Part One: Winter

Chapter Nine: Bonds That Break

He quietly looked inside the window, where the girl was reclining on her bed. Her eyes were closed, but he knew that although she was motionless, she was awake.
"You can't visit me, you know."

Toph sat in idle thought, her feet dangling over the edge of the garden bridge. The water danced under her toes, and she closed her unseeing eyes, trying to find some peace. Sokka was standing protectively behind her, holding her Earthbending gear, and nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I would've gotten in trouble for being in your room if you hadn't pushed me out the window. You know, at the last minute." The warrior rubbed his back, feeling bruises and wincing. The weather was steadily getting warmer, and both knew that spring was arriving soon. Sokka looked around at the garden, the bare, dead, garden, and wondered if anything would ever grow there.

The Earthbender took a deep breath, inhaling the cool air. "It's so boring Earthbending here. There's nothing to crush, just my mom's half-dead panda lilies." She dangled a toe over the water. "And I have to wear safety padding and everything. It's so degrading!"

"Yeah." Sokka still hadn't gotten used to seeing Toph in finery, and he felt like she was somebody else, becoming somebody else. That's crazy, she's still Toph, just different clothes, he told himself, glancing at the blind girl.

Part of him knew that Toph was still there, beneath the makeup and jewelry and silk. But part of him wondered if she was going to like any of the suitors at the ball, if she was going to give up the old part of her for a new life...

And leave him behind.

This hurt him immensely, for some unknown reason, and he felt an urge to question Toph, to ask her if she loved this life and if she wanted to stay. He knew that Toph would disagree, but in her heart of hearts, what did she really think?

What did she really think about him?

The Earthbender sat in silence for a few minutes before pulling her lanky legs back in and turning back to Sokka.

"Let's go in. My feet are cold, and it's hard to see."

"Alright, then. Want a hand?"

Toph stubbornly shook her head, and the warrior shrugged, watching the Earthbender stumble cautiously down the bridge. Her feet were probably icy and numb from the frigid water, and he knew this clouded her vision. She walked unsteadily, occasionally lurching forwards, and Sokka had to fight back the urge to go over and help her.

"Hey, Snoozles, ya coming?"

"Yeah- yeah, just hang on for a second, alright?"

Sokka walked slowly, holding Toph's gear, and looked around him, at this dead garden that seemed so bare and lifeless. It was tough, looking at this once-majestic array of plants, and realizing that every beautiful flower here had shriveled away and died.

He looked at Toph, who had regained her footing, and was now making her way through the maze of twisted trees and branches. What would this beautiful girl become if she were forced to marry someone she hated? Would she stay strong and radiant, like the springtime flowers, or wither away like everything else that had died in this garden?

Sokka knew the answer, and resolved that he needed to get Toph away from this place.

He didn't want her to lose herself.

"You know, the North Pole is only a week away. I think we'll be able to get there on time."

Katara stated this matter-of-factly, more to reassure herself than anyone else, and watched as the ship doctor stirred an herb mixture for Aang's back wound.

"He is getting better, after all, and the healers of the North Pole can help him. What do you think?"

The doctor looked at the Waterbender over the top of his rimmed spectacles.

"You should let us do the healing. Stay out of the infirmary."

Katara raised an eyebrow, and continued.

"Well, Aang's my friend, and I think staying here would do him some good. That way, when he wakes up, he'll see a familiar face."

"Staying won't have any affect on if he wakes or not." The doctor stated, annoyed. "As a matter of fact, with you interfering, I doubt that he'll wake at all."

The Waterbender was taken aback, but tried not to show it. Did the doctor realize what he had just said? How could he say that Aang would die because of her?

"What do you mean?" she pressed, sure that the doctor didn't mean it.

"I'd like you to stay out of the infirmary. That way, we can treat the Avatar in peace. He'll have room to recover and the best of care."

"I'm a healer, and I'm his friend. It would mean a lot to me if-"

The doctor stared at her, and Katara, annoyed, turned back to Aang.

"-Well, if I stayed, I could help him. I'm a healer, too."

The doctor ignored her, and Katara shot a worried look at her best friend before quietly leaving the room.

What was this place? Lit with stars, dancing stars, constellations...

He floated. He floated high above the heavens, looking down upon the Earth, looking at the peace

And he lay there, tranquil at last.

"Aang, do you want to go down there?"

Everything was silent, but it was as if

The stars were singing, and the sky was whispering

And the light was urging him onwards.

And he saw the pain of his friends

The pain of the Earthbender, forced into a life she had tried to leave

And the pain of the warrior, losing what was left of his life.

But the one person he saw

The one person whose pain hurt him the most

Was the Waterbender's.

He reached towards her

He tried to talk to her

But the shadows held him back.

The light of the stars grew dim and started to fade

And they whispered to him

Whispered before they went out,

"...Aang...Aang..."

Darkness

And he was left alone

Watching the pain of his friends

Feeling the pain of his friends

And dying.

Toph knew she really, really liked Sokka.

She contemplated this as she sat on her bed, resting, and warming her cold, numb feet.

"I don't want to marry anybody, really."

She said this to herself, but really, she was imagining Sokka before her unseeing eyes.

"Can't I just stay alone?"

She lay quietly on her silk bedspread, scowling at how hard it was to feel vibrations, and was reminded of a flowing river. She felt the silk beneath her sensitive fingertips, and imagined waves of water running under her. She was drifting, drifting...

There was an awful silence, and Toph desperately wanted company. She needed Sokka; she needed to hear him talk again.

"Let's run off somewhere," she thought silently to herself. She knew that Sokka wouldn't approve.

The river was getting faster, and Toph felt nothing but annoyance as she drifted into the silence.

"..."

A tap on the window, and on instinct, Toph sat up, turning towards the sound. Two quick taps, followed by a sharp jab.

"Sokka?"

The warrior nodded, but remembered that Toph couldn't see it, and instead whispered a quick "yeah", pressing his hands against the glass of the window.

"Speak up, will ya?" The Earthbender jumped off her bed, walking quickly to the window. "Whaddya want now? We just got inside." She lifted the window up, letting the cool breeze in.

"I was thinking you'd want to get out of here for a while," Sokka explained, ducking his head under the window so that he could talk. The Earthbender crossed her arms.

"Duh. But you know I'm basically on house arrest, so unless you can blow this place up, I'm stuck in here forever." She leaned against the wall by the window, scowling. "You're crazy."

"Hey." The fifteen-year-old answered back, a little insulted. "At least I found a way to get you out of here."

"Fire away, great plan guy."

She waved a hand in the air dismissively, and Sokka frowned.

"Alright, then. You need a gown for your ball, and you can't see, of course. So I'm going to take you-"

"Shopping."

"Yeah, that's it." Sokka waited in anticipation for Toph's ecstatic answer, but none came. Instead, she sighed and shook her head.

"Snoozles, will you ever learn? My parents don't trust you. They think you've turned me into some sort of savage." She shrugged, tossing her head. "Can you believe them? You heard my mom. She thought you made me 'blinder'. And they don't even want you at the ball."

She rolled her eyes, and Sokka eyed her carefully.

"As much as I want to be out of this place, I know it's never gonna happen. Unless you can fight all the guards, magically make my parents disappear, and disguise me so that no one in Gaoling can recognize me, I'm never leaving the estate."

Sokka sighed.

"Toph, we've fought the Fire Nation, and you're worried about some guards?"

The Earthbender shrugged. "Okay, that's one down, two more problems to solve. How about my parents?"

"Well, if we send a maid along, they won't mind."

"Alright, then. Got any disguises?"

"Wear your Blind Bandit stuff."

"Fine by me." The girl leaped off her bed and started pulling at her silk shoes. "Let's get outta here."

She had walked down to the dining room of the ship. It seemed so lonesome and empty and foreign.

Grabbing a slice of bread from the snack platter in the middle of the table, she sat and waited. The waves lapped against the side of the boat, rocking it gently.

"Katara?"

The girl turned in the direction of the voice, and Zuko sat beside her, looking carefully at the snack platter before deciding not to get anything.

"Hi," she managed, trying to look as if she didn't care less.

"Why aren't you with Aang? I thought you said that he needed you." There wasn't any mockery in his voice, only curiousity. Katara closed her eyes for a minute, thinking.

"The doctor told me to leave. He said that I was a distraction."

"But you're a healer, aren't you?"

The girl nodded, and turned away.

"It's no use, anyways. We'll never get to the North Pole in time. He'll never get better."

"How do you know?"

Katara's eyes started to water, but she hastily looked elsewhere as not to display her emotions. She was... relatively acquainted with Zuko, but even so, she couldn't trust him with her feelings.

"I just know. It seems as if he's given up." She sighed, her back turned to the prince. "I don't see how he could ever go back to the way he was before."

A moment of silence, and then Zuko spoke up, out of the blue.

"You loved him."

She turned around to face him, staring at him coldly.

"You never knew how to love, Zuko. You don't know how I feel about Aang."

"Love is universal." He stated casually. "Love between friends is still love. Love between family is still love."

"But you don't understand. Love isn't that simple. It isn't only about care and kindness. It isn't only about families and friends."

"I know."

The prince looked at the table, his eyes distant. There was something painful in his voice, and Katara recognized it as loneliness. There was something in his eyes that reminded her of all the people that had lost love. She had seen it in Sokka's eyes when he lost Yue, and she had seen it in Haru's eyes when he lost her. A quiet understanding washed over her, and she looked at the table shyly.

"It was Mai."

She said this with a question in her voice, and Zuko said nothing. He had said too much already.

But for some reason, he felt that he could say what he wanted around her. He could say anything, and the Waterbender would understand.

He shook his head and left the table, leaving Katara to her own thoughts...

"Where's my brother?"

Azula, her back turned to the cell door, still had an air of control about her. It intimidated most people, but to Mai and Ty Lee, it was as common as breathing.

"Well... Azula... he's..." The pink-clad girl shot Mai a nervous look, and sighing, the other girl finished the thought.

"Fire Lord Iroh sent him around the world to apologize for what our nation did."

She raised an eyebrow at Ty Lee, who shot Azula a nervous glance. Even though Azula was drugged to keep her from bending, her mind was still as sharp, and they both knew that she was carefully constructing a plan.

The two girls stood behind the cell bars, the air thick with tension, until the former princess spoke into the silence.

"Mai, Ty Lee... where do your loyalties lie?"

Both girls knew that the only safe answer was to side with Azula, but by doing so, they would mark themselves as traitors of the nation.

"Um, well, Azula, what do you mean by that?" Ty Lee managed, trying to buy some time. The Firebender scowled, knowing what this was about.

"You know perfectly well what I mean. You're my friends, aren't you?" This was spoken sarcastically, as if she were mocking them. "Will you follow my command or the weak, flimsy orders of that fat old man?"

Ty Lee gulped, and even Mai fought for an answer. She knew Zuko wouldn't have sided with Azula, and it wouldn't have mattered if he didn't. Azula was powerless against her own brother, the prince of the nation. But even as a prisoner, she could still do unspeakable things to a circus acrobat and the daughter of a nobleman. By blood, she was higher than them, and she had used her power well. Azula had all sorts of connections to high-ranking people, all of which were still loyal to her.

They would and could do anything to Mai and Ty Lee if the former princess commanded them to.

Both girls knew this, and any answer they provided her would lead to some sort of conflict. Ty Lee would never rejoin the circus if she sided with Azula; she would never be truly happy again. Mai would never be able to face Zuko or his uncle if she sided with Azula, and it hurt her to think that. Both knew that their lives were in jeapoardy, no matter the answer.

Ty Lee spoke up first. A sweet girl she was, but gullible. She valued life. Her parents didn't care about her, and as far as she was concerned, she had disgraced them enough by joining the circus. Siding with Azula wouldn't have any negative effects on them or their position in life. Her decision was made.

"My loyalties lie with you, Azula." She said almost cheerfully, and Azula could've believed it if not for the way her voice shook.

"Marvelous, Ty Lee. You've learned well enough that this nation is corrupt with that old man as ruler." She smirked, her back still turned to the girls. "Mai, you haven't spoken yet. I refuse to believe that you've sided with that fool, but I suppose that's all Zuko's doing." Her voice turned cold. "Zuko. That filthy traitor, that weakling who taught the Avatar firebending. Who was instrumental in bringing my father down."

Ty Lee flinched at the harshness of Azula's voice, but Mai couldn't hear her talk. All she was thinking of was Zuko. The way he held her, the way he smiled at her. The way he wanted to please her. The way he loved her and expressed himself around her. All the ways she had felt around him that she hadn't felt around anyone else.

All of it would be torn away if she took Azula's side, but if she didn't... she could die.

Ty Lee looked at Mai quietly. "Just say yes," she mouthed, her grey eyes wrought with nervousness. Mai looked away.

"Of course, I have no use for weak girls that let their guard down if they love someone," Azula continued casually. "How useless love is, unless used to gain power. There's no doubt that Zuko loves you, Mai. But does he love you enough to die for you? Does he love you that much?"

Mai stayed silent. All those times Zuko had been near her, she had felt a sense of security. Nothing could hurt her if he was around. Nothing in the world could bring her down.

But... would he die for her? He had left her so willingly when he had gone to teach the Avatar. He had risked his life in doing so, but he hadn't risked his life for her. No, he had left her behind, instead of taking her with him. He didn't care enough about her.

Her heart was torn in two, but she knew what Azula was meaning to do.

"I don't know if he loves me." She managed.

"Then why are you hesitating? Don't tell me you're one of those weaklings, those girls that value their boyfriends above anything else. If Zuko wouldn't die for you, then why should you die for him?" She put every ounce of cruelty in that last sentence, and Mai knew then that the decision was made for her. Mai knew she had to join Azula, even if it would tear the bond between her and Zuko apart.

There was no looking back now. She could accept this fate and live. Bowing her head, she spoke the sentence that ended it all.

"My loyalties lie with you, Azula."

"Sokka, when I said to pick something attractive, I meant something comfortable!"

"Well, it was the maid!" He countered from behind the dressing room door. "How am I supposed to know what girls wear these days?"

"Why didn't you take my personality into consideration?"

"Well, everyone knows you can't wear mud to a ball!"

"What?" Toph yelped as the maid pulled the bow around her waist tighter. "Ow!"

"Ouch." Sokka murmured. The outing planned for Toph hadn't gone so well. The maid Sokka had chosen was impatient, hustling them from one shop to the other. Finally, she had grabbed a dress, paid for it, and gone. Despite attempts to steal a look at the gown, Sokka hadn't seen much of it and could only conclude that it was made of silk and mostly white.

White like a wedding gown, he thought, and shook the thought out of his mind.

"I think that's enough, Lia," he heard Toph say behind the door. "I can't breathe."

He waited for a few more minutes before the door opened and Toph came out, dressed in her normal attire, while Lia, the servant, hustled out, looking red-faced and holding the bag that held Toph's ball gown inside.

"I think it'll be fine, Miss Bei Fong," she managed. "We'll just need to get the Bei Fong crest sewed on, and then it'll be fine." She said this hurriedly, and marched out of the bedroom, Toph rolling her eyes.

"Ugh. That was the most painful experience of my life." She collasped onto the bed, Sokka raising an eyebrow.

"After all that we've been through, you can still say that?"

"Yup." She took in a few breaths of air, and closed her eyes. "I couldn't breathe."

"I know."

"You've never worn a dress."

"Well..." Sokka turned red, and even though Toph couldn't see it, she heard it in his voice. A smirk appeared on her face.

"You've worn a dress before?"

"It was for warrior training!" He retorted, albeit somewhat embarrased. Toph raised an eyebrow, the smirk on her face spreading wider.

"Tell me the story."

"It involves Suki." He stated, and immediately, Toph fell silent. Suki was a touchy subject when it came to Sokka. She had been reported missing for some while now, and even though Toph was secretly glad of her absence, Sokka had taken it hard.

Still, the warrior continued. "We were on Kyoshi Island, a little place we visited after going to the Southern Air Temple. We had just found Aang, and we were on the run from Zuko and his ship."

"He had a ship?"

"Yeah, he was a real stuck-up prince then. He was trying to capture Aang, no matter how long it took."

"I think I've known that for quite some time now."

Sokka stopped, and Toph sighed. "Okay, fine. Continue."

"It's rude to interrupt." He stated reproachfully, and started again. "Well, Kyoshi Island's where we met Suki. She led a group of warriors called-"

"The Kyoshi Warriors." Toph finished, sighing. "Sheesh, couldn't they have come up with something more creative?"

"Toph. You're interrupting again. Anyways, I was a pretty bad warrior back then. The best in the tribe, but not very good compared to the warriors on the island."

"Not very surprising, I might add."

"Toph! Well, after proving myself to be the worst warrior on the island, Suki decided to teach me some basics. For a price."

Toph could tell that the story was about to get good, and she grinned. "What was it?"

"Wearing their ceremonial warrior dress."

Toph broke into laughter, and Sokka immediately realized that he had made a mistake.

"Well, Aang did it too! You know, to summon Avatar Kyoshi's spirit!"

"Ha, Sokka! You wore a dress because some girls beat you up in combat?" She laughed harder, and the warrior knew that she'd never let him live this one down. "Classic."

"Hey, Toph-"

"Wait 'til I tell Zuko!"

Sokka blanched, and looked at the Earthbender. "You don't mean that, do you?"

She raised an eyebrow, grinning, and Sokka smiled. "Thought so."

It was as if everything had been forgotten, as the two friends laughed together. It was as if Toph wasn't going to a ball and possibly getting married. It was as if Sokka knew that Suki was safe somewhere and that she wasn't dead. It felt like the world was a little happier, for once.

The sun was setting again, and Sokka looked out the window, still grinning. "Hey, I better get going before your parents get back."

"You do that, Snoozles." Toph answered. She gazed in his direction. "Where do you sleep, anyways?"

"The stables, with Appa." He shrugged, lifting the window up so he could duck back outside. "It's no big deal. I'm used to it."

"Yeah, but you can't chaperone me around smelling like a bison." Sokka grinned, and Toph shrugged. "Well, maybe my parents can set you up with a room."

"I'd like that." He climbed out the window, and looked up at Toph, who was standing by, as usual.

"See you later, then?"

"Yeah, that'd be good." She shot him a quick smile, which he returned, and she nodded, closing the window and climbing back onto her bed.

Despite everything, today had been a good day.

Author's Note: I'm really sorry for the delay in getting this chapter written. I've got a lot of ideas now, but whenever I write them out, they don't sound fitting enough. I've decided that the next chapter will end this story arc, and that the next part will focus on the Bei Fong Ball and Azula's devious plan.

Thanks for 60 reviews, everyone!