One Night in Ba Sing Se
The passage of time had not increased Toph's love of formal functions. Twenty five years after the war, at age 38, she still loathed the stuffiness, the inanity of the conversation, the sheer boredom of such events. If anything, she hated them even more. But sometimes, one came up that was impossible to get out of.
"Stupid, damn party," she huffed.
"Sit still, for Agni's sake; I know you hate these things. So do I. But you need to at least let me brush your hair." Mai rested a hand briefly on her good friend's shoulder, trying to calm her down.
As Fire Lady, Mai was forced to attend far more of these gatherings than Toph. She knew how to deal with them, and most of that dealing involved sneaking off with Zuko to quiet rooms and passing some time there, while the party or formal dinner or banquet or whatever the host chose to call it, continued unabated.
Toph relaxed a bit. "Fine; do what you have to do and get it over with. But I still hate this." She sounded more like a petulant ten year old than a grown woman, an earthbending master and a teacher at her own metalbending academy.
Mai sighed and began to deal with Toph's dark hair, gently running the brush through the thick locks and untangling the knots. She left it loose, holding back a few pieces with delicate pins and then applied a bit of makeup to Toph's face. "There, just put your robes on and you'll be set to go."
Zuko knocked before carefully poking his head in the door. "Almost ready?" he asked, giving his wife of twenty three years an appreciative glance. She was gorgeous, as usual, time and children and marriage making her only more so in the Fire Lord's eyes.
He was regal in red and black, and Mai's robes were an almost exact match, her red slightly deeper and more dramatic. Wisps of black hair framed her face, the remainder caught up in a loose bun. She wore little adornment, only subtle makeup like she had applied to Toph's face, simple earrings and the modest ring Zuko had given her years ago. She preferred it that way, her many blades, cool against her warm skin all the decoration she ever wanted.
"Just about; give us five minutes." Shooting Zuko a smoldering look that spoke of interludes to come, she turned her attention back to the earthbender.
Zuko's heart rate picked up a bit and he hummed under his breath as he shut the door and then proceeded to pace the hallway. The guards had seen anything and everything and didn't give the Fire Lord a second glance.
"Your husband is all excited," Toph announced with a cackle. "After all these years, you still get him going, eh, Mai?"
Mai cleared her throat but said nothing about the sexual exploits she and Zuko got up to. "He's happy. I'm happy. No one needs to know anything else."
"So when you vanish for half an hour, it's to straighten out his robes?" The earthbender laughed again, this time slapping her knees with delight.
Giving the younger woman's arm a bit of a tug, Mai said "You're all grown up, Toph; you figure it out," before pulling her upwards and handing over a set of pretty green and yellow robes.
Grumbling now, Toph dressed herself, Mai smoothing out any wrinkles and adjusting the cloth so that it hung just right.
"Enough," the earthbender complained. "Can we go now? Once I make an appearance, I plan on getting away if I can, unless it's fun, of course, but what are the chances of that?"
"Not very good," Mai replied immediately and then smiled a secret sort of smile. "But I'll make my own fun if need be."
Toph stilled and looked momentarily thoughtful. "Maybe I should do that too." A plan, a devious plan, formed in her mind and she smiled her own secret smile.
They walked, the three of them, accompanied by guards, through a complicated maze of corridors, rich green carpeting beneath their feet. Earth King Kuei, host of the celebration, preferred a minimalistic style of decorating in the more public part of the palace. He was modest and unassuming and did not believe in showing off everything that he possessed. The walls, green and yellow, were bare of ornamentation. The occasional statue or vase stood in the occasional corner, gifts from important dignitaries and friends, but aside from those, the hallways were all clean lines.
Kuei kept most of his favored and precious things in his suite of rooms and the library. He could enjoy the paintings and the sculptures there just fine. And should he want to show something to someone in particular, all he had to do was invite them into his inner sanctum.
"I'm bored already; hope there's lots to drink."
Mai snickered and gave Zuko a quick glance. They had seen Toph drunk before, quite a few times. Usually it was quite an amusing experience.
"Wait until all the formalities are over with," Zuko chided gently. "We don't need you falling down on the dais."
Toph mumbled something about doing whatever she wanted, but the earthbender loved and respected both Mai and Zuko and their opinions and feelings did matter to her. She would not drink until the ceremony was complete.
Deciding against holding the event in the cavernous throne room, Kuei opted for a more intimate setting; the smallest ball room. It could comfortably hold no more than two hundred people. Those directly involved in ending the war, and those involved with maintaining the peace now, along with several important and wealthy families in the area had been invited.
Afterwards, fireworks would paint the night sky, a gift to the hard working citizens of Ba Sing Se, citizens who had made the city great once more.
Their friends, including Aang and Katara, Sokka and Suki, Ty Lee and the other Kyoshi Warriors, Hakoda and Bato, Piandao and a weaker but still vital Iroh were already milling about, talking amongst themselves and with other guests.
"Finally," Sokka exclaimed with a roll of his eyes that could rival Mai's. "Can't you smell the food? How can you expect me to wait much longer for that?" He pointed to several banquet tables that lined the edges of the room and wiped a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth.
"It's great that some things never ever change; makes me feel all secure." Mai linked her arm through her husband's and gave Sokka a smirk.
"A man does have to eat, you know."
"Yes, but not as much or as often as you do," Suki countered. "It's good to see all of you." She embraced Mai and then Toph before nodding at Zuko and flashing him a grin. "You look amazing, as always, all three of you."
Mai returned the compliment before moving to face Ty Lee. The Kyoshi Warrior, still bubbly and youthful, though with an underlying edge of seriousness, threw her arms around the blades master and squealed with delight.
Her quiet and unassuming husband, Gen, bowed and smiled from a discreet distance.
"Oh, Mai and Zuko," she babbled excitedly, "I'm so happy to see you. I've missed you and the kids. How are they?"
"They're good, still in training, all three of them. But if you visit next month, you'll be able to see them."
Ty Lee turned to Gen and her look said, 'Guess where we're headed soon?' He nodded obligingly. He was far less exuberant than his wife but still enjoyed a change of scenery and visits with people other than the ones he saw on a daily basis.
"Great," she exclaimed. "We'll be there. And hello, Toph."
The conversation expanded as more people joined their group. Aang and Katara sidled over along with Iroh. Much embracing ensued and laughter too; friendships had grown strong, unbreakable even over the passage of time, and the group of war heroes from years ago had a bond that many envied.
It took several attempts from Earth King Kuei to get the attention of the room. Though far stronger, more self assured and worldly than he had been during the early years of his reign, those years when Ba Sing Se had been manipulated by the Dai Li, he was still shy and quiet. Speaking in front of large groups was far from enjoyable for him; but he persevered and managed to do all right.
Once he knew that the large group was listening, he began his speech. He talked of the horrors of the war, horrors he came to know about only a few months before the conflict finally ended. He spoke of his shame and his eventual awakening.
Toph yawned hugely, not bothering to cover her mouth like a polite lady of the upper classes, or any class really, should. Kuei noticed and unnerved momentarily, pushed his spectacles up his nose and frowned. Toph winked broadly at the king and he flushed then, dropping his notes on the floor. His glasses slid back down his nose and hung precariously, ready to drop as well.
"Toph," Mai said disapprovingly, giving her friend a nudge. But she couldn't quite prevent the little giggle that escaped her lips.
The earthbender nudged back. "I need to make my own fun, remember, and it's not my fault the guy still acts like a little boy around women. He, he, his heart is hammering away in his chest."
"Yes, and he's all pink and he's perspiring now too, poor guy; and that was just with a wink. Of course, Zuko and I have seen him even more flustered*, but that was a long time ago and he had a better reason. Still, it seems that some things really do never change."
Kuei managed to regain his composure. Years on the throne had been good for something. And he managed to finish his speech as well, before calling the war heroes of twenty five years ago up onto the dais with him. Giving Mai a glance that shouted mischief, Toph pushed her way by her friends, making sure that she stood beside the Earth King.
"How ya doing?" she whispered and Kuei blushed an even darker shade of pink.
"I, um, I'm quite all right, Miss Beifong." He nervously fingered the fabric of his expensive royal robes.
"Excellent," the earthbender replied and gave the king a punch in the shoulder.
He smiled feebly but some of the nervousness disappeared.
The heroes each said a few words, Aang going last, and then they stepped down again, glad that was over and eager to eat and mingle some more.
Zuko put an arm around Mai's waist and together they got some food and drink and found a quiet table.
"Toph's incorrigible." Zuko tried to sound stern but failed miserably.
"Isn't it great?" Mai placed her hand on top of Zuko's, letting it rest there for a moment before reaching for her tea.
"May I join you?" a beaming Iroh asked.
"You don't need to ask, ever, Uncle; here." The Fire Lord pulled out a chair for the tea maker. "We don't see enough of you as it is."
He sighed then and snuck glances at the old man. Zest and vitality still rolled off him in waves, but he was frail too, and he seemed much smaller than he used to be. He'd been ill off and on, fighting to regain his health. Nothing much seemed to be working, though, and Zuko feared the worst. Sensing his sudden despair, Mai put a hand on his knee this time, rubbing gently, comforting her husband.
Iroh was a huge part of their lives and the lives of their children. He would be more than missed. Each of them would be devastated by his death. They were all grateful, though, for the long, rich and rewarding life he had lived and was still living.
"Zuko," the elderly man chastised. "Don't look so sad. The end comes for each of us and when it comes for me, I will be ready. I've had a great life, full of joys and sorrows and so many riches."
The Fire Lord nodded bravely. "Yes, Uncle; can I get you something from the banquet table?"
"That would be lovely, yes." Iroh put a gnarled hand on Zuko's arm as the younger man passed by, gving his nephew a gentle squeeze.
He knew all his uncle's favorites and took a bit of each along with his most beloved tea.
"What, are you a waiter now?" Toph asked when she sensed him at the table.
"I'm getting some food for my uncle." He frowned at Toph. "Where are you sitting?"
"I thought that maybe I would sit with Kuei. Poor sap is being overrun by the ladies and he's not faring very well."
The Fire Lord was still amazed that the earthbender could determine so much without the benefit of eyesight, more than most people even.
"You're up to something, aren't you? You have the same look on your face as my daughter got when she created havoc. Of course, Miyako was eight or nine, not thirty eight."
"You never outgrow mischief or fun, Mr. Fire Lord." Toph gave him a solid sock in the arm and chuckled. "Don't you worry about me. I think Mai has her own plans for tonight."
Looking aghast, Zuko stared across chattering groups at his wife. She smirked and inclined her head slightly, indicating the hallway.
"Oh please," Toph groaned. "Like it's the first time you two have snuck off. Everyone knows. Go back to your wife. I'm off to cause trouble."
The master earthbender was not subtle about it. With a stomp of her bare feet she unbalanced the sycophants and gold diggers that hovered about King Kuei. Glares were thrown her way and muttered words of anger. But they all left, Toph's hands on hips and squared shoulders enough to scare anyone away.
"Much better," she declared before plopping down beside the king.
Kuei's head guard raised his eyebrows quizzically, wondering if his lord would like Toph escorted away. The king sighed heavily, accepting his fate, and waved the man off.
"I'm fine, Ping. You don't need to look so concerned." He took a sip of his wine, then watched wide-eyed behind his glasses as Toph moved her chair closer, so close that her thigh brushed against his.
Deliberately and with painful slowness, she moved her foot, rubbing it up and down the startled king's calf. Kuei sputtered, spitting out a bit of wine before taking a generous swallow. He needed something to fortify himself.
"What's the matter, your lordship?" Toph's voice was sickly sweet, so unlike her usual one. "You seem to be having some trouble."
"No, no, not at all," he blurted out while squirming in his softly padded chair. "So, Miss Beifong, how have you been these last few years?" He was trying so hard to be polite, the perfect host.
"Oh, for….call me Toph or don't call me anything, and I've been great. It seems as though you and I are still the only single people here under what, fifty-one? I'm not counting those harlots that were here before. I can't believe you haven't found a woman yet, Kuei. They're always falling all over you."
He was shocked a bit by the direction their conversation was headed, but refreshed too. "That's not because they enjoy my company, Toph. That's because they want to be Queen. I have yet to meet someone who shows genuine interest in me as a man. That fact saddens me and I'm afraid that I will leave this world with no heir."
"Why would someone want to be a king or a queen? I mean no offense, but you've got no freedom, people are always watching you and fussing over you and smothering you…no way, I had enough of that crap when I was a kid." Toph looked contemplative for a moment, her mind drifting back years to her time on the Beifong estate, the time before the Avatar.
"All of that is true enough, Toph. And there are great responsibilities too. But I have privileges that most people do not, comfort and ease that many will never know." He had been the epitome of sheltered his entire childhood and early youth, never leaving the palace grounds. Kuei knew exactly what Toph was talking about.
"You can take your comfort and your ease and shove them." The earthbender took a giant gulp of her wine. "Camping out with Aang and Sokka and Katara was the best. I had all the frills and I gave them up without thinking twice. No one and I mean no one, is ever going to tie me down again. I go where I want, when I want to."
"Well, I appreciate your feelings, but I have a duty to my nation and my city. I'm obligated by birth, to rule as best I can." His green eyes gleamed then and he turned to face Toph. "May I infer from your statement that you want to be here? After all, no one tells you where to go."
"Smartass," the master earthbender retorted.
Kuei should have been affronted by the remark. But he felt strangely exhilarated instead, as if he had just been invited to join the coolest club ever. "Indeed! More wine, Toph?"
"Don't mind if I do."
Their conversation continued and before much time had passed, Kuei invited Toph to 'view' his collection of antiques and valuables.
"I realize that you can't see them as I can, but I'm pretty certain that you can see them better, in your own way."
Putting her arm through his, Toph walked comfortably alongside the Earth King, out of the ballroom and into the hallway. She smirked as she passed Mai and Zuko.
"Did you see that?" Zuko stared after the pair. "Where are they going?"
"I'm not sure," Mai replied, "but I think that I might like to go too." She touched her husband's knee once again, this time suggestively.
"Um, Uncle, would you excuse Mai and me for a little bit? We need to um, stretch our legs." The Fire Lord cleared his throat and stood, putting his hand out for Mai to take.
"Yes, yes, of course; enjoy yourselves. I haven't stretched my legs for a few years, but I well remember the need." The old man stared up with a grin and eyes full of mirth. Running a hand down his long grey beard he then shooed them away. "I'll hold down the fort, so to speak. Ah, I see some people headed this way. Get away while you can."
"Can't put one over on Iroh, can you?" Mai smiled affectionately while pondering the old man. They hurried out of the ballroom, eager to escape for awhile.
"No, he always knew pretty well everything I was thinking and feeling. And he's the wisest person I've ever known. You're right behind him." He leaned in close, close enough to inhale deeply of her scent; perfume that was initially quiet and reserved but grew more interesting and complex the longer it remained on Mai's skin. It was much like the woman herself and was her favorite fragrance. "You smell so good." Zuko's voice deepened a bit, full of need and want and longing.
"Mmmm, yes, and while we're here in Ba Sing Se, we should pick up another bottle of that perfume. I like what it does to you." She chuckled throatily and tightened her grip on Zuko's hand, pulling him now, down this corridor and that, turning randomly until she discovered a quiet little spot, private and with a balcony as well. "This room will do just fine."
Zuko moved aside so that Mai could enter first and then kicked the door shut with his foot. Pressing him against said door, Mai began to kiss him.
The library was Kuei's favorite room. Though filled with curiosities and artwork and, of course, many scrolls as well as bound books, it was not cluttered. Everything had its own place on the wall, on a shelf, in a corner or on the table. There were comfortable chairs scattered about the room as well with ottomans to rest one's feet on. Fresh flowers in simple vases gave the room a pleasant scent and a cool late summer breeze poured in through the open window. Curtains fluttered, making a soothing sound.
"You weren't kidding when you said lots of stuff." Toph put her hand on the bust of some ancient Earth King, running her fingers across the face. "This stone is old, really old." She could almost feel the history within it.
"That is one of my ancestors," Kuei stated proudly.
The earthbender snorted. "Obviously he found a woman; you're here."
"Yes, well, yes, I suppose that he did…." Kuei trailed off awkwardly. "Have you seen this yet, Toph?" He guided her toward an exquisite tapestry that hung on a wall near the huge window.
She could appreciate the intricacy of the work, the hours that must have gone into weaving it. "There are times I wish that I could really see," the woman admitted with a touch of sadness.
The wind played with Toph's hair and the moonlight gave her pretty pale skin an otherworldly quality. Kuei suddenly found himself entranced. He lifted his hand and considered touching that black hair. He changed his mind and let the hand fall back to his side.
"Go ahead," Toph said softly. "I won't bite, you know, unless you want me to."
"No one ever talks about how lovely you are." The king was musing now, looking off into a dark corner of the library. "They talk about your strength and your skill and your….lack of pretention."
"You meant to say something like vulgarity, didn't you?" Toph chuckled. "No need to be so damned polite around me. You need to loosen up, Kuei. It will do you some good. And thank you, I guess." He was right. She didn't get many compliments on her looks. Everything else about her dominated.
The king shrugged. "I don't know how to do that."
"Finish what you started; touch me." Unlike the king, Toph was no stranger to sex. She'd had many partners over the years, none of her 'relationships' lasting more than a few weeks. Though she was long over him, and her love was always unrequited, Sokka would forever have that special piece of her heart. The earthbender had accepted that reality and was happy in her life. It was full and it was fun. She had friends that she adored and a school she was proud of. That was enough for her.
"I, I don't know, Toph. What if….?"
"What if what? You worry too much." Taking the initiative, Toph yanked Kuei's head down and kissed him thoroughly.
He didn't know what to do so decided to follow the woman's lead and kissed back. He was awkward and clumsy but also learned fast. Minutes later, he took the lead, lowering Toph to the floor and kissing her more.
When the king paused, staring about the library as if afraid that someone might spot them, Toph complained. "Don't you dare stop now; it's nice, more than nice."
"Are you certain, Toph?" Kuei chewed on his lip.
She reached up, removed his spectacles, sending them flying across the room, before flipping the king over and straddling him. "Does this answer your question?"
"Yes, yes it does."
As they walked by the library, sleepy and sated from their own lovemaking, Zuko and Mai heard muffled noises, then Kuei calling out Toph's name.
"Do you think they're actually…?" Zuko's good eye was wide.
"Oh, yeah," Mai replied. "Toph was planning something; looks like she made her own fun, just like we did."
"So Kuei's finally not a, an innocent…..took him long enough."
Laughing, the Fire Lord and Fire Lady made their way back to the ball room.
"Did you have a good walk?" Iroh asked. His amber eyes twinkled.
"The best; how about I get you some more tea?" Mai rested her hand on Iroh's for just a moment, that brief touch conveying all her love and affection, and then continued to the buffet.
"You're a lucky man, Zuko."
"I know, Uncle, believe me, I know."
Three Months Later
"Three in a row," Toph sighed. "I suppose there's no denying it now."
"Did you say something, Miss Toph?" her housekeeper inquired politely.
"Do you know anything about babies?"
"Do I need to?" the woman retorted.
"I suppose that I'll have to learn. That spare room, we'll need to turn it into a nursery. We've got about six months. That's plenty of time, right?" Toph actually sounded nervous, something the housekeeper was definitely not accustomed to.
"Am I missing something here?"
"I'm having a baby. And I'm raising her by myself." It was a daughter. Toph knew it was so. "And no daughter of mine is going to be a princess." Protectively, she placed a hand over her belly. And then she smiled.
*Kuei Awakens for those who have yet to read that story