The sun was beating down on the fire nation capital, as Toph left the ship and made her way through the streets filled with people, towards the palace. Despite the heat Toph, wore a thin grey cloak pulled over her face. The last thing that she wanted to deal with now was to be swarmed by people asking her studied questions. Her heart was racing faster than she had ever known it to before. Every step that she took never seemed to take her closer to the palace. When she finally left the centre of the city, she let out a breath that she didn't realise she had been holding. Her right hand reached up, to take hold of her birth mothers necklace. With it tightly in her hold she kept walking, but at a faster pace.
Even hidden behind a cloak Toph was still spotted. A guard from the palace saw her leaving the city centre, from his post over looking the city. He sent a messenger hawk down to the former fire lord, as he didn't know where the fire lord was at the time. A smile crossed the old man's face as he read the message. It was followed almost immediately with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Urse had told him that Toph had wanted to join the order of the white lotus. It was to soon for that, she would have to wait a little longer. He tried to reason that this was the reason that Toph was here, but he knew that it wasn't.
Toph was met at the entrance to the palace by Iroh. She felt his smile through the earth, but also his worry. "This is a great surprise, and honour, to be visited by the grand master earth bender and..."
"Don't start." Toph pulled the cloak off her head. Revealing that a small grin had appeared on the younger benders face, as she stopped the older master from listing all of her titles.
"He is in the palace grounds." one of the many things that Toph had come to love about the old firebending master, was that he could just get to the point. He didn't feel the need to make small talk if it wasn't needed. What she didn't know, was that he only did this with her. Because he knew that that was what she wanted, and sometimes needed.
"Thanks." she tried to return the large smile he had given her before, but hers failed in comparison.
There seemed to be a cold wind that blew through the palace as she made her way to the grounds at the back of the palace. She crossed a small room filled with books, as she reached the door to the grounds she unhooked the clasp on her cloak and placed it on the table by the door. Under the grey cloak was a maroon robe, that cam to her knees, under which she was wearing dark brown trousers. Part of her hair was pulled into a top knot, the rest of her hair now reached the small of her back. She was also wearing a pair of leather saddles. This was to stop her from picking up on vibrations so clearly, it was her way of putting up a wall around herself. The reason she was dressed like this, was to fit in more.
Zuko was out in the grounds practising his bending. He had been doing that a lot lately, it was the only thing that he fleet he could do now that he wasn't going to have someone watching over him, and criticising him about. He had been working on his fire whip lately, he was trying to make it stronger, so the impact would be much grater he was doing this by copying the stance from Toph's earth whip.
Toph tried to stop a grin form a appearing on her face, as she crossed her arms, and leaned against the pillar that stood on the edge of the verandah, and held up the balcony that over looked the palace grounds. She was waiting for the right time to make her move. When her opening came, she bent the earth, coal and sand that she kept in the pouch she always wore attached to her hip. She bent the earth whip out towards the fire lord, quickly in case he should turn around and see it, or her. When it was a few inches from the back of his knees, a flick of her wrist cased it to finally make contract. Zuko almost lost his balance. As he turned to face Toph he pulled the fire whip back in towards himself extinguishing it.
"Hey." a smile, however small almost spread across her face.
"There are less painful way for you to get my attention you know."
"Well, Katara and I have both tried writing to you, and that didn't work. So I figured a like force was needed."
shame seemed to well up in the pit of the new fire lords stomach at these words. He had known this was coming and he deserved it. So he took in a deep breath and waited for the on-slot to start. "Come on, we have to talk." Toph walked right passed him, going further into the grounds. There was an uneasy calm to her voice that Zuko didn't like.
Slowly he turned in place and followed her. She was taller than he remembered, she always seemed to be taller everything he saw her. She still didn't reach any taller than his chin thou, as far as he could tell from looking at her back, as she lead the way along the path.
"I'm Sorry." Zuko stopped. He couldn't take the silence any more. It was worse than her yelling at him. Toph turned to face him. He tried to avoid looking at her face, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to know what she was thinking, her eyes where the best way to find out. Despite not being able to see, her eyes still showed her emotions, even if she didn't want them to, when he looked at her eyes now, he saw something that he never expected to see in this situation, sympathy.
"I know you are. That's not enough thou." the sympathy in her eyes now seemed to turn to disappointment.
Zuko turned to look away from her, as he did he noticed a bench about three feet to his right. He walked towards it, and slumped down. "What can I do then. They don't listen to me. I have tired, but I cant get anything done." Toph moved to sit next to him, but Toph being Toph she sat on the back of the bench, placing her feet next to Zuko on the seat.
"There is something you can do." she didn't go on, the words didn't seem to want to come out. Katara's voice rang in her head, telling to just leave it, not to say anything. "You can marry a noble lady from the earth kingdom." she had never listened to Katara, she wasn't going to start now.
Zuko now lifted his head to look at his friends. He didn't believe that he had heard her right. Her head was lowered, he couldn't read her. "Toph what are you talking about."
"You know what I'm talking about. Sokka told you about this idea ages ago."
Zuko was on his feet, looking down on Toph in one quick move. "I never thought he was being serious about it. I also never though you would agree with any of Sokka's ideas."
"Zuko, if you can think of any other way then I am all ears." the fire lords mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out. "I thought so. Sparky it might not be that bad."
"Might not be that bad. Tell me one of the reasons that you haven't been to see your parents yet Toph." she could feel the angry rising up in her firebending friend. She really hated having to do this, but he had pushed her to react now.
"First, they are not my parents. She is not my mother. She never was, and never will be. Second, if I had to marry someone to keep the balance of the word, the balance that we and people we care about fought and died for. Then I would. That is why I'm asking you to marry me."
of all the things that she might have said, this was the last thing Zuko had expected to hear. "what."
"You heard me, don't make me say it again."
"Toph are you sure you understand what your saying..."
"Of course I' am. We have all been through so much to get to where we are now. I am not going to just sit back and let it all be for nothing. If we get married, then the earth kingdom will trust you, so will the water tribes, so you can do your job..."
"You wouldn't be able to do yours thou. You cant remain the ambassador of the earth kingdom and be the fire lady as well."
"I know." Zuko lifted his right hand up, placing it under the younger benders chin, lifting her head up so he was looking her in the eyes. He didn't say anything, he waited for her to speak again. "I only took that title because it was expected that I would. If by giving it up so that I can do something else that will make more of a difference, then I don't care."
it hit him like one of Toph's very large boulders to his stomach. She was so willing to go through with this because she felt she had to carry on what her mother had started. She blamed herself for her death, and wanted to make sure what her mother had died for was maintained.
"She would be proud of all that you have done already, you don't have..."
"Do you have any other ideas." his hand feel back to his side. He tried so hard to think of any other alternative, none came. "I always knew that I would marry for politics, and power. Never for love. The best I could hope for was I liked the man I had to marry. I like you, a lot. Your understand me better than anyone else. I am ok with this, its all up to you now."
Toph had never been the topical noble lady, even thou she was by birth. The way she was acting now seemed even more removed form her original title in the world. Zuko felt very strange in this current situation. He felt like the girl. A few years ago he wouldn't have felt the juxtaposition of what Toph was saying and her gender. Back then she was a scrawny runt, with messy hair and baggy clothes. Now she was tall, still very thin, but had more of a shape about her. Her face could now been seen, her hair was shiny and tamed. She seemed so out of place, yet fitted to perfectly into the worlds that she had been thrown into.
He had always had the same view on marriage that she had. It was something that was going to happen when he turned sixteen so why fight it. So it wasn't the fact that a girl raised in a very similar way as he was feeling the same way about it that shocked him, it was that Toph of all people had just accepted it without a fight.
"Marry me." slowly the earthbenders head lifted to face the fire lord.
"Are you sure." her face was a blank, revealing nothing of the millions of thoughts that were racing through her head. Was this the right thing to do, would it work out ok and other thoughts she forced from her head.
"Yes if you are. We have come this far, we cant let it all be for nothing." she didn't have to wonder about what in particular he was referring to, Mai. "I like you too, if it has to be this way...then I cant think of anyone else I would rather marry, as a friend, close friend, very close friend." a faint smile crossed his normally troubled face.
Toph let out a quite laugh "Don't get all mushy on me Sparky."
"Can I take that as a yes then."
"Yes, its a yes. It you are really sure." Toph as she spoke lifted her right hand up, holding it out for Zuko to take. Zuko got her meaning, and lifter his right hand to take hers. They shock hands, sealing the deal. Toph let out a faint sign of relief that the worst part, she hoped was over.
Zuko also noticed this. To get her back for how she got her attention earlier, he pulled her arm in towards himself. Causing Toph to fall off her perch and hold out her left arm to brake her fall. Her hand landed on Zuko's rigth shoulder. Zuko then let go of her right hand, then slipped his right arm around her waits, doing the same with his left arm. Once he hand a hold of her, he took a step back, taking her with him, he spun her round once then lowered her to the ground. For this he was rewarded with a punch to the arm.
"Don't you ever do that again." her attempt to keep her voice stern, caused Zuko to burst into laughter. For which he again received a punch to the arm.
Through his laughter he was just able to get out a thought that occurred to him, that made him laugh even more. "You do realise that we are using a idea that Sokka came up with. Willingly."
laughter was let out be the earthbender, but she tired to surprise it. She didn't last long and ended up laughing just as much as the firebender. "That is really scary."
a much older firebender was watching then from a window on the second floor of the palace. A small smile had crossed his face for a brief second, when he saw his nephew pick her up, and spin her round. Then a overwhelming feel of unease washed over him. He knew full well that they cared for each other very much, but not in the way that a husband and wife should. This could be overlooked, but a belief that he had about Toph couldn't. All he could do was trust them, and hope fore the best.
