❃ Good advice ❃
Keya didn't see Lee the next morning, nor did she meet him again on the road. It was a strange experience, being on her own. Back in her village, the girl could always count on the presence of her family. They were people that she knew she could count on. Her mother was always waiting for her when she came home, Lei was usually in town selling fruit while Hun was on the other side of town working in the mines. Kanak was often off studying his maps somewhere. No matter where she went, her family was always there.
But now? Now she was all by herself. Even the gloomy guy she met yesterday (who was kind of nice to her actually) was there one minute, then gone the next. It left Keya with a strange feeling, a wistful emptiness. Nothing that actually hurt her feelings too much, but it was not very comfortable either.
Thankfully, Keya did often spend her days wandering by herself in her hometown's forest. She was quite adept at making herself feel more at ease during the rare occasion that she did manage to be all alone. This situation was different though. The only times she had ever been by herself were the times she spent in the forest behind her house. That was a familiar place to her. It had always felt safe.
The wide plains around her were anything but familiar. The tall mountains that she had only ever seen from a large distance were now closer than ever. The altitude made her feel like the air around her was a lot emptier than the air at her home. It made her feel like she was always a little bit out of breath. She almost felt weak or even faint because of it.
What should she do now? She was all alone and a little bit frightened of the world around her. There was no one to run to. There was nowhere to go but forward. With her options being limited, Keya did the first thing she could think of to ease herself. She began to sing.
"Two lovers... forbidden from one another..." Her voice was not as smooth or strong as the one who had taught her. As a matter of fact, she couldn't even tell if she was singing the right notes or not. Still, Keya's breathing evened out as her mind replayed images of a young Lin singing to her only daughter.
"A war divides their people... and a mountain keeps them apart..." The young wanderer's tunes echoed through the area as they were carried by the wind. Light brown locks of messy hair flew around from the confines of the small strip of cloth that kept her ponytail together. Keya's words danced off of her tongue to the same rhythm as her feet marching on the rocky road.
Slowly but surely, she left the mountains behind her. Wide, open plains started to make way for more trees. Most of the trees looked like the types to never drop their leaves. Keya had only seen a few of those in her forest back home. Usually it meant that she had wandered off too far from home. Now they were all around her. It was an odd experience.
More and more trees started to provide shade along her path as she walked further into this new territory. The rocks that laid scattered about the road became less frequent with each step she took. Before she knew it, she was walking on soft sand again. All the while she kept on singing the old tunes to herself. The song depicted an old story told to her by her mother about the origins of a city named Omashu. Perhaps she would come across it on her way North...
"...built a path to be together~" Keya suddenly stopped to think. "What was the next part again?" She pondered with a frown. Her small, calloused hand came up to scratch behind her ear in confusion. Somehow, she always struggled with the next few lines, but she didn't want to ruin the rest of the song by ignoring its lyrics.
"It would be a shame to just stop it there..." Keya mumbled out loud. She was deep in thought.
"Yes it would!" A strange voice suddenly exclaimed behind her. The sudden intrusion made Keya jump and turn around. Her hand quickly found itself on her chest, as if checking on the fast pace of her heartbeat.
The person who had interrupted her thoughts ended up being a harmless old man. He wore a faded green garment with a straw hat strapped to his back. His long, grey beard and soft, brown eyes instantly put Keya at ease. He was a simple Earth Kingdom wanderer like herself. Keya decided to approach him with a friendly demeanor.
"Uh... Hello, sir. Do you happen to know the rest of the lyrics? I kind of forgot." Keya gave him a friendly smile as she spoke. The man scratched his beard for a moment and looked up in thought.
"Hmm, no. I can't say I know the song well enough." He sighed and looked back at her. "But I have heard of it before somewhere... Do you happen to be a part of the Earth Kingdom nomads? Don't you guys usually travel in a big group?"
"Oh!" Keya gasped in surprise at his knowledge. "No, sir. I'm no nomad, but my mother's family were nomads! So she learned the song as a little girl and then sang it to me when I was little. That was a long time ago, though. How did you know?" Keya had never met anyone in her town who'd heard of the Earth Kingdom nomads.
"I've been around for a long time, young one. I've seen a lot of things, and have met a lot of interesting people. Not much unlike yourself!" The old man's chubby hands rested on his big belly as he laughed. Keya wondered how he had gotten fat (and where he got the food), but she figured that would be a bit rude to ask.
"Say," The old man suggested, "would you be interested in a warm cup of tea before you continue your travels? I would love to hear more about how a young lady such as yourself ended up travelling all alone. I've even been told that I can make a ginseng brew so relaxing that it can completely clear the mind. Perhaps that would help you remember the rest of your song." His friendly vibe and the promise of tea were all too tempting for Keya. So, against her better judgment, the young girl nodded enthusiastically and followed the man to his camping spot.
There, a few paces behind a big boulder, she could see the start of a fire with a worn teapot resting above it. Was the man planning on coming across a stranger or did he always have a kettle going? Keya wasn't sure which answer she preferred.
"Here you go. Would you please have a seat? I'll prepare the tea as we speak." The man gestured to the grass and started rustling in an old bag he seemed to be carrying around. "Let's see... Ginseng, ginseng..." He mumbled to himself as the young teen across from him sat down and got comfortable. Keya's bright eyes made sure to take in everything in her surroundings. From the pine trees around them to the squawking birds in the distance. Once again her interest was captured by the old man tending his kettle. He was currently breaking off the ginseng carefully with a small knife.
"If you don't mind me asking, sir, you said something about having travelled a lot?" The man smiled a closed eye smile and nodded, not looking up once at his company. He was completely focused on cutting his ginseng root properly.
"Yes, I did and I have. Although, for the past few years I did not travel alone. My nephew and I have seen quite a lot of the world. Actually, he is just about your age." Keya was somehow reminded of the quiet boy she had met the day before. He was around her age as well. But the old man only had one pack laying next to the campfire. There were no signs at all of another person accompanying him.
"You're travelling alone now, though, aren't you? May I ask what happened?" Keya felt pity for the poor man. He looked so friendly and sweet. She hoped that whatever had split the old man and his nephew wasn't too upsetting. If he was upset, the man did not show it. He dropped his chopped ginseng roots into the kettle and finally looked up at her.
"My nephew felt like he needed to go his own way for a while. I'm tracking him to keep an eye on him." He gestured to the young teen sitting across from him. "Perhaps you can relate. Are you travelling all by yourself as well?"
Keya felt her heart crumble as she thought back to that fateful day at her home. She averted her eyes with shame and sadness. "Yeah, something like that. I don't think any of my family members are tracking me, though. Your nephew's a lucky guy."
The old man looked a bit taken aback by her change in mood. He panicked, looking for a way to cheer up his new guest. "Well, I'm sure your family misses you either way. Do you ever intend on going back to them?" He asked her carefully as he observed her reaction.
Keya looked back at him and shrugged, trying to hide her increasing sadness. "I don't think... I don't think that I can ever go home again. I had to leave in order to protect them and myself, but now that I think about it, I don't think that I can see them for a very long time." After having said those words out loud, Keya felt the true weight of her situation. She might never see her family ever again. What if something happened to them while she was gone? The teen's eyes started to water at the realisation of her fate.
"That sounds like a very difficult situation that you're in." The man spoke as he looked at her with sympathy. "I'm sad to hear that you have to go through something like that."
"I just want it to all go back to the way it was. I should have never- It's my own fault that I had to leave and now I have to survive all on my own in order to protect those I love. But I don't want that! I just want to go home." She cried and hugged her knees, hiding her tear streaked face.
"You know, you sound just like my nephew." Keya looked up at him. Her monolid eyes became large with cautious hope. What happened to his nephew? Did it get better for him?
"You find yourself longing for a time long passed, but things simply cannot go back to the way they were. All you can do now is move forward and accept the lessons that you have yet to learn." His advice was not exactly what Keya had hoped to hear. However, she did feel like perhaps his words were exactly what she needed to hear. There was just one problem.
"But I'm scared." She whimpered. After all, she was just a fifteen year old girl (almost sixteen!) trying to cross the Earth Kingdom all on her own, just a few days after one of the most traumatising events of her life had occurred. She had no skills, besides maybe foraging and doing whatever it was that she had done to those Fire Nation soldiers (but she never, ever wanted to do that again). Surely there was no hope for someone like her.
"I would be very surprised if you weren't scared!" The old man said comfortingly. He grabbed two cups and started filling them with his tea. "It's very scary to take a step when you can't predict where your next steps will lead you. However, that doesn't mean that it won't take you to a better place." He gently handed her a steaming cup of tea. Keya gratefully accepted it, sitting up straighter so that she could drink it with grace, just as her mother had taught her.
Keya brought the cup to her lips and took a small sip. As the hot water glided through her mouth and down her throat, the amazing flavours from the ginseng root danced around on her tongue. This man was a genius! The girl quickly took another sip. This one was larger than the first.
"This tea is amazing, sir! You should definitely open up a shop if you ever get the chance." The old man let out a big hearty laugh and put his hand on his heart.
"Your compliments are well received, but the true pleasure is being able to share some thoughts with an interesting stranger."
Keya quickly finished her tea and bashfully asked for some more, which the old man happily provided. The two enjoyed each other's company quite a bit. Although Keya was usually known in her town as a loner who took care of her mother and brothers, it was nice to meet someone who did not seem to have any preconceived notions about her. The old man simply invited her to tea because he wanted to.
"Thank you for everything, sir." Keya set down another cup happily. Her whole body felt energized and renewed. Perhaps she should have put more ginseng in her stews back when she cooked for her family. They could have used a burst of energy like this.
"I do hope that we meet again soon, but for both of our sakes, I'm sure that I have to keep going. You see," Keya explained, "I'm a bit in trouble with the law, more specifically, the Fire Nation's law. So if we come across any firebenders, I'm not sure what they would do to you if you were seen with me."
Keya got up and was ready to leave. However, the old man was quick to interrupt her. He reached out his hand and gently spoke. "I think you and I are in the same team, then. My nephew and I each got ourselves into some hot water with the Fire Nation. I do not wish to have a new companion leave on their own, when it is for me that they are leaving. Please, won't you join this old man and travel together for a few days. Nothing would please me more."
His words (and the delicious tea that he indirectly offered her) were rather convincing. What harm could it do? If it became too dangerous, they could always split up again. Keya did not need a long time to make up her mind. Secretly, she felt rather lonely all by herself. Maybe this man could offer her a sense of peace during their travels together.
"Okay then. I'll stay and travel with you, but only for a couple of days! After that, I'm headed off to Ba Sing Se." She said.
And with that, Keya sat back down and drank another cup of tea with the old man. And another. Unbeknownst to either person, their agreement would change the fate of the world forever.
❃
A/N: Did you recognise Keya's song? :) Also, apparently Keya is the type of person who would totally follow a creep to his van to see some puppies.