Chapter 26: the locket of dreams

a few days had passed and every night my parents drugged my food and make me fall asleep. I didn't want to be here. They pretend to care so hard it's nauseating. I'd do anything to be around Ghazan by now.

"Ming! I'm going to shop in the next town over, do you need anything?"My mother called, which made me groan and bend my water arms into place before I sat up in my old room. My plush Ammy sat in the corner and smiled at me as I looked up.

"I'm fine, just let me sleep." I called, groaning when I saw it was only five in the morning. It was a two hour travel until mom was in another village. She always departed early so she was back in time for lunch.

"Alright. Your father is is outside training if you need something. I'll bring fish for lunch." My mother called before I felt she went away.

Good riddance

I thought as I lied down again and stared at the ceiling.

I should plan my escape. I can handle dad on my own. I will be long gone by the time mom comes back

This was the best chance I had at escaping.

Unless those hired goons are still nearby

I thought as I got up and got myself dressed before I walked into the main area of the house and looked around.

Better stay out of sight until I'm sure they're gone

Nobody in the living room, good. I could hear my mother was still talking to my father outside. Figures. She would head out soon and then I would make my move.

What to do until she goes away…

I thought as I looked around for a moment until my eyes fell on a drawer that I had seen in my dream. One that in my youth had always been locked.

"We keep our important papers in there. Nothing to see for a nosy child." My mother had snapped at me when I had asked what was in that drawer nut something inside me had always felt something wasn't right. The way my mother had looked at me when she had told me that was off. Like she had been trying to hide something from me.

They're not going anywhere, might as well go look

I thought as I walked to the drawer and used some ice to pick the lock open. In a flash the dream I had last night shot through my head but I ignored it and opened the drawer. It was just a dream.

Let's see what they tried to hide from me

I thought as I looked in the open drawer, seeing nothing but papers.

Figures

I started but stopped when I lifted up some of the papers, revealing a photo and the same locket I had seen in my dreams!

Don't let this mean what I think it means

I thought as I looked at the locket closer, carefully made ice fingers as to not get water on the photo. It was a really old picture. And on it was a woman that looked similar to me as well as a man with a long grey and black beard and in the center, on the woman's lap lied a baby without arms!Wearing a beautiful blue dress with light ruffles around the places her arms would have been, smiling as she looked up at the camera.

This has to be a trick. That can't be me. It just can't

I thought as I studied the photo closely to see if it was tampered with but that wasn't the case. It had to be. That couldn't possibly be me. That girl looked so happy. So loved.

That's not me. We look alike, but that's not me

I thought as I closed the locket and looked at the Kanji on the front that said 'minghua' not ming hua which was my name.

Just a space of difference. That's too obvious to be true

I sighed.

The princes has no arms as well and the mother looks awful lot like you

another voice in my head said as I looked at the picture one more time. I had to admit that was true.

This can't be true. Me, royalty? No way

I thought as i shook my head before I closed the locket again and walked to a mirror in the corner of the room.

They probably just stole it from the royal palace to sell it and forgot about it

I started my thought but stopped when I held the locket in front of my chest, which struck an awfully familiar cord in my brain, an image of a younger version of Tonraq that put the locket around my neck with a smile on his face, then the faces of the former king and queen above me, smiling at me lovingly as they reached for me.

This has to stop. It's getting ridiculous

I thought to myself sternly as I placed the locket back in the drawer, turning around just too late to see my father, who smacked me in the face hard.

"You rat! We welcomed you back with open arms and this is what we get in return?" My father snapped as he towered over me, bringing back painful memories.

"It just fell out." I quickly made up, my heart racing. "I wasn't gonna steal from my own family."

"Dear, I think she's telling the truth." My mother's voice came from out of the doorway. Wasn't she heading for the next town over? This came to me as I got up and took stance, ready to defend myself.

"I locked that drawer like i always do!" Tang said as he looked at me firmly.

"Everybody forgets things from time to time. It's only human." My mother smiled before she looked at me. "And it's only normal she is still a little suspicious after all that happened."

"So what is this, anyway?" I asked sternly as I got the locket from the drawer, making them back away in shock.

"It's a locket. A keepsake." My mother smiled as she walked to me.

"We stole this one from the royal palace and changed the name." My father smiled as he placed a hand on the locket. "For when we would be proudof you."

"What about the armless girl in the picture? Coincidence?" I snapped. If I had learned one thing within the Red Lotus it was how to pick up when people were lying to me.

"Exactly." My father smiled as I heard noises outside. There was a fight going on.

"Liar." I said when I saw he twitched his eyes as he said this.

"So?" My father suddenly said as my mother got a knife from her pocket. "You won't be able to tell other people." and with that my mother struck at me with the knife, which I managed to dodge.

"Want to bet?" I smirked as I struck back with a whip of wind, quickly followed by a blast of wind, dodging and striking wherever I could as I ran to the door, opening it and revealing my friends fighting those guards that brought me here.

Normal POV

"Ming!" Femke exclaimed happily when she saw her friend standing in the doorway of a building, unharmed.

"Next time you throw a party, send us a invitation." Ghazan joked as he knocked two men from the same truck they had used to free P'li.

"Let's make sure there can be a next time, first." Ming Hua commented as she airbended a few soldiers away and made her way towards her friends.

"Missed you too." Ghazan smirked as he lavabended a few more enemies away before heading over to Ming to give her a kiss.

"Save it for later, we have things to do." Ming Hua snapped, shoving Ghazan to the side before she threw a few more men off guard with airbending.

"Still had time to practice while you were here?" Femke asked as she dodged a few enemies then knocked them away with a flood of water she made from the snow.

"Had to do something to not get bored." Ming Hua said. "What took you so long?"

"We had to do things the official way. That took a while." Femke said with a shrug as she managed to make a little moat of lava, which made some enemies back away in fear.

"Since when do we things the 'official' way?" Ming Hua questioned as she kept swiping at every moving enemy.

"Since we promised to change." Femke smiled as she blocked an attack, allowing Ming to use a water whip to finish them of.

"Let's try to keep that promise." Ghazan commented as he blocked an attack from Tang Hua, who now also had joined the fight, while Minna faced off against Xai Bau and Zaheer.

"Can we go now?" Ming Hua asked.

"Great idea." Femke replied as she airbended more enemies away after which she used a combustion blast to make a path towards Zaheer and Xai Bau.

"Nice one!"Zaheer called as he firebended alongsides his girlfriend towards Minna and Tang hua, who looked at each other, shocked.

"They all have more than one element? How?!" Tang Hua questioned as he looked at his wife, who just looked confused as well.

"That's impossible, only the Avatar can do that." Minna commented as she dodged the attacks coming her way from all sides now with her dagger out.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Tarrlok smirked while he and his brother stood back to back dodging and striking wherever they could.

"They've got backup coming!" Ilene called from the back of the truck were she and her friends stood, defending their escape vehicle.

"We have to get out before that backup arrives." Femke called as she struck a few enemies away from Zaheer, whom they had wanted to attack in the back. "Back off from my boyfriend!"

"Thanks!" Zaheer said.

"No problem!" Femke smiled as she air jumped out of the way of two incoming enemies.

"Incoming!" Ghazan called as he launched a few enemies in the air with his Earthbending that were sneaking up on Femke.

"Got it!" Femke smirked, using a flood of water to freeze them while hanging upside down. "That is just because we turned over a new leaf." She continued with a wink before she dashed off to airbend a few guys away from Zaheer.

"thanks!" zaheer said before losing his balance again and had to hold on to Femke to steady himself.

"After we're done here you're going to see a doctor." Femke said as she looked at her boyfriend firmly, punching an enemy who wanted to attack her in the back.

"I'm busy here."The brunette said firmly as she looked up at the man.

"It's not that bad. Really." Zaheer defended, smirking as they got back to back to fending off more enemies. "I just lose my balance every now and then. It's annoying but nothing to worry about."

"Maybe." Femke said as she smacked more enemies away. "Still, better safe than sorry." Femke said.

"These guys are tough." Tarrlok sighted as he sat up while P'li helped Noatak back on his feet.

"There is too many of them. Even if we transformed we wouldn't be able to beat them all." P'li said as the group closed in on them.

"I am not giving up." Ming said firmly. "Voortrix transform!"She called as she made a 'V' sign with her water arms, which made her turn into her fairy form.

"How big is the chance that they're under some sort of spell?" Zaheer asked as he transformed as well.

"A spell might be one of the reasons they're like this." Femke replied as she and the others transformed as well.

"And the other reason?" Ghazan asked.

"That their really this strong and will be really pissed by now." Femke said as she transformed before she flew up in the air with the others.

"Fairy dust!"The seven enchantix fairies called, which made each of their signature emblems appear after which dust started to rain down on the group of enemies as well as the remainder of the group on the ground.

"Amazing." Xai Bau smiled as he and Tziza looked at the powder falling on their heads.

"It's way better than when it was used against me." Noatak smirked as he looked up at his half sister with a smile on his face.

"Your half sister is quite the powerful fairy."

"You can say that again." Tarrlok smirked, cringing away when he saw how stern his older brother looked at him.

"Be glad it isn't you." Xai Bau smiled as he placed a hand on each of the two men's shoulder. "We better focus on getting away from here."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Voortrix lightning!" Femke called when the fairy dust had done its work. The men were a lot weaker now and easier to take out, which left only Minna and Tang Hua.

"Give us our daughter and nobody gets hurt." Tang Hua said as he looked at the group with loathing.

"Never! Ming is our friend and we care for her deeply." Femke snapped back as she smiled at Ming. "We'll always got your back of you need us."

"Appreciate it." Ming smiled.

"Then your friend will be the cause of your demise." Tang Hua growled as he got a knife and launched himself at the group. Within seconds Ming stood between the group and her parents and air bended the man away from her friends.

"You're not touching my friends!"Ming said firmly as she deflected the attack. Then dodged her mother who attacked with another knife.

"We have to get her back!" Tang Hua growled as he helped his wife get up.

"I know we need the money from our Lord." Minna started but stopped as her husband looked at her firmly, signing her to shut up.

"That's classifiedinformation, remember?" Tang said, at which his wife nodded.

"Your Lord?" Femke said as she looked down for a moment, before her head snapped up in realization. "Lord Unalaq. You're working for Unalaq!?"

"Figures." Ming Hua said, rolling her eyes.

"What does he want with them?" Ghazan asked, causing Xai Bau to look down, pondering.

"They're top notch thieves. Best in a village filled with them." Xai Bau replied. "Probably has something to do with that."

"They stole me as a baby." Ming Hua snapped as she got the locket from under her dress and showed it. "Found this in their stuff."

"You stole it." Tang Hua said as he took a step towards Ming, who didn't back away.

"I think this mineto begin with." Ming Hua said as she looked at the people before her sternly. "I'm notyour real daughter am I?"

"You are and we tried to make up for what we did but it seems it is impossibleto undo the damage." Minna Hua said as she looked at Ming with tears in her eyes.

"Then why do you attack like this?" Ming Hua asked firmly.

"You were stealing from us. From your own flesh and blood." Minna Hua said with tears in her eyes as she walked to her daughter. "Please, we do care for you."

"You're not being subtle about your lies." Noatak said as he came to stand next to Ming Hua.

"Start telling the truth. Who am I? Where did you steal me from?" Ming raged.

"We are telling the truth."Tang Hua snapped back as he took a step towards Ming Hua, who flinched. "You're ourdaughter. You're not stolen and you'll come and live with usagain. That's final." Tang Hua said as his men got up again and surrounded the team

"I'd rather die." Ming Hua snapped.

"Don't encourage them."Ghazan replied as he got ready to fight again.

"We have to end this quickly. I'm exhausted." Femke whispered as she got a smoke bomb from her back pocket.

"We have to get away now or we won't live." Zaheer said as he took a step forward and took Femke by her hand.

"We'll make a distraction. Hold my hand, I'll get us all out of here." Femke whispered, causing more of the Red Lotus members to hold on to her.

"Take them down. Take them all down..."Tang Hua started but stopped as something hit him on the back of his head hard from above, which made everyone look up, seeing to their shock and delight that it was Team Avatar along with Tenzin, Lin and Tonraq. The hard thing that had hit Tang on the head was a rock Bolin had thrown at him.

"You Sir are a horrible father!"Bolin called, which made Femke chuckle a bit.

"Thanks for the save, we owe you one." Femke smiled after they had gotten off Oogie, while Lin and Mako tied up the Huas and loaded them in a police truck that also had arrived with Eska and Desna as well as some agents from the Northern water tribe.

"We figured you guys might need a hand." Asami smiled as she flipped her hair out of her face. "Looks like we got here just in time."

"We could have handled the situation just fine." Ming Hua said, sounding a little offended.

"From where I'm standing, we were screwed." Ghazan admitted.

"Please just shut up." Ming Hua growled at him with a firm look.

"Missed you too." Ghazan joked.

"What happened?" Korra asked.

"That's a long story." Femke started to tell what had happened while Zaheer walked back into the house together with P'li and some police officers to search it for stolen wares, as they did so the officers found something in the still opened drawer Ming Hua had gotten the locket from.

"Chief, we found something!" They called as they ran outside holding an object in their hands which made everybody outside turn and look at what they were holding; a picture of a man a woman and a baby, all wearing royal dresses.

"We're taking these two to the capital for questioning." Lin said as Tonraq clapped his hand in front of his mouth in shock.

"Why?" Femke asked as she watched the two of them being hauled into the truck.

"That is one of the pictures made by the official royal photographer on the day of the birth of Princess" Tonraq replied as he looked at Femke with a pale face. "Only the royal family themselves should have even known about it."

"Why would they have it? Do you think they were involved?" Femke asked.

"They definitely were." Ghazan commented as he looked from the photo to Ming, realizing the princess on the photo had no arms.

"They definitely were."

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And with that I end the chapter. Next time you'll see how this continues.