The trio spent the next couple of days getting reacquainted. Zuko had informed his advisers that he was to be given an official tour of the city, to view all of the new structures and technological advancements they had made in the years since he had last visited. As Firelord, he was ever sought after, and had to be able to excuse himself from countless formal requests while he spent time with friends.
Toph noted how he told the lie with ease as he bowed out of a dinner with one of the cities most influential families. She saw a change in him that might have been invisible to others, she noted that the way in which he held himself had changed. Once, he stood with the overconfidence of a teenager coupled with the underlying anxiety that so often follows personal trauma. Today, he walked with all of the ease and grace of a ruler. He told her of his adventures in finding his mother, his discovery that he was, in fact, Ozai's son, and the reasoning behind his upbringing. The truth of his cloudy circumstances had cleared, and Toph could see that he had found a visible inner peace that had been long absent in his youth.
They were sitting by the pond side in Republic Park discussing a particular adventure involving the Academy and ancient spirit giants. This was something that Sokka had already heard from his brother-in-law, sister and Toph herself, and so he excused himself to fetch Lin and himself an ice-cream, since it was all she could do not to explode when she first saw the stall. Upon his return, he couldn't help but notice how close Toph and Zuko were sitting on the bench. He was leaning into her, talking quietly, and seemed to stop short when Sokka came into ear shot. He felt a tingle run down his spine and his stomach tightened inside of him. Zuko looked at Toph with such admiration and interest that he couldn't help but feel envious. He had never done anything that hurt Toph. Sokka had lulled himself into his comfortable routine with her, and never expected another person to come into the picture, let alone Zuko.
But she deserves more than me anyway, Sokka thought in anguish. Zuko was the monarch of a nation, he was an accomplished firebendering master, he had all the wealth in the world; those traits coupled with that moody disposition he shared with Toph made him feel hopeless. Sokka looked across the pond at Druk. He even has a dragon! He despaired. If it came down to it, he summarised for himself, it was a case of councilman or firelord; the latter of which had never betrayed her or had her hide in the middle of nowhere for years.
For the millionth time, he yearned to do things over. He wished that he had stayed sober at that ball. That he hadn't let his emotions dictate his action. He wished he could even remember the details of that night! The whole memory was a blur. On second thought, he paused, maybe not. He had never asked Seres about that night, he was too horrified at himself to face her, and it was probably best. Sokka wasn't sure what he would do with any information, except repeat it over and torture himself further.
Lin pulled on his arm, trying to speed him up so she could sit by her mother. She plonked herself down on the grass next to her feet and began picking flowers, braiding them into a chain. Sokka copied her, to distract himself from the situation, and they stayed that way while she trained him in the ancient art. At about midday, however, they heard a cheer go out around them and he looked up, spotting Appa flying low in the sky.
They waved him down, though Aang had clearly spotted the dragon long before he saw his companions. Appa landed and let out his characteristic roar, and he saw Aang wave enthusiastically as he swept himself down in a swirl of air. "So this is the dragon I saw in the swamp a few years ago! I've been hearing rumours of the Firelord's new familiar even down in the south pole!"
Aang had changed drastically in the last few years, but still maintained that open hearted attitude. He had grown into a tall man with a decent build and plenty of facial hair. He grinned at Zuko, and then looked properly at the woman sitting next to him. "... Toph?" He gaped.
"Ha, yeah. Hey Twink-" Before she could finish her sentence, he had swept her into a tight hug. She accepted it, even leaning into it somewhat.
"Where have you been? We've missed you so much!" He gave her one last squeeze before releasing her.
"I've been... Side-tracked." Her eyes flicked to the grass beside them, where her daughter was staring up at the huge sky bison, though periodically glancing toward her mother's encounter with the tattooed covered airbender.
Aang looked down beside them, and simultaneously had to process the small child who bore a striking resemblance to Toph, as well as the fact that Sokka was there, outside of the house, with a half finished flower crown hanging from his fingers.
He clearly decided to bypass the latter development in favour of the little girl. "Toph! Is this your daughter?" She nodded, her lips curving up at the corners. "I'm so happy for you! What's your name, little one?" He dropped into a cross legged position with ease, smiling widely.
"Lin!" She quipped, holding her finished flower wreath out to him, "Do you want this?"
"DO I?" He gushed, "Thank you so much!" He bent his neck, and she fit it around his bald head, giggling. Sokka remembered then that Aang was a father, and he knew instantly that he was a great one.
"Why do you have arrows everywhere?" She asked, curiously.
"Well sweetie, they're cultural symbols, a long time ago, there were a lot of-" He trailed off as she got up and went toward the sky bison. To such a small child, he was nothing short of a giant, one with huge teeth and imposing, hot breath. He expected her to timidly stretch out, but instead she leapt up with bending and landed on his head, where Aang had just come from. She immediately began laughing wildly, stroking her little hands through his poofy fur. Aang took the moment of distraction to take in the scene. His brother, one of his best friends, Sokka was out of his house, out of the council halls. He had been in such severe depression for so long that he had forgotten what it looked like when he smiled. At the moment, he was watching Lin with a fiercely proud expression. Toph had come out of her burrow, too, and he had a glimpse at the direction her life had taken in the last eight or nine years. On the other side of the pond, a large dragon lay dozing, and he saw that Zuko too had gained a companion for life, of which he was glad. He had not heard promising things about his relationship with Mai, but there was nothing more steadfast than the bond between human and their animal familiar.
Aang looked back toward Appa, his oldest friend, then to the young child scratching behind his ear. "How would you like to fly on him, Lin?" His eyes lit up in childish excitement.
"Oh, Aang, I don't think-" Toph began before Lin started squealing happily. "-Fine." She finished. Toph had never been a fan of the air, feeling more comfortable rooted to the earth, but regardless, she climbed onto the giant's back and pulled Lin into her arms in the saddle. Automatically, Sokka went to follow, placing himself beside his friend to allow her his arm if she felt uncomfortable.
Zuko stood, too. "Well if we're flying anyway, we may as well head to the council halls. I'll take Druk."
Aang suddenly looked torn, wanting to know more about the dragon but not wanting to disappoint a young girl. He decided that they could discuss it later, hopping on Appa's neck.
With a "Yip Yip!", they were off. The sun was high in the sky, and its glow was shining on them. It was a bit colder up in the air, but the day was so fresh, the air smelled clean and grassy, and the sight of the city from above was awe inspiring. The magnificent buildings gave way to smaller, quainter places. The alleys were filled with stalls and merchants, people sitting outside, drinking and eating, on tables, steps, walls. The city life was quick paced and busy, but from above they could see the people lounging the day away, with friends and loved ones, by themselves with a book, tearing cooked meat off of sticks and licking ice cream off of cones.
Aang looked behind him at the three in the saddle, at a jolt, Toph wound one arm around Sokka's, like when they were kids. Toph still held her daughter tight with the other, while Lin gazed around, mesmerised. His eyes shifted toward Sokka, who kept glancing sideways at their old friend, his eyes were bright, and his aura was beaming. Aang knew that something had happened between the two of them to start the divide of the group, but neither of them had ever given much in the way to what that was, exactly. He suspected it might have had something to do with the ball the Bei Fongs threw the night before she ran away, only returning to reassure him of her safety and to pack up her things from the house.
After too short a time, they were landing. Lin scrunched herself up for impact, and Aang noticed how Sokka touched Toph's arm with his other hand, altering her to the imminent contact. Toph stood up, stretching happily, and Aang saw how Sokka drew his eyes up her body reverently while she did so.
"Earth!" She chirped, leaping off after grasping both arms around Lin and holding on tight.
Sokka smiled fondly, following, and they made their way into the large hall. Word must have spread that the Avatar had arrived, because the other council members had arrived; even Guen, who had taken a short leave of absence after her altercation a few weeks before. With everybody there, they thought it best to get the final segment over and done with.
Yahne brought out a long roll of parchment. It detailed the effects of the new law, specifying codes of conduct, the process of enacting the bill and the rules and stipulations put in place to best protect it's citizens. Essentially, the law would entitle citizens to not have any legal obligation to discuss family background, birth nation or warfare involvement, unless requested by the high council directly with all signatures present.
After each of them had inspected the document to their personal satisfaction, they set about writing their signatures. Yahne brought out a squid ink quill reserved for these moments, and began with her own. Aang, still wearing his flower circlet took the quill last, and was about to put his pen to the page when there was a loud interruption.
They all tensed as the large mahogany doors flung open, Toph positioned herself in front of her daughter, and noticed that Sokka seemed to do the same with her. She wasn't sure who she was expecting the trespasser to be, but as the figure moved from silhouette to light, she spoke, revealing her identity to the blind woman at the same time as her companions.
"Zuko." Mai said with a tone of urgency.
"Mai? What are you doing here?" Zuko spluttered.
"We have a problem. There is an imminent attack on the city, there's a rebel organisation loyal to Azula and Ozai. They call themselves the New Ozai Society, and they have plans to overthrow you and take down the Avatar while they're at it."
"Ho-How do you know?" Zuko said, recovering from his shock.
"Because my father is the one who leads it."
Toph gaped, "I've heard of that group before." She turned to Aang, "Remember Satoru? From the refinery? He ran away from home after his parents joined." She looked at the rest of them, "I was sure that it was long disbanded."
"All of my resources told me that they'd been dissolved." Aang's eyebrows furrowed.
"They haven't. I was... with a friend, the other evening, and he tried to recruit me in their head quarters. There were at least twenty, twenty five people there, none of which looked like common rabble. After I dispatched them," she said with a hint of a smile, "I picked up my brother and swiped some documents before I left."
"What did they entail?" Sokka asked, getting to the point.
"The New Ozai Society planned to make a duel strike, one here, this evening, and another, on you, Avatar." Mai turned her eyes to Aang. Her expression had twitched to express a hint of surprise.
"Do you know when or where they were going to make their attempt on my life?" Aang asked, carefully.
"Yes." Mai turned to him, "Tonight." She paused for a moment. "In the South Pole... They seemed to be under the impression that you were supposed to be at home with Katara."
"No, I'm-" Aang began, before his expression became charged with horror. "Katara! Oh gods, my family!"
Within the hour, Aang and Sokka had loaded onto Appa, ready to make flight. They sent ahead a hawk, but it seemed pointless, as it would take as long to get there as they would. Yanhe ran out toward Aang, the bill flapping in her grasp. "Please, sign it and be done with it, Avatar." She said, holding out the quill to him. He bent down, added the final signature to the piece and nodded to her knowingly. She knew that there was a chance he would not be around to sign it later.
Zuko told them that he needed to confront his own would-be-assassins if he was going to retain his position as Firelord. He needed to display strength and fearlessness to his people. Toph volunteered to stay in the city with him, as she was truly blind in the icy regions of the Poles, and she didn't want to leave Lin on her own.
Sokka didn't want to be the one to mention it, but he was viciously aware of what could be waiting for them when they eventually arrived. The fastest he had ever done the trip was a week and a half, and Appa was in his prime, then. As they set off, Aang stood up straight where he usually lounged. He fit his fists together, and his tattoos and eyes lit up with a controlled intensity before he swept his arms behind him and they set off at an inhuman speed, while being protected by a pocket of unaffected air. It had been years since he had seen Aang use this power. It was clear that his gentle friend who mastered four elements in four seasons, had absolutely mastered the Avatar State.