-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.

I frowned to myself, recounting of a conversation I overheard from the crew, a crew that was in mourning.

Princess Yue did not survive the attack.

I didn't know the details, but Chief Arnook was distraught when he sent me off, he was mourning over the lost of his youngest child, and almost the lost of his oldest. 

I can still hear during the night the crew members cry themselves to sleep over it.

I was glad to have lessened that blow, that only one princess had died that day.

That Karlie was alive.

"When I will be able to go home." I stated softly, "By Summer's End, Aang is supposed to defeat the FireLord, hopefully anyway- So will it really be that long before I get to see my Pappy again? Before I get to run through Omashu, greeting everyone as I run on by?" I furthered the question, a sense of dread in my heart and mind. Kudok frowned, resting his hand softly upon my shoulder.

"We will make sure that this bump in the road of your journey is only a bump, we promise you that, Your Highness.".

---

3rd Person's POV

Sokka barely spoke to his sister and Aang.

He didn't crack jokes like he used to.

He didn't laugh idiotically like he used to.

He was just like an empty shell.

After Chief Arnook gave them the letter, he didn't say another word, just a small bow of his head and a sad smile before he took his leave.

They read the letter when up in the sky upon Appa, the lemur chittering sadly, they had to leave his playmate behind, Alea. They couldn't take her with them, so Karlie decided to take care of her while she rested, despite being healed, she was still in need of healers to watch over her and for her body to rest, whatever Himoko did- Somehow brought her back to life.

Karlie didn't speak much either, only offering warm hugs as they came to bid her farewell, hugging her awkwardly as she sat up on the bed.

Aang and Katara spoke to each other after they read the letter, Katara pulling out the world map Sokka had in his bag to try and figure out where Himoko had gone, using the letter she left them as the only clue.

It was so sudden, unexpected, Sokka didn't have time to process and cry about it, he just felt... Empty.

He felt like it was the day his father left them to fight against the Fire Nation.

There were too many locations of where Himoko could be at, but one of them was definitely Omashu, but why wouldn't she just tell them that?

Why didn't she just say, 'Take me home.'?

Why did she just... Disappear?

The first day, Sokka didn't eat anything, the second day, he only ate a bit of his portion of fish before giving it to Momo.

He felt like everything was crashing down on him all at once, Himoko's laughter was haunting him.

...

But she told him to move on, not to wait around for her.

So, should he really just move on?

Even though she was his first love?

---

"Land ho!"

Himoko glanced up from the scroll she was reading, seeing the crew members move around scatteredly, smiles on their faces as they neared the land of the Earth Kingdom.

Himoko smiled softly to herself, in just under an hour she will be off of this boat and on the land of her home.

"Your Highness, do you need help getting up?" Questioned one of the sailors, offering his hand down to her. Himoko shook her head, rolling up the scroll before putting it into her side satchel. She airbended herself up, breathing in the sea salt covered air.

"No, but thank you." The sailor nodded before asking a question, "Do you need help gathering up your things?" She shook her head, her eyes going down to her satchel. She didn't have much, she left most of her stuff back in the Northern Water Tribe, and she was going to take off her jacket and gloves, since the air wasn't as chilled anymore.

"I'm good, thank you though." He nodded then finally left her to prepare for docking the ship.

She walked till she was at the helm of the ship, closing her eyes as she listened in.

The crashing of waves, the voices and sounds of tightening rope and un tightening rope, the sound of the anchor's chains rattling against the side of the ship, seagulls in the sky, the fluttering of their wings and they flapped and glided across the sky, the wind hitting against the sails, bending of water...

She zeroed in on herself, then outward to the shores, she heard small hermits crabs burrowing themselves, making new homes in their shells, water waves drifting onto the sand and back, rusting of trees as the wind blew through their branches and leaves.

It was a calming effect, and told her that the woods were peaceful at that moment, animals inside resting. Hearing small soft snores from boars, squirrels, and chipmunks, any tiny critter or medium sized critter enjoying their day off on this lovely peaceful day.

She snapped out of it, blinking her eyes and rubbing her hands together.

"A half-mile away from the shoreline if you keep heading South, there will be a group of guards that will accompany you to Ba Sing Se." Himoko furrowed her brows, looking to the captain.

"Guards? I thought I was going to be alone?"

"It's just a safety caution Highness, the Earth King wanted you to be comfortable on your way to the city, but he also did not want our enemies to know that you have arrived at the nation." 'They are a half-mile away from shore for a reason then...' She nodded, a small pause passing through her as she zeroed in on the shore again, listening in for any rustling of tree branches or human voices but nothing, just quiet, only a sudden rush of a single thought ran through her mind, a small detail she had learned in her lessons.

"While Omashu holds ordinary Earth Kingdom Guards, Ba Sing Se has a police force per say, called the Dai Li, the best of them all, hand selected by the Earth King's Advisor."

The words of Karlie from the past rung through her mind as she opened her mouth.

"Is it the Dai Li?"

"Only the best, Your Highness, they will keep you safe during your stay in Ba Sing Se, and will personally escort you there." Himoko nodded, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat.

"I understand.".

45 minutes passed before Captain Kesuk had the ship docked, the side of the ship facing the tree line.

The crew had lowered a bridge into the sand but Himoko just jumped off of the side of the boat, planting her feet into the grains of the sand, her weight adding a bit of crunch to the grains.

"Oh, guess she didn't need it." She heard one of them mutter, she smirked before walking forward, glad to be off of that dang boat.

"Go on men! Set up camp for the night, it would be dangerous for Princess Himoko to journey before night falls, the Dai Li will understand."

"Yes Captain!" She heard them chorus before the sailors began moving things from off of the boat to make a tiny camp on the sand covered shoreline.

She moved further away from the shore and into the treeline, staring at the wilderness that laid before her. She concentrated on the sounds, searching for human voices and rustling of fabric from clothing but still- Nothing.

So the stories were true, the Dai Li were as silent as the dead.

---

He sat on the tree branch, his eyes dead set to the North of his location, waiting, just waiting...

He glanced to his comrades, his older comrades that held more experience than him, they didn't seem to worried about the fact that the Princess was late, that night had already fallen.

He would ask them why, but they were instructed to by their commander not to make a sound, anyone can hear, the trees had eyes and the animals could create chatter and alert their enemies to their location, putting the young Princess in danger.

He wondered what she was like, the last time she was in Ba Sing Se was when she first became the Crowned Princess of Omashu, around two years afterwards, it was to meet her cousin, the Earth King, for the first time formally.

He never got the chance to see her, both of them were still kids by then, him being the same age as her, and was to start training to become a Dai Li agent three years later.

He was skilled in Earth Bending and combat.

He was skilled, despite the fact that others around him still called him by a name that he killed.

He was Sadem.

To Be continued

If y'all don't get the context clues I'm gonna flip-

Anyways hiiii, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

The first couple of chapters will be relatively shorter, but as time progresses on they will become the usual 5,000 wordish chapters or more.

But we have been introduced to two new characters! Captain Kesuk and this mysterious character, Sadem!

He may be new to you guys, but he has actually existed longer in my mind than Adrian, which just says a lot about me don't it-

So Himoko has arrived on Earth Kingdom land, 100s of miles away from where she came and many more away from her friends.

I gave you guys a little peep in what Sokka was thinking after reading the letter from Himoko, but I didn't go too much into detail or else I would have made myself cry and I don't have time for that.

So you guys were spared from further angst XD.

Also I answered a question that no one actually has reprimanded me about it... Yet.

The fact that Alea hasn't been in any of the latest chapters of the first book, and if so, was briefly mentioned and nothing much came out of it.

The reason is- She couldn't be fit into the story narrative like she used to, because of Himoko moving around constantly and her attention being direction elsewhere and not to her pet companion.

So I decided to basically boot her out of the story for now, but she is still a character and is safely back in the Northern Water Tribe by Karlie's side. I apologize for the confusion!

Thank you all for reading and I will talk to you all later! -Golden

Word Count without A/N: 2,210

Total Word Count: 2,500

Total Pages: 7