𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍
𝘓𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘐𝘯 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺
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AN OLD AND GREYING KING silently sat upon his throne with his wrinkled hands folded together in a flexible hold, dressed in royal robes of various shades of bright green that hung over him loosely, while he stared down at the group of rather young teens with a curious look in his eyes. He hummed in question as they were all forced onto their knees by several of his loyal guards. They were all now ready for whatever questioning they were about to go through—all for a batch of cabbages.
"Your Majesty," the main guard in front of them bowed before the King, "These juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of... cabbages," he informed the King, motioning down towards the three teens, who all looked rather nervous about this situation they had gotten themselves into.
The cabbage merchant glared over at them with hatred in his eyes, "Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!" he shouted in anguish as his face turned red.
"Silence! Only the King can pass judgment," the main guard informed the furious merchant, "What is your judgment, sire?" he asked as he turned his attention back to the monarch that sat in front of him, waiting for an answer.
"Throw them..." the King paused as he looked over the four of them, watching while they all stared at him with pleading looks in their eyes, and then, he continued speaking, "-a feast!" he exclaimed, smiling brightly as he stood up from his throne, and began to walk away from them as they guards took them off the ground and pushed them after the King.
The guards quickly stepped to the side of a doorway as the King entered before they forced all four of the teenagers into the room. Elua frowned in confusion as they were all seated at the end of a rather long table with servants rushing to bring out plates of food. She had to admit, it was half expected of this King to just throw them all into a prison hold, or make them serve some sort of community service at the least. This was about the strangest passing of judgment that she had ever witnessed in her entire life.
"The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts," the King told them as he looked at them from the other side of the table, "So, I hope you like your chicken with no skin," he said with a laugh, snorting in between breaths, and smiling at his joke.
Aang gave a small and nervous smile back, "Thanks... but I don't eat meat."
The King hummed in response, "How about you? I bet you love meat," he asked with his gaze pointed towards Sokka, who had already begun to eat, happily devouring the food that had been placed in front of him.
"Is it just me..." Katara paused as she leaned closer to Elua, "-or is this guy's crown a little crooked?" she mumbled, making a 'crazy' motion with her hand, which made Elua nod in agreement with a look of dread in her eyes.
"So, tell me, young bald one," the King began to speak again as he leaned forward in his sea while he stared forward at all of them, "Where are you from?"
"I'm from... Kangaroo Island," Aang said with a forced bright smile.
"Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh?" the King questioned with a frown, "I hear that place is really hopping!" he said, leaning farther from his chair as everyone remained silent for a few moments, but Sokka quickly broke the silence when he began laughing—to which the other three looked over at him with frowns of confusion written on their faces.
Sokka paused as he looked back at them, "What?" he asked, "It was pretty funny."
"Well... all these good jokes are making me tired," the King yawned with a small stretch of his arms, "Guess it's time to hit the hay," he said, turning in his chair, acting as if he were about to get up... but instead, he sent a piece of chicken flying through the air and head straight towards Aang from across the table.
The young Airbender gasped as he threw his hands out in front of himself and stopped the flying food in mid-air with his bending, causing numerous gasps to fill the room.
"There's an Airbender in our presence... and not just any Airbender, but the Avatar!" the King announced as he quickly stood to his feet, "What do you have to say for yourself now, Mr. Pipinpadaloxicopolis?"
Aang stood up as he began to laugh nervously again, "Okay! You caught me. I'm the Avatar, doing my Avatar thing, keeping the world safe," he confirmed all suspicions with his hands held out in front of himself. "Yep. Everything checks out. No firebenders here!" he said while checking under the tables for nothing as he spoke.
"So... good job, everybody," Aang said as he wrapped his arms around Sokka and Katara's shoulders, "Love each other, respect all life, and don't run with your spears. We'll see you next time!" he announced, turning around with his friends while Elua frowned in uncertainty—but still followed—as they began to walk away... but, of course, before they could exit the room, they were stopped by two guards holding out their spears together and blocked the doorway from the four of them.
"You can't keep us here," Katara said as she spun back around, "Let us leave!"
The King frowned as he looked over at her, "Lettuce leaf?" he asked, picking up a single piece of salad, and taking a bite out of it as he stared at them again.
"We're in serious trouble. This guy is nuts," Sokka mumbled over towards Elua, who sighed at the whole situation, knowing that he was right about that.
A wave of seriousness suddenly fell over the King as he spoke again, "Tomorrow the Avatar will face three deadly challenges," he announced to them simply, "But, for now, the guards will show you to your chamber," he spoke again, this time calmly, as he sat back down onto his throne with a solemn look on his face.
"My liege," the main guard spoke with a sense of confusion on his face, "Do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?" he asked from where he stood in front of the throne.
"The newly refurbished chamber."
"Wait... which one are we talking about?"
"The one that used to be the bad chamber—until its recent furbishing, that is. Of course, we have been calling it the new chamber, but... we should really just number them," the King blabbers on and on as he and the guard speak of whatever 'chamber' to put them in for the night, making Elua look over at Sokka, mouthing the question of 'what?' to which he simple shrugged in response to. "Take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!"
⇢⇢⇠⇠
Elua had to admit, out of all the prison cells she had been thrown into, this had been the nicest. It didn't even look like a prison. There were three beds in the middle of the room—all placed in a circular shape around one another—, a plush green rug on the cold sandstone floor, crystals lining the walls with a soft green glow that kept the room lit, and she was sure that there was almost no dust on anything. It looked more like a luxury hostel bedroom rather than a cell for criminals... not that any of them were complaining.
"I wonder what these challenges are gonna be," Aang thought out loud as he walked around the dimly lit room.
"We're not sticking around to find out," Sokka told him simply. "There's gotta be some way out of here," he said as he glanced around the enclosed space, but he saw nothing that could have pointed to a possible escape, not even a door as they had used earthbending to put them all in here in the first place.
"I doubt it," Elua said, glancing over at him, "Omashu is one of the most secure cities within the Earth Kingdom– its second-best to Ba Sing Se," she explained simply.
Aang hummed as he frowned his brows, "The air vents!" he exclaimed, his eyes suddenly brightened, and his frown turned into a smile as he pointed over towards the small holes within the walls.
"If you really think we're gonna fit through there, then you're crazier than that King," Sokka stated as he shook his head in disbelief of Aang's implied suggestion.
"We can't... but Momo can," Aang smiled as he walked over towards the lemur, who was lounging on one of the three beds with an apple in his hand, and picked him up from his comfortable place. "Momo, I need you to find Appa, and bust us out of here," he explained to the small animal with hope in his eyes that made him smile.
Elua frowned as she watched Aang walk over to the vent, "There is no way he's gonna fit through that. Did you see how much he ate earlier?" she asked and her words quickly made Momo's ears fall back in insult. "No offense, Momo," Elua smiled at him.
"I'm sure he will," Aang said with confidence, "Go on, boy. Get Appa!" he said as he attempted to push the poor lemur through the vent, but even in his best effort, it was not going to happen.
"Where's Ume? She's smaller than Momo is," Sokka said, glancing around the room for the smaller lemur, only to find that she wasn't in the room with them at all.
Elua sighed as she lowered her arms in regret, "She stayed back with Appa," she informed him, making him stop, and look over to her before he sighed in defeat.
"Eh," Sokka shrugged his shoulders, "How was Appa supposed to save us anyway?" he asked as he fell back and plopped onto one of the soft beds.
"Appa is a ten-ton flying bison," Aang told him with a frown, "I think he could have figured something out," he said.
Katara was the next to sigh, "Well, no point in arguing about it now," she told the two as she sat down onto one of the other beds across from Sokka, soon letting silence fall over their group.
"Aha! I've got it," Sokka suddenly exclaimed as he sat back up, "El, you can just air-earthbend us, straight outta here!" he smiled at her widely, but it only made her give him a pitiful smile, a small frown of confusion creasing between her dark brows.
"I'd love to, but..." Elua trailed off for a second, "-that's not gonna work," she said.
Sokka frowned from where he sat, "Why not? You said there was air in everything," he recalls, pointing out her prior words from a few weeks ago, seeing absolutely no issue with his suggestion.
"Well, for one: I said there is oxygen in everything– not air. Air technically isn't even an element," Elua informed him, making him frown in confusion, "And two: I've never once tried doing that," she stated.
"Hold on, are you telling me that airbenders aren't actually airbenders?" Sokka asked as he looked over at Elua, such a question making her and the other two stare at him in confusion, but none of them said anything to him. "You're all frauds!?" he almost yelled as he took everyone's silence as an answer to his question... Elua couldn't help but shake her head at his overreaction.
"Get some rest, Aang," Katara said as she looked over at the young boy, "Looks like you'll need it for tomorrow," she yawned, crawling under the covers of the bed, and laying her head onto the pillow while Aang followed her actions on his own.
Elua sighed as she looked over all three of the beds within the room, seeing that all of them were taken, leaving her to stare up at the crystal-lined walls as the room fell silent with only sounds of deep breathing to be heard. So, without a word, she lowered herself to the carpeted floor and bent her legs at the knees before crossing her ankles over each other into a comfortable meditation pose. She didn't mind staying up while the others slept. In fact, if anything, it made her feel better knowing no one would be able to sneak up on them in the middle of the night. There may have been a sense of familiarity about this place but she didn't trust any of the guards nor the crazy king that had put them in here.
She sighed silently before she took a deep breath of air into her lungs as she lightly shook her head in an attempt to push any thoughts out of her mind while she brought her hands together and held them at the bottom of her waistline. It was the perfect—and only—time that she got for meditation. Every noise was hushed, there were no interruptions, all of the conflicts faded away with the sun, and the air felt new and heavy with serenity. She was able to focus on her breathing here, soon beginning to find herself drifting off, a strange yet comforting feeling washing over her, and—
"Why are you on the floor?"
The sudden question immediately made her jump out of her tranquil state as her eyes sprung back open. She quickly turned her head over towards the voice, spotting Sokka staring down at her from one of the beds, still laying on his stomach as he smiled at him and chuckled at the fact he had—yet again—scared her half to death. She gave him a small glare for laughing.
Elua sighed before she spoke, "There are only three beds," she pointed out the obvious, which made him glance around, and sure enough, find that she was right and give a nod of confirmation to her statement before he moved over to the other side of the rather small bedframe. "What are you doing?" she asked him with a frown.
He didn't say anything before he simply offered a kind smile and motioned to the now empty spot, asking her to join him. Elua slowly dropped her hands down onto her lap as she looked at him with an unsure gaze. It was better than having to sit on the floor all night. She gave him the same smile back before she stood to her feet, taking the empty side of the bed, and laying down on her back with her hands resting on her stomach comfortably.
"Thanks," Elua said with an awkward glance, "I suppose the floor wasn't that comfortable," she spoke jokingly, making him crack a laugh, and then, uncomfortable silence fell over them as they laid unmovingly.
Sokka nervously cleared his throat, "...why were you in Fire Nation?" he suddenly asked, quickly earning a frown from her as she twisted her head towards him, unsure if the answer to that question was something he should know.
"I-I was visiting a friend," Elua stammered.
"A boyfriend?" Sokka asked with a semi self-conscious look in his eye.
Elua's eyes went wide at his words, "What? No!" she said in a loud whisper while she vigorously shook her head, making him chuckle again. "He was just... a friend. We figured out the secrets to my bending together," she informed him with a pursed smile on her lips.
"Oh," Sokka said with an understanding nod, "Who was this... friend?" he asked.
She couldn't tell him. He would hate her if he knew. "Oh, well... uh..." Elua trailed off with a nervous tone to her voice, avoiding eye contact as she could not help but think about her past.
"What? Don't trust me?" he asked with a joking smirk.
"No, it's just..." Elua trailed off again before she sighed, "Do you trust me?" she countered, finally lifting her gaze back up, watching as he frowned before taking a deep breath as he thought about her question.
"I do," he nodded in confirmation, making a hint of a smile fall over her again.
"Then I trust you too," she said honestly as she nodded back to him, "I just, don't want you–or Katara–to... hate me for it," her words seemed to upset him as he frowned.
"Elua," Sokka said, tone of voice suddenly turning serious, but still kind, "I don't think I could ever hate you."
She glanced at him with a solemn look in her eyes, "How can you be so sure of that?" she asked, nervously fiddling with her fingertips as she spoke, unsure of all this.
"I don't know," Sokka said, "I just... am," he sighed with a reassuring smile.
Elua hummed in response, thinking over it before she spoke, "I was in the royal palace," she began, "-with the crowned prince," she added, her words making Sokka raise a brow uncertainly, obviously not expecting that to be the answer to his question.
"Zuko?" Sokka asked, which immediately made her laugh, a small frown forming between her grows as the corners of her lips crinkled up into a smile that could have rivaled the sun with its brightness.
"It was over a hundred years ago," Elua said as her laughing settled down, "How could it have been Zuko?" she couldn't help but giggle out with a shake of her head.
Sokka blushed in embarrassment, "Right," he shook his head with a chuckle at his own mistake, "Then, it must have been... Fire Lord Azulon?"
Elua's smile soon shifted into one of bittersweet nature when she heard his words, "Well, he wasn't the Fire Lord when I knew him, but yes," she confirmed with a nod of her head.
"Wow," he whispered as he took it all in, wondering how such a kind and passive person—such as her—had somehow found herself as friends with such a destructive person of history.
"Yeah," Elua whispered back with a sigh, "I'm guessing he's long gone?" she asked, half of her hoping he would say no, but deep down, she already knew the answer.
Sokka nodded in confirmation, offering her a melancholy smile, "His son is the Fire Lord now," he informed her simply, "Who, I'm guessing, is Zuko's father," he said.
"I would think that's more than likely," Elua yawned tiredly, "Maybe they have matching ponytails," she laughed in a sleepy state, which made Sokka chuckle along with her, if not for a different reason. She hadn't realized how tired she actually was.
"We should get some sleep," Sokka suggested in a whisper.
Elua nodded slowly as her eyes began to droop, "Probably..." she mumbled, quickly beginning to sink into the mattress, letting all her muscles loose, and soon allowing sleep to take over her... all of which made Sokka chuckle again as her words were slurred before he too rested his head onto the pillow next to her's as she peacefully drifted off into dreamland without a thought left in her head.
"Goodnight, Elua."