Ch.15 Toph's Jailbreak
"What are you waiting for, Avatar Aang?" one of the council members asked impatiently. He sent Toph a knowing look. Finally, the male representative of the Fire Nation bellowed, "Strip Miss Bei Fong of her bending, young Avatar. Or shall we prepare the ritual to strip your Avatar status?" Toph's mind kept going back to what happened with the council. It took all her will power to keep from smiling. Aang had put his hands on Toph the same way he had when he stripped Phoenix King Ozai, only this time was different.
It was all a light show. He had only gone through the motions. Instead of stripping her, Toph found herself physically seeing for the first time in her entire life, instead of seeing through her earth-sight. "How am I?" she asked. It was as though she were floating in the sky. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Toph. We're in the spirit world." Aang smiled as he stood in front of his former teacher. "But I thought..." Toph began in a confused voice. "I would never strip you of your bending," Aang said with a smile. "I have something else in mind." Toph tried to hug him, but she passed through his body. "These are our spiritual forms," Aang explained. "Our physical bodies are still on earth."
Toph nodded in understanding. "I got to admit, Twinkle-Toes, it does feel good to actually see you and not your outline," she said with a giggle. Her expression suddenly went serious. "Okay," she said, getting down to business. It was obvious that Aang brought her here for more than just the breathtaking view. He wanted to be able to talk privately. "What's the plan?" she asked. Aang sighed. He didn't bother trying to beat around the bush about this. "Look, you realize that no matter what, you're going to Boiling Rock," he said softly. Toph's eyes flashed angrily. "Don't remind me," she said pointedly. Aang continued, "The best thing I can think of is to pretend to strip your bending." Toph smiled. "I figure the guards at Boiling Rock will let their guard down if they think you can't bend," he finished.
An evil grin crept across Toph's face. Never in her life had she ever been so happy to be sent to prison on a life sentence. "What should I do when I get out?" she asked. "Come back here and tear the Council Building down?" Aang thought for a minute. "When you escape, go to Iroh's tea shop. He should be able to hide you until it's time." It made sense. "Well," she said with a laugh, "let's get this show on the road." Aang nodded, and they found themselves back in the physical world.
"Are you happy now?" Aang asked, making no attempt in his voice to mask his anger. "Release her," the Fire Nation representative ordered. As the guards took the wooden cuffs off of her, she played the part. "Go ahead, Miss Bei Fong," he challenged. She took her stance, being careful to not actually bend. After several moments of nothing happening, he motioned to the guards, who reshackled her with metal manacles. "Now that you are powerless, guards, escort Miss Bei Fong to the prison ships. As the guards began to lead her from the room, he left her with a final cutting remark. "Enjoy your time in Boiling Rock," he sneered.
She was disturbed from her thoughts by the door to her cell being opened. Two guards stepped in, chains in their hands. They pulled her roughly from the ground, and chained her up. "We're here," one said. He pushed her hard enough to send her out the door. "Let's go," he ordered. Toph fought the urge to send the guards flying. She slowly made her way off the boat. In no time, she could feel the sun on her face. She could sense that she was not the only new prisoner, as she was led to the assembly before her.
The warden emerged to address them. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to take this time to welcome you to my prison." It was odd that there seemed to be no malice or ill will in his voice. "If you follow the rules, life here will not be difficult." As he began discussing the various rules and regulations, he made eye contact with Toph. He stopped in mid-sentence. "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we have a celebrity among us. Welcome, Miss Bei Fong." Toph seemed to ignore him.
Finally, the group dispersed. Toph tried to keep to herself for the most part. There was no reason to start a fight. A few male prisoners had other ideas, however. She began to feel uneasy as she sensed herself being surrounded. "Aren't you cute," one of them leered. Toph could only imagine the stupid look he had on his face. "You're not my type," she snickered. The guy pretended to look hurt. "We only want to show you a good time, sweetie," he replied. "Look, I'm really not interested," Toph fired back. She was worried. Since she had her bending, she wasn't actually concerned with anything happening. These bozos were easy cannon fodder for her.
But the pressing problem was that now wasn't the time. She couldn't reveal to the guards that she still possessed her bending. Not yet, anyway. Quickly and without warning, the man in front of her grabbed her wrist. "Don't worry, babe," he said. "We'll take it easy on you." Before he could do anything, he found himself under attack. An unknown assailant struck fast. "Arrgh!" he exclaimed. His arms dropped uselessly to their sides, releasing Toph as they fell. "Back off," a voice intoned. It was a voice Toph realized she knew. Ty Lee! His friends took the warning and ran. "What did you do to me?" he asked. "Relax," Ty Lee said, her voice suddenly chipper.
"You'll regain the use of your arms in a few hours," she said. "But you need to leave my friend alone." The hapless man nodded. "Right, no problem, I'm going," he said as he took his leave. "Ty Lee?" Toph asked, surprise evident in her voice. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Ty Lee embraced the earthbender in a hug. "My husband is a former prison warden," she explained. "Really? Which prison?" Toph asked. This was an unexpected surprise.
"I don't know. All he told me was that he ran a prison for earthbenders, until a Water Tribe girl got herself sent there." Toph knew who she meant. "That could only be Katara," she replied. "She organized a riot, and the prisoners took control of the prison," Ty Lee said. "So why are you here? Did you resist?" Toph asked. "No. It seems he also heard about my betrayal of Azula." Ty Lee answered. "He told me I was a traitor to the Fire Nation, and had me sent here." Toph felt rage at this. "Why are you here?" Ty Lee asked. Toph smiled. "I ran away from General Fong," she answered. "I went to Zuko, and he and Aang defended me."
At the mention of Zuko's name, Ty Lee's smile got wider, if that was possible. "You saw Zuko? How is he? How's Mai?" The questions came rolling so fast Toph couldn't keep up. "Settle down," Toph said. "Aang told them our situation, and we went to Ba Sing Se to find you and Suki," she answered. Ty Lee seemed to mellow out some. "First we had to rescue Katara from Hahn," she explained. She continued telling Toph of their adventures, up until her capture.
"We're getting out of here," she said deliberately. Ty Lee looked unsure. "But I thought the council ordered Aang to strip you of your bending," she said. Toph burst into a laughing fit. "We faked it," she said. "I still have my bending. To prove it, she bent the bench they were sitting on. "So what's the plan?" Ty Lee asked. Toph smiled. "We'll wait until tonight, then we'll blow this popsicle stand," she answered. A horn blared, and the guards began escorting the prisoners to their cells.
The guards put Toph and Ty Lee in the same cell. The girls got their rest, knowing they would have a long night ahead of them. As soon as the horn for lights out blared, Toph shot out of bed. She shook Ty Lee awake. "It's time," she said. There was a look of determination on her face. She began by bending the door of their cell. She was able to make a gap in the bars that was just wide enough for her and Ty Lee to slip through. "Let's go," she instructed. As the pair rounded the first corner, they ran into a guard. Before he could raise the alarm, Toph pounced. She used metal bending to stick him to the wall. They took off as he began yelling.
In no time, guards converged. The girls worked as a unit, subduing any guards who crossed their path. Soon, they tasted the fresh air of outside. As they ran into the yards, they began plotting their next move. Ty Lee eyed the lines for the gondola which had been repaired since Sokka and Zuko's visit. "Can you walk the lines?" she asked as they came to a stop. Toph had bent the doors to the cells shut, to delay their pursuers. Toph shook her head. "No good. I'm blind, remember?" she replied. Time had run out, though. The guards had finally got to the yard, and were rushing toward them.
Just as all hope seemed lost, a loud bellow was heard. "Appa!" Toph cried. He landed in the middle of the yard, and shook his tail, sending guards flying. "Get on!" Aang shouted. Toph managed to climb to the saddle, while Ty Lee showed off her agility. "Yip yip," Aang said as soon as both girls were safe. Appa took off as the guards stood bewildered. "What are you doing here?" Toph asked. Aang smiled. "I thought you might need help," he replied. He brought the girls up to speed as they flew back to Ba Sing Se.