Sound Waves (Avatar: The Last Airbender) Book 2

Chapter 2 - Water

-2 Days after The Siege of the North-

Himoko's POV

The wind blew through my hair, my eyes dead set on the horizon as I heard the crew move around the deck, doing their jobs as we slowly approached the land of the Earth Kingdom.

The wind was warmer than it was a day ago as we moved further south, it would have taken just a day if I travelled on Appa, but the voyage just to get to Earth Kingdom soil by boat took three days.

Talented Waterbenders helped speed up the process, moving large pieces of ice and icebergs out of our path, and pushing us through the water, and keeping watch for any winter storms. 

Chief Arnook had my ship ready the moment it was cleared that there were no more Fire Nation soldiers within the city.

He was the last person I spoke to, really spoke to anyway, there was some small talk between me and the crew and the captain of the ship, but other than that I kept to myself. I didn't say goodbye to anyone, I had time to write one letter, and that was all that I wrote. Maybe when I arrive in Ba Sing Se I can send a Hawk to give them another letter? But I don't know where they would be at. I knew they would be within the nation, in search of the and Earthbending Teacher but- Which part? What region, town, city- How would I even address it?

I leaned my forearms against the siding of the boat, rubbing my arms as my eyes moved down, watching the ship split the ocean apart as it pressed onward, I could somewhat see shadows of fish in the water, moving out of the way of the big object that was intruding on top of their home.

While I hadn't been really speaking to anyone these past 2 days, I had been thinking about my bending, my connection to the Spirit World- My job as the Adversary.

I hadn't heard La's voice since then, since I saved Karlie, Yangchen hadn't pulled me out of the real world either and into the Spirit World. Or made any appearances, no voice, no apparition. Nothing, zippo.

It was like- I wasn't the Adversary anymore.

But I could still see Spirits.

They were freaking everywhere.

Bright colors, shifting through the air without a care in the world, fish in the sea were in clusters of rainbow colors, it was beautiful to look at until you are reminded that they are spirits... As in dead. Not alive.

And that was creepy to think about.

I didn't see any human spirits yet, which I bargain to be a good thing, I would rather not think about that and how they died, that would just make me puke or something in disgust. 

While also on this ship- Everyone was calling me, 'Your Highness', 'Your Majesty', 'Princess'. It made me uncomfortable, I had grown so use to being called by my first name by my friends... Everything was different now, everything had just shifted out of place.

I was alone, I had nothing to look forward to every single day, 'Oh I wonder where we will be at today!', 'Who are we going to meet?'. 'Who will we be saving?'. 'What will I learn from Aang-'.

"Your Highness." I took myself out of my thoughts, looking to the side, seeing it was the captain of this vessel. Captain Kesuk. 

"Yes?"

"I see that you are lost in thought again, may I ask what is bothering you?" He questions me, gripping the siding of the boat, averting his gaze out to the ocean before us.

"Nothing that you need to worry about, Captain." I replied softly, watching a white spirit float in between us and onto the ship.

"If it is bothering you, you will need to speak about it. Trust me, it helps." His tone was careful, something that I had picked on whenever anyone spoke to me. Especially the waterbenders, they witnessed my scream, they saw how I flipped the Fire Nation soldiers over the wall and saved their Princess.