Part Two is inspired by various movies. Can you pick them out? Hehehe.
Hopefully, I did these characters justice. Toph is acting the way she does because she is growing up. Adolescence has a way of changing one's personality. A LOT can change in five years.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The song is from House of Flying Daggers
Part II: Supported Lotus
bĕi fāng yŏu jiā rén
jué shì ér dú lì
yī gù qīng rén chéng
zài gù qīng rén guó
nìng bù zhī
qīng chéng yŭ qīng guó
jiā rén nán zài dé
"She left?" Zuko's voice went up a notch, causing the people in the throne room to wince. "What do you mean she left?"
"Lady Bei Fong asked me not to tell you until you asked, my prince." Ling dipped her head to bow at the enraged prince. "She didn't want you to know before she was far away enough for you to retrieve her."
"Did she say why she left?" Iroh's gentle voice asked as he walked in front of his nephew. He was concerned for the earthbender's well being. Even though she could easily crush anyone that might try to hurt her, he was still concerned. What had caused her to leave them? I must've hurt her too much that she would not let anyone know until someone remembered her.
Zuko had remembered her, but it had been too late. Dinner had already started the night before and he could not get away from the nobles asking him questions left and right. After dinner, he was too tired to look for her and assumed she has already settled for the night. It was when he knocked on her door the next day that he found the door ajar. When she wasn't in her room, he set out to look for her around the palace. But to his disappointment, not a trace of her could be found. So he had Ling summoned, asking the woman for the whereabouts of the young Lady Bei Fong.
Which brings us to where we are now: In the throne room of the Fire Lord. With Prince Zuko looming over the handmaiden they had assigned to aid Toph in her stay at the Fire Nation Palace.
"The only reason she left me with is," Ling paused and looked at the Fire Nation Prince as he held his breath in anticipation. "She hoped that when she came back, she will no longer need aid in making herself presentable to nobles and royalty."
"What did she mean by that?" Zuko rubbed a hand to his face, trying to calm himself down. Making herself presentable to nobles and royalty? He didn't understand. For the first time since he met her, he didn't understand. "She was fine the way she was! She never cared what other people thought of her! Why would she change herself for the sake of nobility and royalty?"
"If I may, my prince?" Ling looked up to Zuko, asking for permission to speak. When the prince nodded, she continued, "Lady Toph had always been very radiant and happy around you, but the first time I felt her sadness was when she held the comb you had given her to wear for the gathering last night."
"The comb?" Zuko stared at the woman incredulously. "What does that comb have to do with her leaving?"
"Nephew, why did you give her that comb?" Iroh turned to his nephew.
"I thought it would look good on her." Zuko muttered, raking his brains for some plausible reason why she would be upset with his gift. "It did look good on her and it was her birthday."
"You do know our little Toph does not like being assembled in elaborate garb?" Iroh raised his eyebrow at the Crown Prince of his nation. He somehow knew why Toph was upset. The little earthbender hated being dressed up, she hated it more when someone was doing it for her. He thought Toph might've taken it the wrong way when Zuko gave her the gift. She might've thought his nephew was trying to change her by slowly changing the way she dressed.
"It was a harmless gift, Uncle." Zuko gave a sigh, flopping himself down on the decorated staircase that led up to the throne. "I thought she would like it. What else, Ling?"
"I have noticed her breath catch when I told her of your instructions to Wan Lo," Ling said sadly, she felt her Lady had some form of attraction to the Prince. Not just friendship. Who wouldn't? The Prince was a sight to behold, even with a scar. And even more so that he was gentle to her more than anyone else.
"What instructions?" Zuko shifted his weight so that he was leaning on the ivory railing of the stairs. Then mentally slapped himself, Have her wear it tonight, he had said. Wan Lo must've spoken that to Ling a little bit too authoritative. Maybe along the lines, The Prince wants her to wear it tonight, make sure she does. He cursed his own stupidity. Giving it to her through a servant was probably what made it worse. He sighed, "I should've given it to her myself, that way I could've explained why."
"Do you want me to send out a search party for her, my prince?" Lu Yan offered, bowing to him.
"No," Iroh shook his head, beating out his nephew that was about ready to say yes. "She did mention she would come back. And if she didn't want us to know that she left and where she went, no one would find her."
"She couldn't have gone that far, could she?" Zuko looked up to his uncle, hoping he would reconsider. Then he saw his uncle raise an eyebrow, implying him to think about what he was saying. Zuko groaned, he knows Toph more than anyone else and he knew what his uncle is saying was true. Toph would not be Toph if she would easily be caught up with when she was determined not to be. This was Toph Bei Fong: The most powerful earthbender he had encountered, she would more likely bury herself underground and stay there if the cavalry they sent to retrieve her would be around. "Do you really think she would come back, uncle?"
"If she said she would, she will," Iroh flopped down next to his nephew, but not before gesturing to the audience to leave them. Iroh looked at his nephew, golden eyes looked at him hopefully. Iroh had grown fond of the girl when he had come across her many years ago and that her headstrong personality was so much alike his nephew. He even wanted Toph to call him "uncle". To which the girl complied, albeit it would be a few years before she really did call him uncle. She just needed time for herself. Sometime alone. And when she came back, something about her would've been changed by then. But he hoped she would not change so much that they would not recognize her. "I know she will."
"She has to." Zuko huffed, standing up and leaving the throne room.
Iroh looked up after his nephew and smiled. The young man had been broken when Mai had left him to join the circus Ty Lee was a part of before they joined Azula. But the young Bei Fong had been there to pick up the pieces after him, kicking his behind numerous times when they sparred to help the young prince forget about that hate he felt for himself, thinking he wasn't good enough for Mai. The Fire Lord had witnessed feelings spurt slowly from the two benders since then.
Standing up and brushing his robes, he smiled to himself again. Even if the situation was sad, he knew that two of his favorite people would eventually find each other again. He was more than happy to know, that if – no – when Toph came back, his two favorite people would find happiness together.
"Crown Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and Lady Toph of the Bei Fong clan," he said aloud, thoughtfully. Then he turned to Lu Yan who had entered right after the Prince left. "That has a nice ring to it, huh, Lu?"
Lu Yan looked up at his Fire Lord, confused. But after seeing the smile playing the lips of the old ruler, he himself smiled. Realizing what the man was implying. "Yes, my Lord Iroh, it does."
"Mother?" Toph entered the gates of her home in Gaoling, sensing her mother in the gardens. She felt the woman tense and snapped her attention to the gates. Then she heard hurried footsteps, going to her direction.
"Toph!" Poppy had her daughter in a tight embrace in no time, tears spilling from her emerald eyes. "My dear daughter, you returned!"
For the first time in her life, Toph was delighted to see her mother. She didn't realize how much she missed her as she allowed herself to pull her mother in an embrace as well. Even though she hates to admit it, she somehow missed Poppy's over protective behavior.
And for the first time in her life, she would ask her mother something that even Poppy would pass out from disbelief. Well, that or squealing at the top of her lungs. "Mother, can you start the lessons that you planned for me before I left?" Toph smiled when she felt her mother stiffen at her request. Let the squealing begin, she thought wryly. And squeal, her mother did.
"Can you believe that our daughter is home, Lao?" Poppy was beside herself in happiness, never touching a single grain of rice from her bowl ever since dinner had started. She was still overwhelmed by her daughter's sudden homecoming.
"We're truly glad that you're back home, Toph," Lao smiled gently at his daughter, handing Poppy her chopsticks in an attempt to get the woman to start eating. "Why did it take you so long to return to us? After all, the war ended five years ago."
"I just wasn't ready, father," Toph answered, placing her bowl on the stone table. "I needed a little time."
"Where did you stay?" Poppy asked, finally starting on her meal.
"In the Fire Nation," she said, reaching out to get a piece of shrimp from the ceramic serving plate near her end of the table. "The Fire Lord and his nephew were kind enough to let me stay as long as I liked. I loved it there. I was free to do everything and anything I want."
"Then why have you decided to come back?" her father asked upon putting his tea cup back down on the table. When he noticed his daughter silence and her hand pausing slightly when lifting the shrimp to her lips, he continued, "It seems you were happy there."
"I didn't belong, father," she replied sadly, putting the shrimp on top of the rice in her bowl and laying the chopsticks on a napkin by her cup. "I was the tomboyish, dirty, ill-mannered and ugly friend of the Crown Prince and his uncle."
"They made you leave?" Lao's eyes widened, appalled to think that the Fire Nation Royalty might've have turned his daughter away. "What? Our daughter not good enough for them?"
"No, I left of my own accord," she let out a frustrated sigh. Her father acted more like a woman when he over reacts like this. "Zuko and Uncle always made me feel welcome. But I felt like I was humiliating them by acting the way I do. The way I am. Uncivilized."
The Bei Fong family fell silent. Toph might be strong, but she was still a woman. Like all women, she wanted to be appreciated and loved. Something Toph would rather drown herself before admitting.
"You are not ugly, my dear," her mother finally said, laying a hand on hers, caressing gently in an attempt to comfort the only child of the Bei Fongs. "You are the most beautiful and wonderful daughter any mother would ask for."
Toph smiled up to her mother, remembering the comforting words Katara had said after the little incident at the small stone bridge at Ba Sing Se.
Poppy also noticed that her daughter was far too quiet than usual. Giving her daughter's hand a squeeze, she spoke again, "Finish your dinner, darling, and we'll start with your lessons after you wash."
It would be a whole year before he would see her again.
Crown Prince Zuko leaned against the metal railing of the ship he traveled on, heading towards the Earth Kingdom. He thought of her again, as he always did every day since she left. He held in his hands the ivory comb he had given her, tracing the leaves of jade that was set to accent the Lotus carving. He allowed her the time she wanted. He respected her wish to be alone. But he had held on to the small hope she left saying by she would be back. For the whole year he waited for her, she never did come back.
Perhaps he would find her in Omashu, he hoped. Perhaps the same invitation that King Bumi had given him and his uncle had reached her, wherever she may have been. Perhaps he could pick her out among those that would attend the anniversary celebration of the end of the One Hundred Year War. Perhaps he could finally tell her what he meant by giving her the comb. Perhaps she could finally see him they way he saw her. Perhaps… Everything would be set right…
Well, there's part two. Can anyone guess why I chose these titles for the parts? A virtual cookie for those who answer correctly! XD
