XXIII/ In the waiting time
Dawn was rising in the village of Sei Lin as the inhabitants left the main hall where they had sought shelter to protect themselves from Hei Bai's attacks. Apprehensive and uncertain, they had heard the sounds and shouts of a struggle at the village entrance and witnessed the rise of an icy wall blocking the entrance early in the night.
Sokka and Katara, followed by Momo, were leaving the building, hoping that Aang and Elsa had succeeded in preventing Hei Bai from making further attacks on the village, especially with what Elsa told them about spirits and how it could apply to this one. Elder Jioran and Kay-Fon were behind them. The two Water Tribe siblings knew they were a bit sceptical of letting the Avatar and Elsa venture into the ruined parts of the woods to find the shrine of Hei Bai, but their faith in the Avatar was strong enough to be receptive to the idea.
Katara glanced at her brother, her face mixed with hope and worry. "Do you think Aang and Elsa are alright?" she said softly.
Sokka sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I hope so too. But if anyone can do it, it's Aang. And Elsa... well she's powerful, and dealing with spirits must be penguin game for her," he replied, trying to sound reassuring.
Katara looked at Sokka, a hopeful glint in her eyes. "You're right. We have to trust them."
As they neared the entrance, the sounds of commotion reached their ears. The villagers were gathered in the main alley, staring at the massive ice wall blocking the way out.
Sokka and Katara exchanged glances, both recognizing the handiwork. "Elsa must have done this to protect the village," Katara whispered.
Sokka nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah, but why is it still here?"
They looked at each other, concern etched on their faces.
Elder Jioran's voice broke through their thoughts. "What is this?" he asked, his eyes wide with astonishment as he stared at the ice wall. "How did this happen?"
The two water tribe siblings hesitated. Finally, Katara spoke up. "Elsa has powers. She can create ice and snow," she explained cautiously, omitting the details of Elsa's origins as she didn't want people to make assumptions about what she could be.
Kay-Fon nodded slowly. "Yes... I see what you mean. I remembered the ice statues in the scorched area when I met you. It makes sense now."
Elder Jioran's eyes widened further. "So, she's a waterbender and she protected our village last night?" he asked his tone a mix of awe and disbelief.
Katara nodded, even though a bit amused by the assumption Elsa was a waterbender. "Yes, she must have erected the wall to keep Hei Bai out."
The elder's expression softened. "We are fortunate to have her with us. No wonder the Avatar wanted her by his side."
Katara acquiesced with a small smile while Sokka added, "Yeah, she's done amazing things before. She is all-powerful and ready to help."
Elder Jioran pondered for a moment before asking, "I see. But why is the wall still here? The night has passed."
Katara exchanged a worried look with Sokka. "I don't know," she admitted.
Sokka's face paled with realization. "Neither Elsa nor Aang have come back," he said, his voice laced with worry.
The four of them reacted with concern. Katara's worry intensified. "We have to find them," she said, her voice urgent.
Elder Jioran placed a hand on her shoulder. "We don't know where they are. For all we know, Hei Bai might have taken them."
Katara's eyes filled with fear at the thought. "What do we do then?"
Kay-Fon stepped forward, his voice calm. "We must trust in the Avatar. I'm sure he will be back with your friend. As the bridge between our world and the spirit world, I'm sure he'll find a solution."
Sokka nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Aang's tough. And with Elsa by his side, they'll figure it out."
As the sun was rising high in the sky and illuminating the village, the inhabitants moved cautiously, their eyes frequently darting toward the imposing ice wall that sealed off the entrance. The villagers, usually busy with their morning routines, were now uncertain about how to proceed with the barrier in place.
Elder Jioran sighed, shaking his head. "We cannot leave the village unattended. And with this wall here, our daily activities are already disrupted. How are we supposed to go about our day with the entrance blocked off?"
Kay-Fon nodded, looking thoughtful. "We need to be patient and manage as best we can for now. The Avatar and Elsa will return."
Katara, her thoughts racing, realized the magnitude of the situation. The villagers were essentially trapped, and their livelihoods were at stake. "I... I want to try something," she said, her voice filled with determination.
Sokka looked at her with caution, understanding what she meant. "Katara, are you sure?"
Elder Jioran and Kay-Fon looked at her, intrigued. "What do you intend to do?" he asked.
Katara took a deep breath. "I'm a waterbender. Maybe I can do something about the wall."
Elder Jioran and Kay-Fon exchanged surprised glances. "A waterbender?" Jioran repeated, his tone a mix of curiosity and hope.
Katara nodded, though uncertainty clouded her eyes. "I'm willing to try, at least to see if I can help your people and open this wall."
As she was about to move, Sokka looked at her with caution. "Katara, are you sure? Elsa's ice isn't like normal ice," he whispered to her.
Katara nodded, her resolve unwavering. "I have to try."
With Sokka and the elders following, she approached the ice wall. She took a deep breath, focusing on the task ahead. She raised her hands, trying to connect with the ice. Her inexperience made the task daunting, and she knew that Elsa's ice might be more challenging to manipulate.
She concentrated hard, feeling a slight reaction from the ice. Tiny droplets of water formed from the wall and moved in the air, but the wall remained mostly intact. Sokka placed a hand on her arm, concern etched on his face. "Katara, don't exhaust yourself."
The young waterbender sighed, lowering her hands. She noted the small droplets of water on the ground, a sign that she might be able to bend Elsa's ice, but it was proving to be incredibly difficult. "I'm sorry," she said to the village leader.
Elder Jioran's expression softened. "You tried, child. That's what matters."
Kay-Fon nodded in agreement. "Perhaps your friend, Elsa, can make the wall disappear when she returns?"
Katara nodded, her expression hopeful. "Yes, she can."
Kay-Fon reacted with a calm nod. "Then all we need to do is wait for the Avatar and your friend to come back."
As the group stood in silence, contemplating their next steps, Katara's thoughts drifted to Aang and Elsa. She hoped with all her heart that they were safe and that they would return soon, bringing with them a solution to the village's predicament. The rising sun cast a hopeful light over the village, a reminder that even in uncertain times, there was always a glimmer of hope.
Katara took another look at the icy wall. A part of her believed that Aang and Elsa would be back, but she couldn't help but feel worried for her friend and for the person that had grown close to her like the big sister figure she would have loved to have for all those years. The young waterbender tightened her hand on her necklace, trying to chase away the concern. Seeing the villagers around, she decided to assuage her worries for the time being by helping them as best as she could.
Dawn was rising on the edge of a ravine. A small group of earthbender soldiers were taking a break and keeping an eye on a chained old man while their ostrich horses were drinking water from a small stream. Standing tall, Captain Dixit was keeping a vigilant eye on his unexpected but precious prisoner.
Looking at the almost naked General Iroh aroused bitter scorn in the earthbender captain. The decrepit old man bore little resemblance to the monster who led the attack on Ba Sing Se six years ago. Still, a senile old man was far easier to handle than the Dragon of the West at his peak. Captain Dixit couldn't help but think of his brother, who lost his life the day the Outer Wall fell under Iroh's assault. A good man, like all those who sacrificed their lives to protect the last free haven in the Earth Kingdom during that fight.
Having the old general as a prisoner was an opportunity to make an example and remind the Fire Nation that the Earth Kingdom didn't break, but that fire could be snuffed out. The captain could still remember the screams of men falling to their deaths, the smell of charred flesh, the sound of bones crunching. The Dragon of the West and accursed Firelord's brother needed to pay for his crimes and those of his people.
A part of him wondered why this man, responsible for so much death and destruction, had given up the siege when he had broken the outer wall. But it didn't matter. What mattered was that Ba Sing Se still stood strong against the fiery waves of the ashmakers who had ravaged his country for the last hundred years, spilling the blood of good Earth Kingdom citizens and leaving behind death, desolation, ruin, and misery.
The earthbender's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. He turned to see his corporal, a young but battle-hardened soldier, coming toward him.
"Morning, Corporal," he greeted, his voice gruff.
"Morning, sir," the corporal replied, saluting. "The ostrich horses are rested and ready to resume the journey."
Dixit nodded, casting a glance at the entrance of the ravine path they were about to take. The journey to Ba Sing Se would be arduous and still long, but the prospect of presenting the Dragon of the West to the city filled him with grim determination. Ba Sing Se still stood strong against the Fire Nation, and he intended to keep it that way.
The captain noticed a troubled expression on his corporal's face. "Something's the matter, Corporal?"
The earthbender hesitated, glancing at Iroh. Dixit understood his corporal wanting to speak about their prisoner and led him away. Once they were out of earshot, Dixit asked, "What's your concern?"
"I understand how important he is, but how are we going to present him once we are back in the capital?" The corporal's voice was low, but the concern was clear.
Dixit's expression hardened. "We'll present him as the war criminal he is. The king and his court need to see the sacrifices we've made and how close we've come to losing Ba Sing Se. They need to understand that we can't keep sticking our heads in the sand."
The corporal's face tightened. "But sir, everyone knows there's no war at Ba Sing Se."
Dixit scoffed. "No war, they say, while men like you and I fight and die to keep that lie intact. Presenting the Dragon of the West will show the king and his court the sacrifices we've made to preserve their peace. It will force the court and Long Feng to stop sticking their heads in the sand."
The corporal nodded, though concern lingered in his eyes. "But it might go against our current orders."
"Our orders," Dixit said bitterly, "We have been sent here not to defend our lands, but to avoid revealing the truth and to destroy that snake's little world." He spat on the ground, his disdain for Long Feng clear. If there was an advantage to being on the frontline, that was how freely he could be on the matters of the capital without dealing with the so-called minister of culture's lackeys.
Silence stretched between them. The corporal relented, still uncertain of the feasibility of their mission. "I understand what you mean, sir. But shouldn't we focus on helping those still fighting around the kingdom?"
"I wish we could," Dixit replied, his tone softer but resolute. "But our forces are thin and stretched. We can't do much without more support, and Ba Sing Se won't lift a finger unless we force the issue."
The corporal's face hardened. "We wouldn't even help those who freed their villages from the Fire Nation. You know they say the Avatar and a powerful waterbender have helped them."
Dixit sighed, remembering why he was leading his men in the first place. "I know, corporal. But even if we were able to reach them out, we would be on our to help them. If it wasn't for those water tribe ambushes in the last months, our fight would have been more troublesome. But have we heard of any waterbender fighting alongside those men?"
The corporal shook his head, "Until the rumours on those villages being freed, no sir."
"So how can we believe that somehow, some waterbender that could create water or ice from thin air suddenly appeared to help us? That's too nonsensical," the captain asked, commenting on the rumours his men and he had heard.
The corporal was hesitant but acquiesced in pondering, aware not to question his officer and knowing how the situation of their forces was difficult, no matter how much of a fight they were giving against the Fire Nation.
His captain wasn't however done, his eyes narrowed in barely contained anger and bitterness. "And don't even start with the Avatar and his return. Where was he when Ba Sing Se was under siege? Where was he when our enemies closed in around us? When our people suffered?"
Taking a breath to assuage his bitterness and anger, the captain looked straight at his corporal, "The world has suffered a hundred years of war against the Fire Nation, and for all this time, he was gone when he should have stopped this coming. We've kept the Fire Nation at bay from the remaining free places of the world. The Earth Kingdom needs no Avatar. We have always been resilient and strong and we will still prevail, no matter the inferno the Fire Nation would give us."
He then pointed at Iroh, who sat quietly, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. "That's why we need to bring him to Ba Sing Se. He needs to be judged for his crimes. His presence is what we need to force the court to acknowledge the truth and to give the support we need to stop those ashmakers from destroying our kingdom, our way of life, and our people. We can only rely on them and our people, not on some mythical waterbender and certainly not on a coward who is said to have the power of thousands of benders."
The corporal followed Captain Dixit's gaze to General Iroh, then nodded, albeit with lingering unease. "I understand, sir. It's just... everything feels so uncertain."
Dixit clapped a firm hand on his corporal's shoulder. "Uncertainty is the enemy's weapon. We face it with resolve. Now, let's move out. We've wasted enough time and we still have a long journey ahead."
The two men turned back to their soldiers, the corporal issuing orders to prepare for departure. Iroh was roused from his seated position and led to his ostrich horse. Despite his shackles, he moved with surprising grace, a faint smile playing on his lips as if he were savoring a private joke. The soldiers, wary of his calm demeanor, kept a tight grip on him.
As they mounted their steeds, Dixit gave a final look at the rugged path ahead. The ravine path was narrow and treacherous, flanked by towering cliffs that cast long shadows in the morning light. It was a strategic route, easier to defend but also ripe for ambush.
"Stay sharp," he called out to his men. "We have a long way to go."
The journey resumed in silence, the only sounds being the soft thudding of ostrich horse hooves and the occasional clink of Iroh's chains.
Unbeknownst to the captain and his men, Iroh took a glance back at the woods and the road they went from. The old general knew that any good pai sho player was waiting for a good opportunity to strike and push his tile at the ideal place to defeat his opponent. He was confident in the fact his nephew was on his tracks to save him. All he needed was to force his captors to make another stop to either escape or at least leave another clue for his nephew to find him.