AVATAR
The Young Lady Of Legends
She was a shy, self-centered and overall lazy dreamer from our world, transported to the world of Avatar where she's the stuff of some sort of legend. She also can't continue being lazy, not if a certain agitated prince gets his way. ZukoXOcc
O~O~O~O
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ba Sing Se – City Of Deceptions
"Well, that is better news." I glanced behind me at the destroyed drill, and then back at the golden-haired woman. "When do we begin, Priestess Zhu?"
"Immediately."
O~O~O~O
Katara's P.O.V:
My friends and I were inside the monorail car, on our way into Ba Sing Se. After defeating Azula and her plans to infiltrate the city, we were finally getting a chance to go in there. I was pretty excited.
"Look, the inner wall." I gazed out the window. "I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece!"
"Hey, don't jinx it!" Sokka scolded me. "We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon! Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp."
I just stared at him.
"You've been hitting the cactus juice again." Toph observed.
"I'm just sayin', weird stuff happens to us." Sokka shrugged.
A strange man with a glassy stare and a large yellow plant in his mouth suddenly took a seat in between Toph and Sokka.
"See? !" Sokka squeaked.
I rolled my eyes. That could've happened to anyone…
I then noticed the sad expression on Aang's face, and said, comfortingly: "Don't worry, Aang – we'll find them."
"It's such a big city." Aang replied.
"He's a giant bison." Sokka reminded us. "And, she's about as easy to cage up as Toph is."
"Hey!"
"I'm just saying, where could someone possibly hide…them…" Sokka trailed off, when we saw the what was beyond the inner wall. A vast city that stretched further than we could see, riddled with roads and buildings. It was incredible, and it was huge…
We disembarked the monorail, and gazed out over the greatestEarthKingdomcity.
"Back in the city." Toph said, with a small sigh. "Great." From on top of her head, Yang-Chong chirped. "Glad someone's enjoying it." She grumbled, clenching her fists unhappily.
"What's the problem?" Sokka wanted to know, taking a sleeping Momo off Toph's shoulder. "It's amazing!"
"Just a bunch of walls and rules." She replied, crossing her arms. "You wait; you'll get sick of it in a couple of days."
I was watching Aang. He had the bison whistle tied to the red ribbon around his neck. He brought the whistle to his lips and blew it as he looked across the city.
Lowering the whistle, and clutching it in his hands, he said: "I'm coming for you buddy. He's here. I can feel it…and, she is too…they're both here…"
Yang-Chong jumped from Toph's head to mine to Aang's, and cried out softly in a musical tone. He was careful not to dig his talons into Aang's bald scalp. Over the days, he'd gone from a scrawny red bird to having some more plumage on him. His blue eyes were bright and alert, as he scanned over the city.
Then, he turned around and uttered a slightly warning cry.
We all turned around as a woman with long dark hair and a seemingly unnatural smile on her face approached us.
"Hello." She greeted us. "My name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honour of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara and Toph. Welcome tour wonderful city. Shall we get started?"
"Yes." My brother stepped forward. "We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately."
"Great," Joo Dee began, as if she hadn't heard him. "Let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it."
She turned around, and was attempting to lead us off, when my brother got frustrated. "Augh! Maybe you missed what I said! We need to talk to the King about the war – it's important!"
"You're in Ba Sing Se, now," Joo Dee replied, still smiling her unnatural-looking smile. "Everyone is safe here."
Huh?
O~O~O~O
Azula's P.O.V:
The sunlight glittered off Zhu's golden hair, as we stood under the sunlight. We'd been standing there since dawn, drinking in the sunlight and focusing our chi. For me, it was almost second-nature. I'd been born to do this. And, I'd been doing it since I was a child. The sun was my source of power, what gave me the ability to destroy my opponents...
"Azula..."
I looked up, and found Zhu gazing at me steadily.
"Yes?"
"You are allowing certain thoughts to enter into your mind, thoughts which make you a Firebender, but not a Wunü." Zhu told me.
"In case you've forgotten, Zhu, I am a Firebender." I reminded her, a little annoyed. "I also happen to be crowned Princess of the Fire Nation."
Zhu sighed, and shook her head, dropping her hands from their praying position. I did the same thing.
We stared at each other.
We were in a forest of sorts, doing something I never in my life had wanted to do – camping out. If it wasn't Zhu, and if Father hadn't sent her, I would've disagreed strongly and probably set fire to the entire forest. As it was, I had refused to sleep without a tent. It was red and gold and ornate, but it was only big enough for two people. I supposed I could have made Zhu sleep outside but, then again, she was my mentor, and I wanted her to be in tip-top condition to oversee my training.
Mai and Ty-Lee had no choice but to sacrifice a good night's sleep and sleep outside. Well, Mai hadn't complained (she hardly ever complains, unless it's about something like the colour orange) and Ty-Lee seemed to enjoy it, so...everyone was happy.
Well, sort of...
Zhu was regarding me with her amber eyes, and now she said: "Do you know why I was chosen to commence your training now?"
I shrugged. "How should I know? Father probably just wants me to get even stronger, to help him in the war."
"Perhaps..." Zhu agreed, but then she looked away. I followed her gaze, and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just a few wisps of grey smoke around the trunk of a tall tree. "Azula, I have known you since you were a baby...in fact, I was a close friend of the royal family for many years before your birth..."
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Zhu, I know that you have been my Father's trusted friend for many years, which was why he searched for you all those years after my Mother's disappearance."
"It is true that Lord Ozai trusts me with the imperative task of overseeing your training, Azula," Zhu replied, clasping her hands in front of her. "The reason he chose me, however, was because your Mother had elected me to be your Laoshi long before you were born."
"I'm afraid I don't understand." I replied evenly. "Are you telling me that my Mother planned on doing what she did? That she hoped she wouldn't have to be the one to teach me?" My anger rose slightly and then fell in short, heated waves.
"Not at all, young Princess." Zhu regarded me calmly.
She wasn't afraid of me. She respected me, but she wasn't scared. I didn't understand that. She should be scared of me. I was her superior, I was the Fire Lord's favoured child, and one of the strongest Firebenders in the world.
"I don't deny that," Zhu once again responded to one of my unspoken thoughts, which infuriated me. "However, there are many different arts in this world, and even more in the other worlds."
"Other worlds?" I repeated.
Zhu nodded. "Yes. You have many gifts, Azula. You are a talented Firebender, and skilled in the military and martial arts. You are a devoted daughter and Princess, and a beautiful young lady." I was glad she'd gotten that all straight. "You have many traits that were passed down to you from your Father's side of the family. However, you also have gifts from your Mother's side, and those are what we must focus on now."
I narrowed my eyes at her. "What are you saying, Zhu?"
"I am saying," She explained, patiently. "That you have focused on the things taught to you by your Father. These are excellent, they are what makes you a Firebender, and a warrior. However...there are things that were meant to be taught to you by your Mother. My friendship with your Mother extends back much further than my acquaintance with your Father." I noticed the different terms, and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "In time, Azula, you will be able to see what I mean..."
O~O~O~O
Jet's P.O.V:
I stood in the shadows of an alleyway, and watched the three Firebenders walk in plain sight down the street. Well, I didn't know if Lee and Kikyo were Firebenders, but the old man certainly was, and that was good enough for me. Or, bad enough, depending on how you looked at it. Imagine, Firebenders...what right did they think that they had to live here in Ba Sing Se, as refugees? It made me sick...
The old man walked jauntily, holding a large vase with several orange followers in it. Lee and Kikyo walked on either side of him. Lee appeared to be glaring at the flowers, while Kikyo held onto her round belly, glaring at people who stopped to stare at her.
"This place is just full of them." I heard her say, and then she glared so hard at a man that he jumped out of the way. "I'm on to you!" She snapped, glaring at him as she walked until he ran into a nearby building and slammed the door shut. Turning around, she sighed. "And you, Uncle – what's with the flowers?"
The old man had a smile in his voice as he said: "I just want our new place to look nice in case you two decide to hold a raucous party or something."
"Huh." Kikyo sniffed. "Don't hold your breath, old man."
"This city is a prison." Lee added. "I don't want to make a life here."
"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not." Their Uncle responded calmly. "Now, come on, I found us some new jobs, and we start this afternoon." He told them both.
They seemed surprised.
"Jobs?" lee echoed faintly.
"Me too?" Kikyo said, and their Uncle nodded firmly. "I want to go on maternity leave." She said suddenly.
"Me too." Lee mumbled, and their Uncle laughed at this.
As they walked down the street away from us, Lee and Kikyo arguing, I finally stepped out into the sunlight. "Look at them," I told Smellerbee and Longshot. "Firebenders, living right under everyone's nose."
"Jet, you saw the man with a hot cup of tea." Smellerbee argued. "It doesn't prove he's a Firebender. And what if he is?" She stared hard at me. "Are we supposed to attack them? I thought we were starting over here, changing our ways?"
"We are." I reassured her, although I continued to watch the retreating backs of the there enemies. "When I get the evidence I need, I'll report them to the police and let them handle it. Okay?"
"But, what about Kikyo? You're gonna have her thrown in jail? I mean, she's pregnant?" Smellerbee reminded me.
"She's Fire Nation," I replied. "And, if she really is pregnant, then that means her baby is too..."
O~O~O~O
Karai's P.O.V:
"Achoo!" I sneezed.
"Bless you." Three other people replied in unison.
"Thanks." I sniffled, wondering who on earth could be talking about me at a time like this.
We were standing inside of a shop – the new place of our employment. By we, I mean me, Zuko and Iroh, as well as the shop owner – our new boss.
I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised by Iroh's choice of work...
"Well," Our new boss said. "You certainly look like official tea servers. How do you feel?"
"Ridiculous." Said Mr. Happy.
I didn't know what Zuko had to complain about. He already had his apron on. His Uncle and I had a slightly different problem...
"Uh, does this possibly come in a larger size?" Iroh asked.
"Same." I replied, unable to get the string to tie at the back.
"I have some extra tea in the back." The tea shop owner replied. "Have some tea while you wait."
He poured us three cups of tea and handed them to us, before heading to the back of the shop. Iroh took a sip of the tea, but then quickly pulled the cup away with a look of disgust.
Holding the cup away at arms length, he said: "Eeow! This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!"
"Uncle, that's all tea is." Zuko reminded him.
Iroh was affronted. "How can a member of my own family say something so horrible? We'll have to make some major changes around here..."
As he got rid of the tea by tossing it out the window, I took a tentative sip out of my own cup. "Hmm...Emma's tea was better..." I muttered. Zuko turned away from me, an unreadable expression on his face. "Oh, right, sorry...I forgot, she's your girlfriend." I knew by now that she was still alive.
"She is not my girlfriend!" Zuko protested.
"Sure she's not." I replied soothingly, smirking. He's so got it bad...
O~O~O~O
Aang's P.O.V:
There was something seriously wrong with Ba Sing Se, and also with our tour guide, Joo Dee. I wished that Emma was here, to tell us more about what was happening. Like, why was Joo Dee ignoring everything we tried to tell her about speaking to the Earth King and the war? Was Toph right – were we just being handled? And, if not, then what was going on here...?
Plus, there was the whole different way of life here. This was the reason I'd never come here before. The monks taught us that all life was sacred and equal. Here, however, they had different rings for different classes of citizens, and great walls dividing them all.
The upper ring, in sharp contrast to even the middle ring, was a rolling landscape of seeming beauty, with tall pagodas and no sign of poverty anywhere.
No sign of reality. That's what Emma would've said, if she was here. Well, she was somewhere in Ba Sing Se, but I knew where not.
"The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens." Joo Dee was saying, confirming my earlier suspicions. "Your house is not too far from here." She was still wearing that unnatural grin. It was creepy...
The carriage we were in passed by another wall with a tall gate. Behind it, the roof of an enormous building was visible. Three men stood in the gateway, wearing dark robes and wide brimmed hats.
The glanced up at us as we came by.
"What's inside that wall?" Katara wanted to know.
"And, who are the mean looking guys in robes?" Sokka added.
"Inside is the RoyalPalace." Joo Dee explained. "Those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions." The way she said that made me wonder just what kinds of traditions they had here, and what happened to you if you stepped out of line...
"Can we see the King now?" I asked Joo Dee, who laughed.
"Oh, no! One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King!"
I nodded sadly. I had come to expect that much. I'd been in Ba Sing Se for about an hour now, and my first impression was...not a good one...
O~O~O~O
When we arrived at our new house, which Momo and Yang-Chong decided to investigate, starting from the roof, we all disembarked and stood looking up at our new home.
Joo Dee smiled at us some more. "Here we are. Your new home." A messenger suddenly ran up to Joo Doo and handed her a scroll. "More good news." She said unfurling the scroll and speed-reading it. "Your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual." She added, either choosing to ignore or completely missing our looks of shock.
"A month!" Sokka echoed, sounding as stunned as I felt.
"Six to eight weeks, actually." Joo Dee clarified, still smiling unnaturally at us...
O~O~O~O
Once inside our new home, which was actually quite nice, really, Joo Dee said: "Isn't it nice? I think you will really enjoy it here."
"I think we'd enjoy it more if we weren't staying so long." Sokka spoke up. "Can't we see the Earth King any sooner?"
"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world," Joo Dee replied. "But, he will see you as soon as time permits..."
"If we are going to be here for a month," I said, standing up. "We should spend our time looking for our friends. Appa and Emma need us."
I wasn't happy about the delay to see the Earth King, but there was something we could do in the meantime.
Momo and Yang-Chong perked up at my words.
Joo Dee bowed. "I'll be happy to escort you anywhere you would like to go."
"We don't need a baby-sitter." Toph said firmly, standing up and heading towards the door.
Joo Dee stepped in front of her. "Oh, I won't get in the way. And, to leave you alone would make me a bad host. Where shall we start?"
O~O~O~O
We decided to begin our hunt for Appa in a pet shop. As Momo and Yang-Chong explored, we spoke to the owner.
"I'm sorry," He was saying. "I haven't heard anything about a flying bison. I didn't even know there were any."
"If someone wanted to sell a stolen animal without anyone knowing," I leaned forward. "Where would they go?"
Sokka had a more direct approach. "Where's the black market?" He demanded. "Who runs it? Come on, you know!" He pointed accusingly at the now decidedly uncomfortable owner.
"Uh..." The owner glanced past us, and then said: "That would be illegal!" He said, firmly now. "You'll have to leave now. Your pets are harassing my sparrowkeets."
We all turned to see Momo and Yang-Chong at a bowl of birdseed, surrounded by squawking green birds with yellow heads. Momo tried to swat them away, as Yang-Chong gulped down a mouthful of birdseed.
O~O~O~O
We continued our search at the courtyards of the Ba Sing Se University. A few students in robes walked around. We confronted one seated at the foot of a tall statue in the courtyard's centre.
"Hmm, I've never seen any Sandbenders or nomads around here," He was saying. He wore glasses and seemed kind of geeky. "You should ask Professor Zei, he teaches the class on desert cultures."
"Right." Sokka folded his arms. "And, which of your professors could we ask about the war with the Fire Nation?"
"Or, about which harems buy poor innocent girls from creepy-looking desert-dwellers?" Katara added, hands on hips.
The student, like the pet store owner, glanced unsure at a spot past our shoulders.
He was nervous now, and began fumbling with his scrolls and class items. "Uh, I don't know. I'm not a political science student. I have to get to class." He stood up, but tripped and dropped all of his gear. "Ugh!" Grumbling, he picked them all up, and hurried away.
Joo Dee waved after him and, later on, when we were back at our house, she said to us: "Well, I'm sorry no one has seen your friends. Why don't you go get some rest? Someone will be over with dinner later."
As the carriage pulled away, we noticed a man in the house across from us looking at us out of a window.
"Hey, come with me." Sokka whispered, and led us all across the street.
He knocked on the front door, which was opened by the same man from the window.
He smiled at us.
"You're the Avatar." He said. "I heard you were in town. I'm Pao."
"So, Pao," Sokka said, conversationally. "What's goin' on with this city? Why is everyone so scared to talk about the war?"
Pao looked left and right. "War? Scared? What do you mean?"
"I can feel you shaking." Toph stated bluntly. Our brilliant little lie-detector.
"Look, I'm just a minor governor official." Pao told us. "I've waited three years to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble." He looked left and right again, obviously worried.
"Get in trouble with who?" Katara asked quietly.
Pao put a finger to his lips. "Ssh! Listen, you can't mention the war here and, whatever you do, stay away from the Dai Li!"
He slid the door shut hurriedly.
My friends and I exchanged a stunned glance...
O~O~O~O
Iroh's P.O.V:
Zuko was lying on a cot, resting, when Kai came up to him.
"Shove over, scar-face," She said, hands on hips. "I gotta sit down."
"Go sit somewhere else." Zuko told her.
She suddenly grabbed his arm and, with surprising strength for one so small, heaved Zuko off the cot and onto the floor. He let out a yelp of surprise as he landed, and she sat down smugly, smiling.
I smiled too, and said: "Would you two like a pot of tea?"
Zuko answered for both of them. "We've been working in a tea shop all day! I'm sick of tea!"
"Sick of tea?" I repeated, shocked. "That's like being sick of breathing."
"That's what Emma would say," Kai lay down on the cot with a small groan, resting one hand beside her head, and the other on her belly. "She's like that..."
I busied myself with looking under the counter for our spark rocks, as Zuko said: "Yeah, she is..." I pictured him twining the red ribbon around his wrist through his fingers.
"She told me a poem, once," Kai said softly. "It went: I cannot sit and chat with you, the way I'd like to do, so brew yourself a cup of tea, I'll think of you – you think of me. I remembered that from before..." Raising her voice slightly, she said: "Need some help there, Uncle?"
"Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?" I asked. "I can't seem to find them..."
"They're not there?" I heard Kai get up off the cot. "Hold on a minute, then..." She was off and running – literally – and returned, half a minute later, with a pair of spark rocks. "I met our new neighbours." She explained, handing them to me, along with a big bag full of delicious-looking food, and something that smelled suspiciously like roast duck in a covered dish.
"Such kind people." I smiled, and struck the spark rocks together to create a small flame in the pile of twigs beneath our tea pot.
"What'dya do, shorty, interrupt their dinner before threatening them with disembowelment?" Zuko was sitting back on the bed, and Kai went and pushed him off so that she could put her feet up.
"No," She snapped. "I actually invited them to come over and meet with us, but they said they had to go out."
"Probably to replenish their supplies." Zuko teased her, and was rewarded with a kick to the back of his head, courtesy of Kai's booted foot.
I smiled as the two of them squabbled. Some things were probably never going to change...
O~O~O~O
Sokka's P.O.V:
The next morning, Katara had some exciting news, and rushed into the living room where we were all lounging around doing absolutely nothing. Well, I was having a staring contest with Yang-Chong, so it was everyone else who was doing nothing.
"I've got it!" Katara exclaimed, running in. "I know how we're gonna see the Earth King!" She waved a scroll around.
"How are we supposed to do that?" Toph wanted to know. "One doesn't just pop in on the earth King." She mimicked our crazy tour guide, Joo Dee, from yesterday.
"The King is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bar." She explained.
"You mean Platypus-Bear?" Aang asked, looking up at her.
"No," Katara said dully, glancing back down at the scroll. "It just says..."Bear"."
"Certainly you mean his pet Skunk-Bear." I stated.
"Or his Armadillo-Bear?" Toph suggested.
"Gopher-Bear?" Aang tried again.
"Just..."Bear"." Katara repeated.
"This place is weird." Toph voiced all of our opinions.
We were silent for a moment more, before Katara said: "The palace will be packed. We can sneak in with the crowd."
"Won't work." Toph said immediately, lying down.
"Why not?" Katara asked.
I turned my gaze back to Yang-Chong. It was eye of the Tigerdillo-time for Sokka, no blinking, no expressions, just nothing.
Ynag-Chong eyed me back, steadily.
"Well, no offence to you simple country folk," I heard Toph say. Yeah, right, like the South Pole was really the country. "But a real society crowd could spot you from a mile away. You've got no manners."
"Excuse me?" My sister replied, indignantly. "I've got no manners? You're not exactly lady fancy fingers."
Just then, Yang-Chong leaned forwards and pecked me on the nose, breaking my concentration and causing me to fall back.
"Ow!"
"Yang-Chong wins." Aang announced.
Yang-Chong ruffled his feathers, looking proud.
"I learned proper society behaviour and chose to leave it." Toph was saying. "You never learned anything. And frankly, it's a little too late."
"A-ha, but you learned it," I reminded her. "You could teach us!"
"Yeah," Aang agreed. "I'm mastering every element. How hard could manners be?" He grabbed a nearby curtain and draped it around himself like a royal robe. His voice took on a sophisticated tone, as he said: "Good evening, Mr. Sokka Water Tribe. Ms. Katara Water Momo of the Momo Dynasty, your Momo-ness."
Momo peeked out from underneath a curtain and bowed his head. You could almost hear the gong chime.
At this point, I'd donned my own curtain as a robe, and mimicked Aang. "Avatar Aang, how do you do?"
Aang bowed to me and I bowed back. Trying to out-do me, Aang bowed lower, and I returned it with an even deeper bow. This ended with both of us trying to bow at the same time, and knocking our foreheads together. We both fell over backwards with a crash.
"Ow!" Aang complained.
"Katara might be able to pull it off," Toph criticized. "But you two would be lucky to pass as busboys."
I protested to her: "But I feel so fancy."
O~O~O~O
Katara's P.O.V:
I was humming, as Toph did my hair later that evening. Why I was trusting the blind girl with my hair, I'll never know. Anyway, she seemed to know what she was doing.
"What's that song you're humming, Katara?" Toph wanted to know, as she wound my long hair up through a large comb.
"Something Emma was singing one time," I replied, and began singing: "Wait and see, when we're through, boys will gladly go to war for you," I smiled as Toph finished with my hair, and I looked in the mirror to admire myself. "With good fortune and a great hair-do, you'll bring honour to us all..."
"What a weird song." Toph remarked, fiddling with the ornaments hanging from my comb.
"Yeah." I agreed, as we stepped out of the bathroom to show the boys our new look.
Holding fans in front of our faces, I was instantly reminded of Emma and, as we left, Yang-Chong suddenly landed on Toph's head, settling himself against her comb and amongst the red ornate flowers she had placed there.
"Can you stay still like that?" Toph asked him, and he crowed softly. "I'll take that as a yes, otherwise it's headless chook for you."
I was reminded of Emma's story of Headless Mike, and smiled faintly...
O~O~O~O
Karai's P.O.V:
I watched as Iroh poured a cup of tea for an officer who had just walked into our (?) tea shop.
"This is the best tea in the city!" The officer exclaimed, after taking a sip.
"The secret ingredient is love." Iroh told him, smiling as he made his way to the back of the shop.
"That and a whole lot of leaf-juice." I muttered to Zuko, who nodded, and I handed him a tray. Untying my apron, I added: "I'm taking my break now..." I said, as our boss told Iroh that he was due for a raise. "Me too?" I stepped up to him, giving him a Look.
He looked back down at me, calmly. "We'll discuss wages after you go onto our Single Mum Scheme – we call it SMS, but please don't confuse it with our Secret Messaging System."
I nodded. Inside of me, the baby gave a slight kick, and I winced, just as the tea shop door was slammed open.
Zuko, Iroh and I turned around, as Jet stepped into the shop.
Pointing at the three of us, he said: "I'm tired of waiting – those three people are Firebenders!"
Zuko, Iroh and I stared at Jet in complete and utter shock.
I know he'd seen Iroh Firebend his tea before, but I really hadn't expected him to react like this...were all refugees this way when it came to Fire Nation? Did Ozai know about this?
Jet suddenly unsheathed his hook swords and took a step towards us. Zuko and Iroh both moved to stand in front of me, as all attention in the shop was fixated on this disturbance.
"I know they're Firebenders!" Jet was saying. "I saw the old man heating his tea!"
"He works in a tea shop." The officer from before said.
"He's a Firebender. I'm telling you!" Jet protested.
"Drop your swords boy, nice and easy." The officer said, and he and his partner stood up.
They were going to take care of Jet, and I felt nervous, because I didn't really want Jet to get hurt. He was accusing us and threatening our new way of life, but...he was a good kid. I could tell...
Apparently, Zuko felt the same way, because he grabbed the swords from one of the two officers, and prepared to take on Jet by himself...without using Firebending...
O~O~O~O
Katara's P.O.V:
It took Toph and me awhile to actually get in to the palace, since the guard wouldn't let us in without invitations, and then we had to get a random official to help us in. I pretended that Toph was my cousin and that she lost our invitations, but she seemed more upset about her alias name (Dung) than that.
Unfortunately, the man – Long Feng – wouldn't leave us alone after that. I was worried. Aang and Sokka were waiting for us to let them in. How would we meet up?
O~O~O~O
Iroh's P.O.V:
I was worried for both Zuko and Jet, as the sword fight moved out into the street, and everyone crowded around to watch. Even though it looked like the officers were just going to wait and see what would happen, I was still concerned.
"You must be getting tired of using those swords!" I heard Jet say to Zuko. "Why don't you go ahead and Firebend at me?"
"Please son, you're confused!" I called out to Jet, as I stood in the doorway of the shop. "You don't know what you're doing!"
Kai suddenly pushed past me and yelled: "Yeah, go Lee! Left hook, right hook! Give him the old one-two!"
"This isn't a fist-fight, Kiki!" He yelled back to her, straining with the effort of keeping Jet at bay using the swords. No doubt about it – Jet was an experienced swordsman.
I put a hand on her shoulder, restraining Kai.
"Bet you wish they're help you out with a little fire blast right now!" Jet taunted Zuko.
"You're the one who needs help." Zuko responded. I was proud of the way he was handling this, but still concerned about what the outcome might be, even if he won...
O~O~O~O
Katara's P.O.V:
Toph and I easily found Aang and Sokka, who were dressed up as busboys and carrying trays of crab puffs and drinks. As Toph nibbled on a crab puff, Sokka turned to me.
"Thanks for letting us in." My brother said, sarcastically.
"Sorry," I apologized. "But the guy who let us in won't let us out of his sight."
"What guy?" Sokka peered behind me, trying to find Long Feng.
Oh, sure, now he decides to leave us alone...
Just then, Joo Dee appeared. Great. However, her normally cheerful demeanour was replaced by anxiety.
"What are you doing here?" She asked worriedly. "You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble."
As Joo Dee tried to push Sokka out of the way, he blocked her with his tray. Yang-Chong gave a quiet, warning cry.
JeeDeeaccidentally-on-purpose shoved my brother into Aang, causing him to spill the contents of the pitcher he was holding all over a female guest.
In order to help her out, Aang used his Airbending, which attracted the crowd's attention. We weren't sure about it, but we decided to use it to our advantage...to find the Earth King!
O~O~O~O
Jet's P.O.V:
I have never been so relieved as when I heard a guard say: "Drop your weapons!"
Lee and I did as we were told, and his Uncle and cousin hurried over to him.
I pointed to all three of them. "Arrest them. They're Firebenders."
"This poor boy is confused." The old man told the guards. "We're just simple refugees."
Lies!
"This young man," The tea shop owner pointed to me. "Wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees."
"It's true, sir." An officer confirmed. "We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city."
The old man blushed. "Oh ho ho. That's very sweet." He said.
The two guards walked up behind me, and I glared at them and attempted to attack, but I was quickly disarmed and led away to a wagon designed for holding criminals.
What? ! Why were they treating me like the enemy? ! I wasn't the enemy – those Firebenders were!
A face suddenly appeared behind the guards – it was Lee's cousin, Kikyo.
She looked at me with a mixture of sympathy and frustration, and said: "Why are you doing this?" Her scarlet eyes pierced into mine.
Scarlet eyes, like a Fire Nation person. She was probably involved in the war before!
"Because you deserve this!" I spat at her, looking at her with contempt. "The whole world will know what you and your baby are!"
She gasped, and a look of pain crossed her face as she cried out and hunched over.
A strange feeling shot through my heart just then.
"Kiki!" At once, Lee and the old man were at her sides, supporting her as she hunched over in pain. That was the last I saw of her, before the doors were closed and the blackness surrounded me...
O~O~O~O
Katara's P.O.V:
And, at last, we found the Earth King! But, as Aang used his Air Scooter to make his way up the table towards the procession, it began to leave!
Sokka exited the crowd and tried to follow him, but was grabbed and lead away by two Dai Li agents.
Yang-Chong attempted to fly away, but he was grabbed by a stone hand and pulled out of the sky.
I didn't see what happened to Toph but, just then, a stone hand grabbed me and dragged me back into the darkness.
We were taken to a library, where Aang soon joined us, followed by Long Feng who sat with his back to a fire of emerald green flames.
"Why won't you let us talk to the Earth King?: My brother wanted to know. "We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"
"The Earth King had no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities."
"This could be the most important thing he has ever heard." Aang protested.
And, it was then that we found out two things. One, the Dai Li were the ones who were really in charge here. The King was just a figurehead. And two…the war was never, ever to be mentioned in Ba Sing Se. Whether it was because they didn't care or because they truly wanted people to believe the lie that there was no war. It didn't matter.
Because, when Long Feng threatened to disrupt our search for Appa and Emma, I noticed Aang's posture changed.
Not even when "Joo Dee" came in with a different haircut and a different face (but still the same creepy-smile) did I once believe that Aang was going to give this up.
He wasn't going to let any of this stop him now.
We were on our own…