"An assassination attempt."
Tapeesa fixed Aang with a levelled stare, showing none of the concern he was, almost appearing unbothered by the news. And partly, she was. She didn't think all that highly of King Kuei. In all her years, she hadn't heard of anyone claiming he was anything more than useless.
"He is distressed, yes," Aang told her, his agony over the King's fate evident on his face. Not for the first time, Tapeesa thought he was too good of a man. "He asked for my help specifically."
"I have never been to Ba Sing Se but I have heard the Dai Li are not your typical guards. Does he not trust his troops to protect him?" she wondered out loud. "I don't think it's usual of the Avatar to protect Kings from being overthroned."
"I have already told him I will help. King Kuei and I have known each other ever since the war, I can't turn my back on him. Besides, he has been betrayed by the Dai Li before. They were part of the reason Ba Sing Se fell in the first place."
"Then perhaps that's a good enough reason for the Dai Li to be replaced."
Aang frowned. "Do you not think he deserves my protection?"
Tapeesa leaned forward. "I think you are just one man and you can't do everything. Something might be left behind."
"I don't want King Kuei to die because of me."
Tapeesa shook her head, "It would not be because of you."
"It would feel like that to me," he insisted, his frown deepening as he noticed her pick up her meal and start eating again. "Do you not agree?"
Tapeesa swallowed, "I do not. But perhaps he is right. Perhaps he truly is not safe in Ba Sing Se. I still don't think his protection should be your task, though. One could think you are politically involved in the city."
His frown deepened even more. "But I'm not."
"Are you really?" she countered, her brows raised. "Because King Kuei finally decided to let you have space on his own grounds to build an autonomous city where you will live in. Someone could say he offered you land in exchange of protection."
"He's my friend, Tapeesa," Aang pressed, his shoulders shagging. "How could I ever leave him to die?"
Tapeesa let out a small sigh but eventually, she nodded. "I understand. Who is trying to harm him anyway?"
"He suspects a few nobles in the city."
"Can he not strip them of their privileges?" she asked, half her attention back on her food as Aang answered.
"No, it would raise suspicion and there would be a protest. They have people supporting them, he cannot do it without reason."
Tapeesa shook her head. "And I thought Ba Sing Se was ruled by a King."
Aang smiled weakly as he watched her eat. "He isn't the most assertive."
"I imagine that is part of the reason they seek to get him out of the picture," she mused, her gaze never leaving her plate. "When are they leaving?"
"In a few days, both of them. Zuko has been away from the nation for long enough and his wife might give birth soon while Kuei can't leave for a long time because he is afraid they might have thought of a plan to kill him the moment he returns to Ba Sing Se."
"So what does he expect you to do, follow him on his journey to Ba Sing Se? Or head off earlier to clear the path for him?"
"Neither of the two, actually," he admitted, "he will send me a letter with a hawk if he feels threatened and I will go to Ba Sing Se to help."
Tapeesa raised a brow. "He might be dead by the time you arrive."
"I told him so," he frowned once more, "he said he has some faith in the Dai Li to keep him safe long enough for me to come."
Tapeesa shook her head. "If only it happens that way."
Aang's frown didn't lessen. Slowly, he withdrew his hand from Tapeesa's knee and moved back so that his back was resting against the bed. Looking up, he sent her a tiny smile. "I guess we have to wait."
-
King Kuei was someone Tapeesa attempted not to see for as long as she possibly could. She was fortunate to be away for most of the day, as she moved from the training yard to the hospital and then finally to the island, but then Aang decided to bring King Kuei and Fire Lord Zuko to the training so they could see the progress and she was forced to interact with him somewhat. Thankfully, he didn't stay for long.
"Finally, a training session without him," she told Toph as they headed together to the training grounds, Suki and Aang talking among each other a few ways ahead. "I didn't mind having Zuko around at all. Kuei, though..."
"Ignore him," Toph shrugged, "that's what I did. It worked wonders."
"I ignored him as well but I still think he is rather annoying," she insisted, "or my dismay is purely because we aren't alike at all."
Toph nodded, "I can't say I disagree."
"What are you talking about back there?" Aang asked as there was a break in his conversation with Suki. He turned to face them both with a smile that wasn't quite as wide as all other times. Ever since he had learnt about Kuei's assassination attempts he was a lot more absentminded than usual.
"How glad we are Kuei is gone," Toph replied without a hint of hesitation. Suki sent both Toph and Tapeesa a look but Aang's expression remained the same.
"Tapeesa has told me that many times already since he left this morning," he admitted as he turned to face her. "Aren't you growing tired of saying the same things?"
"Why would I ever grow tired of saying I am happy?"
Toph snorted from beside her as Suki shook her head, but Aang only smiled slightly before he looked ahead once more. Tapeesa smiled to herself. They got in the yard.
The aspiring police officers were already waiting for them, as per their instructions, having gotten there earlier to warm up first. Tapeesa, Toph, Suki and Aang stopped in a straight line in front of them before he took a step forward and spoke up.
"Good morning."
"Good morning Avatar Aang," they chorused. Aang nodded once before he continued.
"Today, you will fight in pairs of different bending." The officers seemed to exchange a look at that. "You will come forward in groups and we will give you pointers all the while. There is no technique that is prohibited. The goal is to subdue, not harm. Any questions?"
There were none. And so Toph came forward and started selecting the pairs. Tapeesa looked over the pairs Toph had decided, sent a reassuring smile at Li and Yua who were fighting a firebender and an earthbender respectively. They hesitantly sent her a smile back.
"The first four pairs I made," Toph called out, "get ready. The others, stand behind us and watch the fights. Take pointers."
"You will fight at the same time," Suki said. "Each of us will be watching one fight. Avatar Aang is on the first pair, Chief Toph on the second, Master Tapeesa on the third and I will be watching the last pairing. Get ready."
Aang's pair consisted of an earthbender and a firebender, while Toph was asked to supervise an earthbender and a non-bender, Tapeesa a non-bender and a firebender and finally, Suki, a non-bender and an earthbender. It was obvious to her that the earthbender in Suki's pair and her firebender would have rather been watched by Aang or Toph, in the case of Suki's pair, although she didn't let that phase her. Instead, she gestured to her pair to come to the front, away from the others as they spaced each other out to have more area to fight in. She glanced at the non-bender—a small woman around the same size as Toph, with dark hair and even darker eyes—and then at the firebender—rather small but obviously muscular with eyes that sparked as if they were lit up—and finally, she sent them a nod.
"You may begin when you are ready," she told them, at the same time as Aang that had situated his pair beside her own said something similar. In the pair farthest from her, Toph had already made her pair start and was already shouting instructions. She turned back to her pair.
The firebender attacked first. The non-bender dodged the fireballs he sent her way, slowly but surely making her way closer to him. He, on the other hand, switched tactics the moment he realised shooting fireballs didn't work. He formed a whip and sent it her way. It was then Tapeesa started to speak up.
"Get closer."
She jumped over the whip and ran forward in her attempt to get closer and make his attack useless. He kicked the air twice. She slipped right past the two waves and got even closer. Before he had the chance to cast another attack, she was in front of him. He formed a dagger made of fire, and their hand to hand fight began.
She didn't seem afraid of the weapon in his arms, if anything, it was as if it didn't even exist to her. She dodged his hits and landed her own, quick and precise attacks that tired both her and him out but in the end, it was the firebender that seemed affected first. His flame started to flicker.
"Breathe," Tapeesa reminded him, and a quick glance to the side let her know the fight between Toph's pair was already over. She turned to her own pair just as the firebender completely abandoned his attempt to bend and chose to fight her the way she wanted.
"Move quicker, dodge," Tapeesa called out to the woman as she attempted to counter one of his blows. But he was stronger. She let out a small cry of pain and in her moment of vulnerability, he twisted her arm around her back. Tapeesa clapped her hands.
"It's over," she decided, and at once, the firebender let go of the non-bender. Tapeesa walked closer to them both.
"You need to breathe and not lose focus," she told the firebender who nodded at once and she turned to the non-bender. "Your attacks could be quicker. He was bigger so you could have won only if you used your speed to your benefit." She nodded back at her. Tapeesa sent them a small smile. "You did well. You may sit down."
They left at once and so she looked over to the remaining pairs fighting. Aang's pair seemed resilient and Aang had moved away from the arena to give them more space, floating on a ball of air and moved around them to call out pointers. A short while later, the earthbender won. It was time to call for the next pairs.
Tapeesa didn't pay attention to the pairs her friends had because her own pair was Yua fighting against an earthbender. The woman was rather small but by her gaze alone one could say she was threatening. As Yua was handed a bucket of water, Tapeesa walked over.
"You need not to worry about the water," she told Yua, "I will be replenishing it whenever you need it."
"Is that not against the rules?" Yua asked in slight surprise as she glanced to her opponent listening from some distance.
"I wouldn't say it is," Tapeesa argued, "earthbenders and firebenders have an unlimited supply here anyway." She took a couple of steps back to give them space. "Whenever you are ready."
The two of them looked at each other for a moment and then they were starting. At the earthbender's command, a rock formed in front of her. Yua hardly had the time to move away before the rock was shot off where she had been.
"Get close," Tapeesa called out as she moved back. Even without looking, the earthbender seemed to know where Yua was. The ground started moving beneath her feet. Some parts of it rose, others lowered. Yua almost lost her footing. Before Tapeesa could say a word, she reached for the water in the bucket, called it to her. It formed to ice in front of her feet and she glided on it as she jumped, turning closer to her opponent.
"Lower your knees," Tapeesa called out as Yua zoomed past. Moments later, a rock rose from the ground, cutting the ice in half. Before Yua could fall, she salvaged what ice she could, turned it back to water and sent it right where her opponent was standing. Tapeesa couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips.
With a few quick steps, Yua found herself face to face with the earthbender. She got closer, a hand already outstretched for her element to follow. Tapeesa quietly replenished the water in the bucket with a movement of her hand.
Yua slashed the water at the earthbender but she raised a thin wall in front of her that collapsed immediately at her attack. Yua kept on going forward, paying no heed to the mud that was now starting to form at her feet as she slashed again and again, growing closer still. Until the earthbender almost slipped. It was then Tapeesa decided to put an end to it.
"That's enough!"
They stopped at once, turned to face her. Pleased, she walked forward. She turned first to the earthbender.
"Choosing to defend yourself first with the rock acting as your shield was a good decision." She nodded in understanding and Tapeesa turned to Yua. "You have grown a lot stronger than you once were. Using the water to get over the land when it was unsteady was what I would think of doing in your position and I was pleased to see how you controlled water and ice."
"I think I've gotten better too," Yua admitted as Tapeesa nodded.
"One more thing, just so you know. We can bend mud." Yua's eyes widened and so she demonstrated, raising her hand at once. The mud rose behind her. In front of Yua's and the earthbender's surprised eyes, she raised her other hand as well and moved it along with the other in a circular motion. The water was slowly separated by the soil that fell down, while the water returned to Tapeesa. "It still has water in it."
"I will keep it in mind," Yua assured her and pleased Tapeesa sent them both a nod and a smile. They walked away. It was time for the last pairs. From a few ways away, Toph put the ground back to its normal state and so they called for the last pairs to come up.
Tapeesa was to supervise Li fighting with a firebender almost as tall as Aang was. Li seemed nervous.
"Are you going to replenish the water at all times?"
"The way I did with Yua," she assured her, "do not fret."
She nodded. "I will try my best."
Tapeesa glanced at the firebender briefly before she took a few steps back. "You may begin."
She had hardly even finished her sentence when the firebender attacked. A rain of fireballs began to fall over Li's head although she reached fast for the water and she formed a dome above her, thick enough for the fireballs to melt against it. As Tapeesa replenished the water, Li used the remaining dome to hurl it his way, letting it crack and separate in various places to form thin blades of ice. He kicked the air again and again, sending waves of fire her way, melting the ice. Li hardly had the time to draw water in front of her to serve as a shield so she wouldn't be burnt.
His attack didn't let up and Li was forced to take further steps back as she attempted to defend herself again and again. He gained ground and it was evident Li wasn't going to last much longer.
"Use ice for your shields, water for your attacks," Tapeesa told her as she followed her retreat, replenishing the water all the while. Li did as she told her. And for a while, it worked. Tapeesa was pleased to see him getting sidetracked by the waterballs that hit close to him—some even hit his side—but his focus didn't waver. She knew, Li was bound to lose at some point in this environment if she didn't do anything different. But before she could, he striked.
His consequent attacks were so strong Li's shield cracked and completely went down. Li fell back with a grunt, the effort of holding such a wall having drained her out. Tapeesa was about to finish off the match. But then he kept on attacking.
Tapeesa moved without thought. One moment the whip of fire was heading to Li and the other Tapeesa was right in front of her, a hand outstretched, ice rapidly encircling the whip until it reached his hand. He hissed, lost his focus as the ice stung him. The whip disappeared a moment before it reached Tapeesa.
"You were told not to harm your opponent," she hissed, eyes narrowed and from the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of Aang moving towards her. She paid him no mind. "She was on the ground. What kind of attack is that?"
The firebender hesitantly looked up. "She hadn't surrendered."
Tapeesa's eyes narrowed further. "She hadn't surrendered? Who else did surrender? You aren't fighting against an enemy, this is practice. And you are lucky I stepped in between."
"This session is over," Suki called out as she helped a non-bender up. "Same time, tomorrow."
They left, quiet, a numb silence in the yard as Tapeesa turned back around to help Li up.
"You did well," she told her, her tone still tense. "I know he wouldn't stand a chance against you if you had more water."
"Thank you, Master Tapeesa," she nodded her head, "you didn't have to step in the middle."
Tapeesa raised an eyebrow down at her. "What am I your supervisor for, then?"
Li sent her a small smile and one more nod before she left. Aang was by Tapeesa's side the next moment.
"Are you hurt?"
"No," she assured him as she looked around to see only the two of them remained in the yard, Suki and Toph waiting a few ways away, obviously listening in. She shook her head. "Do you want to go back?"
"When you are ready," he replied at once.
"Off we go, then," she decided, "I need to blow off some steam."
Aang followed after her. He would be sure to pay more attention to that specific firebender from now on.