A/N: Well, here is the end of Part 3: Katara. This has been a very interesting section for me to write because most of my original ideas for the plot came out in all of the old man's stories. It was also different writing-wise because I did in fact write most of this part in quotes. This is as I said my first fan-fiction, so I'm still trying to find my best writing style. Enjoy and be looking out for Part 4/5 soon. RR&E (read, review, & enjoy)

Chapter 9

"Wait a minute…You had a run-in with Long Feng and the Dai Li?" questioned the old man.

"Yes, it was about three or four months ago, and…"

"No no no," interrupted the man, "You had a run in with Long Feng and the Dai Li, and you got out of it? I mean, even with the Avatar on your side, that's pretty impressive."

Katara blushed. She felt proud that her newfound friend held her in such high esteem. She felt connected to him, as if she already knew him at some point early in life.

She gave the man a rest and told her story about the conspiracy theory set forth by the Dai Li right under the Earth King's nose. She also told him about Azula and how she was able to sneak into the city as well, disguised as a Kyoshi warrior, and how she manipulated the Dai Li to follow her commands until she was able to run Long Feng out of the city.

"Oh, so you were involved in the coup?" asked the old man.

"Wait, you knew about it before I even told you?"

"Oh of course dear, everybody knows about that by now. That stuff's old news. But I had never heard an accurate description of the event from true eyes. I only rumors that, by the time they float out here, have lost much of their truth in the first place. It was also very interesting to hear it from your point of view as well, what with you traveling with the Avatar and all.

"However," the old man continued, "the one part of your story that doesn't match what I know to be true is that bit at the end about Long Feng being run out of town.

"You see, after he surrendered to Azula, she knew at that point exactly what his strengths and weaknesses are. That's the kind of person she is."

"Wait, how do you know anything about Azula?" Katara asked.

"Eh, well, that's a long story as well. Let's just say I'm a friend of the family. Er…a friend of a part of the family. But that's not important right now. What is important however, is setting your story straight so that you know all the facts.

"After Azula knew that Long Feng would conform to whatever she pleased, she knew exactly where to take him. After the Fire Nation had complete control of Ba Sing Se, she sent Long Feng, as well as a good number of Dai Li agents, out into portions of the Earth Kingdom already under Fire Nation control. She put him in charge of all of the soldiers that could not fire-bend. We like to call them the Lower Ranks."

"So, what exactly does he do now?" Katara asked.

"Well, like I said, he oversees all of the non-bending forces of the Fire Nation army. His forces reports to their generals, who report back to Dai Li agents, who then report to Long Feng, who is in constant contact with Azula."

Katara pondered this for a moment while the man sipped some of his jasmine tea.

"It seems really weird that the Dai Li would conform to that," Katara said, "Even if Long Feng and Azula are directly above them in power, I would think they would have refused to leave their secretive and mysterious lives.

"Yes, it does seem pretty out of character. It's probably why some of them left."

"You mean there are former Dai Li agents just walking around now?" Katara asked, suddenly overcome with a sense of worry.

"Well, there are agents that are no longer part of the Dai Li among us, but they are certainly not just walking around. Long Feng would never have it, much less Azula. What I mean is that they have devoted themselves to helping in many underground groups, especially the White Lotus, but they have remained strictly anonymous. Otherwise, Long Feng would capture them and take them back to his hold, which, actually, is not too far from here."

"Ahh, I see," Katara said as she breathed a large sigh of relief. As the man set back and took another sip of tea, she thought about all of this newfound information. Then, suddenly, a thought hit her so hard, she almost shrieked with worry.

"I think they have Aang," Katara said.

The old man almost spewed tea through his nose.

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Katara was nearly out of breath when she was finished telling about how Aang had been taken off of Appa during their last flight, which was why they had to stop here in the first place.

"Oh dear," the old man said, "this is not good news for anybody. They probably caught him in mid-air while you were asleep, and then transported him to their facility that isn't too far from here, the one I told you about," the man said.

"And if Long Feng has Aang, he'll remember everything about what we did in order to prove his disloyalty to the Earth King. This is bad, especially if what you said about Long Feng and Azula is true. Everybody thinks Aang is dead, including Azula. If she finds out that he is alive, all of our invasion plans are ruined," Katara said.

"Invasion plans?" asked the man, "You mean you are going to invade the Fire Nation?"

"Yes, on the Day of Black Sun. That is the day of a solar eclipse, and Aang is going to fight the Fire-Lord so we can try to end this war before Sozin's comet arrives. We were hoping to have the element of surprise on our side, but if Azula knows Aang is alive, then she'll know that we're coming, which means…"

"You need to leave now," the man said, "If she gets word of the Avatar being alive, your plans are sure to fail and you will have nothing but disaster on the day of your invasion. How far away are you?"

"Just the woods outside of town," Katara answered.

"Good, I know where they are holding him, so I will go with you. Plus, if you don't mind my saying so, I'm an excellent water-bender and I would love to get back at the Fire Nation for what they put me through back at the North Pole."

"Of course you can come with us. We would love your company, as well as the extra hand in battle," Katara said.

"Oh, believe me, you don't want a battle now. With secret plans of an invasion at stake, the last thing you want is any kind of special attention."

"So, you propose we sneak in and break him out?" Katara asked.

"That's the only way," the man confirmed.

"OK then, let's go," Katara said.

The two packed some supplies from the man's shop, and hurried out of the town.

"By the way," Katara asked as they neared the camp, "What is your name?"

"People call me Iceburg."

Chapter 9.5

As she entered the camp, Toph focused her senses in all directions. She felt in and around the man's tent for any other signs of the tunnels she had felt earlier.

"So what's your name?" the man suddenly asked.

"Toph."

"That's a cute little name, what are you doing out here in the middle of the forest by yourself?"

Ignoring the childish treatment, she answered, "I don't know. My parents took me camping for the weekend, but when I got up to go find this river we had been at earlier, I got lost, so I just kept going and listened for somebody, then I found you."

She grimaced inside. This wasn't her best of lies, but it was all she could think of at the moment. Something about this man worried her. It was as if she had a bad run-in with him once. Then, all at once, she remembered.

She kept all signs of emotion inside, and, in doing so, played her helpless blind girl act...right into the Dai Li agent's campsite.