Heimat | Aang

THIRTY-SIX

Her reply was no different than all her replies before that. It didn't bring him comfort. He swallowed, finally spoke his mind. "And what if I told you I want you to stay forever?"

The corner of her lips twitched into a smile. "Then I will."

Aang turned to face her quicker than she could have ever anticipated. "Really? What about Katara?"

"Katara seemed to know I wouldn't return to the Southern Water Tribe the moment you sent that letter. She won't mind," she assured him. "Besides, I think you might need me here more than she did."

"You really are not going to leave?" he pressed on, his disbelief heard in his tone. "Not like last time?"

"I had told you I would leave last time," she pointed out with a small chuckle as she turned back to looking at the sky. "But no, I won't leave. You can stop worrying about me disappearing one day."

"I don't-"

"I have seen how you seem relieved some mornings when you see me come out of my room," she cut him off as she turned to face him once more, and even in the darkness of the night, he could tell she was smiling. "Come on, Aang, no need to lie. I know you do it."

"Sometimes it still feels impossible that it's true," he admitted as he reached for her hand. She squeezed it once. "Thank you for putting my mind to rest, though."

Tapeesa hummed in response. "Come on. We should go to sleep."

She moved to the side of the saddle without another word and after a moment, Aang followed after her and came to rest by her side. Hesitantly, he put an arm around her waist. When Tapeesa didn't protest, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

-

The city of Ba Sing Se was one of the greatest cities Tapeesa had ever seen. It seemed like the leaders of each element wished to have a city that would be prestigious and would make those coming feel awe. In the Fire Nation, the capital city was that city while between the water tribes, one could easily say the whole Nothern Water Tribe was made to impress the one watching. Ba Sing Se seemed to be the city of the earth kingdom made to impress.

Even though it was night when they arrived, with the moonlight's aid Tapeesa could make out the walls they flew past to get into the city, great constructions made completely of stone, impenetrable, as history had proved. The only way to conquer Ba Sing Se was from within.

Tapeesa counted three walls as they flew over the city, in between them many houses seen, their inhabitants sleeping. Despite its impressive size and construction, she didn't like Ba Sing Se. Aang's words from before, when she had asked about the city, hadn't quite left her ever since he had uttered them.

Ba Sing Se is separated in three levels. In between the outer and the middle wall is the place the poorer families live in and they are secluded in that space. In between the middle and the inside wall are families with more money that aren't rich. In the inside wall are the nobles and the palace of the King. Changing your ring from a lower to higher one permanently doesn't happen often.

Perhaps if she hadn't known the structure of the city she would have been amazed. But now, all she felt was dislike. Ba Sing Se was a city that was openly aiming to seclude its people and keep them in check and it was succeeding. If she hadn't liked King Kuei before, now she liked him even less. She wasn't here to protect him, though. It was Aang she cared about, that was the one she would be taking care of should anything happen, he was her priority. She could care less about an ignorant King.

"I don't have nice memories in Ba Sing Se," Aang murmured as they flew over the middle ring and passed over the inside wall. "I was trying to find Appa here for a long time and in the meantime I was trying to convince the King to help in the war but everyone insisted there was no war in Ba Sing Se so nothing should be done. Later I found out about Long Feng and how the Dai Li were under his command, and then Azula's."