When Toph overheard the news from the gossiping guards that her father had the Boulder and the Hippo arrested for theft, she marched into her father's office to demand that he reverse the charges on her friends.
"I was the one who gave the Boulder and the Hippo the money to help the orphans," she told him. "I gave him my winnings from the tournaments and he used some of his own too. He shouldn't be in jail."
Instead of admitting his error, her father said, "You cannot give out money to beggars."
"It's my money, I can do whatever I want with it."
He sighed. "While I acknowledge that you have a bleeding heart just like your mother-"
"Mother had nothing to do with it!" She stamped her foot. "In fact, she didn't want me to give out money in the first place!"
"Because you cannot just give it out. They could be scamming you."
"They're not lying!" She could sense when people did lie. Everyone kept forgetting that.
"It's not sustainable. They'll spend it on toys or other useless items. That's if they're able buy from the shops and at a reasonable price. How much longer will your money last at the rate you're giving it out?"
Her father did have a point. She did a few mental abacus calculations and came up with a couple months, maybe less if there were more children they didn't know about.
"Eventually, they'll expect to keep getting handouts from us," her father continued, "which shall undermine the authorities and break the foundation of this society."
Her father argued that the reason that their region was relatively stable even with the influx of refugees was that, in addition to the taxes they paid, he and Toph's mother have created jobs in the fields, construction sites and textiles workshops which employed refugees and returned soldiers rather than simply handing out money. This gave the workers opportunities to generate their own income which supposedly cycled back into society through the taxes they would then pay. With all the refugees, there was plenty of work required to support them all.
It didn't sit right with Toph. She didn't think that giving the children money was going to break the foundation of society, but that wasn't her main problem. "Then what? We do nothing? The Boulder said that most are living in some ruins near the swamp."
The swamp was said to be cursed by the spirits. Not that Toph thought that the Foggy Swamp Tribe were also cursed, but the swamp was a large place. It surely wasn't a good place for little kids on their own.
Her father replied that her mother was already organising a dinner to bring awareness and raise money to the temples which also provided education and training to orphans so they could later contribute to society.
"The temple takes in kids?"
"Yes. That's common sense."
"Perhaps, if you're not just stuck in the compound."
"Watch your tone."
She didn't care. "I bet that the kids don't know that."
"And that's a valid problem. Street kids are more susceptible to trafficking, but they won't seek help from the temple where it's safe."
"You know who they'd seek help from? The Boulder and the Hippo, but you had them put into jail." Toph was getting more frustrated by the minute. "And why can't they stay with us? The older children can help with all the work you keep talking about."
To her surprise, he didn't shut down her idea instantaneously. He agreed to drop the charges and to look into housing some of the orphans in exchange for her winnings. He however attempted to prevent her from going to Ba Sing Se as part of the negotiation. Toph managed to stand her ground on that point.
"You're forcing me to decline the invitation a couple weeks away from the summit when the Avatar, the daughter and son of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and Fire Lord are expecting me? Not to mention, I've met the Earth Kingdom generals and will be able to tell if people are lying or deceiving us."
After getting him to write down the terms and conditions and having someone else read it out to her, Toph marked the contract with her seal.
Once they were free, the Boulder and the Hippo took Toph to the street kids to tell them they could live in the temple or the Beifong estate.
"I'm not living the temple again," said a boy. "They're really strict."
"The Boulder understands how this may be difficult," said the Boulder, "but it is discipline that shall get out from being stuck between a rock and a hard place."
"They're also in the middle of town," said another. "We keep being chased by angry shop keepers."
"Don't worry, the Boulder shall protect you!"
"Hippo too!"
The Boulder and the Hippo's support seemed to convince them. The compound was livelier with all the kids. Some even started joining in on the earthbending training.
Also, as part of the deal, Toph had to attend the fundraising dinner. It didn't make sense to her that to raise money for the kids she had to dress up in expensive clothes and eat food. Yet, the dinner was a success.
"We raised the equivalent of over one thousand gold pieces for the temple at the dinner. The Pang and Yum Soon Han families have agreed to take in some children," said her mother the following day. "However, something else seems to be bothering you, Toph."
She traced circles in the ground with her big toe and sighed. "Well, the kids adored the Boulder and the Hippo, but they don't believe that I was the one who gave the money to help them in the first place."
"Well, maybe they're shy. You did a wonderful job, Toph. It doesn't matter what they think, it matters what you think."
Toph stayed silent. She did do a good job and helped others.
"But for what it's worth, I'm proud of you. Your father is too, even if he doesn't say it."
As far as she could tell, her mother was telling the truth. She was proud.
Zuko knocked on his sister's door and announced his presence. He heard muffled shouts. A couple moments later, a servant opened the door from the other side.
"I'm sorry," she said, bowing. "The princess is resting right now."
Zuko thought it was a lie. He was about to give out an order to let him in, but his uncle spoke first.
"Fire Lord Zuko, it is getting late and you should leave soon if your airship is able to depart for Ba Sing Se."
"Very well." He took a breath before addressing the servant. "Please tell my sister that I wished to see her before leaving, but was unable to do so. I'll have an aide schedule a meeting for us in a couple weeks after I return."
"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko." She bowed.
He turned around and headed down the long corridors out of the palace with his entourage and thoughts about his sister.
"Azula has made some improvement," commented Uncle Iroh. He had been visiting her daily to share tea. Recently, they had been playing pai sho too. "She's ventured outside her room and walked to the training grounds."
"Did she train?"
"Not yet."
At least there was progress, albeit very slowly. "Is there something I can do?"
He shook his head. "Not really. She needs to go on through this journey herself."
They descended a flight of stairs as Zuko contemplated his uncle's words.
"I'm aware that she can't come with me on this trip," he said, "but maybe we could organise another one?" His exile was, in hindsight, the best thing that could've happened to him. Azula might benefit from a journey herself.
"Perhaps, but not yet," replied his uncle. "She is still mostly reacting to situations instead of responding to them with intention. To me that indicates that she does not have control over her own thoughts. For the moment, I recommend that she takes her time to heal her mind, body and spirit."
"I see."
They walked in silence, with the odd minister running in to ask for last minute approvals. They were waved away by the Dragon of the West. The airship had arrived from the airport on the southern part of the island, and was hovering above the palace plaza.
"I could use your advice over in Ba Sing Se," Zuko said to his Uncle at the bottom of the gangplank, "but there isn't anyone I trust more to look after things here."
"It is an honour." The ex-general bowed to him and then smiled warmly. "Do not stress, you will be fine. You've had years of experience leading. Remember, the secret to being a leader, whether it's a ship, teashop, or country, is love."
"Thank you, Uncle." Zuko said quickly, trying to end conversation.
"While you're in Ba Sing Se, you should strike up a match in Ba Sing Se." His uncle and many others have been advising him to secure the line of succession with an heir. To achieve that, they had advised him to first marry.
"I have a job to do."
"Your job is to strengthen the connections with others." His eyes crinkled mischievously. "What's the point of doing something if you're not having fun doing it?"
Zuko tried to not roll his eyes.
"Maybe I should go with you, otherwise you'll fight with everyone and forget to look after yourself."
"You don't need to do that."
"If you had someone looking out for you-"
"I don't have enough time for this."
"What? Love? There is always enough time for love. In fact, why don't we sit and have some tea while we chat about it?"
"The airship is overdue to depart." He turned and climbed the gangplank. "Goodbye, Uncle Iroh."
"Goodbye, Fire Lord Zuko," he said, merriment in his voice. "Remember to act with honour, and give my regards to Master Katara and your friends."
Suki was enjoying her lunch on the deck of the ship and listening to Sokka try to talk to Toph about the Sichou trade routes until Momo started swooping down to steal food. The lemur managed to snatch her boyfriend's nashi pear, knocking over the rest of his food in the process. He shouted at the lemur who had flown up to the top of the mast.
"Hasn't he eaten yet?" asked Katara.
"I don't know," he grunted. "Ask Aang,"
"Where is Aang?"
"I'm blind and seasick! How am I supposed to know?"
The siblings exchanged a look again. No one said anything, Suki could tell that they were annoyed by Aang and Toph's behaviour, and vice versa. Sokka sighed and went to get more food, while Katara tried to coax down Momo with more fruit. Toph started picking at her meal.
Compared the voyage back home from the Fire Nation, there was a lot of silent tension. It left Suki with too much time to worry about the Kyoshi Warriors. Naomi had the tendency to beat herself up with mistakes however she was an effective leader.
Normally, if this situation happened with the warriors, she'd step in, but she wasn't in charge here.
Eventually Aang flew back in good spirits.
"Where have you been?" asked Sokka.
"Skimming the ocean with Appa and some Suva dolphins."
"Did you feed Momo? He's been stealing our food again."
His face fell. "Oh, I forgot! I'll go do it now."
"I've already done it," dismissed Katara.
"You neglected your lemur to play with some dolphins?" said Sokka. "We're not on holiday."
"I forgot," he defended. "But Katara's fed him. What's the problem?"
"Momo is still your lemur."
He threw his arms in the air and turned around. "Then I'll just take my lemur and bison to Ba Sing Se."
"Aang!" snapped Katara, "Don't you fly off again!"
"Take me too," shouted Toph. "I need to get off this floating bucket."
"But we haven't finished talking about the Sichou trade routes," protested Sokka.
"Go ask my father."
"Fine!" He threw his hands up in the air. "Go!"
"Guys!" Suki couldn't do nothing anymore and decided to take matters into her own hands. "Before we make any hasty decisions, we should all take a moment to think things through."
"Okay what's happening here?" said Chief Hakoda from the helm.
"Nothing," said Sokka. He then walked below deck, leaving his food behind. His father and the other men on the deck were all watching them.
"Look what you've done!" Katara shouted at Aang.
He put his hands over his ears and yelled. A strong gust of wind rocked the boat, drowning out most of Katara's protests and Toph's seasick cries.
"Katara," commanded Suki, raising her hands, "go check on Sokka."
She put her hands on her hips. "I've been his teacher for months. I know what to do."
"I know you want to help, but right now it's better if you go check up on Sokka and leave this to me."
"Fine."
Suki never really had in depth conversations with Aang and Toph before, but she's fought through plenty of difficult situations before. "Aang, take a breath. I'd like to help you, but I need to know what is wrong. Can you tell me what is on your mind?"
Aang slowed his breathing and the seas became calm. "It's so unfair. Everyone keeps treating me like a kid and telling me what to do."
"Even as the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, people keep telling me what to do because of my age." It was a bit of a sore spot for her. "Not that it excuses them, but if you expect it, you can respond to it, rather than just react."
"There's all this expectation of being the Avatar."
"Being the Avatar is a role involves a lot of responsibility."
"I didn't ask for it. They keep asking me to make decisions, but I can't even pick what food I get to eat. I'm sick of sea prunes."
"You're the Avatar for a reason. You can't pick and choose what privileges you have, but you can choose your response." She recalled a conversation she had with Katara the other day. "Katara and her tribe have taken you in, but fresh fruit and vegetables are not easy to get in the South Pole and they're not cheap. All they ask in return is for you to help out with some of the chores like everyone else, but you keep forgetting to do them, like just then when you forgot to feed Momo. Is that fair?"
"I guess not. But it's good to have some fun."
"At least that you're going somewhere instead of running off."
"Yeah, Twinkletoes."
Suki turned to the young girl. "Toph, was that necessary?"
"But I'm sick."
"That's not really an excuse and that didn't answer my question. Yes, or no?"
"Not really." She crossed her arms. "I guess I won't say anything anymore."
"Saying or doing nothing doesn't really solve the problem either. Your energy will still affect others especially if you're sitting there and sulking."
Toph and Aang continued to sulk.
"I think that Katara and Sokka are frustrated because you guys are learning things that they never had the opportunity to, and are throwing it away. Katara had no one to teach her waterbending and Sokka didn't have his dad to teach him for almost two years."
"Are you calling me spoilt?"
"I'm not calling you spoilt." The way Toph protested had Suki concerned. "Who said that though?"
"Katara, but I work hard."
"I know you do, and I agree that her words weren't the best put. But is that how you respond?"
"Well, I'm angry."
"And I am too. Anger or any other emotion isn't a bad thing, but you need to choose what you do with it rather than just reacting to it."
"I guess we should apologise," eventually said Toph.
"Yeah," agreed Aang.
"What do you want to apologise for?"
"For acting like a spoilt brat."
"For getting angry at them for something they can't control."
Ordering Aang directly never seemed to work, so Suki tried a more circumspect route. "While I think that you can apologise for getting angry, I don't think that you can do that for something that isn't anyone's fault. Look, stop and think, while I go check to Katara and Sokka. Promise not to run away?"
"Yes," they said.
"Okay." This journey northward was proving to be more stressful than leading the Kyoshi Warriors and training Naomi up at the same time.
Azula was dissatisfied with her movements. They felt uncontrolled. The fire flickered orange.
"You've gotten better," commented Uncle Iroh. He sat on a stool, drinking a cup of tea.
"But it's not perfect," she said. She began the set again.
"Perhaps you should take a rest."
She stopped and glared at him, incredulous. "First you tell me that I need to exercise more, now I need to rest?"
"Everything needs to be done in moderation."
"I've eaten all of my food, I even drank all of your hot leaf juice," she lied. "Nothing I do seems to be enough for you."
"If you stop calling tea that, that would be a start."
She pressed her lips together, turned away from him and began the set.
After she completed it, her uncle spoke up again. "You should rest."
"I'm fine." She needed to do another set to ensure that it was perfect.
"Yes, physically."
"There's nothing wrong with me mentally either. I've bested you in a game of pai sho." He still visited her daily and yesterday she won.
"Sometimes, if you are facing a problem that is blocking you, rest and redirecting your energy elsewhere will help you find a solution."
That sounded like something that Ty Lee would say. "That is not the Fire Nation way."
"Just because it's different, doesn't mean it's wrong."
"It's wrong to do nothing." She patted her face with a warm towel a servant handed to her.
"It's not wrong to heal and rest as required. A day at the spa is what the court physician prescribed."
Even though the spa sounded enticing, she wasn't going to let her fuddy-duddy uncle tell her what to do. "There's no point. I'm powerless."
"You are not powerless if you still have a choice."
She scoffed. "I'm nothing more than a prisoner."
"The Fire Nation court have granted you probation instead of being sent to prison as you are legally a minor and cannot be held accountable for your actions."
"I'm an adult."
"When you spill tea when you lose in a game of pai sho?" He took another sip from his cup. "For the time being, you can go wherever you desire in the City."
"My father shouldn't be in prison."
"The law is the law."
"And yet they're pandering to Ba Sing Se. And Zuzu is flying over to bow down to the other nations. Dishonourable."
"If they were doing so, they would have handed him over where he would have been killed or held hostage. It requires a lot of strength to swallow one's pride and cooperate with people you once considered your enemy. Although, I wish he would rest too."
"They're weak just as we've been taught. The Earth Kingdom capitol was teeming with corruption. The King doesn't even hold the power. If a fourteen-year-old girl could overthrow their power, it's a weak country."
"I must say that it was a very elegant coup you pulled off. However, is it up to us, the Fire Nation, to decide how the Earth Kingdom should manage their affairs?"
"We're the greatest nation in the world."
"We're a nation that has seen a change of leadership in the past ten years, the armada wiped out in the north, our resources depleted to make weapons, and battered by typhoons."
"We're the most technically advanced country that has seen vast improvements under my father's rule." She marched up to him. "I demand to see my father."
"I don't think that it would be in your best interest to do so yet. But I'll see that it will be arranged."
"I suppose I'd have to take the guards."
"Of course. Even I must."
She scoffed and headed back towards the middle of the training ground.
"Aren't you going to rest?"
"I'm the Princess, and as such my form needs to be perfect."
"Practice does not make perfect. It only makes things permanent. If you want to set your bad habits, continue away." He continued to watch her for a while longer. After finishing his tea, he stood up and bowed. "If you could excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to."
Princess Azula continued on with her training.
Everyone except Sokka seemed to calm down after the incident where Suki stepped in. Katara was snapping less at Aang who wasn't complaining as much. Toph, when she was on dry land, contributed her knowledge and skills to haggle for lower prices. Sokka, however, still felt embarrassed from the whole ordeal. As the eldest and the plan guy, wasn't it his role to be the leader and fix the problems? In addition to that, he couldn't get the looming threat of the Summit out of his head. He went through the plan so many times with his father and the others, but was only so much preparation they could do. He had the same feeling he had when waiting for a storm.
Their ship sailed along the east coast of the Earth Kingdom and stopped at the island of Gia Dinh. According to Toph, Gia Dinh historically sought independence from Ba Sing Se until after the Fire Nation colonised Yu Dao. A treaty was made between Gia Dinh that included the marriage of the queen's twin sister to the Earth King who was the great-grandfather of King Kuei.
They were greeted at the docks outside the main city's walls by a small party lead by Ton That, brother of Queen Ton Nu.
"Thank you," said Lao Beifong, returning the bow in greeting. "Queen Ton Nu? Is she in the city?"
"Uh, yes," he replied nervously.
"We would like to pay our respects to the queen. It would be disrespectful for the representatives of Gaoling, Kyoshi Island and the Southern Water Tribe, and the Avatar to visit Gia Dinh without visiting the Queen if she is within the vicinity."
"Unfortunately, the queen is busy today."
He didn't pause for a moment. "We have sent our messages ahead of time. There must be a misunderstanding that must be addressed in person. Please lead the way."
Poor Ton That did not have a chance to refuse Lao Beifong. Toph's father was extremely pragmatic and was skilled at negotiating. It was a skill that Sokka wished he had.
He, Katara and Aang opted to follow Lao Beifong to meet the queen, while the Water Tribe men, Suki and Toph stayed to handle the repairs and restocking of the ship.
"Haggling prices is much more fun than formal meetings," said the Blind Bandit.
The procession made its way through the sprawling town to the castle on the hill and into the throne room. It was relatively small compared to the ones in the Fire Nation and Ba Sing Se. Ton That knelt and pressed his forehead to the floor to do their introductions. They bowed to the queen who was heavily pregnant.
"What brings you here?" she asked. Unlike her brother, she spoke in an authoritative manner.
"Our ship escorts the Avatar to Ba Sing Se to negotiate the terms of peace." Lao Beifong continued to kneel low while speaking. "We come to pay our respects to you."
"Then you should respect our laws. Foreigners are restricted to the docks. Guards."
"Your highness, let us present our gifts. It has been years since Gaoling has had contact with your land."
His words pacified the queen. They were permitted to sit up and present their gifts. After they exchanged news from Gaoling and along their voyage route, Queen Ton Nu commented that she hadn't expected the Avatar to be alive, let alone a child.
"Really," said Aang. "You didn't know?"
"News travels slowly in this region. We only found out that the war ended when we received the summons from Ba Sing Se."
"Were you attending the Summit?"
"I am unable to," she said, gesturing to her stomach. "We see no benefit regardless. We pay our taxes to the capital, but our land has kept itself out of the war and will continue to stay neutral."
"That's amazing," exclaimed Aang. "I support that."
"But why?" asked Katara. "War will touch you wherever you are."
"We did not start it."
"And so, you won't do anything?" Of course, she would pick a fight with a monarch.
The queen stayed silent and stared them down. It made Sokka afraid, but not his sister.
"The only thing for evil to happen is for good people to do nothing," she continued.
"The reason we did not involve ourselves in the war is because we did nothing."
"The only reason your kingdom has remained out of the war was because of the sacrifices made by others like the men of my tribe. Gaoling has also sent soldiers and the Kyoshi Warriors left their homeland to fight for others."
"Gaoling and Kyoshi Island are naturally well defended by their proximity to the swamp and the Unagi."
Sokka spotted Lao Beifong glaring at Katara. He tried to mentally send a message to his sister to stop talking.
"Are you not going to fight for your fellow countrymen?"
Clearly it didn't work. He fought the urge to smack his forehead.
"But Katara, fighting is wrong," protested Aang.
"And so is-"
The queen raised her hand to call the guards.
"Wait!" said Sokka. "We're just going around in circles."
Aang's ears flushed. Katara fumed. Lao Beifong had bowed low to the ground.
Queen Ton Nu stood up. "Convince me why I shouldn't throw you all in the dungeons."
Everyone all turned to Sokka.
"Oh uhh… well." His immediate reaction was to deny he said anything and stay silent. He didn't want to look like an idiot especially in front of Lao Beifong, but as Suki said in the aftermath of the incident, sometimes saying nothing is worse than saying the wrong thing.
"We are here for peace, not war. We are heading to the Summit and to the North Pole, to mend the cracks that divide the Southern and Northern Water Tribes and the rest of the world. Decisions are going to be made at the Summit, and if you choose to not go to it, you are choosing to let someone else make decisions that affect you and your people that may not be in your best interest. Are you still not going to attend?"
"Our neutrality as kept us safe and thriving for decades," she countered. "We trade and keep good relationships with whoever comes into our port. Inquiring into others' affairs was the downfall for the airbenders."
Aang stood up. "But the airbenders-!"
"Shh," hissed Sokka.
"The kingdoms that have sent their soldiers have become overrun by bandits and been reduced to nothing," the queen stated. "Meanwhile, there has been no war in Gia Dinh."
"Sure. There was no war in Ba Sing Se either, and the Fire Nation Siege on Ba Sing Se didn't happen either," he said sarcastically. "But does the absence of war automatically mean that there is peace?"
"Ba Sing Se was and is kept peaceful thanks to the Dai Li and the Earth King."
"Believe the Dai Li all you want, the Earth King still missing."
"Is this true?"
"It is," said Beifong.
"Then I shall go."
"Sister, you should not in your condition," said Ton That, visibly pale. He bowed low. "I will go."
Sokka and the others were dismissed soon after that and returned to the ships to await Ton That and his entourage.
"What just happened?" asked Sokka. The outcome was what he wanted, but the change was so quick.
"Perhaps they seek to reaffirm their ties with Ba Sing Se and present a united front to the rest of the world," Lao Beifong said slowly.
It was a reasonable answer, however, Sokka's intuition told him that there was something hidden in those words. Gia Dinh historically sought independence. Were they waiting for their moment to strike?
It was all giving him a headache. With Katara and Aang most likely still upset from their argument, the trip back to the ship was silent. How were supposed to present a united front and bring peace to the world if they couldn't get two people to talk? The Summit was shaping up to be a storm, but it definitely wasn't going to be the last.
Author's Notes:
This chapter was extremely challenging to write. The pacing of Toph's story line kept throwing me off. I lost Suki's voice for a while. There were new characters that I was trying to figure out. Things kept happening in real life that shifted the context of the story.
I had to layer up the story a few sentences at a time to get through the writer's block. It was a slow process, and it isn't perfect, but we're moving forward.
I'm hoping that the next chapter is easier to write. I have it drafted along with the rest of the story, but things never really go to plan. My favourite chapters are sometime after the Summit.