Arctic Flower

Agni Kai: Part 2

A small fishing canoe slipped through the Fire Nation ships in the early hours of the morning. The guards on duty ordered the canoe to stop and made a half-hearted search before letting its occupants, three young women shrouded in hooded parkas, go free. They didn't even bother to make the women remove their hoods. It was too early in the morning to care who they were.
Katara didn't feel like talking as she, Mai, and Ty Lee paddled a canoe towards the shore. The good thing about Mai: she knew when to keep her mouth shut. Even Ty Lee, who had a habit of chattering like a sparrowkeet simply for the sake of something to do, quickly gave up her attempts to start a conversation.
Katara stared at the shore in front of her. She was finally returning home after what seemed like a lifetime, but her homecoming was bittersweet. When she'd left, her life had been hard, but it was simple. She'd been sure of the world and her place in it, certain of who she was. But now, everything had changed. She was no longer the person she'd been when she left.
The canoe hit the shore with a bump. "Land ho!" Ty Lee said.
The three girls climbed out of the canoe. Katara turned to look at the Fire Nation ship off in the distance. She let her eyes linger on it for a moment before turning away. Any longer and her strength might falter.
This goodbye wasn't permanent, Katara told herself. Zuko would deal with Zhao and then come back for her. In the meantime, she would spend time with her family, including her new sister-in-law, Princess Yue, who she was anxious to meet.
The chattering of Mai's teeth echoed across the tundra. Mai pulled her parka closer to her body. "Agni in heaven," she said.
"Shhh, Mai," Ty Lee said. "The entire South Pole will hear you shivering."
"Whatever. The sooner we get to Katara's grandmother's place, the sooner I can warm myself by the fire."
As they continued toward the village, Katara fumbled in her pocket for the knife that Zuko had given her when they parted. Zuko had asked Katara for her mother's necklace to wear during the Agni Kai.
"It's customary to wear your lady's favor," he said.
Katara then asked him for something in return as a pledge that he would give it back. Zuko produced a knife with a heavy handle inlaid with enamel and mother-of-pearl and inscribed with the words, never give up without a fight and placed it in Katara's hand. "It was a gift my uncle sent me from Ba Sing Se."
"It's much too pretty to be a weapon," Katara said.
"Take care of it, Peasant." He closed her fingers around the knife's handle.
That handle now weighed down the pocket of Katara's parka like an anchor.
The village was only a few yards away from the shore, but to Mai and Ty Lee, it might as well have been miles. While Katara was used to trudging through the snow, they were not. Katara had to stop every few minutes to let them catch up with her. Mai grumbled, and Ty Le whined.
"Almost there, my delicate fire lilies," Katara called to them.
Rows of igloos gleamed in the rising sun. Wispy plumes of smoke wafted out from their ceiling vents.  "Which one is your grandmother's?" Ty Lee asked.