Chapter 31:
Freya was, as usual, up first before the others. She moved into the living room and then outside for a breath of fresh air. As usual the girl felt the morning sun and soaked up the heat that came with it. She let out a great sigh, feeling calmer for the day that she had yesterday.
The door opened behind the girl and Katara walked out with a smile and a stretch.
"Morning."
"Morning." Freya walked back up the stairs towards her as Katara grabbed the mail from their box, which was a rolled up paper. The girl took one look at the cover and suddenly gasped grinning before she turned inside. Freya looked confused before she followed the girl.
"I've got it! I know how we're gonna see the Earth King!" she suddenly cried and Freya found everyone else awake and in the house as they lay around on the raised platform. Katara ran towards them and Freya followed as Aang was lounging on the rail, Sokka had his feet up the wall and Toph sat on a pillow with a bowl of snacks beside her.
"How are we supposed to do that? "One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King"." Toph reminded her, mimicking Joo Dee
"The King is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bear." Katara explained as she read the paper
"You mean Platypus-Bear?" Aang asked
"No, it just says "Bear"." Katara said dully.
"Certainly you mean his pet Skunk-Bear."
"Or his Armadillo-Bear."
"Gopher-Bear?" They continued to throw different mixes at the girl who turned back to the paper.
"Just… "Bear"."
There was silence for a second.
"This place is weird." Toph decided.
"So he's having a party," Freya said bringing them back on topic "It's at the palace, surely you'll need an invite to get in." she believed
"The palace will be packed. We can sneak in with the crowd." Katara thought
"We can't sneak in." Freya believed
"Sure we can." Sokka disagreed
"Won't work." Toph agreed with the girl as she laid down.
"Why not?" Katara wondered
"Well, no offence to you simple country folk, but a real society crowd would spot you from a mile away. You've got no manners." Toph explained before she bit into a pastry.
"Excuse me? I've got no manners? You're not exactly lady fancy fingers." Katara said insulted, pointing from her to the girl. Toph burped.
"I learned proper society behaviour and chose to leave it." Toph explained as she threw a half eaten pastry away. "You never learned anything. And frankly, it's a little too late." Toph wiped her hands on her front and picked her nose before flicking it away.
"Sorry Toph, but you're not the only one. My father was a General, I know perfectly well how to act around those of higher classes ever since I was a child. You're not the only one who can be posh." she said slightly insulted but smirked anyway.
"Ah-Ha, but you learned it. You could teach us." Sokka thought and Freya rose an eyebrow
"Yeah, I'm mastering every element. How hard could manners be?" Aang grabbed the curtain and dropped it around himself like a noble's robe. He rose his chin to look sophisticated "Good evening, Mr. Sokka Watertribe. Ms Freya Watertribe. Ms. Katara Watertribe. Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty, your Momo-ness." Momo who had buried himself under a blanket looked up as he was addressed and bowed back to the boy as he bowed at the three water tribe members in turn.
Sokka got to his feet and turned to the boy as well, his own curtain around his shoulders.
"Avatar Aang, how you do go on." he said and Aang bowed at Sokka, before Sokka bowed back and the two continued until they knocked each other in the heads by bowing at the same time. Both fell backwards onto the floor.
"Katara might be able to pull it off, but you two would be lucky to pass as busboys." Toph said as she got to her feet and stared at the two boys on the floor.
"But I feel so fancy." Sokka thought
"Doesn't matter how you feel, it's about how you act Sokka." Freya said before she turned to Katara. "Come on, let's see what kind of outfits they've got around here. If nothing, we're going shopping!" Katara beamed before the two girls disappeared through one of the doors.
Night fell and Toph and Katara disappeared with Freya as the boys sat and played Rock, air, water fire with their hands. The girls had gotten a few dresses and head pieces and each played with one another's hair and added accessories, grabbing fans as well before they open the door to the two boys.
The three girls had large head dresses with flowers, Freya's white, Toph's red and Katara's pink. Their cheeks were covered with blush and their eyelids coloured to bring out their eyes, Freya and Katara with dark and Toph with light. All had green fans, a lighter yellow strip at the top. Katara's dress was an acid green with darker collar and sleeves, Freya's was a white with green decoratives and Toph's was a lighter pale green with patterns over her cuffs.
The two boys turned to look at them surprised and they stood before the three girls burst into giggles.
"Wow, you look beautiful." Aang complimented. Sokka flicked Aang in the side of the head as Katara turned to open her mouth. Toph raised her fan and blocked Katara's mouth to stop her talking.
"Don't talk to the commoners, Katara. First rule of society." Toph explained
"Only talk to those who looked like they're the same. Or in our case, very high up. Which is everyone except those serving the food." Freya said and Katara nodded before they moved towards the door.
"We'll get in the party, and then find a way to let you in through the side gate." Katara smiled.
They found their way up to the palace and people were walking around and moving towards the entrance. The three girls entered the line and people were showing their invites at the guard.
"Remember we don't have one?" Freya whispered
"We'll just flash my passport." Toph shrugged
"I know you're the Bei Fong family Toph, but this is the palace of a King, it might not be that easy." Toph didn't reply.
"Invitation please." the guard asked when they reached him.
"I think this will do." Toph held up the official seal of her family.
"No entry without an invitation. Step out of line please." he said and Freya rose an eyebrow.
"Look, the Pangs and the Yum Soon Hans are waiting in there for us. I'm going to have to tell them who didn't let me in." Toph returned with irritation.
"Step out of line please." the man refused to change his mind.
Freya took Toph's hand and they moved out of the way.
"Well now we need a different idea." Freya said thinking. Katara noticed a cart that had just pulled up. A guard bowed to the man who got out and Katara beamed before looking at the guard behind them slyly.
"I have an idea." Katara decided and she moved forwards, the two girls following her.
"Sir I'm sorry to bother you, but my cousin lost our invitations." Katara said carefully, bowing to the man. She leaned slightly forwards to whisper to him. "She's blind. Do you think you could help us? Our family's inside and I'm sure they're very worried." Katara asked sweetly.
"I am honoured, please come with me." he bowed to them and smiled before walking forwards. The girls bowed to him before following him along the path. The guard bowed to him and the man walked straight past.
They moved to the guard and walked straight past the man, Katara and Toph stuck their tongues out at him as they walked past and Freya sighed.
Women dressed up handsomely and men in robes stood around the very large room in the castle. There was a very long table in the middle where food was laid out along it and lanterns of green and yellow hung from the celling.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the man said as they entered the lovely decorated room. "By the way, I'm Long Feng. I'm a cultural minister to the king." he explained
"I'm Kwa mai, and this is Mira and Dung." Katara pointed from Freya to Toph and Freya bowed as her fake name was said, mostly to hide the smirk on her face as Toph reached to grab a string from Katara's hair, pulling it in annoyance. "Ow!" Katara complained
"Now where is your family? I'd love to meet them." Long Feng asked looking around.
"I'm not sure." Freya frowned.
"Um... I don't see 'em right now. But I'm sure we'll find them soon. Thanks for all your help." Katara smiled and the three turned away to leave, Katara leading Toph.
The three suddenly stopped and backed away as Long Feng suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Don't worry, as your escort it would be dishonourable to abandon you ladies without finding your families first. We'll keep looking." He turned and walked away and the girls shared a look before they followed.
"We've gotta loose him." Freya whispered
"How?" Katara asked
"Walk through a crowd of people and loose him?" Freya offered
"That wont work for long." Toph thought
"But it'll work long enough to let the boys in." Freya believed "Just one of us has to do so." she reminded them.
The three were strapped to Long Feng for a long time before Freya grabbed the girls as if looking at something and they moved off away from the man.
Finally having ditched the man who let them into the party. Katara moved off to try and let the two boys in through the side gate while Freya took a look around in curiosity. The bear was sitting at one end of the long table with a hat on his head and a shirt on it's chest. As explained in the article it was just a bear, there was no mix of it being half bear and half something else.
"Freya." the girl turned to Toph who moved off and she followed her. Freya looked confused before she noticed a small boy serving food and with him was a taller boy doing the same. They were dressed in black, long robes past their knees and black hats on their heads. Aang and Sokka were looking around as Sokka had a flat plate and Aang a teapot. Freya noticed a tail poking out of Aang's hat as Momo's.
"Another crab puff please." Toph said as she held up her fan. Sokka and Aang both tuned to see her and Freya there, both grinning at them.
"You found us." Aang explained
"I'd know your little footsteps anywhere Twinkletoes." Toph admitted as Freya held up a cup and Aang poured the liquid into it while Toph moved to pick one of the crab puffs off of Sokka's plate. Katara came up behind the two girls having found them.
"Thanks for letting us in." Sokka said to his sister sarcastically
"Sorry, but the guy who escorted us in, won't let us out of his sight." Katara admitted
"Is he still around?" Freya asked surprised but as she looked around he was gone.
"What guy?" Sokka wondered as he noticed the same. Katara looked around surprised before Joo Dee suddenly came up to them looking worried.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded
"You were being terribly unhelpful and wouldn't tell us anything so we took matters into our own hands." Freya explained, annoyed.
"You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble." she worried. She turned to push Sokka out who turned his tray, spilling the crab puffs and blocked the women.
"Not until we see the King." Sokka said stubbornly
"You don't understand. You must go."
"We don't understand because you wont tell us." Freya said lowly but Joo Dee pushed on Sokka who bumped into Aang who sent the tea in his jug flying out of the top. The boy looked worried as a women suddenly cried out as she was drenched in the stuff.
"Sorry! No, don't shout." Aang raised his hands and lifted a foot for a gust of wind to fly at the women. Aang's hat fell off and exposed his arrow as the women was left looking windswept, her hair and clothes all point off her back as her makeup ran.
"The Avatar. Ooh, I didn't known the Avatar would be here." she suddenly exclaimed happily. Soon people were turning to Aang and looking in his direction as everyone heard the women. Joo Dee's usual smile turned down into a terrible frown for the first time as people climbed around the boy. Momo crawled into the hat on the floor and crawled away as Aang looked at everyone.
Aang simply waved at them all as he blushed and Sokka moved up behind him.
"You keep their attention while I look for the King." he decided
"Watch this everybody!" Aang jumped out, leaving the servant clothes behind as he landed on the table and he raised his hands, swirling around and soon different coloured liquids were floating around his head. Sokka turned and walked away, looking around the room as Aang balanced on a very large jug and the liquids swirled around one another in a sphere above Aang's fingers.
The guests all clapped and ooed around the room and the bear watched him excitedly as it growled.
Freya looked around in curiosity trying to find who may be the king before music sounded and suddenly many men paraded into the room carrying a palanquin. A man sat inside and Freya moved forwards, Katara and Toph following her before Sokka joined them.
The soldiers all stood in front of the palanquin as it was set down at the head of the table and the end of the room. Aang was playing with the coloured liquids with the bear as Sokka turned to him.
"Aang, the Earth King." Aang turned and the liquids vanished before the boy created his air scooter and went flying along the table grinning. The guests gasped and picked up the food to stop the boy from kicking up all the food along the table and covering people in the stuff.
"Greetings your majesty." the soldiers moved further in front of the King and towards the table as the King was being carried away in a hurry. Sokka moved to follow the palanquin but was stopped with more soldiers and his hands were brought behind his back and clamped together with earth cuffs.
"Hey, let me go." he complained. Freya watched them before there was a groan from beside her and suddenly Toph was gone from her side. Katara looked at Freya who turned around to see earth flying at her. The dress didn't allow for much movements but Freya dodged it before Katara was dragged away as well.
Freya felt the earth on her wrist as she twirled elegantly as though she was dancing and gasped before she was pulled backwards after the girls.
Aang got to the end of the table were Long Feng walked forwards to greet him, the boy having his hands in the air in excitement.
"Avatar, it is a great honour to meet you. I am Long Feng, Grand Secretary of Ba Sing Se and head of the Dai Li. I'd like to talk to you. Your friends will be waiting for us in the library." he said as he bowed to Aang and gestured for them. Aang watched the man before he followed them. The door was slammed behind them as Sokka's waiting clothes were removed and Long Feng took a seat in front of a green fire before them.
"Why won't you let us talk to the King? We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!" Sokka demanded annoyed
"The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities." Long Feng said.
"This could be the most important thing he has ever heard." Aang thought
"What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversea the rest of the city's resources, including the military." Long Feng explained with his hand on his hip and looking rather smug.
"So the King is just a figurehead." Katara thought
"He's your puppet!" Toph said furiously
"Oh, no, no! His majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can't sully his hands with the hourly change of an endless war."
"It's not endless." Freya believed angrily.
"Yeah we found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenceless. You could lead an invasion…" Sokka began but stopped as Long Feng suddenly sat up.
"Enough, I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan! It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls. Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic."
"Better panic and knowing what's happening then suddenly being invaded and taken hostage by the Fire Nation." Freya believed
"Our economy would be ruined. Our peaceful way of life, our traditions would disappear."
"What about people's right to freedom!?" Freya demanded but the man continued to talk.
"In silencing talk of conflict, Ba Sing Se remains a peaceful, orderly utopia. The last one on Earth."
"You can't keep the truth from all these people. They have to know." Katara believed. Aang stepped forward determinedly
"I'll tell them. I'll make sure everyone knows!"
"And I'd like to see you stop us." Freya snapped
"Until now, you've been treated as our honoured guest." The man bent forwards and leaned down towards Aang. Aang stared back angrily. "But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city. I understand you've been looking for your bison. It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest."
Freya looked at the man shocked and Aang frightened before Freya balled her fists and her hands glowed with the anger that was presented by her fire. Katara and Sokka noticed and looked worried as Aang's face turned angry.
"Now Joo Dee will show you home." A women with short black hair walked in and stood before the five who looked surprised as the women before them was not the same one as before.
"Come with me, please."
"What happened to Joo Dee?"
"I'm Joo Dee. I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city." she smiled at them before bowing.