CHAPTER TEN
AFTER THE FIGHT WITH THE DAI LI AND THE RETURN OF APPA, Sokka was still very determined to see the Earth King and discuss with him the plan to stop the Fire Nation. Katara had her reasoning why it wasn't a good idea while Sokka continued to argue that they needed the Earth King's support if they wanted to invade the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun, a solar eclipse that rendered the Fire Nation and all firebenders defenseless.
"What makes you think we'll get it? I don't know if you've noticed, but things don't usually go that smoothly for our little gang." Toph argued as she sat on the rocky floor of the lake island the group decided to stay on for the time being.
"Toph's right, Sokka. Long Feng is in control of the city; his conspiracy with the Dai Li is too powerful. I think we should just keep flying and leave this horrible place behind us." Katara argued, Yan and Toph nodding in agreement.
"I'm with Hair Loopies over here. Besides, getting away from this corrupt city has been a dream of mine for years. Toph's seen enough of Ba Sing Se and she is blind." Yan added as Toph punched her in the arm.
Aang floated over with an enthusiastic smile. "But now that we have Appa back, there's nothing stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth about the conspiracy and the war."
"See, Aang's with me! It's the whole reason we came here in the first place. We have to try." Sokka urged Katara as he threw his arm around Aang's shoulder and smiled. Katara sighed and thought it over before deciding it was a good idea while Toph believed Long Feng brainwashed Sokka due to his newly positive attitude. Aang looked at the lake and saw three boats sailing across the water's surface. "That's probably the Dai Li searching for us. We gotta go."
The group climbed onto Appa's back and held on tight as Aang flew his giant sky bison back to the city. If she had to pick between flying in a metal airship or on Appa's back without a saddle, Yan would've 100% chosen the airship. Flying bareback on the back of a sky bison was terrifying; she'd rather be throwing up than falling off at any given moment.
The group hurried to the Earth King's palace, Yan pointing down below. "That's it, the whole place is the palace. We have to approach with caution; Long Feng most likely warned the palace defenses that we were coming," she warned the group as they flew closer to the palace.
"Why would you assume that? If you ask me, I think we're just gonna sail right in on-" Sokka was cut off by a boulder flying right at Appa. Luckily, Appa narrowly avoided the flying rock projectile, sharply swerving to the left to avoid hitting it. Appa flew around the boulders that were being launched at him from the Earth Kingdom soldiers down below, the group gripping tightly onto his white fur. Aang easily pulverized a boulder that came flying at him from his right, Momo ducking down and chirping nervously. He flew down to the ground and dealt with the ground defenses.
Once Appa landed, Team Avatar ran toward the palace steps, Royal Guards trying to stop the group of teenagers. Toph, Aang, and Yan provided support with their earthbending while Katara used her waterbending to whip soldiers away, although she frequently apologized for hitting the soldiers. They weren't trying to hurt the Royal Guards, they were just trying to speak with the Earth King. The group crossed a bridge and reached the main steps up to the palace; as more soldiers came, Toph used her impressive bending to cause the steps to flatten, creating a giant slide. She and Aang used their combined skills to create a sort of pulley to make their way up to the palace faster.
Once inside the palace, Sokka looked around frantically. "Yan, which way to the Earth King?" he asked, brandishing his sword and boomerang.
"How should I know? I haven't been in here before! I'm still with the vote to leave Ba Sing Se!" she shouted as she created a wave of rocks to push the soldiers back. Sokka began opening doors, looking to see where the group had to go next while the rest of the team continued to fight. When the soldiers were finally pushed back ― and a border of rocky debris surrounded the group ― Sokka climbed up the border and grinned when he saw a gigantic green door.
"Now that's an impressive door! It's got to go somewhere," he said as he eagerly ran to the door. Planning to kick it open, Sokka tried to force his way through, but the door wouldn't open no matter how hard he tried. Aang, growing impatient, blasted a strong gust of wind and blew the doors off its hinges as well as sending Sokka flying forward. They then found themselves in a throne room, the Earth King sitting on his throne shaped like a badgermole and Long Feng with his Dai Li appearing at his defense.
"We need to talk to you," Aang ordered urgently as he and his friend stood in a defensive stance, ready for anything that might happen.
"You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to trust you? If you're on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down." the Earth King ordered as he rose from his throne, angry at the intruders. The group of friends exchanged a glance before Aang dropped his staff, Katara returned her water to her water skin, Sokka dropped his sword and boomerang, and Toph and Yan lowered the boulders they were holding up.
"See, we're friends, Your Earthiness." Aang chuckled and grinned nervously while the Earth King looked at him, clearly unamused. Once defenseless and weaponless, Long Feng ordered his Dai Li to cuff the group of teenage invaders, rock hands binding the kid's arms behind their backs.
"But we dropped our weapons. We're your allies!" Sokka explained as the Dai Li agents stood behind them, ready to take the group into custody.
"Their enemies of the state, Your Highness. Make sure the Avatar and his friends never see daylight again." Long Feng ordered with narrow eyes. Upon hearing that Aang is the Avatar, the Earth King sat at attention, suddenly curious. The Earth King's pet bear approached Aang and began licking his cheek while Aang laughed.
"Bosco seems to like him! I'll hear what he has to say." the Earth King decided when he saw that his bear trusted Aang.
Aang stepped forward, his arms still bound behind his back. "Well, sir, there's a war going on right now. For the past one hundred years, in fact. The Dai Li's kept it secret from you; it's a conspiracy to control the city and to control you. Long Feng didn't want us to tell you so he stole our sky bison to blackmail us. And blackmail is the least of his crimes! He brainwashed our friend!" he began to explain. Long Feng continued to deny all the allegations against him while the Earth King looked confused.
"All lies. I've never even seen a sky bison, Your Majesty. Frankly, I thought they were extinct. These hooligans are part of an anarchist cell that my agents have been tracking for weeks. If you listen to them, you're playing right into your own destruction." Long Feng whispered slyly in the Earth King's ear. The Earth King sighed heavily and folded his hands together in thought.
"I have to trust my advisor," he concluded, the group's mouths hanging open in shock. The Dai Li agents grabbed the group and began to escort them away, most likely to prison.
"Wait! I can prove he's lying. Long Feng said he's never seen a sky bison. Ask him to lift his robe." Sokka said as he whipped around to prove his and the group's innocence. When Long Feng refused to disrobe, Aang took a deep breath and blew a strong wind at Long Feng, his robe flying up to show the bite marks on his left leg from where Appa bit him. "Never met a sky bison, huh?"
After Long Feng still denied the bite marks were from a sky bison, Appa was brought to the throne room where his teeth and the bite marks were compared to be a positive match. Once Long Feng exited the throne room with his Dai Li in tow, the group took their time explaining everything to the Earth King, including the war and everything in between.
"I want to thank you young heroes for opening my eyes. All this time what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools, and that makes me the king of fools. We're at war with the Fire Nation!" the Earth King gasped in disbelief as he put a hand to his head.
"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, Your Highness. Because we think that you can help us end the war. We don't have much time; there's a comet coming this summer. Its energy will give the firebenders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable but there is hope; before the comet comes, we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be entirely blocked by the moon and the firebenders will be helpless. That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation: the Day of Black Sun." Sokka explained.
"I don't know... that would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable." the Earth King argued to the group of teenagers.
"You're already vulnerable! The Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Sing Se completely falls into their grasp. They already have Omashu; who's to say when they will take back control of the North Pole? We have to do something now to stop their reign once and for all before they continue to destroy the world. You can sit back and wait for that to happen, or you can take the offensive and give yourself a chance to fight back." Yan argued as the group nodded in agreement.
The Earth King thought it over for several long, silent minutes while the group waited anxiously for his answer. "Very well. You have my support." he finally answered, a smile on his face. The group erupted in cheers and hugged each other tightly in celebration.
A general soon entered the room, informing the Earth King that he and his men found secret files on everyone currently residing or visiting Ba Sing Se, including Yan and her family. Toph learned that her mother wanted to see her in the city and Aang received a scroll for him coming from the Eastern Air Temple; after reading it, Aang learned that a guru was waiting for him to continue his Avatar training.
"Wait, what do you mean separate? We just got Appa back and now you want to go your separate ways?" Yan asked as she sat with Team Avatar. Once everyone got their respective letters that went down different roads, Katara suggested that everyone split up to find anyone listed in their letters. Having not received a letter or anything, Yan didn't want to split up from the group; she had grown to become good friends with them when she aided them in their quest.
"Think about it, Yan; Aang has to meet this guru in order for him to grow stronger in his Avatar training. If we invade the Fire Nation in the current state that he is in, we wouldn't stand a chance." Katara explained. Yan sighed heavily, looking around the group before averting her gaze; she didn't know what else to say, other than she didn't want them to go.
It was decided: Aang was going to head to the Eastern Air Temple to see the guru and drop Sokka off at Chameleon Bay to see his father, Toph was going to visit her mom, and Katara was going to stay behind and help the Earth King and military with the invasion plan. The group all shared a big hug before Aang and Sokka took off on Appa's back, Yan deciding to stick around with Katara so she wasn't alone. Everyone was ecstatic about their plans; Aang was happy to continue his Avatar training, Sokka was excited to come back and see his girlfriend Suki, Toph was ready to see her mom after being away for quite a while, and Katara and Yan were more than eager to help out with the upcoming invasion.