Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

18

❃ The Final Destination ❃

Not long after their chat with Jet, Zuko and Keya headed back to Iroh to get some shut eye for the night. The three of them napped together on the deck of the ferry as it gently sailed to the other side of the sea, with the young Prince keeping one eye open the entire time. He couldn't completely let his guard down, no matter if they were on a secret ferry in the middle of nowhere. In his mind, they could get attacked at any time.

However, no one attacked them that night, nor the morning thereafter as the ferry docked in another secret port. This time, there was no cave-like structure involved. This port was completely surrounded by a ginormous, brick wall unlike anything that the two teenagers had ever seen. For their older companion, this place was a reminder of a different time, long before he himself had grown to be the man he was today. Iroh sighed softly and gazed at the two teenagers before him as they walked down the gangway and onto solid ground together.

Keya's wide eyes glistened in awe and hope as they were guided off of the ferry. This was it! If they got through the border security, then all of her efforts would have paid off. This could be the ticket to safety and freedom! Not just for herself, but also for her family! And if the food in Ba Sing Se was anything like Jet had promised, her brothers would definitely come as soon as possible! She couldn't wait to see them again...

The hall where border security was located was deep in the outer wall. Large cues of tired refugees were lined up side by side, each leading to a single brick office with a bored officer inside. Every now and then, pleading refugees were dragged away. Their desperate exclaims echoed in the endless halls, accompanied by the officers yelling 'Next!'. Keya's eyes followed one particular cabbage merchant as he was dragged off. She shuddered and hoped that they wouldn't meet the same fate.

Pale, green crystals provided a soft glow across the hall. The crystal lights did not reach very far and were only mounted on the lower walls, giving the stacked arches above the illusion that they climbed up forever and ever into darkness. Behind the arches, many guards patrolled the entrances and exits diligently. Their uniforms looked sleek and modern, unlike the shabby green garbs that the other Earth Kingdom soldiers usually wore. A giant banner was hung up above the entrances. Keya struggled to read it for a bit, not having had the luxury of a fancy education, but she understood the letters nonetheless.

"Your presence is honoured in Ba Sing Se...?" She muttered out loud. Zuko glanced at her and followed her gaze to the banner.

"That's the formal scripture, it just means 'Welcome to Ba Sing Se'." He corrected her casually.

"Oh," she said, "then why not just say 'welcome' like normal people?"

Zuko scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Look at this place. Does it look like they actually want to welcome us? I'd say they're letting us know where we stand."

"And where's that?" Keya turned to him, already suspecting his answer before he said it.

"On the bottom of the food chain." His raspy voice grew softer when a patrolling guard walked by. The guard's black boots stopped as he glanced at the two with a hostile look in his eye. Zuko turned away from him to avoid showing him his scar. The guard looked at them for a moment and continued his patrol. The two teens were left in silence as they waited again.

Slowly but surely, their queue moved forward. After an hour or two they finally reached the immigration desk. The desk itself was surrounded by a small, brick stall. A big lady sat inside. Both her outfit and the chronically displeased look on her face perfectly matched the ticket lady that they had met in Full Moon Bay. Keya noticed that the woman had a large wart on her face that moved when she frowned and scowled. She kept her left hand on her father's old dagger to calm her nerves as Iroh handed the woman their fake passports. Stay calm and don't freak out...