Okay, this idea popped into my head and it wouldn't go away. This story takes place in the Avatar era/1800's England, whatever it's called. The Fire Lord is like a king, but he's trying to expand his empire to the other nations. Okay, Toph is sorta like Robin Hood, instead a girl (barely a girl. Wow, I can be such a bitch sometimes). She is arrested and sentenced to death. But, she escapes her execution with moments to spare. I would tell you the pairings in the story, but that would be no fun! But I am going to try a new pairing in this story. Try to guess the pairing in your reviews. Well, you'll get the feel for it as you read it. So, here ya go!:)
She ran faster than she imagined she could. Running for dear life, she agilely ran past giant pine trees and jumped over branches that fell to Earth. She soon came upon a rushing river, and she looked back to her pursuers. Dozens of men clad in red and gray armour ran toward her, determined to carry out the orders of their leader. Then the girl stopped running. As they began to advance on the eluding girl, the very ground beneath their feet crumpled to mere dust. One man looked up at the girl, wondering why she was not also losing balance. The man then saw that there was a raised platform beneath her feet, safe from the bottomless pit. He also saw her hands move in motions as if the earth was doing her bidding. The man then realized who he and the other soldiers were chasing: The Runaway. The Runaway was the most wanted felon in the kingdom, always seeming to elude the Fire Lord whom is the person who wants her capture. She is a sort of vigilante. She steals from the rich and gives to the poor, which throws the order of the kingdom off balance. At least, that's what the Fire Lord believed. Among her crimes are theft, extortion, fraud. The number one reason the Fire Lord wants her captured is that. . .she is an earthbender. A law made by the Fire Lord, bending was outlawed at all times. No matter what situation one is in, no bending at all. The Runaway, however, merely scoffed at the pure ignorance of the law. Therefore, she uses earthbending when she commited her crimes. She was the number one threat to the Fire Lord, a fifteen year old girl. The man wondered how a child could be the most wanted crminal of the kingdom. The man then saw a smirk on her face and he knew that she was about to destroy them all. With one final gesture of her hand, the soldiers fell to their eternal graves. She made sure that her work was completed and continued to run. However, she did not notice that someone snuck up behind her. One soldier miraculously managed to escape the bottomless trench and proceeded to follow The Runaway. When the soldier accidentally stepped on a twig, the girl whipped around to attack. Unfortunately, the soldier was a bit quicker. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and rammed it into her cranium. The Runaway fell to the ground, shocked by the great pain the hilt had inflicted. The Runaway sank lower to her knees and slowly lost consciousness.
An hour or so later, the girl awoke in a sort of cellar with a small stack of hay in a corner which was meant to be used as a bed. There was a small wooden chamberpot meant to relieve oneself. The last accessory to the cell was a giant wooden door with a small rectangular hole in it. That's when the girl noticed something peculiar about the cell. It was entirely made of wood. No metal at all. She then started to panic, not knowing what to do to escape. She had been arrested dozens of times and was able to escape each and every time. But that was different. Those were cells made of metal. She was able to find the impurities in the metal and bend it to her every whim, and she was able to 'view' her surroundings. Wood was a problem with her. As she was comtemplating on her situation, the door opened and two people stepped into the cell.
The first person was a girl clad in red and gold armour and a top knot on her head. She had golden eyes that showed her hatredfor the world. With her was a tall boy whowas hooded in a red and gold cloak, shielding his face except his golden eyes and the huge scar that adorned his left eye(A/N: can you guess who it is?). The girl looked at the prisoner, deciding if she was a threat or not.
"Hello, you are Toph Bei Fong, right", The girl asked The Runaway, who was Toph Bei Fong.
"Yeah. . .", Toph started, not sure what was going on.
"I am Princess Azula and this is my brother Prince Zuko. We are here to retrieve information on a resistance we believe you are a leader of. You will tell us everything you know before your hearing today today."
"I have a hearing today?" Toph was utterly confused.
"Yes, you do. Now, where is the resistance for and why did you rob all of those banks?" Zuko stayed quiet, unsure of what to do.
"I stole that money because you already have enough of it and I gave it to people who actually needed it."
"You didn't answer my first question."
"I didn't feel like it."
Toph felt a sharp pain on her cheek. Azula had slapped her. Toph stayed still and didn't even flinch.
"Tell me what you know or I will be the last person you set your eyes on."
"It's a little too late for that since I'm blind", Toph retorted defiantly. Azula kneeled in front of Toph and grabbed her chin, peering into Toph's milky green eyes. She waved her index finger in front of Toph's face, trying to see if her eyes will follow. They did not.
"It appears so. . ." Azula stared into the milky pools that were Toph's eyes, in a trance. Azula snapped out of it and stood up. "Tell me what you know or you will suffer greatly."
"I guess I'll just have to take that risk." She smiled up at Azula. Azula frowned.
"Forget it", Azula said. "You won't be of any use anyway. Let's go, Zuko." As she left the cellar, Zuko lingered back a bit. He looked at Toph, clad in only rags and a green headband. However he noticed that she did not look pathetic or miserable. She had a certain air about her. She held her head up high and her eyes showed no fear. And she's blind. He could harldy believe that a blind person could be so powerful, and she didn't carry herself as a blind person. Zuko genuinely felt sorrow for her, but he admired her as well. I bet Uncle Iroh would like her, he thought.
"Why wouldn't you talk?" He wondered why Toph wouldn't give up any information to Azula.
"Frankly, I didn't see any reason to", she said simply. She then smiled up at him.
"Well, you might be in a lot of trouble, since you remain silent. . .Are you a part of the resistance to take my father down. . .I won't turn you in if you say you are. I swear." Toph noticed that his voice was unwaivering, so she trusted him.
"Honestly, no. But if they are trying to take down the Fire Lord, then I guess I'll try to locate them. If I ever get out of this hellhole", Toph lied. She knew everything about the resistance.
"I admire that. . .since you're blind and stuff. . .you carry yourself really well. . .and I'm sorry you're being treated this way. . .it's not right. And I think what you do is honorable, and brave..." Toph was about to respond, but Azula's harsh voice rang through the halls.
"Zuko, let's go!" Azula was getting testy. Zuko looked at Toph one last time. Toph looked up at him as well, not knowing it but looking straight at him.
"I'm sorry", he barely whispered and walked out of the cellar. Toph wondered what that was all about, but she felt a bond with the boy.
". . . I'm sorry, too."
As Toph sat in her cellar, she tried to listen to the sounds around her. She heard the guard outside her door whistling. She heard faint foot steps as people passed her cellar. She heard everything, but couldn't see anything. She sat back against the wall and thought on an escape plan. Toph stated to wander around her cellar, but she stopped short because she was being held by a metal chain.
"Whoa, I didn't even realize that was-" Then she realized. Chains are made of metal. Metal is purified earth. Earth was her ticket out of there. As quietly as she could, Toph bent the metal into her hand and hid in underneath her shirt. She smiled to herself.
"Come on, get up you filth." A guard had entered her room and kicked her in her side. Toph had dozed off after meeting the Fire Lord's children.
"What-What's goin' on?"
"Time for your hearing, scum." The guard roughly pulled Toph to her feet and led her up a staircase. As the guard let her through the prison to the room where her hearing was being held, she noticed that the floor was made of stone. In any other situation, she would bury this guard down to the center of the earth, but she noticed that if she made an attack, it would give the other guards a reason to kill her. That would make it too easy for them.
As they entered the room, Toph noticed that only a few people were at her hearing. There was a jury and some witnesses. She also noticed one person talking to the judge. As they whispered to each other, Toph noticed she knew one the voices. Azula. She rolled her eyes in disgust. She noticed the judge, who was a rude and heartless man. Besides being a horrid man, nothing was special about him. She noticed that the Fire Lord was not at her hearing. Probably had something better to do, she thought.One person was sitting by himself, looking around the room in confusion. Zuko. Toph was wondering if he was just as confused as she was. The guard who escorted Toph roughly sat her in a chair in the middle of the room. After she sat down, another guard stood in front of the judge.
"Order! Order! Silence!" As everything quieted down, the judge began to speak.
"Miss Toph Bei Fong, I presume?"
"Yes."
"Also known as The Runaway and The Blind Bandit, right?"
"Yes, I am."
"Miss Bei Fong, do you know why you are here today?"
"Actually, I don't."
"You are here today because of your past crimes. Among those crimes are fraud, extortion, and theft. Let's start with the fraud, shall we?" Toph glared at the man.
"You were known as Qua Mei Fong, Lin Hei Bai, Song Dun. Why did you make all of those false names?"
"I couldn't have anyone knowing who I really was."
"Of course. You didn't need anyone knowing your plans to rob the royal family."
"I did rob banks, yes."
"Why would you do such a thing?"
"The poor needs money, and to be kept off the streets. Innocent people are starving to death and being driven to insanity. It's not right, while government officials and nobles have more than enough money. It's-"
"It's not in your place to get involved with theeconomic problems of the kingdom. Were you aware of the fact that money did not belong to you to give to random people?"
". . .Yes, I was, but-"
"Were you aware that money was to fund the war that our loyal soldiers are dying in?"
"Yes, and I think the war is immensley unnecessary. The Four Nations are to be just that: four. The Fire Lord is drunk with power. He's destroying homes of the innocent, he's having innocent people murdered and mutilated, and he's sitting on his happy ass, letting all of this chaos ensue! It's horrid!"
"Well, in someone else's eyes, this war is essential for the Fire Nation to thrive."
"Whatever", Toph said, rolling her eyes.
"You are an earthbender, correct?"
"Yes."
"And, technically, you are not a Fire Nation citizen?"
". . .Yes", Toph anwsered uncertainly, not sure if she liked where this conversationwas going.
"And you know that bending is outlawed except if you are a member of the royal family or a Fire Nation soldier?"
". . .Yeah, everyone knows that."
"Than why do you choose to disobey the law?"
"Well, honestly I think it's stupid as hell."
"Do you think it's stupid as hell to commit murder?"
"Yeah, I-" Toph's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"You murdered a government official, Administrator Long Feng, three years ago."
"I did not."
"Yes you did. Previously to him untimely death, he arrested an adolescent named. . .Jet. The teen was arrested for crimes against the state, being the leader of the resistance against the Fire Lord. Long Feng arrested Jet, but you broke him out of pison, correct?"
"Of course I did! He was my brother and the only family I've ever had."
"Yes, and on the same night you broke Jet out of prison, Long Feng found both of you. He, an earthbender but loyal citizen to the Fire Nation, battled you and your brother, who was a nonbender. While you were battling Long Feng, Jet snuck up behind him but Long Feng struck Jet and killed him."
"That did not happen that way! I-"
"Planning your revenge, you snuck into Long Feng's house and slit his throat with a dagger."
"No! I broke Jet out of prisonand we started running, but Long Feng caught Jet. I was about to get Jet, but he said to stay away and make sure I did not get captured. I said no but he said that he'll be fine. . .I didn't believe him and I knew he was lying, but I relented. . .Three months later, I found out that Jet was tortured into giving information about the Freedom Fighters, the resistance, but he never said anything. . .He died in the prison, after he was crushed to death by boulders." One tear slid down her face. "I stalked Long Feng for six months. I knew his address, I knew what style of bending he used, I knew everything of the scoundrel. . . One night, I broke into his house and waited for him to fall asleep. As soon as he did, I crept into his room and put a gag over his mouth. when he tried to get away, I pulled out my dagger and told him if he made any noise or tried to get away from me, I would slit his throat. . .I took him to a deserted factory and tortured him as he did my brother. . .I threw boulders at him, I cut off his limbs, I did such horrific things that would give a grown man nightmares. . ."
"So you confess to murdering Long Feng", the judge asked.
After several minutes later, Toph responded. ". . .Yes, I murdered Long Feng."
"Well, I think we're done here. Miss Bei Fong, you're dismissed." A guard walked to Toph and escorted her back to her cellar.
Zuko was astonished and puzzled about what he had just heard. Toph murdered someone? He was slightly shaken at the thought. . .but he understood why. If she did it out of revenge, and for family, then he completely understood. What she did was wrong, but why she did it wasn't.
Five hours later, Toph was called back to the room for the verdict. Man, I am so going to jail. I can handle jail, though, but I know that it'll be difficult, she thought.
"Has the jury finished deliberating", the judge asked.
"Yes, your honor", one woman said.
"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Toph stiffened. This is it, she thought.
"Yes, your honor. Of the crimes fraud, theft, bending, extortion, and murder, we find the accused. . .guilty." Sound broke out of the courtroom. Toph started silently weeping to herself. She did not care if everyone saw the tears running down her face. She didn't care about anything. Zuko was outraged. He couldn't believe it. He did not want anything to happen to Toph. He looked at her. He saw the tears running down her face, he saw her shaking violently, he saw fear in her blank eyes.
"Order! Order!" All the noise ceased. "After hearing the jury's verdict, I sentence you, Toph Bei Fong, to. . ." Everyone held in their breath.
"Death."
I wrote this already, but I accidentally erased it, so I had to start over. I think the first one was better, but I hope all of you like this one. PLEASE REVIEW!! NO FLAMES!! CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND SUGGESTIONS WELCOMED!! :)