Cutting it close to my deadline... again. But here it is! Hurrah! Hurray! Huzzah, even!
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of the universe in which this story is based in. I do however claim ownership of you, the dear reader. That's right. Prepare to be enslaved. -Cracks whip.-
It was dark. Well, Toph thought, it was always dark for her. But it seemed very dark. The air was stuffy and thick, pressing in on her. Her earthbending vision was a blank slate. The silence around her was overwhelming. Her arms ached, and her forehead glistened with sweat. She almost felt claustrophobic, and just a little bit afraid.
Hanging by her wrists from a set of wooden chains as she was, the situation looked bleaker than ever. Escape plans eluded her as her mind slowly gave way for a dull haze. A tear slipped from beneath her eyelid every so often, adding to her dehydration. She preferred to be optimistic about these sorts of situations, to fight until she couldn't fight any longer, but her current predicament... Toph shook her head, making a vain attempt to force away the welling hopelessness.
She had called out to Qin a number of times, but it appeared the waterbender had been taken to another... room? Their being separated cut Toph's chances of escape drastically, and that annoyed her. She herself could escape with ease, if only she could bloody bend. Her feet ached to feel the rough earth beneath them once more. It made Toph want to scream.
She wasn't sure where she was how long she had spent chained there. After they'd arrived, both Qin and she had been carried a long distance, unceremoniously draped over a shoulder. The increasing level of stuffiness making Toph wonder if she was underground. A stupid move, if Toph ever got her way to the walls. Azula had personally tied Toph to the wooden shackles hanging from the roof, and there she had hung for what seemed like days. The wound in her shoulder had screamed, and Toph had screamed with it. Her throat was still sore.
But now her body had gone numb from the agony. With the physical pain dissipated, Toph's mind had returned to that of her parents, and the mental pain began. She still struggled to maintain hope, to believe they had survived. The tears came anyway, the thought of her parents' slaughter flashing through her mind. She wiped the tears off on her dirtied arm.
And then had come the blank, emptiness she felt now. Sleep took her every so often, sometimes minutes, sometimes hours at a time. During the hours of wakefulness, Toph's mind was silent. It didn't want to think about her captivity, or her uncomfortable position, or the death of her parents. It didn't want to think at all. Toph's brain had shut down, and Toph had no desire to start it back up. If she couldn't think of a way out of Azula's cursed grasp, than it was best to let herself rest a bit. As much as you could hanging from your wrists, that was.
There was a loud bang, and Toph raised her head slowly, attempting to focus. Shouting followed, and Toph recognized Azula's voice. She forced herself fully awake, and strained to hear what was being said.
"-need it now," Azula was saying in a low, fierce voice. "There isn't time for your incompetence."
"But Mistress. it-" There was a smack, and a muffled curse. "Yes, Mistress. We'll have it here as soon as possible."
"Make it sooner," Azula snapped, and Toph heard footsteps as one of the two retreated. Silence returned to the room.
A sigh echoed a few minutes later, and footsteps approached Toph. "Must I do everything myself?" Azula muttered under her breath. "At least Ty Lee and Mai were useful..."
A flicker of hatred tried to rile Toph up, but her body was too exhausted to move. She just hung there, limp as a rag doll, listening to Azula mumble to herself.
Toph suddenly felt a cold hand press against her chin, the touch firm but soft. "At least you were an easy capture. So simple. So elegant. So..."
Wet lips pressed against Toph's own. Toph blinked momentarily, stunned, her brain trying to process the feeling. Then her reflexes kicked in, and she wrenched her head away despite her lack of energy.
"What the hell?" Toph demanded in a scratchy voice. Azula really had gone completely and utterly mad. Toph wanted to spit, to scrub her lips with a brush. She settled on wiping them against her arms. They still felt soiled.
Azula let out a grunt of disappointment. "You're a waste of my time," she shot, and Toph listened as Azula's footsteps disappeared out of the room.
Toph hung there, her lips still wet with Azula's saliva. Her throat hurt after having spoken, and she wished she had some water. And some food.
With a sigh, she let her mind return to the blissful numbness, and Toph slowly slipped into an uneasy sleep.
Dawn had hardly broken when Aang awoke. He slid out of bed, changed, and slipped out of the guest room quietly. In the main dining area of the tea shoppe he found Iroh sitting at a table, already sipping tea and staring out the large open doors thoughtfully. The rest of the shoppe was empty, the day still much too young for people to be relaxing with a hot cup of tea.
Iroh's eyes refocused as Aang took the seat across from him. "Good morning," he said cheerily, pouring a second cup of the fragrant tea and handing it to Aang.
"Morning." Aang suppressed a yawn behind his hand. The tea turned out to be hot and bitter, the perfect brew for a swift jolt to wakefulness in the morning.
The morning dawn filled the tea shoppe from the door, the tall doors angled just right to catch the summer hues. Tables glistened in the light, long shadows dancing on the back wall. Aang could already feel the sun's warmth wrap around him, and he let out a contented sigh, almost forgetting the problems that had plagued him the night before. He smiled, understanding why Iroh was so happy and content with his shop. One could quickly forget about the past and simply live in the moment.
As Iroh poured himself another cup of tea from the steaming pot sitting on the table, he turned to Aang and asked, "So, dream of any ideas? I always say the best thing for thinking is a little sleep and some tea." He sipped his cup thoughtfully.
"I'm not sure," Aang admitted, shaking his head. "Zuko asked me to find Azula, and it looks like that's even more important now. But I have no idea where to even start. She could be anywhere, and we've had no leads so far."
"I wish I could help you there. The princess has truly vanished."
"I was also warning the others while I searched for clues," Aang continued. "Anyone Azula might try and target. Zuko and Mai know, of course, and I've already been to Katara, and Sokka and Suki. Ty Lee is with me. So the only person I haven't talked to yet is Toph."
"She was on her way to her parents, the last I spoke with her," Iroh offered.
"That's what Sokka told me," Aang said. "I suppose that's our next stop. I could use her help."
The two lapsed into silence for awhile, sipping their tea as they lost themselves in their thoughts. Ty Lee appeared before the sun truly broke the horizon and joined them at the table, quipping about how awesome Iroh's shoppe looked in the morning. "It should be crammed!" she exclaimed as she lounged in the sun.
It wasn't until about mid-morning, when the first of Iroh's employees started arriving to get the shoppe ready for the usual afternoon bustle, that they learned of the pandemonium besetting the city. One of the younger employees ran into the shoppe, his hat scrunched in his hand and his coat hanging from only one arm, panic painting his face red. He spotted Iroh and rushed over, nearly collapsing on the table as he tried to make his mouth form words.
"Earth King... killed... chaos..." the man gasped out as he tried to gulp air. Sweat began to pour down his forehead, and he looked exhausted to the point of collapsing.
"Taiyan, slow down," Iroh said in a calm voice. "Catch your breath and tell us what happened.
The man breathed deeply for a moment, making a visible attempt to compose himself. "The Earth King," he repeated once he was finally able to speak, "has been assassinated. Chaos is breaking out over the city."
Aang sprung from his chair. The Earth King was dead? This was a time of peace! No, Aang knew who was responsible. The only people that could be responsible.
Iroh's face took on a hard look as he rose from his chair. "Are you sure, Taiyan?"
Taiyan nodded. "Rumours say it happened sometime last night, and his body was discovered this morning. I don't know anything else..."
"Thank-you," Iroh squeezed Taiyan's shoulder. "Prepare the shoppe as normal, and try to calm anyone who seeks refuge here. Tea is on the house today."
Aang was already halfway to the door by the time Iroh left the employee to follow. The full blast of the sun hit him as he stepped out into the large courtyard in front of the shoppe. From their vantage point above the city, Aang could see the bustle down in the streets. There was more movement than could be accounted for at this hour of the morning, and more than a few shouts could be heard breaking the dawn air. Ty Lee came up beside him, looking confused.
"Appa!" Aang called, pulling his whistle from his pocket. He blew on it hard, and a moment later the large Sky Bison came soaring through the air, landing heavily on the ground. Aang moved to air bend his way onto the beasts back, then checked the motion and climbed up instead. As he pulled himself into the saddle, a familiar face pounced on him, nearly knocking him to the saddle floor.
"Momo!" Aang cried, chuckling slightly despite the situation. Momo chattered happily, perching on Aang's shoulder. He had nearly forgotten that the small winged-lemur had been hanging in Ba Sing Se, preferring the open skies of the Earth Kingdom city to the small dusty rooms Aang had spent the last few years in as he ran diplomatic missions.
Ty Lee hopped up into the saddle, and a moment later she had Iroh in as well. Aang snapped back to the present and tugged on Appa's reins. They rose into the sky with dizzying quickness. Aang sat himself on his friend's neck and gently directed Appa over the city, watching the people below. As they drew closer to the residential areas lying near to the palace, Aang began to see what the employee had meant by chaos. People dotted the streets, fighting amongst themselves, running in all directions. Aang watched as one came out of a shop with arms heavily burdened. Aang had to blink back surprise. He could understand a relative amount of chaos at the death of the Earth King, but outright looting in the streets? He needed to get this under control, and fast.
He pulled on Appa's reins, and they redirected themselves toward the castle. They had to get to the bottom of this and settle the city before there was a complete disaster.
As Appa landed in the large courtyard in front of the palace Aang leapt off, all but running toward the palace doors. The guards that usually stood at the doors were absent. Every man had probably been called to keep order in the city. Aang burst through the doors, racing down halls lined with tapestries and marble busts. He nearly mowed down a servant rushing in the other direction. By the time he reached the throne room, he'd toppled two porcelain vases, and Ty Lee and Iroh were long lost.
A group of people gathered in the throne room turned their heads as he slowed to a fast walk, the red carpet muffling his footsteps. One man broke off as he recognized Aang and approached, his face looking grim. The others returned to their conversation, periodically glancing at Aang from the corner of their eyes. Sudden relief of having the Avatar there was apparent on their faces.
"Master Aang," the man said, making a low bow. Aang recognized the man - Chancellor Ying, adviser to the King. "It is a relief to see the Avatar has come."
"What happened?" Aang asked, still slightly out of breath from his sprint through the palace.
"Ahh," Ying frowned. "That is in debate, at the moment. Our only information is that the Earth King is deceased, and it appears to be at the hands of a fire bender."
That would explain the near-rioting in the streets. If word had gotten out that a firebender had assassinated the King, it could mean that the Fire Nation was preparing an assault. It would likely be the first thing jumping into people's heads anyway, so soon after the last war. And with the Avatar being such close friends with Fire Lord Zuko...
"I need you to get word to the people that the Avatar is in the city, and doing all he can to help settle the matter," Aang spoke quickly. Ying motioned toward one of the men in the circle, and he came over, a curious look touching his eyes. "And tell them that the Fire Nation is not involved." Hopefully that would quell some of the insanity. Some.
Ying relayed the order to the man, and with a curt nod the man flew out of the throne room, exiting through the doors at the same moment as Ty Lee and Iroh jogged in.
"I also would request that you to take me to the Earth King's body," Aang said as Iroh and Ty Lee approached. Ying nodded, and a moment later they were making their way through the palace halls as a quick pace. Servants ran through the halls, and Aang noticed the panic covering their faces. At a time like this, the entire palace hierarchy would be a mess, the servants not least of all.
The King's chambers weren't far from the throne room. Aang threw open the door, and was immediately struck by the stench that came forward. Covering his nose with his shirt, he stepped into the room. Light from the window illuminated the large chambers, and atop the bed Aang spotted what looked like a charred lump.
As he approached, he recognized the face of the King, his expression contorted with pain. The rest of his body was barely human. His chest was a mixture of ash and dried blood. His limbs... looked as though they had melted into the bed. There were holes in the bed where his hands should have been, and Aang nearly gagged when he glanced in them and saw the congealed remains of liquefied flesh.
Iroh stepped up beside Aang, examining the corpse. "This is unnatural," he said, voice laden with disgust. "No firebender I know of could have caused this much damage. Fire burns the flesh, it does not melt it."
The sound of wrenching came from behind, and Aang glanced over his shoulder to see Ty Lee bent double in a corner by the door. "I think we know who is responsible," Aang replied, turning back to the King's face. His eyes were sunk in, as though the support of his skull had left them.
They left the Earth King to his rest, closing the door behind them. Ying stood patiently outside, and nodded solemnly as they approached.
"Did you discover anything," the man asked, holding a hand to his nose against the stench.
"We know who the culprits are," Aang replied. "I've been encountering them for the past week. They attacked Kyoshi Island two days ago."
Ying sighed to himself. "Another war..." he mumbled under his breath. "Kyoshi Island and the Earth King. What are their motives?"
"Sewing chaos," Iroh replied as he comforted a rather shaken Ty Lee. She had apparently gotten a glimpse of the corpse after emptying her stomach, and her face was a sickly white. "I worry for Zuko."
Aang's head whipped around so fast it cracked. "Zuko? Why?" The words slurred together.
"The easiest way to cause chaos worldwide," Iroh explained, "would be to take down each head of government. I wouldn't be surprised if attempts had been made on all the Nation leaders."
Which. Meant. Zuko. Aang whipped around and tore down the hall so fast he tripped over his own feet, flying headfirst into a marble statue. The statue toppled, nearly landing atop him. He paid it no heed, jumping to his feet, but before he could move he felt a strong grip grasp his arm.
"Not so fast, Aang," Iroh said calmly. Aang struggled to free himself from the old man's vice.
"If Zuko's in danger, I need to be there. Now!" Aang protested, prying at Iroh's large fingers.
"If he's in danger," Iroh emphasized, "he would likely already have been attacked. And he can protect himself far better than you could in your situation. Calm down."
Aang stopped struggling as Iroh's logic settled in.
"Even so..." Aang said, feeling the tears sting his eyes. "I need to know if he's safe. I need to know if..." He suddenly felt exhausted, and had to use the fallen statue to steady himself before he fell.
Iroh placed a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder. "I'm sure Zuko is fine. He's a fine warrior, and the military defence around the Fire palace is greater than that here. No offence," he added to Ying, who had caught up and was watching the scene with a tinge of wonder. Aang scrubbed at his eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed at his public breakdown.
Composing his face - his mind still raced with emotion and panic - Aang took a deep breath. "You're right. However, as the Avatar, I need to know the extent of the damage. And the actions of this damn cult."
Iroh nodded, apparently happy with the control Aang had summoned. He dropped his hand from Aang's shoulder. "I will remain here and attempt to settle the city. Perhaps a new Earth King can be raised before things get too out of control." He smiled reassuringly.
"Ty Lee," Aang turned to the woman in question. She still looked as thought she was ready to heave again. "Can I ask you to visit Toph's parent's home? This situation is starting to escalate fast, and I think we'll need everyone for this."
"Of course," Ty Lee nodded. "I'll get directions from Iroh and leave tonight."
"Thanks," Aang nodded. "I'm going to retrace my steps and gather Sokka, Suki, and Katara. Then I'm checking on Zuko. We'll meet back at Iroh's tea shoppe in a week?"
"It is a plan, then," Iroh agreed. "I wish you safety on your journey."
Aang made quick goodbyes and apologized to Ying for leaving the city in its current state. Then he was outside, mounting Appa and heading off into the sky, back toward Kyoshi Island. Back toward Zuko.
There it is. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have a sudden urge to review and tell me how awesome I am, I highly encourage such acts. If you have the urge to message me and tell me how much I suck... well, I guess I'll accept those too. But then no cookie for you. These are my cookies!
And now I shall run off to watch the new episode of Glee, because I'm lame like that. -Scuttles off.-