"Toph, Katara, let's go!" Sokka hissed into the tent. They had feasted all morning with the villagers, and now Toph and Katara were putting the last finishing touches on Toph's attire. Aang had made one last visit to the Spirit World and was standing next to Sokka. Zuko, a favorite of Ronan, was keeping the leader occupided while waiting.
"Almost done, I need to finish her hair. Come in."
Sokka and Aang ducked into the tent and stopped dead in their tracks. Toph was standing, facing them while Katara was brushing her hair. Toph was dressed in a simple, sleeveless dress. It was dark green, with a swooping neck line. The simply embroidered silk hugged her body until her waist, where it billowed naturally down to her bare ankles and feet. The natural dirt on her feet made the whole outfit seem to pull together, as though Toph really was a goddess of the Earth. Around her neck, Katara had found a simple chocker, with a dark green gem that seemed to reflect its light to Toph's dull green eyes.
"Finished." Katara said satisfied. She had brushed out Toph's hair, and both Sokka and Aang reflected it was the first time they'd seen her hair down. It was thick and straight, flowing down to the small of her back. Katara had spent a tedious half an hour coming natural oils through Toph's hair, so it's natural sheen was two-fold. There was a special scent to the air too, as though the smell of spring had suddenly clung to Toph's body.
"Well…" Toph asked quietly. "You're not saying anything. Am I ok?"
"Toph…you look…" Aang started.
"Like a goddess," Sokka finished. He couldn't take his eyes off her. "You look like a goddess of life and earth."
Blushing, Toph smiled. "Thanks Sokka. That makes me feel better."
Katara smiled. "Is it all ready?" Aang and Sokka nodded.
Katara, Aang and Sokka walked out of the tent and sat down next to Zuko, who was looking disgruntled.
"What's wrong?" Aang whispered.
"This guy is a jerk. Toph had better be really good, or we're in for the fight of our lives to get out of here." Zuko shot Ronan a look, who was stuffing himself with a berry treat and laughing.
Noticing that the others had returned, Ronan stood up to address the kids.
"Is Erecura ready?" Katara nodded. Ronan turned to face the tent.
"Oh great goddess Erecura, Princess of the Earth and Queen of Life. Our humble village wishes to be graced with your presence and beauty!"
Toph emerged from the tent, holding herself with a regal glory that the others had never seen before. As she walked to her place in front of the crowd, hiding well the pain it was causing her to walk, the silence was broken by the sound of hundreds of people kneeing down. Following suit, Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko knelt down too. But instead of watching her with awe, like the rest of the crowd, they looked at each other with worry.
"I sure hope your spirits come through," Zuko whispered to Aang. He glanced up at Toph, and a small smile started on his face.
"At least she lives up to the beauty part," he said. "Good job, Katara."
When Toph reached the center of the crowd, she stopped and closed her eyes. No one could see how much turmoil she was in. She was beginning to regret this lie. But she couldn't let her friends down now. Faintly, Toph could feel the presence of her friends with her feet. Zuko's warmth…Sokka's steady, strong heartbeat…Katara's love…and Aang's laughter. Drawing strength from this, Toph took a deep breath, cleared her mind, and in a smooth, heart-crushing deep, beautiful, yet sad voice, she began to sing.
"Well it's by the hush me boys, and that's to mind your noise
And listen to poor Paddy's sad narration.
I was by hunger stressed, and in poverty distressed
So I took a thought I'd leave the Fire nation."
As she sang the first verse of her song, she heard a gasp. Toph opened her eyes and felt a small ping of fear in her gut. She couldn't feel the spirits, so all she could hope for was that they were portray her story right.
To those with sight, the image was unlike any other seen. Even Aang, who had been in the Spirit world plenty of times, was surprised at the grace, the colors, and the emotions his spirit friends were able to show. Toph also seem to transform. As beautiful as Katara had made her, something happened to her presence that made her almost too beautiful to look at. Her face was full of sorrow, as though her unseeing eyes were actually seeing the struggle that her people had suffered so long ago. As Toph's song continued, various forms and colors took shape and accompanied her story.
"Well I sold me horse and cow, and my little pigs and sow
My father's farm of land I then departed
And me sweetheart Bid Magee I'm afraid I'll never see
For I left her there that morning broken hearted."
"Well meself and a hundred more to Ba Sing Se sailed o'er
Our fortunes to be making we were thinking
When we got to Earth-land they put swords into our hand
Saying "Paddy, you must go and fight for Chin."
"General Meagher to us he said, "If you get cut or lose your head
Every mother's son of youse will get a pension."
Well in the war I lost me leg, all I've now's a wooden peg
By my soul it is the truth to you I mention."
"Well I think meself in luck if I get fed on indianbuck
And old Fire is the country I delight in
To the devil I would say, "God curse Ba Sing Se"
For in truth I've had enough of their hard fightin'."
"Here ye boys, now take my advice
To Ba Sing Se I'll have youse not be coming
There is nothing here but war, where the murdering cannons roar
And I wish I was at home on dear old Ember Island."
After her last verse, all Toph could hear was complete silence. She felt weak. Something had happened when the spirits arrived, and she didn't know exactly what Aang told them to do, but they had used her body and she was feeling the weakness now of being a host. The crowd was still silent, but Toph couldn't stand there anymore. Her feet hurt, she was tired and hungry.
Using the last of her strength, Toph reached out with her foot-sight and found where Katara was sitting. Walking slowly, so as not to collapse in front of Ronan and the village, she felt her way to her friends. Reaching her arms out, Toph found Katara's hands waiting, and she half-sat, half-fell next to her.
"What's going on?" Toph whispered. Katara wrapped her arms around the girl, and Toph could feel Katara's wet cheek on her forehead. Placing her hands on the dirt, Toph could feel her other friends too. In the silence, Aang, Sokka, and Zuko were full of sorrow. She could almost see the pain and tears in their eyes. Reaching out further, she felt the whole village.
Afraid of what she'd done, she asked again, "Katara, what happened?"
Katara finally pulled away and took Toph's hands in her own.
"Toph," she said. "You are Erecura."
Since Toph had fulfilled her promise of bring Erecura to the earth, there was nothing left for the group to do but leave. Katara took Toph back to their suite so the girl could rest, and Aang, Sokka, and Zuko finished loading Appa.
Aang was on the ground airbending supplies up while Sokka and Zuko were strapping them down. Neither of the teenagers had talked to each other since the end of Toph's performance. What they had seen could not be described by words. As Sokka and Zuko caught a giant basket from Aang, Sokka cleared his throat.
"So, uh…have you ever seen something like that before?"
Zuko pulled a rope tight around the basket. "Nope."
Sokka ignored Zuko's tone. "Do you think she really is Erecura? Or was that just a lot of show from the spirits that Aang found?"
Zuko caught another basket. "I don't know. She could have part of Erecura in her. Didn't that water tribe princess have the moon in her?"
"I guess…" Sokka said as he helped Zuko tie down the basket. He gave a short laugh. "You're in for a ride with us…weird things just seem to cling to us like stink on Appa." Appa roared at the insult.
Zuko smiled. "Hurray for me."
Inside the suite, Katara was putting the finishing touches on Toph's normal hair-do. Toph was still exhausted, but she was able to hold herself up now.
"So, then what happened?"
Katara was telling Toph the story of what the performance looked like. "Then, I don't know, it was like we were brought back to earth. You had finished. Everyone was crying, and you came and sat next to me. That's it." She put in the final pin. "Hair's done."
Toph stood up and walked over to the window. She could hear Aang, Sokka, and Zuko yelling at each other from below. Someone had let a bundle drop, and they were trying to lay blame somewhere.
"Katara?" Toph asked.
"Hm."
Toph blushed. "Did Sokka really mean that I looked like a goddess?"
Katara finished putting her and Toph's stuff into their packs and then walked over to Toph. She handed the girl her pack. "He couldn't keep his eyes off you," Katara answered with a smile in her voice. "Lets go before they kill each other."
Toph smiled to herself and followed Katara out of the room.
A few hours from the village, the group, on Appa's back, were eating a snack and discussing what had happened.
"So, are you really some goddess?" Katara asked again.
"I don't know!" Aang answered, annoyed. "Maybe her dad tried to help her when she was a baby and asked the spirits to make her not blind but something went wrong." Aang frowned. "No, I take that back. The spirits are never wrong."
"Maybe when Aang was looking for some spirits to act, word got back to this Erecura and she decided to make an appearance," Sokka chimed in.
"No," Zuko said quietly. "That's not what happened. Erecura wasn't there. She's a mythical goddess, she's not real."
Toph nodded in agreement. "Zuko's right. It wasn't Erecura."
"Then wat 'appened?" Sokka asked with his mouth full.
Toph smiled. "I'm just that good."