The Price of Peace
Interlude Five
Summary – Toph makes her way to the Fire Nation capital.
Interlude Five –
She hated it when it rained. The infinite drops of water overwhelmed her tactile senses. She was truly blind when it rained. She was drowning in vibrations, sick to her stomach and dizzy with the noise. The carriage lurched as one of its wheels dipped into a pothole. Toph grabbed the seat to keep upright and grunted with the effort.
“Are you all right.” A firm hand settled on her shoulder.
Shrugging it off, Toph glared in the direction of the bodyguard. “Yes,” she seethed, making no effort to mask the contempt in her voice. After all, the man was just another one of her father’s stooges.
“We’ll be there, soon,” the bodyguard stated.
She scowled. Of all the idiots her father could have sent to the summit, he had picked this one. Soon? It was at least another day’s ride to the capital of the Fire Nation. Mongi, her bodyguard, truly was the village idiot.
Closing her eyes, she let her mind wander. She still had difficulty believing that her father had capitulated so easily. But he had had to accept her ultimatum or suffer the consequences. Toph wasn’t above running away again even if it meant the emotional upset of her father.
Having known freedom with Aang, Sokka, and Katara, it had been difficult for her to return home. But she had, only to find her mother dead and her father mad with grief.
Her father had changed since the death of her mother. Whereas he had always strove to protect her, it was his obsession now. Everything had changed when she had returned home.
She was more a prisoner now than ever, her father’s frailty feeding her ever-present guilt. Their parting argument echoed in her mind, her harsh words wounding him.
She hadn’t needed to see his expression. She had heard it in his voice.
She now traveled with several bodyguards, burdened with the trappings of wealth and an overprotective father. She had to get away. She could feel herself dying behind the high walls of her family compound.
They had traveled by coach, then by water. Now they were on the last leg of the journey, bumping around in a carriage. They had probably missed the summit, not that she really cared.
She was going to Wuhan to see if the rumors were true. Servants were horrible gossips. Their whispers were her entertainment. But their recent gossip seemed preposterous. Zuko and Katara! Married! She had to see it with her own eyes…er…feet.
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TBC