The Price of Peace
Interlude Three
Summary – Aang, Meng, Aunt Wu, and Sokka journey to the Fire Nation capital.
Interlude Three –
“Nice and slow, boy,” Aang cautioned the flying bison as he held the reins. Everything would be okay. Appa knew how to fly so his passengers wouldn’t get sick. He knew not to ascend or descend too quickly.
Anxiously, he looked over his shoulder at the two passengers. Meng and Aunt Wu were huddled together, the younger of the two holding on to the saddle’s edge with a death grip. She was oddly pale. Sokka was sitting next to them, his head bowed and seemingly asleep.
Sokka had grown so used to sleeping on Appa that Aang often found the young Water Tribe warrior asleep in the stable with the flying bison.
“You can let go, Meng,” Aunt Wu’s voice carried over the sound of the wind. “We are beneath the clouds now.”
“W-what if I f-fall off?” the young apprentice stammered, obviously frightened.
Setting the reins down, Aang walked across the saddle gracefully. “Don’t worry, Meng. I will catch you if you fall.”
Her eyes snapped open. “You can’t fly.”
“You’re right,” Aang replied. “But I can glide…and I would definitely catch you.”
A blush tinged the young Earth Kingdom girl’s cheeks. “Thanks, Aang.”
“Just wait.” Aang took Meng’s hand in his. “We’ll be at the Fire Nation capital before you know it.”
Looking at her small hand in his larger one, Meng’s blush brightened. “I was happy at the monastery. Why do I need to go to the Fire Nation capital?”
“Because you must tell the others what you saw,” Aunt Wu replied, patting her shoulder reassuringly.
Meng shook her head. “It was dark. The uniforms looked like Fire soldiers, but…I’m not sure.”
“Avatar Aang thinks that what you saw is important.” The old fortuneteller tucked her legs underneath her and fussed with her robes.
Folding his other hand on top of hers, Aang smiled. “I just need you to tell them about what you saw them do, not how they were dressed.”
Meng closed her eyes, tears shining in the corners. “Everything’s gone. Why did they do it?”
Aang searched for an answer but found none. Taking her other hand in his, he rubbed them over hers for warmth. Hopefully, an answer would be waiting for them at the Fire Nation capital.
--