Water Lily in a Sea of Fire

Chapter 27: Interception

When the sun began setting, Aang decided to land for the evening and make camp. He found a spot inland, but not far from the beach and a freshwater stream. Chiara built a fire, and after eating a small meal, they settled down on Appa to sleep. As she had done the first night, Chiara lay staring at the moon thinking about Iroh and Zuko, and she was anxious to return to them.

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That night Zuko stood on deck staring at the moon thinking about Chiara. The sight of her mark in the ashes brought a sense of relief to him. He had been worried that she did not want to return, but now he realized she had left a clue for him, something that would most likely go unrecognized by anyone else. He placed his hand over his chest where her diadem rested in a pocket inside his tunic. Distracted from his thoughts, his eyes caught a messenger hawk flying by close to the ship, and he gripped the railing as he continued watching the bird heading towards the land where it disappeared.

Unable to keep his vigil any longer, he left the upper deck and walked onto the bridge.

"Wake me if you see any sign of Chiara or the Avatar," he said.

"Yes, sir."

He left the bridge, and as he descended to the next level, he stopped. It was the floor Chiara's bedroom was on, the floor above his. Just as he had done the night before, he walked to her room and slowly opened the door. He held a flame in his hand as he entered the small cabin and looked around. If it were not for her erhu sitting in the corner, the room might look unoccupied. Approaching her empty cot, he sat down and pulled out her diadem. He held it in his hand and gazed at the swirling metal embedded with gems which sparkled in the light of his flame. He was again relieved at the thought of the same swirling shapes in the ashes of the campfire. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he tucked the diadem away and lay down on her cot allowing his flame to dissipate.

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The next morning Chiara fried fish for breakfast to the delight of the siblings, and she had fruit picked for Aang and Momo. While they were eating, she decided to give some attention to Appa caressing the bison's long fur while he groaned contentedly. After a while she headed towards the beach. Staying in the treeline she sat staring out at the sea hoping to spot Zuko's ship; though she feared that if she did see it she would be unable to control herself and waterbend her way to it.

It was not long before Aang found her sitting by herself.

"Thanks for breakfast, Chiara," he said.

"You're welcome, Aang."

"It's been really great having you with us," he said, seating himself next to her.

"I want to help any way I can. I wish I could do more for you."

"You've done a lot. Katara was showing me what you taught her."

She smiled. "And don't worry about your firebending," she said. "I'm certain you'll find the right teacher when it's the right time."

He looked down. "I'm never going to firebend again," he said sadly.

"You will when the time is right," she said confidently. "I know Master Jeong Jeong sounded harsh, but he's seen the destruction his students have caused, and it's his desire to avoid that. It's not normally my place to disagree with a master, especially since I'm not a firebender, but I've lived with them my whole life. While fire is dangerous, it's also necessary to life. We have to respect it, not fear it."

Though he still had no desire to learn firebending, he found her wisdom impressive.

They sat quietly as she continued gazing out over the water.