Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Seven:

When the door closed behind Kanon, Toph felt tears rise unwelcome in her sightless eyes. She was sure that no one was there to see them, but they stung harshly.

"Toph? Is that you?" The voice was so familiar Toph felt as if the panic welling up inside her vanished.

"Iroh!" She called out. "Where are you?"

"I'm in a cell down below." He answered.

"I thought he killed you! You've been locked here all along?"

"Indeed, my dear. I'm afraid I was beginning to think he wasn't who he claimed to be, and he saw me as a threat. He kept me alive in case he ever needed leverage, I suppose."

"Zuko's been sending out search parties!"

"Indeed? And are Kanon's words true? Are you and Zuko sweethearts?"

How can he be asking me that at a time like this? "Don't be ridiculous!" Toph responded, her cheeks burning. "We have to get out of here."

0000

Zuko had gone out that morning on business. As soon as he returned, however, he was greeted by Kanon.

"Welcome back, your highness, I have good news and bad news!" Kanon replied, his voice bright.

Zuko groaned, "What is it?"

"The good news is that the Jade Dragon has been captured. You can rest safely now."

Zuko did feel relieved, but he couldn't feel really calm until he heard the bad news. "That's great! What else?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm afraid Miss Bei Fong had to depart while you were away."

Zuko felt instantly sick with disappointment. He shook his head, trying to hide his emotions. "She couldn't wait?"

"I'm afraid she was in quite a hurry, your highness."

"Thank you, Kanon, for the news." Zuko turned his back and hurried away, then.

Zuko walked through the halls with his head hanging. He should have known she would leave, but he couldn't help but wish she hadn't. He couldn't help but wish she would stay forever.

He'd been thinking it for a while. He couldn't not notice how beautiful she was, even when she didn't try to be. He couldn't not notice how the world got lighter when she was around, and how she seemed to understand him.

He thought he understood her, too.

He clenched his fists and shook his head. He was being ridiculous. Toph would never think of him in a romantic way. It seemed silly just thinking of it.

He found himself at her room. He pushed open the door and stared inside. The room was almost entirely empty. He stared at it for a moment before determining to leave and stop feeling sorry for himself over something so ridiculous. He glanced around one last time, and spotting something on the floor, walked towards it, sitting down to take a better look. It was a long thin string that he recognized seeing around Toph's neck, and wondering what pendent hung from it. He picked it up, examining the pendent of jade.

It was a dragon.

Something registered in his brain and he jumped to his feet. It couldn't be.

0000

Kanon entered the room again, though Toph didn't know who came through the door until he spoke.

"I've spoken to his royal highness."

She didn't reply, but she felt less afraid now knowing she had a friend locked in one of the cells below.

"I'm so glad that the Fire Lord has such a resilient spirit. You have to after all he has been through. Also, prone to anger, I'm afraid, but he is young."

Toph frowned as she listened to Kanon's speech, she could hear the smugness in his voice.

"He couldn't believe someone he had been so close to could possibly do such a thing as try to assassinate him, but, there it is. He is angry, of course, but he'll recover swiftly after your execution."

Toph couldn't breathe for just a second, then she spoke out, "He won't let you kill me!"

"He ordered it himself."

"You're lying!" She yelled.

"Zuko wouldn't—" Iroh spoke up, but Kanon interrupted.

"Oh, I assure you, he would!"

0000

A moment of irrational fear filled Zuko as the implications of Toph being the Jade Dragon hit him. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind he knew that Toph would never hurt him. She had plenty of opportunity to harm him if she had wanted to. Besides, he trusted their friendship.

How many times had Toph offhandedly said that maybe the Jade Dragon wasn't there to hurt him at all? He had thought she was just trying to make him feel better.

The Jade Dragon had only appeared after that first assassin, and Toph had come around then too.

She was trying to protect him.

He felt a smile slowly crawl across his face. Then he frowned.

That meant either Kanon had captured the wrong person, or he had captured Toph, and didn't want to tell Zuko. He felt sick again, and closed his eyes tightly, trying to think.

Was he trying to spare my feelings? Zuko wondered.

He rushed down the hall and stopped the nearest guard.

"Where did Kanon take the Jade Dragon?"

"I'll show you, your highness. But are you sure you want to visit the traitor…?"

"I think this is a misunderstanding."

The guard didn't reply, instead he led Zuko down dozens of stairs to a locked room.

They stopped outside the door. "Kanon has ordered that no one enter." The guard told Zuko, "He said it is all a matter of great security."

"Thank you, I would like to enter now."

He saw Toph first. She was dangling from the ceiling as if she were a priceless bird that might fly away. "Toph!"

"Zuko!" She looked surprised to hear his voice, and struggled against the net that held her aloft.

"You're highness!" Kanon turned, with a look of shock and some fear.

"Zuko!" Another voice called out to him then, too, and Zuko's eyes fell to another cell nearby.

"…Uncle?" He shook his head, blinking. "I don't understand."

Kanon shook his head urgently, "It can all be explained your highness."

"It's true that I'm the Jade Dragon, but I wasn't trying to kill you. I don't know what Kanon told you but I-"

"I know but-" He looked from Toph to his Uncle. "Kanon put you in this prison?" Zuko asked Iroh, "Why?"

"He is not to be trusted, Zuko." Iroh answered.

"I thought you left because of what I had said-"

"I would not leave you in such a way."

Zuko felt emotion swell inside him. He turned toward Kanon slowly. "It's time for the truth, Kanon."

"Your highness. As I said, it can all be explained."

"I'm waiting." Zuko's trust was wearing thin. He frowned.

Preparing himself, he got into a fighting stance, and Kanon's face hardened.

"I should have known I couldn't convince you your little girlfriend was a traitor. Even if she was lurking on the palace walls as good as guilty."

Zuko frowned, but stood still, saying nothing.

"But she was trying to protect you, she says, so you believe her."

"How do you explain hiding my uncle here?"

"He was a traitor as well, of course."

"That's a lie! My uncle is loyal. I thought you were too, but I see now that you never were."

Kanon glared back at Zuko, "Well, the jig is up."

He pointed at the rope holding Toph high in the air. "Move, and I'll burn her to the ground."

Zuko froze, looking up at Toph without moving his head.

"Don't hurt her." He said, his voice low and angry.

"Dismiss your guards. Or the girl falls."

"Leave now, it will be fine." Zuko told the guards.

"I would make a far better ruler than you. You pace back and forth and you get nothing done. You frolick around with a blind earthbender girl. I thought I could wear you down into a state of complete panic until you were mad and I was ruling your kingdom. I was close too. You imagined everyone was out to get you. You are weak. You are nothing more than a banished prince who never learned to be a ruler."

Zuko didn't move, he stood still and stared at Kanon. "You are nothing more than a baby, crying over someone else's toy."

Kanon shot a flame at the rope holding Toph's net, then turned and ran. He calculated correctly in some respects, because Zuko didn't chase after him. Instead, Zuko jumped beneath Toph, catching her right in time. She looked shocked not to find painful ground beneath her, but she didn't stop to be relieved for long. She pushed herself out of Zuko's grasp, and as soon as she was on earth again, she paused then gave one hard kick to the ground.

"Look in the hallway." She told Zuko.

Zuko stepped out of the room to find Kanon enclosed in a prison of rock, only his head was free. Toph joined him in the hallway, and Zuko grinned. Then, Toph bended the earth again to place Kanon in a cell.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "That guy is the worst."

Zuko let out a nervous laugh, feeling relief growing inside of him. He wanted to hug Toph, but instead he gave her a pat on the back.

"The Jade Dragon, huh?"

She shrugged, "We need to help your uncle. I'm sure he hasn't had tea in ages." She turned back to the room and pulled the bars apart in the cell that held Iroh.

Zuko looked at his uncle as he stepped out of the cell, his heart full of emotion he couldn't explain. "I'm so sorry."

Iroh extended his arms to hug his nephew, "It's all over, nephew."

Zuko threw his arms around his uncle, and smiled.