Okay, we finally find out what happened to the gang. I can't believe that this is one of the final chapters (I have one more planned and I'm deciding on an epilogue) and then it's all over. And I guess it's fitting, since next work marks the end of Avatar. I can't believe it's over, I remember watching the forth episode when it was brand new. And now, the sixty one episodes have closed. I'm sad because I love the characters and I will miss hearing about the adventures of Toph and Zuko and Uncle, but I've met so many people who became close friends to me through this medium. Thank you. This one is for you, and you all know who you are. I hope you will read my other stories when I begin writing them!
Also, special thanks to Spleef for editing this chapter and encouraging me.What would I do without her?
Now, here is Katara!
At the Beginning
We were strangers starting out on our journey
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you
No one told me I was going to find you
Unexpected what you did to my heart
When I lost hope you were there to remind me
This is the start
-Donna Lewis
Flying into the Fire Nation, we felt ourselves energized by the knowledge that we were back on track. We had escaped and we still had a month left before the comet arrived. All Aang had to do was master Earth and Firebending and we should be fine. I imagined that it couldn't be that hard, he could always go into the Avatar State if he absolutely had to. Even though I hated to see him in such deadly rage, I knew it was our only choice that we had now.
The green country underneath us seemed so peaceful. No Fire Nation troops stopped us when we stopped for supplies. People waved and smiled as they walked around. Everything seemed so eerily wonderful. "Good morning," a young red-clad woman said, walking with chicken-geese to market. "And a good day to you."
"Welcome to the village," plump children cheered as we stopped down for fresh water. They played openly in the fields, without fear of Fire Nation soldiers finding them and taking them prisoner. In fact, some of the children wore green and some wore red, but neither seemed to notice.
"Is something in the water? Everyone's too happy," Sokka said, sounding nervous. There were Fire Nation banners everywhere, yet no one seemed to be nervous about them.
"No idea, but I don't like it," Haru said softly. He had been a child of war and all this peace was beginning to scare him. "It's quiet, too quiet." I didn't want to imagine the horrors he had lived through. They reminded me of the raids that had taken my mother.
"Maybe there's a good reason," Aang tried to reason, always trying to be the voice of happiness. None of us were convinced, but we tried to pretend he was right. There was no point in dwelling on negativity till we knew what the real problem was.
All thoughts of that faded away when we reached Ba Sing Se. Not only was it the largest city I had ever seen, but it was also one of the most beautiful. Large towers appeared everywhere, almost stretching into the sky. This was the last refuge against the Fire Nation.
Leaving Appa with Haru outside, we journeyed inside the open gates. There appeared to be no security. Despite being called the "Impenetrable city," we had no problem coming in. "Maybe the guards are just sleeping?" Sokka suggested. None of us were convinced.
We walked around for a few minutes, trying to figure out our next move. We didn't have much money left, and we were hungry, but we had left most of our supplies with Haru. "So how do we find the Earth King?" Aang asked as we milled around inside the city, trying to make our way through the crowds. "We need to warn him."
"Well…I guess we look for the fanciest building and knock on the door and ask to see him," Sokka answered, fingering his boomerang thoughtfully. There were crests hanging everywhere, a flying boar in red. It seemed a weird symbol of the city. Also, it seemed so familiar. Where had I seen it before?
"Somehow, I don't think it will be so easy," I mused as I searched around. It looked a lot like Omashu had looked, built in all stone and rock. "Excuse me, sir, where is the Earth King's palace?" I asked an elderly man. "We're representatives of the Southern Water Tribe. How do we see the Earth King?"
"Well, you just go into the center of the city. You won't miss the main palace, it's the biggest building you have ever seen. But to get in, you'd need to go through the Viceroy. I am sure you can make an appointment. We're all one people under the Sun" the man said, giving him a smile. "A pleasant day to you."
"What's that crowd?" Aang asked. "It looks like a parade!" Well, that would be useful, important officials might be in it, which would give us a chance to see who held the power here.
As we made our way through the cheering masses, we waited as soldiers marched passed up. "Who is this for?" I whispered. Some foreign prince or princess?
"Snoozles, Twinketoes, Sugar-Queen, it's you," a voice said, as the crowded parted reverently, bowing deeply to a small figure who walked through, nodding her head.
"Presenting her highness, General Toph of the Fire Nation, heiress to Ba Sing Se," a voice said officially as the person formally known the Blind Bandit walked over to us, dressed in blood red. She had not grown taller, but the royal robes definitely made her look more mature.
"General Toph of the Fire Nation, " Sokka said, looking nauseated. He had been her first fan and to see her like this must have terrible for her. "How is that even possible? You're supposed to be Aang's teacher, not his traitor!"
"You look well for yourself," I said coolly, debating how I could attack her if I needed. We were badly outnumbered, but we had the Avatar on our side.
Toph smiled, and nodded. "Good to see you too. And don't worry; I'm still on Aang's side. Actually, there are no sides. There's no more war. There's no more nations," she said lightly, as she motioned for us to follow her. "There's only the Empire, Ba Sing Se and the Water Kingdom."
"What do you mean, the war is over?" I demanded, my voice shaking. How could this be true? Aang hadn't stopped the war and therefore the world could not have achieved this. It didn't make logical sense. "Ozai just gave up?"
"Ozai's dead," Toph explained slowly, as if we were small children. "Where have you been, under a rock?" she asked.
The Fire Lord was dead. I should have been dancing with joy, but something seemed so wrong. Aang's destiny had been to slay the great evil, why was destiny shifting around us?
"He just died?" Sokka asked. "What, did you annoy him to death so he keeled over?" It sounded too good to be true! People didn't just die because they were evil, did they?
"Look, you did me a favor so why don't I invite you for some eats and I'll answer all your questions. You're pretty lucky, not many people get an interview with the Viceroy's daughter and one of the two highest ladies in the empire," Toph said haughtily as she snapped her finger for a palanquin, bearing the Fire Nation flag.
Aang's look was clear. Should we follow her? I nodded my head, knowing Toph had a temper, but the three of us could take her. She had soldiers around her, she could have attacked us any time she wanted. Besides, she had a crush on Sokka and I figured he could talk sense into her. So we climbed inside, trying to avoid wincing at the decorations in red.
"Make way for the Lady Toph, beloved confidante of the Emperor," voices rang out, as we traveled along the streets.
"Who's the Emperor?" Aang whispered, looking a trifle green at the entire situation. Something about the word made me think of faceless troops and far too much power.
"Zuko, of course. Made him so myself," Toph said, giving us a satisfied smile. "But have patience; I'll explain everything as soon as you all get some food in your bellies. I can hear them grumbling from here," she added, looking every inch a queen in silk. "Besides, it's hard for me to get through the streets without everyone kow-towing to me. Being the Princess of this city is a bit of a drag."
All of us had a million questions, but somehow, we were all just willing to keep our mouths shut until Toph was willing to speak and tell us what in the name of the Moon happened.
We arrived at a tea shop called the Dragon of the West, where Toph motioned for us to sit down at the best table. "I know the brew-master and chief financier personally, it's the best here," she said. "Order what you want, I'm paying." As I expected, Sokka, despite the unpleasant look towards Toph asked for tea cakes, bread and meat. No matter how angry he was, he couldn't pass up a free meal.
"So, now that we're here, mind telling us what's going on?" I finally asked, noting how powerful Toph had become. Dark robed agents had been following us silently, serving as our escort. Toph's gown must have cost half a city, with rubies, emeralds and pearls decorating the cuffs and collar.
"After I left you, I found Zuko and Uncle. They took me in and the three of us had a lot of fun becoming one big happy family. After realizing that without me, you three had no hope, we decided to save the world and end the war," Toph explained, giving us a sly smile as she adjusted the golden Fire emblem crown on her head. I didn't know how she could stand to wear a symbol of genocide, oppression and hate. "And so we did. It's that simple."
"How?" Sokka asked, his voice trembling as well. "It was supposed to be Aang's destiny, how did a Fire Nation guy end it?" It was the question we were all asking.
"We all did, Snoozles. The Fire Lord died mysteriously and left the throne to his only living heir. The former PrinceZuko took the throne, we arranged a peace treaty which pleased all three sides," Toph said, giving us her usual laid back grin. "Zuko gets all land west of Ba Sing Se and my family gets all lands east."
"But that was supposed to be Aang's job. How could you and Fire boy have done it?" Sokka continued, still looking very confused. I knew my brother was smart, but this was mind boggling.
"Frankly, we just didn't need the Avatar. We don't need some cosmic babysitter. Just a few brilliant people who put their heads together," Toph mocked, giving us another grin as she took a delicate cup of tea from the servers and put it to her lips. "We couldn't wait for you to take your mystic destiny and save mankind. We don't need a supernatural savior. We needed to save ourselves." The look of disdain in her blind eyes was withering.
"Stop it," I snapped, putting my arm around Aang. 'That isn't true!" In my heart, I had a sinking feeling that this was not comforting. "Aang gives the world hope."
"No, he doesn't. He failed the world twice. Zuko and I give the world hope. We negotiated treaties, we took down the Fire Lord, we gave Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe members in the Earth Kingdom equal rights. We ended the war, while you three did nothing. So don't give me some long rant," Toph snapped, and the delicate porcelain rattled in my hand. "What the hell were you all doing while the world suffered?" she demanded.
"That's not a fair question. We got captured in a library and then taken into slavery. We just got rescued, we couldn't do much till that happened," Sokka snapped, as he began discreetly putting food from the tables into our bag. Always thinking ahead.
"I'm sure the world will understand you were too busy to actually come to the rescue," Toph sneered, no longer the sweet girl we trusted but now our enemy. "But happily, we weren't too occupied to do it for you. You should be thanking us."
"She's right," a voice spoke up, a voice that had formerly been silent. All three of us turned to Aang, who was pale with sadness.
"Don't listen to her," Sokka said, giving Aang a friendly arm-punch. "We did a lot."
"We did nothing. We failed," Aang whispered, looking horrified. "I should have been the one to do this. And I didn't." He had put down the food and was staring off into space. "Thank you, Toph. You saved the world when I couldn't."
I couldn't watch my best friend just give up like that. "No, it isn't all over! The world is still under Fire Nation rule," I snapped, wondering how much water I could bend to free my brother and Aang in case we were arrested. "And we won't stop till everyone is free."
"So you'll restart the war?" Toph asked in a calm tone. I expected her to start chucking rocks at me, but she was acting so serenely.
"If we have to. Maybe Zuko is the Fire Lord Aang has to defeat," I said, feeling protective of my best friend.
"First of all, you'd have to go against me, the entire Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom chieftains, and the army and the citizens of all the kingdoms. You'd have to kill every single one of us to get to Zuko," Toph said in a low dangerous tone. "Are you willing to do that?"
"You're lying. No one wants to live under a tyrant Fire Lord," I retorted, knowing that with only my water sack, I'd be at a serious disadvantage.
"Everyone but you is happy with the peace deal, but you're going to return the world to misery. The Avatar forced us to be four separate nations. Under Zuko, we're all equal. We don't have to be separate anymore, we can be one empire."
"But the four nations are needed to preserve the balance," Sokka protested. "We can't all live together." I realized though, I had no idea why we couldn't live that way. Everyone said that the four nations had lived in peace and harmony, but reading in the library, I knew it was just a series of wars broken up by the Avatar.
"Why not? You're Water Tribe and friends with an Airbender. I'm an Earthbender and the Fire Emperor is my best friend. Everyone wants this. And we didn't force the Water Kingdoms to join us, but they've signed peace with us willingly. We all came to an agreement. And you're going to destroy all that?" Toph countered. "So much for peace."
"We don't have to take this. We're leaving, unless you plan to arrest us," I said, not sure what else to do. If everything she was saying was true, then we needed to move on and get a new plan.
"You're free to go. Just don't make trouble," Toph said sternly. "I don't hate you guys. I just need you all to step aside and let Zuko and I do our work."
"We will," Aang said, bowing his head. "I won't trouble this place." He had been defeated and he knew it.
Toph smiled and punched him in the arm. "Stop moping. Just go off and have a good life. I've found where I'm happy and you guys should too. And look me up, I'd still be glad to host you when you're in the Empire. Just remember…your job is done."
We all walked back to Appa, dejected. We didn't have a mission anymore. I had learned Waterbending, which had been my first mission. And the world was saved, in some form. I knew that that meant the Fire Nation had just taken the Earth Kingdom over, but I didn't see how that could be stopped unless we wanted to restart the war and the Fire Nation still had that comet in reserve to pulverize the world if they so chose.
"So…where do we go now?" Sokka asked. "The South Pole? An Air temple?" he asked.
"Well…I guess we don't have any fixed destination," I answered, hoping Aang was doing all right. He hadn't said a word since he had promised Toph he would not challenge her. "So where do you want to go, Aang?"
"You know what this means," Aang answered, a strange look coming over his face.
I winced and waited for the emotional breakdown and the months of comforting he would need to regain himself. "What?"
"I'm free. No more destiny. No more fighting. I can have a normal life again," Aang said happily. "I am free! Sokka, want to travel to Kyoshi? We can!"
Sokka chuckled, realizing what Aang was saying. "I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing Suki again. Yeah, I could get used to this life without plans. Haru and I could use a break from being in charge."
I smiled, realizing that was true. He didn't have to fight anymore, he could finally enjoy life. The three of us could travel for the sheer joy of it, without worrying about Fire Nation soldiers or a comet that would destroy humanity. "So what do you want to do, Aang, the former Avatar?" I asked, giving him a smile.
"This," Aang said, standing up on his toes and kissing me full on the lips. "This and so many more. Time is ours!"
AN-Okay, it's my goal to get to 700, let's see if I can! So in the next chapter, there will be a lot more information about the end of the war and the new empire. You will finally get your romantic kiss between Zuko and Toph, and believe me, it's a moment I've been waiting for since I began writing this story.
Also, I'm sure you want to know why Toph was so mean to Aang. And I think it was her way of telling him to back off. She knows that Aang is Zuko's enemy and she wanted to protect the man she loved from the scary Avatar who can hurt people. So she had to be cruel to make sure Aang didn't try to overthrow her best friend. besides, the truth hurts and it all turned out okay in the end, no?