Chapter 11: The Surprise at the Pole
"Ok Sokka, this was annoying at first but it's really starting to freak me out now," Toph complained.
Toph and Sokka were currently drifting on the seas north of the Earth Kingdom in a stolen canoe. Sokka was paddling the canoe while Toph sat in the middle. Around Toph were piles of rocks for her to bend with, just in case something happened while at sea. The rocks were the only objects Toph could see clearly, the wood of the canoe was blurry and the water splashing against the canoe was a swirling mess of chaotic vibrations. Toph had thrown up several times on the first day at sea, and the second day wasn't feeling any better.
"This is only until we find the Northern Water Tribe," Sokka said.
"Well if we don't find them soon I'm making you turn this boat around!" Toph yelled.
"You can't even tell which way we came from!" Sokka yelled back.
"Why are we even going to the North Pole again?" Toph asked.
"Katara and Aang need to learn waterbending, and the North Pole is the only place to do it," Sokka explained. "How many times do I need to say it?"
"We better get there soon or the next time I throw up it will be on you," Toph threatened.
Suddenly the water in front of the canoe turned to ice, freezing a path headed straight for it. When the ice hit the canoe it spread around it, bringing the canoe to a sudden stop. From behind icebergs Sokka saw several small ships move into view, each with a half dozen men in blue furs on them.
"Waterbenders," Sokka said. "We found the Water Tribe."
"Just peachy," Toph said and then threw up over the side of the canoe.
One of the boats stopped next to the canoe, the waterbenders on board surprised to find two children alone in their waters. It was obvious they weren't a threat, since the girl was clearly seasick. "Who are you children?" one of the waterbenders asked.
"Sokka, Southern Water Tribe," he introduced himself. "Can I talk to whoever handles tourists?"
"Come with us," the waterbender said. He melted the ice around the canoe and then ordered the boats to escort Sokka and Toph to the North Pole. Propelling the canoe and the boats with waterbending allowed them to reach the city within the hour.
Once inside the ice wall that protected the city, Sokka took in the sights as the canoe moved through the city's canals. "This place is beautiful," Sokka said.
"Shut it," Toph said, trying to make her stomach cooperate.
When they reached the palace the waterbenders were ready to bring Sokka and Toph inside. They tried to force Toph to put some boots on to protect her feet from the cold, but she refused. Instead she took some of the rocks from the canoe and earthbended them into stone shoes. Her feet were still cold, but kept off the ice to prevent frostbite. Before walking into the palace Toph earthbended the remaining rocks into a single large stone, which she dragged with her into the palace.
Inside the palace they found a man with black hair standing in front of a small waterfall. "Greetings, I am Chief Arnook," he said. "It is a pleasure to meet someone from our sister tribe for the first time in many years."
"Wait, the First time?" Sokka said. "What about my sister?"
"Who?" Arnook said.
"My sister, Katara, was supposed to be here," Sokka said.
"Well then it would appear that you got here first," Arnook said.
"That's impossible," Sokka said. "She's travelling with the Avatar on a Sky Bison. There's no way we were faster than that."
"Does this mean we can leave now?" Toph asked.
"No it doesn't," Sokka replied.
"Did you say she's with the Avatar?" Arnook asked.
"Yes," Sokka answered. "They were both coming here to learn waterbending, and they should have beaten us here by at least a couple of weeks."
"I don't have an explanation for you," Arnook said. "In any case please stay at least a few days to recover from your journey. Tonight we're having a feast for my daughter's birthday, so please enjoy yourself."
That night Sokka and Toph accepted the offer to attend the feast. They were allowed to sit at the head table in the palace, to Arnook's left. Toph had earthbended her rocks into a stone mat wide enough for five people to sit on, providing her with a small island of clear sight. The ice past the stone made the people standing on it appear blurry and vague, but clear enough to tell where people were nearby.
Once everyone at the feast had food placed in front of them, Chief Arnook stood up to speak. "Tonight we celebrate my daughter's sixteenth birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age."
Sokka watched Princess Yue walk in, finding her white hair strange yet beautiful at the same time. He listened when she spoke. "Thank you father. May the great Ocean and Moon spirits watch over us during these troubled times."
Once Yue was finished, Arnook spoke again. "We also celebrate the arrival of our brother from the southern tribe. And with him comes the arrival of new hope. The Avatar has returned to the world to light our darkest hour."
The crowd cheered at the announcement of the good news while Yue took a seat next to Sokka. "Hi there, Sokka, Southern Water Tribe," he introduced himself to her.
"Very nice to meet you," Yue replied.
"So you're a princess," Sokka said. "You know, back in my tribe I'm kind of like a prince myself."
"Prince of getting his butt whooped," Toph interrupted.
"Hey I'm trying to have a conversation here," Sokka said.
"My apologies, Prince Ponytail," Toph said.
Ignoring Toph, Sokka turned back to Yue. "I don't know how long I'm going to be in town. Maybe you could show me the sights?"
"Sure," Yue said.
The next morning Sokka and Yue met outside the palace. Together they climbed into a canoe and wandered the canals throughout the city, drifting from one place to another with no real destination in mind. They simply enjoyed each other's company, comparing the similarities and differences between their respective tribes.
"So they don't have palaces in the southern tribe?" Yue asked.
"I grew up in a block of ice," Sokka said. "It's not exactly a cultural hub."
Yue laughed, then noticed they were drifting towards the ice wall of the city. "You should see the view from up there," Yue said while pointing at the wall.
Sokka stopped the boat next to the ice so that he and Yue could climb out. They walked the rest of the way to the wall and climbed up the stairs to the top. There were waterbenders patrolling the wall, but they let Sokka and Yue walk by.
"It really is a sight," Sokka said, looking out to sea. The ocean stretched beyond the eye could see, endless blue dotted with white icebergs. While enjoying the view it started to snow.
"Sometimes I come up here just to watch the ocean," Yue said. "Watching the tides rise and fall, it helps me relax."
"All I need to relax is a piece of seal jerky," Sokka said.
"Okay…" Yue said. She looked into Sokka's eyes and he looked back. In bliss their faces moved closer together. They were about to kiss when a snowflake landed in Yue's eye, startling her and interrupted the moment. "Ow, that stings," she said while rubbing her eye.
"Was something in… that… snow..." Sokka stopped talking when he saw black snow falling from the sky. "Oh no…"
"What's happening?" Yue asked.
"Soot," Sokka said. "Its soot mixed with snow."
"What does it mean?" Yue asked.
"I've seen it before," Sokka said. "Right before my village was attacked. The Fire Nation is closing in on the North Pole. And from the looks of this, I'd say there's a lot of them."
"We need to get back to the palace," Yue said. "It's not safe here."
Immediately Sokka and Yue hurried back to the palace. Inside they found Chief Arnook already speaking with Master Pakku about the impending invasion. Toph was off to the side, sitting on a chair she made with her rocks.
"Thank you Sokka for bringing Yue back safely," Arnook said when they arrived.
"Sokka, we're leaving," Toph said. "Now!"
"Since when do you run from a fight," Sokka said.
"I can't fight here," Toph said. "Apart from this little rock there's no earth for me to bend. Once that's gone I have nothing to fight with."
"Running isn't an option," Sokka said. "The only way out is out to sea, right in the path of the Fire Nation."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Toph asked. "Just sit back and while everyone else fights?"
"I'm not saying that," Sokka said. Thinking for a moment Sokka came up with an idea. "There's no earth here, but what if we brought you to the earth."
Toph smiled. "I like where you're going with this," she said. "But how would we do that?"
"We need someone to bend away the ice and water between us and the ground," Sokka explained. "We'll need a master waterbender for this.
Five minutes later…
"No," Master Pakku said.
"Why not?" Sokka asked. "This could work."
"You misunderstand," Pakku said. "In our tribe it is forbidden for women to fight."
"Then there's no problem," Toph said. "I'm not part of your tribe, I already know how to fight, and this plan would give your tribe a massive advantage. The Fire Nation won't be expecting an earthbender here, especially not the greatest earthbender in the world."
"A big boast from a little girl," Pakku said. "So far I'm not impressed."
"Get me to the earth and I'll prove it to you," Toph said.
"Fine, I'll indulge your request," Pakku said. "Meet me at the wall in an hour."
Sokka and Toph immediately went to the ice wall and waited for Pakku to arrive. By the time he did several of the Fire Navy ships could be seen just in front of the horizon. There was one ship in front of the others, apparently leading the invasion. Pakku saw the ship in the front, and bended some ice into a spyglass to observe the ship in greater detail.
"What is it Master Pakku?" Sokka asked.
"Take a look at the lead ship," Pakku said, handing Sokka the ice spyglass.
Through the spyglass Sokka could see that the lead ship had gold markings on it. Standing at the brow of the ship was a teenager in gold trimmed armor, hair bound in a long ponytail with a Fire Nation headpiece at the base. Though Sokka couldn't make them out, the teen's amber eyes stared back at the ice wall.
"If I had to guess, that ship belongs to Fire Nation royalty," Sokka said. "They're going all out if they're willing to risk losing a prince."
"Then we better get started," Pakku said.
A/N: Who is this invader? Will the Siege play out differently? Can Sokka make a difference? These questions will be answered... Right Now. Prince Zuko, Of Course, and Oh My Noooo...
Sokka: Wait What?