This is a story that was collaboration with Lz0291 of Deviantart from April. I came up with the entire base idea and Lz0291 wrote out the first rough draft. The final product however which is what I have posted is the combined efforts of both of us. The writing style is mostly done in Lz0291's though as he was the one that went about combining our to drafts together into one single story.
A couple in the city of Gaoling were well into a long spell of despair. The Bei Fongs, probably the richest family in the city and perhaps the whole Earth Kingdom, would be thought by most to have little to be depressed about. But Lao and Poppy's worries stemmed from their missing daughter. Their only child.
Toph Bei Fong had run away from home, seeking to escape the crushing over-protectiveness of her parents, and having found friends who treated her as what she was, not what they wanted her to be. The Avatar had sought her help in teaching him the ways of Earthbending, and she took the chance, seeing a way away from a life she hated. To be who she really was rather then play a role of the ideal blind daughter for her parnets. She may not have been able to see with her eyes, but was by no means blind. Seismic sense let her "see" the world, and she was perfectly aware of all that was around her, just as long as she was on solid earth
Her parents however, could see with their eyes, but were blind in other respects. Seeing their daughter's true strength in defeating a group of professional Earthbenders with little effort, rather than realizing how powerful she was, they feared that she required more protection. When she fled, they thought that the Avatar had kidnapped her.
They had sent two benders (the ones that kidnapped her the previous day strangely enough) to "rescue" her, only for the pair to have failed. Found trapped in a metal box, Master Yu and Xin Fu had claimed she had mastered the ability to bend metal. In spite of all the stories that reached them of her shows of skill and strength, they refused to ever believe the truth. They decided to hired a professional mercenary to get the job done.
The mercenary claimed he was the best. He had taken their claims at face value, and believed that his task would be simple. A single blind girl, from a band of kidnappers. It wouldn't be hard to free her, or escape.
Weeks passed and the Bei Fongs grew impatient for news with every passing day.
"Every day I awaken and hope for news, but there is nothing! The sun sets, and nothing!" Lao Bei Fong raged.
"We can only hope now, my love. Hope and be patient." Poppy said.
"We have been patient. The Avatar has kidnapped her and refuses to at least yet us know that she is safe! He makes no demands either!" Lao continued to rage.
His wife was about to reply when a servant entered. They did not notice his nervous expression though.
"Master, mistress... There is a man here to see you."
The pair rushed to meet the man, hoping for news. They received it, but not the news they had desired.
"What..." Poppy said, shocked.
"How did this happen?" Lao exclaimed.
Standing before them, was the mercenary they had hired. The last time they had saw him, though, he had looked different. His arm was not broken, his eye was not blackened, his nose was not a mess, and he did not have a limp.
"It seems your daughter is...nothing like you told me. She does not need protection from anyone. I found her alone, unguarded, and when I told her why I was there, she attacked me in a rage. I had no choice but to flee..." The mercenary said, dropping a sack of coins. Lao picked it up.
"Our payment to you..."
"I have to cancel our contract. The risk is too great, she has either bonded with her kidnappers or feels she was never kidnapped. Most of the money is there, except for some that I had to use to cover... Well, I think you can guess."
Lao despaired, but knew it was the truth. For a mercenary, he had shown honor by coming to return payment. But news of this would spread, and future mercenaries would asked for a higher price. Some of them would no doubt simply vanish with their fee and not even seek out the 'kidnappers' from hearing what happened to the last mercenary that took the job seriously.
"Very well. Thank you for your efforts." He said, as the mercenary left. He turned to look at his crestfallen wife.
"What now?" She asked.
He had no reply.
Some time later, they received the first good news of their daughter. A letter from her, explaining her recent adventures. However, they thought back to the words of their mercenary. They were convinced now that she become attached to her kidnapers and was not thinking straight.
However the attempt to hire mercenaries again failed as soon as they realized it was to recover the Bei Fong's daughter The news of her strength along with her kidnappers had reached far and wide. Even raising the price had little effect.
Time marched onwards, and with no further news but claims of increasing strength and power of their daughter and her "kidnappers", they only drew more and more away from the world. Until during the Solar Eclipse of the Day of Black Sun, when he arrived.
"Master, Mistress. There is a man here to see you. He says... He says he will do it." The servant reported.
The Bei Fongs rushed to meet this man, this mercenary. The fear of deceit was long gone, only the overwhelming fear for their daughter who was just fine as in reality. Though that thought never cross their mind for they were far too lost in their illusion of who they thought their daughter was to acknowledge who she actually was.
The darkness of the eclipse made it difficult to see clearly, but Lao could make out the figure before him. He saw a tall intimidating man, in a full body cloak that concealed his true size, but he did not seem physically powerful to Lao. What made him so intimidating, was his very presence. His face was hidden in shadow, hood and solar eclipse collaborate to hiding his face as well. And as he stood there, he radiated an aura that made them feel nervous, an air of confidence and power.
"I'm here for the job?" The Man said.
"You understand the risks?" Lao said.
"Yes sir. I do. They don't trouble me a jot, sir."
"Lao... May I speak with you a moment?" Poppy said, nervously.
"Of course. I apologise, one moment please."
The Man nodded.
The two walked out of earshot, The Man staying where he stood. He did not move, he did not speak. Poppy stared at him, then looked away
"Lao... Something doesn't feel right. This man... I'm frightened by him. There something... Something strange about him."
"I have my worries too, but he is our last chance. If he can save our daughter, we can keep her here. She will see how we must protect her."
Poppy nodded.
"I know. But something feels wrong."
Lao shook his head.
"We have no choice, though. We must try."
The two returned to The Man.
"Again, I apologize. My wife was concerned about something yet that manner has been cleared up. What are your terms to take the job?"
The Man's head tilted up slightly, but his face remained hidden under his hood.
"I will take the original fee, and I will return your daughter to you as you desire. She will return to you, and never leave your side. All I ask is I have enough time."
"You have all the time you need if that is possible for you to do it. Though how will you ensure that she never leave us again?" Poppy said.
"Her experiences in the outside world beyond these gates of yours will have changed her outlook even more as that why she left you in the first place. She will have come to fear your world and all it in tells, she will be changed."
"If we can get her back... She may learn how much we love her for herself. She may be as we always desired."
The Man's hood titled downard as his face remained hidden but they Bei Fongs go the impression that smirk cross his lip before speaking his next sentence.
"I assure you, your desires will be met."
Lao produced the bag of coins. The Man took it from him.
"Thank you, sir. I shall now carry out the task."
The Man turned to leave, setting to work right away, when Poppy stopped him.
"Wait! How will you contact us? What name will you use?"
"Madam, I shall contact you when your daughter is returned. And you will know me as Mister Erebus."
With that, he left. The Bei Fongs felt a glimmer of hope once more.
Ironically, though, as he left, the shadow of doubt returned at the same time the eclipse ended. The pair has rushed to try and follow the man, perhaps see his face clearly, but they found no trace of him. For Poppy, it made her fear grow. For Lao, it made his confidence increase. She feared the very thing he found encouraging. His ability to swiftly move, to maybe even vanish without trace...
It is a delightful irony. The blind girl sees the world without eyes while her parents eyes are blind to the real world. It is clear that she is no victim. She has chosen her path, as her parnets have chosen theirs. They seek their path to converge once more with their daughter, at the cost of her ability to choose. It would be so easy to strike right now. She is weakened with injuries to her feet, her strongest allies absent. Child's play. But I shall wait. The Bei Fongs are blind to reality, after all. They don't realize that their daughter has become a vital factor towards winning this war. To take her now would only increase the odds of a Fire Nation victory. It is better for the many that they shall succeed. It is not better for the few to move now. I watch over them as they continue their struggle against the Fire Nation. Studying their strengths and powers, weakness and flaws. It is enjoyable to watch them, to begin to predict them, to know their power as I see it. It will be a shame when it ends. It will be a shame to end it all. But a deal is a deal. They have won. The Fire Nation's aggression is at an end. I will make my move now. They feel safe at last. Protected now. They shall stay so. Even she, will be safe now. I shall send her back safe. I shall send her back the daughter her parent's hearts always desired. 'That was a great party...' Toph thought to herself as she left the Jasmine Dragon and was heading back to the place she and her friends were staying currently. She was heading up there alone to give her friends some time to themselves. After all, Zuko had Mai, Sokka had Suki, and Aang apparently from the kiss she felt through her seismic sense now had Katara. 'I would just be getting in the way. Besides, I'm not up for being around them when they're all mushy like that...' From the shadows, Erebus emerged. Without a sound, he moved. she did not see him even with her seismic sense. Toph never stood a chance. She never even heard her own soft gasp as his silent hand struck her in the back of the neck. She fell down, knocked out by the blow in an instant. Regardless of what plans she might have for herself now, Toph would now return to Gaoling. Erebus would return her. *** Poppy Bei Fong's seed of doubt about Erebus never went away, and the concern of that strangeness had eaten at her over time. The same however could not be said for her husband who somehow only grew more confident, even as days turned into weeks and then those weeks turned into months with no contact. They had promised him all the time he required but she wondered just how much time was really needed for someone like him. "Mistress... There is a parcel here for you and Master. It... It is from Mister Erebus." A servant called out to her. She was worried by the manner in which she was summoned. Rushing over to the door Poppy came to a stop when she saw just what the parcel was. "What is all this racket about a parcel coming? I was in the middle of doing an important business report..."Lao said, the words for the rest of his sentence dying as he saw the object in question. It was a box. About five feet tall. "No..." Poppy murmured, racing over and yanking it open with dread. "Wait!" Lao tried to stop her, but she saw. And she fainted. He was about to help his wife when he stared inside the box himself. Toph stared back. But not the Toph that had fled. Her skin shone with unnatural sheen. Her face was locked into a smile, an obvious false quality to this smile. Her eyes wide open yet at the same time they had never seemed more closed. Even though blind, there had always been life and energy in those eyes before. But these these eyes were devoid of that spark. She was a doll. Her joints were all ball sockets. Her skin shone for it was now metal. She wore an ornate dress along with ornate shoes that she would have never willingly put on herself. Finally, in her outstretched hands, she held a letter, and a key. Trembling, Lao took both. He opened the letter, reading it in shock. 'Maybe this is not her. This is just a joke that Erebus is playing on us. A sick joke... Nothing more…' Lao thought to himself, unaware he was muttering his thoughts aloud. His servants backed away as he read the letter 'As requested, I return your daughter to you, as what you had always wanted of her. You wished her protected from the real world, and had treated her like a doll as a result. Now she is what you saw her as a doll, rather than what she was. She has played her part for the world, and now, I send her to play her part for you. She will be obedient, she will be prim and proper, she will be everything she never was, but everything that you desired of her.' He stared into her blank eyes once more. He had never seen anything that truly stared back when he looked in his daughter's eyes. Even though she could not see with them there was always something within them. Now those eyes only showed his reflection in the permanent, piercing gaze of the glass. Gently, he removed her from the box and found a keyhole in her back. He inserted the key, and began to turn, in his stunned mind hoping perhaps this was all a dream, or that he was hallucinating, or maybe... Maybe this was still Toph... Something began clicking. Toph jerked to life. Her face turned to see his. He looked at the face that was now no longer his daughter. "Hello father." An emotionless voice said. It was Toph, but devoid of anything. Just a monotone. None of her rebelliousness, no sarcasm. Just a voice as blank as those eyes, and as false as the smile. Lao joined his wife in fainting. The Bei Fongs went into a new spell of despair. They had their daughter back. She was now what they had wanted, in a way. She was obedient. She was polite. She would never leave them again. She was all she had never been. She wasn't Toph any more. They had sought a perfect daughter back. They had gained an imperfect doll instead.
A week later