"You realize we're probably walking right into a trap, right?" Sokka questioned as he and Katara stood before Appa, looking at Aang and Thyra as she finished feeding the child some breakfast of pieces of fruit, cut up so that he could suck out the juice then chew on the rest with his tiny teeth.
"I don't think so. I'm sure the Governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi. It's a new day." Aang answered optimistically before looking to his sister who wiped the child's face clean then made sure there wasn't so much as a speck of dirt on the little boy.
"Hey you're pretty good. How'd you know the kid would suck on the juice like that?" Sokka asked as he watched the boy suck on Thyra's fist as she crushed a peach segment, allowing the river of juice to flow over her skin.
"I raised Aang for a long time by myself. I picked up a couple of tricks of my own." She answered with a smile. "His teeth aren't yet strong enough to bite through solid food, so first I crush the fruit to give him a drink then he eats the mush. It's a little gross, but he won't care because he's only a baby." Thyra said, giving the boy the crushed up peach slice and he instantly sucked on it, swallowing it down before gurgling happily. Cleaning his face for the last time, as well as her hand, Thyra lifted him up and nodded her head. "Okay, we're ready."
Appa flew them over the city and dropped them at a large platform where the trade was to take place. Aang stood in front with Katara and Sokka either side of him, Thyra carrying the little boy on her back in a blanket that she had tied off around herself, making a snug sack to hold him in as he gurgled and chewed on her long plait.
Suddenly a crane began to lower a coffin shaped metal case, where familiar laughter could be heard whilst three figures approached. One was the girl from the previous night, standing in front with two other girls at her side, one looking rather serious with a fire nation uniform. One of the royal family.
"Hi, everybody!" Bumi called as he was put down behind the three figures and Thyra cracked a small smile.
"You brought my brother?" The girl in the front with the blank expression questioned and Aang nodded his head.
"He's right here." He announced and Thyra stepped forwards, turning to the side to show them the boy as he laughed sweetly and began to wave around her plait. "We're ready to trade." The girl started to step forwards but then the other spoke, halting her in her tracks.
"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?" She questioned.
"Of course not, Princess Azula." Azula. So this must be Zuko's little sister. She must be a powerful fire bender if she was anything compared to her brother.
"We're trading a two year old for a king. A powerful, earthbending king." She reasoned, glancing back to Bumi who merely grinned as if he were having the time of his life. "It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?" She said and instantly Thyra's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You're right." She said quietly before taking a few steps forwards and addressed Aang. "The deal's off." Raising her left hand Bumi was lifted back into the air, the sound of the chain grinding from above as Bumi continued to laugh.
"Woo! See you all later!" He cheered however Aang wasn't ready to give up just yet, eyes widening with worry.
"Bumi!" He yelled and sped forwards. Instantly Thyra swung the boy around to her front and slipped the carrier over her head before thrusting the boy into Sokka's arms.
"What do you expect me to do with it?!" He demanded to know with a shriek as Thyra raced forwards after Aang.
"Don't let them get hold of him." She shot back before continuing forwards hurriedly as Aang soared up into the air, avoiding Azula and her blue fire. A very powerful bender.
"The Avatar…my lucky day." She smirked before running towards the scaffolding and took a leap. Out of nowhere Thyra jumped up and extended one foot, crashing it against Azula who gasped as the breath was crushed out of her lungs and she went flying backwards.
Both landed on the ground however Azula skidded, finding her stance once more before charging, throwing blast after blast of blue flames at Thyra as she ducked and spun out of the way, keeping her focus on the princess but then had to flip backwards over her head as the noble's daughter began to fling various sharp weapons straight at her, allowing Azula to slip past and go after Aang.
"We've got to get the baby out of here!" Katara yelled as Thyra stopped by her side, watching as the two girls ran towards them.
"Way ahead of ya!" Sokka called, the bison whistle in his hand but then the baby snatched it out of his grip and started to chew on that instead. The three of them started to run, however Sokka suddenly yelled in pain and hit the ground on his back where the pink wearing girl jumped up from a trap door and ran at him as he groaned, holding the baby against his chest.
"Hold on Sokka!" Thyra called then turned around to face the girl, glaring purposefully. She stepped forwards and blocked a punch aimed straight for her shoulder and glanced at the fist, noticing how it was poised. "You're a chi blocker." She realised and the girl smirked before pulling back and started to attack, showing off her flexibility and acrobatic skill as Thyra held up her hands in an air bending stance, dodging every attack made at her as Katara held her own against the other girl who seemed to favour darker colours to her pink little friend.
Thyra swung her leg in a circular motion to throw off another punch then swiftly gripped the girl's other wrist as she aimed for a quick counter strike then whipped her body around, kicking up her other leg in the twist to throw the girl to the ground hard, making her yelp from the blow as Thyra stood over her with a placid expression, holding up her hands again in the same stance. "You're good. Let's see how fast you really are. Please, do not hold back." The girl smirked before springing back to her feet after rolling back onto her hands then began to strike with viper like movements, her fists soon becoming a blur as Thyra moved only as much as she needed to, avoiding the blows and used the flat of her hand to redirect the strikes.
Suddenly the girl flipped back over her head as her companion cried out in alarm then with two swift hits, paralysed Katara's arm and her waterbending became weak, her chi being blocked by the girl's precise stabs with her knuckle. Instantly the girl with the knives smirked. "How are you gonna fight without your bending?" She taunted as Katara gasped for breath, gripping her arm as Thyra appeared at her side and moved in front, ready to protect her.
The girl pulled out a shuriken with a deadly smirk and Katara gasped, staring at the sharp blade as she prepared to throw it. Suddenly a boomerang appeared from above and knocked the weapon out of the girl's hand, making everyone turned to the sky where Sokka caught his returning boomerang again.
"I seem to manage!" He yelled back and Appa landed in front of the girls, sweeping down his tail as Thyra leaped up with a flip, landing in the saddle and instantly gathered the baby to her, slipping the carrier back over her head to keep a hold of the giggling child before moving forwards to where Sokka and Katara sat at Appa's head.
"There's Aang!"
"We can catch him!" Sokka pulled on the reins and steered Appa left, heading straight for Aang as he slid down the delivery chutes on Bumi's case, Azula chasing after them in a cart, blasting at them every chance she got.
"Hang on, Bumi! Our ride's here!" Thyra heard her brother yell as Appa pulled as close as he could, Sokka expertly manoeuvring him out of the way of Azula's fire blasts before Aang strikes the side of the chute with his staff, launching both him and Bumi up into the air.
"Aang!" Thyra cried out, eyes widening as the baby giggled and reached up towards the flying metal case like it were a plaything but it sailed right over their heads, missing its mark and crashed through another chute to start sliding down another. "Quick, circle around!" Thyra pointed and Sokka moved Appa down towards the lower quarter. It took a few minutes to follow the chute to the point where Bumi and Aang had stopped, however Appa then settled on the ground and after Bumi had pushed himself back up the chute using a rolling rock, laughing manically as he went, Aang rang towards Appa and took his place at the reins.
"Let's go." He said, oddly smiling and Thyra arched an eyebrow.
"What about Bumi?"
"He says he needs to stay here, something about waiting for the right moment." Aang answered before snapping on the reins. "Yip yip!" With a large growl Appa lifted off into the air and carried them all away to safety, only settling down once they were completely out of sight.
"So…what do we do now?" Sokka questioned as the baby crawled around Appa's saddle, chasing after Momo as he jumped from head to head. "We can't take the fire baby with us."
"Of course not, we'll have to just give him back." Katara said as the little boy then waddled precariously over to Thyra then latched onto her leg, beaming up at her before laughing and grabbing at the air, wanting her to pick him up. "Ah…I think he's grown attached to Thyra."
"Well who wouldn't?" Sokka said simply. "I mean, if a girl fed me peaches out of her own hand then I'd be pretty attached too." Everyone glared at him, especially Thyra as she lifted the little baby up into her arms and rocked him gently as he yawned, starting to sing for him again.
"I'll take him back tonight, when it's dark. That way no one will see me." Aang decided before propelling himself off of Appa's back to stand on a high rock, taking a deep breath before sitting down and starting to meditate to calm himself and think with a clearer head.
Thyra watched her brother for a moment before turning and sliding down Appa's tail, going out to find some food for the baby to keep him from crying, as he was now wailing loudly as his belly rumbled hungrily. With everyone then again settled, all they could do was wait until nightfall.