Chapter 1: Market Square
I do not own Avatar's characters or world.
"The market square is just up ahead" Toph informed Sokka when they entered the Earth Kingdom town. One could already hear the noise of the flourishing activity. The town clearly was not much touched by the Fire Nation yet. It was a semi-important trading center as far as Toph had informed him and he noticed the buildings were of neat stone structures while they walked through the main street.
Soon, they saw the first stands and the shouting of the merchants praising their goods, got ever louder. Toph thoroughly enjoyed her freedom. According to the shouts, they seemed to have gotten into the fabric trading section.
"So, what do we need again?" Toph asked.
Sokka was already looking around for the food stands, but looking ahead, he could only make out something elevated in the square center though. "Well, we need to get Aang some new clothes but we need food first of all. And Katara said to save money,, so we should start with that and keep the shopping to a minimum. Do you know where they are?"
"The food stands? Yep, straight through, to the left." They went through the alleys, past the streams of people, and made it towards the center. Sokka looked up to see the elevated place turn out to be somewhat of a platform with a stone arch. He saw that someone was standing below. His vision was limited due to their standpoint though, as the arch blocked the sight. Curiously he watched out as they went around it. Soon, he could see more of the stone structure and also of the person in between. It was a man. Sokka realized now that he was shackled to the arch, his back full of welts and coated in dust and sweat. Disgusted, he turned away and nudged Toph to hurry.
"So, Katara said we need bread, butter, vegetables and fruits, some grain and I say we need meat, too. So, where to start?"
"Over there!" Toph said and methodically lead Sokka through the stands, getting all they needed. Finally they reappeared at the center at a different angle and Sokka stared at the stone arch again, or rather at the man below: He wasn't really standing anymore, but he wasn't quite kneeling either. Realizing that the chains that connected his shackled hands to the arch above, were too short for kneeling, he looked closer.
The man had short, dark hair, but it was coated in dust and grime and whatever else. His arms, coated in trails of blood and grime, were stretched to the maximum that the chains allowed, as to give his legs some relief from standing continuously. He wore no shirt and his pant legs were in rags from the knee's down. Sokka wondered what the man had done to be treated like this. He further observed him, searching for the man's face that was partially covered due to him leaning against one of his arms. The face he saw was gaunt, but to surprise Sokka even more; it looked young. This man was just at the edge of manhood, but not quite there yet.
"Are you done staring?" Toph said, shaking him out of his frozen state. Sokka made unmanly noises, then harrumphed: "eh, yeah. What's this supposed to be?"
"Don't know! But it seems that he is Fire Nation, and the town folks seems to have quite a grudge against him. No clue if it is him or just the nation he is from." Now he heard some shouts, too. A man had walked up to the podium and openly slapped the boy, hissing something to him maliciously. The boy showed no reaction. The man grabbed him by his hair and angrily forced his head down, then walked away.
"Oh come on, Snoozles, we still need to find a room for us and Twinkletoes, and don't dare pulling the avatar one again, I'm searched by my parents! We will pay for the rooms like normal people."
"Alright alright, we still need a new set of clothes for Aang, though." They went back to the fabric section and searched for something orange-yellow. They got something quickly enough.
"Let's find something at the edge of town, so we can leave quickly and quietly." Sokka said. "See anything?"
"Hmm, yep. Over there." She pointed towards the direction they had come from, then grimaced: "Eew,… the captive just wet his pants."
Sokka first just looked at Toph a bit dumbfounded. Then he started laughing.
"Who is staring now?"
"Ha ha, very funny! Sorry for not being able to not see when I close my eyes."
They soon reached the inn and got a room for them to stay in. Then they went back to get the others.
Aang was walking carefully trying to keep the limping at a minimum, as to not jostle his still mending ribs too much. To have broken these bones was bothering him quite a bit, as it impaired his airbending a lot. As soon as they were in the room he claimed a bed and sank onto it exhausted. Katara immediately sank down beside him to take a look once more.
She was glad that Iroh's wounds hadn't been as severe as Aang's after fighting Azula in that abandoned village. He had helped them and Katara would have felt obligated to nurse him back to health because of it. But Iroh had left them quite soon after to search for his missing nephew again^, telling them he had a bad feeling about him. Katara couldn't care less about Zuko after what he'd done to her at the north pole, but she pitied Iroh for having such an ungrateful nephew. Everyone lay down for a siesta, exhausted after the hours of walking. They hadn't let Appa carry them all again. They had tried to keep out of sight, after the trials of late.
A good smell woke them up a few hours later: Katara had cooked. They gladly ate the newly bought food, as it varied from the rations they had been eating from lately. Rejuvenated Toph tiptoed away, she felt like exploring the city.
00000
Zuko grit his teeth, the hit had stung on his sunburned face. The dirt accumulated there didn't help . He hated life just now. This was no life, this was hell. Everything hurt. He was tired, but couldn't sleep due to the now constant present pain, the hunger and the happenings around him. He couldn't feel his hands anymore. Soon he'd have to stand up again to bring some relief to his burning wrists.
He cursed the ever-humming flies who constantly gathered around him. His skin itched badly, bound as he was, he could do nothing about it, though. He thought back to when he had thought it bad while traveling alone, not finding water. Or on the raft with uncle. It hadn't been fun, yes, but this surpassed all hells he'd gone through. All the humiliation, all the pain, thirst, hunger. Had he still had the energy, he might have screamed, but the last weeks had sucked all life out of him. He wasn't sure he still wanted to live. He'd learned his lesson already, hadn't he?! The boy Lee… He had learned that people were incredibly judgmental. He licked his cracked lips, it didn't help of course, it was a habit.
Another rotten fruit hit his neck. He flinched. Though he smelled the alcohol and distinct smell of putridity, he didn't have the energy to be disgusted much anymore. He just waited for the burning sensation, caused by alcohol, to pass. Zuko longed for the relative peace the nightfall brought, though he didn't dare to think about what might happen after darkness had set in.
He took another deep breath and tried staggering to his feet again. The chains held him in place; held his arms barely over his head, allowing him to stand on his own, but not to sit or kneel down. He supposed it was better than only barely standing on the tips of one's toes like he had seen in the Fire Nation, but it was still cruel. The shackles around his wrists were linked together so closely, that he couldn't even get a grab at his chains to support himself. He couldn't twist his wrists towards the chain in any useful way for his fingers to get a good hold of it. It meant that he was either standing on his own, or else the full weight of his body would cause the metal to cut into his skin deeply. Of course his legs were shackled too, but those bonds weren't nearly as bad.
He heard the words still:
"So this is the proud prince of the Fire Nation? Laughable! You're nothing, a traitor, what made you think you're welcome here?…" He'd screamed and fought so much that they'd gagged him, so he just stared defiantly at the time. How proud he'd been."… Well, I know exactly what to do with you. You're the ideal tool to keep the village nice and calm. With you, they will have a place to put their grudge against the Fire Nation, and I'll have my peace." They had lead him away after that, put him into a cold cell.
How he'd wished for the sun then, his source of power…
Now it was roasting him alive every day. His powers long gone due to exhaustion.
How ironic.
He was in apathy. Just focusing on the next breath. Patient... At least he'd get out of this with better control.
Getting up on his feet again was a pain. And also an utterly humiliating exercise. His bladder had been bothering him for hours already, and he knew they wouldn't let him down until sunset, but it didn't keep him from trying. He had to keep fighting. But staggering to his feet again tipped over the vat, he lost control. Grinding his teeth he stood there, publicly displayed, wetting his pants. He wasn't even sure he cared anymore, it was far from the first time. He was so deep in shit, how would he ever get out of this?
Was Uncle searching for him? He hadn't seen him in over a month. Zuko felt alone like never before. Every laugh, a painful stab at his wounded pride: He swore to never be ungrateful of living arrangements again, as long as it didn't mean this. He stretched his fingers. After the weeks had become thin and fragile looking. He shook his wrists a tiny bit, ignoring the shooting pain it caused. He knew he had blood and dust caked in his hair from leaning against his arms, but he couldn't bring himself to care. There was dirt and dust everywhere, lacerations were caked with it. But, as long as no bender choked him like that soldier had done, he would be okay. He just waited for the evening to come and bring some relief from the burning sun; for the merchants to start pack up their stuff and the whole place to become quiet. Darkness for his headache and a night full of freezing for his sunburns.
00000
Toph silently jumped out of the window to walk down the street. She was itching for a fight and searching for a club to carry it out. She knew the sun was gone, she couldn't feel it's rays reaching her skin. Now the clubs would slowly fill. She entered the street to the market square, scanning the earth ahead and halting for a moment when she felt some kind of commotion around the arch. Curiously she made her way over, stopping at the entrance of the square. The place was empty of merchants. Most people had left the streets already, gone home. But she could feel three people ahead. One was stumbling, the other walking behind.
"Come on, faster! I don't have all night" Toph realized that the stumbling person was carrying something. As she walked closer, along the buildings framing the square, she realized, that the man bound to the arch was missing. The stumbling person fell into the dust, breathing heavily, she felt his heart pumping erratically.
"Get up!" The person tried to pick themselves up, but crashed again as Toph heard a loud slap and a pained grunt. The guard must have whipped the man with something. "I said get up! How can you be this worthless? Can't even collect and carry the trash after the market. Giving you anything to eat really is a waste…. Hmm. I was going to give you a nice slice of bread, but you know what? If you can't carry the trash, you could at least decimate it." The person shivered as they tried to get up once again. The wind had picked up and various smells hit Toph's nose. She had been able to guess the contents of basket the man had carried, but now she could smell the rotten fruit and stuff, too.
"Eat!"
"no" The hoarse voice was quiet. The whip thrust down again.
"You will do as I say. You can't win. Don't make it hard for yourself." The voice of the guard had a gained a teasing quality to it
The man just shook his head. "Not hungry"
He better hadn't said that, because the guard had grabbed him by the neck and pressed down, towards the basket. "Eat"
Shaking, the man complied finally, took some fruit and brought it to his lips. It was clear he was having trouble getting it down. He forced himself to continue even so. The guard was apparently satisfied.
"So, now that you strengthened up a bit, get up!" On trembling legs the man finally managed to make his way to the sewer and emptied the basket quickly. Probably nauseous from the bad smell he couldn't hold in what he'd just eaten, though. Just barely did he manage to lean over the sewer's opening in time as he threw it all up again. The guard kicked him into the side. "Worthless scum" He grabbed the captive on his upper arm and roughly pulled him up, forcing him to stumble along. That was when Toph realized that his legs were still shackled and shook her head at his treatment. He might be an enemy of the state, but this guard was making full use of his power over a helpless prisoner.
She felt them approaching the stone arch now. The man weakly fought as his wrists were pressed into the shackles once more. Just then he was offered some water which he greedily drank, not caring that someone was holding it to his lips. But all too soon that was taken away again.
"Will save the last bit for after your meal, won't we?"
The prisoner growled and pulled on the shackles holding him in place. The guard pulled out the bread and held it out to the prisoner.
"Come on, take it" he taunted, holding it just barely out of reach. The man growled again.
"You know fully well I can't" The strain on his voice was clearly audible.
"Oh, plain bread isn't good enough for our fine Lord? Excuse me, let me fix that." There was an ugly squishing noise, probably some other rotten fruit. "Here, better?"
"You are disgusting, and if I get the flu here, I'm dead." A slap.
"Treat me with respect! After all, I am the one controlling the situation. And don't tell me death wouldn't be welcome in the state you are in. Now eat!" The bread was forcefully held to the prisoner's lips. He bit and hardly chewed before swallowing and taking another bite. Toph felt it getting harder for him to swallow as time passed, but he finished the bread nonetheless. He kept swallowing even after, probably to get the taste away. The guard took the bowl with the man's drinking water and washed his hands.
"You bastard! That's my water!"
"Oh, oops… now you surely don't want it, right?" He quickly took it and spilled the contents to his feet.
"Fill it up!" The prisoner's voice was a mixture between raw anger and desperation.
"You still haven't learned the magic word. My, my. I don't see why I should do anything more for you, My Lord."
"Please wouldn't solve anything. I need that water."
"I don't care, make the next one taking care of you give you some more. Good night, sleep well!" The mocking tone the guard used got on Toph's nerves. She felt him faintly touch the captive until he growled, shivering. Then the man turned around and left, just so. The second guard joined him.
As soon as they were out of sight, the man roared, slumping down. Toph felt him soundlessly sob. He seemed to repeat one word over and over. She approached slowly, the desire to fight forgotten.
"Go away." His voice was rough.
She was surprised he had even noticed her approach. He hadn't looked up.
"You got quite good hearing."
"Leave me alone!" He all but growled. She ignored it, too curious. He had fire.
"Hey, usually people don't hear me."
"I don't care. Go away." His voice sounded severely sore.
Toph continued ascending and stopped in front of him. "Want water?"
Toph felt him look up.
"Don't play with me."
"I'm not playing" She grabbed the bowl and went over to the well to pump up some. After that she approached him again.
"You want some now?" He stank, but Toph ignored the offending smell in favor of holding up the bowl to his lips. He greedily drank again… once it was empty she lowered the bowl.
"… thanks, I guess." He licked his lips.
"Want more?" He quickly shook his head.
"No"
"Why not?" She asked, not having expected a no.
"Because I don't fancy wet pants," he hissed "especially at night. It gets cold out here."
"Alright, alright. Calm down Sparks… So what's your name?"
"You won't leave me alone, will you?"
"Nope, seems too lonely out here."
"I don't need your pity."
"Pfft, I pity no one, I'm merely bored and curious."
The man answered with a bitter chuckle-like sound, then repeated: "Go away"
"That again? Sparks really, get a vocabulary"
"I've been entertainment enough to last a lifetime. Now kindly take your leave, I'm tired." He leaned his head against his arms again, fully determined to ignore her.
"So what's your name?"
Zuko groaned in desperation. "Can't you read?" he bit out. They had put up a shield about him being the Fire Prince, at the beginning of his stay, it probably still was there, though he couldn't be sure, he hadn't seen it since.
"Actually no, can't write either."
The man bit his chapped lips, regarding her with a hard glare. "Say, aren't you a bit young to still be out in the streets alone?"
"hehe, I can hold my own!"
"Really!?" Sarcasm dripped from his hoarse voice.
They were quiet for a while. Toph hesitated, but she felt the need to talk and he was there to listen…
"I ran away from home. My parents were overprotective. Wouldn't believe I could do anything myself."
"You want my pity?"
"Hell no!"
They returned to silence. She knew the captive was keeping an eye on her, but she didn't let it bother her. She was sitting comfortably on the ground while he still was held in place by the chains.
"Is there something behind me? Your stare is weirding me out." The man finally asked.
"Well sorry, can't really do anything about that. I'm blind." She nonchalantly said, just waiting for the reaction...
"You're what?" Disbelief was in his voice.
"Yep, I'm blind."
"But... how are you able to navigate?"
"My secret!"
"Fine, be that way. Not anything I could do about it, can I?!" A bitter chuckle left his throat. They fell into silence again, and once again it was the man who finally broke it with a question.
"How old are you?"
"Thirteen. You?"
"… I'm sixteen"
"Oh..." Toph had not expected the captive to be this young. "Does the Fire Nation always recruit so young?"
"No, it did not. But I haven't been in the loop for a while... It's not like the Earth Kingdom is any better though," the young man spat. "I've seen them try to recruit a boy for just holding a dagger."
"Hey, I'm not saying we do it right. The war makes everyone weary. Let's not fight over it."
The boy grumbled, in response.
"hmm, you might be Fire Nation, but really, you're not so bad. I like you Sparks."
"Yeah, you seem to be the only one around to think that." His voice was bitter once more. Just then, Toph felt a familiar pair of feet approaching from afar.
"Toph? Are you here?"
Sokkas voice carried over clearly, in the calm night air.
"Hmm, seems like I gotta go. Was nice talking to you. Maybe I'll come by again." Toph jumped down from the platform and ran towards Sokka.
"Coming! Snoozles."
What she had missed to notice, was the boy's tensing up at the call. He remained frozen until he could no longer hear Toph's soft steps. That voice had belonged to the avatars companion. He was a hundred percent sure.
Edit 08.06.2019: It's been two years since I posted the first chapters, and I've grown as a writer, and especially, I've gotten better in English. So I'm coming back now, to improve the text both in language and also in logical editing (my way of editing dialog was rather questionable. Yeah, I'm planning to slowly make my way through the older chapters.
I hope it improves the reading experience and I'd still love to hear your thoughts and critiques. - ystävä
PS: this story is currently unbeta-ed. If anyone is interested, please contact me. - ML8991 did respond to that two years ago and I've enjoyed working with him ever since. Right now, he's a little busy, so this edit isn't proof-read by him. We're currently working on getting out chapter 11 and he's focussing on that ;)
Also, newest news. Rene d'Herblay asked if she may translate this story to spanish. With this edit, I'm giving her the go to get started on the first chapter. I'm super excited about this!
