A look of pure surprise washed over the face of Long Feng, as if he had truly believed that the Earth King was going to trust him. Even we were surprised as we watched the two Dai Li agents use metal handcuffs to restrain their own leader.
"You can't arrest me!" Long Feng tried to reason as he struggled with the two agents, who held onto him strongly. "You all need me more than you know!"
"It looks like Long Feng is long gone!" Sokka taunted as the Dai Li escorted their leader out of our sight. "Yeah, I've been waiting to use that one,"
Soon after, once the sun was set and the night was already upon us, we returned to the king's palace. Our gang stood in the throne room while the Earth King sat on his golden throne, his bear, Bosco, lying on the floor next to him. The king pondered as he sat on his royal chair.
"I want to thank you, young heroes," he said after a silence. "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 fool," he placed a hand over his head in disbelief. "We're at war with the fire nation.
"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, your highness," Sokka jumped in. "Because we think you could help us end the war,
"We don't have much time," Aang explained to the king. "There's a comet coming this summer. It's energy will give the firebenders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable,"
"But there is hope," Sokka continued. "Before the comet comes, we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and the firebenders will be helpless,"
"What are you suggesting, Sokka?" the king questioned him.
"That's the day we need to invade the fire nation," Sokka informed him. "The day of Black Sun,"
"I don't know..." the king looked sceptical. "That would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable,"
"You already are vulnerable," I decided it was time to chime in with my thoughts. "The great city of Omashu has already fallen to the fire nation. Now, only Ba Sing Se is left. Once the fire nation takes over Ba Sing Se, which they will eventually if we don't do something, the Earth Kingdom will have officially fallen," I finished my speech as the king once again pondered with his hand on his chin. After another moment of thought, he spoke.
"Very well. You have my support," the Earth King announced to us.
We all celebrated with joy. After a month of desperately trying to make it to Ba Sing Se and speak to the king, we had finally won Earth Kingdom support. Aang whipped around the room on a ball of air while I dapped up Sokka in celebration. We were all so filled with joy that we didn't even notice when a well-dressed earth kingdom soldier walked into the room. It was only when he spoke that I looked to see the man, who was dressed in a green cape and had black hair and a styled beard.
"Your majesty," he made his presence known as he walked across the throne room and knelt in front of the king. "I apologise for the interruption,"
"This is General How," the Earth King introduced. "He's the leader of the council of five, my highest-ranking generals,"
"We searched Long Feng's office," he informed us all. "I think we found something that will interest everybody,"
Only a moment later we all stood in a different room. It was the same room that Long Feng had taken us to just after the Earth King's party two days ago. The green fire still burned bright as the king sat in front of it at a large wooden table. General How stood next to us as another guard brought in a simple green and yellow box and placed it on the table.
"There are secret files on everyone in Ba Sing Se, including you kids," How told us.
"Secret files?" Aang asked, though he was quickly cut off by the Earth King.
"Toph Beifong," the king announced as he read a label attached to a small scroll before passing it to Aang, who then passed it to Toph. Realising that Toph couldn't read it, Katara gladly took the scroll and unravelled it.
"It's a letter from your mom," Katara told the young earthbender as she read the scroll. "Your mom's here in the city, and she wants to see you,"
"Long Feng intercepted our letters from home?" Toph said with surprise. "That's just sad,"
"Aang," the Earth King said as he passed a smaller scroll to the Avatar.
"This scroll was attached to the horn of your bison when the Dai Li captured it," General How informed him.
"It's from the eastern air temple," Aang exclaimed with surprise.
"(Y/N)," The Earth King said as he passed me a scroll of my own, taking me aback. Who could possibly be writing to me? As I held the roll of paper in my hand, I noticed that it was tied with a small length of blue rope. Hanging from the end of the small rope was a tiny water tribe symbol. I unrolled the scroll at once and eagerly read the neat handwriting that was inked onto the paper.
"Dear (Y/N),
I hope this letter finds you in good health and fortune. After a successful quest to the Southern Water Tribe, I am pleased to inform you that I'm making my way to Ba Sing Se. If you receive this letter, it would be fantastic if you would meet up with me at the address at the bottom of the paper so that we can catch up. I hope to see you soon.
Best Regards,
Master Pakku"
My jaw in dropped in astonishment as I read the letter. Master Pakku was here in Ba Sing Se??? The letter was dated from a few days ago, and there was an address of an upper ring house at the bottom, where I assumed that Master Pakku was staying. I was only broken out of my amazed trance when I heard Katara speak to the Earth King.
"Is there a letter for me and Sokka, by any chance?" she asked as both her and Sokka looked expectant and excited. The king peered into the box once more, but it appeared to be empty.
"I'm afraid not," he told them sadly, and I could see the disappointment on the two siblings' faces.
"But there is an intelligence report that might interest you," General How said as he pulled out another, longer scroll from his pocket before giving it to Katara.
"A small fleet of water tribe ships?" Katara eagerly read after opening the paper.
"What? That could be dad?" Sokka exclaimed excitedly.
"Protecting the mouth of Chameleon Bay? Led by Hakoda- it is dad!" Katara shouted as both of their faces grew into wide smiles. They celebrated enthusiastically, and I couldn't help but smile at their joy.
Only a minute later, the Earth King and General How left the room, leaving just the five of us sitting gleefully on the green carpet as we re-read our scrolls excitedly.
"I can't believe it," Aang said. "There's a man living at the eastern air temple. He says he's a guru." He described the information that his letter contained.
"What's a guru?" Sokka asked. "Some kind of poisonous blowfish?"
"It's a spiritual expert," I dropped some knowledge for Sokka before turning to Aang. "It sounds to me like it's important you should meet him, considering the Avatar is supposed to be the bridge between the physical and spirit worlds,"
"He wants to help me take the next step in the Avatar journey," Aang explained with a smile. "He says he can teach me to control the Avatar state,". I had only ever seen Aang in the Avatar state once- very briefly during the attack on the Northern Water Tribe- but I had heard stories from Sokka and Katara about how powerful it was.
"And I can't believe we know where our dad is now," Katara joined in with the excitement.
"I know what you mean," Toph agreed. "My mom's in the city, and from her letter, it sounds like she finally understands me,"
"Must be nice..." I muttered, slightly jealous of Toph having understanding parents, though luckily nobody heard me.
"This is all such big news," Sokka said. "Where do we even start?"
"I hate to say it but... we have to split up," Katara told us.
"Split up?" Aang doubted. "We just found Appa and got the family back together. Now you want us to separate?"
"I have to agree with Aang," I chimed in with my opinion. "We're strongest when we're all together,"
"You have to meet this guru, Aang," Katara explained. "If we're going to invade the fire nation, you need to be ready,". I hated to admit it, but she was right; we did have to split up.
"Well, if I'm going to the eastern air temple, Appa and I can drop you off at Chameleon Bay to see your dad," Aang offered.
"Someone has to stay here with the Earth King and help him plan for the invasion," Sokka admitted sadly as he stood up. "I guess that's me,"
"No," I said to him, also standing up as a realisation hit me. "I won't visit Master Pakku for too long, only for an hour or two. I can help plan for the invasion. You and Katara can both go and see your dad,". I knew that Sokka and Katara hadn't seen their dad for years, and so I was willing to give up some of my time reuniting with Master Pakku for them to visit their dad. I knew how much it would mean to them, and it was evident in the tears of joy that started forming in the corner of Sokka's eyes.
"You are the nicest best friend ever!" Sokka shouted gleefully as he embraced in me in a tight hug, squeezing me until I felt like I was going to get crushed. Still, I welcomed the friendly action.
"Okay, calm down," I happily laughed. "It's my pleasure,"
Fifteen minutes later, we were all stood outside the front door of the palace. Sokka had just finished loading his bags onto Appa when he jumped down, landing next to the rest of us.
"Alright! Who's ready to get on a little trip?" he yelled as he grabbed Aang and started affectionately rubbing his bald head.
"Aang, Katara and Sokka," the Earth King announced from behind us, causing all to turn around to face him. "I wish you a good journey. Ba Sing Se owes you its thanks, and we look forward to your safe return," he said as we all respectfully bowed. Then, an earth kingdom guard approached the king.
"Your majesty, there are three female warriors here to see you. They're from the island of Kyoshi" he informed as Sokka began climbing up Appa, causing him to topple backwards in surprise.
"That's Suki!" Sokka shouted as he fell and made a hard impact with the ground below.
"You know these warriors?" the king asked curiously as Sokka got back up onto his feet.
"Oh yeah, the Kyoshi warriors are a skilled group of fighters. Trustworthy, too," Sokka told him. "They're good friends of ours,"
"Then we shall welcome them as honoured guests," the Earth King nodded, before leaving us to say our farewells to each other.
"I'm really going to miss you guys," Toph muttered sadly after Aang and Katara shared a sweet moment. Katara and Aang both verbally agreed as they hugged Toph, leaving myself and Sokka stood awkwardly to the side. Only a second later, the three of them collapsed onto the two of us, squeezing us tightly in a warm hug.
"Great, that's enough! Okay, we love each other. Seriously," Sokka said as he struggled to break up the group hug. Once the hug finally ended, I made sure to speak to pull Sokka aside. Over the few months I had been with the team, Sokka and I had become very good friends, despite an admittedly shaky start.
"Have a good time at Chameleon Bay," I told him with a smile. "I hope you guys have a nice time seeing your dad again. Stay safe,"
"Yeah, you too. Stay safe," Sokka smiled kindly before pulling me into a quick, friendly hug. Then, he gave me a fist bump before climbing onto the back of Appa, where Aang and Katara were waiting for him. "Say hi to Suki for me!" he shouted down to me as Aang pulled on Appa's reins, causing the bison to begin flying. I chuckled at Sokka's comment as I watched them all fly into the sky, until they were just a speck in the distance. Once they were completely out of view, it was just myself and Toph stood awkwardly on the ground.
"So, do you know where you're going to meet your parents?" I asked her. "Or do you need me to help you find it?"
"I know where I'm going. Thanks, though," she said to me. "See you around, spirit boy," she added as she punched me in the shoulder, which admittedly hurt quite a bit. Then, she walked off, presumably in the direction of where her parents were waiting for her. That left just me.
Deciding that there was no reason for me to me to stand around doing nothing, I started walking to the address where Master Pakku was staying. It was a rather nice day; the sun was shining, but there was enough cloud cover in the blue sky to keep the temperature cool. I enjoyed the weather as I trekked with a smile on my face, despite the amount of wrong turns I took. Even the upper ring, which was the smallest of the three city's rings, was like a labyrinth to navigate.
Eventually, after about an hour of walking, and asking the occasional kind stranger for directions, I found the house. It was nice-looking house, pretty large, with green walls and golden lining on the walls. It looked to be two stories tall, and was positioned by a large, beautiful lake with clear, turquoise water.
I nervously approached the house. It had been a while since I had seen Master Pakku, and while I was very excited to talk to him again, there was also a strange feeling of anxiety in my stomach. Nonetheless, I knocked on the front door and waited patiently for a response. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing an older man with fuzzy white hair. He was wearing clouded glasses and dressed in Rarth Kingdom clothing. It wasn't Pakku, but the man still greeted me warmly.
"Welcome, you must be (Y/N)," he smiled at me.
"Yeah, that's right," I kindly smiled back at him.
"Master Pakku is out meditating at the moment, but I'm sure he'll be back any minute," the man informed me as he opened the front door wider. "In the meantime, would you like to come in? I have a pot of tea brewing,"
I accepted the man's invitation, and entered the house. The interior of the building was rather bland- the floors were made of wooden tile, but there was little furniture. It looked like it had perhaps been built recently. The old man led me to the living room, where there were two chairs and a table. I took a seat while the man fetched us the tea. After a moment, he came hustling back into the room with two cups of tea, one of which he placed on the table in front of me.
"This is a special brew from the Southern Water Tribe," he explained to me as he took a long, loud sip from his cup, audibly sighing in satisfaction after he did so. "I've taken quite a liking to it,"
I took my cup of tea in my hand, and placed it to my lips as I drank the warm liquid. The intense sweetness of the tea flavour took me by surprise at first, but it wasn't particularly unpleasant. I took a few sips from the tea.
"So, how was the Southern Water Tribe?" I asked the man, who was still enjoying his tea. My question seemed to take him aback a bit.
"Oh! I didn't go with Pakku! I'm just a simple Earth Kingdom servant," he informed me after a moment of hesitation with a friendly smile. 'Strange, Master Pakku never seemed like somebody that would accept a servant' I thought to myself, though I brushed the thought off. Master Pakku was technically on a vacation, at the end of the day. "How is your tea?" the servant then asked.
"It's pretty good," I gave him my honest opinion. While the tea was somewhat tasty, I had come to notice that it had a bitter aftertaste that I wasn't hugely fond of. Furthermore, I found myself feeling a little bit drowsy, which was a little strange considering I had been sleeping fine recently. Then again, the day had been filled with action, I had to remind myself. We had fought off the Dai Li and the Earth King's palace guards all in one day, so I was likely just tired from that. But, as I thought about this, I found myself becoming more tired by the second. My head started to rock forward as I battled against unconsciousness. Something definitely wasn't right.
"Is everything okay?" the servant asked as he witnessed the situation.
"I- I don't know," I mumbled worriedly as I tried to get a grip of reality.
"I hope you're not allergic to the tea," the servant said, though a change in his voice was evident. He was no longer speaking kindly. Now, his tone was somewhat menacing. "It would be an awful shame if my brewing had caused this,"
I drowsily watched as the servant, who still sat in his chair, removed his foggy glasses and wiped the lenses with his sleeve. But that's not what caught my attention. As I forced my heavy eyelids to remain open, my gaze found that of the servant's. His eyes, which had previously been obscured by the glasses, where a fiery amber colour.
"You're fire nation!" I yelled as I pointed an accusing finger at the man, jumping up from my seat, almost passing out completely in the process and falling to my knees weakly instead. Despite my aggressive actions, the man made no signs of moving.
"About time you figured it out," he smirked at me cunningly. At this point, my eyes were pretty much glued shut with tiredness. "But don't worry about all of that. It's time for you to rest," the man told me, and, despite my will to stay alert and conscious, I found my body quickly falling to the floor as the world around me went dark.
Word Count: 3197
(Hey everyone, I hope your week is going well and that you enjoyed this chapter! This one was a little shorter, but next week is a longer one. The next chapter is actually my personal favourite of all the chapters I've written so far, so I'm super excited to release it. However, there may be a little bit of a wait for it as I like to write far in advance of what's published. It's currently scheduled to release on Saturday the 27th, so keep an eye out on that day! That's all from me, have a good one and see you next week! -JetDragon09)