1. Prince Charming

A Game of Thrones

Book 1: Earth

Chapter 1: Prince "Charming"

000

The day to day. There's the common understanding that people tend to rove around on autopilot in their routines, doing the same things, not seeking or desiring change. For Toph it was a little more literal and extreme. Ever since her family moved to Ba Sing Se, Toph had completely lost the freedom of autonomy.

It was bad enough back in Gaoling, where her blindness left her parents overprotective and many menial tasks taken up by servants. However after the fall of Ba Sing Se, and the aftermath that was roughly twenty different Earth Kings in two years while the Fire Nation attempted to turn the entire Earth Kingdom into a puppet state, somehow Lao Beifong became the Earth King.

Somehow Toph's life got worse.

A palace so large she could not walk around without the aid of one of the servants or guards without drawing suspicion. A palace so well guarded by crazy Dirt Ninjas that Toph would most assuredly never manage to leave the grounds without raising an alarm. She couldn't do anything for herself, she was being watched constantly, and she couldn't even sneak away for a moment of quiet.

She was surrounded by dotting servants and somehow _completely_ alone.

The day to day was not run on autopilot. For the last year it was a mindless haze as half the time she didn't even need to do enough to even register time passed at all. She had become numb to existence. In that numbness she found a small amount of zen… and an infinitely greater amount of boredom.

At least she managed to exercise when alone in her room, lord knows she probably would have put on a few if she hadn't.

Naturally, it was a bit of a surprise when she was snapped out of her routine by taking a seat next to her father in the audience chamber. She _never_ went to the audience chamber, that was where people went to meet her father and Spirits forbid people see their crippled daughter.

Toph sucked in a sudden breath and started to pay attention, and it was equally alarming that she realized the man standing at the foot of the throne was not bowing. At least not at first, and not to her father. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Beifong."

_I wasn't listening. Who is this guy?_ Toph bit the inside of her lip to try and recall what had just happened.

"There will be time enough for that later, Prince Zuko." Lao to the rescue, unknowingly, and for once Toph was grateful. "You will be dining with us tonight after all." Her father continued.

"Of course." The boy, and his stature upon closer inspection was that of a boy only barely achieving the mantle of manhood, seemed as though he was about to bow but stopped himself suddenly. "It has been a long journey, so I would be grateful to retire for the evening." Slick lie. Toph held a small amount of respect for the boy who managed to put up the air of decorum. What he actually wanted was a good question, but it was something she could figure out later.

"Of course. Long Feng, can you show the Prince to his quarters?" Lao needed to say little more to receive a stalwart reply.

"Yes, your highness." The vizir bowed deeply before moving to lead the boy and a couple of guards out of the room.

_I'm missing something._ Toph knew.

"What do you think of him, dear?" The question, the tension, the inflection. Lao had his head turned in her direction and Toph covered her mouth with her sleeve to hide her grimace. He really wanted to know, and she began to hope his reason wasn't the one she had seemed to reach.

"He was very polite." Toph lied, as she would not have known he did not bow without her special skill, and his words were well formed.

"He is quite handsome as well." Poppy added suddenly, and Toph knew she was lying. There was something wrong with him, but Toph could sense his general shape and knew that whatever it was could only be skin deep and would likely remain a mystery forever. "He'll make a fine husband, don't you think?"

Or so she hoped.

Toph took a deep breath through her sleeve. "Of course." What else could she say? What else could she do?

She was as trapped as ever, and the only difference was that she had another guard, and another watcher.

000

Dinner was stifling. Toph found herself seated next to Prince Zuko, whoever he was, and was expected to make some kind of small talk. He seemed just as lost and most of the meal was in silence until he attempted to break it with some awkward comment about the manner of fish he was served, whether the meat was some manner of turtle-duck or turkey-duck, or some other nonsense. The most that got was a polite "What even is a turtle-duck?" out of Toph.

Zuko, of course, brightened when she finally gave him something to work with. "I'm not surprised you don't know. Turtle-ducks are native to the Fire Nation, but there was a small family of them that built a nest in our royal garden. My mother would feed them with me when I was young until my sister…" Zuko began to quiet and an awkward silence reigned.

From that Toph learned two important pieces of information. Zuko was from the Fire Nation, and he was scared to death of his sister.

Lao and Poppy were equally silent, both aware of the awkwardness and unwilling to interrupt Zuko's attempt to 'bond' with his future wife. To which Toph was _not_ grateful.

Prince Zuko, however, regained his composure and immediately switched gears, veering so far off topic he could build dissonance from the previous subject. "So, I heard you can bend..."

Toph felt Lao and Poppy stiffen immediately and a small smile began to creep onto her face. "Oh, yes. I can earthbend a little. I'm afraid I'm not very good."

"On the contrary!" Zuko insisted. "Master Yu has told me you are quite skilled for someone with your handicap." No doubt the man was simply stroking his own ego. Toph knew she never revealed enough skill to make herself seem actually good at earthbending, but even so… she allowed herself to show improvement over the last two years anyway. Just enough to not be terrible anymore it seemed. "Perhaps we could spar some time?"

Toph felt her parents nearly have a heart attack, and in that instant she decided that she did not mind having to spend time with him. "Why… it would be an honor, Prince Zuko."

"Now Prince Zuko, please understand! She has only been taught the very basics for self defense! A bender of your caliber would clearly-." Lao attempted to argue, but was cut off by the Prince's sharp wit.

"Be perfectly capable of holding back." Zuko was confident, Toph could tell he was passionate about bending, and more importantly, respected my word over my parents'.

"My daughter has little interest in such things." Poppy spoke out of turn. "She is a delicate flower who knows little of violence! She should not-."

They were going to dig their own graves, Toph realized, but thankfully Zuko did not seem truly mad. He seemed more confused. Toph decided to bail him out. "It would be rude…" Toph insisted with a smile. "To refuse such a generous offer to spar with the Prince of the Fire Nation."

"I believe the lady has spoken." Zuko agreed.

It wasn't romantic, and it wasn't infatuation, but Toph could not help but feel joy for the first time in a long time. Rebelliousness without having to act of her own accord. Freedom… because of a single man her parents had no choice but to throw at her.

It wasn't love, but it would do.

000

Toph managed to find a moment of respite once she actually decided to look for it. It wasn't like she could slip away, but ordering her servant to fetch her a cup of tea left her the freedom to stand on the edge of the balcony overlooking the palace gardens. Not that she could really tell any better than if she was deeper in the palace, but the fresh air was what she really needed after such a stifling, if unexpectedly enjoyable meal.

She felt the approaching footsteps well in advance and immediately recognized Zuko by his general dimensions and posture. He seemed to be seeking her out because he didn't quite stop for anything.

His approach slowed just before he rounded the corner to the balcony in an attempt to seem less rushed or desperate. "It's an amazing view."

And he led with that. Cute. "I hadn't noticed." Toph turned to face him and waved her empty hand in front of her own face. His quickening heartbeat alerted her to his embarrassment while his empty hand moved to cover his face, hiding a blush in all likelihood.

"Sorry…"

"You have no reason to apologize." Toph admitted. "I was just teasing anyway… it's around time for sunset isn't it?"

"Yeah." Zuko admitted, suddenly at a loss for how to proceed after his amazing first impression.

"So…" Toph dragged out the syllable longer than necessary before asking him point blank what was perhaps the most hurtful question he ever heard. "You seem a little nice to be the Fire Lord's son. Are you adopted or something?"

Of course, he was more taken aback by the idea that it was Toph that had asked it. "I don't… no. No I'm not."

"Hey, don't sound so offended!" Toph raised her hands defensively, although she wasn't quite facing his direction. "I meant it as a compliment. I mean… you do know I was like… fifty-eighth in line for the Earth Throne and your father's made it so I'm now _second_."

That was a lot of dead bodies, and the saddest part was that it was only a fraction of the casualties that were actually inflicted when the Fire Nation declared war on the world.

"I didn't know about it." Zuko blurted suddenly. "I mean… my mother and I didn't know about my father's coup and his plans for the world until it was too late. I… I confronted him about it, but… he didn't take it too well."

"So he marries you off to the Earth Princess? He used me as a punishment? That's hilarious!" Toph released a small chortle. "Because who would want to marry a foreign cripple, am I right?"

"Yeah…" A lie. He didn't see it as punishment. Something else was draped heavily over his heart. "He let your family live because they offered to marry you into the family… and put me on the Earth Kingdom's throne when that's all said and done. I don't get to be Fire Lord, but that's fine. I was never supposed to be the Prince anyway." Zuko took a deep breath. "You know that, right? My father overthrew my Uncle to become Fire Lord?"

"Not really. I don't do much reading, and my parents like to spare me the 'barbaric cruelties of the world'. I just know that when that comet showed up, the Fire Lord burned down the Ba Sing Se's upper ring." Toph crossed her arms and turned her head upward. "I'm sorry about your uncle though… it sounds like you really cared about him."

"He was a good man." Zuko agreed, Toph felt Zuko's hand rise to gently stroke under his left eye. "I just wish I could have helped him stand, instead of watching him fall."

_And now you're trapped doing whatever your father wants, being who your father wants you to be…_ Toph understood. She could relate to that at least. _At least he tried. _She thought bitterly. _Here I am wallowing in self-pity and he managed to get himself kicked out of his own country._

Silence reigned on the balcony before the servant arrived with Toph's tea, and then left the two of them alone for some privacy, assuming the subject matter was more intimate. Toph allowed the illusion, for it bought her more time away from prying eyes and ears. "We should spar… I'll show you something really cool."

"If you're sure. I'll go easy on you." Zuko's chivalry was adorable, but Toph couldn't help but return his sincere smile with a malicious smirk.

_That's fine. When I'm through with you, you'll never go easy on me again._

000

Nobody knew they were about to spar, and Toph was silently glad even as she removed the outermost layers she had draped over her dress. Prince Zuko sputtered awkwardly for some vision-related reason and Toph only rolled her eyes. _My milky, unfocused, worthless eyeballs are up here doofus._

The courtyard was the perfect place anyway, because it was so large they would likely not even be spotted until they really started going at it. As soon as Toph had finished piling up her outer layers -that seemed almost designed to hinder movement- on a rock set aside, she immediately assumed her familiar stance, palms upturned, stance lowered just enough to root her and give her the freedom of movement she needed to counter anything.

Zuko just stood there, as if waiting to see what she could do. "That's an interesting stance… I don't think I've seen it before. Where did you learn it?"

_Well, an opening is an opening, right?_ Toph huffed. _You make this too easy._ She reared back and pushed forward with one hand, and then pulled it back with a snap.

Zuko was immediately pushed off his feet as a pillar of blunted earth shot out of the ground behind him and struck him right in the back. "Wow, maybe if you last more than ten seconds I'll actually dignify that with a response."

"How did you-?"

Toph slid her foot across the stone walkway, her arms pulled in, and she cut the stone Zuko was only just beginning to rise from and then spun it in place, destroying his balance and making another opening for her to strike him with a jab from the same pillar she used to down him the first time.

Zuko laid on the ground and actually snarled. "I get it. You're using sound to-"

Toph stomped. "Wrong!" And Zuko was launched into the air by a flat-topped spire jutting out right under him. "Don't underestimate me, oh fair Prince." She couldn't help but chuckle after putting sarcasm behind the words.

Toph was more than a little surprised when Zuko landed after her blow, he did so on his feet and was rushing in her direction, finally on the offensive. Toph sighed and slid one of her feet to the side suddenly, pulling the footing out from under him and leaving him both unbalanced and careening past her instead of into her.

"Ow…" The Prince slowly stood, pulling himself from a bush and groaning. "Okay… no more mister ni-"

Toph raised both hands, and in doing so lifted up a wall around the foliage. Then she readied herself to pull the ground out from under him again as soon as he vaulted over the top, which he did by boosting his jump with a jet of fire and a snarl of frustration. In that frustration she heard another burst of cackling flame and immediately changed her stance from 'annoy the piss out of him' to 'don't get burned', stepping backwards with sliding motions as her hands moved to the side and rotated a wall up to block the flame. "Finally taking me seriously then?"

"I… shit." Zuko stood on the other side of the wall and wilted. "I didn't mean to…"

"You didn't mean to consider me a threat?" Toph attempted to cut him with the words. "Sorry, if you'd like I can keep humiliating you."

"No I meant… fire is dangerous, okay? If you hit me with a rock, I'll bruise sure, but if I hit you with fire you get burned. Burns don't… they don't heal like bruises do." Zuko took a deep breath. "That flame could have seriously hurt you. That's why I am apologizing. However, I am not going to underestimate you anymore. I'll just… turn down the heat a bit."

"And have an excuse when I continue to kick your Princely bum across the courtyard? Yeah no… see, I'm better than you think." Toph began to grin. "Why, back in Gaoling I took over an entire underground fighting operation by the age of thirteen… don't tell my parents by the way. They thought I was sleeping."

"I see…" Zuko took a deep breath. "Then you're not the little flower they think you are." Toph could tell by the way he said it he actually understood. "Good. I was worried I'd have to feel guilty for how my father is forcing you to marry me. Instead, I can know that there is no way to force you to do anything. You're pretty good at earthbending, better than most. I'm not sure I understand how you compensated for your lack of sight but… I can tell that you have."

Zuko finally entered a real stance. "Kid gloves are off. Show me what you got."

Zuko began a measured assault, but Toph was determined to not give a single inch. The earth around her became a constantly shifting circle, an invisible fortress that could rise and fall with the barest of motions, and every time Zuko attempted to press the advantage, an arsenal that could strip him of his balance and push him back.

At first his flames were weak, but as his confidence that she could dodge or block his assaults grew, so too did his willingness to push harder and faster to try to break through her defenses.

Toph couldn't help but grin but continued to maintain her focus on the fight and her defenses. "You know… I think I figured out fire's weakness. Your stances are so offensive that they're unbalanced. It's like… I don't know the right analogy."

"A flickering flame." Zuko provided while attempting to leap over one of Toph's walls, only to watch it grow higher under him and he grabbed hold of the top just before Toph launched the entire wall away from her.

"I guess that works. I wouldn't know. I can't feel out fire." Toph admitted. "I can hear it and feel the heat, but I can't really get a good idea for the shape."

"I've noticed you're blocking rather than dodging." Zuko admitted. "You don't know the actual reach and shape of the flame, so you block it with a wall that's as wide and tall as you are."

"Yup." Toph pulled up another barrier just in time to block an incoming flame but felt heat as the fire rushed past her anyway.

"You might want to make bigger walls. Now that I know that, I can make the flames curve around them." Zuko warned.

"Noted." Toph jumped up and spun in place, and as she hit the ground she tore into it like a drill, emerging moments later from the same spot completely covered in an armor of stone.

"Okay…" Zuko growled. "That solves the problem in a very annoying way… if I was trying to kill you it wouldn't help, but…"

"Kind of a low blow I guess…" Toph admitted and removed the armor by sending it flying in his direction. "Guess I'll just have to get creative." Toph began to smile again. "Maybe I'll go on the offensive? I've been wanting to try this one for a while."

Toph changed her stance, and lifted both hands and pulled a small amount of stone to each. The result was a replica pair of Dai Li gloves. "I've been feeling these Dirt Ninjas practice their stupid grabby hands technique for months… and I'm pretty sure I can do it better."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Aren't the Dai Li…" _Elite?_

"Think fast Prince Sparky!" Toph thrusted with an open palm, and the glove flew.

000

Toph breathed heavily, ragged from exertion and inhaling a small amount of smoke. She was covered in dirt she couldn't be bothered bending off of herself, and no small amount of ash from the burned bushes and the slightly singed dress she wore. The courtyard was fairly well ruined, pillars, spikes, walls, and a great number of stone hands utterly transformed the location into a maze. The fact that Zuko managed to avoid even half of them was impressive.

Near the middle of their battle he had resorted to keeping himself off the ground almost entirely on jets of flame from his feet and hands. He had figured out her trick, but extra walls and keen ears were enough to prevent him from completely owning her. Plus, Zuko was no airbender, and he couldn't stay off the ground indefinitely with only firebending.

He was grounded by the end of the battle, and stood only a few feet from Toph, bruised more than burnt, his topknot had come undone and his armor lie abandoned after the leather began to tear.

He took another step and Toph defiantly attempted to bend the earth under his unsteady feet.

Only a layer of loose dust moved.

Zuko tapped her on the forehead. "I… win…"

Toph couldn't help but begin to laugh and fell forward, only instead of leaning on him she sent him toppling to the ground with her. "Man I am so out of shape… stupid castle… I'm so glad that this will be impossible to hide."

"Out of shape?" Zuko asked suddenly, gasping in what sounded like more terror than surprise. "If this is you out of shape... I do _not_ want to fight you in top form."

"I'm… literally… the greatest earthbender in the world." Toph grinned. "I learned from the badgermoles that lived under Gaoling… and I practiced earthbending by competing in Earth Rumble. I was the reigning champion for four years and then took over the whole tournament and didn't compete in the fifth."

"Hostile takeover?" Zuko wondered aloud.

"Nah… Xin Fu wasn't making as much money off it because the result became too predictable. So he challenged me in a final gambit, and when he lost he sold me the whole thing and went to set up a different branch elsewhere." Toph chuckled. "I bought it with my pocket money."

"Your family is stupid rich." Zuko laughed. "Probably more so now that you inherited the throne."

"Yeah…" Toph quieted. "Someone's here."

Zuko looked up and saw Long Feng staring at the ruined courtyard and the two of them. "What… exactly… am I looking at here?"

Toph pushed herself up into a sitting position and while she did not meet his gaze, because it would be pointless, she did gesture broadly. "Someone who's sneaky subtle and managed to hide this level of skill for a whole year without you knowing."

Long Feng huffed. "I had suspected there was something to you…"

"I'm calling bull-pig shit." Toph argued. "But I'm giving you an opportunity here. Help me clean this up, and we'll talk shop."

"I will humor you, Princess." Long Feng agreed. "Come with me, and we will discuss this over some tea in my private office. The Dai Li will clean up the mess…"

000

"And that's why I'm awesome." Toph concluded, unaware of Long Feng's disbelieving stare and more aware of Zuko's 'there you have it' gesture to indicate she was legit.

"So you expect me to believe a blind girl has fought to a draw against the Prince of the Fire Nation, who my sources say is quickly approaching the level of mastery." Long Feng took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And that this is after she has spent a year 'losing her touch'."

"Sounds about right." Zuko admitted. "Of course… there are things beyond mere masters out there… my father and sister are proof of that."

"Of course." Long Feng agreed. "Grandmasters, like King Bumi of Omashu, are extremely rare. You believe, Prince Zuko, that Lady Beifong is one of those benders?"

"I believe she could be." Zuko admitted. "And I'll be honest… you could kill her and frame me and clean up this whole mess instead of following her orders… but if you do, it will just restart the war with my father, and I think we both know that without the walls of Ba Sing Se to protect you, my sister would siege your stronghold and tear it down in an instant."

"You are correct." Long Feng agreed. "I lost too many men to Sozin's Comet three years ago. I can't afford to antagonize the Fire Nation with such a ploy. I can't even risk attempting to bring you around to our way of thinking, for even the brief absence required to do so would be too great a risk."

"So as far as you're concerned, Grand Secretariat…" Toph kicked her feet onto the table. "I'm already Earth Queen, and you get to be top dog while I don't care about it at all. I'll be your puppet queen so long as you keep Ba Sing Se safe and the world sane."

Long Feng froze. "You're serious?" _I spent years… years of my life carefully manipulating Earth King Kuei and crafted him into the perfect, ignorant puppet king, and here this girl would do it willingly?_

Toph huffed. "Yeah, I don't care much for politics… besides… Ba Sing Se needs a guy like you to get it back on it's feet. If I give you that power legitly, through myself as a proxy, I trust shady business won't be as necessary… you can't lie to me anyway even if you want to." She grinned. "Do you have another secret base?"

"No."

"Lie." Toph decided. "That one was obvious though… what about… Joo Dee? Mind control happening around here? Brainwashing?"

Long Feng kept his mouth shut for a few moments before huffing. "Of course not. They're just-."

"Lie." Toph clarified. "I can read your pulse through the earth, I can feel the tension… I know when you lie, Long Feng. I just don't actually care. We'll work out the details as necessary after we've established exactly what we're going to do, because some of your paranoia and brainwashing craziness isn't _actually_ necessary."

Zuko nodded. "My father won't press his heel into the Earth Kingdom any more than necessary. There's already way too many revolts and too much unrest. Let's try to keep the peace and give the people a king that lasts more than three months and a reason to believe the oppression is over for now. They can sweat it out while waiting for me to be Earth King, but until then Lao Beifong will protect their culture."

Long Feng nodded slowly. "I understand… this will do… for now."

"And you're not lying!" Toph cheered. "Win for everyone!"

"Not exactly." Long Feng continued. "You see… I still don't understand what the good Prince gets out of this?"

Zuko closed his eyes and huffed. "I don't know… I guess I'm being dragged along for the ride."

"He came pre-whipped." Toph added with a smirk.

"Very funny." Zuko's sarcasm sounded a little too huffy to belong to someone who wasn't silently bitter about it.

"It's actually pretty simple." Toph admitted. "We're not rebelling against the Fire Nation or anything. That would be crazy in our position. Besides… now correct me if I'm wrong hubby, but I don't think Zuko and I even know what we really want. So it's a simple exchange. You keep my secret and you get to call the shots in Ba Sing Se. My father already trusts your council more than is healthy and I'm not going to question you… much."

Zuko nodded. "Yeah… sure, I guess."

Long Feng shrugged. "Fine. This will work then. I'll have you escorted to your chambers and we'll move on. I'll be sure to inform you if anything… comes up."

"I was just about to say." Toph considered. "Speaking of… anything else we should know about, like… now?"

Long Feng averted his gaze but sighed, knowing full well she could tell if he lied. "A sky bison was spotted near the city. We believe an Air Nomad is… visiting."

"And by visiting you mean trespassing, because as a Fire Nation puppet state Air Nomads are to be arrested on sight as enemies of the state." Toph corrected. "Neat."

Zuko growled. "Perfect… there's what? Eight Air Nomads left? Can you just leave it alone and pretend it's not a problem? I mean… even if all of them are here, what harm can a few airbenders do?"

000

It was a bit of a sight, seeing three not-quite-Earth-Kingdom people attempting to blend in near a fruit stall. Naturally, as was the way of Ba Sing Se, most just took that as a sign to avoid them and pretend they didn't exist. Even if eyes lingered slightly too long on the darker skinned man and young woman dressed in ever so slightly too festive greens. The pale girl between them was more sensibly dressed for the lower ring, but the way she spoke made her more privileged upbringing evident.

"Do you have any idea how hard it used to be to get into Ba Sing Se?" The girl was lecturing him again, and Sokka really did not appreciate it.

"I'll be sure to count the blessings bestowed upon me by the crazy Fire Lord and his insane ability to burn down rocks." Sokka didn't even dignify the girl's growl with anything resembling an apology. "I mean, we're here. Yay. Now what?"

Katara rested her hand on her chin. "Well… there's no shortage of earthbenders in Ba Sing Se… I don't actually know where we should start?"

The two turned to look at the girl that stood between them, the girl who was nearly six years Sokka's junior. "Don't look at me! I've only been here once. When I was four. I don't remember anything, and even then-."

"That's fine." Sokka interrupted. "I didn't want an answer, I wanted an idea. You're the _guru_, where should we look?"

She visibly wilted. "I… didn't think this far ahead… I'll have to meditate on it… ask the spirits."

"Take your time." Katara put a hand on the girl's head. "After all, we've got ninety seven years before the comet comes again. There's no rush Jinora."

Jinora nodded slowly and took a deep breath before smiling. "Then… let's find someplace quiet to stay and see where that takes us."

000

AN: What's worse than eight Air Nomads? A Sokka, a Katara, and an Air Nomad.


	2. Knight in Shining Armor

A Game of Thrones

Book 1: Earth

Chapter 2: "Knight" in Shining Armor

000

It was not difficult to get up into the middle ring of Ba Sing Se if you were dressed nicely enough, and Sokka and Katara were nothing if not overdressed for the lower ring. Jinora, of course, marveled that it used to be a lot harder. Sokka couldn't help but notice she seemed genuinely conflicted on the issue.

So, while Katara slipped into an inn to try to barter them a room, he decided to take a seat next to her and speak his mind. "This Ba Sing Se thing really bothers you doesn't it? What's wrong?"

"Ba Sing Se was terrible." Jinora admitted, curling up a bit more. "Everything I heard about it, and everything I saw back then… it was bad. The city… this place is better than it was before it got torn apart by the war. No more walls... and it only smelled like bison droppings half the time in the lower ring. The chaos that followed the attack three years ago… it leveled out once order was restored."

Sokka hummed. "You're having a hard time believing that somebody could possibly have gotten the better deal out of the Fire Lord's crazy murder spree?"

"Well… yeah! The Earth Kingdom may be full of rebels… but in Ba Sing Se? It looks like the quality of life has gone _up_ for most of the citizens… more citizens than the ones who died." Jinora bit her lip. "I just can't believe that for the people here, the war has been a good thing. War should _never_ be a good thing."

Sokka sighed. "My father would often say… war time is when a nation will either suffer the worst, or thrive the strongest. If Ba Sing Se really was such a hole in the ground, then maybe it is better off for what the Fire Lord did… but my home isn't. One city doesn't justify melting an entire glacier and sinking thousands of people."

"Yeah… I just wish it was all… black and white." Jinora admitted. "My grandfather once said, 'violence begets violence'. He hated Fire Lord Sozin for killing the Air Nomads… but he spared him in the end, because he believed that there was a peaceful resolution. I have a hard time believing that violence solved Ba Sing Se's problems… or at least… has started to."

"I think I get it." Sokka admitted. "Air Nomad pacifism stuff. I don't agree, necessarily, but I get it. Avatar Aang may have been a wise man, but because he didn't take decisive action against Fire Lord Sozin, we now have a _bigger_ Fire Lord problem. I can't even say he had the wrong of it necessarily… he just got unlucky. Hindsight's twenty-twenty, there's no way he could have predicted Fire Lord Ozai when Azulon was still in diapers."

Katara pushed open the door and peeked out at them. "I got a room. This place is perfect, since this is the kind of inn where guests are expected to keep quiet."

"Any particular reason we need to be concerned about?" Sokka wondered.

"He has a very important guest visiting that seems to be a bit of a night owl, so he wants to make sure his sleep isn't disturbed." Katara smiled. "Of course, that won't be a problem since we need the quiet anyway."

Jinora nodded. "Make sure to watch my body while I'm away… and don't move me unless absolutely necessary. This place isn't very… spiritual, so it'll be hard enough getting into the spirit world, let alone back out."

The three ventured inside, past the front desk, down the corridor and into a small first floor room. "You didn't tell me you rented the broom closet, Katara."

"Well excuse me, but they didn't have any other rooms left open." Katara huffed.

"Quiet, remember?" Jinora reminded and jumped up onto the bed with a tentative bounce. "It's comfortable enough. Just… let me focus." She folded her legs, and closed her eyes to take a deep breath before resting her hands together across her lap.

Another breath brought stillness.

Another breath brought silence.

The final breath, brought freedom.

Jinora stood and turned around several times to get her bearings. A forest was the worst kind of place to wind up in the spirit world without a guide. Forests were twisted, lost places that often liked to prey upon the weaknesses in peoples' hearts. Jinora knew herself well enough to know her heart was not as strong as it usually was.

So she brought two fingers to her mouth and whistled.

Silence reigned and she sat at the base of a tree to wait. Suddenly the deep rumbling below that she knew well greeted her. A sky bison drifted overhead and pressed through the treeline to land before her. "Appa!" Jinora leapt to her feet and gave the bison a big hug, scratching the fur on its face affectionately. "Thank you for meeting me again. I need to help find an earthbending instructor for the Avatar."

The bison allowed her to climb onto its back and took off into the sky.

000

Long Feng finally took his seat at the small table that was quickly shifting from an interrogation room to a meeting room the longer Toph and Zuko forced him to remain there. "The Dai Li have yet to see any signs of Air Nomads in the city, but of course… after the Fire Nation decimated the city they've been short staffed. Likely if the Nomads are in the city limits they are still in the lower ring. All official immigrants into the city that went through a checking station since the bison was spotted have been compiled into the report I've given you."

Toph lifted the scroll and opened it. "Wow, so informative."

Long Feng couldn't help but rest his face in his palm. "Right… my mistake. Prince Zuko?"

Zuko rolled his eyes and took the scroll before looking it over. "Knowing the Earth Kingdom, I assume these are all the ones that had a less than complete family history to provide?"

"Anyone who had records dating back more than ten years have been cross referenced with what we have on file and were removed. Otherwise this list would be longer than your life." Long Feng agreed. "However that doesn't quite help us in this event, due to the fact that the walls no longer exist."

"No walls means they could just slip into the city without any trouble." Toph agreed. "So the paper is pointless."

"Oh no, it has a point." Long Feng insisted. "That list is made regularly anyway to keep an eye open for spies and nerdowells. People the Dai Li keeps an eye on to ensure peace continues to reign over Ba Sing Se. I just trimmed it to the persons within a specific timeframe, namely, forty eight hours."

"So what you're saying, is that it probably doesn't have our guys on it, but you had the list anyway and thought it was worth sharing?" Toph marveled. "Wow you are paranoid. I mean… I'm not complaining. I assume you're sharing because?"

"Three heads are better than one." Long Feng admitted. "And in perfect honesty? It has been a long time since I've had an actual confidant. Knowing I cannot lie to you, I have decided to… turn that weakness in my methods into a strength."

"If you can't hide it anyway, why not ask my opinion?" Toph grinned ear to ear. "That's pretty smart."

Zuko sighed. "Why are we still concerned about this?"

"Because." Long Feng insisted. "Ba Sing Se is _unstable_. After nearly a _century_ of peace, and _thirty years_ of my efforts to turn the city into a utopia, everything that held the city together was _torn down_."

Toph snorted. "You actually thought it was a utopia? Did you ever even see the lower ring?"

"Have you?" Long Feng quirked an eyebrow with a knowing smirk.

"Touche, Grand Secretariat. Touche." Toph conceded.

"There is only so much wealth in the city, and in order to maintain the status quo I had to keep as much of the wealth as possible in the hands of people I could influence peaceably." Long Feng began to preen. "Just think of it this way. If everyone was rich then they would invest their money into… everything. Fruitless endeavors, criminal enterprise, gambling, political maneuvering…"

"But you controlled the flow of money by using the already extensive gaps in wealth." Zuko rested his hand on his chin in consideration. "And so a few careful words could move mountains of gold to whatever project the city needed most without calling for sudden and extensive taxation. The lower ring was hell, but it wouldn't have to be that way forever. If the city remained stable you could use earthbending to build a more effective system of aqueducts like you have in the upper ring, build taller buildings like the Air Temple spires… I can see the dream."

"The methods may have inconvenienced the largest number of people, but by the end of my life this city would have been the jewel of the entire world, let alone the Earth Kingdom."

"Good news." Toph intoned. "My family has inherited the fortunes of not only the Earth King, but also every noble house that was in line for the throne between the Kuei and the Beifong family. So that's still a thing. Though… it would be ideal if we could try to use the rebuilding from the Fire Nation's attack to implement some of those improvements to the lower ring early."

"I'm way ahead of you." Long Feng insisted. "It is a labor of decades considering the city's size, but if you can see my plan, then you can see it can still work. Without the walls it will probably take all of your lives to see it completed."

"Rebuilding the walls that separate the rings is a no go." Toph groused. "Even if we could do it, the lower rings would likely revolt if we took away their one chance to move up."

"However without the outer wall, the unassailable city is vulnerable." Zuko began tapping his chin in deeper thought. "And before the outer wall was rarely breached, but even when it was there were yet more walls preventing the city from truly falling. Without those secondary layers Ba Sing Se is just… Sing Se."

"So some Air Nomads roll into Ba Sing Se…" Toph turned the conversation back on topic. "We're worried about them making some kind of scene and starting a revolt or something? Rally against the Fire Nation? Tear the city apart? Aren't they pacifists?"

"Pacifists without worldly attachments." Long Feng added. "No Air Nomad would willingly infiltrate Ba Sing Se for no reason, many did not even come here before the comet one hundred years ago. I can only assume they are here to 'help.' The problem is that they don't understand money and politics because they see every single one of us as greedy and corrupt. They don't understand that the Earth Kingdom is an indomitable fortress. It's not some rock garden to be cultivated by the winds, it requires a firmer hand. Strike it too hard and it shatters, but sculpt it carefully with a chisel…"

"And you can build something beautiful." Toph agreed. He was undoubtedly crazy, but he was the good kind of crazy. The useful kind of crazy. "Well… I'm on board for now. Still don't agree with the brainwashing, can't imagine _why_…" Toph rolled her eyes. "But you've got me convinced you're not doing this crazy evil grand vizier schtick for the hoots."

"Power is but a means to an end. For me that end is Ba Sing Se." Long Feng smiled. "Not everyone is Fire Lord Ozai."

000

Jinora cheerfully leapt off Appa's back and came to stand… in front of a small campfire where there was only one other person. He was an older man, dressed in the reds of the fire nation, and when he looked up to greet her she saw a profound sadness that was soon forced under a heartwarming smile.

The gesture gripped at her heart and Jinora knew that whoever stood before her was in desperate need of someone to talk to.

He waved with one hand while placing a teapot on a hook over the fire to be warmed. "Hello, Jinora. It has been a very long time since we last met… although I doubt you would remember, as you were so young then."

Jinora took a deep breath. "I can only think of a few people my father knew so closely in the Fire Nation who had such a love for tea. I'm sorry… Fire Lord Iroh… if my father had known about-."

The man raised his hand to halt her words and his smile grew more genuine. "I am glad to see you are alright, Jinora. However I do not believe you are here to talk about me, though I do appreciate the concern."

Jinora nodded slowly. "Well… I'm trying to find an earthbending teacher for the new Avatar. He's… a little behind."

"Unfortunately, I know nothing of earthbending." Iroh jested. "However, we may be able to help each other. While you may not have come here to talk about me, I believe I have been waiting here for as long as I have for a reason, and Appa has been keeping me such good company this entire time… I feel as though I was waiting for you, to tell you the things that I could not pass on in life."

Jinora took a seat while Iroh served her a cup of tea. "You see… my brother would not have managed to usurp my rule on personal power alone. Even if he managed to defeat me in an Agni Kai, without the support of the rest of the nobles he would have quickly fallen to assassins in the dark."

"You think he had help?" Jinora wondered. "From who?"

"That is an excellent question… and to find the answer I believe, will require the full length of your journey." Iroh poured himself a cup of tea as well. "I underestimated my brother's ambition, and foolishly thought he coveted only the throne of the Fire Nation. Allowing him to take it knowing his dark heart is my greatest regret."

"Let him?" Jinora suddenly understood the depth of what had happened. Iroh had not only lost his throne, but allowed himself to lose his throne. Even knowing what would befall him for doing so, he chose to die rather than strike down his own brother. It stung Jinora to realize she had even thought Iroh capable of stopping Ozai, or that she would have respected him if he had. "I'm sorry… that must have been hard. I was wrong to have expected anything less of you."

"Your heart grows ever kinder Jinora." Iroh took a drink of the tea and hummed peacefully. "In return for listening to my problems, I can try to help you with one of yours. While I may not be able to help you find an earthbender, I may know a master of fire who will suit your Avatar well."

Jinora perked up a little. "Oh thank goodness. I was actually more worried about finding a willing firebender than I was finding an earthbender anyway."

"My nephew, Prince Zuko… while I do not doubt his loyalty to the Fire Nation, he was quite close to my heart, and I would like to hope I to his." Iroh placed a hand over his chest and closed his eyes. "If there is anyone whose character I trusted more than my own, it was Prince Zuko's. Knowing he would succeed Ozai, I had hoped whatever turmoil my brother caused in the Fire Nation would be undone in a single generation. As always, I underestimated the depths of my brother's depravity."

"And you're sure he's… still loyal, after ten years?" Jinora whispered, forcing herself to ask the question she knew would be hurtful.

"Zuko did not partake in the coup willingly, of that much I am certain…" _Azula would surely have rubbed the salt in that wound if he had._ "I do not believe he is capable of falling so far even in a hundred years."

"Thank you, Lord Iroh… for everything you've given me today." Jinora stood and bowed.

"I'm afraid that is all I have to share with you, Jinora… but if I may ask one favor before you go?" Iroh looked over to Appa and back to Jinora. "How is Tenzin? I must admit… I worry about your people the most. My brother is ruthless and cruel, and your people so few in number."

"You don't have to worry." Jinora smiled widely. "My father took refuge in the Northern Water Tribe during the day of the comet. I had a vision of it's coming, and luckily he believed me."

"I am glad… truly you are blessed by the spirits Jinora. Never let go of this gift." He gestured at her chest, at her heart, and smiled. "Now, I think it's time I tried to let go of the worldly affairs of the past, and move on to the future."

Jinora wrapped Iroh in a quick hug. "I'll tell Prince Zuko you send your regards."

"Ah, if you would. Also tell Tenzin that he should not blame himself for my fall. I kept the coming of this calamity from him for fear of his life, ignorant of the turmoil my brother would stir in his wake." Iroh chuckled. "I have waited ten years to say as much… and already my spirit is lighter for it. Thank you, Jinora, for listening to the ramblings of this old man."

"Anytime Lord Iroh." Jinora broke from the hug and began to climb back onto Appa's back. "I need to get back to my body before Sokka does something stupid."

"The boy sounds like quite the handful… the way you say that makes me think you are already too late." Iroh put on a face that was best described as 'sincere pity'. "I am fortunate to have not lived long enough to be guru to the young Avatar. I do not envy your duty."

"If only it was his sister." Jinora lamented. "Then this would have been easy…" Jinora almost made herself cry just _remembering_ the first time she met the Avatar. "I'm going to go… before my emotional turmoil draws forth the wrong kind of spirits."

"That would be best." Iroh agreed, mirth once again returned to his aged features.

Appa took flight again.

000

Morning came, and breakfast did not join it. That was all it took to send Sokka stomping off in search of something meaty and sun dried to keep himself sane.

"I can't believe Katara spent all our money renting a broom closet." Sokka groused, counting the tiny copper coins he still had left. "I can't buy anything to eat with this!" He growled and continued his advance ever lower into the lower ring. It was an exaggeration to say he couldn't buy anything with what little he had left.

That is, of course, assuming you considered non-meat things as food.

Which if you did then Sokka just found you to be the strangest of creatures. "Cabbages… carrots… turnips… spuds… more cabbages..." Stand after stand of vegetables and meat-less goods that were in gradually more dubious states of freshness.

Sokka stopped near the fruit stand, but not because of the fruit. Rather, the rather beautiful woman conversing with the fruit stand owner. "It's simply awful don't you think! Earth King Lao was only just crowned a year ago and he's already being forced to marry off his daughter to the Fire Nation's Prince." The young woman bit her lower lip while the stand owner grunted.

"What an awful man, that prince… to force a blind girl to marry him is-..." The stand owner grew silent.

"Oh I heard that rumor! They say King Lao won't allow anyone to see her! She must be so scared, our Princess…" The young woman turned and saw Sokka staring at her, and gave him a quick once over. "Oh… hello?"

Sokka grunted noncommittally.

"You eyein' my fruit, guy?" The stand owner suddenly challenged. "Thinkin' of stealin' it?"

Sokka's eyes darted to the rather _ripe_ fruit. "I was _not_."

The owner's eyes grew ablaze instantly. "Oh so my fruit's not worth stealin' then?!"

Sokka's eyes darted to the young woman and her confused smile. Suddenly he had the sneaking suspicion the conversation wasn't about actual fruit. Sokka raised his hands defensively. "I'm sure your fruit is perfectly worth stealing!"

"So you were trying to steal it!" The man roared and Sokka realized his mistake.

There was no right answer, there was only a fist fight he didn't have time for. "Wait! No! I was just interested in hearing about the Princess!" The man's hand had only just wrapped around the collar of Sokka's pale green shirt and his eyes narrowed. "Honest! I'm new to the city!"

The woman giggled. "Oh come on Don, leave the poor man alone." She peaceably pushed the two apart. "He's only curious."

"But Yin…" Don grumbled before sighing. "Fine…" His eyes turned to Sokka. "I've got my eye on you, fruit thief."

"Surrrrre." Sokka agreed warily. "So…" He turned his attention back to the fruit- er, Yin. "What's this about the princess?"

"She's been betrothed to the Prince of the Fire Nation!" Yin elaborated. "Isn't that horrible? The poor girl's only fifteen, and she's already being forced to marry such a horrible man. It would be one thing if she was able bodied and could defend herself if he was to be untoward, but the poor girl is blind!"

Sokka opened his mouth and then closed it suddenly, narrowing his eyes dangerously. _That sounds really… kinda horrible…_ "And the Earth King's just… letting this happen?"

"Earth King Lao is a great man!" Yin insisted. "But after the war… there was only so much he could do to maintain the peace with the Fire Nation. It's part of the treaty I think."

_She thinks it's a mutual truce… she doesn't realize it was under a forced surrender… she doesn't realize the Earth Kingdom lost the war._ Sokka looked into Yin's eyes and felt no small amount of anguish. _No… she knows. She just refuses to believe it. She refuses to believe the walls of Ba Sing Se have fallen._

"I just wish there was something I could do…" Yin admitted.

"You've done a lot more than you think." Sokka turned on a heel to head back into the middle ring… and then to the upper after that. "Don't worry, I'm sure someone will save her."

_Time to rescue a Princess… Avatar style._

000

Toph rolled out of bed and due to her circumstances had absolutely no idea how late she had slept in. It somewhat terrified her that Long Feng was capable of giving her the kind of space and freedom she had wanted for years with little more than a snap of his fingers and a few words. That was her prize, and considering everything Long Feng was already keeping from her father, her parents would be none the wiser.

Toph stretched and approached the door, feeling the presence of three people standing outside it. She knocked. "Hey, is someone going to help make me presentable?"

The door opened and of course, a Joo Dee bowed graciously. "I was informed to wait until you asked, Lady Toph."

Toph couldn't help but be a little taken aback. _This is… too easy._ Then she sniffed and reached up to rub her eyes. _Is this all it takes to make me so happy I'll cry?_ Toph snorted. "Yeah… well let's get on with it." _I can't believe I was this desperate for a little bit of freedom. So lame…_ "How late did I sleep in?"

"It is nearly noon, Lady Toph. Your body double attended breakfast in your place. She was not noticed." That… made Toph rather angry. Not at Long Feng, because the body double was a good idea, but at her parents. Some Toph-look-alike Joo Dee was enough to fool them, and Toph couldn't tell if it was bad on them, or a testament to how fake she was whenever she was around them.

_It's probably my own fault._ "So…" A not so subtle attempt to change the subject while Joo Dee began brushing her hair. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"This morning, Grand Secretariat Long Feng has requested a meeting with you in private. This afternoon, Admiral Zhao of the Fire Nation will be arriving and has requested a meeting with Prince Zuko and Earth King Lao. Lady Poppy has also requested your presence to attend a poetry reading with her." Joo Dee finished putting Toph's hair up and moved on to gathering the makeup while Toph went about dressing herself on her own.

"Well at least one of those things is something for me to do." It was a sad day that she was looking forward to having a meeting with the Grand Secretariat. There were some things she wanted to discuss with him, especially knowing what she found out after waking up. "So who's this Zhao guy?"

"Admiral Zhao is a naval commander of the Fire Nation. He is famous for leading the assault on the Southern Water Tribe on the day of Sozin's Comet." Joo Dee said it like she said everything, with a perfect smile. It was rather unsettling.

_So a genocidal maniac then._ Toph shivered. _Glad I don't have to meet him, but would like to punch him._

Having further conversation with Joo Dee was really not like talking to a person. Toph discovered the only answers she could give were fact-based, and any request for an opinion defaulted to some kind of fallback like "Ba Sing Se is a wonderful city." Brainwashing was creepy. Toph quickly decided to not talk to Joo Dee any more than necessary.

Once the dress was straightened and the makeup applied, Toph let Joo Dee lead her out of the room… and Toph felt the approach of hurried footsteps. A man in a Dai Li uniform judging by the sound of the ruffling and the hat she felt on his head. It matched the two Dai Li standing guard next to her door.

Then one of the Dai Li spoke. "Hey! Who are you?!"

The approaching figure responded by bending… something. Water? It was fuzzy, nebulous, but still present. So it wasn't fire, which was invisible, or air which was equally non-existent. Water at least contained small amounts of earth, solvents, and the like. She could bend mud, and she could perceive the existence of bodies of water. Even more so when it froze to ice.

Which it did.

The water he bent out of some kind of pocket on his person froze into the shape of a spear, the details were still fuzzy because of the lack of actual earth, and in place of the horsehair tassel at the base of the head was a trail of fluid water. He twirled the weapon with a brief yell and then swung it, whipping the water out and intercepting the launched gloves of the Dai Li agents around her.

The water continued and knocked one of the Dai Li off his feet and froze him to a wall.

Then the intruder rushed forward and jabbed the spear forward with a thrust that pushed a jet of water into the other, freezing him into a large block with only his head exposed. The man then turned to Toph and grabbed hold of her wrist. "Don't worry! I'm here to rescue you!"

Rescue? He thought kidnapping her was doing her a favor? Maybe she would have let him if he had tried it twenty-four hours ago, but her life had already been shaken up to an acceptable level of chaos, and crazy waterbenders trying to 'rescue' her was just not in the cards. "Yeah… how about no."

Toph stomped a foot, sending the waterbender flying into the ceiling as the ground under him briefly pulsed upward with a surprising amount of force. When he hit the ground again she twisted her heels and locked his hands and feet to the floor.

Toph turned to the Dai Li. "You Dirt Ninjas are useless." She pounded on the wall, sending a ripple along it that shattered the ice and freed the two men. "Get him out of here before my parents find out and have a panic attack. Also… find out how he got a uniform and how he got this far into the palace to begin with!"

When the Dai Li began to act Toph rested her face in one of her hands and groaned. _I'm nagging at guards. I'm starting to turn into a real princess… Spirits just take me now…_

000

AN: In any other story he'd have saved a princess.


End file.
