Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender


Chapter Sixteen: To Convince the Earth King

After they flew off the shores of Lake Laogai, Team Avatar landed on an island in the middle of the lake to plan their next course of action. While Aang was rubbing and exclaimed over Appa, Ellie, Katara, and Sokka stood in a triangle of action while Toph sat beside Katara listening with curiosity.

"Look," Sokka was saying. "We escaped from the Dai Li and got Appa back. I'm telling you, we should go to the Earth King now and tell him our plan. We're on a roll!"

"One good hour after weeks of trouble is not much a roll," Katara disagreed.

"We can build on it," Sokka persisted. "If we want to invade the Fire Nation when the eclipse happens, we need the Earth King's support."

"What makes you think we'll get it?" Toph asked. "I don't know if you've noticed, but things usually don't go that smoothly for our little gang."

"I know, but I've got a good feeling about this," Sokka added with a smile.

"Sokka," Katara sighed. "Long Feng is in control of the city. His conspiracy with the Dai Li is too powerful. I say we just get on Appa and fly away from this horrible place."

"I'm with Sweetness," Toph agreed. "I've seen enough of this city, and I can't even see!"

"But now that we have Appa back, nothing's stopping us from seeing the Earth King," Aang pointed out, popping up beside Sokka.

"See Aang's with me!" Sokka grinned. "It's the whole reason we came in the first place. We have to try."

They all turned to look at Ellie.

"It's two against two," Aang said. "What do you think?"

Ellie folded her arms and said confidently, "We know the Dai Li will be dogging our steps, but there are ways to convince the Earth King. I think we should go for it."

"Then it's settled," Sokka said, wandering over to Appa.

They all climbed on his back and looked out over the water. In the distance, they saw small sailboats meandering across the water.

"That must be the Dai Li searching for us," Katara commented.

"We'd better leave," Ellie said quickly.

"Yip, yip!" Aang exclaimed, and Appa took to the sky.

Aang steered him straight for the center of the city. The other four lay on their stomachs, gripping Appa's fur.

"Can we please get a new saddle?!" Toph shrieked. "Riding bareback is terrifying!"

"Where would we even get one?" Ellie shouted.

"If nothing else," Aang replied, "we can figure out what the sandbenders did with our old one!"

They looked back down at the ground to see that they had made it into the Upper Ring.

"There it is," Sokka said, pointing to large grounds. "That whole thing is the palace. The Earth King's chambers should be in the center."

"We have to be careful," Katara warned them. "Long Feng's probably warned him that we were coming."

"Why do you think that?" Sokka asked. "If you ask me—"

But he was instantly cut off as Appa swerved to the right to avoid a large rock that had just been shot at them.

"What was that?!" Toph asked, clutching at Appa for dear life.

"Long Feng definitely warned the Earth King!" Ellie cried.

"More in-coming!" Sokka shouted.

Appa dipped down and to the left, the right, and then straight on as more rocks sailed past. One came up on their left, and without even flinching Aang punched it into a million pieces. Another flew right over their heads, and the next Aang sliced in half with his staff.

As they neared the palace proper, Appa dropped lower to the ground and Aang jumped down in front of a large troop of soldiers. The earth beneath him buckled and rose out in a shock wave, knocking all of the men over. Appa touched down on the ground and growled at the general, who fell off his ostrich horse and crawled away.

The others jumped off of the bison and began running after Aang down the main pathway. Men jumped out on either side pulling head-sized cubes of earth out of the ground and preparing to strike. As they fired, Aang and Toph set off, using earthbending to deflect the cubes. Aang hit them with his staff while Toph bent them away and used slabs of earth as shields. Meanwhile, Katara was knocking the men on the right out with water whips, and Ellie took out the men on the left with streams of fire.

All the while, Katara shouted as she hit men and winced, "Sorry!"

They looked forward to see dozens of guards rushing toward them from the palace. Quickly, Toph raised her arms and brought them down with a jerk, flipping over all of the earth tiles beneath their feet, trapping them from the waist down.

"Sorry," Katara shouted as they ran past, "we just need to get through to see the Earth King!"

As they continued on, lines of soldiers filed in rows past the bridge. Two guards at the first landing of steps bent large stone statues off of the platform and down towards the children. Together, Toph and Aang bent the ground around them up over their heads in a protective tunnel of sorts, holding fast as they heard a loud crunch as the statue struck home.

Katara was the first out of the tunnel, bending a steam of water out of the little creek into ice for her to slide from one side to the other. She then used that water as defense, letting it soak around her arms and pulling men off the first landing into the water. As the others ran or (in Aang's case) flew over the bridge, the Avatar used his staff to freeze the water, trapping the guards in it.

The others caught up to Katara and froze as rocks soared down towards them. They looked up to see hundreds of men sailing down from the palace doors, looking like hundreds of ants that ran out of an upset bed. Immediately, Toph ran forward, holding her arms up in the air with her fingers splayed apart. She stayed like that for a long second, the ground began to shake, and then brought her arms to her waist in a quick jab. All of the stairs were pulled down, creating one long, flat, slick slope towards them.

Aang stepped up to join her and the two of them bent the ground beneath the group's feet up the slope as men fell down on either side of them.

"Seriously, we're actually on your guys's side!" Sokka shouted.

Ellie airbent a few men over to the side as they almost fell onto their platform multiple times until they reached the top.

"Sorry!" Sokka exclaimed as the last man fell past them.

Finally the platform came to a halt and they alighted on the second landing—the one that the palace doors were on. More men flooded towards them on either side and Toph and Aang bent two great slabs of earth out of the ground, pushing the men away from them.

"In there!" Sokka shouted, pointing towards the hall that led to the inner part of the palace.

They set off running again and Ellie clutched her side—why did they have to run so much? She wasn't given much of a breather as they ran into a room, halting slightly when a bunch of guards ran towards them from all directions. Toph used pillars to slam each one of them into the ceiling.

"Toph!" Sokka shouted to the blind girl. "Which way to the Earth King?"

"How should I know?" Toph cried, creating a few slabs that knocked a few more men away. "I'm still voting we leave Ba Sing Se!"

She brought her arms up and down in a rolling motion, creating a hump of earth that spun towards another guard. Ellie ran up, still panting heavily, and torched some men away as Sokka ran off to check all of the doors in the vicinity. Katara and Aang soon joined in, using a mixture of water, air, and earth to fight. It seemed like the more men they took out, the more reappeared. Earth was piling up in great piles and slabs stuck up at odd points in the room as they continued to fight. There were scorch marks on the ground and walls, left by Ellie.

Finally, the guards stopped coming and they defeated the last ones. Sokka climbed over a great pile of earth they had created to check the last door.

"Now that's an impressive door," he said to himself. "It's got to go somewhere."

The others watched as he jumped over the peak of the pile, disappearing from view. Aang then used air to propel Katara over it while Toph bent herself over with earth. Ellie and Aang then hopped up the pile and flew over, using airbending to go farther. They landed to see Sokka pushing on the door with all of his weight, his feet sliding out from under him.

Aang spun his glider a few times, kicking up a gust of air, and directed it at the fancy doors, which blew off their hinges. Sokka, who had still been leaning up against the door, flew forward a few feet with the doors and fell flat on his face.

"A little warning next time?" he called behind him as the other four ran to where he sat.

He hopped to his feet and they all brandished their different weapons—Sokka held his machete aloft, Katara pulled her water out of her pouch and held it in a defensive stance, Aang brandished his staff, Toph summoned a piece of earth, and Ellie lit a fire in her palm. They looked forward to see a young man sitting in a throne with a large statue of a platypus bear crouching over it and silk curtains hanging above that. To his right stood Long Feng, and a whole row of Dai Li stood before them.

"We need to talk to you!" Aang shouted, whipping his glider behind his back.

"They're here to overthrow you," Long Feng told the king.

"No!" Sokka dissented. "We're on your side! We're here to help."

"You have to trust us!" Katara exclaimed.

"You invade my palace," the Earth King said angrily, coming to his feet, "lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy doors, and you expect me to trust you?!"

"He has a point," Toph told them.

Ellie's eyebrow twitched dangerously.

"If you are on my side," the young man continued, "then drop your weapons and stand down."

All five of the children gave him dirty looks, but nevertheless dropped their weapons at their feet, Katara stowed her water back in her pouch, and Ellie reluctantly extinguished her flames.

"See?" Aang asked with an overly cheesy smile. "We're friends, your earthiness!"

The king wasn't smiling back. Long Feng raised his hand in a signal, and the Dai Li shot earth towards the children, trapping their hands behind their backs. They all let out cries of surprise and Aang's hands twitched in their secure. Long Feng smirked at them and it took every ounce of self-control Ellie possessed not to start spewing fire out of her mouth.

"Detain the assailants," Long Feng ordered, and the Dai Li flew towards them.

"But we dropped our weapons," Sokka said as the men grabbed them from behind. "We're your allies!"

"Make sure the Avatar and his friends never see daylight again," Long Feng continued.

At these words, the Earth King looked from him to the teenagers in surprise.

"Wait," he said slowly, pointing to Sokka. "You're the Avatar?"

"No, he is," Sokka said, jerking his head towards Aang.

"Over here!" Aang called, raising his hands—the earth-cuffs that had been trapping them before broke apart and flew around him until he put his hands back together.

"What does it matter, your highness?" Long Feng asked. "They are enemies of the state."

"I suppose you're right," the young king said slowly. He paused as his pet bear walked up to Aang, snuffling in his face and licking his bald head, receiving a giggle. "Though Bosco seems to like him. I'll hear what he has to say."

"Well, sir," Aang replied, stepping forward, "there's a war going on right now. For the past one hundred years, in fact. The Dai Li's kept it secret from you. It's a conspiracy to control the city, and to control you."

"A secret war?" the king asked incredulously. "That's crazy!"

"Completely," Long Feng agreed.

"Long Feng didn't want us to tell you," Aang continued, "so he stole our sky bison to blackmail us. And blackmail is the least of his crimes. He brainwashed our friend—"

"All lies," Long Feng said, turning to face the king. "I've never seen a sky bison, your majesty. Frankly, I thought they were extinct."

"Your claim is difficult to believe," the Earth King said heavily, sitting back down on his throne. He looked troubled. "Even from an Avatar."

"These hooligans are from an anarchist cell that we've been tracking for weeks," Long Feng said quietly into the king's ear. "If you listen to them, you are playing right into your own destruction."

The Earth King's troubled look increased and his brows deepened.

"I have to trust my advisor," he said finally, looking back up at Aang.

At these words, an agent of the Dai Li stepped forward, pulling Aang back to his friends. The five of them were turned around and they hardly took a few steps before Sokka's voice interrupted, saying, "Wait!" he had turned around and was looking at the king. "I can prove he's lying.

"Long Feng said he's never seen a sky bison, right? Ask him to lift his robe."

"What?!" Long Feng snapped. "I am not disrobing."

The king gave him a suspicious look and Aang grinned at Sokka, finally caught on to the older boy's plan. Sokka nodded back at Aang, who promptly sucked in a ton of air and blew it back out, causing Long Feng's robe to fly above his head.

"Right there!" he cried, catching a glimpse of the markings on his leg. "Appa bit him!"

"Never met a sky bison, huh?" Sokka asked with a wide smile.

"That happens to be a rather large birthmark," Long Feng muttered, pushing his robe off his face and smoothing it down. "Thanks for showing everyone."

"Well, there is no way to prove where those marks came from," the Earth King said slowly.

"Sure there is!" Sokka exclaimed.

Appa, who was just past the large earth crater they had created, was brought in and Aang pointed from his open mouth, where dozens of white molars gleamed, to the molar shaped markings on Long Feng's leg. The man in question was looking very displeased as he held up his robe.

"Yup, that pretty much proves it," the king stated. "But this doesn't prove the crazy conspiracy theory—though I suppose this matter's worth looking into."

Long Feng gave them all a dark look before slinking out of the room, the Dai Li following him.

OA

"So this is a train," the king said as he stood in the middle of a car, surrounded by his guards. Their fellow passengers gaped at him. "I didn't realize it would be this…public."

"So you've never been outside the Upper Ring, before?" Katara asked.

"I've never been outside the palace," the young man replied, looking out the window. "Now that's the way to travel!"

He pointed to where Aang flew on Appa, parallel to the train.

"So, where are we going, exactly?"

"Underneath Lake Laogai, your kingliness," Sokka replied, "to the Dai Li's secret headquarters. You're about to see where all the brainwashing and conspiring took place."

OA

They got off the train and walked towards the lake. Ellie had an uneasy feeling in her stomach, and she whispered to Sokka, "It's not gonna be there. The Dai Li have had tons of time to get rid of it. We should have just taken him to the drill."

"Don't kill my positive vibes!" Sokka hissed in return.

They both turned to where Toph had bent up the old tunnel, only this time it was cracked and broken.

"It's gone," she said.

"Oh, don't tell me—" Sokka cut off and forced a smile. "That's okay, I've still got my positive attitude!"

"The Dai Li must have known we were coming and destroyed the evidence," Katara observed.

"That seems awfully convenient," the king muttered.

"Look if anything, this proves we were right even more!" Sokka exclaimed hopefully.

"Long Feng was right," the Earth King pronounced, turning away, "this was a waste of my time."

"But if we were part of some hit-team that wanted to destroy you," Ellie said, stepping forward to block his way, "we would have killed you by now. We're out here all alone, and with four benders—two of them being Avatars—we could easily overpower your guards."

The Earth King stopped and looked down stubbornly.

"Just come to the Outer Wall with us," Sokka said. "Then you'll know we've been telling the truth."

Still looking down, the king said, "No Earth King has ever been to the Outer Wall. You're wasting my time."

The guards grabbed Ellie and let go only after the king passed by. Thinking quickly, Sokka ran forward and shouted, "If you come with us, this time you get to ride on Appa!"

OA

The Earth King let out a terrified yell, clutching Appa's fur tightly with both fists.

"First time flying?" Toph asked him.

"It's both thrilling and terrifying," he said with a nod.

"Yeah, I hate it too," she said with a smile.

"I have to be honest with you," he added, "part of me really hopes that what you're telling me about this war…isn't true."

"I wish it wasn't," Aang muttered.

Behind him, Ellie couldn't help but agree. If this war didn't exist, then maybe she could be with Zuko. They wouldn't be on opposite sides of the war—which, being an Avatar, they definitely were.

They flew over fields and country. The fields stopped and they passed over a few small mountains, and then as soon as they were over fields again, they could see the Outer Wall. As they went over, Aang cried, "It's still there!" pointing to where the drill had been walled off. The earth sludge had dried, leaving white stains all up the wall and around the ground.

"What is that?" the Earth King gasped.

"It's a drill," Sokka responded. "A drill made by the Fire Nation to break through your walls."

Aang took them in a circle, back around to the wall, where they landed. There, the Earth King slid off the bison and looked down at the drill, resting his hands on the side of the wall.

"I can't believe I never knew," he murmured.

"I can explain this, your majesty."

They all looked up to see Long Feng standing before them, backed by two Dai Li agents.

"This is nothing more than a construction project," he said.

"Really?" Katara asked skeptically, as she had been there when this "construction project" was wreaking havoc on the city's armies. "Then perhaps you can explain why there's a Fire Nation insignia on your 'construction project'."

The king looked down at the insignia, and then back up at his most trusted advisor. The expression on his face was deadly

"Well it's important, of course," Long Feng said. "You know you can't trust domestic machinery." He looked at where they all stood, looking at him with hostile expressions. "Surely you don't believe this children, instead of your most loyal attendant!"

The five children looked from him to the king, who looked from them to the Head of the Dai Li. Then, his expression hardened.

"Dai Li," he ordered. "Arrest this Long Feng. I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom."

Team Avatar gaped at the king, and then looked over at Long Feng. Ellie didn't miss the brief hesitation, nor the look that the two men shared before dragging Long Feng backwards. All the while, the man was shouting protests and threats, but they no longer held any weight as his power was stripped away.

"It looks like Long Feng is long gone!" Sokka shouted in delight, laughing and wiping his eyes. "Heh, oh yeah, I've been waiting to use that one!"

OA

"I want to thank you, young heroes," the Earth King said to them that night, once again sitting on his throne. "You've opened my eyes. All this time what I thought was a great metropolis was a city of fools. And that makes me the King Fool…We're at war—with the Fire Nation."

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, your highness," Sokka said seriously. "Because we think you can help us end the war."

"We don't have much time," Aang said. "There's a comet coming this summer. It's energy will give the firebenders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable."

"But there is hope," Sokka explained. "Before the end of the summer, there's a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be completely blocked out by the moon, and the Fire nation will be left helpless."

"What are you suggesting, Sokka?"

"That's the day we need to attack," Sokka continued. "The day of Black Sun."

"I don't know," the young man said hesitantly. "That would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We would be completely vulnerable."

"You're already vulnerable!" Sokka exclaimed. "The Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Sing Se falls. You can either sit back and wait for that to happen, or take the offensive and give yourself a fighting chance."

They all looked at the Earth King hopefully as he pondered over the boy's words.

"Very well," he finally said, "you have my support."

The four of them cheered happily and Ellie eyed them with amusement, her arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"Your majesty," they turned to see an Earth Kingdom official walking towards them. "I apologize for the interruption."

As he reached where they stood, he did a full kowtow. As he did so, the Earth King explained, "This is General How. He's the leader of the Council of Five, my highest ranking generals."

General How sat up and said, "We searched Long Feng's office. I think we found something that will interest everybody."

They were lead to Long Feng's office where a man went off to a shelf, returning with a small, locked box. As he set it down on the table, the General explained, "There are secret files on everyone in Ba Sing Se, including you kids."

"Secret files?" Aang asked.

The king opened up the box and pulled out a scroll, reading aloud, "Toph Beifong."

He handed the scroll to the general, who handed it off to Toph, who passed it to Katara.

"It's from your mom," she summarized. "She's here in town and she wants to see you!"

"Long Feng intercepted our letters from home?" Toph asked rhetorically. "That's just sad."

"Aang," the Earth King said, handing another scroll to the bald monk.

"This scroll was attached to the horn of your bison when it arrived in the city," General How explained.

"It's from the Eastern Air Temple," Aang said after opening and scanning the document.

Katara looked to the general.

"Is there anything in there for me and Sokka, by any chance?" she asked hopefully.

"No, I'm afraid not," the young king replied, looking through the scrolls.

The two teenagers looked down in disappointment and Sokka mumbled softly, "Oh."

"But there is an intelligence report that might interest you," the general told them, handing her another scroll.

Sokka peered over her shoulder and the two of them scanned it together.

"A small fleet of Water Tribe ships?" Katara read aloud.

"That could be Dad!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Protecting the mouth of Chameleon Bay…led by Hakoda! It is Dad!"

They both looked to each other in excitement.

"I'll think we'll leave you kids to it," General How said.

The Earth King nodded to him and the two of the went out of the office. Once they were gone, Toph asked Katara to read her letter to her. They all sank into sitting positions in a pentagon and sat listening to Katara read Toph her letter, or reading their own scrolls. Once she was done, she handed the letter to her friend who clutched it to her chest.

Aang finally finished his own letter and exclaimed, "I can't believe it! There's a man living in the Eastern Air Temple. He says he's a guru!"

"What's a guru?" Sokka asked. "Some poisonous blowfish?"

"No a spiritual expert," Aang explained. "He wants to help me take the next step in the Avatar journey. He says he can teach me to control the Avatar State."

"That's great, Aang!" Katara exclaimed. "Ellie could use that too. I'm sure it would come in handy for both of you."

Ellie looked up, lifting her head off her knees at the sound of her name. The sound of being able to control her Avatar State did sound very appealing.

"And I can't believe we know where our dad is now," Katara continued.

"I know what you mean," Toph agreed. "My mom's in the city. And from her letter it sounds like she really misses me!"

"This is all such big news," Sokka said happily. "Where do we even start?"

"I hate to say it, but I think we should split up," Katara suggested.

"What?" Aang asked, his smile falling. "Now? But we just got Appa back and got the family back together!"

"You and Ellie both have to meet this guru, Aang," Katara said, looking at the both of them. "If we're going to invade the Fire Nation, you guys need to be ready."

"And I'll definitely need to start learning earth by then," Ellie put in. "I can't just go with bending only two elements."

"We'll do that as soon as we get all this done," Toph promised her.

Ellie nodded in return.

"And if I'm going to the Eastern Air Temple," Aang said slowly, "Ellie, Appa, and I can drop you off with your dad at Chameleon Bay!"

"Someone has to stay here with the Earth King and help him plan for the invasion," Sokka said and got to his feet. "I guess that's me."

"No, Sokka," Katara dissented. "I know how much you want to see Dad. I'll stay here."

"You—are the—nicest—sister—ever!" Sokka exclaimed, doing a small little dance and hugging her with joy.

"Easy, Big Brother," she said, pushing him off of her. "Though, you're right. I am."

OA

The next morning they all walked down the steps of the palace to where Appa was ready to take them off. Katara and Toph were both petting Appa, saying their last goodbyes, and Ellie stood leaned up against the great furry beast beside Katara. Aang walked over and smiled at the two of them (mostly Katara). Suddenly Sokka flew over and put his hand on both Ellie's and Aang's shoulders.

"All right!" he cried. "Who's ready to go on an adventure?!"

Ellie gave him a pained look and Aang laughed.

"Aang, Ellie, and Sokka," said a voice behind them. The three turned to see the Earth King smiling at them. "Have a safe journey. Ba Sing Se owes you many thanks. We look forward to your return."

The three of them bowed to him.

"Your highness," said a soldier, walking up. "There are three female warriors here to see you. They are from Kyoshi Island."

"That's Suki!" Sokka squealed, falling off of Appa's horn.

"You know these warriors?" the Earth King asked.

"Oh, yeah," Sokka replied, standing with a grimace. "The Kyoshi Warriors are great friends of ours. Trustworthy too."

"Then we shall welcome them as honored guests," the young king stated.

At that, Aang turned to climb up onto Appa.

"Wait, Aang!" said Katara.

Ellie turned back and eyed the palace warily. She had that same uneasy feeling she had had early the day before by the lake. This time, she couldn't quite place it. Frustrated, Ellie tried to scour her memory for what was supposed to happen next, but all she knew was that it wasn't good. She caught sight of the Earth King, who had just turned to leave.

"Wait!" she exclaimed.

He stopped and looked at her.

Searching for words, Ellie finally went with her instincts and said, "These plans are top secret. Should they be leaked, it could be disastrous. Don't talk to anybody about this even if it's someone we trust. Only us, you, and the Council of Five should know."

The Earth King nodded, giving her an odd look. Then he turned, walking away.

At the same time Ellie was talking to the Earth King, Aang stopped and turned as Katara threw herself onto him in a hug, giving the side of his head a kiss. Ellie walked back as they separated and turned to Toph, who muttered, "I'm really gonna miss you guys!"

Katara, Ellie, and Aang hugged her, agreeing that they would too. They looked over at Sokka, who was eyeing them warily, and then promptly moved over to hug him too. Not wanting to be left out, Momo flew over, landing on Sokka's head.

"Great," he said. "That's enough!" They didn't break off. "Okay, we love each other…seriously."

He patted their heads awkwardly and Toph, who was on the outside finally let go. The all separated. Ellie and the two boys climbed up on Appa.

"Yip, yip!" Aang shouted, whipping the reigns.

With a grunt, Appa rose into the air and the other two girls waved after them as they flew into the distance. Ellie watched them until they were tiny specks. They flew out over the walls of the palace and the three of them made themselves comfortable, preparing for a long journey. Sokka laid out on his back longwise and Ellie sat beside him, with her feet tucked under her.

They passed over fields, ponds, and estates; which slowly blended into more and more houses. Then Appa soared into the Middle Ring. Ellie turned, looking down at the clean houses, and smiled as a young child waved up at them. They soared even higher and directly over the Lower Ring, passing through the largest district. It looked even more cramped from up high, like someone had taken a whole bunch of Legos and stacked them disorderly in very close quarters. Finally they passed over the inner ring, making it to the fields, Lake Laogai, the mountains, and then the Outer Wall.

As they soared away from Ba Sing Se, Sokka said, "See? A little positive think works wonders. We got the king on our side, we got Long Feng arrested, and when we get back, Suki's waiting for me."

This last part he almost said to himself, smiling dreamily. Ellie laughed at him as Aang muttered to himself, "Yeah, girls are waiting for us." She thought wistfully of Zuko, who was somewhere in the city behind them.

"Thanks positive attitude," she mumbled with a half-smile.

"Everything will work out perfectly now," Sokka said. "From now on, and forever!"

Aang smiled back at the two of them.

OA

By the time they had made it out of the city, Toph had walked to the address her mother had left for her. She breathed in and let it out slowly, trying not to feel too nervous. Then, she stepped forward and knocked on the door. At the second knock the door swung open slightly, and the blind girl opened it the rest of the way.

She walked in, calling, "Hello? Mom? Anyone home?"

She came to a stop in the center of the room, stretching out with her bending to find her mom. Toph did not find her, instead she felt two forms standing above her. Finally realizing something was wrong, Toph turned around and let out a gasp as she could hear the air whistling—something was falling towards her. The small girl let out a cry as she realized it was too late to run. She felt the metal clasp of a metal cage close around her.

"Hey! Who do you think you're dealing with?" she asked in a weak voice, feeling the sides of the box.

"One loud mouth brat who stray too far from home."

Toph's eyes narrowed at the familiar, but unwelcome voice—it was Xin Fu.

OA

Three girls in green dresses, wearing lavish makeup, strolled down the walkway to the palace. Dozens of palace guards stood on either side and the king himself was there to welcome them.

"In our hour of need, it is with the highest honor I welcome our esteemed allies, the Kyoshi Warriors!" he cried.

Azula, princess of the Fire Nation, bowed at his feet, her two friends following suit. Lifting her face to him, she said, "We are the Earth King's humble servants."


Aaand here's another chapter for you guys. Hope you enjoyed it. And hopefully Long Feng will listen to Ellie's advice...

~LittleMissMycroft