Chapter Thirty Five
Earth Rumble
Zuko had to admit that he did not expect this to be Toph's plan. He figured that he and his uncle would disguise themselves as servants or something, but instead, he was standing in front of Lao Beifong soaking wet and muddy.
"Dad," Toph said, "This is my friend Lee, and his uncle Mushi."
Toph clung onto Zuko's arm for effect, and his uncle waved at Lao and Poppy. The plan had been to allow Toph to dump buckets of river water and mud on him, and then on her as well. She had concocted a story in which Zuko had heroically dove into the water to save her after she had been knocked in by a passing cart. She couldn't get out of the way, being blind and all.
"Toph, we were so worried! When we woke up, you were nowhere to be found!" Poppy said. Lao eyed the two strangers with suspicion.
"How did you two men come to find my daughter? And how did she get so far from home?" Lao interrogated them as if they were personally responsible.
"I fell into the river. I was trying to go for a walk, but I must have wandered off the estate and gotten lost again. Lee saved me from drowning, and his uncle helped get me out of the water. They let me ride on their ostrich horse, and took me back here."
Lao nodded, seeming to accept the story without hesitation. "Well, it seems that I owe the pair of you my gratitude. Leave your address with a guard on your way out and I'll see to it that a reward is given to you."
"Actually, Dad," Toph said, "Lee and Mushi are only in town for a few days while they're getting in touch with a friend of theirs."
"I see. Well then, whatever inn you're staying at should do fine."
"These two just saved my life and you're going to make them stay at an inn?" Toph said in an offended tone. Zuko raised his remaining eyebrow at her.
"Lao," Poppy cut in, "Perhaps we can offer them a place to stay for a few days, until they get into contact with… whoever it is."
Lao sighed and nodded his assent. "I suppose that can be arranged."
"The trick to earthbending is pretty simple." Kwan said, "You just gotta go for it!"
He lifted a stone from the ground and hurled it away from him. Evidently, he hadn't been paying much attention to where he was aiming, for a man cried out at the destruction of his cart, "My cabbages!"
The man fell to his knees and wiped his tear-filled eyes. "I should have gone into nunchakus like my cousin in Omashu."
Aang smiled awkwardly, "Uh…"
"We'll keep you in mind." Sokka came to the rescue. He steered Aang away by the shoulders and towards their camp. "I'll catch up, I'm going to get some supplies before we head to the next town."
Aang nodded and bid farewell to Sokka. Katara had elected to stay in the camp and keep watch over their things that day. She and Sokka had agreed to trade off that role, though Aang questioned if it was really necessary. The siblings had shrugged, saying it was better safe than sorry.
As he walked back into camp Katara waved in greeting. "Hey, Aang. Did you find anyone?"
"No." He sighed, "Just the same as the last two places we checked."
"Large brash men, who decree that muscles are enough to win any fight?"
He nodded. He took a seat on a tree stump and propped his head on one hand. "Bumi said the key to earthbending is to wait and listen, but everyone else seems to think it's to just go for it."
Katara got up from where she had been laying on Appa's tail and walked over to him. She stopped to squat next to the stump. "I've been thinking. Maybe you could ask Roku for help? He might know, or he could send you a vision or something."
Aang exhaled through his nose, and his airbending caused a cloud of dust to billow up around them. "I've been trying, but all that ever happens when I try and speak with him lately is that I hear a girl laughing."
"You went to the Spirit World?" Katara asked, surprised.
"No." Aang rubbed his eyes. It had been a long couple of days, and it was getting late. The sun had nearly dipped below the horizon. "I don't want to go into the Spirit World while we're so exposed. After what happened at Jeong Jeong's camp I don't think it's a good idea."
"I can understand that," Katara said, "But Sokka and I are much better fighters now. Plus, unless Azula gets the drop on us with an army I think we can get away, even if we have to carry you with us."
"I don't know, Katara," Aang rubbed the back of his head, "If something happened to you I don't think I could live with myself."
"Oh, we'll be fine." Katara smiled at him, "There's nothing around here that we can't handle. And besides, your duty as the Avatar is more important than my safety."
Aang frowned slightly. Duty, Sacrifice, obligation. Was his responsibility as the Avatar truly more important than her safety? To him it wasn't, but he was starting to understand what could happen if he didn't carry out his role. The Air Nomads were gone. The southern waterbenders too. Huge swaths of Earth Kingdom territory had been conquered by the Fire Nation. The Northern Water Tribe had been invaded, and Yue had died because of his inability to put aside his emotions. He couldn't afford to keep doing this, to keep placing his own wants first. Even though it broke his heart not to.
"I… I know." He said, "It's… It's just hard. I've got so many lives depending on me, but I'm just one kid. Sure, I'm the Avatar, but I'm still just… me. You and Sokka are my best friends, I don't know what I'd do without you."
Katara warped him in a hug, which was a bit awkward since he was still sitting. He appreciated it all the same. "Thanks, Katara."
She let him go, and Aang crossed his legs on the stump. "I'm going to meditate for a while."
She nodded and Aang closed his eyes. He focused on his breathing. The spring wind gently caressed his scalp, it tugged on his clothes and played gentle music in his ears. He tried to capture that melody, the subtle pattern of the wind. He fell deeper into his meditative state and had a vision.
Aang stood in a cavern. A square ring stood in its center, surrounded on all sides by stands. In one corner of the ring was a young girl, and opposite her was a one-eyed dragon. It stood tall, waiting for only moments before it struck. The dragon leapt forward, and maw opened to breathe fire, but the girl was ready for him. She swept her foot to one side across the ring, and a stone shifted. It moved the dragon's foot to one side, breaking it's root.
The pair were fighting, but Aang thought they were friends too. They sparred, but the dragon cocked it's head and looked right at him. Aang waved nervously, but the dragon didn't seem to see him. It's eye narrowed, and it was hit in the head by a rock. The girls spoke to the creature, but Aang couldn't make out the words. She laughed, and the dragon took off. An animal leapt from below the ring, one that Aang had not seen before. A great boar, with emerald wings and golden fur. The girl climbed on the beast and joined the dragon in the air.
Aang opened his eyes. The sun had fallen below the horizon and Katara had built a fire. A pile of food and other supplies was stacked beside Appa, and for some reason, Sokka was chopping at a tree with Regret.
Aang unfolded his legs and walked to the pile where Katara was sorting through the goods that Sokka had gotten, and she was evidently trying hard not to laugh.
"Hey, Katara," He said. She jumped a little.
"Aang, you scared me for a second there." She put a package in a bag, "Did your meditation help?"
"Eh, maybe?" He started sorting the packages, wondering why Sokka had gotten three different coils of rope. They didn't even need rope. "I had a vision."
"Really? About what?"
Aang explained his vision to Katara, who nodded along. Sokka heard their conversation and slowed in his mauling of the deceased vegetation.
"Throughout the whole fight, she just seemed to know the right time to move. I have no idea what the dragon was supposed to mean, but…"
"Maybe the dragon was Zuko?" Katara suggested. Aang shook his head.
"Zuko had two eyes."
"Had? What do you mean? Do you think something happened to him?" Sokka cut in, evidently calmed enough to stop mutilating dead trees.
Katara smirked. "Oh, I'm sure your girlfriend's brother is fine."
Sokka's face turned bright red. "She's not my girlfriend!"
He yelled something inarticulate and began his assault once more. Aang's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Katara. "Did I miss something?"
"Not really. Sokka's got a new wanted poster." She grabbed a rolled-up piece of paper from the side pocket of one of their packs to show him. "I suggested that she likes him."
Aang's mouth fell open when he read the new bounty. He read aloud, "Wanted alive by Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. Sokka: The Stupid Genius."
He started to laugh. His laughter caused Katara to laugh, and that made him laugh harder. Sokka whirled on them and said, "It's not funny!"
"It's pretty funny Sokka. She's obviously trying to irritate you." Aang said.
Katara wiped her eyes and started sorting through Sokka's purchases again. "No, she's obviously succeeding."
Aang snorted and started to help once more. Sokka rolled his eyes and came over to help. Aang picked up another package and read the back. He paused when he saw it. There was an insignia. A flying boar. He read it to his friends, "Product of the Beifong Family Goods company."
He flipped it over looking for more, to see if there was a city of origin written on it somewhere. There was none.
"The flying boar, it was in my vision." He stated, tossing the package to Sokka.
Sokka eyed it and licked his teeth in thought. He gave the parcel to Katara. "Well, at least we have a name."
"So, basically, you're scared."
Zuko rolled his eyes. He was trying to read his book on combustion bending. Uncle had gone into town to look for some contacts of his, and Zuko was left to try and fend off Toph's efforts to fight.
"I am not scared."
"So you admit that you're willing to spar with me." Toph kicked her feet up on a boulder. They were in the gardens of the Beifong estate. Lao had allowed Toph to follow Zuko around after his wife had suggested it would be nice for Toph to have a friend. Zuko didn't think that Toph would have left him alone even if her father had refused. Zuko wondered why she had even asked.
"I admit to no such thing." He continued to read. Following the advice of the combustion bender they had met on their ship to the best of his ability, he could now feel the energy flowing through himself, though he had yet to achieve anything resembling an explosion. So he had gone back to the book. There was a rather interesting passage concerning skin markings allowing the bender to release a concussive blast. A tattoo or other mark of enough significance to the individual could act as a focus to harness the explosive power. Perhaps that was why he'd had no success. Would he have to get a tattoo? He didn't want one, but being able to cause an explosion with his mind would be an invaluable skill. Would a tattoo make him look bad as Fire Lord? He tried to remember if any past Fire Lords had had any.
"So you think you'll lose."
Zuko snapped the book shut. "No. There's just no place to spar that wouldn't be so easily visible. I don't exactly want the Earth Kingdom to know who I am."
"A random turncoat? Why should we care? I don't."
Zuko shrugged. Toph crossed her arms. She had been trying to get him to agree to a sparring match since Lao Beifong had agreed to let him stay there the previous afternoon. Less than twenty four hours.
"Eh," She waved her hand dismissively. "Excuses. If you don't want to show off your loserbendiing, I understand. I am the greatest earthbender in the world, so it's okay to be scared."
Zuko took a slow breath. He did not know why, but Toph was expertly good at irritating him. She reminded him of Azula. He had the feeling that they would have gotten along if it weren't for the war.
"Fine. If you can think of a place where we can practice without being caught then I'll do it."
The near predatory grin on her face should have been a warning to him. Zuko stood up and Toph bid him to follow her behind a large topiary. She opened a hole in the ground and jumped in. Zuko followed her and she closed the entryway, plunging them into darkness. Zuko paused and lifted a hand.
"What's wrong? Scared of the dark?" Toph teased. Zuko rolled his eyes and ignited a flame in his hand. Toph's smile fell for a second. "Oh yeah. Fire."
The pair of them walked down the tunnel Toph had made, though Zuko wasn't sure if she had made it that day or a while ago. He looked around and noticed that she wasn't wearing any shoes.
"Toph," Zuko said, "You're not wearing shoes."
"Oh no, what a tragedy." She deadpanned without looking back. "I use my feet to see. Wearing shoes is like wearing a blindfold."
"I… see." Zuko said.
"I… don't." Toph joked.
"Anyway," Zuko said, "The lack of shoes is going to be a problem. Lots of firebenders spread flames across the ground in warning if they're surprised. It's usually not harmful, but most people are wearing shoes."
"Are you threatening to burn my feet?"
"No, I'm just saying. Maybe you could earthbend some shoes for yourself."
Toph stopped and frowned. She stomped on the ground, once with either foot, and her feet were covered in a layer of rock. Zuko thought it was granite, given the pink color. He decided not to address the fact, as Toph was blind. He idly wondered if her high society attire would negatively impact her fighting ability, but he didn't think he should ask.
After almost an hour, they came out of the tunnel to an underground arena. It was massive, with a square ring raised above the ground. Stands surround the arena, with the words Earth Rumble carved into the wall.
"What is this place?" He asked.
"Earth Rumble."
He exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I have no idea what that is."
"An unregulated fighting tournament. I'm the champion"
"Yeah, okay."
Toph scowled. "You don't believe me?"
Zuko shrugged. Toph glared at him more and bent a stairway to the top of the ring. The two of them walked to opposite corners. They stood in silence for a bit, each daring the other to strike first. Zuko got tired of waiting.
He took a few running steps and leapt into a firebending stance, but when he landed his foot was dragged to the side. He clenched his jaw, embarrassed to have been caught by the same trick twice. Toph made sharp breaking motions with her hands and sent boulders flying out of the ground and towards him. He evaded and shot gouts of fire towards her. Top raised a wall in defense and Zuko closed the distance, using one of Azula's favorite moves. He used his fire to propel himself forward with a rapid speed.
The battle continued for a while until Zuko got distracted. He thought he heard something coming from the stands. He stopped his attack and eyed where he thought he heard something. He couldn't see anything, except for a slight motion in the air. He wondered if it was an insect of some kind. when a rock smacked into the side of his head, sending him sprawling to the ground. He groaned.
"That's what you get for not paying attention." Toph was panting. "What were you looking at?"
"Thought I heard someone." Zuko rubbed at the spot where she had struck him.
"There's nobody anywhere near us." Toph reached out her hand to help him up. "The next tournament isn't for two more days."
"And you'll be competing? Zuko asked as he got to his feet.
"Yeah," She said, "I've got a title to defend."
Two days after his sparring match with Toph, Zuko and Iroh sat in the stands of the Earth Rumble arena watching a large man speaking in the third person. The Boulder was aiming to take back the championship belt from the Blind Bandit. He was pretty good, and he made quick work of the other fighters. One of his opponents had taken on a Fire Nation persona and was evidently not a crowd favorite. The man sang a horrible rendition of the Fire Nation national anthem.
Now the final match of the day was beginning. Toph, or the Blind Bandit as she was known by the earthbending fans, was facing off against The Boulder. Zuko watched the fight with rapt attention, leaning toward the battle and perched on the edge of his seat. Iroh, on the other hand, stroked his beard in consideration. He watched the fight with interest, but his thoughts were on another matter.
Toph made quick work of her opponent, using the same trick that she had on Zuko. In moments The Boulder was flung out of the ring. The announcer lifted Toph above his head and pronounced her the champion. The crowd roared, and there was no small amount of boos mixed in.
"Some of my contacts have heard of where the Avatar has been," Iroh said.
"What? And you're only telling me this now?" Zuko said.
Iroh waved his hand in a vague motion. "I only heard this morning."
"Where is he?"
"He's going from village to village near the Si Wong desert," Iroh said, his eyes still locked on Toph. "He's looking for an earthbending teacher."
"He hasn't found one yet?" Zuko followed his uncle's line of sight. His eyes landed on the young earthbender as well. "Toph."
Iroh nodded slowly. "Maybe."
Zuko frowned. Toph, teaching earthbending. Well, she was certainly good enough. He had learned that first hand, and seeing her so soundly defeat The Boulder was further proof. He didn't like the idea of putting her in danger, but… she probably wouldn't mind. In fact, he thought that she would feel offended if she knew he was worried about her safety.
"We'd have to tell her everything." Iroh said. Zuko paused but nodded his agreement.
The pair of them walked out of the arena. They followed the crowd for a bit before heading to the place they had arranged to meet Toph after her fight. It wasn't long before they got there. They stood around, just waiting for her to show up. Eventually, a hole opened up beneath them and they fell into it. They landed gracefully and the hole closed off behind them. Iroh ignited a flame in his hand and Toph waved over her shoulder for them to follow.
"Come on." She walked a few steps and they started following. "What'd you guys think? Am I great or what?"
"You were spectacular." Iroh answered, "What did you think, Prince Zuko?
"Yeah, 'Prince' Zuko, what did you think?" Toph laughed, evidently assuming that Iroh was mocking his nephew.
"You're at least as good an earthbender as my sister is a firebender," Zuko said.
"Oh? Is she that good?" Toph asked.
"Princess Azula is a prodigy, as great as my brother was at her age," Iroh said.
"Oh yeah? That's Zuko's dad then. Who's he?" Toph asked.
"Fire Lord Ozai," Zuko said. Toph stopped. She turned to face them.
"What?"
Five towns. Five failures. No leads on the flying boar. Fantastic. Aang was not in a good mood. He imagined that he could feel the comet getting closer. He glowered over the side of Appa's saddle. Momo chittered happily as he curled up in Sokka's lap. Katara was steering the bison.
"I'm thinking we should try something different." Sokka unrolled the map and put it between him and Aang. "If we make our way towards Gaoling, we can stop in smaller towns along the way."
"Maybe we should go straight to Gaoling, or Ba Sing Se. We haven't had much luck with the smaller settlements."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Sokka said, "But if the officials in Ba Sing Se are like General Fong, I don't relish the idea of going there if it's not absolutely necessary. And besides, Katara and I were in a small village, remember?"
Aang couldn't help but smile at the memory. Penguin sledding, meeting his friends, Zuko falling into the snow. "Yeah, I remember. You've got a point."
"So we head south-west."
"I guess that's fine. Can't have worse luck."
"Who exactly are you?!" Top demanded. She had begun to think of Zuko as her first real friend, and she rather liked his uncle. But she was beginning to get suspicious.
"I am Zuko, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. Heir to the throne." Zuko said, and Toph sensed that he was telling the truth.
"And why are you looking for the Avatar?" She asked. She took a defensive stance, but neither man made any aggressive moves.
"To teach him firebending, and help him end the war."
"Why don't you just ask your dad to stop being evil?!" Toph bit out sarcastically. She was not happy. She had invited the son of the Fire Lord to stay at her house, she had become friends with him.
"We're not exactly on good terms," Zuko shouted, pointing to his face. She had no idea why he would do that, but she paid it no mind.
"Oh, boo-hoo, poor little fire prince. Daddy's too busy to pay any attention to him."
Zuko did not say anything. Toph continued, "So you tell me that you're rebels, but you're actually just a spoiled prince throwing a tantrum."
"I am not throwing a tantrum!" Zuko said heatedly. "My father is-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure he's just misunderstood. A great man if ever there was." Toph held her defensive position, but still, neither of them moved.
"My brother," Iroh said, "Has always been a great man."
Zuko turned to Iroh in shock, but Iroh continued. "He is strong, ruthless, cunning, and brilliant. He might be the greatest firebender in the world, a man with vast capacity. Throughout his life, I knew he would be a great man. Despite my hopes, I know now that he will never be a good one. For all of his talent and intelligence, he is cruel and heartless. He delights in the suffering of others and takes no notice of those he sees as beneath him. And unfortunately, he sees all the world as beneath him."
Toph squinted at them, though it was just an expression and not anything to do with seeing them better. She knew that Iroh spoke the truth, but she still wasn't sure what they wanted from her. Why were they telling her this?
"My father banished me, and sent me to chase after the Avatar," Zuko said. Toph interrupted before he could continue.
"Is that why you're looking for him? To bring back to your father in chains?"
"No. I've traveled across the Earth Kingdom, and I've been to both of the Water Tribes. I know firsthand what this war has done, and I want to play my part in ending it."
"Why are you telling me this?" She finally asked, no longer willing to beat around the bush.
"The Avatar needs an earthbending teacher," Iroh said. "We know the general area where he is, and we'll be going soon, but as I said, he needs an earthbending teacher."
"And you think it should be me?"
"Yes." They both said in unison. Toph blew her hair out of her eyes. She did that when she was annoyed.
"I'll think about it." She turned back in the direction she was going.
"So, does this mean that you're not mad?" Zuko asked.
"Oh no, I'm furious." Toph continued marching, "But we can still be friends. Gives me more time to plan my revenge that way."
Azula looked at the Beifong estate from a mountaintop. A small mountain, but a mountain nonetheless. She passed her binoculars back to Colonel Mongke. She had met him and the other Rough Rhinos on the journey that ended in Gaoling. She had requisitioned them to help her in her mission. Now her team had grown from four to nine. She decided that it would be simple enough. The Earth Kingdom had a small army regiment stationed in the city, and the Rhinos would serve as a distraction.
She climbed down from the peak and returned to the group. Ty Lee was busy, gambling. Azula did not approve and was beginning to think that June was a very poor influence on her friend. She would have intervened, but Ty Lee just… kept winning. Mai had opted not to get involved and was instead learning archery from one of the Rhinos. The Combustion Man was reading Love Amongst The Dragons. Azula did not care for that story, be it the novel or the play.
"Listen up." She said, and her tone carried through the late afternoon air. "They've just returned to the Beifiong estate. We'll go in tonight. The Rhinos will wreak havoc on the opposite side of the river. Once the Earth Kingdom forces are engaged, they will withdraw and sound a horn. That will be our signal to move in. June will immobilize the guards with her Shirshu. Mai and Ty Lee will come from the opposite side, while the Combustion Man will aid me."
Everyone nodded. "Good. I suggest you all try and get some sleep. It's a long night ahead of us."
