by The Tale of Aang; Azula; Toph; Sokka; Zuko; Katara (retail) (epub)
“Why stay here if you’re not happy?”
He doesn’t understand. They’re my parents. “Where else am I supposed to go?”
“You could come with us.”
He’s got it pretty good, I suppose. He gets to go wherever he wants, without anyone telling him what to do. “You have a good life. It’s just not MY life.”
Just as I started to feel really sorry for myself, I felt movement nearby. People. Lots of them. All around us. “We’re being ambushed. We’ve got to get out of here.” I grabbed the Avatar’s hand and hurried away, but a wall of earth rose up around us.
Earthbenders! Xin Fu and the others from Earth Rumble Six—I recognize their voices. How did they find me?
Before I could move, two metal cages dropped from above, trapping us inside.
I can’t bend metal! Now there’s no escape. Oh, no … they’re hauling us away. … I think they are trying to get ransom money out of my parents!
They brought us back to the Earthbending arena where a short while later my father and Master Yu showed up, along with the Avatar’s two friends. The Avatar’s friend named Sokka gave back the money the Avatar had won, and Xin Fu released me.
But I can feel that the Avatar is still locked in his cage. It seems that Xin Fu plans to turn him over to the Fire Nation. He and the other Earthbenders are starting to carry off Aang’s cage.
I feel sorry for Aang, but what am I supposed to do? My father is right here. I can’t give myself away; my life will be over. It’s time for me to go. …
“Toph, there are too many of them,” Katara, Aang’s other friend (and Sokka’s sister), called out to me. “We need an Earthbender. We need YOU.”
“My daughter is blind, tiny, helpless, and fragile.”
Even though I’ve pretended to be those things for so long, I’m not actually ANY of them, and hearing my father say that makes me so mad! You know what? I’m sick of pretending. Why should I have to hide who I am because my father can’t accept me? If he loves me, he should love me no matter what. … Enough is enough. I can’t let them take the Avatar away. Katara is right. If I don’t help him, the Avatar will be handed over to the Fire Nation, and I can’t let that happen.
“My daughter cannot help you,” my father insisted.
“Yes, I can!” I let go of my father’s hand and headed back into the arena.
“Let him go!” I shouted at the Earthbenders. “I beat you all before and I’ll do it again!”
Fighting in front of my father felt amazing! The Earthbenders tossed Aang’s cage aside and charged at me. One by one I slammed them with my Earthbending, blocking their attacks and hurling them out of the ring. For that one moment I wished wasn’t blind—just so I could see the expressions on my father’s and Master Yu’s faces.
Then I battled against Xin Fu. It didn’t take me long to beat him as well. Meanwhile Aang tricked one of the Earthbenders into smashing his cage, which freed him.
“Your daughter is the greatest Earthbender I’ve ever seen!” Master Yu said to my father.
I can only imagine what my father must look like.
Now that we’ve all calmed down a bit from what happened earlier, it’s time to talk to my father and finally tell him the truth. Here it goes. …
“It’s true. I’ve been sneaking out at night to fight in Earthbending tournaments. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t think you would understand. You’ve always treated me like I was helpless, but I’m not.”
Maybe he’ll understand? Maybe I’m not giving him enough credit and he’ll finally give me the freedom I’ve always craved, now that he knows what I can do. … And maybe I’ll finally get the chance to make friends, something I’ve never had because I’ve always been so sheltered (more like locked up).
“I’ve let you have far too much freedom, Toph. From now on you will be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day!”
Then again, maybe he won’t. This is unbelievable! Too much freedom? Yeah right! I’m not allowed to do anything or go anywhere, how is that freedom? And now I can’t even roam my prison by myself. … This can’t get any worse. My life is over. I’m stuck here, truly a prisoner in my own home. Stuck being the powerless little girl I created.
And now he’s telling Aang and the others to leave. He says they are no longer welcome in our house. Great. And I have to stand here and watch my first and only friend walk out the door and out of my life. …
I can’t sleep—and the servant stationed at the edge of my bed isn’t helping matters any. My mind is racing, but all I can think of is spending the rest of my life stuck here in this room in this house, burying who I really am deeper and deeper until she disappears completely.
Then Aang’s words came drifting back to me. “You could come with us.”
Aang is right. I DO crave the freedom that he and the others have. I DO want to experience the world, travel, and mostly stop pretending that I’m someone I’m not. I’m special. I can do things no one else can do. And if my father refuses to see that, then that’s his problem. I’m twelve years old—old enough to know what I want—and I want to go with Aang. I want to teach him Earthbending. I want to have friends.
But how do I get away from this watchdog at the end of my bed, who follows my every move? Well, let’s try this and see what happens. …
“I’m just going to the bathroom. I’m a big girl. You don’t have to come with me.” That was easy! I tiptoed out of the room and locked the bathroom door. Silently, I slipped out the bathroom window. When I reached the ground I dashed through the gardens and leaped over the wall to freedom.
I only hope I’m not too late! I hope they haven’t left yet! YES! There they are, at the top of the hill. But wait, I can’t tell them the truth. I can’t let them know that I disobeyed my father and ran away. I don’t want them to tell me what I did was wrong, and I don’t want Aang to feel responsible for my decision. This is my choice. Mine alone.
“My dad changed his mind,” I lied. “He said I’m free to travel.”
“You’re going to be a great teacher, Toph,” Aang said.
Wow, they’re really excited that I can come. No one’s ever really seemed to want me around or to miss me when I’m gone. It’s kind of a nice feeling.
So, here I am, flying on the back of Aang’s bison, with the whole world stretched out before me. Freedom! At long last, freedom!
Chapter 2
After flying for many hours we finally landed to set up camp for the night. I slid down off of Appa’s back, and my feet touched nice, soft grass. At least it felt like grass. Turns out it was fur—bison fur. It’s spring and Appa has started shedding something fierce.
I gathered up some fruit, nuts, and berries, so I’m all set as far as food goes. I’m just settling down against a rock and stretching out, drinking in my first full day of freedom—Ah, this is the life! Oh, here comes Katara. Wonder what she wants?
“So, Toph, usually when setting up camp, we try to divide up the work between us.”
“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m good.”
Apparently she doesn’t get it. She’s going on and on about fetching water, building a fire, putting up the tents—all this stuff that has nothing to do with me. I can take care of myself. I always have. I don’t need to be treated like a little kid. This is why I left home!
I get it—Katara is all rah-rah, go team. But the whole team thing just isn’t my style. I’ve always been a loner, and just because I’m traveling with these guys doesn’t mean I’m part of some group or something. I do stuff for ME. I carry my weight, without asking for anybody’s assistance, like some dependant child. And they should do the same!
“I don’t need a fire, I already collected my own food, and look …”
A quick Earthbending move should take care of a tent for me. A nice tent with rock walls. There! All done. “My tent’s all set up!” But still Katara still doesn’t look satisfied.
“Well, that’s great for YOU. But we stil
l need to finish—”
She really is annoying. What does she want from me? I’m risking everything to come with them to help Aang learn Earthbending, and she won’t stop hounding me about tents and water and firewood? I didn’t leave home after being bossed around my whole life by my parents to be bossed around by her! “I don’t understand what the problem is here!”
“Never mind …”
Later she came and apologized, saying that she was tired. Maybe that’s why she’s so cranky. I guess I should try to give her the benefit of the doubt. I accepted her apology and slipped into my rock tent to settle down for the night.
I had just fallen asleep when powerful vibrations rumbling through the earth woke me up. What is that? If I put my palms flat onto the ground, I’ll be able to feel it.
This is something big. Very big. Whatever it is, it’s powerful and it’s heading our way.
I woke the others and suggested getting out of here. We scrambled onto Appa and took to the sky. Looking down they spotted a huge tank with thick treads and big missiles racing toward the spot where we had set up camp. We’ve got to get away from it, whatever it is.
We landed a good distance away. I stood for a moment and focused but felt no rumbling at all from that thing. We decided to settle there for the night, and that’s when Katara started in again, asking me to help unload everybody else’s stuff. I told her that I didn’t ask her help unloading my stuff. How many times do I have to tell her that I carry my own weight!
“Ever since you joined us you’ve been selfish and unhelpful!” Katara screamed suddenly.
Selfish! I can’t believe she said that. Selfish? I leave my cushy life to come here to help them and she thinks I’M selfish? I don’t know what kind of fairy-tale world she’s living in. “Listen, Sugar Queen. I gave up everything I had so I could teach Earthbending to Aang. So don’t talk to me about selfish!”
I am done talking to the little princess. All I need is an earth tent—There! Now I’m shutting you out. In your face, sweetheart! I’m getting some sleep. Whoa—it’s that thing again! I can feel it barreling toward us! Time to move, again!
For our third resting place we flew up to the top of a mountain. We all thought we’d be safe here, that the tank thing couldn’t possibly find us much less follow us here. But we were wrong. I felt the vibrations shortly after we stopped. Then the others caught sight of black smoke rising over a hill, and now that thing is actually climbing up the mountain!
How does it keep finding us? Who’s driving it? And what do they want with us? Katara and Sokka said they think it might be this guy named Zuko, the Fire Nation prince, who’s been following them all over the world. Aang thinks we should stay and face whoever it is.
The tank just opened up! Three girls riding on mongoose-dragons are galloping toward us. Katara said she recognizes them as three girls they had fought in Omashu, before they picked me up.
Maybe Aang’s right. Maybe we should just stand our ground. Between my bending, Aang’s bending, and Katara’s bending we should be able to take them. And if that doesn’t work, Katara could always nag them to death.
Well, we’re off on Appa, again. I had raised a wall of rock to block the girls, but one of them Firebended right through it! So we decided to leave again. But, as Aang pointed out, we can’t keep flying forever. I, for one, am so tired I can’t even think straight. And neither can Appa, apparently, because he just started to fall asleep in midair! I hate flying. Now we really have to land!
“Okay,” Sokka said as we landed. “We’ve put a lot of distance between us and them. The plan right now is to follow Appa’s lead and get some sleep!”
“Of course, we could’ve gotten some sleep earlier if Toph didn’t have such issues with helping,” Katara blurted out.
I can’t believe she’s still going on about that. I never asked any of them for anything. I’ve carried my weight from the start. Is she just trying to make me the scapegoat? That is so unfair. Besides, if this is anyone’s fault, it’s that big flying fur ball!
“If there’s anyone to blame, it’s Sheddy over there!” I just can’t help myself anymore. If they want to play rough, I’ll play rough!
“You’re blaming Appa!”
Okay, Aang’s mad.
“He’s leaving a trail of fur everywhere he goes! That’s how those girls have been following us.”
“How dare you blame Appa! He saved your life three times today. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s you. You’re always talking about how you carry your own weight. But you’re not carrying your weight. Appa is. And he never had a problem flying when it was just the three of us and Momo!” (Momo is their pet lemur.)
I really hate it when people yell at me. If I wanted to be bossed around and yelled at, I could have just stayed home. Besides, what I’m saying is true! I might be blind, but I’m obviously the only one who can see that’s how these girls have been following us. This is why I risked my relationship with my parents? This is who I’m traveling around like a nomad for? This is the kid who tracked me down and snuck into my house and hounded me to be his teacher? And now suddenly I’m nothing but deadweight to him and a punching bag to his friends? I don’t need this. I don’t need any of this!
“I’m out of here.” I don’t know where I’m going, but anyplace has got to be better than this.
I can’t stop thinking about what happened earlier. All my life I’ve wanted to leave home, to be free, to travel and experience things and do whatever I wanted. This trip is supposed to be my chance. I’ve even gotten used to the idea of teaching the Avatar—it would have been kind of cool. But I never expected to be treated that way.
Katara wants me to behave the way she thinks is right. I had enough of that at home. And Aang—I never thought he would turn on me like that. I can’t believe I was actually starting to trust him. I won’t make that mistake again. With anyone. Besides, I—
Wait a minute—there’s someone over there, I can feel him moving. A quick Earthbending shove should surprise him.
WHOOSH! I slammed my heel into the ground, sending a ripple that passed under the rock and struck the man hiding there—a heavyset man from the way he hit the ground.
I’m back on the rock, ready for my next attack, but he’s just lying there, moaning.
“Ouch, that really hurt my tailbone.”
Turns out he’s just an old man. Nothing to worry about.
Then he did the weirdest thing: he invited me to his campsite for a cup of tea. Sure, why not. I’ve got nothing else to do, nowhere I HAVE to be.
“You seem a little too young to be traveling alone,” he said when we reached his campsite.
“You seem a little too old.”
He laughed. Then he poured a cup of tea and handed it to me. He wouldn’t even let me pour my own tea. He’s just like everyone else. “People see me and think I’m weak. They want to take care of me. But I can take care of myself.”
“You sound like my nephew! Always thinking you need to do things on your own, without anyone’s support. There’s nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you. Not that I love you—I just met you.”
He may be a little cuckoo, but maybe he knows what he’s talking about. It’s just so hard to trust people. How do I know someone I trust won’t turn on me, like Aang did? How do I protect myself from getting hurt? I guess I can’t; not fully anyway. But maybe that’s okay. Maybe that’s just the chance I have to take if I’m going to have friends. Hmm, this old guy might be on to something. …
“So … where’s your nephew?”
“His life has recently changed, and he’s going through very difficult times, so he went away and I’m tracking him. He doesn’t want me around right now, but if he needs me, I’ll be there.”
It’s kind of amazing how much this old guy cares about his nephew. I mean, even though he ran away, this guy still understands that his nephew needs to figure it out on his own. I wish my parents understood that. … Anyway, I guess in order t
o care that much about someone, you HAVE to trust them; and in order to do that, you have to actually let them inside. So you might get hurt, big deal! I can handle that. … After all, I am the Blind Bandit!
“Your nephew is very lucky, even if he doesn’t know it.” Okay, Toph, time to get out of here and go find Aang. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure! Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life’s true delights.”
“No … thank you for what you said. It helped me.”
Come to think of it, I was pretty harsh to Aang. He was only looking out for Appa, and it did sound like I was attacking Appa when I said the thing about him shedding. And I was kind of hard on Katara too. She’s right; I have to learn to be part of the team now. Needing them isn’t so bad. It’s not like I LOVE being on my own. I’ve just been alone my whole life, because no one ever knew the real me. But Aang, Sokka, and Katara like me for who I really am, and for the first time in my life I can have friends. For the first time, I don’t have to be alone. I’ve got to find them. Whatever happens next, I’m better off with them than without them.
“Maybe you should tell your nephew that you need him, too.”
I left the old man, and now I’m heading back toward where I left everyone—but wait—I’m picking up the vibrations of a tremendous battle being fought. This fight is major! Powerful bending energy is being released, even buildings are crumbling! I have to follow these vibrations. …
What is this place? An abandoned city? There’s Aang, Katara, and Sokka. They’re battling that powerful Firebender who was following us in the tank. And there’s that guy Zuko that Aang was telling me about, and—the old guy I just met? Something strange is going on here. …
Okay. Turns out the Firebender is Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. And to my surprise, the old man I met in the woods is actually Zuko and Azula’s uncle Iroh; he’s fighting Azula. I can’t believe that cool, old guy is from the Fire Nation, and I can’t believe he’s related to the Fire Lord. … But I can’t think about that now. … Now it’s time to get in on the action and blast Princess Azula’s tights off.
