A/N. So, I have good news. This chapter and the next are episodes chapters. And then… Well, you are going to like it I think.
I don't own Avatar The Last Airbender.
"Let's go and see the Earth King! We have escaped the Dai Li, and we got Appa back! We are on a roll!" her brother stated, waving his arms energetically around.
Katara sighed. Yes, this was good news, there was no debating that. But to call it a turning point?
"Sokka… One good hour after weeks of trouble isn't much of a roll…" She spoke firmly, trying to get this mad idea out of her brother's head.
"We can build on it." A hesitant smile appeared on Sokka's face "If we want to invade the Fire Nation, we are going to need his support."
The waterbender couldn't help but agree with the sentiment, but to just knock on the Palace gate, with the announcement of Hey, we want to speak with the second most powerful man on earth please… That wasn't a strategy that was suicide…
"What makes you think we can see Kuei?" The voice of the blind earthbender cut across, "I don't know if you've noticed, but things don't usually go that smoothly for us… And Kuei is protected by a rather large guard."
Katara nodded. She had to agree with Toph. They had seen the Royal Guards for themselves, and they were not the standard soldiers. Each were veterans, and they were probably not very hesitant to draw blood, if it meant protecting the king…
"I know… But I've got a good feeling about this! This time, things will go differently!" Sokka still smiled. The waterbender knew that small smile. It was when her brother was unsure of something, but tried to convince you that actually, it was a good plan or idea.
"Sokka! Long Feng is in control of the city! He has the Dai Li!" She began, and Toph joined.
"Yeah, and he has educated Kuei since the guy was three years old. The king will side with his father figure!"
"I think we should just keep flying and leave this horrible place behind us!" She accentuated her arguments with her hands. It was enough. They would manage somehow, recruiting along the way for some ragtag army to invade the Fire Nation. They could go to the North Pole and ask for help. They could maybe find their father, he had around a hundred and fifty warriors normally. That would help!
"I'm with Sweetness! Fuck Ba Sing Se."
Yeah! Fuck this city.
Katara was actually surprised by Toph's stance in this matter. The waterbender would have suspected the younger girl to agree with Sokka, not only because she suspected the earthbender had a little crush on her brother, but also because his plan was pure chaos. And Toph lived for chaos.
Aang jumped in front of them, with a big smile on his face. Katara could see how Appa moved quickly to stay as close with his master as possible. The sight made her smile sadly. It was endearing to see how much the bison loved and trusted the airbender. What was sad was the fact that he didn't do that before he was lost… So, something had happened to make the bison afraid of being alone…
"Now that we have Appa back, there is nothing stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth, about the whole your city is run by a lunatic and the war!" Aang jumped up and down. It was good to see him this happy again…
"See Sis! Aang is with me! It's the whole reason we came here in the first place! We have to at least try! I promise, if it doesn't work, we bump right back on Appa and fly away from the city!"
And he was not wrong… The only reason they had not told the Earth King what happened outside his walls, was because Long Feng had threatened Appa… And now, the Minister had lost his only bargaining chip…. A small flame of hope lit up in her heart… If they could get past the guards… If the Dai Li didn't interfere… If, if, if… But, if all this succeeded by some miracle, then they would have the King's ear. And maybe, just maybe… The funds to really make all of this happen.
"I guess… if the King knew the truth…" She began, and saw the face of the two boys lit up at her words, but before she could even say something, Toph stood up.
"I don't trust this new positive Sokka! Long Feng brainwashed you, didn't he?"
Sokka smiled, and Aang turned to the lake. Her brother quickly joined him, and Toph turned to her.
"The guy only needs to smile, and your knees go weak. Seriously?" The blind girl whispered quietly.
"Hey, it is actually a good plan! I didn't just agree with Aang because of my weak knees!" Katara murmured back angrily.
"You don't deny he makes your knees weak…" Toph grinned. The waterbender nearly slapped herself. Of course, the girl would have noticed that slip up…
"Oh, just shut up."
"I'm only saying… If all this works… Your knees can give in and fall down… right… in… front… of… him." And with those words, Toph made a gesture that would have made sailors blush. And one that Katara had seen some men do when she walked by. Spirits….
"The Dai Li is searching for us!" Sokka shouted from where he and Aang were standing. "So? What do we do?"
The Dai Li had made her life miserable. They had made sure she couldn't talk about her feelings with Aang. They had kidnapped Appa. Long Feng had killed Jet. Enough.
"Let's fly." She stated, walking to Appa. The bison looked at her, then to the ship in the lake. Growling, he bent his paws.
Flying on Appa, without a saddle… Well, it was terrifying. Katara knew, as they flew above the Lower Ring, that if one of them fell, Aang would immediately jump after them. But to see the houses underneath them, while only holding on a small patch of fur… Well, for once, Katara was envious of Toph, who didn't see all of this.
"Could we please buy a saddle?" Toph cried out. Her pale skin was even paler, and Katara managed to grasp the left hand of the blind girl with her right one.
"Will do that after! For the moment, don't worry! We are here." She shouted, so to be heard above the wind.
They past the innermost Ring, and for the first time, Katara saw how massive the Palace actually was. She had been inside, during the party, but now, the waterbender realized she had probably been only in the most out parts… Further along stood an enormous square, with several more buildings around. At the left side stood a long row of building, each bigger than any Palace she had even seen. Bumi's palace in Omashu looked like a children doll's house compared to these buildings. On the right stood perfectly manicured gardens, and in the centre, a huge yellow brick palace dwarfed every building in the vicinity…
"That has to be where his chambers are!" Katara shouted, "Long Feng has surely warned him, so we have to be careful!"
"Why? They are not going to shoot down the Avatar! No one is that crazy!" Sokka shouted in her ear, but then, a large circular boulder flew past them. Arching an eyebrow towards her brother, he just smiled hesitantly, mouthing the words Spoke too soon, sorry.
Idiot.
Other projectiles came flying in, and Katara could see how large groups of soldiers were massing on the square. Each was wearing the Royal Guard uniform… So, they had just one small army to deal with. Yeah…
One of the boulders flew right to them, and with her small poach of water, she would not be able to stop it. Aang's airbending was probably not sufficient to stop such a weight. That left Toph.
"Can you stop the projectiles?"
"Sugar! I'm blind! We are in the sky! No! Let Aang handle them!" The earthbender screamed back. Turning her head to the airbender she was astonished to see how with a simple move of his hand, Aang exploded one of the stones in pieces. Katara had never been present for the earthbending training, because Top didn't want to have spectators. Now that she was seeing how easily Aang was handling the boulders… Well, she was impressed with Toph's teaching methods… In just one month, Aang had become quite a good earthbender. Probably better than most, because he was using the abrupt style of the blind girl. And not the intricate styles of ordinary earthbenders.
Katara saw how Aang jumped of Appa's head but didn't see what happened on the ground after that. Rather… She heard it. A loud rumble came from underneath them, and when the Sky Bison touched the ground, she saw how each brick of the square in front of them had moved, projecting more than half of the guards away. Spirits… That was not only Toph's teaching… That was what the legends said the Avatar was capable of. Katara had seen it firsthand with Aang's air and water bending. But to see it now with earthbending…
But she couldn't dwell on it too long, because, while Toph joined Aang, wreaking havoc among the royal guards, her brother and she were surrounded. While Sokka pulled his club out, Katara whipped a long string of water out. The guards in front of her looked astonished, and she couldn't blame them. They had probably never seen, let alone fought, a waterbender. Well, it was teaching time in that case.
As the waterbender struck the guards in front of her, she could feel her brother move behind her. A long canal surrounded the square, and she grabbed several guards with a water whip. Pulling them to the canal, Katara froze them into place.
"Come on!" Toph shouted, and they quickly formed half a circle, with Appa behind them. Running towards the great staircase leading to the Palace, Katara hit several guards with water. One screamed loudly and pulled a hand to his face. She realized she had gone a bit too far and had cut a wound across the earthbenders face….
Inhale. Exhale. Slowly. Restrained. They weren't here to kill or wound.
But Katara saw how Toph encase several guards between the slabs of the square, and the weight of those stones surely crushed the legs of the guards. Hearing the screaming, the waterbender promised herself that if all went well with the Earth King, she would take some time to heal these men. It wasn't their fault they were fighting for a corrupt regime.
At the base of the staircase was yet another canal, and the bridge fell away before their eyes. As she watched, two statues depicting badger-moles, each the size of Appa, came hurling towards them.
"Quick!" Aang shouted, and he, with the help of Toph, put a dome-shaped shield above their heads. Hearing the crash of stone against stone, Katara was yet again astonished by the actual skill of both of them.
Katara quickly moved awa from the shield, creating an ice bridge over the canal. With the water below, she grabbed the guards on this side on the canal and threw them down in the water, freezing them.
She kind of felt… Guilty. Some of these men probably would have the scars to prove they had fought the Avatar and his friends. Well, her waterbending did little more than immobilize the guards, but her brother had knocked several out cold, and she had seen how his knife was red with blood. So, at least, there was one badly wounded soldier. The earthbdening of Toph and Aang did help matters. The airbender did little more than block and parry the attacks, restraining soldiers, as he usually did when fighting. Toph, however… Well, most casualties were probably thanks to her. As much as she was efficient… The blind girl was too effective…
Her musings were interrupted by a great roar, and when she looked up, Katara saw dozens and scores of guards run down the stairs. Toph just stomped her feet down, and the stairs transformed in the world's greatest slide. While men were screaming and flying past them, Aang and the blind earthbender made a platform go up the slide.
"You'll have to show me that trick!" Aang laughed. Katara couldn't help but smile. Even in the heat of battle, when he saw something that looked like it could be fun, he would be interested.
"Later Twinkletoes! Now, concentrate on your side!"
As they arrived at the top, there was no one to stop them. Before entering the great corridor, Katara looked over her shoulder, and saw the carnage. Hundreds of soldiers lay on the square, groaning.
"Come on Sis!" Sokka grabbed her arm, and she followed.
As they made their way into the maze of corridors, Katara remarked the vast wealth on display here. There was not one inch that wasn't covered in precious metal, tropical wood or luxurious tapestries. If only they put as much effort in the good treatment of their citizens.
A great gold and emerald door, with engravings of badger-moles and the Earth Kingdom's sigil made them pause.
"Throne room?" Sokka suggested.
"Probably… Ehm… How do they open this thing?" Katara took a step forward. The door was metal, so unbendable. But there wasn't any handle or ring to open it.
"Don't look at me… I have no idea." Toph muttered from behind them.
"Step back." Aang walked past her, and she felt how his hand grazed hers. The small smile on his lips made her think it wasn't quite accidental.
"You two disgust me. You know that right?" Toph muttered quietly next to her.
The airbender moved his staff, in the same scythe-like manner as he had done in the desert. Pushing those memories back, Katara felt the wind pick up behind them, only to form some sort of fist and slamming right against the doors. The hinges flew free, and the doors fell inwards, crashing down.
When the noise died down, they stepped inside the cavernous room
At one end stood a solid golden badgermole. The light reflecting off it hurt her eyes, but considering this was the throne room, Katara thought it was probably intentional, to make the person coming to see the Earth King bow down their head.
They ran to stand just in front of the throne. On it, sat a man, in his early twenties, with small spectacles pinched on his nose. His black hair was pulled back, and the robes he was wearing suggested wealth and privilege. To his credit, he hadn't moved when the doors crashed down, and now that they were standing in front of him, he only arched one eyebrow up.
Suddenly, several Dai Li agents appeared in front of the king, accompanied by… Long Feng. To her satisfaction, he actually looked afraid seeing them. Good.
"We need to talk to you." Aang said, in the same voice he had used to gain entry to the Bei Fong estate.
"They are here to overthrow you!" Long Feng put a hand on the king's shoulder. It looked… Actually as if the minister cared for the young man.
"No, no! We are on your side!" Sokka tried to smile.
"We are here to help." Katara said, taking a step forward. The Dai Li agents also took a step in their direction.
The king stood up, shrugging off the hand on his shoulder.
"You invade my palace. Lay waste to all my guards. Break down my doors. And you expect me to trust you?"
Yeah… That was actually a valid point. It must have looked like an invasion. For her friends, it was a necessary violent manner. But for the king, it must have looked like a coup.
"If you are really on my side. Drop your weapons and stand down." The king's voice sounded authoritative, but Katara had seen the quick glance towards Long Feng. So, the king was not as sure of himself as he looked.
As she pulled the water back in her poach, she heard the clatter of Aang's staff, hitting the floor.
"See, we are friends, your earthiness." The airbender smiled, moving his arms in a wide arc. Katara had to hold in a groan. Or that was the actual formal title of the Earth King, in which case, cringe. Or Aang had chosen that moment to try and make a joke. A Sokka level joke.
The king didn't look impressed. He actually looked furious. A small nod to Long Feng, and the Dai Li suddenly moved to stand behind them. Their stone fists enclosed around her wrist, as they did with the others…
"But… we dropped our weapons! We are your allies!" Sokka protested, but his Dai Li agents slapped her brother's head.
"Hey!" She shouted.
"Detain the assailants, and drop the Avatar in the darkest and deepest cell." Long Feng smirked, but Katara saw how his eyes widened. He had apparently said something that wasn't supposed to be said.
"The Avatar?" The king sounded surprised.
He had not known. King Kuei didn't know who they were…
"You are… the Avatar?" The monarch pointed to Sokka. Katara suppressed a laugh. Now was not the time to talk about that one time her brother had impersonated the avatar, with their help to charm a girl. That was not the time.
"No… him." Sokka moved his head, wincing, towards Aang.
"Yeah… I'm the Avatar" Aang waved, bending the stone around his wrist away.
"Does it matter? They are enemies of the State!" Long Feng began to sound desperate. The king just held up a hand.
"Of course it matters. The Avatar is a friend of all people. So also, ours. Why would he invade this palace? Why would we not listen to him if his message was so urgent? Plus, Bosco seems to like him. Please, Avatar, I'll hear you out." The king spoke softly, smiling when his pet… bear… moved to lick Aang's face. Not for the first time, Katara thanked the spirits for the fact that Aang had a way with animals.
"Sir. There is a war going on right now. For a century, and I'm deeply ashamed to say it is my fault. Your nation is at war with the Fire Nation. The Dai Li kept it secret from you to control the city, the government… and you."
"A war?" The King sat down on his throne, watching suspiciously at Aang. He didn't believe him.
"Yes. Long Feng didn't want us to tell you. So, he stole my Sky Bison t blackmail us. He had us under surveillance, we couldn't even talk together without fearing being overheard. But these are the least of his crimes. He has people under his thumb, he is a murderer. He killed our… friend. If not for his crimes against you, I ask to have him on trial for at least that!" Aang speech fell on deaf ears. The King still looked dubious.
"All lies." Long Feng smiled amicability "I've never seen a Sky Bison Your Majesty. They are extinct, no?"
The king nodded, and waved. As the Dai Li pulled them away, Sokka managed to turn around.
"We have proof! Ask that lying shitbag to lift his robes!"
"I'm not-" THe minister began, but Aang blew air up, and the long pale legs of Long Feng became visible. On one was a rather large bloody tooth mark. One that Katara recognized immediately as Appa's. Good Bison, he should have bit harder.
"Never met a Sky Bison heh?" Sokka grinned.
"A birthmark. Thanks for revealing it." Long Feng pulled his robes back. But even from this distance, Katara saw the fear in the man's eyes.
"There is no way to actually check this…" The king looked at his minister, and for the first time, Katara saw the apprehension he had directed towards them, now cast upon the man.
"Aang?" Sokka smiled, and the airbender pulled the whistle from his pocket. Smiling softly, he blew it.
When Appa came crashing down the corridor, Katar smiled. Seeing the bison in such a hurry to get back to Aang was still endearing.
Looking at the king, she saw the gleam in his eyes. He looked astonished, and excited.
"So there still are Sky Bisons! Oh, and the markings! You… you are an Air Nomad!" King Keui seemed excited, pointing to Aang, who nodded, smiling.
"Oh, I have so many questions!" The king nearly ran from his throne to the bison. In some ways, the king made her think of Professor Zei. It was clear this man knew a lot. But probably didn't have the experience to go with it.
"Long Feng! Pull up your robes again please!" The king gestured, and, still looking with wonder at Appa and Aang, looked at the bison's teeth.
"Yes… That pretty much proves it. This is the only one in the city I suspected?" Kuei looked at Aang, who nodded.
"Well, it doesn't prove everything… But it proves that you lied to me, Minister." The king arched his eyebrows, looking at his minister. Katara remarked how the king had dropped the name, and was now addressing the man with his title.
"We are going to look into it. Assemble the guards. Or at least, those who are in fighting shape." A sharp look in their direction made Katara look away.
She saw how Long Feng quietly walked away, grumbling under his breath.
"Show my guards prove Avatar. Before evening please. Otherwise, I will have to side with my mentor."
"How about we show you directly?" She suggested. Going from the Dai Li headquarters and back would take some time, at least with the guards accompanying them. If they could show the king directly…
"What?" Keui looked afraid all of a sudden.
"How about a city tour, Your Majesty? First off… The Rings. Then, Lake Laogai." Aang smiled, putting a reassuring hand on the young man's shoulder.
"Why not? Lead the way, Avatar."
Answers :
Gabriela N. Gonzalez. Oh I'll make it even more gut wrenching, sorry. But before you are going to love it! And Toph often expresses emtions, holding Aang's or Sokka's arm when she isn't able to see.
CoyoteLemon : Yeah, Toph is just my own way of thinking, expressed through her lol. And let's be real. Appa is the most important member of the Gaang.
Bay 45220 : Yeah, Dark Aang is really something else.
Ashley Barbosa : Yeah, Jet kinda redeemed himself. Not much, but a bit. If Katara seems a bit spaced out about it in this chapter, it is because in the series… well, it is never addressed, except the whole "Did Jet… die?"
Miasubwaylover : Thanks! I know it will take time before you read this, but thanks!