❃ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 ❃
Just outside of Yulin village, a small town on the Southern edge of the Earth Kingdom, a small wooden cottage laid hidden between the surrounding forest. The little home was made of wooden walls, partially covered by clay for insulation. The roof above consisted of traditionally tilted tiles made of bamboo. A thin trail of smoke drifted from the crooked chimney, a sure sign of life if there ever was one. Somebody lived in this house...
Nearby, a sandy path led to the cottage's lush vegetable garden, a pig chicken coop, and a small fishing pond. The area was rather quiet compared to the rowdy village nearby. Tweeting birds, dancing leaves and fluttering laundry were the only sounds keeping away the peaceful silence of the area.
Had anyone come closer to the quaint home, they would have heard the sounds of life going on inside. Muffled steps and soft humming, accompanied by scuffling and the simmering of a rather delicious broth filled the home with a pleasant atmosphere. Someone was busy preparing dinner inside, but they did not stay inside for long!
With a strong shove, the front door flew open and a middle aged woman stepped out onto her front porch. Her humming continued as she strode into the warm sunlight. She rolled up her pale green sleeves and grabbed her crooked broom happily. Dust flew up in the air as the mother swept her porch. She had already dusted the window sills as well as the floor inside, ensuring a tidy and welcoming environment. Everything had to be absolutely perfect for tonight's dinner.
After the cottage was completely tidied up, the woman put her strong hands on her hips in satisfaction. "Hm. That shall do quite nicely." She huffed. Greying strands of dark brown hair were swept behind her ear, having fallen out of her neatly plaited braid earlier. Bright green eyes surveyed the area for anything out of order. All was in place.
The environment around her gently turned from green to gold with the help of the setting sun: dinner time would soon arrive. The woman prepared to get back inside and finish her broth peacefully, when she suddenly heard several pairs of fast paced footsteps running her way. Oh no.
"Mooooommmm!" A little boy cried out. "Hun and Lei are chasing me!"
As the boy reached the porch, his chubby arms flew around his mother's brown skirt desperately. The dark brown tufts of his hair were standing out in every direction. He had a streak of mud on his chubby cheek. The mother immediately licked her thumb and tried to rub it off, to no avail. Two older boys followed after him with laughter.
"Little Kanak doesn't know what he's talking about. We were just playing." Grinned the oldest of the two, a broad shouldered teen with emerald eyes and messy dark brown hair and tan skin. The other boy, slightly younger with light brown hair and tan skin, joined in without hesitation. "Besides, he was the one who wanted to play with the big boys." The two teens gave each other a high five while their younger sibling hugged his mother tighter.
The woman just crossed her arms with a tired sigh. "You boys will be the death of me... You know not to tease Kanak! He's a lot younger than the both of you." Her scolding made the older two boys groan.
"Then it's him who should not play with us, mom." They complained in unison. Despite their almost two year age difference, the boys behaved like twins.
Their mother would have none of it, however. She scowled at them strictly. "You boys will do as you're told! And that's all. You hear me?"
"Yes, mother." The two teens looked away with annoyance. From behind his mother's legs, the youngest of the three stuck his tongue out at his older brothers. The two older boys glared at him in response.
The mother sighed. "Good. Now, I want you three to wash your hands and get ready for supper. We have a special guest coming over tonight." At the news, the three boys instantly perked up.
"Is father finally coming home?" Hun guessed excitedly. His two younger brothers held their breath with sparkles in their eyes.
All the mother could do was give them a sweet smile, indicating enough without having to use her voice. The sight of her children being so excited had made her almost tear up. It had been so long since her husband had been home, that her little Kanak had never even met his father yet.
"Yeahh!" The kids cheered and ran inside, barely stopping to take off their shoes. Their mother was left standing outside on the porch. She looked around and suddenly noticed something (or rather, the lack thereof). She turned around to face the small cottage, hoping that one of her sons would hear her.
"Boys!" She yelled. "Where is your sister?"
Nearby the cottage there was a narrow path filled with grass from years of neglect. This path, in turn, led to a hidden hotspring. No one from Yulin village had visited the place in a very long time. And yet, a soft humming filled the air. The humming merged together with the tranquil gushing of water and the small chirps and tweets from the forest's inhabitants, creating a peaceful melody.
Slender fingers combed through wet locks of light brown hair. Steam rose up in curly shapes and patterns, illuminated by the sun's last rays. Light grey eyes were shut in delight at the experience of hot water and lovely melodies all around.
All the young girl felt was peace. She was one with herself and one with nature. The steam around her danced, as if being nudged around by an unknown current. Her breathing was deep and calm, as if she was asleep. And yet, her consciousness had not left her so far. It was her own humming that kept her from visiting her dreams.
The young girl was in a trance of her own creation. Everything felt balanced out, clear, and calm. It was almost as if she had unintentionally put herself in a meditative state. She felt as if nothing could get her out of it. Not even-
"KEYAAA!"
The sound of her name being called out by her own mother pulled the young girl from the deep trance she was in. She flinched and jumped up, bringing a wave of hot water up as she stood. The water smashed against the rocky edge of the hot spring, but the girl took no notice of it. She hastily got out of the water and dried herself off, making sure to throw her dress back on hastily.
"KEYAAA!" Her mother's voice screeched again. Keya knew she would not survive her mother's wrath if she had to be called a third time. She quickly answered the call.
"I'm here, mom!" As her mother slowly came closer, Keya made sure to grab her traditional shoes, before running over to meet her mother.
"Where is 'here'?!" Her mother was still looking around in the woods when her ten year old daughter jumped out from behind a few bushes and onto the broad path. The mother gasped and jumped back in fright, but her daughter's bright eyes and messy hair were far too recognisable to stay afraid for long. She got ready to scold her child.
"I'm here, Lin." Keya's smiled cheekily. Her two front teeth were still growing, leaving a childish gap in her smile. Her mother's eyes squinted as she put her hands on her hips.
"Keya! I'm your mother. Don't use my name like that, you rascal. You're starting to take after your older brothers." She grabbed her child's hand and started walking back home. "You forgot dinner time again. Your brothers are already getting washed up for dinner." Keya stopped to think for a moment, but her mother pulled her along.
"Wait a minute... Hun, Lei and Kanak are washing up? Why? Is the Avatar coming over?" Keya joked sarcastically (another trait she had learned from her brothers). Lin immediately put her hand on Keya's mouth, muffling the young girl. Keya looked up at her mother with wide eyes.
"Don't mention that name, Keya." Pale green irises stared down at her. Her mother's sweet voice had been replaced by a harsh, slicing threat. "You don't know who's hanging around the forest these days. Bad men come by sometimes and they don't like that name."
Keya whimpered. Her mother was always a rather tough woman, but somehow the cold gaze she was giving off right now was scarier than her mom had ever been.
"Mom?"
The young girl spoke from behind her mother's calloused hand. Lin looked away for a moment, taking a deep breath as she did so. Her daughter was too young to understand the current threats that the village (and her family) was facing. Fire Nation soldiers were being spotted more and more around these parts, so Lin couldn't wait for her husband to come home. They would need someone to protect them if the Fire Nation managed to capture Yulin Village...
"I'm sorry, sweety." She took her daughter's hand again. "Let's go home... And no, 'that person' won't be coming over. That time has long since passed. But you were right in your other observation: we do have a special guest tonight." As the two walked down the path, the quaint cottage slowly came back into view.
Keya quickly let go of her mother's hand, skipping ahead happily. Lin smiled fondly and followed Keya as her daughter began to chant a childish rhyme. "Guest, guest, guest! We have a guest, guest, guest! Mommy is the best, best, best!"
Thankfully, it didn't take any of Lin's kids a long time to wash up (two of her sons still had grime behind their ears, but she would scold them for it later). The sun had just set behind the tall mountains in the West when all five members of the household were sitting around the table patiently. Flowers decorated the small kitchen, with candles safely out of the clumsy reach of her kids. All of the least scratched dishes were set on the tables, with the prettiest cups set up neatly. Everything was perfect.
Now, all they needed was to wait for their guest. What a lovely surprise that would be. Especially for the two youngest: Keya and Kanak. This would be their first time meeting the man who had helped create them. Their father.
For a long moment, silence ruled over the small home. Outside, crickets chirped softly. The usually crazy household was as quiet as silence before the storm.
"Sooo... When's dad coming?" Asked Hun from his seat. Keya gasped and jumped up, almost bumping the table enough to mess up the setup. Kanak just grinned happily, the older boys having already spilled the beans to him earlier.
"Dad's the special guest?" She spoke up excitedly. The boys snickered at their sister's antics. Their mother held her breath. Despite the happy atmosphere, she felt her hands tremble and her heart flutter with nerves. He should have been here by now.
"Yes, Keya." She answered with a calm exterior. "Your father is indeed the guest and he should be here any minute now. So sit still!" Keya sat back down obediently. From her wooden seat, she exchanged glances with her brothers. Lin had never seen her children so well behaved. We should do this more often... She thought to herself.
The family sat quietly for a long time. Slowly, the delicious broth that Lin had made for her husband started to cool off. The few candles that the small family could afford were getting smaller, their wax dripping onto tiny clay platters. Soft grumbles sounded through the room as the children's hungry stomachs complained about their late dinner time. However, no one paid it any mind when a formal knock sounded on the wooden door near the kitchen. Immediately, everyone was fully alert.
"It's him!" Gushed Lei excitedly.
Kanak and Keya briefly exchanged eye contact. The last time that their father had been home was eight years ago. Keya was two years old and Kanak barely a fetus at the time. The man that they were about to meet would be a stranger to them in many ways. Only Hun and Lei had memories of their father, being six and five years old respectively at the time of his departure to defend the Earth Kingdom seas.
Lin fixed a few loose strands of hair behind her ears with shaking hands. She stood up graciously and walked over to the front door, wiping her sweaty palms on her dress as she did so. She slowly opened the door. A man was standing on their porch. He stood tall and strong, like a typical soldier.
Keya tried her best to glance at the man at the door. He was a bit shorter than she had heard, but looked friendly nonetheless. His dark brown hair and light skin surprised her. Her father was from the Northern Water Tribe, so she always assumed that her own tanned skin would match his. But at the end of the day, such details did not matter of course. This was her father! In the flesh! Keya could barely contain her excitement. She had so much to ask!
However, her mother did not look so enthusiastic. She just stood there, frozen like a block of ice. Her eyes were wide with shock as the man handed her something. Keya was a bit too short to see it, sadly enough. Her mother's reaction confused her. Was something the matter? Was this not her father after all?
"I'm sorry, Lin."
The man looked very distraught as he handed over a letter and an Earth Kingdom dagger. Lin did not accept it, too frozen to move. But the poor mother had understood his message nonetheless. Her trembling hand came up to her mouth as her skin turned pale. Hun and Lei stood up simultaneously, both in shock.
"He asked me to deliver this to you in case anything ever happened to him... He and I fought alongside one another for a long time, so... I hope you can forgive my intrusion..." The man -who apparently was not her father- spoke once more.
Her mother did not respond with any words. Her body shook when she tried to hold back her sobs, but the realisation was too painful to process. She slid down to the floor, one hand guiding her figure down the door frame as she started wailing. Hun quickly ran over to the door to help the man inside. The teen accepted the letter and dagger from the man, while Lei walked over to comfort his mother and help her stand back up. Together, the oldest sons helped the grown ups back into the kitchen to eat their supper (not that anyone had any appetite left at this point).
In the meantime, Keya and Kanak were left to process their own grief, despite having never met their father in real life. Sure, they got letters and gifts from time to time with his name signed at the bottom. But what did his laugh sound like? Did he have any cool fighting tricks he could teach them? The youngest two children would never be able to find out. Keya suddenly felt like there was a gaping hole in her chest, one of lost memories and missed opportunities.
The little girl did not know what to do. Keya looked around at the scene in their tiny kitchen. The people in her life, those to whom she could usually turn, were all currently unavailable. For the first time in her life, she was surrounded by people, but felt lonely all the same. Even her little brother Kanak had run off (to punch something, probably).
Young, innocent Keya was helpless and grieving with no one to turn to. She was all on her own. And so, she just sat in silence while her mother's wailing and her brothers' comforting filled the once excited space.
Later that night, her father's old friend gave the family more details regarding her father and how he came to meet his end. Her father, Kallik, was sailing together with another group of sailers from the Southern Water Tribe when they ran into a fleet of Fire Nation ships. According to the man, these ships were larger than any he had ever seen before. And moreover, they were made of metal! The small troop of around forty men defending the Earth Kingdom's coast were powerless against them.
"And yet!" The soldier described. "Your father fought with every fibre of his being. He always told me about his wife and children back home, how he wanted to keep you safe at all costs and see you as soon as he could. In the end, he defended our ships and managed to save many lives. It's because of his brave sacrifice that I could bring you his army dagger."
But what was a dagger to them? Why did her dad have to be brave of all people? Why couldn't he have just fled and survived like the other guys? Because of his honour, he had been taken in the line of duty. No, not because of his honour. He wanted to defend his family and country. He wanted to return to them.
It was the Fire Nation who had cold-heartedly taken the life of an honourable man, a soldier who fought for a country that he wasn't even born in. A father who wanted to protect his family. But Keya's family no longer had a father figure. The Fire Nation had taken his life. They had taken her dad.
❃
Author's Note: Enjoy the drama. What are your first impressions of Keya and her family?