Chapter Text
Toph toed off one of her silk slippers, leaving it to rest on the over-stuffed palanquin pillow. She levered her foot back onto her lap, fingers digging in to massage her toes. Her feet were sensitive and clean, nails clipped and probably painted in some dainty, girly color, while her calluses had been ruthlessly scraped down. She felt a pout coming over her as she investigated the damage – weeks old at this point, but the wound to her pride lingered.
Last time she ever took advice from Katara, that was for sure.
"'Talk to your parents,' she says," Toph grumbled. "'Spend time with them. Let them get to know you're not a little girl anymore.' Yeah, and let them try to change me back."
Outside, the palanquin bearers paused in their step. Toph straightened, calling out to them, "Double time! You don't want to keep the Fire Lord waiting!"
And they didn't, obliging her with a triple step that jostled her off her cushion and almost out of the palanquin itself. She collapsed into a lump of fine silks and swearing, annoyed that she needed to invoke Zuko's name – likehe was a threat – and even more annoyed at herself for using it.
All part of the plan, but it was a stupid plan, Toph huffed to herself.
Well, no. It wasn't. It was her plan, but that didn't mean she liked it at all at the moment.
She righted herself as much as she could inside the palanquin, unshod feet tucked demurely under her robe and ridiculously long sleeves folded back up inside as much as possible. She settled for a moment, back straight to give herself back a feeling of dignity, ignoring the itchy feeling of the makeup the servants had applied to her face. Fidgety boredom quickly replaced that poise.
Toph reached out to touch the sealed note sent by Iroh, wedged tightly between the cushion and the palanquin frame. In the past few years, he'd become her own personal Hawky – but even better, between the tea and actual out loud readings of her letters – so in turn, it was fitting that he would use her as a messenger to his nephew.
While it had been months since she'd been to Ba Sing Se, it was Iroh who had actually facilitated her homecoming by writing to her parents. And when actually being home had driven her stir crazy, his letters – read by servants with too good a sense of self-preservation to edit – had helped her hatch this zany scheme. It all came down to Aang, because why not, everything else did. Lately – as in, since the end of the war – he hadn't been any kind of diligent when it came to studying earthbending. The first few years Toph had felt like he had a legit excuse, but lately it was annoying her. He was out there representing her and doing a crap job of it. Something had to change.
And that was why, with Iroh's tip, she was chasing him down in the Fire Nation.
The plan was pretty basic, aside from the fancy dress. Sneak up on Twinkletoes, take him by surprise, and forbid him from leaving the Fire Nation on pain of death until she deemed him an earthbending master. The pain of death part was Zuko's job, although Toph admitted she'd be up for it too.
The note from Iroh she didn't entirely get. All three of them had already communicated extensively while cooking this plan up, so it wasn't like Zuko needed more information on what was what. Iroh could have sent it directly to Zuko, too. Sending it along with Toph had the implication that it was extra secret, or about her – both of which irritated her. If this was how they were going to act when they remembered she was blind, she didnot appreciate it.
The palanquin bearers slowed in their steps. Toph itched to jump down, flex her toes into the earth and figure out just where the heck they were, but she restrained herself. The earth was patient. She could be too.
Her ears twitched at the clunk and hiss of the central palace gates as the steam engine pried them open. The powered gates were actually a new addition, Sokka's idea, although it had been Mai who finally persuaded Zuko that the time for humility was long past. Now they needed to impress dignitaries coming to the negotiating table, and nothing did that better than a show of power. Toph hadn't had much occasion to actually use the gates before, since she usually favored boosting herself over for a surprise entrance, but she could definitely see the wow factor. Noise aside, the gates swept open quickly, followed by a long, billowing gust of heat – unnecessary, she was sure, but a blunt reminder nonetheless that it was no earthbending moving the stone.
The palanquin bearers picked up the pace; Toph bit her lip as they made their way through the gate. It'd been a long time since she'd talked to Mai and Zuko's letters hadn't made any mention of her. After the war ended, they all thought they'd be coming back to the Fire Nation soon enough for a royal wedding, but somehow it just hadn't happened. Toph had stood at Sokka's side when he married Suki a few years back and she was sure she'd be at Aang's side when he married Katara soon enough – they'd practically been married for ages now anyway – but with Zuko and Mai, the date just kept getting pushed back.
She again touched the scroll, picking it up to roll between her hands. That was probably what Iroh's letter was about. Maybe he figured he'd get a straight answer if she delivered the note personally.
The palanquin came to a halt.
"Finally," Toph huffed out.
She fisted her hands into the silk of her robes, bunching it enough to actually come with her when she stepped down from the palanquin. A servant immediately tried to take her elbow, helping her out, but one of her feet was already on the ground – enough that she could earthbend the jerk onto his ass if she wanted to. Showing civility and restraint she did not feel, however, she merely pulled him to the side, earthbending the ground a little to the left.
"Master Toph," another servant began. He was standing further back, stance indicating a deep bow. "Your slippers?"
"Leave 'em."
It would make sneaking up on Aang a little harder if she didn't wear the slippers, but she was sick of this ruse already. She hadn't been forced to ride in a palanquin since right after the end of the war, and coming on the heels of a visit to her parents, she really didn't think she could manage shoes.
The servants paced her as she made her way into the palace. One of them no doubt carried her slippers. Another was probably meant as a guide, but since he kept trying to subtly direct her into a waiting chamber, she played the oblivious blind girl and continued on her way. He was too polite to actually correct her.
Given that a large part of the palace had actually burned down on the day of Sozin's comet – courtesy of Zuko and Azula's apparently excessive Agni Kai – Zuko had taken the opportunity to remodel in recent years. Stone flooring replaced old, hubristic wood, and Toph was all the more grateful for it as she felt her way through the palace. Before there had been narrow paths of basalt stonework throughout the palace grounds, but they were just a patchwork of dead ends and disconnected garden paths. Toph could navigate them, but she couldn't see through them.
The new masonry was far superior. She could see the courtiers waiting for their chance to pay tribute to the Fire Lord, the gardeners out in the courtyard trimming the grass, and she could see the court accountants tapping their boots against the floor as they tallied gold. Even better, she could see the throne room and she could see Aang.
A wicked smile curved her lips. Twinkletoes had no idea.
Toph halted at the doors to the throne room, allowing one of the servants to precede her. Some signal passed between him and the palace servants, and then the throne room door opened. She bowed curtly to both, holding a hand up as soon as one opened his mouth to announce her.
"That won't be necessary."
Gathering up her robes, Toph exhaled. The lessons of her youth were fresh in her mind, soured some by the recent time with her mother, but still deep enough to be instinctive. A delicate lady took delicate steps.
She moved into the throne room carefully and with grace, quietly prostrating herself before the gently flickering flames of state. She could feel Zuko behind them. Unusually, he was hard to get a read on. To the side, Aang's pulse fluttered with surprise.
"Um, Zuko. Did you schedule this?" Aang said. He shifted uneasily on the balls of his feet, presence as light as ever. He felt like he was ready to float away.
"Actually, I did."
Aang waited a beat, but Zuko didn't explain further.
"Okay," Aang said, drawing the syllable out. He bent down to lay a hand on Toph's shoulder. "Miss, if you have a problem, I'm sure I can help. I'm the –"
Toph seized the moment, sliding a foot out from her crouch and turning bodily under Aang's hand. She grinned, a hand flashing out to take his wrist, toppling him forward even as she earthbent a seat for herself. Aang yelped in surprise and stumbled backwards, wheeling his free arm as he tried to pull away from her. She'd never been a gentle touch, though, and he ended up in a heap, sprawled at the base of her newly created throne as she held on to him tightly.
"Weak, Twinkletoes. Weak," she cackled. "You seriously didn't see me coming?"
"Toph, I –"
"No excuses!" She let him go and he jumped back to his feet. It took a moment for him to settle back on the floor, and she stomped down against it, irritated at his hang time. "You're an earthbender and something as pathetic as clothes fooled you? I expect better."
Aang made no response. Toph jabbed a finger at him, stalking forward, words dying on her lips as she realized Aang wasn't on the floor anymore. Her anger flared for just a moment before he swooped back down, tugging her into a tight hug.
"I missed you, Toph!"
She pushed feebly at his chest.
"That's Sifu Toph."
He backed away, changing his stance in that overt and exaggerated way that meant he was bowing to her.
"Of course, Sifu Toph," he replied, his tone warm and excited. Aw, she'd missed that flutterhead.
"So then you'll stay?" Zuko said, pitching his voice from behind the wall of flames.
Toph refocused, tracking his movements as he stepped out, crossing onto the main floor of the chamber. The fire was a sharp line of unstable rock that cut across the floor – still within her grasp to bend, but turning toward something else entirely. She knew that the others didn't really like the demands of state that required him to maintain that line of fire in front of the throne, thinking it was too aggressive and too distant, but she found the sharp, strange feel of it interesting in her mind. It was a reminder of Zuko's power, but also of the little intersections there were across all the elements.
"Do I have a choice?" Aang returned, pulling Toph from her musings.
"No," Zuko said. "I finally caught you."
"Actually, I think credit goes to me, there," she said.
Zuko turned his attention back to her, stance open with Aang's as they shared a look. They were an interesting pair to compare – Zuko had achieved his father's height and then some, filling out with a broadness that probably made even Mai swoon, whereas Aang had remained willowy and whipcord thin despite his height. Which, while not as tall as Zuko, was quite a bit taller than Toph herself. Even Katara had a head on her, not that she was bitter or anything.
"Sure thing, Toph," Zuko said. He sounded weird – stilted, somehow. She wondered a little bit at that. For the longest time it had been the other way around, with the Fire Lord stuff coming a little unnaturally from him when he otherwise wanted to be casual and friendly with them. "He's your prisoner now."
He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, patting as if in consolation; Toph blushed, and then immediately glared in his direction, feeling angry at herself.
Hey now, what the hell?
Zuko eyed the stone throne Toph had bent out of the floor. It was nicely hewn, but a complete eyesore. It would definitely get in the way of courtiers kowtowing.
Behind him, Toph and Aang bickered amicably. Servants attempted to tidy the room, swiping ineffectually at the stone throne, and his secretary, Zhang Li, stepped briefly into the room to confirm the diplomatic arrangements he'd made behind Aang's back. While he hadn't actually thought Aang would duck out on Toph, it was very satisfying to catch him. And, he was willing to admit, it was also satisfying to have friend back in the palace. The last year had been lonely without Mai.
But he wasn't thinking about that now.
"Toph," he interrupted. She turned, eyebrows rising a little at his tone. "I didn't order a second throne. Do something about that."
"No." Tilting her head, she nodded at Aang. "You're up."
Aang groaned forcefully, while Zuko crossed his arms pointedly at him. The protest alone proved that Aang needed the training. He planted his feet, thrusting out his arms to work the basalt back into the floor. Toph smacked him on the arm and, grumbling only a little, he dutifully closed his eyes. Her throne disappeared with a rumble and Aang pushed his hands sideways, smoothing over the surface. Zuko toed his slipper across the seams just to make sure.
"You're sweating," Toph criticized. "Pathetic, airbender."
Aang wiped his hand across his brow, but nonetheless protested, "Am not!"
"Ha! You are, you liar!"
She grinned maniacally while Aang swore lightly under his breath. Zuko felt a sliver of a smile tug at his lips. Aang never did learn.
Despite Toph's obvious and vicious glee – or because of it – there was an excited look creeping across Aang's boyish face. Zuko didn't think he'd ever gotten quite the same response from Aang while training him. Harsh criticism was a matter of course, but there had been a tension there that didn't exist between Aang and Toph. Then again, their relationship was a little less complicated.
"Oh, before I forget," Toph started, turning toward Zuko. She held out a hand imperiously and two servants rushed forward. The first attempted to give her the slippers she clearly wasn't wearing and she batted him aside, but the second laid a scroll in her palm. She waved it in Zuko's direction. "Your uncle sent a letter. Dunno why he didn't send it to you directly. I'm not a bird."
"I don't know, Toph. You are pretty elegant and dainty," Aang said. Zuko stared at him, trying to read sarcasm into his words. Aang caught the look, gesturing back to Toph's outfit as justification. "Come on, she is! Even with my earthbending, I don't think I ever would have recognized her."
Zuko blinked slowly, giving Toph another look. Dainty he could almost see. She was still rather petite, but he wouldn't use the word elegant for her, not even when she doing her most graceful earthbending. That seemed like too flowery a word to describe her at any point. While she was doing a passable job imitating a courtier, the disguise was paper thin to him. The silk brocade daxiushan did not suit her, trapping and tangling her limbs in far too many layers. The light green and gold combination was the current fashion of the Earth Kingdom, but it looked sickly on her. The makeup didn't really seem to fit either, no matter how artfully applied. He was surprised her servants had managed to stick the tiny cut outs of antler to her forehead at all, actually.
It just wasn't Toph to wear any of it, and Zuko had to wonder exactly what her time with her mother had done to her that she would even bother, deception or no. Even the letter she passed to him was uncharacteristically sealed and undamaged. Either she had gotten frighteningly good at secretly opening letters, or she hadn't even tried.
"You're cute when you're making excuses," Toph told Aang. "Now read the letter already, Zuko, so I can take this get-up off."
She punctuated her point by pulling at the knotted waistband that pushed her bust up, immediately drawing both Zuko and Aang's eyes. They gulped, sharing a brief, awkward glance with each other.
Zuko cleared his throat, unfurling the note with fanfare.
"'Dear nephew,'" he read. His eyes scanned ahead, and he immediately cut himself off. His good eye widened, heart beating faster as he read about Uncle Iroh's situation. It was 'serious', he claimed, and needed to be dealt with 'discreetly.'
And discreet did not apply to either Toph or Aang.
With a slight pang of regret, Zuko rolled the note back up, ever mindful of their attention on him. Aang watched him with a puzzled, disappointed expression – he always did like news from Iroh and had stolen Zuko's job as tea server more than once – but Toph glowered with true malcontent. She knew. She'd read his reaction in his heartbeat and she knew full well the note was about more than just tea and courtesies.
Zuko glared back at her and reaching out, snagged Aang by the collar to push at her.
"Isn't it time for training?" he asked.
Toph stomped her foot, bending up a jagged barrier across the throne room floor. It cut all the way through the gently crackling wall of fire Zuko was maintaining in the back of his mind. Irritatingly, the fire flickered and he had to refocus to keep it alive.
"No way! You can't do that! I brought the letter, so you gotta read it to me!"
"I can, because I'm the Fire Lord," Zuko snapped. It really was his favorite excuse. "And you should have read it yourself if you're so interested."
"I'm blind, you idiot!"
He shrugged, and added for punctuation, "Your servants aren't."
"He's got you there," Aang said.
Zuko nodded to Aang, backing up two steps to give himself space. He narrowed his eyes at the barrier and gathered up his robes in one hand, making sure the hem was well clear off the floor. He took a running leap at the barrier, planting one hand on it as he vaulted over it. Aang applauded politely while Toph grumbled.
Satisfied, Zuko let go of the fire in the throne room and swept out the exit. He was glad to have both Toph and Aang back in the palace, but Uncle's mission was clearly more pressing.
Servants peeled off from the corridor where they waited as he strode past, keeping a few paces behind him as they tailed him to his office. He ignored them. It was an acquired skill. The servants had been ever present in his childhood, but never so near, never so obsequious. And while he had relearned how to live with them after his exile, sometimes all the constant attention just made his skin itch.
He strode into his office, dropping the scroll onto his desk. Shoulders squared, he tossed a sharp look back at the servants.
"Out!"
As always, they bowed and graciously complied.
Stiffly, he sat at his desk. The crown felt heavy on his head. In days past, he would have removed it and let his hair down while in the privacy of his office. There wasn't much point in relaxing now, though. He unfurled the note, weighing down one end as he leaned back. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought.
'Dear nephew,' the letter read.
'I am glad to hear you are well. An old man worries, and that last assassin actually had some fight in him, from what I hear. Your allies are strong within the palace, but they can always be stronger still. I hope you have rewarded your guard well and appreciate the able partner you have at your side.'
Uncle Iroh didn't know about Mai – that she was no longer by his side, that she hadn't been when that last, feeble assassin tried to kill him. Zuko's jaw tightened at the memory, even as he realized the remembered pain was more for the fact that he still fought for his throne than for the end of their relationship. He was doing better, finally.
'But more important matters are afoot than petty assassination attempts! It is always a great feeling to see a plan come together. You will have to keep me up to date on how things go with the Avatar and Lady Bei Fong. I trust you will continue to act as brother to both. You know that Lady Bei Fong especially can be stubborn, but her recent letters worry me, and I think she will need your friendship.
'And now to business. I'm afraid there is a deep, sick treachery beneath the surface of Ba Sing Se's Upper Ring. I have seen it with my own eyes. The looted temples of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation both have lost their treasures to the selfish collectors of the high society. Worse, there are counterfeits mixed in and sold in the day markets, undercutting all different kinds of businesses, including mine!
'They are smuggling tea, Zuko. Horrible, awful tea that they label as quality and use to undercut my beloved teashop. I have investigated enough to know that it originates in the Fire Nation itself, and I know that you will see how serious my situation is. Be discreet, but act quickly. The very integrity of our nation is at stake.
'Love,
'Uncle Iroh'
The days after the comet had been messy, even as they were exultant for Zuko and the others. For Ozai's supporters, though, it had been terrifying. The writing was on the wall and too many rumors of the Avatar's power circulated for any of them to trust there would be clemency. Most fled, although some stayed and pledged their scant loyalty to Zuko directly. The Fire Sages had been among those who ran, with sacred documents and artifacts in their tow. Couldn't let an unworthy, traitor prince sully the nation's heritage, after all.
Recovering the artifacts had always been in the back of Zuko's mind – behind prosecuting war criminals, paying reparations, repairing international relationships, undoing a century of pernicious propaganda, and passing on the correct form of firebending to his people. He was going to get to it, but there was just a damn lot of stuff that had to happen first.
But now he had his chance. And yeah, there was something about tea too, but honestly, that made about as much sense as Uncle asking Zuko to be a "brother" to Toph. So, what, he was supposed let her throw lightning at him?
The smugglers he could deal with. All he needed was to find a nice store that sold masks.
It took some time for the servants to put Toph back together after she ripped off that stupid daxiushan They had transported her baggage into her rooms already, filling wardrobes and closets with the clothes her mother had sent with her. Crap she didn't need and didn't want, but somehow couldn't refuse when her mom just sounded so damn hopeful about her taking it.
So, whatever, she took it and the retinue of servants her mother swore she needed to look after her. It was sort of fun harassing them on the trip over, but the level of fuss they put up when she wanted to change into actual training clothes made her reconsider just outright ditching them. They could be a gift to the Fire Nation, thanking Zuko for his gracious hospitality.
Or, thinking on it, a punishment for him being a total jerk.
Toph frowned deeply and felt something pop loose. She rubbed a fist across her forehead, feeling makeup and something come off as she did so. It didn't feel like earth or metal, but it was tiny and hard and clearly decorative, shaped in a half circle cut out. Holding it on the tip of her tongue, she pressed it against her tongue and just as quickly spat it out again, face twisted in disgust. Well, it wasn't sugar, that was for sure.
"Okay, what the hell is this?" she asked aloud, irritation getting the better of her.
Aang stopped his rock squats in relief, putting down the boulder on his back to come over and look. He took her by the wrist, peering down, before dropping her hand with a hearty chuckle.
"It's antler, Toph," he said. He poked her in the forehead; she had the strong, aggravating sense he was grinning. "Girls in Ba Sing Se wear them all the time."
"Why?"
"It looks pretty."
"Oh."
"But why were you wearing it, Toph? It's not like makeup would have fooled me once I saw your face."
"My mom gave it to me," Toph said defensively. She stepped back from him, feeling the next question bubble up in him: Since when does that matter? Quickly, she snapped, "Hey, did I say you could take a break? Twenty more rock squats!"
Aang sighed, backing off like she knew he would. She was glad that he wasn't pressing the issue. No, seriously, she was. She didn't want to talk about it, because it wasn't like anything was going on.
Eventually, though, she did get bored of listening to Aang's strained, unhappy huffs as he exercised under the huge boulder she'd plucked from the palace rock garden. Giving him a slight nod, she waved him to rest. While he gulped down heaving breaths of air, there was time to ask him about the other thing bothering her. The safer thing.
"So, has Zuko been like that the whole time you've been here?" she asked, gesturing with accuracy no one appreciated to where Zuko was rattling around in his office.
"Yep, pretty much," Aang said agreeably. "Actually, I think he was a little nicer to you. The palace is definitely getting to him."
"Well, how do we fix it?"
"Get him and Mai back together?"
Toph leaned back heavily on the boulder. Wow, so they were really broken up? She blinked up into the warmth of the sunlight, trying to process the thought. Zuko and Mai had been together forever, it seemed, but the moment she tried to think that Aang was wrong, it was obvious to her that was exactly what was going on with Zuko. No one was around in the palace to take him down a peg anymore, so he'd started to get it into his head that he was actually important.
"Wait," she started. One part really didn't make sense. "How did you know this when I didn't? I'm the one who's been writing to him!"
"Avatars have our ways," Aang said airily. "And Sokka told me."
Which didn't really explain why Sokka knew – other than that Mai probably told Ty Lee and Ty Lee told Suki. Nonetheless, it was still frustrating to be the last to know.
She crossed her arms and kicked her heels against the ground, making little divots she could wiggle them into.
"So I guess that means you're up next, Twinkletoes. You and Katara gotta get hitched so we can get Zuko out of this place and back to normal."
Aang mumbled something; stilling, Toph pressed her toes firmly against the ground. It felt very much like he was blushing. And not in the cute, embarrassed way. No, this felt like classic airbender avoidance.
"You didn't…" she hissed.
"It was just too much! The pressure, the planning, the politics of it! It was just a little ceremony, Toph. Just us and Chief Hakoda," he explained, almost pleadingly. "It was just for us. We'll do another one for the world, we swear."
"You better. Who knows?"
"Chief Hakoda, Master Pakku, Grandma Kanna," Aang said. It sounded like he was about to list off all of the Southern Water Tribe. Impatiently she waved at him to get to the important people. "Sokka and Suki. Probably Ty Lee by now."
"And Mai," Toph gritted out. "Am I the last to know?"
"Well…"
"Aang!"
"Zuko doesn't know either!"
Toph smacked her palm to her forehead. Another little bit of antler fell to the ground.
"He's going to kill you. And it's gonna be funny, so I'm going to watch."
Metaphorically speaking, anyway.
"That's part of why I came," Aang said. "I need to come clean with him and plan the ceremony with him. I wasn't exactly duped by your 'big crisis', you know."
Toph remained silent for a moment, listening to the earth and the hum of palace life around them. If he was saying what she thought he was saying, he'd just admitted that he was willing to have the ceremony in the Fire Nation. Sort of a big political concession to give just on the basis of hurt feelings, and probably not the smartest idea over all. Kuei whined almost daily about the close relationship between the Avatar and the Fire Lord as it was. On the other hand, Aang had been a twit and, without Katara there to smooth things over, he really was going to have to concede something big if he wanted to make it out of the country unscathed.
But there was another matter to consider. Not that her clever plan to lure him to the Fire Nation hadn't actually been as clever as she thought – although that stung a bit – but the other thing.
"You've been here two weeks," Toph said, trying to rein in her temper. "And you still haven't told him?"
"I'm just waiting for the right moment!"
Toph jumped to her feet, planting them deep into the ground to get a good, hard earthbending shove behind the boulder.
"Twenty rock squats! Now!"
She couldn't believe this crap. She could feel Aang struggling with the boulder and she pushed it down, just to make it a little hard, but her heart wasn't really in it. She'd planned on being good, on teaching Aang and razzing Sparky all day, but suddenly she wanted to get out of here. She wanted to go out into the city and do something stupidly Toph.