The Half of Me | Zuko

Chapter Thirty: Avatar Day [P2]

By the time Sokka and Katara came back, it was dark in the prison and the siblings were confident in what they found. Ryoko stood next to Katara, ready to hear what they had to tell the mayor. Aang and her were both positive that they knew what they were doing.

"Honorable mayor, we've prepared a solid defense for the Avatar. We did an investigation, and found some very strong evidence." Ryoko smiled and nodded along with Katara, proud to hear that something came out of their endeavor for them to stick to the mayor and the villagers. 

"Evidence? Ha!" That caught them off guard. "That's not how our court system works."

"Then how can I prove my innocence?" Aang asks.

The mayor leans in, explaining, "simple. I say what happened, and then you say what happened, and then I decide who's right."

"What?!" Ryoko asks in utter disbelief, as everyone else gasps.

"That's why we call it justice, because it's just us." The mayor walks off in hysterical laughter, leaving them to boil in anger.

The next morning, Ryoko sat on Sokka's right, forcing herself not to glare at any of the village people, and especially not the mayor who stood far from everyone. She leans into her friends with a sharp whisper. "I hope this doesn't go badly. If they try and hurt Aang-" Ryoko cut herself off, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Do not go there, she thought.

"We just have to trust that they will listen to what Aang has to say," Katara responds, hope in her tone but her eyes told another story. Ryoko grumbles falling back into the stone bleachers with her arms crossed. If only the villagers could just see Aang wouldn't hurt anybody. 

"Everyone loved Chin the Great," the mayor began, Chin's large statue erected in the middle of the open space, "because he was so great. Then the Avatar showed up and killed him. And that's how it happened." He smiles widely as he glides back to his seat. 

"WHA-" Sokka holds Ryoko back and sits her back down as she began to rise from her seat. She clenches her fists, while the siblings nodded their heads, agreeing with her. 

"The accused will now present its argument." The other man walks back to his seat and the three turn to Aang. 

"You can do it, Aang. Just remember the evidence," Sokka tells him. Ryoko gave him two thumbs up for encouragement. 

"Right... evidence." Aang pauses and then begins, still in the pillory he was put in. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm about to tell you what really happened, and I will prove it with facts. Fact number one," he raises his finger, but hesitates. "Uh." 

Ryoko's eyes widen, her hand covering part of her face from the worry that inflicted her. "The footprints," Sokka whispers to remind him. 

"Oh, yeah. You see, I have very large feet." He points to his feet, that in comparison to Avatar Kyoshi's, were much smaller and seemed impossible to be described as such. "Furthermore, your temple... matches your statue. But I was in a painting at sunset. So there you have it. I'm not guilty!" Aang hopped up on one leg, finishing his argument there with a smile. 

Ryoko, Sokka, and Katara all smile at Aang, Sokka and Ryoko giving him a thumbs up, but they were pained smiles. "He's dead," Sokka says through his teeth. 

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Ryoko responds, her smile growing wider, almost scary if the villagers were to observe. The villagers came together, chatting amongst each other, while Katara went up to Aang and the two went off after speaking briefly, unknown to Sokka and Ryoko. "Where do you think they're going?" Ryoko wonders. 

"I don't know," Sokka replies shrugging. 

Many moments passed and Katara returned, more determined than ever. It relieved Ryoko, who was growing with worry over how this trial would end. "Mayor Tom, I'd like for the court to hear one last testimony."