The next time Piandao had seen the Admiral had been unexpected. He had went off base with his art supplies and headed to a cliff overlooking the nearby Weaving Dragon river. He spent most of the day meditating, concentrating on nature and, as the sun began to set, he pulled out his supplies to capture the scene on paper. Careful brushstrokes accented the highlights of the retreating sun reflected on the running water, precise flicks of the wrist showed the wind blowing the grass on the far bank.
He pulled his brush away from the paper as he felt another presence join him, not wanting to let this new distraction cause him to make a fatal mistake. He looked over his shoulder; Admiral Jeong Jeong stood behind him, hands clasped behind his back, studying the landscape.
"I thought everyone in this army was too akin to savagery to appreciate the beauty of nature." Something was strange in the Admiral's voice, something conflicting.
Piandao gave him a nod and went back to finishing his work. The Admiral said nothing else, just stood there as day faded into night. Piandao let the painting dry before rolling it up and placing it in his bag. The two soldiers walked back to base in complete silence, the swordsman trailing behind his superior out of respect.
That was the last Piandao saw of the Admiral before he deserted the army.
A gentle sea breeze misted Piandao as Kisu bobbed and weaved through the rolling waves. His grips on the reigns slackened, holding on just enough to make sure he didn't slip off. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but he knew that could change in the blink of an eye. He was wary of any signs of a storm.
After his Agni Kai victory, Piandao became well known on base, given a promotion to First Sergeant Officer Candidate and extra pay to train the new recruits in weapons proficiency. A year passed by, he earned his Second Lieutenant rank. Admiral Jeong Jeong had been on duty in the Earth Kingdom for nearly as long, Ensign Zhao accompanied him for further training between missions.
"Lieutenant Piandao, you have new orders from the General, sir." A sergeant respectively approached him, a scroll clutched in his outstretched hand. Piandao took the scroll and waved the soldier off and waited for the man to bow and leave before unrolling it.
"Lieutenant Piandao,
Admiral Jeong Jeong has deserted the navy according to Ensign Zhao's most recent reports. The Ensign will be returning to the capital as soon as possible and news of the Admiral's desertion will be spread then.
Your orders are to select a squad of men to accompany you to locate Jeong Jeong and persuade him to return. If he does not comply, take him by force as your prisoner. You will be deployed in a week's time; choose your men wisely and carefully.
General Iroh"
He stared at the scroll longer than necessary, making a failed attempt at comprehending the situation. No one deserted the Fire Nation, especially not an Admiral. With a sigh, he rolled the parchment back up. He had no time to dally on the reasons behind Jeong Jeong's actions. He had to select his squad and prepare to track down the deserter.
Ensign Zhao had been furious when he was informed that his rival was in charge of the search-and-recover mission; he had been boiling with rage to discover he was not even selected to accompany the squad. Piandao found the reaction most amusing.
His sources in the Earth Kingdom informed him that the ex-Admiral (or at least someone resembling him) had been spotted by a traveling merchant deep in the woods outside Gaoling village. The men set up camp outside the village and began their search the day after their arrival. They searched the woods for a week, finding nothing but a scrap of red cloth stuck to a briervine. With reluctance, Piandao decided to bring in an outside source.
"We heard you can track down any man." Piandao gave a stern look to the burly man before him. He hated resorting to using a bounty hunter, but his men needed a decent lead.
The bounty hunter, Lao Phan, was notorious in these parts for his perfect hunt record and his ability to out drink any one. Three scars trailed from his left cheek bone down to his jaw; he was rumored to have gotten them in a fight against wild tigerfox. Bangs hung over his dark headband and the rest of his black hair was held back loosely in a topknot holder designed to look like a skull. His outfit was nicer than most of the average Earthkingdomers in the bar; a custom-made combination of a water tribe tunic and Fire nation long coat, the same shade of dark crimson as his headband.
"Of course I can. For the right price, that is." Lao Phan gave him a toothy grin as he leaned back, propping his feet up on the wooden table. The shoddy tavern was hardly a place to make any type of arrangement, but the hunter refused to leave the bar unless he had a bounty to track.
Piandao rolled his eyes and untied a satin pouch from his belt, gold coins clinked against each other inside it. He slid the bag across the table and Lao Phan let out a low whistle as he peeked inside. "Consider that a down payment. You'll receive double that after you locate this man." He pulled out a drawing of Jeong Jeong as well as the scrap of cloth his men had found earlier. The bounty hunter took the items and studied the portrait.
"I'll get you where you need to be, soldier boy. Don't worry about that." Lao Phan downed his shot and stood, a bit tipsy for it to still be daylight outside. Piandao followed him out, glad to be away from the stench of alcohol and stupidity that filled every inch of the tavern.
Lao Phan led their hunt the next morning, sober now. He held the cloth in front of his Grizzlyhound and let it get the scent; the beast jerked forward as it picked up a scent trail. Piandao was amazed that Lao Phan could keep a hold on the metal link leash considering the creature's size. The lumbering beast led them through the dense woods, bringing them close to the swamp. His men were growing tired of walking.
"Come on, boys. Iylan is still hot on the trail!" Lao Phan gave them a smirk, reaching out to pet his snarling grizzly hound. The animal tugged at it's leash, showing how much it desired to keep moving.
Branches snapped to their left; Piandao's eyes narrowed as he tried to find the source. Primative Earth kingdom men emerged from the trees, most wearing crude armor made from treebark, spears raised offensively. As his men prepared to fight them off, Piandao caught a flash of white in the distance. Sword drawn, he rushed past the natives, yelling back, "Men! Take care of these savages! I'm going for the Admiral!"
"Admiral Jeong Jeong!" He called, gaining ground on the fleeing man. Jeong Jeong shot him a glare before darting into the trees. Piandao frowned, continuing his chase. "Halt! Listen to reason!"
Jeong Jeong refused to stop, continuing his escape attempt. Piandao studied the landscape quickly and determined the best course, cutting through a patch of bushes to put himself closer. After minutes of pursuing, Piandao finally got within attacking distance of the ex-Admiral. He stretched the sheath of his sword out, under Jeong Jeong's feet; he only wanted to trip the man up, no need to injure him yet.
His target stumbled. "Do not make me fight you, Piandao!"
"If you will agree to come back with me, there will be no need to fight."
Jeong Jeong glared up at him, "Return to where" That horrible, tyrannical place I used to call home"!"
"The Fire Nation is not-"
"Are you so stupid that you let them brainwash you"! The Fire Nation is nothing more than a bunch of brutal savages wreaking havoc on the balance of the world!"
Piandao sighed, drawing his sword back, "I have orders to take you back by any means necessary... I was hoping it would not come to this."
He swung the sword forward, Jeong Jeong side-stepped, moving to counter the blow and knock the sword from his hand. This attempt was a mistake on the Admiral's part; he miscalculated his distance and the sword cut into his flesh by his right temple. The back of his fist connected squarely with Piandao's wrist, causing the sword to slip in his grasp. The blade swiped his skin again, closer to his eye this second time, as it bounced up and out of the Lieutenant's grasp. His hand flew up to the bleeding wounds as the sword hit the ground.
"Admiral, will you listen to me n-" Piandao's question was cut off as something heavy collided with the backside of his head. He sank to the ground, pain spreading through his body and blacking out his vision. As his vision faded to nothing, he could see the ex-Admiral standing over and glaring down at him with one eye. A group of natives like the ones he saw earlier surrounded him in a half-circle. He fainted.
Dark clouds rolled in, wind and waves picking up around them. Piandao feared the impending storm; storms were bad enough on a ship, they would be worse on an animal. Kisu flinched at the first roll of thunder and flinched in panic at the sight of lightening. Piandao gripped the reigns tighter, hoping the storm would hold off for just a bit longer. He could see the shore in the distance.
Agni be praised, his hopes were a reality. The first drops of rain started as Kisu padded onto land from shallow waters. They took shelter under a canopy of trees a mile from the coast until the rain moved south.
Night settled in after the storm left; starlight guided them on their quest to Ba Sing Se. Uneasiness set up camp in Piandao's stomach. It was only a matter of hours before he was reunited with the Order of the White Lotus, with Jeong Jeong.
I still don't know why you spared me that day. I was blind and foolish then, but you saved me... I wish...
His thoughts trailed off as the city walls rose in the horizon.