#long feng
Anyone else ever wonder, had Iroh’s siege been a Fire Nation victory with them breaking through the inner wall and taking the city, how Long Feng would have explained it to the Earth King he’d kept in the dark about the war?
“The thing he had realised soon after sending Y/N away was that he fell hard and fast.”
Spirits, she looked beautiful.
Across the room, Sokka spotted her gliding through the crowd of socialites. With a wide, pretty smile, she brushed off the subtle, vicious approaches of numerous people until she swept to the end of the dinner table. Y/N did always have a knack with animals Sokka remembered as she approached the King’s bear – not platypus bear – and was brought into a hug. It seemed that risking her elegant silks, weaved emerald and gold with a train, wasn’t in the cards as she sat next to the bear, feeding it honeycombs.
It took a moment for the gang to catch his line of sight and realise their friend was only a few metres away. Before they could run to her, before Sokka could even think of what he was going to say, Joo Dee was stood in front of them. Her toothy smile seemed strained.
“What are you doing here?” She asked, and yet it sounded more like a plea.
“You have to leave immediately, or we will be in terrible trouble!”
Making a futile attempt to manoeuvre them to the exit, Sokka pushed against her, his expression twisted with something fierce. “I am not leaving now.”
“You don’t understand!” She hissed, grabbing Sokka’s forearm. “You must go.”
“No!” Sokka yanked his arm back, eyes flickering madly from Joo Dee to the girl across the room he was desperate to see.
In a moment, their scuffle caused a bigger scene; as Sokka reached for Y/N, he was sent flying back into Aang. The pitcher of water he was holding went flying over the head of an unpleasant looking socialite. Somehow Aang’s natural disposition for helping only got them into more trouble as he revealed his identity to the thralls of people. Exasperation rushed over him as easily as a tidal surge swallowed a shoreline whole.
“Aang!” Sokka whisper-shouted, the crowds too awe-struck to listen to the words of a busboy. “You keep their attention. I know how we’re getting to the king.”
Before he could be stopped by stupid questions – his sister loved questioning the idea man – Sokka was heading through that room faster than he thought possible. Pushing past different rich people he didn’t care to ever meet again, he only realised that he had no idea what he wanted to say once he was in front of Y/N and the honoured bear.
“Y/N!” He blurted out, putting his busboy tray on the table in front of a perturbed young man.
From beneath a pair of great, fuzzy arms a familiar face popped up. “Hello?”
Yes, Yue was stunning, but she was ethereal even before she became an omniscient moon spirit. Suki in all of her brute force and earthly beauty, she was intimidating in a different sort of way. The thing he had realised soon after sending Y/N away was that he fell hard and fast. Seeing Y/N, neatly styled hair dishevelled by her sweet need to befriend every animal she comes across, eyes shining with kindness, a smile so wide on her face, made Sokka’s heart ache.
He was speechless as she wriggled out of the bear’s hold, still leaving a single hand on his massive paw – an odd sort of compromise. Spirits, she had a lovely smile. However, there was something wrong.
There was no gleam in her smile; it was empty.
“Are you enjoying the festivities?” She said, scratching the bear’s muzzle as if it were a dog.
“Yeah, but Y/N,” Sokka frowned, desperate, “Don’t you recognise me?”
Her smile faltered for a flicker of a moment. “Should I?”
What was happening here?
Sokka thought fast. “I’m, erm, travelling with the Avatar.”
“Oh, of course!” Y/N exclaimed, parting with the large animal at her side to step closer to him, hand outstretched. “I’m surprised you’ve heard of me, really. I’m hardly a princess here.”
“But how long have you been here?” He asked, the beginnings of an interrogation.
“Well, my mother sent me out travelling for a few years, so I could understand the people of the kingdom better,” She grinned, obviously remembering something fondly – what, he didn’t know. “I came home only a few days ago, actually!”
“We must have met when you were travelling then,” Sokka said, his voice calm and amicable, but his mind reeling with questions, possibilities, and heartache.
“Remember? We met in Gaoling. Your mother sent you to live with the Beifongs.”
And then something passed behind her eyes that gave him hope.
“I don’t think I recall- “
“Yeah, and you were going to go home, but we kidnapped you! Well, not kidnapped you kidnapped you. It was a mutual kidnapping! And you saved me from a massive saber-tooth lion-moose!”
“I’m sorry, but I really- “
“And you saved me in the desert. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you. I seem to remember calling you princess before I knew you were a princess? Sorry about that, by the way. Or maybe I’m not? You didn’t react negatively.”
“Sokka- “
“I felt horrible after you left, and I knew it was all my fault, and I’m so sorry and- “
“Sokka.”
He looked at her for the first time since he started talking. Y/N looked terrified. Watching her eyes dart around the room frenzied like a cornered mink snake, ready to bite, Sokka reached for her. She accepted him readily. Wrapping her hand around his wrist, she shrank, her eyes no longer empty but instead full of fear.
“Sokka, where are we?” Y/N hissed, tugging him away from the table and bear, which seemed much sadder without her.
“You really don’t know?” He whispered, bringing a hand to her cheek. “Y/N, what happened? Where’s Suki and the others?”
Before she could say anything else, something yanked him away from her, and he watched her slip from his vision once more. Fighting against whatever had him by the scruff – it wasn’t a person, not exactly – was futile, but he fought nevertheless. As he tried to cry out to her, a hand wrapped around his mouth, muffling any speech. This went beyond weird; this place was dangerous.
Sokka had left the room of bright revelry to a more ominously lit one. Inside were all of his friends and a shady looking official, Long Feng. Stood in front of a hearth, the harsh planes of the man’s face were illuminated by green flame. He was tall, though seemingly non-threatening on first glance. However, as Sokka studied the man further, looked at the sneering curl to his smiles, the empty sentiments to his polite words. This man was a snake in the tall grass that was the socialites just outside the door.
“Why can’t we see the king?” Katara demanded, staring the man down. “We have information about the war.”
Long Feng smiled, the thin, neutral expression of a politician. “The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day-to-day minutia of military activities.”
“You don’t understand,” Aang said, more boyish than Sokka has seen him in the longest time. “This could be the most important thing he’s ever heard!”
“What’s most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se,” He said, that irritatingly subtle smile still plastered across his face. “All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It’s my job to oversee the rest of the city’s resources, including the military.”
Toph scowled. “He’s your puppet!”
“Wait,” Sokka said, voice low, furious. “Are you the reason Y/N couldn’t remember me?”
The mask cracked. It was the slightest twitch in his emotionless façade, but through that shone through something far more sinister. He turned to stare at Sokka, silent and domineering.
“His Majesty is a god to his people, as is the princess,” He responded easily, his eyes hardened. “Perhaps Y/N wanted to forget you. I have no power over her mind.”
That, Sokka decided, was a fight he wouldn’t win today. “We’ve found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenseless. If Ba Sing Se could lead an invasion- “
Before he could continue, a Dai Li agent burst in the room. Without batting an eye, he walked past the group, ignoring their very presence as he went to Long Feng’s side. Low, conspiratorial whispering occurred between the pair before the agent swept away. Drama, apparently, was important in being a member of the secret fascist police in Ba Sing Se. The cracks in their masks, however, were growing still.
Something had happened.
“Until now, you’ve been treated as our honored guests,” Long Feng smiled, though the way his lip curled made it more of a snarl. “From now on, however, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. It would be a shame if you weren’t able to complete your quest, or find your bison.”
Threat. That was what was lined behind every smile – every look. Even Joo Dee – or the multiple Joo Dees, considering they had just been given an obvious replacement – seemed threatening with her too wide smile and eyes. Toph was right about them coming to hate the city, but somehow this was even worse than her predictions.
Escorted out of the room, back through the great room, Sokka searched desperately for her. It was to no avail, however. The room was empty of Y/N. Whilst Aang focused on searching for Appa, Sokka knew who he was looking out for.
He was going to find her again.
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