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[Lunacyde]

Tall white pillars of marble rose from the cavernous depths below reaching toward a glimmering dome of gold. Echoing words filled the vast council chambers. The room was nearly empty, the lines of handsome wooden pews vacant and still. One voice seemed to stand out against the backdrop of murmuring noise.

“We have indulged the Fire Nation long enough. They are making a mockery of this council and each respective nation represented here. If they will not pay what they owe then perhaps we should take it by force.” A large man leaned over the table, his muscles contorting over his large frame as he spoke. His tunic was simple, green and rumpled without sleeves. Long gauntlets of wrapped leather and spikes adorned his forearms. His hair was kept short and plain.

The Fire Nation representative rose from his chair. “You would dare threaten war? We are a peaceful people; we have all but eliminated our military to comply with the orders of this council.”

“That is what you would have us believe. I have it on reliable information that you are massing forces at the Black Cliffs. It is the responsibility of this council to act against such threats.”

“Caleph, that is enough. Your war-mongering is going too far this time. I am sure Fire Lord Zuko has good reason for halting the payments.”

“Then let us hear his reasons brother Sokka. Bring him here before us to explain why he has failed to hold up his end of the bargain.” Kalnar, representative of the Northern Water Tribe sat back in his chair smiling smugly. He was a tall, slender man, dressed immaculately in a light blue tunic with intricate navy stitching. His long flowing hair draped over his shoulders and ran down his back like a river of brown silk.

“There was no bargain Kalnar. Zuko did not lose the war, he ended it. If anything we owe him a debt of gratitude.”

“What choice did he have? If he would have resisted the Avatar would have beaten him, just as he defeated his father.” Caleph retorted in a gruff voice, the metal spikes of his gauntlet gleaming in the early morning light.

“I was there Caleph. If you fail to remember Zuko became the Avatar’s firebending teacher in order to defeat his father.”

“Ah yes, the story of the turncoat prince, one of my favorite campfire stories.” The disdain in Caleph’s voice was palpable.

CHUNG CHUNG CRASH The large metal doors of the chamber flew open as Toph strode in impatiently. “Good morning ladies”, she chuckled as she walked down the center aisle, Aang in tow. “Did we miss anything good? Fancy dancer here just had to stop for some custard tart.” She motioned towards Aang with her thumb.

“Toph-” Aang muttered under his breath nudging her with his elbow.

“Chief Beifong, this is a closed session, you are not permitted in here. Neither I am afraid is the Avatar.” Kalnar chose his words carefully, delivering them smoothly and succinctly. “I am sure if you are interested a transcript of the proceedings will be made available to you after we are through.”

“Shove it Kalnar. We know you’re up to something.” Toph raised a platform of Earth from the ground, sitting on it like a stool.

“You can’t do that.” He burst exasperatedly. “That is brand new tile, shipped all the way from Kyoshi Island.”

“You’re such a whiner”, she remarked. “Put it on my tab.”

“Toph is right Kalnar, we aren’t leaving until we hear what this secret meeting is about.” Aang stood commandingly over the table of squabbling councilmen. “Now what is going on?”

“Avatar, we wish to address the fact that the Fire Nation has not paid their routine reparations in months. The Fire Lord is committing a war crime by failing to pay as outlined in Act Fourteen of the treaty of Ba Sing Se.” Kalnar affirmed as if it was rehearsed.

“Let us form a Task Force to deal with this head on.” Suggested Caleph as his fist pounded the solid table. “Kalnar and I will lead this force and bring back Fire Lord Zuko in our custody.”

“No, absolutely not. Have you even sent word to Zuko? He deserves a chance to clear this up.”

“The Fire Lord knows exactly what he is doing. We are giving him a chance here. He will have a fair trial, just as anyone else would. You are not implying that our justice system is somehow not good enough for this man are you?”

“Of course not Kalnar, I only wish to ease tensions. Now is not the time to drive a wedge between nations.”

“Aang is right Kalnar. The world is in a fragile balance right now. We must not make such bold moves if we hope to hold it together.” Sokka rose from his seat and made his way to Aang’s side.

“Your friendship with the Fire Lord is compromising your judgment. The Fire Nation plunged the world into a Hundred Years of darkness we are just beginning to recover from. They owe the world greatly." He paused momentarily before closing his fingers into a tight fist. "He has broken the terms of the treaty, and he must be put before justice.”

“I will do it”, Toph exclaimed suddenly. She had been sitting quietly listening to the debate before her. Her cavalier demeanor had evaporated leaving a worried look on her face. “I will bring Zuko in.” Everyone in the room turned to look at the blind police chief, her polished armor glinting as rays of sunlight from the massive windows fell upon it. Her face was stoic, her eyes motionless as she sat there waiting for a response.

“I suppose if you took full responsibility for this mission I cannot in good conscience argue against it." A calculating smile crossed Kalnar's face. "Have a platoon of your finest metalbenders ready to leave by noon.”

“I’m going alone”, stood up abruptly turning to leave.

“No, you are not. I know you think you’re something special Chief Beifong, but I’m not going to let you screw this up. Fire Lord Zuko is the most powerful firebenders in the world. I demand you take back-up.” Kalnar stood tall crossing his arms imposingly.

Toph lunged toward Kalnar, but Aang caught her by the arm. “I will go as her back-up. We will bring Zuko back.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The courtyard shimmered emerald, a tiny green oasis among the endless sea of tan stone and red-roofed buildings. A gentle wind rustled the draping willow branches. They knelt to the ground in wispy cascading falls as if bending to listen to the playful splashing and quacking of turtle-ducks. Zuko sat quietly meditating in the cool breeze, his ceremonial gown replaced by a simple crimson tunic.

“Toph, Aang, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?” Zuko’s eyes flashed open, his darkened scar a stark contrast with his warm smile. The sun shone brightly overhead, warming the leaves above as he poured a cup of steaming tea. He gestured for his friends to sit, extending the delicate china pot toward them. It was fair white, painted with intricate patterns of vines and fire-lily blossoms. “Please have some, its jasmine.” He reflected somberly, his raspy voice falling. “It was uncle’s favorite.”

“I’m very sorry to hear about your uncle.” Toph remarked, a tinge of sorrow in her words.

“We all are”, Aand added quickly, his flowing airbender robes flapping in the gentle breeze.

“I know how much you cared about him”, she continued. “But that’s not why we are here.”

“Toph, let the man have a-”

“What Aang? Let him have a what? I’m as unhappy as you are about this, but we have to tell him sooner or later.” She thrust a forceful finger to his chest. “You can’t evade it forever.”

“Tell me what?” Zuko interjected, his face falling sullen. What is this about?”

“You’re under arrest”, Aang said softly looking away. “The council demands that you stand trial”, Aang trailed off for a second before collecting himself. “For war crimes.”

“For what?” Zuko exclaimed, looking at Aang, then to Toph, then back to Aang. “There must be some kind of mistake.”

“The fire nation has failed to pay its reparations”, Toph explained, her vacant eyes unmoving. “They asked me to bring a platoon of my finest metalbending officers, but I convinced them to let Aang and I come alone, out of respect for our friendship.”She inhaled deeply. “I’m only going to ask once, Zuko please come with us quietly.”

Zuko looked carefully at his friends standing before him, setting his cup of tea down on the soft cool grass. His gaze darted to Aang, their eyes meeting.

“You know what it’s like to be trapped, unable to help your people. You know the guilt and the helplessness.” Aang nodded in acknowledgement, his soft brown eyes cast toward the ground below. “Then you understand why I cannot allow you to take me in” Zuko stared resolutely. “I will not leave my nation’s fate in the hands of a panel of bureaucrats in Republic City. We will not be held at the mercy of an outside power.”

“Zuko, just come with us, everything will be ok.” Aang replied reassuringly.

“No. Everything will not be ok. Everything is not ok,” Zuko exploded. “It has been seventeen years since we ended the war together. I promised my people peace and prosperity. I promised my uncle I would restore balance.” Zuko closed his eyes, a single tear silently streaking down his disfigured cheek. “There is no peace, no prosperity and there is no balance. Every day I see my people breaking their backs to survive. Every day I see my people begging in the streets for food and clothing. I could not tax them any more, they already have so little. I have already given away the wealth of my inheritance. We have no more to give.”

Toph clenched her fist, “It has been hard on all of us Zuko. One hundred years of war does not fix itself overnight.”

“No, you do not understand Toph. Neither of you can possibly understand. My people are looking to me to save them. They are starting to say that things were better during the war. It is my responsibility, and mine alone to help my citizens. They have no one else to turn to.” He looked away dejectedly, his dark hair quivering in the wind.

Aang walked over gently putting his hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “Zuko, I understand. When I first came back I didn’t know what to do. The whole world was expecting me to save them, and I was just a kid.”

“This is different. My people have paid enough”, Zuko snapped rising to his feet and brushing Aang’s hand away angrily. “They cannot afford your reparations. Seventeen years is enough, these debts have crippled my people. This is no better than slavery. I refuse to let the world subjugate us any further.” He paced back and forth at the water’s edge, his tunic brushing tall fronds of grass.

“It has to be this way Zuko”, Toph declared. “The fire nation must pay for a hundred years of war and oppression.”

“Tell that to the children starving in the streets of this very city”, Zuko gestured with a sweeping arc of his outstretched hand. “They were not even alive when the war ended. Do they deserve this?”

“Zuko, we cannot risk another war”, Aang replied. “The council will not take this lightly. We are your friends. We can help you, but only if you come back with us.”

“I only wish to help my people. They are part of this world too Aang, you have as much responsibility to them as you do the other nations. We cannot find balance if we only seek to punish each other.”

Aang’s face softened and he turned to Toph. “I don’t know Toph. I think Zuko is right.”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s right twinkle toes”, she grabbed his arm, her eyes still as glass. “What everyone but me fails to see here is that this is our best choice. If we don’t bring him in Caleph and Kalnar will assemble a taskforce and do it anyway. The world will see this act of defiance as a threat. You said it yourself Aang. This is not a time to divide the world further.” She lowered her head for just a second. “I’m sorry Zuko, but you are coming with us whether you like it or not.” A metal cable lashed out from her suit, wrapping itself tightly around Zuko’s wrist. “Don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

Zuko pulled against the cable with all his strength, but Toph stood firm, leaning back sharply, her feet rooted in the Earth. The metal cut into his wrist as he pulled against it. “I can’t do that.” Unexpectedly he darted for the water, giving slack up faster than Toph could keep up with. She fell off balance tumbling backwards. In a split second Zuko pulled himself free from the entanglement and dodged a second cable as it sprang towards him. He leapt in the air, unleashing a series of fire blasts, landing in the water of the pond. Turtle ducks hissed and quacked as he stood there knee deep in a sparkling pool of cerulean.

“Toph, give up, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Don’t worry, with an effort like that you have nothing to worry about”, she taunted.

A deluge of rapturous fire burst forth, hot steel gleaming as the metallic tendrils darted through the torrent of dancing flame. With each slash and whip of coil Zuko would dodge, sending arcs and blasts of red hot flame. Toph raised walls of solid rock, and pillars of Earth with utter ease, shielding herself from the incoming inferno. The air was heavy with heat and the smell of scorched earth. Searing flames danced and mingled as they beat against the sturdy posts and barricades of stone. Powerful explosions shook the courtyard as pulverized rock rained down in slivers and chunks.

Aang’s voice carried over the rush of superheated air and thunderous earth. “You guys don’t need to do this. There is nothing to gain by fighting each other.” He frowned sadly as he watched his pleas fell upon deaf ears.

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Prince Zuko
Read more about Prince Zuko at Wikipedia
Official Site: Nickelodeon Links: Zuko's Wiki Article Distant Horizon Official Site

Toph Bei Fong
Read more about Toph Bei Fong at Wikipedia
Official Site: Nickelodeon Links: Toph's Wiki Article Distant Horizon Official Site

[Lunacyde]

Two of my favorite fictional characters. Hope I did them justice lol.

[Lunacyde]

He called Zuko the most powerful firebender which is pretty logical. With Ozai's bending taken from him and Uncle Iroh's passing that leaves Azula, (who for all intents and purposes is locked in a mental institution, and Jeong Jeong who is quite possibly dead at this time. This leaves Zuko who most likely would only improve upon his already considerable skill.

As for the Council, Caleph and Kalnar are basically using the situation to further their own agendas and gain more power.

[Peypeypeypey]

This was a really good fight set-up. You really nailed everyone's personalities, and I liked the scenario a lot. It was written in such a way that there really were no bad guys, and it's a tough situation to deal with. An "A" from me.

As for the fight, I dunno. Zuko's powerful and fast, but I feel that his anger might get the better of him in this one.

[Lunacyde]

This was a really good fight set-up. You really nailed everyone's personalities, and I liked the scenario a lot. It was written in such a way that there really were no bad guys, and it's a tough situation to deal with. An "A" from me.

As for the fight, I dunno. Zuko's powerful and fast, but I feel that his anger might get the better of him in this one.

Awesome, that is exactly what I was going for.

[DSkillz]

Great set-up, Lunacyde. You've nailed the characters, as well as how the nature of the Four Nations' people just might be post-war, just about perfectly. Makes me wish I was keeping up with Legend of Korra right now.

As for the match, I'll have to think about it for a bit, but most likely Aang will break the fight up before either of his friends seriously hurt each other.

[Hayesmeister5651]

Another great set up Luna, keep it up.

[patrickthekid]

Great job with his match. I'm gonna have to think who wins here.

[skadoosh]

I have no idea who wins, but you keep proving your talents for good set ups. Nice one, dude.

[Lunacyde]

Great set-up, Lunacyde. You've nailed the characters, as well as how the nature of the Four Nations' people just might be post-war, just about perfectly. Makes me wish I was keeping up with Legend of Korra right now.

As for the match, I'll have to think about it for a bit, but most likely Aang will break the fight up before either of his friends seriously hurt each other.

Haha I hope I could do it well since I'm such an Avatar fanatic, and these two characters are literally on my top ten list for favorite fictional characters.

But thanks for all the positivity guys. It's much appreciated.

[Callisto]

Match Final Results
USER RATINGS
A
A
SCORE
Prince Zuko: 8
Toph Bei Fong: 13
FPA: 4.0