Sokka

"Help!" Touqa cried, "I've been blinded!"

Sokka dragged himself to consciousness, finding his limbs weighted down and mouth stuffed with wool. He opened his eyes and then opened them further, finding that he had been engulfed in darkness. He was lying on his back and the ground underneath him was rough and damp.

"You're not blind, you seal-brained twit." Kunip snapped from somewhere in the darkness and Sokka stared up at what he could only assume was the roof. "We're captured."

Sokka worked his jaw until words came forth. "Captured?" He croaked and then he remembered the skirmish with the earthbenders under the cryptoportico. "Where's Suki? And the dogs? Suki?"

"She's not in here, where ever here is." Kunip said and Sokka heard metal scraping against the floor. "It's just us. I don't know where the others are."

Sokka struggled to sit up, finding that his wrists had been fitted with metal cuffs. His hands were chained together and he found that his feet were as well. His stomach dropped to his knees. "This is bad. It could be worse, but this is bad. We have to figure out where we are. And how to get back to the others."

"There's no way out of here, chief," Kunip said, voice slow. "I crawled around this whole cell in the dark and there's no door. At least not one that I could feel."

There was a vast roar above their heads. Bones vibrating, Sokka pressed himself against the ground and squeezed his eyes shut. He was too young and handsome to die here, in this dark unknown place. They had made it this far, too far for them to die in a doorless prison. The cuffs dug into his skin.

Sokka took the opportunity to categorize and analyze his memories. The last thing he vividly recalled was laying supine with Suki above him and the earthbenders attacking them. That much was real. He had a vague recollection of waking up while being carried, the walls pulsing on either side. He wasn't sure if that was real. Right now it didn't matter.

"Aye, Sokka. Kunip," Touqa began, "I'm scared. And I want to go home."

"We can't," Kunip said softly. "Not until we avenge our nation. Not until we get out of here."

And almost on cue, there was a grating, sliding noise and a beam of light fell down upon them. The walls shook and groaned. Sokka squinted as the light shone in the cell, revealing the fearful faces of his warriors and friends. They were in chains, like him. The light came from a crack in the wall above them and when he looked up, Sokka saw two figures standing in the threshold.

A woman dressed in an ivory tunic and olive leggings hopped down into the cell, carrying a pack made of leather. She was dark skinned and her hair hung in coarse waves around her shoulders. A man with weathered skin took her place at the doorway and Sokka saw that he brandished a hooked sword, glowering down at them.

The woman set her pack down and brought out a cloth that stank of alcohol and several vials. "I am Liu-Sheng," she said without preamble, "and I am to be your trainer."

"Our what?" Sokka asked.

The woman knelt, dipping her cloth in a substance that she withdrew from a vial. She went first to Kunip, hauling him upright with one hand. Sokka watched as she produced a key from her belt, deftly unlocking the cuffs on the older warrior's wrists. She pressed the cloth on the chafed reddened skin. "Your trainer," she repeated over Kunip's loud curses, "I am responsible for making sure you aren't injured in your matches. Our king does not like the idea of spilling blood."

"You're saying things..." Sokka said, "and I don't know what they mean. Let's start over. Hi, my name is Sokka."

The woman chose to humor him. "And I am Liu-Sheng. I am going to ensure that you don't die in the matches. King Bumi finds blood to be most unappealing." She continued to administer the cloth to Kunip's skin. "I take it you've never heard of a Rumble."

"Lady, we're from the south pole," Touqa drawled. "That one right there, he's the chief of the Southern Water Tribe and I'm not big on diplomacy but I'm sure that you're not supposed to kidnap and imprison a foreign leader! We're here to speak to the King of Omashu."

Liu-Sheng nodded, allowing Touqa's rage to float over her unperturbed. "And you will have your audience if you do well in the Rumble. Our king only grants audience to those worthy of it, and who can undergo the tasks he puts before them." When Kunip tried to rip away from her, she seized him by the forearm, forcing him down onto his back.

Sokka watched, in awe of the woman's casual strength and tried to make sense of what she had told them. "What's this Rumble that you speak of?"

"Every year, our king hosts a series of games in favor of titles and land. Here in our city is an arena in which men fight," Liu-Sheng answered and moved on to Touqa. She seemed unafraid of them, despite the fact that they outnumbered her. "If you win, he will grant you what you wish."

"Oh," Sokka responded, "how creative. I was expecting a public execution. Where are the others? The warriors? The girl and the dogs?"

Liu-Sheng raised her head as the ceiling shook. "Above in the arena, sounds like."

Touqa lunged and Liu-Sheng was suddenly on top of him, firm hands pressed against his throat. The man who had accompanied her leapt down into the cell, drawing Kunip up and slamming him into the wall. Sokka struggled against his constraints. "Real smart move, Touqa!"

The dark skinned woman looked over at Sokka. Her eyes, impassive, flickered across him. "If you can manage to constrain your men, I am sure that you can be permitted to witness the matches of your friends."

The taciturn man who accompanied Liu-Sheng let Kunip drop roughly to the floor, reclaiming his place above them at the entrance of the cell. Sokka shot a wary glance at his friend and then nodded to Liu-Sheng. "Take us." He looked then at Touqa, ordering his companion to maintain his temper. They were in a strange land. Sokka stood motionless as Liu-Sheng removed his bonds, letting his hands drop heavily. "...is there a chance of...how should I say this. What is the likelihood of you know... us dying at the hands of a death squad?"

"Our king does not have death squads." Liu-Sheng said. "He is an honorable non-violent man." She squared her feet, clenching her arms and pulling down. A set of steps appeared and Liu-Sheng beckoned for him to come.

Not one to push his luck, Sokka obeyed. Touqa and Kunip followed his lead, apprehensive. Liu-Sheng and her silent assistants herded them down the dim green hallway. Slivers of dust fell upon their heads and the ceiling shook with the force of a thousand people.

They climbed an incline and emerged into the beige and olive world of Omashu, into an arena that held what had to be ten thousand people, all of them staring down at the sand in the center. From their tiny entrance into the arena, Sokka saw a group of people dressed in blue, facing a savage white and brown beast. It was as tall as two men stacked upon each other and as broad as four standing shoulder to shoulder, baring ferocious fangs that Sokka did not want to experience.

And there was Suki, her warrior's clothing tattered, face flushed and chest heaving. She clutched her iron war fans desperately, features haggard and reddened. Sokka's men were flanking her, eyes glowing with fear.

"Oh, I would have preferred the death squad." Sokka groaned and then gasped as amethyst clusters suddenly shot up from the sand in between his men and Suki, forcing them apart. The Water Tribe prince whirled on Liu-Sheng. "That thing can earthbend, too?! What kind of show is this?!"

Liu-Shing appeared nonplussed. "The only way you will have an audience with the King of Omashu. That is his pet, Flopsy." She scanned the arena as Sokka's men scattered to evade the violet shrapnel. "He is normally quite calm and adorable. Today is not such a day."

Suki whirled and dodged a large chunk of stone, landing on top of it as it crashed back to the ground. Sokka could see that she was terrified, that all of them were. His men had only ever faced down seals, never earthbending rabbit-monsters. His mind soared back to his home, the ice and song of his ancestors, to his father and the ghost of his warrior mother lingering in the halls. Perhaps this was all a fool's errand. Maybe he should give up and go home, pick up the pieces and bow to the Phoenix King. Marry a warrior girl and produce ten complacent chieftains.

No.

The Phoenix King can kiss the dark side of the moon. And my backside. Sokka shook the tension from his shoulders, surveying the arena. Just above his head the ceiling jutted out into the stadium, hovering over the sand of the show area. Perfect. Gathering his strength, Sokka sprang and grappled for a hold on the ledge. He slipped and swung his legs when Liu-Sheng grabbed for him, his heel colliding with her nose. "Sorry!" He exclaimed and hauled himself up onto the ledge, kneeling into a crouch to keep his balance.

Today is not such a day for defeat.

The magnificent Flopsy whirled, his bulging arm slamming into Mika when the waterbender tried to leap into his back. Sokka winced at the sickening sight of his friend meeting the wall of the stadium, falling into a limp pile. The arena screamed. In that moment of distraction, Suki hurled her fan at the monstrous animal. The weapon collided with its head, spurting out specks of vibrant red blood.
With an earthshaking roar, Flopsy the beast leapt at her once more, its savage arms outstretched. Sokka chose that moment to lunge from his perch, throwing himself onto the great mass of white fur. He took a handful of its hackles and snatched up a good hold on Flopsy's ear, clutching desperately as the animal reared onto its hind legs. "Sit down, you overfed freakshow!" He snarled and wailed when Flopsy attempted to throw him. "I've never been in a rodeo!"

"Sokka!" Suki cried, "Hold on to him!" She drew herself to her feet, joined by Yanik and Pauqa, the last two of Sokka's men standing. The Kyoshi Warrior scooped up a chunk of amethyst, swinging back her arm and launching it at the beast.

Shards of the gemstone came into contact with Sokka's forehead. "Watch it!" He complained and drew back hard on the animal's ears. Using the appendages as reins, Sokka forced the Flopsy to whirl around. He found that earthbenders had manifested in the stands of the coliseum, contorted into paused bending forms. The rest of the crowd had evacuated in the heat of the turning tide. Those who lingered held their breaths. Sokka turned his eyes to the highest seat in the viewing section.

And there, at last, the King of Omashu stood.

He was a man bent over and crooked from gravity and age. A royal robe, the color of the amethyst stones, settled over his hunched shoulders. From his vantage point Sokka could see priceless bangles on his wrists and meaty neck. Their eyes met, vengeful winter blue and timeless green. This was a man long since accustomed to being a ruler while Sokka, balancing precariously on the still-raging beast, was just beginning to find his footing. The King of Omashu raised his hand and the earthbenders lowered theirs.

Flopsy dropped back onto all fours with a thud. Sokka ground his teeth and dared leap back on to the ground, rolling in the dust by Suki's feet. The auburn haired girl assisted him, her eyes never straying from the king watching them. "I hope you were entertained!" Sokka barked, waving his arms. "I hope this is one of the best shows you've ever seen! Because you...you, King Cactus Head, can take this little show and shove it up your-"

"Sokka!" That was Kunip, the voice of reason, as he sprinted towards them followed closely by Touqa and the Omashian guards. "Sokka!" In unison those of the Water Tribe turned to face the Earth King. "I suggest we tread wisely."

The King suddenly let out a whoop, propelling himself into the air using the manipulated earth as a trampoline. Sokka gasped at his presumptuous agility, even more impressed when the hunched man landed squarely before them. The beast Flopsy erupted into gleeful whines, rushing over to its master. It was then that Sokka appraised the supposed mad king, who upon closer inspection proved to be much more ancient than Sokka had first guessed. His hair was pure white and he lacked several teeth when he cracked his parched lips into a grin. And then, to Sokka's bewilderment, he laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

When at last he regained his composure, the man extended his long arms. "What a show!" He cackled, "the best I've seen in nigh fifty years. Leave it to tribesmen to use some tact and strategy." He leaned forward and Sokka thought to offer his hand. Did chieftains how to kings? His father had never taught him the proper way. Now that he had donned the cloak of the Polar Bear Dog, Sokka realized that there were many things his father had not taught him. "A bit impromptu but worthy all the same." He grasped Sokka's hand in his iron grip, jerking the Chief towards him.

Sokka pulled back. "Worthy of an audience, I hope." The others were eyeing Flopsy and Sokka did not blame them. It did not go unnoticed that his dogs were missing. He rubbed the bruises beginning to form on his body, knowing that the dully ache would only intensify.

Liu-Sheng bowed before her sovereign, who ignored her. "Your highness," began she, "this is
Chief Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe and his entourage-"

"I might be one hundred and eleven years old, Liu-Sheng, but I'm not dead." Snapped the old king and Sokka could not contain his incredulous gasp. "I've heard about this boy's father and grandfather and great grandfather and probably others, too." Without warning, he slammed his heel into the earth and the earth twisted, plunging them all down.

Sokka tried to keep his head from reeling upon the realization that the king of Omashu had bent them into an austere audience chamber. Touqa had screamed, clutching Suki's arm. Flopsy the beast remained tranquil in the presence of his master. "There are too many revelations for me to keep up with. What is all of this? And-" he whirled on Flopsy- "what is that?"

King Bumi grinned toothily. "Keep your mind sharper than your sword, young man." He glared at Liu-Sheng and the others, banishing them while Sokka's men (and Suki) closed in around their chief. The esoteric earthbender seemed amused. "What is it that you want to know?"

For a moment Sokka paused. The man before him was over one hundred years old; he had seen kings rise and die, nations prosper and bend. There was a lot to learn from this king. "Tell me about the Fire Nation."

At that, the Omashian king's fell and his jovial expression turned to dust. "The Fire Nation that killed your father or the Fire Nation that led the world into an industrial revolution, that I remember even in my most senile years?"

Sokka scowled. "They're the same."

Bumi snorted. "No things remain the same, youngster. It all changed when the new Fire Lord took the reins after killing his brother. A shame, really. A shame and a sham."

Sokka found that hard to believe. The Fire Nation had always been out to consume and destroy, they were the reason why the Air Nomad civilization was crippled, why goods from the Earth Kingdoms had Fire Nation tax stamps, why his father was dead. Why he was here, why his sister was somewhere missing in the world - where was she now? Was she safe? She'd better not have met a boy. "In either case, I have a bone to pick with the Phoenix King."

The King of Omashu's expression was a neutral one, so out of place among his disjointed features. "And then you will die." Perceiving his words as a threat, Sokka's entourage bristled. The ancient ruler neither backtracked nor stumbled. "What brought you from the ice, after all these years of doing the bare minimum to avoid repercussion?"

Revenge. First and foremost, Sokka had rose up to overthrow his father's murderer. Was that not an honorable goal? Were there not innumerable tales of men who went to the ends of the earth to save or avenge their loved ones? Sokka reached into his pocket and flashed the Pai Sho tile. "A woman gave me this and said to show it to you. What does this mean, or are we going to have a game of speed Pai Sho? I'm a little rusty."

"It means," the king began with an impish smile, "that us old folks have been working long before you were even thought of, boy. Those who carry that tile all belong to a sect known as the Order of the White Lotus-"

"Who work to restore and achieve balance in all the nations of the world." Suki interrupted, mouth agape. "Of course! Some of the elders back on Kyoshi have that tile! Why hadn't I remembered before?" She whirled on Sokka. "He can really help you."

Bumi's eyes glittered with amusement. "You will help us first." He leaned forward, the warmth of his breath wafting to Sokka's unprepared nostrils. Sokka was uncertain if it was a statement or a request. He decided to err on the side of caution. "Because you see, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, us old decrepit retirees have been working. And if you want to free your nation from the Phoenix King, you'll have to back another."

"Another what?" Sokka inquired.

"The Order has been moving tiles to bring the forgotten nephew of the Phoenix King out of hiding and installing him on the throne, so all us little people can finally live without the firebenders breathing on our neck. Lay your stone with him and it'll all click like honey to a badgermole's lower jaw." Bumi answered.

Sokka's head swam. Put his trust in the Phoenix King's nonexistent nephew, who might be just as much of a nutcase as the rest of his family? He weighed his options: join up with a squad of old people or continue his journey alone, even though his money was short and his plan quickly losing direction? He turned to his men, to Kunip and Mika and Touqa and Suki. They were all waiting on him.

"And say this guy, the Phoenix King, doesn't go down easily? I'm going to need men and money if I'm going to protect the tribe and join forces with...whoever," Sokka argued, taking a page from the book of his father. "That was the whole point of us leaving home. So say I do, you'll have to give me soldiers." It was a fair enough trade. "Ten thousand for starters."

"Done." Bumi dismissed him, as if rallying ten thousand men to follow a foreigner was child's play.

The gears went into motion in Sokka's mind. Ten thousand men, plus supplies and weaponry, would bring the attention of every unsavory eye as they crossed the Earth Kingdoms. It would also slow him down tremendously. "How exactly am I supposed to transport these soldiers? We don't have boats that can soar on land, exactly."

The Earth Kingdom's crooked old smile returned. "Chief Sokka, have you never heard of a train?"

He had not, and a boyish excitement crashed upon him. There was technology that he had never conceived of, places that defied his wildest imagination suddenly within reach.

There was a catch.

There was always a catch.

"You'll have to pay them, though. With a loan from Gaoling," the Earth King went on.

Of course, Sokka thought tartly, of course. He twiddled with the Pai Sho tile and his mind went to his sister, somewhere in the world far from him. In the Fire Nation, surrounded by the men who killed their father. He squared his jaw and in his gaze he took in King Bumi. "So the Order of the White Lotus has been hiding this secret prince for years...why haven't you all rescued my sister and the Princess Yue?" To imagine that all these months they had been left amongst a people who celebrated public executions...the sheer gall of old people to play mysterious when they had so much power.

Suki laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Life does not lend us easy solutions," replied the king, solemn and serious, as though this was a lesson hard taught.

.

That night they dined in Omashian finery, their smallest requests granted by green eyed servants. It took Sokka a while to grow accustomed to the crystal clusters that jutted from the floors like stone bushes, and even longer to grow comfortable with the sight of Amarok and Desna once they had been returned to him. His dogs had been close shaven, losing much of their formidable bulk. Amarok had taken it to heart, curled up at the base of Sokka's bed with his feathered tail over his nose.

Desna watched his master, keen eyes flashing to the door when there was a quiet knock. Suki entered before Sokka could answer, her large eyes scanning the room. She had chosen to replace her armor for a olive colored gown, a shade which did not quite suit her but Sokka knew better than to insult a woman's taste.

Besides, this woman had a sword.

"You're still awake?" Suki asked, letting the door close behind her.

"This would be a lot more awkward if I wasn't," Sokka quipped and a brilliant red flashed across Suki's cheeks, mirroring the warmth that he felt spreading down his neck. "What's wrong?" That was a safe question. What do you want would have been marginally more risky. Provocative even. A challenge.

Suki was the first to return to normalcy, a smile flickering across her mouth that did not match her questioning eyes. She stepped further into the room, throwing her leg out to miss the great mass of Desna, and sat down at Sokka's desk. "All these months that I have known you, Sokka, and you've never told me about your family. About your father and your sister and your mom."

A familiar chill went down Sokka's neck, the ache of grief that he had fought so hard to swallow down for the sake of being a leader in a foreign land. "My father was the chief," he clipped, "you already know that. But...he is was the greatest dad ever." He had been little once, and his father was chasing him through the halls while roaring like a Polar Bear Dog and he had caught him, too. Sokka remembered the last days, when his ritual hunts had begun and his father painted his face the way that all fathers painted the faces of their sons. "Some men, especially noblemen, have kids just for the sake of carrying on lineages. But my dad...we were his world. My mom died when my sister and I were both still little, but she was a warrior. Katara, my sister, takes after her." His baby sister, the annoying brat that she was, his closest confidant on cold nights. "She's fierce, maybe a little overbearing at times, but she's a dreamer. You'll never meet a kinder person, Suki, someone who just loves. There's an orphan village over the hill from our palace and ever since we were young, Katara's wanted to fund them. She's a waterbender, you know, and we fortify the walls. My sister is amazing."

At least she had been. Sokka didn't know anymore.

The Kyoshian had teared up and with shame Sokka realized that he had, too. He missed them all, terribly. Bato and Gran-Gran, too, who were not dead to him but far away all the same. She draped an arm across his shoulders and Sokka breathed in the scent of her, the smell of feminine soap that masked her natural aroma. Her hands were calloused and rough, a warrior's hands, but the rest of her was like satin. She raised her head and her lips skimmed his, testing the waters, advancing when he did not refuse.

How could he?

It was his first kiss, really. His first real kiss, no daring pecks with the kitchen girls, but a concentrated effort. They explored each other like that, lips widening and breaths coming out in excited bursts, the way Suki's cheeks reddened like a plum. The way his worries faded away from him, until all that remained in the guest room of the palace of the King of Omashu was that auburn haired girl. The girl who did not feel like home, who did not have the frigidity of IcePoint, but who felt like a fireplace in an igloo. Safe and secure, and as reliable as the stars that always shone overhead.