A/N: Enjoy!
Aang woke up to the sight of Katara standing in the archway that divided a hall from the middle room. He sat up, noticing that she had obviously not slept well the night before, if at all, with the way her eyes were glossy and puffy and tear streaks were staining her cheeks. He stood and made his way over to her, taking her gently into his arms.
"It's okay," He mumbled softly against her shoulder. "You'll be okay, he'll be okay. Everything will be okay, okay?" He asked, pulling away to look at her. She had begun crying again, but nodded to him. He smiled and pulled her back into the hug, resting his chin down onto her shoulder as he rubbed her back.
He felt numb. He didn't know whether to feel happy, worried, scared, or angry. Perhaps he was feeling all of those emotions at once, causing him to feel nothing at all.
Aang did feel happy for her. The love between her and Zuko was so obvious even a blind man could see it. She would be marrying a prince and one day have a whole nation at her feet. She was going to live in a palace, a safe and secure place to raise her baby. But, he also felt terribly worried and scared for her.
The war wasn't over, they still had a long way to go. She had always fought, she was a fighter, it was part of who she was. He knew for a fact that this knowledge of harboring a life inside her would not make her as unable or willing to fight. She had fought against an elite platoon of Fire Navy soldiers in the Northern Water Tribe, fought against Azula and her team multiple times, helped him take down a giant sea serpent, and trained with him until fatigue forced them to rest. She wasn't going to stop fighting, no matter what. But, what if because of this, something happened to her or the baby? This scared him terribly.
In all honesty, he was a bit angry as well. He has had a crush on Katara for quite some time. Even with Zuko in the picture, he felt as though he had still had a shot at being with her someday. Things happened, people drifted apart, grew tired of each other. A part deep inside him had sometimes actually wished for this to happen with the couple, so he could come in and get the girl. But knowing he had those wishes made him angry. It was a vicious cycle he had walked right into. He knew he'd find the one for him one day, but he had really hoped that someone was Katara, though now it seemed though it wasn't.
He let out a long sigh when he saw the door to their bedroom slide open. Zuko stepped out, looking as though he hadn't slept well either. Katara looked to him over her shoulder. After seeing it was him and not Iroh, she immediately jumped from Aang's arms and into his. Zuko of course wrapped his arms around her without hesitation. Aang looked up him, giving an awkward, happy, I-don't-know-what-else-to-do smile.
Katara pulled away from Zuko and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her nightgown, slowly making her way across the living room, over to the hallway that held Sokka, Aang's, and Toph's bedrooms.
Zuko plopped down onto the cushions Aang had used as a mattress the night before. The young monk sat next to him, asking how their night went.
"She cried just about all night," He groaned out, rubbing his temples. "She's scared to death about so many different things," He sighed out. "She even considered-" He stopped and ran his fingers through his hair as he slumped over, burying his face into a pillow he had in his lap.
"Considered what?" Aang asked.
"Nothing."
!
"Sokka?" Katara called out for him softly. He was laying face down into his pillow, sprawled out over his sleeping mat, his limbs handing off the sides of it. She laid down onto the floor next to him. "Sokka," She called again, softly poking him in the shoulder. He slowly lifted his head and turned his face towards her, cracking his eyes open a bit. His eyes were all puffy and glassy. He looked as though he had been crying as well. "Will you please talk to me?" She asked, only to have him turn and bury his face back down into his pillow.
"Sokka!" She whined, tugging up on his shoulder. He groaned and shrugged her off. He continued to mumble something, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. "What?" She asked, leaning a towards him a bit. He spoke again, his words still muffled terribly by his pillow. "I have no idea what you're saying."
"It's my fault!" He breathed out, lifting his face long enough to just barely get the words out completely.
"How is it your fault?"
"I should have been awake. Had I been there, none of this would have ever happened!"
"Yeah, Sokka," She breathed out, sitting up as she did so. "None of it would have happened! I never would have fallen in love with Zuko, Aang probably would have never found a fire bending teacher and-"
"Dad told me to protect you!" He interrupted her harshly, a couple of tears escaping from his eyes, racing down his cheek. "I didn't. I failed horribly. I've never felt this terrible in my life." He admitted though his shaking voice, looking down back at the damp pillow below his face. "I'm so sorry, Katara."
"Sokka," She said sternly. "Don't be." She sniffed and huffed, trying to keep herself composed. "Please don't." She begged. "Please don't feel guilty or sad or angry about this. I love Zuko, I really, really do. He loves me." She took in a deep breath before continuing. "Aang is going to get to learn firebending from the Great General Iroh, the Dragon of the West, one of the most powerful firebenders," She heard Sokka let out a growl. She knew he knew exactly what she was doing.
She was telling details about everyone to make the situation seem far better than it actually was to make him feel better. She knew him too well, it was proving effective, he could literally feel the weight of the terrible emotions he had felt lift off his shoulders. "Zuko is going to teach him how to use dual swords, too. When Zuko and I marry and he becomes Fire Lord after the war, you'll be directly related to the Fire Lady!" He turned and faced her. She pursed her lips, holding back a smile. "You'll be the uncle of the heir to the Fire Throne. Maybe I'll even let you teach him how to use a boomerang."
"But, what if..." He trailed off into thought before continuing. "-wait, you'll let me teach him how to use a boomerang?" He asked, his voice a lot more joyful than it had earlier.
Katara smiled greatly. She knew that would get him. "Well," She shrugged. "I'd probably have to speak to Zuko about it first, seeing at that it is his baby, too."
Sokka huffed and folded his arms under his pillow, propping himself up with his elbows. He continued to stare down towards the pillow, but his sister could see the wheels turning in his mind. He was thinking things through, trying to see how everything would end up to be like, he was coming to terms with everything. She hoped he was forgiving himself along with all of this.
He turned and looked at her, his eyes still filled with sorrow, but he did have a small smile on his face. "I love you, little sis."
"And I love you, big bro." She smiled, leaning over to catch him in her arms, taking him into a big hug.
He let out a big sigh of relief and patted her on the back. "Can I..." He paused. She pulled away to face him. "Feel your tummy?" She tilted her head, thinking about it. Of course he could, but she hadn't felt anything, not a movement, a shift, a kick, or anything. At least not yet.
"I guess," She said, laying down onto her back, smoothing the fabric of her gown over her slightly swollen stomach. "But I doubt you'll feel a kick or anything."
Sokka huffed and tensed, as if he were bracing himself for an impact. He slowly lifted his hand before gently placing it down onto her stomach. They sat there in silence for a couple of minutes before Katara finally asked if he felt anything. "No." He admitted. He lifted his brow and leaned over her. "Are you sure you're pregnant?"
She laughed. "Toph told me!" She smiled up at him. "If she can see an ant hill a few yards away, I'm sure she can see a baby inside me." She shrugged as she sat up, keeping her eyes on him.
"Can she tell if it's a boy or a girl yet?"
"She called it a him when she told me about how she could see him. So I guess he's a boy." She shrugged.
They stood up simultaneously, Katara wiping the wrinkles out of her dress as Sokka fixed his robe. She sighed and looked up to him. "What are you going to do when you see Zuko?"
He sighed and slowly began making his way over to his door. "Congratulate him, I guess." He mumbled, slowly opening the sliding door to his and Aang's room.
Katara watched in the archway of the hall as Sokka calmly strode over to Zuko, holding his hand to him, even though the firebenders face was still down into a pillow. Aang nudged him with his elbow and motioned towards the warrior. Zuko looked up to him, shocked to see him standing there.
Slowly, Zuko lifted his hand, surprised to have Sokka grab him by the forearm. "Congratulations." He said flatly. Zuko remained silent, just staring at him. Sokka nodded, letting him know that it was sincere, and that everything between them was fine. They had gotten long well before the news and they would continue getting along after it.
The day went along pretty smoothly. Breakfast was a bit awkward between everyone to be honest, but by the time they were all ready for lunch the air was so clear around everyone and everything that they even joked about what to name the baby, Sokka insisting they name it after him or 'Boomer', after his trusty boomerang.
Toph teased Sokka, telling him that he was never going to have any kids if he was going to be insisting his wife that they name their baby after a weapon. Sokka scoffed and stated that Boomerang was more than just a weapon, telling her that Boomerang was trustworthy and faithful, always getting a job done well and coming right back after.
They laughed and spoke about plans of the future, always assuring each other that everything would work out and would be just fine. Then the subject of the Earth King came up, seeing as that the party was the closest event coming up in their future.
They spoke about it on the way back to the house, figuring that they would probably have to start getting ready right when they made it there if they wanted to get to the party on time.
!
Sokka fixed the sash on his robe as he examined himself in the mirror.
"Since this is the King's party, do you guys think we're going to have to be all proper and stuff if we want to speak with him right away?" He asked, tying his hair up with a green band instead of his usual black or dark blue.
"Of course." Zuko said, patting aftershave onto his cheeks. "We'll have to be proper with everyone if we want to make a good impression."
"Bleh," Sokka stuck his tongue out, waving Zuko off. "I don't care about everyone else!"
"Maybe he's right," Aang paused and pulled on a light yellow cape over his robes. "Sir Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe. Perhaps the Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation is correct! We should stay on our best behavior," Sokka held back a snicker from Aang's posh accent. "To easily gain the public's approval." He concluded, holding a finger over his lip as if he had a fancy mustache.
Sokka stood up straight and cleared his throat. "Why, Avatar Aang, don't be silly! You're the Avatar, the people must give you their utmost respect without hesitation! Unless of course, they are foolish and fear not the mighty wrath of the all powerful," He paused, raising up on his tip toes and holding his hands out over his head, wriggling his fingers around. "Avatar State!" He shook his voice as if he were telling a spooky story to a bunch of little kids.
Zuko groaned and rubbed his temple with the palm of his hand. "You guys have to be careful and remember to call Uncle and I by our fake names."
"Why of course," Aang bowed. "Master Swordsman Lee," He turned, noticing Iroh stepping out from the hall, draped in fancy clothing. "And Master Tea Brewer Mushi."
Iroh smiled. "Avatar Aang." He bowed, putting on his own take of the posh accent.
They all laughed, and Zuko paused suddenly, noticing a door slide open, the two girls standing on the other side.
"Wow," Aang breathed out, his eyes darting between both girls.
Zuko smiled and glided over to Katara, taking her into his arms. "You look beautiful!" He exclaimed, pulling away to examine her at a closer distance.
She had painted her face with makeup and pulled her hair back in the way she had for the dinner the night before, but this time she had the tie placed a little higher, a fake, large white flower could be visible by looking at her face to face, the rest of her gorgeous brown hair cascaded over her shoulders and a little ways down her back. Her dress was three different shades of blue, with details of what looked like to be waves around the trimmings.
"Thank you! You look quite handsome yourself!" She said, tugging on the sleeve of his dark green, silk robe. The gold trimmings, buttons, and details brought attention to his amber eyes that literally looked as if they were glowing like a flame against a dark background.
"Alright you two love birds," Toph teased. "Let's get going all ready."
Aang smiled and held his arm out for her to take it, but she had already taken onto Sokka's as they made their way out the door. He played this off by lifting his cap and running his other hand over his bald head, as if he were making sure he had shaved properly.
!
They weren't sure if they should go straight to the front, being the Avatar and his company and all, but they waited in line to be sure, not wanting to be rude and set a bad example for themselves before they even made it into the gates. They had already had their deal of trouble with getting a chance to speak with the King and they didn't want anymore.
Finally, they came up to the guard who was checking invitations, holding out their passes to him.
"The Avatar and his personal company?" He lifted his brow before examining them. Aang lifted his cap, showing off his arrow proudly. "I see," He said lowly. The guard turned to his left, calling for an agent that had been stationed near by. "This is the Avatar and his company," He informed sternly. "You will escort them in." The agent nodded once and turned, making his way into the palace.
The agent stuck close them the whole time, much to their annoyance and frustration.
Sokka huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, when do we get to speak with the Earth King?" He asked. The agent remained silent. "Hello?" Sokka asked, waving his hand in front of the mans face. "Hello? Anyone there? We have important information about the war. We need to speak with the Earth King!"
While Sokka continued to push buttons, ranting on about how they had to see the King, Aang felt someone nudging his arm. He turned and saw Iroh standing there, eyes focused on something else hidden within the sea of people before them.
"What?" The young monk asked. Iroh nudged him again and motioned forwards, out towards the crowd of people. Aang looked around, but still didn't see what Iroh was seeing, at least he didn't think he did. "I don't get it." He admitted.
Iroh groaned and placed a hand on Aang's shoulder, pressing him forwards a bit. "The girl," He said lowly, through gritted teeth. Aang furrowed his brow and looked back towards the crowed. Then, a couple of people shifted and walked away, showing Toph standing alone in the midst of the party. Aang gulped and looked back towards the old general. Iroh pressed him forwards harder and motioned for him get moving. "Go." He insisted, giving the young boy one final push, sending him stumbling forwards a bit.
Aang caught his footing and stopped just before he crashed into the earthbender.
"Watch it, twinkletoes." She warned, seeing that he had just barely came to a halt to avoid slamming right into her.
"Hey, Toph." He choked out, suddenly overcome with nervousness. "Uh," He paused and looked around as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Where's, uh, Zuko and Katara?"
"I don't know." She shrugged, uninterested or concerned with their whereabouts. For all she knew, they could be hidden behind some curtains, practicing for when they wanted another baby.
"Oh," He sighed out. He pressed his lips together and gulped before speaking again. "Uh, Toph, I know you probably don't care, but you look really beautiful tonight." He smiled and made sure to straighten his back. But then he let out a gasp, realizing she would probably take this as if she usually didn't look beautiful, which she did, of course. "I- I mean, n-not that you don't look pretty all the time, just-uh-" He stammered over his words, pausing when he saw her face him.
She turned her face towards him and blinked. "Really?" She asked honestly, not even a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Yeah!" Aang assured, rising onto his toes for a split second.
She turned her face away from again, her eyes darting around, as if she were examining the other girls in the room, comparing herself to them even though she couldn't actually see them. Slowly, she turned to face him again. "Thanks."
Aang studied her face. She was looking at him as if she were expecting him to say something else, but he had no clue as to what that was supposed to be, or even if she was looking at him like that purposely, so he stood and rocked between his toes and his heels awkwardly in silence with her.
!
"Are gatherings like this back at the Fire Nation?" Katara asked Zuko softly, making sure no one was within earshot.
"Yes, but they're usually outside, and usually the host would have already made an appearance." He growled the last part, annoyed with not having spotted any sign of the Earth King since they had gotten there.
"Well, maybe he has and we missed it." She said sweetly, amused with his frustration. She stood up tall and placed a small kiss onto his lips. "I'm going to go get a moshi dumpling, would you like one?" He shook his head, only to have her narrow her eyes at him.
"I'll try some later." He assured, giving her a small smile of assurance. She sighed as she turned to go make her way over to the sample table.
Zuko turned and looked over his shoulder at the sound of giggles coming from behind him. A group of young women, possibly even of teen age, approached him, all struggling to hold back their smiles.
"Hello," One greeted, while the two others giggled from behind her. "Are you one of the ones in company of the Avatar?" She asked, taking a step towards him.
"Yes." He nodded once. This was weird. He knew common courtesy and manners, but he didn't know Earth Kingdom etiquette at all. He was sure it was rude to be speaking with someone without being properly greeted or introduced first, and even ruder to begin the conversation by asking a question that could very well be considered as personal or confidential.
"Oh! What are you having the honor of teaching him?" She asked, swaying closer towards him a bit. His patience was beginning to wear thin, and he furrowed his brow at her. He wasn't even sure of this group of girls were even supposed to be in here. Perhaps the King had yet to marry and they had originally came to try and get a chance of wooing him, but spotted Zuko instead, much to his annoyance.
"Broadswords." He stated quickly and harshly.
Now, had he been in the Fire Nation, he was sure the person would have picked up on or even taken the hint right then and there. Speaking to someone in such a manner would bring the conversation to an immediate, without a hesitation end right then and there. But apparently, here the Earth Kingdom, that was not the way things worked, and he flinched back when she advanced towards him.
"Speaking of broad," She smirked, taking his shoulder into her hand, giving a small squeeze. "Look at these shoulders." She giggled, glancing over her shoulder to the pair of girls, who fell into a small fit of giggles after her, covering their lips with their fingers. She began to run her hand down his shoulder and onto his arm. "Ooo, you're very well built, aren't you?" She asked, leaning towards him.
Zuko let out a sound of disgust and yanked his arm away from her. "And very much engaged as well!" He growled, thrilled to see Katara approaching out of the corner of his eye. She wrapped her arms around his arm and scoffed at the trio of girls, who all held an expression of pure shock showing straight through their painted faces. As the couple began to walk away, Katara looked towards them over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out, making a face at them. She faced forwards again and smirked at the sounds of their dismay.
"Zuko," She paused, stopping in her tracks. "Where is the group?" She asked, glancing around. She felt him being torn from her gasp before she pulled back into the shadows.
!
"Why won't you let us speak with the Earth King!" Sokka barked, pointing towards the man that had taken a seat in front of them. "We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"
The man, Long Feng, went on a rant about how the Earth King did not have time to get involved with the troubles the politics and military brought forward. He assured the group that King was mostly concerned with the culture heritage of Ba Sing Se and that it was his job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, which of course, included the military. Toph pointed out that the King was just a puppet, much to Long Feng's surprise.
"Oh, no!" He assured. "He's an icon! He can't sully his hands hourly changes of an endless war."
Sokka stepped forwards, insisting the man that they had found information about a solar eclipse that rendered the Fire Nation defenseless, going on to tell him that they could plan an invasion, only to have Long Feng stand, telling him sternly that it was enough. Sokka was literally taken aback and returned to his place between Iroh and Toph.
"I don't want to hear about your ridiculous plan. It is of strict policy that the war not be mentioned within the walls..." The group remained silent as he went on to tell them about how the constant news and gossip of an on going war, seemingly never ending war, would bring the citizens to a state of panic, bringing the whole city down into havoc along with them. He says, with no one speaking of the war, Ba Sing Se remains to be the last peaceful place on earth.
"I'll tell them!" Aang announced. "I'll tell everyone!"
Long Feng approached him, leaning over him. "You had been welcomed into the city and invited to the party as honored guests, but now, you will be considered as a threat, and will be watched carefully day in and day out. I warn you, if you speak of the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city. I understand you have been looking for your bison. It would be a shame if you were unable to complete your task."
He ordered for Joo Dee to come and escort them home. Much to their surprise, another lady who was not Joo Dee came into the room.
"What happened to Joo Dee?" Katara asked, knowing this was not the same person as before.
"I am Joo Dee. I will be your honored host as long as you are here." The woman smiled and turned, beginning to escort them out.
!
"The printer finished our order of posters!" Aang exclaimed as soon as he got the front door open. He plucked a flier from his bag and held it out for everyone to see.
"Wow," Sokka took the paper from the young monks hand, examining the painting of the bison. "This looks just like him! Doesn't it, To-..ph."
"It sure does!" She exclaimed, making a face as she waved her hand over her unseeing eyes.
"Right, sorry."
"Let me see." Zuko said, lifting the paper from Sokka's hand. "Wow, such detail with just a description."
"Yeah!" Aang took the paper back, shoving it back into his bag. "Let's go put these around town!"
The group left and made their out into the streets, hanging fliers on just about ever surface they could, not a wall in the city would be left without one.
"You guys keep putting them on the walls," Aang said, readying his glider. "I'm going to fly over and drop these around to cover even more ground. You guys should split up, too. We'll meet up here when we all run out." He took off up into the air, a flier falling from the bag every now and then.
Sokka and Toph went off together while Zuko, Katara, and Iroh set off into the opposite direction.
Aang was flying about, nearly out of fliers when he saw something white headed towards him. It was Momo. The lemur swooped down and made a quick turn to be able to fly closely next to his owner. He chattered and chirped frantically.
"What is it, buddy?" Aang asked, a wave of concern crashing over him.
Momo screeched and began to descend. Aang followed, landing gently onto his feet. "What is it?" Aang repeated, watching carefully as Momo scurried up his side to perch himself up onto his shoulder, holding his arm out in front of the boys face. Aang let out a gasp, realizing what was tied around the lemurs wrist. It was a bundle of thick, white fur that could easily be recognized as Appa. "Is this Appa's fur!" He asked, untying it from Momo's arm to get a better look at it.
Aang rubbed the fur between his fingers. "It is Appa's! Where did you find this, Momo?" Momo chattered and jumped up into the air, taking off into flight. Aang took off after him without a hesitation.
The lemur guided him to a clearing surrounded by a cluster of houses. Aang landed and immediately noticed the large foot print left in a small pile of dirt.
"Appa," He breathed out, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. He turned and looked up, scanning the sky for any sign of him. "Where are you?"
He sniffled and readied his glider again. "Come on, Momo. Let's go meet up with the others."
By the time Aang made it back to the street they had started at, the rest of the group was already there, waiting for him.
"You guys!" He called out before he even landed. "Look at this!" He said, holding his hand out just as his feet touched the ground. "It's gotta be Appa's! Momo showed it to me! He's here you guys!"
They passed the wad of fur around, each of them agreeing that it had belonged to the missing sky bison. Just as they began to set off in search of him again, they heard a familiar voice calling out for Aang.
"There you are, Avatar Aang! I've been searching everywhere for you." It was Joo Dee. The actual Joo Dee, the one they had met when they had first gotten into the city.
"Joo Dee?" Sokka asked, turning around to face her. "What happened to you?"
"I went on a short vacation to Lake Laogai. It's a beautiful place located in the country side. Nothing to worry about." She assured.
"Oh. So, what do you want?"
Joo Dee smiled and held up one of the posters they had hung up everywhere. "Without proper clearance, you are not allowed to be dropping fliers and hanging up posters within the city."
"We can't wait around all the time for permission!" Sokka argued.
"You are forbidden by the rules of the city to continue doing this."
Aang stepped in front of Sokka, absolutely fuming. "We are not waiting months for someone to tell us what we can and can not do! We're finding Appa on our own! Stay out of our way!" He yelled at her as he snatched the paper from her hand.
He turned abruptly and began stomping down the streets, making his way back to the house, the group following not far behind.
They plopped down onto the stairs, unsure of where to begin looking.
"If I were a bison," Iroh mumbled, stroking his goatee. "Where would I be in the middle of a giant city?"
"Hey!" Sokka piped up. "Didn't Joo Dee say she went to some lake in the country side?"
"Yeah," Aang groaned out, kicking at the dirt on the ground in front of him.
"Well, think about it, you guys! A lake, that's plenty of water for him to drink. The country side, away from all the people, the city! Plenty of grass for him to eat, lots of room to fly around in! It's the perfect place for him to be! We should look there!" Sokka held his hands out by his side as he stood, glancing around at the rest of the group.
"Sokka is right, Aang." Katara said, gently placing a hand on the trouble boys shoulder. "Lets go look."
!
"Hm," Sokka crossed his arms over his chest as he looked around the vast landscape, no sign of Appa anywhere. "I don't see him." He admitted as he continued to scan the hills.
"Uh, you guys," Toph called out, getting their attention. "I think you should see this." She jutted her arms upwards, a sliver of land coming up from under the water. "It's a tunnel. It leads to a whole bunch of underground rooms," She paused and stomped, attempting to get a better look. "There's a bunch of people in a bunch of different rooms. A couple of the rooms are really big, but I can't make them out all the way."
"What are you trying to say? That we go look down there?" Aang asked, walking up to her side.
"What if someone found him and hid him down there?"
"What? Why would they?"
"This place is full of weirdo's, Aang. Why would they not?" She used her earthbending to open up the entrance of the tunnel and began making her way down, the rest of the group following her.
"She's got a point." Zuko said as he passed by Aang, who was still standing there.
Just before Aang began to follow, he heard Sokka's voice call out.
"Wait!" He shouted, holding an arm out in front of his sister. "You probably shouldn't go down there, Katara." He suggested, shaking his head as he spoke.
"What!" She protested, furrowing her brow and placing her hands onto her hips. "Why not!"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you are carrying my nephew inside you!" He screeched, holding his arms out by his sides.
Katara growled and lifted up a wave of water to seep him off his feet, him landing flat on his back onto the stone ground. "I can still fight!"
"I don't know," Zuko admitted softly as he made he way back over to them, placing an arm loosely around the waterbenders waist as he held a hand out to Sokka, helping him back up to his feet. "We're probably going to be dealing with a bunch of earthbenders, and they usually like to go for the gut."
Katara's jaw dropped after hearing this from. Iroh placed a hand gently onto her shoulder and assured her that he would stay out on the lake's shore with her if that was what she would like. She growled and stomped back back to the shore, plopping down onto the sand as she crossed her arms over her chest, an angry pout upon her face.
"I can't believe this!" She yelled out to them, glaring at them all as they turned back towards the opening of the tunnel.
Iroh let out a small chuckle as he made his way over to her. "You do need to stay safe, Katara. You are carrying very precious cargo, after all."
She let out huff as she began to claw at the sand before her. She nearly sprang back up and went to the tunnel despite what everyone else thought, but she figured they were right. She'd sit out this time, but she would be sure to not let them make a habit out of making her stay at the sidelines.
The rest of the group made their way down the tunnel and cautiously made their way through the halls, peeking into a few of the doors that were cracked open. Sokka furrowed his brow at the sight of a bunch of women, all speaking in unison after a man told them what to say.
"You're right," He whispered into Toph ear after he took a couple of long strides to reach her side. "This place is weird."
They continued pressing forward carefully, silently making their way down the hall. They came across a large set of doors and figured the room should be plenty big enough to hold the bison. Toph bent the doors open as the others went in before her.
"It's empty." Sokka pointed out. "Let's go check another room." He suggested he turned back towards his door, making his way out.
Just before he stepped out, the door slid shut in his face.
"Toph!" He gasped, taking a step back. "You nearly cut my nose off!"
"That wasn't me."
"If it wasn't you than who-..." He trailed off, tilting his head upwards as green crystals began to glow, illuminating the room. He breath caught in his throat at the sight of Long Feng standing in the mouth of an open pipe.
"You're not going anywhere." He growled out, scowling down at the group. "You have made yourselves enemy of the state. Take them into custody."
A group of Dai Li agents literally fell from the ceiling and immediately began attacking the group. Toph stepped forward without hesitation, taking a few them out with ease.
Sokka turn his back towards her, aiming his boomerang at the man directly in front of him. As she took out the men behind him, he took out the men from behind her.
Aang airbent a couple of men off to the side, cutting a pass so he could advance towards Long Feng. "You have Appa, don't you!" He accused, pointing a finger at the man before him. Before he could answer, if was even planning to, an agent sent two fists of rock towards the young monk, sending him crashing down to the ground onto his side.
Aang tired his best to wiggle out of the earth cage he had been placed under, but it was no use. They had managed to bend his hands and feet down, rendering him unable to earth and waterbend. He watched as Long Feng stepped around him easily, using the distraction the Dai Li caused against the rest of the group to his advantage.
"Guys!" Aang called out, finally able to bend his hands out of the earth now that Long Feng nor the agents were paying attention to him. "Long Feng left!" He free'd his legs and noticed something white fall out of his pocket.
His bison whistle! This placed was lined with pipes. The whistle would be able through to probably every room in this place, and if Appa answered, his reply would be heard as well.
The airbender took in a deep breath of air before using the whistle with all his might. He listened carefully, and was thrilled to hear a muffled cry of his bison traveling through the pipes in response.
The group easily bested the Dai Li agents and bolted out the door.
Toph jumped up into the air, flipping before slamming her bare feet down onto the group, sending out the biggest wave of vibration she could produce.
"I see him!" She exclaimed, pointing into the direction they needed to go.
They came to see an open door, Long Feng struggling to get his leg out of the bison's mouth.
Aang laughed, seeing a hole in the wall. Long Feng was going to try get Appa to go through the tunnel.
"If there's one thing you need to know about him," Aang began, announcing his presence to the man. Long Feng gasped and looked at him over his shoulder, shocked to see him standing there along with his group. Aang shifted over towards Toph, silently letting her know that he was about to need her help. "It's that he hates being under ground!" He shouted, thrusting his arms out over him.
As he bent a tunnel through the ground Toph bent them up on pillar, following Aang's path through the ground and eventually water, leaving them stranded in the middle of the lake. As the two earthbenders had done that, Zuko had used his dual swords to break the chain's around the bison's ankles.
As soon as they were above ground and water, Appa tossed Long Feng out far into the water, lifting up into the air the second everyone was on his back. Aang guided him back over to the shore to retrieve Katara and Iroh.
"We should head straight for the palace!" Sokka suggested, clinching onto Appa's fur as they flew without a saddle.
"Oh, I don't know, Sokka," Katara mocked him from before. "There might be earthbenders there!"
He groaned and narrowed his eyes at her. "We have to get this information to the Earth King! We have to get to him before that crazy Long Feng guy does!"
!
"Why are they firing at us!" Sokka screeched, ducking down just before a boulder made contact with his face. "There's no way Long Feng could have warned him about us in that small amount of time!"
"You can't just show up to a palace unannounced and expect to be treated like an honored guest!" Iroh informed, holding onto patches of fur for dear life.
Aang deflected the boulders of rock easily and had Appa land just in front of the stairs that led up to the grand hall of the palace.
"Fly to the roof or something, stay out of their line of fire!" Aang patted Appa's head before allowing the bison to take of, easily swerving through the maze of flying boulders that were sent his way.
Toph flattened the stairs, every palace guard sliding down to ground level as she and Aang used a lift to bring them to the top.
"We don't want to fight!" Zuko shouted out, dropping his swords down in front of him, showing the group of guards before him. "We're with the Avatar."
"Why have you come here unannounced!" One of them asked, standing still in his stance.
"We request a private audience with the King at once. We have urgent and confidential information for him and him alone."
"All requests must be processed and-"
"We haven't got the time!" Sokka stepped forward, his machete and club still at hand. Of course, the guards took this as a threat and bent a wave of rock towards them.
Aang and Toph immediately stepped forward, breaking the wave and sending their own towards the small group of men, sending them flying back.
They continued forward, running their way through halls until they came a cross a set of very large, extravagant doors.
"That's gotta be the throne room." Zuko pointed out, examining the doors before him.
Toph bent the doors open before anymore guards had the chance to show up.
Zuko and Iroh both shot looks towards the rest of the group, and Zuko smacked the water down that Katara had held out in front of her.
"We want to speak with him, not attack him." He growled through clinched teeth. "You don't show up in the throne room with weapons raised!"
"We need to talk to you!" Aang called out, lowering his staff to his side.
"Speak with him, not talk." Zuko corrected lowly. Sokka rolled his eyes at him. Was now really the time to be all formal and prissy?
The King stood, an obvious scowl plastered across his face.
"You have invaded my palace, injured an amount of my royal guards, broke down my fancy doors, and now you want to waste my time by talking to me?"
Aang narrowed his eyes and shifted over to the two royals to his right. They were running out of time, Long Feng was sure to arrive at any moment. They had to do this fast, and the only ones who could really actually properly speak to King with the swiftness and ease they needed were Iroh and Zuko.
"No, sir." Iroh spoke up, feeling the awkward tension begin to rise into the air between them. "We wish to speak with you of a very important matter."
Kuei hummed, keeping his eyes narrowed as he sat back down.
"I suppose of it's so important that you feel the need to so abruptly show up, it's serious enough to speak with you now about whatever the subject may be."
Just as everyone was taking an inhale of good air, it turned stale at the very last moment. Long Feng glided into the room from the side, stopping in front of the King, a row of Dai Li agents standing in front of him.
"You can't speak with them!" He growled out before flinching at the sound of his own words. His tone was terribly harsh and frantic.
"Why ever not?"
"They're trying to over throw you, sir!" Long Feng pointed towards them, silently ordering the agents to bend stone cuffs around their wrists.
Zuko scoffed. "Well, that's stupid. He's the Avatar, he can just earthbend out of these."
Kuei lifted a brow and scanned the row people in front of him before settling his focus on Sokka. "You're the Avatar?"
"No, him." The Water Tribe warrior informed simply, nodding over toward Aang, who bent the rock away from him long enough to be able to raise his hand, waving towards the King.
"Now, why would the Avatar want to overthrow me?" Kuei asked, lacing his fingers together over his lap as he looked over to Long Feng.
"Because he's not the Avatar," Long Feng huffed. "He's just a regular earthbender posing as the Avatar to get into your palace so he can take you down with ease."
"Oh really?" Zuko asked, tilting his head to the side. "Does 'just a regular earthbender' have the ability to also air and waterbend?"
Aang smirked and bent himself free of the rock cuffs again and bent them into a model of the bear sitting by the King side before he hopped up into the air, onto one of his air scooters as he tried his best to seep some water from the air. He managed to get a small blob of it, he hadn't had as much experience with it as Katara had, but he was still successful in proving the fact that he was the Avatar.
"No, I suppose he doesn't." Kuei paused, glaring over at Long Feng before bringing a softer gaze over to the boy in front of him. "Now, what is it that you wish to speak to me about?"
Aang fell from his perch atop his air scooter and took a couple steps towards the King before he began to inform them about how they had information that could defeat the Fire Nation and bring an end to the hundred-year war. He went on to also tell the King about how Long Feng and the Dai Li agents had kept this from him to control him and the city.
"That is a complete and utter lie, your majesty!"
Kuei lowered his head in thought for a few moments before he slowly looked towards Long Feng. "If you are going to lie to me about something as small as a boy's identity, how do I have reason to believe that you wouldn't lie to me about something as big as a century long war?"
Aang's face and shoulders fell, he had picked up hints of hurt in the Kings voice. He had thought that Long Feng was his most loyal and trustworthy adviser.
"Are you seriously about to listen to a group strangers instead of someone you've known and trusted for years?" Long Feng breathed out, pain in his voice as well, as if he had been hurt that the King would accuse him of doing such things.
"If you need more proof," Sokka began, taking a step forward. "We have it. All you have to do is come with us and see if for yourself."
Much to Long Feng's dismay, the King agreed and went off the group, having them released of their stone cuffs before hand, of course.
They went to the outer ring first and presented the drill to him.
Kuei looked over the railing, waves of terrible feelings crashing over him. Pain, humility, sorrow. He couldn't believe that this had been kept from him for so long. So long that his wall had nearly been broken into. According to the group, one general had already done this once, but left on his own terms. He gulped, terrified with the though having an army of men barging into his palace, his home and taking him away and locking him into a cell, or even killing him there on the spot. Or worse, coming into his walls, into his land of peace, only to bring horror and destruction to his people.
They all turned, hearing the earth shift not too far from them. It was Long Feng and a pair of agents by his side. Before he could even speak, the King stepped towards him, pointing his forefinger at him.
"How dare you!" He growled out. "How dare you show your face to me so boldly after what you have done! After the crimes you have committed against not only me, but all of my people and my entire nation!"
"Sir-"
"Agents! Arrest him!" The agents had a moment of obvious hesitation, but continued to follow orders and take the man before them into custody.
!
They had returned to the palace before King Kuei expressed that he was thankful towards the group for opening his eyes and showing him the truth, even though he truly didn't want to believe that they were at war. Sokka stepped forward and informed him that had been the reason they came to the city in first place and that they felt that they had found information that could possibly end the war with his help.
They told the King about the Day of Black Sun and how that was the day that they needed to invade the Fire Nation. After a little bit more assurance and encouragement, Kuei expressed that they had his support.
A man stepped into the room and bowed before the King, expressing a small apology about his interruption before he informed them that they had searched Long Feng's office and found documents that were sure to interest everyone.
They made their into the library where he showed them letters that Long Feng had intercepted.
Toph had a letter from her mother, Aang had a scroll that had been tied to Appa's horn, while Sokka and Katara had an intelligence report on their father's fleet.
After reading the letter's they sadly realized that they were going to have to split up.
The letter Aang had gotten was from a guru that said he could teach him how to master the Avatar State, but he was all the way in the Eastern Air Temple. Hakoda and his fleet were at Chameleon Bay, Toph's mother was off in the city, and someone still needed to stay and help the King plan for the invasion.
Zuko expressed that he would continue avoided their father for a while, the group laughing at his obvious nerves about meeting his girlfriend's father. Iroh knew he'd be of aid to the King and his plans, so he would stay back as well. Katara, though she wanted to see her father terribly, still felt like she wasn't mentally stable enough to leave Zuko's side for a long period of time, especially if they were going to be staying in a Bay, and she figured it would be best of she stayed behind as well.
They all said their goodbye's and wished each other luck before Aang and Sokka took off on Appa, Toph went off out into the city, and Katara, Zuko, and Iroh made their way back into the palace.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review, tell me what you think!