explore this new and unfamiliar environment.
Every corner that showed a way to a new corridor held the promise of discovery, every room behind the many doors whispered secrets waiting to be uncovered.
Yet, at the same time, she could not shake the sense of displacement that lingered in the back of her mind.
This was truly a journey into the unknown for her, a collision of worlds that left her feeling both exhilarated and anxious all at once.
She suddenly heard one of the many doors open, and she turned her head to see Aang peeping out of the door that led to the room right next to hers.
Nii's cheeks flushed with embarrassment all over again, as the memory of Zuko's ill-timed insinuation replayed in her mind like a broken record.
He sent her a tentative smile.
She could see that he was nervous from the tension in his shoulders.
She smiled back at him.
For a moment, they lingered in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, each grappling with the weight of their shared embarrassment.
"Are you okay?" he asked in a soft voice.
Nii nodded.
Another moment of silence went by.
"So, uh…" Aang started before clearing his throat as he leaned his shoulder against the frame of his door. "I'm sorry about that before… Zuko, you know."
His voice was trembling a little.
She felt her heart warming inside with gratitude for him.
She knew that he had probably felt just as embarrassed as her.
"That's uh…" she breathed before a giggle escaped her lips. "No need to apologize. You didn't do anything."
"No, exactly," he said as he straightened his composure a little, pulling away from the doorframe. "I should've told him to knock it off, leave you alone."
Nii furrowed her brows at him.
"You're not responsible for me, you know," she chimed at him. "I could've told him off myself. I was just too…"
A fleeting moment of silence passed by as she searched for the right words.
"Embarrassed?" he smiled with the rise of an eyebrow.
"Mortified is more the word," she breathed, earning them both to laugh out loud.
"Yeah," he then nodded as he looked over at the windows that were lined along the wall on the other side of the corridor. "He's been like that with me ever since you came to the temple. Said he could see the sparks between us."
Nii felt a rush of excitement coursing through her body.
As if a thousand tiny stars suddenly ignited within her in the depths of her belly all at once, their radiant light illuminating every corner of her being with a warm, electric glow.
She wondered whether Firebenders could actually see the electric energy between people who are attracted to each other.
She stole a furtive glance over at Aang by the window.
She could tell that he was smirking.
Her heart raced like a wild stallion, galloping across the open plains of her chest with reckless abandon. Every pulse felt like a surge of energy, every beat a drumroll.
"I feel the sparks…" she said in a shy voice, closing her eyes to not see his reaction. "A lot."
"Me too," he breathed.