The White Assassin

Ch. 5 - Wind Seeker

I've been living in the village of Salerno for almost a month. I haven't used my bending skills in any fights however due to the fact that I'm in a non-bending village. Although, once a week I sneak out at night and become the White Assassin; just to keep my skills up to par. All the towns folk are kind and caring like parents. There aren't many children in the village however which is strange, I would've thought there'd be at least a couple families. There are only older gentlemen and women living in the cottages and houses near where I'm staying. That nice older woman is still taking care of me, I later found out that her name is Muriel. She was married and had children at the age of 20 but her husband has been in the war ever since her second child was born. I kind of felt bad for her in a way. Her husband left as soon as she had her second child, he left her alone to deal with two kids by herself. I can't tell if he's just a jerk or if he just wanted to get away from life. She hopes he comes back for her when the war is over and her children can finally meet their father, since they were too young to remember who he was. Although it must've been tough, she seems to be doing rather well for herself. What a strong and kind woman.

I was out in the town purchasing groceries for lunch. It was around noon time and the bustling streets made the carrying all the more hard. They were cloth bags and in them I carried carrots, corn, broccoli, cabbages and other vegetables. Meat was already provided at Muriel's home since she lives on a farm, she raises her own cows and chickens. I remember when we had some horses back in the palace. I had a black horse named Shadow and he was the sweetest horse there ever was. His favorite treats were sugar cubes and whole apples. He never really enjoyed staying in the stables though. Mother and father said that he was a wild horse before they brought him into the castle. I took him out to ride every day and sometimes I had night rides. I would feel the wind blow past my ears and make a blowing sound. His hooves hitting the dirt trails and the trees whizzing past us was how I found my love of nature and animals. I miss Shadow, he was one of my great companions when I was alone at that place. I hope he's doing well.

I made my way back to the cottage and passed many other houses on my way. I saw Muriel's and walked inside. The house was quiet and seemed desolate. I made my way over to the kitchen and placed the bags on the counter. "Muriel, I'm home!" I said. My voice echoed throughout the house. 'Hm.' I thought. 'Where could she be?' I looked around and I saw that she wasn't home. I checked all the rooms and the basement but there was no sign of her. 'Maybe she went to work early? I mean she does work at the local food markets.' I put the vegetables away in the cupboards and icebox. I looked at the sun dial and saw that it was around 1:00 pm. 'Let's go for a walk. I'll leave Muriel a note.' I thought. I found some paper and a pencil. I told her that I would go out for a walk and return in about an hour or two.

I walked outside the cottage and made my way back towards the food markets. Although they weren't the prettiest things in the world, I enjoyed visiting them. The smell of the produce and the sound of people made me feel happy. I felt as though I had found a place where I finally belong and I never wanted to leave. Then again, I wonder how the avatar is doing on his journey. Why should I care? He's the one that wanted to go up against the lord of the fire nation! He can get himself killed for all I care, but it seems as though I don't want him to fight the lord. Not because I'm afraid he'll lose. But because I don't want to see him get hurt, I guess I still have feelings for the guy. 'Pull yourself together Hale!' I shouted to myself in my head. 'You were just a nuisance to them, stop thinking about it!' I walked towards the main circle in the middle of the village when a crowd of people caught my eye. I heard screaming and cries for help near it and I rushed to the scene.

When I arrived I pushed some people out of the way so I could see what was happening. There was an old man laying on the ground in the middle of a pathway. He had a burn mark on his back and his hand was covering it, trying to soothe the pain. Behind, towering over him, were three fire nation soldiers. The one in the middle had a smoky fist and that's when I knew that they had done this to this man. "We're not done old man!" The one in the middle exclaimed. He was getting angrier by the minute. "Get up! I'm not through with you!" The old man laid on the ground still clutching his back in pain. He didn't even move a muscle, the only reason I knew he was alive was because he was moaning and trying to speak up to the soldiers. 'He's brave.' I thought. The three looked at each other and then back at the old man. The one in the middle lit his fist on fire and aimed it at the man. "This is the last time, you defy the fire nation!" He exclaimed. He prepared an attack that was aimed right at the mans head. 'I have to do something!' I thought.

Before the attack was fired I threw my cloak into the crossfire and the fire hit my cloak. It burned into ash immediately after the fireball hit the cloth. The soldiers gasped and so did the crowd but all that was seen was the old man being protected by a girl. Me. I knelt down beside the man who was clutching his wound. "Don't worry sir, I'm going to help you." I told him. I gave him a soft smile and he looked at me with a face of shock. Maybe people don't get saved too often around here.

While I was still looking at the man, one of the fire nation soldiers spoke up. "How dare you save this man!" They said. I sat up and looked over at the three soldiers. I tried to glare at them with the hardest glare I could but deep down I felt fear in the pit of my stomach. "He has disobeyed our orders and you save him? You would dare save a criminal?!" The one on the left shouted.

"Just because he disobeyed your orders doesn't mean that he's a criminal." I stated. I crossed my arms and they looked at me in anger. "Sorry to say this guys, but not everyone is going to like the orders that you put forth. One of these days, citizens may rise up and leave to go overthrow the fire nation. They may not like what you do and try to rule the nation as a whole. It's not this man's fault that he has a brain and is smart enough to stay down when he's wounded. Which, by the way, wouldn't have happened if his so called 'protectors' weren't being as prickly as a cactus!" I exclaimed. I had my hands in fists and I was full out screaming at the soldiers. They glared at me and their fists lit up in fire. 'Oh no.' I thought.

"Listen here, girly." The middle one stated. "We are the rulers of this village." He began to walk towards me with every sentence, every word his flame became bigger and hotter. "When we say something, villagers follow those statements. When we feel threatened we will take action, and brutally." He raised his hand into a fist and brought it right in front of my face. The villagers may have not realized it, but I stopped the punch short with my air bending. Therefore, the flames were extinguished and all the was in front of me was a bare, pale fist. The soldier's eyes widened and I smirked.

"Sorry." I stated. "But I'm a human being, and I follow my own rules." I grabbed his fist and threw him back into the other two soldiers. They all fell down and grunted when they hit the floor. I looked down at the old man who was now being aided by a woman in the crowd. I walked over towards him and knelt in front of him. "Would you mind showing me your burns?" I asked. He nodded and he lifted his tunic to show me the third degree burns. The skin was still bubbling from the heat and the flesh was burnt to a crisp. I closed my eyes and controlled the wind so it healed his wound. No longer would there be a burn on his back. I finished my healing and I opened my eyes to see the villagers looking at me in awe. I stood up and apologized to the man for having this happen to him. He thanked me for my kindness and I made my way back to Muriel's home, not even bothering to look back at the fire soldiers. As I was walking away all I could hear was the old man's words. "I was just saved by the Wind Seeker."