Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is the creation of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, and is owned by Nickelodeon.
Author's note: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and favorited. It makes me happy to see people enjoying it! Sorry updates have been a bit slow. Life is busy as usual. I will finish this - it just might take a little while! Thanks for sticking with me!
Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.
-Jane Austen
Chapter 3: Revelations
Suki and Ty Lee made their way through the industrial district of the Fire Nation capital. It was certainly one of the less…desirable places in the city. The two girls had abandoned their Kyoshi warrior uniforms in favor of something a bit less noticeable. The warriors had donned dark cloaks and pulled the hoods up around their heads. Even so, the young women had still attracted some unwanted attention from some leering men in an alleyway. The three men now lay unconscious behind a pile of garbage.
The streets became less crowded as they neared the address that Ty Lee had scrawled on a piece of parchment. Both girls felt the importance of this mission. So far, this was the only direct lead to Azula that they had. They walked by a series of ramshackle houses; their reflexes were on high alert as they walked through the dangerous area. They heard a gurgling scream nearby that trailed off into silence. A murder had obviously been committed, and the victim would likely rot in a forgotten alley. The two girls were seasoned warriors, and were confident in their ability to take care of themselves. Even so, they shuddered at the grim reality of the place.
They finally reached their destination, and they were dismayed to see the door hanging open. The place looked abandoned. Suki made a series of quick gestures to Ty Lee, who nodded her understanding. Ty Lee went around to the back of the house, while Suki lay in wait at the front of the house. Their quarry would not escape.
Suki quietly crept inside the run-down dwelling. There were signs of recent occupancy. Coal and firewood were stacked by the small stove. A full pail of water sat on the floor of the small kitchen, and a bowl of nuts was placed on the low table in the middle of the room. A pair of dirty boots sat by a chair, waiting for their owner.
The Kyoshi warrior was startled to hear Ty Lee's voice cut through the silence, but her well-honed reflexes kept her from jumping.
"Suki! I…found him. I think you need to come here," Ty Lee's voice carried through the house, lacking its usual brightness.
She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she turned in the direction of her friend's voice, but she knew that nothing good was going to greet her. The smell hit her as she neared the small bedroom. Gnat-flies were buzzing around the room, and distinct smell of the very beginning of decay assaulted her nose.
"Someone beat us here," Ty Lee said dejectedly.
Suki took in the scene before her. A very efficient killer had dispatched the man. There was no sign of struggle; not even the carafe of water on the low table had been disturbed. The victim had an accurate slit across his neck. He would have died very quickly, and without much sound. Whoever had done this obviously wanted to prevent the man from ever giving away any information. And the killer seemed to be long gone.
The Kyoshi leader sighed. "I guess we're back to where we started."
She was surprised to see a suddenly calculating look in her Fire Nation friend's eye.
"Not exactly. We still have the traitor soldier in custody. What if…" she faltered for a second, "what if I try to earn his trust? You know…pretend I'm still loyal to Azula. Say that I'm just playing your side as an agent for Azula? Maybe he has another contact."
Suki looked at the girl's wide eyes. She could see the worry in their depths. "Are you sure about this?"
Ty Lee nodded.
"Let's go. We'll talk about this somewhere less…exposed. We'll ask Iroh to have someone take care of the body," Suki said matter-of-factly.
The two young women made their way back through the industrial district, leaving a couple more over-eager men unconscious in their wake.
The warden led Zuko and Katara down a dark hall into what appeared to be an office. A fire burned in the hearth, and the ventilation in the room was lacking. Katara unsuccessfully tried to smother a cough, and glared up at Zuko, who seemed to be unaffected by the smoky air. A desk was positioned in front of a window, but the window was so dirty that it barely let in any light. Of course, there wasn't much light to let in. Katara had the feeling the fog blocked out the sun on most days.
"She came in here, my lord, but she did not allow my presence while she searched the room," the warden explained. Katara could see a malicious gleam in his eyes; he certainly wasn't unhappy he had no information to give them.
"Leave us," Zuko commanded.
The man practically slithered out of the room.
"Where do we start?" Katara asked.
The young Fire Lord looked thoughtful. "I'll start searching the desk. Can you start going through those scrolls on the shelf?" he asked.
She nodded an affirmative, and started to walk to the shelf when something caught her eye. A rack of keys hung on the wall, which was unremarkable for a warden's office, but something on the ground gained her attention. The floor was made of a series of flagstones, and it appeared the stone directly below the key rack had been recently disturbed. A key.
"Zuko, I think you should come look at this," she said, hope rising in her voice. "It might be what we're looking for."
The firebender joined her and saw what she had noticed. It was barely perceptible, but the stone had been moved. There was a bit of dirt surrounding it, and the stone was a tiny fraction off of meeting up with its neighbor. Taking one of his dao swords from its scabbard, he used the weapon to pry the edge of the stone up.
Their hopeful expressions melted into disappointment when they saw empty dirt below the stone. Zuko held the stone up while Katara prodded the dirt with her fingers.
Zuko sighed. "If there was something there, then Azula took it."
"Yeah, I guess so," Katara replied. Her breath caught as her eyes spied the underside of the stone. A grin lit her face. "Then again, maybe she couldn't take it with her."
Zuko looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "Zuko, look underneath the stone!" she implored him, gesturing at it excitedly.
He overturned the stone so he could get a look at it. A map appeared to be engraved in the stone. A new burst of determination flowed through him.
"Do you see a piece of parchment somewhere? And some charcoal?"
The waterbender was already rummaging through a drawer, and her search was quickly rewarded with a blank piece of parchment. Zuko walked over to the fire and extinguished it with a quick gesture. He reached into the hearth and retrieved a piece of charcoal.
After rubbing the charcoal on the paper, they had the map to their next destination.
They exited the room and stepped into the hallway, where the warden was waiting for them.
The man approached them, and Katara looked at him in disgust as he bowed to Zuko. He oozed a false air of respect.
He should be the one imprisoned here, Katara thought bitterly.
"My lord, did you find what you were looking for?" the warden asked, his voice practically dripping with derision.
Katara almost cracked a smile as Zuko stared the man down. The Fire Lord looked at the warden as if he were something to be scraped off the bottom of his boot. I suppose that haughty royal attitude comes in handy sometimes.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Zuko finally replied.
The warden's throat worked as he swallowed. "Your sister instructed me to give you this when you found what you were looking for," he sneered. He held out a small, sealed piece of parchment.
The firebender took it from him. He slid his finger under the wax seal. His face betrayed no emotion as he read the message contained within.
Wordlessly, he handed it to Katara.
As with Zuko, she outwardly showed no emotion in front of the warden. Inside, her mind whirled with worry.
Desolation shall be yours.
She watched as the Fire Lord turned toward the warden, and fire came to life in his palm. Her eyes widened.
"You can be assured I will deal with you later. This prison is an abomination," he said quietly. The warden's beady eyes finally widened in fear as Zuko's flame reflected in their shallow depths. Katara stood behind Zuko, merely watching the exchange. The Fire Lord closed his fist, extinguishing the flame, turned on his heel, and walked out of the prison, Katara following in his wake.
Zuko and Katara's war balloon had long since climbed into the gray, foggy sky before either one of them spoke.
Katara's words of apology were the first to cut into the sound of rushing air. "Zuko, I'm sorry again for jumping on you after-"
He looked at her sharply. "Katara, you don't need to keep apologizing. You had no idea…" he trailed off.
They both stared off into the seemingly endless distance of sky. The red rays of sunset were beginning to penetrate the oppressive gray; they would need to find a place to land for the night soon.
Katara heard the Fire Lord exhale a worried sigh. "You're really worried about her, aren't you?"
"You know, it was almost easier when I thought she was gone," he observed ruefully. "I didn't exactly have to worry for her safety. And now Azula has her."
Katara ran her hand absently along the rail of the war balloon. "Azula wouldn't actually hurt her, would she? It's her mother!"
Zuko gave her a long look. "Azula is her father's child."
Katara shuddered at the simple statement. Her mind flashed back to the electric blue glow of lightning headed straight for Zuko's chest.
Zuko continued to stare into the empty space, deep in thought. A look of anger crossed his features. "That's another thing I can't forgive Ozai for. He corrupted Azula. She could have been beautiful and kind – like my mother."
Like you, Katara thought, but didn't voice.
"We could have had a sibling relationship like you and Sokka. But…she was a firebending prodigy. And Ozai molded her into his own image."
When he paused, Katara looked over at him, wondering if he was finished speaking. He continued speaking, but his voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper.
"It makes me wonder about what I would have turned out like if I had never spoken out in that war meeting – if I hadn't been banished."
He closed his eyes against the nightmares that had plagued him since becoming Fire Lord. They were more like visions – visions of what could have been. In these other realities, he was cold, cruel – like Ozai. He'd had nightmares of hurting those who now loved him. He always awoke in a cold sweat, and thanked Agni they were only dreams.
"Zuko, listen to me. You can't think about what might have been. We are living in what is. You made the right decision and joined us. You defeated your father, and are leading the Fire Nation into an era of peace. Besides, even if you hadn't been banished, I don't think your uncle would have let you turn into your father," she said with a knowing smile.
"I suppose you're right. At any hint of becoming my father, he would have kidnapped me and put me into solitary confinement with tea and a Pai Sho board," he laughed. "And he wouldn't have let me out until I had found the right path…and mastered the White Lotus play."
Katara giggled. "See? He wouldn't have let you down."
Zuko gave her a half-smile and looked out over the darkening horizon once more.
"Zuko?"
He looked back at her, and saw her features furrowed in worry again.
"What is it?" he asked as he readied the balloon for their descent. He pulled on the line that created an opening at the apex of the balloon, and they started to drop.
"I've been thinking. Why is Azula leaving all these clues behind? She left that note at Mai's house that hinted at her goal," she flinched as the firebender's expression saddened at the mention of Mai. "Then she left the flagstone that had the map. It seems that she should have destroyed the stone altogether. Then she left another message for you," she observed, looking him in the eye.
Zuko slowly exhaled. "There's a good reason. Azula doesn't do anything without a purpose."
Katara gave him a curious glance as she moved the rudder of the balloon to guide the vehicle to their landing spot.
"She wants me to find her. And she's banking on the fact that she'll have found the weapon first."
Katara's blue eyes widened, the newly risen moonlight reflecting her fear.
"She wants to defeat me and take her place on the throne. She needs me out of the way for that. I am the firstborn son, and the Fire Nation will not support her claim to the throne now that I have claimed my rightful title. She wants guaranteed success, and she knows she'll need a great advantage for this."
He watched a shudder go through Katara's lithe form. He knew she was imagining a Fire Nation ruled by Azula. It wasn't a pleasant thought.
"Well," the waterbender said, "that just means we have to find it first."
He smiled. She made their task sound so easy. Unfortunately, his sister had a generous head start. It would be nearly impossible to gain the lead in this quest. As it was, they were only stopping for a few hours to get a bit of sleep. They would take off again long before dawn. They did have the advantage of air travel, but Azula still had plenty of time to have already reached their next destination.
The basket of the balloon landed on the dirt with a quiet thump.
"She won't win, Zuko. We defeated her once, and we'll do it again."
He lightened the mood with a jest.
"You know, I used to think your optimism was annoying, but I kind of enjoy it now," he said with a smirk.
She answered him with a splash of water to the head.
Ty Lee stood in the shadows outside the imposing prison, trying to bolster her courage to go inside. It was the dead of night. She and Suki had discussed how to make this look convincing in every way possible. That began with her "sneaking" out of the palace for this secretive meeting. No one save herself and Suki knew she was coming here. They hadn't even told Iroh.
Next, she would need to gain entry to the prison and find the correct cell, which she had jotted down on a piece of parchment. As an acrobat and Kyoshi warrior, she was confident in her ability to get to the cell undetected. That wasn't the part she was worried about.
She was worried about being a convincing actress to the piece of slime that currently resided in the cell. He was the one who had been caught trying to send the missive to Azula over a week ago. She would need to convince the man that she was a spy for Azula – an important one who had worked her way into Zuko's inner circle.
The problem was, Ty Lee was not a very good liar. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, people said. She hated dishonesty and double-crossing; she had always dealt with both friends and enemies head-on. She still felt shame as she recalled impersonating a Kyoshi warrior back in Ba Sing Se with Azula. She was lucky Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors had forgiven her, and even let her join them. She didn't deserve their kindness. She felt she had much to atone for.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled her dark cloak closer about her head. Even the dark cloak did not fit her personality. She was accustomed to wearing her bright pinks – not hiding in the shadows.
Steeling herself, she looked at the steep stone face of the prison. She had studied a map of the prison all afternoon, and knew exactly where she needed to go. Gauging a good handhold, she took a running leap and swung lightly through a window. It was one of the few unsecured windows; for one to reach it from the inside, a journey through a long hallway of guard's quarters was necessary. She hoped that most guards would be asleep at this hour – only a skeleton crew would be keeping watch.
She landed quietly; her slippered feet barely disturbed the dust on the floor. Glancing around quickly, she ascertained that no one had seen her enter. Good. The fewer people she had to chi-block, the better. She cracked the door open, and peaked into the hallway. Sconces lit the dim corridor, and a guard sat snoring at the end of the hall. She smirked. She would need to speak with Zuko about the alertness of his prison guards when this was all over.
Stepping quietly past the man, she entered the prison proper. She wrinkled her nose. The place nearly reeked of despair. Sighing almost soundlessly, she knew that the people who remained in here were those who belonged. Ozai was somewhere deep in these walls. She suppressed a shudder.
The acrobat moved silently through the halls until she came to the correct one. She passed up several iron doors until a certain number caught her eye. She pulled the slip of paper from her cloak.
Yes, this is it.
She pushed the heavy door open, and it gave a metallic groan. She winced inwardly, and hoped that none of the guards had heard the noise. The prisoner inside certainly had, for he looked up at her sharply through the iron bars.
"Th' Fire Lord sendin' a girl to do man's work?" he ground out, his voice still recovering from sleep.
She rewarded him with a quizzical look.
"You gonna interrogate me? If not, I'd like to get some more shut eye," he asked as he rolled back over on his cot.
That was enough to get her going.
"Listen to me, you fool! I didn't risk life and limb to come in here in the middle of the night for you to ignore me! You will want to hear what I have to say," she hissed through clenched teeth.
Suki had told her to use her true emotions to give the illusion of truth. Ty Lee had planned on coming in here and using her typical flirty charms to get her way, but this man had only succeeded in making her angry. The thought of "charming" him made bile rise in her gut. Anger it was, then.
He lazily rolled over and cracked open an eye.
"This better be good, girl," he groused.
As she moved, a flash of pink showed beneath her cloak. Recognition flooded the man's face, and his now-awake eyes narrowed.
"You're the Pretender's little friend," he accused, jumping off the cot and stepping to the edge of his iron cage. "The pink girl. You betrayed the true royal line."
Game time. Here goes.
"Do you really think that I would betray my best friend while her brother took her rightful place on the throne?" she whispered furiously.
The man's bushy eyebrow lifted.
"I am merely pretending to be loyal to the traitor. The Princess ordered me to falsely surrender to them immediately before her incarceration," she explained.
"How do I know you're not lying?" he growled, pointing a meaty finger at her.
Ty Lee's mind raced. She was about to take a gamble.
"Who do you think let Azula out of her cell?" she said, injecting what she hoped was a sinister tone into her voice. She prayed to Agni that this man did not know the specific details of Azula's escape.
The man still looked skeptical. "Why would the Princess choose you?"
Clearly this man had not witnessed her particular abilities. Before the man could blink, her pale hand shot through the prison bars and rendered the man's right arm useless.
"She found that I had useful abilities," she said airily.
The man looked down at his arm uncomfortably. "Okay, let's say I believe you. Why did you come to see me?"
Ty Lee sighed for dramatic effect. "Well, I have a bit of a problem," she began. "Azula was going to send a messenger hawk to me so I would have a means to communicate with her. Unfortunately, it never arrived. I need someone who knows how to reach her."
The man's expression remained skeptical. She twitched her fingers threateningly, and he flinched. "Very well. I can tell you where to go to find someone who can get a message to her. They will decide if you are ultimately telling the truth. For your sake, I hope you are."
She left the prison the same way she came in, with no one the wiser for her visit. She carried the address of a contact, along with a sick feeling in her stomach. As soon as she breathed the cool night air into her lungs, she retched into the grass.
She never wanted to do anything like that again, but knew she would be forced to if they carried this plan through to the end.
Aang and Toph were nearing the secluded island that the Sun Warriors resided on, and the earthbender was getting restless.
He felt bad, since he had been sulking about Katara nearly the entire trip. He kept replaying all of their recent conversations in his head. He had been so stupid! He should have known that Katara would bristle at his attempted control, but at the same time, he hadn't wanted her to go with Zuko.
He trusted the newly-crowned Fire Lord, and even counted him as a friend, but he didn't like whatever had changed between him and Katara after their sojourn to find the Southern Raiders. He sighed. It had been so much easier when Katara hated Zuko. Now, there was a closeness between the two that Aang feared he would never have with Katara.
He knew that Katara cared about him, but the words from the Ember Island Players kept running through his head. Like a brother. He feared that was how Katara ultimately felt about him…and the more he pushed her, the farther away she seemed.
He tried to bring his thoughts back to the present. He was surprised to see a familiar landscape ahead. The Island of the Sun Warriors.
"We're almost there, Toph," he reassured her.
"It's about time. I need to feel nice, healthy earth in between my toes again," she said wistfully. She suddenly got a mischievous grin on her face.
"Hey, look at that dragon!" she exclaimed.
"Really? Where? Was it the red one or the…." his hopeful expression fell as he immediately realized he'd been had.
"Toph, is that really necessary?"
"I gotta get my entertainment somewhere, Twinkletoes. And since Snoozles isn't here, you're it."
Aang sighed and started their descent.
"So what are these guys like? I could use a good spar. Do they have a sense of humor?" she asked, the questions flooding out of her now that Aang had finally broken his self-imposed silence.
Aang thought back to the Sun Warriors' peculiar brand of humor.
"Uh…I guess so. They might threaten to kill you though," he said.
Toph snorted. "I'd like to see them try. I mean, they might get you, but they'll never get me."
The young Avatar sighed once more at Toph's assertion. It was probably true. He gently guided Appa through the thick trees and settled the sky bison into a small clearing.
"I think we should camp here for the night. It's getting late, and I'd rather face the Sun Warriors in the daylight," he explained.
"Sure, whatever, Twinkletoes. Makes no difference to me," Toph replied.
They worked in companionable silence as they set up camp. Soon, they sat next to a crackling fire in the now-darkened forest. Aang risked a glance over at the earthbender, who was absently picking a piece of food out of her teeth. He smiled. She knew how to behave properly. She just chose not to.
Guilt overwhelmed him in that moment. He had ignored her during their entire journey due to his sulking over Katara.
"Toph?"
"Yeah, Twinkletoes?" she asked with a hint of sleepiness in her voice.
"I'm sorry wasn't much of a traveling companion," he began, not quite knowing what else to say. He noticed her move her head to face him, a quizzical eyebrow lifted over one unseeing eye. She kept silent, allowing him to continue. The words came spilling out.
"I was just so upset that she could leave me so easily! I-I love her, Toph! But…I don't think she loves me like I love her," he said in a rush. As soon as the words were out, his cheeks flamed in embarrassment. He expected a mocking comment from the earthbender at any moment. To his surprise, none came. He nearly fell over in shock at the words that left her mouth.
"I know how you feel," she said dejectedly.
"You do?" he managed to stammer out.
The young girl seemed to hesitate, as if to decide whether to reveal something personal.
"I…kinda had a thing for Sokka for a while," she said. Before Aang could interrupt her, she pressed on. "Obviously, he's very happy with Suki. It's best that way. She's older than I am…a good, honorable warrior. I'm sure she's pretty, too," she finished.
Aang looked at her in shock. It was clear from her tone at her last statement that she did not believe herself to be…pretty.
He studied her in the firelight, and surprise rushed through him at his sudden realization. Toph was pretty. Her face was flushed at the moment, probably with embarrassment. She turned away from him.
She started to speak to cover her moment of vulnerability. "Well, at least I can kick his butt any-"
"Toph," Aang interrupted. She turned her head back to him at the sound of his voice.
"What?"
"You are pretty. Why would you think you're not?" he asked.
"Well, it's not exactly like I've ever seen myself. Katara told me I was pretty once, but I thought it was just because she was being nice," she admitted. "I just figured I didn't sense deception from her cause she believed I was pretty on the inside or something stupid like that." She immediately regretted bringing up the waterbender when she felt a spike in Aang's heartbeat. To his credit, it quickly slowed to normal.
Toph sighed. "Every once in a while, I wish that I could just see what I looked like. Just a picture…just for a second," she said quietly.
Aang's eyes widened in shock. The earthbender had always asserted how much better it was to be blind. She enjoyed her special abilities – abilities that would not be so fine-tuned without her blindness. To hear her admit that there was some small part of her that wished for vision was…earthshattering.
He repositioned himself in front of her and gently took hold of her hand. He moved her hand to her hair first.
"To start, your hair is black. It's as dark as the night, but it has a nice shine to it, so it reflects the light. Of course, if it's covered in dirt, it doesn't quite have the same effect," he said. Toph could hear the smile in his voice. "The green in your headband contrasts nicely with it – and it matches the green of your eyes," he observed, moving her hand to rest over her eyes. "Your eyes are different from any I've ever seen. They're green, but not like regular green eyes. It's kind of like a meadow covered in mist. "
He moved her hand to cover her cheek. "Now, your skin is pale – like mine and Zuko's. Sokka and Katara's skin is much darker," he paused a moment, and tried to squelch the pain that was associated with Katara's name. "I like your skin – it's just the right shade for you." He moved on, and guided her fingers to feel her nose. "Your nose is small, and fits just right on your face," he said. Toph's lips curved into a smile, and she finally spoke, "And it's just right for picking, too."
Aang couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I guess it is. So do you get the point? You – Toph Bei Fong – are pretty," he finished, dropping her hand to rest in her lap.
Her lips were still curved in a smile. "Fine, I believe you. It's just…my parents always hid me away, so I figured that something was wrong with me. That I was ugly or something. I know they didn't want the world to know that they had a blind daughter, but I always thought there must be more to it."
The fire crackled before the two young teenagers, and finally Toph let loose a wide yawn.
"I'm beat, Twinkletoes," she said tiredly. The young girl hesitated for a moment, kicking at a pebble on the ground. "Thanks, Aang, for…that. And – I'm sorry about you and Sugar Queen."
With that, she spit into a pile of leaves, and swiftly bent an earth tent around herself.
Aang was left to wonder at her. She was so strong, and yet there was a small core of vulnerability inside her. He almost felt honored that she had let him see it. He knew there were few, if any, other people who would ever see it. His heart fluttered in confusion about the earthbender. As he closed his own eyes that night, he pictured not eyes as blue as the ocean, but eyes the color of a misty meadow.