Chapter Text
Toph,
We received your letter but our answer is the same. Make your decision soon.
Poppy and Leo Beifong
Sokka lowered the letter and folded the small parchment into a square. He tried to conceal his feelings, but he was angry. Toph’s parents had signed the letter with their names. Not Love Mom and Dad , not Miss and love you, your parents, Just Poppy and Leo Beifong. Like they were signing a business deal or a transaction receipt.
“I’m sorry, Toph. I know that wasn’t the answer you were hoping for.”
Toph blew her bangs out of her face and leaned back in her chair. She was killing time with Sokka in the tea room while they waited for Zuko to come up from the harbor. The Fire Lord was just returning from his mission to the North Pole, and they were anxious to hear any updates on the relations between the two countries.
And if he had found Katara.
Suki was going to greet Zuko first and get his official report before they joined the others for supper.
Toph held her hand out and Sokka handed her the letter. Toph traced the edge of the paper before balling it up in her fist and tossing it to the ground.
“There. That’s what I think of that” Toph huffed. Sokka watched the paper roll on the floor and he sighed sadly. Toph acted indifferent to the situation, but Sokka knew it was a coping mechanism.
Toph had trouble getting into contact with her parents after the war, and once they did respond back they made it clear they were not pleased with their daughter’s actions or her association with the Fire Nation.
Toph had written them back, open to seeing them so they could smooth out their differences, but they had given her short responses with a clearly defined ultimatum.
Cut off all ties to the Fire Nation royal family or forget any idea of ever coming back home.
Toph understood their hesitance and clear animosity towards Zuko and Iroh. Her parents didn’t know them, after all. But the cold one-line replies hurt her deeply.
She hadn’t seen her parents in over three years. She hoped they missed her as much as she missed them, but it seemed like their pride was getting in the way. They hadn’t even honored Toph with a more elaborate explanation.
But Toph had coped with it. She had a big brother in Zuko and a loving grandfather figure in Uncle Iroh, both of whom she considered her family. And that didn’t even cover Aang. Her partner-in-crime and best friend.
Immediately following the war, Uncle Iroh had stepped in as regent to protect Zuko who had become the target of assassinations and political plots. While the young Fire Lord had been secretly smuggled to the Southern Water Tribe until he turned 18, Toph, Aang, and Uncle Iroh had stayed back to put the Fire Nation back into some semblance of order.
Surrounded by loving family and tasked with pounding the crap out of liars and traitors alike, Toph had been happy for the first two years. She and Aang we’re nigh inseparable. Toph continued to teach Aang earthbending so he could improve his skills as the avatar.
But that was then and this was now. Now Uncle Iroh lived in Ba Sing Se, Zuko was swamped with work and responsibilities, Sokka was an ambassador and constantly on the move, Suki was head of security at the palace and left periodically on missions with the other Kyoshi Warriors, Katara had gone missing just last month, and Aang ...Aang had been missing for nearly a year.
For the first time in years, the feelings of isolation started to creep back.
It felt like Toph’s support system was crumbling apart around her, and for the Blind Bandit who prided herself on her independence and being able to take care of herself, Toph hated how that was making her feel.
“I don’t need them anyway,” Toph declared as she swung her feet back over the side of the sofa and stood up straight. “I’m doing just fine without them.” She headed to the door and stopped with her hand on the handle.
“Thank you, Sokka. Quit worrying about me. I know you’ve got a stupid look on your face right now. Cut it out; it’s too much like Katara and I can only deal with one of her.”
Sokka shook his head as Toph went out of the room. She closed the door behind her and leaned her back up against it.
She still had family and friends around her, even if they were busy...so why did she feel abandoned? Toph shook her head, desperately wanting to drown out the hollow feeling. She had to find out if Katara had returned. She turned on her heel and headed to the throne room.
Suki and Zuko were just coming out when Toph ran into them. To her dismay, she only picked out the vibrations of two people...not a third.
“You didn’t find her,” Toph said, immediately downcast.
Zuko shook his head and gently squeezed Toph’s shoulder. “No, but she’s ok, Toph. I don’t know where she is, but I have to believe she’s safe. In time, she’ll come back.”
“Aang hasn’t come back,” Toph immediately pointed out. “What happens when a year goes by and you still haven’t heard from her?”
“Toph, that won’t happen” Suki interjected.
“You don’t know that!” Toph shot back. “I thought that! I thought, give it a week. He’ll be back. These temper tantrum disappearing acts never last long. Then I thought, two weeks. Then a month. Then two months. It’s almost been a year and I’m still waiting. ”
“Toph” Suki interrupted. Toph clamped her mouth shut. With one call of her name Toph knew what Suki meant. Zuko was already struggling with Katara’s disappearance too and she wasn’t helping. Of course he had already considered the possibility that it would be a long time before Katara came home. No need to rub it in his face.
“Sorry,” Toph mumbled.
She heard Zuko take a deep breath. “It’s fine, Toph. It’s been a long day and I’m just ready to eat some food and go to bed. Join me for supper?”
“I’m sure Sokka’s already there,” Suki said, letting herself smile a little bit. Toph sighed and shook her head.
“I don’t think so, Sparky. Sorry.” She wasn’t up for an evening of forced laughs and smiles. There wasn’t any good news to celebrate.
Zuko immediately frowned at her and took a step closer. In spite of the turmoil in his own chest, Toph’s distinct downcast face bothered him. He could only tackle one issue at a time, but Toph was always a priority.
“What happened?” he asked softly.
The years spent with Uncle and Aang had worn down some of Toph’s walls. This was her family and she didn’t feel the immediate need to hide her feelings. Especially not from Zuko. “I got another letter,” she admitted.
“Anything different?”
“The same,” Toph replied. Suki was by her side in an instant.
“You know what I think, Toph. They don’t deserve a second more of your thought and time. You don’t need this.” Suki was angered by the callous communication from the Beifongs. With Iroh gone, Toph seemed ever more aware of the distance between her and her blood family.
“You’re right,” Toph conceded.
“What you do need is supper. Come on. Four out of the six of us is more than we’ve had most of the time. Don’t make it three,” Suki urged.
“Fine,” Toph agreed. This evening couldn’t be the time she picked to throw herself a pity party. Zuko was struggling and he had always been there for her. She would do her part to distract him from the depressing unsuccessful trip he had just come home from. “Just make sure they’ve cut the spice back some, Sparky. Some of us don’t like to burn our mouths off.”
Zuko nodded solemnly. “I’ve already delivered the message to the chef myself.”
The supper was more dynamic than Toph was expecting. Sokka and Suki managed to keep conversation on lighthearted topics. Toph knew how hard it must be for Sokka. Zuko wasn’t the only one hurting and worrying about Katara.
But Sokka was putting on a good face. He always enjoyed making fun of the Fire Nation council members. He had managed to charm the entire palace staff and most of them didn’t take his criticism of their countrymen to heart anymore. In fact, most of them had started to agree with the outspoken Water Tribe man.
“Then he said, ‘we don’t have the capital available to support this kind of program.’” Sokka put on his best posh voice to imitate a noble who had been roadblocking progress on a new bill. “He said this while dressed in two layers of red silk, golden pipe in his hand, sitting in a plush chair with his purebred elk horse strapped to his silver capped carriage outside. Oh, and he was eating frosted eel caviar eggs and drinking Casanova Dew wine. Do you know how expensive that stuff is?” Sokka was going on a full blown rant.
“It doesn’t matter if the nobles are in favor of it or not,” Zuko said. “I’m going ahead with this program - especially after what I witnessed in the North. The other nations have already agreed to full participation. Getting funding for it is the least of my worries. Approval reached King Kuei right before I left for the North.”
“Which treaty are we talking about now?” Toph asked.
“The No Child Left Behind Act,” Suki explained.
“Ouch. Who came up with that name?” Toph smirked.
“I did,” Suki said dryly.
Toph shrugged. “I always told you to leave the nicknames to us. So what’s it about?”
Suki rolled her eyes at Toph as Zuko answered.
“It’s a collective effort between the three nations to return orphaned and lost children back to their homelands and family throughout the world,” Zuko explained.
“Fire Nation orphanages are bursting at the seams with children who were either born in prison camps, found on the streets, or just plain lost. Most of these children are from the Earth Kingdom,” Suki elaborated. “The plan is to legally make it so that children under the age of 16 are required to be returned to their native nation and reunite them with their families or living relatives. I proposed the idea over four months ago. It’s taken this long to get approvals from the other nations. The financial part is still a little murky at this point, but we’ll get it figured out.”
“I can’t keep track of all these,” Toph said, reaching for her glass. This wasn’t her area of expertise. Her job was to keep the royal guard in line and be the muscle behind a lot of Suki’s threats that Zuko didn’t know about. Government, ruling, treaties, and diplomacy were not her cup of tea.
Then again, it wasn’t Sokka’s either, but here he was.
“The plan is set to eliminate a lot of the underage trafficking that has run rampant throughout the war and even past the end of it. The program is a united effort between all the nations. They will all share the financial burden to help get the children home,” Zuko continued. “Hopefully we can reunite a lot of families that were separated by the war. The agreement speeds the process along and gives the power to the assigned agencies instead of leaving it in the hands of the government.”
“Because government is evil!” Sokka proclaimed.
"Uh, honey, you work for the government," Suki pointed out.
“How will this affect the Kyoshi Warriors?” Toph asked, quickly breezing over Sokka’s cries for anarchy. “The majority of your force is made up of orphaned girls from mixed backgrounds.”
“Children that are already legally adopted or part of a recognized organization are exempt,” Suki explained. “We’re not trying to break up established homes, blood related or not.”
Toph nodded and took a careful spoonful of her soup. It was just right. Not too spicy.
She didn’t think much about the conversation then. Those discussions were normal and happened nearly every night. Most of it went in one ear and out the other. She didn’t concern herself with politics.
That was, until a second letter arrived just over a week later.
Zuko offered to read it and Toph was waiting impatiently in his study as Zuko opened the letter. He was silent for much too long.
“Let me guess? Another one line threat, isn’t it? You can tell me. It’s nothing new,” Toph snorted. She didn’t know why she had ever expected anything less. That part of her life was over. She was... mostly happy in the Fire Nation. She didn’t need her parents. For caring, for comfort, for closure, or anything else. They had made it abundantly clear that they didn’t really want her, the real her, either.
“Um…” Zuko cleared his throat awkwardly.
Toph raised an eyebrow. “Oh, come on. How bad can it be? Spit it out already, Sparky!”
“They’re... demanding your return to Gaoling. If you don’t comply they’re going to send their lawyer to the capital and take legal action,” Zuko stammered out. The letter in his hand read more like a stiff legal document than a request to a family member. It was cold. Professional. And straight to the point.
“Ha! I think they forgot what happened last time they tried to force me home. If you follow the road out of Ba Sing Se I think you’ll find two dunderheads still stuck in a metalbended crate,” Toph pointed out. She plopped down in one of the chairs and stuck her feet up on Zuko’s desk.
For once, he didn’t immediately request she take them down.
“Toph, this is different.”
Toph didn’t like that tone. That was the tone Zuko used in his meetings when he was trying to command the attention of the room. That was his serious voice.
“How is it any different? They’ve been sending me letters for years now, Zuko. They’ve done nothing before,” Toph said. There was no reason to be so worked up.
“Toph, before they didn’t have a law and the local government backing up their claim. They couldn’t touch you in the Fire Nation. Now…”
“What law?” Toph sat up and slipped her feet off the desk. Zuko actually sounded concerned.
“The No Child Left Behind Act,” Zuko said, putting the letter down. “Under it, the national governments don’t have a say in this matter. You fall under the jurisdiction and meet the requirements, Toph.”
“In english, your highness. What does that have to do with me?” Toph asked.
“Because you’re under the age of 16 I legally need to return you to your parents in Gaoling.”
Legally? Toph jumped out of the chair. “Well, what about illegally? Zuko, you’re the blasted Fire Lord. If anyone can make an exception to the stupid rule, you can.”
Zuko rubbed his chin and looked back down at the letter. “I’ll try, Toph. You’re a national hero and well-known in both nations. Whichever way this goes, it’s going to have some publicity . It’s going to make some waves.”
“Fine, then make some waves,” Toph said. “Empty the stupid ocean if you have to. I’m not going back. They can’t make me. They tried once and they failed and they’re just going to fail again.”
“You’re not going anywhere, Toph,” Zuko said. Finally, there was some sort of confidence in his voice again. “We’ll get it straightened out.”
“Sweet. Just tell me what I need to do and who’s butt I can kick,” Toph said, turning to the door.
“I don’t think any butt kicking is necessary…” Zuko began.
“Who said anything about necessary?” Toph asked. She could do this. She could wait out her parents crazy demands at the palace. It would all fizzle out eventually. Toph doubted her father had the guts to actually follow through on his threats, anyway.
Zuko watched her leave the room and when the door shut behind her he sank back in his chair and groaned.
There were several things about this situation that he hated - the first being the obvious. The absolute last thing he wanted was Toph being forced back to her parents. The law could only extend until she turned 16.
Still, that was nearly two years away.
Zuko quickly decided that he was not willing to go without Toph for two years. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. They were already missing Aang and Katara...Katara… Zuko did his best to pull his mind off of that particular subject. The trip in the North weighed heavily on him, and he still had no idea where she was.
My beautiful well-intentioned idiot.
He couldn’t focus on Katara right now. Toph needed him.
There were several ways this situation could go down. Zuko would pay to see the Beifongs and their lawyer try to come and bodily haul Toph home. He could only imagine how that would play out. He and Sokka would grab some fireflakes and lean back to watch the show. He smiled at the thought.
But then there was the public and diplomatic way this would look to the other nations. Forget who it was; how would the world react to the Fire Lord forcibly keeping a young girl away from her Earth Kingdom family? It wouldn’t look good at all. The delicate balance of peace and the progress he had made within his own government and the other nations could be threatened.
Was Toph more important than all of that? In Zuko’s mind there wasn’t a doubt.
Of course she was.
But he wasn’t just making decisions based on his own views or for his own life. It affected so much more than that. The thing Mai had said to him when he first took the throne came ringing back in his ears.
“You can be a good man or a good Fire Lord, but you can’t be both.”
Zuko leaned his face into his hands as he hunched over his desk. The Prime Minister had worked with Suki to write up the law in the first place. Zuko frowned. Prime Minister Yurii was an old traditional man who wasn’t the biggest fan of Toph, for whatever reason. He wouldn’t offer a lot of advice if it was meant to keep Toph around.
On the other hand, High Sage Fumihiro was a friend to Toph and had arguably just as much influence as the Prime Minister. Zuko would talk to him instead.
If that did work he would talk to Sokka and Suki. Maybe they would have an idea. He wasn’t coming up with anything.
~0~0~0~
“Hmm, I see. So what you’re saying is, you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
It was the next day and Zuko managed to meet with Sokka and Suki on the balcony before lunch that afternoon. He had already met with the High Sage that morning and for the first time ever Fumihiro had agreed with the Prime Minister, though he seemed regretful about his council. Fumihiro and Toph had teamed up against the nobles together since the very beginning.
But it could not be helped. The program and keeping the peace were more important than creating an international incident by attempting to exempt Toph from the law.
He was hoping Suki and Sokka would come up with an alternate plan. One that avoided political drama and kept Toph home at the palace at the same time.
So far, the conversation could be going better. Suki and Zuko stared at Sokka who was beaming.
“Get it? A rock and a hard place? Because we’re dealing with Toph?” Sokka looked between Suki and Zuko, looking for the smallest hint of a smile.
“Kyoshi help me ,” Suki muttered under her breath.
“Yes, it is a tough situation,” Zuko agreed, ignoring the attempted humor.
“No, it’s a Toph situation,” Sokka interjected. He slapped his leg and nudged Suki, laughing at his own joke. Suki knew that he was only trying to lighten the tension of the situation...but it wasn’t helping.
Suki just shook her head and turned to Zuko. “How is she dealing with the situation?”
Zuko raised his eyebrow at her. “How do you think she’s taking it?”
“Right. Got it." Suki sighed. This past year had already been hard enough on Toph. This did not make it easier.
Inside, Toph was heading to the dining hall when she heard the voices. She caught her name and shook her head. If they wanted to discuss the situation without her then they shouldn’t have picked such an open spot if they didn’t want the best ears in the palace to hear them. She inched over to the side of the doorframe to listen in.
"No, but seriously, do the Beifong’s really think they can just waltz in here and take Toph?” Sokka asked.
“They’re threatening to,” Zuko replied.
“Then call their bluff!” Sokka insisted. “No one in their right mind would try and force Toph anywhere.”
Toph smirked. Sokka was right on the money.
“Her parents have always underestimated her. I’ll bet they still see her as a little blind girl who ran away three years ago. They don’t know her,” Suki said sadly. “Meaning, they might be just dumb enough to try it.”
“Then when they get there Toph can just deliver their fancy butts right back to the boat they came on,” Sokka said. “And that’ll be the end of it.”
Toph nodded in agreement. Good plan, good plan.
“That is the worst thing that could happen, Sokka,” Zuko said. “If there is any sort of confrontation here, the story will be that I was being hostile to Earth Kingdom officials and we risk erasing all the progress we’ve made with the other nations.”
“It’s not you doing the confronting, it’s Toph,” Sokka pointed out.
“The other nations won’t care about that. They’ll see the words confrontation and Fire Nation , and they won’t care about any other details,” Zuko explained. “The fact of the matter is, Toph’s parents have legal claim over her and there’s nothing I can do about that.”
Toph's grin faded as a rock rose up into her throat. She hadn’t thought about it like that. As much as people thought she was a ‘punch first, ask later’ kinda girl, Iroh had taught her to make decisions carefully and strategically. Just like in Pai Sho.
And Zuko was right. She could break some backs easily, but what would that truly accomplish? She could create a mess for Zuko and still not be free of her parents afterwards.
“You sound like you’re giving up pretty easy,” Sokka said, scowling. “Toph deserves better.”
“You think I want this?” Zuko asked. “Ever since Uncle left, Toph has been my constant. If you think I’m not torn up about this then you don’t know me very well. But my hands are tied. I’ve got to think about more than what I want. I have a whole nation to worry about.”
“Hey, no one wants this,” Suki interrupted, moving in between the two. With Katara still missing tensions were high, and Toph was important to both Sokka and Zuko. They were letting their emotions get the best of them. Suki’s heart was hurting too, but pointing fingers wasn’t going to do anything.
“I’ll take a closer look at the law,” Suki suggested. “Maybe I can find a legal loophole.”
“I’ve already spent hours reading over it. There are two exceptions to the law,” Zuko said. “She would have to be legally adopted or be part of a legal institution.”
“Easy. We’ll adopt Toph,” Sokka said. “Suki, you be her mom. Zuko, I’ll duel you for the honor.”
“Her parents would have to forfeit their legal rights over her to the Earth Kingdom government,” Zuko said. “I really doubt that they’ll do that.”
“Fine. Make Toph a Kyoshi Warrior,” Sokka said, not deterred at all.
“Kyoshi Warriors are nonbenders, Sokka. She won’t qualify,” Suki said.
“Fine. Ty Lee’s sister is an apprentice at the Fire Temple. Toph can become a nun,” Sokka said.
Toph grimaced. That was a horrible idea.
“Pretty sure she would rather die first,” Suki said.
Accurate.
“Have we considered murder?” Sokka asked.
“We can’t kill Toph’s parents!” Suki protested. She dragged her palm over her forehead. This was giving her a headache. She had just received correspondence from Kyoshi Island and the North Pole. She was set to go pick up the newly orphaned girl from the North and escort her to Kyoshi Island, per Zuko’s request. She had to go soon. This situation couldn’t have popped up at a worse time.
“Well we need to figure out something fast. I have to leave for the North Pole in three weeks, and I can’t leave this unresolved.”
The words felt like rocks dropped one at a time in Toph’s stomach. She suddenly felt sick. Suki was...leaving? How did she not know anything about this?
Her mind went back to all the conversations over supper. Maybe they had said something about this trip. She hadn’t been paying attention. This revelation shouldn’t hurt so bad. She was Toph Beifong . The greatest earthbender in the world! She left home at 11 years old!
She could take care of herself!
But the confidence had chipped away and Toph’s chest tightened until she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She impulsively turned through the doorway onto the balcony. She could feel all her friends tense up the second she made her presence known.
“What do you mean you’re leaving?”