It’s almost nightfall when I reach the Upper Ring. Without the walls, I suppose I shouldn’t call them ‘rings’ anymore, but old habits die hard. I trudge wearily through the streets as the sun sets, wishing I knew where Zuko and Aang are right now.
I’m worried about them. Maybe Uncle will be able to shed some light on it. I hope so.
The ache in my feet gets worse as I walk uphill, but finally… finally, there it is. It’s dark at this time of night, but I know that Iroh never locks the back door. With a weary smile on my face, I turn into the alley and slip through the back, into the silent kitchen of the tea shop.
Then it’s up the stairs to the apartment, and into the room I once shared with Zuko. The moonlight slants across the room, falling across the form that sleeps peacefully in bed.
I walk over to her and stand there, looking down at her shadowed face. I feel tears falling down my cheeks, and I know that I’m smiling so wide I’ll be sore tomorrow. But I don’t care.
I’m home. I’m with Lia, with my little girl, and suddenly it doesn’t matter how I got here or what happened to us in Araden.
All that matters is that Lia is safe, and beside me, and I’m complete again. I hadn’t realized just much I missed her, how worried about her I was, until this moment. In Araden, I was so focused on finding Aang that I was able to push my worry for Lia to the back of my mind.
But all they way through Ba Sing Se, that worry has been escalating, and there was a fear lurking in the recesses of my heart that she wouldn’t be here.
That something happened to her while I wasn’t here.
But here she is, safe and sound. I reach out and brush her hair away from her forehead, and she opens her eyes. They shine almost silver in the moonlight, and I hear her gasp when she sees me.
“Mommy?”
“Hello, darling.”
“MOMMY!” And then she’s in my arms, and I’m clutching her so tight that I know she can’t breathe, and I swear to myself that I’ll never, ever let her go again.
**__**
Sokka and Suki looked around, frowning. “Who was that guy?”
“And where did he go?”
They searched the room, but couldn’t find any trace of the strange man who’d brought Aang back to them. Hakoda had sent guards to search the palace, to search the whole city. They’d turn up something, Sokka was sure.
But Toph wasn’t. She sat next to Aang, staring sightlessly into the distance. Hearing them, she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does. We need to know what happened!”
“They won’t find him.”
“What do you mean, Toph? What do you know?” Suki touched Toph’s shoulder, confused. Sokka just frowned at them.
Toph smiled a little. “He wasn’t from around here.”
“She’s right.” Sokka glanced at the woman who’d spoken, one of the healers who’d come from the North Pole.
“Oh?”
“Whoever he was, it’s none of our business. It’s never wise to question the spirits.”
“You think he was a spirit? That’s crazy. He was obviously alive!”
Suki put a hand on Sokka’s arm. “I don’t know, Sokka. Did you see the way he was dressed?”
“Yeah, so what?”
“Well, have you ever seen anything like it before?”
“No, but so what? He was probably one of those Araden guys.”
“And if that’s true, then we definitely don’t want to get involved with him.” Toph crossed her arms, nodding in agreement with the healer. “I agree with Yugoda. Besides, the only thing that’s important now, is that Aang is back, and safe.”
“Safe? Look at him! He’s asleep, and we can’t wake him up!”
“But we WILL.” Toph stood, her fists clenched. “We have to.”
_______
I was right. XD I woke up not five minutes ago. XD *hands out cookies* thank you, you wonderful people you! *tosses streamers and glitter into the air*
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Prophecy (Sun and Moon Book 3)
FanfictionLong ago, the Sun and Moon began a feud that tore the human world apart. At the center of it all was their daughter, Harmony. Now, many millennia later, the story unfolds yet again. Zuko and Katara have been fighting for so long, caught in a vice b...
