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Chapter Seven

As Zuko helped Toph down from her seat, he watched her face, eager to see her expression when her foot touched the ground. He was not disappointed.

Her eyes grew wide and she drew in a sharp breath. The forest was like nothing she'd ever seen before. The gan trees grew tall and slender, easily reaching two hundred feet. Their trunks were smooth and free of branches until the upper canopy where they branched out into silvery green, feathery foliage. The forest floor was covered in a soft carpet of tiny green leaves.

Toph walked over to one of the trees to touch it. For all its height, the trunk was only about four feet in diameter. She stroked the trunk gently. "I can see it," she whispered. "I've never seen anything like this. What kind of tree did you say this is?"

"A gan tree," he said, watching the emotion play on her face. "What's so special about it?"

"It must have a very high mineral content—almost like a living metal," she replied. "I can even see the leaves," she continued in awe. She turned to Zuko with a look that made his heart soar. "I've never seen leaves before."

"Do you want to keep walking?" he asked. When she nodded, he tied off the zebra mules and hurried to catch up as she headed off into the forest.

As far as he could see, the gan trees stretched ahead of them. There was almost no undergrowth, and the silvery leaves made a thick carpet that muffled their footsteps. The only sound was the swish of leaves overhead.

"Shhhh," Toph said suddenly, coming to a stop.

"I was being quiet," Zuko whispered in reply.

"There's a koalapanda up there." She pointed up ahead, but Zuko couldn't see anything. He continued to peer in the direction she was pointing, then suddenly spotted the large animal, rooting on the forest floor, his mottled fur providing excellent camouflage in the dappled sunlight.

"I must be slipping," he said softly. "I can't believe I didn't see him."

"You've been cooped up in the palace too long, Sparky," she teased. "You're losing your touch."

Zuko silently agreed. He had been cooped up too long.

She then pulled him behind a tree. "Someone's coming," she said. "Fast."

Back at the road they heard the zebramules whinny in protest. Zuko peered carefully around the tree to see two men—one untying the animals and the other grabbing the arm of Toph's maid, Ling.

Toph motioned for Zuko to get down next to her and she placed both her hands on the ground, her face solemn in concentration. Zuko could hear Ling's voice raised in protest, then the man holding her slapped her, hard. His instincts told him to be still, even as his honor instructed him to go to her aid.

Then the man bound Ling's wrists behind her and tossed her into the back of the conveyance. Toph quietly pulled Zuko down onto the ground next to her, then carefully, silently began to bend the earth and fallen leaves around them and they sank out of sight beneath the forest floor.

He held her in his arms, barely breathing. It was almost completely dark in their little cocoon, but he could make out the muffled voices of the men above them.

"They must be out here somewhere!" one of the men said with an angry curse. "They couldn't just disappear, I don't care what kind of master bender the blind girl is."

"She's a good-looking thing, though," said the other. "Zuko might have taken her as far into the forest as he could, if you know what I mean."

The other man responded with a coarse comment that made Zuko's blood boil. Toph gave him a warning squeeze on the arm.

"What did the maid tell you?" the first man continued.

"She said she was coming to find them because the blind girl had left her shawl behind," came the reply. "Funny, the maid didn't bring the shawl with her."

"Spy. We'll deal with her when we get back to the boat."

The second man laughed. "How about we leave the animals and wagon just like we found them and wait for his highness to just come on back after his little side trip with his girlfriend? Then we just take 'em during the night."

The first man agreed and Zuko and Toph listened as the two rustled through the leaves back toward the road. Then they heard Ling's voice cry out, "Lady Toph! Run!" Followed by the sick thud of a fist. Zuko could feel Toph stiffen in anger, and he held onto her tightly.

They lay there under the cover of leaves and earth for what seemed an eternity. Apart from the undeniable pleasure of having Toph in his arms, for Zuko the experience was miserable. He'd never been completely comfortable in tight places. He forced himself to breathe and absently stroked Toph's hair as he meditated.

Finally, Toph was certain that the men were far enough away to allow them to surface. She bended them back to the surface, and Zuko gratefully breathed in the fresh air.

"You're not claustrophobic, are you, Sparky?" Toph asked, brushing the leaves out of her face.

"No, I'm not claustrophobic at all," he answered. "I just don't like being buried alive." He helped her to her feet.

Toph rose to her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you," she said. "Now, let's go kick butt and rescue Ling."

"From whom?" asked Zuko pointedly.

"From those two guys," she replied sharply.

Zuko dusted off his clothes and looked around. "The only problem with that is that those two guys are not alone."

"How do you know?" Toph rejoined.

"Our boat had a crew of twelve, plus Ling. All of them, Ling included, were handpicked by my security forces," he answered solemnly. "Whoever took them out, got them either by surprise—not likely—or by overwhelming forces. I'm guessing Ling managed to slip away in the scuffle because she looked harmless. Chun, however, swears that his wife is far from harmless."

"Chun picked our crew?" asked Toph. "Maybe it was an inside job, then. No big force, just a mutiny on board."

"I trust Chun. Now you trust me," replied Zuko.

Toph looked at him for a moment. Then she nodded. "I trust you," she said. "What's next?"

"We probably shouldn't go back into town, at least not until nightfall. Then we can scout the boat and see what is going on," Zuko suggested. "We need a safe place to hide out until then."

Toph looked up at the nearest tree. "I wonder," she said aloud. Then she began to touch the tree, tapping and prodding, her eyes closed in concentration. Then she gave a little sigh of satisfaction.

With a push and a touch, she pressed a handhold into the tree's smooth trunk. "It's not much, but I think I can manage to get us to the top."

"What's to stop somebody following us up?" asked Zuko doubtfully.

"I'll bend away the first ten feet or so once we've passed," she answered, then proceeded to climb the tree.

"This is insane," Zuko said, taking the first handhold beneath her.

"Would you rather be underground?" she asked sweetly. Zuko didn't answer. "Thought not," she stated with a grin.

A long, tiring climb later, they reached the upper branches of the tree. Zuko swung past a very tired Toph, looking for a suitable spot to weave together some of the flexible branches. With a little more bending from her, he soon created a nest of sorts that was at least secure enough that they wouldn't fall out too easily, even if they fell asleep.

"Are you afraid of heights too, Sparky?" Toph teased as she settled back into a comfortable spot against him.

"No. And I am not claustrophobic either," he answered. "I just don't like tight spaces I can't get myself out of."

"That's claustrophobia," she replied.

"It does no good to argue with you, does it?" Zuko complained.

"Nope. No good at all," Toph said brightly.

"Fine. I'll quit arguing," he agreed. Besides he'd thought of another way to pass the afternoon. He brushed the hair out of her eyes, then stroked her cheek.

"Can I ask you something?" Toph asked nervously.

"Sure," he replied, his fingertips drifting lightly over her collarbone and into her hair.

"How do you feel about me? Really?"

The question stopped him cold. Why did women ask that kind of question? How did she expect him to answer? How did he feel about her?

It had only been a few days since she'd come back into his life, but he knew one thing. She made him feel alive. With her, he wasn't Crown Prince Zuko. He was just Zuko. There was nothing fake between them. When he'd first tried to join the group, she was the one to give him a chance. He'd always felt like Toph accepted him, all of him, just like he was, no questions.

He looked at her upturned face, so lovely within the green shade of the leaves, and he knew. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to see her face every morning. He wanted her on his side to face whatever happened—good or bad. He needed her to tell him the truth when everybody around him lied.

"Zuko?" her voice trembled.

He reached out to cup her cheek with his hand. "I love you," he answered with his whole heart.