Hello :)
3rd Chapter, here we go. I won't say much so enjoy!
P.S. The beginning of this chapter is..... WOW..... like I myself was on the edge of suspense. And I'm the writer! Anyhow, enjoy!
Sokka
"Um- I- can we do this later?" Safiyah asked.
I scoffed loudly.
"What? You can't tell him the truth? You can't make him think badly of you? I don't think you should worry about your reputation at this point," I ranted.
"Sokka, just let her talk-," Katara said.
"I-," Safiyah started.
"No, you don't get to cower and avoid talking about all the stuff that you did because you don't want people to think badly of you. You did those stuff and wanted to do them, just to let you know. So whatever question Aang asks, you have to answer," I chided.
"Yeesh, Safiyah, what did you do?" asked Aang incredulously.
"She came-," I started to tell.
"At least let me talk for myself! Don't butt in," she snapped.
She crossed her hands over her chest and sighed. She looked at me and then she looked back at Aang.
"Ok, Aang what's the very first thing you want to know about me?" Safiyah asked.
"Ok, um, gee, I don't know, uh, ooh ok I'll start off small. Who are you related to in the Fire Nation? I mean, are you a commoner, runaway royalty, you know?" Aang asked.
"My father is one of the Fire Admirals of the Fire Navy." she answered.
"Ok, how did you learn sword-fighting, and just fighting in general?" Aang questioned.
"My father was respected by Fire Lord Ozai so as a favor, Fire Lord Ozai provided me with fire bending and sword fighting lessons on the palace grounds. That's how I learned everything I know since the age of 6." she explained.
"Ok, so you definitely lied about being a water bender?" confirmed Aang.
"Well, technically, I lied for her to save face, she only agreed," babbled Katara.
I don't really understand why she forgives or even tolerates Safiyah. She constantly brings up our mother's death, so I don't why this isn't wrecking her like it wrecks me.
"Yes, but I'm definitely not a water bender," agreed Safiyah.
"Ok, so then here's what doesn't make sense. If you're a fire bender and from the Fire Nation, how did you end up in the Southern Water Tribe?" Aang interrogated.
Safiyah looked at me again. I gave her a hard look, urging her to go on. She looked back to Aang.
"My father is," she paused, "very abusive. He would do terrible things to me and my whole family. He was also strict with my training. Whenever he would have time, he would watch over me and would burn me whenever I messed up. I trained for long hours, from dawn to dusk."
She paused again.
"It wasn't just that. I could stand the training and burns. I actually liked the training, it made me stronger. But he was terrible to my mother and my sisters the most. They were all non-benders. I was the only bender besides my father. I don't understand why he married her in the first place if he was going to put her through that misery, but my mom used to lie to me and say he loved her in the early years of their marriage. She stopped saying that when things got much worse." Safiyah stopped.
I knew that she was expecting us to sympathize with her, but I wasn't changing my mind.
"Koza, my friend back at camp, was our main guard at my house. He was really close with my mom and knew all about our family mishaps. My mom really trusted him, so they made a plan of escape. In hopes to leave the Fire Nation and never deal with my father again," she continued.
"Wait, so if you have a mother and sisters, then how come it's just you and Koza in the village?" wondered Aang.
"My mom wanted us to split up. She thought it would be safest. She took my sisters to one place and I escaped with Koza. I don't even know where they went, how they escaped, or have any contact with them. It was all just to be safe and as invisible as possible," Safiyah replied.
"And your father, what did he do when he found you were gone?" queried Aang.
"I have no idea. Like I said, no contact with anywhere. I don't think he cares that we're gone. But if he miraculously does, then I imagine he probably had search parties in the first few months we were gone, but then he gave up," she finished. "Nonetheless, I'm still scared to go back or be seen by any people of the Fire Nation because they'll turn me in to my father."
"How did you get to the Water Tribe?"asked Aang.
"I got there by stowaway. Koza and I stowed away on a Fire Nation war ship on the day of our escape. Then, the ship stopped at a village of some kind. We didn't stick around long to find out. We just stole some supplies and a boat and we left. We didn't know where we were going we just wanted to go anywhere that wasn't part of the Fire Nation. We ended up on the water tribe, and have been there since I was 13," she answered.
"Ok, so that's that. How do you know Zuko?" probed Aang.
Safiyah's face softened but then hardened.
"I really don't want to talk about that right now," she replied coldly.
"Ok, whenever you're ready if you want. Ok, well then my final question is what's wrong between you and Sokka?" asked Aang.
I wasn't really capturing all of Safiyah's talking but I instantly perked my head up when I heard my name. Katara was looking back at me in remorse. I looked back at Safiyah but she was looking down at her lap, avoiding the answer.
"Well go on, answer him," I urged. "He clearly wants to know."
I saw her jaw clench and she glared at me from the side.
"Well, my father was one of the top generals in the navy, so he was always going on ships and traveling to terrorize people. One day my dad decided that I was ready to go along with him on his trips. So I would come along. But only to watch and observe. "It'll train you to be a loyal citizen of your nation" he would say. Look how that turned out," Safiyah scoffed.
"Ok, what does that have to do with Sokka?" asked Aang.
"Don't worry, she's getting to that part," I snarled.
"A few weeks after my 12th birthday, my dad brought me along on one of his raids. I was expecting it to be a usual one, where I just observe. My father had other plans. My father told me that we were headed to the Southern Water Tribe, which confused me. I thought the last raid for that village was 2 years ago. My father said there was a change of plans. I just went along with it," Safiyah continued.
Change of plans indeed, I thought bitterly.
"When we got to the village, my dad said that the reason we were here again was because he found out that the tribe chieftain was planning to leave and join the fight against the Fire Nation in a few weeks. This raid was just to slow them down." she explained.
She sighed again. She kept stalling. She couldn't even look at Aang in the face. She was staring at her lap the whole time she spoke.
"So the raid carried on and wrecked the village, similarly to what Zuko did this time but worse. In the end when were about to leave, my dad brought me over to see where he had captured the leader. I still remember him tied to the one of the poles holding up the tent." she described.
I didn't need describing though. I remember the scene vividly. It's tattooed in my brain.
"My father tells me, 'Safiyah, I have a task that I think that I think you're finally ready to do,'" Safiyah said. "He said, in these exact words, 'You will prove to me your worth if you mark him with your fire,' and he pointed to the cheiftan."
I clenched my eyes shut and that memory resurfaced in my mind.
"Dad, what's wrong, what is she going to do to you?" I asked. In front of my dad was a girl, readying her fire. She turned and glared at me.
"I was so obsessed with trying to gain my father's approval, that I didn't hesitate. I just went for the kill," Safiyah's voice echoed.
"Sokka, go to your sister I'll be fine, just go," my dad ordered.
"Once I started burning, I didn't stop. I kept going and going."
"Dad, no I can't leave she's going to-," I pleaded. The girl did't hesitate and burned my father right in his middle, taking multiple hits.
"Once I thought enough was enough, I stopped and I smiled to myself. I looked to my father and he was nodding in approval."
"AHHHHH, AHHHH- NO- PLEASE!" my father begged. The girl didn't rest.
"Although he approved of what I'd done, he decided that it wasn't enough. He took out my twin daggers from his armor, I think he must have stolen them. He took them both and slid their blades on both of the chieftain's cheeks, one on each side. Blood started trickling down for who knows how long. That was the cherry on top."
I ran away in fear and terror. I couldn't stand the sight.
I opened my eyes and everyone had solemn looks on their faces. Katara was sitting there, playing with her hands, Safiyah was still looking at her lap, and Aang was staring at her, waiting for her next words.
"So....Sokka is mad at you because you tried to murder the chieftain?" wondered Aang.
"Aang, the chieftain is his father. Sokka is mad at me because I tried to murder his father," she whispered.
Aang's eyes widened into saucers, but he didn't say anything.
The rest of the ride was dead silent.
~~~~~
Safiyah
I was the first to wake up, right at the crack of the dawn. I don't usually wake up this early, but it's probably because we're camping outside and the sun is literally blinding me.
I got out of my sleeping bag and went to wash my face in the lake. When I finished, I sat on one of the rocks, admiring the fresh sunrise.
To be honest, I think the sunrise is overrated. Along with sunsets. I've practically memorized the colors, but today it was an ok sight.
I went and walked to the forest and went inside, following a path. My eyes trailed over bushes, squirrels, berries, trees, wood, and normal forest parts. It was so earthy and stable.
I snickered to myself. It almost makes you want to burn it all.
I stood there for I don't know how long, when I heard footsteps coming. I turned around. It was Katara.
"Hey, Safiyah, good morning. Taking a little walk?" she greeted.
"Good morning. Yeah I guess, I had nothing better to do. Are we heading over to the air temple now?" I asked.
"Yes, Aang has been blabbering about it all morning, he really wants to see the place." Katara chuckled.
"Well, he should expect no people," I reminded, "unless some monks happened to hide out and survive, which I doubt."
"Yeah, I tried not to get his hopes up, but he just seems excited about anything he might find," explained Katara.
We got back to where we set up camp, and we found Sokka freaking out, hopping in his sleeping bag.
"Come on, Sokka, on to the air temple!" exclaimed Aang. Sokka mumbled angrily.
I climbed onto Appa first, and Aang followed. It was just me and him.
"Hey, um, Safiyah, I wanted to talk to you about what you told me yesterday. About Sokka's dad," prompted Aang.
"Aang, there really is nothing to say," I rushed.
"Yes, I understand, but I just want to tell you I think nothing different of you. I mean, I saw how you did in the village, with fighting Zuko," Aang said.
"Well, I did get a pretty cool scar," I bragged. Aang laughed.
"Well, yeah that's all I want to say. I know you're a much better person now," responded Aang.
"Look Aang, I really appreciate you telling me this, but I don't want you to say this because you feel bad for me. The things that I did before, I actually meant. Sokka is right about me. I knew what I was doing every single time, but it never popped in my head to think that it was wrong. And when it did, I was too much of a coward to do anything for the longest time. Of course, I regret my actions now, and I try to be the best I can, but the past me liked doing what I did," I affirmed.
"Don't worry, I don't feel bad for you, I just think everyone deserves second chances. I think Sokka should learn to see that," smiled Aang.
"Well, then that's something we agree on," I smiled back.
Katara and Sokka finally climbed onto Appa's back, with Sokka grumbling.
"Yay, Sokka's awake, now we can go," I teased. Katara and Aang chuckled near me.
"Whatever, let's go," mumbled Sokka.
We soared into the clouds and we made our way over to the temple.
Sokka started rummaging through the supplies. I decided to bug him a little.
"Whatcha doing?" I asked.
"Looking for something," he replied.
"Watcha looking for?" I continued.
Sokka didn't answer back. His stomach answered for him.
"Ohh, you're hungry. Well, good luck finding food, 'cause it's gone," I said in a sing-song voice.
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Sokka turned to me.
"I'm assuming you're looking for your seal jerky? Yeah, Aang used it for the fire yesterday, just to let you know," I smirked.
"Seriously Aang!" groaned Sokka.
"Sorry, I didn't think that was food," apologized Aang. I started laughing.
"Wait, look the Potola mountain range. We're almost there!" cried Aang.
We flew up the steep mountains for a few minutes, and I got nauseous. I almost thought I was going to fall off.
We finally reached the top and we saw the view of the temple. It was nestled on the top of a mountain, with towers and hills with houses on top. The place was charming and it had a sort of aura around it.
"There it is, the Southern Air Temple," announced Aang.
"It's beautiful, Aang," I marveled.
Aang landed Appa at the bottom of the mountain and we trailed up the path leading to the biggest temple on the top.
Aang was practically bouncing. He wouldn't stop telling us to hurry up. Katara, Sokka and I still stayed at the same pace. Well, Katara and I tried to speed up, but Sokka kept groaning about his hunger.
"Ugh, when do I get something to eat?" complained Sokka. I visibly rolled my eyes.
"You're lucky enough to be the first outsiders to ever visit an air bender temple, and all you can think about is food?" Katara asked incredulously.
"To be honest, can't say I'm surprised," I ribbed.
"I'm just a simple guy with simple needs," replied Sokka.
Aang stopped at a ledge on the side of the path. We walked over to see what he was looking at.
"Look, this is where my friends and I would play air ball. Over there is where the bison would sleep and.......," his voice trailed off.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"This place used to be full with monks and lemurs and bison. Now it's just a bunch of weeds. I can't believe how much things have changed," Aang softened.
Sokka and Katara looked at each other. I walked up to Aang's side, and they followed me.
"So this air ball game, how do you play?" questioned Sokka. Aang grinned.
We all walked down to the air ball court, and I stood with Katara while Aang and Sokka played.
"Imagine if someone were to fall off the poles and went flying over the edge of the cliff," I snickered.
"Safiyah!" scolded Katara.
"Hey, I'm just saying," I said.
"I wanted to ask you, are you planning to make a truce with Sokka?" asked Katara. I was surprised, the question came out of nowhere.
"A truce? Why?" I asked.
"Well, you and him have bad blood, and we're practically going to be living together for who knows how long, so I feel as if you should make a truce just to make the trip manageable. So that it isn't awkward. " explained Katara.
"Trust me, that sounds great, but I don't think he'd be open to that," I told her.
"You never know. You're so pessimistic," she replied.
"I'm not- why does everyone say that? Kanna says that too, and it makes no sense. I'm just being realistic," I retaliated.
"Same thing," Katara chuckled.
"Oh my- honestly you're just like her," I remarked.
"Well, that's a good thing or else I'd still have a grudge over you," she answered.
"Yeah, I've wanted to say this, I'm really glad that you've gotten along with me. I mean, I'm really grateful that at least you talk to me. Not that I expect you too, it's just nice," I confessed.
"Well, it's hard not to like you after what you did for the village. Even if Zuko beat you, I still can't thank you enough." she enthused. "That's why I want you to have a truce with Sokka. I think we should all get along together without any of us feeling bad."
I think where Katara is coming from is reasonable. I have thought about it, but I know Sokka wouldn't just agree to it. I feel as if I have to prove myself.
"I'll think about it, Katara," I finally said. She nodded at me in approval.
We turned our heads to find Sokka on the ground, moaning in pain. He stopped once something caught his eye.
"Katara, come check this out," he whispered. I stayed in my place but Katara waved for me to come along. I followed her.
Sokka was crouched near a rusty Fire Nation mask, one that was usually worn by guards or members of the military.
"Fire Nation," Katara muttered.
"We should tell him," said Sokka.
"That's gonna burst his bubble," I muttered under my breath.
"Aang, there's something you need to see," Katara called out.
'OK," yelled Aang, running over to us.
Katara abruptly dropped the snow that was on the ledge above and covered the mask.
"Ok, what is it?" Aang asked.
"Uh, just a new water bending move I learned," lied Katara. I looked at her, confused. She shook her head at me.
"Nice one. But enough practicing. We have a whole temple to see!" exclaimed Aang.
"Katara..." I hissed.
"I know, I know. I just don't want to be the messenger," Katara whispered.
"You know, you can't protect him forever," said Sokka.
All three of us followed Aang to the temple in silence.
We got to the entrance of the temple and Aang was telling me about the statue in front of the doorway.
"And this is Monk Gyatso. Guys, look!" called Aang.
Sokka and Katara caught up with us. "Who's that?" asked Sokka.
"Monk Gyatso," I answered.
"The greatest air bender in the world. He taught everything I know," explained Aang. He bowed in respect.
"You must miss him," comforted Katara. She put her hand on his shoulder.
"I would, seemed like a nice guy," I added.
Aang shook off Katara's grip and started walking inside the entry.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"The air temple sanctuary," Aang replied. "There's someone I'm ready to meet."
I looked back at Sokka and Katara and went to follow him. They, obviously, came along.
We walked down a wide, stone corridor that had circle windows at the top, which lit the corridor.
We came to a wooden arched door that had tree branches wrapped around it's edges. The front of the door had a circle of horns that were tangled with each other. The bells of the horns were on each curve of the circle and there was no door knob.
"There's no way there are surviving air benders inside," I noted.
"It's not impossible. I survived in an iceberg for 100 years," retorted Aang.
"Good point," agreed Katara.
"Well, that's because you're the Avatar," I argued. "You're the chosen one."
"Whoever's in there might help me figure out this whole Avatar thing," said Aang.
"And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious cured meats," chimed Sokka.
He stupidly ran into the door, as if expecting it to open for him. I shook my head at his idiocy.
"I don't suppose you have a key," wondered Sokka.
"The key is air bending," answered Aang.
"How?" I asked.
"Let me show you instead," said Aang.
He stood right in front of the door. He strongly inhaled and he exhaled, but the air seemed to come out of his hands. The air went inside each bell on the door, and 3 circular latches turned and started blowing the air out of them.
The doors opened.
Mwahahahah cliffhanger. Actually not really a cliffhanger 'cause you probably know what'll happen. I just decided it'll be better if I split up episodes into 2 chapters. Will that make the book long? Maybe. Will it be easier for me? Very much so. So yeah, next chapter is in progress and I hoped you enjoyed this one.
Love, Sumaya :)