Chapter 6: Bonds
Zuko woke late next morning as a messenger hawk flapped its wings at his face. "gerroff. Mai Stop it!" He growled sleepily. The hawk nibbled his ear making him yelp. And he was fully awake cursing the bird and taking the scroll from its pouch.
Toph came out of the rock tent and walked towards them. There were dark circles around her eyes. She hasn't slept at all. Zuko noticed but thought not to ask her.
"Who's it from?" She asked hesitantly.
"Katara." Zuko answered. "She says that Lao is OK. As it seems the imposter knows nothing. He is a non bender who the kidnappers hired anonymously. Currently he's been locked away in your house. and there was a message from the kidnappers around dawn."
"What do they want?" Toph asked.
"They need the Bei-Fong estate legally transferred to them. They will come for the deed." Zuko read. "If the word gets out you will suffer. Choose between your kid and your land."
Toph snorted. "My dad will have a hard time choosing." She said crustily. "They must have chosen my parents' house for the HQ. It's perfectly located and in safe distance from all of Ba-Sing-Se and the Fire nation."
"We have to end this." Zuko said. "Let's tell your parents to say yes and the Dai-Lee will not take Prithvi with them. As in the previous cases he'll be left with guard where ever he is imprisoned. I'll send word to my spies and we'll get them all. My sources confirm that only the twelve agents banished by Azula are engaged in this."
"I just want to get him back. I do not care about the estate." Toph said. "But we cannot let them go so easy. We have to make sure this does not happen again. We'll make them pay for what they did."
Zuko smiled. He was glad that she was finally using 'we' for 'I'.
"Yes we will." He said stretching his hand towards Toph who caught it and pull him on to his feet. A small smile plastered to her face. "Thanks Zuko!" She said almost inaudibly.
"What?" Zuko faked placing a palm behind his ear and leaning forward.
"THANK YOU, you annoying Sparky Pants" Toph said loudly punching him hard on the arm.
They got on Nyla and took off. She leaded them to an edge of a cliff situated well away from the city of Gaolin. The beast was twitching madly and started stroking the earth.
"This must be it." Zuko said getting down. Toph jumped down and from the moment her feet touched the ground she knew they were there.
"This is just like the western Air temple." She said kneeling down and placing a palm on the ground for a better 'look'. "Only a lot smaller. There are several chambers and ten or so men inside the cliff. Completely hidden."
Zuko watched as Toph got up. "No wonder there aren't any guards outside." He said. "They surely did not expect you to show up. My spies are at Gaolin already. Let's position few of them here. I've already sent a group to Bei-Fong Estate."
Toph nodded as Zuko wrote a note to his commander. He put it in the bird's pouch and set him off.
Toph suddenly turned. "Someone's coming." She said dragging Zuko by arm and running in to the near by woods. Zuko climbed to a tree and dragged Toph up. They watched, well hidden among the thick vegetation, as four hooded figures emerged out of the surface of the cliff. One of them closed the trap door using earth bending and they were off.
Zuko and Toph waited until they disappeared and slowly climbed down the tree. They were shortly accompanied by ten men, four Yue-Yan archers among them. They crept out of the forest so sneakily, not even Toph felt they arrive until they were standing behind them. The spies bowed low to Zuko.
"Stay close to me." Said Toph silently bending a trap door in to the cliff.
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Lao was supported in to a cozy arm chair in the entrance hall by Aang. Poppy sat beside him. Aang and Katara hid themselves together with the spies Zuko had sent, surrounding the entrance hall and covering the hall area. The guards of Bei-Fong family stayed alert around the estate.
Four men marched in to the living room leaded by a guard.
"Where is my son?" Lao asked in a sulky voice.
"Safe." Answered one of the men. "For now." He added nastily. "As long as you play by our rules, you will get your son back. Are the papers ready?"
Poppy stood up. "We demand to see him before we do anything." She said balling her fists.
"Lady Bei-Fong, Sit down if you please." Said the man. "No one but us make the demands here. You have already lost one child. You don't want to loose another."
That very moment the earth beneath the entrance hall shook. A cube of earth shot upwards revealing a tunnel from which a figure climbed up. "No they have not." It said stepping out of the dust cloud closely followed by several others.
It was Toph. Zuko came in to the view carrying a young boy who resembled Toph very much. Only his eyes were bright green and they could see.
The Dai-Lee agents froze. They were horror struck and motionless in their bewilderment. Toph stomped her feet and crossed her arms in front of her in a fighting stance without giving them time to think. The long metal swords used as decorations hanging from the walls flew towards the four men and tied them together. Within a flash few more figures jumped out of the shadows making them gasp. They were surrounded by five fire nation spies, the avatar and the master water bender Katara. Toph Bei-Fong and Fire Lord Zuko were towering them. Prithvi was in fire lords arms, safe and sound. It was over and they knew it.
"You messed with the wrong family." Toph spat kicking the earth and making them glide towards Lao and Poppy.
Zuko, Toph and the ten spies had had no trouble at all in saving Prithvi from the cliff. The spies had taken the Dai-Lee in to custody and Toph had leaded their way to the Bei-Fong estate from underground.
Zuko's spies arrested the Dai-Lee and took them away to the fire nation prison, the boiling rock. It was all over.
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The aftermath of their victory had been awkward. Very awkward. Poppy had almost fainted seen Toph. As she soon as she pulled herself together, she had dragged Toph in to a rib cracking embrace to which Toph had stayed neutral. It was Lao who had broken her down. He had stepped forward and knelt down bowing low. "I'm sorry my love." He had said. "Please forgive this failure of a father."
Toph had jumped forward and pulled him up exclaiming "Dad!"
Katara and Aang were expecting Toph to talk first. She had deliberately disregarded their coldness towards her for the time being. She did not know how to bring the topic up though she knew she was wrong for not letting them in. All she knew was that a simple 'sorry' won't do the trick.
Four days later Toph stood on the very spot she had been standing four years ago. Prithvi who had been entailing her ever since she got home, was clinging to her side. Lao and Poppy sat on their high chairs. The picture was so nostalgic except for the fact that Zuko was sitting with Aang and Katara on the very chair they sat watching Toph talk to her parents four years ago.
"Mom, Dad," Toph began. "I need you to promise me something." She said stroking Prithvi's hair.
"Don't worry Toph. We've learnt our lesson." Lao said. "We won't take away his childhood foolishly. We were blinded by our fear of loosing you or you getting hurt. And we paid the price."
Toph stared. So did the others. "We haven't still overcome the shock we felt when you left, Toph. And we never will." Poppy said standing up and coming towards her. She touched Toph's face in an affectionate manner. Lao came forward and hugged Prithvi tight. Toph actually felt that the aura about her parents was different. It was more caring and understanding. That moment she knew her brother was going to be just fine.
Lao put a hand around Poppy's shoulder holding Prithvi with the other. "Stay Toph. Please stay, so that our family will be whole again." He said. Toph and others clearly heard the pleading in his voice.
Aang and Katara shared a look of unease and sadness. No matter how angry they were with Toph, she had become an essential part of their life. They did not want her to choose them over her family but they just couldn't take the idea of leaving without Toph.
Toph took a slow relaxing breath. "I understand that when I left, I hurt you badly. But I had to. Now, finally you have come around and-" She noticed how Zuko tensed on his seat, she heard Katara held breath and she felt Aang's heart rate rose. Toph tilted her head a little towards them before she continued.
"I hear the geniuses in your voices. And I feel like I'm finally home" She bowed her head and stayed silent for a while. Katara was holding Aang's and Zuko's hands so tightly that it hurt. Toph finally lifted her head. Poppy and Lao saw a tear gathered in the brims of her eyes. "But I belong…. "Toph broke off holding her mother's hand and smiled. "I promise I'll visit more often."
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A/N - Final chapter coming up.