Chapter 21
Zuko looked up in surprise to see Appa landing gracefully beside them, stirring a layer of ash into the air.
"Zuko baby," Toph said sadly as Appa's feet met the earth, "it looks like we've been rescued." He relaxed his grip on her, and she whispered, "I don't want to be rescued yet."
"Me either," he responded as Aang slipped to the ground. "Hi, Aang! Good to see you."
Once Aang's bemused pleasantries were returned, he offered to let Appa turn their long walk into a short ride over the mountain. Gratefully, they accepted and soon landed lightly again on the beach. Katara was waiting for them inside the beach house.
"Toph, I hope you don't mind, but I put Bumi down on your bed," Katara pointedly stressed the idea that the bed was Toph's.
Toph turned to Zuko with a malicious glint in her eye, "Baby, we'll have to sleep on the sofa again. It's funny how you sometimes don't even make it to the bedroom."
"I thought you guys had been kidnapped," Katara responded, disapproval evident in her face and her voice. "Apparently you just ran off together."
Before Toph could stoke the fire any further, Zuko decided to step in. "You were informed correctly. We were kidnapped. These islanders helped us escape, and now the culprits are safely enclosed in a cave."
Toph listened carefully to Zuko's edited version of events and decided she could easily go along with that. Then she couldn't help inserting, "And the volcano nearly erupted, but Sparky and I got it under control."
"And in between things, we got married," Zuko added. Toph giggled, and he grinned pretty widely himself.
"Are you insane?" Katara practically screamed. "You don't even know each other. What makes you think you need to be married?"
"We've known each other for years," Toph exclaimed. "Almost as long as you've known Aang."
"Being kids together does not count as knowing each other," Katara continued reasonably. "You've known each other for five days."
Aang just looked at Zuko and shrugged. He knew when to step aside. Zuko, however, was not in the mood to have his relationship with Toph judged. "Katara, we're not kids anymore. We know what we're doing. We got married this afternoon," he replied coolly. "You and Aang are welcome to stay on the island for the next few days, but we're on our honeymoon."
Aang chose that moment to speak up, "Actually, by morning a destroyer and two patrol boats should be in your harbor. We just came ahead to scout."
Aang explained that Fire Lord Iroh had sent a hawk to him as soon as the report of the kidnapping reached him. "He's worried sick about you," he said.
"We'll send a message to him as soon as the navy arrives," Zuko replied. "Then we can spend a few days here before heading home again."
"You two are living in a complete dream world, aren't you?" Katara interjected. "The world has been searching for you for days, everybody scared out of their minds that something horrible has happened to you, and you're here shacked up in paradise!"
"We are not shacked up," Toph interrupted. "We are married."
"About that," Aang began. "Zuko, you of all people know you can't just get married without your uncle's approval, plus the approval of the Fire Court and the Earth King. You didn't get married, you created a diplomatic incident."
Before the discussion could heat up any further, Zuko called a truce. "No more discussion tonight. We can't do anything about it until the navy gets here anyway." He pulled Toph up from the sofa and escorted her to the bathing room. "We're getting cleaned up," he continued. "I'm going to heat Toph's bath water."
"See that the water is all you heat," replied Katara under her breath.
Zuko pretended he didn't hear her. He followed Toph into the bathing room and true to his word, drew her a bath and firebended the water nice and warm. Then with a kiss and squeeze he left her to her bath.
While he waited for his turn, Zuko asked Aang to take a walk with him on the beach. "What is Katara's problem?" he began the minute they were out of her earshot.
"Cut her a little slack," Aang asked quietly, rubbing his bald head with a hand. "You have no idea how scared everybody has been about this. I spoke with your security team—a guy named Chun. He had a lead on some black marketeers but no hard evidence. Is that who you've caught?"
"Yes," Zuko said, working at telling as much truth as possible, "along with some pirates who tried to cut into their action. The two marketeers, a couple of guys called Stick and Tracer, tried to get a couple of the villagers to do their dirty work, but the villagers ended up helping us instead."
Aang nodded noncommittally and Zuko wasn't sure if he was completely satisfied with his story.
"And what's all this about a volcano?" Aang asked.
Zuko filled him in on the day's adventures. "I have an idea to put strong earthbenders on each of these volcanic islands. They might not be able to stop them from blowing, but they can at least tell in more detail what's going on. Then we can reopen the islands to settlement and give these ex-colonists some land to call their own again," Zuko closed as they made their way back onto the veranda. Toph was waiting for them.
"Go get yourself cleaned up while Katara and I pull some of this party food together into supper," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
After a quick bath, Zuko came back into the common room where the three sat at a low table, Katara with a newly-awake Bumi in her arms. Zuko thought the little bald baby looked just like Aang and said so.
"Yes, but he's got his mom's beautiful blue eyes," Aang responded, giving the baby a rub on the head. Bumi just giggled.
"So, is he going to be an air bender or a water bender?" Toph asked, giving the baby a little tickle on the foot.
"Who knows?" Katara replied, passing a bowl of rice and seafood down the table.
"I think that we'll be more likely to have airbending kids," Aang said thoughtfully as they all began to eat. "Not that I wouldn't want waterbenders, but balance figures into these things."
"So, you two are going to singlehandedly repopulate the world with Air Nomads?" Zuko asked.
"Gonna try," Aang answered with a wink at Katara.
"Have you two even considered that yourselves?" Katara directed her gaze at Toph and Zuko.
"We can populate the world, but not with airbenders," Toph answered as innocently as possible.
"What if all your kids were earthbenders?" Katara continued seriously. "An earthbending Fire Lord?"
Toph and Zuko looked thoughtful at this question, but to Katara's dismay, Aang spoke up with an answer of his own. "The Fire Lord is an extension of his people and of his element. He is so closely related to his element, I don't think he could be anything but a firebender." Katara shot him an absolutely scathing look, but he just shrugged. "Hey, I just call 'em like I see 'em," he responded plaintively.
"Toph, you are such a gifted earthbender. Would you be happy knowing that none of your children could follow you?" Katara turned the topic around deftly.
"You are a gifted waterbender. Are you happy having airbenders with Aang? As long as they are they my children and Zuko's children, I'll be happy," Toph replied, giving Zuko a big grin. He put his arm around her and gave her a hug around the shoulders. Katara just rolled her eyes.
Aang then spoke up, "I don't doubt for a minute that you two are serious about each other, and I'm sure Fire Lord Iroh will have no problems with you. But getting the approval of the Fire Court and the Earth King may be a different matter altogether."
"That's just not fair," Toph interjected. "Did anybody tell you and Katara you couldn't get married?"
"Yes," Katara answered. "My father was very hard to convince at first. He just knew that Aang would be too busy being avatar to be a proper husband."
"I had to go giant squid fishing with him twice before he decided that it might work out," Aang laughed. "I thought Sokka would help me out, but all he did was make me pack stinky dead fish into bait boxes."
"You only had to deal with Katara's father," Zuko sighed. "I'm going to have to convince two world governments that this is a good idea."
"Speaking of good ideas, tell me more about your earthbender idea," Aang said, deftly changing the subject.
They spent the rest of dinner discussing Zuko's idea of placing earthbenders on the volcanic islands. Toph was immediately on board. "Haru would love that glass on the beach. Who knows what uses they could come up with for it," she exclaimed.
"These islands contain all kinds of different mineral combinations, too," she continued. "You never know what kind of new use you'll come up with—maybe some things that could be exported and bring in extra funds for the old treasury." She gave Zuko a wink.
"Don't be greedy," he returned. "The islands will need income to help them get back on their feet economically."
"Sounds very interesting to me," Aang added as they all moved over to the low sofas in the common room. Bumi explored the floor and anything he could find to put in his mouth. "It's good for balance to see the nations cooperating as much as possible."
"The colonists are good examples of that," Zuko added and the discussion turned to the colonists' needs, including medical supplies. "I feel like I failed them as their prince by not doing something about this already," he sighed. Toph snuggled in close to him for comfort and he put his arm around her.
"You can't know everything, baby," Toph said softly. "That's why you have ministers. They have to do their jobs so you can do yours."
"I've depended too heavily on them. I don't get out of the palace enough," Zuko continued to berate himself. "This trip has taught me that one thing. No matter the risks, I have to know what my people need first hand. I can't just assume everything is going fine because a few yes-men tell me so."
Aang agreed, but cautioned, "Just remember, Zuko, that you can't solve every single problem in the Fire Nation yourself. Also, you are Fire Lord Iroh's sole heir. It's no wonder everyone is a bit protective of you. The nation cannot be left leaderless, not now especially. Your disappearance was a blow to the entire government, not just to your uncle."
Aang watched Zuko nod in agreement, then continued sternly, "That's why I believe you and Toph need to keep your marriage under wraps—don't even tell Iroh."
Zuko looked up at him sharply, but listened quietly to Aang's reasoning. "Who you marry is a matter of state importance. I know it isn't fair to either of you personally, but the stability of the Fire Nation government is at stake. As crown prince, you need to produce heirs to the throne—as much as I need to produce airbenders. Balance is key. The unbroken chain of Fire Lords is vital to balance, just like the balance of four nations/four elements."
"How long will we need to hide this?" Toph asked, her look downcast.
Zuko played with her fingers and kissed her hair. "I see where Aang's going with this. We're going to need to convince two governments that this is the right path for the greater good of both nations," he said. Then he turned to face Toph squarely. "Sweetie, we knew this morning what we were getting into. We just have to face it and deal with it."
"I just want to be your wife," Toph answered, her voice breaking a little. "I made my vows to you already and there's nothing anybody in the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom can do about that."
"Maybe they can," Katara finally spoke up. "Until it's recorded in the records of both nations, your marriage isn't legal. They can declare that it doesn't exist."
Over Zuko's protests, Aang interjected, "But the legal side is the least important in the big scheme of things. You made your vows before both your elements and the spirits. Before the spirit world, you are now husband and wife. The legalities are just a temporal thing. If you remain true to the spirit of your marriage vows, the rest of it will come together, given time, patience, and some crafty political maneuvering."
After a moment's silence, Zuko responded, "I have never in my life gotten anything I didn't have to fight for." Then he turned to Toph and took her face in his hands. "I will fight both the entire Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom to be with you if I have to. You're my wife, no matter what anyone else says."
Aang pulled Katara to her feet and untangled Bumi from the legs of the sofa where he was busily chewing on the edge of a cushion. "We're going to sleep with Appa. You two have a good evening," he said.
"You don't have to do that," Toph protested.
But Bumi was already calling out, "Appa! Appa!"
"His first word," Aang explained with a smile. "Appa was thrilled, but Mama and Dada were a little disappointed. Don't worry about us. Camping out with Appa feels more like home than home."
He and Katara gathered Bumi's things and walked down to the beach where Appa had already made himself comfortable in the sand. The night was balmy and pleasant.
"I have never seen two people more lovestruck," said Katara, a little disapprovingly.
"What's the matter with that?" Aang replied as he settled Bumi in his covers on the wide saddle on the sand. "They're in love."
"I'd say. You couldn't get a piece of rice paper between them," Katara added.
"You sound jealous," Aang teased, slipping behind her to put his arms around her. "We're in love too. Sometimes you can't get rice paper between us."
She relaxed into his embrace. "I'm just worried about them. Toph has no idea what she's getting into. We've been around Zuko enough to know that his life is not going to be easy for her to slip into. There's so much formality in the court. You know how badly she hates living in the upper ring at Ba Sing Se. The Fire Palace is just as bad—maybe worse," she sighed.
"I've never known either of them to be overly impulsive. For an angry jerk, to borrow Sokka's term, Zuko has become a very level-headed person over the last several years. I don't think either of them are taking this lightly," Aang responded, pulling her down onto the saddle next to him.
"I'm just afraid they'll get hurt," Katara said. "I care too much about both of them not to try to warn them."
Aang kissed her and pulled her close with Bumi gathered into her arms. "I know, but right now, we need to just let them be together. Who knows when they'll get the chance again?"
In the house, Zuko and Toph sat quietly on the sofa together, each in thought. Finally Toph yawned and spoke up, "We will find a way, baby. I have faith in you."
"I'm glad to hear it. Somebody needs to believe in me because sometimes I sure don't believe in myself," Zuko sighed. "I'm sorry I've gotten you into this mess. I never meant to drag you into all this danger and intrigue and politics." Then he looked down at her. "But it's too late now. I'm never going to give you up. You're stuck with me."
"That's just where I want to be," she responded sincerely. Then she took a breath and asked, "Do you want to go to bed?"
"You know what will happen if we do," he answered, a rough edge to his voice. "And we don't know how long it will be before we can be together again."
"I know," she answered. "I don't know if I want to start something with you that we can't continue. It's going to be hard enough as it is."
Zuko didn't answer right away, but pulled Toph into his arms and stretched out on the sofa. After a moment, he said, "If it's worth having, it's worth waiting for."
Despite themselves, they actually fell asleep.