Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

19

❃ New Beginnings ❃

Not long thereafter, their transportation to the lower ring of Ba Sing Se arrived. The lower ring was apparently where all the refugees were sent off to. As soon as they would arrive there, they'd have to look for work and accommodation by themselves. Keya hoped that the three of them could have a place to stay before nightfall. She really didn't want to sleep out in the open in a strange city...

"Last call for Ba Sing Se!" One of the employees yelled out. The large monorail was getting ready for a long journey to the city's center. Of course Iroh, Zuko, and Keya (they really needed a group name) were only taking the train to the first stop along with all the other refugees.

"That's us! C'mon you two, let's go!" Keya quickly grabbed her rucksack and got ready to leave. The rest of the trio also stood up and grabbed their stuff.

The girl happily showed their tickets to the conductor and stepped inside of one of the compartments. Iroh and Zuko followed her, the former with a content smile beneath his beard and the latter with a tired scowl covering his face. Keya sat in the middle this time with Iroh on her right side and Zuko on her left side. Their bags were placed in a designated rack above their heads. Their seats faced the opposite windows of the monorail train across its length, making them face the open windows where a beautiful view would surely greet them once the vehicle left its station. Everything was decorated with varying shades of green details and Earth Kingdom insignias in the same fashion as the areas that they had seen so far in Ba Sing Se. Small crystals were hung from the ceiling as a source of light. Keya wondered where they got them. Perhaps it would make a nice souvenir for her mother...

"I can't wait to see what this 'lower ring' place looks like. Do you think that it follows the same theme as the rest of this city?" She wondered out loud as she glanced around, hoping that Jet wouldn't join them anytime soon.

"I don't care what it looks like." Zuko responded grumpily. "All I want is some peace and quiet, somewhere where we won't get bothered." His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed across his broad chest. He was tired from waiting all day, the boy just wanted some peace and quiet.

As if on cue, a young couple walked over to their bench. A small, new born baby cried out from its mother's arms, disturbing the fragile silence in the compartment. Keya heard Zuko let out a deep and dissatisfied sigh next to her. A man joined the mother from behind with their suitcases. He held his partner lovingly and gestured to the seat next to Iroh.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you mind if my wife and I sit here?" He asked politely. The train jolted for a moment. Then, it slowly started moving with increasing speed. They were finally off to the lower ring.

Zuko sighed again. Clearly, he wouldn't be getting his desired 'peace and quiet' any time soon. However, his uncle seemed much more excited to sit next to a crying baby during their long trip.

"Of course, feel free to sit where you'd like." Iroh patted the seat beside him, where the lady chose to sit. The old man leaned over to the couple and their child.

"What a handsome baby." Iroh tickled the child. Both of the parents looked at their child with sparkling eyes, a sure sign of affection and devotion- one that only a parent could understand the depth of. Their looks of admiration brought a memory back to Keya.

Lin was seated on her porch with a tiny bundle in her arms. Her only daughter, Keya, was playing in the sand before her. It had only been a few months since her husband, Kallik, had left to fight in the war. None of that worried the little child however, as she played happily in the midday sun.

Keya's chubby fingers were digging for treasures in the sand. It didn't take long for her to find something worthy to show off to her dear 'mama'. The almost-three-year-old grabbed the small rock that she had found with her two tiny hands and stood up carefully.