Avatar The Last Airbender: Water and Fire [ON HOLD]

Chapter 29 - A Score to Settle

A Score to Settle

Haru's perspective

Two weeks ago, Aang came to Ba Sing Se as part of his routinely task. Normally, he would’ve stayed for a few days, but this time he was on a tight schedule. It turns out he was hurrying to send invites to all of Mi Li’s friends and relatives; to attend her birthday party in the Northern Water Tribe. I hadn’t forgotten her birthday, of course, and I was going to ask Aang to send my gift to her – but I suppose there’s no need for that now.

That letter I sent her last time… she never replied. I’ve been waiting anxiously, day and night, hoping to get an answer. It’s been over a month since I wrote it, and no reply has come to me. I’ve been having sleepless nights, just thinking about how she felt about me. Aang tells me that she’s fine – she’s never been happier, actually. I was glad she was happy, but it worried me to know that she wasn’t happy around me. Endless possibilities tortured my mind. I’d always ask myself, “what if…”

“Haru, we are almost there, come and take a look at the city!” called my father from the upper deck. I stood and made my way up some stairs. At the top, the first thing to hit me was the icy wind. I had forgotten to wear my coat, but the cold didn’t bother me much. I stood by my father’s side and gazed over to our destination – the Northern Water Tribe.

“Look at that. Isn’t it amazing?” exclaimed my father. I leaned forward onto the metal railing.

“Yeah, it’s beautiful,” I said, without much enthusiasm.

My father turned to look at me, concerned. I ignored his gaze. I heard my mother approach us.

“Oh my, what a beautiful palace!” she gasped. “Just think, in a few more moments we’ll be able to see Mi Li again. It’s so wonderful that she’s royalty – there was always something besides her powers that was special about her. She really deserves to be a princess,” my mother rambled. Then like in a daydream, she sighed. “This really reminds me of a romantic tale of two young royals falling in love, and living happily ever after. I can already see it happening before my very eyes… Aren’t you excited Haru?” she asked.

I stared blankly at her and thought in silence for a very long moment. All the while, the pain intensified as we neared the shore. The reminder of her being a royal diminished my spirits. The whole purpose of me becoming a king was to be worthy of her. Now that I knew she was a royal – unlike I, who had no royal heritage – there was absolutely no way I could compare! I knew that ultimately I never could compare; but it seems the more I try, the further I fall. When I didn’t answer, her grin became a frown. An awkward silence seemed to overcome the entire ship and my father looked on helplessly.

“I’m not sure what to feel,” I stated, when I became frustrated with my endlessly revolving thoughts. I sighed in aggravation, clenching my fists and creasing my eyebrows. Without another word, I decided to head into my living quarters to pack. Sure I had people working for me, but my personal belongings were reserved for me to use, unless I said otherwise. Thud!

The ship shuddered slightly, and I knew we had arrived at one of the Northern Water Tribe’s ports. I hurried to organise my crates, before calling for some men to move them. The moment I set foot on the frozen platform, I felt disabled. I was an earthbender, not a waterbender. I had trained to the point by which I could sense vibrations in the earth, and in metal, to create a mental image; this has become my additional sense. Now that I was standing on pure ice, this sense was lost.

I now felt sympathy for Toph, who undeniably relied on Seismic Sense to ‘see’ her surroundings. I ignored the uncertainty that began to fill my mind. Instead, I focused on what was happening now. A kind middle-aged man greeted us and led the way to the palace. My men followed me, hauling the various items we had brought. My parents followed closely by my side, admiring the orderly streets and buildings. We came to a human-crafted river system, which aided transport through various parts of the city.