Thank you very much for the reviews, it is great to now that people like the story. It may seem sad, and like I am trying to guilt you all into reviewing more often, but getting reviews any reviews really means a lot. It also makes me up-date sooner. Not sure why, but it dose. Hope you like this chapter too.
The guards lead the way towards the throne room, not that either Aang or Toph need to be shown the way. Toph was limping a little on her right leg. Aang didn't offer her any support this time. It was like he was distancing himself from her now, so it would be easier to do so when they faced the king, and he turned on her for what she had done. She was keeping the cloak tightly held around herself. There was a part of Aang that wanted to pull it from her, so she couldn't hide behind it any more. People would then see who she really was.
The earth king sat on his throne, looking sight towards them as they walked towards him. The guards had closed the door behind them, leaving them alone with the king. "Avatar, General. I hear that you have news for me."
Once he spoke they stopped in their tracks. Toph stopped a few steps behind Aang, like she was now hiding behind him as well as the cloak. "Yes, we do." Aang turned to Toph. He was looking to her to give him an idea of how she wanted to handle this. Did she want to tell the king herself, or for him to do it. Her face was set facing straight ahead, he couldn't read it. "I think it would be best for Toph to explain it all to you." With maybe a little more force than he had intended, he stepped behind her, pushing her forward.
The king now set his brown eyes on Toph. A million options of what to to say, how to play this ran through her head. She could admit it all. But she would only tell Aang everything that had happened. She owed him that much at least. She could manipulate the truth, something she was good at. Give him enough grains of truth that he wouldn't see the lies. There was also out and out lies. Aang however may not let her get away with that. Her best bet for getting herself out of this was the second choice. Tell enough of the truth that the king will be satisfied, while also letting Aang know that she will tell him all that he wants to know, if he will just go along with her on this.
"We heard from a source last night, that the jade bandit was going to be leaving the city..."
"What source."
"One that wishes to remain anonymous. I'm sorry your highness, but I can't say."
"Very well go on." The king seemed irritated, but he got over it because he wanted to know what she was going to say. So did Aang. Despite himself he also wanted to know what she was going to come out with. He hated that she had lied to him, probably used him to carry out what she was doing. He also though was a little impressed with how well she was able to think on her feet to get herself out of trouble.
Toph had kept her head looking straight ahead. She had leaned early on the best way to get away with lying. The first thing was that if you avoided looking at the person then it was a big give away, you were lying. That was why she was trying to face right at the king now. The second main thing was that, the more detail you added, that wasn't important, the less likely it was your where telling the truth. "We left the palace early this morning to catch up with them. I had to bend the chain apart. So we would be able to deal with them better." She felt this was an important detail to add. She was already in so deep, she didn't want to get caught out by the fact that they where no longer chained to each other. "We caught up with them. I was hurt, so Aang wanted to return."
She felt the irritation rising from the king, and from Aang. He clearly didn't like being made to look like a wimp. She found it a little funny that with all the times she had called him a wimp or something similar it was now, when she need him to shrug it off like he always did, that he didn't. It was know that he choose to take it to heart.
"We know who they are. Aang will deal with them." This she directed to Aang.
She was telling him that she was putting herself in his hands. Whatever he wanted to do about what she had done she would go along with. This was very unlike her, she never let any one have any control over her. She had fought her whole life to stop that happening agian, but here she was giving him that control. All she was asking from in return was that he went along with her now. Then he could deal with it his way. He hated that she was again manipulating him. He was aloud to be angry with her, and she knew that to. In saying this in her own way, she was making it almost impossible for him to go against her now, and maintain his level of angry with her. His right hand clenched shut, so tight he started to draw blood.
"Who where you hurt, Lady Toph."
She knew he would now start to call her by her more feminine title. As a result of her now being seen as a weak women, that couldn't look after herself. At any other time she would respond to this by either a smart come back, if she could think of one, or by proceeding to kick the person to dust. Though she would normally not go that far. A rock to the head seemed to work just as well in most cause. It had even worked on the mighty avatar.
"My ankle and my shoulder. It's nothing very serious though. Aang was just being a good friend. Looking out for me." She was well aware that she was now laying it on a little bit to thickly, but she couldn't take the chance that he would turn her in now. She need a little time. Then if he really felt that he had to turn her in, then she would as least be ready to get away or think of a better plan. Along Thoughts of how she could turn this round onto him. Making him look he was the jade bandit all, framing him for all of this ran through her head. She quickly pushed them way, he was her friend she couldn't do that to him. No matter how despite she got to survive, she would not turn on her friends, or good people. Though she did retain some strands of these thoughts, just to be on the safe side.
"You should go to your room and rest now." Toph nodded and turned to walk away. Despite her sore ankle she moved rather fast. Aang also quickly turned to follow her. Not wanting to give her a chance to avoid him or run away "Avatar, I would like to talk to you from a minute longer." Aang felt Toph stop, rooted to the spot. He couldn't see her face, but he could picture the worried look that would now be on her face.
"Yes your highness." Toph lifted her head quickly before Aang turned back to face the king. She gave him a look that she hoped he would catch. It was look of pleading. Asking him to please play along a little longer. That she was grateful and would put herself on his mercy after this. If he just did this one thing for her. She tried to meet his gaze for as long as she could get away with, before she had to start limping slightly away again.
The king didn't speak again till Toph had left the room and the door had been closed behind her. "Is there anything else that you wish to add to...lady Toph's account of what has happened."
Aang lowered his head back to the marble floor. "Only that I do know who the jade bandit is, that they know where the emerald is. Also that I will deal with it." There was a forcefulness in Aang's voice that the king hadn't heard since he had been arguing with Toph over what to do with Long Feng and he had spoke up to end it. There was no denying that he meant every world he said.
"I am glad to hear that." The king seemed to lean further back into his throne now. "I have the utmost faith in lady Toph as an earthbender, however I cant fully trust her. There is something about her. She always seems to be holding something back."
Aang was nodding his head slightly at this. There was no denying that what the king was saying was the truth, he felt more or less the same thing himself. "I know what you mean." He quickly realised that he had said that out loud, and lowered his head further.
"Well..." The king kindly choose to move on, back to the matter at hand. "I want you to deal with this. Rest for the remainder of the day. Then you should leave to catch up with them tomorrow. Will you be able to do that." Aang nodded again. With Appa he would, if he had to, be able to catch up with a person on foot. Even if they had a days head start. "Good." The king now leaned forward, his dark eyes set on Aang's. "I want you to end this once and for all."
"I will." Aang didn't nod this time or bow as he left. He turned simply turned and walked towards the large metal doors. He wasn't sure exactly how he was going to deal with it, only that he had to. He started to walk towards the stairs that would lead to the floor that his and Toph's rooms where on, but he walked past them and continued along the corridor. He knew that he would have to talk to her soon, and he did want to. He just needed a little time to clear his head. Get rid of some of the anger he still felt. He had to be calm and rational when he spoke to her. If he spoke to her now, he would just end up getting wound up again and probably they would start yelling to. This was an important conversion, that had to happen when they were both in the right frame of mind. That was not now. In truth he didn't know if he would ever be in the right frame of mind to hear about how someone that he trusted had lied to him and manipulated everyone to do what they wanted.
Thank you for reading, hope you like it. There are going to be three more chapters to this part of the story, then onto the next one. The next chapter will be shortish. It was meant to be a part of this chapter, but as I said in the last chapter I have changed the splitting on the chapters a little, so the 100th chapter will be a good one. Thanks again, and please review.