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The Price of Peace	By : Looneyluna Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 19165 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Warning! Dead people ahead! It’s kind of gruesome.

Chapter Fourteen –

Pulling the shivering girl next to him, Aang whispered soothingly to her and warmed the air. “I’m sorry, Meng. I know you don’t like flying, but it’s the quickest way.”

She relaxed against the Airbender, but kept a death-like grip on his robes. “I’m okay, Aang. As long as you are with me.”

The air whirled around them as Appa groaned and flew through a cloud, momentarily obscuring everyone’s view.

“So, what’s the plan when we get there?” Sokka asked, unsheathing his boomerang and inspecting it carefully.

Toph, who had been “staring” into nothingness, turned.

“Toph and I will check on her dad while you stay behind with Appa and Meng,” Aang stated.

“What!” Sokka sputtered indignantly. “Why do I have to stay behind? Why –”

“Because I need you to protect Meng,” Aang replied in a tone that brokered no argument. “We’re almost there.”

Leaning over the side of the flying bison, Sokka could see that they were flying over the Earth Kingdom town of Gaoling. Fields went on for miles, showcasing the wealth of the region. Sokka had to grasp the edge of the saddle as Appa began to descend.

Moving toward the center of the saddle, Sokka prepared himself for that funny feeling he got in the pit of his stomach every time the flying bison landed. He watched as Toph kneeled, preparing for the final jolt. She was poised to spring into action – an unknown fight that he didn’t want her to jump into.

She’d hardly said a word the entire trip, and that had been four days ago. She looked worried…almost vulnerable.

“Oh no!” Aang gasped as he peered over the edge.

“What!” Toph shouted in alarm, obviously expecting the worst.

Sokka looked over the edge and saw a few fields burning – little patches of fire still curling smoke into the air. “The fields are burned,” he muttered solemnly. The surrounding huts were now charred wooden frames.

They flew through the smoke, nearing the Bei Fong family grounds. Except for the surrounding gardens, the main structures remained intact.

Landing in the main courtyard, Appa growled in warning, nervously dancing and not allowing his occupants a smooth departure.

Aang squeezed Meng’s hand and placed a soft kiss upon her cheek. “Let’s go,” he murmured, reluctantly letting the Earth Kingdom girl go. He pulled his former Earthbending instructor against him and jumped into the air. Once their feet touched the ground, they broke apart.

Kneeling, the Earthbender touched the ground with her hands as though it would tell her the tale of the recent transgressions upon the soil.

“At the first sign of trouble, take Sokka and Meng up, boy,” Aang instructed the giant bison as though it understood every word he said.

Appa growled in answer.

“There’s one person!” Toph exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the massive stone mansion.

“How can you tell?” Aang questioned. “They may be on the upper floors, waiting in ambush. All the doors and windows are closed.” He squinted, unable to make out the details. “It looks like the windows are boarded up.”

Toph titled her head to one side, as though she could actually see the structure of stone and wood. “They are boarded up. So are the doors. I—I think it’s my dad inside. I can’t tell from this distance.”

“Well, let’s go get him!” Sokka shouted from atop Appa as he moved to climb down.

The bison growled, as if sensing something none of them could see.

“No Sokka!” Aang yelled. “Stay with Meng and Appa!”

--

Toph took off running toward her home, adrenaline moving her forward. Her footing was sure. She needn’t rely on the vibrations of the earth. She knew this courtyard by memory. She heard and felt Aang running behind her. Her heart pounded in her chest -- the ache almost causing her to clutch it.

As she neared the archway, she stopped, rooting herself to the earth and causing the stone around the main entrance to crumble into dust. Without the support of walls, the wooden doors yielded to momentum and toppled to the ground. Dust flew into the air, insulted over having its resting place disturbed.

“Dad!” Toph called out, running into the darkness with Aang close behind her.

Other than Aang’s breathing and her own, all she heard was silence. So Toph went further into the house, easily maneuvering in the dark and dodging the upturned furniture.

‘Dad!” She cupped her hands and shouted with all her might, determined to find her father.

She heard a muffled groan from a nearby room and rushed toward it.

Aang stumbled in the shadows. As he turned, he ran into something else. But that something was different. It was as though it was hanging from the ceiling – like a chandelier. Using short bursts of Firebending to light his way, Aang illuminated the area around him and swallowed the gasp of fear as he saw what it was that was hanging from the ceiling – the dead corpse of a young servant girl.

“Toph! Wait!” he shouted.

She charged ahead, the vibrations of her father’s shuffling feet guiding her and giving her hope. She pushed on the door between her and her father, but it would not give. So, she moved to the side and touched the heavy stone of wall. It turned to sand, quickly losing all cohesion and melting to the ground.

She pushed her way through the small space of the wooden framing of the house -- oblivious to the splinters she received. “Dad!”

“I hear her,” a frightened man’s voice quivered in the darkness.

The door that had given her so much trouble, split in two as it collapsed under the weight of Aang’s Airbending.

“Dad?” Toph asked, reaching toward the huddled mass in the corner.

“She’s dead,” Lao murmured. “They said she is dead.”

Hardly recognizing her father’s grieving voice, she reached out to touch him. “Yes, Dad,” she tried to soothe him. “Mom’s dead.”

“My little girl.” Her father scurried away from her touch. “They killed her.”

“I’m right here, Dad.” She made another grab for his hands, but he dodged her attempts.

“She’s hanging from the ceiling!” he cried, crawling in the darkness and feeling his way around. “Go away, spirit! You mean to trick me!”

--

Finding the nearest window, Aang blasted it into the surrounding courtyard, causing light to spill into the vacant space. The stench of death lingered in the air and Aang saw another corpse hanging from the ceiling. Upon closer examination, he could see the look of terror on the young girl’s face.

He moved to cut her down, the feeling in his gut churning in cold fury.

“Dad?” Toph tried to get through to her father, unable to see the gruesome display. “What did they do to you?”

Finding where the rope was tied off, Aang loosened it.

“Leave her alone!” Lao Bei Fong charged the Avatar like a man possessed. ‘Leave my daughter alone!”

Using a gentleness she did not know she possessed, Toph pulled her father into her arms and held him. “I’m here, Dad. I’m right here.”

Her father’s struggle was a frenzied one, but she held on tight.

--

TBC
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The Price of Peace