┊𝑰𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆┊

chapter 20

"Come on, Twinkle Toes! Move it, move it, move it!"

"Toph, I'm tired!"

"It's not time to rest yet, now move it!"

Aang punched out and sent the rock flying across the courtyard, landing near the observant king. He straightened up from his stance and the king applauded.

"Now can I rest?"

"One more excercize and I'll think about it," she smirked.

Aang sighed and got back into his stance. Toph threw boulder after boulder at him and he stood his ground as they crumbled around him except for the last one, which threw him against the wall seperating the courtyard from the northern garden. He jumped up quickly and dodged another boulder and sent one of his own that she easily broke into a billion pieces. Their practice session stopped when Sokka and Iroh came out there.

"Shouldn't they be back by now?" Sokka asked. "It should only take a day to get there and they left yesterday morning. Now the sun is setting and they're still not back."

"Don't worry, Sokka," Aang said, wiping sweat from his brow with his sleeve. "I'm sure they'll be back sometime tonight."

Iroh shook his head and tucked his hands in his sleeves. "Sokka's right, they should've been back by now. Even if they did sleep there, they would've set off early this morning and been here an hour ago."

"Do you think something happened to them? Should we go after them?"

Momo screeched on Iroh's shoulder as a soldier ran up to the king, who was making his way to the Avatar's group, carrying a small figure in his arms. Aang ran up to them and immediately recognized the limp body of Alec.

"Is he..?"

"No, he's alive," the soldier said. "We found him just now tied to the back of an ostrich-horse outside the walls. This was sticking out of his pocket."

The soldier handed Aang a small piece of parchment and he quickly opened up and read it. His face dropped even more and he walked back to his friends. The king whispered something to the soldier and he ran off with the boy still in his arms.

"Guys," Aang started fearfully. "Alec's hurt and they have Katara and Zu- er, Li." He handed the letter to Iroh and he read it with shaking hands.

Avatar-

I have your friend, the waterbender. If you wish for her freedom, you'll turn yourself over to me without a fight. My brother, on the other hand, will not be released. I will come for my uncle in time, but for now, you and my brother will do fine.

I merely spared the boy to deliver the message, though I don't see how he's tied to you, but it depends on you whether or not your friend is spared. Both of them are being kept unconcious so they can't fight back and it won't take much to kill them.

You have until tomorrow to make your decision. Until then, you know where I am.

Princess Azula

Sokka's grip on his swords was turning his knuckles white and he felt as if he was about to break them. "We're going after them. Both of them."