Ravings of a Jaded Woman
Chapter 1-
The only plan I could come up with involved finding Aang and Katara. There's no way that they could believe I could kill Sokka.
I was sitting just outside of the Fire Nation capitol, taking a few minutes to catch my breath.
To say that the guards were pissed that I knocked Sparky out cold would be a vast understatement.
Luckily my work undercover had brought me to the Fire Nation, so I had a stash of money and clothing about a day's journey away.
I would change clothes and board the next ferry to the Earth Kingdom. From there it would be easier to learn the evidence against me and find out where Aang and Katara were.
I decided it was as good a plan as any and began walking, my mind drifting.
*Flashback*
Sokka nudged my arm and I could practically feel his grin.
"This is so cool Toph! Look at that sunset!" he said with so much excitement that I couldn't bring myself to point out the obvious.
After all, tonight was the last time I would get to spend some time with him until after the mission King Bumi was sending me on.
"Hey Sokka…" I paused until I felt the slight shift of his body towards mine, indicating that I had his full attention. "If we couldn't talk for a while, or see each other, could you promise me not to worry? Can I trust you to have faith in me?" I hadn't meant to sound so dramatic, but Sokka's arms went around me in an attempt to comfort me.
"Of course, but you'd better have a damn good story when you came back." He said before releasing me.
I punched his shoulder and we both laughed.
*End Flashback*
Two years had passed since then. I had missed him terribly while I was gone, and I had promised myself that I would never leave his side again.
But now, now I may not have a choice.
I decided to stop and sleep for the evening. I forced two slabs of earth from the ground, slid in between them, and closed my makeshift tent off. I curled into myself, wishing for sleep.
I awoke in a cold sweat, shivering violently. My dreams had been horrible. With me, my dreams weren't really clear images—since my earth bending could only do so much—but vibrations and sounds. And I had dreams of Sokka's dying vibrations and pain filled screams. It was hard to tell if it was real or not.
I shook the negative thoughts away and pushed my earth tent back into the ground. That done, I began walking once again.
It didn't take long to reach the small field where I had buried a metal box. While there, I changed out of my dirty clothes and into a red—according to the shopkeeper—kimono and put a heavy hooded cloak into my satchel. According to Katara during a long ago shopping trip, the heavy wool cloak was black, but for all I knew, it could be that dreadful color pink that Ty Lee was always trying to dress me in.
I filled the satchel with all of the gold coins that I could stuff inside before adding a fake passport and a pair of thick seal skin boots. The boots were a precaution. I intended on staying barefoot for the duration of my status as a fugitive, but Aang and Katara could be visiting her family in the Southern Water Tribe, and I was not about to freeze my feet off.
I sealed the box again and reburied it before setting course for the docks.
It was two days on a crowded, smelly boat before I heard mention of my escape.
I was eating lunch on the afternoon of the third day, and an older lady had taken the open seat across from me.
"Do you remember that little girl that helped end the war when she was only twelve? She was born of nobility…an earth bender." She asked. I decided to humor her to see how much I could find out from her.
"Sure, Toph Bei Fang or something, right?" I asked, feigning innocence.
"Fong! That's right, her name is Toph Bei Fong. Have you heard what happened?" She asked before taking a bite of her roll. It sounded as though she had no teeth.
"No, I've been caring for family in a pretty isolated area." I lied, wondering what sort of trouble I had made by escaping.
She leaned towards me and dropped her voice conspiratorially. "After the war it seems that she made quite a name for herself. She was quite the warrior and cleaned up well when the occasion called for it. Anyway, two years ago she just vanished. Apparently she resurfaced a few months ago and killed an old friend without provocation, though some people are saying she was jaded.
"Anyhow, she was captured about a week ago and escaped the very same night. It's such a shame. I used to dream that she would marry my son and be able to protect him, he's a bit of a wimp. Though I suppose I should be glad that never happened." She sighed softly, though I wasn't sure if she was reminiscing or getting tired.
"Do you know why they believe it was her? Maybe there's something that was missed or something." I asked hopefully.
"No," she clucked her tongue. "The day the man was slain, more than a dozen witnesses saw them eating lunch together. Later that day, when his home collapsed, a witness saw her fleeing his home. If she was innocent, why did she run? And at the very least, why didn't she try to pull him from the rubble? The house was composed completely of earth aside from a few necessities."
Shit. My heart sank. The thought that Sokka had been killed by my element made it hard to breathe.
No. I had to keep hope that he was alive.
"I would imagine that The Council of the Nations has her as wanted?" I wondered, childishly clinging to the hope that she would say no.
"From what my son says, and he's pretty reliable when it comes to gossip, she was able to escape by attacking the Fire Lord. Despite his downplay of the situation, The Council was enraged and ordered her to be killed on sight." She was silent for a moment and gasped. "Oh my, we've been speaking for quite a while. I need to check on my husband. I'll see you around darling."
I was frozen as the woman left.
Aang always had the final say in any Council decisions. He had obviously been convinced of my guilt. That being the case, I had no idea what to do. I was desperate to prove my innocence, and since it was obvious I had been framed, my conviction that Sokka was alive was stronger than ever.
But who could I possibly turn to?
It had to be someone with nothing to lose, because aiding a criminal that The Council had condemned was a life sentence. A murderer? I imagined that would gain them a death sentence. What could I possibly offer someone with nothing to lose to help me find Sokka or at least prove my innocence with the threat of death looming overhead if we failed?
Oh Spirits…I knew there was only one person who fit the description.
I reached into my satchel and clutched the fabric of Sokka's favorite shirt. No matter how much I would hate to be at their mercy, to ask for their help, it was for Sokka, and there was no other way.
A/N: May be a couple days before chapter two. Having internet troubles. Thank you all for reviewing.
