Chapter 14: Feasts, Friends, Flirts, Fears

The feast was held in another one of the palace's many dazzling halls. The hall that Katara, Sokka, and the airbender currently walked into was the Feasting Hall, which was divided into four chambers, three for those who were dining and one in the far back, which supposedly led to the royal kitchen and the preparation areas, according to the monk's descriptions.

"You sure do know a lot about the palace," Sokka noted. "Have you been here before, Bonzu?"

"Oh yeah, lots of times," the airbender said.

The chambers had also been aptly decorated to accommodate all the members of the four nations. Paper decorations, themed satin tablecloths and fancy chairs, pelts for the Water Tribe members and modest mats free of animal skins for the Air Nomads. There were many people already there, too, filling in the chambers. They ranged from taking their seats to sweeping past each other in fancy jewelry and flowing robes, meeting and conversing. What was more interesting, though, was that Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis, his funny Earth Kingdom-esque name and all, sure did attract a lot of attention, earning bows and smiles from all around. It was almost like everyone knew him, and the Water Tribe siblings deduced that he must have an honorable place in the Air Nomads' theocratic government.

Which only made their nervousness worse. Bonzu, sweet as he was, must personally know the Avatar, being an Air Nomad and all. And speaking of the Avatar, what would happen when the master of all four elements and bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds looked at them point-blank in their faces and asked them who they were?

"This is the ministerial chamber," Bonzu told them as he led them through the first chamber. "The next one is for other honored guests and younger leaders like yourselves, and the one after that is for members of older authority." Such as the chiefs and chieftesses, the Elders, the Fire Lord and Lady. "That's also where Avatar Aang is supposed to be, actually, but he's been trying to get permission to eat with the younger leaders instead. The conversations are a bit more formal with the higher authorities, and those aren't always too fun."

Sokka gulped, earning a glare from his annoyed sister who seemed to say with her look, You could've thought this through a little more, you idiot.

"You know, Bonzu, it's about time for the feast to start," Sokka started. "Why don't you get yourself situated? We'll find Aang on our own."

"Don't you worry, my friend," Bonzu smirked. "I will be sure to secure your seats next to the Avatar, and I will not leave you until then."

"No, really, it's fine," the Southern prince said with a nervous chuckle. "We need to go find our parents anyway and—"

"I'm sure they're in the last chamber with other higher-ups," he said, leading them through the middle chamber as well. "Please, I insist on escorting you."

"Actually, there's something we need to say," Katara said, causing the airbender to pause just in front of the last chamber. Her brother nudged her, trying to tell her that he'll take care of this somehow, but it wasn't like she had a chance to say anything anyway as an Air Nomad ran up to Bonzu.

"Where have you been?" he asked Bonzu. "The monks are looking all over for you."

"I'm here now, Jinju. Go help yourself," Bonzu smiled and pulled Katara and Sokka along.

The chamber was organized similarly to the previous two. Several tables were lined up. The Air Nomads and the Water Tribe were seated to one side of the chamber with pelts and mats situated on the ground, seats specifically reserved for Kya, Kohana (as he was young and in need of his parents' supervision), Hakoda, and then Ivaneq, who would likely serve as an attendant for the Southern chief. To the left of them were mats reserved for the Air Nomad Council of Elders and an empty seat reserve for the Avatar. As both the Water Tribe and the Air Nomad cultures shared the habit of eating on the ground, they were seated together. As far as the servings went, however, there was a bit of space reserved between the two of them so the meat servings of the Water Tribe cuisine would not be in such close proximity to the Air Nomads.

To the right side of the chamber was a short dividing wall, and on the other side were tables reserved for Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation authorities. A table was arranged for the Fire Lord and Fire Lady as well as the Fire Lord's brother, Ozai, and his wife, Lady Ursa. The Earth King's table was next to theirs, followed by a seat reserved for Prince Bumi's father, the King of Omashu. None of them were there yet, however; only a couple of Air Nomads were in attendance as of now, and that, too, because they were most likely wanting to get the Avatar situated first so he didn't have to scramble through other eager folks.

The monks sighed in relief when they spotted Bonzu. Most of them looked displeased by his tardiness save for one, who smiled and nodded.

"That's my mentor, Monk Gyatso," Bonzu introduced. "Those monks over there are Monks Tashi and Pasang. They're part of the Council of Elders."

Monk Gyatso began to approach them. He took a moment to bow to Sokka and Katara, who bowed back in greeting. The monk then turned to the young airbender. "Kutra asid bhavan, sishya?" Where were you, my pupil?

"I was out penguin sledding with Bumi, Kuzon, and Teo."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, it was great!"

A monk behind Gyatso frowned. "You should be tending to your duties, not playing games, sishya," he told Bonzu.

"Aang may be the Avatar, but he is still young," Gyatso said. "Let him have his fun, Tashi."

Tashi huffed and went back to speaking with the other monks. Sokka and Katara felt their eyes bulging out of their sockets as they gawked at the airbender. Aang? The Avatar? This guy was the Avatar? Both siblings flushed in embarrassment, but Aang only smiled smugly and put his arm around each of them.

"Who are your friends, Aang?" Gyatso asked. "This is my first time seeing them."

"Oh, they're really good friends of mine from the Southern Water Tribe. The prince and princess, in fact. We go waayyy back." The Avatar beamed at Sokka. "Isn't that right, buddy?"

"Uh…"

"It is wonderful to finally meet you, friends," Gyatso smiled in recognition and turned to Sokka. "You're Prince Sokka, yes? And this is Princess Katara?"

The siblings nodded nervously.

"I am glad to hear that the South is recovering well, and I thank you for all the wonderful arts and crafts that you have delivered to our temples."

"It's been a while since I last saw my friends," Aang told Gyatso, "And they've been asking me to have lunch with them."

"Of course. Prince Sokka and Princess Katara, we are glad to have you join us. Please, take your seats. We will be joining you shortly—"

"Actually, they were wanting me to sit with them in the second chamber," Aang clarified. "I also told them that I would introduce my other friends to them."

"Yet another attempt at escaping from a formal meal, I see," Gyatso's grey eyes twinkled. "Alright, I will take it up with the other Elders. Have fun, my friends." And with that, the man bowed once more and went back to conversing with the other monks.

An excited Aang whooped and led Sokka and Katara out of the chamber, all the while noticing their shocked looks. Sokka eventually spoke up. "You're Avatar Aang?"

"Sure am, buddy. Though I thought you'd recognize me. We're best buds, aren't we?"

Sokka swallowed, embarrassed.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Katara asked.

"Well, I was going to tell you that Bonzu is a nickname that Bumi gave me and that my real name was Aang, but Prince Sokka here was a little too eager to see me, and I couldn't resist having some fun."

"It's also a way for you to secure your seats in this chamber," Sokka noted. "So we were all basically using each other."

"Sorry again, my friend," Aang said.

"No, you're not the one who should apologize, Avatar Aang," Katara said. "I'm really sorry about my brother's antics. He wanted a spot in the Air Nomad sector, so he was using your name and title."

"Please, just Aang is fine," Aang chuckled. "And to be honest, I'm not offended at all. I play the Avatar card whenever I want to get certain things done."

"Well you can do that since you're the Avatar."

"But I'm a monk, so I shouldn't be relying on titles to get what I want."

"It's still a really insensitive move from my brother's side," Katara then nudged Sokka, who responded with a childish yelp and rubbed his side.

"Yeah, we're sorry—"

"We?" Katara raised her eyebrows.

"Fine, I. I came up with the idea, and I'm sorry for being insensitive. But to be fair, I think we're somewhat even now."

"Actually, I ended up causing more inconvenience for you than you did for me, so there's nothing to be sorry for," Aang assured. "Not to mention, I've actually been looking forward to meeting you two. You might've been kidding around, but I was waiting for you all along."

"Really?"

"Yes." His eyes softened. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to help out with the South that much."

"Are you kidding? We kept hearing a lot about how you stationed a lot of Air Nomads at Whaletail Island to receive us and help out with the trades," Sokka said. "That's the most anyone has ever done for us. Well, besides Her Highness the Princess, of course."

"And besides, it wasn't your fault we were fished out," Katara said.

"But as the Avatar, I should've acted sooner," his face fell. "I heard a lot about the South and the issues there. I was completing my training at the Fire Nation when I got the message from the monks about the prince of the Southern Water Tribe trading in craft materials from Whaletail Island in exchange for food."

"Not gonna lie, your folks saved our asses. Whaletail Island was one of our only consistent trading partners. If it wasn't for the monks meeting us halfway, we would've had to make extra long trips all the way to the Southern Air Temple. Our folks at home would've starved."

"The Elders said they would do more to help out and told me to concentrate on my training. They kept doing their best to contact the other nations for support, but for one reason or another, there have been delays. All I could do was station the Nomads at Whaletail Island. I talked to Fire Lord Iroh about your situation while I was at the Fire Nation, but his brother usually oversees these kinds of things, and Ozai wasn't exactly...cooperative."

"Yeah, I heard he can be a dick sometimes, and it also doesn't help that the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe are not actually the best of buddies," Sokka sighed. "But seriously, you did a lot for being in the situation you were in."

"And even if you tried to do more, you can't help the fact that the South has been out of touch with several places on an international level," Katara said. "People are too concerned about their own places."

Sokka placed his hand on the airbender's shoulder and gave him a little grin. "I'm just glad your folks helped us get through some of the uglier situations. We could've been worse off if not for them."

Aang smiled. "I'm glad to hear that the South is doing a lot better."

"All thanks to the princess," Katara said. "Her outreach was amazing."

"Her outreach was possible because of you, Prince Sokka," Aang said. "Turns out you inspired her to take action."

And needless to say that Sokka's interest was piqued. "Did you get to meet her? I mean, you're the Avatar."

"Yeah, we talked, but I didn't get to see her. She's not allowed to be seen, so she was covered from head to toe."

"What did she say?"

"That it was her pleasure to meet me. Just casual talk, like my training, the places I've been to." He shrugged. "It's weird. All these years of me being here and going through waterbending training, I never once knew that Chief Arnook had a daughter."

"Yeah, it's a bit of a shocker," Katara said. "Definitely up there with the one about randomly penguin sledding with the Avatar."

Aang grinned at her a little longer than one would expect. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Alright, Smiley Pants. I guess this means we're not in trouble?"

Aang laughed. "Trouble? Please, I'm always happy to make new friends. And it's because of you that I got to sit here, so you're definitely getting your seats next to mine."

Sokka grinned. "Thanks, man." But then another nudge from his sister made him yelp again. "Right. It would be nice if I properly introduced myself." He bowed. "Avatar Aang, I'm Sokka, the prince of the Southern Water Tribe. And this is my sister, Katara. Obviously the princess."

"I'm really not one for formalities, so please try not to call me 'Avatar.'"

"Only if you try not to call us Prince and Princess, Aang," Katara said. "You're not the only one who doesn't like formalities, you know."

"That's more like it!" he chirped. "Formalities are overrated. Totally not fun. And as the Avatar, I can't tell you how sick I got from sitting in boring meetings all day and hearing people call me 'Avatar Aang' for twenty-four hours straight."

"Sounds really stressful, especially for someone like you who has managed to master all four elements in just three years," Katara said with fascination in her eyes. "I mean, you're nineteen now, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I actually found out I was the Avatar when I was twelve," Aang said. "I had to settle a nasty dispute between my community and Prince Ozai. He was ready to declare war on the Air Nomads if necessary, and it took me a long time to get a negotiation going."

"What could he possibly piss y'all off for?"

"Something about him wanting to set up a factory at the Northern Air Temple, but the monks weren't big fans of that idea since it would cause mass pollution and would disrupt the environment. It wouldn't be good for the monks and the Earth Kingdom community that's living there, either."

"So you were twelve when you had to settle your first political dispute?" Sokka asked. "That's a pretty young age. I didn't start my trading missions 'till I was fourteen."

"Well what do you know? That's my luck," Aang said with a sigh. "I was by no means ready, but since I already knew I was the Avatar, I began training right away."

"So that's seven years," Katara said. "You trained for seven years, and you're fully realized."

"Something like that. That's why Gyatso's more lenient in letting me have fun. This is how I usually blow off steam."

"You know, I honestly thought the Avatar would be some stiff guy in fancy robes, being overly formal with everyone, but now I know why you're really fun."

Aang blushed. "And for a princess, you're really outgoing, too, Katara. The royalty I did meet over the years, not as attractive...I-I mean, in personality...and looks, too, of course," he rubbed his bald head.

"Aww, aren't you sweet?"

"Smoochy smoochy smooch," Sokka nearly gagged.

"Will you stop teasing him already?" Katara frowned at her brother, not noticing the deepening crimson on the airbender's face.

They were interrupted by the sound of a gong, which signaled them that the feast would be starting soon.

"I said I'd introduce you guys to my other friends," Aang pulled them along. "Let's get to it!"

After sending word to Chief Hakoda and Chieftess Kya about their lunch with the Avatar, the Water Tribe siblings followed him around the feast chambers. They were quick to run into the prince of Omashu, who was accompanied by the duo from earlier— firebender and the earthbender, who was now seated in a wheelchair.

"Looks like my sledding buddy made it out in one piece!" Bumi clapped Sokka on the back harder than one would expect, earning a yeaoww! from the tribesman. "Not bad for a first try!"

"You guys are finally done racing," Aang said.

"You weren't even trying to win after one point," the earthbender in the wheelchair raised an eyebrow at the Avatar.

"Distracted, aren't ya?" the firebender teased.

Aang smiled sheepishly and turned to the Water Tribe siblings, "Allow me to introduce my friends. You already know of Bumi, the prince of Omashu and a wild child from the start."

"Hiya there," Bumi grinned.

Aang gestured to the earthbender beside him next. "This is Teo. He's from the Northern Mountain where we have our Air Temple."

"I'm originally from the Earth Kingdom but was born and raised in the Northern Air Temple Mountain," Teo clarified.

"Though he probably should've been born as an airbender with the amount of spirit he has," Aang chuckled, gesturing to his firebending friend next, "And this is Kuzon from the Fire Nation. Son of Mr. Lee, who happens to be the right-hand advisor of Fire Lord Iroh."

"Flameo, sir, ma'am," Kuzon greeted them with a half bow.

"Flameo?" Sokka asked.

"It's a Fire Nation greeting."

"Bumi, Teo, Kuzon, this is Prince Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe and his sister, Princess Katara," Aang introduced. "My best friends."

"Best friends? Since when?"

"Since now!"

"Then what are we?" Teo asked.

"You're my other set of best friends," Aang smiled. "And I'm hoping all of you will be best friends to each other."

"Welcome to the family, Sokka and Katara!" Bumi clapped Sokka hard on the back again, cackling at the warrior's howl.

"You must be skilled with the sword Sokka," Kuzon said to Sokka, noticing the sword that dangled from the warrior's belt. "I gotta say, the designs on the sheath look real familiar, too."

"Kuzon also happens to be a great swordsman," Aang added. "Top student of Master Piandao."

"Piandao, huh?" Sokka mused. "My space sword's actually crafted at his institution. Maybe that's why it looks familiar to you."

"I knew it! Wait...did you say space sword?"

"It's crafted out of a meteorite," Sokka tossed Kuzon the sword, allowing him to take a look at it himself. "Pretty snazzy if you ask me."

Kuzon pulled the blade out of the sheath, and his eyes lit up. "Hotman, it's black!"

"It's definitely unlike anything else we've seen," Katara nodded.

"It's unlike anything anyone has ever seen," Teo took a look at the blade next.

"Looks like we got another master swordsman in the gang," Bumi remarked.

"I wouldn't say I'm that skilled, though," Sokka said. "I learned a few things from my travels. Met different people who could handle the blade and stuff. I kind of trained myself for the most part."

"You must still be really good if you managed to secure a sword from a master like him," Teo said.

"Well, it's actually a gift from Her Highness, the princess of the North," Katara explained.

"Ah, the lady who magically appeared out of nowhere," Bumi said. "It's quite an interesting scenario, don't you guys think?"

Very, Sokka agreed, securing the princess's gift back at his belt.

They were interrupted by footsteps rushing in their direction. It was a trio of earthbenders, one looking small, one being strong and well-built, and one appearing tall and sporting a moustache that Sokka found to be odd.

"This is Haru, Pipsqueak, and The Duke. They're from the Earth Kingdom," Teo said. "Meet the newest members of the gang, guys: Prince Sokka and Princess Katara from the Southern Water Tribe. Children of Chieftain Hakoda."

"Nice meeting you," Haru bowed. The Duke gave a nod in greeting, and Pipsqueak drew Sokka in for a crushing hug, which nearly knocked the breath out of the wheezing warrior.

Seemed like a lot of Aang's friends were looking to squish Sokka to pieces with their friendship.

They got settled into their seats and got caught up in their conversations while a distracted Sokka snuck several looks in the direction of the royal kitchen. Some servants were walking in and out, bearing pins of their assigned numbers, and yet, none of the pins was the anticipated number eight. He sighed in visible disappointment but dove back into the conversation when he caught his sister giving him a look every now and then.

"So who won the race?" Haru asked.

"We did, obviously," Kuzon boasted. "Aang got sidetracked, and Bumi fell off."

"More like jumped off," Sokka corrected Teo as Bumi let out an amused snort.

"Bah! Winning is so boring," said the young prince of Omashu. "You gotta think about other possibilities sometimes, not just winning. Look at Aang! He opted out of the race and brought back new friends."

"Easy for you to say," came a voice behind them. "I'm the one who has to lock lips with a turtleduck now!"

The voice belonged to a man wearing regal Fire Nation robes and sporting a large scar on the left side of his face, particularly over his eye. He was accompanied by a woman with jet-black hair and sharp bangs. She had her arm linked with his and was shaking her head in amusement. Trailing behind the couple was a man who looked similar to the scarred man, and he was followed by two other ladies.

"Actually, you'll be locking your lips with its beak," Kuzon corrected the scarred man with a laugh. As if that made the man's plight any easier to manage.

"Kiss a turtleduck?" Sokka raised his eyebrows.

Aang chuckled. "You see, my friend here was involved in a bet—"

"The details are not necessary," the scarred man flushed a little.

"Oh come on, Zuko, you'll be getting married in a month!" Bumi said.

"This is as much fun as we can have before you go on with more important duties," Kuzon added.

"They're not wrong," the woman linked at Zuko's arm held his hand and gave it a soft squeeze, managing to lessen some of his annoyance further with a tiny smile. The scarred man shrugged off his pout before looking at Sokka and Katara.

"Zuko, this is Princess Katara and Prince Sokka from the Southern Water Tribe," Aang said. "Katara, Sokka, this is Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. Son of Lord Ozai and Lady Ursa. He helped train me, and I never would've mastered firebending without his help."

"It's an honor to meet you," Zuko bowed.

"And this is Lady Mai, daughter of Governor Ukano and Lady Michi," Aang added. "She's Zuko's fiance and soon-to-be princess of the Fire Nation."

"Glad to meet you," she said.

"And this is Prince Lu Ten," the Avatar gestured to the man behind the couple. "Son of Fire Lord Iroh and Fire Lady Mayu. Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."

Sokka remembered that this was the man rumored to be the potential suitor for the Northern princess, and for a reason that the warrior couldn't name, he felt uncomfortable with this piece of information. Nevertheless, he managed a polite nod of acknowledgment.

"Pleasure meeting you, Prince Sokka and Princess Katara," Lu Ten smiled and bowed, but there were obvious hints of sorrow in the prince's eyes. Bumi, who took note of this, wrapped a hand around the crown prince.

"Lu Ten here is a softie looking to have his affections returned by a special someone," the Omashu prince noted. "An Earth Kingdom lassie, actually."

"Bumi—"

"Oh, quit your whining, man," Bumi hushed Lu Ten. "You're not crazy like me, are ya? So she'll come around for sure, I know it."

That brought a chuckle— even if not an entirely happy one— out of the prince and earned laughs from the other friends, and the info reduced the weight that had been accumulated in Sokka's chest.

"Though it seems like Lu Ten's not the only one looking to have his affections returned," Haru said knowingly and nudged Kuzon and Teo. The trio then took a look at the Avatar, who was smiling at the Southern Water Tribe princess for an unusually long time and was earning a beam from her in return. Both of them were oblivious to the others' whispers.

"Man down, man down," Kuzon whispered, rousing laughs from his friends.

In the meanwhile, Sokka kept his eyes on the lookout once again, scanning the area for the Northern princess, but by now, he had noticed that the two women behind Lu Ten were peering at the Southern warrior in interest. One of them had short auburn hair and was wearing a green dress; she crossed her arms, amused. The other had a long brown braid and was dressed in pink; she simpered at Sokka and flashed him a wink.

"This is Lady Ty Lee, former advisor to Princess Azula and now a Kyoshi Warrior," Aang said.

"Kyoshi Warrior, huh?" Sokka said, ignoring Ty Lee's coquettish look. "So you must know Suki."

The woman with the auburn hair next to her chuckled, and Sokka raised his eyebrows. "Did I say something funny?"

"It's interesting to hear you talk about me in front of me. Well, in your defense, you've never seen me without my makeup and uniform."

"Suki? Is that you?"

"Yep," she smiled. "Good to see you, Sokka."

"Boy, you look different without your makeup."

"You both know each other?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, we met when the men and I traded with the Kyoshi Islanders," Sokka explained, turning to the others. "Kyoshi Island was the nearest Earth Kingdom village we could reach from the Southern Water Tribe. And that, too, took a week and a half's time. I gotta say, I didn't expect to see you here, Suki."

"Suki's been promoted as the leader of Kyoshi Island," Ty Lee said. "So she's here to represent."

"Oh, congrats. Oyaji's retiring, huh?"

"Yeah. I'll still be leading the Kyoshi Warriors, though," Suki said. "Well, with Ty Lee's help."

"Well lookie here, the gang knows each other now," Bumi grinned. "Now let's go eat, shall we— woah!" He yelped and moved aside as someone burrowed forward, bumping into him accidentally. "Who's there?"

Everyone else made way for a young woman wearing a flowing jade dress, fancy jewelry, and other professional regalia. Her hair, decorated intricately, was pulled up in a bun. She blew her bangs aside in frustration and glared. "Hey, watch it!"

"Oh, sorry, doll," Bumi said. "I didn't see you there."

The woman's glare deepened. "Doll? Who are you callin' doll?"

"You, doll."

The woman grabbed hold of Bumi by his shirt and hissed, "Say that one more time, and I'll smack you against the wall and show you who's the real doll around here."

Everyone gaped at the sheer rawness of this woman in fancy robes. Bumi, though taken aback, only laughed as he extricated himself from her grasp, sprinkling in occasional snorts in his laughter. "'Doll' doesn't have to mean fragile, miss. It can mean other things. Who knows, maybe I'm actually saying you're pretty."

Just barely, the woman's glare dimmed, and an unnoticed shade of pink raided her face, but she dismissed it and retorted anyway, "Well I don't need your compliments or your approval, Snorty Britches." And although she tried to punch him away from her view, she ended up punching Sokka instead.

"OOWWW!" the tribesman staggered back and clutched his side, which was bruised for the second time today after Katara's "careful" handling earlier. "Can't you watch who and where you're punching?!"

"No, I can't! I'm blind!" the woman snapped, seafoam-colored eyes wide. "There's not a speck of dirt or rock here, nothin' but ice, and you expect me to see through it?!"

"Miss Toph!" came a voice from behind, immediately catching Lu Ten's attention. The wide-eyed crown prince gaped at the woman who was running after the temperamental youth in the jade dress. "Miss Toph, are you alright?"

"Just get me to my seat, Song," Toph sighed and held her attendant's arm, but Song didn't budge. She froze in place as she caught sight of Lu Ten and locked eyes with him. Everyone else was oblivious to the attendant and the crown prince's unspoken reactions, but Sokka took note of how Lu Ten's gaze was immediately filled with tenderness and longing. Almost as if the Fire prince knew her. He might as well have even loved her with the hearts that were pumping out from his molten eyes.

Song gulped and looked away from Lu Ten, hurriedly escorting Toph away from the group, but not before Toph sent another jab (likely trying to aim for the guy who called her a 'doll'), which ended up hitting Sokka again and earning another pained shriek from him. The Southern prince fell against the table and was helped up to his feet by Haru and The Duke. Lu Ten stood with his gaze following Song, earning the concerned looks of Aang and Zuko, and Bumi had the biggest grin on his lips as he watched Toph strut away with her chin up and her lips curled into a pout.

"Sorry, man," Haru said to Sokka. "Looks like she's a rough one."

"She's a tough one," Kuzon remarked.

"Guess that's why they named her Toph," Teo said.

"Toph Bei Fong, that is," Bumi said. "My rival who just so happened to invent metalbending. And here, I thought she'd be an old woman or something."

"For an only daughter of the Bei Fongs, she's not as fancy as she looks."

"Eh, who needs fancy? Quite boring, don't ya think?" Bumi grinned. "I guess I'd better go introduce myself properly."

"I'll come with you," Lu Ten said quickly, and Bumi ruffled the prince's hair and pulled him along.

"Hey, Aang, Zuko," Pipsqueak said, noticing Lu Ten's desperate gait. "I have a feeling that's the Song that Lu Ten's singing in that princely heart of his."

"And I have a feeling you're right," Zuko mumbled, sharing a look with Mai.

Sokka was not sure why he was feeling as relieved as he was with the discovery that the Northern princess's potential suitor was occupied with someone else.

Several gongs later, the friends were seated and settled, ready to commence the feast. Bumi and Lu Ten sat in the Earth Kingdom section, stealing glances at Toph and Song respectively. The members of the Fire Nation were huddled at the formal Fire Nation table while Aang and a few of his comrades opted to sit at the Air Nomad table. Aang had saved a seat on either side of him, one for Sokka and one for Katara. Needless to say that most of his conversations were with Katara.

"I've heard from many authorities that you're a master waterbender, Katara," Aang said sweetly. "Maybe you can help me improve on my waterbending."

"Says the Avatar, the master of all four elements," Katara laughed. "You're really sweet, Aang, but don't you think that compliment's a little far-fetched?"

"Well, everyone says I'm the master of all four elements, but there might be some other new tricks I need to learn," he said humbly. "And besides, waterbending isn't my native element, and you seem to be more of a master in waterbending than I am right now."

"Oh, no, I can't be that good."

"I don't know, I've heard many good things about you, Katara."

"Oh did you?" she grinned. "Well we've heard great things about you, too. You're the youngest airbender to become a master and earn your tattoos."

"Seems like you two are gonna get along real well then," Sokka interjected. "Katara's head's always up in the clouds anyway."

Katara swatted her brother's arm, and Aang laughed, his grey eyes brightening. "Must be interesting to have a sibling."

"Eh, he's more like a child than a big brother—"

"Hey!" Sokka frowned.

"But it's not half bad."

While Aang chatted away with Katara, Sokka darted his attention to the chamber in the far back. Several delicious smells were coming from that direction, but those weren't what totally interested him. His gaze was shifting for a purpose, the purpose that was the disguised princess.

"She's apparently part of the team of cooks who will be arranging the vegetarian meals for the Air Nomads."

In the meantime, Suki, who had initially taken her seat next to Sokka, tried to strike up a conversation with him, but clearly, Sokka's attention was elsewhere, and his replies were terse, often absent-minded. The Kyoshi Warrior was frankly disappointed; she'd been looking forward to seeing him ever since she heard the Southern royals were going to be here. Turned out that he didn't seem to be nearly as interested as she was. She ended up being dragged over to the Fire Nation table by Ty Lee and took a seat next to the fellow Kyoshi Warrior. The Southern warrior probably didn't even notice her leaving.

"You have a thing for him, don't you?"

Suki turned away from looking at Sokka from afar and blinked at Ty Lee, blushing. "What? No, why would I—?"

"I don't blame you," Ty Lee said, shrugging. "He's definitely a cutie."

"It's not like that, Ty Lee."

"Are you sure?" she asked, tilting her head in Sokka's direction. "'Cause if not, I'm totally down for making a move."

By now, the feast had officially commenced. The servants started stepping out of the kitchen one by one, carrying large trays and pots and ladles, and the serving process began. It seemed there was some pressure from higher authorities to serve the Fire Nation table with utmost, for many of the servants preparing the Fire Nation cuisine were extra cautious and jumpy around the Fire leaders. It was understandable given the tense relations between the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation.

Then again, who isn't pissed by the Fire Nation? Sokka thought, rolling his eyes. Adding onto his internal grumbling was the recognition that all the meat was moving away from their direction, but he still focused on his task at hand and peered at the servants' number tags. The number eight was missing, and none of the servants' eyes or faces were recognizable. He frowned in impatience, not even taking a minute to listen to his growling stomach and look at all that was being served on his plate..

"Egg custard tart, please!" Aang beamed, immediately waving his hand to catch the attention of a servant who carried a tray of the said dessert. "You should try the egg custard tart, Katara, it's delicious! Sokka, you should try some, too. Sokka? Hey, Sokka?"

"Huh?"

"Try the egg custard tart! I'm sure you'll like it."

"Oh...yeah, sure," he mumbled, peering back in the direction of the kitchen.

"Does Sokka not feel well today or something?" Aang asked.

"I have to be honest with you," Katara said to the monk, "My brother can't go a day without meat. That's why he looks so deflated."

"Sokka, the lover of meats, huh?"

"Yep...though it is a little strange for him to not eat anything at all," Katara mused. Her brother preferred meat, yes, but he was not the one for not touching any food at all.

"It's not about the meat," Sokka said. Well, not entirely anyway. He looked down at his plate at the rice and buns, vegetable soup and dumplings that lay. They did smell delicious, he admitted it, but rather than plopping them into his mouth, he played with them instead, running his chopsticks absently along the grains of rice as he looked around.

"We can't say for sure if we made it the way you like it, Avatar Aang," the servant carrying the custard said upon making her way over to them. Her tone was completely lacking in confidence.

"Oh, don't you worry, I'm sure it will be fantastic," Aang assured. "It's really nice of the princess to even consider arranging Air Nomad cuisine for us. She even had separate seating prepared for us so we won't be next to the meat. We're thankful for these arrangements and her sensitivity to our cultural practices."

Indeed, the princess was sensitive to others' needs. It was no surprise since she already had enough compassion in her to be moved by the plight of a wolf and a starving division of the tribe.

"You'll be pleased to know that we made sure to have the Air Nomad cuisine prepared by a vegetarian," the servant smiled.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes. Servant number eight. We felt she was perfect for the job."

Sokka looked up immediately from his food. He eyed the yellow filling that was snuggled up against the brown tart. "Hey, can I have some of that?"

"Of course, isumataq Sokka," the servant served Katara a tart before placing one on Sokka's plate. Sokka looked down at the treat. To be eating a dish that the princess herself made. Well, she did make those cakes, too, back at the temple, didn't she?

He reached for a spoon and scooped up some of the filling, letting the taste fill his mouth. And boy, was he in for an explosion of delectable sweetness.

"I have got to get this recipe!" Katara said, her eyes closed in bliss.

"I know, right?!" Aang stuffed the filling in his mouth and took a bite off of the tart. By now, Sokka was stuffing his face, too, and their eager mmms and aahs inspired Aang's other comrades to try it out.

Sokka kept looking around for any sign of the princess even as he devoured the tart, but his search was abruptly interrupted when something suddenly flew over his face, covering his view. He let out a wild shriek that attracted lots of attention from the surrounding folk.

"Gaah! Get it off of me!" he clawed at the creature that clung to his face and screeched. "Get this evil fiend off of me!"

Katara burst out laughing as the "evil fiend" that Sokka believed was trying to best him in a sneak attack turned out to be a harmless winged lemur.

"This is Momo, my pet lemur," Aang laughed. "Momo, be nice to Sokka, buddy."

"Aww, what a sweet little guy," Katara cooed as Momo attacked the warrior from all around and screeched hastily.

"Hey! What's he doing?!" Sokka yelped as Momo plopped down into Sokka's tart and sprayed the filling over the prince's face. Momo then leaped off of the plate, his sticky paws printing over Sokka's face as he ran up over Sokka's body, jumping on and off of him, prodding his pockets as if searching for something. He then reached into one of Sokka's pant pockets, hanging on in spite of the warrior's fidgeting, and he pulled out what he wanted: one of the cakes— now mushed up— that the princess gave the prince at the Moon Temple. Momo tore through the wrapper and sniffed it before climbing off of Sokka and licking at the creamy cake. He took his seat next to the warrior as if he didn't just harass him.

Sokka blinked wide-eyed as everyone around him laughed at the sight. As Katara got caught up in laughter, Aang gave the Southern prince an apologetic look before shooting Momo a look of disapproval. It didn't help Sokka's embarrassment, though; he looked around, flushed, his face as red as the Fire Nation table's decorations.

"Hey, isn't that the guy who barged through the Eastern Gates on an otter-penguin and ran into all those carts?"

"Yeah, the guy who was sitting backward with his ass in the air!"

Sokka sat with his head bowed, griping to himself about his bad karma, letting the embarrassment wash over him, letting the laughter around him go on and sink into his embittered form. Aang gave Sokka a look of utmost sympathy and apology. "My fault entirely," he said aloud, but that didn't make the laughs go down. By now, Katara had stopped laughing and saw the look on her brother's face, and she reached out to brush some of the filling off of his tunic, empathy now clouding over her expression. Sokka pushed her hand away, mumbling that he'll take care of it but not really budging.

And it was then that his nose caught a whiff of the familiar moonflower-cardamom aroma. It was coming from a shadow that had stepped in front of him. There, the princess, her face veiled, but he realized that she wasn't laughing behind her mask like the other servants. She only looked at him, snowy eyebrows furrowed in concern and consideration. She was holding a tray out to him; it was stocked up with fresh rice and breads, noodles and dumplings, and a new, full custard tart.

Sokka took hold of the tray, cheeks crimsoning for an entirely different reason as he looked at her, lost in her eyes. She picked up his messy plate and looked back up at him. "May I, Your Highness?"

And it took him several moments to realize that she was asking him a question. "H-Huh?"

"The filling on your face."

He swallowed and nodded, his brain not working properly at the moment to understand what she meant until she took the liberty to bend the sticky tart filling off of him.

"I'm sorry about what happened," the princess said to him, her voice low like the other servants. "There's a washroom down the hall if you need to use it."

He blinked. "Oh...that's okay...thank...thank you…"

Everyone was still laughing at him, though, much to his lingering chagrin because the universe just wouldn't give him a break and was bent on making a fool out of him in front of the princess of the North, but to his surprise, her voice rose for a moment, almost as if she was addressing the entire chamber as she spoke, "I admire how calm you are, Your Highness."

Everyone paused, caught off guard by the voice of who they all assumed was a mere servant.

"I say that because if I was in your place, I would certainly not want so many people claiming to be from prestigious backgrounds forgetting their manners and laughing in my face so insensitively."

By now, the entire chamber was completely silent. Everyone gawked from the woman to the warrior and back to the woman. All before they quickly settled into their previous conversations, not even daring to sprinkle in occasional laughs about what happened. Aang went on with lecturing Momo while Katara assured the monk that no offense was taken. The entire time, though, Sokka was frozen, blinking at the princess.

"Please let me know if you need anything else," her voice went soft again. "I will be happy to serve you." She then handed him a small towel and bowed before leaving with the messy tray, not noticing the pair of sharp blue eyes that followed her in the direction she went. When she rounded the corner and was not in sight, Sokka looked around at everyone else, who didn't care to make another scene.

Who exactly did this princess think she was to send delightful thrills down his spine and anticipatory drumbeats through his chest with every second of her presence? A savior of the South, yes. A princess, yes. But...but...she could've gotten in trouble for speaking out in her servant persona. She could've been fired on the spot. She could've had her entire plan or secret scheme or something ruined. And yet, she still defended him. Well, she was masked up and was dressed identical to the other servants, so as long as her face wasn't seen, she couldn't be recognized, but still. By now, his embarrassment had left him, and working within him was a sweet feeling that wasn't caused by the custard tart and even made him smile at Momo's apologetic licking in amusement.

It was easy to make the princess laugh; Sokka knew that from the walk he shared with her before, from the way she genuinely giggled at every one of his lame jokes. But she was not one to laugh at another's humiliation.

She was not one to allow it, either.

It was painfully obvious to Aang and Katara that the One Who Did Not Laugh made a big impact on the Southern prince. Katara herself was surprised that someone managed to stand up for her brother like that. Then again, it seemed that Sokka was getting special treatment ever since they got to the North.

"Don't be too flattered," she told her smiling brother as he drew shapes in his rice bowl. "The princess knows about your obvious love for the North and told people to treat you with extra care. That's why your antics are tolerated.

Which drew his inner cynic out of his shell for a moment. Not that it did much to kill his mood entirely because his optimist would barge back out whenever the One Who Did Not Laugh was in their presence. She was apparently in charge of the moonpeach fruit pies— a dessert favored by the monks— and Sokka found himself craving them.

"Fruit pies, please!"

"Fruit pies, over here!"

"Hey, can I get another fruit pie?"

Turned out he was just craving her attention all along since he barely ate anything. He might have nibbled on a vegetable dumpling or two as she was kind enough to get him a clean plate of them, but that was all. Katara never thought she'd see the day her brother became too distracted for eating.

"Another two fruit pies, please?" he called with a sheepish grin. "For my friends this time, not me."

Only to shove some of them into the Avatar's plate and some more into Katara's plate, forcing them to indulge in them rather than letting them go to waste. Sokka didn't listen even as they told him to stop asking for more fruit pies and that they were about to burst from eating so many of them. He was too busy trying to bring a laugh or two out of the princess by his point.

And he was successful, too, when in his distracted daze, he had accidentally grabbed hold of Aang's hand, thinking it to be a piece of bread on his plate, and he brought it up to his mouth only to have Aang yank it away from him, a bewildered look on his face.

The One Who Did Not Laugh let out a giggle, and that was all that he felt mattered at the moment. Clearly he was a smitten man; he just didn't know it yet.

Katara eyed her brother in increased suspicion as the minutes dragged by. Something about the North brought out a side to him that his family had never seen back down South. Smiley since waking up and now flirty in the presence of this servant. It wasn't until Katara saw him whip out the scarves from his pocket that she realized that this servant might as well be the woman he'd been looking for.

I guess the Princess is out of the picture then…? she wondered, not wanting to entertain the thought of her brother going after multiple women.

For what seemed like a long time, the One Who Did Not Laugh didn't step out of the kitchen again. Sokka waited earnestly but didn't get to see her. Some of the people around them started clearing out. He eventually got up from his seat as well, having eaten very little with his curiosity unsatisfied. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right back."

"And where do you think you're going?" Katara asked him.

"I...uh...I wanna thank the chefs in the kitchen!"

"I have to thank the chef, too," Aang said, clutching his full stomach as he stood up. "The food was really good—"

"I'll do the thanking for you," Sokka piped up defensively and took off by himself in the direction of the kitchen chamber.

He had to dodge the many different nobles and issue a hundred or so explanations to the folks he'd met before and the folks who decided to meet him now in the middle of something highly important, and it was only after all that did he manage to make it to the kitchen chamber. He was surprised to find the place empty, and he was more surprised to see that the traffic of higher-ups was suddenly being directed to the building's exit. A few guards had rushed past him on their way to Prince Zuko, who was still lounging around the Fire Nation table, and the Fire prince charged out of the chamber, muttering something beneath his breath. The people around him darted for the exit as well, one of them pausing to zero in on him. "Brother Sokka!"

It was Ivaneq. "Brother Ivaneq, what happened?"

"The Fire Nation princess happened," he huffed. "She's apparently harassing a Water Tribe servant outside. The servant's a minor, too."

"What? Why?"

"Just because the servant accidentally spilled something on her royalty pin. Not a surprise, really. Azula is Ozai's daughter after all."

Sokka frowned and shoved his way through the traffic, igniting Ivaneq's alarm. The Southern prince struggled his way to the forefront, he caught sight of a young girl, probably around thirteen or fourteen years of age, unveiled and cowering back at the sight of a woman in royal Fire Nation robes. Prince Zuko was there, too, holding his sister back and glaring at her.

"Stop making a scene, Azula. We're guests here."

"Exactly, we're guests here," the Fire Nation princess eyed the servant girl more coolly than her intentions probably allowed. "We agreed to sit in these filthy igloos and waste a few days of our valuable time in this Agni-forsaken snow dump, and this is the way we get treated?"

"P-Please, Your Highness, it w-was an accident," the servant girl began. "I-It wasn't on purpose, I swear to Tui and La—!"

"Then did your precious princess appoint you strictly because of your dyslexia? So you can 'accidentally' go around insulting the members of the Fire Nation?"

"N-No, Your Highness—"

"Azula, stop this, I mean it," Zuko said sternly, turning to a few guards behind him. "Send for my uncle!"

"I'm afraid he's occupied in a meeting with the other leaders, sir," a guard said. "We are not allowed to interrupt."

Zuko groaned in frustration and charged back inside to fetch his uncle. In the meantime, one of the many spectators also out, "Someone also send for the Avatar!"

Sokka huffed angrily and lunged forward until he was held back by Ivaneq. "Brother Sokka, you need to calm down," Ivaneq panicked, mentally facepalming himself for telling the prince about this in the first place.

"It's all calculated, isn't it?" Azula narrowed her eyes at the servant girl, the edges of her fingers sprouting blue flames and igniting fear in the girl's eyes. "Your princess locks herself away behind four walls during a time of diplomatic talks, thinking we wouldn't be suspicious of her. Arranging for cultural events and feasts catered to all of the four nations, acting like she actually cares. It's all for the purpose of showing off the savage behaviors of the water country and its filthy fetish for insulting the Fire Nation. Your leader knows nothing about respect."

"Let go of me, Ivaneq," Sokka growled, straining against the Northerner's grip, but Ivaneq shook his head.

"I told the chief and chieftess that I will make sure you don't get into any more trouble! I promised the princess I would keep you all out of these affairs—!"

"That ashhead with the blue fire is insulting the princess!" Sokka breathed vehemently. "You want me to stand here and do nothing?!"

"That Fire princess is crazy!" Ivaneq hissed in the prince's ear. "She will shoot you in the face with her lightning, and we will all be goners!"

"The p-princess is gentle and kind, Your Highness," the servant sputtered to Azula in the meantime. "She would n-never want to insult—aaah!" The girl squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the worst as Azula raised her flaming hand to discipline the girl with a burn, but the Fire princess found that her hand was stopped by a water-encased one. Standing between the girl and the Fire princess was the princess of the North, her number tag missing as if to add ambiguity to her identity. The blue fire in the Fire royal's hand was put out by the water that exuded from the Northerner.

"Please let her go, Princess," the Northern princess said. "She's young and still learning."

Azula looked at her own hand, which was being held back by this snow savage who had the guts to touch her, the princess of the Fire Nation, and put out her prestigious blue fire. "Get your hand off of me, you snow peasant," she yanked the Northerner's hand away from hers. "You dare to touch me, the Princess of the Fire Nation? You dare to put out my fire?"

The Northern princess kept her stance firm and stood protectively before the servant girl. "It was an act of defense," she said. "Forgive me, Princess. It was not at all my intention to disrespect you—"

"Did your princess train every one of you to say that?"

"It truly was an act of defense, Your Highness—"

"You think I'm a fool to believe that?!"

The Northern princess stepped back several feet, persuading the servant girl to take the chance and leave. Sokka looked from the Northern princess to the blue fire that was re-emerging at Azula's fingertips, his arms fighting Ivaneq's grip.

"You savages think you have the upper hand, don't you?" Azula said. "Wallowing in your pride that you'll be able to put out our fires and save yourselves. Well I will have your pride snuffed out in seconds." She swung an arm around, sparking flashes from the tips of her index and middle fingers with the intention to aim it at the Northern princess.

A horrified Sokka grunted and shoved Ivaneq off of him, and with a swing of his foot, he tripped the Fire Nation princess. Azula gasped as she fell facedown into the snow from the surprise attack, the lightning spark dissipating into the air. The Northern princess stared at Sokka, wide-eyed. The spectators, too, were caught off guard, and before anyone had the chance to react, Sokka rushed forward, grabbed the Northern princess's hand, and pulled her along with him.

"Filthy water swine," Azula hissed, dragging herself off of the snow. Her fingers sought the purchase of another spark of lightning forming at her fingertips.

"Look out!" a spectator yelled to Sokka and the "servant."

"Behind you!" yelled another.

And everything happened so fast after that. The Northern princess let go of Sokka's hand and pushed him out of the way, and he tumbled into the snow, barely escaping the dangerous flash of light. He looked up in horror but saw that she had summoned water and swirled it to form a ball-like shape, immediately trapping the massive bolt in the water before directing the charged water towards the sky. The water dissipated into the air as moisture while the trapped bolt was released, charging into the sky harmlessly and bringing about crashes of thunder. The moisture lingered in the air in the form of mist, blinding all in its wake, and by the time it cleared, the Northern princess was nowhere to be seen. Only a shocked Sokka, his mouth agape, was left in the snow, being gawked at by several pairs of wide eyes.

A/N: So more characters (and ships, lol) have been introduced. Those of you who have read my stories before will see that I'm not invested in crack ships and that I tend not to experiment with ships very often, but the other day I was rewatching the episode, "The King of Omashu," and I randomly thought about how things might have been if Bumi was much younger, maybe even the same age as Aang, and how his interaction would've been with Toph. I imagine their rivalry on earthbending mastery would be more playful than serious (or perhaps a combination of both). Let me make it clear that in no other situation would I ever consider the Bumi/Toph ship and that, too, for obvious reasons, but since this is an AU, and Bumi and Toph are around the same age, and I am drawn to both Bumi's crazy wisdom and Toph's groundedness, I decided to test out their dynamic and roll with Bumi's own philosophy, albeit in a fanfiction setting: "Instead of seeing what they want you to see, you gotta open your brain to the possibilities." If you think this is a super weird experiment, don't worry; this ship won't be the focus of this story, just something I added for fun.

Until the next chapter!