I'll Walk You Home pt. 53

Chapter 18

pt. 2

Parents

"Why didn't you just break her stick?" Toph asked in a whisper, as they walked behind the servant down the long hall.

"It was rattan." The tribesman answered just as quietly. "I don't think I could have broken it. Besides I thought the use of the sword was nicely dramatic."

"I like dramatic." Toph whispered back with a smile.

She reached out and took his hand and gave it a squeeze to emphasize her words.

Sokka smiled back at her, as the two walked on holding hands.

They were led down a wide set of carpeted stairs across a grand foyer, down another hall which ended in a wide set of tall double doors. Sokka noted the two armed guards on either side of the doors. They were dressed in what looked like Earth Army armor, but the chest plate had a winged boar emblazoned on it instead of the Earth Kingdom coin. Both men had broad bladed curved swords in scabbards hanging from their belts, and both men were bare foot.

In front of the doors was an older man with a long tight que, his black hair shot with small streaks of grey. He was a slight man in an oversized long green robe with a small but highly embroidered winged boar on the left breast.

The young woman who had led them up to this point bowed low to the older man, who answered with a small nod, and then she stepped aside.

"Mistress Toph." The man said bowing low to the small bender. "My heart sings with joy at your return."

"Thank you Hong." Toph replied with a slight bow. "This is my…"

She thought for a moment but then went on.

"This is my friend and companion, Sokka."

"I am Hong, butler to his grace, Grand Duke Bei Fong." The man said bowing to the tribesman.

The bow was about half way between the nod he had given the servant and the deep bow he had given Toph. Sokka bowed in return, giving the butler a bow about half way between the slight bow of Toph and the bow the man had given the tribesman.

As Hong straightened up he gave the warrior an appraising look for a second then turned to Toph.

"Is this how you wish to be presented, Mistress?" He asked Toph.

Sokka knew that they must look rather disreputable, travel stained as they were, and he with his long coat, packs and bags, and his weapons. The two guards had been giving him the stink eye as soon as they had seen him coming down the hall.

"We're fine." Toph replied, letting a little irritation enter her voice.

"Very good Mistress." Hong replied, though it seemed to Sokka that the butler did not think they were at all 'fine'.

"Please follow me." The older man requested with a bow.

Hong turned and gave a slight nod to the closed doors, which opened at the unspoken command. Sokka loved it. He had to know how the butler did that.

The young couple followed the older man into the next room, Madame Wang and Poor Girl in their wake. Sokka took a quick look and saw that two male servants had opened the doors. They were in the long robes of the other servants, but he noted that they were barefoot, not wearing the black slippers the other servants had on.

Probably benders. He thought to himself. They double as guards.

He figured there was a peep hole in at least one of the doors. That's how they knew to open them on cue.

It was not a large room. As he looked around he recognized it as the room where he had met Toph's parents on his first visit with Aang and his sister nearly a year before. Hong bowed low to Lao and Poppy who were seated on two low chairs on a small dais against the far wall.

Lao seemed nervous and impatient, fidgeting with the arms of his chair, and looking like he would jump out of it at any second, his face moving from silly smile to impatient frown and back again. Poppy sat sternly upright and unmoving, her mouth a thin line across the lower portion of her face.

"Your graces, I have the honor to present to you your daughter, Toph…"

"Yes! Yes!" Lao interrupted the servant in an irritated voice, waving his hand in dismissal. "We know our own daughter!"

The butler bowed at the reprimand and moved aside taking his place by the Grand Duke's right hand.

"Toph! We, your mother and I, are so happy you decided to return home." Lao went on, almost leaving his throne in his unfeigned happiness. "When we got your letter saying you were on your way and when to expect you, I couldn't believe it at first."

"Letter?!" Toph asked in a surprised, and truth be told irritated voice, her face was turned to Sokka when she said it.

"Yes!" Lao went on. "Though I have to say that the scribe you used during the war had a much better hand than the one you are using now. This new one's calligraphy is so bad that we had a hard time deciphering some of the characters."

"Yes so I've heard." Toph replied, still facing her companion. "But he was handy, and one must use the tools that one is given."

"So true." Lao agreed. "But even your mother has to admit that your new scribe can spin a tale."

He reached over and took his wife's hand at this.

"The long addition this new scribe included with your letter..." Lao continued addressing Toph again. "... telling of all your adventures and escapes during the war read like one of those romance novels your mother is so fond of."

"Oh really?!" The blind girl remarked, turning back towards her parents.

"Oh yes dear!" Poppy answered her daughter, the thin line of her mouth opening slightly to reveal a glimpse of white teeth. "Just like an adventure written by Lee Loo Ling, though not as well written as her works are."

"But still..." the Grand Duke amended."... no matter how badly written, the rescuing of his majesty from the fall of Ba Sing Se, the sneaking around the fire nation, the training of the Avatar, the invasion of the Fire Nation, and finally the saving of the entire kingdom. It made you sound like a hero of old!"

"I'll have to thank him the next time I get a chance." Toph commented punching Sokka in the arm.

"What?!" The tribesman asked rubbing the spot. "I wrote a couple of letters."

"A couple?!" The small bender asked.

"Yes." The Grand Duke affirmed. "We were a little afraid you would not be here in time for your party, but then your letter arrived and then the second one, and here you are a day early. Your mother is so pleased. She's spent so much time and effort getting everything ready for you birthday."

"Birthday?" Sokka asked turning towards his companion.

"What?" Toph answered, now finding herself on the defensive.

"Who is that man?" Lao asked the butler, then turning to his daughter, he continued. "Hong said he was a jester or a fool or something, but he looks more like a porter with all those bags, or perhaps he's your body guard with all those weapons."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Toph blurted out.

Sokka sagged at the statement, and not from the weight of all the books and gear he was wearing. He realized that Toph had not meant to hurt him, but it hurt all the same. He knew she had her reasons, parents after all were parents, and she already had problems with hers, but it still hurt. He was a non-bending water tribe barbarian. No great Earth Kingdom high noble family would want their daughter associated with someone like him.

"I mean porter!" Toph continued, flustered now, desperate to fix the error she had made.

"Sokka is my friend!" She told her father and mother.

She couldn't bring herself to state the reality that he was the only man she did, or could ever love. That just took too much courage. Her parents did not understand her, did not love her, but she still needed their approval and acceptance.

"He's my best friend!" She told them. "My… best friend in the whole world."

Toph reached out and took Sokka's hand, and squeezed it.

Ah fuck it! She thought.

"Sokka's my boy…" Toph began but was cut off by Sokka.

"Bodyguard at first, but we soon realized, after she saved my life a bunch of times, that she didn't need any protection." The tribesman explained, squeezing Toph's hand. "So I just sort of followed her around helping where I could during the war. We were a kind of a team. She'd save my life, and I'd look stupid. It gave her something to do."

"You're not stupid!" Toph proclaimed, pulling his hand for emphasis, nearly over balancing him off his feet with all that he was carrying.

"We're friends!" She told her father.

"Best friends!" She told her mother, then she continued to the both of them. "Sokka's saved my life more times than I can count. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for Sokka. He's saved me from monsters and sand pirates, and bandits, and that's just on this trip. During the war it was Aang and Katara, and Sokka and me, and we've been together ever since. Even after the war. We're a couple."

This last got a reaction from both her parents. Lao seemed surprised and interested. Poppy's thin lips became thinner and her eyes became hard little emeralds burning into the young man.

"She means team." Sokka explained.

The young man's attention was drawn to the butler, which distracted him before he could say anything else. Hong was bearing his teeth at the tribesman while motioning with his hand as if to say he should continue.

Toph took advantage of the silence.

"No! We're a couple!" She told her parents. "Like Aang and Katara."

Why is he growling at me? Sokka wondered, staring at the butler.

"Sokka's… my boyfriend!" Toph proclaimed. "And I'm his girlfriend and we love each other!"

"Your Grace!" Sokka suddenly shouted, finally understanding what Hong was trying to tell him. "I mean your Graces!... What?"

This last was aimed at Toph, he had missed the conversation up to that point because of the butler.

"You're my boyfriend!" The blind girl said, tugging painfully at his hand in frustration.

"Oh that. Yeah! Of course" Sokka agreed in an offhand manner as if the answer were obvious.

"Kiss." He warned in a quiet voice as he leaned down and touched his lips to hers.

It wasn't much of a kiss more of small peck really, since the young man was distracted. His eye was caught by the strange growling expression on the butler's face, along with the odd hand gestures the man was making.

Sokka straightened up swiftly and with a small bow said.

"Your Grace…esss." The last part an afterthought.

Toph had accepted the little kiss, with a small smile gracing her lips. Then she stepped in and wrapped her left arm around the boys left, squeezing his hand at the same time, and letting her face lean against his strong shoulder. A strangled sound in front of her brought back the fact that she was standing before her parents. She decided to have some fun and just snuggled up to her boyfriend even more.

The sound had come from the Grand Duke. At first his expression had been one of surprise, well shock actually, but his training had not allowed him to express that much emotion. The sound came as he felt the bones in his hand start to grind together. That's when the fear, but mostly pain, had entered his expression and the little sound had escaped his lips. That's also when he realized that he was still holding hands with his wife.

The Grand Duchess was staring at Sokka. The thin line of her mouth was hardly visible at all now. The thought flashed through the tribesman's mind that Poppy might have some fire bender blood in her family, since her face was bright red, and there seemed to be a fierce light emanating from her jade eyes. He could almost swear that the woman's hair was standing up and was about to burst into flame. There was no doubt that the look she was giving him was causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise, and he began to surreptitiously look for a quick exit from the room.

"Sokka?!" Burst from Lao's mouth, as he, with some difficulty, pulled his hand free of his wife's grip. "I've heard that name before."

"Boyyyyyyyyyyfriennnnnnnd?" The word was almost a growl emanating from the Grand Duchess.

Toph just gripped Sokka's arm more tightly to herself, and gave a wider smile, now aimed at her mother.

"Not here, dear." The Grand Duke quietly warned his wife.

Lao reached out to pat her hand reassuringly, but thought better of it, seeing her white fingers and knuckles on the arm of her throne. He pulled his hand back and began to massage it to reduce the swelling.

"Yes your grace." Hong filled the silence. "He is the young man who visited some months ago with the Avatar's party. As you may recall he was quite amusing then, which led to my unfortunate misunderstanding as to his position in the Avatar's court earlier."

Lao leaned forward in his chair staring at Sokka.

"Really?!" He asked the butler. "He doesn't look anything like I remember that young man. Well maybe a little."

"Oh yes your grace." Hong replied. "Also there is all the correspondence we have received addressed to him. You probably remember the name from that as well."

"Correspondence?" Lao asked the servant, then remembering he went on. "Oh yes of course all those letters we've been getting, from all over the world."

"Letters?" Sokka asked, with a little happy note to his voice.

"Your Grace?" He added after a look from the butler.

"Yes." The Grand Duke said. "There must be…"

Lao looked to Hong.

"More than a dozen, your grace." The servant filled in. "Some from the ruling council, some from the Avatar, and even two from the Fire Lord. They are all in the library."

"Library?" Sokka squeaked, holding in his wonder and joy. "Your Grace."

"Yes." Lao drawled. "I have my own library."

The Grand Duke said this with evident pride, enjoying the reaction of the young man. He was not disappointed.

"Well, perhaps it would be best if I take this young man to the library where we can get acquainted, and you can have a little talk with our daughter."

Lao directed this last to his wife, who nodded in reply.

"Yes we have a lot to discuss." Poppy told Toph.

"Yes, mother." Toph said reluctantly releasing her hold on Sokka's arm.

"Hong, Please have a guest room made up for this young man." The Grand Duke told his butler. "I assume you will be staying for the party?"

"I don't wish to impose on your hospitality, but yes please if I could stay till I have to leave in about ten days, I would really appreciate it, your grace." Sokka answered.

"Your grace..." The servant explained to his lord. "...that might be a problem with all the guests expected for the party many will be staying in Gaoling but the close friends and family will be staying on the estate."

"It won't be a problem." Toph spoke up. "I'll bend Sokka a guest house in the garden behind my room."

"In the garden?!" Poppy objected.

"Don't worry mother." The blind girl reassured her. "I'll make sure it's nice and pretty."

"Excellent!" Lao proclaimed before any more objections could be raised.

"Well, young man..." The Grand Duke said rising from his chair, and in a grand manner, pointing to the door proclaimed, "... to the library."

"And you, young lady, come with me." Poppy commanded as she rose from her chair, gesturing to Toph.

.

The walk to the Grand Duchess' private apartments was long and silent. As they arrived Madame Wang hurried forward and opened the door for the mother and daughter, but when she began to follow them into the room, the servant was stopped by the Duchess

"Have tea brought up for us with some sweets." Poppy told the governess. "You will not be needed, I will speak with my daughter privately. You may wait for her here. "

With that the Duchess closed the door in the servant's face.

"Her daughter!" Madame Wang said in fierce whisper to herself. "I'm the one who fed her from my own breast, raised her, trained her. I spend more time in one day with her than she does in a whole month. 'My daughter' indeed. Toph is my child, my beautiful perfect little child, not yours."

Poor girl just stood near the wall and waited patiently for new instructions.

"Girl!" The elder servant said, snapping her fingers. "You heard the duchess, bring up some tea and sweets."

Poor girl bowed and hurried down to the kitchen.

.

Because of all his bags, duffels, and packs, Sokka had to ease himself sideways through the door into the library. It had been a long walk down the corridor of the eastern wing of the great house to get here, and the young man was tired, and very hungry, but all that was forgotten when he finally saw where he was.

It was a beautiful room. One of the most beautiful the tribesman had ever seen. It was large, twice as tall as he was. The eastern wall was floor to ceiling windows, with double doors in the bases that led out to a railed patio. The other three walls were floor to ceiling book cases, full of books and scrolls, thousands of them.

Sokka had been in libraries before and this was not the largest, but it was the most elegant. The smell of wood, and ink, and paper filled the room. It was the smell of information and knowledge.

The bookcases were made of dark wood, not bent earth. Ladders with wide treads, running on rails were attached to the three bookcases, so you could get to the higher tiers. There was a long heavy wooden table in the center, two chairs to each side and one each at the head and the foot. On the table, were glow crystal holders running down the center. There was a pile of scrolls near the far end.

Near the southern wall was a large desk, with two chairs in front of it, and a large chair on the other side for whoever was using it. The surface of the desk was very ordered, with a large stone seal and writing brush with ink stand in the center. There was even a small bookcase alongside of the desk.

The young man might never have moved from that spot if not for the scream of a bird of prey.

Sokka turned toward the sound and saw a fierce creature flying straight for him. He raised his right arm and the animal landed on his forearm. He could feel the strong talons through the sheaths of his throwing knives strapped to his arms.

"Oh yes, I should have warned you about that bird." The Grand Duke said in embarrassment. "It really has a mind of its own, and we can't do a thing with it."

"Hawky!" Sokka exclaimed, stroking the bird's head.

The bird squawked in answer.

"That might explain it, your grace." Hong confided to his master. "If this is indeed the young man's animal. It might explain why the creature refused to carry any messages for us, and why it has been so protective of the mail we have received for him."

With this last the butler indicated the young tribesman, who was searching in one of his shoulder bags.

"Sorry guy." Sokka told the bird, stroking its head. "I'm all out of anything to eat."

The bird gave a little cry and launched itself from his arm to a stand topped by a perch with two bowls attached to it set up by the center window.

"This was the bird that brought the letter from Mistress Toph during the war, your grace." Hong went on with his explanation.

"Of course." Lao agreed, and then explained to his guest. "I had him brought in here, since he would not leave any mail addressed to you, which was causing problems in the eerie."

"I'm sorry to have caused any difficulty for you, and your people, your grace." Sokka apologized. "Hawky is a little aggressive, and a very loyal friend."

As if to prove the young man's statement, the bird launched itself from its perch and landed on the teens shoulder. Hanging from its curved beak was a small strip of raw meat it had pulled from its food bowl. It offered the meat to Sokka, who accepted it directly into his mouth and began to chew it.

"Awww, thanks Hawky!" The boy told the bird as he chewed. "You're the best!"

The hawk puffed out its breast and lifted its wings at the compliment.

Sokka did not see it, but Hong gave a slightly sickened look at the display, while Lao seemed more surprised and fascinated by it.

"Forgive me." The Grand Duke said with a little bow to the young man. "I have been remiss as a host, after your long travels you must be tired and hungry. Hong have a cold lunch brought up from the kitchen and since it is such a fine day have it served on the patio."

"Of course, your grace, right away." The butler replied with a deep bow.

"Thank you your grace." Sokka replied, adding his own deep bow to the Grand Duke. "That would be wonderful, but not as wonderful as your magnificent library, or your kindness to a strange bird who happened to enter your home."

Lao bowed in return and smiled at the compliment. That was nicely done. The Grand Duke thought.

"Your mail is there on the table." Lao said pointing to the pile of scrolls. "Please feel free to use this room as yours while you are with us."

Thank you again, your grace." The young man said with a bow.

Lao could not be sure, but it almost seemed as if the hawk had bowed as well, though it was probably just that the bird was on the boy's shoulder that made it seem as if it had.

"You can leave your things over there by Hawky's perch." The Grand Duke said the name with a little questioning tone to his voice which received a smile from Sokka as a reply. "At least until you are settled in a room."

"Thank you again your grace." Sokka said with a bow.

The tribesman moved to the stand and began to divest himself of all his bags and packs. The bird flew from his shoulder and took up residence on its perch.

"Hong!" Lao called, catching the butler before he could exit the room.

The lord and the servant conferred quietly for a few seconds and then the butler left. Lao turned back to see the young man unbuckling his weapons belt and placing it on his pack neatly laid out on the floor.

"What is in those sacks?" The Grand Duke asked. "They look very heavy."

"Oh, these your grace?" Sokka asked pulling the sacks up onto his shoulder again and walking to the table. "These are books that were given to me by a friend."

"Books?!" Lao said with a warm light behind his jade eyes.

"Yes, your grace." The young man said, hoisting the bags up onto the table.

"May I see them, please." The older man asked.

"Of course your grace." Sokka said with a bow, then he untied the tops of the bags. "It would be my honor for you to look at them."

The young man opened the sacks and began to lay the contents out on the table. The Grand Duke began a loving examination of the books.

"What language is this?" Lao asked holding up the first book.

"I'm not sure, your grace." Sokka explained, joining the Duke and looking over his shoulder. "Most of the books are in old languages that are not spoken anymore. My... friend gave me these books..." he indicated the instruction books. "... so I could learn the languages and read these other books."

"How marvelous!" Lao exclaimed. "Books on how to read books, what a wonderful idea."

The two men moved down the piles enjoying the books together.

.

Toph stood in the middle of her mother's sitting room, sending out her bending to get a feel of the place. She had been here a few times in the past, but the room was heavily carpeted and all the furniture was made of wood and heavily cushioned, so she had never been able to get a good sense of it. As she felt the vibrations return she was surprised and delighted to feel the room and everything in it in a much better sense than she ever had in the past. All that bending in the snow with her boots on had really sharpened her senses, or perhaps Sokka's unblocking of her chi was still paying dividends. The thought of that night caused her cheeks to heat, as the blood rushed into her face.

It wasn't a large room. There was a couch along the back wall with a low table in front of it. Two cushioned arm chairs faced the couch, and there was a small book case against the far wall, windows took up the wall opposite the couch. Beyond the windows was a balcony.

"Please be seated." Poppy said indicating one of the arm chairs.

Toph sat on the cushioned chair. It was too large for her, so she had to perch somewhat on the edge and stretch her toes to keep contact with the carpeted stone floor. The arms were too high for her so she folded her hands in her lap.

"Sit up straight dear; always remember that you are a lady." The Grand Duchess said as she draped herself decorously on the end of the couch across from her daughter.

"Yes mother." Toph replied straightening her back.

"Your father and I are very happy that you have finally returned to us." Poppy told her daughter. "And we are especially glad that you returned in time for your birthday. I don't think you can realize just how important this party will be for you. It will be the start of your introduction to society. Turning thirteen is just the beginning, but it will set the course you will follow for the rest of your life. Now of course this party will be a small intimate affair, only about two hundred guests, family and close friends, but I can't emphasize how important they will be to your future. These are the people that will determine your life."

"Yes mother." Toph said without enthusiasm to fill the pause.

"These next three years will be the most important of your life, dear." Her mother went on to explain. "Just think, by your sixteenth birthday the marriage contracts will be signed and you will have met the man you will marry. You will be starting your…"

"I already have." Toph interrupted in a strong voice.

"What, dear?" Poppy asked, irritated that she had been rudely interrupted, in her planned speech.

"I already have met the man I am going to marry." Toph explained.

"Yes…" The Grand Duchess said, her lips drawing into the thin line that had graced her features during the audience downstairs. "About that boy."

"Yes mother." The young woman replied.

"He's very dark, isn't he?" Her mother asked.

It took Toph a moment to figure out just what Poppy was asking, but eventually she did. The corner of the bender's mouth curved up slightly before she could control it.

"Yes…" Toph told her mother, turning her most innocent face towards Poppy. "It was the first thing I noticed about him."

"I'm just saying that he's very Water Tribe, isn't he?" The Grand Duchess asked defensively.

"Yes..." The young woman said, putting on an air of contemplation. "It makes him, brave, smart, and loyal."

"I'm sure it does." Poppy agreed, reluctantly. "But I thought he already had a girlfriend?"

Toph's heart jumped at that. She could not understand how her mother had found out about Suki. How was she going to explain about stealing another girl's boyfriend?

"Girlfriend?" Toph squeaked trying to bluff for more time.

"Yes…" Poppy continued, seeing that she had hit a nerve. "That Water Tribe girl he was here with when the Avatar visited us. The way they acted around each other anyone could see that they were a couple. What has happened to her?"

The blind girl thought for a moment, then laughed both in relief and in genuine amusement at her mother's mistake.

"That was his sister." Toph replied after her laughter had died to a chuckle. "Her name is Katara, and she and Aang are a couple now."

"His sister?" The duchess asked. "I thought they were the same age, are they twins?"

"No…" The young woman said thinking. "I don't know how far apart they are but Sokka is definitely older than Katara but not by much."

"And his name is Sakka and her name is Kitara?" Poppy asked concern entering her voice for the first time.

"Sokka and Katara." Toph corrected her.

"And they are from the Southern Water Tribe?" The duchess asked her, a touch of fear entering her tone.

"Yes." The daughter confirmed, wondering why her mother was so interested.

"Toph, this is very important. Has this Sakka…"

"His name is Sokka." Toph corrected her again.

"Alright, Sokka." Poppy said in annoyance, she then leaned forward and earnestly continued. "Has this Sokka ever kissed you?"

"Yes mother." Toph replied, letting some of her own annoyance enter her voice. "You saw us kiss downstairs."

"Not like that. I mean really kissed you?" The duchess explained, desperate for an answer. "Kissed you so that you felt changed afterward. Kissed you so that you never wanted the kiss to end, kissed you in such a way that you would do anything for him. Give yourself to him. Love him for all eternity."

The blood rushed to Toph's cheeks as she heard the question. She remembered that first real kiss they had shared on the road. The kiss she had never wanted to end. The kiss that told her that Sokka loved her. The kiss that had changed her life.

"No, of course not." She lied. "I mean Sokka's a really good kisser and all, but the kind of kiss you are talking about is silly."

"Toph, dear, this is really important." Poppy explained. "The Water People have this power, this special, well some call it magic, but our newer philosophers believe that it is something in their… well… mouth water …"

"Mouth water?" Toph asked confused.

"Well… Saliva." Her mother said, embarrassed as if saying a dirty word. "That acts like a poison or a drug, and it changes anyone that they kiss."

"Once you get wet you never forget." Toph said thoughtfully, remembering back to Ty Lee and her talk of Water Tribe wet kisses.

"What?!" Poppy asked horrified.

"Oh… nothing!" Toph told her, not realizing that she had said it out loud. "Just something that a friend had told me a while ago."

"Toph please listen, you have to be very careful. He may be using his powers on you, taking advantage of you. I don't want you kissing him ever again. You need to stay away from him until he leaves. You don't know the danger you are in."

"Mother please, you sound like someone out of an old story." Toph reassured her. "Nothing like that is going on. It's just that I love Sokka and he loves me. It has nothing to do with magic or spit or anything else."

"Young Lady this is serious. I forbid you to kiss that man ever again." The Grand Duchess commanded.

"Forget it mother!" Toph declared standing and balling her fists at her side. "I will kiss anyone I want to, be with anyone I want to, any time I want to, and there is nothing you can say or do that will stop me."

Poppy rose from the couch confronting her daughter.

"Just wait till I tell your father about this young lady." The Grand Duchess told her daughter. "I'm sure he will have something to say about all this, and especially about that young man!"

Before Toph could reply the door opened and Poor Girl wheeled in a cart covered with the tea service. The two women sat down in silence as the young servant set out the tea on the low table.

X

Sokka pulled the most recent scroll from the stack as he sat at the long table. Lao was sitting beside him examining one of the Air Nomad "books". The tribesman was starting with the most recent letter in the pile, even though it was less convenient, so that he could respond to any emergencies that had arisen in his absence.

"I've never seen writing like this." The Grand Duke murmured examining the leaves of the strange book.

"Neither have I, your grace." Sokka remarked as he broke the seal on the scroll and unrolled it. "I have a book that will teach me this one language, and then another one in that language that will teach me this language. I only hope that Aang will be able to help."

"Oh of course you're a companion to Avatar Aang?" Lao said still examining the page before him, until a laugh from the young man caused him to look up.

"Is that a dry pen?" The Grand Duke asked seeing the object in his tablemate's left hand.

"Yes, your grace." Sokka affirmed handing it over.

"These are very convenient." The duke told the young man. "One of my managers sent me some from our office in Ba Sing Se, and I use them all the time. I had him send enough for my entire staff here. And they liked them so much I had Chongan place a large order for all my offices."

Lao examined the dry pen. As far as he could see it was the standard type that he had. The charcoal tube wrapped in white paper with the conical pointed mountain logo and the letters "NAT Enterprises" stamped on it in black ink. He didn't see anything funny about it.

The Grand Duke handed the writing implement back to the young man and received a small slip of paper in exchange. It had apparently been wrapped around the cylinder in the scroll. He read it with interest. It was a bill from NAT Enterprises for one dry pen, cost three hundred and forty seven gold, six silver, and nine copper pieces. The bottom was stamped paid in full.

"I don't understand." Lao said holding up the bill. "These only cost five or six coppers. You didn't seriously buy one for this much did you?"

"Well yes, your grace, I did pay that much for this particular dry pen." Sokka said with a smile, taking back the bill. "My partner is having a little joke with me. We've been making dry pens for about three months now, and the sales are doing very well. The pens are made by hand, which is most of the cost of producing them. Early on I thought we really should be able to make a machine that would make them much more cheaply and very much faster."

"So I came up with some rough designs and sent them to Teo, he's my partner in all this. Teo's very good at looking at my crazy ideas and turning them into something that will actually work. He's great with gears and pistons, and rollers, and that stuff. So together we designed a machine to make dry pens.

"Well just a few days ago Teo started the dry pen maker up and it worked. And this…" Sokka held up the dry pen sent in the scroll. "… is the first one made. It cost me that much to build the machine, so that's why he sent me the bill for this one pen. But the next pen only cost about one and a quarter coppers to make and we will continue to sell them for five each. Plus the machine makes thousands an hour so we will not have any supply problems, even for large orders, like yours."

"So you invented the dry pen and then set up a business to make and sell them?" The Grand Duke asked.

"Yes, your grace. As you said they are very convenient." Sokka replied, putting down the pen and the bill and returning to the scroll.

"Where did you get the nearly four hundred gold it cost you to make the machine?" Lao asked. "Have you made that much selling them."

"Oh… well no your grace." Sokka replied looking up from the scroll. "Your daughter and I have engaged in a number of… business deals. It started during the war as a way of financing the Avatar's activities against the Fire Nation, and we continued after the war as a way of raising funds for various projects I had. Toph is a real master of… business. She must get it from you. I'm not sure what she did with her half, but I used mine to pay for projects like the dry pen machine, and the rain bath business, and the note book business."

"So you also invented the rain bath and turned that into a business as well?" Lao asked.

"Yes your grace." Sokka replied happy to leave the subject of Toph and pulling scams on crooked gamblers.

"Interesting…" The Grand Duke mused staring at the young man. "And then you and my daughter raised funds to finance your businesses, and you brought in this Teo to help with the more technical aspects."

"Yes, your grace." The teen affirmed.

"And you say that Toph is good at business?" Lao asked a little smile playing across his lips at the idea.

"Oh yes, your grace, she's a real master at making… deals." Sokka happily told the noble man. "You might say she's famous in Ba Sing Se for her deals."

"Really?" The Grand Duke asked the smile now very evident on his face.

"Oh most assuredly, your grace!" Sokka enthusiastically replied.

"Well… well." Lao mused, the large grin still on his face, as he turned back to examine the Air Nomad book before him.

Sokka pulled out his note book and dry pen and began making notes in the book and in the margins of the scroll as he worked through it. Lao, while still ostensibly examining the ancient book before him, was actually watching the young man, and reading the notes he was making.

Eventually the tribesman excused himself and retrieved his portable writing desk from his pack, and unrolled it on the table. The Grand Duke surreptitiously watched the young man at work.

As Sokka unrolled the leather bundle a number of sealed scrolls rolled out. He picked them up and struck his forehead with his free hand.

"Your grace." The young man said turning to the Grand Duke. "I have a number of letters I need to send. These three I need to get to Ba Sing Se as soon as possible. Would it be alright if I used your hawks to send them out? I'll gladly pay for the inconvenience to you."

"It will be my pleasure." Lao said rising from his chair and taking the three sealed scrolls. "You are my guest, and it is the least I can do."

The Grand Duke walked to his desk and, Sokka was happy to see, used a NAT enterprises dry pen to make a quick note on a sheet of paper and wrapped the scrolls in it. He laid the bundle in a tray on his desk, and then he gave a light pull on a sash hanging from the ceiling near his desk.

"Those three will go out right away." Lao said returning to the table. "I have a special relay system set up between here and Ba Sing Se and a few other select offices for important business correspondence. I've instructed that those scrolls are to be sent using that method. They should be in Ba Sing Se by tomorrow evening at the latest."

"Thank you, your grace." Sokka responded, giving his host a deep bow. "I am deeply grateful. Are you sure I can't repay you for the service in some way?"

"Not at all." Lao said magnanimously, resuming his seat at the table. "I saw that one was addressed 'Personal for Avatar Aang', and one for Iroh of the Jasmine Dragon, and the last for a Miu at NAT Enterprises, with all their addresses. Now of course I know who the Avatar is. But this Iroh, he wouldn't happen to be the General and Prince Iroh of the Fire Nation, known as the Dragon of the West, who abdicated his inheritance and became the Grand Master of the Order of the White Lotus, would he?"

Sokka sat down in his chair. The order was out in the open now after the liberation of the capital city. And it really was not surprising that someone as well placed and as wealthy as the Grand Duke knew who the Grand Master of the Order was. The tribesman realized that there was no longer any reason to hide the truth, especially from Lao.

"Yes your grace." The young man affirmed. "And Miu is in charge of my business interests in Ba Sing Se."

"I've also noticed that you have received scrolls from all over the world." The Grand Duke said examining the tribesman. "There are two, marked personal from Fire Lord Zuko. Also a number from the Avatar, the ruling council in Ba Sing Se, one from Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe, as well as from the chief of the Southern Tribe, and even one from King Bumi in Omashu."

"Oh the South pole one is probably from my Grandmother, your grace." Sokka explained with a little embarrassed laugh.

"Your grandmother?" Lao asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes your grace. She's the tribal chief of the Southern Tribe. Sort of the political head of the tribe." The young man told him, not sure how much his host already knew, he did seem to be well informed. "My father is the War Chief of the tribe."

"And you also rescued his Majesty King Kuei from the fall of the capital during the war, which puts him in your debt. If he ever returns." The Grand Duke said.

"Oh… I have a feeling that his Majesty will be back sooner than the ruling council expects." Sokka confided. "But yes, your grace, I do know his majesty personally."

"So…" Lao drawled, looking closely at Sokka. "You are either related to, or friends with all the rulers of the world. Is that right?"

"Well I never thought about it quite like that but I guess you could say that." The young man said thoughtfully, and then he looked at his host and added. "And now I know you too."

The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow at that statement, then a smile moved onto his face as he said,

"Yes, yes you do."

The sound of the door opening caught the attention of both men as Hong entered the library.

"You rang your grace?" The butler intoned.

X

Poppy sipped her herbal tea. It was very sweet, she had had to add a lot of honey to it just to calm herself down, after Toph's little outburst. The Grand Duchess was not going to let her daughter's defiance get her upset. Getting upset just gave her more wrinkles, and she had enough of them already.

No, the Grand Duchess would not let Toph upset her. She was just looking out for her daughter's best interests. The girl obviously did not know or understand these Water Tribe men the way her mother did.

Poppy had read countless stories, all of them based on real incidents, or so the authors maintained, about how these Water Tribesmen seduced innocent young Earth Kingdom girls, using their magic kiss on them to enslave them to their evil will. No, Poppy would save Toph, though from her daughter's reaction it might already be too late. No, she would get her husband to straighten the young girl out.

The duchess took another sip of the soothing tea and came to a decision. She would waist no more time on this silly crush her daughter had. Poppy had to focus on the important things now that Toph was home. The party took precedence over everything now.

The woman finished the last of her sweet tea, resolved to get to work, and save her daughter's life.

.

Toph used her chop sticks to bring another ball of rice to her mouth. She grimaced as the offensive thing hit her tongue. The blind girl didn't mind a little honey used as a sauce, but these things must have been soaking in it for hours and they were overly sweet, sticky, stomach churning clumps of honey stuck together with a little rice.

The small bender was starving after her light breakfast, which had been hours ago, and that had spurred her on to take the second sweet from the bowl, but it was just too much. She set down the bowl and chopsticks, and quickly grabbed her cup to wash the cloying sticky mess down her gullet with the hot perfume her mother called tea. She got it down, where it landed in her stomach like some sort of bog monster.

Toph took another sip of the herbal tea. She would not let her mother get to her. Katara was bad enough, with always telling her what to do, but now her mother was suddenly interested in her, and telling her how to live her life. Well the blind girl would just have to let it go. She would let her mother say whatever she wanted, and then Toph would just do whatever she wanted. It was a technique she had learned from Sokka for dealing with Katara, and the earthbender had found it to be an excellent way of dealing with mothers.

.

"Toph, dear." Poppy said putting down her cup. "We'll need to talk about that boy later; right now we need to discuss your birthday party."

"Yes, mother." Toph intoned, she was not looking forward to this conversation either.

"These next four days are going to be very busy if we are going to get everything done we need to." The Duchess said, putting down her tea cup and picking up her bowl of rice balls.

"Yes mother." Toph said in a dull voice.

"Tomorrow morning after breakfast the designers will be here to measure you and select fabrics." The older woman said. "I've already approved the designs, but you seem to have grown since we had anything made for you."

From her tone the duchess seemed to think that this had been in very poor taste on Toph's part.

"And I suppose that you will want that boy in attendance at the party?" Poppy asked in an unhappy tone.

"His name is Sokka mother." Toph corrected. "And Katara and Aang will be bringing all his stuff down from Ba Sing Se, including his dress robes."

Besides… The young bender thought with a little smile. I got him something to wear that you're just going to love!

"Well they'll just have to fit him in tomorrow." The duchess sighed. "I'm sure they will be able to come up with something presentable."

"Yes mother." Toph replied, the smile still gracing her lips.

"Then after lunch will be dance lessons." Poppy went on enthusiastically.

"I know how to dance, mother." The blind girl objected.

"This dance will be your moment to shine, dear." The duchess explained. "It will be your entry into society. It must be perfect."

"Yes, mother." Toph replied, boredom entering her tone.

"The next morning will be more dance practice." The woman went on. "Then in the afternoon, my secretary, Miss Lo, will go over the invitation list with you, so you will know who everyone is."

"Oh goody." Toph said in as dead a voice as she could manage.

"The third morning will be the designers again for final fittings." Poppy went on un-phased.

"Then after lunch…" The duchess continued when her daughter made no comment. "…will be the rehearsal for your entrance and after that more time with Miss Lo to go over the schedule and the guest list again."

Toph remained silent sipping her tea.

"Then the morning of the party will be a treat for us." Poppy said conspiratorially. "I've arranged a spa morning for the two of us. Madame Tuan will be bringing all her supplies and people out to pamper us and make us look beautiful for the party."

"Hooray." Toph said, giving her best impression of Mai.

The duchess popped the honey rice ball into her mouth and let the sweetness coat her tongue. That had actually gone better than she had hoped, after her daughter's outburst earlier. She swallowed the sweet mess. She would have to be careful or she would not fit into her new ensemble that she was getting for the party. She decided that after dinner she would have to put her finger down her throat, that should take care of any worries.

X

Sokka chewed on the steamed dumpling and gave a low hum of pleasure as the taste of the spiced meat moved across his tongue. He was starving and this was delicious. This was the third dumpling he had eaten and the first two had been just as good as this one.

"These are wonderful." The young man complimented his host, putting down his bowl and chop sticks and picking up his cup of tea.

Lao who had eaten one himself just to be a polite host nodded in agreement. The kitchen staff had done an excellent job.

The Grand Duke turned his cup in his hands enjoying the warmth of the tea. It was a fine day out on the library patio, but it was late fall and there was a cool breeze, and the warm cup felt good in his hands.

Sokka took a sip of the tea. It was hot and strong, just the way he liked it.

The older man studied the younger one sitting across the small iron table from him.

"My daughter…" Lao finally said into the silence, he tried to give the words as little value as he could, letting the bait just sit in the water, waiting to see what it would draw to it.

Sokka stared at his tea for a moment, then he raised his head and leaning forward looked the older man in the eye.

"I love Toph very much, your grace." He told the Grand Duke. "And in four or five years, after we have grown up some, I hope that she will marry me."

"That sounds like a long time for a young man in love?" Lao commented.

"A third of my life your grace." The tribesman answered. "But we are both very young and have yet to find our way in the world. Who knows tomorrow Toph may wake up and decide she can't stand me. Of course I hope that day never comes, but I feel we have to find out who we are before we can give ourselves to someone else. I didn't always feel that way but I do now, maybe I've grown up a little at this point."

Sokka gave a little self deprecating laugh at this last.

"You've obviously thought about this quite a lot." The Grand Duke observed.

"Yes, your grace." The younger man said with the same little laugh. "Toph makes fun of me for all my planning and puzzle solving, but I think she loves me a little bit for it too. I guess it's just the way I am. I see what I want and try to figure out the best way to get it."

"How long have you known my daughter?" The older man asked.

"We met during that first visit with Aang all those months ago, your grace." The younger man answered. "At first I didn't like her. She was arrogant and abrasive. Something I'm sure she never learned from her parents."

Sokka said this last with a little bow toward his host.

"Of course not." Lao agreed with a little smile, returning the bow.

"But then as I got to know her better, and we started working together I began to like her more and more." The tribesman continued staring down into his tea cup. "Until we became friends, good friends. Then over this last month or so, for me that friendship changed and became more, until I realized just how much she means to me. Now I can't see my life without her in it. I need her."

"I see." Lao said, staring at the younger man's face. "I assume you will want my permission to marry my daughter."

"I would hope for your blessing, your grace." Sokka said looking up into his host's eyes. "But the only permission I will need to marry Toph will be hers. I mean no disrespect your grace, and I know that Toph loves you and would want your blessing, but we both know she will do what she wants, and there is nothing either of us can do about that."

"If Toph marries without my permission, I will cut her off." The Grand Duke said, giving the younger man a hard look. "She will get nothing from me, and I will cut her out of my will and she won't inherit anything."

"Forgive me for being somewhat rude, your grace." Sokka said without flinching, meeting Lao's stern look with one of his own. "But do you think Toph really cares about any of that? In all the months I have spent with her the only thing she has missed from you is your love. We have made our way in the world without your wealth and will continue to do so. It means nothing to her, and it means nothing to me."

The two men held each other's gaze for a moment, neither wavering.

"Well said." Lao replied, looking down at his cup.

"Thank you, your grace." Sokka said with a confused look at the nobleman.

"You have my permission to call on my daughter." The Grand Duke said smiling.

"Thank you your grace." The young man replied still confused.

It was quiet for a time, the young man looking at the older, the older staring into his cup.

"Did you mean that?" Lao finally said. "About Toph only wanting my love?"

"Of course, your grace." Sokka answered. "That's all any child ever wants..., their parents' love."

"Of course… of course…" The older man agreed, his brow furrowed and still staring at his tea.

.

For the rest of the afternoon, Sokka worked on reading and responding to his letters, Lao watched Sokka, and worked at his desk in the library. Poppy and Toph didn't talk about Sokka, but Toph had to listen to all her mother's plans for the party. By the time the dinner gong sounded all four of them were ready for a change of company and some food.

.

"Toph…!" The Grand Duke said when he saw his daughter enter the dining room.

The blind woman stopped short and stood up straight.

"Yes father?" She asked eventually.

"A… yes…" Lao said looking at his daughter and then at Sokka, and then back to Toph.

"It's just that…" The older man said walking stiffly up to the young woman.

"Ah…. I… ah…." Lao stopped before the blind girl and shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"That is… your mother and I…" The Grand Duke shot a look at his wife and then seemed to be studying his slippers for a time.

"Well… I… a… no, we…" The older man said.

"We just want you to know…." Lao finally raised his eyes to his daughter's face.

"How happy I… no, we… are that you have returned to us." The father gave a slight sigh of relief, but then steeled himself for the next part.

"And that we…" With this he made a gesture to include his wife. "…Love you."

With this last the Grand Duke took a small step into his daughter and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her in a tentative embrace.

Toph was entirely caught off guard by the action and just stood stiffly for a few seconds. Eventually she put her arms around her father and hugged him to her.

"I love you too." The blind woman said in a quiet voice.

Lao patted her on the back twice and then released her, pulling back a small step when she let her hands drop from around him.

"Yes… Well… There…" The father said sounding uncomfortable yet very relieved. "We should probably eat now."

Toph turned towards Sokka and gave him a questioning look, he replied with a small shrug, but her bending could not detect the small smile that played across his lips at her father's performance.

Lao sat at the head of the table, Toph on his right, and Sokka on his left, Poppy sat at the other end.

Each of the diners had an attendant that stood behind their chair and served the dishes. Sokka shifted into his fancy restaurant persona, using his best manners, though he always felt uncomfortable having someone standing behind him watching him eat.

The meal was silent at first. Just the sound of porcelain soup ladles on porcelain bowls.

"This soup is delicious." Sokka finally commented to fill the quiet. "Better than the soup at the Grand Panda."

"But not as good as the soup we had at that inn the other day." Toph replied, smiling.

"Yes, that was the best soup I've ever had." Sokka agreed sharing a smile with his girlfriend.

"So you stayed at inns?" Poppy asked.

"Sometimes." The young man replied as the soup was taken away and more dishes were served. "But mostly we just camped by the road."

"That sounds very exciting, and so liberating." The Grand Duke remarked.

"By yourselves?" The Grand Duchess asked.

"Mostly." Toph answered, a wicked little grin playing across her face.

"Wasn't it dangerous?" Lao asked.

"Not when you're with the greatest bender in the world." Sokka replied.

"Sokka is a great warrior." Toph added. "He took care of anyone who was a real problem."

"Just the two of you?" Poppy asked.

"Yes mother." The blind girl answered.

"Sometimes we would camp with friends we had made on the road." Sokka amplified.

"But mostly it was just the two of us." Toph went on.

"What did you do for food and shelter?" Lao asked interested in the tale now.

"Toph would bend an earthtent whenever we needed one." Sokka explained.

"And Sokka would hunt and cook for us." Toph added enjoying her mother's discomfort.

"We would also buy supplies and eat at inns and taverns along the way." Sokka added.

"Just the one tent?" The Grand Duchess asked, some of her horror coming through.

"That's all we needed." The blind girl said.

"It's much warmer that way." The young man explained.

"Sleep alone, die alone." Toph said, the wicked little grin becoming a full on smile. "That's a Water Tribe saying."

"How freeing that would be." Lao exclaimed. "Just think Poppy, just the two of us, out in the wild, no cares, no business decisions. I could fish for our meals. We should try it sometime."

"Water Tribe saying?" The Grand Duchess asked in a horrified whisper. "So you two slept together?"

"Back home we need to share body heat at night, your grace." Sokka explained. "My whole family slept in the same bed. You put the children in the center and the parents sleep on the sides."

"That's interesting." Lao commented.

"Sokka's really good at sharing body heat." Toph added to her mother. "It's a Water Tribe thing."

"Do you fish, your grace?" Sokka asked the Grand Duke to change the subject, which for some reason seemed to be causing Toph a great amount of glee, but was upsetting her mother.

"Just a little." Lao answered. "We have a lovely little stream here on the property that I use sometimes. It's so relaxing to just forget all my work for a morning and sit by the stream."

"May I join you the next time you go out, your grace?" The young man asked. "I just got a new fishing rod and would love to try it out sometime."

"Yes of course." The Grand Duke said. "Maybe we can sneak a morning in before the party."

"I would like that." The young man said with gusto. "And we could eat what we caught for lunch."

The conversation between the older man and the younger one turned to different types of fishing gear and tackle after that. The conversation between the mother and daughter died.

The meal continued with the conversation between the two men moving from fishing to the post war world and what it would be like. At some points Lao wished he could take notes. The younger man's ideas were insightful and very apt.

"In your travels have you heard anything of this Black Lotus?" the Grand Duke asked at one point.

"Just rumors, your grace." Sokka answered, shooting a look to Toph.

For her part, the blind girl didn't say anything, but did sit up a little straighter in her chair.

"Oh the tales are quite wonderful." Poppy interjected, happy to finally have a topic she could join in on, being something of an expert. "I have a girl that goes into the city, and she brings back the most amazing stories of the Black Lotus and the White Queen. They say she is beautiful and elegant, dressed all in white, and that he is handsome, dark and mysterious, all in black. They travel the kingdom, rooting out evil and punishing the wicked. They'll be one place and then just disappear for days or weeks and then suddenly appear wherever people are in need."

"Well I think these stories have to be taken with a grain of salt." Lao commented. "You know how things can be exaggerated in the retelling."

"That is so true your grace." Sokka agreed, then he turned to the duchess. "Though I believe that the White Queen is beautiful, for what is a good story without a beautiful woman, such as yourself or your daughter."

Poppy smiled shyly at the complement. Toph raised an eyebrow at him.

"They say he is a very dangerous man, but that he only kills the benders." The Grand Duchess went on. "And that he does it all to prove his love for the White Queen. There is even a song about the two of them. I had Niu learn it and sing it for me."

"Perhaps you can have her sing it for all of us later." Lao suggested.

"Yes of course." Poppy beamed, enjoying the attention.

.

After dinner the Grand Duke asked them all to accompany him.

"I have a little… something I want to do." He told them as he led them from the dinning room.

Poppy excused herself.

"To freshen my makeup." The Grand Duchess had told them. "I'll be right back."

Toph and Sokka were led to the audience chamber they had been in before. Hong was waiting at the double doors again just as he had been earlier that day. The room was the same as it had been except for the addition of two chairs just to the right hand side of Lao's chair, and a heavy wooden table set in the center of the room. On the table was a heavy iron bound chest of medium size.

Lao took his place in his chair and indicated Toph and Sokka to sit in the two new chairs. Hong stood by the table. Madame Wang and Poor Girl stood to the side of the room. The two guards stood by the door.

As the three waited for the Grand Duchess to arrive, Toph became more and more restless.

"Do we have to wait?" The blind woman finally asked. "I still have to bend that guest house for Sokka and it's getting late."

She reached over and took her boyfriend's hand as they sat there.

"I'm fine Toph." Sokka said giving her hand a little squeeze. "I can sleep on the floor of the library. It will be better than a lot of places we've had to camp."

"Please be patient, dear." Her father asked her. "Your mother will be here soon and it is important that she is here for this."

"What is… this?" Toph asked.

"Well…dear…" Lao haltingly explained. "This is… well… this is a little attempt… I want to correct something… a mistake that I… well… we really… made a while ago."

"I guess it really is the start of our trying to correct a lot of mistakes we have made for a long time now." The Grand Duke continued more fluidly, as if he had run this little speech in his mind for a while now.

"Mistakes?" Toph asked.

"Yes dear." Lao told her. "And I want you to know that everything we have done, we did because we love you. We wanted to protect you, and make your life easier. I can see now that we were wrong. After I saw what you did to those fighters in the arena, that night those professional earthbenders kidnapped you and the Avatar, I began to realize just how wrong I was. Now with your exploits in the war, I can see just how mistaken your mother and I have been. But I hope you will remember that to me you are my little girl, my one and only very precious daughter, and even though I may have been… well... was wrong about so many things, that your mother and I just love you, and have always wanted what was best for you."

Lao took a deep breath and slumped back into his chair.

"I'm much better at business than I am a being a parent." He said frowning.

"Then you must be a great business man, your grace, since I think you're doing a pretty good job at being a parent." Sokka reassured him with a smile.

"Yeah." Toph said her voice deep and her eyes burning, as she reached out and took her father's hand.

The three sat holdings hands until Poppy finally arrived. Sokka was the first to stand and bow at her entrance, followed by Toph who let go of her father's hand but still held onto the tribesman's.

"Ah, my dear, everything alright?" Lao asked rising to help his wife into her chair.

"Fine!" The Grand Duchess said, taking her seat.

Poppy looked a little pale to Sokka's eye, but it could have just been the fresh makeup she had put on.

Once everyone was seated again the Grand Duke addressed his daughter and their guest.

"When Toph first left us to aid the Avatar, we mistakenly believed that she had been coerced into leaving." Lao began. "Once we received your letter explaining that you had left of your own accord, we realized our mistake. But before its arrival I had offered a reward for your safe return. Master Yu, your earthbending teacher, and Xin Fu who headed the Earth Rumble offered to bring you back. We learned later that they used underhanded and unscrupulous methods to actually kidnap you, which, apparently, was a terrible mistake on their part."

"What happened to them?" Toph asked with a laugh.

"From what I could gather…" Lao answered, a smile playing across his lips. "They were found trapped in some metal cell on a cart. Whoever found them was nice enough to take the cart to the nearest village, where a blacksmith spent most of a day getting them out. By the time they returned, we had received your letter and had rescinded the reward."

"But now that you are safe with us again…" Her father continued. "… and by your own words you would not be here but for the help of this young man, I feel it is only fit that the reward for your safe return be given to him."

Lao gestured to Hong, who pulled open the lid of the chest revealing its contents. The butler had gone to a little trouble in setting the table and chest and arranging the lighting in the room to create a dramatic effect. The servant prided himself on his dramatic effects.

The gold coins in the chest caught the light beautifully in their perfect rows, sparkling and filling the room with a warm golden light.

Hong allowed himself a tiny little smile of satisfaction at the reaction he received from his presentation, until he heard Toph's voice.

"What?!" The blind girl asked.

"Ahhhh… Gold coins." Sokka said, his voice cracking high on the coins part.

"Ten thousand gold coins." Lao explained, smiling.

"That's a lot!" Toph noted.

Sokka stood, releasing her hand, and bowed to the Grand Duke.

"Your grace…" The young man said rising from his bow. "… This is a magnificent gift and I hope I don't appear rude or ungrateful when I tell you I am honored but I can't accept it."

"Why not?!" Toph exclaimed. "Just think of the fun we could have with that much gold."

"Toph!" Sokka admonished his girlfriend, giving her a look which was totally lost on her. "Your grace, I accompanied your daughter not for any reward but because she was my friend, and I loved her. For my efforts I have received a reward far greater than any the world could offer me. She has given me her love, and any other reward, no matter how generous, or how graciously given, would only tarnish the one reward that I truly desire."

Sokka then took Toph's hand and kissed it. She blushed prettily at the complement. The young woman stood up and taking his head in her hands she pulled him down and kissed him on the lips, a warm, generous kiss of love.

There was squeak from her mother, and hearty applause from her father.

"I told you he wouldn't take it." Lao told his wife, who didn't seem to be listening at that moment.

"Wrong!" Toph said in a loud clear voice. "He's taking it."

"Toph…" Sokka began but was cut off.

"Shut up Meathead!" The bender ordered, taking his hand and turning toward her father. "He's taking it!"

"He said she had a good head for business." Lao boasted conspiratorially to his wife.

"Good then that's settled." The Grand Duke said turning to his daughter and her boyfriend. "I will have transportation arranged for wherever you want it delivered."

"Your grace…" Sokka began but Toph elbowed him in the stomach and all he was able to continue with was a loud, "OOOFFF!"

"Excellent!" Lao said rising. "Now Toph dear, you spoke of giving us a demonstration of your earth bending."

"It will be my pleasure father." Toph said giving a small bow.

"But Toph!" Sokka said.

"Quiet, Stupid!" Toph ordered, jerking on his hand, letting some anger enter her voice.

"You better listen to her." Lao advised laughing. "You should never get between a Be Fong and their profit."

"Yes your grace." The young man agreed, still rubbing the rapidly forming bruise on his stomach.

.

The four adjourned to the small garden behind the main house. The three non-benders stood and watched as Toph prowled the garden for a while. Finally she returned and began a complex earthbending form.

At first no change could be seen, but then slowly at first, but more rapidly as the small bender continued the form, a small spire began to rise out of the open grassy central lawn of the garden.

"My beautiful garden." Poppy moaned.

But she was hushed by her husband who was fascinated by his daughter's bending.

Soon other spires joined the first then a central dome and then more domes and towers until Sokka, who was the only one who had ever actually seen it recognized what Toph was creating.

"It's Wan Shi Tong's library." He said in wonder as a miniature of the giant building rose out of the ground.

Toph finished the form, the strain evident in her breathing and the light sheen of sweat on her forehead. She had been planning this all through the long afternoon of not listening to her mother's plans for her birthday party, and getting the detail right had been a strain.

"It's beautiful, Toph!" Sokka exclaimed grabbing the young woman up in a hug and kissing her. "You are just so amazing."

"I've seen drawings of it." Lao said looking in wonder at it. "How did you know what it looked like?"

"She's been there." Sokka explained swinging Toph around in his hug.

"Toph, you've been to Wan Shi Tong's library?" The Grand Duke asked.

"She saved our lives." The young man said setting the blind bender down. "Wan Shi Tong was sinking it into the sand and she stood toe to toe with him and used her bending to keep it above ground till we could get out."

"Well… not toe to toe." Toph corrected. "He was inside and I was outside but yeah, I held my own, though I couldn't save Appa."

"You took on an ancient spirit by yourself?" Lao asked in wonder.

"You bet she did!" Sokka exclaimed, hugging her again. "She's the greatest bender who will ever live."

"Amazing!" The Grand Duke said.

"You haven't heard the best part." Toph told her parents pulling herself free from the young man. "Aang told me about what happened inside the library."

"So, Wan Shi Tong is this huge owl, right." She said holding up her arms to simulate wings.

Aang had acted out the story for her some months ago and she retold it acting it out and using the voices as he had.

"And he's chasing Katara all over the place, and he gets her cornered, so she takes a stance, ready to fight and he says, 'you won't find your water bending any use here. I know Northern Style, Southern Style and Foggy Swamp Style.' And Katara's in real trouble, but right then Sokka jumps like a thousand strides down from the ceiling and smashes him right on the head and says, 'That's Sokka Style, learn it!'."

"You did that?!" Lao asked, wonder evident in his tone.

"Well… Sokka said trying to be modest, but without much success. "He didn't see me coming. But yeah that's pretty much what happened. But except for Toph holding the whole library up, we'd still be in there."

"We make a great team!" Toph said punching Sokka in the arm.

"Yes you do." Lao said the pride evident in his voice.

Poppy didn't say anything.

.

Lao relaxed in his comfortable chair in the sitting room that divided his own suite of rooms from those of his wife's. It was their usual custom to meet there and wish each other good night before going to their separate bedrooms to sleep. They had not slept together for nearly twelve years.

He took a sip of the plumb wine he normally had before going to bed. His wife, sitting across from him took a sip of her herb tea. She always had a sweetened cup before retiring. She swirled the liquid in her mouth to clear it of the bad taste from earlier.

"What are we going to do about that boy?" Poppy asked her husband.

"What do you mean?" He asked in reply setting down his cup.

"Well he's Water Tribe for one thing." The Grand Duchess explained. "And he's a peasant. His majesty would never approve a… liaison between our family and someone so foreign and low born. We need to end this… relationship now, before it becomes too serious and Toph gets hurt."

"His grandmother is the tribal chief of the Southern Water Tribe; in essence she is their queen. His father is their equivalent to a crown prince, and since Sokka is the first born he is the next in line to the throne, there version of a prince in waiting. If anything he is higher in precedence than Toph is, and will have to get a dispensation from his family for marrying below his station, if it comes to that. And besides that, he has a personal relationship with every ruler in the world and the Avatar. As for getting his majesty, King Kuei's permission, the King owes the two of them his freedom if not his life, and would probably grant them anything."

"But he's just some wandering mercenary, how will he support and take care of our daughter." She argued, frustrated by her husband's lack of understanding of the real difficulty.

"From everything that I have been able to find out, he is an incredibly brave and able warrior who has distinguished himself in the war." Lao explained. "Who, by Toph's own admission, has saved her life on numerous occasions."

"Yes, alright… But he has nothing." Poppy went on, dread and anger giving force to her words. "He sleeps by the road side like some vagabond."

"At the very least he has ten thousand in gold." The Grand Duke laughed.

"He has a business that he has started all on his own, using his own ideas and has turned it into a success. He has a better head for business than anyone I have ever met. He has even gotten Toph interested in business. The two of them will be unstoppable. Would you rather have her marry some pampered fool who has never done, and never will do, anything of note. He is the only man that our daughter will ever meet that will not think of her money before he thinks of her."

"But… He's Water Tribe!" Poppy finally said in frustration.

"Which means he is resourceful, brave, and loyal. If in the years to come, they stay together, I will gladly give them my permission and my blessing."

"You just won't see it will you?" The Grand Duchess said standing up. "Well good night!"

"Good night." Lao said as she left the room.

The Grand Duke finished his wine and went to his own bed, realizing once again, he was much better at business then he was at family.

.

"You're not going to wear that to bed, are you?" Madame Wang asked in a scandalized voice.

Toph was in Sokka's old top over her loin cloth.

"Yes." Was the young woman's sharp answer.

"But you have such lovely pajamas and silk robes." The servant said pointing to the wardrobe.

"I like this." Toph told her with a tone that ended any more discussion.

"Very well, mistress." Madame Wang said pulling down the covers for the girl.

"You can go now. I won't be needing you any more for the night." The blind girl told the servant.

"But mistress…" The older woman began, but was cut off by the younger.

"I can piss by myself!" Toph told her. "Good night!"

This last was not a pleasantry but a command, and the governess obeyed it with very ill grace.

After the servant left, Toph sent out her bending to make sure the house was down for the night and that she was alone. After some minor metal bending, she opened the doors in the window of the bed room, and walked out onto the railed balcony over looking the garden.

The small bender took her horse stance and checked the area for guards. Finding none she launched her self over the railing and into space. The earth reached up and caught her, lowering her swiftly yet gently to the ground.

.

Sokka lay under the central dome of the earth bent library. The miniature building was open on the inside, but Toph had added a raised platform as a bed. The tribesman had gotten his gear from the Grand Duke's library and settled himself in the new guest house, laying out his ground cloth and blanket on the platform. He had attempted to bring Hawky in as well but the raptor had refused, preferring to guard the young man's correspondence which was still on the long table.

Hong had provided a number of glow crystal holders and Sokka had set them up around the bed so he could read. He was studying one of the language books when he felt a slight tremor in the earth.

He set his book off to the side and threw the blanket off of himself, and waited. Soon he was rewarded with the sound of bare feet running through the short passage leading from the entrance to the main room of the miniature. Then the sound of Toph's laughter as she launched herself into the air flying straight for him, landing on his chest, which was followed with a quiet,

"Oooofff!" From the young man.

"I thought that was you." He told her as he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled up so her face was even with his own.

Toph reached out and found his face with her hands. She guided her lips to his were they shared a long, very satisfying kiss.

"Oh I needed that." Toph said finally pulling back.

"You're not the only one." He told her in reply.

She straddled his waist, and pushed herself up. Once sitting she began to explore his strong chest. His hands moved up and down her sides, through the large openings in her robe.

"I've missed you." He told her. "I'm spoiled having you all to myself all this time."

She lay down on his chest, her head just below his chin, the side of her face against his warm skin. He pulled his hands from inside her robe and began to stroke her back.

"You ok?" He asked after a time.

"Yeah." She sighed.

They lay that way for a while.

"You're father seems nice." He finally told her.

"My father was weird!" She corrected, her voice full of consternation.

"What do you mean weird?" He asked.

""I can't remember my father ever touching me, and tonight he hugged me." She explained. "And all that about how he loves me? That was just crazy."

She pushed herself up again.

"What did you say to him?" She asked. "And I'm raising my eyebrow accusingly at you, or at least trying."

"It looks good." He told her appraisingly, and then he laughed. "Nothing much, we talked about a lot of things."

"Well he was weird!" She re-affirmed. "So keep talking to him, cause I kind of liked it."

"Ok." He assured her. "So what did you and your mom talk about?"

"The party mostly." She answered. "Mother is totally going over board on it."

"Thirteen...?" Sokka sang the word. "Why didn't you tell us your birthday was coming up."

"Cause Katara would make a big fuss." Toph answered. "Though not as big as my mother."

She lowered herself onto her elbows and found his face with her hands again.

"My mother also told me that I can't kiss you."

Toph lowered her face to his and opening her mouth captured his lips. This was an aggressive demanding kiss and he answered in kind, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her hard against his chest.

After a moment she pulled back.

"Sooo... None of that?" He asked.

"What?" she asked in return, her breath rasping a little in her throat.

"This." He said capturing her lips again.

This time he was the more forceful one. Holding her head with his large hand, his mouth open and moving against hers. She followed his lead moving her hands up onto his head through his loose hair, holding and pulling him to her.

When he finally pulled away they were both panting a little for various reasons.

"Yeah..." Toph said. "None of that."

"What about this?" Sokka asked moving his head down and kissing the side of her neck.

It was an open mouthed sucking kiss, and she felt his teeth graze lightly across her skin, which sent a warm thrill down her neck and into her chest causing her heart to flutter.

"I don't know." She told him as he continued to kiss down her fine skin.

"It's not like... ahhhhh..." He had just run the tip of his tongue along her artery. "A... real... ooooohh... kiss."

"So then this is ok?" He asked his lips sliding over her skin, moving to the hollow of her throat, where her necklace lay.

"Yesssss...!" She cried out as his tongue licked the spot.

She couldn't take any more and wrenched his head back up, driving her lips onto his.

The kiss went on and on, lips , jaws, heads moving trying to find more and more of the other mouth to contact, to suck on. Toph's hands, hung on to his head, pulling herself closer. Her lips pressed up against her own teeth. Sneaking little gasps of air as the corner of her mouth would be exposed for a moment. On and on, more and more.

Instinctually her hips began to grind against his abdomen. He was only in his loin cloth and she could feel the cloth under her through the skirt of the robe and her own loin cloth. Her heart pounded in her chest, sending pulses into her soft breasts crushed against the hard muscle and bone of his chest.

The kiss went on and on, changing and pulling her closer and closer.

Toph felt something wet move across her lips.

His tongue. She realized.

She opened her mouth wider and sent her own tongue between her lips. The contact with his sent a hot thrill through her all the way down her spine to her very core. He sucked her tongue into his mouth, accepting it, wanting it. She pushed it in sliding along his, opening her mouth even more, wanting more contact, wanting more and more, and more.

And then she was on her back and Sokka was on top of her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, locking her ankles on his thighs. His left hand supporting her head, his right inside the open side of her robe stroking up her ribs and down to her hip. His tongue moving into her mouth now, she sucked it in, letting it fill her mouth. His hot breath on her cheek, her heart thudding against her ribs.

She wrapped her arms around his head and neck pulling him down onto her. Straining with her strong legs to pull him harder to her core. She could feel his hard length as they ground against each other. She felt the fire within her grow and grow, filling her, melting her.

She felt/heard the low growl/moan he made into her mouth, and her own desperate cry/moan following on his, created by his.

And then it changed.

She felt it change. She felt him pulling back. His body lifting, tensing and retreating. The kiss becoming less, his tongue pulling back between his lips. She pulled him down to her not wanting to let it end, but it was too late. She felt it herself. Reason had returned, however slowly, and she reluctantly released him.

He raised his head, she could tell he was looking at her. She felt his hot breath on her face mingling with her own as they panted, desperate for air.

"So..." He asked between breaths. "None... of... that?"

"Yeah." She answered.

He lowered his forehead onto hers. She realized for the first time that their faces were slick with a fine perspiration.

"So... This is a special occasion." She observed.

"What?" He asked.

"You said that Humongous Sokka only showed up on special occasions." She explained wriggling her self against him.

That earned her a deep laugh from him.

"Yeah... and if we don't stop now it could be a very messy special occasion." He told her.

"I think it may already be too late." She returned, with a laugh.

Her loin cloth felt very damp.

He joined her in the laugh.

They just lay there for a time, then Sokka gave her a little kiss on the lips and rolled off of her.

"Maybe..." He asked turning toward her. "We could go over this again, tomorrow night? Just to make sure I remember."

"Good for me." She answered.

"You should probably be going." He told her with a sigh.

"I'm sleeping here." She declared.

"But what if they check on you.?" He asked, concern for her evident in his tone.

"They can't!" She told him with a wicked little laugh. "I metal bent all the locks. No one can come into my room unless I let them."

Sokka laughed at that, and rolling onto his side he hugged her to him.

"Toph, have I ever told you how great it is that you invented metal bending?" He asked, giving her a little kiss at the end.

"You could stand to mention it more often." She replied with her own kiss.

"I love you." Sokka said.

"I love you." Toph answered back.

He reached down and pulled their blanket up over them, then he leaned in and rubbed his nose against hers saying,

"Good night girlfriend."

"Good night boyfriend." She answered rubbing back.

The two snuggled down under their blanket in each others arms.

.

Madame Wang sat at her desk in her personal quarters and wept. She couldn't understand it. Her little girl, the delicate little flower, that she had raised since she was a baby had returned changed. The little girl that had needed her for everything was now ordering her out of their room. Telling the governess what to do.

Her little Toph had become some foul mouthed creature. Wearing what must be a water tribe robe. Cavorting with that man, that barbarian.

The servant dried her eyes. She had to do something. She had to save her little girl. And tears would not help.

To be continued:

Disclaimer: "Avatar the Last Airbender" the characters and the world were created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and owned by Nickelodeon and Viacom or Paramount or some huge corporation. This is purely a work of fan fiction because I wanted to play in their world and I love the characters that they created.

Author's notes:

***WARNING***

Sorry everyone who has this story on their alerts. You have gotten an alert that chapter 54 has been added. This was a mistake on my part, I loaded chapter 53 twice. At this time there is no chapter 54. I have deleted the second upload so it should be ok now.

Sorry for the confusion.

Hi All,

So Toph is finally home and Sokka has met Madame Wang and the parents. He met them before but now he is the boyfriend which changes everything. I hope I did ok on that.

Sorry this chapter is so long over 15,000 words. The longest in the story but I felt it was important to cover all of this in one chapter. Maybe I should have broken it up.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks so much for reading.

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New FanART; Sicksketch has done some wonderful sketches over on Tumblr. Please take a look, just search under the tag "ill walk you home" and you will find them.

Fanart; There is fanart for the story on DeviantArt; Totalfanboy21 has a great picture of an older Toph and Sokka inspired by the story and Abi-chan14 and Cutubulla as well as Kawayui-Kage have created Fanart for the story. I am really honored that talented artists have liked the story so much that they have actually made art based on it. Please check them out.

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Thank you all so much for sticking with my story.

I have to thank everyone for the really generous and kind reviews. You guys keep me going and I really appreciate all the support. I always try to answer all reviews. If I missed any one please forgive me.

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Once again thank you to all those who have added this story to their alerts and especially their favorites, and a very special thank you to all who have added me to your author alerts and favorites. That is a real honor for me. I hope I have not disappointed you with this chapter.

Thank you to all for reading

All comments and/or criticisms are more than welcome.