I Am Not the Last Airbender {ON HOLD}

Chapter Five

            We reached the top, and Macco was almost breathless from claustrophobia.  I rolled my eyes at his distress, “Oh, take it like a man.”

            “Easy for you to say,” he muttered back.  I pretended I didn’t hear him and walked on.  Everyone was required to line up, state their name, where they came from, and their reason for entering the Fire Nation Capital.

            Looking at Macco, I said, “Do you think they’ll let us in even if we’re not adults?”

            “Oh, I think I could pass for a man,” Macco replied, puffing up is chest.  I laughed at him and playfully slapped his shoulder.

            “Yeah, sure,” I said mockingly.

            “You’ve hurt me deep,” he said turning away, a smile playing on his lips.

            We continued forward in our snail-like line.  Soon, we were at the front, facing the Fire Nation border patrol guard.  I heard Macco audibly gulp.  The man was practically a giant!

            “Name, place of birth, and business here,” he said, is voice low and raspy.

            Looking next to me at Macco trembling, I stepped forward.  “I’m Jalia, Southern Water Tribe, and my friend and I are here to visit an old family friend.”

            “Who are you meeting?”

“Fire Lord Zuko.”

            The guard crinkled his nose.  “Oh really?” he said, his voice thick with suspicion.

            “My dad’s the Avatar, Avatar Aang?  You must have heard of him,” I said quickly.  I usually didn’t like to play the “my dad’s the Avatar” card, but this time it seemed necessary.

            The guard seemed surprised but in the end said, “Very well.”  I stepped through the gate.  After Macco said his name, he came through behind me.  We stood there for a moment, stunned.

            “We’re in the Fire Nation,” Macco whispered in awe.

            Then a thought came over me.  “Oh, shoot!”

            “What?” Macco replied, surprised.

            “We forgot poor Appa down there!”  I began rummaging around in my bag for my dad’s bison whistle.

            “Just call him,” Macco said, obviously.

            “That’s what I’m trying to do, stupid,” I teased as I pulled out the whistle.  I’d seen Dad use it before, so I attempted to copy him.  I raised the whistle to my lips, and blew as hard as I could.  It only made a little rattling sound.

            “Is it broken?”

            “No, no, just wait,” I calmed Macco.  We stood and waited.  A few minutes passes before I heard a loud thump behind me.  Turning around, there was Appa.  I ran over to him and petted his nose.  “Good boy,” I cooed.

            “We probably shouldn’t ride him to the palace,” Macco interjected.

            “Why not?”

            “Well, it—er—might freak some people out.”

            “Oh, yeah.”  I had forgotten that most people had never seen an airbison.  Also, the palace guards might see us as a threat when mounted upon such a huge beast.  “Then we should start walking.”

            Macco, Appa, and I walked through the crowded streets of the Capital.  I couldn’t stop staring at all of the new things around me.  Macco and I probably looked like quite the tourists.  People couldn’t seem to stop staring at us, either.  I guess we were pretty different from their norm; we were wearing water tribe garb and with a large, fluffy creature trailing behind us.

            And then we were standing in front of Fire Lord Zuko’s home.  It towered over us, with elaborate doors, Fire Nation insignias popping up everywhere.  Macco and I looked at each other; we had never seen something so extravagant before.

            We began walking up the steps, but a guard stopped us.  “State your name and business!”

            “Jalia and Macco!  We’re here to visit the Fire Lord.”

            “How do you know the Fire Lord?”

            “My father is the Avatar.  They are friends.”  Again, I had to play the card.  I was semi disgusted with myself.

            The guards looked at each other.  But then, they opened the door.

            “Have a nice visit,” one said as we walked in.

            “Thank you,” Macco and I said in unison.

            We stepped into the front hall, lit by the soft glow of torches along the wall.  Our footsteps echoed in the high ceiling as we continued down the corridor.  We asked a servant which way the throne room was, and she directed us down a different hall. 

Knocking on the large, gold-laid door, a voice from inside, raspy and deep, beckoned us inside, “Enter.”

Inside, a woman and a man sat on two different thrones, both wearing red robes embroidered with flames and encrusted with rubies.  They watched us walk forward and kneel before them.

“Fire Lord Zuko and Lady Mai, we come to seek your aid.” Macco said, humbly.

“And who might you be?” Lady Mai questioned.

“My name is Jalia, Aang and Katara are my parents,” I said.

Zuko’s face softened.  “I met you once when you were a baby.  I heard the wonderful news about your younger brother, as well.”

I bit my tongue to keep myself from making a snide comment about the young airbender.

“Yes, well, my father sent Macco and I here so that we could gain more experience in the world.”

Zuko smiled, his scar that covered part of his face crinkling with the grin.  “That sounds like something Aang would do to his children.”

“Oh, I’m not the Avatar’s kid,” Macco said quickly.  The King and Queen laughed.

“I know, I know,” Zuko said.

“Sorry your majesty.  I didn’t mean to imply that—”

“It’s quite alright, Macco,” the Fire Lord said.  Macco’s eyes widened at the sound of his name coming from the mouth of a great ruler.  Then Zuko and Mai stood up.

“We will show you where you can stay while you are visiting,” Mai said.

“Also, I’m sure your father wouldn’t mind a little extra training for either of you, would he?  Wouldn’t want to miss the opportunities that the Capital has to offer.”

“That sounds great,” I said, smiling big and bright.