"Stop squirming!"
My sister snapped at me as she used Sokka's knife to slice the long strands of hair that were uneven. She had been appalled when she saw what I had done to my hair during our ride on the sand surfer. She whined about it constantly during the last twenty-four hours, and finally having had it I told her to just fix it if she was so upset about it.
"You still haven't given me an explanation to why you did this to yourself."
We had spent the night at Sha-Mo's home at the edge of the desert. They were part of the Kumul tribe and had a small settlement about a week's walk from Ba Sing Se. Sha-Mo's son was forced to buy us supplies in punishment for stealing Appa from us. While he was off to the nearest town about twenty miles away, Sha-Mo's wife fixed us all up a wonderful meal of mixed veggies and meat. Thankfully she gave us water instead of cactus juice. We then spent the night in Sha-Mo's home, and set out the next morning with the supplies that Gashuin had gathered for us.
"I needed a change," I simply stated with a shrug.
Currently we were taking a lunch rest after walking a few hours that morning. Sokka was looking over some maps he had stolen from the library that had sunk beneath the desert floor. As he did so, Aang and Momo were napping in the grass; Toph was trying to motivate Aang to practice his earthbending.
"Can you imagine what Gran-Gran would say? Or dad for that matter! You shouldn't be so rash!"
In the Southern Water Tribe, cutting hair was not an acceptable practice for women. Long hair was usually a symbol of beauty and femininity in our tribe. However, I saw it as something else entirely. My long hair had been a tie to my past... By cutting half of it off, I was freeing myself from the power my people had on me.
I was in charge of my own destiny now.
"It's just hair, Katara." I felt her pull another strand and heard the slice of the knife. "It's not the end of the world."
"Crys! Your hair was so long and pretty!"
Sokka sighed. "Stop being ridiculous, Katara. Her hair's still long. Suki's hair is half the length of hers."
I smiled. "Thanks, Sokka."
Katara huffed. "You're just saying that to make me shut up."
He glanced up from his maps. "Well it's not working."
Taking Katara's momentary distraction, I stood from where I was seated cross-legged in front of her. She protested from behind, but I waved her off.
"It's fine, Katara. A few strands aren't going to kill me. Who's going to judge? We're practically wanderers anyway. No one is going to pay us half a mind."
Sokka spoke up. "She's right. Her hair will grow back anyway. Stop fussing and help me figure out these maps."
She placed Sokka's knife back in his shoulder bag. "No thanks. I need to go refill my water moccasin." She turned her gaze towards me. "Please don't cut off your toes while I'm gone."
I saluted her to let her know I wouldn't. She rolled her eyes and walked off towards the stream nearby.
Walking over to Sokka, I knelt down in front of him. "Thanks... She was going to pester me for hours..."
He rolled up the map he was gazing at, and then met my eyes. "Explain."
I was surprised by his one word. "What?"
He narrowed his eyes. "You know what I mean, Crys. Don't make me ask the same question Katara's been pestering you with."
I grimaced. Looking down at my knees, I smiled weakly. "I didn't just cut it for fun, okay... Is that what you want to hear?"
He placed his map to the side, and then crossed his arms. "Continue."
I knew he wanted me to feel guilty, but I felt at peace. "I did it to free myself from the past. I'm not the scared little girl you all remember at the South Pole."
Sokka was bewildered by my words.
"I'm stronger than I've ever felt," I continued. "I'm wiser than I've ever been. I feel so free, like I can be who I want to be. Dad and others of the tribe tried to control my life, and protect me as if I would break at any minute. I'm not that fragile being anymore though. I survived numerous days in a Fire Nation cell, fought off a ruthless man that wanted me dead, managed to escape from two Water Tribe warriors trying to take me to dad, and found you all after months of separation. The weak girl you grew up with is gone like strands of cut hair in the breeze."
He stared at me for a long time, taking in everything I had said to him. Then he surprisingly smiled. "You've become pretty poetic, huh?" I went to snap at him, but he continued to speak cutting me off. "You're definitely not the little sister I remember, Crys... and... as much as I hate to say it... I think being with Zuko actually did you some good." He sighed heavily. "He did something I was never able to do back home." He looked up at my puzzled expression with a weak smile. "He brought back that adventurous sister I had once known so long ago: the one who had climbed glaciers with me and helped me pull pranks on Uncle Hienu after he smacked us for misbehaving. The journey you've been on has brought you back to life."
I smiled. "It feels good to be alive again."
Sokka fell silent for a moment. Then he let out a heavy sigh. "You know... As much as I loathe the idea of you and the Fire Lord's son together, I know you're going to do what you want in the end... Just promise me that no matter what, you'll remember who you truly are... Whether you want to accept it or not, you are Chief Hakoda's daughter. Your tie to the Southern Water Tribe is by blood..."
His hand suddenly enveloped my own.
"Don't completely throw aside your people for this guy."
I frowned and looked down at our hands. His rested over my own, grasping my hand with plea. Giving a small nod, I promised, "No matter how the future goes, I will never forget who my family is. I will never let anyone hurt you, Katara, or the tribe."
He seemed relieved by this. "Good... Because if you did I'd feed you to the Unagi."
I smirked. "I'd fight it off."
He rolled his map back out. "Yeah. You probably would."
A few more hours passed, and we had traveled another few miles. After we had our limits we made camp for the night with whatever we could find to lay on. Toph made a rock tent for herself, and Aang practiced his own rock tent making his look more like a dilapidated pile of rocks. Momo was the only one who could fit inside his tent. The rest of us found whatever soft pile of grass we could. As the others began to drift, I looked up at the stars in thought.
After we managed to find Appa again, what was our next plan...? Were we really going to invade the Fire Nation on our own...? As much as I wanted to believe we could, I knew there was no way just the five of us could win against a whole nation. That would take a miracle.
The thought of losing was unthinkable. I refused to let my brother, sister, Toph, or Aang become prisoners to the Fire Nation. My imprisonment had been minor compared to those who had been captured before me. While I came under the captivity of Zuko's fleet, others suffered worse captors who wouldn't mind inflicting torture on them.
I realized then that no matter what we had to win. The fate of my family, my friends, and the world relied on the five of us to survive and defeat the enemy.
Feeling restless, I got up and left the group to their dreams. Walking downhill, I came to the large stream we'd had to cross earlier before camp. Staring at the liquid that rushed by, I felt the moon above soak into my skin and move the blood in my veins. Lifting my hands, I let part of the water in the stream float up into the air. Taking everything Katara had taught me so far, I did each technique over and over until I got it right.
For a good two hours I practiced bending, and by the end I felt thrilled to see I could do the moves with much less difficulty than originally. I was so relieved that I had become just ever so slightly stronger.
The next morning, after I had gotten a few hours of sleep, Katara managed to rouse me from my rest. We packed up what little supplies we had, and then prepared to set out once more. We traveled northeast again with the hope that we would reach the area on Sokka's map that had a path to Ba Sing Se. When our senses seemed to be completely off, we began to worry that we were headed in the completely wrong direction. Sokka made us stop multiple times to try and decipher our whereabouts on his map. He had some luck.
"Okay. We just got out of the desert, so we must be around here," he pointed to an area on the map a little off from the drawn dessert. "And we need to go to Ba Sing Se, which is here. It looks like the only passage connecting the South to the North is this sliver of land called the Serpent's Pass."
Toph didn't seem thrilled by the name. "You're sure that's the best way to go?"
Sokka sighed. "It's the only way, I mean it's not like we have Appa to fly us there."
Katara smacked him. "Shush up about Appa. Can't you at least try to be sensitive?"
We all looked over at Aang who quickly tried to compose his expression.
Aang was surprisingly calm. "Katara, it's ok. I know I was upset about losing Appa before, but I just want to focus on getting to Ba Sing Se, and telling the Earth King about the solar eclipse."
I was surprised. The Earth King? When did they discuss this?
Katara was equally surprised. "Oh, well, ok. I'm glad you're doing better."
Sokka rolled up his map. "Then to Ba Sing Se we go, no more distractions."
"Wait, wait, wait! Where did this whole Earth King thing come from? I thought our top priority was Appa?"
Toph smirked. "If you didn't sleep in all morning you'd have known, Princess."
Sokka answered me. "We decided our first step when getting to Ba Sing Se is to tell the Earth King about the solar eclipse so he can prepare his men for battle. If the Earth Kingdom fights with us we are sure to win." He stood and placed the maps into his shoulder bag. "Then we'll find Appa."
I frowned. I understood what they were saying, but I still felt Appa should be our top priority. I decided not to speak anymore on the matter, worried it would upset Aang.
"Hello there, fellow refugees!"
A male voice coming out of nowhere made us all jump and turn towards the intruder. I was surprised to find a familiar man of late twenties, with a bag slung over his shoulders and weathered clothing. Behind him trailed a girl around my age who was carrying two sets of bags. A familiar woman of mid-twenties walked beside her with a much larger bulging belly from the last time I had seen them.
They were the man and woman Zuko and I had encountered a long time ago, right before we arrived at Ling's village. I pondered in my head for a second their names, and then remembered: Than and Ying.
While I knew the two people I'd briefly met on my journey, I was unfamiliar with their third party. I wondered as they got closer if they would notice and recognize me. Part of me didn't want that, because I knew they would ask where Zuko was. I was certain they would recognize me though by my scar.
"Hi," Katara spoke for the group. "Are you all traveling?"
Than nodded, coming to a stop in front of us. He didn't notice me right away. "We're seeking refuge from the Fire Nation. Our home was invaded by some group called The Rough Rhino's and we were forced to run. My name is Than. This here is my wife Ying, and my little sister Kina."
"Nice to meet you," Katara spoke. "My name's Katara, and this is Sokka, Toph, Crystal, and Aang." As she pointed to each of us when she spoke our name, Than and Ying's eyes landed on me and recognition hit them both.
"Hey!" Than pointed to me. "Don't we know you?"
I grimaced and ran a hand through my hair.
"Yes... I remember you," Ying suddenly spoke. She stepped towards me, while the others watched in surprise. "You were with that young man with the scar... Your hair was longer then..." She looked around and saw he was not present. "Did your friend manage to find his Uncle? How did you end up with this group?"
Crossing my arms, I looked down at the ground with guilt. "I... I'd rather not say..."
She was surprised. Than seemed curious, but decided that they weren't getting answers out of me.
"Well whatever the answers are, I'm glad to see you're in good health," Ying stated, placing her hand on my shoulder in comfort.
I gave her a small thanks.
Aang eventually asked, "So, are you guys headed to Ba Sing Se too?
Than nodded. "Sure are, we're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby." He tenderly rubbed her belly showing affection for her and the baby inside.
Katara beamed. "Great, we can travel through the Serpent's Pass together."
The three of them gasped in horror at our intended destination.
Ying was the first to speak her objections. "The Serpent's Pass?! Only the truly desperate take that deadly route."
Toph grimaced. "Deadly route..." She whacked Sokka on the arm hard. "Great pick, Sokka."
Sokka rubbed his arm glowering at Toph. "Well, we are desperate."
Than quickly discouraged us from taking our original course, and offered to lead us to a place where we could get passage on a ferry right to the walls of Ba Sing Se. As the group started off behind Than and his family, I thought back to the time when Zuko and I had first met the man and his wife. My arms crossed for comfort as I worried about Zuko's well being. I hated not knowing if he was alright.
"So you met these people...?" Katara suddenly walked in pace beside me. "When was this?"
I looked down at the ground as we trudged forward. "Right after I escaped Kona and Jaka..."
She frowned. "Oh..." Looking up at the clouds, she let out a heavy sigh. "I wonder where dad is right now... Do you think he's worried about us?"
At the thought of my father, I felt my heart ache aware that I had betrayed him time and time again. I decided to tell Katara what she wanted to hear. "I'm sure he's proud of us, but also anxious to see us again."
"When he hears you joined us he'll be proud of you."
Kicking a rock, I thought up my reply. "You always look at things with great optimism. That's always been one of your good qualities."
"Crys..." She frowned. "I know you think dad hates you for the choices you've made in the past, but he'll always love you. He won't disown you for falling in love."
"I fell in love with the enemy. He'll never forgive me for that..."
"You don't know that..." She was conflicted by my words, and her voice broke off.
I smiled reassuringly to her. "Don't worry, Katara... Even if dad is angry with me, I know he won't completely banish me from the tribe. You don't need to be concerned about that."
She nodded slowly, but I could tell she would continue to worry.
Another hour of walking passed, and finally we were at the entrance to a dark tunnel that appeared man-made. Than led the way with his wife and sister following. We followed as well into the dark tunnel, hoping to make it back to light quickly. Momo whined through the darkness, and I heard Aang send him reassuring words. Toph told us we were almost out, which we quickly noticed by a dim light ahead.
From the grassy place we'd left only moments ago, we emerged among a huge cavernous inlet. There were three giant wooden ships bobbing up and down in the bay water a good distance away. The whole cavern was crowded with refugees of all ages, and some of them appeared to have been residing in the cavern for a while.
I was surprised by the number of desperate people. "I didn't realize there were so many refugees..."
Katara sounded dismayed beside me. "I know... I can't believe how many people's lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation."
Than nodded. "We're all looking for a better life. Safe, behind the walls of Ba Sing Se."
At this point we parted from Than and his family. We wished them luck on their journey and made our way through the crowd. Sokka eventually asked someone where we went to acquire a ticket for the ferry and they pointed us to a long line to the side of the cavern. We seemed to stand in line for half an hour, and finally we were two steps away from the woman who sat up on a high stone perch looking down at her customers.
The cruel woman with a blemish on her face, glared down at an older man who wore green Earth Kingdom clothing. She pointed down at him with narrowed eyes.
"I've told you already, no vegetables on the ferry! One cabbage slug could destroy the entire ecosystem of Ba Sing Se. Security!"
A soldier suddenly destroyed the cart full of cabbages that was parked nearby with one swoop of his hand. The merchant fell to his knees in horror. Two Earth Kingdom soldiers stepped over to the man and dragged him away. He struggled and cried. "Dah! My Cabbages!"
The woman at the podium before us stamped a paper and then shouted with an irritated voice, "Next!"
Aang hesitated, but then stepped up to the podium. "Um, five tickets for the ferry to Ba Sing Se, please."
"Passport!"
Aang was stumped as he looked back at us with surprise. I felt dismayed. He turned back to the woman saying, "Uh, no one told us we had to have passports."
Sokka tried to intervene. "Don't you know who this is? He's the Avatar!"
The woman wasn't convinced. "Ah, I see fifty Avatars a day, and by the way, not a very impressive costume." She pointed at Aang's original air nomad wear with skepticism. Then she pointed at a group of boys who were all dressed in pathetic replicas of Aang's clothes, with painted arrows on their arms and foreheads.
Momo, who had been perched on Katara's shoulder, jumped over to Aang's.
The woman glared at Momo. "Besides, no animals allowed. Do I need to call security?"
This time I spoke up. "No... That won't be necessary. We'll just move on." I grabbed Aang's arm to pull him back.
"Hold up, Princess. I'll take care of this." Toph brushed past me and stopped in front of the woman. "My name is Toph Bei Fong, and I'll need five tickets." She slammed down a golden piece with her family crest on it. The woman's jaw dropped in shock. We were all amazed.
"Oh! The Golden Seal of the Flying Boar, it is my pleasure to help anyone of the Bei Fong family," the woman said.
Toph nodded. "It is your pleasure. As you can see I am blind, and these four imbeciles are my valets."
I bit my tongue not to snap at her for her insult. I'd get her back later though.
The woman looked at Momo again. "But the animal..."
"Is my Seeing-Eye Lemur." Momo hopped over on her shoulder as if to prove it was so.
The woman contemplated Toph's words, and then let out a sigh. "Well, normally it's only one ticket per passport, but, this document is so official, I guess it's worth five tickets." She stamped five tickets for us, and then we were on our way.
As we walked off, Toph beamed. "I guess being part of a rich family does have its payoffs."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm getting you back for that 'imbecile' comment later."
Aang beamed. "Hey. At least we're in."
Sokka yelped suddenly, and I glanced over to see a girl in an Earth Kingdom uniform had grabbed him. "Tickets and passports please!"
Sokka was intimidated by the stranger. "Is there a problem?"
The girl who was around Sokka and I's age, poked him in the chest. "Yeah, I've got a problem with you. I've seen your type before, probably sarcastic, think you're hilarious, and let me guess, you're traveling with the Avatar."
Sokka narrowed his eyes. "Do I know you?"
She inched towards him. "You mean you don't remember?" She grabbed his collar and yanked him even closer. "Maybe you remember this!" She suddenly kissed him on the cheek, and my eyes widened. Katara and Aang smiled with realization. Toph looked as puzzled as me.
Sokka beamed with delight. "Suki!" He jumped forward and threw his arms around her. She returned his embrace.
I immediately realized who this girl was. Sokka had told me about how he'd met a Kyoshi Warrior named Suki at Kyoshi Island and developed a small crush on her.
Suki seemed delighted as well. "Sokka, it's good to see you!"
He pulled away from her, and then quickly bombarded her with questions. As he did so, Suki noticed me and interrupted him. "You must be Crystal. Your brother told me about you. I'm glad to see they were able to get you back from the Fire Nation."
She held her hand out towards me, and I took it with a weak smile. "Yeah... I'm glad to be back with them."
"I'm sure they're glad to have you back."
The group then began to talk to Suki, and while they did I looked her over understanding why my brother swooned for her. She looked strong and independent, but she had a feminine side to her that brought out her beauty. Her brown hair looked smooth, and her skin was a nice complexion. She had soft green eyes and full lips. She was definitely a girl any guy would notice.
Katara spoke suddenly, bringing me out of my reverie. "You look so different without your makeup, and the new outfit."
Suki nodded. "That crabby lady makes all the security guards wear them." She turned to Sokka. "And look at you, sleeveless guy. Been working out?" She was teasing him, and flirting.
Sokka beamed. "I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin touches every now and then, nothing major." He flexed his muscles. I rolled my eyes at his flirting.
Aang looked around. "Are the other Kyoshi warriors around?"
"Yeah... after you left Kyoshi, we wanted to find a way to help people. We ended up escorting some refugees, and we've been here ever since." Momo jumped from Toph's shoulder over to Aang's to get closer to Suki. "Hi Momo, good to see you too." She scratched him gently in the ear. "So why are you guys getting tickets for the ferry? Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa?"
At the mention of Appa, the four of us hung our heads in dismay.
Katara sadly answered. "Appa is missing. We hope to find him in Ba Sing Se."
Suki looked sincere as she said, "I'm so sorry to hear that." She looked over at Aang who had tightened his fists. "Are you doing okay?"
Aang seemed annoyed."I'm doing fine. Would everybody stop worrying about me!"
"Avatar Aang," a voice called from behind us. We turned to see Ying rushing over as fast as she could. "You have to help us! Someone took all of our belongings. Our passports, our tickets. Everything's gone!"
Katara gasped, and Toph looked sorry. Sokka and Suki gazed around in suspicion. Aang narrowed his eyes at the criminal act.
"Don't worry... I'll talk to the lady for you." Aang walked back over to the ticket lady to stand in line again. As he did so, Katara tried to comfort Ying along with her husband and sister-in-law. Suki, Sokka, and Toph appeared to be discussing alternatives if the worst came to worst.
Only a few minutes later Aang returned with irritation. However, he quickly covered his expression with reassurance. "Don't worry, you'll get to the city safely." I looked at him puzzled, not seeing any tickets in his hands. "I'll lead you through the serpents pass."
My eyes widened, and I heard the three new friends gasp in horror. However, after some convincing and reassurance that the Avatar would keep them safe, we were off. Toph returned her tickets, threatening to give an awful review for the lady's harsh treatment. Suki walked off to tell the other Kyoshi warriors she would be occupied for some time and be back in a few days, returning a few minutes later in traditional Kyoshi Warrior wear and face makeup. Sokka pulled out his maps again to exam along with Aang the quickest route to the pass, while constantly trying to discourage Suki from coming. Katara refilled her water pouch from a well that had been constructed for the refugees. While all of this occurred, I prepared myself for the worst. There had to be a reason it was called the serpents pass...
The walk to the pass was an extra three miles from the ferry harbor, and as we went Ying struggled to keep up. I could tell from her posture that she was very uncomfortable from the journey. I tried to keep her spirits up by telling her a few poems I had read during my time on Zuko's ship. She was eager for the distraction.
Eventually we reached what could immediately be identified as the Serpents Pass. A sign was posted at the beginning of the narrow strip of rock that crossed unevenly before us.
"Abandon all hope..." I muttered. "Well that's not reassuring."
Sokka and Katara looked over at me with bewilderment. Sokka asked, "Since when did you become so good at reading?"
I grimaced. "I had two good teachers for a few months."
Suki looked over at me puzzled. "What... You mean your captors?"
Than overheard and asked with curiosity, "Captors?"
Feeling uncomfortable with the questioning, I said, "We better get a move on before it gets too dark. We don't want to walk across this stuff without a light to guide us."
Taking the lead, I stepped out onto the narrow path to avoid the questions that wanted to follow. The only thing that did follow was the footsteps of the others as they walked behind me.
The pass was very narrow and extremely high the further we got. As we went, I did all I could not to look over the side of the pass, not wanting to see how high we were from the water below. My thoughts took me back to the day I fell off Zuko's ship during the storm so long ago. I didn't want a repeat of that horrible moment.
At the thought of Zuko, I couldn't help but grip the crystal necklace that rested on my chest. It had already been so long since our parting. I missed him already.
My distraction caused me to step down on a piece of rock that was more fragile than the rest. As I stepped forward, the ground beneath me cracked and I gasped as the earth gave way from below me. A shriek escaped me as I started to fall, and I was relieved to feel a hand grab my own to pull me back up.
"Crys! Careful!" Aang kept a strong grip as I tried to rebalance myself. He pulled me back away from the fallen rocks and I quickly leaned back against the wall of the pass to catch my breath. Sokka and the others had been walking ahead of me at that point, so I was lucky Aang hadn't gone too far ahead.
Katara rushed back over with worry. "Are you alright?"
Nodding, I shut my eyes to try and calm my racing heart.
"See Sokka! Stop worrying about me and more about your sister!" Suki snapped in the background. "I can take care of myself."
"Come on everyone... We need to watch our step," Toph said. "There are some spots on the pass that are eroded. I'll take the lead now."
Opening my eyes, I looked out at the water in the distance and saw a black ship on the horizon. I knew immediately it was the Fire Nation from the ships design. Katara noticed my eyes had been drawn to something, and she looked as well.
Katara gasped. "What are the Fire Nation doing out here?"
Suki answered her question. "The Fire Nation controls the western lake. Rumor has it they're working on something big on the other side, and they don't want anyone to find out what it is."
"Then we better move on and not find out," Than muttered. A second later he gasped as well, and I looked over to see him falling just as I had been. Toph caught him this time, placing a stone platform for him to fall on and then thrusting him back up onto the pass. His wife and sister grabbed him to steady him.
Among all the chaos, the rocks that had fallen below Than had caused much larger rocks to fall to the water below. The commotion was enough for the crew on the black ship in the distance to notice us. A flaming catapult suddenly shot from the ship and headed a beeline towards us.
Sokka shouted, "They've spotted us!"
I gasped. "Run!"
As we rushed up the pass, Aang shot out with his airbending towards the flaming attack and redirected it back towards the ship with a hard gust of air. The attack hit the control room of the ship but that didn't stop the attacks from coming. Another catapult was shot off and the flaming attack hit the rocks above us. A bunch of debris fell down straight towards Suki, and Sokka rushed forward to shove her out of the way. As that occurred, Toph bent a slope above Sokka which caused the debris to slide over him and out into the water.
"Suki, are you ok?" Sokka was on his feet now and had pulled Suki to her own. "You have to be more careful! Come on!" Sokka took the lead, pulling Suki along with him. I watched in bewilderment. Why was he being so protective of her?
Toph suddenly muttered from nearby, "Thanks for saving my life, Toph. Hey no problem, Sokka." Momo chattered on her shoulder in agreement.
Eventually we were out of the Fire Nation's range. Aang had damaged their ship enough to stop them from pursuing us. We then stopped for the night on a wide expanse of the pass, equally exhausted from our run in with the Fire Nation. There were pieces of wood from an abandoned cart that was rotting from years of neglect, and I managed to get a fire started while the rest of the group rested. As Sokka and Suki walked off to talk, Katara followed Aang to talk to him, and the others began to drift to sleep, I stared at the fire in thought.
My hand was wrapped tightly around the crystal on my neck as I thought back to the day I left Zuko. Sighing heavily, I said softly, "I wish I knew you were okay..." Zuko and Iroh were fugitives in the Earth Kingdom, on the run from the Fire Nation of all people. I feared the worse, having no clue where they were or if they were safe.
At the thought, my mind trailed to another who I was deeply concerned about. Appa...
Shutting my eyes, I felt my hand tighten around my necklace as pain shot through me. I was going to find him. I would get him back. My family felt that going to the Earth King to discuss the war was the first priority, but I knew different. I would search every inch of Ba Sing Se for Appa. I'd let him down once... I wouldn't do it again.
"Hey... You should get some sleep," Toph suddenly said, bringing me out of my wild thoughts. "We still have a long trip tomorrow."
Looking over, I saw her approach from her makeshift tent of rock. She stopped beside me and held a face of concern.
"Yeah... I'm headed there..." I released my necklace and stood from where I'd been in deep reverie. As I went to walk to the smoothest area of rock I could find, Toph grabbed my arm to stop me.
"I know what you're thinking," Toph suddenly said. "You don't have to look for Appa alone. We're going to all search for him after we talk to the Earth King. We should stick together in Ba Sing Se."
Pulling from her, I said, "I know what I need to do. Once we get to Ba Sing Se, I'm going to find him. I owe Aang that much."
"Twinkletoes doesn't blame you, and neither do the rest of us. You don't have to redeem yourself to any of us."
"This isn't about redemption," I said, tightening my fists as determination flooded through me. "This is about getting my friend back, Toph. Appa needs me, and I'm not letting him down again. I've been separated from the ones I care about too much lately. I'm tired of losing the ones I love and not being able to stop it. From now on I'm doing what I have to do to win."
She sighed heavily. "I get your point... But you also need to be careful... You don't know what lies within the walls of Ba Sing Se. It's not like your home in the South Pole. There are dangerous men there... I heard rumors from my father's guards that the city is full of dishonest people. You won't find many you can trust."
"I've met shady people in the past..." I began to walk away. "I can handle a few more."
The next day came with the rising of the sun. We all moved out once more along the winding and narrow passage of the pass. Sokka seemed to be letting up on Suki a little more, and I could see she was glad to have the space. Aang seemed to be determined as he took the lead to guide us across the rocky terrain. Toph alerted us if there were any dangerous places we needed to watch our step at. Eventually the path narrowed to the point where we were all in a single file line.
"Oh no..." Suki's voice alerted me, and I looked up from my steps to see the pass before us came to an abrupt end. We stopped at the path's abrupt end, shocked to see that the lake was covering part of the pass. The pass emerged a good four hundred yards ahead.
Katara looked over at me with silent thought. I knew exactly what was going through her head. Looking at the water before us, I felt confident that I could do what she was asking me to. Giving her a nod, she smiled with thanks.
Looking at the rest of the group, she said, "Everyone single file."
Katara and I took the lead then, the both of us taking one side as we bent the water away from each other. We managed to part the liquid enough to create a rocky path forward, and then brought the water above our heads forming a bubble of air. Than and his family were enthralled as we took our steps down below the lake's surface. Water surrounded us as Katara and I concentrated on manipulating the liquid to maintain its air bubble form.
Momo suddenly chattered, and I looked over to see him jump through the air bubble and into the water. He swam to chase after a school of fish, and I smiled returning my concentration to my bending. Suddenly, a dark shadow passed over the bubble from above, and I gasped at the large shape. Momo had jumped back into the air bubble, and landed on Toph's shoulder dripping wet.
Katara tried to keep concentration with me, but sounded scared. "What is that thing?"
Something huge suddenly crashed through the walls of our bubble, breaking both Katara and I's concentration. The air bubble immediately started to drop down, and Toph quickly slammed her foot to the rock below lifting us through the crashing water above the lake's surface. Once we were above the water, we could clearly see what had surprised us from below.
The head of a colossal sea monster exploded from below the lake, extending its giant serpent like body above us all. The monster was the color of jade, and had a seahorse like head with a long lashing tongue. The monster roared deafeningly as it reared back its long neck.
Sokka pointed upward in horror. "I think I just figured out why they call it the Serpent's Pass." He then turned to Suki desperately. "Suki, you know about giant sea monsters. Make it go away!"
Suki snapped, "Just because I live near the Unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!"
Sokka picked up Momo then, who was terrified behind him. Holding Momo up in idiocy, Sokka cried, "Oh great and powerful sea serpent, please accept this humble and tasty offering. Thank you."
"Sokka!" I stomped forward and ripped Momo from his grasp. "No one's being sacrificed!" Momo hung behind me by my shirt in agreement.
The Serpent lunged towards us then, but Aang swept an arc of wind at its head, punching it backwards.
Aang looked back at me."Katara and I will distract him. Crystal, get everyone across."
He didn't have to tell me twice. As he and Katara used their bending to advance on the beast, I bent an ice bridge in front of us that stretched all the way to where the pass began again. "Go everyone! Hurry!"
The group listened and rushed forward on my ice to escape from the middle of the lake. As they went, I remained on the rocky platform to keep the sheet of ice frozen. I noticed then that Toph hadn't left.
"Toph! Hurry! I can't hold it forever!"
Sokka heard and looked back from where he was pushing the group along. He shouted, "Toph, come on. It's just ice." He looked over at Aang and Katara who were sending multiple attacks at the beast with water and air. "We don't have much time!"
Toph put her foot out on my ice, and quickly shrunk back. "Actually, I'm gonna stay on my little island where I can see." A huge coil of the Sea Serpent crashed down beside us, and we both shrieked as water hit us. Toph didn't hesitate any longer, and rushed forward onto the ice. "Ok, I'm coming!"
Sokka tried to guide her. "You're doing great! Just follow the sound of my voice!"
Toph snapped, "It's hard to ignore."
Sokka tried to encourage her. He was now standing on the rocky passage and looking at her with eagerness. "You're almost there."
The serpent crashed beside us again from Aang and Katara's attack, and I watched in horror as my bridge cracked from below Toph. Toph screamed as she fell into the water, and began to thrash wildly.
I gasped. "Toph!"
"Help!" She cried. "I can't swim!"
Forgetting about the bridge, I ran forward on what remained and then jumped into the water. With the swimming knowledge Zuko had taught me, I swam over to Toph and got a hold of her. She grabbed onto me and thrashed wildly. Thankfully I didn't have to swim with her for long. Suki had jumped in too, and she swam over to us taking Toph from me.
"I got her," Suki promised. "Let's get to the others."
Nodding, I said a thanks and went to swim with her.
Aang's shout sounded abruptly. "WATCH OUT!"
Looking over in the nick of time, I saw the tail of the serpent heading a straight beeline towards the three of us.
"NO!"
Sokka's shout of horror made me move fast. With a harsh lunge, I forced the water around Suki, Toph, and myself to push us hard towards the passage. The waters assistance allowed us to dodge the tail, and the harsh splash behind us only shoved us closer to the passage. When we finally reached dry land, Suki helped Toph get onto the passage while Sokka took my hand pulling me up.
"That was an awesome reaction," Sokka praised. "I was worried you were about to be squashed by a giant monster."
I smiled weakly. "I've made it this far. I'm not going to let some creature of the sea stop me now."
Aang suddenly landed with Katara onto the pass, and they both rushed over to us with relief.
"We were sure that tail had got you," Aang admitted.
Suki spoke. "Thanks to Crystal we got out unscathed."
"I'm just glad Zuko taught you how to swim," Katara said to me, crossing her arms to calm her worry.
I nodded. "Yeah... Me too."
Eventually we started on the path again, and after a few more miles of treading along the narrow way we reached the expanding shore of the Earth Kingdom at last. When we got onto land, we were all relieved that the sea serpent hadn't returned to exact revenge. Sometime during our walk on land though, Ying's water broke and we had to immediately stop. Managing to get Ying to a shaded area with soft grass, Toph bent a tent for Ying to have privacy during her birth. For the next three hours, Katara and I used the knowledge we learned back at the South Pole to help Ying with her childbirth. Than and his sister stayed by Ying's side, which made the tent a little cramped. I decided not to complain though.
Finally, after hours of labor, a newborn baby was held in my bloodstained arms. As I held the fragile sleeping person, Katara used an old shirt from Than's bag to wipe the baby off. Then she took a torn blanket that Than also had in his bag, and managed to wrap the baby in it. Once the child was clean and covered, I carefully handed her over to her mother.
Ying beamed with delight as she held her little baby girl in her arms. Than embraced his wife and kissed his new daughter on the head. Than's sister joined in by stroking the baby's cheek and wiggling its tiny toes.
Finally leaving the tent, I was relieved to feel the fresh air on my skin again. Being cramped in a rocky tent for hours had been constricting. Finding a stream, I managed to wash off the blood that had soaked into my skin. Once I was cleaned off, I walked back over to the tent where the others had entered. Staying outside, I listened to the voices inside making out everyone's excitement at the new life. As Ying named her child Hope, I smiled. Hope had gotten us across the Serpents Pass, and also through the desert. Hope had allowed me to see my family again. I had hope I would find Appa, and Zuko and I would one day be reunited.
Hope was perfect...
"Crystal... I need to talk to you," Aang suddenly said, emerging from the tent with a serious expression. He grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the tent at a distance from the others. Momo was on his shoulder, looking at me as well with his big eyes. I waited for him to speak first. He let out a heavy breath. "Toph told me your planning on splitting from the group in Ba Sing Se to go find Appa."
I was amazed, and then irritated. Toph had a big mouth.
Aang saw my cringe as confirmation. "I need you to stay with the others. Toph and I both agree that you've been away from the group too long to split off again. I'll handle finding Appa. I know he's out there, and I'm going to search every inch of Ba Sing Se until I have him back. Just be patient."
"Wha- Aang..." His words surprised me. "I can help you! We can search together."
He frowned. "I'll be able to cover more ground with just myself. I can fly over the city for hours if I have to. Besides... I need you to take care of everyone until I get back."
Hanging my head, I crossed my arms in defeat. I knew I couldn't argue with him.
"Hey... Everything okay you two?" Katara had come out of the tent and walked over to us with question.
Aang stepped from me and approached her. "I thought I was trying to be strong, but really I was just running away from my feelings. Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love, it reminded me of how I feel about Appa... and how I feel about you."
Katara's eyes watered, and she lunged forward giving him a hug. Momo jumped off his shoulder in the nick of time and landed beside him. Suki, Toph, and Sokka had come out of the tent as well and approached with understanding.
Aang pulled from Katara with a weak smile. "I promise I'll find Appa as fast as I can. I just really need to do this."
Sokka nodded. "See ya in the big city."
Toph added, "Say hi to that big fuzzball for me." She slugged Aang in the arm, which caused him to wince.
Katara spoke at last. "You'll find him Aang."
Aang nodded. "I know. Thank you, Katara." He looked over at me apologetically. I only nodded letting him know I understood. He whipped out his glider and then raced off with Momo in pursuit. As the two took off into the air, and then disappeared over the bend of the hill, I sighed heavily.
Toph walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry... Once we get into the city we'll also search for Appa. Just let twinkletoes get a head start."
Knowing she was right, I told her I'd stick with the group and let Aang do what he needed to. After Aang took off, Sokka and Suki walked off to part ways. She was headed to the ferry outside of Ba Sing Se to get back to the other Kyoshi warriors. Once she was gone, much to Sokka's dismay, the four of us set off towards the gates of Ba Sing Se with Ying and her family in toe. We walked at a slow pace, knowing Ying was weak from just giving birth. After treading over the hilly landscape for a few minutes though, we finally saw the enormous stone wall of Ba Sing Se.
Than let out a shout of thrill. "We've made it! Look at the sight of it! Beautiful! Just as I imagined!"
As we approached the wall however, using a narrow pass to get closer, a familiar shape swooped down and landed in front of us. Momo landed beside him with a look of dismay.
"Aang," Katara began. "What are you doing here? I thought you were looking for Appa?"
Aang hung his head. "I was, but something stopped me. Something big."
I felt a sudden sense of dread. "What... What is it?"
He looked at all of us. "We need to get up and over the wall. I'll show you on the way." He glanced at Toph. "I need your help to get us up there."
Toph knew he was indicating this to her. A minute later we all were on a rock platform as Aang and Toph used their bending to elevate us up the wall. As we went, I looked out at the scene before me immediately seeing what had gotten Aang so frazzled.
Sokka asked as my own horror set in, "Now what's so big that Appa has to wait?"
Aang pointed at the very object I'd noticed. "That."
The group all saw the machine now as we ascended up the wall. The long drill with its moving parts and hot steam looked like a worm was trying to eat through the wall of the city. On the side of the machine was the painted emblem of the Fire Nation. The drill was trying to break through the indestructible walls of Ba Sing Se, and looked like it was winning.
The one city left safe from the Fire Nation's control was about to lose everything.