Chapter Thirty Eight
By Any Means Necessary?
Two days after Mayor Tep had told them where to find the Beifongs, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were in the office of General Long of the Earth Kingdom. They had flown fast to get there, as Aang was anxious to find his earthbending teacher.
"Unfortunately, Avatar Aang, the Beifongs have left Gaoling for Ba Sing Se." The General said. Aang sagged in his seat. Sokka groaned in disbelief, but Katara didn't react much other than to place a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder.
"Our city was attacked three nights ago by a group of Fire Nation raiders known as the Rough Rhinos, as well as Princess Azula. It seems that the Rhinos were merely a distraction while she went after the Beifong family personally." Long explained, "Or rather a pair of guests that were staying with them, though it is unclear. Lao Beifong didn't explain much to Major Wen other than that his daughter had been kidnapped by the two men staying with them. They fought with the Princess and the men, firebenders both, fled north with Lady Toph Beifong."
"Azula again?" Aang said in despair. "Sokka, why does your girlfriend like to make my life more difficult?"
"I- What?! She's not my girlfriend!" Sokka spluttered indignantly.
Katara laughed, but covered it with a cough. "Now's not the time for jokes, Aang."
"I know, I know." The Avatar said tiredly. He stood and bowed to the General. "Thank you for your time, General Long."
"It's an honor, Avatar Aang. Before you go, I should warn you that our scouts have reported a number of Fire Nation raiding parties in the province. I could arrange an escort to take you wherever you…" He trailed off, as he wasn't sure where the Avatar would be going.
"Thanks, but we won't need an escort. We'll be flying on Appa, so we couldn't take them anyway." Aang said. He and his friends left the room and made their way out of the army compound.
"So now what?" Katara asked.
"We fly north again, and try to find Toph."
"I don't know Aang," Sokka said, "If she could be captured by just two firebenders, she might not be cut out to be your teacher."
Katara smacked him on the shoulder. "Yeah, because none of us have ever been captured by less than fifty seven. Sokka, what's the matter with you? It shouldn't matter who it is, we can't just let the Fire Nation abduct people."
"I know that!" Sokka rubbed at his shoulder.
"And besides," Katara said, "If they're being chased by Azula, it stands to reason that they're not working for the Fire Lord. Maybe it's Jeong Jeong or someone who can teach Aang firebending."
"Eh, maybe." Aang said as he leapt onto Appa's saddle. "That'd be lucky. Maybe we'll find people to teach me both earth and fire."
"Oh, hey!" Katara said, "I have an idea! We could track them by scent!"
Aang looked at her as if she had just confessed a deep and undying romantic interest in Appa. "And how exactly are we supposed to do that?"
Katara blinked at him and realized she hadn't explained her thought process. She jerked a thumb towards Soka and hurriedly explained. "Sokka's nose. He could smell Azula while we were in Shin Village, at Mayor Tep's house. She would've been around here at the time. Plus he followed Zhao through Agna Qel'a by scent."
"You could smell Azula from Shin Village?" Aang asked with a confused expression. It quickly turned to disgust. "That's pretty gross. I'd have thought she bathed regularly."
Sokka looked affronted. "She doesn't smell gross! It was carried by the wind!"
"That still doesn't sound very clean…" Aang said.
"I'm sure she has impeccable hygiene! She smells like fire and lilies! And a thunderstorm!" Sokka's voice cracked. Katara raised an eyebrow at him.
"That sounds a bit creepy. Maybe stop describing how your girlfriend smells." She cut in.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Sokka shouted.
"Anyway, back to the original topic," Aang said placatingly, "Do you think you could track them by scent?"
"I… don't know," Sokka said. "I only did that once, and they weren't all that far away. I can try?"
"Worth a shot," Aang said. "I guess we need to head north."
"But I don't know what they smell like." Sokka replied.
"That's a fair point."
"We should go to the Beifongs estate." Katara suggested. "We could probably find something of theirs."
In less than half an hour, Team Avatar had found the Beinfong home. It was surprisingly easy, as it was the only one half burned to the ground. Parts of the wall had been destroyed, and laborers and earthbenders were only now beginning to clean up the mess. Twin statues of flying boars sat on either side of the strangely intact gate. There were few guards, and one of those who remained explained that lord and lady Beifong had taken the majority of their security with them to Ba Sing Se. After explain who they were and what they were doing, the head guardsman allowed them to investigate the ruined estate
Aang looked around the grounds after guiding Appa to land beside the house. Sokka had gone inside, but Katara remained with him. He observed the grounds. Stones littered once immaculate gardens, scorch marks and carters could be seen all across the courtyard. Soon, Sokka returned with… a toothbrush.
"I figured this would work." Sokka said.
"How do you know it's hers?" Katara asked. Sokka shrugged.
"It was the only one. I figured that if her parents went to Ba Sing Se, they would've brought theirs." Sokka said, "Plus, since she was kidnapped she probably didn't have time to pack."
"Okay. I guess we'll get started." Aang said, and Sokka nodded. He closed his eyes for a second, and a shift seemed to come over him. A flicker of movement just out of sight. His shadow lengthened, and he took a slow breath. When he opened his eyes, they were obscured by a blackness so dark that they seemed to drink in the light.
Aang shivered. It was like looking into an opposite reflection of the Avatar State. Where there should be light, only darkness lay. Sokka was silent for a while, and he took a few careful breaths through his nose. When he spoke, his voice was distorted, and echoed as if coming from underground.
"She's far." Was all he said. He climbed onto Appa's head and waited for the others to get into the saddle. When everyone was ready, he sent Appa skyward. The sun was dipping low towards the western horizon, but they still had some time before dark. Aang wanted to get as much ground covered as possible.
Zuko and Toph walked across an endless grassland. They had been walking for two days, heading northward all the while. Zuko was worried about his uncle. Sure, Iroh was an impressive firebender and had regained much of the strength and agility he had in his youth, but he was still just one man. An old man. Against Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, the Rough Rhinos, and Zhao's assassin. Assuming the ploy had even worked and they had followed him and Sugar Foot instead of Zuko and Toph.
"Do you even know how to read a map?" Toph asked for the fifth time.
"Yes!" Zuko snapped.
"Then why are we lost?" She replied.
"We. Are. Not. Lost." Zuko said, his nerves thoroughly tread upon.
"Then where are we?" Toph asked, crossing her arms and glaring, although not looking at Zuko directly. Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. How was he supposed to answer that? With longitudinal coordinates? They weren't anywhere near any named settlements, just some small farming villages.
"The Earth Kingdom." He said eventually.
"Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?"
"Yes." Zuko said, pushing aside his irritation. He continued walking in silence until he found a trail of all too familiar white fur.
"The Avatar." Zuko said, "Finally."
"Well shoot some fire or an explosion at him! Get his attention so he'll land." Toph said as she let herself flop into the dirt.
"No, he-" Zuko sighed. "He's not here, but he was here. He's flying that way." Zuko pointed to the southwest, toward Gaoling.
"Are you serious?" Toph said as she picked loose strands of bison fur. Zuko nodded. He looked towards the western horizon. The sun was getting low.
"We should camp here for the night." He said. "Get an early start in the morning."
"Oh wow," Toph drawled with mock enthusiasm. "More walking."
"How did you think we were going to get around?!" Zuko barked in irritation. He saw the smirk on Toph's face and realized that she was just trying to irritate him. It would be more accurate to say that she was succeeding to irritate him, to be honest. Zuko refused to admit that to himself, however. "You just love trying to annoy me, don't you?"
"You make it too easy!"
Zuko rolled his eyes and flopped onto the ground next to his short, blind friend. The pair lay in a comfortable silence for a time, and eventually, Zuko began preparing their meal. It consisted of nearly stale bread, dried meat, and some fruit he had found. Lychee nuts, or berries. He wasn't sure, but he thought it should've been obvious. Were berries ever this tough?
"So, what's the Avatar like?"
Zuko paused as he was cutting the bread. What was Aang like? "He's… nice. Bald. Saved my life once." He thought for a few seconds, "Maybe twice?"
"What do you mean maybe?" Toph asked, lifting some sats for them with earthbending. Zuko scratched his head.
"Well…" He wasn't sure how to broach the subject. Aang, Sokka, and Katara had taken him with them after he had been knocked out by Azula in the Ilah stronghold, but he doubted she would've killed him. Zhao might have, or perhaps his father, but Zuko didn't know for sure. If they didn't plan to then, they certainly did now. "I broke him out of prison. He and his friend Sokka, he's the First Son of the Southern Water Tribe. Azula captured them, and I teamed up with Katara -another friend of his- to get them out."
"During the fight, I was knocked out cold." Zuko continued and resumed cutting the bread, "And they brought me out with them."
"Well, that's not a surprise. I mean, you're friends, right?" Toph put in.
Zuko paused again. Were they friends? Outside of that one event, he hadn't spent much time around them that didn't involve attempting to imprison Aang. Sure, he had warned them about Zhao's plan to kill the Moon Spirit, and they had asked him to join them, but… He sighed.
"... No."
"What do you mean no?!" Toph said in astonishment. "You just said you broke them out of jail!"
"We didn't get off on the right foot," Zuko said.
"Oh, let me guess," Toph said sarcastically as she slid a hand down her face. "You invaded their home too?"
Zuko's silence was obviously enough to answer her. Toph pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is that the only way you know how to meet people!?"
Sokka wasn't sure if he was awake or not. He wasn't in the Spirit World, of that much he was certain of, but it was strange all the same. He was underground, in a labyrinth of tunnels and corridors illuminated by a sickly green light. It was different from the cave of two lovers, as this was obviously a fortress of some kind. Metal doors lined the sides of the corridor, and one door seemed to grow in its frame at the far end. Sokka tried to walk towards it, but he didn't draw nearer.
He quickened his pace and began to run. Doors passed him by, but the corridor he had found himself in only seemed to lengthen. The door had grown to enormous proportions, but even still it seemed impossibly far away. Sokka didn't know why, but he was desperate to get there before it was too late.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, revealing flames burning in the darkness. Two golden rings of perfect sunlight trapped underground. A drum beat from somewhere within. Even as he ran, the drum's cadence grew hurried and unsteady, beating wildly. Two wheels of perfect fire flickered and went out. The drum began to spasm and rage, before it too was snuffed out. Sokka tried to call out, but he didn't know what to say. Suddenly, he was falling. Falling into shadow and through the night, until he found himself standing in Koh's lair. He looked around wildly, but couldn't see the Face Stealer.
"There is another," Koh's voice spoke from behind him. Sokka spun around but he still couldn't see the spirit. "She is strong, but still only human. Do not refrain. Do not shirk your duty, my champion. You have an obligation to the world," Sokka felt as if the voice was echoing from his very bones, "and should you leave it unfulfilled, you know well the cost."
Sokka jerked suddenly awake, staring into the moonless night. He shivered in a cold sweat and wiped his brow. He glanced over to Katara and Aang, who slept side by side on Appa's tail. He thought back to his dream, or vision, or warning, or whatever it had been. He remembered his last vision, before the siege. It had been a warning. A message. Zhao had tried to kill the Moon Spirit. Maybe someone was trying to kill the sun?
He hadn't closed the gate to Koh's shadow. He left it open to keep track of Toph and whoever it was that had kidnapped her, but more than that, he just… liked the way it felt. The strength. The power. The sharpness of his senses. He could see better, hear better, he knew where things were around him. It was almost intoxicating.
Sokka whipped his head south. He heard something; someone far away. He focused Koh's power, his power, and listened.
"It's the Avatar." A man said, "Him and his companions, they're sleeping! Just ten minutes march."
"Are you sure, private?"
"Yes, Captain." The Private said. "It can't be anyone else."
Sokka licked his teeth. They could be Earth Kingdom. He looked to the trail of fur that Appa had left behind. Or, he thought, they could be Fire Nation. He wasn't sure which it would be. He glanced at his sister and Aang. He decided to let them sleep while he looked into the potential threat. He could go without sleep for a very long time, and they couldn't. They didn't have his strength.
He strapped on his Regret and followed the trail of bison fur, calling on Koh's Mantle to speed him as he began to run. Trees and boulders darted past him as he moved like the wind. He kept up his pace until he could hear that the object of his search was close at hand. He slowed his pace and crept silently along, until the soldiers came into view.
They were Fire Nation, perhaps twenty men in all. A group of the raiders that General Long had warned of. None of the men bore weapons, but they all walked with confidence nonetheless. Firebenders. Sokka looked back the way he had come. He could get back to the others and escape, but that would leave these raiders to roam the countryside, attacking indiscriminately. Sokka grit his teeth. He opened his third eye and looked into the hearts of those men.
Sokka shivered when he saw them. The Rot. All of them, to a man, were burning with that putrid fire. It made sense, in a way. An elite unit of firebenders sent to torment the countryside? Why wouldn't they be taken by Vaatu?
Sokka glanced over his shoulder, thinking to run back and get himself and his friends out of there, to get them away from danger. He turned to go, but he remembered what Koh had said in his mind mere minutes ago. He wouldn't ignore another warning, he wouldn't shirk his duty. He knew the cost.
Sokka's stomach heaved at the thought of what he was about to do. He didn't have the fortitude to do this, at least not as he was. Sokka reached for the void and began to carry out his obligation to the world. Sokka wrapped himself in the perfect emptiness of the void, walking toward his foe. The path was so clear; he didn't understand why it hadn't seemed so before.
He drew his Regret, and pale light illuminated the earth before him.
Toph walked beside Zuzu. They had gotten an early start, the firebender rising at the crack of dawn again. Unfortunately, this meant that he would wake Toph as well, as he practiced his firebending every morning. She could sleep through most of it, but when he neared the end of his training he would occasionally blow something up. She wasn't sure how he did it, as he just stood still and took a sharp breath, pulled in his stomach muscles, and then BOOM! An explosion. It wasn't hard to tell when he was firing one, but she had no way of knowing how far away it would hit until it did.
"Zuzu," Toph said to get his attention as they walked. He really didn't like that nickname, but that was his problem.
"Stop calling me that," Zuko said shortly, his words clipped.
"No." Toph responded, "I've been meaning to ask you, why do you make those explosions?"
Zuko took a slow breath. "I just learned how to do it. I need to practice, otherwise I won't be able to-"
"No, no, I get that." "Toph said, "What I mean is, why do you make such an obvious display of firebending? The normal stuff is easy to hide, but anyone could probably hear the explosion bending from miles off"
"I…" Zuko trailed off. "It's called combustion bending."
"You didn't think of that, did you? I thought maybe you were trying to signal the Avatar, but after your story yesterday I wasn't so sure."
"I did not think of that." Zuko groaned. "Uncle's right, I don't think these things through."
Toph let the matter drop. She sensed that this wasn't a topic to annoy Zuko with. She continued to walk in an amicable silence, but she wished that she had brought a toothbrush. She had to use some twigs so far, and they really weren't effective. She wished she hadn't left hers at home. In Gaoling.
Her mind drifted into thoughts of where she had grown up, and the battle that had taken place there. It had been exhilarating at the time, but looking back on it she realized how close the fight had been.
She wondered if she would've won without Zuko's warning about Ty Lee, or if she had fought Azula immediately. She had fought her, but only after she had been disoriented by an explosion and had expended much of her energy in her fight with Iroh. Was the Princess giving it her all? Iroh had created lightning, could Azula? What defense did she have against that? Other than dodging, but was she even fast enough? Was she faster than lightning? Was anyone? Toph wanted a rematch. She didn't like those questions left unanswered.
Toph's brow furrowed. Could Zuzu shoot lightning? Did he even need to? He could blow things up with his mind. She wondered if she could earthbend with her mind. She was the greatest earthbender in the world, as far as she could tell, so if anyone could it would be her. She had a gift, and as far as she'd ever heard, nobody else used earthbending to see. What was the difference between using her arm and using her mind, really? She could move her arms without earthbending, she had to choose to bend.
Maybe that was it, the will. If she willed the stone to break, then surely it would, wouldn't it? She decided to try it when they made camp for the night. It would be a fun project to- Toph narrowed her sightless eyes. There were people behind them, just on the edge of her senses.
"Someone's coming." She said as she slapped Zuko on the arm. Zuko turned around to see what she was talking about, but they were still far off. "A group of them, fifteen."
Zuko nodded. He quickly scanned the plane they were walking over. Not much around but short grass and occasional trees. "We keep moving."
Toph put her hands on her hips as Zuko gave her a command. "Who put you in charge?"
"What?! Zuko said in surprise. "I'm- look, do you have a better idea?"
"We wait for them to catch up and fight."
"Why would we- We don't even know if they're following us!" Zuko said.
"Pretty sure it doesn't matter." Toph said, "They're moving fast, and they don't feel very friendly."
"Look," Zuko said, "I'm not afraid of a fight, you know that. But that doesn't mean that we have to go looking for them! Not every battle needs to be-" He stopped speaking as he dodged a rock that came hurtling towards his face.
"Yeah, not every battle needs to be fought." Toph said as she raised a barrier to shield them, "But this one is getting fought anyway."
"Yeah, I figured that one out, thanks."
"You're pretty dense. I wasn't sure that rock would get the message across." Toph said. She checked to see how far off the attacker was. She was impressed; the leader had an exemplary aim to almost hit Zuko from so far away.
"I guess we'll just wait here then." Zuko said, crouching down to wait for the attackers to come into range.
"Wow, what a genius plan!" Toph said in mock wonder. "How'd you think of it?"
"Ha-ha," Zuko said dryly.
"They're nearly here," Toph said. "You want to blow them up or something?"
"No."
"What's the point of all that practice if you don't plan on using it?" Toph was exasperated. She didn't exactly have a massive arsenal of long-range attacks at her disposal.
Zuko leapt over the wall and saw their attackers clearly for the first time. "I'm not going to convince the Earth Kingdom I'm on their side by blowing up their soldiers."
Toph smirked as she dropped her barricade. They waited for the soldiers to attack, but they didn't. Instead, they just fanned out and encircled the pair. The leader, a woman, stepped forward.
"Surrender and you won't be harmed." The woman said. Toph scoffed.
"You almost took his head off. There's no way we'd surrender to you." She said bitingly. "Won't be harmed. Yeah right."
The woman looked at Toph for a split second, and said, "I am major Wen of Omashu, Lady Beifong. We're here to arrest Prince Zuko, and deliver you to your parents safely."
"Why are you arresting him? He's on our side."
"I very much doubt that. The son of the Fire Lord? A rebel? Please." Major Wen said, "Even if he hadn't kidnapped you, that would be hard to believe."
"I didn't kidnap her!" Zuko shouted, "She wanted to come!"
"I may have been born at night, Prince Zuko," The Major said evenly, "But it wasn't last night."
Toph felt the Major begin to move. She slid her foot to the side and snapped her right hand forward, sending a stone hurtling towards the woman. Wen made a flicking motion with her fingers and the stone crumbled to dust as it made contact, leaving her unharmed.
"That's a neat trick," Toph said.
"The Fire Nation had brainwashed the girl." Major Wen addressed her men. "Don't hurt her too much. She's going to Lake Laogai."
Appa flew close to the tree line as they approached a broad grassland. The plane stretched across the Earth Kingdom until it reached the Si Wong Desert far in the north, and was populated by small farming villages and trade towns. They had been to a number of them while looking for a teacher.
"How much farther?" Aang asked. Sokka shrugged. Aang gave him a sidelong glance. His friend had been morose all morning as if something had happened during the night. It wasn't just that; after using his power continuously, Sokka was reverting to how he had been. He wasn't himself, he wasn't as quick with a joke, or as susceptible to teasing. He was darker, sadder. As if a great weight had settled over him once again.
"Maybe you should take a break." Aang suggested, "Give your Spirit Powers a chance to rest." He wiggled his fingers in the manner Sokka did when he called them that, but his friend paid him little mind.
"It's fine." He said quietly.
Aang looked at Katara and saw his own worry echoed across her face. He looked back over the plane. A vast expanse of green hills that rolled like waves on the autumn ocean, almost hypnotic in their unending grace. A memory of his childhood emerged from the recesses of his mind, and Aang gazed wistfully across the earth. Saddened now, by both his friend's burden and his own loss.
"You know," Aang said to nobody, or everybody, "This is where the wild bison would graze in the fall. The grass would grow so tall that you couldn't even see Appa unless he took to the air."
"Really?" Katara asked, glad for the momentary distraction, "I'm sure the grass still grows as tall, it's just springtime."
"Yeah, probably," Aang said, his eyes locked onto a distant memory. Suddenly they grew dark and his expression fell sour. "There's no bison left though."
"We can't know that for sure!" Katara argued, "There might be! The world's a big place, after all."
"I don't think so." Aang said, "We would have seen them by now. We've traveled across most of their natural range, and…" He shook his head. "This war needs to end."
"By any means necessary?" Sokka asked, almost below the point of hearing.
"I don't know," Aang answered. Thinking about the destruction wrought at General Fong's fort, he said "Depends on the means, and if they are really necessary."
"What if they are? And what if you hate what you must do?" Sokka asked, his eyes locked on the horizon, though no longer masked in shadow.
"I," Aang swallowed, "I'd try to find another way."
"What if there is no other way? You have an obligation to the world, we all do. You, Katara," Sokka spoke in barely more than a whisper, "Me."
"Sokka," Katara began, "What are you talking about?"
"Fire. On the horizon." Sokka said, gesturing straight ahead of them. Aang looked, but he couldn't see anything. No smoke, no fleeing animals.
"I don't see anything, no smoke or… right," Katara said. "Magic eyesight."
"Firebending. I think there's a fight up ahead."
Aang strained to see what Sokka was talking about, and then suddenly he saw the flash of fire in the distance, faint but there. Aang unfurled his glider, "I'll go ahead. 'see if it's the girl from my vision, and whoever those firebenders are."
He leapt off Appa's back. Momo tried to follow him, but the lemur wasn't as fast as Aang when he needed to move. In moments, he had left his friends behind. He sped across the sky and towards the direction of the firebending Sokka had seen. He soared over the plane and soon the battle was in sight. It was an odd fight. A lone firebender and a small girl were fighting a patrol of Earth Kingdom soldiers.
Aang landed next to the girl and recognized her as the girl from his vision. He opened his mouth to speak, but was launched away by a pillar of stone that shot out of the ground beneath his feet. He regained his footing and was nearly struck by another wave of earthbending from one of the soldiers
"Hey!" He said as he dodged the soldiers, "Stop attacking me, I'm the Avatar!"
"And I'm the Earth King!" One of the soldiers shouted at him, before launching a series of earthworks from the ground. Aang tossed him across the ground with airbending. He saw the girl from his vision again, Toph he assumed, and leapt over to her.
"I need an earthbending teacher!" He said. Toph continued fighting, but said: "I'm a little busy right now!"
A woman in a soldier uniform launched a rock towards the firebender, who spun to the side and sent a stream of fire at his assailant. Aang recognized him. "Zuko?!"
"Aang?!"
"Isn't that the Avatar's name? Wait, this guy's the Avatar?" Toph asked in astonishment, "But he stands so daintily!"
Aang was confused by the statement, but shrugged, "I'm light on my feet."
Earthbenders continued their assault, and Aang was impressed by Toph's ability to
weave through the fight untouched. She counteracted every strike, broke every stance, moving like a force of nature.
"Can you guys stop fighting?!" Aang asked, trying to calm the situation. "We can talk this out!"
to him. Eventually, Aang gave up on diplomacy and stood on the sidelines, watching helplessly
Nobody listened as the two sides fought. He was considering separating them by force when his friends got there.
"Hey guys," Aang said in a melancholic greeting. "It's the girl from my vision. And Zuko."
"Why are they fighting?" Katara asked. Sokka stayed on the bison and watched in apathy.
"I'm not sure." he sighed. "Nobody is listening to me. I think I'm gonna have to," He made a series of kicks. Katara nodded in agreement. Aang crafted a gust of wind and forced the combatant's apart.
"I am the Avatar." He declared, though he felt a bit foolish, "What is going on here!?"
"Prince Zuko abducted and brainwashed the daughter of a nobleman. We are going to take him into custody and bring her to Ba Sing Se for treatment." The leader of the soldiers said.
"I am not kidnapped or brainwashed!" Toph said. "I chose to go with Zuzu so we could find Twinkle Toes over here!"
"Zuzu?" Aang snickered.
"Twinkle Toes?" Katara raised her eyebrows.
"Zuko, what are you doing in the Earth Kingdom?" Aang asked.
"Uh, looking for you." Zuko said awkwardly.
Katara narrowed her eyes and uncapped her waterskin. Aang put a hand on her shoulder, slowing her in her response. He looked at the scarred prince and said, "Why?"
"I, uh. Well, the thing is, I'm good now. I mean, I thought I was good before, but now I realize that I was wrong." Zuko vomited the least eloquent explanation that had ever been heard, "What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry for trying to capture you, and I want to join your group."
"Uh… okay." Aang said, "And what are you doing with Toph?"
"We met in Gaoling." Zuko said, "Uncle and I thought that you were still looking for an earthbending teacher, and she's the best earthbender I've ever seen, maybe in the whole world."
"So you just asked a stranger to come teach me earthbending?" Aang raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Uh, well, I wouldn't say stranger. I mean, we're friends, right?" Zuko looked at Toph, who nodded,
"How did you know my name?" Toph asked, her tone almost accusatory.
"We've, uh, been looking for you."
"You've been looking for me?" Toph cocked her head. "Why? Did my parents put you up to it?"
"N-no," Aang said. This was getting a bit awkward. He glanced at the soldiers, who all looked incredibly bewildered. "I had a vision of you fighting underground about a week and a half ago. I was trying to ask my past lives for guidance while finding an earthbending teacher."
"That's when I had a sparring match with Zuko." Toph pointed a thumb at the banished prince. Aang looked at Zuko.
"You're the one-eyed dragon?!" He asked in surprise.
Zuko spluttered. "One-eyed-? I- I have both my eyes!" He shouted."
Toph turned to him, surprised by his genuine anger. She wasn't sure why he would be upset over the dragon comment, but she decided not to question it.
"This has gone on long enough," Sokka said from his seat at Appa's reigns. Aang looked over at him in surprise. "We've got a war to end, a spirit library to find, and two elements for you to master. Zuko, welcome to the team. Toph, I'm Sokka. That's my sister Katara and her boyfriend, Aang."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Katara snapped.
"Yeah, it's not so fun on that end is it?" Sokka said. "Earth Kingdom soldiers, we'll take Prince Zuko with us." He turned his attention to Toph, "Toph, I'm tired of flying all over looking for earthbenders. Are you coming or not?"
"Yeah, I guess." Toph said, "Although I thought it'd be a little more dramatic when we caught up with you."
Sokka shrugged. "If it helps, we have your toothbrush."
Author's Note:
If the last few chapters have had an inconsistent feel to them, I apologize. I've been experimenting with my writing style. Hoping to be more consistent with the tone and pacing going forward.
Charlamagne OR WHATEVER
02/04/2023
