This is the fifth part on the story where do we go from here. If you haven't read the first four parts, then it wont stop you from understanding this part completely, but there are going to be a few things that might not make any sense to you. So it would be a good idea to read them first, or read the summaries. If you have fallowed the story, then I hope you have enjoyed it so far, and will enjoy this part.
As always please review, it really dose make a big difference to me. Even a little one. thank you.
"Sokka wake up" Katara sighed. They had been stuck in the same room for most of the morning. The room was part of the underground section on the palace at Omasha, and at the height of summer, Like now it was not a very comfortable place to be for too long. Sokka had been lulled back to sleep by the growing heart in the room. He was rudely woken a little by his sister, but it was the chair being pulled out from under him and hitting the floor, that really woke him up.
"Morning snozzles" Toph stood in the doorway arms crossed, with a huge grin on her face.
Katara was trying not to laugh, as she was mad at Toph from keeping them waiting all this time. "it's not Morning any more." despite the threat of laughter, she was able to keep her voice steady, and hopefully stern.
"Ok, afternoon Snozzeles." she finally lifted her blind gaze to Katara as best as she could. "Sweetness." her tone matched the word she spoke perfectly. Katara had let out another sigh as she leaned back in her chair. Something told her this was going to be a very long meeting.
"You did that didn't you." Sokka had finally got his voice back, as he recovered from the shock of falling to the ground with no warning. He was sending Toph an evil glare as best as he could, as he pulled his chair back up. The glare didn't work, not just because she was blind.
"The earth kingdom ambassador, and the water tribe ambassador have more important thing to talk about. Than your lake of balance." She finally moved to enter the room, setting down on the chair closest to her. The huge table that the chair surrounded was the focal point of the room taking up much of the room. Giving all three a safe distance from each other if things turned nasty. As the room was used for the meeting of the nobles of the earth kingdom, meeting Toph more often than not was forced to attend, she had to assume that that was the point. "But yes I did."
Before he was able to say anything Katara spoke up to silence him "We should get started." She was now able to get the proper stern tone to her voice.
Toph leaned back on her chair, balancing on the two back legs comfortably, as if she hadn't heard the tone of Katara's voice. "So I take it we are not going to be honoured with the presence of the new fire lord."
"I was hoping you would have some news." Katara's voice now had a worried tone to it.
"Nope." was all Toph could say to answer her question. Both siblings could hear the announce in her voice.
Ever since Zuko had been crowned fire lord at the end of winter, all of the progress that had been made over the three years since the end of the war, just seemed to stop. There weren't getting anywhere. It appeared that the citizens of the earth kingdom, and the water tribes where happy to have Iroh as the fire lord, but Zuko was a different matter entirely. They just didn't seem to trust him. He had tried to gain their trust, but it was taking its toll on him. Slowly he began to pull out of meetings like this one. He left the maintaing balance of the four nations to Toph and Katara, as Aang had still not returned.
They had been pushing themselves to their limits. They both had other jobs to do as well as being ambassadors. Katara had two classes of students, one in the south and the other in the north. Toph still spent a lot of her time rebuilding villages in the earth kingdom and the fire nation, she also was called in to do jobs for the earth king, and Bumi. They needed his help, but he could no longer be the ambassador for the fire nation. He had to appoint a new one, unfortunately no one would take on the job. Many of the nobles in the fire nation didn't except him as the fire lord either. They hoped that by stopping him from filling his old job, it would force him to return to it.
"I think Sokka was right." Toph's comment came out of no where.
"Well of course I am, but what about exactly."
"What you said about Zuko." Toph was still sitting on the tilted chair, and didn't seem to be that interested in the conversation, Even though she was the one who started it. Katara felt an uneasy feeling building up in the pit of her stomach. Toph clearly had something in mind to deal with the Zuko problem. That would have been worrying enough, but the fact that her idea, was a plan of sokka's was to much.
"What did I say about Zuko." Sokka was at a total loss. For once Toph his biggest sceptic, had said he was right, and he had no idea what she was talking about. The same feeling of unease started to come over him. Katara was just as confused, but by the way Toph was acting she didn't think she was going to like what she was going to say. She had a mad idea of what the younger girl was taking about, and didn't like it one bit.
"You said that it if he married a noble women form the earth kingdom, then he would be trusted more. Making it easier for everyone. Mainly for us to do the jobs we are meant to do, to the best of our abilities. It will also make his life a lot easier." as she finished speaking she sat the chair back fully on the floor. Resting her crossed arms on the table.
"So, you found someone to marry him." Sokka was still very confused, the more she talked the bigger his headache got. Like when they first meet.
Katara on the other hand, had finally figured it out "You can't be serious" her mad idea was right.
"Would you rather marry him." that was all it took to silence her, and Toph knew that was all it would take. She continued thou, to make her point. "Cause I'm sure the ambassador from the water tribe will be just as good as the earth one." Katara who had also been resting her arms on the table moved them off, as she slumped back in the chair. Toph could feel how irritated the waterbender was, so she tired to pacify her. "It makes sense, and you know it dose."
The older benders mouth opened as she was about to speak, but closed again as there was nothing she could think of to say. Nothing that could make any sense out of this whole thing.
"I' m going to the fire nation now to speak to Zuko." Slowly as if she was waiting for one of her friends to say something, she got to her feet. She had just given them very shocking, unexpected news, and she knew they had a lot to say about it, they just were in to much shock right now to say anything.
"Wait, Wait so Zuko doesn't know about this idea of yours." Sokka had finally caught up with what was going on.
"No I haven't spoken to him, I was hoping he would be here, so we could all discuss it, but he seems to be to much work for him. So now I have to go and see him….And it was your idea, not mine."
"This wasn't what I had in mine…"
"Is that really the only reason you're doing this." Katara had finally found her voice. Toph turned to face her. It was more for Katara's benefit than hers.
"Yes it is. Deep down you know there isn't any other way." with that Toph silenced Katara, as she knew she was right, but there was also an other reason she kept quiet. Toph could tell exactly what it was.
"Tell me you love him, and I wont say anything more about any of this."
Again the older girls mouth wanted to say something, but couldn't "I can't do that." a part of Katara wished she could say it, but something stopped her, fear.
The tone in her voice sounded so disappointed, Toph felt she had to say something. "Any time you can say it, no matter how far along it may get. We'll put a stop to it. I promice." Katara was a little reassured by Toph's promise, as she knew her well enough to know she would keep her word.
Toph maybe blind, but she knew that there was something between Zuko and Katara. She had done for as long as she had known them. She didn't what to get in the way of that, but she had to do something to help maintain the balance of the world. The fragile balance that they had fought so hard to get, and she would do whatever it took to protect.
"I really don't understand any of this." Sokka shouted in frustration, as Toph stated to leave.
"Aang would understand." with that Toph left. Leaving the two water tribe siblings, still with so many question. Katara didn't want to leave things this way. She was about to follow Toph, but Sokka placed a hand on her shoulder stopping her.
"I'll go." not waiting for a response, Sokka left after his earthbending friend. Toph felt him slowly running after her, she wanted to star to run, but didn't. she just kept walking at the same pace, waiting for him to catch up to her.
"Toph wait." when he reached her, he placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her round to face him. "I'm going to need more than that for an expansion."
It took her a few seconds to finally speak. He saw her bitting her lip, letting him know that what she was going to say wasn't going to be pleasant. "How many people that you loved have you lost in the war." Sokka took his hand from her shoulder. She could feel the anger coming from him. He was going to hate her for saying that. She knew that to stop him from hating her to much she could tell him about her real mother. That however was something she was not going to do. The only people that knew were Zuko and his family, she couldn't stand it if anyone else knew. They would just have other reason to pity her than.
"I don't want all of that to have been a waist. That isn't going to respect their memories, and the sacrifice they made."
"Toph. I know what you are saying, and what you are trying to do, but I just don't get…."
"I always knew that I would get married. It was just something that was expected, I had no chose in it. Its fine, in a way this is the best way it could have worked out. Zuko and I are…."
"Yeah, that is what worries me."
"You have to learn to trust him."
Toph felt him soften for a second, and used that as her chance to get away. This time he didn't try to stop her. As she walked up the narrow stares that lead out of the underground quarters, and out into the open again, her heart started to race. She had never felt this scared about something so stupid before. She mental kicked herself for acting like such a girl. At least the hard part was over, Zuko understood her better than Katara and Sokka, it would be easier to talk to him about all of this. At least she hoped so.