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Chapter 25: The Letter (Epilogue)
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-Three Months Later-
Toph and Sokka had been at odds throughout the duration of their journey to the South Pole. Toph had been against going to a location where she couldn't "see," but it wasn't her place to dictate what would make Sokka happy. He was going, that was that, and if she wanted his company, she would join him. At least, that was what he told her, but she never believed it for a minute; in truth, he wouldn't have gone without her. They both knew it. She only went because it meant something to the warrior, even if she hated the climate, the heavy coats, and the terrible, dreadful, non-earth ice.
The time the two spent there hadn't been as bad as Toph had anticipated. They actually had a wonderful time, what with Gran-Gran's positive nature around the "feisty earthbender" (this was how Gran-Gran referred to Toph, who early on decided that the word "feisty" was an insulting adjective, even if it wasn't intended to be) and Hakoda's infectious humor, which could only be properly appreciated by Toph and Sokka. The earthbender herself had been reluctant to admit that when the time came for the two to move on, she left grudgingly.
The time to depart had arrived once again, but this time Toph wasn't so reluctant to go. It wasn't that she didn't like Ba Sing Se (even though she didn't), but when she and Sokka arrived in New Omashu, a new adventure would begin. It made her impatient, the fact that something new and wild and exciting was calling to her, begging her to take part. So, even though she had to leave Lotus and Jiro behind, she and Sokka were leaving a day early.
The earthbender and warrior decided upon arrival that if Kaori was hospitable enough to offer them a place to sleep instead of them having to stay at an inn, they would turn her down; after all, Sokka didn't want to feel indebted to anyone, and Toph didn't particularly want to be at Lotus's disposal at all hours of the day. Kaori had insisted, however, and they ended up staying in the beautiful house Toph had once called home. It was a sizable place, after all, so there was space to spare, and considering everything Toph had done for them when she was an earthbending instructor, it was the least they could do.
The sun had yet to show itself, but a few pinkish rays had already pushed past the horizon in their rush to greet the day. Toph and Sokka were getting a very early start, but that was mostly because Toph wasn't one for mushy good-bye's, and this way she wouldn't have to say a word. Sokka had written a letter to leave on the small wooden table in the main room, and it said everything Toph would have never said out loud. Like, "I'm sorry we couldn't do this in person, but I'm terrible at this kind of thing," and, "I'll really, really miss you guys."
Toph stood in the doorway, waiting. A soft breeze blew her loose bangs, and she turned in the direction of her companion. "You ready?"
Sokka nodded, more out of habit than as a response since she couldn't tell he was making the action. "Yeah. Let's go."
Toph walked outside into the crisp morning air. Sokka followed, closing the door softly behind him; then they walked, and neither spoke. There was, quite simply, nothing to say, and therefore no point in disturbing the tranquility that was steadily settling over the travelers.
Toph, her mind free to wander as it pleased, began to frown as she recalled how Lotus so often referred to Jiro's mother as "Miss Rei Li." Honestly, the woman didn't deserve to be called something so formal. In Toph's own opinion, speaking of her as anything other than "that disrespectful, ungrateful, disgusting excuse for an authority figure" was inappropriate; at least the Earth King had enough sense to arrest the woman (for what, Toph dared not ask, but she knew it had something to do with unknowingly insulting the Earth King's niece about her bending education, and that many authority figures were involved in a less-than-regal free-for-all where some very talented earthbenders showed the "guests" that they were just as good at breaking up fights as they were at leading the Earth King's finest armies).
Lotus and Jiro, Toph's two favorite pupils from the academy she'd taught at all that time ago, were developing their earthbending at a pleasantly surprising rate. Lotus was self-taught, but Toph's earlier instruction was the foundation for everything the young girl was able to teach herself. She was doing a wonderful job, and not even a full twenty-four hours before Toph had told her that she was certainly one of the best earthbenders in Ba Sing Se. After all, Toph had taught her to "see" with her earthbending. How many people had that skill under their belt?
It was disappointing to leave them, and even more so to leave early, but she had no control over the fact that she and Sokka had been summoned to New Omashu. After all, showing up and doing what needed to be done was their duty, never mind that she would have preferred fighting to browsing carts in stuffy city streets any day of the week. She was sure that Sokka felt the same way; he was the one who suggested they leave a day early in the first place.
Toph shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned to Sokka. He was rummaging through his pack, snatching his hand around, touching several items to determine their identity. His fingers finally settled on a worn scroll and he pulled it out.
Toph could tell what it was by the way he opened it, by the dull sounds the parchment made, by the gentleness he held it with. His footsteps became lighter as his mood brightened; he was reading the letter again. It was the letter that called them to New Omashu, but Toph knew that this was not the main reason it made him so happy. It was from his sister, and he always loved to hear from her when they weren't traveling together. He tried to hide his excitement, but he was horribly unsuccessful. Typical Sokka.
"Are you reading that thing again?" Toph said exasperatedly, wondering how much more handling that letter could stand. She knew the answer already, but the silence was beginning to irritate her. They were past the city gates, and the noise was terribly faint; few were up and about, and even fewer had the audacity to be heedless of their still-sleeping neighbors.
"No." Toph frowned. He knew she was aware of the lie, and he asked himself, not for the first time and not for the last, whyhe had to be attracted to someone who could tell when he wasn't being one-hundred percent truthful. "Yes."
"I don't know why you insist on reading it every time you have a second to spare."
Sokka adopted an annoyed expression and murmured incoherently as his eyes slowly read the page, soaking in the words his sister had written. "You know, Katara and Aang are already in New Omashu waiting for us. I bet Zuko is, too, since they mention he'll be there."
"It's so weird that Zuko's actually coming out of the Fire Nation," Toph remarked. It was highly unusual for Zuko to leave his nation, even for foreign affairs. Toph thought he liked the comfort and safety of his home because he had been deprived of it for so long when Ozai was in power, but she wasn't entirely sure.
"Yeah, whatever this is... it's big, and it'll definitely have a major effect on the Fire Nation. Zuko wouldn't leave unless it was absolutely necessary." He finished the letter and put it back in his back, carefully laying it among all the useless junk he had acquired.
Sokka pulled another parchment out of his bag, this one much larger. Toph knew without a doubt that it was a map. No matter how well he knew the area, he would use a map; he always needed the guidance it provided, the reassurance it offered.
Toph's thoughts began to wander again. She would finally be able to meet King Bumi; maybe, if she was lucky, he'd treat her to an earthbending match. She hoped they'd have enough time for that kind of thing, but if she knew Zuko like she believed she knew Zuko, he'd want to get all conflict resolved as soon as possible. She did know the Fire Lord, probably better than most people and only because she took enough care to "read" between the lines. He had never spoken with her about anything regarding himself, but with Toph, you didn't have to tell her. Toph always just sort of figured it out on her own, and she prided herself in this; it was partly because she was blind, and therefore she had a lot of time to analyze things and had become quite good at it over the years, and partly because she was a girl (Katara had assured her of the second part, insisting, "We can just tell"), even though Toph didn't think her gender had very much to do with it. Maybe it did. She didn't know.
Toph and Sokka continued their trek in silence. Sokka kept his map out and handy, but when something unmarked came up, he relied on Toph to tell him. Occasionally he would turn to his companion, almost as if he were reassuring himself that he was not alone. She could feel the movement. She always raised a curious eyebrow, but her unspoken question was simply met with further silence, and both of them seemed to come to an agreement that disturbing the quiet with mere words was out of the question. Therefore they simply walked, simply enjoying one another's company.
The Fire Nation had cooled and was almost completely stable; it was an amazing accomplishment, even for the Avatar and his infamous tight-knit group of comrades. The rebellion had actually contributed to the reconstruction process, even if lives had been lost in the process; "Worthless lives," Zuko insisted. "Most of the lives lost were those of people against the new era of peace, and they needed to be taken out. Defeating them all at once in the rebellion was easier than searching for them one by one."
The rebellion had affected everyone in some way, but it had the most impact on those most involved. Zuko himself had gained a large amount of support from his people, and Aang and Katara developed further and friendlier relations with the Fire Nation. Sokka learned a few tips from Toph about facing things head-on, even though his own nature had given him a head start, and he'd advanced his skills as a warrior and as a person. Of course, there were also collective benefits; Azula, the person who supposedly posed the worst threat to the Fire Nation, was finally vanquished. The Fire Nation was able to triumph with its new leader during its inner turmoil. Another rebellion was practically nonexistent because if Azula couldn't pull it off, no one could.
Of course, Toph probably had the most in-depth experience with the rebellion. She had been separated from her family (Sokka, Katara, Aang, Momo and even Appa were her family, and the only family she had, as far as she was concerned) and had been reunited with them. She had felt inner pain when Sokka was hurt and outer pain when she fought against decent opponents. She had been able to feel how each and every person believed they were right, their causes just. Azula truly believed that the Fire Nation was utterly superior, believed every word she said and wanted everyone else to believe her, too. Toph had felt the hearts stop beating on the battlefield, something that so closely resembled the final battle during the war that it scared her, but she was all the more dedicated to her cause. She had felt everything, every movement, every breath, every heartbeat, and that made every experience so much more real. After everything was said and done, and peace had been reinstated, she and Sokka became a couple. It was that simple, and Toph believed that fate was giving her compensation after having to go through so much.
Then again, everything she had gone through had been adventurous, thrilling. And wasn't a little adventure everything she had asked for? Wasn't a little adventure everything she wanted from the very beginning?
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Author's Note: Don't forget to review! Read the sequel, Shattering the Pieces! Thanks for reading!