The Queen in the South

Return of a Soldier

"Hurry up Stella!" I yelled as I ran out onto the courtyard, my sandled feet hitting the concrete ground as I tried to go faster.

I heard Stella huff behind me.

"I'm moving as fast as I can... Goodness Mara, you know I do not run!" She grumbled.

I didn't slow down to acknowledge my best friend's whining. But I knew she was right behind me.

"I swear Mara, if I break a sweat-"

"Then you'll be the prettiest sweaty girl in the fire kingdom!" I yelled back at her as I dodged a man carrying a tray of acorns.

"Flattery will get you nowhere!" I heard her huff.

"We're almost there!" I yelled in excitement as we approached the market place.

I heard marketeers all around me yelling out at potential customers, promising the best products that couldn't be found anywhere else in the kingdom.

The classic sounds of our little market place, discounts being offered, women gossiping way too loudly, children laughing and running around and getting into all sorts of shenanigans.

But the only sound I focused on was the sound of the steam engine of a ship rumbling in the distance.

"They're about to dock!" I called out.

I frowned when I didn't hear a response from Stella.
I stopped in my tracks and turned around, scanning the market place for the fair haired girl.
I spotted her by a small jewellery stand examining a gold bracelet.

"Is this real?" She asked, her green eyes widening at the piece as she leaned closer to examine it.

"Of course..." The merchant, an old lady in a traditional fire nation wrap told her.

I sighed and marched up to Stella.
I grabbed her arm and dragged her away just as the merchant was trying to tell her that if she bought the matching earrings, she could get a discount.

"Hey! I was about to get a good deal on those!" She protested.

"You can shop for jewellery later. We need to get to the dock." I spoke as I pulled her along.

"Okay, okay, don't get all flustered, you'll ruin my masterpiece." She spoke as she tried to comb through my recently curled hair. "We didn't spend hours making you look good for Flint just for you to mess it up."

I felt my cheeks warm up at her comment.
Just this morning, we had been running around her house like headless chickens, trying to make me look my best. Stella is the most fashionable person I know and her mother was a huge help as well. Stella's grandmother was a seamstress in the king's castle back in the Water kingdom when she was younger. She managed to salvage a few pieces of cloth that the castle would let her have occasionally. Those pieces were passed down to Stella's mother, who passed them down to Stella to wear on special occasions.

Stella graciously lent me one of her favourites.
A strappy red dress that went up to my knees. Short enough to almost be called indecent around these areas.
But Stella couldn't care less about indecency. As long as she knew she looked good, anyone else's opinions hardly ever mattered.

My favourite part of the dress was the material. It was a rich material called velvet. A material people in these parts of Tren hardly ever saw.

I could see the steam from a large ship as we got to the edge of the market place and closer to the docks.
The unmistakable landmark building where all the minerals from the mines were taken stood.

"My goodness, they're so many people here." Stella gasped.

I couldn't say I was surprised.
People usually came out in numbers to greet the soldiers who returned.
They were our kingdom's pride and glory and supporting the sons and daughters who served our kingdom was almost a requirement.
And even though the young men arriving today weren't really soldiers, people would still come out.
Every year, boys and girls aged eighteen and above all around the Fire kingdom were given the opportunity to travel to Agni, the military base of kingdom. There they would be sent to the main training camp to apply for the greatest honour for any young person in the kingdom, to enlist for the army.

"We have to get to the front." I spoke.
I had only come here once before, when my father had come back from his last war.
I was only eight years old but I wasn't as excited as all the other people. We had won the war but my father hadn't come back complete...
That's what fueled my determination all the more as I pushed past people trying to get to the front of the crowd.
I knew that Flint hadn't left to fight any war but I had heard stories about the merciless training camps in Agni. I knew that anything could have happened to him.

I could hear Stella following behind, yelling about how I would ruin my hair.
But I needed to get to the front.
I could already hear people cheering which could only mean they had started getting off the ship.
I could just imagine the pride on some families faces once they saw their child, that is if they had made it into the army.
I heard grunts and unpleasant words coming from people as I shoved them more aggressively.
I couldn't hear Stella anymore and could only assume that she had been lost somewhere in the crowd.
Right now all I could think about was seeing Flint.
He had only been gone for a month but I felt like I hadn't seen him in a year.

The cheering got louder as I got closer to the front.
I saw a man, I recognised as the mayor, hugging a girl with short hair who I knew was his daughter. Her name was Kai. I recognized her from school, she was one of the fire benders who had enlisted. She spotted a tiny silver Phoenix badge on her black and red uniform. A sign that she had been accepted.
I almost scoffed. Of course she had. Fire benders were always accepted.

I scurried around different families. Some celebrating the Phoenix badges on their children and others looking disappointed.
It's only when I got closer to the large ship on the Indiana ocean that I saw him.
There was nothing but joy on his face as he embraced a shorter woman than him I recognised as Pam, his mother. A little twelve year old girl ran up to him next, his little sister, Hestia.
I didn't need to see the silver badge on his jacket to know that he had been accepted.
As I said, fire benders were always accepted.
His dark curly hair blew in the wind.
I had stopped and was now just staring.

Did he look different? It had only been a month but he was notably... Well... manlier...
Well that's what they say, 'take a boy to Agni and he'll come back a man'.
There was stuble around his face. His arms seemed beefier and all in all, he just seemed... Stronger?
But that smile... Nothing about that smug, mischievous smile had changed.
The smile of the boy next door. The boy whom I knew would get me in trouble more than once the minute I befriended him.
The boy who walked to school with me everyday. The boy who stole fire lilies from people's gardens because I liked putting them in my hair.
The boy who never got tired of repeating how he would marry me one day.

The boy who kissed me like there was no tomorrow. The boy I was sure I loved.
I was caught off guard when he suddenly turned to look in my direction as if sensing that I was there.
His smile got wider, making me smile as well.

"Mara, hold up - oh." Stella stopped next to me. She was out of breath, hunching over to catch her breath.

I hardly paid any attention to her though.
His dark eyes sparkled, it's like they were taunting me. 'Why are you so far away? Come closer.' They spoke.

Of course I wouldn't refuse.

I was about to run right into his arms but I froze when I saw Kai running in his direction. The mayor's daughter, her badge gleaming in the light of the morning threw her hands around his neck and placed a huge kiss on his cheek.

"Oh no she did not just-" I heard Stella gasp from beside me.

My smile immediately dropped.

I felt an ache in my chest.
I couldn't stand to look on a second longer.
I spun around and marched away.