Chapter 13

Zuko awoke with the sun, but he didn't get up. Instead, he lay there and let the morning come to him gradually. Toph lay next to him, still sleeping soundly. Her hair had begun to come loose from its arrangement as she slept and a curl curved around her cheek. He couldn't remember a time when he felt so at peace--until he remembered their situation.

What kind of idiot was he? They weren't on vacation; they were prisoners. He'd let his guard down and gotten them captured, and now he was lying here daydreaming instead of working out a way to get them home. He eased out of the bed carefully so he wouldn't wake her.

As he looked around the house, he realized angrily that he hadn't even bothered to lock the doors. How could he protect them from attack in the night if he couldn't even protect them from his own stupidity?

After carefully scouting the area, he decided that the village was still asleep. He went out onto the wide veranda and began his morning meditation. Once he began moving through the forms, he realized that anger was fueling his bending to the degree that he would either need to refocus his emotions or leave the porch for fear of burning down the house.

Out on the beach, he proceeded to unleash the full spectrum of his fury with himself, becoming a living inferno of flame and heat.

When he returned to the veranda, he was completely out of breath and sweat dripped from his face in the morning heat, but the edge had been taken off of his emotions, leaving him controlled, but still determined to find a way out of the mess he'd gotten them into.

Toph was waiting for him on the steps, her feet in the sand. She held out a tall glass of juice as he approached. "Thank you," he said, downing the cool drink gratefully.

"Even through sand I could see you were working up a thirst," she explained. He sat next to her, leaning back on his elbows. The house sat on the beach of a natural harbor. The surf washed rhythmically against the shore, but quietly, peacefully. Sunlight glinted across the water, and dappled through the leaves of the trees that shaded the house. The day would be very warm, but beautiful.

Behind them, Zuko heard a voice call out. "Good morning!" The wizened face of Mrs. Fong peeked through the front door. "I'm just going to leave this here," she called. Toph went to greet her.

"Oh, my dear," Mrs. Fong began, "I wasn't sure if you'd be up, but I thought you might want your clothing back." She gave Toph a package, carefully wrapped in paper. "I was so afraid that your lovely blouse would be ruined by the sea water, but I think I managed to salvage it."

Toph thanked her. "Your young man's things are in there as well," Mrs. Fong continued. "I can't tell you how excited everyone is that you and the prince are here with us. It's such a shame that the boat caught fire that way, and you on your honeymoon!"

Toph just nodded speechlessly as the old woman prattled on. "He's a very handsome young man," Mrs. Fong continued. "Looks so much like the portraits of his father. Of course, only on his good side," she continued confidingly. "Such a shame about that horrible scar. His mother was a very beautiful woman as well, you know. And my mother saw Fire Lord Azulon once at a festival. She said he was a very attractive man." Toph continued to nod and smile, taking the lady by the elbow and gently escorting her back down the front steps.

From his spot on the veranda, Zuko could hear her thanking Mrs. Fong again for taking such good care of them. Great, he thought. Now we're on our honeymoon. He wondered if this was Yung's official story as to how they'd ended up on the island. However, he was relieved to know that the entire village was not implicated in kidnapping and extortion.

Toph finally managed to break free and returned to the veranda steps. "I thought that woman would never leave," she said with a laugh.

Zuko stood up and stretched. "I am going to get cleaned up and change," he said.

"Do you want some breakfast? The women brought over some groceries yesterday," Toph asked as he opened the package of clothing.

"I'll find something to eat in a minute," he answered absently as he gathered his things and went to the bathing room.

Toph went to the kitchen and picked through the items until she'd put together a reasonable breakfast. After a while, Zuko came out. She could tell from his step that he was wearing his boots. As he got closer, her earthbending vision informed her that he was wearing his heavy trousers and tunic.

"You're going to be awfully hot in that," she said as he pulled up a seat next to her at the low table.

"This is not a vacation or a honeymoon," he replied shortly. "We are prisoners, not guests."

"So you're going to fight back by being hot?" she asked.

"I'm going to be ready," he answered.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Then Toph said, "I'm sure Mrs. Fong is the only one who thinks we're on our honeymoon. She's just a dotty old lady—sweet, but dotty."

"Yeah," Zuko agreed then rose from the table.

"Are you okay?" Toph looked up at him. "Something's bothering you."

"No," Zuko answered, giving her a kiss on top of the head, "I'm fine." Toph could tell the lie the moment he said it.

"I know you're lying," she retorted. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answered sharply. "Nothing's wrong." Again, the lie. This time, she let it go. Was it her? Did she do something wrong? Was it the honeymoon thing?

"I'm going to see Yung and do a bit of exploring," Zuko continued more gently. "I'll be back later."

Toph watched him walk out the door, completely confused and more than a little angry. What was wrong with him?

Zuko walked toward Yung's house, wishing he had his swords rather than just the dagger at his hip. He had to remind Yung and himself that he was Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. He was not going to sit back and play house on the beach with Toph. He couldn't get too comfortable. He would find a way off this island and get her back to the capital with a 24 hour guard around her until he could get her safely home again. If some backwoods colonists like Yung and Zhiang could manage to take him down, there was no way to be sure she would be safe against a truly organized gang of criminals.

It felt too good to love her. It was too easy. But it wouldn't be fair to her to pretend this could all work out. He'd seen how difficult it had been for his mother to live in the palace, cut off from everything, sheltered. He would never do that to Toph. But he couldn't let her be a target either. He wouldn't put her life in danger because he was too weak to live without her. Somewhere, he had to find the strength inside him to let her go.

Back at the house, Toph was surprised by a visitor, Su-lin.

"I just spoke with Mrs. Fong," she began after greeting Toph with a deep bow. "I apologize on her behalf. She spoke out of turn, my lady."

Toph laughed and assured Su-lin that no offense was taken. "And call me Toph, please," she added.

"I will not deny that I would love to see an Earth Kingdom lady as our Princess," Su-lin continued. "It would bring balance back to my heart. I loved Pagong. It was my home."

Toph offered her some tea and fruit, but Su-lin declined politely. "I also wish to apologize that my husband and nephew have brought this upon you," she stated sadly. "I knew how worried Yung had become, but I didn't realize he'd grown so desperate. If he'd just let me know, perhaps I could have helped him see another way. But men can be so stubborn at times." She sighed.

Toph found herself listening carefully. Su-lin continued, "Last night he finally told me everything. Yung has always had to struggle and fight for everything he has. He tries to pretend that he is not afraid, but when my sister died last year of vilara, I think the thought that he might lose me pushed him into actions he now regrets."

"I believe I understand," Toph replied softly. The Yung she'd known had been rough and angry. Now Su-lin revealed a new side—a man who loved his wife deeply and was afraid of losing her.

"It is so easy for a woman to say how she feels. But a man," Su-lin threw up her hands in exasperation, "I think a man feels like he quits being a man when he's hurting."

"What do you do?" Toph found herself asking.

"Let him know he has your respect. He already knows he has your love," Su-lin replied seriously.

"I will not be Zuko's doormat," Toph answered sourly.

Su-lin just laughed. "Who says you have to be a doormat?" She then reached out and patted Toph's hand understandingly. "Just don't make him feel like a child."