Chapter Three

The business district immediately outside the palace walls bustled with activity as the market stalls began to open. Zuko waved away the palanquin that had been summoned by the palace guard. Toph was grateful.

"Thanks for not standing on ceremony for me," she said. "I want you to be able to see where you're going," said Zuko, taking her arm. "But stay close. The markets are really busy right now. All the spring flowers and fruits are coming in."

They explored the open air market in relative peace. Most of the shop owners bowed to their prince as Zuko and Toph passed, but few shoppers even looked past their shopping baskets to notice them. It was hard to see clothing details, but she guessed that Zuko must be pretty dressed down for the day to get so little attention.

Toph was busily examining some beautiful earthenware pottery when there was a minor scuffle a few stalls away. To her surprise, one of the men applied some subtle earthbending on the other to subdue him. "Zuko," she whispered urgently, grabbing at his arm. "There's an earthbender back there in that fight."

"That would be Chun. He's part of security," Zuko replied, smoothly maneuvering her farther away from the scuffle. A city policeman had arrived to escort away the man Chun had taken down. "Former Dai Li, would you believe it?"

"Dai Li?" she almost yelled it out, but forced herself to be more discreet. She vividly remembered the fights with the Dai Li at Ba Sing Se. "Can he be trusted?"

"Chun has been a valued team member for years. Sure, he was on Azula's payroll once, but now he is on ours," Zuko answered, but Toph still wasn't convinced. He must have seen it in her face because he continued, "Aang trusts him, too."

Since Aang had gotten as good as she was in reading people's emotional states, she grudgingly agreed. "But an earthbender?" she asked.

"I have water benders on my payroll as well," Zuko answered. "I won't point them out, but at any time we are within sight of at least six members of my security team, all of who are earth, water, or fire benders as well as skilled in weapons combat." They made their way out of the shopping areas and into one of the many public gardens that dotted the city.

"Sounds oppressive," she said, stooping to avoid a trailing flower vine that grew across the path.

"In many ways it is," he answered, a tired note in his voice. Toph glanced around the park. "Is there a place we can talk without your strike team breathing down our necks?" she asked.

Zuko led her down a shady trail to a waterfall. The trail continued behind the falls into a shallow cave with a stone bench. "How's this?" he asked as they sat down, the water creating a translucent green wall between them and the outside world.

"What's wrong?" Toph asked bluntly. "Was that an attack in the market?"

"Probably not," Zuko answered, "but it's always better to be cautious." His voice sounded so calm, like being attacked in the streets was just business as usual.

"Does this happen often?" she asked in amazement. There's a certain amount of unrest in the city," he began carefully, as if he wasn't sure how much to tell her. "Ever since the fall of Ozai and Azula, some elements have believed that the country's honor is lost. They feel humiliated by the war reparations and reconstruction. Some were financially hurt by the end of the war." He sighed and looked up at the falling water. "Most of my people are glad to see the war end. They were tired of loss and wanted their loved ones to come home. But those angry ones still cause dissent whenever they can."

Toph grew furious. She was furious first of all at those idiots who couldn't see peace for what it was—peace! But as she sat there, she realized that she was furious with Zuko as well.

So, she yelled at him. "Well, what are we doing in here? Let's get out there and kick butt and take names! Why are you letting that Dai Li reject do your dirty work? Show these guys what you're made of! We can take 'em!" she stood, rolling up her sleeves in readiness.

Zuko had the effrontery to laugh at her, which infuriated her even further. "I wish I could," he declared as he pulled her back down to sit beside him. He then continued more seriously, "But who do I attack? Some poor ironworker who lost his job at the weapons factory? Some colonist who's been forced to return here—hundreds of miles away from the only home he's ever known?"

She calmed down as she listened to the frustration in his voice. "Last month, a group of dissenters attacked my Uncle's procession. Fortunately, that Dai Li reject you were complaining about had already infiltrated the group deeply enough to foil their plans. No one even knew that an attack had occurred," Zuko said sternly. "I was angry enough that day to personally face down every one of those men involved, but what would that have gained us? A prince who brings personal retaliation back on his own people?"

He stood almost as if he could no longer keep still. "Uncle and I—everyone in the palace—we are all surrounded by a very competent group of security team members who are working to keep us safe and the country stabilized," he continued. "We have to let them do their jobs so that we can keep doing ours."

"How often do you have to tell yourself this story?" she asked, rising to stand beside him.

"Every day," he answered quietly.

Toph reached out to place one hand on his chest. "I can tell you aren't happy, Sparky. I know something about this kind of life. The palace is really beautiful, but I lived way too long in a golden cage to ever do it again."

Zuko just stood there, silent. Her heart broke to see him so trapped by this life, these responsibilities. She took his hands in hers, vowing to herself to do whatever it took to get the old Zuko back—moodiness and all.

She continued, "When you and Aang got back from the dragon masters, you were so full of fire. You said you'd learned that fire is life and passion. Where's your passion, Zuko? Where's the fire inside you?"

Zuko held her hands tightly, but didn't answer. Finally, she answered for him.

"You need a vacation."

AN: Okay, less fluff this time, but I said there was a plot coming. I also seriously apologize for the lack of paragraphing before--two computers, three programs, still screwed up. Oh, well, fixed now.