Chosen by the Spirits | A male reader x Avatar the Last Airbender story

Chapter 13- Reunited

When I woke up the next morning, it was to the welcoming scent of tea wafting from the campfire. I could tell that it was very early, yet it was also very peaceful, with the sounds of animals and trees blowing in the distance. For a short while, I just rested in my sleeping bag, listening to the noises of nature. Eventually I had to get up, reminding myself that Gaoling was still quite a few miles away, and that I was hoping to get there before evening. I slipped myself out of the comfort of my sleeping bag and into the air of the chilly morning breeze. Iroh, who was sat next to the still burning fire, noticed me getting up.

"Ah good, you're awake," he said with a smile. "I suspect you'll be leaving soon. Gaoling is still a day's walk away,".

"Yeah, I'll be heading off soon," I told him as I rolled up my sleeping bag before stuffing it into my large rucksack.

"But before you go, care for some jasmine tea and one more game of Pai Sho?" the wise old man offered, and it was a proposition that I couldn't reject. With a grin, I sat on the opposite side of the Pai Sho board while Iroh poured me a cup of fresh, hot tea. The jasmine tea was delicious of course, and once again I lost another game of Pai Sho. However I could tell that my skills in the game had improved slightly since last night. Evidently his small amount of tutoring last evening had helped. Eventually, it came time for us to go our separate ways.

"Thank you so much for the tea and company," I bowed to Iroh with a genuine smile.

"No problem at all, my friend," Iroh returned my smile. "Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights,"

"Goodbye, Mr Iroh," I said to him with respect

"Please, just call me uncle," he told me, which surprised me. "It's what I'm used to," he added with a chuckle. 'I would much rather have Iroh as an uncle than Zhao...' I thought to myself. Still, I gladly accepted the man's offer with a laugh.

"Goodbye, Uncle," I chuckled. "I expect we'll meet again sooner or later,"

"I expect so, too," he said with a wink. And with that, I left the wise General, pacing off south eastwards again, heading towards Gaoling. I walked for hours through the forest, past rivers and streams, all the while I thought of my experiences in my few days that I had been travelling. First I had met those strange girls, who gave off a mix of very interesting vibes. Then there was the swamp, where I saw the strange apparition of a person who I couldn't quite make out. Finally, there was Uncle Iroh, who was very kind, wise and generous. He had been the first person from the fire nation I had ever been ever to truly trust, and it was nice to know that perhaps there was hope for the fire nation. Clearly they weren't all power-hungry narcissists.

Hours passed as I was lost in my thoughts, and soon it was afternoon. I had started to get used to the heavy rucksack on my bag, and the constant walking that accompanied it. Nevertheless, I was very glad when I finally saw buildings in the distance. 'That must be Gaoling' I said to myself with excitement running through my blood. From afar it appeared to be a large town with a pretty, natural vibe, and surrounded by some aesthetic rock formations. Eventually I made it into the town, which looked as good up-close as it did from afar. I walked through the town's streets, and could tell that there was quite a class division. I wandered past homeless people and slums, but also past large houses and mansions. I searched far and wide for any sign of team Avatar, but found none. The only interesting thing I could find were multiple fliers littered around the town, advertising an 'Earth Rumble Arena' and showing off a very muscular man on the front cover, who was named 'the Boulder'. I had mostly ignored them, but they suddenly became a lot more interesting when I saw a man who looked exactly like the boulder sitting on a bench! He wore the same attire as was in the poster, and he strangely also had no shirt on. I knew nothing about the Boulder, but he seemed like a celebrity to the isolated earth kingdom town, so I thought I would approach him; after all, if anybody was likely to have met the Avatar, it would have been a celebrity. As I paced towards him, he noticed my approach.