Hello! This is just a oneshot/drabble thing about the cabbage merchant, THE most important dude in Avatar. :P It's pretty much his point of view from that day in Omashu… I gave him a name so he shall be referred to by said name. R&R PLEASE! But be nice please!
Oh, and I don't own Avatar!
The Cabbage Merchant (who did happen to have a name, Daichi) was pushing his cabbage cart down the road, humming happily to himself. Daichi was a thirty-seven year old man with grey hair (growing cabbages induces quite a bit of stress, you know) and dark green eyes. He was fairly tan and wasn't very short or tall. He was normal, in a way.
Anyways, he had finally left his dingy little Earth Kingdom hometown and was headed for the grand city of Omashu to pursue his lifelong dream of-get ready for it-selling cabbages! Ok, that wasn't really his lifelong dream, but it was what he wanted to do until he became supreme ruler of the Earth Kingdom. Hey, a guy could dream.
Daichi gasped and stopped in his tracks, although he made sure that his precious cabbages stayed in the cart. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, coming from a small town, but this was just massive. The city was surrounded by a deep canyon, carved on a massive hill/mountain. As he got nearer, he could see that the gates were massive as well, towering at least thirty feet high. Two rather mean looking guards in green Earth Kingdom uniforms stood at the base of it. They didn't look at all happy about being disturbed.
"What do you want?" the taller man asked with a sneer, eyeing Daichi's cart.
Daichi grabbed three cabbages and walked up to the man, saying as he did so, "Sir, I sell the finest cabbages in all of the Earth Kingdom. If you could permit me to enter Omashu, I-"
"Cabbages? What kind of a slum do you think this is?" the guard yelled, crushing a cabbage and knocking the other two from his hands. Daichi clutched his face as the guard proceeded to use an earthbending move that knocked his cabbage cart up, up, up into the air and over the side of the cliff.
"MY CABBAGES!" he screamed, the agony obvious. "MY PRECIOUS CABBAGES!" What's worse, some no-good kids and their grandfather had seen the whole thing! It was a nightmare!
Sobbing, he ran past the kids, heading for his back-up cabbage cart. (Every serious cabbage merchant knows that you need a back-up cart.) He could hear the gates opening for the kids as he ran away.
Daichi was heading down the road again, no longer humming or smiling. The guard had ruined his precious cabbages! The NERVE of him! Daichi had waited with his back-up cart until the somebody had come to take the next shift. It was a woman, with kind, earthy brown eyes. He was confident he could get through this time.
"Hello Sir, what is your business today?"
Daichi smiled, now brimming with confidence. "I'm here to sell my cabbages of course!" The lady smiled, then shouted to the earthbenders at the top of the doors. "LET HIM IN!" she shouted. The immense doors slowly slid open requiring the efforts of six earthbenders. Although he wanted to, Daichi had no time to gap at the towering mail system or the complexity of the city's design. He had cabbages to sell!
Daichi wheeled his cart next to a rather nice looking pottery store that seemed to be making a lot of business. He was sure that he would sell tons of cabbages here! He picked up a rather silky one and rubbed it against his cheek. "Ahh…" he sighed, savoring the moment. His ears suddenly perked up. Something was flying right overhead. Something that was headed right towards…
"MY CABBAGES!" You kids are gonna pay for this!" Daichi jumped up in down in his rage. Those no-good kids from earlier had just totally destroyed his SECOND cart with a mail basket! Completely smashed it! It cut him to the core to see his dear cabbages torn apart by this madness. A guard came and put his hand on the kids shoulders.
"Come on you three, you have some explaining to do." Daichi rung his hands eagerly. He was going to follow these kids and make sure they got justice.
"…and malicious destruction of cabbages," one of the guards who had arrested those cabbage-destroying convicts was telling King Bumi their charges. King Bumi looked pretty crazy, his robe was dark green, his crown had HUGE horns, and one eye was open wider than the other. Daichi smiled gleefully to himself.
"What should their punishment be, Sir?" King Bumi stared down at the little bald kid with the arrows, considering him. Daichi felt like he just had to share his idea for punishment.
"Of with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!" he screamed, spit flying from his lips.
"Quiet! Only the King may pass judgment!"
Daichi grumbled under his breath. It was something about how they had utterly destroyed his cart. He was, of course, ignored. The kids tried to look as innocent as possible, but Daichi could see right through their beady little eyes.
"Throw them…" the King started. Daichi was biting his nails in anticipation.
"…a feast!" Bumi exclaimed. "Noooo!" Daichi shouted, slapping his face, thinking of what an idiot that King was. These kids should be beheaded for their crimes! Looking around the room, he could see that the guards were confused as well. Grumbling, Daichi exited the throne room to go find another cart of cabbages. This time, he would have to steal one. And if those kids crushed it…ohhhh, would they regret it…
Daichi groaned as he flopped into bed. Today had not gone well. After wandering around the city, searching for fellow cabbage merchants, he realized that he was the only one of his trade in the city. He had had to walk all the way back to his hometown and put up with the annoying little kids and teens that mocked him for selling cabbages. Then, he had to load up two more carts and walk all the back to Omashu. He was exhausted and his feet had blisters. There was some good news, though! His new cabbages were better than ever! …Okay…it wasn't that great…but he needed one little ray of sunshine in his life at the moment. He was hoping that tomorrow would be at least a little better…
Daichi smiled. He was happy. Really happy. His day had gone perfectly! He had sold over half of his cabbages, which was much more than he had hoped to sell in the first place. The sun was bright, those pesky cabbage-killers were nowhere to be found, nothing could possibly go wrong! As he packed up his cart to go to lunch, (which would be something involving cabbages, of course) he began to wonder where the cabbage-killers had gone. Had King Bumi let them go, perhaps? Maybe he had poisoned their food. With that happy thought on his mind, he began to wheel his cart away until a whistling noise filled his ears…something that sounded suspiciously like a mail cart…he managed to jump out of the way just in time. His cabbage cart, on the other hand…CRASH!
"MY CABBAGES!"
Did ya like it? I hope so, if you did, tell me! I might add another chapter if I get enough reviews!
FINAL UPDATE: EIGHT REVIEWS! SQUEE! Anywho, I'm going to be writing another oneshot, hopefully it will be done soon!
Now review. Every time you don't review, Daichi's cart is smashed. We don't want that now, do we?