Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or anything associated with it except my fanfiction
Welp. There goes my plan. As an apology, here's a *somewhat* long chapter for you to read. Kudos.
New Edit: Basingtei renamed herself... T-T why life? New username: IMovedToAO3-as-Cherie-Berrie
Although I don't recall having ever asked the author if I could use their story to write mine. Heh... a bit too late now.
Aang's eyes shot open, heart racing as he regained the use of his dormant, deadened senses, terrified of the unfamiliar situation before him. He sluggishly rolled over in his bed to frantically figure out his current dilemma. He was in a rather comfortable bed, with ascetic but useful design, and a blanket that proved useful in the somewhat chilly climate of the room. Even now, Aang shivered as his skin made contact with the brisk air of the room. Was he... inside a cave of some sort? But caves didn't have beds of their own. So Aang began looking for any clues that might give away where he was. He squinted at his surroundings. Despite his eyes having adjusted to the darkness in his sleep, Aang wasn't able to make out much besides a wide variety of dark greys and an inky black that made Aang wonder if there was a void beyond the Spirit World and the Physical World, a nothingness that seemed to embody everything that was intangible. Looking at one such crevice with a lifeless black, Aang quickly grew dizzy from experiencing such an odd visual sensation, and then quickly looked away to examine the rest of the room. It appeared as though there were two beds, each facing away from each other, and Aang could make out an indistinctive lump on the other bed that he immediately assumed was Sokka. He frowned as he looked around the room. How in the Four Nations did they make it into such a nice, homely, hospitable room with a roof and nary a worry about the outside elements?
And then the memories of the past day of weariness flooded his mind, snippets and pieces of the past day flashing by, flitting in and out as Aang slowly registered the sequence of events that lead him to this place. The encounters with the Omashu guard... the chute slides... Sokka... meeting the king, and being thrown a feast... and then being lead to this bed chamber... was it number three or four?... and then collapsing onto the beds, caving in to the overwhelming exhaustion they experienced with the lack of no sleep.
In retrospect, Aang started wondering how a lack of sleep could cause such a significant deterioration in a person. Despite the Air Nomad's relative freedom and flexibility, the one thing they remained steadfast on was sleep - nearly embodying the spirit of earthbenders when it came to sending children to bed. At the time, Aang thought it was a minor annoyance, a slight inconvenience in his day-to-day life that sometimes got in the way of certain things. Sometimes, when Aang was frustrated, he would belittle the strict sleeping schedule, wondering just what was so significant about adhering to a static cycle of rest and rejuvenation. Of course, he kept this to himself - no use getting worked up over such a petty affair, after all - but still, his lack of knowledge over this aspect of his life used to displease him to no end. Yesterday changed that. The multitude of time Aang and Sokka had spent trying to look for a suitable napping spot all but chased these misgivings from Aang's mind. He noted to himself that even if he didn't quite understand the rationale behind what people wanted him to do, there was probably a good reason why they asked him to do it.
But what about Sokka? Didn't he ever stay up late? Did he give himself strict curfews? Did he ever stay up late for something or other - hunting trips, or celebrations? Aang highly doubted the latter. It would have been a very young age since Sokka would have been able to enjoy a celebration - before their mother had died or their father had went away to fight in the war.
"Their", huh...
Aang reflexively clutched the base of his neck, where Katara's necklace once lay. He wondered ruefully how she was doing - was she learning waterbending yet? Was she over her brother leaving her? Did she still remember Aang? He knew that he still remembered her. How could he not? He didn't think anything would be able to make him forget. He didn't want to, and it was impossible to not remember such a strong, unique, and ... utterly gorgeous woman. Thoughts of whether Pakku and Kanna were together again or about the progress in the reconstruction of the South Pole only vaguely asserted themselves into his mind, so immersed he was in thoughts of Sokka's sister. He shook his head. It likely wasn't a good idea to think about someone's beautiful younger sister - especially if said someone was in the same room as Aang, snoring his head off.
Sokka...
And then the wave of guilt crashed over him as he remembered what had happened the day before. Sokka tired out of his wits, eyes drooping, almost tearlike with their splotches of black. Swaying dizzyingly as though a strong gale was forcefully blowing down a young willow tree. The stiff movements of the teen as he steadily plowed on for the sake of the Avatar ending the war - a war that was the Avatar's fault.
And what did Aang do to pay Sokka back? Asked him for a chute slide ride. A whimsical ride that didn't accomplish anything besides nearly landing them into deep trouble. In the heat of the moment, it seemed like such a good idea - recreation, reorientation, and revivification - and a way for Aang to honor the past and remember the people of an age long gone. But now, Aang nearly hid his face in shame despite the darkness of the chamber and the loneliness in wakefulness at such an inanimate hour. He was ashamed of himself. Ashamed. For trying to have fun when he was supposed to be trying to find an earthbending teacher. For not respecting a boy who not only was his elder, but who took care of him, protected him, and remained a steadfast friend throughout their misadventures. And to reward Sokka with this!-
"Sokka?" although his voice was soft, it carried throughout the chamber, startling Aang with its resonance.
"Snrk?" there was a slight stutter in Sokka's snoring, a disruption to the otherwise tranquil rest Sokka was enjoying.
Aang opened his mouth to say something, to apologize to Sokka for his childish actions, to comment on their good luck with the king of Omashu, or even just to commiserate with Sokka on the importance of sleep or poke fun at his loud breathing. But, instead, Aang slowly closed his mouth and turned to one side, hugging the blanket covering him tightly around his neck and closing his eyes. He silently formed words on his lips, a half-constructed apology to his friend, but sleep soon overtook him, and his mind drifted off into nothingness.
"Get up."
Aang groaned and curled into a fetal position, trying to make himself seem as small a target as possible. He felt as though last night had never happened. That he and Sokka had only just stumbled upon this cozy haven and just laid their heads to rest. His head throbbed with the effects of forcefully being jostled awake by Sokka. Blood pounded in his ears as his body slowly adjusted to a more alert state than before. But Aang didn't want that. It hurt a lot. So he opened his mouth to say something - of what, he did not know - but all that came out was an unintelligible garble that reflected his mood and his vitality. He groaned. Whatever Sokka had to say could wait. Aang needed sleep. And he needed it now. His last thought before drifting off was of how ironic it was that Aang was now in a similar position as Sokka was only a day before, lying barely conscious on the chasm floor...
A harsher jab into his side. "Get up."
Aang snarled under his breath, now extremely cranky for being disrupted for a second time now. Why did he have to get up? Sokka of all people should have recognized the importance of a good, long, continuous interval of sleep. Aang sighed, praying that whatever Sokka had to say was important, then propped himself onto his hands, slowly opening his eyes to show Sokka his unenthusiastic attention.
It wasn't Sokka.
Instead, a guard clad in the green uniform of his royal profession glared down at the airbender, not holding back his distaste at the child's sluggishness and disrespect. Aang, however, still had not fully woken up yet, and so was not intimidated by the guard's scowl. And then it hit him.
If Sokka didn't wake me up... then...
Aang shot out of his bed, heart constricted, fearing the worst. Sure enough, where Sokka had once slept, there was now a chaotic arrangement of sheets and bedding that supplemented his distress.
He rounded to the guard. "Where's my friend?" he barked, twisting his face into a grimace that mirrored the guard's. "What did you do to him?" He demanded darkly. His mind raced frantically through the gravity of his situation. How quickly their circumstances had deteriorated, from ones filled with hope after leaving the North Pole to the treachery and mistrust of mad General Fong to the less than bearable living conditions to Omashu to the deterioration of Aang's friendship with Sokka and now this. He decided that after all of this had blown over that he ought to give Sokka a long and well-deserved apology for the things Aang put him through. That was, if Sokka would still be alive to hear it...
No. Don't think like that. Figure out whatever the heck's going on, and then save Sokka. No ifs.
"He's fine," the guard said, answering and alleviating his unspoken fears. However, the apprehension quickly returned when the guard added, "Of course, that could change depending on the... whims..." The guard faltered as Aang could clearly see that even amongst his subjects and protectors, there were misgivings of the old man's ability to reign. He almost felt sorry for him. Almost. "... of His Earthiness and whether you comply with his demands."
Aang sagged in resignation. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place... he had to save Sokka and apologize to him, but he also didn't want to have anything to do with this loony king. He groaned of the trials and tribulations that were potentially waiting for him. Judging by the craziness of yesterday, they were probably beyond the stretches of Aang's imagination. And he was very, very creative.
And of course, in such a sobering situation, his childish mind had an agenda of its own.
Rock.
Hard place.
Omashu
Earthbending
AND WE'RE STUCK IN HERE WITH A MAD EARTH KING AND SOKKA'S IN TROUBLE. SO SHUT UP UNTIL AT LEAST WE SAVE HIM!
Silence. Glorious silence. He returned to the predicament at hand, and narrowed his eyes as the guard, only a second having passed by in his bombastic yet internal exchange. "What do I have to do?" he asked.
The guard regarded him impassively. He stood there for a long while before Aang finally recalled what the king had said after dinner - although the details weren't too clear. "I'm supposed to complete... challenges?" Aang asked hesitantly.
Rather than directly confirm what Aang said, the guard simply rolled his eyes. "Great that you can actually use those big ears of yours." It took all of Aang's willpower to not immediately start screaming at the arrogant guard. "Yes. Challenges. If you fail..." the guard shrugged. "Well, you've seen His Majesty." He held out his hand expectantly. "Staff?"
Aang savagely kicked his staff from the ground, caught it in his hand, whipped it about threateningly, took a deep breath, and dropped it into the guard's hand. "Bring me to him," Aang ordered. Whether he was talking about Sokka or the king was left to debate. But as the guard ferociously prodded him out the door and down the hallway, Aang assumed it didn't make a difference.
Another guard had joined in "escorting" Aang to the king - although he supposed their jostling of him could have been much worse. At least they didn't cuff him or restrain his movement in any way. They just... coerced him into a certain direction. And since said direction was where Aang needed to go, he let them guide him there.
After a few short moments - but what felt like an eternity to the Avatar - they finally passed through the door into the throne room, where the king was cheerfully standing. Aang did a double-take at the display before him. Old, hunchbacked, and disturbed though he was, the king's standing to receive Aang bespoke volumes about the physical fitness of the mad monarch - which did not bode well with such an unpredictable mind.
And speaking of unpredictable...
"First things first Avatar... what do you think of my dress?" He spread his arms out to further reveal his eccentric yet elegant robes.
Aang took one look down and recoiled. The king was clad in purple. Purple! Of all things. Even the antlers that decorated his bizarre crown had taken on a purple glow as the flamboyant color reflected off the surface of the horns. As far as Aang was concerned, that wasn't a color of royalty for the Earth Kingdom. Not to mention it was a more feminine color than... well. He couldn't judge. He had on yellow and orange garb himself.
He still offered a tentative "I... guess it's fine" to the enthusiastic king. The last thing he needed was for the person holding his best friend to be angry at him. Angry or not, desperate or not, Avatar or not, caution was especially appropriate against this senile lunacy. He steeled himself for whatever came next.
"Excellent! You've passed the first test!"
Aang was taken aback. Clearly his anticipation wasn't enough for the capriciousness of the king. "Wait... what? I passed the first test?"
The king scratched his head and directed his eyes upwards as though in deep thought. "Well, not the way you seem to think of it. That was the first test I gave you. And you passed it. But that wasn't one of the challenges. They're meant to be more... well... challenging." the king shrugged and cackled. "Otherwise there's no fun to it!"
"Fun?" Aang spluttered. Risking his life and the welfare of the world did not seem "fun." Then again, Aang had been the one to suggest chute sliding... And as he gaped at the old king, he silently swore to himself that fun would be as sacrilegious as genocide and murder.
"Yep. Fun." and with those two words the king smiled a toothy smile and clasped his hands together. "So, Avatar, are you ready to begin?"
Faster than even the wind itself, Aang dashed from beneath the two guards, and, ignoring their shouts of surprise, zoomed up to the deranged madman. Small and slight of build though he was in his youth, his angered presence towered over the much taller hunchback. Aang's eyes spasmed with rage, sense of playfulness long forgotten, fatigue long discarded, in the midst of the chaos the king had put them through, for what the king had in store for them. He was absolutely done with the madness. Forget about Pakku and his wishes to have Aang learn under this Earthbending king. He wanted out. "I don't have time for your games!" Aang shouted angrily. Normally, he would never resort to such blatant disrespect, but then again, normally he didn't have to deal with an utter maniac like... this. And clearly, the king was unaccustomed to such audacity against his authority, something that Aang noticed with a sadistic pang of pleasure and... regret? ... that bolstered his determination in giving the king a piece of his own mind. "Give me my friend back! We're leaving!"
"Oh?" said the king, raising his eyes in consternation at Aang. This small but condescending gesture managed to annoy Aang to no end. He was starting to wonder about the sanity of the denizens of Omashu, who blindly followed this senile psycho to whatever insane ends he desired. But his thoughts were quickly dispelled when the king smiled a devious smile, and signaled to his guards. "We'll see how stalwart you are in that belief."
Aang faltered, and the king used the opportunity to gesture to the wall to the right of Aang. The guards had earthbent a section of the wall down, to reveal Sokka flanked by two guards. It was clear that Sokka had not gone down without a fight, although the multiple bruises Aang could see over the fully-clothed nonbender convinced him that whatever Sokka did, didn't end very well for himself. Behind him was a long-winded hallway - of what significance, Aang neither knew or cared - and Aang began to wonder whether Sokka had been forced to stand in that very position since he was compelled to get up, or whether he had been frogmarched down the hallway to meet Aang. Judging by the red freshness of the marks, probably the latter, especially coupled with the rebellious glares Sokka shot at the guard. A small part of Aang was secretly glad that Sokka's anger had been redirected from him. Another part wanted to profusely apologize to Sokka. The vast majority of himself, however, wanted to break Sokka free and stage an escape from the asylum that was the king's palace.
But the king had other plans. "I plan on giving your friend a special souvenir." The guard to the left of Sokka held a small blue object, and was sliding it down one of Sokka's fingers. "Ah, jennamite," said the king as the blue object glowed and... seemed to grow thicker by the second? "What a precious gem. A beauty of Omashu, and one of its most coveted exports - at least, that's what I wished." the king cast a quick and curious glance towards the sulking Avatar, who in turn was surreptitiously surveying the room to see any way of escape that could be utilized. "But clearly, I bore you with that description of jennamite. Perhaps you would be more interested in how it got its nickname 'The Creeping Crystal.'" And he was right. Aang snapped his head to the king, eyes wide with a sudden dread at what was to come. "It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast. In fact, it is known to encapsulate whole human beings in the span of a day." As if receptive to his words, the jennamite glowed once again and began creeping its way down Sokka's finger. Sokka's eyes bulged, and he grimaced as he began tugging at the once-ring in order to remove it from himself - to no avail.
"Ah! I can't get it off!" he cried. He looked pleadingly at Aang, and the look of vulnerable desperation on Sokka's face completely shattered what little resolve remained within Aang to rebel against the king's wishes. Craziness, he could manage. Risking his friend's life, he could not.
Apparently Aang's face reflected Sokka's all too clearly, for the king patted his shoulders all too consolingly, as though sympathizing with Aang's current plight. He shied away from the intrusive and unwelcome touch, utterly appalled by the bizarre behavior of the king. "Don't you worry!" the king chirped. "If you complete my challenges, I'll remove the jennamite in a jiffy! Unless..." the king leaned over smugly, pleased with his success in influencing the Avatar. "Your opinion remains the same?"
Aang stared dully up into the king's face, the internal battle won far earlier in the king's coercive persuasion. "I'll do the challenges." He sighed in resignation.
The king clapped his hands excitedly, like a child eager to receive his hard-earned candy. "Well, then! No need to waste time! On to the first task!"
Aang blinked blankly. "Hold up. You aren't going to give me any preparation? No breakfast? No meal? No mental -" he was cut off with what he was saying when another yelp came from Sokka. Aang turned to find the jennamite now covering half of Sokka's hand. He winced, and turned back to the king. "Okay."
The king snorted and cackled, and suddenly Aang had a sense of déjà vu. Where did he hear that sound before? It sounded so alien and strange, and yet... so oddly familiar. A snort and cackle of a madman... But before he could question it, the king interrupted his thoughts by announcing, "Besides, even if this is a series of royal tests, I doubt you would get much preparation before a real battle or even an ambush! Like how my guards snuck up on you while you two were discussing the wonders of our beloved mail delivery system!" Aang flushed in a combination of embarrassment, indignation, and impatience while the king began to walk away. "Follow me, young whippersnapper. Let the games - er, I mean, trials - begin!"
A key suspended in air by a sturdy chain from the cavern ceiling. A dubious ladder that lead to but didn't quite reach the key. A plethora of stalactites and stalagmites crowding the ground and the roof above. Aang wasn't so concerned about the impossibility of his task as he was with the impossibility of setting the task up in the first place - much less within such little time as that even the first vestiges of rust had not announced its presence on the surface of the iron key. He surmised that if nothing else, one did not have much leeway to oppose the wishes of an insane yet powerful king.
"It seems as though my lunch box key is missing, and I'm starting to feel a wee bit hungry." The king frowned in mock concentration as he pretended to attempt to deduce where he misplaced the keeper of his meal. Suddenly, his eyes alighted on the ceiling, fixated on the chain the key was suspended on, and widened with pleasure. "Ooo, look!" the king squealed like an immature girl, pointing a gnarly finger at the key being drenched by the downpouring water. "There it is!" He squinted down from his perch to the impatient airbender below. "Hmm, Avatar, my stomach is growling. Would you be so kind as to retrieve that key for me?"
For half a second Aang thought the king was joking. But when he saw the king was utterly serious in giving him this task, he grinned. Really? Is this it? Maybe the challenges were as challenging as the king's senile mind was sound. Just get the key? Climb up the ladder? Not even an obstacle to obstruct his path? But then again, what with his airbending and waterbending, there wasn't much the Aang couldn't surpass to reach his goals. Taking one last glance at the king, who was looking at the airbender rather boredly and not appearing too concerned with the brevity and simplicity of this task, Aang wasted no time in running towards the ladder and jumping onto it in order to get a headstart in climbing.
He noticed two things. First, he had expected to be able to jump a fair distance upwards using his bending, and would be able to traverse several dozen rungs of the ladder without touching it in the first place. His foot barely clipped the third rung, and he stared at the short distance he covered, aghast that his results did not reflect his efforts. Secondly, as soon as he made contact with the ladder, the ground suddenly shook, dislodging the Avatar's firm grip on the ladder, and the two unexpected setbacks were enough to cause Aang to let go of his position on the ladder in surprise and tumble towards the floor.
"Hmm, it seems as though this challenge appears more difficult than it seems to be," remarked the king innocently. Aang glared above, wondering how in the world the king managed to get the ground and the ladder to shake. Wincing, Aang got up from the small patch of flat ground he had been lucky to drop onto. He glared sullenly at the king, knowing it would be futile to voice his frustration. He walked up to the ladder, conserving his energy for the next jump he would have to make. Not only would it be faster to climb up the ladder, but Aang didn't know if he trusted in his physical limbs enough to manually climb the ladder to the key.
He took a deep breath, bent his legs, compressed spring about to recoiled with force. He exploded from the ground, arcing through the air - and this time didn't even make it past the second rung of the ladder. He gazed uncomprehendingly at the ground, wondering why it restrained him so, and proceeded to push off from the ground using his airbending to propel himself into the air.
He didn't budge an inch.
Momentarily undeterred, Aang deliberately and slowly went through the motions, making sure his timings, postures, and movements were all technically exact. Nothing. He repeated the same movement, but with more force. Still nothing. In desperation, he shouted in an attempt to gather his chi together, summoned all his strength, and moved so powerfully that he might as well be trying to summon a powerful gale.
All that came out was a sad puff of air that quickly dissipated into nothingness.
"Ah, Aang, your energy and passion in dancing is commendable, but unfortunately, I don't really see how it will take you far in this challenge," remarked the king. "I do suggest you stop waving your arms around like a mad man, or a mad king, I suppose," he said, chuckling to himself. "And get right to the task! After all, the longer you take, the hungrier I become! Also, another good incentive is saving your little friend before -" he tilted his head towards a gloomy Sokka, whose encasing had now progressed to his forearm.
Aang didn't understand. Where did his bending go? Why was it so weak? As far as he was concerned, his bending had been perfectly fine the day before. Had he been slipped something? Was he still more tired than he initially thought? Aang gritted his teeth. No more wasting time. He had to concentrate on finishing the first task - only the first task!
Focus, Aang. One thing at a time.
"Certainly, young Avatar! Can't always solve a problem by immediately rushing in and trying to get it done!" Aang started as he realized he had said his previous musings out loud. Sheepishly, he glanced up at the deck where the king and Sokka stood, and, eliciting no reaction from them, returned his attention to retrieving the key. Just to make sure of his lack of airbending, he hastily pulled out three valuable objects vital to the health and well-being of all airbenders, being an indicator of health and airbending power. He took a deep breath, and lifted his palms. He suddenly twisted one hand so that it was on top of the other - and the three glass marbles simply tumbled, inert, into his unsuspecting hand.
Bending was out of the question, then. So what could he do?
Maybe try and brute force it? He hopscotched his way across the stalagmites, finally grasping a rung on the perilous ladder. and slowly, steadily, he scaled the unstable object up towards the key. The rumbling had restarted again - would it always happen while he touched the ladder? - but though Aang had extreme difficulty maintaining his hold, by sheer force of will he clung on and steadily climbed upwards. The rungs became painful to hold. He shivered from exhaustion, wondering how nonbenders were able to manage the exhausting tasks of their everyday lives, and wishing for his bending back - from wherever it went. He hoped it wasn't permanent. But despite the obstacles - spiritually, physically, and mentally - he slowly yet surely, rung by treacherous rung, clambered and scrabbled his way to the top.
But the vibrations were too strong, the rungs too subversive. He lost his grip on the ladder halfway near the top. Panicking, he strained his arm and hand, reaching it out as far as humanly possible, knowing that if he fell, he would not be able to gather the physical and mental strength needed to try to climb up the ladder again. But it was in vain, as his outstretched hand just barely clipped the rung of the ladder. He cried out as he tumbled towards the stalagmites below, dimly registering that he had, for the moment failed. But he realized he had a more pressing problem: as the stalagmites began to grow in size in his eyes, he realized that he was about to fall between two of the rather large spikes into an abyss that had no end. And if there was one thing an airbender hated more than restriction of freedom, it was the indifferent blackness that lay below the ground, the polar opposite of the colorful, warm, embracing sky above. There was a reason Air Nomads disliked dark chasms, and he was no exception. To fly above them, was no problem, but to wallow in the depths of misery and nothingness was an entirely different thing. He grimaced, knowing he couldn't rely on his airbending to get him out of this position. Mind and heart racing, the thought that would save him struck him moments before he slipped through the nothingness. Normally, he would cringe away from the physical exertion required, as well as the uncomfortableness and the pain. But this wasn't any game or simple chore. This was life or death.
And he had run out of options.
Bracing himself for the pain, he stuck his two legs out, parallel to the ground, and landed right between the stalagmites. For a heart stopping few seconds, Aang worried his traction wouldn't be enough to stop his fall, but fortunately, his impromptu split saved him by the skin of his neck as his feet just barely caught on the edges of the stalagmites. Imminent threat aside, he yowled in pain as his legs were forced to stretch out much further than they did during the monk's intensive, periodic stretches.
The king clapped deliberately, rolling his eyes. "What a brilliant idea, climb up the ladder! No one's ever thought of that before!" He cackled, clearly enjoying the misery the Avatar was buried under.
Aang was too tired and focused on the task to shoot a glare at the king. He scowled as he gazed at the ladder. He was without bending, and he had nothing that could possibly retrieve the key, as he had no way to get up and manage to even touch the key, let alone be able to return it to the king.
And then his eyes alighted on the balcony, and it took all of his self-control not to hit himself in the head. Stupid. Of course. It would be nigh-impossible to pull off - especially without much airbending to help him - but he figured that if he pulled it off, that would be one less challenge he had to succeed in.
He experimented with his airbending once more. Although still not fully returned, he could feel some power come back to him, small, weak, but reliable puffs of air more than enough to complete his task. Taking a deep breath, he jumped onto the ladder again, the ground shaking again, scaling it once more - but once he had gotten a fair distance up, he suddenly turned around to face the observation deck - now level to where Aang was at, and summoning all his physical and bending strength, he leapt towards the deck, and managed to grasp onto the railings, pulling himself upward, panting as he recovered for the next thing he was about to do.
"Interesting conundrum. An Avatar that gives up? I don't even recall inviting you here to watch the spectacle - oh, wait. You are the spectacle!" But Aang, ignoring this jab, simply grabbed a guard's spear. Ignoring the shouts of indignation and protest, he climbed onto the railings, aimed, balanced himself for maximum power, and threw the spear at the key, adding what little bending power he had to propel the spear forward. He tensed as the spear came closer and closer to the key. It was clear the spear was going to strike its target, but Aang feared what would happen next. For if the spear continued on its straight path and pierced the actual ceiling of the cave, Aang was positive he wouldn't be able to fish the key out of the tip of the spear except by some miracle.
He needn't have worried. The spear clipped the key as intended, but due to Aang's lack of bending strength had begun showing signs of slowing down, so that it had changed trajectory just before hitting the ceiling and plummeting down to earth. Aang wasted no time in jumping back onto the ladder, sliding his way back down, running to the spear, and throwing the key to the king. "Here you go! Enjoy your lunch! Now, if you'll let us be on our way..." Aang continued hopefully.
The king, insane though he was, was not that easily fooled. "Not so fast, young Avatar. You still have two more challenges to go. Although if you will allow me to say, that was a rather ingenious plan you formulated to take down my key and give me my lunch." The king, instead of his signature snort-and-cackle, grinned a mad, delighted grin that Aang almost returned back. Almost. Oddly familiar though the smile was, Aang was too focused on what might come next to concentrate on what occurred in the present moment...
Of all the things in the world that Aang expected to do, he was not expecting to be forced to find the fluffy companion of a mad king.
"Where is my little Flopsie?" he had said, casting a meaningful glance in Aang's direction as Sokka resignedly followed the king, crystal now covering half of his body. Aang wondered how Sokka was able to move in the first place - it must have been an aftereffect of having to waddle and wallow in bundles upon bundles of clothes in the frigid arctic climate of the South.
Aang knew better than to protest at the meaningless of the assignment - what use did finding a pet have for completing the king's desires. But he had long since learned not to question a mad king with no apparent agenda. So after wallowing in the mysterious depths and hallways of the palace, Aang finally stumbled upon a large chamber undesirably reminiscent of the cavern of the first trial. There was a pit. Aang shut his mind off after that. But what was in the pit was a small, fluffy ball of white fur that could only be the king's "Flopsie."
"Found him!" Aang called back to the king and Sokka, who had trailed behind Aang the entire time. Clearly his bending wasn't back in full, as he was unable to keep abreast of the old king for long, hindered though the monarch was by his volumes of robes and his ponderous helmet.
"Bring him to me. Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsie."
Aang blinked for a second, then dove straight into the pit - before realizing that pomp and force was very likely not the wisest way to approach a seemingly timid and small animal. He eased on his gait, and slowly and nonprovocatively walked up towards the furball, who perked its ears up, and sniffed the air, curiously gazing at the Avatar.
"C'mere, Flopsie," Aang said, holding out his hands in what he hoped was a pacific, nonaggressive, beckoning gesture towards the animal. "Your owner wants a kiss..." for good measure, he made a kissy face so as to make his intent clear to the pet. Unfortunately, his efforts were gone to waste when the animal tilted its head, unfurled its ears completely, squealed in abject terror, and scurried between Aang's legs. "Huh?... what?..."
"Aang, look out! Behind you!" Aang, startled, nearly tripped over upon hearing Sokka's voice for the first time since yesterday. Regaining his footing, he cast an apologetic look at Sokka's encased figure, unable to redirect his focus from the task at hand. No matter what was happening behind him, he had a Flopsie to catch, and a trial to finish.
"Flopsie, wait up!" Aang cried, sprinting after the bunny. Not for the first time, he ruefully wished that he had his bending with him. At least the small furry creature - who was unexpectedly fast - wouldn't be so infuriatingly impossible to catch, zigzagging its way across the jumbled terrain as Aang followed up hot on its heels. He thought he heard a distinct pounding on the floor that consistently sounded a short, constant distance from himself, but he was more concerned with catching the pet in front of him than wondering what was behind him.
The hectic chase was a pattern - Aang would put on a spurt of speed, try to grab the bunny, and barely miss it by the tip of his tail. This pattern occurred over and over as Aang reached tantalizingly close to the bunny but never was able to touch it. Finally, Aang made one last sweep at Flopsie, Flopsie leapt into a majestic dive, and Flopsie, not even nicked in the hair, sailed into a hole in the side of the pit that Aang could clearly see that he wouldn't be getting Flopsy out of. Landing on the ground on his stomach, he groaned in annoyance and stood up, tasting the bitter taste of failure in his mouth.
He immediately fell back down on his behind.
That thing was not what he was expecting.
No wonder Sokka warned him to look out.
A massive beast slowed to a loping gait, eyes fixed hungrily on the small boy underneath him. Two horns, smaller but sharper than Appa's, sat on the beast's head. Two fangs jutted out from its lower mouth. An inappropriately comical goatee hung down from the creature's chin, and its ears drooped down. But the eyes were long and slanted inwards, the rectangles the creature possessed for pupils overtaken by an alien sheen that set Aang's nonexistent hair on edge, and the already large nostrils of the terrifying beast flared bigger. And that wasn't the rest of the beast's body. Aang's eyes widened as he realized that this was the reason the king had given him this task. Moments of his life passed by in a flash as he contemplated whether the point of the task was to kill Aang or not.
"Flopsie... any day now would be nice..." Aang said slowly, not taking his eyes off of the beast. His last plea for help went unanswered. His heart raced, trying desperately to remember what the monks had said about treating large, aggressive animals. He knew he should've paid more attention, but Monk Gyatso's fruit cakes were too enticing.
And as the beast lowered and began charging at Aang, he knew with absolute certainty that he was finished. Not even reached his manhood, and already a stain in the ground, about to be buried in history.
Except he took one last glance at the king. Something in the king's eye - a glint, a glimmer, an inflection, something signaled to Aang that not all was as it seemed. Slowly he looked at the Flopsie-hole - still inanimate since the furry little creature had hopped in - and then stared up at the approaching hunk of fur charging towards him. Then he saw that rather than being the aggressiveness that had showed in the beast's eyes, it was... excitement and... curiosity.
He looked up, realizing. "... Flopsie?" He whispered.
The beast skidded to a stop next to Aang, and picked him up easily at it would a rag doll. But instead of attacking him like he thought it would, it instead started licking his face like a dog.
A piercing whistle shot out from the balcony, and Flopsie immediately dropped the airbender and bounded to the balcony and jumped over it, landing on its back. The king walked up to Flopsie and rubbed his belly appreciatively. "Oh, that's a good boy. Yes, who has a soft belly?" he gushed while Sokka stared blankly at the sudden twist of events.
Aang climbed over and crosses his arms. The king stared down confusedly before remembering why Aang was there in the first place. "Ah, yes."
"I'm ready for the next challenge," Aang snapped, patience almost nonexistent. The king merely chuckled.
"For your final task, you must duel one of the candidates in front of you."
Aang craned his neck to check on Sokka's condition. The crystals had begun to spread above his head, and the teen was having much difficulty in balancing himself, having fallen down several times during the trip from the pit to the new pit. Why were all the tasks in pits? Aang wondered. Although it did seem as though they became more and more refined as the tasks progressed...
This pit was designed much like an arena. In fact, it was an arena. From the unblemished floor, to the benches carved into the walls, to the balcony overlooking the fighting floor, the room was clearly a battling ground, likely for earthbenders judging from the natural, if refined, state of the ground. It did not seem as though it had been in use for a while, however, as there were no telltale marks of freshness marring the consistency of either the ground or the surrounding walls. That was likely to change with what was about to happen.
"Out of generosity, I let you choose from a pool of candidates I lay out in front of you." The king spread his arms to either side, letting Aang clearly see who his potential opponents would be.
On the right was a young, intimidating man that reminded Aang of Zuko before he had reformed. Although thinner, the man possessed two scar slashes near his left eye, and the leering grin and the scimitar the man wielded with unsettling efficiency did nothing to improve Aang's mood. It was clear that the man wasn't the strongest, but would prove a nimble and deadly fighter nonetheless. Aang was positive he didn't want to face a person like that. His bending powers had rejuvenated for the most part, but that didn't relieve his uneasiness with facing such a deadly character.
But the person to the left was just as bad. A hulking behemoth bursting with muscle, the man had little gear except spiked shoulder plates, a mask that veiled the lower half of his face, and an intimidating belt with the carving of a terrifying demon engraved for all to see and cower under. The man carried an axe, and judging by the creased lines of anger and deliberation on his face, the axe wasn't used for chopping down trees.
Aang nearly gave himself whiplash just looking back and forth between the two warriors. Neither he thought he could handle in this environment. Neither he wanted to fight. He just wanted out - preferably with a somewhat intact Sokka in tow. He glanced at the king, half in annoyance, half in clarification of what the king had just said. "So... do you want me..."
"It's not that hard, Avatar. Of the people in front of you, just choose one to fight against!" the king informed him all too cheerily.
Looking meekly at the small range of options before him - and hating the king all the more for it - he was suddenly struck by an idea, a gambit that he was fairly certain would make his life infinitely easier and intrigue the king who seemingly took interest in unconventional things, assuming it worked. But with the few options he had, he couldn't see any other choice. Praying to the spirits, he asked, "So... I just choose which of the people in front of me I want to fight?"
"Yup!" the king chirped.
"Well then..." Aang said slowly. He raised a finger, pointing it at the man on the left side, then the man on the right side. He slowly oscillated his finger, back and forth, as though still indecisive on which of the two men to choose. But in reality, he already knew who he was going to fight.
And it wasn't either of them.
"I choose... you!" Aang said triumphantly, pointing straight at the king who stood in between the two men. The king froze, face looking like he ate a rotten lettuce leaf. Both of the warriors reluctantly subsided, clearly disappointed at not being chosen to fight. Aang eagerly awaited the king's reaction. Technically, he had complied with what the king had wished - the king had stood in front of Aang, and thus had offered himself as a dueling candidate. Aang wasn't sure about the rules of the duel, as otherwise he would have chosen Sokka as the easiest target to fight, especially when disabled from head to toe by an expanding crystal. But the king was old and hunched over, and Aang was confident that he could take on the decrepit, mentally unstable man any time.
"Wrong choice!"
Aang raised an eyebrow at the king's exclamation, confused as to the nature of the comment. What happened? Did the king not like what Aang had chosen? Did something happen that forbid the king from fighting? Was there some unknown statute that prevented a duel between the king from occurring? Aang was about to open his mouth to ask precisely that when the king suddenly straightened up, towering a very good height above Aang, almost to the point of the giant axe-wielder from before - and shed his outrageous purple robes, revealing a ripped, chiseled body that clearly wasn't the wizened one Aang had envisioned and presumed to be the king's. The king threw his head back and laughed, cackling and snorting and choking with sheer mirth as Aang began shaking in his shoes. When the king finally calmed down, he pushed out with a hand, and Aang was shot off the balcony, shouting as he hit the ground.
"I gave you a choice. And you chose me, the king of Omashu. Now, you have to defeat the greatest earthbender of all time!" crowed the king as he sprang powerfully from the balcony and slammed down onto the earth floor in the arena, creating a shockwave that caught Aang off guard and carried him nearly to the wall. Aang cried out as he came within contact with the wall, but just as soon as he brushed against the hard surface, the earthen wave instantly receded, leaving Aang standing woozily after the jostling he underwent. The king reared up to his full, domineering height, and belly chuckled. "Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you? Oh, and since your bending should be back by now, here." He gestured, and out of nowhere, Aang's much missed glider staff spiraled downwards to earth. Aang snatched at it and held it tightly, relieved at feeling the familiar sensation of smooth wood in his hands. But then he remembered there was likely a reason the king allowed him his glider-staff, and his heart sank further than he ever thought it could.
"Do you think I could just fight the guy with the axe?" Aang asked meekly, frail smile framing his face, perspiration soaking his clothes and weakening his grip on his staff. He was scared, more so than the moment he was broken out of the iceberg and confronted a stranger who informed him about a brand new world, a world of violence and war and enemies and no Air Nomads except him...
The frozen Avatar. How ironic, to be mired in one situation and escape, only to fall into yet another trap.
The king wasn't intent on letting his quarry get away. "There are no take-backsies in my kingdom, Avatar!" He stomped the ground, and an arsenal of rocks shot out. A few moments later, they all made a beeline towards the airbender, hurtling towards their intended target.
First, Aang reached out with his senses to see if there was any water nearby that he could bend. Maybe he'd have some luck trying to fight off the king. New though he was to mastering the element, water would prove a much more ready counter to the direct, forceful attacks of earthbending than the reactiveness of air.
No such luck. Finally, running out of options, he leapt to the sides just as the rocks collided into the wall behind him. Wincing as he rolled up and off the ground, he gingerly rubbed his shoulder where one lucky boulder had grazed him. It appeared as though he could only rely on his airbending. And judging by his relative sluggishness, even that wasn't so trustworthy at the moment.
The king yawned. "I am not here to dance, Pippinpaddleopsicopolis the Third," he drawled. He suddenly bent a behemoth of a boulder from the ground, and grunted as he sent it sailing towards Aang.
Aang visibly paled as he took in the sheer size of the rock. It might as well have took up half the floor, what with the extreme size of the rock. Aang knew that if he didn't act fast, he would become Avatar pancake, but that he needed his airbending fully intact to escape...
Wait.
He slammed the tip of his staff onto the ground, and the wings of the glider shot out.
Maybe...
He got onto the wings of the glider, tensed his legs, and sprang up into the air. Fortunately, whatever power Aang had was just enough to send him sailing through the sky and out of the boulder's reach. As he climbed up higher and higher, he breathed a sigh of relief as the boulder crashed into the wall, not even coming close to the Avatar.
His breath of relief became a wheeze of pain as a rock embedded itself in his stomach. Losing his concentration, he fell onto the ground and landed hard. Pain shot through his legs as he took an especially hard landing. He cursed, wondering how nonbenders could ever stand to do anything. He realized that he ought to appreciate Sokka even more than his wisdom and relative maturity to the Avatar. The bender of four elements admired Sokka for his perseverance with an utter lack of the power that conducted the lives of people all over.
A pebble bounced off his temple, and, mind hastily returning back to the duel, he shot a startled glace at the king, who was not looking very amused.
"Typical airbender tactic. Avoid - and evade. Really, Avatar, I expected more from you. Especially after you learned waterbending. Clearly, old habits die hard, despite water's precepts of changing and adaptation," the king clucked.
Aang stared blankly at the king. How did he know about airbending? Sure, he was really ancient - and really senile, wrinkly, and mad - but airbenders hadn't existed for a hundred years. How did he know about their style? And what about the fact that he thought that different element principles and styles were interchangeable?
"There is less difference than one might think between the elements, much like there is less difference than one might think between different peoples and nations," the king said cryptically. Aang jumped halfway up the wall - his airbending was fully back, it seemed - only just realizing that he just said his last statement out loud, and that the king had reacted to it. His train of thought, however, was interrupted by a protrusion of stone that suddenly popped out of the ground just behind Aang - a warning of what was to come.
Aang didn't bother to wait for the next one. He ran in zigzags, trying to dodge every pillar sent his way. The king simply stomped around in arbitrary fashion, shaping irregular circles and patterns, and causing the ground to intercept Aang at what seemed like every other step, effectively blocking out Aang's lines of escape every time he changed direction. Rather than letting the airbender run loose, the king kept the airbender penned up, stripped of his greatest strength - freedom and mobility - and Aang's fear turned into irritation as the king, instead of outright attacking him, began simply toying around and preventing him from beating the battle in his own traditional way.
"No surprises? No attacks? You know that sooner or later, you're going to have to strike back. Ancient though I am, I definitely have more stamina than a boy who's been sitting around for a hundred years!"
Aang snapped, and he brought his staff down, creating a powerful gust of wind. As the wind arced through the air, however, the king simply pulled up a stony barrier from the ground, and Aang's fierce attack parted to the sides like a harmless divide of water.
"Did someone leave the windows open? It feels a little drafty in here. Are you hoping I'll catch a cold?" the king mocked. The words stung Aang as though he had been submerged in the frigid polar waters once more. The uncanny jabs at his episode in his iceberg, the century of war passed in his absence, and his underestimation of the king's physical capability were verbal blows that hurt far more than the mockery of a bending duel Aang and the king were engaged in. Reeling from the low blows the king had dealt him, Aang was too slow to react to the boulder hurled his way. Attempts to escape proved unsuccessful, and he was launched across the floor, carried by the rocky missile to the wall. Stunned, he barely managed to extricate himself from behind the rock before it slammed into the wall, shattered shards of rock showering the ground. Aang crouched down, tired beyond belief, yet still primed for action should the king show no leniency and decide to renew his offensive.
"How are you going to get me all the way from over there?" taunted the king, clearly goading Aang into trying to attack him. Aang groaned inwardly. He didn't want to fight. He was too tired and passive to ever try to even hurt someone. But if he didn't start to attack, he'd be stuck here forever. And if the Fire Nation hadn't conquered the world by then, at the very least Sokka would become perfectly preserved in a cage of crystal. Aang didn't need to check on him to know the crystal was likely almost finished covering up Sokka. So in a last desperate bid, he charged across the room, knowing that he would likely be obstructed from his objective by an insurmountable army of obstacles created by the king.
And as he place his foot on the ground to propel himself forward, he found himself sinking into the earth as though it was as soft and untrustworthy as quicksand. Aang found himself trapped up to his waist, and then just noticed the two boulders hurtling towards him on either side. He hurriedly squirmed his way out of the hole he was in, leapt over the boulders, and came to rest still a fair distance away from the king, fatigued from his last efforts to fight the king.
Oh, great. How am I supposed to defeat the king? I thought that he would be an easy target. He wasn't. I thought I'd maybe be able to try dodging all of his attacks. That failed. And now... now I can't even get close to him without him trying to wipe me off the face of the earth. I thought... I thought...
You thought. But you aren't thinking.
That's not it. I have ben thinking. But I haven't been thinking right for this entire trial.
He thought back to when he decided to choose the king over the other warriors. That wasn't educated thinking or guessing; that was flat-out assuming that what I saw was what I got. He thought to his initial evasions of the king's attacks. Every time I reacted to the king's attacks, I would stop trying and let my guard down, and he'd take advantage of it. And then, whenever I tried making the first move, he would always stop me in my tracks. Understanding dawning within him, he took a cautious peep at the king, who was clearly readying himself for another assault on the Avatar. So... approaching this analytically. I dodge, and get stopped. I attack, and get parried. So... what do I need to do? Well, attacking outright won't get me anywhere; that much is clear. And I need to keep a focus in this fight, because otherwise - he paused his train of thought briefly as he leapt up high in the air as the ground rupture below him and a single spike shot out, intent on impaling Aang through the rooftops. …yeah. That happens. So then... how do I attack him?
And then he knew. It was at that moment when he fully comprehended what the king had said. "There is less difference than one might think exists between the elements..."
He thought back to his waterbending. How Pakku had emphasized that water was about redirecting the enemies energy and attack back onto them.
Suddenly, the ground started shaking, and he began to hear ominous cracking sounds that slowly began to increase in volume and frequency. He slowly looked up, then squealed in terror as he beheld a monstrosity of a rock, being carved out of the very foundations of the arena he was trapped in. The king huffed and heaved as he puffed his cheeks out, bringing one arm out, pointer finger extended upwards, as the colossal projectile broke free of the earth and floated menacingly in the air.
Aang, now with his full faculties, did the one thing he could against such a massive threat: run around. In a circle. But this time, with his bending back in full force, he summoned the winds he generated from his circular pattern to generate a small cyclone that would divert and throw away anything that entered it. The king, too focused on maintaining the suspension of the boulder he was bending, took no notice, and subsequently flung the boulder into the cyclone.
In Aang's first strike of a miracle in what seemed like ages, the cyclone he made barely stopped the boulder in its tracks, and sent it soaring back to the king. He saw the king look up, eyes widening as he was caught unawares, and Aang saw his chance. As the king hastily broke the boulder in two to prevent himself from being sandwiched between a rock and a hard place, Aang capitalized on his opening by racing towards the king, shouting out a fearsome battle cry, and thrust his glider staff forward under the king's chin.
Time seemed to slow to a trickle as the king and Aang stared each other down, a silent détente, an unmoving stalemate - nay, checkmate - as the king stared down the receiving end of Aang's weapon. Finally, the king responded to his defeat by letting out a small "heh," and glanced upwards. Aang unconsciously did the same, and what he saw balked him.
When Aang saw the king breaking apart the boulder, he had immediately assumed that the king would completely obliterate the rock to avoid any chance of injury. But lo and behold, once again Aang's fallacious assumptions did not hold, as he nearly dropped his staff at the smaller, yet still sizeable stone the king held over their heads - a dead-man's trigger. Defeated with no way out and no way to definitively win, Aang lowered his staff - but to his surprise, the king cackled and slowly let his rock back down to the earth.
"You fight with much fire, Avatar!"
As Aang numbly comprehended that he had finished the last task, he visibly sagged in relief - a undisguised display of weakness that Aang simply didn't care about anymore. The worst was over - asides from Sokka's face being the only thing free of the creeping crystal. But Aang knew that the challenges, at the very least were over. But whether the king was to free Sokka this instant... Aang learned not to assume.
And sure enough, the king grinned his signature, twitching, lopsided grin, and said, "Congratulations on finishing the three tasks! Now... what is my name?"
Immediately Sokka let out a stream of invective, cursing the entire world, the jennamite, the king, the Avatar, the Fire Lord, anything and everything that came to his mind. In response, the king closed one hand, and Sokka's passionate protest was cut off by a vigorous squawk of surprise as the crystal reached up to his mouth. But he wasn't the only one confused about this unexpected test.
"Why? I completed the three challenges like you said. Why add another thing on top of it?"
"Well..." the king said, scratching his head. "Give me a second to think of a reason."
Thankfully he came up with it before Aang could explode out of sheer anger. "Well, what is the point of giving you all these challenges if you didn't learn something?" And with that, the king took off, snorting and cackling fading into the distance as Aang seethed with anger.
But that was all said and done. Nothing to do about it. Now to converse with Sokka...
"Mmf mf mmm mm hm hrm mmmmm grf, mrm eemm mmm marble grarble mf."
"Gee, great help Sokka," Aang deadpanned. "But how would he expect us to know his name?"
Currently, Aang was pacing around, talking animatedly to Sokka. Well, in reality he was talking to himself, but with the mountain of jennamite that Sokka constituted being around, at the very least he could pretend that he wasn't delving into introverted insanity. So far he had been unable to come up with anything, mainly because he was exhausted from his ordeals, but also in part due to the prone form of Sokka reminding him of his past guilt...
"Any good earthbending names... Yu? Oh?" Aang wondered, then shook his head. "Nah... it's gonna be something unique... but what? Too bad you can't speak or move, Sokka... I could really use your brains here," Aang said ruefully, remembering how he had rejected Sokka's wisdom earlier. He sighed. "Well... maybe I'll come up with it eventually. Hopefully in time to save you from that," Aang said sadly, gesturing towards the jennamite casing that now only left Sokka's eyes open.
And then he heard a crunch. A loud, wet crunch as though someone was biting into a fresh, crisp apple. Confused, Aang whirled about the place, until his eyes finally rested on an equally flummoxed Sokka, who seemed as though he was working his jaw up and down as though he was eating food, thoughtful expression now on his face.
Before long, Aang heard another crunch. And another. And another. Until finally, the jennamite that covered Sokka's mouth broke apart, and Sokka finally gasped out for air. "Man! Even when you can breathe with your nose, it's torture to not have any use of your mouth."
Aang gaped at Sokka, who seemed to be approaching this newfound revelation rather calmly. "How... but... crystal... biting..."
Sokka smiled. "Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. But you know, I really had nothing to lose, and... well... usually I think with my stomach before my head, so I decided why not and took an experimental bite. And it turned out... that I could... eat it?" Sokka looked questioningly at the crystal below him, and Aang nearly blanched when he realized what was to come. "And surprisingly, it tasted good! Really, really sweet, like candy."
Aang was in a state of conflict, wondering whether to scream, laugh, or cry. "So basically, what's happened is that..." Aang searched for the right words and temper. "... the king's encased you in a bunch of rock candy, and I did all those tasks out there, to save you... for nothing?"
Sokka shrugged again. "Guess so. But at least this stuff tastes good."
And before they knew it, they began to laugh, unrestrained mirth spilling over. Having completely crumbled down since their first few minutes in Omashu, they dissolved into giggling on the floor, completely delirious and hysterical with what they've undergone for trying to visit the king. "So..." Sokka choked out. "This is what we get."
"Yup," said Aang, pulling himself back up and flipping Sokka's still somewhat encased body rightside up. "Imagine that all we had to do to get you out... was this." And with that, Aang slammed his staff at the base of Sokka's crystal berg, and the entire crystal began webbing over with cracks. Sokka inhaled deeply, and the crystals shattered, showering down on the two boys like hail during a thunderstorm. "Sad."
"Eh," Sokka said, shrugging yet again. It was really starting to grate on Aang's nerves. Sokka held his hand out, caught a piece of jennamite, and offered it to Aang. "Want one?"
Aang instantly recoiled. Of all the things in the world, he most definitely did not want a piece of candy that had been stuck to Sokka's hormonal teenaged body all day long. "... I'll pass," he offered weakly.
Sokka shrugged again. "Suit yourself. You don't know what you're missing out on." And with that, he took a large chomp at the hard candy, crunching it as though it was a piece of celery - much sweeter and surely without the nuances of celery, but eating it as celery nonetheless.
Aang briefly considered chiding Sokka about his incessant shrugging, but knew better than that. After a whole day being unable to move, Sokka should be allowed some privileges - especially motile ones. And not to mention, Aang himself had something to apologize for.
"Yo, Sokka... I just wanted to say..."
"What?" Sokka entreated him with a raised eyebrow. "Need a bed to sleep after doing your 'dancing?'" Aang snorted. "Want to talk about your lack of bending for most of the day? By the way, that was the king slipping anti-chi substances into dinner. So now we know that Earth Kingdom people are very abusive and bipolar. Or maybe you changed your mind about wanting a piece of this?" Sokka dangled one especially dubious-looking piece of jennamite in front of Aang's face, and he screwed his eyes shut to regain composure of his stomach and to reconcentrate on what he needed to say.
"Sokka... I just wanted to say... I'm sorry."
Sokka blankly stared at Aang. "You... what?"
Aang cleared his throat. "After that event where I wasn't staying on task and wanted to go do my own little thing. That was wrong of me, to abandon the world for my own selfish interests. It's just so much on me, I thought maybe a little bit of a break would do me well." Aang sagged his shoulders. "And then this happens."
"Hey man, don't beat yourself over the past. In fact, I myself didn't finish my apology from before. I overreacted and didn't need to yell at you about it. I guess it was because of all the stress put on us that made us fall apart. But really, don't be so hard on yourself. Besides, at least we're here. And we should be focusing on figuring out the king's name, not on what happened in the past that I thought we resolved ages ago. Because I don't think the king realizes I'm free and happily munching on a month's supply of candy."
Aang groaned, but he couldn't keep a reluctant smile from forming on his face. "Fair enough. So... thoughts?"
"I had a really good one."
"Really?"
"Yeah... Rocky!" Sokka looked expectantly at a perplexed Aang. "Because... you know... earthbending and he used a lot of rocks and stuff and those muscles looked pretty solid to me - not that I obsess over that kind of thing, but hey, a man's gotta be fit!" Sokka flexed an arm, then looked back at Aang who cast him a deadened look. "Oh, yeah... right..."
"So anyways, I think we're going to keep thinking, but that's a good backup just in case," said Aang.
"Riiiiiiiiight. I was being sarcastic, you know."
"Sure you were, watertribe boy."
"Well, guess it was wasted on you, your airbending, and your geezer of a one-hundred twelve year lifespan. Of course you wouldn't get it."
"..."
"Sorry."
"So... young whippersnapper," Aang said pointedly, and Sokka scowled. "Why would he expect us to know his name?"
"He's the king?" Sokka deadpanned. Aang shot him a withering glare.
"Gee... a lot of help, Sokka! Never would've guessed that in a hundred years!"
"Hey, at least it answered your question."
Aang shrugged, then mentally chided himself for giving in to Sokka's bad habits. "Still doesn't help... wait." He thought back to everything the king had done to them for the past day and a half. "Since we know for sure he never told us... maybe he was trying to give us hints through his actions?"
"Are you saying that Rocky isn't a bad guess after all?" Asked Sokka rhetorically.
"Just shut up."
"Then I wouldn't be able to help you."
Aang glared at Sokka. "Just do it."
"'Kay."
Aang began pacing around the room. "What happened in each moment I was here? Well, from the very start, the king kept me on my toes. He quickly rooted out the fact that I was an airbender and the Avatar, and proceeded to give me three tasks. They weren't challenging or life-threatening, but were definitely eccentric - and weren't straightforward in their solutions. But... that doesn't quite lead me anywhere, does it?" He huffed. "Think some more..."
"Mind keeping your thoughts to yourself?"
"Mind not trying to ruin our chances of ever leaving this place?"
Resounding silence. Then, "I mean, the ever-growing supply of candy is pretty good incentive, don't you think?"
Aang clawed at his nonexistent hair. "STOP."
A brief moment of silence, and then, "No."
Aang hastily took up a meditative position, took what felt like a hundred deep breaths, calmed himself down, and resolutely decided to just ignore Sokka. Re-established friendship did not mean Aang was going to stick with the boy's jabs during a time like this.
"So... back to the trials... the first one took away my bending, and showed that not all problems had to be solved solely with airbending - there's always other ways, other possibilities."
"Oops! Guess there's no excuse for me to not do any work anymore! Heh, heh..."
"Second... things aren't always what they seem... I wasn't expecting Flopsy to be a gigantic goat-gorilla..."
"Neither was I, to be honest."
"... but then again, that was probably the point of the exercise, huh," Aang continued, proud of his aptitude in ignoring Sokka. "And then, again... the last trial was a combination of the other two, with higher stakes. I wasn't able to use my usual airbending practices because there really wasn't much space for maneuvering, and the king would always keep closing in the gaps. I had to change my style from playing passive to retaliating back. So that's what happened for each of those three tasks. And every single time, he caught me off guard, forced to think outside the box, find solutions I never would've thought about beforehand."
"So, basically, the morals of the trials were think outside the box, not everything is as it seems, and to not think one-dimensionally. And he made you think about all the possibilities. Great. Reeaally really helpful."
Aang was about to snap back with an impatient retort when he realized just what Sokka had said. "Think about all the possibilities... not all is as it seems..." and the bell inside his mind rang once more - and in that moment, everything came together. Aang knew. He knew who the king was. And the answer was one that saved his sanity, a justification of the madness he was put through, and - what was more - a living relic of a past he thought was long gone, a release from the unbearable weight of responsibility and guilt for his immature actions of yore.
"Wait... it is!" Aang excitedly glanced back at Sokka, forgetting that he was supposed to be ignoring him. "The king made me open my mind and think about the possibilities, and he reminded me of how appearances can be misleading. But what's more... there's only one person that would inform me of this, in such a brazen, crazy way." Aang grinned and snapped his fingers. "I know his name."
Aang raced down the corridor, eager to meet the king. Not just a crazy tyrant with unreasonable sway over his subjects, but someone who - although eccentric - proved himself many times over, even in young age, of abounding cleverness and wisdom.
He shot through the archway into the throne room, too excited and plain happy to be out of breath, and for the first time since being taken under the king's wing, he truly smiled, and although his mouth hurt from the lack of practice, he didn't care.
For there, standing in front of him, clad in all his purple glory, odd antlers sticking out of his head, half-squinting eyes analyzing him, was the person he never expected to meet but was glad to be able to see - if only for once more.
"You know, you were right. Sometimes, you just gotta open your mind to the possibilities," Aang said to the king.
And the king slowly began to laugh, a distorted laugh like before, but instead of being laced with madness, the laughter carried something more genuine, more amused, more... happy. And Aang had no qualms in joining in. And they laughed as two equals, separated by one hundred years in physical age, yet still bound together as acquaintances and friends.
"It's good to be back, Bumi."
And King Bumi grinned a wide toothy grin. "Why, yes it is, Avatar Aang. Yes it is indeed."
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